Day 4727

One down, one to go. Our first Santa Paws event for 2022 went smoothly. We did things a little differently this year. Instead of setting up the backdrop in a boarding kennel or veterinary clinic, we were inside a nice home where we used the homes Christmas tree and fireplace as a backdrop. This was an invitation only event for volunteers and people who had adopted a dog from Dalmatian Rescue, so it was much less stressful than our typical Christmas photoshoots. Santa was happy because he got to watch football on a big screen TV while we were taking pictures and I was happy because I didn't have to set up the backdrop.

Not surprisingly, most of the dogs we photographed today were Dalmatians. Many of the dogs were Dalmatian Rescue alumni and a few of them have been featured as Dog of the Day on this blog at some point in the past. The dogs were well behaved and fun to be around. There was no pooping in the house and no Christmas trees were destroyed.

Since we photographed very few little dogs today, I didn't have to get down on my knees. I sat on a comfortable ottoman in the living room and took pictures while Santa was watching the Big 12 Championship Game between TCU and Kansas State. There wasn't a madhouse of barking dogs because we scheduled things so that there was only one set of dogs inside the house at any given time. We probably didn't make as much money doing things this way, but I hope we can do this again. The whole atmosphere was very relaxed and the event was easier on everyone.

Tomorrow will be the exact opposite of today. We will be doing Santa Paws pictures for a large boarding kennel that they will provide for their customers. The dogs owners will not be there for the event, but we will be photographing a huge number of dogs. I have heard that there might be as many as 100 dogs at tomorrow's event. The kennel will be bringing in extra staff to coordinate things, but there is still only one Santa and one photographer. I imagine that we will both be very tired tomorrow.

We didn't take Dawn with us today because it would have been very stressful for her. I doubt that she'll ever have any Santa pictures of her own. Dawn did get her morning walk before we left though. It wasn't that cold this morning, but it was dark. Dawn had her green LED collar, Janet and I had warning lights on our jackets, and off we went. By the time we returned it was almost sunrise. I don't think Dawn minded being alone in the house at all. She's very comfortable on our big bed. Occasionally we check in on her using the wifi petcam and she's usually just sleeping.

I even managed to get my steps today. I didn't start walking until I'd taken Dawn out to pee after I returned home. The sun was low in the sky, but I managed to get home again before dark. After walking in the park after dark earlier this month, I decided that I wasn't going to do that again. The park is kind of spooky after dark. 

I didn't have time to do my grocery shopping today and won't have time tomorrow either. I guess Monday will be grocery day this week. i'm going to try to get to bed earlier tonight because we have a longer drive to our location tomorrow morning. Hopefully Dawn will still be able to get her morning walk. I'll be glad when this year's Santa Paws events are over. It's a great fund raiser for our rescue dogs, but it's tiring for me. I'm still not sure if my equipment or my old bones are going to give out first.

Spot is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3625

As Ginny continues to become more relaxed, she is acting more and more like every Dalmatian I have ever known. She is a velcro dog who follows me everywhere. I have to be careful not to trip over her because she is always nearby. If she wants something, she will nudge me with her snout or if I'm at my desk will slap me with a paw. Usually what she wants is food. If I'm up, she always heads straight to the kitchen. She loves to take naps and already has a favorite blanket. As luck would have it, I'm fond of naps too. Ginny is always right beside me on the bed. If this girl didn't already have a good home after she finishes recovering from her heartworm treatment, it would be very hard to take her back to the kennel.

We wanted to make sure that Ginny was comfortable being alone in the house, so we set up a camera to watch her in a safe gated area while we walked around the block. She wasn't frantic at all. She sat in her Kuranda bed looking at the door for a few minutes and then curled up and went to sleep. We repeated this exercise twice and she was fine both times. When we returned, she got off her bed and began following me around again. I'm glad she used the Kuranda bed. When we're here, she doesn't go near it and prefers the comfort of our large king-sized bed. Like I said, she appears to be a very normal Dalmatian.

When we were doing our little test, I was disappointed to discover that our Baby Monitor doesn't work anymore. I don't know when it broke. We haven't used it since Dash died. Luckily, there was an alternate way to keep an eye on Ginny. I still have the iCam app on my phone. Even though this app is very old, it still works. You can use any computer or another phone to sent the pictures and then you receive them on your iPhone. I wrote the Withings company to see if they could fix the broken Baby Monitor but I doubt there is much they can do. Like many things in our house, this handy monitor is too old.

I wrote the editor of Spaceflight Magazine to see if they'd be interested in an article about the Artemis Program and then signed up for a rental car loyalty program. Now that I'm visiting observatories and getting invited to NASA events, I'm renting more cars than I ever thought I would a few years ago. Maybe if this continues, I'll get a free rental one of these days.

I probably spent more time napping with Ginny than anything else today. I did take my five mile walk though when Janet returned from her errands. Walking is when I think and plan things. I'm not sure how much good this does since my mind wanders and much of what I'm thinking about evaporates as soon as I return home. Even though I'm not a disciplined planner, I do think I'm making progress. I've been to Johnson Space Center, Kennedy Space Center, and McDonald Observatory this year. Oh, and I managed to see the Big Boy steam engine in operation too. Hopefully, by this time next year I'll be able to add more interesting things to this list.

No fruit smoothie for me tomorrow morning. Thanksgiving dinner is almost an all day event and I need to save room for some holiday indulgence.

Spots is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3570

We went to the State Fair today. I haven't been to the fair in years, but it hasn't changed much. The main difference I noticed was that everything was much more expensive. We did a lot of the same things we used to do. We visited the auto show building and looked at new cars. We went to the building where they usually have pig races and watched the Amazing Trick Dogs. The dogs were basically well trained agility dogs and it was fun to watch them catch frisbees, jump over hurdles, and run through an agility course. I wasn't very interested in sitting in a vibrating chair or eating a deep fried pickle, but a talented dog can always make me smile.

One of the weirdest things we saw today was a booth called Shrink Yourself. These people would make a full body scan of an individual or even a small group and then turn it into an amazingly realistic small doll that was 3-D printed. The whole process was fairly expensive and it took three weeks to get the finished doll, but people were lining up to be scanned.

As we were walking around today we found ourselves walking on a brick walkway paved with memorial bricks. This immediately brought back memories. We used to take Spot, our first Dalmatian, to Fair Park every Sunday. After he died we bought him a brick with his name on it to be placed on this walkway because Fair Park was one of his favorite places to walk. We spent a long time this afternoon trying to find Spot's brick and eventually found it. I had forgotten that we had also bought a brick for ourselves to be placed on either side of Spot. There we were thirty years later, John, Spot, and Janet, memorialized on some old bricks right in the middle of the State Fair.

Instead of having fried food on a stick, we had dinner at the Old Mill. This restaurant, located on the fairgrounds, has been around as long as I can remember. This place was built as a flour mill for the 1936 Texas Centennial Exposition and hasn't changed much since. The menu is exactly the same as it was when we used to bring Spot here to share fried chicken with us at an outdoor table on Sunday afternoons. Some of the old waiters seemed to be the same as well. The place that used to give Spot a free burger every year still exists at the fairground too, but none of the people we knew are still around. I imagine that many of them have died. It's been a long time.

I heard from Sky and Telescope today. They rejected my article. I was disappointed, but this was actually the most positive rejection letter I've ever received. The editor told me that everyone at the magazine loved my article. They thought the article was interesting, well written, and encouraged me to submit to the magazine again. The magazine would have loved to publish the article if I had actually seen anything through one of the telescopes. This is understandable. Sky and Telescope is an astronomy magazine, not a travel magazine. The editor liked my writing style and encouraged me to pitch other articles to the magazine in the future. I got the impression that they would like me to become a contributor. I just can't write about rainy nights at an observatory. What I need now is a plan to guarantee clear skies the next time I visit the Davis Mountains.

I walked over 25,000 steps today. This is a new Fitbit record. I'm a little tired, but I enjoyed our time at the fair. It was nice to rekindle some old memories of Spot. Sometimes it feels like my life has always been about Dalmatians. It probably always will be.

Hobbs is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3483

It looks like Monday is going to be the day we visit the Dalmatians. The boarding kennel is not usually busy on Mondays, so we don't get in the way while we are visiting with the dogs. There is a large, air conditioned indoor play area where we can play ball, let the dogs run freely, and make rudimentary attempts to teach them basic commands. We've spent enough time with the group now that we are starting to learn their personalities.

Now that Penny and Evie, our two sisters, have been adopted, Treasure is our only girl currently in the program. She is playful and affectionate and we have already taught her to roll over. Pongo, pictured here, is one of our newcomers. He is underweight and is still recovering from his heartworm treatment, but is already starting to put on a few pounds. He was much more relaxed today than he was last week. Jenga is deaf but you'd never know it. He is remarkably well adjusted and responds well to hand signals. Jenga loves to play ball and always seems happy. Charlie has probably made the most progress since entering the rescue program. He has finally learned some manners and will sit and stay for a treat now. Hank, another of our newcomers, is a blank slate. He is extremely friendly but could use a little training. We'll work on that. It is fun to see these dogs grow and become more confident with each passing week. Each of them is going to make someone very happy soon.

The weather is hot enough now that it is starting to be featured on the local news. I see stories on the importance of staying hydrated and how to avoid heatstroke. I'd like to see a few more stories about the dangers of leaving your dog out in the hot sun. I'm still walking in the heat of the day, but I do take a few precautions. I soak my hat and shirt in water before I begin my walk to help cool me down. When the hat starts to dry out, I'll wet it down again using a water fountain along the way. These walks are a little tiring although I still think they are a lot better than just staying inside and watching TV. I even made it up on the roof today and got the faulty pump running again. As I expected, there was just a kink in the hose. I was surprised that there was still water on the roof since it has been so hot lately. I guess it did rain a lot a few days ago.

I got a late start writing tonight because I wanted to watch the first episode of Chasing the Moon on PBS. I guess I'll get a late start tomorrow and Wednesday as well since this American Experience show is a three part series. I remember the beginnings of the space program but I'm surprised at how much I've forgotten fifty years later. I don't think any of this would have happened without the cold war and the enthusiasm of President Kennedy. An enormous amount of money was spent to get us to the moon. Today's expenditures on space are small by comparison. We aren't as unified as a country either. The 60's were an amazing time to be alive. I don't think this period of history will be repeated any time soon.

Today will probably be repeated tomorrow however. There won't be a trip to the Dalmatian kennels, but everything else will be the same. A breakfast smoothie followed by a long walk and a longing for cooler weather.

Trevor is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3441 - Memorial Day

It was a quiet day. I'm getting plenty of sleep now, but I still wake up feeling tired. I still have vivid dreams of being lost. Maybe these dreams are wearing me out. Sometimes I'm with friends and sometimes I'm alone, but I always seem to be in the wrong room or the wrong building. These aren't scary dreams, but a lot of walking is involved. I always wake up before I get where I'm going.

The weather is warmer than it should be for this time of year, but at least there's a breeze in the morning. I had my morning smoothie while watching a marathon presentation of Jay Leno's Garage. Anything is better than the news these days. Jan Leno's Garage isn't nearly as good as the old version of Top Gear with Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May, but what are you going to do.  Political correctness has basically ruined television.

I'm still trying to find the perfect shoe and sock combination for my daily walks. It's odd that this never seemed to be a problem when I was walking with dogs. The dogs probably stopped so frequently to smell things that my feet never got hot or became swollen. I'd probably be more comfortable wearing light weight running shoes, but I like firm ankle support. Boots are better if you accidentally step on a snake too.

Since today was the last day for REI's big annual sale, I made one last trip to the store to look for a solution. There were great prices on everything, but I came home with nothing again. I looked at boots, wool socks, solar powered gadgets and everything else with a 25% off sign, but I seem to have totally lost my interest in buying things. This is a new experience for me. Buying things used to always put me in a good mood.

Driving to Florida is starting to seem like a better option than flying. The launch date for the Falcon Heavy is almost certain to change several times and changing airline reservations at the last minute is proving to be more of a hassle than it should be. The price for a flexible, refundable ticket is more than double what a plan-ahead discount fare would be. There are no nonstop flights where I'm going either. The downside to a long drive is that I would need to get new tires. My current tires are a little worn for a long trip. We'll see. I probably shouldn't overthink this until a get a better idea when the launch is actually going to take place.

I discovered that I can stream the PBS Breakthrough series for free on my computer. I watched the show about The Rocket this afternoon. This type of stuff is interesting to me. I've watched countless launches on TV, but I still didn't know how rockets actually work. I'll have to watch the episodes about The Car, and The Robot later. It's amazing how many things we take for granted today were developed during wartime. Even the telescope was initially developed as a tool for sailors to observe opposing ships at a distance. We definitely wouldn't have gotten to the moon without World War II and the Cold War with the Soviet Union that followed.

I saw a Dalmatian on my evening walk today. It's a surprising how rare they are in this part of town. I had a brief conversation with the owner which gave me a chance to give the dog a pat on the head. This beautiful five year old female appeared to have a very good home. As the guy and his dog continued on their way I kept thinking how strange it was to not be holding a leash in my hand.

Libby is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3265

Santa Paws is over for another year. We were really busy today. There were lots of walk ins that threw us off schedule for a while, but everybody went home with the pictures they wanted. Not only did we raise money for Dalmatian Rescue, we also adopted three of our dogs. We were all pretty tired, but everybody agreed that we had a good day.

Today was more hectic than yesterday because we photographed a lot of Dalmatians. Dalmatians are very photogenic, but they are strong, very active and can be stubborn at times. Little dogs that sit in Santa's lap are much easier to deal with unless they happen to be Chihuahuas.

Two of our volunteers adopted their first dog this afternoon. If you listened to the advice they were being given, you'd think that all Dalmatian puppies were incorrigible counter surfers who chewed your furniture, ate socks, got into the garbage, and insisted on sleeping in bed with you. Hey, it's all part of having a puppy. They are also more fun than you can imagine.

Having an old dog is fun too, but I wish there was a better way of dealing with incontinence. Several people I saw at the photo event today told me that their dogs were dealing with the same problem. Dash made a mess in the bed again last night. This was after I had taken him outside several times. I've learned to be patient and have become very good at cleanup, but getting up every night is tiring. Eventually, I'm going to have to put all the camera equipment away, but catching up on sleep is pretty high on my agenda right now.

We had to leave Dash alone for a little longer than normal today, but he did very well. Oddly, he never makes a mess when we are away. It's usually when we're sleeping a few inches away from him. I shouldn't complain though. Our biggest worry has always been the blood clot in Dash's heart and that appears to be getting better. He's eating well again too. I guess a little poop in the bed isn't all that bad.

Sometime tomorrow I'll start taking the photo gear and props back to the storage warehouse. I've got a list of little things I'll need to replace before we do this again next year, but I was pleased at how well the equipment held up. Nothing broke. Nobody got bit. And the backdrop is still usable. In the world of pet photography, I'd call that a success.

The year is rapidly drawing to a close. There are still a few Christmas parties to attend, but that's about it. Hopefully, I can just coast through the rest of the year before the inevitable home repair and medical problems demand my attention again.

You may be hoping for a White Christmas, but I'm not. Clear skies and a warm breeze sounds much better to me.

Greta is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3040

I enjoy visiting the rescue Dalmatians. I often wonder how these wonderful dogs wind up stray, in animal shelters, or being surrendered by their owners. They all deserve better. The great thing about rescue organizations is that dogs like these get a second chance. For many, many years the dogs that Janet and I share our lives with have come from the Dalmatian Rescue group that we both volunteer with. This group has found good homes for hundreds of dogs like the ones we visited today. When they become part of the rescue program, the dogs are often scared, abused, and in poor health. It is our job to make sure that when they find their forever home, they are all healthy, happy, and well adjusted pets. I don't spend as much time with rescue as I used to, but I still think it is one of the most important things you can do. Even if you are not fond of people, you can still make a dog's life better.

It was a good day to visit the kennel. The weather was dismal today, so most weekend chores were out of the question. We did manage to give Dash his morning walk before the rain started, but after that it was better to stay inside. I guess this is normal Spring weather, but it sure seems wet to me. The trouble with Texas is that as soon as the rainy season is over, it's going to be hot and dry for the rest of the year.

Dash didn't seem to mind that we were gone today, but he was really interested in smelling our clothes when we returned. I wish he would get his eating habits sorted out. I had to open three different cans of food before I found something that he would eat for dinner. I wish I knew if he always felt symptoms from his vestibular disease. I'd hate to think that eating has become unpleasant, because every Dalmatian I've even known lives to eat. This was certainly true of the dogs we visited today. It would have much more difficult to photograph them if we didn't arrive with a pocket full of dog treats.

I think the silicon wrist band I repaired the other day has fully cured, but I still haven't had the nerve to wear it. Maybe tomorrow. It certainly didn't take much glue to fix things. If this stuff works, I have enough glue on hand to repair silicon watch bands for the rest of my life.

Janet made spagetti for dinner tonight. I love Italian food, even though it almost always gives me heartburn. I wonder how Italians deal with this? Tomato sauce is a well known trigger for acid reflux. If you have problems with acid reflux, the first thing your doctor will tell you is to avoid acidic foods. It's a shame that pizza and pasta are often at the top of the list. I could live on this stuff.

The best time to view the Leonid Meteor Shower is tonight. That's not going to happen. It's still raining. Dash didn't even get an afternoon walk today. I hope the weather clears up tomorrow. I need to go to the gym and it's time to start doing some serious yard work.

Joe is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2923 - Christmas

I enjoy looking at my Facebook page on Christmas morning. It's a nice change of pace from the evening news to see so many people from all walks of life enjoying themselves and having fun. Since most of my Facebook friends appear to be Dalmatians, I might have a somewhat distorted view of what Christmas is all about. It seems to be a day to wear ridiculous costumes, eat lots of treats, and curl up under warm blankets. This is as it should be. Northern Dalmatians appear to love the snow, but I have had few chances to verify this myself. It was certainly cold this morning, but there was no white Christmas.

Dash seemed to know it was a holiday. He let us sleep in this morning, which is a rarity in our house. We bundled up in warm coats and took a Christmas morning walk before breakfast. It was beautiful outside and we virtually had the park to ourselves because it was so cold. We used to put Christmas bows and colorful scarves on the dogs for their Christmas walk, but that seemed a little much today. Dash has to wear so much protective gear now that he probably couldn't move if we asked him to wear anything else.

We didn't end up going to a Christmas movie after all. The film Janet wanted to see wasn't playing anywhere locally and nothing else seemed appealing. Dash had a weird shivering episode around mid-morning too, so it didn't seem right to leave him for any length of time. These shivering spasms are new. He's not cold when they happen and the shaking lasts a few minutes and then he's back to normal. One more question to ask the vets when he goes back for his next echocardiogram and exam in early January.

Janet started fixing Christmas dinner when I took Dash on his afternoon walk. By the time we returned, the house smelled great. I like a traditional holiday feast. We had smoked ham, candied yams, roasted brussels sprouts, Italian sausage dressing, and a pumpkin pie for dessert. Dash got his own special Christmas dinner from Devon's Doggie Delights. It was a quiet low key day which was exactly what everybody needed. I need to remember to go back to the little smokehouse I discovered. Our Christmas ham was amazing.

Time moves so quickly now. This has been an eventful year, filled with challenges and sadness. So much has happened and yet last Christmas just seems like yesterday. There is no time to waste anymore. Janet and I have already outlived some very good friends. It makes you realize that any day you are still healthy enough to wake up and take a walk through the woods with your dog is a good day.

Tomorrow Janet returns to work and I return to my morning smoothie and a day filled with fixing broken things around the house. I still haven't found a solution to my next website challenge, but I will. I may have slowed down, but you can't count me out yet.

Dot is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2804

Whenever there's a disaster, my first thoughts are about the animals. There's already been an amazing effort to rescue dogs, cats, and horses trapped by rising waters around Houston. Probably much more will be needed in the days ahead. Among the thousands of animals in danger today were three Dalmatians trapped in a kennel that was being flooded by water that was being released from a nearby dam. I'm not sure, but I think these dogs are safe now. I hope so. It was amazing to see the rapid efforts of many people, some of whom I know, to coordinate an immediate rescue by boat. I'm not a huge fan of social media, but this is where it shines. Not more than an hour after I began seeing stories about the dogs plight on Facebook, boats were on the way. There were probably hundreds of stories like this today, but this was the only one that involved Dalmatians. When a Dalmatian is in danger it catches my attention.

It's already been a week since Janet's reconstruction surgery. Her doctor was pleased with her progress today and even removed some of the stitches. The nurse said that we were doing a good job with the bandages. That was a relief. If all continues to go smoothly, Janet will return to work again in another week.

I wish things were going just as smoothly with Dash. He threw up again after eating a normal breakfast and having a nice walk. Like many of his previous episodes, there was no warning. He just walked calmly to the back door around 1 PM and threw up. Dash shows no signs of distress before or after these incidents. He's been fine for the rest of the day. His vet has suggested that we put him on a mild anti-nausea medication for a month and see if we notice any changes. The theory is that he might be mildly nauseous all the time as a result of his vestibular disease. I hate to add another pill to his already lengthy list of meds, but this might be worth a try. Obviously something is wrong, but it has been very hard to pin down the cause.

We had more intermittent rain from the outer bands of Harvey. It's nice that I don't have to water the lawn every day, but the rain is going to complicate the roof repairs I was planning on making this month. It's going to take an extended dry spell before I am even able to prepare the surface for the elastomer coating the roofers gave me. There's certainly not any dry weather in the immediate future. I should have checked the weather radar before I walked Dash this evening. We got caught in a sudden shower and both got soaked.

It wasn't a very productive day. I got the wet/dry vacuum out and removed another quart of water from under the shower tiles. I don't know how this water is getting in there. I've sealed all the cracks completely with silicon caulk. Things like this are why people eventually give up and remodel their bathrooms. I don't know if I'm ever going to be able to locate the source of this leak.

It doesn't matter if it is a shower stall or an iPhone case. Old things just crack and break. I tried to repair my Lunatik iPhone case for the third time this afternoon. I bought this case because it was supposed to be indestructible, but it is so old now that it is developing stress cracks. I took the case apart and applied superglue to the tiny cracks using watch repair tools. It would have been easier to just buy a new case but they don't make these things anymore.

I'm not sure what I'll be doing tomorrow. One way or another, I'm sure it will involve water.

Mandy is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2673

Dot threw up again last night and still seemed to be having trouble swallowing her pills this morning. Things are changing and I'm still trying to figure out how to adapt. Since putting her meds inside a small ball of canned dog food doesn't seems to work anymore, we're going to try cheese. Dot has always loved cheese. If cheese doesn't work, we can always try to boil a chicken breast and then cube the meat into small pieces we can use to hide a pill. One way or another, Dot still needs to take her meds.

I don't remember aging being quite as stressful with our other dogs. Maybe it was though. I tend to blot out things I don't want to remember. Spot lived to be fourteen. Like Dot, he lived through major spinal surgery and intestinal cancer. The surgery was successful, but cancer detection methods weren't as good back then and the cancer returned. Petey died suddenly of kidney failure and Greta never made it out of the hospital after a cancerous lobe of her liver was removed. Dot has lived longer than any dog we've ever had, but I doubt she'll make it to her next birthday. It's really sad to see this chapter of her life and mine coming to a close.

Occasionally, I'll look at old movies of Dot and Dash running and jumping over things. They were both very athletic and loved the dog park. Those years seem so long ago. Life has become so much smaller. Lately, we just try to make it through the day. Success is a day where Dot is able to hold down her food and enjoy a very short assisted walk to the end of our street. I've gotten so used to dealing with her incontinence that it just seems normal now. I can almost read Dot's mind by now. A glance tells me when she is in pain or when she needs to pee. We have become very close. I know she wants to continue. I just don't know how long she can.

Since there weren't any writing or website jobs today, I decided to get caught up on my bookkeeping. It's sobering to compare this year's billing to earlier years. Truthfully, there isn't much left of the business anymore. I just can't bring myself to formally close it. When friends of mine have found themselves in a similar situation, some of them have turned to teaching. I taught as an adjunct professor years ago, but couldn't imagine doing it anymore. I've become far too reclusive.

I wonder sometimes if Dash will be our last dog. Caring for two aging cancer survivors has been more tiring than I ever imagined. My Dad had a little Dachshund who was his constant companion until the day he died. Little dogs are easier to take care of though and tend to live longer. Dalmatians are extremely active dogs and deserve to be with an equally active person. I don't know if I have the energy for another Dalmatian, but I could never imagine having anything else.

I never made it up on the roof today. I never got my bone density scan either. Dot was restless. I was slow. It's amazing we made it through the day at all. I'm hoping that we both get a burst of renewed energy tomorrow.

Marley is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2457 - Labor Day

When I was taking Dash on his morning walk, we encountered a lady leading two blind men down the trail. She told the men that they were approaching a Dalmatian and one them asked if he could pet Dash. Soon, both men were using their hands to get a sense of what a Dalmatian looked like. I was proud of Dash. He was gentle and let the blind men examine him from nose to tail. After a few minutes the men thanked me and we were on our way. It was a crisp, cool morning with a nice breeze. I closed my eyes for a moment, listened to the birds, and realized that the park was still a beautiful place even if you couldn't see.

Janet convinced me to get out of the house today, so we decided to explore the new neighborhood that had developed around the recently opened Santiago Calatrava bridge crossing the Trinity River. Actually, I think the bridge has been open for almost four years, but it still seems new to me. I remember this area as a run down industrial neighborhood filled with old construction equipment, rusting cars, and sleazy bail bond businesses. Gentrification  has changed the area into a place filled with trendy restaurants, art galleries, and even a highly regarded craft brewery. We were going to eat lunch at the brewery, but it was closed for some inexplicable reason. We ate at a nearby barbecue place that wasn't quite as good as some of the barbecue joints in our own neighborhood. We walked around a bit so we could get a better view of the bridge and then we went home. I'll have to admit that it was a good idea to get out of the house for a while.

I was convinced that we were going to have to spend the rest of the afternoon cleaning Dot up when we returned, but she was still asleep when we got back home and hadn't pooped in her bed at all. I was initially pleased at this unexpected development, but later became worried when she didn't want to get up at all. She seemed very tired today. Maybe it was just the weather. The cool early morning breeze quickly turned into a scorcher as the day progressed. Dot still seems weak and a bit shaky on her feet, but I hope the extra rest she got today will make her feel better tomorrow.

I rarely eat lunch anymore and purposely ate a very light breakfast so I wouldn't spoil my appetite. Nevertheless, the meal we had at the barbecue place still seemed enormous. I used to eat like this all the time, but it doesn't seem right anymore. When I got home, all I wanted to do was take a long nap. I think a good breakfast, no lunch at all, and a light supper is the way to go. All those lunches I had with friends years ago probably helped to build my business, but I doubt that they did much for my health.

Tomorrow, it's back to work. I will begin another new writing assignment in the morning and I've got a dentist appointment in the afternoon. Eating healthy and taking care of my teeth are two things I should have paid more attention to when I was younger. I guess it's better late than never. I take good care of my teeth now. I take good care of Dot. And I try to eat sensibly. Sensible never even used to be part of my vocabulary.

Allie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2410

Go outside and take a look at the moon. 47 years ago today Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin touched down on the lunar surface with less than a minutes worth of fuel left. They navigated their way from the earth to the moon using a computer that was less powerful than the one you currently have in your phone. More than half a billion people watched live as Neil Armstrong stepped out of the lunar module and said, “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” For one short moment in time, the world was united and the world was proud.

I was one of those proud people.  I was still in architecture school and had my entire life ahead of me. I never would have dreamed that almost half a century later we would leave the moon behind and never return. What happened? I think we were at our best when we were explorers and adventurers. We are at our worst right now. Nothing unites us the way Apollo 11 did. No politician is bold enough to commit the nation to accomplish the impossible in less than ten years. John Kennedy was my favorite president. Sadly, I don't think his own party would elect him today. He wasn't politically correct. He was an unabashed nationalist. I think John Kennedy would be appalled that we never returned to the moon.

The dogs got a little excitement today. The electric company arrived at the house around mid-afternoon and informed me that my electric meter had gone bad. I asked the guy at the front door how they knew the meter had gone bad and they told me that the meter sent them a fault warning. There aren't any meter readers anymore. The meter sits quietly behind my house, electronically informing the power company whenever I turn on the television, or cool down the house. The meter knows too much, so I hope nobody ever gets elected who decides I'm an energy waster and rations my power. It's already happening with water. I thanked the electric company guy for installing the new meter and apologized for the barking dogs. Somehow I think that this new meter isn't going to lower my electric bill at all.

I had some website updates to complete today, but I have a feeling that the slowdown in my business is permanent. As I watch Dot's slow decline, I am simultaneously witnessing my own decline. I hope I'm not witnessing the decline of my country as well. All I know is that July 20, 1969 was a much better time than July 20, 2016. I know you can't turn back time, but maybe you can change direction.

I canceled Dot's physical therapy session again today. We did increase the length of her walk a little though. So far, she's doing well. This is the kind of progress I understand. Tomorrow, we'll repeat the process and start all over again. In 1969 I was convinced that we'd have colonies on Mars by now. What I didn't know is that 47 years later, my life would be focused around Dalmatians and that the moon would just be a soft light shining through my window.

Lady Jane is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2180

Our U-Verse service has gone out again. Whenever I deal with cable company customer service representatives I understand road rage a little better. It is infuriating to pay so much for a service that is so unreliable. Whenever U-Verse goes down I'm tempted to go back to Time Warner Cable. Then I remember that their service was even worse. The last time I had reliable internet service was in the Internet dark ages when I had a dedicated DSL line pulled to the house. The old DSL line was faster and more reliable than the fancy WiFi network I have now. Everything was connected by Ethernet and I rarely had an outage. The phone company doesn't even offer DSL lines anymore. Times have changed.

So, how am I posting this if I don't have Internet service? I have a backup connection with another phone company. You have to have a back up for everything these days, especially if you're a website developer. It's frustrating to be at the mercy of the phone company. Nothing is dependable anymore. U-Verse won't even come out to look at the problem until Monday. They told me that they had no technicians available. Really? I saw a U-Verse technician in the ally behind my neighbor's house about thirty minutes after I got off the phone with customer service. I told him that my service was out too, and asked if he'd check my line while he was in the neighborhood. He must have done absolutely nothing, because the line is still dead.

The only productive thing I did today was get a haircut. The mall is already packed with Christmas shoppers. I had trouble finding a parking place. Every time I get a haircut, I look at the clippings on the floor and am amazed at how white my hair has become. My hair used to be curly and now it is perfectly straight. What's that all about? The stylist was complaining about having bags under her eyes. I looked at myself in the mirror and said, "That's nothing. Look at me. I look like a racoon." Basically, every aspect of growing old sucks. Especially looking in the mirror.

On the way back to the car, I stopped in the Apple store. I really like the new larger iPad Pro. This thing has a great screen and could easily serve as a laptop substitute if it was paired with a wireless keyboard. It would also make a great little teleprompter for video shoots. Unfortunately, I can't afford one of these seductive gadgets at the moment. I can't even afford the WiFi scale that also caught my eye.

It's weird not having a TV. There's almost always a TV on in some part of the house, even if nobody is watching it. The house seems unnaturally quiet. If I listen carefully, I can hear the dehumidifier running in the living room, but that's about it. As you've probably guessed, the dogs have gone to sleep already.

I'm still dreading tomorrows photo shoot. Nobody scheduled a break for lunch, so we're booked solid from early morning until mid-afternoon. I'm tired already. I've got all the batteries charged. I've packed up the equipment in various nylon bags and I'm ready to go. I'm thinking that this is the last year I'm going to do this, but that was what I thought last year as well.

Today's Dalmatian of the Day passed away yesterday. He was always one of my favorites. RIP Camp!

Camp is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2108

It seems to take longer and longer to get Dot to her physical therapy sessions. Today, when I started to get her ready, she didn't have her harness on. It took quite a while to get her suited up, since she wanted to sleep instead. When I got her ready to go, she wanted to go out in the back yard instead of to the car. Once I had her outside, she stood around aimlessly for about five minutes and did nothing. She didn't even pee. When I finally got her in the car, we were already late. Traffic appears to be worse on Wednesdays too. I'm, glad we'll go back to Thursday sessions next week.

For the second week in a row, Dot seemed tired. We slowed the treadmill to one mile an hour and her walk was steady, but she used to be able to do much better. The treadmill speed goes all the way up to five miles an hour. That's pretty fast even for a regular human treadmill. I asked what the faster speeds were for and apparently dogs who compete in agility events use the treadmill's faster speeds for conditioning and endurance training. I imagine that there is a lot of water splashing around at five miles an hour. Dot enjoys the acupuncture portion of her therapy more than the treadmill. I think it relaxes her. Even though Dot is slowing down, we're still hanging in there. The therapy and the morning walks really do help.

I upgraded my Apple Watch to the new 2.0 operating system today. The upgrade took forever. Since you can't really plug the watch into anything, software upgrades have to be done using the Bluetooth connection to your phone. I guess the software download goes from the Apple server to your phone, and then from your phone to the watch. I initially got a bunch of error messages saying that I didn't have enough storage space available for the download. I abandoned the download, took Dot to the vet, and when I got home again thought I'd try downloading the software again. Apparently, it never stopped downloading the first time I tried, because the progress bar said that there were only 48 minutes left before the download was complete. That was a lot better than the eleven hours to completion message I got before taking Dot to physical therapy. The error messages were all gone too. Apparently the computers knew what they were doing, even if I didn't. I ate dinner, walked Dash, and when I got back, the new 2.0 operating system had been installed. The whole procedure seemed to take about six hours.

A former client called me this evening and asked if I could help him edit his Dad's first novel. This really wasn't my area of expertise, but I enjoyed catching up on things. When we used to work together, we both had a Dalmatian. I asked him if he still had Dalmatians and we spent the next twenty minutes talking about a succession of great dogs who lived long and happy lives, only to die of cancer at the end. Between the two of us, we had shared our lives with over a dozen Dalmatians.

I'm not Catholic or even very religious, but I've got to admit that I like Pope Francis. If only our own politicians could be this humble and direct. When politicians call themselves "public servants," it's a joke. The pope really does appear to be a public servant. He doesn't rely on opinion polls or focus groups, he just asks himself, "what would Jesus have done." I'm not sure that this philosophy would work for politicians though. It probably doesn't make the Vatican very happy either. If the president kept asking "What would George Washington have done" before making a decision, a lot of outcomes would be very different. I don't agree with everything the Pope says, but you could learn a lot from his simplicity and directness.

I'll need to remember not to go to physical therapy again tomorrow. We did that today. I'm so set in my routines that I could easily imagine putting Dot in the car and repeating things tomorrow. That's why I need the Apple Watch. I can't remember anything.

Sage is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1973

I've got two very high maintenance dogs. I'm amazed at how long it's taking me to do all the dog related tasks that Janet and I typically share. Normally, she feeds them breakfast and I feed them dinner. She gives them their meds and I renew the prescriptions at the vet when necessary. She takes them out to poop at night while I get Dot's special bed prepared. There are many other little things like keeping a clean supply of Dash's protective socks and taking off Dot's Help 'Em Up Harness before she goes to bed at night, but you get the idea. Early mornings are pretty hectic, but once the dogs have finished their morning routine, which always seems to include barking at me while I eat my breakfast, they just go to sleep. As busy as I've become being the commensurate dog butler, there is still plenty of time to do everything I need to do while they are asleep.

There was plenty to keep me busy today. I finished another writing assignment, answered some perplexing website questions, and started a blog for one of my clients. No, I'm not writing the blog. I just got it started. It's time to send out my May invoices, but I'm going to wait until I finish my pile of articles. June is often a pretty lean month, so it seems like a good idea to augment my billings a bit this month in hopes of receiving a decent check next month. 

Dot was in a mood last night. She didn't want to get in her protected dog bed at all. She was like a little kid who'd decided that she was too old to sleep in a crib anymore. Dalmatians are incredibly stubborn. It's pointless to try to make them do things they don't want to do. I removed the special dog bed next to my own bed where she's been sleeping for the past several month and put a bunch of soft blankets in the hallway and bedroom instead. I gated the hallway where she stays when I leave the house, leaving the adjacent bedroom door open, and let her sleep wherever she wanted. When I went to bed, she was sleeping in the hallway, but when I woke the next morning, she was on a blanket right next to my side of the bed. None of this bothered Dash in the least. He just does what he always does, trying to hog as much of the bed as possible in hopes that I will sleep on the floor with Dot.

Surprisingly, we saw the sun today. It was actually a very nice day. Yesterday's rain cooled things down quite a bit and I didn't have to turn the air conditioner on all day. The crisp Spring air and blue skies definitely improved my mood and the dogs were clearly happier as well. It's all too good to last unfortunately. It's supposed to rain again tomorrow and Wednesday, with thunderstorms and more severe weather beginning on Thursday.

I had another banana/strawberry smoothie for breakfast and more soup made from refrigerator leftovers tonight. I'll probably go back to eating regular food tomorrow, because I've used up all the leftover vegetables. There are still more leftovers, but I can't really see making soup out of a leftover Italian pasta dish, or Jimmy Dean sausage patties.

I hope I get a good night's sleep tonight. My plan of sleeping in late every morning while Janet is away hasn't been working out very well. The dogs have other ideas.

Dodger is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1938

Today was surprisingly busy. I walked Dash early to avoid the rain I thought was on the way. I needn't have bothered. It didn't rain at all and gradually grew warmer and warmer as the day progressed. I put the warm coat I wore yesterday away and got ready for Summer again. By the end of the day, the air conditioner was running and cooling the place down.

By the time I finished breakfast and turned on the computer, there was already a long laundry list of things for me to do. I spent the rest of the morning answering client's questions and making changes to various websites. It was a good thing I watched my movie yesterday, because there wouldn't have been time today.

It's getting harder and harder to get things done while the dogs are sleeping. Now that Dot is feeling better, she doesn't sleep as long. She doesn't like being penned up either. My little window of "quiet time" seems to shrink with each passing day. I keep trying to see if Dot is strong enough to wander around the house on her own, but she's definitely not ready yet. She can get up reasonable well without assistance now, but she's still pretty wobbly. Even though there are non-slip rugs everywhere, she can still find the few isolated areas where the floors are still slippery. It's great that Dot is becoming more mobile, but I have to follow her around constantly, so I can catch her when she starts to slip.

After I got finished answering e-mail and updating websites, I thought there would be time to go up on the roof and remove all the standing water. That didn't work out so well. Whenever Dash hears the front door start to open, he races to the hallway and starts barking. This wakes Dot up and she starts barking too. They both think Janet is coming home whenever they hear something at the front door. Lately, the only way I can get out of the house with any semblance of peace is to quietly go out the back door, unlock the back gate, and go around to the front of the house. I tried this several times this afternoon, but still wasn't able to finish everything up on the roof.

I'm not sure what to do about the dogs. Dash seems depressed now that Janet has returned to work and Dot has grown so used to having me at her side all the time, that she's developing separation anxiety when I leave. I will be so glad when Dot is strong enough to live a normal life again. Dalmatians are high energy dogs by nature. The tried and true remedy for keeping Dot and Dash happy while keeping my own sanity has always been to take them both on a very long walk first thing every morning. When they came home tired, they immediately went to sleep and I had the rest of the day to myself. This plan no longer works. Even when Dot gets stronger, I doubt that I'll ever be able to walk them together again. Dot needs slow steady walks on flat surfaces and Dash needs a chance to roam the park and be a normal dog. Me? I think I need a vacation.

Hopefully, tomorrow will be a little quieter. It felt like a three-ring circus today. I don't think I'd ever choose nursing as a profession. To me, it would be so discouraging to throw your heart and soul in to helping someone get better and then have to turn around and start all over again with another sick person. I think I am doing a good job with Dot, but I will be so glad when she's strong and independent again. Every morning on our walks I tell Dash that he'd better stay healthy for a long, long time.

Paxton is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1531

Dot and Dash had a great day. Our mild Springlike weather continues, making it possible to give the dogs several long walks, in addition to the trip to the dog park they'd both been anticipating. It was beautiful today. The redbud and dogwood trees are already starting to bloom, and if you looked closely, you could see tiny green buds on most of the other trees as well. I hope all this early growth isn't cut short by a final hard freeze, but it usually is. That's just the nature of things in Texas.

When the dogs had finished smelling every tree at the dog park, we came home and I finished the writing assignment that threw me a curve yesterday. It all seemed to go smoothly this time and within an hour I was ready to go to the gym.

I think my shoulder might be as good as it's going to get. I was able to go back to my old workout routine this afternoon and everything seemed fine. The shoulder still hurt, but it hurt before the injury too. The important thing was that it was able to bear weight and wasn't falling out of the socket anymore. I'm more careful now and try not to do things that would pull my right arm away from my body. All in all, I think it is better to stay active. If I babied the shoulder too much and did nothing, it would probably be worse on my body in the long run than what I'm doing now.

Janet fixed cheeseburgers for dinner. I did eat a kale salad as a token gesture to good health, but that was about it. There are few things better than a good cheeseburger and fried onion rings. It's not the healthiest thing in the world, but you could do a lot worse. Good lean beef, artisan cheddar cheese, some fresh heirloom tomato slices, and a little arugula on a freshly  baked whole grain bun. That sounds healthy doesn't it?  There's got to be more to life than oatmeal and kale. If I can ever get my liver working properly again, I might even enjoy the ocassional glass of wine with dinner again. That would be nice.

Tomorrow is the big day. We can't feed Dash anything after 10 PM tonight, since he will probably have to be anesthetized for his CAT scan tomorrow. I'm trying to keep an open mind, since almost anything could happen. Depending on what the oncologist finds, he could come home with a bottle of pills to take for a week and be good to go, or he could be rushed into emergency surgery. I don't know how parents with small children handle these situations as well as the do. We've had a lifetime of different Dalmatians, and I always remember the medical emergencies the most vividly. Spot had a tumor inside his spinal cord and I thought he might be paralyzed for life. It was a long, tough surgery, but he bounced back to lead a normal life. Much later, he was back on the operating table again with intestinal cancer. A six inch section of his small intestine was removed and he survived that as well. Petey almost died after he got pancreatitis from eating a duck's foot he found in the park. Greta did die after liver surgery failed to completely eliminate the cancer that was growing there. I'm hoping for the best with Dash. He had a very tough life before we rescued and adopted him. We promised him that things would be better now, and we'll continue to do our best to keep that promise.

Joey is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day