Day 2740

The last of our original neighbors died last week. These were the people who built the houses on our street in the 1940's and 50's. One by one, they've been slowly disappearing for the last thirty years. I'm pretty sure that Ben was the last. When we moved here, we were the youngest couple on the street. Now, we're one of the oldest. It feels like the end of an era. I liked our older neighbors. They all knew each other well and would sometimes have large block parties. It's rare if I ever get to know the newcomers. We'll say hello if I pass them while walking the dogs, but I really don't know who they are. Most arrived from out of state and are much younger than me. Many of the original houses in the neighborhood are being torn down now. There is nothing wrong with these houses. They just aren't big enough or fancy enough for today's buyers. I hope our house doesn't get torn down someday, but it probably will. That's the thing about change. You just can't stop it.

There are still a few things that don't seem to change. There seems to be a tradition of bringing over food when you're sick. Janet's friends have been generous and we've got enough food to feed an army now. Maybe people don't realize how little the two of us eat. Everything is appreciated and will get eaten, but we've got to figure out how to freeze some of the stuff. Dash seems to be telling us to let him help with the stash. He can always tell when there's lots of food in the house. Sorry little buddy. I know you'd like a big plate of lasagna, but you've got a sensitive stomach and are on a strict diet.

It's a good thing that I went to the gym, since I definitely needed to burn off a few extra calories today. Once I finished my workout, I came home and took a long nap. I've been really tired lately, but I was still surprised at how quickly I went to sleep during the middle of the day. I'm getting more sleep now that Dot is gone, but I'm still not getting enough. Maybe someday. I'm really glad that the home nurse comes over once a day. It makes a big difference.

The time is passing quickly. Next Wednesday Janet has her first re-check with the surgeon. If all goes well, some or maybe even all of the drain tubes can come out. I'm sure she will be happy to have this major hurdle behind her. You really can't do much with tubes coming out of your body. Years ago, when Dash was attacked by an aggressive dog in the park, he had to have drainage tubes inserted after surgery. Dash's tubes had to stay in place for almost a month. They weren't nearly as sophisticated as Janet's and every time Dash would shake his head vigorously, blood would fly out of the tubes. The house was a mess.

I'm not very organized about grocery shopping. I had to go back to the store today even though the house is full of food and I just went shopping yesterday. The one thing we really need is always the one thing I forget. Oddly, I'm not that hungry. What I'd really like to do is just go to sleep for a month.

Shiner is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2669

I found out this morning that the guy who played lead guitar in my old band is dead. I was going to wish him Happy Birthday on Facebook and when I went to his page I discovered that he had passed away last September. I'm so out of touch these days that this isn't the first time this has happened. I'm kind of wary about wishing someone my age Happy Birthday now without checking to make sure they're alive first. I'm not sure about the etiquette of these things, but it seems disrespectful to send a Facebook greeting to a dead person. Although it's a little late now to pay my respects, I was really sorry to learn about my old friend. He was a good guy. The years I spent playing in a band with him were some of the best.

I cut myself again today and didn't even notice until hours later. This is the second time I've done this recently. I have a feeling that I'm scraping my arms on branches in the yard when I'm holding Dot up when I take her outside to pee. I have to really concentrate when I'm walking her around like a marionette. I used to be able to just walk behind Dot, holding up her rear end as she walked. Now, her front legs are starting to become weak as well, so I need to provide support for both the front and rear. It's kind of awkward and hard on the back, so I have to be careful that I don't trip. It's not really surprising at all that I don't notice when I've bumped into a tree.

Blueberries are back. There was a big supply today, but they had doubled in price. I wonder sometimes how stores keep a steady supply of seasonal items. These berries probably came from South America instead of California or Mexico. Somewhere there's a guy who's job it is to source berries from all over the world, so people like me can enjoy them in their smoothie all year long. I'm always impressed that things like this work so smoothly. Maybe I'm not as much of an isolationist as I think I am. I enjoy having access to fresh fruit all year long. I routinely buy coffee from Ethiopia and Sumatra. And I'm continually amazed that you can get good sushi in Dallas.

The indestructible pants I bought at REI last year are already falling apart. I'm disappointed, but Janet tells me that you're not supposed to wear the same pair of pants every day. The knees of these pants tore first, which isn't surprising since I spend half my day on my knees cleaning up poop, or trying to get Dot back in an upright position. If lifting weights is supposed to build muscle, I don't understand why I'm still having trouble with muscle atrophy. After two years of lifting a fifty pound dog, I should look like the incredible hulk by now. Sadly, my muscle mass hasn't increased at all and all I've done is tear up both shoulders.

It looks like we got a bumper crop of wildflowers this year. The fields and meadows around our house are in full bloom now. I'm seeing new varieties almost everyday. Some flowers only bloom for a few days and others stick around for months. Some bloom very early in the morning and disappear by midday. It's fascinating to watch this pageant of color unfold. I spotted some Lazy Daisies this morning. I wonder who names these things.

I'm going to have to be careful when I walk the dogs in the park tomorrow. Every year, hundreds of families have their Easter Egg hunts here. Nobody seems to hide real eggs anymore. They hide plastic eggs filled with candy and chocolate. The kids never seem to find all the eggs, but the dogs do.  Since chocolate is poisonous to dogs, I definitely don't want Dot and Dash to go snooping around in the grass for stuff the kids left behind. It's amazing how much litter appears every Easter. Nobody even tries to pick up their mess.

It's been a long day. Two rugs and a blanket got soiled, but it could have been a lot worse. Dot is tired now and so am I. Hopefully we'll get some decent sleep before we start all over again tomorrow.

Krissy is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2645

One of Janet's brothers died this morning. I didn't know this brother well, but it still made me feel like the circle is becoming smaller and smaller. There are few births and marriages to celebrate these days, but there seems to be a continuous parade of funerals. Funerals bother me. I know we all have a limited time on this earth, but it would be nice to know how much time we actually had. So often death comes as a surprise.

I need to get better organized. I'd hate to leave a huge mess for somebody when my time comes. My Dad was so organized that he had his whole service planned in great detail before he died. I was so glad to find the piece of paper with his final wishes on it, because I wouldn't have known what to do. My Dad's sister passed away a few years ago and she was equally organized. I was amazed at how thoughtful she was.

It's kind of a balancing act to acknowledge that death is always nearby, while still concentrating on life. Dot could die in her sleep at any time, but I continue to treat each day as if it were completely normal. I think the fact that Dot still feels like a valued member of the family and still has the opportunity to do some of the things she loved to do when she was younger is why she is still with us today.

Dot has the luxury of having a dedicated full time assistant. Most people don't. My Dad did pretty well until a serious fall put him into a nursing home. Once he lost his house, his freedom, and his day-to-day routine, he went downhill quickly. I think one of the reasons I go to the gym and try my best to stay strong is that I don't want to become weak and frail like my Dad. Having your independence is everything. I can tell that Dot feels the same way. We work together well to keep her moving, but from time to time I see frustration in her eyes as I pick up her harness to lift her rear legs. She loves wandering around the back yard and smelling things, but she would much rather do it on her own.

I wonder why young people never join my gym. It is one of the best facilities in town, but I continue to think I'm the youngest member. There was a guy who used to walk on a treadmill next to me who always wore a t-shirt that said "I wish I was still 80." I haven't' seen this guy in a while. He probably died. I'm sure that watching old people work out gives me a distorted view of my own progress. I think I'm doing great because the people next to me are barely moving. These people are determined though. It's kind of inspiring. If I'm still going to the same gym ten years from now, I'm sure I'll be just as slow as they are.

So far, the switch to Daylight Savings Time hasn't saved me anything. I didn't get any more sleep. I didn't get any more done. I didn't even bother to reset the clocks. Tomorrow I'll be more organized. I have no choice. It's time to get started working on my taxes.

Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2456

When we were taking Dot on her evening walk around the block, we discovered that one of our neighbors had died about two weeks ago. We might never have known if someone hadn't pulled in the neighbor's driveway as we were walking by and casually mentioned the recent death. Years ago when all the neighbors actually talked to each other, we would have known about something like this immediately. I felt bad that we didn't even go to the funeral.

The neighborhood has changed over the years. We were the young ones when we moved here. Most of the other people had lived in the neighborhood since they built their homes in the 1940's. As our original neighbors grew older and moved to retirement homes or died, they were increasingly replaced by renters. The renters stayed a year or two at most, until their company relocated them somewhere else. Gradually, not as many people knew each other anymore. I would wave at familiar faces as I walked by with the dogs, but I didn't even know their names. I'm sure there are still people in the neighborhood who are the best of friends, but it's not like it used to be. Nothing is permanent now. If I told some of the renters that Joan had died, they wouldn't even know who she was.

I cleaned the pecans off the roof this morning. What a mess. Our resident squirrels love the pecans and eat them with gusto. Broken pecans and shells are everywhere and as soon as it rains, the tannin in the nuts turns the water into a deep brown coffee colored mess. The tannin not only stains the roof, it causes the special elastomeric coating to deteriorate. I try my best to keep the roof clean, but it is a a hopeless task. Now that Fall is approaching, oak leaves, pecans, and acorns will be falling on the roof from now through December.

I didn't feel like vacuuming today, but since I'd skipped this chore last week, I really had no choice. With two dogs that shed constantly and track dirt in the house every time they go outside, I probably need to vacuum everyday. The house looks better now, but it will be dirty again tomorrow. That's just the way it goes when you've got Dalmatians.

I don't know why I even bothered to go to the gym today because I was worn out before I even arrived. It's important to maintain routines though, so I thought I'd make an effort. Since my shoulder was hurting already, I skipped some of the routines that were sure to make it worse. Instead of aggravating my shoulder on purpose, I shot free throws on the basketball court a little longer and spend a little extra time on the treadmill. My fitness tracker said I had over 20,000 steps today, so I did manage to keep busy.

Tomorrow is a holiday. Mostly this just means that the park will be extra crowded and that we won't get any mail. Janet mentioned going down to Trinity Groves and trying out some of the new restaurants there. I'm so out of it these days that I didn't even know what Trinity Groves was.

Nola is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2319

When I looked at Facebook this morning my feed was completely filled with tributes to Prince. This has definitely not been a good year for rock icons. When a musician dies, it seems to trigger far more shared memories and tributes than a comparable politician, actor, or athlete. There is something universal about music. We all know where we were when a certain song became stuck in our head. I'll never forget Prince playing Purple Rain during a driving rainstorm at the Superbowl. There was something almost magical about how the whole thing came together. There was also his amazing guitar solo during his induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004 while playing While My Guitar Gently Weeps with Tom Petty, Steve Winwood, and George Harrison's son Dhani. If you've seen the video, the look on Dhani Harrison's face while Prince played says is all. So many music greats are dying this year that it's kind of alarming. It is really the end of an era.

Dot was weak again today and had trouble standing. I need to make some sort of a chart and track her energy levels. I keep thinking that the Palladia pills are causing the weakness, but since her chemotherapy schedule is so complicated, it is hard for me to determine if the drugs are to blame. All I know is that she has good days and bad days that loosely correspond to when I give her the pills. There are so many other things that could be contributing to her gradually deteriorating condition that the chemotherapy might not be the culprit at all. We are scheduled to have our monthly Ultrasound scan at the cancer center tomorrow and hopefully Dot's oncologist will be able to shed some light on this mystery.

It rained again last night, but during the day the skies cleared and we ended up having a warm and somewhat windy Spring afternoon. I was hoping that Dash would take advantage of the nice weather and take a long walk, but something spooked him in the park and he wanted to come home almost immediately. Dot's illness seems to have changed Dash as well. He is not as confident anymore. Dot was always the Alpha dog and Dash seems a bit lost right now. I think they are both frustrated that they can't take long, brisk walks together like they used to. I'd like to go back to the old days too, but that isn't possible. We're just trying to make the best of a bad situation.

I paid the last of the April bills and took them to the post office. There's still a little money left in the bank, but there will be another big bill from the cancer center tomorrow and we'll start the never ending cycle all over again. I hate budgeting and curtailing indulgences. I guess I should be happy that I can still pay the bills as an aging writer and web designer, but I can see the writing on the wall. One of these days the only money coming in will be a social security check. I hope to avoid that day as long as possible.

Maybe I'll go back to my original breakfast restaurant tomorrow. Having all these new choices has disoriented me. It's sad that something as simple as breakfast can make me nostalgic about the old days. Everywhere I look, I keep wanting to turn back time. If this gets worse, I'll just go back to fixing myself French Toast with the leftover bread in the refrigerator. That's what I used to do on Friday.

Joe is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2267

The last thing we need is an extra Monday. I know how leap year works mathematically, but still it seems weird to add an extra day to the year every four years. Personally, I wish all twelve months had 28 days. If each month was divided into four equal weeks, it might be easier for me to remember when to give Dot her pills. It might be easier to remember my own meds as well. It's all about remembering things these days.

I think a set a record for doing laundry today. Dot pooped while she was eating her dinner. Food was simultaneously going in one end and coming out the other. It didn't seem to bother Dot as all. Luckily, I was holding up her rear end with the Help 'Em Up Harness, so the mess wasn't that bad. About an hour after she ate, Dot went back to sleep on her blanket and threw up. I actually think she just burped after drinking too much water, but it was a mess just the same. Once again, it could have been much worse. She hadn't taken her expensive Palladia pills yet, so her chemotherapy wasn't wasted. I waited another hour before giving her the pills, and so far everything seems fine.

The road repairs in the neighborhood seem to reach some sort of crescendo today. There were lots of new people on the job and several pieces of heavy equipment I hadn't seen before. Maybe all the preparations are done and they are finally ready to pave the road. Whatever they were doing, it sure was noisy.  Dash and I avoided the road on our evening walk. If tar was involved in today's activities, Dash would inevitably get some on his paws. I've already had enough messes to clean up today. I certainly didn't want to have to remove road tar from a dog's paws.

There were more website updates to make today. Most companies have finally realized the futility of putting their employees on the company website, but animal rescue websites still change on a weekly basis. There are always new animals to add and others to remove as they become adopted. It is simply astounding how many homeless animals there are. I only work with a few rescue groups in a single city, but I must have created thousands of pages to bring attention to abandoned dogs and cats who were waiting for their forever homes.

I got an e-mail today telling me that a mutual acquaintance had died. We were about the same age. People my age seem to be dying with disturbing regularity now. I'm always glad when someone takes the time to let me know. I'm not a member of any tight knit group of friends, so a lot of people I've known over the years simply disappear. I hope someone will take the time to let people know when my time comes. Nobody wants to be forgotten.

I sure wish I could get more sleep. Everything from taking care of the dogs to writing this blog takes longer now. By the time I've finally caught up with everything, it's usually near midnight. This would be fine if I could sleep until 8 or 9 the next morning, but we always get up early. Last night I couldn't get the blog to syndicate properly and had forgotten to put the spare dog blankets in the dryer. There always needs to be a spare set ready to go in case there is an accident during the night. For some reason, I couldn't find the retainer I need to wear while I sleep either. There's always something. Did I turn the dishwasher on? Did I empty the dehumidifier? Did I remember to run a test print to keep the big printer from clogging? I'm sure I'll forget something tonight. I always do.

Holly is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1775

It takes me about an hour every day to write this and edit the accompanying photos. This means I've literally spent thousands of hours telling you about nothing at all. You'd think I'd find something more useful to do with my time. I probably won't. In an odd way I think this is important.

Let's just call it an experiment. The other day I showed you a picture of Purple Asters. I flipped back a year and was surprised to discover that these Asters came into bloom on exactly the same day last year. I took a picture that day too. Nature is more predictable than I thought. Flowers reappear in exactly the same spot year after year. I see cloud formations that I've seen before. In a way it is comforting to know that the passage of time is so orderly. All I'm doing is keeping a record of things.

I've learned that not everything stays the same. I've already showed you pictures of things that don't even exist anymore. Trees have been struck by lightning, or destroyed by wind. Roads have been widened. Houses have been torn down. The tiny slice of the world I share with you has changed dramatically. If I continue this narrative, you will probably see me change as well. Maybe I already have.

I'm continually surprised at what changes and what stays the same. It's not always as I expected. Who would have thought that Facebook would be the place where I learn that someone I know has died. Maybe you still hear about engagements and weddings. I don't even hear about divorces anymore. I'm way beyond that. My newsfeed has become a parade of strokes and heart attacks. No wonder my doctor is so concerned about heart attacks. They seem to happen with alarming regularity among my classmates and co-workers. When you add dogs into the mix, Facebook becomes a parade of death. Almost every day I learn of another beloved pet who has gone to the Rainbow Bridge. Dogs just don't live long enough. Maybe this is why I like the pictures of puppies so much. You probably have your own symbols for rebirth. For me, it's puppies.

The day was too nice to dwell on thoughts like these for very long. I did a little gardening while I watched the dogs sun themselves in the yard. I finished the grocery shopping and ran my weekend errands. It was kind of a lazy day, so I even got caught up on couple of episodes of Dr. Who. I wonder who writes that show now? I always thought Russel T Davies was a genius, but even I could write better scripts than the current batch of writers. I only continue watching this show because Farside, Lexx, and Firefly aren't around any more.

I think I'll go back to the gym tomorrow. It's silly to keep avoiding the gym just because it is part of the Presbyterian Hospital System. Like most people in Dallas, my fears of Ebola are beginning to fade. I'm back to eating fresh vegetables again too. I don't think I have the attention span to stay worried about anything too long.

Patch is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1658

I looked at my calendar for July and it was already filled with vet appointments and doctor visits. When you add trips to the pharmacy to pick up prescriptions, this is pretty much how I spend my time. In any given month, at least three of these appointments will need to be rescheduled because I'd forgotten that I already had another medical appointment at the same time. So far, the only non-medical things I see for July are a day of jury duty and a visit with my financial adviser to discover why I feel so poor.

It's frustrating to see so many of my investments doing poorly at a time when the market is near an all-time high. I have nobody to blame but myself, unfortunately. Nobody forced me to invest in these losers. One of the worst things I did was get excited about the natural gas industry after making a documentary about a pioneering shale gas producer. Natural gas seemed like a sure thing at the time. It wasn't. I discovered that investing in small energy companies can be a very risky business. Live and learn has always been my motto, but this was a very expensive lesson.

I discovered today that one of the first bloggers I ever started reading regularly passed away this weekend. If I hadn't seen some other bloggers talking about the woman's obituary on Facebook, I never would have known. This certainly wasn't the first time I got the news about someone's death on Facebook. I've learned about the passing of high school friends, former co-workers, distant relatives, and several other bloggers all in the course of reading my Facebook wall. I guess it's a sign of the times. I was trying to explain social media to a friend about my age a few weeks ago and when I got to Facebook I just said "Facebook is where you go to see who died this week."

I've got to come up with a better plan for defending myself from biting bugs. Every time I walk the dogs, I'm eaten alive by mosquitoes and chiggers. It's too hot to bundle up these days, so when you wear shorts or go shirtless, you become a target for the biting bugs. I hate to use insecticides around the dogs, and few of the home remedies actually work. Last year at this time, the city was already aggressively spraying to control mosquitoes. This year, the mosquitoes are even worse and the city is doing nothing. The aerial spraying was so controversial last Summer that I suspect the city just gave up and decided to let the citizens itch. I thought the spraying program made a lot more sense than Lyme Disease, but a lot of people disagreed. You just can't keep everybody happy these days.

Dot did really well in the underwater treadmill this afternoon. It's amazing how strong and confident she is, considering her age. I hope the car continues to do well as we go back and forth to these physical therapy sessions. It was over 100 degrees on our drive home today.

Tucker is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1544

I've been thinking that my Mom died sometime in March, but I couldn't remember when. I've got no long-term memory whatsoever. My mind is a sieve. I can't remember exactly when my Dad died either, and he died a lot more recently than my Mom. This is why I write things down. You may think writing 1544 consecutive blog posts is quite a feat, but I've been recording my daily thoughts a lot longer than this. I really started doing a daily blog post before the Internet was even invented. When something is nagging me, I go to a box of dusty old leather covered journals and find out what happened. Those dusty daily journals, which go back as far as the early 1980's are my memory. When I looked through the cardboard box full of journals recently, I discovered that my Mom had died 24 years ago today, on March 8, 1990.

My Mom meant a lot to me. She ended up having more of an influence on my life than she would have ever imagined. If I hadn't taken the time to write something down shortly after she died, it would all be lost in a fog by now. Maybe it's a good thing that I can't remember things. I don't wallow in the past. What does it matter if you can't even remember it?  I certainly couldn't have had a successful career in advertising if I actually remembered all the crap I've done over the years. I do have a loose sense of history, but basically, every day is a new day. If it wasn't for Facebook, I would never remember your birthday.

My mind is sharp, but it is kind of like one of those flight recorders they have on airplanes. You know what I mean. The black box continuously records the most recent thirty minutes of activity and then just records over it, erasing what was there earlier. From my perspective, doing Sudoku puzzles to keep your mind sharp is silly. I literally reinvent the wheel every single day. I think one of the reasons I've become so good at doing ads and websites is that even though I essentially solve exactly the same problem over and over again, I don't remember many of my earlier efforts. When I look at my portfolio of ads from my ad agency days, it often seems like someone else wrote them. I'll think, "Jeez, I wish I could have written something like that," and then realize that I actually did.

My first Dalmatian meant the world to me, so I wrote a book about him before he died. Ironically, today is also Spot's birthday. He would have been 27 years old today. I think that I started this blog basically to preserve the memories of Dot and Dash. They mean just as much to me, but in a different way. These 1544 days are important whether I remember them or not, so I hope that Google doesn't decide to nuke Blogger at some point in the future. I can always sort through old journals and tell you what I had for dinner in 1977, but it would be very hard to recreate the blog if it just disappeared.

I write for myself. When I re-read old stories and journal entries, some make me laugh and others make me cry. I've had quite a life. I"m not sure how important today will seem in the future, but it is part of a long tapestry. It turned cold again today. It wasn't bad when Janet and I took the dogs on their morning walk, but it got colder throughout the day. Now it feels like Winter again. I did see my first Yellow Primrose of the season this morning. This is always a sign that Spring is on the way. Within a month, the park behind our house will be a symphony of wildflowers. The time changes tonight as well. Daylight saving time is usually another sign that Spring is on the way. I used to spend hours resetting all the watches in my collection when the time changed. Now, I don't even care. Most of the watches don't work anymore anyway.

Bacardi is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1240

I got one of those birthday reminder messages on Facebook this morning. I'm sure you all get them too. The birthday boy used to be my boss many years ago when I worked in the ad agency world. When I went to my friend's page to wish him a happy birthday, I discovered that he had passed away last June. Oops. I'm sure glad I read the page before I left my "have a great day" message. That would have been embarrassing. The whole incident leaves me wondering if any of my other Facebook friends are dead. I know a lot of my Facebook friends are actually Dalmatians, but it never occurred that the human friends might not even be alive.

Dot did great at her acupuncture session today. She seems much more relaxed now that she is getting used to the routine. The only thing that seemed to upset her today was the vet's cat. When the cat wandered into the room, Dot curled up her lip and started to growl. The vet laughed and told Dot not to mess with the cat, because the cat would probably win. I was a little embarrassed by Dot's behavior and explained to the vet that this was why we don't have a cat. As least Dash wasn't there. Dash would have gone nuts with a cat in the house.

My seasonal allergies have returned with a vengeance. I was sneezing and blowing my nose so much at dog training class tonight that I became more of a distraction to the class than Dash's incessant barking. The dogs both did well in class this evening. I think all the dogs are doing better, now that the weather is warmer and sunlight has returned. I need to remember that there is no need for a warm coat anymore. I was a little out of place in my winter jacket tonight.

I managed to get caught up with all my writing assignments this afternoon, so I made an appointment to get a haircut tomorow. I'm long overdue for a haircut, but nobody sees me anymore, so I guess it doesn't really matter. Maybe I'll stop by the Apple Store on the way home. I always stop by the Apple Store after a haircut. I certainly don't need anything. It's just a habit.

Daisy is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 835

I went to a friend's funeral today. No, this wasn't the architectural school classmate I mentioned earlier. I met David doing animal rescue work here in Dallas. Oddly, although my two friends lived thousands of miles apart, they both died of cancer within days of each other. During the service, the wireless mic that the preacher was using kept fading in and out. I could imagine David fuming in the casket. He was a fabulous DJ and knew everything there was to know about sound systems. I'm sure he knew exactly how to fix the situation, but he was already somewhere else. David loved people and was always there to lend a helping hand. It was not surprising that the church was filled to capacity. As a somewhat grumpy person with few friends, I often wonder if anyone will show up at my funeral at all. I guess we never know these things though. It's probably best that we don't.

While I was at the funeral, the electrician called and left a message saying he was ready to fix the mercury vapor lamp in the back yard. When I returned the call and asked whether he could reschedule for tomorrow, he said that they didn't work on Fridays and that I would have to call the office on Monday and reschedule. I also got a call from the washing machine repair shop today, saying that the part hadn't come in yet and they were planning on coming out again next Wednesday. When I reminded them that the repairman told me the part could be ordered overnight and that the repair would be finished by Friday at the latest, all the dispatcher said was that the repairman shouldn't have been telling me these things. Oh, well. So much for service.

My financial advisor called me today to explain some recent transactions. I was perplexed yesterday when I discovered that I now owned two new stocks and didn't remember buying either of them. My advisor explained to me that we had talked extensively about these two companies during our last meeting, but that he had waited until now to buy them because they hadn't been attractively priced until recently. I have no reason to doubt the guy. I forget stuff all the time. It was just a little embarrassing to admit to my financial advisor that much of what he tells me goes in one ear and right out the other.

It was a busy day, but I still managed to get just about everything on my list finished. Dogs were walked. Articles were written. Websites were updated. Probably the most surprising thing about the day was that my dark funeral suit still fit. I may be getting senile, but at least I'm not getting fat.

Elliot is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 833

I got a message this morning that one of my college classmates had died after a long battle with cancer. Spending as much time with dogs as I do, I'm all too familiar with the cycle of life. Some of my very best friends are sitting in little urns on our coffee table. It's different though when someone passes away who is exactly the same age as you are. It makes you realize just how fragile and short life can be. Whenever a friend dies, I resolve to make the most of the rest of my life. This resolve seldom lasts long however. The simple mechanics of daily living seem increasingly complex and any grand plans I once had continue to fade away. My college friend accomplished a lot during his short time on earth. Sometimes I wonder whether I've done anything at all. Maybe being an observer is not enough.

The mower charged up just fine last night, so right after I finished walking the dogs, I mowed the grass for the first time in 2012. If the front yard was filled with Bluebells like the ones that are starting to appear in the fields behind our house, I wouldn't bother to mow at all. Unfortunately, there are no wildflowers in our yard; just a lot of wildly growing weeds.

Continuing the theme of broken things that I've established this Spring, a mercury vapor lamp in the back yard burned out last night. I called an electrician to replace the lamp, since it is located right next to where the power comes in from the utility pole. I'm so clumsy that I'd probably electrocute myself if I tried to change the lamp myself. We installed the lamp for security years ago, but in recent years it has become more of a nightlight for me and the dogs. Dash seemed restless last night without the soft light streaming in the windows and it seemed a bit too dark to me as well. It's weird that everyone at our house sleeps better with light streaming in the window, but that's just the way it is.

I returned to the rental property this afternoon to continue my cleaning efforts. I patched the holes in the Sheetrock and started to clean the floors. A word to the wise: don't ever put slate floors in a rental property. The dark floors hide the dirt so well that nobody bothers to clean them. When I got out my wet mop to clean the floors, I discovered they were filthy. I don't think any renter has bothered to clean them since they were installed. Although it's often hard work, I don't mind cleaning up the rent house. It's peaceful down there. No phones or Internet to interrupt me. As I slowly and methodically bring the place back to the way it was when I used to live there, I have many fond memories of the good times I had there. Life was simpler then. Much simpler!

I took the last of the K-1 forms that have been arriving in the mail to the accountant today. I think I'm finally good to go. Taxes are another thing that have become more complex over the years. You'd think with such a complex tax return, I'd be making a lot of money. Sadly, this is not the case. It's all just a lot of bad investments.

Chloe is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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