Day 4398

Success. I finally got the star tracker to work. The problem wasn't really buggy software or bad cables. The problem was me. After all these years I still haven't learned to use my iPhone. I was expecting buttons to control the software app. The developers chose to use gestures instead. Who uses gestures? Apparently everyone except me. I still haven't taken the Polaris outside at night to attempt star pictures, but I think it's going to work. This is an incredible little piece of machinery. That's more than I can say for my own brain at the moment.

We took a fecal sample to the vet this morning and were happy to learn that Dawn doesn't have giardia. The vet gave us some pills to control diarrhea and hopefully Dawn will be back to normal soon. Her poop is still very soft, but she's definitely getting better. Last night she slept through the night, so neither of us had to sleep with one eye open in case Dawn needed to make a quick trip outside at 3 AM. We're going to have to rake leaves soon. There was probably something nasty under the leaves that she ate. I don't think she ate anything on her walks. We watch her too carefully.

I doubt that we'll be raking leaves tomorrow or even the next day. It's still too wet. It rained again last night and was misty and foggy all day today. It was really kind of a dismal day. It never got warm and it never got dry. I still took my long walk though. It's got to be pretty bad before I stop walking.

I forgot to take the Christmas stuff back to the storage warehouse while I was out grocery shopping this morning. I seem to forget something almost every day now. Usually the memory lapses are minor, but occasionally they are major. I've started leaving notes around the house for myself now with messages like "remember to feed the dog."

Prices are still going up at the grocery store. The weekly changes are small, but they add up over time. If this continues I may have to start looking for bargains. Janet is a savvy shopper, but I just buy the same things over and over again. I typically don't even look at the price. It's really only recently that I've become aware that something has changed. Some items have gotten expensive a lot more quickly than others. It probably has something to do with transportation and the current lack of truckers. I'm glad I'm not looking for a car right now. Car prices are even worse than food prices. Even used car prices are out of sight.

It's hard to say whether Dawn is going to get a Sunday outing tomorrow. The weather still looks marginal and Dawn hates to get wet. We'll see what happens. I really don't trust the weather apps on my phone anymore. They've been wrong more than they've been right lately. I need to find a new project now that my month long Odyssey with the star tracker is coming to a close. Learning to use the Polaris was actually kind of interesting. Now it's on to more mundane things like fixing a running toilet.

Jordan is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4397

Another day, another problem. This Polaris star tracker is driving me nuts. I don't think I'm cut out to be a Beta tester. The Polaris unit itself seems very well made. It's the software app on my phone that controls the thing that's full of bugs. I think I may have defective connecting cables as well. Everything works well for a little while and then the app freezes and I have to restart everything and try again. I really got nowhere today. The app kept saying that I didn't have a memory card inserted in my camera. The card was there however and it actually was recording pictures for a while. 

It's very hard to communicate with the Chinese manufacturer and the other Kickstarter backers in the Facebook support group are just as lost as I am. A few seem to be able to track stars and are getting some amazing pictures. I suspect that they are all using the one camera that magically seems to work. I imagine that it is very hard, or almost impossible for the Polaris unit to support hundreds of different cameras.

Dawn seems better today. Her poop is still soft, but it is not a runny liquid anymore. Hopefully, this will clear up soon. Dawn definitely doesn't seem sick and her appetite is still good. She is mad at us now because we are feeding her less until her GI tract seems stable again. She had to go outside several times last night and it was very cold. Luckily, Janet is a light sleeper so she was able to let Dawn outside when she appeared restless. We think Dawn is getting better, but if the diarrhea persists we'll take a fecal sample to the vet to be tested. There's always a chance that she might have giardia.

I stubbornly continue to walk, although I'm beginning to question my own sanity. It just isn't very pleasant to walk on a cold windy day. The wind is worse than the temperature for me. A lot of my route is along the shoreline of the lake and on days like today, the lake effect wind can be pretty bad. It's really hard to dress properly. When the wind stops and the sun comes out, I am hot. When the sun goes behind a cloud and the wind start blowing, I'm freezing. The foot pain is always lurking in the background as well. The pain wasn't bad today. Maybe it was just so cold that my feet went numb.

Janet does her grocery shopping on Friday and she said the store shelves are starting to get empty again. I hope we're not headed back to the dark days of 2020. It seems that way sometimes. I'm tired of panic buying. I'm tired of mandates that create more problems than they solve. If the past two years have proved anything it is that the government is fairly inept at solving these type of problems and that everything in today's society gets so politicized that we lose focus of the real problem. Hey, at least we aren't Australia. Those poor Australians are fucked. What ever happened to Crocodile Dundee and Mad Max? I'm amazed that the Australians don't rebel against their repressive government. Maybe they've looked around at other countries and realize what will happen if they do. Sadly, we've living in an increasingly totalitarian world.

We took the Christmas tree down today. I'll take some of the decorations back to the storage warehouse tomorrow and that will be the end of the holiday season. I kind of liked looking at the Christmas tree in the evenings. The lights were pretty and strangely optimistic. I'm not really a very festive person, but holidays are certainly better than nothing. It's fun to watch dogs open their Christmas gifts too.

I'm making my grocery list for tomorrow. Hopefully, I won't run into the same empty shelves that Janet encountered today. I'm almost certain that prices will be higher. Inflation is not only real, it can be quite dramatic. Janet and I have different items on our respective grocery lists, but the things I buy have gone up in price every single week for several months now. The price of gas keeps getting higher as well. You really have to wonder where this is all going to end?

Misty is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4396

I now have a camera that connects to the star tracker. It's almost identical to a camera I already have, but for some reason this one works. I'm not home free yet, but I'm getting closer. The software for the phone app that controls the camera and tracker is still a little wonky. I don't think this will be a problem. I'm sure the app will have been updated at least five times before I get a chance to use this combo under dark skies. 

I went down to a local camera store after breakfast this morning and tried cameras until I found one that worked. I went through a period when I ordered almost everything online. That's over. Real stores have their advantages. If I ordered online, there's a good chance I would have bought the wrong camera and would have had to send it back. Seeing and touching things before you buy definitely beats reading a bunch of bullet points on a web page. More importantly, after my recent experiences with Fedex I'm not sure I ever want to deal with delivery services again.

Tomorrow I'll see if I can conquer some of the software issues that still remain with the iPhone app. There is already new firmware to install. Maybe that will fix some of the problems I had today. This is still a work in progress, but it definitely gives me something to do. Luckily, I was able to find the camera I needed used. It looks new and has seen very little use, but I was able to get it for basically half price. Hey, it doesn't hurt anything to have one more camera.

I wasn't very surprised that it was cold this morning. The surprising thing was that it never warmed up. I waited until almost noon to take my long walk and it was still only a few degrees above freezing. I worry that Dawn is getting cold. Some dogs love the cold weather but Dawn isn't one of them. I'm with her. I don't like cold weather either. At least I have plenty of warm coats. I still need to order some waterproof Hoka boots. The boots should have really been a higher priority than the camera, but it's always been hard for me to make clothing a priority.

My foot pain was worse today. The humidity was still low, so there goes my humidity theory. It still baffles me why my feet feel different from one day to the next. Logically, things should be a lot more constant. I wear the same shoes and basically walk the same distance every day. My comfort level varies wildly though. I guess I should just be glad for the good days. I'm well aware that this could be a lot worse.

Dawn had diarrhea today. She must have eaten something bad in the yard because she doesn't seem sick and still has a good appetite. We always watch carefully to make sure she doesn't get into anything in the park. Dogs are sneaky though. You think they are just smelling something and then all of the sudden they snarf something down. All of our dogs have had diarrhea at one time of another. Mostly it was because they ate something bad. We'll keep an eye on Dawn. I have a feeling that we might need to take her outside in the middle of the night as well. Brrr. It's going to be very cold tonight.

I'm glad I did a good job of fixing the furnace the other day. This is no time to have a cold house. No time for a cold car either. It was nice to have heated seats and a heated steering wheel while I was driving down to the camera store this morning. I don't think I'll ever really get used to Winter. At least the days are starting to get longer though.

Nellie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3516

I just noticed that the cicadas are gone. I don't hear them anymore on my daily walks. When did this happen? I'm trying to be more observant, but there are so many things to notice in our daily lives that a lot of things fall under the radar. I heard a few individual bugs chirping when I took out the trash this evening but the constant buzz appears to be over. I wonder why these bugs do everything together. It's all or nothing with them. I doubt that the cicadas stopped singing today. I have been hearing a lot of other birds lately, but I failed to notice that this was because it was quieter outside. It's interesting how the brain works. I'm finally starting to notice things that I've actually been seeing for years. When I was walking dogs, I was always focused on them. I was looking ahead for other dogs. Especially loose ones. I kept an eye out for critters the dogs might go after. Was someone limping? Were the dogs too hot? I was busy and totally ignored a lot of other things in the park. The only time I noticed cicadas when I was walking Dot and Dash was when one of the dogs was trying to eat them.

There was no blood in Hank's stools today. We've changed his diet and this seems to be helping. It would be convenient if all the dogs in the rescue program could eat the same thing, but they can't. Some Dalmatians tend to develop crystals in their urine and there is a special diet for that. There are diets for kidney problems and even diets for cancer patients. Dot could eat anything, but Dash was on a special diet for most of his life. Hopefully adjusting Hank's diet will prevent the bloody diarrhea from reappearing.

The grocery store is playing hide and seek with the strawberries again. They hide the boxes of good berries underneath boxes of berries approaching their expiration date in hopes that people will buy the bad berries first. I had to sort through a lot of berries this morning to find two boxes of fresh, bright red strawberries. Who is the produce manager trying to fool? Everybody knows the good berries are on the bottom. I always see other people doing the same thing I am. They ought to sell the older berries separately at a lower price? People always buy cheap stuff. They could even make juice out of the darker berries. You'd never know the difference if you were looking at a bottle of juice.

I stopped at a rental car place on the way to the grocery store to ask about renting a car for our trip to McDonald Observatory. I thought all locations for a particular brand would be the same, but they're not. You can get a lot better selection of cars at the airport than you can in town. The lady I talked to basically encouraged me to just go to the airport. She said that they would probably never have the car I wanted. "Couldn't you just get the airport location to sent one over," I asked. "That's not the way it works," she told me. Apparently very few things work the way they should.

It keeps getting hotter. We're supposed to have triple digit temperatures for another week. When cooler weather returns it will still be in the nineties. Personally, I'm ready for sweater weather. I've got lots of sweaters but only one skin. Sweating might be good for you but I doubt that tanning has the same benefits.

It's funny that absolutely nobody seems to believe that Jeffrey Epstein committed suicide. Some people even think he faked his own death and is already in the witness protection program. The rest seem to think Hillary did it. This is the world we live in. When the conspiracy theories start to seem more plausible than the "factual" information, you are already living in the Twilight Zone.

J-Lo is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3515

Hank is a 50 pound puppy. You couldn't find a sweeter dog if you tried, but he knows nothing and tries to eat everything. We thought we'd dog proofed the house pretty well before we brought him home last night. Within a matter of minutes Hank had found things we didn't even know we had and was carrying them around in his mouth. After we retrieved a ball of lip balm, a rubber door stopper, and several shoes Hank had snatched, we methodically went room to room and placed everything loose on a high shelf. We had forgotten the primary rule of puppyhood: if you can chew it, you will chew it.

We don't know much about Hank's background. He's probably around two years old. He was picked up as a stray and clearly whoever owned him first never bothered to provide even the most rudimentary training or socialization. It's a shame that a beautiful, sweet dog like this has gotten off to such a bad start. Despite his lack of manners, Hank was good around the house. We weren't well prepared with gates and crates, so we just let him sleep on the bed with us. He did pretty well. For the most part he slept soundly, although he did wake me up once trying to pull the Fitbit off my arm and had an episode of the zoomies, chasing a rubber ball around the house at 3 AM. He also tried to drag the blanket off our bed. All of this was pretty normal for a young dog. We've had old, sick dogs for so long that we'd almost forgotten what a young Dalmatian is like.

Hank seemed healthy and happy while he was at our house, but after we took him up to the vet for evaluation, they reported a few hours later that he'd had bloody diarrhea again. He wasn't throwing up blood after all. The blood was in his stools. This will help the vet diagnose the problem, but we're still not sure what is going on. His blood work and lab tests look normal and an x-ray showed no obstructions in his stomach or intestines. There are many things that can cause bloody diarrhea. The fact that the blood is still red would indicate that the problem is probably in his colon instead of his stomach or upper intestines, but he will need further tests to determine what is wrong. Hank is still at the vet. He is eating a bland diet and taking medication that will help with any irritation he might have in his digestive system. Hopefully nothing is serious. Hank is young and deserves a long and healthy life.

I took Janet to one of my breakfast restaurants on the way home from the vet and then we both resumed our daily routines. It took a long time to get the dog hair out of the car. Hank sheds even more than Dot and Dash did. The cable guy came and hooked up the new buried fiber optic cable this afternoon, although I never saw him. When I came home from my morning walk, the old temporary cable was still attached. The next time I left the house, everything had been fixed. I never heard a thing. The technician must have come while I was taking a shower.

Taking Hank to the vet in rush hour traffic made me glad that I am retired. Drive time traffic in Dallas is horrible now. I don't know how people can stand to do this everyday. It's been so long since I've driven to work on a regular basis that I forget how much Dallas has grown. It feels like I'm driving in Los Angeles now. I'm glad I was able to work out of my house while I had my own company. It kept me sane.

If we have another dog emergency, we're going to have to assemble a dog emergency kit. It would have been good to be able to gate off a few rooms last night. We definitely need to retrieve some water and food bowls from the storage warehouse. Leashes, a sturdy harness, poop bags, a first aid kit, and a few indestructible Kongs are all necessities. I'm glad we were able to help Hank last night. It was nice to have a dog around the house again.

Nautica is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3395

Every year around this time I get an e-mail from GoDaddy asking me to confirm the contact settings for a domain that isn't mine. Every year, I try to call GoDaddy to find out what is going on. I can never connect with customer service because I don't have the correct customer ID or PIN number. "I'm sorry, we can't authenticate your records," an automated voice says and then the line hangs up. I want to tell somebody that of course I don't have the right customer ID because I'm not a customer. The utter futility of dealing with automated customer support systems says everything you need to know about the world we live in today. Good luck if you want to call someone and ask a simple question. It's almost impossible. I'll probably get the same stupid e-mail next year.

I was sad to hear that the little Israeli lunar probe crashed on landing today. It almost made it. The main engine cut out just a few hundred feet above the lunar surface. I was hoping that this inexpensive, privately funded spacecraft would make it. The moon, or anywhere else for that matter, shouldn't be the exclusive purview of big governments.

I was also disappointed that Julian Assange was arrested. Assange should be viewed as a hero instead on an enemy. Everything he has revealed on Wikileaks has turned out to be true. Governments, including our own, shouldn't be able to hide under a cloak of secrecy when they are doing something wrong. There are no good guys in Washington. They all claim secrecy is vital for national security when the truth would damage them. On the other hand, they clamor for "full disclosure" when they think the truth would damage their opponents. It's disgusting.

At least there was some good news today. The second falcon heavy launch was a resounding success. The satellite went into orbit and all three of the booster stages landed successfully so they can be used again. Elon Musk has been able to do something that has so far eluded every government space agency in the world. We need a lot more people like Elon Musk and Steve Jobs and a lot fewer folks  like we've got in congress right now.

Dash continues to be a mystery. I don't understand how he can continue to walk in the park when he can barely stand up at home. The contrast is astonishing. He needs assistance on his walks, but his legs move properly and when he is moving he can support his own weight. Even when he can barely stand up in the mornings, he still tries to head for the back gate. These walks seem really important to him.

I wish the walks weren't so exhausting. As soon as we return home Dash's legs turn to jelly. He immediately goes to sleep. It is often hours before he moves again. We were able to get him to eat some chicken and even some Hills ID yesterday so the diarrhea has subsided. If he gets really hungry, he'll eat, but he just doesn't have much of an appetite. I've seen all these signs before. Dash is slowly shutting down. I don't know how much time he has, but he has made it clear that he's not ready to go quite yet. We'll do our best to keep him comfortable and happy for as long as we can.

I finally made an appointment to get a haircut tomorrow. If Dash does well in the morning, maybe I'll go out for breakfast too. Who knows at this point. I can kind of relate to Dash's loss of appetite. The reasons are different but I've lost interest in food too. In case you're interested, today's watch used to belong to Alice Cooper.

Tyson is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3394

I wish we could get Dash eating normally again. All the changes we've had to make to keep him eating are causing havoc with his digestive system. We had more diarrhea last night. Solid poop is easy to clean up. Diarrhea is a mess. We had to take Dash outside in the middle of the night and hose him off. There was a lot of laundry to do as well.

I'm pretty sure that if we could get Dash back on track with his chicken, rice, and vegetable stew his digestive problems would go away. He won't touch the stuff anymore. We can't use Metronidazole to clear up the diarrhea either. He seems to have a bad reaction to the stuff. In the past, these digestive problems have been temporary. I'm still hoping that we can get back to normal soon.

Maybe normal doesn't even exist anymore. Walks aren't normal anymore. Dash seems confused and gets lost more often. I can sense when he's becoming tired before he does, but it can be very difficult to get him turned around. Dash may have dementia, but he's just as stubborn as he always was. The rubber boots are wearing out faster because Dash is dragging his right rear leg more. We are walking slower too. Despite all these difficulties, Dash still insists on these daily walks. They are the one thing he still seems to enjoy.

I picked up prescriptions for Dash and myself today. My co-pay has gone up because my pharmacy isn't on my provider's preferred list anymore. This is such a nuisance. I like my pharmacy and they know my history well. I don't really want to change. You've got to wonder what is going on behind the scenes to try to force customers to go to certain pharmacies? Truthfully, I probably wouldn't want to know. The same drug should cost the same everywhere. Sadly, we're not even close to uniform drug prices. Dash's prescription are always much easier to deal with than mine.

What an amazing time we live in. First we get pictures of Pluto and today we see a black hole for the first time. I read several articles about how scientists imaged the back hole. It all sounded incredibly complex to me. Surprisingly, the black hole looked very much like the ones you see in science fiction movies. It's a big week in space. Tomorrow Israel will try to land a spacecraft on the moon and Space X will try to launch its monster Falcon Heavy rocket for the second time. Things are moving fast. Maybe I might live to see humans land on Mars after all.

The week is moving swiftly. I still need to get a haircut. I need to pick up something to eat for dinner tomorrow too. The refrigerator is looking empty. Scratch that. Actually, the refrigerator is full, but it's all things for Dash to eat. Hopefully, he'll find something he likes.

Apollo is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3381

The vet called me back and said that the warnings I'd read about Clindamycin were mainly intended for people and that dogs tolerated the drug well. That's good to know. Dash is still going to need some sort of an antibiotic for his mouth. A friend suggested feeding Dash a cod and sweet potato recipe her vet recommended to cure his diarrhea problem. That's good to know too. She even gave us a sample for Dash to try. The meal she fixed looked delicious. We'll see how our picky eater responds.

There were no accidents in the house last night. I had to take Dash outside around 2 AM to pee, but he slept pretty good for the rest of the night. I actually got some sleep as well. I wish I could count on nights like these, but I've learned you really can't. Every day is different. If there was a formula that worked, I'd have it memorized by now. I'm happy when Dash has a good walk and eats his food. I'm worried when he stumbles a lot and wakes up during the night with a bad cough. Often I'm pleased and worried at the same time.

One of Dash's vets called to ask if we had any recommendations for dog boots. I guess we've inadvertently become the dog boot experts. I was kind of amazed at the detailed knowledge I had about just about every brand of dog boot and sock. I recommended a few brands and told him about the benefits of multiple layers and how to repair boots when they became worn. I hope the information was useful. I think we've done a pretty good job of protecting Dash's feet. He definitely wouldn't be able to walk far without the boots.

My taxes are done. I signed an amended return today and shifted some money around so I'll be able to pay the IRS. I'm curious what makes electronic signatures official. They certainly don't look very official, but that's what everyone is using these days. I haven't signed a paper document in a long time. Forms for just about everything are completed online now. If you didn't have a computer in today's world, you would be at a serious disadvantage.

Just about everyone on Google+ is saying goodbye now. In less than a week the platform will be gone. It's remarkable how many things I like disappear. It doesn't matter if it is a furniture store, a brand of clothing, or an Internet platform; if I'm fond of something, it's a pretty good bet that the general public won't be. Maybe I'll go back to Usenet. Amazingly, Usenet is still around after all these years. For a writer, text based forums are just fine. I never missed not being able to share pictures anyway. Usenet worked just fine on a 300 baud dial up connection. Try that with Facebook.

I'm going to have to go out this weekend and take pictures of wildflowers. They're starting to bloom. It's become just about impossible to take pictures while I'm walking Dash. I've got a leash in each hand. There's one for the front part of the Help 'Em Up Harness, and another for the rear. It's a full time job to keep Dash upright. I couldn't even get my phone out of my pocket today. When worse comes to worse, there are always houseplants. There are definitely no orchids growing in the park.

The trash has been taken to the curb, Dash has taken his evening meds, and I'm ready for bed. I've got to think about what I want for breakfast tomorrow.

Doc is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3380

The smallest change in Dash's routine can cause havoc. We definitely shouldn't have changed his diet. He had another bad case of diarrhea last night. I think the canned food we fed him was too rich, because the last time we tried this brand the same thing happened. Our options are getting smaller. Dash is getting extremely picky about food again and we've got to keep him eating.

Things are better today, but I feel like I've gotten no sleep for the past 48 hours. Life is beginning to seem like a perpetual boot camp. We were initially happy when Dash chose to sleep on the floor last night but it turned out to be a bad choice. He slipped off his dog bed which was protected and ended up pooping all over the carpet. It's a lot harder to clean the carpet than small things you can take outside and hose down. One of the things we hosed down last night was Dash. He was covered with poop.

Maybe I got a little sleep last night. It's hard to tell. There was lots of laundry to do and a liberal amount of Nature's Miracle was used to sanitize the carpet. Dash got another bath this afternoon and the carpet is drying out. Dash is eating the food he rejected a few days ago and we had a nice walk. Basically, all is well. I'm still tired though. Very tired.

One of Dash's vets recommended clindamycin as an antibiotic to treat his gum infection. I guess I failed to tell him about Dash's diarrhea problems. Clindamycin has an FDA black box warning saying that it can cause severe diarrhea and even colon damage. Hmm. Might not be the best drug to take at this time. There's got to be another alternative without all the side effects. For the time being we'll continue the oral rinse we use every evening. I'm not sure it works, but it's better than nothing.

I went up on the roof today and was pleased to discover that the warmer weather is causing the standing water to evaporate faster. It was fairly easy to clear away the remaining standing water from our recent rains. The only problem with Spring is that pollen from the trees mixes with the water and creates an ugly brown mess. The sticky brown water stains the elastomer coating, making it harder to find potential tears that could cause a leak. Nothing is easy these days.

I've got another auction coming up in early April. I was all excited about the first series of auctions in New York last year, but now I just wish the whole process was over. I can't decide whether to put a reserve on this lot. I don't want this stuff to sell for nothing, but I don't want it back either. The auction house has been encouraging me to tell my friends about the auction. Not very likely. It's been years since I've had any art buyer friends.

Dash has been sleeping like a baby all evening. This probably means he'll be awake later tonight when I'm trying to sleep. I'll be happy to take you outside to pee little buddy, but I'm not looking forward to cleaning up diarrhea again.

Chloe is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3375

I dread Dash's periodic bouts with diarrhea. They don't happen often, but when they do, it makes a horrible mess. We'll probably never know why he had diarrhea last night. We had to change what he was eating this week because he has lost interest in the chicken and rice stew Janet has been making for him. Maybe the new food upset his stomach. Maybe he's under more stress since he's having difficulty standing. Maybe he ate something bad in the yard or got a stomach virus. We'll probably never know. We certainly never found out what caused the diarrhea in the past.

Needless to say, there was quite a mess to clean up. I've been doing laundry most of the day. We had to give Dash a bath as well. A wet rag simply didn't remove the stains. Giving Dash a bath is problematic since he can't stand up without assistance. He can't have his harness on either. One of us has to support him so he won't fall while the other one does the cleaning. Everybody gets wet. Dash is clean now. All the bed linen is clean. The smell is finally gone. It's been a long day though and everybody is tired.

I went back to the hotel for breakfast because it is quiet and peaceful. I wasn't even that hungry, but it was nice to take a break from the cleaning brigade. Janet stayed home to watch Dash while I was away and then I stayed home for the rest of the day. The diarrhea seems to be over, but Dash still seems weaker than usual.

I didn't think that Dash would want a walk this evening, but I thought we'd give it a try when he headed for the back gate at the appointed time. We probably should have stayed home. Dash seemed confused and would stop for long periods of time and just stare off into space. I tried to get him to turn around and go home, but he kept moving forward. He is very stubborn. Dash would walk for about twenty yards and then stop for a while. Then he would walk for another twenty yards. I thought I'd have to call Janet to come pick us up in the car for a while, but eventually we made it home.

I was disappointed to see the stock market drop over 450 points today. It was the worst day since January. Things have been going well lately and I always hate to see a big sell off. If you weren't watching the business channels, you would nave never noticed the steep decline. Everyone else was talking about the Mueller Report. Of course nobody actually knows what is in the report yet, but people are already second guessing the results. A lot of folks seem really disappointed that Trump wasn't immediately indicted as a Russian spy. I'll be glad when we move on to other things. I wonder how bad the floods really are in Nebraska. I wonder if the 737 is actually a safe plane. Hey, I flew in one last week. I wonder if Britain will stay in the European Union after all. I wonder about a lot of things, but I don't spend a lot of time thinking about the Russia Probe.

I hope that Dash feels better tomorrow. He had us worried today. I think we all need a good night's sleep. Dash already seems a little perkier than he did this morning. I don't think I've been perky all day.

Brooke is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3337

I had trouble getting back to sleep after I took Dash outside last night, so instead of counting sheep, I tried to remember all the ad agencies I'd worked at in the correct order. This was surprisingly difficult. The first three agencies were easy. So were the last four. The ones in the middle were a muddled mess though. I guess my memory lapse is understandable. I worked at seventeen ad agencies before starting my own company. I eventually fell asleep, but I still have no idea where I worked before I went to Popejoy & Fischel. I can't remember who Popejoy was either.

It was nice to see the sun again. The temperature was warmer too. Dash thought is was a nice day as well. For the first time since his severe diarrhea episode, we were able to take two walks again. Dash still isn't walking normally and probably never will, but he has quickly learned how to use the Help 'Em Up Harness. I basically provide just enough support to keep him from slipping. Dash is still moving his legs on his own. If you have a dog with mobility problems I can't recommend these harnesses enough. They really help.

It was time to vacuum again. Actually it was long past time. There has always been a ton of dog hair in the house, but lately I'm finding Dash's food all over the place. He's having trouble chewing now and food just falls out of his mouth. There are dog biscuit crumbs and little bits of chicken and rice all over the place. Dash's teeth and gums are terrible now, but it is not safe to anesthetize him anymore, so a regular dental cleaning is impossible. I swab his mouth every day with an oral dental rinse and we try to brush his teeth, but it's a losing battle.

Since it was clear and warm this afternoon, I went up on the roof and removed the remaining water. The pumps actually did a pretty good job during the rain. There wasn't as much standing water as I anticipated. I had the entire job finished in less than thirty minutes. The forecast looks good for the immediate future, so maybe I can stay off the roof for a while.

I was happy to see the stock market rebound today. It's unsettling at times that I need to depend on this increasingly volatile market. When I was younger I never gave the stock market a lot of thought. If I needed money, I knew I could always go earn more. Not so easy these days. My skill set has become largely irrelevant. At least I believed in saving when I was younger. Some of my friends didn't. We'll see what the future brings. Somehow I don't think it's going to bring a guaranteed return on my investments. I see a very bumpy road ahead.

A roof panel blew off the greenhouse again last night. Jeez. I thought I'd already fixed that. Apparently, I'm not a very good carpenter.

Lucy is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3335

I was watching the Grammy's while I was eating dinner tonight and once again I hardly recognized anybody. Who are these people? When I watch award shows these days the only stars that seem familiar are the ones featured in the annual "in memoriam" montage. I hear my music in elevators now. I find those Time Life Presents the 60's infomercials strangely compelling. Maybe Richard Marx said it best when he Tweeted "Went to the dentist today. My teeth are fine. Just wanted to hear some of my songs."

We got quite a bit of rain last night and the roof still hasn't leaked. Will wonders ever cease? One of the pumps didn't seem to be working, so I went up to investigate after I got back from the gym this afternoon. Sure enough, the pump had tipped over again. There was so much standing water on the roof that I felt compelled to remove it, even though I'd already had a pretty good workout. I probably should have waited. There is more rain in the forecast for tomorrow.

Dash woke me up several times last night, but he must have gotten more sleep than I did. Even though it was a nasty, cold day, he still wanted a walk this morning. It must have been the Metronidazole pills that caused all the problems with mobility. Dash was probably weak from the severe diarrhea too. At any rate, now that the pills are out of his system, we are back to what we now consider normal. Dash is still shaky and tends to fall when unsupported, but he can move again and loves to take a slow meandering walk every day. It helps that he has accepted the Help 'Em Up Harness. He even wears it to bed now.

Maybe I have a mild cold instead of allergies. When I was at the gym today, I noticed that my heart rate was more elevated than usual. I was also sweating more while doing exactly the same routines that I've always done. Was I just tired and working harder to accomplish the same results, or were the antihistamines messing with me? Who knows. I've had seasonal allergies as long as I can remember, but they've never started this early or lasted this long. I'm getting tired of this.

I was going to vacuum today but I ran out of energy. Enough is enough. I'm sure the dust will wait. I decided to take a nap with Dash after I removed the water from the roof. Unfortunately, the nap wasn't enough. I wonder if I'll ever get eight hours of uninterrupted sleep again. Probably not. Maybe I should just settle for four hours and night and four hours during the day?

The rain is supposed to continue tomorrow. So far, we've been able to squeeze in a morning walk before things get too wet but our luck may have run out. The forecast says that the rain will resume tonight and continue through the morning. Rain or shine, life goes on. I've got a new supply of fresh berries for my morning smoothie. I've got a new box of puppy pads to catch Dash's poop. I've got plenty of antihistamines. I think I'm ready for a new week.

Landry is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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Day 3328 - Superbowl Sunday

I guess I expected the Patriots to win today. It was almost inevitable. What I didn't expect was that this year's Superbowl commercials would be even worse than last year. I've spent most of my adult life in advertising and I never thought I'd see the day when we collectively lost our sense of humor. Superbowl commercials used to be hilarious but today's batch were no laughing matter. Have the bright young creatives who made these commercials forgotten how to laugh? Everything was so serious this year. The commercials were all about social justice and saving the planet. Even my favorite commercial featuring a good looking Dalmatian with her ears flapping in the wind was all about using wind power to brew beer. Where are the companies who are willing to poke fun at themselves and make people laugh?  I think everyone was playing it safe this year. Humor can be controversial and nobody wanted to risk being politically incorrect. It's sad that we've come to this. I don't think shows like Seinfeld and All in the Family could even get on the air anymore.

I was really hoping that the Rams would win today's game, but it wasn't meant to be. Jared Goff got knocked around so much by the Pats that I was amazed he finished the game. At least our Superbowl meal was a winner. I picked up some pork ribs from my favorite barbecue place on my way home from the gym. They were delicious. The people waiting for the pit-master to get their order ready weren't exactly a testimonial for eating smoked meats. They were overweight, looked to be in poor health, and one guy was pushing a walker. Maybe this is why I save barbecue for special occasions. I know the difference between "good for you" and "good with a beer," but I still think that few things can top well prepared brisket and ribs.

Dash felt a little better today. The diarrhea is gone and he is pooping normally again. Keep in mind that "normal" for Dash still means pooping in the house, but at least his poop isn't a liquid mess anymore. We discontinued the Metronidazole because it seems to be making him even weaker and more confused than he usually is. Hopefully, when the medicine gets out of his system he won't be quite so shaky on his feet. He was still pretty weak today, but we think we are seeing some improvement.

It's time to fit Dash for his Help 'Em Up Harness. It's becoming too difficult to keep him upright on walks using the Ruffwear harness. The fitting was more difficult than I thought, because Dash can't stand upright on his own for very long. The Help 'Em Up Harness comes in male and female versions, but I'm not sure how well the male rear section of the harness will work with Dash. Due to the way he normally pees, I could end up washing the thing every day. I've got the front section of the harness sized correctlly now, but the rear section still needs some work.

None of my trains sold in January. This was disappointing. My friend who is helping me sell the collection says the market for collectibles isn't what it used to be. I'm not surprised. Few people younger than me probably even know what a train is.

Casey is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3327- Groundhog Day

I've always associated Groundhog Day with the Bill Murray movie instead of Punxsutawney Phil, It seems somehow appropriate that Groundhog Day takes place on Superbowl weekend this year. The Patriots keep playing in the Superbowl over and over again. A lot of things in my life seem to take place over and over again as well. Recurring events aren't necessarily bad but they do make you wonder. Is Tom Brady playing in the Superbowl again because he's the best quarterback in the league? Is there some luck involved? Why do I have a fruit smoothie for breakfast every morning when it would be easy to eat just about anything? I'd never order a fruit smoothie at a restaurant, even if it were on the menu. I've come to realize that a lot of repetition is pure laziness. Sometimes it takes a lot of dedication and practice though. I'm still trying to learn the difference.

Apparently, not everything happens over and over again. For many years, I've been going to a Superbowl Sale at a clothing store that used to be a client of mine. This was a fabulous once a year sale and it was generally the only time I could afford these type of clothes. Even though I have little need for work clothes anymore, I've continued going to this sale. Today I learned that the Superbowl Sale is gone. It has been discontinued. I don't know why I thought this would never happen. Nothing else lasts very long in today's world. Why should this odd three hour 75% off sale be any different.

Dash seemed a little better today. There was no diarrhea last night. Maybe the Metronidazole worked or maybe there was so much diarrhea yesterday that his entire digestive tract is empty. I guess we'll know when Dash poops again. That hasn't happened yet. Unfortunately, some common side effects of Metronidazole include lethargy, confusion, and loss of appetite. Dash is already dealing with these problems so it is hard to tell if Dash's difficulty in walking this morning was caused by the pills or was just something he would have experienced anyway. Later in the day he seemed fine and the diarrhea hasn't returned, so I've got to assume that the medication is working.

I think my dehumidifier has broken. It was leaking water this afternoon. The dehumidifier is meant to run continuously, but it has been running for about three years so I guess problems are inevitable. I wonder if my appliance repair guy can fix dehumidifiers? This dehumidifier has made a real difference in keeping the house livable, so I may need to buy a new one. I've discovered that the leak stops when I tilt the dehumidifier to one side. I've propped a book under one corner of the machine so it runs at an angle now. This is a temporary solution at best. It's weird that almost every single problem I've had with the house involves water. Water has become the enemy around here.

Janet has a meeting tonight so it's up to me to give Dash his evening meds. You'd think this would be easy but Dash has become very particular. Some days he will take his pills in canned dog food. Other days the pills need to be rolled up in a small strip of delicatessen turkey. Occasionally I have to use a little piece of Angle Food Cake. One way or another he always takes his pills though.

I'm sure we'll watch the Superbowl tomorrow, even though the Pats and the Rams aren't our favorite teams. The Pats are probably my least favorite team. My favorite commercial of course is the Budweiser spot featuring a Dalmatian with its ears blowing in the wind.

Jasper is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3326

An incontinent dog who can barely walk with explosive diarrhea is not a good combination. Needless to say, we didn't get a lot of sleep last night. We still don't know what caused the diarrhea, but Dash was very sick. Every hour on the hour he had to go and he usually didn't even come close to making it outside. It had to be our messiest night on record. We debated about taking Dash to the emergency vet, but we knew we would just sit in the lobby in the middle of the night for two hours and they wouldn't really do anything. This morning I got some Metronidazole from Dash's regular vet and hopefully it will help stabilize him. This all happened pretty suddenly. Dash was acting normally yesterday. He's eating the same food he always eats and I don't think he got into anything. You never know with a dog though. It only takes a few seconds for them to eat something bad.

Pooping in the bed is one thing, but diarrhea in the bed takes matters to a whole new level. I hope the Metronidazole is starting to work, because I'd really like to get some sleep tonight. There are so many things wrong with Dash that's it's hard to tell if this diarrhea is the result of an upset stomach or if it is connected to some other ongoing problem. Our instructions from both his vets were to watch him carefully and report anything alarming. Just the smell was pretty alarming last night.

Other than spewing runny poop all over the place, Dash seemed relatively normal this morning. We took a short walk, got him to take his morning meds, and then he was ready for a long nap. Janet stayed home to keep an eye on things while I went out to breakfast and then I stayed home for the rest of the day. Dash seems calmer now but he still isn't eating much.

I was planning to go back to the hotel this morning, but it took so long to clean Dash up and tidy the explosive mess in the house that the hotel kitchen was already closed by the time I was ready to leave. I went back to the trendy new restaurant I discovered and had Shrimp Grits again. This place is really popular but it seems kind of strange to me. The waiters are super friendly, but they dress like homeless people. I'm old school. I guess I like the starched white coats the hotel waiters wear. This place is only open for breakfast but it has a full bar and serves alcohol. I saw several people having drinks with their breakfast. Maybe I'm old fashioned, but coffee is fine with me. There were several couples with young children this morning. These children were crying and acting terrible until their Mom took an iPad out of her purse and stuck it in front of the kid's face. The kids calmed down immediately. I don't think this will end well. We've got an entire generation who are already addicted to sitting in front of a screen before they turn three. The food was delicious this morning, but I think I'll go back to the hotel next week. It feels more like home. The trendy restaurant seems like something you might see in Bladerunner.

It's been a long day. Luckily it was warm enough that we could take Dash outside and give him a bath. He definitely needed one. I've done a ton of laundry today, but everything is finally clean again. All bets are off for tonight. If we're lucky, Dash will sleep calmly. We could easily have a repeat of last night though. I put another case of puppy training pads on the shopping list for tomorrow. We're going to need them.

Myles is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3176

I got this check from the Federal Trade Commission today, along with a note saying that it was my share of a class action settlement involving light bulbs. What? I wasn't aware of being involved in any sort of class action suit. My first thought was that this was a scam. Have you ever received a check in the mail that has a small disclaimer saying that by cashing said check you agree to a lifetime of magazine subscriptions, a debit card from a foreign bank, or a ridiculously expensive term life policy? I am very suspicious of checks that mysteriously arrive in the mail. There are so many scammers out there. I did some research online and it appears the check is legit. The government recently mailed out fourteen million dollars worth of these checks to people like me. But how did they know I bought the light bulbs? I didn't tell them. I feel sorry for the light bulb company. The suit claims that the company made false statements about the light bulbs brightness and reliability. Jeez. I've had these LED bulbs in my bathroom for over five years and they work great. They haven't burned out and they're pretty bright. This pretty well sums up my feelings about class action suits. For the most part, they're just a way to make lawyers rich. They probably put that company out of business. That being said, I'll go ahead and cash the check. It might pay for gas next week. No, it wasn't a large check. I just don't drive very much.

I've got to figure out how to cure Dash's digestive problems. The loose stools and diarrhea are driving me crazy. I had to clean up another big mess last night and then had a hard time getting back to sleep. The first thing you're supposed to do if your dog has loose stools is take a sample to your vet to test for parasites. Done that. There were no parasites. We're read that a diet of chicken and rice can help cure the problem. That's what he's been eating for over a month and it hasn't helped. Dash is also taking a probiotic the vet prescribed and that isn't doing much either. It's frustrating. We've read that diarrhea is a known side effect of heart disease. If that's the case, there probably isn't much we can do. Diarrhea and incontinence is a really bad combination. At least when Dot became incontinent, her poop remained firm.

I got a letter from the phone company saying that my account had been compromised. So what else is new? This is almost a routine occurrence these days. By now, probably everyone in the world has had an account compromised in one way or another. The letter apologized for the inconvenience, but said that no sensitive information was revealed. Easy for them to say. They apparently did get my phone number though. Maybe that explains the increase in robocalls I've been getting lately. My landline is almost 100% telemarketers and robocalls now. I feel like the phone company should be paying me.

I walked Dash and paid a few bills today. That was about it. Someone got killed last night riding one of those rental scooters I've started seeing all over town. It was only a matter of time. I've seen people riding these things on busy city streets. Nobody wears helmets and the flimsy scooters go pretty fast. Why did the city approve these ridiculous things? I really need to move to a small town. City life is becoming increasingly strange.

Domino is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3102

We had our first 100 degree day of the year. I'm sure it won't be our last. It seemed ridiculously hot today. I kept thinking that we don't usually get this kind of weather until July. Then I realized that it is actually pretty close to July. Needless to say, Dash didn't get an afternoon walk. He had trouble yesterday when it was ten degrees cooler. We're just going to stay inside and hope the air conditioner keeps working.

I've started ordering breakfast from the side dish menu. These little plates with a single sausage link or a few pieces of toast seem just about right. The waiters don't seem happy. I think they want me to order a much larger meal. Not to worry. I'm still going to leave a good tip. I'm just not very hungry these days.

The art shippers called this afternoon. They're on their way. It's going to seem weird not to have these pictures on my walls any more. They've followed me around to two different states and three different houses. It's time to say goodbye though. Possessions can be an anchor around your neck. It might be more enjoyable to travel than to worry about whether a roof leak is going to ruin a painting.

I was going to clean the atrium today and I couldn't get the sliding glass door to open. Jeez. I was going to fix this thing last year, but never got around to it. Now, I've got one more thing on my to-do list. The list just keeps getting longer. Yesterday, I added a whistling toilet in Janet's bathroom. The toilet still works fine, but loud noises are usually a good indication that something bad is about to happen.

Anyone my age has probably watched the Carpool Karaoke episode with Paul McCartney by now. The video was plastered all over my Facebook wall this morning. This touching tribute to Paul's Liverpool roots brought back a flood of memories that had nothing to do with Liverpool. I grew up with the Beatles. It's amazing that after all these years, the Beatles and the Stones are still relevant. I was lucky to come of age in the golden age of music. The 60's and the 70's were a high water mark. Listening to a new album by The Lumineers just doesen't compare to hearing Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon for the first time.

I got a letter from my sister today. I'm glad she's feeling well enough to write again. Her cancer is not in remission, but she seems in much better spirits. We followed dramatically different paths in life, but some things seem to be converging as we grow older. We both share the same distain for Uber and Airbnb. It's pretty obvious that we have joined the "Get off my Lawn" crowd.

When Dash woke me up last night to go outside, he ended up giving me a scare. He had a mild case of diarrhea and wandered all over the yard in a squatting position. When he was finished, he had trouble resuming an upright position. He seemed stuck in his pooping posture. I had to help him up and gently walk him around the yard a bit to get him moving again. When he came inside, he wasn't able to climb up on the bed and went to sleep on the floor. Luckily, he was walking fine this morning. Dash's rear legs are getting weaker and weaker. I hope he can make it through the Summer.

I hope I can make it through the Summer too. Right now, living in Iceland seems pretty appealing.

Kirby is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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