Day 4682

I knew this was going to happen. We woke up this morning and there was no heat on the coldest day of the year so far. I was pretty sure I knew what was wrong because this happens every year. The furnace flame sensor gets dirty and the burners won't light. A repairman taught me how to fix the problem myself and it has saved me a ton of money over the years. That being said, I still don't enjoy doing the repair. It's an easy fix that involves sanding the flame sensor with fine grit sandpaper. The problem is that I have to dismantle part of the furnace to access the sensor. It is located down near the floor which is hard on my knees as well. At any rate, I got the furnace working again before breakfast, because I hate being cold while I eat.

It was really chilly this morning. I had to put on some extra layers for our sunrise walk. Dawn didn't need to wear a sweater yet, but if it gets any colder that's next. The park was really empty this morning. The colder it gets, the fewer runners and cyclists we see. Dawn really enjoys this cooler weather and I'm happy with it as well. I've got plenty of warm coats and I don't sweat much on a chilly day. The stars were out when we got started this morning. It reminded me that I ought to spend a little more time stargazing. Maybe not though. It's just not that much fun here in Dallas.

Once I finished breakfast and was satisfied that the furnace was running properly, I took my long walk. I didn't do as well this morning. My pace was slower and my feet hurt. There is no way to predict how I'm going to feel until I start walking. I thought this was going to be a good day when we took our sunrise walk with Dawn. Apparently not. By the time I returned home I felt like soaking my feet in a bucket of warm water. It was a beautiful day for a walk. My feet just weren't having any part of it.

After lunch I got out my video gear and checked everything out while recharging a bunch of batteries. I discovered that I'd forgotten how to use my wireless microphones and had to download a PDF document to relearn how to use the transmitter and receiver. Will I ever use this equipment again? It's doubtful. Making corporate videos was an important part of my business back in the day. I had a little editing studio and did everything myself. I still have the tape machines but I doubt that anything is done on tape these days. Oh, well. The equipment paid for itself and most of it is sitting in the storage warehouse now.

Dawn graduated to the advanced group at her training class this week. Janet said she did well, although she didn't bring home any ribbons. Next week the class is having a Halloween party and Dawn is going as Cruella de Vil. Janet made her a cute costume, but we don't know how long she will keep the Cruella wig on.  

I've got to get up early and take my car in for a service appointment tomorrow morning. We'll see how expensive the repairs are before I move on and get the dryer fixed. There's always something that needs to be fixed.

Diva is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4402

I saw the bald eagle again today. I'm always surprised at how large these birds are. Hey, I may become a birder yet. I enjoy watching birds on my walk. I don't see the eagle very often, but looking for it helps to pass the time. I probably shouldn't have walked as far as I did today. My feet were really bothering me. I'd hate to give up walking, but I may have to for a while. The foot pain keeps getting worse.

The weather was really nice today, but I had no desire to rake leaves or clean up the yard. I really had no desire to do anything. I sent out another query letter with vague hopes of getting a writing job. I read some of the new comments about the Polaris star tracker on the user group, but didn't get mine out of the box. My project for today was trying to figure out why my new Fitbit was draining my phone's battery so quickly. Lots of people seem to be having this problem, but it didn't appear that the company has a fix. Maybe I'll just go back to using my old Fitbit. I think it still works.

The problematic French toilet is starting to run again. There is a little plastic valve that I have to replace a lot and I suspect that this is the problem again. Why does this tiny piece of flexible plastic cost over $20 at a plumbing supply store? I should probably just replace the entire toilet with a Toto, which all the plumbers seem to like. I really get tired of fixing things, but stuff always breaks. I would be willing to pay much more for something if it was guaranteed to last forever.

Even on days with nothing to do, there is always vacuuming. I vacuumed the carpets this afternoon and kept wondering why we got the Dyson. These things are so hard to clean properly. I liked our old Hoover better. All the dust just went into a paper bag that you threw away when it got full. I think seeing all the dust spinning around in the Dyson's clear plastic cylinder is just a marketing gimmick to convince you that your house is filthy and needs frequent vacuuming.

I've had a runny nose for so long that I occasionally wonder if I've got Covid. It's easy to forget that I always have seasonal allergies at this time of year with all the hype about Covid. Pretty soon, everything will just turn into Covid. Broken arm? Nope, you've got Covid. Indigestion? That's got to be a new Covid variant. I'm getting tired of the whole thing. 

Janet said that Dawn did well at training class tonight. I don't go to these classes anymore, but I'm glad that Dawn is starting to enjoy them. Inch by inch she is slowly becoming less fearful and starting to act like a normal dog. Give her another year or so and she might even start to like me. Actually, Dawn has warmed up to me quite a bit, but she still doesn't completely trust me. Dawn is a smart dog. Maybe I'm just not trustworthy.

Hopefully, I'll find something interesting to write about tomorrow. Today's post was just a bunch of blather.

Suzie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4185

I was putting on my Apple Watch this morning and it spoke the time to me in a woman's voice. WTF. I've been wearing an Apple Watch for years and I didn't know it could do this. I couldn't get the watch to speak to me again, so I did a quick Google search and discovered that if you put two fingers on the screen at the same time, a voice will tell you the time. Who knew. Actually, this seems like a reasonably useful feature. Much better than that other feature that will automatically dial 911 if the watch thinks you have fallen. I turned that feature off after my watch accidentally dialed 911 in my sleep one night. 

Our machines are becoming too smart and too powerful. At least I don't have an Amazon Alexa that will automatically share your Internet connection with your neighbors if their power goes out. I read today that General Motors is going to temporarily stop putting that device that automatically stops your engine at stop signs and traffic lights in their full size SUVs because of the global chip shortage. Those vehicles are instantly going to become very desirable. I've yet to meet anyone who actually likes their car's engine starting and stopping on its own just to save a little gas.

I got a nice letter from NASA today explaining why I was sometimes excluded from the press pool at Kennedy Space Center. The letter was an answer to a question I'd asked over a month ago. I was a little disappointed that I apparently wasn't very high on the list of people NASA wants to attend their launches. I get bumped when more important people need to attend. On the other hand, I was encouraged that the NASA folks even remembered me. They urged me to keep applying for credentials in the future and acknowledged that if I've been credentialed once, I'll probably be credentialed again.

There was no rain today, but it was so humid that it felt like you could squeeze water out of the air. I almost went to the gym today to escape the heat, but I'm a creature of habit, so I kept walking like I usually do after Dawn finished her short one mile loop. I think the humidity is much worse than the heat. It kind of takes the fun out of walking when your clothes are all damp with sweat. I was tired when I finished my six miles today, but at least my feet didn't hurt.

Janet said that Dawn did better at training class tonight. She was less fearful and was able to complete most of the exercises. This was encouraging. Maybe Dawn will start looking forward to these weekly classes. Dot and Dash grew to love going to class. Training class will help Dawn gain confidence and give her a chance to be around other dogs.

I'm overdue for a follow-up visit with virtually every doctor I've ever seen. There's nothing wrong, but apparently if you see a doctor once, they never forget you. I find this a little irritating, but I'll eventually make an appointment with these guys. I'd hate to wind up with a disease that was caused by avoiding the doctor. These routine visits still seem like a waste of time though. I keep going and nobody's discovered any problems yet.

There's going to be a special photo opportunity out at the observatory this Friday. It's looks like the weather will be clear too. I'd love to go, but I just got back from there. The drive is too long and I haven't even finished paying for my last visit. Maybe I'll return to the Davis Mountains in October. I wish my interests weren't so expensive and far away. I can't think of anything I really want to do here in Dallas.

I can think of a number of things I really don't want to do, but as the skies clear and the ground starts to dry up, I'm going to be forced to mow the grass and finish cutting those dead Photinia trees. Maybe that long drive to the observatory isn't so bad after all.

Liberty is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4178

Janet took Dawn to her first training class this evening. I didn't go, because there isn't much point in going to a dog training class without a dog. Hopefully, Dawn will do well and enjoy the class. Some of our dogs loved the training classes and others didn't. Dash did very well at first and then grew bored with the class and became a poor student. Some of the exercises are done off leash and I was always nervous that Dash would run away. He was unpredictible that way. Dawn likes being around other dogs, so hopefully she will have a lot of fun.

Today might have been eventful for Dawn, but it was uneventful for me. Not a lot happened. It didn't rain today, but I didn't take advantage of the dry weather to do anything special. I fixed my smoothie while I watched the morning news. I checked my e-mail, hoping that there might be a message from NASA or the magazine I write for in London. Janet and I walked Dawn after she returned from the gym. And then I took my longer walk later in the day. I do these things every day. I really need to add a little variety to my routine.

One thing I didn't do today was practice using PixInsight or any of the other astrophotography processing software I'm trying to learn. I don't want to get burned out before I even get started on this somewhat difficult hobby. When I was working, I was reluctant to call things like writing, photography, and graphic design hobbies because I made money doing these things. Astronomy is clearly a hobby. I will never be an astronomer. I don't even understand what a lot of them do.

I think the cortisone shot the vet gave Dawn yesterday is working. She didn't lick or bite at her paws nearly as much today. I wish the cortisone shot would solve the problem, but it will only point us in the right direction. If allergies are the problem, we need to find out what Dawn is allergic to. We had Spot, our first Dalmatian, tested for allergies and it was a long, complicated process. It turned out he was allergic to almost everything.

I made good time on my long walk today. I can't figure out why I feel so different from one day to the next. Yesterday I could barely make it home. Today I actually had a spring in my step. Inconsistency bothers me. I would like everything to be consistent and predictable even though it never is. In an inconsistent world, I'm always waiting for the other shoe to drop. I have a feeling that Dawn feels the same way. We should be best buddies. We share many of the same fears and are alike in many ways.

The little telescope I ordered has shipped and is on its way. When it arrives I will probably spend the day testing and learning how to use it. Then it will go back in a box until my next trip out to McDonald Observatory. I still haven't really mastered the star tracker I got for my last trip to the observatory. That's sitting in a box too. One problem is that you have to align the tracker with Polaris before it will track anything and you can't see the North Star from our house because there are too many trees in the way. This is just an excuse, but it's good enough for me. I'm definitely not dragging my equipment out into the park at night. 

This week has gone quickly. Pretty soon it will be my birthday again. Last year on my birthday we were right in the middle of a global pandemic. I guess we still are.

Abby is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3408

Every time we get a heavy rain my first thought is that this was the worse storm ever. I felt this way last night when the rain was pounding down, but when I took my walk today I had to acknowledge that I've seen higher water levels at the lake before. I think my tolerance for bad weather isn't what it used to be. The rain was pretty bad though. Especially since one of my pumps on the roof wasn't working. I'm really glad that I wasn't traveling. I saw on the news this morning that one of the parking garages at the airport had flooded and lots of cars were completely underwater. This was the same garage where I parked when I went to Houston recently. A lot of travelers are going to be really surprised when they return home.

I was surprised that I even got a chance to walk today. Basically, it rained all day. I saw a little break in the clouds around noon and took advantage of it. I almost finished my three mile trek, but the rain started again when I was about 100 yards from home. I got wet, but it didn't matter. The next thing on my list was taking a shower.

I was almost certain that the roof would leak again last night, but the living room is still dry. So far, so good. Maybe judicious use of the two sump pumps is helping. The second pump started working again this afternoon, so I didn't have to go up on the roof and fix it. I don't know why these things are so balky. Sometimes they become clogged with leaves. There might be a bad electrical connection too. All the extension cords are underwater when it rains.

My contact at the auction house wants to re-offer some of the art that didn't sell recently with a lower reserve. Sounds good to me. The only other alternative is to take the art back and wait until the artist dies. A lot of art spikes in value after the artist dies. This plan probably won't work though, since the artist is younger than I am.

I found out today that the training class where we used to take the dogs on Wednesday evening had made a donation in Dot and Dash's memory to Dalmatian Rescue. This was so nice. Dot and Dash hadn't gone to class since they became sick several years ago and I was surprised that anyone still remembered them. I've still got some dusty ribbons that Dash won sitting on my desk. I continue to be amazed that he won ribbons for obedience when he was young, because as he became older and more stubborn he wouldn't even come when you called. Both dogs enjoyed the class. They probably thought the exercises were silly, but the weekly class was their chance to make friends and socialize with other dogs.

I hope that the weather improves tomorrow. Rainy days give me a bad case of cabin fever. It's not that dry days are all that exciting, but at least I'm not fretting about water leaks. I'll see if I can do something useful when the skies clear again. The back yard could certainly use some work.

Sadie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1800

I like big round numbers like 1800. They give me hope that I'll be able to continue doing this for 2000, or if I'm lucky, even 5000 days. As incremental days go, this really wasn't much of a milestone. It was still chilly outside, although the temperature was warmer than yesterday. The day went fast, because there were a ton of minor chores to do. After walking the dogs and fixing myself some oatmeal for breakfast, I went to the bank. Then I went to the pharmacy to pick up prescriptions, did a load of laundry, and balanced my checkbook. Each of these things took a lot longer than it should have, but like I said, the day went quickly.

I don't know why it takes me so long to balance my checkbook these day. This used to be a snap. Now, I'm always entering something twice, or not at all, and ending up with a perplexing discrepancy after all my efforts. Since I'm an obsessive type by nature, I keep checking and rechecking until I eventually find my error, but I doubt that all my calculations even matter. It would probably be a lot easier if I just accepted what the bank said I have each month and let it go at that.

My writing assignments took longer today as well. I wish I could do these things faster since they don't pay a lot, but there are days when my mind is a blank. Just like the checkbook, I eventually get all the words in the right place, but there is often a lot of staring off into space involved. By the time I got all the writing, bookkeeping, and other errands taken care of, it was time for dinner. It wasn't an exciting day, but it was a productive one.

We skipped dog training class for the second week in a row. It's just too cold for Dot. Her joints are old and stiff and the ground is damp and cold. On nights like these, she prefers to sit on a pile of blankets in a warm house. Dash doesn't seem to mind missing class either. He enjoys seeing the other dogs, but I think he lost interest in being obedient several years ago. When it warms up a bit, we'll be back. It's good for the dogs to stay active and mingle with other dogs.

It's time to start thinking about Christmas pet pictures again. I can't even remember how many years I've been shooting pictures of dogs sitting on Santa's lap, but it's been a long time. Janet and I got a new backdrop for this year's round of pictures. Since a lot of the same people come to these events year after year, it's nice to have something different to offer them. I think we have five events this year, so I hope all my equipment still works.

The refrigerator looks pretty empty, so I'll probably have to go to the store tomorrow. Dot has her physical therapy session as well. We'll see how the day goes. I'd like to go see Interstellar at an IMAX theater sometime soon, but tomorrow looks pretty busy. Maybe Friday might work.

Jasper is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1776

When I arrived at the gym this afternoon, there was a big sign at the reception desk that said "Pool Closed Until Further Notice." My paranoid mind immediately made the assumption that this must have something to do with Ebola. In all likelihood, the pool had just developed a leak. It doesn't matter anyway, since I never use the pool. Swimming might actually be better for my shoulder than what I'm doing now, but it's too much trouble to get a locker and change. The place was pretty empty this afternoon, but that didn't mean anything at all. The gym is always empty on Sunday afternoons.

On my way home I listened to a Ted Talk on the radio where a geneticist talked about human evolution. It was fascinating. I was surprised to learn that although Homo sapiens have been around for several hundred thousand years, modern day humans are only about 60,000 years old. That's pretty young, considering how long crocodiles have been around. According to this geneticist, the human race almost went extinct when the ice age coincided with the eruption of a huge supervolcano in Indonesia about 70,000 years ago. The explosion dimmed the sun for six years, disrupted seasonal rains and almost killed off the human race. With fewer than 2000 people left on the planet, evolution kicked into high gear, forcing humans to either adapt or die. The remaining humans left their home in Africa, searching for a more hospitable climate. They invented language as we know it today. They developed agriculture and other ways to improve their survival odds, and spread across the world in less than 10,000 years. All this information was just the prelude to the main event, however. The guys main point was that he thinks that evolution has kicked into high gear again and in less than 500 years we will change into a completely different species. We are being asked to process more information in a single day now than we used to process in a year. Our current brains can't handle the load and they are trying to adapt, just like the first humans were forced to adapt to a cataclysmic change in climate. Some of the science in this Ted Talk went over my head, but it caught my attention when the explosion of autism in children and many other modern day disorders were explained as explorations on a DNA level as the evolutionary process tries to arrive at whatever comes next. Of course none of this may be true, but it is still fascinating. Your great, great grandchildren might not even be human. I've always thought that people who worry about the glaciers melting are thinking way too small. The earth is 4 billion years old. If we're really only 60,000 years old, I'm sure the earth has a way to deal with us. Maybe we won't destroy the planet after all. Maybe the planet will change us.

I think I'll go vote tomorrow. I'm not sure where the early voting place is, but it should be easy to find. I've become a fan of early voting in recent years. It's so much more convenient that waiting in line on election day. The early voting locations all seem to have the latest touch screen voting machines too. When I vote at my local precinct on election day, I get a paper ballot where I have to mark a lot of little circles with a #2 pencil. The type on the ballot is very small and when I forget my reading glasses, I don't know what is going on.

We've finally come up with costumes for the Halloween party at our dog training class this Wednesday. Janet is sewing them together now. No, the costumes aren't for us. They are for the dogs.

Pearl is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1772

I'm beginning to think that time is relative. Even though a loud wall clock in the kitchen ticks off the seconds at a constant pace, some days seem fueled by adrenalin, while others seem excruciatingly slow. Today was one of those slow days. The dogs dawdled along on their walks, stopping to smell each and every tree along the way. Breakfast took longer to make, even though it was only my regular oatmeal and fruit. My writing assignments took almost twice as long to complete, even though they were almost identical to the ones I finished yesterday in record time. Such a slow day! Even dog training class seemed to crawl along in first gear, since Dash wasn't in the mood to do anything right.

I saw a recent survey that said 58% of people are convinced that the world is going to hell in a hand-basket. I'm surprised the percentage isn't even higher. Every time I turn on the TV there's breaking news about some new plague or atrocity. I wonder when folks are finally going to realize that all wars from now on out are really wars of the future against the past. If the human race is going to continue, it's imperative that the future wins. I'm continually baffled why the United States, Russia, and perhaps even China, can't put their differences aside and realize that they all have enormous common interests. China and the U.S. are great trading partners already. Russia and the U.S have worked together on the International Space Station with great success for over a decade. The world's industrialized nations need to quit their petty bickering and use their vast resources to totally eradicate the medieval belief systems and third world diseases that are dragging us down. Science and good hygiene can eradicate Ebola. Terrorism might be a bit tougher, but I bet the thought of the US, Russia, and China all acting as one to get rid of these cockroaches might get someone's attention. When you've got all the nukes, people listen.

Dash has diarrhea again. He's got such a sensitive stomach that the least little thing can upset the balance. I don't know what caused things to head South this time. I don't think he ate anything bad in the park, but we did put him on a probiotic recently. Maybe instead of curing his problem, it actually made things worse. I'm not sure what is wrong this time. All I know is that if he wakes me up tonight and appears restless, I'm going to get him outside as quick as I can.

I hope that Thursday will be more interesting than today. It would be nice if I could zip through all my chores and assignments in record time. Maybe if I got caught up on things, I could even watch a few of those Dr. Who shows I've been recording on the DVR. Now that I think of it, tomorrow probably will go quickly. My writing assignment will take me through the morning. Then Dot's physical therapy session and acupuncture will take me through the afternoon. All I've got to do after that is remember to take out the trash.

Dot is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1751

It was interesting to see how the Ebola news developed today. First you would hear local chatter on Twitter. There are so many people who either work or have friends in health care that news travels quickly. Shortly after rumors start flying on Twitter, local talk radio shows are filled with callers talking about the same thing. A few hours later, the same stories start to appear on prominent local, and even national, media blogs. TV news crews seem to pick up the story very late in the game, and finally, at the end of the entire process, a public official eventually issues a statement. There were Tweets about where the Ebola victim lived, what airline he flew to Dallas on, and where the children he exposed went to school several hours before the same news appeared on the local television stations.

With all the talk about how Ebola is transmitted, there's been a lot of local interest in the safety of the sewage system. Surely the guy pooped after he arrived in town. Where is that poop now? They say the virus can live a long time under moist conditions. At any rate,  I wouldn't want to be a worker at the local sewage treatment plant. I don't think I'd want to be a plumber either. One of the most persistent questions I hear is "If there is nothing to worry about, why are all you guys wearing HazMat suits?" I wonder about this myself.

Other than the occasional worry that Dallas will be where the zombie apocalypse begins, it was a fairly normal day. I spent the day doing the usual mix of website revisions and writing assignments. Some of the website work I did today involved redoing what did yesterday. That's pretty normal too. If I didn't redo a lot of things, I would have very little to do.

When we went to dog training class tonight, the sodium vapor lights that illuminate the field at night unexpectedly went out. Without these lights, it is really dark. I'm surprised that the dogs did as well as they did under these conditions. I could still see Dash pretty well, since he is basically white with a few black spots. The owners of the Labs weren't so lucky. Their dogs just seemed to disappear in the darkness.

I thought my fire ant bites would be gone by now, but they seem to have gotten worse. After doing a little reading, I discovered that this was normal. When the hard red welts caused by the bites start to blister, they can itch intensely. I'm in the itchy stage right now. They say that this can last for up to a week. It helps to keep things in perspective though. An ant bite is no big deal when there's an Ebola outbreak a few miles down the road.

Tori is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1744

When I was walking the dogs this morning I noticed a bulldozer ripping up the trail we normally use. Now there is just a lot of loose dirt that will immediately turn into a mud pit as soon as it rains. I think the city is planning to replace the trail with a much wider concrete bicycle highway to accommodate all the cyclists who like to ride in the park. I'm not looking forward to this. The trail has been a nice, peaceful place to walk the dogs for many years and as soon as the cyclists arrive, it will just be another place to avoid. Bicycles and dogs on a leash don't mix. The dogs and I have almost been run over by Type-A cyclists too many times to count. When you're on the same trail together, these guys, and they're almost always guys, don't want to slow down or move over for anybody.

I probably won't have to worry about the bicycles for quite a while. City projects move exceedingly slow. It will take at least a month for them to rip out the old trail. Then it will take another month to construct the wooden forms and place the steel rebar reinforcement before actually pouring the concrete. Sooner or later though, this bicycle highway will be finished and I'll have to find a quieter place to walk the dogs.

Life is gradually returning to normal. The dogs are healthy again and Dot's incontinence problems seem to be over. My workload has returned to a predictable mix of writing and website design. I'm busy, but not too busy. There seems to be plenty of time for a leisurely breakfast and long dog walks while still meeting deadlines. The familiar routines aren't all that exciting, but they're comfortable. As long as the dogs stay healthy, I'm OK with this.

Dot was stronger today and participated in many of the exercises at our training class this evening. Both dogs seemed to enjoy the cool, pleasant weather. Since the autumnal equinox was yesterday, the days will start to get noticeably shorter now. It's already dark by the time training class is over and pretty soon it will be dark before we even begin. The sky was clear and I recognized a few constellations overhead as Dash and I did our training exercises tonight. It made me wish I'd bought something when I went to the telescope store the other day.

Tomorrow is Dot's physical therapy day. She's still not quite as strong as she was before her illness, but she's getting close. Her progress reminds me that physical therapy actually works. I really need to get one of my doctors to refer me for physical therapy myself. It would sure be nice to have a functional shoulder again.

Scout is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1737

Dash went to the vet to get his blood tested today. Unfortunately, we will need to repeat the whole process next week. Dash's blood sample contained lipids, which meant the thyroid test he was having would show inaccurate results. Dash needs to fast for at least 12 hours next time so the lab can get a better sample. When I have problems with lipids, the doctors refer to it as bad cholesterol. When a dog has problems with lipids they just call it fat in the blood. I guess it's more or less the same thing.

Ever since my doctor convinced me to start taking Foltanx to improve cognition and prevent memory loss, I have been having very active dreams. I haven't noticed any difference whatsoever during the day, but my dreams are much more complex now. This isn't exactly what I wanted. I think my cognitive abilities are just fine. I make my living using them. The only reason I went along with the doctor and started taking the drug, which is basically just an expensive multi-vitamin containing Folate, Vitamin B6 and Vitamin B12, was that I'd read it was effective at combating some forms of neuropathy that cause numbness in your extremities. I still feel numbness in my feet occasionally, so I really don't know if this stuff works at all. There are lots of reasons for weird dreams, including waking up five times each night to see if Dot has peed in the bed. Maybe this is just one more junk pill that does nothing.

The trouble with meds is that you have to trust the person who prescribed them for you. Unfortunately, doctors don't agree on much and some of them are nuts. Pick just about any drug and you'll find ten different opinions about it. It's frustrating to say the least. Is Niacin a great way to lower bad cholesterol, or will it just increase your chances of getting diabetes? Why am I taking Carvedilol to slow my heart down when it's ticking pretty slow already? Some doctors think Statins can cause memory loss. Other doctors think Statins actually help with brain function and are prescribing them for Alzheimer's patients. I just wish everyone could get on the same page.

A paid some bills today and did a little bookkeeping. As usual, I made a few incorrect entries in Quickbooks Pro and couldn't get everything to balance. I wish there was some equivalent of spell-check in Quickbooks that would warn me about entering payments incorrectly. Sometimes it takes me fifteen minutes just to find a fifty cent error.

Dot seemed tired today. Maybe it was just a reaction to the rabies shot she had yesterday. We all went to training class this evening, but Dot mostly sat on the sidelines and watched Dash and I go through our paces. I think Dot still enjoyed being included in the activities. She seemed happy just sitting in the grass and watching the other dogs. Dash did pretty well, but I think he would have preferred to sit in the grass as well.

Princess is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1730

I think we have some of the best fed squirrels in the world living in our yard. When I went up on the roof to see if there was still any standing water, I discovered a thick carpet of broken pecan shells covering the entire roof. The big old pecan tree in the side yard had a good crop of nuts this year and the squirrels are making the most of it. It's a shame that the squirrels are eating every last nut on the tree, since these tasty pecans would make dozens of great pies.

It doesn't look like we are going to get any pie this year. The squirrels have already won this battle by eating all the nuts before they have even matured. In addition to being gluttonous little piggies, the squirrels have also created a huge mess. The broken pecan shells act as a natural dye which turns any standing water on the roof a dark brown. This burnt sienna colored water in turn stains the white surface of the epoxy coated roof. I no longer have a white roof.

When I took the dogs out in the yard after lunch I smelled something dead in the corner of the yard. I looked and looked, but I couldn't find anything. I hate dead things in the yard because Dash eats them and then he gets diarrhea. The feral cats in the neighborhood are always dragging their catch of the day into the yard. Over the years I've found dozens of dead bird and mice. I'm sure the dogs have found even more. The only thing I did find today was a deep hole that looked like it had been dug by a possum or an armadillo. The hole was about eight inches wide and tunneled into the earth for over two feet. When I filled the hole in with earth, the bad smell subsided a bit. Maybe there was something dead inside the hole. If so, it's dead and buried now. I didn't want to investigate.

One of the websites I update frequently has disappeared. The server just isn't there anymore. Maybe it is down for repairs or has been taken offline for other reasons. Either way, it is a big mess because nobody received any warning that this was about to happen. People never notice a site when it's up. As soon as it goes down however, everybody notices. I have a feeling that I will be moving the site to another hosting company soon.

The dogs seemed distracted at class tonight. Dash wouldn't sit and Dot seemed to get lost during one of the exercises. It's a shame that the days are getting so much shorter already. The sun was already setting when we arrived this evening and it was completely dark by the time we were finished. There are lights in the field that we use for training, but I still prefer daylight much better.

Tomorrow looks busy. Dot has her physical therapy day. There's a meeting I'm supposed to attend. Today's website problems will probably get worse before they get better. It's only one day though and then it's Friday again.

Cleo is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1709

Dash spent the day at the cancer center getting re-evaluated. Although he got an excellent report and is still cancer-free, his oncologist wants to continue his chemotherapy regime for at least two more months. I was hoping that he might be finished with his treatment today, but I guess two more months will be OK. The Palladia drug seems to be very effective and doctors are enthusiastic about using it for the types of cancers that Dot and Dash have. I asked if Dot would need the Palladia too, and it doesn't seem to be necessary in her case. Her tumor has finally been positively identified as a gastrointestinal stromal tumor, which responds well to Palladia, but the oncologist still thinks the tumor was removed early enough that it had not metastasized yet. The Palladia pills do not appear to have any side effects on Dash. The only side effects are on your wallet. The pills are quite expensive.

Both doctors I talked to today seem a bit puzzled about Dot's incontinence. They said if it was just caused by the IV fluids she received while she was in the ICU, it should have cleared up by now. Everybody thinks we should wait the full six weeks before considering alternative treatment, but it's starting to look like this might be more complex than we initially thought. Incontinence can be caused by old age, neurological problems, and a host of other issues. The trauma of surgery might have triggered an underlying condition that was already there. I read an article about incontinence in dogs the other day and found at least six different very plausible reasons why Dot might be experiencing this right now. It is all very confusing.

Dash is doing better with Janet as his trainer than he was with me at dog training class. She continues to take him to the Wednesday evening classes while I stay home with Dot. Both dogs are very sensitive to our own attitudes. Maybe Dash can tell that I was never that enthusiastic about school and class myself. I've never liked people telling me what to do. I'm glad he is doing well however. Maybe he'll eventually start winning ribbons again. Dash is a very smart dog. During his first year at training class he won all kinds of obedience ribbons. Then he got bored and didn't seem to like the exercises anymore. Maybe it was me who just got bored and didn't like the exercises anymore.

This week is going quickly. I really need to get a haircut, but I can't seem to find the time. It definitely won't be tomorrow. Dot has another physical therapy season tomorrow and believe it or not, I've still got work to do.  Maybe I can find time on Friday. If I had to choose between getting a haircut and going out for breakfast though, I'd definitely go for the breakfast.

Blackjack is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1688

Janet took Dash to dog training class tonight, while I stayed home with Dot. Our instructor initially thought Dot had made an amazing recovery as he watched Dash sail over some high hurdles. "That's pretty good for an old, sick dog," he told Janet. Hey, it's an honest mistake. They both have spots. Maybe he got the dogs mixed up because Dash behaves better with Janet. She told me that he made it through the entire class without any of his typical annoying barking.

For her part, Dot had a very good day as well. We made it through the night without any accidents. She didn't even leak on the waterproof baby crib liners strewn around the house for her to sleep on during the day. We're all learning our new routines. I take her out every three hours to pee, and once again during the middle of the night. Dot is off pain medication now and her vet says that we can begin transitioning her back to her regular diet. You can tell that Dot is happy to slowly be returning to normal. She is holding her head up high for the first time in weeks, and her tail is starting to wag again. Dot doesn't understand the concept of baby steps. My big concern now is to keep her from overdoing things while her body continues to heal.

As Dot gets off the critical list and continues her recovery, my own life is returning to normal as well. I spent a busy day revising and adding pictures to one website while finalizing the design of another. I still can't leave the house, but that really isn't a serious problem, since I seldom leave the house anyway. It is usually boredom, not necessity that causes me to get in the car and go somewhere. I certainly haven't been bored this year, but I think I would prefer boredom to dealing with a constant barrage of major medical emergencies. This has been a rough year. It would be nice if life would stay in balance, but it seldom does. I'm still hoping for healthy dogs and a little variety in my workload.

Can you believe that tomorrow is the last day of July? This year has literally flown by. I'm grateful that so far this has been one of the coolest Summers on record. To be approaching August with only one or two days of triple digit temperatures is almost unheard of in Texas. There have been quite a few mornings where the temperature was in the low 70's while I walked Dash around sunrise. Most of the wildflowers are gone by now, but I did happen to see a few Lanceleaf Coreopsis flowers still blooming this morning. It will be nice when I can walk both dogs again. This is usually my most relaxing time of the day.

We'll waterproof the bed again tonight, but hopefully Dot's incontinence is nearing an end as well. She certainly had a good day today. Tomorrow, I'll continue taking things one day at a time. It's been working so far.

Penny is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1681

Dot started eating solid food again today. She ate a small jar of baby food yesterday, but this was the first time she has been able to hold down solid food since last Thursday. Janet and I fed her some canned chicken when we went to visit this evening and she enthusiastically devoured the entire can. If she doesn't vomit tonight and is able to pass the chicken she ate through her system, we'll finally be able to take the catheter out of her leg and unhook her from all the IV tubes.

Considering that she'd had major surgery less than 24-hours ago, Dot looked great today. Her medical team is very pleased with her progress. We continue to take things one day at a time, but if she continues to improve at this rate, there's a chance she'll be able to come home with us tomorrow evening.

Fifteen years ago, our first Dalmatian had to go through a very similar type of abdominal surgery. Spot survived, but he didn't have the advantage of the advanced medical care Dot is receiving now. I continue to be amazed at the resources veterinarians have at their disposal these days. Getting a CAT scan for Spot in 1999 wasn't even an option. The surgeon just opened him up and started looking around. Surgical techniques and medications are much better now. Actually dogs have more advanced care options than you or I do, since progress isn't hindered as much by government and FDA restrictions. Laser surgery, genetic testing, stem cell transplants, MRI imaging and much more are all commonplace in today's veterinary world.

It is terrible that Dot has to deal with the complications of major surgery and possibly cancer. She is lucky to live here in Dallas though. We have some of the best specialty care facilities in the country right here. I like to think that Dot is in the Mayo Clinic for dogs right now. Her doctors are taking very good care of her.

I'll have to admit that I'm getting some very good care myself. Tomorrow I go for my last regular  visit to the liver clinic. I will repeat all the tests I had at the beginning of my treatment, and if all looks good, I am officially cured of Hepatitis-C. Technically, I've been virus free for several months now, but these doctors are very cautious about over promising things.

We took Dash to dog training class by himself tonight. Janet thought it would be good for him to be around other dogs again. Dash seemed to enjoy himself until a cold front blew through and he sensed a change in the weather. Rain was on the way. I don't think Dot can hear the rain inside the hospital. I hope she can't anyway. She needs to get a good night's rest.

Jewel is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1674

Someone has been sprinkling ground up bits of broken glass along several of the paths in the park. I don't know if this is to cause passing bicycles to have flats, or an effort to hurt animal paws, but it is definitely malicious. One more thing to look out for every morning. This city is wearing me down. Daydreaming is one of my favorite things, but it's just not as easy to absentmindedly daydream during our walks anymore. There's always something to look out for.

Dot worried me today. She was very slow and a bit stiff on our walk this morning. You could tell she wanted to walk, but just didn't have the energy. She went to sleep as soon as we returned home, but even her sleep wasn't restful. She kept changing position and groaning occasionally as if something was bothering her. There were no visible injuries. She was breathing completely normally. And she didn't appear under any stress. She just seemed tired. I'll ask the vet to check for any hidden warning signs, but I think she's just getting old. I know how she feels. It doesn't take much to wear me out either.

We don't get much mail anymore. I used to always look forward to getting the mail everyday, but the steady stream of magazines, circulars, and catalogs has almost come to a standstill. I think the battle for shoppers hearts and minds is over and that Amazon has won. Practically the only thing I get in the mail these days are bills to pay. Even the bills come with admonitions and enticements to get me to switch to online payments. Switch to online payments and we'll give you a $25 Starbucks card they say. No thanks for now. I still like printed statements. I prefer reading a book to looking at the same thing on a Kindle. I'd still rather read a magazine than visit a website. My days are numbered though. I've become a dinosaur.

A few more observations about my day at the courthouse yesterday. I think you can divide people into two categories. There are the ones who check their e-mail and texts obsessively. And there are the others who play Candy Crush Saga obsessively. I hate waiting and paced up and down the courthouse halls all day while the lawyers were deciding what to do with us. I was virtually the only person walking around though. Most people were just sitting on a bench and staring at their phones. They couldn't leave them alone for five minutes. It's kind of sad. I suspect the smart phone has already had an even larger impact on society than the automobile. For the Millennials, the phone has actually replaced the automobile as the iconic object of their generation.

Even though Dot was tired today, we still took both dogs to training class tonight. Dot spent most of the evening sitting in the grass with Janet, while Dash and I went through the exercises. Dot was happy. She doesn't like to be left out and there is no reason to leave her out of anything. We'll all just slow down a bit and let her enjoy her remaining days

Laura is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1667

After bragging about how great Dot was doing with her physical therapy yesterday, she ended up getting sick last night and threw up all over the place. She does this periodically, and we have never been able to figure out why. From the looks of the things she threw up, she had eaten a lot of leaves and grass sometime yesterday evening. Both dogs get frantic whenever their stomach is upset and tend to eat grass as a remedy. Unfortunately, it only makes things worse. At least she didn't try to eat the carpet this time.

After cleaning up vomit several times during the night, we were all finally able to get back to sleep again. I had out of the office meetings today and didn't want to leave Dot alone while I was gone, so I drove her downtown to the vet for observation before my first meeting. She seemed absolutely normal during her stay at the vet and at the end of the day, I drove her home again without incident. It was the leaves she ate that made her sick, but I still don't know why she ate the leaves and grass in the first place. It's a shame that I can't even leave the dogs unsupervised in the back yard, but they both can get in trouble so quickly. It probably took Dot less than a minute to eat the grass and leaves that caused all the trouble.

I had one of my periodic meetings with my financial adviser this afternoon. I used to enjoy these strategy sessions, but lately I find that planning my financial future is becoming increasingly discouraging. With interest rates as low as they've been lately, it's hard to earn anything significant from interest and dividends alone. Globalization hasn't helped either. If somebody sneezes in China it can affect your entire portfolio. A global market does create lots of opportunities too, but it definitely makes everything more volatile. I've grown weary of volatility. A little stability would be nice at this point.

By the end of the day, Dot was completely back to normal, so we decided to take the dogs to training class. Even after sunset it was still hot, so all the dogs in class were a bit subdued. We brought a big cooler of water so Dot and Dash would have plenty to drink, but after greeting the other dogs in the class, they were ready to go home again. The only command they seemed to enjoy was the extended down, where they got to lie down in the grass and do nothing for ten minutes.

I have no idea what today's flower is. Anyone? This is the first time I've seen something like this. It grows near the water and is just starting to come into bloom. It's amazing that after all these years of walking in the park, I still see something new from time to time.

Keller is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day