Day 4978

Today was busier than usual. As always we started with a sunrise walk with Dawn. The temperature was in the high 80's and it felt muggy outside, but this was still the nicest part of the day. We walked earlier than usual because Janet had plans. The days are getting shorter and it was still kind of dark outside. If we continue walking this early, we're going to have to bring out the flashlights again soon.

After my regular breakfast of shredded wheat and fruit, I checked my messages and started a load of laundry. Since it was a little cooler today I decided to cross a few outdoor chores off my list. I've been trying to avoid removing the spiderwebs from the house for a long time, but it really had to be done. The spiders make big webs under our eaves and on the West facing windows. It's really a mess removing the spiders and their webs using a big broom. I wear a hat and a long sleeve shirt because spiders are falling everywhere. After you've had a few spiders in your hair, you learn to take precautions.

It took quite a while to clean everything up, but the windows look much better now. Maybe I'll clean them all with Windex tomorrow. I need to go to Home Depot and get some spider spray as well.  If I don't spray under the eaves, the spiders will all return soon. There are a ton of spiders and wasps in our yard. It's kind of amazing that more don't find their way inside.

After I cleaned up all the spiderwebs, I watered the plants in the atrium. This used to be easy, but is much harder now that the sliding glass door won't open properly. There is a water faucet inside the atrium but I haven't used it for years. The faucet is in a brick bearing wall that is also the wall to our bedroom on the other side. Once a long time ago this faucet broke and caused a plumbing emergency. I was really afraid that the house was going to flood. A talented plumber managed to fix the leak without tearing down the brick wall and I haven't used the faucet since. I water the plants from the outside now through the screened in western wall of the atrium.

After I folded the laundry and put it away, I went to the gym. I wondered if it was some kind of holiday because there wasn't a lot of traffic on the roads and the gym wasn't full at all. There were lots of parking spots in the garage. Getting rid of the spiders must have tired me out because I did terrible on my three mile walk today. I had the slowest time I've had all month. Oddly, I did much better on the basketball court. I completed my ten free throws in seven minutes today. It used to take me eleven or twelve minutes to do this. I'm adding additional weights on my upper body exercises now. I'm only adding a few pounds at a time, but any kind of progress is a good thing.

Friday is Dawn's favorite day of the week because that's when Janet does her grocery shopping. Dawn starts listening for the car at least an hour before Janet returns. I have to gate her in the bedroom while we bring the grocery bags inside and then as soon as I open the gate, Dawn races to the kitchen. She seems to love being Janet's kitchen helper. It probably helps that she get a little sliced turkey and a bit of cheese for her efforts.

This heat wave seems like it will never end. Each weeks feels a little hotter than the last. I think the temperature is supposed to reach 110 degrees sometime next week. I've kind of resigned myself to a miserable summer and keep hoping that the air conditioner doesn't break.

Hannah is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4923

Very little happened today, but it still seemed like a long day. We had to get up very early this morning because Janet had an all day event to go to. For the first time since last winter, we took our sunrise walk in the dark. Dawn wore her lighted coller and I clipped a small LED light to my shirt. It was just like old times.

After breakfast I checked my messages and got ready to do my grocery shopping. My list wasn't long this week, but it still takes a while. I've started shopping earlier recently. The stores aren't as crowded and the selections seem a little better. The only downside to shopping early is that I've got more time to fill when I return home.

I had planned on going to the gym again today, but there was a nice breeze and it was overcast outside, so I decided at the last minute to walk in the park instead. It would have been cooler inside the gym, but I just didn't feel like driving anymore. Even though the humidity wasn't as bad as yesterday, I was still soaking wet by the time I returned home. In retrospect, it might have been better to go to the gym.

The light inside the refrigerator burned out today. It took me a while to figure out how to replace it. The light was behind a translucent cover and I couldn't figure out how to get the cover off. I save everything, but couldn't find the manual to the refrigerator. I tried to find a service manual online, but I couldn't find our particular model. Maybe the refrigerator is too old. I eventually got the cover off without breaking it and then wasted even more time looking around the house for a 40 watt appliance light bulb. I knew I'd bought this type of bulb before, but it's been a while. After a major search, I found a single 40 watt bulb left at the bottom of a shoe box full of old incandescent bulbs. Mission accomplished.

This afternoon was uneventful. I did a load of laundry and paid some bills on the computer. Dawn was in a bad mood because she thought Janet had been gone too long. She wasn't excited at all when I came home with my groceries. I eventually got her to go out in the back yard and pee, but all she really wanted to do was sit in the bedroom and sulk. I've really got to figure out a way to bond with this dog before Janet goes on vacation again.

I need a project, but I don't feel like starting anything new. All the old standbys don't seem to work anymore. I don't play my guitar or write songs anymore. I've already photographed every inch of the park and am losing interest in carrying a camera around. The last thing I want to do is start a home repair project, even though there are plenty of things that need attention. I would like to spend more time down at Kennedy Space Center, but that's just too expensive. It's too bad that Dawn doesn't like me to nap with her. A long nap always sounds good.

Finally it seems like there is no more severe weather in the forecast. It's going to be hot for the next week, but I can always go to the gym or just stay inside here at home. I'll go mall walking tomorrow morning. Hopefully, Dawn will still get her Sunday outing. If it's too hot we'll just go for ice cream.

Bali is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4874

Life is back to normal. Dawn seems happy that I am walking her again. Only a dog could appreciate a regular routine more than me. After our early walk with Dawn, we had a big weekend breakfast and then I did my Saturday grocery shopping. I only went to one store today and managed to find everything I needed. I should do this more often. Shopping is a lot easier when you don't have to visit multiple stores. I probably won't be able to do this again next week because I didn't need shop towels, laundry detergent, orange juice or my favorite beer today. Sam's Club still has the best prices on bulk items and Central Market is the only place that sells fresh squeezed, cold press juices. Today I only went to Tom Thumb.

It didn't take long to unpack my bags and put everything away. It pays to travel light. I did all my laundry from the trip and put that away as well. Now I'm ready to go again. The only thing preventing me from taking another trip to Kennedy Space Center is the expense. I'm getting ahead of myself though. I haven't been approved yet for any future launches and I'm too tired to go anywhere anyway. I sleep better and eat a lot healthier when I'm at home. Even though I got to bed late last night, I slept better than I have all week.

The weather was nice today. It was chilly when we took Dawn on her sunrise walk, but it warmed up to the mid 60's later in the day. This is perfect walking weather. I don't need a heavy coat and I don't get hot and sweaty either. The park looks great this Spring. With all the rain we've had lately, there is an abundance of wildflowers and the native prairie grasses in the meadows are lush and green. I need to enjoy this while I can. By July or August all these areas will look parched and dry.

The baby owls must still be in their nest because all the bird photographers were back this morning. The park department has posted signs that say "do not disturb, sensitive nesting area," but nobody reads signs anymore. Photographers still surround the tree with the nest. I wish people would leave the animals alone. They are constantly feeding the ducks bread, which is very bad for them. Today I saw a little kid try to pick up a turtle. Luckily his mother told him to stop. It was a snapping turtle.

I made good time on my long walk today. It aways helps when the weather is nice. It's probably time to retire my current pair of Hoka shoes. They don't provide enough support anymore and are slowly starting to disintegrate. A good pair of hiking boots will last a lifetime. A pair of running shoes is lucky to last a year. I've already got a replacement pair of Hokas, but I'm trying to get as much use out of the old pair as possible.

It looks like the weather will be nice again tomorrow, so Dawn will get her Sunday outing. We've had a lot of rain, so hopefully the park we go to on Sunday won't be muddy. I'll go mall walking again tomorrow as well. The park is great, but it's still nice to have a change of pace every once in a while. The Falcon Heavy launch I went down to Florida to see has been rescheduled for tomorrow evening. I'll watch that on the Space X live feed. The weather down there is still iffy, so we'll see if the launch gets scrubbed again.

Parker is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4797

I found a tick on my leg when I woke up this morning. This doesn't seem to be the right time of year to be on the lookout for ticks, but we live near the park and we have a dog. It goes with the territory. We checked Dawn and couldn't find anything on her. Then we washed all the bedding just to make sure. It was going to be a busy day anyway. This just made it a little busier.

I had a lot on my grocery list this morning, so shopping took a little longer than I expected. As usual the stores and the roads were crowded. Maybe I'm imaging things but it seems like a whole lot more people have moved here in the past year. I don't remember Dallas ever being this crowded before.

Considering how cold it was yesterday, I was surprised at how warm it was today. It was actually a beautiful day. Dawn had an enjoyable early morning walk and then I had a nice longer walk when I finished my grocery shopping. The walk itself was uneventful, but my feet didn't hurt as much today. I have no idea why each day is different, but I'll take what I can get. I only had to wear a light jacket today. What a difference a day makes.

I was tired when I returned from my walk, but I still had work to do. Since the roof wasn't going to stop leaking until I swept away the remaining standing water, I reluctantly climbed up the brick wall and started pushing the big broom that resides permanently on the roof. Within an hour after I finished removing all the standing water, the leaks inside the house stopped. I'm good for now, but there is a 60% chance of rain next Tuesday. It looks like it is going to be a long Winter with lots of leaks because realistically I doubt that a new roof can be installed until April. 

Janet started making the bed when I was out walking, but there was still some bedding in the dryer so I finished things up after I got done with the roof. Dawn was taking her customary afternoon nap but it was surprisingly easy to get her off the bed. All I had to do was lie down on the bed for a few minutes and she left the room. I could see her peeking in the bedroom door occasionally as I put a variety of pillows, blankets and comforters back on the bed. Dawn knew she had been tricked, but she didn't return to the bedroom until I was finished.

I think I can put all the buckets away, but I'll probably leave a few out overnight just in case something starts leaking again. The only other chore I did today was empty out the ice maker in the refrigerator. The ice maker shuts off when the tray is full, but we don't use much ice and the ice in the bucket eventually fuses into a solid block. Sometimes it's almost impossible to even get the ice bucket out of the freezer. I take the bucket outside and chisel the ice block out and then clean the bucket and put it back in the freezer. I've tried turning off the ice maker but that causes even more problems. Water can freeze in the supply line causing the plastic line to split. Evidently this refrigerator was meant for people who use a lot of ice.

It looks like the weather is going to remain nice over the weekend, so Dawn will get her Sunday outing tomorrow. I'll go mall walking as well. Walking in the park is actually better exercise, but I've spent enough time in the park this week. It's time to go look in store windows and ponder how screwed up the world has become.

Lady Gogh is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4680

Today was busy. We got started with a nice early morning walk. I hesitate to call these sunrise walks anymore because usually we have completed our walk and are home again well before sunrise. It was dark and a bit chilly this morning. We clipped lights to our jackets and Dawn wore her green LED collar. I wish everyone wore lights when they walked in the dark. It's still a little unsettling when a runner, or even worse a stealth bicycle, surprises you in the dark.

After my weekday breakfast of shredded wheat and fruit, I checked my messages and took my long walk in the park. This was the first time this season that I've worn a jacket on one of these walks. I still wore shorts though. It will have to get a little colder before I resort to long pants. That day is probably coming soon. The cold front that arrived with our recent rain promises even lower temperatures later in the week. 

I made good time today although I didn't set any records. My feet didn't bother me much, which always makes a difference. This weekend's rain washed away much of the sticky aphid honeydew on the roads. It was nice not to have to clean my shoes when I returned this morning. Hopefully these aphids will disappear soon, just like the ants and web worms that preceded them. We don't have a lot of Maple trees here in Dallas, but the ones I do see are showing some nice Fall color. Some of the Red Oaks actually do turn bright red in the Fall, but their leaves haven't started to turn yet. Some of the Pecan trees are turning yellow and I'm starting to see lots of Goldenrod near the shoreline at the lake. It's going to be a colorful Fall.

The park squirrels are all busy gathering nuts for the Winter. They love this season's abundant pecan crop. There seem to be more Double-Crested Cormorants every day and the female Muscovy Duck that has joined the two males is a permanent fixture now. Maybe there will be ducklings in a few months. No eagle sightings though. It will be easier to spot the eagles a few months from now when all the leaves are off the trees.

After I returned home I had a quick lunch before dealing with today's to-do list. I never used to eat lunch. Maybe that's why I've been gaining weight. You'd think I'd be losing weight with all the time I spend walking. I guess I need to walk faster.  I paid a bunch of bills this afternoon and did this month's Quickbooks accounting. This takes longer than you'd think because I am obsessively meticulous and have a Quickbooks category for just about everything. 

I finally made an appointment to see the eye doctor, even though I'm dreading the visit. I was glad that the first he could see me was sometime in December. I'm in no hurry. I actually am in a hurry to get my car serviced though, so I made an appointment to get this done as well. I'm tired of seeing that annoying "service required" light every time I start the car. Unfortunately, nobody offers loaner cars anymore. That convenience disappeared with Covid. I was able to schedule a time where I can just wait at the shop while they do the required service. I'd rather sit around at the shop for a few hours than deal with Uber again. I've never been a fan of Uber and Lyft.

Curiosity got the better of me and I upgraded the star tracker to the latest firmware this afternoon. I don't expect a lot more of these software updates. The product has finally reached production status and is available in stores now. My days as a beta tester are coming to a close. I did get a good deal on the tracker by becoming a Kickstarter backer. The retail version of the star tracker sells for a lot more than what I paid.

The last thing I did today was a load of laundry. You can't have a proper busy day without doing a little laundry. Maybe I should have saved some of this stuff for tomorrow. I have no plans for tomorrow at all.

Lucky is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4622

Just a normal Saturday. We got up early and took our sunrise walk with Dawn. The park was even busier than usual. We must have caught the tail end of a 5K race because we saw lots of people walking rather than running with race numbers attached to their clothing. I don't know how early you'd have to get up to beat the crowds on weekends, but it's probably too early for us.

When we returned home we had our usual weekend breakfast of bacon, eggs, and toast. You can't eat shredded wheat all the time. I did a few small chores around the house after breakfast and then did my grocery shopping and went to the gym. I briefly thought about walking in the park again, but it was too humid today. 

The stores weren't crowded today because I remembered to go shopping early. I went to the gym earlier as well. Nobody seems to go to the gym on weekends. The place was practically empty this morning. Often this seems like a private gym for twelve people. Since this place is run by a large hospital they probably don't need the LA Fitness customers. I'm sure they do just fine with all their physical therapy patients.

I think I figured out why I don't get the same Fitbit results walking indoors as I do outdoors. I noticed today that I take shorter steps when I'm walking on the indoor track. Fitbit doesn't count the length of your stride, just the number of steps. This probably explains why I can accumulate 10,000 steps in a shorter distance at the gym than I do when walking in the park. Why do I have a longer stride when I'm walking outdoors? One of life's mysteries.

I looked at the long range weather and there appears to be a good chance of rain while I'm in Florida. It actually always rains at some point during the day in Titusville, so this doesn't actually mean much. The passing showers usually don't last long. I've seen thunderstorms at 5 PM and then watched a launch take place right on schedule at 8 PM the same day. That being said, I'd still rather see a forecast of clear skies for the entire week. There's already enough that could go wrong with the rocket. We don't need bad weather to screw things up even further.

I had a long list of things to do this afternoon and didn't do any of them. I did do a load of laundry. Laundry is my go-to activity when I don't feel like doing anything. Janet dusts, I do laundry. I'm trying to adjust my schedule so I get to bed and get up earlier. So far, this effort has been a total failure. I never seem to be able to get to bed before midnight. With a very early flight and an early launch next week, I need to do something. I'm usually so tired on these trips because I never get any sleep.

Ants have invaded the house again. I've noticed that they are falling out of the can lights in the bathroom ceiling. Most of the ants are dead. I guess the heat from the light bulbs kills them. I wish the ants would move on. It's way too late in the season for an ant invasion. At least it's just ants living above the sheet rock in the ceiling. Once we had a colony of bees up there and had to get a beekeeper to come remove them. The beekeeper didn't kill the bees. He just found where they were entering the house and put something with a smell the bees didn't like at the entrance to the hive. The entire colony of bees left and moved somewhere else the same evening.

There is rain in the forecast for tomorrow, but Dawn will get her Sunday outing rain or shine. We can still go for ice cream cones in the rain. I can go mall walking in the rain as well. It doesn't matter what the weather's like when you're walking in an indoor mall. I'd probably enjoy walking at the mall every day if it weren't for all the shoppers. The mall is much more enjoyable for me when the stores are closed.

Blackjack is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4022

We found a couple of ticks on Dawn while she was sitting on the bed this morning. Since the last thing you want is ticks in your bed, we washed all the bedding. It takes quite a few loads to wash the sheets, the blankets, the comforter, and whatever else was on the bed at the time. We did take Dawn outside and brushed her too but didn't find any additional ticks. When I remade the bed later in the day, I realized that it was a lot harder to put on a fitted sheet than it used to be. My shoulder has really gotten worse. It's not so easy to lift up the mattress and tuck everything in anymore.

We've quit taking a walk before breakfast. With very little evidence to back up our decision, we decided that it's going to be easier to walk Dawn later in the day when it is warmer. It didn't actually get warmer today, but that wasn't our fault. Dawn did well today. We took an old familiar route and she only froze once for a very short amount of time. For the most part, she was back to her old self today. Maybe Dawn knows what happened yesterday, but she sure isn't talking.

It's still hard to remember what day it is. We started getting mail again today and I fixed a smoothie for breakfast. It must be Monday. It was a good thing we walked Dawn when we did, because the sky kept getting darker as the day progressed. It wasn't supposed to rain until tomorrow, but I should have known better than to trust the forecast. It started raining right about when I was getting ready to take my afternoon walk.

Since I couldn't walk and I'd already finished cleaning all the bedding, I decided up upgrade the firmware on my new camera. I'm always a bit apprehensive about upgrading firmware on electronic equipment. There were all sorts of warnings in the camera's instruction book that if you didn't follow the instructions for firmware upgrades exactly, there was a good chance that you could brick your camera. Hey, nothing ventured, nothing gained. The entire procedure took about fifteen minutes and I kept thinking that something might go wrong the entire time. If the Internet went out during the procedure you bricked the camera. If the power went out, same thing. Japanese camera companies don't always do a great job of translating their manuals into English either. The instructions I was supposed to follow to the letter weren't entirely clear. The upgrade went smoothly though, even if it did take a long time. I now have a camera that will do even more things that I will probably never find a use for.

I've decided that it wouldn't be smart to go out to the Jet Propulsion Laboratory for the Perseverance landing in February. The situation in California keeps getting worse and worse. To get to JPL, I'd have to fly into Los Angeles which seems to be leading the nation in new virus cases. Hospitals are full. The city seems to be in full lockdown. Oh, well. Space adventures can wait. I"m sure there will be something else the magazine might be interested in later. With the way things are going, I doubt that I'd be welcome at JPL anyway.

I really need to remember to take out the trash tomorrow evening. The trucks come by on Wednesday morning during the holidays. I forgot about the holiday schedule last week and the trash is stacking up. Maybe this is why Facebook finds my blog offensive. I'm always talking trash.

Petey and Dot are Dalmatians of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3536

Traveling is always more enjoyable than what comes afterwards. Today we unpacked, did a lot of laundry, and resumed our regular routines. I went to the post office and got mail service restored. There wasn't as much accumulated mail as I expected. What was missing was the junk that the mail carrier just stuffs in every mailbox along with the real mail. I wish you didn't need to go on a trip to avoid this clutter.

It was noticeably cooler today. It felt like we got the benefit of a little cold front that proceeded this afternoon's rain. My morning walk was hot and humid as I expected, but when I walked again after the rain clouds passed through town, it felt like Fall. The temperature was still almost 80 degrees, but when you're used to to 102, 80 degrees feels wonderful. The only downside to the cooling rain was that the pumps on the roof weren't working, so I'm going to have to go up on the roof tomorrow and sweep the standing water away.

I'm going to have to rethink my Sky & Telescope article. This is an astronomy magazine and since I didn't actually look through any telescopes while I was at McDonald Observatory, they might not be as interested in what I have to say. You never know though. Weather is always part of any story about astronomy. Even though it rained, I'm still going to write an article and submit it to the magazine. The trip was still quite interesting to me. Maybe it will be interesting to others as well.

One interesting bit of trivia I learned during our trip was that Hotel Limpia where we stayed in Fort Davis was also home base for the first astronomers while the observatory was being built during the early 1930's. The historic hotel has been refurbished but is essentially unchanged. We might have stayed in the same room as Otto Struve or other early luminaries in the world of astronomy.

There was another opportunity to attend a NASA event in my inbox this morning. This wasn't a launch. It was a chance to go behind the scenes with NASA at this year's International Astronautical Congress in Washington DC and meet with scientists, experts and astronauts. Sounds interesting, but I can't afford to spend five days attending a high end Washington DC convention. These are the type of things you usually do on an expense account. Retirement is kind of weird. You have all the time in the world, but business travel is a thing of the past. Everything you do is on your own dime. These days I've got to finish paying for one trip before I can start thinking about another.

I'm definitely going to be thinking about other trips. Travel is a lot more interesting than walking around the lake and counting ducks. Don't get me wrong. I like the local ducks, but there are other birds in the sky. I'll leave you with a picture of one of the Fort Davis hummingbirds. Tomorrow it's back to pictures of half dead Texas flowers.

Tessa is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3316

It's going to be a long Winter. It was warmer today, but the wind picked up again and I still felt cold. I packed some cotton balls between Dash's toes in an attempt to keep his paws from bleeding this morning but his socks and boots still got wet. My jacket was kind of damp when we returned as well. There is no way around it. Walking in the Winter is just messy.

There was lots of laundry to do this morning. Dash pooped in his dog bed while he was waiting for his breakfast. The dog bed cover was washable, but I had a hard time putting the bed back together after the cover was clean. The foam structure had gotten old and mushy and it was difficult to pull the cloth cover back over it without destroying the foam. Why isn't foam rubber more durable? I've had the foam inserts inside of camera cases become soft and sticky several times. I'll have to admit that putting the dog bed back together was easier than cleaning old sticky foam off of my Nikon cameras.

It was a slow day, but at least the banks and post office were open. I took a check from one of the auction houses to the bank and paid my January gas and electric bills at the post office. Just about broke even on these transactions. Oh, well. So much for getting rich selling art.

Dash was still shaky in the house today, but at least he got a lot of rest. He does a lot better after a long nap. I try to keep Dash moving while he's awake, because he slips and falls if he stands in one place for too long. Usually he will follow me around because he always thinks I am headed towards food. Actually, I am headed towards food quite often. What else is there to do on a cold rainy day.

So far, the rain we've been having for the past several days has just been periodic light showers. I don't think we've really put the roof repairs to the test yet. There is still room for optimism though. There have been no additional leaks so far. I'm not expecting miracles anymore. I'm just hoping that we can remain free of further leaks until warmer weather returns. I'd much rather put on a new roof in the Summer than in the Winter.

Sometimes I can't tell the difference between allergies and a cold. I've had a runny nose for weeks now, but there is no fever or sore throat. Do I have a cold? Who knows. It probably doesn't even matter. It is irritating to have to blow my nose every five minutes day in and day out, but if that's as bad as it gets I can live with it. I bet if we could get a week of sunny, warm weather I'd be fine again.

I don't expect tomorrow to be very different than today. Janet has plans, so we'll need to walk Dash a little earlier than usual. I have no plans, so when we return I'll slowly drink my morning smoothie while I contemplate the day ahead. There are lots of things I need to do but it it doubtful that I will do any of them.

Raider is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3270

Some days are a total loss. When I woke up this morning, I discovered that the roof was leaking again. This was a new wrinkle because typically the roof only leaks during severe storms. It had been raining during the night, but it was a gentle rain. I wasn't really expecting this. I also wasn't expecting Dash to make a huge mess when he woke up this morning. I saw him heading for the back door while I was attempting to deal with the leak and I quickly opened it to let him out. When I looked back I saw a trail of poop leading all the way back to the bed. In addition to pooping on the brick floors, Dash managed to soil two blankets, the bedspread, the step he uses to climb into the bed, the bedroom carpet, and his own tail. What a mess.

I had to prioritize the damage, cleaning Dash's tail and rear end first while he was outside, then finding several buckets to catch the dripping water, then cleaning the living room floor so I could let Dash back inside again. I gated off the bedroom so Dash wouldn't sit back down in the soiled bedding and then methodically proceeded to clean up the rest of the damage.

Needless to say, there was a lot of laundry this morning. I felt like I washed everything. The washing machine is still working great, but the dryer is having problems. A bearing in the drum assembly has gone bad and the dryer makes an awful screeching sound until is gets hot. I need to have the appliance repairmen come fix this but there always seems to be something else I need to deal with first.

I didn't even bother to go out for breakfast this morning. The weather was terrible and there was plenty to deal with at home anyway. I didn't finish getting all the bedding and blankets clean until two in the afternoon. I'm still dealing with the roof leak. This leak is in an awkward location where the ceiling joins a wall. Not only is the water dripping from the ceiling, it is also coming down the brick wall.

To make matters worse, the stock market continues to tumble. I hate periods of extreme volatility like this. My Dad had a nice defined pension when he retired. I've got to rely on the market. With interest rates so low, you don't even have the option of buying Treasuries or CD's. You've just got to find stable, profitable companies to invest in and hope that sanity returns at some point.

I have no idea what happened with Dash this morning. He has been doing great for most of this week. His diet and feeding times haven't changed. His poop was even getting firmer. Now we're back to square one. It's really discouraging. Dealing with Dot's incontinence was easier. Dash is stubborn, moves around a lot at night, and absolutely insists on sleeping in the bed with us.

I'm not expecting much to improve tomorrow. There is more rain in the forecast this weekend and lord knows what surprises Dash has in store for us. I just hope that nothing else breaks. So far so good with the furnace and the dehumidifier. One of the toilets runs a bit, but at least it's not a leak. When I was younger it never even occurred to me that the house, the dog, and my own body would all start to fall apart at the same time. It gets to be a bit much at times.

Humphrey is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3262

I feel like I washed everything in the bedroom today. Dash pooped everywhere last night and made a huge mess. He's totally unpredictable. Some days are fine and others I'd just as soon forget. I don't think there's a solution. Dash has always moved around at night and as long as he's able, he's going to continue to do so. If you try to pen him in a safe area, he barks and gets very upset. When he gets upset, it can trigger a seizure. It's best to keep him happy and let him do what he wants.

As I predicted yesterday, there was no problem getting up early today. I was already doing wash, cleaning the floors, and remaking the bed at 5 AM. Getting up at night is a piece of cake. Getting any sleep at all is the problem. By the time I finished breakfast this morning I felt like I'd already done a full days work. I'm dreading this weekend's photo shoots. I have a feeling that Dash will continue to throw us a curve and I'll be worn out before I even arrive at the first location.

The cameras all check out OK, but I need to get some new batteries for the flash triggers. I should have ordered these batteries online because I couldn't find them at the grocery store and I didn't feel like driving all over town. Guess what I'll be doing tomorrow. The trip to the store wasn't a total loss because I did come home with something for dinner. I'm starting to be alarmed that I appear to be the only one buying the flash frozen Cadence Kitchen meals I've grown to love. Why aren't more people trying these things? They're delicious. Flash freezing prepared meals with nitrogen does an amazing job of preserving the flavor. You just heat the frozen nuggets in a frying pan and ten minutes later you're done. This is so much easier than those Hello Fresh meal kits and the results are just as tasty. Like most things I like, this product will probably disappear within a year or two.

An online auction I'm participating in went live today. I think I like the live auctions a lot better. Maybe things will improve, but it didn't seem like my items were getting a lot of activity. Oh, well. Beggars can't be choosers. These second tier items weren't desirable enough to be included in a live auction. I guess if they sell at all, I'll be happy. I definitely don't want this stuff back.

Dash seemed lethargic today. Sometimes it's hard to tell whether he's tired, confused, or in pain. I think he was just tired, because he was happy enough to take a nap with me this afternoon. This worked out well, because I was tired too. Naps are good but I don't think they really make up for losing a lot of sleep at night.

Jeez. Dash just pooped in the house again. He was sleeping and didn't even wake up. Sleeping poop is easier to clean up because it's all on one place. Hey, I'm going to look on the bright side. Since it's already pretty late, maybe this means that he'll make it through the night.

I've already taken this week's trash to the curb. I think I'll go back to the hotel for breakfast tomorrow. The hotel is very peaceful. Peaceful sounds good right now.

Petey is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3259

I did a lot of laundry today and watched the Mars landing on NASA TV. That was about it. Of course there was poop to clean up, a walk in the park, and a large smoothie to drink, but these things happen every day. Mars landings and major cleaning efforts happen much less frequently.

I started watching Mars landings when the Spirit and Opportunity rovers made their debut in 2003. When I look up at Mars at night, it seems amazing to me that we can send things to this distant point of light. Traveling to a different city seems complex to me. It's hard to even imagine traveling 300 million miles and still arriving right on time. Maybe if I understood orbital mechanics a little better I might not have not have wound up in advertising. What I do definitely isn't rocket science.

I'm not sure if the solar panels have deployed yet, but the Insight mission appears to be a success. So few things in life work perfectly that I'm always impressed when anything goes exactly as planned. So many things could have gone wrong today, but they didn't. If my car worked as well as a Mars lander it would probably last 100 years. The space program proves that we actually do have the capacity to do things right. The reason that we don't have lawn mowers and cars built like the Insight lander is that nobody could afford them. Even though the space program is horribly expensive, it's cheap compared to all our senseless wars. I'd like to see fewer aircraft carriers and more Mars landers. Hopefully, I'll see a lander with a person in it while I'm still alive.

Dash was frustrated that he couldn't sleep on the bed while everything was being laundered today. Janet took the big, heavy comforter to a laundromat and I washed everything else at home. Everything looks crisp and new again. Even the pillows look good. It would sure be nice if Dash doesn't poop in the bed tonight. We need a few days to enjoy things the way they used to be.

The weather continues to be confusing. It was 34 degrees when we woke up this morning. Just a few days ago the temperature was almost 70. We'll probably go back and forth like this for the rest of the Winter. I just hope we don't get much snow. When I see the blizzard conditions in other parts of the country, it makes me glad I live in Texas. Dash had to wear a sweater this morning under all his other gear. He wasn't happy. It wasn't easy to get the sweater on because he wouldn't relax his legs so we could slip them through the armholes. I'm sure he doesn't enjoy all the time we spend dressing him to go outside, but it is necessary. The little guy likes his walks but he's pretty fragile these days.

Dash has a vet appointment scheduled on Wednesday, but I'm not sure what we'll do tomorrow. I certainly don't have much on my schedule. I'll have to say that I enjoyed watching the Insight landing today. I don't think I missed much by not being there in person. I wish there were more events like this. Watching a talented group of people accomplish the impossible is uplifting to me. It sure beats watching congress accomplish nothing.

Pepper is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3002

We managed to get Dash's nails trimmed this morning. It's hard to believe that this used to be an easy task, Now, it is next to impossible. These days if you touch his feet, Dash thinks you are trying to kill him. I don't think we would have had a chance if we weren't going to see his favorite vet. Somewhere in the back of his mind, Dash still trusts Molly. Even with expert help it wasn't an easy job. I held Dash and Janet fed him treats to distract him while the vet clipped. Each time we do this, it gets a little harder. I wish his nails would just quit growing.

Ever since Dash ripped out a dewclaw, I've been worried about his nails. The risk of bleeding is very real. It took several weeks and three trips to the vet before the bleeding completely stopped when he tore the dewclaw. This was before he was on blood thinners too. Today, the consequences would be far worse. The rubber boots he wears on walks are primarily to reduce the risk of cuts and bleeding. We do the best we can, but this is going to be continual problem.

The nail trim wasn't today's only dog problem. Dash peed in the bed while he was asleep last night. I spent most of the morning cleaning all the bedding. I hope this isn't the start of incontinence. Dash still seems to have bladder control, so maybe last night was just a fluke. I hope so. An incontinent dog who insists on sleeping in the bed with you is a major problem. Dot was incontinent during the last years of her life, but she was too weak to jump in the bed anymore, so it was easier to create a safe space for her. Dash is stubborn. Even if I brought home all the rubberized mats we sewed for Dot, he might refuse to use them.

I didn't get much done today. Our trip to the vet put me several hours behind on our daily routine. By the time I gave Dash his morning walk and fixed my breakfast, it was well past noon. Even with such a late start, I wasn't really behind on anything. Other than fixing a never ending assortment of broken things around the house, there is very little to do.

Maybe if I get organized tomorrow, I'll take my computer to the repair shop. I don't know why it is important to me to have a working CD burner. Nobody asks me to make them a CD anymore. Probably the best reason to repair the computer is that parts might not be available in the near future. I got the computer in 2010. Apple doesn't even put CD/DVD burners in newer computers, so OEM Superdrives won't be available forever.

The weather continues to be beautiful. No Spring allergies yet either. I don't think the rainy season is over yet, but I doubt that we have to worry about snow. It's hard to believe that large sections of the country are still dealing with snow when it is 70 degrees outside. It was so nice today that I was even able to convince Dash to take two walks. Hey, when your dog takes two walks, eats all his food, and has nicely trimmed nails, it's a pretty good day.

Humphrey is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2991

This is the time of year when it's hard to tell whether you've got allergies or a cold. I woke up this morning with a scratchy throat, watering eyes, and a runny nose. Yesterday I thought I was dealing with seasonal allergies. Today it feels more like a cold. Either way, I'd like to put this behind me. When I'm feeling under the weather, I never get anything done.

Dash had more energy than I did this morning. He was feeling good. He insisted on walking along the shoreline, which wasn't a great idea since high water from our recent wet weather had left behind lots of debris. I was worried that Dash would cut himself, but from a dogs point of view, all this debris was just new stuff to smell. It was a good thing we had a nice long walk this morning, because this afternoon Dash didn't want to walk at all. I wish I was better at reading his moods. It's frustrating to spend a lot of time putting on his protective gear if he won't leave the yard.

I did a lot of laundry today. It's amazing how dirty the bed can get when your dog thinks the bedspread is a giant bath towel. I try my best to clean Dash's paws before he comes inside in wet weather, but when it keeps raining for weeks at a time, you reach a point where you just give up. We've already replaced the white comforter on the bed with a dark blue one. We couldn't keep the white comforter looking nice for five minutes.

I had a bunch of errands to run this afternoon. In addition to the regular grocery shopping, I got some orthotic inserts for my dog walking shoes at CVS and some printer ink at Fry's. There was nobody at the register when I was at CVS. I had to track down someone stocking shelves. At Fry's only three of the stores forty-four registers were occupied. This is what retail has become. Stores think they can operate with a skeleton crew these days. They say unemployment is near record lows. I wonder where everyone is working?

It's time to start working on taxes again. The accountant wants my material two weeks earlier this year, so I better get started. At some point I need to consider formally shutting the company down. It would certainly make life easier at tax time. The company doesn't make much money anymore. I don't buy much production equipment these days. I don't travel on business and I don't even drive very much. I might be better off just taking the standard deduction.

Do I go to the gym tomorrow, get started on my taxes, clear the water off the roof while the weather is still nice, or just stay in bed and nurse my cold? It's a tough decision.

Maggie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2944

Don't ever get a white comforter if you have an old dog who likes to sleep on the bed. It's amazing how quickly this thing gets soiled. The comforter is too big to fit in our washing machine, so we have to take it to a laundromat. Once you go to this much trouble, you might as well wash everything else as well. We managed to do a few other things, but it was definitely a day for doing laundry. I doubt if things will stay clean long, but right now the bed looks very nice.

The roof is finally dry as well. Since there is another cold wave and possibly snow on the way, it was time to clear away the leaves and standing water. In the summer I would never bother to sweep the water off the roof if it was going to rain the next day. Winter is different. I've discovered over the years that ice buildup is bad for the roof, so I always try to remove any standing water when freezing weather is in the forecast. They say that temperatures will dip into the teens tomorrow. I hope the forecast is wrong.

I had a small victory with the computer today. On Saturday I tried to rebuild my directory and the Diskwarrior software kept crashing. I was ready to buy an upgrade, but I needed the serial number from the old software to get a lower price. I launched the program again to get the number and this time it worked. Go figure. I have an optimized directory now and my hard drive is healthy again. I have no idea why the software wasn't working on Saturday, but luckily you only need to rebuild your directory every six months or so. Blind luck saved me some money today.

While I was cleaning the house this afternoon, I watched a Jay Leno's Garage marathon on TV. Car shows are relaxing. I watch them the same way Janet watches Hallmark Christmas movies. It's weird that Jay Leno and Jerry Seinfeld both have shows about cars now. It must be nice to be able to buy an unlimited number of cool cars. At one point Seinfeld owned 46 Porsches. Leno has an even larger collection of exotic automobiles. I think one of the reasons I started collecting model trains years ago was that I knew I'd never have the money to collect cars. Now that I think about it, Comedians In Cars Getting Coffee might be the perfect way to introduce me to Netflix binge watching. I think all 56 shows are on Netflix now.

I can't decide whether to take Dash to the vet or get a haircut this week. Dash needs his nails trimmed. On the other hand, I need a haircut too. I wish I was better at trimming Dash's nails myself. He's terrible riding in the car now. I can't risk clipping a nail too short either because of the bleeding problem. I was thinking about making an appointment at the vet for tomorrow, but I don't know if it is going to snow. I'm definitely not driving Dash around on icy roads. Jeez. Simple things have become so complicated. It might be easier to just get a haircut.

Betty is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2697

It's dog roulette at our house. Last night it was Dash who threw up. He seemed fine when we all went to bed, but around 3 AM I woke up to the unmistakable sound of a dog vomiting next to me on the bed. Please, not on the bed. I hastily got up and moved him. Even the carpet seemed like a better alternative at this point. We gave Dash a Pepsid, took him outside, and cleaned up the mess. Dot never even woke up during the entire episode.

Nausea and vomiting are unfortunate side effects of Dash's Idiopathic Vestibular Disease. It doesn't happen all that often, but we will probably have to deal with this for the rest of his life. Of course with Dash, there is always the possibility that he just ate some crap in the yard when we weren't looking. When dogs vomit, you have the option of doing nothing, giving them a Pepsid AC, or giving them a Cerenia pill or injection. It all depends on how severe the situation is. Dash seemed fine this morning. Tonight it may be Dot who throws up.

Dot was surprisingly strong today. She slept well and was eager to take a walk this morning. Walking Dot is starting to seem more like carrying a fifty pound bowling ball down the street, but she is still moving her legs and seems to enjoy the experience. In many ways it would be easier to walk Dot using the wheelchair than the Help 'Em Up Harness, but the wheels have their limitations. It takes two people to effectively get Dot in and out of the chair. Since one of us is usually walking Dash while the other walks Dot, this can be a problem. Also, it's hard getting the wheelchair down the gravel alley behind our house before we get to a smooth street. I wish the wheelchair was easier to use. As it stands, it is only practical a few days a week.

There was lots of laundry today, since the protective pads weren't positioned correctly when Dot decided to poop this morning. Dot doesn't give you much warning, so you have to be ready for an accident at any time. Luckily, our washer has a super hot "sanitize" setting. We use that setting a lot.

It would be nice if dog pee were a bug deterrent. Dot rarely makes it past the back door when I take her out to pee. I hose down the back porch several times a day. Maybe I'm imagining things, but there do seem to be fewer spiders on the porch this Spring. The spiders probably just arrive later in the Summer, but I'm still hoping that there are some beneficial effects from the dog pee.

For someone who depends on predictability, I think I'm doing pretty well dealing with a steady diet of surprises. Every day is different. Some days are scary. Today was kind of hopeful. Dot actually ate more than her two cup goal today. She's eating fewer of the exotic, rich foods we had to depend on last week and is gradually returning to her old diet. You wouldn't think a dog would rather eat kibble than sliced turkey and cheese, but that's our Dot. She really just wants to get back to the familiar routines she has known for her entire life.

When I filled the car up with gas this afternoon, I was surprised so see that I'd only used three gallons of gas all last week. It appears that I'm not getting out much these days. I'll try to go to the gym tomorrow. I still need to get out a little bit. I debated whether to give Dash another Pepsid tonight. He seems fine though, so we'll take a chance. I hate to over medicate just to make life more convenient.

Today was a good day. Dot seemed stronger and was in good spirits for most of the day. Dash seems to have made a full recovery. It would be nice if tomorrow was just like today.

Haley is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2571

Jeez. I completely forgot about my blogiversary this year. It was two weeks ago and it never even crossed my mind until today. Can you believe I've been doing this since 2009? Years ago, a blog's anniversary date used to be a big deal for many bloggers. Obviously this is not the case anymore. I didn't even remember the date myself.

I'm getting better at managing the dogs by myself, but it sure would be nice if they'd be more consistent. I never know what to expect when I wake up in the morning. Dash is moody. Some days he will race out the back door and other days he won't even get out of bed. It's hard to tell which dog wants their walk first, but it's easier to get Dot started immediately after she's finished her breakfast. Dash is lazy and usually doesn't mind sleeping a little longer. One way or another, everything gets done. I'm just glad that I wasn't very busy this week.

I decided to renew my Pro Tools and Avid Media Composer subscriptions for another year. It would be a miracle if I actually needed either of these applications again, but it's hard to abandon them. Maybe it's just a matter of professional pride. I want to be ready if the call comes. I'm not even sure  the latest version of Media Composer runs on my current computer. Each new edition seems to require faster processors and more memory.

Janet returned to Dallas today. In a perfect world I would have cleaned and straightened the house before she arrived, but it's far from a perfect world. At least things don't look much worse than they did last week. We got two new rugs almost a month ago to replace a large one in the living room that was becoming worn and haven't even found time to exchange them yet. The new rugs are still sitting rolled up by the front door. It's hard to get ahead of the game when Dot is always pooping on something. I wish the house had a big laundry room with giant commercial washers like some of the veterinarians have. I could keep them running full time.

Dot doesn't look like she's almost 17, does she? She tires easily and we stop to rest frequently on our walks, but she definitely hasn't given up yet. In her own mind, or at least what's left of it, she still thinks she's a young dog. Walking Dot is a strange experience. Occasionally I feel like she is a marionette and I'm the puppeteer holding the strings. She enjoys these short walks though. They are the high point of her day.

Only three more days and 2016 will be over. I'm strangely optimistic about 2017. The dogs both survived this year and I became a little more adept at dealing with adversity. I'm ready for a new year. Work slowed down quite a bit, but somehow I'm still able to pay all the bills. Maybe the nice little stock market rally we've been having will continue. Maybe Dot might actually make it to her 17th. birthday. I don't really expect all that much, so I doubt that I'll be disappointed.

Dot & Petey are our Dalmatians of the Day

Watch of the Day