Day 3430

I'm starting to see Dragonflies again. This is always a good sign that Spring is ending and Summer is beginning. There will be many more Dragonflies as the weather grows warmer but they will never become easier to photograph. These little critters refuse to stay still. I also saw my first baby ducks of the season today. A Mallard Hen was swimming along the shoreline with ten small ducklings in tow. I'm always amazed that baby birds of any species survive. There are many predators in the park.

We got a nice card from the doctors and nurses at the cancer center in today's mail. As Dash's condition began to deteriorate these specialty vets got to know him very well. I think every nurse in the facility wrote a message on the card. I'm glad that Dash is remembered by so many. I'll certainly never forget what he meant to me.

This is the time of year when we usually call the landscaper to clean up the yard and plant new grass. For some reason we haven't made the call this year. On cool mornings I think that I can clean up the yard myself. Of course on hot days I just say never mind. I need to do something. There are still lots of leaves on the ground that will never get raked and the grass in the back yard is looking pretty shabby. Amazingly, some of the sod we planted last Spring is still alive, which hasn't happened in recent memory. It's harder to justify spending the money on landscaping without Dot and Dash. The dogs loved a nice yard to play in. It's not as much of a priority to us.

I'm having trouble making anything a priority. There is nothing to prove anymore. I pick up a guitar now and then, but I never write songs like I used to. I have no interest in making movies even though I still have all the tools. The documentaries I shot back in the early 1970's seem so distant that it's easy to imagine that someone else made them. I definitely don't want to go back to having clients again. The only thing I miss about working is having a steady income stream. Working did impose a structure on my life that was beneficial to a person like me, but I can't say that I really enjoyed the deadlines. You can become very good at jumping through hoops, but it's still just jumping through hoops.

I realized tonight that when I cook I always make the same thing. I make a meat sauce using sausage, green peppers, onions, and maybe a little corn and black beans. If it's breakfast, I throw in a couple of eggs and it's an omelet. If it's dinner I pour the sauce over noodles and it's pasta. Either way, it's pretty tasty. I don't need a recipe either.

When I took the trash out to the curb tonight I noticed that a raccoon had gotten into our can. What a mess. Pretty clever raccoon, since there is always a lid on the can. I don't know why this bothered me since it's just garbage. I always neatly bag and seal all the trash in black plastic bags. Of course there is method to this madness. There always is. If the trash truck fails to show up, it's easy for me to put the bags in the car and take them to a dumpster. When I think that a raccoon can easily destroy my orderly world, it all seems kind of hopeless. It's going to take a good breakfast tomorrow morning to make things right again.

Liberty is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2746

It takes longer and longer to do less and less. I distinctly remember getting more accomplished during the day, but I'm not exactly sure how I did it. Maybe traffic wasn't as bad. Maybe I didn't spent so much time rinsing the dishes before putting them in the dishwasher. Maybe there was a time when the dog's paws weren't always muddy. Whatever the reason, life used to seem simpler, even though what I actually did was more complicated.

It rained most of the night. The storms were loud enough that I had trouble sleeping. The sound of thunder would wake me up and then the sound of Dash snoring next to me made it hard to get back to sleep. I was glad that Dash slept through the thunderstorm, but I wish he was a little quieter. It was still raining this morning, so the day was basically planned around the weather radar. Eventually, Dash got walked and I made French Toast with a loaf of leftover bread I found in the refrigerator. The day got off to a slow start, but at least I didn't have to mow the grass. It was way too wet for that.

I helped Janet run errands again this afternoon. This actually works out pretty well. Janet gets to get out of the house for a while and I don't need to remember exactly what to pick up at the store. I've offered to do the shopping for her, but this seems to work out better. Janet is definitely a more efficient and organized shopper than I am. I'm glad my responsibility is limited to going to the hardware store and buying all the bulk items at Sam's Club. I don't think I have the patience to go from store to store looking for bargains. There's a whole world of coupons that appear on your iPhone and little rewards program identifiers that fit on your key ring that I'm not even aware of.

When the errands were complete, I resumed upgrading my computer. With the latest operating system installed, I now need to find out which of the many applications I use can be upgraded as well. I started with the front of the alphabet which brought me straight to Avid. Avid products are always difficult to upgrade because of the complicated licensing arrangement they use. I finally managed to get the newest version of Pro Tools working, although it took forever for the software to recognize that I actually did have a perpetual license. Maybe tomorrow I'll upgrade Media Composer. At this rate, it's going to take me a long time to get to the Microsoft products.

I think the weather is supposed to get better tomorrow. If it's a nice day, I'll go to the gym and see if there's anything cool on sale at the REI store. I'm not even going to bother going up on the roof until the rainy season is over. There is no point to sweeping all the water off if it's just going to rain again tomorrow. I know there's a lot of standing water up there, but nothing is leaking. Let's just hope we get some dry days soon.

It's dragonfly season again. I'm surrounded by dragonflies when I walk Dash in the park. These critters are hard to photograph because they are small and never stay still. I managed to catch one sitting on a blade of grass this afternoon. It only rested there for about a second and then it was gone. I didn't have time to focus perfectly, but at least I got the shot. I usually only get one good dragonfly shot a year. This one isn't it. Maybe I'll have better luck next time.

Bentley is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2455

It's weird. Last year on September 3rd, I took a picture of a dragonfly. I haven't been able to capture one since. These critters are hard to photograph, since they move so fast and seldom perch on anything for very long. Imagine my surprise when I got my second picture of a dragonfly on September 3rd again. This must be a good day for dragonflies. I was waiting for the sun to set down by the lake and a dragonfly landed right in front of me. It's pretty safe to say that I won't photograph another one until next year at this time. I guess I shouldn't have been surprised at this strange coincidence. I've been blogging long enough to realize that a lot of things happen the same way year after year.

If I go back and read a post from exactly one year earlier, I'll often find that I ate the same thing for breakfast, dealt with exactly the same dog problems, and worked on virtually identical projects.  Often when it rains, I'll discover that it rained on the same day one or two years earlier as well. Am I living some sort of real life version of Ground Hog Day? It's hard to tell sometimes.

Today was one of those day where it seemed like I was busy all day long, and yet at the end of the day I had trouble thinking of anything I actually did. Weekends are like this a lot. There are so many mindless little chores to do that a whole day can go by and you don't think you've accomplished much of anything. Hey, the toilets are clean again. There are clean sheets on the bed. We have a fresh supply of groceries. There were other chores as well, but you get the idea.

The reason I was down at the lake at sunset was that today provided a good opportunity to see a thin crescent moon and three planets grouped together low in the Western sky right after sunset. I did manage to find the moon, but there was far too much ground haze to see Jupiter, Venus, and Mercury. Finding a day with really clear skies all the way to the horizon is even rarer than photographing a dragonfly. I read somewhere recently that one third of the entire world can no longer see the milky way at night because of urban light pollution. I can believe it. I haven't been able to see the milky way or any of the fainter viable stars for decades. If you like astronomy, it's probably a good idea not to live in a large city.

Dot seemed tired today. Maybe it was just me who was tired. Dash kept waking me up last night when he started squirming around during a dog dream and ended up pushing me off the bed with his feet. I sleep a lot better when both dogs sleep well. I didn't do so well getting Dot outside to pee in the morning either. She ended up peeing on her blankets before I could get the harness on her. No harm done though. The blankets needed to be washed anyway and now everything is clean again.

I haven't looked at my stock portfolio in a long time, because it was just too discouraging. I looked today for some reason and was pleasantly surprised to discover that things are actually looking up again. The past three months have been great. We haven't completely erased last year's carnage, but some of the decisions made earlier this year turned out to be good ones. If this proves anything it is that I should quit fretting about everything on a day-to-day basis. Whatever is going to happen is going to happen anyway.

Domino is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2139

The dogs are full of surprises. It was still raining when we woke up this morning, so I thought we were going to have a huge problem getting Dot and Dash to do their business. Our plan was to take them each out in the alley behind our house and faced with the alternative of pooping quickly or getting very wet, they would make the sensible choice. Reliable Dot had everything taken care of in a matter of minutes. When we got her dried off and ready for breakfast, it was time for me to repeat the process with Dash. Dash hates rain, so I thought he might refuse to leave the porch. Nope. He headed straight for the park. Maybe as soon as he got to his regular pooping place, he would turn around and come home. Nope again. Inexplicably, he seemed to be enjoying himself. He wanted to go on his regular long walk. By the time we eventually returned home again, we both were completely soaked. The dog who hates rain, baths, and any other form of water, looked like he had a good time.

I know that I wasn't going to mess with the roof until our current rainy spell was over, but I saw a couple of pictures on the Internet of storm damaged homes where the roof had caved in and it got me nervous. I'm not really sure how strong our roof actually is, but tons of water adding to the structural load can't be good for it. It took me about an hour to pump and sweep last night's accumulation of water away. I'm sure the water will return, since the remnants of Hurricane Patricia are headed our way. The storm is dissipating quickly and should pass south of us, but I would still anticipate a lot more rain.

I can't find peaches anymore for my morning smoothies. I guess they're out of season. It's weird that some fruit like strawberries and blueberries are generally available all year long, but peaches are still strictly seasonal. I guess I could try substituting pears or plums, but I've grown fond of the taste of peaches and bananas. I spend way too much time fretting about such things. It would be easier if I just had a glass of orange juice like the rest of the world.

A cold front must have swept through town with last night's rain. I needed to look for a warmer jacket this morning. Actually, what I needed most was a good raincoat. Of course, since I didn't anticipate being gone for an hour, I just wore a light jacket and got cold and wet. The colder weather reminded me that it's about time to get the Winter coats out of the storage warehouse. I don't have enough closet space as it is and when the heavy coats are in the house, the place seems even more crowded than usual.

I saw a small dragonfly hovering around our living room window this evening. It's was probably trying to get inside where it was warmer. I usually see these things flying around on hot August afternoons. It seemed really out of place seeing one today. I guess there's always someone who didn't get the memo.

Maybe Dash went on a walk in the rain today because he was bored. I kind of think this is why he no longer likes his regular food either. He might want a change of pace. It's a shame when even your dog thinks you lead a boring, predictable life.

Ellis is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2097

It was only 67 degrees when I woke up this morning. Now we're talking! With clear skies and a cool breeze, it was a near perfect morning to take a couple of old dogs on a brisk walk. Dot definitely noticed the change in temperature. There was a spring in her step that is rare these days. Since Dot didn't poop in her bed last night and we all had a nice walk, it seemed only fitting that I fix French Toast for breakfast.

After a delicious breakfast, I mowed the grass for what is hopefully the last time this year. Fall officially begins for me when I can quit mowing the grass for another year, but I'm usually not very good at guessing when this will happen. Last year, I remember mowing at least three more times after I thought I was done for the year. I may have to keep mowing for quite a while if the neighbors don't get their sprinklers fixed. One of their sprinkler heads is broken and sprays water into our yard instead of theirs. The result has been that half of the yard is greener and grows faster than the rest. I'm not complaining though. It probably cuts down my water bill a bit.

Janet asked me to put new plates on her car this morning. I thought this would take me about a minute, but I ran into the same problem I had when I was trying to fix the old aluminum colander last month. All I had to do was unscrew four small bolts and remove the old plates. One of the bolts wouldn't come out though. The tapped brass shim on the car that one of the bolts was screwed into was turning in the same direction as the bolt when I tried to remove it. It took me forever to figure out how to remove the bolt without damaging the car. Eventually, I succeeded, although it took a lot more tools than the simple Phillips screwdriver I started out with. The car wasn't damaged and Janet was happy. It probably would have been easier to take the car to the dealership though.

There seems to be an enormous number of dragonflies and grasshoppers in the park at this time of year. I wonder where they are the rest of the time? I still haven't been able to get a good photograph of a dragonfly in flight, but I'm getting fast enough now to catch them when they briefly land on something. This is probably good practice for photographing hummingbirds. We occasionally see hummingbirds in our yard, but I haven't been fast enough to photograph them either.

I just noticed that the trash truck didn't completely empty our bin on Friday. There are still two trash bags on the bottom of the can. Our city uses those new automated trash trucks where a metal arm reaches out and picks up your trash can as the truck drives down the street and dumps it into a hopper on top of the truck. This all happens quickly and sometimes not all the bags get emptied. It's frustrating when this happens because then your next week's trash won't fit in the can. I'm sure this is another one of those "first world" problems you're not supposed to complain about.

I need to get to the gym tomorrow. If I've started eating French Toast again, going to the gym is almost mandatory.

Marcie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2086

I started reading The Martian today. I could have easily finished it if I didn't have the dogs to tend to and this blog to write. There certainly wasn't anything else going on today. I'd forgotten what a good way to kill time that reading is. As an added bonus, I could do my reading sitting next to Dot, who always likes having me nearby. Dot likes to lounge in the sun on nice days, so after lunch I took her out in the back yard and sat next to her reading my book for about 45 minutes. This worked out well for everyone. Dot had a companion and the bright sunlight narrowed my pupils, giving my eyes better depth of field, so I didn't need my reading glasses.

I could relate to the character of Mark Watney in the book. I'm not stranded on Mars, but I am alone a lot and spend a good deal of my time fixing things that break. Like Watney, I also spend an inordinate amount of time thinking about poop. I'm not in a desperate race to save my life, but I do feel like I'm trying to save my sanity at times. This book should be an inspiration to any aspiring writer. Andy Weir couldn't find a publisher, so he put the book on his website for free, one chapter at a time. Fans encouraged him to create a Kindle edition and sell it on Amazon. The e-book quickly rose to the top of Amazon's science fiction charts where it eventually caught the eye of traditional publishers. Five years after Andy started writing the book, it made its debut on the New York Times Best Seller List.

So, maybe there's hope for my dog stories yet. Not very likely. They'll probably be available free on my website forever. That's OK though. I never made any effort to get published. I kind of prefer doing things this way. There's a lot to read on my website if you're so inclined, but if you're not, that's OK too. At least you're reading the blog.

One of my clients asked me today if I'd be interested in taking over the SEO duties from another company they are currently using. Maybe. I asked the client what the current SEO experts were doing for them. He didn't know. "What do you mean you don't know," I said? "What are you actually paying for?" He really didn't know. "Have sales picked up since you hired this company," I asked? Nope. I'd say this was a pretty good sign that my client is wasting his money. I guess the question now is whether I could do any better. I'm not sure. A lot of SEO campaigns are totally worthless.

I'll probably finish reading my book tomorrow morning. I could have read the entire book in one sitting if I wasn't interrupted so often. I'm slow at a lot of things, but I'm a fast reader. I'll have to pick up some more books this weekend. They are a remarkably good way to kill time. I'm not even sure what interests me at this point in time, but I'm sure there's more to life than the trade journals and B&H photography catalogs that are my current reading matter.

I tried and failed to take pictures of dragonflies today. At this time of year, there are hundreds of them hovering over the meadows in the park in the afternoons. I've seem cool looking pictures of dragonflies in flight before, but the little critters are devilishly fast, fly in erratic patterns, and are almost impossible to keep in focus when you're using a zoom lens. Maybe I'll do better tomorrow.

Spot is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day