Day 3481

Another hot sunny day that ended with a thunderstorm. This has been happening all week. Most of the brief afternoon storms have missed us, but this one was a direct hit. Every time I hear thunder I worry that the power is going to go out or another tree will fall. No damage this time, but I'm definitely gun shy about storms.

I guess it's a good thing that I didn't attempt any roof repairs today. They wouldn't have had time to dry. Instead of going up on the roof, I went to Home Depot and bought some more river rock to fill the ever growing hole in the driveway. I thought I had fixed this several months ago, but the ground keeps sinking. Instead of buying sacks filled with rocks, I should just get a truckload delivered and cover the entire driveway with river rocks. It would be cheaper than repaving and I bet it would look pretty good. On the other hand, rocks are heavy. I can just see me spending hours shoveling and raking a huge pile of rocks so we can move our cars again. Maybe my minimal efforts to fix things will do just fine.

I keep buying peaches at the store, even though we already have peaches. Janet has already made peach bread and is making a peach cobbler tonight. It's a good thing we like peaches. I need to quit buying food out of habit and start checking to see what we actually have on hand.

Only one of the pumps on the roof seems to be working this evening. Mostly the problem turns out to be a kink in the hose, but I don't feel like climbing up and investigating. I'll fix the pump tomorrow. It's getting dark and there's still lightning in the area. It would be crazy to go up on the roof tonight.

If it had to rain I wish it could have rained this morning. The rain cools things down. I sure could have used a little cooler weather on my walks today. I'm always amazed that there are other people out jogging and cycling on these hot summer days. I feel sorry for the dogs. I think it is too hot to be walking your dog a long way on days like this. Despite the oppressive heat, I keep walking. It keeps me in shape and it beats doing yard work.

The guy who was going to give me an estimate on fixing the greenhouse never showed up. Scratch that guy off the list. It's really hard to find good people who are interested in doing little jobs. I have a lot of things that need to be fixed around the house, but they are all small jobs. Remember that handyman named Eldon on Murphy Brown? That's what I need. Somebody who's always around.  when you need them. I used to attempt difficult jobs myself. Not anymore. I think age is catching up with me.

It's time to go to the gym again. I could think of a lot more imaginative things to do on Sunday, but I guess I like staying healthy.

Cisco is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3299

Today was just a placeholder connecting yesterday to tomorrow. Not a lot happened. As I often do on uneventful days, I worried about Dash. I don't think his new mobility problems are caused by his pain pills. After being back on his original dose for a day, he is still falling down  a lot more than usual. We ordered him a brace for his left leg, but it remains to be seen if that will help. Clearly something needs to be done. Do we have him wear socks in the house now for added traction? Do we put down more rugs? Do we have him wear his harness 24/7 so it's easier to get him back on his feet when he falls? There are advantages and disadvantages to each alternative. I wish we could just do something to make him stronger.

Something very strange is happening with the roof. The surface is dry now, but every day between about 11 AM and 3 PM, the leak returns. This is the warmest period of the day and it is sunny outside, so I'm thinking this is temperature related. There is still some water trapped under the silicon coating. Maybe heat causes this residual water to expand and forces it inside? Who knows. I'm certainly no expert, but I don't think the roofers are either. Basically, this roof was an experiment that failed. The next roof will be of a more conventional design.

I'm repairing Dash's outer Ultra-Paws boots every day now. These boots would last a long time on a younger dog, but they weren't meant to be continuously dragged on pavement. Dash shuffles along now, barely lifting his rear legs at all. With every step he takes the boots drag on the ground. I've probably significantly improved sales for the Shoe Goo company, but I guess the repairs are worth it. Without the boots, Dash couldn't walk at all. His paws would be a bloody mess.

Oddly, even with all his mobility problems, Dash still loves his walks. They are the favorite part of his day. He is incredibly slow and stumbles a lot, but he smells every tree and bush along the way. The smells seem to provide a connection to a world he can no longer really participate in.

I can't wait for Monday to arrive so I can take my office chair up to Herman Miller to be repaired. I spend a lot of time in this chair. They didn't tell me how long the repair would take, but they did say they'd give me a loaner chair. The whole process sounds a lot like taking my car in for service. I've learned over the years that free loaners aren't really free. Why do I think that fixing the Aeron Chair is going to be expensive?

I've got a new problem to add to my list. There's sink hole in the driveway now. How did this happen? If it gets much worse, I'm going to have trouble getting my car out. In addition to a growing list of plumbers, roofers, and appliance repairmen, I'm going to need to find someone who can patch asphalt.

At least the weather was nice. I hope this continues. You never know here in Texas. This morning it looked like were going to have at least eight days of dry weather. This evening the forecast says it is going to rain next Friday. If the roofers come out Monday we may be able to get this leak fixed. If they ignore me for a few days, all bets are off. Sometimes I think it would be nice to live on the eighteenth floor of a luxury high-rise. My roof problems would vanish. Then I remember that Dash is incontinent.

Lucy is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day