Day 2393

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I forget things. I watered the Wax Myrtle tree in the front yard, but left the hose running for hours because I'd forgotten about it. Later, I did the same thing with the sprinkler in the back yard. I renewed a prescription by phone, but forgot to go pick it up. I remembered to wash the sheets on the bed, but forgot to throw them in the dryer after they were clean. I can spend entire days this way. I'm continually looking for my reading glasses or the dog's leashes. I don't think I forgot anything important today, because there wasn't much important going on. Maybe it's bad to be so absent minded, but I've gotten used to it. I've been this way for most of my life.

We should have gotten up earlier this morning, because by the time we got the dogs ready for their morning walk, it was already too hot. I'm not sure that getting up early even helps anymore. Occasionally, I have to take one of the dogs outside in the middle of the night and it's still warm at 3 AM. At least there was a breeze this morning. A breeze always helps.

Usually, I don't go to the gym on Sunday until mid-afternoon, but today I went right after breakfast. Working out seemed preferable to wandering aimlessly around the house forgetting things. Even though my workout seldom varies, I must make more of an effort on some days than others. It's interesting that although I always spend the same amount of time using the machines, I don't always burn the same amount of calories. Today, I must have been slacking off. My twenty minutes on the treadmill didn't burn many calories at all.

Maybe I was slow today because I'd just finished breakfast. We always have a hearty, old-fashioned breakfast on Sunday's. Today's meal consisted of fried eggs, Southern biscuits, and lots of bacon. I like to make an egg sandwich with my biscuits. By the time I've carefully place my egg in the center of the biscuit, added stacked strips of bacon on top of it, and topped everything off with Pico de Gallo, Janet has usually finished her entire meal.

I've started to see Passionflowers blooming on our morning walks. These exotic looking flowers look like they belong in a tropical rain forest, but they are actually quite common in the South. I think they are the state flower of Tennessee. I only see these oddly beautiful things a few times a year. They bloom in the Summer, but they don't seem to like the heat. I only see Passionflowers very early in the morning, usually after a heavy rain. Supposedly, Spanish Christian missionaries thought this plant represented the last days of Jesus and the crucifixion. I guess some people might see a crown of thorns, but it looks more like a jellyfish to me. I bet the flowers I saw today are gone tomorrow. They don't last long.

I'm already starting to hear fireworks off in the distance. Although fireworks are illegal in the city, lots of people shoot them off in the park at night anyway. The noise used to really bother Dot, but she's so deaf by now that she doesn't hear a thing. A few people are flying flags on our street. A lot more are having barbecues.

Bob Hope is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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Day 2336 - Mother's Day

My Mom has been gone so long now that many memories are starting to fade. When she was alive, the medical community wasn't very familiar with bipolar disorder. She suffered from the highs and lows associated with manic depression for most of her adult life, but was never effectively treated. In her case, I think the cure was worse than the disease. Despite her violent mood swings, she led a rich and productive life, always encouraging me to be the best that I could be. She was very interested in the early civil rights movement and was proud of the letters she exchanged with Rosa Parks for many years. Mom tried to teach me tolerance, but she might not be pleased with what I have become. I'm not nearly as tolerant as she was. Memories fade, but every Mother's Day I'm left with a feeling that her life was cut short way too soon. The mood swings were frightening, but what the doctors did was even worse. From the time I was a teenager, I was determined not to suffer the same fate. In an odd way, that explains everything.

I've never had kids, so Mother's Day and Father's Day are not a big deal. Today, like almost every other Sunday, was a day for household chores and strenuous exercise. Amazingly, both dogs were content to sleep in this morning. I think they didn't realize it was morning, since it was so dark and overcast outside. Without the usually early morning barking, my fitness monitor informed me that I received 85% of a normal night's sleep. This is almost a personal best for me. We took a shorter morning walk than usual today, because Dot seemed tired and it looked like it was going to rain. I'm disappointed that discontinuing Dot's chemotherapy hasn't done anything to improve her strength. She does the best she can, but we may have to permanently shorten her walks a bit. She just doesn't have the strength anymore.

I'm not sure if I have the strength anymore either. I think the only reason I feel like I'm doing a good job at the gym is that all the other members are heart patients and can barely move. Janet doesn't like it that the men always leave the machines sweaty at her gym. I always tell her to come to mine instead. Most of my fellow members couldn't work up a sweat if they tried. For the most part, the machines look showroom new. I love this odd octogenarian gym. It's a great place to shoot baskets, because I'm almost always the only one using the basketball court.

I had a good workout this morning and then came home and vacuumed the house. I didn't bother to mow the grass or wash the car because it's just going to continue raining tomorrow. You might think it was a boring day, but I didn't. Today was fine. Dot was alert and in good spirits, even though I could tell she was feeling weak. Janet fixed bacon for breakfast and bacon is always good. It's a once a week treat that I'm hoping won't destroy my plans to keep my cholesterol low. I like to make an egg sandwich by putting an over easy egg inside a big breakfast biscuit and then adding a couple of slices of bacon. It's back to my banana and strawberry smoothies tomorrow, but these bacon and egg sandwiches sure are good.

I'm not sure what I'll do tomorrow. We are in the path of thunderstorms, so it will depend on how hard it rains. I'm starting to see lots of little Porcupine Mimosa's in the meadows now. After a rain, the number of wildflowers seems to double almost overnight.

Daisy is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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