Day 3797

The weather was much better today. We got up early to avoid the crowds, but apparently we didn't get up early enough. Even before 8 AM, the park was already filled with runners and cyclists. This must be the city's new exercise destination now that the gyms are closed. I guess I shouldn't have been surprised. It was a Sunday morning on a very nice day.

It's pretty clear that the quarantine is over in Dallas. Traffic is back to normal and people aren't shy about gathering together in the park. When I returned later in the day for my afternoon walk, the place was packed. There were large barbecues, clusters of hammocks strung between trees, and a flotilla of kayaks on the water. Most of the large gatherings consisted of young people. Maybe they are starting to develop herd immunity.

There are still a lot of people wearing masks in the park. I suspect that some of these people will continue wearing masks forever. They will become a fashion statement or a badge of identity. There definitely aren't many who know how to wear a mask correctly. I see a lot of noses poking out on top of these masks. People take them off to talk to other people or even to sneeze. Basically, you wear a mask to show other people that you are a team player. Medically, most of the disposable earloop masks are of dubious value.

I was back on the roof this afternoon removing the standing water from yesterday's rain. Both pumps are working again, but there is still a lot of residual water after it rains. Removing the water with a big push broom is actually good exercise. I'm usually tired after I finish the job. I'm always careful, but I hope I never stumble and fall. That's the first question my doctor asked at my physical last week. "Did you have any bad falls last year," he said.  I guess I've arrived at the "I've fallen and I can't get up" stage of life. I felt like telling the doctor that I was much more careful than he was. At least I don't ride bicycles.

Dawn likes our bed so much that she gets upset when I change the sheets. I told her that everything was going to be OK and that she would be pleased when I was finished. After everything was clean, there was still dog hair on her blanket. I've noticed that the vacuum cleaner canister fills up twice as fast now that we have Dawn. Dalmatians shed constantly. You just get used to the dog hair after a while.

I had another 20,000 step day, but I didn't do anything of consequence. 20,000 step days are so common now that maybe it's time to up the ante and try for 25,000 steps a day. I'm hoping that walking will keep me in shape, but I need something to occupy my mind as well. I'll complete my application for launch access to Kennedy Space Center and send it to the Air Force tomorrow. Maybe I'll start editing my McDonald Observatory pictures and send a batch to Sky and Telescope. They haven't actually requested the pictures yet, but have indicated that they will use them when the article eventually appears. I'll be glad when they give me a publication date. Right now I don't know whether the article I wrote will appear a few months from now or next year.

The chigger bites still itch, but I've got some nice looking fresh fruit for tomorrow morning's smoothie. Life goes on.

Susie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3315

I must have slept better last night because I didn't wake up when Dash pooped in the bed. Luckily, one of us usually wakes up when this happens. These nightly accidents aren't as much of a problem now because we always make sure there's a puppy pad under Dash's butt before we go to bed. We've almost used up the carton of training pads that were left over when Dot died. Pretty soon they're going to be back on the shopping list again.

It's still bitterly cold on our morning walk. Dash's paws have started bleeding again. The bleeding is minimal, but it shouldn't be happening at all. His rear paws are very well protected now. I wish his boots were waterproof. On damp mornings, all three layers of foot protection are wet when we return. Part of the problem is that Dash makes no effort whatsoever to avoid mud puddles. He just goes wherever the smells are the strongest.

The only thing more uneventful than a regular Monday is a holiday Monday. Part of my morning routine is waiting for the mail to arrive and listening to the market reports on the business channels. No mail today and the stock market was closed. I pretty much just drank my smoothie in silence, wondering how I could improve Dash's footwear.

With every passing day, I'm spending more time picking Dash up off the floor. He seldom falls hard. He'll just be standing somewhere with a vacant look on his face and slowly sink to the floor. I leave his harness on in the house now because the handle on the top makes it much easier to get him upright again. It still seems strange that our house has become treacherous for Dash. He still does fine when he is moving forward on our walks. I think the walks are good for him because he has less muscle atrophy than Dot did when her legs began to fail. Dash even has enough strength to walk up reasonably steep hills. It's just standing still that's becoming a problem. I kind of wish I could find a small ottoman or big pillow to place under his belly while he was drinking from his water bowl. He drinks very slowly and usually starts sinking to the floor before he has quenched his thirst. If I could just find something appropriate to place under his belly to prop him up while he drinks, I wouldn't have to spend so much time holding up his rear legs.

Everyone must have been looking at the moon last night. My Facebook timeline was filled with pictures of the eclipse. Some of these pictures were great and others were terrible.You could tell how much people knew about astronomy by what they posted. Quite a few folks took a picture of the moon before the eclipse even started. Others used their phone and the moon was only a very bright dot. A lot of pictures were excellent though. Many were better than mine. Some of the best pictures were from folks I met at Vandenburg Air Force Base when I was there for the SMAP launch. I was glad to see that these people were still interested in space and astronomy several years later.

It's supposed to start raining again tonight. Tomorrow doesn't look good either. I'm tired of looking at the damaged sheetrock in the ceiling and wondering when the roof is going to start leaking again. Sooner or later it will. I don't want to replace the roof while it is raining every few days, but I think it's going to be a long wait until it's warm and dry again.

Molly is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3309

It's come to this. Dash can't remember where to pee anymore and I can't remember what day it is. When I let Dash outside to pee while I was fixing breakfast, he wandered around for a while and then came back inside after doing nothing. This is common with Dash, so I didn't think anything of it. Almost immediately after returning to the house he peed all over the floor. He kept walking while he was peeing, so there was a long wet trail of pee all over the place. Why would he do this? He had plenty of time to do his business outside. It took quite a while to clean up the mess. Actually, cleaning up poop is a lot easier.

At times like this I'm convinced that Dash is suffering from dementia. I may not be far behind him. I was getting ready to leave for my haircut today when I looked at my phone and realized that it was Tuesday. Hmm. My appointment is actually on Wednesday. Why did I think it was Tuesday yesterday? Usually Mondays are quite distinctive, as any working person can attest. Maybe the problem is that I'm not a working person anymore. All days seem the same.


No harm done. I'll still get a haircut and I'm sure that Dash will continue peeing wherever he pleases. The accident this morning reminded me that I needed to find a quieter way to protect the bed. The loud crackling sound the plastic shower curtain I bought makes is making it even harder than usual to get to sleep. I'm not quite ready to buy an expensive high tech nylon backpacking tarp from REI, so I thought I'd try a lighter, thinner shower curtain first. I found something very light and flexible, but Dash will probably destroy it. We'll give it a try tonight.

While I was out, I got another hundred pounds of rocks for the driveway. The first pile of rocks I got were actually pretty effective, so I thought that a few more would help smooth out some remaining low spots in the driveway. The river rocks are actually very attractive. Maybe I should keep buying rocks and resurface the entire driveway. I bet it would be a lot less expensive than asphalt. There is something satisfying about fixing things with rocks. A rock is about as low tech as you can get. Filling a hole with rocks is much simpler than repairing a French toilet or figuring out why my computer is running slow.

I've really got to watch Dash carefully now. He falls so frequently that I've got to plan ahead and make sure he is secure in a safe place before I leave him unattended. Today, I had to pen him in the bedroom while I took a shower. If he wakes up and I'm not nearby, he comes looking for me. There are lots of rugs in the kitchen but the bathroom tiles are off limits now. It's too easy to fall on the slippery surface.

There are no wildflowers in the park now. Hey, it's Winter. The flowers you've been seeing lately are just part of a sad little display of bedding plants at the Home Depot where I bought my pile of rocks. I guess I could have showed you a big puddle of pee on the floor today, but I still prefer a pretty theme picture. I'll be getting a haircut tomorrow, but I guess you know that already. I told you yesterday.

Betty is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3304

I've been cold all day. Sadly, this is just the beginning of Winter. There will be many more cold days to come. My office is the coldest room in the house. It is a long way from the furnace and by the time the warm air arrives through the floor vents it has already cooled quite a bit. I plugged in my trusty little ceramic heater today. This small four inch square cube does a pretty good job of keep in the office at the same temperature as the rest of the house. Ceramic heaters are much safer than other types of small space heaters, but I've still got to be careful not to let Dash get too close to it. He's curious about anything new and I don't want him to burn his nose.

Since it is still supposed to rain tomorrow I thought I'd try to bleach the stains in the ceiling where water has been leaking in. This won't prevent future leaks, but it will make them easier to see. I've thought about putting bleach in a spray bottle and just spraying the ceiling, but I'm afraid that the mist will get on furniture or pictures hanging on the walls. Instead I soak a rag with bleach and stand on a ladder while I scrub the damaged areas. This works, but it is terrible on my hands. Bleach is nasty stuff. The ceiling looks better now. If I start seeing rust colored stains again, I'll know that the roof repair didn't work. The stains appear first and then the water starts dripping about an hour later.

Tomorrow should provide a good test of the repair work. It's is supposed to rain all day again. Hopefully, Dash will be able to take his morning walk before the rain begins. He is much calmer after he's had a walk. We'll see what happens. If the rain is bad I won't want to leave the house. I've got to be ready to place buckets under any leaks that might appear. I'll feel much better if the house survives the rain tomorrow. On the other hand, if the roof starts leaking again I'll be very discouraged.

I left Dash's harness on for most of the day. He is still falling a lot and it is much more effective to lift him up using the handle on the Ruffwear harness than it is to get my hands under his belly while he is struggling on the floor. Dash would be fine if he stayed on the rugs, but he always seems to find a place where the floor is still slippery. Dot did a little better at adapting to her disability. Dash is so stubborn that he still thinks he can move around like a pup. I don't know when he is going to realize that he would be much more comfortable sleeping on the floor. That doesn't appear to be an option. He is determined to keep sleeping on the bed.

I didn't get a lot of sleep last night, so I tried to catch up today by taking a lot of short naps. There wasn't much else to do anyway. You know your day is uneventful when the high point is applying bleach to the ceiling. I guess this was actually the low point as well, but the ceiling does look better. I was going to get a haircut this afternoon, but there were no appointments available until next week. It's just as well I didn't go today anyway. I still haven't shaken that cold.

I was going to wear the new boots I bought on Dash's evening walk, but I couldn't bring myself to put them on. They looked so nice and new in the box. I wore my old worn out boots instead. I'm hopeless. I specifically bought these boots for wearing in the mud. It's hard for me to start using new things. I want everything to stay new looking forever.

I've taken the trash out to the curb, but I'm not sure if I'll be able to go out for breakfast tomorrow. It all depends on the weather.

Murphy is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3301

Did I make any progress today? It's hard to tell. I'm sitting in a chair that stays upright, but it's just a loaner chair. My own chair might take up to a month to get fixed. Evidently nobody keeps a supply of parts for these chairs in Dallas. The weather was nice today. It would have been a perfect day to fix the roof, but the roofers had other plans. Nobody showed up. I did get a one word text message from the guys though. It said "tomorrow."

I was bragging about Dash yesterday, but today we had a setback. He could barely stand up this morning. He slipped and fell so often in the house that I had to leave his harness on so it would be easier to get him upright again. It's getting harder and harder for Dash to get up on his own. He struggles a lot now. I'm going to have to bring back more rugs from the storage warehouse because the brick floors have become too slippery for him. It's strange that things can change so dramatically from day to day with Dash, but that's the way it is. There will be other good days, but there's no avoiding the fact that Dash continues to go downhill.

When I took my chair to the Herman Miller store, it reminded me of how much I hate to drive. It's sad. I love cars, but Dallas traffic is terrible now. At certain times of day it feels like I'm driving in Los Angeles. I don't know how regular commuters avoid going insane. There's always a near miss somewhere. I'm always afraid that if I get hit, the other driver won't have a license or insurance. I guess that's why I prefer to stay in the neighborhood. Maybe this is why Amazon Prime has become so popular. Why leave your own house if you can avoid it.

Even frequent naps aren't erasing my sleep deficit anymore. I'm just not getting enough sleep. With a somewhat nocturnal, incontinent dog, getting eight hours of sleep is just a fantasy. It's not going to happen. Maybe if I slept whenever Dash slept I'd be OK, but I'd never get anything done. If Dash isn't eating or walking in the park, he's sleeping.

The pothole in my driveway keeps getting deeper and deeper. It almost seems like there is an underground spring beneath the driveway because the hole is always muddy and filled with water. It could just be all the rain we've had lately. The park is always muddy these days as well. The ground seems saturated with water. Of course in August this same ground will be dry and cracked. Texas weather is always like this. There is nothing in moderation. At any rate, the pothole is one more problem I can't keep ignoring indefinitely. I need to find someone who does driveway repair soon.

I'm really tired of fixing things. It never ends. Is this just the modern version of the Sisyphus legend? Sometimes I fantasize about living on a cruise ship where everything is done for you. Then I remember that I get seasick.

Misty is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3273

I sent out a few SOS messages about the roof this morning, but didn't receive much of a response. Eventually, the roofer did send me a short message saying that I was still on their list, but that they were way behind schedule. This wasn't very encouraging. I did some research on products that I could use to make emergency repairs and discovered that most of them weren't compatible with the elastomer coating. I'm not sure how much good a patch would do anyway, since water has already gotten under the coating. Some of the commonly available wet patch materials are not meant to be applied in cold weather anyway.

I renewed one of my domains that was going to expire at the end of the week. I don't use this domain, but it was easier to just renew it for another year than to make a decision about dropping it. Maybe I'll use the domain next year. Jeez. Who am I kidding. I'm never going to use this domain.

Pretty soon I'll need to make a similar decision about whether to renew my subscriptions for Pro Tools and Avid Media Composer. I don't use these products either, but it's nice having them around. At some point I need to start being realistic. It's very doubtful that I'm going to be asked to do any complicated video editing again. I'm retired. I don't need business software anymore.

Dash was not very steady on his feet today. He stumbled and fell several times and I had difficulty getting him upright again. He struggles whenever I try to lift him up which makes the whole process more difficult. I try to tell him that we need to work as a team, but he's not getting the picture. I wish Dash knew his limitations and would be more careful. That's not his style. He keeps trying to do all the things he used to do, but he's not very successful anymore.

I'm running out of time to buy Christmas gifts. Pretty soon I'm going to have to check the more expensive shipping option on Amazon. What did I do before Amazon? I can't imagine shopping at a mall anymore. Just finding a parking place at this time of year is a nightmare.

I still haven't called the dentist about getting a new retainer made. Teeth grow slowly don't they? I wonder how long I can postpone this chore. I might have to call my doctor and ask him to refer me for endoscopy. Is this more important than a retainer? My heartburn problems seem to be getting worse. I wonder if my recurring reflux problems are caused by the food I'm eating, or stress? My diet hasn't really changed, but my stress levels have. Dash's deteriorating health and the crumbling house are hard to ignore.

At least the weather is nice. I've got a little time before there is any rain on the horizon. I may drive over to a professional roofing supply company in a neighboring town tomorrow and see if they have some sort of miracle repair product I can use. I may need it. The real miracle would be if the roofers actually appeared on my doorstep before the next rain.

Princess is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3138

The weather has cooled down a bit. The small difference in temperature made a big difference for Dash and I. There was a nice breeze and for the first time in weeks, Dash was able to take two walks. It's amazing now nice ninety degrees feels when you've gotten used to one hundred and ten.

I stayed busy today. I looked for a new and more reliable back yard security light. I bought some bug spray specifically designed to kill spiders. I went to the grocery store and got some of the things Janet usually gets on Saturday. These errands didn't really complete my list, but I didn't want to leave Dash too long.

When I got home, I defrosted the little emergency refrigerator we got when our kitchen refrigerator was broken. This little fridge was just supposed to be temporary, but it's become a necessity. Dash has so many things that need to be refrigerated now that he needs a refrigerator of his own. It's too bad that these little dorm room refrigerators aren't self defrosting. I guess that why they are so cheap.

Since the weather wasn't too oppressive, I mowed the grass and sprayed the Asian Jasmine ground cover in an attempt to get rid of the chiggers and mosquitoes. I hope this works. Until I get the security light issue resolved, I'm going to have to wade through this thick ground cover every night to flip the breaker switch and turn the light back on after it shuts itself off.

I think the SAMe pills are making Dash a little friskier. I'm not sure this is a good thing. He got excited about taking an evening walk today and tried to run to the back door. Dash's legs aren't steady enough to run anymore and he immediately fell over. When he falls on the slippery brick floors, he struggles to get up. If he would relax and let me help him up, everything would be fine. Unfortunately, Dash almost always chooses to panic rather than relax. We'll have to see how this goes. I like seeing Dash in better spirits, but I don't want him to injure himself.

I usually have no trouble sleeping, but last night I was wide awake. I had to take Dash outside to pee around 2 AM and I had to wait so long for him to do his business that I couldn't get back to sleep again when we finally came back inside. It would be terrible to have insomnia all the time. I'm usually so tired when I go to bed that I'm asleep almost instantly.

Should I go to the gym tomorrow? Probably. Will I go to the gym tomorrow? Probably not. This week has been tiring. At the moment, a long nap seems a lot more appealing than exercise.

Queenie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2467

Dot fell on her morning walk and injured herself. She's limping on one of her front legs again. The only solution is lots of bed rest and maybe canceling her therapy sessions for a while. I think she is just sore, but she did take a nasty tumble. It's really hard to walk Dot when she stumbles so easily, but we do the best we can. It's still important to keep her moving. The last time this happened, she was a lot better 24 hours later. Hopefully, some added rest will help her recuperate again.

We've had trouble with our front loader washer almost from the day we got it, so I was encouraged today to read that a large class action lawsuit against multiple manufacturers of these machines had been settled and owners were going to be compensated for repairs. Whirlpool, Maytag, LG and a number of other popular brands were covered in this settlement. Where was Frigidaire though? Was I going to be compensated too? Nope. Frigidaire and their parent company Electrolux were the only companies still fighting the lawsuit and refusing to settle. The problem with all of these machines is that they they never really dry out after doing a load of wash and eventually mold starts to build up inside the machine. It doesn't take long for the rubber boot that is used to seal the front loading door to turn black. Frigidaire refuses to even acknowledge that there is a problem. I can show them a big problem.

One of my clients is having problems with their website forms again. Problems with forms seems to happen with disturbing regularity. The hosting company changes something on their server and doesn't bother to tell their customers. Sometimes they move the CGI Bin to a different location. Sometimes they stop supporting older forms altogether. I spent a considerable amount of time with tech support this morning trying to determine what was causing the "Internal Server Error" message people were getting when they submitted the forms, but I basically got nowhere. Tech support people don't seem to know as much as they used to. The person I talked to today opened a job ticket on my case and said she was going to escalate my request to a higher level of service. I'll probably have to call four or five more times before the forms are actually fixed.

The roofer still hasn't responded to my request to come out and examine the roof again. I was very polite when I told them about the latest problems, but so far they're ignoring me. This happens sometimes. Do they think I'm just going to go away?  I'll keep calling and sending e-mail until I get results. It's so frustrating when people over promise and under deliver. All I really want is the roof these guys promised in the first place.

I remembered to take the trash out to the curb this evening, but during the short time I was away, Dot pooped on one of the large living room rugs and then stumbled and fell in the poop. In case you haven't noticed, this hasn't been a very good day.

Spot is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1865

Have I mentioned that Janet retired at the first of the year? Since she's no longer working fourteen hours a day, we've been going to more movies. Today we saw American Sniper. I can understand why this movie has become a box office hit, but fail to grasp why it is so controversial in certain circles. This is a well made film in the tradition of Saving Private Ryan and Hurt Locker. I find it sad that we live in such a polarized society that everything from the car you drive, to the food you eat and the movies you watch is seen as a political statement. It's a movie! Get over it.

While waiting for the feature to start we sat through half an hour's worth of trailers for upcoming features. Each one was a more violent version of a movie I'd seen ten or fifteen years ago. There was a new Terminator movie, a new Mad Max movie, and a new movie by the director of District 9 that seemed exactly like District 9. Doesn't anybody like movies like Secretariat and Remains of the Day anymore? I'd rather see Old Yeller again than any of these apocalyptic blockbusters.

Dot worried me today. She fell on our morning walk and I had to help her up. She lost her footing when her rear foot landed on a loose rock and just fell over. I have to remember that even though her energy levels have improved and she acts like she wants to chase squirrels again, she is still pretty fragile. It's a tough job to let her feel like she's a young dog again while still carefully watching every single step she takes. Dot's OK now. I just need to remember where that loose rock is.

Dash is nearing the end of his chemotherapy treatment and now that there aren't many Palladia pills left in the bottle, I noticed that I was short by five pills. These pills are so expensive that you'd think that they could count them correctly. I called the cancer center and when they checked their records, they discovered that they were short a few pills when they renewed Dash's prescription three months ago, and just gave me the pills they had. I wish they had told me this at the time. At any rate, I went up to the cancer center to get the remaining five pills and then picked up some food for dinner at Central Market on the way home.

I only have one more day to familiarize myself with all the mysterious buttons on the production camera before my video shoot on Sunday. It's not like I have been consciously putting off this important dress rehearsal. I just keep running out of time. Walking the dogs, doing my physical therapy exercises everyday, meeting my work deadlines, getting the water off the roof, and even writing this blog takes a lot of time. Some days I take it all in stride. Other days, I get really tired.

Chloe is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1798

There was a light dusting of snow on the ground when I walked the dogs this morning. The snow had all but disappeared by the time I finished breakfast, but it served to reinforce what I already knew. Winter is here. I haven't gotten out the little ceramic heater yet that I often keep under my desk on cold days, but I have started wearing a fleece pullover while I work. I'd better get used to this. There will still be some warm days, since this is Texas, but basically things are going to be a bit cooler than I prefer from now till Spring.

Today was much busier than a typical Monday. I had major website revisions to make, a couple of new articles to write, and a big stack of bills to pay. It seems like there ought to be more to life than doing the same repetitive tasks over and over to pay the same bills that seem to keep accumulating over and over. That's what it comes down to sometimes though.

I don't know how two people and a couple of dogs can accumulate so much trash. Since the city only picks up our trash once a week now, I am forced to compact the big black trash bags as much as possible, so they will all fit in the garbage can. If we had a new, modern house, I think the appliance I would want the most is a trash compactor. Without one of these devices I am continually forced to stamp on these bags with my hiking boots and even sit on them when necessary to squeeze them down to 1/3 or their normal size. Life was so much easier when they picked up our trash three times a week.

Dash startles easily and this morning a weird noise caused him to freak out and get his leash tangled around my legs. Lassoed by the leash, his antics quickly knocked me over. When I fell, I knocked Dot over and we all ended up in a pile on the ground. Nobody was hurt, but when we got home there was a lot more mud to clean up than I had hoped. Muddy clothing, bills to pay, and lots of garbage. It was that kind of day.

I still have another article to finish, but hopefully sanity will return tomorrow. Maybe I'll make myself a spinach omelet for breakfast. That sounds like a good way to start a cold day. Maybe I'll go to the storage warehouse and retrieve the little ceramic space heater. I think I write better when my feet are warm.

Puppies are today's Dalmatians of the Day

Watch of the Day