Day 4433

This weather is driving me nuts. Yesterday was nice. Today was bitterly cold again. There was even snow in the forecast for a little while today, but nothing materialized. I never know what to wear anymore. A t-shirt and shorts might be appropriate one day and the very next day you find yourself looking for a down jacket and extra sweaters. I just wish the weather was more consistant. I don't like surprises.

I found everything I needed at the grocery store this morning, but the shelves still looked a little empty. Usually the day before the Super Bowl the stores are packed, but everything looked normal today. It's hard to get excited about this years game. I guess I'm for the Bengals since it's been so long since they've had a chance at this, but neither team has captured my attention this season. I'll watch the game even though I don't think there are any Dalmatians in the new Budweiser commercial this year and I don't have a clue who is preforming at the halftime show. It's hard to top Prince singing Purple Rain during a downpour in Miami and I still think Michael Jackson set the gold standard for these events. Maybe I'm prejudiced but I liked the game where the Cowboys beat the Steelers back in 1996. Those were the days. Sure seems like a long time ago now.

Today was not a great day for walking. My feet hurt and it was cold and windy as well. I didn't let that stop me. I trudged along and completed my route even though it took a while. I'm not going to get 20,000 steps today, but I did keep moving. Even though it was a nasty day, there was still a small crowd looking for the eagles. I wonder how long this is going to last? I was more interested in the two Muscovy Ducks I see every day. I took a close look and these are definitely different ducks than the one who wound up in our yard recently. I wonder what happened to that other duck. In all these years I never knew there were three Muscovy Ducks in the neighborhood. Maybe there are quite a few and I just don't see them.

I'm trying to get Dawn used to doing things with me while Janet is out of the house. I want her to be comfortable and relaxed when Janet goes on a trip later this Spring. It also would be nice if she would come when I called. So far it's not going well. Dawn isn't scared of me. I'm just of little interest to her. She gets so excited whenever Janet comes home. I'm sort of like the hired help. I'm useful for walks and fixing dinner, but not worth getting out of bed to greet me when I come home.

I'm perpetually cold now. The thermostat says the house is warm and the furnace is working fine, but I'm always looking for an extra sweater. Was it always this way? It seems like I used to be warmer around the house but memories aren't always accurate. Sometimes when I'm falling asleep random events from my past flash through my mind. Did these things even happen? Often my recurring dreams seem real and reality seems like a fuzzy dream. I still wonder how I wound up having a successful career in advertising. This wasn't where I was headed at all.

I hope it is warmer tomorrow. We still plan on taking Dawn for her Sunday outing, but we might wait until later in the day. Dawn is not a big fan of cold weather. Right now, hot chocolate seems more appropriate than ice cream, but of course dogs can't have chocolate. Ice cream probably isn't that great either, but it's only once a week and Dawn loves it.

Lucy is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4066

Today was all about the weather. I woke up cold and never really got warm. It looked and felt like it could snow at any time, but I think that comes later. One forecast I heard today said that we could get up to 11 inches later in the week. I dont think Dawn likes the cold any more than I do. On cold nights she makes a nest out of the blankets and they end up piled around her instead of on top of me. Maybe that's why I woke up cold.

I should learn to dress warmer in Winter like Northerners do, but I tend to turn up the furnace instead. This is probably why I am always so concerned about the furnace going out. A warm house is essential. One Winter our power was out for several days after an ice storm and it got so cold we had to go stay in a hotel for a while. Luckily, Janet still worked then and we would go down to her office during the day to stay warm. Dot and Dash thought that this was a big adventure, but I couldn't wait for the weather to get warmer. It's no surprise that old people retire to Florida. You never hear old people saying "let's move up to Minnesota when we retire."

Today was uneventful. My arm hurt a little at the injection site when I woke up this morning, but it wasn't bad at all. I think getting the shingles vaccine was much worse. We walked Dawn earlier today because Janet had things to do in the afternoon. It wasn't going to get warmer in the afternoon anyway. The temperature hovered around freezing for most of the day. I dressed warmly and was able to finish my longer walk after Dawn and Janet returned home, but it wasn't long before I began to question my sanity. There was nobody on the trails today. I only saw two other joggers during my entire walk.

I had been planning on watching the latest episode of The Expanse this afternoon, but when I opened Amazon Prime on my computer I discovered that Season Five of the show was already over. What? The episode I watched last week didn't feel like a season finale at all. There were hundreds of other shows I could have watched, but I closed my browser and took a nap with Dawn instead. Dawn didn't look entirely happy sharing the bed with me, but she didn't leave this time. I'll call that progress.

I should have gone to Home Depot today and gotten some of those foam tubes that you wrap water pipes with. I put the foam around the exposed outdoor water faucet pipes every year, but it doesn't seem to last long. I think that rats eat the stuff. I remember seeing an exposed copper pipe coming out of the ground recently, so it's time to do this again. Actually, it's past time. I hope nothing freezes tonight. I'll set the faucets on drip and hope for the best.

I haven't heard anything further from the dehumidifier company. They've probably gotten sick of me, just like the roofer did. I really wished that I'd saved the broken dehumidifiers now because I know that I could have salvaged parts from them. I have discovered how to stop the rattling noise. If I lift the dehumidifier 1/2 inch off the ground and then drop it, the rattling stops for several days. I doubt that this is a factory approved solution, but it works. I'm sick of fixing things.

Tomorrow looks like a repeat of today with even colder temperatures. I need to come up with a better plan for dealing with Winter. It's going to be a long time until Spring.

Landry is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3332

Our weather is getting ridiculous. The temperature keeps fluctuating wildly. For the past several days we've been using the furnace and the air conditioner on the same day. Yesterday was mild, but a line of thunderstorms blew through town last night and brought Winter back. It was bitterly cold this morning.

Dash stumbled around after he woke up and was reluctant to eat his breakfast, so I thought this would be a good day to rest and recuperate. I didn't want to go outside anyway since a brisk wind made the chilly temperatures seem even colder. Dash had other ideas. After a long morning nap, he finished his breakfast and went outside to pee. Instead of coming back inside, he headed straight for the back gate. The crazy dog wanted a walk. I quickly put on his Help 'Em Up Harness and boots before he could change his mind and off we went. I thought that Dash would quickly tire and we'd be back in the house within a few minutes, but Dash just kept going. He was surprisingly strong this morning. Walks are a little different now. I need two leashes: one at the front and the other at the back. The rear leash is the important one, since I use it to control the amount of weight reaching Dash's rear legs. Slowly but surely the marionette skills I developed while walking Dot during her final year are coming back. Actually, Dash didn't need a lot of help today. He was a trooper.

It is a complete mystery to me how Dash can go from being unable to stand up to walking over a mile in freezing weather within a three hour time span. He really seemed to enjoy his walk today, even though I couldn't wait to get back inside again. I wasn't surprised that Dash was exhausted when we returned. He slept for most of the afternoon, but when he woke up again he seemed fine.

Other than our adventurous and somewhat baffling walk, today was very slow. I went to the vet and picked up some meds for Dash while he was sleeping and spent the rest of the day wandering around the house trying to stay warm. The furnace is working well this year, but I'm always cold in the Winter. Wool sweaters and down camping booties are de rigueur around here.

I've decided that antihistamines are the lesser of two evils. I feel slightly unnatural while taking them, but the background buzz in my head is still a lot better than blowing my nose every two minutes. I haven't really had much of a problem today. Maybe I'm getting used to the Allegra.

It's sad to see Google+ wither and die. There have been fewer and fewer posts and virtually nothing of quality since Google announced that it was shutting the place down. This used to be my go to place for up-to-date information about science and technology. I'd routinely find interesting things on Google+ that you'd never see on Facebook. The place is a ghost town now. I'll probably keep posting till the last day though. That's just how I am.

It remains to be seen whether I'll go out for breakfast tomorrow. It depends on how Dash is doing. If he's agitated, I'll stay home and watch him. If he's calm and sleeping, I'll go have breakfast at the hotel again. I think I've had enough of the trendy restaurant for a while.

Stortz is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3306

Winter is here. It was all about the weather today. The wind was blowing so hard that it felt much colder than it actually was. Even though there was no rain or snow, it still felt like we were headed toward the South Pole on our morning walk. I'm glad we don't live any further north. The weather reports from the middle of the country looked pretty grim today.

I think the roof survived yesterday's rain. No water entered the house. The pumps kept the water level reasonably low, but when I went up to inspect things after breakfast, there was still lots of water to sweep away. It seemed even colder up on the roof than it did on the ground. The roofers did a pretty good job of repairing and sealing the areas where water was coming inside, but I can already see other areas that are likely to deteriorate in the weeks and months ahead. I've pretty much resigned myself to climbing up on the roof and sweeping the water away every time it rains. I think that the best I can hope for is that the recent repairs will keep the house dry until early Spring when I can make a decision about completely replacing the roof.

Dash has already torn up the plastic sheet we use to protect the bed in case he pees on it again. I went to Home Depot to see if I could find a better solution and came home with a shower curtain. The plastic shower curtain is waterproof, easy to place on top of the bedspread before we go to bed, and inexpensive enough that we can just keep replacing it as needed. Dash only peed on the bed once, but I'm convinced that he'll do it again the first time I forget to place a protective covering under his blanket.

I'm listening to the Cowboys vs Rams playoff game as I write. The Cowboys better pick up the pace a bit in the second half. Early in the season I didn't even think that they'd make the playoffs. It's never over till it's over though. Wouldn't it be a surprise to see the Cowboys in the Superbowl again. Somehow, I don't think it's going to happen.

Dash is still stumbling a lot, but other than that, he seems like a happy dog. We tried putting a leg brace on both rear legs this morning but it was too much. Dash couldn't walk at all. Oh, well. Back to the drawing board. When we ordered the second brace for the left leg we were hoping that it would provide some additional stability. Unfortunately, it just made it harder for Dash to walk. Both legs are weak, so maybe we can alternate the left and right braces on different days. Dash walked fine when we went back to our old configuration. He likes the cold a lot better than I do.

Janet made chili tonight. A hot bowl of chili is the perfect meal for a cold Winter day. It reminded me that even though I'm freezing, it's been a pretty good day. The roof isn't leaking. Dash has been in a good mood. And it doesn't look like there is going to be any more rain for the next week. Hey, the Cowboys didn't win, but the chili was delicious.

Suzie 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 3269

It was cold and rainy today. We got up early and managed to get Dash walked before the rain started, but I spent the rest of the day inside. I accomplished virtually nothing today. I turned on the TV during breakfast and the Bush funeral was still going on. I wonder how expensive this funeral was. The casket was riding on a special train today. I switched channels and the stock market was still crashing. It's pretty easy to see how expensive this is going to be. I turned the TV off and drank my smoothie in silence. It was that kind of day. I wonder why it always seems colder in the house on a rainy day? The furnace is working fine and the thermostat indicated that I should be toasty warm. Nope. I was cold all day. I put on a sweater but I couldn't relax. I kept looking at the ceiling and wondering when the roof was going to start leaking again. No roof leaks yet, but it hasn't stopped raining yet.

An old client that I hadn't talked to in years called in a panic today. Evidently their office manager abruptly walked out and quit and nobody else at the company knew the passwords to anything. How did they expect me to still know their passwords? I think these guys fired me five years ago. I wished them luck and tried not to laugh. They should have treated their office manager better. They should have treated me better too.

Since it was a very slow day, I watched the latest episode of the National Geographic Channel's Mars show. I think I've finally figured out the format for this show. In every episode there is a disaster on Mars that is used as a teaching moment to illustrate how similar disasters here on Earth could destroy the planet. In today's episode an unknown pathogen in the water on Mars was causing the crew to get sick and die. The parallel story on Earth was about how warming weather is causing anthrax spores to be released from the soil in Siberia which is also also causing people to get sick and die. Something like this happens in every episode. It's a miracle we aren't extinct yet.

Dash seems to be sleeping better now. He stays in one place for long periods of time and hasn't pooped in the bed for several days. This morning, he slept until 6 AM and then went outside and did his business like a normal dog. Are we doing something right, or is this just blind luck? It's really hard to tell. You'd think with Dash sleeping better that I'd be sleeping better as well. This doesn't seem to be the case. My Fitbit said I got virtually no sleep last night. Maybe the Fitbit is wrong. I do remember having a dream, so I must have been sleeping.

A lot of software and domain names come up for renewal at the end of the year. I'm thinking of letting some things expire this year. I haven't used Pro Tools or Avid Media Composer in several years. Do I really need these expensive subscriptions? There are several domains I have never used at all. Maybe this would be a good time to start simplifying my online world as well. I've got a week to decide. I always like to be ready for any contingency, but if I was smart I would just acknowledge that I'm not going to be doing much video editing anymore and let the Avid subscriptions expire.

I discovered a new place to try for breakfast tomorrow. Chili Rellenos Crepes sound delicious right now. The rain has got to stop first though. I'm not going anywhere in this weather.

Emma is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3026

Mother Nature apparently didn't get the memo that Winter is over. The temperature was in the thirties when I woke up this morning. It didn't get much warmer as the day progressed either. Jeez. The Bluebonnets are in bloom. We've already had our air conditioner running. This just isn't supposed to happen in Texas.

I wasn't happy about the weather, but I definitely was happy to see Dash feeling better. After a rough day yesterday, he was almost back to his old self. Even though it was very cold, he seemed eager to walk this morning. A stiff wind made it feel like the temperature was in the teens, but Dash didn't seem to mind. I can't say the same for myself.

I didn't spend much time outside today. After going to the grocery store and running my Saturday errands, I got the urge to hook up a MIDI keyboard to the computer. I hadn't done this in years, and not surprisingly the keyboard didn't work. After doing some research on Google, I discovered that the keyboard was no longer supported by Apple. I still didn't know whether the old equipment worked, so I restarted the computer using an external drive with an old system on it. I found a driver for the keyboard online and installed it. Suddenly I had gone back in time. Everything worked perfectly. I wish I'd never upgraded my system. My computer and my own brain seem to work better using Mountain Lion. Once Apple stopped naming their operating systems after cats, everything began to go downhill.

I played the little keyboard for a while and was surprised that I still remembered quite a few chord progressions. I had a bit of trouble getting my left hand and right hand working together, but with a little practice I could probably play piano again. Unfortunately, I had to put the keyboard away and restart the computer under Sierra again. Spending time in the past may be pleasant, but I can only make money in the present.

If I had a ton of space and nothing better to do, I'd keep a separate computer running for each decade I've been using one. I really liked my original Osborne 1. I hauled the heavy sewing machine shaped machine to user groups once a month where I would trade software on floppy disks with other geeks. Affordable hard drives hadn't even been invented yet. I got my first Macintosh in 1984 and have owned at least eight Macs since then. I edited video on machines that would be considered dinosaurs today. Everything worked though and I never missed a deadline. I miss those days.

Janet fixed chili tonight. A bowl of chili has always been our go-to meal on really cold days. As tasty as the chili was, I hope it is warmer tomorrow. I've had to plug in the little ceramic heater to keep the office warm and I'm wearing a sweater as I write. I'm not looking forward to going out in the middle of the night with Dash tonight. I wouldn't be surprised to see snow.

I was going to get a birthday card for my Luddite sister and I discovered that the Hallmark store in our neighborhood had gone out of business. I think the store has been gone for a while, but I don't buy cards very often. This isn't really a sign of the apocalypse, but it is discouraging that greeting cards are a thing of the past. I guess everybody just clicks the birthday button on Facebook now.

Molly is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2983

Dash gave me a scare today. We had just gotten started on our morning walk when I noticed that something seemed wrong. Dash was unsteady on his feet and didn't want to move. I suspected that he was having a mild vestibular event and immediately tried to get him back home. Luckily, we had not gone very far, so he was able to wobble his way back to the house. When we got inside, Dash seemed very tired and almost immediately went to sleep. He had no interest in food. Sleep must have helped because he woke up feeling fairly normal around noon.

I always worry that Dash might have a vestibular seizure when we are away from home. In the Summer, the best thing to do would be to sit with him in the grass and let him rest until someone could come for us. This probably wouldn't work very well on a rainy day in the Winter though. If a seizure is severe, I need to get him to a vet immediately. For mild seizures it is best to just keep him calm and wait until the symptoms subside. Luckily, major seizures are very rare. Dash has had several, but the vet said he may never have one again. Of course, he could have a bad episode tomorrow. Vestibular disease never really goes away.

The rain wasn't as bad today. There was a storm when we got up this morning, but things got better as the day progressed. It never really quit raining, but for most of the day all we got were light showers. I was able to take Dash on a short mid-adfternoon walk and later in the afternoon I was even able to inspect the roof. I was hoping to find the source of the leak on the back porch, but finding a leak is hard when everything is underwater. I plugged in the sump pump and began sweeping away water. I knew I wasn't going to be able to clear away all the water. I just wanted to reduce the load on the roof. Dealing with the roof is very discouraging in the Winter. Mother Nature always wins.

When the rain subsided a bit, I went to the grocery store and got some food for the weekend. I hate a muddy car, but there is no way to avoid driving in the rain when the rain never quits. I have to remember that the rain will stop eventually. Maybe I can go to a carwash later this Spring. Maybe the roof will be dry enough for the roofers to fix things by Summer.

The post office needs to get its act together. Today's mail looked like it had been dropped in a puddle. Everything was so wet that the envelopes had all come unglued. Even though there was a big pile of soggy mail, it was mostly just catalogs and political flyers. Nothing of significance was ruined. One of the reasons that I always take letters directly to the post office is that I have no faith in our mail carrier. This certainly isn't the first time we've received a box full of soggy mail or letters addressed to our neighbors.

The house always seems cold in wet weather. According to the thermostat, the temperature is the same as it always is, but it sure doesn't feel that way. I wonder is it's psychological? I just can't get warm enough on day like this. I've got the little ceramic heater going in the office and I'm wearing my down booties, but I'm still cold. Maybe I've just got poor circulation. If I don't keep my feet really warm, I feel like no blood gets to my toes at all.

We've had far worse Winters in the past, but this this extended rainy spell has got me nostalgic for Summer. Sure, it gets too hot, but we've got air conditioning. Somehow, our air conditioner always seems to work a lot better than our furnace. Not to worry though. The weatherman says it's going to warm up this weekend. I hope he's right.

Joey is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2941

Slow days can be dangerous. When I don't have much to do, I tend to update software. Lately, these updates come with a lot of rude surprises. Today, I discovered that iTunes is no longer a place to buy and store apps for your phone. I've always bought apps on iTunes and installed them on the phone or iPad later. I thought it was handy that you could activate or deactivate your purchases without actually erasing them. There was also a convenient feature that made it easy to rearrange the apps so they would appear where you wanted them. It's all gone now. Apple apparently wants you to do everything on the phone itself. I guess this is what most people do anyway, but I've never been most people.

It was way too cold when I woke up to take Dash on a morning walk, but the sky was clear and I knew it would warm up later in the day. To pass the time, I made pancakes and sausages at home instead of going out for breakfast. I'm so slow that Dash went back to the bedroom and took a nap before I finished my meal. When Dash leaves the scene while you're eating, you know he's tired.

It's a good thing that Dash still sleeps a lot, because otherwise I'd never get anything done. As Dash has gotten older, he's become a lot more needy and doesn't like to be left alone. He used to be content to sleep under my desk while I'm working, but now he wants me to go sit on the bed with him. If I wanted to spend the day watching Netflix movies, this would be fine, but I still have things to do.

Today I needed to send out my January invoices, but Dash didn't want me sitting at the computer. I took him outside several times and tried to figure out what he wanted. As it turned out, all he wanted was my complete and undivided attention. I eventually had to block the office door with a dog gate. He barked a few times and then went back to sleep on the bed. I'm slowly learning that life is simpler if I wait until he's asleep before I go to the office.

By lunchtime it was warm enough to stay outside for a while and I took Dash on a nice long walk. If I'd taken him on a walk before breakfast this morning, he probably would have been as much of a pest. You have to do everything in the proper order with this dog. Sadly, I have probably encouraged this behavior. I have to do everything in the proper order myself.

We took a second walk around 4 PM, before the air started turning cooler again. Whenever I see a Dalmatian with behavior problems, I know it isn't getting enough exercise. Dalmatians are very active, energetic digs. Even an old sick one like Dash has more energy than me.

One reason I was tired today was that that I had to get up several times and take Dash outside. This is becoming more frequent and is probably related to his new diet. I'm not sure which of the various brands of food he eats is giving him loose stools, but I'm reluctant to change anything. We've got a routine going now where Dash is eating consistently again. One of these days I'm going to need to get him tested for urate crystals again. I know his new diet is nutritious, but it may cause the crystals to form again. It's always something, isn't it.

I wish it would warm up. I don't know why I'm so cold this year because it's always cold in January. It's actually been much colder in previous years, but i don't  recall wearing so many sweaters before.

Pepper is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2903

If I made a chart that showed my productivity on the x-axis and the outside temperature on the y-axis, you could clearly see that the colder it gets, the less I accomplish. It was so cold today that I spent most of my time wondering if I should wear a warmer sweater. My office is on the opposite side of the house from the utility room, so the warm air from the furnace has already cooled down quite a bit by the time it makes its way through the the vent system. If I turn the furnace up enough to warm this room, the rest of the house is impossibly hot. Janet and Dash like the house cooler anyway, so I'm basically screwed.

The only good thing about the colder weather is that Dash enjoys his walks more in the Winter. Even though he was sick yesterday, he was eager to walk today. I have plenty of warm coats, so chilly walks are never a problem. I hate to sit at the computer wearing a down jacket and a wool hat though, so I'm always adding and subtracting sweaters. I never seem to be happy with the weather. It's always too hot, or too cold, or too wet, or too dry.

It was certainly too cold to go up on the roof today. It rained a lot last night, but the standing water will have to sit there for a while. It's hard enough working on the roof when it's warm. When it's cold, it seem downright dangerous. I hope I did a good job with the repairs I've been making for the past several weeks. This is the reason I continue to patch the roof.  The elastomer coating just needs to stay waterproof until the next warm, dry day.

It's easy for me to forget what day it is. I kept thinking it was Monday today. Probably just having a slightly different schedule yesterday was enough to throw me off. At any rate, I spent much of the day doing typical Monday errands. I went to the bank, paid some bills, and picked up some more Cerenia pills for Dash at the vet. It was a slow day, so I also wrote a letter to my sister.

I needed to order some more checks while I was at the bank and the lady I talked to tried to convince me to stop using paper checks. "We've got better ways to pay now," she told me. "Better for you," I kept thinking. What's wrong with paper? Everyone keeps trying to get me to go paperless. When the bank officer was telling me that using your phone to pay was more secure, I just rolled my eyes. Jeez. Virtually all security breeches are electronic in nature. Those Equifax hackers certainly didn't steal a huge pile of paper.

Dash seems fine today. Maybe it was the anti-nausea pills, or maybe his vestibular disease symptoms are over for a while. This is a frustrating disease because the symptoms come and go without warning. We're never really sure what makes him sick and what causes him to get better. I think the anti-nausea pills help, but since he can't keep taking them forever, we kind of just guess at when he really needs them.

It's supposed to be even colder tomorrow, so it may be time to find the little ceramic heater I keep under my desk in the Winter. In many ways it would be a lot easier to just use a laptop at the kitchen table in the Winter, but whenever I'm in the kitchen, Dash thinks it's time to eat. I could never get any work done in the kitchen. I actually hope that Dash is barking in the kitchen tomorrow. When he's acting this way, it usually means he's feeling pretty good.

Emmitt is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1855

I did end up going out for breakfast this morning in an effort to add some life to this cold, grey day. My meal was delicious, but the weather remained absolutely awful. The dogs and I have reached a consensus not to walk quite as far in the mornings. What is the point? All we get for our efforts are wet paws, muddy boots and a strong desire to take a nap when we return. When I returned from breakfast and opened the back door so the dogs could go outside and pee, they just glared at me from their dog beds. They had no desire to go outside again. I certainly couldn't blame them, since I was planning on spending the rest of the day inside as well.

I didn't have to worry about being bored today. There was plenty to do. I spent most of the day writing, and when I was finished with my assignments, there were the inevitable website updates as well. The work isn't rocket science, but I really can't complain. With all its drawbacks, I still prefer staring at a computer in a quiet house to working in an office. I don't think I could ever go back to an office again.

I hate to admit that I'm a little nervous about having my wisdom teeth removed on Friday the 13th. I need to think of a better excuse than pure superstition before I call the dentist and change the date however. I hate to think of myself as a superstitious person, even though I am. A regular blog reader told me today that he's lived with a dead tooth for over 40 years. That sounds good to me. All I really need is twenty-five years. No self respecting dentist would ever leave a dead tooth in your mouth though. They'll fill your head with dire warnings until you're convinced that you're going to die if you don't have the tooth removed immediately. I don't know why I have such a fear of dentists. I was in far greater danger when I had Hepatitis C, but the fear of having a tooth removed has always trumped everything.

Even since I got my new Bluetooth UP 24 band, I've been noticing that my phone battery has been draining almost twice as fast. This is irritating, because I hate to charge my phone more than once a day. Any decent battery ought to last at least a full day. I tried all sorts of schemes to extend battery life until I stumbled on the obvious. I just turn the phone off at night. Works like a charm. When the phone is completely powered down, the battery doesn't seem to discharge at all. So far, I see no downside to this technique. If anyone calls me in the middle of the night, I don't want the call anyway.

I think I need to tell my physical therapist to back off on the stretching exercises. Every time I go for my therapy appointment, the therapist adds three new exercises. If I did all these exercises faithfully, I'd spend half my day stretching. I have gained some mobility, but it comes at a price. I'm constantly sore these days.

I'm hoping for warmer weather tomorrow. I've got a lot of writing to do so I won't be outside much anyway, but it would still be nice if I didn't feel like I was heading toward the North Pole when the dogs and I head off on our morning walk.

Taylor is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1850

There is little incentive to go outside when it is eighteen degrees. You tend to stay in bed longer, linger over breakfast, and look for things to do around the house in hopes that it might get a little warmer. I can't put off walking the dogs forever though, so eventually we all suited up and pretended we lived up North. At least it wasn't as windy today as yesterday. I think Dot and Dash appreciated their sweaters this morning. Even they have their limits.

I still haven't made my travel arrangements for the SMAP launch at Vandenberg Air Force Base. I keep thinking that the minute I finalize everything they will change the launch date and I will have to start all over again. I can't delay things much longer though. Planes often fill up fast and hotels in small towns sometimes fill up even faster. Tomorrow sounds like a good day to get organized. I'll do this tomorrow. Actually, I watched a live broadcast about the satellite on NASA TV this morning. This thing is much more complex than I thought. A huge 20 foot microwave antenna mounted to a long mechanical arm rotates around the satellite at precisely 14.6 rpm. The radar beam from this rotating antenna is aimed at the earth, creating a circle over 600 miles wide as the antenna turns, allowing the entire earth to be scanned for soil moisture in just three days. When you look at the computer animations of this Rube Goldberg contraption in action, your first reaction is "This couldn't possible work." Of course I didn't think the Mars landers could possible work either. I continue to be amazed at what people can do when they put their minds to it. This is why I'm not a rocket scientist. I still have trouble getting my office WiFi network to work.

Dot had a really good day at her physical therapy session. Janet went along with us today, because she'd never seen Dot doing her workout routine in the underwater treadmill. Dot didn't disappoint. She was strong on the treadmill and very relaxed during her acupuncture session. It's hard to believe we've been doing this for over a year and a half now. It still seems like we started just a few weeks ago.

Work as a bit slow today, so I used the time to pay bills and catch up with my bookkeeping. If I'd remembered, I should have sent my January invoices out today as well, but it's hard to remember everything. I do remember that the appliance repairman promised to come back and fix our washing machine tomorrow. I hope he remembers too! I also remembered to take the trash out to the curb for tomorrow morning's trash collection. That's about it. I bet there were a dozen things I forgot.

Jordan 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

Day 1797

It's been cold recently, so I decided to get a pair of those compression pants I always see runners and cyclists wearing. You can put on as many sweaters and jackets as you like, but a pair of blue jeans just doesn't offer much protection from the cold. Twenty years ago I would have just bought some old fashioned cotton long underwear, but you don't see that stuff in regular stores anymore. I figured that the local Sports Authority store would have what I needed and sure enough they did. There was a whole section of high tech "cold wear," which basically looked just like women's yoga pants except that they were twice as expensive. "Don't you have anything with pockets in them," I asked the sales guy? Nope. No pockets anywhere. "I guess that's why men always seem to wear a ridiculous pair of baggy shorts on top of these things," I said. "Exactly," said the sales guy.

Even with their drawbacks, these tight fitting leggings did seem to provide an easy alternative to freezing on dog walks, so I bought a pair. Now I know why Under Armor has been such a hot stock for the past several years. These guys are the Apple Computer of underwear. There is no logical reason why a pair of spandex leggings should cost so much.

I was expecting to wake up to freezing rain this morning, but we had the non-freezing kind instead. There were reports of sleet a little north of us, but even though it was pretty damp, the temperature stayed above freezing all day. The dogs didn't seem to mind walking in the light mist. I think the cold weather invigorates them. I wish the cold invigorated me, since we've got a lot of cold days ahead. I've never liked the cold though and the best I can do is just try to stay warm.

I had to choose between cabin fever and getting the car dirty this afternoon, and surprisingly I choose to go to the gym anyway. On cold, wet days like this, my office is always the coldest room in the house. Somehow, a good workout at the gym seemed a much better way to stay warm than sitting at the computer and revising websites.

We had beef stew and cornbread for dinner tonight. The only thing missing was a roaring fire in the fireplace. Oops. We don't even have a fireplace. We do have two warm dogs though. That's almost as good. I think I'll go curl up with the dogs and hope for a warmer day tomorrow.

Alvin is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1761

It started raining just before we went to bed last night and continued until just after sunrise. Ordinarily, a night of heavy rain would upset Dot so much that none of us would get any sleep. Dot slept soundly though. She's starting to lose her hearing and didn't even notice the rain. When we woke up this morning, it was surprisingly cold. I had to look for a heavier coat before we took our morning walk, because my light Fall jacket just wasn't warm enough.

The temperature dropped so much that the plastic gas container I got for the generator fuel looked like it has imploded. I had filled the container with gas yesterday afternoon when it was quite warm and then sealed it. The change in air pressure literally caved in the  sides of the container. I think the same thing happens to your tires in the Winter. Supposedly, I don't need to worry about increasing my tire pressure in cold weather anymore, because the tires are filled with nitrogen now.

I kept busy today, but nothing of any consequence happened. I had to look for an odd sized nickel-metal hydride backup battery I needed for one of my audio recorders. I could have ordered the battery online, but I didn't have anything better to do today anyway. Eventually, I found the illusive battery, filled the car up with gas at a nearby station, and returned home to clear the water off the roof.

The park has gotten so muddy from all the recent rain that I've started walking the dogs through the neighborhood. I've avoided walking through the neighborhood ever since Dash got attacked by a viscous dog at the end of the street. It's been a long time since the attack and the aggressive dog finally got old and died. Two other aggressive dogs I've been worried about have moved out of the neighborhood, so maybe it's safe again. I like walking in the park better, but it's interesting to see how much the neighborhood has changed over the years. As older couples die or move, they are replaced by young couples with children who think the simple frame houses aren't big or fancy enough. On street after street, perfectly good homes are being scraped and replaced by McMansions. The original homeowners, who build here right after World War II, wouldn't even recognize the place anymore.

I'm still taping the new Dr. Who episodes every Saturday night, but haven't had much desire to actually watch the shows. For the most part, the scripts this season have been terrible. For a show where you are regularly expected to suspend disbelief, a lot of the new scenarios are just ridiculous. Clara and the new doctor don't seem to mesh very well either. I still like the 2005 series with Christopher Eccleston and Billie Piper the best.

It's almost time to turn the furnace on. I'm wearing a light jacket around the house because I'm cold, but Janet thinks the temperature is perfect. I never win these thermostat battles, especially when the dogs like the temperature cooler in the house as well. Eventually, everyone will agree that we need the furnace. Until then, I guess I'll have to bundle up.

Katy is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day