Day 4469 - Vernal Equinox

Today is the first day of Spring. It actually felt like it too. It was a warm, beautiful day and there were signs of new growth everywhere. The park, and even our own yard are turning green again. It's hard to imagine at this point that we will have any more freezing weather. Dawn certainly enjoyed the change of seasons. She had fun smelling things on her early morning walk and then was ready to go again a little later in the day when we took her on her Sunday outing.

I wasn't quite as exuberant because I was still feeling under the weather. I don't know how I got this cold, but I'm having a hard time shaking it. It's definitely your common, ordinary head cold, even though I rarely get these things. My nose is continually dripping and I feel like I've taken a bunch of decongestants even though I haven't taken any at all. I don't think it's the flu anymore, but I do feel tired.

We followed our regular Sunday routine. We had a big breakfast with bacon, eggs, and toast after Dawn had her sunrise walk. Dawn always gets a little bacon, so she loves our Sunday breakfast. Janet had some things to do, but we were ready to take Dawn on her Sunday outing around noon. Dawn will never ride well in the car, but she definitely enjoys this change of pace from her regular walks. Maybe the smells are different at the little park on top of the hill.

I don't know why I even bothered taking my long walk later today. I'd already walked enough. I should have just gone back to bed. Instead, I set out on my regular route but didn't get very far. Even though it was a beautiful day I only walked two additional miles. I was tired. Maybe I'll feel better tomorrow. I certainly hope so.

Dawn does seem to trust me a little more after spending a week alone with me. This of course makes Janet want to take another trip. I don't think Dawn is eager for Janet to go away again. She just doesn't think I'm someone to be afraid of anymore. This is all good. Maybe we'll finally have a family dog after all. This would be good for everybody. Especially Dawn.

I wonder when I'm going to hear about my application to attend the Axiom-1 launch? This launch happens pretty soon. I hate to make reservations before I get credentialed, because it's a pain to cancel things if the trip doesn't work out. These days, people would rather just leave you with a credit on your account than go to the trouble of giving you your money back. Flights and hotels fill up fast though now that the entire country is eager to travel again. Flights to Orlando are always full anyway because of Disneyland. I'm sure everything will get sorted out. I just tend to fret about everything.

I guess we'll go visit the kennel Dalmatians tomorrow. The weekend went by so fast that it doesn't seem like tomorrow is Monday. We have a lot of dogs to visit now, so I'd better get my long walk out of the way before we go. I waited to walk until after we got home last week and the sun was setting by the time I returned home. These are the kind of decisions I make these days. My life is so simple and yet it still seems complicated to me,

Baxter is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4467

All is well that ends well. Janet is home again and Dawn is a very happy dog. Actually today was Dawn's best day this week. She was finally starting to relax a little. I could clearly see the fear and uncertainty start to recede. Who knows. If Janet's vacation had lasted a few days longer we might have started to bond. I'm glad the week is over though. It's been a tough week for both of us. Dawn had to work really hard to overcome her many fears. Her worst day was when she threw up on the bed and refused to eat her breakfast. My worst day was when I felt like I'd come down with the flu. I have no idea if I really had the flu or not, but I had a persistant cough, was running a fever, and everything ached. I feel quite a bit better now and of course Dawn is over the moon now that Janet has returned..

I was determined to get something done today. I wrote several query letters with proposals for future articles. I guess it's a good sign that I've already received one reply. There's a launch in early April that Spaceflight would like me to cover, so I've already applied with Space X for credentials. Space X is much easier to deal with than NASA, so I'm optimistic that this is going to work out. The proposal I sent to Sky & Telescope might take a while to percolate to somebody's desk. They have always been very slow to respond. At least I did something. I was getting to the point where I was becoming too discouraged to even try.

I'm not sure how long I can continue taking my daily long walks. It's not fun anymore and the foot pain keeps getting worse. Usually only the last mile is terrible, so I'm thinking of scaling back my walks to 10,000 steps a day. That's less than half of what I can do on a good day, but I haven't had a good day in a long time. Maybe I'm wrong but I think reducing my daily mileage is a lot better than just quitting.

I had to make a non-standard change on the Dalmatian Rescue website today and it took me forever to remember how to write the code. I kept wanting to revert to the old way I used to build static sites years ago. This didn't work because I need to use the new mobile friendly website code. Why have I forgotten all this? I eventually figured out what I needed to do, but it was a bit disconcerting to see how quickly skills fade away if you don't use them everyday. I guess this is why I still do a daily blog post and take pictures with my phone whenever I see something interesting. If you want to call yourself a creative person, you've got to have some skin in the game.

I hope now that life has returned to normal I can finally get some sleep. Dawn and I didn't sleep well this week. The slightest noise would wake Dawn and she would sit up in the bed and look real alert until she thought the danger had past. This would usually wake me up as well. My problem was that I was always either too hot or too cold. The temperature never seemed right and my sleep stats on Fitbit and my Apple Watch were very strange. My resting heart rate was much higher than usual and my respiration rate was all over the place. At any rate, I'm tired of feeling poorly. Maybe I just don't handle stress very well.

It's hard to believe that it's already time to go grocery shopping again. My list will probably be longer than usual this week because the refrigerator is looking pretty empty. The pot roast that Janet fixed lasted all week. I don't know whether I'll need to get gas since I didn't go anywhere this week. The car never left the driveway. Hopefully the car will start tomorrow.

Skippy is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2994

OK. I voted. I've never really liked primary elections because the candidates viciously trash each other and then act surprised when all their negative ads come back to bite them in the general election. Aren't you guys supposed to be on the same team? Both parties are guilty of wanting to win at any cost. I received so much negative advertising during this primary season that I basically think all the candidates are worthless. I'm convinced that we would be better served if the vast majority of politicians didn't start out as lawyers. Lawyers just want to win. It's a game to them. I'd rather be represented by somebody who owned a pizza restaurant or walked dogs for a living than a lawyer.

Hey, I still voted though, even though Janet probably shamed me into going to our neighborhood polling place. I've had a spotty voting history over the years. I didn't vote regularly when I was younger. I just didn't think it mattered which party won. There are times when I would have preferred a monarchy. Our adversarial system seems to promote rancor and discord. I'm not surprised we're a divided country. We talk a good game about working together, but nobody really makes the effort. It's much more satisfying to just trash the other side.

I spoke too soon about my cold being over. I woke up in a cold sweat again last night. I thought I must have a fever, but my temperature was only 96 degrees. Weird. The sheets were damp, so I went back to sleep on some dry towels and changed the bed in the morning. Janet and Dash never woke up, which is probably a good thing. I'm definitely tired of feeling lousy. Unfortunately, there's not a lot you can do to shorten the duration of a cold. You've got to just let it run its course. Most cold remedies only provide very temporary relief.

Dash is still being moody. He barks at me while I'm eating breakfast. When I take him outside, he refuses to walk. It took me forever to clean all the bedding this morning and as soon as I finished making the bed again, Dash hopped up and used the bedspread as a dishrag to wipe his dirty snout. I think Dash misses having another dog around. He was much better behaved when Dot was in the house.

The repair I made on my fitness tracker didn't even last one day. Apparently superglue doesn't stick very well to silicon. I really like the Jawbone UP trackers, but they aren't made very well. My desk is littered with broken ones. I'm not doing a good job of fixing anything these days. I'm starting to see frost on the inside of the freezer again and there is still an annoying dripping sound inside the toilet tank. I'm treading water at best. Basically, all the broken things are winning.

In case you were wondering, I never got around to working on my taxes today. I did take a nice picture of a Cedar Waxwing though. Oh, well. There's always tomorrow.

Anne is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2993

I went to the doctor today. No, I didn't go about my cold. This appointment had been scheduled months ago for some routine lab work. I've had my blood drawn so many times over the years that I feel like I could give reviews on the technician's technique. Phlebotomists tell me that I have unusually good veins for drawing blood. Supposedly, I'm an easy patient. When the technician is good at their job, I never feel a thing. That wasn't the case today. I couldn't believe that the phlebotomist was having trouble finding a vein. My veins are like freeways. I kind of felt sorry for the nurse. She eventually had to call in a co-worker to help her.

Hopefully, my test results are good. I'm tired of being a pincushion. On the way home from my appointment I stopped at our city's only authentic Italian grocery store and got some hot Italian sausage. I don't know how these guys make this stuff, but it is the without a doubt the best sausage in town. Whenever I can't think of anything to eat, Italian sausage always saves the day.

I'm feeling a little better today. I've still got a runny nose, but the constant sneezing has subsided. I don't think the doctor even realized I had a cold. I didn't cough or blow my nose at all during my appointment. Janet is already getting better, so maybe the bug we caught is very short lived. I think last night was the worst for me. I woke up twice in a cold sweat. At any rate, I don't have a fever and I feel better than I did yesterday, so things are headed in the right direction.

I can't figure out why Dash won't take an afternoon walk anymore. He is still eager to walk in the morning, but I can't get him outside in the afternoon. It's odd, because the weather is usually much nicer in the afternoon. This behavior is relatively new. As recently as a week ago he was walking fine in the afternoon. I'm sure this means something but the answer isn't obvious. Does he have arthritis and is painful after his first walk? Is he apprehensive about the increased number of dogs in the park in the afternoons? Maybe he's just started to wait for Janet to come home a little earlier than usual. I wish I knew what was going on, because I think that he and I both need to keep moving.

It was nice to see the market rebound a bit. I don't understand this new volatility. A little bit of bad news will cause things to drop three hundred points. Conversely, a little bit of good news can signal a three hundred point gain. I think I was more comfortable back in the days where a 25 point move was big news. One thing is certain. Whether the market goes up or down, I've still got to do my taxes. Maybe I'll get started tomorrow. I always seem to wait until the last possible minute.

I hope I can sleep tonight. Last night was no fun at all. I don't know how people with little kids deal with being sick all the time. It would drive me crazy.

Rory is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2992

I'm not guessing anymore. I've definitely got a cold. All the symptoms are there. I've got a lot of congestion. My nose won't stop running. I have a sore throat. And I'm feeling very tired. All this happened overnight. When I went to bed, I still thought I might be suffering from seasonal allergies. Nope. This is a cold.

I didn't get a lot of rest because the cold actually feels worse when I am lying down. The sinus congestion is terrible when I am in a horizontal position. I tried the trick of pressing my tongue against the roof of my mouth while applying pressure with a finger between my eyebrows. This accomplished nothing. I can't take antihistamines, so I tried an Alka-Seltzer too. That didn't do much either.

Since resting didn't make me feel any better, I just went about my normal day. Janet and I walked Dash in the morning and then we all ate breakfast. After breakfast I went to the gym. Surprisingly, the congestion went away while I was using the hand bicycle. It came back again unfortunately while I was on the treadmill. I'm pretty sure I got this cold from Janet since she has exactly the same symptoms. Where she got it is anybody's guess.

I guess this is my yearly cold. No matter how hard I try to avoid people and stay inside my protective cocoon, I still manage to get sick occasionally. If you want to catch a cold quickly, just hang around people who have children. Children always seem to have colds in the Winter and they quickly spread to their parents and teachers. Maybe teachers build up an immunity. I think I would be sick all the time if I were a teacher.

At least Janet and I don't appear to have the flu. Neither of us had a fever. If it weren't for the fact that my head feels like it is going to explode, I really don't feel all that bad. Maybe if I get a good night's sleep tonight, I'll feel better in the morning. I certainly hope I'm not under the weather for very long. I've got a lot to do next week.

I tried to watch the Oscars for a while this evening, but after about ten minutes I'd had all I could take. Hollywood celebrities seems like alien beings now. I have so little in common with them that I can't even relate to anything they're saying. When did this all change? I can remember years ago that I enjoyed the Academy Awards enough that I would go to Oscar watching parties with my friends. The only film I've seen all year is Blade Runner 2049 and I think it is only nominated for Best Cinematography. Some of the films that were nominated this year I've never even heard of.

I added some new dogs to the Dalmatian rescue website this afternoon. I haven't met any of these dogs yet, but they all look fabulous. A few lucky people are going to be very happy with their new companion. The dogs will be even happier to finally have their forever home.

Orion is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2991

This is the time of year when it's hard to tell whether you've got allergies or a cold. I woke up this morning with a scratchy throat, watering eyes, and a runny nose. Yesterday I thought I was dealing with seasonal allergies. Today it feels more like a cold. Either way, I'd like to put this behind me. When I'm feeling under the weather, I never get anything done.

Dash had more energy than I did this morning. He was feeling good. He insisted on walking along the shoreline, which wasn't a great idea since high water from our recent wet weather had left behind lots of debris. I was worried that Dash would cut himself, but from a dogs point of view, all this debris was just new stuff to smell. It was a good thing we had a nice long walk this morning, because this afternoon Dash didn't want to walk at all. I wish I was better at reading his moods. It's frustrating to spend a lot of time putting on his protective gear if he won't leave the yard.

I did a lot of laundry today. It's amazing how dirty the bed can get when your dog thinks the bedspread is a giant bath towel. I try my best to clean Dash's paws before he comes inside in wet weather, but when it keeps raining for weeks at a time, you reach a point where you just give up. We've already replaced the white comforter on the bed with a dark blue one. We couldn't keep the white comforter looking nice for five minutes.

I had a bunch of errands to run this afternoon. In addition to the regular grocery shopping, I got some orthotic inserts for my dog walking shoes at CVS and some printer ink at Fry's. There was nobody at the register when I was at CVS. I had to track down someone stocking shelves. At Fry's only three of the stores forty-four registers were occupied. This is what retail has become. Stores think they can operate with a skeleton crew these days. They say unemployment is near record lows. I wonder where everyone is working?

It's time to start working on taxes again. The accountant wants my material two weeks earlier this year, so I better get started. At some point I need to consider formally shutting the company down. It would certainly make life easier at tax time. The company doesn't make much money anymore. I don't buy much production equipment these days. I don't travel on business and I don't even drive very much. I might be better off just taking the standard deduction.

Do I go to the gym tomorrow, get started on my taxes, clear the water off the roof while the weather is still nice, or just stay in bed and nurse my cold? It's a tough decision.

Maggie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2566

Janet and I decided to go out for an early Christmas dinner before she leaves for the holidays. We went to Knife to try their burgers. Knife is basically a steakhouse, but after a well known food critic wrote that Knife's hamburgers were in his opinion the best in the entire world, I've been curious to try them. I'll have to say that I wasn't disappointed. These burgers were amazing.

I've learned not to check the pet cam when we are trying to do something enjoyable away from home. It always spoils everything. We had a relaxing and very enjoyable dinner, but I wasn't surprised to see that the house was a disaster when we returned. Dot is completely unpredictable now. When she poops, it might be ten hours before she goes again or ten minutes. I thought we had a chance this time, because she'd pooped about an hour before we left the house. It wasn't meant to be. My poop forensics abilities were able to determine that she'd heard a noise outside and pooped while she was struggling to get up and investigate. It's so much easier when Dot poops while she's asleep. This time she stepped in the stuff and tracked the mess all over her penned in area in the hallway. Three blankets and a large waterproof floor protector all needed to be hosed off and thrown in the washing machine. Dot needed quite a bit of cleanup herself.

Janet had a vacation day today, but it still seemed like a normal Friday to me. I checked to make sure the trash had been picked up, went out for my regular Friday morning breakfast, and then returned home to finish writing my last article before the Christmas holidays. I wrote the article quickly enough, but then I discovered that my client hadn't been receiving my mail all week because their IT department was blocking me again. This happens every couple of months and it is infuriating. Guys, how many times do I have to tell you that I'm not a spammer. I'm sure that there are a few spammers using Bluehost servers, but you don't have to block the entire hosting company to catch them. To make a long story short, it took more time to successfully send the article than it took to write it.

This has got to be the worst weather for fighting a cold. It's cold and damp outside and warm and dry inside. I'm constantly taking Dot out without adequate clothing, because there isn't time to bundle up. At least I've got a bunch of cough drops now. I'm surprised that the dogs haven't caught colds too. It's really nasty out. If Dot didn't need me, I'd probably spend the entire holiday weekend sleeping. It's almost certain that she's going to wake up at 5:30 AM tomorrow morning though, just like she always does. If I don't get her outside by 5:31, there will be pee on the floor.

I hope it dries out and warms up a bit tomorrow. There are too many wet leaves on the floor and too many wet paws on the bedspread. It would be nice if I quit coughing too. At least I didn't cough during dinner tonight. Dinner was definitely the high point of the day.

Ziggy is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2562

I feel like we're embarking on a journey to the South Pole each time we get ready for our morning walk. There are so many layers now to ward off the cold. Dash wears a snug black sweater under his red service dog harness. Dot wears a modified puffy coat over her Help ‘Em Up harness. Both dogs have fleece lined hats that actually fit properly on their heads, so they don't immediately shake them off. It's always easier to dress the dogs first. I wear a lightweight technical climbing jacket under a heaver goose down coat. I'm not sure what Janet wears, but she looks warm. I have to remember to pee before I pull on the compression pants that go under my regular pants. I hate that compression pants don't have a fly. My hiking boots go on last, so I won't track mud through the rest of the house. This all might seem a bit excessive, since the temperatures aren't below zero or anything, but you have to remember that we're Southerners.

I"ll be glad when warmer weather and a sense of sanity returns. I don't know about you, but I've had enough of this polar vortex. Everything seems to take longer when it's cold. There are so many leaves on the ground now that I have to drop brightly colored plastic markers when the dogs poop at night, so I can find the stuff the next morning. The outdoor faucets are frozen, so it's gotten a little harder to clean Dot up after she's made a mess. On a more positive note, there's hardly any condensation on the windows this year. The dehumidifier is really doing its job. The furnace is running constantly, so I think I made a good repair. Even though the thermostat says the temperature is normal inside the house, I still feel cold most of the day. I'm just not a Winter person.

I had a couple of articles to write today, but I only managed to finish one of them. Before Dot got sick, I could easily finish four articles in a single day when it was necessary. Those days are gone. When Dot wakes up from her morning nap, she tries to stay on her feet the rest of the day. Sometimes she barks when she needs help and other times I just find her stuck in a corner somewhere. I have to remember to gate her out of bathrooms with tile floors, because she'll immediately fall on the slick surface. For the most part, I try to walk behind her and hold her up while she meanders around the house. She likes her independence though, so when she's feeling strong, I still let her try to walk on her own. If I ignore her for even ten minutes, she's almost certain to poop or pee on something. It makes for a busy and somewhat stressful day.

After a multi-million dollar ad campaign featuring Hollywood celebrities, protests in major cities, and even death threats, only two electors failed to vote for Donald Trump. Meanwhile, seven electors tried to defect from Hillary Clinton. Jill Stein's expensive recount effort actually ended up netting Trump hundreds of additional votes in Wisconsin. I really don't understand why it is so hard for some people to be pragmatic and accept reality. You lost. Contrary to what some might think, the Electoral College wasn't created to prevent Donald trump from becoming president. It was created to prevent a few people in large population centers from imposing their will on the entire country. The Electoral College is a good thing. Without it, many states wouldn't have a voice at all. I'm happy that the people of Vermont, North Dakota, and Wyoming have a voice. We need this balance. Lord help us if the people of San Francisco ever started making the rules for everyone.

The election is over and I'm ready to move on. I'm also ready for this nagging cold to be over. When I was running errands today, a checkout clerk asked me if I wanted a printed or e-mail receipt and when I started to answer it triggered a horrible coughing fit instead. It was embarrassing to say the least. Since I couldn't speak, I just grabbed my bag and ran coughing from the store. Here's hoping that the weather will be warmer tomorrow and my sore throat, cough, and chest congestion will miraculously disappear.

Ranger is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2561

This was easily the coldest day of the year. I think the temperature was only fifteen degrees when we woke up. Everyone wanted to stay under the covers except for Dot. She needed to pee. I threw on a coat, got her outside, and quickly realized that it was going to be a long day.

After feeding the dogs breakfast, we all bundled up in warm coats and hats and went on our regular morning walk. Dash wasn't very enthusiastic, but Dot seemed to love the cold. She had enough energy to make it all the way to a tennis court on the edge of the park, about a half mile away. The old girl is pretty amazing.

Several people suggested that I just take it easy today because of my cold, but I don't even understand the concept anymore. Chores, obligations, and a feeling that I've just got to keep moving have taken over me. I don't even feel like reading a book or going to a movie anymore. Dot always needs something. I'm always doing laundry, cleaning up poop, or walking Dot around with her special harness. It's a lot of work, but it's good to feel needed. There are not a lot of people who actually need me anymore, but I can tell that Dot appreciates having me around. Needless to say, I didn't relax and watch a movie this afternoon. I went to the gym like I always do.

There was a story on the news today about several people in a wedding party getting killed when a large tree fell on them at an outdoor reception. There are so many old trees the park, that I always worry that a tree will fall on me while I'm walking the dogs. Several years ago a tree actually did fall on a cyclist in the park and severely injured him. I have seen large limbs fall off old growth trees while we were walking, but luckily we were always out of harm's way. At least twice in the past ten years, large limbs have fallen off our own trees. One landed on our roof and the other narrowly missed falling on Petey, an earlier Dalmatian we had. I'm probably living on borrowed time.

Am I the only one who is really getting tired of hearing that everything is Russia's fault? If Russia is such a huge problem, why didn't you whiners bring it up before your candidate lost the election. I seem to remember that Hillary took a lot of pleasure in pressing that Russia reset button a few years ago. And didn't Obama whisper in Dmitry Medvedev's ear that "After my election I will have more flexibility." How quickly we forget. It's weird to hear anyone on Capitol Hill get bent out of shape because Russia allegedly meddled in our election. For years, the same CIA that broke this news has been one of the world's worst offenders at meddling in other people's elections. Ask Benjamin Netanyahu how how he feels about US interference in his own election campaign. The CIA has a long history of installing puppet governments all over the world. Karma is a bitch guys. The United States has been meddling in other people's elections for decades. Personally, I don't care whether the Wikileaks information originally came from the Russians or a DNC insider. These leaked e-mails were just about the only truth that was revealed during the entire election campaign. Almost everything else on both sides was fake news. To me it is a bit ironic to hear democrats whine that their candidate lost because some information that was completely true was leaked to the public.

I'm not a political person. I've had conservative friends, progressive friends, and friends who never bothered to vote. For the most part, I've always respected my progressive friends. It's getting harder now, because you guys are such irritating whiners. Get over it. Your candidate lost. If you want to win next time, you might try listening to what people actually want instead of always trying to force feed them what you in your infinite wisdom think they need. Moral superiority is not a winning proposition. Hey, what do I know though? I never voted until I was 40.

Alvin is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2560

The weather couldn't have been weirder today. The temperature was warm and humid this morning. I even turned on the air conditioner for a while, because it was almost 80 degrees. Everything changed around 1 PM. After that point the temperature started to drop swiftly. I think it's been dropping at last five degrees an hour all afternoon. Add the wind chill effect from a really stiff wind and you've got some nasty conditions. It is supposed to get colder for the rest of the night, with single digit temperatures around sunrise.

Not surprisingly, the dogs don't like this weather at all. They enjoy cooler temperatures, but dealing with a polar vortex is another matter entirely. Dot dutifully walked to the end of our street, seemingly perplexed by the sudden change that had taken place. Dash wouldn't go outside at all. I don't blame the dogs for their reluctance, but it sure would have been nice if they'd both pooped. Now we've got to deal with taking them out in the back yard over and over again as the temperature drops even further.

I washed the car this morning while it was still warm. I don't know why a clean car is such a big deal to me. Maybe it's because it's one of the few things that is still under my control. A clean house is hopeless these days, but a clean car is still possible. I did change the sheets today and washed three rugs that Dot peed on this morning, but the house is far from clean. We're in the process of changing our rug configuration. In the future, all rugs will be small enough to fit in the washing machine. The really large area rugs are simply too hard to clean. In the Summer you could take these large rugs outside and hose them off. They would be dry again the same day. It's a different story now. If I tried to clean a rug outside now, it would remain damp for the rest of the Winter.

I wish I knew who was selling my cell phone number to telemarketers. My land line has been inundated with telemarketers for years, but until recently my cell phone has remained relatively immune from this nuisance. The older I get, the more telemarketing calls I get. I'm sure people think that once you reach a certain age, you will become senile enough to fall for their ridiculous sales pitch. I'm still sharp enough to realize that these people aren't my friends. I rarely answer my phone at all.

My cold is getting worse.Today I had a sore throat, chest congestion, coughing, and a runny nose. As colds go, this is pretty much the whole nine yards. Janet thinks I should start taking antihistamines like she is, but I don't think they help much. At best, antihistamines mask some of the symptoms, but they don't make the cold go away any quicker. Time is the only thing that cures a cold. I'm trying to be patient, but time seems to be moving pretty slowly. I'm ready to start feeling normal again.

Every time the weather gets bad, I start to worry that something is going to break. It would be a disaster if the washing machine broke and I needed to go to to the laundromat to clean Dot's bedding and a house full of rugs. I'm hoping that I did my furnace repair properly. I'd hate to wake up to a cold house tomorrow morning. I don't want the pipes to freeze either. I can't believe that I used to live up North. I don't think I could do it anymore.

Duke is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2558 - Blogiversary

Today didn't go well. It was cold when I woke up this morning and I quickly discovered that the furnace had gone out. Perfect timing, since the temperature is supposed to be in the low teens this weekend. It's really hard to get my HVAC guy to make a rush service call at this time of year, so I decided to try to fix the furnace myself. I always watch what the repair guys are doing when they come out to the house. I'm certainly no furnace expert, but I have learned a few things over the years. One of the most common reasons that a furnace goes out is a dirty flame sensor. I got out my tools and of course I couldn't find the right ones anymore. The utility room seemed a lot smaller than it did the last time I attempted a furnace repair. I felt too old to do this sort of thing anymore.

Eventually I got the cover off the furnace, but I didn't have the right tool to remove the sensor. The prospect of spending the day in a very cold house with two demanding dogs wasn't very appealing, so I tried to come up with a creative solution. After some experimentation I discovered that I was able to reach my left hand behind the panel where the flame sensor was attached and feel the sensor itself. I got a small piece of sandpaper and used it to polish the sensor probe. Although I couldn't see what I was doing, it felt right. After struggling in the small room for about forty minutes, I put the furnace back together and turned on the heat. The furnace lit like a charm and I saved $100. I wish I knew more about furnaces. There are hundreds of things that can go wrong, but I am only capable of fixing two of them.

UPS lost the package that I was supposed to pick up today. This is the third time this has happened this year. I redirect the packages to a convenient customer service center about four miles away so I won't have to wait for the UPS man all day. According to the UPS website, this process is foolproof, but the website lies. I'll get an e-mail saying my package is ready to pick up and then when I arrive at the will-call desk, the package isn't there. This drives me nuts, because the people at the service center are never in a hurry to find the package. I've never lost a shipment entirely, but sometimes it takes them days to track down the missing package. I've never received a good explanation for why this happens so often.

Janet had to leave for work really early this morning, so had to walk the dogs myself in the morning and then again in the afternoon. This takes a really long time, since Dot's walk is so slow. I could easily spend all day walking these dogs. Even though I took Dot outside again and again, she still managed to make a mess in the house. At least we still had running water so I could do laundry. There was a big water leak at the other end of our street and some of my neighbors have had their water turned off all day.

My cold is getting worse. I've added nasal congestion and laryngitis to the sore throat I had yesterday. Basically, when you add a bad cold to all the other problems I deal with on a daily basis, it makes for a pretty bad day. I had three articles to write today, but I only managed to finish one of them because the dogs were constantly interrupting me. There wasn't even the usual sleepy period this morning. They kept me busy all day long.

Tomorrow is probably going to be even busier than today. I still have two more articles to finish and I know I'm going to continue fretting about the lost package until I get an acceptable answer from UPS. Dot has a big exam at the cancer center too. We'll be doing an ultrasound scan, x-rays, and some additional blood work. I"m almost certain that Dot will poop in the car.

I hope I still have time to go out for breakfast tomorrow morning. I need a little time to myself and another Big Boy breakfast sandwich like I had last week sounds really good.

Jasper is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2557

Sometimes it's embarrassing to explain how I spend my day. Even the big events can be kind of trivial. Spelling errors always bother me. Especially when I make them myself. This morning I noticed a glaring spelling error in yesterday's blog post and I wasted hours trying to correct it. You'd think it would be easy to just correct the error and update the blog. Well, nothing is easy with me. Every time I publish a post, it is time stamped and syndicated to my various social media accounts. Correcting the blog itself would not correct the way it looks on Facebook, Twitter, or anywhere else. I had to figure out a way to erase all those links and then publish a new version with yesterday evening's date. Heaven forbid that it looked like I skipped a day. Does any of this even matter? Of course not. Does it matter to me. Apparently so. I finally got everything looking exactly the way it should and now the unfortunate spelling error never even existed. Morning wasted.

I've definitely got a cold now.  Once you catch a cold there isn't a lot you can do. There are hundreds of cold remedies on the market, but I find that very few of them help at all. You've just got to let the cold run its course. A lot of people take antihistamines, but I hate the way they make me feel. My head feels like it is going to explode after I've taken antihistamine pills. Cough drops provide mild relief from a sore throat, but if the sore throat is bad, you can go through a bag of cough drops in a day. That's a lot of sugar and menthol. I don't have a fever, so I'm hoping this cold won't be too bad. The weather certainly isn't helping. It was nasty again today.

I got a package from B&H this morning. Last week I'd ordered two small items that could have easily fit in the same envelope. Only one of the items arrived. The other is being shipped separately and apparently I have to sign for it. Why? It would have been so easy to dump both items in the same envelope. Since I hate waiting around all day for the UPS guy, now I've got to drive down to the UPS service center and pick up the shipment myself. UPS drivers rarely leave packages at the front door anymore, since there are people who follow the brown trucks around and then steal the packages. I'll be glad when Amazon perfects drone delivery. Maybe they can use military grade drones and just shoot the package thieves. I don't think anyone would mind.

I thought I'd have Pad Thai for dinner tonight. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I knew I had enough reward points at Pei Wei to get a free meal. When I went to pick up my dinner, I discovered that my points had expired. Damn. I must have looked really disappointed because the guy at the register looked up my account on the computer and told me he'd give me the Pad Thai for free anyway because my points had only expired a few days ago. What a nice surprise. For a few short moments I felt like humanity wasn't doomed after all.

Dot had lots of accidents today. I always thought that poop was the big problem, but now I'm discovering that pee is actually harder to clean up. When Dot pees inside, it soaks through everything it touches almost instantly. I did a lot of laundry today and spent some time scrubbing the floor as well. I'm hoping that Dot's oncologist can give me some advice on controlling incontinence when we go for our cancer recheck on Friday.

Maybe a good night's sleep will conquer this cold. It's not very likely, but I can always hope.

Lance is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2556

We didn't make it to the back door this morning, so there were a lot of rugs to wash. This one was my fault. I knew Dot had to go as soon as I woke up, but I failed to make sure that the back door was already open before we made our race for the back yard. Slowing down just a little to give Janet a chance to open the door was all it took and Dot peed all over the place.

I'm learning to get everything done in the morning now. After their morning walk, Dot and Dash will still go back to sleep for a few hours. Today, I used that time to take my invoices to the post office and run a few errands. I left the house before I took a shower or even turned on the computer. I really didn't know how long I had.

Maybe it's the Tramadol pills that are giving Dot a little more energy. Maybe it's something else. I'm glad to see her moving around more, but it sure keeps me busy. I've tried to let her wander around the house on her own, but it doesn't work very well. Dot is still very unsteady on her feet and she usually falls within a minute or two if I am not supporting her rear end. Since her incontinence has gotten worse, she also tends to leak a lot. Whenever she falls, there is usually a puddle of pee on the ground when I lift her up.

I've thought about trying a doggie wheelchair for her, but they don't work very well for larger dogs. Our first Dalmatian used a wheelchair during his last year, but he was always tipping it over. A wheelchair is terrible for a dog that likes to alternate between walking around and lying down. You spend all your time hooking them up and detaching them from the contraption. A wheelchair might be good for longer outdoor walks though. I'm almost at my wits end and am willing to try almost anything.

I think I'm coming down with a cold. I rarely get sick, but if I do it's almost always during the holiday season. Everyone seems to have a cold in December. Even though I do my best to avoid people, there is inevitably someone coughing or sneezing nearby. So far, I've just got a mild sore throat. Hopefully, that's as far as it goes. I'll see if I can shake this one off.

The large format printer is clogged again. I wish I could bring myself to just throw this albatross away. I have a lot of compassion for old dogs, but it's hard to be sympathetic to an old printer. At some point I'm going to realize that I get nothing in return for all the expensive ink and maintenance I pour into this relic. I need to find a twelve step program for people who are attached to obsolete gear. Keeping all these things running is getting ridiculous.

Cookie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2478

Dot woke me up last night making that familiar sound that dogs make before they throw up. I got her to drink some water, which calmed her down and then she went back to sleep. Oddly, it was me who ended up throwing up a few hours later. I still don't know what was wrong. I usually have a cast iron stomach, but I must have eaten something that didn't agree with me. After spending fifteen minutes in the bathroom, I finally felt good enough to go back to sleep. An hour later, Dot woke me again when she pooped in her bed. Needless to say, I was tired this morning.

It was raining pretty hard when we woke up. I thought that Dot would just pee on the porch to avoid getting wet, but she dragged me out to the middle of the yard where we both got soaked. This was as close to a morning walk as we got. I knew the rain would quit eventually, but I resigned myself to a morning of dealing with restless, housebound dogs.

I noticed that the air felt different while I was eating breakfast and then I realized that the furnace was on. I guess Fall is really here. It hasn't been cold enough to need the furnace since late last Spring. Hey, at least the furnace works this year. There have been many years when I wanted a little extra warmth on these cool Fall days and couldn't get the furnace to light. Unfortunately, not all the machines loved me this morning. The furnace burners may have worked like a charm, but the security light in the back yard has gone out again. Do I call the electrician, or just wait for the lamp to dry out? The light sensor seems to work much better in dry weather.

One of my clients called today asking me to recommend a hosting company. Like most of us, he wanted a place that was inexpensive, completely reliable, and staffed by a knowledgeable, friendly technical support team. It would have been easier to tell this guy where he could ride a Unicorn. If you're looking for a trouble free Internet experience, I'm not going to be much help. I'm still looking for this mythical place myself. If you're online, your e-mail will quit working occasionally. You might get hacked. If you have a problem, it will be answered inconclusively by someone on the other side of the world who you have trouble understanding. That's just the way it is.

I tried listening to the presidential debate tonight, but all I heard was blah, blah, blah. I would wander into the room with the TV on, but couldn't listen for more than thirty seconds at a time. I don't believe either one of these guys. It's sad that our political system has come to this, but again, that's just the way it is. Most of the things that Bush promised during his presidential debates never came true. Most of the things Obama promised during his presidential debates never came true. What makes you think any of the promises you heard tonight will ever come true?

I hope the rain stops tomorrow. I need some time to clean things up. Rain was a problem even when the dogs were young and healthy, Now it seems even worse. We'll do the best we can. I guess a little mud won't kill us. If you want to look on the bright side, the roof isn't leaking and I did manage to find some of that powdered graphite I've been looking for.

Suki is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2266

It was a normal Sunday. The dogs got a more leisurely walk than they do on weekdays. We had bacon and eggs with biscuits for breakfast, which is a weekend only treat. Janet went to the gym and I vacuumed the house. I updated another website while trying to decide what to do with the rest of my day. With the remnants of a stubbornly persistent cold, I really didn't feel like doing much.

I used to watch the Oscars religiously, but I haven't bothered for the past several years. Tonight I had no interest in the award show whatsoever. The only event I made an effort to watch was the Space X SES-9 launch, but the mission was aborted for the third time in less than a week due to a boat that had wandered into a restricted area downrange. It must be really expensive to scrub a launch just because a boat wandered off course.

When I was out in the yard this afternoon, I saw a squirrel that looked like it was wearing a collar. On closer examination, it appeared that the squirrel had stuck his head through some rope netting and gotten stuck. It had managed to chew itself free from the net, but still had a piece of the mesh stuck around his neck. I tried to think of how I could free the squirrel but came up with nothing. It certainly wasn't letting me get close enough to catch it. The only plan that made any sense was to set out a live trap and trap the squirrel so I could take it to a vet to remove the rope. Since there are dozens of squirrels in the yard along with assorted rats, possums, and racoons, it would be pure random chance if I managed to catch the right critter. I would probably end up trapping lots and lots of rats before a single squirrel entered the trap. I'll ask Dot's vet what to do if I ever see the squirrel again. It's probably miles away by now.

I hope the weather stays warm, because everything is already starting to bloom. The Redbud and Dogwood trees are in full bloom and I'm starting to see lots of Daffodils and even a few Wild Iris blooms. What typically happens in Texas is that all the flowers start to bloom and then there is one final hard freeze that kills everything. It is amazing how frequently we have a hard freeze sometime in March.

If I ever make it back to the gym, I'm going to have to start over. I've been feeling under the weather for so long now, that I just shuffle through the day, making as little effort as possible. Even the mild stretching exercises I do to keep my shoulder from freezing up, require more effort than I want to give. Sure, I actually did do some chores this weekend, but I pushed the Dyson very slowly and going up on the roof was a mistake. I'm still coughing a lot and still feel tired.

I inadvertently took my evening meds this morning. So, do I take my morning meds before I go to bed, or do I just skip a day?  These are the problems you have as you get older. I fell asleep after dinner, thinking that the Oscars were just about over. When I woke up again, the show was still going on. Some things never change, I guess. You could watch the entire Superbowl and still have time to catch up on several episodes of Dr. Who before Hollywood could finish handing out those gold statues. I don't have the patience to watch a show this long.

Connor is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2258

I'm still under the weather. My nose is red. I've got a persistent cough. My fever has subsided, but I've added a bad headache to my laundry list of symptoms. All I really wanted to do today was sleep, but when I lie down, sinus drainage quickly clogs my nasal passages and fills my throat with phlegm. Basically, I'm a mess. I still don't know how I managed to come down with the flu, since I avoid crowds at all costs and can't think of anyone in my small circle of friends who is sick. It's a mystery.

I'm so tired that I haven't been waking up when Dot has to poop at night. Even in the best of times, I had to be very quick to get her outside before she made a mess. Last night I didn't even notice when Dot struggled to change position during the night and ended up pooping in her bed. By morning, there was almost nothing left, because Dot had eaten the poop. I find this disgusting, but Dot's vet says it is completely normal. Mother dogs routinely eat the poop of their puppies to keep their bedding and immediate surroundings clean. Dot has always been a clean, tidy dog. I'm sure she just thinks she's doing the right thing.

I need to let Dot's oncologist know about this situation. I know that you've not even supposed to get anywhere near a dogs poop during their chemotherapy treatments. The poop turns toxic. I guess when your dog has cancer, you don't want it to be incontinent as well. There's not much I can do about the situation. I'm pretty sure that the oncologist will tell me that while picking up poison poop is not ideal, to just live with it and do the best I can. What else could I do anyway.

This flu has killed my appetite. I just ate a tiny amount for breakfast and didn't feel like eating much for dinner either. My stomach still feels kind of queasy, so there's no point in eating a lot and just throwing it up again. Hey, maybe I'll lose some weight. The most foolproof way to lose a lot of weight in a hurry is to get real sick. The only times I can remember losing ten pounds in less than a week was when I had a horrible cold.

I was sorry to see Bernie Sanders lose the Nevada Caucus. A lot of Bernie's economic plans seem like rainbows and unicorns fantasies to me, but at least the guy is honest and sincere. I can't say the same for Hillary. Hillary and Ted Cruz are my least favorite candidates. Actually, I don't like any of the candidates very much. Where is this generation's John Kennedy? Sadly, I don't think we could elect Kennedy today. We've become too polarized and politically correct.

Jeez, Dot just pooped in her bed again. I've washed her favorite blanket three times today and her schedule is completely out of sync. Why is this happening? I'm very, very tired. It's time to give Dot and Dash their nighttime meds and call it a day. Maybe tomorrow will be better.

Odie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2257

My stomach vetoed going out for breakfast this morning. After we walked the dogs, I just ate a leftover frozen waffle I found in the refrigerator and went back to bed. I don't know what kind of bug I caught, but it's a lot more persistent than I anticipated. The first day was a runny nose and a sore throat. The second day was aching joints, night sweats, vomiting, and a mild fever. Today things seem to have settled in my chest. I'm coughing more and still feel tired. I think I'm getting better, but it's hard to tell. The aches and pains keep moving around.

Did I mention I'm a hypochondriac? I rarely get sick, but when I do, I always think I've come down with something much worse than I really have. Now, I'm wondering if the tick that bit me a few weeks ago caused this. It's highly unlikely that I have some strange tick-borne disease, since my symptoms seem exactly like the flu, but that's how my mind works. A mild case of the flu usually lasts about three days and a more serious case can last up to a week. My flu shot obviously didn't work, but maybe it is helping to keep things from becoming worse. There's got to be some reason why I keep getting these flu shots year after year.

I got off to an extremely slow start this morning, but I eventually finished my writing assignment and turned it in. The only other thing I did today was go to the grocery store and pick up something for dinner. I didn't feel like eating anything hot, so I got some chicken salad, potato salad, and broccoli slaw. I probably shouldn't have gotten anything, because I wasn't really hungry.

So far so good with Dot. She's only taken one round of chemo pills so far, but there doesn't seem to be any obvious adverse reactions. She still has a good appetite and enjoys her walks in the morning. Since Dot is tired and weak anyway, it might be hard to detect a subtle further decline. She gets her second set of pills tomorrow, so we'll see how that goes. I'm hoping that the new lower dose and extra day of recovery will help prevent the weakness that was obvious the first time we tried chemo. If this works, the Palladia pills could add significantly to the amount of time we still get to share with her.

I think I'm going to skip some of my usual Saturday errands tomorrow. What's the point. There's nothing I do that can't wait a few days. I think the priority now is to shake off this cold and get better. I hate to take decongestants or cold pills, so the only thing that makes sense to me are some extended naps with the dogs. The house may get a little dirtier, but I think the dogs will understand.

Spot is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day