Day 4981

Another triple digit day. They say we've broken an all time record for consecutive days above 80 degrees. I wouldn't be surprised if we've broken records for days above 100 degrees as well. Hey, we're supposed to get a break tomorrow. A cold front is on the way and it's only supposed to reach 95 degrees.

The day started normally with Dawn's sunrise walk. There wasn't much of a breeze this morning. Even before sunrise you could tell it was going to be a hot one. I had my breakfast of shredded wheat and fruit and then did a load of laundry. When the first load was in the dryer I changed the sheets on the bed and washed them as well. Changing the bed upset Dawn for obvious reasons. I was messing with her throne. I had to lead her out to the living room on a leash and then gate her out of the bedroom until I finished. She was not a happy dog.

Changing a fitted sheet sure seems harder than it used to be. Bad knees and a dislocated shoulder make this simple task a bit of a struggle. I got the job done though. I even washed all the bed coverings because they routinely get filled with dog hair. I remember when my Dad got older he started sleeping on top of his bed because he got tired of making it every day. Makes sense to me.

When I finished with the household chores, I went to the gym again. No matter what the weather is doing outside, I'm going to continue to get my steps. Traffic seemed worse than usual today and then I remembered that school is in session again. I need to remember where all the school zones are. It's an easy way to get a ticket if you aren't careful. There are more people using the gym than you typically see in August. I think this heat is driving everyone indoors. I did my three mile walk on the indoor track, completed ten free throws on the basketball court, and lifted weights for a while. Even though I completed my routine, it wasn't a great day. I was slower doing everything today.

Since I went to the gym a lot later today, I didn't return home until mid afternoon. This was probably a good thing because I was out of the way when Janet did her housecleaning. I often run out of things to do in the afternoon which makes me wonder what I'm going to do with myself when I reach my blogging goal. I've genuinely grown tired of writing these daily posts, but I like a life with structure. I've been spending my evenings blogging for so long that it's going to seem strange doing anything else. I don't watch much TV and reading tires my eyes now. I imagine I'll think of something though. Nature abhors a vacuum.

I'm looking forward to a break in the hot weather. They say the temperature will only be in the mid 70's when we take our sunrise walk tomorrow. Sadly this respite from triple digit temperatures isn't going to last. On Thursday the heat wave returns and temperatures are supposed to reach 108 degrees. I have no idea how long this is supposed to last, but it's definitely been long enough. Cooler Fall weather can't come soon enough.

Elliott is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4758

I stayed surprisingly busy today. Janet had an early class at the gym, so we took our early walk in the dark again. Walking in the dark doesn't seem to bother Dawn at all. She uses her nose more than her eyes anyway. It was a little chilly early this morning, but it warmed up quickly. I could tell it was going to be a nice day.

I always think I'm going to do something different for breakfast, but I never do. When I have my shredded wheat and fruit I don't have to think and I don't have to cook. It's always the easy way out. After breakfast, I changed the sheets on the bed, did three loads of laundry, and paid some online bills. With bad knees and a dislocated shoulder it's harder to change the sheets than it used to be. Somehow lifting up the mattress to tuck in the fitted sheets is always a problem. I'm starting to understand why my Dad decided to just sleep on top of the bed in his latter years. It saves a lot of trouble if you don't have to make the thing every day.

I had to trick Dawn to get her off the bed so I could change the sheets. She wasn't very happy about that but we survived. Everything is clean and fresh again, but it will be covered in dog hair in a matter of days. I won't give this chore another thought until Janet reminds me that it's time to do it again.

When I finished my household chores, I went to the bank and took some stuff back to my storage warehouse. There was a long line at the drive up window today. The bank probably need to hire some more staff. There was just one guy handling both the inside and outside transactions. He seemed very busy.

It was a good day for a walk, but my heart wasn't really in it today. I felt tired and my pace was slower than usual. It is discipline, not a love of the outdoors that keeps me walking. Sometimes I see interesting things, but often the long walk is boring and just hurts my feet. There were no eagles today at the nest site.   There weren't many people on the trails either. I guess everybody is returning to work.

I don't know what I'm going to do about the house. I still can't find a carpenter or a contractor I like to undertake the needed renovations. I've got a long list of roofers, but I don't like any of them. The house isn't going to fix itself though. I've got to do something. I wonder why it's so much easier to find a good appliance repairman or plumber than a carpenter? Is carpentry becoming a lost art? 

I made no New Year's resolutions this year. My old resolutions to write 5000 consecutive blog posts and walk at least 10,000 steps every day are keeping me busy enough as it is. It's amazing what a little discipline can do. I'm basically a very lazy person.

Petey is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day