Day 2458

Today was busy. By the time I finished breakfast and our two regular morning dog walks, it was almost time for my dental appointment. I took a quick shower and headed up to North Dallas to get my teeth cleaned. I do this every six months now, which I guess is a lot better than once every ten years. The dental hygienist said that other than a moderate amount of plaque, my teeth looked pretty good. How could I have any plaque at all? I use one of those sonic toothbrushes every day and then follow up with a water pik. I still wish that I never had to have one of my wisdom teeth removed. I'm such a symmetrical person that it bothers me to have an asymmetrical number of teeth.

When I got home, I got started writing a new article. Some of my writing assignments don't really provide much input. I had to do some serious Google searching to find enough information for today's subject. It's all OK though. This is one of the few ways I can make money while keeping an eye on Dot to make sure she doesn't get stuck in a corner or poop all over herself.

I used to go to animal rescue meetings quite a bit. I'm still a member of several groups, but I seldom go to the meetings anymore. I just don't have the time. For some reason I thought I'd go to one of these meetings this evening. The meeting started a little later than usual and Janet was going to be home with Dot, so I thought everything would be fine. I'd forgotten that any sort of meeting takes longer when wine is served. By the time I thought the meeting would be over, it was actually just getting started. I stayed as long as I could, but evidently I was the only one who had a blog to write. I felt bad about leaving early, since I don't go to many of these meetings anyway, but I could either finish my article and write the blog or stay and chat. I'm not very good at chatting anyway.

Dot seems stronger today. It's a mystery why her condition seems to change so much from day to day, but I suspect that this is just a part of the aging process. I have good days and bad days too. Maybe the extra rest she got yesterday helped. At any rate, Dot didn't stumble as much today and felt like moving around more than she did yesterday. Hopefully, her renewed energy will continue thru tomorrow, when she had another appointment with the underwater treadmill.

I'm still not finished with my article, but I'm getting close. I'll definitely be able to turn it in tomorrow. I don't think I'll be going to any evening meetings for a while. I'm just too slow and have lost most of the flexibility I once had. I made it through the day though and everything got done. Well, almost everything. I still have to take Dot outside to pee. Lord knows how long that will take.

April is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1214

Maybe I need to be more flexible. Before I even looked at the menu this morning, my waiter poured me a cup of coffee and said, "I'm sorry sir, we don't have your usual breakfast this morning." They were out of black beans. I guess I do order the same thing every time, but I didn't think anyone noticed. I do have different things for breakfast from time-to-time, but usually when I'm in the mood for something different I just go to a different restaurant. Once I find something I like, I stick with it. I've managed to find half a dozen restaurants that are worth a return visit and each of them has one thing I like. I seldom deviate from this self-enforced rigidity.

Maybe my memory isn't as good as it used to be either. I took the dead lawn mower battery to the battery store and asked for a free replacement, since the rechargeable 24-volt battery had been in the mower for less than a year. The service technician showed me a sticker on the battery that said the batteries had been replaced in the Spring of 2010 instead of the Summer of 2012. You could have fooled me. It still seemed like less than a year. As far as I'm concerned, a three year life span isn't much to brag about either. I've had the same battery in my Defender for over ten years and it still works great.

After I got the breakfast and batteries out of the way, I settled down to work. There were websites to tweak, words to write, and more than a few phone calls to answer. I've been surprised at how busy I've been this Spring. None of the assignments are very glamorous, but they keep me busy. As I was writing, I ran the cleaning routine on the large format printer. I should have done this last week, since it took me about twenty sheets of paper and half my remaining ink to get the lines unclogged again. Once I got the printer working properly again, I turned it off. I didn't have anything to print.

After the completed Microsoft Word files were attached to an e-mail and sent off on their way, I finished the rest of the Friday chores. I retrieved the garbage can from the street, I watered the back yard, I ran a load of laundry, got some supplements at the health food store, and wrapped things up by going to the grocery store to pick up something for dinner. Remembering that I need to be more flexible, I got Chinese food for dinner instead of the usual Friday fare.

Nellie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day