Day 3634

I think we're ready. The costumes, the set, and all the camera gear has been packed up and is ready to load in the car. The new backdrop looks good and everything appears to work. Tomorrow morning we begin the first of this year's Santa Paws events. These Christmas photos have become a popular fundraiser for Dalmatian Rescue and we will be busy. Hopefully all the dogs will be well behaved and none of the equipment will malfunction. We used to just take pictures of dogs with Santa, but now people bring their children and other pets as well. Hey, why stand in line for a shopping mall Santa when you can have your picture taken with the best dog Santa in town.

I woke up to the sound of hammers pounding nearby. I looked out the window and our neighbor was putting on a new roof. Actually, a lot of people in the neighborhood are putting on a new roof. Probably the insurance settlements from last Summer's big storm finally arrived. Why is it so easy for people with a conventional roof to get insurance to pay for roof damage and it is always so difficult for me. I've had large trees fall on our roof and the insurance agent just shrugged and said he didn't see any damage. Basically, when shingles blow off in a wind storm, insurance comes to the rescue. When standing water slowly causes a leak to develop over time, insurance does nothing.

I went out for breakfast again this morning after staying home on Friday for the past month or so. Why won't restaurants let you order a child's portion of anything on the menu? Better yet, why don't they just make their portions a little smaller. I grew up learning that I needed to finish everything on my plate and the habit of cleaning my plate persists until this day. I'm always too full when I go to a restaurant because I am unable to leave with uneaten food still on my plate. Today's breakfast was good, but it reminded me that it's better to stay home where I can control the portion size.

I haven't started packing for the NASA trip yet, but I did get the laptop ready. I thought by connecting Safari to my iCloud account, I could avoid having to remember a lot of passwords. No such luck. I was able to merge my bookmarks, but none of the website passwords transferred. Maybe there was a reason for this, but it just meant extra work for me. I made sure that the airline, hotel, rental car, and NASA information web sites worked, saved the passwords, and then called it a day. Most of this stuff is already on my phone, but like most things in life, it's always good to have a backup.

After running a few errands, writing a letter to my sister, and getting the photo gear organized, I was surprised to discover that there was still time for a walk. I knew I would be returning in the dark again, but I've become a slave to Fitbit and needed the steps. I also need my sleep tonight, so I'm going to try to go to bed early. Lots of luck with that. I never seem to get to bed early.

Emma is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2899

I need to stop going out for breakfast on Friday. I'm just not hungry anymore. I'll order something I usually like and then find myself unable to finish it. Dash seems to be having the same problem. He only ate half his breakfast this morning. Both of us are strongly motivated by food, so I don't know what's going on. For the past several months I've been going to a different restaurant every Friday in hopes that something would click. By the time my order arrives, I'm usually wishing I'd just stayed in bed. Maybe that's the answer. Perhaps Dash and I should just sleep in on Friday.

I tested the cameras and the wireless flash triggers this morning and everything works. Actually, I think the only thing that doesn't work is me. I try to remind myself that we only have two events this year. This should be a piece of cake. We used to do many more events during the holidays but we're all getting older. Two is plenty. Janet thinks I'm not friendly enough during these events, but I'll try to keep it together tomorrow. Nobody likes a grumpy photographer or a grumpy Santa.

I finally made it up on the roof today and patched a few more questionable areas. I also found another area where water had gotten under the elastomer, so I peeled the coating off so the damp section could dry. I was planning to re-coat this section tomorrow, but completely forgot that I'll be downtown taking pet pictures. My memory is shot. How could I immediately forget the photo shoot when I'd just spent the previous two hours checking my cameras and lights?  I think everything will be fine. There is no rain in the forecast. I guess I'll just look on the bright side. If I let the damp area dry for two days instead of one, my patch should last longer.

When I was walking Dash this afternoon, one of our neighbors told me that she's seen three adult coyotes walking down her street yesterday evening. Someone else told me recently that they'd seem a half eaten rabbit two weeks ago. I hate to see the coyotes moving back into the park. They were a real problem four or five years ago. I think they disappeared after they ate everything in the area. Now they're back. I wouldn't want to be a bunny this Winter.

I've got to get up early tomorrow if I want to walk Dash, eat breakfast, and take a shower before driving downtown for the photo shoot. I'd go to bed early tonight, but I missed that chance several hours ago. It seems impossible to get eight hours of sleep anymore. At least I'm getting six these days. When Dot was sick, I was barely getting four. Hey, a good night's sleep can work wonders. I'm going to bed as soon as I post this. I know I'm grumpy, but I'm looking forward to seeing a bunch of great people I haven't seen since last year. We're a good team. I still think we do the best Santa pictures in town.

Jada is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2615

When I was driving to breakfast this morning, I noticed that a popular restaurant I used to frequent had gone out of business. The sign was down. The furniture was gone. And there was a large For Lease sign in front of the building. There's got to be a story behind this sudden departure, but I'll probably never know the details. I was sad to see the restaurant go out of business. I hope I didn't contribute to the demise of this place. The owners were good people. I quit eating here because the food quality declined. Maybe the chef quit or the place changed ownership. Whatever happened, it was apparent that somebody was trying to cut corners by using inferior ingredients. You can never assume that customers will never know the difference. I think customers always know the difference.

I was nervous about leaving the dogs this afternoon, but everything worked out fine. It took longer than I thought to get the set ready for Sunday's photo shoot, but it was actually kind of enjoyable talking with the other photographer who was working with me. This guy was near the beginning of his career while I was near the end of mine, but we still found plenty to talk about. I enjoy talking shop. We talked about lighting techniques and the types of gear we preferred and never mentioned politics at all. I was skeptical about the client's idea at first, but I now think it will work. I still might not understand the concept, but the photo will be pretty.

I had hoped that Dot would still be asleep when I returned, but she was standing up and barking instead. A quick glance revealed that she had not peed or pooped in her bed, so I quickly unlocked the back door and immediately took her outside. I brought her inside after she peed and wandered around for a bit, and then she promptly pooped on a rug in the dining room. Oh, well. I was expecting a mess this afternoon, and I got one.

Dash continues to improve. The wobbling walk and uncertain gait was almost unnoticeable. By the time he finishes his Prednisone tablets, he should be back to normal. The dogs were actually pretty good today. I had some rugs and blankets to wash this afternoon because we didn't make it this morning on our daily mad dash to the back door. It was my fault that we didn't make it. Dot and I woke up about the same time and I had to pee too. I need to remember that her needs have to come first. In theory, I should be able to hold it for a while, but when you first wake up it doesn't seem that way.

There was a penumbral eclipse of the moon tonight. I caught the tail end of it when I was taking Dot out to pee after dinner. I should have gone outside a little earlier, since mid-eclipse was right after sunset, but I don't think I missed much. A penumbral eclipse is pretty subtle. The moon doesn't disappear or turn red; it just gets a little darker. A comet is supposed to be viable later tonight as well. I think I'll skip this one. It doesn't come into view until 3 AM and you need binoculars and a dark, clear sky to see it anyway.

This weekend should be busy. Janet has a Dalmatian Rescue event tomorrow and I've got the photo shoot on Sunday. Hopefully, the dogs will cooperate. I won't be able to go to the gym this week, but I have a feeling that I'll get plenty of exercise anyway.

Landry is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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