Day 2565

I had to do some last minute Christmas shopping today, so I used my free time while the dogs were sleeping to make a quick trip to the mall. I'll have to remember that early mornings are a good time to go to the mall. Even though it was only a few days before Christmas, the crowds weren't that bad. I had no trouble finding a parking place. If I had waited until this afternoon to do my shopping, parking would have been impossible. Sad to say, I'm still not feeling the Christmas spirit. I navigated my way through the holiday shoppers and mall displays filled with thousands of Poinsettias as quickly as I could. My time is limited these days.

Dot was just starting to wake up when I returned and there was no poop on the floor, so I considered my trip a success. I should have gone to CVS and bought a giant bag of cough drops. I should have gone to the Container Store and bought some new wrapping paper. I should have done a lot of things while I was out, but I just didn't want to clean up any more poop.

Since I had already squandered today's productive time, I had trouble finishing my one remaining article. I literally had to write the thing one sentence at a time. I don't know why Dot is so active in the afternoons now. She sleeps from the time she returns from her morning walk until about 1 PM. After that, she tries her best to stay on all fours for the rest of the day. I think it's great that she's trying to walk around; I just wish she was more successful at it. To keep Dot from injuring herself, it is really essential that I have her back at all times. I follow her around, steadying her rear legs by holding up the rear of the Help 'Em Up harness. Dot is showing signs of dementia. Sometimes she just forgets where she is. Other times she is alert and seems like a young dog trapped in an old dog's body. I'm learning how to adjust to these changes and hope that she is too.

Caring for Dot has got me wondering what will happen to me when I get really old. Humans without strong family ties are pretty much on their own. It's bad enough now, and I'm still pretty healthy. I often feel like I am operating without a safety net. What would happen if I had a heart attack or fell off the roof? Nobody would even notice. Even if I managed to call 911, I worry that the dogs might escape or get taken to the pound when the EMT's arrived. With that in mind, my goal while Janet is away is just staying alive.

I wish I could shake off this cold. It has lingered far longer than I thought it would. I still haven't taken any antihistamines. I just try to remember to keep a few cough drops in my pockets in case I need to talk with someone. The cough drops won't cure anything, but they do seem to prevent violent coughing spasms. It probably doesn't help matters that I race out of the house every morning in my underwear, trying to keep Dot from peeing on the floor. Once I see her start to wake up, there just isn't time to get dressed. I was successful this morning, but the odds are about 50/50 that we won't make it to the door.

I guess I'll finish writing my article tomorrow. I don't think there's much else on the agenda. I'm going to try my best to go out for breakfast in the morning. I've had to skip my weekly breakfast outing for several weeks in a row due to bad weather or dog emergencies. A tasty meal and an hour or two of peace and quiet can make a big difference.

Two sisters are today's Dalmatians of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2393

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I forget things. I watered the Wax Myrtle tree in the front yard, but left the hose running for hours because I'd forgotten about it. Later, I did the same thing with the sprinkler in the back yard. I renewed a prescription by phone, but forgot to go pick it up. I remembered to wash the sheets on the bed, but forgot to throw them in the dryer after they were clean. I can spend entire days this way. I'm continually looking for my reading glasses or the dog's leashes. I don't think I forgot anything important today, because there wasn't much important going on. Maybe it's bad to be so absent minded, but I've gotten used to it. I've been this way for most of my life.

We should have gotten up earlier this morning, because by the time we got the dogs ready for their morning walk, it was already too hot. I'm not sure that getting up early even helps anymore. Occasionally, I have to take one of the dogs outside in the middle of the night and it's still warm at 3 AM. At least there was a breeze this morning. A breeze always helps.

Usually, I don't go to the gym on Sunday until mid-afternoon, but today I went right after breakfast. Working out seemed preferable to wandering aimlessly around the house forgetting things. Even though my workout seldom varies, I must make more of an effort on some days than others. It's interesting that although I always spend the same amount of time using the machines, I don't always burn the same amount of calories. Today, I must have been slacking off. My twenty minutes on the treadmill didn't burn many calories at all.

Maybe I was slow today because I'd just finished breakfast. We always have a hearty, old-fashioned breakfast on Sunday's. Today's meal consisted of fried eggs, Southern biscuits, and lots of bacon. I like to make an egg sandwich with my biscuits. By the time I've carefully place my egg in the center of the biscuit, added stacked strips of bacon on top of it, and topped everything off with Pico de Gallo, Janet has usually finished her entire meal.

I've started to see Passionflowers blooming on our morning walks. These exotic looking flowers look like they belong in a tropical rain forest, but they are actually quite common in the South. I think they are the state flower of Tennessee. I only see these oddly beautiful things a few times a year. They bloom in the Summer, but they don't seem to like the heat. I only see Passionflowers very early in the morning, usually after a heavy rain. Supposedly, Spanish Christian missionaries thought this plant represented the last days of Jesus and the crucifixion. I guess some people might see a crown of thorns, but it looks more like a jellyfish to me. I bet the flowers I saw today are gone tomorrow. They don't last long.

I'm already starting to hear fireworks off in the distance. Although fireworks are illegal in the city, lots of people shoot them off in the park at night anyway. The noise used to really bother Dot, but she's so deaf by now that she doesn't hear a thing. A few people are flying flags on our street. A lot more are having barbecues.

Bob Hope is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day