Day 4413

Life is full of surprises. I had to take Janet to the ER this evening because she had unusually high blood pressure. A systolic reading of over 200 seems alarming to me. The ER doctors did a lot of tests but didn't seem nearly as alarmed as we were. Something is wrong though. It doesn't seem right for blood pressure to dramatically spike overnight. We quickly discovered that Sunday night is not the best time to have a medical problem. Doctors rarely give you their personal cell phone number and a lot of the little neighborhood ER clinics that have sprung up all over town aren't even open. The first place we went to had a sign on the door saying that they closed at 5 PM. Too bad it was 6:15. 

We ended up going to a small hospital that rarely gets trauma patients. If we had gone to one of the large hospitals we would have been waiting for hours. Gunshot wounds and car accidents take priority over high blood pressure. I'm really glad now that my gallbladder problem happened during regular working hours. My doctor helped me bypass all the red tape and get admitted to the hospital very quickly. On the weekend, you are on your own. Janet is home now and seems fine. She'll go see her regular doctor in the morning. I've always thought it was a lot easier to find an emergency vet for your dog at night than to deal with your own after hours emergencies. Tonight's experience did nothing to change my mind.

The rest of our day was pretty normal. The weather was pleasant and Dawn got a nice Sunday outing. I had trouble keeping up with Dawn and Janet because this wasn't a good foot day for me. Janet tried a new "Calming Collar" on Dawn during the ride to the park. I didn't think it would work, and sure enough it didn't. They probably just infused the collar with Lavender Oil or other new age gimmick. Lets face it. Dawn is always going to freak out in the car. She's fine when we get to our destination and I guess that's all that counts. Ice cream actually works a lot better than the Calming Collar with Dawn. Ice cream cones do a great job of calming her down.

When I took my long walk later in the afternoon my feet hurt so bad that I wasn't able to complete my regular route. This hasn't happened in a long time. It's just as well that I took a shorter walk today. The park was so crowded that it wasn't even enjoyable. A Springlike day in the middle of Winter brings the people out in droves. I enjoy walking in inclement weather more because I have the place to myself. I think the eagles had the same idea. They were nowhere to be found this afternoon.

I made a feeble effort to clean out the office today. I threw away a bunch of empty boxes and old mail. I need to continue throwing away empty boxes in the storage warehouse as well. I always used to save these things in case we moved. We're not going to move though. I should have realized that years ago.  I also tried to dust a few shelves that held the remains of my model train collection. Most of the trains went to my dealer friend who's been trying to sell them for several years, but a few slipped through the cracks. There was a thick layer of dust on the models and they were surprisingly difficult to clean. I spent several hours on this futile effort and only managed to clean a single shelf. Unfortunately, dozens of dusty shelves still remain.

When Janet was checking her blood pressure at home, I got out my wireless blood pressure monitor to compare with Janet's monitor to see if hers might be faulty. It turns out that mine was the faulty one. The cuff wouldn't pump up anymore. I changed the batteries, but the cuff still wouldn't inflate properly. One more broken thing to fix now. I think the old fashioned mechanical blood pressure monitors were much more reliable. You just can't depend on batteries or devices that require a cell phone app to work.

I'm not sure if we'll be visiting the Dalmatians tomorrow. I guess it depends on when Janet can get a doctor's appointment. I'm not sure if I'll be doing much walking either. Today's walk wasn't very auspicious. Maybe I need to rest for a few days. Maybe we all need to rest for a few days.

Chloe is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2618

I don't know why I even bother to get Dash's blood pressure tested. He gets so agitated riding in the car that his blood pressure is almost always elevated by the time we arrive at our destination. Today, he was even worse than usual, whining and barking in my ear all the way to the cancer center. He didn't even calm down once we arrived. Needless to say, his blood pressure was high. The only times I've ever been able to get an accurate reading on Dash is when he's already in the hospital for an extended stay.

Dash eventually calmed down a little, but by then the nurses had already moved on to their next patients. While I sat in a room waiting for the doctor to arrive with his evaluation, Dash fixated on a jar full of dog treats sitting on a counter and started barking all over again. He was basically just a bad dog today, but the doctor did say that his condition had dramatically improved. Nobody seemed terribly worried that Dash's blood pressure was high, which made me wonder why I was spending my afternoon taking Dash to the vet. I did have to admit that Dash appeared healthy though. I wish there was a way to test Dash's blood pressure at home when he actually was relaxed, but human blood pressure monitors don't work on dogs, and veterinary monitors are very expensive and hard to use. For the time being, I think we're all going to assume that Dash's medications are working.

I took the images that I shot yesterday over to the client, but we had a hard time transferring them to the office server. Fewer and fewer computers seem to have an SDHC card slot anymore. Even Apple has dropped the SD card slot on their latest laptops. This makes no sense to me at all. You've got to have a way to conveniently move pictures from the camera to the computer. I doubt that computer makers care much about professional photographers these days. They've all realized that the vast majority of their customers take pictures with their phones. Eventually, we found an older computer in the back of the building that still had a card slot and transferred the images. I apologized for how big the file folder was, but the art director wanted RAW files. Hey, at least all the images got transferred before somebody accidentally erased them.

I wish I could think of a way to help Dot grow stronger. It would be nice if there was something that kept her mentally alert too. With each passing week she seems to become a little weaker. There really isn't much I can do at this point. Dot still enjoys her meals and we take our slow daily walk to the end of the street, but she spends a lot more of her time sleeping these days. She just doesn't have the energy anymore. This year feels like a long goodbye. I just hope I can make the transition as pleasant and pain free as possible. This Friday we go back to the cancer center for another ultrasound scan. I wouldn't be surprised to learn that her cancer had advanced significantly. It feels that way.

I still can't tell whether I've got a cold or allergies. It seems like my eyes have been watering and I've been sneezing for weeks now. It's a bit early for Spring allergies, but I don't have all the usual symptoms of a cold either. At any rate, I wish the red nose and itchy eyes would go away. I'm probably just run down. A week with eight hours of sleep every night would probably cure everything.

Tessa is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2609

Dash is not much better than he was yesterday. The doctor sounded a little disappointed when he called us this morning. Dash is still unsteady on his feet and has some coordination problems when eating. They were worried that his blood pressure is still too high, even though he has been taking blood pressure medication for quite some time. The good news is that he has experienced no further seizures. During the weekend Dash will undergo further tests at the hospital to see if it is possible to pin down the cause of his seizures. Even though vestibular disease is still the primary suspect, the doctors are now investigating whether he might have had a stroke. Evidently the symptoms associated with idiopathic vestibular disease and a degeneration of the cerebellum in the brain can be remarkably similar. I did a little research myself and discovered the vestibular and cerebellar degeneration are often misdiagnosed in humans. Even an MRI is not conclusive.

It's kind of scary to realize that serious problems are not always easy to fix. High blood pressure can definitely cause problems in the brain. I know this from experience. Before I got my own blood pressure under control, I experienced several TIA ministrokes. Luckily, this temporary lack of blood flow to the brain doesn't cause permanent damage, but it was quite sobering to have a neurologist tell me what could have happened. It's too bad that dogs can't talk. A neurological exam mostly consists of the doctor asking you questions. Without the ability to accurately describe how you are feeling, diagnosis can be quite difficult.

One thing I learned today is that vestibular problems can often result from an earlier injury to the head or neck. Bingo. Many years ago, Dash was attacked and severely injured by an aggressive loose dog in the park. The large dog bit him in the neck and wouldn't turn loose. It took months for Dash to fully recover from this injury and he probably would have died if I hadn't been able to get him to a veterinarian for surgery very quickly. All the problems he's having now may be the long term result of this old injury.

Hopefully, Dash will show further improvement tomorrow. We can't visit him at the hospital on Sundays, but the doctor will call and give us a progress report. I wish she could tell Dot that everything is going to be OK. I am already noticing changes in Dot's behavior. You can tell that she misses having Dash around. She was extra needy today. I tried to vacuum the house, but every five minutes Dot would bark and demand some attention. I never ignore these barks, because I've learned that very often she's trying to tell me that she needs to pee. I did eventually get the house cleaned, but it took me all afternoon.

Sometimes I wonder why dogs are sick so often, but it is mostly because their lifespan is so compressed. I recently stumbled across one of those online calculators that converts dog years into human years. According to this website, Dot is now 120 years old. That can't possible be right, but Dot is a very old dog. If I'm lucky enough to live as long as she has in dog years, I"m sure I'll have a multitude of health problems. My Dad was healthy as a horse until his 75th birthday and then everything began falling apart quite rapidly. The guy who hardly ever had to go to the doctor eventually succumbed to prostate cancer, Parkinson's disease, macular degeneration and dementia. 

Tomorrow we'll have our Superbowl dinner for the second week in a row. This time I think we've got the date right. I may go to the annual Superbowl sale at my favorite menswear store. I don't wear dress clothes anymore, but these guys used to be a client and the special one day 75% off sale is a long standing tradition. I'll probably go to the gym as well. It's been a long, tough week. Maybe a good workout will get rid of some of the stress I've been feeling.

Duke is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2391

Vet appointments are taking longer and longer. A procedure that used to take thirty to forty-five minutes took us three hours today. Part of the problem was that it was a holiday weekend and a lot of people needed to have their dogs examined before the cancer center closed for the Fourth of July. The other problem was that the technicians wanted to wait until Dot calmed down before taking her blood pressure. She never did calm down. I can't complain though. Every time I spend any time in the cancer center lobby, I meet other people who have traveled for hours, just so their dogs can see one of the center's oncologists. I met someone who drove all the way from Louisiana today for their appointment. I only had to spend fifteen minutes on the road. You meet the nicest people at a specialty veterinary clinic. These people make all sorts of personal sacrifices so their pets can get the care they need. I admire these people. We trade stories about dealing with cancer while we wait for our turn with the oncologist. It's kind of humbling. I realize quickly that the problems I'm having with Dot's incontinence and neurological issues are minor compared to what others are dealing with. We try to give each other encouragement, but cancer can be a tough adversary.

I don't know why I returned to my original breakfast restaurant this morning. I thought I was over that place. I guess I was hoping that it would rise like a Phoenix and return to its former glory. Nope. I think they are going to survive, but it's not the same place anymore. I've ordered each item on the menu so many times that I can tell they are cutting corners now. Instead of cubing fresh potatoes and making their own hash browns, they appear to be buying a prepared, frozen product from a food service provider. The sauces taste a bit different. I don't recognize any of the staff anymore. I think they've got a new chef too. Don't get me wrong. The food isn't bad, but it's not something you'd get addicted to like I did before. I'm not sure if I'll be back again.

I tried to get a head start on the weekend chores by mowing the grass today. When I was mowing the front lawn, I noticed some tire tracks in the yard. Probably some drunk driver jumped the curb again and plowed through the yard after the bars closed. This used to happen with alarming regularity, until the city finally installed some warning signs just before a gentle curve in the road about 300 yards away. People would fall asleep at the wheel and miss the turn, sending their car on a trajectory that sent them straight through our yard. The damage was minor this time, but there have been some serious accidents in the past. Once, a car hit our neighbor's house. Another time, a car drove straight into a tree.

If you have a dog that is frightened of fireworks, I sympathize. The Fourth of July isn't a holiday that a lot of dog owners look forward to. Dot used to be terrified of fireworks, but they aren't much of a problem anymore since she's almost deaf now. We haven't gone out and watched a fireworks show for a long time. The noise doesn't bother me, but the mosquitoes and chiggers do. Why anyone would want to sit outside getting bitten by mosquitoes while watching some minor explosions off in the distance is beyond me.

The year is half over. The dogs had their monthly heartworm pill this morning. I'll need to get my car safety inspected soon. I hope this month is uneventful with no financial surprises. Some cooler weather would be nice too. Dot is having a tough time with this heat.

Bentley is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2283

It took forever to get home from Dot's therapy session today. There was an accident on the freeway that shut down all four Northbound lanes. I knew something was wrong when I got on the access road and a couple walking on the sidewalk kept passing me every time a stopped at a traffic light. The traffic was so backed up on the access road that pedestrians were going faster than I was. The access road was still better than the freeway though. At least we were moving. The freeway was completely gridlocked. Every time I get stuck in traffic like this, I wish I lived in a small rural town with a population of 300. Of course this little town would have to have high speed internet, dependable FedEx delivery, and a very good vet, so it only exists in my imagination.

Dot did very well on the treadmill today, considering the uncertain way we started the day. I woke up early this morning to the distinctive sound of a dog trying to throw up. I quickly got Dot in her harness and we took her outside. Once outside, she seemed to calm down. She didn't throw up at all and pooped and peed instead. After that, we all went back to bed. For the rest of the day she seemed completely normal. Odd little episodes like this are one reason I get very little sleep these days. There's always something unexpected going on.

Even work is full of unexpected surprises. A client wanted me to remove a page from his website because he said it contained a virus. The page was just a simple HTML document and nothing was wrong with it. I didn't argue though. It was much easier to remove the page than to explain why it couldn't possibly contain a virus. Was the website infected a virus? Nope. Did the client have a virus on his own computer? Probably.

I picked up Dash's blood pressure medication today. I was initially confused, because I could have sworn that I'd just picked up blood pressure meds two days ago. Janet reminded me that I'd picked up Dot's prescription and that the two pills were completely different. I still don't know why Dot and Dash are taking two different pills for exactly the same condition. The fact that I take a third medication to control my own high blood pressure makes things even more confusing. There are literally dozens of medications that have been approved to treat hypertension. Each doctor or vet has their favorites and nobody seems to agree on anything. I hope the dogs pills have fewer side effects than my own. I will say that all three pills work. Dot, Dash and I all have normal blood pressure now.

After several years of taking Dot to physical therapy on Thursday, I keep thinking that tomorrow is Friday. Nope. Eventually I'll get used to our schedule change. Sooner or later I'll get used to Daylight Savings Time too. I wish I could get used to rain. It's supposed to rain again tomorrow.

Ruthie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2247

Today was discouraging. Dot's oncologist found a second tumor during her ultrasound exam. We won't know whether she also has kidney problems until the complete lab reports come back later in the week, but we did learn that Dot has high blood pressure. The high blood pressure could be causing the abnormalities discovered in the routine urinalysis we ran last week. None of this is good news. Dot's oncologist wants us to consider resuming chemotherapy at a lower dose to see whether Dot can handle it. This will slow down the growth of the cancer, but it might cause her to become weaker and make it harder for her to walk again. It's going to be a tough choice.

Cancer is so relentless that it's really hard to beat it entirely. Most treatments don't actually cure cancer, they just slow down it's advance. Despite her limited mobility, Dot is still a happy dog who enjoys her life. If we can come up with a treatment plan that will keep her happy and motivated, I'm willing to try it. The day Dot becomes severely depressed with her condition, it's all over. I think this is true with people as well when they become ill. You've got to have a reason to keep moving forward.

I'm having problems with my car and had to make a service appointment. It used to only take a day or two to get an appointment, but now the wait can be up to two weeks. I'm sure this has something to do with the economy. The dealership is still selling a lot of cars, but they haven't added any new mechanics. As a result, customers wait longer. The same thing seems to be happening when you need a plumber or make a doctor's appointment. Airlines are the worst. Fuel prices have come down dramatically during the past year, but have ticket prices decreased? Nope. Flying is just as unpleasant as it has always been.

I digress though. I was talking about my car. The car is still under warranty, but is getting old enough that things are starting to break. My current problem is with the electrical system. Modern automotive electronics are so complex that they are almost unfixable when things start to go wrong. Usually they end up replacing the expensive computer brain that controls everything. That's why I'd like to get this problem taken care of before the warranty runs out. I was able to keep my old Defender 90 long after the warranty ran out because it was basically a very simple machine. I don't think I'll be able to hang on to this car without a good warranty. The car is just too complicated. Repairs are already so expensive that it would make more sense to just trade it in as soon as the warranty runs out. Luckily, I've still got a few years to decide what to do next.

I don't think I've got a few years with Dot. I'm worried. After all we've been through, it's hard for me to accept that she won't live forever. I've never seen a dog with this much strength, determination, and resilience. We're getting near the end of the road however. I'm observant enough to see what's happening. I'm just not ready.

I was pleased to see the outsiders win tonight in New Hampshire. Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump are as different as day and night, but each is authentic in their own way. I hope this sends a message to Washington DC that politics as usual is over. I don't know what the solution is, but we've got to find a way to move beyond the total gridlock our current politicians have created. It won't be easy because we have allowed ourselves to become so fragmented as a country that nobody can agree on anything anymore. The next year or so should be very interesting.

Jazz it today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2065

It almost rained today. I could see rain clouds off in the distance. I even heard a little thunder at one point. It didn't rain though. Not a drop. Some parts of town got lucky. There were small storm cells all over the place late in the afternoon. I could see them on the radar, but they weren't headed our way. The rain only lasted a few minutes in the parts of town that did get wet, but that was enough to get people buzzing on Facebook. It has been a very dry Summer and any rain at all would be a major news story.

Dash's new meds are working. When I took him for his exam this morning, his blood pressure was almost back to normal. This was a big improvement from two weeks ago. I was kind of surprised to see the normal reading, since Dash barked and seemed agitated the entire way to the vet. He doesn't like to ride in the car. Maybe during those rare times when Dash is actually calm, his blood pressure will be even lower. Since Dash has always had a mild heart murmur, our vet wants us to start keeping track of his breathing rate when he is resting or asleep. If he takes twenty to thirty five breaths a minute, everything is fine. If we notice him consistantly breathing faster over time, we will need to bring him in for an echocardiogram and further testing.

I need to get my car safety inspected this week. People in Texas have always had two stickers on their windshield. One of the stickers was your vehicle registration and the other was the safety inspection. Now Texas has decreed that there will only be one sticker. But which one is it? Do I get a sticker for the inspection, or for the car registration? You still have to register your car and have it inspected, but you only get one sticker. This is one more case where the government has made something more complicated in order to simplify it. After making a few phone calls, I determined that the procedure is to get your car safety inspected first and then you present the piece of paper saying your car has passed inspection to the folks who register your car and they give you the sticker. Personally, I liked the old way better.

Dot didn't seem noticeably stronger today, but she was more active. She got up on her own and wobbled around the house unassisted half a dozen times today. I'm sure that some of what I saw today was just wishful thinking, but I'd like to believe that she is beginning to get stronger. We'll see if this continues. It's really hard to tell if Dot is getting stronger during this heat wave we're having because the heat really makes the dogs tired. The only time they go outside now is early in the morning and later in the evening. If it continues to get hotter, we're going to have to shorten Dot's morning walk. We got started well before sunrise this morning and it was still uncomfortably warm. We're doing the best we can, but for Dot's sake, we need some relief from this incessant heat.

Work has been so slow this Summer that life has been reduced to a single event per day. Tomorrow I go back to the dentist to get my teeth cleaned. Thursday Dot has her physical therapy day. And Friday I get my car inspected. In between, I'll decide what to have for breakfast. French toast and sausages sounds good tomorrow.

Hannah is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2044

Dash's blood pressure medication isn't working. When we tested him today, his blood pressure was just as high as it has always been. The vet asked me if I'd like to borrow the blood pressure cuff and take another reading at home when Dash was calm. "He is calm," I said. "This is the way he always is." We're going to have to try a different blood pressure medication. It will probably take just as long to find something effective for Dash as it did for me. I've tried three different blood pressure medications, and none of them is perfect. The reason I took Dash to the vet in the first place was to see if his treatment for Lyme Disease worked. It turns out that that there is no reliable way to test whether the antibiotics worked. We'll just have to have a urinalysis done frequent to make sure there is no kidney damage. I suspect the treatment worked though. Dash shows no symptoms of Lyme Disease whatsoever.

My new website project is finished. I was told today that the design was approved and to go ahead and bill the project. This is good news, but now I'm going to have to find something else to do. Web projects are nice because they keep me occupied longer than writing. I can usually finish my writing assignments in a single day, but it usually takes me at least a week to design a new website from scratch. It's hard to find the right balance of work. I like to be busy enough so I'm not bored, but I don't want to be so busy that I'm stressed out all the time. There's enough stress just dealing with the dogs. I don't need work related stress in my life anymore. Been there, done that.

I guess whatever the U-verse technician did yesterday worked. I've had no problems with my connection all day. Actually, my download speed seem faster, which is almost unheard of with U-verse. They rarely make anything faster. I wish the service was reliable enough that I could just drop my backup T-Mobile broadband account. Every time I think I don't need the T-Mobile hotspot though, our power goes out, or the U-verse Internet gets flaky. I've posted by blog entry quite a few times using the little T-Mobile  4-G hotspot. When it works, U-verse is fabulous. I just don't think it's ready for prime time yet.

I was editing pictures today and came across some old photos I'd taken of Dot and Dash when they were young and active. It was startling to see the differences between then and now. Both dogs were racing around in an open field at full speed. I had forgotten how fast and graceful Dot used to be. She absolutely loved to run. It was sad to see these pictures of her flying through the air and realize that she will never run again. We will be lucky if she can even continue walking using the Help 'Em Up Harness. Dash is still as healthy as a cancer survivor can be, but he's slowed down quite a bit too. I suppose from the right vantage point, Janet and I have slowed down as well. I prefer not to think about that though. The dogs are lucky in a way. When my own legs begin to get wobbly, I'm not sure who's going to be there to keep me moving.

That's all in the future though. I'll still be moving tomorrow. There are dogs to take care of and assignments to finish. It's going to be another hot July day. I wish it was Friday tomorrow, but I can always pretend it's Friday. All these days are more or less the same.

Katie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1953

It's been a long day. Dash woke up limping and he's still limping this evening. I was hoping our vet could come up with a quick fix during his annual exam this morning, but a torn paw pad is painful and Dash will probably continue limping until the pain goes away. The vet cleaned the wound and then glued the split pad back together with medical suture glue. This will keep the cut from getting dirty or infected, but it will still be painful for a while. It's going to be tough on the little guy. He loves to walk and can't seem to keep his protective sock on for more than a minute. The rest of Dash's exam went well, although he does have high blood pressure and is going to have to start taking more or less the same blood pressure medication that I take.

On the way home from the vet, Dash peed in the car. He's never had an accident in the car before. I was really surprised, since he had already peed on his morning walk and again while he was at the vet. Oh, well. I reminded Dash that he and his sister were the reason I can't have nice things anymore, and then proceeded to clean up the mess when we got home. This wouldn't have been a big deal if Dash hadn't lifted his leg and made a direct hit on one of the speakers mounted in the rear door. Since the grill cover won't come off, I'm not sure how I'm going to be able to clean the speaker enclosure. The car will probably smell for a long time.

As I updated websites today, I kept wondering how much trouble it will be to convert these sites into mobile friendly versions. It's almost inevitable that I've have to convert all the sites I manage at some point. I"m not looking forward to this. Many of my clients are fond of their old designs and they're not going to be happy that these familiar workhorses will eventually have to be retired. I worked on my own test site a bit more today, but it was slow going. Just because something looks easy on the tutorial video, doesn't mean that it actually is easy. I learned some new things and made a few refinements today, but I'm still not ready for prime time.

Dot was really good while I was at the vet with Dash, This is the first time I've left her alone for any length of time and she did fine. I checked her on the baby monitor and she was just sleeping calmly on her dog bed. Actually, she seemed better behaved while I was away than when I'm home. When I'm here, she's either barking or getting herself stuck in tight places. I could just keep her penned while I'm working, but she's much happier being able to move from room to room. The bedroom and the office are pretty safe, but if she heads for the kitchen, I make sure to follow her. That's where she always seems to get stuck.

Dash's bad leg certainly complicates things. It took me forever to get both dogs walked today. Dot walks very, very slow and Dash seemed to lose his protective sock about every twenty yards. The dogs still want to walk, but they're not at the top of their game right now. If something happens to my own leg, we're really going to be in trouble.

I hope the dogs are walking well tomorrow. I hope I sleep well tonight. Neither of these things happened today. That's probably why everyone is so tired.

Joe is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1848

As if today wasn't strange enough already, we had an earthquake in Dallas this evening. There have been small quakes in the area for the past month or so, but this was the first one I've actually felt. I was taking a short nap with the dogs after dinner I heard the windows and doors of the house start to rattle and shake. At first I thought the noise had been caused by a loud truck going by or maybe one of those kids who install huge bass speakers in the trunk of their cars. Then I remembered that there was no traffic on the road before the house started to rattle. "I wonder if this was an earthquake," I thought? Sure enough it was. So much for the theory that dogs can sense earthquakes before they happen. Dot and Dash slept through the whole thing.

Earlier in the day, I put a load of clothes in the washer, added soap, and pressed the start button. Nothing happened! I tried again and again and kept getting an error message saying that the door of the front loader wasn't closed. Damn! The door looked like it was closed properly. This happened once before and it resulted in an entire week without a washing machine. I hate going to laundromats, so I immediately called the appliance repair folks who fixed the machine the first time it broke. Luckily, I was able to get a repairman out this afternoon, but just like the first time this happened, the repairman didn't have the part he needed on the truck. The part has to be special ordered and it looks like I will be without a washer for a week again. I don't think I will ever buy a front loader again. If the door goes bad on a top loader, it's no big deal. You kind of need the door to stay securely closed on a front loader though.

I was hoping that Dash's exam at the vet this afternoon would be totally routine, but it turns out that he has a few issues that need to be addressed. I've known that Dash's blood pressure is a little high, but apparently it's getting worse. Some of this is caused because he becomes stressed when he goes to the vet. I'll need to find a way to take his blood pressure at home to see if this is serious. There were no crystals in his urine, which is a good thing. His pH levels were too high though, which is a bad thing. Alkaline urine can be caused by a urinary tract infection, a diet that is high in carbs or sugar, or half a dozen other causes. Both these tests were inconclusive and more testing will be required. All in all, Dash was still pretty healthy though. Janet and I checked Dash carefully for ticks before he went to the vet. The vet still found a tick on him. He seems to be a magnet for ticks. I have to check him every day.

I started to make travel arrangements for my trip to Vandenberg Air Force Base this morning and discovered that there is no easy way to get there from here. There are no direct flights to Santa Barbara from Dallas, and all the connecting flights seem to involve plane changes with long layovers at connecting airports. It might be easier to just fly to Los Angeles and drive to the base. Some of the connecting flights from Dallas went all the way to Portland, Oregon before connecting with a flight to Santa Barbara. This seemed ridiculous to me, so I'll try to find something better tomorrow. I thought making airline reservations would be as easy as doing a load of laundry. It was! Absolutely nothing was easy today.

Alle is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day