Day 4574

Life has returned to normal. At least I hope it has. Janet returned this evening and Dawn was overjoyed. I think she got back just in the nick of time because Dawn was starting to become fearful and was acting weird again. This morning when she was eating her breakfast in the bedroom, I accidently turned on the dishwasher while I was fixing my own breakfast and the noise terrified her. She stopped eating and ran and hid in a corner. I don't know why the little four note chime the dishwasher makes when it powers on is so frightning to Dawn, but it's always been that way. I need to figure out a way to turn off the sounds on the dishwasher. Life will be a little easier without these fearful beeping noises.

Last night when I was letting Dawn out to pee before we went to sleep, there was a possum at the back door. It's a good thing I saw the possum before I opened the door. I'm sure this is what Dawn has been smelling in the yard this week. She's definitely been interested in something. After I chased the possum away, the rest of the evening was pretty uneventful. Since my gym wasn't open today, I was forced to take a walk in the park. I got an early start, but it was still very hot. Surprisingly, I was able to complete my entire route, but I was drenched in sweat by the time I returned home. I doubt that the gym will be open tomorrow either since it is a holiday.

After a shower and a change of clothes I cleaned up the house for Janet's return. It's weird that a little noise from the dishwasher freaks Dawn out, but she doesn't mind the vacuum cleaner at all. When I vacuumed the bedroom, she just sat on the bed and watched me. She didn't seem alarmed or upset at all. Most of our other dogs hated the vacuum cleaner. Who knows. Maybe Dawn was just happy to get her room cleaned.

Dawn was eager to eat her dinner tonight and took all her meds, so I guess the dishwasher trauma wasn't that bad. Dawn is definitely a complicated dog. Hopefully, now that Janet has returned, life will return to a more relaxed pace. Dawn totally trusts Janet and doesn't really trust me at all. We've managed to get all the important things done, but she never really did relax and become my buddy. That's OK. At least we both know how to get by when the need arrises.

I was going to get Chinese take out for dinner tonight, but the restaurant was closed. I sure wish people would update their websites. I thought about getting pizza instead, but my favorite pizza place was closed as well. I saw several other closed restaurants in my search for take-out and ended up getting something at the deli counter at a nearby grocery store. When I got home I saw an article online that a lot of restaurants in Dallas were closing for the month of July because it was the slowest month of the year and they wanted to give their employees a rest. Sounds like they just wanted to save money to me.

Tomorrow we'll take our sunrise walk again. I bet that Dawn will be eager to walk. It's been more than a week she's had her regular morning walk. Even though it's Monday, we won't be able to visit the rescue Dalmatians, since the kennel will be closed for the holiday. Since my gym is closed as well, I'll probably be walking in the hot sun again. I think Dawn and I did pretty well this week, but it's good to have Janet back.

Bob Hope is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4538

It was hot this afternoon, so I finally went back to the gym. I hadn't been there in such a long time that there were new owners and I had to enroll all over again. I still had a membership, but they wanted me to sign some new waivers that basically said that they weren't responsible if I dropped dead on the gym floor. I went through my old routines on my favorite machines, worked with some free weights for a while, and was totally dismayed at how much harder everything seemed. Use it or lose it, I guess. I really need to make an effort to go to the gym a couple of times a week this summer. My upper body strength is terrible now. I guess I've been fooling myself with these long walks. They are really just leisurely strolls.

On the way home I stopped at REI and got some new shorts for Summer. The shorts I've been wearing on my walks are practically rags by now. The store was having a big sale, but there was really nothing else I needed. I find this happening at almost every store I find myself in these days. I'm losing my desire to buy stuff. Now what? Buying things I didn't really need kept me occupied for many years.

The weather was perfect for our sunrise walk with Dawn, but she didn't seem all that interested in walking this morning. She's started her freezing in place behavior again. I thought we were going to have to turn around and go home, but then another dog passed us on the trail and Dawn decided she wanted to follow it. After that she was perfectly normal again. She didn't seem interested in the dinner I fixed for her tonight either. There was nothing wrong with her appetite though. As soon as Janet came home, she raced out to the kitchen and ate everything. I have no idea what is going through this dog's head, but it doesn't seem normal.

Janet and I went out for dinner tonight. It's been a while since we've done this and it was a nice change of pace. I've noticed that you can't just pick up the phone and make a reservation these days. Restaurants increasingly want you to use Open Table, or something similar to make your reservations online. I liked the old way better, but things change and you learn to adapt. It's weird. I made my living designing websites for quite a few years, but I'm not a fan of the online revolution. Things were better when we weren't as connected. Try explaining that to someone who has had a phone or a tablet in their hands since they were a baby though. They just don't understand.

The traffic seemed really light for a Saturday. The stores weren't crowded when I was grocery shopping this morning either. It's a holiday weekend and people must be traveling. There is such a pent up demand to do stuff after two years of Covid restrictions that I don't even think that the high price of gas is slowing down the desire to travel. There's got to be a breaking point though. I was amazed at how much more expensive my two trips this year were compared to similar trips in previous years.

We're going to have to watch the temperature tomorrow. Last week it was almost too hot for Dawn on her Sunday outing. Dawn looks forward to this Sunday trip though. If it's too hot, we'll skip the walk and go directly to the ice cream store.

Sam is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4208

The power has been going on and off all evening. It's been that kind of day. There have been no storms that might explain the intermittent power outages. It's probably just one of those things that happens when a large city is getting ready for a long weekend. Hopefully, the power will stay on for a while because I'm not sure I have charged the laptop.

Power outages weren't today's only frustration. Dawn is not eating her food anymore. We don't think she is sick because she is more than happy to eat people food. She just decided rather abruptly that she doesn't like her dog food. This is frustrating because we carefully researched this brand and felt it would be good for her. You have to be careful with Dalmatians because a lot of diets will cause crystals to develop in their urine and they can develop bladder stones. Dawn seemed to love this food several weeks ago. Now she won't touch it. 

We've got to find a new healthy, low protein diet that Dawn will actually eat. We've been through this with other dogs and it's not an easy process. I wish dog food was available in variety packs like those breakfast cereals we used to eat as kids. There used to be a pet store that had sample packs of all the food they sold. Now it's hard to find any size smaller than a five pound bag. Hopefully we can find something that works this weekend. Janet ended up cooking fresh meals for Dot and Dash when they became old and sick. Dawn is pretty young to go this route though. According to the lab reports, she is very healthy too. We think she is just being stubborn.

I'm amazed that the roof didn't leak today. We certainly got a lot of rain. It rained during the night, but we got lucky and were able to walk Dawn before it started again this morning. Although there was no dripping water this morning, it appears that water is still getting in. The area around the leak in the ceiling is dark and stained now. All this has happened before. I painstakingly bleached most of the stained areas about six months ago, but now I'm going to have to do it all over again. These water leaks really test my patience. What else is new though. Almost everything tests my patience these days.

I thought about taking a long walk today but it was oppressively humid and I was never sure when the rain was going to start again. I went back to the gym instead and tried a few new machines. My Fitbit says I get more exercise on a long walk than I do at the gym. It doesn't feel that way though. I'm really tired after a workout at the gym. I still like the long walks better, but it looks like I'm going to have to wait until Fall before the walks are enjoyable again.

I'm not spending as much time thinking about astronomy or rocket launches lately. This is another sign that the dog days of summer have arrived. When I wake up, all I want to do is get through the day without sweating excessively or having something break around the house. I envy Dawn's ability to sleep most of the day. Sleeping seems like a better way to spend the summer than doing yard work or fixing leaks.

It's time to make a grocery list again. I guess I'd better get another big bag of ice because I still haven't gotten the ice maker in the refrigerator fixed. We don't have any plans for the Fourth of July. Usually we fix burgers of barbecue, but lately we haven't even bothered to watch the fireworks. There are too many mosquitos out at night. 

Bud is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3077 - Memorial Day

Both of my parents served in the Navy during World War II. Most of their neighbors, their congregation, and their co-workers were veterans as well. I think this was the last generation where military service was actually a common bond that tied people together. Only two of my high school friends joined the military. One became a Marine and the other became an Air Force fighter pilot. Most of the others had some sort of student deferment. It was pretty easy to get a deferment if you were actually going to school. We all hoped the Vietnam War would be over by the time we graduated.

I have tremendous respect for anyone who has served in the military. At the same time, I think our country has gotten involved in far too many senseless wars. The Vietnam War proved nothing. Twenty Five years of war in the Middle East have proved nothing. I've never understood why we are so quick to get involved in other people's business. Some of these people have been fighting for thousands of years. Our involvement is not going to stop them. In some cases, I think we are just fanning the flames.

It didn't really seem like a holiday today. I kept thinking it was Sunday. We should have gotten up earlier, because it was already hot by the time we walked Dash. Sleeping in is a tradition on holidays though. We always sleep in when we get a chance.

I saw a roach crawl under the bed just before we went to sleep last night. I got a flashlight and looked under the bed, but the bug had disappeared. I kept thinking that it was going to crawl over me as I slept. This morning, I pulled all the photo equipment and unused dog beds out from under the bed and cleaned all the dust away with the vacuum. The bedroom is cleaner than it's been in a long time, but I still can't find the bug. The critters are fast. It's probably in the kitchen by now.

Since I had the vacuum out, I cleaned the rest of the house as well. Then I did a load of laundry and took a nap with Dash. That's about as exciting as it got today. It was way too hot to mow the grass or go up on the roof. The only good thing about the Summer heat is that the standing water on the roof evaporates quickly.

Janet and I think the Movoflex we're giving Dash is working. The change has been gradual, but he seems to have more energy now and isn't stumbling as much when he walks. I'm not expecting miracles, but I hope he can keep walking on his own for a while longer. We've already purchased a Help 'Em Up Harness for Dash like Dot used to wear, but I'm not looking forward to the day when we have to start using it. Dash enjoys his independence.

Summer is here to stay. We're supposed to get our first triple digit temperatures later this week. I hope the air conditioner keeps working. I change the filters right on schedule, but I'm always waiting for the other shoe to drop.

Sam is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3018

The house was cold this morning when I woke up. The thermostat said the heat was on, but no air was blowing through the vents. Yep. On probably the last cool day of the year, the furnace broke. I was actually surprised that we made it through the winter with no problems. I looked at the furnace and the fault alert LED was blinking seven times. Hmm. I think I've seen this before. I unplugged the furnace and laid out my tools on the kitchen counter. When I returned from breakfast, I would have one more thing to fix.

Breakfast was actually pretty decent this morning. I gambled on Eggs Benedict and for once it was prepared correctly. I was surprised at how crowded the restaurant was today. I guess a lot of people had the day off. I picked up groceries after breakfast and the store was even more crowded than the restaurant. The deli section featured braised brisket, matzo-ball soup, kugel, and other Passover favorites. I still wanted an Easter ham, but I wasn't going to get it here. There is a great little store in our neighborhood that smokes their own meat.

When I returned home I disassembled the furnace to gain access to the flame sensor. I suspected that this was the problem. I've spent a fortune on furnace repairs over the years before a friendly technician took pity on me and showed me how to clean the flame sensor myself. If the flame sensor is not very clean, it will not send the signal to turn the main burners on after the pilot light ignites. Occasionally components break or wear out, but most furnace problems have something to do with the flame sensor. Sure enough, when I cleaned the sensor with fine grit sandpaper and reassembled everything, the furnace worked perfectly. Let's hope the air conditioner works as well, because we're going to be using it very soon.

Dash's new boots arrived today. Janet and I had been looking at this well known Dalmatian on Facebook wearing these fancy Ultra-Paws boots all winter and finally decided to try a pair ourselves. The boots were a little pricy, but they do seem to work. I can get them on myself and Dash doesn't seem to mind them at all. He's been test driving them all evening.

I think I've found a new use for Shoe Goo. After Superglue failed several times, I used the Shoe Goo to repair the silicon strap on my fitness tracker. I let the repair dry for 24 hours and so far it's been holding up pretty well. Ordinarily, I would have just bought a new fitness tracker, but the Jawbone company has gone out of business. I think my choices are Shoe Goo or nothing.

Dash got me up twice last night to go outside and poop. I try my best to get Dash to do his business before we all go to bed, but Dash just thinks I'm crazy. He's just not going to go before he's ready. Things were easier when Dash ate dry food and didn't take so many pills. I'm not sure what to do at this point, but naps during the day are certainly an option. I'm definitely not very busy anymore.

The roof is drying out, but there's an ugly rust colored stain in the sheetrock. I've left several messages for the roofer, but I'm sure he's got his hands full with bigger leaks than mine. I hope I don't have to go buy more of the messy elastomer material myself, but it may come to that. I'm always fixing something.

Sparky is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2894

I had big plans for today. Unfortunately I didn't have the energy to complete them. I did make it to the gym. I also mowed the grass for what I hope is the last time this year. When I climbed up on the roof to survey what I did yesterday, I could tell the sun was already too low in the sky to attempt anything new. Since my repairs always take much longer than I anticipate, I just removed my tools from the roof and called it a day.

Dash seems to know that it is a holiday weekend. I didn't even attempt to walk him by myself today since I knew he would prefer to wait until Janet could come along too. It all worked out and we were able to find time for two very pleasant walks. With a trip to the gym, lawnmower duties, and walks through the park with Dash, my fitness tracker recorded an impressive number of steps today.

I hope this weather continues. It was warm enough that I didn't have to wear a jacket and cool enough that I didn't have to worry about Dash becoming overheated. Fall is my favorite time of year here in Dallas. It's too bad this season only lasts two weeks. When I looked at the weather forecast, it said to expect sunny days and low humidity for the rest of the week. Maybe this will give me enough time to get the roof ready for the rainy season. Truthfully, I'm not even sure when the rainy season is anymore. It's usually really wet around Halloween, but that didn't happen this year.

There was somebody else using the hand bicycle when I arrived at the gym today, so I had to do my workout in a different order. I can't imagine this would bother anyone but me. I am such a creature of habit that I tend to follow the same routines for years at a time. Oddly, I burned more calories today by using the treadmill first. I wonder why? It has occurred to me that my exercise routine might not be doing any good. I basically just stay in the gym for an hour and get really tired. I'm trying to rebuild muscle mass, but I may need to be doing something completely different to accomplish this. I am the poster boy for men who never read directions. I'm sure a personal trainer or even taking a few classes could point me in the right direction, but that would be a commitment. It's easier to just keep blundering along blindly. It's also nice to have the option of not going to the gym at all.

It was nice having a four day weekend. I feel like I'm semi-retired anyway, but when Janet is home we sleep in later and everything is more relaxed. Instead of an alarm clock in the morning, Dash gets us up when he feels like eating breakfast. Since Dash is a lazy dog who likes to sleep, this usually works out pretty well. Tomorrow we return to our work schedule. I get up earlier and fix my breakfast after Janet has gone to work. There's a writing assignment to get started on and some website work as well. It should be a busy day. Hopefully, Dash will notice all these subtle changes and realize that our holiday is over.

Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2566

Janet and I decided to go out for an early Christmas dinner before she leaves for the holidays. We went to Knife to try their burgers. Knife is basically a steakhouse, but after a well known food critic wrote that Knife's hamburgers were in his opinion the best in the entire world, I've been curious to try them. I'll have to say that I wasn't disappointed. These burgers were amazing.

I've learned not to check the pet cam when we are trying to do something enjoyable away from home. It always spoils everything. We had a relaxing and very enjoyable dinner, but I wasn't surprised to see that the house was a disaster when we returned. Dot is completely unpredictable now. When she poops, it might be ten hours before she goes again or ten minutes. I thought we had a chance this time, because she'd pooped about an hour before we left the house. It wasn't meant to be. My poop forensics abilities were able to determine that she'd heard a noise outside and pooped while she was struggling to get up and investigate. It's so much easier when Dot poops while she's asleep. This time she stepped in the stuff and tracked the mess all over her penned in area in the hallway. Three blankets and a large waterproof floor protector all needed to be hosed off and thrown in the washing machine. Dot needed quite a bit of cleanup herself.

Janet had a vacation day today, but it still seemed like a normal Friday to me. I checked to make sure the trash had been picked up, went out for my regular Friday morning breakfast, and then returned home to finish writing my last article before the Christmas holidays. I wrote the article quickly enough, but then I discovered that my client hadn't been receiving my mail all week because their IT department was blocking me again. This happens every couple of months and it is infuriating. Guys, how many times do I have to tell you that I'm not a spammer. I'm sure that there are a few spammers using Bluehost servers, but you don't have to block the entire hosting company to catch them. To make a long story short, it took more time to successfully send the article than it took to write it.

This has got to be the worst weather for fighting a cold. It's cold and damp outside and warm and dry inside. I'm constantly taking Dot out without adequate clothing, because there isn't time to bundle up. At least I've got a bunch of cough drops now. I'm surprised that the dogs haven't caught colds too. It's really nasty out. If Dot didn't need me, I'd probably spend the entire holiday weekend sleeping. It's almost certain that she's going to wake up at 5:30 AM tomorrow morning though, just like she always does. If I don't get her outside by 5:31, there will be pee on the floor.

I hope it dries out and warms up a bit tomorrow. There are too many wet leaves on the floor and too many wet paws on the bedspread. It would be nice if I quit coughing too. At least I didn't cough during dinner tonight. Dinner was definitely the high point of the day.

Ziggy is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2456

When we were taking Dot on her evening walk around the block, we discovered that one of our neighbors had died about two weeks ago. We might never have known if someone hadn't pulled in the neighbor's driveway as we were walking by and casually mentioned the recent death. Years ago when all the neighbors actually talked to each other, we would have known about something like this immediately. I felt bad that we didn't even go to the funeral.

The neighborhood has changed over the years. We were the young ones when we moved here. Most of the other people had lived in the neighborhood since they built their homes in the 1940's. As our original neighbors grew older and moved to retirement homes or died, they were increasingly replaced by renters. The renters stayed a year or two at most, until their company relocated them somewhere else. Gradually, not as many people knew each other anymore. I would wave at familiar faces as I walked by with the dogs, but I didn't even know their names. I'm sure there are still people in the neighborhood who are the best of friends, but it's not like it used to be. Nothing is permanent now. If I told some of the renters that Joan had died, they wouldn't even know who she was.

I cleaned the pecans off the roof this morning. What a mess. Our resident squirrels love the pecans and eat them with gusto. Broken pecans and shells are everywhere and as soon as it rains, the tannin in the nuts turns the water into a deep brown coffee colored mess. The tannin not only stains the roof, it causes the special elastomeric coating to deteriorate. I try my best to keep the roof clean, but it is a a hopeless task. Now that Fall is approaching, oak leaves, pecans, and acorns will be falling on the roof from now through December.

I didn't feel like vacuuming today, but since I'd skipped this chore last week, I really had no choice. With two dogs that shed constantly and track dirt in the house every time they go outside, I probably need to vacuum everyday. The house looks better now, but it will be dirty again tomorrow. That's just the way it goes when you've got Dalmatians.

I don't know why I even bothered to go to the gym today because I was worn out before I even arrived. It's important to maintain routines though, so I thought I'd make an effort. Since my shoulder was hurting already, I skipped some of the routines that were sure to make it worse. Instead of aggravating my shoulder on purpose, I shot free throws on the basketball court a little longer and spend a little extra time on the treadmill. My fitness tracker said I had over 20,000 steps today, so I did manage to keep busy.

Tomorrow is a holiday. Mostly this just means that the park will be extra crowded and that we won't get any mail. Janet mentioned going down to Trinity Groves and trying out some of the new restaurants there. I'm so out of it these days that I didn't even know what Trinity Groves was.

Nola is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2090

The holiday weekend is getting off to a good start. Miraculously, the dogs let us sleep in a little this morning. Even though we got up later, Dot didn't poop in her bed. That's always a good sign. We set off on our morning walk around 7:30 AM, which is much later than normal. Dot continues to get stronger and I've noticed recently that she is actually starting to walk a little faster. Dash, on the other hand, is still acting strange. He is still finicky about eating in the morning, but seems completely normal the rest of the day. I don't know what's wrong. Maybe nothing is wrong at all. We're thinking about switching the brand of food he eats, just to see if that makes a difference. I'll ask the oncologist if we need to bring in Dash for another round of tests when I take Dot for her next Ultrasound scan this coming Friday.

Having bacon for breakfast made it seem like a holiday, but when I turned on the computer and checked my e-mail, I knew it was going to be another work day. There was a long list of website revisions to make. I guess I could have postponed the updates until Tuesday, but it made much more sense to go ahead and do them now. It's not like I was going to do anything special today anyway. Today's changes involved altering a Wordpress site. I've grown to hate Wordpress because clients often pick a template and then immediately set about trying to change it. It is almost always easier for me to create a custom site than it is to modify someone else's Wordpress template. Oh, well. Like I said, I didn't have much to do today.

We're trying to figure out how to clean the rugs we use to keep Dot from falling in the house. The little ones will fit in the washing machine, but most of them are too big even for commercial laundromat machines. The rugs in the kitchen are the worst, because that's where the dogs like to hang out. The Dyson is pretty amazing, but even this super vacuum is no match for two Dalmatians eating breakfast for several months. I'm torn between buying a power washer and renting one of those Bissell carpet cleaners. A power washer might actually work pretty well, since the rugs are all made of synthetic material that dries quickly. I need to clean all the spider webs off the windows anyway, so why not take the rugs outside and clean them both with a power washer at the same time. The only downside to this plan is that we'd have to buy even more rugs, so Dot would have something to walk on while the other rugs dried. If I spent my time trying to solve real problems instead of fretting about dirty rugs and broken optical drives, Lord knows what I might accomplish.

Yes, I did make one more attempt to revive the DVD burner in my desktop Mac. I failed again. The thing is probably just dirty, but there is no easy way to clean these drives anymore. My older Mac towers had flat CD trays that slid out to insert a disc. You could buy special cleaning discs that had a little brush glued to the surface of the disc. You would put some solvent on the brush, insert the cleaning disc in the players and run it for a few minutes. The brush cleaned off the laser head and almost always cured sluggish or faulty optical drives. If worse came to worse, you could just unscrew the entire broken drive from the chassis and replace it with a new one. New Macintosh computers are completely different. Almost nothing is meant to be serviced yourself. Some components are epoxied directly to the motherboard, so they can't be removed at all. I have no idea how I'd remove the optical drive from my current Mac. You can't even open the case. I'm sure Apple would prefer that I just buy a new one.

It looks like I'm going to have time to go to the gym tomorrow. I skipped my workout last Sunday since I was doing the photoshoot with the two children and their menagerie of animals. Nothing exciting like that this weekend, so it looks like I'll have to burn off some calories on the treadmill.

Allie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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