Day 3880

One of the worst things about the pandemic is that every little ache and pain makes you think that your luck has finally run out. I woke up with a sore throat this morning. "This is how it begins," I thought. Never mind. I forgot that this is a common occurrence. When I don't sleep on my back, I get nasal congestion and start breathing through my mouth. Instant morning sore throat. As soon as I was up and had some coffee the sore throat disappeared.

Maybe I'm just a hypochondriac, but this has happened before. Occasionally I'm winded after a long uphill walk and I start to wonder about my lungs. I'm always checking my temperature with the forehead thermometer. If it even varies by a tenth of a degree I wonder if this could be the start of something. Every time I hear someone cough, I wonder how far the virus can travel through the air. None of this is good, but there is a certain logic to this sort of thinking. The virus is relentless and people aren't all that careful. I find it easy to believe that the longer you stay healthy, the more likely it is that your luck will eventually run out.

This is probably why I'm never wild about shopping day. Half the people in the grocery store had their mask below their nose this morning. I forgot the doggie poop bag I usually put over my hand when I pump gas. People are always picking through the produce to find the freshest items. There are so many opportunities for things to go wrong.

Oddly, I never worry about walking in the park even though I don't wear a mask outdoors. Joggers and cyclists pass us on the trails, but nobody lingers and nobody gets close. Fresh outdoor air is much different than a building's air conditioning system. I'm sure that if sports eventually returns, watching football in an outdoor stadium would be safer than watching basketball in an indoor arena. It's not good to think this way. Once you become convinced that every stranger is a potential danger, it's going to be hard to trust anyone again. No hugs please. Ever.

Every time I go shopping, I'm more and more convinced that our country's supply chain and distribution system has become seriously damaged. Stores just aren't as well stocked anymore. I'm still seeing an overreaction to the toilet paper shortage. There is an abundance of toilet paper and bleach now, but not enough cheese. Every week I find common, everyday items that just aren't on the shelves anymore. Some aisles are half empty and I can't even remember what used to be there. This inconsistency often forces you to go to several stores when one used to be enough. If the whole idea is to get in and out of the store as quickly and efficiently as possible, it would be nice if the store had what you need.

We got a late start on our walk again this morning. Saturday should be the day we start extra early. The park is always crowded on Saturday, but few people get up before sunrise. Old habits die hard though. We always used to sleep in on Saturdays. One of these mornings we need to take a picture of Dawn right at dawn. At least once a week we see a beautiful sunrise. This would make a nice backdrop for a portrait of Dawn.

I hope I don't wake up with any aches and pains tomorrow. I'm tired of waiting for the other shoe to drop. It's about time to wake up and feel like going to the gym.

Lilly is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3749

The park is still open to pedestrians and cyclists, but all entrances have been blocked and there are signs saying that the park is closed to motorized vehicles. This seems to be something that is going to be enforced. I saw lots of parking enforcement cars and an increased police presence in the neighborhood this morning. This is a good thing for all the locals who love to walk their dogs in the park. These new rules should drastically decrease traffic within the park without changing things for Dawn and the neighborhood dogs at all. I wouldn't mind seeing then traffic rule becoming permanent. The park has become way too crowded in recent years anyway.

I still feel like defending the vast majority of dog walkers, joggers, and cyclists I've seen during the past week. They have all been very polite and make sure to keep their distance. I still see a few kids who seem determined to hang out with their friends, but even these groups are small. I think the city still allows groups of fewer than ten people to gather. I've never seen more than five kids walking together. These young people should still not be hanging out with non-family members, but I don't think they are a danger to anyone else in the park. It's a very large park and there's plenty of room to keep your distance. I still worry a lot more about going to the grocery store.

Crowds certainly weren't a problem today. It was cold and it rained a lot. Luckily Janet and I were able to walk Dawn and get our steps in before the weather turned ugly. We did get a lot of rain though. I'm pleased that both pumps on the roof are still working and no new leaks have appeared. The forecast shows more rain ahead, so I'm not going to be able to remove the standing water for quite a while. Fingers crossed. I hope my repair work continues to hold up.

I've transfered all the files on my desktop computer to three smaller external drives, but still haven't gotten the nerve to erase the damaged disk and see if I might be able to reformat it. As long as I'm still able to access data on the drive I might as well postpone this effort anyway. Once I erase the disk, the data is gone forever and there still might be something I need.

This is not a good time to be a hypochondriac. The media keeps bombarding us with information about how to tell if you might have the virus. Since many of the early signs are exactly the same as the flu or other minor illnesses, it's easy to wonder. If you feel winded after a run or long walk you automatically start thinking about your lungs. Are the normal aches and pains of growing older a sign of something worse? Is the virus really airborne as some people speculate? I try not to obsess about these things and remind myself that I feel fine.

Seasonal allergies are a bitch too. I've had bad Spring allergies for as long as I can remember. This is the worst time of year, when everything is growing and there is pollen everywhere. I've done a good job at refraining from sneezing when another person is anywhere in the vicinity, but it doesn't seem natural. If you have allergies, you sneeze a lot.

We're living in a time that is going to be in the history books, just like World War II and the Great Depression. I have no idea how this will end, but I would have definitely preferred my retirement years to be a little more uneventful.

Sparky is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3666

Janet wanted to rake leaves today. It's not my favorite activity, but we did get a lot done. I'll have to admit that the yard looks a lot better now. In prior years we just hired a yard guy to do this sort of stuff. I guess things have changed. When you're living on fixed incomes, it becomes almost instinctual to save money whenever you can.

The weather is still exceptionally nice. After finishing our yard work, I took my long walk and didn't even need a jacket. I hope this weather continues. So far, it doesn't feel like January at all. Things can change quickly in Texas, but somehow I don't feel we are going to get much snow this year. A winter without snow is fine by me. I'd be content to never see snow again.

I re-applied for NASA media accreditation as a photographer today. I hope this doesn't confuse everybody since I already applied several weeks ago as a writer. The magazine's editor says this is the way to go though. Who am I to argue. If this move gets me the press pass I want, I'm good. We'll see what happens. I have a feeling that nobody else is thinking nearly as much about this as I am.

I also wrote a letter to McDonald Observatory in an effort to clarify some things about an upcoming trip to the Davis Mountains this Spring. I've been having a hard time reaching the people I need to talk with by phone. Truthfully, I have a hard time reaching anyone by phone these days. Nobody wants to talk anymore. Apparently, the only way to communicate now is with a text message.

Treasure got adopted today. Janet showed me a picture of Treasure with her new family and everyone looked happy. I'm glad that Treasure finally found her forever home. She'd been at the kennel way too long. Since Treasure was a Dalmatian-mix, she often got overlooked. All is well that ends well though. I think this sweet girl found the home she deserved.

There's not a lot of good news these days. Most people seems to be worried about the news coming out of Australia and Iraq. I was horrified to read about a man who almost died from a rare blood disease after trying to remove a piece of popcorn that had gotten stuck in his teeth. I guess he shouldn't have used a nail to try to remove the popcorn, but everybody gets things stuck in their teeth. I've probably got a piece of popcorn stuck in my teeth right now. This story was almost as bad as the story about the guy who lost his arms and legs after his dog licked his face. There's way too much to worry about these days.

I have a rare meeting tomorrow. I hope I can remember it. I have a hard time even remembering what day it is. I also need to remember to inspect the roof before it rains again. I think we've got one more nice day before thunderstorms arrive on Thursday or Friday. Actually, the threat of rain is why we raked leaves today. Dry leaves are much easier to rake and bag than wet ones.

Misty is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3005

I certainly didn't accomplish much today. I did my grocery shopping and filled the car up with gas, but that was about it. Janet was away at a Dalmatian Rescue event today. Dash usually follows Janet around like glue on weekends, but he didn't seem to notice she was gone. I suspect he just thought it was another work day. We ate breakfast and took our morning walk just like we did yesterday and then I started my Saturday errands. When I returned Dash was asleep.

I spent a long time trying to figure out where to store a huge box of toilet paper I got at Sam's Club. Buying in bulk does save money, but it sure is difficult to store the stuff when you're living in a small house. I guess I could have done some house cleaning, but I got distracted looking for a technical service manual for my refrigerator online. There are all types of sites that will sell you duplicate service manuals, but I wanted to find a free one. I eventually found what I was looking for and started reading the diagnostic section. It's probably not helpful that I want to figure out what is wrong before the service technician arrives on Monday, but that's just the type of guy I am.

I suspect that one of the two remaining original thermistors has gone bad. Hopefully that's all it is. If the mother board I replaced a few months ago is already defective, I've got a big problem. Truthfully, I have no idea why the refrigerator isn't working. It should be working perfectly. When I read through the technical service manual, it appeared that the previous technicians had done exactly what the manual recommended.

While I was searching for the cause of my refrigerator problem, I started looking up the side effects of some some of the meds I'm taking. That was a mistake. A hypochondriac should never start reading about side effects. It's easy to imagine that you have all of them. I'm trying to decide whether a brand name drug I'm taking is worth the extra money. The brand name and the generic are similar, but for some reason the side effects are different. After comparing both, I felt like someone was telling me to pick my poison. I miss the days when I didn't even have a doctor and took no meds at all. As you might expect, those days were a long, long time ago.

We were going to go out for pizza tonight, but Janet ended up getting a free pizza at the grocery store.   We thought about going out anyway and then it started to rain. Once I started to hear thunder, I knew we were staying home. We've learned that it isn't wise to leave Dash alone in a storm. The free Tom Thumb pizza wasn't bad, but it didn't come close to the pies at our neighborhood Italian restaurant. Who knows when we'll have the urge for pizza again. Usually, both of us eat amazingly healthy meals. Sometimes you just crave pizza though.

I hope I wake up tomorrow with more motivation than I had today. I could have easily stayed in bed all day. Luckily, I don't need motivation to go to the gym. I've never been motivated to go to the gym. I just go because that's what I do on Sunday.

Allie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2759

Janet and I both thought it was Saturday this morning. It was an easy mistake to make, since all the days are blurring together. Luckily, I did remember that it was Thursday yesterday and took the trash out. I didn't feel like going out for breakfast this morning. Somehow, the ritual of going to a restaurant for breakfast every Friday morning seems buried in a distant past. Maybe I'll look forward to doing this again sometime, but other things seem more important now.

My legs continue to improve. When I look at them together, it's easy to see that the left leg is still swollen, but it is so much better than it was a week ago. The pain has subsided to a dull ache and my wrist is slowly becoming more flexible. I don't even wear the splint all the time anymore. The one thing I'm still careful to do is elevate my legs every time I sleep or take a nap. I wish I'd done this the very first night after getting bitten. If I had elevated my legs and rested more in the beginning, maybe the swelling wouldn't have become so bad.

I was promised that my car would be finished today, but when I called to check, they hadn't even started working on it. I guess I wasn't surprised. Ever since the Land Rover and Jaguar dealerships merged, service has slowed down to a crawl. They just don't have enough mechanics anymore. When people complain that there aren't any jobs, I wonder if they've considered becoming an auto mechanic. Large dealerships always seems to be short on mechanics. Luckily, there was someone who could help me today. A warning light came on in the loaner car and I didn't want to get stuck without a car this weekend. Everything is fine now, but waiting at the dealership made my errands take a lot longer than expected .

Dash was much better behaved today. Maybe he's finally getting used to this amorphous new schedule that Janet and I have adopted. We don't plan ahead very well anymore. We just buy food one day at a time and one of us is always running to the store to pick up something for dinner. We are bored and tired at the same time and still spend a lot of time resting. No wonder Dash becomes frustrated at times.

When I was running errands today, I got caught in a brief thunderstorm. It's weird to have so much rain in the middle of July. I guess it's a good thing, especially since the landscaper is coming on Monday. Usually we put in new grass in March, so it is well established by mid-Summer. It will be nice to have grass again, but one way or another, I bet my water bill is going to go way up next month.

I'm just about finished taking my antibiotics. Hopefully there is no risk of infection anymore. The strong antibiotics have given me an upset stomach, so maybe my appetite will improve once I'm finished with these pills. Antibiotics have been known to cause dental problems and I've noticed that my teeth are more difficult to get clean this week. I'm tempted to blame a recurrence of hemorrhoid problems on the antibiotics too. I'll be glad when I don't have to sleep with my feet elevated anymore. I usually sleep on my side and it has taken a while to get used to sleeping on my back. The best thing about a return to health is that I won't be wasting time Googling medical problems anymore. I'm sure Google has me listed in its hypochondriac file by now.

Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2756

I finished writing both my new articles today and spent the rest of the time lying on the bed with my feet elevated. It was nice to have some work to do again, but I don't think it is a good idea to sit at the computer all day. I can literally feel the fluid pooling around my ankles when I sit for long periods of time. Another bad thing about sitting at the computer is that I spend too much time Googling information about swollen legs and ankles. I'm finding lots of similarities between my condition and people who have had minor motorcycle accidents. Basically, if you are a hypochondriac, you should never Google your own ailments.

Elevating my legs really seems to help control the swelling in my legs, but unfortunately the benefits seem temporary. It kind of feels like I've got a quart of water floating around inside me. When I lie on the bed with my legs elevated, the liquid flows back into my body. When I stand up and start walking, gravity causes it to flow down around my ankles again. It's frustrating, but there's not much I can do at this point. It's going to take a long time to completely reabsorb the blood and fluids resulting from a trauma injury like this.

Maybe I need to start watching Netflix like Janet. She needs to rest for long periods of time too, but luckily she enjoys watching movies. Often I find her asleep with a movie still running on the iPad on her lap. I'm growing bored staring at the ceiling, so maybe I'll give Netflix a try tomorrow. Lying on your back with your feet in the air probably isn't the best position to watch a movie, but I'll have to improvise.

Dash threw up again this afternoon. I was hoping that he wouldn't have any problems until Janet and I were both well again. Maybe that was too much to ask for. Dash has thrown up periodically for years. Usually he seems normal again within a few hours. When I take him to the vet they can never find anything wrong and usually just suggest changing his diet. Dash will eat bugs and dead things when he can find them, and eating something bad is often the cause of his stomach problems. Janet and I have been so preoccupied that we probably haven't been watching him closely enough when we take him outside to pee. At any rate, we gave him a Pepsid tonight and hoped for the best.

Dash's upset stomach reminded me to make an appointment for him at the cancer center. His oncologist likes to do a recheck every six months and we are a little behind schedule. Dash has been in remission for so long now that his doctors aren't really worried about the cancer returning. They are more worried about an enlarged heart as he grows older.

When I look at my calendar, it's nothing but doctor's appointments for Janet, myself, and Dash. Hopefully, this is just a temporary thing. Janet is starting to feel a lot better. I'm on the mend too, but dog bites are painful injuries that tend to heal slowly. I'll just need to stay patient. It would be nice if Dash would stay healthy too. We don't need a three ring circus at this point.

Tomorrow, I take my car in for a long postponed service appointment. It will be nice to get that expensive necessity out of the way. Pretty soon, we should have grass in the back yard again too. One step at a time, we're slowly getting back to normal. Just for the record, I didn't see this Great Egret today. I didn't even leave the house. I did see the bird pretty recently though and didn't feel like showing you a picture of my feet in the air.

Sophia is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2367

I moved the domains I own to a new registrar today. I'd been planning to do this for quite a while, but kept postponing the task because of the hassle I anticipated. Basically it was now or never. Several of the domains needed to be renewed soon, and if I renewed them at the old registrar, I would have to wait at least 60 days before I would be able to transfer them. The move was just as problematic as I feared. For starters, I couldn't remember the password to my old account. There are all kinds of safeguards to prevent domains from being hijacked, so I had to get permission from the old registrar to move the domains and then the new registrar had to verify the move to prove that I was really who I said I was. To make matters worse, there was no way to automate the process. I had to go through the complicated transfer process on a case by case basis for each domain. Luckily, I had nothing better to do today, because the process took a long time.

I didn't sleep well last night. Dot pooped in her bed twice and seemed unusually lethargic when I woke up this morning. I always worry when Dot's condition seems to change, but she seemed to bounce back after breakfast and by the time the dog walker arrived for our morning walk, she seemed fine again. Maybe I should be more worried about myself than the dogs. I have been unusually clumsy lately. I drop things all the time, which I never used to do. Yesterday, I dropped a Corningware cooking dish and broke it while I was trying to get some utensils out of a kitchen cabinet. Today, when I was eating breakfast, the glass with my fruit smoothie literally fell out of my hand while I was drinking it. The glass didn't break, but I did make a big mess. I never used to be this clumsy. I also inadvertently stepped on Dash's foot while I was walking him this afternoon. Dash wasn't hurt, but we both were startled. I wonder if this had anything to do with not being able to use the treadmill at the gym without using the handrails. Most of the other people never use the handrails, but I always do. Maybe something is going wrong with my balance and coordination. On the other hand, maybe I'm just being a hypochondriac.

After I successfully transferred all my domains, I decided to fix my voter registration online. For some reason now, the information on your voter registration card needs to match the information on your drivers license exactly. I has used my full middle name on one and a middle initial on the other. I got a letter last week saying that if I didn't fix this, I would be given a provisional ballot the next time I went to vote. This kind of scrutiny seemed a lot like making my 80 year old father take his shoes off for the TSA folks at the airport, but I learned a long time ago that it is pointless to argue with bureaucracy. I filled out the online form, which involved providing them with a lot of identifying information that I didn't even know belonged to me. When you look at your driver's license with a magnifying glass, there is a lot more information than you might think.

I'll be glad when Janet gets back. Dealing with the dogs when I first wake up is like herding cats. Dot and Dash have different agendas and are never where I need them to be. Dash sometimes wakes up with an upset stomach, and will race outside and eat grass and leaves if you don't watch him like a hawk. If I see him eating leaves, but am holding on to Dot's harness at the same time, it is hard to get him to stop. I could always let the dogs out one at a time, but they both need to pee as soon as they get up. Of course, I always need to pee as soon as I get up too, so it gets complicated.

All in all, we are doing pretty well. The soiled area rugs are clean again and back on the living room floor. I found a new kibble combination that Dash seems to like for breakfast. I'm still having problems getting Dot to pee just before bedtime, but we're working on it.  Hopefully, I'll be able to get Dot down to her physical therapy session tomorrow without another messy accident in the car. We'll see.

Domino is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2257

My stomach vetoed going out for breakfast this morning. After we walked the dogs, I just ate a leftover frozen waffle I found in the refrigerator and went back to bed. I don't know what kind of bug I caught, but it's a lot more persistent than I anticipated. The first day was a runny nose and a sore throat. The second day was aching joints, night sweats, vomiting, and a mild fever. Today things seem to have settled in my chest. I'm coughing more and still feel tired. I think I'm getting better, but it's hard to tell. The aches and pains keep moving around.

Did I mention I'm a hypochondriac? I rarely get sick, but when I do, I always think I've come down with something much worse than I really have. Now, I'm wondering if the tick that bit me a few weeks ago caused this. It's highly unlikely that I have some strange tick-borne disease, since my symptoms seem exactly like the flu, but that's how my mind works. A mild case of the flu usually lasts about three days and a more serious case can last up to a week. My flu shot obviously didn't work, but maybe it is helping to keep things from becoming worse. There's got to be some reason why I keep getting these flu shots year after year.

I got off to an extremely slow start this morning, but I eventually finished my writing assignment and turned it in. The only other thing I did today was go to the grocery store and pick up something for dinner. I didn't feel like eating anything hot, so I got some chicken salad, potato salad, and broccoli slaw. I probably shouldn't have gotten anything, because I wasn't really hungry.

So far so good with Dot. She's only taken one round of chemo pills so far, but there doesn't seem to be any obvious adverse reactions. She still has a good appetite and enjoys her walks in the morning. Since Dot is tired and weak anyway, it might be hard to detect a subtle further decline. She gets her second set of pills tomorrow, so we'll see how that goes. I'm hoping that the new lower dose and extra day of recovery will help prevent the weakness that was obvious the first time we tried chemo. If this works, the Palladia pills could add significantly to the amount of time we still get to share with her.

I think I'm going to skip some of my usual Saturday errands tomorrow. What's the point. There's nothing I do that can't wait a few days. I think the priority now is to shake off this cold and get better. I hate to take decongestants or cold pills, so the only thing that makes sense to me are some extended naps with the dogs. The house may get a little dirtier, but I think the dogs will understand.

Spot is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1766

My Facebook feed seems to have divided into two camps: those who think we're all going to die and those who are already sick of hearing about Ebola and want to go back to nonstop LOL cats. I don't feel comfortable at either of these extremes, but I am still a bit incredulous at how this drama is unfolding. So far, it still seems a lot like a bad Michael Bay movie.

I hear that the CDC is seriously considering putting the 70 healthcare workers who came in contact with Thomas Duncan on the TSA no fly list with all the terrorists, while they still refuse to even consider a ban on air traffic to and from West Africa. This is insanity. Hey, I've got an idea! If our government is so determined to let these infected people leave the hot zone, let's forget about all the thermometers and just hook people up to a lie detector instead. If you're lying about exposure to the disease, you don't get in. Pretty simple. If the screeners happen to snag a few people who are lying about things totally unrelated to Ebola, don't let them in either. We've got enough lying bastards in this country already.

I guess I just fundamentally don't understand the rainbows and unicorns crowd who wants to go back to LOL cats on their Facebook page and think we are all overreacting. Maybe I've watched too many apocalyptic science fiction movies. Maybe I continue to think the glass is half empty when it is really half full. I may not know the full story, but I still think we've dropped the ball on something that is very serious. This is a forest fire. You know how they fight forest fires? They create wide firelines that the flames cannot cross and let the fire burn itself out. Nobody would ever take a burning tree and move it to a new forest.

Dot seemed visibly stiff at her physical therapy session today. She still may be a bit sore from her fall yesterday, but our vet thinks she may be suffering from degenerative myelopathy. This slow-onset condition is very common in older dogs and often results in leg weakness and poor muscle tone. Since the spinal nerves gradually deteriorate with this disease, it is important to keep Dot moving to minimize the effects of muscle atrophy. I really think the acupuncture and water therapy with the underwater treadmill are helping. Dot still faces a lot of obstacles, but she is doing better than any senior citizen Dalmatian I've ever seen.  The old girl is pretty remarkable. As long as she has the will to keep going, we're going to do everything possible to ensure that she can.

I ate canned food for dinner tonight instead of going to the grocery store for fresh veggies like I usually do. This was probably pure hypochondria on my part, but I'll make up for my overreaction by going to my favorite restaurant for breakfast tomorrow, just like I always do.

Camp is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1564

I got up early to meet the HVAC guy this morning and just about the time he was supposed to arrive, I got a phone call saying he was sick. We postponed everything until Monday and I went out for breakfast instead. Today's breakfast was strangely unsatisfying, since I was already prepared to do something else. As many of you already know, spontaneity is not one of my strong points.

This was another radiation therapy day for Dash. They've been getting his treatments done early this week, so he's usually ready to come home again around noon. I continue to be amazed by how well he's handling all this. Truthfully, I think he's handling the cancer much better than I am. Of course, Dash doesn't really know he has cancer. I'm fairly certain he just thinks he's going to a weird kind of doggie day care.

The weather was bad today, so I got a lot of writing done. Even by Texas standards, this was a strange day. We had bright sunshine, misty dampness, and a severe thunderstorm, all within a single day. The weatherman on TV said that a cold front had moved through the area, but the temperature still seemed pretty warm to me. When the cold fronts start feeling warm, you know that Spring is here.

Everything worked out pretty well today. I got Dash taken care of during the sunny part of the day, and returned home to write during the rainy part of the day. Even the thunderstorm wasn't very traumatic, since the dogs were so sleepy that they didn't even notice most of it.

I wish I wasn't such a hypochondriac.  I had an upset stomach and severe case of heartburn for most of the day. I couldn't decide whether this was caused by all the pills I've been taking, or if I'd just eaten some bad food yesterday. Of course, it could just be stress. Sick dogs, lots of bills to pay, and unpredictable weather have never been among my favorite things.

At least the weekend is here. I look forward to two days of doing as little as possible. Dot's new harness came in the mail today. We got her a special full body harness just like Dash's. Now both dogs will look like search and rescue pros when we take them on walks. Dot never tries to escape like Dash, but this new harness will be good for her as well, since it provides an extra level of support.

Doc is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1488

I woke up with a nosebleed this morning. For most of my life I wouldn't have given something like this a second thought. Now that half my friends have had heard attacks and I have a primary care physician who is obsessed with heart attacks, it's hard not to be a hypochondriac. It seems like there's always something that isn't working the way it should. I try not to worry about my health though. After all, there are other things to worry about, like water on the roof, clogged printers, and unexplained engine noises.

Janet likes to walk the dogs on weekends, so I went up on the roof to inspect the downed tree while everyone was away.  The tree is still there of course, but I'll have to give the roofers credit. There doesn't appear to be any damage to the roof at all. Despite some nasty icy weather and  falling tree limbs, the new roof has held up pretty well.

It's really hard to anticipate what the weather is going to be like in January here in Texas. Although we had temperatures in the single digits last week, it was in the mid-sixties today. It was nice to be able to go outside without bundling up, but the ground was still muddy. It remains to be seen whether the dog park will be open tomorrow. Sometimes they close the park even on nice days when the ground is muddy. If the dogs have any say in this, it will definitely be open.

I went to Home Depot and got a new furnace filter today. It irritates me to pay $19 for a furnace filter, but I guess it's my fault. I'm always compelled to buy the best instead of the cheapest. I could have gotten a filter for $4, but it looked completely worthless. I used to have some great electrostatic filters for the old furnace. They were made from sturdy aluminum and I would wash them out every month and use them again and again. With today's practice of only keeping the most popular items in inventory, I just can't find these things anymore. I'm sure I could find something on the Internet, but I still like the idea of a hardware store that has everything. Trust me on this. Home Depot does not have everything. They don't even come close.

There was nothing very eventful about today. That's a good thing though. There are clean sheets on the bed. A big pile of towels has been washed. All the weekend errands are done. The printer is even working. Dot and Dash are happy and full of energy today. What more could you ask for?

Pepper is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day