Day 2723

I got a jury summons today. I've been hoping that they'd forget about me for one more year so I could finally be exempt from this chore forever. No such luck. I've sat in the jury pool many times, but have never been selected for a jury. I don't think I fit the profile that lawyers are typically looking for. I doubt that I'll be picked this time either, so it all seems like a giant waste of time. Maybe I'm not suited for jury duty because whenever I go to the courthouse, everyone seems guilty. People in the elevator seem guilty. Other jurors seem guilty. The lawyers always seem guilty of something. I've always been convinced that the defendant was guilty before anybody even opened their mouth. Instead of "innocent until proven guilty," I seem to think that people are guilty until proven innocent.

It's hard to avoid a jury summons. You can postpone things, but they'll keep bugging you again and again until you finally give up and go to the courthouse. The only good thing is that this is probably the last time I'll have to do this. They seldom call anyone more than once a year.

I don't think the pressure washer and I are going to be friends. It became apparent that Janet bought the pressure washer because she wants me to clean the exterior of the entire house. I got started today, because the sooner I start on this project, the sooner I'll finish. This is a messy job. Most of the wasp and mud dauber nests, spider webs, and dirt are located above my head. When I use the pressure wand to dislodge things, the debris falls on me. I definitely should have waited until after I used the pressure washer to take a shower today.

I cleaned the front porch and carport this afternoon. That was enough. I'll have to admit that the entrance does look a lot nicer. It will take a lot of time to clean the entire house, but I've got nothing but time these days. I'm hoping that I'll get some new website or writing projects soon. Legitimate paying jobs are always a good excuse to avoid doing things around the house.

I've got three different traps in the atrium now and the rat is ignoring all of them. I'm really kicking myself for not removing the rat immediately as soon as I noticed I had it trapped. Sure, it was raining at the time, but getting wet would have been a small price to pay for getting rid of the rat before it got wise to traps. I'm not sure what to do now. The rat is still there, but it appears to be smarter now. It could easily jump in the house if I open the sliding glass door. All I can say is that rats are almost as irritating as jury duty.

2017 appears to be a year of transition. I started the year with two dogs and will end it with one. I started the year believing I still had a viable business and will probably end it by finally acknowledging that I have retired. The world is always changing, but I'm not comfortable with these changes yet. I guess that is the challenge. Like it or not, I've got to keep moving forward.

Lacey is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2718

Today almost seemed normal. In addition to my usual Saturday chores, I returned to Euless to pick up Dot's ashes. Since I don't typically drive much further than the post office anymore, these two back-to-back trips to the crematorium have reintroduced me to a city that has totally changed. There are parts of town that I don't even recognize anymore. I think I liked the city I moved to in the mid 1970's better than the sprawling metropolis I see now.

With Dot safely back on the coffee table with Spot, Petey, Greta, and Mindy, I began the daunting task of transforming a dog hospice back into the home I remembered two or three years ago. Over a dozen large rugs were cleaned and placed in the car for a trip to the storage warehouse. I disassembled the six sided x-pen that has dominated the living room for the past two years. I must have lost a critical part, because I couldn't figure out how to fold the thing up the way it originally arrived in the box. It doesn't really matter because the box disappeared a long time ago. At least I was able to fold the pen enough so that it would fit in the car. I never realized how heavy these rugs are. I'm pretty sure that I put over 100 pounds of rugs in the car.

I hope that Dash stays healthy for a long time because I don't look forward to bringing these bulky rugs back home again. I'm not going to throw them away though. Dash is twelve. In a few years. he will probably need some help to keep from slipping on the brick floors.

The house looks different now. It seems bigger. I can't say that I'm going to miss all the clutter, but the rugs and dog paraphernalia did make the house feel cozy. There is still a lot of cleaning that needs to be done, but at least I've got things started. I have a feeling that we've going to need new carpet, but I'll worry about that later. It seems weird not to administer pills every eight hours or continually mop pee off the floor. There are so many odd little things that became part of my daily routine. I'm going to have to relearn how to live a normal life.

Dash seems a bit lonely to me. Truthfully, he's probably completely normal and I'm the one who's lonely. I'm going to miss Dot for a long time. I believe that it's important not to wallow in sorrow or be consumed by grief. I need to stay busy and I will. There are certainly a lot of things that I've overlooked for the past three years.

Janet and I are both dealing with health issues but are determined to resolve them. Maybe we will travel more when everything settles down. Janet would like to foster rescue dogs occasionally. Maybe we'll start taking Dash back to training class. I'll have to ask Dash though. I'm not sure he ever liked training class. Truthfully, I have no idea what we'll be doing this time next year. I do know that we've got a few good years left and it's important not to waste them. I hope you'll keep reading because this story isn't over yet.

Freckles is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day