Day 1363

It was time to give Dot another medicated bath today. She was so good about taking her bath this time that I wondered if I had the right dog. Dot has never been fond of water and giving her a bath is usually an ordeal. Today, the whole process was a breeze. Maybe she just likes this new dog bathing place better. I'll have to admit that the new place is quieter and the water is much warmer. Who knows. Maybe that's all it takes to change a dog's mind.

The dog park was almost empty today. It's still unnaturally hot for mid-September and most people probably had the good sense to stay indoors. We didn't stay at the park long. We only go on hot days like this to give Dash a chance to be off leash for a little while. These opportunities to race around unhindered are one of his favorite things.

Since tomorrow looks like it's going to be a busy day, I used my afternoon to catch up on bookkeeping and pay some bills. Although paying bills has never been my idea of fun, it certainly beat my other alternative: mowing the grass. I'll save mowing the grass for a cooler day. I did water the yard though. It was so hot and dry that the plants seemed to be crying out for water.

I reluctantly laid the groundwork for becoming a Wordpress developer this afternoon. Since Wordpress is a server-side application, I needed to install a web server and a database management system on my computer before I could begin. I downloaded the Apache server software and MySQL for the database. Now, I'm ready to install Wordpress itself, but I'll save that for another day. I guess it's time for me to embrace dynamic websites. I've avoided them for years. I still prefer nice looking, simple static sites built using easy to understand HTML code, but time marches on. Clients are dragging me kicking and screaming into the brave new world of dynamic, database driven sites. Oh, well. I'll just have to grit my teeth and get with the program. I've already had to retire my beloved Nikon F-2 film cameras and my next car probably won't have a manual transmission either.

Dot is really slowing down. She still insists on taking her daily walks and enjoys going to the dog park, but when she gets home again, she immediately goes to her bed and sleeps for hours. She looks so tired when she is sleeping. I hope I can continue to strike the right balance between letting her enjoy the things she loves and keeping her from overexerting herself. I think the best way to age gracefully is not to be aware you are aging at all. I'm pretty sure I can create an easygoing and enjoyable environment for Dot as she enters her senior years. I'm just not sure how to do the same thing for myself.

Camp is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1355

Dot and Dash both got a medicated bath this morning. I wish our old self-bathe place hadn't gone out of business. The new place where we take the dogs for a bath is nice and clean, but the customers are so slow. The people ahead of us seemed determined to turn bathing your dog into a family entertainment event. They brought all their children with them and gave them each turns hosing down or putting soap on their dog. It took forever for Dot and Dash to get a tub, and as you know, they aren't the most patient canines in the world. I guess it was worth the effort though. Both dogs look a lot better now. Hopefully, Dot will be good to go for her water therapy next Wednesday.

I had a laundry list of things to get at Home Depot today. There was primer and paint for the ceiling, new stainless steel burner liners for the stove, jig saw blades, and a new Dremel tool with circle cutting attachments. I think I've got what I need to finish both the languishing sheet rock repairs and the cutting board project. Will I actually finish these projects in the next several days? Probably not.

When I was driving around this afternoon, I noticed that the Evoque wasn't in valet mode anymore. It seemed to have switched back to regular mode all by itself. I certainly didn't do anything. There is probably just some loose wiring somewhere and when I go over a bump, it switches back and forth. The weather's been so hot lately that I'm in no hurry to get the Defender back. I'm hoping now that Land Rover doesn't finish the repairs until Fall. The Evoque leaves a lot to be desired, but the air conditioning works great. It would be nice to go another year without any further overheating worries.

I had trouble sleeping last night, and as a result I had trouble staying awake today. Hopefully, the rest of the Labor Day weekend will be quiet and uneventful. I'm not sure what we'll be doing over the holidays. My new diet has made barbecue and beer a thing of the past, but there ought to be something fun to do. I'll ask the dogs what they want to do.

Domino is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day