Day 2277

I think I've entered my own private version of the Twilight Zone. I don't know how long you can spend endlessly cleaning up dog poop in the house, removing water from a flat roof, watching the political circus on cable news, and checking your Facebook feed for obituary notices before you go stark raving mad. The high point of my day is deciding what to eat. The meal itself is usually an afterthought, but the anticipation of eating is still kind of nice.

There were multiple accidents to clean up today. I'm amazed at how well the washing machine is working, since its been getting quite a workout this year. Dot is starting to feel the Palladia pills she took on Wednesday. It takes 24 to 36 hours before I notice any difference. Typically, she starts to become more tired than usual about 24 hours after she takes the pills and then starts to recover again on the day she is due for another pill. The new schedule gives her two days to recover between each chemotherapy treatment and it appears to be working. I hope the Palladia pills are actually doing what they are supposed to do, because I hate to see Dot have a bad day.

I got my March invoices out today. It didn't take long, because there aren't many to send out anymore. Since there wasn't much food in the refrigerator, I thought I'd pick up some Chinese take out on the way home from the post office. I found a nearby Pei Wei where I could order online and ended up getting the Pad Thai I was hungry for yesterday. It wasn't the best Pad Thai I've ever eaten, but it was fresh and reasonably priced. It certainly beat having a peanut butter sandwich for dinner. I've become a fan of ordering take-out online and picking up the meal while I'm running errands in the neighborhood. If you pick the right restaurant, there is virtually no waiting. I'll probably go to this Pei Wei again. It seems a little healthier than the bacon cheeseburger I usually pick up when the refrigerator looks empty.

I was really hoping that the rain might end today, but the forecast shows that there will be more thunderstorms tomorrow and Saturday. I try to take a picture of something interesting every day, and I will admit that the rain creates interesting droplet patterns on plants. That's about all it's good for in my opinion. Rain also means wiping the dogs paws and cleaning my boots every time I come inside. It means an influx of cockroaches trying to get into the house. It means a dirty car. It means the dehumidifier has to work harder. And of course it means six inches of standing water on the roof. I hope my regular readers will bear with me. You've probably been listening to my rain rants every Spring for many years now.

The trash has been taken out to the curb. The wet clothes are all dry again. The dogs have had their evening meds and been outside to pee one last time before going to bed. All I have to do is brush my teeth and this day is over.

Ely is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1241

It's ironic. For many years, I've driven rugged, go-anywhere 4-wheel drive vehicles and yet I'm still reluctant to take my car out in the rain. After Janet's Land Rover was nearly demolished by baseball sized hailstones in an unexpected thunderstorm last year, I've had a healthy respect for Texas weather. I almost canceled my hair appointment today because I didn't want to risk getting the brand new loaner car all dinged up. After looking long and hard at the weather radar app on my iPad though, I decided to go ahead and get the much needed haircut. From all indications, the worst of the storm looked like it was going to pass South of us. Luckily, I was right.

Hailstones aren't the only thing I worry about when it rains. Dot and Dash are both terrified of thunder. They totally freak out during a bad storm. Since they have both had seizures in the past, I worry that a bad thunderstorm might trigger another seizure. There's always the roof leak too, but since I've finally decided to get a new roof, I've almost given up on the old roof as a lost cause.

So far, all my worries were unwarranted. The strategically placed buckets in the living room were all dry when I returned from my haircut. Dot and Dash seemed calm enough too. No damage to the LR4 either. Even though today's thunderstorm didn't amount to much, I still hate rain. I often fantasize about living in a climate without rain, but these places are usually full of snakes and scorpions, which I don't like either.

I'm getting hooked on online take-out meals. There's a restaurant right near the post office and if I place an online order right before I go to mail a letter, my meal will be ready for me when I arrive. No waiting at all! Since I have no real desire to actually eat inside the restaurant, this is perfect for me. I'd order breakfast this way too, but none of my favorite breakfast places have an online menu yet.

This week has gone quickly. I've managed to get completely caught up on my writing work. I've already taken the garbage out to the curb for tomorrow's weekly trash pickup. I'm definitely looking forward to tomorrow's brief respite from my regular oatmeal breakfast. Now, if the rain will just stop, everything will be perfect.

Spot is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1212

What a difference a day makes. When I went to bed last night, it was warm enough to turn the air conditioner on. By morning, the temperature had dropped 40 degrees and condensation caused by the rapid cooling covered the windows with dew. For the third or fourth time this season, I had to dig out my goose down ski jacket to walk the dogs. Winter just won't give up this year.

Since the cold front that blew through town last night was accompanied by copious amounts of rain, I re-arranged the living room furniture and strategically placed a few buckets on the floor before the dogs and I left on our morning walk. When we returned, I was pleasantly surprised to discover that there were no leaks and no water in the buckets. There was still plenty of water to sweep off the roof, but I must have done a better job of patching than I thought the other day.

Like most rainy days when I am more or less confined to the house, I got a lot done. I updated two websites, wrote an article about Ron Johnson's demise at JC Penny, and still had time to get all my April invoices posted and in the mail. Since there wasn't much to choose from in the refrigerator, I thought I'd try my new online to-go menu at a nearby restaurant right across from the post office. I placed my order as I got in the car with my letters and my dinner was ready and waiting for me as soon as I had finished mailing them. No waiting at all! I was impressed and will definitely be using this convenient new way of ordering take-out again.

No dog training class tonight. It was far too wet and way too cold to be parading around a muddy field with two Dalmatians who would rather be home anyway. I think Dot and Dash had the right idea. After tramping around on the roof for an hour with the big push broom, I had no desire to get wet all over again. I turned up the furnace a bit, used the new juicer to make myself a pitcher of fresh orange juice for tomorrow, and settled down to enjoy my Mango Tilapia take-out dinner. I'm not picky anymore. Any day where it rains and the roof doesn't leak is a good day to me.

Apollo is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1199

I went exploring today. Since I'm basically lazy, I did most of my exploring using a keyboard instead of the car. At this point in time, I don't see much point in exploring in the car anyway, especially if the outcome might be waiting for another tow truck to haul me back to the Land Rover dealer for an expensive repair.

So, what did I discover? I was amazed to find that there was much, much more than Netflix and Hulu on the WiFi TV. There were all sorts of free WiFi movie channels. I even discovered a brand new Seinfeld show where Jerry goes and has coffee with friends. That's all that happens! I watched a few episodes and loved this show. Basically, it is the same "show about nothing" premise as the original Seinfeld show. Combine this with the fact that each episode was like a shorter, less intellectual version of My Dinner with Andre and you have a winner, at least as far as I'm concerned.

At some point during the day, I got hungry and noticed that a lot of local restaurants now have online take out menus. Some even have iPhone apps that let you order your take out from wherever you happen to be. After you place your order, you just pick up your food at the nearest location. I would use something like this. Increasingly, I'd just as soon pick up a sack of food and eat my meal at home with the dogs instead of dining out at a restaurant anyway. I downloaded a few of the apps, but didn't use them today. I'm still trying to finish this weeks vegetables before they go bad.

I got some more roof bids in today. Each bid I've received so far recommends a completely different type of roofing material. You'd think since the materials and application procedures were so different that the prices would be different as well. Nope! The price for three very different types of replacement roofs were virtually the same. I'm convinced that putting on a roof is so expensive now because everyone except for me seems to get their homeowner's insurance to pay for the roof. I've never been able to get insurance to pay for a new roof. The adjusters come out to the house and always tell me that the roof has not been damaged by the weather. "It's just normal wear and tear," they say. I wonder how all my neighbors manage to get their insurance to buy them a new roof?  Oh, wait. I know the answer. None of their roofs are flat.

I used the new juicer to make some carrot juice today. Good lord you have to grind up a lot of carrots to get any juice. I have a feeling that it would be cheaper, and certainly a lot easier, to simply buy fresh carrot juice at Central Market.

Doc is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day