Day 3285

I found myself driving all over town today in search of a Christmas ham. When I went to my favorite smokehouse, the guy behind the counter gave me this look that clearly said "Dude, you should have ordered your ham three weeks ago." They told me they wouldn't have any more smoked hams available until after Christmas. I didn't want a grocery store ham and there weren't many places nearby that smoked their own meat. I finally went to a good barbecue restaurant and convinced them to sell me some smoked ham by the pound. They only wanted to sell me a whole ham, but it was huge and I knew it would take Janet and I a month to eat it. "I only need three pounds," I said. "Your customers will order the rest of this ham before you close today anyway." The restaurant was crowded with hungry people and the manager agreed. I got my ham.

I also got the roof fixed today. At least I hope I got the leak fixed. One of the guys on the crew showed me a place where it was pretty obvious that water was getting in. They made their repairs and drove away. We'll see what happens when the rain returns. I'm cautiously optimistic at this point. The weather will still be good tomorrow and the elastomer coating should have a full 48 hours to cure before the rainy weather returns.

I think I'm on good terms with the roofer again. He agreed that even under the best of conditions today's repairs were probably only temporary. Its' going to take some serious work to make this type of membrane roof completely reliable. Silicon definitely preforms well under standing water. That's good. Unfortunately silicon doesn't really stick to anything. That's why the material is often used to make molds to manufacture other products. If I've got a roof that won't stick to the rest of the house, I've got a big problem. It's probably time to forget about high-tech solutions and go back to a conventional roof.

Dash missed the puppy training pad last night, so I was back to going outside in the middle of the night, cleaning his blanket with a garden hose and then throwing it in the washing machine on the high temperature disinfect cycle. Dash moves around too much at night. It's almost impossible to keep these absorbent puppy training pads under his butt. I'm not giving up though. I went to the storage warehouse after breakfast and brought back a large carton of the pads that we used to use for Dot.

Dash got an early Christmas present today. Another box of Devon's Doggie Delights arrived in the mail. It always amazes me when someone manages to build a successful business just by selling to Facebook friends, but the lady who owns this company appears to have done it. Half the people we know with Dalmatians order from her regularly. Devon, not surprisingly is the owner's Dalmatian. Dash absolutely loves these treats. We always know when it's time to order more.

I wish Dash knew when it was time to pee and poop. I think that's too much to ask at this point unfortunately. A good day for Dash is when he is able to get up on his own and walk around for a while without falling over. I guess that's a good day for anyone who's growing older. If I don't fall over tomorrow, I'm going back to the gym. I definitely need some exercise before we eat our Christmas ham.

Two sisters are today's Dalmatians of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3197

I spent an enormous amount of time trying to avoid doing anything of consequence today. I wrote a futile letter to the roofer, telling him about the new leak. I used up half my ink trying to unclog the large printer again. I succeeded, but I still don't have anything to print. I tried to revive the batteries on an old DSLR that has sat unused for months. I used to use this camera all the time, but it seems so heavy now. I asked the vintage guitar shop if any of my guitars had sold. Nope, they haven't. On days like these, I usually mow the grass or go up on the roof. The yard is still soggy from recent rains, so that was a good excuse not to mow. It's supposed to rain again tomorrow, so that was an even better excuse not to go up on the roof.

Even though it was a slow day, there were still a few essential tasks. I picked up some more Allopurinol for Dash and some more Metformin for myself. Sometimes it seems like all I do is go to the post office and the pharmacy. I guess I'll have to add going to the dentist to this meager list soon. I got a call today reminding me that it's time for a checkup again. Has it been six months already? Jeez. Time flies when you're doing nothing.

The October auctions are getting closer and closer. I'll have to admit that I'm drawn to this whole process like a moth to a flame. The contemporary art world is a little rich for my blood, but it is very interesting. I've only seen it from the outside before. This will be the only time I get to participate in an event like this. I never had that much art to begin with. When the hammer falls it will be gone.

I wish I was more optimistic. I keep thinking that no one will bid on my art even though one piece is considered "significant." I feel equally nervous about buying stocks although I've been an investor for decades. When my broker makes a recommendation, I can always come up with five reasons why the company will fail. I don't think I'm being negative. In my world, I'm just being realistic. Maybe this is why I've always liked dystopian science fiction. The end is always near. Today's political turmoil doesn't surprise me at all.

Dash fell down in the grass when I took him out to pee this morning. He's so shaky now. I helped him up and he limped back into the house. An hour later, he seemed fine and we took our regular walk. I can't pretend that things are getting better though. They're not. Old age is sad. I've lost too many dogs already. Friends who have been healthy as long as I've known them have cancer now. Too many of my contemporaries have passed away. I have good doctors, very few vices, and a healthy diet. I'm not sure it makes much difference though. When your time is up, it's up.

If tomorrow is a repeat of today, that's OK with me. Not a lot happened, but I wasn't expecting much. Dash was shaky this morning, but he rallied again and ended the day well. At least I made an effort to deal with the roof. Who knows if the roofer will call me back, but the roof is not leaking now. Dinner was delicious tonight. That's always something.

Rosie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1900

When Dot's neurologist called this morning to give us a progress report, she seemed pleased. Dot is already eating and drinking water on her own, so she was taken off of IV fluids today. When the nurses help her out to pee using a special sling under her belly, Dot moves her rear legs and even squats fairly normally. She can't support her own weight yet, or walk unassisted, but the neurologist assures me that this is normal at this stage of the game. Dot is still very weak and on a lot of pain medication, but everyone at the hospital thinks she's doing even better than expected. Her doctors are optimistic that she will learn to walk again.

I'm glad Dot is safe and warm at the hospital now, because the weather in Dallas has turned cold and nasty. It snowed most of the day and the temperature never got above freezing. Traffic was a nightmare and there were lots of wrecks all over the city. Janet and I both canceled afternoon appointments when we saw how the traffic was inching along in front of our house. It just wasn't worth trying to get out in this mess. You don't really worry about snow or ice when you venture out on days like this. You worry about the other drivers. A single idiot who doesn't know how to drive on snow can snarl up traffic for hours.

Dash is such a baby about walking in the rain that I didn't think he'd go out in the snow at all. Much to my surprise, he seemed to enjoy the stuff. We took a long walk where he hopped around in the small drifts, smelled the tracks left by other animals in the snow, and peed on everything. I think I got cold long before Dash did. I took some pictures while we were out to document the rare snowfall. The one I liked the best captured a single perfect snowflake caught in a spiderweb. If you look carefully, you can see the six sided flake suspended in the web.

We were going to visit Dot this weekend, but that will depend on the weather. It could get better tomorrow, or it could get worse. I think even the weather forecasters have given up trying to predict things. Two days ago, they said it was going to be sunny today. UPS delivered Dot's new rehabilitation dog bed this evening. It looks like it's about the right size and can be easily repositioned around the house when needed. Now we've just got to figure out an easy way to quickly assemble a secure fence around the bed when we have to leave. A friend said that that we could use some of the rubber backed rugs she'd used when she had an older dog who had difficulty walking. Slowly but surely, we're getting the house ready for Dot's return.

I'm glad I went to my favorite restaurant yesterday, because I certainly didn't feel like venturing out in the snow today. Apparently, not everybody shared my aversion to the wet stuff. Schools closed early and children were enjoying sledding down hills all over the neighborhood. I guess I've lost the fascination with snow I had as a child. I didn't build a snowman or even make a snow angel. It was fun watching Dash cavort around in the snow on our walk, but even he was glad to get back inside again where it was warm. I've got my fingers crossed for another sudden temperature reversal and a quick return to warmer weather. With the fickle Winter we've been having, it could happen at any time.

Thanks for keeping Dot in your thoughts and prayers. I'm looking forward to tomorrow's report from her medical team and I'll keep you posted on how she's doing. This remarkable dog has beat the odds again and again. Dot has been an inspiration to me for many years and it looks like the old girl is not ready to relinquish her role as the head of the household yet.

Princess is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1573

The weather forecast was right. It rained all day today. There were a couple of short windows of opportunity were I was able to take the dogs outside to do their business, but basically we didn't leave the house today. A cold front must have passed through last night, because it was about 20 degrees colder than it was yesterday. It would have been a good day to light a fire in the fireplace, if we had a fireplace. It might have been a good day to watch a movie on TV as well, if there was anything I felt like watching. We get hundreds of cable channels, but there are only three or four of them that I actually watch. Half the channels in Dallas are in Spanish anyway. On the movie channels, the same Disney movies, Lifetime chickflix, Apocalyptic action movies, and the perennial You've Got Mail and Forest Gump seem to play over and over again.

This was especially irritating today when I paid my latest cable bill and noticed that it had gone up by 30%. What a waste of money. I should probably drop cable entirely and just stick with Netflix and Hulu. I wish you could buy cable channels à la carte. I watch three or four channels and Janet watches three or four more. A plan that included only ten channels would probably be quite reasonable. 

The cable companies still seem quite reasonable compared to the government however. As I've grown older, I'd had to sign up for several government websites. I tried to visit several of these websites today. Each site has their own peculiar password protocols, so you can't use a common, easy-to-remember password to access all of them. What's worse, each site forces you to change your password every six months. It's ridiculous. Once you do manage to login successfully, you usually discover that all your information is wrong anyway. As I slowly learn to navigate the byzantine complexities of the Medicare system, I realize that this is probably what Obamacare will be like for everybody in the near future. I don't think my parents ever really realized that they lived in the best of times. I think I grew up at the tail end of those days of limitless opportunities. The dream may not be over, but it certainly has tarnished a bit.

On one of our short walks between the recurring thunderstorms we passed a small pale blue egg. It must have fallen out of a nearby tree during a burst of wind. The little bird inside isn't going to make it. It was very cold and wet outside today and incubating eggs need to stay warm to hatch. This unlucky egg was already stone cold. This brief encounter reminded me that nature isn't always kind. Nature still probably has a better batting average in this regard than humans do however.

Dash gets his tenth radiation treatment tomorrow. We will pass the halfway mark this week. Dash has been an inspiration through all this. Even though this has been a very rough couple of months for  him with major surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy, he still greets each day full of energy and enthusiasm. In many ways he actually seems happier now than when we started this journey. He gets lots of attention and maybe that's all a dog really wants. Dot is equally amazing. She can barely walk on some days, but she still soldiers on as if she's indestrudtible. If I had Dot's determination and Dash's optimism I would be unstoppable.

Paxton is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 910

Today was a disaster. Things started out normally enough. I walked the dogs and ate breakfast. Then I made the mistake of turning on the computer and opening my e-mail. The first thing I saw was a letter from my real estate agent. He said that we had a problem. Bear in mind that I am supposed to close on the sale of my rent house in less than two days. Evidently, Fannie Mae told the lender that they needed some additional information before they would approve the loan. What? Why did they wait to the last possible second to drop this bombshell? I submitted all my information weeks and weeks ago. At any rate, the rest of the day was spent calling and e-mailing the lender, the buyers agent, the title company and my own agent trying to see if there was a way to quickly resolve this problem. So far, no luck.

The whole situation is very frustrating. First of all, Fannie Mae should have told the lender and the buyer exactly what they needed weeks and weeks ago, when this whole process started. This is no way to solve the housing crisis. Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and FHA basically control the lending market these days. You can't get a loan without them. They have made it so difficult to qualify for a loan that I probably couldn't have qualified myself if the same rules were in place when I bought the place. The sad thing is that it is all out of my control. I just have to sit and wait and see if all the parties involved can get their ducks in a row.

While was waiting, I took Dash to the vet for his bi-weekly antigen shot. At least that went smoothly. The antigen shots actually seem to be working. Dash has a full, thick coat now and his skin condition has dramatically improved. With his newly cleaned teeth and a nicely spotted black and white coat, the little guy is looking pretty spiffy. If only the rest of my problems could be solved with a shot every two weeks.

Isn't the little wild rose I photographed this morning pretty? The flower looked so optimistic, but I guess that goes to show that you shouldn't trust a flower to forecast the kind of day you will have. Probably the only good news today was from the sewing machine repairman, who called to tell me that the old machine was fixed and ready to be picked up. I'm not even sure if this is good news, since Janet is still puzzled about why I even bothered to fix the old Singer right after she bought a much better brand new sewing machine. 

Lucky is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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