Day 4843

Where did today go? I don't think I did anything worth mentioning all day. It was too cold to mow the grass and I didn't feel industrious enough to start anything new. I just shuffled through my regular routine and before you know it, the day was over. 

Lately I've been preoccupied with aging equipment. My computers, phones, and watch can't be updated anymore because latest operating systems aren't supported. In prior years this would have been a good excuse to buy something new, but I have no desire for new gadgets anymore. My frustration isn't that the stuff is getting old, it's that Apple doesn't support it anymore. I have no real desire for a new large format printer either, but I hate broken stuff. I feel compelled to fix or replace the broken printer even though I will probably never use it again. I tried to convince myself that I need a large format printer to make huge prints of my rocket and milky way photos, but there is no wall space to hang more pictures. That was used up years ago. It's silly to buy an expensive printer to make three or four prints anyway.

Our pretty Spring weather seems to have disappeared. There was some light rain early this morning and more is on the way tomorrow. This didn't stop me from walking though. Dawn got a nice early morning walk and I took my regular long walk later in the day. I discovered that the photographers I've been seeing weren't looking for the eagles after all. Evidently there was an owl in a nearby tree that had babies recently. I already have pictures of an owl tending babies, so I doubt that I will join the other photographers. Owls are interesting to photograph though and they don't tend to fly away as you approach them.

It's amazing that the days go by so quickly since I basically only do two things each day. I try to walk at least six miles and I write my blog. I know that it's good to have goals but these are kind of silly goals. Why six miles instead of five and what's so special about 5000 days? These activities do provide structure though and they eat up a huge amount of time. I'm not sure what I would do if I didn't walk everyday. I don't really think of the walks as exercise anymore. It's just a way to spend the day.

We thought Dawn was well enough to go back to her training class tonight, but she had to come home early because she seemed to be favoring one of her front legs during an exercise. She seems fine now and seemed fine during the day, but it's really hard to tell how she's really feeling. Dogs hide pain well, especially if the pain is minor. All we can tell is that is walking normally again and the swelling in her neck has subsided. I wish she didn't shake her head so much, but she has always done this and I doubt she's going to stop.

I wish I'd hear something about the April launches I've applied to attend. Sometimes I don't know whether I'm going to get press credentials until a few days before the launch. This means that I never get any bargains on airfare and sometimes it's hard to find a hotel. Covering launches still seems worthwhile though. What else am I going to do with my time?

I hope it doesn't rain much tomorrow. I'm getting so tired of dealing with roof leaks. You're probably equally tired of hearing about them.

Elliott is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4777

I did a whole lot of walking today. I really wanted to have five 20,000 step days in a row, so I ended up taking four walks. We started off with Dawn's sunrise walk. Then I went mall walking at Northpark. When I returned it was time for Dawn's Sunday outing. Finally, to push me over my 20,000 step goal, I took another walk in the park. Walking was enjoyable. Watching the Dallas Cowboys playoff game later in the day, not so much. It looks like it's going to be a long time before the Cowboys ever get to the Super Bowl again.

It was really chilly this morning. I think Dawn thought we were crazy for taking an early walk when she could have been sleeping an extra hour in our bed. She got her reward when we returned though. She gets to have a little bacon when we have our Sunday morning breakfast. I rarely cook since Janet is a much better cook than I am. I made French Toast this morning though. Every once in a while, French Toast hits the spot.

Northpark seemed kind of empty this morning. Maybe I was a little early, but there were a lot fewer walkers today. All the Christmas decoration were gone and so were most of the sale signs in the store windows. I'm still surprised at how rapidly stores open and close at the mall. Every week there is something new. Two new stores opened for the first time this week, but even more seem to have disappeared. There were a lot of boarded-up storefronts this week. It's probably because the rent is so high. A lot of stores probably can't afford to stay at this location.

It still seem weird to me that I always walk slower when I'm inside. The temperature is always pleasant and the terrain is flat. You'd think I'd walk faster here. Of all the walks I took today, my Northpark indoor walk was the slowest. Maybe I'm slower because I'm looking in the store windows. I'm not conscious of walking slower as I pass the window displays, but maybe looking at things slows me down. Apparently watching ducks and animals when I'm outside doesn't slow me down.

When we took Dawn on her Sunday outing, it was foot pain that slowed me down. Dawn and Janet finished the one mile walk well ahead of me. Dawn is always really excited to go on these Sunday outings.     As soon as the car starts though, her excitement turns to panic. After all this time you'd thing she'd know where we were going. Apparently not. Every day is a new day for Dawn. She really enjoys this new and different walk though. There are all kinds of new things to smell.

Our ice cream was really soft this morning. The quality of the cones seems to change from week to week. Dawn doesn't seems to care whether the cones are firm or soft, but a soft cone makes for a messier experience. When Dawn licks a soft cone there's always more of a mess in the car.

I was hoping that our Sunday outing would get me over 20,000 steps, but unfortunately it didn't. After resting a bit I took one final walk on a path where I used to see owls. I haven't used this route for quite a while and was curious to see if anything had changed. Everything looked more or less the same, but there were no owls and the nest that used to be up in a tall tree was gone. I did see some Great Egrets though and it was a beautiful clear day, so all was not lost.

Not a bad day, all things considered. I even managed to get some laundry done. Tomorrow it's back to my routine weekday schedule. I think we're due for more rain and even colder weather this week. I'm not looking forward to that. I'm tired of this runny nose I've got and am really ready for Spring.

Raider is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3662

What day is it? Ever since Christmas, it's been hard to tell. I don't think anybody has gone back to work yet. There are more people in the park than usual, but the roads are surprisingly empty. I went back to the hotel for breakfast this morning and for a while, I was the only one there. I guess the holiday travelers have gone home and the business travelers haven't arrived yet. I had the same experience at the grocery store a few hours later. Oddly. I had to go out again this afternoon and this time there was a ton of traffic. I'll be glad when the world becomes predictable again.

The hotel has one of those open kitchens where you can watch the chef cook. While I was waiting for someone to take my order, I heard the head chef say "who made this batter?" He looked disgusted and threw it away. I was glad he intervened because I was going to have French Toast again and that batter was for me. The French Toast was delicious again, but I can't eat as much as I used to. Once again, I wish I could order a child's portion.

I had to take a few things to the storage warehouse today and while I was there I tried to see if there was a way to rearrange things to create more space. Nope. I think the place is pretty full. I need to find more space because I don't think the keyboards I have on consignment are going to sell. It's been a year and they haven't gotten much attention. Apparently people don't get as excited about vintage keyboards as they do about vintage guitars. At least this storage warehouse is heated, so if the keyboards have to come back they won't get ruined again.

It was a good day for a walk. It was a little chilly, but the sky was clear and the air was dry. I saw an older guy pointing a camera with a long telephoto lens at some nearby trees. "Are you looking for the owls," I asked. He was, but told me that he hadn't seen any in months. I hadn't either. I asked him if he had photographed the pelicans yet, and he said he was already bored with them. "Are you a birder too" he asked me. Nope. I do see a lot of birds though. Now, I'm wondering where the owls went as well. A few years ago the city even rerouted a bike path around where the owls used to live because it was considered a well known habitat. Now, all the owls are gone. There are plenty of pelicans though. I've never seen this many before.

The Quadrantids meteor shower peaks tonight. As someone with an interest in these things, I should set my alarm clock for 4 AM and get up to take a look. I probably won't though. I've done this before any usually see nothing. There is just too much light pollution in the Dallas area. Even in the middle of the night the sky isn't black. It is kind of a light gray color with a few bright stars poking through. The only time I've actually seen meteors is when I used to walk Dot and Dash before daylight on days when Janet had to go to work early. If I wake up to go to the bathroom at the right time, I might go outside for a while. Otherwise, I'm going to sleep as long as I can. When I have to choose between astronomy and sleep, sleep usually wins.

Although it has seemed like Saturday all week, tomorrow actually is Saturday. I will fill the car with gas, get more fresh fruit for my smoothies, and do all my other Saturday errands. I could have done all this stuff today, but I'm a creature of habit. Saturday errands need to be done on Saturday.

Petey is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3402

Godspeed Dash. I'll see you on the other side. As Janet and I prepared to say our final goodbyes, I couldn't help but think that we'd done this way too often. We got up early this morning and prepared to make the long drive to the crematorium. These places all seem to be located in little rural communities, far from the city. It was still raining when we left the house and I was hoping that we wouldn't encounter a hailstorm. Our first stop was to pick up Dash at the cancer center. Two of his favorite nurses helped us place him in the car. They'd been with him through thyroid cancer, vestibular disease, a blood clot in the heart, and much more. We all knew this was the end of an era.

I wish pets didn't have to be placed in a freezer after they died. It must be a health regulation. Dash's fur was still soft and silky, but he was very cold. Death still seems strange and mysterious to me. The body looks exactly the same. It seems natural to want to talk to the dead, but you never get an answer. I read an article recently saying scientists now think that the brain lives on for a short time after death. I'm not sure if I like this. If Dash was still aware for a few additional moments, I hope he was comforted knowing that the two people who loved him most were still right there with him.

When we arrived at The Pet Loss Center, we wrapped Dash in his favorite blanket and sat quietly in a dimly lit room with him for a while. We remembered the good times and the bad. We probably only remembered a very small fraction of our time together. The other memories will come and go for the rest of our lives. Life with Dot and Dash was unique and special. Although both Dot and Dash were sick toward the end of their lives, they were basically very healthy dogs. We did so much together.

Since we didn't want to make the long drive to the crematorium twice, we stayed in the area while Dash was being cremated. After watching as Dash's body was placed in the retort, we had lunch in a small country restaurant the crematorium staff recommended. While we waited to pick up Dash's ashes, we enjoyed one of the best meals we've had in a long time. This family restaurant has been in the same location under the same management since 1956. The menu and prices were like traveling back to our childhood in a time machine. Our Moms made this kind of food.

There are now six little urns on our coffee table. Each dog had their own personality, but they were all definitely Dalmatians. There's something special about a Dalmatian that you're not going to understand until one of these dogs joins your family. Fun times. I just wish dogs lived longer.

I took a long walk after we returned to Dallas. I need to get some better walking shoes, but I think I'm going to be doing a lot of walking this year. While I was out today I met a photographer who was taking pictures of owls. There were two large owls, a Mom and a Dad, who were keeping guard over a nest with two baby owls. The guy said the babies weren't ready to fly yet, but that occasionally they  would stick their heads out of the hole in a dead tree where they were living. We traded stories about animals we'd seen in the park and then I continued on my way. Maybe I'll come back and take pictures of these owls someday.

I took the trash out to the curb tonight. It was the only thing that seemed normal about today.

Mattie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1944

In case you haven't noticed, there isn't much point to this blog. I'm not selling anything. I don't even care if I have a lot of followers. This is just a marathon record of everyday life, which I slowly expand, one day at a time. Maybe it will mean something one day. I don't know. When I started this, I knew I wasn't very good at making commitments. I thought writing something that I would continue until the day I died would be rather audacious. It probably is. I haven't missed a day yet, but I sometimes wonder how much longer I can continue this quest before it drives me stark raving mad.

The trouble with everyday life is that in between the occasional awards, accolades and moments of discovery are long stretches of nothing. Maybe finding meaning in the long stretches of nothing is what life is all about. Today, when Dash and I were walking in the park we crossed paths with an avid birder who was trying to take pictures of owls. He wasn't able to find the owls today, but seemed excited that he saw a rare red headed woodpecker. We talked for a while and I realized that even though I was no naturalist, I had observed every one of the animals, including the rare woodpecker, that the birder regularly drove across town to catch a glimpse of. This guy knew a lot more about birds than I'll ever know, but I had an advantage. I am always here. Day after day I watch the seasons slowly change and I see things. I see things that others don't because I don't have to be lucky to be at the right place at the right time. There's always another day. Maybe that's what this blog is really about. When you relentlessly do something over and over again, you eventually start to see things that others don't.

Dot is really feeling better. She still stumbles and her legs are weak, but she walks with purpose now. You can tell she wants to walk, and that's probably the key to her recovery. Today she made it all the way to the top of the small hill we are now including in her short morning walk. It's taken about a week to conquer the little hill a few steps at a time, but we're making progress. This is one thing I've learned by keeping this extended journal. Change doesn't often happen fast enough and it seldom happens on your schedule, but changes do occur if you are patient enough. By taking things slowly and not expecting miracles to happen overnight, Dot is slowly but surely beginning to walk normally again. Maybe, over time, my shoulder will return to normal as well.

The yard looks nice now. I mowed the grass in the front yard this morning and watered the new grass in the back. I think I've gotten rid of most of the Tent Caterpillars, but there could be thousands more hiding in places I can't see. I saw my first snake in the yard while I was pulling weeds this morning. It was just a baby snake, but baby snakes have mothers. Have I mentioned I don't like snakes. Why can't there be more nice animals in the yard, like the pretty turtle I saw today at the lake? Of course if this turtle actually did live in the yard, lord knows what it would do. I'm sure it would eat something I planted.

Janet thought I should go to the gym today, but mowing the grass was plenty of exercise for me. The only place I went today was to the pharmacy to pick up some prescription refills and to the vet to get more heartworm pills for Dot and Dash. There was really no need to get out today. I had bacon for breakfast, the dogs were in a good mood, and I'm pretty well caught up with work. Even though nothing really happened, it was a good day.

Nellie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day