Day 4502

Another very windy, unseasonably warm, and largely uneventful day. After our early walk with Dawn and my ritual breakfast of shredded wheat and berries, I puttered around the house, doing a bunch of unessential chores. I tried again to fix the perpetually running toilet. Usually cleaning all the small parts with a Q-tip gets things working again for a while. My efforts never last long though. After finishing this hopeless task, I pried open the broken sliding glass door to the atrium and swept the patio and cleaned the outside of the large glass doors. I don't know how this enclosed area gets so dirty, but dust is everywhere in this neighborhood. I swept away the avalanche of catkins that keep falling from our Oak trees on the front and back porch. Usually more catkins have fallen before I even finish sweeping. You'd think I'd learn to do something that was actually useful, but these are the things that bother me most.

I did get one pleasant surprise this morning. I found my lost sock. It was inside the arm of a light jacket I had washed with the other laundry. I discovered the sock when I was putting on the jacket for our early walk with Dawn. If it hadn't been a little chilly early this morning, the sock might have gone unnoticed for months. Jacket weather is almost over for the year.

I got a message to pick up a prescription at the pharmacy. I'm not low on anything, so once again the automated systems have run amok. I have tried to change the timing of these renewals in the past, but it's hard to argue with a computer. Once the information is entered in the system it seems to stay there forever.  Now I just pick up the pills and put them somewhere until I need them. I'm not sure what I'm picking up yet, but whatever it is, I doubt that I'll need it for months.

I put a picture I took of the Milky Way on my Facebook page recently, mostly to remind myself why I continue to travel to McDonald Observatory. I was genuinely surprised at how much attention the picture got. Maybe I ought to post more pictures. I probably won't though. Way back when Google+ was a going concern I used to post pictures every day. One day a well known national photographer suggested to his followers that that they follow me as well. All of the sudden I had a ton of Google+ followers. Over 50,000 if I remember correctly. These people always wanted new content. The attention was fun for a little while and then it became a burden. I got tired of being a prolific photographer. I wasn't sad at all when Google pulled the plug on Google+. I didn't have to keep proving my worth anymore. It's much easier to write a little blog that nobody reads.

I have no idea what to take to the observatory with me. Usually I take several Winter coats because it can get very cold at night. I hear it's a lot warmer now though. Do I really need a down jacket in May? Should I take several pairs of Hoka shoes or just the new boots? I can't even decide which camera to take. The camera that works with the star track is not the camera I usually use and am more comfortable with. I guess I could take both, but I hate to travel with a bunch of unnecessary stuff. Do I tend to overthink things. Absolutely.

My grocery list for tomorrow is already longer than usual. How did we run out of so many things at the same time? I wonder if prices are continuing to rise? That's a stupid question. Of course they are. Unfortunately the stock market is headed in the opposite direction. We had the biggest drop since 2020 today.

Mindy is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3556

For the first time in months I got caught in the rain on my morning walk. It actually felt kind of nice. For a little while it felt like Fall had finally arrived. There was a cool breeze and I noticed that a few leaves were already blowing in the wind. I should have taken a good camera with me since I saw several large Great Blue Herons. Maybe some other time. Rainy days are good for photography, but not so good for cameras.

I heard from one of the editors at Sky and Telescope today. My submission had wound up in somebody's junk mail folder and wasn't discovered until today. The article still has to go through the review process, but I was encouraged that the magazine took the time to write me. They also seemed pleased that I had photos to accompany the article. We'll see what happens. At least for today I'm feeling optimistic.

I lied about not watching last night's episode of the new Ken Burns documentary. As I was going to bed I noticed that PBS was rebroadcasting the fourth episode again and I ended up watching the entire thing. Is the show over yet? Nope. There are eight more hours to go.

I had to pick up another prescription this afternoon. For some reason all my prescriptions are getting renewed automatically now and they are being filled weeks before the old pills run out. I guess I could fix this problem, but it's easier to just ignore it. I'll use all the pills eventually.

Today went quickly, considering that nothing really happened. It's amazing that I managed to get so much done during my younger years. Now, a few simple things can take up the entire day. I guess all the important things have been taken care of. This week's trash has been taken to the curb. I'm up to date on my prescriptions. All my bills are paid. I guess I'm ready to go out for breakfast tomorrow morning.

It rained enough today that I'll probably have to go up on the roof tomorrow and remove the water. It never ends. I sure hope my Sky and Telescope article gets published. I need some little victories every now and then to keep me moving forward.

Rhett is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3396

Today was tough. Dash refused to eat or drink today. Not eating is bad enough, but not drinking is even worse. Dogs that refuse to drink water can have kidney disease among other things. I've always worried about renal failure, but I think one of the symptoms for that is drinking too much water. At any rate, refusing to drink water definitely isn't normal.

 I called Dash's vet at the cancer center and he said that if we couldn't get Dash to drink water by later this evening, we should take him to an emergency vet and put him on IV fluids overnight. With so many serious problems already, we definitely don't want to let Dash become dehydrated. I was just about ready to make an appointment with the emergency vet, when we tried one more time to get Dash to drink. This time it worked. Dash drank a lot of water from his bathroom water bowl and then about thirty minutes later he drank some more from the kitchen water bowl. Crisis averted.

We're still going to take him to the vet tomorrow morning to check his blood work and make sure his kidneys aren't starting to fail. We aren't out of the woods yet, but he's had enough water so that I don't think we need to put him on IV fluids tonight. Eating is still a problem. Dash refused to eat anything for most of the day. He wouldn't even take his pills. After we got him to drink water this evening, he finally was able to eat a small ground beef patty and some bread. That's not much for an entire day, but at least it's a start. We'll try the appetite enhancer the vet prescribed tonight.

Janet was home today so I was able to keep my haircut appointment. The only time slot that was available was later in the day, so I ended up driving home during rush hour. I try to avoid this time of day at all costs because the traffic is horrendous. It certainly wasn't this bad when we moved to Dallas. How are people able to put up with this day after day? I'm surprised that road rage isn't worse than it is. It's been decades since I've had to deal with any type of commute. Working out of your house spoils you. I don't think I could handle commuting anymore.

While I was out this afternoon I renewed some prescriptions for Dash. This was being optimistic, since at the time, Dash still hadn't taken any of his daily meds. Luckily, we were able to give Dash his evening pills about an hour ago. I think today was the first time we've had to skip some of his meds entirely, but it couldn't be helped. This morning we weren't sure he was going to make it through the day.

I look more presentable after a haircut, but I don't feel any better. Today has been stressful. Hopefully, we can get some answers when we go to the cancer center tomorrow morning. Something is definitely wrong. Dash's periodontal disease might make his mouth hurt too much to eat normally. Maybe he has kidney disease. This is not uncommon with older Dalmatians. Maybe his cancer has returned. It could be almost anything at this point. A dog needs to eat and drink though. When they stop eating, it's all over. If we can get this problem resolved, we can work on the other things later.

Nellie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3371

I hate it when I fail to notice that there are no more refills available on a prescription. You call in the refill and the pharmacist tells you that you'll need to get your doctor to renew the prescription. You call the doctor and he's always out of the office or busy with something else. Little things like these can eat up your entire day. I eventually got Dash's Plavix prescription renewed before he took his last pill, but I really need to remember to look at these pill bottles more carefully.

I finally got around to getting my faulty power supply fixed today. I'm methodical to a fault, so I keep doing the same things over and over again. The last time I needed to get these batteries replaced, they cost $60. That was two years ago. Today the same batteries cost $100. It's irritating how the price of ordinary things keeps going up and up. Sure, big screen TV's are cheaper than they used to be, but most things aren't. It would cost quite a bit more to replace my car with the same model I'm currently driving. Airfares are higher. Movies cost more. It would even cost more to replace my Apple Watch and Apple isn't known for raising prices.

Dash was super slow today. I couldn't tell whether he was having trouble walking, or if he just wanted to spend extra time smelling things. This should have been a good day for him, since the weather was perfect. Eventually we made it home this morning and then Dash was equally slow eating his breakfast. Every time I started my own breakfast, Dash would come out to his bowl and just stare at it. I finally realized that he wanted me to hand feed him. After Dash finished eating and pooping on the floor, he took a nap. I felt like taking a nap too, but I had my own breakfast to finish.

I spent a few hours this afternoon getting my taxes organized. I think I found everything my accountant needs, but I'll take another look tomorrow. Why do old people even need to pay taxes? You should be exempt after you reach the age of 70, just like you are exempt from jury duty. I still don't think it's fair that I'm forced to take a distribution from my IRA account now. I'd just as soon leave the money untouched until I really need it. These distributions are classified as ordinary income too. That sucks.

With any luck I can finish my tax preparation tomorrow and get that chore out of the way. Then I'll turn my attention to more important matters, like buying more rocks for the potholes in the driveway. I'm glad I never called the plumber to come out and search for a sewer leak. The puddle in the back yard has dried up. I'll probably never know what caused the puddle. Who knows. I might have just left a hose on for a week.

After seeing Apollo 11, I've discovered that there were other documentaries about the Apollo program. I started watching one called For All Mankind that was made in 1989 using some of the same NASA footage. Again, the things that really caught my attention were the details. The astronauts shaved in space using a Gillette razor and shaving cream. They brought bread with them and made sandwiches. They took a Sony walkman along for the ride with cassettes of their favorite music. Did I forget this stuff, or was I never even aware of it?

I forget a lot these days. Hopefully I won't forget to finish my taxes. I need to remember not to let my prescription expire either. Dash is resting with Janet now. I hope he gets a good night's sleep so he has lots of energy tomorrow for his walks. This nice weather won't last forever. We need to make the most of it.

Nick is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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Day 3282

I had a feeling that things weren't going to go well today when we walked Dash in a heavy fog this morning. The fog was so thick that my jacket quickly became damp. If the roads, the fields, and even my own clothing were wet, I was sure that the roof was wet too. I kept hoping that the roofers had a plan to deal with this situation. As it turned out, their plan was just not to show up. Late in the day I got a message saying that they'd try again tomorrow and hoped that the weather would cooperate. It's always easier when roof problems develop in the Summer. It gets so hot that moisture evaporates quickly. On cold, damp days like this, I think the roof might stay wet until Spring.

Getting the leak fixed before the next big rain is going to be a cliff hanger. I hope that we succeed, because there's going to be a huge mess in the house if we don't. There's not much I can do at this point. I don't even know where the leak is coming from. I'm not sure the roofers do either. I'm not looking for miracles. A temporary fix that will keep the house dry until I can deal with getting a new roof installed later in the Spring would be fine.

I'm trying to get organized. I got all my prescriptions renewed for another year at the pharmacy and then contacted my favorite appliance repairman to get the dryer fixed. A Facebook friend suggested that I could fix the dryer myself, but the utility room is very cramped and I've got bad knees. I'd rather have a younger person do the heavy lifting. I'm not even sure how we shoehorned the washer and dryer inside this small room. It seems impossible now. At any rate, if I can get the leaks in the ceiling and the awful screeching sound in the dryer to stop, that's enough for this year. There's plenty of time in 2019 to deal with some of the other problems.

We forgot to put the rubber sheet and special dog blankets on the bed last night before we went to bed. Getting Dash up again so we could start over was not an easy task. Luckily I found a new use for the sausage balls Janet made as Christmas treats. You can get a dog to do almost anything with a few sausage balls. It was a good thing that we went to the extra trouble to remake the bed. Dash pooped and peed in the bed last night. He doesn't pee a lot, but a little squirts out when he tries to get up. It's only going to get worse. So far, Dash shows no interest in sleeping on the floor. We're going to be dealing with this for a long time.

The stock market tanked again today and by the end of the day, all gains for 2018 had been erased. This sucks. A well respected analyst on one of the business channels this morning said that the market has become a casino. He's right. There is no rational reason for these wild swings we've been seeing lately. Jeez. Everybody knew the Fed was going to raise interest rates today. Why was it such a surprise? How can you plan for the future in a world like this? Truthfully, I don't think anyone has the answer.

I just learned that there is a 50% chance of rain tonight. Give me a break. There's probably a 90% chance that Dash will poop in the bed. That's life these days. I've got the buckets and the washing machine ready.

Ranger is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3191

I hate when I fail to notice that a prescription has run out and I have to scramble to get new pills before they're all gone. This happens to me and it happens to Dash. I called in a renewal for Dash's Plavix this morning and the automated message said that no more refills were available. Not good, because no more pills were available either. I called the vet at the cancer center and asked if they could refill the prescription in a hurry. I still don't understand why pills that need to be taken for a lifetime are generally only renewed for six months at a time. I should have noticed the tiny type on the bottle that said there were 0 refills available, but I never notice tiny type. I can't even read small type anymore without my reading glasses.

I managed to get the prescription refilled in the nick of time, but I know this will happen again and again. It's equally hard to remember to change the air filters in the furnace. I appear to have a very selective memory. I always remember to give Dash a walk. I never forget to pay my bills on time. There are some things I'm oblivious to however. I need to pay more attention to those pill bottle labels.

One of the auction houses wanted more information from me today. It seems like they have plenty of information already, but I dutifully printed the forms they sent, filled them out by hand, and then scanned everything so I could convert the forms to PDF files and send them back. It seems like in this day and age, you'd be able to fill out and sign just about any type of form on your computer, but it seldom works that way. I wonder what people do if they don't have a scanner? It seems like I'm scanning documents all the time.

For the past couple of nights, I've been waking up when Dash typically needs to go outside, only to discover that Dash is still asleep. I woke up twice like this last night while Dash continued sleeping through the night. He didn't wake up at all. I felt like waking Dash up myself, but that would have been silly. I've been hoping that Dash would get to a point where he was sleeping all night again. Now that he is, I've just got to start sleeping better myself.

I formally ended another client relationship today. It was kind of sad. I've worked with these folks for decades. Things change though. I guess I could still pretend that we were working together, but I haven't had a project for almost a year. I think there's only one client left now and I haven't been doing much for them either. It's time to to face reality. This stage of my life is over. I have retired.

At least Dash had a good day. He was fairly strong on his walks and he's still eating well. I made sure he has a new supply of Plavix and we broke in some brand new boots and socks. I think we're ready for another day.

Rhett is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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