Day 4721

It was a nice Fall day. The skies were blue, the temperature was mild, and most of my water problems are behind me. There is still water dripping from the can light in the office ceiling, but the drips are very slow now. What was once a steady stream is now only about two drips per minute. Probably by tomorrow morning I can remove the last remaining bucket.

Dawn was eager to walk this morning. She doesn't like it when we sleep in on weekends and did her best to make sure we hadn't forgotten about her. It was nice to see the sun again. The meadow behind our house was still wet and spongy from all the rain, but the roads have dried out. We had a nice walk at a fairly brisk pace and then returned home for another weekend breakfast.

I think all I really do on Sunday is walk. It would have been a nice day for walking in the park, but I went to the mall anyway. It's nice to have a change of pace and I enjoy looking in the shop windows before the stores open. There are very few middle aged mall walkers. There are old people like me and young couples with children. This seems to be a popular place to bring young children. There were tons of kids today.

It's easy to see that the Christmas season is the most important time of the year for retailers. The stores are opening an hour earlier now and most of them have all new merchandise in the windows. I see clothes I like in many of the windows but have no interest in buying anything. There is no reason for me to dress up anymore. I actually kind of miss the days when I had to wear a suit and ties for client meetings. Once, in the early days of my business I had a retail menswear client and agreed to be paid in clothes. I still have an abundance of nice clothes. All these years later I still have a few things that I've never even worn.

As soon as I returned from the mall, Dawn was waiting to go on her Sunday outing. She gets really excited about visiting new places, but still is scared while she's in the car. You'd think our Sunday routine would be old hat for her by now. Apparently not. She's always happy when we reach our destination, but the journey still seems terrifying to her. 

It's surprising how much our ice cream cones vary from week to week. Sometimes the ice cream is hard. Other times it is soft like a Dairy Queen cone. The size varies too. It just depends on who is serving that day. I wish they were more consistent about giving Dawn a free pup cone. She seems to know that these little cones are just for her. No pup cones today, but Dawn got plenty of ice cream. The ice cream always calms her down.

I should have done some chores today but didn't feel like it. I took a nap instead and as usual Dawn left the room as soon as I got on the bed. Janet says to ignore this behavior, but I still feel bad knowing that Dawn is uncomfortable when Janet is gone. She is definitely a one person dog.

It's almost time to pay property taxes again. Hopefully this is the last big expense of the year. I didn't do a great job budgeting this year. I probably did a little too much traveling as well. At any rate, I hope next year is more predictable. We shouldn't have as many appliance repairs. I think everything broke this year.

It's back to shredded wheat and fruit tomorrow. I need to think about putting up the Christmas tree as well. Christmas will be here before you know it.

Spots is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4387

I paid my property taxes today. I think that pretty much takes care of 2021 for me. I'm done. Maybe we'll stay up on Friday night and welcome the new year with a glass of champagne. Maybe not though. Lately, we've both been falling asleep before midnight. I hope there are still things to look forward to in the year ahead. I'm having trouble getting excited about anything these days. I'll try to rekindle my interest in rockets and astronomy, but that's going to require travel. Traveling in a world filled with Covid restrictions has lost a lot of its luster. 

Until then I'll just keep walking. I'm lucky to live by a beautiful lake. I don't feel like walking anywhere new. The old familiar trails seem fine to me. I've been walking around this lake for thirty years. I find it interesting to watch how things change slowly over time. Flowing water carves gullies into the earth. Old trees die and eventually start to rot. Animal habitats change. I wish the park were quieter. The place seemed a lot more silent years ago. Now it's hard to escape the sound of leaf blowers and police sirens. At least there are no outboard motors. Only sailboats are allowed on this lake.

I saw two White Pelicans today. I have no idea where the rest of them went. It's hard to hide a hundred Pelicans. All the Double Crested Cormorants are gone as well. I hear the Monk Parakeets occasionally, but I haven't seen them in weeks. I have no idea where the two Bald Eagles are hiding. They are supposed to be nesting nearby, but they remain illusive. The most reliable birds on my walk are two large Muscovy Ducks who seem to have established a permanent residence under a picnic table. I see these two every day.

I still haven't used the new star tracker that I spent most of December waiting for. It remains sitting in the box. The software that controls this thing is evidently still going through a lot of changes, so maybe it would be wise to wait. Kickstarter backers got this product first, before it goes on the market. I think we are the beta testers. I read the support group for the product regularly and people much smarter than me are still having problems getting their units to work. I'm in no hurry. Maybe I'll see if I can get Sky & Telescope interested in an article about backing a new astronomy product. It's an interesting story and it definitely isn't over yet.

I'm still making progress with Dawn. The progress is slow but I can feel a difference. She comes when I call occasionally now. I used to have to put her on a leash to take her outside to pee, but typically all I have to do now is say "Dawn, let's go outside." She's very friendly with me early in the mornings. Later in the day, not so much. Janet is going on a cruise with her family next year, so we've still got a lot of work to do. Dawn needs to trust me if I'm going to be taking care of her myself. It's still a work in progress, but things are improving. Maybe some day we will be best buddies.

It's strange to be wearing shorts and a t-shirt in late December, but I'm happy for the warmer weather. I know it won't last. A heat wave in December is much nicer than a heat wave in July. Temperatures are supposed to drop below freezing again this weekend unfortunately. At least there is no snow in the forecast. I'm never happy with the weather. When it's cold I wish it were warmer. When it's hot I wish it were cooler.

I have no plans for tomorrow. I didn't have much of a plan for today. I think you'll agree that blog posts are more interesting when I have a plan.

Dot & Petey are today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4012

Dawn seems to be feeling better. We had a nice walk this morning and Dawn showed no signs of discomfort. We thought it would encourage her to walk if we let her choose the way. Luckily it was dry outside because Dawn quickly left the trail and went down by the shoreline. There's lots to smell down there. The uneven ground was a little harder on my foot, but Dawn had fun.

I followed my orthopedic surgeon's suggestions and got the running shoes he recommended. They definitely felt different in the store, but it remains to be seen whether they will cure my foot pain. I mostly buy shoes in self-serve discount stores, so it's been a while since I've had anyone fit me for a shoe. It appears that shoe shopping has gone high-tech. I stood on a special machine that displayed pressure points in your step as different colors. Even when I was standing relaxed with my weight equally distributed on both feet, it looked like I was placing more weight on my left foot. Interesting. Apparently I was compensating for something. Maybe it was the old knee injury in my right knee. I'm not expecting miracles, but I hope these new shoes help. I do like to walk. It's about the only form of exercise that I actually enjoy.

I'm glad I made an effort to look at Jupiter and Saturn the other day. It was overcast today and it occurs to me that I may not get a chance to see the planets again before the conjunction. The weather might be beautiful on Monday, but you never know here in Texas. If it is clear on Monday evening I'm going to attempt to photograph the planets through the biggest telephoto lens I've got. It's not a telescope, but it will have to do. I don't have the right adaptors to attach my camera to the one telescope I do own. I doubt that the photos will be spectacular, but taking pictures helps me remember things. I definitely won't have the opportunity to observe something like this again.

It's weird that after seeing two highly regarded medical specialists this week that their recommendations were just to change the shoes I was wearing and starting taking more Pepcid AC.  Somehow I was expecting much more complicated remedies. I sure would be nice if I could eliminate the foot pain, coughing, and heartburn with such a simple solution. One added benefit of taking Pepcid is that a recent research study showed that Covid patients taking Pepcid were 45% less likely to die in the hospital. I don't think the new shoes will have any effect on the virus.

I paid my property taxes today. Somehow, I was under the impression that property taxes were capped for senior citizens and wouldn't go up any more after you turned sixty-five. That was clearly wrong. They went up quite a bit this year. I'm sure this is a sign of things to come. Municipalities are losing a lot of sales tax revenue because of virus restriction and online shopping. They're going to get the money wherever they can find it. Oh, well. At least I won't have to worry about this bill for another year.

Where did this week go? It's already time to make a grocery list again. If it's not raining tomorrow morning I'll wear my new shoes on our walk with Dawn. I'll add a Pepcid to my list of evening meds as well. 

Alvin is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3646

I went and signed up at my pharmacy for a shingles shot today. My doctor has been urging me to get this vaccine for a long time, but it has been in short supply. Usually, I get all shots and vaccinations at the doctor's office, but for some reason most people are getting the Shingrix vaccine at their local pharmacy. I think it has something to do with insurance payments. I've already had the older Zostavax shingles shot, but this new two part vaccine is supposed to be much better. I thought I'd get the shot today, but of course the process was much more complicated. It always is. I was given a long form to fill out. The pharmacy said they needed to get me approved by insurance first. When I'm approved, they'll order a dose of the vaccine and contact me to come in for the shot. After the first shot, I'll need to go get a second shot three months later. Ordinarily, I wouldn't bother with all this, but my doctor has told me three times that all older people should get this vaccination. OK. You win. I haven't filled out the form yet, but I will.

I also paid my property tax today. My tax rate is supposed to be capped because I'm over 65, but it seems to go up every year anyway. I think only the portion of the tax that goes to schools is capped. There are still a lot of other government agencies that want this money as well. We don't have a state income tax in Texas, but the government always finds a way to get the money it needs. I have a little house and am still surprised at how much I have to pay. People with large houses must really hate property taxes.

I think there's something wrong with the washing machine again. I'm hearing a new clunking sound during the final spin cycle. I guess I'd better call the appliance repairman. The tub on this front loader spins really fast and I'd hate for it to self destruct in the utility room.  The furnace and the water heater are in this same room. An exploding washing machine is definitely something you'd want to avoid.

Other than a brief trip to the pharmacy and post office, today was uneventful. At least the weather was nice. There was so little to do that I ended up vacuuming the house before I took my walk. I think I identified a new tree today. Was it a White Fringe tree or Swamp Privet? You know I'm bored when I try to identify ugly scrub trees in the park.

Janet has been getting pictures of Hank and Jelly Bean in their new homes. They both look really happy. It's amazing how quickly dogs adjust to having a real home. Now we just need to find homes for the rest of them.

Alvin is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2564 - Winter Solstice

Today was the shortest day of the year, but it sure seemed long to me. I've just about given up hope of ever getting anything but the bare necessities done. I wonder sometimes when I ever had time to run a busy and successful company. I have to remember that the dogs were young and healthy then. Back in the day, I even had time to play in a rock band, compose and record songs in a home studio, and spend weekends building a fashion photography portfolio that would end up launching me on a whole new career. In those days I had no dogs at all. When I'm feeling sorry for myself, I sometimes miss the freedom I once had, but I wouldn't trade my life with Dalmatians for anything. Dot and Dash are my best friends. My purpose in life is to keep them as safe and healthy as I can. They don't know it, but their purpose in life has been to save me. Let's just say that life was kind of shallow before I was introduced to the joys and sorrows of sharing life with a dog.

The days will start getting longer now, but I don't think I'll notice anything for a while. If I remember correctly, sunsets will continue getting shorter for a while and daylight will slowly increase with an earlier sunrise. The only thing I like about the short days is that it's easy to capture some nice sunset shots. Dash hates walking in the dark though, so he's not happy. I have to walk Dot first, so she'll be tired and sleep when it's time to walk Dash. If I reverse the order of things, Dot tends to get anxious and there's a good chance she'll poop all over the place. I feel bad that Dash gets short changed sometimes, but what are you going to do? We're all doing the best we can.

I paid my property taxes today. I think that's the last big bill of the year, so I guess I survived 2016. I hate that expenses keep going up, while my income keeps going down. It kind of takes a lot of the fun out of getting old. My only hope for 2017 is that the stock market rally will continue. Events can easily change things, but there's a good chance that the rally could continue. I think lower tax rates and fewer regulations will help businesses of almost any size.

I think the bird that poops on my car every Winter has returned with several friends. There is more bird poop on the car in the mornings now than there ever was before. These birds don't seem to be frightened of my rubber snake either. There's not much you can do about pooping birds. You can't catch them. In the city, you can't shoot them. I don't think you can reason with them either. I'd build these guys a nice birdhouse if they'd just leave my car alone.

I may have to write my blog in the mornings while Janet is away for the holidays. Evenings are Dot's active time and she hates being left alone. Sometimes Janet sits next to her on the floor and watches movies on her iPad. Other times she walks her up and down the hall while I'm writing. Janet had to work real late tonight and it was kind of a preview of what's to come. Dot didn't like me being in another room and writing at all. We'll figure out a solution. There's always a solution.

At least it was warmer today. We didn't have to bother with all the cumbersome dog coats.

Willow is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2513 - Halloween

.

Halloween is a non-event in our neighborhood. When we were walking the dogs this evening, we saw one young trick-or-treater walking down the street with his Mom. That was it. There weren't a lot of decorated houses this year. I didn't even buy a pumpkin to put on the front porch. The holiday seems to have morphed from an occasion where children go door to door in search of candy to an occasion where young adults can indulge their fascination with cosplay. I have a feeling that adult costumes outsell children's costumes now.

I got my website project finished today. When I'm doing these things, it occurs to me that I'm still pretty good at what I do. It's a shame that these skills are no longer in demand. People don't even get excited about websites anymore. Everybody has one, but they have largely become like Yellow Pages ads. Small businesses need a website so that when someone Googles their name, something shows up. I buy stuff from large online retailers like Sweetwater and B&H. I order pizzas and Pad Thai online from local restaurants. That's about it though. I'm not even curious about most websites.

I'm not a political person, but I am curious about this election. The whole thing has become like a real life version of House of Cards. Every day when I turn on the news in the morning, there is something new that is even more astonishing than the stuff I heard the day before. I thought that some of Trump's blunders would be hard to top and then along comes Anthony Weiner. It's amazing. Both sides are running elaborate and very sophisticated disinformation campaigns. About the only news you can trust is coming from hackers. Even Snopes, a site I used to trust to give me the unvarnished facts, has been discredited. I can't tell the real news from the Onion anymore on Facebook. Just yesterday, I read an article where a democratic fundraiser said he witnessed Bill Clinton having sex with a cow during a cocaine party. I wasn't expecting that.

I got my property tax bill today. I'd forgotten about that one. It never ends. Every time I start to think that I'm finished with all these unexpected expenses, another bill arrives. At least we don't have a state income tax in Texas. I'd be really frustrated if I had to deal with rising Obamacare premiums along with all the other taxes we have to pay. I think I became eligible for Medicare at just the right time.

Going to the vegan take out store on Monday afternoon has become a new part of my weekly routine. I pick up enough vegetarian meals to supplement the leftovers in the refrigerator. There's always something new on the menu, so I'm getting a chance to try a lot of things I've never had before. I felt like Cajun food today, so I picked up a container of red beans an rice and some jambalaya with broccoli. I've never had jambalaya without shrimp or sausage before, but the vegetarian version looked interesting.

The dogs kept me busy today. Dash refused to walk in the dark this morning, so I had to give him his long morning walk after I finished breakfast. Dot seemed to have more energy than usual, and she kept me busy walking her back and forth around the house and backyard. There was the usual poop to clean up and meals to prepare. It was actually a pretty normal day. It didn't seem like Halloween at all.

Roxie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2191 - Blogiversary

I'm beginning my seventh year as a blogger. Seven years is a long time. When I started this journey in December of 2009, I never dreamed that it would become such a marathon. I remember that people were amazed when I posted for five hundred consecutive days without missing a day. That was nothing. Tornadoes, power outages, computer crashes, Internet problems, illness, business travel, and a simple lack of anything to say haven't stopped me yet. At two thousand one hundred ninety one days and counting this blog has acquired a life of it's own. What started as a simple daily journal has slowly evolved into a chronicle of the aging process. I'm not the same person I was seven years ago. If I can manage to continue for another seven years, I'm sure there will be further changes that I couldn't possibly anticipate. I know blogging isn't as popular as it once was, but I hope that some of you will stay for the journey.

The journey is certainly a slow one at times. I inch along trying to keep my head above water while still making a little forward progress. Today, I picked up where I left off yesterday. I climbed up on the roof and got all the water off. It's a good thing I did because the roof was covered in a thick blanket of wet leaves. The leaves had to go. They're heavy and the roof has enough problems as it is. I finally replaced the mini-blinds that I burned with the ceramic heater. The new blinds look good, but cutting them to length wasn't nearly as easy as the instructions said it would be. The process involved tying precise little knots in the string that connected the blinds together. I'm evidently not very good at tying tiny knots.

While I was trying to put the blinds together, Dot woke up from a nap and pooped in her bed. I didn't notice this right away, but I did notice something brown on her paw when she came over to watch me work. Hmm. I've got to quickly get the poop off her paw, so she doesn't track the mess all over the house. She doesn't have her harness on, so it's going to be a bit difficult to lift the paw without causing her to fall. And where is the wet rag when I really need it?  This happens almost every day. I cleaned Dot up. I retraced her path back to the source of the poop. I cleaned everything up using a couple of doggie poop bags. I put the soiled blanket and a small rug in the washer and went back to assembling the mini-blinds.

While all this was happening, I got a call from someone wanting some website changes. I listened to what was needed, asked for some files, and never mentioned that I was cleaning up dog poop while we were talking. When I was younger, the work project might have assumed a higher priority. Now, I know better. Getting rid of the smell of poop in the house as quickly as possible trumps everything.

I foolishly thought I might have a little money left over this month. What was I thinking. I forgot that my property taxes are due this month. It's always something. Inside my tax envelope was a little note saying that my bill was $150 lower because of some referendum that voters passed earlier this year. My first thought was that this was a pretty pitiful savings. Then, I looked up last years bill in Quickbooks and just as I thought, my new bill was actually larger than last year's. Yup. Taxes never really go down.

Jasper is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1806

I finally got around to paying my property taxes today. Hopefully, this is the last large bill I'll need to pay this year. I'm tired of all these bills. Property taxes are particularly irritating, since I feel I'm just funding more government waste. I wouldn't mind paying taxes if I got to choose what programs my tax dollars would support. I don't particularly think I should be expected to pay for schools, since I've never had children. I'm a big fan of space exploration though, and would love to be able to use my tax payments to help restore a few of NASA's canceled projects. You may have your own priorities, but I think everybody should get to choose what they think is important. If you think we need to increase defense spending, your money goes there. If you want to rebuild roads and bridges, direct your tax dollars to fund infrastructure projects. If you want to expand public assistance programs, well that's your choice.

I didn't get around to uploading any stock photos today, because I got busy with other things. The dog blankets were filthy, so I washed them all. A client I am seeing tomorrow had a website request, so I tried my best to get everything done ahead of our meeting. I think I made all the requested changes, but we'll see how I did tomorrow. It's amazing how quickly the day goes by just doing the same routine things over and over again. Walking the dogs takes a couple of hours. Fixing breakfast and dinner takes a couple of hours. The writing and website assignments usually take at least four hours. Pretty soon the day is gone. Writing the blog everyday takes quite a while too. This is probably why it takes me so long to work anything new into the schedule. Once you've established your priorities, spontaneity becomes somewhat of a luxury.

The possum has returned. I saw it this afternoon, hanging out with the neighbor's cat. I think it's sad that the cat is so lonely that it's trying to make friends with a possum. The cat has tried to befriend Dot and Dash several times but the dogs always want to chase it. All the other feral cats in the neighborhood chase the cat away too. I don't know why so many people think they need an outdoor cat. This cat would definitely prefer to be indoors. Hopefully it won't get eaten by the coyotes. This seems to be the fate of many cats that do their mouse hunting in the park.

Since it's Thanksgiving on Thursday, I rescheduled Dot's physical therapy and acupuncture sessions for tomorrow. Maybe I ought to go out for breakfast tomorrow as well. So many people seem to be taking the entire week off that I have a feeling that Wednesday is going to seem a lot like Friday.

Dot is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1087

What a weird world we live in. Our phones can do all manner of miraculous things with the wave of a finger, yet when getting something done depends on another living, breathing human, everything grinds to a halt. Sometimes I think 50% of the population is completely incompetent. If we limit our survey to the people I actually deal with on a day-to-day basis, that percentage is probably even higher.

Today I tried to find out why I've been receiving two identical phone bills for the same account for the past six months.  No luck there. Then I tried to find out why all my prescriptions ran out today, when a nurse specifically told me just last week that they had been renewed for another year. Nope. Didn't solve that one either. Simple, routine things don't seem simple anymore. Day after day, I attempt to rectify blunders and track down the source of inevitable human errors. It's futile. Most people won't admit to making a mistake in the first place. And if you do get them to admit that something is wrong, they will almost always blame the mistake on someone else.

I guess I would put paying bills in the same circle of hell as dealing with incompetence. I hate paying bills. Today I paid the big property tax bill I've been avoiding for the past month or so. Why does Dallas County need so much of my money? I don't use their roads very much. I've never been in one of their hospitals. I've never had children in one of their schools. It just doesn't seem fair to me. At least I don't have two property taxes to pay anymore. I don't regret selling the rent property one bit. That thing was an expensive albatross around my neck for way too many years.

The neighbors hired someone to repaint their house earlier this week. For the past three days I've been listening to a loud and ever-present air compressor right outside my office window. Couldn't they have painted the house with rollers or brushes instead of spray guns?  The noise is driving me nuts. Maybe when they finish painting, my posts will be more coherent. With all this racket, I'm extra glad it's Friday tomorrow. I think I'm going to spent a long time at the breakfast restaurant.

Emma is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 554

I went down to the Appraisal Review Board offices today for an informal hearing about the value of my rental property. I'd heard that opting for an informal hearing was much easier than waiting for your formal hearing. Year's ago, I went through a formal hearing and it seemed just like going to court. There were three judges, a lot of procedure, and a long wait in line for your turn. This informal process was much easier. I was in and out in ten minutes. I just told the appraiser that the person living next door to my property got a much better deal than I did and that all I wanted was the same tax rate as everyone else in the neighborhood. The appraiser looked up my neighbor's tax rates on a computer and gave me a 7.5% reduction in my property taxes on the spot. I was happy with this. My property value has gone down a lot more than 7.5% in the last five years, but I realize that the city has to get their money from somewhere. They're not going to turn loose of tax revenue easily. Hey, at least I saved a little money.

Lots of questions from customers today. Sometimes I spend so much of my time answering e-mails, that I don't have any time left to actually do anything. I remember when I was in college, I had a Summer job in an auto assembly plant. My job was to place the bottom part of a bucket seat in the body of a Camero as it came down the assembly line. I did the same thing over and over again. There were no questions and no ambiguity. I kind of miss those days. Today, my work is riddled with ambiguity. There isn't any true right or wrong in anything that I do. It's just my opinion versus someone else's opinion. Everyone has an opinion these days too. It can wear you out.

Now that I've finally got FInal Cut Studio up and running in the office, Apple comes out with a brand new version of the editing software that is supposed to replace it. Not only is the new Final Cut X much less expensive than the original Final Cut Pro, it is supposed to be better as well. Apple does this to me all the time. I go out and spend my hard earned money on one of their products and six months later, they declare that product to be obsolete. On a more positive note, the price of Apple stock has finally dipped below where I sold it a few months ago. My decision to sell doesn't look quite so stupid anymore.

I don't know why we even have training class in the Summer. The dogs in the class are all hot and the only command they like is the long down, where they just lay down in the grass for five minutes at a time. All the other commands, they show little interest in.

Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 553

Although today was the longest day of the year, it actually went by pretty quickly. I spent most of the day writing press releases and trying to figure out how to create a forum that would do all the things one of my clients requested. For the life of me, I don't know why any company would want a forum on their website. It seems like an open invitation for disgruntled employees to say nasty things and for competitors to try to steal your business. People still like forums though. I actually participate in a few forums myself, but I certainly wouldn't really want to moderate one. I guess the interactivity is a plus for certain kinds of business, but life was a lot easier back in the days when you could get away with putting a few fake testimonials up on your site and be done with customer opinions.

It's not hard to tell that Summer is here to stay. When I went up on the roof this morning to sweep away the water from last night's heavy rains, I could see little puddles of water literally evaporating right in front of my eyes. The heat does make the job of sweeping away rain water a bit easier, but I have to be careful not to step in puddles of melted tar. There are also lots of ants up on the roof in the Summer. As I was hooking up the sump pump this morning, a ton of little ants came crawling out of the hose.

I have a hearing scheduled later this week with the Appraisal Review Board. I am appealing the property tax valuation of my rental property. I'm thinking that my appeal will probably be granted this year, especially since all my neighbors got their own property taxes lowered last year. By the time I thought about making an appeal last year, the deadline had already passed. The same thing happened the year before. This year, I am determined to get at least the same rate as my next door neighbors already have. It's funny. When property values are going up, the city never hesitates to raise your property taxes immediately. When real estate values are going down, however, they do absolutely nothing. Real estate values have been going down in Dallas for three years in a row and the city has never lowered my property tax.

I got an e-mail saying that Dash's painting was finished and could be shipped to us as soon as the oil paint dries. I can't wait to see it.

Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day