Day 2723

I got a jury summons today. I've been hoping that they'd forget about me for one more year so I could finally be exempt from this chore forever. No such luck. I've sat in the jury pool many times, but have never been selected for a jury. I don't think I fit the profile that lawyers are typically looking for. I doubt that I'll be picked this time either, so it all seems like a giant waste of time. Maybe I'm not suited for jury duty because whenever I go to the courthouse, everyone seems guilty. People in the elevator seem guilty. Other jurors seem guilty. The lawyers always seem guilty of something. I've always been convinced that the defendant was guilty before anybody even opened their mouth. Instead of "innocent until proven guilty," I seem to think that people are guilty until proven innocent.

It's hard to avoid a jury summons. You can postpone things, but they'll keep bugging you again and again until you finally give up and go to the courthouse. The only good thing is that this is probably the last time I'll have to do this. They seldom call anyone more than once a year.

I don't think the pressure washer and I are going to be friends. It became apparent that Janet bought the pressure washer because she wants me to clean the exterior of the entire house. I got started today, because the sooner I start on this project, the sooner I'll finish. This is a messy job. Most of the wasp and mud dauber nests, spider webs, and dirt are located above my head. When I use the pressure wand to dislodge things, the debris falls on me. I definitely should have waited until after I used the pressure washer to take a shower today.

I cleaned the front porch and carport this afternoon. That was enough. I'll have to admit that the entrance does look a lot nicer. It will take a lot of time to clean the entire house, but I've got nothing but time these days. I'm hoping that I'll get some new website or writing projects soon. Legitimate paying jobs are always a good excuse to avoid doing things around the house.

I've got three different traps in the atrium now and the rat is ignoring all of them. I'm really kicking myself for not removing the rat immediately as soon as I noticed I had it trapped. Sure, it was raining at the time, but getting wet would have been a small price to pay for getting rid of the rat before it got wise to traps. I'm not sure what to do now. The rat is still there, but it appears to be smarter now. It could easily jump in the house if I open the sliding glass door. All I can say is that rats are almost as irritating as jury duty.

2017 appears to be a year of transition. I started the year with two dogs and will end it with one. I started the year believing I still had a viable business and will probably end it by finally acknowledging that I have retired. The world is always changing, but I'm not comfortable with these changes yet. I guess that is the challenge. Like it or not, I've got to keep moving forward.

Lacey is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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Day 2722

I'm thinking about going to see the solar eclipse this August. There's really no reason not to anymore. It's probably a little late to be planning something like this, since motels and even campsites in the path of totality have probably been booked for months now. We'll see. At least this is worth thinking about. The last time I experienced a total eclipse of the sun was in 1963 when I was going to high school in Alaska. My Dad and a few of his friends took me with them to view the eclipse. All went well until a few minutes before totality when a large cloud covered the sun. I guess technically I still haven't seen a total eclipse.

Although seeing the eclipse is the big thing on my Summer to-do list, there are other things I need to do as well. I've been avoiding making a doctor's appointment for months because I didn't want to worry about Dot while I was enduring the inevitable long wait in the doctor's lobby. I don't have an excuse now.  I also need to renew my passport soon. I certainly haven't used it much during the past ten years, but there was a time when my passport was filled with visa stamps. Who knows? Maybe I'll travel again.

The pressure washer works fine. It's a bit messy to use and there is no convenient place to store the hoses and cords, but other than that, it does exactly what it is supposed to do. I cleaned the bricks on the front porch and the wheels on my car and then put the thing away. Removing the spiderwebs from the windows and eaves will have to wait until later. I'm sure the windows will leak when they are sprayed, so this will be a two person job. One person will have to use the pressure washer and the other will have to quickly mop up any water that gets inside.

I wish I could convince Dash to take long walks again. He used to love taking long walks. We're only walking half as far as we should this week. I don't think anything is wrong with Dash. He just doesn't seem to be in the mood. This is the perfect time of year for long morning walks. A month or so from now it will be too hot. We'll see. Maybe he'll snap out of this moodiness soon. Dash did share a banana with me this morning. That's a start, I guess.

I got an e-mail from Apple with information about the new products they introduced at the developer's conference. I think I'd like the get the new iMac Pro. There's no earthly reason I need a super fast computer anymore, but this thing sure looks cool. I've had my current desktop computer since 2010. That's much longer than I used to keep them. It was easy to justify new computers when I was doing large scale video editing projects every week, but those days are gone. If I get an iMac Pro, it will just be an indulgence.

I put out some new traps for the rat, but so far he has avoided all of them. Maybe I should just make my peace with the rodent and let him stay in the atrium. He's a smart little devil. Maybe he'd like to be my financial adviser. I wish rats weren't so destructive. They've already chewed up everything in the greenhouse. I don't want rats to ruin the atrium too. I have a feeling that this battle will continue for a while.

Domino is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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