Day 1616

Today was a typical Monday. Everything was disorganized. Things got delayed, or in many cases, they never happened at all. Dash's routine exam at the cancer center ended up taking most of the day, mostly because there were a lot of unexpected emergencies with other dogs. Dash seemed happy about the situation though. He got to play with the other dogs at the cancer center while he was waiting to see the doctor, instead of spending another boring day at home with Dot and I. When I did go to pick him up later this afternoon, I received a glowing progress report from the oncologist. Dash is doing great! We don't have to go back for another exam until the middle of June. Dash can have a bath again now, which is very good news because he is getting filthy.

I was a bit worried that the chemo pills might be causing the diarrhea Dash was having this weekend. The nurse said that this was possible, but not very likely, since he's been taking the pills for over three months now with no adverse effects. She said it was much more likely that he ate a small lizard. Apparently a lot of dogs have been finding lizards in the yard this Spring. Sounds about right. Actually I did see Dash chasing a lizard in the yard last week. It wouldn't have been hard for him to catch one without us noticing.

Not only have real estate taxes gone up this year, our homeowners insurance rates just went up as well. When real estate values dropped significantly after the big market crash in 2008, real estate taxes and insurance rates didn't go down at all. They just held steady for a few years. Every time the real estate market rebounds however, taxes and insurance rates immediately go up. This is what is happening this year. We've had a little rebound and the city and county can't wait to get their hands on this new source of revenue. Somehow this doesn't seem very fair, but as we all know, taxes almost never go down.

I fell asleep briefly at the computer a few minutes ago. This is the second time this month this has happened. Jeez, if I can't even stay awake writing the blog, lord knows how you guys feel reading it every day. You never know though. Things still happen. Just not every day.  Maybe tomorrow will be exciting. It certainly should be busier. Dot has her weekly acupuncture and water therapy session, and I have a photo shoot. Dash has nothing planned, but he had a big day today.

If it weren't for my Spring allergies, I'd have no complaints about the weather at all. There's been enough rain to keep things green, and enough sunlight and cool breezes to keep the dogs and I happy. Today was absolutely beautiful.

Holly is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1284 - Summer Solstace

I was faced with a dilemma this morning. I could either get fresh tar all over my tires, or I could wait forever for the slow moving convoy of paving machines to make its way past my driveway. I was hungry, so I opted to get ahead of the machines and drive through the wet tar. Driving through 300 yards of tar to get to a clear patch of road proved to be a good decision, since I wound up having something new and delicious for breakfast.

A combination of boredom and hunger sent me back to the cool restaurant, where I found over-easy eggs, served on a bed of smoked brisket to my liking. As I ate, I watched people re-fueling their electric cars at a quick charge station across the street and wondered if hospital scrubs had become the new working man's overalls.

After breakfast, I did my grocery shopping for the weekend, which basically amounted to picking up a bunch of pre-cooked items from the Central Market deli counter. I like to eat, but I'm not terribly fond of cooking. By the time I got home, the paving machines had moved down the block and I was able to get in my driveway again.

I had quite a bit of writing to finish today, but it all worked out well, especially since it was far too hot for the dogs and I to spend much time outside anyway. Today was officially the first day of Summer, although here in Texas, it seems like Summer has been with us for quite some time. I often wonder why I live here, since I'm always complaining about the weather. It's a climate of extremes and always seems to be too hot, too cold, too wet, or too dry.

The dogs get a bath this weekend. Usually, we're pretty good about keeping them clean and presentable, but I don't think they've had a bath in several months. Between Janet's travels, my own travels, the roofers, and the wet weather, there just hasn't been a good time. I'm not very particular about dirty dogs, but even I'll admit that they've both become filthy.

Janet helped me get the tax exemption on the house straightened out. It turns out I had downloaded the wrong forms yesterday and was actually applying to defer my real estate taxes until after I died. Oops. Not exactly what I had in mind. Jeez! Why would anyone want to do this, unless they really wanted to make their heirs angry?

I'm hoping for an uneventful weekend, filled with lot of sleep, leisurely meals and trips to the dog park. I imagine that Dot and Dash are hoping for something similar.

Barley is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1056

Occasionally, I look at the profiles of people who appear on my Google+ stream and become envious of how idyllic their lives seem. Then I look at my own profile and realize that it's not that different from the rest. I guess appearances can be deceiving. I think even the scrupulously honest often put the accent on the positive to avoid depressing those around them. I do this myself sometimes. It's good to have a positive attitude. I just don't always believe you.

The fog was thick as soup when I took the dogs out this morning. I though I'd take a good camera with me on our walk and try to get some pictures before the fog lifted. What a disaster. The big camera around my neck was continually getting tangled in the dog's leashes. When I did find something to photograph, Dash would tug on the leash just as I was pressing the shutter and ruin the shot. If I spent too long looking through the viewfinder, I would inevitably look up to see one of the dogs eating something disgusting at our feet on the ground. I did get a few decent shots, but it was hardly worth the effort. It is much easier to take pictures with a cell phone when you are walking Dalmatians.

I didn't have much better luck trying to find out why the State of Missouri is telling me I owe them money. After sitting on hold for an inordinate amount of time, I finally was able to speak with someone in the state's tax office. They weren't much help. All they could tell me was that they had received a 1099 form with my name on it. They couldn't tell me what I supposedly owed, or why I was on their list. I kept telling the official that I had never lived in the state of Missouri in my life and that I had already paid all my taxes for the year in question anyway. My very rational argument seemed to fall on deaf ears.

Sadly, I think this is the shape of things to come. Government agencies at all levels are strapped for cash and they are getting more and more creative in their attempts to reel in the money they need. I've already noticed that the Dallas County government is quick to raise real estate taxes whenever house values go up, but they are very reluctant to lower taxes when real estate values go down. Income taxes are only a small part of the total picture. Have you looked at your phone bill lately? It's appalling how much of your phone bill goes to pay a bunch of weird hidden taxes. Are you concerned about the price of gas? If you could just get rid of all the taxes they place on gasoline, you could fill your tank for a very reasonable price. I don't think I would mind paying taxes so much if I could control where my money went. I have very little control of where my tax money goes however, and neither do you.

I think this is really what the election is about tomorrow. People want to control where their money goes. Each side has very different ideas of how to spend the tax money we send them. If you don't happen to agree with these ideas, you can start to feel like you vote isn't worth much. It doesn't have to be this way. I'm convinced that if people could decide where their tax money would go when they paid their taxes in the first place, we wouldn't have the divisiveness we are experiencing today. Hey, if you want to fund the military with your taxes, go ahead. If you want to fund social programs, send your tax dollars there. Roads and bridges seem important? That's OK too. If you just let the people decide for themselves where their tax dollars went, a lot of current problems would vanish. Some programs would thrive. Others would vanish. So be it. The people would have spoken. With something this direct and simple, maybe we wouldn't need congress at all.

Coach is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 722

I paid my real estate taxes today. Somehow, even though I successfully presented my case to the county appraisal board this Summer and they reduced my property valuation by 15%, I still ended up paying more than I did last year. I think it is futile to expect lower taxes. Government agencies at all levels have such an insatiable demand for tax revenue that even when rates are lowered, they figure out some way to make up the difference. Since property values have decreased significantly in Dallas County and virtually everybody has already protested their property valuation with the appraisal board, the county simply raised the taxation rate a few percentage points to make up the shortfall. Homeowners are totally on the short end of the stick. Their homes are worth less, but they still end up paying higher property taxes.

Winter is here with a vengeance. The furnace runs almost constantly now and the car has started to make funny noises when I start it up on cold mornings. Winter weather seems to put more wear and tear on everything. Somehow, a lot more things tend to break around our house during the Winter months. Hopefully, we'll get lucky this year. I think the entire rainy day fund went out the window this year when I paid those real estate taxes this afternoon.

I don't think the Dot and Dash like the Winter weather any more than I do. They both seem to spend most of their day curled up under a pile of dog blankets. When we do go outside, I have to put Winter coats on them, before I bundle up under several layers myself. I do have one really warm parka that I used to wear when I lived in Alaska. It's in the storage warehouse though, and it is often easier to just put on several layers of sweaters than drive across town to get yet another coat.

If it wasn't for the bitterly cold weather and the coyotes, I'd love our evening walks this week. The sky is beautiful at this time of year. The days are even shorter now. We tend to take our walks right after sunset and get to watch each evening as darkness overtakes the park. It's hard to take pictures though. I have to take off my gloves every time every time I try to use the iPhone touch screen.

Humphrey is our Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day