Day 2703

It's even harder to tell what day it is now that I'm not going out to breakfast on Friday morning. I'll have to say that my pancakes were pretty good though. They were better than any restaurant pancakes. The only problem was that I had to reheat them in the microwave half a dozen times because every time I took a bite, Dot wanted to go outside.

Dot's new schedule is perplexing. She generally wakes up in a good mood. We take our early morning walk and sometimes she eats a little while Dash is eating his breakfast. By the time I give Dot her morning pills, Dash is usually taking a nap. After taking her pills, I try to feed Dot again, but usually she isn't hungry. She doesn't want to rest either. I might as well just skip breakfast because I'm constantly moving Dot around for the first hour or so after she takes her medication. She doesn't seems to be uncomfortable. She is just restless. We walk around a lot. I figure this is good exercise for her. Eventually she gets tired and goes into a deep sleep. She sleeps more soundly during this period of time than she does at night. By the time I wake her up for her afternoon pills her appetite has generally returned. She eats most of her food between 4 and 6 PM. Sometimes she'll eat more as the evening progresses. If I'm lucky, she'll take a nap when I'm writing the blog and then just when I'm getting ready for bed, she becomes active again.

This type of activity is not conducive to getting much done. It's not great for getting a lot of sleep either, because now there's an additional trip outside to pee every morning around 2 AM. We've learned to adapt to the incontinence, the mobility problems, and the eating difficulties. It makes you wonder what's going to happen next though.

After Dot went to sleep, I drove to Central Market and got some food for the weekend. They were having some kind of celebration of southern cooking, so there were all kinds of tasty new items in the Chef Prepared section. We seldom cook anymore, so something new in the deli section is always a treat. Tonight we had grilled shrimp and Andouille sausage over a bed of smoked grits and red onions. It would have taken hours to make something like this at home. Cooking is overrated.

Dot's changing moods throughout the day make me wonder how the pain pills actually work. I would think by giving her the medication every eight hours, that she would be pain free all the time. Maybe the pills don't really last eight hours though. Maybe it takes a long time for the medication to actually enter her bloodstream. I hope Dot's restless periods aren't just times where she is still in pain. This will be a question for the oncologist when we go back to the cancer center for a recheck next Tuesday. Cancer pain and neurological pain are very different. I'd like to learn more about what is actually happening when we give her these pills.

There are supposed to be thunderstorms tonight. I can see them on the radar West of Fort Worth. Let's hope the go to the North or South of us. I'm not in the mood for thunderstorms.

Holly is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2621

I need sleep. Dot gets frustrated now when she can't get up and circle around to find a new sleep position at night. All dogs do this, and Dot keeps trying even though it is difficult for her to move. Usually, I wake up before she has twisted herself into an awkward position. I help her do the little twirling motion that Dash does effortlessly five times a night and then we all go back to sleep. Lately, I've discovered that if Dot becomes agitated at night it is wise to take her outside to pee. If it's clear outside, I try to identify constellations in the night sky as she slowly walks around the yard, looking for the right spot. By the time I've gotten her settled into her bed again, I'm usually wide awake. Probably people with small babies find their sleep disrupted like this all the time, but it's a new experience for me.

Dash is acting weird again. We discontinued his anti-nausea medication a few days ago, so maybe he's feeling dizzy again. He didn't want to walk this morning and this afternoon he refused to leave the back yard. Sometimes it's hard to tell if Dash is sick or just being stubborn. I tried a second time to give Dash an evening walk after I'd had my own dinner and this time he was eager to go. He wasn't unsteady and nothing seemed abnormal at all. Go figure. I still think that the hesitation to move or walk might have something to do with his seizures, but I'm not a vet. Now I've got one more question to ask the doctors when I take Dot to the cancer center for her ultrasound scan tomorrow.

I wasn't really busy today and I thought seriously about taking a long nap to catch up on sleep, but Dot had other ideas. She's restless now during the day and frequently wants me to take her outside. Since she's incontinent, I don't want to ignore her, since it just causes her to pee or poop in the house. In and out we go, over and over again. When Dot is outside, she just wanders around aimlessly, smelling all the leaves on the ground. It takes a lot of patience to be her rear legs.

I wonder if life will ever return to normal again. Probably not. I feel lucky that I am still healthy enough to help the dogs during their senior years. Many of my friends have already had serious medical problems and would have difficulty lifting a Dalmatian. When I was a kid, my parents were healthy, but they both started falling apart when they were about my age. I wonder how many more good years I've got? Helping Dot walk is actually great exercise. Too bad the stress I'm experiencing probably negates most of the benefits of this strenuous physical activity.

I'm thinking of going somewhere new for breakfast tomorrow. I've been eating the same thing for several months now and even though it's delicious, I'm getting bored. I'm not even sure what I'm hungry for anymore. Maybe the food doesn't even matter. The whole idea of going out was just to have something to look forward to. A pleasant ritual that I can repeat on a weekly basis is much more important than the food.

I hope that Dot's cancer re-check goes well tomorrow. There have been some significant changes since her last exam and none of them are encouraging.

Joshua is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2618

I don't know why I even bother to get Dash's blood pressure tested. He gets so agitated riding in the car that his blood pressure is almost always elevated by the time we arrive at our destination. Today, he was even worse than usual, whining and barking in my ear all the way to the cancer center. He didn't even calm down once we arrived. Needless to say, his blood pressure was high. The only times I've ever been able to get an accurate reading on Dash is when he's already in the hospital for an extended stay.

Dash eventually calmed down a little, but by then the nurses had already moved on to their next patients. While I sat in a room waiting for the doctor to arrive with his evaluation, Dash fixated on a jar full of dog treats sitting on a counter and started barking all over again. He was basically just a bad dog today, but the doctor did say that his condition had dramatically improved. Nobody seemed terribly worried that Dash's blood pressure was high, which made me wonder why I was spending my afternoon taking Dash to the vet. I did have to admit that Dash appeared healthy though. I wish there was a way to test Dash's blood pressure at home when he actually was relaxed, but human blood pressure monitors don't work on dogs, and veterinary monitors are very expensive and hard to use. For the time being, I think we're all going to assume that Dash's medications are working.

I took the images that I shot yesterday over to the client, but we had a hard time transferring them to the office server. Fewer and fewer computers seem to have an SDHC card slot anymore. Even Apple has dropped the SD card slot on their latest laptops. This makes no sense to me at all. You've got to have a way to conveniently move pictures from the camera to the computer. I doubt that computer makers care much about professional photographers these days. They've all realized that the vast majority of their customers take pictures with their phones. Eventually, we found an older computer in the back of the building that still had a card slot and transferred the images. I apologized for how big the file folder was, but the art director wanted RAW files. Hey, at least all the images got transferred before somebody accidentally erased them.

I wish I could think of a way to help Dot grow stronger. It would be nice if there was something that kept her mentally alert too. With each passing week she seems to become a little weaker. There really isn't much I can do at this point. Dot still enjoys her meals and we take our slow daily walk to the end of the street, but she spends a lot more of her time sleeping these days. She just doesn't have the energy anymore. This year feels like a long goodbye. I just hope I can make the transition as pleasant and pain free as possible. This Friday we go back to the cancer center for another ultrasound scan. I wouldn't be surprised to learn that her cancer had advanced significantly. It feels that way.

I still can't tell whether I've got a cold or allergies. It seems like my eyes have been watering and I've been sneezing for weeks now. It's a bit early for Spring allergies, but I don't have all the usual symptoms of a cold either. At any rate, I wish the red nose and itchy eyes would go away. I'm probably just run down. A week with eight hours of sleep every night would probably cure everything.

Tessa is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2616

Dot threw up last night, which put me back on high alert again. There are so many things which can go wrong at this point that it's hard to keep them all straight. Dot has trouble chewing now and might have swallowed some food that she hadn't chewed properly. I'm always worried that the cancer might have spread and she's starting to lose her appetite. She probably threw up for no reason at all. Dog do that a lot. The worst thing about throwing up right after we've all gone to bed is that she threw up her evening meds. You never know how much the body has absorbed, so you can't give her a second dose. As a result, Dot probably didn't get any blood pressure medication last night.

Today was just a typical day of weekend errands, but it seemed busier than usual. Janet had an event to go to, so it was harder to keep track of what both dogs were doing at any given moment. Dot seemed to be having a little trouble with the heat. She doesn't do well in warm weather and the temperature reached over 80 degrees this afternoon. Maybe the slightly labored breathing and the meal she threw up last night are connected somehow. Lots of laundry today. I was talking with a client on the phone when Dot decided to poop in the house again. I think this was the third time today. She wasn't on a protected surface this time and there wasn't much I could do. Just something else to clean up after the call was completed.

Dash has to go back to the cancer center for a recheck on Monday. Nobody mentioned this to me when he was released from the hospital. We just happened to notice an obscure sentence mentioning a recheck when we were reading his discharge summary this morning. I called to confirm and sure enough, he needs to go back for a few follow up tests. I'm dreading this. Dash is a terrible passenger in the car. Whenever I'm taking him home from a vet appointment, I'm hoping that he'll miraculously stay healthy for the rest of his life and I'll never have to transport him in a car again. Traveling with Dash is nerve wracking to say the least.

I wish the dogs weren't so restless in the evenings. Dash gets nervous when Janet isn't around at night and paces around at the front door waiting. This activity gets Dot agitated and she wants to get up too. I think I've taken Dot outside ten times this evening and she still hasn't peed. I'm still cleaning up poop though. Evidently, she kept dropping little plops throughout the house after I got her up to clean up her blankets.

I hope tomorrow's photo shoot goes smoothly. After the pre-light check yesterday, I thought this thing was going to be a piece of cake. Now I'm hearing that there will be lots of costume and hairstyle changes. There have already been changes to the set as well. This could take a very long time. I need to remember to be courteous and not say anything snarky. It sounds like everybody wants to improvise and improvisation is definitely not my cup of tea. At least Janet will be home with the dogs tomorrow and I won't have to worry about that.

It's almost time to give the dogs their evening meds. I hate to wake them up, since they've finally calmed down after a long evening of restlessness and are both sleeping peacefully. I guess it wouldn't hurt to let them sleep another hour. This is the first quiet time I've had all day.

Lady Gogh is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2600

I like round numbers like 2600. These even numbered days seem like mile markers that delineate a very long road. I'd like to think that sometime in the distant future, this odd journal might prove valuable to someone. It probably won't, but you never know. There couldn't be that many people doing this sort of thing. Maybe we'll learn what happens to hopes and dreams as we age. Maybe we'll just see what happens as my mind slowly turns to mush. I wish I could offer some special insight every hundred days, but this is just another day. In truth, it is a very uneventful day.

The pre-dawn sky was crystal clear this morning when I took Dot outside to pee, so as soon as I got her ready for breakfast and her morning meds, I grabbed my binoculars and went out in the front yard to look for the illusive Mercury again. I was surprised at how bright the planet was without the usual haze along the horizon. It was equally surprising how far the moon moves in a single day. Today, the thin waning crescent was barely viable well to the east of Mercury, just above the horizon. I wish I lived in a place that had clear skies like this all the time. It would probably be more fun to build a little observatory in the back yard than spend my evenings endlessly writing this blog.

I had another website to update today. This one had needed three different versions of each image, so pictures would load quickly on any type of device. Sometimes I wish I'd never learned about mobile websites. Making something mobile aware or mobile ready can definitely slow down what would otherwise be a very simple process. I guess I should have been glad for the complicated update, since I didn't have much else to do this morning. If I was smart, I would have postponed the update and gotten a haircut instead. I used to always get haircuts in the afternoon, but Dot is making afternoons away from home much more difficult.

When Dot wakes up from her long morning nap, she is very restless. This is definitely a new development and I don't know what it means. She wants to stay up for the rest of the day, but tires easily and gets very frustrated. If I leave her alone for any length of time, she often struggles to get up and then gets her nearly useless rear legs twisted in an awkward position. This often causes her to panic if I'm not nearby to help her up. If Dot struggles too much, she inevitably pees or poops on herself. It's a mess. I spend my afternoons holding her up by her harness as we slowly walk around the house or the back yard. All this aimless activity often makes Dash think it's dinner time and he starts barking in the kitchen which doesn't help matters a bit. To ease the boredom and frustration, I've split their dinner into several smaller portions, spread out over a three hour period. It's hard to decide which dog to walk first when the long dinner ritual is finally finished. If I guess wrong, I will be greeted with a pile of poop on the floor when I return with Dash.

I guess I'll try to make an appointment to get my hair cut on Saturday. I don't like going to the mall on weekends, but it's just not going to work being away that long tomorrow afternoon. I have trouble even going to the post office now. At least the dogs still sleep normally in the mornings. I'd hate to have to give up my Friday morning breakfast. On a week like this, I really look forward to going out to eat on Friday morning.

Jazz is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2579

Every day is full of surprises. I caught Dash drinking out of the toilet today and when I yelled at him to stop, it startled him and he backed up and flipped over the water bowl he should have been drinking out of, completely soaking a large rug that helps keep Dot steady as she walks from the bedroom to the hallway. It took me longer to clean up this mess than Dot's frequent peeing incidents.

I did manage to get Dot outside this morning before one of those incidents occurred, but it's so cold outside that the temperature in the house drops five degrees every time I leave the back door open for our quick dash to the back yard.

When it's below freezing outside it takes us almost as long to get ready for our walks as it does to walk. Dash wears a coat under his harness and Dot wears a different kind of coat over her harness. I wear several layers and have warm gloves and socks. Both dogs wear hats. My gloves are kind of pointless though, because I always have to take them off to pick up Dash's poop with a poop bag. A brisk wind made this morning's walk seem even colder. When we finally made it back to the house, I had no desire to go outside again.

I had several website updates to complete today, but these assignments seemed almost incidental. My real job was just making it through the day. Today, Dot was restless for most of the day. I walked her endlessly up and down the Hallway to burn off energy, but she just didn't want to go to sleep. The only way I was able to get anything done was to take a nap with her on the floor and then quietly get up and go back to the computer after I saw that she was asleep.

I think we all had cabin fever today. The dogs kept wanting to go outside and then immediately wanted to come in again when they realized how cold it was. I lost count of how many times we did this. In normal circumstances, I could just ignore the dogs for a while, but when Dot wants to go outside these days, she very often needs to pee. She can't hold it very long anymore. Unfortunately, she can't remember why she's outside very well either. It makes for a long day. This would have been a good day to download a good movie, but I didn't have that much free time. There's no point in watching a movie if you're interrupted every five minutes.

I got another assignment late in the day, but I'm not even going to look at it until tomorrow. I'm just too tired. I did manage to haul this week's trash out to the curb and with any luck I'll be able to go out for breakfast tomorrow. The work will get done, but I've got my priorities.

Lucy is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2555

I can't keep up with the weather. It's cold again. Maybe I just imagined wearing shorts yesterday. This morning's walk saw the return of warm coats and gloves. The dogs seemed to enjoy the brisk weather, but I was just perplexed. What happened to yesterday?

Dot and Dash seemed determined to test my patience today. Dash barked constantly while I was trying to eat breakfast. He woke up Dot, who had been sleeping peacefully and then she started barking too. Meals used to be relaxing, but not anymore. In the morning they want me to feed them treats and in the evenings I have to be careful the Dot doesn't pee on everything. It's a three ring circus.

It took me most of the afternoon to get my December invoices out and finish a very modest amount of online Christmas shopping. Once Dot wakes up after her morning nap, she is determined to stay moving for the rest of the day. Since she can't move very far without my help, I am constantly walking her up and down the hall with periodic excursions outside to smell things. I don't know why Dot is so restless now. She doesn't seem to be in pain or anything. Actually, she seems pretty happy as long as I attend to her, but she sure doesn't want to take an afternoon nap anymore.

Eventually the dogs get tired, but I almost always end up getting tired first. My work has always required long periods of solitude. Without this peace and quiet, my writing lacks focus and the code I write often doesn't work at all. Even though I'm not nearly as busy as I used to be, it's still hard to concentrate these days.

I never did find time to go to the post office today, but at least the small stack of invoices is ready to go. Years ago, I bought a humongous box of Number 10 envelopes. I jokingly told a friend that when this box was gone, it would be time to retire. Guess what. After doing my invoices today, there are only two envelopes left. Is the empty envelope box trying to tell me something? It probably really is time to retire, but then what would I do? Taking care of Dot is exhausting. I don't have the energy to start anything new. For the time being, work provides an essential link to a world that I have become detached from. Deadlines and clients remind me that there is still a world beyond cleaning up dog poop.

I wonder if Mark Cuban is feeling silly after predicting a huge stock market crash if Trump was elected. So far, the Trump rally has been pretty substantial. It's certainly helped my portfolio. If things could continue like this for another year, I might finally get back to even. The crash of 2008 was devastating for me and I still haven't recovered all I lost. I'm a realist though. I don't expect miracles. The market will continue to remain volatile. Dot will continue to grow older. And I will continue to slowly work my way toward Day 5000. The key to all of this is to just keep moving.

Savannah is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2541

The dogs wore me out today. Usually they sleep enough during the day so I can get my work done. Not today. Dash had an upset stomach and needed to go outside frequently. Dot was just restless. Every hour or so she would start barking for me to lift her out of her bed. We'd walk around aimlessly for a while and then she'd go back to bed again. We did this over and over again for most of the day. Dot is forgetful now. She'll go to her water bowl and then she'll go outside, and as soon as we come in, she'll go to her water bowl again. When she's restless, she'll repeat these simple activities over and over again. I can't just leave her to her own devices, because she'll quickly fall over or get herself stuck in a corner somewhere. She can also poop at any time without warning, so I'm always following behind her, holding up her rear end with the harness. I guess it's a good thing when Dot feels active, but sometimes I wonder if her restlessness is caused by pain or discomfort.

I'm used to a routine. When the routine changes I get worried. What does it mean when Dot gets restless and agitated? There have been times in the past when restlessness was the first sign of a serious illness. Usually, it just means that she's bored and wants more activity. She didn't have a fever today and seemed calm when she was sleeping, so I'm assuming that she just had more energy than usual. I could be wrong, but I can't take her to the vet every single day.

I've got to figure a better way to manage my own stress. It's hard caring for a dog that could die at any moment. There are so many things that could go wrong. Although Dot's dementia is getting worse, she still seems happy. She loves her slow walks and she eats her meals with gusto. I don't think she's even aware that she's pooping all over the place. I do my best to make her feel normal and that's really all I can do.

Now that Black Friday is over, I was inundated with a second wave of Cyber Monday e-mail this morning. I think every store I've ever shopped at in my life offered me some sort of discount or special coupon this week. Some of the deals are amazing. I bought a few little things because why not? My days of reckless consumerism are over though. I just don't have the money anymore.

I lost my reading glasses again. I think I could have a pair in every room and I'd still manage to lose them all within a month. The house is small, but when I lose these glasses, they're gone for good. I searched for almost an hour this morning and turned up nothing. Where did they go? Usually, I can never find these glasses until I buy a new pair and then they'll miraculously turn up again, often in plain sight. Some days I'm not sure whether Dot has dementia or I do.

I got a couple of website assignments toward the end of the day, so I should be busy tomorrow. Hopefully, the dogs will be calmer so I can get some work done. At the very least, it would be nice if they could just chill out while I eat my own breakfast. I don't bother them while they're eating, so why do they continually bother me when I'm eating? I never should have introduced them to bananas.

Scooter is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2530

It is hard to get anything done when Dot is feeling needy. Every time I sat down at the computer today, Dot would start barking and whining. I would go lift her up and we'd walk around for a while. She appeared frustrated, and didn't seem to know what she wanted to do. Sometimes we'd go outside. Other times we'd just walk up and down the hall. Since Dot tires easily, she'd usually wind up back at her dog bed in about five minutes. As soon as I would return to the computer to try and get some work done, we'd go through the whole process all over again. Senility and lack of mobility is not a good combination. Throw in incontinence and you've really got your hands full.

Despite all the interruptions, I somehow managed to get one of my two articles written and shipped off to the client. Hopefully, when I write the second article tomorrow, Dot will be sleeping. I've been practicing walking Dot in the evenings without Janet and Dash because I'll be on my own when Janet goes home for the holidays. Without another dog to follow, Dot often seems confused. It took us almost a half an hour to walk to the end of the street and back this evening. She really does the best she can. It's me who needs more patience.

I hope the new battery I ordered for my phone arrives soon. My current battery is on it's last legs.  It's reached the stage where it is plugged into the charger more often than it is in my pocket. I don't know why Apple can't put a better battery in its products. They're so determined to make the thinnest phones on the market that there just isn't room inside for a decent battery. You'd think that if Tesla can offer a ten year warranty on the battery they put in their cars, Apple could come up with a battery that would last at least three years. I know they do this on purpose. They just want me to give up and buy a new phone.

I've been wondering why AT&T put fiber optic cable all over the neighborhood last Summer. I got the answer today in the mail. There was a brochure that said I was eligible for a new super high speed internet service. Download an entire movie in just a few seconds the brochure said. Of course there was a price for this added speed. Plans start at $80 a month, I read. Nope. I think I'll keep my current service. Jeez, you could rent a lot of Netflix movies for $80 a month. I guess I was naive when I thought AT&T would give me some added speed for free when they buried the fiber optic cable in the alley behind our house.

This week went quickly. The trash has been taken out to the curb, the November bills have been paid, and I'm already wondering what I'll have for breakfast tomorrow.

Puppies are today's Dalmatians of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2483

When you've lived in a house for thirty years, you start to realize that a lot of things are much older than you think they are. My electric lawn mower in ancient. I've re-celled the battery five times already. When I went to the battery store this time, they told me that my battery was ruined because the charger failed to quit charging after the light turned green. How was I to know? They rebuilt my battery under the warranty anyway, which is why I like these guys. Unfortunately, now I've got to look for a new battery charger. Since the mower was discontinued over ten years ago, I doubt this will be an easy task.

Getting the battery on the mower rebuilt was just one in a long list of Saturday errands. I went to the bank to deposit a check that will keep me solvent for a little while. I picked up some new meds for Dot and Dash at the vet. I did my grocery shopping, and this time the convenient Scan & Go app worked. When I got home, I upgraded my phone to IOS 10 and wasn't entirely happy with the result. Apple doesn't really give you much choice in these matters. If you don't upgrade right away, they keep bugging you forever.

Janet had to go to a Dalmatian Rescue event today and the dogs aren't happy. Neither of them like any changes in their routine whatsoever. They evidently think Janet should be here right now, because every five minutes they keep going to the front door and barking. Dash is fine with this type of vigil, but Dot can't stand up on her own for more than ten seconds and she hasn't pooped yet either. Needless to say, writing the blog tonight has been a sentence-to-sentence endeavor. Hopefully, the dogs will calm down soon. Otherwise, it's going to be a very long night.

I thought I'd come up with a solution by taking Dot's dog bed, complete with all the protective pads, and placing it under my desk. This seemed to work for about five minutes until Dash decided that this new bed looked interesting and decided to claim it for himself. Since both dogs were touching each other, the bed didn't seems to be good enough for either of them. Now, I'm looking for a Plan-B.

The park was full of hikers, and cyclists, and recreational sailors today. When joggers passed Dash and I on our morning walk, they would comment on how nice the day was. I had to agree. To me, Fall is the best time of the year in Texas. With any luck, we've got another month of this perfect weather before things turn nasty again.

Maybe sanity will return tomorrow. Now, that I've got a battery that works, I need to mow the lawn. When I mow in October, I often think I'm done for the year, but often the grass just keeps growing. I really need to go to the gym too. I didn't go last week, but I've already forgotten why. It's too bad that stress can't be counted as exercise. If it could, I'd be in great shape.

Tori is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2474 - Autumnal Equinox

I used to love going to hardware stores. Old fashioned hardware stores had everything from invisible brass cabinet hinges to appliance parts and nails by the pound. I would wander from aisle to aisle, getting ideas for future projects and lusting after exotic tools. Very few of these Mom and Pop hardware stores even exist anymore. They've been replaced by huge Home Depot and Lowes superstores, which despite their size, never seem to have anything I need. I went to Home Depot this afternoon with a small, very basic list. I needed some black silicon caulk to fix a leak in the shower stall and some powdered graphite to lubricate some locks around the house. Home Depot had neither of these items. Jeez, all hardware stores should have powdered graphite. Once again, I'll have to find these things online. Home Depot can't be bothered to stock things like this that don't have mass appeal. They'd rather sell you a new lock than help you lubricate an old one.

I liked buying nails by the pound, screen wire in narrow widths that actually fit my doors, and high quality hand tools that were made in America. Everything is from China these days. Even the expensive power tools are made in China. Instead of reaching in a bin and getting the five screws you actually need, you are forced to buy a plastic blister pack with a hundred of them. I don't like any of this, but I still go to hardware stores out of habit. I could save a lot of time by just ordering everything I need on Amazon.

Dot has turned into a night owl. She sleeps most of the evening while I'm writing the blog, but as soon as I'm finished and start getting ready for bed, she gets a second wind and begins following me around. Wandering around the house would be great if she could stand on her own, but she can't. I'm discovering that it's hard to brush your teeth when you are holding up a dog's rear legs. Dash is usually in bed at this point, but if he wakes up and discovers that Dot is in the kitchen, all bets are off. Both of these dogs live to eat. Eventually, I get everybody situated and we all go to bed.

I had a few minor website updates to complete and I cleaned up Dot's bedding once, but basically it was a slow day. It's hard to find the energy to start anything new. When I finish my chores and work assignments, all I really want to do is sleep. Dealing with the dogs is exhausting. Dot didn't stumble on her walk this morning, but Dash did. He's too young to stumble like this. I keep feeling that something is fundamentally wrong, but two different vets keep telling me that he's OK. Maybe I worry too much, but I'm pretty observant. Something has changed.

I'm way overdue for a haircut, but I don't feel like going to the mall. I'm becoming so adverse to crowds that I'm even starting to have second thoughts about going out for breakfast on Fridays. Maybe I'll get a haircut next week. My hair used to be thick and curly and now it's completely straight and very fine. I wonder what that means? Oh, well. At least I still have hair.

The trash has been taken out to the curb and Dot is starting to get restless again. I'm wondering whether breakfast tacos or pancakes sounds better tomorrow. Such big decisions. It would be nice it I could enjoy the last few hours of the day in peace and quiet, but I don't think that's in the cards. Both dogs are barking now.

Sadie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2461

The day didn't start auspiciously. We weren't able to get Dot outside quickly enough and she peed on one of the large rugs again. In an effort to get the dogs walked before Janet had to go to work, I didn't make the bed, and of course that's where Dash hopped with muddy paws as soon as we got home. As soon as one of the soiled rugs came out of the washer, the sheets went in.

I shouldn't have bothered to go out for breakfast,  By the time I got finished taking Dash on a second longer walk, it was already too late. The sweet spot where the restaurant was relatively empty was over and I was forced to eat with a large crowd who had pushed several tables together for an impromptu business meeting. I keep changing destinations, but I can't seem to bring back the old magic. Eating out on Friday morning just isn't as much fun as it used to be.

I worked on a writing assignment today, but I had trouble getting the finished piece to its destination because the client's anti-spam software kept blocking me. This is especially irritating, because although I'm on the receiving end of a lot of spam, I'm definitely not a spammer myself. Apparently, the Securence anti-spam service the client uses really doesn't like Bluehost, where I have my e-mail account. Good grief guys, Bluehost is a large, reputable company with millions of customers. Somebody in the client's IT department needs to figure out a way to Whitelist me. It's hard enough doing these assignments, without having to jump through hoops to get them where they need to go.

Dot was restless today. It seems like I spent half the day helping her walk back and forth to her water bowl. She'd want to go outside and then as soon as I got her out on the back porch, she'd want to come back in again. We did this over and over again. I can tell that her lack of mobility is frustrating for Dot, but I don't know what to do about it. Like it or not, if she's going to go anywhere, she's going to need me to be her back legs.

The trash truck picked up my garbage this morning, but it didn't do so well with my neighbor's garbage. The robotic arm that picks up the cans must have malfunctioned, because it ended up dumping their garbage all over their front lawn. The truck didn't even bother to stop and try again, because the garbage was still there the last time I looked. The city should go back to the old way of picking up trash. More people will be employed and grumpy homeowners like me will be a lot happier.

The new Apple Watch has built in GPS and the new iPhone 7 has a much better camera. Why does Apple keep doing this to me? I have way too much Apple stuff already, and now I wish I had these two newcomers as well. Do I actually need a new phone? Of course not. Now that I've found a place that will replace my phone batteries for a reasonable price, I might never need a new phone.

What I do need is more sleep. Janet can't get Dot to pee at night, so I have to take her outside an hour after everyone else has gone to sleep. I'm usually the one who wakes up in the middle of the night to clean up her poop too. It's wearing me out. My fitness tracker says I'm getting absolutely no deep sleep, but lots of REM sleep. I know I'm dreaming a lot, but ten seconds after I wake up, the dreams evaporate. I can't even remember whether they were good dreams or bad dreams. If the dreams are better than my day time existence, it would be nice if I remembered them.

Chief is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2436

It felt like Fall today. Overcast skies and a slow, steady rain kept temperatures in the low 70's. I'm not typically a fan of dampness and drizzle, but the change of pace from our typical August heat was kind of nice. Dot seemed to enjoy the cooler temperatures, but Dash was having nothing to do with the rain. I couldn't even get him to go outside this morning.

A writing assignment gave me the perfect excuse to stay around the house all day. I'd write for a while and then take the dogs to the back door so they could see if the rain had stopped. Dot still seems to have more energy than she did last week. She kept me busy during the day, barking when she needed help to get up and check on things. I continue to see this restless behavior as a good thing. At least it's better than lying listless in her bed all day.

I had to wash some rubber backed rugs that Dot made a mess on yesterday. I need to make a mental note to never buy rubber backed rugs again. The rubber flakes off in the dryer and makes a huge mess, even when you dry the rugs on the lowest heat setting. I guess I could have taken the rugs outside and let them air dry, but it was a damp, rainy day and it would have taken forever. I needed them back on the floor again. Eventually, the little flecks of stray rubber backing will find their way to the dryer filter, but they'll probably attach themselves to the next load of towels first.

It took longer than it should have to finish my article, mostly because Dot and Dash were being needy and demanding. Dash was frustrated because he didn't want to walk in the rain and Dot was frustrated because she couldn't do much of anything. Eventually, the rain subsided to a light mist and I was able to take Dash for a long walk while Dot slept. There have been more peaceful days, but it really wasn't all that bad. Cooler temperatures and a self-imposed deadline to meet were all I needed to keep my glass half full today.

I think my good mood had more to do with getting a decent night's sleep than anything else. Dot had one of those rare nights when she slept through the night without pooping. It makes a big difference. We all woke somewhat refreshed, hoping that Dot would stay on schedule for another eight hours.

I completely missed the Perseid meteor shower this year. The pictures I kept seeing on Google looked spectacular, but it wasn't meant to be in Dallas. Our skies were overcast on Thursday and Friday, and even during clear weather, there is so much light pollution in the city that seeing something as faint as a meteor trail is almost impossible. Maybe someday I'll live in a place with clear, dark skies. I don't think I've seen the Milky Way in decades.

Who knows what I'll see tomorrow. The flowers are gradually being replaced by seed pods as Fall approaches. Pretty soon the first leaves will start to turn. Sometimes it is simply amazing how quickly a year goes by.

Freckles is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2416

There was a knock at the door while I was eating breakfast and after I got the dogs calmed down, I greeted a supervisor from the roofing company. We went up on the roof together and looked at the damage. He agreed that the roof definitely shouldn't look like this. It was product failure, he said. Finally. Of course, the roof couldn't be repaired today, because it rained last night and the roof was still wet. At least we're making progress. I told him I didn't want to wait another three months and he said the repairs would be made next week as long as it was dry.

I actually had a telephone conversation with a client today. This just doesn't happen anymore. I get my marching orders almost exclusively through e-mail these days. I wish more people would use the phone. It's so much easier when you can ask questions without having to type. After a ten minute conversation, I knew exactly what I needed to do. It probably would have taken days to arrive at the same conclusion using a chain of e-mail messages.

I talked to Dot's vet on the phone today as well. I described her symptoms and she said we might be dealing with canine dementia, along with Dot's many other problems. She wants me to bring Dot in next week so she can evaluate her again. She also wanted me to consider giving Dot a low dose of Trazodone before transporting her in the car. This drug is commonly used in dogs to reduce anxiety and is generally well tolerated. It is also used as a human antidepressant and I have an almost irrational fear of all antidepressants. I said I'd do a little research and think about it. Whenever I research drugs, it usually makes me fear them even more, so I end up just asking Janet what she'd do.

I have a new writing project that should keep me busy through the end of the week. Busy is good. The days don't seem nearly as long when I'm working. I used to have an endless stream of projects and was booked months in advance. Not anymore. These days, I hope I just have enough work coming in to pay the monthly bills. July is taken care of now, but just like June, there isn't a lot left over. I anticipated some of the changes that take place as you grow older, but I didn't really anticipate missing work. I thought I'd love having nothing to do, but that's not the way it turned out.

I'm probably a terrible voter. As soon as the Democratic Convention appeared to settle down and function normally again, I quit watching. I did the same thing with the Republican Convention. Apparently, it takes a circus to get me engaged. I don't like either one of these candidates, but I don't think the world is going to end when one of them gets elected. We are still going to be a divided nation and we are still going to keep kicking the can down the road.

The dogs have added a new twist to my already busy day. Now, when it is time for them to go to bed at night, one of them will get restless and start barking as soon as the other one is settled down. This gets them both active again and I'll have to take them outside to make sure they don't need to pee. I've done this three times already. Dot still doesn't look very tired. Of course, she's been sleeping all day.

Smokey is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2364

I took Janet to the airport this morning. The road to DFW has been perpetually under construction since the day I moved to Dallas. I don't think they'll ever finish it. They keep making the road wider and wider, but it never seems to be wide enough. I drove carefully today. I'm always worried that I'll get in a wreck and the dogs will starve to death before anyone notices I'm gone. Taking care of the dogs has always been a team effort and it still makes me nervous to operate without a backup.

I promised Janet I wouldn't go up on the roof while she was gone. It would definitely be bad news if I broke my neck and nobody noticed. There are still plenty of things that could go wrong, but I think we'll do OK. All the dogs meds have been neatly organized in little packets with the date and time to give them marked on the front. The refrigerator is well stocked and the dog walker is coming tomorrow morning to help with Dot's morning walk. Dot and Dash are so set in their ways that they always act a bit restless the first few days that Janet is gone. They're dogs though, and as soon as they settle in to a new routine, everything is fine.

Unfortunately, we haven't reached that transition point yet. Whenever they hear a noise, they run to the front door to see if anyone is there. Well, Dot doesn't run anywhere, but she whines for me to lift her up and take her to the front door. If I get the dogs settled in one room, five minutes later they want to be in another.  Their routine has been broken and they're not happy campers at the moment. I try to be accomodating, but there's only so much I can do. Things are going to be different for a while.

I don't know why the dogs are so upset. Things aren't actually very different at all. Our life is always pretty much the same. I went to the grocery store today, like I always do on Saturdays. Dash got a long afternoon walk and they both got their dinner right on time. Maybe they want the television on. As soon as they both settle down and go to sleep, I'll have to wake them up again to give them their evening meds. Then we'll go through this all over again.

I was going to try to get to bed earlier and get some additional sleep, but I'm not off to a good start. Despite the best of intentions, I ate dinner when I always do and couldn't get started writing the blog until the dogs settled down and went to sleep. By the time I reconfigure the dogs beds in their  nighttime mode, give the dogs their pills, brush my teeth and empty and clean the dehumidifier, it will be close to midnight. An hour after I go to sleep, Dot will poop in her bed and I'll be up again.

I hope that Dot and Dash cooperate with the dog walker tomorrow. Life will be so much easier if we can get their regular morning and evening walks out of the way without a giant hassle. I tried to take Dot on a short walk by myself this evening and that didn't go all that well. She really has very little interest in walking unless Dash is walking in front of her. The dogs don't know it yet, but they're going to be getting a banana tomorrow. We usually have a big breakfast, with bacon, eggs, biscuits, and fresh fruit on Sunday mornings. I think I'm going to revert to my weekday banana and strawberry smoothie tomorrow, which means sharing a banana with the dogs. Anything to make life a little easier.

Daisy is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2204

It was 70 degrees on Friday. There were tornadoes on Saturday. Sunday there was flooding. And today feels like snow. That's almost like having all four seasons within four days. Welcome to Texas. I don't even think this was all that out of the ordinary. It was certainly cold when we took the dogs on their morning walk. It's quite an undertaking to get Dot's winter coat on under her Help 'Em Up Harness, but we managed. We were the only dogs walking this morning. It seemed a little strange that an old crippled Dalmatian still has more stamina than all the other neighborhood dogs, but that's Dot for you. She is definitely the energizer bunny of the dog world.

I didn't want to go up on the roof today, but I didn't want the water to freeze up there either. What the hell. I haven't been to the gym in a while, and I needed the exercise. I bundled up in warm clothes and swept away yesterday's rain and the few remaining leaves from the roof before the water had a chance to freeze. Since ice expands, it can cause cracks and shifting in the ceiling Sheetrock. I still haven't finished patching the ceiling after a big ice storm a few years ago. I certainly don't need more cracks. One good thing about all the recent bad weather is that the strong winds finally blew all the leaves off the trees. I won't have to worry about removing leaves from the roof for another year.

The dogs were restless today. It was too cold for them to stay outside long. And they were too bored to lay around the house all day. I was constantly letting them in and out the back door. With Dot, the simple act of going outside is a lot more trouble than it might seem. If it looks like she needs to go outside, I suit her up in her special harness and follow her out, holding up her rear end. She'll sniff the air for about thirty seconds and then decide she doesn't want to be outside after all. Back inside we come and I take the harness off again. I guess I could just leave the harness on, but I've discovered that Dot can move around on her own in the house much better without it. The harness comes on and off many times a day. It takes a certain amount of patience to keep doing this day after day.

After I cleared all the water off the roof, I came back inside and wondered what to do next. I took a shower, emptied the water that had accumulated in the dehumidifier bucket and sat down to watch the Dr. Who Christmas Special on the DVR. Most Christmas Specials seem to involve aliens invading London, but this one was a bit different. The Doctor and River Song were reunited after an absence of several years. I don't remember seeing much of River since Amy Pond and Rory discovered that she was their daughter. River has a very complicated timeline. This show was an attempt to tie up the loose ends. We finally discover exactly when the Doctor gave her the sonic screwdriver that she used in the Forest of the Dead episode. She died in this episode, but somehow came back to life later. Her final words were "You took me to Darillium to see the Singing Towers. What a night that was." Well, seven years later, this Christmas Special was when the Doctor actually did take River to see the Singing Towers. This season's scripts have been far too complicated for my taste, but I'm sure that is exactly why some people love them.

I'm not exactly sure what I'll do tomorrow. We'll have to wait until 2016 to see if I've still got a company. Nothing ever happens between Christmas and New Years. I'd like to get some interesting writing assignments next year. I'm not so sure about mobile websites. Designing responsive websites is a lot more work than I expected. We'll see. Things always improve when the days get longer. I don't do well on short, cold, grey days like these. When I was up on the roof today, I kept thinking about all the first responders toiling a few miles away helping people sorting through the soggy wet wreckage and debris left behind by the tornadoes. Where do they find the strength? I'm having trouble just dealing with dog poop.

Petey is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2104

Mercifully, the dogs let us sleep in a bit longer this morning. The sun was almost up by the time we left the house. Dot was relaxed and didn't even poop until we were halfway down the street. No accidents to clean up today. Janet and I were even able to enjoy our breakfast without a lot of loud barking. For the first time in a long time it seemed like an absolutely normal day. I needed a normal day. Caring for a sick dog does give you a real sense of purpose, but it is very tiring. I seem to be assimilating each new level of perpetual tiredness, but sometimes I wonder how much energy I have left.

I am definitely not alone. Coping appears to be the new normal. The older I get, the more my Facebook feed has become a litany of woes. It makes me sad to even look at Facebook these days. Almost every day someone's dog has died. Friends are coping with everything from a parent with Alzheimer's to a child with autism. People lose their jobs and discover that their own illnesses aren't covered by insurance. Sure, there are happy pictures of people holding their grandchildren, but it is hard for me to relate to these. All I notice are all the dogs that have gone to the Rainbow Bridge. I also notice friendships that have been torn apart by political squabbling. Maybe we share far too much these days. It should be comforting to know that I'm actually coping reasonably well in the grand scheme of things. Facebook still makes me sad though. It just shows me a world that is broken.

Maybe that's why I like Dr. Who so much. It's not the real world at all. It's just a far fetched fantasy that makes just as much sense as watching the evening news. I've been waiting for the new Season 9 opener all week. The Magician's Apprentice was actually just part one of one of a two part show that I will have to watch again next week to figure out what is going on. The Doctor is summoned by Davros who I'm almost certain was killed by Rose in The Parting of the Ways episode quite a few years ago. No wait, that's all wrong. It was Donna Noble who killed Davros in the Journey's End episode. The Daleks and their creator Davros keep reappearing, no matter how many times they are destroyed. Clara was exterminated by a Dalek in tonight's episode, but she actually was a Dalek when her character was initially introduced. It's confusing. I'm sure she'll be back next week.

Janet is at a meeting tonight and the dogs are restless. They don't like surprises. If their regular routine is interrupted for any reason, they both freak out. I finally got them all in the same room with me so I could watch Dr. Who, but now they are watching the front door and barking at any odd noise. It's going to be a while guys. Maybe if I feed them their evening rice cake a little early they will calm down.

I actually enjoyed going to the gym last Sunday. I'm not so sure I'll feel the same way tomorrow. I've been tired all week. The way today's been going, I have a feeling that I'll feel tired tomorrow as well. I can't let that stop me though. If I only did things when I felt great, I'd probably do nothing at all.

Rhett is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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