Day 1898

I'll never get used to Texas weather. There was rain mixed with sleet when I woke up. By the time I finished breakfast, the rain had turned to snow. By lunchtime the snow had already melted. By the time I took Dash on his evening walk there were clear blue skies and sixty five degree temperatures. This happens frequently. Actually, I think we are supposed to repeat the whole schizophrenic weather pattern this weekend.

I spent a big chunk of today retouching a photo for a client in Photoshop. It amazes me how much Photoshop has changed the way we look at things during the past twenty years. Photoshop isn't just for Sports Illustrated swimsuit models these days. Everybody uses it. We have gotten so used to looking at idealized perfection that people can't seem to tolerate images that show anything less.

Against my better judgement, I climbed up on the roof and cleared the accumulated water off the roof as soon as the skies cleared. There was an enormous amount of standing water on the roof and I didn't want it to freeze. Yes, within 48 hours another cold wave will arrive and we will have sub-freezing temperatures again. I wish I could just ignore the water, but it is so heavy that the longer I leave it, the sooner it will cause the roof to settle and buckle even more. I think the low spots are already sinking lower, because less water seems to drain off the edge of the roof than it did a few years ago. At least the roof doesn't leak anymore, but my fear is that the roof leaks will start again if I leave four inches of water on top of it continually. In July this water would just evaporate after a rain. Not in February.

I wish I could report that Dot had miraculously started walking again, but she still spends her day laying in various soft dog beds scattered around the house, waiting for me to move her around, or take her out to pee. She is in remarkably good spirits, considering her lack of mobility, but this is no way to live. I really hope that the surgery provides some relief and allows the healing process to begin. If I could ask Dot if she wanted to go through major surgery again, I'm sure she would say no. If I could ask her if she wanted to walk again, I'm equally sure she would say yes. I hope we made the right choice.

I called the hospital again today to confirm our check-in time and continue to hope that Dot will stay strong and be able to cope with the difficult days she has ahead. The surgeon told me that some dogs begin walking on their own within two weeks after her type of surgery. Others of course, require months of physical therapy. I hope that Dot is one of the lucky ones. She has been my friend and constant companion for over a decade now and I don't want to lose her. Please keep Dot in your thoughts and prayers tomorrow as she goes through this difficult but necessary surgery. The surgery itself will take about three hours, which seems like a very, very long time to me.

It feels like there is still a lot of unfinished business today, but it is getting late and we all need some sleep. Tomorrow is going to be a very long day.

Cookie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 465

Welcome to the strange new world of manufacturing on demand. I found out today that since the new heat pump I need for my rental property isn't one of the common models you usually see at Home Depot or Lowes, nobody carries it in their inventory anymore. If I want one of these units, I have to order one and then the factory will build it for me. This obviously doesn't make my renter very happy, since it means another two or three weeks without an air conditioner. This seems to be the way things are done in the manufacturing world these days, however. I had the same thing happen several years ago when I needed an odd and hard to find faucet for the same rental property. It took almost a month to get this faucet manufactured and installed. I hope the air conditioner factory works a little faster.

Isn't is odd that the more "advanced" our society gets, the more we have to give up. Nobody wants to maintain a warehouse or stock inventory anymore. It isn't just building supplies either. Even clothing and shoe stores don't carry much merchandise anymore. If the store is out of stock, it's very likely that they will tell you to just buy the item you're looking for on the Internet. Personally, I liked things a lot better when every store had a big stock room in the back. Of course back when every store had a big stock room in the back, people would pump your gas for you too. I'm not old enough to remember when the milk man came to your house every day, but that must have been nice as well.

It seems to be taking me longer and longer to get the employee updates up on the websites I manage. As people have gotten to know me, they've started asking me to retouch their pictures before I put them online. I try to oblige when I can, even though it takes a bit longer. I don't know why companies do these employee pictures anyway. Nobody ends up liking their picture. I can't really blame them. If I come to take your picture on a day when you're wearing hospital scrubs, don't have any makeup on and just finished cleaning up dog vomit, you probably aren't going to look your very best either.

There is a message on my answering machine from my ex-wife saying she's going to be in town this weekend for the NCAA basketball tournament and would like to have breakfast with Janet and I. What was she thinking? Maybe it would be best to just ignore this call.

Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day