Day 3358

It was much nicer today. I could almost overlook the fact that it was 23 degrees this morning because the sun was shining and there wasn't much of a wind. Of course Dash wanted a walk. It takes a while to get him suited up on cold days. We try to put his socks and boots on before he gets up because it much easier to fit these things while he is still lying down. When he gets up we take off his harness so he can wear a warm sweater underneath. Then we attach the Help 'Em Up Harness again, trying to make sure that Dash doesn't fall down in the process. On really cold days he also wears his hat. You may think this is overkill, but everything fits well and when Dash came home this morning, he wasn't shivering.

Long walks were the order of the day. There wasn't much else to do. I think Dash and I were both ready to get outside. Without writing and website design jobs to keep me busy, my days can get pretty long. If Dash were young and healthy, I could walk for hours in the park. Walking is a great way to daydream and kill time.

The muddy area on top of the sewer pipe still seems to be drying up, so I canceled the plumbing appointment that I postponed yesterday. Plumbers are expensive and I'd hate to tear up the yard and spend a lot of money just to discover that the pipe was fine and I was dealing with a drainage problem instead. We have had a lot of rain lately. I think I'll wait until we get some dry weather and then see what the yard looks like. I can always call the plumber back.

When I was busy with work, I also seemed to have lots of hobbies. I collected things. I taught myself to repair watches. I played in a rock band for a while. I convinced myself that I was an artist and had several gallery shows. Now that I have all the time in the world, nothing interests me. Most of the watches aren't running anymore and I don't even care. I tried to resume playing the piano and took online lessons for a month or two, but quickly became bored and my keyboard is now gathering dust. We have Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime and I'm not even interested in watching movies. This is all very curious. I wonder how this happened? I'm not depressed. I don't think I'm avoiding things because when something needs to get done, I still take care of the problem quickly and efficiently. Some people are motivated by desire. I must have always been motivated by deadlines. Without a deadline to meet I'm alarmingly content to do nothing.

I'll probably do nothing tomorrow. A roofer may come over to give me an estimate on a new roof. Since he's a roofer, he may not come at all though. We'll see. On Thursday we take Dash to the cancer center again for one of his periodic echocardiograms. Against all odds, I think Dash's condition has actually gotten better since we saw these doctors two months ago. He's eating better and seems to have more energy. He even got up on the bed by himself today. The little guy is pretty amazing. We were warned that Dash was living on borrowed time over two years ago and he's still with us today. He seems happy too. Maybe doing nothing is the secret to a long life. Dash has perfected doing nothing. He sleeps all day and when he's active he's mostly interested in smelling other dog's poop in the park. I think he's a good role model.

Rory is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3062 - Mother's Day

My Mom was younger than I am when she died. I never thought she died young at the time, but I sure do now. I wonder what she'd think if she'd lived to see today's world. She'd probably be excited. Mom was always an optimist. I ended up more like my Dad, but I appreciate Mom's influence. Thanks to her, I can usually see both sides to an issue.

My parents have been gone so long that many memories are starting to fade. I can't remember any specific advice that Mom gave me while growing up. She was honest and kind though, and overcame many adversities. I can't really imagine a better role model.

I doubt that I'm a role model to anyone. I never had children and never wanted them. Instead of sharing my values with the next generation, I just wanted to avoid children at all costs. Maybe that's why I've always been more comfortable around dogs. If there was a holiday for pet parents, I wonder if Dash would remember. I've done a lot of things wrong in my life, but I think I've always been good to our dogs.

Dash got me up in the middle of the night again. I thought his schedule had become a little more regular in recent weeks, but he is full of surprises. The latest surprise is that he can't seem to keep his boots on anymore. He's lost a boot on his walks for the last three days in a row. I've had a lot of trouble putting the boots back on while we are walking. I have a feeling that Dash is dragging his feet more and this is pulling the boots off. I'm really going to have to come up with a solution, because his paws need protection. We found a tick on Dash yesterday too. There are just way too many things that could cause this dog to bleed.

The gym was empty again today. I wonder if I'm ever going to find time to go more than once a week? Sunday's work great because Janet can stay home with Dash. I really hate to leave him for any length of time. Who knows when he's going to have another seizure or fall and be unable to get up? The older and more frail Dash becomes, the more I worry.

Now, I'm fretting about the roof again. I thought next week was going to be perfect for repairs. As recently as yesterday there was nothing but clear skies in the forecast. Now, they say there's a thunderstorm that's going to be arriving on Tuesday. Jeez. Getting the roofers to come out at all is hard enough. Getting them coordinated with the weather is impossible.

One way or another everything will get done. The roof will eventually get fixed. The trees will get trimmed. Dash will take his pills and eat his dinner. Maybe I'll even get some sleep.

Haley is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day