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 1550

I took Janet to the airport today. She works hard and needs a periodic vacation to keep her sanity. I lost my sanity a long time ago, so trips don't really help anymore. I don't like to travel. The only kind of trips I enjoy are business trips where I can spend someone else's money. There is still a small amount of satisfaction that comes from living large on a greedy corporation's dime. Corporations don't send me places like they used to though. All they want are are my files. e-mail has changed everything.

 I couldn't have gone on a trip anyway next week. Dash gets another CAT scan on Monday, so the oncologist can calculate exactly where the radiation beam needs to go. On Tuesday he begins the first of 21 scheduled radiation treatments. Later in the week he will begin chemotherapy as well. As worried as I am about Dash's treatment, I feel much better today than I did yesterday. I finally had a chance to speak with the head oncologist at the cancer clinic and he was very reassuring. This guy was one of the founding partners of Gulf Coast Veterinary Specialists in Houston. This is one of the best animal cancer hospitals in the entire country. I asked a lot of questions and got a lot of answers from someone with over 25 years of experience treating every conceivable form of cancer. There is no substitute for knowledge and experience. The young person I talked with yesterday will learn this someday.

Dash's special harness came in the mail today. I wish I'd discovered Ruffwear harnesses earlier. The harness is comfortable, fits like a glove, and there is no way a dog could escape from it. These harnesses were designed for service and search and rescue dogs, but they are perfect for an escape artist like Dash. I may get one for Dot as well, since there is a convenient handle on the top that makes it much easier to lift the dog in an emergency. I am always scared that Dot's legs will go out on a walk and it would be difficult to get her home again. Something like this would help.

The bird that poops on my car must have started talking to other birds, because two crows pooped on my head while I was walking the dogs this evening. They certainly managed to make a mess of things. I had to wash my hair and throw my clothes in the laundry as soon as we got home. It's kind of ironic that I'm developing a reputation as a bird photographer on Google+. I have taken some beautiful pictures of birds, but that doesn't mean I like them. Basically, I think most birds are filthy, disgusting creatures and I want nothing to do with them.

We're supposed to have severe weather tomorrow, so I stocked up on groceries on the way home from the airport. If the weather is bad, I see no reason to leave the house at all. Even when the weather is good, there aren't that many reasons to leave the house. Oh, thanks for thinking of Dash you guys! It means a lot.

Humphrey is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day