Day 4598

Another day just like all the other days. If we haven't already set a record for consecutive one hundred degree days, we will soon. We see lots of people in the park on our sunrise walks now. The runners and cyclists have realized that this is the only time during the day when it is still enjoyable to be outdoors. The temperatures don't stay in the mid-80's for long. As soon as the sun comes up, it's off to the races.

I had my usual breakfast of shredded wheat and fruit and then headed straight for the gym. I went earlier than usual today because I knew we were going to visit the rescue Dalmatians in the afternoon. I'm getting better on the basketball court and occasionally can sink five or six baskets in a row. I'm worthless shooting from anywhere other than the free throw line though. No three point shots for me. Maybe I should broaden my horizons and try something new. Never mind. I'm content just shooting free throws.

I tried walking faster on the indoor track today and managed to match my outdoor speed. This was encouraging because I felt exactly the same after walking two miles as I did when walking slower. After getting my Fitbit steps, I spent a little time trying to strengthen my shoulder. Regaining any sort of flexibility won't be easy but it's worth a try. I really want to avoid any type of surgery. There are lots of older people at my gym and I frequently see them going through physical therapy after a knee replacement. No thank you. I'd rather keep the aging joints I already have.

The Dalmatians enjoyed seeing us today. None of them seemed to have their usual energy, but it was understandable since it was so hot. The kennel has air conditioning, but just about everybody's AC system is having trouble keeping things cool in these insanely high temperatures. I'm sure we'll see the dogs again, but this was the last time at this particular kennel. I'm sorry to see things change, but I shouldn't have been surprised. Things always change. You've just got to adapt and move on.

I noticed that Twitter doesn't work on my computer anymore. It now requires a newer browser than I use. I don't really care about Twitter and seldom use it, but this is still a somewhat troubling turn of events. All my computers run older operating systems so I can continue to use my legacy software. I hate the subscription services that Microsoft and Adobe use now and refuse to use them. My older versions of Microsoft Word and Photoshop work just fine. They don't expire or require a subscription either. Now that malware, computer viruses, and hacking has become such a problem, manufactures just don't like dealing with older software. Increasingly, they are refusing to support anything other than their latest releases. This is not good news for me. I have no interest in upgrading my computers, software, or phone again. 

I found a giant spider in the office this evening. I hope it wasn't poisonous. I managed to kill the thing with a fly swatter, but it was troubling to see something like this inside. Where there is one bug there are usually more. I'm seeing more bugs inside this summer. I'm sure it has something to do with the heat. There have even been a few wasps in the living room. They fly in the back door when we let Dawn out. We've got bug spray for every type of bug now. There's one can for ants. Another for spiders. And a third for wasps and hornets. I'd like to live someplace where there were no bugs. I don't know where that would be though. Bugs are everywhere.

Dawn did well at training class tonight and won a ribbon again. I thought it would be to hot for her class, but Janet says it cools down after sunset and there is usually a breeze. All the dogs were fine. Dawn has finally learned to drink water from a water bottle too. Dawn really enjoys this class but I bet she'll enjoy it even more when the weather gets nicer.

I'm sure tomorrow will be very similar to today. I'm surprised that I can find enough to say for a blog post these days.

Deuce is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4541

I didn't feel like fighting the heat today so I went to the gym. I might have to do this more often. Everything seems to be back to pre-Covid days. The water cooler is operational again. Most of the machines have been fixed. And even the basketball court is open. I shot free throws for the first time since early 2020 and not surprisingly I was terrible. It took a while to get into the rhythm of things but eventually I started hitting baskets. Walking three miles around the indoor track is kind of boring, but it's easy on your feet. The track surface feels somewhat cushioned. It's not like walking on concrete at all. I like that they keep the building really cold. I had a good workout without the heat and humidity of a walk through the park. If it weren't for the fact that I hate driving in city traffic I might go to the gym every day this summer. I'll certainly try to go a couple of times a week.

One of the reasons I didn't feel like walking in the park today was that I attempted to mow the grass this morning. I did this right after breakfast while it was still relatively cool outside, but it was still unpleasant. The lawn mower wasn't working well either. The battery won't hold a charge very long and I was only able to complete the small back yard area before the battery died. The front yard will have to wait until later. It looks like I will have to return to the battery store and get new batteries for the mower as well. If memory serves, these batteries are even more expensive than the ones I recently replaced in my computer UPS. Why has everything gotten so expensive? It's a never ending battle.

Before I completely gave up on the outdoors, I tried to clean all the spiderwebs off the living room windows. I don't know where all these spiders come from, but there are hundreds of them. I think they are attracted to the lights in the living room at night. Actually, it's probably other insects that are attracted to the lights and the spiders just build webs to catch them. I always need to remember to wear a hat while I am cleaning out the spiderwebs. I hate it when spiders fall in my hair.

At least Dawn was in a good mood this morning. She was enthusiastic on her sunrise walk without any of her recent balking or hesitation. We were hoping that she would want to walk longer this morning since it was still nice outside and we knew it would be too hot for a second walk later in the day. Dawn wasn't interested. She just wanted to do her regular one mile loop. There's no sense fighting with a dog on their walk. When Dawn wants to walk further, she'll definitely let us know.

I should have made more of an effort to see last night's meteor shower. I've seen a number of nice pictures on the Internet this morning. I did go outside before I went to bed last night, but I could tell right away that I wasn't going to see much. The sky was a light grey and I could only see a few bright stars. Most meteors are fairly faint and it is doubtful that I would have seen any no matter how long I kept looking with all the city light pollution. I would have gotten bitten by tons of mosquitos though. You really have to make an effort to observe the night sky in Dallas. Basically you have to have a friend who lives out in the country.

It's hard to believe it will be June tomorrow. Half the year is already over. It still feels like I just took the Christmas tree down. Oh, well. I guess I've managed to do a few things this year. I've been to a rocket launch and spent some time at the observatory. This is exactly what I did last year and probably the year before. I think it's OK to do the same things over and over again as long as you enjoy what you're doing. I'm glad I had the nerve to do adventurous things when I was younger, because most adventurous things just seem dangerous now.

Dawn has her training class tomorrow. I'm not sure what I'm going to do. Maybe I'll go back to the gym again. We'll see what the weather looks like.

Amy is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4539

It was a nice day. It was a little warm this afternoon, but there was a pleasant breeze all day. Dawn was in the mood to walk today which is always a plus. There was no hesitation like there was on previous days and she enjoyed both her sunrise walk and the Sunday outing later in the day. It may seem weird that I measure a day's success by Dawn's reaction to it, but that's just the way it is. Our days go much smoother when Dawn is in a good mood.

Basically all I did today was walk. I did vacuum the house this afternoon, but that doesn't really count. Walking is much more fun. It's amazing how dirty the house gets in a week. We live in a dusty area. Dust blows in from the park and dust blows in from the street. Dawn tracks in a fair amount of dirt as well. At any rate, the house is a bit cleaner now, even though it won't stay that way long.

Our first two walks with Dawn were enjoyable, but my third walk later in the afternoon was just to make sure I got my steps. By mid afternoon it was much hotter outside and my feet were starting to hurt. I would have gone back to the gym, but unfortunately it isn't open on Sunday anymore. Weekday hours aren't as long as they used to be either. A lot of Covid cutbacks have become permanent now in all types of businesses. When companies learn they can get away with giving you less, that's exactly what they tend to do.

I was working outside this afternoon and a spider must have fallen on my head. I didn't notice at the time, but about thirty minutes later when I was back inside and sitting at the computer,  I noticed something on my lip out of the corner of my eye. I thought it was dirt or a small leaf and brushed it off with my hand. I was quite surprised when a small live spider fell on the desk. Have I mentioned that I dislike spiders almost as much as I dislike snakes. I wonder how that spider could have been walking around on my head for half an hour and I never felt a thing.

Dawn continues to leave the room when I come into the bedroom to take a nap. She doesn't go far. She just goes out in the hallway and lays on the bricks in a place where she can peek around the corner into the bedroom door and see if I am still there. As soon as I leave the room, she immediately returns and hops on the bed again. I wish she'd realize that we both like to do basically the same things. We eat and we sleep. If she'd just learn to relax, she will have a lot more fun when Janet goes on vacation. The weird thing is that Dawn is fine with me as long as Janet is in the house.

When we went for ice cream after Dawn's Sunday outing today I asked for a waffle cone instead of the regular cones we usually get. The waffle cones are a little more expensive, but I was curious to see if they would fill these cones to the bottom. Nope. It's still a scoop on top of a basically empty cone. The waffle cones leak too. I guess I'll go back to regular cones next week.

We won't be able to visit the Dalmatians tomorrow since the kennel is closed for Memorial Day. Don't worry. The dogs are still fed and looked after. The place just isn't open to the public tomorrow. I'm going to miss visiting the guys. Visiting the rescue dogs has become a permanent part of our Monday routine.

I hope my gym is open tomorrow. I think it's going to be too hot to take a long walk outside. If Dawn would cooperate, I might just take a long nap inside. 

Emmitt is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4276

The days are starting to run together. I'm having trouble telling one day from another. Long walks in the park are normal again. I still have some discomfort in my abdomen, but it is indistinguishable from a mild upset stomach. We still start our day with a sunrise walk, but Dawn isn't adventurous anymore. She's stuck to her basic one mile loop for several weeks now. I'm still having shredded wheat and fruit for breakfast. The Vitamix hasn't sat unused for this long in quite a while.

The missing Amazon package mysteriously appeared in our mailbox this morning. We have no idea whether Amazon redelivered the package or if a neighbor brought it over. If it was a neighbor, I have no idea which one. The house in the Amazon delivery picture wasn't remotely familiar. All is well though. Dawn now has the medicine she needs.

We woke up to a severe storm warning, but even though the storm was headed directly toward us in the weather radar, we got surprisingly little rain. For some reason the storm broke up and dissipated just before it reached our neighborhood. Although all we got were a few light sprinkles, the storm did keep the temperature cooler today. It felt more like Fall than Summer when I took my walk in the park.

I felt like spending another day sleeping, but Janet kind of shamed me into working. She's always busy around the house. I helped clean the windows which I should have done weeks ago. The outside of our windows get covered with spider webs in the Summer. The windows are a mess to clean which is why I tend to ignore them. The windows look great now, although I spent the afternoon covered in spiders and webs. Some of the spiders were pretty big. We have lots of glass in the house and the spiders like to build their web next to the windows because that's where the insects congregate at night. I'd like to think that there is some sort of benefit to having all these spiders, but so far I haven't found any.

The grass is looking pretty ratty. I don't feel up to pushing the mower yet, but I don't want to hire a lawn crew either. I'm trying to convince myself that the tall grass is developing equally deep roots. Maybe this is true because the grass still looks pretty green. Actually, everything is pretty green this year. Usually by mid September all the vegetation is dry and brown.

The current Covid surge is kind of weird. According to everything I read, hospitals are overflowing with Covid patients and things have never been worse. If this is true, why are cruise ships operating, why are stadiums full, and why are hotels, airlines, and resorts all running commercials urging people to travel again? I think the State Fair of Texas is planning on a normal in person run this Fall. Something is wrong with this picture. I still don't know anybody who has gotten sick, but maybe I just lead a sheltered life.

I think tomorrow will be nearly the same as today. No window cleaning though. Hopefully what we did today will last for the rest of the year.

Camp is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3109

The "Service Required" light has come on in my car again. There's nothing wrong with the car. It runs fine. The light is programmed to come on whenever the dealer wants you to come in for required maintenance. They know that if you see the warning light every morning, you are eventually going to make an appointment for the expensive service. The trick works every time. Even if the car is working perfectly, I eventually begin to worry that something "might" go wrong. The service light didn't bother me much when the car was under warranty. Now that the service costs an arm and a leg, I'd rather just keep driving until I hear a funny noise. I'll go ahead and make an appointment though. You win, expensive dealership. I'm superstitious.

I talked to the owner of a vintage guitar store today. A friend recommended this place, and sure enough these guys knew their stuff. Sadly, my guitars aren't particularly special. They are old though. The store was interested enough to want to take a look at them. I made an appointment to get an appraisal and hopefully I can move some of these things from the storage warehouse to a consignment agreement. I've decided that it makes sense to consign as much stuff as possible. Climate control isn't very good in the storage warehouse and for the most part, the stores provide much better insurance. You've got to do your homework though. There are good dealers and shady dealers for almost everything.

I couldn't decide where to go for breakfast this morning, so I went nowhere. While I was getting groceries for the weekend, I picked up a pathetic looking breakfast taco to eat. By the time I got home, I wasn't even hungry for that. It's a shame that I've lost my interest in going out for breakfast on Fridays. I can think of an excuse to avoid every restaurant within a ten mile radius these days. Maybe I've just become too picky, but I think something has fundamentally changed. I don't have much of an appetite anymore.

The security light in the back yard has started to work again. I don't know what is going on. Some days it works perfectly and other days it turns itself on and off randomly. The electrician hasn't come out to replace the photocell yet, so I've probably got a few more days to ponder this mystery. I still think a big spider is causing the problems. Since bugs are attracted to light and spiders are attracted to bugs, it makes sense that a lot of spiders are living near the light. The only problem with this theory is that if a big spider were sitting on the photocell, the light should come on. It goes off instead. I don't know what would cause the lamp to randomly go dark in the middle of the night, especially if it still returns to normal the next evening.

Janet and I are going to go photograph new rescue dogs this weekend. That still seems like a useful thing to do. So many things I do these days have no purpose whatsoever.

Sparky is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2789

I hope my shower repairs are successful. I spent a lot of time today cleaning and preparing the ceramic tile for the silicon caulk that will hopefully make the shower stall waterproof again. If I had three weeks to let everything dry properly, I would have used a Dremel Tool to remove all the old grout and then re-grouted the entire shower. Traditional grout takes so long to dry though. If you use the shower too soon, the grout just washes away. The silicon dries quickly, but unless the tile is absolutely clean, it doesn't stick to the surface very well. If the contractors had done a good job when we remodeled the bathrooms fifteen years ago, I wouldn't be having this problem. Contractors could care less what happens fifteen years later. They're long gone by then. I really need to have a new contractor re-do the entire bathroom, but I'm afraid that I'd find someone even worse than I did the last time. Sanded silicon caulk will have to do.

We really got a lot of rain last night. We did lose power for a few minutes, but luckily it came back on again quickly. Even momentary power outages are a nuisance. All the clocks need to be reset and for some reason the washer and dryer always turn themselves on automatically when the power returns. I have to remember to turn the air conditioner and any other power hungry appliances off if I am anticipating a power outage, so a surge won't knock the power out again when service is restored. In theory, my neighbors should be doing the same thing, but I doubt that they are.

Last any rate, the storm came and went without causing any damage. Dash got scared and spent about three hours cowering under my desk, but eventually he came back to bed. At least he didn't throw up. We've started giving him his evening meds a couple of hours earlier, just in case he has another episode. So far, so good. We've also started keeping a record of whenever he vomits or won't eat to see if we can detect any sort of pattern to this seemingly random behavior. I hope we can figure this out.

I was using the leaf blower this afternoon to clean up the back porch after the storm and all of the sudden I noticed that there were hundreds of small ants crawling all over me. The ants were coming out of the leaf blower. This was certainly a surprise. I was able to brush most of the ants away before they were able to bite me, but I did about a dozen ant bites. I was glad these weren't fire ants. The bites would have been much worse if they were. What makes thousands of ants take up residence inside a leaf blower? Who knows. The insects are definitely winning this summer. I'll probably have to take the leaf blower apart to completely get rid of the ant colony, but they aren't as much of a problem as the spiders. It wasn't that long ago that I removed all the spiders from around the house with the pressure washer. Now, they're back again. Nature is relentless. Ants of all sizes are everywhere. Spiders love to spin their webs on our windows. Roaches seem to use our underground HVAC ductwork as their own private subway system. I still don't like to use insecticides because of the dogs, so eliminating these pests is fairly hopeless.

I missed the Perseid meteor shower this year and will miss the upcoming solar eclipse as well. Janet has the final part of her reconstruction surgery that day and I didn't really have the money to travel anyway. With all I've been reading about the eclipse, I'm almost glad I'm not making plans to travel to the totality zone. A lot of hotels have been acused of  price gouging by raising room rates by several hundred percent on eclipse day. People are selling fake eclipse glasses online that don't provide any eye protection at all. Monumental traffic jams are still predicted in many parts of the country. And then there always a chance it will rain.

I can live without seeing the eclipse. I just want a shower that doesn't leak.

Emma is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2767

I finally finished cleaning all four sides of the house with the pressure washer this morning. This is a somewhat futile effort, since spiders have already returned to the part of the house I cleaned first. I've finally learned to wear long pants and a hat when I do this job. It's pretty messy and the spiders aren't happy. I also learned that my wrist hasn't really healed yet. It wasn't very comfortable holding the pressure nozzle for any length of time.

In an attempt to beat the heat, we got up before sunrise to walk Dash. There was a light breeze and the temperature was only in the mid-80's, so the walk was actually enjoyable. Two hours later, it would have been an entirely different story. We got an unusual amount of rain in June. As soon as we put the new grass in, the rain stopped. I run the sprinkler for an hour or so every morning, but I still worry that the grass will dry out before it gets established.

I think we had a heat index of over 105 degrees today. When it gets this hot, it's hard to get motivated to do anything. I did go grocery shopping, but came right home afterwards because I didn't want the fresh fruit to spoil in the car. Several times today, I joined Dash on the bed for a nap. Hey, I had already battled spiders and won. I deserved a nap. Later in the day I did manage to finish one quick website update because I knew that the guy who sent me the job probably wasn't napping with his dog.

Janet and I are becoming so forgetful. We never used to forget things. When we finished our errands this afternoon, we had both forgotten essential  things that should have been on our lists. Oh, well. I guess we will have to go back to the store tomorrow. This is probably what happens when you get old. You spend your entire day trying to remember what you forgot.

We're still debating whether to take a car trip somewhere before Janet returns to work. It would be nice to get away, but the thought of being on the road in August with a dog who could have a seizure at any time in a car that could break down at any point just isn't very appealing. This is probably why we never take car trips. There was a time when we used to travel quite a bit. It was easier when the dogs were young and healthy and we didn't have to leave them in a boarding kennel. We had good friends who would look after Spot when we were away. Spot absolutely loved visiting Lynn and Bob and got along well with their dogs. That was a long time ago. Bob is dead and we haven't seen Lynn in years. I can't imagine leaving Dash. There are just too many health issues.

I was thinking about going to the gym again tomorrow, but after wrestling with the pressure washer this morning, I don't think I'm ready yet. I'd hate to screw up my wrist before it has had time to heal. I asked the doctors at the emergency room how long I needed to wear the splint on my wrist. They just said to ask the orthopedic specialist they referred me to. I don't think they realized that it would take a month to get an appointment though. I don't see any need to wear the splint now, but I probably shouldn't be lifting weights yet.

I just fell asleep at the computer while trying to think of what to write next. I assume that means it's time for bed.

Pongo os today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2739

It rained all night. For once, I was glad to see the rain because it cooled down the oppressively high temperatures a bit. Dash didn't approve though. The thunder scared him during the night and he refused to go out and pee the next morning. Eventually, he gave up and got wet, but he is a very stubborn dog. I certainly couldn't have waited that long to pee.

The home nurse came earlier today. She is a retired RN who either wanted to keep working to have something to do, or maybe she needs the money. I am always pleased to see older people who have managed to carve out a niche for themselves. The nurse is very reassuring not only because she is nice, but because she has seen almost everything in her long career. So far, the prognosis looks good. The daily ritual of changing bandages and draining fluid tubes is starting to seem familiar. It's definitely not normal, but it's not as scary anymore either.

I ate a late breakfast after the nurse left and then got started on a long day full of errands. Janet and I have always tried to split the errands and chores as equally as possible. It's only when you become responsible for both sides of the equation that you realize that our life isn't quite as simple as it seems. Normally Janet buys the fresh stuff and I get the things you can buy in bulk. I don't know how two people and one dog manage to eat so much food. I need to remember that I don't really have to go to Central Market on Saturday afternoon. What a zoo. My schedule has always been pretty flexible. I think I'll start buying all the produce at 10:30 on Tuesday morning or something. It's much easier to shop when everybody else is at work.

The weather cleared up by mid-afternoon, so I was able to get Dash outside for a little exercise. He seems to know that Janet is sick and has become very protective. Most of the day, he just sits on the bed with her. He hasn't lost interest in eating though. If I rattle the container where we keep his food, he always comes running to the kitchen.

The spiders have already started returning and are in the process of building new webs to capture insects flying toward our living room windows. I was at Home Depot this afternoon, but completely forgot to look for some kind of spray to keep them away. We must have thousands of small spiders in our yard. I don't know where they come from, but they seem to love our windows.

I've still got one more website to update, but if things go smoothly tomorrow I'll probably have time to go to the gym. I'm not wild about exercise, but I need something to replace the marathon walks I used to take when Dot and Dash were healthy. I really miss those days. We keep getting cards from all the vets who treated Dot during her long life. It means a lot to know that she touched so many lives. Janet and I can't bring Dot back, but we can remember what she taught us about dealing with adversity.

Rio is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2725

We thought we'd see if Dash would take a longer walk if we both walked him. That seemed to do the trick. Dash took a nice long walk without any hesitation. I'm not sure what this proves, but it isn't a very practical solution. It's rare that we have time to take a family walk. I know that Dash always preferred to walk with Dot. Hey buddy, I'd rather walk both dogs too, but that's not going to happen anymore. We're all going to have to adjust to Dot being gone. I wonder if Dash knows what happened? He saw us carry Dot out the door and she never returned. I wish I could tell him that everything is going to be OK.

Today I learned that the pressure washer is great for cleaning bricks and concrete, but it is terrible for removing spiderwebs. I tried to clean the windows on the back of the house this afternoon and ended up getting spiders all over me.  The webs were so sticky that I had trouble dislodging them with the water spray. Once again, nature wins. The water was powerful enough to penetrate the window frames and get inside the house, but the webs seemed impervious to damage. I also learned that it's not a good idea to use use the power washer nozzle to spray away a spider that landed on your leg. Ouch. It was just instinct, but I shouldn't have done that.

The windows eventually got cleaned, even though I had to resort to a bleach soaked wet rag to finish the job. The sad thing is that in two weeks, the spiders will all be back. They build web near the windows because it's a great place to catch bugs. Flying insects are attracted to the light from the windows at night and the industrious spiders ensnare them with their webs. Don't even get me started about the lizards. In a month from now, there will be lizards crawling on our windows at night as well.

I can live with most of these critters, but I draw the line at rats. I went to a pest control store and bought some attractant that is supposed to be much better than peanut butter or cheese as bait. I cleaned all the traps, moved them around to new locations, and baited them with the attractant gel. We'll see. I"d better have a rat in the morning.

I started doing a little research about viewing the eclipse this August. It became apparent very quickly that the big problem will be the weather. Once you've picked a location, you pretty much rule out all the other locations. I'm sure there will be people who decide to change locations at the last minute to increase their odds of clear skies, but all this is going to do is create monumental traffic jams. Based on prior history, there is about a 40% chance of cloudy weather at many of the best locations. Based on my own experience, you just can't predict the weather. We were supposed to have clear weather when my Dad and I traveled to see the Alaskan eclipse in 1963, but a cloud covered the sun at the last minute. When NASA invited me to Vandenberg Airforce Base to view a satellite launch a few years ago, everything was going perfectly until a few minutes before lift off. Once again, weather surprised us and the launch was scrubbed at the last minute. I guess if you want to see the eclipse, you've just got to pick a location and take your chances. Just like my experience with the spiders, mother nature is going to win this one too.

I got a lot done today. Hopefully, I will do the same tomorrow. I plan on going to the gym. Since the gym is indoors, there will be no rats or spiders to deal with. It's sad that it takes a rat to make the gym appealing to me, but if this gets me exercising, I guess it's a good thing.

Escher is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2697

It's dog roulette at our house. Last night it was Dash who threw up. He seemed fine when we all went to bed, but around 3 AM I woke up to the unmistakable sound of a dog vomiting next to me on the bed. Please, not on the bed. I hastily got up and moved him. Even the carpet seemed like a better alternative at this point. We gave Dash a Pepsid, took him outside, and cleaned up the mess. Dot never even woke up during the entire episode.

Nausea and vomiting are unfortunate side effects of Dash's Idiopathic Vestibular Disease. It doesn't happen all that often, but we will probably have to deal with this for the rest of his life. Of course with Dash, there is always the possibility that he just ate some crap in the yard when we weren't looking. When dogs vomit, you have the option of doing nothing, giving them a Pepsid AC, or giving them a Cerenia pill or injection. It all depends on how severe the situation is. Dash seemed fine this morning. Tonight it may be Dot who throws up.

Dot was surprisingly strong today. She slept well and was eager to take a walk this morning. Walking Dot is starting to seem more like carrying a fifty pound bowling ball down the street, but she is still moving her legs and seems to enjoy the experience. In many ways it would be easier to walk Dot using the wheelchair than the Help 'Em Up Harness, but the wheels have their limitations. It takes two people to effectively get Dot in and out of the chair. Since one of us is usually walking Dash while the other walks Dot, this can be a problem. Also, it's hard getting the wheelchair down the gravel alley behind our house before we get to a smooth street. I wish the wheelchair was easier to use. As it stands, it is only practical a few days a week.

There was lots of laundry today, since the protective pads weren't positioned correctly when Dot decided to poop this morning. Dot doesn't give you much warning, so you have to be ready for an accident at any time. Luckily, our washer has a super hot "sanitize" setting. We use that setting a lot.

It would be nice if dog pee were a bug deterrent. Dot rarely makes it past the back door when I take her out to pee. I hose down the back porch several times a day. Maybe I'm imagining things, but there do seem to be fewer spiders on the porch this Spring. The spiders probably just arrive later in the Summer, but I'm still hoping that there are some beneficial effects from the dog pee.

For someone who depends on predictability, I think I'm doing pretty well dealing with a steady diet of surprises. Every day is different. Some days are scary. Today was kind of hopeful. Dot actually ate more than her two cup goal today. She's eating fewer of the exotic, rich foods we had to depend on last week and is gradually returning to her old diet. You wouldn't think a dog would rather eat kibble than sliced turkey and cheese, but that's our Dot. She really just wants to get back to the familiar routines she has known for her entire life.

When I filled the car up with gas this afternoon, I was surprised so see that I'd only used three gallons of gas all last week. It appears that I'm not getting out much these days. I'll try to go to the gym tomorrow. I still need to get out a little bit. I debated whether to give Dash another Pepsid tonight. He seems fine though, so we'll take a chance. I hate to over medicate just to make life more convenient.

Today was a good day. Dot seemed stronger and was in good spirits for most of the day. Dash seems to have made a full recovery. It would be nice if tomorrow was just like today.

Haley is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2500 - Halfway There

When I started this blog, I wondered whether it was humanly possible to post something for 5000 consecutive days. I'm halfway there. I still wonder if I can complete this quixotic journey. It's not been easy to get this far. There have been numerous power outages to overcome. Computers have crashed. Sometimes I've been impossibly busy and other times there's been nothing to talk about. Internet service has been spotty at times, as has my own health. I can remember posting from airports on numerous occasions and one time I posted the same day I came out of surgery. So far, I have not missed a single day.

Doing something on this grand a scale changes your life. I'm not sure it changes things for the better however. I can recall business trips where everyone else had gone out to dinner while I was sitting alone in my hotel room trying to compose the day's journal entry. Any activity after dinner still reminds me of the Cinderella story where the coach turns back into a pumpkin at midnight. I've always got a deadline to meet. I'm not sure if any readers have stayed with me throughout this improbably journey. There were thousands of readers when blogging was popular, but that number has probably dwindled to a few dozen. Blogging isn't very popular now. One of these days I'll probably just be writing for myself.

It's an interesting exercise to track how how your opinions and priorities change over time. On any given day, it seems like each post is exactly like the one that preceded it. The changes that occur over time are subtle, but they are real. Occasionally, I'll read something I wrote five years ago, and I am surprised that quite a bit has changed already. It would be nice if this was always a story about growth and affirmation. I've certainly learned things along the way, but I've also lost things. That's the way life is.

If you're a new reader, you might think I'm in a downward spiral. Beloved pets are dying. A business is becoming irrelevant. A common theme is how tired I am. I hope you don't find this discouraging. Life always has its peaks and valleys and occasionally the valleys can last for years at a time. I learned a lot when I was a globe trotting advertising writer. I'm learning even more while I sit at home caring for a sick dog.

Today didn't provide many insights, but it did add to the ongoing narrative. I cleaned toilets today and removed hundreds of spiderwebs from the exterior windows and sides of the house. Removing the spiderwebs is an odious task that needs to be done several times a year. I take a broom and sweep the webs away, usually ruining the broom in the process. These webs are thick and sticky and are filled with dead insects and live spiders. I almost always end up with spiders in my hair when I am destroying the webs. I guess the spiders are better than snakes. I have friends who live in the country that have continual problems with snakes. We just have spiders and angry squirrels.

If you're interested, I'll be here tomorrow. I think that writing keeps the mind agile and I'm definitely curious to see where this journey leads. 5000 days is a long chunk of time. I worry at times that the Blogger platform may disappear before my journey is done. Google has a history of abandoning things. I may not make it either. At the end of 5000 days, I'm going to be pretty old. Maybe this blog will eventually become a curious resource for scholars. Maybe it is just a wasted effort. Only time will tell.

Little Petey is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2449

Sunday is when we try to restore some sense of order the the shambles that has taken over our house. Janet took up all Dot's traction rugs and scrubbed the floors while I mowed the grass and later tried to remove all the spider webs and insect debris from the back windows. It's a never ending battle to get rid of the spiders and frankly I think they have the upper hand. I had to take an abrasive brush and a bucket of bleach to remove all their droppings from the window sills. The worst part of removing the spiders is that the spiders don't like it and they end up crawling all over you. I guess our efforts were worth it. The house does look and smell better now. It's a temporary victory though. Nature always wins in the long run.

Although I got plenty of exercise doing housework, I went to the gym anyway. Some things you have to do whether you like it or not. The first twenty minutes I'm at the gym, I'm always on the verge of quitting and going home early. When the initial aches and pains have subsided, I get into a rhythm and realize that it's not that big a deal to go ahead and complete my workout. The most enjoyable part of my routine is shooting baskets on the court. This activity probably doesn't burn up that many calories, but it breaks up the monotony. The last twenty minutes are always the easiest, but there is no sense of euphoria. I never decide to stay longer. An hour and fifteen minutes is long enough.

We felt a little guilty about not giving Dot a proper party yesterday, so I went out and got each dog a skinless, boneless chicken breast and some Pupcakes from Sprinkles. Dot's favorite activity is eating, so I think she enjoyed our little celebration. She eats so slowly now that for the first time ever she didn't devour her cupcake in a single bite. She actually seemed to savor the treat, taking several minutes to consume it.

I need to go renew the lease on my storage warehouse tomorrow. Maybe this will be the year when I finally start to do some serious downsizing. I could start a museum with the stuff in this warehouse. It wouldn't be a very good museum, but there are definitely things you don't see everyday. I also need to take Dot back to the vet to get her blood work done. This was supposed to be done last Friday at the cancer center, but since Dot's oncologist is gone until October, our schedule is completely messed up there now. I'll need to get the tests done at another vet. I think it's going to be a busy week, but it's hard to tell sometimes. The difference between staying busy and doing nothing at all is often arbitrary and a bit fuzzy.

Where did this Summer go? It's almost Labor Day already. It won't be long before I start wondering whether the furnace still works and spend hours clearing bushels of pecans off the roof. I"m looking forward to Fall. Too bad it only lasts about two weeks.

Mandy is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2305

I wonder if everybody has a section  of their yard that is completely useless. Ours is a narrow corridor connecting the front and back yard on the Eastern side of the house. The neighbors have erected a tall wood fence on the property line that totally blocks the view and turns the area into a dark, useless area where leaves accumulate in the winter and spider webs cover the windows in the Summer. The area is fenced off so the dogs can't escape and I rarely go there. Occasionally I have to clean the windows though and today seemed like a good day. It took several hours to clear away the spider webs with a broom, but at least this loathsome task is out of the way for another six months. The little side yard is still useless, but the windows don't look quite as disgusting now.

After lunch, I took my pitiful birthday card to the post office and picked up some Pad Thai for dinner on the way home. I've completely lost interest in cooking lately. Hopefully, this is temporary, since cooking used to be a good way to occupy my time on slow days like today. Now, my time is occupied by taking care of Dot.

I know I'm losing readers by talking about poop all the time, but it often seems like cleaning up Dot's accidents is all I do. She made a huge mess in her bed last night and I had to get up at 2 AM and clean her up. She pooped again while she was eating breakfast in the kitchen and a third time while I went to the post office. I give her plenty of opportunities to go outside, but often she just wanders around smelling things while I follow behind, holding up her rear legs. It's frustrating. After wandering around aimlessly in the yard for twenty minutes, she'll come back inside, go to her bed, and poop in her sleep an hour later. I can't imagine being a nurse in an assisted living facility, because they probably have to deal with the same issues with old people day after day. There's nothing glamorous about incontinence whatsoever.

There were a few website updates on the schedule today, but nothing that kept me occupied for very long. I've really got to rethink my employment prospects. Most of my best clients have retired or died. What happens now? I guess I'm semi-retired myself, but I hate to admit it. I was really happier when I was busy every day and felt like I was on the cutting edge. I'll have to admit that growing old gracefully is a lot more difficult than I imagined.

Tomorrow is kind of a space geek day. In lieu of actually being there, I'll watch the live streaming video of the Space X Dragon launch on my computer. Maybe this time they'll be successful at landing the booster on their drone ship at sea. Weather permitting, tomorrow evening should be a good opportunity to see the planet Mercury right after sunset. Since the planet is located right next to a new crescent moon, it should be easy to find. Of course, there's a brand new restaurant to look forward to tomorrow as well. It ought to be a good day.

Molly is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1204

Today was full of questions with very few answers. I was on the phone for hours with roofers, insurance agents, equipment suppliers, and clients and ended the day just as confused as I started. Finding the answer to something over the phone is kind of like winning the lottery. Your chances of success are very, very small. Every once in a while you get lucky and end up talking to someone knowledgeable. Most of the time you just get shuffled from one person to another until you eventually give up. I think most of the customer service people I talk with on the phone are just reading from a prepared script they see on their computer screen. They can answer very simple questions, but that's about it. I'd like to tell these people that if my question was that easy, I'd have found the answer already on their company website.

I think I got bitten by a spider last night. That seems like a reasonable explanation for the two swollen lumps I found on my arm and leg this morning. I didn't even bother going to the doctor, since I knew they they would just give me a cortisone shot and send me on my way. I've been bitten by spiders before and the trouble with these type of bites is that unless you actually see the spider biting you, the reaction they produce could be caused by any number of things. So, why do I think I was bitten by a spider? Just a guess, actually. I did see a big spider on the bed a few days ago though. If it actually was a spider, I don't think it was a Brown Recluse, or anything serious. The reaction would have been more immediate and alarming. If the swelling doesn't subside tomorrow, I'll go see a doctor. I just don't like taking steroid shots for any and all types of inflammation. Steroids aren't good.

Dash almost got the wrong shot today. There was a new nurse who didn't know Dash's records well. Luckily, when he mentioned the medication he would be injecting, I noticed that it didn't sound right. He ended up getting the right shot, but it's another lesson that you always have to be on your guard. I wish this wasn't the case, but it is. I would like to just put my brain on automatic pilot for a while and coast. I don't think there would be a happy ending it I did this though. Don't get me wrong. I'm not a paranoid person and certainly don't think anyone is out to get me. I do think a lot of people are incompetent however. Incompetance is everywhere.

It rained today, but the weather radar app on my iPad allowed me to successfully navigate the storms and walk the dogs without any of us getting soaked. Since there isn't much to do on rainy days, I got some more articles written. By the time my client gets back from vacation, I'll probably be all caught up again.

Miracle is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1070

I should have left well enough alone today. It seemed like a good time to tackle the mess of spiderwebs and wasp nests on the East side of the house. This small section of the yard became a no man's land after our neighbor erected a tall security fence that turned the narrow side yard into a dimly lit corridor. Armed with a broom and a can of bug spray, I attempted to rid the walls and windows of the unsightly mess on the side of the house. I managed to remove three large wasp nests and cleaned up four windows before I got stung. Somehow a wasp got into my shoe and stung me on the arch of my foot. Ouch! This pretty effectively put an end to my clean-up activities for the day. I did make good progress though, so I ought to be able to finish the job tomorrow after the rest of the wasps have died.

It looked like there was going to be a nice sunset this evening, so I grabbed a telephoto lens and headed out with the dogs toward a small hill that provided a good view of the horizon. About halfway to my destination, I was intercepted by a neighbor who wanted to talk about a neighborhood issue. I tried to be polite, but I wasn't very interested. I watched the sun slip behind behind a cloud and knew I had missed my shot. Dot barked so much that the neighbor eventually got tired of talking and let me go on my way. All I was able to salvage from this little expedition was a single afterglow shot taken with my iPhone.

I don't know why the neighbors are wasting their time with me anyway. They are trying to stop a boathouse from being built on the lake. Since I like to look at architecture just as much as I like to look at trees, I'm not really opposed to this boathouse. The design is actually quite pretty. The neighbors don't have a chance of stopping this thing anyway. The city is desperate for additional revenue. If the city thinks that this building will be a moneymaker for them, a few disgruntled neighbors aren't going to slow things down a bit.

I've just about finished replacing all the incandescent bulbs in the house with high-tech LED bulbs. I'm doing this a little bit at a time, since the high output LED's are still kind of expensive. The front porch got LED bulbs today. I'm a big fan of these bulbs. They don't get hot. They don't burn much electricity. They practically last forever. And since they are daylight balanced, they give off a very pleasant natural looking light. It's weird to think that the light bulbs in my house are going to last longer than I will, but that's probably what's going to happen. Isn't technology great.

Jasper is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 960

There are few things more frustrating than dealing with a bureaucracy. Case in point. I've been getting letters from the city for several months now, saying that Dash wasn't registered and threatening me with a big fine. Each time I get one of these letters, I call animal control and tell them that Dash is indeed properly registered and read them his current tag number. Usually, I just leave a voice mail message because it's hard to get through to city employees. Today I got lucky and ended up talking to a real animal control officer. I read her the identification number on the registration tag on Dash's collar and she said she would look it up and call me back. About twenty minutes later I got a call informing me that the tag Dash was wearing really belonged to Dot. I told the lady that this was impossible, since the dogs get their city tags at their annual exam and Dot hadn't even had her exam for 2012. The woman insisted that the tag belonged to Dot and that I needed to get another tag for Dash. I told her to call my vet and they would straighten things out. After a while I got another call from animal control. "Everything has been straightened out," the lady said. "Just put Dash's tag on Dot's collar and we'll send you another tag for Dash." "Can't you just change your records to show that the tag you currently have listed as Dot's really belongs to Dash?" "No, we can't do that," said the lady. "Dot is already registered." This conversation could have gone on all day. I just couldn't seem to get through to animal control that Dot hadn't even had her 2012 annual exam yet and couldn't possibly be registered. Oh, and the city says that Dot has already had her rabies shot too. Nope. That's not true either. The bottom line is that the city is happy now, even though things are hopelessly confused.  At least I won't get hit with a $2000 fine.

I wish our yard attracted nice little critters like hummingbirds. This year, all it seems to be attracting are wasps and spiders. There are so many spiderwebs on the hedge at the back of our yard that it looks like one of those white flocked Christmas trees. Hopefully, these spiders serve some useful purpose, because there seems to be more of them every year. Luckily the bees haven't returned this year, but we sure have plenty of wasps. There are wasp nests everywhere. I tried to spray some of these nests today without getting bitten and somehow ended up getting bug spray on my tongue. Yuk!  I went inside and immediately rinsed my mouth out. I don't think I've been poisoned or anything, but it definitely wasn't a good taste.

It was so hot at dog training class this evening that all the dogs seemed to be doing their exercises in slow motion. Everyone brought plenty of water for their dog, but the dogs weren't interested in working. Who could blame them. Unlike people, dogs are sensible creatures. I know that Dot and Dash would much rather have stayed home this evening with their noses in front of an air conditioner vent.

Snoopy is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day