Day 4893

The mountain of construction materials in the front yard is now mostly up on the roof. Quite a lot got done today. The main roof is finished except for the metal flashing that goes around the fascia. The roofers still need to finish the carport, but they assure me that they can do this tomorrow morning. The translucent fiberglass covering over the atrium will be replaced as well. Our new roof may get it's first test tonight. It was supposed to remain clear all week, but a surprise thunderstorm has cropped up over Amarillo and it appears to be headed our way. I wish the roof was completely finished before it is tested by weather, but I learned long ago that I have no control over the weather. Actually we've been pretty lucky to have had two warm sunny days in  row.

I went up on the roof to inspect things for the first time this evening and everything looks a lot better. There are no low spots I can see that would cause ponding. The TPO Membrane seems tough and resilient. With any luck, this roof should drain normally now. I'm going to be real disappointed if there is still standing water after the first big rain. We'll see what happens. There's no way to determine how well the roof is going to perform until it gets wet.

I like to think of myself as a low key person who doesn't get bothered by anything. I'll have to admit though that this roof replacement has stressed me out. I didn't sleep well last night. Usually I fall asleep instantly. The work has been extremely noisy and there have been times when I though the house was falling apart. I think replacing all the rotted wood has given the house a lot more structural stability, but it won't reverse the interior damage that has already been done. There are still cracks and stains in the ceiling all over the place. One thing at a time I guess. Once we are confident that the roof no longer leaks, we can start repairing the damaged sheetrock and give the house a new coat of paint. 

We took Dawn on her early walk at the normal time. The roofers start working early, but Janet and I start our day even earlier. When the roofers arrived this morning, I was already eating my breakfast of shredded wheat and fruit. I stayed around the house longer than usual today because Janet wasn't going to return home until about 2 PM. I still didn't feel comfortable leaving Dawn alone with the roofers making so much noise on the roof. Today was even noisier than usual because the roofers were running a large portable generator right outside my office window. The electric welding  machine that fused the TPO segments together must have required 240 volts because they used our outdoor electric outlets for all their other tools.

When Janet returned home I took my long walk. Since it was mid-afternoon by this time, I almost immediately began to feel hot. I have a feeling that our mild Spring is just about over. It's been way too wet this Spring, but I think I prefer the rain to a long string of 100 degree days. Today I passed a group of photographers surrounding a tree. I asked what was going on and one guy said there were baby eagles in the tree. The nest looked too small for eagles, but what do I know. Eventually a guy on a bicycle showed up and told everyone that we were actually looking at baby Red Shouldered Hawks.

Tomorrow is going to be busy. The roofers are supposed to finish their work in the morning. I bet it's going to take them all day. I have an appointment to get a haircut tomorrow. I always like to get a haircut before I take a trip. I'll spend part of the day packing. I haven't even started yet. The weather doesn't look great for Sunday's launch, but I'm going to try to remain optimistic. It's got to be better than my last trip to Florida.

Skippy is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3461 - Father's Day

Good grief. Our power went out again last night. As I was calling in the outage report, I had visions of ice cream melting in the freezer and an immediate need for large quantities of ice. Jeez. We'd just finished returning the ice chests to the storage warehouse and replacing the spoiled food in the refrigerator. Enough is enough. Luckily, this appeared to be an isolated outage and power was restored early this morning.

Unfortunately, the bad weather wasn't over when the electricity was restored. We had sporadic severe weather warnings for the rest of the day. There was lots of rain accompanied by loud thunder. At one point we were even under a tornado warning. The worst is over now, but the forecast still shows we are in store for more thunderstorms tomorrow.

The weather doesn't look so good in Florida either. Launch day still look good on the long range forecast, but the entire week leading up to the launch shows rain. A weather cancelation is certainly a possibility. Flying to Florida is starting to look a lot more attractive than driving. The thought of being on a freeway all day with eighteen wheelers on either side of me throwing up rooster-tails of water on my windshield doesn't sound fun at all. There are already flooding problems in Mississippi. With more rain, it could get worse. If I fly, I'm going to book something that allows same day flight changes. I have a feeling that schedules are going to change several times between now and the Falcon Heavy launch.

The weather was terrible today but at least I got to go to the gym before the severe weather warnings started appearing on my phone. There were no walks today and Janet and I had to curtail other activities because of the tornado warning. I really shouldn't complain. The roof isn't leaking and we've still got power. Only one of the pumps on the roof isn't working, but at least the other one is. We're on high ground, so there is little risk of flooding no matter what the weather decides to do. All that being said, I'm still sick of all this rain. We deserve some nice weather before the Summer heat returns to stay.

I still hear thunder off in the distance. I hope the bad weather keeps moving to the East. It was a loud thunderclap and bolt of lightning that woke me up last night. About ten seconds later the power went out. It was hard to get back to sleep. I kept thinking about what I would need to do the next morning if the power failed to return. I could feel my resting heart rate start to rise as I lay in bed listening to the rain pound in the roof. Maybe I require more calm than most people.

We'll see what tomorrow brings. No thoughts about Father's Day this year. I'm not a father myself and my own Dad has been gone so long that memories are starting to fade. When Father's Day arrives, my birthday is usually not far behind. Occasionally these two events happen on the same day. Mom always used to tell me that I was her Father's Day gift to Dad. I'm not sure Dad would agree.

Hershey is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3275

It is supposed to rain tomorrow. With this in mind, I went to the hardware store to find a temporary solution to my roof problem. I came home with duct tape and a roll of plastic shelf liner. This pathetic attempt to cover the tear where I think the water is getting in was all I could think of. None of the readily available wet patch materials I found at at Lowes and Home Depot will stick to silicone. Actually, virtually nothing will stick to silicone, including duct tape.

Oh, well. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. I went ahead and cut a 24" plastic square, placed it over the torn elastomer, and duct taped around the edges. This repair doesn't have to last long, so maybe it might work. On the other hand, the patch might just float away in the rain and I'll have to start placing buckets under the leaks in the living room again. I'm not even sure that the torn area on the roof is what is causing the leak. We'll see. It would have been nice of the roofers had dropped off some of the silicone elastomer coating material they promised, but I knew that wasn't going to happen. Sometime next Spring, there will be a can of this stuff on my doorstep, but it isn't going to help me now.

Dash successfully made it through the night without any accidents. This didn't help me sleep, unfortunately. I'm gun shy now and every move Dash makes wakes me up. All he wanted to do last night was twirl around and reposition himself, but I was ready to jump up and head for the back door if necessary. I think the addition of the large plastic sheet between Dash's dog blanket and our own bedding is going to work, but it makes the whole process of getting ready for bed even more complicated.

Even my morning smoothie is giving me heartburn now. Since strawberries and blueberries don't tend to cause reflux problems, I suspect that it is stress rather than food that is causing my problems. Once, a previous doctor asked me what was was causing my stress and I explained my complicated daily routine with Dot. He suggested that it might be time to put Dot down. I changed doctors.

I watched the latest episode of Mars this afternoon. As a science fiction fan, I feel cheated watching this show. The series is well produced, but the story about a 2043 Mars colony is almost an afterthought. The real message of the show is a politically correct sermon about greedy corporations, corrupt politicians, and the dangers of global warming. I'm sure much of what they say is true, but I'm just looking for a little mindless entertainment. It's going to be a long time before season four of The Expanse makes it's debut on Amazon Prime.

I'm not sure if Dash is going to get a walk tomorrow. According to the weather forecast, the rain is supposed to start tonight. Hopefully, the forecast isn't accurate. Dash does so much better after he's had his walk. We'll see what happens. I always go to bed optimistic, but I usually just wake up tired.

Savannah is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2693

Today was rough. Dot wouldn't eat anything for most of the day. I tried everything we had, but she just wasn't interested. I could tell she was tired as soon as she woke up this morning. Dot's balance and coordination isn't great on a good day. On a bad day her legs are like jelly. I don't even know why Dot wanted a walk this morning because she could barely stand. Our girl is determined though, so we gave her a short walk in hopes that it might trigger her appetite. Walking Dot today with the Help 'Em Up Harness was like walking a bowling ball. She was mostly just dead weight.

As the day progressed I became increasingly worried that Dot was slipping away again. Mostly she just slept today, but I continued to try to feed her every time she looked alert and lifted her head. Dot was sleeping so soundly this afternoon that I thought it was pretty safe to go mow the grass. We've had so much rain recently that the grass is growing quickly. When I returned to the house, Dot hadn't moved an inch. She was still sleeping in exactly the same spot where I left her.

I was just about to give up on getting Dot to eat anything when she sat up in her bed around quarter till six this evening and gave me the look that told me it was time to go outside and pee. As soon as she peed, we came back inside and she went straight to her bowl in the kitchen. I was able to feed her almost a cup of dry kibble and some sliced turkey.

I wish I knew what it is that causes Dot to reject food. She can go from refusing to eat or drink anything at all to eating relatively normally in less than hour. I'm glad her appetite still kicks in occasionally, but she needs to eat a lot more. We're only halfway there on today's calorie quest and the day is almost over.

I guess today was a partial success. I just finished giving Dot her evening pain pills. Dash didn't throw up. The grass got mowed. Dot didn't eat nearly enough, but at least she ate something. I made an appointment for Dash to get his annual physical at the vet next week, but I have no idea whether I'll be able to keep it. Things keep changing day to day around here. A week from now seems like an eternity.

Life has gotten pretty basic. I wake up each morning with one goal: to keep Dot eating. She wants to eat, but her body isn't cooperating. My job is to help her overcame her difficulty in swallowing. When Dot is eating, she is happier and noticeably stronger. If she quits eating entirely, she doesn't have long.

We made it through another day. Tomorrow we start over and do it all again.

Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2680

It's time to begin saying goodbye. Dot may have a day or she may have a week, but she doesn't have long. It's so sad. The new pain pills we started giving Dot really do work. She woke up with more energy than I've seen in weeks. She actually got up by herself several times today and began walking around the house on her own. The problem is that she can't swallow. The paralysis that has been affecting her legs for months seems to have spread to her neck. If Dot can't swallow, she can't eat. The swallowing difficulty didn't happen overnight, but within the past several days it has become quite alarming.

I spent most of the day trying to get Dot to eat. I was able to hand feed her a small amount of boiled chicken breast this morning, but she wasn't interested in her kibble and can no longer swallow cheese or peanut butter. Dot is still hungry. She definitely hasn't lost her appetite. She will chew things but they just fall out of her mouth. Getting her to take her meds is almost impossible. She doesn't want you anywhere near her mouth and tries to bite you if you attempt to open the mouth and put a pill down her throat. Even the vet wasn't able to pill her yesterday.

This leaves us with very few options. After spending over an hour trying to get her to eat a tiny amount of boiled chicken breast, I gave up and let her sleep. Less than two hours later she threw up everything she had eaten in the past twelve hours. I couldn't figure out how she had thrown up so much, because she is still having normal bowel movements. Food is still passing through her digestive system. After several calls to her oncologist and her regular vet, we decided to give her an injection of Cerenia in an attempt to stabilize her and stop the vomiting.

Everyone agreed that if Dot continued to reject food and vomited up what she did eat, she wouldn't last very long. She couldn't take the Cerenia in pill form, so we drove her to the vet for a shot. The nurse was very nice. She came out to the car when we arrived and gave her the shot. We didn't even have to take Dot out of the car.

As the day progressed, Dot got a little better. She hasn't thrown up anymore and although I wasn't able to get her to take her afternoon meds, we did have a little success at dinner. The thing that saved the day was a leftover cheeseburger that Janet brought home from an office lunch. We had more success hiding her pills in the juicy cheese burger than anything else we've tried so far. After dinner tonight I went to the store and bought some ground beef to make hamburgers with and some American cheese slices in an attempt to duplicate the burger that Janet brought home from work.

Dot was able to take her evening meds with our hastily made cheeseburgers, but this is not a long term solution. Despite spending most of the day trying to feed her, she only held down less than half of what she usually eats. Dot has some of the best vets on the planet and none of them could offer me a solution. We may have run out of options. If Dot's throat is becoming paralyzed, we will need to make a decision quickly.

Dot is calm and resting peacefully now. She made it through the day. We'll see how she does in the morning.

Brady is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2627

I'm feeling a little overwhelmed. I've mentioned that Dash was becoming a finicky eater. Well, last night he threw up his dinner and this morning he refused to eat at all. We walked the dogs to see if this would settle Dash's stomach and then tried to feed him again. He still wasn't interested. We got him to eat a small amount of canned dog food so he could take his morning meds and then an hour later, he threw this up as well. This was not good. I called his oncologist as well as his regular vet and arranged to take him in so they could give him an injection of Cerenia to stop the vomiting. After waiting an hour, I had to give him a second phenobarbital pill, because he threw up the first one we gave him this morning. The other pills can wait, but the phenobarbital is essential.

Dash's vet thought that he was still experiencing symptoms from vestibular disease and when the oncologist contacted me later in the morning, he agreed. They both said that it could take from two weeks to three months to fully recover from a bout of old dog vestibular disease. So, here we are. I've got two sick dogs with very different needs. Both need a lot of attention and it's hard to deal with one without something happening to the other.

Dash seemed out of it for most of the day, but when I eventually fed him some bland food the vet gave me for a sensitive stomach, he held it down. Since Dash is still feeling some vertigo or motion sickness as a result of his vestibular seizures, we may have to put him back on an anti-nausea drug. Hopefully the Cerenia will stabilize him, since it is pretty mild and has few side effects.

I took Dash on a short walk later in the afternoon. Although he walked slowly and seemed a bit tentative, he showed no signs of another vestibular event. This was good. I walked very slowly and let him relax. When we returned to the house, I immediately noticed that Dot had knocked over her protective fence and was sitting in a pile of poop. Like I said, I've got two sick dogs with very different needs.

I hope we can get Dash stabilized quickly. While I was cleaning up vomit on the carpet last night, Dot decided to poop in her bed. It was hard to decide which mess needed my attention first. Needless to say, it was a hectic day. A continual barrage of poop, pee, and vomit can generate a lot of laundry and even more worry.

To cap off the day, I heard a giant thud on the roof as I was preparing dinner this evening. I went out to investigate and discovered that one of the dead limbs I've been waiting for the tree trimmers to remove had fallen. The wood was rotten and the tree limb broke apart when it fell, so there was no damage to the roof. I'm really glad the limb fell on the roof instead of in the back yard. It was large enough that it would have injured me or the dogs if we were underneath when it fell. Now, there is an added urgency to get the trees trimmed quickly, but getting anyone's attention lately has been difficult.

Stress eats away at you slowly. I wonder if I'll even recognize when I'm completely burned out. Maybe I'm there already. The past two years have definitely been a challenge. I know I complain too much and that there are many people with far more serious problems than I have. Nevertheless, it would sure be nice to have two healthy dogs and a little peace and tranquility.

Maggie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2612

Today was a three ring circus. Dash still has balance problems and was walking around like a drunken sailor. Occasionally, when he would lift his leg to pee in the yard, it would throw him off balance and he would fall over. If I hadn't been warned to expect this for the next several weeks while Dash was recovering, I would have been very alarmed. Dot continues to pee and poop without warning, so it was hard to decide which dog to focus my attention on. To make matters worse, Dash refused to eat this morning. I called the cancer center to see if this was a medical issue and they suspected that he had just gotten spoiled while he was at the hospital, since they fed him wet dog food instead of dry kibble. That sounded a lot like Dash. I mixed a little wet food with the dry and he gobbled it up.

As the day wore on, Dash seemed to regain his balance a bit and by dinner time he was eager to take a walk. He was a little too eager actually, because he was still a bit wobbly. Eventually, he settled into a rhythm where he could keep his balance and by the time we returned home, he was starting to seem like a normal dog again. Of course Dot had pooped while we were gone, so there was a mess to clean up. It's going to be a very long two or three weeks.

I made a quick trip to the bank after breakfast, but basically just stayed around the house all day because I wasn't sure what Dash was going to do. He still insists on sleeping on the bed, even though he would be much safer on the floor. I made a step at the foot of the bed to make it easier for him to get up and down, but he still doesn't know how to use it yet. At least Dot has finally given up on climbing in the bed. Life would really be a mess if she was as stubborn as Dash.

The photo shoot I'm involved with this weekend seems to grow more complicated by the day. Now, somebody else wants to light the set. That's OK I guess, although I'm much more comfortable using my own equipment. The person I thought was going to be a stylist turns out to be one of the models instead. I have a feeling that everyone knows what's going on except for me. I've probably missed a few meetings on this job, but in my defense, I didn't ask to do this. I used to be great at pulling a rabbit out of a hat. We'll see if I've still got what it takes on Sunday.

The temperature was over 80 degrees today. I had the air conditioner on for most of the day to keep Dot from getting overheated. Is this really February? It's kind of unreal how the temperature keeps bouncing around. I can remember several years where it was snowing in early February. I know that Dot likes it cooler, but I'll take the unusually warm weather any time I can get it. It's certainly easier to clean soiled rugs in this weather.

I definitely need to get out more. I'm starting to run out of things to photograph for the blog. We don't take long walks anymore and I rarely leave the house. I keep looking for something new on the well worn path that Dash and I follow each afternoon, but it's rare to even see a bug at this time of year. I'll be glad when things start to bloom again.

Stortz 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 2495

I carefully filled the new garbage can today and took it out to the curb. I did my best to make sure that each black trash bag wasn't too heavy or too full. If the truck still fails to empty my trash tomorrow morning, I'm going to conclude that someone is fucking with me. I know there are probably better things to do than fret about my trash, but it beats fretting about whether Dot's poop is too hard or too soft, or wondering why the bananas for my smoothie aren't ripening faster.

I've got a lot of questions for Dot's oncologist tomorrow when we go to the cancer center for another ultrasound scan and recheck. Dot seems to be getting weaker, but the problems don't appear to be related to her cancer. There are just too many things going on at once. The liver cancer is still there and probably contributes to how tired she is at times, but the real problems are with her legs. The neurological damage in her rear legs has caused her to compensate and transfer more weight to her front legs. Now her front legs go out occasionally and I have to be real careful and try to provide some support for all four legs when I take her outside. Today, she slipped and cut her nose when she fell on a stick on the ground. The cut was minor, but it reminded me of just how fragile she's become.

Janet had to work late tonight, so I had to walk Dot on my own. Even simple things like trying to lock the back door while holding Dot upright seemed problematic. I need two leashes to walk her now: one for the front legs and another for the back legs. There are so many strings that it probably appears like Dot is a marionette as we slowly walk down the street. Without Dash to guide her, Dot's pace was even slower than usual. We inched along making our way down the alley behind our house. Eventually she pooped when a neighbor dog got her barking. Sometimes barking does the trick when nothing else works.

The Jewish holidays have sidelined one of my clients for a while, but I don't know what has happened to the others. It was completely silent today. No e-mails. No phone calls. Nothing. This never used to happen. I guess I better get used to it. It's a collaborative world these days and my lone wolf style of working has gone out of fashion. I used to think it might be fun to go back and work for a large agency again sometime. No one would hire me now. Even if age weren't an issue, I don't seem to play well with others.

I really hope I don't have to load the car up with garbage tomorrow and look for a dumpster again. It kind of spoils my Friday breakfast ritual. Life has become very stressful and I need a couple of hours each week to eat something tasty while I pretend I'm taking a break at roadside cafe in rural Wyoming. Wyoming sounds real nice right now.

Puppies are today's Dalmatians of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2419

I find going over lab results with my doctor a bit frustrating. Today, my A1c levels had improved, but my Creatine and Bun levels had gotten worse. When I asked the doctor why, he told me that the Metformin I have been taking to control blood sugar and A1c levels tended to be hard on the kidneys, which often elevates Creatine and Bun levels. This is what happens with just about every prescription medicine you take. The body is complex and everything is interrelated. When you make something better, you often make something else worse. This didn't really seem to bother the doctor, who seemed to think that preventing diabetes was more important than perfectly functioning kidneys. "Your kidneys are still working pretty well," he said.

Apparently, my big problem is stress. My Cortisol levels have been increasing for several years and are now pretty high. I think the doctor was expecting me to tell him that there had been a death in the family or a divorce to cause this much stress. Instead, he got a convoluted tale of sleep loss and dog poop. The doctor and his nurse both gave me an odd look when I described my daily life, but they had no suggestions. They like dogs too. I'm doing the right thing with Dot. I probably just don't have the right kind of personality to deal with her continuing deterioration in a calm, relaxed way. Actually, the conversation with the doctor was causing me stress, because it was taking too long. I knew that if I didn't get back home in time, there would be more poop to clean up. Sure enough, I was right. Not only did Dot poop in her bed while I was at the doctor, she ate the poop as well.

I'm always surprised when I have lab work done just how advanced medicine has become. It is amazing how much a simple blood test can reveal. Today, I was introduced to something new. They took a DNA sample and said they would be able to use it to predict my susceptibility to certain diseases and even if the medications I was taking were interfering with each other. I asked if this test would tell me who my ancestors were and the nurse said they didn't do genealogy. Too bad. Every time I see one of those 23 and Me commercials on TV, I'm curious if I'm actually as Norwegian as I think I am.

I didn't tell the doctor that I'd had pancakes topped with whipped cream and powdered sugar for breakfast. What the hell. I felt like pancakes this morning. After three years of eating nothing but steel cut oats, I've decided that breakfast needs to be a little more enjoyable. I think my morning smoothie is generally pretty healthy, but I need a break occasionally. At least once a month, I pig out on pancakes or waffles.

I'll need to clean the roof off this weekend, in preparation for the roofers promised return on Monday. They probably won't show up, but at least I'll have done my part. I'm glad that July is almost over. It's been a long, very hot month. If we can make it to Winter again, life with Dot might be a little easier.

Tink is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2404

Dot walked down to the end of our alley and back this morning. It was a very short walk, but it was a big step. We're making progress. She can support her weight on both front legs now and is able to walk slowly without an obvious limp. I know that Dot would like to walk further than the 300 hundred yard journey she took today, but she doesn't know her own limits. We're going to have to take this very slowly.

I finished my last writing assignment this morning and sent it off to the client. At least I think I sent it to the client. I'm still having e-mail problems. You'd think it would be easy for my hosting company to track down the spammer who is causing all the problems, but apparently not. It seems like they could just flag the high volume mail coming from the suspect IP address and see who was sending it. What do I know though. Maybe in today's politically correct environment, making an effort to track down the spammer  who is getting me blocked violates someone's privacy.

I continue to read articles about bee colonies disappearing around the world, along with an absence of birdsong in many forests. I'm sure this is true, but you'd never know it here. When I take Dash on his early morning walks, I am surrounded by a symphony of chirping birds and am amazed at all the bees I see busily pollinating flowers. Lake levels are high, ducks are having ducklings, and the tall prairie grass provides a home for tons of small animals. The world may be falling apart, but it is comforting to know that my little corner of it appears to be doing just fine.

Maybe this is why I stick close to home these days. Many of the places I used to visit seem like they belong in a horror movie now. I've been to Nice. It's a lovely city. Never in my wildest dreams would I have imagined that a terrorist attack would someday turn this picturesque French Riviera town into a kill zone tonight. This is only going to get worse unless we can acknowledge what is really happening. There is a war going on between Western Civilization and a medieval religion. Only one side can win. It's not just a few bad apples who are causing all these problems, it's an ideology.

I'm glad this week is almost over. It's been stressful dealing with Dot's latest mishap. I understand how frail Dot has become and worry that if I let her fall or do something wrong, she might never walk again. So far, we're making progress, but it isn't easy. I hope my e-mail problems get resolved soon. Clients typically aren't very patient and if it isn't easy to communicate with them, they just might go somewhere else. I'm not a spammer. I don't think it's fair that I suffer the consequences when someone using the same IP address is. When I asked my hosting company how many of their customers might currently be using the suspect IP address, they said it could be in the thousands. Hey, that's not my problem. They still should fix this. If I had a larger audience I would call them out, but I don't think they're very scared of my ten readers.

I've got to have a fasting blood test before I can go to breakfast tomorrow. I should have done this two months ago, but it hasn't been a priority. I've had so much blood work done over the years that I don't think I'm going to learn anything new. My doctor still likes to do these tests at least once a year, so I guess tomorrow is as good a day as any.

Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2166

My doctor asked me today if I was under any unusual stress and if I was getting enough sleep. Apparently, my Cortisol levels were high and this is often an indicator of a sleepless, stress filled life. So, what else is new? I was talking about this just the other day with Dot's vet and a few of her vet techs. All of us led stressful lives and weren't getting enough sleep. We all seemed to average between four and five hours of sleep each night. This is just modern life. I doubt that I needed a blood test to tell me that I wasn't getting enough sleep. All you have to do is look at my face.

Despite the high cortisol levels, the rest of my blood work looked pretty good. Considering that my doctor had actually cut back on a few of my meds last month, I considered the test results a win. My cholesterol is under control, I don't have diabetes yet, and I don't have to take any additional pills. Who could ask for more?

Considering that my income is declining, my expenses are increasing, and I'm cleaning up dog poop every few hours, I think I'm handling stress pretty well. Maybe now that we have running water again, life will settle down a bit. It's always stressful taking care of an aging, sick dog, but I don't regret any of the time I spend with Dot. Both dogs have done far more for me than I'll ever be able to do for them. Making them my top priority now is the least I can do. I don't think the stress is going away though. All I've got to say is don't let your babies grow up to be web designers. Let them be plumbers instead.

I felt like having burgers this evening and was pleased that I returned from the grocery store with all the ingredients. I had the ground beef. I had the tomatoes. I had the lettuce. I had the cheese and all the condiments. It was only much later that I realized that I had forgotten to buy the buns. This always happens to me when I shop. It doesn't even matter if I make a list, because I'll always forget to add something essential to the list. This is one reason I go to the store a lot.

We didn't make our Thanksgiving reservations soon enough this year and ended up going to our third restaurant choice instead of our favorite. This is still better than cooking at home though. We'll probably never cook a big holiday meal again. Evidently, Janet and I aren't the only people who feel this way. When we started eating out on Thanksgiving years ago, you didn't even need a reservation. Now going to a Thanksgiving brunch has become so popular that you have to make reservations a month in advance.

Dot had a good day today. She was strong and energetic on her morning walk, and I was surprised to see her wandering around the house on her own throughout the day. Some days she can barely move. Other days she can still get up without assistance. As far as I'm concerned, every good day is a bonus.

Puppies are today's Dalmatians of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2157

Three steps forward, two steps back. I woke up this morning thinking our plumbing ordeal was over, but when the tunneling crew returned to fill in the large hole they'd created, it didn't take ten minutes before one of them knocked on my door and told me that I still had a leak. It was lucky that I just happened to be doing a load of wash at the same time the tunneling crew decided it was time to fill in the hole. The new leak was located in the cast iron drain pipes. Unless the washing machine or dishwasher were running at the time, you would never notice it. I was lucky. If the tunneling crew has arrived two hours earlier or two hours later, they would have seen nothing wrong and proceeded to fill the hole while the pipe was still leaking. Since the cast iron drain line and the copper supply line are so close together, I suspect that the two leaks are related. One pipe leaked first and over time cause the other pipe to fail.

Now, instead of moving on to other things, I have to reschedule everything. The plumbers have to come out and fix the drain pipe. The environmental cleanup people, who just removed the big dehumidifiers this morning, may have to bring them back. The people who were going to clean the vents on Monday now have to wait until everything else is finished. I have to go over all these new developments with the insurance folks as well. It is all very frustrating. The plumber said we could use the shower and toilets, but not to use the washing machine or dishwasher until the leak is fixed. Ironically, the drain leak would have never been discovered in the first place if I hadn't been using the washing machine to clean blankets that Dot had pooped on while barking at the environmental cleanup crew while they removed the dehumidifiers. Like I said, three steps forward, two steps back.

With all the problems I was having today, it would have been nice if my work projects had gone smoothly. They didn't. I have to edit a writing project to make it seem more general and vague. Hmm. I always thought specifics and details where what made writing interesting. One of my website clients is already making layout changes before the layout is even finished. These things take time folks. Give it a rest.

I went to the post office and bank today completely forgetting that it is Veterans Day and everything was closed. I guess I was confused because there was mail waiting for me in the mailbox this morning. I have a feeling that I must have forgotten to look in the mailbox yesterday. It wouldn't be surprising. I can hardly remember what day it is anymore. Everything has just merged into an endless awful mess. I wish we still had our hotel room, but we had to check out this morning. I decided to re-grout the shower stall while the water was off and the grout still isn't completely dry yet. Maybe it will be dry in the morning. I'm going to need a shower.

Dot has seemed a little shaky all week. It's probably just the added stress of dealing with all these strange new people in the house. Dash is handling things better than Dot. I'm probably doing the worst of all. I've had enough. Did I mention the Internet is down too. Sometimes I think U-Verse is worthless. I'm having to use my T-Mobile hotspot again. It's nice to have a backup. Too bad I don't have a backup plumbing system.

Dolly is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2129

Tough day. Dot had another one of her episodes where she appeared extremely stressed and started panting rapidly. When this happens, she usually wants to eat grass and if the condition gets worse, she wants to eat anything, including her dog blankets. I couldn't find the dog thermometer to take her temperature, so I had to use mine. I'll think twice before putting that in my mouth again. I felt a little better when her temperature was within the normal range. Once when this happened, her temperature was over 105 and she had to go immediately to the emergency room. I can't leave the house when this happens because the entire house is filled with rugs and things she can eat now. I can't take the rugs up either, because she can't get up on the slick brick floors and could hurt herself if she started to struggle. My only alternative is to sit with her until she calms down and returns to normal. Everything seems fine now, but I'm going to have the vet evaluate her to make sure there are no new surprises when we go for our physical therapy sessions tomorrow.

When Dot's emergency was under control, I carefully boxed and wrapped my watch winder and took it over to the UPS store so I could return it to the manufacturer. UPS didn't like my nice wrapping job. They told me that my package will spend most of its journey to California on automated conveyor belts that like to eat up brown wrapping paper. I asked how I should pack things in the future and the clerk told me to just put it in a plastic bag. It's a strange new world we live in. I've wrapped packages for years and have never been told that my sturdy brown Kraft paper packages tied with twine couldn't survive the journey.

I had a lot of website updates today and most of them were straight out of left field. It takes me a little longer to respond when I don't really know what is going on, but I think eventually everything got straightened out. I thought it was going to be an easy day and I'd spend my time watching old Dr. Who episodes or reading a book. It didn't turn out that way. Between panicking about Dot's health and trying to meet several tight website deadlines, there was no time left over at all.

Dash didn't help matters when he added his own brand of weirdness to the mix. When I took him on his afternoon walk, he just wandered around aimlessly. He usually loves long walks, but for the past several days, he just wanders around behind the house, I usually think these meandering walks are aimless until I realize, usually too late, that he's headed straight toward a big pile of horse poop. Since he got into horse poop this afternoon, he'll have loose stools tomorrow morning. Ten minutes after we got home, Dot pooped in the house. I'm sick of dealing with poop.

I'm starting to forget what normal looks like. I think the last time I had any real fun was when I got invited by NASA to view the satellite launch at Vandenberg Air Force Base. That was last January. Oh, wait. I got involved in a car accident on that trip, so that wasn't entirely fun either. I probably expect too much. Hey, there are still some fresh bananas in the kitchen for my breakfast smoothie. Maybe I'll see Mercury again if I get up early tomorrow. Maybe Dot will have a good therapy session and be able to spend a full eighteen minutes in the underwater treadmill. Anything could happen.

Abby is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2044

Dash's blood pressure medication isn't working. When we tested him today, his blood pressure was just as high as it has always been. The vet asked me if I'd like to borrow the blood pressure cuff and take another reading at home when Dash was calm. "He is calm," I said. "This is the way he always is." We're going to have to try a different blood pressure medication. It will probably take just as long to find something effective for Dash as it did for me. I've tried three different blood pressure medications, and none of them is perfect. The reason I took Dash to the vet in the first place was to see if his treatment for Lyme Disease worked. It turns out that that there is no reliable way to test whether the antibiotics worked. We'll just have to have a urinalysis done frequent to make sure there is no kidney damage. I suspect the treatment worked though. Dash shows no symptoms of Lyme Disease whatsoever.

My new website project is finished. I was told today that the design was approved and to go ahead and bill the project. This is good news, but now I'm going to have to find something else to do. Web projects are nice because they keep me occupied longer than writing. I can usually finish my writing assignments in a single day, but it usually takes me at least a week to design a new website from scratch. It's hard to find the right balance of work. I like to be busy enough so I'm not bored, but I don't want to be so busy that I'm stressed out all the time. There's enough stress just dealing with the dogs. I don't need work related stress in my life anymore. Been there, done that.

I guess whatever the U-verse technician did yesterday worked. I've had no problems with my connection all day. Actually, my download speed seem faster, which is almost unheard of with U-verse. They rarely make anything faster. I wish the service was reliable enough that I could just drop my backup T-Mobile broadband account. Every time I think I don't need the T-Mobile hotspot though, our power goes out, or the U-verse Internet gets flaky. I've posted by blog entry quite a few times using the little T-Mobile  4-G hotspot. When it works, U-verse is fabulous. I just don't think it's ready for prime time yet.

I was editing pictures today and came across some old photos I'd taken of Dot and Dash when they were young and active. It was startling to see the differences between then and now. Both dogs were racing around in an open field at full speed. I had forgotten how fast and graceful Dot used to be. She absolutely loved to run. It was sad to see these pictures of her flying through the air and realize that she will never run again. We will be lucky if she can even continue walking using the Help 'Em Up Harness. Dash is still as healthy as a cancer survivor can be, but he's slowed down quite a bit too. I suppose from the right vantage point, Janet and I have slowed down as well. I prefer not to think about that though. The dogs are lucky in a way. When my own legs begin to get wobbly, I'm not sure who's going to be there to keep me moving.

That's all in the future though. I'll still be moving tomorrow. There are dogs to take care of and assignments to finish. It's going to be another hot July day. I wish it was Friday tomorrow, but I can always pretend it's Friday. All these days are more or less the same.

Katie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2040

I think we've got a plan for Dot. The oncologist agrees that the Palladia could be causing Dot's recent lameness. The only way to know for sure would be to stop the chemotherapy entirely and see if her condition improves. The oncologist and I agreed to continue the Palladia for another three weeks and then take another Ultrasound scan to measure the tumor again. Comparing the results of this scan with the initial scan we made at the beginning of her treatment should give us a baseline that can help determine how quickly the tumor is growing, or hopefully shrinking. Once we have this information, we can then stop the chemotherapy for a few weeks to see if her rear legs start to get stronger again. Palladia may not be the problem, but at least a test like this would help eliminate the drug from a long list of possible suspects. Maybe by the end of August, we'll know what is actually going on.

Breakfast was enjoyable this morning, but the rest of the day was kind of stressful. It is becoming increasingly difficult to get Dot back and forth between her various vet appointments. She knows where she is going now, and when she decides she doesn't want to get in the car, even a short journey seems to take forever. Before we begin, I've got to get her harness on and take her out in the back yard to see if she'll poop. Then I need to get Dash situated in the room with the pet cam while simultaneously leading Dot toward the front door while I'm holding on to a short least attached to the rear of her harness. Getting both dogs in the right place requires lots of dog treats. If Dot poops in the car, it can get really messy, so I always make sure to line her space with protective mats first. When my shoulder is acting up, it can difficult to even lift her up and get her in the rear door. If I don't get get her positioned just right, her rear legs can get tangled up when I'm going around a curve, so occasionally  I have to pull over to the side of the road and reposition her again. I try to allow plenty of time, but it goes without saying that I am frequently late for my appointments.

I managed to finish my third article this afternoon, so I'm good to go for the weekend. Our wet, mild Spring is starting to seem like a distant memory. July is always hot in Texas and this July is no exception. The grass is starting to dry out and the dogs are no longer eager to go outside in the afternoons. Water restrictions are in place, so if I want to water the grass I need to remember to turn the sprinklers on first thing in the morning or late at night. Our air conditioner still seems to be working fine, but the electric bill is going to be much larger next month. I couldn't wait for the endless days of rain to stop last May, but now I'd welcome an occasional downpour as long as it wasn't accompanied by thunder and lightning. I've got enough problems with the dogs already without throwing thunder and lightning into the mix.

I keep seeing workshops and seminars on the Internet that I'd like to attend. Most of these involve film-making or audio production. This is a bit strange, since I'm not very involved in either of these areas anymore. Even though an interesting workshop has always been my idea of a vacation, I'm never very interested in in attending the many web design workshop that are out there. Web design is what occupies most of my time these days, but I never have fantasies about coding. It's curious that although I'll probably never make another documentary film again, I'm still fascinated by almost every aspect of film-making. I don't like setting up all the equipment any more, I don't have the patience to deal with hiring crews, and I hate all the travel I used to do, but there's still something that attracts me like a moth to a flame.

I doubt that I'll be thinking much about making films this weekend. Weekends are for mowing grass and picking up dog hair with the Dyson. If I'm lucky, I'll get to catch up on some sleep as well.

Riley is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2015

Hmm. Today's blog day is the same as the actual year. I wish there was some significance to this, but there probably isn't. If I'd started the blog three days earlier, this all would have happened on my birthday. Now, that would have been weird.

The only thing weird about today was my doctor's appointment. I had been hoping to convince my doctor to discontinue two of my meds, simply because they were becoming too expensive. I got my wish, but not in the way I expected. When the doctor was explaining how various medications worked to control cholesterol, A1C, blood pressure, and various other things, I noticed something odd. As he  explained what the expensive drug was supposed to do, I stopped him and pointed to a row of numbers. "This drug doesn't appear to be working," I said. "If it was, these numbers would be going in the opposite direction." "That bothers me too," the doctor said. "Lets just quit taking this for two months and see what happens." OK. That's what I've been wanting to do for the last two years anyway. Since I was on a roll, I decided to bring up another drug I've grown to dislike. "Do I really need to take this Niacin," I asked? I hate the timed release Niacin, because in addition to being expensive, it causes an uncomfortable flushing reaction that turns my skin bright red for an hour or so. The doctor said that the special version of Niacin was supposed to cause the flushing to occur while I was asleep, so I would never notice it. Nope, usually I'm wide awake. "Well, if the delay isn't working right," the doctor told me, "why don't you just take inexpensive over-the-counter Niacin instead?" Sounds good to me. Over-the-counter Niacin is about $5. The special prescription version of this drug is costing me $80 a month.

My numbers weren't really bad today, but it would have been nice if they were improving instead of getting worse. I'm pretty sure that everything can be explained by a slight relaxation of the strict diet I was following when I was being treated for Hepatitis-C. I still eat very healthy meals, but there are more comfort foods now. Instead of a strict plant-based diet with very little red meat, I'll have a steak now and then and typically enjoy some sausage or bacon with my morning eggs. I didn't used to do this during the year I was eating oatmeal in the morning and kale salads at night. I guess it makes a difference. Probably throwing a couple of scoops of vanilla ice cream into my morning smoothie isn't helping matters either. It's a shame that almost everything delicious or fun is bad for you.

The doctor asked me if I was experiencing anything stressful in my life, since one of the tests apparently shows different results under stress. Naw, everything's normal I thought. Just dogs with cancer and spinal injuries, lots of expensive dental work, and a declining income. Today actually was pretty normal. I had one article to write, but I had that finished well before noon. The dogs seemed strong and in good spirits, even though the temperature was a lot warmer. Dot slept well and didn't poop in her bed. What's not to like?

I made an appointment to get a haircut later in the week and finally had a talk with my insurance agent about my homeowners policy. Maybe if it's still sunny tomorrow, I'll get the water off the roof. It's amazing how everything does get done eventually.  All in good time, I say.

Kirby is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day