Day 4050

These weeks go quickly. It's Dalmatian day at the kennel again. Cooper was much more relaxed this week. He has started playing with toys and we discovered that he already knows several commands. If you have a treat in your hand he will sit, lie down, stay, and come. Clyde is still pretty shy, but he will sit and extend a paw for a treat. Charlie is still a crazy nut. He loves the new toy we bought him last week. It is shaped like an octopus with tough webbing tentacles and a head made of a rope that has been knotted into a ball. The toy is virtually indestructible, but give Charlie enough time and he will figure out a way to "kill" it. He loves to take the toy and vigorously shake it back and forth. I'm surprised he hasn't knocked himself out. 

Dawn walked two miles today. We discovered that after she walks her mile in the morning, she will walk the same route all over again later in the day. She might not do this every day, but she seemed to enjoy a double walk today. The weather was so nice this afternoon that we all enjoyed a second walk.

I continued walking again after Dawn and Janet returned to the house. I probably should have gone home with them. For some reason my foot pain returned with a vengeance this afternoon. I was still wearing the special shoes the foot doctor recommended, but there was no magic today. My left foot hurt so bad after I had gone five miles that I could barely make it home. Oddly, my wrist hurt more than usual today as well. Maybe my aches and pains are weather related. The weather was really nice this afternoon, but there were severe thunderstorms and a lot of rain overnight. Truthfully, I have no idea why my joint pain varies from day to day. I understand what is going on with the loss of cartilage, but logically it seems like the discomfort would be constant.

I bought some more N-95 masks today. I have a feeling that we're going to be wearing these things for a while. It's odd that N-95 masks are still hard to find. I have to order them from a specialty medical supply company in New York. You'd think that after companies have had almost a full year to ramp up production, these things would be everywhere.

I'm still thinking about buying a new lens for my camera. I probably will. There's nothing like a new lens to get me photographing things again. I don't have a lot of natural curiosity about the world around me, but I do like to test equipment. I"m much better at preparing for things than I am at actually doing them. Hey, what's to lose? If I ever get to attend rocket launches again or spend time at observatories, I'll be ready.

Janet and I are still trying to figure out Dawn's odd reaction to me. She is very friendly when we are resting on the bed together. She is very nervous when I'm out in the kitchen. She loves to eat, but sometimes she won't even leave the bedroom when I'm fixing her meals. I've learned to never make sudden moves. If I move suddenly, she panics and runs away. She likes me to walk her though and is very good on a leash with me. This inconsistent behavior doesn't make a lot of sense. Dawn has spent her entire life in a kennel. Maybe she just thinks I'm a kennel attendant.

I hope my foot feels better tomorrow. I don't think I'm walking too much, but maybe I am. If I had to give up walking, I'm not sure what I'd do. So much is on hold until the pandemic is over that walking has become the perfect placeholder for meaningful activity. Nobody questions walking. If I sat in my room for months and did nothing, people might become alarmed. If I say I'm going on a walk, everything is fine. 

Bones is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3263

I think we're ready to go. I've finished testing the photo equipment and it all works. I located the battery I need. Everything is packed in bags and waiting to be loaded into the car. The only missing link is me. I'm still tired, but I guess I passed my test as well. I made it through the day.

Pooping in the bed has become a nightly occurrence. Dash has lost control of his bowels. Since he is pooping in his sleep more frequently now, there is hope that we'll be able to slide a puppy training pad under his butt at some point. If he would sleep soundly and stay in one place, cleanup would be easy.

I thought that I got up early this morning, but tomorrow I'll need to get up even earlier. The photo event starts at 9 AM and it takes me about an hour to set things up. Add in the drive to the location and I'll need to leave the house around 7 AM. I'm not sure how Dash is going to get his walk tomorrow. We need to wait until it is light to walk because of the coyotes. I'm nervous about the coyotes this year because there is an aggressive coyote in a town just North of here that has already bitten several people. No giant earthquakes down here, but we do have a mean coyote.

The earthquake in Alaska today seems pretty major. It reminded me of the big quake in 1964 when I was in high school in Fairbanks. We weren't even close to the epicenter but the pine trees in our yard were waving around like matchsticks and all the water sloshed out of the kitchen sink. Earthquakes are weird and kind of frightening. If you've ever experienced one, you won't forget it.

I was surprised at how difficult it was to find the lithium battery I needed today. I had to go to four different stores. The battery store, which usually stocks every type of battery known to man, was out of stock.  The store manager told me that a man came in last week and bought 600 of these things. Jeez. All I needed were two.

I'll probably regret having pizza for dinner. Pizza almost always gives me heartburn. It tastes good though and neither Janet or I felt like cooking this evening. I didn't feel like cooking this morning either. As soon as I finished walking Dash, I went out for breakfast and ordered the Brioche French Toast and bacon that has become my Friday morning favorite.

None of my model trains sold in November. Damn. I was hoping that November would be a good month. December is bound to be better. Surely somebody will want a train for Christmas. I'm hoping that interest will pick up for the online Prints and Multiples auction I'm currently participating in. My consignments are bargains. They'd make good Christmas presents too. It's weird that I've become so interested in selling things these days. I'm not interested in buying stuff at all. That's definitely a first for me.

I hope I survive tomorrow's photo shoot. Just kneeling to put on Dash's socks and boots in the morning makes my knees hurt. The thought of doing this all day makes me cringe. I'm going to look on the bright side. After this weekend it's all downhill. I have no plans whatsoever for the rest of the year.

Belle is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3262

I feel like I washed everything in the bedroom today. Dash pooped everywhere last night and made a huge mess. He's totally unpredictable. Some days are fine and others I'd just as soon forget. I don't think there's a solution. Dash has always moved around at night and as long as he's able, he's going to continue to do so. If you try to pen him in a safe area, he barks and gets very upset. When he gets upset, it can trigger a seizure. It's best to keep him happy and let him do what he wants.

As I predicted yesterday, there was no problem getting up early today. I was already doing wash, cleaning the floors, and remaking the bed at 5 AM. Getting up at night is a piece of cake. Getting any sleep at all is the problem. By the time I finished breakfast this morning I felt like I'd already done a full days work. I'm dreading this weekend's photo shoots. I have a feeling that Dash will continue to throw us a curve and I'll be worn out before I even arrive at the first location.

The cameras all check out OK, but I need to get some new batteries for the flash triggers. I should have ordered these batteries online because I couldn't find them at the grocery store and I didn't feel like driving all over town. Guess what I'll be doing tomorrow. The trip to the store wasn't a total loss because I did come home with something for dinner. I'm starting to be alarmed that I appear to be the only one buying the flash frozen Cadence Kitchen meals I've grown to love. Why aren't more people trying these things? They're delicious. Flash freezing prepared meals with nitrogen does an amazing job of preserving the flavor. You just heat the frozen nuggets in a frying pan and ten minutes later you're done. This is so much easier than those Hello Fresh meal kits and the results are just as tasty. Like most things I like, this product will probably disappear within a year or two.

An online auction I'm participating in went live today. I think I like the live auctions a lot better. Maybe things will improve, but it didn't seem like my items were getting a lot of activity. Oh, well. Beggars can't be choosers. These second tier items weren't desirable enough to be included in a live auction. I guess if they sell at all, I'll be happy. I definitely don't want this stuff back.

Dash seemed lethargic today. Sometimes it's hard to tell whether he's tired, confused, or in pain. I think he was just tired, because he was happy enough to take a nap with me this afternoon. This worked out well, because I was tired too. Naps are good but I don't think they really make up for losing a lot of sleep at night.

Jeez. Dash just pooped in the house again. He was sleeping and didn't even wake up. Sleeping poop is easier to clean up because it's all on one place. Hey, I'm going to look on the bright side. Since it's already pretty late, maybe this means that he'll make it through the night.

I've already taken this week's trash to the curb. I think I'll go back to the hotel for breakfast tomorrow. The hotel is very peaceful. Peaceful sounds good right now.

Petey is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2897

I haven't tested the cameras yet, but at least the strobe lights and power packs work. Janet and I picked out a backdrop too. One way or another, I'll be ready for this weekend's photo shoot. When we were looking at backdrops this evening it became obvious that my wrist is in worse shape than it was last year. I had difficulty folding the bulky muslin cloth. Every time I managed to fold the heavy 10' by 20' sheet into a square, it was too big to fit in its carrying sack. Eventually I folded each backdrop tightly enough to fit, but my wrists weren't happy. Testing the lights was much easier. I plugged  each lamp into the power pack one at a time and hit the test button. If the strobe fired, it was good.

I was glad to work on the website today, because there was no physical labor involved. I'm not finished yet, but things are looking good. I'm sure the client will want to change some of the photos, but the structure is in place. The Wordpress template is no longer a mystery. Basically, you can change anything you want on the dashboard if you are willing to wade through layer after layer of ambiguous menus. I still don't like Wordpress though. To make the design process easier, these templates severely restrict your options.

I got an e-mail from my new doctor today reminding me to complete the registration process for their patient portal. A lot of doctors use these type of websites now so patients can see their medical records online. For the most part I find these patient portals irritating because each doctor or hospital has their own and there is no way to consolidate your information. This patient portal was different though. Most of these websites allow you to view information provided by your doctor. This one let me send information to the doctor. I could link the bluetooth medical devices I have at home and the information is automatically sent to the doctor. This is the future. Right now I can send weight, pulse rate, blood pressure, pulse wave velocity and body mass information directly to the doctor. There are already inexpensive wireless devices for do-it-yourself electrocardiograms and blood sugar measurements if I feel the need for more information. What's next? Someday, people will probably have inexpensive MRI machines build into their beds that send the doctor a scan while you sleep.  For the most part, I'm all for this intrusive technology. The sooner the doctor knows that something is wrong, the sooner I can take corrective action.

Dash didn't want to walk today. Actually, we did take our two walks, but it was not on my schedule. When it was convenient for me to take a walk, Dash refused to budge. When I had other things to do, Dash would suddenly decide he was ready. This stubborn behavior wouldn't be a big deal if Dash didn't have to wear his protective gear. It's frustrating to put on his socks, shoes, and knee brace and then have to take them off again a few minutes later because Dash won't go outside. Eventually everything gets done but it makes for a very long day.

I was going to pick up some Thai food for dinner, but I ran out of time and ate a very old slice of ham and a few beans instead. That's all I could find in the refrigerator. I did pick up Dash's phenobarbital though. I don't have time for everything, but I do have my priorities straight. If I want to eat dinner tomorrow, I'll definitely need to do some grocery shopping. I've got a lot more work to do on the website tomorrow, but there's always time for food. I think Dash would agree.

Petey is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2542

I need to rearrange how I spend my day. I can't change getting up too early. We have to get the dogs fed and walked before Janet goes to work. I can't change going to bed too late either. I'm usually the only one still awake to take Dot out to pee at the end of the day. In between, there's still a little flexibility. I need to try and get anything important done between 9 AM and 2 PM. So far, it's a pretty safe bet that this is when both dogs will be asleep. After they eat their rice cake for lunch, all bets are off. I don't know where Dot got her new burst of energy, but she's active almost all afternoon now.

I wish she was steady enough on her feet so that I could just let her wander around on her own. Unfortunately, she's not steady at all. She falls down a lot, gets stuck behind furniture, and poops when you least expect it. Afternoons are a three ring circus, but it's good to see Dot active again.

My project for today was seeing which applications still worked on the laptop after the big system upgrade a couple of days ago. I haven't tested everything, but so far I've only had to delete four applications. That's actually pretty good. There isn't room on my desk to set up a second computer, so I had to work on the kitchen table. The dogs didn't like this. If I'm in the kitchen, they think it's time to be fed. If I ignore them for too long, they both start barking. Needless to say, I didn't get as much accomplished as I'd hoped. Maybe I've done enough. Microsoft Word works. Final Cut Pro works. And I think Pro Tools works. The web browser and e-mail work too. That's all I ever used to use when I was on the road anyway,

I meant to get the water off the roof today, but I didn't get around to it this morning when the dogs were sleeping. This afternoon, Dot would never settle down long enough for me to get anything done. I didn't want to be up on the roof if she fell or pooped somewhere. It probably wouldn't have even mattered if I was up on the roof. Dot wandered into the office just before dinner time and promptly pooped all over the carpet. I'd taken her outside at least ten times today, including once five minutes before she messed up the carpet. Why she couldn't poop while she was outside remains a mystery to me. Basically, I'm so tired of cleaning up poop I could scream.

The humidity was actually lower outside than in the house today. This is a rarity. The weather was nice, so I opened the windows and let the house air out. 25% relative humidity is a lot nicer than 85% relative humidity. I hope the dry weather continues. It would be nice to spend the Winter without worrying about mold.

I started charging batteries for this weekend's photo shoot. Tomorrow I'll unpack the strobes and make sure that they still work. I've got all this equipment, but mostly I just take pictures with my phone these days. I thought oday's sunrise was worth putting on my camera roll. Dash didn't even notice the beautiful sunrise. As always, he had his nose to the ground, trying to sniff out nasty things to eat.

Petey is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day