Day 4830

Yesterday was such a nice day and today was exactly the opposite. It turns out that it was the drugs that were keeping Dawn happy. After 24 hours without pain meds she woke up stiff and painful again. There were no falls, but there was one stumble where she almost fell. We've had to go back to having her wear a harness with a handle all the time so we can help her on and off the bed and make sure she doesn't fall when going out to pee. After giving her another Rimadyl she is much calmer this evening. We'll have to check with the vet and see how long it is safe to continue this medication.

Today was a dismal rainy day, but I did manage to get a few things done. I finished gathering and preparing my 2022 tax information to take to the accountant. During a break in the rain I took a fat folder with my tax materials and another with Janet's information to the accountant and then dropped off the old printer at an animal rescue donation site. When I returned home it looked like there was still enough time to take my long walk before the next round of storms arrived.

I completed my entire route today but I was pretty slow. My feet weren't having a good day. We didn't give Dawn a morning walk today and probably won't tomorrow either. Since she seems to feel good when taking pain medication it's hard to know what to do. We don't want to aggravate the situation, but it isn't good to be completely inactive either. Dawn is much happier when she can follow her regular routine. She and I are pretty similar in that regard.

The dreaded severe storms we've been hearing about for several days finally arrived late this afternoon. Usually bad storms go either to the north or south of us, but today they appeared to be headed directly in our direction. It all looked pretty serious for a while. We started getting warnings on our phones and then the tornado sirens started going off in the neighborhood. The local weather said the entire area was under a tornado warning and sure enough when I looked at the weather radar our house was inside the tornado warned zone. This hasn't happened for a long time. We gathered up Dawn, her dog bed, several blankets and our phones and headed for our safe spot. Truthfully, we don't have a safe spot in our house since it is an open plan design with no interior rooms. There is a ton of single pane glass that would break easily in a bad storm. We ended up huddling next to the refrigerator in a little alcove in the kitchen that was as far from windows as we could find. This still wasn't a great location because we were near the utility room with a gas furnace and water heater.

Dawn was good in her inaugural safety drill. She was nervous for a few minutes and then settled down and was pretty relaxed. I think she felt comfortable that both of us were right there next to her. Dawn didn't want us on the dog bed with her though, so she ended up having more room than Janet and I. The storm blew over pretty quick and everything is quiet again. A cold front has arrived though and it is almost thirty degrees colder than it was a few hours ago. When I took the trash out to the curb about an hour ago it felt like a completely different day than it did this morning.

There are no roof leaks yet, but I expect we'll start to see some soon. The pumps are running now and it's clear that there's a lot of water on the roof. I wish I knew where to place the buckets before I go to bed tonight, but the leaks never seem to appear in the same place. I actually hope the dripping noises wake me up tonight or there might be a big mess in the morning. The good news is that there is no more rain in the forecast for a while. The bad news is that Dawn isn't out of the woods yet. Whatever's wrong is still bothering her.

Ruthie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4737

We woke up this morning under a tornado warning. Several tornados did touch down in the area, but luckily none were near us. We managed to get Dawn walked before the bad weather arrived. Somehow Dawn always seems to get her walks. I watched the storm arriving on the weather radar as I was eating breakfast. Typically bad storms pass to the North or South of us, but this one looked like it was going to pass directly overhead.

The storm didn't last long, but the rain was quite heavy. It wasn't long before the roof started leaking again. I can't seem to catch a break this year. Every time things are starting to dry out it rains again. It's been too wet to rake leaves or mow the grass for weeks. As soon as the leaks in the roof stop dripping, it rains again and the leaks start all over again. I know this is the rainy season, but this year has been over the top. The continual wet weather is wearing me out. I'm ready to move to the desert. Of course I'm kidding. I'm not ready for any type of big life change. I'm tired and those days are behind me.

The rain was over before noon. I paid some bills while I was waiting for the weather to improve and then I took my long walk. We got lucky here in Dallas. Even though high winds were predicted, I saw no downed trees in the park. Everything looked normal. It was actually a nice day for a walk. The temperature was in the low seventies and the fast moving storm had cleared away some of yesterday's humidity.

I saw both bald eagles today along with a gaggle of geese and all three of the Muscovy ducks. The White Pelicans were gone however. Where did they go? The pelicans always seem to do everything together. I'm sure they'll be back. It's not time to migrate North again. Maybe they just needed a break from all the gawkers watching the eagles.

My feet were bothering me today but I still made pretty good time. All the walking I'm doing is great for my heart but it is doing nothing for building muscle mass. It's a shame because I enjoy walking and don't really enjoy lifting weights at the gym. There's really no substitute for weight training for building muscle mass. I hate that muscle atrophy is a natural part of the aging process. I've been in reasonably good shape my entire life, but age is starting to catch up with me. I've got to work harder now and it's not easy with bad knees and shoulders.

I wrote a letter to my sister this afternoon. I'll take it to the post office tomorrow. I always answer whenever she writes. We've been communicating this way for decades. We never call or visit. We're not a close family and I think we know our limits. 

Dawn was mad that Janet was out doing volunteer work today. My companionship wasn't good enough for her. When I was in the back of the house, she would go out to her dog bed in the kitchen. When I went out to the kitchen to fix myself some lunch, she went back to the bedroom. There are days when I think Dawn is warming up to me. Today wasn't one of them.

Hopefully the weather will be better tomorrow. All this rain is really getting me down. Just a reminder: if you read the real blog at https://john-sealander.blogspot.com instead of the Facebook JPEG facsimile, you can click on the Dalmatian of the Day link and learn more about each dog. You can also click on the picture of the day and enlarge it quite a bit. There is also an index of all the old blog posts. It's a better experience. Oh, well. Just dreaming. If I could train you guys to read the real blog, I wouldn't have to be on Facebook at all.

Cookie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3988

Today was an exercise in futility. I attempted to follow the instructions from the manufacturer for getting a warranty replacement for my dehumidifier. I called the list of service providers the manufacturer provided and asked about bringing the dehumidifier in so I could get the diagnostic report that was required for warranty replacement. All the repair shops I called said they didn't even work on dehumidifiers and none of them had heard of the warranty replacement program. One of the companies on the approved vendor list had already gone out of business. This was going nowhere, so I called the manufacturer again for some clarification. It appears that the replacement program is real and that my dehumidifier qualifies, but this isn't going to be easy. I think I have a Plan-B now that I'll work on after the holidays.

I also wrote the company that I bought my N-95 masks from and told them that the elastic bands on the masks I had purchased were so dry and brittle that the elastic straps were breaking when I tried to slip the elastic over my head. The only way I've been able to use these masks is to make holes on either side using a hole punch and attach new elastic. The company asked me to send pictures to back up my claim, which I did. They said they'd get back to me. These masks are genuine but I have a feeling that they've been sitting on a warehouse shelf for ten years. Rubber does not become dry and brittle overnight. Will my dehumidifier get replaced under the company's warranty replacement policy? Will the mask distributor send me a replacement for the bad batch of masks I received? Who knows. I don't have high hopes for either of these issues. It is 2020 after all and few things go according to plan. 

The weather forecast said it was going to rain today, so we got started on our morning walk earlier than usual in an effort to avoid getting wet. It never did rain, but it was damp all day. It felt like we were walking in a light mist. By the time we returned home our clothes were wet and we had to throw them in the dryer. Dawn didn't seem to mind the weather. For the most part, dog seem to like damp days. The moisture must make the smells more intense.

I'm still very tempted by the Black Friday camera deal I received a few days ago. I don't really need another camera body, but I'm spending way too much time trying to convince myself that this purchase is actually necessary. Trust me. It isn't. I still may get the camera although it would make more sense to save the money for something essential. I know my weaknesses. I tend to buy gear when I'm bored or have too much time on my hands.

Maybe I'll accomplish something tomorrow. I certainly didn't today. Jeez. I just looked at the radar and discovered that we're under a tornado warning. What else is next. I'd better post this now before the power goes out.

Maggie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day