Day 3127

I think the gods of keeping things too long are punishing me. When I went to the storage warehouse to pick up some more things to sell, I got a nasty surprise. The protective foam inside a mixing board's flight case had completely disintegrated, turning the inside of the case into a sticky mess. Even worse, when I finally found a guitar that had been hidden behind several large boxes the last time I looked, I discovered that the neck had cracked. It's not uncommon for a guitar neck to warp, but I'd never seen one with a large crack like this. I managed to get the vintage mixing board cleaned up, but the guitar was hopeless. I took it to the vintage guitar guys anyway, in hopes that it could be fixed. They just looked at it in dismay. They said the best I could hope for was that a British theme restaurant or sports bar would buy it as a decoration to hang on their wall. The guitar was not playable.

No wonder antiques are often so expensive. It's really hard to keep something old in new condition. If it's made of cloth, it will get eaten by moths. It is is made of metal, it will rust. If it's made of glass, you will probably end up breaking it. I'm not exactly batting 1000 in my attempt to downsize. Some things survived the ravages of time and others didn't. Now I know what the phrase 'use it or lose it" really means.

Retrieving things from the storage warehouse and cleaning them up took a lot of time, so I didn't get much done today. It could take months to clean out the warehouse. So far, it's been discouraging work. Nothing looks better than when I stored it away. Where did I ever get the idea that I could unpack this stuff decades later and it would still be as good as new? I'm still determined to unload some of this stuff, but I'm not going to get rich doing it. A lot of things need to go straight in the dumpster.

I feel sorry for the roofers if they still have to work in this weather. It's really hot. I think we set a new temperature record today. I wouldn't be surprised if the roofers canceled the repairs because of the heat, but if they do come out this week, the roof is definitely dry.

Dash and I walked around sunrise again today. I think everyone with dogs in the neighborhood had the same idea. The park was surprisingly crowded this morning, but luckily all the dogs we encountered were friendly. You almost have to walk early these days. Once the sun is high in the sky, the heat is brutal. Several people asked me about Dash's boots this morning. Their dogs weren't sick. They just wanted something to protect their dogs feet from the hot pavement. I should carry business cards for Ultra Paws with me. I'm sure I've brought them some business this Summer.

My water bill is going to be huge this month. I'm having to water the grass and shrubs almost every day. Even though it's hard to keep things green, I hope that things stay hot and dry until the roof gets fixed. As soon as the roofers get finished though,  I'm going to join the rest of Dallas and pray for rain.

Riley is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1992

The rain wasn't as bad today. Our stormy weather lasted from just before dawn until just after breakfast. The rest of the day was fine. Toward mid-afternoon, I even started to see a few patches of blue sky. We didn't lose power at all today. The dogs didn't have any major panic attacks either. I'd have to say that things are looking up.

There were a ton of little errands to run today. I filled the car with gas. I went to the bank. I got halogen bulbs for the living room floor lamps at Home Depot. I picked up a new set of ink cartridges for the general office printer at Fry's. There was a trip to Sam's Club for laundry detergent and paper towels and then it was back home again to get the standing water from the latest storm off the roof. I've been up on the roof for three days in a row, but I am getting much more efficient about water removal. If I bought two more sump pumps and 100 feet of extension cord, I might be able to automate the entire process.

When I was walking Dash this afternoon, I noticed that the Passion Vines were in bloom. Passion Flowers seem to be the rarest of the many native Texas wildflowers I see in the park. I only see these exotic looking plants bloom once or twice a year and it's usually right after a big rain. Maybe that's way I saw half a dozen blooms today, instead of the one or two I see in a typical year. I took a photo and Dash and I were on our way. These blooms don't last long. They might already be gone when we pass this way again tomorrow.

Dot is doing amazingly well around the house now. She doesn't even need to wear the Help 'Em Up Harness when she's inside anymore. She can back up when she's in a tight corner without falling over and can sit down with a lot more grace and finesse that she could even a few weeks ago. The only room that's off limits now is one of the bathrooms that has some pretty slick tile floors. We still use the harness whenever Dot goes outside or on a walk, but it doesn't seem to keep her from enjoying things. I'm so glad we made the right decision and had the surgery.

It's almost time for a new set of ink cartridges for the large format printer. I can't believe I've used an entire set of these expensive cartridges just making small test prints to keep the printer from clogging. I haven't made any large exhibition prints for almost two years. This thing would have gone to the storage warehouse a long time ago if I didn't have to keep using it regularly just to keep the lines from clogging. It seems like things you don't use frequently should just sit there, patiently waiting for you. This is not the case with printers. Whoever came up with that phrase "use it or lose it" probably had a printer like mine.

I wonder what excuse I'll come up with to keep from going to the gym tomorrow? I finished most of my errands and chores today, so maybe there isn't any excuse. We'll see. Believe it or not, it's not supposed to rain at all tomorrow. That would be nice.

Ollie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day