Day 2126

I got up early without waking Janet and the dogs and quietly went outside with my Dad's old Carl Zeiss binoculars to look for Mercury. This was the perfect day to look for the illusive planet, because it was located right next to the thin crescent of the waning moon. The pre-dawn sky was clear and I was able to find the almost impossibly thin sliver of the moon about five degrees above the horizon. Sure enough, when I looked though the binoculars, there was Mercury, right where it was supposed to be. It was a nice way to start the day.

When I was at the gym later in the day, a loud announcement came over the PA system saying DISASTER - CODE WHITE IS NOW IN EFFECT. This message was repeated several times, but nobody paid any attention to it.  I think the message referred to a pediatric medical emergency, but it could just as easily have signaled the beginning of the zombie apocalypse. The odd thing to me was although the message was clearly a warning of some sort, nobody seemed to care. Eventually one old man asked if we should leave the building, but the people using the machines next to him just shrugged their shoulders and continued listening to whatever was being piped through their earbuds. Maybe this is why we end up being surprised so frequently. Nobody listens to warnings anymore.

Maybe I should replace my Watch of the Day feature with a Things That Broke Today feature. Yesterday two tape recorders bit the dust. Today it was a watch winder. I suspect that aging rubber parts contributed to today's mishap as well. Watch winders are simple mechanisms. They use a rotating drum to keep a self winding mechanical watch wound up and running while it is not on your wrist. This particular watch winder had been running continuously for over five years, but today a red fault light was illuminated and the motor wasn't turning. I wouldn't be surprised if a rubber drive belt was used to transfer the motion of the electric motor to the rotating drum that holds the watch. Rubber drive belts break easily. I wonder who repairs these things. One more thing to research tomorrow on Google.

I could make a long list of things that are on the verge of breaking. A large sliding glass door in our house is becoming very hard to open. I've already replaced the original nylon track rollers with solid steel rollers that were supposed to last forever. I guess in today's world, forever means seventeen years. The electric lawn mower makes a loud whining noise then I mow the grass now. Sounds like a bearing is starting to go out. The garbage disposal under the kitchen sink clogs a bit too easily and there is a section of the bedroom carpet that is looking really threadbare. Actually, probably everything in the house is on the verge of breaking.

Dash had a good day. He limped a little, but not nearly as bed as he did yesterday. He rested a lot today and we made sure that when he was active that he didn't race around at full speed and aggravate his injury. It's hard to tell a Dalmatian to take it easy, but that's what we're trying to do. Dot had a pretty good day too. There were no accidents in the house and she had lots of energy on her walks.

These weeks go by so quickly. When I was using the arm bicycle at the gym, and later when I was using the Dyson to clean rugs at the house, I kept thinking "Didn't I just do this a few minutes ago." Nope, that was last week. The days, and weeks, and months just blend together in a series of repetitive actions. Tomorrow there will be more of the same. I'll pop in the shower. I'll feed the dogs. I'll fix another peach and banana smoothie for breakfast. I doubt that I'll see Mercury again though.

Katy is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1718

I thought I'd do something useful today, so I decided to clean the teak outdoor furniture in the back yard. I had a bottle of special cleaning liquid and made the mistake of reading the fine print on the back of the bottle. Before using this product, I was supposed to put on rubber gloves, wear protective eyewear, and dispose of any clothing that inadvertently became exposed to the product. The warning message also told me to cover the ground under the bench I was about to clean, so the product wouldn't seep into the soil when I rinsed the furniture off with a garden hose. WTF? If this stuff is this dangerous, why was it sitting on a shelf in a hardware store begging to be purchased by idiots like me. Needless to say, I didn't open the bottle. I only read the label to make sure the cleaner would be safe around dogs. I never dreamed it would be hazardous to my own health. The last line on the warning label included the number for the poison control hotline, just in case something went wrong.

With my plans to clean the patio furniture thwarted, I decided to go ahead and finish my August writers group essay a few days early. The prompt for this month was "windows," but it could just as easily been kangaroos. I'm not particular about what I write about. As my regular blog readers have already learned, I often write about nothing.

The weather was strange today. We woke up to the sound of rain pounding on the roof. By the time I had gotten dressed and made the bed, the rain has stopped. I took the dogs on a nice walk and then went out for breakfast. Almost as soon as I returned home again, the rain started again. It went back and forth like this for most of the day. One minute it would be bright and sunny, and the next minute there would be ominous dark clouds on the horizon. Everything worked out well. The dogs got both of their walks. I was able to run all my errands. And the plants in the yard still got some much needed water.

Dot had a good day. There were no accidents at all. We woke up in a dry bed and the day proceeded normally from there. I still can't figure out why Dot would be completely normal one day, and pee all over everything the next. Dot does appear to be getting better, but her progress certainly isn't linear. There are still good days and bad days, but the good days seem better than they were two weeks ago and the bad days aren't as bad. I wish I could take Dot along with me the next time I see my urologist. Maybe he might be able to explain what is going on.

I'm looking forward to having a three-day holiday. We don't have anything planned for Labor Day, but that's OK. Doing nothing is always fine with me.

Duke is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day