Day 4152

I started assembling the gear I want to take to the astrophotography workshop this morning. Hmmm. Why so much? I may need to rethink this. It's not like I'm going to the South Pole or anything. Somehow there seemed to be twice as much stuff as I took out to the observatory the last time. That's the trouble with road trips. You aren't limited by what will fit in a carry-on bag. Maybe I can get by with less, but this is an advanced class and there are a lot of new things I would like to try.

The star tracker is going to be a problem. It has to be assembled on-site and there are a lot of pieces that can fall off and get lost in the dark. I practiced putting the thing together today and it took me a lot longer than I thought. I wish everyone would use the same type of batteries. Quite a bit of space in my bag has to be devoted to various types of chargers. I am making progress though. Give me a few more days and I'll have this down to a science.

I watch the business channels while I eat breakfast and it seems like there is a lot of weird stuff going on. Small businesses can't find enough workers because people are making more money on unemployment now. Large businesses don't need as many workers because they have become much more efficient during the pandemic. I'm glad the world of work is mostly in the rear view mirror now. I did pretty well over the years, but today's environment is a brave new world that I don't fully understand. I don't think it would be possible to duplicate what I did in the 70's and 80's today.

Maybe I'm fooling myself, but I think Dawn is finally starting to warm up to me. She's comfortable spending time on the bed with me now. When I take a nap, she doesn't run away anymore. She likes to sit outside on a sunny day and I spent about 45 minutes sitting in the back yard with her today. She still doesn't like me in the kitchen, but she races out to eat after I fix her meals and come to the back of the house to tell her that dinner is ready.

Maybe I'm fooling myself with my long walks as well. One of the fitness apps on my phone got an upgrade and it says that my overall fitness level is low. The app now measures VO2max which represents the heart and muscles ability to convert oxygen into energy during physical exercise. I probably just walk too slow, because the fitness level is calculated by comparing my heart rate with GPS data that shows my walking or running pace. My VO2max levels would improve if I went back to the gym and exercised enough to get my heart rate up. I like my slow walks though. It's very peaceful.

Time goes so quickly now. It's already time to make a grocery list again. I'll probably have to do some yard work this weekend because the weather is too nice to ignore the yard. A lot of things need attention and it's going to be even worse if I wait until the weather gets even warmer. I wonder how long it will be before I hire a yard service like the rest of the neighbors?

Spot is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4137

I got a real letter in the mail today. This is increasingly rare. Most of our mail is junk. There is always lots of political mail whenever there is an election. There are weekly grocery store circulars and various home services send flyers advertising lawn care and tree removal. I used to get lots of trade magazines, but most of them have gone out of business. I still get bills in the mail, but I don't even open them. They are just reminders that it's time to pay online again. Whenever I'm waiting for something specific, it never comes. I've been waiting for author copies of a SpaceFlight Magazine article for several months now and of course there are those computer memory chips that seem to have disappeared. I still wait for the mail every day though. It's just something old people do.

I still watch TV while I'm eating breakfast as well, but I'm constantly changing channels because there's nothing I like. I don't know what kind of audience the network morning shows are targeting, but it definitely isn't me. Cable news is like a broken record. It seems like we are always in the middle of the same crisis. The financial channels increasingly talk about Bitcoin, SPACs and other things I don't understand. Sometimes the only thing left are old TV Westerns, Perry Mason, and The Andy Griffith Show.

I've just about given up on NASA. I write polite letters asking about accreditation, but never get a response. Actually I don't get a response to many of my questions these days. When I retired and my business slowed, I kind of dropped off the radar. When you no longer have something other people want, you gradually become invisible. Generally, I don't mind being invisible, but I hate being totally out of the loop. I wish I had some kind of card I could flash whenever I wanted to participate in something. Sadly, life doesn't work that way. You have to stay involved if you want to participate.

I've come to the conclusion that I'm never going to be a regular part of the launch photography community because I can't afford to visit Florida that often. I'm not going to write frequently for astronomy magazines either because I don't actually know that much about astronomy. It's easy to get discouraged, but there are always opportunities. I guess my job now is to always keep an eye out for new opportunities.

Dawn has decided that she likes walking through open fields instead of staying on the trails. This would have been good in the Winter, but now the prairie grass is growing tall and I worry about chiggers, ticks, and especially snakes. I don't see many snakes but I know they are out there. I'm already fretting about what shoes to wear out at the observatory. Do I wear lightweight, comfortable sneakers, or heavy snake proof boots? I always take the boots, even though they are uncomfortable after I've been wearing them for hours. That's one thing I liked about growing up in Alaska. There were no snakes.

There are severe weather warnings for tomorrow again. Most of these warnings don't amount to anything, but you've got to take them seriously. One way or another it does look like it's going to rain. Right now there is a 100% chance of rain. How am I going to take my long walk if it rains all day? Oh, well. I can't worry about that now. It's time to take out the trash and call an end to this week.

Mindy is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3807

I wasted hours today watching a launch on NASA TV that ended up getting scrubbed at the last minute because of weather. If I was down in Titusville as I'd planned to be, I'd be wondering now if I could afford to stick around until the next attempt on Saturday. Launch delays get complicated quickly. Sometimes the hotel is full and it is difficult to extend your stay. Airline and rental car reservations need to be rebooked. You alway have to keep in mind that the next launch attempt could get rained out as well. I've been lucky on my last two trips to Kennedy Space Center. The Solar Orbiter went off right on schedule and the Falcon Heavy STP-2 launch was only delayed a few hours. I've had to return home without seeing anything though. It's always a risk.

It was fun watching the launch preparations today. I kept thinking "I've been there" when I saw something familiar. I recognized an astronaut I'd met in Houston and noticed a few familiar faces among the NASA media relations staff. I missed this launch and I might miss a few other until the pandemic is over, but I'll be back. Maybe the next time I return, I'll have a few more publications under my belt and it will be easier to get media accreditation.

It may still be raining in Florida, but I think the rain is over in Dallas for a while. We had a nice walk with Dawn this morning. It was still overcast when we left around sunrise, but we could see patches of clear sky by the time we returned. As Summer approaches, it is increasingly important to get an early start. Dawn enjoys these walks but dogs can easily get overheated. I always worry about Dawn because she's not a young dog anymore. It rarely occurs to me that Janet and I are getting older ourselves. Neither of us think of ourselves as old. Probably the rest of the world does though.

My chore for the day was clearing the standing water off the roof. Since there is no rain in the immediate forecast, maybe my work is done for a while. The warmer is gets, the more unpleasant it is up on the roof. It can get quite hot in the Summer. At some point, I need to power wash the surface and look carefully for more bad spots before I apply the rest of the silicon material. I don't think there is any rush to do this though. I seem to have sealed all the leaky areas.

I've got to come up with a Plan-B for the Summer. It doesn't look like McDonald Observatory is going to reopen any time soon and it might be a while before I can get media accreditation at the Space Center again. I've photographed all the plants and animals in the park, but don't really feel like going anywhere else on a photo expedition. I don't feel like buying new gear either. The pandemic has got me spooked about spending money. The Land Rover dealer called today and told me that the new Defenders have finally arrived in the showroom. I wasn't even interested in that. It's definitely time for a Plan-B.

Libby is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3561

Jeez. It costs more to remove a tree than it does to take a nice little vacation to the Davis Mountains. This was the third time I've had to have the tree guys out this year. I bet they'll be back again. Janet wanted them to remove another tree as well, but the Elm tree was all they had time for today. I hate spending money to make the yard look even worse than it did before, but what are you going to do? Mother nature always wins these battles. These trees get blown down in windstorms or they fall from rot or old age. Mature trees the same age are falling in the park all the time. There's not much I can do to stop this.

At least the Elm tree is gone and I can check one more thing off my to-do list. The tree was located very close to the house, so we can't use a stump grinder to remove the stump. There is too much danger that the stump removal process would break the glass in the bedroom windows. The tree was close to our sewer line as well. One more reason not to get a stump grinder involved. People in the country often burn a tree stump out. Nope. That's not going to work. Sounds like a good way to burn down the house. I guess I'm going to have to get used to living with the unsightly stump.

Treasure's surgery went well. She had three growths removed, but none was cancerous. One growth was a benign fatty lipoma, another was a mammary tumor, and the third growth was scar tissue from an earlier surgery. Treasure should be on the road to recovery soon. What she needs now is a home.

There are a lot of Dalmatians that need a home right now. The rescue group has been asked to take in as many as twenty new dogs recently. This is way more than usual. We've already picked up six of these dogs, but it's a real challenge to find the funds to do something on this scale. Vet bills, food, and boarding expenses really add up quickly. Hopefully the group will find a way to bring all these dogs into the rescue program.

When I was taking my walk this morning, I could hear the tree guys chain saws from a long way away. Chain saws are really noisy. I wonder why people choose this line of work. There is a lot of skill involved to bring down a large tree without destroying everything in the vicinity. There is also a lot of danger. I've known several people who have experienced serious chain saw injuries. For that reason alone, I won't go anywhere near a chain saw. I'm glad there are people who will do this work. If you've got a tree on your roof, you've got a serious problem.

I just upgraded my phone to IOS 13 a few days ago and there is already another update. I guess it doesn't take long for bugs to be discovered. I downloaded the new update as well. I have no idea why it is needed, but it's better to be safe than sorry.

I skipped episode six of the Ken Burns documentary tonight. I'm sure I'll watch it later though. They rebroadcast these things over and over. I still can't decide whether to go see Ad Astra in a theater. Now that I've started taking long walks, there isn't a lot of time for a matinee movie. I eat breakfast, I walk, I do a few unavoidable chores, and I write the blog. Lately, I call that a pretty full day.

Scout is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3338

I knew it was going to be a long day when Dash refused to pee before he went to bed last night. I wish he'd plan ahead. Sure enough, he got me up to go outside around 3 AM and then I woke up twice more to change out puppy pads when he pooped in his sleep. When I finally woke up this morning, the sun was up and Janet had already left for the gym.

Taking care of Dash is definitely a team effort. It always takes a lot longer to get him ready for the day when I'm on my own. Dash would look like he was sound asleep until I left to do something in another room and then almost immediately I could hear him struggling to get up. He never wanted to be in the same room I was in. When I was trying to make the bed, he wanted to be in the kitchen. When I was in the kitchen, he wanted to go back to the bedroom.

Eventually I got him to take him morning pills by making little ham roll ups that I fed to him one by one while he was laying in his kitchen dog bed. He had no interest in eating his breakfast and definitely didn't have enough energy for a morning walk. He slept for most of the morning. This behavior used to alarm me, but I was almost certain that he'd be fine in a few hours. Sure enough, he perked up about five minutes before Janet came home. He was standing on his own and waiting at the front door when she arrived and I don't think Janet even believed that I'd had trouble with him earlier.

Dash seemed like a different dog when we took our morning walk around noon. It's still a mystery how he can go from seeming half dead to wanting a walk in the park in just a few hours. We had a nice walk and for the rest of the day, Dash seemed fine. Maybe he's just conserving his energy for the things he likes. Makes sense to me. I'd conserve my energy for the things I liked too, if I could just figure out what I liked.

I made one short excursion to pick up a new supply of Plavix for Dash, but that was about it. The rest of the day was spent just dealing with the basics. It's amazing how long it can take to make the bed when it's covered with protective material to keep your dog from ruining the mattress. It also takes a long time to do the laundry when there is always something soiled. I usually have the TV on during the day, but I don't have the attention span to watch a movie and I'm totally fed up with political news. There ought to be a channel that has nothing but dog rescues, weird weather stories, and updates from NASA. I'd watch that.

I did watch a press conference where the Opportunity Rover team officially called an end to to the little rover's mission. Kind of sad. Hard to believe that it's been fifteen years since I learned that Opportunity and its companion Spirit had both successfully landed on the red planet. I watched the landing on the same computer I'm using now. I'm amazed that Opportunity remained functional that long without regular trips back to the dealership for repairs. Even my computer has been repaired several times during the past 15 years. It's pretty clear that Land Rover could never make a Mars rover. I've never had a car that lasted fifteen years and I don't even drive very much.

I hope I can convince Dash to do his business before he goes to bed tonight. When Dash sleeps well, I sleep well.

Tessa is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3199

Wow. What an ugly day. The hearings were hard to avoid. They were on every channel for the entire day. Dr. Ford was credible and her supporters will believe her completely. Judge Kavanaugh was credible and his supporters will continue to stand by him. I don't think a single opinion was changed today. I do think the country was harmed. Weaponizing sex for political purposes will have repercussions for decades. Turning our justice system upside down and deciding that a person is guilty until proven innocent is breathtaking and almost Stalinist in nature. Both of these tactics were terrible ideas. You may be passionate about who sits on the Supreme Court and think that the end justifies the means. If you feel this way, you may be forgetting about the law of unintended consequences. In the long run, what happened today will not be good for women. It will not be good for men. And it will not be good for the country.

I felt sad watching today's hearings. I kept hoping that sanity would prevail, but it never did. Lines have been drawn in the sand and I don't think anyone is giving an inch. We didn't use to be this kind of a country. I really think we are headed toward a second civil war. It's so sad. When we believed that we were a great melting pot and shared a common set of values, the United States was the greatest country in the world. All that is gone now. I think the future belongs to China. The Chinese don't have to deal with the chaos and discord we witnessed today. Democracy is messy. Perhaps it is too messy to succeed in a world where politicians see no problem in unleashing flash mobs to harass their opponents in restaurants.

No wonder that so many people on Facebook say they prefer dogs to people. People are horrible. The world would be a better place if people spent more time taking their dogs on long walks and less time letting something they saw on their phone work them into a frenzy. It's not going to happen though. Social media is a Pandora's Box that can't be closed.

I spent too much time watching TV today, but there was still poop to clean up and pills to administer. Dash fell again today and I had to put his harness on while he was struggling on the floor so I could lift him up. Dash panics when he can't get up and it's difficult to help him. I think it's time for him to wear his special harness full time. He's still eating well though and enjoys his slow walks. I wish I could make him younger. I wish I could make myself younger as well. Truthfully, I wouldn't want to be young in today's world. I'd rather take a time machine back to 1950 instead.

I just finished taking this week's trash out to the curb. I can't decide whether to go back to the hotel for breakfast. The food and atmosphere are great, but the menu is very limited. I think I've already tried everything. This week went quickly, but apparently not quickly enough. What a mess. I'd love to see sanity return next week, but I'm not counting on it.

Sophie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3175 - Labor Day

There wasn't a lot of labor taking place at our house today. It rained all day. Sometimes the best thing to do on a day like this is nothing at all. Dash did get his walks, thanks to the weather radar app on my phone. I don't know how I used to survive without weather radar. Even on wet, dreary days like this, there are usually opportunities to walk your dog. It's all a matter of timing.

Janet went to the gym, but I didn't feel like doing much of anything. I ended up watching a Strange Inheritance marathon for quite a while. It's fascinating how ordinary people often end up with extraordinary things. One of today's episodes was about a family who had a Rembrandt hanging on their dining room wall for decades and nobody knew what it was. When the parents died, the kids took a lot of their stuff to an auction house that specialized in estate auctions. Even the auctioneer didn't realize that he had an old master painting. Several weeks before the auction they put everything on their website where the painting attracted the attention of three European art dealers. The bidding started at $500 and quickly went to six figures. When the bidding was over, the lost Rembrandt sold for over a million dollars. It turned out to be genuine too. There were other episodes about a family who inherited a zoo and then there was the guy who inherited a huge collection of army tanks. There is nothing strange or valuable in my family tree. I'm pretty sure of that.

Dash got wet on one of today's walks, so we decided it was the perfect opportunity to give him a bath. Bathing a dog who can barely stand up is not an easy task. I think I got more water on me today than Dash did. Dash definitely needed a bath. He pees on his feet a lot these days. After we washed and dried him off, he definitely looked and smelled cleaner. Next on the list is to get his nails trimmed again. That's going to be a lot harder than a bath.

Today's heavy rains mean that the grass is going to start growing again. I was kind of hoping that I was done for the year. I should have known better. The weather is unpredictable here. It's not uncommon to still be mowing grass in December. I'm going to have to go up on the roof again too. I don't think I'll do this tomorrow. According to the forecast, it's supposed to keep raining.

If tomorrow is as wet as today, I'm going to have to come up with a plan. I'm not sure if I can tolerate doing absolutely nothing for two days in a row. It's a good thing that I have a high tolerance for lethargy, because I think this might be a very slow week.

We'll see what happens. I could wake up to sunshine tomorrow. I just hope that whenever I do wake up that I've been sleeping for a long time. Let's try for six hours. Waking up every two hours to take Dash outside is wearing me out.

Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3094

I turned on the TV twice today. Once to watch latest episode of The Expanse and later to listen to the results of the IG Report. The Expanse was much more enjoyable. Predictably, everybody used the IG Report to vindicate what they already believed. The supposedly "objective" report seemed to prove nothing. One side said it proved that the FBI was out to get their man, while the other side said it proved that the FBI cost their candidate the election. Nothing will change. I think that we are so hopelessly divided that we'll never see a consensus again. It's like we are right in the middle of a weird, bloodless civil war.

Of course everyone is fighting in The Expanse as well. This is supposed to be 250 years in the future, so maybe humans will never learn to get along. At least there are space ships in The Expanse. Spaceships make everything better. So many science fiction shows like The Expanse explore what happens when humans make contact with extraterrestrials. I wonder if we ever will? I kind of like the theory that nobody has contacted us yet because when civilizations reach a certain level of sophistication, they blow themselves up, destroy their planets, and become extinct. When you look at what's happening with our world, it certainly makes sense.

I got a call from someone who was trying to move their domain registration from Network Solutions to somewhere else. They couldn't remember their Network Solutions password, so they couldn't access their dashboard to initiate the move. I said I'd help, but much to my chagrin, I couldn't remember my own Network Solutions password either. I wish everyone still used the passwords they had in 1995. Everything was so much easier then. Nobody can remember all their passwords anymore. They'll write them down on a sticky note and forget everything a few months later. I had a special application that saved all my passwords in an encrypted form, but after a system upgrade rendered the application inoperable, I lost everything. I routinely ask for a password reset every time I visit certain sites.

Dash pooped in the house again this morning. He was trying to go outside, but he was so quiet about heading for the door that I didn't hear him even though I was nearby. I smelled what was going on before I saw it. I don't know why Dash is on the verge of incontinence, because in many ways he seems to be getting better. He's eating well now and seems to enjoy walking again. The most alarming thing now is that he often wakes up coughing during the night. The cough goes away after he's been awake for a while, but this shouldn't be happening. The cough probably has something to do with his ongoing heart problems, mostly because everything seems to be connected to his heart problems.

I found some Shoe Goo today but I ran out of time and never got around to fixing Dash's boots. Maybe Tomorrow. I was going to make an appointment for a haircut tomorrow, but I never got around to that either. Jeez. What did I actually do today? Maybe those two TV shows were it.

Daisy is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3080

We had a good day. Dash seemed to have a lot of energy this morning. We had a nice morning walk. He ate all his meals and took his pills without incident. He had enough energy left over to pester me as I tried to watch the new episode of The Expanse after breakfast. I'm glad the DVR has a pause button, because every five minutes Dash wanted to go outside. I was glad to see Dash in good spirits. Maybe someday he'll start wagging his tail again.

This week's episode of The Expanse captured my interest again. I still think there's way too much going on with three different sub-plots on three different ships, but I'll definitely keep watching. This is probably the best science fiction series since Farscape. Firefly was really good too, but the show got canceled way too soon. I think The Expanse could easily run for four or five seasons. Here's hoping anyway.

Janet took Dash on his evening walk because I had to go to an evening meeting. Meetings of any sort seem weird to me now. It rare for anything to be accomplished in your average meeting, but they are still an essential part of keeping a group together. It's the intangible things that are important in meetings. If the group feels good about working together, the details can usually be worked out later. Hopefully, I'm still in good graces with this group. I don't get out much, but I still care a lot about helping dogs.

Now that I'm in the process of selling one collection, I've started to think about getting rid of other things as well. I discovered the Artsy website today. I don't know why I never noticed this sooner. It's a great idea, connecting buyers, sellers, and other interested parties with great galleries and auction houses around the world. Instead of buying or selling art directly, you are dealing with very reputable galleries. The website is just a facilitator, bringing people together. I need to learn more about this concept. It might be exactly what I've been looking for.

The tree trimmers are supposed to come over tomorrow. I wonder how long this is going to take? There's really only one big branch that might be dangerous to leave as is, but I'm sure the tree guys will find more dead wood when they arrive. The last time they came to the house they took down twice as much as I had anticipated. I hope this all goes smoothly. I'd hate for one of these limbs to fall on the roof while they are cutting it down.

I probably should stay home and have my regular smoothie tomorrow. I have no idea when the tree guys are going to arrive, so it wouldn't be a good idea to go out for breakfast. Of course if I do stay home, they won't arrive until after lunch. That's just the way it goes.

Amy is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3073

Today was slow. Who am I kidding. Every day is slow. I did manage to finish updating an animal rescue website today, but for the most part, the day was almost identical to yesterday. We completed our walk this morning without losing a shoe. Maybe I'm getting better at attaching Dash's boots, but it was probably just luck. I used a fitness app on my phone this morning to see how far we actually traveled and it told me I was on pace to run a 35 minute mile. Dash and I are really slow.

After breakfast, I watched the new episode of The Expanse that I recorded yesterday. For the first time since the series started, I was disappointed. They skipped way ahead from the previous episode to move the story arc forward. It was disorienting to see different characters doing different things with very little continuity. It was almost like the show runner knew how he wanted the series to end and was trying to cram four seasons into three. It's too bad if this is the case. This show deserves at least four seasons.

There were a bunch of calls I should have made today and I didn't make any of them. I'm tired of bothering the roofer and the landscaper every single day. I don't even think it helps. Sometimes being the squeaky wheel does more harm than good. There are also a couple of website projects on the back burner that I need to follow up on. I'm reluctant to push too hard to get these jobs because I honestly don't think a website is going to change things for either of these people. They've got bigger problems than their online profile. I'd love to have some additional work, but I hate to overpromise. A good website can't fix everything.

It's going to be a long, hot summer if I can't come up with a better way to spend the ample amount of time I seem to have. Practicing the piano went nowhere. I haven't even looked at the keyboard in several weeks. My plan to upload hundreds of pictures to my stock photo site is languishing on the back burner too. I have some old images that I think might sell, but it's hard to get interested in these things. I keep coming up with excuses why the images wouldn't get accepted anyway. People are always saying that you need to follow your passion, but the truth is that I've never been passionate about anything. I've always preferred the term "dispassionate." Why has this emotion never gained popularity? A dispassionate person is always cool, calm and able to be rational and impartial in any situation. That's a good thing, isn't it?

I've taken the trash out to the curb, but I'm not really sure what's on the agenda for tomorrow. I don't feel like going out for breakfast and household chores don't sound very appealing either. Who knows. Maybe I'll wake up motivated. If I don't, I can always take a nap with Dash.

Ranger is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3072

Dash surprised me today with explosive diarrhea. What a mess. There was a long line of liquid poop running from the kitchen to the back door. I raced to get the door open in time, but it wouldn't have mattered. It was obvious that Dash couldn't make it to the door. By the time I got everything cleaned up, Dash seemed fine again. I wish he was able to give me a little warning. Whenever Dash races to the door like this, I know that something is going to come out one end or the other.

I wish we could figure out what was causing Dash's digestive problems. He's become an incredibly picky eater. He throws up periodically. And just when we think he's getting back to normal, he has these bouts of diarrhea. If we could find something he would eat consistently, I'm sure it would help. Dogs do better on a consistent diet, but an inconsistent diet is still better than not eating at all. We haven't figured this out yet, but we're doing the best we can.

The electrician came over today and the security light in the back yard is working normally again. Hopefully, I won't get as many chigger bites now that I don't have to wade through the thick ground cover every evening to flip the switch on the breaker box to turn the light on manually. I've started to notice that the more technology is involved in a repair, the better service you get. The technician I use to repair my computers can fix almost anything I need the same day. The new appliance repairman who fixed my refrigerator usually responds in a day or two. The electrician always comes quickly and my HVAC guy is pretty good too. When no electricity is involved, things start to fall apart. It takes forever to get the roofers to make a repair and the landscaper is even worse. I'm still trying to contact that guy.

We had a tough time getting Dash to take his pills this morning. He wasn't interested in eating anything. He still wanted to walk though, and after a long, slow stroll through the park he decided to eat his breakfast after all. Every day is a cliffhanger. I never know if he's going to eat or not. We repeated this process at dinner and he finally finished everything about four hours after he started. I'd just let him wait until he got really hungry if he didn't need to take all these pills on a regular schedule. Most of the pills can't be taken on an empty stomach. This is what makes mealtime so difficult.

After cleaning up Dash's messy diarrhea, a lot of other unpleasant chores seemed easy. I cleaned the toilets and then tackled the grease stained wheels on my car. I was just about ready to clean all the spiderwebs off the back windows, but then I decided that enough was enough. There's always tomorrow, or more likely, next month.

I recorded tonight's episode of The Expanse and will watch it tomorrow. I've been hearing that there might not be a Season Four of this show. I hope that's not true. So far, this show, a series called Detectorists on BBC, and ancient black and white Perry Mason episodes are the only television I enjoy watching.

I hope that Dash can keep it together tomorrow. I'm tired of cleaning up vomit and poo.

Willie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3058

I went to visit my watchmaker friend today. I don't bother to fix my own watches anymore, but I took four of Janet's with me that needed new batteries. I enjoy talking with the watchmaker. Like almost everyone I know, he used to be a client. We have similar interests and always end up talking about how much the world has changed. My friend is still very busy. There aren't a lot of good watch repairmen left anymore. Most of them have retired or died. I'm glad the watchmaker hasn't retired yet. He's the only guy left that I know who does this sort of thing. He tells me that if someone told him how much the watch industry was going to change thirty years ago, he would have chosen a different line of work. I can relate. I might have chosen a different line of work too if I knew how radically the world was going to change.

One of Janet's watches needed a new movement and crown, but I took the other three back with me. It's ironic that Janet is more interested in watches now than I am. She still likes to wear a nice watch to work. I lost interest quite a few years ago. I have so many watches that I just became overwhelmed with the upkeep. It's impossible to keep hundreds of watches running. I should have bought three really good watches that would hold their value instead of a ton of weird, eclectic watches with pretty dials. When I started collecting, I think I just liked getting things in the mail. I bought a ton of stuff on e-Bay from all over the world. I learned a lot, including how to bring old Bulova Accutrons and 1970's LED watches back to life. I actually managed to get quite a few of these dinosaurs running again before I lost interest. If you're just getting interested in watches, don't ever go buy a dozen old Accutrons, hoping they will take you back to the 1960's. Yesterday's state-of-the-art technology is today's albatross around your neck. Just go buy a Rolex. They may too conventional for some, but they are well made, hold their value and you can eventually give the watch to your grandchildren.

I finally contacted the landscaper today. He apologized for not returning my calls and said he could probably come out and get my yard looking decent again late next week. I feel like Sisyphus pushing the rock up the hill with this yard. Whatever I do, I know I'm going to have to do it all over again next year. It's still better to replace the grass than do nothing though. At least our yard will look nice through the Summer.

One of Dash's rubber booties fell off on our walk this morning and I couldn't get it back on again. Dash wanted to keep walking and definitely didn't want me near his rear paw. He even growled at me when I tried to put the boot back on again. This was troubling, because he really needs to wear the booties. His legs are weak and his rear paws turn under when he walks. Without the booties to protect him, it doesn't take long for the top of his paw to start to bleed. I'm not looking forward to getting Dash ready to walk when Janet goes on vacation. It takes two of us to get him suited up now.

There was a new episode of The Expanse tonight, but I didn't bother to watch it. It's more enjoyable to record the thing on the DVR and watch it during the day while Dash is taking a nap. This will give me something to do after breakfast tomorrow. I should just use the DVR for everything. You can fast forward through all the commercials. If I have the patience to wait for a series to come to Netflix or iTunes, that's even better. You have to pay, but the commercials are gone. I wouldn't even want to watch my own commercials anymore. Life should be commercial free.

The next thing on my to-do list is getting my oil changed. I just noticed that the sticker on my windshield said I should have changed it in January. I drive so seldom now that I never change the oil based on mileage. It would take me another year to meet the mileage requirements for my next oil change. Unfortunately, motor oil doesn't last forever. You have to change it eventually whether you drive or not. I end up fixing a lot of things whether I use them or not.

Spot is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3048

It was a nice, uneventful day. Everyone got enough sleep. Dash seemed in good spirits. And the weather was wonderful. I had no plans for the day and was determined to keep things that way. I went to the gym right after walking Dash and eating breakfast. It was the path of least resistance. You don't have to think at the gym. You just follow routines.

There were plenty of things that needed to be done around the house when I returned, but I watched another episode of The Expanse instead. Now I'm all caught up on Season 3 and will have to start watching the show on Wednesday evenings. I can see the appeal of binge watching on Netflix now. A lot of current season shows are available for streaming on the SyFi Channel, but all the commercials are there. To avoid the commercials, you have to wait until you can find what you're looking for on Netflix, Amazon Prime, or iTunes. It's probably worth the wait.

I probably should have a little more respect for commercials. They did provide me with a pretty good income for decades. In retrospect, I wish I'd worked for Space X. Going to Mars seems like a worthy goal. Getting someone to eat a taco, not so much.

The world of The Expanse is pretty bleak. Apparently, 200 years from now we are still involved in continual wars and are on the verge of annihilating ourselves as a species. Personally, I don't think humanity will have spread across the solar system in 200 years. It's been almost 50 years since we went to the moon and we haven't been able to get back there yet. Maybe I'm wrong. Medicine and technology are advancing faster than I ever imagined. I could never have predicted that I'd be walking around with a little phone in my pocket that was so powerful it has basically replaced my camera, my computer, the weatherman on TV, my rolodex, and most of my friends.

It's kind of irritating that I'm having problems with acid reflux again. I thought I'd put this all behind me. After taking Pantoprazole for ten years, my doctor convinced me to stop and I was actually doing very well without the proton pump inhibitor for at least three years. I'm almost certain the problem is just a lack of discipline on my part. When I was being treated for Hepatitis C, I completely changed my diet. For the first time ever, I was really eating healthy meals. It made a difference. After I was cured, I gradually began backsliding. I still don't drink and try to eat healthy meals, but I am eating red meat and pasta again. I've resumed eating bread and occasionally enjoy a pizza. Sadly, I can't handle Italian food anymore. Even a cheeseburger is risky these days. A mostly vegetarian diet completely eliminated the acid reflux, but it was so boring. There's always a price to pay for pleasure.

It's hard to believe that it's almost May. It's been such a chilly Spring that the furnace is still coming on at night. I should enjoy these cool mornings, because they won't be around much longer. The temperature will be over 100 soon and I'll be turning 70. I'm not looking forward to either event, although my advanced age will get me out of jury duty.

Parker is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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Day 3047

I got a message from a bank manager today telling me that my bank had been charging me unnecessary fees for the past several months. Great. I was supposed to call them to see about getting the fees removed. Of course, when I did call, the bank was closed. I wonder how much they've been charging me? This is one more example of everything being way more complicated than it needs to be. If the fees are unnecessary, why do I even need to call? The bank should have just removed the fees as soon as they discovered the mistake. I think this happened once before. I've been a customer for so long that my type of account doesn't exist anymore. They just grandfathered me in so I could keep the terms I started out with. My old AT&T account has been grandfathered as well. I'll call the bank on Monday, but I probably don't even want to know what my account has been replaced with.

Today was filled with the usual Saturday errands, but there was one pleasant surprise. I discovered that my favorite show, The Expanse, is back on the air again. I missed the premier of Season 3 earlier this month, but I did find where I could stream the first three episodes on the new season online. Oddly, even though this is my favorite show, I couldn't remember what had happened in Season 2. I had to watch the last episode of Season 2 again, so I would know what was going on when I started watching the new shows. I eventually got around to watching the first episode of Season 3 and it was full of ads, just like live TV. I guess I need to see if I can buy these new shows on iTunes. I hate being interrupted by ads.

We planted some wildflower seeds that we were given to us when Dot passed away and the squirrels keep digging them up. I keep moving the flowerpots around, but the yard squirrels apparently love fresh dirt. We really hoped that these memorial flowers would grow, but it's going to be an uphill battle. The flowers need a lot of sunlight which isn't very abundant in our tree covered yard. To make matters worse, the squirrels are convinced that there are acorns buried in the flower pots. I wonder if we're ever going to see these wildflowers.

It's too early to tell whether the Movoflex is helping Dash, but he did seem to have a lot of energy this morning. He slept all night too. It's such a pleasant surprise not to have to get up in the middle of the night. I'm not looking forward to Summer. As the day warmed up, Dash slowed down. He can't take the heat anymore. We took a short afternoon walk, but he was panting before we got home. I really don't want to push the old guy too hard. We might be limited to one sunrise walk a day pretty soon. I'm glad Dash still likes the early morning walks. It's the only exercise he gets.

It looks like it's time to mow the grass again The car looks pretty dirty too. I have a feeling that I'm going to be busy tomorrow. Of course, instead of doing chores, I could always just watch another episode of The Expanse. It's nice to have a choice.

Lucky is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3034

I looked up at the sky when I took Dash out to pee last night and I couldn't find Jupiter. How could a planet disappear? I guess I'd forgotten how long it's been cloudy when I take Dash out in the middle of the night. Saturn, Mars and Jupiter were no longer in their familiar positions. It seemed like yesterday when the three planets were neatly arranged in a straight line stretched across the Eastern sky. Of course it seems like Christmas was yesterday too. The older you get, the faster time flies.

It's just about impossible to get Dash to do his business at a reasonable hour. I take him out several times every night now. Dash ought to be glad that I'm a light sleeper. He seems supremely confident that I will always be there to open the door for him. Strangely, I don't really feel sleep deprived like I did when Dot was sick. I take naps now. Dash's behavior is not going to change. He's certainly not losing much sleep since he spends most of the day snoozing. I figure if you can't beat 'em, you might as well join 'em. I'm going to sleep during the day too.

I tried to find the special adhesive that can glue silicon to silicon, but nobody carries it. I struck out trying to find a replacement band for Janet's Fitbit too. I'm beginning to think that it isn't even worth the trouble to shop at retail stores anymore. Both of these hard to find items are readily available on Amazon. All I have to do is click on the "add to cart" button" and they'll be here next week.

There seems to be fewer and fewer people at the gym each time I go. Maybe this is seasonal, or maybe there's a better gym out there. I hope enough people keep attending this gym to keep it open. I'd hate to see the place close. I've grown fond of the place and it would be difficult for me to go anywhere else. If I had to go to a trendy gym full of young people, I'd probably stop going entirely.

We ordered Dash some indoor boots that he can wear around the house. He's really starting to slip on the bricks now. Hopefully, the lightweight rubberized boots will provide the traction he needs. I'd hate to bring all those ugly rugs  home from the storage warehouse again. The three rugs we've strategically placed in the kitchen to help him eat are bad enough. I suspect that it's only a matter of time before the rest of the rugs return as well.

I've started watching a show called Detectorists on BBC. The show is supposed to be a comedy, but it is bleak and a bit melancholy. Maybe that's why I like it. The main characters have dead end jobs, or no jobs at all, and spend their time searching the English countryside for hidden gold with metal detectors. They find nothing but old buttons and pull tabs from beer cans, but never seem to give up. The awkwardness and futility of these characters seems so real that each episode becomes a sad metaphor for life in general. I think there still another season of this show that I haven't seen yet. Maybe I've finally got something to watch on Netflix.

Can you believe it's the middle of April already?  Maybe by the end of the month Winter will be over.

Krissy is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3032

I spend most of the day waiting for rain. Theoretically, we are under a tornado watch, but the bad weather must have gone to the North or South of us. So far, all I've seen are a few light showers. It doesn't hurt to be prepared though. I went up on the roof and moved the sump pump, so it would remove water from the area where we've been experiencing a leak. It may not work, but it's worth a try.

I got an early start today so I could walk Dash before the rain started. Even at Dash's excruciatingly slow pace, we managed to stay dry until we made it home again. I wasn't so lucky when I went to get groceries for the weekend. The rain wasn't heavy, but it was enough to get the car muddy. I picked up a new supply of phenobarbital for Dash on the way home and spent the rest of the day inside, watching the sky get darker and darker.

The vet that examined Dash yesterday thought some of the weakness in his rear legs was caused by arthritis and wanted us to see if gabapentin would help Dash walk without dragging his legs. We tried the drug today and it actually seems to make him worse. Sure enough, two of the most common side effects of gabapentin are sedation and wobbliness. We decided to discontinue the drug after only using it for one day. Dash is so wobbly already from the vestibular disease that he stumbles a lot. He can't afford to get much worse. I had to help Dash up several times this afternoon as he was waking up from a nap. He was struggling to get up on his own. This wasn't normal. It almost has to be the pills.

The tree trimmer canceled his appointment today because of the rain. He told me he was going fishing instead. I don't blame him for not wanting to trim trees in a thunderstorm, but I'm not so sure that fishing was a wise idea. Oh, well. The trees aren't a big priority anyway. The person I'd really like to see right now is the roofer.

I downloaded some of the piano lessons that come with GarageBand. The lessons are pretty basic, but nicely thought out. I could actually learn something. It's kind of cool to have a digital audio workstation that can teach you to play an instrument. Today I learned that the way I typically finger chords is wrong. I also learned how to play a simplified version of Ode to Joy. I think you have to buy the more advanced lessons on the App Store, but they're not very expensive. This will definitely give me something to do on rainy days.

We didn't even try to take an afternoon walk. Dash was smart enough to know that the noise we were hearing off in the distance was thunder. In lieu of a walk, I did some laundry and watched TV. I'm so tired of political news and stock market gyrations, that it might have been better to take a walk in the rain. I need to find a channel that just talks about artificial intelligence and upcoming space launches.

Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2945

The only thing on my mind today was staying warm. Not only was it the coldest day of the year, it was colder than any day last year. Even Dash knew it was too cold for comfort. As soon as he did his business in the yard this morning, he came running back inside. I kept the little ceramic heater running in the office today and it warmed the place up a bit. The office is still the coldest room in the house though. It's just too far away from the furnace.

It's hard to avoid cabin fever on days like this. I paid some bills, answered a couple of messages from clients, and picked up a new supply of phenobarbital for Dash at the vet. That was about it. I wish Dash didn't have to take the phenobarbital, but it's pretty effective at preventing epileptic seizures. We can't afford to have another seizure at this point. Dash is far too fragile.

It was still well below freezing by mid-afternoon, but I could tell that Dash wanted a walk. Although it was clear, there was a stiff wind that made it feel like we were headed toward the South Pole. I was freezing, but Dash seemed to be enjoying himself. Along the way, I spotted a large hawk being pestered by three crows. It seemed to be a metaphor for something. The hawk ignored the crows and appeared to regard them with total distain. I'd like to think that animals live in a peaceful, bucolic world, but from what I've observed, they are just as mean and nasty as we are.

Just about everything I was going to do today got postponed until tomorrow. I didn't make a vet appointment and I didn't get a haircut either. It would have been a perfect day to watch Netflix movies, but I couldn't even bring myself to turn on the television. Two long walks, a writing assignment, and a couple of website updates fill up a day pretty well. Without these things, I just flounder around.

It's weird that South Texas got a lot of snow and ice and we didn't. The weather doesn't make sense anymore, but of course nothing else does either. While I was fixing lunch, I watched a press conference where the president's doctor was describing the results of his latest physical. The assembled press corps seemed visibly disappointed that the president was in good health. It was painfully obvious that most of them just wanted him to die. This may seem normal to you, but it seemed very weird to me. I've watched enough old Perry Mason shows to know that this kind of hatred doesn't usually end well.

When I was going to pick up Dash's phenobarbital at the vet, I was listening to a program on NPR where the guy being interviewed thought that it was easier to reach goals when there was a lot of emotion, positive reinforcement, and empathy involved. It all sounded like bullshit to me. I don't rely on any of these things. To me, you've just got to keep moving. If you have the discipline to keep putting one foot in front of the other no matter how you feel, you will look back occasionally and realize that you've traveled much further than you ever thought possible.

Shelby is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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