Day 3205

I should have mowed the grass earlier. The heavy rains that caused the roof leak also caused the grass in the front yard to grow amazingly fast. It was almost a foot tall on some places. Technically, grass this tall is really a weed, but hey it's green. It's amazing how much harder to do manual work like this when you're 70. Mowing the grass seemed a lot easier when I was 40.

I called the roofer today, but I didn't get a response. That wasn't surprising. It usually takes at least five calls before anything happens at all. Dealing with this new leak isn't going to be easy. There was a general understanding that the repairs the guys made late this Summer would be the last. I actually thought the crew did a good job, so I was quite surprised when the roof started leaking again. I need to be persistent though. The roof really shouldn't be leaking at this point.

My contact at the auction house called me this evening while I was out walking Dash. I hope it wasn't anything important, because the auction is tomorrow. I'm pretty sure they just wanted me to confirm the reserve price. This price fluctuates, depending on whether there are advance bids. The auction starts while we're at the vet with Dash tomorrow, but my lot doesn't go under the hammer until the afternoon. I'll nervously watch what happens online.

I'm also a bit nervous about Dash's exam at the cancer center tomorrow morning. It's been two months since Dash has had a major exam and he's definitely gone downhill since then. Actually, Dash's appetite has improved since our last visit, but almost everything else has gone downhill. Dash has real trouble walking now and his incontinence has gotten worse. His teeth are terrible and I'm really looking for a way to prevent him from getting periodontal disease. We briefly tried an antiseptic rinse that Janet uses, but our other vet said it probably wasn't safe since the the ingredients included an artificial flavoring that wasn't safe for dogs.

I need to learn more about weather. For the past three mornings, when I've taken Dash out to pee at 5 AM, the sky has been crystal clear. I've noticed the sky because Orion is rising in the East. This is my favorite constellation and one of the few things you can reliably see through all the light pollution in Dallas. The weird thing is that when I go outside again an hour or two later, the sky has become completely overcast. Where did all these clouds come from so quickly?

I hope the auction goes well tomorrow. Like I've said before, this is my Antiques Roadshow moment. I may get really lucky and then again, maybe I won't. Auction results still seems kind of random to me and it's hard to anticipate what buyers are thinking. It's kind of the end of an era. I definitely won't be buying any more art after this is all over.

Hobbs is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 390

It snowed today in Dallas. At least I could have sworn it snowed. When I was eating lunch I distinctly remember seeing big flakes falling and watching the backyard get covered with the white stuff. I went back to the office to update some websites after lunch and by the time I was finished and was getting ready to take the dogs on their evening walk, all the snow was gone. I can't believe it all melted so quickly, because it's still pretty cold outside. That's the way it is with snow in Dallas though. You've got to be pretty quick to catch it. There were lots of pictures of snow on Dallas Facebook pages today, but I don't think any of that snow is still around. It's just wet right now.

I had to get the standing water off the roof before it froze into a big sheet of ice this afternoon. While I was up on the roof, I noticed that rats or squirrels had managed to pry the heavy wire mesh off the tops of the standpipes. I sure hope that doesn't mean that animals have gotten into the plumbing pipes again. This had happened before and I hope it doesn't happen again. When it gets below freezing, mice and rats are attracted by the warm steam coming out of the standpipes and either crawl or fall into the plumbing system. Once you've seen a wet rat jump out of your toilet bowl, you get real nervous about using the toilet in cold weather. I thought I'd attached the heavy wire mesh covering the top of the standpipes securely enough so a Gorilla couldn't pry it off, but it's hard to defeat a determined rat. Hopefully, I got the protective covers back on in time.

Janet ditched her old flip phone and got an iPhone today. One by one, practally everyone I know has switched to using an iPhone. When we were at the wedding reception last night, there were iPhones everywhere. Young people had them. Old people had them. Everyone had them. Admittedly, I was late to the party myself, but I've already become a true believer. These phones are fabulous. It's incredibly useful to be able to carry your whole world around with you in your pocket. It kind of changes everything. No regrets about buying Apple stock when it was 88 dollars a share either.

Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 380

There must be a 12-step program somewhere for people like me who have trouble throwing things away. It's painfully obvious that I need to start tossing some things in the office, but it's not nearly as easy as it should be. Today I needed to find a place for the new computer. You'd think I could just set it down somewhere, but every square inch of available real estate was already covered with something. There was literally no room for the computer in the entire office. I finally decided that since I hadn't recorded any songs in almost five years, some of the recording gear could go to the storage warehouse. This carved out enough desk space to set the computer down, but it also made me a little sad. Why haven't I written any new songs lately? Songwriting used to be one of my favorite things. I think there's a part of my brain that just like my storage room. I store away old interests in hopes that they will be rekindled sometay. You never know. I might have a song or two left in me.

It was unbelievably warm today for the end of December. When I walked the dogs this afternoon, I didn't even need a jacket. I don't know long this T-shirt weather is going to last, but I'm certainly enjoying it. The park is really pretty in an austere kind of way in December. All the native prairie grass has turned dry and golden. It almost looks like wheat waiting to be harvested. The leaves on the ground still have their Fall color and the dogs love to run through big piles of them. In another month or so, everything will start looking soggy and bedraggled, but right now there's a picture waiting to be taken around every corner.

Tomorrow is New Year's Eve. I used to always buy something for the company at the end of the year to take advantage of Section 179 expensing, but I think that's how the office got so cluttered. I don't think I'll buy anything tomorrow. Lowering your tax liability isn't quite as big of an issue when you aren't making any money.

Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day