Day 737

Where has this year gone? Each holiday seems to arrive quicker than the last. By the time I'm ready for Halloween, it's already time for Christmas. It's been that way all year. I have a feeling that by the time my Christmas spirit kicks in, it will be New Year's Eve. It just doesn't feel like Christmas yet, and it's only three days away.

I sent my oil and gas article to Germany today for approval. I hope they like it, because I'm already on to other things. The watch article marathon continues. I try to write three articles a day, but I have a feeling that I won't need to keep up this pace much longer. Watches are popular holiday gifts. I bet when Christmas is over and Hanukkah is over a few days later, the need for a continual stream of social media watch articles will diminish considerably.

I still can't decide whether to make the little video about opening the B&H box. The box arrived today and I still haven't opened it, so I guess there's at least a part of me that wants to go ahead and shoot the video. I never win these kind of contests, so I'm sure it would be a waste of time. On the other hand, what have I got to lose? I could make a funny little video about how the dogs always get upset every time the UPS man comes to the door with a package and then I get upset a little while later when I discover that what's inside is broken. I don't think this would win the contest though.

I got a gift card in the mail today from one of my old retail clients. I guess it's not really a gift card, since I have to spend at least a $100 to get $50 off. Nevertheless, this seems like a real good discount. Maybe I'll go out tomorrow and buy myself a new pair of shoes.

Sisters are our Dalmatians of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 736

I got an early start today, since I needed to take Janet to the dentist for dental surgery. Somehow, by the end of the day, my extra hour totally disappeared. For a change of pace, I spent the day writing about process safety engineering in the oil and gas industry instead of writing about watches. A little different to say the least, but it still just comes down to putting words on a page.

I got an e-mail from B&H Photo today. It said they were having a contest to see who could make the best video of a B&H package being opened. Hmm. I ordered something from B&H recently and will be getting a package soon. I make videos for a living. Maybe I could win this contest. The prize is certainly pretty good: a Canon 5D Mark III. There's only one problem. I absolutely hate competitions and contests. This is a tough one.

I wasn't sure if Janet would want to go to dog class tonight, since she just returned from dental surgery a few hours ago. Apparently nothing can keep her away from training class though, so we all bundled up and went through the exercises in the cold, damp December air. I'm ready for Spring and Winter hasn't even officially started.

Tomorrow will be another busy day of writing. With any luck, I'll be able to finish the first draft of my oil and gas article and get back to my marathon of watch articles again. I know there are probably a bunch of little errands I need to do between now and Christmas, but if they involve fighting the holiday traffic, I'm probably just going to forget about them. Hey, the Christmas tree is up. The Santa Paws pictures are done. I've ordered gifts from Amazon.com. Maybe it's time to relax.

Willow is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 735

The pelicans returned to the lake today. I'm always amazed at how graceful these ungainly birds seem in-flight. They glide effortlessly through the air, hardly moving their wings. On the ground, it's an entirely different story. Their beak is so large that it's surprising they can fly at all. If I kept better records, I wouldn't be surprised to discover that the pelicans return on the same day every year. It certainly seems like a year since I saw them arrive the last time.

I took Dash to the vet for his antigen shot today. For a young, active dog, he certainly has more than his share of problems. The antigen shots are definitely working at clearing up his skin condition, but they are also causing him to develop big lumps under his skin whenever he receives an injection. This happened once before when there was a bad batch of the antigen, so I'm wondering if it has happened again. Dash has such sensitive skin that it appears that the antigen has to be perfect before it works at all.

I wish there was a market for dead leaves. Every year I'm amazed at how many leaves fall off our four large Oak trees. This year I'm trying to get the leaves off the roof as they fall. If I wait until they collect into a foot thick soggy mess, I'm really in trouble. These wet leaves probably weigh more than an equivalent amount of snow. They retain water like a sponge and once wet, the roof never seems to dry out. Only time will tell if my efforts to control the leaves will help reduce water damage this Winter. So far, the only thing I've noticed is that my neck is hurting again.

Now that I'm cooped up writing every day, I find myself fighting the urge to buy stuff I don't need online. I've succumbed to this urge before, mostly because it's quite enjoyable to get packages in the mail. There's nothing really wrong with this little diversion, but I'm going to have to find something less expensive to buy than camera gear. I could go broke buying camera gear just to get a package in the mail. It would be a lot cheaper to just go have a cup of coffee with someone at Starbucks whenever I began to go stir crazy. This takes too long though. Opening a package is much more efficient. It only takes a minute and it gives me a nice little lift. Then I go back to work.

Lexi is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 734

All day I've been hearing that a major storm was headed our way. The storm had already caused blizzard conditions in New Mexico and West Texas, but here in Dallas it was just supposed to be a lot of heavy wind and rain. At any rate, when it was time to take the dogs on their evening walk, I thought I'd have plenty of time to get back before the rain started. The sky was dark, but there was almost no wind and the approaching front didn't appear to be moving fast. The dogs weren't acting like a storm was approaching either, so off we went. Oops. We all made a serious miscalculation. About a mile from home the wind picked up suddenly and within minutes it was raining cats and dogs. We headed for home immediately, but we all got soaked anyway. All my clothes were sopping wet. Even the iPhone in one of my pockets was wet. I was amazed that it still worked. It took several bath towels to get the dogs dry again and then it took several more to mop up the wet floor. At least we didn't get struck by lightning. We saw plenty of lightning on our exceedingly wet retreat back to the house.

I'm sure that Dot didn't have a great day. She had to endure two of her least favorite things today: rain and the furnace repairman. Prior to our evening walk, she barked herself into a frenzy when the HVAC guy came to the house to give our furnace its Winter service check. I'm amazed that repair people even bother to come to the house anymore. I try my best to keep Dot quiet, but it is of little avail. She has made it her mission to keep strangers at bay. I always pen the dogs in the office with me while repair folk are in the house, but that does little to alleviate the noise. If someone needs to tell me something, we generally have to go outside to talk.

Since it was a dismal day, I spent most of my time writing again. I finished a lengthy watch article and got started on my oil and gas project. If this bad weather continues, I may even get caught up with everything before the end of the year. If you happen to be suffering from writer's block, I can report with some authority that the more you write, the easier it gets. I've undertaken a lot more writing projects this year than I did the previous year, and I'm finding that the whole process of being a wordsmith is much more straightforward than it used to be. Writing has become a routine. It's just something I do everyday now, like making the bed every morning or brewing a pot of coffee.

Ranger is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 733

Dot and Dash had fun at the dog park today, but for me it was mostly a day of catching up on neglected chores. I fixed the steering problems on my Defender 90. I swept a huge pile of leaves off the front patio into the street, where hopefully they will blow away. I vacuumed all the carpets, which were rapidly becoming covered by these same leaves every time the dogs came inside. I even found time to upload over 1 GB of video files to a client in Germany.

Luckily, I didn't have to go anywhere near a shopping mall today. All the malls that we passed on our way to the dog park were so crowded that cars were circling the parking lots like vultures, looking for that illusive parking spot. I bet it took people at least 30 minutes just to find a parking space today. I wonder why more of these people haven't discovered the joys of online shopping like I have. The crowds in Dallas are unbelievable at this time of year. I'm even driving around with a nail in one of my tires, because I dread waiting in a long line for service at the tire store. It's not that people are buying tires for Christmas, there are just more people everywhere!

Marty, my regular HVAC service guy isn't coming out to the house tomorrow. They say it's because he's too busy, but I think it's because of the dogs. Dot and Dash keep up a non-stop cacophony of barking when service people enter the house. I know Marty didn't like the dogs barking at him all the time. Probably the new guy they send out won't either. It is pretty loud. I've just gotten used to it over the years.

I sure am getting forgetful. I noticed today that I forgot to send in my third quarter estimated taxes in September. Completely slipped my mind. I don't think I'll get much a penalty for the lapse though. I have a feeling that I didn't actually make any money in the third quarter.

Alvin is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 732

I cleaned the furnace filters today. You probably wouldn't guess why I felt so compelled to do this right now. You see, the furnace guy is coming out on Monday. I don't want him to get on my case for letting the electrostatic filters get dirty. I could care less if people think I'm a little insensitive to my fellow man. I definitely don't want the repair guys to think I mistreat my tools and appliances though. I think I always clean the furnace just before the furnace repairman comes over.

The weird noise I keep hearing when I start the car seems to be getting louder, so I stopped by an AutoZone store and got a bottle of power steering fluid while I was running errands this afternoon. It seems like the last time I heard this noise, low power steering fluid was the problem.

I tore one of the fitted sheets while I was making the bed recently, so I picked up another set of sheets while I was running errands too. Jeez, when did sheets get so expensive? Like just about everything else I've purchased recently, the price for a set of fitted sheets seems to have doubled since the last time I looked for these things. All those people who say inflation isn't a problem are nuts. Inflation is a big problem! My haircut yesterday cost more than it did the last time. Gas prices seem to be going up again. The price of my favorite coffee beans are going way up. It's ridiculous.

When I went up on the roof today to get rid of the leaves, I didn't expect to find water. There it was though. Another little lake of water to sweep away. Where did all this water come from? I don't even think it rained yesterday. At least it was warm this afternoon. No dog coats to struggle with and just a light jacket for myself.

I was feeling pretty good until one of my doctors called today and told me he thought I needed a MRI. Evidently when the radiologist evaluated the CAT scan I had done last week, he saw something he didn't like. They can take all the scans they want. It's what comes after the scans that I don't particularly want to deal with.

Duke is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 731

I couldn't have picked a worse time to get a haircut. Trust me. At 4:30 on a Friday afternoon just before Christmas, the Northpark Mall is a zoo. I though I'd get a terrible haircut, since it was the end of a long, hectic day, but Betty was in surprisingly good spirits and gave me one of the best cuts I've gotten all year. After I got my hair cut, I still had to go to Central Market for some groceries and pick up my dry cleaning. By the time I got home to walk the dogs, it was completely dark.

Why didn't I do all these errands earlier, you might ask? It's just that time of year. I just can't seem to get caught up. I spent most of the day transcribing all the video clips from my interview with the oil and gas executive last Tuesday. It was a tedious job, but it was absolutely necessary. My memory is like a sieve. Some stuff sticks, but most short-term memories float right on through and are quickly forgotten. Luckily, what I captured on tape was pretty good, so I think I'll be able to turn this into a reasonably decent article. While I was transcribing the interview, more website revision and watch article requests arrived, so I'll have plenty to do next week. If I was more ambitious, I'd have plenty to do this weekend, but I think I need a break.

I've got most of my Christmas shopping finished. Since I buy almost everything online these days, Christmas shopping is not nearly as onerous a task as it used to be. It's hard to imagine what I did before Amazon.com came along. Thank you Amazon for making my life a little easier.

The dogs need a bath this weekend. They don't smell bad or anything, but they're both starting to itch and scratch again. Dalmatians have sensitive skin and they seem allergic to just about everything. Maybe I'll get some good pictures this weekend. I've started carrying a very small camera with a large sensor around with me on our walks and it is starting to produce results. We startled a flock of birds this morning and I don't think I could have ever captured them flying away with my iPhone.

Hannah is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 730 - Blogiversary

Year three begins now. When I started this blog two years ago today, I thought my life was boring and uneventful. I began wondering if paying more attention to what was actually happening each day could somehow change the way I thought about life. I can now report that it has.

What started as a simple diary gradually became a way of life. I've always been a reasonably good observer, but the more I looked and the more I wrote, they more I found. My life wasn't really less interesting than other people's lives, it was just different. Different didn't mean better or worse anymore, it just meant different. In a small world encompassing two spotted dogs and a green urban park, I rediscovered life. By sharing this small world with you, I think I made it a bit larger.

I don't think my life would make a good reality show. Nothing really happens. I don't go to the A-list parties. I'm no longer a world traveler. I don't have famous friends. And I'm certainly not rich. Actually, I'm probably a lot like many of you. We go through our lives just trying to get from one day to the next. Maybe by re-examining my own simple life, I've caused one or two of you to take a second look at yours. Hopefully, I've been able to convince some of you that everybody's life is rich and intricate, whether you spend it jet-setting around the world or sitting in a small room typing away with two dogs under your desk.

It rained again today. As we were walking this morning, we passed an old gnarled tree that I see almost every day. The tree isn't tall, but it has a million branches, each spiraling out from the trunk in a different direction. When I look at this tree I occasionally see my life. So many forks in the road. Each branch a different choice to explore. But here's the strange part: with each different branch I take, I'm always firmly rooted in the same spot.

Jasper is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 729

The weather was absolutely miserable today. It rained all day. Even though I put their nicely fitting, waterproof raincoats on them, Dot and Dash didn't want to go outside at all. Too bad they never learned to poop in the back yard like normal dogs. Rain or shine, they insist on walking all the way to their designated place in the park to do their business. That's what we did today. Twice. We got soaked of course, but I just threw all the soggy clothes and dog raincoats in the dryer and twenty minutes later everything was back to normal.

On rainy days like this, just about the only thing you can do is sit at the computer and work. I certainly had plenty of work to catch up on. As the rain assaulted my leak prone roof, I methodically worked my way through yesterday's surprisingly large pile of requests. By the end of the day I had finished several major website updates and written another watch article. I still haven't started on my article about the oil and gas industry, but with any luck I'll be able put that project on the front burner tomorrow.

I tried to get some of the water off the roof after dinner, but it was a futile effort. It's still raining. At least the dogs didn't have to go to class tonight. I noticed that the class hadn't been canceled tonight on their website, so there are probably a few crazy people up there right now doing their training exercises in the rain. Our dogs have already been wet today though. Enough is enough.

Tomorrow is my blogiversary. I'd like to say I had something really special planned, but you guys know me better than that by now. It will just be another day. I'll let you know what happened though. I always do.

Lance is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 728

I made a quick trip to Houston today. I'm still amazed that I can fly to Houston in less time than it takes me to drive from my house to some Dallas suburbs. The first thing on my Houston agenda was interviewing an oil and gas executive for a magazine article I'm currently writing. I used to take copious notes when conducting these types of interviews. Now I just make a video record of the entire interview. It's much easier this way. After completing my interview with the oil and gas guy, I met with the marketing director of another company who ended up interviewing me for some potential writing jobs. All in all, it was a very productive day. I got a lot done, made some new contacts and was back in Dallas in plenty of time to give Dot and Dash their evening walk.

Not surprisingly, when I got home, the phone machine was full of messages from clients who needed something immediately. It never fails. If I'm here and readily available, nobody ever calls. If I'm gone, everybody needs something. I was going to start writing the article about the guy I interviewed today, but it looks like I'll spend tomorrow catching up on today's website requests instead.

On the plane this morning, I noticed that when the flight attendant told everyone to turn off their electronic devices, several people near me completely ignored her and kept right on playing whatever game had captured their attention. I have a feeling there are lots of potential Alec Baldwins out there. If I was on American Airlines, this kind of insurrection would have caused a big commotion and the flight would have been delayed. On Southwest Airlines, nothing happened at all. The plane just continued down the runway and took off with a boatload of people still playing games on their iPhones back in the cabin. The plane arrived safely, just like you'd expect, giving me one more reason to like Southwest more than other airlines. I wish we could just put an end to all these silly rules. I don't think someone reading a book on their Kindle is going to hurt the plane. And don't even get me started about taking your shoes off every time you go to the airport. I was behind an old man in the security line today who had so much trouble getting his shoes back on again that he probably missed his plane.

Tomorrow I won't even need to wear any shoes. I'll just be sitting here, working at the computer with a warm dog under my desk.

Cookie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 727

Another gray, Winter day. I've noticed the Double-Crested Cormorants have returned to the lake, right on schedule. If there's a piling, or a pole, or even a dead branch in the water, you'll usually find a Cormorant sitting on top of it in the morning. The ducks usually fly away as we approach, but these Cormorants don't budge. Somehow, they know that nothing can touch them when they're sitting on a pole in the water.

I upgraded my laptop to Lion today. I really should have waited. I didn't realized how slow it was going to be to download an Apple operating system. Every time I've done a system upgrade before, I've done the installation using a CD or DVD. Trust me, installing using a disk is much faster than a WiFi download. Unfortunately, I think Lion is only available from the app store as a download. If everything continues to work fine on the laptop, I'll download the Lion software to my desktop computer in a couple of weeks. I'm always suspicious of major system upgrades, because inevitably, some essential piece of software no longer works.

Even eating cold cereal for breakfast this morning didn't give me enough extra time to catch up on things. I have a feeling that no matter how hard I work, or how many meals I forgo, I'm still not going to catch up before the end of the year. Today I did some necessary accounting and wrote my daily quota of watch articles. The website updates were minor and I think they can wait until another day. I did need to run some errands though, and by the time the shopping and a trip to the bank were finished, the day was over.

I need to find out when the cutoff date is for Christmas delivery on Amazon.com. I have a feeling that it might be pretty soon.

Savannah is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 726

Where did this weekend go? At the end of the day, I still hadn't gone to the grocery store, vacuumed the house, or done half a dozen other things that I usually do on weekends. I did get all the photo equipment put away from yesterday's Santa Paws event. I did some laundry and printed out this month's invoices to mail tomorrow, but that was about it. From that point, the day literally went to the dogs.

Dot and Dash got their usual Sunday trip to the Wagging Tail Dog Park, but what really ate up our time was deciding to get Santa photos of our own dogs. We took the dogs to another rescue group's Santa photo event, and waited and waited and waited. This group wasn't nearly as well organized as our Dalmatian Rescue team. These guys scheduled the dogs way too close together. They put the printing and order taking folks in the same room with the photographer, so the space was extremely cramped. Their backdrop was all wrong and Santa had the cheesiest looking beard I've ever seen. Of course, our own dogs didn't help matters either. Dot didn't want to have anything to do with Santa and Dash almost knocked over the entire set. I kept wanting to tell these folks how to do Santa pictures the right way, but I think Janet wanted me to keep my mouth shut.

With the Santa picture ordeal out of the way, I tried to get a little of my own work done and then took Dot and Dash on their evening walk. I sure wish this was a three day weekend. I could certainly use an extra day. I still need to go to the grocery store. I also need to do some research on the guy I'm supposed to interview in Houston. I don't want to look like a complete idiot when I arrive at his offices. I need to write some more watch articles too. I'm surprised at how many I've already written, but I'm still not even close to completing my client's year end goal.

Things are so busy that I may even need to eat cereal for breakfast next week. I love my leisurely and often extravagant breakfasts, but I'm not going to miss a deadline just so I can eat French Toast.

Emmitt is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 725

We completed our last Santa Paws photo event of the season today. Since we had huge crowds for the first three events, I kind of thought that this one would be the same. Not as many people wanted to see Santa today. We still took a lot of pet photos, but it was nothing like last week's grueling marathon. Maybe the event just seemed easier today because most of the dogs were smaller and well behaved.

With the Christmas props stowed and packed away for another year, it's on to other things. I'm badly in need of a haircut and I haven't even started thinking about my own Christmas shopping. There's still a ton of work to complete and my trip to Houston as well. At least I won't need surgery like last December. The preliminary results from yesterday's CAT Scan look good.

The Dalmatian Rescue group has another casino party tonight, but I won't be spinning the roulette wheel like I usually do. The dogs have been cooped up all day, so I came home and walked Dot and Dash while Janet went on to tend the roulette table. It seems like rescue groups always have something going on in December. It's probably the biggest fund-raising month of the year. I saw an article in the local paper the other day about holiday pet photos and it said that over 20 different rescue groups were offering Santa photos in the Dallas area this weekend. Maybe that's another reason why we didn't have as many people today. The Santa photo business is just getting too competitive.

I think there's some holiday event we're supposed to go to tomorrow, but I can't even remember what it is. Whatever it is, I hope it takes place in the afternoon. It would be nice to sleep in late tomorrow. I have a feeling that things will stay in high gear until the end of the year. That's usually just the way December's are. I can't forget that I've got a blogiversary next week as well. It's still hard to believe that I've been doing this for two solid years without missing a single day.

Princess is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 724

Well, I was back in the CAT Scan machine again today. I'll have to give my doctors credit where credit is due. So far, they've been pretty successful at warding off the perils of age and heredity. Lately, I've started thinking of these guys as my medical team. They all seem to know each other and often coordinate their treatment efforts. I can't say I enjoy living a clean, healthy lifestyle and taking a mountain of pills every morning, but it seems to be working. Personally, I enjoyed my 20's and 30's a lot better, when I practically lived on beer, wine and bacon. We've all got to pay for our sins sometime though, and my time has come.

I wrote my article about the color orange today. Although I initially though the premise was ridiculous, the article actually turned out pretty well. I had hoped to get more done today, but when there are doctor's appointments on the calendar, my schedule kind of goes out the window. I hadn't really planned on the CAT Scan today, so that took a couple of additional hours out of an already busy day.

Tomorrow will be even busier, since I'll be taking pet pictures at our final Santa Paws photo event. This one should be identical to the three we've done already. The only difference is that this one is further away, so I'll have to get up a bit earlier tomorrow. So far, the events have been very successful. We've raised quite a bit of money to help Dalmatian Rescue.

There was a heavy box at the front door when I got home from my doctor's appointment. I hadn't ordered anything heavy, so I was curious what was inside. Turns out it was this year's edition of Who's Who in America. I've been listed in this book for ages, but I've almost forgotten about it. Thirty years ago it was a big deal to be included in Who's Who in America. I think the book has fallen by the wayside though. It seems kind of like a vanity publication now. Probably a high Klout score matters more than being in Who's Who these days.

Puppies are our Dalmatians of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 723

What a busy day. We started with a very frosty walk through the park. I'm trying to get up a little earlier, so the day isn't half over before I even get started. It hasn't been an easy task though. I'm just not a morning person. Earlier is better though. Even after piddling around making French Toast for breakfast, I got started with my writing chores about an hour earlier than usual.

I saw something that amused me while I was walking the dogs this morning. A bird was making its nest inside the letter O of a sign that spelled out the word house on a building. This was quite literally a bird house. I took a quick picture with my iPhone, but it's times like these that make me wish I always carried a better camera with me at all times.

Writing work has been quite steady this month. Tomorrow, I'm supposed to write an article about how the color orange has become the fashion world's hot new color for 2012. Orange? You're kidding me. Orange still just says Halloween to me. In the packet of background materials I got for the story, there were pictures of models walking down the runway in outfits that looked suspiciously like the orange safety clothing road construction crews wear. Orange is evidently supposed to be the new black. Somehow I don't think a lot of women are going to be getting out their favorite little orange dress to go to holiday cocktail parties.

I actually ended up going to a holiday party myself today. It was an open house at my physical therapist's office. I really went to remind them about the video project they kept telling me they wanted to do several months ago. Of course, they didn't really remember much about the video when I got to the party, but it wasn't a total waste of time. The party was surprisingly festive for something being held at a medical facility. People were using the exercise machines, getting free massages and drinking lots of free beer and wine. I'm surprised they didn't serve bacon. Maybe this is why I like this place so much. No prescription medicine. No unnecessary surgery. Just lots of sensibly exercise.

I've got another doctor's appointment tomorrow. I doubt that this doctor will be serving me beer and wine. Hopefully, this will be my last doctor's appointment for the year. When I finish writing my article about the color orange, I'll start packing for the final Santa Paws photo event that takes place on Saturday. No rest for the weary this year.

Willow is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 722

I paid my real estate taxes today. Somehow, even though I successfully presented my case to the county appraisal board this Summer and they reduced my property valuation by 15%, I still ended up paying more than I did last year. I think it is futile to expect lower taxes. Government agencies at all levels have such an insatiable demand for tax revenue that even when rates are lowered, they figure out some way to make up the difference. Since property values have decreased significantly in Dallas County and virtually everybody has already protested their property valuation with the appraisal board, the county simply raised the taxation rate a few percentage points to make up the shortfall. Homeowners are totally on the short end of the stick. Their homes are worth less, but they still end up paying higher property taxes.

Winter is here with a vengeance. The furnace runs almost constantly now and the car has started to make funny noises when I start it up on cold mornings. Winter weather seems to put more wear and tear on everything. Somehow, a lot more things tend to break around our house during the Winter months. Hopefully, we'll get lucky this year. I think the entire rainy day fund went out the window this year when I paid those real estate taxes this afternoon.

I don't think the Dot and Dash like the Winter weather any more than I do. They both seem to spend most of their day curled up under a pile of dog blankets. When we do go outside, I have to put Winter coats on them, before I bundle up under several layers myself. I do have one really warm parka that I used to wear when I lived in Alaska. It's in the storage warehouse though, and it is often easier to just put on several layers of sweaters than drive across town to get yet another coat.

If it wasn't for the bitterly cold weather and the coyotes, I'd love our evening walks this week. The sky is beautiful at this time of year. The days are even shorter now. We tend to take our walks right after sunset and get to watch each evening as darkness overtakes the park. It's hard to take pictures though. I have to take off my gloves every time every time I try to use the iPhone touch screen.

Humphrey is our Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 721

It's amazing that I got anything done today. After taking the dogs to the vet and going to my own doctor's appointments, there really wasn't much time left. I think I'm rapidly approaching Guinness Book of Records territory for blood tests. I've had my blood tested for everything imaginable. At least I don't have to sit in the lobby as long as I used to. One of the benefits of having my doctor as a client is that they whisk me into an exam room fairly quickly these days.

It was below freezing when I walked Dot and Dash this morning, but it felt a lot colder. There was a strong wind and with the wind chill effect, it felt like we were walking toward the South Pole. On days like this, the dogs don't mind wearing their Winter coats. I don't know why it is so hard to find good quality Winter coats for large dogs. The coats I have now are warm and fit perfectly, but they're starting to get worn out. We've looked months for replacement coats, but this brand seems to have gone out of business.

I made my airline reservations today for my upcoming assignment in Houston. I was surprised at how much airfares have gone up since I went to Houston just last Spring. I keep hearing on television that inflation isn't a problem, but somehow the prices of virtually everything I use keep rising relentlessly. I can't think of a single thing, with the possible exception of computers, that has actually gotten cheaper in the last three years. Computers aren't much of a bargain either, since they are usually obsolete in three years.

So far, I'm still on schedule to complete my watch article marathon by the end of the year. I'm starting to get tired though and really need to catch a second wind. Maybe that's what those marathon runners were feeling when I photographed them at the halfway point last weekend. I'll finish. I always finish everything I started. I may quit wearing watches however. Keeping track of the time is starting to seem ridiculous.

Emma is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day