Day 1303

It's a good thing that most of my chores were inside today, because it was way too hot outdoors. Even though we got started at 7 AM, the dogs and I were drooping by the time we finished our morning walk. Dot and Dash sprawled out on the brick floor to cool off, while I made myself a pot of coffee and some breakfast.

Under the protection of the air conditioner, I actually managed to get quite a bit done. I managed to get all my July invoices posted and in the mail. I changed some contact information on a website. And I finished another article.

Since my to-do list went so smoothly, I went to the gym after I mailed my invoices. It's still a little disconcerting to see people ten years older than me with more stamina than I have, but I'm making progress already. I have a feeling that this is one lifestyle change that's going to stick.

I don't know why we bothered to go to dog training class tonight. The dogs were hot. The people were hot. And there were little flying insects biting everyone. Everyone brought buckets of water for their dogs to drink. We brought water too, but Dash seemed to think all the other dogs water tasted better. Somebody brought a kiddie pool and it was amusing to watch Dash try to work up his nerve to get in the water. You could tell he wanted to, but he is timid about everything. He would put one paw in the water and then another, but never two paws at once. When Dash finally got the nerve to put all four paws in the water, a big Labrador Retriever took over the pool and splashed all the water out.

When I was driving around today, I saw a Fedex truck flashing its lights behind me. When the truck pulled alongside, the driver waved at me and I recognized him as my regular delivery guy. You know you're buying too much stuff online when the FedEx guy recognizes you in traffic.

Who knows. Maybe the FedEx guy will bring me something tomorrow. I could use a diversion. It looks like all I've got to look forward to is a lot of work. I wish it was Friday tomorrow, but I've got to wait another day. I'm bored with the oatmeal already. I saw a recipe online where you take half of a fresh avocado and poach an egg in the center after you remove the seed. I think you just bake the avocado in the oven until the egg cooks. The picture showed the avocado with some cheddar cheese melted over the top. It looks good. Maybe I'll make this tomorrow.

Keller is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1302

Times have certainly changed. I can remember when an oil change meant thumbing through dog-eared car magazines in the the threadbare lobby of an old garage, waiting while a grease stained mechanic did his best to leave your car smelling like motor oil for the rest of the day. Not anymore. The Land Rover dealer serves you snacks and beverages in air conditioned comfort while they work, and then they wash and detail your car before they return it to you. Of course the oil change itself costs four times more than it should.

I used to scoff at the notion that the middle class in America was being systematically eliminated, but I'm beginning to believe that this is actually the case. As a member of the vanishing middle class, I find this discouraging. I don't need tasty snacks and a car wash when I get my oil changed, but I don't want to change it myself in the parking lot of an Autozone store like the Walmart people either. The gap between the rich and the poor is definitely widening and the territory in the middle is nothing but quicksand.

Another sign that times are changing is that my website clients increasingly ask me to do things that they think are trivial no-brainers, not realizing that these things are actually quite difficult for me. People see things that they like on Facebook or Pinterest and then they ask me to put the same sort of thing on their own websites. I've given up trying to explain that sites like Amazon and Facebook have huge development teams to do all the fancy stuff. I've already learned the hard way that if I protest too much, the client will just take their business to GoDaddy or some other template site and get what they want for free. So guess what I did today? I did some difficult stuff and pretended like it was easy.

I also pretended that it didn't really matter when Dash didn't get his regular nurse at the vet today. I'm equally frustrated when I go to my own doctors and don't get the lab tech or nurse I want. It is often difficult to tell whether a doctor is any good, but at the lower levels of medicine, it is quite easy. Some technicians can draw blood painlessly and others can't. Once I even had an absent minded tech inject me with the wrong shot. Dash had to have his anal glands expressed today and memories of my own colonoscopies made me wish he had the best nurse in the building. Of course like the song says, you can't always get what you want.

I've got to get my July invoices out tomorrow so I'll have some money coming my way in August. Among other things, there's a ritzy oil change that needs to be paid for. Just so you know, today's Dalmatian is a special one. She was one of ours. Greta went to the Rainbow Bridge nine years ago tomorrow.

Greta is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1301

I've already learned a few things by going to the gym. Most importantly, I've learned that I'm not in nearly as good shape as I thought I was. For years, I've been telling myself that I got all the exercise I needed by taking the dogs on long walks. Maybe this was true at some point, but the dogs are getting older now and don't walk as far or as fast as they used to. I still spend quite a bit of time walking the dogs, but a lot of this activity consists of Dot and Dash looking for new places to pee while I look for flowers to photograph. We may be on the trail for an hour, but when we return, we usually aren't even breathing hard.

I am winded when I leave the gym, and I guess that's as it should be. So far, my exercise strategy is to watch the people who come with their own personal trainers and just do the same things they do. I don't even attempt to copy the true fitness fanatics though. I saw someone today going full speed on a stair climbing machine for 45 minutes without stopping. My legs would have turned to jelly within fifteen minutes. I do think I'll be able to incorporate a trip to the gym into my regular routine though. I'm going to try to go a minimum of two days a week, and hopefully I'll find time for three.

One nice thing about the gym is that I never have to make an appointment. I can just go whenever I feel like it. Everything else in life seems to require elaborate planning, with appointments made weeks in advance. Haircuts require appointments. Doctors require appointments. I even had to make an appointment to get my oil changed. I used to just show up at the dealership with the Defender and enjoy a cup of coffee while they serviced my car. Evidently those days are long gone. I was able to make an appointment for tomorrow however. The oil change is two hours earlier than Dash's vet appointment. It's going to be a busy day.

Every time I get interested in one of the many new services AT&T offers, one of my existing services crashes or breaks and I'm thrown back into the land of reality. Today I kept getting notices on my computer that I had new voicemail messages waiting, but whenever I tried to access them, I was locked out. I tried to listen to the messages using both the phone and the computer, but neither of them would accept my password. By the time I finished dinner, the system was back to normal. As usual, all the messages were from telemarketers.

I didn't get around to working on the Sheetrock today. I had the time, but it never occurred to me because I didn't look up at the ceiling much today. I did find some more bees however. Just as I thought I was winning the battle with the critters outside, I spotted another hornet's nest on the back porch. Although I managed to get rid of the nest without getting stung, I'm sure this wasn't the last of the bees and hornets I'll be seeing this Summer.

I need to get to bed earlier. I'm a habitual night-owl, but this doesn't lend itself to early dog walks. I have no desire to rise with the sun, but it's becoming increasingly necessary to give the dogs a chance to enjoy themselves before the weather becomes unbearable. We got started at 8 AM this morning and it was already too late. Maybe 6:30 AM would be better. Janet says the weather is quite nice at that time of day. I wouldn't know anything about that.

Trevor is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1300

I woke up this morning to a quiet house. Janet likes to walk the dogs on weekends and she had taken them on a morning walk before I'd even gotten out of bed. I don't know how the rest of the family can get by on so little sleep. No matter what's going on, I always feel like I could sleep a few hours more.

Once I did get out of bed, I tried to make myself useful by watering the lawn, making the bed, and doing some laundry. This was just the warm up act for the task I'd been dreading: repairing the Sheetrock in the living room. It's a shame that most of the drywall mud I applied today will just be sanded off a few days from now. It will probably take about three coats of the compound, each sanded smooth after it dries, before the repair starts to look decent. I'll be glad when I'm done. I'm not fond of messy work, and doing anything with Sheetrock is definitely messy.

The dogs had a great time at the dog park today. Dot had plenty of energy for a change and Dash even managed to find a playmate. I don't know how Dash chooses the dogs he wants to play with. He often rejects shy, gentle dogs like himself in favor of larger breeds that end up scaring him. Today, he found a young Irish Setter that he took a fancy to and the two dogs had a great time racing up and down the park. By the time we got home again, Dot and Dash were content to snooze for the rest of the afternoon.

I spent some of my afternoon re-learning how to use the WiFi function on one of my cameras. I like the idea of being about to completely control the camera with my phone, but I can never remember how to create a ad hoc network linking the phone with the camera. I need to remember how to do this, because I'll never be able to impress clients with my remote control camera skills if can't even remember how to sync the camera with the phone. When I finally figured out how to tap my phone and take a picture, it was time for dinner.

The day ended pretty much as it began; with a nap. I probably could have done more today, but Sunday is best enjoyed as a day of rest. Janet fixed a great dinner tonight. The dogs are happy. All is well with the world. Too bad tomorrow is Monday.

Delaney is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1299

Today evaporated in a sea of small chores. I didn't do anything important, but whatever I did seemed to occupy the entire day. As proof that all tasks get completed eventually, I hooked up a mechanical timer to the sprinkler in the front yard. I bought the timer over a year ago and promptly forgot about it. I like the idea of a clockwork mechanical water timer, because water and batteries don't seem to go together well. The first of these timers I bought broke immediately, but this one appears to be working. I bought some clear nail polish for my Chigger bites and some Visine for my eyes while I was at the pharmacy. I picked up a sack of Tangerines at the grocery store while I was stocking up on vitamins. Tangerines are so much easier to peel than large Oranges that I thought they would be a quick and easy way to make juice.

When I was putting away the groceries at home, I turned on the television and heard that a plane had crashed in San Francisco. I've flown into that airport a number of times and it always seemed strange to be over open water until the last possible second. Now I'll be even more nervous if I fly there again. I need to remind myself to actually listen to those safety instructions the flight attendants give right before you take off. It's weird. I'm very conscious of the dangers of driving on Dallas freeways, but I tend to just take flying for granted. It's kind of like riding in elevators. They're very safe, but every once in a while they break.

There's something dead in the back yard, but we can't find it. The smell leads us directly to a patch of ground cover, but after inspecting things with a fine tooth comb, there was not a mouse, or rat, or even a bird to be found. Even the dogs couldn't find the source of the offending smell, and they're the experts about rotten things. I suspect one of the feral cats in the neighborhood has the answer to this mystery, but they're not talking.

I had the best of intentions to start on the Sheetrock repairs today, but too many trivial things got in the way. One of these days I'll get the damaged ceiling fixed, just like I finally got the mechanical water timer working. It's a good thing I bought the clear nail polish today. I got a host of new Chigger bites looking for the illusive dead thing in our yard. All is not lost however. I noticed that Red Dwarf has returned to TV this evening. Lister, Rimmer, and Kryten were some of my favorite oddball TV characters from the 1980's. Re-watching an old episode of Red Dwarf seems like a good way to end the day.

Cisco is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1298

If there's a fancy looking egg on my plate, it must be Friday. I'm simple minded this way. I'd like some clearly defined event to differentiate each day of the week. Friday is the day I can stray from my diet a bit. Sunday is the day we go to the dog park. Now what am I going to do with all those other days?

Today, my plan was to get a haircut and an oil change for the Defender. The haircut went smoothly enough, but it looks like I'm going to have to come back another day for the oil change. Oddly, the price for both of these services is exactly the same.

While I was at the mall, I stopped by the new, much larger Apple store. The place was huge. There were no new products in the new store. Just more tables filled with the same iPhones, iPads, laptops, and desktops. I guess there is only one reason to have a huge store to sell four things. They probably couldn't fit all the customers in their old store.

I don't even have to open my eyes to know what time of year it is. You can hear it is July. In the morning, the dominant sound is the lawn mowers and leaf blowers of the landscapers and yard crews. As the day progresses, the raucous sounds of lawn care diminish and are replaced by the song of the Cicadas. How these small bugs can make such a loud noise is a mystery to me. The hotter it gets, the louder the Cicadas seem to sing. It is kind of the quintessential sound of Summer here in Texas.

I'm going to have to go look for something to get rid of Chigger bites tomorrow. There used to be a product called Chigarid that worked great, but I don't think they make it anymore. Maybe the reason they don't make Chigarid anymore is that it was basically just clear nail polish in a different bottle. Probably the only people who bought the stuff were people like me who didn't like to buy their insect repellants in the cosmetics department. Clear nail polish works though, so maybe I'll have to get some.

I hope it cools down a bit this weekend. We'll go to the dog park whatever the weather, but it would be so much more enjoyable if it wasn't like a furnace outside.

Isabella is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1297 - Independence Day

The best Fourth of July I can remember was in 1976. This was the year we celebrated the country's Bicentennial. I was returning from Victoria, British Columbia to Seattle by boat and just as we entered the harbor, a massive fireworks display began directly overhead. The celebration was beautiful and serene as the boat glided slowly towards the shore. There were no ants or mosquitoes and the crowds of revelers were far away on shore. At the opposite end of the scale was a celebration in Dallas where I was right in the middle of thousands of drunk revelers, trying to sell glow-in-the-dark necklaces to raise money for animal rescue. Ever since that event, I have had no desire to be in a large crowd again.

There was certainly a respectable crowd of people in the park behind our house today. Early in the morning, there were hundreds of runners completing a 10K race while I walked the dogs. Later in the day, the park was filled with picnickers, cyclists, and boaters. The smell of barbecue permeated the air, but even the delicious smell of burgers and brisket cooking wasn't enough to make me want to have a picnic myself.

I kept to myself as I worked my way through a list of chores. I made another week's supply of juice with the juicer. I did several loads of laundry. I even tried to fix a leak in the problematic French Porcher toilet. It is impossible to find parts for the thing, but I do the best I can. When all my chores were done, I thought I'd go work out at the gym, but when I got there it was closed for the holiday. On the way home, I stopped at Central Market and got something that we already had in the refrigerator.  My memory is shot.

Dot has an amazing ability to sense changes in the weather. She was was acting like she usually does when it's about to rain this afternoon. I was initially confused, because there was no rain in the forecast and the sky was clear. As her behavior continued, I turned on the weather channel and learned that a cold front had just passed through town. It is easy to miss a cold front in the Summer. I think the temperature just went down from 95 to 85. Dot knew though. She knew way before I did.

I tried to do a little research in the Internet today and see if I could discover why my liver enzyme levels were continuing to fluctuate. There were so many potential reasons that I just gave up. Even trained hepatologists seem to have trouble coming to a consensus about liver enzyme levels. Oddly, exercise can actually cause liver enzyme levels to rise. I can't imagine that I've been doing enough exercise to move the needle though.

At least tomorrow is Friday. Friday is my favorite day. I like things to be finished, and they very seldom are. At least Friday creates the illusion that you've crossed some sort of imaginary finish line.

Matao is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1296

There was a package of socks on my front porch this morning. It says a lot that I'd rather buy something as utilitarian and easy to find as socks online instead of going to a store. I don't know how local merchants survive when everything from digital cameras to dog food is easy to find online. It's so painless to buy things this way. A few mouse clicks and the FedEx guy brings it to your door a few days later. The allure of online shopping is even stronger in the Summer. Who wants to park your car at the mall and return an hour later to find your steering wheel too hot to touch? People don't seem as patient in the Summer either. More cars cut you off on the highway and you'll get honked at or worse if you don't make those left turns at stoplights quickly enough. I think the entire city is in a bad mood on hot days like today.

I probably notice the traffic more on Wednesdays, because that's when Dot has her acupuncture appointment. Traffic slowed to a crawl on Central Expressway this afternoon when a wreck blocked traffic. As we inched along toward the vet, I kept wondering what would happen if our own car stalled out. I try to stay in the right lane, so at least I could get off the road if I had car trouble, but sometime that's impossible. Maybe I worry too much about driving around in the Summer with a dog in the dog, but there's so much that could go wrong when you're driving an eighteen year old Defender 90. If I had to get a tow, I'm not even sure the tow truck driver would let Dot ride in the truck with him.

Luckily, we made it to and from our acupuncture appointment without a hitch. Dot seems to like her treatments now. Even though her legs still seem weaker than they should be, I have to assume that the treatments are doing her some good. I wish I could say the same for myself. I got the results from last Saturday's blood tests back today and my liver enzymes are elevated again. I'm not sure what to do now. I'm already taking the recommend medications, eating the recommended food, and doing the recommended exercise.

Although tomorrow is a holiday, it's going to seem pretty much like a regular Thursday around our house. Janet has to work tomorrow and if the weather remains as hot as it was today, the dogs aren't going to want to go out of the house anyway. I'm pretty much caught up on my writing work. If nothing new comes in tomorrow, it might be time to watch another movie on Hulu.

Dash didn't do well in training class tonight. Actually, none of the dogs did. There was something smelly in the grass that the dogs wanted to eat. I couldn't tell what they were interested in, but there must have been something. Every ten feet or so, Dash had his nose in the grass, looking for some illusive treasure. No illusive treasures for me today. The high point of my day was getting a package of socks.

Bob Hope is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1295

I love my new gym. It's amazing how easy it is to exercise when you're at a place where exercise is the only thing you can do. I've never been a self motivated person. If you put a stack of work in front of me, I'll always do it and never miss a deadline. If you don't put a stack of work in front of me, I'm perfectly content to do nothing at all. It's pretty much the same with exercise. I think this new gym will work out well. It provides the ideal environment to do things I wouldn't naturally do.

I picked this gym, because I was once hired to make a video about it. I guess the place stuck in my memory. I remember thinking at the time that everyone using the facility was pretty old. Ironically, I am now older than anyone I included in the film. I like this place because it's not your typical LA Fitness full of buff looking young people with washboard abs. This is a dedicated cardiovascular center full of people recovering from heart attacks. Even with a dislocated shoulder and no upper body strength, I can hold my own with these folks.

It's too bad I can't bring Dot with me. She needs physical therapy even worse than I do. I've been thinking of taking her to one of those low impact water treadmills to build up her leg strength again. We've taken some of the rescue Dalmatians to these water therapy facilities and they work great. Since my gym is virtually empty during the afternoon when everyone is at work, maybe I could propose a "bring your dog" day to the management. Dot would love the place. It's air conditioned to just the right temperature and there is no irritating pollen in the air to cause allergies.

I've got a lot more writing work this week than I anticipated. You'd never know it was a holiday week at all. Wouldn't it be weird if I started looking at the gym as a place to get away from the writing and relax for a while? It could happen. I found the facility surprisingly quiet and peaceful. It was just me, a handful of heart attack rehab patients and a couple of off-season athletes working out with free weights.

I don't like my Klout perks anymore. I used to get nice things like dog blankets and magazine subscriptions. Now I get tickets to vampire movies. Who do they think I am?  I have absolutely no interest in vampires, unless they happen to be part of a Dr. Who episode.

Bud is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1294

I joined a gym today. A regular exercise program has been the missing link in my return to health for quite some time now, so I decided it was finally time to do something about it. You might think that I get plenty of exercise already by walking Dot and Dash five miles a day. Unfortunately, these walks have done nothing to stop the slow muscle atrophy that comes with age. I have weights and resistance cords at home, but I never use them. Basically I don't like to exercise. I never have. Walking as much as I do has already done me a lot of good, but I don't walk because I love the activity or the outdoors. I walk because the dogs love to walk, and I love the dogs.

I picked a gym that's on the way to Central Market. I may not like to exercise, but I do love food. My theory is that if I can make a trip to the gym part of my grocery shopping routine, it just might become a habit. I skip a lot of things, but I rarely skip a trip to the grocery store. This gym has everything. There's a large pool, an indoor running track and a ton of fancy looking machines. I'll never use most of these things. I just want to build back my upper body strength. The rest I'll take care of with dog walking, just as I always have.

There may be a major heat wave out West, but it's actually been quite nice in Dallas the past several days. It only got up to 85 degrees this afternoon and there was a nice breeze all day. The cooler weather allowed Dot to walk normally again. Dash never walks normally, but he enjoyed the cooler weather too. I hope this brief respite from the Summer heat lasts for a while. 85 degrees is much nicer than 110 degrees.

I thought this was going to be a very slow week, but my clients had other ideas. I've already got enough new assignments on deck to keep me busy for the rest of the week. I made an appointment to get my hair cut later in the week and confirmed Dot's acupuncture appointment for Wednesday. The only day I don't have something scheduled is the Fourth of July itself. We stopped watching fireworks displays years ago. The noise scares the dogs and I usually get bitten by fire ants or mosquitoes. A good movie on TV is much better than fireworks, as far as I'm concerned.

Bentley is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1293

I washed the windows today. This wouldn't be a big deal if the house wasn't made almost entirely of glass. There are large windows everywhere. I remember when we first moved here I would wash all the windows every few weeks. I also washed the car a lot and frequently cleaned the brick patio with a pressure washer. It didn't take me long to realize that no matter how often I did these things, the dirt, spiderwebs, and mud dauber nests would quickly return. I initially thought I was in charge, but really it was mother nature who was in charge. With each passing year, I cleaned the windows less frequently. I could never ignore them completely though. There would always be days like today when I would look outside and realize the spiderwebs were so thick that it looked like I lived in a haunted house. Yes, I can still be shamed into honest work.

The windows sparkle now. The grass has been mowed front and back. I even took the leaf blower and blew all the leaves and dirt off the porch. This is what happens when you get up too early on a Sunday. You can end up with more time for chores than you really want.

One of the reasons we got up early was so we could take the dogs to the dog park before it got hot. This worked out well. The temperature was in the low 80's and there was a nice breeze. I think Dot might have had too much activity today though. She seemed fine at the dog park, but later in the day, she was walking with a slight limp. I think the limp started right after lunch when she was chasing some squirrels in the back yard. Dot just doesn't know how to pace herself. I walked Dash separately this evening in hopes that Dot would rest. She has had a limp before, but problems with her legs are becoming more frequent now. It's sad to see an active dog grow old.

The grass seed I planted last week still hasn't sprouted yet. I definitely don't have a green thumb. I've been watering every day, but I think all that has accomplished it to guarantee that I'll have a big water bill next month. The grass may not be growing, but my hair is. It's time for a haircut again. Maybe I'll make an appointment with Betty next week and check out the new, larger Apple store while I'm at the mall. Apple and Ann Taylor have traded places at the mall. Apple now has a huge new store, while Ann Taylor has a tiny little space. You think that a clothing store would need more space than a company that basically only has thirteen things to sell. What do I know though? The Apple store is certainly more crowded than the Ann Taylor store.

I don't think next week will be very busy. With the Fourth of July falling on a Thursday, the temptation is going to be high for a lot of folks to take Friday off as well and make it a long weekend. Whatever happens, I'm sure there will still be articles to write and websites to fix. There always is.

Tucker is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1292

Today was a day of inconsequential activities. I was certainly busy enough, but did any of it really matter? I cleaned lint out of the dryer with one of those Lint Lizard things you've probably seen advertised on TV. I scraped loose paint and plaster off the rain damaged living room ceiling in preparation for doing something more substantial later. I bought new bags for the vacuum cleaner at an odd little store that should have gone out of business twenty years ago. I fixed a broken latch with superglue on a VHS tape deck that I'll probably never use again. I hadn't been up on the roof for a while, so I swept leaves off the dry roof. Much to my chagrin, I discovered that wild animals have been peeing on the new white roof and leaving stains. At least I hope it was wild animals. While all this was going on, the large format printer ran its lengthy cleaning cycle and wasted a lot of expensive ink.

Probably the only useful thing I did today was get my blood tested at the local health food store's Summer cholesterol screening. Janet and I thought we'd beat the crowds by arriving before the store opened, but apparently everyone else had the same idea. There was already a line when we arrived. The line moved fast though and we were in and out in less than twenty minutes. Afterwards, we went home and had a big breakfast. A friend of Janet's had given her some fresh eggs from chickens she was raising and you could sure taste the difference. I guess the only way to get really fresh, healthy food is to grow or raise it yourself.

Every time someone tells me about the beauties of nature, I take what they say with a grain of salt. I walk through nature every day. I see sparrows chasing the purple martins away from their homes. I see ugly Johnson Grass encroaching on the beautiful native prairie behind our house. And since it's almost July, I'm starting to see bagworms again. Bagworms have destroyed countless trees in the park. They get into our own trees as well. Once these things get established, they can be very difficult to get rid of. Oh, well. At least we don't have rats anymore. The neighborhood feral cat population has grown so large that they've eaten them all.

I don't think we'll spend long at the dog park tomorrow. It's too hot. Dot and Dash still expect an outing on Sundays, but they also expect the weather to be nice when they get out of the car. Sorry guys, I can't help you with the weather. If I could, I'd have done something about these oppressive Summers years ago.

Sparky is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1291

I had the dogs out on their morning walk at 7 AM this morning. The extra hour or so makes a big difference in the temperature. At 7 AM, it's actually quite nice outside. By 8:30 AM the pleasant weather all seems like a dream. At least we don't live in Las Vegas. I hear they might experience all time record high temperatures this weekend.

I certainly didn't get any more done today by getting up early. I dawdled over breakfast and spend longer than usual getting groceries for the weekend. By the time I actually sat down at the computer to work, I was just as late as I usually am. My motto is better late than never, so I still managed to get quite a bit done. After writing two articles, updating a website, and doing a load of laundry, I officially declared the week over.

Janet and I are thinking of taking the dogs to the beach later this Fall. It's too bad there isn't a beach nearby. Padre Island is quite nice, but it's a long drive. Galveston is closer, but the beach isn't as nice. We'll see. I'm not even sure if the dogs would like a beach. Dash would probably run away if we ever let him off leash and Dot doesn't like water. Most dogs love a beach though.

There still a lot of time between now and any potential Fall trip. We've still got to survive the Texas Summer. Tomorrow, it's time for one of the periodic cholesterol screenings at the neighborhood health food store. Even though we have to fast and skip breakfast, we usually go to these things because the price is so reasonable. The only downside to these blood tests is standing in line with a bunch of old people with hard to find veins. Sometimes it takes forever.

Maybe I'll try to fixed the damaged Sheetrock in the living room this weekend. I'm getting tired of staring at the can of spackling paste and drywall tools that have been sitting on a table in the hallway for over a month now. You can only avoid things for so long. Even unpleasant tasks have to be done eventually.

On our evening walk, I noticed that a bunch of gnats and flying insects were hovering around Dash, while completely ignoring me and Dot. I tried to shoo them away, but they kept coming back to pester him. No wonder Dash has skin problems. Mother Nature just doesn't cut the little guy any slack.

Patch is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1290

I had a couple of gift cards burning a hole in my pocket, so I went to one of the few remaining camera stores in Dallas to look for a carbon fiber tripod. I typically buy gear for work online these days, but I never got around to figuring out how to use gift cards for online purchases. It was actually kind of fun to go to a real store where I could see and touch things, but I definitely didn't pick the best day to be driving around town.

The traffic was unbelievably bad today and it only took me about five minutes to figure out why. About every five miles I would see an overheated car blocking traffic and slowing things down. The stranded cars were everywhere. I'm always afraid that my own car will overheat and cause one of these traffic jams myself. When the temperature is over 100 degrees, I instinctively drive with one eye one the road and the other eye on the temperature gauge. I made it to the camera store and back without incident, but it was a stressful drive. I should have just stayed home.

At home there are other things to worry about. Dot and Dash don't do well in the heat, but they still need their exercise. We take our morning walks much earlier now to avoid the heat and our afternoon walks are much shorter. Dot has gotten quite good at telling me when to turn around and head for home, but I still fret about her. The dogs won't drink water out of a water fountain either. You'd think they'd have learned that skill long ago living in Texas, but they always wait until they get home to drink.

Once we're back inside where it's cool, I worry that the air conditioner will break or the power will go out. These things typically happen several times each Summer, usually at the worst possible times. I rarely give global warming a thought during the Winter, but in the middle of a Texas Summer, it would be easy to make a believer out of me.

Work was slow again today. Probably my clients were having their own problems with the heat. I used the lull to get caught up on my to-do list. With the exception of one small writing job which I can probably complete in the morning, tomorrow is basically a free day. I don't know how free things will actually be if I don't even want to venture outside, but at least I'll start things off with a delicious breakfast. Yes, tomorrow is Friday again.

Rascal is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1289

Dot gave me a scare this morning. As we were returning home from our morning walk, her rear leg gave out. I managed to catch her before she fell over, but I was worried that she had torn her ACL. A torn anterior cruciate ligament is a common injury with older Dalmatians and just about anything can trigger a tear. As I reached under Dot's belly to keep her from falling, I noticed that the leg that had buckled was stretched out behind her. This was unusual, since a dog usually holds their leg up when they have a limp. We sat and rested for about five minutes and then Dot just got up and started walking normally again.

Since today was Dot's acupuncture therapy day, I had the vet examine her leg when we went for our appointment. There seems to be no damage whatsoever.  Dot had definitely not suffered from an ACL tear. This was very good news, but I still wondered what had happened. The vet suspected that Dot had experienced a sudden leg cramp, which she said was not uncommon in older dogs. Although Dot seems fine now, I feel like there is now one more thing to worry about.

It was a slow day compared to yesterday. I still had some website revisions to complete, but I spent most of the day doing routine bookkeeping and organizing records. Since today's bookkeeping efforts had more to do with investments than with the business, there wasn't much to cheer about. The market sucks this year. Usually, when stocks go down, bonds, gold, or commodities go up. This year, there appears to be no safe haven. There are days when absolutely everything goes down together. Life was much simpler when you could just buy a six month CD and earn 8% while waiting for the market to turn around. Now, even real estate is a fickle investment. I don't think I will ever buy real estate as an investment again.

Janet had to work late tonight, so we didn't go to dog training class. Since it was another 100 degree day, I don't think the dogs minded skipping class. I guess I could take one dog to class when Janet is late, but I never do because the dog that gets left behind seems so disappointed. Even when I take one of the dogs to the vet, the other seems disappointed, and they don't even like going to the vet. I guess they're just like people. You always end up wanting what you can't have.

This month has gone really quickly. When I was scheduling Dot's next acupuncture at the vet's office today, I realized that next Thursday was the Fourth of July. I think we're invited to some sort of dog parade on the Fourth of July. Or maybe it's just a regular parade. I can't remember. Personally, I'd rather just go out for breakfast.

Derrick is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1288

Sometimes life reminds me of one of those hamster wheels. No matter how fast you try to move, you somehow always end up in exactly the same place. Summer seems to accentuate this feeling. It's hot. It's monotonous. To conserve energy, you tend to reduce everything to a series of simple repetitive actions. Around and around you go, just like a hamster on an exercise wheel.

I seldom feel like doing anything new when the temperature is over 100 degrees. By the time I get up in the morning, it is already hot. By the time we have finished our morning walk, it is often unbearable. When we return, the dogs immediately lie down on the brick living room floor to cool off and I warm up the computer to begin another work day.

The house is kept cool because Janet and the dogs like it that way. I can never seem to find the right temperature. I'm always either too hot or too cold. I often wear a jacket around the house in the middle of summer because it's too much trouble to constantly be resetting the thermostat. Sometimes I think there is something wrong with my ability to regulate my own body temperature. Other times I think I'm just impossible to please.

Today was a website update day. There were a lot of things to change and the updates kept me busy most of the day. Website maintenance is a bit like a hamster wheel too. You change out a bunch of photos and text and then when you're all done, you find yourself with exactly the same website you started out with. The different words and pictures are important to clients, but I just see textures. It all looks the same to me.

I thought the road in front of our house was finished, but I was wrong. Today the paint striping trucks were here, painting white lines on the road. I found myself trapped in the driveway again for a while, because the last thing I wanted was white paint on my brand new tires. The paint seemed to dry very quickly. Who knows? Maybe it was even dry when it was applied. At any rate, I waited an hour and then took Dash to the vet for his regular antigen shot. Dash had a new nurse give his shot today. I wanted to ask for his regular nurse, but I forgot her name.

By the time the dogs and I took our evening walk, it was so hot outside that we didn't even attempt to go very far. As soon as Dot and Dash had done their business, we turned around and went home. It looks like more of the same scorching weather tomorrow, and according to the weather forecast, for the rest of the week. It's kind of ironic. If I had just waited just one month to put on the new roof, I wouldn't have had any rain problems at all.

Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1287

I went to the tire store today to get a nail removed from my left rear tire and returned a few hours later with five brand new tires. Yes, I even had to get a new spare tire. This definitely wasn't what I expected, since my tires still have plenty of tread on them. I have a warranty on my tires that gives me free lifetime repairs and I have used it many times to get flats fixed and nails removed. This time I was told that the life of a normal tire was about six years and that I had outlived my lifetime warranty. The tire guy showed me several places where the rubber on my twelve year old tires was starting to crack and told me that the tires could explode at any moment. Since the tire guys refused to work on my old tires, and I didn't really want them to explode at any moment, what choice did I have?  I got new tires.

Tires are a lot more expensive than they were the last time I bought some. Of course that was in 2002. Everything was less expensive in 2002. All in all, my tires have served me well. I have traveled well over 100,000 miles in the Defender on only two sets of tires. With any luck, this new set should last me as long as I still have the vehicle.

It's taking me too long to make fresh juice. If I had anything better to do, I would have stopped this time consuming practice already. Juicing does save money though. Especially when the alternative is freshly squeezed juice at the Central Market juice bar. I just wish Navel Oranges were quicker to peel and that the juicing machine was easier to clean. Apples and pineapples are much quicker to juice, but I've always liked the taste of orange juice. At any rate, I made enough juice today for the rest of the week, so I won't need to complain about juicing for a while.

I think I may have bought the wrong kind of grass seed to fill in the patchy areas in the back yard. I was initially pleased to find seed that was encapsulated in a mix of mulch and fertilizer. This stuff is pretty fool proof to grow. I forgot that the dogs like to lie in the grass though, and the fertilizer component of the mix may be irritating Dash's skin. He sure is itching a lot today anyway. On the other hand, he is always itchy after a bath, so maybe it's that.

I thought I got a call from a client a few minutes ago. Much to my surprise, when I picked up the phone, there was a telemarketer on the line. I looked at the Caller-ID again and realized that I'd transposed the letters of the first and last name in my mind. The call was clearly from someone else entirely. I've always suspected that I have dyslexia and I guess things like this more or less prove it.

Rio is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day