Day 1675

What a difference a day makes. This morning Dot seemed fine. Now she's hooked up to IV tubes at the emergency vet. We still don't know what's wrong. The day certainly started out normally. Dot ate a good breakfast. We took a nice walk. It was just an ordinary Thursday. After lunch, I let the dogs out in the back yard to pee, and then Dot took a nap by my desk, just like she usually does every day.

I became alarmed when she didn't get up again. Instead of following me back and forth around the house like she usually does, she stayed under the desk, panting heavily and appearing visibly uncomfortable. When she still refused to move and wouldn't eat her favorite treats after I let her rest for a while, I called her vet. Actually, I called all her vets, because she has several. When an old dog refuses to get up and isn't enticed by food or water, you really start to worry.

After a quickly scheduled exam, which included x-rays and new blood work, we discovered that she had an unusually high while blood cell count and was running a high fever. This usually indicates severe inflammation or infection. There were no immediate explanations as to how her condition could have changed so rapidly, but everyone agreed that the most important thing was to get her fever down and get her on some antibiotics and anti-inflammatory medications. The vet thought that she might have a bacterial infection, a virus, or even pancreatitis.

Dot needed to be on intravenous fluids so she wouldn't get dehydrated, antibiotics to fight the infections, and pain medication to relieve her obvious discomfort. To get this kind of care, we needed to take her to a 24-hour emergency vet. She is resting at the emergency vet now. Her fever has subsided a bit and after further testing, we now know that she does not have pancreatitis. Hopefully we will know more when we pick her up in the morning to take her back to our regular vet. The emergency clinic is only open at night when regular veterinary hospitals are closed. I hate to haul her back and forth like this when she's sick, but there is really no choice.

Hopefully we will know more in the morning. It's possible that she might have a type of cancer that is undetectable in the early stages. I'm going to be optimistic though. I'm hoping that she has an easily curable bacterial infection that she got from eating something bad. All I know now is that Dot is very sick.

Riley is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1674

Someone has been sprinkling ground up bits of broken glass along several of the paths in the park. I don't know if this is to cause passing bicycles to have flats, or an effort to hurt animal paws, but it is definitely malicious. One more thing to look out for every morning. This city is wearing me down. Daydreaming is one of my favorite things, but it's just not as easy to absentmindedly daydream during our walks anymore. There's always something to look out for.

Dot worried me today. She was very slow and a bit stiff on our walk this morning. You could tell she wanted to walk, but just didn't have the energy. She went to sleep as soon as we returned home, but even her sleep wasn't restful. She kept changing position and groaning occasionally as if something was bothering her. There were no visible injuries. She was breathing completely normally. And she didn't appear under any stress. She just seemed tired. I'll ask the vet to check for any hidden warning signs, but I think she's just getting old. I know how she feels. It doesn't take much to wear me out either.

We don't get much mail anymore. I used to always look forward to getting the mail everyday, but the steady stream of magazines, circulars, and catalogs has almost come to a standstill. I think the battle for shoppers hearts and minds is over and that Amazon has won. Practically the only thing I get in the mail these days are bills to pay. Even the bills come with admonitions and enticements to get me to switch to online payments. Switch to online payments and we'll give you a $25 Starbucks card they say. No thanks for now. I still like printed statements. I prefer reading a book to looking at the same thing on a Kindle. I'd still rather read a magazine than visit a website. My days are numbered though. I've become a dinosaur.

A few more observations about my day at the courthouse yesterday. I think you can divide people into two categories. There are the ones who check their e-mail and texts obsessively. And there are the others who play Candy Crush Saga obsessively. I hate waiting and paced up and down the courthouse halls all day while the lawyers were deciding what to do with us. I was virtually the only person walking around though. Most people were just sitting on a bench and staring at their phones. They couldn't leave them alone for five minutes. It's kind of sad. I suspect the smart phone has already had an even larger impact on society than the automobile. For the Millennials, the phone has actually replaced the automobile as the iconic object of their generation.

Even though Dot was tired today, we still took both dogs to training class tonight. Dot spent most of the evening sitting in the grass with Janet, while Dash and I went through the exercises. Dot was happy. She doesn't like to be left out and there is no reason to leave her out of anything. We'll all just slow down a bit and let her enjoy her remaining days

Laura is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1673

The wheels of justice turn exceedingly slow. I arrived at the courthouse around 8 AM this morning for jury duty. By 9:30 AM, everyone sitting in the central jury pool had been administered the oath and assigned to a court. The rest of the day was spent in a lengthy and often tedious Voir dire process. I'm sure the attorneys eliminated some people as soon as they opened their mouth, but nobody was excused until well after 5 PM. This came as a shock to many prospective jurors who expected to be back at work by lunchtime.

This was a murder trial and the proceedings took forever as lawyers for both sides tried to find jurors who would be sympathetic to their case.  I don't think anyone wanted to be selected for this case. It appeared that a gang member had murdered another gang member and the defendant, who was in the courtroom, looked somewhat menacing. The defense lawyers asked prospective jurors if they could still be fair and impartial if they knew the testimony was coming from someone who had already been convicted of another crime. They asked us if we thought a uniformed police officer automatically has more credibility than someone with gang tattoos. Both sides asked us so many questions about what we thought constituted self defense that a lot of people, including myself, began to worry that this might turn into another Trayvon Martin trial. Nobody wanted to be on that type of jury. I was sitting on the front row during the selection process, so the judge said we would automatically be on the jury unless the prosecution or defense lawyers used one of their ten allotted strikes to eliminate me. As the day progressed, I became worried that I would be seated on the jury, since I really didn't have any good reasons why I couldn't serve. Luckily, one of the lawyers didn't think I would help his case and I was eliminated at the last minute. I was relieved. I wouldn't have wanted to be on this jury.

The dogs were relieved as well when I finally arrived at the vet around 6:30 PM to take them home again. I had to board them for the day, because I knew I'd be away too long to leave them alone. Nobody, including Dot and Dash, though I'd be down at the courthouse this long though. It was a very long day. Both dogs were indignant when I picked them up after their normal dinner time, but all was forgiven when I fed them as soon as we got home,

Since the judge admonished us several times not to say anything to anybody about the case if we were selected as jurors, I began to worry about the blog. What was I going to write about? Sometimes murder trials can go on for a long time. I even told the bailiff that I was a blogger and had posted something every day over five years without missing a single day. I wanted to know the specific ground rules, because as I told him, I had to write something every day. I wasn't going to let a murder trial stop me. If I couldn't write about the trial, could I write about the judge, or the other jurors? Maybe this is what eliminated me. Or maybe they didn't like that I had a hard time believing everyone truly enters the courtroom on an equal basis. Who knows? Maybe they though it was strange that in over a dozen visits to this courthouse, I had never been selected to sit on a jury. I'm still a jury virgin. Whatever the reason, I was glad to be able to go home at the end of the day and return to my normal life. They asked me to answer their questions honestly and I did. I'm glad they didn't ask if I thought the defendant was guilty, because he sure looked guilty to me.

Lizzy is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1672

When I was walking the dogs this morning, a guy stopped us and told me to be careful because there was a big snake up ahead. He pointed toward where the snake was and said I ought to keep the dogs to the right on the trail so they wouldn't get near the snake. I thanked the guy and kept walking. When we arrived at the snake's lair, I looked down and saw a menacing looking coiled up black bicycle tube next to a demolished tire. I'm sure the guy meant well. If you were jogging and didn't like snakes anyway, the tire and tube might have looked a bit like a snake. It definitely looked like a tire to me. I don't like snakes either, but I am slowly learning how to identify them. The ones with round eyes and small heads are generally non-poisonous. The ones with elongated eyes and triangular heads I stay away from. Most of the snakes in the park are harmless, but we do have Copperheads and Water Moccasins, so you've got to be careful.

The Summer heat is taking its toll on Dot. She is walking slower and doesn't have as much energy.  We kept her workout on the underwater treadmill very light today, but I could still tell she was tired. Luckily, the acupuncture session that followed the water therapy relaxed her and by the time we arrived home she was feeling fine again. I still think the water therapy is good for Dot, because she is much stronger than she was before we started these weekly sessions.

I saw dark clouds and heard distant thunder as we were driving home from the vet. During stormy weather, it's a blessing that Dot doesn't hear as well as she used to. She didn't notice a thing. We beat the storm, but it started raining soon after we arrived home again. The minute Dot got out of the car, she smelled the air and knew that rain was on the way. There's definitely nothing wrong with her sense of smell. It rained pretty hard for a while and I had to get under a blanket with the dogs to keep them calm. I'm surprised that this works, but it usually does. Getting under a blanket with the dogs was fine with me. I felt like taking a nap anyway.

The Passion Flower vines are in bloom again. I only see these ornate and rather flashy flowers once or twice a year. These exotic vines usually bloom in mid-summer, often right after a rain. I was lucky to see one this morning, because the blooms don't last very long. Usually, they have withered and died before I even notice them. It occurs to me that I have probably accumulated one of the best collections of local wildflower photos in town. If I could ever learn to identify the thousands of pictures I've taken over the years, I could put together a very pretty coffee table book.

I hope the weather clears up. I don't really feel like spending the day under a blanket with Dot tomorrow. Rain is OK. Thunder and lightning, please go away.

Dolly is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1671

I got my energy back today. I mowed the grass, watered the lawn, walked the dogs and went to the gym. Hmm. That's actually all I did. Now what am I going to write about?

I guess I could go off on a political rant. I've got my opinions, just like you do. It doesn't seem right though. It doesn't matter which side you support. I find most political rants annoying in exactly the same way that I find the conversations of a dysfunctional family annoying. It's sad to me that we have completely lost the concept of America as the great melting pot. Diversity has replaced the melting pot as a meme. Instead of a populace with common values and a common purpose, we have fragmented into hundreds of small tribes. People are loyal to their own tribe, but that's about as far as it goes. It seems important to be considered progressive, born again, green, gay, straight, christian, atheist, or any of a hundred other labels. Not so importantly apparently to be an American.

I'm getting better at handling a basketball. Maybe I should start moving around the court a bit and add a bit of diversity to the monotony of shooting endless baskets from the free throw line. There are pick up games at the gym all the time, but I doubt if I'd join in. I'm just not very competitive. It is satisfying to get the ball in the net though.

Weekends go by too quickly. If we had a four day weekend, I might get more accomplished than mowing the grass and a quick workout at the gym. I might paint the house, take piano lessons, or go to a movie. On the other hand, I might just go to the gym more often and rest up when I got home by taking long naps with the dogs. I don't seem to have many burning desires anymore. Nature abhors a vacuum though. I'm sure if I had extra time, I'd figure out something to do with it.

I uploaded my latest website to the server this afternoon. Now that this project is essentially complete, I'll have to go looking for a new one. In the mean time, there are dogs to take to the vet, bills to pay, and wasp nests to eradicate.  Oh, and I can't forget there's jury duty too.

Watson is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1670

I think even the dogs would agree that the dog days of Summer have arrived. It's hot. It's dry. All the wildflowers behind our house have dried up an gone to seed. Without rain, the ground in the park starts to crack and deep fissures appear in the soil. I've got to keep an eye out for these cracks when I walk the dogs. They are often quite deep and are hidden beneath the patchy prairie grass. As the cracks grow, I've seen dogs step in them inadvertently and injure their leg.

When I was grocery shopping today, I stopped by the vet and made a day boarding appointment for next week while I'm on jury duty. When the dogs were younger, I would have just left them at home, but Dot is old and frail and I still worry about Dash getting an itch and scratching at the slowly healing cancer scar on his neck while I'm away. I don't know why taking care of a sick dog should be any different than taking care of a sick child, or an elderly grandmother. The dogs are more important to me than most people anyway. I think I should be exempt from jury duty, but it's not going to happen. The courts love people my age, because they don't have as many excuses. I've seen retired people actually eager to sit on juries, because they didn't have anything better to do. I'm not one of those people. I don't trust the court system and don't even like to go near a courthouse.

For the second weekend in a row, I sat inside and worked on websites, instead of braving the heat and doing yard work like I should. I did water the shrubs in the back yard along with the Wax Myrtle tree out front, but mowing the grass can wait. It's just too hot. The grass doesn't grow very fast in this weather anyway. I try to convince myself that by letting it grow longer, I'm helping the root system grow longer as well. I must be doing something right, because the grass is still green. Usually, by this time of year it's already starting to wither and turn brown.

I actually got quite a bit done on my latest website project this afternoon. There wasn't much else to do. After putting the groceries away, vacuuming the house, and doing a little coding on the new website, it was really tempting to spend the rest of the afternoon taking a nap with the dogs. Well, I guess it was a little more than tempting. I did take a nap with the dogs.

Tomorrow, I'll go to the gym. Sure, I had time to go today, but what was the point? I just wasn't in the mood.

Winston is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1669

Today was one small problem after another. My phone battery inexplicably went dead when it was supposedly fully charged. Unfortunately, this didn't prevent me from having irritating phone calls. I was on the phone with technical support at GoDaddy for over an hour, trying to resolve a client's website problem. The tech support guy kept insisting that the problem was on my end and that everything was working perfectly for him. I tried half a dozen "fixes" that the GoDaddy guy suggested, all to no avail. After spending an inordinate amount of time rebooting my computer and trying different browsers, the guys finally says, "Oh wait a minute. I just noticed that we have a job ticket open for a problem just like the one you are describing." Yup. The problem was with the GoDaddy servers after all.

Later in the day, a client called me and told me he was being audited. He said he wanted to give me a heads up, because the auditor told him that his suppliers could end up being audited as well. Great! That's just what I need. I was audited once. It wasn't fun. After three days of going over my life with a fine toothed comb, the auditors found that I'd done everything correctly. My tax returns were perfect and I owed the IRS absolutely nothing. The experience certainly wasn't free though. My accountant sent me a big bill for handling the audit.

When I went out to water the lawn this morning, I noticed that someone had unhooked my sprinkler from the garden hose and thrown it across the yard. Was this petty vandalism, or just code enforcement trying to send me a warning? I'll probably never know the answer. There are water restrictions in place this Summer, but I don't think they prevent you from watering before 10 AM. I'll have to get on the web and check the regulations. If it was code enforcement who unhooked my sprinkler, they'll be back.

The restaurant was really crowded when I went out for breakfast. Friday's always seem to be crowded these days. I think this just proves that we have already made the transition to a four day work week. It's amazing how much more congested everything is on a Friday. The roads are crowded. The stores are crowded. And lots of people are still eating breakfast at 10 AM when they should have been at work. I'm not sure what is going on, but Dallas certainly wasn't working very hard today.

Dash has discovered June Bugs. Luckily, Dot has never been interested in eating bugs, but Spot and Petey were obsessed with them. This is the time of year when June Bugs and Cicadas are everywhere.You can't go outside without hearing the characteristic "song" of these tasty dog treats. Now, when I let Dash out in the evening to pee, all he wants to do is hunt for Cicadas. He hasn't caught many so far, but he has definitely developed a taste for the bugs.

I hope this weekend is quiet and uneventful, with cooler temperatures than we had today. I'm probably just dreaming. Especially about the cooler temperatures.

Sophia is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1668

We were out of oatmeal this morning, so instead of going to the store and getting a new box, I just went out for breakfast instead. I hadn't been to this place for a while, so I was curious if it was still the same. The menu looked the same, but when I ordered my familiar omelet, something looked different. Yup. There was less of everything. Another restaurant had discovered portion control. Everyone seems to be doing this these days. They'll put a little less in the box, or a little less on the plate and hope you won't notice. Retailers and manufacturers seem to know that their customers hate price increases, but will readily accept getting a little less for the same amount of money. Personally, I'd rather pay a little more and get a decent sized portion, but that's just me. As I continue to grow poorer, maybe my attitude will change.

I spent most of the day working on my new website project and getting my July invoices out. There were short trips to the post office and pharmacy to pay bills and pick up prescriptions, but that was about it. It's hard to get very excited about doing websites these days. It seems like every new project I get is less profitable than the previous one. I know I need to stay competitive to stay busy, but pretty soon these things won't even pay the electric bill.

It's not just traditional website design that's in decline. I saw an article the other day that said the average annual income for published authors showed the sharpest decline ever recorded during the past five years. There are well respected authors all over the world who are making less than the receptionist at an average law office. I think it's pathetic. Indie music, self-publishing, ready-made Wordpress themes, high resolution phone cameras, and a host of other innovations have created a tidal wave that is washing away folks like me. I think my financial adviser is tired of hearing me complaining about money. "Why don't you just switch to designing apps for the iPhone," he asked me the other day. It was hard to explain that creating apps was a completely different business model than being a graphic designer. Even if I was able to master the coding issues, I think my head would explode if my role in life was to come up with the next Angry Birds or Candy Crush Saga. 

I remember one year while I was going to college, I has a Summer job working on an auto assembly line. The pay was pretty darn good. I think now that the era Henry Ford ushered in with the birth of the assembly line might have been the best of times. There was a genuine need for lots and lots of people to put things together for people to buy. People bought tons of the newly affordable refrigerators, cars and light bulbs that were flooding the market, creating more jobs and more assembly lines. Wages gradually went up, since there were no robots to replace the people. The people and the jobs were actually necessary. This is what created the middle class.

Now everything is different. I've been inside huge factories where I hardly saw a person at all. Robots did everything. Automation systems are replacing people at every level. Your job is next. Sometimes I think the only thing people actually make these days are more people. We're still having babies, but what are they going to do when they grow up? They can't all be artists selling handmade jewelry on Etsy.

I'm not sure what my answer to living in an automated world will be. It's easier to think about tomorrow. I'll definitely be going back to my favorite restaurant, where I'm fairly sure that the quality and portion sizes haven't declined. I'll pick up some tasty food for the weekend at Central Market. I might even do some work.

Today's Dalmatian of the Day was one of ours. She went to the Rainbow Bridge on this day in 2004. Rest in peace Greta. You were one of a kind.

Greta is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1667

After bragging about how great Dot was doing with her physical therapy yesterday, she ended up getting sick last night and threw up all over the place. She does this periodically, and we have never been able to figure out why. From the looks of the things she threw up, she had eaten a lot of leaves and grass sometime yesterday evening. Both dogs get frantic whenever their stomach is upset and tend to eat grass as a remedy. Unfortunately, it only makes things worse. At least she didn't try to eat the carpet this time.

After cleaning up vomit several times during the night, we were all finally able to get back to sleep again. I had out of the office meetings today and didn't want to leave Dot alone while I was gone, so I drove her downtown to the vet for observation before my first meeting. She seemed absolutely normal during her stay at the vet and at the end of the day, I drove her home again without incident. It was the leaves she ate that made her sick, but I still don't know why she ate the leaves and grass in the first place. It's a shame that I can't even leave the dogs unsupervised in the back yard, but they both can get in trouble so quickly. It probably took Dot less than a minute to eat the grass and leaves that caused all the trouble.

I had one of my periodic meetings with my financial adviser this afternoon. I used to enjoy these strategy sessions, but lately I find that planning my financial future is becoming increasingly discouraging. With interest rates as low as they've been lately, it's hard to earn anything significant from interest and dividends alone. Globalization hasn't helped either. If somebody sneezes in China it can affect your entire portfolio. A global market does create lots of opportunities too, but it definitely makes everything more volatile. I've grown weary of volatility. A little stability would be nice at this point.

By the end of the day, Dot was completely back to normal, so we decided to take the dogs to training class. Even after sunset it was still hot, so all the dogs in class were a bit subdued. We brought a big cooler of water so Dot and Dash would have plenty to drink, but after greeting the other dogs in the class, they were ready to go home again. The only command they seemed to enjoy was the extended down, where they got to lie down in the grass and do nothing for ten minutes.

I have no idea what today's flower is. Anyone? This is the first time I've seen something like this. It grows near the water and is just starting to come into bloom. It's amazing that after all these years of walking in the park, I still see something new from time to time.

Keller is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1666

The dogs certainly kept me busy today. They both had vet appointments in different parts of town. Dot did fabulous during her water therapy. She continues to amaze me and has got to be one of the most physically fit senior Dalmatians I've ever seen. She seems to respond well to acupuncture too. I think it relaxes her. Today she went right to the little blue yoga mat in the acupuncture room after her treadmill workout and lay down in the center, waiting patiently for the doctor. I'm really proud of how well she's doing and even the vet thinks she's an inspiration.

Dash's visit to the vet was a little more prosaic. No Chariots of Fire music for him today, although the visit was necessary. He needed his anal glands expressed again.

I got started on a new website project today. No Chariots of Fire music for me either, although I am very happy to have the work. This new site is part of an extended family of sites where I have already completed the master design. The job ahead is more about replicating and adapting things than it is about inventing anything new. There's still a lot of work to do, but I should be able to complete this site in two or three days. Several years ago I would have posted something about a new project like this on my Facebook business page. I don't even bother anymore. After Facebook changed it's algorithm, absolutely nobody sees these business page posts unless you run an ad or pay to promote the post. Forget that! I'm sure you'd much rather see a picture of Dot on the treadmill anyway.

My shoulder is killing me today. I can't think of anything I've done recently to aggravate the old injury, but sometimes it doesn't take much. I don't think this dislocated shoulder is ever going to fully heal. I doubt that it's going to improve much while I'm still walking Dalmatians every day. I need to start going to physical therapy myself again instead of just driving Dot to her therapy sessions. I probably would have started therapy sessions already, but the physical therapist I really like sold his practice and moved out of town. Now I've got to find someone new and you already know how much I like doing new things. I really can't postpone physical therapy too much longer, or I'll be driving the car with one hand again.

It's really been dry this month. This is the time of year when I wish we had an automatic sprinkler system. There are always parts of the yard that I forget to water until I see a tree or bush looking droopy. By then it is often too late. Today I noticed that the Wax Myrtle tree near the front porch was losing some leaves, so I brought out a soaker hose and wet the area down. This tree has seen some tough times, but it always seems to survive. When I'm not forgetting to water it, the bag worms and climbing vines attack it. Oh, well. At least the back yard is still looking good.

I've got a meeting I need to go to tomorrow and the dogs have their training class in the evening. Hopefully, something else happens as well.

Trevor is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1665

I had another doctor's appointment today. I've been doing all these tests for so long now that I think I'm learning how to cheat. Blood sugar levels rise and fall throughout the day. You can schedule lab work to make blood sugar levels appear lower if you want to go to the trouble. Heart rate and blood pressure levels can be regulated to some degree with controlled breathing. I used to drink lots of water as soon as I got to the doctor's office when I knew they needed a urine specimen, but then they would do this ultrasound test and tell me that my bladder wasn't emptying properly. Of course it wasn't. I had just consumed boatloads of water. Now, I time this test too, drinking about ten ounces of water three hours before my appointment and no liquids again until the appointment is over. Whatever works is my motto. Apparently my plan was a success because the doc was pleased with the test results and told me that I didn't need to see him for another year.

It looked like it was going to rain all day, but it never did. Everywhere I went there were ominous dark clouds on the horizon. I kept hurrying home to make sure the dogs were OK, but there was never a drop of rain or a single thunderclap. It was just another hot July day with strangely dark skies. As much as I hate rain, I'm beginning to hope we do get a few showers this week. The grass in the back yard is drying up at an alarming rate. I water every evening, but it doesn't seem to be enough.

I feed the dogs lunch every day, even though I never eat any lunch myself. Eating seems to be the high point of their day, so I make a big ritual out of feeding them each a rice cake at lunch time. There are virtually no calories in a rice cake, but apparently there is a lot of chewing pleasure. Dot and Dash both love rice cakes. After lunch, Dot likes to sun herself in the back yard. I have to watch her though to make sure she doesn't get sunburned. Dalmatians sunburn very easily. When it's hot like this and there are so many mosquitoes around, ten minutes of sun is usually plenty. While Dot suns herself, I usually knock down wasp nests under the eaves of the house with a broom. It's such an exciting life.

I finished some website updates this morning, but even that slows down during the Summer. I don't hear from my clients much during July, but I do see pictures of them on Facebook riding jet skis, visiting national parks, and doing whatever you do on family vacations. When the kids return to school, I'll get busy again.

My vet called today and wanted to reschedule Dot's acupuncture appointment again. I thought she wanted to change the day, but she just wanted to move the appointment up an hour. Sure. No problem. Hey, what's an hour to me?  I'm sure the dogs and I will never notice the difference.

Delaney is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1664

I thought I'd do some painting preparation today by starting to scrape the loose paint off the exterior windows and trim. I should have done this a year ago, so today's prep work probably means that I'll actually start painting about this time next year. Progress is progress though and I was feeling good about what I'd accomplished. I decided to do a little more and remembered that there was still a light fixture on the back porch that needed to be re-wired. Unfortunately, when I got the ladder out and climbed up to dismantle the broken can light, I disturbed a hidden hornet's nest. So much for that little project. I went inside to get a can of Raid and decided I was finished with home improvements for the day.

The onslaught of mosquitoes this year is definitely starting to bug me, so I went to Home Depot looking for a solution. All I came home with were a couple of citronella candles. I don't even think these candles work, but they were all I could find that wasn't full of insecticide. There was an intriguing looking portable fogger, but the box was full of safety warning labels, so I took a pass on this potentially lethal solution. I've already established in previous years that bug zappers don't work and neither do those strange propane powered devices that pump a cloud of carbon dioxide over your yard. I think the only thing that works is just staying inside. Unfortunately, the mosquitoes are inside too. One flew out of the refrigerator yesterday.

I could have done some website maintenance work this afternoon, but I decided to go to the gym again instead. This makes two days in a row, which is almost unheard of for me. I used a different group of machines today, but I'll probably still be sore tomorrow. I've been trying to find some exercises that will strengthen my shoulder, but anything that significantly increases my range of motion just pulls the shoulder out of joint again. I've already decided that I don't want surgery, so I guess I'm just going to have to live with what I've got.

I noticed that Dash was trying to get Dot to play with him this afternoon. When the dogs were younger they used to play in the yard a lot. Dot has lost all interest in playing now that she's older though, and Dash gets frustrated. Maybe I need to start taking him to doggie day care a few times a week. Finding the right place will be difficult though. Dash is still terrified of larger dogs and doesn't like to play rough. The cancer center was perfect, because all the dogs in treatment there were very gentle. I think he misses the cancer center.

I have another doctor's appointment tomorrow, so I've had to reschedule Dot's acupuncture and physical therapy session again. Later in the week I have my quarterly meeting with my financial adviser. Hopefully, he'll have some good news to offset the total loss of one of my now defunct oil and gas investments. Janet fixed a great dinner tonight. Maybe if I keep going to the gym every day, I could eat more without gaining any weight.

Cisco is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1663

I complain so much about Dallas that one of my friends suggested I move to New Zealand. Not a bad idea. The place is beautiful. It's isolated. And the people are friendly. I wonder if they have Dalmatians there? Truthfully, I really don't know where I would like to go next. Janet doesn't have a favorite spot either. Maybe we ought to ask the dogs where they would like to go.

The only place I went today was the gym. The gym has turned out to be my go-to place when I'm bored. I have a feeling that some of the regulars go there for essentially the same reason. Whatever random day I happen to go, they're always there. I can't imagine being as faithful as these regulars, but it's not a bad place to hang out. It's nearby. The exercise has got to be doing me some good. You don't even have to think very much. There are definitely worse places to be.

There was a lot of complaining about fireworks displays on my Facebook wall this morning. It's funny. Young people love watching fireworks. Older people are more likely to tell you that they'll never go to a fireworks show again. It must be some kind of line in the sand when you stop saying "Wow" and start complaining about the ants, the mosquitoes, and the difficulties in finding a parking place. I agree with Dot when it comes to fireworks shows. They're loud and entirely unnecessary. I think I've already crossed that line in the sand.

There's a channel on TV that seems to play nothing but old Seinfeld shows. The episode where George Costanza became a hand model was on tonight and it still makes me laugh. It's weird that these shows are still funny decades later, while most new comedies don't even bring a smile to my face. The writing just isn't that good anymore. George Carlin was much better at political commentary than John Stewart. Johnny Carson is still the gold standard. Jimmy Fallon doesn't even come close. It occurs to me that I could save a bundle on my cable bill by cutting the cord and just buying boxed DVD sets of my old favorite shows instead.

There's a cool feature on Janet's sewing machine that lets you sew detailed lettering directly on fabric. You can pick fonts and sizes and everything. She wanted to sew the dogs names on bandanas today but neither of us could remember how to use the fancy and somewhat complicated feature. The "use it or lose it" nature of skills like this is starting to bother me. I am forgetting things at an alarming rate, simply because there is no need for the knowledge anymore. Lord help me if I ever need to do an old school analog edit using tape machines again. I've got a perfectly good video edit suite in my office that I used to use all the time. I haven't even turned the tape machines on in two years. Nobody needs tape in a file based world. I wonder if anyone needs me? Maybe I ought to start a museum. I'd be a great curator of old stuff. Ask me about Dinky Toys, Osborne Computers, Citroën automobiles, and Betacam recorders. If only these things were still relevant.

Isabella is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1662 - Independence Day

In recent years, I've seen twice as many people celebrating Cinco de Mayo in the park as I do on the Fourth of July. Sign of the times, I guess. There are still plenty of flags on front lawns and backyard barbecues, but something has changed. There just isn't the sense of unity and common purpose I felt on this day as a child. Granted, as a kid, I was much more interested in fireworks  than patriotism, but it was still a special day where neighbors gathered together and everyone smiled a lot.

I'm surprised that I didn't blow myself up on the Fourth of July when I was young. Everything was legal back then. In the weeks leading up to Independence Day we would buy huge stashes of cherry bombs and M-80s from roadside fireworks stands. Makeshift cannons were fashioned from lengths of cast iron drain pipe and contests were held to see who could shoot Coca Cola cans filled with sand the longest distance. This was incredibly foolish in retrospect, but not any dumber than the game my young friends and I made of shooting arrows straight up in the air and seeing how close we could get them to land to us. We didn't wear seat belts either when our parents drove us around in the family car. It's amazing that so many of us survived.

These days, the Fourth of July is much more subdued. I took the dogs on a nice long walk while Janet went to a neighborhood parade that her company helped sponsor. After breakfast, I thought I'd get a couple of more watches running again before I lost interest in this tedious activity entirely. I've already forgotten a lot. I had to look up some information on Google before I could even get the case opened on one obscure mid-70's relic. I did manage to get three more watches running this morning though. That's three down, three hundred to go.

When Janet and I went to the grocery store to get ingredients for this evening's cookout, it appeared that the entire city had the same idea. Central Market was jammed with people buying holiday food. I guess we're not the only ones to wait till the last minute. Dinner was delicious. It doesn't get much better than burgers on the grill, fresh potato salad, and coleslaw. The only thing missing was the beer. I still can't bring myself to drink alcohol after all the effort I've made to get my liver back in shape.

It seemed like Saturday today. I'm sure it will seem like Saturday tomorrow as well. That's OK. Two Saturday's in a row is much better than two Monday's in a row.

Matao is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1661

I noticed today that I have over 2 million page views on my Google+ page. That sure sounds like a lot to me, but it probably has no significance whatsoever. If anything, it just means that a lot of people like my photography when it's free. The number of people who are actually willing to pay for my photos is much, much smaller.

Janet wanted me to fix one of her watches today. At one point about six years ago I became fascinated with watch repair. I bought books on the subject, invested in tools and calibration instruments, met other watchmakers, and even managed to fix a few watches. I broke quite a few while I was learning, but it was all part of the process. My interest seems to have dissipated. When I got out my tools today, fixing a watch seemed about as exciting as cleaning the toilet. I managed to get Janet's watch working again without losing any of the tiny screws, and then put new batteries in a few of my own while I had the tools out. When I finished, I wondered how I ever became interested in this somewhat esoteric subject in the first place. Watches are a strange obsession for me. I seldom, if ever, even care what time it is.

Although my interest in watch repair, songwriting, film making, and electric trains may be on the wane, I do still care about some things. I care about the dogs, so I got up early so they could have a nice walk before it got too hot. I care about breakfast, so I went to my favorite restaurant today, knowing that tomorrow is a holiday. I care about the blog, so I keep writing in hopes that I'll have something interesting to tell you one of these days.

The sister I thought had disappeared from the face of the earth has reappeared. She still lives on the same farm, but has gone off the grid, ditching the Internet, her land line, and mail delivery to her house. I think she checks her mail once a month at a post office box in a neighboring town. I don't think she's missing all that much. My own land line seems to be exclusively for telemarketers and robo-calls these days. My mail box is filled with flyers, catalogs, and coupons for pizza, oil changes, and gym memberships. I haven't gotten a real letter in months. My e-mail in-box is more or less the same. I still get sporadic messages from clients, but the vast majority of my e-mail is spam. Life would probably be better without any of these things.

I hope we have a peaceful, quiet Independence Day. Dot used to hate the Fourth of July, because the loud fireworks upset her. Now that she's starting to go deaf, it probably isn't that big of a deal anymore. Janet is still a judge at a neighborhood Fourth of July parade. We still cook burgers on the grill for our holiday dinner. We don't sit on the grass by the lake and watch fireworks anymore though. The mosquitoes and fire ants would eat us alive.

Bob Hope is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1660

One of my photographer friends said that people are crawling under cars in his office parking lot, sawing off the catalytic converters and stealing them. Has it come to this? I knew we were getting close to living in a Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome world, but I didn't think we were that close. Every time I hear stories like this, I want to move to a little town that's been frozen in time somewhere around 1955. Now where would that be? I doubt that places like this even exist anymore.

I knew the power company was raising electricity rates, but I really didn't expect my electric bill to go up by 30% in a single month. The temperature has been fairly constant for the past several months, so it wasn't a heat wave that caused the bill to go up so much. It was a greedy power company. I just wonder where this is going to end? Gas prices are up. Meat and dairy products are up. The cable bill has gone through the roof, and now the power company is climbing on the bandwagon.  I keep hearing that inflation is low, but I don't believe it. Inflation is quite high in my world. Prices keep going up and wages keep going down. It's not a good combination.

At least the dogs are happy. If I can get them out on their morning walk around 7 AM, there's usually a nice breeze and the walk is enjoyable for all. We're still able to walk several miles early in the morning, although it's an entirely different story in the evening. During the day, the dogs are content to stay inside with me where the air conditioner is cranked up. They sleep while I work, although today I did a little bit of sleeping as well. Yes, it was another slow day. We got lucky at training class this evening. Instead of a typical hot and muggy July evening, we had a pleasant breeze instead. It felt like a cold front was blowing through town and it probably was, since it is supposed to rain later tonight.

One of my doctors wants me to postpone the prescription changes another doctor made last week. I hate dueling doctors. I never know who to believe and usually end up believing nobody. I see a third doctor about something entirely different next Monday. Maybe this one will be the tie breaker. I'd just as soon ignore all these doctors, but I saw what happened to my Dad when he got older. It wasn't pretty. If any one of these guys can save me from that fate, I'll be happy to go along with the program.

Since Friday is a holiday, I'm wondering whether to make tomorrow my restaurant breakfast day. So many decisions.

Bud is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1659

I can't say that I'm a big soccer fan, but I did watch the game between USA and Belgium today, mostly because so many people were talking about it. I don't think have the patience for this kind of game. I watched for over an hour and nobody scored. Eventually, I got tired of the game and took the dogs for a walk. When we got back, the game was still going on. It's rare that a sporting event captures my attention for very long. I probably like watching horse races the best. The race is over in just a few minutes and you can bet on the horses.

It was a slow day, so I went to the gym this afternoon. It was an anniversary of sorts. Exactly one year ago today, I joined the gym. I don't think I had great expectations at the time. It was just something to do on a hot Summer day. In retrospect, I've made quite a bit of progress. Most importantly, I'm still going! I rarely continue anything this long unless it has something to do with the dogs. I don't think I will ever become obsessed with physical fitness. Exercise is about as exciting as watching soccer to me. I have taken the advice of my hepatologist to heart though. He managed to convince me that a good diet was only part of the equation. Healthy food needs to be combined with lots of activity to produce the desired results. There's a lot of biology and chemistry involved, but it should suffice to say that diet and exercise go together.

I wish I was making as much progress with my business as I am at the gym. It seems like I was a lot busier last July. I have two website clients who keep me very busy and half a dozen others who need me sporadically. This isn't really enough, but I'm not sure what to do about it. I've had a real good run since I started the company in 1990, but I'm loathe to go after new business anymore. I'm far too used to being the Wizard of Oz. Sometime while I wasn't looking, Toto pulled back the curtain and ruined everything. I've been exposed. Most of what I do has become a low paid commodity to the generation that replaced me. I still chase after the low hanging fruit from time to time, but all too often it is full of worms. I'm beginning to think that the business isn't worth it anymore and I might have more fun working at the genius bar in an Apple store.

I'm still interested in photography, but I'm losing interest in the gear. I take the majority of my pictures using my phone now, just like everyone else. I saw a beautiful, very large butterfly outside the living room window this morning, I ran back to the office to grab a good camera and by the time I got back, the butterfly was gone. That's the trouble with lots of equipment. It's hard to be spontaneous. I used to like to create complex, beautiful images in a studio. Now, I prefer to just capture images as I find them. The phone is great for that. For a cynical person, I still see quite a bit of beauty in the world.

Bentley is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day