Day 3347

I didn't go out for breakfast this morning. It took me way too long to get organized. Dash was out of sorts when he woke up and wouldn't take his morning meds. We tried hiding the food in ham, turkey, canned dog food and even cake. Nothing worked. I thought that maybe he'd be hungry after a walk, so we suited him up and off we went. It wasn't raining yet, but it was so foggy that my jacket was wet when we returned. Dash seemed to like the weather, but he still wasn't hungry when we got back to the house.

The pills Dash takes are essential, so I knew I wasn't going anywhere. One way or another, he needed to take his meds. I fixed myself an omelet while Dash took a nap. I added some ham, sausage, and smoked Gouda cheese to the eggs and the result was delicious. The smell enticed Dash to the kitchen and this time he was ready to take his pills. I rolled each pill in a small slice of the same ham I'd used for my omelet. Mission accomplished.

Dash didn't poop in the house this morning and it made me nervous. I heard his stomach rumbling while we were walking in the park and I kept expecting the volcano to blow. Dash always poops a lot in the morning. Today was different. He peed in the bed instead. By the time I finished cleaning up, doing the laundry, and washing the breakfast dishes, it was noon. I didn't mind. It was raining outside anyway and there was no place I wanted to go. My omelet tasted better than a restaurant omelet anyway.

After breakfast, I watched a webinar from one of the large auction houses about how to sell your collection. I learned a lot, but it was a little late. I've already sold or consigned most of my collection. The whole presentation seemed to be directed at people who have inherited art and don't know what to do with it. Maybe that's where most of the art at auction comes from. I can see how this happens, but hopefully I can unwind my collections and clean up my mess before I die. If you've ever had to deal with settling an estate, you quickly realize that it's not a pleasant task. Your heirs will enjoy getting a check someday. They probably won't enjoy sorting through a huge pile of your junk.

Dash seemed exceptionally tired today. He spent most of the day sleeping. When this happens, I worry that his walks are wearing him out. I always let Dash set the pace and we walk very slowly, but maybe even this mild exercise has become too much for him. He really enjoyed his walk this morning, but when we returned home, he seemed exhausted. There are no easy answers about aging. I wish Dash could talk so he could tell me whether I was walking for him, or if he was walking for me. I'm just guessing that Dash loves these daily walks. He seems to enjoy walking, but what if all his joints hurt and he's just walking to please me?

I was happy to see the Dow close above 26,000 today. I'd have been even happier if I'd seen the sun.  It was such a dismal day that all I could find to photograph was an ugly weed with water drops on it. Who knows. Maybe the weekend will be nice. As long as I'm wishing, maybe Dash will be stronger tomorrow as well. Maybe I'll even get some sleep.

Maggie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3346

Rain keeps getting in the way. Dash was surprisingly strong this morning and wanted to walk. I've learned to be ready for these moments, so we put on Dash's boots and off we went. Unfortunately we didn't get far. The rain that was supposed to arrive in an hour arrived in less than five minutes. When we heard thunder, Dash wisely turned around and we headed for home.

Dash went to sleep after I dried him off and I returned to making the bed and fixing my breakfast. All it took was a quick look out the kitchen window to know that it was going to be another long, wet Winter day. While I was finishing breakfast I listened the the press conference with the Chicago police department where the head of detectives laid out a detailed time line showing how they determined that  Jussie Smollett staged the hate crime attack on himself. What was Smollett thinking? He paid the Nigerian brothers with a personal check. Surveillance cameras showed the brothers purchasing all the items used in the fake attack. The brothers confessed to being accomplices in the stunt. There were even phone records confirming that Smollett talked extensively with the brothers both before and after the staged attack. This guy calls himself an actor, be he clearly hadn't watched enough episodes of Columbo. In the end the detectives usually get their man.

Almost every day I think our divided country has reached a new low. Then I turn on the TV and realize that we can still go a lot lower. Although this fake hate crime opened a dismal new chapter in this ongoing story, I still have a small amount of hope for the country. Down in Florida, Space X launched a used Falcon 9 rocket for the third time carrying three different satellites from three different countries. One of them was headed for the moon. I hope the little Israeli lunar lander makes it. I'd much rather hear a success story about Jews on the Moon than a sad story about anti-Semitism.

Dash eventually did get a walk today. It was cold and damp, but at least it wasn't raining. I think these walks are important. They keep Dash motivated. Around the house, he stumbles a lot and gets depressed. The park is filled with animal smells and Dash has a reason to keep going. Walking helps keep his muscles from atrophying. The walks probably help me as well. I'd never get close to my 10,000 steps a day goal without them.

I paid a bunch of February bills this afternoon and took them to the post office. How can an uneventful life be so expensive? The big bill this month was car insurance. Maybe I should let the insurance company put that little tracker in my car after all. They say it could lower my rates by 20%. Why am I suspicious? I have a feeling that it could also raise my rates.

The week's trash has been taken to the curb. This evening's Space X launch was flawless. Dash got his walk today and finished eating all his meals. The roof still isn't leaking. Hey, measured by these low standards, I guess that today was a success.

Lizzy is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3345

Dash wouldn't walk this morning. I thought he'd be eager to get outside since the weather was nicer than yesterday. I even saw the sun and a few patches of blue sky for a while. Evidently Dash wasn't impressed by the weather. Before we'd even made it to the end of our street, he turned around and came home. He must have been feeling bad this morning, because he immediately went to sleep as soon as we returned to the house.

There was a post card in the mail this morning saying that there was an attempt to deliver a package and that I was to call the number on the card immediately. This was an obvious scam. The card didn't come from UPS, Fedex, the Post Office, or Amazon. I hadn't ordered anything either. Who were these people trying to fool? I put the card in the shredder, but there will probably be more dubious mail tomorrow. I feel like I'm under siege lately. Most of the mail that arrives at the house is junk. The phone is even worse. They say that 50% of all phone calls are telemarketers now. At my house the figure would be more like 90%. I really feel like the phone company should be paying me to put up with this nonsense. The telemarketing calls start earlier and last longer now too. We occasionally get them after we've gone to bed. I have Nomorobo installed on my phone and still way too many of these junk calls get through.

If we're going to build a wall, we ought to build some sort of electronic wall to stop these irritating intrusions once and for all. Stopping telemarketers might be the one thing that Democrats and Republicans could actually agree on. I wonder why telemarketers even bother. Few people even answer their phone these days. If you don't send them a text, you'll never get an answer.

Don't even get me started about Spam. Luckily my hosting company has a very good Spam filter, so I don't see most of it. Occasionally, I empty the Spam folder on the mail server and I'm always shocked at how many messages there are. Usually there are thousands of them.

Early this afternoon Dash seemed to have recovered and we took a nice walk. It doesn't really matter when Dash feels like walking. I've always got the time. I think it's great that he still has the desire to do things. Sometimes he has more desire than I do. Dash tires very easily and sleeps a lot, but when he's ready to go, we go.

I'd like to think the sunshine I saw today was a hopeful sign. Unfortunately, there are thunderstorms in the forecast for Friday. At least our weather isn't quite as bad as last February. If I remember correctly, it rained all month. The rainy season will be over eventually. The wildflowers will return. They won't last long though. When Summer arrives I'll be thinking that all this February rain was just an illusion.

Odie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3344

Rain, rain, go away. Needless to say, I'm tired of this. Dash was lucky to get one walk today. I checked the radar as soon as I woke up and realized that we had a short window of opportunity before the downpours started. Janet had an appointment this morning, but she helped get us started. Some mornings Dash won't leave the house without someone to follow. Janet led the way to the park this morning and then as soon as there were lots of things to smell, he totally forgot she was there. Janet returned home and Dash continued smelling his way along one of his familiar routes. I was worried that the approaching rain would overtake us, but we completed our walk with minutes to spare.

Rainy days are murder on Dash's protective boots. Everything gets wet and the fitted bandage that we use as the first layer of protection often gets ruined. There were no bloody paws this morning, but there were a few small red spots that indicated something was rubbing. I'll be glad when the weather is dry again. It's much easier to deal with these assisted walks without a lot of mud and slippery wet grass.

I got a letter from NASA today saying that a postponed event that I had applied to attend early last Fall had finally been rescheduled and that I had been approved. This was a surprise. The event is an opportunity for bloggers to go behind the scenes with the NASA Orion program and see how this four man capsule will be used to return to the moon. I get the Orion, Crew Dragon, and Boeing Starliner programs confused sometimes and wonder why we are developing all three. Maybe this trip to Johnson Space Center could provide the answer. Since Houston is close and the tour is just a one day event, I think I'll probably accept the invitation. Janet says Dash will be fine with her for the day. I probably worry too much, but Dash does need a lot of assistance.

I wish I was better at predicting how Dash was going to respond on any given day. I never know when or where he is going to poop and I always worry that we might be overdoing things on walks. Dash did great this morning. We took a long, leisurely walk and Dash enjoyed smelling everything in his path. He seemed fine when we got home and then about an hour after we returned, he has a severe shivering episode. Was this shivering caused by the cold weather? Was it some sort of tremor related to his vestibular disease, or maybe a mild seizure? I don't know. I wrapped Dash in a blanket and sat with him for about 30 minutes until the shivering subsided and his breathing became normal again. These shivering episodes come and go. He hasn't had one in a while, so I was hoping they were a thing of the past. Dash is fine now, but you never know what is going to happen next.

The rain was pretty heavy today. Luckily, both pumps on the roof were working well. I assume things were working well anyway. Lots of water was flowing through the hoses. I'm not going to go up on the roof and inspect things until the rain stops for good. So far, the repairs the roofers made are holding up well. I have seen no evidence of the roof leak returning. The sheetrock on the ceiling is still ugly and stained, but it's dry. I still have very little confidence in the overall integrity of the roof, but every dry day is a good day.

They say the rain will be gone by morning. I certainly hope so. My day will be more or less the same whatever happens, but at least the inevitable cleanup will be easier if things are dry.

Spot is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3343

Winter is just a process of continually adding layer after layer of clothing so I won't be too cold when I go outside and then removing layer after layer of clothing as soon as I come back inside so I won't get too hot. I'm always trying to shortcut this lengthy process, so I'm usually too hot or too cold. Maybe some of you find all these seasonal changes invigorating, but I wish mother nature would make up her mind. 72 degrees all the time would be nice.

I thought that Dash might want a later walk this morning because he was still sound asleep when I woke up. This was just wishful thinking on my part. Dash was waiting at the door and ready to go before I finished getting dressed. I'm always amazed at how empty the park is on cold windy days. There are all these young, healthy dogs in the neighborhood and it's always the old dog who can barely move who is still out there. I admire Dash's tenacity, even though on days like today I'd rather just stay inside myself.

Dash's vision has been getting worse for some time. Occasionally, I think he navigates entirely by his sense of smell. To a casual observer he seems to meander all over the place, but maybe he is just smelling his way from one familiar landmark to the next. Every once in a while he will stop and smell the air for a long time and then turn around. It's frustrating when he does this when we're almost home. "Don't do this to me buddy," I think. "We're almost home and I'm getting cold." I've learned that if something doesn't smell right to Dash, it's better to just change our route and forget about it. Getting Dash to change his mind is not an easy task.

I guess today was a holiday. President's Day never seems like a real holiday to me. Today was just a day when I couldn't go to the post office or listen to the market news on the business channel. I don't buy or sell very often anymore, but I still like following the market. When I hear politicians talk it all just sounds like blah, blah, blah to me. Market moves are easier to understand. The market operates almost entirely on fear and greed. When investors are scared, the market goes down. When they are confident, the market goes up. If you follow these sentiments, you can get a pretty accurate picture of what is going on in the world. It's certainly a more accurate picture than listening to politicians.

Without any market news to follow, I watched Jay Leno's Garage instead. I'd love to have a huge collection of cars like Jay Leno or Jerry Seinfeld. I don't think either of these guys are trying to impress anyone. They are just rich and really like cars. I've had some interesting cars in my time, but I can't imagine being a collector. Cars take up a lot of space and they can be quite expensive to keep running. One at a time is plenty for me.

I tried going without antihistamines this morning. It didn't work. Within an hour or two I was blowing my nose again. I wonder if I'm going to need to take the antihistamines all Winter. I have seasonal allergies every year, but they've never lasted this long. Is something weird going on with the pollen count this year, or am I just becoming more sensitive? Of course there are always the conspiracy theories. Maybe the Chemtrails are starting to get to me.

I haven't used my laptop or iPad in so long that the batteries in both were completely dead. When business travel was a part of my life, I used to depend on the laptop. Not anymore. The only time I use it now is during power outages. Be prepared is my motto, so I charged the batteries and updated software on both devices. Hey, you never know. I may need an old laptop someday.

Bailey is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3342

Apparently, there are younger people who belong to my gym after all. When I arrived this morning, there were about fifty people I'd never seen before participating in some kind of fitness event. It looked like some sort of an indoor triathlon. I couldn't shoot baskets because the court was filled with stationary bicycles. They were actually real bicycles with their rear wheels raised off the ground. It looked like participants started in the gym's pool, then went to the bicycles, and then finished on the running track. I don't know how you could determine a winner because the bicycles definitely weren't going anywhere. Maybe it wasn't a race. There was a guy wearing a wireless microphone delivering some sort of motivational message as the crowd peddled away on the bicycles. Maybe this was a class. It all seemed pretty strange to me. I'll have to check and see if this is going to be a regular thing now. If it is, I might need to change the day I exercise.

Somehow, Dash slipped off his puppy training pad last night and I woke up to a larger than expected mess. I thought I had this incontinence down to a science, but life is full of surprises. So much for sleeping in this morning. I hosed off the soiled bedding, started a load of wash and got ready for our morning walk. Dash and I have been walking on our own this week, but this morning he wouldn't leave the house without Janet leading the way. We waited for her to get dressed and get the walk started. Then, just like that, everything was back to normal again. I often wonder what Dash is thinking. He seems to have a plan, but he rarely shares it with me. Every day is full of surprises.

It must have rained last night, since the ground was wet and muddy. Dash doesn't seem to mind the damp weather, but it's hard on his protective boots. You'd think that since the outer layer is rubber, the inner layers would stay dry. Nope. The special fitted bandage and cotton sock he wears under the rubber outer boot are always soaking wet on damp days. The lightweight outer boots we are using now tear easily too. The system we have devised is far from perfect, but at least his paws aren't getting bloody anymore. Maybe this is as good as it's going to get. Heavier, more durable boots make it difficult for Dash to walk and anything lighter would provide no protection at all.

I should have done some cleaning this afternoon, but I was too tired. After I got home from the gym, I took a shower and then I took a nap. When Dash is restless, a nap is always the best way to calm him down. Dash gets tired easily, but he doesn't like to be alone. Janet often watches Netflix movies with him, while I prefer to just curl up and do nothing. My theory is that lots of naps will eventually add up to a good night's sleep.

It's hard to believe that it's the middle of February already. I wish it were the middle of April. The days are getting longer now, but it's still wet and cold. There's still a lot of Winter ahead of us. The good news is that I've seen no signs of a roof leak after several heavy rains. There are no signs that my allergies are going away either. I'm still taking the antihistamines. The only place I can breathe freely is in the car. I've always wondered why the cabin air filter was so expensive to replace. Now I know. This filter is really good. When I drive somewhere, I'm in a hermetically sealed little capsule.

I wonder why Monday still feels like a work day? I haven't done any real work in months, but I still dread Monday mornings.

Lexi is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3341

What happened to our nice weather? One day it's 70. The next day it's 30. I wonder if the entire Winter is going to be this way? Since I like consistency, these extreme fluctuations are driving me nuts. It was cold and nasty outside this morning, but Dash still wanted his walk. I would rather have slept in a little longer, but off we went. Dash continues to do better than expected. I don't know where he got his second wind, but it's nice to see him with a little enthusiasm again.

After breakfast, I filled the car with gas and did my weekend grocery shopping. The list was small this week and that was fine with me. This seemed like a day for staying home and keeping warm. Dash seemed to agree. We took a long nap together this afternoon. It certainly beat cleaning the house.

As a consumer of healthcare, I've been following the debate about how to reform the system. I have a feeling that this is going to be the next battleground that divides us even further. I was listening to a proponent of Medicare for all explain that one of the most effective ways to pay for universal healthcare would be to stop approving all these elaborate procedures for really old people. "They're all going to die soon anyway," the guy said. You can imagine how well this idea went over. It's certainly true that most of your medical expenditures are going to occur during your last ten years of life, but if you need a new knee on your eightieth birthday, are you really going to say "never mind, I'll just keep using this cane?" I wonder how this will end? When the women are all fighting the men and the young are all fighting the old, today's political skirmishes will seem like child's play.

I'd be the first to admit that the earth's population is already too large to sustain life indefinitely. I'd still like to live as long as I can though. That is the dilemma. We desperately need to slow down population growth but we all want to live. Humanity has become the ultimate Kudzu vine. Since we are at the top of the food chain, there is absolutely nothing to stop us from consuming everything in our path. There really needs to be some fire breathing dragons or evil alien invaders to keep us in our place.

I don't see how you can be a student of history and still believe that you can change human nature. We have a pretty dismal track record. This is why I'm such a fan of exploring space. We're pretty clever. Maybe we can learn to tame wormholes and conquer the speed of light before we destroy our planet and become extinct. If we thought our destiny was to expand into the universe and destroy an infinite number of other planets one by one, it would provide a tremendous source of hope.

I saw us plant a flag on the moon, but I'd have to stay pretty healthy to see the same thing happen on Mars. Population explosion or not, I'll take advantage of every medical miracle that comes my way. I'd love to see Elon Musk succeed. It would be the first step in what could become a very long journey.

Joshua is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3340

I wish the Shrimp Grits weren't so good, because I find the trendy restaurant troubling. The place is crowded and loud. You often have to wait a long time for a table. Worst of all it provides me with a glimpse of the future. Apparently, the future will be filled with fat people wearing skinny jeans, man buns, over the top painted on eyebrows, and very delicious food. There is a friendly vibe to the place. The waiters are super friendly and the customers appear to be enjoying themselves as well. Jeez. How can they enjoy all this chaos and noise? It is clear that I am the odd duck in this place.

The reason I went to the trendy restaurant is that I got off to a late start again. Dash was ready to walk on his own again this morning, but he was very slow. He took his time, smelling every bush and clump of grass. Dash does seem to walk better without the leg brace, so we'll go with that. I want him to enjoy these walks. When we got back home, Dash found multiple reasons to keep me from leaving for breakfast. He would head for the back door, so I would let him out to pee. He would head for the kitchen, so I would try to get him to finish his chicken. He would head for the bedroom, so I'd see if he was ready for a nap. Basically he was just not ready for me to leave the house.

Eventually, Dash settled down and took a long nap. This was a good thing, because I needed to go pick up my Aeron Chair. The Herman Miller people had finally finished their repairs. It was a long drive to the warehouse and the route took me past a lot of places I used to frequent. It always amazes me what a transitory place Dallas is. Virtually all the restaurants, computer stores, client headquarters, and other places that were familiar to me were gone. Every five years Dallas seems to completely reinvent itself.

The chair repair people were very nice but they said they had no way to take my money. They let me walk away with the chair without paying for it. "Are you sure this is OK" I asked? "Don't worry about it," the head repair guy told me. "Eventually, you'll get a bill from Herman Miller." Works for me. I wish everyone were this trusting.

Aeron Chairs have a reputation for lasting forever. "You ought to be good for another twenty years," the repair guy told me as I left. "I'll see you then" I told him and we both laughed nervously. The repair guy was about as old as I am. Chances are that neither of us will be around twenty years from now.

We were having pizza for dinner tonight, so I had to go park the car on a side street around mid afternoon. I knew I would need to pick up the pizza. The traffic has gotten so bad that I can't get out of the driveway during rush hour anymore. Businesses come and go in Dallas, but one thing stays the same. The traffic always gets worse.

Lucky is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3339 - Valentine's Day

Traditions die hard. I continue getting cupcakes at Sprinkles and a small orchid in a pot every Valentine's Day. I've been doing this for years even though we seldom eat sweets. I used to have to stand in a long line that snaked outside the store to get my cupcakes but Sprinkles isn't as trendy as it was five of six years ago. The line was very short today, but the cupcakes are still delicious. I used to be able to keep the orchids alive for several seasons. They would bloom again and again. Now they always die after a month or two. The orchids are definitely cheaper than they used to be though. Maybe there's a correlation. Sprinkles makes cupcakes for dogs too. I always get a few, while wondering if they are really safe. Dogs aren't supposed to have sugar, but I wouldn't be surprised if these weren't just small human cupcakes. Hopefully the frosting is just cream cheese or something.

Dash has gotten more enthusiastic about his daily walks. I hope this is a sign that he is feeling better. Something has changed. On most days he doesn't need to follow Janet anymore. This morning he confidently headed out the back gate on his own and I completed the entire walk by myself. It doesn't always go this smoothly, but Dash definitely does seem in better spirits. We stopped wearing the leg brace when Dash started using the Help 'Em Up Harness. It was difficult to attach the brace to the new harness and Dash was walking so slow that it didn't seem to matter anyway. I wonder if it is easier for him to walk without the brace? The whole idea of the knee brace was to keep a partial cruciate tear from becoming worse. We thought the brace would make it easier for Dash to walk, but maybe it did the opposite. Caring for a sick dog is always a learning experience. Occasionally, Dash ends up being the teacher.

I wonder if I am going to be perpetually tired. It certainly seems that way. This morning Janet woke me up and said that Dash looked like he was ready to walk. You hate to miss these opportunities, so I quickly got dressed and off we went. By the time we returned, it was much too late to go back to bed again. I slowly drank my morning smoothie, stopping from time to time to clean up poop. Dash has plenty of time to poop on these long meandering walks, but he often waits until he's home again to do his business. He doesn't do this on purpose. An incontinent dog just isn't able to plan ahead.

I had to turn the air conditioner on this afternoon. The temperature was in the high 70's today. A few weeks ago it was below freezing. I've given up on predicting Texas weather. I've often worn a t-shirt and shorts in the same week I've needed my warmest down parka. I check the weather app on my phone every morning before we take our walk, but even that isn't always helpful. Sometimes it seems like it's ten degrees colder down by the lake than it is in our back yard. Basically, you can end up wearing Summer clothes in the Winter in Texas, but you never end up wearing Winter clothes in the Summer.

I didn't really think Galentine's Day was a thing until I saw a whole row of special "Galentine's" cupcakes in Sprinkles today. I wonder if these were day old cupcakes? I think Galentine's Day was yesterday. It seems weird to me when made up holidays from old TV sitcoms become real and start being celebrated. It happened with Festivus too. Maybe in the future all our holidays will originate on TV shows.

Dot is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3338

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Tessa is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3337

I had trouble getting back to sleep after I took Dash outside last night, so instead of counting sheep, I tried to remember all the ad agencies I'd worked at in the correct order. This was surprisingly difficult. The first three agencies were easy. So were the last four. The ones in the middle were a muddled mess though. I guess my memory lapse is understandable. I worked at seventeen ad agencies before starting my own company. I eventually fell asleep, but I still have no idea where I worked before I went to Popejoy & Fischel. I can't remember who Popejoy was either.

It was nice to see the sun again. The temperature was warmer too. Dash thought is was a nice day as well. For the first time since his severe diarrhea episode, we were able to take two walks again. Dash still isn't walking normally and probably never will, but he has quickly learned how to use the Help 'Em Up Harness. I basically provide just enough support to keep him from slipping. Dash is still moving his legs on his own. If you have a dog with mobility problems I can't recommend these harnesses enough. They really help.

It was time to vacuum again. Actually it was long past time. There has always been a ton of dog hair in the house, but lately I'm finding Dash's food all over the place. He's having trouble chewing now and food just falls out of his mouth. There are dog biscuit crumbs and little bits of chicken and rice all over the place. Dash's teeth and gums are terrible now, but it is not safe to anesthetize him anymore, so a regular dental cleaning is impossible. I swab his mouth every day with an oral dental rinse and we try to brush his teeth, but it's a losing battle.

Since it was clear and warm this afternoon, I went up on the roof and removed the remaining water. The pumps actually did a pretty good job during the rain. There wasn't as much standing water as I anticipated. I had the entire job finished in less than thirty minutes. The forecast looks good for the immediate future, so maybe I can stay off the roof for a while.

I was happy to see the stock market rebound today. It's unsettling at times that I need to depend on this increasingly volatile market. When I was younger I never gave the stock market a lot of thought. If I needed money, I knew I could always go earn more. Not so easy these days. My skill set has become largely irrelevant. At least I believed in saving when I was younger. Some of my friends didn't. We'll see what the future brings. Somehow I don't think it's going to bring a guaranteed return on my investments. I see a very bumpy road ahead.

A roof panel blew off the greenhouse again last night. Jeez. I thought I'd already fixed that. Apparently, I'm not a very good carpenter.

Lucy is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3336

Dash had no desire to get up this morning. Neither did I, but I knew I had a limited time to get him outside to pee before he wet the bed. I finally managed to get him out of bed, but as soon as he went outside and did his business, he headed straight back to the bedroom. He knew it was a rainy day and he wasn't going anywhere. Since I couldn't make the bed with Dash in it, I went to the kitchen and fixed my smoothie instead. I thought Dash would follow me to the kitchen, since he's always interested in food. He didn't budge. He has to take his morning meds on a regular schedule, so I took the pills and some sliced ham back to the bedroom with me. I rolled each pill in a small slice of ham and fed them to him one by one while he was lying in bed. The fact that he took the pills let me know that he was just being lazy. I suspect that he knew that Janet had already left for the morning and he could get away with anything with me.

Usually Dash poops right after he's taken his morning pills, so I was reluctant to leave him unattended for very long. I kept checking on him every few minutes as I was having my own breakfast and luckily I managed to catch him just as he was getting ready to poop. I quickly slid a puppy pad under him and made the save. No mess this time.

When I finished my smoothie, I went up on the roof and made sure the pumps were working before the heavy rain I saw on the radar arrived. These pumps help keep the water level on the roof from getting too high when it rains, but they are finicky and always seem to get clogged at the worst possible time. Luckily, I was able to get both pumps working today.

Dash's morning walk didn't take place until noon today, but at least he still got one. There was a light drizzle, but we didn't get too wet. After Dash's exceedingly lethargic morning, I thought that he wouldn't even want a walk. I was wrong. These slow, stumbling, and often aimless walks are the high point of his day.

Janet added me to her Costco membership last month, so we went to the store after lunch so I could get my membership card. Their card printer was broken, so I'll have to go back later. I'd never been to a Costco before. This one seemed like a giant Sam's Club with a more upscale suburban customer base. It was a little bit overwhelming. I'll probably continue going to Sam's.

Today's rain was strong enough to be a legitimate test of the roof repairs. Fingers crossed. I will be watching the ceiling very carefully for the next few days looking for signs of moisture. I've learned that the water doesn't always appear immediately. Sometimes it can take quite a while to find it's way inside.

I actually got a decent amount of sleep last night. Hey, lets go for two day in a row. There's still a lot of catching up to do. All I seem to think about these days is sleep and food. Of course I think about water on the roof and dog poop too, but you get my point. Life has become very simple. I suspect that life was always pretty simple. I just didn't realize it when I was younger.

Lady Gogh is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3335

I was watching the Grammy's while I was eating dinner tonight and once again I hardly recognized anybody. Who are these people? When I watch award shows these days the only stars that seem familiar are the ones featured in the annual "in memoriam" montage. I hear my music in elevators now. I find those Time Life Presents the 60's infomercials strangely compelling. Maybe Richard Marx said it best when he Tweeted "Went to the dentist today. My teeth are fine. Just wanted to hear some of my songs."

We got quite a bit of rain last night and the roof still hasn't leaked. Will wonders ever cease? One of the pumps didn't seem to be working, so I went up to investigate after I got back from the gym this afternoon. Sure enough, the pump had tipped over again. There was so much standing water on the roof that I felt compelled to remove it, even though I'd already had a pretty good workout. I probably should have waited. There is more rain in the forecast for tomorrow.

Dash woke me up several times last night, but he must have gotten more sleep than I did. Even though it was a nasty, cold day, he still wanted a walk this morning. It must have been the Metronidazole pills that caused all the problems with mobility. Dash was probably weak from the severe diarrhea too. At any rate, now that the pills are out of his system, we are back to what we now consider normal. Dash is still shaky and tends to fall when unsupported, but he can move again and loves to take a slow meandering walk every day. It helps that he has accepted the Help 'Em Up Harness. He even wears it to bed now.

Maybe I have a mild cold instead of allergies. When I was at the gym today, I noticed that my heart rate was more elevated than usual. I was also sweating more while doing exactly the same routines that I've always done. Was I just tired and working harder to accomplish the same results, or were the antihistamines messing with me? Who knows. I've had seasonal allergies as long as I can remember, but they've never started this early or lasted this long. I'm getting tired of this.

I was going to vacuum today but I ran out of energy. Enough is enough. I'm sure the dust will wait. I decided to take a nap with Dash after I removed the water from the roof. Unfortunately, the nap wasn't enough. I wonder if I'll ever get eight hours of uninterrupted sleep again. Probably not. Maybe I should just settle for four hours and night and four hours during the day?

The rain is supposed to continue tomorrow. So far, we've been able to squeeze in a morning walk before things get too wet but our luck may have run out. The forecast says that the rain will resume tonight and continue through the morning. Rain or shine, life goes on. I've got a new supply of fresh berries for my morning smoothie. I've got a new box of puppy pads to catch Dash's poop. I've got plenty of antihistamines. I think I'm ready for a new week.

Landry is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3334

I'm still looking for a better way to protect the bed at night, so I stopped at an army surplus store while I was out grocery shopping this morning. I thought they might have a small canvas tarp I could use. I was amazed at how crowded the place was. The store was packed with people wearing camo jackets buying all manner of knives, survival food, and cheap socks. You folks getting all excited about AOC's Green New Deal ought to visit an army surplus store first. Your revolution isn't happening. I have a feeling that there are going to be methane farting cows supplying McDonald's burgers for folks who love their F-250 Super Duty pickups long after your vegan, solar powered future is forgotten.

I found a tarp that was the right size, but I didn't buy it. For starters it was much more expensive than the much lighter tarps at REI. Then there was a big sign that said "For Outdoor Use Only." When I asked what that meant, I was told that the canvas tarp was waterproofed using a wax coating. OK. Was the wax toxic or something? The more I thought about a wax coated tarp on the bed, it didn't sound like such a good idea. I may come back for some of those cheap socks though.

I'm glad that Dash felt like walking earlier today. By the time we returned and finished eating breakfast, it was already raining. The cold rain continued throughout the day. The roof still isn't leaking, so I'm cautiously optimistic that the roofing crew found the problem. As much as I hate rain, I guess I still prefer it to snow. I can't believe all the snow they are getting in Seattle right now. I used to live in Seattle when I was younger and it never snowed.

Dash continues to amaze me. He's like the Energizer Bunny of old sick dogs. Even though he poops on the bed, has weird shaking and shivering spells, and can barely stand up at times, he still manages to save enough energy for his daily walk and is always nearby to beg for treats at dinnertime. Dash has adapted fairly well to using the Help 'Em Up Harness and lets us use it to help him on the bed at night and steady him while he is eating or drinking water. He needs a lot more rest now, but so do I. We're all getting older.

The Double-Crested Cormorants in the park seem to love terrible weather. We see them every Winter, but when nice weather returns, the birds are gone. I just wish the rain was gone. Unless things dry out a bit, I may not go to the gym tomorrow. I wish I enjoyed binge watching movies more, because Sunday looks like a good day for it. We'll see what tomorrow looks like. Sometimes cabin fever overcomes by distain for rain. I may be forced to go to the gym.

Jazz is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3333

I've been wondering why the cable bill went up recently. Then I remembered that it's been exactly one year since we upgraded to a fiber optic network. There must have been a special introductory price that expired. Of course we're not going to take the fiber optic connection out now. We've become used to the speed. That's how they suck you in to just about everything these days. I've learned to ignore the "free for 90 days" offers, but you can't ignore everything. My storage warehouse rent went up so much that I had to move to a new less expensive storage space. The cost of web hosting is about to go up as well. I'll just pay the extra fees on this one. It's too much trouble to move all the websites. There aren't a lot of options with the cable company. I've moved back and forth between AT&T and Spectrum for years. Both companies are terrible.

The temperature was in the low twenties this morning. There was ice in the backyard bird bath, so that meant that there was probably ice up on the roof as well. I certainly wasn't going to go up and investigate. It was way too cold and slippery. Dash wasn't even interested in getting out of bed, but eventually he followed Janet out to the kitchen to take his morning pills. It was pretty clear that a morning walk was out of the question. Dash was shaky and having trouble walking and I'm not sure the more complicated Help 'Em Up Harness will fit over his Winter sweater anyway.

Since Dash just wanted to sleep this morning, I felt pretty safe in going out to breakfast. I went back to the hotel today. This place is almost the exact opposite of the trendy restaurant I've been visiting recently. There are only a few items on the menu and the place is never full. The waiters treat me like a regular now and already know what I'm going to order. I like the quiet formalness of the place. It's just too bad that they don't know how to make shrimp grits.

We have a new routine with Dash now. The morning walks seem to be a thing of the past. We don't know why he is so unsteady when he wakes up. You'd think he'd be rested, since he's sleeping well now. Mornings have become a struggle unfortunately. Typically, Dash will perk up a bit around 10:30 or 11 AM and eat his breakfast. By early afternoon, he has returned to his old self. We took another walk this afternoon and Dash did very well. He didn't stumble and even wanted to go on one of our longer routes. It's a mystery how the morning dog and the afternoon dog can be so different, but I'm happy that Dash still has his moments. He likes the cold too. I was freezing on our walk this afternoon, but Dash was enjoying himself, stopping every few minutes to smell something.

A couple of times every year I think about uploading more photos to the stock photo site. Some of my photos are selling. I've just never submitted very many. You'd think that with thousands of good photos in my files, I could scrape together a nice little passive income. I know a few people that make a decent income on Shutterstock. Why not me? I examined about twenty of my favorite images this afternoon and found at least one good reason why none of them could be submitted. Some were too grainy. On others, the focus was off just a bit. In many cases I had failed to obtain a model release. I ended up submitting nothing today. I'm sure I'll revisit all this six months from now, but in a lot of ways it seems pointless. The secret to success in the stock photo market is to have a huge catalog of images available. Adding twenty images to my meager collection would only increase my income by a few dollars a year.

We had chili for dinner tonight. A steaming bowl of chili is the perfect meal for a cold Winter night. Unfortunately chili always gives me heartburn. Story of my life. Everything pleasant has an unpleasant side effect.

Taylor is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3332

Our weather is getting ridiculous. The temperature keeps fluctuating wildly. For the past several days we've been using the furnace and the air conditioner on the same day. Yesterday was mild, but a line of thunderstorms blew through town last night and brought Winter back. It was bitterly cold this morning.

Dash stumbled around after he woke up and was reluctant to eat his breakfast, so I thought this would be a good day to rest and recuperate. I didn't want to go outside anyway since a brisk wind made the chilly temperatures seem even colder. Dash had other ideas. After a long morning nap, he finished his breakfast and went outside to pee. Instead of coming back inside, he headed straight for the back gate. The crazy dog wanted a walk. I quickly put on his Help 'Em Up Harness and boots before he could change his mind and off we went. I thought that Dash would quickly tire and we'd be back in the house within a few minutes, but Dash just kept going. He was surprisingly strong this morning. Walks are a little different now. I need two leashes: one at the front and the other at the back. The rear leash is the important one, since I use it to control the amount of weight reaching Dash's rear legs. Slowly but surely the marionette skills I developed while walking Dot during her final year are coming back. Actually, Dash didn't need a lot of help today. He was a trooper.

It is a complete mystery to me how Dash can go from being unable to stand up to walking over a mile in freezing weather within a three hour time span. He really seemed to enjoy his walk today, even though I couldn't wait to get back inside again. I wasn't surprised that Dash was exhausted when we returned. He slept for most of the afternoon, but when he woke up again he seemed fine.

Other than our adventurous and somewhat baffling walk, today was very slow. I went to the vet and picked up some meds for Dash while he was sleeping and spent the rest of the day wandering around the house trying to stay warm. The furnace is working well this year, but I'm always cold in the Winter. Wool sweaters and down camping booties are de rigueur around here.

I've decided that antihistamines are the lesser of two evils. I feel slightly unnatural while taking them, but the background buzz in my head is still a lot better than blowing my nose every two minutes. I haven't really had much of a problem today. Maybe I'm getting used to the Allegra.

It's sad to see Google+ wither and die. There have been fewer and fewer posts and virtually nothing of quality since Google announced that it was shutting the place down. This used to be my go to place for up-to-date information about science and technology. I'd routinely find interesting things on Google+ that you'd never see on Facebook. The place is a ghost town now. I'll probably keep posting till the last day though. That's just how I am.

It remains to be seen whether I'll go out for breakfast tomorrow. It depends on how Dash is doing. If he's agitated, I'll stay home and watch him. If he's calm and sleeping, I'll go have breakfast at the hotel again. I think I've had enough of the trendy restaurant for a while.

Stortz is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3331

We had a bit of a setback today. Dash woke up with no energy at all. He stumbled around, took his morning pills, and went back to sleep without touching his breakfast. He's done this before, but we had such a good day yesterday that we thought we'd turned over a new leaf. After sleeping a few hours, we tried to interest him in a walk, but he wasn't going anywhere. It was clear that today was going to be a day of rest.

Dash has good days and bad days, so it's best to let him determine the schedule. He got plenty of rest today, occasionally getting up to pee. I had to keep an eye on him because wanting to get up and being able to get up are two different things these days. Luckily, Dash is learning to accept help. He still likes to sleep on the bed, but I need to help him navigate his steps now. He falls too easily.

Eventually Dash realized he was hungry and finished his breakfast. I was encouraged that when he noticed Janet had gone, he was able to walk around the house on his own looking for her. He became stronger and more confident toward the end of the day and we were able to take him on a very short walk just before sunset. Even though we only walked to the end of our street and back, Dash seemed happy to get outside and smell things.

I have a feeling that shorter walks and longer naps are going to become the new normal. This is not a problem that can be fixed. Dash is very old and is dealing with an enlarged heart, neurological problems, and vestibular disease. I'm amazed that he still does as well as he's been doing.

Since Dash has become less mobile, I'm not getting enough exercise myself. When Janet returned to watch Dash, I grabbed a camera and took a photo walk around the shoreline. It was a dismal, gray day but there were still plenty of birds. I saw several Great Egrets, some Double-crested Cormorants, a few Coots, and a gull catching a fish.

There may be no real solution to my allergy problems. Second-generation antihistamines like Allegra are much better than first-generation antihistamines like Chlor-Trimeton and Benadryl. They aren't perfect though. When I was taking photos this afternoon I noticed that my eyes seemed unusually sensitive to light and I felt slightly dizzy. My nose wasn't running though. I wish I wasn't sensitive to antihistamines, but it's always been a problem.

There is rain in the forecast again. Damn. I wonder if I'm ever going to be able to quit fretting about rain? The roof hasn't leaked since the guys came out and made their repairs, but I still keep waiting for the other shoe to drop. I don't trust this roof anymore. Rain also makes it difficult to get Dash outdoors. He has trouble enough on dry ground. Wet weather just makes things even more slippery. Unfortunately, the rainy season is far from over. I'm tired of this. I used to think that Seasonal Affective Disorder was a myth, but I sure seem to have most of the common symptoms.

Hey, maybe I'll see the sun tomorrow. Maybe Dash will get up on his own and we'll be able to take a longer walk. Anything is possible. I've just got to take things one day at a time.

Landry is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day