Day 3366

Our power went out before dawn this morning. I knew a storm with straight line winds was headed our way, but I wasn't expecting a citywide power outage. I think over 100,000 customers were affected. Needless to say, it took a while to get the lights back on again. The Oncor outage reporting system was overwhelmed for a while. Initially, the system didn't even recognize me when I called in our location.  When Dash started pooping in the dark, I knew it was going to be a long day.

My initial worry was the heavy rain. With no electricity, the pumps weren't working. I knew that water would accumulate quickly on the roof, but there was very little I could do. I found a portable camping light, cleaned up Dash's poop, and convinced him to come back to bed for a while. There certainly wasn't much point to getting up early this morning. There wasn't going to be a morning walk.

I thought the high winds would blow the roof off the greenhouse again, but luckily it stayed in place. Power outages are not uncommon in our part of town. Sitting in the dark wondering if Dash is going to freak out and if my phone battery is going to die is a very familiar feeling. These outages make me realize how dependent we've become on electricity. You can't do much in our house without electricity.

Eventually the power returned and I began the time consuming process of resetting clocks and timers. The washer and dryer turn on automatically after a power outage. This shouldn't be happening, but it does. Everything has a clock in it these days. The land line phones, the WiFI thermostat,  the Keurig coffee maker, and the timers on the living room lights all need to be reset. The furnace wouldn't even work until I reset its internal calendar. It didn't know whether it was supposed to be on the day or nighttime settings. It's always a pain to get the WiFi network and U-Verse TV up and running again. The router for the network is supposed to reboot automatically after an outage, but it seldom does. If you turn things on and off again enough times, they usually start to work though. By the time Janet returned from the gym, I had everything working again.

The day turned out surprisingly nice despite its rocky beginnings. After the storm blew through and headed East, the skies cleared and by early afternoon the temperature was up to 75 degrees. Dash eventually got a nice walk. It was just a little late. I hope I got the water off the roof in time. That seems to be the key to preventing a leak. I turned the pumps on as soon as the power was restored and by the time I climbed up on the roof to finish the job, the water level was actually pretty low.

I was supposed to have a meeting with my financial adviser this afternoon but I didn't feel like driving to his office. We just talked on the phone instead. I'm glad I don't own any Boeing stock. Boeing is getting hammered because of worries about the 737. I flew home in a 737 on Monday and everything seemed fine. The company says pilots just aren't reading the instruction manual, but some pilots say otherwise. The problem is that modern planes are just a giant computer. You don't fly them manually anymore. It's usually not a problem if you need to reboot your computer at the office. If you need to reboot your plane's computer during takeoff, you've got a big problem. This is why I'm not very optimistic about self-driving cars. Can you imagine millions of cars with wonky computers on the road. It's not going to end well.

I seemed really busy today, but as usual I didn't get much accomplished. Dash got his walks and took all his meds. I fixed my morning smoothie, and all the electronic gizmos in the house are working again. As power outages go, this one wasn't too bad. I didn't need to go buy bags of ice to save the food in the refrigerator and I didn't have to call AT&T to come out and fix the U-Verse. The only challenge was cleaning up poop in the dark. Hopefully, tomorrow will go smoothly.

Wyatt is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3365

I'm still thinking about yesterday. I sometimes confuse pictures with the real thing. Yesterday I was reminded that they are not the same. I've seen pictures and videos of the Saturn V rocket for most of my adult life. I wasn't prepared for the reality. This thing isn't just impressive, it is one of humanity's greatest achievements. The Saturn V has to be right up there with the Pyramids and the Great Wall of China. How did Wernher von Braun and his team ever get this complex beast to work? The Saturn V weighed 6.2 million pounds when it was fully fueled. It was taller than the Statue of Liberty. The rocket was conceived and developed in an era before digital electronics even existed. The entire thing was analog. When you look at the rocket up close, it is a gigantic steampunk dream. There are hundreds of miles of carefully color coded wires, all attached to something important. There is a plumber's nightmare of pipes surrounding the engines and fuel tanks. I've never seen anything so complex in my life.

The rocket was so heavy that the enormous first stage was only able to lift it about sixty miles. It took the other two stages to get a much lighter vehicle to the moon. It is a lasting tribute to the optimism of post World War II America that this impossible rocket ever flew. When you see the Apollo capsule attached at the very tip of this huge rocket, it looks so small that it almost appears to be an afterthought. I wonder if we could do something like this today? Probably not. When John Kennedy committed the nation to going to the moon, nothing was working. Rockets routinely exploded on the pad. The engineers never gave up though. They had an almost unlimited budget and kept experimenting until they finally got it right. Most importantly, the nation was with them. We still thought anything was possible in the early sixties.

There are still a few people who think anything is possible. One of those folks was NASA astronaut Doug Wheelock, who was our guide through the NASA space vehicle mock up facility. I was amazed that this guy was gracious enough to spend the afternoon with us. He has spent over 100 days in space, including a risky and dangerous spacewalk where he was able to repair a faulty solar array on the International Space Station. One of the younger people in our group asked Wheelock if there was anything he learned in school that prepared him for becoming an astronaut. It was clear that some of the younger people in our group wanted to become astronauts themselves. Everyone expected that Wheelock would mention something about advanced physics or engineering classes. Nope. He said he learned the most from his high school metal shop teacher. He learned how things go together and this knowledge helped him repair the space station. I was impressed by this. Nobody knows how things work anymore. We are a generation that has become addicted to our phones but nobody has a clue how to repair them or how they function. The original astronauts and the support teams that put them into orbit were all problem solvers. It's good to know that the current generation of space travelers still are.

I have always been fond of grandiose projects like the La Sagrada Familia, The Hoover Dam, The Manhattan Project, and the Apollo Program. This is humanity at it's best. We've never been very good at being kind to one another, but we're damn good engineers.

Lance is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3364

Today was interesting. Actually it was pretty amazing. I got to sit inside an Orion capsule that will be taking four astronauts back to the moon. I got to drive a moon buggy simulator used to train a new generation of astronauts. I got to experience a very realistic virtual reality spacewalk around a space station that will someday orbit the moon. An active duty astronaut explained how a special low gravity simulator was being used to train people to walk and work on Mars. A NASA geologist showed us rocks that Neil Armstrong collected on the moon. This all happened at the Johnson Space Center in Houston where I and several other lucky people were the guests of NASA for the day.

I'm really glad I was able to accept the invitation to get a briefing on NASA's plans to return to the moon and beyond. It was weird to see the last remaining Saturn 5 at Rocket Park and realize that it's been fifty years since anyone was serious about returning to the moon. It looks like the day has finally arrived. I was amazed at how far the planning has come in recent years. The work going on at Johnson Space Center is very impressive

I haven't traveled in a while, so this seemed like a really long day. I got up early, flew to Houston, spent the day at the Johnson Space Center, and then returned to Dallas this evening. A lot has changed since my last travels. Everything is done using your phone now. I booked my flight on my phone. My boarding pass was displayed on my phone. There was even a coupon for a free drink on my phone.

No more waiting for taxis either. I found an Uber driver to take me to and from the space center using my phone. It was all easy and surprisingly affordable. Even tips were handled electronically using the phone. It's weird how quickly all this has changed. Probably the next time I take a trip, there will be self driving cars.

I was going to get something to eat at the airport, but I ran out of time. I didn't anticipate how much rush hour traffic and long lines can slow things down. I didn't miss my flights, but I came pretty close.   I should go without eating more often. It's probably the only way I'm ever going to lose weight.

Janet said that Dash did fine while I was away. I hope he was glad to see me again. It was good to get away for a little while, but I'm not all that eager to rejoin a world of traffic jams and long lines. It's easy to forget just how busy the world really is when you're not rushing to get your shoes back on before your plane boards after a lengthy TSA check at the airport. A world of slow walks with your dog in the park is much more relaxing. Tomorrow, it will be back to drinking fruit smoothies and cleaning up dog poop, but today was pretty special. Thanks for a great day NASA.

Tyson is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3363

I set up an Uber account today. I'll have to admit that there are a lot of things I like about this new form of travel. You don't pay with cash for starters. You also get an accurate estimate of what the charges will be before you even get in the car. If the price seems too high, you don't have to ask for the ride. I would imagine that all this would be welcome news to anyone who has spent a lot of time in cabs. I have lots of memories of riding in cabs in a strange city and watching the meter go higher and higher, not really knowing where my destination actually was. The Uber system removes some of this uncertainty. We'll have to see how well this works in real life. I've never used Uber before. I've never used Lyft either.

There's a reason I'm somewhat unfamiliar with ride sharing services like Uber and Lyft. I don't really go anywhere. I spend more time walking than driving these days. If Dash is feeling good and the weather is cooperating, we take two walks each day. Dash is very slow and likes to smell things, so these walks can take a while. For the past several days, Dash has been taking a longer route than usual. Sometimes he overdoes it, but usually longer walks are a good sign. We had a long walk this morning. Maybe that's why his outer boot tore. Without the outer rubber boot for protection, the middle layer sock got ripped as well. Luckily the inner fitted bandage was unharmed and there was no bleeding or damage to his paws. I hate when there's a problem with the boots when we're on the road. Boot or no boot, we've still got to get home. I may need to start carrying a spare pair of outer boots with me.

I've noticed that my gym is offering more classes this Spring. Janet loves classes. Maybe I should take a class as well. Perhaps a more structured setting would help me reach my goals. Oh, wait. I don't have any goals. I'm not even sure why I go to the gym. I think I started going because gym membership was a free perk with my supplemental health insurance. Eventually, I had to start paying for the membership myself, but by then it had become a habit. You need good habits to offset the bad habits. When I go to the gym on Sunday I don't feel so bad about having French Toast smothered in Maple Syrup on Friday.

I learned a few things about Uber this afternoon. Apparently it costs more to ride in a nice car. There is a sliding price scale, based on the type of car you order. Leather seats cost more. Another article said that drivers who live in their cars often sleep in the airport cue areas because it is safe and they will be first in line for early morning flights. The strange thing about this story is that there are apparently homeless Uber drivers who live in their cars. Doesn't this job pay enough to rent an apartment? I thought this was supposed to be a good way to make money. Maybe I was wrong.

I also learned that those power banks that people often use to recharge their phones and tablets are frequently banned on airplanes. So are loose lithium ion batteries. They say these things are fire hazards. I have a power bank. No wonder I got such a good deal at REI. The model I bought has been recalled for spontaneously catching on fire. In fairness, I have a newer serial number than the faulty product mentioned in the article, but it is the same brand. I guess I'd better not try to take this thing on a plane.

They say we're going to get a lot of rain this week. When will this end? I have no idea where the leak in the sewer line is now because the entire yard is wet and muddy. I have no idea when the roof is going to start leaking again either. I'm trying to control the standing water, but it's an uphill battle. I could care less about Daylight Savings Time. What I'm looking for is some dry time.

Ely is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3362

We had a little bit of everything today. There was a light rain when I woke up. About twenty minutes later a line of thunderstorms blew through. There was even some dime sized hail for a while. The severe weather disappeared as quickly as it arrived. By the time we finished breakfast there wasn't a cloud in the sky. The temperature warmed up quickly and it wasn't long before I needed to turn the air conditioner on. I think the high temperature today was almost 80 degrees. This was Texas weather at its finest.

After the storms moved to the East, I thought Dash would enjoy a walk. I was surprised at how tired he seemed. He slept well and seemed in good spirits this morning but he was very slow and stumbled more than usual while we were walking. The same thing happened this evening. Maybe we should have skipped the walks today. It's hard to tell with Dash. One minute he seems fine and a few minutes later he seems exhausted.

It only rained for forty five minutes, but that was enough to fill the roof with water again. I ran the pumps for a few hours and then went up on the roof later in the day to sweep the remaining water away. Removing the standing water quickly seems to be the key to keeping the leak from returning. I'm already seeing a few new tears in the elastomer material. I have a feeling that it's just about hopeless to keep this roof watertight for very long. Two roofing companies are currently working up bids to replace the roof. I'll probably get one more bid before I make a decision. However this ends, I don't think it will be a pleasant experience.

I used the self checkout when I was getting groceries this morning. I had some fresh fruit in a bag with no bar code. When I weighed the fruit at checkout, I thought I'd have to type in some kind of a code number. Nope. The scanner automatically recognized the fruit correctly even though there was no packaging or bar codes. How did it do that? Automation is really getting sophisticated. I wonder if anyone will have a job fifty years from now.

Since it was such a nice day, I washed the car this afternoon. This was probably a futile gesture since it is supposed to rain again on Monday. Removing the water from the roof was probably a futile gesture as well. So far, the one chore that has paid off was giving Dash a bath. After several walks and countless trips outside to pee, he still smells clean.

Maybe I'll start working on my taxes tomorrow. I should have had everything ready for the accountant by now. The more unpleasant the task, the longer I tend to put it off. Amazingly, everything still gets done. It may not get done on time or even done properly, but I'm no slacker. I've already got a long to-do list for tomorrow that probably won't get done either.

Val is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3361

It's hard to get used to Texas weather. It was eighty degrees this afternoon and I had the air conditioner running in both the house and the car. It was such a warm day that we were even able to give Dash a much needed bath. We used to regularly take the dogs to neighborhood dog washing facilities, but Dash has difficulty standing up in the tubs now. There's not enough room to bathe him at home in the shower, so we have to wait for a warm day and go outside. It takes two of us to clean him and everybody gets wet, but the effort is worth it when he starts to smell like pee.

Dash didn't enjoy his bath, but he sure smelled good afterwards. He did enjoy two leisurely walks on a beautiful, warm day. Maybe Spring isn't quite here yet, but it's definitely on the way. It felt like Spring today.

I went back to the hotel for breakfast, because I felt like relaxing. The dining room is always quiet and sedate and the waiters know me by name. Even the chef looked up and smiled when I arrived this morning. I'd eat at this place all the time if the menu wasn't so small. Everything is delicious, but you'd think they could come up with more than four items. The trendy restaurant seems to have hundreds of items on their breakfast menu.

I knew when we gave Dash a bath that there would be other cleaning as well. A clean dog doesn't last long in a dirty house. Both of us spent most of the afternoon vacuuming, dusting, and doing laundry. All this activity didn't stop Dash from peeing on the living room floor, but the house is reasonably clean now. I expect that this will last about two days.

I finally got the telephone bill. In an effort to pressure me to go paperless, they keep sending me my bill later and later. If I don't pay it on the same day it arrives, I'll get hit with a late fee. A week before this bill arrives, I get an e-mail saying that my paper bill will arrive in seven to ten days and asking me if I wouldn't prefer to just pay it electronically. So far, I have resisted. What's so bad about writing checks and taking bills to the post office? I like the leisurely pace of paper. The electronic world seems hectic and rude.

Even the airlines have done away with paper. I was wondering when I was going to get my boarding pass for my trip to Houston and then I got a message saying that I should download the airline's app and an electronic boarding pass would show up on my phone. It's a brave new world we live in. I find it ironic that everybody is worried about hacking, but still feel compelled to live their lives online. People didn't tend to steal your information when you put it in a letter.

I was hoping for a good night's sleep last night, but Dash had other ideas. He pooped in the bed three times. Everything landed squarely on the puppy pads and it only took me a minute or two to roll the pad up, seal it in a plastic bag, and take it outside. I've even gotten better at quickly getting back to sleep after these episodes, but it's not the same as an uninterrupted night of sleep. Eight hours of continuous sleep is still the holy grail. Oh, well. Three blocks of two hour sleep, followed by a one hour nap are still better than nothing.

Bacardi is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3360

Dash got a good report today. His blood pressure is normal. His liver enzyme levels have improved. Actually, his entire CBC blood panel looked pretty good. Best of all, there was still no sign of a blood clot in his heart. There isn't a lot we can do about the neurological damage that is causing the incontinence and weakness in his rear legs, but Dash is still doing better than anyone thought possible this time last year.

I got up early this morning to give Dash a walk before we went to the vet. I wanted to give him every opportunity to do his business before putting him in the car. It was a wasted effort. Dash still pooped in the car. Then he had a panic attack before we reached our destination and I had to stop the car and let him out for a while. I thought he might have needed to pee, but he just didn't want to be in the car. Needless to say, I'm pleased that the vet said he doesn't need another echocardiogram until May.

As soon as we got home, Dash peed in the house. The vet said that there were pills he could give him that might help with the incontinence, but he was reluctant to prescribe them because they would raise Dash's blood pressure. When you're taking blood thinners, you definitely don't want high blood pressure. The good news is that we're learning to deal with the incontinence. There wasn't even a big mess when Dash pooped in the car this morning because we were well prepared.

I was just starting a very late breakfast when the roofer knocked on the door. I went up on the roof with him to show him around. As I listened to the solution he proposed, I became disappointed. I have heard this story before. There are several ways to get the roof to drain properly, but apparently there is no way to bring the house back to the condition it was in when it was constructed in 1953. "Roofers can't do what you want," the guy told me today. "You're going to need carpenters, framers, and a whole lot of money," he said. After explaining that I essentially wanted to rebuild the house,  the roofer tried to sell me on the merits of an engineered roof. I've gotten bids on engineered roofs before. They are very expensive and when all is said and done they are still just a layer of tapered foam placed on top of the existing decking. There's got to be a better way to add a small slope to a flat roof. Couldn't roofers remove the plywood decking, place some shims underneath to create the necessary 1/4" per foot slope, and then replace the decking? It seems like tapered foam panels placed on top on an uneven roof would still be uneven. What do I know though. I'm no roofer. I'm just a guy who has lived under a flat roof for over forty years. Yes, my previous house also had a flat roof.

I made my reservations to go to the Johnson Space Center and then I looked at the long range weather forecast. There are supposed to be thunderstorms on my departure date. It's always something, isn't it.    I don't like driving in thunderstorms but flying in thunderstorms is even worse. Been there, done that. There is a ray of hope though. Long range forecasts in Texas are next to worthless. Who knows what the weather will be really like. It could just as easily be clear and sunny.

I'm not sure if I'll go out for breakfast tomorrow. Right now I'm feeling really tired. Sleeping till noon sounds a lot better than French Toast or Shrimp Grits. Sleeping late is probably just wishful thinking though. If the weather is even halfway nice, Dash is going to want his morning walk.

Connor is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3359

I started making arrangements to go to Johnson Space Center. Where did I get the idea I could fly to Houston for around $100? Seems like I've flown there for less than $100 before. Oh, well. I guess it's been a while. Uber and Lyft didn't even exist the last time I took a trip. I probably need to get with the times and download the Uber app. Janet likes Uber. I've never tried ride sharing. It's probably been five years since I hailed a cab. There just isn't much need for such things when you're going to the post office.

I wasn't always reluctant to travel. I used to travel frequently on business and even had clients in Europe. Jeez. I think I still have over 150,000 unused AAdvantage miles. Something has changed. Janet and I have enjoyed spending time in Athens, Paris, and Barcelona but now Fort Worth seems like the other side of the world. I just don't want to go anywhere. Maybe this little trip to Houston will break the travel curse. Maybe it will make me even more reclusive. Who knows. At least I'm still game to try things.

I certainly didn't go far today. The car never left the driveway. Dash did get two walks though and I managed to put 10,000 steps on the Fitbit. It was still below freezing on our morning walk and there was frost on all the vegetation. I was surprised at how quickly things warmed up. By the time we took our evening walk, the temperature was almost 60 degrees. I think it's supposed to be even warmer tomorrow. That's fine by me. Daylight Savings Time starts this Sunday. This seems like a good time to start Spring as well.

Dash has a big exam tomorrow morning. He's due for a complete blood panel and an echocardiogram. Fingers crossed. I really hope the vet notices the improvements we've been seeing lately. It really seems like Dash is feeling a little better but it certainly would be nice to get some medical confirmation of what Janet and I have been seeing. It's easy to imagine things that aren't really there. Wishful thinking can be a very powerful thing.

I'm supposed to get another roofing estimate tomorrow. I don't look forward to anything connected with this roof. I wish I could just limp along with the current roof for another ten years, but it isn't going to happen. I've already spent a huge amount of time and effort trying to patch this thing and it just isn't working. One way or another, a new roof is in my future. I still wish it was a new car instead.

Wow. Two things on the calendar for tomorrow. By my standards, that's a very busy day. I wish I could convince Dash not to poop in the car on the way to the vet. We haven't been very lucky recently. The last time we went to the cancer center we barely made it out of the driveway before he pooped. Maybe things will go well. A good report from the vet and a low estimate from the roofer would be appreciated.

Anne is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3358

It was much nicer today. I could almost overlook the fact that it was 23 degrees this morning because the sun was shining and there wasn't much of a wind. Of course Dash wanted a walk. It takes a while to get him suited up on cold days. We try to put his socks and boots on before he gets up because it much easier to fit these things while he is still lying down. When he gets up we take off his harness so he can wear a warm sweater underneath. Then we attach the Help 'Em Up Harness again, trying to make sure that Dash doesn't fall down in the process. On really cold days he also wears his hat. You may think this is overkill, but everything fits well and when Dash came home this morning, he wasn't shivering.

Long walks were the order of the day. There wasn't much else to do. I think Dash and I were both ready to get outside. Without writing and website design jobs to keep me busy, my days can get pretty long. If Dash were young and healthy, I could walk for hours in the park. Walking is a great way to daydream and kill time.

The muddy area on top of the sewer pipe still seems to be drying up, so I canceled the plumbing appointment that I postponed yesterday. Plumbers are expensive and I'd hate to tear up the yard and spend a lot of money just to discover that the pipe was fine and I was dealing with a drainage problem instead. We have had a lot of rain lately. I think I'll wait until we get some dry weather and then see what the yard looks like. I can always call the plumber back.

When I was busy with work, I also seemed to have lots of hobbies. I collected things. I taught myself to repair watches. I played in a rock band for a while. I convinced myself that I was an artist and had several gallery shows. Now that I have all the time in the world, nothing interests me. Most of the watches aren't running anymore and I don't even care. I tried to resume playing the piano and took online lessons for a month or two, but quickly became bored and my keyboard is now gathering dust. We have Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime and I'm not even interested in watching movies. This is all very curious. I wonder how this happened? I'm not depressed. I don't think I'm avoiding things because when something needs to get done, I still take care of the problem quickly and efficiently. Some people are motivated by desire. I must have always been motivated by deadlines. Without a deadline to meet I'm alarmingly content to do nothing.

I'll probably do nothing tomorrow. A roofer may come over to give me an estimate on a new roof. Since he's a roofer, he may not come at all though. We'll see. On Thursday we take Dash to the cancer center again for one of his periodic echocardiograms. Against all odds, I think Dash's condition has actually gotten better since we saw these doctors two months ago. He's eating better and seems to have more energy. He even got up on the bed by himself today. The little guy is pretty amazing. We were warned that Dash was living on borrowed time over two years ago and he's still with us today. He seems happy too. Maybe doing nothing is the secret to a long life. Dash has perfected doing nothing. He sleeps all day and when he's active he's mostly interested in smelling other dog's poop in the park. I think he's a good role model.

Rory is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3357

It was 23 degrees and very windy when we woke up this morning. That added up to a wind chill of 9 degrees. Brr. Dash thought he wanted a walk, but I don't think he realized what he was up against. We dressed him up as warmly as we could this morning, but he didn't even make to the back gate. When he felt how cold it really was, he wisely turned around and returned quickly to the house.

We spent the rest of the day indoors. Dash ventured outside to pee occasionally and I made one brief trip to the post office to pay some bills, but that was it. Today's goal was to stay warm. Even Dash understood that it wasn't a day for walking.

I'm glad I got the water off the roof yesterday. Ice on the roof causes some peculiar problems. When the ice starts to melt, the heat from the house causes it to melt from the bottom up. This creates a layer of water covered by a layer of ice, making it impossible to remove the standing water under under the ice. These conditions are a recipe for leaks because if the weather is cold enough, the ice on top can last for weeks.

I canceled today's plumbing appointment because it seemed like a terrible day to dig a big hole in the ground. The ground looked frozen anyway and I had trouble seeing where the leak was. I have a feeling that the cold, hard ground partially sealed the leak. I certainly wasn't seeing any evidence of it anyway. I hope the plumber appreciated what I did. I definitely wouldn't want to be a plumber working outside today.

I sold a few trains in February. I'm glad the collection is getting some interest again. I thought there would be a lot of sales over the Christmas holidays, but I was wrong. Nobody bought any trains for Christmas. Zero holiday sales. Did somebody get a model train for Valentine's Day? Who knows. Stranger things have happened.

I updated the Dalmatian Rescue website today. It seemed like a good thing to do on a cold, housebound day. I do so little website design these days that I'm slowly losing my skills. I occasionally have to look up things that I used to know by heart. It's only going to get worse. Use it or lose it, they always say. I guess I could revamp my own websites to keep my chops up, but I just don't have the interest anymore. Hard to believe that I used to have dozens of active clients that required hours of work every single day. How did I ever find the time? Of course the dogs were young and healthy then. So was I.

I hope that tomorrow is warmer. Two days like this and Dash and I will both have some serious cabin fever. There's nothing all that exciting about a walk in the park, but it's good to get outside. These walks are physical therapy for Dash and mental therapy for me. I hope all the early wildflowers don't die. I'm starting to see Grape Hyacinth all over the place. Based on today's weather, I think these flowers may have jumped the gun.

Orion is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3356

20,000 steps today. That's what you get when you walk the dog twice, go to the gym, and remove all the water from the roof. I was surprised that Dash even wanted a walk this morning. It was bitterly cold. There was a brisk wind for most of the day and the wind chill made the temperature feel like 20 degrees. I definitely didn't feel like going up on the roof in this kind of weather, but I knew that if I didn't remove the standing water immediately, it would be ice by morning. So far, the roof leak hasn't reappeared, so maybe all my efforts have been worthwhile. Just being outside today was quite a workout. My trip to the gym seemed easy by comparison.

I wasn't surprised that Dash seemed tired today. Walking in freezing weather takes a lot out of you. We probably should have stayed inside but it's hard to convince a dog who loves to smell things in the park that it is too cold. As soon as Dash gets back inside on these cold days, he starts shivering. He never shivers while he is actually walking though. I still haven't figured this out. At any rate, after a short nap under his favorite blanket, Dash was fine. The cold weather certainly didn't hurt his appetite. Dash ate anything within reach today.

I watched the Crew Dragon capsule dock with the International Space Station on NASA TV this morning. The capsule looked so clean and neat inside. It looked a lot more like the interior of a Tesla Model 3 than your typical space capsule. The Russian Soyuz capsule looks like a flying garbage can by comparison. I'm amazed at the progress that Elon Musk has made in the last ten years. It's pretty impressive. I hope he can reach his goal of landing on Mars while I'm still alive.

I didn't have the energy to do any house cleaning after I finished with the roof this afternoon. I didn't finish updating the Dalmatian Rescue website either. I guess I can do those things tomorrow. Today just seemed like a long, continuous workout. Maybe I lost a few a few pounds. It isn't every day that I rack up 20,000 steps on the Fitbit.

I wonder why I've become so fascinated with tracking things. The Fitbit tracks me while I'm walking around and up until yesterday an IOS app called Fabric tracked me when I was driving around. the Fabric company went out of business recently and the app has gone dead. The same thing happened to Moves, another tracking app I used to use. I guess this shows that there isn't much of a market for apps that track your every more. Most people apparently don't want to be tracked.

I wonder whether I should cancel tomorrow's appointment with the plumber? Another arctic cold front is on the way and temperatures are supposed be get down in the teens. I would imagine that if the ground is frozen, it's going to be a lot harder to find that leak in the sewer line. I can't imagine that the plumbers would enjoy working out in the cold either. I'll call in the morning and see what the plumbing company wants to do. This seems like something that could wait until things warm up a bit.

Dash was restless last night and I didn't get a lot of sleep. Hope things improve this evening. I've done enough moving for one day. I need to be still for a while.

Maggie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3355

We went and photographed the new dogs in the Dalmatian Rescue program today. I haven't been to the kennel for a while, so there were quite a few faces I hadn't seen before. It's easy to forget how strong and active young Dalmatians are. Dot and Dash were this way once. You think they'll be able to run and jump forever, but the years go by quickly. These new dogs were a lot of fun. I'm sure they'll all find great homes soon.

As expected, it was another rainy day. The gentle showers came and went throughout the day, so I was still able to walk Dash and do my grocery shopping without much trouble. Dash only got one walk today, but that was plenty. The rain picked up toward the end of the day and neither of us was in the mood to get wet.

Apparently, I still don't know how to tell time. I was going to stay up late and watch the Space X Crew Dragon launch tonight. Imagine my surprise when I discovered that the launch was yesterday. Hmm. 2 AM on Saturday is not very late at night. It is actually very early in the morning. No great loss. Everything is recorded these days. I watched the launch this evening and pretended it was live.

My source for peaches has disappeared. I don't know where Kroger was finding peaches at this time of year anyway, but there were only four left when I went shopping this morning. The display was gone too, so I don't think the peaches are coming back soon. Oh, well. It's back to strawberries for the rest of the Winter. You can almost always find strawberries. When I was a kid, fruit really was seasonal. Nobody flew in berries from South America. Actually, fresh fruit of any kind was kind of a rarity. I mostly remember canned fruit.

Since it was cold and rainy this evening, we had chili for dinner. I love a good bowl of chili, but it doesn't always love me. I took my heartburn medicine ahead of time and had a beer with dinner as well. My doctor says it's fine to take a proton pump inhibitor like Protonix occasionally. It's not a good idea to take these drugs for years at a time though, since they can cause bone loss and osteoporosis-related fractures. It's always something, isn't it. For a long time I thought Protonix was a miracle drug, since it allowed me to eat anything. I guess there is no free lunch when it comes to heartburn.

I've got the pumps on the roof running now, but the rain is stopping and won't begin again until almost morning. Do I leave the pumps running and risk burning them out, or do I turn them off and risk a leak if the rain is heavy and the water levels build quickly? It's a tough choice. I wish I could find a pump that was safe to run dry for extended periods of time. It would make life easier. I guess I'll play it safe and turn the pumps off and place a bucket under the spot that usually leaks. I've had enough of this lousy weather, but there is no sign that it will end soon. March is often just as wet as February in Dallas.

There is more rain in the forecast for tomorrow. I'll probably go to the gym anyway. Hopefully, Dash will sleep through the night. If he goes outside to pee while it's raining, he'll get wet and dirty and by the time I dry him off and clean him up, I'll be wide awake. I'll bet those young Dalmatians at the kennel won't have any problems sleeping tonight. Young dogs and young people seldom do.

Tucker is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3354

I was determined to get something done today. It was pretty obvious that my plan of waiting for nice weather to get started just wasn't going to work. Dash seem willing to cooperate. I wasn't expecting him to take an early walk, but he did. He wanted to go someplace new this morning and we walked around aimlessly for a while. I hope he found what he was looking for.

Even though we took a long walk, we got home early enough for me to go out for breakfast. I had to feed Dash first because I didn't think he'd eat from his bowl while I was gone. I've been having to hand feed Dash lately. He's been having real trouble getting his food from the bowl to his mouth. He's still as hungry as ever, but you need to feed him by hand.

I had something called a Breakfast Reuben this morning. I've never had a Reuben sandwich for breakfast before, but this was surprisingly good. The sandwich was served on a pretzel roll with a side of cheese grits. A little different, but this is something I'd definitely try again sometime.

The muddy puddle in the back yard isn't going away, so I called the plumber and made an appointment for them to come out on Monday. Hopefully they can repair the leak without totally tearing up the back yard. It would be tempting to postpone this repair since everything is still working in the house, but the thought of Dash walking through sewer water every day isn't very appealing. The water doesn't smell bad, so maybe I'm dealing with something else entirely. Hopefully, the plumber will know what to do.

In an effort to keep the roof leak from returning again, I went up on the roof after lunch and swept all the remaining water away. It's just going to rain again in a few days, but it seems important to keep the water level low. We'll see what happens. I've got buckets ready if they're needed. The one good thing about the expensive roof replacement estimate I got yesterday is that it's going to make all other repairs seem cheap. After seeing this estimate, I'm not really worried about what the plumber's going to charge.

I accepted the NASA invitation to go to Houston and blog about the Orion program. I've been so apprehensive about travel recently that I did this mainly to force myself to get out of the house. With the ability to order almost anything online, to work online, and even have your food delivered to you, it becomes quite tempting to stay housebound. I have no real desire to get out anymore, but instinctively I know it's not a good idea to become too reclusive. You've got to stay engaged.

The new storage warehouse has already raised my rent. That didn't take long. My goal for 2019 should be getting rid of everything in the warehouse. When I was doing the big move last November I didn't see anything that I couldn't live without. Most of the stuff is so old that I've forgotten about it already. The only trouble with decluttering is that it is a lot of trouble. It is so much easier to just ignore the stuff. This is probably why just about everybody's garage is filled to the rafters with crap.

There are a lot of new Dalmatians in the rescue program, so Janet and I might go up to the kennels and photograph them this weekend. The last time we tried this we got caught in a thunderstorm and had to turn around and come home. The forecast doesn't look great, but maybe we'll get lucky this time. You never know about Texas weather.

Lucky is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3353

Dash seems to have a new schedule. He gets up early to go outside and pee. If we're lucky, he poops as well. Instead of taking his morning meds like he usually does at this time of day, he stumbles back to the bedroom and goes to sleep on the floor. He seems exhausted and is often shivering like he used to do in the middle of the night. I'll wrap him in a blanket and about two hours later he will wake up again. If I'm lucky I can get him to take his pills at this time. He'll pee once more and go back to sleep without touching his breakfast.

These two hour naps will often continue until noon when he seems to get a burst of energy and wants a walk. When we return from our walk, he'll usually eat his breakfast. I'm all about consistency, so I don't really understand these changes. I go along with the new schedule though. Dash body is telling him something. He's probably trying to conserve what little energy he has left.

It's just as well that we didn't take an early walk this morning. It was below freezing outside when I woke up this morning. It had warmed up a little by the time I walked Dash around noon, but it was still really cold. I should have worn a sweater under my jacket because I was freezing by the time we returned home. I need to remember that this is Texas and I always need to check the weather before I leave the house. I was in a hurry today because I could see that Dash was in the mood to go and I wanted to get him down to the park before he changed his mind.

I talked to the roofer that my architect friend recommended today. He seemed very knowledgable and we had a long conversation about the pitfalls of homes with a flat roof. He seemed to know a lot about my house just by looking at Google maps. Apparently he had a software program that could provide a rough cost estimate just by looking at the satellite view of the house. The estimate was horrendously high, but the guy said if would probably be lower when he actually came out and measured things. The other roofer who took a look at the house last month said the cost would be high as well. The cost of installing a flat roof has increased dramatically in the last twenty years. It doesn't help that I need an engineered roof with a consistent slope of 1/4" per foot either. The roof will still look flat with this type of slope, but the water will drain and there will be no standing water. I'm not getting any younger and I'm not going to be able to climb up on the roof forever. Getting a roof that drains properly is imperative.

It's a shame that there are so many large expenses like this in my future. We need numerous repairs inside the house as well. Oh, well. That's life I guess. I think I know where my new car fund is going. Maybe it won't be so bad. I like to stay dry and I don't really like to drive all that much anyway.

I certainly didn't drive much today. I had to pick up some Enalapril for Dash at the vet and some dinner for myself at a nearby barbecue place. In retrospect, I should have had something bland for dinner. The ribs and brisket were delicious, but I've got heartburn again. Damn. I wish I enjoyed eating sensibly. All-in-all, I do a pretty good job of staying healthy, but unfortunately everything I really enjoy is bad for you. I kind of envy people who really enjoy eating vegetables. Discipline and restraint keep me healthy. I'd much rather just eat cheese.

I did manage to get the trash out to the curb this evening, but I have no idea whether I'll go out for breakfast in the morning. A lot depends on Dash and the weather.

Connor os today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3352

It's raining again, so I can't find the muddy patch in the back yard anymore. The entire yard looks muddy now. I guess I'll have to wait until things dry out again before I can call a plumber. At least all the drains appear to be working normally. I'm going to assume this means that the sewer pipe has a leak but there has not been a clog. It's a lot better to have a leak in a drain line than in a supply line. Water under pressure can make a huge mess very quickly.

Dash seemed really tired this morning, so we didn't walk before breakfast. Every day is different. Some days Dash wakes up hungry and eager for a walk. Other days he can barely move. He seemed to sleep well last night, so I'm not sure what's going on. A long nap usually helps. Sure enough, around noon Dash woke up, ate his breakfast, and seemed ready to go outside. I don't know why Dash even wanted a walk today. It was a nasty day. The weather didn't seem to bother Dash, but I wish I'd worn a warmer coat. I'm pretty sure that there's standing water up on the roof,  but I didn't feel like sweeping it away today. What's the point. There's still more rain in the forecast. I did call another roofer that an architect friend recommended. Eventually, I'll get several bids and pick someone. Knowing me, I'll probably pick the wrong roofer. Reputation matters more than price to me, but a good reputation isn't a guarantee of anything. Things can always go wrong.

All the news outlets were providing wall-to-wall coverage of the Michael Cohen hearings today, but the only news that captured my attention was a story about a fat rat who got stuck in a sewer grate and was unable to move until a team of nine German firefighters came to her rescue. Oh, the humanity. The hapless rotund rodent immediately captured the attention of an overweight world. Apparently a lot of people could identify with this awkward situation. There was a lot of sympathy for the plump German rat. Not so much for Michael Cohen. I guess they were different types of rats.

Tomorrow looks like it's going to be a repeat of today. Maybe Dash will feel a little better.  Maybe the stock market will go up. Chances are that whatever happens, it will still be grey and cold. That's just the way February usually is. If I remember correctly, February was even worse last year. Enough with this dismal weather. I'm ready for Spring. Probably everybody is ready for Spring.

Princess is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3351

I noticed this morning that there was a large muddy puddle in the middle of the back yard. WTF? This wasn't here yesterday. It didn't rain last night. For a moment I thought that I might have left a garden hose on, but all the faucets were off. What new kind of hell was this? When the puddle refused to dry up as the day progressed, I began to suspect the worst. Our sewer line passes under the muddy area. A pipe probably rusted or broke. Several other houses in the neighborhood that are about the same age as ours have had to replace their sewer lines. Maybe it's my turn this time.

It's weird that virtually every single problem I've had with the house involves water. Roofs leak. toilets run. Pipes break under the concrete slab. Washing machines break. Refrigerator coils freeze. Somehow the problem always involves water. I guess that's why there are hundreds of plumbers in town. I see a plumbing truck in front of someone's house just about every time I walk Dash. Maybe the wet ground will start to dry out tonight. If not, I'll have to call the plumber. I don't look forward to plumbers digging a big hole in the back yard, but what are you going to do? Things like this are one more reason why I'm never going to have any extra money.

Janet has started putting Dash's boots on before he wakes up in the morning. It's much easier to get the socks and boots on while Dash is lying down, but this doesn't always make him eager to walk. He was very reluctant to leave the house this morning. It took us forever just to get down to the park. Dash would walk a few feet and then he'd stop for a while. I don't know what was going through his head. Eventually we reached the area where the good smells begin and Dash began walking normally again. We took a much shorter walk than we normally do this morning and then Dash went back to sleep again. He didn't eat his breakfast until several hours later. I hope he's feeling OK.

Nothing exciting happened today. I balanced my checkbook after breakfast. Sometimes this process is easy. Other times it is infuriatingly difficult. It took me a long time to realize that I'd failed to record several January bills. I paid the bills. I just didn't subtract them from my balance. Eventually I found the problem and everything balanced but it sure took me a while.

I still haven't accepted the NASA invitation to visit the Johnson Space Center. I probably will, but there are still a few days left until the deadline. I keep finding excuses to postpone making a decision. I worry about Dash having a setback. Today I was fretting about my potential plumbing problem. I need to realize that I'm never, ever going to wake up without a care in the world. There's always going to be something to worry about. It's not a perfect world, but I shouldn't use this as an excuse to do nothing.

I did remember that it was Tuesday today. That means that if I don't procrastinate, I might be able to get a plumber out to the house before the end of the week. I might as well go for it. I despise expensive repairs, but sitting around and watching the mud hole in the yard grow deeper for a few additional days isn't going to make the repair any cheaper. I'll call tomorrow. The sad thing is that the plumbing repair will probably cost exactly the same as a trip to Houston.

Bingo is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3350

Is it just me, or have simple things become more difficult in recent years? My ambitions are modest and my expectations are low, but it is becoming harder and harder to get caught up on things. Life has become a game of Whack-a-mole, where new problems continue to arise faster than you can deal with the ones you already have.

Nothing went wrong today. This is just an observation. I used to feel on top of things and was almost always ahead of schedule. Now I'm not. I don't think I've slowed down all that much. I just think the world has changed.

When I woke up this morning, I noticed that one of Dash's nails was bleeding a bit at the base of the nail. Not good. Has the nail become loosened as a result of Dash continually dragging his feet when he walks? Who knows. Now I've got to figure out how to protect the nail so it doesn't become even looser and fall out. If Dash lost a nail again, it would be very difficult to stop the bleeding. I was half asleep when I had these thoughts. When I woke up fully, Dash already had his boots on and was ready to walk. Janet is a morning person and sometimes has Dash ready to go before I even get out of bed. You've got to seize the moment with Dash. There is a window of opportunity where he is eager to walk. If you miss it, he just sleeps for the rest of the day.

We had a nice walk this morning. The skies are still clear and although it was cold at sunrise, things warmed up quickly. On days like these, it's hard to believe that my roof was leaking a few days ago. So far, the roofer who made the repairs recently hasn't returned my call and another roofer who was going to give me an estimate for replacing the roof hasn't had time to put together a bid. I called an architect friend to get some suggestions. He said it was imperative that a flat roof have at least a 1/4" per foot slope to ensure that the water would drain after a rain. This might be easy to achieve with new construction. Not so much with a fifty year old house. I've had the usual settling you get with old houses. Without some elaborate structural modifications, I'm stuck with standing water.

The Redbud and Dogwood trees in the neighborhood are already starting to bloom. It seems a little early, but maybe not. In less than a week it will be March. I've started seeing a few grape hyacinths and crow poison flowers in the park. They say the wildflower season will be good this year. I hope so. Walking through wildflowers is a lot more pleasant than walking through mud.

I wrote a letter to my luddite sister and paid a few more bills this afternoon. I think I'm caught up on February bills now, but it won't be long before the March bills start arriving. It never ends. I didn't used to think about recurring bills when I was working and had a good income. Now these bills seem like a huge nuisance. How are you supposed to live on a fixed income if the prices of all the things you use everyday keep going up?

I need to remember that tomorrow is Tuesday. Tuesdays have been so uneventful lately that I tend to forget them and think it is already Wednesday. Truthfully, it doesn't matter what day it is. It's still just a game of Whack-a-mole.

Cookie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day