Day 1225

Today was confusing. Another cold front blew through last night and suddenly it's Winter again. This cold weather won't last long, but it is odd to go from t-shirts to a down jacket in less than twelve hours. I got the third roof bid in today. I had convinced myself that this was going to be the low bid, based on my conversations with the roofer, but it actually turned out to be the high bid. There weren't any low bids. The Land Rover dealer called me today and made an appointment to get my car in for service again. The were real nice, but never acknowledged all the times they had ignored my calls last week. I didn't bring the subject up again either. It's time to move on.

Dash came close to getting a clean bill of health at his annual physical exam today. No crystals in his urine anymore. A strong, steady heart beat with no appreciable murmur. The skin problems that plagued Dash for years have vanished. The boy is looking good. The vet wasn't sure what was causing him to rub his snout on the carpet periodically though. She thought it was most likely either a minor gum infection or an irritation in one of his eyes. We're going to start with some eye drops and see if that clears things up. If that doesn't work, Dash is due for a dental cleaning early this Summer anyway. There's also the possibility that rubbing his snout on the carpet doesn't mean anything at all. I also made sure to get a new city tag for Dash, so he'll be legal with the city again. They always seem to think his tag has expired.

I don't know where my mind has gone. I heard Dot barking at a garbage truck this morning and raced out to get our garbage can out to the street in time. It was only when I had the can out at the curb that I realized that it was Tuesday and the trash wasn't picked up until Friday. I took the trash can back to the house and wondered why all days are starting to seem the same to me lately. I think Dot must have heard the trash being picked up in the neighborhood across the street from us. They have a different pickup schedule than we do.

I was a little more organized with my work assignments. I got two articles finished today, which is pretty good, considering that I had website revisions to do as well. Tomorrow, there is more to write and more to remember. Hopefully, it will be a little warmer though.

Wyatt is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1224

I tried, with very limited success, to tie up some loose ends today. Everyone I called seemed to have a good excuse for why they were either late or had forgotten what I was asking about. The roofer was swamped with repair requests after a series of recent rains. The Land Rover dealer said they had left me a message. The insurance agent said my check was made out wrong. The accountant said the disk copy of my tax return wasn't ready yet. It was always something.

Of course, I'm not much better myself. I apologized to my vet for completely forgetting Dot's acupuncture appointment last Monday and then she regaled me with a long list of things she had forgotten during the same week.  I think life is too busy and too stressful for just about everyone. We are all being asked to do too much and given too little time to do it in.

I was just about ready to call the plumber this morning to come out and fix the toilet when I noticed that it wasn't the only thing that wasn't working. The water was turned off for the entire house. This seemed kind of odd, so I looked up the number for the water department and was preparing to give them a call when the water came back on again. I never found out what was going on until I took Dot to the vet later in the day and noticed a big pile of dirt in the front yard where the city had dug up and replaced the water meter. What was that all about? To the best of my knowledge, there was nothing wrong with the water meter. At least the city could have given me a call and told me what was going on. If I knew they were digging in the front yard this morning, I never would have wasted so much time trying to figure out what the problem was.

After we went to all this trouble to put in nice green grass in the back yard, Dot has decided that she would rather take her afternoon nap in the ground cover. I guess there's no accounting for taste. She can lie down wherever she wants, but I wish she liked the grass more. She's squashing the young Liriope plants the landscapers planted.

Dash has his annual physical exam tomorrow. I'm supposed to bring a stool sample to the exam with me. Hopefully I won't forget what's in the zip lock bag in my pocket like I did last year. There nothing like going to the grocery store and realizing that you've got a bag of poop in your pocket.

Mindy is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1223

I wish people who visited the park behind our house were as nice as the people at the dog park. The people we see at the dog park all seem to be considerate with very well socialized dogs. The people who visit the public parks on weekends are anything but. They change their babies in the bushes and leave the poop filled diapers on the ground. After their weekend picnics, paper plates and cups litter acres of greenery on Monday morning. Worst of all they let their poorly socialized, and often aggressive dogs off leash. I feel like I"m walking the dogs through a minefield on weekends. Happily, the same park is quiet and almost empty during the rest of the week. Today we avoided a loose pitbull, but weren't so lucky with a group of kids who wanted to pet Dot & Dash. The kids were nice enough, but they stopped us near a big pile of horse poop, which Dash proceeded to eat.

I wish they'd let Dash in the small dog park. He's been fearful of larger dogs ever since he was attacked several years ago. He seems to have overcome his fear of small dogs though. Today a small terrier befriended him at the dog park and the two of them had great fun running and playing. I think Dash looks forward to these trips to the dog park all week long. It is one of the few places he feels safe.

I made some more fresh juice today. A mix of half pineapple and half orange tastes quite good. Making the fresh juice is quite easy with the new juicer. Cleaning up the machine afterwards is another matter entirely. What a mess. I can't wash the pulp down the drain either. Even with the garbage disposal, I don't think our old pipes would handle it. I've taken to making enough juice to last a week, so I won't have to clean the machine so often.

I've taken to watching Dr. Who on Sunday afternoon as well. Watching the show on the DVR at a different time than it was broadcast is a little bit like time travel, which makes a show about time travel even more interesting. I wish I'd discovered the DVR earlier. Janet and I always used to complain that there was nothing worth watching on TV. We were wrong. It's all there. The problem is that the shows we like usually come on when we are working or busy with something else. The DVR solves all that. You watch what you want, when you want to watch it.

I need to make a list of questions to ask the vet this week. Dot has her acupuncture treatment and Dash has his annual exam. Dash has been rubbing his snout on the carpet lately and I wonder if he has a toothache. I need to know what the vet thinks about my decision to forgo the elaborate MRI and spinal tap tests for Dot. We're taken Dot and Dash off Trifexis for heartworms and switched them back to Sentinel. There's no conclusive proof that Trifexis can cause seizures, but there sure is a lot of anecdotal evidence on the Internet. Better safe than sorry, I think.

Joe is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1222

The grass is growing fast now. It looks like I'll be mowing the front yard every Saturday from now through the end of September. The task wasn't as hard this Saturday as it was last week. Maybe I'm getting stronger already. The more likely answer is that the grass just isn't as tall as it was last week.

I had to pick up some things at Sam's Club this afternoon and I continue to be amazed that I seem to be the only one using the automated check out lanes. Scanning your own items with the little bar code scanner is super fast and convenient. I'm in and out of the store in half the time that it used to take me. It just seems strange to me that nobody uses this convenience. Maybe everyone else pays with cash. I don't think the automated terminals take cash.

I went up on the roof to see if I could determine how last week's rain got into the house. No obvious leaks or cracks that I could see. It's pretty apparent now that I'm not going to be able to stop this leak with a caulking gun. I wish the roofer I liked would finish their bid and get back to me. Maybe they're avoiding me just like the Land Rover dealer. I don't think I'm hard to deal with, but maybe I am. I'm beginning to think that if you're at all particular about anything, people just don't want to mess with you.

Dalmatian Rescue has another Casino Party today. These are great fundraisers and really help us care for the dogs we rescue. I think I've lost all interest in roulette though. Actually, I think I've lost all interest in games of chance. The last time I went to Las Vegas, I didn't gamble at all. I still like Las Vegas though. There are lots of fabulous restaurants and the shows are great if you haven't seen them already.


I entered a bunch of future appointments into my iCal calendar today. I don't want to miss any more of Dot's acupuncture appointments. It's probably not a good idea to miss doctor appointments, or my Quarterly Estimated Tax payments again either. Very little seems important enough to remember on my own anymore. I don't think we'll forget about the dog park tomorrow though. Dot and Dash always remind us about that one.

Wilson is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1221

I've been mesmerized by the coverage of events in Watertown today. The world has certainly changed. Even terrorists have Facebook pages these days. In this age of social media, it would probably be more conspicuous if you didn't have a Facebook page. Having a social media presence is just another way to blend in. Privacy is gone too. It was simply astounding how quickly accurate, detailed pictures of the two bombers were obtained. In a world where there are CCTV cameras every hundred yards and millions of people walking around with cell phone cameras, don't expect to keep your secrets very long.

I don't think this loss of privacy is necessarily a bad thing, but I wonder where it will lead. Technology is a Pandora's box that has been already opened. I wouldn't be a bit surprised if sometime within the next 50 years there will be a machine that can read your memories. When a suspect is apprehended, they will simply hook them up to the machine, look at their memories, and see if they did the deed. When the memory machine is perfected, a 2.0 version will probably appear that will just kill you on the spot if you are guilty. I'm not sure if this is a bad thing either. It will certainly put an end to a succession of sensational Jodi Arias and O.J. Simpson trials, along with their entourage of money grubbing trial lawyers.

I lead a simple life. I wish other people would too. This morning I had my blood work done again. I still have a celebratory breakfast after these routine blood tests, but it's not bacon and humongous piles of pancakes anymore. I had a plate of fresh fruit and Eggs Benedict with grilled tomatoes and black bean cakes. I'm starting to enjoy my new healthy diet, but I have to remind myself not to be judgmental about all the fat, out of shape people at the other tables. If you want to lose weight, just cut out wheat and sugar. It works wonders.

Work was a bit slow today, but it allowed me to catch up on other things. I balanced my checkbook, went to the grocery store, and even found time to do a little exercise. I'm certainly not going overboard with the new workouts. I'm just trying to do something every day, so it eventually clicks into place and becomes part of the routine.

I worry about Dot. She seems to sleep longer and walk slower with each passing day. I know aging is inevitable, with Dot and with me as well. I wish it wasn't so though. Dot and Dash have woven their way so tightly into the routine I call my life that I don't know what I'd do without them.

Marley is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1220

Around 8 PM last night I thought I saw a flash of lightning on the Southeast horizon. I'm always a bit worried about lightning at dog training class since our class takes place on top of a hill. Everyone walking their dog is a potential lightning rod. I didn't hear any thunder, so I thought the storm was still far away. It wasn't until this morning that I realized what I saw was actually the flash from the fertilizer plant explosion in West, Texas. Something similar happened back in 2003, when I heard the sonic boom from the space shuttle Columbia exploding overhead. I had no idea what that was either until I put the pieces together while watching a news broadcast several hours later.

I'm a big complainer. Ordinarily I would be complaining about the water leaking through the roof as a result of last night's severe storms. The recent events in Boston and West put everything in perspective though. I've got nothing to complain about at all. Actually, I'm quite lucky. When I was walking the dogs today, I noticed that a huge oak tree that Dash loves to pee on had become uprooted during the storm and fallen directly across the path. We have stood under this tree many, many times. It's just lucky that we weren't nearby when it fell.

I almost passed out when I was up on the roof sweeping the water away this morning. It's generally not a good idea to pass out on your roof. I'm almost certain that the lightheaded, fainting sensation was caused by the carvedilol I take. These meds slow down the heart rate and can make you quite dizzy if you stand up quickly from a squatting or sitting position. When I'm up on the roof, I'm constantly squatting to look for a leaking seam, and then standing up quickly again. I guess I'll have to avoid going up on the roof right after I take these pills.

I went to the battery store to pick up a replacement battery for a power drill this afternoon. The original battery was made in Japan, but I noticed that this new one was made in China. I'm seeing more and more of these Chinese batteries, even though some manufacturers specifically warn against using them. The instruction manual for one of my digital cameras even says that using Chinese replacement batteries will void the warranty. What are you going to do though? Everything is made in China these days. The only batteries that are made in the United States that I've heard of recently are the lithium ion electric car batteries made by A123 Systems. Oh, I forgot. That company filed for bankruptcy recently, so their batteries will probably be made in China soon as well.

I'm glad it's Friday tomorrow. It's been a long week and I'll be glad when its over. I'd like to do a whole lot of nothing this weekend, but the Dalmatian Rescue group has another Casino Party. Hopefully, that's the only thing that's going on this weekend. We don't need any more rain either. I'm tired of the rain. Like I said, I'm not complaining, but Mattie looks exactly the way I feel.

Mattie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1219

Some days are so vanilla that I have trouble remembering what I actually did at the end of the day. I certainly was busy today, but nothing stands out as significant. There was a little bit of everything. I went to the bank, went to the post office, picked up a prescription for Dash at the vet and another for myself at the pharmacy. I did a load of laundry, made a quart of fresh juice from half a dozen oranges and a whole pineapple, and still found time to update a couple of websites.

I thought we were going to get out of going to dog training class tonight, since we've been on the verge of a thunderstorm all day. The rains haven't arrived yet, however. According the the weather channel, that will come later tonight, right after I've settled into a sound sleep. I can almost guarantee that Dot will wake me up with another storm phobia panic attack. It doesn't even matter if there's thunder and lightning anymore. Even the smell of rain makes her freak out.

I saw a Spring wildflower that I'd never photographed before right in the middle of a big patch of poison ivy this morning. I was tempted to wade in and get the shot, but sanity prevailed and I left the flower alone. I can always come back later with a telephoto lens. A little further down the trail were some Pink Evening Primrose flowers that had just come into bloom. I photographed these instead.

I'm kind of irritated that the Defender is still running rough. After two major repairs during the past 60 days, it should be running like a well oiled sewing machine. Of course, maybe it actually is running like a sewing machine. The old Singer is running kind of rough too. I've called the dealership twice, but they haven't returned my calls. This usually means they have no idea what the problems is and just want me to go away. The problem could be anywhere. One of the motor mounts could be broken. There might be a bad spark plug wire. The carburetor might be dirty. Chances are it's something else entirely. I seldom guess these things correctly.

I've lost fifteen pound since I changed my diet. That's quite a bit for me, since I was never overweight in the first place. Now it's time to get serious about an exercise program before I waste away. A fellow blogger recommended that I start doing planks to build up my core. I like the idea of planks. Basically all you do is hold your body in a straight rigid position while resting on your elbows and toes. You hold your spine horizontal for as long as you can. So far, several minutes seems like a long time to me. Since this exercise involves no movement at all, and is basically doing nothing, I like it.

Bella is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1218

Dot went to see the neurologist today. I don't know what Dot thought, but I found the entire visit a bit unsettling. After I described Dot's symptoms, the vet asked me a bunch of questions and then proceeded to tell me that in about 40% of cases like Dots, they were never able to determine what was causing the problem. After that, she proposed a number of tests, all of which required that Dot be under general anesthesia. The MRI she wanted to do would be taken at another facility, which meant that Dot would be transported to and from the specialty clinic on some of the worst freeways in Texas while still under anesthesia. I didn't like this idea at all. She also wanted to do a spinal tap, which made me nervous as well. I guess spinal taps are safe, but I've heard some terrible things about them.

I didn't mention this to the vet, but what made me the most nervous of all is that the recovery facility where Dot would be staying overnight after the MRI had gotten some terrible reviews on the Google Maps website. I know that some of the things people say online aren't fair, and in some cases aren't even true, but multiple bad reviews does make you stop and think things over. At any rate, I postponed the MRI and other tests until I could talk to Janet and my regular vet again. Dot is thirteen years old. Certain things could definitely help her, but sometimes the cure can be more traumatic than the disease. I think she's too old and frail to even consider spinal surgery.

I think my memory is shot. I completely forgot about Dot's acupuncture appointment yesterday. I looked on the computer and discovered that I had failed to make an entry for the appointment. I've gotten to where if something doesn't beep and remind me on my phone, I don't remember it at all. I didn't even think about the appointment until I was trying to remember my vets name at the specialty clinic this morning. There are just too many things going on for me to remember them all. At least I remembered Dash's antigen shot this afternoon. It seems like I spent my entire day at the vet.

I had terrible dreams last night. I frequently have dreams where I am lost and trying to find my way back home. Sometimes I am in a hotel, or in a city that I visited long ago. This time I think I was in Las Vegas. At least I started there. Every time I went through a door, or stepped out of an elevator in this dream, the environment changed completely and I was somewhere else. Then the door disappeared. There was no retracing my steps. I became increasingly lost and disoriented until eventually I didn't even know what planet I was on. Luckily, one of the dogs woke me up and when I got up to go to the bathroom, the dream disappeared.

In between the vet visits, I managed to complete quite a few small writing assignments. Dot ended up skipping breakfast for nothing, but she is happy to be home. I skipped breakfast as well. I didn't need to fast. I just ran out of time.

Becker is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1217

The saddest thing about today's bombing of the Boston Marathon is that these horrific events are no longer surprising. Bombings, school shootings, mass murders and other horrors have become so commonplace that they are now just part of the tapestry of everyday life. I have to remind myself that the world wasn't always this way. I grew up in a small town that didn't have a single murder during the entire time I lived there. Neighbors didn't even lock their doors at night when I was a kid. I suspect that those days are gone forever.

The bombs that exploded in Boston weren't the only sign of the apocalypse today. The market had a huge sell-off, with the price of gold falling at an unprecedented rate. This extreme volatility is no longer uncommon either. The world has simply become a volatile and increasingly dangerous place.

If I hadn't turned on the television, I would never have known about all the turmoil however. My own world is quite calm. I walked the dogs, exactly like I always do, and ate a bowl of oatmeal mixed with fresh strawberries, blueberries and blackberries when I returned. I watched an old episode of Dr. Who while I was doing the laundry and cleaning up the kitchen. I paid a few bills, took my quarterly estimated tax voucher to the post office, finished an estimate that was due today, and even got a couple of checks in the mail. It was an absolutely normal day as far as I was concerned.

I hope I can maintain this fragile illusion of normalcy in the days to come. I have no desire to live on the bleeding edge of anything. A simple life like my parents enjoyed in the 1950's would be fine with me. Is this even possible? Probably not. If I'm being honest, I'll have to admit that during the 1950's, my Mom was wrestling with manic depression and my Dad was immersed in the cold war, making secret trips to the Nevada desert whenever there was a nuclear test. Maybe life never was normal.

I still find the innocence of the 1950's alluring however.  I enjoy watching old episodes of Perry Mason and The Twilight Zone as I drift off to sleep in the evening. The world seemed so simple then. It would be nice if we could figure out how regain the innocence we lost. I don't think it's going to happen though.

Dot has to fast for her CAT scan tomorrow. Janet and I have come up with a complicated plan to feed Dash in the morning without Dot knowing what is going on. The plan probably won't work though. Dogs always know what's going on when food is involved.

Krissy is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1216

I had to laugh this morning. When we arrived at the dog park, there must have been a dozen dogs sitting around a small tree, all looking skyward. You guessed it. There was a squirrel in the tree. Dot and Dash frequently do this in the back yard. They quickly lose interest though. A couple of the dogs in the park were more persistent. They continued to stare upward at the tree for the entire duration of our visit.

Janet often walks the dogs in the park on Sunday mornings and I am faced with a deficit of steps on my little activity tracking wristlet. I have become a slave to the thing. To meet my quota of activity, I've taken to looking for chores around the house. This is very unlike me, since I'm basically a lazy person. I guess it's a good thing though. Today I cut down a small, dead Wax Myrtle tree in the front yard and hauled the branches out to the street for big trash day next week. I meant to have the landscapers do this last month when they were here, but I forgot. This task seemed to compensate for the lack of a walk, and I felt better.

When I finished my self-appointed chores, I watched the Dr. Who episode I recorded yesterday. I guess I could have bought a TiVo box years ago and discovered this brave new world of re-arranging the natural order of things on TV much earlier, but I'm still a late bloomer about some things. I wonder what this all means for the traditional networks. With DVRs, Hulu, Netflicks, and shows like Game of Thrones, the networks don't really matter anymore. When I was a kid, every family subscribed to TV Guide magazine. They literally planned their lives around this diminutive programming bible. How things have changed.

I need to remember to send off the voucher with my first quarterly estimated tax payment tomorrow. I forget this a lot. In the euphoria of getting all your tax issues sorted out for another year, it's easy to overlook the fact that April 15 isn't the end of anything. It's just the day when you begin the whole cycle all over again.

Next week looks busy already. Dot has a visit with the neurologist in addition to her regular acupuncture appointment. Dash has his antigen shot. There are several writing assignments already on tap. This takes us up to Wednesday. After that, anything could happen.

Flash is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1215

Today was near perfect. What's not to like about 68 degrees, a light breeze, clear skies, and low humidity. I wasn't the only one who was pleased with the perfect weather either. The park was filled with picnickers, sunbathers, joggers, and horseback riders. I had other things to do. I mowed the grass.

With two new 12 volt batteries installed, the mower ran just fine. Unfortunately, the person pushing the mower needed some new batteries himself. I remember when I first bought the house, I could mow all the grass in the front and back yards with an old fashioned push reel mower. Not anymore! Each Spring I notice that the current electric mower seems a little heavier and harder to operate. Today, mowing the front yard left me winded and tired. I simply can't let my upper body strength deteriorate any more. Walking the dogs is great for my legs, but I've ignored my arms. It might be time to join a gym.

They're repairing the road in front of our house and it's driving Dot nuts. A big, very loud machine, somewhat like an agricultural combine, goes back and forth scraping away the old asphalt and spitting it into waiting trucks. Eventually, some other machines will come and re-pave the road with asphalt again. This process happens about every five years and until the road crews are finished, it will be exceedingly dusty. Dot hates the noise of the machines, and even though she can't see them, she barks continuously.  The odd thing is that there was nothing wrong with the road before the city decided to re-pave it. One more example of governmant money at work.

It's nice to be able to watch Dr. Who whenever I want now. I've mastered the DVR and record all the new episodes now. Instead of racing through dinner to watch the show on the good TV in the bedroom, I just watch it later when I've got nothing better to do. I do have something better to do tomorrow. It looks like it's going to be a fabulous day at the dog park. Dot and Dash are already making plans.

Valli is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1214

Maybe I need to be more flexible. Before I even looked at the menu this morning, my waiter poured me a cup of coffee and said, "I'm sorry sir, we don't have your usual breakfast this morning." They were out of black beans. I guess I do order the same thing every time, but I didn't think anyone noticed. I do have different things for breakfast from time-to-time, but usually when I'm in the mood for something different I just go to a different restaurant. Once I find something I like, I stick with it. I've managed to find half a dozen restaurants that are worth a return visit and each of them has one thing I like. I seldom deviate from this self-enforced rigidity.

Maybe my memory isn't as good as it used to be either. I took the dead lawn mower battery to the battery store and asked for a free replacement, since the rechargeable 24-volt battery had been in the mower for less than a year. The service technician showed me a sticker on the battery that said the batteries had been replaced in the Spring of 2010 instead of the Summer of 2012. You could have fooled me. It still seemed like less than a year. As far as I'm concerned, a three year life span isn't much to brag about either. I've had the same battery in my Defender for over ten years and it still works great.

After I got the breakfast and batteries out of the way, I settled down to work. There were websites to tweak, words to write, and more than a few phone calls to answer. I've been surprised at how busy I've been this Spring. None of the assignments are very glamorous, but they keep me busy. As I was writing, I ran the cleaning routine on the large format printer. I should have done this last week, since it took me about twenty sheets of paper and half my remaining ink to get the lines unclogged again. Once I got the printer working properly again, I turned it off. I didn't have anything to print.

After the completed Microsoft Word files were attached to an e-mail and sent off on their way, I finished the rest of the Friday chores. I retrieved the garbage can from the street, I watered the back yard, I ran a load of laundry, got some supplements at the health food store, and wrapped things up by going to the grocery store to pick up something for dinner. Remembering that I need to be more flexible, I got Chinese food for dinner instead of the usual Friday fare.

Nellie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1213

It was another day of small discoveries. One of my doctors has been telling me for months now that I need start lifting free weights to rebuild the muscle mass I had lost to statin drugs. I never really felt that I had the time, and definitely wasn't looking forward to joining a gym. Much to my surprise, I discovered that I have all the time I need. I now have a set of small hand weights on my desk that I use whenever Photoshop or Final Cut Pro gets bogged down rendering something. With the nature of what I do most days, this provides me with a more than adequate upper body workout. I don't know if lifting weights while editing qualifies as multi-tasking, but it sure beats staring at a progress bar on the screen as my complicated video transitions slowly render.

While we're on the subject of video editing, I discovered an amazing app that turns your iPad into a sophisticated touch sensitive control surface for professional audio and video software like Pro Tools, Media Composer, Final Cut Pro, and Logic. Every time I get a big editing job, I toy with the idea of buying a dedicated hardware control surface. You can save a huge amount of time during an edit session if you don't have to use your mouse for everything. Unfortunately, the time-saving control surfaces can be quite expensive. The iPad app solves all that. For a small fraction of what you might pay for a dedicated controller, the clever app gives you full control of your editing software via WiFi.  It's all pretty amazing to me. Of course I downloaded the app. Now I've got a phone that can control my DSLR and a tablet that can control my editing software. Who would have thought?

I've been toying with the idea of trying some sort of vegetarian breakfast. I'm not sure what this would consist of, but I'll bet it involves Tofu. When you try to eliminate meat, dairy products, and wheat, your options become rather limited. Maybe eggs aren't so bad. Maybe a little meat isn't so bad either. I think the real problem for me had turned out to be wheat products. My body seems to convert wheat products straight into sugar. My love for pancakes and french toast is probably what put me right on the verge of diabetes. Now that I avoid bread, biscuits, pancakes and other things made with processed flour, my blood sugar levels are back in the normal range. I carry little packets of Stevia around with me when I go to Starbucks now. My somewhat impossible goal is to eliminate sugar from my diet entirely.

The weather is looking quite nice again. I'm not going to be able to put off mowing the lawn much longer. Maybe tomorrow I'll have time to take the dead lawn mower batteries to the battery store and have them replaced. I should get the batteries for the cordless electric drill and the travel shaver replaced at the same time. Everything seems to depend on batteries these days.

Tyson is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1212

What a difference a day makes. When I went to bed last night, it was warm enough to turn the air conditioner on. By morning, the temperature had dropped 40 degrees and condensation caused by the rapid cooling covered the windows with dew. For the third or fourth time this season, I had to dig out my goose down ski jacket to walk the dogs. Winter just won't give up this year.

Since the cold front that blew through town last night was accompanied by copious amounts of rain, I re-arranged the living room furniture and strategically placed a few buckets on the floor before the dogs and I left on our morning walk. When we returned, I was pleasantly surprised to discover that there were no leaks and no water in the buckets. There was still plenty of water to sweep off the roof, but I must have done a better job of patching than I thought the other day.

Like most rainy days when I am more or less confined to the house, I got a lot done. I updated two websites, wrote an article about Ron Johnson's demise at JC Penny, and still had time to get all my April invoices posted and in the mail. Since there wasn't much to choose from in the refrigerator, I thought I'd try my new online to-go menu at a nearby restaurant right across from the post office. I placed my order as I got in the car with my letters and my dinner was ready and waiting for me as soon as I had finished mailing them. No waiting at all! I was impressed and will definitely be using this convenient new way of ordering take-out again.

No dog training class tonight. It was far too wet and way too cold to be parading around a muddy field with two Dalmatians who would rather be home anyway. I think Dot and Dash had the right idea. After tramping around on the roof for an hour with the big push broom, I had no desire to get wet all over again. I turned up the furnace a bit, used the new juicer to make myself a pitcher of fresh orange juice for tomorrow, and settled down to enjoy my Mango Tilapia take-out dinner. I'm not picky anymore. Any day where it rains and the roof doesn't leak is a good day to me.

Apollo is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1211

I paid a visit to my watchmaker today. A lot of my clients are irritating, but I always enjoy talking with the watchmaker. He's a charter member of that dying breed of people who can actually fix things and understand how mechanical things work. When I was growing up, the United States was full of these clever, industrious men, but there are very few left. I tried to explain social media to the watchmaker while he repaired a beautiful old Angela Cummings watch of Janet's. The watchmaker and I both love cars, so we talked about exotic machines we've owned and would like to own. The watchmaker has a vintage Porsche and I have an old Maserati. At least his car runs. Mine doesn't. The watchmaker regaled me with stories about inept customers who destroyed their expensive Rolex by trying to fix it themselves. I told him about ad campaigns that failed miserably when the client refused to listen. It was a very pleasant afternoon.

I made an appointment to take Dot to see a neurologist next week. She's going to need a CAT scan to make sure she doesn't have a brain tumor. Apparently, the symptoms that she's been having could be caused by epilepsy, a tumor in the brain, or by something else entirely. A CAT scan, or possibly a MRI of her brain, will help pinpoint the cause of her recent seizures. It's too bad dogs have trouble staying still on their own. A CAT scan or MRI is a relatively simple procedure for humans. I've had many of these scans myself. Part of the procedure involves holding your breath for up to 20 seconds at a time while the image is being created. Not surprisingly, dogs have trouble holding their breath, so they have to be sedated under general anesthesia during the scan. Dot is not going to like all this, but it needs to be done.

My poison ivy is starting to get better. The steroid treatments really do work. There's a downside however. It's not a good idea to take steroids for this sort of thing more than once a year. It  looks like I'm going to have to be extra careful not to catch another case of poison ivy later this summer. This is going to be tough, because I'm seeing the stuff everywhere now. I see fresh, green little poison ivy plants on either side of the trail during our daily walks. I've told Dash to help me out on this, but I don't think he was listening.

There are supposed to be thunderstorms tomorrow, but I hope they don't materialize. I'm not sure if I was able to pinpoint the source of the latest roof leak during last week's round of storms. Not really looking forward to plastic buckets strategically placed all around the living room floor again. Dot is scared of storms too and I'm worried that thunder and lightning might trigger another seizure. Maybe the weather will surprise me and turn out to be nice. I think I deserve that.

Livy is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1210

I liked the roofing people that came over to look at the house today. These roofers work almost exclusively with architects on new construction jobs, as opposed to all the other roofers who seem to spend most of their time dealing with insurance claims adjustors on hail damage jobs. I was genuinely impressed with these guys. They were knowledgeable and were able to come up with creative solutions to my own peculiar roofing problems. Unless their bid comes in prohibitively high, I think I've found the company that's going to put on my new roof.

It looks like Dot is going to be seeing a neurologist in the neat future. When I described Dot's symptoms to the vet this afternoon, she said that Dot was most likely experiencing either a mild petite-mal seizure, or showing very early signs of a possible brain tumor. I made a short movie of Dot last night and when my vet saw it, she pointed out some telltale signs of abnormal vestibulo-ocular movement that indicated Dot was probably feeling a severe case of vertigo and was having difficulty maintaining an upright orientation. This all made a lot of sense, and seemed to describe Dot's two other incidents perfectly. Evidently, this type of balance disorder can be an early sign of inner ear problems, low blood pressure, brain tumors, and stroke. Dot will probably have to get either a CAT scan or an MRI later this month. One way or another, we'll find out what's going on.

One of my clients wants me to take over their social media efforts. I'm trying to decide what to charge for this kind of service, and a bit reluctant to even get involved in a project like this at all. In my experience, social media is a bottomless pit. Anyone can be a spammer, but if you really want to have a continuous stream of new and interesting content, you'd better be prepared to spend an enormous amount of time and effort. I think that's why a lot of companies give up on social media. They usually start out with good intentions, posting new and interesting stuff for several weeks, or even several months. Eventually, they discover that they've either run out of things to say, or run out of time to say it. Since I can write about anything almost indefinitely, people often want me to do their social media for them. This takes a lot of time though. More time than I typically have. I don't think my client will be willing to pay for what it would take to do this right.

I ran out of time today before I got around to going over to the battery store to get a new battery for my lawn mower. Maybe tomorrow. I didn't really feel like mowing the grass today anyway. The best news of the day was when my accountant called late in the day to tell me I'd be getting a tax refund this year. Yay! That's the kind of news I like to hear.

Cooper is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1209

It's time to start mowing the grass again. Once again, when I got the mower out of the greenhouse, it refused to start. This has happened to me every Spring for almost as long as I can remember. I had high hopes that the mower would start without incident this year. First of all, I'm using an electric lawn mower now, which has considerable fewer parts that can break. Secondly, I completely replaced the 24-volt battery pack with a brand new set of batteries last Fall. Apparently the expensive batteries only last a single season, because they no longer hold a charge.

I didn't even try to start the old Yazoo gas mower that was also in the greenhouse. The distinctive looking high wheel mowers were produced in Mississippi for many years and built like a tank. That doesn't help me much now, because there hasn't been a Yazoo dealer in town since 1995. The mower's big bicycle tires are both flat now, and I threw away the old gas can at the hazardous waste disposal site, along with a bunch of dried up paint cans, about three years ago.

Since I was unable to cut the grass, I went up on the roof and tried again to find the source of the latest leak. After pulling up a poorly applied asphalt strip from an old repair, I found a suspicious looking damp spot underneath. I cut away the faulty material with a big pair of sheet metal shears and dried everything out with some old dog towels I was about to throw away anyway. As I was working, the wind picked up and I began to feel a few drops of rain. I didn't think I was going to get done in time. Luckily, the skies cleared again, and I was able to carefully re-patch the entire area. I think I did a good job, but unfortunately I ruined a pair of my favorite jeans in the process.

A word to the wise. Don't lose your meds before you finish taking them. Your insurance won't buy you a spare bottle. I discovered this after I lost the prescription I got at the pharmacy yesterday. I couldn't find the pills anywhere and called my pharmacist to see if he would fill the prescription again. Apparently health insurance companies frown on this sort of thing. The $40 bottle of pills that I thought were too expensive anyway, would now cost me over a $100 to replace at full retail cost. Not surprisingly, this added expanse caused me to redouble my efforts to find the lost meds. I eventually did find them. They were outside in the trash can at the very bottom of a plastic grocery sack filled with other trash. Apparently we didn't notice that the pills were still in the bag when we were cleaning up after dinner last night.

Dot and Dash had a great time at the dog park today. The weather was nice and the other dogs were friendly. We even saw another Dalmatian. Unfortunately, I think Dot was a bit too active. Right after dinner, she had another episode where she was shaky on her feet and had trouble getting up. Janet thinks she might have had a seizure, but the way she is acting is unlike other seizures I have seen. I don't think either of us really have a clue about what is going on. Dot is scheduled for a visit with her vet tomorrow anyway and doesn't appear to be in any immanent danger.  Hopefully, I can find out more about what is causing these episodes tomorrow.

Molly is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day