Day 1939

My life is a lot like watching paint dry these days. Dot is definitely getting stronger, but progress is very slow. I've still got some new projects on the back burner, but it could take weeks or even months before any of them come to fruition. I'm still doing my physical therapy exercises, but any progress in regaining the use of my shoulder is still measured in inches. I've learned to take it all in stride. I don't even expect anything to happen fast anymore.

People who are in a hurry probably find me infuriating. I can spend hours eating breakfast. I never drive over the speed limit anymore. I finish everything on my to-do list, but it can take months for me to get around to the less desirable tasks. I still brag that I've never missed a deadline, but this is probably only because my clients are getting slower too. Even writing this blog is taking longer than it used to. I guess this makes sense. It's not easy to say the same thing over and over again without becoming redundant.

Today was particularly slow. I did have one website problem to solve, but that was about it. Since the dogs were unusually quiet today, I wanted to find a way to fill the day without waking them up unnecessarily. I ended up watching Interstellar at a very low volume all over again. It's a long movie, so it used up a lot of time. I don't mind reading a book or watching a movie twice. If it was good the first time, it is usually good the second time as well. When I watch a movie twice, I'm always surprised at how many things I missed at the first viewing.

I thought I was going to get lucky and make it through the afternoon without any frantic barking episodes, but a yard crew came to the neighbors house and started making a huge racket with their lawn mowers and leaf blowers. Not surprisingly, this sent both dogs into a barking frenzy. Dot and Dash have always barked at strange noises, but I guess I just ignored them because I wasn't actually participating. Now that I'm holding up Dot's rear legs, I sometimes feel like I need to start barking too. I took the dogs outside, fed them a rice cake, and eventually got them settled down again after the lawn crew finished their noisy work. I thought I was home free, but then the UPS delivery guy knocked on the front door and the barking started all over again.

Dot is probably more frustrated than I am. All she wants is her freedom back. I'm sure she's not wild about having me following her around holding her harness everywhere she goes, but it can't be helped. If Dot wants to wander around freely again, she going to have to become a bit more surefooted. She thinks she's hot stuff now, but I still catch her and keep her from falling at least ten times a day.

To continue today's slow motion theme, I got a call from my insurance company saying that the car accident in California had finally been resolved. Jeez, the accident happened in January and it's April now. I never thought the whole process would take this long. Everything takes a long time now. I'm working on a video for a client that probably won't be finished until June. Lord knows when I'll finally get my teeth fixed. After all Dot's expenses, dental surgery seems pretty pricy right now. By the time I can afford to have the dental work done, I'll have to overcome my fear of the dentist all over again.

Everything in good time, I guess. Somehow my taxes will get finished and filed on April 15. The dead limb on the big oak tree in the back yard will be pruned by Summer. I'll probably be wearing an Apple watch before Christmas. Somewhere in the grand mix of things, Dot will be walking on her own in the park again.

Molly is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1938

Today was surprisingly busy. I walked Dash early to avoid the rain I thought was on the way. I needn't have bothered. It didn't rain at all and gradually grew warmer and warmer as the day progressed. I put the warm coat I wore yesterday away and got ready for Summer again. By the end of the day, the air conditioner was running and cooling the place down.

By the time I finished breakfast and turned on the computer, there was already a long laundry list of things for me to do. I spent the rest of the morning answering client's questions and making changes to various websites. It was a good thing I watched my movie yesterday, because there wouldn't have been time today.

It's getting harder and harder to get things done while the dogs are sleeping. Now that Dot is feeling better, she doesn't sleep as long. She doesn't like being penned up either. My little window of "quiet time" seems to shrink with each passing day. I keep trying to see if Dot is strong enough to wander around the house on her own, but she's definitely not ready yet. She can get up reasonable well without assistance now, but she's still pretty wobbly. Even though there are non-slip rugs everywhere, she can still find the few isolated areas where the floors are still slippery. It's great that Dot is becoming more mobile, but I have to follow her around constantly, so I can catch her when she starts to slip.

After I got finished answering e-mail and updating websites, I thought there would be time to go up on the roof and remove all the standing water. That didn't work out so well. Whenever Dash hears the front door start to open, he races to the hallway and starts barking. This wakes Dot up and she starts barking too. They both think Janet is coming home whenever they hear something at the front door. Lately, the only way I can get out of the house with any semblance of peace is to quietly go out the back door, unlock the back gate, and go around to the front of the house. I tried this several times this afternoon, but still wasn't able to finish everything up on the roof.

I'm not sure what to do about the dogs. Dash seems depressed now that Janet has returned to work and Dot has grown so used to having me at her side all the time, that she's developing separation anxiety when I leave. I will be so glad when Dot is strong enough to live a normal life again. Dalmatians are high energy dogs by nature. The tried and true remedy for keeping Dot and Dash happy while keeping my own sanity has always been to take them both on a very long walk first thing every morning. When they came home tired, they immediately went to sleep and I had the rest of the day to myself. This plan no longer works. Even when Dot gets stronger, I doubt that I'll ever be able to walk them together again. Dot needs slow steady walks on flat surfaces and Dash needs a chance to roam the park and be a normal dog. Me? I think I need a vacation.

Hopefully, tomorrow will be a little quieter. It felt like a three-ring circus today. I don't think I'd ever choose nursing as a profession. To me, it would be so discouraging to throw your heart and soul in to helping someone get better and then have to turn around and start all over again with another sick person. I think I am doing a good job with Dot, but I will be so glad when she's strong and independent again. Every morning on our walks I tell Dash that he'd better stay healthy for a long, long time.

Paxton is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1937 - Easter

I had a feeling that lots of egg hunts and Sunrise Services were spoiled this morning when I woke to the sound of pounding rain on the roof. We actually needed the rain to help the new grass root properly, but it would have been nice if Easter Sunday was as beautiful as it was yesterday. There was no need to get up until the rain subsided, so we all got some extra sleep. Dot and Dash didn't even need to stick their nose out the door to know it was raining. They both just curled up on their blankets and waited for the rain to stop.

It's so nice that Dot doesn't have her incontinence problems anymore. During her cancer treatment I often had to take her outside in absolutely atrocious weather. It couldn't be helped. When you've got to go, you've got to go. Today, the dogs were content to wait until 10 AM to do their business. That's when the weather radar said the rain would stop, and that's exactly when it did. We all had a leisurely breakfast and then I took Dash for a walk while Janet took Dot for a much shorter walk up and down our street. The wet weather made things a little slippery for Dot, but she still did pretty well.

Since it was such a dismal, cold day I thought it would be a perfect time to watch the Interstellar DVD on my computer. I've heard both good and bad things about the movie, so I was curious to see if it lived up to my expectations. It did. I just didn't realize that the movie was so long. Dot will rest quietly for up to two hours at a time, but after that, there's going to be a lot of barking unless I'm there to cater to her needs. I never ignore her barking because when she gets excited, she poops. Believe me, it's much better to pause a movie than to clean up dog poop in the house.

As science fiction movies go, Interstellar was pretty good. I liked the way they described wormholes. It seemed to make more sense than Farscape, Sliders and many other films that have utilized wormholes in the plot. Of course since nobody knows if wormholes even exist, I'll be the first to admit that films like Interstellar are really just Harry Potter movies for people like me. I think wizards and zombies are rubbish, but am perfectly willing to to believe that wormholes could whisk someone from one galaxy to another in a matter of seconds. You almost have to believe in wormholes if you think the human race is going to reach the stars someday. The two voyager spacecraft have been traveling for decades and they've barely reached the edge of the solar system. We need wormholes. And maybe we need wizards too.

It's hard to believe that it's going to be 85 degrees tomorrow, since it's only 50 today. The air conditioner was on yesterday, but overnight the fancy new thermostat automatically switched things back to heat mode and we woke up toasty and warm. I got an e-mail recently saying that I was eligible for an upgrade to the WiFi thermostat that would coordinate our energy use with real-time weather patterns and automatically keep the house at the perfect temperate. This sounded intriguing, but I was a bit suspicious. The whole idea felt a bit too much like driverless cars to me. I want to be the guy setting the temperature, not a computer off in the cloud somewhere. I didn't click on the "lets get started" button, even though the ad said it would save me hundreds in electricity bills.

Tomorrow is Monday. Monday's are usually pretty boring. I'll bet I'm going to wish I'd waited another day to watch that movie.

Angel is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1936

I got up several hours before dawn to watch this morning's lunar eclipse. I left the house quietly, so I wouldn't wake Janet and the dogs and went out to the street where I cold get a good view. Apparently, watching eclipses wasn't a high priority in the neighborhood. All the houses were still dark and the roads were empty. It was quite peaceful.

As the dawn approached, I could hear birds begin to sing as the moon shrunk to a smaller and smaller crescent. This was supposed to be a Blood Moon, but I couldn't see the red glow at totality. Since the moon was near the horizon, it just gradually disappeared as it sunk into the low lying haze and ground fog. I went back to bed for a while after the moon disappeared and then started the day all over again when the dogs woke up and wanted their breakfast.

Janet takes Dot on a short walk now while I walk Dash. Dot made it all the way to the end of our street this morning. She was feeling good. The constant tremor in her rear legs is largely gone now. She is learning to stand normally and her paws seldom knuckle under anymore. We have reached the point now where she feels better than she did before the surgery. The main challenge now is to build back the muscle mass she lost both before and after the surgery. Her rear legs are very weak, but each week they become stronger. Surgery is always risky and sometimes you don't make the right decision. I think in this case, the surgery really helped.

Since Dot still sits down really hard if we aren't there to steady her and is prone to stumble at the least little obstacle, Janet and I still divide our time watching her. I ran my errands in the morning, so she could run hers in the afternoon. It would have been nice if the dogs felt like sleeping, because I picked up the Interstellar DVD while I was getting groceries. I thought I might get a chance to watch it this afternoon, but that turned out not to be the case. Dot didn't want to sleep. She wanted to bark and continually move from one dog bed to another. Every time I created a safe enclosure so she couldn't hurt herself, she wanted to go somewhere else. She didn't want to be penned at all and wasn't shy about letting me know. When Dot starts barking, Dash chimes in and starts barking too. It was a lot more peaceful when I was watching the eclipse by myself at 6 AM. The only way I was able to keep any semblance of sanity this afternoon was to divide the dog's dinners into small portions and feed it to them at two hour intervals.

I never was able to watch my movie, but I did manage to get some work done. It was a shame to stay inside on a beautiful day like today but I didn't seem to have much choice. I certainly can't blame Dot for being restless. I'm sure she would have rather chased squirrels in the back yard and barked at cars going up and down the alley. If Dot understood the cause and effect between exercise and being able to do the things she loves, maybe our sessions in the underwater treadmill would go smoother. We're getting there though and have really made an enormous amount of progress since February.

I should make an effort to go to the gym tomorrow. I need to spend as much time on my own physical therapy as I am on Dot's. It's kind of pitiful in a way. An old guy with a dislocated shoulder probably isn't the best choice to help an old dog with bad legs get back in shape. Maybe by Summer I'll be able to move my arm freely again and Dot can return to her walks in the park.

Dottie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1935

I never could decide what day it was today. Janet was off work, so it seemed like Saturday when I woke up. After I walked Dash, I went and had my regular Friday restaurant breakfast anyway and then it seemed like Friday for a while. A lot of people seemed to be having a holiday picnic in the park today, but the mail got delivered and the bank was open. My Jewish clients took the day off for Passover, but very few of my Christian clients took the day off for Good Friday. I wonder why the stock market was closed and the banks were open? For most of the morning I thought it was Saturday and then several of my clients started sending me website revisions and I thought it was Friday again. It was a very confusing day.

Dot seemed tired today. I hope we didn't work her too hard on the treadmill yesterday. Janet thinks I worry too much. The vet thinks I worry when I should. And I always think that I'm overlooking something terribly important that could cause a setback. I don't spend much time thinking about my own health, but I really want Dot's recovery to go as smoothly as possible.

I learned how to make those transparent frames that you often see on birthday card websites. These frames allow people to superimpose their own uploaded pictures inside a transparent area on a pre-existing template to create their own customized postcards to share on social media. I knew Photoshop could do this, but it took me a while to get all the layers in the right order. I finally figured everything out and uploaded the finished template to my client's iPhone app. Yes, clients aren't content with websites anymore. They want their own iPhone and Android apps. I guess this makes sense, since everyone except me finds most of their information using their phone these days. Call me old fashioned, but I still use the desktop computer for almost everything. Just about the only thing I use my phone for is to take pictures and to check how many steps my UP band has logged for the day.

Every once in a while Facebook is actually useful. A friend was complaining about telemarketers on her feed a few days ago and someone else left a comment said she ought to try Nomorobo to eliminate all the robo-calls. I was intrigued and looked up Nomorobo on Google. It was free and seemed to work with my U-verse phone system, so I installed it. Almost immediately, the number of telemarketing calls I receive dropped dramatically. I don't really know how this works or why it is offered for free, but I'm glad someone told me about it. Telemarketers are the bane of my existence. Sometimes I get fifteen calls a day. If this service can cut that number down to five calls a day, it is definitely worth it.

Since I thought it was Saturday for most of the day, I'll probably think it is Sunday tomorrow. It really doesn't make much different which day it is. Weekend errands are still just weekend errands on either day. There are still bills to pay, groceries to buy, and a new lawn that needs to be watered.

When I was a kid, my parents always use to wake us up really early on Easter morning and take us to an Easter Sunrise Service that was held in a drive-in theater for some reason. My Mom, if she were still alive, would be upset that I haven't maintained this tradition. If I see the sunrise at all, I will be walking Dash.

Lexi is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1934

I enjoy going to the vet with Dot on Thursdays. It gives me a chance to talk with some real people instead of just sending e-mails back and forth. Even more importantly, I can get an objective opinion on whether Dot is actually improving. It's hard for me to tell sometimes. She is definitely better than when we brought her home from surgery, but she still has good days and bad days. In my mind, everything in life should be a steady, even progression, but of course life isn't like that at all. I tend to get alarmed about the bad days, so it's nice to get an objective opinion.

I'm glad Dot's vet confirmed what I'd been thinking. She felt that Dot was definitely stronger than when she saw her last Thursday. We did a little more strenuous workout in the underwater treadmill today and everyone seemed pleased with her progress. We're still a long way from the finish line however. Dot has already lost over two pounds of muscle mass. That might not seem a lot for you or me, but it is quite a bit for a dog. We're got to slowly build her muscles back with exercise and physical therapy. Without strong leg muscles, she'll never be able to walk normally. So far, we're doing all the right things. It's just going to take time.

I understand the process all too well. I've been faithfully doing my own physical therapy exercises for months now and have still only managed to add a few inches to my bad shoulder's range of motion. In my case, my physical therapist told me that it could take up to a year before I noticed any substantial improvements. I hope it doesn't take that long for Dot. I think I've got a lot more time to get back to normal than Dot does. I could be wrong though. Dot is amazing. She may outlive me.

I was sleepy all day today. The combination of lack of sleep and acting as Dot's rear legs have taken their toll. I guess I could sleep in tomorrow, since it is a holiday, but I'll probably get up early anyway. It's Friday tomorrow and my desire to get out of the house will override any thoughts I might have about sleeping longer. I've been looking forward to my special breakfast all week.

It's amazing how quickly the vegetation has returned this Spring. A few weeks ago the park was still in the last grips of Winter. Now, there is new life everywhere. The trees are green. New flowers are popping up in the meadows every day. I'm even starting to see some baby ducks. I find it comforting that nature is so consistent and predictable. The same flowers and baby animals appear every year at almost exactly the same time. Humans are continually trying to reinvent themselves. Ducks and flowers seem content to stay as they are. I like that.

Miracle is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1933

When I'm not busy enough, I notice things that I'm otherwise oblivious to. Today I noticed that we have carpenter ants in the house again. There were little piles of wood dust at various places that indicated the ants were active. We've had problems with carpenter ants before and they are difficult to get rid of. You cant ignore them though. In many ways they are just as bad as termites. Left unchecked, they will reduce your house to rubble.

I also noticed that our resident squirrels were eating the new St. Augustine grass. We've had problems with this before as well. Squirrels seem to love fresh green grass, and just about every time we've put in more St. Augustine, the squirrels immediately descend from the trees to eat it. In the Spring it's the squirrels who do the damage. In the Fall it's mostly possums and armadillos who are intent on destroying things. The birds do their part as well. The eat the berries off the Holly bushes and then poop them out again on my car.

Since Dot has her physical therapy session tomorrow, I reconfigured that car with her special hammock. This took longer than I thought, but I really don't have any other choices. I guess I'll just leave the hammock in place until Dash needs to go somewhere. I also watered the new lawn with a hose a couple of times. I don't know why a sprinkler wouldn't have worked just as well, but the landscapers said this was better. Although the yard looks great, it doesn't smell so great. I think there must be cow manure mixed in the mulch that was spread over the flower beds and ground cover. I should have been more specific instead of saying "just do what you did last year." Last year we needed mulch. This year we don't.

The dogs were pretty good today. There is always a frenzy of barking around dinner time, but for the most part, things were pretty peaceful today. I've got to watch Dot like a hawk. She can get up on her own now and will start walking drunkenly around the house if I'm not looking. I use to race to grab her harness when this happened, but now I just follow along behind her to provide support if she starts to slip. She needs to learn to keep her balance and walk with confidence. Constantly holding her up might actually hinder her progress. I still worry that she's going to fall, but she keeps getting stronger every day. Several times I have seen her sit normally, but she can't always do this when she's tired. I think the hardest thing for Dot to do on her own is poop. The way dogs typically squat takes a completely different set of muscles and hers aren't strong enough yet.

I read some instruction manuals for old audio gear in the studio this afternoon. I do this several times a month now for different types of equipment. There is so much I have already forgotten and I am determined not to forget it all. Most of my gear is obsolete now, but it certainly got the job done back in the day. I used to use this gear all the time, but now it mostly collects dust. I don't have many production jobs these days anyway and when I do get one, I don't need a rack full of equipment. I just use Pro Tools or Final Cut Pro. I like all this old equipment though. I really wish the world hadn't changed. There's an old multi-track recorder sitting in a corner that still has a mix-tape loaded in it. The tape is dated 1986. Jeez, that's 29 years ago.

I'm curious what the vet will say when she sees Dot tomorrow. I think she's made a lot of progress since her last physical therapy session. I'm waiting for the day when the vet says it's perfectly safe to leave Dot alone in the house again. A month ago I though that this might never happen, but I think Dot has other ideas.

Haley is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1932

Today was so much different than yesterday. Days like this serve to remind me that everything does get sorted out eventually. Despite yesterday's dubious start, the yard looks great. The huge piles of dead Winter leaves have been removed. A new St. Augustine turf has been installed. Patchy areas in the ground cover have been filled in. Even the dog poop seems to be gone. It's too bad we have to do this almost every year, but it's nice while it lasts.

There was no need for drugs today. I don't think the dogs even heard the landscapers. The crew didn't arrive until Dot and Dash had gone back to sleep after breakfast and since there were no loud leaf blowers to wake them, they continued to sleep for the rest of the morning. By the time their internal clocks informed Dot and Dash that it was lunchtime, the landscapers had finished and gone.

The FedEx guy arrived right on time, so I didn't have to waste half the day waiting to sign for the packages. Even work went smoothly. I finished two more new articles and shipped them off to the client before deciding to call it a day. If it weren't for the fact that I still have to hold on to the rear handle of the Help 'Em Up Harness whenever Dot goes somewhere, today seemed absolutely normal.

Dot continues to get stronger on her short walks down our street each morning. We walk her about 50 feet further each day, watching carefully to make sure she isn't getting too tired or dragging her feet. These short walks have really improved Dot's spirits. I think she sees the light at the end of the tunnel now. She may never be able to navigate slippery surfaces again, but at least she can walk. I don't think even Dot's surgeon thought she would do this well.

I still like my Keurig coffee maker. I even ordered some more coffee pods today. It's nice being able to have one variety of coffee for my first cup in the morning, and they try a completely different variety for my second cup. There needs to be more inventions like this. I get all the enjoyment of drinking good coffee with none of the preparation or cleanup. What I need now is a machine that I can put in a pod to fix breakfast or dinner in two minutes. You can kind of do this using a microwave, but microwave meals are terrible. I'm looking for gourmet food in a pod.

Until that day arrives, I can still fix omelets. Omelets are easy. Cast iron skillets are a snap to clean if they are well seasoned. This simple breakfast is also a great way to use up leftovers in the refrigerator. Just dump them in the omelet and you've got a whole new meal. This sounds so good, I think I'll have an omelet tomorrow.

It would be nice if tomorrow went as smoothly as today. Every day is different though. Something as small as a cat in the back yard, or a spider in the shower can change everything.

Smiley is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1931

Nothing was in sync today. The landscapers were supposed to come out early this morning to fix up the back yard. They didn't arrive until 4:30 PM. Janet was worried that having strangers in the yard all day would aggravate Dot, so I agreed to give her a doggie Xanax before they came. This was a big mistake, because the drug had worn off completely by the time the landscape crew actually arrived. To make matters worse, the Xanax didn't seem to calm Dot at all. She and Dash got in a barking match and wouldn't shut up until I fed them part of their dinner around 2:30 PM. Dot was more agitated than usual for most of the day. All the drug seemed to do was make Dot's legs weak again. Everything is more or less back to normal now, but I won't be using Xanax again.

The landscapers must have been trying to cram two jobs into a single day, because when they finally did arrive, they stayed until well after dark. It was almost impossible to take the dogs out to pee and Dot ended up pooping in the kitchen because she couldn't wait any longer. I hope the yard looks amazing tomorrow, because right now the whole effort hardly seems worth it.

Tomorrow will be weird as well. The landscapers are returning in the morning to put in some new St. Augustine turf and I've got to wait for a signature required Fedex delivery as well. I usually just redirect FedEx and UPS packages to the nearest service center these days, but since this is FedEx Ground instead of regular overnight Fedex, the service center is almost an hour away. I can't really leave anyway, so I'll just have to wait and wait while the dogs are barking at the landscapers in the back yard. Maybe I ought to take Dot's Xanax instead. If the FedEx guy takes my package to the neighbor's house, I'm going to need something stronger than Xanax.

Waiting for the yard guys today made me realize that I've almost totally lost my ability to roll with the punches. I'm still able to put in an enormous about of effort when required, but I expect things to go right. It irritates me when people are late or a store isn't stocked with what I drove halfway across town to buy. I want everything to be consistent and predictable and it seldom is. I wish that I knew years in advance when appliances were going to break or clients were going to send me work. Disruptive events like landscaping should always begin and end on time. Maybe this is why I like dogs so much. Dogs are extremely predictable. Just don't try to surprise me. It usually doesn't end well.

Predictably, I'll get up early tomorrow and walk Dash before Janet goes to work. I'll have cereal for breakfast because I don't want the milk in the refrigerator to go bad. I can have eggs later when the milk is gone. Since I'm done with my taxes and caught up on work, I'm not sure what I'll spend the day doing. Hopefully, the landscapers can finish their remaining work quickly, because I don't want to spend tomorrow doing what I did today. Oddly, I would welcome rain tomorrow. The roof is fixed, and if it rains, I won't have to water the new grass.

Sparky is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1930

You can certainly get a lot more done when the weather is nice, the dogs are behaving, and you've had a good night's sleep. I had a feeling that today would go well when I walked Dash this morning with clear blue skies overhead and dry ground under my feet. Dot gets a walk now as well. She only goes a very short way down our street, but it makes her a lot happier. It seemed fitting on a day like this that we celebrated with bacon for breakfast.

The front yard looks much better now after I finally mowed it this morning. I had to mow the yard twice, once at a high setting and again at a lower setting. The Spring weeds had already grown too tall for the mower to handle the job in a single pass. I like the convenience of electric mowers, but they sure aren't as powerful as my old gas powered Yazoo.

I was able to wash the car while the dogs were sleeping this afternoon. I'm still not sure about leaving Dot alone, but I could easily hear her bark while I was cleaning the car on the carport, so this didn't worry me. Dot and Dash not only slept through this chore, they slept through all the Sunday chores. I was able to do a load of laundry, write another article, clean up dog poop in the yard, and look for new wasp nests under the eaves before they eventually woke up and wanted to be fed.

When I woke up this morning, I was surprised to notice a big ugly bruise on my left hand. I don't remember dropping anything on my hand or bumping into a wall yesterday, so the whole thing is a mystery. You see these kind of bruises on old people a lot. I'm sure they bump into things all the time and don't remember it later. I hope I haven't got to that point yet.

I didn't bother going to the gym today. Mowing the yard twice was all the workout I needed. Dash was enjoying the nice weather this morning so we took a longer walk this morning too. Somehow, I don't think I'll ever be able to incorporate going to the gym into my regular routine. I'll go when I'm feeling fat, or weak, or tired, but I'll never become a gym rat. Some people, including Janet, love this type of activity, but I can usually think of other things I'd rather be doing.

I'm coming to the realization that we're never going to be able to get rid of the ugly rugs. We had lots of rugs on the floor when Spot got older and the rugs stayed with us for the rest of Spot's life. In retrospect, we should have kept Spots collection of rugs, but I didn't have a storage warehouse back then. Dot has been healthy and active for so long that somehow I didn't think she'd ever get old until she was diagnosed with cancer last year. Seeing her joy at taking short walks down the street again makes me realize that you're only as old as you think you are. Despite everything that has happened to her during the past twelve months, Dot doesn't think she's old. In her mind, she's still a young dog. That's probably why she's still with us today.

Elliott is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1929

I woke up early this morning and couldn't get back to sleep. So much for sleeping in on Saturday. There was little point in sleeping in anyway, since I had a ton of errands to run in the morning before Janet had to leave to run her own ton of errands in the afternoon. Dash had to go to the vet this morning for a minor checkup. Sometimes I feel like he is getting shortchanged since we are spending so much time caring for Dot. I do what I can though. Dash got a nice long walk this morning before I had to take Dot's special hammock out of the car so I could put the seats back down and make a flat area in the back for Dash to ride. Transporting the dogs was easier with the Defender, since there were only two seats anyway and the back was always flat. Now, the car is back the way it used to be, but I will have to reinstall the hammock before Dot's next physical therapy session. It's a good thing Dash is fairly healthy now.

With Dash's vet visit completed, I went to the bank, mailed some letters, got gas for the car, and did my grocery shopping. Since it was a nice day, I had planned to wash the car and mow the grass, but I ran out of time. Janet had her own errands to run, so after lunch, I took over watching Dot and spent the rest of the day around the house. Oh, well. I didn't really want to mow the grass anyway.

There was still plenty to do inside. I spend quite a while adding 30 new dogs and cats to an animal rescue website and when I was finished with that, I wrote another article. There's still one more article to write before I get caught up again, so maybe I'll do that one tomorrow. I could have vacuumed all the messy rugs that are scattered around the house to keep Dot from slipping, but the dogs were both sleeping peacefully and the noise of the vacuum cleaner would have started a whole new round of barking. When I'm alone with the dogs, I keep the house very quiet. No TV. No radio. And no music. Dot is still supposed to be getting a lot of bed rest and Dash sleeps on the bed when everything is quiet anyway, so this enforced solitude works pretty well as long as I have work to do on the computer.

Dot celebrated another small milestone today. She has been eager for a walk for quite some time, so we finally decided to take her on a short walk halfway up our street and back. Dot was so happy to get out of the yard. Neighbors must have wondered what we were doing, because Dot had a leash on both the front and the back. The front leash guided her forward and the rear leash, attached to her harness, was there to prevent her from slipping. It was a bit difficult to keep Dot walking slow, but she actually did quite well. She made the entire short journey using her own legs. I didn't have to hold her up at all. There were a couple of times when I could sense she was starting to slip, but for the most part, her feet moved naturally and normally. Considering how paralyzed Dot's legs were when we started this journey, I continue to be amazed at her progress. I'm not sure that we'll ever be able to let Dot walk off leash again, since there are so many temptations in our neighborhood for naturally active Dalmatians. All Dot has to do is slip or fall the wrong way while she was chasing after a cat and she could instantly undo months of hard work.

It looks like the lawn mower battery survived the Winter. Amazingly, it recharged properly this morning, so I'm all set to mow again whenever I can't think of anything better to do. Mowing the yard seems to get harder and harder with each passing year. If I mow the grass tomorrow, I probably won't even think about going to the gym.

Doc is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1928

I was a model of efficiency today. I got up at 6 AM and walked Dash in the dark. Less than an hour later, I was eating breakfast at my favorite restaurant. By the time Janet left for work, I had already returned home, switched on the computer and was ready to start the day. It's too bad that I'm not a morning person. It's actually quite pretty walking the dogs just before Dawn. I could still see the stars when Dash and I left the house this morning. As the sky slowly brightened, the birds began to sing. By the time  we returned home, the Eastern horizon had an orange glow and the day had commenced. As pretty as this celestial progression was, I'd still rather sleep in.

I had lots of work to do today and the dogs were surprisingly cooperative. They both slept soundly for most of the morning, allowing me to write two new articles and update five websites. Dot didn't even wake up when the roofers arrived around 10:30 AM. I was sure that all the banging around on the roof would startle Dot and start a frenzy of barking, but she slept through the entire repair job. Dot is slowly going deaf and occasionally that's a blessing. I doubt highly that the roof is as good as new, but the roofers were quite nice and took care of everything I pointed out to them. With any luck, the roof is good to go for at least another year, when we'll probably have to patch and repair all over again.

I'm amazed at how well Dot is walking now. Several times a day, I take her out in the back yard with a leash tied to the rear handle of her harness. This way she can walk on her own, while I still have a way to protect her from falling if she slips. Each day Dot's sense of balance and her ability to hold up her own weight improves a little more. We walked around in the yard for almost ten minutes this afternoon and Dot never faltered or slipped. My main job now is to keep her from doing something stupid. She would still run after the neighborhood cats if she could and she hasn't quite learned that the only way to stay stable is to walk on the carpets and stay away from slick surfaces. We're getting there though, one step at a time.

I've already got a long list of things to do tomorrow. There are checks that never made it to the bank, bills that never got paid, and prescriptions that need to be refilled. The grocery list is pretty long as well. The only thing I don't seem to need is gasoline. I don't spend very much time at the pump anymore, since I don't go anywhere. I think I only spent $9 on gas last week.

This would probably be a good weekend to see if the lawn mower works. If I wait much longer to mow the front lawn, the grass will be too tall for the mower to handle. I think all the vegetation has come to the conclusion that Spring is here. Lawns are green again and flowering trees like redbuds and dogwoods are in bloom. The wildflowers are still a long way from reaching their peak, but I see a new variety start to come into bloom almost every day. The only bad thing about Spring is that the wasps and roaches return. It's almost time for the snakes to return as well. Before I get too euphoric about Spring, I need to remember that this is when my seasonal allergies start to flare up as well.

Now that I have the car configured perfectly for Dot, I just realized that I will have to take everything apart again whenever I need to transport Dash. Dash won't let me pick him up and place him in the car. He flays about in a panic whenever I try, so I just let him jump in by himself through the tailgate when we need to go somewhere. I'm not sure where he's going to ride now.

Despite all the difficulties, this month has gone pretty fast. Problems get solved and new problems arise to replace them. I guess this is what life is all about. Sometimes I think it's all a weird game of Whack-a-mole.

Chloe is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1927

Dot did great at her first physical therapy session. She was able to walk for almost nine minutes in the underwater treadmill before she got tired, and the vet thought that was excellent. Her acupuncture treatment relaxed her and she seemed happy to be back to her old routine. It's too bad she couldn't have had acupuncture before we went to the vet. The trip downtown in the car was the the only difficult part of the entire afternoon. Although I thought I had prepared a nice, secure place for her, Dot still managed to get stuck in an awkward position twice during our journey and I had to stop the car and get out so I could reposition her. If she would just lie down and rest, she would be fine, but she always wants to look out the windows. Inevitably, if she's looking out the window on the left, something catches her eye on the right and she tries to move to get a better view. Since the space I prepared for her is small, an attempt to move to the opposite side of the car sometimes results in getting stuck. When Dot gets stuck she starts to whine and I think she might be hurt. I stop the car, reposition her, tell her to lie down, and off we go again. It was a long journey. I'll need to think of a better solution before we return for therapy next week.

As you can see, we've been getting started on our morning walks very early. It's dark when we begin, but the sun is usually starting to come up by the time we return. After a good walk, Dash is much calmer for the rest of the day, so the further we go the better as far as I'm concerned. Both dogs were pretty good today. I was able to get up on the roof while they were sleeping and remove the standing water for the second time this week. The roofers didn't come today, but the roof will be ready when they do get around to fixing things.

Maybe some of my clients are still reading the blog, because I've suddenly got plenty of work for tomorrow. There are four new articles to write and an equal number of websites that need updates. I won't be able to get all this work done in one day, but it's nice to have plenty to do again. Work does help the day go faster. The other thing that helps the day go faster is a really long breakfast, so I've started making omelets again. I made a nice ham and cheddar cheese omelet this morning and the dogs were quiet during my entire meal because they knew they were going to get to lick the plate afterwards.

I'm pleased that the vet thinks Dot is making good progress. She didn't provide me with any shortcuts though. Getting Dot walking again is going to be a long, slow process. I was somewhat relieved to learn that Xanax isn't really a good solution for leaving Dot alone. The drug relieves anxiety, but it is not a sedative. Dot could still fall taking Xanax just as easily as she could without it. I did learn some exercises I can do with Dot to help strengthen the muscles she uses to sit with, but it looks like I'm going to be housebound for a while longer.

I'm going to walk Dash even earlier tomorrow morning, so I'll still have time to go out for breakfast before Janet needs to leave for work. This worked well last week, and if Dash will cooperate, there no reason why it shouldn't work again. It's going to be a busy day, but I still hope the roofers will be able to make it out tomorrow. The damaged area appears to be growing and I definitely don't want another roof leak. I've got enough problems.

Bubba is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1926

I hope the vet has some suggestions for me when we go to our physical therapy session tomorrow. Dot can stand up on her own now. She can even walk somewhat awkwardly on her own if she's on carpet. She can't sit down on her own though. Her leg muscles aren't strong enough and she just crumples. Unless she is sleeping, I still need to be nearby, so I can grab the harness if she starts to fall. There have been no accidents, but I'm afraid that if she twisted her leg when she was trying to sit, she could hurt something. I'm kind of trapped, because I don't feel comfortable leaving her alone, even when she is contained in the small pen.

I've been told to just give Dot a doggie Xanax if I have to leave the house, but I'm not comfortable with that either. I really don't like mood altering drugs of any kind and I know that Xanax can have some bad side effects in people. I guess I'm trapped in the house until Dot gets a lot stronger.

If I were busier, the housebound hours would go a lot quicker. I've spent an enormous amount of time over the years just sitting here at the computer anyway. This shouldn't be a big deal. Unfortunately, work has slowed down for some inexplicable reason and there's not much to do. There's nothing worth watching on TV. I can't relax enough to read a book. And most of the household chores are loathsome tasks like fixing a leaky shower pan or getting rid of wasp nests. This is when I need a nice long writing job.

I'm crossing my fingers and hoping that the roofers get here before the rain does. They said they'd come out tomorrow, but I hear it might rain tonight. I don't know why they couldn't have come earlier? The weather has been nice all week. This could change pretty quickly though. I hear that tornadoes have already touched down in Tulsa, Oklahoma and Northwest Arkansas this evening. I hope this bad weather stays North of us tonight.

We were out of milk and cereal this morning, so I fixed myself an omelet using leftover pesto, mac and cheese, black beans, and eggs. It was surprisingly good and got rid of some leftovers that were on the verge of going bad. I'd cook more often if I didn't have to clean up the kitchen afterwards. When it takes longer to clean up than to fix the meal in the first place, it's hardly worth the effort.

Tomorrow should be an adventure. It will be my first attempt to transport Dot in the car by myself. The hammock I've installed in the back seat looks very secure, so I think things will go smoothly. I hope the water therapy will go smoothly as well. Since Dot's legs are weak, they will fill the tank with more water than usual to provide extra buoyancy. I don't know how Dot is going to react if she starts to float though. I hope this works, because Dot really needs to be using her legs more.

I'm disappointed that the BBC fired Jeremy Clarkson. I'm sure he had a good reason to get in a fight with that producer. I've known quite a few producers who were jerks. Jeez, Top Gear was of the few TV shows that I actually enjoyed watching. It won't be the same without Jeremy. After hearing that the German plane crashed in the Alps because one of the pilots got locked out of the cockpit, I'm going to be nervous every time I see a pilot walking down the aisle to go to the bathroom. You would think they'd give the pilots keys to these cockpit security doors. Not to worry though. I only fly about once every three years.

Petey is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1925

I love my new Keurig coffee maker. I don't know why I didn't get one of these things earlier. It's quick. It's easy. The coffee tastes good. And there's no cleanup whatsoever. This machine, with it's touch screen menu and ability to brew almost anything is the iPhone of coffee makers. I'm not usually impressed by kitchen appliances, but this one is a keeper. One of the first things I noticed about this 2.0 version was that it will only accept it's own brand of K-cups. I didn't think this restriction would go over very well with people and a quick Google search confirmed my initial suspicions.

Even though this version of the coffee maker is fairly new, there were already 100's of hacks that would let you use old style K-cups and those reusable containers that allow you use your own ground beans with the system. Since the only reason I bought the machine in the first place was to avoid grinding beans and cleaning up the mess later, it baffles me why people would go to so much trouble to convert their machine into an old style drip coffee maker. I guess it is human nature when someone tell you you can't do something to try and do it anyway. I'm not going to try any of these hacks. I'm not going to jailbreak my iPhone either. Why bother. It seems a wasted effort to fix something that works already.

I forgot to give Janet the folder with my tax information to take to the accountant on her way to work this morning. As luck would have it, she forgot her phone and came home to retrieve it, so I was able to give her the tax folder anyway. It takes a lot of coordination to get things done when you can't leave the house. It doesn't help that we are both becoming more forgetful too. Lord help us ten or fifteen years from now. Dot is forgetful too. Half the time when I take her out to pee, she forgets why she's outside and just comes in again. As soon as I sit down to do something, she remembers that she needs to pee and we repeat the whole process.

Since work was slow today, I tried to get some other stuff done. I made arrangements with the roofer to come over and repair the roof. When I got off the phone, I noticed that the day the work was scheduled to be done, it was supposed to rain. Sounds about right. I also contacted the landscaper and made arrangements to replace the dead grass in the backyard. Keeping the back yard looking nice is an exercise in futility. We've put in new sod every single Spring for the last five years. It looks nice until about August and then it dies. I water the grass, treat the ground for grubs, and apply fertilizer, but there just isn't enough light. In the Summer, the tree canopy overhead blocks almost all the direct sunlight and the tree roots suck up all the water. The grass doesn't stand a chance.

Dot continues to get stronger. I provide very little assistance when I use the harness now. I'm trying to encourage her to support her own weight again. When her legs are placed correctly, she does great, but it is still easy to slip. Dot must be getting more feedback from the nerves in her legs now, because she can balance her weight much better. She'll automatically shift her legs and re-balance when she is starting to slip. I have a feeling that the ugly rugs are going to remain in the house for a long time, but we're definitely making progress.

This housebound existence is a weird way to live, but hopefully in another month or so Dot will be able to move around on her own. Dot just needs to get better before I go crazy.

Chelsey is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1924

I got quite a bit done today. My taxes are finally ready to go to the accountant. I finished writing two more articles and sent them off to the client. I made an appointment to resume Dot's physical therapy later this week. And I contacted the roofer and told him about the problems I've been having with the peeling elastomer. Considering that today is Monday, this was pretty good.

A small piece broke off the grinder component of my new single serve machine when I was making coffee this morning. This was actually a good thing, because it gave me an opportunity to take this worthless thing back to the store and exchange it for something else. I boxed up the coffee maker and as soon as Janet came home to watch Dot, I took it back to the store and got a Keurig instead. All I want is a nice cup of coffee in the morning without having to spend half an hour cleaning the machine. Who knows if the K-cup pods will be as tasty as the beans I'm currently grinding, but the whole process will certainly be easier. I don't think you have to clean these K-cup coffee makers at all.

Dot continues to get stronger with each passing day.  Today I attached an extension to her Help 'Em Up Harness that lets her support her own weight and just serves as a fail-safe device to keep her from falling if she starts to slip. I was pleased to see that Dot can walk without me holding up her rear legs. On the other hand, I was a bit alarmed to see how awkwardly she walked when I wasn't supporting her. Dot is definitely not ready to walk completely unassisted yet. I'm in no hurry. We'll just continue taking things one step at a time. The stronger she gets, the better she'll be able to walk.

It would be nice if the roofers could come out tomorrow. I'm not going to hold my breath though. They probably won't show up until it starts to rain again. Since there is currently no rain in the forecast for the rest of the week, this would be an excellent time to get things repaired. The roof may be dry now, but it's going to take a lot longer before the park dries out. Dash's favorite routes seem to always traverse the soggiest and muddiest areas. I let hm walk wherever he wants though. He's been really good about dealing with all the extra attention I've been giving Dot, and I don't want to rock the boat. Peaceful, happy dogs make life a lot easier.

It's proving to be quite difficult to keep the house clean with a muddy yard and throw rugs all over the place. The vacuum cleaner doesn't deal with the little rugs very well and keeps trying to suck them up. It may be time for a new vacuum cleaner. For now, the house it just getting dirtier by the day. Dot has always been scared of the vacuum cleaner anyway and I don't have the heart to use it while she's trapped in her pen and unable to move. There are so many elements to this rehabilitation effort that catch me by surprise. I'm getting better at finding the dog poop but there's always something new to deal with. Since it's getting warmer, the wasps have returned and I can no longer just leave the back door open while I take Dot in and out to pee with the harness. The wasps are already starting to build nests under the eaves and if I leave the door open very long, they are sure to fly inside. The only good thing about Winter is that the bugs disappear for a while. Now, they're back again.

Ariel is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1923

None of my roof patches worked. They dried completely and looked like they should have worked, but for some unknown reason the patch didn't adhere to the roof itself. When I went to clean the rainwater off the roof this morning, I discovered that some of my patches were actually floating on top of the water. The rain had loosened them like they were a decal and I could lift each patch by a corner and peel it away, completely intact. I didn't have a patch at all. Just a perfect little one foot square of flexible vinyl. I hung a couple of these detached patches out to dry on a nearby tree limb so I could show the roofer later, and threw the rest away. All my efforts were worthless.

Later, I installed the special dog hammock Janet bought in my car and initially though it was worthless as well. On closer inspection, I realized I had installed the hammock upside down, so I started over again. When I was finished, we all got in the car and made a test run to the post office and back. Dot appeared comfortable and secure. It appears that this is going to work. The special sling that hangs between the front and rear seats is kind of ugly, but now the car matches the rest of the house. Hey, it's all for a good cause. I contacted Dot's vet and told her about this new development and she agreed that Dot is ready to resume her physical therapy again. Hopefully, by this time next week, Dot will be walking in the underwater treadmill again.

I'm really disappointed with my new coffeemaker. I did my research on Google and still managed to come up with something worthless. I think I'm going to scrap the whole thing and try something else. When I was getting groceries this afternoon, I looked at some of those K-cup single serve coffeemakers. I hadn't initially considered them before, because I thought that the cost of coffee pods would be prohibitive, especially since I drink so much coffee. I had forgotten that the beans I use now are pretty expensive as well. When I did the math, I realized that the monthly cost would be about the same. Maybe I'll go get one of those Keurig machines next week sometime. I'm really tired of cleaning up coffee grounds and grinding new beans every time I want a cup of coffee. I should have thought this through a little better.

I've almost got my tax materials ready to go to the accountant. The big stack of papers means almost nothing to me. I have no idea anymore whether I owe money at the end of the year or will be getting money back. It's always a surprise. I wouldn't mind paying taxes so much if I had any faith that the government was using the money wisely. I'm firmly convinced that 90 cents of every dollar I send the government is wasted. They certainly aren't using the money to fill potholes. The streets around our house are absolutely atrocious this year after all the rain we've gotten.

I hope next week will be peaceful and quiet. I've already got some new articles to write. There should be more website revisions by Tuesday as well. I'll call the roofers in the morning and see if I can get them to come out before the next round of rain. I don't think this new roof is even three years old yet. I shouldn't be having any problems at this stage of the game.

Brooke is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day