Day 2273

I'm not sure that going to the gym made much of a difference. You can't get in shape with once a month workouts. Today's visit was more of a symbolic gesture. Maybe it was my way of saying "don't count me out yet." I did all my routines faithfully, elevated my heart rate, and worked up a sweat, but I'm still going to have to do this three times a week to make any real difference.

All I could think about today was the weather forecast. There are supposed to be thunderstorms every day next week. I really hope this isn't true. The combination of rain on the roof, mud in the yard, and dealing with a storm phobic crippled dog will test my sanity. It takes forever to get Dot to pee in the yard on a good day. In stormy weather, it's hopeless.

It's getting warm enough to call the landscapers to come back and replace the grass, ground cover, and bedding plants that died during the winter. We do this every year. Apparently neither Janet or I have anything remotely resembling a green thumb. This year, the yard looks even worse than usual because months of walking behind Dot and holding up her rear legs while she smells things and looks for a place to pee has killed a a significant percentage of the Asian Jasmine and Liriope. This happened once before when an earlier Dalmatian grew old and required assistance. It took at least three years for the ground cover to recover and start looking decent again. Apparently, dogs, cats, possums, and raccoons can walk through ground cover with impunity, but when people start tramping through the stuff, it dies.

I always listen to Ted Talks on the radio while I'm driving to and from the gym. The Ted Radio Hour on Sunday afternoon is probably the best thing on PBS. Today's subject was laughter and after listening for about five minutes, I turned the show off. I just couldn't relate to it. This is probably not a good sign. I can't recall that I've ever turned off a Ted Talk before. If the subject was sadness, the vastness of the universe, or preparing for the day the robots take over, I probably would have been fascinated.

The house smelled good today. Janet was preparing pulled pork in the slow cooker and the pork roast she was cooking gave the house the aroma of a nice barbecue joint. Pork has always been my favorite meat, but I am very conflicted about it now. I love bacon, ribs, and center cut pork chops, but every time I see a picture of a cute little pig on Facebook, I feel vaguely guilty. Damn you Facebook. All you do is destroy my faith in humanity with an endless stream of mindless memes, political rants, and cute pictures of piglets.

After I took that one watch to the watch repairman last week, I've been noticing that many other watches are running slow, are hard to wind, or have simply stopped running. What was I thinking when I thought it would be fun to collect watches? If I'd given the matter any thought at all, I would have realized that my compulsion to repair things and the inevitable nature of mechanical things to break would soon be at odds with each other. It has become impossible to keep all these old watches running, and even if I had the time and money to keep fixing them, it would just be another quixotic gesture.

I vacuumed and cleaned the house today, so this virtually guarantees that Dot will poop in the house tonight. I've tried again and again to get her to do her business outside this afternoon, but she isn't ready yet. Such is life.

Anne is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2272

I think I'm going to have to call the plumber again. In one end of the house the kitchen sink drains slowly. In the other end of the house, the shower drains equally slowly. This probably means that the entire waste water line needs to be snaked out. I'm always nervous about doing this because the cast iron pipes are fifty years old and the rotating snake that is used to clear debris can also damage the pipes. After our last plumbing disaster, I don't want any more plumbing problems under the slab.

I guess I'm tired of problems in general. I'm forgetting things that I always used to remember. My business is slowing down. The house is falling apart. The dogs have become very high maintenance companions. My own body no longer cooperates with me. It's tiring. I go to bed tired and I wake up tired the next morning. The golden years are a myth. Maybe the notion of a comfortable, carefree retirement has always been a myth for most people. My parents certainly didn't have an easy time of things as they got older.

I certainly don't expect a politician to fix things. When I listen to all the promises from the current crop of candidates, they just sound pathetic. Don't these folks realize that the country has essentially become ungovernable? We have allowed ourselves to become so polarized and divided that we are just a bunch of tribes pretending to be a unified country. People's loyalties are to their tribe these days, not to the country as a whole. I'm not sure this can be fixed. Whoever wins the upcoming election will face a large and vocal group of people on the other side trying to block everything they do. My tribe will probably end up just being the other old people. I'll vote for anyone who promises to strengthen Medicare and Social Security and cut my taxes to zero. Lofty speeches about making the country better for our children will go in one ear and out the other because I don't have any children. I'm sure young people with children will think differently.

Dot had a few accidents in the house today. These accidents have become so frequent that cleaning up poop has become just like dusting or vacuuming. I can't even remember any more whether we're having an accident free day or not. It just seems like the washing machine is going constantly. I guess it's a good thing that I'm getting more efficient at cleaning Dot up and changing the rugs and bedding. Dot can't help her incontinence, so there's no point in getting upset about it. 

All in all, it was just a normal Saturday. The dogs got taken care of. I went out and got some groceries. I did a little cleaning and wasted too much time looking at Facebook. I was mildly interested in tonight's election results, but only mildly. Tomorrow, I'll probably go to the gym. I've run out of excuses for avoiding the place.

Rory is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2271

My breakfast restaurant seems different now. The food is still good, but something has changed. Maybe it's just that the coffee is served in paper cups now. The old baristas who jumped ship and moved across the street used real coffee cups. The music has changed too. The place used to play Austin indie rock. Now I hear 70's anthems by Journey and Foreigner. I'm a loyal person, but maybe I'll have to try out the new place across the street as well.

I might not be being fair to the restaurant though. For the past month or so, I just haven't been that interested in food. I initially thought this was because of the flu, but I'm better now and I'm still not very hungry. I typically go to the grocery store to pick up food for the weekend after breakfast and today I found myself just wandering aimlessly from aisle to aisle. Nothing seemed appealing.

Actually, the entire day was kind of aimless. I tried to glue a variety of broken things back together and then I took a watch to the watch repairman to get fixed. There was no real need to do this, since I still wear the Apple Watch all the time. Nevertheless, it seemed like a productive thing to do. I hadn't seen this watch repairman in almost two years and was a bit surprised to see that prices had doubled. Oh, well. I guess you've got to do what you've got to do to stay in business. The last time we talked, we both agreed that our respective businesses were going downhill. Today, when we were catching up on things, we both agreed that things had gotten even worse. Maybe fixing my watch will keep the guy in business a while longer.

Dot seemed stronger today. She slept well and was much more energetic and engaged on her walk this morning. I initially would have thought that she'd feel bad right after taking the Palladia pills. This doesn't seem to be the case. It almost seems like she's at her worst two days after she's taken the chemotherapy pills. I could just be imagining things though. I like to have an exact, very predictable reason for everything and sometimes there isn't one. I might just have to live with the reality that Dot has good days and bad days.

I saw my first wild iris of the season today. I've been taking pictures of plants and animals in the park for so long now, that seasonal changes have become very predictable. I could almost tell you to the day when certain flowers will bloom. I find this predictability comforting. I keep thinking that if I were just more observant, I could predict everything. That's not going to happen though. Real life is pretty random.

I can't decide whether the political events that are currently unfolding are random or completely predictable. It seems implausible that a 74 year old socialist is a serious candidate for president. It seems ironic that Bernie could actually win if he just realized that he was in a win or lose contest with a woman who wants to win at all costs. If Bernie was as passionate about pointing out Hillary's rather obvious flaws as he is about the evils of the big banks, Hillary wouldn't have a chance. It seems equally implausible that the Republicans are spending all their energy trying to destroy the own front runner. The ironic thing is that if the Republicans had super delegates like the Democrats do, they wouldn't even have to worry about Donald Trump. Oh, it's ironic too that Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump share pretty much the same views on trade deals that destroy jobs and opportunistic foreign wars. No wonder that the establishment hates both of these guys. My only prediction is that whoever wins won't be able to fix anything.

I really need to go to the gym this weekend. No predictions on whether I actually will.

Orion is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2270

Dot seemed tired today. I wish I knew how the Palladia worked. The pills seem to be gradually taking a toll on her, but her decline could be just as easily caused by something else. Maybe the pills aren't working as promised and her weakness is really caused by the cancer's growth. Maybe all this has nothing to do with the cancer at all and I'm just witnessing the inevitable decline associated with old age. Something is happening, but it's almost impossible to know where to place the blame. Dot's blood chemistry and vital signs are remarkably good for a very old dog. Her appetite is excellent and she appears happy. She does have cancer though and the tumor is growing. I gave Dot her Palladia pills today. It's going to be hard to continue the chemotherapy through the trial period, but I know this is the best thing to do. I hate to see Dot get weaker, but if the pills stop the cancer's growth I think Dot would agree that it's a fair trade off. The important thing is that she is still happy and genuinely seems more eager to start each day than I am.

Today was slow. We don't see the stars as much on our morning walks because the days are getting longer. I did very briefly notice Venus very low on the Eastern horizon and Jupiter equally low on the Western horizon. This shows me how long we've been on this journey. When we started these morning exercise walks, both planets were very close together. It has been over a year since Dot's spinal surgery. I remember thinking last February that if the surgery gave Dot one more year it would be worth it. A year later, we're still here. The seasons slowly change and Dot and I are both getting older. Maybe we've got another year. Who knows. I think the only way to deal with these things is to take things one day at a time.

I think I've dealt with Dot's decline pretty well, but I wonder sometimes how well I'll deal with my own decline. There's this old man I see occasionally on our morning walks. I see him in the distance, pushing his walker inch by inch, taking impossible slow steps to reach his morning paper. When we moved to the neighborhood, he was in great shape and I would often see him working on his house. Time passes so quickly. I hate to think of myself pushing a walker to reach the morning paper. Well, that's not going to happen. I don't even read the paper anymore.

I do watch the news and was surprised to learn that oil executive Aubrey McClendon was killed in a car crash that some say was a suicide. I remember interviewing this guy about ten years ago when I did a documentary on the shale oil boom in Texas. Aubrey seemed to have it all. I remember being very impressed. Later his company failed and the board of directors removed him as president. I think he was under indictment for fraud as well. It's weird how things can change so dramatically. When I made the documentary I never would have dreamed that the price of oil would drop to twenty dollars a barrel and that Aubrey's high flying company would end up in ruins.

This cautionary tale reminds me that we live in a very strange world. I find myself repelled and strangely fascinated by the current political landscape. On one side, you've got a candidate who is on the verge of being indited for compromising national secrets. And on the other side, you've got a candidate that has been endorsed by both David Duke and Louis Farrakhan. You can't make this stuff up. If you're looking for a sign of the apocalypse, just keep watching your TV. I don't know what will happen, but I think I have been vindicated for preferring dogs over people.

Maggie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2269

Well, lifting Dot in and out of the car definitely isn't good for a bad back. Yikes! Maybe this is how I messed up my back in the first place. I was literally begging Dot to work with me today, but she was just dead weight. I don't think she wanted to go to her physical therapy session in the first place. I'm not so sure about our new schedule. It is certainly easier to get Dot ready in the afternoon, but the traffic is much worse. As a result, my overall level of irritation is exactly the same. I guess I shouldn't be surprised. No matter what I do these days, my overall level of irritation is exactly the same.

Dot pooped in the car on the way to the vet, but at least she was feeling better today. I described Dot's symptoms to the vet the best I could, but didn't get must closer to figuring out what was going on. Something that only happens once a month is hard to pin down. Although Dot is still holding down her food and seems more or less back to normal, she still seemed a little tired today. There was no sense in pushing her too hard, so we shortened her time in the underwater treadmill and spent a little extra time with her acupuncture.

I wrote my new article this morning before we went to the vet. This gave me one more reason why Dot's old therapy schedule might have been better. It's always best to start writing when there is nothing on the back end of your day. I never know how long writing these articles will take and it's easier if I'm not interrupted. I guess I wasn't fast enough today, because I had to pick up where I left off when we returned. The article did get finished and the change of schedule wasn't really a big deal. It just illustrates how reluctant I have become to changing anything in my life.

It's time to start working on my tax returns again. I don't do my taxes myself anymore, but I still have to gather all the information together and take it over to my accountant. It's depressing that it costs just as much to do my taxes in a bad year as it does in a good year. I have a feeling that 2015 was a very bad year. The only saving grace was that I sold most of my oil and gas stocks at the end of the year. I thought I was just taking a tax loss at the time, but as it turned out, I was actually saving money. All these stocks continued to drop further in January and February. It was a good thing I got rid of them when I did. The market is just a crap shoot these days, but every once in a while you still get lucky.

I've got to figure out a better way to sleep. I usually sleep on my side, but my spine doesn't seem to like this. Ditto for sleeping on my stomach. The only position that seems comfortable is on my back and that keeps me awake longer. I was tempted to sleep on the floor with Dot last night, but that would just be an invitation to get pooped on. I've also noticed that the stretching exercises I do for my shoulder seem to aggravate my back pain as well. At least I'm over the flu. One of these mornings, I'll wake up, my spine will be back in place, and everything will be fine. I hope that morning is tomorrow.

Tucker is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2268

Dot got sick during the night and threw up. By morning, she'd thrown up three times, although it was mostly just bile and water. This happened about a month ago as well. The first time she threw up like this, I was convinced that she drank too much water while she was walking in the underwater treadmill. She hasn't been to water therapy this week though, so something else is going on. We didn't feed Dot any breakfast this morning, but by noon she seemed back to normal again. So far, she has held down her dinner and doesn't appear to be uncomfortable. We didn't give Dot her monthly heartworm pill today because I was afraid she'd throw it up. I'm sure waiting a few days until she's back to normal again won't hurt.

Somehow while I was lifting Dot up last night and changing her bedding I managed to throw my back out. I'm not sure what I did, but I've been in pain ever since. I've done this before and it's usually because I don't lift things properly using my knees. Jeez, my knees are in worse shape than my back. By the time I'd washed all the rugs and blankets that Dot had soiled and finished my morning smoothie, I was ready to go back to bed. My back still hurts, but hopefully if I can avoid lifting things and manage to get a good night's sleep, I'll feel better tomorrow.

When it looked like Dot was stable and wasn't going to throw up any more, I went to the bank and stopped on the way home to pick up another bottle of laundry detergent. The big bottles of Tide aren't lasting nearly as long as they used to with the washing machine in constant use. Today I washed four large blankets and two medium sized rugs. It never ends.

It was a long day. I shuffled around from room to room, trying not to aggravate whatever I'd done to my back. Strangely, the only time my back didn't hurt was when I took Dash on his evening walk. Sitting in a chair at the computer was the worst. My Aeron Chair is usually quite comfortable, but not today. Luckily, there wasn't that much to do. I had some minor website updates to make, but that was about it. There's a new article to write, but I don't need to start on that until tomorrow.

The road construction in the neighborhood is finished and everything is quiet again. All the construction equipment has disappeared and the road looks pretty much like it did before, except that there are no potholes anymore. I'm still surprised that it took over a month to fix this short stretch of road, but have to admit that the end result looks pretty nice.

Dot's physical therapy moves to a new day tomorrow. From now on out, we'll be doing our acupuncture and water therapy sessions on Wednesday afternoon instead of Thursday morning. I didn't suggest this change, but I welcome it. It should be easier to get Dot ready right after lunch rather than in the morning when she naturally likes to sleep. Hopefully, she'll sleep well tonight. We definitely don't need another night like last night.

Lucky is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2267

The last thing we need is an extra Monday. I know how leap year works mathematically, but still it seems weird to add an extra day to the year every four years. Personally, I wish all twelve months had 28 days. If each month was divided into four equal weeks, it might be easier for me to remember when to give Dot her pills. It might be easier to remember my own meds as well. It's all about remembering things these days.

I think a set a record for doing laundry today. Dot pooped while she was eating her dinner. Food was simultaneously going in one end and coming out the other. It didn't seem to bother Dot as all. Luckily, I was holding up her rear end with the Help 'Em Up Harness, so the mess wasn't that bad. About an hour after she ate, Dot went back to sleep on her blanket and threw up. I actually think she just burped after drinking too much water, but it was a mess just the same. Once again, it could have been much worse. She hadn't taken her expensive Palladia pills yet, so her chemotherapy wasn't wasted. I waited another hour before giving her the pills, and so far everything seems fine.

The road repairs in the neighborhood seem to reach some sort of crescendo today. There were lots of new people on the job and several pieces of heavy equipment I hadn't seen before. Maybe all the preparations are done and they are finally ready to pave the road. Whatever they were doing, it sure was noisy.  Dash and I avoided the road on our evening walk. If tar was involved in today's activities, Dash would inevitably get some on his paws. I've already had enough messes to clean up today. I certainly didn't want to have to remove road tar from a dog's paws.

There were more website updates to make today. Most companies have finally realized the futility of putting their employees on the company website, but animal rescue websites still change on a weekly basis. There are always new animals to add and others to remove as they become adopted. It is simply astounding how many homeless animals there are. I only work with a few rescue groups in a single city, but I must have created thousands of pages to bring attention to abandoned dogs and cats who were waiting for their forever homes.

I got an e-mail today telling me that a mutual acquaintance had died. We were about the same age. People my age seem to be dying with disturbing regularity now. I'm always glad when someone takes the time to let me know. I'm not a member of any tight knit group of friends, so a lot of people I've known over the years simply disappear. I hope someone will take the time to let people know when my time comes. Nobody wants to be forgotten.

I sure wish I could get more sleep. Everything from taking care of the dogs to writing this blog takes longer now. By the time I've finally caught up with everything, it's usually near midnight. This would be fine if I could sleep until 8 or 9 the next morning, but we always get up early. Last night I couldn't get the blog to syndicate properly and had forgotten to put the spare dog blankets in the dryer. There always needs to be a spare set ready to go in case there is an accident during the night. For some reason, I couldn't find the retainer I need to wear while I sleep either. There's always something. Did I turn the dishwasher on? Did I empty the dehumidifier? Did I remember to run a test print to keep the big printer from clogging? I'm sure I'll forget something tonight. I always do.

Holly is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2266

It was a normal Sunday. The dogs got a more leisurely walk than they do on weekdays. We had bacon and eggs with biscuits for breakfast, which is a weekend only treat. Janet went to the gym and I vacuumed the house. I updated another website while trying to decide what to do with the rest of my day. With the remnants of a stubbornly persistent cold, I really didn't feel like doing much.

I used to watch the Oscars religiously, but I haven't bothered for the past several years. Tonight I had no interest in the award show whatsoever. The only event I made an effort to watch was the Space X SES-9 launch, but the mission was aborted for the third time in less than a week due to a boat that had wandered into a restricted area downrange. It must be really expensive to scrub a launch just because a boat wandered off course.

When I was out in the yard this afternoon, I saw a squirrel that looked like it was wearing a collar. On closer examination, it appeared that the squirrel had stuck his head through some rope netting and gotten stuck. It had managed to chew itself free from the net, but still had a piece of the mesh stuck around his neck. I tried to think of how I could free the squirrel but came up with nothing. It certainly wasn't letting me get close enough to catch it. The only plan that made any sense was to set out a live trap and trap the squirrel so I could take it to a vet to remove the rope. Since there are dozens of squirrels in the yard along with assorted rats, possums, and racoons, it would be pure random chance if I managed to catch the right critter. I would probably end up trapping lots and lots of rats before a single squirrel entered the trap. I'll ask Dot's vet what to do if I ever see the squirrel again. It's probably miles away by now.

I hope the weather stays warm, because everything is already starting to bloom. The Redbud and Dogwood trees are in full bloom and I'm starting to see lots of Daffodils and even a few Wild Iris blooms. What typically happens in Texas is that all the flowers start to bloom and then there is one final hard freeze that kills everything. It is amazing how frequently we have a hard freeze sometime in March.

If I ever make it back to the gym, I'm going to have to start over. I've been feeling under the weather for so long now, that I just shuffle through the day, making as little effort as possible. Even the mild stretching exercises I do to keep my shoulder from freezing up, require more effort than I want to give. Sure, I actually did do some chores this weekend, but I pushed the Dyson very slowly and going up on the roof was a mistake. I'm still coughing a lot and still feel tired.

I inadvertently took my evening meds this morning. So, do I take my morning meds before I go to bed, or do I just skip a day?  These are the problems you have as you get older. I fell asleep after dinner, thinking that the Oscars were just about over. When I woke up again, the show was still going on. Some things never change, I guess. You could watch the entire Superbowl and still have time to catch up on several episodes of Dr. Who before Hollywood could finish handing out those gold statues. I don't have the patience to watch a show this long.

Connor is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2265

When we were walking the dogs this morning, I noticed that all the neighbors were getting brand new concrete driveways. Apparently the construction crew that is fixing the street also does freelance concrete work on weekends. I can see why everyone is jumping at this opportunity. They are all getting highway grade concrete work at half the price a private contractor would charge. These guys don't need special permits from the city because they are already paving the road. They probably get quantity discounts on concrete, since a ton of concrete is already being used for road repairs. Best of all, there is no big contractor markups on the job. The neighbors just pay the crew directly. I wish I could get a new driveway for half price like the other neighbors, but my driveway exits to a different street that is unfortunately not under construction. I don't quality for this unexpected bonus.

I finally crawled up on the roof and removed last week's standing water. Half the water had already evaporated. Maybe if I had waited another week, the roof would have just dried out on its own. I think I got lucky this time. We had a very windy day right after it rained and the wind blew away all the dead leaves and a lot of the standing water. The roof only gets messy when leaves create little Beaver ponds that keep the water in place. The roof seems to be holding up fairly well this year. I didn't see any cracks in the elastomer, which was surprising. Maybe the gods have finally realized that I've had enough water problems for one year.

I typically use those automated checkout lanes at stores because they are generally much faster. Not today. When I was getting groceries, I got stuck in line behind someone who tried to stick every single credit card in his wallet into the machine before he eventually gave up, abandoned his buggy full of food, and walked out of the store. Why would you even try to use the automated check out if all your credit cards had expired? People amaze me sometimes.

It was unusually warm today and Dash tried to crash several outdoor picnics while we were walking in the park. He's got a good nose for barbecue. It was embarrassing when he was tugging at his leash to reach someone's barbecue grill. I kept having to explain to people that he was really a very friendly dog who had no manners whatsoever. I kind of hate it when people picnic in the park, because they throw their bones on the ground and I have to watch carefully to make sure that Dash doesn't find them. I've had dogs that have swallowed pork ribs or chicken bones before and it usually involves a trip to the vet.

I should go to the gym tomorrow, but it has been a long day and I haven't completely recovered from my cold yet. I think my body would appreciate a nap a lot more than a workout.

Princess is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2264

When I went to breakfast this morning, something seemed missing. The place was half empty and when I entered the building, the coffee roasters where I always got my morning coffee were gone. I was confused at first, but it didn't take long to figure out what was going on. Directly across the street there was a brand new competitive restaurant. The little coffee company that shared space with my restaurant, along with half the customers seemed to have jumped ship. I even noticed a number of familiar cars parked at the restaurant across the street. I found this all a little unsettling. Where did these people's loyalty go? Like me, most of these customers had been coming here for years. Jeez, I skip one week because of the flu, and when I return, everything had changed. You know how I feel about change. Now, every time I go for breakfast I'm going to feel torn between a sense of loyalty for my familiar meal and a sense of curiosity about what's just across the street. I would have preferred that this didn't happen.

After breakfast, I went to the nearest early voting location and voted. I still can't figure out why the early voting locations have modern touch screen ballots and the regular voting locations still use paper ballots where you select your candidate by making a black dot in front of the name with a pencil. I'm still a little suspicious of the electronic ballots, but I suppose my vote gets counted. Like I expected, there were several pages of judges to vote for. I had no idea who most of them were. Unless a judge has gotten involved in a scandal and been on the local news, I'll probably never recognize their name. I vote for judges the same way I bet on horses. I just pick a nice sounding name and go for it.

Dot did not want to go to the vet today. I had a hard time getting her in the car and when we arrived, I had an even harder time getting her inside the building. Usually, she is fine about going to the cancer center, but not today. I could tell she was nervous when we were sitting in the lobby, but I couldn't figure out why. There were no scans today or anything that might be remotely frightening. I felt bad. Dot struggled while the vet tech tried to draw blood and ended up getting a hematoma in her neck. The oncologist wants to continue her chemotherapy for another three weeks and then do another scan to measure the growth of the tumor in her liver. We'll decide at that point whether this has all been worth it.

Although voting and Dot's vet appointment ate up a big chunk of the day, I still managed to get quite a bit of work done. I completed a big website update, balanced my checkbook, and picked up something for dinner at the grocery store. That seems plenty for one day. Although it was still quite cold this morning, there's already a feeling of Spring in the air. The trees are starting to bud and I'm already starting to see some early Spring flowers. Spring flowers are always a good thing.

Bingo is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2263

I fixed myself French Toast and sausage patties for breakfast, but I think I overestimated the effect that a little infusion of variety would have on my day. Today was basically exactly the same as yesterday. I made the bed. I cleaned up poop. I took a dog to the vet. I wrote another article. That was about it. Since it was Thursday, I also gathered up the trash and took it out to the curb.

I could tell that Dot has lost a little more energy when we had our water therapy session this morning. The decline has been subtle since we resumed her chemotherapy, but there definitely is a difference. It's going to be tough to decide whether to keep taking the Palladia pills or discontinue them again. I guess it depends on whether they are actually helping to slow the cancer growth. We will probably continue the pills until it's time to take another scan and measure the two tumors again. Since we have already established a baseline rate of growth, it should be possible to determine whether the addition of Palladia helps or does nothing. If the chemotherapy is working, we continue it. If the results are ambiguous, as they often are when you're dealing with cancer, we'll discontinue the Palladia. Dot is running on empty when it comes to her strength and energy level, but she still wants to live. Hopefully, with the help of Dot's oncologist, we can strike a balance that will keep her walking while continuing to fight the cancer. It's hard to make these kind of decisions, but it's not really fair to ignore them.

I read an article today that said there are a growing number of people making six figure incomes by posting pictures on Instagram and Pinterest. Evidently all you have to do is get 200,000 followers and post a continuous stream of selfies. When you develop a following, manufacturers will pay you to take selfies with their products. Somehow, all the success stories seem to involve young women taking pictures of purses and shoes. I doubt very highly that any men are making $100,000 a year on Pinterest.  I find this all a bit disheartening. I feel like Don Quixote by spending hours each day writing this blog for a few dozen readers. It's all tilting windmills.

I find myself losing interest in food. I hope this is temporary. Looking forward to meals is one of the few things that has kept me going this Winter. Most of my energy is used up taking care of the dogs and it's hard to get excited about anything else. This is when I should be writing new songs and assembling images for a gallery show. It's not going to happen though. I've just lost interest.

I am interested in going out for breakfast tomorrow. This is a good sign, since it means that my stomach has finally quit rebelling and my extended bout with the flu is just about over. I'll probably go vote after breakfast. Don't ask me who I'm voting for though. I think the old rule about no talk about politics or religion at the dinner table should extend to social media. I wish I didn't know who many of you are voting for. Sometimes ignorance is bliss. 

Cookie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2262

Instead of lead grey skies and rain, we woke to see the sun again. Yesterday's nasty weather had moved Eastward to bother someone else. It must have really been windy yesterday, because most of the leaves in the backyard are gone. Janet noticed the difference first and asked if I'd been raking  leaves. Nope. The wind just blew them away. If we still had a lawn, this would have been a good thing, but the leaves served a purpose. Now there is a lot of exposed dirt, making it easier than ever for the dogs to get muddy. We have to replace the St. Augustine grass every year because something always kills it. Squirrels and possums dig holes in the grass looking for acorns. Grubs eat the roots. The large Oak trees suck up all the available water. It's still too early, but in March or April we'll plant new grass and start all over again.

Today was quiet. The dogs spent the day sleeping and I spent the day writing. I finished another article and sent it off to the client. I probably could have written more, but there were no hard deadlines to meet and I wanted to save something for tomorrow. I went to the vet to pick up some more Phenobarbital for Dash, but they were busier than I was today and hadn't had time to fill the prescription yet. The constant coughing has stopped and I'm finally starting to feel normal again. Hopefully, the next thing after feeling normal is feeling motivated. I haven't felt motivated for over a week.

I need to remember to find my early voting location before Friday. I think that's the last day for early voting in the Super Tuesday Primary. With all the attention these primary elections are getting, it would be a shame if I didn't cast my vote. I used to think that my vote didn't matter. Now, I'm inclined to think that the entire election doesn't matter. I always vote though. I don't want to be sitting here a year from now thinking that if only more people like me voted, then things might have turned out differently. The presidential candidates aren't the only ones on the ballot next Tuesday. The other candidates are mostly judges though. I think judges are picked by their lawyer friends. The rest of us never heard of these people. Half of the judges seem to run unopposed. Why to we vote for local judges and then let the congress and the president pick federal judges? I tend to vote for judges based on whether I like the sound of their name. If I've received a ton of junk mail or robocalls from a particular candidate, I'll almost never vote for them. Political junkies probably wish that people like me were never given the right to vote.

Dot's vet is still in Hawaii on vacation, but we'll go tomorrow for our water therapy appointment anyway. Only the vet can give Dot acupuncture, but several of the vet techs have been trained to operate the underwater treadmill. I've been watching Dot's water therapy for so long now that I could probably run the treadmill myself. So far, Dot seems to be handling the Palladia pills fairly well. Maybe she's a tiny bit weaker, but it's hard to tell. This will be the first therapy session since she's had a full week of chemotherapy, so I'm hoping that she'll still do well. On Friday, we'll determine whether to continue the Palladia for another month.

This week has been boring even by my low standards. Maybe I'll have something different for breakfast tomorrow. That ought to liven things up.

Nora is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2261

Every time we have a day like this, it's easy for me to forget that we've actually had a very mild Winter. I'm trying to be charitable here, but I can't think of many nice things to say about today. It was nasty outside. The combination of high winds and heavy rain made it miserable to walk the dogs. Luckily, there was a short break in the rain when we took Dot on her early walk, but later when I walked Dash, we got soaked. It's been raining continuously for almost 24 hours and shows no sign of stopping yet.

I guess I shouldn't have been surprised that Dot was tired today. It could have been the rain and cold weather. It could have been the cumulative effects of the Palladia pills. It could have been further evidence of her losing battle with the aging process. I feel bad for her on days like this. She still needs to go outside and pee and do a minimal amount of walking around to keep her legs from getting stiff, but she tires easily. We took a shorter walk than normal this morning, and when we returned she was exhausted.

Dot slept for the rest of the day while I picked up my car at the dealership and took Dash to his vet appointment. I was surprised that they fixed my car so quickly. It's a shame that the weather was so bad today. The dealer always cleans and washes my car after a service appointment, but by the time I finished driving home and taking Dash to his vet appointment, all this effort was wasted. The car was already dirty inside and out.

Dash wasn't sick, but with all Dot's problems he's been a bit neglected. I wanted to check and see if he needed his teeth cleaned. He does! He's been having digestive issues lately, so I wanted to make sure he didn't have Giardia or some other nasty parasite that could be causing his diarrhea. He has a small growth on his tail that I wanted to make sure was still benign. The vet checked him thoroughly and expressed his anal glands for good measure. Dash is OK and I feel much better now.

The awful weather and Dot's general state of exhaustion were probably one of the reasons why she pooped in the house twice today. It can take her a long time to poop on a normal day and today wasn't normal. Every time I took her outside, I could tell she didn't want to be out in the cold. To her, it probably made a lot more sense to just poop in her sleep. One of her favorite blankets appears to be indestructible. I've washed it so many times that it should have begun to fray and come apart at the seams long ago. It still looks as good as new, even though I washed the blanket twice today.

Despite all the errands I needed to run, I still managed to get quite a bit done. I finished updating a website and completed the first of three articles that are due this week. I think that's plenty for one day. I've still got a cough, but my cold is definitely getting better.

Dalmatian of the Day

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Day 2260

I dropped my car off at the dealership right after we walked the dogs this morning. Amazingly, I was able to replicate the intermittent electrical problem I've been having. This almost never happens. Usually, when I bring my car in with an intermittent problem, it works perfectly for the service technician and nobody believes there is anything wrong. Sometimes, it has taken me three or four trips to resolve these frustrating on-again, off-again problems. Who knows how long it will actually take to get the car fixed, but at least everyone believed me today.

Dot had another accident in her bed last night. She managed to eat most of the evidence again too, before either of us woke up.  Yuk. I'm surprised that Dash didn't have an accident as well. Since it was raining outside, he categorically refused to go in the yard and do his business. I told him that he'd have to hold it until morning, but he didn't seem to care. Luckily, the rain finally stopped, so I think we're back to normal again. I've really grown to appreciate a day with perfect weather. When everything else is a disaster, nice weather can really help. Nope. The weather wasn't very nice today, but it would have made life easier if it was.

Work is picking up again. I have three new articles to write and several website updates to make. There was a time when I could have done all of this in one day, but not anymore. Since I'm still limping along with a nasty cold, these new jobs could take me the rest of the week to finish. It felt like I was busy today, but at the end of the day, I'd accomplished virtually nothing.

The high points of my day were almost pathetic. I used the sanitize setting on the washing machine to clean a particularly messy dog blanket and discovered that the super hot water in the waste water lines accidentally helped to unclog a sluggish shower drain. I was fascinated with the sanitize setting when we first got the front loader, but quickly discovered that it took forever to do a load of wash and wasted a lot of water. Maybe I ought to use this setting more often if it helps to keep the plumbing lines clear. On the other hand, it is possible that this super heated water caused our underground water leak. I'm not certain what the melting point of the lead solder they used to use in old cast iron pipes, but I'm sure it is quite low. The plumber did tell me that the joints in one of the cast iron sewer lines coming out of the utility room had failed when he fixed our underground leak last year.

I finally received a credit from the water company to for the water we lost during the pipe leak. Unfortunately, I thought the credit notice was a water bill and wrote a check to the water company for the amount of the credit. How was I to know?  The credit memo looked exactly like a bill if you didn't notice the tiny type that said "no payment required. Luckily, I finally did figure out what was going on while I was looking for a stamp for the envelope and I tore up the check. I guess I should have noticed that the dollar amount on the bill was negative too. I always forget that the standard way to show negative numbers is to put them in parentheses. I'm glad I noticed my mistake, because the water company would have taken my money and just sent me a larger credit notice next month.

I know you're tired of hearing about how yucky having the flu feels, so I'll quit whining about it. Eventually, I'm bound to feel better.

Maggie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2259

Things take longer now. It takes me longer to shave. It takes longer to brush my teeth. It takes longer to make the bed. It's not just age that slows me down. I've become more particular about how I do almost everything. I wouldn't say I've that got OCD, but other people might. This odd combination of aching old bones and a mildly obsessive personality, can turn many days into a slow, plodding journey.

True to form, today didn't didn't start out like a spontaneous romp on the sun. The combination of a lingering cold and a long list of Sunday chores made the day seem like walking through quicksand. To be fair, it wasn't even sunny today, but I doubt if blue skies would have helped much. It took forever to make the bed. The dogs were slow on their morning walk. And I lingered over breakfast so long that it was almost lunchtime when I finished.

I spent the afternoon alternating between taking short naps and vacuuming the house. I've grown to hate vacuuming since we filled the house with inexpensive rugs to help keep Dot from falling over. These rugs are no match for the powerful Dyson vacuum cleaner and I'm constantly having to turn off the machine and pull a rug out of the brush after it got sucked in. The house was so much easier to clean before there were all these rugs. All you had to do was run a damp mop over the brick floors and you were done. The rugs seem to be giant dust magnets. Furniture and dog beds must be moved every time I clean, and even after a concerted effort to tame the dust, nothing looks any different. The only evidence that I've done anything at all is a full canister of dust and dog hair. I continue to be amazed at how much dirt and dog hair can accumulate in a single week. Well, OK. I admit it's been two weeks since I vacuumed. Maybe that explains it.

I feel a little better today, although Janet keeps telling me that I probably have pneumonia. I doubt that I have pneumonia since I got the pneumonia shot this year at the same time I got my flu shot. I don't have a fever. I just have a nagging cough. Chest colds like this must be quite common, or there wouldn't be all those irritating Mucinex commercials on TV. We had been planning to go to an open house in the neighborhood this afternoon, but Janet decided that she didn't want to go at the last minute. She was probably concerned that I would break into violent coughing spasms and scare the Realtor and any potential buyers. I'm still a little curious what the interior of this house looks like, since I've walked by it for years while walking the dogs. I must not have been that curious though, because I certainly don't regret missing the little home tour. Hey, maybe the change of plans proves that I'm spontaneous after all.

I've got to remember to take my car to the dealership tomorrow. I made the service appointment so long ago that I've almost forgotten what's wrong with the car. It's one of those intermittent electronic problems, so when it isn't actually driving you crazy, it is easy to forget. I hope they don't give me another Evoque loaner car. The engine in these cars automatically shuts off every time you pull up to a stop sign. This is supposed to be a feature, but it drives me nuts. After a lifetime of having cars that stall out at stoplights for no particular reason, having a car that does this on purpose just seems wrong.

Wow. I just noticed that it's pouring rain outside. I guess we need the rain, but I've grown fond of our long stretch of dry, low humidity days. I haven't had to go up on the roof and remove standing water for a long time. I've given up on having a nice lawn. I think if there was enough water to take showers and flush the toilet, I could go without rain for a long time.

Lizzy is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2258

I'm still under the weather. My nose is red. I've got a persistent cough. My fever has subsided, but I've added a bad headache to my laundry list of symptoms. All I really wanted to do today was sleep, but when I lie down, sinus drainage quickly clogs my nasal passages and fills my throat with phlegm. Basically, I'm a mess. I still don't know how I managed to come down with the flu, since I avoid crowds at all costs and can't think of anyone in my small circle of friends who is sick. It's a mystery.

I'm so tired that I haven't been waking up when Dot has to poop at night. Even in the best of times, I had to be very quick to get her outside before she made a mess. Last night I didn't even notice when Dot struggled to change position during the night and ended up pooping in her bed. By morning, there was almost nothing left, because Dot had eaten the poop. I find this disgusting, but Dot's vet says it is completely normal. Mother dogs routinely eat the poop of their puppies to keep their bedding and immediate surroundings clean. Dot has always been a clean, tidy dog. I'm sure she just thinks she's doing the right thing.

I need to let Dot's oncologist know about this situation. I know that you've not even supposed to get anywhere near a dogs poop during their chemotherapy treatments. The poop turns toxic. I guess when your dog has cancer, you don't want it to be incontinent as well. There's not much I can do about the situation. I'm pretty sure that the oncologist will tell me that while picking up poison poop is not ideal, to just live with it and do the best I can. What else could I do anyway.

This flu has killed my appetite. I just ate a tiny amount for breakfast and didn't feel like eating much for dinner either. My stomach still feels kind of queasy, so there's no point in eating a lot and just throwing it up again. Hey, maybe I'll lose some weight. The most foolproof way to lose a lot of weight in a hurry is to get real sick. The only times I can remember losing ten pounds in less than a week was when I had a horrible cold.

I was sorry to see Bernie Sanders lose the Nevada Caucus. A lot of Bernie's economic plans seem like rainbows and unicorns fantasies to me, but at least the guy is honest and sincere. I can't say the same for Hillary. Hillary and Ted Cruz are my least favorite candidates. Actually, I don't like any of the candidates very much. Where is this generation's John Kennedy? Sadly, I don't think we could elect Kennedy today. We've become too polarized and politically correct.

Jeez, Dot just pooped in her bed again. I've washed her favorite blanket three times today and her schedule is completely out of sync. Why is this happening? I'm very, very tired. It's time to give Dot and Dash their nighttime meds and call it a day. Maybe tomorrow will be better.

Odie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2257

My stomach vetoed going out for breakfast this morning. After we walked the dogs, I just ate a leftover frozen waffle I found in the refrigerator and went back to bed. I don't know what kind of bug I caught, but it's a lot more persistent than I anticipated. The first day was a runny nose and a sore throat. The second day was aching joints, night sweats, vomiting, and a mild fever. Today things seem to have settled in my chest. I'm coughing more and still feel tired. I think I'm getting better, but it's hard to tell. The aches and pains keep moving around.

Did I mention I'm a hypochondriac? I rarely get sick, but when I do, I always think I've come down with something much worse than I really have. Now, I'm wondering if the tick that bit me a few weeks ago caused this. It's highly unlikely that I have some strange tick-borne disease, since my symptoms seem exactly like the flu, but that's how my mind works. A mild case of the flu usually lasts about three days and a more serious case can last up to a week. My flu shot obviously didn't work, but maybe it is helping to keep things from becoming worse. There's got to be some reason why I keep getting these flu shots year after year.

I got off to an extremely slow start this morning, but I eventually finished my writing assignment and turned it in. The only other thing I did today was go to the grocery store and pick up something for dinner. I didn't feel like eating anything hot, so I got some chicken salad, potato salad, and broccoli slaw. I probably shouldn't have gotten anything, because I wasn't really hungry.

So far so good with Dot. She's only taken one round of chemo pills so far, but there doesn't seem to be any obvious adverse reactions. She still has a good appetite and enjoys her walks in the morning. Since Dot is tired and weak anyway, it might be hard to detect a subtle further decline. She gets her second set of pills tomorrow, so we'll see how that goes. I'm hoping that the new lower dose and extra day of recovery will help prevent the weakness that was obvious the first time we tried chemo. If this works, the Palladia pills could add significantly to the amount of time we still get to share with her.

I think I'm going to skip some of my usual Saturday errands tomorrow. What's the point. There's nothing I do that can't wait a few days. I think the priority now is to shake off this cold and get better. I hate to take decongestants or cold pills, so the only thing that makes sense to me are some extended naps with the dogs. The house may get a little dirtier, but I think the dogs will understand.

Spot is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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