Day 2667

AT&T has spent a lot of money laying fiber optic cable in our neighborhood. Now they want people to start using it. I have been inundated with marketing messages urging me to switch to this new service. They seem to be using a carrot and stick approach. The carrot is the promise of super fast download speeds. The stick is the threat that I'm going to have to switch to fiber anyway, because my present service is going away in a few years. I never trust anything the cable companies say, because I've been disappointed too many times. On the other hand, it would be nice to have super fast Internet service. I did some research today and discovered that fiber to the home is still a work in progress. Some customers complained that the router the phone company supplied couldn't handle the increased speed. Other customers complained that their WiFi network had actually slowed down after switching to fiber. There were happy customers too, but not as many as I would have expected. If I'm going to be paying twice as much to connect to the Internet, the service had better be really good.

I waste a lot of time investigating things that aren't quite ready for prime time. I'd love to live off the grid, but solar panels are still horrendously expensive if you want to power an entire house. They don't work very well in shady areas either. Electric cars turn out to be very impractical if you don't want to spend a lot of time sitting around at charging stations. Don't even think about recharging your Tesla with an extension cord in your garage. 4K cameras often crop part of the image to get the increased resolution they promise. Batteries in your laptop never last ten hours. I get sucked in by promises again and again, but I'm learning to be more skeptical. I don't think I'll switch to fiber optic Internet service yet.

Dot still sleeps as much as she always has, but she's thrown me a curve this week. Lately, she seems to be active in the morning and sleeps in the afternoon. This is exactingly the opposite of what was happening last month. I thought she was sleeping while I was eating breakfast this morning, but I was startled by some plaintive barking coming from the back of the house. Somehow, she had gotten up by herself, walked to the bathroom, and fallen on the tile floor. Dot is just like the people in those "I've fallen and I can't get up" commercials. I'm continually retrieving her from places where she has gotten stuck.

The refrigerator was looking empty today, so I went out and picked up a bowl of noodle soup for dinner. I've become fond of Pho and Ramen dishes. The only problem with these Asian noodle dishes is that they are terribly salty. I've been on a low salt diet for years and one of my pet peeves is that chefs love salt. Whenever I eat out, I feel like I'm consuming way too much salt. It must be possible to make a tasty, flavorful Ramen without salt, but I haven't found it yet. Dinner was delicious, but I'll have to eat something bland tomorrow. I feel like I got my weekly dose of salt in one meal.

I'm not sure what to do about breakfast tomorrow morning. Last Friday was a disaster. I had to race home before I'd even taken a bite because I looked at the baby monitor and noticed that Dot had tried to get up and gotten herself in trouble. I felt a lot more comfortable leaving the house when I was confident that Dot would sleep for at least three hours after her morning walk. Now, all bets are off. I have no idea how active she's going to be tomorrow morning.

Valli is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2666

I made an appointment to get Dot fitted for a doggie wheelchair. Unfortunately, the first appointment I could get is two weeks from now. I hope that Dot hasn't deteriorated further by then. I'd really like to see her get some use out of the wheels. It's too bad she can't use the wheelchair we had built for Spot. The wheelchair has been sitting in the storage warehouse for years, but since it was built specifically for Spot and is not adjustable, it is of little use to another dog. The design of modern dog wheelchairs has improved quite a bit. They are more durable and can be easily adjusted for an exact fit. Some dogs learn to use these things almost immediately and gain a new sense of mobility and freedom. Other dogs are confused and don't know what to do with the wheels strapped to their legs. Dot is a smart dog. Well, she was a smart dogs before she became senile anyway. I hope she can understand the concept and start enjoying walking again.

I kept seeing blood in the kitchen when I was eating breakfast this morning. I couldn't figure out where it was coming from. I checked both dogs paws to make sure they hadn't gotten cut on their walk. I briefly thought I had squashed a strawberry when I was making my morning smoothie. Then I looked at my hand. Jeez. Why hadn't I even noticed that the blood was coming from me? I never felt anything, but it was a pretty bad cut. My blood clots pretty easily, so the cut had already scabbed over, but it was pretty obvious that this was where the mess in the kitchen was coming from. I still have no idea how I cut myself.

A friend suggested that we try yoga mats to give Dot traction around the house. It was actually a very good idea. I don't know why I never thought of this before. Probably because I don't do yoga and have never owned one of these mats. I've seen them though. They are lighter and much easier to clean than the rugs we are using now. The only downside might be that I don't think these mats are very absorbent. If Dot peed on one, the urine would probably just roll off the surface and stain the brick floor. It's worth a try though. We certainly haven't come up with the perfect solution yet.

I mailed out my April invoices this afternoon. Invoicing clients used to take me most of the day. Now I can take care of everything in a few minutes. It's pathetic how rapidly the business shrunk after I became eligible for social security. When I was young we used to laugh about how routinely creative folks were put out to pasture at the ad agencies once they turned forty. I never even considered what might happen thirty years after that. Sometimes I think that my few remaining clients have just forgotten that I'm still on retainer. I rarely see these people anymore. Some of them probably don't even know who I am.

I need to make a doctors appointment. I'm way overdue for new blood work, but I just don't feel like going in. My doctor told me at one point that one of his biggest frustrations was that many of his older patients just quit taking their meds, despite all his warnings about heart attacks and diabetes. It didn't make sense to me at the time, but now I'm starting to understand. You take all these pills for years and years and you still keep getting older. After a while all the warnings seem pointless. When you look at yourself in the mirror and see your Dad's face looking back at you, you know how it's all going to end.

Nellie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2665

I didn't accomplish much today. I used the dog's sleepy period to go pick up our tax preparation materials from the accountant. They used to just mail this stuff back to me after they filed the tax returns, but for some reason they insist on using FedEx now and charging for overnight delivery. It's much easier to just go retrieve the files myself. I think in the early days the accountant would just store all this stuff at their office, but they probably ran out of space years ago.

On the way home, I stopped at a shoe store to look for some slip on sandals for taking the dogs out at night. Flip flops are easy to find, but durable slip on shoes without the annoying flip flop loop you put your toe through are almost impossible to find. There are plenty of these shoes for women, but the shoe gods have apparently decided that men don't need them. I needed a new pair, because the shoes I'm using now are basically cheap house slippers that have been ruined by too many trips out in the muddy yard. I was surprised to find exactly what I needed and even more surprised to arrive home and find both dogs still sleeping.

I've got a tough choice to make now.  I like to let Dot sleep as long as she wants because she has more energy during her active periods if she's rested. Also, the only time I can get anything done is while Dot is sleeping. Unfortunately, if Dot goes more than two hours without going outside, she pees immediately as soon as she wakes up. A peaceful house usually ends up being a wet mess. If I take her outside regularly and keep things dry, it's difficult to get her to go back to sleep. Also, whenever Dot is up, Dash thinks it's time to eat and starts barking in the kitchen. There just isn't a good solution.

I tried to show Janet how to use the new Apple TV remote but she wasn't very interested. This is why we still have cable. I'll probably eventually download a few science fiction movies, but I don't even watch TV that much. The only reason I wanted to try this is that I think it's outrageous how much U-verse is costing us now. It's frustrating to go back and forth between the different services too. It's super easy and convenient to use the Apple TV remote. Returning to the cable box when you're done is another matter entirely. To switch back from Apple TV to U-verse requires three different remote controls. You've got to use the Apple remote to turn off Apple TV. Then you've got to use the Sony remote to switch to a different HDMI port. Finally you have to use the U-verse remote to turn on the cable box. There's got to be an easier way. People keep trying to invent a universal remote control. I've bought as few. The problem is that companies are always inventing new stuff that the universal remote doesn't recognize. It was much easier when I just read books.

The horse nettle is starting to bloom in the park. I see the plants everywhere now. The small purple flowers are pretty, but the plants are poisonous to horses and livestock. I assume they are poisonous for dogs as well. Luckily Dot and Dash don't seem interested in the many poisonous plants that make their home in the park. Jimson weed is even more hazardous than horse nettle, but it hasn't appeared yet. I'm mostly worried about the poison ivy and poison oak, which seem to be the most common plants in the park. It's rare that I can get through an entire Summer without at least one case of poison ivy.

The dogs have worn me out today. I hope everyone sleeps soundly tonight because I need the rest. At least there's no longer any rain in the forecast. Maybe the yard will finally dry out. I have no plans for tomorrow at all, but I'm sure I'll be busy. Just taking care of the bare necessities keeps me very busy these days.

Tyson is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2664

Another long rainy day. It was basically a typical Monday except it was wet. Luckily, we were able to get the dogs walked this morning before the rain started, but after that all bets were off. I can just feel my energy draining away when it rains. Everything takes longer and nothing goes smoothly. I'm not even sure that Dot even knows that its raining anymore. When I take her outside to pee, she still wanders around aimlessly, just like she does on a sunny day. I keep towels by the door on days like this because we get wet a lot. Dot eventually does pee on a rainy day, but Dash still refuses to go outside. He'll scratch at the back door and then stick his head out while he waits for me to stop the rain. I've tried to explain to him that I have no control over the weather but I don't think he gets the concept yet.

Both dogs were very needy today. Every time I tried to take a shower, go to the bathroom, or eat my dinner, one of them would start barking and demanding attention. When Dot finally did go to sleep, I let her sleep too long and she peed in her bed when she eventually woke up. I really need to remember to take her outside every two hours rain or shine. It's hard to clean Dot's paws on days like this because she can't stand up on her own. Often I just give up and let her track mud in the house. I can always clean the rugs later.

Since it was absolutely dismal outside, it was a good day for a project. I decided to hook up Apple TV to the network. Amazingly, there was still an available HDMI port on the TV and and an Ethernet port on the router. I was surprised at how easy it was to configure everything. Basically, my phone did all the work. I was prepared to learn new passwords and grow frustrated when the firewall blocked the new device, but everything worked like a charm. Apple has its faults, but they definitely know how to make installation easy.

The plan is to see what's available on Apple TV and then eventually cut the cord on cable. Cable bills are outrageous. We left Time Warner because they kept raising our rates year after year. Now AT&T is doing the same thing. You'd think that the cable companies would become more competitive now that more and more people are unbundling their services. What people really want is the ability to just buy the channels they actually watch. Who needs hundreds of channels you'll never look at?

I'm skeptical that this experiment will work, but it's worth a try. From what I saw today, it looks like there's a huge variety of things to watch on Apple TV. I guess the real question is whether buying shows on iTunes is any less expensive than paying for a cable bundle.

Wouldn't you know that the roofer would call me on a rainy day. He said that he'd gotten my messages and that I was on his list. That's never very reassuring on a rainy day. The roofer said he had to finish dealing with active leaks before he started on preventative maintenance. I told him to hurry up, or I was going to be one of those active leaks soon.

I'm still waiting for Dot to poop. It's been a while, so she'll probably get the urge while I'm brushing my teeth or getting ready for bed. I've cleaned up enough messes today, but I'm expecting one more. The weather report says the rain is going to stop tomorrow. Of course, it's supposed to start again on Wednesday. Hey, it's April in Texas. I'll take what I can get.

Apollo is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2663

It's fascinating how the same wildflowers reappear year after year. There are hundreds of varieties in the park and I've learned the names of many of them over the years. Nobody waters or tends to these flowers, but they seem to do just fine. In fact, they seem indestructible. We've had unusually wet years and unusually dry years and the wildflowers just keep blooming every Spring. Many of these flowers are actually considered weeds, but they are still quite spectacular in April. I see something new almost every day now and it makes my walks with Dash more interesting.

I saw my first Spider Milkweed plant this morning. Some people call these Antelope Horn Milkweed and they are supposed to attract Monarch Butterflies. This morning they seemed to be attracting a lot of bees.

Dot woke us up last night trying to re-position herself. When I tried to lift her up so she could move, it caused her to pee. I had to turn the light on to see what was going on. This woke Janet up and we tried to get her harness on so we could take her outside. At this point she decided to poop as well. While Dot was outside I changed all her bedding and ran a load of wash. By the time I got back to bed, I'd been up almost an hour. Luckily, it was early Sunday morning. We all slept in until almost nine AM. I wish they made large puppy training pads that would cover her entire bed. That would make cleanup a lot easier. Huge absorbent pads would probably be too expensive though, especially at the rate we go through them. I buy them by the case now.

I finally made it back to the gym this afternoon. Although I've been following exactly the same routine for several years now, I've been noticing that I'm not burning quite as many calories as I used to. I feel just as tired when I am finished, but I must be slowing down. The fitness tracker doesn't lie. I must be slowing down at everything I do. It takes longer to mow the lawn now and it's even tiring to make the bed. Don't laugh. Getting a fitted sheet on our low platform bed takes more effort than you might think.

On slow days like this I drive myself nuts trying to figure out how to get all the office computers on the same page. Some are new with the latest operating systems. Others are ancient. One of the biggest drawbacks to upgrading everything is my accounting software. It's so old now that I'm not sure that a modern replacement would be able to import my files. The old software works just fine, since the rules of accounting haven't changed much over the years. It would be nice to be able to keep all the computers in sync though. I still haven't come up with a good solution.

I had to renew Dot's Tramadol today. It's always harder to get controlled substances like Tramadol and Phenobarbital renewed. The pharmacist always has to get an OK from the vet, even if the dogs have been taking the pills forever. I guess this makes sense. You don't want to be taking pills like these for the wrong reasons. I think we're going to have to increase Dot's pain medication soon. It's complicated. Do we discontinue the Tramadol and just give her more Gabapentin? Do we increase the dosage of both meds? Or do we try something new entirely. Luckily, Dot's oncologist is very knowledgable about pain management. We'll be talking to her later this month.

My anti-virus software says I've got a virus. I did some research on Google and discovered that quite a few people think my anti-virus software is worthless and that the file that was identified as a virus is really just a normal component of the Apple operating system. Who are you going to believe? If even my anti-virus software is full of fake news, the world is hopeless.

Livy is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2662

Around midnight last night I was awakened by the sound of tornado sirens. I went outside and the first thing I saw was the moon. The sky was clear and there was no wind at all. I checked the weather radar on my iPad and there weren't even any clouds in the vicinity. WTF? The sirens finally stopped and I went back to bed. It seemed weird that the city was testing the warning system at midnight, but life is full of weird things these days. About five minutes later the sirens resumed again. This didn't seem like a test.

I turned on the television and there was nothing about the warning sirens at all. As I flipped through the local channels, it quickly became obvious that everything was on autopilot. Most of the stations were just replaying programs they had already run earlier in the day. I turned on the radio and discovered that local radio doesn't even even exist anymore. Everything was just a syndicated satellite feed. By this time I had been listening to the sirens for about an hour and still didn't have a clue what was going on. Local news was non-existent.

I had never heard the tornado sirens go on this long, so I was very curious about what was happening. Were we being nuked? Had the zombie apocalypse begun? I just didn't know. It finally dawned on me to turn on the computer and look at Facebook. Bingo. Facebook was a beehive of activity. Apparently all my Facebook friends are night owls and everybody was talking about the sirens.

There were lots of theories. Had a disgruntled employee set off the sirens set off the sirens as his final revenge after being fired? Had the Russians hacked into the City of Dallas servers? One jokester said that North Korea had launched a nuke in the direction of Dallas and at least ten people seemed to believe him. Finally I found a post from the city's Emergency Management Department saying that there had been a major system malfunction and that everyone should quit calling 911. Ironically, I heard the next morning on the news that the warning system actually had been hacked. Maybe it was the Russians after all.

All this strange activity got me thinking. The world has definitely changed. If this had happened ten or fifteen years ago, you could have turned on the television and listened to a local reporter explain the situation as it was happening. Now, we all get our news on Facebook. The trouble with Facebook is that most of the news is wrong. Even a small local incident that wouldn't even be known outside of Dallas generated a fair share of fake news.

Even though the sirens were loud and blared for over two hours, I was the only one who woke up. Janet and both dogs slept through the whole thing. I hope there's never a real emergency in the middle of the night, because it's going to be hell getting everybody up.

Dot seemed stronger today and was much more active. I was sleepier today for obvious reasons. The produce guy at the grocery store told me that there would be a new shipment of blueberries tomorrow. I didn't believe him. All in all it was a pretty normal Saturday. It just got off to a strange start.

Cooper is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2661

The waitress was just bringing my breakfast when I decided to check the baby monitor to see how the dogs were doing. I couldn't see Dot, but I could hear her whining and barking. Not good. I immediately asked if they could put my pancakes in a take-out box, paid my bill, and returned home. I could see what happened as soon as I opened the front door. Dot had tried to get up, fallen down again, and gotten one of her rear legs stuck in an awkward position. Dot is not predictable anymore. It used to be safe to leave for breakfast on Fridays because she almost always slept for at least three hours after we returned from our morning walk. She still tires easily, but she's a lot more restless. I never know whats she's going to do anymore.

After I took Dot outside to pee and made sure she was comfortable in her bed again, I returned to my pancakes. The fancy pancakes looked pretty ordinary when I placed them on one of my own plates and put them in the microwave. I could have easily cooked pancakes like these without leaving the house. Oh, well. At least I tried to get out. I brewed some coffee, found some maple syrup in the refrigerator, and got ready for a long day.

It's time to get Dot fitted for a doggie wheel chair. Her rear legs have gotten so weak that she can no longer support her own weight. After breakfast, I called Dot's physical therapy vet to make an appointment to get her fitted for wheels. I thought I might be able to just buy the wheel chair in a size appropriate for her weight and then fine tune the adjustments at home. A nurse told me that it wasn't that easy. If the wheels weren't fitted properly by the vet, Dot could injure herself. Of course, Dot is already injured, but that's another story. Since I can no longer transport Dot by myself, I'm going to have to find a time when both the vet and Janet are available. I want to do this as soon as possible. I waited too long to have Spot, our first Dalmatian, fitted for wheels. He was only able to use them a few times before he passed away.

Dot could barely move her legs when I found her this morning, but her condition improved slowly throughout the day. By this evening, she was able to take a short walk again. I can't fool myself into thinking she is getting better though. Her rear legs have been getting weaker for a long time. In addition to her physical disabilities, Dot is also becoming increasingly senile. She still enjoys her meals and likes to smell things on her short walks, but sometimes I don't think she knows what planet she's on. Dot and I have bonded closely during her long, slow decline. She is very needy at times, but she trusts me completely and knows I am here to help. I think the fact that I am always nearby has allowed Dot to continue her life despite her many disabilities. I try to plan ahead, but I always feel bad when things don't work out as expected. Dot was fast asleep when I left for breakfast this morning. Who knew that she would really want to get up five minutes after I left.

By early afternoon, the house seemed normal and somewhat predictable again. I went up on the roof and cleared the remaining water away. Luckily, a lot of the standing water had already evaporated, so this job didn't take long. Since both dogs were still resting when I went back in the house, I decided to go pick up something for dinner at Central Market. I've become fond of their new Buddha Bowls and was pleased to see that they had added a few new varieties since my last visit. 

It's been a long day.  I'm tired, but I'm looking forward to the weekend. We're entering a new phase with Dot. Maybe a wheel chair will help her maintain her quality of life for a little longer. She definitely wants to keep on going. Sometimes I think the old girl is going to outlast me.

Molly is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2660

I think the phone companies have finally figured out that we are addicted to smartphones and have started pricing things accordingly. I used to be able to get a new phone for almost nothing. I would get a generous trade-in on my old phone and then the phone company would give me a deeply discounted new phone in exchange for signing a two year contract. All that is gone now. There are no subsidized phones anymore. AT&T prefers to rent you a phone by the month. If you actually want to own the phone, you pay full retail. When I explored my options this morning at the AT&T store, it made me think I should just keep my old phone a while longer.

I've given up on blueberries. They must be out of season. I've almost forgotten that fruit and vegetables are seasonal items. You can get virtually everything all year round now. Sometimes the price goes up for a while when the distributor is switching to a supplier in a different country. Sometimes fruit disappears for a few weeks, but there is a remarkably steady supply of strawberries and blueberries. Peaches seem to disappear the longest, but even they are generally available. I'll probably be seeing blueberries again pretty soon. Even though I'm not a big fan of globalization, I'll have to admit that I do like being able to enjoy fresh fruit all year long.

I hate to leave the house without accomplishing anything, so I stopped at Home Depot and got two light bulbs and a garden hose. When I returned home from my errands, Dot was still asleep. I'd like to think that I'm getting better at anticipating Dot's next move, but truthfully I just got lucky. The key to success is not being gone too long. I made it to the grocery store, the AT&T store, and Home Depot in less than an hour. That's pretty good.

Work was slow today, but that's not surprising. The surprise these days is when I actually do get a new project. It's amazing how busy I stay even when nothing is happening. I made sure all the rugs were dry and then brought them back inside. I cleaned the blankets that Dot peed on this morning when she couldn't make it outside. I experimented with my morning smoothie recipe now that there aren't any blueberries. After breakfast, I got online and learned a little more about DirectTV Now. I saw a flyer about this streaming service while I was at the AT&T store and it seemed a lot less expensive than my current cable package. I think that traditional cable TV is going away in a few years. I just need to decide where to go next.

I feel like pancakes tomorrow, but everyone makes their pancakes too thick. I wish I could find a restaurant that served nice thin pancakes. I guess I could just order crepes, but usually crepes are filled with jelly or have half a pound of powered sugar on the top. I just want a stack of simple thin pancakes served with real maple syrup. Is that too much to ask?

I almost forgot to take the trash out tonight until Janet reminded me it was Thursday. That's what got me thinking about pancakes. Everything is done for the day except for one last trip outside with Dot. The day has to end with Dot peeing outside or nobody sleeps very well.

Paxton is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2659

Lord knows what I do in my sleep. I woke up this morning without my fitness tracker on my wrist. I couldn't find it anywhere. Did it fall off when I got up to go to the bathroom? Did it fall off when I cleaned up Dot's poop at 2 AM? I didn't want to lose the tracker for three months like my other UP band, so I looked everywhere. Eventually, I found it under the sheets at the foot of the bed. How on earth did it get there?

While I was searching for the illusive UP band, Dot was slowly waking up. Every morning I have to make a quick decision. When Dot lifts her head and acknowledges that she is awake I have to decide whether to lift her up and let her pee in place on her bed, or quickly walk her down the hall and out the back door. If she pees in place, there is a small well contained mess. If we can make it outside, there is no mess at all. If I guess wrong, there is a trail of pee all the way to the back door and a lot of rugs to wash. I guessed wrong this morning. I really thought she could make it, but when she didn't pee immediately when we got outside I knew there was a trail of pee behind me

It was unusually cold this morning. It felt strange to wear a winter parka in April, but that's Texas weather for you. This was another one of those days where we had the furnace running in the morning and the air conditioner in the afternoon. At least the humidity was low. It will help the rugs dry on the line in the back yard. I've stopped drying the rugs in the dryer, because the rubber backing would always flake off and make a big mess. I've got a fairly efficient system for keeping things clean now, but it sure would be nice if I knew what Dot was going to do in the morning.

I decided to upgrade my IOS devices to the latest system and as usual, Apple hit me with a surprise. They have a two step authentication process now that seems unusually complicated, even for Apple. When you log on with one device, Apple sends an authentication code to a second device. You have to copy this code back to the first device before you can continue. I guess this is an effective way to keep an unauthorized person from using your phone, but it is very inconvenient. I'm not sure what you would do if you only owned one Apple product. I'm going to have to figure out how to disable this feature, because I definitely don't want to keep an iPad nearby every time I use my phone.

I actually had work to do this morning. It was only a routine website update, but it kept me busy for a while. I need to think seriously about uploading a massive amount of photos to Shutterstock. I make a little money every month from stock photo websites, but I don't have enough photos on file to generate any real income. When my few remaining clients eventually disappear, passive income websites like Shutterstock and iStockphoto might be all I have left. In theory, you could make a living selling stock photos, but you'd have to have thousands available. So far, I only have ten.

Today wasn't half bad. Dot was calm and stress free for most of the day. Dash was eager to walk for a change. I had some work to do and the weather was crisp and cool. I didn't even leave the house today, but that was OK. On days like these, I don't feel a need to escape.

Angel is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2658

When I went to the storage warehouse today, I couldn't remember my access code. Good grief. This is pathetic. If there is any code I should remember by now, it would be this one. I tried every code I could think of, but the door wouldn't open. I thought the warehouse manager might be able to help me, but he didn't seem to be on the premises today. I was just about ready to give up and go home when I remembered a sequence of numbers I hadn't tried yet. It didn't really seem like the right number, but oddly it worked.

Later in the day I couldn't remember whether I had given Dot her afternoon pain pills. I think I did, but it was a hectic day and I wasn't really sure. The breakfast and evening meds are easier to remember because they are part of a long established feeding ritual. The meds that must be administered at odd times during the day are much more problematic. Lapses like these may not seem like a big deal, but they never used to happen. I hope this isn't a sign of things to come, but it probably is. Memory lapses are one more reason that getting old sucks.

Dot seemed agitated this morning. It took me forever to finish breakfast because she wanted to get up and go outside every five minutes. I couldn't figure out what was making her restless until she threw up after about thirty minutes of pacing around. Once again, I think she drank too much water, but I'm not entirely sure. After Dot threw up, she calmed down rapidly and slept for the rest of the morning. Eventually, the house was calm enough so I cold make a quick trip to the grocery store to look for blueberries. No luck today either.

On my way home I stopped at the REI store because the member appreciation coupon I received a while ago was burning a hole in my pocket. REI has a brilliant marketing campaign. They have lots of sales and incentives, but they don't last very long. If you don't go to the store quickly and use the coupons they mail you, they just expire. Maybe this trick doesn't work on everybody, but it certainly seems to work on me. I've been to the REI store quite a bit this year. Actually Chili's does exactly the same thing. Unfortunately, if I went to Chili's every time I got something tempting in the mail, I'd be fifty pounds heavier and have diabetes.

After making a big deal about going paperless and wanting to be paid electronically, my accountant's office manager couldn't figure out how to get their Paypal account to work and told me to just mail them a check instead. So much for technology. It didn't matter to me. I had to go to the post office anyway because I'm trying to pay my bills on time now in an effort to avoid going paperless with AT&T. I never dreamed I'd become a Luddite like my sister, but I'm well on my way. What's wrong with paper checks anyway? Even my bank doesn't want to deal with paper. They keep trying to convince me to make deposits using my phone.

I hope Dot feels better tomorrow. Today was a rough day. I'd like to think it was just the heat that made Dot uncomfortable, but it's probably the cancer too. I still don't know whether I forgot her afternoon pain meds. I hope I didn't, but she's had her evening meds now, so we're back on schedule.

Dottie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2657

Another night of interrupted sleep. For some reason Dot woke up about 3 AM and tried to turn around in her bed. The effort unfortunately caused her to pee. We got up, cleaned her up, changed her bedding, and did a load of wash. The weird thing is this just seems normal now. We take it all in stride. I went back to sleep, but it seemed like it was morning almost immediately.

I thought there would be a new supply of blueberries today, but the produce guy told me they were actually coming in tomorrow. The trip to the grocery store wasn't a totally waste though. On the way home I went to the bank and then stopped by the vet to pick up some meds for Dot and Dash.

Dot has lost her taste for bananas. These used to be one of her favorite things. I'm thinking that she's losing her sense of smell. If she can't smell something, it probably doesn't seem like food anymore. Dot just sleeps while I drink my smoothie now. Without Dot nearby to compete for treats, Dash isn't as interested in banana slices either. He'll eat a few and then go back to the bedroom to sleep. It's kind of odd to eat my breakfast without a barking dog on either side of me. Breakfast has been peaceful lately, but I miss the companionship of the dogs.

I hate to see Dot start to lose her appetite. I know where this story ends. Our first dalmatian began getting picky about food toward the end and eventually would only eat finely chopped bits of boiled chicken breast. When he no longer would eat the chicken, we tried feeding him a cheeseburger. That cheeseburger ended up being his final meal. Luckily, Dot still enjoys the diet we've been feeding her for years, but that could change at any time.

The weather was beautiful today, so I washed the car. Now the cleaning trifecta is done.The house is clean. The grass is mowed. And the car has been washed. When I was washing the car, I noticed that there was a leak in the hose. The back yard hose has had a leak for months. Now the front yard hose has sprung a leak as well. I guess it's time to go to Home Depot and start over. Garden hoses aren't made very well. I can't even tell you how many I've bought over the years. The worst were those retractable hoses that were advertised on TV for a while. Those didn't even last a month.

I'm seeing a lot of Scissor-tailed Flycatchers in the park. These birds feed by catching insects in flight and it's kind of amazing to watch them fly. They can change directions so quickly that they almost seem like little helicopters in the air. As much as birds irritate me when they shit on my car, I do like to watch them in the park. I think I like the owls the best. We have lots of owls near where we live.

My accountant called today to tell me that my taxes are done. One more thing I can check off my list. That's how I go through life now. I dread things and then feel relieved when they are over with and I can check them off my list. Anticipating or looking forward to things is starting to seem like a foreign concept. Surviving things seems much more normal. That's OK though. I've always thought of myself as a survivor.

Lexi is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2656

Housecleaning during an all day rain is almost the definition of futility. Even though I know the effort is pointless, it's amazing how often I spend dreary, damp days cleaning. What else is there to do? I never leave the house on rainy days anymore because a single loud thunderclap can cause the dogs to freak out. I seldom watch TV either, because it irritates me to even turn the TV on. Given the choice between political bitching and moaning, inane reality shows, and sports, I'd just as soon listen to the rain pounding on the roof.

The day didn't get off to a good start, but that's par for the course for rainy mornings. Apparently I didn't take Dot outside late enough last night, because when I woke her up this morning, she immediately peed in her bed. Dash wouldn't even go outside, even though I knew he needed to pee too. He kept scratching at the back door and when I opened it, he would turn around and head for the kitchen. Dash still doesn't understand that I can't turn the rain on and off like a water faucet. Eventually he had to go so bad that he went outside and got wet.

After taking both dogs out in the rain several times and drying them off afterwards, I decided to do something less stressful and got out a needle and thread to sew the fitted sheet on the bed back together. I should just throw the threadbare bamboo sheets away, but I'm not ready to give up on them yet. The repair would have been easy to make with a sewing machine, but I never learned how to use the fancy new Viking machine Janet got a few years ago. Oh, well. Hand sewing a tear in an old sheet is a good way to kill time on a rainy day.

Vacuuming is a terrible way to kill time on a rainy day. The house was already dirty again before I even finished cleaning all the rugs. The combination of mud, wet leaves, and yellow catkins dropping from the oak trees makes keeping the house clean virtually impossible. I can't really clean Dot's paws before she comes in the house because my hand are full holding her up. Dash is just too fast for me. He usually slips in the back door before I can manage to wipe his paws with a wet rag. My own shoes cause a problem as well. Often, when I'm dealing with Dot, it's hard to kick them off at the door before entering the house. Keeping Dot from falling always has a higher priority than keeping mud off the floor.

I wonder where my appetite went. For decades I used to eat a huge breakfast on Sunday morning. Big breakfasts were a tradition. So was going out to brunch. Now I can barely finish one egg and a single piece of toast. I don't eat as much for dinner either. It's hard to explain what has happened, but I'm just not as hungry anymore.

The skies finally cleared late in the afternoon, so the dogs did manage to get at least one decent walk. It's interesting to watch the progression of wildflowers in the park. For some reason, the blue flowers seem to bloom first. Next come the yellow flowers. And finally the red ones arrive. We're in a yellow phase now and the fields are filled with Englemann Daisies. I photograph the flowers. Dash just pees on them.

I never did make it to the gym today, but I did get plenty of exercise. I should sleep well tonight as long as Dot does the same. The day is winding down. I hear the ACM Awards playing on a TV in the other end of the house. I doubt that I'll get up and watch even though I find these country shows much more enjoyable than the Grammy's these days. Country has become the new rock. Some of the tunes I'm hearing almost sound like the Eagles. Times have certainly changed.

Miracle is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2655 - April Fools Day

I honestly couldn't tell any difference between the April Fools fake news on Facebook and the regular fake news. It's all just blended together now. Everything is fake news. I realize now that there was fake news long before it became a political hot potato. Most health news on social media is fake. I still fall for those articles that tell you that drinking beer is actually healthy for you, or that drinking a glass of red wine is the equivalent of spending thirty minutes at the gym. I think people figured out long ago that if you tell people what they want to hear, most of them will believe it.

I paid my phone bill really early this month to avoid last month's ridiculous late charge. I paid in plenty of time last month, but AT&T still maintains that it took two weeks for them to get my check. I know they are messing with me. I looked at this month's bill and they have shortened the payment period so the bill is basically late when you receive it. I know they are trying to force me to switch to electronic payments. I get little flyers inside my bill every month urging me to switch. This month there was even a message on the envelope encouraging me to stop using the mail. More any more companies want to abandon dealing with paper in the worst way and I hate it. I've been using paper checks for my entire adult life and see no reason to change now.

I have a feeling that the grocery store is messing with me too. Once again there were no blueberries. I even went to the store early today, but it didn't matter. The store apparently wants me to shop on Monday. Could it really be that hard to stock the store with produce before the store opens on Saturday morning? Maybe so, but I don't believe it. Probably some efficiency expert discovered that they could save money by cutting back deliveries on items that would stay fresh in the store for several days.

I mowed the grass in the front yard this morning. I would have mowed the grass in the back yard too, except there isn't any. Basically we killed all the grass and most of the ground cover by walking around behind Dot while holding her up for the past year and a half. I'm going to replace the grass in the back later this month, but I don't expect it to last. If it stays green and pretty for six months, I guess that's enough. The grass in the front is certainly green enough, but on closer inspection, a lot of the green is just weeds. Underneath the grass is a whole lot of clover, which it probably doing its best to choke out the grass. I don't use any chemicals or fertilizers on the yard because of the dogs, but I think my desire to protect them has given nature the upper hand. Weeds seem to love me now.

Dot seemed weak today. She stumbled a lot when we took our short walks. Since I support her now at both her shoulders and her hips, she didn't fall, but I could tell she was having trouble walking. I hate to see this happen, but there is little I can do to stop it. Dot seems very susceptible to the weather. It was very humid for most of the day. Maybe that made her more tired than usual. Hopefully, after a good rest tonight, she'll feel better in the morning.

I remembered something that I really needed to pick up at the store while I was walking Dash this morning. By the time we got home, I had completely forgotten what the item was. I still don't remember. This happens a lot these days. I did remember to do my website updates this morning though. I remembered to turn on the dishwasher after breakfast too and clean the load of clothes that had piled up in the washer. Sometimes I feel like I'm fighting a losing battle, but at least I'm still trying.

Haley is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2654

I miss having a favorite restaurant. The days of having exactly the same thing every Friday morning for almost three years in a row are gone. I drift from place to place now, trying something different every time. Occasionally, I think I've found a new home, but I've had trouble staying loyal for more than a month at a time. Nobody seems to make things the way I like any more. The eggs are either too runny or too hard. The pancakes are too thick. And the bacon is too flat and crispy. I'm not trying to expand my horizons or be adventurous. All I want is a place where I can enjoy eating the same thing over and over again. Maybe this is impossible now. I've noticed that there is a lot of turnover in the restaurant business. Every time someone gets a new chef, the recipes change a bit.

Absolute consistency is my holy grail. When I walk Dash in the morning, I find it strangely comforting to see certain cars in the neighborhood leave for work at exactly the same time every morning. When we pass the tennis court on our walk, there is very often a brown pickup truck that turns a corner and passes us. On Friday morning, the garbage truck typically arrives exactly when I leave the park and head down my street toward home. Often people I don't know wave as I pass by. We've been repeating these patterns for a long, long time. The clockwork precision of repeating events makes me feel oddly connected. I'm sure a lot of random stuff happens as I walk by, but I only notice the consistencies.

I got the telephoto lens I've had my eye on for the past month or so. This is a great lens, but it kind of bothers me that many modern lenses no longer have an aperture ring on the barrel of the lens. A lot of them don't have a focus or depth of field scale either. You can still change the f-stop within the camera, but I'd still like to be able to use a lens completely manually. I guess I've got to keep up with the times. I'll have to admit that these new lenses are much better optically than the ones I used to use with my old Nikon F. Who knows. Maybe you'll see some better bird pictures in the days ahead.

I wrote another letter to my sister today. I'm definitely not keeping up with the times with her. I wish more people would revert to quaint old fashioned things like hand written letters. I guess I'd like it if doctors still made house calls and kids still liked electric trains too, but hand written letters are a start.

I tried to catch up on odds and ends this afternoon. I called the roofer again and made an appointment for the landscaper to come out and take a look at our back yard. Dot did pretty well today, although it was to hot to walk her during the day. The days are getting longer, so we can wait until after dinner now. All in all, it was a good day.

The skies are clear, but I'm too tired to go out and look at the stars. There's supposed to be a comet that will be visible through binoculars in the pre-dawn sky this weekend, but I bet I'll be preoccupied trying to keep Dot from peeing on the floor. We'll see.

Smiley is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2653

I cleaned the roof this morning. There was still a lot of standing water from yesterday's storm. Even with the help of a sump pump, it almost always takes me at least an hour to remove all the water. While I'm pushing the water off the edge of the roof with a big push broom, I fantasize about living on the eighteenth floor of a luxurious high rise condo. It would be nice not to have to worry about water on the roof, trees falling in the back yard, cracks in the Sheetrock, or ants crawling into the bathroom.

Of course this will never happen. I lived in a condo once when I was younger and when I finally sold the place, I swore I would never live in a place with a condo board or neighborhood association again. People should never live this close together. All I remember from those years were the continual fights between neighbors. It wouldn't be practical to have large dogs in a high rise either. Dash is scared of elevators and panics when he has to ride in one. Dot would get us kicked out of the building. An incontinent dog that can't walk and poops and pees all over the place would make high rise living very difficult.

When I was sitting in the park with Dot this afternoon, a guy on a bicycle stopped and asked if I was John Sealander. I didn't recognize the guy, but it turned out he was a co-worker from a long, long time ago. I asked him if he was retired and he said he was still doing a little consulting. When old men tell you that they are doing a little consulting it usually means they are doing nothing at all. I remembered that this guy started his own agency once. I think he even hired me a couple of times when my own company was getting started. He's probably in the same boat that I am now. At any rate, he couldn't be that busy or he wouldn't be riding his bicycle around the lake in the middle of the afternoon. We had a nice conversation and didn't mention advertising at all.

When I called in the power outage a few days ago I noticed that the automated system recognized my cell phone number and associated it with my street address. This is new. I used to have to call in outage reports from a land line. This worked great in the old days because analog phones were powered by the phone line. You could still use your phone when the power was out. Since most land line phones are voice over IP now, your phone goes out when the power goes down. I still like the old system better when you could talk to a real person who could tell you when the repair crews would be in your neighborhood. I'll have to admit that the automated system works pretty well though. The power company even sent me a text when my power was restored. I probably don't even need the land line anymore. The only people who use it are scammers and telemarketers. I routinely block these people, so I'm actually paying for a service I don't want people to use.

I'm going to have heartburn tonight. I didn't even feel like looking in the refrigerator, so I stopped at a taco place next to the post office after I paid some bills this afternoon. Yesterday's Buddha Bowl was much, much healthier, but the greasy taco was pretty good. I can see a day when I'll never use our oven at all. It's just so much easier to pick up a take out meal than it is too cook.

I certainly won't be cooking anything tomorrow morning. I've been looking forward to my Friday breakfast outing all week.

Sparky is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2652

We got lucky. There was a horrendous storm last night with 70 mile per hour straight line winds. Our power was out for about five hours, but the electricity was restored around breakfast time so we hardly even noticed the outage. At some point during the storm I heard the heavy thump of a tree limb hitting the roof, but when I looked this morning there was no damage. The limb was small enough that I was able to remove it without much difficulty. For the most part, Dot and Dash slept through the storm, so we didn't have the usual thunder and lightning issues.

I didn't really realize how bad the storm was until we took our morning walk. There were dozens of large trees that had been blown over in the park. Some looked like a giant had pulled them out of the ground by their roots.  There were sticks and twigs everywhere. Some of the tree limbs were in fields where there were no trees, so the wind must have blown them there. Even the birdhouses for the Purple Martins had been blown over.

When I turned on the television I saw that entire houses had been demolished in some parts of town. Thousands of people were without power this morning. Often our electricity is the last to be restored after a major power outage, but this time it looked like they got to us first. As I said, we got lucky last night.

I really need to remember to always keep all my devices charged. My first thought when the power went out was that I hadn't charged my phone or laptop. When the company was busy and I had lots of deadlines, having a working computer available at all times was a top priority. Now the computers aren't as much of an issue. What I worry about these days is losing the washing machine. A day without a washing machine with Dot peeing all over the place would be a disaster.

The refrigerator was looking kind of empty, so I went back to Central Market and got another one of those bowls for dinner. These tasty one-dish meals are great. It would be difficult to make something like this myself. The shredded beef was braised in soy sauce. The kale and mushrooms were roasted and had kind of a smoky flavor. The carrots and cucumbers appeared to be marinated. Even the barley that everything was piled on top of was delicious. I'm not even going to pretend to cook things anymore. It's so much easier and fun to buy something like this.

Dot had a good day, but Dash was moody again. The first two times I tried to walk him this afternoon, he wouldn't leave the back yard. I gave up and walked Dot instead. After dinner this evening, Dash decided that he wanted to walk after all and we had a nice sunset stroll. I have no idea what goes through this dog's mind. Why would he refuse to walk at 4 PM, but be eager to walk at sunset? I have to stay flexible because Dot is not very predictable either. Some days she wants to walk first. Other days she is tired and doesn't want to walk at all.

I hope the nasty weather is over for a while. I know we'll have more storms, because Spring is all about stormy weather here in Texas. I'm glad I had the trees trimmed a few weeks ago, because I'm sure that some of the limbs they trimmed would have fallen last night. Actually, I need to get the tree guy to come back. I saw several more dead limbs when I was up on the roof this morning.

I need to get the water off the roof tomorrow. The car is dirty and the grass needs to be mowed as well. I guess it all depends on how well I sleep tonight.

Elliot is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2651

I found a website update request from four days ago that I hadn't gotten around to yet. I was surprised that I'd forgotten about this because I'm usually very prompt. When I took another look at the e-mail, I saw the fatal words "there's no rush on this" and immediately knew what happened. I have to approach every job as a rush job or I'll just forget about it. I made the changes the client requested and apologized for the delay. Don't ever tell me to take my time. You may not hear from me for a year.

Dot threw up again this morning. She's been throwing up more frequently now and that's never a good sign. I'm not sure what's going on, but I think she's drinking too much water. When she gets restless, Dot goes back and forth between her bed and her water bowl. She doesn't seem to know what to do, so she does this over and over again. I'm right there with her, holding up her rear legs, but I hate to take her away from the water. She takes such tiny sips now that maybe she's not actually drinking too much. I'd hate for her to get dehydrated.

I guess I've got one more question to ask the oncologist. Does the vomiting have something to do with her cancer? Is she just drinking too much water? Or is this something else entirely? It only seems to happen about once a week, but when she was healthy she would only throw up about once a year.

I'm not doing so well myself. When I woke up this morning my neck hurt and I could barely move my right arm. I did my stretching exercises and things got a bit better, but I'm thinking that I need to go back for another round of physical therapy. My physical therapist would probably be horrified at the way I'm using my arm these days. Holding up Dot's rear legs tends to pull straight down on my shoulder joint, which is weak already. I hope I don't have a rotator cuff injury. It's all speculative at this point, because I don't really have time to go in for physical therapy anyway.

It's getting harder and harder to get anything done during the day. Dot is increasingly restless and I need to spend more time attending to her. When Dot is moving around, there is more chance of a mess, so I'm doing more laundry and cleanup as well. It's all very tiring. I've started taking short naps when Dot is asleep. Sometimes it's the only rest I get.

I forgot what day it was again. For most of the day I thought it was Wednesday. I guess it doesn't really matter. All these days seem the same. I still haven't watched The Expanse. I haven't downloaded Arrival or Passengers either. Maybe I'll skip Passengers, since it got terrible reviews. Maybe I'll skip all these movies. Dot doesn't stay asleep long enough to watch a movie anyway.

Doc is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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