Day 2672

Sometimes I wonder what I'd do if I didn't have dogs to take care of. I'd probably be making plans to view the solar eclipse this August. Maybe I'd try to reconnect with NASA and get myself invited to a few space launches again. I might go back to school and take some classes, although that is increasingly doubtful. Universities have become very strange. There's a good chance I might do nothing at all. My Dad had all sorts of plans for his retirement, but his health gradually declined and he ended up spending most of his time watching college basketball on a small TV in his living room. You never know what the future has in store for you. I see little point in making elaborate plans. I do have dogs to take care of. For the moment, this seems to be as valid a way to spend my days as anything else I could think of.

Today was a big improvement over yesterday. The skies have cleared and my rugs are drying out again. I think I have figured out why my breakfast smoothie tastes weird. The bananas aren't ripe. Dot didn't make a major mess in the house today, although the day isn't over yet. I even managed to get quite a bit of work done and all my client's websites are up to date.

I had to pick up some new city tags for Dash today. I wonder why it took me four years to realize that city pet registration was free for senior citizens. I guess I don't like to think of myself as a senior citizen. In my own mind, I'm still a nineteen year old with a rapidly failing mind and body. There's probably a lot of other free stuff I could take advantage of if I looked. I probably won't. I'm not the kind of guy who's looking for a free dessert at Luby's or half price matinee movie tickets. Let me know if anybody has senior citizen pricing on guitars or Ferrari's though. I might be interested.

Dot is having trouble taking her pills now. This is not good. We've been putting her pills inside a small ball of wet dog food, but in the past several days she's started spitting it out. For some reason, Dot is having trouble with soft foods now. First it was banana slices and now it's the "meatball" we make for her to take her meds. I'm going to have to figure out a better way to make sure she takes her pills. Oddly, Dot is still able to eat dry food just fine if the pieces are small. I never thought she'd lose the ability to chew soft things like bananas, but the aging process is full of mysteries.

I paid a bunch of bills today and took them to the post office. I'm probably never going to switch to online payments. I don't really need to go to the bank and post office anymore. There are apps on my phone that would let me bypass these errands. I guess I just like the ritual. Going to the post office gets me out of the house for a little while. I can see if there's anything new in the neighborhood while listening to NPR on the radio for a few minutes. These small outings and my Friday breakfast keep things in balance.

If the weather stays nice, I'll go up on the roof tomorrow and see whether the new patches survived the rain. I probably should go get that bone density scan at the doctor's office, but I hate sitting in the waiting room, so maybe I'll wait a while. I hope Dot has a good day. That's really all that matters.

Mattie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2671

What a miserable day. There were thunderstorms and heavy rain all day long. Dash refused to go outside and pee, becoming more and more frustrated as the day progressed. Dot had no problem going out in the rain. I don't even think she knew it was raining most of the time. We went out over and over again, getting soaking wet each time. Even though she had ample time to pee outside, Dot still chose to pee inside. It was one of those days. I sure wish I'd remembered to bring the rugs that were drying on the clothesline back inside last night, because now they are all wet again. Neither dog would relax today. They didn't like the rain and they seemed irritated at me for not making it stop.

I hope the new roof patches had time to cure properly. In theory, everything should be fine since they had at least three days to dry before today's rain, but things do not always go as planned. Once it rained less than twenty four hours after the roofers arrived and the coating they applied just dissolved and washed away. Roofers are always trying to convince me how great these new high tech coatings are on a flat roof, but I still think the original tar and gravel roof I had when I bought the house was better.

Something was strange with my breakfast smoothie this morning. I used exactly the same ingredients as I always do, but the beverage tasted very different. Did I get a bad banana? Is the Vitamix broken and not blending properly? I don't have a clue. Some people might not have even noticed the change in flavor, but inconsistency is a red flag to me. I may not notice many things in life, but I am very aware of inconsistencies. You'd think I'd be used to random changes by now, but I'm not. If I find something I like, I want it to stay the same forever.

I had a ton of errands to run today, but I didn't do any of them. Rainy days are basically a three ring circus around here. I always have to leave the back door open when I take Dot outside. Both of my hands are occupied holding Dot up, and if I stop to close the door, she'll fall over. Inevitably, Dash will wander outside just far enough to get his paws muddy and then go back inside again before I have a chance to clean him up. The entire day was like this. Dash wouldn't actually go out in the yard and pee. He would just stand in a puddle at the edge of the porch.

Since both dogs are scared of thunder and lightning, I ended up spending hours sitting with them in a corner trying to keep them calm. I wonder if they make me nervous or I make them nervous. I could care less about the thunder, but I fret about the power going out or a tree falling on the roof. Whenever there's a thunderstorm I always realize that I have failed to charge all my devices. The phones and tablets are charged now, but it probably doesn't matter. I think the weather is supposed to be nice for the rest of the week.

Maybe some sense of normalcy will return tomorrow. I hope so. I've had enough of this rain. There are websites I need to update. I've got to pick up some meds for Dash. There's a stack of bills that need to be paid. I need to get a bone density scan. I'm sure there are other things I've forgotten. I forget a lot these days. We'll start with the important stuff. If I can get Dot to pee without making a huge mess, I'm ready for anything.

Bella is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2670 - Easter

It hasn't seemed like Easter for a long time. When I was young, I remember Easter baskets and going to sunrise services in our pajamas. We could get away with pajamas because the service was held at a drive-in theater. We stayed in the car and listened though one of those speakers that clamped to your window. I think the choir and the preacher were up on the roof of the concession stand. Since the service was outside, we actually did see the sun rise.

That was a long, long time ago. Now, what I remember most about Easter are the hordes of people that descend on the park for egg hunts and family picnics. I never realized that Easter picnics are a big deal, but apparently they are. Easter is the busiest day of the year in the park. I kind of dread walking Dash on this day because there are tons of loose dogs and copious amounts of candy and chocolates strewn in the grass. We did OK today until some kid flew a drone right over our head and it scared Dash. That was the end of the walk for us. Dash turned around and immediately set a course for home.

My gym is closed on holidays, so I got my exercise cleaning the house. Vacuuming has replaced mowing the grass as the chore I hate the most. It has become almost impossible to keep things clean with all the traction rugs we've spread everywhere for Dot. Some of the rugs are thin, so they get sucked up and jam the vacuum. Others are porous, so dirt gets under them. You've almost got to clean the house twice. The rugs need to be cleaned and then they need to be pulled up so you can clean under them as well. The Dyson Animal does pretty well with pet hair, but it sure is heavy. I'm always tripping over the cord as well. I think going to the gym would have been a lot easier.

I caught the end of the tribute to the Bee Gees on TV this evening. Barry Gibb can still sing. Jeez, the guy has to be over 70 now. I'm amazed at how well the music of my generation has held up over the years. I still think we had the best music growing up. Many of the greats have died over the years, but the Rolling Stones are still performing. Paul McCartney is still performing. And Barry Gibb can still hit the high notes.

Janet cooked a fabulous Easter dinner tonight. Elaborate meals are a rarity now. We are both old and tired and generally it just isn't worth the trouble. Mostly we just eat take-out these days. It was a treat to sit down and enjoy a really nice home cooked meal. It was kind of like getting an Easter basket when I was a kid. Even the dogs were well behaved this evening. I immediately forgot the aches and pains of vacuuming.

Although Dot continues to get weaker, she had a surprisingly good walk this evening. It probably helped that I waited until sunset when the weather was cooler. We'll see how tomorrow goes. We don't even try to make it to the back door anymore. I just put some puppy training pads next to her bed and let her pee there as soon as I get her up in the morning. Things keep changing and I continue to improvise in an effort to make the best of things.

Becker is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2669

I found out this morning that the guy who played lead guitar in my old band is dead. I was going to wish him Happy Birthday on Facebook and when I went to his page I discovered that he had passed away last September. I'm so out of touch these days that this isn't the first time this has happened. I'm kind of wary about wishing someone my age Happy Birthday now without checking to make sure they're alive first. I'm not sure about the etiquette of these things, but it seems disrespectful to send a Facebook greeting to a dead person. Although it's a little late now to pay my respects, I was really sorry to learn about my old friend. He was a good guy. The years I spent playing in a band with him were some of the best.

I cut myself again today and didn't even notice until hours later. This is the second time I've done this recently. I have a feeling that I'm scraping my arms on branches in the yard when I'm holding Dot up when I take her outside to pee. I have to really concentrate when I'm walking her around like a marionette. I used to be able to just walk behind Dot, holding up her rear end as she walked. Now, her front legs are starting to become weak as well, so I need to provide support for both the front and rear. It's kind of awkward and hard on the back, so I have to be careful that I don't trip. It's not really surprising at all that I don't notice when I've bumped into a tree.

Blueberries are back. There was a big supply today, but they had doubled in price. I wonder sometimes how stores keep a steady supply of seasonal items. These berries probably came from South America instead of California or Mexico. Somewhere there's a guy who's job it is to source berries from all over the world, so people like me can enjoy them in their smoothie all year long. I'm always impressed that things like this work so smoothly. Maybe I'm not as much of an isolationist as I think I am. I enjoy having access to fresh fruit all year long. I routinely buy coffee from Ethiopia and Sumatra. And I'm continually amazed that you can get good sushi in Dallas.

The indestructible pants I bought at REI last year are already falling apart. I'm disappointed, but Janet tells me that you're not supposed to wear the same pair of pants every day. The knees of these pants tore first, which isn't surprising since I spend half my day on my knees cleaning up poop, or trying to get Dot back in an upright position. If lifting weights is supposed to build muscle, I don't understand why I'm still having trouble with muscle atrophy. After two years of lifting a fifty pound dog, I should look like the incredible hulk by now. Sadly, my muscle mass hasn't increased at all and all I've done is tear up both shoulders.

It looks like we got a bumper crop of wildflowers this year. The fields and meadows around our house are in full bloom now. I'm seeing new varieties almost everyday. Some flowers only bloom for a few days and others stick around for months. Some bloom very early in the morning and disappear by midday. It's fascinating to watch this pageant of color unfold. I spotted some Lazy Daisies this morning. I wonder who names these things.

I'm going to have to be careful when I walk the dogs in the park tomorrow. Every year, hundreds of families have their Easter Egg hunts here. Nobody seems to hide real eggs anymore. They hide plastic eggs filled with candy and chocolate. The kids never seem to find all the eggs, but the dogs do.  Since chocolate is poisonous to dogs, I definitely don't want Dot and Dash to go snooping around in the grass for stuff the kids left behind. It's amazing how much litter appears every Easter. Nobody even tries to pick up their mess.

It's been a long day. Two rugs and a blanket got soiled, but it could have been a lot worse. Dot is tired now and so am I. Hopefully we'll get some decent sleep before we start all over again tomorrow.

Krissy is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2668

Dot wouldn't settle down this morning, so I skipped going out to breakfast. I don't know what has changed, but she is more active now after we return from our morning walk. It's a good thing I stayed home, because she needed to go outside to pee twice while I was sitting in the kitchen eating my frozen toaster waffle. I walked her around half a dozen times before she finally settled down around 10 AM.

While I was waiting for Dot to go back to sleep, there was a knock on the door. The roofers had arrived. I wasn't expecting the roofers at all today. Truthfully, I wasn't even expecting them this month, so it was somewhat of a happy accident that I decided to stay home this morning. I went up on the roof with the crew to show them where the damaged areas were. There was still water on the roof, but the guys said they would blow it away with a leaf blower before they made their repairs. I would have picked a sunny day to come out, but beggars can't be choosers. I was glad they were here.

The repairs only took a couple of hours and then the roofers were gone again. I was a little worried that it would rain this afternoon before the patched areas had completely dried, but the skies cleared and the temperature got warmer as the day progressed. I think the patches will have plenty of time to cure properly and maybe I won't have to worry about leaks again for the rest of the Summer.

Dash has started throwing up again. This has happened periodically for years. I take him to the vet and they can never find anything wrong. They either tell me to give him a Pepcid, or if he vomits more than once they prescribe some Cerenia. Usually this takes care of the problem. I used to think that Dash had just eaten something bad in the park, but this has been going on so long that I now suspect that there is something else involved. Intermittent problems like this are very hard to diagnose. I'll talk to Dash's oncologist the next time we go in for a check up, but I think he just suggested taking a Pepcid too.

Since Dot has switched her nap time to the afternoon, I waited until she was asleep to go to the store and pick up something for dinner. On my way to Central Market I stopped by my doctor's office to ask why I was no longer receiving reminders to come in for lab work. I used to get lab work done every three months, but the nurse I talked to today told me that Medicare will now only cover once set of labs per year. Did I really ever need the extra blood tests when the doctor was able to bill them out? I'll never really know. Maybe once a year is enough, but I'd have a blood test every week if I could. Frequent tests allow you to chart the results and see if a change in diet or meds is making a difference. Once a year isn't really enough. An annual test will warn you if something really alarming is happening, but it doesn't let you monitor subtle changes. The neighborhood health food store used to offer low cost blood tests several times a year. The tests only cost $25 and I would always take advantage of them. It was really disappointing when one of the guys administering these tests unexpectedly died of a heart attack and the testing service was discontinued. The fact that these $25 tests went to the same lab as the $400 tests my own doctor gave me told me everything I needed to know about the health care system. As soon as insurance gets involved, things suddenly get very expensive.





The dogs are both quiet now. Nobody is pooping or throwing up. I hope it stays that way. Whenever Dot and Dash are having problems at the same time, I realize that one high maintenance dog is really all I can handle. I'm glad the roofers finally made good on their promise. That's one more thing I can cross off my list. Now, I just need to get the landscapers to come out and take care of the back yard.

Flash is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

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