Day 3024

Dash seems stable enough now to leave alone for a while, so it seemed like a good time to get a haircut. My hair isn't as thick as it used to be, but it still seems to grow pretty fast. Haircuts are the only time I go to the mall these days. Every time I visit, I notice that stores have disappeared. A lot of the high end watch boutiques are gone. So is the Pirch store. I never had the money to buy anything in these expensive stores, but they were fun to visit. Every big name clothing designer still has a store these days, but very few of these ritzy boutiques seem to have any customers. They're empty most of the time. How do they stay in business?

I wonder about these things while I'm having my hair cut, but the stylist and I mostly just talk about our pets. She has cats and I have dogs. The common bond is that we both prefer animals to people. Actually, just about everybody I know prefers animals to people. When you look at how people behave, how could you think otherwise?

I stopped at the Apple Store after my haircut and looked at phones. I played around with the iPhone X for a while and really wished it had a home button. It seemed too big to fit comfortably in my pocket as well. Maybe I'd better buy an iPhone SE before Apple discontinues this sensibly sized model. It doesn't have a fancy camera like the iPhone X, but it's still twice as fast as my current phone.

Dash was still sleeping when I got home. He really sleeps a lot now. This is one of the reasons I think it is so important to continue our walks. If Dash stops moving, his muscles are going to atrophy very quickly. The vestibular disease and a bulging disc in his spine have already made his rear legs very weak. He doesn't need the Help Em Up Harness yet, but I'm going to have to bring some rugs home from the storage warehouse this weekend. We're starting to have mobility issues. Dash seems much steadier on the carpet. The bricks are becoming treacherous.

The stock market had another good day, but it didn't leave me feeling all that comfortable. The analysts say that extreme volatility is the new normal. Volatility will never seem normal to me. I long for a world where the pace is slower and most things are predictable. I don't think that's where we're headed, unfortunately. The future is going to be more like a Mad Max movie than Leave it to Beaver.

They say there will be thunderstorms tomorrow. I hope the forecast is wrong. I haven't been able to patch the leak in the roof yet. Actually, I haven't even been able to find the leak. I haven't been able to find the roofer either. A short rain shouldn't be a problem, but if we get a soaker there is going to be water on the living room floor again. Oh, well. I did buy a new bucket.

We'll see how tomorrow goes. If it doesn't rain and Dash eats his breakfast, we're off to a good start.

Angel is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3023

Dash is finally starting to stabilize. He's still weak, but his eyes are bright and he's showing an interest in his surroundings again. It's weird how vestibular disease works. Even severe episodes seem to subside over time. I'm sorry that Dash has to go through all this, but it would be much worse if lost his ability to bounce back.

We took it easy today while gently trying to reestablish some of our regular routines. Dash is still eating boiled chicken breasts, but his appetite is improving. We were even able to take a walk this morning. Our progress was slow, but I could tell that Dash enjoyed being outdoors again. He wasn't panting or in any kind of distress, so I was happy to let him inch along, smelling every bush along the way.

After I finished my breakfast, I picked up some more Cerenia at the vet so we'd be ready for the next vestibular episode. A four day course of this anti-nausea drug really seems to help combat the vertigo and unsteadiness associated with vestibular disease. I wish there was something I could do about the weakness in his rear legs. That's a symptom that doesn't seem to be going away.

While I was out this morning I picked up my tax documents at the accountant and signed my return. I don't know why I bother to keep all these documents. I've got decades of files in the storage warehouse that I know I'll never need again. Even if I did need them, I probably couldn't find them.

I'm still eating Easter leftovers for dinner. Even though the ham wasn't too salty, I'm starting to feel like I've reached my yearly quota of salt. I've been watching my salt intake for years now and I don't have much of a tolerance for the stuff anymore. I wish that food wouldn't go bad in the refrigerator. A couple of slices of ham every month wouldn't hurt anything. I'm pushing my luck though eating it every day.

I don't understand the stock market at all anymore. This morning everyone was in a panic about tariffs. By mid afternoon, the crisis was forgotten. Oops. Never mind. Nothing had changed, but that didn't prevent a 700 point swing during the day. All this insane volatility makes me want to go out and buy something tangible that I can hold in my hand. Maybe I should get that iPhone after all.

Two of our friends in the neighborhood lost their dog to meningitis recently. I know how they feel, but I don't really know how to express it. I've felt this way ever since we lost Dot. It's so terribly sad to lose a pet after you've done everything you possibly can to save them. You just feel helpless. Enjoy every day you have with your pet. They aren't with us nearly long enough. Rest in peace Bizzy. Everybody loved you.

Dottie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3022

Dash was very weak today. Sometimes all he needs is a good night's rest after a bad vestibular episode, but this morning he seemed worse than yesterday. He still seemed disoriented and often had trouble standing on the slick brick floors. There were several times today when I debated whether to take him to the emergency vet, but I knew it wouldn't do any good. We've rushed Dash to the vet numerous times after a vestibular seizure and there was very little they could do. His initial seizure was so severe that he stayed in the ICU on fluids for four days, but subsequent seizures have been milder and the vet just took his vital signs and sent him home again. Traveling in the car is so stressful for Dash that I've decided that it is better to just ride out the small seizures at home.

If Dash doesn't have a fever, isn't panting or in distress, and is breathing normally when he is asleep, I can be fairly certain the the nausea and vertigo he is feeling will pass. Today I didn't feel this confident. In addition to the usually symptoms associated with vestibular disease, Dash seemed unusually weak. He could barely keep his head up. This weakness could mean that the blood clot in his heart was causing problems with his circulation again. The vets at the cancer center have already told me that unusual weakness could mean that his heart isn't pumping properly. Again, what could I do? Other than continuing to take blood thinners, there is absolutely nothing we can do about Dash's heart. Surgery isn't even an option. The combination of vestibular disease and a serious heart problem are kind of a double whammy.

Sitting with Dash and watching him twitch as he sleeps makes me sad. I wish there was more I could do. Dash's vet at the cancer center tells us we are already living on borrowed time, so keeping Dash calm and happy is probably the best treatment we've got left. We're learning to cope with the vestibular disease and are still hopeful the the blood thinners Dash is taking will eventually dissolve the clots in his heart. Something is working. Dash bounced back a little toward the end of the day. He ate about half of his dinner and Janet and I were able to take him on a short walk to the end of our street and back. He is sleeping peacefully now.

I discovered a cool app today that let's you instantly identify plants and animals by pointing your phone's camera at them. This would be great on my walks with Dash. I am always trying to identify birds and wondering what type of flower I'm looking at. I tried to download the app and I got a notice that I would have to upgrade to IOS 11.3 first. No can do. My phone is stuck on IOS 10.3 forever. That apparently is the end of the road for the iPhone 5. It seems stupid to buy an expensive new phone so you can use a free app, but that's how it goes these days. It's all about the software.

Maybe after I pay my accountant for doing my taxes, I'll still have enough money left over to get a new phone. Nah. That will never happen. There's never any left over money these days. For the time being, I'll just continue looking up wildflowers on Google. Some, like the Bluebonnets I saw today, are easy to identify.

I swept all the catkins off the roof today, so the water won't pond when it rains. I also found a suspicious area that might be the source of the leak in the living room. What I haven't been able to do is convince the roofer that my leaky roof is more important than the other leaky roofs he's dealing with. I'll call him again, but I'm not a miracle worker.

I hope Dash is feeling better tomorrow. Today was a rough day.

Lexi is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3021

Dash has had a rough day. He threw up a third time in the middle of the night and then appeared disoriented when I took him outside to pee. He didn't have much of an appetite this morning, although he did eat enough to take his pills. There were no walks today. For most of the day, Dash slept under a blanket in my office. While he was sleeping, I noticed that the involuntary tremors he sometimes experiences had returned. There are so many possible causes for these tremors that nobody has been able to pin down the cause. I discovered on the Internet that there is even something called "White Dog Shaker Syndrome" where dogs with a white coat, including Dalmatians, are more prone to involuntary tremors than other colors. I doubt that this is Dash's problem, since the tremors are also commonly caused by neurological problems. I wish there was something I could do to control the shivering, but none of his vets seem to have an answer.

The shivering spells, like his occasional vomiting, do seem to go away. If these symptoms are caused by his vestibular disease, he's going to have to deal with them for the rest of his life. Since Dash wasn't feeling well, I kept a close eye on him today. It's not like there's anywhere I really wanted to go anyway. It was a grey, gloomy day. Eventually, the tremors stopped and Dash ate a little food. Hopefully, a day of rest helped him. We'll see if he sleeps better tonight. With my luck he'll probably be up all night since he slept most of the day.

My accountant called today and said my tax returns were finished. The good news was that I don't owe the IRS anything. The bad news is that the company made very little money in 2017. I would have rather have had the opposite result. It's better to make a lot of money and owe tax on it than to have your company slowly disappear under your nose. My accountant hinted that next year might be a good time to officially retire. I'm still hoping that I'll get some good web design jobs this year, but's that's not very likely.

I'm glad I haven't put my Winter clothes away yet. It was really cold today. I was hoping that the chilly weather would invigorate Dash and get him moving again, but he wasn't having any part of it. We stayed in the house all day, and for most of that time, Dash was resting under a warm blanket. When it's cold outside, it always feels cold inside as well. The inside temperature is almost always 75 degrees, but it never feels the same. Today 75 felt pretty chilly. On a warm day this temperature often feels hot.

I hope Dash feels better tomorrow. I miss our daily walks. I didn't come close to my usual 10,000 steps today. I guess I could have gone on a walk by myself, but Dash was so shaky that I didn't want to leave him alone. It was a slow day. In addition to watching my dog sleep, I made an appointment to get a haircut and thought about getting a new iPhone. The last thing I need is a new phone, but that's never stopped me before.

Miracle is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3020 - Easter

Janet and I have been watching old World War II bombers fly over our house for the past week, so we decided to go see them today. A traveling exhibit called Wings of Freedom was in Dallas this week which included some of the last remaining examples of legendary planes like the B-17, the B-24, and the P51 Mustang that are still in flying condition. You can even take rides in these planes although it is pretty expensive. I had no idea how a thirty minute flight could cost $450 until Janet and I climbed inside the B-17 parked on the runway and took a look inside. Good Lord. How do these things still fly? It might be pretty exciting to ride inside one of these ancient bombers, but bungee jumping seems safer. The planes looked huge on the outside but were claustrophobic inside. The B-17 only has room for 7 passengers and costs $4000 an hour to fly. No wonder rides are expensive. You have to always watch your step, because there are few areas where you can stand up and lots of sharp things to bang your head on. These bombers were state-of-the-art in the early 1940's, but seem primitive by today's standards. It's amazing how much the world has changed. I don't know if I'd have the nerve to fly in one of these things, but I have a lot of admiration for the men and women of my Dad's generation who did.

I was surprised at how cold it was this morning. I'm sure glad I fixed the furnace. Maybe it was a little premature to think that Spring was here to stay. Hey, at least we aren't getting snow like some parts of the country. The cooler weather didn't deter the hordes of people who descend on the park every Easter. People were already staking out their territories when we took Dash on his sunrise walk. Later in the day the place looked like a rock concert. I don't know where these people come from, but they sure don't believe in picking up their trash. Every year, the park is a disaster on the day after Easter. Lots of garbage get blown away by the wind and never gets picked up. The rest sits around for weeks until the sanitation department finally gets around to removing it. For the next three weeks I'm going to have to watch carefully to make sure that Dash doesn't eat chicken bones or children's Easter candy. The stuff is everywhere.

It's a shame that Dash wasn't feeling great today, because Janet and I had a delicious Easter feast. We enjoyed a traditional meal of smoked ham, candied yams, green beans, corn on the cob, and spiced baked apples. Dash had an upset stomach and was reluctant to eat his favorite dog food. He must have experienced another vestibular event. Even though Dash seemed normal for much of the day, he ended up throwing up twice as evening approached. Hopefully, the worst is over now and he'll be able to hold down his evening meds. It's always important that he takes his phenobarbital.

It was enjoyable to get out of the house today. While we were at Love Field we stopped to visit the Frontiers of Flight museum. The museum is home to the Apollo VII capsule and they were getting ready for a fiftieth anniversary celebration of the launch later this year. Has it been that long? Jeez. I'm really getting old. I remember each of the Apollo launches quite vividly. There were a couple of World War II vets touring the B-17 with us. I imagine they felt even older.

It was nice having a holiday weekend, but it's back to normal tomorrow. I might even have to mow the grass.

Haley is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3019

When I went to the hardware store this morning to look for some screen wire to repair the back door, there were a whole bunch of people inside the store singing happy birthday to a chicken. This was the most interesting thing I saw today. It was a pretty uneventful day.

We must have run out of all the items we buy in bulk at the same time, because I sure had a lot of stuff to buy at Sam's Club. For once, I looked like everyone else in the store. When I got home it took forever to figure out where to store everything. We definitely have plenty of paper towels, trash bags, and bottled water now.

Dash's new Ultra-Paws boots are better than the ones I've been making myself. We tried them out this morning and not only did they stay securely on his feet, Dash seemed to walk completely normally while wearing them. I think we have a winner. We'll have to see how these new boots hold up to wear and tear. Dash can be pretty rough on his shoes.

Lately, Dash has been pretty rough on me. He gets me up every night at 3 AM to go outside and poop. Usually he gets me up at five AM again to poop a second time. I've been trying to get him to eat dry food again in hopes that he would return to his old schedule, but it's a losing battle. He doesn't like dry food anymore. It's weird that Dash is so confident that I will always be there to open the door for him. On the other hand, maybe he doesn't care. He's certainly not shy about pooping on the floor if I don't wake up in time.

Since the weather is nice, there are going to be a ton of people in the park tomorrow. This seems to be a favorite place to have Easter egg hunts. I wish kids still hunted for real eggs instead of plastic eggs filled with candy. Lots of eggs are never found. I've always had to keep a close eye on the dogs for weeks after Easter. I definitely don't want Dash eating a chocolate bunny, or any candy for that matter.  Dash isn't as quick as he used to be, but he's still pretty good at spotting a piece of stray Easter candy in the grass.

I was pleased to hear the furnace running normally when I woke up. So far, all my repairs are a success. The furnace is working, the toilet doesn't run anymore, and I haven't seen any ice build-up on the refrigerator yet. Even the fitness tracker I fixed yesterday hasn't fallen apart. There is still one huge problem. It's up above my head. The roof is something I can't fix myself. My next challenge is to get the roofers out here to make good on their promises. It won't be easy. If I can ever get the roof fixed, then I can final get around to fixing the sheetrock on the living room ceiling.

Tomorrow should be a relaxing day. The weather is nice. The gym is closed, so there's no need to exercise. With any luck, we'll be able to sleep in late. Last but not least, there will be a nice smoked ham in the oven for Easter dinner.

Smiley is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3018

The house was cold this morning when I woke up. The thermostat said the heat was on, but no air was blowing through the vents. Yep. On probably the last cool day of the year, the furnace broke. I was actually surprised that we made it through the winter with no problems. I looked at the furnace and the fault alert LED was blinking seven times. Hmm. I think I've seen this before. I unplugged the furnace and laid out my tools on the kitchen counter. When I returned from breakfast, I would have one more thing to fix.

Breakfast was actually pretty decent this morning. I gambled on Eggs Benedict and for once it was prepared correctly. I was surprised at how crowded the restaurant was today. I guess a lot of people had the day off. I picked up groceries after breakfast and the store was even more crowded than the restaurant. The deli section featured braised brisket, matzo-ball soup, kugel, and other Passover favorites. I still wanted an Easter ham, but I wasn't going to get it here. There is a great little store in our neighborhood that smokes their own meat.

When I returned home I disassembled the furnace to gain access to the flame sensor. I suspected that this was the problem. I've spent a fortune on furnace repairs over the years before a friendly technician took pity on me and showed me how to clean the flame sensor myself. If the flame sensor is not very clean, it will not send the signal to turn the main burners on after the pilot light ignites. Occasionally components break or wear out, but most furnace problems have something to do with the flame sensor. Sure enough, when I cleaned the sensor with fine grit sandpaper and reassembled everything, the furnace worked perfectly. Let's hope the air conditioner works as well, because we're going to be using it very soon.

Dash's new boots arrived today. Janet and I had been looking at this well known Dalmatian on Facebook wearing these fancy Ultra-Paws boots all winter and finally decided to try a pair ourselves. The boots were a little pricy, but they do seem to work. I can get them on myself and Dash doesn't seem to mind them at all. He's been test driving them all evening.

I think I've found a new use for Shoe Goo. After Superglue failed several times, I used the Shoe Goo to repair the silicon strap on my fitness tracker. I let the repair dry for 24 hours and so far it's been holding up pretty well. Ordinarily, I would have just bought a new fitness tracker, but the Jawbone company has gone out of business. I think my choices are Shoe Goo or nothing.

Dash got me up twice last night to go outside and poop. I try my best to get Dash to do his business before we all go to bed, but Dash just thinks I'm crazy. He's just not going to go before he's ready. Things were easier when Dash ate dry food and didn't take so many pills. I'm not sure what to do at this point, but naps during the day are certainly an option. I'm definitely not very busy anymore.

The roof is drying out, but there's an ugly rust colored stain in the sheetrock. I've left several messages for the roofer, but I'm sure he's got his hands full with bigger leaks than mine. I hope I don't have to go buy more of the messy elastomer material myself, but it may come to that. I'm always fixing something.

Sparky is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3017

I went to a meeting today. Jeez. It's been ages since I've been to any sort of meeting. This wasn't work related, but there were people sitting around a table discussing things. It was definitely a meeting. I don't do well in meetings anymore. I don't have the patience for them. I hope I made a contribution, but I probably didn't. I did eat a lot of pizza.

I didn't realize it was Thursday until Janet reminded me to take out the trash. I thought it was Tuesday all day yesterday. No wonder I had trouble remembering my dental appointment. I guess this is how it begins. First you forget what day it is and before long you can't even remember your own name. I'd probably remember what day it was if it mattered. It doesn't. Without deadlines to meet, all days are more or less the same.

There are only two kinds of day for Dash. There are the days when Janet goes to work and the days she stays home. I'm pretty sure he likes the weekends better. Today was a workday, so we went on our morning walk as soon as Janet left for work. He seemed fine while we were walking, but when we returned home he began acting strange. Since he wouldn't eat and seemed a little unsteady on his feet, I though he might be having a mild vestibular event. I'm glad we were home when this happened. I always worry that he'll have a vestibular event when we are in a remote part of the park.

After a long nap, Dash was fine again. He finished the breakfast he refused to touch earlier and was even eager to take an afternoon walk. We go through this routine almost every day. There is no way to predict what is going to happen next. When Dash is feeling good, he still acts like a young dog. At other times he can barely stand up. I try my best to anticipate things, but it gets confusing. I don't want Dash to overexert himself and I don't want him to become sedentary either.

It's hard to believe it's almost Easter. It seems like I just took down the Christmas tree a few days ago.  We had such a mild winter that it's easy to forget we had a Winter at all. I'm still not sure what I'm going to do for breakfast, but I am going to go out and get an Easter ham. We had a smoked ham for Christmas and it was really good. I wouldn't mind having the same holiday meal again. this weekend.

It doesn't take much to get me off schedule. A simple evening meeting and here I am watching the clock approach midnight. Al least Dash has finally gone to sleep. Hopefully, tonight's pizza won't give me heartburn. If it does, that's the way it goes. I should have had more willpower and eaten a single slice.

Elliott is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3016

The roof leaked last night. I was really hoping to avoid this, but it's been raining steadily for several days now. I guess my luck ran out. The leak wasn't bad, but it's one more reason to get the roofers out here as soon as possible. The leak forced me to go up on the roof and remove the standing water even though I know it is going to rain some more. I have no idea where the leak is coming from. There are four or five suspicious areas, along with others I probably haven't discovered yet. Water is relentless. Once it has breached the outer elastomer coating, it looks for weak points and eventually finds its way inside.

While I was eating breakfast this morning, I got a notice on my phone that I had a dental appointment in an hour. I'd completely forgotten. I knew the dentist would be mad if I canceled the appointment at the last minute, so I put the rest of my breakfast in the refrigerator, hopped in the car, and headed North. With normal traffic, the dentist office is about an hour away. I arrived with five minutes to spare. All I needed today were new x-rays and a cleaning. When I was younger I would have skipped minor things like this. Luckily, I finally realized that I can't ignore my teeth. I faithfully go to the dentist every six months now.

Since the rain is finally starting to subside, I was able to give Dash two walks today. I never know whether he's going to take his afternoon walk, but today he seemed eager to go. Inconsistencies in people and animals baffle me. Why would Dash refuse to walk one day and be eager to walk the next? At any rate, I was glad that Dash felt like moving today. These slow walks are probably the closest thing to physical therapy he's going to get. The underwater treadmill helped Dot quite a bit as her legs began to get weaker. I don't think we're going to be able to try this with Dash. He hates riding in the car and the trip downtown would be a nightmare.

I kept wondering why it was only Tuesday today. It feels like it should be Friday. Rainy days just seem longer. It doesn't help that I'm not getting much sleep either. Dash had to go outside twice last night. Why he can't learn to poop just before he goes to bed, I'll never know. We made it safely outside both times, so I didn't have to clean up poop in the house. I did have to clean up something though. Remember that roof leak I was telling you about.

I'll have to wash the car tomorrow. I actually did quite a bit of driving today, considering it was so wet and messy. Everything was important though. In addition to the dental appointment, I needed to make a deposit at the bank so I can pay my taxes, and as always, there were bills to take to the post office. Tomorrow, all I'll need to do is pick up something for dinner at the grocery store. The refrigerator is still nice and cold, but it's looking pretty empty.

Maybe I'll sleep better tonight. It all depends on Dash. I think I've programmed myself to wake up whenever Dash moves. He moves around a lot. Oh, well. Sleep is nice but I can live with a little less as long as I don't have to clean up poop every night.

Doc is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3015

All day rain. That's all you need to say about days like today. I didn't even attempt to walk Dash this morning. The rain hadn't started yet when I woke up, but as slow as Dash moves these days, I knew we would be drenched by the time we returned. It didn't take long for the storm to arrive. Dash was predictable. He needed to pee, but wouldn't even stick his head out the back door. I kept trying to tell him that this was going to go on for a long time. Unfortunately, he still thinks I can stop the rain.

It didn't take long for cabin fever to set in. Dash was restless and so was I. There's not much to do in a small house on a rainy day. Dash kept going to his food bowl and I kept turning the TV on and off again. I don't know why I kept expecting to find something interesting. There's never anything interesting on daytime TV.

I kept checking the weather radar, looking for a gap in the cloud cover, but the rain was pretty steady. Around 3 PM the rain stopped for a while and I decided to take Dash for an afternoon walk. We walked for about fifteen minutes and then the rain started again. I don't know why I thought we'd be able to make it home. Dash is really slow. We got wet, but at least there wasn't any thunder and lightning.

I dried Dash off, changed my clothes, and watched the stock market lose most of yesterday's gains. I can't recall any really bad news today. Everyone is just jittery. I should stop fretting about the market. I certainly can't change anything.

I'm surprised at the number of people who say they are going to leave Facebook. Why are these people surprised that Facebook is selling their information? Jeez. What else has Facebook got to sell?  Wait until they discover that Alexa and Siri are listening to everything they say. I doubt that many of these outraged people will actually leave Facebook. That would be like me telling someone I was going to give up ice cream or bacon. Social media is here to stay and privacy left the building a long time ago.

I wonder how long it's going to take the roofers to get to me now. Every day of rain probably delays them another three weeks. It's amazing how long this has gone on. Occasionally, I'll look at old blog posts and realize that I've been dealing with this roof problem for over five years. I've still got buckets handy, but luckily there are no active leaks at the moment. The roof is constructed in layers. I worry when the top layer breaks, but water has to penetrate three more layers before it can get inside. We've got another day of heavy rain tomorrow and then hopefully I can start to clean things up.

I'm tired of fixing things. I need to find a good book or a TV series to binge watch on Netflix. I used to be a voracious reader, but it's difficult for me to pick up a book anymore. I wonder why? Maybe I should write a book. There are several dystopian novels floating around in my head, but it just doesn't seem important to put the ideas on paper. I only think about these matters on rainy days. When the sun is shining, I just fix broken things.

According to the weather forecast, tomorrow is going to be just like today. That's a pleasant thought. If it's going to be wet, at least the stock market should have the decency to go up. I need some good news.

Chloe is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3014

Near the top of my to-do list today was a trip to the store to get more dog treats for Dash. You don't ever want to run out of dog treats in this house. Since Dash is a picky eater, there is a particular brand of treats he likes. Of course you can't find this brand at the neighborhood pet store. I drive further to find things for Dash than I do for myself.

While I was out, I returned to the plumbing supply store. Surprisingly, they actually did have some of the parts I was looking for. I bought some of the easy to replace parts, but the water control assembly, which was the main thing I was trying to replace didn't look quite the same. The parts guy said to bring the old fill valve in and it would be easy to tell whether the two parts were the same. My idea was just to buy the part now in case it was unavailable in the future. I didn't actually have the nerve to try to remove the old part yet. It has frozen in place and there's a good chance I could break something trying to remove it. The guy who was helping me couldn't figure out why I wanted to buy the part if I wasn't going to use it. "If this part doesn't fit, you're going to have to buy a new toilet anyway," he told me. The guy had a point. "Just leave the part here until you really think you need it," He said. "Nobody else is going to buy this thing."

I decided to leave well enough alone. It would be nice to have all new parts, but the toilet is actually working now. There's a good chance I could break it again if I keep monkeying around. I should have thanked the parts guy. He saved me $75.

It was a pleasant surprise to see the stock market go up almost 700 points today. We're still down for the month, but they say this was the third largest gain in history. These wild market swings make me nervous. There was no fundamental reason for last weeks huge loss and no reason for today's big gain. I'm going to have to learn to live with this volatility though. I think it's here to stay. Computerized trading platforms make it possible to buy and sell huge quantities of stock in a fraction of a second. Humans like me are just along for the ride.

It was kind of hot this afternoon, so I wasn't entirely surprised that Dash refused to take his afternoon walk. I dutifully suited him up anyway, just in case. I still think that Dash needs a little more exercise, but like they say, you can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink.

Since we had a mild Winter, I'm already starting to see a lot of bugs. A lot of these bugs seem to find their way inside. When I'm out in the back yard it looks like an invading army is preparing to strike. There are cockroaches in the trees, ants crawling on the bricks, and crane flies hovering around the back door. The spiders haven't returned yet, but it won't be long. I hate the crane flies because every time I let Dash out, a few of them fly in the house. It's going to be an uphill battle to keep these critters outside this Summer.

I shouldn't complain about Spring, because Summer is so much worse. It was actually a beautiful day today. It's too bad that Dash thought it was too hot.

Bubba is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3013

There are so many products I would like to buy that simply don't exist. Why doesn't someone manufacture the dog boots I currently make by hand. I take a stretchy rubberized sock and apply tough yet flexible inner tube rubber at strategic wear spots. These boots are easy to get on Dash's feet and stand up to a lot of punishment. I've never seen anything like them. I also would like to see a bright saucer shaped LED bulb that would fit inside the living room sconce lights. I know exactly what the light bulb would look like, but nobody makes one. Trust me, I've looked. While I'm at it, why doesn't someone make an adapter that would allow you to retrofit inexpensive Home Depot toilet parts in my Porcher toilet? None of this is rocket science. Why doesn't anybody make these things?

I've always had these problems. Things I obsess about just aren't a high priority to anyone else. I can't even find a decent pair of pants anymore. About three years ago I found a brand I really like. The pants fit well, had tons of pockets, and were made of a heavy canvas like material that seemed like it would last forever. I should have bought more of these pants while they were still available. Now, this company makes everything out of much lighter synthetic fabric. They seems to love stretch fabric, which I hate. Everything is advertised as quick drying and easily packable. Apparently backpackers and rock climbers love this stuff. I guess I'm not the target audience anymore.

Dash pooped in the house again last night. I didn't even wake up this time. At some point I woke up and noticed that Dash was sleeping on the floor. This was unusual and I immediately suspected the worst. I picked up a flashlight and walked slowly and carefully toward the back door. It didn't take long to find the evidence. At least Dash tried to go outside. I felt bad that I didn't wake up, but I must have been really tired. Jeez, Dash. You bark at me for everything else. Couldn't you try barking when you need to poop? At least everything landed on the bricks. Although he almost hit the Persian rug in the living room, this was nothing compared to last night's mess. I cleaned everything up, washed my hands twice, and went back to bed.

I wonder if fitness trackers are even remotely accurate? My Apple watch never shows the same results as my Jawbone UP band. Today Janet and I both took the same morning and evening walks with Dash and we both went to the gym. Our fitness bands showed wildly different results. Could these things be delivering fake news as well? I wouldn't be surprised.

I finally got around to constructing a second pair of rubber boots for Dash. I sure wish Shoe Goo wasn't so messy. My dog boots are tough and functional, but they aren't very pretty. You'd never buy a pair if you saw these in a catalog. I wish Dash didn't need these boots, but he's dragging his rear legs even more than he used to. Dash would be a good candidate for water therapy if I could ever get him to ride in the car. Right now that isn't even an option.

The toilet and the refrigerator are still working normally. I've seen no evidence of ice build up in the refrigerator so far and I don't hear the toilet running anymore. It's too early to declare victory, but I think we're headed in the right direction.

Petey is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3012

I was determined to fix the toilet today. I printed out a parts list and drove to the only plumbing supply store in town that has just about everything. The store was closed. If I was thinking, I should have known the store would be closed. Just about the only people who go to this store are plumbers. Have you ever tried getting a plumber on a Saturday?

When I finished the rest of my Saturday errands, I took the flush valve apart and cleaned everything again. This time I must have done something right. When I reassembled the valve and turned the water back on, the water level in the tank was almost an inch lower and the flush valve leak had been reduced to a slow drip. I probably still need new parts, but at least I accomplished something. I'm convinced that Porcher and Citroën must have had some connection in the part. Both French companies feature very clever engineering and make products that are virtually impossible to fix. I have owned several Citroën automobiles. They are wonderful cars to drive but you never want to break down on a lonely stretch of highway. I reluctantly sold my last Citroën when the only Citroën mechanic in Texas retired.

Dash woke me up last night and went racing for the back door. I thought I got the door opened in time. I watched Dash go out in the yard and poop. What I didn't see until the next morning was that he really didn't make it to the yard after all. It was dark and I didn't notice that he'd pooped right on top of the door threshold. When I closed the door and locked up, I inadvertently squished the poop under the bottom of the door and made a huge mess. It was a very unpleasant job to clean the aluminum threshold and underside of the door. The entire door had become a poop sandwich. I thought I was going to get a break from cleaning up poop after Dot passed away, but Dash is already following in her footsteps.

Dash didn't want to take an afternoon walk today. I sure wish this dog could talk. I don't want to make him walk if he's feeling tired or uncomfortable, but it would be nice to know how he felt about things before I spent a lot of time getting him suited up in his protective gear. If he won't walk, I have to remove all the gear because he can't get up on the bed with his boots and leg brace on. We go through this ritual several times every afternoon and I never know what the outcome is going to be. Sometimes he walks and other times he doesn't.

At least the large printer is working again. I finally managed to get the thing unclogged. The printer is making nice prints, but it looks like I'm already going to have to order some more ink. I ended up using half of the expensive ink I received recently running five cleaning cycles. Why do I still have this printer? Probably for the same reason I still have several Beta-SP tape decks. It's a bitch when you've become obsolete.

The grass is already starting to grow in the front yard again. It's almost time to see whether the lawn mower battery survived the winter. I really don't like mowing the lawn, but it's probably no worse than getting the water off the roof or fixing the toilet.

Chelsey is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3011

I was pleased to discover a repair manual for my French toilet that I'd never seen before. Unbeknownst to me, the float is adjustable. Rotate the float clockwise in the assembly to lower the water level in the tank. Rotate it counterclockwise to raise the water level. Cool. I followed the instructions and the styrofoam float did rotate exactly as advertised. I couldn't move it very far unfortunately, because it kept getting stuck on the side of the flush valve which had somehow frozen in place at a slight angle. In theory, lowering the float should lower the water level, but I wasn't able to lower it enough to make much of a difference. After monkeying around for an hour, I actually made the situation a little worse. No wonder plumbers don't want to touch this thing.

I couldn't decide on a restaurant this morning, so I just picked up some precooked bacon and eggs at the grocery store breakfast bar. It wasn't very good. I should have just cooked breakfast myself at home. At least I didn't have to make a separate trip to get groceries for the weekend. I think I'm just not willing to admit that I've lost my interest in food. Nothing I eat seems to taste very good anymore. I know I need to eat to stay healthy, but there are times when I wish I could exist without food.

Dash doesn't have this problem. He seems to want to eat all the time now. This is certainly better than not eating, but I wish we could strike a balance. I don't want Dash to get fat because his rear legs are so weak. If I'm not in the kitchen feeding him, Dash wants me napping with him in the bedroom. He gets irritated when I spend a lot of time at the computer and then starts knocking things over in the office. I try to give Dash the benefit of the doubt because he's got so much wrong with him, but I think our boy has become a little spoiled.

The printer ink I ordered arrived today and I've been watching it disappear as I run the cleaning cycle to clear the clogged lines. Epson is really just an ink company. They sell you complex printers at artificially low prices knowing that you'll have to buy their ridiculously expensive ink. Half the ink is wasted running these cleaning cycles. Pigment ink makes beautiful prints, but it clogs very easily. You've got to keep the printer running to keep it clean. Basically, you should never buy one of these large printers unless you plan to print something every day. If I hadn't become a slave to my machines, I would have ditched this cantankerous printer a long time ago. A big ink jet printer isn't nearly as essential as a toilet.

I finally got Dash to take an afternoon walk, but it wasn't easy. He doesn't like to walk down the alley in the afternoon. I practically had to carry him down the alley today, but once we got to the park, he was just fine. I don't understand this behavior at all. Dash probably thinks the same of me and wonders why I waste so much time trying to maintain old things that any sane person would have thrown away by now.

Ariel is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3010

Dash was in a weird mood today. We'd only walked about half a block this morning when he froze and wouldn't go any further. Although the street was completely empty, he seemed panicked for some reason and was trying to run back to the house. We tried again a couple of hours later and Dash refused to leave the yard. Inexplicably, around 11:30 AM, he decided he was ready to walk and headed toward the park as if nothing had happened. We took a nice long walk without incident and I never could figure out why he balked at the idea earlier.

When I tried to renew Dash's Plavix prescription this morning the pharmacist told me that the prescription had expired. It took forever to get the prescription renewed. The vet would tell me that they had called the prescription in and then the pharmacy would tell me that the hadn't received anything. I kept asking the vet to try again but the prescription wasn't going through. I think everyone was getting annoyed with me, but I really needed to get the Plavix today. Eventually, the vet and the pharmacist connected and I was able to go pick up Dash's meds. I had to pick up something for myself as well. The only problem with my prescription was that it was too expensive.

I haven't used my large format printer in several months, so I was apprehensive about turning it on this morning. I didn't have anything to print today, but knew that the longer I waited, the harder it was going to be to unclog the lines. As I expected, the printer was hopelessly clogged. I used up two of the eight ink cartridges running the cleaning program and was still not able to clear the lines. Reluctantly, I called my supplier and ordered some more ink. I might as well add the printer to all the other broken stuff that needs to be fixed.

There seems to be a perfect storm of bad news that is sending the market into a tailspin. I miss the days when people bought and sold stock based on whether a company was making money or not. Now market moves are almost entirely fueled by fear and greed. Why are people so upset about Facebook? Facebook's entire business model is based on selling our information. We are the product and advertisers are the customers. It's always been that way. It's pretty easy to opt out of just about everything on Facebook too. People are just too lazy to go to their settings page. I don't understand the panic about tariffs either. There is not going to be a trade war with China. Both countries depend on trade with each other. Tariffs are silly and ineffectual, but most modern presidents have imposed them at one time or another. I don't know why rising interest rates would cause a panic either. We actually need interest rates to go up a little. The Fed has kept interest rates artificially low for way too long. Why can't people act rationally about money? I guess that's too much to expect in a world ruled by emotions.

It was a slow day so I did an extensive search of nearby breakfast restaurants. I must have looked at two dozen menus and found nothing that appealed to me. Why is this so hard? I don't think I'm that picky. I've enjoyed a perfect breakfast numerous times. It just seems difficult to find this illusive meal again.

Truthfully, everything seems somewhat illusive these days. I don't know whether it's me or the world in general, but I'm beginning to feel like a stranger in a strange land. I think it would take a time machine to return me to a place that felt familiar.

Brooke is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3009

The bomb squad was in the neighborhood last night removing a live grenade that was found in the road. Since this is Texas, it was unclear whether this was a malicious act or if someone just lost their grenade. I was surprised that the event didn't receive much coverage in the local news. I did read that a police robot moved the grenade to a nearby school playground where it was safely detonated. So that's what I heard last night. I just thought it was a car backfiring, but I heard the noise at exactly the same time that the bomb squad was removing the grenade. What a world we live in that something like this wouldn't even get much attention.

Janet had to go to work so early this morning that Dash was totally confused. He usually eats his breakfast with Janet but this morning he didn't even wake up until she was ready to leave. I didn't wake up either. I took Dash outside to pee and saw Jupiter, Mars, and Saturn stretched out in a line in the Southern sky. This was all the evidence that Dash and I needed to go back to bed. We slept for another three hours and then ate our breakfast at a normal time.

The weather was kind of chilly this morning, but it still seems like Spring. We watched the sun come up on our morning walk and I found a patch of Purple Phlox starting to bloom. The Purple Martins have returned and are engaged in a war with the local Sparrows for possession of the Martin houses in the park. I saw the Cedar Waxwings again perched in a Cedar Tree and off in the distance there were still a few White Pelicans floating serenely on the lake. I enjoy mornings like these, especially when there are no bicycles to be seen.

The refrigerator is still working like a charm. It's to early to claim victory, but I have a feeling that the recent repair just might work. The reason I'm optimistic is that the temperature is very stable now. Last week it kept fluctuating. If there is still no ice build up two weeks from now, I'll be able to cross the refrigerator off my to-do list for a while.

When I was taking some mail to the post office this afternoon, I stopped at a neighborhood Italian restaurant and picked up a calzone to take home for dinner. I haven't had a calzone in years. I don't know why I've been craving Italian food lately, but the calzone was very good. It was very inexpensive too. It's a shame that bread and pasta immediately convert to glucose in your stomach. I could live on bread if I didn't have to worry about becoming a diabetic. Oh, well. I can always eat more vegetables tomorrow.

Dash is still eating well and taking two walks a day. I hope this means that his heart condition is improving. The only way we can tell how he's doing is to use an echocardiogram to measure the size of the blood clots in his heart. We'll run another test in a month in a half, but so far Dash seems to be improving.

I hope I don't get heartburn from that delicious calzone. I could really use a good night's sleep tonight.

Big Boy is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3008 - Vernal Equinox

I'm starting to get the urge to do things again. I guess this is a good sign. From time to time I still see opportunities to view NASA launches. There have been several opportunities to apply for credentials to view Space X launches in Florida. Recently, I just missed the deadline to apply to view the launch of the InSight Mars Lander at Vandenberg Air Force Base this May. It's still too complicated to leave Dash and way too expensive for me to become a space groupie, but where there's a will, there's a way. If NASA continues offering bloggers a chance to view and write about their interplanetary missions, I'd like to do this again sometime.

Some days I think I'd like to write songs again as well. My interest in recording has returned. Mostly this just consists of reading old instruction manuals and trying to figure out how to use my aging equipment. It would be a long journey to get back to where I was in the mid-1970's. Not only would I have to brush up on multi-track recording, I'd have to learn to play my keyboards and guitar again. My interest in space is genuine. My interest in music might just be a sneaky way to convince myself to buy more gear. We'll see if any of these latent desires come to fruition. Right now I'm still bogged down with toilets that run and a roof that won't drain properly.

I certainly didn't embark on any new adventures today. It was just a pleasant Tuesday. I'm starting to see wildflowers, but I can only photograph the ones along our path. Dash doesn't take detours anymore. I'm so happy if I can get hm to walk at all, that I don't try to push things. Today was a good day. Dash took a nice afternoon walk for the second day in a row. I never know if he's going to walk when I put his gear on. Some days he'll walk confidently to the back gate and other days he'll just stick his nose out the door and refuse to leave the house. Afternoon walks are much slower than morning walks. I don't understand that either. Dash doesn't seem uncomfortable or tired, but he just inches along.

My morning smoothie tasted like pudding this morning. Why? Little inconsistencies like this drive me nuts. I've been making this thing the same way for several years now, but it never tastes quite the same. I think this week's bananas are too firm, but maybe it's something else. I could try just using half a banana tomorrow, but then what would I do with the other half? Dash won't eat bananas anymore. This is probably why I need to go to Vandenberg Air Force Base again. If you spend too much time thinking about the consistency of your breakfast banana, your world has become too small.

I saw the season's first Evening Primrose this morning. I could have got a better photo is Dash would have let me climb down the small ravine where the flowers were. He was headed in the opposite direction and I though he might fall on the uneven ground anyway. Luckily, I have a telephoto lens.

The emerging wildflowers make our morning walks more fun. I've learned the names of most of these flowers by now. I can even tell you when each variety will start to bloom. Maybe we'll see something interesting tomorrow. If not, I can always check the temperature in the refrigerator and pay a few more bills.

Baxter is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day