Day 3163

Some days are all about Dash. He didn't want to eat today. I had to really use my ingenuity to get him to take his morning pills. When worse came to worse, I could always put a pill directly down Dot's throat. This trick doesn't work with Dash. He'd bite me if I tried. Our walk was exceptionally slow this morning. Dash didn't appear tired. He just seemed disoriented at times. We took our time and made it home OK. By the time I finally got him interested in breakfast, it was noon.

This disinterest in food  is making it difficult to cure Dash's loose stools. The real goal is to get him to eat anything at all. Eating something that will make his poop firm again is just a bonus. Something is wrong, but I don't know what. There is no sign of blood in his stools anymore. His gums are nice and pink. His blood work looks good too. Dash is taking so many medications now, that the vets hesitate to add more. We're kind of on our own here.

When I woke up this morning I was almost certain that I was going to need to make an emergency doctor's appointment. My wrist hurt pretty bad and looked swollen. I strapped on my brace and soon became preoccupied with Dash. Several hours later when I was finishing my own breakfast, I realized that the wrist wasn't as painful anymore. I took off the brace and noticed that the swelling had subsided a bit as well. As the day progressed, the wrist continued to return to normal. It was surprising that this had happened so quickly. I was expecting to live with the sprained wrist for at least a week. To make a long story short, I'm glad I didn't call the doctor.

Truthfully, I didn't do much of anything today. I didn't order a new dehumidifier because the water leak seems to have disappeared. Maybe cleaning the unit out was all it needed. I didn't go up on the roof for obvious reasons. I didn't call anyone about my collections either. As I said before, the day was mostly about Dash.

He likes to sleep under tables and in awkward places these days. It seems like I'm always trying to extract him from these cubbyholes when he gets stuck. I've read that dogs seem to feel safer in small enclosed spaces when they feel sick. This certainly seems to be true with Dash. There are still places in the house where his lack of mobility wouldn't hinder him. Dash isn't interested in wide open space though. He seems to prefer a cave.

We'll see what happens tomorrow. I'm finally starting to get tired of my morning smoothie, but I don't know what else to eat. In five years of going out to breakfast on Friday mornings, I've tried just about everything. Nothing seems that appealing. In an odd way I can understand what Dash is going through. We both still need food to survive, but seem to have lost the joy of eating.

Lance is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3162

I injured my wrist again. I have no idea what happened. Yesterday, my wrist felt stiff when I woke up. By this morning, things had gotten worse and I could barely move it at all. Did I overdo things at the gym on Sunday? Did I pull a tendon trying to get the fitted sheet on the bed? It could have even happened while I was trying to get Dash's rubber boots on for his morning walk. That's what sucks about getting old. Just about anything can lead to a major problem.

I still have the brace I wore while I was recovering from last year's dog bite and started wearing it again this morning. Somehow, immobilizing your wrist goes a long way toward alleviating the pain. Without the brace, even drinking my morning coffee was painful. With it, life proceeded more or less normally. I definitely couldn't climb up on the roof today. I'm not going to be able to do that for a while. Here's hoping that our hot August weather will help the standing water evaporate.

I guess I should make a doctor's appointment, but I'll probably wait a few days to see if things improve. I've injured my wrist at least four times before and I know exactly what the doctor is going to do. They'll take an x-ray and tell me that no bones are broken. They'll ask me to move my wrist and discover that I can't. It's inflammation, they'll say. Then they'll tell me to wear the brace for a week and give me a cortisone shot. I've already got the brace and I hate taking steroids, so I'm just going to try to take it easy for a few days and see what happens. I can always go to the doctor later.

I hope that Dash doesn't need to go to the doctor again. His stools are still loose and his appetite is decreasing again. Most of the symptoms he's experiencing now are consistent with heart disease, so I'm not sure there's much we can do. I'd hate to change his diet. The homemade meals we're fixing now are very healthy and should be good for a dog with a sensitive stomach. I'm not even sure a trip to the vet would help. We've been through this so many times before. When the dog has nausea or diarrhea they'll give you some Cerenia pills. With an upset stomach, they'll want you to feed him canned Hills ID. If all else fails and you keep coming back with the same problem, they'll recommend a MRI. We've done all this. If Dash's leaking heart valve was treatable, we probably wouldn't be having a lot of these problems. The vestibular disease doesn't help either.

I contacted another auction house today. I'm discovering that consigning the second tier art is much harder than my initial experience with the desirable stuff. If there's something the auction houses really want, they'll treat you like royalty. If you have something they know won't sell, you'll be lucky to even get a reply. Ultimately, an auction house is just a business like any other business. They want to make money.

Dash and I looked pitiful this morning. He was wearing a brace on his leg and I was wearing a brace on my arm. We're troopers though. We both walked a mile and a half. I'm going to wear the brace to bed tonight. Maybe it will help me sleep better. That's probably just wishful thinking. I'm almost certain I'll be standing outside waiting for Dash to poop at 3 AM.

Cookie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3161

Good grief. The dehumidifier has started to leak. This trusty little machine has been running 24/7 ever since we had our big water leak several years ago. I've grown to depend on this thing. Now it has joined both toilets, the shower stall, a bathroom sink, and of course the impossible roof in a coordinated effort to drive me crazy. Why do I have all these water problems? I've come to the conclusion that there's only one thing for certain about water. Eventually it's going to wind up someplace it doesn't belong.

I guess I'll go ahead and order a new dehumidifier. I'll probably even get the same brand again. This thing has worked like a champ. Nothing lasts forever unfortunately. I'm reminded of that almost every day.

It certainly seemed like Monday today. I'm perpetually slow anyway, but on Mondays it seems like I'm moving around underwater. I guess I accomplished something, but it would certainly be hard to prove. Our morning walk took forever. There was nothing wrong. Dash just didn't feel like going very fast. Breakfast was equally slow. I don't think I made my smoothie larger than usual, but it took almost until lunch to drink the whole thing. I spent a long time trying to figure out where the leak in the dehumidifier was coming from. No luck there. Water just seems to be dripping through a screw hole on the bottom of the sealed system.

When I went to the bank this morning, I noticed that a client had failed to sign a check they sent me. The bank took the check anyway. Did they not notice or did they just not care? I didn't care that much. This client has done this before. The bank probably sees unsigned checks like this everyday. I have a feeling that the entire world is becoming sloppy and forgetful. Hey, I'm certainly doing my part.

I wrote a letter to a friend with a sick dog who thought the diagnosis they received from their vet might be wrong. I encouraged them to get a second opinion. It is not that uncommon for an initial diagnosis to be wrong. Dogs can't talk and symptoms are often confusing. It has often taken us several tries and an expensive MRI or two to figure out what was going on with Dot and Dash. The important thing is to never give up. Especially when you think there is still hope.

I got a lead this weekend about someone who might be interested in another collection I have. I tried to call the guy, but of course he wasn't in. I wrote him a letter instead. Letters still have their uses. They somehow seem more serious than a voicemail message that would probably be mistaken for spam anyway. Whether I hear back from the guy or not, it is going to take a long time to unload these collections of mine. It definitely took a long time to assemble them.

Maybe I actually accomplished more than I thought today. It just seemed like everything was moving in slow motion. I'll try to pick up the pace tomorrow. There's no point in going too fast though. I've got an entire week to fill.

Blackjack is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3160 - Janet's Birthday

It's hard to believe that we're both 70 now. Where has the time gone? Birthdays are pretty subdued these days. At this point, we're just glad to be alive. Janet and I went out for dinner at Knife and had a small celebration with cupcakes when we got home. For the most part, it was just a normal Sunday. Janet cleaned the floors. I changed the sheets on the bed. And we both made sure that Dash took all his pills.

When I went to the gym this morning, the place was flooded. The scene was reminiscent of the time when a pipe burst under the slab at our house. A restoration crew was vacuuming up the water and placing large dehumidifiers everywhere. Water can sure do a lot of damage. It looked like water had gotten under the wood floor of the basketball court, because they were already starting to rip up the floor. All this water made me remember that I forgot to turn off the pump on the roof before I left for the gym. Damn. If the pump runs dry, it's real easy to burn out the motor.

By the time I returned home, I'd forgotten about the pump again. It was on for most of the day, or more likely until it burned out. Sadly, I've wrecked several pumps this way. The pump wasn't the only thing I forgot today. When I went to Sprinkles to pick up cupcakes, I forgot the gift certificate I always use. It never occurred to me to check and see if the certificate was actually in the envelope.

Dash got me up in the middle of the night again. His stools were a little firmer, but still pretty soft. A lot of people have suggested that we add pumpkin to his diet. We'll give it a try again, but the last time we fed Dash pumpkin, it actually made his poop softer. We've tried pumpkin bread too in the past, but it was so tasty that I ate most of it myself. I don't think Dash's problem is simply an upset stomach. The most obvious thing is that we have to keep changing his diet too often just to keep him eating at all. In the best of circumstances, a dog should always eat a very consistent diet. These aren't the best of circumstances unfortunately. The vets think that Dash's vestibular disease is probably contributing to his loss of appetite. We might never know for sure, but we'll do whatever it takes to keep him eating.

I seem to be losing my appetite as well. Janet thinks that I'm not eating enough, but I think I just ate too much in the past. To me, it's natural that you would eat less if you weren't getting as much activity. I walked at least six miles a day for years and years when Dot and Dash were young. Not anymore. Luckily, there were no problems with my appetite this evening. Knife has a well deserved reputation as one of the best steakhouses in Dallas and Janet and I both really enjoyed our dinner.

Now that all the birthdays are in the rear view mirror, it seems like we're racing toward Christmas. Time moves far too quickly now. Even though I don't have that much to do, I can never seem to get caught up. Maybe catching up doesn't even matter. I think the point now for Dash, Janet and I is just to keep moving.

Spot is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3159

Unfortunately, I didn't get a repeat of yesterday's restful sleep. Dash got me up in the middle of the night again. The diarrhea is back. We were outside quite a while last night. At least I was able to get back to sleep. I got to sleep in too. The weekend does have its fleeting benefits.

The toilet I thought I'd fixed for good a few months ago has started running again. My goal for the day was to fix the thing, but I failed. I don't know what went wrong. I repeated the procedure I used last time to the letter, but it didn't work this time. Go figure. Sometimes old houses can be infuriating. One thing is certain. I will never buy another French toilet. Finding parts for this Rube Goldberg contraption is almost impossible.

I can't keep up with Texas weather. This morning it looked like we were going to have clear skies for the next week. Around dinnertime, I started hearing thunder. When I looked at the weather radar, I saw a severe thunderstorm headed our way. I was glad that Dash got a nice morning walk, because he certainly wasn't going to get an evening one. It's still raining now, but luckily the thunder has quit. Oh, well. I guess I really didn't need to turn the sprinklers on this morning.

While we were eating dinner this evening, Dash got one of his frequent urges to go outside. We both raced for the back door, but we didn't make it in time. Dash slipped on the bricks as he was starting to poop and ended up falling in the poop. He was a smelly mess. I took him outside and hosed him down while Janet cleaned the brick floor. After Dash was clean and dry again, we resumed our dinner. Incidences like these don't even faze us anymore. Loose stools might be an unwanted consequence of finding a diet that Dash will actually eat. I don't have a clue at this point. There are way too many moving parts to this puzzle.

I'm glad I finished my Saturday errands before the rain started. I would have felt compelled to wash the car when there were way too many other things that needed to be done. I did my best to complete my weekend to-do list, but Dash had other idea. He was being very needy today and wanted me to nap with him. After a while, I was happy to oblige.

I noticed on Facebook that one of my favorite dogs is nearing the end of her journey. It made me sad. Janet and I fostered this dog for a while a long time ago. She has had a long and happy life with a nice family, but dogs never live long enough. Enjoy your remaining days sweet friend.

I don't like to dwell on sadness, but it seems to be everywhere. It's time for something uplifting to happen. I'm a very pessimistic person, but I still believe in good things. You just have to look a little harder for them.

Lucy is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3158

Buying things is easy. Selling things is much harder. This may not be true for everyone, but it certainly has been my experience. Selling almost always involves negotiation and compromise. Deals are made and broken. People change their minds. I can't say that I enjoy this process. I've never been a haggler. I pay the asking price or I walk away. Maybe this is why the storage warehouse is so full of stuff that is way past its expiration date. I buy things but I never sell.

I don't want a bunch of strangers fighting over my stuff in an episode of Storage Wars, so I guess selling is almost inevitable. Today I agreed on a lower price for some of my model trains. I reviewed a rather disappointing proposal from an auction house. What ate up most of my time was moving vintage synthesizers around. I picked up a restored synthesizer from the audio shop. I took this instrument to the vintage guitar store to consign and retrieved two more broken synthesizers and a vintage drum machine to take back to the keyboard technician. These repairs are expensive, so I'm not sure I'll make much money when the equipment finally sells. I don't have much of a choice though. I either fix the stuff or throw in in a dumpster.

This whole process of unwinding is much more difficult than I imagined. It's making me question the whole concept of ownership. I'm beginning to think that none of us really owns anything. We just rent it for a period of time. Everything passes through our hands eventually. Thirty years ago, the model train guy told me "Someday, I'll have all these trains back in my store." I didn't believe him at the time, but he was right.

While I was at the guitar store, the owner and I talked about the difficulty of calculating the future value of anything. He told me how he had spent an entire Summer's earnings while he was in college on one of the very first flat screen televisions. Then he pointed to a huge TV on the wall at the store. "I got this thing for less than $200," he told me. I could relate. I spent a small fortune once on an early model Osborne 1 computer that looked like a Singer sewing machine and had a screen smaller than my phone.

Dash let us sleep all night last night. It was wonderful. He didn't leave the bed or do anything weird at all. Around 7 AM, Dash woke up, went to the back door and peed and pooped outside, just like a normal dog. He ate well today too. When you've got a dog as old and sick as Dash, you really learn to appreciate the good days.

I wasn't very hungry this morning. A single small waffle filled me up. Janet doesn't think I'm eating enough, but I'm gaining weight. Go figure. I think I never realized how much exercise I was getting when Dot and Dash were young and healthy. Those two dogs could walk forever.

I'm hoping for another restful night. Sleeping well can make all the difference. Maybe sleep deprivation has already affected my memory. I saw something on Facebook today in memory of the lead guitar player in one of my old bands. "Did you know Woody had died," I asked Janet? "Yes", she said. "You told me two years ago."  So it begins.

Toby is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3157

Today was disappointing. Yesterday I thought I'd already sold one of my guitars. Today I learned that the guy who put it on layaway changed his mind. That wasn't the only surprise. I also learned that the guitar store wants me to take care of repairing the broken synthesizers. Originally, they were going to handle this themselves, but I guess they got cold feet. I can understand. It's difficult to estimate the cost of repairing old things. It wouldn't be hard to invest more money in repairs than the synthesizers were worth. I'll go ahead and get the instruments repaired on my dime, but it sure would have made life easier to let the store handle this.

Maybe life just isn't meant to be easy. When I went up on the roof today, I discovered a small defective area that the roofers inexplicably failed to fix. The roofers may have missed this bad spot, but the rain found it easy enough. Now I've got to convince the roofers to come out again. That won't be a a pleasant task.

A client that I'd thought I'd lost about six months ago now wants me to do more work for him. Strangely, I have mixed feelings about this. I'm getting used to the idea of being fully retired. It's also good to have an income, so I'll definitely do the work. I just wasn't as happy to get this new job as I should have been. I guess I don't know what I want anymore. When I'm idle, I think that work and deadlines would add structure and a sense of purpose to my life. When I actually get a job, it just seems like a giant nuisance.

Dash has added a new wrinkle to his bag of tricks. He wakes me up at night, acting like he really needs to go outside and pee. As soon as he gets outside he just stands there looking confused. He'll wander around aimlessly for a long time and then come back inside without doing anything. We repeated this process three times last night before he actually peed. When I finally thought I might be able to get back to sleep, he got me out of bed again. This time he needed to poop. I was outside at least 45 minutes with Dash between 2 and 3 AM. Needless to say, by the time he had finally done his business I was wide awake. I don't know what makes Dash seem dazed and confused at night, but it seems to be getting worse.

This morning he was fine, even though I was exhausted. If Dash does his business quickly, I can usually get back to sleep very easily. When he keeps me up for hours at a time, it's hardly worth the trouble to go back to bed. Once I'm fully awake I might as well just stay up.

Hopefully things will be better tonight. I don't know how much more sleep deprivation I can take. I don't think Dash is really worried about losing sleep. He sleeps all day.

Pogo is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3156

It was hard to get out of bed this morning. Dash got me up twice last night. After I cleaned up the inevitable poop, I was wide awake. I eventually got back to sleep, but I sure woke up tired. I'm feeling perpetually tired these days. We've been dealing with sick dogs almost continuously since 2014 when Dash was first diagnosed with thyroid cancer. Ever since then, it's been one crisis after another.

After our slow morning walk, I fixed my regular smoothie and made some coffee. Eventually, I woke up and began feeling normal again. This was a surprisingly busy day, considering that nothing happens anymore. I drove up to the watch repairman's office and picked up my watch. He's only got three more left to repair. Maybe I'll see these other watches again before I die. The watch repairman is a friendly and very talented guy, but he sure is slow.

On the way home, I bought another pair of Ruffwear protective boots for Dash. I've got enough of these boots in rotation now that we should be good till Christmas. OK, maybe Halloween. Dash is really hard on shoes.

I think August is the worst month of the year for bills. I took a few more to the post office today. My car insurance is due. My annual August service visit at Lander Rover is always pretty pricy. Summer electric bills are through the roof. And there's always something going on with Dash. This wasn't a big deal when I was doing a lot of website work. Now, keeping this ship afloat is beginning to seem expensive. No wonder selling things is starting to seem so attractive.

I got some more estimates from another auction house this afternoon. I wonder if these estimates mean anything at all. I'm still pretty much of a neophyte in the auction world. After the first auctions take place in October, I should have a much better idea whether this little venture was a good idea. I hope the auctions are successful. They suit my temperament. I could never sell anything on Craigslist or eBay. I just don't want to have any direct contact with the buyers.

Dash must have had an upset stomach this morning. Janet was unable to get him to take his pills this morning. I didn't have much success when we returned from our walk either. I was starting to get worried because he needs to take his Phenobarbital at very specific times. Luckily, the crisis was averted and around 9:30 AM I was able to hide each of his morning meds in a little cube of rare steak. After he took all his meds, I didn't even care about breakfast. Dash went back to sleep, but eventually returned to the kitchen around 11:30 AM and finished his boiled chicken breast. I think this dog eats better than I do these days.

It was surprising to see blue skies again this morning. I think the rain is over. I didn't check the roof today because I was busy running errands. Maybe the longer I wait, the more water will evaporate. I'll probably go up and sweep the standing water away tomorrow. I really don't want to tempt fate. I don't care what the roofers have done. If you leave water long enough, it will find a way inside.

I hope today's weather continues. It felt like Fall when I woke up this morning. Dash can be a very high maintenance dog, but life is definitely a little easier when the weather is nice.

Freckles is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3155

I checked on things today. It was basically a status update day. I signed off on an estimate to repair one of the broken synthesizers. I found out that a long awaited watch repair was finished. I hesitated to call the electrician again because the light in the back yard has mysteriously started working this week. During my meeting this afternoon with my financial advisor, I got a ton of information that went in one ear and out the other. It gives me a headache to make financial decisions. Whatever you do, you can't predict the future.

One thing I learned today was that I've got to start withdrawing money from my IRA soon. It's the law. Apparently I'd forgotten over the years that money coming out of an IRA or SEP account is taxed as ordinary income. Bummer. Why had I been thinking that future withdrawals would be taxed as capital gains or losses just like any other investment? At any rate, this kind of sucks.

Dash is really rough on his special boots. The new boots I bought recently are already in need of repairs. These protective boots would probably last forever on a young healthy dog, but Dash's legs are weak and he drags his rear feet. This is why he wears the boots in the first place. Every time he drags his rear legs the top side of the boot rubs against the ground or pavement. It doesn't take long for the fabric to rip and the rubber to tear. I've been repairing these things using Shoe Goo and thin rubber inner tube patches. I've got three different brands of dog boots in rotation now, but they still wear out pretty quickly. I didn't think I'd need to repair the new boots so soon, but that's what I did this afternoon. I guess I'll go buy another pair just like them later this week. This brand fits very well. They're pretty expensive to be a disposable item, but Dash couldn't keep walking without them.

I thought the rain was going to stop today, but it kept on raining. The showers are becoming more sporadic, so maybe the rain will end for good by tomorrow. I still don't see any signs of a roof leak. That's good news. I haven't actually been up on the roof though. It may be a disaster when I finally get around to taking a look. I wish I could rig a series of automatic pumps to remove all the water for me, but it just doesn't work. I've tried pumps before and they always end up getting clogged with debris that falls from the trees. Once the pumps become clogged, they burn up fairly quickly. Jeez. I never dreamed I'd be seventy years old and still climbing up on my roof every week, but here I am.

I may go pick up the watch from my watchmaker tomorrow. Watches are small, so there's always room for them. I don't know what I'm going to do when the synthesizer repair is finished. I can't take it back to the storage warehouse, because that's how it became damaged in the first place. There's really no room for the thing in the house either. I'm hoping I can convince the vintage guitar store to take it. Unfortunately, it's not as desirable as my other synthesizers. At any rate, I hope the repair technician is really slow. Maybe I'll think of something by the time he gets finished.

Dash ate well today and seemed happy enough. He stumbled badly on his walks though. It's almost time to fit him for a Help 'Em Up Harness like Dot used to wear.

Elliott is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3154

I spent some time talking with auction houses today. I've got to finish consigning things before I totally lose interest in this downsizing venture. I wish I'd methodically inventoried everything when I was younger. It would make life a little easier if I actually knew what I had. It's probably just as well that my younger self wasn't this obsessive. I'm obsessive enough as it is. Maybe I will regain my enthusiasm if the first batch of auctions go well. Right now, downsizing seems very tiring.

The weather hasn't gotten much better. The sound of raindrops on the roof woke me up again last night. The showers were sporadic today, but it's still pretty dark and dismal outside. I'm amazed that I've still been able to give Dash a walk every day. I don't know how I survived before I had weather radar on my phone. We go outside when it's dry and stay inside when it's wet. Usually it works out pretty well.

I had to pick up some meds for Dash at the vet this morning, but that was the extent of my travels. I really don't put many miles on the car anymore. According to my Fitbit, I walk about as much in any given week as I drive. I drive so little now that I wonder if I'd save on car insurance if I put one of those little tracking devices the insurance companies are pushing in my car. I hate the idea of being tracked by an insurance company, but anyone who uses less than a quarter of a tank of gas a week is bound to get a discount.

I wish someone could explain to me what is is going on in Dash's head. It's easy to say he's becoming senile, but I'd like to know exactly what is going on. I'm not sure there's much we could do at this point, but it's sad to see him so disoriented. He'll stand at the back door forever before making a decision to go outside and pee. Sometimes he'll aimlessly walk in circles while we're at the park, and occasionally he seems to get lost in the house. There are still plenty of times when Dash seems completely lucid, but the moments when he appears totally out of it can be pretty scary.

I have a meeting scheduled with my financial advisor tomorrow. I used to be very interested in the stock market and we would have some lively discussions. Not anymore. I've done the best I can to prepare for the future, but the future seems to be growing more uncertain every day. It would be a miracle if I have thirty years left. Sometimes I think it would be even more of a miracle if civilization has thirty years left. There are way too many potential disasters on the horizon.

The one good thing about aging is that the older you get, the less impending doom matters. Hey, I'm already a survivor. I could be wrong too. Maybe the glass is actually half full. I could be more optimistic, but it would be even better to be more like Dash. I doubt that he spends a lot of time thinking about the future. For a dog, the future is always tomorrow morning.

Emma is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3153

OK. Enough rain already. I managed to complete most of Sunday's errands despite the rain, but it looks like I'm going to miss the Perseid meteor shower tonight. This has been a weird month even by Texas standards. Within a matter of weeks we recorded the highest temperature on record for August and the lowest temperature on record for August. I'm enjoying the unusually cool weather we've been experiencing recently. I just wish there wasn't so much rain.

On the way to the gym this morning I listened to a show on the radio about an economist who had written a book about how smart people often do stupid things learned a few days after the book's publication that he had lost all his money to Bernie Madoff. Ironic, but not terribly surprising. I've known a lot of smart people who've done stupid things. Myself included. The surprising thing is that there are still a few people who don't do stupid things. I guess they're out there, but I don't know any.

I think I've mentioned this before, but I can't figure out how my gym stays in business. There was nobody there today. Well, I guess there were two or three others, but it seemed like nobody. I think my lack of sleep is catching up with me. I felt like I was doing my routines underwater today. I was terrible on the basketball court as well. I guess, just like Dash, I have good days and bad days too.

It's too bad it's overcast tonight. They say the Perseid meteor shower is spectacular this year. Oh, well. Maybe next year. I guess I do most of my astronomy online these days. Even on a nice day, it's a lot of trouble to take the telescope out and the light pollution in Dallas is terrible. Much easier to look at pretty pictures online. I guess I could say the same thing for space launches. If I went to Florida to see the Parker Solar Probe launch in person it would have cost a fortune. The launch got delayed several times and I would have had to extend my stay and change my airline reservations. The launch was in the middle of the night too. I watched a replay this morning on YouTube while I was drinking my coffee. Works for me.

While I was thinking about throwing away my old computers, I had a radical idea. Maybe I should just go back to using them. I liked the old towers much better than what I'm using now. The big silver cheese grater tower was my favorite. I liked Mountain Lion better than Sierra too. Now that I'm essentially retired, is there even any point to keeping up with the latest innovations? Probably not. Of course, I could always become a raging Luddite like my sister and go offline completely.

I hope everything is normal tonight. Dash gave me a scare last night. He woke up and got off the bed like he often does. Then he just froze. He wouldn't move or even respond to me. I thought he might be having a vestibular seizure, but there were no rapid eye movements. The poor guy just seemed totally out of it. About thirty minutes later he was back to normal. It took me a little longer to get back to normal.

It's supposed to rain again tomorrow. Hopefully on Tuesday, the sun returns.

Ellis is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3152

We're getting a lot of rain. I know it's been dry and we really need need this, but I'm starting to worry about the roof. I can't leave all that standing water up there forever. The new elastomer coating had plenty of time to dry, so maybe there won't be a problem. My experience says otherwise unfortunately. For the time being I'll just wait and hope. There is no point in removing the water while it's still raining.

We had to wait until mid-morning to give Dash his walk because it was raining pretty hard when we woke up. The showers we've been having are sporadic, but they never stop long enough to get anything done. We got a little break in the weather after breakfast, but by the time we finished walking Dash, it was already raining again.

On days like these I have to forget about keeping the car clean. Ther's no avoiding Saturday errands. Today, I needed coffee and fresh fruit a lot more than I needed to stay dry. At least the strawberries looked good today. I hate to brave the weather just to find some rotten fruit.

Dash had a really good appetite today. Go figure. He ate all his meals without having to bribe him with peanut butter and dog treats. He still seemed hungry after his regular breakfast, so we fed him a little more. I can't figure out these daily fluctuations in appetite and energy. It doesn't make sense. Everything is so consistent in Dash's life that you wouldn't expect dramatic changes. All that being said, I'm really happy whenever Dash has a good day. He needs a lot more good days.

There isn't much to do on dark, rainy days. I tried to diagnose a problem with Janet's laptop. I watched a cooking show on PBS. I read a long online article about how the dinosaurs died out. I'm fascinated by theories of how the universe began or how the dinosaurs died. Basically a lot of really smart people are just guessing. I know of at least three distinctly different theories of how the dinosaurs became extinct. They all sound plausible to me.

Dash slept well last night, but I didn't. I woke up every time I heard rain on the roof. My Fitbit says that I experience normal periods of deep sleep, but I don't believe it. I'm such a light sleeper that the slightest noise always wakes me up. This is good when I've got a sick dog that needs attention. It's bad when I'm tired and really need to sleep.

If I can't sleep tonight, I might turn on the computer and watch the Parker Solar Probe launch. This launch has been delayed several times but it is scheduled to lift off around 2:30 AM this morning. I almost applied to NASA to view this launch in person, but I can't bring myself to leave Dash. It's not a big deal to miss this one. I'm sure they'll be launching plenty of satellites for the rest of my lifetime. It is a pretty audacious idea to send a spacecraft right through the sun's corona without burning it up. I hope they succeed, but it will be seven years before we find out whether the mission is a success.

I guess today was a success. Dash is happy. There are no signs of roof leaks. And the refrigerator is full again. Pretty soon it will be time for another trip to the gym.

Hannah is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3151

More rain today. The moisture cooled things down enough so that it was actually pleasant outside. We seem to be in kind of a sweet spot in Dallas. We don't get horrible floods like Houston or horrible wildfires like California. I used to think I'd like to think I'd like to live out West again, but all my favorite places are burning down.

We narrowly escaped getting wet again on our morning walk. Dash is really slow these days, but I don't care if it takes all morning to make our rounds. Even though he can barely stand up, Dash still really enjoys these daily walks. Today he got to see one of the dogs he made friends with at his old training class. It's been so long, I don't even know how he remembered this dog, but he did. It was just a chance encounter in the park, but Dash started wagging his tail and even attempted an abbreviated play bow. I haven't seen him do this in a very long time.

The place I've been going to breakfast on Friday's has a sign on the front door saying "kitchen help needed, inquire within." I wish they'd find a new cook soon. Every time I order something, it comes out completely different than it did the previous week. Today's chef didn't really know how to make a decent omelette. If I had the time and the inclination, I'd just go to chef owned restaurants. If the cook owns the place, at least there's going to be some consistency.

While I was eating my omelette this morning, I noticed that half the people in the restaurant were wearing Apple Watches. Apple is the most popular watch brand in the world now. Kid wear them. Grandmothers wear them. Everyone wears them. Apple outsells all the fashion brands and even Rolex. No wonder my writing jobs disappeared. I used to primarily write about the watch industry. Like it or not, this industry has been decimated.

It rained so hard when I was coming home from breakfast that it felt like I was going through a car wash. The car was actually cleaner when I returned than it was early this morning. I think the rain is going to continue for almost a week. This will be a real test for the roof. I'm not even going to try to remove the water until dry weather returns. I've become pretty fatalistic about roof leaks, They're either going to happen or they won't. I really hope the roofers did a good job. I'm tired of arguing about this.

Dash's tail started bleeding this morning. This is what I hate about Plavix. The least little scratch can cause bleeding that is very hard to stop. Dash needs the blood thinners though. If he stopped taking them, he might not be with us much longer. I was lucky this morning. Dash was sleepy when I noticed the cut and I was able to wrap a bandage around his tail while he was taking his morning nap. By the time he woke up again, the blood had coagulated and the bleeding had stopped.

I didn't get much sleep last night. I hope I do better tonight. You'd think with so little going on in my life that it would be easy to get eight hours of shut eye every night. It never seems to work out that way.

J-Lo is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3150

Dash is so slow now that the weather forecast can change during our walks. That's what happened this morning. When we left the house the weather radar looked OK and I wasn't expecting rain until this afternoon. Things can change quickly in Texas though. The dark skies on the Western horizon began growing closer and closer. I started hearing thunder. It wasn't long before I began feeling raindrops. The surprise storm didn't seem to faze Dash. He kept inching along at a snail's pace, stopping to smell every bush along the way. Dash used to be frightened by thunder, but he doesn't hear well anymore. He didn't even appear to notice that we were starting to get wet. Amazingly, we made it home before the storm arrived. Usually we aren't so lucky.

Dash seemed unusually tired today. He slept for most of the day and wasn't interested in eating at all. He didn't finish his breakfast until 4 PM and we're still working on dinner. Dash's good days and bad days are totally unpredictable. As recently as yesterday I was feeling that he was getting stronger. Whenever Dash is lethargic like this, I start to worry. There's not much I can do, but this type of fatigue is usually a sign that his heart condition is getting worse.

I'm still trying to downsize, but it appears that the low hanging fruit is gone. When I began this quest, I purposely looked for items that would appeal to other collectors. Now that the good stuff stuff has all been consigned, I'm having a lot more difficulty unloading the second-tier collections. I apparently has a discerning eye for art back in the 1970's. I had good taste in model trains too. Not so much with the watches I began collecting a few decades later. My taste in vintage watches turned out to be terrible. The only things I was interested in were early tuning fork watches, LED watches, and calculator watches. Very few people work on these things anymore. I had a guy in California who used to fix my Accutrons, but he died. A lot of early electronic watches used mercury batteries and never worked reliably using modern replacement batteries. Parts for LED watches are almost impossible to come by. All these problems could be overcome if people actually desired these geeky timepieces. They don't. Everybody wants an old Rolex instead.

We ended up getting a lot of rain today. There is no point in removing the water from the roof though. It's supposed to continue raining for the next several days. Let's hope that the roofers did a good job. I really don't want to deal with a leak again. I'll go up and inspect things when rain is out of the forecast, but there's no point in doing anything now. I'm going to just keep my fingers crossed and hope for the best.

I hope the forecast is wrong. Dash does much better when he gets his morning walk. I can't go out for breakfast if it's raining either. Dash is just too unpredictable. We'll see what happens. The forecast wasn't very accurate today. It probably won't be tomorrow either.

Nautica is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3149

When I was walking Dash this morning, I saw our neighbor walking the dog that bit me. We were both careful not to approach each other, but I was still apprehensive. I know that this dog would bite me again if he ever had the opportunity. I wish there weren't so many things that frightened me like this, but I'm a practical guy who learns from experiences. I don't like driving at rush hour anymore. There are way too many wrecks. I won't take my telescope into the park at night even though there are some excellent viewing areas. The park is no longer safe at night. I never go to concerts anymore. Crowds are too unpredictable.

Has the world changed, or have I changed? It's probably a little bit of both. Leave It To Beaver is as much of a fantasy as Harry Potter these days. It's hard to believe that I hitchhiked all over the country while I was in college. I backpacked alone in wilderness areas. I thought nothing of packing up my musical instruments at 2 AM on a deserted city street after the clubs had closed. None of these things seems very wise anymore. When I hear sirens at night, I am content to stay inside behind a locked door. I hope it never becomes worse than this. The world is still full of interesting things and it would be a shame to feel like a prisoner inside your own house.

I still walk Dash every day but I'm more careful than I used to be. I watch for Type-A cyclists intent on mowing us down. I watch for loose dogs. I watch for poison ivy and snakes. I definitely keep an eye out for the neighbor's dog. Being observant has its benefits though. I see lots and lots of interesting birds, rabbits and wildflowers.

Today was slow. I need to find a hobby. Without the steady stream of articles and website updates that used to keep me busy, the days can get really long. I wrote my sister and paid a few bills. I checked my brokerage account and did some laundry. I cleaned up dog poop and looked in vain for something interesting to watch on TV. It was a pretty typical Wednesday.

Rain is on the way. It's supposed to be raining by tomorrow morning. Even though we really need the moisture, I'm very apprehensive about the roof. If the repairs the roofers made don't work, I don't know what I'm going to do next. I believe the crew made a good faith effort to repair all the damaged areas. If the roof still leaks after all this, I'm probably going to be faced with putting on an entirely new roof.

Dash pooped in the house again while I was fixing breakfast. He almost made it to the back door. Hey, at least he's still trying. Despite the boredom, I'm still trying too. One way or another, we're going to make it through this long, hot summer.

Lilly is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3148

It was a busy morning. I walked Dash earlier than usual because I needed to drive Janet to the dentist for dental surgery. It's surprising how nice our mornings have been lately, considering how hot it gets later in the day. Dash still hadn't touched his breakfast by the time Janet and I left the house, but I was confident he would eat later. This is his new schedule. He gets up, takes his morning pills in little bites of steak and then we walk. When we return, Dash goes back to sleep. Usually, a little before noon, he wanders out to the kitchen and eats his breakfast. It seems odd to have a Dalmatian that wakes up uninterested in food, but I'm willing to go with the flow these days. As long as Dash continues eating, we're good.

Janet's dental procedure didn't take that long. As soon as I took a shower and washed the breakfast dishes, it was time to pick her up again. It was easy to see why the dentist didn't want Janet driving today. They must have given her some pretty powerful drugs. Dash was happy when Janet returned. He had someone to nap with for the rest of the day.

The guitar store confirmed that one of my guitars did sell recently. Yay. One down, two to go. The store put the guitar on layaway for the buyer, so I won't get a check until the guy finishes paying for it. That's OK. I'm kind of surprised that the whole concept of layaway still exists. My parents used to buy things on layaway when I was a kid, and it still seems like a frugal, rather sensible way to make a purchase. Layaway has definitely fallen out of fashion. People don't like dealing with delayed gratification these days. They'd rather just put something on a charge card and worry about coming up with the money later.

I think the SAMe pills we've been giving Dash are working. He's still weak, but he seems a bit more engaged and interested in life these days. He really likes his morning walks now. I'm not sure who discovered that SAMe helps with cognitive dysfunction in dogs. This stuff seems to be good for everything. I'll admit I'm a bit skeptical of a drug that supposedly helps with everything from depression and hepatitis to joint pain and degenerative myelopathy. How can a single drug help with so many non-related problems? Both of Dash's doctors believe that SAMe is worth a try though. We'll see. If it works, maybe I should start taking it myself.

Looks like another exciting day tomorrow. You'd think I'd be bored out of my mind, but I'm not. I've just about perfected how to turn a walk with Dash, a morning smoothie, an afternoon nap, and some idle time on Facebook into an entire day.

Lou is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3147

You know you've finally come to terms with your dog's incontinence when he poops in the bed and you're just happy that the poop is firm. I thought I smelled something last night, but I was really tired and Dash farts a lot anyway. I didn't notice that he'd pooped in the bed until morning. This was a first and I hope it isn't a sign of things to come. At least the mess was on Dash's dog blanket and it was easy to clean up.

We've been through this before with Dot.There was a period of time between when she initially became incontinent and when she lost the ability to climb on the bed that we were doing a lot of laundry. I hope Dash's instinct to head for the back door continues for a while. It makes life a lot easier.

Sometimes I wonder why I bother to write on Monday. Nothing ever happens on Monday. The big event of the day was putting the new vehicle registration sticker on my windshield. If the state doesn't need a safety inspection sticker anymore, I wonder why they still need a registration sticker? Probably it's just a different bureaucracy that's involved. I can tell that the carpel tunnel in my wrist has gotten worse. It was surprisingly difficult to position the sticker in the bottom corner of the windshield. It probably would have been easier if I wasn't such a perfectionist. The sticker had to be absolutely parallel.

Dash had a nice walk this morning, but as soon as we returned home, he seemed exhausted. We walked really slow and he seemed to be enjoying himself, but maybe we are overdoing things. It's hard to tell. Dash went to sleep while I was fixing my smoothie and didn't return to the kitchen to eat his own breakfast until 10:30 AM. He does still eat his meals, but there is no real schedule anymore. I just leave the food in his bowl and he eats when he's hungry.

It looks like I won't be able to upgrade my computers anymore. Apple just announced that it's new Mojave operating system won't run on any of the computers currently I have. Apparently, they are all too old. Apple is actively trying to make the operating system in their computers work more like their phones. Pretty soon your desktop computer is just going to be a big, giant iPhone. I guess a lot of people like this idea. Not me. I have a feeling that I'd probably be happier using Linux now. Apple is working way too hard to please the millennials.

I wonder if anything interesting will happen tomorrow. I need to write my sister and I should probably call the guitar store to see if the guitar that disappeared from the website actually sold. If it sold it would give me an excuse to drive over to the store and pick up a check. There's always naps. I took a long nap with Dash today. It wouldn't be difficult to do the same thing tomorrow.

Margo is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day