Day 3300

Dash seemed a little more lucid today. He didn't stumble around as much and his eyes seemed brighter. I have no idea what determines whether Dash has a good of bad day. Everything in his life is fairly consistent, but some days are definitely better than others. I'm always happy to see a good day. They are few and far between.

The roof is finally drying out. The weather is still nice and warm but the leak did not return during the midday sun. I'm at the mercy of the roofers now. If they return tomorrow or Tuesday we may be able to fix this leak. The rain is supposed to return on Thursday though, so the window of opportunity is small. I'd love to hear the guys up on the roof tomorrow morning but I'm not going to count my chickens before they hatch. I was the squeaky wheel for a while, but I may not be any longer.

On my way to the gym this morning I thought I'd pick up another pair of cheap rubber rain shoes for walking Dash. These slip on shoes don't last very long but I can put them on in seconds and they keep my feet dry. Somehow, instead of these cheap shoes, I came home with a pair of steel toe Doc Martens. Why did I buy these things? I already have some heavy work boots. These felt comfortable though and seemed like they would last forever.

 My shoulders and elbows still hurt from working on the roof last week, but I did my full workout anyway. I'm afraid if I vary my routine, I may just quit going to the gym altogether. I'm pretty much on automatic pilot when I go to the gym, but my Fitbit indicates that I'm doing something right. If I could just bring myself to endure this kind of punishment three times a week I'd be in great shape.

The park behind our house has become so popular in recent years that it is stressful to walk Dash on a nice weekend. There were bicycles everywhere today. None of them slow down for Dash. The number of loose dogs increases dramatically on warm weekends too. You really have to be aware of your surroundings. These things called Onewheel are becoming popular too. They look like a skateboard with a single big motorized wheel in the center and can travel up to twenty miles per hour. We saw six of these contraptions today. They're fairly expensive but that doesn't seem to stop people from buying them. Onewheel travel seems even more dangerous than those ride sharing scooters that are popping up all over the place. What do I know though? I still prefer walking.

If things go well tomorrow the roofers will discover what is causing my roof leak and the Herman Miller technicians will fix my office chair. Unfortunately, it's a Monday tomorrow and people aren't always at the top of their game on a Monday. I'll hope for the best but nothing will really surprise me.

I'm getting sleepy so it's probably time to call it a day. Dash has been sleeping for quite a while, so he'll probably be wide awake at 3 AM. We'll see what happens.

Nellie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3299

Today was just a placeholder connecting yesterday to tomorrow. Not a lot happened. As I often do on uneventful days, I worried about Dash. I don't think his new mobility problems are caused by his pain pills. After being back on his original dose for a day, he is still falling down  a lot more than usual. We ordered him a brace for his left leg, but it remains to be seen if that will help. Clearly something needs to be done. Do we have him wear socks in the house now for added traction? Do we put down more rugs? Do we have him wear his harness 24/7 so it's easier to get him back on his feet when he falls? There are advantages and disadvantages to each alternative. I wish we could just do something to make him stronger.

Something very strange is happening with the roof. The surface is dry now, but every day between about 11 AM and 3 PM, the leak returns. This is the warmest period of the day and it is sunny outside, so I'm thinking this is temperature related. There is still some water trapped under the silicon coating. Maybe heat causes this residual water to expand and forces it inside? Who knows. I'm certainly no expert, but I don't think the roofers are either. Basically, this roof was an experiment that failed. The next roof will be of a more conventional design.

I'm repairing Dash's outer Ultra-Paws boots every day now. These boots would last a long time on a younger dog, but they weren't meant to be continuously dragged on pavement. Dash shuffles along now, barely lifting his rear legs at all. With every step he takes the boots drag on the ground. I've probably significantly improved sales for the Shoe Goo company, but I guess the repairs are worth it. Without the boots, Dash couldn't walk at all. His paws would be a bloody mess.

Oddly, even with all his mobility problems, Dash still loves his walks. They are the favorite part of his day. He is incredibly slow and stumbles a lot, but he smells every tree and bush along the way. The smells seem to provide a connection to a world he can no longer really participate in.

I can't wait for Monday to arrive so I can take my office chair up to Herman Miller to be repaired. I spend a lot of time in this chair. They didn't tell me how long the repair would take, but they did say they'd give me a loaner chair. The whole process sounds a lot like taking my car in for service. I've learned over the years that free loaners aren't really free. Why do I think that fixing the Aeron Chair is going to be expensive?

I've got a new problem to add to my list. There's sink hole in the driveway now. How did this happen? If it gets much worse, I'm going to have trouble getting my car out. In addition to a growing list of plumbers, roofers, and appliance repairmen, I'm going to need to find someone who can patch asphalt.

At least the weather was nice. I hope this continues. You never know here in Texas. This morning it looked like were going to have at least eight days of dry weather. This evening the forecast says it is going to rain next Friday. If the roofers come out Monday we may be able to get this leak fixed. If they ignore me for a few days, all bets are off. Sometimes I think it would be nice to live on the eighteenth floor of a luxury high-rise. My roof problems would vanish. Then I remember that Dash is incontinent.

Lucy is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3298

While I was eating breakfast this morning, a man walked over to the chef after paying his bill and shook his hand. I heard him say, "I travel all over the world and I want to tell you that this is the best French Toast I've ever had in my life." I smiled and gave the chef a big thumbs up. So did several other people in the restaurant. The chef pointed over at me and said, "He agrees. He eats these every day." The encounter was over quickly, but the chef was smiling as he went back to work. I love little moments like this. The chef wasn't invisible as he quietly worked behind his counter and apparently neither was I. I don't know who the world traveler was, but he did have an eye for quality.

It was nice to see the sun again. A sunny day can dramatically improve my mood. I thought Dash would enjoy the nice weather too, but he seemed sluggish and disoriented on his walk this morning. Maybe the additional pain pill his doctor recommended was too much for him. We've seen this reaction before when we tried giving Dash Gabapentin. We're going to try going back to the original dose for a few days and see if Dash returns to normal. "Back to normal" is a strange concept with Dash because there is absolutely nothing normal about him. Too much pain medication makes me feel terrible. Maybe dogs can have the same reaction.

I wish I knew more about medicine. I think some of my own meds are unnecessary but I've learned not to self medicate. There is too much I don't know. For a long time I thought that Adequan might help Dash because it helped Spot when his rear legs got weak. Then I did some research and discovered that Adequan injections can inhibit blood clotting and should not be administered to dogs with a history of bleeding abnormalities. I'm sure the vets probably knew this all along.

I was really surprised when the roof started leaking again early this afternoon. The last time I looked the roof was dry. The leak was small this time but there was definitely a slow drip. The roof was still dry when I went up to investigate but I could tell that there was still some residual water trapped under the silicon coating in a few places. This water was probably still looking for a way out. Strangely, this mysterious leak only lasted a few hours during the warmest period of the day.

I had to use some of Dash's Shoe Goo to repair my own boots this afternoon. The soles are starting to come apart. I'm really hard on shoes but I was hoping that these boots would last forever. I've been wearing them for about five years and they are finally comfortable now.

I think I'll take the Christmas tree down tomorrow. The holidays are over. I wish it were Winter that was over. I'm afraid we've got a lot more rain to look forward to and maybe even some snow. One way or another, the leak will eventually get fixed. I just hope it doesn't take as long as it took to fix the refrigerator. With a little luck I can postpone putting on a new roof until Spring when the weather is nicer, but we'll have to see what happens. In my world it is best to take things one day at a time.

Hunter is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3297

It didn't seem like a good omen when the power went out last night. It's hard to clean up poop in the dark. The temperature in the house drops quickly when it's near freezing outside as well. We've had power outages in the Winter before and they aren't fun. Without the furnace running, the sound of water dripping from the ceiling seemed even louder. Luckily, the beeping of various uninterrupted power supplies and the thunder outside didn't wake Dash up. I shut everything off that would cause a surge when power was restored, found some extra blankets and went back to bed.

I'm not sure when power was restored, but I don't think the outage lasted long. When Dash woke up at 3 AM and pooped on the floor as he was heading for the back door, we had lights again. Dash had a bad shivering episode when he went back to bed. Maybe he was just cold this time. I was shivering a bit myself. It was still raining when we got up this morning. Dash was definitely not going to get a walk before his 9 AM vet appointment.

Riding with Dash in the car before he's had a walk was not a good omen either. When it was time to leave for the vet, he still hadn't pooped. He almost always goes right after he's had his morning meds. I knew what was going to happen next. It didn't take long. Dash pooped in the car about two miles away from home. Luckily, we were well prepared, so the mess wasn't that bad.

While we were at the cancer center we got the first good news of the day. Dash's blood clot still hasn't returned. The echocardiogram looked good and so did his lab work. The only thing the doctor was worried about was Dash's failing rear legs. He confirmed what we knew already. Dash's mobility has significantly deteriorated since his last exam. Sadly, there isn't much we can do at this point about Dash's neurological problems. He's way too old and frail for surgery. The vet suggested increasing his pain medication and we reluctantly agreed.

By the time we returned to the house, the rain was already decreasing. I decided to have my smoothie for lunch, since it was way too late for breakfast. When the rain finally stopped, I went up on the roof. I wish the pumps worked better because it's a lot of work to sweep all the standing water away. Like it or not, this was a very necessary task. If I wanted the leaks to stop, I needed to remove all the water first.

As the afternoon progressed, the sound of water dripping into buckets became less frequent. I don't hear any dripping now and I think it is finally safe to remove the buckets. It's supposed to be clear tomorrow, but it will take more than one day for the roof to dry out enough to begin repairs again. Both the owner of the roofing company and the job foreman assure me that I'm at the top of their list. We'll see. Probably it will start raining again on the day they decide to return.

I guess it was inevitable that the stock market would crash again today. It was just that kind of day. Maybe tomorrow will be better. So far, 2019 hasn't gotten off to a great start, but I'm still looking forward to breakfast tomorrow. If I pick the right restaurant it might be the high point of the week

Petey is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3296

Cold rain. Leaking roof. Incontinent dog. Put these ingredients together and you've got the basis for a sad country song. Basically, today was a mess. I started putting buckets on the floor as soon as I got up. The pumps weren't working, so I had to climb up on the roof in the rain to prime them. When I returned, Dash was stumbling down the hall, knocking over the buckets I'd placed a little earlier. There was no morning walk today, but there was definitely poop to clean up. There's always poop to clean up.

The rain didn't freeze today, but it still might. It is very cold. As the day progressed, the leaks in the ceiling continued to spread and I ran out of buckets. I had to go to Home Depot and pick up a few of those big plastic containers that people use to store sweaters and children's toys. I thought a big container would be better at catching water than three or four smaller buckets. It's a shame that I had to buy more containers. I already have a ton of these things in the storage warehouse, but they are all full of stuff. The containers worked, but they made it even harder for Dash to navigate the hallway.

I'm stuck with this mess until the rainy period is over. Lord knows when that will be. There is bad weather in the forecast as far as the eye can see. You can't repair the roof when it's wet and I'm not sure the roofers can find the leak anyway. They certainly failed the first time they tried.

I went out and picked up some meds for Dash after lunch because driving in the rain was preferable to listening to water drip into plastic buckets. I'm sure I'll be driving in the rain tomorrow too. Dash has an appointment for one of the periodic echocardiograms we use to monitor his heart. Hopefully, the blood clot hasn't returned. I'm also hoping that he won't poop in the car on the way to the cancer center. That's always a possibility since it is very doubtful that he'll get a walk before his appointment.

I finally got the pumps on the roof working but they don't remove enough water to stop the leak. The pumps are basically useless. I'm just about out of ideas for stopping the leak while it is still raining. I've resigned myself to the fact that I'm going to have to use my new car fund to replace the roof. Jeez. What's the fun in that? Even with a new roof, it's still going to be a very old house with a host of other problems. I'd rather have a new car.

The first pictures from New Horizons were received today and Ultima Thule looks like a big snowman. Weird to think that a big icy snowman has been lurking at the edge of the solar system for billions of years and we didn't even know it existed until last year. I bet there's lots of other stuff floating around in space that we don't know about either.

Clearly I'm no rocket scientist. The New Horizon's team at Johns Hopkins was able to fly their spacecraft directly to a tiny 19 mile long speck in the sky billions of miles away from Earth and I can't even find how water is getting into my house.

Maybe things will be better tomorrow. If Dash gets a clean bill of health at the vet, maybe he won't have to take Plavix anymore. Realistically, this isn't very likely. It's not very likely that the rain will stop or the stock market will rally either. The Apple earnings warning today even surprised me. Apple hasn't had a dire warning like this since 2002. For many investors this news will seem like a sign of the apocalypse. I have a feeling that 2019 is going to be a very bumpy ride.

Dash is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3295 - New Year's Day

I got a surprising amount of sleep last night, especially considering that I'd stayed up past midnight to greet the new year. Two glasses of champagne didn't seem to bother me either. There was no reason to get up early today. It was cold outside and we had no plans. We all slept in until well past 8 AM. At some point during the night I got up to let Dash outside, but I barely remember it. These nightly disruptions are routine now. Pooping in the bed a few hours later wasn't a big deal either. Dash has gotten pretty good about staying on his puppy training pad. I just slide out the soiled pad, roll it up and replace it with a fresh puppy pad. Dash never even wakes up.

Before I went to bed last night I watched the New Horizons flyby of Ultma Thule on NASA TV. There wasn't much to see. The probe was more than four billion miles away and it would take another six hours for the signal that the mission had succeeded to reach Earth. The fact that we will soon get a look at something located way beyond Pluto is amazing to me. We are so good at science like this and yet for some reason we still can't get along with each other.

I imagine that quite a few people will make a New Year's Resolution to be more agreeable this year, but few will succeed. There are just so many reasons to be irritated at our fellow man. If Dash was a human he would be in an assisted living home by now. He's a dog though, so I'm willing to do anything I can to make his last day's comfortable.

Dash loves his walks so we all got bundled up and braved the cold this morning. It was a gloomy, grey day but at least it wasn't raining. Dash is so intent on smelling things these days that he forgets about his rear legs. I'm constantly having to steady him by holding the handle on his harness to keep him from falling over. While we were walking I kept thinking it was Sunday and was thinking about having pancakes for breakfast. I was actually kind of surprised when I remembered it was only Tuesday. The entire holiday season has been like this. It's hard to tell what day it is.

I didn't do much today. The days when we would watch the Rose Bowl parade followed by an entire day of football seem so long ago. Even the names of the bowl games have changed. They are all named after corporations now and some of them aren't even on New Year's Day. To avoid doing household chores, I caught up on some overdue correspondence. I wrote the roofer, begging him to hurry up with repairs. I wrote the friend who is selling my train collection. He wants to lower prices, since sales have been slow. I'm still hoping that someone like me will wander into his store and buy everything. I sent Christmas greetings to a few people even though Christmas is over. Why not?

I didn't finish breakfast until well after noon and by the time I took a shower Dash was already waiting for his evening walk. Where did the day go? Jeez. Where did the year go?  2018 seemed to slip by awfully fast. Dash ended the year a little bit healthier than he started it. Like Dot, he is very determined to make the most of the time he has. Auctioning my art this year was an interesting experience. It actually got me interest in art again. Unfortunately, I don't have any left.

Like many people, I hope that 2019 will be better than 2018. You've got your reasons and I've got mine. Whatever you're hoping for, I wish you luck. All I know is that anything could happen during our next trip around the sun.

Jasper is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3294

Another year bites the dust. I guess it was fitting that the year ended in such a typical fashion. It rained all night. Dash pooped in the bed. And the roof started leaking again. As usual, I noticed the leak when I stepped in a puddle of water while I was taking Dash outside to pee in the middle of the night. I had a towel in my hand to dry Dash off with, but ended up using it to mop up the water on the floor. After strategically placing buckets under the leaks and cleaning Dash so he wouldn't get mud on the bed, I went back to sleep.

This morning I was puzzled that no water was being pumped from the roof. I went up to investigate and discovered that the pump had tipped over during the night. No wonder there was over three inches of standing water directly over the leak. I spent two hours removing all the water from the roof, but the effort was probably all for nothing. There is snow in the forecast for Wednesday.

I took a small check from one of my few remaining clients to the bank and got a bunch of buckets at the Dollar Store on the way home. You can't have too many buckets when your roof is leaking. I never go to the Dollar Store, but Janet said that if I'd quit being such an elitist, I could get the buckets for only a dollar. She was right. I would have paid five dollars for a similar bucket at Home Depot.

Not much has changed this year. Last New Year's Eve Dash was already wearing his knee brace and was having major problems with vestibular disease. The elastomer coating on the roof was falling apart and my accountant was telling me it was time to shut down the business. I was starting to think about selling things, but hadn't actually started yet.

One year later, Dash has exceeded all his doctor's expectations. He poops all over the place, but his heart is actually stronger than it was last year. He still has vestibular disease, but the seizures seems to have subsided. Considering that he can barely stand up at times, the little guy is proving to be remarkably resilient.

The house hasn't been resilient at all. I guess this is to be expected since it was built in 1955. I'm going to need a new roof, new toilets and tile in the bathrooms, new sheetrock on the ceiling, fresh paint, and a new sliding glass door in the atrium. It's too bad that my services are no longer in demand because this is going to be expensive. I hate to spend a lot of money on this house, since it will probably be torn down if we ever move. On the other hand, I hate living like this. I've almost forgotten what living in a trouble free house is like.

I think we'll make it to midnight this year. We've been staying up later lately because Dash usually pees around midnight. It's easier to go to bed after this happens. There's some champagne cooling in the refrigerator. We'll lift a glass to the new year and hope that it is better than 2018.

Dot is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3293

Dash kept kicking me last night and waking me up. He must have been dreaming. Occasionally, he woke me up in the middle of my own dreams and I started remembering snippets of other dreams. There were so many. It kind of startled me that my brain had stored away all my dreams. Are dream memories just like any other memory? If so, I probably have more memories of things that never happened than of things that actually occurred.

I am often lost in my dreams. I'll spend forever looking for my room in a huge hotel. Sometimes I'm looking for my car in a large parking garage. There are several memories where I go from deck to deck on a huge ship looking for a friend. I always wake up before I find what I'm looking for.

I've occupied more dream houses than real ones. I know every inch of these imaginary homes. Some are quite simple and contain only one room. Others are incredibly elaborate. Most of these dreams are pleasant. I am getting ready for bed or trying to find a toothbrush. Just ordinary domestic stuff. There are several dreams where I'm trying to stop a roof leak though. Once, the roof actually collapsed.

There are many journey dreams where I am traveling through a large city or along a long road. Sometimes the city has tall buildings like New York or Chicago. Other times there are lots of casinos, like Las Vegas. There is one city that is located by the ocean and I'm always trying to locate a path to the beach. Sometimes I'm changing trains or busses. I'll often look for a specific number on a bus, but I never know where I'm going.

Some dreams are so detailed that I used to spend years wondering whether they were real. In one, I used to spend Summers with an older couple at the end of a long dirt road. I went back to this place for several Summers and would help with the gardening. Did this couple befriend me or employ me? I used to write the couple letters in my dreams buy I can't remember what they said. My dreams really got confusing when they involved showing my portfolio to potential employers. Did some of this actually happen? The flying dreams couldn't have been real, but what about the dreams where I was setting up equipment with my band?

I wonder why all these dream memories came flooding back last night. It was an ordinary night where I kept waking up and checking to see if Dash had pooped on the bed yet. Dash actually slept well last night and didn't need to go outside until it was almost morning. I can't say the same for myself.

It was really cold today and there is rain in the forecast again. This is disappointing, but what can you do? It's Winter. At least it wasn't raining when I went to the gym. I need to remember to strategically position a few buckets on the floor before I go to bed tonight. If it rains hard enough, the roof leak is sure to return.

Although my dreams are weird, they share one thing in common with everyday life. There never seems to be any resolution. During the day, I'm dealing with endless water problems and during the night I'm endlessly looking for something I never seem to find.

Penny is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3292

I spend my Winters wishing it was Summer and my Summers wishing it was Winter. I was definitely wishing for warmer weather today. Everything takes longer when it's cold. I'm slow anyway, but dressing in layers on a cold day takes me forever. Making the bed takes longer when it is piled with blankets. You've got to let the car warm up before you leave the driveway. You can't even depend on the weather forecast. Yesterday I was looking at a week of clear skies. Now the forecast says it is going to rain tomorrow.

I had lots of errands to run today. There were prescription to pick up and groceries to buy. The car needed gas. I had to retrieve a few things from the storage warehouse. I needed strawberries for my smoothies, clorox wipes to help clean up dog poop, halogen bulbs for the sconce lamps in the living room, and salicylic acid for my oily skin. Each of these things came from a different store. No wonder so many people shop on Amazon.

I can't seem to catch up on sleep anymore. When I returned from my errands, all I wanted to do was sleep. Since Dash spends most of his day sleeping anyway, it's always easy to take a nap with him. If I lie down on the bed, he'll be curled up next to me within a matter of minutes. I just need to stay alert until he navigates the dog step at the foot of the bed. Occasionally, he falls and I have to catch him.

I used to start projects on weekends, but not anymore. I just take care of the bare necessities now. Instead of making Giclée prints for gallery shows, I unclog drains. You really can't ignore a clogged drain for very long. I thought I still had some 'instant plumber' stuff that uses compressed gas to clear gunk out of pipes in seconds, but I guess I'd left the can standing in the utility room too long. All the gas had escaped. I had to clear the drain the old fashioned way using a plunger. What a mess. You'd think by now that someone would have invented a coating that prevents gunk from accumulating on the inside of pipes, but apparently not. I have to clear slow drains much more often than I'd like.

I repaired another pair of Dash's Ultra Paws boots and did a few loads of wash. I was going to watch some of the afternoon cooking shows on PBS, but I fell asleep instead. Dash did get two walks today. He was slow and stumbled a lot, but he definitely enjoyed himself. His sense of smell is one thing that hasn't deteriorated. Dash wants to smell everything these days. I'm glad he still has something to look forward to.

I ought to look forward to going to the gym tomorrow, but the weekly workout is just one in a long list of weekend chores. I'm lazy at heart and fit out of necessity. I may be 70 but there are still drains to clean, standing water on the roof, and poop on the floor. I need to keep moving.

Petey & Greta are today's Dalmatian's of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3291

Today started oddly. As I was getting ready to go to breakfast, I noticed that the garbage truck was parked right next to my can on the street. The driver appeared to be texting someone or maybe he was having an Egg McMuffin for breakfast. When he finished he drove away, completely forgetting to pick up my trash. Damn. I was the only can of the street he skipped. I quickly ran out to the street and pushed my can to an adjacent street to catch the truck on it's return through the neighborhood. I'm glad my hastily improvised plan worked because I have no place to store two week's worth of trash.

A little later at the hotel restaurant I noticed that a well dressed older man sitting next to me was eating a meal that definitely wasn't on the menu. I was intrigued, because this guy's breakfast looked really good. I asked my server if I could order something off the menu too. She gave me an odd look and just said no. How did the old guy get to order whatever he wanted when I couldn't? I'll probably never know because I didn't want to make a scene. The old gentleman was very polite and clearly was accustomed to privilege. This odd little incident made me realize that I'd love to live in a world where I could walk into a restaurant and ask the chef to whip up whatever I wanted. "Menu? We don't need no stinkin' menus," I'd say.

I've totally lost track of what day it is. Probably everybody else has too. The time between Christmas and New Year's is an amorphous mess. I only remembered it was Friday because of chasing the garbage truck this morning and I only remembered to take the trash out last night after Janet reminded me. Basically every day kind of feels like Saturday.

Cleaning up poop doesn't help me remember what day it is because it happens all the time. It's almost easier that Dash poops in his sleep now because I can place a puppy training pad under him. The poop has been landing on the pad pretty consistently now. When I change the pad and put a fresh one under his butt, he often wakes up and decides he needs to pee. I'm still getting up in the middle of the night but the whole process seems more organized.

I got a lot of things done today, but none of them were important. I repaired several of Dash's boots with Shoe Goo. I calibrated and unclogged the large printer. I updated software on my laptop and recharged a bunch of batteries. By the time I was finished it was time for dinner. Janet is always dusting things around the house and told me that refusing to dust is a sign that you've given up. That hurt. I never dust. I actually think dust protects things from scratches.

As a sign that I never give up, I thought I'd go to the gym tomorrow. Hey, in my own dusty way, I'm determined. This plan lasted about thirty seconds because I eventually remembered that tomorrow isn't Sunday. Everything needs to happen on the correct day whether I can remember it or not.

Dot & Petey are today's Dalmatians of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3290

The repairs failed. The roof is leaking again. I heard the familiar sound of water dripping on the brick floors around 3 AM this morning. While I was getting a bucket positioned under the leak, Dash woke up and proceeded to poop on the floor. By the time I finished cleaning everything up, it was hardly worth going back to bed.

This was all very very disappointing to say the least. The rain was pretty intense last night, but I genuinely expected the roofers patches to work. Everything looked pretty good before the rain started. To make matters worse, the pumps I'd placed on the roof weren't very effective either. I'd hoped that the two pumps would significantly reduce the volume of water on the roof during a storm, but they quickly became clogged with leaves and debris from the trees and the flow of water through the hose gradually slowed to a trickle. At least the rain is gone for now. The weather was clear and cold when we woke up this morning. Dash got a nice walk, although he stumbled a lot. He's stumbling more now and it worries me. After breakfast I went up on the roof and began sweeping the standing water away. I've been up on the roof way too often lately and every bone in my body aches. I'm used to the pain in my shoulders and wrists, but today it felt like I'd developed tennis elbow as well. I'm way too old for this.

The leak stopped within an hour after I removed all the standing water. I still don't know how it is getting inside. I called the roofers and they said they'd be back next week. This is getting very irritating. I'm genuinely tired of fixing things. Unfortunately, with an old house you are always fixing things.

At least I was able to talk with a technician who said he can fix my chair. Unfortunately, he isn't available until the week of January 7. I guess the trash can I've been placing under the chair to keep the back upright will work until then.

Clearing the roof was tiring and I didn't feel like doing anything else today. Some things couldn't be avoided unfortunately. It was time to vacuum water from under the shower stall with the wet/dry vac and there was a big pile of laundry to do. Eventually I decided that enough was enough and I took a long nap with Dash.

The market is still insanely volatile. Within an hour or two this afternoon there was an eight hundred point swing. The Dow went from being down 600 points to closing up over 200 points. Just like yesterday, there was no real news. I guess volatility is just a sign of the times.

Maybe tomorrow will be uneventful. I think I'll go back to the hotel for breakfast. That will be nice and calm, even if the market isn't.

Taylor is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3289

The rain is here. It's been pouring for hours now. There is thunder and lightning. The phones are beeping with flood alerts. Dash is scared and confused. He can't crawl under desks and tables anymore and I think he feels vulnerable. I feel a bit vulnerable as well, because I don't know if the roof is going to start leaking again.

I've done all I can. Before the rain started I went up and walked the roof to makes sure all the rips and tears in the elastomer material had been sealed. The new silicon patches have had time to fully cure and they look pretty good. I've got both pumps running now. So far, so good. We'll see if the roof can weather the storm.

At least Dash got one walk today. He certainly didn't get an evening walk. I knew the rain was coming, so I tried to get all my errands finished before the storm arrived. I paid my property tax today, so there are no more bills for 2018. I contacted the manufacturer of my Aeron chair and found out that there are two authorized Herman Miller repair centers in the Dallas area. Both were closed today, but it looks like I'll be able to get the chair repaired whether it is under warranty or not.

I have no idea why the stock market went up 1000 points today. Of course I have no idea why it went down 600 points yesterday either. They say this extreme volatility is caused by algorithmic trading. These automated, computerized high frequency trades make up almost 70% of the overall trading volume these days. This is what happens when we let artificial intelligence take over our lives. It's only going to get worse. AI is here to stay. I hate to think what is going to happen when our highways are filled with driverless cars. There are unintended consequences to everything.

I wish I could go back to 1955. Cars were cool then. Most machines could be fixed by someone of average intelligence. A 30 point move in the Dow was considered a huge day on Wall Street. We certainly weren't backward in the 50's. We already had atomic energy and Wernher von Braun was planning to take us to the moon. The pace was slower though and that was a good thing. I think we've gotten ahead of ourselves by allowing technology to advance faster than we have.

Since I can't turn back time, I live in a crumbling mid-century modern house plagued by roof leaks. I guess I've benefited from modern advancements, but sometimes I wonder. My blog is really no different than the hand written diaries I used to keep long before the Internet was invented. I could actually type much better using a manual typewriter when I didn't depend on spell-check and had to start over whenever I made a mistake. I suspect that my life with dogs would be exactly the same no matter what era I was living in.

They say the skies will be clear tomorrow. I'll be a happy camper if the house is still dry. Dash is almost certain to poop in the bed tonight because he won't go outside in the rain. We'll see what happens. Hey, I made it through 2018. I'm not going to let a little poop and water bother me.

Dash is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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Day 3288 - Christmas

Christmas is a mishmash of fading memories. I vaguely remember going to Christmas Eve services with my parents. I was raised a Lutheran, but haven't been inside a church in years. At one point I was Joseph in the annual church production of the nativity story. That was embarrassing. When I was nine or ten, I remember getting a red rocket for Christmas that was powered by a mixture of baking soda and water. I would shoot the thing off on a vacant football practice field used by the Arkansas Razorbacks and it would travel hundreds of feet in the air before a little parachute brought it back to earth. I'm surprised that I remember all this, because many later celebrations have vanished from my memory.

I wonder if I celebrated Christmas at all when I lived in Seattle. I lived there six of seven years and don't remember a single Christmas. I must have done something although I'm pretty sure I never put up a tree. We visited Janet's relatives in Pennsylvania for a while. I remember a lot of snow. Christmas didn't seem like I was a kid again until we got a dog.

All dogs seem to love Christmas. Ours have always loved to unwrap squeaky toys and treats under the tree. They always seem to know which presents are for them. For many years we used to go to the kennel and walk the rescue Dalmatians at Christmas. Before their Christmas walk we would feed each dog a large boiled chicken breast. They loved their Christmas meal. Those memories are among the most vivid that remain.

Christmas is much quieter now. Dash is old and sleeps most of the time. He still enjoys a tasty treat though and he definitely got his share today. Our treat was a delicious Christmas dinner. The smoked ham was great. So were the candied sweet potatoes, green bean casserole, and cherry pie.

It never rained today but there is still rain in the forecast. I'm hoping we can postpone the rain a little longer. The longer the silicon coating on the roof has to dry, the more likely it is to work. I bleached the stained ceilings today, so I will have an easier time seeing if the leak is starting to return. Let's hope the roofers did as good a job as the appliance repairman did. The dryer works like a charm now.

I found a few YouTube videos about repairing Aeron chairs this afternoon. The procedure seemed straightforward, so I thought I'd give it a try. Not so fast. I never got past step one. I was supposed to remove four large screws attaching the chair's seat to the frame so I could reach the mechanism under the seat that controlled the chair's height and tilt. The screws were so tight that I couldn't get them to budge. I also found out that the Herman Miller warranty still exists, but that it is only good for a maximum of twelve years. I've had this chair a lot longer than twelve years. It was one of the first things I bought when I started the company.

There's a lot of leftover ham in the refrigerator. That's fine with me. I love ham and cheese sandwiches. I guess this means that Christmas is over for another year. It's going to seem weird without all those Lifetime Christmas Movies on the TV. It was a quiet and enjoyable day. As an added bonus, I just discovered that if I put the office trash can under my chair, I can keep the back from tilting back. Hey, there's always a solution if you look hard enough.

Dot is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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Day 3287

Since there is still rain in the forecast for Christmas, I thought I'd get the roof as ready as I could. I went to the hardware store and got a new hose for the pump to replace the current hose that had developed a kink. I thought the container the roofers left on the porch was some silicon material I could use to make emergency repairs. Unfortunately, it was just an empty container that they didn't bother to throw away. I thought there might be just enough elastomer material in the bottom of the bucket to fill the one remaining hole the roofers forgot. Jeez. I shouldn't be allowed near this stuff. I always make a mess. Even though I was very careful, I got some of the sticky silicon on my hands. I managed to fill the hole, but then later in the day I accidentally stepped in the still wet patch while I was changing the hose on the sump pump. I ruined a pair of cheap shoes and messed up my patch. Fortunately, there was just enough elastomer material left in the bucket to repair the hole again. I don't think I accomplished much, but at least I made an effort.

Dash had me worried today. For a while we wasn't putting weight on one of his rear legs. Did he tear an ACL? Has the neurological damage in his legs gotten worse? It was hard to tell. We got a treat he likes to see if he would follow us to get it. When we was distracted by the treat, he started walking normally again. We shortened his walk this evening and watched carefully to see if started limping. Dash did fine. Sometimes it's hard to tell whether we're pushing Dash too hard, or whether the exercise he's getting is beneficial. His condition is definitely getting worse, but he's going down hill slowly. We were dealing with a lot of the same problems last Christmas.

Last Christmas Dash was already having trembling spasms where he would start shivering violently for about ten minutes. The odd shivering spasms continue, but they haven't gotten much worse. His legs have gotten weaker, but he still does pretty well when he's moving forward. Dash has no reverse gear anymore. When he tries to back up, he falls over. The only thing that has dramatically changed during the past year is the incontinence. Dash is pooping all over the place these days. It's not all bad news though. We think the blood clot in his heart has actually gotten smaller or might have even disappeared this year. We have one more echocardiogram planned for January, just to make sure.

One benefit of my broken desk chair is that I have to sit up straight now. I have a tendency to lean back and slouch as I type, which is probably what broke the Aeron chair's tensioning spring in the first place. This new state of affairs may be great for my posture, but I'm definitely going to have to get this chair fixed. I'm a sloucher and my favorite chair just isn't comfortable anymore.

My financial condition doesn't feel very comfortable either. The stock market took another tumble today. It was a pretty dramatic sell off, considering that the market wasn't even open all day. I hope this downturn isn't as bad as 2007, but it's hard to tell at this point. There's certainly a lot of uncertainty in the world. I hope sanity returns in 2019, but I have my doubts. I spend so much time worrying about Dash and the roof that I might not even notice the apocalypse anyway.

Rain or shine, we're looking forward to a pleasant Christmas. Presents aren't a big deal anymore, but I'm still hoping that the roofers left me a gift. A roof that doesn't leak when it rains would be great. A dog that didn't poop in the bed on Christmas morning would be pretty nice too.

Dash is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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Day 3286

There were only two people at the gym when I arrived this morning. This is a huge facility with a basketball court, a running track, and an Olympic sized swimming pool, so it's always weird to see the place so empty. Maybe everybody had Christmas plans. My own plans seldom change, so I hope this gym is still around five years from now. The giant hospital chain that owns the place could easily decide that it wasn't worth keeping the lights on for two people.

The weather was clear and cold today. There wasn't a cloud in the sky. There wasn't even much dew on the ground when we walked Dash this morning, so I felt like the the silicon coating on the roof might actually have a chance to dry properly. After breakfast, I went up and took a look and was mildly disappointed that falling leaves had become stuck in the elastomer as it was drying. The crew also missed a spot, but it wasn't in a critical location. Hopefully, we'll be ready for the next band of thunderstorms that are headed our way.

A spring broke in my Aeron Chair today and the back no longer stays upright. Damn. When I bought this chair many years ago, they were guaranteed for life. I've had the chair repaired twice by Herman Miller, but the last time was well over ten years ago. Even back then, the lifetime guarantee was becoming the stuff of myth. It was kind of like the legendary JC Penny battery. A few people knew of the guarantee, but nobody had actually seen a chair that qualified. I think my serial number is low enough, but I lost my purchase receipt long ago since I bought the chair right after it was introduced in the early 1990's. I wonder if it is even worth the effort to try and get another free repair?

Dash's poop stayed on the puppy training pads last night, but then later in the day he pooped on the carpet in my office. I don't know why it never even occurred to me that the danger of an accident was just as real during the day. I guess I'm going to need to place a puppy pad under him at all times now. When he wakes up from a nap, it seems to take a lot more effort for him to get up. Sometimes this extra effort causes him to poop. There are different techniques to cleaning the bricks, the carpet, and the bedding. I'm becoming an expert at all three.

I listened to a show about big data on the way to the way to the gym where a researcher had compared the results of large scale surveys with Google searches during the same period of time. His conclusion was that everyone lies when taking a survey because we lie all the time. Even though the surveys were anonymous, people want others to think well of them. We tend to say we voted even when we didn't and tend to say we care even when we don't. Conversely, there is no incentive to lie when you are looking for something on Google. If you lie, you won't find what you were looking for. So, I guess Google knows what we are really thinking, but the politicians don't. Sounds about right to me.

I felt like taking a nap when I came home from the gym, but I vacuumed the house instead. Hey, I put a few more steps on the Fitbit that way. Sundays are often 20,000 step days. I wonder if staying active just to get a higher Fitbit number is a subtle form of lying? Who am I kidding? Everybody knows I prefer napping to vacuuming.

Ziggy is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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Day 3285

I found myself driving all over town today in search of a Christmas ham. When I went to my favorite smokehouse, the guy behind the counter gave me this look that clearly said "Dude, you should have ordered your ham three weeks ago." They told me they wouldn't have any more smoked hams available until after Christmas. I didn't want a grocery store ham and there weren't many places nearby that smoked their own meat. I finally went to a good barbecue restaurant and convinced them to sell me some smoked ham by the pound. They only wanted to sell me a whole ham, but it was huge and I knew it would take Janet and I a month to eat it. "I only need three pounds," I said. "Your customers will order the rest of this ham before you close today anyway." The restaurant was crowded with hungry people and the manager agreed. I got my ham.

I also got the roof fixed today. At least I hope I got the leak fixed. One of the guys on the crew showed me a place where it was pretty obvious that water was getting in. They made their repairs and drove away. We'll see what happens when the rain returns. I'm cautiously optimistic at this point. The weather will still be good tomorrow and the elastomer coating should have a full 48 hours to cure before the rainy weather returns.

I think I'm on good terms with the roofer again. He agreed that even under the best of conditions today's repairs were probably only temporary. Its' going to take some serious work to make this type of membrane roof completely reliable. Silicon definitely preforms well under standing water. That's good. Unfortunately silicon doesn't really stick to anything. That's why the material is often used to make molds to manufacture other products. If I've got a roof that won't stick to the rest of the house, I've got a big problem. It's probably time to forget about high-tech solutions and go back to a conventional roof.

Dash missed the puppy training pad last night, so I was back to going outside in the middle of the night, cleaning his blanket with a garden hose and then throwing it in the washing machine on the high temperature disinfect cycle. Dash moves around too much at night. It's almost impossible to keep these absorbent puppy training pads under his butt. I'm not giving up though. I went to the storage warehouse after breakfast and brought back a large carton of the pads that we used to use for Dot.

Dash got an early Christmas present today. Another box of Devon's Doggie Delights arrived in the mail. It always amazes me when someone manages to build a successful business just by selling to Facebook friends, but the lady who owns this company appears to have done it. Half the people we know with Dalmatians order from her regularly. Devon, not surprisingly is the owner's Dalmatian. Dash absolutely loves these treats. We always know when it's time to order more.

I wish Dash knew when it was time to pee and poop. I think that's too much to ask at this point unfortunately. A good day for Dash is when he is able to get up on his own and walk around for a while without falling over. I guess that's a good day for anyone who's growing older. If I don't fall over tomorrow, I'm going back to the gym. I definitely need some exercise before we eat our Christmas ham.

Two sisters are today's Dalmatians of the Day

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Day 3284 - Winter Solstice

Now we're talking. For the first time in over a week, I felt like I was actually making progress. The dryer is fixed. I'm glad I didn't try to do the job myself. I would have ordered the wrong parts and I don't think I would have had the strength to remove the dryer drum. I wish everyone who came to the house was as good as the appliance repairmen. So far, he's fixed the refrigerator, the washing machine, and now the dryer. The only thing left is the dishwasher.

The guy who's going to give me a bid on replacing the roof came over to measure things and take a look at the situation this morning. He seemed knowledgable and thought he could put a pitch on the roof without destroying the appearance of the house. We'll see how the bid comes in. I have a feeling that adding a pitch to the oddly shaped roof will be quite expensive. I'm thinking about a metal roof too. If the current leak can be successfully repaired, I may be able to postpone replacing the roof for a while. I have my doubts though. Nothing has worked so far.

The crew that is repairing the leak got approval from their boss to complete the work today and they will be coming back tomorrow morning. I hope they are successful, because there are thunderstorms in the forecast for Christmas Day. I don't think anyone expects these repairs to be permanent, but if they work, they will give me time to develop an effective plan to re-roof the house later in the Spring.

For the first time ever, Dash pooped on a puppy training pad last night. He not only hit the target one, he did the same thing again on a fresh pad three hours later. I don't know whether this was a random accident or a training breakthrough, but it sure made me happy. Clean up was so much easier this morning. I've still got an entire case of puppy training pads in the storage warehouse that Dot never used. I'll go get them tomorrow and hope for the best. If we could get Dash used to using these things, life would be a lot easier.

It didn't seem like the first day of Winter today. We've already had some very cold weather, but today was rather nice. It was warm enough that we tried to give Dash a bath outside this afternoon. He didn't like the idea, but he certainly needed a cleanup. After your dog has sat in poop a few times, it takes a real effort to totally eliminate the smell. I think we succeeded. We've got a clean dog, a dryer that doesn't squeal anymore, and a promise to fix the roof leak tomorrow.

I wonder how much further the stock market is going to drop? This sell off has become a little alarming. I depend on my investments for a retirement income and I don't really think I have time to recover from another big crash like we had in 2007. Markets can go down very quickly, but usually they take a long time to recover. I hope we're near a market bottom, because I've still got to fix a lot of things around the house and the money's got to come from somewhere.

Willow is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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