Day 3409

I overthink things. For almost a week I've been debating about whether to go to an afternoon movie. I've looked up theaters on Google. I've read reviews for the film I was planning to see. I've fretted about the traffic. The reviews were mostly bad and I'd just about convinced myself that going out wasn't worth the effort. Unfortunately, I had way too much time on my hands today, so at the last minute I decided to go see the movie anyway. I usually like science fiction, but I should have listened to the reviewer who said that this was basically just a prison movie in space. I wasn't fond of this movie at all.

Evidently 2 PM on a Thursday isn't when people go to the movies. When I entered the theater, I quickly understood why the guy at the ticket counter told me I could sit anywhere I wanted. I was the only one in the theater. It wasn't a huge theater, but it wasn't small either. It was weird to be the only person in the entire theater.

I'm finishing breakfast earlier now. I made my morning coffee, fixed my fruit smoothie, ate breakfast, and washed the breakfast dishes before 9 AM today. When I was tending to Dash, it was usually after 11 AM before I was finished with breakfast. I guess it's good that I'm getting an earlier start. As Summer approaches I'm going to want to take my morning walk before the day gets too hot.

It didn't get too hot today. The weather was beautiful and a three mile walk seemed like a much better alternative to staring at the computer. I've finally started seeing nesting ducks. Maybe they just got a late start this year. There were lots of recumbent bikes on the bike path today. I wonder why the riders of these bikes are always older men with short white beards? I very rarely see younger men riding recumbent bikes and I've never seen a woman on one of these things.

Prairie Verbena seems to be the wildflower of the week. These little purple flowers are everywhere now. Next week a new wildflower will take the stage. Most of the wildflowers in the park are perennials. They keep coming back in the same places year after year. I've photographed all these plants before but I still enjoy seeing them. They've become familiar friends. Unlike Texas weather, the flowers are reliable and consistent.

The week has gone quickly. I've already taken the trash out to the curb and am thinking about having shrimp grits for breakfast tomorrow. I hope this nice weather continues. I didn't even have allergy problems today. Sooner or later the rain will return and so will the 100 degree days. For now I'm going to enjoy the blue skies and mild temperatures.

Pogo is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3408

Every time we get a heavy rain my first thought is that this was the worse storm ever. I felt this way last night when the rain was pounding down, but when I took my walk today I had to acknowledge that I've seen higher water levels at the lake before. I think my tolerance for bad weather isn't what it used to be. The rain was pretty bad though. Especially since one of my pumps on the roof wasn't working. I'm really glad that I wasn't traveling. I saw on the news this morning that one of the parking garages at the airport had flooded and lots of cars were completely underwater. This was the same garage where I parked when I went to Houston recently. A lot of travelers are going to be really surprised when they return home.

I was surprised that I even got a chance to walk today. Basically, it rained all day. I saw a little break in the clouds around noon and took advantage of it. I almost finished my three mile trek, but the rain started again when I was about 100 yards from home. I got wet, but it didn't matter. The next thing on my list was taking a shower.

I was almost certain that the roof would leak again last night, but the living room is still dry. So far, so good. Maybe judicious use of the two sump pumps is helping. The second pump started working again this afternoon, so I didn't have to go up on the roof and fix it. I don't know why these things are so balky. Sometimes they become clogged with leaves. There might be a bad electrical connection too. All the extension cords are underwater when it rains.

My contact at the auction house wants to re-offer some of the art that didn't sell recently with a lower reserve. Sounds good to me. The only other alternative is to take the art back and wait until the artist dies. A lot of art spikes in value after the artist dies. This plan probably won't work though, since the artist is younger than I am.

I found out today that the training class where we used to take the dogs on Wednesday evening had made a donation in Dot and Dash's memory to Dalmatian Rescue. This was so nice. Dot and Dash hadn't gone to class since they became sick several years ago and I was surprised that anyone still remembered them. I've still got some dusty ribbons that Dash won sitting on my desk. I continue to be amazed that he won ribbons for obedience when he was young, because as he became older and more stubborn he wouldn't even come when you called. Both dogs enjoyed the class. They probably thought the exercises were silly, but the weekly class was their chance to make friends and socialize with other dogs.

I hope that the weather improves tomorrow. Rainy days give me a bad case of cabin fever. It's not that dry days are all that exciting, but at least I'm not fretting about water leaks. I'll see if I can do something useful when the skies clear again. The back yard could certainly use some work.

Sadie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3407

I've been looking for some better shoes to wear on my longer walks. I didn't need to look far. There are enough shoes in my closet to start a shoe store. Today I wore an old pair of hand made Pivetta boots that belonged to my Dad. He wore them frequently while we lived in Alaska during the 1960's. Amazingly, these 50 year old hiking boots were still in better condition than shoes I bought last year. They just don't make things like this anymore. The boots are much sturdier and more comfortable than my regular dog walking shoes. I'm torn between wearing these shoes on a regular basis and preserving them for posterity. I've typically only worn these boots on snow days to preserve the soles. The boots still have the original soles and they show minimal wear. Pivetta is still considered the holy grail by some serious hikers. Colin Fletcher considered them to be the best boots you could buy. Should I save these things or wear them out? This is always my dilemma. I have a reverence for well made objects and often don't use things that were clearly meant to be used.

I went up to the audio repair shop this afternoon and paid the remainder of my bill. I didn't take the Sequential Circuits synthesizers home with with me however. I asked the technician who restored the gear for me if he'd be interested in helping me sell it for a commission. It's worth a shot. This guy knows musicians and collectors all over the country. I don't know anybody who's looking for a vintage synthesizer. We'll see what happens. I'm certainly in no hurry. The last time I actually used these synthesizers was in 1982.

On my way home I dropped off some more things at the storage warehouse. At least I don't have to store the synthesizers yet. I should have rented a larger unit because I've almost filled up my storage space. This wasn't supposed to happen so quickly. In theory there are still lots of things I can get rid of, but it's so much trouble to sort through all the boxes. I've started storing the new stuff in large clear plastic tubs so I can see what's inside. I don't have a clue what is inside some of the older cardboard boxes. Janet is well on her way to cleaning out her storage warehouse. She wants to move out before her next renewal date. I don't even understand this concept. To me a storage warehouse is like purgatory for stuff. You put stuff in there and maybe later it goes to heaven or hell. Storage warehouses are a great way to avoid making decisions. If I had an unlimited amount of money, I'd just buy an entire storage building.

It's started to rain again. I hope I didn't bleach the ceiling in vain. I'm still waiting for one more bid to replace the roof, but I'm not liking what I've seen so far. The cost is way too high. Jeez. I bought my first house for less than the highest estimate. I may be doomed to using the sump pumps and sweeping away the standing water forever. I hate viewing every rainstorm as a potential roof leak however. It gets old fast.

It's supposed to continue raining all day tomorrow. That's the main reason I ran most of my errands earlier today. I hate to drive in the rain. Sometimes I fantasize about living in the desert but I don't like rattlesnakes and scorpions either. I'd better get used to this because the rainy season could last another month. I'll need to turn the pumps on soon. Hope I can remember to turn them off again.

Wyatt is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3406

Eventually there will be nothing left to clean. Housecleaning seems kind of pointless to me, but it does occupy time. Today I brought a tall stepladder in the house and applied bleach to the stained areas on the ceiling. I've done this once before but the roof leak returned and stained the sheetrock all over again. Not surprisingly, I ruined a shirt while I was applying the bleach. While I was making a mess, Janet took a large comforter and other bedding that won't fit in our washing machine to the laundromat. The white comforter needed some bleach as well.

I don't know how long I'll continue taking a three mile walk in the morning, but for now it seems to be the most convenient way to get my 10,000 steps a day. Usually I see ducks nesting at this time of year, but they are strangely absent. Maybe the ducks have moved to the other side of the lake. I did see some Black Swallowtail butterflies and a few Red Wing Blackbirds. A couple of meadows are covered with small Huisache Daisies now. The season is still early, but it looks like it's going to be a good year for wildflowers.

I say all this but I'm really not much of a naturalist. I only took these long walks for the dogs. The jury is still out on whether I'll continue walking indefinitely. Walking is good exercise, but I'm just killing time. I've photographed all these flowers before. I've counted the ducks and learned how to avoid the poison ivy. I've seen rainbows and spectacular sunsets, but without a dog it's hard to see the point of it all. For now the Fitbit will keep me going. I've become a slave to the Fitbit.

Janet thinks I should volunteer for something. I try to explain that it's hard to avoid other people when you're volunteering. I guess I miss my old life. Writing and website development jobs kept me very busy. Clients paid my bills and the dogs kept me company. I sat in a little room in front of a large computer monitor and solved problems. I worked largely unsupervised and avoided meetings at all costs. The money was good and I had little to complain about. I think the dogs liked the arrangement too. I was always around and they became very spoiled. Basically, for many years I was just a well paid dog butler.

I was supposed to pick up the Sequential Circuits synthesizers today. The repairs have been finished for at least a week, but I've been avoiding picking them up. What am I going to do with these things? There is no room to bring them back to the office and I don't want to take them to the storage warehouse. The synthesizers need to be in a climate controlled environment. Keeping them in the storage warehouse for too many years was how they became damaged in the first place. The guitars were easier to deal with since there are plenty of vintage guitar dealers. Vintage analog synthesizer dealers are a little harder to find.

If you are a decisive person I'm probably going to drive you crazy as I slowly inch my way toward whatever comes next. I'm very patient and have a high tolerance for boredom. Don't expect any big changes in the next few weeks or months. I realize it's time for a change. I just don't know what the next chapter will be. Some people search for things. I have better luck just waiting for something to find me.

Mindy is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3405 - Easter

It was a very quiet day. After breakfast Janet joined me on my morning walk. She's in better shape than I am these days and I had to walk a little faster to keep up. We both do a pretty good job of staying active. Janet just enjoys the activity more. I go to the gym once a week out of necessity. She goes almost every day for fun.

I was surprised that the park didn't seem very full today. The weather was beautiful, but there were very few egg hunts and family gatherings. Usually this place is a madhouse on Easter morning. Maybe traditions have changed. We saw lots of cyclists and joggers today, but there weren't a lot of children.

I finished clearing the water off the roof today. This is how I get my exercise. No spin class or yoga for me. Just drudgery. I'm glad it's getting warmer because the water evaporates faster. There really wasn't that much standing water today. Of course, I don't think it has rained since Thursday. I may have to continue this task indefinitely. The bids for replacing the roof are much more expensive than I anticipated. It's a shame that it is so complicated to add a slight slope to the roof so the water drains properly. The hole in the center of the roof where the atrium is doesn't help matters. Maybe I'll just continue patching things.

I watched a show on Easter Island this afternoon on PBS. Later, there was another segment on Sixty Minutes about Easter Island. This seemed like a strange coincidence to me until I remembered that today was Easter. Easter Island was discovered on Easter. Of course the people who live there discovered the island thousands of years earlier. It would have probably been better if Westerners had never discovered the place. The tiny island has become a tourist trap. It is a destination for cruise ships now.

Even though I rarely cook, I've always liked The Great British Baking Show. There was an Easter Special today about making traditional Easter pastries. I'd never have the patience to make my own puff pastry. Even making Hot Cross Buns seemed far too complicated for me. Nevertheless, I enjoy seeing these creations come together. Bread is a forbidden pleasure for me. I could live on bread and pasta, but my body wouldn't be happy. I do better if I avoid the stuff.

I looked up the theater where High Life is showing. Parking is bad and there are no early matinees. This probably gives me the excuse I need to just wait until the film is available on iTunes. It really doesn't take much to convince me to stay home. If a movie happens to be playing at Northpark, I might convince myself to go. Other theaters just aren't very appealing.

I was surprised that my pharmacy was open today. I could have waited until tomorrow to pick up my prescription, but like I said earlier it was a very slow day. Going to a strange theater may seem daunting, but I have no phobias about going to the pharmacy. I go there all the time.

Joe is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3404

Maybe getting enough sleep is overrated. I've been getting almost eight hours of sleep a night for the past several days and I still feel tired. I get up, make the bed, and follow my routine, but it feels like I'm sleepwalking. It's hard to find a reason to do anything. Time fixes these things. It has in the past and it will now. Time moves very slowly though. It's going to be a long Summer.

I don't know why I thought the gym would be crowded today. It wasn't. There were even fewer people on the floor than there are on Sundays. The younger people were probably doing something outside today because the weather was beautiful. I probably should have been doing something outside too. When my workout was finished I felt like I'd actually gotten more exercise on yesterday's three mile walk. The walk felt more strenuous anyway. I guess the trip to the gym was worthwhile. I was very coordinated on the basketball court this afternoon. I wonder why some days I can sink baskets like clockwork and other days I can't hit anything? Try as I may to be consistent, it doesn't always happen.

I bought some socks on the way home from the gym. Socks don't last very long with me. Pants will last several years and shirts will last forever, but socks don't hold up well. They all develop holes in the heel very quickly. It probably doesn't help that I never wear shoes in the house. I wear socks like slippers. They're comfortable and keep my feet from getting cold on the brick floors. I don't understand the whole concept of sandals. I want my feet to stay warm.

I finished cleaning the car today. Cleaning the car is so much easier than cleaning the house. A car is small and manageable. The house just seems like a bottomless pit. I cleaned all the black gunk off the wheels with soap and water. Land Rover wheels always seem to be dirtier than other cars. Older Mercedes seem to have this problem as well. I don't drive much, but I can never seem to keep these wheels clean. I think as the brake pads wear down, they deposit a thin film of black residue on the wheels. I may be wrong though.

I'm getting tired of the huge sizes at Sam's Club and Costco. Buying in bulk saves money, but where do you put the stuff? I think I've reached the point where I'm willing to pay more for smaller packages of paper towels and toilet paper. We just don't have room for 45 rolls of toilet paper. I don't need a gallon of Windex either. A little bottle will do just fine.

Passover and Easter coincide this year. It has always seemed curious to me that these holidays don't always coincide. Occasionally Passover and Easter are a month apart. It's all the Moon's fault. The date for Passover is determined by the Hebrew Calendar and the date for Easter is determined by the Gregorian calendar. Both holidays are supposed to fall on or near a full moon in early Spring, but a lunar month isn't exactly 28 days and a solar year isn't exactly 365 days. It can get complicated. You'd think that after all these years we could have come up with a better way to measure time.

It seemed like Sunday today because I went to the gym and Janet fixed a special meal. I'm confused. I wonder what it will seem like tomorrow?

Wilson is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3403

I tried a new hotel for breakfast this morning. Actually, this was an old historic hotel, but you know what I'm talking about. This place was further from home, but I have plenty of time to kill, so why not. The food was great, the dining room was quiet and relaxing, the waiters were attentive, and it was nice to eat with real china, but I doubt that I'll be going back soon. The traffic was terrible. No breakfast is worth fighting rush hour traffic. Maybe I'm not adventurous enough. Maybe I've just become spoiled. Either way, I think I'll just stay in the neighborhood unless it's really necessary to leave.

I can't even remember why I started going out for breakfast on Friday mornings. I've been doing this a long time, but probably the first Friday breakfast outing is recorded in the blog somewhere. I don't think I've been going out for breakfast for more than ten years. Like many things in my life, I'm sure this started as an attempt to be more spontaneous and ended up becoming an iron clad rule that must be adhered to at all costs. I do know that I've gone out for breakfast when I wasn't even hungry on occasion, and have even driven to my breakfast restaurant in the rain. We all know how much I hate to drive in the rain.

Today I retraced the route I used to take with Dot and Dash when they were young. The path was over three miles long and the walk took me over an hour. I probably walked a little quicker when the dogs were two years old. Young Dalmatians can be very energetic. It was a nice day and I enjoyed the walk, but I was tired when I returned. I can't believe I did this twice a day for so many years. When My doctor used to ask me how I stayed so healthy, I always told him that I walked six miles a day with Dalmatians.

I can't decide whether to go see High Life or not. I don't like horror movies but I do like science fiction. This movie is both. It's not showing at nearby theaters either. Maybe I'll just wait until the film is available on iTunes. I did enjoy seeing Apollo 11 in a theater, but I probably would have enjoyed it on iTunes as well. I have a really big computer screen. Unfortunately, neither movie is available on iTunes yet. That's the problem with having too much time on your hands. You end up going to a movie when you'd really rather stay home.

I probably should go to the gym tomorrow. I got an e-mail today saying that my gym will be closed on Sunday. I guess this makes sense. It's Easter. The park will be filled with tons of children having Easter egg hunts on Sunday. There is more trash in the park on the Monday after Easter than on any other day of the year. Nobody ever bothers to pick up their trash. For weeks after Easter I had to watch carefully to make sure that the dogs wouldn't eat candy the kids left behind or fried chicken bones that the parents left behind. Dot was the worst. She had a nose for garbage. I guess kids don't really hunt for eggs anymore. They hunt for plastic eggs filled with candy.

I cleaned the inside of the car today. I'll never get all the dog hair out. I'm not even sure that I want to.

Marley is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3402

Godspeed Dash. I'll see you on the other side. As Janet and I prepared to say our final goodbyes, I couldn't help but think that we'd done this way too often. We got up early this morning and prepared to make the long drive to the crematorium. These places all seem to be located in little rural communities, far from the city. It was still raining when we left the house and I was hoping that we wouldn't encounter a hailstorm. Our first stop was to pick up Dash at the cancer center. Two of his favorite nurses helped us place him in the car. They'd been with him through thyroid cancer, vestibular disease, a blood clot in the heart, and much more. We all knew this was the end of an era.

I wish pets didn't have to be placed in a freezer after they died. It must be a health regulation. Dash's fur was still soft and silky, but he was very cold. Death still seems strange and mysterious to me. The body looks exactly the same. It seems natural to want to talk to the dead, but you never get an answer. I read an article recently saying scientists now think that the brain lives on for a short time after death. I'm not sure if I like this. If Dash was still aware for a few additional moments, I hope he was comforted knowing that the two people who loved him most were still right there with him.

When we arrived at The Pet Loss Center, we wrapped Dash in his favorite blanket and sat quietly in a dimly lit room with him for a while. We remembered the good times and the bad. We probably only remembered a very small fraction of our time together. The other memories will come and go for the rest of our lives. Life with Dot and Dash was unique and special. Although both Dot and Dash were sick toward the end of their lives, they were basically very healthy dogs. We did so much together.

Since we didn't want to make the long drive to the crematorium twice, we stayed in the area while Dash was being cremated. After watching as Dash's body was placed in the retort, we had lunch in a small country restaurant the crematorium staff recommended. While we waited to pick up Dash's ashes, we enjoyed one of the best meals we've had in a long time. This family restaurant has been in the same location under the same management since 1956. The menu and prices were like traveling back to our childhood in a time machine. Our Moms made this kind of food.

There are now six little urns on our coffee table. Each dog had their own personality, but they were all definitely Dalmatians. There's something special about a Dalmatian that you're not going to understand until one of these dogs joins your family. Fun times. I just wish dogs lived longer.

I took a long walk after we returned to Dallas. I need to get some better walking shoes, but I think I'm going to be doing a lot of walking this year. While I was out today I met a photographer who was taking pictures of owls. There were two large owls, a Mom and a Dad, who were keeping guard over a nest with two baby owls. The guy said the babies weren't ready to fly yet, but that occasionally they  would stick their heads out of the hole in a dead tree where they were living. We traded stories about animals we'd seen in the park and then I continued on my way. Maybe I'll come back and take pictures of these owls someday.

I took the trash out to the curb tonight. It was the only thing that seemed normal about today.

Mattie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3401

Weather reports can be frustrating. Ever since I woke up this morning I've been waiting for the monster storm with baseball sized hail that was headed our way. Janet changed her plans and stayed home because her previous car was damaged during a hailstorm. I took my morning walk in a slow drizzle because I was convinced that the weather was going to get worse as the day progressed. The rain never arrived. Actually, the sun is shining right now. Go figure.

There is still rain in the forecast. Now it is supposed to arrive around midnight. We'll see what happens. Texas weather is often totally unpredictable. I just hope that the storm moves through town and is well to the East by morning. We need to pick up Dash at the cancer center early tomorrow morning and drive him to our cremation appointment. I definitely don't want to do this during a hailstorm.

It's been easier than I thought to keep taking 10,000 steps a day. There's always plenty of time to walk when there's nothing else to do. I don't think there's any danger of turning into Forest Gump or anything, but I might start taking much longer daily walks. Why not? Walking alone in the woods is a great way to collect your thoughts. There are people who think I need to find a hobby. Actually, daydreaming is a pretty good hobby.

More of my art sold at auction this weekend. These secondary auctions aren't nearly as exciting as the  big ones in New York last Fall, but at least things are selling. So far, I've only had one piece that didn't get any bids at all. I've replaced most of the art that used to hang on our walls with pictures of the dogs. These pictures make me happier anyway. It's been a long time since I was an avid art collector. I'd rather look at pictures of Spot, Petey, Greta, Dot and Dash.

When we were cleaning today we found a humongous pile of dead ants under the microwave. I wonder how many years it took for that pile to accumulate? When the house settled, it left a small crack near a window frame in the kitchen. Ants came through this hole every Spring. I always sprayed, but apparently the ants were tough. Most of them kept going until they reached the microwave.

One of Dash's vets sent us a lovely bouquet of fresh flowers. They smell wonderful and remind me that we always used to keep fresh flower in the house. That didn't last for long. As we both got busier with work, the flowers would often be dead for weeks before we even noticed. I think Spot ate some flowers too. That episode put an end to the flowers. It just became too much trouble to keep track of which plants were safe for dogs and which were dangerous. With Dalmatians it's better to assume that everything is unsafe unless the dogs are being supervised.

Now that I'm getting more sleep, I thought that my resting heart rate would go down. Surprisingly, the opposite has happened. Fitbit is full of mysteries. It tells you just enough to get you wondering, but not enough to do anything really useful. I probably was just as healthy before I started counting my steps.

Bella is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3400

I like round numbers. 3400 seems reasonably close to 3500 and 3500 makes 4000 seem possible. I still don't know if I can reach my goal of writing something every evening for 5000 consecutive days, but I haven't given up yet. The thing that keeps me going is that I really don't know what is going to happen in the future. Anything could happen. Maybe the future will be worth reading about. I certainly hope something interesting occurs in the days ahead. Right now there isn't much of a story line. The blog has always been the story of two special dogs. Now that Dot and Dash are gone, so has a lot of my reasons for blogging.

We'll see what happens. Right now, I'm just trying to clean up the house. I took another load to the storage warehouse today. With Dash's support system gone, the house is stating to look bigger. I kind of miss the dog beds and kiddie gates, but there's far too much clutter around here already. It's time to restore some order to the place.

Janet brought an old computer home and wanted me to remove the hard drive so she could donate it. Nobody really wants old computers, but we've found a place that will take them. This was one of those Apple computers that looks like half of a bowling ball with a screen on a swinging chrome arm protruding from the top. I thought it would be easy to remove the hard drive, but apparently Apple didn't think this was a good idea. I had to disassemble the entire machine to access the cleverly hidden drive. It's a good thing I had a complete set of Torx screwdrivers. You couldn't even open the case with regular screwdrivers. Eventually, I finished the task, but I'm still wondering if it was worth the effort.

I got a voice message from the crematorium saying that they were unable to meet our request for a Saturday cremation. WTF? Dash's cremation is scheduled for Thursday morning. When I called to find out what was going on, the receptionist apologized immediately and told me she has been trying to reach someone else named John and had called me by mistake. "I'm so sorry," she said. "We'll see you tomorrow morning." "Tomorrow is Wednesday," I told her. "Our appointment is for Thursday morning." "Oh, I'm so sorry," she told me again. "I don't know why I even said that. Your appointment is definitely scheduled for Thursday." Somewhat reassured, I hung up the phone and continued my housecleaning.

I'm continuing my efforts to keep walking. Walking without a dog is just exercise, but at least Mr. Fitbit is happy. Somehow I've convinced myself that I need to take at least ten thousand steps a day. Ten thousand steps is easy with a dog. It's a little harder when you're just wandering around the house.

This is going to take a while. Dogs of ours have gone to the Rainbow Bridge before, but there was always another dog waiting to greet us when we returned to pick up the pieces. This is the first time there have been no dogs in the house for a very long time. It's awfully quiet around here.

Becker is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3399

Watching Notre Dame burn left me with an uneasy feeling that civilization itself was coming to an end. Paris has always been my favorite city. Every time I've been there, it seemed to represent what a great civilization could become. The place was magic. I'm not sure I'd feel the same way if I returned today. Terrorist attacks, civil unrest, squalid homeless camps, and this horrendous fire have changed the place. I don't know if the fire was caused by simple carelessness or malicious intent, but it shouldn't have happened. We can do better. This building was constructed during the Middle Ages. It survived the French Revolution and two World Wars. The cathedral was a vibrant and important part of European life long before the United States even existed. The fact that it burned today just seems like a bad omen to me.

I've always loved great cathedrals. Janet and I have climbed to the top of St. Peter's and looked out over the Roman skyline. We've stood in awe in front of Gaudi's Sagrada Família in Barcelona. We visited Salisbury Cathedral on our way to Stonehenge. Once, my German hosts took me on a special private tour of The Cathedral of Saint Lorenz at the end of a business trip to Nuremberg. These places were all amazing to me, but probably Notre Dame was the best of them all. It was very sad to see it burn today.

This morning I made arrangements for Dash's funeral. It isn't really a funeral I guess. Just a private cremation. It will seem like a funeral to us. We will spend some time with Dash in a quiet room with candles and say our final goodbyes. The staff will make a paw print and we will wrap him in his favorite blanket. Then I will carry him to the crematory and we will leave. All this ceremony may seem silly to some, but it brings us closure. We have done this for all our dogs. There are five little cedar boxes on our coffee table. Soon there will be six.

I took a walk by myself this morning. I followed one of the trails the dogs used to love when they were young and active. Jeez. We used to walk a long way. I was winded by the time I returned home. Dot and Dash's decline has been so slow and gradual that I never really realized that our walks were getting shorter and shorter. I forget sometimes that I have been walking dogs in this park for thirty years. I know every inch of this place. We are lucky to live near the largest urban lake in the country. Our park is larger than Central Park in New York. It is very pretty. If you were a dog, this is definitely where you would want to live.

I took some more of Dash's things to the storage warehouse this afternoon. The warehouse is getting full again. Sometimes the whole idea of downsizing seems futile. There are always things you want to keep. I have things of my Dad's that I will never use but it seems disrespectful to throw them away. It's easy to throw away an old computer. It's much harder to throw away dog blankets. You should never throw away your dog's collar. We've accumulated a huge collection of dog collars.

I'm still not used to getting enough sleep. It almost seems unnatural.

Krissy is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3398

Dash had a lot more friends than I realized. I was overwhelmed as condolences poured in from around the world yesterday. Thanks to all of you for sharing our story for all these years and finding a place in your heart for a very special dog. Newcomers to the blog may not realize that I've been writing about dogs for a very long time. Years ago I used to be a contributing editor for a strange little magazine called The Dalmatian Quarterly. This was back in the day when people still read things printed on paper and odd publications like this could survive and thrive. The Dalmatian Quarterly is long gone, but my interest in dogs continued. I included a few dog stories in a book I wrote called The Road to Nowhere. People liked these stories, so I wrote a book about our first Dalmatian called Wag. After Spot passed away, I wrote another book about our next Dalmatian called Petey's Place. By the time Dot and Dash became part of our lives, I had discovered blogging and the rest is history.

It's still hard to get used to a world without dogs. When I came home from the gym this afternoon, I immediately went to the bedroom to check on Dash. Checking on Dash has become such an integral part of my life in recent years that it took a second or two to realize he wasn't there. His support system was definitely still in place. There were throw rugs to help him walk in every room. Puppy training pads were everywhere because you never knew when Dash would need to poop. All my pants and most of my jackets still have poop bags in the pockets. There were lots of kiddie gates to create safe spaces for Dash when I had to be away. There were an enormous amount of dog blankets and at least three dog beds in different parts of the house. You can't have too many dog blankets.

It's going to take a long time to make the house presentable again. I took the rugs back to the storage warehouse this afternoon. We may need them again someday. It's a lot more likely that another old Dalmatian will need them first. Friends gave us rugs when Dot's legs began to fail and we'll probably give these rugs to someone else. The gates will get used again too. Gates can be helpful with older dogs, but they are absolutely essential with puppies.

Eventually, all the blankets will be washed and put away. There will be one blanket that goes with Dash as he takes his final trip with us in the car a few days from now. We always wrap our dogs in their favorite blanket and drive them to be cremated ourselves. We make a paw print in clay, clip a tiny amount of fur to keep, and then gently carry our friend to the crematory. I will place Dash in the oven myself. Not everyone does it this way, but it just seems right. If you start your journey together, you should end your journey together. I will need to makes the arrangements tomorrow morning. We will go to the same place where we took Dot. They were extremely kind to us.

It was weird to experience uninterrupted sleep again. I didn't wake up once last night. I didn't even get up to go to the bathroom. It's been a long time since that happened. When I woke up around 6:30 AM I felt rested. There was no point in getting up early though. The only reason I ever got up early was to walk Dash before it became too hot. I guess I'm going to need to continue walking in the park to take pictures for the blog. I still need a new picture every day. It's going to seem strange walking without a dog though. It feels like I've been walking dogs forever.

Thanks again for thinking about us yesterday. It means a lot.

Flash is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3397

We lost Dash today. He passed away around 11 AM this morning. We knew Dash was sick when we took him to the vet this morning, but we fully expected him to come home with us. We were even slightly optimistic because we had finally been able to get him to drink water and eat a little food yesterday evening. It wasn't meant to be. When the lab results came back this morning, it was clear that Dash was suffering from kidney failure. The vet told us that they could put him on IV fluids for several days and possibly clear some of the toxins from his system. The real danger was excessive levels of phosphorus in his blood. Even if the toxins could be removed, the problem would return because Dash's kidneys weren't operating properly. Even after IV therapy, Dash still might not eat and probably would be very uncomfortable.

Kidney failure explained a lot of things. Lethargy, diarrhea, loss of appetite, weight loss, urinary incontinence, bad breath, and ulcers in the mouth can all be early signs of kidney failure. Dash had all of these symptoms. Increasing Dash's pain medication wouldn't help at all, since the Rimadyl he's been taking is hard on the liver and kidneys to begin with. We had to make a very hard choice today. We could leave him in the ICU for four days, fill him with IV fluids, and if we were lucky, get to spend a few more days or weeks with him. Our vet, a gifted oncologist who helped Dash survive cancer, didn't think he could survive more than a month no matter what we did. Our other choice was to say goodby today.

We never wanted any of our dogs to suffer. In the best of worlds, they all would have died peacefully in their sleep. That never happened. I have so many vivid memories of dying dogs that it's hard to remember all the good times. There were definitely lots of good times. Dot and Dash were both amazingly good dogs. We were lucky to have both of them. Dash was very tired after his exam. I took him outside one last time in the rain to smell things and then we returned to the clinic to say our goodbyes. He lay quietly on a warm blanket in the exam room when we returned and I could tell he was exhausted. As he went to sleep with his head in my lap, the vet prepared to administer the Propofol that would relax and sedate Dash and then the Barbiturates used to stop his heart. Dash was very peaceful as he made his journey to the Rainbow Bridge. He yawned once as the Propofol began to sedate him and just like that, he was gone.

It was very strange to come home to a quiet and empty house. We've shared our home with a Dalmatian for over 32 years. Living with dogs has become a way of life. Living with a sick dogs becomes a way of life too. It's been almost five years since Dot first became sick. There have been a lot up ups and downs along the way, but I wouldn't change a thing even though some days have been extremely hard. I really think we did the best we possible could for all our dogs and they definitely returned the favor. I just wish that dogs lived longer. They capture your heart and then they're gone.

I don't think we will realize for months just how much life has changed. We are both getting older and have our own medical problems. Dash might be our last dog. It's way too early to make that decision now, but we do need to rest and recuperate. It's been a long four years. Rest in peace Dash. I hope you knew that you were dearly loved.

Dash is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3396

Today was tough. Dash refused to eat or drink today. Not eating is bad enough, but not drinking is even worse. Dogs that refuse to drink water can have kidney disease among other things. I've always worried about renal failure, but I think one of the symptoms for that is drinking too much water. At any rate, refusing to drink water definitely isn't normal.

 I called Dash's vet at the cancer center and he said that if we couldn't get Dash to drink water by later this evening, we should take him to an emergency vet and put him on IV fluids overnight. With so many serious problems already, we definitely don't want to let Dash become dehydrated. I was just about ready to make an appointment with the emergency vet, when we tried one more time to get Dash to drink. This time it worked. Dash drank a lot of water from his bathroom water bowl and then about thirty minutes later he drank some more from the kitchen water bowl. Crisis averted.

We're still going to take him to the vet tomorrow morning to check his blood work and make sure his kidneys aren't starting to fail. We aren't out of the woods yet, but he's had enough water so that I don't think we need to put him on IV fluids tonight. Eating is still a problem. Dash refused to eat anything for most of the day. He wouldn't even take his pills. After we got him to drink water this evening, he finally was able to eat a small ground beef patty and some bread. That's not much for an entire day, but at least it's a start. We'll try the appetite enhancer the vet prescribed tonight.

Janet was home today so I was able to keep my haircut appointment. The only time slot that was available was later in the day, so I ended up driving home during rush hour. I try to avoid this time of day at all costs because the traffic is horrendous. It certainly wasn't this bad when we moved to Dallas. How are people able to put up with this day after day? I'm surprised that road rage isn't worse than it is. It's been decades since I've had to deal with any type of commute. Working out of your house spoils you. I don't think I could handle commuting anymore.

While I was out this afternoon I renewed some prescriptions for Dash. This was being optimistic, since at the time, Dash still hadn't taken any of his daily meds. Luckily, we were able to give Dash his evening pills about an hour ago. I think today was the first time we've had to skip some of his meds entirely, but it couldn't be helped. This morning we weren't sure he was going to make it through the day.

I look more presentable after a haircut, but I don't feel any better. Today has been stressful. Hopefully, we can get some answers when we go to the cancer center tomorrow morning. Something is definitely wrong. Dash's periodontal disease might make his mouth hurt too much to eat normally. Maybe he has kidney disease. This is not uncommon with older Dalmatians. Maybe his cancer has returned. It could be almost anything at this point. A dog needs to eat and drink though. When they stop eating, it's all over. If we can get this problem resolved, we can work on the other things later.

Nellie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3395

Every year around this time I get an e-mail from GoDaddy asking me to confirm the contact settings for a domain that isn't mine. Every year, I try to call GoDaddy to find out what is going on. I can never connect with customer service because I don't have the correct customer ID or PIN number. "I'm sorry, we can't authenticate your records," an automated voice says and then the line hangs up. I want to tell somebody that of course I don't have the right customer ID because I'm not a customer. The utter futility of dealing with automated customer support systems says everything you need to know about the world we live in today. Good luck if you want to call someone and ask a simple question. It's almost impossible. I'll probably get the same stupid e-mail next year.

I was sad to hear that the little Israeli lunar probe crashed on landing today. It almost made it. The main engine cut out just a few hundred feet above the lunar surface. I was hoping that this inexpensive, privately funded spacecraft would make it. The moon, or anywhere else for that matter, shouldn't be the exclusive purview of big governments.

I was also disappointed that Julian Assange was arrested. Assange should be viewed as a hero instead on an enemy. Everything he has revealed on Wikileaks has turned out to be true. Governments, including our own, shouldn't be able to hide under a cloak of secrecy when they are doing something wrong. There are no good guys in Washington. They all claim secrecy is vital for national security when the truth would damage them. On the other hand, they clamor for "full disclosure" when they think the truth would damage their opponents. It's disgusting.

At least there was some good news today. The second falcon heavy launch was a resounding success. The satellite went into orbit and all three of the booster stages landed successfully so they can be used again. Elon Musk has been able to do something that has so far eluded every government space agency in the world. We need a lot more people like Elon Musk and Steve Jobs and a lot fewer folks  like we've got in congress right now.

Dash continues to be a mystery. I don't understand how he can continue to walk in the park when he can barely stand up at home. The contrast is astonishing. He needs assistance on his walks, but his legs move properly and when he is moving he can support his own weight. Even when he can barely stand up in the mornings, he still tries to head for the back gate. These walks seem really important to him.

I wish the walks weren't so exhausting. As soon as we return home Dash's legs turn to jelly. He immediately goes to sleep. It is often hours before he moves again. We were able to get him to eat some chicken and even some Hills ID yesterday so the diarrhea has subsided. If he gets really hungry, he'll eat, but he just doesn't have much of an appetite. I've seen all these signs before. Dash is slowly shutting down. I don't know how much time he has, but he has made it clear that he's not ready to go quite yet. We'll do our best to keep him comfortable and happy for as long as we can.

I finally made an appointment to get a haircut tomorrow. If Dash does well in the morning, maybe I'll go out for breakfast too. Who knows at this point. I can kind of relate to Dash's loss of appetite. The reasons are different but I've lost interest in food too. In case you're interested, today's watch used to belong to Alice Cooper.

Tyson is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3394

I wish we could get Dash eating normally again. All the changes we've had to make to keep him eating are causing havoc with his digestive system. We had more diarrhea last night. Solid poop is easy to clean up. Diarrhea is a mess. We had to take Dash outside in the middle of the night and hose him off. There was a lot of laundry to do as well.

I'm pretty sure that if we could get Dash back on track with his chicken, rice, and vegetable stew his digestive problems would go away. He won't touch the stuff anymore. We can't use Metronidazole to clear up the diarrhea either. He seems to have a bad reaction to the stuff. In the past, these digestive problems have been temporary. I'm still hoping that we can get back to normal soon.

Maybe normal doesn't even exist anymore. Walks aren't normal anymore. Dash seems confused and gets lost more often. I can sense when he's becoming tired before he does, but it can be very difficult to get him turned around. Dash may have dementia, but he's just as stubborn as he always was. The rubber boots are wearing out faster because Dash is dragging his right rear leg more. We are walking slower too. Despite all these difficulties, Dash still insists on these daily walks. They are the one thing he still seems to enjoy.

I picked up prescriptions for Dash and myself today. My co-pay has gone up because my pharmacy isn't on my provider's preferred list anymore. This is such a nuisance. I like my pharmacy and they know my history well. I don't really want to change. You've got to wonder what is going on behind the scenes to try to force customers to go to certain pharmacies? Truthfully, I probably wouldn't want to know. The same drug should cost the same everywhere. Sadly, we're not even close to uniform drug prices. Dash's prescription are always much easier to deal with than mine.

What an amazing time we live in. First we get pictures of Pluto and today we see a black hole for the first time. I read several articles about how scientists imaged the back hole. It all sounded incredibly complex to me. Surprisingly, the black hole looked very much like the ones you see in science fiction movies. It's a big week in space. Tomorrow Israel will try to land a spacecraft on the moon and Space X will try to launch its monster Falcon Heavy rocket for the second time. Things are moving fast. Maybe I might live to see humans land on Mars after all.

The week is moving swiftly. I still need to get a haircut. I need to pick up something to eat for dinner tomorrow too. The refrigerator is looking empty. Scratch that. Actually, the refrigerator is full, but it's all things for Dash to eat. Hopefully, he'll find something he likes.

Apollo is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3393

I mowed the grass for the first time this year. I had to mow twice because the weeds were overpowering the mower. One pass took care of the top of the weeds and after I lowered the blade, the next pass took care of the rest. I used to spend hours weeding the lawn every Spring until I discovered that these weeds died on their own around April. Mowing the lawn seems harder with each passing year. The wheels aren't powered on this mower and the hills seem steeper than they used to be. One of these days I'm going to give up and hire a lawn service like all the other neighbors.

Dash got another bath today because he pooped on himself during the night. We cleaned him up the best we could around 2 AM, but when daylight arrived it was clear that we could have done better. It's sad that Dash won't eat the chicken, rice, and vegetable dinner we've been fixing for him. He did so well on this diet. Now that he's become an extremely picky eater again, we basically feed him anything that he will eat. The list seems to change every day. These frequent changes in diet are making his stools loose again. We've been through this before. So far, Dash's eating habits have returned to normal after a week or so. I've always thought the vestibular disease caused these episodes, but maybe it's something else. When Dash has an upset stomach, the important thing is to find something he can hold down and keep him taking his pills. So far, there's been no vomiting. It's always harder when there's a problem at both ends.

It's nice that warmer weather has returned. It's not so nice that the bugs came along with it. Every Spring we have a terrible problem with ants. They're everywhere. Old houses are full of cracks and these cracks are superhighways for ants. Mostly we are seeing small sweet ants. They're easy to kill, but they just keep coming. At least this onslaught is seasonal. Ants can be very irritating.

I didn't think that Dash's walks could get any slower, but they have. We just inch along these days. I try to get an early start so Dash won't get overheated. Unfortunately, an early start means nothing to Dash. It almost always feels ten degrees warmer by the time we return home. I don't know what we're going to do this Summer. Today was a beautiful, very mild Spring day and Dash was already too hot. He does best when it's about 40 degrees.

It's time for a haircut again. It seems like I just got a haircut but I guess it's been almost three months. Time seems to go by so quickly now. When I went to see the doctor the other day, it seemed like I'd just been too. It had been six months since my last appointment. Bills only arrive once a month, but it seems like I'm paying bills continuously. When I was busy with work, a month seemed like a very long time. Now that life has slowed down, time goes by much more quickly. Maybe when nothing happens, time doesn't exist. Those people who study black holes ought to look into this.

I've got to look for a birthday card tomorrow. There used to be a nice Hallmark Card store in the neighborhood, but it went out of business several years ago. I don't like the cards you find in grocery stores, but I don't feel like driving all over town either. It's not worth the effort. No wonder people just sent birthday greetings on Facebook.

Livy is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day