Day 1710

I've been asking my veterinarian friends how they treat incontinence in dogs and almost every one of them has given me a different answer. Some prefer to use estrogen products like Incurin. Others would rather use Proin, which is actually a type of decongestant called Phenylpropanolamine. There are herbal remedies, surgical solutions, specific exercise regimes, grain free diets, and a host of other alternatives that may or may not be effective. It's frustrating that nobody seems to agree on the cause of Dot's incontinence or the best way to treat it. For now, I just try convince myself that she's getting a little better, one day at a time.

Dot is certainly improving physically. We had a nice walk this morning and she was able to go almost twenty minutes on the underwater treadmill today. I was real pleased with her progress until I got home and read another article that said too much exercise could actually cause incontinence in some dogs. I feel like I'm dealing with an information overload. There are way too many things that might be causing problems and no simple solution.

There were quite a few website problems to deal with today. One client thought she had malware on her site. Another sent me a bio to upload that was so long it could have been a short novel. Everyone is worried about getting a bad review on Yelp. Increasingly, I am being asked to do things that have nothing to do with design. I try to roll with the punches and adapt to changing times, but this certainly isn't what I started out doing.

I'm getting to where I hate to even turn on the TV these days. The news is a continual barrage of riots, Ebola virus scares, terrorism atrocities, forest fires, floods, and unbridled stupidity. No wonder so many people are poorly informed. You just don't want to know about a lot of this stuff. It's too depressing. My solution is to watch a lot of old Top Gear and Dr. Who re-runs on BBC. Other people prefer Netflix or Candy Crush Saga. Anything is probably better than the sobering reality that we are all on the verge of complete chaos.

At least it's Friday tomorrow. I'm going to have a delicious breakfast and get a haircut. I'm hoping that Dot is going to make it through the night without peeing on something. Surely something good will happen tomorrow. When I was walking the dogs this morning I noticed the meadows were filled with little white Rain Lilies that just appeared out of nowhere. That's kind of how life is. You get a bad thunderstorm that scares the dogs and then a few days later there are all these pretty Rain Lilies.

Cookie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1709

Dash spent the day at the cancer center getting re-evaluated. Although he got an excellent report and is still cancer-free, his oncologist wants to continue his chemotherapy regime for at least two more months. I was hoping that he might be finished with his treatment today, but I guess two more months will be OK. The Palladia drug seems to be very effective and doctors are enthusiastic about using it for the types of cancers that Dot and Dash have. I asked if Dot would need the Palladia too, and it doesn't seem to be necessary in her case. Her tumor has finally been positively identified as a gastrointestinal stromal tumor, which responds well to Palladia, but the oncologist still thinks the tumor was removed early enough that it had not metastasized yet. The Palladia pills do not appear to have any side effects on Dash. The only side effects are on your wallet. The pills are quite expensive.

Both doctors I talked to today seem a bit puzzled about Dot's incontinence. They said if it was just caused by the IV fluids she received while she was in the ICU, it should have cleared up by now. Everybody thinks we should wait the full six weeks before considering alternative treatment, but it's starting to look like this might be more complex than we initially thought. Incontinence can be caused by old age, neurological problems, and a host of other issues. The trauma of surgery might have triggered an underlying condition that was already there. I read an article about incontinence in dogs the other day and found at least six different very plausible reasons why Dot might be experiencing this right now. It is all very confusing.

Dash is doing better with Janet as his trainer than he was with me at dog training class. She continues to take him to the Wednesday evening classes while I stay home with Dot. Both dogs are very sensitive to our own attitudes. Maybe Dash can tell that I was never that enthusiastic about school and class myself. I've never liked people telling me what to do. I'm glad he is doing well however. Maybe he'll eventually start winning ribbons again. Dash is a very smart dog. During his first year at training class he won all kinds of obedience ribbons. Then he got bored and didn't seem to like the exercises anymore. Maybe it was me who just got bored and didn't like the exercises anymore.

This week is going quickly. I really need to get a haircut, but I can't seem to find the time. It definitely won't be tomorrow. Dot has another physical therapy season tomorrow and believe it or not, I've still got work to do.  Maybe I can find time on Friday. If I had to choose between getting a haircut and going out for breakfast though, I'd definitely go for the breakfast.

Blackjack is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1708

I've been sleepy all day. Dot woke me up about 3 AM needing to go outside and then I had trouble getting back to sleep again. After three uneventful nights of restful sleep, I thought we had put most of Dot's incontinence issues behind us. Evidently not. Rehabilitation is not an exact science. There are still good days and bad days and today was not one of the better ones. When we went for our physical therapy session later in the day, I asked the vet why Dot appeared to be regressing. She said Dot probably just drank too much water later in the evening yesterday and said I should start withholding her water around 7 PM until her kidneys started concentrating urine normally again. Maybe it's as simple as that. Actually, I did let Dot drink water later in the evening last night because I thought she was back to normal. I need to remember to be patient.

It wasn't all bad news though. Dot had another good day on the underwater treadmill and continues to get stronger. I walked the dogs together again this evening and Dot had no trouble keeping up with Dash. Physically, she's doing great. She just pees all over the place. Despite the lingering incontinence issues, I'm still reluctant to give her estrogen. It would be so much better if she can resolve this on her own.

Sometimes it seems like these dog problems are never ending. Exactly one year ago Dot was having some serious issues with seizures. We managed to get those issues resolved and then Dash got sick. Dash appears to have made a complete recovery from his cancer, but he's still under treatment. In fact, he goes back to the cancer center tomorrow for another evaluation. We're hoping that Dash's oncologist will give us the green light to discontinue the chemotherapy. They're going to do an ultrasound tomorrow and if everything looks good, he might be finished with his cancer treatment entirely. We'll follow the doctor's recommendations though. We've come this far and Dash is doing well. If he needs more treatment, that's what he'll get.

You'd hardly know it was Janet's birthday today. She left for work early after we each walked a dog around sunrise. We still don't walk them together in the morning, because Dash likes to walk much further than Dot can manage in the mornings. When Janet came home from work later in the evening we had chocolate Sprinkles cupcakes and opened presents. Then it was time to waterproof the bed again. Our birthdays may not be glamorous anymore, but we've got a lot to be thankful for. Both our dogs have survived some pretty serious illnesses and are happy to be alive. We're also managing to stay reasonably healthy ourselves. We're all survivors. At this point in our lives, that's enough.

Spot is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1707

Today was a mixed bag. I walked the dogs together again for the first time in over a month. I had to slow Dash down a bit, but generally everything went fine. I'll try this again tomorrow. If I can go back to walking both dogs together, it will simplify things a bit. We won't have to get up so early every morning and Janet can go back to her regular schedule. I was so pleased with Dot's progress that I became over confident and let her roam around the house unsupervised while I was eating dinner. She promptly peed on the carpet in the bedroom. I was surprised, since we'd just returned from a walk and Dot hadn't had any prior accidents today. I guess it's hard to predict when a dog with a weak bladder is going to need to go. Maybe she just drank too much water with her dinner. I'm not going to let a little pee dampen a great day. Dot is still making fantastic progress. Last night was the third night in a row that we all slept peacefully and woke up in a dry bed. Dot had lots of energy today and was eager to take her walks. Hopefully, tomorrow will be even better.

I took care of most of the weekend's unfinished errands today. After a trip to the post office, the pharmacy, the bank, and the grocery store, I went to Sprinkles to get cupcakes for a birthday celebration. I've never been to this store when there wasn't a long line. Even at 2:30 in the afternoon on a workday there was a long line. I was gone longer than I expected, so I thought that Dot might have had an accident while I was gone. Nope. No problems at all. Unbeknownst to me, she was saving it up for dinnertime.

I've more or less lost interest in collecting things, so I don't visit eBay much anymore. I keep getting notices to change my password though after the big security breach, so today I finally got around to changing it. Out of curiosity I checked a few of the categories I used to follow. Nobody was bidding on anything and prices were much lower than they used to be. All my collectible treasures had fallen out of fashion. I guess it makes sense that nobody would collect film cameras anymore when you can't even buy film for them. The same thing probably goes for model trains. Why would you be interested in trains if you'd never ridden in one? Even though there were bargains galore, I wasn't tempted to bid on anything. I just felt old.

Dot has another physical therapy day tomorrow. It's too bad she can't just go to the gym with me. It would sure save time if she could work on strengthening her legs while a worked on strengthening my shoulder. I guess I shouldn't worry about running out of time though. I've got plenty of time. I just can't figure out what to do with it.

Lucy is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1706

We had another peaceful night with no incontinence accidents. Unfortunately, it wasn't going to be a peaceful day. About 5:30 AM a big thunderstorm rolled in that seemed to meet the dog's storm phobia threshold. Once the thunder and lightning started, all bets were off. This was going to be one of those all day rains with very few dry interludes to take the dogs outside to do their business. Even though I could tell they needed to go, Dot and Dash wouldn't even stick their head out the back door. Dot couldn't hold it and ended up pooping on the living room floor. Dash stubbornly refused to go until the rain stopped. About an hour after breakfast there was a brief break in the storm and I took him out to the park. Luckily, he did his business quickly, because a huge thunderclap sent us both running back to the house within minutes.

The weather was so terrible that I didn't even bother to go to the gym. Traffic is a nightmare when it rains in Dallas and I'd just as soon avoid it whenever I can. Instead of working out, I got out the Stratocaster and played guitar for a while. I need to get the guitar out of the case more often. Like many things I used to do well, I really need to practice. It doesn't help that the carpal tunnel in my wrist has gotten worse. I couldn't play for a full evening anymore. The wrist just hurts too much. I was thinking that shooting baskets at the gym was helping my carpal tunnel syndrome, but apparently different muscles are used playing guitar. Even though I didn't have the guitar out for a long time, it's was still enjoyable to play a little blues on a rainy day.

After I convinced myself that I was no longer guitar hero material, I did what any geek would do on a rainy day: I updated software and recharged batteries. When all the computers and tablets were up to date, I vacuumed the house. Since I hadn't cleaned anything since before Dot's surgery, the carpets were filthy. I guess it makes sense to clean the carpets whenever you wash the dogs. Both get dirty at about the same rate. Everything is clean now. We've got clean dogs, clean sheets, clean carpets, and clean towels. It won't last long. As soon as Dash discovers how soft the ground is in the back yard after all this rain, he's sure to dig a big hole.

The weather is supposed to be nice tomorrow. If it is, I'll finish the list of errands I was planning to do today. There are bills to pay, prescriptions to pick up, a refrigerator to restock with fresh vegetables, and maybe a trip to the gym. It looks like it is going to be a busy week. Janet and Dot have birthdays this month as well.

It's almost time to get the bed prepared for another unpredictable night. This whole ritual is strangely reminiscent of camping. I'm not sure exactly when we can trust Dot again, because she's not talking. Waterproofing the bed sure beats replacing the mattress though, so we'll probably continue adding the waterproof layers long after we really have to. I wouldn't be surprised if this ends up becoming one more insane thing I continue to do forever without questioning, just like sweeping all the water off the roof after it rains. Yep, I've got to do that tomorrow too.

Toby is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1705

Yay! Dot made it all the way through the night without an accident. I think she was as happy as we were to wake up in a dry bed this morning. I'm not sure whether last night was just a happy accident, or whether Dot has finally turned the corner. All I know is that it was sure nice to get a good night's sleep for a change. Hopefully, things are getting back to normal. I'm still going to waterproof the bed tonight though. There's no point in being overconfident.

Getting her incontinence issues under control isn't the only sign that Dot is getting better. She gets stronger every day. Our daily walks continue to get longer and we are beginning to get back to many of our old routines. Dot is eating normally now and gaining weight. The tremor in her left rear leg isn't as pronounced and she can negotiate steps fairly normally now. Considering how old she is and how serious her condition was, it's kind of amazing to watch her make such a full recovery. The tumor must have been bothering her for quite a while, because she acts like a giant burden has been lifted. She's still going to need quite a bit of physical therapy to regain her strength, but she doesn't need to worry about regaining her happiness. It's pretty obvious that she's happy right now.

Both dogs got a bath today, which probably explains why it rained this afternoon. Whenever the dogs are clean, something happens almost immediately to get them dirty again. Dash is worse about getting dirty than Dot, because he loves to dig holes in the dirt. I would have blamed the holes that mysteriously appeared in the yard last night on him, but I knew he was sleeping in the bed with the rest of us. I shouldn't have worried about the dogs getting dirty. Neither of them like to go out in the rain anyway.

The sudden thunderstorm was pretty bad in some parts of the city, but luckily we didn't lose our power like some in other parts of town. By sunset the rainclouds had moved north and I was able to give both dogs their regular evening walk. It was actually a pretty normal day. I went to the grocery store, did a few chores around the house and then we had a nice dinner. The washing machine was quieter than usual today. Hopefully Dot will have another normal night and there will be no need for lots of laundry tomorrow either.

It's looks like I'll have time to go to the gym again tomorrow. I certainly need the exercise, but somehow a long nap sounds a lot better.

Pogo is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1704

The day passed surprisingly quickly, considering how little I actually got accomplished. I had a pleasant pre-dawn walk with the dogs. When the sun came up, I had an equally pleasant breakfast at my favorite restaurant. Maybe I'm just imagining things, but Dot's incontinence seems to be improving a bit. We almost made it till 4 AM this morning before she had to go outside. There were no accidents during the day either. I don't tempt fate though. I still take Dot outside every two or three hours.

It's amazing how quickly the temperature rises once the sun comes up. We start the day in the low 70's and end it in the high 90's. There's an equally big difference between inside and outside temperatures. I'm usually too cold inside and too hot outside. The dogs seem to feel the same way, so we spend the day going outside to warm up and then back inside to cool down again.

My two errands for the day both involved staying in compliance with the law. I got new city tags for Dot so she's legal for another year. I usually get the tags when she has her annual exam, but we had to postpone the exam and accompanying shots because of her recent surgery. Hopefully, the new tags should put an end to the late notices I've been getting from the city. Next on the list was getting a new registration sticker for my car. The government isn't good at many things, but they're ruthlessly efficient at making sure your dogs and cars are registered.

The dogs are going to get a bath this weekend. Dot has peed on herself far too often and Dash is just dirty. At this time of year, some of the native grass in the park becomes covered with a sticky substance that inevitably gets on the dogs as we walk along the trails. Maybe these plants regenerate by using dogs to spread their seeds far and wide. It sure is a mess though. After very walk, I have to clean all this sticky stuff off their legs and paws before we go inside.

Another thing that happens at this time of year is that the possums return to the yard and start digging big holes in the grass. I don't know what they're looking for, but they sure make a mess. It's hard enough keeping the grass growing in the August heat, but this week's assault by hungry possums has just about decimated the St. Augustine grass in the back yard.  I try to keep the lawn watered, but sometimes I think that the soft, damp ground just makes it easier for the possums to dig.

It would be nice to sleep in late tomorrow morning, but I doubt that we'll get the opportunity. Once I get up to let Dot out at 3 or 4 in the morning, it's hard to get back to sleep again. We're making progress though. We've gone from 2 AM to 3 AM and now 4 AM. Pretty soon we might just make it through the night.

Freckles is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1703

Today was pretty nice. The odd thing was that it was almost exactly the same as yesterday, which was terrible. This happens to me a lot. I guess when you lead a fairly regimented life, little nuances can make all the difference. Dash's tail quit bleeding today. That made a difference. With his tail on the mend, I didn't have to keep him away from all the things in the house that are difficult to clean. Dot had a good day too. She still has to go outside to pee about every three hours, but we were better coordinated today and there were no accidents. Work was still boring and repetitious, but today's tasks consisted of small successes instead of small roadblocks and failures. Forward progress can make a big difference in almost any line of work.

Dot had a fantastic physical therapy session this afternoon. She was able to stay on the underwater treadmill for almost fifteen minutes and seemed strong and sure footed the entire time. Her left rear leg doesn't seem as shaky as it did last week either. The vet also said that it was very unlikely that Dot had Cushing's Disease or serious kidney problems based on her recent lab work. This as all encouraging. If we can learn to deal with the incontinence issues, I think everything is headed in the right direction.

Early mornings are quite pretty. It is quiet and serene outside without the ubiquitous Dallas traffic and lawn mower noise. The predawn light is soft and things photograph well. Best of all, the temperature is almost always at least twenty degrees cooler than it is later in the day. I need to remember to get up extra early next Monday. There will be a rare conjunction of Jupiter and Venus low in the Eastern sky just before sunrise. I never thought I'd enjoy getting up this early, but after a week of waking up in the middle of the night to let Dot outside to pee and change the waterproof pads on the bed, sunrise seems almost decadently late.

Dot's condition has improved so much that I no longer feel bad about going out for breakfast on Friday. It's odd that going out for breakfast on Friday morning has become an important part of my week, but like I said earlier, it's the little nuances that can make all the difference. The vet said it would be OK to give Dot a bath this weekend. I didn't tell Dot that though. She had a good day too and I didn't want to ruin it for her.

Elliot is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1702

So, what did I accomplish today? I misspelled a client's name on her own website. I replaced dozens of cat pictures on an animal rescue website with pictures of the same cats when they were a little older. I'm no expert on cats, but the two sets of pictures looked identical to me. I haven't been able to come up with an effective way to keep Dash's tail from bleeding, so I spent the day cleaning blood stains off walls and doors. It was that kind of day.

Dot's progress with incontinence has been erratic at best. She has good days and bad days. Today wasn't so good. Basically, she peed every time she took a nap. Dogs nap a lot, so I did a lot of laundry. I'm glad she's learned to sleep on the waterproof mats I've strategically placed around the house, because things would be much worse without this thin layer of protection. I can't figure out why she pees in her sleep so frequently, because she still does her business completely normally outdoors as well. Maybe she's just drinking too much water.

I'm beginning to feel like Sisyphus, or one of those hamsters on a spinning wheel. Every day there are more urine soaked pads and towels to wash. I though I'd managed to get Dash's bleeding tail to heal completely and now I'm starting all over again. Whenever I get up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom, I take Dot outside so she can go too. The water bowls get taken up and put on the kitchen counter at 8 PM every evening and refilled again at 6 AM the next morning. The protective vinyl and waterproof pads go on top of the bed every evening and come off again the next morning. It all blends in with my morning oatmeal and the noise of the washing machine and old Dr. Who episodes on BBC that I've seen ten times already. I'd like to think I'm making progress, but sometimes I wonder.

I called to confirm Dash's cancer recheck for next week and the receptionist at the cancer center said "Isn't he up here with us today?" "I don't think so," I told her, "He's standing right her next to me." Apparently, there had been a mix up and Dash's appointment was for today and not for next Wednesday. I wonder why they never called to remind me? The appointment was made months ago, so there was no way of telling who wrote it down wrong on their calendar. We just rescheduled for next Wednesday. I suspect the cancer center was wrong because Dash hasn't run out of Palladia pills yet and Janet thought the appointment was next week as well. I get dates mixed up all the time, but she seldom does.

Tomorrow Dot goes back for another water therapy session. Physically, I think she's making great progress. I'm more worried about the incontinence now. Maybe she has a problem that's totally unrelated to the surgery. I'm probably driving my vet crazy with questions about Cushing's Disease and failing kidneys, but you can't find answers unless you ask questions.

Emma is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1701

I may become a morning person yet. The hour before sunrise when I've been walking Dash lately is easily the nicest part of the day. The air is still crisp and cool and there is usually a nice breeze. At this time of day it's hard to believe that just a few hours later the temperature will quickly rise by twenty degrees and we will all retreat indoors to spend the rest of the day hoping the air conditioner doesn't break.

Dot's incontinence hasn't significantly improved, but everything else has. She is taking longer walks and seems eager to return to her old routines. She's back on her regular diet and has already gained a pound. This is all good. When we went to our water therapy session today, Dot was able to stay on the underwater treadmill for two minutes longer than our previous visit. I'm a patient person and I'm happy with her slow incremental progress. I sure wish we had a better solution for her incontinence. It's uncomfortable for her and equally tiring for us. Dots vets say they are comfortable with using estrogen supplements like Incurin to alleviate incontinence, but Janet and I are still nervous about using hormones. Once we go down this road, Dot may be on the drugs for the rest of her life. We'll give her some more time to see if she can resolve this problem herself.

As soon as Dot and I returned from her physical therapy session, I turned around and took Dash to a different vet. It was time to get his anal glands expressed again. It's always something with these two. Dot and Dash have both made great progress against some very long odds. I'd be the first to admit though that, for the moment, we have two very high maintenance dogs.

I finished and launched the last of my new website projects today. These projects have kept me very busy during the summer, but I'm in the process of wrapping everything up and don't see anything new on the horizon. Things might be a little slow for the rest of the month. As my client base continues to age and retire, I don't really know where the new clients will come from. Maybe this is it. I've done my best to stay current and remain relevant, but I don't really think I'm a big hit with the millennials. Many of them have a grandfather younger than me.

This day has gone quickly. It's about time to get the bed waterproofed for the night again. Who knows what tomorrow will bring my way. I've got some animal rescue websites to update and that's about it. What would be really nice is a night of uninterrupted sleep.

Ellis is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1700

Dash has a bloody tail again. Now, I've got blood to clean up as well as pee. Lord knows how Dash got Happy Tail again. I though his tail had completely healed from the last Happy Tail episode. He was fine when he woke up this morning, but when I took him on his morning walk about 45 minutes later, the tip of his tail was all bloody. It's probably just an occupational hazard of living in our rather small house. He wags his tail really hard and there are plenty of things to bump into. For the time being, I've got to try to keep Dash off the furniture, while keeping Dot on her waterproof pads. It's a three ring circus.

Dot almost made it through the night last night. We all slept soundly until a little after 4:30 AM, when Dot had to go outside. By then it was almost pointless to go back to bed, but everyone was so tired that staying up and starting the day a bit early wasn't even considered. The dogs immediately headed back to bed and so did Janet and I. Every hour counts when you're not getting enough sleep.

One of my stocks shot up over 20% today as a result of some big merger. I was elated at my good fortune until my broker called about two hours later to tell me he had just sold the stock because he thought it was overvalued now. Even though this was the right thing to do, I was still disappointed. It would have been nice to have a big winner in my portfolio for a few days. I need to remember that I have encouraged my broker to take action like this. I don't really have the discipline to buy low and sell high. I've lost big time in the past by hanging on to things too long. Like Kenny Rogers says, "You've got to know when to hold 'em. Know when to fold 'em. Know when to walk away. Know when to run." I don't. I probably never will.

I finished the design work on my latest website project today. I can't launch the site yet though, because there is no content. The client was going to provide the content. Right now, the site is just headlines, navigation buttons and pretty pictures. It might stay that way for quite a while. It takes a lot longer to write good content than most people think it does. It's one thing to have an idea in your head. It's another thing entirely to take the time to write it down. I called another client the other day and listened to a message while I was waiting on hold inviting people to send them pictures and stories for their new blog. "What's the address of your new blog?" I asked my client when he picked up the phone. "Oh, we don't really have a blog yet," he told me. "We were just hoping that if people heard this phone message, they would send us enough stuff so we could make one." Yeah, right. That's likely to happen.

It's hard to live in the moment when you don't like the moment you're in. In Texas, it's always too hot, too cold, too wet, or too dry. It's rare for me to go outside in the morning and think "Wow, what a fabulous day." I used to feel this way a lot when I lived in Colorado. I was younger then though. I have a feeling that 100 degree August afternoons don't bother you as much when you're 25.

Hannah is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1699

So much for sleeping in late on the weekend. We're still getting up in the middle of the night to take Dot outside, but we were pleased when we looked at the clock and realized that Dot had made it two hours longer without needing to pee than she did the previous night. There's a learning curve to dealing with incontinence and I think we're all learning. Dot is finally learning to sleep on the waterproof pads. I'm learning how to prepare the bed and do laundry more efficiently. And Janet is learning how to sew larger, custom sized waterproof pads. The best news is that Dot's condition actually seems to be improving. She isn't urinating constantly now, and there are fewer and fewer accidents during the day. The messy nature of incontinence makes it easy to forget that Dot is recovering remarkably well from the surgery itself. She continues to get stronger with each passing day.

My success with the aging locks yesterday emboldened me to try fixing the fence in the back yard today. Ground settling over the years has caused the rear gate to become difficult to open. I though it would be relatively easy to level things up again. As a bonus, if I could get the gate to fit properly, the neighbor's cat wouldn't be able to get in the yard so easily. Well, I made a good effort, but nature won this one. It wasn't just the gate that had shifted. The entire fence had shifted. After adjusting things to no avail for an hour or so, I was happy to just get the gate back to the way it was before.

I made it back to the gym this afternoon, but it is becoming clear that once a week isn't enough. Just like last week, my regular workout left me winded and tired. Part of the problem is that I'm not walking the dogs as long as I used to. Dot takes tiny, short little walks and Dash is smart enough to realize that it's much better to stay inside in August. It's just too hot to take long walks these days.

I went to Whole Foods instead of Central Market on the way home from the gym today. You'd think these two upscale grocery stores would be identical, but they're not. They're both good, but if you're a vegan, I'd go to Whole Foods and if you're looking for a nice cut of meat or interesting sausages, I'd go to Central Market. I'm not very picky. I think I like Central Market better because it's easier to find a parking place and the checkout lines are quicker.

The Buttonbush plants near the shoreline are starting to flower. Bees seem to love these things. I snapped a close up of one of the small flowers with my phone this morning and the hungry bee sucking nectar out of the thing didn't even move. Usually I like to use a telephoto lens when I'm around bees, but this bee had other things on its mind.

I wonder if Dot will be able to make it all the way through the night tonight? That would definitely be a cause for celebration.

J-Lo is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1698

Today was busy. My big task was replacing some door locks. I've been postponing this for over a year, because the door hardware is old and non-standard. I was afraid if I broke the old locks while removing the rusty screws and the new locks didn't fit, I'd be stuck with buying an entirely new door. I worked slowly and methodically, managing to remove all the rusty parts without breaking anything. Luckily, I measured everything correctly and the new locks fit like a glove.

Dot did pretty well today. There were relatively few accidents around the house and she had a great walk in the park this morning. We're still not going very far, but Dot enjoys walking along the shoreline. We took things slow and easy, giving Dot a chance to smell everything along the way. She may not be strong, but she definitely is happy. Janet found some waterproof material at a fabric store and we're going to try to make our own custom sized pee pads for Dot to sleep on. It seems like an easy enough task. We should be able to sew some absorbent cotton material to the waterproof backing and have something at least as good as the crib liners we've been using. The crib liners just aren't big enough and when Dot does her circling dance to lie down, she always seems to end up making a mess of the checkerboard of small pads I've laid out for her. No matter where I place the pads, she always winds up with her butt in a crack between two of the pads. One giant waterproof pad would be much better.

I needed to get some ink for a very old printer, so I thought I'd try to find it at Fry's, instead of ordering it online. Fry's isn't very popular anymore and a lot of their merchandise seems to sit on the shelves for years. I've found discontinued computer supplies there before, and sure enough, I found the ink I was looking for today. The large store was virtually empty. Half the fluorescent lighting in the ceiling was turned off to cut costs, and it felt like the air conditioning was turned off as well. It was kind of sad. Five years ago, this store would have been packed on a Saturday afternoon. Now, I guess everyone prefers to buy their electronic toys online. Slowly but surely, Amazon.com is destroying brick and mortar retail. I do most of my shopping online as well, but I'd hate to see the brick and mortar stores disappear. I guess I need to be more loyal about supporting the ones that are still around.

I'll probably go to the gym tomorrow. I need to go more than once a week, but I've had my hands full lately. I bet I burn up as much energy waterproofing the bed every night as I would on the treadmill anyway. Maybe I'll try to get a head start on next week's website work as well. It's too hot to spend much time outside. We had another triple digit day today. We were lucky to have a mild June and July. That's all over now, unfortunately. It looks like August is going to be a furnace.

Nautica is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1697

I got to go out for breakfast this morning. It was nice to get away for a while and breakfast was delicious, but by the time I got home, Dot had already peed on the floor. I think her incontinence is actually getting worse instead of better. Maybe it was just the heat. It was over 103 today and the hotter it gets, the more water Dot drinks. I wish there was an easy solution to this, but there doesn't appear to be. Diapers immobilize Dot's weak rear legs. Waterproof pads are all made in China now and are so flimsy they are virtually worthless.

The only good pads we have are three old ones we purchased over fifteen years ago when our first Dalmatian began to get old and feeble. They don't make these things like they used to. The FedEx man delivered a new larger waterproof pad today that was meant to be used in the back of a station wagon or SUV. It was large enough and very waterproof. It was not absorbent though. If a dog peed on this thing, the pee would just roll to the edge and soak whatever was underneath. It's frustrating. I can envision exactly what I need for Dot to sleep on, but nobody seems to make it. We'll investigate the estrogen therapy this weekend. Both Janet and I are a little wary of the Incurin drug, but it might be the only option we've got.

It was good that I got out for breakfast this morning, because the rest of the day was spent working on a new website and doing laundry. The website is coming along nicely and I can probably have it ready to launch sometime next week. I'm not to optimistic about the laundry though. I may be doing laundry forever. I sure hope the washing machine and the air conditioner don't break. They are the most essential machines in the house right now.

When I was walking Dash this morning, I spotted some Jimson Weed. What on earth is Jimson Weed doing in a popular public park full of kids and dogs? The large white flowers are pretty but the stuff is highly poisonous. I made a note not to go near this plant again. If the dogs ate it, it could kill them.

It's hot enough now that the standing water on the roof is starting to evaporate fairly quickly. When I went to clean up the remaining water this afternoon, I discovered that falling pecan shells had stained the water a deep brown. It's hard to keep a pretty white roof when the water that's standing on it is already stained a dark brown. It's looks like we're going to have a good pecan crop this Fall. There would be enough for dozens of pecan pies, if the squirrels didn't get the nuts first. These pesky squirrels apparently can't wait for the nuts to ripen and mature. They're eating immature nuts right now and making a huge mess on the roof in the process. I wish the squirrels would eat the Jimson Weed instead.

Lilly is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1696

Dot resumed her physical therapy today. She was only in the underwater treadmill tank for about eight minutes, but it was another big step toward her recovery. It's going to take a while for Dot to get her strength back since she's lost over six pounds, but she seemed eager to get started. We'll start going for short physical therapy sessions twice a week now until she gets stronger. Dot had acupuncture today as well, but we'll only do that once a week.

Today was a good day. We're still waterproofing the bed and taking Dot out in the middle of the night to pee, but once she had her breakfast this morning, there were no further accidents for the rest of the day. Our vet said that if the incontinence still hasn't diminished within several weeks, we might want to consider giving her Incurin. This drug is basically a natural estrogen hormone and has proved effective in treating incontinence in older female dogs. All drugs have side effects though, so we're going to be patient and let nature take its course first. If Dot can continue to improve without hormones or additional meds, it would be much better.

Out of necessity, I've turned into a morning person. I walk Dash before sunrise now, so Janet can stay with Dot until I get back. It is surprising nice outside this early in the morning. Considering that it was only in the mid-seventies when we took our sunrise walk, it was hard to believe that it got all the way up to 103 later in the afternoon. Needless to say, our afternoon walks are much, much shorter. Dot gets a walk too, but hers are measured in feet instead of miles. The vet says this exercise is very good for her, as long as we do everything in moderation. Each day we go a little further, but Dot still tires easily and we don't want to overdo it.

I joined another stock photography site today. This one was different than the others. Instead of uploading tons of photos to an online stock catalog, potential photo buyers post their photo requirements and budget on the site and members can look through their own image libraries to see if they have an image that comes close. If you think you have what the buyer need, you upload the image to the site. If the art director or photo buyer likes your image, you can then negotiate your own terms. The concept is more like having an online photo rep than a traditional stock house. I like this concept a lot more than uploading tons of images to a stock photography site that ultimately sells your images for pennies. Maybe I won't make a dime with this new venture, but the allure of passive income remains strong. What have I got to lose? I have thousands and thousands of images just sitting on hard drives. I've got to believe that some of them might be exactly what someone is looking for. It's worth a shot anyway.

I'm trying to decide whether to go out for breakfast tomorrow morning. Dot certainly did well when I went to the bank and post office yesterday. It doesn't take me long to eat breakfast anyway and I sure am hungry.

Lou is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1695

On hot, humid days like today, Dot's progress seems much slower. She tires easily and sleeps a lot longer. Sleep is good, because she certainly needs the rest. Unfortunately, the longer she sleeps, the more frequently we have incontinence accidents. Dot slept a lot today and I did a lot of laundry. When Dot is up and active, life seems pretty normal. When she sleeps, she pees. Janet found some larger, more durable waterproof pads on her way home from work today. She also found a different kind of doggie diaper. We'll try those tonight and see if they work.

Work was slow today, so I did some bookkeeping and paid a stack of bills. The most irritating bill I paid today was the U-Verse bill. We scaled back our service a few months ago in an effort to control costs and every month since then, AT&T has been adding weird little charges to the bill in an attempt to get just as much from us as they always have. Now, our bill is just about the same as it was before, but with 100 fewer channels. We still get way more channels than I'd ever actually watch, but the principle of the thing is frustrating. The cable companies are always trying to get you upgrade to the next level, but if you have the gall to actually downgrade your service package, you are suddenly not their friend anymore.

I left the house for about twenty minutes today to go to the post office and the bank. I made sure that Dot was contained in a small, safe area in the front hallway before I left, and she was still sleeping in exactly the same spot when I returned. She did pee on the bricks a little, but no harm was done.  I'm going to ask Dot's physical therapy vet for a second opinion about the incontinence tomorrow when we go to resume Dot's water therapy treatments. Although everyone says the incontinence is normal, it sure doesn't seem very normal to me.

I'm still putting on the purple hazmat gloves every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday to give Dash his chemo pills. Today was a chemotherapy day and I noticed that the pill bottles are finally starting to get empty. We have a meeting with Dash's oncologist toward the end of August and hopefully when he finishes his current supply of Palladia pills, his treatment will be complete.

I'm getting ready to waterproof the bed for another long night. Maybe the new doggie diapers will work. Dot hated the last pair we tried though. I sure hope I never become incontinent. It's a giant mess. Janet thought the house smelled a little musty when she came home tonight. I told her she was just smelling pee.

Margo is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1694

It has become clear that instead of training our dogs, they have trained us instead. Both dogs are so stubborn that it is almost impossible to get them to adapt to different sleeping arrangements. Since we are going to have to live with Dot's incontinence for the next month or so, it is important to come up with a plan to keep our sanity. Doggie diapers didn't work. Neither has sleeping on the floor. Dot and Dash are convinced that the big king sized bed in the bedroom is theirs and they just allow us to sleep with them. It has become easier to turn the bed into a waterproof fortress each night than deal with the other alternatives.

I prepared the bed well last night and we remembered to set the alarm for 2:30 AM, so we had a relatively trouble free evening. It takes forever to get everything ready. There's the long ramp at the end of the bed so Dot won't try to hop up and hurt herself. There's the fail-safe rubber sheet on top of the people's bedding, but under all the dog blankets. There are strategically placed pee pads for Dot to sleep on and Dash's favorite blanket at the foot of the bed, so he won't try to steal Dot's place in the middle of the night. Occasionally, this Rube Goldberg arrangement actually works.

I used to think that Dot woke up and moved about when she wanted to go outside and pee. I've been watching her behavior during the day and it has become clear that she only get's up after she's peed on something. She isn't trying to give me a warning signal. She's just trying to get out of the wet spot. I need to remember that dogs live in the moment. Dot has no idea why all this is happening to her.

I had quite a bit of website work to complete today. It was good to be busy, because without the work, I'd probably go stark raving mad. I've already got a long list of errands to do on Saturday when I can finally get out of the house again.

Actually, I'll be getting out of the house on Thursday, but I'll be taking Dot with me. We got the green light from the cancer center doctors to resume Dot's physical therapy. Hopefully, some gentle workouts in the underwater treadmill will help her regain some of the muscle tone she's lost in her rear legs. Dot is certainly doing her part to get stronger. She doesn't stumble as much now, and we are able to walk a little further each morning. As hard as it seems now, we are definitely making progress.

When I got my website revisions done today, I decided to relearn how to operate one of my cameras remotely using WiFi. I've had to learn this three times already, because I never use the feature. In theory, it seems really cool to be able to control every aspect of the camera remotely using my iPhone, but in practice I still prefer looking through the viewfinder. Maybe I'll use this fancy feature some day, but it won't be tomorrow. I'm sure when I find a reason to control my camera using my phone, I'll have to look up the instructions all over again.

It's raining now and both dogs are huddled under my desk. Life has almost returned to normal.

Morgan is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day