Day 1927

Dot did great at her first physical therapy session. She was able to walk for almost nine minutes in the underwater treadmill before she got tired, and the vet thought that was excellent. Her acupuncture treatment relaxed her and she seemed happy to be back to her old routine. It's too bad she couldn't have had acupuncture before we went to the vet. The trip downtown in the car was the the only difficult part of the entire afternoon. Although I thought I had prepared a nice, secure place for her, Dot still managed to get stuck in an awkward position twice during our journey and I had to stop the car and get out so I could reposition her. If she would just lie down and rest, she would be fine, but she always wants to look out the windows. Inevitably, if she's looking out the window on the left, something catches her eye on the right and she tries to move to get a better view. Since the space I prepared for her is small, an attempt to move to the opposite side of the car sometimes results in getting stuck. When Dot gets stuck she starts to whine and I think she might be hurt. I stop the car, reposition her, tell her to lie down, and off we go again. It was a long journey. I'll need to think of a better solution before we return for therapy next week.

As you can see, we've been getting started on our morning walks very early. It's dark when we begin, but the sun is usually starting to come up by the time we return. After a good walk, Dash is much calmer for the rest of the day, so the further we go the better as far as I'm concerned. Both dogs were pretty good today. I was able to get up on the roof while they were sleeping and remove the standing water for the second time this week. The roofers didn't come today, but the roof will be ready when they do get around to fixing things.

Maybe some of my clients are still reading the blog, because I've suddenly got plenty of work for tomorrow. There are four new articles to write and an equal number of websites that need updates. I won't be able to get all this work done in one day, but it's nice to have plenty to do again. Work does help the day go faster. The other thing that helps the day go faster is a really long breakfast, so I've started making omelets again. I made a nice ham and cheddar cheese omelet this morning and the dogs were quiet during my entire meal because they knew they were going to get to lick the plate afterwards.

I'm pleased that the vet thinks Dot is making good progress. She didn't provide me with any shortcuts though. Getting Dot walking again is going to be a long, slow process. I was somewhat relieved to learn that Xanax isn't really a good solution for leaving Dot alone. The drug relieves anxiety, but it is not a sedative. Dot could still fall taking Xanax just as easily as she could without it. I did learn some exercises I can do with Dot to help strengthen the muscles she uses to sit with, but it looks like I'm going to be housebound for a while longer.

I'm going to walk Dash even earlier tomorrow morning, so I'll still have time to go out for breakfast before Janet needs to leave for work. This worked well last week, and if Dash will cooperate, there no reason why it shouldn't work again. It's going to be a busy day, but I still hope the roofers will be able to make it out tomorrow. The damaged area appears to be growing and I definitely don't want another roof leak. I've got enough problems.

Bubba is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1926

I hope the vet has some suggestions for me when we go to our physical therapy session tomorrow. Dot can stand up on her own now. She can even walk somewhat awkwardly on her own if she's on carpet. She can't sit down on her own though. Her leg muscles aren't strong enough and she just crumples. Unless she is sleeping, I still need to be nearby, so I can grab the harness if she starts to fall. There have been no accidents, but I'm afraid that if she twisted her leg when she was trying to sit, she could hurt something. I'm kind of trapped, because I don't feel comfortable leaving her alone, even when she is contained in the small pen.

I've been told to just give Dot a doggie Xanax if I have to leave the house, but I'm not comfortable with that either. I really don't like mood altering drugs of any kind and I know that Xanax can have some bad side effects in people. I guess I'm trapped in the house until Dot gets a lot stronger.

If I were busier, the housebound hours would go a lot quicker. I've spent an enormous amount of time over the years just sitting here at the computer anyway. This shouldn't be a big deal. Unfortunately, work has slowed down for some inexplicable reason and there's not much to do. There's nothing worth watching on TV. I can't relax enough to read a book. And most of the household chores are loathsome tasks like fixing a leaky shower pan or getting rid of wasp nests. This is when I need a nice long writing job.

I'm crossing my fingers and hoping that the roofers get here before the rain does. They said they'd come out tomorrow, but I hear it might rain tonight. I don't know why they couldn't have come earlier? The weather has been nice all week. This could change pretty quickly though. I hear that tornadoes have already touched down in Tulsa, Oklahoma and Northwest Arkansas this evening. I hope this bad weather stays North of us tonight.

We were out of milk and cereal this morning, so I fixed myself an omelet using leftover pesto, mac and cheese, black beans, and eggs. It was surprisingly good and got rid of some leftovers that were on the verge of going bad. I'd cook more often if I didn't have to clean up the kitchen afterwards. When it takes longer to clean up than to fix the meal in the first place, it's hardly worth the effort.

Tomorrow should be an adventure. It will be my first attempt to transport Dot in the car by myself. The hammock I've installed in the back seat looks very secure, so I think things will go smoothly. I hope the water therapy will go smoothly as well. Since Dot's legs are weak, they will fill the tank with more water than usual to provide extra buoyancy. I don't know how Dot is going to react if she starts to float though. I hope this works, because Dot really needs to be using her legs more.

I'm disappointed that the BBC fired Jeremy Clarkson. I'm sure he had a good reason to get in a fight with that producer. I've known quite a few producers who were jerks. Jeez, Top Gear was of the few TV shows that I actually enjoyed watching. It won't be the same without Jeremy. After hearing that the German plane crashed in the Alps because one of the pilots got locked out of the cockpit, I'm going to be nervous every time I see a pilot walking down the aisle to go to the bathroom. You would think they'd give the pilots keys to these cockpit security doors. Not to worry though. I only fly about once every three years.

Petey is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1925

I love my new Keurig coffee maker. I don't know why I didn't get one of these things earlier. It's quick. It's easy. The coffee tastes good. And there's no cleanup whatsoever. This machine, with it's touch screen menu and ability to brew almost anything is the iPhone of coffee makers. I'm not usually impressed by kitchen appliances, but this one is a keeper. One of the first things I noticed about this 2.0 version was that it will only accept it's own brand of K-cups. I didn't think this restriction would go over very well with people and a quick Google search confirmed my initial suspicions.

Even though this version of the coffee maker is fairly new, there were already 100's of hacks that would let you use old style K-cups and those reusable containers that allow you use your own ground beans with the system. Since the only reason I bought the machine in the first place was to avoid grinding beans and cleaning up the mess later, it baffles me why people would go to so much trouble to convert their machine into an old style drip coffee maker. I guess it is human nature when someone tell you you can't do something to try and do it anyway. I'm not going to try any of these hacks. I'm not going to jailbreak my iPhone either. Why bother. It seems a wasted effort to fix something that works already.

I forgot to give Janet the folder with my tax information to take to the accountant on her way to work this morning. As luck would have it, she forgot her phone and came home to retrieve it, so I was able to give her the tax folder anyway. It takes a lot of coordination to get things done when you can't leave the house. It doesn't help that we are both becoming more forgetful too. Lord help us ten or fifteen years from now. Dot is forgetful too. Half the time when I take her out to pee, she forgets why she's outside and just comes in again. As soon as I sit down to do something, she remembers that she needs to pee and we repeat the whole process.

Since work was slow today, I tried to get some other stuff done. I made arrangements with the roofer to come over and repair the roof. When I got off the phone, I noticed that the day the work was scheduled to be done, it was supposed to rain. Sounds about right. I also contacted the landscaper and made arrangements to replace the dead grass in the backyard. Keeping the back yard looking nice is an exercise in futility. We've put in new sod every single Spring for the last five years. It looks nice until about August and then it dies. I water the grass, treat the ground for grubs, and apply fertilizer, but there just isn't enough light. In the Summer, the tree canopy overhead blocks almost all the direct sunlight and the tree roots suck up all the water. The grass doesn't stand a chance.

Dot continues to get stronger. I provide very little assistance when I use the harness now. I'm trying to encourage her to support her own weight again. When her legs are placed correctly, she does great, but it is still easy to slip. Dot must be getting more feedback from the nerves in her legs now, because she can balance her weight much better. She'll automatically shift her legs and re-balance when she is starting to slip. I have a feeling that the ugly rugs are going to remain in the house for a long time, but we're definitely making progress.

This housebound existence is a weird way to live, but hopefully in another month or so Dot will be able to move around on her own. Dot just needs to get better before I go crazy.

Chelsey is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1924

I got quite a bit done today. My taxes are finally ready to go to the accountant. I finished writing two more articles and sent them off to the client. I made an appointment to resume Dot's physical therapy later this week. And I contacted the roofer and told him about the problems I've been having with the peeling elastomer. Considering that today is Monday, this was pretty good.

A small piece broke off the grinder component of my new single serve machine when I was making coffee this morning. This was actually a good thing, because it gave me an opportunity to take this worthless thing back to the store and exchange it for something else. I boxed up the coffee maker and as soon as Janet came home to watch Dot, I took it back to the store and got a Keurig instead. All I want is a nice cup of coffee in the morning without having to spend half an hour cleaning the machine. Who knows if the K-cup pods will be as tasty as the beans I'm currently grinding, but the whole process will certainly be easier. I don't think you have to clean these K-cup coffee makers at all.

Dot continues to get stronger with each passing day.  Today I attached an extension to her Help 'Em Up Harness that lets her support her own weight and just serves as a fail-safe device to keep her from falling if she starts to slip. I was pleased to see that Dot can walk without me holding up her rear legs. On the other hand, I was a bit alarmed to see how awkwardly she walked when I wasn't supporting her. Dot is definitely not ready to walk completely unassisted yet. I'm in no hurry. We'll just continue taking things one step at a time. The stronger she gets, the better she'll be able to walk.

It would be nice if the roofers could come out tomorrow. I'm not going to hold my breath though. They probably won't show up until it starts to rain again. Since there is currently no rain in the forecast for the rest of the week, this would be an excellent time to get things repaired. The roof may be dry now, but it's going to take a lot longer before the park dries out. Dash's favorite routes seem to always traverse the soggiest and muddiest areas. I let hm walk wherever he wants though. He's been really good about dealing with all the extra attention I've been giving Dot, and I don't want to rock the boat. Peaceful, happy dogs make life a lot easier.

It's proving to be quite difficult to keep the house clean with a muddy yard and throw rugs all over the place. The vacuum cleaner doesn't deal with the little rugs very well and keeps trying to suck them up. It may be time for a new vacuum cleaner. For now, the house it just getting dirtier by the day. Dot has always been scared of the vacuum cleaner anyway and I don't have the heart to use it while she's trapped in her pen and unable to move. There are so many elements to this rehabilitation effort that catch me by surprise. I'm getting better at finding the dog poop but there's always something new to deal with. Since it's getting warmer, the wasps have returned and I can no longer just leave the back door open while I take Dot in and out to pee with the harness. The wasps are already starting to build nests under the eaves and if I leave the door open very long, they are sure to fly inside. The only good thing about Winter is that the bugs disappear for a while. Now, they're back again.

Ariel is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1923

None of my roof patches worked. They dried completely and looked like they should have worked, but for some unknown reason the patch didn't adhere to the roof itself. When I went to clean the rainwater off the roof this morning, I discovered that some of my patches were actually floating on top of the water. The rain had loosened them like they were a decal and I could lift each patch by a corner and peel it away, completely intact. I didn't have a patch at all. Just a perfect little one foot square of flexible vinyl. I hung a couple of these detached patches out to dry on a nearby tree limb so I could show the roofer later, and threw the rest away. All my efforts were worthless.

Later, I installed the special dog hammock Janet bought in my car and initially though it was worthless as well. On closer inspection, I realized I had installed the hammock upside down, so I started over again. When I was finished, we all got in the car and made a test run to the post office and back. Dot appeared comfortable and secure. It appears that this is going to work. The special sling that hangs between the front and rear seats is kind of ugly, but now the car matches the rest of the house. Hey, it's all for a good cause. I contacted Dot's vet and told her about this new development and she agreed that Dot is ready to resume her physical therapy again. Hopefully, by this time next week, Dot will be walking in the underwater treadmill again.

I'm really disappointed with my new coffeemaker. I did my research on Google and still managed to come up with something worthless. I think I'm going to scrap the whole thing and try something else. When I was getting groceries this afternoon, I looked at some of those K-cup single serve coffeemakers. I hadn't initially considered them before, because I thought that the cost of coffee pods would be prohibitive, especially since I drink so much coffee. I had forgotten that the beans I use now are pretty expensive as well. When I did the math, I realized that the monthly cost would be about the same. Maybe I'll go get one of those Keurig machines next week sometime. I'm really tired of cleaning up coffee grounds and grinding new beans every time I want a cup of coffee. I should have thought this through a little better.

I've almost got my tax materials ready to go to the accountant. The big stack of papers means almost nothing to me. I have no idea anymore whether I owe money at the end of the year or will be getting money back. It's always a surprise. I wouldn't mind paying taxes so much if I had any faith that the government was using the money wisely. I'm firmly convinced that 90 cents of every dollar I send the government is wasted. They certainly aren't using the money to fill potholes. The streets around our house are absolutely atrocious this year after all the rain we've gotten.

I hope next week will be peaceful and quiet. I've already got some new articles to write. There should be more website revisions by Tuesday as well. I'll call the roofers in the morning and see if I can get them to come out before the next round of rain. I don't think this new roof is even three years old yet. I shouldn't be having any problems at this stage of the game.

Brooke is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1922

Weekends were always busy. Now, they're becoming impossible. When you try to add a week's worth of postponed activities to your normal weekend errand list, not everything gets done. Janet and I both had lots to do today and neither of us got everything finished. I guess this is the new normal, just like the mismatched rugs covering the floors, the dog beds in every room, and the metal playpen in the living room.

Dot is sleeping much better now. Since we've discontinued the prednisolone, she doesn't have to go outside to pee in the middle of the night anymore. I need to help her when she wakes up and wants to circle around and change positions, but I can almost do this in my sleep. I still had to get up early, so I could walk Dash, mail some bills and go to the bank before Janet had to take her car in for service, but all-in-all, I think everyone got a good night's sleep.

The pet store was nice enough to let us return the crate we got for Dot immediately after surgery. As soon as she got strong enough to protest, she refused to sleep in it. It was a nice, sturdy crate, but if Dot refuses to use it, it is just something else to trip over in the bedroom. Now that we have the circular pen in the living room, we probably don't need a crate anyway. Janet bought some sort of a hammock thing while she was out today that she says is a safe way to transport Dot in the car. I'll read the instructions and install it tomorrow and see if it works. About half the things we get for Dot's rehabilitation work and the other half don't. At least the pet stores have been pretty good about taking back the things that didn't work.

I don't know how much more of this rain I can take. It rained again today. Our yard is as soggy as a wet sponge. The park is a mud pit. And if you don't pick up the dog poop immediately, you can never find it the next day. I got a new pair of waterproof boots, but I continue to wear the old leaky pair and throw my wet socks in the wash as soon as I get home. This doesn't make any logical sense, but I hate to ruin a new pair of shoes before I even get them broken in. At least Dot's incision has healed nicely and I don't need to worry about it getting wet in the rain anymore.

Maybe I'll get more done tomorrow. I certainly hope so. There is still some shopping that needs to get finished, there is lots of water on the roof, I never made it to the post office, and I haven't been to the gym in a long time. I've noticed that the grass is starting to grow in the front yard too. This means that mowing the grass will soon be on my weekend chore list as well. I wonder if the lawn mower battery survived the Winter? Maybe next week I'll find out.

As you can probably tell, I'm totally burned out. Dot's amazing ability to bounce back makes it all worthwhile though. After all she's been through this year, I never would have dreamed that she would have responded so well to the risky surgery. Nobody, not even her surgeon and neurologist, can believe Dot is fourteen years old. She is definitely the Energizer Bunny of Dalmatians. I wish I had Dot's energy. Unfortunately, everybody can believe I'm in my mid-sixties. I might as well wear a sign that says "Grumpy Old Man."

Big Boy is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1921

I got up early and was able to walk Dash and go out for my Friday breakfast before Janet had to leave for work. I considered this a success. I managed to time things pretty well, because almost as soon as I returned home from the restaurant, it started to rain. The rain continued for the remainder of the day, but I tried not to let it get me down. Hey, it's the Spring Equinox today. This is traditionally the first day of Spring. It may still be cold and wet, but looks can be deceiving. Winter is officially over.

The dogs are always restless on rainy days. You take them outside and they immediately want to come in again. As soon as you finish cleaning their paws and drying them off, they want to go out again. Dot had little desire to go outside, but she was still restless. When I took her in the kitchen, she wanted to be in the bedroom. When I took her to the bedroom, she wanted to go to her octagonal pen in the living room. When I left her in the pen to get some work done, she started to whine. It was a long day.

Eventually, Dot and Dash decided where they wanted to spend the day napping and I turned on the computer and started to work. Sometimes my assignments are pretty silly, but it's not my job to criticize. Silly pays exactly the same as profound. Actually a silly assignment seemed the perfect compliment to a dismal, grey day. To continue the theme, I stepped in dog poop the first time I took Dot out to pee in the rain.

I thought I'd finish preparing my tax information today, but I never got around to it. The dogs are much more labor intensive on rainy days and my writing assignments took longer than I anticipated. Maybe I can wrap things up this weekend, but I doubt it. There is already a long list of errands I have postponed during the week while a was keeping an eye on Dot. Nothing is all that exciting, but there are still groceries to buy, prescriptions to fill, and bills to pay. If it ever quits raining, I'll go up on the roof to see whether my elastomer patches survived under all the standing water.

I can't decide whether to get an Apple watch or not. The last thing I need is another watch, but I'm very loyal to Apple products. I try to convince myself that Apple Pay would be convenient, but none of the places where I shop seem to support it. Monitoring my sleep patterns would be useful, but you have to take the watch off every night to recharge it. There are all sorts of fancy ways to communicate with friends using this watch, but I don't talk to people all that much. I saw a friend this evening while I was walking Dash and complained about the rain. She said she loved rainy days and that pretty much ended that conversation. I was in a hurry anyway. The weather radar app on my phone said that I had a ten minute window before the rain would start again. We got home just in time.

I'd like to sleep in tomorrow morning. I hope the dogs have the same idea. This new schedule makes for a very long day. My day seemed too long even before Dot's surgery. Now it seems to go on forever. I try to tell Dot that on days like this, sleep is your friend. I don't know if she's listening.

Baxter is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1920

Things are looking up. Dot seems a little stronger today. Her energy level and ability to walk varies from day-to-day, but today was one of the good days. Dot and Dash both seemed calmer than yesterday. They were content to sleep while I worked and let me eat my breakfast without any major disruptions. I wish I knew why Dot seems better on some days than others. Her recovery is not a linear process. Maybe she just got a good night's sleep last night. Maybe I slept better as well. From what I can see, a relaxed family seems to be a happy family.

Towards the end of the day, the UPS man delivered the collapsible dog pen that we've been waiting for. So far, Dot seems to like it. The pen is large enough for her to stretch out and reposition herself when necessary, but it is still small enough to keep her from getting into trouble. The six-sided, segmented metal pen is heavier than I thought it would be, but it is well made and should be durable. We'll see how easy it is to move it from room to room later.

All things considered, I got quite a bit done today. I made some website revisions, finished my writing assignments, and made quite a bit of progress in getting my tax materials ready for the accountant. I'm getting used to the new coffee maker and all the household appliances are working properly. On days like this I think that maybe I'll survive this ordeal after all.

It probably helped that it didn't rain today. Rain was in the forecast, but all we got were a few light sprinkles. I think the rain just got postponed until tomorrow. All the current forecasts suggest that tomorrow will be very wet. It doesn't look like I'll get to go out for breakfast tomorrow. I'm still not comfortable leaving Dot alone in the pen and there may be thunderstorms anyway. I guess I can survive one more day eating cold cereal.

Now that our house is filled with cheap rugs and there is a metal playpen in the living room, I'm feeling better about our rehabilitation program for Dot. We've had a few false starts and bought some things we didn't actually need, but we're getting there. Now I just need to figure out an easy, safe way to transport Dot back and forth to her physical therapy sessions. So far, I've found some easy solutions that aren't really safe and some safe solutions that aren't easy to implement. I know there is something better out there. Dot is doing well, but when we are able to resume her acupuncture sessions and underwater treadmill workouts, I think we'll see even more progress.

It's weird not going to the bank, post office, and pharmacy almost every day. I do these things on weekends now. These little rituals only took me away from the house for a few minutes at a time, but somehow they made all the difference. I can tell that Dot is really looking forward to regaining her freedom. So am I.

Pringles is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1919

This experiment isn't getting any easier. Dot is strong enough now to get up on her own, but isn't strong enough to walk without slipping. This is a bad combination. The small padded 'safe area' works fine, but Dot doesn't like it. If she is confined there too long, she either gets depressed or angry. When she's angry she barks incessantly and when she's depressed, she just makes me sad. I've pre-positioned dog beds around the house so I can keep a close eye on her wherever I am, but it doesn't always work out so well. Dot always seems to be in the kitchen when I need to go to the bathroom, or in the bedroom when I really need to be in the office working.

Nobody is very happy. Dot wants to go on walks with Dash in the morning. Dash mopes around because his buddy Janet has returned to work. And I have a terrible case of cabin fever. If it weren't for the fact that both dogs like to sleep a lot anyway, I'd probably never get anything done.

I'll really be glad when Dot can resume her physical therapy in the underwater treadmill. Until she can regain some of the muscle mass she's lost in her rear legs, I don't think we're going to see any dramatic improvements. Janet bought some more rugs today to make the slippery areas in the house safer, but it's going to be quite a while before I feel comfortable letting Dot wander about on her own. Until that day arrives, I'll just try to get as much done as I can while the dogs are sleeping.

At least the new circular doggie playpen is supposed to arrive tomorrow. This should give Dot a little more room, while still keeping her safe and secure. If this new pen works, I may still be able to go out for breakfast on Friday. If it doesn't work, it will just join the dozens of other things that haven't worked as expected.

I did get some new writing assignments today, but I'll have to be careful what I ask for. Today's assignment seemed to take a lot longer than it should have. Every time I started to make a little progress, Dot would decided she needed to go outside to pee. When we returned, she inevitably didn't want to come pack to the office with me. Eventually, I had to confine her to the safe area again so I could get the assignment finished.

I haven't had the nerve to go up on the roof and see whether my patches help up under last night's rain. It didn't rain very hard, but I don't think the elastomer was completely dry yet. This might be a problem, since we don't seem to be able to get two clear, warm days in a row. I'll go check on things tomorrow while the dogs are asleep.

I need to get started on my taxes tomorrow. Since Spring is almost here, I need to get a bid for re-landscaping the back yard too. This might be overly ambitious though. In my present burned out condition, I'll be lucky if I remember to take out the garbage.

Nick is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1918

I had to turn the air conditioner on today. It's hard to believe that we were dealing with sleet and ice when Dot had her operation and just a few weeks later it's over 80 degrees. We might still have a few chilly days, but I'm fairly convinced that Winter is finally over. I'm starting to see some early blooming wildflowers and the Mallards have begun their Spring nesting ritual. It won't be long before there are baby ducks everywhere.

We're starting to establish a schedule that everyone can live with. Dash gets a long walk while Janet is eating breakfast. When she leaves for work, I eat my own breakfast while feeding the dogs a few treats to keep them quiet. Since they both seem content to stay on their dog beds while I'm in the kitchen, I'm usually able to wash the dishes and throw a load of laundry in the washer before it's time to take the dogs outside to pee again. If I eat slowly and do kitchen chores, I can usually extend breakfast until Dot and Dash are ready to go back to sleep. Dot goes in her safe area and Dash goes wherever he wants. I'm real quiet and hope the dogs will sleep for a long time because this is when I get the most done.

If I'm lucky, the dogs will sleep until 1:30 or 2 PM and then they inevitably want to eat something again. I give them both a rice cake, so they won't get fat. Both dogs would eat non-stop if I let them. Since they've slept most of the morning, they often appear bored after their lunch. They don't feel like sleeping any more. I take them outside. I walk Dot from room to room. I do some of the physical therapy exercises the neurologist showed me. Sometime a watch a little TV in the kitchen, if Dot and Dash are being quiet on their dog beds.The afternoons aren't nearly as productive as the mornings.

When the dogs finally settled down and went to sleep around 3 PM, I went up on the roof and gave my patches areas a second coat of elastomer. It's supposed to start raining again tomorrow and I don't want to worry about leaks. The one gallon can of elastomer material doesn't cover as much area as I thought it would. No wonder the roof was so expensive. The roofers used boatloads of this stuff.

Since I'm essentially housebound, I thought I'd start fixing some of the non-running watches in my collection. I've gotten three fixed so far. This is a fairly pointless activity, but it makes the day go faster. This would be a good time to have lots of writing work, but things are a bit slow right now. With my luck, I won't get busy again until Dot gets better and I don't need to stay here all day. Oh, well. It's hard enough for Janet and I to coordinate our schedules. I'm not even going to attempt to coordinate things with my clients as well.

The sunrise was pretty again this morning. That's all she wrote though for this week. I think it's going to rain for the rest of the week.

Allie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1917

We've got a new schedule now. We get up several hours earlier than we did yesterday. The dogs get fed. Dot's nighttime bedding gets put away. And I take Dash on a walk, while Janet is getting ready for work. This is pretty much the same schedule we had before Janet's brief retirement, but when Dot was healthy, the dogs and I just stayed in bed while Janet was getting dressed. Now, we need to coordinate things, so Dot is always under supervision.

On days like today, getting up early isn't so bad. The temperature was warm and there was a beautiful sunrise that changed colors minute by minute as we made our way through the park. When we returned, I traded placed with Janet and was in charge of the dogs for the rest of the day.

Dot is a handful. If you crate her, or contain her in her safe area, she barks continually. If you let her stay nearby, you have to watch her like a hawk. Dot has already learned to stand up on her own again. I was sitting right next to her at breakfast and when I turned my head for one second, Dot was standing on all fours, and drinking from her water bowl. Another time, when I was loading the dishwasher, she was walking down the hall toward the bedroom. You may be thinking that if Dot can stand and walk, the problem has been solved. Nope. Dot is still very wobbly and can't stand for very long. If I'm not there to support her rear legs using the Help 'Em Up Harness, she will quickly fall over and hurt herself. Since it will take up to a month for her to heal from her extensive surgery, she's going to feel better before she actually is better.

Breakfast is not a peaceful interlude anymore. There is lots of barking and I have to lead Dot back to her bed again and again when she tries to get up. If I let Dot be a part of things during mealtimes though, she will reward me by sleeping peacefully for the rest of the morning. When Dot is asleep in her safe area, I take a shower and get started on my work for the day. Generally, things went pretty well today, except when I needed to go to the bathroom and was in the wrong end of the house with Dot. It is surprisingly difficult to lead a dog around by the tail. We're learning though. I have to get a little better at planning ahead and Dot needs to get a little better at listening to me.

I'm not sure that my new single serve coffee maker is any better than the old one. It's very easy to make a cup of coffee, but if you decide your want two or three cups, you have to clean out the filter, add more beans and start over again. I think the solution is to just get a bigger coffee cup. This machine will fill up to a 16 ounce cup at a time, and that's usually plenty for breakfast. You can wash all the parts in the dishwasher, so the machine is easy to clean, but the parts are plastic, so they will probably break, just like every other coffee maker I've had. They do make durable, all metal automatic coffee makers, but they are ridiculously expensive. I'm not a barista. I just want a nice, trouble-free cup of coffee with breakfast. I really should have just got one of those glass French Press coffee pots and filled it with boiling water from the tea pot. That seems easy.

During the dogs afternoon nap, I was able to get up on the roof and start patching the trouble spots. On close inspection, I discovered three more areas where the white elastomer top coat had torn and exposed the black adhesive below. This is not supposed to happen. I'm going to call the roofer, but roofers always have an excuse. I doubt highly that they will put on an entirely new roof because of a few tears in the elastomer. Making the best of a bad situation, I patched all the bad spots with the same tough elastomer the roofers used. Hopefully, my patches will have time to dry completely before the Spring rains resume later in the week.

Tomorrow, and every day for the rest of the month, will be a repeat of today. Hopefully Dot will continue to get stronger as the month progresses and I won't go insane trying to manage this odd three-ring circus. We made it through day one. Now it's on to day two.

Ruthie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1916

The dogs were good today. It makes a big difference. I was able to get the water off the roof. Janet cleaned the floors. And we were both able to go to the gym. Things work pretty smoothly when we take turns watching Dot. I have no idea what to expect tomorrow, except that my shift will be quite a bit longer.

In anticipation of Janet's return to work tomorrow, I tried to take care of as much unfinished business as I could. I paid the bills that were stacking up on my desk and took them to the post office. I also went shopping for a new coffee maker, since the old one has just about given up the ghost. I came home with one of those single serve coffee makers that are becoming popular these days. I'm the only one that drinks coffee in the house, so this seemed to make sense. Instead of making a pot of coffee in the morning, I'll just make it by the cup as needed. I think I've wasted a lot of coffee over the years by brewing way more than I needed.

Since we've reduced Dot's prednisolone dose, she is able to make it through the night again without needing to go outside and pee. This makes life a lot easier. We all got a decent night's sleep for a change and even the early rising dogs didn't feel the urge to get up until about 7:30 AM. I think when her circular pen arrives next week, we'll just let her sleep there. She doesn't like sleeping in the crate, but this new enclosure is larger and should allow her to change positions relatively easily. Right now, she sleeps in a secure padded bed near our own bed. She can't hurt herself, but she can't move easily either. If she has to get up or shift positions during the night, I have to get up and help her.

I hope the sun comes out tomorrow. When I removed the water from the roof this morning, I noticed that the problem area had become a bit larger. I'd like to re-coat this area with the waterproof elastomer and give it time to dry before the next round of rain heads our way. It's weird that California is having such a severe drought, because here in Texas it's seems like we get more rain every year. I can't remember a rainier Winter than we've had this year.

When I was walking Dash this afternoon, I noticed a perfectly circular hole in the clouds with bright rays of sunlight shining through, reflecting off the water below. It looked like something out of a science fiction movie. Whatever caused this phenomena was short lived. Ten minutes after I took a picture of the odd hole in the clouds, it was completely gone. I also saw my first turtle of the season today. When the water turtles start sunning themselves on rocks and partially submerged logs, Spring can't be far behind.

I hope tomorrow will go smoothly. It would be a good day to write, but that will depend in whether there are any writing jobs in my inbox tomorrow morning. Dot walks like a drunken sailor, but she can actually walk now. The main reason I hold on to her special harness is to help her up when she's sitting and to keep her from trying to run. She already tries to chase squirrels when I take her out to pee. It would be very bad if she was able to run at this point. She'd probably make it about ten feet, slip and fall, and injure one of her legs. It's my job to keep Dot safe. I take this job seriously, because Dot apparently has no idea how fragile she is right now. Dalmatians and complete bed rest don't co-exist very well. They just don't understand the concept. As soon as we get Dot walking normally again, I think I'm the one who's going to be needing some complete bed rest.

Carmine is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1915

I feel like I'm running on empty. Today was kind of a trial run for taking care of Dot on my own and there was a steep learning curve. Janet and Dash were gone for most of the day at a Dalmatian Rescue event, so this was a good opportunity to see what life is going to be like next week. The first thing I noticed is that it's hard to think ahead to make sure that important objects like reading glasses, bath towels, shoes, and dog treats will be where they need to be ahead of time. Since I can never leave Dot unsupervised, I can't just run back to the bedroom to get something I forgot.

If Dot is tired, you can guide her to a room where you plan to be working and she will go to sleep next to you. If she's not tired, all bets are off. I was continually finding myself in the kitchen when I really needed to be in the bedroom or office. I never seemed to have my reading glasses, my phone, paper towels, or shoes when I needed them. I tried to put Dot in her special safe area so I could get some work done, but she immediately started barking and trying to get up on her own. Ordinarily, I would just ignore the barking, but with the meds she's taking, barking a lot makes her poop. Every time Dot started barking for attention, I would dutifully find my shoes and take her outside to see if she needed to go. Eventually Dot got tired and went to sleep, but by that time, I was tired as well. I didn't get a lot done today.

I'm not sure how much I could have gotten done anyway. My main goal this weekend was getting the problem areas on the roof patched before the next big rain. Unfortunately, it hasn't gotten dry enough to apply the patching material yet. Today's light mist didn't prevent me from walking Dash or getting groceries, but it certainly wasn't the best weather for patching the roof. Maybe tomorrow. Sunday might be the best chance I have until I can figure out a good way to keep Dot in one place.

I've started seeing small patches of Grape Hyacinth coming into bloom all over the park. This small purple plant is usually a harbinger of Spring. In another month, entire meadows will be filled with these flowers. Then there will be Wild Irises and Bluebells, and as the temperatures rise, Firewheels, Milkweed, and Verbena. I enjoy seeing the wildflowers return. I've watched this perennial cycle for so many years now that I can almost predict to the day when certain flowers will bloom. When the wildflowers arrive, the White Pelicans and Cormorants go. I'm not sure where these birds spend the summer, but they certainly don't like the Texas heat. The Mallards stay all year, or at least until the Coyotes eat them.

I ought to go to the gym tomorrow. It seems like a long time since I've been. I'm not worried about not getting enough exercise though. Holding up Dot's rear legs with the Help 'Em Up Harness is giving me all the exercise I need. Dot is sleeping peacefully now. So are Dash and Janet. Now, if only I could get some sleep.

Humphrey is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1914

3 steps forward, 2 steps back. That's kind of how life has become these days. We found the perfect pen to secure Dot while we are away. It was durable, easy to assemble, and just the right size. The picture in the catalog showed a six sided hexagon. When I opened the box, there were only five panels and there was no way to connect all the panels together to make a self-contained pen. This contraption was meant to attach to a wall. The instructions said that if you wanted a self-contained pen, you had to buy an additional panel and remove the wall hinges. When we looked for the additional panel on the Internet, we discovered that the company had been sold and the new company now markets the pen with all six panels. We had apparently bought old stock at the pet store.

Everybody has become like Ikea. Pet stores seldom have assembled dog crates on display anymore. You just buy something sealed in a box and find out what you've actually got when you get home. It's been an uphill battle to find the equipment we need for Dot's rehabilitation. Half the stuff we've bought had to be returned because it wasn't right when we got it out of the box. We ordered another pen with all six sides off a veterinary website and will return the five sided one to the pet store tomorrow.

On a positive note, we now have a working dryer. The repairman wasn't sure how long the dryer will continue working, but said the part was warrantied for 90 days. At least I don't have to go to the laundromat this weekend. Since the neurologist said it was bad for Dot to become overly agitated during her recovery, we gave Dot a doggie Xanax about 30 minutes before the repairman arrived. It seemed to do the trick. Dot didn't even know the repairman was there until she had to go out and poop midway through the repair. She did a little "stranger danger" barking and then Janet took her back to the bedroom, where she went to sleep again. I'm not a big fan of mood altering medications, but the vet insists that mild sedation is much better for Dot at this point in time than stress and undue agitation. Hopefully, nothing else will break in the house for the next couple of months. Dot is completely calm until a stranger arrives. Janet and I are the only people who seem to have her seal of approval.

The weather forecasting app on my phone is worthless. It's been wrong almost every day this week. Last night it said that it would be dry and overcast today. but when I woke up it was raining again. Luckily, I managed to find a few breaks in the rain to walk Dash, but for the most part, it was a very wet and dreary day.  I must have a bad case of cabin fever, because I went out for breakfast despite the rain. Ordinarily, I would have just eaten a bowl of cereal at home on a day like this, but I needed to get away for a while. I can clean the car later. I never did get a chance to patch the roof before today's rain, but I don't see any leaks. Maybe we're OK.

A small group of Wood Ducks have taken up residence in the park recently. They make the much more numerous Mallards look rather ordinary. I finally got a chance to photograph one of these colorful ducks today. I'll have to admit that the picture brightened up a pretty dreary day.

Wyatt is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1913

Dot got her stitches out today. The neurologist was very pleased with her progress but said that Dot was a little too active for this stage of her recovery. Evidently, during her exam she got up and started walking around the exam room on her own. We were told again that it is very important to keep Dot quiet for the next month while her body recovers from the surgery. We are never to let her wander around the house on her own. She should be confined whenever we have to leave the house, and if she gets too excited or agitated, we are to give her a sedative.

The doctor agreed that it wasn't a good idea to crate her if Dot doesn't have room to do change positions easily. She could hurt her spine if she got stuck in a twisted  position. Dot is supposed to rest in the crate, not struggle. So far, the gated hallway seems like the best solution. Dot is very peaceful here as long as I am in the house. If I leave, she becomes frantic and starts barking though. This is why the doctor thinks we might need to sedate Dot occasionally when we have to leave, so there are no separation anxiety panic attacks. This is going to be a very long couple of months.

Since Janet had to be gone for much of the day and I didn't have any deadlines to meet, I thought I'd try to get a couple of vintage watches running again. I think I've lost my touch. I didn't break anything, but I didn't have a lot of success either. Watches, like most mechanical things, need to be used. I've let my collection gather dust for far too long and many watches have stopped running. I could never afford to get them all professionally serviced, so this is is another ashes-to-ashes, dust-to-dust situation. Three old watches are ticking again however, so the afternoon wasn't a total loss.

I called the appliance repair company and convinced them to come out tomorrow and fix the dryer. I had to do this when the washing machine broke too. The repairmen will make no promises whatsoever. They just say they'll return with the part as soon as they can. If you don't call the main office and demand a speedy, expedited repair, you could end up waiting for weeks. I hate this "squeaky wheel" principle, but sometimes it's the only option you have.

Based on what I've observed this week, I'm dreading when Janet returns to work on Monday. There are hundreds of ways that Dot could hurt herself in our house, and she's not going to be content to sit in a small pen all day. She still has to go outside to pee a lot because of the prednisolone she's taking, and after about two hours of bed rest, she gets agitated and wants to move around. If Dash starts barking, she immediately starts barking too. Dalmatians aren't calm dogs by nature. I don't think bed rest is in their vocabulary.

I'm looking forward to getting out of the house for breakfast tomorrow morning. Janet will look after Dot while I'm away and then we'll trade places. This works pretty well. We'll see how it works when I'm on my own.

Lance is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1912

I threw a load of laundry in the dryer this morning and got an error message. The dryer is broken. It runs for about five seconds and then shuts off. Too bad this malfunction didn't occur a month ago when I had the appliance repairman out to the house to fix the washing machine. I could have gotten both of these unreliable appliances fixed at the same time. Life was simpler when our machines were mechanical. Mechanical things usually give you a warning before they fail. You would typically hear odd squeaks and rattles that weren't there before. These early warning signs have saved me many times. Now when something goes wrong, you just get a cryptic error message on a circuit board. Usually these messages mean that the circuit board itself has gone bad.

I managed to get a repairmen out this afternoon, but the dryer is still not working. These repairs are a two step process now. The repairman comes out to assess the situation. Then he almost always has to order a part and returns to fix the machine a week or so later. Since I am obsessed with doing laundry, this is a real inconvenience. I hate going to the laundromat, but what choice do I have? I took the wet clothes out of the dryer, gathered up a pile of quarters, and went to the laundromat to dry them off while Janet watched Dot.

While I was waiting for the clothes to dry, I drove to a nearby Home Depot and got a gallon of elastomer to patch the roof with. I could have called the roofers, but lord know when they would have gotten around to fixing things. I'm really tired of things breaking, but seem powerless to stop these mishaps. At least the car didn't break down while I was running errands this afternoon. Janet thought it would be easier to just buy a new dryer, but I remembered how much trouble it was to get the one we have into the utility room in the first place. You have to carefully measure each appliance to make sure it will fit in the small allotted space and then when the machine arrives, you have to completely take the door off the utility room, because it is such a tight fit. Apparently the washer and dryer we bought aren't very reliable, but at least they fit in the room.

The hospital called today to remind us of Dot's appointment to have her sutures removed tomorrow. I had carefully written the date down in my iCal calendar when Dot was initially released from the hospital, but somehow I got the time wrong. Why do I do this so often? I'm glad we got a reminder, because we would have been late otherwise. Hopefully Dot will feel a little better once her stitches are out.

Janet wanted to test our safe space for Dot by leaving the house for a short time and watching her on the baby monitor. She was resting peacefully when we left, but as soon as she heard the car start, she sat up in her pen and began barking frantically. We only drove around the block, but I didn't have the heart to go further. Dot is stubborn. She would have continued barking until she wore herself out. So much for any plans to leave the house. I will have to think of a Plan-B, because once that Janet returns to work, it will be impossible for me to stay in the house continually.

Jeez, I must have fallen asleep with a finger on the return key while I was writing this, because I just had to remove what seemed like a mile of line break tags from the blog's HTML. Oh, well. I'm awake now and Dot gets her stitches out in the morning. There's something to be said for that. I hope the dryer gets fixed soon. You definitely don't want to listen to me talking about dirty laundry for the next week.

Tyson is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1911

It was still dismal and grey today, but thankfully, the rain appears to have moved elsewhere. Drier skies meant that it was much easier to take Dot outside and Dash got to enjoy his normal walks again. There were still muddy shoes and even muddier paws at the end of these walks, but a little mud is nothing when the alternative is getting soaking wet.

Since things are starting to dry out, it was a good day to get the water off the roof. When I removed this week's standing water, I was appalled to discover two spots that already looked like they needed to be patched. I shouldn't have to patch anything yet, since the current roof is relatively new. As soon as the roof is completely dry, I'll call the roofers to come take a look. They should just give me a big can of the epoxy material they use to coat the top layer. I really wouldn't mind patching things myself, since I'm up on the roof so much anyway. At least if I did the repairs myself, I'd know the job was done right.

Since I'm more or less caught up with website work for the moment, I used the day to write. I got a lot done, but what I really wanted to do was sleep. Although reducing Dot's prednisolone dose yesterday was  supposed to make her pee less frequently, I haven't noticed any immediate changes. I still had to get up twice last night to take Dot outside. The second time I took her out, she didn't want to go back in her crate, so I just pulled out a blanket and went to sleep on the floor next to her. It was almost morning by then anyway, but I sure could have used a couple of more hours of shut eye.

At some point during the morning, I noticed that the metal staples holding Dot's incision together felt hot. I was initially alarmed and then I realized that Dot had been sleeping next to a heater vent. One more thing to watch out for. Dot has always liked sleeping near the heater vents in the floor during the Winter, but that's not a good idea when she's got metal staples in her back. Luckily, the staples come out later this week. Having her sutures removed will be Dot's first post-surgery milestone. I doubt that getting her stitches out will make Dot walk any better, but it still seems like progress.

I called my broker today to ask why I hadn't received my tax reporting statement yet and he told me that the statement had been available online for several weeks now. Damn. One more company to deal with that wants to go paperless. I hate this movement to go paperless. It's much easier to organize a stack of papers in file folders than it is to download and print out PDF files. I've noticed lately that when I renew subscriptions to trade magazines, they ask whether I'd like to receive a printed or electronic copy. I always check the box to get the printed copy. A real magazine makes good bathroom reading. A PDF file is just a nuisance.

So far, the weather looks good for the rest of the week. I wish I could get a sleep forecast that looked good for the rest of the week. I've never had kids, but this must be what it's like to have a baby. A solid eight hours of sleep never looked so good.

Ely is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day