Day 2070

Sundays are simple. One glance at my fitness tracker will tell you everything you need to know about Sunday. I don't do a lot of thinking on Sundays, but I do keep moving. 19,000 steps so far today. The dogs got several walks. Dash went to the dog park. I went to the gym. The house got thoroughly vacuumed. And I still had time for a nap. I definitely needed the nap, because I only got about 4 and a half hours of sleep last night.

It takes forever to vacuum the house with all the little throw rugs we have to keep Dot from slipping. The Dyson is too powerful for these flimsy rugs and it keeps wanting to suck them up. I'm constantly having to turn off the vacuum cleaner and pull the edge of these rugs out of the rotating brush. In a way these small rugs are good though. If Dot inadvertently poops on a rug, we can just take it outside and hose it off. If things are particularly messy, we can just throw the rug away. Life would be a lot more difficult, and probably smellier, with wall-to-wall carpet.

You learn a lot of little things when you track yourself at the gym. I was somewhat surprised to discover that twenty minutes on the hand bicycle burn up far more energy than twenty minutes on the treadmill. I use the hand bicycle because it was part of my exercise routine when I went to physical therapy for my shoulder. I only did five minutes on the bike back then, but I figured that if five was good, twenty would be even better. Hardly anybody every uses this machine except feeble old heart patients. This is apparently not a cool machine for younger people to use. I like it though. Using your arms to peddle strenuously for twenty minutes or more is a pretty good upper body workout.

There's a section in the meat department at Central Market that features a huge assortment of marinated meats. There are all sorts of interesting regional flavors and you don't have to go to the time and trouble of marinating the meat yourself. I've grown fond of these pre-marinated cuts of meat, partially because I'm lazy and partially because I don't think I could ever do a better job of preparing the meat myself. Tonight, we had a marinated pork roast for dinner and it was delicious. I'm starting to feel guilty about eating pork though. There are lots of animal advocates on my Facebook feed who constantly post cute pictures of little piglets or upsetting messages about the cruel ways commercial pork producers treat their pigs. I love bacon but this is starting to upset me. I wonder if you can find free range pork, somewhat like free range chickens and beef?  I'll never be a vegan, but maybe I'd feel better about eating a pig that at least had an opportunity to live a life outside of a small cage.

I don't feel guilty about drinking my breakfast smoothies.  There are two raw eggs for protein, but mostly the ingredients consist of fresh fruit, with some rolled oats and ice cream thrown in for flavor. Janet bought the Vitamix to make fancy soups, but mostly it just gets used to make my breakfast now. I don't know what I'd do without the Vitamix and my Keurig brewer. They have both become my breakfast best friends.

Tomorrow, I'll need to see where I can get a new registration sticker for my car. I think you can still get these things at Kroger and Tom Thumb stores. I hope so anyway. Going to the grocery store for the sticker definitely beats standing in a long line at the courthouse. Dot has her annual exam this week and her birthday is next week. She goes to the vet so often that an annual exam almost seems redundant, but I guess it is still something you need to do. Inspections and exams are how I measure time these days. The car gets safety inspected and another year has passed. A trip to the urologist and another year has passed. A real estate tax notice arrives in the mail and another year has passed. Way too many years have passed this way. I wish there was a way to slow down time.

Pogo is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2069

A year ago, Dot was still having problems with incontinence after her first surgery. Now, she's still having problems with her rear legs. After a year and a half of serious medical problems, she hasn't given up. Despite cancer, abdominal surgery, a ruptured disk, spinal surgery, and chemotherapy, Dot is still a happy, stubborn, and very resilient girl. I wish I was half as tenacious as she was. Little things still get me down. Absolutely nothing seems to get Dot down. Of course if dogs could talk, I might hear a different story, but I think I know her pretty well. She continues to be an inspiration.

The temperature seemed a little cooler on our morning walk. Maybe the worst of Summer is over. I asked Janet how long we'd been doing these pre-dawn very slow walks with Dot. Neither of us could remember. It seems like we have been doing them forever. It also seems like we've always has a huge collection of non-skid throw rugs scattered throughout the house. I've almost forgotten what the house looked like before. So much has changed and yet we still have the same armadillo tearing up the yard and and the same spiders building a huge network of webs on our back porch. I guess it's easier to remember the things that stay the same than it is to remember all the changes we've made along the way to adapt to our aging dogs.

I decided to go back to taking Benicar because the other blood pressure medication I had selected as a substitute has been giving me a nagging cough. When I renewed my Benicar prescription, I was irritated to discover that the cost of had gone up even further. I used to pay $40 for a thirty day supply and now the cost has jumped to over a $100. Medicare Part D apparently wants everyone to take a generic ACE inhibitor to control blood pressure. It's three or four dollars a month for the drug the government likes and a $100 a month for the drug my doctor prefers. Oh, well. Maybe that cough isn't so bad. It is frustrating that these rules are so arbitrary. I'm sure it's all more about money than it is about health. Medicare Part D doesn't seem to like Welchol either, even though it a safe and effective way to lower high cholesterol. I'd rather take Welchol than statins, but once again, you pay a big penalty if the government doesn't like the same meds your doctor prescribes.

I've gotten hooked on buying Keurig coffee pods. Every time I see a new dark roast flavor, I want to pick up a box and try it out. I saw some Cuban Roast pods today and bought a box, even though the kitchen cabinets are already overflowing with Keurig pods. It's too bad you can't buy these things a few at a time. Generally I've been lucky, but if you buy a box of 80 pods to get a bargain price and then discover that don't like the flavor, you're kind of stuck. I think I'll like the Cuban coffee though. Maybe I'll brew some tomorrow morning. I wonder if you can brew espresso using the Keurig machine?  Some mornings I feel like having an espresso, but I don't feel like dragging the old espresso machine out of the storage warehouse and bringing it home again.

I was bored this evening and watched the "Blink" episode of Dr. Who again. I think I've seen this show four or five times now but I still like it. Blink, the tenth episode in the third series, was one of the best scripts that Steven Moffat ever wrote. The Weeping Angels are certainly strange monsters, but they are still pretty creepy. I think this show, along with the one where the Doctor visits Vincent Van Gogh, are my favorites.

It's time to give the dogs their evening meds, but they are both sleeping so peacefully that I hesitate to wake them. Janet is still at a party with friends. Maybe I'll just wait until they hear her car in the driveway. That will wake them up. Hard to believe that it's already time to go to the gym again. A week goes by pretty quickly these days.

Freckles is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2068

I was ordering my breakfast this morning when I got a call from Janet saying that there were some strange men walking around on our roof. "That must be the roofers," I told her. Jeez, what were they doing out at the house so early? The cook was just starting to fix my meal, and I asked him if he'd wait a bit so I could go home and see what the roofers were doing. There was a good chance that they'd never find the bad spots on their own and end up patching something that was perfectly good. I'd already paid for my breakfast, but I told the guys that I'd be back soon. I showed the two roofers where the elastomer had worn off and was back at my table within ten minutes. When practically everything you do is within two miles of your house, it's pretty easy to have a change of plan like this. I'm pretty sure that the new patches will have plenty of time to dry properly before they are put to the test. There is still no rain on the horizon.

Today was pretty much like yesterday. I had a little work to do, but not too much. I got my assignments done in plenty of time to take my car up to the dealership at the appointed time for it's annual safety inspection. I told the service manager that they probably ought to go ahead and change the oil and filter while they were at it. "Why," he asked me? "You've only driven two thousand miles since the last time you had the oil changed." Never mind. I tend to forget how little I drive these days. If the dogs didn't need to go to the vet so often, I probably wouldn't drive at all.

I enjoy going to the dealership. I've been a customer for so long that I know everyone by now. One of the sales guys and I talked about our favorite Top Gear shows while they were working on my car. I still think that the BBC made a horrible mistake by canceling the show. So what if Jeremy Clarkson punched a producer. Most producers deserve to be punched. At any rate, I miss Top Gear. Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May were three of the most politically incorrect hosts on television. They were rude and funny and never sugar coated anything. They also liked Land Rovers a lot. 

The state no longer gives you a sticker for your windshield when you have your car safety inspected. Everything is electronic now. After the safety inspection data has been entered into the vehicle records database in Austin, you can purchase your annual vehicle registration sticker. Since they already know if you've had your car inspected, there is no need for a second windshield sticker. I was going to get the registration sticker on the way home, but they told me to wait at least 48 hours for the database to be updated. If everything is so automated, I wonder why they couldn't just combine the inspection and registration. It would be so much easier if I could just take care of everything at the same time.

The armadillo in my back yard is driving me crazy. It is pulling up my monkey grass by the roots and taking the plants someplace. Maybe it's making a nest with them or something. I can't seem to keep the thing out of our yard. I blocked the area where it was getting in with bricks, but the armadillo just dug a new hole under the fence somewhere else. It's hard enough keeping the yard looking nice anyway, but when the neighborhood critters are actively trying to destroy it, the task becomes almost impossible. Even the birds are getting in on the action this summer. I've never seen so many woodpeckers. They are constantly tapping at the trees. Since woodpeckers mostly eat insects, maybe they are actually helping me though. I'll take woodpeckers over armadillos any day.

I'll be glad when August is over. August is always the most expensive month of the year. Car insurance is due in August. So is my annual storage warehouse rent. When you add dental bills and Dot's chemotherapy to the mix, you can see why I wish that my business would pick up a bit. Actually, I wish the entire summer was over. Business usually picks up in the Fall. The weather is cooler. Fall usually provides lots of interesting photographic opportunities too. The Summer heat has been especially hard on Dot. I'm looking forward to brisk 65 degree walks and colorful Fall leaves. I think we've got a while to wait though.

Elliott is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2067

It's hard to know what Dot's limits are. She seems more enthusiastic about life now that she's not taking the Palladia pills, but she's not really very much stronger. Will continuing her exercise walks make her stronger, or will this activity just wear her out? I don't know. Walking Dot is like driving a car held together with duct tape.

Dot stumbled around when she first got up this morning and pooped in the house again, but seemed eager to walk a few minutes later. She seemed strong and confident even on the tough hills, but crashed as soon as we got home. I was hoping that she'd continue sleeping while I fixed breakfast, but the smell of sausages cooking woke her up and she got up and went to the kitchen where she could be certain that I would hear her barking. The entire day was like this. I'd be thinking that I'd worked her too hard and then she would roar back to life for an hour or two. Considering how active she was today, Dot did very well in the underwater treadmill. She's sleeping now though. Probably enough is enough.

It didn't take that long to get caught up on my assignments, since there were only two of them. Today was just about right. I did a little writing, did a little website work and still had time to fix myself French Toast and sausages. I even managed to get Dot to the vet on time, since the traffic was surprisingly light this afternoon. If it weren't still unbearably hot, I would have little to complain about today.

I find it fascinating that a 73 year old socialist and a 69 year old egotist have captured the nation's political attention. Who would have thought? Everyone is always talking about being sick of the Washington establishment, but maybe this time they mean it. If I was a politician, I'd be a little worried about Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump. I'm not all that fond or either political party, but I definitely don't think we need another Clinton or Bush in the White House. It's time for something different. Don't expect me to get excited about the upcoming election though. I'm still a little nervous about democracy in general. Walmart and the Kardashians are great examples of democracy at work. You can never underestimate the will of the people. Basically, whoever wins, we deserve exactly what we get. If we really thought about who we were electing, we would do things a lot differently.

The roofers have promised to come out and patch my roof tomorrow. We'll see how that goes. I really don't have much faith in anybody these days. With no rain in sight, I guess there's no hurry in getting the elastomer coating repaired, but it will rain eventually. Probably the day after it rains will be when the roofers actually arrive. I've already taken the week's trash out to the curb. Maybe I'll go get my car safety inspected tomorrow. I've got to do it sometime this month anyway. I'll definitely go out and have a tasty breakfast tomorrow morning whether I make it to the dealership or not. My go-to Amigas plate is less expensive than a safety inspection and a lot more enjoyable.

Emma is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2066

My teeth have never looked better. Actually, they probably looked a lot better when I was a kid, but they haven't looked this good in a long time. When the dental hygienist asked me if my previous dentist had me on a six month cleaning plan, I laughed and told her that it was more like a ten year cleaning plan. I was a bit embarrassed to admit how seldom I go to the dentist, but I did add that I faithfully use a Sonicare toothbrush and Waterpik every day. She told me that she might have to sand blast my teeth but she could keep them looking good again if I would agree to come in every six months for a cleaning. I promised I would. I have passed the age where I can keep ignoring my health. I remember the terrible problems my Dad had with his teeth as he got older and I'm determined not to suffer the same fate. I've got good strong teeth, but I can't continue going to the dentist once every ten years.

Dot has only been off the Palladia pills for three days now, but I can already see a difference in her attitude. Her left rear leg is still extremely weak, but she is more alert and active now. She tries to get up on her own around the house and seems more eager to go on her two daily walks. I'd like the see her muscle tone and overall strength improve, but this new attitude has to be a good sign. I'm no expert, but I suspect that the chemotherapy was making her uncomfortable and contributed to the increased weakness we've been seeing for the past month or so. If dogs could talk, we'd have a lot better idea what some of their symptoms actually mean. Dot has always been pretty stoic about pain, so things have to get pretty bad before she lets you know something is bothering her. On the other hand, if the UPS delivery guy knocks on the door, or she sees a cat, she'll let you know right away how she feels.

I'll be curious to see whether Dot's vet thinks she has improved when we go for our physical therapy session tomorrow. She hasn't seen her for a week, so she'll have a more objective opinion than I do. I want Dot to get better so badly, that I might be seeing signs of improvement that aren't really there. If Dot continues to become more active, I'm going to ask her oncologist to continue this Palladia free experiment for an additional two weeks. After she has been off the Palladia for a full month, we'll do another Ultrasound scan and measure the tumor again. If the tumor still hasn't grown or spread, there's a chance we could take her off the drug completely. We can only hope at this point.

Work is finally starting to pick up again. I have new writing assignments and more websites to revise. It's nice to stay busy as long as things don't get too busy. It's hard to keep the right balance. I'm either way too busy or there's nothing going on at all. Even today, when I had things pretty well planned out, I ended up being late to the dentist because I encountered unexpected road construction along the way. You just can't plan everything. I didn't have my French Toast and sausages either, because I forgot to take the sausages out of the freezer. We'll see how tomorrow goes. As long as I remember a little more than I forget, I think I'll be OK.

I was trying to remember something I did back in the 80's this morning, so I looked through a few of the old journals I used to keep. They went all the way back to 1983 and were remarkably similar to this blog. The only real difference was that I wrote my posts in a little blank book using a ball point pen and nobody read them. If the Internet had been invented a little earlier, I would have been blogging for over thirty years now. That's pretty amazing.

Ellis is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2065

It almost rained today. I could see rain clouds off in the distance. I even heard a little thunder at one point. It didn't rain though. Not a drop. Some parts of town got lucky. There were small storm cells all over the place late in the afternoon. I could see them on the radar, but they weren't headed our way. The rain only lasted a few minutes in the parts of town that did get wet, but that was enough to get people buzzing on Facebook. It has been a very dry Summer and any rain at all would be a major news story.

Dash's new meds are working. When I took him for his exam this morning, his blood pressure was almost back to normal. This was a big improvement from two weeks ago. I was kind of surprised to see the normal reading, since Dash barked and seemed agitated the entire way to the vet. He doesn't like to ride in the car. Maybe during those rare times when Dash is actually calm, his blood pressure will be even lower. Since Dash has always had a mild heart murmur, our vet wants us to start keeping track of his breathing rate when he is resting or asleep. If he takes twenty to thirty five breaths a minute, everything is fine. If we notice him consistantly breathing faster over time, we will need to bring him in for an echocardiogram and further testing.

I need to get my car safety inspected this week. People in Texas have always had two stickers on their windshield. One of the stickers was your vehicle registration and the other was the safety inspection. Now Texas has decreed that there will only be one sticker. But which one is it? Do I get a sticker for the inspection, or for the car registration? You still have to register your car and have it inspected, but you only get one sticker. This is one more case where the government has made something more complicated in order to simplify it. After making a few phone calls, I determined that the procedure is to get your car safety inspected first and then you present the piece of paper saying your car has passed inspection to the folks who register your car and they give you the sticker. Personally, I liked the old way better.

Dot didn't seem noticeably stronger today, but she was more active. She got up on her own and wobbled around the house unassisted half a dozen times today. I'm sure that some of what I saw today was just wishful thinking, but I'd like to believe that she is beginning to get stronger. We'll see if this continues. It's really hard to tell if Dot is getting stronger during this heat wave we're having because the heat really makes the dogs tired. The only time they go outside now is early in the morning and later in the evening. If it continues to get hotter, we're going to have to shorten Dot's morning walk. We got started well before sunrise this morning and it was still uncomfortably warm. We're doing the best we can, but for Dot's sake, we need some relief from this incessant heat.

Work has been so slow this Summer that life has been reduced to a single event per day. Tomorrow I go back to the dentist to get my teeth cleaned. Thursday Dot has her physical therapy day. And Friday I get my car inspected. In between, I'll decide what to have for breakfast. French toast and sausages sounds good tomorrow.

Hannah is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2064

I never thought I'd say this, but I actually like my dentist. I got my permanent crown today and I was impressed by the meticulous care the dentist took to make sure that it looked and felt exactly like the rest of my natural teeth. They took really good impressions a month ago and the new crown fits perfectly. The most surprising thing about today's visit, other than the fact that the chair I sat in was giving me a back massage, was the small Japanese woman who came in with a set of miniature brushes and painted the tooth with a special porcelain enamel so it would be an exact match with the adjacent teeth on either side. When she got the color blended just right they removed the crown and fired it in an oven for thirty minutes to fuse the enamel and make the color permanent. Dentistry has come a long way since the last time I had a crown put in. That was twenty years ago. I doubt that I'll wait twenty years between dental visits now. I probably don't have twenty years left.

It took a lot longer to fit and attach the crown than I had anticipated. I thought that they would just remove the temporary tooth, glue in the new crown and I'd be good to go in fifteen minutes. I was actually at the dentist's office almost two hours, but I have no complaints. I appreciate attention to detail and I was very impressed with everything they did. Now, all I have to do is have my teeth cleaned later this week and my dental journey is over for a while.

It used to take forever to get my monthly invoices posted and in the mail. It doesn't take long anymore, since my client roster has shrunk quite a bit. I got my August invoices in the mail today and the whole process, including a trip to the post office, took me less time than I spent at the dentist office. It's kind of sad that my once thriving business had come to this, but it's not easy to be an old man in a very young industry. The millennials that are in charge of ad agency creative departments now just aren't all that excited about hiring their grandfather. Most of them weren't even born yet in the heady Mad Men era where I learned my trade.

The temperatures continue to creep a little higher with each passing day. We've had a full week of unrelenting triple digit weather and it's been almost a month since we've seen any rain. The dogs don't like this at all. The mornings are bearable, but the thermometer seldom dips below eighty degrees anymore, even in the middle of the night. The possums and armadillos in the neighborhood must be hungry, because they are really tearing up the yard at night. Every morning, I have to replant some liriope that critters have dug up during the night.The Asian jasmine at the back of the yard is being covered by a thick layer of spider webs. I don't know what this is all about, but it happens every August. August is not kind to the yard.

Dash gets tested tomorrow to see whether his new blood pressure medicine is working. Hopefully, these new meds will keep his blood pressure under control. I definitely don't want him to have a stroke while he is barking at me for more bananas at breakfast. When I get Dash's blood pressure straightened out, I need to do something about my own. I switched from Benicar back to Zestril a few months ago because I became alarmed at all the 1-800-BAD-DRUG commercials I was seeing on TV directed at Benicar users. I may have to go back to Benicar though. The nagging cough I had while taking Zestril fifteen years ago has returned. It's really irritating. Bad drug or not, I prefer taking the Benicar.

We'll see if tomorrow brings any surprises. The only surprise I'd like at this point is a little rain.

J-Lo is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2063

Sunday has become one of the busiest days of the week. Things that tend to get postponed or forgotten about during the rest of the week usually get tended to on Sunday. This is when the house gets cleaned, the gardening gets done, and most of my bookkeeping for the business takes place. When you add in a trip to the dog park for Dash and a trip to the gym for me, it can become a very busy day.

Now that we get up extra early to take Dot on her pre-dawn walk, it seems like I've added an extra two hours to my day. I've never been a morning person, but I might eventually become one at this rate. I've always been a light sleeper. Now, instead of putting my head under a pillow and refusing to admit that I'm awake, I just get up. I've grown to enjoy these early morning walks. It's really the only time a sane person would even want to be outside in August. There's usually a nice breeze before the sun comes up and Dot enjoys smelling things and barking at the occasional rabbits and squirrels we see along the way. We are usually able to take Dot on her exercise walk, feed the dogs, eat our own breakfast, take Dash to the dog park, and still be back home before 9 AM.

This leaves a lot of time to do laundry, change the sheets on the bed, water the plants in the back yard, vacuum the carpets, recharge batteries in the electronic gadgets, and go to the gym. If I time things right, I'm even able to listen to Ted Talks on the radio on the way to my workout. This seems like a good way to spend a Sunday to me. Things get done. I'm able to start the week fresh on Monday morning. And by staying busy, there is little time to brood about how boring my life has become.

I'm not nearly as exhausted as I initially was when I started my Sunday workouts, so maybe it's time to add a few more things to my routine. The hand bicycle and treadmill provide a pretty good cardio workout. I still enjoy shooting baskets from the free throw line, and there are several resistance machines I always use. Maybe it's time to start working with free weights again. Adding an extra twenty minutes to my workout probably wouldn't kill me.

Tomorrow, I'll finally be done with the dental work that started in January. The dentist will remove a temporary crown I've had in my mouth for over a month and replace it with a permanent porcelain crown. Hopefully, now that all my major dental problems have been corrected, I'll just need to go in for a routine cleaning every six months or so. Maybe with these big dental bills behind me, I'll finally have money for something fun. I kind of doubt it though. Life is always full of surprises.

I really hope that Dot's weak leg will start to improve, now that she's off the Palladia for a while. I'll be watching her closely this week, because if the chemotherapy is what was causing the renewed muscle weakness in her rear legs, we should start to notice a change within four days. I'm not expecting miracles. Even a small improvement would be a huge plus. Before beginning chemotherapy, Dot was getting to the point where she could get up and down on her own around the house without assistance from me. This gave her a feeling of independence and made her much happier. Maybe we'll get there again. Like I said, life is full of surprises.

Nautica is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2062

Janet and I drove up to the Lewisville kennels today to photograph the latest additions to the Dalmatian Rescue family. Even after all these years, I continue to be amazed that so many wonderful, friendly dogs like these could have been dumped and abandoned so casually. Every dog you see featured in my Dalmatian of the Day pictures was a member of the Dalmatian Rescue program at one point or another. We have helped hundreds and hundreds of Dalmatians find new homes, and this is just a single breed in a single city. Almost all of the widely recognized dog breeds have active rescue organizations very similar to ours. There are even larger, more ambitious rescue groups devoted to helping mixed breeds. You wonder how things ever got this bad. How can people treat a living animal like a disposable object? And why do people get a dog in the first place if they aren't willing to make a commitment to taking care of it? I just don't  understand people sometimes.

After we got back in Dallas, I sorted through the pictures and updated the Dalmatian Rescue website. It takes me a little longer to make the updates now that I have converted the site to a more complex mobile friendly format, but I don't think I'm in danger of running out of time. I've got more time than I know what to do with. Few people are fighting over my time anymore. The clients I have left probably don't realize what a good deal they are getting. I never miss a deadline, but I linger over their projects and try to make them last as long possible so I won't have to face the horrors of an empty day. I've worked all my life and I don't really know what to do with an empty day.

Realistically, an empty day is just a theoretical concept, now that the dogs are getting older and Dot is becoming so frail. Just taking care of Dot and Dash has turned into a full time job. I've developed a new respect for people who have children with disabilities. I don't know how they do it. I really sympathize with the ones who try to keep their personal ship afloat while running a small business or working out of their homes. I lead a pretty simple life and am lucky to have the time and resources to provide Dot and Dash with the best care I possible can. It's tiring and stressful though. Dogs live such a short time that I often feel like I've been living with dogs declining and dying all around me for the past twenty years. Spot, Petey and Greta are gone. I want to enjoy the unique friendship I share with Dot and Dash for as long as I can.

It looks like we've got at least another full week of triple digit temperatures. Now that we're locked in an August heat wave, I don't think anyone even remembers the Spring rain anymore. I wonder how long it is going to be before the lake levels start to drop again. It is really hot this Summer. It is no longer pleasant outside when we take our pre-dawn walks with the dogs. It's just a bit cooler than it's going to be later in the day. At least there's usually a nice breeze early in the morning and you don't have to worry about the pavement being too hot for the dogs paws. Once the sun hits your face, it's all over. By mid-afternoon the air feels like you're living inside a pizza oven.

I guess I'll go to the gym again tomorrow. They keep it nice and cold at the gym and the air conditioning almost makes the exercise worth it. I don't need to worry about mowing the grass anyway. The lawn isn't even growing anymore. I water on the days the city allows, but things keep getting drier. I haven't been up on the roof in over a month. That alone tells you how dry it has become.

Lilly is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2061

I think we've got a plan for Dot now. She had an ultrasound scan of her abdomen today and the tumor has not grown any further. Her blood work still looks good as well. This is very good news. Dot's oncologist thinks it will be safe for us to discontinue her Palladia treatment for two weeks to see if this is what is causing the weakness in her rear legs. It is entirely possible that the lameness has nothing to do with Dot's chemotherapy, but since muscle weakness in a well documented side effect of Palladia, it would be good to know if this is what is causing the problem.

If discontinuing the Palladia makes no difference and Dot still continues to get weaker, we will assume the problem is neurological in nature and resume the chemotherapy. If she shows any sign of improvement, we will postpone the chemotherapy for an additional two weeks and then do another ultrasound scan. This way, we will learn two important things. We will know whether the Palladia is causing the muscle weakness and we will see if the tumor starts to grow again after being off chemotherapy for a full month. At that point we will have to decide whether to resume the chemotherapy for an extended length of time. The best case scenario would be if Dot's leg gets stronger without the Palladia and the tumor still does not grow any bigger. If this happens, maybe we just discontinue chemo entirely and monitor her condition every three months with an ultrasound scan.

When we left the cancer center today, the thermometer in the car said 118 degrees. I'm sure it wasn't really this hot, since the thermometer was picking up heat from the car itself. Once we got moving, the temperature went down to 106. That was probably closer to the real temperature. Either way, it was way too hot. Dot was happy to get home again where the air conditioner was keeping things comfortable. When the car sits out in the sun for any length of time, it takes most of the journey home just to get it cool again. At least Dot is riding better in the car now. I think I have finally learned how to get her situated so she doesn't slide around whenever I go around a corner.

The field monitor for my video camera finally arrived today. I discovered that every single device I want to use the monitor with requires a different type of HDMI cable. I didn't even know there were three distinct flavors of HDMI. I need a micro HDMI connector for the miniature cameras, a mini HDMI connector for the DSLR camera, and a regular cable for the video camera. This will require another trip to Fry's or Best Buy. All the cables I currently have are already attached to the TV.

When I was eating breakfast this morning, I was surprised to see that I was the only customer in the restaurant at one point. Often this place is so crowded that it's hard to find a table. Of all the people who come here, I seem to be the only one who is relentlessly consistent. I always arrive at the same time, order the same thing, and sit at the same table. There are lots of other regulars, but their schedules seem to vary. There are hundreds of reasons by people's plans change, but I still value consistency. I've always been a good observer.  When you look at the same things over and over again, you start to notice nuances and small details that other people miss. I can tell who cooked my breakfast now. Some of the cooks use more salt on the potatoes, others garnish the dish with extra cheese, or cook the Chorizo a little longer. I used to think the coffee was all the same, but now I can tell if they are using Ethiopian or Sumatran beans. These little things keep breakfast interesting.

I'm not sure what I'll do this weekend. Janet and I need to find time to photograph some new Dalmatians that have entered the rescue program. The house definitely needs to be cleaned. The hotter it gets, the more I'm craving an ice cold beer. I still can't bring myself to drink alcohol again though. The discipline I acquired when I was fighting Hepatitis C is apparently going to stay with me for life.

Lou is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2060

I wake up every morning with a logical, well thought out schedule that everyone completely ignores. Clients could care less about my plans. The dogs don't care either, even though most of what I do has been designed with them in mind. The city of Dallas always thumbs its nose at my plans. It is almost impossible to leave the house without encountering an accident, a construction crew, or a broken stop light that brings traffic to a standstill and makes me late.

I really only had two things to do today, but keeping these simple tasks on schedule was next to impossible. The package I needed to pick up at the UPS will-call counter wasn't there, even though I received an e-mail saying it was ready to pick up. I eventually got things sorted out, but by the time I got home it was already time to take Dot downtown to her physical therapy session. I got the car ready for Dot, but she was on an entirely different schedule and was in no hurry to leave the house. It took a while to get her hooked up in her harness and then she didn't want to poop in the yard, so I knew there was a 50/50 chance she'd poop in the car. It was late, so we had to go anyway. On the way to the vet we got stuck at a malfunctioning stop light that was only letting three cars get through before it turned red again. The light changed five times before we made it through the intersection. The trip downtown took twice as long as it normally should. Luckily, our vet is always late too, so we were both back in sync when we arrived.

Dot did pretty well today. She actually seemed to have more energy than I did. This heat is becoming unbearable. October can't come soon enough. Even though I water the shrubs every day, the yard is still drying out. The house isn't insulated well enough to stay cool in the Summer, so the air conditioner has to work extra hard. Even the tap water is warm now when you turn on the cold water tap. The ground is so warm that it actually warms up the water as it it goes through the underground copper pipes to the house. I'm not surprised that Dot actually seems to like using the underwater treadmill these days. The water is nice and cool.

I watched bits and pieces of the presidential debate this evening. My initial impression was that each of the candidates did reasonably well. It often seemed like they were debating with the three moderators instead of with each other. The moderators seemed to have gotten some sort of directive from the network to make the show provocative. They kept trying to ask gotcha questions that would make them seem tough and probing to their news anchor peers. I'm not really a careful listener to these type of things, but my gut feeling was that the 10 candidates were more or less united on many issues and the moderators were just doing their best to stir things up. This was a little disappointing. I really didn't learn anything new tonight, but then I'm not a big fan of either politicians or news anchors. I would have rather watched a new episode of Dr. Who.

Dot gets an ultrasound scan tomorrow to see whether her tumor has grown. Hopefully it has stayed the same or even shrunk a bit. I'm always a bit nervous about these scans because they place Dot on her back in a cradle to do the imaging. With all the problems she's had with her spine, there's always a danger that a nerve could get pinched again. She needs the test though. All I can do it tell them to be extra careful with her. At least it's Friday tomorrow. The trash has been taken to the curb and I'm ready for the week to be over.

Margo is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2059

There were heat advisories in effect today. How did we go from an unusually cool June to an unusually hot August? I'll have to admit that this dramatic change kind of caught me by surprise. I was so ready for a mild Summer that it took a while to sink in that it wasn't going to happen. This is just another beastly hot August in Texas. The only difference between this August and last August is that the dogs are a year older and are having a harder time coping with the heat. Let's just hope the air conditioner keeps working.

I did manage to make it to the gym today. They keep the temperature at the gym quite cold. I don't think I could afford to keep my own house this cold, but it felt nice. I had a good workout, which although it didn't make up for a lack of work at the office, did fill up an empty afternoon pretty well. This time the baby monitor worked. It was reassuring to see the dogs sleeping while I was sweating. I think the Apple Watch is actually shaming me into exercising more. I like to see lots of activity on the health app that tracks my movements, and the only way to keep the activity levels high is to keep moving.

I'm glad we got up extra early this morning. There were still stars in the sky when we left on our morning walk, but you could see the sky start to lighten minute-by-minute. There was a nice breeze and the temperature was only eighty degrees. This may still seem hot to some people, but it was a lot better than the 104 degree temperatures we had to deal with later in the day. I'm not looking forward to next month's electric bill. The air conditioner runs non-stop now and since most air conditioning systems only create a twenty degree difference between the inside and outside air, it's pretty hard to keep the temperature at 72. I'm settling for 76 now. It's about the best the air conditioner is able to do under these circumstances.

Dot didn't get an evening walk tonight since Janet had to work late, but I don't think she was unhappy about the situation. Even after the sun had set, it was still way too hot. When I took Dash out right before I ate dinner, he pooped quickly and then turned around to go home. Dash isn't stupid. He knew it was too hot to be outside. I thought I was home free with Dot, since she did her business in the yard just before I took Dash out. Apparently she thought she was still getting an evening walk though, since she pooped again all over the living room right when I was starting get everything ready for bedtime. I hosed everything off and I'm running a load of soiled blankets now. Sadly, dog poop has become a metaphor for my life.

Tomorrow will be busier whether I have any writing jobs or not. I've got to run down to the UPS service center and pick up a package and then Dot has her physical therapy session in the afternoon. I've given up on having UPS deliver to the house. So many things seem to need a signature and I'm never here when the truck arrives. It's less frustrating to just divert the package to the service center and pick it up there. I hope I can find a parking place when I take Dot for therapy tomorrow. A hair salon moved in next door to the vet clinic and now there are no parking places. As you might imagine, when I take Dot somewhere in the car, we need to be very near our destination when we arrive. We'll see if I get lucky tomorrow. They say that exercise relieves stress and frustration. I don't believe it's true, but if it is, I should have stayed at the gym all day.

Morgan is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2058

I thought I'd go to the gym today. I didn't stay long. Before I started my workout, I checked the dogs on the baby monitor like I always do. It wasn't working. This was odd, because the Withings monitor is usually very reliable. I rebooted my phone in case that was the problem, but I still couldn't connect. Being the alarmist that I am, my first thought was that Dash had another seizure and knocked over the furniture again. His epileptic seizures are very infrequent, but when they do happen they can be alarmingly violent. Of course, my second thought was that the dogs were just fine and that the network was down. The network goes down a lot more frequently than Dash has seizures. I didn't want to spend the next hour and a half fretting about Dash, so I turned around and immediately went back home again to check on things. The dogs were fine. It was the WiFi network that had crashed.

It kind of bothers me that I have become a prisoner of fear. I worry about everything these days, especially when it concerns Dot and Dash. I feel like my one job is to keep the dogs healthy and protect them from harm. As both dogs age, it's getting harder and harder to do this. Dot is so fragile now that just getting her through a normal day is stressful. Dash is fine now, but he is a cancer survivor who has had horrible seizures in the past. If there was an emergency with both dogs at the same time, I don't know what I'd do. At any rate, I had no choice today. Once the seeds of doubt had been sown in my mind, I had to return home immediately.

Instead of a workout at the gym, I washed the car. I don't know why I like keeping the car so clean, because I seldom feel like going anywhere. If work doesn't pick up soon, I'm just a few steps away from binge watching an entire season of something on Netflix. I'd probably already have done this if I hadn't already seen everything that even remotely interests me. I've seen every single episode of Dr. Who, including the old black and white shows from the early 60's. I've seen every episode of Babylon 5, Lexx, Farscape, and Firefly. I've seen Gravity, Interstellar, and I'm patiently waiting for Ridley Scott to finish filming The Martian. Keep in mind that this is the same guy who used to favor authors like John Fowles, John Kennedy Toole,  Katherine Dunn, John Nichols, and Tom Wolfe. I was a voracious reader back in the day. Things change. The guy who used to enjoy reading Dostoyevsky in college now watches science fiction and reads instruction manuals.

We got a late start on our evening walk, but that was actually a good thing. The temperature had cooled down a bit and there was a beautiful sunset. Sunrise and sunset are the best parts of my day. It's that long interval in between that's the problem. Maybe I'll try to go to the gym again tomorrow. I'm not going to think that far ahead though. We'll just see what happens.

Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2057

I just took care of the bare necessities today. It was too hot to do anything else. We always get up a little earlier on weekdays, since Janet has to get ready for work. This morning it was still kind of dark when we left the house on our morning walk. I'm always surprised at how transient sunrise is. It comes and goes in a matter of minutes. In less than 30 minutes we went from seeing a few pre-dawn stars in the sky to watching the sun poking above the Eastern horizon. There was a light breeze and a really nice sunrise. I've gotten to where I really enjoy this quiet and peaceful prelude to the day.

The rest of the day was just a normal Monday. The dogs barked at me while I fixed my breakfast banana and peach smoothie. The back yard needed to be watered again, even though I just watered it yesterday. When the mail arrived, I was pleased to see a check tucked among the pile of circulars and junk mail. When I used to get paid, I would always be thinking of new ways I could invest in the business. Now things are much more basic. "I wonder if this will pay for my crown the next time I go to the dentist," I think. Or more commonly, "Maybe this will cover another month of chemotherapy for Dot."

Also in today's mail was a small padded envelope with the replacement for the watch part I broke last week. This time I reassembled the watch slowly and methodically, taking extra care not to over tighten things. When I got everything put back together, I placed the watch back in a drawer where I won't be tempted to break it for another couple of years. There was really no need to fix this watch at all. If it weren't for the fact that I actually enjoy fixing things, I never would have missed it. If I had the money and the time, I could amuse myself for years fixing a huge variety of things that have quit working around the house.

Dot seemed tired today. I am still perplexed that her good days and bad days come at such random intervals. I am probably way too process oriented. It seems like I should be able to chart her condition and have a clear idea of how she's going to be feeling next week or next month. It doesn't work that way though. It doesn't even work that way with me. Some days I'm full of energy and ideas. Other days I can barely get out of bed in the morning. Why? I'm pretty consistent. So is Dot. Some people celebrate life's little surprises, but I'd rather know what is going to happen next.

I have a pretty good idea what is going to happen tomorrow. I have a feeling that it will be almost identical to today. We'll get up early and I'll wonder why I'm not getting enough sleep. The dogs will be energetic and excited for a while, and then as soon as their walks and breakfast are over, they'll sleep for the rest of the day. I'll linger over my own breakfast as long as I can and then reluctantly open my e-mail and see if there are any surprises that will ruin my day. If there is work to do, I will do it quickly and efficiently. If there isn't any work, I will sit around wondering when the mailman is going to come and then go to Home Depot and buy a light bulb or something. A day without any clear purpose can be really long.

Puppies are today's Dalmatians of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2056

I saw something on the news this morning that today is the thirtieth anniversary of the Delta Flight 191 crash at DFW. It seems impossible that it has already been thirty years since this happened. I flew a lot on business then, and I remember driving by the wreckage on my way back from the airport several times. It doesn't seem that long ago.

It would be five more years before I would leave the ad agency world and start my own company, but I'd already been living in Dallas a quite a while. I moved here from Seattle in the Summer of 1977 after working my way up to Senior Writer status at several well known Seattle ad agencies. The Delta crash and the continuing parade of historic anniversaries is making me feel really old. Woodstock and the moon landings remind me of my college years. The assassination of John Kennedy in Dealey Plaza and the Beatles on the Ed Sullivan show remind me of high school. Sputnik, bomb shelters, and cars with huge tail fins remind me of grade school. It's been a long, long journey and it's easy to forget that most of it took place before the Internet even existed. I thought we'd be on Mars by now, but the Internet caught me by surprise. Who would have thought that I'd end up spending my evenings talking to the world this way.

Sleeping in on weekends is a thing of the past. We don't need an alarm clock. The dogs know that they get an early morning walk now and they wake up up well before the sun comes up. Even in August it's reasonably nice outside at 6 AM. Dot seemed strong and steady this morning and hasn't pooped in her bed for several days. It's always nice to get the day off to a good start. Our new routine involves taking Dash to a nearby dog park right after we return from Dot's morning exercise walk. Dot is tired after her walk and just sleeps while we are gone. Again, doing all this before breakfast is mainly to beat the heat that comes later in the day. We didn't stay long at the dog park today. Vandals had broken the latch on the airlock style gates where you can safely get your dog in and out of the park without all the other dogs escaping. Dash never misses an open gate, so he noticed the broken latch right away. It was so much trouble keeping him from making a quick exit though the easily opened door that we just packed up early and went home. It's a shame that this newly refurbished park has only been open a few months and vandals are already doing their best to ruin it. That's Dallas for you though. I often wish we lived in Wyoming.

There was an extra loaf of bread in the refrigerator, so I made French Toast for breakfast. French Toast with real maple syrup and a side of sausage patties are comfort food. I can't eat this way all the time,  but it's a nice treat on weekends. To burn off the extra calories, I went to the gym later in the morning. My workouts are more focused now and I think they are doing some good.

When I vacuumed the floors later in the day, I noticed that the rotating brush on the Dyson wasn't working. I took the machine apart and put it back together again after cleaning the really dusty bits. It must have just been a loose connection, because the vacuum worked fine after I reassembled everything. The only problem I have with the Dyson is that it is made of plastic. The whole thing feels flimsy. You should be able to bang a vacuum cleaner into walls and furniture without worrying about it breaking. I can't imagine building a car out of plastic. Why would you make a vacuum cleaner out of plastic with a bunch of fragile snap together components? If the thing was made out of aircraft aluminum, it would be fabulous.

The house is reasonably clean. I've more or less caught up on all my work projects. The dogs are happy and sleeping, and Janet fixed some delicious pork chops for dinner. I think I'm ready to start a new week.

Scout is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2055

There are few things that will destroy your faith in humanity faster than running errands on a hot Texas Summer day. The roads are filled with disgruntled drivers who aren't paying attention to the road. The parking lots are filled with people who can't manage to park their oversize cars between the white lines. Grocery stores are the worst. There's always some 400 pound person blocking the aisles with their motorized cart while they fill their buggy with the same sugar filled, fattening foods that gave them diabetes in the first place. I always seem to get behind someone at the automated checkout kiosks who keeps inserting their expired credit card in the machine over and over again and wondering why it doesn't work. No wonder Amazon Prime is so popular. I just look around and think we are doomed, because all these people can vote.

There seems to be a big controversy on social media entering around the fact that many people are showing more compassion for Cecil the Lion than for their fellow man. This is a no brainer to me. Of course Cecil the Lion is getting more sympathy. He deserves it. Humans are in many ways the worst animals on the planet. We've reproduced like rabbits, taken all the planet's resources for ourselves, cut down the rain forests, and poisoned the waters. And then we sit around blaming each other for climate change. We operate on fear and greed and survive only because there's nobody higher than us on the food chain to eat us for lunch. Cecil the Lion and all those sharks swimming around East Coast beaches this Summer are actually the good guys.

I should have gone to the gym today, because it's about the only quiet place on a sunny Saturday afternoon. I burned my calories outside today by mowing the grass. The lawn is growing slower now, due to the heat, but it's still growing. After I mowed and watered the shrubs, I washed the sheets and made the bed. We've got plenty of bed sheets, but I like the bamboo sheets that Janet got in the Caribbean best, so I wash them over and over again and put them right back on the bed. If you've never tried bamboo bed sheets, I highly recommend them. They're softer than even the very best cotton and surprisingly durable.

The armadillo was back on our porch this morning when we got up. I thought I had blocked the area where he usually crawls under the fence, but the little guy seemed to have had no trouble removing my barrier and getting in the yard again. Now, I know who is making all the little trails through the Asian Jasmine ground cover in the back. The armadillo doesn't seem content with destroying the grass. Now, it is messing up all the shrubs and ground cover as well. I wish the critter would just go away. It's just one more thing that I always need to be aware of before I let the dogs outside.

Dot had a good day today. She was able to get up by herself when she woke up this morning and was steady and surefooted on our early morning walk. She still slept for most of the day when we returned, but that's OK. Janet and Dot both have birthdays this month. After all these years, we still don't know how old Dot actually is. They said she was four when we adopted her, but she was so active in her younger years that we began to think she was only three. Now, that she really is getting old, I'm beginning to think she might have been four after all. At any rate, on her birthday she'll either be fourteen or fifteen. I doubt that she's sixteen, because she sure seemed older than two when we got her. We'll never know for sure.

Snoopy is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2054

I repaired something fairly complex today by watching a YouTube video. I set my laptop next to the project and every time the guy on the tape said to unscrew a certain bolt or grab a wrench, I would pause the video and do that step exactly the way he said. The whole process took about 45 minutes and worked like a charm. I'm going to start looking for YouTube videos every time I need to fix something. Watching someone else repair the exact same thing you're trying to fix is so much easier to understand than reading poorly written instruction manuals, or my time honored method, taking something apart without following any instructions at all. I think Ikea should include an assembly video with everything they sell. Trying to assemble something using those cryptic numbered drawings Ikea uses to avoid translating the instructions into forty different languages can be maddening. At any rate, YouTube has become my go-to source for learning things these days. I've managed to find detailed instructions on everything from designing mobile websites to fixing the refrigerator.

As I suspected, it was a slow day, so I went out and bought a pair of shorts and some new shoes at an end-of-Sumner sale. I didn't really need any new clothes, but 70% off is hard to resist. I don't think Summer is ending any time soon in Dallas, so I ought to get a lot of use out of these bargains. I also picked up some groceries for the weekend while I was out and about. No bargains here, but I always find it easy to rationalize purchasing the tasty things I find at Whole Foods and Central Market.

Maybe I'm watering the lawn too much, because I'm starting to see mushrooms growing in the back yard again. I always try to remove these as soon as possible, since I don't know my mushrooms well enough to recognize the ones that could be harmful to the dogs. Dot probably wouldn't eat mushrooms, but Dash would. He'll eat just about anything under the right circumstances. If mushrooms are an indication that the yard is too wet, the frogs that appeared out of nowhere to get under the sprinkler while I was watering shrubs this morning, are an indication that things are too dry. I'm never sure what to do about the lawn. I try, but I definitely don't have a green thumb.

Dot pooped in her bed again. There is no rhyme or reason to these accidents. Today's accident happened right after I'd taken her outside, so it caught me by surprise. I need to get one of those "Shit Happens" bumper stickers. This is quite literally what happens in our house these days. I try my best to be patient when Dot has an accident. She can't help it. I just hope the same thing doesn't start happening with me a few more years down the road. Getting old basically sucks, no matter who you are.

The weather forecast said there was a 20% chance of rain this afternoon. No such luck. After all the complaining I've done about rain over the years, you wouldn't think I'd be wishing for a downpour, but I was. It's gotten way too dry. The dogs hate the heat. The plants are dying. I'm ready for some rain.

Shelby is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day