Day 2644

Weekends are when I realize that I've lost control of the house and yard. I start with a long list of little things I need to improve or repair and when I'm finished, nothing has changed. I was certainly busy today, but it's not clear how much I accomplished. Dot has been peeing on the porch a lot and the garden hose isn't long enough to clean it off properly. I looked in the greenhouse and found several sections of old hose and strung them together to create a single long one. The only problem was that all the rubber gaskets had gone bad and my new hose leaked like a sieve where each connection joined. I would have saved a lot of time if I'd just gone to Home Depot and bought a new longer hose.

Next, I got some bleach and tried to remove some ugly rust stains in the ceiling. The stains are gone, but so is a lot of the old dry paint. I had to get the vacuum out and spend a lot of time cleaning up all the paint chips that had fallen on the floor. Since I had the vacuum cleaner out, I thought I'd clean all the leaves and debris out of the air conditioner floor vents. Leaves blow in the house every time I leave the back door open to take Dot out to pee and they all seem to wind up in the floor vents. Cleaning these vents seemed like it would be an easy job, but the vent covers are sticky and most of them have to be pried off with a screwdriver. Eventually, I got all the vents in the living room and kitchen clean and decided I'd done enough for the day. I spent a lot of time working, but nothing really seems to be improved. It's still the same old house.

I can't figure out the produce section at the grocery store. I love strawberries, but the produce manager has a habit of mixing bad batches of strawberries in with the good ones. I guess he thinks people will be stupid enough to buy the strawberries on the verge of rotting, but I haven't seen anyone buying them yet. Everyone searches through the entire display case, looking for the freshest looking package. I've seen people spend ten minutes picking over these berries. I spend a lot of time too. I usually wind up with a good package of berries, but sometimes I get fooled. I think they pack rotten berries in the middle on purpose where nobody can see them.

While I was getting gas this afternoon, someone came up to me and asked if they could inspect my windshield for rock chips and repair it on the spot. I resisted the urge to scream "this is a scam, get out of this parking lot immediately." Instead I just politely said "no thank you" and the person moved on to another car. I hate random people approaching me. Maybe they're crazy or won't take no for an answer. There are far to many people asking for money these days. I can never figure out whether all the people asking for donations in front of the grocery store are legit. Sure, the girl scouts selling cookies are real, but what about all the others? I have a feeling that some of these people have no connection with a charity at all.

The weather has changed again. This morning it was warm and muggy, but by the time I took Dash on his afternoon walk it had become quite cold. It feels like a storm is on the way, but the weather app on my phone still says that it will be 72 and partly cloudy tomorrow. Have I mentioned that the weather app on my phone is basically worthless.

The time changes tonight. This means that when we wake up at 7 AM tomorrow, it will already be 8 AM and I'll spend the rest of the day trying to catch up on things. Why do we even have Daylight Saving Time? I don't know anybody who likes it. Maybe it served some purpose a hundred years ago, but I don't think artificially shifting the time around makes much sense now. Trump seems to like abolishing things. Maybe he could just abolish Daylight Savings Time. That would probably get some bipartisan support.

Tyson is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2643

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I ventured outside the neighborhood this morning. My breakfast was delicious, but I felt oddly uncomfortable. The restaurant was crowded and nobody knew me by name. The place seemed like a more upscale version of the restaurant I frequently dine at near my house. Maybe this was it. This new neighborhood was more upscale than my own and I didn't really fit in. Don't get me wrong. This was a nice place and the atmosphere was friendly and warm. You know when you fit in though. I guess I'm just more comfortable in my own neighborhood.

After breakfast, I picked up some groceries for dinner and then drove down to the UPS service center to get the WiFi blood pressure monitor I'd ordered earlier in the week. I never bother with having the truck come to the house anymore. Shippers seem to demand a signature these days and it's just not worth the trouble waiting around for the driver. I go to the UPS service center so often now that these guys know me by name.

The WiFi blood pressure monitor is very cool. It automatically takes three readings and then averages the results and sends them to an app on your phone. My own doctor never bothers to take three readings, but this is always what the vets do when taking Dot or Dash's blood pressure. As usual, the veterinarians are more professional than the human doctors.

I was glad to see that my blood pressure was still normal, even though my doctor reduced the blood pressure medication I was taking a few months ago. Evidently, my blood pressure had been so low that it was screwing up something else. I wish someone could steer me to the perfect diet so I could discontinue all my meds. It's hard to get specific dietary advice from a doctor. They know all about pharmaceuticals, but not that much about nutrition. It's difficult to get beyond generalities like "eat a lot of vegetables." Once a doctor told me that he liked pills better, because most of his patients didn't have the discipline and self control to eat properly for years at a time. This is probably true. I'm a very disciplined person, but when I'm under stress, comfort foods call out to me. Kale does nothing to alleviate stress. Ice cream, on the other hand, works pretty well.

Dot does seem more comfortable now that we've increases her pain medication. I guess I'm going to have to acknowledge the fact that Dots cancer has grown to the point where she is starting to feel it. At this point she is still taking a rather minimal dose of Tramadol and Gabapentin. We'll probably have to increase the dose in the future. For now, Dot is comfortable. I wish the pills made her stronger. I'm spending more time than ever lugging Dot around. She wants to do more, but her body just isn't strong enough. If I were a Zen master, I could probably handle this whole situation a lot better. It takes so much patience to hold up a dog's legs all afternoon. I'm not a patient person, but I'm slowly getting better at it. Maybe when I begin to get weak and senile myself, I'll finally have the patience I need.

Ely is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2642

I increased Dot's pain medication today. Actually, I'm only giving her the dosage the vet recommended, but it's still more than she was getting yesterday. Did the extra meds help? It's hard to tell. Dot slept well during her morning nap and actually did seem more active and engaged in the afternoon. She appeared tired on her afternoon walk though. It could have been the humidity, or maybe the pills are doing nothing at all. It sure would be easier if I could just ask Dot how she was feeling. If my own doctors prescribed pain medication the way vets do, lord knows what I'd be taking now. The doc would probably just twist my bad shoulder and when I screamed, he'd prescribe something for pain. I'm not a big fan of pain medication. A lot of it is addictive. For the most part, I've just learned how to compensate.

So, what do you do with a dog? A mild amount of discomfort will keep an injured dog from doing something stupid and injuring themselves further. Mild discomfort is kind of a reality check. Severe pain is something else entirely. Since cancer can cause severe pain, I rely on what the oncologist tells me when I take Dot for her periodic evaluations. We always run some tests to determine whether things are getting better or worse. I try to notice subtle changes too. Changes in behavior do mean something. Dot is definitely more uncomfortable than she was a year ago. She still seems happy though and rests easily without a lot of panting or muscle tenseness. I want Dot to be as happy and comfortable as possible as she completes her journey. It's hard to hit the sweet spot though. Too little medication leaves you in pain and too much turns you into a zombie.

I must really be bored. I spent an inordinate amount of time this afternoon looking for someplace new to have breakfast. I extended the radius I was willing to travel from five miles to ten miles and several new options turned up. Everybody basically offers the same thing on their breakfast menu, but the quality and price vary wildly. Who would have thought that there were so many variations on pancakes, bacon and eggs, migas, eggs benedict, breakfast tacos, and waffles. Yelp reviews aren't very much help. Some people actually seem to like crappy food. I found a place in Lakewood that sounded interesting and another in the lower Greenville area. Both are a little further than I usually travel, but what better have I got to do in the morning anyway?

Don't let me start talking about politics. Ever. Political discussion seems to be a virus that has infected most of my Facebook friends. I've never seen anything like it. The weird thing is that everyone is just preaching to the choir. I can't think of a single person I know that has actually changed someone's mind. If I did talk about politics, I'd probably just become a purveyor of fake news. It's almost too easy to rile someone up with fake news. Everyone is so locked into their preconceived view of the world that they'll latch on to anything that reinforces their beliefs. I feel like throwing a bucket of cold water over some of my friends. Good grief. The world isn't coming to an end and I doubt that we are on the verge of a new renaissance either. Ten years from now, you'll look back and wonder what all the commotion was about.

I just hope I'm still around ten years from now. People in my age range are dropping like flies. Almost every week I read about someone I know who has passed away or is fighting a losing battle with cancer. Not everyone is Betty White and quite a few folks never make it to 80. There's not much I can do to change the odds. If having a Dalmatian keeps you young, I'll live forever. If you need close friendships and a sense of community to keep you going, I'm probably a goner.

Val is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2641

Delivery services must hate me. I track everything obsessively and when a package doesn't arrive when the website says it should, I feel compelled to locate it immediately. Almost always, these missing packages turn up the next day anyway, but that isn't good enough for me. Today, the post office website said a package was out for delivery, but I'd already received my mail and there was no package. Was there a separate mail carrier for this type of package? I didn't think so, but it didn't hurt to ask. I called the number listed on the website and listened to an automated voice tell me that there would be a thirty minute wait for the next available agent.

On a whim, I called my local post office, because this was the last listed location on the tracking app. A familiar voice answered the phone immediately. It was the lady I buy stamps from. I described my situation and she called the postman's cell phone on my route. He had inadvertently left the package in the truck when he was delivering my mail and said he'd swing back by my house within the hour. Thirty minutes later, I had my package. I only mention this because doing something the old fashioned way worked out wonderfully. I talked to someone I knew on the phone and quickly found the answer I needed. It made me nostalgic for the days when everything was this simple.

When I take Dot out to pee, I typically leave the back door wide open because Dash usually wanders outside while I'm holding Dot up in the backyard. This probably makes my heating bill go up in the Winter, but it's a lot better than having Dash barking and scratching at the door to get out. Today I realized that there was a flaw in my strategy. Bugs. Specifically, the Crane Flies are back. These awful bugs look a lot like flying spiders. They're everywhere when the weather warms up. Crane Flies don't bite and they fly very slow, so they're relatively easy to catch. They're still irritating though, because they love to fly in the back door and buzz around the house until they fall in your morning coffee or get trapped in the refrigerator. Today, about ten of the pesky creatures entered the house while I was waiting for Dot to pee. It's going to be a long Summer.

This morning, I noticed that my fancy WiFi scale had updated its firmware overnight and had added something else to the long list of things it measured. I wonder if this high tech gizmo is on the Wikileaks list of home devices the CIA can hack. Maybe they could slowly drive someone crazy by inputting the wrong weight of someone on a diet. Who knows. Personally, I don't really care if the CIA listens to my TV or messes with my scale. They can listen all they want. All they'd ever hear is an occasional "Goddamnit" when I inadvertently stepped in Dot's poop.

My camera really didn't capture the spectacular rays radiating outward from the rising sun this morning. The effect was subtle, but quite beautiful. The fan shaped shafts of light were kind of like a solar pillar, except that instead of a single shaft of light, there were many. I watched for about thirty seconds as the sun crawled above the horizon and then the effect was gone. I love seeing things like this on my morning walks. I'm a cynical person and I need to be reminded occasionally that the world is a wonderfully mysterious place.

Dot's left rear leg was still very weak today. I hope this isn't permanent. I tried to massage the leg, but she couldn't put much weight on it. Somehow, having one rear leg that is more reliable than the other is causing her to walk in a circle. I have to keep gently nudging her with my knee as we walk to keep her headed in a straight line. I wish I had my own underwater treadmill. The water therapy really did help her maintain muscle tone, but the stress caused by traveling to and from the vet is just too much for Dot these days.

I looked at my calendar for tomorrow and it's absolutely empty. I'm sure something will happen though. It always does.

Bacardi is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2640

Every time I write a letter I keep thinking that if everybody would just read the blog, there would be no need to keep in touch. It's all here really. Despite the duplicate narrative, I still write my sister. We haven't seen each other or spoken on the phone in decades, but the occasional letter still reminds us that we are family. I used to be a lot better at letter writing before the Internet made me lazy. There was a long list of people I corresponded with and I even dabbled in mail art for a while. That's all gone now. The only person I write is my sister and my one page, single spaced messages are basically just a personalized blog post. Today's letter was very similar to yesterday's blog entry with a little extra information about the dogs. I really should pay more attention to friends and family, but like I say, it's all here if they're interested.

Dot's left rear leg continues to get weaker. If I don't guide her, she just walks around in circles now. I take a break and sit in the grass with her before we return from our short afternoon walks. The weather is nice and she likes the breeze and the fresh air. The rest is necessary because she tires so easily now. It's sad to watch this slow decline. We've been doing this dance of diminishing returns for over two years now. The deterioration is so slow that we continue to adapt and after a while it just seems normal. I dread the day when the cancer finally overtakes her. The oncologist says we've still got a while, but when her liver begins to fail the end will come quickly.

These days go so slowly now. It takes me about an hour to drink my smoothie in the morning. The concoction, filled with raw eggs, oatmeal, fresh strawberries, blueberries, bananas, and ice cream is least a quart in size and is typically my main meal of the day. There's no hurry. I sip the huge smoothie while drinking two cups of strong coffee as I watch the morning news. I channel hop between liberal and conservative stations until I am sufficiently discouraged and then I watch old Dr. Who reruns. Usually Dash is right there with me, barking for slices of banana.

Usually after breakfast there is time for one serious work related task. One job a day is all I feel like doing these days anyway. I let the dogs sleep as long as they want in the morning because they never sleep in the afternoon. I have to get Dot up at 2 PM to give her some meds and from that point on, it's a three ring circus. To keep the dogs engaged, I have split their dinner into two parts, separated by Dot's afternoon walk. It takes almost 45 minutes to walk Dot to the end of the street where she can enjoy sitting in the park for a while. When I return, we do part two of dinner and then I take Dash for his afternoon walk. This works pretty well, because Dot is usually tired at this point and will sleep while we are away. When she relaxes and goes to sleep, Dot often poops. At least 30% of the time, there is poop to clean up when I return with Dash.

The sky was clear tonight so I did a little exploring with the new binoculars. Binoculars are great for deep sky objects. The Orion Nebula looked spectacular, but the moon was too bright to see some of the other deep sky objects I was looking for. A lot of things are out of reach as long as I live in Dallas. There is way too much light pollution in the night sky. I don't think I've ever seen the Milky Way inside the city limits of Dallas. Light pollution or not, the binoculars are a good diversion. There is a lot to see in the night sky.

I suspect that tomorrow will be a lot like today. That's OK though. The dogs will make sure that I don't become complacent.

Connor is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2639

There weren't any blueberries when I went to the store this weekend, so I substituted blackberries in my morning smoothie today. I think I like blueberries better. Do I go out and look for some more blueberries tomorrow, or do I just live with the mix of blackberries, strawberries and bananas for the rest of the week? Why do I concern myself with such minutiae? Probably because it allows me to avoid the frustration of thinking about larger issues.

I could be thinking about globalism vs. nationalism. It's certainly a hot topic right now. I prefer blackberries vs. blueberries because I can actually make a choice about things like this. Larger issues just become abstractions that nobody really understands. If you really want to know, I think nationalism is better than globalism. Not for the reasons you might think though. Nobody seems to take the long view on these type of issues. It's not national pride vs. cheap flat screen TV's for everyone. I tend to think that globalism is a recipe for the extinction of the human race.

A global society is the ultimate too big to fail entity. If a global, unified society fails, who's going to bail it out? Small redundant systems are much more resilient. The natural world works this way. So does the internet. When you have thousands of independent connected servers, it doesn't matter if one goes down. The signal just gets rerouted to a different server and everything stays connected. Wouldn't a world consisting of thousands of small independent countries be better? Lots of small countries, each developing their own rules, traditions, and culture would give the world the genuine diversity and redundancy it needs to survive. If a few countries screwed up, it wouldn't really matter.

It is ironic that we even talk about diversity in a global society. The whole point of globalism is to maximize efficiency and standardize everything. This destroys diversity. If there is a Starbucks in Beijing and your food comes from Argentina, choices gradually diminish for everyone. When everything is one big giant system, the repercussions from failure are enormous. Remember, when the world becomes too big to fail, who's going to bail us out when it all starts to crumble?

I don't know why people can't understand this. Lots of small, weak countries that manufacture their own stuff and create their own traditions is a better recipe for long term survival. If the European Union fails, it is probably a good thing. The United States should probably split into several smaller countries too. We just aren't smart enough to create a unified world where everyone follows the same rules. With lots of little, isolated, self sufficient countries, you wouldn't have to worry about world wars as much. People would still fight, but it wouldn't really matter if nobody had any power.

It is hard to even explain this concept, because this is not the world we live in. Humans seem to operate on two emotions: fear and greed. When a country gets a little more powerful than it's neighbor, they become greedy. The temptation to gobble up the weaker country becomes overwhelming. That's how the world became the way it is. We just can't leave things alone. I take the long view. Democrats vs. Republicans is just a minor distraction if you're convinced that the human race will be extinct in 30,000 years.

So, this is why I spend my day talking to dogs and wondering whether blueberries are better than blackberries. The larger issues are like the wind and the tides. I can't change things. I can't even articulate what I am seeing. I just watch and wonder, thinking that something has gone horribly wrong.

Anne is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2638

My mood kind of matched the sky today. What a dismal, grey, wet day. It must have rained a lot last night, because the yard was soggy. Even if it doesn't rain any more, this will probably delay both the roofers and the tree trimming crew. Both these folks told me in advance that they need dry conditions to work.

The dogs weren't very concerned with dry conditions. As soon as I took them outside to pee this morning, they both tracked mud into the house. It's ironic that I get most of my housecleaning done when there is bad weather. It's pointless. As soon as I finish vacuuming, the house is immediately filled with dirt and wet leaves again.

The weather didn't stop me from cleaning. I'm a creature of habit and usually can't think of anything better to do on a nasty day. It's too bad that I'm burned out on movies. Most people would just watch a movie on a grey, nasty day. I did quiet chores first, since the dogs were sleeping peacefully. I hate to wake them up with the vacuum cleaner. I cleaned windows, I cleaned toilets, I cleaned the mud off my boots. Eventually, the dogs woke up and I fed them lunch. Then I vacuumed.

I kept hoping that the rain would stop before I went to the gym. I'm compulsive enough that I knew that if I drive to the gym in the rain, I would need to wash the car when I got home. The rain continued. The car got dirty. But I did have a good workout. I consider Sunday an exercise day, so all the cleaning is just another form of exercise.

I wore some new shoes to the gym, which was a big mistake. I'll probably have blisters on my feet tomorrow. I must have gotten these shoes on sale. Either that, or I tried the shoes on with very thin socks. They felt too tight, especially when I was on the treadmill. Oh, well. There are shoe sales all the time. Maybe I'll have better luck next time.

I"m becoming fascinated by WiFi enabled medical devices. I guess it all started when I began wearing activity trackers. Then I got a scale that measure my body mass index, bone density, blood pulse wave velocity, and a dozen other things. Now I'm thinking about getting a WiFi enabled blood pressure monitor and a WiFi thermometer. There's even a WiFi smart hairbrush that measures and monitors the condition of your hair as you brush it. I don't have enough hair for one of those things. I'm waiting for a toothbrush that will tell you if you've got a cavity.

The ironic thing is that the more of these gizmos I get, the less likely it will be that I'll go to the doctor. My Dad had the same problem as he got older. He thought he could self diagnose and when he began having trouble swallowing, he started just drinking Ensure instead of eating. It didn't take long for him to become severely malnourished. Hopefully, I'll never get to that point. I have a feeling that these smart monitors will continue to get smarter and eventually they'll just send all the information to my doctor anyway.

It looks like the weather is going to be just as bad tomorrow. I might not get a chance to go stargazing for quite a while.

Rory is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2637

Weekends are supposed to be relaxing. Mine are typically hectic. I seldom see anyone during the week. On weekends I get to deal with traffic jams, rude people, and crowded stores. I wish there was a reliable, cost-effective way to get groceries delivered, but even if there was, I wouldn't trust anyone to pick strawberries for me. Stores are diabolical about hiding bad strawberries inside a package of seemingly good ones. It takes me forever to sort through each package, looking for the illusive package without any hidden rotten berries.

Even buying packaged goods can be a challenge. I was suspicious last week when my favorite brand of coffee pods had a different looking box. Maybe just the packaging changed, I thought. Nope. The coffee tasted different. I think they decided to put fewer beans in each pod, because the coffee is definitely weaker than it used to be. Every time I buy detergent, the bottle gets a little smaller, while the price stays the same. It's a jungle out there. Don't even get me started about the traffic. I need to figure out a way to do all my errands while other people are at work, because I'm tired of dealing with the traffic. Amazon drones that deliver everything to your front door couldn't come soon enough for me.

I ended up having to wash a lot of rugs again this morning. Somehow getting up one hour later on Saturday morning makes all the difference for Dot. Usually we can make it safely outside if I get her up at 6 AM. Waiting until 7 or 8 AM is almost always a disaster. You'd think I'd learn, but I'm always so tired that it take quite a commotion to wake me up in the morning. The only reason things work during the week is that Janet gets up at the crack of dawn to get ready for work. Left to our own devices, Dot, Dash and I would sleep till noon.

I'm probably going to wreck the washing machine continuously washing these heavy rugs. I don't think there's much of an alternative though. I've tried cleaning them outside with a hose and they never really got clean. Unless I decide to sleep next to the back door with Dot, I think I'm just going to have to live with this situation. I see those ads for Depends on TV all the time, but I hope I never become incontinent myself. It's a horrible mess.

I only used five gallons of gas last week. That's not very much, is it? Sometimes I worry that I'm becoming too isolated. Then I turn on the television and realize that there's a good reason I have no desire to get out much. Society appears to be crumbling. I don't think a lot of people even realize how nice life was back when I was a kid. I'd like to go back to those times, but unfortunately it isn't going to happen. Like it or not, it's onward toward the apocalypse.

Orion is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2636

This morning's breakfast was a gut buster. I actually did go someplace new and ordered something called Early Bird Enchiladas. The meal was served in one of those flimsy tinfoil pie pans like you get when you buy a grocery store pie. The Enchiladas were filled with scrambled eggs, bacon, spicy pork, jalapenos, and cheese; all covered with Rotel Queso Dip. Jeez, I don't think I've had Rotel Dip since college. I didn't take a picture of the meal because it looked atrocious, but it tasted amazing. I'd go back again next week if it weren't for the fact that I'm probably going to have heartburn for a month.

There was a different crowd at this place. No hipsters with ironic beards here. When I arrived, the place was filled with men wearing well worn ball caps and work boots. They were already finishing their meals when I ordered and the place was practically empty when I left. Unlike the hipsters at last week's restaurant, these guys had work to do.

I had work to do as well. When I got home and made sure the dogs were OK, I began writing my next article. I had a vague feeling that I'd already written this piece, but it's hard to tell. I've written hundreds of articles for this client. The article took longer than I thought, because every time I started making progress, Dot needed to go outside to pee.

I wish there was something I could do that would help Dot regain her strength. I've tried almost everything and nothing seems to work. Nerve damage is insidious. It's slow, but completely relentless. On a day-to-day basis Dot seems pretty stable. You only notice the deterioration over a long period of time. Dot is definitely slower and less coordinated than she was at Christmas. She's a lot worse than she was a year ago. Dot's neurologist and every vet we've talked to says there isn't a lot we can do. Nerves regrow extremely slowly even when you are completely healthy. I try to keep Dot moving so she won't become paralyzed and do my best to manage any pain she might be experiencing. I'm sure that Dot wishes she could run and jump like she used to, but amazingly she's still a happy girl. If Dot can remain happy with all her infirmities, I ought to be able to do the same. It's not easy. I think Dot lives in the moment a lot better than I do.

I didn't get around to submitting my article today. I'm sure it's still full of typos and awkward syntax. I'll take another look tomorrow morning. Today just got away from me. The dogs kept me so busy today that I'm actually amazed that I made any progress at all.

I'd like to sleep in tomorrow morning, but I'd also like to get Dot outside before she pees all over the place. These are the choices you have to make with an incontinent dog. Maybe the skies will clear off this weekend. I'm looking forward to doing a little stargazing with my new binoculars.

Maggie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2635

I picked up a better pair of binoculars today. I'd like to spend some more time stargazing, but I hate the idea of dragging a telescope down to the park at night. Binoculars seemed like a good compromise. Our yard is worthless for observing anything. There are streetlights and lots of car headlights that spoil the view in the front yard and a bright security light in the backyard. The large oak trees almost totally block the sky anyway. Tonight wasn't ideal for viewing since there were a lot of high clouds, but the Moon and Venus looked spectacular.

Today was a busy day. I took Dash to the vet in the morning to get his anal glands expressed and drove over to the UPS customer service center to get the binoculars as soon as I got him home again. Dash seems to need to get his anal glands expressed every two weeks. They get full and make him uncomfortable and then he wakes us up during the night licking his butt. Oddly, Dot never needs to get her anal glands expressed, even though they both eat the same food. Since Dash was much calmer than normal during his exam, I had the nurse take his blood pressure again. This time it was normal. I need to remember to send these results to the cancer center, so they won't waste a lot of time trying to get a blood pressure reading when he's stressed out.

I'm getting better at planning my trips away from the house. Since I ran all my errands in the morning, Dot was still sleeping when I returned. Dot is usually restless in the afternoon, so I try to let her sleep as long as she can. Since her morning nap is a little longer than she can typically hold her bladder, it's always a little dicey when I wake her up for lunch. Sometimes we make it outside to pee and other times we don't.

Considering the amount of time I spent running errands, I still managed to get quite a few website updates completed. There is a new article I need to write tomorrow as well, so maybe things are looking up. I wish my work was more interesting, but at least it's a change of pace from holding up Dot's rear legs all afternoon. Sometimes I wonder if I'll ever get a challenging project again, but I'm not  complaining. Even mindless work allows me to pretend that I'm not really retired.

When I took the trash out to the curb this evening, it seemed like I've been following the same routines forever. Every day I find myself doing things that I've been doing for decades. I take a picture for the blog. I walk the dogs. I try to do something that is billable. Pick a year. It's all basically the same. Maybe I'll look for a brand new restaurant tomorrow. There's bound to be some place nearby that I've never tried at all. The food might not be good, but I'm not sure it even matters. I need to do something different. I have a feeling that even a small symbolic gesture would be beneficial at this point.

Tucker is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2634

I rescheduled my dental appointment so I could go early in the morning. I need to remember to schedule everything for early in the morning. There are a few hours between 9 AM and noon that it's still safe to assume that Dot will be sleeping. Any other time of day and all bets are off. I used my discretionary time today to go to the bank. That was about it. The rest of the day I just stayed around the house.

I've learned that the dogs are quieter when I stay in the office, but when work is slow that's hard to do. If I make the mistake of going to the kitchen, Dash is instantly right there with me. He can be sound asleep and some kind of infallible internal radar always tells him when I'm headed for the kitchen. When Dash starts barking for food, it usually wakes up Dot, who starts barking too. Dot can't follow me anywhere, but when I lift her up, she follows Dash and I follow her, holding up her rear legs.

I'm glad that Dot has learned to depend on me, but it sure keeps me busy. Half the time I don't think she knows what she wants to do, but maybe walking around aimlessly is good exercise. I wish Dot's vets could come up with a solution that would reduce the signs of senility I've been seeing. We've tried several supplements that are supposed to improve cognitive function in dogs, but they seem to do nothing. Several people have told me that SAM-e can be beneficial for dogs with cognitive issues. I took SAM-e for a while myself after friends told me how wonderful it was. I couldn't tell that it did anything though, and quit using it after a few months. Maybe it works better for dogs.

When I took Dot out to pee before I went to bed last night it was warm and very muggy outside. This morning the clouds and humidity were gone and it was 30 degrees colder. I really can't keep up with the weather this year. Every day is a surprise. As soon as I'm reasonably sure that there won't be another freeze, I need to call the landscaper. It would be nice to have grass in the back yard again. I've just about destroyed all the ground cover by trampling on it as I walk Dot around in the yard. The same thing happened when our first Dalmatian got old and had trouble walking. It took two or three years for the Asian Jasmine to grow back again.

I went out with binoculars this evening to look for Uranus. It's located right below Mars now and should be easy to find. Unfortunately the 6th magnitude planet is very dim. I've always had trouble finding it with the light pollution we have in Dallas. At any rate, I think I saw something below Mars tonight, but I'm not sure it was Uranus.

I wonder how long this stock market rally is going to last. Today's 300 point gain was pretty impressive. I've made some nice gains during this rally, but they could evaporate overnight if the tax cuts everyone is excited about don't materialize. It's always hard to tell when to enter and exit the market. I think the rally will last a while, so I'm not going to sell yet. I could be wrong. I've definitely been wrong before.

Lucky is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2633

I tried to get organized today. I contacted the roofer and urged him to come out as soon as possible. There is a stain in the kitchen ceiling that looks like a slow leak might already be developing. Next, I called the tree guy and urged him to come out as soon as possible too. Every time I look skyward, I see another dead limb that looks like it could fall at any time. I need to call the landscaper and ask him to come out and plant new grass in the back yard. We do this every year. The yard can probably wait until late March though. It's hard to feel a sense of urgency about the yard when I know that the grass is just going to die again anyway.

I'm having trouble telling whether Dot is getting better or worse. She's been more active lately, but I don't know what it means. Sometimes I'm convinced that she has more energy and is getting better. Other times, I feel like the activity is just agitation caused by pain. I don't want her to feel painful and I don't want to sedate her with too many drugs. It would be so much easier if Dot could talk.

I've got a dental appointment next week that I think I'm going to have to reschedule. For years I've scheduled all my appointments for early in the afternoon to allow plenty of time for breakfast and avoid rush hour traffic. I can't do that anymore. Dot still likes to sleep after her morning walk but she needs a lot of attention in the afternoon. She usually wakes up around 1 PM and then wants me to walk her around for the rest of the afternoon. If I'm not nearby to help her up, she becomes very frustrated. Sometimes when she struggles to get up by herself she overexerts herself and starts panting rapidly. I hate to leave her alone at times like these, because she could easily injure herself. It's looks like I'm going to have to schedule my appointments for right after breakfast now. It's funny. I thought that Dot was a high maintenance dog last year, but I really had no idea what was coming.

We never got any rain today at all. I don't know what I was so worried about last night. I continue to see Spring flowers blooming way before they are due. At this rate I'm going to have to start mowing the grass soon. Is this global warming at work, or just quirky Texas weather? I do remember a lot more snow and ice when I first moved here. I actually like the warmer weather with one major exception. The bugs are going to be terrible this Summer.

A quick glance at my Facebook feed reveals that the president's address to congress this evening changed nothing. Conservative pundits are calling this one of the best presidential speeches in recent history. MSNBC and CNN are still ridiculing Trump and calling him a racist. Most of my Facebook friends have moved on and are posting cat pictures again, but the haters are still full of vitriol. I don't think anything is going to change.

Maybe I'll get some sleep tonight. So far, both dogs are quiet and content. I don't have any plans for tomorrow, but this usually means that a last minute website update request will catch me by surprise.

Connor is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2632

I tried the bank again on my way to pick up some prescription this morning. This time there were only two people sitting in the lobby, so I added my name to the sign up sheet and sat down to wait it out. I can't imagine how long people had to wait when the lobby was full, because it still took me over half an hour to see a banker. The guy wasn't immediately sure why I had received the letter about my safe deposit box, but said he'd investigate. It turned out that my signature card listed me as the owner of the box and the bank's account records listed my company as the owner. I didn't care who was the owner as long as I didn't have to wait a long time.

The banker said it would be easier if the company was listed as the owner, but that I had to show some proof that the company was mine. Keep in mind that I've had this box for a long, long time. "Don't you already have something in your records," I asked. Nope. They had nothing. "There's probably something inside the box," I said. I found an old DBA certificate and asked if that would work. Problem solved, but I still don't know why it was a problem in the first place. I was surprised to see that I had registered the name Sealander & Company in 1980. Wow. That was a long time ago. I must have been doing some free-lance work while I was still working for an ad agency, because I didn't officially start the company until 1990.

As I prepared to leave, the banker thanked me for being patient and not getting angry. "I imagine that people don't like to wait a long time," I said. There were six customer service offices at this bank, and the banker who helped me was using the only one occupied. No wonder there were always long lines of angry people in the lobby. This is so typical of business today. I'm sure all the offices were occupied at some point. There are 44 checkout aisles at the big Fry's Electronics superstore where I used to shop a lot. Now, when I visit this store, only three or four of these checkout stations are staffed. The rest are empty. When I make a deposit at my local bank branch, there is usually only one teller working. Nobody wants to hire anyone anymore. They just keep experimenting to see if their customers will tolerate even less service than they are currently receiving. It didn't used to be this way. I think companies would still make a tidy profit if they were fully staffed. They just might not make quite as much. Personally, I think the world would be a better place if companies were happy with a modest profit and more people had jobs. We really need to make the world less efficient. Maximizing efficiency is ruining everything.

The dogs did well today. Dash has regained his appetite and continues to hold down food even though he has finished taking the Cerenia pills. He hasn't experienced any more seizures either. I think we've found the right balance in the pain medication Dot is taking. She appears comfortable now, without seeming lethargic or sedated. There were no bad accidents in the house today. The dogs still required a lot of attention, but all in all, it wasn't a bad day.

The tree guy promised that he'd have my trees trimmed by the end of February. I doubt that I'll see him out here tomorrow, so I'll have to give him another call. I need to call the roofer again too. Now, is the perfect time to patch the roof. It's clean and dry. If he waits another month, the oak trees will start to bud and the roof will be covered with catkins. Technically, catkins are flowers, but to me they're just a nuisance. They clog the gutters, cause allergies, and coat the roof of my car with a sticky yellow powder. Once the catkins start falling on the roof, it's going to be a lot more difficult to make those patches.

It's supposed to rain tomorrow morning. I hope the forecast is wrong. The day goes much more smoothly when the dogs get their morning walk on schedule. There's not much I can do about the rain. There's not much I can do about anything actually.

Princess is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2631

When I got up at 5 AM this morning I thought about waking Dot up and taking her outside to pee. Everybody was sleeping so peacefully that I decided not to disrupt things and went back to bed myself. It was a mistake. Three hours later Dot woke up in a puddle of pee. Dot's bladder can no longer cope with a weekend schedule. I got her up and took her outside while she leaked all the way to the back door. I think we set a new record for number of rugs washed in a single day.

I didn't sleep well last night at all. Just before I went to bed around midnight, I discovered that the furnace wasn't working. I knew it was going to be a cold night, so I was determined to fix the thing before I went to sleep. Easier said than done. Several years ago my HVAC guy taught me how to fix several common furnace problems myself. I think he took pity on me since I was calling them so often. The repair didn't get off to a great start. I couldn't find the special tool I use to get the cover off the furnace. I couldn't find any fine grit sandpaper either.

The flame sensor on our furnace gets dirty a lot. This is always the first thing I look for. When the sensor is dirty it can't detect the pilot light flame and shuts the gas off. It's basically a safety device. There is an enormous amount of dust in the utility room, since we are constantly doing laundry. A normal flame sensor will stay clean for years at a time. Ours goes bad every six months. The fix is easy enough. You carefully remove the flame sensor and clean it with an emery board or a piece of fine grit sandpaper. Too bad the sensor is located in such an awkward place or this repair would be a piece of cake. Eventually, I got the balky cover off the furnace and removed the flame sensor. I didn't have any sandpaper last night, but figured that one of those abrasive kitchen sponges would do. I cut a small piece off the sponge and carefully scraped the dirty coating off the sensor. An hour later, I turned the furnace back on and fired it up. It worked.

I must be a glutton for punishment, because this morning I decided to remove all the accumulated soap scum from the shower stall. For some reason soap scum becomes hard as a rock on the glass shower doors. It's almost impossible to remove. Janet bought some sort of motorized scrub brush that she saw on TV recently and I thought I'd give it a try. Even though the commercial said that this thing could clean dirty tiles in seconds, it wasn't up to the task. I had to use the same abrasive sponge I used to clean the flame sensor and a lot of elbow grease. The shower stall still isn't sparkling clean, but it looks a lot better.

By the time I finished my housecleaning chores I was too tired to go to the gym. I went anyway because it was Sunday. I always go to the gym on Sunday. The hour I spent cleaning the soap scum off the shower doors was much more strenuous than the hour I spent at the gym, but I'm sure my workout did me some good anyway. I've become a believer in going to the gym on Sunday. Hey, it's not like I have anything important to do on Sunday anyway and it's always relaxing to shoot the basketball.

I hope we don't have another hard freeze before Winter is officially over. Everything is growing so nicely now that it would be a shame if freezing weather caused all the wildflowers to die. The redbud and dogwood trees are in full bloom and I've already seen several wildflowers that don't usually appear until late March. So far, this is the earliest Spring I can remember. 

I didn't even watch the Oscars tonight. Janet usually likes to watch these awards shows, but she didn't watch either. I used to love the world of movies and movie making. Janet and I would go see a new film almost every weekend. I don't know if movies have changed or if we have changed. I do know I'll never see La La Land. No interest whatsoever. I still enjoy science and science fiction, so I'd probably enjoy Arrival and Hidden Figures. I'll never see these films in a theater. Someday when things are exceptionally slow, I'll probably rent them on iTunes and watch them on my computer. The big screen has lost its magic.

Bingo is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2630

We're definitely having an early Spring. It's not surprising, since temperatures have already topped 80 degrees several times this month. It's weird to see trees turning green and wildflowers starting to bloom in February, but that's what's happening. It's a shame that Texas weather is so unpredictable. Probably just as soon as everything is in full bloom, there will be a big ice storm and all the flowers will freeze. It has happened before. Actually, this happens just about every Winter. Texas plants must be pretty resilient.

I wonder how many coyotes we have in the neighborhood. Just about every morning I'll run into someone walking their dog who asks me if I've seen the coyotes. We've all seen the coyotes by now. One neighbor told me that his dog ran out the front door last week and went to play with the coyotes. "I thought Daisy was a goner," he told me. I was expecting to hear a sad story, but fifteen minutes later, his dog came home unharmed. There are also bobcats in the neighborhood. I'd be more worried about the bobcats than the coyotes.

Dash continues to improve. He seems just about back to normal now, which if you knew Dash, isn't very normal at all. Now comes the hard part. We've got to convince him to start eating dry dog food again. He loves the canned food we've been feeding him while he recovers and he's pretty stubborn to begin with. It's going to be hell convincing him to eat kibble again. Dash has a tendency to get crystals in his urine, so we put a lot of research into finding a diet that was healthy and would prevent crystals and kidney stones. The diet works, so one way or another, we've got to get him eating it again.

I stopped by the bank again on the way to the grocery store to try and resolve my safe deposit box issue. This time there were even more people waiting in the lobby than there were yesterday. Why do all these people need to talk with a banker? I didn't have the patience to join the queue, so once again I'll have to come back later. Maybe all the people in the lobby got the same letter I did. It's always a possibility. If I was smart I would wait a month or two before returning to this bank. Eventually, all these other people will get their problems solved.

The app that allows me to bypass the checkout line at the grocery store was working again this week. All my purchases from last week were still there though. I had to manually erase each of them before I could start putting groceries in my cart. I love bypassing the checkout line, but this experience is a reminder that technology is only a time-saver when it works.

Dot's new pain pills seem to be keeping her more comfortable. Unfortunately, they aren't making her any stronger. What this means is that she wants to be more active, but still stumbles around and falls over without my assistance. I spent most of the afternoon holding up her rear legs while she walked around the house and smelled things in the back yard. I always try to encourage her to move around when she feels like it. It takes a lot of time, but I probably need the exercise too.

I had some website updates to complete this morning. There isn't a lot of difference between weekdays and weekends anymore. We sleep a little later in the morning on weekends, but that's about it. This client was very nice and just told me to make the updates when I had some extra time. Even though there was no rush, I still felt compelled to do the job right away. I guess I'll always be this way.

I"m going to try and go to the gym early tomorrow. Maybe this way I can complete my workout while Dot is still asleep. I keep trying to construct a predictable world, but it just isn't going to happen.

Cookie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2629

The restaurant was crowded this morning. There were all these noisy overlapping conversations that were somewhat distracting and made me realize that most of the clichés you hear about people are based in truth. Even though this was my morning out, I couldn't wait to get back to my dogs.

When I got home, I immediately realized that peace and quiet are pretty illusive wherever you are. When the dogs actually are quiet, I worry that one of them might have died. When they're full of life and moving around, I'm continually cleaning up poop and retrieving Dot from corners were she has fallen or gotten herself stuck. I've got to try to keep Dash from getting too excited as well, because when he gets agitated, the risk of another seizure increases. It's a delicate balance.

I had a surprising amount of work to complete today. I don't think I've had any writing jobs this month, but the website modifications continue to keep me busy. Nobody seems to want a brand new website anymore. I guess everyone already has one. Instead of creating new designs, I spend my time adding new product lines, updating employee rosters, and correcting typos. There are an amazing number of typos, since a lot of clients write their own copy these days. I don't change anything anymore. I just cut and paste. I used to try to edit the text I received but quickly discovered that the awkward syntax that was bothering me was exactly what the client wanted to say.

Dash is acting real strange lately. I've had increasing difficulty getting him to leave the backyard in the afternoon. At first I thought he was experiencing vertigo or dizziness, but now I'm not so sure. As an experiment I tried to lure him out the back gate with a dog treat, so we could take our afternoon walk. It took us over five minutes to get down the alley. I would move to the end of his leash and then hold the cookie where he could see it. When he started to walk toward the cookie, I would move forward and we would repeat the whole process all over again. As soon as we reached the end of the alley and walked down a small hill into the park, he forgot all about the cookie and started walking normally. We finished the rest of our walk without incident. I have no explanation for this odd behavior, but it sure makes taking a walk more difficult.

Part of the problem is that the dogs still don't understand why they can't walk together like they used to. It is simply impossible for one person to walk both dogs under current conditions. It takes both hands and a lot of coordination to keep Dot upright. I walk her like a marionette in a puppet show. Dash is still strong and likes to walk fast. Even if I could manage to hold on to both dogs, Dash would start tugging and probably knock Dot and I over before we'd gone thirty feet. It's kind of sad, because I know that they would still prefer to walk together.

I've been so concerned about Dash's vestibular disease that it took me a while to realize that I had an upset stomach and was feeling a little dizzy myself. Maybe it was something I ate. At any rate, the best part about today was when I managed to convince both dogs to take a nap with me and we all curled up together for a few hours. The rest seemed to help. I'm feeling better now.

Nora is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2628

Today was an improvement. Both dogs slept all the way through the night without any disasters or medical emergencies. Dash held down his food today, even though he seemed a little tired and disoriented. Getting him eating again is the most important thing now. We'll worry about the residual effects of his vestibular disease when we get him stabilized. Dot seemed more comfortable today as well. I've been trying to fine tune her pain meds so that her discomfort is controlled without turning her into a vegetable. So far, giving her the regular dose of Gabapentin at bedtime and cutting the dose in half at breakfast and lunch seems to be working. The pills won't make her stronger, but they do seem to make her less agitated and allow her to sleep peacefully. These are all little things, but I think we made some progress today.

To celebrate today's progress, I thought I'd reward myself with a nice bowl of Pho. There is a new Vietnamese restaurant in the neighborhood and I've been meaning to try their noodle soup ever since they opened. There is something about Pho that is very satisfying. It's a simple dish made with broth, rice noodles called bánh phở, a few herbs, and meat. Basically, it's just soup, but it is so flavorful if it is made correctly. I wasn't disappointed today. I picked up my take-out order on the way home from the post office and enjoyed an early dinner as soon as I got home. The portion sizes on all the take-out meals I order always seem huge. After I ate what seemed like a gigantic, steaming bowl of Pho, there was still enough left over to make another meal tomorrow.

Yesterday, I got a letter from my bank saying that I needed to stop by my branch and confirm some contact information on my safe deposit box. This seemed strange, since I've never changed or modified any information since I opened the account. At any rate, I stopped by the bank on the way to the post office, thinking I could take care of this problem in a matter of minutes. A banker told me that I would have to wait in line behind a lobby full of old people. I'm an old person too, but I wasn't like these people. These were the kind of people who drive ancient Lincoln town cars and wear socks with their sandals. I have no idea what these people were waiting for, but just by looking at them, I knew that their questions were going to take a long time to answer. I asked the banker if there was a time when there weren't any people in the lobby and he just rolled his eyes at me. I think I'll try this again later.

I got a request today to remove a page from a website that I'm almost certain that I removed five years ago. I checked, and sure enough the page was still on the server. Oops. Occasionally, when a hosting company does maintenance on their servers, they will restore a site from a back-up copy. I suspect that this is what happened. They must have restored something that I erased a long time ago. I bet there are a lot of other ghost pages out there. I mostly work with a local copy of the sites I manage and rarely look to see what is actually on the server. I'm kind of superstitious about erasing things on the server. I used to use the server as a convenient archive for all versions of the sites I design, but I can't do that anymore. Google can still find the unlinked pages I've discarded and clients get mad when people click on links to this outdated information. It was easy enough to remove the offending unlinked page, but I still miss the days when the Internet was simple and fun.

It's going to be hard to convince Dash to eat dry food again. He's really liking the canned Hills Prescription ID I'm feeding him to settle his stomach. Dot must like this food too, because when Dash is finished eating, she will come over and lick his bowl. I guess we'll take this one day at a time. Dash still seems to have vertigo and appears dizzy at times. Until he is stable, he can eat anything he wants.

Joey is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day