Day 3089

What a race. Justify is simply a spectacular horse. It isn't often you get to see a triple crown winner. Well, we did see one just three years ago, but it's still pretty rare. Hey, I'll admit it. I like horse racing. It's a simple sport. The fastest horse wins. Baseball games are too long for me. I enjoy a good football game if the right teams are playing, but I rapidly lose interest in basketball and soccer. Horse racing is just right. After an intense couple of minutes, it is all over. I wonder if Justify will retire after today's race? Whatever the future has in store for this horse, he certainly deserved today's win.

Janet discovered that you get 10% off on anything you buy at Whole Foods if you're an Amazon Prime member. That almost pays for the membership right there. I always thought Amazon Prime was pretty expensive, but a lot of people I know are believers. I'll probably become a believer next year as well. The Expanse is moving to Amazon after SyFy failed to renew the show for another season. It's weird. We've got so many different ways to watch TV now, and I spend my time watching old black and white Perry Mason shows I've already seen.

I've got to keep reminding myself that an offer from an auction house isn't exactly a sale. If no one bids on your item, you can actually end up owing the auction house money. There are no guarantees, but at least there is a market for art and collectibles. Try selling an old computer. Nobody wants an old, slow computer. You can't even give an old computer to schools. I've come to realize that there is a sweet spot for selling everything. I waited too long to sell my Citroën SM. I probably won't live long enough for my odd collection of calculator watches to become valuable. Lets hope the things I'm consigning now are right in the sweet spot.

There's a lot of talk about suicide right now. I wonder if anything can really be done about it. Suicidal people seldom reach out for help and are often very good at hiding their feelings. My mom had several suicidal episodes during her life, but if you didn't know her extremely well, you never would have known anything was wrong. I'm no expert, but maybe suicidal people just care too much. People who don't give a shit are rarely suicidal. They just drive other people crazy. Have you ever heard of a self absorbed person who spends all day talking about themselves committing suicide? Me neither.

Dash is doing better than I expected this Summer. It's getting really hot, but as long as we confine our walks to sunrise and sunset, we're fine. Lately, there's even been a nice breeze when we walk. The key is to stay inside the during the middle of the day. The sun shows no mercy at noon in Texas. Dash likes to naps during the middle of the day anyway. I should probably just nap with him. There isn't much on my schedule.

One of the few things that's always on my schedule s going to the gym on Sunday. That's where I'll be tomorrow. It sure beats mowing the grass on a hot Summer day.

Liberty is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3088

I kind of miss paper. I had to sign some documents today and it took forever. The sender had to scan the documents and turn them into a PDF file. I had to download the file and print it out so I could sign everything. Then I had to scan the signed documents so I could turn them back into a PDF file again. It kind of makes me miss the days when the FedEx man used to deliver these type of things.

My Friday morning breakfast tradition is hanging by a thread. I'm not that hungry anymore and am running out of interesting places to eat. The only reason I went out this morning is that I'd run out of the fresh fruit I use to make my morning smoothie. I need to alter the recipe for my smoothie too. My original recipe makes way too much. Like I said, I'm not that hungry anymore.

Dash and I got an early start on our morning walk so we could beat the heat. This usually works pretty well as long as we leave around sunrise. It's amazing how quickly things warm up once the sun clears the top of the trees. The temperature can go from 80 to 90 in less than an hour. Dash still likes his walks, but we're going to have to curtail things soon. Summer heat and a dog with a weak heart aren't a good combination. Dash and I will both be looking forward to those rare cooler days.

I've been trying to get hold of the landscaper to tell him about the dead grass. Not surprisingly, I haven't had much luck. It's going to be an uphill battle to get the roofer and the landscaper out here again. I've noticed that when you want something from somebody, they tend to disappear. When they want something from you, it's an entirely different story. The galleries and auction houses have been super cooperative with me this week because they want something from me. I think the roofer and the landscaper just want me to go away.

After I watched the latest episode of The Expanse, I got curious about what happens next and learned that there is enough material in the James S. A. Corey books that the series was adapted from to extend the series for ten seasons. The books go on and on. Maybe I should read the books. Whenever I see a movie that has been adapted from a book, I almost always like the book better.

I'm getting closer to parting with the art I've been considering selling. I've been wondering what to hang on the empty walls and then I remembered that I have lots of pictures of dogs. I'll fill the house with dog pictures. Dogs have more meaning to me anyway.

Lacey is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3087

I'm very disappointed. The blood clot in Dash's heart has returned. Actually, the doctors think that this is a brand new clot and aren't entirely sure why it has appeared. The current theory is that Dash has a heart valve problem that causes a vortex around the valve that lets clots start to form. We've known that Dash has had a heart murmur for a long time. It's possible that he has had periodic clots for a long time as well. There's not really much we can do. Since one clot actually did dissolve over time, we're hoping that this new one will as well. I was expecting a more favorable outcome after the good news we heard on our last visit. It wasn't meant to be.

Dash's early morning vet appointment caused the day to get off to a slow start. By the time we were ready for our morning walk, the sun was already high in the sky and Dash quickly got overheated. He just can't take the heat anymore. I cut our walk short and returned home. This was fine with Dash. I think the vet visit was all the activity he wanted to deal with today anyway.

The grass I thought was dead yesterday looks even worse today. I'll give it a little time, but I think I'm going to have to complain. I hear thunder in the distance, so maybe a good soaking rain will help. It won't help the roof, but it just might help to revive this pitiful looking St. Augustine grass.

I photographed some more art work for the auction house today. I'm still not quite sure what they're looking for. Some items they get excited about and others not so much. I still think that this is a good time to begin to simplify my life. I just wish it wasn't so complicated to simplify.

My pharmacy has been bugging me to pick up some prescriptions. An automated message calls me every day to remind me to pick these things up. I finally did go to the pharmacy today and the pharmacist told me that it was too early to get the pills. WTF? "Medicare won't pay for these renewals until June 30," he said. "Well, why to you keep asking me to pick them up," I asked? The pharmacist had no answer. We both knew that this was just one more example of a healthcare system out of control. I'm not out of pills anyway. I'll just go back and pick these up at the end of the month.

Dash currently is shivering under my desk again. There isn't a lot of rain, but there sure is a lot of wind and thunder. I don't know what Dash is worried about, but I'm worried about losing power. We definitely have had a lot of rain in the past several weeks. Every time I get ready to tell the roofer that there's going to be a long enough stretch of dry weather to finish the repairs, another storm pops up.

I forgot to record the new episode of The Expanse last night. It just goes to show that I can't even remember things that I want to remember. No great loss. I'm sure I can find this episode online anyway. If I had a little more patience, I could just buy the entire season on iTunes and avoid all the commercials.

The new syndication service that replaces NetworkedBlogs actually works. Yay. Truthfully, I wasn't expecting this. I'm always pleasantly surprised when something works.

Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3086

Some of the grass the guys installed yesterday looks dead. The landscaper said the sod was fine and would turn green after I watered it for a while. I doubt it. I've seen dead grass before. To add insult to injury, the grass was more expensive this year, even though it looks worse than last year's grass. I'll water the new turf faithfully for a few weeks. If the brown squares don't turn green, I'm going to demand a replacement. Believe it or not, I really don't enjoy complaining and wish that people would just do things right the first time.

I went to retrieve some art from the storage warehouse and was dismayed to discover that one piece had been damaged by humidity. The paper wasn't flat anymore and has developed some alarming ripples. I should have kept this lithograph at the house, but I ran out of space a long time ago. I called a good art conservator and explained my problem. She was convinced that the art could be saved, but warned me that the process took a long time and could get expensive. What a shame. I don't think this piece is going to the auction house.

Water is my enemy. I'm always fighting water. I had a really nice vintage guitar ruined by moisture several years ago. The shower pan leaks. The toilet runs. And I'm worried that I'm going to need a new water heater soon. If I water this new grass too much it will die. Conversely, if I don't water it enough, it will also die. Don't even get me started about the roof. My ongoing problems with the roof are all about water.

There are still a lot of e-mails going back and forth between me and the auction house. Consigning the model train collection was much easier. One of the hardest things about selling art is providing appropriate provenance for each piece you are planning to sell. It's not easy to find detailed records for things you bought forty years ago. My memory isn't that great anymore. I have no idea where some of this stuff came from.

I have an opportunity to apply for a chance to provide social media coverage for the launch of NASA’s Parker Solar Probe at the end of July. This sounds like fun, but it's probably too soon to participate in another one of these NASA social media events. I can't afford the three day event for starters, and taking care of Dash is still a team effort. I'm glad that NASA is still providing these opportunities for bloggers, because one of these days I'm definitely going to go cover another launch.

I think that this is the last day that NetworkedBlogs is in operation. If the site hasn't already shut down, it will tomorrow. I signed up for a new blog syndication service, but I don't know if it works yet. We'll see. The blog will still be published on Google's Blogger platform, but it you don't see it on Facebook or Twitter, it means that I haven't figured out how to use the new syndication service yet. I guess I could just share each night's post manually, but I haven't really figured out how to do this either. I'm sad to see NetworkedBlogs disappear. It's been a useful tool for many years.

Dash has his big follow-up exam at the cancer center tomorrow morning. Wish us luck. Tomorrow's test will determine if the blood clot in Dash's heart is really gone. Hopefully, this final echocardiogram will confirm that the clot has completely dissolved and is gone forever.  It's always good to have one less thing to worry about.

Wendy is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3085

The landscapers work late. They're in the back yard right now installing the St. Augustine sod. It will be nice to have a decent looking yard again. I've grown accustomed to the fact that grass doesn't last long in our back yard. The extensive root network for our big Oak trees immediately sucks up all available water. I'll probably have to replace the turf again next year. That's OK. At least things will be nice for Dash this summer. Hopefully, he will start pooping in the grass, instead of venturing into the thick Asian Jasmine ground cover at the back of the yard. Dash's rear legs are so weak that he occasionally gets stuck in the ground cover and I have to go extricate him.

I never dreamed that selling art at auction would be so complicated. I got a contract from one of the big New York auction houses and it was page after page of fine print. From all appearances, it would be much easier to sell a house. I'm glad and somewhat surprised that there is interest in the things I've collected. I've never thought of art as investment. I just bought things that I could afford and made me happy. I certainly never thought of the model trains as an investment. I had every intention of building a big model railway someday and just never got around to it.

It was sad to hear about Kate Spade's suicide. I remember listening to an interview with her on NPR while I was driving to the gym a few months ago and she certainly seemed like a happy, well adjusted person. She and her husband built their business from nothing and lived to see it become an international success. Why wasn't she happy with her life? I was equally surprised when I learned of Robin William's death. It just goes to show that depression has nothing to do with success or failure. Rich or poor, famous or obscure, depression seems like an equal opportunity curse.

I wish I could find some more durable dog boots for Dash. We've tried three different brands and all of them are wearing out. Even the indestructible Ultra Paws boots we got recently are starting to wear out. If a dog scuffs their feet while they walk like Dash does, nothing is going to last that long. The ToughTek material on the Ultra Paws boots is no match for Dash. It has completely worn through to the nylon shell below. The dog booties may not last that long, but they definitely do their job. Dash's paws haven't bled since he started wearing them.

I wish I'd remembered to ask my doctor about my irritating cough when I had my exam last week. It feels like I've got cracker crumbs caught in my throat. Maybe I do have cracker crumbs in my throat, but this feels more like when I used to take Zestril for high blood pressure. When I switched to Benicar, the coughing stopped. When a generic equivalent for Benicar was approved, I started taking that instead. I didn't have a choice. I've always wondered if generic and brand name drugs were the same. Maybe there is a difference that's causing this cough. It probably doesn't matter anyway, since my insurance won't pay for brand name medications when there is a generic available.

I'll read the contract from the auction house tomorrow. If I'm lucky, maybe Janet will just read it for me. Trying to understand legal documents makes my head spin.

Scooby is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3084

The weather certainly surprised me this morning. I was expecting blue skies and we got thunderstorms instead. This storm was a bad one. It didn't take Dash long to hide under my desk. I got out a blanket so he would have a comfortable place to sleep and he stayed in his little cave until almost noon. Not surprisingly, the landscapers didn't finish the yard today. It's a good thing they cleared out all the leaves on Saturday while everything was still dry. Wet leaves would have been twice as heavy to haul away.

I've been having some interesting conversations with auction houses. Selling art is more complicated than I imagined, but it is kind of fascinating. Even more fascinating is how I have changed over the years. I thought it would be like pulling teeth to get rid of anything, but as it turns out, I'm actually looking forward to living a simpler, more uncluttered life. I don't need this stuff. It's finally sunk in that "you can't take it with you" is just the simple, unvarnished truth about possessions of any sort.

We've decided that the antibiotic Dash has been taking is what is causing his diarrhea. This has happened before. The antibiotic kills the microorganisms that normally live in the intestinal tract and causes all sorts of digestive problems. It look like it's time to give Dash a probiotic again. We ordered some Fortiflora which has always worked in the past. Hope this does the trick. Cleaning up runny poop is disgusting.

The pump on the roof wouldn't work this morning and when I went up to investigate, I discovered that the tree trimmers had knocked it over when they were taking down the big dead limb a few days ago. I was pleased when I got the pump working again and almost immediately displeased when I discovered a new damaged area in the elastomer coating just three inches away from the edge of the new patch the roofers applied a few weeks ago. Why didn't they extend the repair just a little further? I don't see how they could have missed this new bad area. This roof is so frustrating. I don't know if I'm ever going to be able to get it fixed.

The landscapers are supposed to return and finish things up tomorrow. It's also supposed to rain again tomorrow, so we'll see what happens. Rain or shine, I hope that Dash continues to sleep on a regular schedule again. He didn't wake me up at all last night and it was such a relief to finally get a decent night's sleep.

Maybe I'll look around the house tomorrow for other stuff I could sell. Janet would love it if I could clear out the office. Unfortunately, old computers and video tape players aren't very collectible.

Daisy is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3083

When I was at the gym today, one of the staff members came out on the court and started blocking my shots. It slowed me down a bit, but it was a nice gesture. Maybe after five years of spotty attendance, I'm finally a regular. I had a good workout today. On days like this, I always think that if I exercised more often, I'd really start making some progress.

The landscapers didn't come back today. I didn't really think they would. Who wants to work on Sunday? I doubt they could find St. Augustine grass today anyway. The yard will probably be finished tomorrow. The good news is that everything will look green again. The bad news is that my water bill will triple.

Dash cut his lip today while he was nosing around smelling things. It was a very small cut, but it bled a lot. Dash bleeds incredibly easily now that he's taking Plavix. We are as careful as we can be with him, but you can't stop a dog from smelling things. I wish I could convince Dash not to spend so much time investigating what the other animals in the park are doing. Our walks would be quicker and he probably never would have gotten that infection in his mouth. At least the bleeding has stopped now. Like I said, we do the best we can.

When Dash woke me up to go outside last night, I noticed that Mars was right next to the moon. I also noticed that Dash took an incredibly long time to poop. I was wide awake by the time we went inside again and had trouble getting back to sleep. Nothing is consistent about Dash anymore. Last week he was sleeping all the way through the night and now he's back to waking me up at 3 AM again. He's still eating well and doesn't appear to be in any pain. I guess that's all that counts.  Next week he's scheduled for another big exam at the cancer center. Hopefully, we'll find out a little more about his current condition.

I got my lab results back and I finally know my blood type. I'm an O+. This is the most common blood type, but I don't know if that's good or bad. Have you ever heard of the Blood Type Diet? It sounds kind of wacky to me, but supposedly your blood type is determined by your ancient ancestors and you'll do best if you continue to eat what they did. According to this unsubstantiated theory, people with Type O blood were originally hunter/gathers and need a high protein diet with lots of lean meat and very little grain. Sounds good to me. People with Type A blood are supposed to be vegetarians.

I had to take back the socks I got last week and exchange them for a larger size. Why are clothes so hard to fit these days. Small, medium, and large mean nothing. Sometimes a medium fits perfectly and other times it is too small. Stores don't like you to try on socks anyway. Usually they are stapled together in some sort of packaging that makes this impossible. At any rate, now I have large socks. These will probably be too big.

I'm going to submit some more art to the auction houses next week. Who knows where this will end?  Maybe Janet is right. Could it be that less actually is more?

Freckles is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3082

I was expecting the landscapers on Monday, but they decided to come today. There was lots of work to do. Most people use a lawn service on a weekly or monthly basis. I use one once a year. Today, the guys pulled weeds and hauled away a year's worth of dead leaves. I think they're coming back tomorrow to install the new St. Augustine grass. It's a shame that grass never lasts more than a single season in the back yard, but that's just the way it is. The large Oak trees have such an extensive root system that they suck up all available water. The grass never has a chance to develop deep roots of its own. Even though the new grass isn't in yet, the yard already looks better. A year's worth of Oak leaves can really make a yard look messy.

I got my first check from the friend who is selling my train collection. Not bad for one month. Seven items have sold already. My friend says it might take two years to sell the entire collection. That's OK. It took me way more than two years to accumulate this stuff. I wonder what has caused me to have such a change of heart? As recently as five years ago I wouldn't have even considered selling my collections. Now, getting back to basics would be a blessing.

Dash was real interested in what the landscapers were doing. He watched at the window for hours. I couldn't let him outside because the gates were open, but he definitely knew that something was going on in his yard. I hope I cleaned up all the dog poop before the guys arrived. Stepping in dog poop is no fun for anyone. At least it will be easier to clean up after Dash now. During the Winter, the poop just disappeared under a mountain of leaves.

I went to my safe deposit box on the way to the grocery store to look for documents and records about my artwork. The galleries and auction houses want a lot of documentation. I found a few receipts, but not nearly as much as I'd hoped. Actually, there was very little of value or usefulness in the box. I wonder why I even have this thing. It's kind of like the storage warehouse. Twenty years ago it all made a lot of sense. Now, not so much.

Maybe now that the yard is clean, I won't get so many bug bites. I've got so many bites that I'm starting to look like I've got chicken pox. Each bug leaves their own distinct signature. Ant bites are small raised welts. Mosquito bites are wide pink blotches. Chigger bites are smaller and redder than the mosquitoes. All of them itch. I just hope I don't get any spider bites. Spider bites are the worst.

I watched a show about eating healthy on PBS this afternoon. It looks like Janet has already adopted the perfect diet. I still have a ways to go. I still consume too much wheat and it's pretty tough to totally avoid sugar. Neither of us drink soft drinks, but I still enjoy a piece of pie for dessert. Janet just has a slice of cantaloupe or watermelon. It will be a long time before I learn to substitute cantaloupe for pie.

We had to shorten Dash's walk today. It's getting too hot. Our cool, wet Spring is just a distant memory now. The temperature was over one hundred degrees this afternoon. This is not only dangerous for Dash, it's too hot for me as well. Let's hope the air conditioner keeps working.

Abby is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3081

One year ago today, Dot passed away. It's been a long year. Shortly after Dot died, Janet was diagnosed with breast cancer. Then Dash almost died after experiencing a severe vestibular seizure. Later in the year I discovered that my sister also had cancer and Dash had a large blood clot inside his heart that could break apart and travel to his brain at any moment. We're all still here. Janet is doing great and so is Dash. I hope there is a lot less drama in the year ahead. It would be nice to have a year with no life threatening emergencies whatsoever.

The tree trimmers came early this morning. I hadn't even eaten breakfast or walked Dash when I heard the sound of their chain saws. It's sad that the Oak trees are slowing dying. They are very old and we lose a few limbs every year. I hope we can keep the trees as long as we are in the house. The yard would look pretty bare without them. I'm glad the crew was able to remove a large dead limb that was hanging over the house without dropping it on the roof. That would have been a disaster. Luckily, everything went well. I think the trees are safe and secure again for another season. The neighbors didn't even get mad at us today. They don't like it when work crews have to block their driveway.

I'm discovering that it is much more complicated to sell fine art than it is to sell model trains. I was on the phone with several galleries in New York today and there is some initial interest. It appears that I have a fairly discerning eye as a collector. The next step seems to be establishing provenance for the artwork I'm thinking of selling. This might not be easy, since I obtained some of these pieces many, many years ago. If you're the collecting type, be sure to save everything. Model trains without the original boxes were only worth half as much as those where I'd saved the original box and receipts. Artwork without a clear provenance is basically worthless. I save almost everything, but receipts and records from the 1970's might be very hard to find.

I cooked dinner for Janet tonight. It was only spaghetti, but she seemed to like it. I'm always surprised that I'm a pretty decent cook when I put my mind to it. Janet is a superb cook, but neither of us like to spend much time in the kitchen these days. We end up buying "Dinner for Two" at Central Market over and over again. I can see why meal kits like Hello Fresh and Blue Apron are so popular. Nobody really had time to cook anymore.

I still really miss Dot. When Dot and Dash were both young and healthy, life just seemed to make more sense. Dash finally seems to be getting used to being the only dog but I don't think he likes it. Dot was the Alpha dog and Dash looked to her for everything. Even though Dash has become more confident, you can tell that he'd much rather have his sister at his side. I'd much rather have both dogs together again too. They were perfect companions.

You can't bring back the past, but there's always the future. Here's to the future.

Charlie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3080

We had a good day. Dash seemed to have a lot of energy this morning. We had a nice morning walk. He ate all his meals and took his pills without incident. He had enough energy left over to pester me as I tried to watch the new episode of The Expanse after breakfast. I'm glad the DVR has a pause button, because every five minutes Dash wanted to go outside. I was glad to see Dash in good spirits. Maybe someday he'll start wagging his tail again.

This week's episode of The Expanse captured my interest again. I still think there's way too much going on with three different sub-plots on three different ships, but I'll definitely keep watching. This is probably the best science fiction series since Farscape. Firefly was really good too, but the show got canceled way too soon. I think The Expanse could easily run for four or five seasons. Here's hoping anyway.

Janet took Dash on his evening walk because I had to go to an evening meeting. Meetings of any sort seem weird to me now. It rare for anything to be accomplished in your average meeting, but they are still an essential part of keeping a group together. It's the intangible things that are important in meetings. If the group feels good about working together, the details can usually be worked out later. Hopefully, I'm still in good graces with this group. I don't get out much, but I still care a lot about helping dogs.

Now that I'm in the process of selling one collection, I've started to think about getting rid of other things as well. I discovered the Artsy website today. I don't know why I never noticed this sooner. It's a great idea, connecting buyers, sellers, and other interested parties with great galleries and auction houses around the world. Instead of buying or selling art directly, you are dealing with very reputable galleries. The website is just a facilitator, bringing people together. I need to learn more about this concept. It might be exactly what I've been looking for.

The tree trimmers are supposed to come over tomorrow. I wonder how long this is going to take? There's really only one big branch that might be dangerous to leave as is, but I'm sure the tree guys will find more dead wood when they arrive. The last time they came to the house they took down twice as much as I had anticipated. I hope this all goes smoothly. I'd hate for one of these limbs to fall on the roof while they are cutting it down.

I probably should stay home and have my regular smoothie tomorrow. I have no idea when the tree guys are going to arrive, so it wouldn't be a good idea to go out for breakfast. Of course if I do stay home, they won't arrive until after lunch. That's just the way it goes.

Amy is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3079

Our power went out again today. Once again there was no wind or rain. It was pretty hot though. Since the outage occurred around the evening rush hour, I suspect that everybody just came home from work and turned on their air conditioner at the same time. The power grid in our part of town is pretty old. I don't think it's up to the job anymore. When the newcomers start tearing down all the 2000 square foot homes and replacing them with 5000 square foot homes, something's got to give.

My doctor seems to think I'm in pretty good shape. I'm a borderline diabetic who needs to take statins, but other than that I'm good to go. The heart is good, there are no signs of cancer, my weight and blood pressure are under control. I just need to keep exercising and eating right. I got a pneumonia shot today and will probably get the new shingles vaccine at my next exam. Apparently, you can't take these two vaccines together. I was relieved to learn that I don't have peripheral neuropathy. The reason my fingers and toes sometimes feel numb right after I wake up is due to the way I sleep. There's a name for the condition, but basically it's just a pinched nerve.

I finally got a decent picture of a scissor-tailed-flycatcher. These birds are amazing to watch, but hard to photograph. They catch insects in mid air and can use their long forked tail to make abrupt turns and even hover like a helicopter. They are very territorial and will chase away larger hawks and other birds that invade their space. I don't know why this one was so still this morning, but now you know what they look like.

My doctor said the pneumonia shot might cause some soreness. He was right. My arm feels like someone hit me with a hammer. Oh, well. If I never get pneumonia, it was worth it. The soreness in my arm is nothing compared to all the chigger bites I've got anyway. These bites are driving me crazy. Chiggers are so small that you usually can't even see them. The bites pack a wallop though. They itch much worse than mosquito bites. The only thing worse are fire ants. We have those too. It's only a matter of time before I start getting fire ant bites.

When the power went out, I noticed that the UPS for my computer only had four minutes of back up power. It's supposed to have over an hour. I've already replaced the batteries on this uninterrupted power source once. It looks like I'm going to have to replace them again. Gasoline seems so reliable compared to batteries. I'm always replacing batteries. I've been fascinated with Tesla ever since they first appeared on the market. I don't think I'd ever have the nerve to buy one though. The car is basically a giant lithium-ion battery. What could possibly go wrong?

I hope we don't have another power outage tomorrow. It's going to be very hot. When the power went out this afternoon, the inside temperature went up ten degrees in less than an hour. A full day without power would be very hard on Dash. Years ago, we were without power for four days in the middle of July. We're all too old for that now. If it ever happened again, we'd have to move to a dog-friendly hotel.

Ollie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3078

There was blood in Dash's water bowl this morning. Where did this come from? His gums looked good and his mouth wasn't bleeding. The clump of blood in the bottom of the bowl looked more like something he had coughed up. This certainly wasn't normal. I've watched Dash all day and he seems absolutely fine, but now I've got one more question for the vet at his next exam.

I feel like things are slowly coming together around the house. The landscaper finally contacted me and made a commitment to clean up the yard and put in new grass next week. The tree guy is coming over this weekend to remove the dead limbs from the Oak trees. Now, all I've got to do is get the roofers to come back again and finish what they started several weeks ago.

It looks like I've got a new website project. This will keep me busy during the month of June. I have mixed feelings about work now. It's good to be busy and I like to feel needed, but work is still work. Truthfully, I'm getting used to doing nothing. The older I get, the harder it is to maintain the work ethic I've had for most of my adult life. I've got nothing to prove anymore and napping with the dog seems to make as much sense as anything else I might try.

I got a call from my doctor reminding me of my appointment tomorrow. I've got to fast so they can do new blood work. Ordinarily, I would have made an early appointment and stopped for breakfast on the way home. This won't work with Dash's new schedule. He doesn't like to walk before Janet goes to work anymore so we no longer walk at sunrise. We'll walk at our regular time and I'll just skip breakfast tomorrow. This is probably the only way I can lose weight anyway. I should try intermittent fasting sometime, but it's hard to skip a meal. Eating is my primary form of entertainment these days.

It's going to be a bad summer for bugs. This always happens after a warm Winter. I knocked down some wasp nests in the back yard this afternoon. As soon as the landscapers finish putting in the grass, I'm going to treat the yard for mosquitoes. I don't know know what I'm going to do about the chiggers. This has been the worst season for chiggers that I can remember.

I hope they don't find anything wrong with me tomorrow. I feel OK, but I've grown to expect surprises. Just when I think I'm home free, someone says I need another colonoscopy or adds a new prescription to my growing list of meds. I feel like I'm in better shape than my Mom or Dad was at my age, but that isn't saying much. Until I hear otherwise, I'll just keep eating healthy food and walking everyday.

I'm not looking forward to lab work tomorrow. Last time, the phlebotomist had trouble finding a vein.  Maybe she's gotten better in the past six months. It's not a big one deal one way or the other. At least there'll be a new episode of The Expanse to watch tomorrow evening.

Emmitt is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3077 - Memorial Day

Both of my parents served in the Navy during World War II. Most of their neighbors, their congregation, and their co-workers were veterans as well. I think this was the last generation where military service was actually a common bond that tied people together. Only two of my high school friends joined the military. One became a Marine and the other became an Air Force fighter pilot. Most of the others had some sort of student deferment. It was pretty easy to get a deferment if you were actually going to school. We all hoped the Vietnam War would be over by the time we graduated.

I have tremendous respect for anyone who has served in the military. At the same time, I think our country has gotten involved in far too many senseless wars. The Vietnam War proved nothing. Twenty Five years of war in the Middle East have proved nothing. I've never understood why we are so quick to get involved in other people's business. Some of these people have been fighting for thousands of years. Our involvement is not going to stop them. In some cases, I think we are just fanning the flames.

It didn't really seem like a holiday today. I kept thinking it was Sunday. We should have gotten up earlier, because it was already hot by the time we walked Dash. Sleeping in is a tradition on holidays though. We always sleep in when we get a chance.

I saw a roach crawl under the bed just before we went to sleep last night. I got a flashlight and looked under the bed, but the bug had disappeared. I kept thinking that it was going to crawl over me as I slept. This morning, I pulled all the photo equipment and unused dog beds out from under the bed and cleaned all the dust away with the vacuum. The bedroom is cleaner than it's been in a long time, but I still can't find the bug. The critters are fast. It's probably in the kitchen by now.

Since I had the vacuum out, I cleaned the rest of the house as well. Then I did a load of laundry and took a nap with Dash. That's about as exciting as it got today. It was way too hot to mow the grass or go up on the roof. The only good thing about the Summer heat is that the standing water on the roof evaporates quickly.

Janet and I think the Movoflex we're giving Dash is working. The change has been gradual, but he seems to have more energy now and isn't stumbling as much when he walks. I'm not expecting miracles, but I hope he can keep walking on his own for a while longer. We've already purchased a Help 'Em Up Harness for Dash like Dot used to wear, but I'm not looking forward to the day when we have to start using it. Dash enjoys his independence.

Summer is here to stay. We're supposed to get our first triple digit temperatures later this week. I hope the air conditioner keeps working. I change the filters right on schedule, but I'm always waiting for the other shoe to drop.

Sam is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3076

Maybe it's just the nice weather, but we are encountering an increasing number of aggressive dogs in the park. These dogs are on a leash, but just barely. I still don't understand why people insist on walking their dogs in a public place when they can't control them. The woman we encountered today kept apologizing for her dog's bad behavior but couldn't seem to stop it. We watched as several other dogs narrowly avoided disaster and kept far, far away.

It's hard to blame the dog for bad behavior. Usually the owner has made no effort to properly socialize and train their pet. A well socialized puppy seldom becomes a bad dog. I've learned to keep my distance when I see a dog on one of those long flexi-leashes that won't come when it's called. When another dog approaches, the owner struggles to retract the leash like they are reeling in a fish. Jeez. A sturdy leather leash and a little training goes a long way. We safely completed another walk, but it would be nice if we could relax and enjoy the outdoors without constantly looking ahead for danger.

I may need to find a new time to go to the gym. For the second week in a row, I haven't been able to use the basketball court because a game was in progress. These impromptu pick-up games come and go, but I'm never very good at predicting when the court will be in use. I'm always a little disappointed when I can't shoot baskets. It seems like a small reward for the twenty minutes I spend on the hand bicycle.

I needed to buy a new nozzle for the garden hose in the back yard today. I've bought a new nozzle every year for the past three years. Why don't these things last? I'd much rather spend $25 for a sturdy nozzle that would last a lifetime than pay $7 for a new nozzle every year. Sprinklers are even worse. Most oscillating sprinklers won't even make it through a single season.

Although I'm willing to pay more for garden equipment, I'd like to pay less for socks. Why are socks so expensive? Maybe I'm hard on socks, but I'm always needing to replace them. It doesn't take me long at all to get a hole in the heel. I went looking for socks on my way home from the gym today and a lot of them were over $20 a pair. That's ridiculous for something that won't last six months.

Dash had a good day. He's seemed a little more sure footed on his walks lately. I can tell by the sound his protective boots make on the pavement that he's not dragging his feet so much. This could all change tomorrow, but I'm always happy when Dash has a good day. I'm still confused about his changing eating habits. Dash prefers to eat later in the day now. There's no more barking for breakfast right after he wakes up. Lately, he's been sleeping through the night too. I need to stay flexible, which isn't always easy. I'm not a very flexible person.

I watched the last episode of Detectorists last night. Now what? There just aren't many shows that I like. Maybe I should start reading again. My standards are pretty high. I'm looking for books like The Milagro Beanfield War, A Confederacy of Dunces, Geek Love, Danial Martin, Sometimes a Great Notion, and The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test. Truthfully, I don't think they make authors like Ken Kesey, Tom Wolfe, and John Fowles anymore.

Libby is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3075

I just received a notice that NetworkedBlogs is shutting down. Sad. One by one, all the familiar faces I have long associated with blogging are disappearing. Entrecard is gone. Adgitize is gone. I'm not sure if BlogCatalog still works. I haven't seen anything new there in years. I'm going to miss NetworkedBlogs. This is the tool I've always used to syndicate the blog to Facebook and Twitter. Maybe there are other blog syndication services out there, but there probably aren't many. Blogging just isn't popular anymore.

I'm glad I got to be a part of blogging's short lived golden years. It certainly didn't last very long. When was the last time you spent hours blog hopping? Yup. I can't remember that far back either. If you're reading today, you're probably just looking at a link on Facebook. At some point you begin to wonder if there is any point writing if nobody's reading anymore. It is becoming an increasingly quixotic quest.

It would be hard to quit writing. It's a lot like walking Dash. Our walks are painfully slow now, but they have become part of the fabric of life. Whenever we fail to walk I am filled with a sense of foreboding. The day is supposed to start with a walk and end with a blog post. That's just the way it is.

We had a nice walk this morning. I was somewhat surprised to see a single mutant flower in a field full of Mexican Hats. These upright prairie coneflowers are sombrero-shaped with drooping petals and a tall central cone. How did this explosion of petals even happen? This flower looked like it came straight from Chernobyl.

I had planned on having the trees trimmed this morning, but the tree guy called and said he'd had a couple of emergencies and he needed to postpone our appointment. It's just as well that we called this off. It rained last night and the trees were still wet. I imagine that this would have made the branches heavier and more difficult to cut. At least the trees didn't fall on my roof last night. Evidently, the storm was far worse in Far North Dallas.

Now that it's warm enough to keep the air conditioner running, doing the wash has become more difficult. Both the washer and the condensation from the air conditioner drain into the same floor drain  in the utility room. The drain needs to be plugged when the washer is running and open when the air conditioner is running. It gets complicated when both things are happening at the same time. I forgot to open the drain today and the utility room got flooded. If it's not one thing, it's another.

I wish my lone trip to the gym every Sunday was enough to build muscle mass and shed a little weight. I have a feeling that it's just a symbolic gesture. It's going to take a lot more than an hour at the gym to change anything. I'll still go tomorrow. Hey, there's nothing wrong with symbolic gestures.

Chief is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3074

I'm gaining weight. It probably didn't help that I had Beignets with breakfast this morning. I still try to eat healthy, but it's getting harder. I'm not really a Kale and Quinoa kind of guy. My diet hasn't changed all that much, but my daily activities have. When the dogs were young and healthy, we used to walk at least six miles every day. Dalmatians are active dogs and we kept a pretty brisk pace. Now there's only one dog and he is incredibly slow. Dash and I are lucky if we travel two miles these days.

In theory, there's nothing preventing me from still walking six miles a day. I could easily go on a walk while Dash was sleeping during the day. I have no desire to do this, unfortunately. Walking the dogs was a duty that I enjoyed. It was clear that the dogs needed me. When there was a problem to be solved in my professional career, I always felt the same way. I enjoyed a career as a photographer and filmmaker. Somehow doing these same things as a hobby has little appeal. When someone asks me "What do you like to do for fun?" I seldom have an answer. What is fun anyway?

Are you getting a ton of irritating e-mail from companies and websites saying that they've changed their privacy policies? It's all because of the GDPR. The European Union's new General Data Protection Regulation has changed everything. Personally, I don't think the Europeans realize that privacy is just an illusion. It doesn't exist anymore. Artificial Intelligence needs massive amounts of data to function and your robot overlords are going to get that data one way or another. China, not Europe, holds the keys to the future. They are already using sophisticated facial recognition technology to identify billions of people. In the future, payments will be made with retinal scans, not money. Stores will know what you are going to buy before you even enter the door. I don't necessarily like this, but it's coming. Just to be safe, I've removed all remaining online forms from my websites. I don't want to be ever accused of collecting any information on anybody.

Dash and I were surprised by an unexpected thunderstorm this afternoon. The sun was shining this morning when we took our morning walk. I was expecting clear skies all the way through the Memorial Day holiday. It wasn't meant to be. Around lunch time the sky became ominously dark and I began to hear thunder. We didn't lose power, but the lights did flicker for a while. This was more than enough to throw Dash into a panic. It took a while for me to calm him down, but eventually he settled down under a blanket with me and we rode out the storm. If I had anything else to do, this would have been frustrating, but life is pretty slow now. Comforting a dog under a blanket seemed as good a way to spend the day as anything. We both went to sleep after a while and when we woke up, the rain was gone.

There is a huge sale going on at REI, but there is absolutely nothing I need. I have a feeling that this is going to become a recurring theme. When collecting things and accumulating gear I don't really need fails to give me pleasure, it's probably time to reassess everything.

Ziggy is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3073

Today was slow. Who am I kidding. Every day is slow. I did manage to finish updating an animal rescue website today, but for the most part, the day was almost identical to yesterday. We completed our walk this morning without losing a shoe. Maybe I'm getting better at attaching Dash's boots, but it was probably just luck. I used a fitness app on my phone this morning to see how far we actually traveled and it told me I was on pace to run a 35 minute mile. Dash and I are really slow.

After breakfast, I watched the new episode of The Expanse that I recorded yesterday. For the first time since the series started, I was disappointed. They skipped way ahead from the previous episode to move the story arc forward. It was disorienting to see different characters doing different things with very little continuity. It was almost like the show runner knew how he wanted the series to end and was trying to cram four seasons into three. It's too bad if this is the case. This show deserves at least four seasons.

There were a bunch of calls I should have made today and I didn't make any of them. I'm tired of bothering the roofer and the landscaper every single day. I don't even think it helps. Sometimes being the squeaky wheel does more harm than good. There are also a couple of website projects on the back burner that I need to follow up on. I'm reluctant to push too hard to get these jobs because I honestly don't think a website is going to change things for either of these people. They've got bigger problems than their online profile. I'd love to have some additional work, but I hate to overpromise. A good website can't fix everything.

It's going to be a long, hot summer if I can't come up with a better way to spend the ample amount of time I seem to have. Practicing the piano went nowhere. I haven't even looked at the keyboard in several weeks. My plan to upload hundreds of pictures to my stock photo site is languishing on the back burner too. I have some old images that I think might sell, but it's hard to get interested in these things. I keep coming up with excuses why the images wouldn't get accepted anyway. People are always saying that you need to follow your passion, but the truth is that I've never been passionate about anything. I've always preferred the term "dispassionate." Why has this emotion never gained popularity? A dispassionate person is always cool, calm and able to be rational and impartial in any situation. That's a good thing, isn't it?

I've taken the trash out to the curb, but I'm not really sure what's on the agenda for tomorrow. I don't feel like going out for breakfast and household chores don't sound very appealing either. Who knows. Maybe I'll wake up motivated. If I don't, I can always take a nap with Dash.

Ranger is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day