Day 3154

I spent some time talking with auction houses today. I've got to finish consigning things before I totally lose interest in this downsizing venture. I wish I'd methodically inventoried everything when I was younger. It would make life a little easier if I actually knew what I had. It's probably just as well that my younger self wasn't this obsessive. I'm obsessive enough as it is. Maybe I will regain my enthusiasm if the first batch of auctions go well. Right now, downsizing seems very tiring.

The weather hasn't gotten much better. The sound of raindrops on the roof woke me up again last night. The showers were sporadic today, but it's still pretty dark and dismal outside. I'm amazed that I've still been able to give Dash a walk every day. I don't know how I survived before I had weather radar on my phone. We go outside when it's dry and stay inside when it's wet. Usually it works out pretty well.

I had to pick up some meds for Dash at the vet this morning, but that was the extent of my travels. I really don't put many miles on the car anymore. According to my Fitbit, I walk about as much in any given week as I drive. I drive so little now that I wonder if I'd save on car insurance if I put one of those little tracking devices the insurance companies are pushing in my car. I hate the idea of being tracked by an insurance company, but anyone who uses less than a quarter of a tank of gas a week is bound to get a discount.

I wish someone could explain to me what is is going on in Dash's head. It's easy to say he's becoming senile, but I'd like to know exactly what is going on. I'm not sure there's much we could do at this point, but it's sad to see him so disoriented. He'll stand at the back door forever before making a decision to go outside and pee. Sometimes he'll aimlessly walk in circles while we're at the park, and occasionally he seems to get lost in the house. There are still plenty of times when Dash seems completely lucid, but the moments when he appears totally out of it can be pretty scary.

I have a meeting scheduled with my financial advisor tomorrow. I used to be very interested in the stock market and we would have some lively discussions. Not anymore. I've done the best I can to prepare for the future, but the future seems to be growing more uncertain every day. It would be a miracle if I have thirty years left. Sometimes I think it would be even more of a miracle if civilization has thirty years left. There are way too many potential disasters on the horizon.

The one good thing about aging is that the older you get, the less impending doom matters. Hey, I'm already a survivor. I could be wrong too. Maybe the glass is actually half full. I could be more optimistic, but it would be even better to be more like Dash. I doubt that he spends a lot of time thinking about the future. For a dog, the future is always tomorrow morning.

Emma is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3153

OK. Enough rain already. I managed to complete most of Sunday's errands despite the rain, but it looks like I'm going to miss the Perseid meteor shower tonight. This has been a weird month even by Texas standards. Within a matter of weeks we recorded the highest temperature on record for August and the lowest temperature on record for August. I'm enjoying the unusually cool weather we've been experiencing recently. I just wish there wasn't so much rain.

On the way to the gym this morning I listened to a show on the radio about an economist who had written a book about how smart people often do stupid things learned a few days after the book's publication that he had lost all his money to Bernie Madoff. Ironic, but not terribly surprising. I've known a lot of smart people who've done stupid things. Myself included. The surprising thing is that there are still a few people who don't do stupid things. I guess they're out there, but I don't know any.

I think I've mentioned this before, but I can't figure out how my gym stays in business. There was nobody there today. Well, I guess there were two or three others, but it seemed like nobody. I think my lack of sleep is catching up with me. I felt like I was doing my routines underwater today. I was terrible on the basketball court as well. I guess, just like Dash, I have good days and bad days too.

It's too bad it's overcast tonight. They say the Perseid meteor shower is spectacular this year. Oh, well. Maybe next year. I guess I do most of my astronomy online these days. Even on a nice day, it's a lot of trouble to take the telescope out and the light pollution in Dallas is terrible. Much easier to look at pretty pictures online. I guess I could say the same thing for space launches. If I went to Florida to see the Parker Solar Probe launch in person it would have cost a fortune. The launch got delayed several times and I would have had to extend my stay and change my airline reservations. The launch was in the middle of the night too. I watched a replay this morning on YouTube while I was drinking my coffee. Works for me.

While I was thinking about throwing away my old computers, I had a radical idea. Maybe I should just go back to using them. I liked the old towers much better than what I'm using now. The big silver cheese grater tower was my favorite. I liked Mountain Lion better than Sierra too. Now that I'm essentially retired, is there even any point to keeping up with the latest innovations? Probably not. Of course, I could always become a raging Luddite like my sister and go offline completely.

I hope everything is normal tonight. Dash gave me a scare last night. He woke up and got off the bed like he often does. Then he just froze. He wouldn't move or even respond to me. I thought he might be having a vestibular seizure, but there were no rapid eye movements. The poor guy just seemed totally out of it. About thirty minutes later he was back to normal. It took me a little longer to get back to normal.

It's supposed to rain again tomorrow. Hopefully on Tuesday, the sun returns.

Ellis is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3152

We're getting a lot of rain. I know it's been dry and we really need need this, but I'm starting to worry about the roof. I can't leave all that standing water up there forever. The new elastomer coating had plenty of time to dry, so maybe there won't be a problem. My experience says otherwise unfortunately. For the time being I'll just wait and hope. There is no point in removing the water while it's still raining.

We had to wait until mid-morning to give Dash his walk because it was raining pretty hard when we woke up. The showers we've been having are sporadic, but they never stop long enough to get anything done. We got a little break in the weather after breakfast, but by the time we finished walking Dash, it was already raining again.

On days like these I have to forget about keeping the car clean. Ther's no avoiding Saturday errands. Today, I needed coffee and fresh fruit a lot more than I needed to stay dry. At least the strawberries looked good today. I hate to brave the weather just to find some rotten fruit.

Dash had a really good appetite today. Go figure. He ate all his meals without having to bribe him with peanut butter and dog treats. He still seemed hungry after his regular breakfast, so we fed him a little more. I can't figure out these daily fluctuations in appetite and energy. It doesn't make sense. Everything is so consistent in Dash's life that you wouldn't expect dramatic changes. All that being said, I'm really happy whenever Dash has a good day. He needs a lot more good days.

There isn't much to do on dark, rainy days. I tried to diagnose a problem with Janet's laptop. I watched a cooking show on PBS. I read a long online article about how the dinosaurs died out. I'm fascinated by theories of how the universe began or how the dinosaurs died. Basically a lot of really smart people are just guessing. I know of at least three distinctly different theories of how the dinosaurs became extinct. They all sound plausible to me.

Dash slept well last night, but I didn't. I woke up every time I heard rain on the roof. My Fitbit says that I experience normal periods of deep sleep, but I don't believe it. I'm such a light sleeper that the slightest noise always wakes me up. This is good when I've got a sick dog that needs attention. It's bad when I'm tired and really need to sleep.

If I can't sleep tonight, I might turn on the computer and watch the Parker Solar Probe launch. This launch has been delayed several times but it is scheduled to lift off around 2:30 AM this morning. I almost applied to NASA to view this launch in person, but I can't bring myself to leave Dash. It's not a big deal to miss this one. I'm sure they'll be launching plenty of satellites for the rest of my lifetime. It is a pretty audacious idea to send a spacecraft right through the sun's corona without burning it up. I hope they succeed, but it will be seven years before we find out whether the mission is a success.

I guess today was a success. Dash is happy. There are no signs of roof leaks. And the refrigerator is full again. Pretty soon it will be time for another trip to the gym.

Hannah is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3151

More rain today. The moisture cooled things down enough so that it was actually pleasant outside. We seem to be in kind of a sweet spot in Dallas. We don't get horrible floods like Houston or horrible wildfires like California. I used to think I'd like to think I'd like to live out West again, but all my favorite places are burning down.

We narrowly escaped getting wet again on our morning walk. Dash is really slow these days, but I don't care if it takes all morning to make our rounds. Even though he can barely stand up, Dash still really enjoys these daily walks. Today he got to see one of the dogs he made friends with at his old training class. It's been so long, I don't even know how he remembered this dog, but he did. It was just a chance encounter in the park, but Dash started wagging his tail and even attempted an abbreviated play bow. I haven't seen him do this in a very long time.

The place I've been going to breakfast on Friday's has a sign on the front door saying "kitchen help needed, inquire within." I wish they'd find a new cook soon. Every time I order something, it comes out completely different than it did the previous week. Today's chef didn't really know how to make a decent omelette. If I had the time and the inclination, I'd just go to chef owned restaurants. If the cook owns the place, at least there's going to be some consistency.

While I was eating my omelette this morning, I noticed that half the people in the restaurant were wearing Apple Watches. Apple is the most popular watch brand in the world now. Kid wear them. Grandmothers wear them. Everyone wears them. Apple outsells all the fashion brands and even Rolex. No wonder my writing jobs disappeared. I used to primarily write about the watch industry. Like it or not, this industry has been decimated.

It rained so hard when I was coming home from breakfast that it felt like I was going through a car wash. The car was actually cleaner when I returned than it was early this morning. I think the rain is going to continue for almost a week. This will be a real test for the roof. I'm not even going to try to remove the water until dry weather returns. I've become pretty fatalistic about roof leaks, They're either going to happen or they won't. I really hope the roofers did a good job. I'm tired of arguing about this.

Dash's tail started bleeding this morning. This is what I hate about Plavix. The least little scratch can cause bleeding that is very hard to stop. Dash needs the blood thinners though. If he stopped taking them, he might not be with us much longer. I was lucky this morning. Dash was sleepy when I noticed the cut and I was able to wrap a bandage around his tail while he was taking his morning nap. By the time he woke up again, the blood had coagulated and the bleeding had stopped.

I didn't get much sleep last night. I hope I do better tonight. You'd think with so little going on in my life that it would be easy to get eight hours of shut eye every night. It never seems to work out that way.

J-Lo is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3150

Dash is so slow now that the weather forecast can change during our walks. That's what happened this morning. When we left the house the weather radar looked OK and I wasn't expecting rain until this afternoon. Things can change quickly in Texas though. The dark skies on the Western horizon began growing closer and closer. I started hearing thunder. It wasn't long before I began feeling raindrops. The surprise storm didn't seem to faze Dash. He kept inching along at a snail's pace, stopping to smell every bush along the way. Dash used to be frightened by thunder, but he doesn't hear well anymore. He didn't even appear to notice that we were starting to get wet. Amazingly, we made it home before the storm arrived. Usually we aren't so lucky.

Dash seemed unusually tired today. He slept for most of the day and wasn't interested in eating at all. He didn't finish his breakfast until 4 PM and we're still working on dinner. Dash's good days and bad days are totally unpredictable. As recently as yesterday I was feeling that he was getting stronger. Whenever Dash is lethargic like this, I start to worry. There's not much I can do, but this type of fatigue is usually a sign that his heart condition is getting worse.

I'm still trying to downsize, but it appears that the low hanging fruit is gone. When I began this quest, I purposely looked for items that would appeal to other collectors. Now that the good stuff stuff has all been consigned, I'm having a lot more difficulty unloading the second-tier collections. I apparently has a discerning eye for art back in the 1970's. I had good taste in model trains too. Not so much with the watches I began collecting a few decades later. My taste in vintage watches turned out to be terrible. The only things I was interested in were early tuning fork watches, LED watches, and calculator watches. Very few people work on these things anymore. I had a guy in California who used to fix my Accutrons, but he died. A lot of early electronic watches used mercury batteries and never worked reliably using modern replacement batteries. Parts for LED watches are almost impossible to come by. All these problems could be overcome if people actually desired these geeky timepieces. They don't. Everybody wants an old Rolex instead.

We ended up getting a lot of rain today. There is no point in removing the water from the roof though. It's supposed to continue raining for the next several days. Let's hope that the roofers did a good job. I really don't want to deal with a leak again. I'll go up and inspect things when rain is out of the forecast, but there's no point in doing anything now. I'm going to just keep my fingers crossed and hope for the best.

I hope the forecast is wrong. Dash does much better when he gets his morning walk. I can't go out for breakfast if it's raining either. Dash is just too unpredictable. We'll see what happens. The forecast wasn't very accurate today. It probably won't be tomorrow either.

Nautica is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3149

When I was walking Dash this morning, I saw our neighbor walking the dog that bit me. We were both careful not to approach each other, but I was still apprehensive. I know that this dog would bite me again if he ever had the opportunity. I wish there weren't so many things that frightened me like this, but I'm a practical guy who learns from experiences. I don't like driving at rush hour anymore. There are way too many wrecks. I won't take my telescope into the park at night even though there are some excellent viewing areas. The park is no longer safe at night. I never go to concerts anymore. Crowds are too unpredictable.

Has the world changed, or have I changed? It's probably a little bit of both. Leave It To Beaver is as much of a fantasy as Harry Potter these days. It's hard to believe that I hitchhiked all over the country while I was in college. I backpacked alone in wilderness areas. I thought nothing of packing up my musical instruments at 2 AM on a deserted city street after the clubs had closed. None of these things seems very wise anymore. When I hear sirens at night, I am content to stay inside behind a locked door. I hope it never becomes worse than this. The world is still full of interesting things and it would be a shame to feel like a prisoner inside your own house.

I still walk Dash every day but I'm more careful than I used to be. I watch for Type-A cyclists intent on mowing us down. I watch for loose dogs. I watch for poison ivy and snakes. I definitely keep an eye out for the neighbor's dog. Being observant has its benefits though. I see lots and lots of interesting birds, rabbits and wildflowers.

Today was slow. I need to find a hobby. Without the steady stream of articles and website updates that used to keep me busy, the days can get really long. I wrote my sister and paid a few bills. I checked my brokerage account and did some laundry. I cleaned up dog poop and looked in vain for something interesting to watch on TV. It was a pretty typical Wednesday.

Rain is on the way. It's supposed to be raining by tomorrow morning. Even though we really need the moisture, I'm very apprehensive about the roof. If the repairs the roofers made don't work, I don't know what I'm going to do next. I believe the crew made a good faith effort to repair all the damaged areas. If the roof still leaks after all this, I'm probably going to be faced with putting on an entirely new roof.

Dash pooped in the house again while I was fixing breakfast. He almost made it to the back door. Hey, at least he's still trying. Despite the boredom, I'm still trying too. One way or another, we're going to make it through this long, hot summer.

Lilly is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3148

It was a busy morning. I walked Dash earlier than usual because I needed to drive Janet to the dentist for dental surgery. It's surprising how nice our mornings have been lately, considering how hot it gets later in the day. Dash still hadn't touched his breakfast by the time Janet and I left the house, but I was confident he would eat later. This is his new schedule. He gets up, takes his morning pills in little bites of steak and then we walk. When we return, Dash goes back to sleep. Usually, a little before noon, he wanders out to the kitchen and eats his breakfast. It seems odd to have a Dalmatian that wakes up uninterested in food, but I'm willing to go with the flow these days. As long as Dash continues eating, we're good.

Janet's dental procedure didn't take that long. As soon as I took a shower and washed the breakfast dishes, it was time to pick her up again. It was easy to see why the dentist didn't want Janet driving today. They must have given her some pretty powerful drugs. Dash was happy when Janet returned. He had someone to nap with for the rest of the day.

The guitar store confirmed that one of my guitars did sell recently. Yay. One down, two to go. The store put the guitar on layaway for the buyer, so I won't get a check until the guy finishes paying for it. That's OK. I'm kind of surprised that the whole concept of layaway still exists. My parents used to buy things on layaway when I was a kid, and it still seems like a frugal, rather sensible way to make a purchase. Layaway has definitely fallen out of fashion. People don't like dealing with delayed gratification these days. They'd rather just put something on a charge card and worry about coming up with the money later.

I think the SAMe pills we've been giving Dash are working. He's still weak, but he seems a bit more engaged and interested in life these days. He really likes his morning walks now. I'm not sure who discovered that SAMe helps with cognitive dysfunction in dogs. This stuff seems to be good for everything. I'll admit I'm a bit skeptical of a drug that supposedly helps with everything from depression and hepatitis to joint pain and degenerative myelopathy. How can a single drug help with so many non-related problems? Both of Dash's doctors believe that SAMe is worth a try though. We'll see. If it works, maybe I should start taking it myself.

Looks like another exciting day tomorrow. You'd think I'd be bored out of my mind, but I'm not. I've just about perfected how to turn a walk with Dash, a morning smoothie, an afternoon nap, and some idle time on Facebook into an entire day.

Lou is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3147

You know you've finally come to terms with your dog's incontinence when he poops in the bed and you're just happy that the poop is firm. I thought I smelled something last night, but I was really tired and Dash farts a lot anyway. I didn't notice that he'd pooped in the bed until morning. This was a first and I hope it isn't a sign of things to come. At least the mess was on Dash's dog blanket and it was easy to clean up.

We've been through this before with Dot.There was a period of time between when she initially became incontinent and when she lost the ability to climb on the bed that we were doing a lot of laundry. I hope Dash's instinct to head for the back door continues for a while. It makes life a lot easier.

Sometimes I wonder why I bother to write on Monday. Nothing ever happens on Monday. The big event of the day was putting the new vehicle registration sticker on my windshield. If the state doesn't need a safety inspection sticker anymore, I wonder why they still need a registration sticker? Probably it's just a different bureaucracy that's involved. I can tell that the carpel tunnel in my wrist has gotten worse. It was surprisingly difficult to position the sticker in the bottom corner of the windshield. It probably would have been easier if I wasn't such a perfectionist. The sticker had to be absolutely parallel.

Dash had a nice walk this morning, but as soon as we returned home, he seemed exhausted. We walked really slow and he seemed to be enjoying himself, but maybe we are overdoing things. It's hard to tell. Dash went to sleep while I was fixing my smoothie and didn't return to the kitchen to eat his own breakfast until 10:30 AM. He does still eat his meals, but there is no real schedule anymore. I just leave the food in his bowl and he eats when he's hungry.

It looks like I won't be able to upgrade my computers anymore. Apple just announced that it's new Mojave operating system won't run on any of the computers currently I have. Apparently, they are all too old. Apple is actively trying to make the operating system in their computers work more like their phones. Pretty soon your desktop computer is just going to be a big, giant iPhone. I guess a lot of people like this idea. Not me. I have a feeling that I'd probably be happier using Linux now. Apple is working way too hard to please the millennials.

I wonder if anything interesting will happen tomorrow. I need to write my sister and I should probably call the guitar store to see if the guitar that disappeared from the website actually sold. If it sold it would give me an excuse to drive over to the store and pick up a check. There's always naps. I took a long nap with Dash today. It wouldn't be difficult to do the same thing tomorrow.

Margo is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3146

If I kept this busy every day I'd be in great shape. I had 10,000 steps on the Fitbit before noon. We started out with a nice sunrise walk. It's amazing how much the temperature can vary in a single day. It was in the low seventies when we woke up and back around one hundred by dinner time. Since the weather was cool, I mowed the grass in the front yard right after breakfast. I'm going to have to buy a new battery for the mower. It won't hold a full charge anymore. I barely got the yard finished before the mower went dead. It feels like I'm always replacing batteries.

Mowing was tiring, but I went to the gym anyway. I still feel guilty for not going three times a week, so I try my best not to miss Sunday. I wasn't very good on the basketball court today. My coordination seems to come and go. I'm sure that mowing the grass before my workout didn't help. My heart rate was a bit more elevated today. Maybe that's a good thing. I think your heart rate is supposed to be elevated when you work out.

Dash is getting very picky about his food again. He even turned up his nose at his usual breakfast of a fresh chicken breast. In an effort to keep him eating, Janet decided to start cooking for him again. The recipe she picked smelled really good. It was chicken and rice with vegetables. The dish was made with no seasoning and should be very healthy for Dash. If Dash won't eat this, I'll just add a little salt and pepper and eat it myself. Dash tried the recipe for supper and liked it. Janet made quite a bit, so I hope he doesn't change his mind during the week.

I looked at the vintage guitar website today and one of the guitars I consigned was gone. I hope this means that the guitar sold over the weekend. If so, this would be very good news. The guys initially told me that it could take at least six months for the guitars to sell. It hasn't been nearly that long yet. I wish that everything in the office was as desirable as the guitars and model trains. I'd really like to clear this place out. It's going to be really hard to throw some of this obsolete stuff away, but it may come to that.

I watched the Great British Baking Show again this afternoon. I'm fascinated by baking, but bread isn't good for me. It's kind of become a forbidden pleasure. Unfortunately flour converts into glucose rather quickly in the body and I've got to watch my blood sugar. The contestants made crackers and ginger bread houses today. I had no idea that crackers could be so difficult.

Another uneventful week begins tomorrow. I hope the mornings continue to stay cool. It's amazing what a difference the cooler weather makes with Dash. He's enjoying being outside again. Evening walks are another story, but at least he gets one good walk a day.

It's a good thing that I have a high tolerance for boredom. I miss having interesting website problems to solve, but I don't miss having clients. Keeping clients happy was always a nuisance. It's interesting that I'm making almost the same thing selling model trains as I was designing websites. I don't know if this means the trains were more valuable than I thought or the websites were less valuable than I thought.

Morgan is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3145

Dash was in good spirits this morning. He was eager to leave the house and quickly decided that we needed to explore some new places. He wanted to walk near the shoreline today. This is always a good sign, since he has trouble navigating the more uneven terrain unless he is feeling strong. We had a good walk. The weather was cool. There was a nice breeze. And Dash was feeling confident.

I got my new vehicle registration sticker today. As soon as I renew my car insurance later this month, I should be good to go for another year. Texas doesn't require a safety inspection sticker anymore. You still need to get your car inspected, but there is no need for a windshield sticker. The state just won't renew your registration until their computers show that you have a current inspection.

My grocery list wasn't large today. I'm still a bit confused since I bought a number of things out of sequence while Janet was away. It's kind of sad that I basically buy the same things week after week, but it does make life easier. Usually people feed their dog the same thing day after day while they enjoy a more varied menu. I'm the exact opposite. We're always feeding Dash something different to ensure that he keeps eating, while I keep eating my familiar favorites.

The trouble with hot weather is that it's impossible to get an early start on everything. Dash is always our first priority, so we take him on a walk as soon as we wake up. I also like to go shopping early on Saturday to avoid the crowds. I didn't do so well this morning, since I needed to pay some bills and get my vehicle registration sticker. It would have been nice to mow the grass early this morning as well, but like I said you can't do everything at once. The grass will have to wait. By the time I finished my Saturday errands, it was way too hot to even think about mowing.

I tried, and failed, to discover where the carpenter ants are coming from. I haven't actually seen any ants, but I have seen the little sawdust piles they create. When we bought the house, I was pleased that it was largely brick. "We'll never have termites," I thought. I forgot that there is still a lot of wood in a brick house. The entire roof is made of wood. I think that's where the ants get in. Carpenter ants aren't as destructive as termites, but they can still do a lot of damage. Luckily, they only seems to be a problem for a few weeks each year.

I wonder if Facebook is having a secret war with Apple? Ever since Tim Cook made some derogatory comments about Facebook, the platform quit working on Safari. Coincidence? I think not. Facebook works fine for me when I use Firefox or Chrome, but it freezes, crashes, and uses way too much memory whenever I view it using Safari. This wasn't happening before Tim Cook began publicly mocking Facebook's business model. The Internet was a more enjoyable place when the only people who used it were a few nerds like me. I think the desire to monetize everything has ruined everything.

There is rain in the forecast for next week. Almost everyone in town is hoping for rain, but I still have mixed feelings. Is there still a roof leak? Only time will tell.

Pebbles is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3144

We had a power outage last night. It only took three hours for the electric company to restore the power, but that was enough for me to see the perils of losing electricity during a heat wave. I could feel the house growing warmer almost immediately. After about an hour, I began feeling hot and stuffy. This was at night too, when the air was cooler. I imagine that things would have been even worse if we lost power during the day.

I could tell that Dash wasn't comfortable. He got off the bed and went looking for a cooler place to sleep. Dash can't tolerate heat at all anymore. I keep the house as cool as I can for him, but it has made our electric bill go through the roof. Fall weather can't come soon enough for me.

By morning, everything was back to normal. Dash took his morning meds and we began our slow journey through the park. We tried out the new boots I bought recently. They are smaller and lighter than his regular boots, so maybe he won't drag his feet so much. They passed their first test this morning. The boots stayed on his feet during the entire walk.

On my way to breakfast this morning I put the top down on the loaner convertible. I can't remember ever driving a convertible before and the experience was kind of fun. Visibility is great in a convertible. You don't really have to worry about blind spots. The roads can be pretty noisy though. Big trucks can be intimidating too. I'm not sure I'd want to drive on Dallas freeways with the top down. The most surprising thing was that if you turn on the car's air conditioner with the top down, it creates a pretty convincing illusion that the outside air is actually cooler.

I didn't get to keep the convertible for very long. As I was finishing breakfast, I got a call from the dealership saying that my car was ready. When I picked it up, I noticed that they had one of the new all electric Jaguar iPace models on display. Tesla is going to face some really tough competition as the major manufacturers all begin introducing their own versions of an all electric car. The iPace is pretty cool. I'd certainly be tempted the next time I'm car shopping.

Even though the power was only off for a short time, there were a ton of things that needed to be reset. It seems like everything has a built-in clock these days. The thermostat has a clock. The land line phone has a clock. Even the coffee maker has a clock. I think I reset everything, but knowing me, there will be something I forgot and it will start beeping while I'm sleeping tonight.

It seemed like Saturday today. I wonder if it will feel like Sunday tomorrow. When Janet fully retires, it's going to be impossible to tell what day it is. I guess it doesn't really matter. The sun keeps coming up every morning and the blog keeps getting posted every night. If I need to know the details, I can check my Fitbit.

Puppies are today's Dalmatians of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3143

When I took my car in for service this morning I was surprised that my loaner was a brand new Evoque Convertible. The car only had 72 miles on it. I jokingly told the guys that I wished they'd given me a beat up old clunker instead. Whenever I get a really nice loaner, I'm always worried that I'll get dinged in a supermarket parking lot and have to pay for repairs. The car was cute and fun to drive though. I doubt that anyone really needs a four wheel drive Range Rover convertible, but they built one anyway.

The pleasant surprise of driving the sporty convertible home was countered later in the day with an equally unpleasant surprise. I learned that in addition to the expensive standard maintenance, I needed new brakes. For years and years I thought new brakes just meant new brake pads. Not anymore. Land Rover makes you replace the rotor, pads, caliper, and sensor. "Jeez, I thought I got new brakes last year," I told the service adviser. "You only had the front done, he reminded me. "Now, you need the rear." It's almost impossible to leave a Land Rover dealership with your wallet intact. I think that's why Janet finally gave up and bought an Audi.

Car repairs are never a pleasant experience, but at least the weather was nice today. I walked Dash before I went to the dealership this morning and the temperature was only 69 degrees. This pleasant taste of Fall didn't last long, but it sure was enjoyable. Dash walks so slow now. I don't think my Fitbit even counts these walks as exercise anymore. I can tell that Dash still enjoys being outdoors though. He stumbles along, smelling every bush and tree. We'll keep doing this as long as we can. It's his one remaining link to the days when he could run like the wind.

I bleached the stain off the living room ceiling this afternoon. The odd thing was that the sheetrock didn't feel damp. It was completely dry. Where did this odd stain come from? The longer I live in this house, the more it's starting to feel like it's haunted. Odd things just happen that have no logical explanation. In addition to flickering lights and odd stains, I think we have carpenter ants again. That cruise ship cabin is starting to look better and better.

Janet is at her retirement party tonight. She has already had other retirement parties, but tells me that this time it's for real. We'll see. It's hard to imagine Janet not working. It's actually pretty easy to imagine me not working. That's what I'm doing now. Looking back, I can see that I've been easing into retirement for a long time.

The only reason I'm going out for breakfast tomorrow is that I've run out of some key ingredients for my morning smoothie. If the weather is nice, maybe I'll put the top down on the convertible.

Scout is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3142

Dash got some bad news this morning. He has had a heart murmur for a long time, but his doctor told us that it had become significantly worse. He has what is called a mitral insufficiency, which means that the mitral valve doesn't close properly when the heart pumps out blood. This causes blood to leak or regurgitate back into the left atrium every time the heart contracts. Take away the fancy name and this is basically some pretty serious heart disease.

There is drug called penobendan that is often quite effective in helping the heart beat normally again, but unfortunately Dash can't take it. The penobendan would very likely cause the blood clot in his left ventricle to break apart and travel to his lungs or brain. If this happened, he would be dead in minutes. The doctor thought that increasing his enalapril dose would be safe and could slow down the progression of the disease. We are going to try this. Dash is already taking enalapril to control his blood pressure and he tolerates it well.

Today's diagnosis certainly explains why Dash has been so tired recently and has started coughing in his sleep. I thought the vet would want him to stop his daily walks, but he told us that slow walks were fine as long as Dash didn't become overheated or do anything too strenuous. I don't think we have to worry about doing anything too strenuous. We walk at a snail's pace these days.

Dash's exam took up most of the morning, so I didn't get much done today. I went to the bank and picked up a prescription, but that was about it. It was only seventy-nine degrees when I woke up, so we did manage to have a very pleasant early morning walk before we left for our vet appointment. I'll really be glad when Summer is over. You've really got to take advantage of the early morning hours. After that, it quickly becomes too hot to do anything.

My model train collection is starting to sell. So far, I've been pleasantly surprised. There have been consistent sales for the past three months. Four more models sold in July. At this rate, it might take years to liquidate the entire collection, but that's OK. I'm not making much money designing websites anymore. I'll take any extra income I can get.

I must be getting lazy. The sky was very clear last night when I took Dash out to pee at 1 AM. This was the day that Mars was in opposition. It wouldn't be this close to Earth for another fifteen years. I could see the planet clearly overhead, but I didn't go back inside and get the telescope. Why bother, I thought. I'd already looked at Mars through the telescope less than a month ago and all I saw was a little bright orange disk. Maybe the disk would have been slightly larger last night, but I doubt that I would have noticed the difference.

I can't decide whether to bleach away the stain in the living room ceiling or drag the roofers over to take a look at it. I'm doubtful the the roofers would come, no matter what I said at this point. Maybe I'll just mow the grass tomorrow morning. It's starting to look pretty bad. I guess it all depends on how much sleep I get tonight. Dash has had a pretty big day. Maybe he'll sleep well tonight. I certainly hope so.

Snoopy is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3141

There is a suspicious rust colored stain on the living room ceiling that wasn't there a few days ago. I think the roof is leaking again. This really isn't supposed to be happening. I actually thought the roofers did a pretty good job when they made their repairs recently. I went up on the roof to remove the standing water from yesterday's surprise rain and look for signs of a leak. I couldn't find anything. Where is this water coming from? I'm about ready to give up. This house is a series of never ending problems. Maybe all old houses are this way, but I'm beginning to think that it would be a lot easier to just live in a hotel.

The weather was nice this morning. The temperature was only in the high seventies when I woke up. Dash could smell the difference in the air. He was ready to walk as soon as he'd finished taking his morning meds. I was surprised at how eager he was this morning. He didn't even want to wait until Janet had left for work. We had a nice walk and then he went back to sleep. That's what he does these days. He eats and sleeps and occasionally poops in the house.

There has been a campaign to save some historic trees in an older shopping center near my post office. When I went to the post office today, I noticed that the developer had chopped down the trees anyway. So much for listening to the customers. I think most of the neighborhood wanted to keep the trees. I'm not even sure what the developer was trying to prove. I think all they are are going to do is add a few more parking places. What was that old Joni Mitchel song? "You don't know what you've got till it's gone. They paved paradise and put up a parking lot."

Now that Janet has returned, it is time to stock up on groceries again. I went to the store after breakfast this morning and bought a bunch of fresh fruit. Janet thought I might have got too much, but it all looked so good. The strawberries, blueberries, blackberries and peaches were all really fresh today. I should go shopping on Tuesday more often. All the produce looked much better than it does on Saturday.

I wish I could teach Dash to sleep on the floor. He's really having trouble climbing on the bed now. The special step we built at the base of the bed helped for quite a while, but now he's having trouble even getting on the step. He's so stubborn about trying to do things that were easy when he was younger that I'm afraid he's going to hurt himself.

Dash goes to the cancer center tomorrow morning for another series of tests. We're hoping that his blood clot hasn't gotten worse after we were forced to discontinue one of his blood thinners due to internal bleeding. The internal bleeding problem seems to be gone, but we're still worried about the blood clot in Dash's heart. My sister is undergoing a similar series of tests to see how she's responding to a new cancer treatment. I hope everyone's test results are good. There's way too much illness in my little corner of the world.

Shelby is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3140

We got a surprise today. It rained. I wasn't expecting rain, but another guy I see walking dogs in the park told me it was going to start raining in one hour. He said he needed to get home quickly because his dog was storm phobic and freaked out when it rained. I told him that Dash was the same way. We talked for a few minutes about the problems of caring for old sick dogs and wondered whether we'd ever have the energy to care for another dog again when our dogs were gone. My neighbor and I both love dogs and are both seventy years old. We didn't have an answer to that question.

Janet is coming home today, but her flight got delayed and she's still sitting in an airport somewhere. Dash is going to get a nice surprise later tonight. We actually did pretty well with pills and meals, but I can tell that Dash is more enthusiastic about eating when Janet is home. I was actually amazed that I was able to get the socks and protective rubber boots on by myself since Dash never stays still. We did OK though. I actually thought that Dash would want to take a walk this evening since the rain cooled things down considerably. He wasn't in the mood though. Maybe he already knows that Janet is on her way home.

I'm curious how well the roof repairs held up to today's rain. It rained pretty hard for at least an hour, so this was a good test. I didn't have the nerve to go look today. Maybe I'll climb up and inspect things tomorrow. I really hope the repairs worked. It was very hard to get the roofers to make these repairs. If they don't work, I know that it's going to be even harder to get them to come out again. I'm pretty sure that they're done with me now.

I'm still looking for a replacement for the location tracker app I've grown to depend on. I've downloaded three different apps that claim to have similar functions, but they all seem kind of buggy. Why did Facebook have to kill this app?  Probably for the same reasons they stopped supporting Networked Blogs. Everything they've done since the Cambridge Analytica mess has seemed to make the platform worse. I wish they'd just left things alone. Most of us knew all along that they were selling our data and just didn't care.

It's hard to believe that it's almost August. Unfortunately, August is just as hot as July. The weather won't get nice again until October. Until then we will continue to have sky high water and electric bills while I fret about the air conditioner breaking down. Dash has done better this Summer than I expected. It really helps to get an early start in the mornings. I'll be up at 6 AM again tomorrow, ready for our early morning walk. I won't have to worry about getting him to take his pills though. Janet will take over that task when she returns. She's better at it than me anyway.

Penny is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3139

My cousin sent me some old letters he'd found that my Dad had sent to his Mom during World War II. No wonder my parents weren't all that happy with me when I was this age. The letters weren't all that exciting, but Dad was definitely a loyal son. He wrote his mother every single day for long periods of time. I'm not sure my parents even had my address when I was this age. All I wanted was to be independent and to be left alone. I thought the letters would be about the horrors of war, but they were mostly about the monotony of Navy life and about missing family holidays. Dad was a good son. I guess I never realized how much his family meant to him. Times have certainly changed. My Dad's generation began moving away from home to pursue new opportunities after the war. Their children, including me, moved even further from their roots and family ties continued to become weaker. I wonder what this all means. If I knew, I could give a TED talk or something. Ease of travel and globalization have had a huge impact on who we are and what we'll become. All I know is that there are very few people who still write their parents every day. There are probably even fewer who do this in longhand with a fountain pen.

It's kind of ironic that I actually write every day just like my Dad. These are just notes to myself though. The loyal son has become the self absorbed son. No apologies though. Writing is good. The older I get, the more important writing becomes. Putting words together is good for the mind. Maybe it will keep me from becoming senile.

If the blog helps the mind, hopefully going to the gym helps the body. I did so well shooting free throws today that I started shooting from the three point line. This was much harder, but I did manage to sink a few shots. I wonder how my gym stays in business? The building is huge, but there are seldom more than a dozen people inside. Since the gym is part of a large hospital complex, maybe it doesn't need to turn a profit. Who knows. With the cost of health care these days, this gym is probably doing OK even if it's empty.

Dash had a good day. He got up on his own this morning, took his morning meds, and then dutifully walked to the back door and pooped outside. I wish I could convince him to do this every day. We had a nice morning walk, but yesterday's cooling breezes have disappeared. It kept getting hotter and hotter as the day progressed. By dinnertime, it had become far too hot for an evening walk. Dash didn't seem to be upset. Somehow he knew that yesterday was a good day for walking and today wasn't.

One of my favorite apps on my phone is going to disappear tomorrow. I've been using it for years to track everywhere I go. Facebook bought the app a few years ago and stopped maintaining it. Now they've decided to completely abandon the tracker and erase everyone's data. I've spent the weekend looking for a replacement app that does the same thing. Nothing I've found seems to work as well. Bummer. Now I've got one more reason to distrust Facebook. It wouldn't have killed these guys to keep this obscure little app going just to keep people like me happy.

Dash slept all night last night, which meant that I slept pretty well too. Coincidently, the security light in the back yard stayed lit all night as well. I look at things like these as good omens. I hope we have a repeat performance tonight.

Tink is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3138

The weather has cooled down a bit. The small difference in temperature made a big difference for Dash and I. There was a nice breeze and for the first time in weeks, Dash was able to take two walks. It's amazing now nice ninety degrees feels when you've gotten used to one hundred and ten.

I stayed busy today. I looked for a new and more reliable back yard security light. I bought some bug spray specifically designed to kill spiders. I went to the grocery store and got some of the things Janet usually gets on Saturday. These errands didn't really complete my list, but I didn't want to leave Dash too long.

When I got home, I defrosted the little emergency refrigerator we got when our kitchen refrigerator was broken. This little fridge was just supposed to be temporary, but it's become a necessity. Dash has so many things that need to be refrigerated now that he needs a refrigerator of his own. It's too bad that these little dorm room refrigerators aren't self defrosting. I guess that why they are so cheap.

Since the weather wasn't too oppressive, I mowed the grass and sprayed the Asian Jasmine ground cover in an attempt to get rid of the chiggers and mosquitoes. I hope this works. Until I get the security light issue resolved, I'm going to have to wade through this thick ground cover every night to flip the breaker switch and turn the light back on after it shuts itself off.

I think the SAMe pills are making Dash a little friskier. I'm not sure this is a good thing. He got excited about taking an evening walk today and tried to run to the back door. Dash's legs aren't steady enough to run anymore and he immediately fell over. When he falls on the slippery brick floors, he struggles to get up. If he would relax and let me help him up, everything would be fine. Unfortunately, Dash almost always chooses to panic rather than relax. We'll have to see how this goes. I like seeing Dash in better spirits, but I don't want him to injure himself.

I usually have no trouble sleeping, but last night I was wide awake. I had to take Dash outside to pee around 2 AM and I had to wait so long for him to do his business that I couldn't get back to sleep again when we finally came back inside. It would be terrible to have insomnia all the time. I'm usually so tired when I go to bed that I'm asleep almost instantly.

Should I go to the gym tomorrow? Probably. Will I go to the gym tomorrow? Probably not. This week has been tiring. At the moment, a long nap seems a lot more appealing than exercise.

Queenie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day