Day 3284 - Winter Solstice

Now we're talking. For the first time in over a week, I felt like I was actually making progress. The dryer is fixed. I'm glad I didn't try to do the job myself. I would have ordered the wrong parts and I don't think I would have had the strength to remove the dryer drum. I wish everyone who came to the house was as good as the appliance repairmen. So far, he's fixed the refrigerator, the washing machine, and now the dryer. The only thing left is the dishwasher.

The guy who's going to give me a bid on replacing the roof came over to measure things and take a look at the situation this morning. He seemed knowledgable and thought he could put a pitch on the roof without destroying the appearance of the house. We'll see how the bid comes in. I have a feeling that adding a pitch to the oddly shaped roof will be quite expensive. I'm thinking about a metal roof too. If the current leak can be successfully repaired, I may be able to postpone replacing the roof for a while. I have my doubts though. Nothing has worked so far.

The crew that is repairing the leak got approval from their boss to complete the work today and they will be coming back tomorrow morning. I hope they are successful, because there are thunderstorms in the forecast for Christmas Day. I don't think anyone expects these repairs to be permanent, but if they work, they will give me time to develop an effective plan to re-roof the house later in the Spring.

For the first time ever, Dash pooped on a puppy training pad last night. He not only hit the target one, he did the same thing again on a fresh pad three hours later. I don't know whether this was a random accident or a training breakthrough, but it sure made me happy. Clean up was so much easier this morning. I've still got an entire case of puppy training pads in the storage warehouse that Dot never used. I'll go get them tomorrow and hope for the best. If we could get Dash used to using these things, life would be a lot easier.

It didn't seem like the first day of Winter today. We've already had some very cold weather, but today was rather nice. It was warm enough that we tried to give Dash a bath outside this afternoon. He didn't like the idea, but he certainly needed a cleanup. After your dog has sat in poop a few times, it takes a real effort to totally eliminate the smell. I think we succeeded. We've got a clean dog, a dryer that doesn't squeal anymore, and a promise to fix the roof leak tomorrow.

I wonder how much further the stock market is going to drop? This sell off has become a little alarming. I depend on my investments for a retirement income and I don't really think I have time to recover from another big crash like we had in 2007. Markets can go down very quickly, but usually they take a long time to recover. I hope we're near a market bottom, because I've still got to fix a lot of things around the house and the money's got to come from somewhere.

Willow is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3283

I was optimistic when I got up this morning. The sky was clear. The temperature was warm. It seemed like a good day to fix the roof. Unfortunately, the roof had other ideas. It still wasn't dry. I tried to clear away the remaining water before the roofers arrived but I wasn't successful. When the roofing crew joined me on the roof, they agreed that the coating couldn't be applied until the roof was completely dry. I wonder when that's going to happen? Probably next Spring.

While we were up on the roof, we located a few more areas where water had gotten under the supposedly impenetrable silicon coating. Since the repair job seems to be growing by the day, the crew did what any workers would do. They called their boss. Hopefully someone with the authority to approve more extensive repairs will come out tomorrow. I kept reminding the guys that there are thunderstorms in the forecast for next week. I'd like to think my roof is a high priority for these guys, but I doubt it. There's always someone else with an even bigger problem.

Oddly, the other roofers I contacted to give me a bid for completely replacing the roof haven't showed up either. I have a feeling that all roofers are the same. They are completely dependent on the weather and most of them have more jobs than they can handle.

Although the weather was nice, it sure was windy. For the most part I like the wind because it blows the leaves off the roof. Today's wind was a bit excessive though. It blew some of the roof off the greenhouse. The greenhouse needs repairs even more than the house, but it is a relatively low priority.  Neither Janet or I have a green thumb. We quit trying to grow plants in the greenhouse years ago. Now it is mostly just a big shed to store broken lawnmowers and tillers.

Dash has stopped waking up when it is time for him to poop at night. As recently as two months ago, he would wake me up around 4:30 AM and we would both race to the back door. Now, he just poops in his sleep. It's almost become a nightly occurrence. If I wake up to go to the bathroom, I always check to see if there is a pile of poop near his tail. Usually there is. I've developed a technique for picking the stuff up without waking Dash or making a mess on his blanket. When I'm successful, I can just go back to bed and postpone changing the soiled blanket until morning. If Dash has strayed off his blanket during the night, all bets are off though. Occasionally I'm faced with a huge mess.

Tomorrow I get the dryer fixed. The appliance repairman is much more reliable than the roofers, so I think there is a good chance of success. I've already called in part numbers, so hopefully the parts we need will already be on the truck. It will be a relief not to hear the irritating high pitched squealing noise anymore, especially since I'm doing laundry every single day. Dash has turned our home into a laundromat.

The only bad thing about getting the dryer fixed tomorrow is that I won't be able to go out for breakfast. We're completely out of fresh fruit, but pancakes sound good. I'll make pancakes and sausages. On that optimistic note, I'm going to take the trash out to the curb and call it a day.

Lexi is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3282

I had a feeling that things weren't going to go well today when we walked Dash in a heavy fog this morning. The fog was so thick that my jacket quickly became damp. If the roads, the fields, and even my own clothing were wet, I was sure that the roof was wet too. I kept hoping that the roofers had a plan to deal with this situation. As it turned out, their plan was just not to show up. Late in the day I got a message saying that they'd try again tomorrow and hoped that the weather would cooperate. It's always easier when roof problems develop in the Summer. It gets so hot that moisture evaporates quickly. On cold, damp days like this, I think the roof might stay wet until Spring.

Getting the leak fixed before the next big rain is going to be a cliff hanger. I hope that we succeed, because there's going to be a huge mess in the house if we don't. There's not much I can do at this point. I don't even know where the leak is coming from. I'm not sure the roofers do either. I'm not looking for miracles. A temporary fix that will keep the house dry until I can deal with getting a new roof installed later in the Spring would be fine.

I'm trying to get organized. I got all my prescriptions renewed for another year at the pharmacy and then contacted my favorite appliance repairman to get the dryer fixed. A Facebook friend suggested that I could fix the dryer myself, but the utility room is very cramped and I've got bad knees. I'd rather have a younger person do the heavy lifting. I'm not even sure how we shoehorned the washer and dryer inside this small room. It seems impossible now. At any rate, if I can get the leaks in the ceiling and the awful screeching sound in the dryer to stop, that's enough for this year. There's plenty of time in 2019 to deal with some of the other problems.

We forgot to put the rubber sheet and special dog blankets on the bed last night before we went to bed. Getting Dash up again so we could start over was not an easy task. Luckily I found a new use for the sausage balls Janet made as Christmas treats. You can get a dog to do almost anything with a few sausage balls. It was a good thing that we went to the extra trouble to remake the bed. Dash pooped and peed in the bed last night. He doesn't pee a lot, but a little squirts out when he tries to get up. It's only going to get worse. So far, Dash shows no interest in sleeping on the floor. We're going to be dealing with this for a long time.

The stock market tanked again today and by the end of the day, all gains for 2018 had been erased. This sucks. A well respected analyst on one of the business channels this morning said that the market has become a casino. He's right. There is no rational reason for these wild swings we've been seeing lately. Jeez. Everybody knew the Fed was going to raise interest rates today. Why was it such a surprise? How can you plan for the future in a world like this? Truthfully, I don't think anyone has the answer.

I just learned that there is a 50% chance of rain tonight. Give me a break. There's probably a 90% chance that Dash will poop in the bed. That's life these days. I've got the buckets and the washing machine ready.

Ranger is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3281

I had a brief moment of panic this morning when I looked at the weather forecast and saw that there was a chance of rain tomorrow. Where were the roofers? They were supposed to return on Monday. I sent out e-mail and text messages explaining my worries about an exposed roof surviving the next rain, but by noon the weather forecast had changed anyway. Now, I just think it's supposed to be windy tomorrow. Texas weather is totally unpredictable. As of this evening, I think that the guys are supposed to finish the repairs tomorrow, but I'll believe it when I see it.

I'm skeptical that these repairs will succeed for very long, but as least they should give me time to get bids for replacing the roof. I'm afraid that 2019 will be the year of fixing the house. It's impossible to avoid my crumbling infrastructure much longer. I'll have to prioritize the repairs to be able to afford everything. I guess the big question is which problem is the most irritating. Right now the dryer is pretty high on the list. I'm drying a load of wash right now and the rotating drum is making an awful squealing noise again. The cracked shower tiles in the bathroom are a big problem, but regular use of the wet/dry vacuum seems to be keeping the problem from becoming serious. The sliding glass door to the atrium needs to be fixed, but we never use the atrium anyway. At the moment, the solution for the damaged sheetrock in the ceiling is just not to look up. All of this will get taken care of eventually, but none of it seems as important as an incontinent dog with a bad heart and failing rear legs.

Dash got me up at 4:30 AM to pee, but I couldn't convince him to poop while I had him outside. I knew what was going to happen, but what are you going to do? Dash went back to bed as I expected, fell into a deep sleep, and pooped in the bed an hour later. The bed is well protected now, so cleanup has become easier. You just have to make sure that Dash doesn't wake up or move before you can remove the poop. I used to hate our washing machine, but it has been doing yeoman's duty lately. The machine is actually more reliable than I've been giving it credit for.

I watched the latest episode of the National Geographic Channel's Mars series while I was waiting for a reply from the roofers. At first I was unable to view the episode and got a message saying that my cable provider only offered limited access to this channel. That sucks. I deleted all the cookies on my computer, the message went away, and I has access to the latest episode again. It seems bizarre to me that so many large websites depend on the use of cookies. Why would anybody want thousands of tracking cookies on their computer? I usually delete mine at the end of every day. Every time I do this I get "unusual activity" messages from Facebook and Google. They must think I buy a new computer every week. If you haven't deleted your cookies, do it now. Delete your browser history too. Everything still works, but nobody is tracking you for a while.

I hope I see the roofers tomorrow. Even if the repairs aren't permanent, it will be one less thing to worry about. I've got a few more bills to pay, but I'm almost caught up for the year. I don't think there are any more surprises. I'm not even going to look at my brokerage account until the market climbs back above 25,000. Hey, why make myself miserable. The big thing on my to-do list right now is finding a nice smoked ham for Christmas.

Alvin is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3280

Janet and I both wonder how we used to accomplish so much when we were younger. It seems to take so long to do even simple things now. It's a good thing I don't have a full schedule these days. By the time I make the bed, clean up dog poop, get Dash dressed for his morning walk, and fix my breakfast, I'm ready to call it a day.

It's dark when I wake up, but by the time I finish making the bed, it is already time to get Dash ready for his walk. I guess I could just leave the rubber sheet and protective pads on the bed, but I carefully fold all the nighttime bedding and put it away so the bedroom looks nice for a few hours. Protecting Dash's feet for his walks is a complicated ritual. First we put on a par of fitted bandages that are secured with velcro. Over the bandages goes a cotton sock and on top of all this go the Ultra-Paws boots. Dash has four pairs of these boots now because I need to keep reinforcing the toe with Shoe Goo to cover worn spots caused when Dash drags his feet. It takes the Shoe Goo 48 hours to fully cure, so I rotate the boots to make sure there is always a good pair available. In addition to his special footwear, Dash also wears a brace for a partial ACL tear in his right knee along with his Ruffwear harness that I can use to keep him from slipping and falling. Needless to say, I can get dressed much quicker than Dash can.

It was cold and overcast on our walk this morning, but there was no sign of rain. Knock on wood. I'm going to be nervous about the roof until the roofers com back to finish their repairs. In fairness, the damaged areas probably need to dry another day before they can be successfully patched, but I still wish I'd seen the crew working today.

I didn't accomplish a lot today. I never do. I picked up a Plavix prescription for Dash at the pharmacy and paid a bunch of December bills. I still need to pay my 2018 property taxes, but I've got until the end of the year to write that check. I always pay my bills on time, but I find it irritating living on a fixed income. Especially when the stock market is tanking. Hey, welcome to retirement. When I was working I always felt like I controlled my own destiny. Now I feel like the world is always throwing me a curve.

The house smells good tonight. Janet is doing Christmas cooking this evening. Most of the goodies will be given away as gifts, but maybe there will be some leftovers for me. I'm sure that Dash is thinking the same thing. I especially like the sausage balls. We should have these around all year. Of course, if we had Christmas food around all year, I'd be twenty pounds heavier.

I hope I see the roofers tomorrow. Sadly, even if they are successful in patching the leak, it is only a temporary solution. The high-tech silicon membrane just wasn't a good solution for this house. My new year's resolution is to start over and put on a new roof. I'd rather have a new car, but it's much more important to have a dry house.

Duke is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3279

I don't actually know anybody at the gym. There are a lot of familiar faces though. I see the same people almost every week. They are persistent. I am too. It's easy to imagine that the people I see at the gym try a little harder than everybody else. Some are young, many are old, but they all seem to have one thing in common: they don't give up. I've always admired persistence, so maybe I'm just imagining things. I don't think so though. Nobody is forcing these Sunday warriors to go to the gym. Maybe, like me, they all realize that you've just got to keep moving.

I can't even remember who let Dash outside last night. I woke up several times, but I don't recall Dash going to the back door. Janet doesn't remember getting up either. If nobody let Dash outside, why was there a trail of poop on the back porch? Maybe the poop was from yesterday, but I doubt it. I probably did get up. After you become significantly sleep deprived, everything just blurs together. Whatever happened last night, Dash didn't poop in the bed. That's probably all that matters.

Since my Avid subscriptions are about to expire, I decided that I'd better upgrade everything to the current version while I still had the chance. Upgrading Avid products is always time consuming and it  made me realize that I hadn't used Pro Tools or Media Composer at all this year. I went through the same upgrade exercise last December when I was faced with the same decision. Jeez. How long do you need the latest business software when you don't even have a business? This should be an easy decision, but it isn't.

What happened to yesterday's clear blue skies? It was cloudy and much colder today. Now, I'm worried that it will rain again before the roofers return again to complete their repairs. There is still no rain in the forecast, but I quit believing weather forecasts a long time ago. Texas weather is just too unpredictable. I definitely missed the Geminid Meteor Shower again this year. It's been cloudy for several years on the day the meteors arrive. It was also cloudy on the day the Neptune was so close to Mars that I may have been able to spot the distant planet for the first time. Oh, well. We've had a lot of nasty weather this December. Let's just hope it stays dry until the repair crew finishes their work on the roof. I'm sick of water dripping from the ceiling.

I repaired more of Dash's Ultra-Paws protective boots this afternoon. I can't decide whether Dash is dragging his rear legs more than he used to or if Ultra-Paws has started selling a lower quality boot. Maybe they switched to a different Chinese manufacturer. Last year Dash could wear these boots for several months before they began to show significant wear. Now, I see wear after a single use. I'm definitely using a lot of Shoe Goo these days. I wish it weren't so difficult to keep Dash moving but I'm glad that he still enjoys his daily walks. Dash would fit right in at my gym. He's pretty persistent too.

I've got a big stack of bills to pay tomorrow. December always seems like the most expensive month.  There are a lot of things that seem to come due at the end of the year. If I start fixing the house, there will be even more bills. Where is the Santa Claus Rally this year? So far, the market hasn't been very encouraging. We're looking forward to a nice Christmas, but I don't expect to find a new roof, reliable major appliances, and market stability under the tree. Even Santa has his limits.

Hannah is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3278 - Blogiversary

It's hard to believe that I've been doing this for ten years. That's an entire decade without missing a single day. I always thought that if I just kept writing, it would eventually start to mean something. I'm not sure if this nightly journal means anything at all, but I see no reason to quit writing. For better or worse, blogging has become like breathing.

A lot has changed in ten years. When I started writing, I didn't give a lot of thought to what would eventually replace the world of work. I didn't have time to think about retirement because I was very busy. I think about this now, but still don't know what replaces work. Retirement seems awkward and strange. I never thought that I'd live in a country as polarized and divided as we've become. This seems strange as well. I'd prefer that we could all get along with each other. I never thought that having access to good doctors might keep Janet and I from moving. I never thought that my house might start falling apart before I did. Houses are supposed to be permanent.

Ten years later I'm starting to realize that nothing is permanent. I've outlived many of the friends I went to college with. Spot is gone. Petey and Greta are gone. Even Dot is gone. I'm glad that Janet and Dash seem indestructible. We all need something in our lives that seems indestructible.

The blog is far from indestructible. Google could pull the plug at any time. They already decided to abandon Google+ and many other products that were supposed to change our lives. Does anyone remember Google Glass? I wonder if Blogger is next? I don't really have a plan B if someone takes my blogging platform away. I don't think I have the energy or even the desire to export ten years worth of musings to Wordpress.

For now, I'll continue writing. Why not? I've got nothing to lose. Maybe this journal will still mean something eventually. Someday a PhD candidate might use the blog to write a thesis on how opinions change over time. I might even win an award for having the last blog standing some day. I doubt that anything will happen at all. Most of you are just here for the dog stories. Maybe that's enough. I think dog stories matter.

It wasn't a bad day to begin my second decade blogging. Dash had a good day. I'm even making some progress with the roof. Getting on the roofer's emergency list seems to have made a difference. Two guys showed up this morning to evaluate the roof. The wet areas will need to dry out for a few days, but they thought they could repair the leak next week. Several friends have suggested good roofers to completely replace the roof. I'm going to get bids from them. Hey, the sky was clear today, there is no rain in the forecast, and Dash was feeling good. It was easy to feel like I'm making progress.

Jasper is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3277

When I woke up to go to the bathroom last night, I almost slipped in a puddle of water. Yup. A new leak had appeared. All the available buckets were already under other leaks, so I mopped up the water and got a large Tupperware container from the kitchen. As I got ready to go back to bed, I noticed that Dash had pooped in his sleep again. I carefully scooped up the poop with a baggie and took it outside. Finally I was ready to go back to sleep, listening to a symphony of dripping water.

A few hours later, Dash woke me up again needing to go outside and pee. He had a little trouble navigating the obstacle course of buckets in the hallway, but he made it outside without falling down. It was still raining and I knew I'd have to go up on the roof again as soon as it got light. We all went back to sleep and just before daybreak I noticed that Dash had pooped in his sleep for a second time.

There was a break in the rain right after sunrise so we walked Dash before I dealt with the water on the roof. I don't think getting started an hour earlier would have made any difference anyway. I really wanted to slow down the dripping water, so I swept all the standing water off the roof before going out for breakfast. It continues to amaze me how quickly the water accumulates. Until the rain stops for good, I'm going to have to keep doing this endlessly.

I tried a new restaurant today and was a bit surprised that they were still serving breakfast when I arrived. It was almost 11 AM. I got something called Chile Relleno Crepes. It was actually pretty good, but the portions were huge. Maybe this was why the place was so crowded. Popular restaurants with good food are almost always crowded. I like unpopular restaurants with good food. I guess it's not surprising that my favorite restaurants almost always go out of business.

I contacted the roofer again today and got him to put me on his emergency list. It's hard to say if this little upgrade will get my roof fixed much quickly, but at least it's a start. This afternoon I went out and bought a second pump, hoping that this might keep the standing water from getting too deep. I actually had to sweep the water away twice today, since the rain didn't stop until mid-afternoon. If I can keep the roof dry, the water stops dripping fairly quickly. Keeping the roof dry while it is raining is impossible though. I just do the best I can.

Hopefully I can stay off the roof tomorrow. Today was pretty strenuous. My wrists hurt. My shoulder hurts. And my knees hurt. I'm getting way too old for this. I'm going to start getting bids for putting on a new roof. Maybe we'll have some nice weather in January. Installing a flat roof is way too expensive. If you're used to shingle roofs, you wouldn't believe how much a good flat roof costs. I don't really have much of a choice. A leaking roof is basically the same as having no roof at all.

Dash did pretty well today. He actually seemed to have more energy than I did. It's amazing how well Dash walks when he can barely stand up at home. He does pretty well if he keeps moving forward. When Dash stumbles on his walks, it's usually when he has stopped to smell something. When I stumble, it's usually because I'm very tired.

All in all, it wasn't a bad day. The leak is temporarily under control. The pump I bought was being discontinued and I saved 30%. Dash's poop was easy to clean up this morning and I found a new breakfast restaurant. Not bad for a rainy day.

Lance is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3276

"And now we wait," I thought as some severe weather rolled into town early this afternoon. I didn't have to wait long. In less than an hour after the thunderstorm arrived, I started hearing a familiar drip in the hallway. My roof leak had returned. Evidently, yesterday's repair efforts were a total failure. I wasn't really surprised. The actual source of a water leak on a flat roof can be almost anywhere. I haven't been up on the roof yet, but it doesn't really matter. Either my temporary patch failed, or my ability to locate leaks is worthless.

The roof leak wasn't my only water problem today. It was time to use the wet/dry vacuum to suck water out from under the tile floor of the shower. I have to do this at least once a week now. Just like the roof, I don't know where this water is coming from. The tile grout still looks pretty good. I think the shower pan is keeping the water under the tiles from getting into the rest of the house, but the leak is still irritating. The only way to fix this problem is to get a tile guy to completely replace the bathroom tile. Since gravity causes water to flow to the lowest point, water could be getting in through a crack in the tile walls or it could even be caused by a slow plumbing leak. Water is not my friend this week.

I must have been really tired last night because I didn't even wake up when Dash pooped in the bed. Janet told me about the mishap in the morning. I'm glad that one of us woke up. The poop is relatively easy to clean up if you deal with the mess while Dash is still asleep. If he wakes up, twirls around to reposition himself, and then sits down in the poop, you've got a real mess on your hands.

We were able to give Dash a morning walk before the thunderstorm arrived, but today was basically a cabin fever day. The weather was nasty and the thunder and lightning only made things worse. Dash is still a storm phobic dog, but he doesn't hear as well as he used to. He didn't even notice the thunder until is got really loud. Actually, Dash was calmer about today's storm than I was. With leaks in four different places, I was worried that I'd run out of buckets.

The rain has stopped for now, but it's supposed to start again around midnight. There's no point in removing water from the roof until the rain stops. These leaks are really unfortunate because Winter is the worst time to replace a roof. I'd much rather deal with this in the Summer when the weather is clear and dry for months at a time. I can't really ignore the problem though. This looks like a pretty serious leak.

There are so many things to fix around the house that I don't even know where to start. The roof leaks. The dryer makes an awful squealing sound when it is running. The sliding glass door to the atrium is jammed. The sheetrock near the roof leaks needs to be replaced. There's even a big pothole in the driveway. It's so hard to find good repair people too. You always hope to get someone like those guys you see on This Old House, but the reality is quite different.

I'm glad this day is almost over. The trash has been taken out to the curb. Dash is calm. I've taken a heartburn pill which should help me sleep tonight. I'll empty the buckets in the hallway before I go to sleep. I'm not even thinking about breakfast tomorrow. I've kind of lost my appetite.

Cookie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3275

It is supposed to rain tomorrow. With this in mind, I went to the hardware store to find a temporary solution to my roof problem. I came home with duct tape and a roll of plastic shelf liner. This pathetic attempt to cover the tear where I think the water is getting in was all I could think of. None of the readily available wet patch materials I found at at Lowes and Home Depot will stick to silicone. Actually, virtually nothing will stick to silicone, including duct tape.

Oh, well. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. I went ahead and cut a 24" plastic square, placed it over the torn elastomer, and duct taped around the edges. This repair doesn't have to last long, so maybe it might work. On the other hand, the patch might just float away in the rain and I'll have to start placing buckets under the leaks in the living room again. I'm not even sure that the torn area on the roof is what is causing the leak. We'll see. It would have been nice of the roofers had dropped off some of the silicone elastomer coating material they promised, but I knew that wasn't going to happen. Sometime next Spring, there will be a can of this stuff on my doorstep, but it isn't going to help me now.

Dash successfully made it through the night without any accidents. This didn't help me sleep, unfortunately. I'm gun shy now and every move Dash makes wakes me up. All he wanted to do last night was twirl around and reposition himself, but I was ready to jump up and head for the back door if necessary. I think the addition of the large plastic sheet between Dash's dog blanket and our own bedding is going to work, but it makes the whole process of getting ready for bed even more complicated.

Even my morning smoothie is giving me heartburn now. Since strawberries and blueberries don't tend to cause reflux problems, I suspect that it is stress rather than food that is causing my problems. Once, a previous doctor asked me what was was causing my stress and I explained my complicated daily routine with Dot. He suggested that it might be time to put Dot down. I changed doctors.

I watched the latest episode of Mars this afternoon. As a science fiction fan, I feel cheated watching this show. The series is well produced, but the story about a 2043 Mars colony is almost an afterthought. The real message of the show is a politically correct sermon about greedy corporations, corrupt politicians, and the dangers of global warming. I'm sure much of what they say is true, but I'm just looking for a little mindless entertainment. It's going to be a long time before season four of The Expanse makes it's debut on Amazon Prime.

I'm not sure if Dash is going to get a walk tomorrow. According to the weather forecast, the rain is supposed to start tonight. Hopefully, the forecast isn't accurate. Dash does so much better after he's had his walk. We'll see what happens. I always go to bed optimistic, but I usually just wake up tired.

Savannah is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3274

Another long day. Dash continues to lose control of his bodily functions. It didn't surprise me that he pooped while he was sleeping last night. It did surprise me that he peed on the bed when he was trying to get up. Oops. I hope this isn't a sign of things to come. Urinary incontinence is even messier than all the poop we've been dealing with lately. If this continues, we may have to try putting Dash on Incurin like we did with Dot. Until we make that decision we brought home a large plastic sheet that was waiting in the storage warehouse just in case we needed it again. A plastic sheet isn't a perfect solution, but it sure beats spending all day doing laundry.

Dash seem totally unaware of what a high maintenance dog he's become. I guess that's a good thing. Although you could knock him over with a feather, he still enjoys stumbling along on his daily walks. He loves the special meals we cook for him now, although a lot of what he eats just falls out of his mouth. Along with many other neurological problems, he's starting to have trouble chewing. I don't think there is a cure for the incontinence at this point. We just have to learn to deal with it.

Amazingly, I did get some replies to the enquiries about the house I sent out yesterday. A few people I trust recommended contractors and repair people. I'll give these companies a call and see what they suggest. Although the roofer told me he is too busy to make repairs right now, he did say he'd drop off a bucket of the elastomer coating so I could make some emergency repairs myself. Hey, that's better than nothing. If this guy is true to form, he'll drop the stuff off on a rainy day after the leak has started again.

I did some research on the Internet and found some special extra wide construction tape that was supposed to bond instantly with anything and provide a quick and permanent waterproof seal. The stuff was called APOC Incredible Tape. It sounded perfect for my needs. I called the commercial roofing supply company to see if I could buy some this afternoon and they'd never heard of the stuff. This happens to me again and again. Doesn't anyone else know how to use Google?

I ordered a few Christmas gifts on Amazon.com today. Now I can check one more thing off my 2018 to-do list. It is so easy to order on Amazon that it's hard to believe I ever shopped any other way. Amazon even keeps a list if what I bought for people in previous years so I don't inadvertently order the same thing twice. This is a great feature because I could easily order the same thing twice. My memory is a sieve.

Now that Janet has fully retired it's become a lot harder to remember what day it is. It certainly didn't seem like Tuesday today. Basically all days are more or less the same. Poop gets cleaned up. Wash gets done. Fruit smoothies get consumed. Dash gets walked. The blog gets written. And I fall asleep watching Perry Mason. Tomorrow will be different though. It will be Wednesday.

Emmitt is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3273

I sent out a few SOS messages about the roof this morning, but didn't receive much of a response. Eventually, the roofer did send me a short message saying that I was still on their list, but that they were way behind schedule. This wasn't very encouraging. I did some research on products that I could use to make emergency repairs and discovered that most of them weren't compatible with the elastomer coating. I'm not sure how much good a patch would do anyway, since water has already gotten under the coating. Some of the commonly available wet patch materials are not meant to be applied in cold weather anyway.

I renewed one of my domains that was going to expire at the end of the week. I don't use this domain, but it was easier to just renew it for another year than to make a decision about dropping it. Maybe I'll use the domain next year. Jeez. Who am I kidding. I'm never going to use this domain.

Pretty soon I'll need to make a similar decision about whether to renew my subscriptions for Pro Tools and Avid Media Composer. I don't use these products either, but it's nice having them around. At some point I need to start being realistic. It's very doubtful that I'm going to be asked to do any complicated video editing again. I'm retired. I don't need business software anymore.

Dash was not very steady on his feet today. He stumbled and fell several times and I had difficulty getting him upright again. He struggles whenever I try to lift him up which makes the whole process more difficult. I try to tell him that we need to work as a team, but he's not getting the picture. I wish Dash knew his limitations and would be more careful. That's not his style. He keeps trying to do all the things he used to do, but he's not very successful anymore.

I'm running out of time to buy Christmas gifts. Pretty soon I'm going to have to check the more expensive shipping option on Amazon. What did I do before Amazon? I can't imagine shopping at a mall anymore. Just finding a parking place at this time of year is a nightmare.

I still haven't called the dentist about getting a new retainer made. Teeth grow slowly don't they? I wonder how long I can postpone this chore. I might have to call my doctor and ask him to refer me for endoscopy. Is this more important than a retainer? My heartburn problems seem to be getting worse. I wonder if my recurring reflux problems are caused by the food I'm eating, or stress? My diet hasn't really changed, but my stress levels have. Dash's deteriorating health and the crumbling house are hard to ignore.

At least the weather is nice. I've got a little time before there is any rain on the horizon. I may drive over to a professional roofing supply company in a neighboring town tomorrow and see if they have some sort of miracle repair product I can use. I may need it. The real miracle would be if the roofers actually appeared on my doorstep before the next rain.

Princess is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3272

I didn't make it to the gym today. I certainly got plenty of exercise though. Dash was eager for a walk this morning after yesterday's all day rain. We walked along the shoreline and watched as volunteers prepared a relay station near the lake for today's annual Dallas Marathon. Traditionally, this marathon has been held when the weather was horrible, but today looked perfect for runners. Dash liked the cold, clear weather too.

After breakfast, I went back up on the roof and cleared away the water again. There must have been a lot of rain last night, because there was just as much standing water today as there was yesterday. No wonder the leak returned. I think I finally figured out what is happening. The high-tech coating that is supposed to protect everything is not adhering to the substrate properly. Whenever there is a tear in this coating, often caused by a dead tree branch falling and hitting the roof, water seeps in and gets under the coating and eventually finds a path inside. If the coating was bonded to the substrate, small rips or tears wouldn't be a problem. As it is, the elastomer coating isn't much better than placing a giant tarp on the roof during rainstorms.

When I removed all the water, the sound of water dripping into buckets gradually subsided. I'll let the sheetrock on the ceiling dry for a few days and then I'll try to bleach the stains again. This won't fix the problem though. The next time we have a long, sustained rain I'll have to deal with this mess all over again. Adding a few more patches won't really fix anything. There is already water underneath the supposedly waterproof coating, so it won't evaporate. I don't really thing this is fixable. I need an entirely new roof.

There wan't much point in going to the gym today. I had a long list of chores that needed to be attended to. This was a good day to do them. I started by going out and finding strawberries so I could make my smoothies this week. Oddly, the store that had nothing but grapes in the strawberry section yesterday had a ton of strawberries today. I wonder who bought all the grapes?

It was long past time to vacuum the house as well. I'm always amazed that I can quickly fill the Dyson canister with dust and dog hair, but the carpets never look any better. Whenever we get a new rood, we're going to need new carpets as well. It sucks that the house is falling apart. I've got a new car fund, but I bet it's going to get used up just fixing things around the house.

According to Fitbit, I burn up a lot more energy doing household chores than I do at the gym. I guess the whole point of going to the gym is to get me out of the house. It's a lot more enjoyable to shoot baskets at the gym than it is to push a broom on the roof.

I need to start interviewing roofing contractors and ask a few architect friends for suggestions on how to restore this place. We might be here for a while. I thought we would have moved by now, but there's one thing about growing older that you never consider when you're younger. Once you start falling apart and doctors become important, the last thing you want to do is start over in a new state with a brand new batch of doctors. Janet and I both have doctors that we like. We may be here forever.

Puppies are today's Dalmatians of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3271

It's been raining steadily for several days now. The leak in the ceiling is spreading and I have several buckets out now. I became alarmed when water started dripping out of one of the can lights in the hallway. Water and electricity don't mix well. I had to do something, so against my better judgement I went up on the roof and started sweeping away the standing water while it was still raining.

There was an enormous amount of water and wet leaves on the roof. I was actually surprised that the roof wasn't leaking more. It took several hours of hard work to remove the water, but as I finished and was preparing to go inside again, I noticed that new puddles were already starting to accumulate. Water is relentless. If the rain doesn't stop, I will need to do this all over again tomorrow.

I must have accomplished something because the tempo of water drops hitting the buckets on the living room floor is slower now. I just hope that the sheetrock in the ceiling doesn't become so soggy that it crumbles and falls. The rain has accomplished one thing. For the first time in ages I'm more worried about water than dog poop.

Of course Dash pooped in the house. You knew he would. He hates going outside in the rain. I hate going outside in the rain as well, but it was unavoidable today. In addition to my dubious duties on the roof, I had to do weekend grocery shopping as well. I think people have already started Christmas shopping because the traffic was terrible. After driving around in the rain and getting the car dirty, I still have to go back for strawberries. No strawberries today. Damn. I've got to have strawberries for my morning smoothie.

There were no walks at all today. The rain never stopped. Dash was restless, but he didn't really want to go outside anyway. Nobody in their right mind would want to go outside today. Rain when the temperature is only slightly above freezing feels much colder than snow. You may be wishing for a White Christmas, The next time you hear this familiar song, just remember that nobody writes Christmas music about rain.

I hope the rain stops tonight. I'd much rather get my exercise at the gym tomorrow than on the roof. Sweeping hundreds of pounds of water off the roof with a big push broom is much more strenuous than a treadmill. The roof is treacherous and slippery as well. One of these days I'm going to fall.

I'll worry about that tomorrow. Right now my main worry is staying awake. I'm really tired. There's one more load of wash to throw in the dryer and I'm going to bed. Maybe I can get a few hours of sleep before Dash wakes me up at 2 AM to go outside.

Willow is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3270

Some days are a total loss. When I woke up this morning, I discovered that the roof was leaking again. This was a new wrinkle because typically the roof only leaks during severe storms. It had been raining during the night, but it was a gentle rain. I wasn't really expecting this. I also wasn't expecting Dash to make a huge mess when he woke up this morning. I saw him heading for the back door while I was attempting to deal with the leak and I quickly opened it to let him out. When I looked back I saw a trail of poop leading all the way back to the bed. In addition to pooping on the brick floors, Dash managed to soil two blankets, the bedspread, the step he uses to climb into the bed, the bedroom carpet, and his own tail. What a mess.

I had to prioritize the damage, cleaning Dash's tail and rear end first while he was outside, then finding several buckets to catch the dripping water, then cleaning the living room floor so I could let Dash back inside again. I gated off the bedroom so Dash wouldn't sit back down in the soiled bedding and then methodically proceeded to clean up the rest of the damage.

Needless to say, there was a lot of laundry this morning. I felt like I washed everything. The washing machine is still working great, but the dryer is having problems. A bearing in the drum assembly has gone bad and the dryer makes an awful screeching sound until is gets hot. I need to have the appliance repairmen come fix this but there always seems to be something else I need to deal with first.

I didn't even bother to go out for breakfast this morning. The weather was terrible and there was plenty to deal with at home anyway. I didn't finish getting all the bedding and blankets clean until two in the afternoon. I'm still dealing with the roof leak. This leak is in an awkward location where the ceiling joins a wall. Not only is the water dripping from the ceiling, it is also coming down the brick wall.

To make matters worse, the stock market continues to tumble. I hate periods of extreme volatility like this. My Dad had a nice defined pension when he retired. I've got to rely on the market. With interest rates so low, you don't even have the option of buying Treasuries or CD's. You've just got to find stable, profitable companies to invest in and hope that sanity returns at some point.

I have no idea what happened with Dash this morning. He has been doing great for most of this week. His diet and feeding times haven't changed. His poop was even getting firmer. Now we're back to square one. It's really discouraging. Dealing with Dot's incontinence was easier. Dash is stubborn, moves around a lot at night, and absolutely insists on sleeping in the bed with us.

I'm not expecting much to improve tomorrow. There is more rain in the forecast this weekend and lord knows what surprises Dash has in store for us. I just hope that nothing else breaks. So far so good with the furnace and the dehumidifier. One of the toilets runs a bit, but at least it's not a leak. When I was younger it never even occurred to me that the house, the dog, and my own body would all start to fall apart at the same time. It gets to be a bit much at times.

Humphrey is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3269

It was cold and rainy today. We got up early and managed to get Dash walked before the rain started, but I spent the rest of the day inside. I accomplished virtually nothing today. I turned on the TV during breakfast and the Bush funeral was still going on. I wonder how expensive this funeral was. The casket was riding on a special train today. I switched channels and the stock market was still crashing. It's pretty easy to see how expensive this is going to be. I turned the TV off and drank my smoothie in silence. It was that kind of day. I wonder why it always seems colder in the house on a rainy day? The furnace is working fine and the thermostat indicated that I should be toasty warm. Nope. I was cold all day. I put on a sweater but I couldn't relax. I kept looking at the ceiling and wondering when the roof was going to start leaking again. No roof leaks yet, but it hasn't stopped raining yet.

An old client that I hadn't talked to in years called in a panic today. Evidently their office manager abruptly walked out and quit and nobody else at the company knew the passwords to anything. How did they expect me to still know their passwords? I think these guys fired me five years ago. I wished them luck and tried not to laugh. They should have treated their office manager better. They should have treated me better too.

Since it was a very slow day, I watched the latest episode of the National Geographic Channel's Mars show. I think I've finally figured out the format for this show. In every episode there is a disaster on Mars that is used as a teaching moment to illustrate how similar disasters here on Earth could destroy the planet. In today's episode an unknown pathogen in the water on Mars was causing the crew to get sick and die. The parallel story on Earth was about how warming weather is causing anthrax spores to be released from the soil in Siberia which is also also causing people to get sick and die. Something like this happens in every episode. It's a miracle we aren't extinct yet.

Dash seems to be sleeping better now. He stays in one place for long periods of time and hasn't pooped in the bed for several days. This morning, he slept until 6 AM and then went outside and did his business like a normal dog. Are we doing something right, or is this just blind luck? It's really hard to tell. You'd think with Dash sleeping better that I'd be sleeping better as well. This doesn't seem to be the case. My Fitbit said I got virtually no sleep last night. Maybe the Fitbit is wrong. I do remember having a dream, so I must have been sleeping.

A lot of software and domain names come up for renewal at the end of the year. I'm thinking of letting some things expire this year. I haven't used Pro Tools or Avid Media Composer in several years. Do I really need these expensive subscriptions? There are several domains I have never used at all. Maybe this would be a good time to start simplifying my online world as well. I've got a week to decide. I always like to be ready for any contingency, but if I was smart I would just acknowledge that I'm not going to be doing much video editing anymore and let the Avid subscriptions expire.

I discovered a new place to try for breakfast tomorrow. Chili Rellenos Crepes sound delicious right now. The rain has got to stop first though. I'm not going anywhere in this weather.

Emma is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3268

Every time I see one of these big state funerals I wonder about all the people who will never be remembered at all. So many good people are quickly forgotten. Hey, we all deserve to be remembered, but in a mobile society that is becoming increasingly detached, I wonder if we will be. I'll probably be quickly forgotten. I remember seeing a cartoon with a casket in front of a nearly empty church with three people sitting in the pews and the caption said "they say he had over a thousand Facebook friends." Often, people don't even realize you're dead anymore. I still see those Facebook birthday greetings appearing on the pages of friends who died five years ago. I hope I don't make this mistake and wish a Happy Birthday to a long dead classmate, but it could happen. We live in a world where celebrities are remembered but nobody knows their neighbors.

I'm old enough to remember George H.W. Bush before he became president. I'd be the first to agree that he was a good man, but I seem to remember a lot of the media folks who were singing his praises today were ridiculing him when he actually was president. Jeez. Dana Carvey made a career out of making fun of Bush. What changed? Back in the day, the elder Bush was criticized almost as much as George W. Now that the Bush family seems to have replaced the Kennedy family as America's only remaining political dynasty, they are back in favor again. I hope today's praise is genuine, but I suspect there are some who just thought that making Bush look good would make Trump look bad.

I watched the Space X live feed of the Dragon resupply mission launch today and was surprised when   the coverage of the first stage landing abruptly stopped when the booster appeared to go wonky. The commentators never missed a beat and continued their upbeat narrative about the overall success of the mission. Traditional news media would have focused on the booster failure, but the in-house Space X broadcasters totally ignored it. I can't decide how I feel about this. The mission actually was a success and the Dragon capsule is continuing it's journey toward the space station. I know the news  media would have focused on the booster landing failure though because it was more exciting. This is probably what is wrong with the news these days. Negative events are always given priority because they are usually more dramatic.

My third auction concluded today and I was a bit disappointed with the results. My items actually did sell but they only got a single bid each. Neither reached the auction house price estimate. I could have set a higher reserve on my lots, but I didn't. I always hope for a bidding war, but I don't want this stuff back either. I guess I can't complain. This is how auctions work. Sometimes you get lucky and other times you don't.

There was blood in Dash's bowl when he was eating his breakfast this morning. Yikes. I was worried about an infection or a bad tooth, but when I inspected Dash's mouth it appeared that he had bitten his lip while eating. I do this myself occasionally. I cleaned his mouth with a dental rinse and everything seems fine now. I hope dash doesn't continue biting his lip. He is beginning to have problems eating and drinking. You can tell he is not as coordinated as he used to be. Eventually, we may need to hand feed him. We needed to do this with Dot when she became very old.

This week has gone quickly. I hope that sanity has returned when the market opens again tomorrow. Another seven hundred point drop wouldn't be good. I hope it's a little warmer too. Most of all, I hope that Dash lets me get a good night's sleep.

Emmitt is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day