At Least It's Not Raining

Like many other people I know, I've finally turned the Emergency and Amber Alerts off on my phone. Because there's nothing more likely to cause you to crash your car than having your phone suddenly scream with that Emergency Alert siren while you're minding the road and trying not to drive off it in the torrential wind and rain. I don't look at my phone when I'm driving, unless I've pulled over. I'm not coordinated enough to change the CD in my dashboard and still maintain control of my vehicle, but part of that might be due to my size, my height and my very small fingers and hands. Which means there's absolutely no way I'd ever look at my phone while my car was in motion.

Yesterday, an alert sounded for a Tornado Warning. Okay, we've had them before, but Putnam County is such hilly, windy country with so many lakes and ponds that it's unlikely that a tornado will go anywhere once it's touched down. Then the Emergency Alert sounded for Flooding. Well, duh. Any fool can tell you the parkways are all flooded and probably some of the low lying roadways. We've never had all these alerts before. Is local government responding to Indonesia's apparent failure to warn its population of the tsunami that wiped out several towns? A friend mentioned the fact that on the highway you can tell when everyone gets the simultaneous Amber Alert because all the brake lights come on. Usually for a child taken by a non-custodial parent several counties away.

A Presidential Emergency Alert is scheduled for this afternoon so I wonder if my phone will scream at me since I've turned off the Alert notifications. Meanwhile, Indian Point Nuclear Power Plant, several miles to the west of us, has warned residents that they plan to have simulated gunfire during their Emergency Practice Drills. What?!

Today is lovely, with clear blue sunny skies and a light breeze. Meanwhile several frogs are living in the pond that has formed between the concrete supports under the main bedroom of my house. The dog is in a holding pattern, sleeping much of the day and only nosing for edibles by late afternoon. I can still get him to eat his pain medication (Metacam) but I've given up on the Proin. Because I can't return the big bottle I ordered from Fosters & Smith (because it's a prescription med), I've contacted a Senior Dog Sanctuary and asked if they can use it. They can, so I've mailed it to them (click here to visit their website). Incontinence is a lot more common in our companion animals than you realize.

Both washable and disposable dog diapers (wraps for male dogs) have been very useful, although not all brands are worth the money. When I finally got my head out of the pet-specific websites like Chewy.com and Drs Fosters & Smith, I realized that Amazon had a much better selection, with much, much better pricing. And like a lot of people, I read the reviews and make my decisions with that in mind. The most common complaints for the washables are grossly inaccurate sizing, leakage, and poor quality leading to velcro failure (which means the diaper doesn't stay on). I'm expecting an order from Amazon any day now for more washable diapers. You know I'm going to write my own review of the all the products I've tried so far.

I did buy a big box of Amazon-brand (who knew they had their own brand!) dog disposables, but I use those mostly in rare emergencies (all the washables are in the laundry!) or we plan to be out all day and I need to double-diaper the dog. Double-diapering, with the disposable close to the skin, surrounded by a slightly larger washable keeps the dog and house relatively dry. He's no longer waking up with wet haunches from urine leaking into his bedding. I'm also using baby wipes to try and minimize any urine scalding from the incontinence, but really, what he needs is a bath. I just don't think he'd survive a trip to the groomers...

Wednesday

30 min recumbent bike
Calories 119
Miles 3.03
HR 105-111