2008_February

February 2008

February 1 (Friday)
I want to announce that Goldie is very well. Last night she ran around and barked and bit and messed the floor and did it all over again.
Her sores are gone and her hair is filling out nicely. She is a beautiful pup. Now I am thinking about what to do with her. Should I
consider giving her to Michael Boston of our local animal shelter? Those people over there do a great job of adopting out animals.
Well, let me think on it some...

February 4 (Monday)
Yesterday's Super Bowl was for me the most exciting ever. Today is unseasonably warm but welcome. I took a chance this morning and
left Goldie out while I went to work. After what happened to her brother I have my fingers crossed.

February 5 (Tuesday)
I've got to get this behind me as quickly as possible. Believe it or not, I arrived home yesterday to find Goldie's lifeless body on the living
room floor under my desk. I don't know who did it or why. I can hardly believe it. I had been keeping her away from the other dogs while
I was away, but yesterday I decided to take a chance. All I can think about is that if I had just isolated her yesterday like I have been
doing, she would still be alive. But I couldn't keep her isolated forever. I am beating myself up. But I'll get over it. Such is the way of
things when you have a lot of animals living together. I suspect Fred, but I suppose it is possible that some other scenario developed. I
don't know. My dogs are not vicious killers, but they do tend to get out of hand. Perhaps Fred is just that -- a killer. He does appear to
have some Chow in him, and he does get after one of the other's from time to time. I could see where he could or would kill one of the
others if I am not around. But I don't know what triggers him to do that. He is so gentle and laid back so much of the time. I just don't
know. I am very sad today. I loved that little girl. I shall miss her, of course, as I do so many others that I have lost.

February 7 (Thursday)
Yesterday was a real downer. I was depressed all day over the demise of poor Goldie. It was my fault. I should not have left her out
when I went to work. I have been beating myself up.

But that is over with and life must go on. I did do a lot of software engineering yesterday. The order approval application still requires
some attention. I have been very carefully perusing the source code for more indications of problems that may result in blocking or
deadlock. I haven't heard any more from our clients in Florida, so maybe we are making some real progress in that arena.

February 9 (Saturday)
Well, Goldie is gone and still have eight doggies. Oscar has been dealing with that sore foot. He won't let me inspect it, but he is
beginning to put some weight on it. He, Fred, and Sam or outside the fence every evening when I arrive home from work.

Today is a beautiful and sunny day. A bit cool, though. Smoky and Cleo are frisky, and after what happened to them that is something
to be thankful for. Lu Lu is doing fine as well. Bonnie hasn't had a seizure since that last one a few weeks ago. I am out of firewood, but
hopefully we are over the worst of the cold weather.

I made me a big pot of read beans. I had red beans and rice for lunch, baptized in Louisiana hot sauce. Wow!

February 11 (Monday)
About four months ago I was presented a problem with which one of our Florida clients has been struggling -- an ongoing problem that
has persisted for several years. One programmer after another have been assigned to fix this problem, and all reached a point to where
they had announced a solution only to eventually find that there was no solution. Traffic on their server builds up on Mondays, usually
but sometimes other days of the week, also. The issue they have been having is that their order-approval application comes to a
grinding halt. Someone noticed that the service profiler indicated a condition called deadlock, or blocking. Anyways, the thing was
finally thrown into my lap, and I have spent most of November, December, January, and now into February living with, eating with, and
sleeping with this problem.

I have worked on it for several months, but Friday I think I finally made some headway. At least I was finally able to replicate the problem
on my machine, something that no one else had yet been able to do. And for a programmer, if he can replicate the problem, why, the
problem is practically fixed! I hope.

February 13 (Wednesday)
Every day I give Bonnie a couple of phenobarbital tablets to control seizures. I do this by fixing a cheese sandwich, cutting it into eight
pieces, and giving a piece to each dog. Inside Bonnie's piece I have hidden her tablet. For the last couple of days Bonnie will take her
piece into her mouth, but then spit it right back out. And she whimpers at the same time. It is a high-pitched, very squeaky kind of
whimper. I just have not been able to figure it out. But, as she lay next to me in bed last night, and as I was stroking her head and ears
and neck I felt a small lump, about the size of a pea just under her left jaw. Well, we shall have to check that one out. Bonnie is getting a
little age on her, and she has been a very sweet and loyal friend for several years, but..., her time may be just around the corner.

February 14 (Thursday)
Doctor's appointment for Feb. 29. So this is a leap year.

February 16 (Saturday)
Went grocery shopping today. Not much exciting going on lately. The weather appears to be warming up.

February 19 (Tuesday)
I hadn't realized that it has been three days since I have been here. Amy, Dave's wife went into the hospital today. For now I do not
know what is the prognosis. She was at the office, and sometime during the day Dave took her in. I have no idea what is wrong. We'll
get together in the office and send her some flowers, I'm sure.

February 20 (Wednesday)
Oscar and Sam were out of the fence before I even left from home this morning. I need to get that fence erected soon.

Amy is undergoing tests today. I have not heard what happened, but I called Dave and spoke to him for a few minutes today. For those
of you who do not know, Dave is my boss, and Amy is his wife, which would make her my boss also.

February 21 (Thursday)
I know it sounds like a broken record: Oscar and Sam, but they were at home, just outside the fence when I arrived there yesterday
evening. In addition, they jumped the fence this morning as I was getting ready to leave for work; but as I was driving away I noticed that
they were back inside the fence! Go figure: they've learned how to escape the fence and get back in (Do they think they are fooling
me?).

February 22 (Friday)
A wet and rainy and cold day, this one. But it's Friday, and that can't be all bad. Dave has been out since Monday with Amy, and we
haven't received much in the way of news. What we have heard is that the hospital stay is more precautionary than anything else.

February 24 (Sunday)
I arrived home Friday from Memphis to find Pookie missing. She got out of the fence somehow. She is definitely the smartest dog I
have. I usually let her out in the evening when I arrive home, and she always comes back. She barks at the door for me to let her in.
She has been with me since she was a baby. A neighbor found her at the same time I found Oscar. I have often thought they were litter
mates. Here it is Sunday, and she has not been back since Friday, so something must have happened to her. Poor Pookie. I love her.

February 25 (Monday)
Today promises to be a gorgeous day. It is late
February, and spring is right around the corner. I've
seen some plum blossoms, along with some others.
The jonquils are already out of the ground, and some
are even blooming.

Yesterday I spent some time out in the woods and
around about looking. I fixed up the fence before I left,
satisfying myself that the dogs would not get out.
About halfway down the trail behind my house, here
they came! Bounding down the trail, disappearing into
the underbrush; those dogs had found their way out of
the fence. I could hear them barking off in the
distance. After a while of calling them to come, and
with them ignoring me I headed back toward the
house. I got about halfway up the trail, and here they
came! Racing and barking they flew past me and as
they did so I turned to see what made them run. It was
another pack of dogs, chasing back from whence they
came! I turned back just in time to see mine jumping
over and crawling under my fence. What a flea-bitten
pack of hounds!

The Beagle Pup (notice the cherry eye) is checking out Cougar the cat. Cougar just
had some dental work at the vet this past weekend, and he is not in the mood to play.

I have just arrived home. I found an 8 month-old beagle pup in about the same place I found Roy. This one is a female, and she has a
cherry eye. I don't need any more dogs, but I can't go off and leave a pup in the middle of the road. I found her in the Tuscumbia
Wildlife Refuge. I drive through there every day on my way to and from work. Our local animal shelter prefers not to accept beagles,
so it may be that I'll wind up keeping this one. I won't leave her alone with Fred, and I won't leave her in a position where she can get
out of the fence.

February 26 (Tuesday)
A very cold day today. At least, so it seems. I guess we can look forward to temperatures tonight to be in the mid 20's. Brrr.

I left the little girl beagle pup locked in the bathroom this morning. I also locked the inner fence. I don't now if the bigger dogs will be
out of the fence when I get home, but they'll have to work at it to get out.

February 27 (Wednesday)

The little beagle crawled into bed with me last night and slept there all night, and she was there when I awoke this morning. It's looking
like I got myself another dog.

February 28 (Thursday)

Ordinarily today would be the last day of February, but...

Since the earth revolves around the sun approximately every 365 days and 6 hours, we need to add 1 day every 4 years to even out
the fact that every 4 years we end up with an extra day. Of course, we call it a "leap year," which is what this year is.

So tomorrow will be another day in February.

February 29 (Friday)

The beagle has already figured out the pet door. She went in and out several times yesterday, and this morning she went outside to
take care of "business." She is really beginning to come out of her shell. The other dogs are starting to play with her, but I shall
remain cautious. I have learned my lesson with Yella Fella and Goldie. Oh, Sweethearts! I'll never get over it!