4:45 am. That's the time I woke to the sound of Scottie's clicking toenails on the flooring. Both dogs need to get their nails trimmed. Scottie was doing that 'thing' he does when something is wrong. I always assume he's got to pee or something like that, so I picked him up (to prevent further clicking, which would likely wake Lucky as we walked past Lauren's room (as if walking alone would not wake him) and I took Scottie to the back yard and set him down. I turned on the patio lights, and he meandered slowly and as if in pain, gnawing on grass and brush and branches all the way around the yard. I stayed close because, after the coyote incident at Matson, I don't want to be too far from him if he's on another canine's menu. He didn't pee or poop or throw up, but he was hurting. It didn't occur to me until later that he might have tried jumping on the bed before I woke. We could not quite figure out what was going on for him. Age is likely part of it. Maybe diet. Maybe Tommy's absence. Perhaps any number of things. We eventually got him out for a walk, and he was fine then but off otherwise. Meanwhile, the toilet gurgle that happened last night just as I was falling asleep, which I attributed to the running of the washing machine (spin cycle) somehow having a role, turned out to have brought a backup (dirt, not sewage) into both bathroom showers/tubs! That means more significant issues elsewhere. The snaking the other night wasn't enough. I called the city to check it out while Lauren and I ran to the Branham flea market as planned, where I found and bought several more items on my relatively short list of vinyl I want to reclaim. It was a great score. I talked to the city guy, and they didn't have issues on their end, so a plumber is a next option past my continued efforts. We also had plans to go to Sac State, but with the dog issue, we opted to go as planned. We 'jump proofed' the house by getting cushions and such in blocking positions and kept an eye on things using the webcam. The trip to Sac was beautiful. It not only drove home the reality that Lauren's heading to college but also made it exciting to imagine. It's such a good starting point. Close enough but not too close, and her schedule will allow her to come back for weekend visits as often as she wants, and we will most definitely be going there too. I wish Jen still has 1821, but we will find options, and I still anticipate we may end up there in our later years. We got to see the various halls, dorms, and campus layouts. I'm taking Wednesday off to drive up early with her for her orientation and spend the day just hanging out at Old Soul, shopping for some used records, and seeing Matt for lunch. We stopped at Pachmama and bought a 5lb bag of beans which later I sealed, labeled and froze. We visited Jen's old apartment, got ice cream and chocolates at Ginger Elizabeth, snagged some quick refreshments at GOBM and headed home. The dogs were excited, and Scottie seems off but not awful so far. I broke out and ran the 25ft snake through the front clean out and also briefly got on the roof to take a quick look at the vent, which I'll snake tomorrow am before it gets hot. We all lingered on the back patio; Lauren made cookies, Jen played some games, and I spun some of the new records. I also found some FLAC encoded vinyl files and made some comparisons to explore the differences. I'm still adamant that digital is better than analog, especially with remasters and lossless improvements. Analog has romance and memories. While looking through record bins at the flea market, a guy next to me said, "looking for anything in particular," Without missing a beat, I looked at him and said, "my youth." I love having this small set of records that were instrumental (pun intended) in my life and the evolution of my music appreciation. It's fun to revisit the experience of placing a needle, the pops and clicks, and the nostalgia that comes with the console and music of that same era. But for pure sound, digital has matured so far that I can't see how people still insist Vinyl is superior for sound. Not to my aging ears. We ended the night with Diana Krall's "All for You" and "Love Scenes" playing as we lingered in the front room. I love this space and how we are using it to its fullest.
