Tue, Jan 3

Fog everywhere today, from start to finish. Fog out of every window, that is. There’s the general post-holiday fog, too, the gulf between knowing that I have work tomorrow, that I need to buy groceries, that I need to be prepared for normal life again, and being sure how all that works now, exactly.

My daughter wanted an iPad for her birthday so that she could do drawing with an Apple Pencil. I have an old one of both; both have very dodgy batteries. So I thought, hmm, well, I could upgrade mine, and get her a small one, oh and I guess I should upgrade Arthur’s, and if I upgrade mine then I could get a desktop . . . and I went on a fantasy spending spree in my mind that ended up having a shocking price tag. So we’re back to her having my old ones for now. (The Apple Pencil works, but only if you warm it up first, like in your bra.)

My dog has a skin disease. Can dogs get leprosy? She had fleas that we couldn’t shake for ages; now the fleas are gone, but she’s got lingering inflammation, with fur loss and thickened, flaky skin, and constant scratching and biting. It’s so bad that I actually wonder if she’ll have to be put down--certainly if it isn’t curable she will have zero quality of life. Or it may just be, say, a dog yeast infection, and all she needs is a yogurt bath.