Today is cloudy, hot and humid. It will be in the mid 80's but will drop to the 60's tonight. The rain, a remnant from Ida, will be here on Thursday. The winds could gust up to 40 mph, and the storm could drop 3 inches or 4 inches of rain. That's another reason (think excuse) not to wash the kitchen floor: more dog paw prints from the upcoming rain. I'm glad I grocery shopped yesterday.

Today I have a malaise. My stomach is bitterly complaining about something. It can't be dinner as I actually had a salad.

Last night was an unquiet sleep, a portend of this morning. I'm wearing track shoes (symbolism here) so I can sprint to the bathroom. The dogs watch me from the hall. That too is unsettling.

On the shoe/slipper front, I didn't find it, but I haven't yet checked through the brush in the backyard. I'm really missing my slipper.

I did go to the dump yesterday as I didn't want the trash to sit in my car until Thursday, the next time the dump is open. A nice man helped me lug the heavy litter bags from the car to the big receptacle.

Nala chewed on my back scratcher. The five teeth have become three with spaces between them where there were no spaces. The scratcher was in one of the baskets under the den table top. Nala finds the three baskets under the table a rich hunting ground.

When I was a kid, Duke, our boxer, chewed a few things during his puppy days. Those few things included the upholstery over the windows of my father's car and a roast beef though my brother and I managed to save it, and nobody noticed the teeth marks. Nala has no preference and no standards for stolen goods. Paper, cans, newspapers and so many more strange items are among the missing. I know she's taken something when she rushes out the dog door and ignores my call.

My plans for today are simple: sit around, watch a little TV, read a bit and nap.