I stopped at the Dollar Store on my trike ride home from Pool Monitor duty at the Purple Parrot yesterday, and bought Chicken Wrapped Rawhide Twists for the dogs. Shelby thinks they're a bit excessive, Dan just winks, and the dogs really love them.

When I got back to the trailer I stuck four sticks in the lower pocket of my shorts and met the kids hanging out in the backyard pool. Dan has two robots that swim around in it all day and keep it pristine, but I'm not a pool guy so I stood at the edge.

As we're talking, the four dogs started gathering around me, smelling the sticks in my pocket, and began sitting and sniffing all around me. Dan and Shelby couldn't figure out what was going on until I copped to it.

Shelby said alright, Dan laughed, and the dogs grabbed their treats and went off to their own private space to chow down.

I have a morning routine now. I've been sleeping great lately, lots of dreams and I attribute it to healthy living and zero intoxicants.

So I climb out of bed, throw my shorts and sweater on, grab my pee bottle, empty it out by the fence, rinse it well with the hose, then walk into the back and let the young chickens out of their roost.

They know me now, so I just remove the cover and call them softly. After a half a minute they come walking down the steps in front of my face, making cute little good morning chicken sounds.

Then I come back to the trailer, drink the protein shake I made the night before, have shredded wheat and blueberries for breakfast, then take my vitamins and meds, all without going into the house.

Next up is my workout in the driveway, where every day I add a repetition to my various exercise sets. Today is number 46. Then I walk the neighborhood circular drive a couple times bareshirted, and start my day.

I have a few days off now and today I'm walking to the beach.