Mattie had a 20-minute drive to the vet today.

This photo is misleading, because she only stayed in the kennel for like five seconds. She rode in my lap and did really well. She got nauseated and drooled all over me, but we hadn't given her breakfast so she didn't throw up.

The vet spent a long time with us. Mattie got rabies and parvo shots, which was her third round of vaccines, but the vet doesn't want her going on walks or walking on the floor in too many places until her fourth and final round next month.

On the way home, she threw up water all over me. It also included the grass and acorns she had eaten earlier. She was really quiet and so snuggly other than that.

Once home, I cleaned Inspector Dickson's fish tank because it was so disgusting. Worse than normal for some reason.

These are the steps to cleaning his tank:

1) Purify a gallon of water and pour into the fish bowl.

2) Scoop Dickson out with a net and transport him from the tank to the bowl.

3) Scoop out the water in the tank with a cup and pour it into a bucket until the bucket is full.

4) Carry the bucket downstairs and dump it in the woods.

5) Repeat steps 3 and 4.

6) Now that the tank is light enough to carry, bring it outside along with your cleaning supplies.

7) Run hot water into the bucket and add vinegar.

8) Outside, disassemble the components of the tank, spreading them on concrete. Do not let them get grassy.

9) Pour the remaining water in the tank through a colander, catching the rocks.

10) Blast hose water into the tank itself, giving it a good pressure-wash.

11) Scrub the inside of the tank thoroughly with vinegar water and rinse with clear hose water, repeating several times.

12) Now tackle the other components of the tank (filter, holder, etc), scrubbing and rinsing them in the same way, until your vinegar water is used up.

13) Run clear hose water through the filter to clean it out.

14) Meanwhile, refill the bucket with hot water and vinegar so the plants and pirate ship can soak.

15) Once everything is cleaned and rinsed, only the rocks remain. Use the colander to sift through them and scrub.

16) Pour the rocks back into the tank and add the plants and pirate ship.

17) Put the components of the tank back together.

18) Carry tank upstairs

19) Purify a gallon of water and pour into the tank

20) Repeat four times (it needs five gallons)

21) Plug in the filter and pour water through it until it is running properly.

22) Scoop Dickson out of the bowl and transport him back to his tank.

23) Carry the bowl outside to dump in the woods.

24) Clean up your hose and supplies outside.

25) Enjoy a sparkling tank for the next 3-4 weeks.

Mattie followed me around throughout the entire process, adding another step:
19.5) Prevent dog from drinking purified water

In the afternoon Mattie and I were home alone again. She was sleepy from her vet trip and was exhibiting muscle soreness from the shots, as she would yelp if we touched her shoulder. She slept a lot. It gave me a chance to exercise and catch up on the publishing and book reviewing work I had fallen desperately behind on.

After a five-hour nap with many luxurious positions, she was back to normal and chewing on everything in sight.