Animals--and a lazy day in which I try to come to grips with retirement

When I walked into my brother's house Thursday, his dogs barked at me as though I am public enemy number one--it's pretty awe-inspiring to have two large German shepherds and a small but feisty mixed breed--I think she's part blue heeler--barking at you. The little dog and one shepherd got over it, but the larger one, called Puppy, didn't until I was almost ready to leave. He barked every time I got up from a chair, came into a room, etc. And then Saturday, to everyone's dismay, one of the two shepherds--who can tell which?--lifted his leg in the house, something I was told they never do. "I don't know what's wrong with these dogs," John complained. Well, I came home to a similar situation--my dog and cat have been punishing me for leaving them for two days. Wynona the cat simply won't eat, although he's done a bit better today. Yesterday I brought Scooby in when I got home, as I usually do on hot afternoons. He napped on his bed next to mine, but when I got up, he didn't. I kept asking him if he was ready to go out and was answered when he slinked further down into his bed. By eight, I told him he had to go out, eat and poop before he came in for the night. Got a leash and pulled him outside, whereon he promptly dumped over his dish, spilling all the food, and did not eat (so that was his breakfast this morning!) I brought him in about nine and kept him in my office with me. I often leave him in the office alone, because it's a place of refuge for hm. Well, last night, with me sitting right there, he pooped all over! I thought he had bad gas until I got up and stepped in it! I yelled, he cringed, and it was awful. Today he's kept to his routine, went out when asked at five, just came back in at eight. Maybe we're getting back to normal.
Lazy day--I went to Central Market and Barnes & Noble and otherwise stayed home doing I don't know what! Read and answered emails, read a book, napped and let the day drift away. Now I have a pot full of work to be done--that cookbook to edit, an article for the history of the Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine, some guest blogs to write, the Google Book Settlement to keep working on. Did I do any of it today? Not a bit.
I did draft a column about Elmer Kelton for the Dallas Morning News, and I'll polish it tonight and get it off. Tomorrow, the cookbook--of course, I have to ride my bike and will probably do it in the morning since I'm going to lunch with Jean and supper with Jordan, Christian and Jacob. Retirement sure is a hard life.