Day 3442

We went and visited the rescue kennel again today. One of the many good things about being retired is that it's easy to do things like this. Neither of us has a schedule anymore. The dogs seem to enjoy the extra attention and the kennel staff is always glad to see us. We're gradually getting to know each dog's personality. All the dogs are very friendly and some could definitely use a little training. Young Dalmatians are full of energy. We let them race around and blow off steam for a while and sooner or later they calm down and want to sit in your lap. We met a new girl in the program today. She was a little timid at first but warmed up quickly when she saw we had a red rubber ball to throw. We'll probably go back to the kennel next week. It's a good way to spend the afternoon.

Not surprisingly, I spent my morning the same way I always do. I made the bed and slowly drank my huge fruit smoothie while I watched TV. Sadly, there are no old Westerns or episodes of Jay Leno's Garage to watch on weekdays. I'm stuck with watching the news.

When I started taking long walks, I initially noticed improvements almost every week. I had more stamina and began walking longer distances. Unfortunately, I've reached some sort of a plateau. When I hit three miles my feet start to hurt and I can feel each step in my hip joints and knees. Maybe it's my shoes, but I suspect that my joints aren't what they used to be. Glucosamine can't fix everything. I'll have to ask for an x-ray the next time I go to the doctor. I'd hate to ruin my knees. I'm not very eager to get a knee replacement.

I'll be glad when my Florida trip has a more definite schedule. It's hard to plan when you have no idea when you're going. I keep waiting for an e-mail with my itinerary, but I don't really expect a launch schedule to be finalized for a while. It is quite common for Space X launches to get delayed. Hurricane season begins on June 1. I certainly hope that doesn't throw a wrench in the works. At least the peak of the hurricane season isn't until August. With a little luck, everything should be fine.

I still haven't called the landscaper. Having a nice yard used to seem so important when the dogs were with us, but now it hardly seems to matter. The yard looks OK. A lot of things are this way. I need to fix the sliding glass door, but I rarely have a need to open it. This can probably wait as well. The plumbing got fixed quickly because we actually need the plumbing. I have a feeling that the next thing I actually need will be new tires. If I drive to Florida, I will definitely need new tires.

I didn't see many animals while I was walking today but I did learn the name of a new flower. For a long time I thought that Zexmenia was just another yellow daisy, but I guess it isn't. Maybe I'll learn something new tomorrow.

Sam is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day