Day 3609 - Veteran's Day

I knew it was going to get cold today, but I had now idea how dramatic the cold front's arrival would be. It was 70 degrees when I started on my morning walk. The weather report said the wind was going to pick up and the temperature would start dropping around lunchtime. The cold front had other ideas. After I had walked about a mile, the wind abruptly picked up and the temperature started dropping immediately. So many Fall leaves were being blown off the trees that it looked like rain. Within a few minutes I was freezing. This was not a time to be a slave to Fitbit. I immediately turned around and headed for home. By the time I returned, the temperature had already dropped twenty five degrees.

The temperature had dropped even further by the time Janet and I arrived at the Dalmatian Rescue kennels. It was way too cold for the boarding dogs to be outside today, so the indoor play areas were pretty full. The kennel staff found us a long unused hallway with some empty kennel runs where we could play with the Dalmatians. They loved this new experience, and eagerly explored every inch of this new territory. Some of the shy dogs seemed to warm up and relax in this smaller, more intimate environment. Sock even started following us around and seemed very curious about what we were doing. This was a big deal for Sock. Janet and I got at opposite ends of the long hallway and started calling Charlie, who would run back and forth between us. You'd never know that Jasmine was once a shy dog. She was playful, curious, and absolutely normal today. All the dogs did well this afternoon. It is not surprising that they are finding homes so quickly.

I was glad that the kennel was nice and warm, because it is going to be very cold tonight. They say the temperature will drop to the low twenties before morning. Add some significant windchill to that number and you've got a very cold day. At least there wasn't much rain today. I don't think I'll have to worry about ice on the roof. I did have a momentary scare when the power went out for a few moments. Luckily, it came right back on again. It was probably just a momentary power surge as everybody turned on their furnace at the same time when they returned from work.

I definitely hope we don't have a power outage tonight. Being without power in freezing weather is not fun. It happened to us once a few years ago and we had to take the dogs and stay in a hotel for several days. So far, the furnace is working great and keeping us nice and warm. Let's hope things stay this way.

I think we're going to have to put some extra blankets on the bed tonight. I'll probably still take my walk in the morning, as long as it isn't raining or snowing. I've got lots of warm coats and some insulated boots. I didn't dress warm enough today, but I definitely learned my lesson. I'm not a big fan of winter, but I do know how to dress for it.

I'm surprised that I haven't heard from the observatory yet. I thought I'd be making plans for a Spring trip to the Davis Mountains by now. I may have to give them a call later this week.

Dolly is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day