Day 3707

Everyone got some attention today. I went and visited the Dalmatians at the kennel while Janet stayed home and gave Dawn another walk in the park. Since I've been traveling, it's been a while since I've been to the kennel and I was pleased to see that everyone was still doing well. Charlie was playful and full of energy as usual. Hank's behavior makes a lot more sense now that I know he is deaf. In the beginning I just thought he didn't listen. Larry and Lord have become best friends and enjoy playing together. I had fun with these two today. All these boys could learn a few manners from Dawn. It's amazing how gentle and polite our new houseguest is. It's been a real joy having her around the house.

I was busy today. In addition to visiting the rescue dogs at the kennel, I finally started making some headway on my Solar Orbiter article. I finished the first third of the article this morning and now that I have a plan, the rest should be easier. With any luck I might be able to finish the article tomorrow, but there is no hurry. I'm still not sure where I'm going to send this piece. A lot has been written about the Solar Orbiter already and not everyone is interested in my first person narratives.

I was planning to inspect my roof repairs today but I ran out of time. I'm going to hope for the best, since it looks like rain tomorrow. It's a shame that it probably won't be clear just before sunrise tomorrow morning. There is a rare occultation of the moon and Mars that I'd love to see. Mars will disappear behind the moon around 5:45 AM and then reappear again around 7:20 AM. Unfortunately the rain is supposed to start around 6 AM. Oh, well. I'll set an alarm anyway. If clouds cover the moon, I can always go back to bed and fret about the roof leaking.

I got a late start on my walk this afternoon. Since the days are getting longer, it's rare that I walk in the dark anymore. It was still quite warm and I didn't need a jacket, but it was very humid. It feels like rain is on the way. Jeez. What happened to yesterday's beautiful weather? Every day is a new day as far as the weather goes. I could use a little more consistency. You just never know what to expect.

I hope the roof doesn't leak tomorrow. I've run out of the silicon material and the roofer is still ignoring me. When the rainy season is over, I can consider making some more serious repairs, but for now it would be pointless. When it rains every few days, the roof just doesn't get dry enough. I'd like to feel confident about the roof before I leave for my trip to the observatory, but right now I'm not very confident about anything.

Rain or shine, I'll probably continue writing tomorrow. Once I've started something, it's hard to stop. I hope I can find someone who is interested in the Solar Orbiter article. This trip to Florida was very interesting and there is definitely a story worth telling. The main problem with the Solar Orbiter story is that it will be three to five years before it starts returning useful data. The anticipation of the launch is already over, but it's going to be a long time before we know if this thing works.

Will I see the moon and Mars tomorrow morning? Will I even wake up in time? It all remains to be seen

Lexi is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day