Day 3739

Maybe I'm fooling myself, but I'd like to think that all my long walks are keeping me healthy. What's not to like. Walking burns calories, strengthens your heart and lungs, lowers your blood sugar, increases bone density, reduces the risk of stroke, improves circulation and posture, and enhances creativity. Will my five mile daily walks keep me from getting the coronavirus? Hard to say. It certainly doesn't hurt to stay in shape though.

Dawn seems to agree with me. She loves her daily walks. I don't think she ever got a good walk before. All we have to do is show her a leash and harness and she's ready to go. It's fun to watch her explore and smell everything in her path. It's amazing that something so simple can bring so much joy to a dogs life. It's good to have a dog around again. Dogs have their priorities straight.

The pandemic keeps inching closer and closer to home. There has been a death in Dallas in the last few days and someone has tested positive in our own neighborhood. Janet and I still feel healthy and hope to stay that way. I think social distancing is working, but I feel sorry for all the small businesses that no longer have any customers. I took some letters to the post office this morning and a nearby strip mall was virtually empty. A lot of little shops and restaurants aren't going to make it if this national quarantine goes on much longer.

I went ahead and applied for press credentials for the upcoming Space X Crew Dragon launch that is supposed to take place in late May. This is a big one, since it will mark the first time American astronauts will travel to the International Space Station on an American rocket since the Space Shuttle program ended in 2011. The launch could easily get postponed, especially since NASA has already shut down the Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans and the Stennis Space Center in Mississippi. Who knows. The world could change a lot by mid-May. I'm going to stay optimistic though.

I'm also going to stay in touch with the astronomers at McDonald Observatory. I wrote one of my new friends today and asked hime to let me know when the 82" Otto Struve telescope is eventually rescheduled for another all night special viewing session. I would still really like to spend some time behind the eyepiece of this historic telescope. With all the disruptions caused by the coronavirus, it is doubtful that the telescope would be available until late this Summer. It's going to happen sometime though, and I want to be first in line.

I wish people would stop hoarding food. It forces you to go to the grocery store a lot more often than necessary. There is plenty of food. There is even plenty of toilet paper if people would just continue to shop normally. Panic buying forces you to go to the store frequently, just to see if the empty shelves have been refilled. One day you buy water. The next day you buy bananas.  I just hope there is still a steady supply of fresh fruit for my morning smoothie.

Life is still pretty normal for me. I spent the afternoon clearing water from the roof. Both pumps have become clogged with catkins from our remaining Oak trees. The roof was a mess, but apparently the patches I made recently are working. Despite an abundance of rain, we haven't seen any more leaks.

Baxter is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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