Day 3869

All day rain. We really needed the rain, but it presented all the usual frustrations. It didn't take me long to realize that the pumps weren't working this morning. When I went up on the roof to investigate, I discovered that a tree limb had fallen and knocked over one of the pumps. This must have tripped a circuit breaker that shut off the other pump as well. It was a simple fix to get things running again, but I did get wet.

Luckily, we had already walked Dawn before I had to deal with the pump problem. We're getting better about using weather radar apps to avoid getting wet on our morning walks. Staying dry this morning involved getting a very early start. It was pretty dark when we left the house but as the sky lightened we were treated to a beautiful sunrise and a brief rainbow. We had to cut things a little short this morning, but we were still able to cover four miles.

There is even less to do on a rainy day than a dry day during a pandemic. As I slowly drank my morning smoothie, I kept flipping channels on the kitchen TV. I didn't feel like watching endless congressional hearings and I didn't feel like watching reporters standing in front of hospitals talking about the virus either. I used to watch the BBC in the mornings, but inexplicably my cable provider took it away. My plan never changes, but the channels come and go. No wonder so many people watch those home improvement shows or Christmas movies in July on the Hallmark Channel. Everything else has become hopelessly politicized.

Once I turned on my computer I watched the roll out of the Atlas V-541 with the Mars Perseverance rover attached to the top. Whenever I see these shots from Kennedy Space Center my first reaction is "Hey, I've been there." Since the launch takes place at Launch Complex 41, everything looked very familiar. This is where I was for the ESA Solar Orbiter launch earlier this year. I watched that roll out from the same little hill where the cameras were this morning.

It never did stop raining but late in the day I decided to take another walk anyway. There was a very light drizzle, but it cooled things down and was actually kind of pleasant. The park was finally completely empty again. Even though I got wet, I enjoyed this walk. I listened to bird sounds and looked for new flowers to photograph. I enjoy the sound of silence. There's just not enough of it these days.

Who knows what I'll end up doing tomorrow. It will probably involve eating, walking, and sleeping. These are strange times. I've completely internalized the whole notion of social distancing. Six feet apart isn't nearly far enough. I don't know why we are arguing about masks. We just need to stay completely away from each other. If everyone would turn off their phones and take a vow of silence for 30 days the virus would probably just go away. A lot of our political problems would go away as well. It's the compulsion to talk to each other that makes social distancing so difficult. I wonder what would happen if everyone could just stay alone with their thoughts for a month? No TV. No Internet. No Happy Hour. No Zoom meetings. Just your thoughts. Hey, that's my solution.

Queenie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day