Day 3945

The sky looked very weird this morning. The air felt clean and cool, but there was a thick haze that totally obscured distant objects and dimmed the sun. Was this fog, smoke or dust? Usually you hear something on the news about dramatic weather like this, but Janet and I had heard nothing. My guess is dust, but where was it coming from? I guess the hazy sky could have also been caused by the wildfires on the West Coast, but the fact that the sky was clear again by mid-afternoon made this seem less likely. The haze wasn't fog though. I know fog.

The other strange thing we noticed on this morning's walk was that all the White Pelicans were gone. Several dozen birds had just disappeared. All the other ducks, geese, and assorted cranes and herons were still in their appointed places, so the disappearance of the Pelicans was even more of a mystery. Was there a connection between the hazy skies and the disappearance? Who knows. Nature can be very complicated.

Today was Dalmatian day again. Charlie is currently the only Dalmatian residing at the kennel, but he still deserves a visit. Charlie is always very glad to see us. We play ball with him until he burns off his excess energy and feels like relaxing. Sometimes this takes a while. Charlie is always chewing something. He loves squeaky toys, but we've learned that those indestructible red rubber Kongs survive a lot longer.

I received a copy of my edited manuscript from Sky & Telescope today. Not bad. They cut about seven hundred words so the article would fit the layout, but it still felt like something I wrote. Hey, it was a long article. Seven hundred words wasn't that much of a loss. I've learned not to argue about editor's changes. Sometimes the changes make the article better and it's very rare that the changes actually make the article worse. Usually the changes are just to make the article fit in the space allowed. SpaceFlight Magazine always changes everything to the British spelling which took a little while to get used to. Now I kind of like these British spellings. I'm feeling a little British myself.

I've got to start packing for my trip to the observatory soon. I've always hated packing. I like to travel light, so I inevitably forget something essential. The temperature is already very cold at night on the top of Mount Locke, so I'm going to have to take winter clothes. The last time I was out at the observatory I brought the wrong shoes. What are the right shoes though? I still don't have any shoes that are comfortable for long periods of time. I'll probably err on the side of caution and wear snake-proof boots again.  It's probably already too cold for the snakes to be active, but there are lots of them out there. Did I mention that I hate snakes.

Mars reaches opposition with the sun tomorrow night. Since the planet won't get this close to us again until 2035, I took my telescope out for a look. I saw a bright orange disk, just like I did at the last opposition. My telescope isn't big enough to see polar icecaps or distinct features. It's still worth a look though. Maybe I'll get a better view when I'm out at the observatory.

It feels like another cold front has arrived. It was certainly cold when I took Dawn outside to pee before bedtime. I appreciate the cooler temperatures, but I wish the weather was more consistent. It's a crazy world. I wish everything was more consistent.

Kuuipo is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day