Day 3959

Winter has arrived. We woke up this morning to a cold rain and the temperature stayed in the low 40's all day. We had to skip our morning walk today because it was just too nasty outside. Dawn went back to bed and I turned up the heat a notch while I ate my breakfast. I don't know why I spent all that time on the roof yesterday. Oh, well. At least all the leaves and pecans are gone.

We met the newest member of the Dalmatian Rescue program when we visited the kennel this afternoon. Colt is a sweet, gentle boy who currently has heartworms and is very underweight. We won't begin his heartworm treatment until he has gained some weight and is in better condition. Colt is a handsome dog with a great temperament. I don't know much about his past history, but he already seems to know some basic commands. He can sit, stay, and will come when you call. This friendly guy is going to make a great companion for some lucky family as soon as we can get him healthy again.

It never warmed up today, but the rain eventually did stop. When we returned from the kennel, we took Dawn on a late afternoon walk. She loves the cold, but doesn't like wet weather very much. Despite the wet weather, she was definitely ready for a walk. It was even colder than I anticipated and I ended up wearing the same two winter coats that I wore during our late night photography sessions at McDonald Observatory several weeks ago. Wet weather must enhance smells outside. Dawn wanted to smell everything today. She seemed happy to be outdoors. I was happy to get back to a warm house again.

I've lived in cold climates before, but I wonder how I survived. I definitely don't do well in cold weather anymore. It's hard to believe that I used to live in Idaho and went to high school in Fairbanks, Alaska. I guess I became a permanent Southerner years ago. I don't like all the bugs we have down here, but it sure beats icy roads, drafty houses, and taking the dogs out to pee in a snowstorm.

NASA has finally set a new date for the Crew-1 launch. It doesn't conflict with Thanksgiving or Christmas, so all is good. I'll wait to make my reservations until I get the official word from my NASA contacts, but it'a beginning to look like this is going to happen. Let's not have any late season hurricanes or civil unrest. There's already enough to worry about this year.

It looks like tomorrow is going to be exactly like today. We may have to postpone our morning walk again because the forecast sure looks like rain. Even on the worst of day, there always seems time to a walk. Having weather radar on our phones has changed everything. Rather than be surprised and end up soaking wet, you can usually find a 30 to 60 minute window where it is dry enough for a decent walk. I was always bad at guessing when the rain would stop. Spot and I got soaked a lot back in the days before the iPhone was invented.

It looks like we might need an extra blanket on the bed tonight. We'll see what tomorrow brings. If the weather is really bad, I'll just turn up the heat and take a long nap with Dawn.

Pearl is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day