Tuesday, June 30, 2020

Day 3841

I finally got the grass mowed. I thought about waiting until the weather was cooler, but I'd probably be waiting until Fall. Temperatures are expected to be in the 90's for the rest of the week with a few triple digit days thrown in for good measure. The Saharan dust cloud appears to have returned as well. It definitely wasn't a great day to be outside. At any rate, the yard looks better now and I got some exercise. I'm glad we have a small yard.

We got our earliest start yet on Dawn's morning walk, but we still had to cut things short today. Instead of our usual five mile walk, we only walked four miles. Since at least half of our walk was completed before sunrise, Dawn was fine. Dawn still loves these morning walks, but we have to be careful that she doesn't become overheated. I have a feeling that our walks are going to become even shorter in the weeks ahead.

I watched a Space X military launch on my computer this afternoon. Some of my Florida photographer friends were there, setting up cameras right next to the launch pad. I wonder whether I'll ever be able to do this again. I was just getting started as a space journalist and then the pandemic happened. Since both Florida and Texas are hotspots now, I'm not anticipating getting clearance to return to Kennedy Space Center any time soon. I shouldn't complain though. There are worse places to be quarantined than where I live. Even though the vegetation is starting to dry out, the park is still a beautiful place. There are fewer flowers now, but I enjoy listening to the birds and trying to identify them.

Dawn enjoys the wildlife too. She saw her first rabbit up close this morning. I'm glad she was on a leash. She was a little too interested in this bunny. A lot of Dalmatians have a strong prey drive. Spot and Dot would chase squirrels for hours. Dot even caught one once. Greta went after birds. I have a feeling that Dawn would have gone after this rabbit. I guess it's not as bad as having a cat. We've never had a Dalmatian try to bring a dead mouse into the house.

I wish I'd gotten a haircut when the stores first opened. Now I'm becoming reluctant to go out in public again. Dallas has been setting new records for Covid-19 infections every day for the past week. Twenty people died yesterday. We're still doing a lot better than Houston or Austin, but the trend isn't your friend here. I'm sure the park will be full of people barbecuing and having parties on July 4. It's no problem staying away from these people since the park is huge, but it's still a little sad to see so many folks ignoring everything.

The dermatologist must have known what he was doing. The scabs on my face are starting to peel away and my skin looks clear again. Like many things involving medicine, I should have done this procedure earlier. Hey, better late than never. I'm glad I don't have to return to a hospital any time soon. I don't want to go anywhere near a hospital right now.

I need to think of something to do around the house that doesn't involve cleaning tomorrow. I'm the expert at isolation, but I'm becoming bored. I'm realizing now that working saved me from cabin fever for many years. Staring at a computer when you are working and making money is one thing. Staring at the same computer when you are retired is something else entirely. I don't recommend it.

Tucker is today's Dalmatian of the Day
Watch of the Day