Day 4057

We brought Charlie a new octopus toy today. It took him about two seconds to abandon all his other toys and focus his attention on removing the squeaker from this one. Most dogs like to play tug with these type of toys. Charlie likes to thrash the toy around like he's killing a squirrel. It took about twenty minutes for him to wear himself out, but he saved just enough energy to catch treats in the air, which is one of his favorite things. Cooper liked the new toy too, but he played more conventionally and wanted us to play tug with him. Toys still scare Clyde, but he did take treats from us, so we're making progress.

Cooper is really making progress. He seems like a normal dog now. Charlie will never be a normal dog, but he is a lot of fun and smart as a whip. Clyde seems a lot like Dawn. He's scared of everything, but is gentle and sweet. I'd like to think that our weekly efforts to socialize these dogs is doing some good. I suspect that it is. Truthfully, these visits probably do more good for Janet and I than for the dogs. It's hard to beat playing with a bunch of Dalmatians.

Today was a pretty nice day. The weather was beautiful and a lot of little odds and ends seemed to finally come together. The dehumidifier manufacturer told me that they were sending me the missing parts on my replacement unit. I hope this will solve my problem, but there could be other missing parts inside the machine that I can't see. If they send the right parts, I'm pretty sure I can fix the auto shutoff mechanism. It seems like it might have been easier to just exchange the unit, but I'm not going to complain at this point. We'll see how this repair attempt goes.

I got my new 3M N95 masks today. These masks are supposed to be even better than the N95 masks I ordered last time. Janet and I will save them for when we have doctor's appointments. Judging from the people I see in the waiting room, I'd hazard a guess that visiting the doctor is a little more iffy than going to the grocery store. I've always been suspicious of hospitals. That's where the sick people are.

I got a notice from NASA that I could reapply to attend the Artemis-1 static fire test in February. Should I apply for press credentials again? I guess it all depends on whether I can get vaccinated before the test. This makes the static fire a real long shot at this point. Vaccine distribution isn't working very well yet. None of the neighborhood pharmacies that were originally supposed to be the primary distribution points have gotten their supplies of the vaccine. The huge mega sites are plagued with long lines and often turn people away after they have waited in line for hours. My primary care physician managed to get authorized as a distribution center, but they have only been sent 80 doses of the vaccine. That didn't go very far after all the doctors and staff vaccinated themselves. In theory, I'm in one of those high priority groups, but it certainly doesn't seem that way. Stay tuned. We'll see how long this takes.

I continue to be amazed at how quickly the temperature changes on a sunny day. It was near freezing when we woke up this morning, but by the time I took my long walk after we returned from the Dalmatian kennel, it was warm enough to go walking in a t-shirt. I didn't need a jacket at all. Dawn continues to take two short walks: one in the morning and another in the afternoon. It appears that this is what she has been wanting to do all along. All's well that ends well I guess.

Myles is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day