Day 4237

The appliance repairman came back today and installed the new part. The ice maker and in-door water dispenser still aren't working though because no water is flowing to the refrigerator. I'm going to have to call the plumbers again. Actually, I did call the plumber, but they aren't working on Saturday. When the plumbers were out at the house we checked to make sure that the new shut off valve they installed stopped the leak in the freezer. I guess we didn't check to see if the valve actually worked. It seems fine in the off position, but nothing happens in the on position. This is frustrating to say the least. I hope the plumbers don't charge me again when I can get them to come out and investigate things. Janet suggested just leaving the ice maker broken since the freezer is working fine. I like the ice in my morning smoothie though, so the ice maker will have to be fixed. I can't keep buying bags of party ice forever.

I went to the gym really early this morning so I could be home in time to meet the appliance repairman. I did an abbreviated workout, finished my grocery shopping and made it home again thirty minutes before the repairman arrived. I was really disappointed when the repairman informed me that this whole refrigerator saga isn't over yet. Until I can get the water flowing to the refrigerator, I have no idea whether anything the repairman did today actually worked. I doubt if he knows either. The weird thing is that there is no logical reason why water isn't flowing. The shut off valve is very simple. It's either on or it's off. Water was definitely flowing with the old broken valve so there's nothing wrong with the copper pipe. Hopefully I can get a plumber out Monday because this thing is driving me crazy.

Dawn did extremely well on her sunrise walk this morning. She seemed back to her old self and walked almost two miles. We still have no idea what caused Dawn to stop walking and what is making her feel confident again. I'd like to think that the reluctance to walking had something to do with her paws, but she wasn't licking or paying any attention to them then. Now that she wants to walk longer again, she's tearing her paws up. I had to put the cone on her while I was eating breakfast, because she immediately wanted to start licking when we returned to the house. I don't understand anything anymore. Dawn shouldn't be licking her paws and water should be flowing through that copper pipe.

I might have missed my opportunity to see a Starship launch. Activity is really picking up in Boca Chica and they say that the hotels in the area are filled with Space X employees now. Space X is also building a tall fence that blocks a lot of the views you used to get from Highway 4. It still would be nice to go down there for the first orbital launch later this year. I'm beginning to think that space journalism was just something I imagined. I'm losing a lot of my connections at Kennedy Space Center and it seems harder and harder to get press credentials. Maybe it's all for the best. I don't feel really comfortable traveling now that Covid panic is on the rise again. I've had so many expenses lately that I probably couldn't afford a trip right now anyway. It was fun to be part of the space community for a while. Hopefully, I'll be able to rejoin them when life returns to normal.

It's not getting any cooler, so we'll probably have to take Dawn on her Sunday outing a little earlier tomorrow. A walk and ice cream cones will probably be the big event of the day. I doubt that I'll see a plumber tomorrow. The dispatcher told me that emergency plumbers worked on the weekends but that ice makers weren't considered an emergency.

Shelby is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4236

Long day. When I was fixing breakfast this morning I tried to get something out of the freezer and the door wouldn't open. Something strange was going on because the door seemed welded shut. I finally pried the door open with a large screwdriver and discovered that the inside of the freezer was covered with ice. The supply line to the icemaker had broken during the night and flooded the freezer. I guess it was a good thing that the water froze because it would have flooded the house otherwise.

I shut the refrigerator off and opened the door so the ice would melt. It was a huge mess because all the food in the freezer was frozen together. I went to the storage warehouse to get a large ice cooler and then to the supermarket to get two twenty pound bags of ice. I called the appliance repairman and then started to thaw the ice with a hair dryer so I could remove the food and transfer it to the ice chest. 

Luckily the appliance repairman was able to come out today. He discovered a broken valve that was supposed to stop the flow of water from the supply line after the ice trays were filled. I tried to shut off the supply line in the  utility room, but the shut off valve above the water heater was broken too. Now I had to call a plumber before the appliance repairman could continue working. I told him to order the parts he needed and come back tomorrow. Luckily, the second plumbing company I called had someone they could send out today.

The supply line to the refrigerator has been shut off now and all the ice in the refrigerator has been removed. It was a messy, tedious job to remove all the ice and clean up the water on the floor. I suspect that there is still some ice behind a metal plate on the freezer wall that I didn't have time to remove. I was able to salvage most of the food and we didn't have to throw much away. The ice cream all turned to soup, but most of the other stuff stayed frozen. The appliance repairman returns tomorrow and hopefully we will be back in business. I could have easily bought a new refrigerator for less than the cost of all the repairs I've made over the years. Unfortunately, nobody makes refrigerators that fit in our mid-fifties kitchen anymore. I'd either have to get a cheap apartment sized refrigerator, or completely remodel the kitchen so one of today's monster refrigerators would fit. I'm so tired of fixing things, but's that's life if you live in an old house.

I was able to get my errands done before the repairman arrived, but I wasn't able to get to the gym until very late in the day. I walked three miles around the track, lifted a few weights and came home again. Dawn still got her sunrise walk. I didn't even know there was a problem when we were walking Dawn this morning. If I hadn't wanted a scoop of ice cream in my morning smoothie, I might not have known until much later. It all worked out well. It was kind of a miracle that I was able to get an appliance repairman and a plumber out to the house on the same day. The refrigerator still isn't fixed, but nothing is leaking now and we're headed in the right direction.

Dawn doesn't bark at repairmen. All our other dogs went nuts when a repairman was in the house. Dawn just slept calmly on the bed in the bedroom the entire time. So far, I seem to be the only thing that upsets this dog. Dawn is still biting her paws, but the cone seems to work pretty well to protect them. You have to be careful when you take the cone off. The minute Dawn thinks you aren't looking, she'll start going after her paws again. I'm tired and a little discouraged. I'd much rather be out at the Astronomer's Lodge looking at the night sky without a care in the world.

Penny is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4235

Today was busy. Well, at least it was busy for me. I did more than one thing today which is becoming increasingly rare. It doesn't cool down at night the way it used to last month. Since our sunrise walks are warmer, Dawn doesn't like to walk as far. We are back to our bare minimum one mile loop again. I can't blame Dawn for wanting to get back inside. I usually feel like getting back inside as well.

I stopped at REI to pick up my new running shoes on my way to get a haircut. You could tell the whole mask situation is getting very confusing. Some of the staff were wearing masks while others weren't. The customers were the same way. I see this everywhere. When I went to the pharmacy a little later to pick up the antibiotics I need for my upcoming root canal, none of the pharmacists on duty were wearing masks. My hair stylist still wants customers to wear masks though and says she might continue wearing them forever. Clearly, we are just as divided on masks as we are on everything else in this country. I carry a mask in my back pocket and put it on if it makes someone happy. I don't think they are necessary if you have been vaccinated though. I'm wearing mine less and less.

I always enjoy getting a good haircut. Usually a haircut means I will be traveling somewhere interesting in the near future. Not this time. Travel is another thing that has become completely messed up in a post-Covid world. Planes are crowded and the people flying on them have become extremely rude. Hotels have gotten very expensive and rental cars are almost impossible to find in popular destinations. This is one of many reasons why I will be missing the upcoming Boeing Starliner launch. It's just as well I guess. If I was down in Titusville now, I would be fretting about the latest launch delay and wondering how I was going to pay for the trip. I'm hoping that things will change in the Fall, but I'm not counting on it. A perpetual Covid panic seems to benefit some people. This may go on forever.

I feel bad about making Dawn wear the cone so much, but it is the only thing that keeps her from licking and biting at her paws. We can usually leave the cone off in the mornings because she is tired after her sunrise walk and just goes to sleep. It's the afternoons where she gets into trouble. She knows we don't like the licking and will usually not go after her paws while one of us is in the room with her. If we leave her alone in the house she starts licking immediately. I thought this might be separation anxiety for a while, but she also does a lot of licking while we are asleep. Luckily, she can sleep normally wearing the cone, because she's been having to wear it at night lately.

I'm getting tired of spending money on things that bring no joy. I got my car insurance bill today and of course it was a lot higher than it was six months ago. I looked up the average price of a root canal on Google and was horrified at how expensive they were. Several reputable tree guys want to charge me as much as $5000 to remove the big Oak tree in the back yard. Lord knows how much it will cost to fix all the things that need attention in the house.

I went to the gym again today. I may not be getting any satisfaction, but I am still getting my steps. Maybe I'm fooling myself, but I still think staying in shape and drinking a healthy smoothie every morning is the secret to everything. We'll see how tomorrow goes. I've taken the trash out to the curb and watered the new grass. I'm ready for anything as long as there are no surprises.

Tink is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4234

Good grief. Usually a trip to the dentist is uneventful for me. I have good teeth and seldom have problems. Today the dentist told me that I have a cavity in one tooth and need a root canal in another. My regular dentist doesn't do root canals, so I had to go see an endodontist. My regular dentist said it was time for another pano-x-ray. That wasn't good enough for the endodontist however. He said I needed a cone beam CT scan. I got both. Needless to say, it was an expensive afternoon. All I was expecting was a routine teeth cleaning today. My teeth don't hurt and I had no idea there was a problem. The x-rays don't lie unfortunately, so I've got two different appointments in August for some major dental work.

This is probably why I still haven't made appointment with two other doctors I need to see this summer. I hate surprises and the older you get, the more likely you are to be surprised during a routine doctor visit. I'll get everything done this summer, but I'm saving the colonoscopy for last. I'd really like to avoid that one. 

Medical expenses always seem so unrewarding. I'd much rather get a new camera lens than a root canal. You can't ignore your health though. Both dentists agreed that it wouldn't be wise to postpone the root canal, even though the tooth isn't bothering me at the moment. The endodontist said the infection was still contained within the bone. "You don't want this to spread to soft tissue," he told me. "It will be very painful." OK. I believe you. I've made both dental appointments and will probably go ahead and make all my other appointments as well. I might as well get all this medical stuff behind me. Then I can concentrate on important things like going to rocket launches and visiting the observatory again.

It was too late to go to the gym after I returned from my two dental visits today. Even though it was very hot, I went for a walk instead. There was no compelling reason to do anything, but I really wanted to get those steps. I have become a slave to Fitbit and my Apple Watch. There's nothing wrong with exercise though. I think I'm in pretty good shape for 73. Age catches up with you though. Dusty Hill died today. He was younger than I am. I never saw ZZ Top perform, although I really liked their music. I should have gone to a concert while I had a chance. The band spent a lot of time in Dallas. Actually Dusty was born here.

Dawn is still trying to lick and bite her paws. I had to put a cone on her before I went to the dentist today. She's still taking antibiotics and I thought it was funny that the endodontist prescribed the same antibiotic for me. I'm supposed to start taking the pills four days before the root canal procedure. The root canal is underneath a crown and I keep thinking that this never would have happened if I hadn't gotten the crown. I chipped a tooth years ago and I wanted the dentist to just smooth the little chipped part and seal it. Nope. He said I had to have a crown, even though only a tiny part of the tooth had broken off. I still think that tooth was basically fine. What do I know about dentistry though? I'm the guy who went fifteen years without seeing a dentist at all.

Tomorrow I get a haircut. Somehow it is much easier for me to make a hair appointment than a doctor's appointment.

Queenie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4233

The sunrise walks are warmer now. You can tell what kind of day it is going to be the instant you step outside. I knew today was going to be a hot one. Dawn's enthusiasm for walking is very temperature dependent. She walked slower today and chose a shorter route. I couldn't blame her for wanting to get back to the house. When the temperature is already in the 80's during the coolest part of the day, even a dog knows that it's crazy to stay outside.

The air conditioner is running nonstop now. I keep hoping that this essential piece of machinery won't break. The problem with air conditioning is that it can only lower the ambient temperature by about twenty degrees. This works pretty well when the outside temperature is 90 degrees. When the temperature climbs over 100 degrees, most systems start to struggle. Our house isn't well insulated either. We have lots of single pane glass. The house was originally built with a thick tar and gravel roof that provided a modest amount of insulation. Modern roofing materials are much thinner and provide little insulation value at all. We have lost several large trees over the years as well, which used to provide lots of shade. We've always had hot summers here in Dallas, but it seems like the air conditioner is working a lot harder than it used to.

After breakfast I wrote a letter to my sister. This is the only way we communicate, so I always try to answer her letters. I kind of wish that everyone still wrote letters. It's easy to put a paper letter or a bill in a file folder and save it forever. I can't tell you how much e-mail that I have accidentally erased over the years. I have already forgotten to pay several bills now that I have switched over to electronic payments for everything. My old IBM Selectric typewriter used to feel so much more substantial than this Apple keyboard. I think my spelling used to be better back in the day as well, since it was such a pain to correct things. The older I get, the more nostalgic I become, so I guess I'm glad that there is still one person who believes in putting their thoughts on paper. My sister is even more old school than I am and writes everything in long hand instead of using a keyboard.

Dawn is getting better about wearing a cone while I'm away. She doesn't like it, but it works much better than the socks did for protecting her feet. She's got some new antibiotics now, but we still don't know what is causing the compulsive licking. It's rare that Janet and I are both away at the same time, so Dawn doesn't have to wear the cone that often. The redness does improve if we can keep her from licking or biting at her paws, so maybe if we can just keep her away from those paws for two or three weeks, everything will be better.

The gym must have fixed their air conditioning overnight, because the place was much cooler today. A lot of the treadmills are still broken, but I was still able to find a good one. It looks like I might be going to the gym every day this week because we've got a long string of 100 degree days ahead of us. Oddly, my car has better air conditioning than either our house or the gym. I have no problems staying cool in my car.   The only problem I have with the car is that it gets terrible gas mileage. If I'm driving in the city, I can almost see the gas gauge go down while I'm looking at it. Its silly to complain about this though, since I don't drive much and basically go nowhere. I only fill my tank about every three weeks.

The foam inserts for my camera case finally arrived. I haven't installed the foam in the case yet because I still have to cut slots in the foam for the lenses and camera. It seems like I had a special knife for this at one point. I'll have to look for it. Once I replace the disintegrating foam in the old aluminum Halliburton case I probably won't look at the cameras again for several years. It's way too much trouble to shoot on film these days unless you do the processing yourself.

I hope it's a little cooler tomorrow, but I'm sure it won't be. I'm probably going to be complaining about the heat for the next several months. 

Deuce is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4232

The heat is getting serious. The temperature topped 100 degrees for the second day in a row. Everywhere I went today it felt like the air conditioners were struggling to keep up. Even our sunrise walk this morning felt considerably warmer than usual. I can't wait for Fall to arrive. The sad thing is that we aren't even getting the worst of the summer heat. Many other parts of the country have it worse than we do.

Luckily, the kennel was still keeping Charlie and Cooper nice and cool. The boys are alone again, since Daisy went to her forever home this week. Not surprisingly, the dogs didn't want to go outside today. Cooper really didn't want to go outside and decided to poop in the indoor play area instead. We left the possum toy home today because it seemed to be making Charlie sad. We brought two new toys that didn't look like animals and both dogs had fun thrashing them around and trying to get the squeakers out. Both dogs have gotten extremely good at catching toys when we throw them in the air. They know all the basic commands and enjoy showing off. The kennel staff agrees that these two boys are happy dogs. They seem to think that the kennel is their home. Maybe it is. Charlie has sure been there for a very long time. I still hope they can find a real home. For the right person, each of these dogs would make a great companion.

It was so hot when we returned from the kennel that I didn't even consider walking in the park. Even though it was late in the day, I went to the gym instead. The gym wasn't ice cold for the first time I can remember. Even their massive air conditioners were having trouble coping with the heat. Evidently they are still having problems finding a technician to repair the treadmills. Even more were broken today. In fact, one treadmill died while I was using it. I had to search all over the floor to find another that still functioned properly.

More people are wearing masks at the gym again. I have a feeling that it won't be long before there is a mask mandate again. I always keep one in my pocket just in case I'm asked to wear it. Hospitalization rates in Dallas are quite low, but media stories about the Delta variant have gotten a lot of people worried again. You can't say they aren't trying to get everyone vaccinated. I had to pick up a prescription at the pharmacy and the pharmacist asked if I'd had my Covid shots yet. There were big banners on the store advertising free Covid shots inside with no waiting or appointment needed. I don't really understand the reluctance to take this shot. I've been vaccinated against virtually everything over the years and am still doing well. Nobody questions their vet when it's time for a rabies shot. When I was a kid getting vaccinated for everything from polio to measles, there weren't any anti-vaxers. There wasn't any social media either. Social media is at the root of so many of today's problems. It is an addiction every bit as serious as alcoholism or drug abuse. If we could somehow just make Facebook, Twitter, Tik-Tok, and all the other media distractions disappear, the world would be a better place. Medical decisions should be between you and your doctor. They shouldn't be between you and a million other people on Facebook.

I'm glad I'm old. I think future historians will write about this period of time the way we write about the fall of Rome. Civil society is crumbling and we are slowly forgetting that it wasn't always this way. I grew up in a time where my family took vacations all over the United States in a car without seat belts. We played on rusty jungle gyms and swing sets, swam in creeks, and went unsupervised at night on Halloween all over town. There wasn't a single murder in our town during the entire time I was growing up. We rode our bicycles to school and our parents never worried that we'd be involved in a mass shooting. I grew up confident that the world was full of opportunities and never missed not having a phone in my pocket. I'm glad to have experienced this moment in time because it's gone now.

Smokey is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4231

Another Sunday in the books. It was pretty much the same as last Sunday, but there's nothing wrong with that. We have definitely entered the hottest part of the summer. I try to walk earlier and drink lots of water. I wish we'd get a cool day so I could mow the grass. It's just too hot to mow the grass or go up on the roof right now. I do water the grass though. So far, the new grass hasn't died.

We still enjoy our sunrise walks. It's amazing how quickly the temperature rises as soon as the sun comes up. Dawn walked a lot today. She went a mile and a half on our early walk and then walked another mile when we took her on her Sunday outing. I took my own long walk in between these two dog walks. Now my routine includes standing under the spray fountain I discovered recently. An early start and a cooling mist of water along the way really helps.

When we got ice cream after Dawn's outing today, I noticed that the cones have gotten smaller. The price is the same, but there is definitely less ice cream in each cone. This is happening everywhere. I can't think of a single instance where portion sizes have increased recently. I've already mentioned dog food cans and paper towel rolls, but I'm sure there are other things as well. When you buy the same things over and over again, you notice small changes.

We've got to come up with a better solution for protecting Dawn's feet. All the socks we've tried don't tend to stay on very long. I don't know how she gets them off, but whenever I look she's always missing a sock. So far we've been using things that were left over from Dot and Dash. We probably need to measure her feet and find something that is specifically designed for her feet. Lots of luck with that though. Dog socks just tend to come in small, medium, and large. Hopefully, when we eventually discover why she is licking her paws, we can deal with the root cause and the licking will stop.

I ordered a new pair of Hoka One One running shoes today. My old shoes haven' worn out yet, but since I will probably be wearing these things forever, it makes sense to buy a pair whenever I see a good sale. It's a shame that running shoes wear out so quickly. I have hiking boots that will last for generations, but they hurt my feet now so I can't wear them anymore. All my old shoes still fit fine. When your cartilage starts to degenerate and wear out, your feet just aren't very forgiving.

Sometimes I wonder what I'd like to do in the years ahead. If I had a car that was absolutely guaranteed not to break down in the middle of nowhere, I'd wander aimlessly along the back roads of America, stopping whenever I found a place that seemed lost in time. I would avoid cities like the plague. The future looks bleak, but the past still exists, tucked away in little pockets here and there. It might be fun looking for them.

Puppies are today's Dalmatians of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4230

It was apparent when we took our sunrise walk this morning that it was going to be a hot day. We got a late start, but it still felt early to me. I didn't sleep well last night. A combination of heartburn and an upset stomach showed me that I've really got to start watching what I eat. I felt better after the walk, but still felt like goig back to bed.

Since today was definitely too hot for a walk in the park, I thought I'd try something new. I went to the gym before I did my Saturday grocery shopping. The gym closes early on Saturday, but this worked out pretty well. I walked three miles at the gym and did a little work with free weights before going to two grocery stores that were on my way home anyway. I got all my shopping done earlier than I usually do and  I didn't have to think about walking in the hot sun. Mission accomplished.

We got a small cone of shame for Dawn, but she really doesn't like it. When I ran my errands this morning I put a waterproof covering on the bed so we wouldn't have another laundry disaster if Dawn started licking again. She does most of her licking while we're gone. It's a shame that we can't leave the paper bootie bandages on her paws while we are away. I'm afraid that she might eat the booties trying to get them off and we would find ourselves at the emergency vet with a blockage. The socks work great while we are at home, but we have to keep an eye on Dawn. The booties do prevent her from licking her paws, but she knows how to get them off now. Keeping her from licking is an uphill battle.

This afternoon was uneventful. There were a number of things I should have done, but I couldn't seem to get motivated. Ants are getting in the house again, but I can't figure out where they are coming from. This would be a good time to patch the roof since there is no rain in the forecast, but it is way too hot. I tried to take a nap with Dawn, but she didn't want to share the bed and went off to her dog bed in the kitchen. It's too bad I don't enjoy watching television. It was kind of a television watching afternoon.

I'm really disappointed that Florida has become a virus hotspot again. The Boeing Starliner launch is next week and NASA recently sent out invitations to apply for credentials to view an upcoming ISS resupply mission in late August. Things are happening, but I'm just not involved. I feel like I'm losing touch with the space community, but I still don't feel any burning desire to return to Kennedy Space Center right now. I don't think I could turn any of this summer's launches into an interesting story for Spaceflight magazine anyway, and I don't want to press my luck by traveling into a virus hotspot.

I've got to find something interesting to do in Dallas, or I'm just going to be mowing the grass and fretting about Dawn's paws. I could make a long list of things I don't want to do, but the list of things that interest me is getting pretty small. I really wonder if I'm going to make it until Day 5000. I may just wake up one morning and realize that this quest is silly and pointless.

When I wake up tomorrow I'll be thinking about Dawn's Sunday outing. Janet and I both enjoy this little trip because it makes Dawn happy. If a walk in a different park and an ice cream cone can make Dawn happy, I guess it's good enough for me as well

Molly is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4229

I got a message from Patrick Air Force Base today saying that due to the increased threat from Covid, new protocols would be going into effect immediately. In a long list of new restrictions, one thing stood out to me: no more on base launch viewing. What a shame that things are going backwards. I was hoping to resume attending launches soon. I wouldn't be terribly surprised to hear that McDonald Observatory is reconsidering its plan to resume pre-Covid operations in September. Very little surprises me anymore. I'm beginning to think that this virus might be with us forever. People overestimate their ability to control things. Do you really think we can stop floods, wildfires, and deadly new diseases? We can't even control overpopulation which is causing many of these problems in the first place.

There is no point in being gloomy though. Dawn had a good day and I actually got quite a bit done. Maybe Dawn didn't lick her paws because she wasn't left alone today. I made sure to wait until Janet returned from grocery shopping before I went to the gym. We had a nice sunrise walk and are continuing to explore new locations in the park. Dawn seems curious and increasingly confident. When it was time for me to take her outside to pee around lunchtime, I didn't even need to put her on a leash. I just told her it was time to go pee and she followed me out to the back door. This may seem like a small thing, but it's been months since she has followed me on her own. Maybe Dawn is starting to like me.

I think the camera case foam inserts I ordered over a month ago are finally on their way. I thought I was dealing with a large organization, but apparently the company is just a single guy who cuts the foam to order. He wrote me today saying that he'd been sick lately and was way behind on orders. I was promised that my order would be in the mail tonight. I kind of feel bad now that I've been pestering this guy. Keeping a small business alive is never easy and I imagine that there isn't a lot of demand to refurbish old camera cases.

When I went to the gym this afternoon I was surprised to discover that half of the treadmills weren't working. I usually use the same treadmill, so I've never really paid much attention to all the others. Today someone else was using my regular treadmill, so I was going to use one of the many others on the floor. It took quite a while to find one that would work. What happened to the repairman who used to regularly service these machines. I used to see him frequently at the gym. Did the guy get Covid? Did he retire? People who make or fix things are in short supply these days. One by one, many of the craftsmen and repair people I used to depend on have simply disappeared.

I paid a bunch of July bills today and continue to be amazed at how much more expensive everything is getting. Inflation is real. Utility bills are higher. Insurance is higher. Not only are prices going up in stores, quantities are getting smaller. I've been using those blue Scott shop towels for years and the price has literally doubled. To add insult to injury, I noticed last week that the size of the rolls is smaller and they decreased the size of each sheet to maintain the same sheet count per roll. Who do these guys think they're fooling? When we started buying wet food for Dawn, we've noticed that many brands have smaller cans now. The cans were larger when we bought for Dot and Dash. The prices haven't come down though. The prices never come down.

It's time to make a grocery list again. I will have to buy some more party ice tomorrow because I still haven't gotten the ice maker in the refrigerator fixed. I haven't made a service appointment for my car either, or scheduled two upcoming doctor's appointments. I'd just as soon postpone everything this summer. The dentist did pin me down though. Got to go to the dentist next week.

Jewel is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4228

We're back to square one. I left Dawn alone while I went to the gym today and she did some serious paw licking while I was gone. I thought her paws were really starting to improve, but now they're all red and raw again. I don't know what to do with her. I take the socks off when I leave the house now, because she has started to eat them. If we put a cone on her, she can still manage to reach her rear paws. Usually she just sleeps while I am gone, but today was pretty bad. She did so much licking that the comforter and sheets were all wet and had to go in the wash.

The paw licking wasn't the only bad news either. The vet called and told us that Dawn still has a bacterial infection. The antibiotics she was taking failed to clear it up. Now they are doing a culture of the bacteria to find out specifically what it is and then then we'll probably have to treat it with a different antibiotic. What happened to our gentle, low maintenance dog who just wants to sleep all day? At least she's not as fearful of me anymore. She doesn't run away when I'm fixing her dinner anymore. This probably has more to do with her new food than it does with me though. We've got a long road ahead of us. First, we've got to clear up her bacterial infection. Then we've got to go through a slow process of elimination to find out why she continues to lick her paws. Can dogs self harm like people do? So far, this seems like a reasonable explanation to me. We've taken her to the vet several times and haven't found anything medical that would explain the licking yet.

Dawn continues to explore new areas of the park on our sunrise walk. We didn't go as far as we did yesterday, but she still had a very nice walk, exploring an area where we haven't been in many months. It's disappointing that her paws looked so good while we were walking this morning. I really thought we'd turned a corner. Now we're starting over again. At least we know that it's possible for the paws to heal. We've just got to keep her from licking for two or three weeks.

While Dawn was making a mess of things at home, I was at the gym trying to undo the mess I'd made of my body during a lazy Covid year. I really wish I enjoyed this because it is much harder to build muscle mass as you grow older. I'm thinking now that I had a stomach ache yesterday because I've been working too hard on my core and abs. My stomach is sore and I'm beginning to think it has nothing to do with what I've been eating. I did some different exercises today. We'll see if that helps.

It's a shame that Covid infections have become an issue again. Texas was doing so well for a while that I thought that we'd put the pandemic behind us. Now Florida has become a hotspot again. 20% of all the new cases in the entire country come from Florida. This isn't good for any near term launch viewing plans. I'm not even considering going to Florida until the state returns to normal. I sure hope they don't reinstate mask mandates in Texas. So far, our state seems to be doing pretty good. Unfortunately, anything that happens in other states can easily come here.

We need a bigger dryer. It's going to be hard to get all the bedding washed and dried again before it's time to go to bed. It takes a long time to dry a heavy bedspread. I've always wished we had one of those industrial sized washers and dryers that you often see at vet clinics and boarding facilities. If you have dogs, a regular washer and dryer just doesn't cut it. The sad thing is that as soon as I get everything back on the bed, Dawn will probably make a mess of things again as soon as we go to sleep.

At least it's Friday tomorrow. I've taken the trash out to the curb and watered the new grass. I ate a very light dinner tonight and so far no stomach ache or heartburn. I"m hoping for a very uneventful day tomorrow.

Pongo is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4227

Dawn walked two miles this morning. I was amazed. She was tired when we returned home, but this was her longest walk in many months. Something has changed. Dawn seems happier and more assertive now. I don't know if we'll ever discover what caused her to freeze in place and become reluctant to leave the house. It's nice to see her become more confident though. We were probably walking her too far in the beginning. She's an older dog and tires easily. It seems to work pretty well if we just let Dawn choose what to do. She seems to know her limits.

Today was totally uneventful. It was too hot to take a walk in the park, so I puttered around the house for a while and then went to the gym. I need to think of something to do that doesn't involve planning a trip to Florida or West Texas. I probably need to start working again, but the thought of finding clients seems daunting. Things change quickly and I've lost most of my old contacts. I don't think I could work for anyone else either. I've gone way too long without having a boss or a supervisor. Oh, well. So much for working. Probably all I need are a few good books.

I find it strange that there is so much animosity toward Jeff Bezos. There seemed to be a lot of criticism of his rocket on the morning shows today. The same people who find pleasure in hating Bezos always seem to have Amazon boxes on their front porch. I think it's great that Bezos, Branson, and Musk want to go to space. People forget that during the early days of aviation only rich people could afford to fly. The same has been true for most new innovations. Even color televisions were out of reach for many when I was a kid. Hey, somebody has to be first. Say what you will about Zuckerberg, but you are probably on Facebook right now. People like Bezos and Zuckerberg are rich because you want what they have to offer. It seems so hypocritical to badmouth successful tech titans while you are constantly glued to your cell phone, ordering stuff you don't really need online. At any rate, I hope Bezos succeeds with his dream of moving heavy industry off the planet and Musk is able to establish a colony on Mars. We need a lot more people with outlandish big dreams and a lot fewer substance abusers living in tents on city streets.

I can't figure out how my gym stays in business. There are usually only about twelve people on the floor and it's always the same people. I can't believe that the gym is usually crowded and I just happen to pick the times when it is empty. I'm certainly not complaining. I like the fact that most of the machines are always open and there's never a wait for anything. I did my usual routine today and then came home. I actually think I get more exercise walking in the park, but the gym is a nice change of pace. It certainly beats going outside on a hot, humid day.

Maybe I'm imagining things, but I think Dawn's paws are starting to get better. They don't look as red anymore. We try to keep the socks on her while she's sleeping or around the house. She can get the socks off if she really tries, but there aren't as many opportunities to lick or bite at herself anymore. I think the antibiotics she was taking for her urinary tract infection helped too. I hope we can clear this up. I doesn't really matter if the licking is a behavioral or a medical issue. We need to discover the cause and get her back to normal.

I have a stomach ache tonight. This is weird because I ate exactly the same thing for dinner as I did on Monday. I guess life is full of unexplained mysteries. Luckily, like a stomach ache, most of the mysteries don't matter and you forget about them the next day.

Katie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4226

I watched Jeff Bezos and his passengers take a short ride to space aboard his New Shepard rocket this morning while I was eating breakfast. I also watched the rocket's namesake Alan Shepard take a similar ride in his Freedom 7 capsule 60 years ago. The Internet didn't exist back then. We all gathered around a bulky black and white television that has been placed in the middle of the gym at my middle school. Fifty two years ago today my college friends and I gathered around a different television in the university student union to watch Apollo 11 head toward the moon. A lot has changed since those early days, but I find that after all these years I'm still interested in space travel. 

Back in the day I thought we'd have atomic rockets and be living on Mars by now. It never really occured to me that we'd have space tourism instead. I wouldn't mind flying on that New Shepard rocket. The price would have to come down a lot though. If someone could manage to get the cost down to the price of a Carribean cruise, I might consider it. Jeff would have to put an elevator in that tower though. Climbing all those stairs looked like the hardest part of the trip.

Time flies. Two years ago I was in Florida to attend a Space X Falcon Heavy launch from Pad 39A on the fiftieth anniversary of the Apollo 11 launch from the same pad. One year ago I was looking for Comet Neowise in my backyard and starting to develop an interest in astrophotography. I wonder if I'll still be around when the first Space X Starship lands on Mars? There are going to be a lot of interesting developments in the years ahead. Hopefully, I'll get a chance to witness some of them. For now, I'm just going to try to stay healthy until Dallas gets a total solar eclipse in April 2024.

We took Dawn back to the vet today so they could get a urine sample to determine whether her infection has cleared up. We talked for a bit about Dawn's obsession with licking her paws.  We have to determine whether the problem is behavioral or medical in nature. The vet thinks we should try anti-anxiety medications first before doing extensive allergy testing. Janet agrees with the vet while I remain suspicious of all psychotropic medications. I'm sure that anti-anxiety medications work. I just don't like the idea of depending on a drug to regulate your mood.

Dawn took her longest walk in many months this morning. She seems to enjoy exploring the neighborhood now. Our one mile loop has slowly increased to a mile and a half. We let Dawn choose where she wants to go and don't try to push her too hard. She is increasing her territory a little bit at a time and seems to feel comfortable as long as she knows the way home. This cautious behavior still seems strange, since Dawn took long walks with us for many months when we first got her. She did have that one pretty bad seizure about six months ago. Maybe that caused some brain damage.

It was a little hot this afternoon, but the skies were overcast so I decided to take my long walk instead of going to the gym. I use the spray fountain I discovered recently and this helps keep me cooler. It's weird that I spend so much of my day doing things I don't really enjoy. Writing and walking provide a certain amount of discipline and I think everyone needs to lead a disciplined life. If you looked up 'free spirit' in the dictionary, the definition would definitely not include me.

They say that people who overthink things tend to develop anxiety. I wonder if it is the same for dogs? It would be a shame if Dawn spends her day overthinking things while I'm here thinking of nothing at all. 

Lady Jane is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4225

Daisy, the new dog at the kennel, is wonderful. This three year old owner surrender is good looking, has a great personality, and is fully trained. We were amazed that she seemed to know every single command we gave her and had no trouble following commands from two total strangers. She even knew tricks and would roll over to get a treat. She was an athlete too and would leap high in the air to catch a ball. She never missed and would even return the ball so we could throw it again. Not surprisingly, Daisy already has a long waiting list of people who want to adopt her. I have a feeling that she won't be at the kennel very long.

I wish that Charlie and Cooper could find a home this quickly, but they both have to overcome their past. In rescue it is customary to let any potential adopter know if a dog has been involved in a bite incident. Charlie and Cooper are very nice dogs, but they both have bitten someone. I don't think it was their fault and they are definitely not aggressive dogs, but you can't hide the fact that somebody got bit. Eventually Charlie and Cooper will find a home with a person who understands that any dog can bite under the right circumstances and will give these boys a chance to shine again. I can't blame someone for picking Daisy first though. Daisy is perfect. I don't think I've ever seen a better dog in rescue.

I wish we'd left Charlie's possum at home so he would play with his other toys. As soon as Charlie saw the possum today he began gently carrying it around and wouldn't play with anything else. He looked kind of sad. I have no idea what this means. Maybe Charlie needs a friend.

It was considerably cooler today. Many parts of town got rain, but we stayed dry for some reason. Our sunrise walk with Dawn was very enjoyable and I had no problem taking my own long walk in the park when we returned from the kennel. A ten degree drop in temperature makes a huge difference. You could still tell it was summer, but it wasn't miserable outside. For a while I thought I was going to get wet today. On my way home I found myself walking directly toward a very ominous dark cloud and I kept hearing thunder and seeing lightning off in the distance. The storm passed slightly to the Northeast of me however and I never got wet.

Dawn is still licking her paws whenever she can get her socks off. The paws don't appear quite as red and raw now, so maybe something we're doing is working. We've started giving her probiotics and a little goat's milk on the recommendation of friends. She has an appointment at the vet tomorrow to make sure her urinary tract infection has cleared up. I'm sure the vet will weigh in with his own opinions on Dawn's paws as well. Like everything else in life, if you ask ten people for their opinion, you will get ten different answers.

I've read several article recently that say brisk walking is one of the best things older people can do to prevent Alzheimer's and dementia. I've read that journaling has many benefits as well. If this is true, I should live forever. I'm tired a lot, but you'd be tired too if you slept four hours a night and walked as much as I do. I go to bed too late and get up too early. It's not a good combination. We'll see if I can get an extra hour of sleep tonight. I had leftover pizza for dinner though, so that's not working in my favor.

Jade is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4224

Sundays are all about walking. I usually take three walks on Sunday. We still get up early to take Dawn on her sunrise walk. We wait until around 11 AM to take Dawn on her Sunday outing, mostly because the ice cream shop doesn't open until eleven. This is plenty of walking, but usually around mid afternoon I feel compelled to take my long walk in the park as well. Sundays usually result in 20,000 step days. I'm sure I could think of better things to do if I tried, but a day of walking seems good enough to me.

Dawn woke me up twice last night licking her paws. She's figured out how to get the socks off. I don't understand the licking at all. It started rather suddenly. There are no injuries or hot spots. There are no signs of discomfort if you hold the paws or try to examine them either. She's an equal opportunity licker and goes after all four paws. This is either behavioral or medical and our goal next week is to find out what is going on. My guess is that it is a behavioral issue, but I could easily be wrong. We'll probably have to do a skin patch test for allergies as a starting point. There's got to be a specific reason for this licking, although our initial trip to the vet didn't turn up much. It's always something with dogs. We've had lots of dogs over the years and the times when there were no problems were few and far between.

For a long time I've noticed that there was a vertical pole above one of the water fountains in the park. I just assumed that there was a bird bath on top of the pole because there was a dish that certainly looked like a bird bath. Today I discovered that if you press a button on the pole you will get sprayed with a fine mist of water. I wish I knew about this before. I've been soaking my shirt and hat with water before I leave on hot days and I pass this handy pole just about when my clothes have dried out again. I sprayed myself with water today and it made the walk much more enjoyable. I can take advantage of the mist in both directions too, since I pass the pole again on my way home.

Today while I was walking I saw a guy with a cat carrier walk up to a bunch of ducks and release a duck from the carrier. There was a lot of quacking and some startled looks from people nearby. The guy explained that the duck had been living on his front porch and he thought it would be better off living with other ducks. This may explain some of the weird looking ducks I've seen in the park. This kind of looked like a domestic duck, but I don't know my ducks that well. We'll see how well this duck gets along with the wild ducks in the days ahead. Somehow, I doubt that this one is going to fly away.

I read an article last week saying that people are stealing duck eggs from nests in the park and eating them.   Maybe this explains why I've seen fewer baby ducks this year. It probably explains the no poaching signs as well. Stealing eggs from wild ducks seems all wrong to me, but then all eggs are basically stolen. I doubt that chickens lay eggs just so we can eat them.

I've been spending a lot of time thinking about what kind of car I want next while I'm walking. For a while I was convinced that I wanted a Sprinter Van that had been converted into an RV. These vans are large and inconvenient to drive around town and I think RV toilets are disgusting. The last thing I want to do on a trip is spend my time cleaning out the black water tanks. I've had passing fantasies about sports cars for years, but they are so low to the ground that it is frightening to drive on freeways with eighteen wheelers on both sides of you. Lately I'm leaning toward getting one of the new Broncos. I configured one on the Ford website today and you can basically get a Bronco with all the bells and whistles for less than the cost of a base model Land Rover Defender. I owned a Bronco once. It was very reliable. I don't think I ever opened the hood the entire time I owned the car. The thing I don't like is that the Bronco's rear seats don't fold flat. Nobody's rear seats fold flat anymore. Why doesn't anyone make a car with two seats in the front and a big flat area in back where you can carry anything? My old Defender came close, which is probably why I liked it so much.

I've heard that there is a new Dalmatian up at the kennel. I'll take my camera and hopefully we'll get to meet her tomorrow.

Beemer is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4223

I got a letter from the observatory saying that they were returning to pre-covid operations in September and were looking for volunteers for star parties and special events again. Sounds good to me. I told them that I could spend a week or so out there whenever they needed me. I was thinking of going out to the observatory in October anyway, but September is close enough. I don't know why I like staying out at the Astropnomer's Lodge so much. It feels a bit like a strange secular monastery. I have a simple little room with fast WiFi and all my basic needs are taken care of. You get three meals a day and the food is great. There is no TV or radio at the lodge, but it's easy enough to make a phone call if I need to reconnect with the world. It is very peaceful living on top of Mount Locke. I'm not looking forward to the long drive, but it's always worth it when I get there.

We slept in a bit later today, but still got a fairly early start on Dawn's morning walk. Janet and I are both retired but we still keep the same basic schedule we did while we were working. Weekends are for shopping and sleeping in, even though we could easily do this any day. I noticed that Dawn's paws still looked red and raw while we were walking this morning. As soon as she finishes her antibiotics and gets a clean bill of health on her urinary tract infection, we are going to get her tested for allergies. My gut feeling is that the problem isn't allergies, but a skin patch test is the next logical step. One way or another we've got to figure out what is is causing Dawn to bite and lick at her paws and get her back to normal again. There's a solution for everything, but sometimes it can be very hard to find.

Signs that there was a pandemic last year are slowly starting to disappear. There are no mask mandate notices on the front doors of stores anymore and I noticed today that those stickers on the floors of grocery stores showing you how to stay six feet apart in checkout lines have disappeared as well. About 25% of the people you see still wear masks. I suspect that some people will continue wearing them forever. I still carry a mask in my back pocket because it hasn't really sunk in that this is over yet.

It was too hot to walk today, but the gym was closed and I felt compelled to get my steps. I soaked my clothes and hat in water, thinking that this would keep me cool during the walk. The plan actually worked pretty well, but my clothes were dry again around the halfway point. The skies were partly cloudy though, so the sun was under a cloud a lot. I guess I'll do the same thing tomorrow since the gym still isn't open on Sundays either. I wonder how long it will take them to get back to pre-covid operations? Maybe they're aiming for September as well.

I picked up a pizza for dinner tonight. I love pizza, but it is number one of the list of foods that give me heartburn. I'm already regretting eating the pizza. You'd think I'd just quit eating problem foods. You'd think I'd stop shopping on busy Saturday's as well. I'm a creature of habit and I keep doing the same things over and over again. Some of the things like long walks are good. Other things like pizza are not so good. Janet is trying to convince me to take my own car out to the observatory this Fall, but I'll probably just keep renting cars. Rental cars have gotten to be a habit as well. I'm superstitious that my car will break down in the middle of nowhere, so I just don't drive it out of town. Don't ask. It all makes sense to me.

Riley is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4222

Dawn chewed up one of her socks today, so getting her paws to heal is going to be an uphill battle. I expected the socks to fall off frequently, but I never thought she'd chew them off. Dawn is not a destructive dog. Janet and I both think we are putting the socks on securely. When I put them on I'm convinced that they'll stay on her feet all day. An hour later they are lying on the floor somewhere. The vet gave us a special spray that is supposed to be soothing and prevent itching and discomfort. When Dawn sees the bottle she runs away and won't let us get anywhere near her. The weirdest thing is that this behavior is new. We've had her for over a year and never thought she was allergic to anything. She never used to bite at her paws and all of the sudden it has become an obsession. I have no idea what has changed. Very little changes in our life these days, but maybe I'm not looking at things from a dog's point of view.

Fridays aren't much different than any other day of the week. I need to remember to retrieve the trash can from the curb and bring it back to the house. The trash truck comes later now, but usually the trash still gets picked up. The city has postponed picking up the blue recycling bins because they don't have enough drivers. We don't have a lot of glass bottles, tin cans, or cardboard so this change doesn't affect us much. Most of our trash is plain old garbage. Dawn contributes a lot of dog poop as well.

I've gotten pretty good at predicting what the weather is going to be like later in the day while we take our sunrise walk. You can tell by how the clouds are moving and what the humidity feels like. Even though we had a very pleasant sunrise walk, it didn't seem like an auspicious day for a walk in the park. When I went out to check the mail after I finished breakfast, my suspicions were confirmed. Today was too hot and humid. I was going to the gym again.

I still turn on the computer as if I was going to work, but my computer time is mostly just looking at Facebook these days. It's a mystery what Facebook chooses for me to see. For a while I'll get a lot of posts about old forgotten rock groups. Then I'll get a bunch of pictures of abandoned houses. I'm getting a lot of pictures of National Parks now. If you are not an active user, I think Facebook just throws stuff at you randomly to see if you'll click on anything. If you do, you'll get more of the same. Curiously, I see very few sponsored posts about things I am actually interested in. You'd think I'd get a ton of posts about dog food and telescopes. Nope. They still seem to think I'm interested in Dr. Who cosplay and buying a Tesla. At least my feed is still filled with pictures of Dalmatians. I love the Dalmatian pictures. If it weren't for the Dalmatian pictures I wouldn't bother with Facebook at all.

My performance is improving a little when I go to the gym. I shaved over a minute off my time for completing three miles around the indoor track. I can do more repetitions on the abdominal crunch machine and I'm working with ten pound hand weights now instead of five pound weights. The whole process is still very boring, but it beats being out in the heat. The air conditioning bill for this gym must be enormous. They keep the place really cold. It still seems strange to see so many people with personal trainers. I think some people hire a personal trainer just to have someone to talk to. Everyone seems to be having a non-stop conversation with their trainer. It's mostly gossip and small talk. The job description for these trainers must include being a good conversationalist.

I've already got a long grocery list for tomorrow. I hope I'm able to get an early start, because I'm going to have to walk in the park whether it's hot or not. Sure wish the gym would open on weekends again.

Laura is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4221

It was a typical July day. The sky was filled with white puffy clouds. The constant sound of cicadas was punctuated by the sound of yard crews with leaf blowers. The humidity wasn't opressive, but you knew you were in Texas and not Nevada. There is a laziness to mid-summer days that makes it hard to do anything substantial. I mostly just try to get through the day.

We can't figure out what is going on with Dawn's paws. She doesn't appear to be in any discomfort, but she licks them constantly now. This is new, but there is nothing new in Dawn's diet or daily routine. If allergies were causing this, you'd think we would have noticed this behavior earlier. The grass and plants in the yard and park have always been the same, so we don't think this is the problem. We haven't changed detergents or household cleaners. Dawn's meds haven't changed and the lab report from her recent exam looked excellent. She's getting used to wearing protective socks around the house and this seems to temporarily stop the licking. It's kind of a dumb solution to what may be a serious problem, but it's all we've got for now.

The weather seemed a little cooler when we took Dawn for her sunrise walk, so I thought I'd take my long walk after breakfast instead of going back to the gym. Sometimes this is the only decision I make all day. To walk or not to walk. I should try to make more ambitious plans, but I can't think of why. There is an abundance of time in retirement. You just need to make your plans modest, because there isn't always enough money.

I still can't figure out why an hour at the gym is still more tiring than a two hour walk. I walk up and down hills and my Fitbit says I'm burning a lot more calories on my walk than I do at the gym. The gym is still tiring though. I think this is because I basically find going to the gym boring. I constantly daydream on my walks, while I just count laps and the number of repetitions I'm doing at the gym. Something about being outdoors triggers memories. I seldom think about anything at all while I'm at the gym.

I used to buy things or at least window shop when I was bored. There were several independent camera stores where I liked to hang out. There were two telescope stores in town at one point. My model train collection started at three eclectic little stores that sold nothing but model trains. Even computer stores had more personality back in the day. All these stores are long gone now. What's the point of going to a Best Buy or a giant shopping mall? I always hated joining clubs, but I did like to hang out at little stores with like minded people.

The park was pretty empty today. You can tell that people are returning to work and that the pandemic is basically over in Dallas. Maybe it's just the summer heat that keeps people away, but there were a lot more people in the park last July when everything was shut down. Did all the restrictions really make any difference, or was the pandemic more like a wildfire that would have run its course whatever we did? I have mixed feeling on this. I do tend to think that humans like to think they have more influence over natural events than they actually do.

This week has gone quickly. The week's trash has been taken out to the curb again and I'm already thinking about the weekend. I'm pretty sure it will be the same as last weekend.

Lizzy is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day