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