Friday, April 9, 2021

Day 4124

We got lucky again. The severe weather I've been hearing about all day appears to have missed us. I can see lightning and ocassionally hear thunder, but I don't even think we got any rain. Hopefully, all the storms have moved to the East by now. You've got to take the weather seriously in this part of the world. I'm always glad when the skies clear and the thunder fades away in the distance.

I went out and looked for a birthday card today. There used to be a nice little card shop in the neighborhood, but it went out of business years ago. Now there's just a partial aisle of cards at the grocery store. I don't send many cards and letters these days, but I still know a few people who aren't on Facebook. I still think writing is a great way to communicate, but it's becoming a lost art. It's a rare day that I get a real letter in the mail. 99% of our mail is just advertising flyers and junk. It's a shame that the writing tradition has died. It used to be the main way I kept up with friends.

I read an article today about the growing group of people who spend weeks or even months down on South Padre Island waiting for something to happen at the Space X Boca Chica facility. Some of these people have their own YouTube channels and report on Starship developments daily. A few have a large audience of Space X fans and have made enough money off their YouTube broadcasts to turn their quest into a full time job. All this kind of makes me feel like a slacker. I write a few articles a year for print magazines and these guys are out there making videos about space every single day. Even though my company made a lot of TV commercials and corporate videos back in the day, I have no desire to become a YouTuber. I like the process of slowly writing, editing, and refining an article or story. I don't even understand why someone would want to livestream something. I guess I'm getting old.

I don't know if I'll last as long as Prince Philip, but hopefully I've got a few good years left. I think it takes a lot of luck and some good genes to live to 99. I don't know anybody personally who's been able to do it. I'm sure staying active helps. That's a big reason why I walk everyday. There are lots of ways you can stay active, but walking is unique. There is no stress involved in walking. It's actually very relaxing. You just put one foot in front of the other and let your mind wander. 

I walk the same route every day, but there is always something new. The White Pelicans are gone now. I think they spend the Summer in North Dakota and Southern Canada. It doesn't appear that last year's straggler stayed at the lake this year. I looked carefully today and didn't see a single Pelican. 

There are some construction workers renovating one of the old WPA buildings at the park. It's interesting to see how much progress they make in a day. Since this is a restoration, they are using old construction methods as well. This is quite different than watching a new house go up in the neighborhood. It's makes you appreciate how much craftsmanship used to go into building something.

Dawn acted pretty normal today. I'm getting used to her weird ways. She's friendly with me when I'm sitting on the bed with her, but she's uncomfortable when I'm in the kitchen. I just go to the back of the house while she's eating now. As with most things in life, it's easier to just go with the flow. 

Livy is today's Dalmatian of the Day


Watch of the Day