Day 4412

It's kind of amazing that prices at the grocery store keep going up every single week. I essentially buy the same things week after week and my bill keeps getting higher. Gas prices are higher as well. I kind of think that stores kept prices artificially low during the holiday season and now they're trying to make up for lost time. I'm not really alarmed by the price increases yet, but it makes you wonder what things will be like this summer.

We took a sunrise walk again this morning and Dawn didn't seem to mind the cold. I thought getting an early start would help me get my shopping done before the stores got crowded, but it didn't make any difference. I got a slow start and didn't leave the house until 11 AM. I'm glad I only do this once a week. The traffic in Dallas has really gotten irritating.

We took Dawn on another walk later in the day and then I continued on my regular long walk. I carried a small camera with me again in hope of seeing the eagles. No eagles today, but I did see a nice Red Shouldered Hawk. I guess I'll continue taking the camera with me for a while. I'm not as dedicated as the serious birders, but I am out in the park a lot. Maybe I'll get some good eagle pictures in the weeks ahead. The little camera I'm taking with me leaves a lot to be desired, but you don't need high resolution pictures for the blog. The camera is so small that it's easy to forget that I have it with me.

We heard that Jack got adopted today, so now it's just Charlie and Oliver again. The two puppies must have gotten adopted immediately because we never saw them at the kennel at all. I have a feeling that Oliver will get adopted soon as well. He's young, smart, and good looking. He's also very strong. Hopefully someone young will adopt him who can give him the exercise he needs.

My walk took longer than usual today because I stopped to talk with some of the birders. Most of these guys use full frame Nikon or Canon cameras with huge telephoto lenses. They remind me of the rocket photographers at Kennedy Space Center. The equipment is certainly the same. I still like my smaller micro 4/3 cameras. They are much smaller and lighter and still take great pictures. Maybe I'm just lazy. The birders drag these huge cameras out in the woods every day and all I can manage is a little point-and-shoot camera I can put in my pocket.

I got an e-mail from AT&T today saying that I could get an iPhone 12 for only a dollar a month. There must be a catch. I usually keep a phone around three years before it becomes obsolete. That would only be $36 for the phone. I may need to go check this out. I don't really need a new phone, but if it only added a dollar a month to my bill, why not. The newer phone camera would certainly be better than the one I've got now.

My foot pain was worse today. I slathered my foot with Voltaren before I took my walk, but it didn't help much. I don't think it actually helped at all. The fact that I can still walk makes me think that I've just got a garden variety case of arthritis. I've been to the doctor and I definitely don't want to get hooked on pain killers. I guess I'll just continue doing nothing for a while.

The weather is supposed to be warmer tomorrow, so Dawn should have a nice Sunday outing. We do the same things week after week, but that's not a bad thing. Everyone needs a little continuity in their life.

Raider is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day