Day 4427

Lots of walking today. The sun was out. The temperature was much warmer. It was just a nice day. Dawn enjoyed her sunrise walk. We had our usual Sunday breakfast of bacon, eggs, and toast. We waited a while for the ice cream store to open and then we took Dawn on her Sunday outing. I thought the fields we typically walk in might still be muddy, but everything has pretty much dried up. The only evidence that there ever was an ice storm is lots of sand on the city streets and a few small pockets of snow in deeply shaded areas.

Dawn is completely predictable. She's excited to go in the car, scared of the ride itself, and really enjoys 80% of our walk in the park. There's one small section of the park she doesn't like. Unfortunately we have to cross this area to return to the car. I guess we could just turn around at this point, but then she wouldn't get much of a walk at all. Once we're past the dubious area and make a right turn to head up a small hill, Dawn is fine again. The area that Dawn doesn't like looks exactly the same as the rest of the park to Janet and I. Dawn obviously knows something we don't.

The ice cream store still has lots of help wanted signs. They're even offering a signing bonus now. It seems like this would be a nice place to work for a high school kid. It's not hard to serve ice cream and the place is a lot safer than your typical restaurant, since all the customers are drive through and never get out of their cars. What do I know though. Maybe there's some reason that it's a horrible job. The ice cream is good however and it certainly calms Dawn down. 

The park was crowded today. When I passed the eagle's nest on my long walk I noticed that there were two police cars protecting the eagles. I guess each eagle got their own police escort. Why can't regular people get this type of protection? You can get fined up to $100,000 if you mess with an eagle. People mess with each other all the time with no penalties at all. Shoplifters aren't even prosecuted anymore if you steal less than $750. It's a weird world we live in where birds get more respect than your average citizen. 

It's good to be an eagle. I'm not sure how smart these birds are though. They couldn't have picked a worse spot to build their nest. It's right next to a very busy road and large crowds are starting to form on the other side of the road as word spreads about their location. These birds could have had more privacy if they had decided to build their nest at the city zoo. People are going to have to be real careful driving down this road after the eggs hatch. If a baby eagle falls out of the nest and you happen to hit it with your car, you are in a world of trouble.

I'm glad the roof leaks have stopped. If I was younger and more nimble, I would have been up on the roof today, removing the remaining water. I've spent a considerable amount of time up on our roof, but I hesitate to do this anymore. If I do anything on the floor in the house these days, I have to have a plan for how to get up again. Every morning when I wake up, there are so many minor aches and pains that my first thought is always "I'm toast," followed by "How am I going to make it out to the kitchen?" I seriously wonder if I'm going to be able to travel to the observatory at all this year. There's a lot of rough ground out there and no hospital for hundreds of miles.

It looks like a busy week ahead. We'll probably visit the rescue Dalmatians tomorrow. I need to get a haircut soon. And Dawn has her annual exam at the vet later in the week. Three events in one week is a lot for me. Sometimes three events in a month is a lot. How did I ever get so much done when I was younger? It's a mystery.

Landry is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day