Day 4541

I didn't feel like fighting the heat today so I went to the gym. I might have to do this more often. Everything seems to be back to pre-Covid days. The water cooler is operational again. Most of the machines have been fixed. And even the basketball court is open. I shot free throws for the first time since early 2020 and not surprisingly I was terrible. It took a while to get into the rhythm of things but eventually I started hitting baskets. Walking three miles around the indoor track is kind of boring, but it's easy on your feet. The track surface feels somewhat cushioned. It's not like walking on concrete at all. I like that they keep the building really cold. I had a good workout without the heat and humidity of a walk through the park. If it weren't for the fact that I hate driving in city traffic I might go to the gym every day this summer. I'll certainly try to go a couple of times a week.

One of the reasons I didn't feel like walking in the park today was that I attempted to mow the grass this morning. I did this right after breakfast while it was still relatively cool outside, but it was still unpleasant. The lawn mower wasn't working well either. The battery won't hold a charge very long and I was only able to complete the small back yard area before the battery died. The front yard will have to wait until later. It looks like I will have to return to the battery store and get new batteries for the mower as well. If memory serves, these batteries are even more expensive than the ones I recently replaced in my computer UPS. Why has everything gotten so expensive? It's a never ending battle.

Before I completely gave up on the outdoors, I tried to clean all the spiderwebs off the living room windows. I don't know where all these spiders come from, but there are hundreds of them. I think they are attracted to the lights in the living room at night. Actually, it's probably other insects that are attracted to the lights and the spiders just build webs to catch them. I always need to remember to wear a hat while I am cleaning out the spiderwebs. I hate it when spiders fall in my hair.

At least Dawn was in a good mood this morning. She was enthusiastic on her sunrise walk without any of her recent balking or hesitation. We were hoping that she would want to walk longer this morning since it was still nice outside and we knew it would be too hot for a second walk later in the day. Dawn wasn't interested. She just wanted to do her regular one mile loop. There's no sense fighting with a dog on their walk. When Dawn wants to walk further, she'll definitely let us know.

I should have made more of an effort to see last night's meteor shower. I've seen a number of nice pictures on the Internet this morning. I did go outside before I went to bed last night, but I could tell right away that I wasn't going to see much. The sky was a light grey and I could only see a few bright stars. Most meteors are fairly faint and it is doubtful that I would have seen any no matter how long I kept looking with all the city light pollution. I would have gotten bitten by tons of mosquitos though. You really have to make an effort to observe the night sky in Dallas. Basically you have to have a friend who lives out in the country.

It's hard to believe it will be June tomorrow. Half the year is already over. It still feels like I just took the Christmas tree down. Oh, well. I guess I've managed to do a few things this year. I've been to a rocket launch and spent some time at the observatory. This is exactly what I did last year and probably the year before. I think it's OK to do the same things over and over again as long as you enjoy what you're doing. I'm glad I had the nerve to do adventurous things when I was younger, because most adventurous things just seem dangerous now.

Dawn has her training class tomorrow. I'm not sure what I'm going to do. Maybe I'll go back to the gym again. We'll see what the weather looks like.

Amy is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4540 - Memorial Day

My Mom's Dad was career military. Both her brothers were fighter pilots. My Dad served in the Navy during World War II, although I'm still not entirely sure what he did. I never served. I had a low draft number during the Vietnam era, but got a medical exemption due to an injury I received rock climbing in college. Several high school friends served in the military, along with a couple of early ad agency co-workers. One of my art director partners was in the Marines and another flew jets in the Air Force. All in all, I've had very few connections with people who served and am probably not qualified to make many judgements about military life. I do think it's terribly sad that so many people have died in needless wars. The best way to honor all who died would be to just stop getting involved in needless wars. Going to Vietnam proved absolutely nothing. Going to Iraq and Afganistan proved nothing as well. I wonder if we will ever learn.

If you don't have military family or friends, Memorial Day is mostly an excuse to put some meat on the grill and have a barbecue. I didn't even do that today. I did try to go to the gym because it was a hot day. Their website said they'd be open this morning, but when I arrived, the place was closed. I wish more people would take the time to update their websites. The trip wasn't a total loss though. I stopped at a store and got some socks that were on sale on the way home.

I think I've become obsessed with the star tracker. Even though I'll seldom use the tracker, it is a cool, well designed piece of technology that appeals to me in an odd way. Little complicated things are fascinating. Maybe that's why I used to like mechanical watches so much. At any rate, I keep looking for ways to enhance the little tracker. Recently I discovered a better way to connect my camera to the tracker. The gizmo was a little expensive and I've been looking for a used version. Today I found one on eBay and bought it. I'm sure I'll get a lot more use out of the socks I bought.

Since I couldn't go to the gym today, I was forced to take my usual walk in the park. I could have skipped a day of course, but I'm nearing 200 days of meeting all my Fitbit goals. Why stop now?  Goals can be addictive. Just look at all these blog posts. I've completely forgotten why I started this blog in the first place. Now the goal is to just keep going.

Our sunrise walk with Dawn was quite pleasant this morning, but the afternoon walk to get my Fitbit steps was miserable. It was too hot for me. I wasn't able to complete my full route today but that's OK. As long as I get at least 10,000 steps and am able to close all three rings on the Apple Watch activity app, I'm good.

I missed having a chance to see the rescue Dalmatians today. It really didn't seem like Monday without a visit to see the dogs. We'll see them next week though.  It's nice having a routine. I've got Saturday, Sunday, and Monday covered. Maybe I need to find a repetitive activity for Tuesday.

Ollie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4539

It was a nice day. It was a little warm this afternoon, but there was a pleasant breeze all day. Dawn was in the mood to walk today which is always a plus. There was no hesitation like there was on previous days and she enjoyed both her sunrise walk and the Sunday outing later in the day. It may seem weird that I measure a day's success by Dawn's reaction to it, but that's just the way it is. Our days go much smoother when Dawn is in a good mood.

Basically all I did today was walk. I did vacuum the house this afternoon, but that doesn't really count. Walking is much more fun. It's amazing how dirty the house gets in a week. We live in a dusty area. Dust blows in from the park and dust blows in from the street. Dawn tracks in a fair amount of dirt as well. At any rate, the house is a bit cleaner now, even though it won't stay that way long.

Our first two walks with Dawn were enjoyable, but my third walk later in the afternoon was just to make sure I got my steps. By mid afternoon it was much hotter outside and my feet were starting to hurt. I would have gone back to the gym, but unfortunately it isn't open on Sunday anymore. Weekday hours aren't as long as they used to be either. A lot of Covid cutbacks have become permanent now in all types of businesses. When companies learn they can get away with giving you less, that's exactly what they tend to do.

I was working outside this afternoon and a spider must have fallen on my head. I didn't notice at the time, but about thirty minutes later when I was back inside and sitting at the computer,  I noticed something on my lip out of the corner of my eye. I thought it was dirt or a small leaf and brushed it off with my hand. I was quite surprised when a small live spider fell on the desk. Have I mentioned that I dislike spiders almost as much as I dislike snakes. I wonder how that spider could have been walking around on my head for half an hour and I never felt a thing.

Dawn continues to leave the room when I come into the bedroom to take a nap. She doesn't go far. She just goes out in the hallway and lays on the bricks in a place where she can peek around the corner into the bedroom door and see if I am still there. As soon as I leave the room, she immediately returns and hops on the bed again. I wish she'd realize that we both like to do basically the same things. We eat and we sleep. If she'd just learn to relax, she will have a lot more fun when Janet goes on vacation. The weird thing is that Dawn is fine with me as long as Janet is in the house.

When we went for ice cream after Dawn's Sunday outing today I asked for a waffle cone instead of the regular cones we usually get. The waffle cones are a little more expensive, but I was curious to see if they would fill these cones to the bottom. Nope. It's still a scoop on top of a basically empty cone. The waffle cones leak too. I guess I'll go back to regular cones next week.

We won't be able to visit the Dalmatians tomorrow since the kennel is closed for Memorial Day. Don't worry. The dogs are still fed and looked after. The place just isn't open to the public tomorrow. I'm going to miss visiting the guys. Visiting the rescue dogs has become a permanent part of our Monday routine.

I hope my gym is open tomorrow. I think it's going to be too hot to take a long walk outside. If Dawn would cooperate, I might just take a long nap inside. 

Emmitt is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4538

It was hot this afternoon, so I finally went back to the gym. I hadn't been there in such a long time that there were new owners and I had to enroll all over again. I still had a membership, but they wanted me to sign some new waivers that basically said that they weren't responsible if I dropped dead on the gym floor. I went through my old routines on my favorite machines, worked with some free weights for a while, and was totally dismayed at how much harder everything seemed. Use it or lose it, I guess. I really need to make an effort to go to the gym a couple of times a week this summer. My upper body strength is terrible now. I guess I've been fooling myself with these long walks. They are really just leisurely strolls.

On the way home I stopped at REI and got some new shorts for Summer. The shorts I've been wearing on my walks are practically rags by now. The store was having a big sale, but there was really nothing else I needed. I find this happening at almost every store I find myself in these days. I'm losing my desire to buy stuff. Now what? Buying things I didn't really need kept me occupied for many years.

The weather was perfect for our sunrise walk with Dawn, but she didn't seem all that interested in walking this morning. She's started her freezing in place behavior again. I thought we were going to have to turn around and go home, but then another dog passed us on the trail and Dawn decided she wanted to follow it. After that she was perfectly normal again. She didn't seem interested in the dinner I fixed for her tonight either. There was nothing wrong with her appetite though. As soon as Janet came home, she raced out to the kitchen and ate everything. I have no idea what is going through this dog's head, but it doesn't seem normal.

Janet and I went out for dinner tonight. It's been a while since we've done this and it was a nice change of pace. I've noticed that you can't just pick up the phone and make a reservation these days. Restaurants increasingly want you to use Open Table, or something similar to make your reservations online. I liked the old way better, but things change and you learn to adapt. It's weird. I made my living designing websites for quite a few years, but I'm not a fan of the online revolution. Things were better when we weren't as connected. Try explaining that to someone who has had a phone or a tablet in their hands since they were a baby though. They just don't understand.

The traffic seemed really light for a Saturday. The stores weren't crowded when I was grocery shopping this morning either. It's a holiday weekend and people must be traveling. There is such a pent up demand to do stuff after two years of Covid restrictions that I don't even think that the high price of gas is slowing down the desire to travel. There's got to be a breaking point though. I was amazed at how much more expensive my two trips this year were compared to similar trips in previous years.

We're going to have to watch the temperature tomorrow. Last week it was almost too hot for Dawn on her Sunday outing. Dawn looks forward to this Sunday trip though. If it's too hot, we'll skip the walk and go directly to the ice cream store.

Sam is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4537

Another cool morning that turned hot in the afternoon. Dawn wasn't eager to take her sunrise walk. I don't know why because it was really nice outside. We bribed her with a couple of dog biscuits and made it around our little one mile loop. Maybe she was just pretending about not wanting to walk to get the biscuits. Dogs are sneaky that way.

When I was eating breakfast this morning I noticed a stain on the brick floor in the kitchen. When I went to investigate the bricks felt damp. I hadn't spilled anything recently, so this seemed weird. I sure hope there isn't a water leak under the slab. This happened once before and it was a nightmare to get repaired. I'm beginning to hate older houses. Maybe the damp bricks are nothing, but I'm suspicious. Something is always breaking or falling apart in this 65 year old modern house.

At least there was a little bit of good news this morning. I upgraded the software on the Polaris star tracker and it still works. I ran a lengthy test and everything worked perfectly. The camera didn't disconnect at all, so maybe my problems are over. I felt pleased when I put the troublesome tracker back in its box. I may not be using it any time soon, but it's always there when I need it.

Dawn seems to have reverted to being nervous around me again. Somehow I must remind her of the two men who ran the puppy mill where she spent most of her life. Dawn is totally devoted to Janet but will probably always be a little suspicious of me. It's understandable, given the life she's had, but it's still kind of sad. 

I should have gone to the gym today, but I just keep walking in the park. It's becoming close to impossible for me to try something new. Going to the gym isn't even that new, since I used to go frequently before Covid hit. It's just so much easier to get up every morning and do exactly the same things every day. I have two places I like to visit and that seems to be plenty. I have a routine that mostly consists of walking and eating. I still spend time on the computer even though there is no real work to do and I always end the day with a blog post. Sometimes I'm bored, but not as often as you'd think. It's really not a bad life as long as nothing breaks.

I wonder about things when I'm walking. There are big signs in the park telling people not to feed the ducks. There are also educational posters explaining why it it is bad for ducks and geese to eat bread. Apparently nobody reads these messages because I still see people feeding bread to the ducks every single day. Often they are feeding them right next to a sign telling them not to feed the ducks. These are probably the same people who leave litter all over the place after having a picnic. It's not that surprising that I am a solitary person. I like animals better than people. Except for snakes. I'm not very fond of snakes.

It's time to make a grocery list again. I'm beginning to dread these Saturday shopping excursions. Traffic is terrible and driving skills seems to have deteriorated precipitously in the past several years. Maybe I'm imagining things but people weren't as rude and seemed to drive a lot better before Covid. Maybe it's just all the new people moving into the area. We'll see how it goes tomorrow. Grocery shopping still beats mowing the lawn.

Libby is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4536

Today's big event was giving Dawn a bath. I didn't think Dawn was too dirty and probably neither did Dawn, but she likes to roll in the dirt and Janet likes a clean dog. We always take Dawn to a self bathe place in the neighborhood. She hates getting in the tub, but always seems to relax when we apply the shampoo and rinse her off with warm water. By the time we dry her with a couple of bath towels, she seems like a happy dog. I kind of feel the same way about taking a shower. I hate getting wet, but it does feel better being clean.

It was surprisingly cold when we took our sunrise walk this morning. The furnace was on when I woke up and I actually needed a coat when we went outside. I thought I was done with Winter coats for the year, but maybe not. The weather here is full of surprises. Dawn approved of the cooler weather and really enjoyed her walk this morning. I thought she might want to take a longer walk, but she was more interested in returning home for her breakfast.

I always take Dawn outside around 11 AM to pee. I sat outside with her for about fifteen minutes and she did nothing, so we went back inside again. I then went out in the front yard to pull weeds in a little garden area and when I returned not more than ten minutes later I discovered a trail of pee leading to the back door. Dawn never does this. I wonder why she didn't go when I had her outside a little earlier. I hope she isn't getting senile or has some kind of medical issue. She's been fine the rest of the day, but it's something to keep an eye on.

My long walk this afternoon was curtailed by foot pain again this afternoon. I was lucky to get 10,000 steps today. It's a shame that my feet have been bothering me when the weather has been so nice. This would have been a great afternoon for a long walk. As much as I hate driving in city traffic, I'll probably have to start going back to the gym soon. I have a feeling that my feet need a rest and I probably need to start doing some alternate exercises anyway. My upper body strength is terrible now. It's a shame that it is so easy to lose muscle mass as you get older, but so hard to gain it back again. 

I've got to stop using Facebook. It's become totally irritating lately. Whenever I see an interesting story, it always ends up being hidden behind a paywall. I hate those paywalls and steadfastly refuse to subscribe to anything. Newspapers and magazines are the worst. Now that nobody reads the printed page anymore, all these publications seem to be trying to recreate their subscription models online. Even in the old days I used to read magazines in libraries. I guess I've always thought that information should be free. Almost as irritating as paywalls is the proliferation of sponsored articles on Facebook. These are all clickbait. If you click on an interesting headline and picture, you are led through an endless series of pages filled with ads and other nonsense, all trying to get you to hit the next button that will lead you to your destination. Usually I realize that I've been scammed after hitting the next button a few times. I should have learned by now that these sponsored posts are all worthless clickbait.

Where has this week gone? I've already taken the trash out to the curb and and am contemplating going out for breakfast on Friday again. Maybe I will one of these days. I think the magic is gone unfortunately. I don't enjoy eating as much as I used to. Exploring new restaurants used to be a big adventure. Now eating a perfunctory bowl of shredded wheat is just the easiest way to get some food in my belly.

Chief is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4535

I'm amazed that the roof didn't leak. We really got a lot of rain last night. I'm glad that Dawn isn't bothered by storms. All our other dogs would havae been in a panic. I was close to being in a panic myself. I hate dealing with roof leaks and was convinced that I was going to wake up this morning with a big mess on the floor. All is well though. There were no leaks at all.

Since the pumps didn't work last night, I was forced to go up on the roof and investigate this morning. It's a lot harder for me to climb up on the roof these days. I try to limit my time up there because I really don't want to fall. It turned out that the pumps weren't broken after all. The extension cords didn't appear to be bad either. The main pump had tipped over on its side which explained why it wasn't working. Maybe the wind blew it over or a possum bumped into it. Who knows? I swept all the standing water away with the big push broom that resides permanently on the roof, made sure that both pumps were working again, and carefully made my way back to the ground. It was slippery up there today. I hope I don't have to do this again for a long time.

Dawn wasn't wild about walking this morning because the ground was still very wet. We made it all the way around our one mile loop though. Dawn only stopped once, but we got her going again with a dog biscuit. She really doesn't like wet weather. I waited until later in the morning to take my own longer walk. I didn't really feel like walking either, but I am determined to keep moving. I was able to complete my full six mile route again. It was nice and cool outside, but I just didn't feel like walking. As much as I would like to on some days, I just can't substitute napping for walking and expect to stay in shape.

I resisted the urge to monkey around with the star tracker today. I had plenty of time, but why cause myself needless aggravation? The tracker works now, but if I update the software, it will probably stop working again. That's what happened the last time there was an app upgrade anyway. My Chinese contacts at Benro say it's perfectly safe to update the app, but I have little faith in this product anymore. I wonder how long I can ignore this thing? I'm curious what will happen if I upgrade the app and firmware, but I think I'm just asking for trouble.

There's a lot going on in space these days. I watched the Transporter 5 launch this morning and the Starliner return to earth this afternoon. Sure wish I could see more of these events in person. I kind of like being part of the little community of space journalists and photographers. It's just too expensive to go to the Space Center very often though. Most of the other photographers live nearby. Maybe I'll go back later this year. There are lots of launches I'd like to see. There's just not lots of money to indulge what has become a rather expensive hobby.

At least the rain is over for a while. It's going to be cooler for the next week or so as well. I was surprised that the furnace came on for a little while today. I thought I wouldn't hear that thing again until next winter. Maybe the cooler weather will make my walks a little easier. One can always hope.

Ranger is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4534

It's a little late, but the rain has finally arrived. I spent most of the day trying to avoid getting wet but I guess you can't avoid it forever. I did manage to get my long walk finished before the storms started and Dawn got her walk as well. Now we wait for the roof to start leaking. We've got quite a downpour right now and the pumps on the roof aren't working. It's not a good combination.

Other than waiting for the rain to start, it was a pretty slow day. I discovered that the shower drain was clogged when I was taking a shower today. I wish I'd discovered this before I was actually in the shower and already wet. I had to get dressed so I could go outside and get my tools to snake out the drain before I could continue. Water is not my friend. Between running toilets, slow drains, and leaking roofs, I've had just about all the water problems I can handle.

Dawn must have know that the weather was about to change because she refused to take a sunrise walk. It wasn't raining, but the ground was wet. That's all it takes with her. Luckily, Janet was able to give her a walk in the afternoon before the next round of storms hit. I think Dawn is much better at forecasting the weather than the apps on my phone. Yesterday they said the rain would start last night and continue all day today. The forecast was only off by 12 hours.

I wasn't feeling lucky today, so I postponed updating the star tracker app on my phone. It was tempting because there wasn't much else to do today, but I kept remembering that the last time I updated this app was when all my camera connection problems started. One of these days I'm going to have to deal with this. My phone keeps wanting to update apps automatically when they become available. I've had to disable this function and update apps manually, being careful to avoid the Benro app.

I wish I could get the pumps to work without going up on the roof. Sometimes when the extension cords to the pumps are under water for too long they short out and throw a circuit breaker. Other times, leaves and dirt clog the pumps and need to be cleaned out. Unfortunately, you never know that something is wrong until after it starts raining. Oh, well. It is what is is. I'd better go get the buckets ready. It will be a miracle if we don't get a leak tonight.

My problems always seem so minor whenever I turn on the news. I guess that's why I don't like listening to the news anymore. I often feel like I am witnessing the total collapse of society. If you are even a casual student of history you realize that all civilizations come to an end at some point. We've had a good run, but we may be nearing the end of ours. I wonder what the next Middle Ages will be like? Probably a bit like BladeRunner. I may be wrong but I keep thinking that globalization is behind many of the problems we are seeing today. Just because something is too big to fail doesn't prevent failure. It almost guarantees it. The world would be a better place if there were lots of tiny little powerless civilizations, all completely independent of each other. If one fails or goes haywire, the rest just continue on. Of course this wouldn't work in a world filled with jet planes and satellite phones. It wouldn't work if two tiny civilizations decided to join forces and take over a third tiny civilization either. Hey, I've got no answers. Maybe we just need a lot fewer people.

I hope this rain stops soon. I know that rain is a lot better than drought and wildfires, but water still makes me nervous.

Ziggy is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4533

We're getting to know the remaining rescue Dalmatians pretty well. Each of these dogs has their own distinctive personality. Charlie can go from calm to chaos in a fraction of a second. He's one of the smartest dogs we've known, but he definitely isn't a lap dog. He loves to show off and we've been able to teach him some amazing tricks. Oliver is a goofy clown who will fetch a toy or ball for hours. He's the only one who will bring the toy back to you so you can throw it again. Jo Jo is a gentle giant who prefers to be outdoors. He won't play in the indoor play area, but take him outside and it's a completely different story. He likes to hide his ball, even though it's always in plain sight. He's the only one who likes to climb up on a bench so you can pet him at eye level. Willie likes to play with a weird plastic ball that makes funny noises when it rolls along the floor. He prefers being petted to playing though. He's super affectionatee with people but doesn't seem to get along with other dogs. Rocket is a shy boy who is making amazing progress. He didn't even know how to play at first, but is definitely starting to enjoy playing with rope toys. They all love the treats we bring. It's a shame that these boys haven't been adopted yet. Each of their unique personalities would be perfect for some lucky person.

Today was unusually busy for a Monday. I paid some bills after breakfast and our early morning walk with Dawn. Then I shut off the computer and took the heavy uninterrupted power supply to the Interstate store to get the batteries replaced. I was hoping that the dead batteries would still be under warranty, but time flies and they were already two years old. No free batteries this time. I was amazed at how much prices had gone up since the last time I had to replace UPS batteries. The two batteries in the unit cost $95. That's more than double what the same batteries cost several years ago. Oh, well. One more sign that we are living in a crumbling, dystopian universe.

The weather was quite a bit cooler today and it would have been a good day to walk if my feet were cooperating. I joined Janet and Dawn on an afternoon walk after we returned from the kennel, but I felt like returning to the house with Dawn after she finished her short one mile loop. I did walk a little further, but not much. Even counting Dawn's two walks, I didn't even complete four miles today. Maybe I overdid things last week. Maybe my Hoka shoes are wearing out again. Who knows. My feet are definitely bothering me more than usual though.

Dawn is a funny monkey. When Janet is away she won't come out of the bedroom while I am fixing her dinner. I have to get everything ready and then return to the office before she will come out and eat. When Janet is home it's completely different story. She's a bossy little thing who is right out in the kitchen with me, barking at me constantly to hurry up and get her supper ready. I wish she was more comfortable being alone with me, but it is what it is. I'm sure Dawn has her reasons for all of this.

There has been rain in the forecast for several days, but I think it's finally going to start raining later tonight. I hope this current forecast is wrong because it shows an all day rain tomorrow which extends into Wednesday. It's a shame that we typically get all our rain for the year in one month. We've had plenty of rain lately and everything is green, but it will be bone dry again by July and August. An all day rain conjures up visions of roof leaks. I hope the pumps are still working.

There's already a new update for the star tracker. I'm afraid to install it though because it might break the fix the Benro folks sent me a few weeks ago. I'd hate to go back to square one again. I should leave well enough alone, but if I'm stuck inside on a rainy day, curiosity might get the better of me and I could end up installing the update anyway. Curiosity killed the cat, or so they say.

Willie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4532

What a difference a day makes. Finally, a proper Spring day. The temperature was in the sixties for most of the day and there was a nice breeze. Dawn was pleased with the situation and so was I. This would have been a great day for walking, but my feet refused to cooperate. This was a bad day for foot pain. After our two walks with Dawn today, I really didn't feel like walking much further.

Dawn really enjoyed our Sunday outing today. I think she knows where we are going by our schedule or maybe by what we wear. It's weird to see a dog get so excited to get in a car she hates riding in. The ride is short fortunately and pretty soon she is back on the ground again, tugging at her leash and smelling everything in sight.

After our walk, we always go for ice cream. The ice cream place raised their prices about a month ago, but now the price has gone back to what it used to be. There must have been complaints. There's always more than one way to achieve your objective though. I noticed today that the cones are smaller than they used to be. The cones used to be filled all the way to the bottom and now there's just a scoop of ice cream on top and the cone itself is largely empty. I feel cheated. Maybe the price increase would have been better.

Today changing the sheets was on the agenda. Why has putting on a fitted sheet gotten so hard? I struggle with lifting the heavy mattress and tucking in the bottom sheet now. This never used to seem like a difficult task, but my wrists still ache hours later. Now I think I know why my Dad started just sleeping on the top of his bed after Mom passed away. It was probably too much trouble to make the bed. Janet says I need to go back to the gym because I'm losing my upper body strength. She's probably right.

Today's long walk was just a short walk through the neighborhood. A lot has changed over the years. One by one all the small frame houses are being torn down and replaced by McMansions. I wonder how people can afford these monster houses or why they even want them. Who really needs a third story on their house? I'm old enough that I don't even like the idea of stairs.

I feel perpetually tired these days. After every activity I feel like taking a nap. You'd think that after a number of short naps I wouldn't feel like sleeping at night. That isn't the case at all. I go to sleep quickly and sleep soundly. Sleeping has become one of my favorite activities. I'm starting to remember my dreams better than my daytime activities. I lived in Seattle for several years right after I graduated from college and I can't ever remember going to the grocery store there. How did I eat? I remember furniture stores and art galleries, but no grocery stores. Weird. The other day I was thinking about a production house that I used to use when I started my business. I went there frequently, but now I can't remember why. What client was I working for and why wasn't I doing the work in my own studio? I could go on and on. I still think I'm pretty sharp, but I'm sure I've lost a few brain cells along the way.

I guess I'm going to have to get the uninterrupted power supply fixed tomorrow. I've already lost one computer due to power surges and I don't want to lose another. The UPS is heavy and awkward though, so I'm not looking forward to this. I'm definitely going to have to take a nap after finishing this chore.

Rosco is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4531

When I started seeing reports of people spending over $100 to fill their tanks, I didn't believe them. "How is that even possible," I thought. Much to my chagrin, I discovered that it would take more than $100 to fill my own tank when I got gas this morning. Yikes. This is a pretty steep increase from a year ago.

I stopped at the pharmacy on my way to the grocery store and sure enough, my doctor had renewed all my prescriptions again. "I don't need these yet," I told the pharmacist. "I won't need any of these for a very long time." I checked on the prices while I was there and all the meds were a lot cheaper using GoodRx. I really need to talk to my provider and find out why I have a prescription drug plan. Maybe I'm missing something, but it appears that I am paying a whole lot for nothing.

A lot of my favorite brands are being replaced by private labels at grocery stores. This started at Costco and Sam's Club, but other stores are doing it as well. The cost differences are often significant, but I have to wonder about the quality. I still believe that you usually get what you pay for. I don't really like this private label trend. I've been buying certain brands for years and it's frustrating when you can't find them anymore. Oh, well. I guess this is just one more sign that I'm growing old. I'm not a big fan of needless changes.

Today was another day where it was supposed to rain, but didn't. I took my long walk earlier today because I didn't want to get wet. I stayed dry. I think there is still rain in the forecast, but it hasn't arrived yet. All we got today was the humidity. It was hot and muggy all day. I should have just gone to the gym, but after I finished grocery shopping I didn't want to get in the car again. I was able to complete my full six mile route, but I can't say the walk was pleasant. Welcome to Summer.

Dawn was grumpy all day because she thought that Janet was gone too much. When I fixed her dinner this evening, she refused to come out of the bedroom and eat it. I knew she was hungry, but she stubbornly stayed in her room until Janet returned home. As soon as Janet arrived, she raced out to the kitchen and ate everything in a big hurry. Dawn is a strange combination of stubborn and scared. It's going to be a fun time when Janet goes on vacation next month.

I couldn't replace the batteries in my uninterrupted power supply this morning because the battery store is only open on weekdays. At least I remembered this before I unplugged everything and put the heavy UPS in my car. It's seems kind of quaint for a store to only be open Monday thru Friday, but that's the way it is. It will give me something to do next week, now that my problems with the star tracker seem to be over for a while.

I just looked at the temperature and it's dramatically colder than it was a few hours ago. Looks like it is going to get down in the high fifties overnight. It's hard to get used to Texas weather. It's like a roller coaster. You can be sweating one day and freezing the next. At least we aren't getting snow like they are in some parts of the country. I fantasize about a place where it is 70 degrees all year long. Does such a place even exist?

The big event tomorrow is Dawn's Sunday outing. It's a simple thing to drive to another park for a walk, but it sure beats mowing the lawn.

Casey is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4530

I didn't accomplish much today. I think I'm just avoiding things. I got a recall notice on my car and didn't bother to open it. I'm pretty sure it's the same recall notice I got six months ago. I called the dealership then, but they didn't have the part that needed to be replaced. They said they'd call me when the part was available. Never heard from them. I haven't looked at my blood test results either. My doctor said that they looked pretty good for the most part. I'll take him at his word. I got a call from my pharmacy, but I haven't gone to pick up the prescriptions yet. I have a feeling that my doctor called in new refills, even though I think I have enough pills to last me for the rest of the year. I keep telling them to wait on the prescription refills, but everything seems to be on automatic pilot.

These are all minor problems. There's plenty of bigger things that need attention. I need to call a roofer, a carpenter, a painter, and a tape & bed guy. A lot of stuff needs to be fixed around the house, but getting involved with contractors and repair people almost always leads to further problems. I'm tired of dealing with problems. I'd just as soon eat my breakfast, take my walk, and go back to bed. I kind of miss living in a hotel room.

I don't know why I continue to take long outdoor walks. It's hot and unpleasant out now. I should start these walks right after breakfast before the temperature gets too high, but I'm such a creature of habit that I keep doing things the same way I always have. Usually after I've walked about three miles I realize I've made a mistake and should have gone to the gym instead. Even Dawn doesn't want to stay outside in this weather. I often sit outside with her while she lounges in the sun. Lately, she just pees quickly and wants to go right back in the house. She's smarter than I am about the heat. She knows she's got a nice soft bed and the air conditioner is running well. What's not to like.

I'm dreading going grocery shopping tomorrow. The traffic is terrible. Prices are skyrocketing. And I need to get gas. Janet said gas prices have gone up again. It's a good thing I don't drive much because my car gets terrible gas mileage. We'll see how bad the damage is tomorrow. If I remember, I'll go to the pharmacy and pick up the pills I don't need, just so they will quit calling me. I need to get the batteries replaced in the computer UPS too. Do I even need a battery backup system for the computer? Probably not. I mostly use this thing to protect the computer from power surges. I'm tired of looking at the display that says I have 0 minutes of backup power remaining too.

One of the things I enjoyed most about going out to the observatory was that there are no radios or televisions at the Astronomer's Lodge. I have no desire to learn what is going on in the world when I'm out there. I think I could go a long time without listening to the news. I like the isolation of Mount Locke, but it's hard to duplicate in the city. You can't go ten minutes here without hearing sirens. I hear them every day on my walks. The constant police and fire sirens are a reminder that life in a city is filled with uncertainty. Was it always this way? I don't think so. Urban life has definitely gotten worse.

Our neighbor's fence has been falling down for a long time. I kept hoping that they'd just tear the fence down so we'd get a breeze again in our back yard again. Nope. Instead of tearing the fence down, they're building a taller one now. I wish I lived on a hundred acres in the middle of nowhere with no neighbors for miles. Of course then I'd have to deal with snakes and the occasional bears and mountain lions. I guess there are no easy solutions anywhere.

Harley is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4529

I had my semi-annual physical today. It seemed exactly the same as every other physical exam I've ever had. What medications are you taking? Same as always. Do you have any questions or concerns? Not really. My doctor wants me to continue to take baby aspirin despite the negative press it has received lately. He asked if I wanted a second Covid booster. I told him I didn't think I needed one. A nurse gave me an EKG. Another nurse took my blood. I gave them a urine sample and I was done. It looks like I'm still in pretty good shape. The doctor probably made some notes about cognitive decline though. I couldn't remember the names some of the specialists I've been seeing. I couldn't even remember the names of most of the medications I'm corrently taking. In fairness, how can anyone remember these long incomprehensible names? I did remember the color and shape of each pill though.

Medical exams are one of many things that make me think of the Ground Hog Day movie. So many things in life are exactly the same no matter how many times we experience them. We repeat these things over and over again. Whenever I brush my teeth, load the dishwasher, go to the post office, or even take my daily walks, I feel a sense of déjà vu. I've been here before.

I had to fast before my medical exam this morning, but that didn't prevent me from having breakfast when I returned. It was almost lunch time, but I still had a big glass of orange juice and a bowl of shredded wheat topped with fresh fruit. My doctor seems to approve of my long walks, so I took another one after I finished my late breakfast. I completed my full six mile route, but it took me a while. There just isn't much joy in walking in hot weather. I should start going back to the gym, but it's so much easier to head out the back door and start walking instead of driving all the way to the gym. Even when I'm exercising, I'm basically lazy.

The batteries have gone bad again in the backup UPS for my computers. I'll have to take the heavy UPS to the battery store and get the batteries replaced this weekend. I might as well have the lawn mower batteries replaced while I'm there. I think all these people buying electric cars are forgetting some very basic things about batteries. They don't really last that long and they can be quite expensive to replace. If you forget to remove the batteries from an unused item, they can leak and ruin your expensive gear. Batteries have always been my nemesis.

I watched the livestream of the Boeing Starliner launch this afternoon. I kind of wish I'd been down there. United Launch Alliance lets you get a lot closer to the pad to place remote cameras than Space X does. This was a daytime launch too, so the bugs aren't so bad. I always get eaten alive by mosquitos on night launches. Don't think I'll be traveling any time soon though. I paid my remaining travel bills today. Ouch. This is getting ridiculous.

I took the trash out to the curb this evening. This always marks the end of the week for me. Tomorrow I'll think about going out for breakfast, but will probably just stay home and have another bowl of shredded wheat. It's time to mow the grass again. I should call a lawn service, but I'll probably just continue doing it myself. Hey, it's good exercise. My doctor would probably approve.

Holly is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4528

Yay. The star tracker is working again. I'm not sure what the Benro people did, but apparently their third try was the charm. The first two patches they sent me to fix the connectcion problem didn't work, but the one they sent me yesterday worked perfectly. I'm still curious how a routine firmware upgrade rendered my camera useless and what the Benro engineers did to fix the problem. I'll probably never know the whole story though. Communication with my Chinese contacts has been rudimentary at best.

Now that the star tracker is working again, I'll have to turn my attention elsewhere. There are a ton of things that need attention around the house, but most of them are beyond my ability. I can't put on a new roof by myself. I'm not a good carpenter. And I'm certainly not a plumber. Sadly, I'm not very good at delegating things either. It would be easier if I could do everything myself, because I don't tend to trust people.

I went out and voted after breakfast this morning. When I arrived at the polling place, I was greeted by a poll watcher who told me that the power was out and asked if I was scared of the dark. Hey, no problem. I actually kind of like the dark. The room where the voting machines were was completely dark. All I could see were the glowing screens of the machines. I was surprised that the place was even open, but they said the voting machines were running on backup power. I was led to a machine by a lady with a flashlight and I cast my ballot. If there was even a time to be suspicious about whether your vote counted, this might be it. There must have been some people scared of the dark, because it appeared that I was the only one in the room voting. Voting in a dark room was certainly easier than getting the star tracker to take pictures on a dark sky.

It looked like it was going to rain this morning when we took Dawn on her sunrise walk. The rain never came, but it did stay overcast for most of the day. The cloudy weather made it easier to take my long walk. I was able to complete my full six mile route, but it wasn't easy. My feet seem to be getting worse. The Hoka shoes help, but walking is still painful on some days. It's time for my physical exam tomorrow, so I'll ask my doctor if I'm doing anything stupid. My gut feeling is still that a little discomfort is better than becoming idle. I need to keep moving and walking is still a lot easier on my joints than most other forms of exercise.

I've got to remember not to eat breakfast tomorrow. I need to fast because they will be doing routine blood work again. At least I was able to get an early morning appointment. I hate going without food for very long. I got a call from the clinic while I was out walking reminding me to wear a mask. I have a feeling that my doctor's office will keep requiring masks forever. Not a problem. Whatever keeps you happy is my motto. I don't wear a mask very often these days, but I've got plenty of them. Most are unused. I just wear the same one over and over again.

Dawn won a ribbon at training class again tonight. She's got quite a collection now. Janet says Dawn really enjoys the training class. Like most Dalmatians, she forgets everything she's learned on our morning walks, but that's OK. I've forgotten almost everything I learned in school as well.

Skippy is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4527

I had to pick up a prescription this morning and I asked the pharmacist if there would be any difference in price if I used GoodRx instead of my Part-D prescription drug plan. I was surprised. The pills cost $37 using my drug plan and only $10 using GoodRx. Jeez. Why do I even have this prescription drug plan? I would just drop it, except that I suspect that GoodRx only covers certain widely used drugs. Some medications for cancer and other diseases are insanely expensive. You wouldn't want to be without coverage if you needed them. 

When I had hepatitis C, the Solvaldi I needed to cure the disease cost $1000 a pill. I had to take the pills daily for 12 weeks. I've had a healthy respect for medical insurance ever since. When I was working, medical insurance was my largest single expense. Often it made the difference between a profit or a loss for the year. It's hard to even get medical insurance if you own a small business and aren't part of a group. I had friends who were freelancers or owned small businesses like mine who went without medical insurance because of the expense. I always thought this was insane. The quickest way to get wiped out financially is to get sick without insurance. I'll use GoodRx when I can, but I'll keep my prescription drug plan. You never know when you might need it.

I got another update from the Benro people who said it would fix my camera connection problem with the star tracker. I didn't bother trying to install it because I knew it would just cause further aggravation. Why the hesitation? On the same day I received this special patch, there was also a general update to the iPhone app that controls everything. Do I upgrade the iPhone app first and then apply the patch, or the other way around? The Benro folks never said and it could make a big difference. I'm sure I'd have a lot better luck with the star tracker if I spoke Mandarin. I had the same problem when I worked for Seimens in Germany. Language barriers can create huge problems. I tried to learn German when I was doing a lot of work in Europe, but whatever I learned never stuck with me. I'm back to a single language now.

The weather was a little cooler today. We had a nice early walk with Dawn and I was even able to complete my full six mile route on my long walk later in the day. It was still hot outside, but somehow it seemed a lot better than yesterday. I really need to start going back to the gym. They have a nice indoor track and they keep the place very cold. It's boring walking six miles around a small indoor track. but it beats having a heat stroke. I have a feeling that we are going to have a very hot summer. It's only mid-May and it already feels like July.

I'm automatically cleared to attend certain launches and I get lots of messages about when and where to meet to set up cameras or attend press briefings. It kind of makes me sad that I can't attend most of these launches. Some of my Florida photographer friends go to all of them. It's just too expensive if you live out of state and don't have a big media outlet covering your expenses. I think airlines lead the list for price hikes in 2022. Flying has gotten very expensive. Driving isn't so cheap either. Gasoline expenses for my trip out to McDonald Observatory recently were a lot more than they were last year. When I was in college gas was 25 cents a gallon. In the early 70's when I was starting out in advertising, you could buy a Porsche for $8000 and rent a great apartment for $200 a month. I never dreamed then that we would end up where we are today.

I wonder if I'll have the nerve to upgrade the star tracker tomorrow. It depends on how bored I am. I usually make a mess of things when I get bored.

Susie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4526

I thought we were going to get a bad storm last night, but it passed slightly to the East of us. We experienced a few minutes of strong straight line winds, but got very little rain. Needless to say, I didn't see last night's lunar eclipse. I expect the rain. What I didn't expect was a power outage. The power went out several hours after the storm had passed. I probably wouldn't have noticed but Dawn woke us up. This strange dog isn't bothered by thunder and lightning, but power outages freak her out. I called in the outage to the power company and tried to get back to sleep. Dawn wasn't about to go back to sleep. She sat on the middle of the bed in high alert mode for what seemed like hours.

It seemed a bit ironic that just after we had fixed the air conditioner and bought some new fans, we didn't have any electricity. Both the AC and the fans were useless. We could feel the temperature rising in the house almost immediately, but at least the outage happened during the middle of the night when things were cooler. If we lived in a safe place, I would have opened the doors and windows so we could get some air circulation. That's not going to happen in the city though. Eventually I went back to sleep and hopefully so did Dawn.

The power was back on in the morning, but it must have been off for about four hours because that's how far the clocks were off. I reset everything, turned off the washer and dryer which somehow come on automatically after an outage, and got ready for our early morning walk with Dawn. Everything is back to normal again. Last night wasn't what I expected though. I was hoping to view an eclipse.

When we went up to the kennel to visit the rescue Dalmatians today, we discovered that Willie was back. This was disappointing, but sometimes things just don't work out. Willie is a very sweet dog who is going to find a great home, but it looks like he will need to be the only dog in the family. It was hot today and everyone wanted to stay inside except for Jo Jo. This dog definitely prefers playing outdoors. We continue to be impressed at how well Rocket is adjusting to his new life. He seems like a normal dog now. After everyone had their play time and lots of treats, we headed back home. It was my turn to drive today and I kept thinking how much nicer it was out in the Davis Mountains. I like a road with no cars on it.

There was plenty of time to take a long walk this afternoon, but I wasn't feeling up to the task. It was just too hot outside. After walking a a little more than a mile I headed for home again. Since Dawn walked a little longer this morning, I managed to eek out a total of four miles today. It wasn't much, but it kept my Fitbit happy. I don't think we're going to see cool weather for quite a while. This strange May heat wave will eventually end, but it's Summer now. Summers in Texas are always hot.

As usual, I have no plans for tomorrow. I'll probably think of something, but I hope it doesn't involve the star tracker. I'm getting sick of that thing. I anticipate more power outages this summer, but lets hope there isn't another one tonight. I need to catch up on my sleep.

Liberty is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4525

The weather was still hot, but it didn't affect our plans. We still had a nice early walk with Dawn and were able to take our Sunday outing a little later in the day after the ice cream store opened. It was getting a little hot by the time we took our second walk, but there was a nice breeze and Dawn did OK. We may have to stop these daytime walks later this summer though. Dawn doesn't do well in the heat.

I tried to be industrious today with mixed results. I really felt my age when I tried to fix the greenhouse door this morning. The door was heavy and I had trouble holding the pieces together without breaking the glass window in the center. I've repaired this door before, but it seemed much easier ten years ago. I thought I might need to go to Home Depot for parts, but I found everything I needed in the tool shed. The amount of stuff in the shed would indicate that I used to spend a lot more time fixing things than I do now. I didn't do a great job, but the old door is back together again. I don't know what the two hours I spent prove. The greenhouse still doesn't have a roof.

Since bulky trash day is this week, I tried to clean out the yard a bit. I noticed a lot of brush and fallen tree branches in the side yard where the air conditioner is the other day. I had to cut a path through the brush so the repairman could get to the compressor. I cleared the mess away today and hauled the brush to the curb. I cut down some giant weeds in the other side yard and hauled them to the curb as well. The yard looks a little better, but most of the time I forget the side yards even exist. Most of what I cleaned up today never gets seen by anybody.

I didn't take a long walk today. It was just too hot. I figured that between Dawn's two walks and my carpentry and clean up tasks that I already had all the exercise I needed. The worst part about being outside today wasn't the heat. It was the bugs. While I was fixing the greenhouse door, I must have been bitten twenty times. I think they were mosquitos, although I never saw any. Chiggers and other tiny critters bite as well, so it could have been anything.

There's an eclipse of the moon later this evening. I can't decide whether it's worth the effort to stay up late and try to watch it. The weather isn't cooperating. It was clear around sunset, but it is partly cloudy now and the weather radar shows a line of thunderstorms headed south toward us from Oklahoma. I'll take a look outside and see how things look after we take Dawn out to pee for the night. No great loss if I can't see the moon. I've seen lunar eclipses many times before. They all look pretty much the same.

It's been a nice weekend even though it is way too hot. I think we are setting record temperatures for May. Hopefully it will be cooler tomorrow when we go visit the rescue Dalmatians. I've never met a Dalmatian that enjoys the heat. 

Sadie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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