Day 4546

Lots of walking today. It was another 20,000 step day. We took our sunrise walk with Dawn, ate breakfast, and then I immediately took my long walk in the park before the temperature got too hot. A local running club was having a 10K race and there were lots of runners sharing the trails with me. The fast runners had already finished, but the slow stragglers were still making their way toward the finish line. Some of the slowest weren't going much faster than me. I momentarily thought of crossing the finish line myself, but I walked around it. Runners are a proud lot. I'm sure someone would have called me out as a fraud. 

Big races often have live musicians placed along the course. I guess this is to provide encouragement. One hapless duo were playing the Eagles greatest hits very badly. They sang out of tune and kept playing long after all the runners were gone. One my way home I heard them say they were going to play one last song. After they were finished one of the guys thanked everyone for coming and said he hoped they enjoyed the show. There was absolutely nobody within three hundred yards of the band. I think they were playing for squirrels.

I rested about an hour after I returned home and then Janet and I took Dawn on her Sunday outing.  I was afraid that it might be too hot for her, but she had a good time and did fine. It probably helped that there was a nice breeze and it was partially overcast. When we went for ice cream today we got lucky and received nice sized cones. They even put some ice cream inside the cone instead of just plopping a single scoop on top. Dawn expects the ice cream now. I think she would be very disappointed if we skipped this part of the outing.

This afternoon I went and looked at dishwashers in two additional stores. This turned out to be a good idea because both Lowes and Home Depot still had Memorial Day sales going on and offered much better deals than Best Buy. I found an LG model that I liked and will probably go get it tomorrow. Appliance sales are deceptive. There's the price on the sticker and then there are all the hidden extras. Installation and delivery are extra. The hoses and fittings to hook up your appliance are extra. Most dealers charge you extra to haul away your old appliance as well. It is what is is though. Few people will want to install a dishwasher themselves. Hopefully I can schedule the installation fairly soon because the old dishwasher is still leaking water.

I still haven't figured out the best way to catch the rat in the atrium. I have a Havahart Animal Trap but it only seems to trap squirrels. Rats are too smart. They quickly learn how to eat the bait without setting off the trap. I'll see if I can find the trap tomorrow and see if it still works. It's probably been eight years since I've used it. It's worth a try anyway. I really don't want to kill the rat.

There's already new firmware for the star tracker, but I don't have the nerve to install it. Everything is working now. Why do I even need the new firmware? I guess I don't really have the temperament to be a Beta tester. Each new firmware version adds additional features, but many of them don't work in the beginning. It can be frustrating. No wonder the Kickstarter backers got a good deal on this product. We are the ones working out all the bugs before it goes on sale commercially.

It will be good to go back and see the rescue Dalmatians tomorrow. All eleven of Sammy's puppies, as well as Sammy herself, have found great homes. Charlie, Oliver, JoJo, and Rocket are still waiting for their chance at a forever home though. Maybe our attempts to socialize these boys will help.

Scooby is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day