Day 4568

We didn't make much progress today. Dawn didn't want to come out to the kitchen to eat and I had to take her meals back to the bedroom. She did eat though and took all her meds. At one point I found her hiding in a corner of the bedroom for no apparent reason. A strange noise must have scared her. I took her outside to show her that everything was normal, and then she was fine again. We did get all the essentials done today, but this wasn't one of Dawn's better days. Hopefully, she'll be feeling a little more adventurous tomorrow.

It was a lot cooler this morning. When I woke up the temperature was still in the mid 70's. It was an easy choice to take a long walk instead of going to the gym. I walked right after breakfast and was out of the house before 8 AM. Before eating breakfast I hooked up the second sprinkler I bought and watered the front lawn. I also watered the plants inside the atrium. I used to do this from inside the atrium, but now I just water them through the screen wire wall on the back side of the space. It's just too much trouble to open the broken sliding glass door these days.

My walk was enjoyable this morning because of the lower temperatures, but there wasn't a lot to see. The Spring wildflowers are starting to disappear and most of the animals and birds are in hiding. The fancy new bike path that is being constructed through the park is almost complete now. It looks like they are going to meet their July deadline. My feet aren't hurting as bad lately. Maybe they are just becoming numb. Summer walks aren't nearly as enjoyable as the ones I take in the Spring and Fall. I'm still getting the steps I need though. I think discipline is important. If I only did things I liked to do, I probably wouldn't do anything at all.

The Benro folks wanted me to run some tests on the star tracker to help isolate the problems I've been having lately. I ran the tests they wanted, but the camera didn't disconnect today. Actually, everything seemed to work fine, which baffled me. The phone app and firmware versions were exactly the same as they were before when I was having a ton of problems. This thing is full of mysteries and it is still difficult to talk with the Chinese manufacturers. It gives me something to do on a slow day though. When all the bugs are eventually worked out, it will be an amazing piece of gear to take out to the observatory. I could use it here of course, but there isn't much to see with all the city light pollution.

It was supposed to rain today, but it didn't even get that cloudy. I would welcome a little rain at this point. The yard is getting really dry and without a sprinkler system I need to remember when to water everything. Too much water is just as bad as too little and I definitely don't have a green thumb. I'll make an effort though. We had a wet Spring this year and the yard still looks pretty nice.

Dawn seems a little depressed. I wish she wasn't so dependent on Janet, but there's not much I can do. I make sure she gets her meals at the appropriate time, keep her water bowls filled, and take her out to pee at regular intervals. I'd like to see a little more tail wagging, but she's safe and well taken care of. I was hoping that she'd be more relaxed today, but there's always tomorrow. The last time Janet went on vacation, Dawn eventually did begin to relax. It took forever though.

I'll probably take another early walk tomorrow. The forecast says that the temperature will only be 72 degrees at sunrise tomorrow. I need to take advantage of these cooler mornings while I can. 

Rascal is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day