Day 4673

Columbus Day or Indigenous Peoples’ Day? To me it's just another day when we don't get any mail. There's growing evidence that the Vikings were the first Europeans to set foot in North America anyway. I wonder why holidays like this even matter to people. Humans have been displacing other humans since the dawn of time. The European colonialists were certainly no saints, but neither were the people who lived here before they arrived. The Aztecs were just as warlike and murderous as the Spaniards who conquered them. I'm surprised that our species has survived as long as it has. We really don't deserve this planet.

We have returned to walking in the dark. I don't know why we still treat Monday thru Friday as work days since we are both retired. Old habits die hard I guess. Dawn has no problem with walking in the dark. I still worry about bumping into a coyote though. A beautiful full Hunter's Moon was low in the Western sky and Mars was directly overhead this morning. Jupiter seems to have disappeared in the pre-dawn sky. It's an evening planet now. I'm not a morning person, but I enjoy our sunrise walks. It's still quiet and peaceful outside. Later in the day all you hear are police sirens and the leaf blowers and mowers of countless lawn care companies. The hustle and bustle of the city makes me nostalgic for the isolation I enjoy during my stays at McDonald Observatory. Silence is my friend.

I took my long walk after breakfast this morning. The temperature warmed up much faster than I expected and I was hot by the time I returned home. I noticed that a female Muscovy Duck has joined the two large males I see every day on my walks. I hope she's careful. These two males killed the last female who joined them. They say Muscovy Ducks are friendly and make good pets. I certainly wouldn't want these two as pets. They are almost as mean as the Canadian Geese.

I kind of miss all the construction that was going on in the park this summer. It gave me something to think about other than counting ducks. There are so many specialized skills in the construction trades. I wonder where you learn these things? I'm old and I still don't have any idea how to lay concrete or frame a house. Truthfully, I can't even fix a running toilet. I guess writing is a skill, but I never trained to be a writer. My professional life has been largely accidental.

I need a plan for the afternoons. I'm usually pretty busy in the mornings, but I typically run out of steam right after lunch. There are so many things that no longer interest me. My storage unit is filled with prior interests and obsessions. When did these interests die? It's been a very gradual process. Oh, well. At least I still like dogs and rocket launches.

Neo is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day