Day 4814

I canceled today's appliance repair appointment because the dryer seems to be working fine again. I've done several loads of laundry and the problem seems to have disappeared. I have no idea what happened, but that's not surprising. A lot of things in life are a mystery to me. The roofers were a no show again today. They said they might be able to come over this afternoon, but didn't. They did send me a PDF file with their estimate though. Yes, it's quite expensive.

It was very warm again today. The temperature got up to over eighty degrees. This was another one of those days where the furnace was on when we woke up and the air conditioner was on most of the afternoon. I wore shorts and a t-shirt on my long walk and was still a bit hot by the time I returned home. No complaints though. I hope this is a sign of an early Spring.

I had to go up on the roof and sweep away the remaining standing water to get the leak in the office to stop. Most of the roof was dry, but there is a stubborn low spot right over the office where water lingers long after the rain has gone. The problem with this time of year is that I have to clear away this water over and over again. Sadly, there is more rain in the forecast for tomorrow and Thursday.

I had to pick up a prescription today and the pharmacy staff were all in a bad mood. Usually these guys are very friendly. I ended up paying a higher price for my pills because they said it would take an extra thirty minutes if I wanted to compare prices using GoodRx. Strange. I always do this and it doesn't take any extra time at all. There was a big sign advertising free Covid test kits, but when I asked for some they said I had to fill out a bunch of paperwork to see if I qualified. Never mind. We've got a boatload of those test kits lying around the house already. This was all very disorientating because these guys are usually very helpful.

The construction crews are almost finished paving the service road through the park. I'll miss them because it gave me something interesting to look at while I walked. Pretty soon there will be lots to look at. I noticed today that daffodils are already blooming. This means that the Spring wildflowers will start to appear soon. I hope that there isn't a late March freeze that kills everything off. So far, it looks like we are headed for an early Spring.

There's been lots of activity down at Kennedy Space Center lately. It makes me wish I was down there. I wouldn't mind being one of the regular launch photographers who seem to be out covering every single launch. It's a somewhat silly activity, but strangely satisfying. Titusville is a nice town too. It's not too big and not too small. I could easily imagine living there. We're not going anywhere though. Moving is for younger people. I've lived several places over the years and basically one place is the same as the next. It makes more sense to settle down and learn to love where you're at. I'm glad I left Seattle though. Seattle has really gone downhill.

I'm hoping that we don't get a lot of rain tomorrow. I'm really tired of climbing up on the roof to sweep away the standing water. It makes me feel like Sisyphus, pushing that boulder eternally up the hill.

Connor is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4813

Things did not go smoothly today. The roof has started leaking again in the office. Enough already. Dawn's hematoma seems to be getting worse, even though she's been wearing her head wrap. I couldn't renew my prescription this morning because the pharmacy said it had expired and I wasn't able to reach my doctor. Why did the bottle say I still had refills left? 

The roofers made an appointment to come over this afternoon and then never showed up. I guess all roofing companies are the same. I made an appointment with the appliance repairman and then did a load of laundry and everything worked fine. Should I cancel the appointment? Who knows. Even my long walk was strange. There was an air quality alert on my phone and when I went outside there was such a thick haze that I couldn't even see the city buildings on the horizon. Probably another dust storm.

It wasn't just my own little world that was haywire either. The Crew-6 launch got scrubbed last night with two minutes left on the countdown clock. Something was wrong with the engine ignition system. I don't think there's been a problem with a crewed Space X launch before. Things are even worse out at the observatory. There is currently a big uncontrolled forest fire near Mount Locke and the entire facility has been without power for several days. Residents living on the mountain were under an evacuation warning for a while. I'm sure other things have gone wrong in the world as well, but these are the only things I follow.

At least the severe weather that was predicted for last night never materialized. It never even rained. There were high winds though and the wind probably brought along all the dust from West Texas. I took my long walk early today because of my appointment with the roofers. I should have known better. I've done something to my shoulder so both my shoulder and my foot hurt today. I still completed my six mile walk, but I think I probably aggravated my old shoulder injury by climbing up on the roof too frequently this week. I didn't make that mistake today. I'm tired of messing with these roof leaks.

I shouldn't complain too much though. If you could ignore all the dust on the horizon it was a very nice day. It was certainly warm enough. I was able to wear shorts and a t-shirt on my walk again. It felt like we were having an early Spring this afternoon. The trees are even starting to bud. This is seldom a good sign because an early Spring usually insures that there will be a late freeze in March that kills everything. We'll see what happens. I'd be happy enough if Winter were over, but March is usually full of surprises.

Hopefully tomorrow is uneventful. No surprises please. I should probably be more flexible, but that's not going to happen. I'm happy enough with my rigid little routine, punctuated with a few trips to Florida and West Texas. Sometimes I wish I were working again, but then I remember what clients are like. It's probably best that I learn to enjoy my retirement.

Princess is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4812

Today was a nice combination of mall walking and dog walking. It was overcast, but there was no rain and it was quite warm. Sadly, that is about to change since we are under a severe weather warning for later tonight. I'm glad now that I didn't go to Florida for the Crew-6 launch. I would be worried about Janet and Dawn.

The mall was crowded with walkers today. I have no idea why the place is almost empty one week and busy the next. Mall walking seems popular with families that have young children. There are always lots of strollers and little kids. I guess this is inexpensive entertainment for some. The kids all seem to be having fun. There are also a fair amount of older people like me. I'm probably not the only one who has discovered that this is a good way to stay active. I'm a lot more active than some of these geezers. A few of them can barely move. There was nothing new in the windows this week. This seems to be an in-between time for retailers. All the window displays were the same as they were last week.

Since the ground was muddy at the park where we normally take Dawn on Sunday, we thought we'd try someplace new. Janet and I had no idea how Dawn would react. We weren't sure she would even get out of the car since new routines often frighten her. Much to our surprise Dawn was really excited to visit this new location. She had a great time smelling things and probably would have walked further. We were a little nervous about walking too far though. We both had memories of taking Dawn on walks where she was walking just fine and then would suddenly freeze and refuse to walk any further. The freezing in place behavior disappeared quite a while ago and I hope it never returns. Dawn does seem a lot more relaxed and well adjusted now. It took a while but I think she finally knows she has a home.

Even though we went to a different place this week, we still ended our outing with ice cream cones. Dawn loves getting ice cream. Occasionally, we've wondered if this little indulgence was bad for her health, but all her vital signs came back normal after her annual exam last week. Dawn is a good dog and she deserves a special treat every now and then.

The leak in the office has finally stopped but I won't be surprised if it starts leaking again after the storm passes through town later this evening. It's good to know that the leak finally stopped on its own. I didn't even bother getting up on the roof and sweeping away the standing water this time. Why bother if more rain is on the way.

My big project for today was cleaning out the dryer hose. I was convinced that a clogged or dirty hose was causing the dryer to overheat. What a messy job. I never should have attempted this right after taking a shower because I got dirty all over again. I had to move the dryer so I could squeeze behind it and unhook the dryer hose. It was a tight squeeze since the utility room is very small. I thought I could vacuum the lint out of the dryer hose, but the vacuum cleaner clogged up immediately. I had to reach into the hose and pull the caked on lint out of the tube with my hands. By compressing the flexible hose at either end, I was able to reach a lot further than I thought. There is still an area where the hose runs behind the furnace that I couldn't reach, but I did what I could. I thought I had fixed the problem, but when we ran a test load of wash through the dryer, it shut down just like it did before. The cycle finished and the clothes got dry but the machine wouldn't run another cycle until it cooled off. Oh, well. I tried. The thermostat has probably gone bad and I will have to call the appliance repairmen tomorrow.

Hopefully tonight's tornado warnings won't amount to anything. The storm front will be here soon. I'll probably watch the Crew-6 launch later on the Space X live stream. Wish I was there, but you can't have everything.

Bingo is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4811

It must have rained last night because the roof started leaking again. It wasn't a bad leak, but a leak is a leak. I didn't even bother to go up on the roof and remove the standing water. Every time I do, it just starts raining again. These leaks are frustrating. There's little I can do about them. It's going to continue raining and I can't find the source of the leak. Eventually we'll have a new roof but I can't find a lot of joy in that. Putting a new roof on our house is way too expensive and when everything is said and done, the house will still looks the same.

Roof leaks weren't my only problem today. The dryer quit working as well. Luckily the load in the dryer was almost dry when the machine quit. Who knows what the problem is this time? I've already replaced a lot of things on the washer and dryer, but there's obviously still a lot of stuff left that can break. I'm hoping that the dryer just overheated and threw some kind of circuit breaker. That is doubtful though since the machine has cooled down and still is  not working. I can't call the appliance repairman until Monday either. Did I mention that I hate going to the laundromat.

I had a lot of things on my grocery list today, so shopping took a while. I'm still having trouble dealing with the continual price increases. Enough is enough. Almost every week I notice that something I buy regularly has gotten more expensive. This trend has been going on for a long time and shows no signs of ending soon. You'd think at some point customers would revolt. I'm not sure there's a lot we could do. Nobody's forcing us to go to the grocery store.

My walk was slower today. I probably walk slower when I'm discouraged. It's not surprising that I like going to launches so much. These trips take me to an imaginary world that is largely free of day-to-day problems. Broken appliances and roof leaks aren't the end of the world, but they are irritating. As soon as you take care of one thing, something else needs attention. I enjoy my walks, but even a walk in the woods doesn't eliminate day-to-day problems. My feet still hurt and I never know when it's going to start raining.

Janet has gone to a charity event tonight and this always puts Dawn in a bad mood. This dog has grown way too dependent on her and neither of us know what to do about it. Dawn just doesn't trust men. She's fine with me feeding and walking her, but she's always waiting for the other shoe to drop. It's a shame that Dawn doesn't trust me since I'm the one who's here at the house the most. I understand though. Dawn was mistreated by men for most of her life and I'm a man. It's pretty simple.

I guess I'll go mall walking in the morning. If I'd been selected for Crew-6 coverage I'd be leaving for the space center tomorrow. I shouldn't dwell on that though. I get accepted for some launches and rejected for others and never know why. There are plenty of other launches later in the year. 

Cookie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4810

Another cold, cloudy day. No rain though, so that's good. Lately I've been having trouble thinking of something to write about. Time passes quickly, but every day is almost exactly the same. I reluctantly get out of bed when Janet tells me that we'll be walking in twenty minutes. The one mile walk wakes me up. Dawn loves to smell things and always enjoys herself no matter what the weather is like. I usually overdress for this walk because I'd rather be too warm than too cold. When we get back home I change back into my indoor clothes and make the bed.

When I go out to the kitchen to fix my breakfast, Dawn is usually waiting for her shredded wheat. She knows she gets two shredded wheat squares every morning now. As soon as she's had her treat, she goes back to the bedroom to nap. I fix some coffee, take my morning meds and eat my breakfast while watching one of the business channels on TV. I find the business channels less annoying than watching the news. I use half and half with my cereal instead of regular milk and Janet usually leaves me a small bowl of cut up strawberries to put on top. Even though we have a perfectly good dishwasher, I always wash and dry my breakfast dishes by hand and put them away before going back to the office and turning on the computer for the day. Rituals are important.

I always have tons of spam in my inbox. Even more spam is caught by my hosting company before it ever gets to me. Why are there so many spammers? Are people really stupid enough to respond to these messages? People send you fake invoices and shipping notices, hoping that you will reply and say you never ordered anything. They are just trying to extract personal information from you. I've thought about canceling my land line phone because the calls are all spam now. Most even show up as "suspected spam" on the caller ID. Why does the phone company even put these calls through if they know they are spam? Sadly, I think I know the answer. The spammers are probably their best customers.

Modern life is just one small irritation after another. Nothing works smoothly anymore. It's almost impossible to talk with a real person if you need technical help with something. If you do reach a real person they're usually in a call center in Indonesia and you can't understand what they're saying. Grocery shelves are frequently out of whatever you went to the store to get. I couldn't find real whipping cream this week. City traffic is impossible now. Where did all these people come from? I'd like to live in a small town except I'd also like to have easy access to the best doctors and veterinarians. I've got no complaints about health care and veterinarians. Pretty much everything else sucks.

The construction crews are making good progress on the access road they are replacing in the park. These guys start their day early. They were already hard at work when we took Dawn on her sunrise walk this morning. Parts of the road are already finished but I'm hesitant to walk on it yet. I don't want to get tar on my Hoka shoes. The new route I'm taking now to avoid the construction is about a half mile shorter than my regular route. Even something as minor as this throws me off. I like consistency and continuity. 

Dawn seems to be getting tired of wearing the No Flap Ear Wrap. I can't say that I blame her. I usually take it off when she's in the house, but you never know when she's going to vigorously shake her head. So far the hematoma on her left ear hasn't gotten any smaller. Hopefully by this time next month we'll be able to see some improvement. 

Nora is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4809

I can't get used to this roller coaster weather. Yesterday I was wearing shorts and a t-shirt. Today I was wearing my down parka again. We've gone back and forth like this for weeks. It's weird to say the least. Even though it was chilly this morning, we had a nice early walk with Dawn. She doesn't seem to mind the cold nearly as much as I do. I can tell the days are gettig longer now. A few months ago we would have been walking in the dark at this time of day. Today is was quite light out and we watched the sun rise as we headed back to the house.

It looks like I failed at stopping the roof leaks. I thought I had dodged a bullet yesterday, but right after breakfast I noticed a small wet spot in the office carpet. The roof was leaking again. My patching efforts must have helped because there was only one small leak instead of multiple leaks all over the house. It was still disappointing to see a leak though. I was forced to climb up on the roof again and sweep away the remaining standing water from yesterday's rain. I wasn't surprised to find that the leak was directly under the biggest duck pond on the roof.  The roof was largely dry, but this one large puddle of standing water was evidently enough to cause a leak. My patches seemed to have held up fairly well during the rain, but I must have missed something. If there is a lot of standing water, it doesn't take much of a hole in the elastomer coating to cause a leak.

I've given up on going to the Crew-6 launch. My application must have gotten lost because I still haven't heard anything one way or the other. NASA is usually pretty good about notification even if your request is rejected. I don't know what happened this time. Truthfully this is a blessing in disguise. I wasn't planning on returning to Kennedy Space Center until April or May and couldn't really afford this trip anyway. I do like to go to most of the important launches, but it certainly doesn't hurt anything to miss this one.

I had to change my route through the park again today. There is some major construction taking place on one of the park's main service roads. I still can't figure out how the park seems to get better roads than the rest of the city. In our neighborhood we get those cheap spray on roads. This was a proper road. They had one of those huge machines that scraped away the old road and then they started from scratch applying completely new pavement. Personally I would prefer no roads through the park, but the place has become a recreation destination. Not everyone can get to this place by walking out their back door like I can.

The roofing company wants to come over and meet with me next week to go over their bid. I don't know what this is going to prove. It's certainly not going to soften the blow of whatever expensive price they put on the job. I've dealt with roofing bids before. They are always more expensive than you expect. I can think of lots of ways I'd rather spend the money, but we can't go on living like this. We need a new roof.

I haven't really accomplished much this week. There are still leaves to rake and it appears that I failed to stop the leaks yesterday. It doesn't look like I'm going to the Crew-6 launch either. I did get this weeks trash taken out to the curb this evening and the roof has finally stopped leaking. More importantly, there is no longer any rain in the forecast for next week. Hey, I'll take what I can get. Dawn is still being good about wearing the No Flap Ear Wrap. It will probably take a while, but I hope this will help eliminate the hematoma in her left ear.

Joey is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4808

Our timing was perfect this morning. There was a light mist when we took Dawn on her early morning walk, but we decided to walk anyway. Literally in less than a minute after we returned home the skies opened up and there was a downpour. If we'd started our walk five minutes later we would have gotten soaked. The rain was over in an hour, but it was certainly enough to put yesterday's roof repairs to the test. So far there have been no leaks. I'm not going to declare victory yet though. Sometimes it takes a while for water to start leaking.

It was certainly warm today. Our air conditioner has been running for the second day in a row. This is definitely not your normal February, but I've got no complaints. Life is easier when it's warm outside. The weather was the only surprise today. Everything else was exactly like yesterday. I had my shredded wheat and fruit for breakfast, checked my messages for a non-existent credentialing notice from NASA, and took my long walk in the park.

I had to change my route a bit today because a construction crew was repaving a road I normally walk on. The park department seems very efficient about getting things done, while other city departments like water and public works seem exactly the opposite. I wonder how this works since the park department is part of the city? Even though the park is well managed, I liked it better when it was largely undiscovered. When we first moved here it was rare to see anyone in the park. Now it's become a recreation destination for the entire Metroplex.

Dawn's lab reports came back today and everything looks good. It's nice to have a healthy dog again. Dot and Dash had many good years, but they had lots of problems as well. Both dogs had cancer in their later years. Dot went through a complicated spinal surgery and Dash had a long recovery after being attacked by another dog. Petey and Greta had their share of problems as well. I really hope that Dawn stays healthy for a long time. It's sad watching a dog decline.

I don't know why I'm still fretting about the Crew-6 launch since I'm not even sure I want to go. I should have heard something by now. I always worry that I might have fallen out of favor and will lose access to the space center. It wasn't easy getting press credentials or even finding a magazine that would be interesting in publishing my stories. Attending launches makes me feel like I'm still working and have something to contribute. My problem is that it's hard to get noticed when you can only afford to make several trips to the space center each year. The local launch photographers are down there all the time and have gotten to know the credentialing people personally. It makes a difference.

I need to find something I'm interested in doing here in Dallas. It would be easier if I didn't have to think about airfare and hotels every time I wanted to do something. I'm not a joiner though. I can't think of a single organization or club that I'd like to be a part of. It's probably a good thing that I still like blogging. It gives me something to do everyday.

Maggie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4807

I'm tired. I did a lot of chores today that I've been trying to avoid. I knew that bulky trash pickup was this week, so I raked leaves right after breakfast. It's a good thing I started early because the trash trucks came today. I thought they were coming tomorrow. I hadn't finished by the time the trucks arrived but at least three big bags of leaves got hauled away. I guess I'll get the rest of the leaves next month.

Dawn wore her No Flap Ear Wrap on our early walk this morning. We hope this helps the hematoma on her ear to heal. I wasn't aware of how often she shakes her head. She does this a lot when she's outside. The device really does a good job of keeping her ears in place and Dawn doesn't seem to mind wearing it. Lets hope it works.

It was really warm today. I wore shorts and a t-shirt on my long walk and was still hot. By mid-afternoon it got up to over 80 degrees. This isn't like February at all. Even though the weather was nice, I was fairly slow this morning. This was probably because I had already been raking leaves for over an hour. I just don't have as much energy as I used to. I still managed to walk six miles. It just took me a little longer. I always try to convince myself that it's better to go slow than to quit, even though on many days I'd much rather just take a long nap.

With 80 degree weather I knew the roof would be dry, so I managed to lug the big bucket of Armor Flex silicon up on the roof and used it to patch the holes where the coating had torn. There was only about one gallon of liquid silicon left in the bucket, but it was enough to fill most of the bare areas. This stuff is so old now that I'm not even sure if it is good anymore. It's got to help though. I'll try to go up on the roof again tomorrow and see if the coating I applied dried properly. I hope this works because it's supposed to start raining again tomorrow. The roofing company still hasn't called me with their bid, but I'm not in any particular hurry to get started. I know the job is going to be expensive and the rainy season isn't over yet. I guess I can keep setting buckets under the leaks until Spring.

The Crew-6 launch got postponed until Monday. I doubt that this matters much to me, since I still haven't heard whether I've been credentialed or not. It's odd that I haven't been either accepted or rejected yet with the launch so close. Usually I would have heard something by now. Maybe this is a sign that I should just plan to skip this launch. There's a good chance that it's going to rain this weekend anyway and I don't want to leave Janet with a bunch of leak buckets to manage.

It's weird to have the air conditioner running in February, but at least the air conditioner is working fine. I've just about given up trying to predict this weather. I wouldn't be surprised if we're freezing again soon. I know we've still got a lot more rain to look forward to, but I hope it stays dry long enough for the silicon patches I applied today to dry. We'll see what happens tomorrow. I probably didn't fix the roof, but at least I got rid of some leaves today.

Lizzy is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4806

Dawn had her annual exam today. The lab results haven't come back yet, but it looks like she is in good shape. Dawn, like many Dalmatians, has had problems with crystals in her urine, but hopefully changes in her diet have helped eliminate that problem. The only other problem was her ear. About a month ago we noticed that she had developed a hematoma on her left ear. She shakes her head a lot, which either caused or aggravated the problem. 

The vet recommended a special pet headwrap called the No Flap Ear Wrap that will help the hematoma heal without the need for surgery. The device actually seems to work, although she looks like a little babushka now. Dawn is still shaking her head, but her ears don't flap around any more. Hopefully this will help. I'm not sure how long she will have to wear this contraption, but she seems to tolerate it well. We're not sure why she shakes her head so much. Dash did this too and developed a hematoma as well. It's definitely not an ear infection. Her ears look good..

It took me a while to realize that today was a holiday. I kept wondering why we didn't get any mail and why the park was so full of people. President's Day is kind of a weird holiday, but if you're working and get the day off, I guess you'll take what you can get. Other than Dawn's vet appointment, the day was exactly the same for me. We took Dawn on a sunrise walk, I had my shredded wheat for breakfast, and then I took my long walk.

There was a pretty sunrise and sunset today. I should have taken more pictures. I've spent so many years documenting things in the park a that I'm not very interested anymore. I didn't even take a picture of Dawn at the vet today. I used to do that with Dot and Dash a lot. There's always a phone in my pocket, but I rarely carry a camera with me these days. I used to always carry a little Lumix DMC ZS40 with me. It was about the size of a pack of cigarettes and had a long Leica telephoto lens that collapsed flat when the camera was off. This was the perfect camera to carry while taking long walks in the woods but I can't be bothered anymore. I just spend my walking time daydreaming these days.

I was expecting to hear from the roofer today and was hoping to learn whether I'd been credentialed for the Crew-6 launch as well. I guess nothing happens on holidays. We'll see if anything happens tomorrow. I won't be that disappointed if I don't get credentialed for this launch. Life will be simpler without having to arrange a last minute trip to Florida. Life would be simpler if the roof didn't leak too, but you can't have everything.

I need to remember that it's time for bulky trash pickup this week. There are still leaves that need to be raked in the side yard. Raking leaves is not my favorite activity, but these leaves don't seem to be going anywhere on their own. There have been several really windy days and I was hoping that they would just blow away. No luck there. If anything, more leaves seems to be blowing into the side yard.

It was unseasonably warm today and almost got up to 80 degrees. I think it's supposed to be even warmer tomorrow. That's fine by me. As long as it doesn't rain, the weather can do what it wants.

Odie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4805

Has it already been a week since the Superbowl? Time flies. The football season may be over, but our Sunday was pretty much the same. I woke up wondering why it was so cold outside, we took Dawn on her sunrise walk, and then we had another big weekend breakfast. After I made the bed and checked my messages, I went mall walking again.

Each time I visit Northpark I notice that things have changed. It's a busy place. All the Valentines Day displays are gone now, but no new theme has emerged. I still see raincoats in a lot of windows. Sunday seems to be a day for staff meetings. You often see groups of people in the yet to be opened stores listening to some sort of presentation. In one store these people were all wearing white jumpsuits like they were at a hazmat scene. What was that all about? You see lots of people dusting things with Swiffer dusters. I never realized that retail stores were such a big market for Swiffer. Several stores used to have off-duty policemen sitting inside the store. They are all gone now. Was this a policy change, or is the mall actually safer these days? 

I have my favorite stores now and often think that I would buy my clothes at these places if I were still working in an office. I'd probably change my mind quickly if I actually went inside the stores and checked on the prices. There are no bargains at this mall. Truthfully, the last thing I need are more clothes. There are still things in my closet that I have never worn. Clothes are never a high priority when you work from home. When you retire, clothes become an even lower priority.

Dawn's priority today was her Sunday outing. We were a little late leaving today and she knew it. That dog has an amazing internal clock. She knows when everything is supposed to happen, right down to the minute. You'd better not be late. Especially when it comes to meals. It had warmed up quite a bit by the time we left the house and we all had an enjoyable walk. The ground is finally drying out from our recent rains and our shoes didn't even get muddy today.

There was a line of cars at the ice cream store today. This place advertises it's product as "frozen custard" even though it tastes exactly like ice cream. I've tasted custard before. This stuff is definitely ice cream.  It is more expensive than Dairy Queen, but is still pretty reasonable. Dawn certainly approves.

I didn't do much this afternoon. There are plenty of things that need attention around the house, but I didn't feel like starting anything new. The Crew-6 launch is next Sunday and I still haven't heard anything. This probably means I'm not going. It's no great loss if I don't get credentialed this time although I would like to go. Oh, well. There are still a few day left and plenty of launches in the future. We'll see what happens.

Dawn has her annual exam at the vet tomorrow. We think she's healthy but you never know what's going to turn up in the lab reports. Hopefully this will just be a routine visit.

Spot is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4804

Another cold, grey day. It was a fairly typical Saturday. We got up a little later than usual, dressed warmly for our early walk with Dawn, and then returned home for a big weekend breakfast. My grocery list was longer today, so shopping took a while. I also had to get gas and pick up a prescription. As usual, I had to visit several stores to find everything. 

Since Janet was going to a charity event this evening, I stopped at my favorite barbecue place to get some ribs for dinner. I like ribs more than she does. There was a banjo orchestra practicing inside the restaurant. Weird. I'd never seen anything like this before. There was a conductor leading about twenty people playing banjos. Everyone was playing different parts and the result was surprisingly good. The owner told me that the group practiced at the restaurant every Saturday morning and that they had a concert once a month. There are so many things in this city that I am totally unaware of. Who would have thought that Dallas had a banjo orchestra.

Today was a lot like yesterday. It looked like it was going to rain but never did. It also never warmed up very much. I had planned to go to the gym today because of the weather, but all the traffic I encountered while grocery shopping made me change my mind. I just don't like being out on the roads anymore. I put on a warm coat and took my long walk. I wasn't very fast today, but it didn't really matter. Once I finished my errands this morning I had nothing to do for the rest of the day.

Dawn seemed upset that Janet wasn't around for dinner. This dog doesn't like surprises. I wanted to take a nap on the bed after my long walk but every time I sat down on the bed, Dawn would leave the room and go out to the kitchen and whine. Eventually I got tired of this and just took a nap on the couch in the living room. I wish Dawn felt more comfortable around me, but it is what it is. For the most part, our life is very predictable and Dawn is fine. She just doesn't like surprises and will probably never be comfortable alone with me.

There were a lot of things I should have done around the house this afternoon, but I wasn't in the mood. I did a load of laundry and called it quits. I felt tired all day because I haven't been sleeping well. My nasal congestion is so bad now that I have to sleep on my back. If I sleep on my side, my nose drips continually. I know I must have gotten some sleep last night but my Fitbit registered nothing. The Apple watch said I got an hour and a half of sleep. Hopefully I will do better tonight.

I wonder when NASA is going to let me know about the Crew-6 launch. It's getting kind of close and I still haven't heard anything. I imagine that if I'm credentialed at the last minute I'll still go, but it sure would be nice if I could plan ahead. I probably shouldn't have applied for credentials for this launch. I didn't realize until after I sent my application in that the launch takes place at 2 AM. I like daytime launches a lot better. Oh, well. We'll see what happens. It's not like I have a lot on my agenda.

Tomorrow I'll go mall walking and we'll take Dawn on her Sunday outing. It's going to be warmer so hopefully the walk will be easier than last week. I'm sure we'll get ice cream cones even though it seems strange to do this in the Winter. Janet won't be home until late tonight so Dawn is still moody. I would have shared my ribs with her but she refused to join me in the kitchen. I guess her loss was my gain.

Bailey is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4803

Another very cold morning. I guess I shouldn't be surprised since it is technically the middle of Winter. It's hard to tell what season it is in Texas. It might be cold today, but next Tuesday it is supposed to get up to 80 degrees. Go figure. The cold didn't stop us this morning. We bundled up and took Dawn on her sunrise walk. One benefit of the days starting to get longer is that we aren't walking in the dark as often anymore. The skies were clear this morning and I had hopes that it would warm uyp later in the day. It didn't. It got a little warmer but I was still cold on my long walk.

After breakfast this morning I went to Home Depot and got some spare halogen bulbs for the living room lamps. These bulbs burn hot and don't last very long. I always have to remember to have spares handy. The two lamps in the living room are the only lights in the house that haven't been converted to LED bulbs. I called in a prescription and hoped to pick it up while I was out. The pharmacy said it wouldn't be ready until tomorrow. Sign of the times I guess. Prescription renewals used to be ready in two hours. Now it often takes two days.

Every morning when we walk Dawn I think it's too cold to walk in the park and that I should go to the gym instead. When the time comes, I just put on a warm coat and keep walking in the park. I don't go to the gym as often as I used to mostly because I hate all the traffic. It seems like traffic has doubled in Dallas in recent years. It's not pleasant driving in this city anymore. I'm glad the city was smaller and a little more sane when I had to drive to work everyday. After thirty years of working from home I've totally lost my patience with city traffic.

It's nice living next to a huge and still somewhat wild city park. When I take my long walks it's easy to forget I'm living in a large and very busy city. I do have to watch out for bicycles, but for the most part the park is a very peaceful place. Today a couple stopped me and asked where the eagles were. They seemed disappointed when I told them that I hadn't seen them in several months. It's strange that people have become obsessed with the bald eagles. There are lots of other interesting birds. The white pelicans are almost as large as the eagles and look majestic when flying. The Blue Herons and Great Egrets are pretty spectacular too. My favorites are the Muscovy Ducks. They are kind of ugly but have a lot of personality. I always look for them when I pass Sunset Bay on my walk.

Friday is Dawn's favorite day. She gets all excited when Janet returns with the groceries and starts waiting for the car at the front door up to an hour before she returns. Dawn seems to know that it is Grocery Day as soon as she wakes up on Friday. I don't know how this got to be such a big deal, but as soon as the groceries are in the house Dawn races out to the kitchen and stays with Janet until everything has been put away. Needless to say, she had a good time today.

It's my turn to get groceries tomorrow. We each have different things on our lists and it seems to work out well. I'm getting used to the rising prices, but I can't figure out why a lot of things are in short supply now.  I used to be able to find everything I need at a single store. Now I routinely have to visit several stores. I guess this is the new normal. Truthfully, nothing really returned to normal after Covid. The definition of normal just changed. Was life really easier in the 70's and 80's? It certainly seemed that way to me.

Lexi is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4802

Dawn got a bath today. That was probably the big event of the day. Dawn, like most dogs, doesn't really like getting a bath, but she tolerates it. We take her to a neighborhood self-bathe place where there are lots of other dogs and she is always well behaved.

Luckily, last night's severe weather alert never materialized. It didn't even rain. I keep looking at the weather forecast with trepidation. I'd really like it to stay dry for a while. So far, there is no rain in the forecast until next Wednesday with a 30% chance of showers. I can live with that.

It was quite cold today. I didn't dress warmly enough when we took Dawn on her sunrise walk, but I didn't make that mistake again when I took my long walk later in the day. Dawn seems to enjoy the cold. She was full of energy this morning. I definitely wasn't full of energy when I took my long walk, but I did manage to complete my six miles. There weren't a lot of people on the trails today for obvious reasons. There are always a few die-hards like me though. I recognize them now but have no idea who they are.

I had several errands I needed to do today but never got around to doing anything. I need to renew a prescription before it runs out and I need to get a new bulb for one of the living room lamps before it burns out. There are other things that can probably wait until this weekend. At the rate I'm going, I suspect that everything will wait until this weekend.

The only real connection I have to the Space Coast is what I see on Facebook. Almost every day I see cool photos of launches that I missed. There's always a lot going on down at Kennedy Space Center but unfortunately I can only afford to travel to Florida several times a year. I kind of envy the photographers who seem to attend every single launch, but I wonder if I would have their stamina if I actually lived there. I tend to get bored quickly. There are a lot of things that have captured my interest in the past. Most of them are just distant memories now. Realistically, going to a few important launches a year is plenty. They are all more of less the same anyway.

I'm really tired of having a runny nose. I don't do well with decongestants, so I'm blowing my nose constantly. This seems more like seasonal allergies than a cold, but I've had enough. Since this happens every year, you'd think I'd have come up with a solution by now. Nope. So far, I'm just burning through a lot of blue Scott shop towels. At $20 for a six pack, this turns out to be pretty expensive Kleenex.

This week has gone quickly. When I took this week's trash out to the curb this evening, Mars and Jupiter were already low in the Western sky. It seems like they were overhead just a few weeks ago. I wonder what stars will be overhead the next time I'm out at McDonald Observatory. It might be a while.

Joshua is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4801

This is weird. We're under a severe weather alert even though it is currently clear outside and the weather apps on my phone show no chance of rain. I probably spend way too much time fretting about rain, but I just finished cleaning up the house and have cleared all the standing water off the roof. I'm not ready to go through that drill again. 

Today was basically just like yesterday. Not a lot happened. Dawn got her sunrise walk. I got my long walk in the park later in the day, and then spent the rest of my time puttering around the house. It was surprisingly warm today. I almost wore shorts on my walk, but decided against it because of the high winds down by the shoreline. I continue to follow the my familiar route through the park while maintaining my weekday routine at home. I'm really hoping that my request for Crew-6 press credentials comes though because these days are getting a little monotonous even for me. It's time for another trip to Kennedy Space Center.

I think the bald eagles have left the area. There is still a large area that the city has been fenced off near their nest, but it's been several months since I've seen the birds. I wonder where they've gone? It seems strange that they'd go to the trouble to build a large nest and just abandon it. There are still five missing geese as well. I don't think they've moved to another park of the park because I would have seen them by now. I still think somebody ate them.

I paid bills and did my bookkeeping this afternoon. Everything balances, but it took me a while. It seems like I used to be a lot faster at this. I've always used Quickbooks, but now I crosscheck everything with my online statements. If there is a discrepancy it is always a data entry mistake I've made on my end. I don't even know why I do this anymore. The online statements are probably all I need. Force of habit is strong though. There are probably a lot of things I will continue doing whether they make any sense or not.

The roofing company wants to meet with me next week to go over their bid. I'm pretty sure I'll give them the job even though I have no idea if they are any better than other roofing companies I've dealt with. Everyone I've ever used came highly recommended but I've learned that this doesn't guarantee anything. Our house is full of little non-standard quirks that can make a joke out of anyone's bid. Oh, well. I've got to do something. I just wish replacing a flat roof on an architect's unique creation wasn't so expensive. I'd much rather buy a new car.

Janet said Dawn did well at her training class tonight. She's missed several classes due to bad weather and was eager to go tonight. No ribbons this time, but you can't win a ribbon every week. I used to go to these classes when we had Dot and Dash, but there's no point for me to go now. Janet does well training Dawn and Dawn trusts her. Dawn is never going to trust me completely and I wouldn't do well as her handler.

The severe weather alert has almost expired and we still haven't had any rain. That's good news. I have no plans for tomorrow, which means that it will probably be a lot like today. No complaints though. Today was a pretty good day.

Lucky is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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Day 4800 - Valentines Day

Only two hundred days to go. I should have established a less ambitious blogging goal back in the beginning, but I still think I can do this. In less than a year I will have written a daily post for 5000 consecutive days.

I wasn't surprised to see the roof start leaking again when we woke up this morning. We got a lot of rain last night. Thunder and lightning woke me up several times and I always got up and checked for leaks. Needless to say, I didn't get a lot of sleep. The leaks didn't start until I was having breakfast this morning but it didn't take long for the water to make a mess of things. We had water running down a wall again, making it impossible to capture in a bucket. Luckily this leak was in a hallway where we have brick floors.

It was still raining early this morning, so Dawn didn't get her usual sunrise walk. We didn't forget her though. When the rain ended, Dawn got a nice walk later in the day. I didn't take my usual long walk because I was too busy dealing with roof leak problems. I did get my 10,000 steps though. Just barely.

All in all the leaks weren't nearly as bad as the previous two rain storms. The pumps on the roof were working well too. When I started seeing clear sky, I climbed up on the roof and swept away the remaining standing water. So far, so good. The leaks have finally stopped and I don't see any more rain in the two week forecast. If the roof gets completely dry again I may try to patch the obvious holes with the remaining Armor Flex silicon coating I have left. I doubt that this will fix the problem, but maybe it will help.

I still haven't gotten an estimate for replacing the roof from the roofing company, but I wasn't expecting anything until the end of the week. Prices were pretty high when I replaced the roof the last time and I expect that they are even worse now. I don't have much of a choice though. You just can't live in a house with leaks all over the place.

Although I had the best of intentions to quit climbing on the roof, it looks like this unpleasant chore is still going to be a part of my future for a while. I'm more careful these days but I'm also more clumsy. I definitely don't want to end my days by falling off a roof. Maybe by Summer we'll have a new roof and I can put this all behind me.

We didn't have our usual Valentines cupcakes this year. Janet had a class this evening and we were both tired anyway. Hopefully tomorrow will just be an ordinary February day. I'd like to hear something about the Crew-6 launch soon so I can make plans, but I'll be happy enough if nothing happens at all tomorrow. As long as the house stays dry, I'm good.

Dot is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4799

Not a lot happened today. It's a good thing that I have a high tolerance for boredom, because I didn't do anything of consequence all day. I'm actually surprised that the day went so quickly. We got up later than usual so there was no need for flashlights on our early walk with Dawn. No clear blue skies today. The temperature was warm enough, but it was overcast and felt like rain was on the way. It's discouraging to think that the buckets will be back in the house and strategically placed under the leaks again by tomorrow morning.

Dawn expects a piece of shredded wheat when I fix my breakfast now. We have many little rituals and most of them involve food. I was in no hurry to get started this morning because I knew there was nothing on the agenda. I have nobody to blame but myself for this. I'm just not interested in very much these days.

After I checked the mail and looked for nonexistent important messages in my inbox, I got ready for my morning walk. It's hard to decide what to wear on days like these. If I dress for the back yard, I'm cold when I'm walking near the lake, If I dress for the shoreline, I'm hot during the rest of the walk. I should have this figured out by now. I've been walking this same route for years.

When I was walking, someone warned me about a loose pitbull in the park. I said that I knew about the dog and that it belonged to a nearby neighbor. "Oh, dear," said the woman and told me she had already called 311 about the dog. This dog is very sweet and I hope it went back inside before animal control came to pick it up. There are people who think it is perfectly fine to let their dog out to pee without a leash even if they don't have a fence. You can't convince these people that this is dangerous for the dog. 

My pace wasn't that great today and my feet hurt, but I managed to complete my six miles. By my last mile I'm always wondering why I do this everyday. Often my walks are boring. Walking is good exercise but I ought to be able to think of something more interesting to do. I must be a familiar face in the neighborhood by now. A lot of people wave at me, even though I have no idea who they are.

This afternoon I made an appointment to see the dermatologist. I don't really need to see the dermatologist anymore, but I've learned that it's easier to go ahead and make an appointment whenever you get a notice from a doctor. You can't ignore doctors. Once you are on a doctor's list, you're going to be there forever. Maybe I'll ask the dermatologist about my tick bite. Usually I have no reaction to ticks at all, but this time I have a hard lump where the tick bit me. Hopefully it wasn't once of those Lyme Disease ticks.

I spent the afternoon recharging camera and computer batteries and updating the apps on my iPad. My cameras are always ready even though I seldom use them anymore. I do use the camera on my phone though. That's probably reason enough to get a new phone.

Tessa is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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Day 4798 - Superbowl Sunday

That was a good game. I wasn't a huge fan of either team, but the game was competitive right down to the final seconds. I do think the best team won. I spent most of my career working in the advertising industry and I'd be the first to admit that I don't understand superbowl commercials anymore. Traditionally, these commercials are supposed to be the best of the best, but they are no longer funny or memorable. There wasn't a Budweiser commercial with Clydesdales and Dalmatians either. I still think Prince and Michael Jackson had the best halftime shows. Rihanna didn't even come close. It was a good game though. Hard to believe that Patrick Mahomes is only 27 years old.

Other than watching more football than I normally do, the rest of my day was pretty normal. We had a nice early morning walk with Dawn, ate a big weekend breakfast, and then I went mall walking. The mall seemed virtually empty today. A lot of the window displays have changed. Several stores seem to be featuring raincoats. I guess this makes sense. It is the rainy season here in Dallas. 

I still walk a lot slower indoors than I do outdoors. It's a mystery. I think I'm walking faster until Fitbit tells me otherwise. I don't spend a lot of time looking in the windows anymore. I've practically memorized everything. Mall walking is still a nice change of pace from my regular walks in the park. I wouldn't do it if the stores were open though. I prefer going to the mall when the stores are closed.

Dawn got her Sunday outing today. She seems to know that this is her day. She gets all excited about 30 minutes before we are ready to leave. You can tell she is excited, but as soon as the car starts she immediately goes into panic mode. I don't think we could ever take a long car trip with Dawn. Dawn doesn't really calm down in the car until she gets her ice cream cone. She's pretty normal after that.

The leaks have stopped. I put all the buckets away today. We've got a reprieve until the next rain storm, but unfortunately there is more rain on the horizon. It's supposed to rain again as soon as next Tuesday or Wednesday. These leaks are getting old. I'm really hoping that the roofing company I contacted gives me a decent bid so we can finally put an end to this madness.

I still haven't heard anything about the Crew-6 launch. I hate waiting until the last minute to learn whether I've been credentialed or not, but there's not much I can do about it. I like to think that the articles I write are of some value, but they're probably not of any consequence. Attending a launch still feels like work though. That's good. I'd hate to think that all I've got left are hobbies.

Tomorrow it's back to shredded wheat for breakfast and more long walks in the park. I should make an effort to add more variety to my life, but I probably won't. I like consistency, as long as we aren't talking about consistent rain. 

Lucy is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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