Day 4845

I give up on this weather. When I left for my long walk this morning it was warm and the sky was partly cloudy. I could see blue sky. Everything was fine for the first couple of miles and then out of nowhere I heard thunder and some really dark clouds appeared. The clouds were moving pretty fast, but I was hoping that I could make it home before any rain arrived. No such luck. Right after one particularly loud thunder clap, the skies opened up and I got drenched. I was nowhere near a shelter so I got soaked to the bone. The temperature dropped ten degrees almost instantly and I was shivering. Eventually I made it home without being struck by lightning and immediately threw all my clothes in the washer. It was easier to just wash them than attempt to dry them out. I was so wet that it felt like I'd just taken a long, cold shower.

Ten minutes later the rain was gone and the sky was clear and blue again. Very strange. It was really a tiny little thunderstorm, but it was intense. Janet said that she got soaked while she was out grocery shopping too. Later I realized that there had been severe tornados in Arkansas and Tennessee while I was getting wet. I think there were tornados in Iowa and Illinois as well. What happened here was just a minor afterthought in a nationwide bad weather day. Once again Dallas got lucky. I'm still going to be glad when this rainy season is over though. Enough is enough.

Dawn got her early morning walk before the bad weather arrived and she didn't seem particular bothered by all the thunder and lightning. Dawn is scared of just about everything, but she isn't bothered by storms. Oddly, she is terrified of cats. There is an alley cat that has been hanging out near our yard and she won't go outside if the cat is nearby. Dawn can smell a cat long before Janet and I see it. There was a cat on a little trail leading to the park this morning and Dawn wouldn't move until we convinced the cat to move out of the way.

Needless to say, I didn't mow the lawn today. I'd been planning to pay some bills and pick up a prescription at the pharmacy, but I didn't do that either. In my own mind it was a very slow day. A date has been set for several of the launches I want to attend in April, but I haven't received any notification about credentialing yet. Hopefully they won't wait until the last minute to let me know. It's very hard to work out travel details when you only have a few days notice. I guess it wouldn't be the end of the world if I didn't get accepted for these launches, but I would like to go.

I keep getting notices that the operating system on my computers is no longer being supported. Why? I like my computer the way it is now. I have one of the last versions of Adobe Studio and Microsoft Office with a full set of install discs. Everything is subscription based now. I refuse to pay a monthly fee for things I don't use frequently. So what if my computers are basically still living in 2011. It was a good year. Everything I have installed on the desktop and laptop still works and I have no desire to upgrade. I have no desire to get a new car either. The last thing I want is a car where the engine stops every time you pull up to a stop light.

It's hard to believe it will be April tomorrow. Where has this year gone? They say not to believe anything you hear on April Fools Day, but sadly that's true for just about any day these days. 

Smiley is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4844

There are critters everywhere this Spring. Last night there was a bunny in the yard when we were taking Dawn out to pee. It took me forever to get the bunny to leave because I didn't want Dawn to get it. Finally, I got it to go out an open gate and then we let Dawn outside. I did close the gate again after the bunny left. 

We've never had a dog with a really strong prey drive, but Dot killed a squirrel once and Gretta killed a bird. Dogs will be dogs. I've always been worried that our dogs would want to tangle with a possum. We see possums in the yard almost every week. There have also been racoons, armidillos, and the ocassional snake. Dawn pretty much ignores the squirrels. There are so many of them that they aren't interesting anymore.

This weather is driving me nuts. It's cold. It's hot. It's wet. It's dry. You never know what to expect. It was really chilly early this morning, but by mid-afternoon it felt like summer. When I wear a jacket on my walks I try to pick something that is easy to take off and tie around my waist. I'm usually cold on the outbound leg of the walk and hot on the return.

I still haven't gotten the grass mowed. My long walk always takes priority and by the time I get home I'm too tired to push the mower. I need to ask my neighbor's landscape crew how much they'd charge to mow my front yard while they are at her house. It's a very small yard and it would only take them a few minutes. Whatever they'd charge, I'd probably think it was too much. I've taken care of the yard for decades and am not used to paying for lawn care. Something's got to change though. I just don't have the energy that I used to.

Yesterday I tripped and fell while I was walking Dawn and now my back hurts along with everything else. Sometime I don't know how I manage to keep walking six miles a day. I've got bad knees, a dislocated shoulder, and some pretty nasty foot pain. I don't think the fall did any damage, but I've really got to watch my balance on uneven ground. Truthfully, I've got to watch my balance walking around the house. This is probably one more reason that it isn't a great idea to go back to the observatory and spend the night outdoors photographing the stars. There are a million ways to fall out there.

Very little happened today. I walked the same route I walk every day and then came home and charged camera batteries and backed up the laptop. There is very little need to back up the laptop since everything gets transferred to the desktop computer anyway. I hate seeing that little message saying "no backups in 208 days" and I guess today was the day to make it go away for a while.

There is more rain in tomorrow's forecast. Hopefully we will be able to get Dawn walked before the rain starts. Hopefully the roof won't leak either. I'll probably miss the rain when the ground is parched and dry this August. Right now I've had enough of the stuff. This has been a very rainy Spring.

Sparky is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4843

Where did today go? I don't think I did anything worth mentioning all day. It was too cold to mow the grass and I didn't feel industrious enough to start anything new. I just shuffled through my regular routine and before you know it, the day was over. 

Lately I've been preoccupied with aging equipment. My computers, phones, and watch can't be updated anymore because latest operating systems aren't supported. In prior years this would have been a good excuse to buy something new, but I have no desire for new gadgets anymore. My frustration isn't that the stuff is getting old, it's that Apple doesn't support it anymore. I have no real desire for a new large format printer either, but I hate broken stuff. I feel compelled to fix or replace the broken printer even though I will probably never use it again. I tried to convince myself that I need a large format printer to make huge prints of my rocket and milky way photos, but there is no wall space to hang more pictures. That was used up years ago. It's silly to buy an expensive printer to make three or four prints anyway.

Our pretty Spring weather seems to have disappeared. There was some light rain early this morning and more is on the way tomorrow. This didn't stop me from walking though. Dawn got a nice early morning walk and I took my regular long walk later in the day. I discovered that the photographers I've been seeing weren't looking for the eagles after all. Evidently there was an owl in a nearby tree that had babies recently. I already have pictures of an owl tending babies, so I doubt that I will join the other photographers. Owls are interesting to photograph though and they don't tend to fly away as you approach them.

It's amazing that the days go by so quickly since I basically only do two things each day. I try to walk at least six miles and I write my blog. I know that it's good to have goals but these are kind of silly goals. Why six miles instead of five and what's so special about 5000 days? These activities do provide structure though and they eat up a huge amount of time. I'm not sure what I would do if I didn't walk everyday. I don't really think of the walks as exercise anymore. It's just a way to spend the day.

We thought Dawn was well enough to go back to her training class tonight, but she had to come home early because she seemed to be favoring one of her front legs during an exercise. She seems fine now and seemed fine during the day, but it's really hard to tell how she's really feeling. Dogs hide pain well, especially if the pain is minor. All we can tell is that is walking normally again and the swelling in her neck has subsided. I wish she didn't shake her head so much, but she has always done this and I doubt she's going to stop.

I wish I'd hear something about the April launches I've applied to attend. Sometimes I don't know whether I'm going to get press credentials until a few days before the launch. This means that I never get any bargains on airfare and sometimes it's hard to find a hotel. Covering launches still seems worthwhile though. What else am I going to do with my time?

I hope it doesn't rain much tomorrow. I'm getting so tired of dealing with roof leaks. You're probably equally tired of hearing about them.

Elliott is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4842

Even on days where nothing happens, I still wonder about things. Why are the airwaves filled with commercials from pharmaceutical companies advertising pills with side effects so serious they can kill you? Why do small SUV's from every manufacturer look exactly the same? Why do people stop at McDonalds on the way home from the gym? Who are they kidding? Why are roads perpetually under construction? I could go on and on. The world just doesn't make sense anymore.

I think the secret to good health is as simple as eating fresh healthy food every day and getting lots of exercise, but people continue to spend billions on dubious supplements and weight loss plans. The secret to financial stability is as simple as never spending money you don't have. Credit cards are just an illusion. I don't know the secret to happiness, but I bet it has something to do with following your own internal compass instead of constantly comparing your situation to others around you. It shouldn't matter what others are doing.

This new desire to be part of a hive mind is a curse. I think social media is one of the worst inventions in the history of humanity. It's definitely not making us smarter. Every day I see people walking through the woods in the park with their face glued to their phones. They're not even aware of what is going on around them. The same thing happens when they are in the car. A majority of traffic accidents in the city are caused by people who are texting when they should be watching the road. When I used to hear people talking to themselves, I always though they were mentally ill. Now I know they're just carrying on a conversation using earbuds. Where does this desire to constantly talk to someone else come from? Is it really that bad to be alone with your thoughts?

It's not surprising that I'm not much of a talker. Dawn finds male voices threatening, so she doesn't like to hear from me. Janet thinks I'm too negative, so unless I have something positive to say, she agrees with Dawn. I can spend several days down at Kennedy Space Center without hardly talking to anyone. I still really enjoy the trip though. One of my favorite visits to McDonald Observatory was when I was the only one staying at the Astronomer's Lodge. When you are alone with your thoughts, you aren't really alone at all. Truthfully, I wish I could turn off my thoughts the same way I turn off the TV at night. It would be easier to get to sleep.

Our pleasant weather continues. Dawn loves her early morning walks now and spends even more time smelling things than she did before. Unfortunately, she also loves to eat the new grass that is coming up everywhere. All our Dalmatians have loved to eat grass in the Spring. I had vague thoughts of doing something productive today, but I didn't get very far. I charged up the battery to the lawn mower, but by the time I finished my long walk, I was too tired to mow. I'd better do this tomorrow though. Weeds are starting to grow in the front yard and more rain is on the way later in the week. My little electric mower is not motorized, so it's getting harder to push. Maybe I'm just getting weaker.

The park is looking green and lush now. Pretty soon I'll start seeing baby ducks. I see the Mallards looking for nesting sites now. I'm going to have to start looking out for snakes again. It's getting warm enough for snakes. All is good though. I'm trying to enjoy the Spring weather while it lasts. Aside from the rain, it is the nicest time of year in Texas. I still try to complete my six daily miles in the middle of August, but it's not very fun. Summers in Texas can be brutal.

Doc is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4841

Another day when I didn't really accomplish much. We woke to blue skies again, but surprisingly it was raining again by dinner time. Dawn got a nice walk while the weather was still nice and so did I. It was a bit disorienting to hear thunder late in the day. I wasn't expecting this.

After my usual weekday breakfast of shredded wheat and fruit I wrote a letter to my sister and took it to the post office. Even at odd times during the day the traffic is always heavy now. Even a short trip to the post office can end up being a hassle.

It was starting to get cloudy when I took my long walk, but I definitely wasn't expecting rain. There are still people out looking for the eagles, but I haven't seen them in a long time. I'm also wondering what has happened to our resident geese. Three or four years ago there was a large flock of the honkers. Then the birds moved to the other side of the lake and I only saw ten. I saw the ten geese every single day for a long time and then they began to disappear one by one. Now there are only four. Oddly there are more Muscovy ducks these days. For years there were only two large males. Now there are two females as well, I don't even try to count the Mallards. There must be hundreds of Mallards who call the lake home.

I called the owner of the music store again to see if he had located my equipment. He found a synthesizer and some rack mount gear, but hasn't been able to find a mixer I consigned. When he asked for details about the mixer I wasn't very helpful. I couldn't remember the brand name or even how many channels it had. I think it was British, which means it was probably a Soundcraft or Studiomaster, but I really can't remember. All I remember is that it was housed in a big square brown flight case. We used it briefly with the band I was in, but it was too much trouble to lug around. I'm not sure which is worse: losing the mixer or my memory.

I learned this morning that Miley, the Dalmatian who was in the Paypal ad with me, passed away today. Considering that I'd only really seen the dog once at a photoshoot in San Francisco for the ad, this made me very sad. I've been following Miley's adventures on Facebook for many years and he was a very special dog. RIP Miley. A lot of people will miss you.

Our own Dalmatian continues to get better every day. I hesitate to say that Dawn's troubles are over since a bulging disc in the spine is a serious thing, but she is acting normally again. We have reduced her medication and will discontinue it entirely in a few days. Hopefully Dawn will continue to do fine in the days ahead. Like many Dalmatians she loves to run and jump and this might be her undoing. We've got to convince her that staying calm is for her own good.

It would be nice if I'd hear something about the upcoming launches where I've applied for press credentials. All I know is that they're supposed to take place sometime in April. This is also when the roofers want to start replacing the roof. I definitely don't want to be in Florida when the roofers start tearing off the roof. I don't think I deal well with uncertainty anymore. I'd feel more comfortable if everything was mapped out for the rest of the year and I could just follow a schedule. Actually, working was a lot easier than retirement.

Chloe is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4840

Another beautiful day. I hope this weather lasts for a while because it sure is pleasant. I didn't do anything out of the ordinary today, but that's OK. My Sunday routine is fairly relaxing. Dawn got a nice early walk before breakfast and then I got ready to go to the mall and walk some more. This mall is built around a large outdoor courtyard, so you basically walk in a huge half mile circle. I always make five circuits around the perimeter and then I come home. Although I think I'm walking at a brisk pace, I'm always slower than I am in the park. Very little changes from week to week, but it is still interesting to look in the windows. I have no desire to buy anything and actually prefer visiting the mall when the stores are closed.

On the way home from the mall I stopped at the REI store to use a 20% off coupon before it expired. All I got were some socks. How did socks get to be $24 a pair? I used to be able to get a decent pair of pants for that. Not anymore. Most of the pants I saw started at $89. Some brands were over $200. Good thing I don't really need any new clothes.

Dawn seems to have recovered by now, but we are still taking her on shorter walks. We found a new park to take her to on Sundays and she seems to enjoy the variety. I sit in the back seat with her these days so I can hold on to her harness and keep her from falling when we go around corners. Maybe we'll resume our old schedule at some point, but these shorter Sunday outings seem fine for now.

We didn't forget the ice cream. The ice cream store has raised their prices again. This increase isn't a big deal, but it makes you wonder if this is ever going to end. It's been a long time since anyone actually lowered prices. People still seem to be buying though. The mall was packed as opening time approached and even the ice cream store had a line of cars at the drive up window.

The paper ID cards that wound up in the washing machine yesterday seem to have dried out enough to put them back in my wallet. They look a bit wrinkled now, but so do I. Oh, well. The information on the cards is still readable, so I guess we're OK. I think I'll be more careful now about checking my pockets before I do a load of wash. People used to want to see the Medicare cards, proof of insurance cards, and even my gym membership card. Now all this information is on my phone. I probably don't even need a wallet full of paper ID cards.

Although this would have been a perfect day to mow the grass, I didn't do anything productive all day. I took a shower, napped a lot, and kept wondering whether I really need a new printer. I still want to get the large format printer repaired, but it's too heavy for me to move. How did I ever get it into the office in the first place? There are so many things in the office that I don't use anymore, but they remind me of a time when I was super busy. I used all this stuff back in the day. I think I picked a good time to start a business. It wouldn't be nearly as enjoyable now.

Tomorrow it's back to shredded wheat and fruit for breakfast. I need to call the guitar store and check on the missing gear I consigned before Covid hit. I also need to reply to a letter from my sister. I'm sure I'll contemplate future trips I may or may not take. Imaginary travel planning is something I always do.

Bubba is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4839

I hate getting old and forgetful. Today I accidently left my wallet in my pants while I was doing a load of wash and all the paper ID cards inside basicallly disintegrated. Any cards made of plastic were fine, but more things than I thought were made of coated paper. I'm trying to dry this stuff out, but in some cases it's a lost cause. Everything can be replaced, but it's a big hassle and will involve a lot of phone calls. Will I ever do this again? I certainly hope not.

Other than being irrationally fearful, Dawn seems fine now. We've reduced her meds to a minimal dose and will discontinue them entirely in a few days. Dawn seems strong and moves around normally now. The swelling on her neck is gone and her collar fits normally again. If we could just get her to quit shaking her head so much, she might be fine for quite a while. She does have a bulging disc in her neck though, so we need to be careful. Unfortunately it's very hard to tell a Dalmatian to be careful.

I got my grocery shopping done this morning without any problems. I found everything I needed easily and prices seem to have stabilized. The weekend traffic is still horrible, but what else is new? At least the weather was nice today. A beautiful Spring day makes everything a little easier.

Dawn seemed completely normal today, so I felt comfortable leaving her alone in the house while I took my long walk. She wasn't really alone that long because Janet didn't leave the house until I was on my way home. It was easy to get 21,000 steps today because I did a fair amount of walking while I was out grocery shopping. I can't say that I made good time though. I may never make good time on these walks again. My painful feet are really a problem. You've got to keep moving though. I'm convinced that a healthy diet and staying active are the secret to a long life.

The park is really pretty at this time of year. The early wildflowers are in full bloom now and new flowers will be appearing weekly for at least the next month. I keep thinking we're having an early Spring, but really this is just a normal Spring. The flowers always start blooming around this time of year. I wonder if I'll ever see the eagles again? I know they are in the area because the birders have staked out several areas to watch for them. I would never have the patience these guys seem to have. They bring lawn chairs and an array of cameras with long lenses, often waiting for hours for the birds to appear. I just get lucky occasionally when I accidentally happen to be in the right place at the right time.

I had a nice conversation with a neighbor I seldom see while I was out walking today. We both used to play in bands back in the day and chatted about guitars, our dogs, real estate values, and changes in the neighborhood. There have been a lot of changes in the neighborhood. Janet and I have lived here over 35 years and the place has undergone a lot of gentrification. I liked the place a lot better before the park became a popular destination, but I guess you can't stop progress. It's probably a good thing that the neighborhood has become desirable, although I couldn't afford to buy a house here anymore. People definitely aren't trying to escape from this place.

It looks like tomorrow will be another clear Spring day, so Dawn ought to have a nice Sunday outing. I'll go mall walking indoors even though the weather outdoors is just about perfect. Mall walking on Sunday has become part of my regular routine.

Petey is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4838

What a strange day. We woke up under severe weather warnings with some ominous looking dark clouds overhead. I took a quick look at the weather radar and then we hurridly took Dawn on a quick morning walk. Our timing was next to perfect because as soon as we returned home there was a bright flash of lightning and some very loud thunder. The lightning must have hit something nearby because shortly after this our power went out.

The power came on again within a few minutes, but this was just the first in a series of power outages this morning. Dawn doesn't like power outages and they bother her even more when Janet is gone. The multiple power outages totally freaked Dawn out and she began acting weirdly. She started hiding in corners and trying to get into closets. For some reason our big bed was no longer a safe place and she wanted out of the bedroom. She ended up sitting in a living room chair next to a window which always bothers me because the chair is next to a glass coffee table and Dawn could hurt herself if she didn't get off the chair carefully.

I wasn't able to comfort or reassure Dawn because she is usually scared of me anyway. She seemed to want to go outside, but when I let her out she tried to make a nest in the ground cover. I eventually just let her sit on the living room chair because that's where she wanted to be. She didn't really settle down until hours later when Janet returned with the groceries. I thought Dawn would be fine once the power was restored, but it didn't seem to make any difference. Once Dawn goes into panic mode, it's hard to get her out of it.

Luckily, when Janet came home with the groceries Dawn started returning to normal. She still didn't want to go in the bedroom though, which was very strange. I think battling with fear this morning wore her out. She seemed exhausted this afternoon and is still sleeping on the bed right now. Dawn really doesn't like surprises. I don't like surprises either, but Dawn's reaction is pretty extreme. Hopefully the next few days will be completely uneventful so she can get her confidence back.

I got a real late start on my long walk today because I didn't want to leave Dawn alone while she was in panic mode. I was kind of tired myself by the time I started walking but I managed to finish my route. The weather this afternoon was completely different than it was this morning. The skies were clear and blue with pleasant warm temperatures. We got quite a bit of rain this morning, but by mid-afternoon it was like the storm never even happened. Luckily we didn't get the worst of the storm. The really bad weather went to the south of us.

When I was walking today I gave some thought to what I want to do next. Sadly, my mind was a blank. I don't feel like driving out to the observatory anymore and I'm not even that excited about going down to Florida for launches. I've never liked flying that much and all the current airline problems have caused old fears to return. Maybe Dawn and I aren't all that different. My favorite thing is sleeping now. What was I thinking yesterday? I really don't need another large format printer because I haven't been doing gallery shows for a long time. Most of my unsold art is sitting in the storage warehouse. I definitely don't need all the music gear in the office. I haven't written and recorded my own songs in ages. All these former interests seem curious and strange to me now. How did I get interested in this stuff in the first place? I'm not even sure how I got interested in rockets.

Tomorrow is another day. Hopefully it will be a day where Dawn remains calm and happy. For my part I'll make a grocery list and do my weekly shopping. I won't need to get gas because I didn't drive anywhere this week. I'm sure I'll take a long walk. I always take a long walk.

Chelsey is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4837

I attempted to check a few small things off my list today with even smaller results. I called a music store to check on some gear I still have on consignment and discovered that nobody I knew still worked there. The guy who answered the phone said he wasn't familiar with my stuff but that he would look for it and to call him tomorrow. It's probably my fault for not having called the place since before Covid, but I wasn't expecting the gear to be lost. Hopefully they can find this stuff. The synthesizer and mixing board are old and probably obsolete, but they were still working fine when I consigned them three or four years ago. They'll make a great addition to the storage warehouse if they can be found.

I've been wanting to repair my large format printer, so I called the company I used to use and discovered that their printer technician had retired and they no longer service printers. I called a second company that was recommended and they lost their printer technician too. Evidently fewer people repair their printers these days. They just buy new ones because it is often cheaper than the repair. I finally found someone who still works on my type of printer. He seemed knowledgable, but he had bad news. Many parts are no longer available for the printer and the ink has gotten really expensive. A set of eight cartridges costs over $800 these days.Yikes.  Janet says it is stupid to buy a large format printer if all I want to do is print three or four photos. I'm sure she's right, but I always liked that printer. Making huge prints is awesome.

Today was even warmer than yesterday. I can't imagine that we will get any more freezing weather at this point. We will get more rain though and that means I'm going to have to start mowing the grass soon. I'm one of the few people in the neighborhood who still mows his own grass. Just about everyone else uses a lawn service. I've grown to hate these services because they are always around with their loud leaf blowers. The neighborhood just isn't very quiet anymore. One of these days I'll probably have to start using a lawn service myself. It's getting harder and harder to push the mower up the hill in the front yard.

Dawn is almost back to normal. We took her on a longer walk this morning and she did fine. She's getting better at going up and down her step to the bed as well. Her front legs are still a little shaky, but she's definitely getting better. We thought she was well enough to get a bath today, so we took her to our local self bathe place. I still have to ride in the back seat with her to keep her from sliding off the seat, but probably by next week she'll be ready to return to her training class. At least she's clean with trimmed nails again.

Even though I wore shorts, I still got hot on my long walk. It felt like summer this afternoon. I think I saw one of the bald eagles again. It was flying overhead and I didn't get a good look, but I suspect that it was an eagle because there were a number of photographers with long telephoto lenses in the area. There must be some sort of network among birders for eagle sightings because every time I see the eagles I also see photographers. I made terrible time on my walk today, but I'll give myself a pass. I was very tired.

Janet and I are both thinking of getting new phones, but the whole process is frustrating. All the major phone companies seem to get horrible reviews. Nobody seems to like their service provider. I don't want an iPhone 14, but the 12's and 13's seem to be in short supply. I still like a SIM card that can be removed from the phone. My current phone plan has been discontinued and I'm kind of grandfathered in at a ridiculously high rate. I guess there are better plans, but when I read the fine print, there's always something I don't like. Why do I even need a phone? I hardly ever call anyone. I just use the thing to take pictures and check on the weather.

Ariel is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4836

What a weird Spring we've had. It's been hot, it's been cold, it's been all over the place. Today the temperature got up to 81 degrees. If that wasn't enough, the humidity was almost 100% this morning. It was so damp that all the bricks on the back porch were soaking wet. That didn't stop us though. We got up, dressed in summer clothes and took Dawn on her morning walk. Dawn is still taking shorter walks, but she seems to be doing fine.

This was another one of those days where the furnace was on when we first woke up and then the air conditioner kicked in later in the day. Eventually the heavy dew everywhere evaporated, but it was a very muggy day. A quick look at the yard confirmed that my annual Spring chores need to start soon. It's almost time to start mowing the grass again. I need to cut back the dead growth in the Asian Jasmine at the back of the yard as well. It will be time to battle the ants and wasps soon. I'll need to go and get some insecticide for ants and something stronger to kill the wasps. The wasps build their nests everywhere and they are very aggressive. I've been stung many times. I don't want Dawn to get stung by these things.

If I was a sensible person I'd start getting rid of things in the office and storage warehouse. Instead, I keeping wanting to repair things I seldom use. I'd like to repair the big production printer so I could make a few large prints of my best astrophotography. Never mind that I have no place to display the pictures. There's a big Sony TV in the storage warehouse I'd like to get fixed as well. I need to retrieve some of the equipment I still have on consignment at a local music store. If it hasn't sold in two years, it will probably never sell. Where will I put this stuff? The storage warehouse of course.

That's all for another day. Today I just followed my familiar routine. I ate breakfast, checked my messages which were mostly just spam, and then got ready to take my long walk. It was so warm today that I just wore shorts and a t-shirt. Wasn't it just a few days ago that I was decked out in all my winter gear? I can't keep up with this constantly changing weather at all.

I left Dawn alone in the house while I took my walk. As I expected, she didn't move an inch. She was asleep on the bed when I left and still asleep when I returned. She wasn't at all interested in getting up until Janet returned from the gym. Dawn gets excited when Janet comes home but hardly even looks up when I enter the house. She's fine though. As soon as Janet returned, Dawn's tail was wagging and she was ready for lunch.

I vacuumed the carpets this afternoon. The carpets in the bedroom and office need to be replaced, but that will come later after the new roof is installed and the damaged sheetrock in the ceiling has been replaced. For now I just continue to vacuum the old worn out carpet and am still amazed at how much dirt is collected. The carpets don't look any better when I'm finished, but the Dyson canister is filled with dirt and dog hair.

Tomorrow is going to be another unseasonably hot day and Friday it's going to start raining again.  Probably as soon as this weird Spring is over I'll be complaining about the hot Texas summers again. This is supposed to be our nice season, but I think we got cheated this year. 

Brooke is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4835

What happened? Today was supposed to be nice and I was going to go up on the roof and look for leaks. It wasn't warm and nice at all. It was very chilly outside and there was an all day drizzle. It never rained very hard, but it never stopped either. I waited and waited to take my long walk and I finally gave up, put a raincoat on and walked in the rain.

Dawn had a minor setback this morning. When we took her out to pee in the yard, she saw the neighbor's dog in the back alley and started barking and running toward the fence. She always barks at anything in the alley, but this was an unfortunate time. She was running too fast and must have strained a muscle in her weak leg. She didn't fall, but she was limping a bit. 

We helped her back on the bed and she didn't want to get off again for quite a while. We had to feed her breakfast in bed again. Eventually today's Rimadyl pill kicked in and she started walking normally again. We don't want Dawn to be in pain, but we definitely would like her to take things easy for a while. We're making progress, but it's going to take a while for her to heal. We would have been fine this morning if Dawn hadn't seen the neighbors walking down the alley with their dog. You win some. You lose some. Dawn is a very protective dog. I can't seem to explain to her that it's not our alley.

I was the only one walking in the park today. I saw one man walking his dog but that was it. There were no bicycles and no joggers today. I did see a group of park employees laying new sod in a bare area. I guess they don't get the day off when it rains. My raincoat kept me surprisingly dry and I was able to complete my entire route. My shoes and socks got wet though. Why didn't I think to wear my waterproof Hoka boots? Days like today were exactly why I bought those boots. 

I got a form letter from my accountant today saying that since my tax materials arrived later than their self imposed in-house deadline, they might not have time to finish my return by April 15. They could need to file an extension on my behalf. First in, first out the letter said. What? I delivered the materials the same time I always do every year. It's never been a problem before. I don't want to file an extended return. I'll have to give the guy a call. My return is always pretty simple. I can't believe it would take them that much time to prepare it this year.

I'm so sick of all this rain. It just seems to go on and on. We're going to miss bulky trash pick up this month because the remaining leaves in the back yard are too wet to rake. The roof still isn't leaking, but I have very little faith in my repairs. It never gets dry enough for me to find and seal the remaining leak. Dawn doesn't like the rain either. It's really hard to get her to poop when the ground is wet. If we do managed to get her down to the park, the ground is slippery and that increases the danger of falling. The rain isn't over either. Tomorrow is supposed to be dry, but there will be new storms arriving on Thursday and Friday.

Hopefully there will be no surprises tomorrow. Is a predictable life, a healthy dog, and a dry house too much to ask?

Big Boy is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4834 - Vernal Equinox

I've had enough of this cold weather. It certainly doesn't feel like the first day of Spring. I guess it could be worse. At least it doesn't look like we're going to get any snow this year. You can complain about Texas weather all you want, but it's still a lot better than other parts of the country. I just try to go with the flow. I look out the window when I wake up and then dress accordingly.

Dawn did well on her sunrise walk this morning although she seemed tired and a little stiff after we returned. We've reduced her daily dose of Rimadyl and will watch her for a few days before trying to reduce it further. It's hard to tell how much activity Dawn needs. Too little activity and she gets restless. Too much activity and she gets tired and we risk falling again. I still think she is doing better than I am. She definitely had more energy than I did on our morning walk.

I didn't accomplish much today. It was too cold for outdoor activity and nothing needed immediate attention indoors. I also didn't sleep well last night and could have easily gone back to bed after breakfast if Dawn was more agreeable about sharing the bedroom. I am glad that I didn't make plans to go out to McDonald Observatory for their annual Spring Break star parties. There's been an unusual amount of snow in West Texas this year. From what I see on the Internet I'm better off here in Dallas, even if I am a bit bored.

It was cold and windy on my long walk today, but I dressed warmly and completed my route. I really need to find something more interesting to do with my time. These walks are good exercise and keep me from sitting around the house doing nothing, but they have become boring. When I'm out walking I'm usually daydreaming about being somewhere else. I'd definitely like to attend more launches in Florida but my budget has put a cap on what I can do. If I get credentialed for either the Axiom AX-2 or the ViaSat-3 missions I'll probably go though. It's really time for another trip.

It's too bad that nobody wants to hire old geezers to design websites anymore. I actually enjoyed working. When I look at the current websites of former clients they certainly don't look any better than the ones I designed. Several of them look a lot worse and don't function well. I doubt this even matters. The people I used to work with have all retired and several have died. Their replacements are much younger and prefer to work with someone their own age. I can't say that I blame them. I prefer to work with people my own age as well.

It's supposed to be a lot warmer tomorrow, so maybe I'll go up on the roof and look for leaks. It's definitely not my favorite activity but it needs to be done. I wonder how long I can keep using my current phone and computer? Almost every day I find something else that is no longer supported. I live in an old house, drive an old car, and am surrounded by old equipment. Goes with the territory I guess. Some would say that I'm obsolete myself.

Baxter is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4833

I'm happy to report that today was an absolutely normal Sunday. Dawn got her Sunday outing again and she was more than pleased to resume her routine. She was still a little unsteady in the car, but I sat in the back seat with her to keep her from falling. We took a shorter walk than normal, but she had plenty of time to smell things and eat grass. I wish she wouldn't try to eat grass. Unfortunately every dog we've ever had has liked to nibble at fresh Spring grass.

Of course we went for ice cream after our walk. The ice cream store raised their prices again. Jeez. We might have to start going to Dairy Queen if this continues. The ice cream was still good though. Hey, little extravagances are worth it if your dog likes them.

The day started normally enough. We took Dawn on a short sunrise walk and she did very well. After seeing how well she did, we decided that she was ready for her Sunday outings again. The only thing we've got to be careful about now is her tendency to jump on and off the bed. She knows she is supposed to use the step at the base of the bed now, but if you aren't watching her, she will still try to jump. None of this is all that strange. Not only is Dawn a dog, she's a very stubborn Dalmatian.

I fixed French Toast for breakfast this morning. It's the one thing that Janet says I make better than she does. As usual I made and ate too much. There's no sense in having left over French Toast so I ate twice as much as I should. It's a good thing that Sundays are filled with lots of walks.

There was nothing new at the mall this week. A noticed very few changes as I made my five laps around the perimeter. There were a few more Spring styles in the windows, but that was about it. The place was crowded with walkers and very noisy this week. Maybe I just didn't get there early enough. This seems to be the favorite place for families to take small children on a weekend. Many of the kids were in strollers, but some of the older ones pushed their own little strollers which carried their dolls. 

Going to and from the mall is the only time I listen to the radio. I never listen to music and only listen to NPR is there is a show about science or the economy. If they are talking about some social or political issue I turn the radio off. Today I listened to one show about the shortage of cadavers for anatomy students in today's medical schools. On the way home I listened to another show about the economics of running an airline. Steven Dubner's Freakonomics Radio is always an interesting show.

Since the living room looks a lot better after I bleached the leak stains in the ceiling, I thought I'd try the same thing in the office. This was a harder task since there is a carpet on the floor and the room is filled with junk that could be discolored by bleach. I found an old plastic shower curtain that we had to use when one of our dogs became incontinent while still insisting on sleeping on the bed. This actually worked pretty well to protect the carpet. The room looks better now although you can still see some stains and there are cracks in the sheetrock. Oh, well. This will do for now. Eventually we will replace the damaged sheetrock throughout the house, but that's a ways down the road.

This weekend really went quickly. There is a lot I need to do next week if I can get myself motivated. Bulky trash day is coming soon and I still need to finish raking leaves. I also need to see if I can find where the water is still getting in on the roof before it rains again on Thursday. It's questionable if any of this will happen, but we'll see. 

Pringles is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4832

Another cold morning. We had to wear our winter coats when we took Dawn on her morning walk. The walks are shorter now, but Dawn still loves them. Her entire day is better when she gets a chance to smell things in the park. So far her recovery is going well. We've already eliminated two of her meds and will start reducing the remaining Rimadyl tablets tonight. She's pretty steady on her feet now, but we still have to help her on and off the bed.

We had our traditional big weekend breakfast and then I did my weekly grocery shopping. This week it was time to fill my car with gas. I do this about every two weeks. As little as I drive, you'd think I could go a lot longer between fill ups, but my car gets terrible gas mileage. Truthfully I don't need a 5 liter supercharged V8 to go to the post office.

Grocery stores are still a mess. I guess that's the new normal. Selections aren't nearly as good as they used to be and prices have gone through the roof. To keep prices lower stores are increasingly stocking the shelves with their own house brands. These brands are less expensive but you get what you pay for. For the most part these house brands are noticeably inferior. I do my low end shopping at Sam's Club and my high end shopping at Central Market. These two stores are world's apart although both have their own house brands. Central Market's house HEB brands are much better than Sam's Member's Mark brands, but Sam's is still the place to buy bottled water, detergent, coffee pods, garbage bags, and other items that don't go on the dinner table. 

Janet had to be away from the house this afternoon, so we thought we'd see how Dawn would do on her own. We were pretty sure that Dawn would stay on the bed while we were gone, but dogs are never entirely predictable. I left the house to go on my long walk before Janet left, but the house was empty when I returned. Sure enough, Dawn was still lying on the bed. She made no attempt to get up and greet me, but that wasn't unusual. She never does. When she saw that I wasn't Janet, she just sighed, put her head down and went back to sleep.

I was a little worried when she wouldn't eat her dinner tonight. I even tried bring her bowl back to the bedroom and she still had no interest. It turned out nothing was wrong at all. As soon as Janet came home Dawn gobbled everything down and then went outside to pee. The little diva was just upset that her weekend schedule had been disrupted. Dawn is constantly at Janet's side when she is home and she just doesn't like being alone with me. I think she's getting better.  When she was really sick she seemed to tolerate me being nearby a lot better. I'm sure this was just an illusion. She probably just had trouble moving away.

We're not sure Dawn is ready to ride in the car again, but if all goes well we might try to take her on a shorter Sunday outing tomorrow. She'll still need help getting in and out of the car, but she does love her walks. We'll see how it goes. I'll go mall walking in the morning and when I return to the house that's usually a sign to Dawn that she's going on her outing soon. Last week she was real disappointed when we didn't go anywhere. Hopefully we can keep Dawn a happy dog tomorrow.

Nick is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4831

It was clear and cold this morning. This always seems to happen in March. It gets warm so everything starts to grow and then we get a late freeze and have to start over again. It was well above freezing this morning, but it looks like we might get that late freeze later this week. At least there is no more rain for a while. So far there have been no leaks in the house after yesterday's storm. Maybe I got lucky. I haven't gone up on the roof to investigate yet. I'll probably regret that decision later.

Dawn woke us up during the middle of the night and needed to go outside and pee. The drugs she's been taking are making her drink more water. She seems to be feeling better now that we've resumed the Rimadyl. The vet said she could continue taking it for another week and then we should slowly start weaning her off the drug. We don't have a long term solution yet. Maybe there isn't one.

I had to pick up some prescriptions today and the pharmacy doesn't seem to like GoodRx anymore. They used to always check and see if the GoodRx price was lower than my Part-D health plan. Now they say that this is too much trouble. I have to show them the GoodRx coupon for the drug on my phone and wait fifteen minutes wandering around the store while they refigure the price. "Can't we just do this the way we used to," I asked the pharmacist? Nope. They can't or won't use GoodRx as my default payment method. So it goes. Nothing is easy anymore.

I walked later in the day today, hoping that it would warm up. It didn't. I dressed warmly and had a nice walk, but my feet hurt again. I should probably throw away my old Hoka shoes and start wearing the new pair, but I keep thinking that I can get a few more months out of them. Truthfully, the shoes probably don't make much difference. I've got osteoarthritis and I don't want to start taking pain pills for minor aches and pains. 

I wasted a lot of time today watching Dawn to make sure she didn't try to jump off the bed. She's happy sleeping on the bed and I hate to gate her in a hallway. I didn't really have any plans anyway. My day usually consists of eating and walking lately. All I really did today was go to the pharmacy. I'm sure the long walks are beneficial, but I need to add a few more things to my daily routine. The trips to Kennedy Space Center are few and far between and I'm not sure that I will ever return to McDonald Observatory. Age is catching up with me and I hate that long drive.

Janet did her grocery shopping today and I'll do mine tomorrow. We both think that there's been a sea change since the pandemic. Stores always seem to be out of things these days and it's a hassle to find what you need. I think all businesses are understaffed too. There aren't as many employees in the stores now and the ones who are working seem grumpy. At any rate, grocery shopping takes more time now, costs more, and is definitely less satisfying.

I'm having Internet problems again. I can't even access my own domains. I hate to call my hosting company because that's usually just an exercise in frustration. I think I'll just post this and go to bed. So many things are just random these days. Probably everything will be working fine in the morning.

Allie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4830

Yesterday was such a nice day and today was exactly the opposite. It turns out that it was the drugs that were keeping Dawn happy. After 24 hours without pain meds she woke up stiff and painful again. There were no falls, but there was one stumble where she almost fell. We've had to go back to having her wear a harness with a handle all the time so we can help her on and off the bed and make sure she doesn't fall when going out to pee. After giving her another Rimadyl she is much calmer this evening. We'll have to check with the vet and see how long it is safe to continue this medication.

Today was a dismal rainy day, but I did manage to get a few things done. I finished gathering and preparing my 2022 tax information to take to the accountant. During a break in the rain I took a fat folder with my tax materials and another with Janet's information to the accountant and then dropped off the old printer at an animal rescue donation site. When I returned home it looked like there was still enough time to take my long walk before the next round of storms arrived.

I completed my entire route today but I was pretty slow. My feet weren't having a good day. We didn't give Dawn a morning walk today and probably won't tomorrow either. Since she seems to feel good when taking pain medication it's hard to know what to do. We don't want to aggravate the situation, but it isn't good to be completely inactive either. Dawn is much happier when she can follow her regular routine. She and I are pretty similar in that regard.

The dreaded severe storms we've been hearing about for several days finally arrived late this afternoon. Usually bad storms go either to the north or south of us, but today they appeared to be headed directly in our direction. It all looked pretty serious for a while. We started getting warnings on our phones and then the tornado sirens started going off in the neighborhood. The local weather said the entire area was under a tornado warning and sure enough when I looked at the weather radar our house was inside the tornado warned zone. This hasn't happened for a long time. We gathered up Dawn, her dog bed, several blankets and our phones and headed for our safe spot. Truthfully, we don't have a safe spot in our house since it is an open plan design with no interior rooms. There is a ton of single pane glass that would break easily in a bad storm. We ended up huddling next to the refrigerator in a little alcove in the kitchen that was as far from windows as we could find. This still wasn't a great location because we were near the utility room with a gas furnace and water heater.

Dawn was good in her inaugural safety drill. She was nervous for a few minutes and then settled down and was pretty relaxed. I think she felt comfortable that both of us were right there next to her. Dawn didn't want us on the dog bed with her though, so she ended up having more room than Janet and I. The storm blew over pretty quick and everything is quiet again. A cold front has arrived though and it is almost thirty degrees colder than it was a few hours ago. When I took the trash out to the curb about an hour ago it felt like a completely different day than it did this morning.

There are no roof leaks yet, but I expect we'll start to see some soon. The pumps are running now and it's clear that there's a lot of water on the roof. I wish I knew where to place the buckets before I go to bed tonight, but the leaks never seem to appear in the same place. I actually hope the dripping noises wake me up tonight or there might be a big mess in the morning. The good news is that there is no more rain in the forecast for a while. The bad news is that Dawn isn't out of the woods yet. Whatever's wrong is still bothering her.

Ruthie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4829

It was a busy day. Dawn is getting her sunrise walks again and appears to be back to normal. Now that we're on Daylight Savings Time we're actually seeing the sunrise again. Dawn continues to seem steadier on her feet than I am. I think she's made a remarkable recovery. She finished her pain medication today, so hopefully she'll feel just as good tomorrow.

My e-mail is working again. Yay. The guy I talked to last night accomplished nothing, but I got lucky this morning and ended up talking with a different tech support person who actually knew what he was doing. This guy was a software engineer and not some call center flunky. He diagnosed my problem and had everything working again in less than five minutes. Sadly, I'll probably never talk to this guy again. One of the worst things about modern tech support is that you never end up talking to the same person twice. You are just randomly assigned to the next available agent. Some of these people know what they're doing, but the majority don't. I can't believe how many hours I spent talking to the first two tech support representatives yesterday and neither of them accomplished anything.

I made surprisingly good time on my long walk today. I managed to get over 21,000 steps and doubled my normal Apple watch move goal. It's a mystery how I had so much energy since I woke up tired. I'll have to admit that it was a nice day for walking. It felt brisk outside but it wasn't too cold. I just wore a light jacket and felt fine. I noticed that another of the resident geese was missing today. Where are these geese going? There were ten about three months ago and now there are only four. Is someone capturing these geese and taking them home to eat? Are they dying of natural causes? Or are visitors killing them by feeding them unhealthy food? The are signs all over the park explicitly telling people not to feed the ducks and geese bread. Nobody listens. Almost every day I see people feeding the ducks bread. Sometimes they are feeding them right next to a sign telling them not to. Bread is one of the worst things you can feed waterfowl. If you insist on feeding ducks and geese, feed them cracked corn or frozen peas. Ducks will eagerly eat the bread but it is very bad for them.

It's tax season again and Janet and I both have to print out a lot of forms. Janet uses an iPad for almost everything and our existing printers are all to old to print from phones and iPads. I went out this afternoon and bought her a modern printer that supports Apple Airprint. Printers are amazingly cheap these days. This printer was very nice and cost less than what I typically pay for printer ink. The printer was a lot harder to configure than I thought, but it's working now and has made both our lives easier. Janet can print anything she wants directly from her iPad and phone. I continue to print the old fashioned way, with an Ethernet cable attached to my printer.

I got a lot done today, but the one thing I didn't have time for was searching for the remaining leaking spots on the roof. That's a shame because it's supposed to start raining again tomorrow morning. I really can't catch a break with this roof. There's been so much rain this Spring that it's rare for the roof to get dry enough for me to apply the remaining Armor Flex coating. I'm almost certain that the roof will start leaking again, but I hope the area in the living room that I cleaned up the other day stays dry. Cleaning that area was a lot of work.

The friend who has my train collection sold a few more trains today. At this rate I may be able to liquidate the collection in another ten years. This buyer lives in India. Go figure. I'm surprised at how many buyers are outside the country. Some of my guitars went to a band in the UK. Several trains have gone to Europeans. The auction house never disclosed who bought my art, but I suspect that most of them were European too.

I hope it doesn't rain tomorrow. Dawn is really enjoying her walks now and I'm enjoying having a dry ceiling again. Oh, well. Eventually the rainy season will be over and we'll have a new roof. Until then, I've got the buckets ready.

Carmine is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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