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