Day 4848

The weather continues to follow its unpredictable ways. It was over 90 degrees this afternoon. Yikes. That just doesn't seem right. Even though there were clear skies for most of the day, we are under another severe weather alert. It's supposed to start raining pretty hard in about an hour from now.

I tried to finish mowing today but the mower's battery died again before I could complete the back yard. I can't decide whether to replace the 24 volt batteries or replace the entire mower. Mowing the grass is one of my least favorite things, but it is good exercise and I still don't like the idea of paying a lawn service. At least our yard is small. Pushing the mower still feels tiring although it doesn't take all that long. I'll charge up the mower again and finish the rest tomorrow.

It was too hot to give Dawn an afternoon walk, but she did get a nice early morning walk. It's hard to keep her from eating grass in the park. I don't know if this is a nervous habit or if she really likes the taste. Sometimes she gets a blade of grass stuck in her throat and starts coughing. Usually a drink of water solves the problem but she doesn't seem to understand that eating grass is a bad idea. I guess it could be worse. Petey, one of our earlier Dalmatians, was obsessed with eating other dog's poop.

I went to the bank and then came home and paid the early April bills on my computer. After the mower died and put an end to my lawn care efforts I did a load of wash. Next came the day's real chore: a long walk in 90 degree weather. I completed my six mile route and even managed to get over 20,000 steps today but it was an effort. How did I do this last summer? I guess I was younger then.

All the White Pelicans in the park are gone. Their numbers have been decreasing for over a week, but I didn't see a single bird today. It seems like they stayed a little longer last year, but it's been a warm Winter. The birds spend the summer in North and South Dakota and then return the following Winter. They've been doing this for as long as I can remember. I think birds are a lot more predictable than people.

I've been wondering why I haven't heard anything about my credential request for some upcoming launches at Kennedy Space Center. Today I discovered that my only media contact at Space X no longer works there. Now who do I ask about Space X launches? People move around a lot these days. My contact list is basically worthless. Every time I try to contact someone, they are no longer there. Hopefully I will still get credentialed, but you never know. 

Nothing is very predictable anymore. In the time it has taken me to write seven paragraphs, tonight's severe weather alert has expired and the storm headed our way don't look nearly as bad. I think we're still going to get some heavy rain but we'll have to wait and see. I don't have a lot of faith in the weather forecast anymore. Whatever happens, we still need to get Dawn outside and pee before we go to bed.

Lexi is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4649

Today was frustrating. I decided it was time to make reservations for the Artemis launch attempt on September 27th and almost immediately ran into problems. The Airbnb I liked was already booked. So was the Holiday Inn where I've stayed frequently. I looked for other Airbnb rentals in Titusville and many were already booked as well. The available places I found either had a four day minimum stay, were ridiculously expensive, or looked pretty shady. I eventually found a decent hotel and made a reservation. I wondered why this hotel wasn't sold out like the others and later discovered that it was undergoing renovations and many guests thought the construction noise was irritating. Oh, well. When I was making airline reservations my computer crashed right while my transaction was being processed. That took a while to get sorted out.

The sad thing is that all the effort I put in today is probably for nothing. There's a very good chance that the launch will get postponed again and I'll have to change or even cancel these reservations. The launch attempt on the 27th is really just tentative at this point. The Artemis team won't know whether the repairs they made recently to the hydrogen fill line are effective until they try to fill the rocket with fuel on September 21st. I had to abandon several promising Airbnb's because the 20th was the last day you could cancel your reservation without a penalty. I have a gut feeling that this rocket isn't going to launch until Halloween, but what do I know. If I want to see this launch I have to play along at this point. NASA doesn't care how often you have to change your travel plans.

The park department finally mowed the meadow behind our house. It's much easier to get down to the lake now on our sunrise walks with Dawn. This morning's walk was very pleasant. The weather was crisp and cool and the park was fairly empty. Although my feet are starting to hurt again, I decided to take another long walk in the park after breakfast. Actually it was quite a while after breakfast because I had to make all my travel arrangement first. It's a good thing I took care of this early. By lunchtime the hotel where I made my reservation had sold out.

My pace today wasn't as fast as yesterday's. This was probably because the temperature was warmer. I probably should have gone to the gym, but I didn't feel like driving. More American White Pelicans arrived at the park this morning. The pod of pelicans will continue to grow throughout October and by the time Winter arrives there will be hundreds of them. There will be lots of Double-Crested Cormorants as well but they haven't arrived yet. I enjoy watching the seasons change and always look forward to Fall. It's the one time of year when it's actually pleasant to be outside in Texas.

This week has gone quickly. There are still a lot of things on my to-do list but I'm going to postpone most of them. I'll postpone taking my car in for service until I pay my travel bills. Maybe next month. I'll postpone getting the roof replaced until the stock market starts going up again. Maybe next year. I can't postpone mowing the grass much longer. It grows really fast when there's rain. The only thing I never postpone is doing the laundry. It's easy and strangely satisfying. I did a load of laundry this afternoon.

It's time to make a grocery list again. Prices have come down at the pump a bit, but the cost of food is still going up. One more thing to be frustrated about.

Phantom is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4493

We had more rain this morning, but it didn't last long. The rain surprised us. We took our normal sunrise walk with Dawn, but if we'd gotten started ten minutes later we would have got soaked. I guess I should always look at the weather radar before I go outside. Things can change quickly at this time of year.

I didn't do much of anything today. I answered a few e-mails, but that was about it. There was plenty of time for a long walk. Maybe I'm finally getting enough sleep, because I'm picking up the pace a bit. I'm still nowhere near where I was a year ago, but any improvement is good. I noticed today that all the American White Pelicans are gone. The Double Crested Cormorants are gone as well. These birds are probably better predictors of the seasons than the weatherman. They always seem to know exactly when it is time to migrate. Occasionally, a few White Pelicans will stay at the lake for the Summer. Not this year. They are all gone. The eagles are gone as well. I wonder when the city will reopen the area where they built their nest. There is no need to protect the area anymore.

I thought I was going to need to take Dawn and Janet to dog training class tonight, but her car repairs ended up being completed in time. I've got a recall on my own car as well. I got the recall notice over six months ago and the dealership still doesn't have the parts. I have my doubts that they will ever get the parts. They're having a lot of trouble even getting cars to sell.

Somebody sent me a copy of an old newspaper article about my house today. The article ran in the local paper in 1957. It was interesting to see what had changed and what had stayed the same in the pictures. The author apparently thought that this house was special and would probably be appalled if he could see it today.  Foundations have settled. Cracks have appeared. Roof leaks have stained areas of the ceiling. Several different owners repainted the house, so few of the original colors are the same. Hey, the place is over 60 years old. What would you expect. It's still a neat house. I wish doing a restoration wasn't so hard while you are still living in a house. Contractors really prefer working in a vacant house. 

I think I'm going to spend the next several weeks fretting about my trip to the observatory. I've thought about leaving really early to avoid the traffic. Unfortunately, it's hard to avoid the heavy trucks. They're on the road 24/7 and are always going too fast. It's kind of ironic that I'll be going to one of the nation's premier dark sky sites and I still want to get to bed early. While I'm driving I worry about my hands going numb from gripping the steering wheel for hours on end. When I get there I'll worry about twisting my ankle by tripping on a rock in the dark. I wonder why they even want volunteers like me? I do like astronomy though. Maybe that counts for something.

I wonder if Covid is really over. By all accounts it appears to be worse than ever in China. I'd hate to get out to the observatory and discover that a mask mandate had been reinstated. It could easily happen. I've gotten used to going without a mask, so I'd hate to go back to 2020. If I really have to go back in time, I'd rather go back to 1969 instead.

Valli is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4124

We got lucky again. The severe weather I've been hearing about all day appears to have missed us. I can see lightning and ocassionally hear thunder, but I don't even think we got any rain. Hopefully, all the storms have moved to the East by now. You've got to take the weather seriously in this part of the world. I'm always glad when the skies clear and the thunder fades away in the distance.

I went out and looked for a birthday card today. There used to be a nice little card shop in the neighborhood, but it went out of business years ago. Now there's just a partial aisle of cards at the grocery store. I don't send many cards and letters these days, but I still know a few people who aren't on Facebook. I still think writing is a great way to communicate, but it's becoming a lost art. It's a rare day that I get a real letter in the mail. 99% of our mail is just advertising flyers and junk. It's a shame that the writing tradition has died. It used to be the main way I kept up with friends.

I read an article today about the growing group of people who spend weeks or even months down on South Padre Island waiting for something to happen at the Space X Boca Chica facility. Some of these people have their own YouTube channels and report on Starship developments daily. A few have a large audience of Space X fans and have made enough money off their YouTube broadcasts to turn their quest into a full time job. All this kind of makes me feel like a slacker. I write a few articles a year for print magazines and these guys are out there making videos about space every single day. Even though my company made a lot of TV commercials and corporate videos back in the day, I have no desire to become a YouTuber. I like the process of slowly writing, editing, and refining an article or story. I don't even understand why someone would want to livestream something. I guess I'm getting old.

I don't know if I'll last as long as Prince Philip, but hopefully I've got a few good years left. I think it takes a lot of luck and some good genes to live to 99. I don't know anybody personally who's been able to do it. I'm sure staying active helps. That's a big reason why I walk everyday. There are lots of ways you can stay active, but walking is unique. There is no stress involved in walking. It's actually very relaxing. You just put one foot in front of the other and let your mind wander. 

I walk the same route every day, but there is always something new. The White Pelicans are gone now. I think they spend the Summer in North Dakota and Southern Canada. It doesn't appear that last year's straggler stayed at the lake this year. I looked carefully today and didn't see a single Pelican. 

There are some construction workers renovating one of the old WPA buildings at the park. It's interesting to see how much progress they make in a day. Since this is a restoration, they are using old construction methods as well. This is quite different than watching a new house go up in the neighborhood. It's makes you appreciate how much craftsmanship used to go into building something.

Dawn acted pretty normal today. I'm getting used to her weird ways. She's friendly with me when I'm sitting on the bed with her, but she's uncomfortable when I'm in the kitchen. I just go to the back of the house while she's eating now. As with most things in life, it's easier to just go with the flow. 

Livy is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3956

We woke up to heavy rain this morning. Where did that come from? I guess I haven't been keeping track of the weather. Along with the rain came a new cold front. It was actually pretty chilly today. We couldn't take our regular morning walk because of the weather, so I got the pumps on the roof started, ate my breakfast, and tried to make the bed around Dawn, who refused to move.

Eventually the rain stopped and we took Dawn on her walk. She loved the cold weather. She was frisky this morning and had a lot more energy than I did. The rain must enhance smells, because she wanted to stop and smell everything. When we arrived at Pelican Bay, all the Pelicans were out of the water and up on the shore. This was the first time I've seen this happen. Usually the birds perch on submerged logs in the shallow water. The Pelicans were huge up close, but Dawn had no interest in them. She mostly just wanted to check her pee-mail by sniffing every rock and tree.

The abrupt change in the weather made me feel even older than usual. Every joint in my body hurt this morning. Most of these aches and pains were very familiar. They are a big reason why I try to stay active. If I were sedentary, I think I would feel the effects of aging even more. Activity does help. By the time we returned from our walk, I was starting to feel normal again.

I don't know where the day went today. I certainly didn't do all that much. Two walks, breakfast, dinner, and a short nap seemed to use up the entire day. I was planning to practice using the stacking software again this afternoon, but never got around to it. I didn't spend much time watching the Boca Chica live feed either. Things were strangely quiet at Space X for a change. 

I didn't watch the debate last night, but clearly it didn't change anyone's opinion. When I was channel surfing during breakfast this morning, Fox and OAN said that Trump clearly won the debate, while MSNBC and CNN said the Biden clearly won the debate. No wonder I just watch the business channels these days. I'm sick of politics.

I hope my car starts tomorrow morning. I haven't used it in nearly two weeks. I always rent a car for my trips and I haven't been shopping lately. It's time to get groceries again though. Hopefully my battery is still good. I have no real desire to go to the grocery store any more, but we still need food. We are actually eating better during the pandemic than we were before. Having a good meal is definitely something you can still do at home.

I'd kind of like to buy a new telescope, but it makes no sense whatsoever. There is nothing to see in Dallas's light polluted skies and I'm still apprehensive about driving to a dark place out in the country late at night. Every time I turn on the local news there's something about another overnight shooting on city streets. Sadly, Dallas is not a safe place to be driving around at 3 AM.

I guess I'll have to be content with periodic trips to McDonald Observatory. I feel safe out there and the skies are amazing. The only amazing thing about Dallas is that it has always been a great place to find a good job. Dallas has been good for my career. Not so sure if it's a great place to retire.

Freckles is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3921

I learned how to use Zoom today. I'm still not sure why you would want to use this software. The application has well documented security issues and is banned by several companies and many schools. Nevertheless, it is extremely popular and it probably the way we will all work together in the future. I can't imagine that I will make a regular practice of working together with anyone, but now I've got one more piece of software on my computer that I will probably forget about after a few months.

I don't like the new Blogger interface at all. I have to manually resize pictures after I have uploaded them and all the labels I already added seem to have disappeared. I can tell that this new interface has been designed for people who like to post short entries from their phones. People who write longer essays like me will have to work a little harder.

I wrote my contact at the Air Force today trying to find out some details about upcoming launches at Cape Canaveral. I still can't decide whether to attempt a trip to Florida this Fall. I don't take a lot of things seriously, but I am wary of the virus. I'm not getting any younger and the last thing I want at this point is to get infected after staying safe for over six months. On the other hand, I don't think the virus is going away soon and you can't stay locked away forever. I think Janet wants to travel even more than I do. At some point, we'll be making travel plans whether the virus is here or not.

Our only travel plan today was our regular walk in the park. When you do the same thing day after day it's funny how many little details you remember. We recognize individual ducks now. Most of the people walking dogs say hi to us as they pass. I've learned to identify a few more trees and I'm noticing that several of them are already starting to turn. I don't think we are going to have much Fall color this year. Some trees are going directly from green to brown.

The big event this morning was that the first of the White Pelicans have returned. There were only three this morning, but pretty soon there will be dozens of the large birds. They return every year around the time when the State Fair starts. Of course, there isn't going to be a State Fair this year, but the birds don't know that. I always make a point of photographing the pelicans because they are such spectacular birds. I already have plenty of White Pelican pictures, but it never hurts to take a few more.

I'm making slow progress with Dawn. I got her to come outside and sit in the sun with me this afternoon while Janet was gone. Usually, she won't leave the bedroom. We stayed outside for about thirty minutes and Dawn seemed fairly relaxed. It was a small step, but I'll take it. I think the key to winning Dawn's confidence is to be very patient. Of course, I've always thought that patience was the key to almost everything.

This week has gone quickly. It's time to make a shopping list again. I get groceries every week, but have lost all desire to visit other stores. I used to fill my car with gas every Saturday, but there is no need this week. I didn't go anywhere.

Puppies are today's Dalmatians of the Day

Watch of the Day