Day 4057

We brought Charlie a new octopus toy today. It took him about two seconds to abandon all his other toys and focus his attention on removing the squeaker from this one. Most dogs like to play tug with these type of toys. Charlie likes to thrash the toy around like he's killing a squirrel. It took about twenty minutes for him to wear himself out, but he saved just enough energy to catch treats in the air, which is one of his favorite things. Cooper liked the new toy too, but he played more conventionally and wanted us to play tug with him. Toys still scare Clyde, but he did take treats from us, so we're making progress.

Cooper is really making progress. He seems like a normal dog now. Charlie will never be a normal dog, but he is a lot of fun and smart as a whip. Clyde seems a lot like Dawn. He's scared of everything, but is gentle and sweet. I'd like to think that our weekly efforts to socialize these dogs is doing some good. I suspect that it is. Truthfully, these visits probably do more good for Janet and I than for the dogs. It's hard to beat playing with a bunch of Dalmatians.

Today was a pretty nice day. The weather was beautiful and a lot of little odds and ends seemed to finally come together. The dehumidifier manufacturer told me that they were sending me the missing parts on my replacement unit. I hope this will solve my problem, but there could be other missing parts inside the machine that I can't see. If they send the right parts, I'm pretty sure I can fix the auto shutoff mechanism. It seems like it might have been easier to just exchange the unit, but I'm not going to complain at this point. We'll see how this repair attempt goes.

I got my new 3M N95 masks today. These masks are supposed to be even better than the N95 masks I ordered last time. Janet and I will save them for when we have doctor's appointments. Judging from the people I see in the waiting room, I'd hazard a guess that visiting the doctor is a little more iffy than going to the grocery store. I've always been suspicious of hospitals. That's where the sick people are.

I got a notice from NASA that I could reapply to attend the Artemis-1 static fire test in February. Should I apply for press credentials again? I guess it all depends on whether I can get vaccinated before the test. This makes the static fire a real long shot at this point. Vaccine distribution isn't working very well yet. None of the neighborhood pharmacies that were originally supposed to be the primary distribution points have gotten their supplies of the vaccine. The huge mega sites are plagued with long lines and often turn people away after they have waited in line for hours. My primary care physician managed to get authorized as a distribution center, but they have only been sent 80 doses of the vaccine. That didn't go very far after all the doctors and staff vaccinated themselves. In theory, I'm in one of those high priority groups, but it certainly doesn't seem that way. Stay tuned. We'll see how long this takes.

I continue to be amazed at how quickly the temperature changes on a sunny day. It was near freezing when we woke up this morning, but by the time I took my long walk after we returned from the Dalmatian kennel, it was warm enough to go walking in a t-shirt. I didn't need a jacket at all. Dawn continues to take two short walks: one in the morning and another in the afternoon. It appears that this is what she has been wanting to do all along. All's well that ends well I guess.

Myles is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4041

Today seemed busier than usual, even though very little actually happened. I got my grocery shopping done right after breakfast. I found everything on my list and was in and out of the store fairly quickly. This week there was plenty of fresh fruit.

Our shortened walks with Dawn continue to be a success. As long as she can choose a familiar path and doesn't have to walk over a mile, she's a happy camper. It doesn't seem to matter whether I walk her or Janet does, but she definitely listens to Janet better.

When Dawn returns to the house, I just continue walking. I guess this is my new schedule for a while. I ended up walking six miles today. The weather was great. The sky was clear and yesterday's wind was completely gone. My new shoes have really helped eliminate my foot pain. Most of the aches and pains now can just be attributed to old age. I wish the new shoes were a little more durable. They are already showing some wear. I have hiking boots that I've worn my entire adult life. Running shoes seldom last more than a year. I guess that's fair. A durable shoe that is painful isn't of much use at all.

Today was the big day for the Artemis-1 static fire at Stennis Space Center. Maybe it was just as well that I didn't attend this test. The planned eight minute hot fire was aborted after just one minute due to a still undisclosed problem with one of the engines. I watched the news conference later in the day where everyone was trying to put a positive spin on things, but you could hardly call this test a success. The rocket has been sitting on the test stand for over a year now. You'd think that would have been plenty of time to work out all the bugs in this rocket. During this amount of time, Space X has already flown three Starship prototypes and is getting ready to launch a fourth next week. I have a feeling that by the time Artemis finally makes it to the moon, Space X will already be there waiting for them.

I got gas for the first time in a month today. I started driving less when Covid restrictions started last Spring. Now that I've fully adapted to this new normal, there just isn't anyplace to go. I don't go to the bank or post office anymore. All these transactions are handled online now. I don't go to the pharmacy as often because I've switched all my prescriptions to 90 day renewals. Almost all my shopping is done online as well. About the only people I need to see physically anymore are my doctors and appointments aren't that frequent. No wonder I'm eager for another launch opportunity or a trip back to the observatory.

Janet has already signed up for the vaccine at two different locations. I guess I'm going to have to do the same. I was just planning to wait until I could take the shot in my doctor's office, but that might be a while. It's not going to be good if Janet is vaccinated and I'm not. My doctor sent out a letter telling patients to get vaccinated at their first opportunity as well. Oh, well. One more unpleasant thing to add to my to-do list.

I picked up some ribs for dinner at my favorite barbecue place. The ribs and brisket are great. The location of this place, not so much. Got harassed by a homeless person while taking my order out to the car again. City life just isn't what It used to be. 

Shelby is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day