Day 3486

Cicadas are the quintessential sound of summer in Texas. They are loud and the sound never seems to go away. I hear these insects when I wake up, during the heat of the day, and well into the night. You hear that Cicadas only appear every 17 years, but I hear them every summer. It took me a while to learn that there are two types of these insects. Annual Cicadas come out every year in July and August and Periodic Cicadas are the ones that periodically appear in massive numbers all at once. Sometimes the 17 year Cicadas appear after 21 years instead. It's confusing. I think we must have both types this year. They're everywhere. Our first Dalmatian, Spot, loved to eat these bugs. He would catch the insects while they were flying and race around the yard with them buzzing in his mouth. Luckily Dot and Dash never acquired this disgusting habit.

The Dog Days of Summer are here. Traditionally, these are the forty days beginning July 3 and ending August 11 when hot, sultry weather is at its worst. I always used to think this term had something to do with dogs panting on a hot day, but it's been around since the early Greeks who used the rising of the dog star Sirius at sunrise as a warning that drought, disease, and discomfort were on the way. For me this time of year is always when the meadows in the park turn yellow, the flowers disappear, and my electric bills go through the roof. It's not a good time to leave your dog outside either. I never seems to be happy with the weather. In the Summer I can't wait for Winter and in the Winter I can't wait for Summer.

I learned recently that the highway department is replacing a bridge near us that I use almost every day. I guess that's a bit of an exaggeration since I don't even leave the house every day, but I do use this bridge a lot. I'm dreading this. Highway construction projects take so long. I suspect there will be detours, traffic delays, and general inconvenience for several years. I wonder why they are replacing this bridge? It seems fine to me and doesn't even get all that much traffic. Nobody ever tells you the truth though. The bridge could be structurally unsound and might collapse the next time I drive over it.

It's time to take the trash out to the curb again, but where do I put it? For some reason there are lots of cars parked on the street that never used to be there. Are these visiting relative or are the neighbors just not using their driveways this summer. There is a particular spot where I always place my can and it was occupied by a car tonight. The fact that this bothered me at all must mean that I have OCD pretty bad.

I'm a little disappointed that the Chasing the Moon series is already over. I've enjoyed watching this show for the past three evenings. Now it's back to old Perry Mason episodes that I've seen three times already. I already know where I'm going to breakfast tomorrow. I liked the new breakfast place I discovered last Friday. There are a lot of tasty things on the menu that I haven 't tried yet. I'm sure I'll eventually get tired of this place too, but it ought to be a welcome diversion during the Dog Days of Summer.

Sophia is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3485

Janet and I went an saw Yesterday at a matinee this afternoon. We are both retired, but it still seems weird that we can just go see a movie whenever we feel like it. I liked the film. It was basically a romcom with a happy ending and lots of great music. I grew up with The Beatles and they were one of the main reasons I learned to play the guitar and was in lots of enthusiastic but inept bands during high school and college. Despite this background, I had forgotten just how many amazing songs The Beatles actually wrote. There are literally hundreds of great Beatles songs. For someone who was a freshman in high school when I Want to Hold Your Hand hit the airwaves, Yesterday was a pleasant trip down memory lane. I completely forgot that the whole premise of the movie was ridiculous.

I like going to movies in the afternoon. The theater is usually empty and you can sit anywhere you want. Ticket prices are a little lower, although they still seem high to me. We got the discounted daytime, senior citizen rate and still paid about $10 a ticket. I remember paying $5 not that long ago. OK. Maybe it was a long time ago. I wonder how movie theaters survive. Why go to a theater when you can watch the same thing on iTunes for half the price?

It is still ridiculously hot. I wear twice as much clothing now because I have to change every time I take a walk. Sweating has become a way of life. I think we have had worse heat waves in the past, but it is so humid this year that it feels even hotter than it actually is. I thought we were going to get some rain today, but one big storm system went to the West of us and then a little while later another one went to the East. Normally this would be great news. Now I'm not so sure. A nice gentle rain would cool things down. Let's not go crazy though. No more downed trees or power outages. We've had enough of those.

I watched the last episode of Chasing the Moon tonight. Seeing this back-to-back with Yesterday made me nostalgic for a time in history that I don't expect to see again any time soon. Sure, there was a lot of social unrest in the sixties. This was the era of Vietnam and campus protests as much as it was  a time of moon landings and the Beatles. The jarring memories have faded away though. I think this is human nature. We like to remember the positive things. The space program faltered for a while after the Apollo program ended and of course The Beatles broke up. These things existed though. They happened. I like to think that if we could do something once, we can do it again.

I often wonder how you keep dreams alive. I've certainly had plenty of big dreams that have faded away. Probably everybody has. It's easy for the problems of daily life to slowly grind you down one inch at a time. I mostly think about paying bills, high cholesterol, rush hour traffic, and roof leaks. Every once in a while when it is very late and very quiet, I still have dreams though. Can I reach them? Do they even matter? I guess you'll have to keep reading to find out.

Keller is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3483

It looks like Monday is going to be the day we visit the Dalmatians. The boarding kennel is not usually busy on Mondays, so we don't get in the way while we are visiting with the dogs. There is a large, air conditioned indoor play area where we can play ball, let the dogs run freely, and make rudimentary attempts to teach them basic commands. We've spent enough time with the group now that we are starting to learn their personalities.

Now that Penny and Evie, our two sisters, have been adopted, Treasure is our only girl currently in the program. She is playful and affectionate and we have already taught her to roll over. Pongo, pictured here, is one of our newcomers. He is underweight and is still recovering from his heartworm treatment, but is already starting to put on a few pounds. He was much more relaxed today than he was last week. Jenga is deaf but you'd never know it. He is remarkably well adjusted and responds well to hand signals. Jenga loves to play ball and always seems happy. Charlie has probably made the most progress since entering the rescue program. He has finally learned some manners and will sit and stay for a treat now. Hank, another of our newcomers, is a blank slate. He is extremely friendly but could use a little training. We'll work on that. It is fun to see these dogs grow and become more confident with each passing week. Each of them is going to make someone very happy soon.

The weather is hot enough now that it is starting to be featured on the local news. I see stories on the importance of staying hydrated and how to avoid heatstroke. I'd like to see a few more stories about the dangers of leaving your dog out in the hot sun. I'm still walking in the heat of the day, but I do take a few precautions. I soak my hat and shirt in water before I begin my walk to help cool me down. When the hat starts to dry out, I'll wet it down again using a water fountain along the way. These walks are a little tiring although I still think they are a lot better than just staying inside and watching TV. I even made it up on the roof today and got the faulty pump running again. As I expected, there was just a kink in the hose. I was surprised that there was still water on the roof since it has been so hot lately. I guess it did rain a lot a few days ago.

I got a late start writing tonight because I wanted to watch the first episode of Chasing the Moon on PBS. I guess I'll get a late start tomorrow and Wednesday as well since this American Experience show is a three part series. I remember the beginnings of the space program but I'm surprised at how much I've forgotten fifty years later. I don't think any of this would have happened without the cold war and the enthusiasm of President Kennedy. An enormous amount of money was spent to get us to the moon. Today's expenditures on space are small by comparison. We aren't as unified as a country either. The 60's were an amazing time to be alive. I don't think this period of history will be repeated any time soon.

Today will probably be repeated tomorrow however. There won't be a trip to the Dalmatian kennels, but everything else will be the same. A breakfast smoothie followed by a long walk and a longing for cooler weather.

Trevor is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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