Day 4086

I'm done. Janet and I got our second Covid vaccinations today. We got the Pfizer vaccine, which is the one I wanted anyway. In fourteen days we should have immunity to the disease and can resume normal life if such a thing still exists. I continue to be amazed at how organized and efficient the hospital was. Getting the injection couldn't have been easier. Why would you want to go wait in line for hours at a mass vaccination center run by the government when you could go to a well run hospital and be in and out in a matter of minutes?

Getting vaccinated seems to be more popular than I anticipated. I haven't run into anybody who doesn't want to take the vaccine because they're afraid of growing a tail or third eye. Most of the people I know here in Texas have already received at least one shot. This doesn't really say much though, since I only know other old people. I'd like to think that getting vaccinated signals the beginning of the end to this mess, but it probably doesn't. I have a feeling that people will be arguing about masks for years to come.

I got my media access application from the Air Force today. You have to fill this out once a year to keep your press credentials. I'll fill out the forms tomorrow and send them in. I was pleased that I didn't have to ask for the forms this year. They already know me and I'm on the list. The Air Force people are super nice and they have made it possible for me to see some important launches when I couldn't get clearance from NASA. I'm looking forward to returning to Kennedy Space Center again. There aren't a whole lot of things I look forward to, but this is one of them.

The weather has been so warm this week that I'm beginning to think that last month's big freeze was just a bad dream. When we took our walks today, I didn't need a jacket at all. A t-shirt and shorts were fine. Dawn enjoyed the nice weather, but only wanted to walk a mile today. She's full of surprises and we are always wondering what she'll do next. 

My feet held up pretty well today. I still have no idea why some days are worse than others. While I was taking my long walk, I noticed that our three resident Muscovy Ducks were sitting under a picnic table. When I returned, a family was having a picnic at this table, but the ducks hadn't moved. They were still sitting directly under the same table. Were the ducks waiting to be fed or were they just being stubborn? I've seen these ducks be very aggressive, but the family seemed to be treating them like a pet dog. There must be a story here. 

The sky was very clear today. I should go out and look at the stars this evening, but I probably won't. Usually when I finish writing the blog, all I want to do is go straight to bed. I'm spoiled by West Texas dark skies too. When I look up in the back yard at night all I see is a light grey sky dotted with a few of the brightest stars. There's really nothing to see unless you like looking at the moon. Getting back to the dark skies of West Texas is almost as high on my wish list as returning to Kennedy Space Center. Hey, it's only March. There's a lot of 2021 left. Getting vaccinated does make you a bit more optimistic. Maybe normal life is just around the corner.

I doubt that much is going to change tomorrow. I just hope I don't wake up with some of the severe reactions that others have reported after getting their second shot. So far, so good. I don't feel a thing yet. 

Tucker is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4005

The rain arrived later than expected this morning, so we had time to walk Dawn after all. Our timing was pretty good because we were able to complete four miles and were almost home again before the first drops began to fall. It didn't take long to realize that the pumps weren't working correctly. I had to climb up on the roof and unclog one of them before I could eat my breakfast.

Rainy days are usually uneventful. I seldom leave the house and have no desire to start any major projects.  I puttered around the house and forgot what day it was several times. I still haven't taken the new dehumidifier out of the box but I did finally do a basic setup on my new camera. I wonder how long it will take me to start taking some pictures?

Janet was gone a lot today, so I worked on getting Dawn to learn how to do some basic things with me. The bedroom is her safe space and when Janet is gone, that's where she wants to stay. I had to put her on a leash to get her to go out in the back yard to pee. As soon as she was finished she ran to the back door and waited until I let her in so she could run to the bedroom again. She didn't even want to come out to the kitchen for lunch even though this is one of her favorite things when Janet is home. I do think we are making progress, but it is going very slowly.

The light rain stopped around mid-afternoon and I took my afternoon walk. Basically all I did today was walk. There were a few light sprinkles and I got a little wet, but it was fine. I enjoy watching the weather as long as there is not thunder and lightning. The clouds were moving swiftly today. By the time I returned home, the sky was starting to clear and I saw several large patches of blue among the clouds.

I got my editor's permission to share my new SpaceFlight Magazine article with my contacts at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California. I'm going to try to get myself invited out there to attend the Perseverance Rover Landing in February. I have no idea if they are even interested in having a little British magazine do an article about them, but it's worth a try. I have no idea what the Covid situation will be in February either. If things get worse, I might not even be allowed to travel to California.

A year ago at this time I was in New Orleans visiting the Michoud Assembly Facility. The first Artemis rocket had just been completed and would soon be on its way to the Stennis Space Center for testing. It was supposed to be on its way to the moon by now, but it is still sitting at Stennis. People in the space business must have a lot of patience. Delays and setbacks seem inevitable. Down in Boca Chica the next Starship prototype Space X was planning to test fell over inside the assembly building today. I don't think they were expecting that. I guess there is still plenty of time to see both of these rockets get off the ground. They're not going anywhere soon.

I doubt that I'll be going anywhere soon either. It's frustrating that Covid is still such a problem. You have to wonder how long it is going to take for this thing to die out and disappear. Even countries that were being held up as examples of how to do things right are having huge virus surges now. So far, the virus seems to be winning. We're definitely not going anywhere for Christmas. Janet ordered a Crown Roast from the butcher and we'll just have a nice Christmas dinner right here at home.

It's time to make my grocery list again. This week has gone quickly even though nothing happened. Next week I have two doctor's appointments and Dawn has a checkup at the vet. Such excitement on a wet December day.

Emmitt is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3999

We walked a little later this morning and it made a big difference. I only needed one coat and Dawn didn't need a coat at all. It's amazing how quickly the temperature rises as soon as the sun comes up. We see a lot fewer people now that Winter has arrived. Often it seems like we have the park to ourselves. It's still not easy for me to get up in the morning, but I really need the exercise. Whenever I hear Janet say "thirty minutes" I always get out of bed and get ready to walk. The older I get the more I realize that staying healthy is my responsibility.

There wasn't much on my grocery list this week, so shopping didn't take long at all. People still seem to be hoarding toilet paper and bottled water, but we have plenty. All I really needed this week was fresh fruit. I wish peaches weren't a seasonal product. I always think my smoothies taste better with peaches in them.

I think I've got all my equipment ready to load in the car early tomorrow morning. Janet says that we've been doing these Christmas pictures since 2004 and I've been using the same equipment the entire time. I'm amazed that it still works. I have upgraded cameras over the years, but the strobe lights, the power packs, and all the umbrellas and stands have been used every year. We have quite a collection of Christmas themed backdrops by now, but I can't even find some of the older ones. I like the new, lighter washable backdrops better anyway.

Hopefully, everything will work well for one more year. We only have a single venue this year. Covid has changed everything, including the ways that Dalmatian Rescue is able to raise money for the dogs. I'm kind of dreading wearing a mask all day, but if people working in grocery stores can do it, so can I. I've already discovered that photographers have some of the same problems with masks as people wearing glasses. Your viewfinder tends to get fogged up when you breathe. I was thinking of using my new camera tomorrow, but I decided to stick with something I'm more familiar with. Maybe I'll use the new camera next year.

It's a shame that the virus is spiking again. I never thought that the pandemic would last this long. I think the real problem is human nature. I'm a loner, but a lot of people really like to mingle and socialize. Masks won't help if help the people continue to wear them below their nose. I still see a lot of people pull their mask down whenever they talk to someone. Jeez. That defeats the whole purpose. Lockdowns don't work if people are still having weddings, going out to dinner with friends, and planning holiday celebrations. I never got the regular flu because I always stayed away from children in the Winter. It's probably that simple. Just stay away from other people and you are safe.

I'm mostly just going to be around dogs tomorrow. It's much more likely that my knee or shoulder will go out than I'll catch the virus. Photography isn't really kind to old people. Pretty soon I'll have to just sit in a chair like Santa when I take these pictures. Since dogs come in all shapes and sizes I do a lot of kneeling and even lying on my belly to get the best angles. Hey, staying active keeps you young. I guess I've got to practice what I preach.

I think it's supposed to rain tonight. I hope it's all over with before morning. The last thing we need tomorrow is a bunch of wet dogs.

Emmitt is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3998

We debated about waiting until later to walk this morning. It was really cold. We decided it was better to wear warmer clothes than to change our plans. This meant that Dawn would have to wear two coats today. Janet and I wore two coats as well. Dot and Dash often wore two coats on cold days, but this was a first for Dawn. A black sweater goes on first. Then the red Ruffwear harness goes on top. Finally an insulated outer coat goes on top of the harness. Since Dawn is about the same size at Dot, everything fit well and she could still move freely. It took Dawn a little while to get used to the new gear, but it definitely kept her warmer. Northerners would think this was overkill, but like I've said many times, we're not Northerners.

It was a clear, sunny day and although the temperature was near freezing while we walked, it warmed up quickly as the day progressed. I think we had a high of around fifty-five degrees. I always turn the furnace up and change back to shorts and a t-shirt when we return home. There is a lot of glass in the house and we used to have problems with condensation in the Winter. The dehumidifier has taken care of that. As long as the dehumidifier and the furnace are running, Winter is banished from the house.

Today was uneventful. I made a quick trip to the bank after breakfast and spent the rest of the day puttering around on the computer. I'm still trying to improve my skills at processing the astrophotography pictures I took out at McDonald Observatory last October. There are lots of techniques you can use to improve the quality of the images while still keeping them looking natural. I know how to stack images now, but I still need to take dark, flat, and bias calibration frames to reduce noise and artifacts even further.   When you add these calibration frames to your stack and run the processing software, the images noticeably improve. I should have taken the calibration frames out at the observatory because your camera needs to be at the same temperature as when you are taking star images. Darks are taken with the lens cap on. Flats are taken with the camera pointed at an evenly lit white background or a blank patch of sky. Bias frames also have the lens cap on and are taken at the fastest shutter speed your camera has. Mix all this together with the right software and you reduce a lot of the noise that digital cameras can create. Since all this is technical and tedious, I just played around with Photoshop today.

I'm sure that the next time I go out to West Texas, my photos will be a lot better. I have no idea when that is going to happen though. Covid has gotten really bad in Marfa, Alpine and Fort Davis and the observatory has shut down again as a precaution. They say the primary reason for the surge in cases is the huge increase in traffic to the Big Bend area. When people couldn't fly or take cruise ships, they began to take road trips. Campgrounds and National Parks are full all over the country and a lot of rural areas have been overrun by city people. It's ironic and kind of sad that my friends at the observatory thought they were safe because they were so remote. The remoteness and beauty of places like Big Bend attracted all the city folks with cabin fever though and now the Davis Mountains have become one of the worst Covid hotspots in the country.

It's time to make a grocery list again. I also need to make sure that all my camera batteries are fully charged and that I have spare batteries and bulbs for my strobe equipment. The Santa Paws event is Sunday. We looked at the backdrop today and it appears that we already washed it last year after we were finished with our events. It least that's one thing I won't need to do. It looks like it is going to be very cold again tomorrow morning. We know what to do.

Camp is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3958

I almost went to the gym today. Then I remembered that there was still water on the roof. It's going to rain again soon, but I knew that along with the water, there was a ton of leaves, acorns, and pecans that needed to be cleared away. All this debris makes little dams when it rains and turns the roof into a series of duck ponds. I eventually got everything cleared away and ready for the next rain. I'm sure that I burned a lot more calories than I would have if I'd gone to the gym.

We slept in a little late this morning, but it didn't seem to bother Dawn at all. When I finally woke up, she was still curled up under her blanket and in no hurry to get up. We had a nice walk, but nobody set any speed records. By the time we returned home it was almost time for lunch. Since we still hadn't had breakfast yet, we fixed pancakes and sausages instead. 

The whole day was kind of slow. Janet baked an apple pie and I didn't do much of anything. After spending a couple of hours cleaning up the mess on the roof, I didn't have the energy for anything else. I did get 20,000 steps today though. Two long walks and some roof duty. That was about it.

I'm convinced that the virus is spreading through large family gatherings. Every time I walk in the park I see very large family picnics and barbecues. Everybody has learned to be wary of strangers but they are a little too comfortable with people they know. I'm not terribly close to my own family, so it's hard for me to understand why people like to gather together. It's happening though. I have a feeling that weddings, funerals, reunions, and birthday parties are far more dangerous than trips to the grocery store.

I washed my favorite drywall mask in the washing machine today and now it smells like soap instead of sawdust. I don't know what this thing is made of. It's not paper and it's not fabric. I thought it might disintegrate in the wash, but it held up pretty well. The mask looks a lot better now. It suffered a mishap out at the observatory when I forgot I had it on and tried to take a bite of a taco.

I still need to order a replacement for the part that fell off my tripod at the observatory. Luckily, the missing piece is not very expensive. Ordinarily, I would have taken care of this by now but I'm operating on a retiree's clock these days. There is no sense of urgency about anything. One of these days I will need the tripod again, but not this week. It's weird to have lost my desire to continually acquire new and better gear. Since I've become interested in astrophotography, it would be tempting to upgrade my camera gear. There are definitely things I could improve. The existing cameras are more than adequate though. Why bother. I don't really have the money anyway.

I will need the cameras tomorrow. There is a new Dalmatian up at the kennel. He's going through heartworm treatment now, but will be available for adoption as soon as he's healthy again. I'll need to get him up on the website soon. At least Charlie isn't all alone any more.

I wish that NASA would reschedule the Crew-1 launch. I'd like to know what I'm going to be doing in November. The launch was originally scheduled to take place on Halloween. I hope the new schedule doesn't move the launch to Thanksgiving. I'd hate to miss Thanksgiving dinner. We'll see what happens. At least I know what I'll be doing tomorrow. It's going to be another Dalmatian Monday.

Patch is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3953

The weather was warmer today. You can almost tell what temperature it is by how fast Dawn walks in the morning. She seems very sensitive to temperature and walked a little slower this morning. I'm equally sensitive to changes in the pollen count. My allergies have returned with a vengeance. I'm blowing my nose constantly again. It's hard to know what to wear on our morning walks. Sometimes the temperature remains constant. Other times it is ten degrees warmer by the time we return. The only thing constant about Dallas weather is that it is constantly changing. Needless to say, I liked the cool, dry, and allergy free air in the Davis Mountains a lot better.

Today was uneventful. I unpacked my bags, put my stuff away, and set then up a few more accounts for online payments. I guess I'm done with writing checks and paying for things in person. I've even set up an online account for the storage warehouse. I used to pay for my storage space a year at a time. I'm paying month to month now in hopes of getting rid of enough stuff to move to a smaller, cheaper unit later this year. Janet loves to throw stuff away, so she said she'll help.

I got a bid for taking down the big Oak tree in the back year. The bid seemed horrendously high, so I guess I'm get another bid. I wish this tree was healthier, because one of my favorite things about the yard when I bought the house years ago was all the big mature trees. Sadly, these tree are nearing the end of their life. I see trees just like our own trees fall in the park for no reason at all there doesn't even need to be a storm. Every time I see one of these huge trees fall, I wonder if one of our trees is going to be next. I'd hate to have a tree fall into the house, or even worse into the lawyer's house next door.

I have all these cool pictures from my trip, but I decided years ago that I would always include a single square picture taken on the same day as my latest blog post. All I could find today was some pathetic leaves trying their best to show some Fall color. Most of the leaves just turn brown here, but occasionally we get a little color. I guess I could always add more pictures, but I won't do it for the same reason that I always drink a large fruit smoothie every morning. Consistency is everything to me. It drives some people nuts, but I find comfort in doing the same things over and over again. Maybe I'm really a dog. All our dogs have been nervous of changes in their schedule and wanted a very consistent life.

I'm glad I already voted. It looks like the lines are getting longer now. The trouble with social media is that there are no secret places anymore. If there is a polling place without much of a line, everyone takes selfies and brags about how quickly they voted. The next day the place with no line has a huge line. I think life would be so much better if social media didn't exist. We don't really need to know what everyone else is doing.

I wonder when NASA is going to reschedule the Space X Crew 1 launch? I was feeling pretty good about making the trip to Florida when Covid cases seemed to be declining. Now, cases are spiking again almost everywhere. I wonder if we're ever going to get a handle on this thing? I'm pretty good about wearing a mask and keeping my distance, but there's that pesky airline flight to Orlando. I learned recently that a Dallas woman actually died of Covid while she was on a plane returning from Arizona. That's a little unnerving.

Emily is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3933

They've raised the rent on my storage warehouse again. These annual increases are so predictasble and relentless that it's infuriating. It's almost like they are begging you to move to a different location. I've already done this once, but it's a lot of trouble. I could probably save a lot of money by moving back to my old warehouse as a new customer. Like I said, it's a lot of trouble though. I wish I could just wave a magic wand and make some of this stuff go away. 

I don't want to have a yard sale because I hate dealing with strangers. I don't want to sell on eBay because a lot of the stuff is heavy and difficult to ship. I did make an effort two or three years ago to sell a few things. I was successful at selling most of the guitars. I repaired some of my vintage synthesizers, but there was no market for them. After three years about half of my train collection has sold. The old computers are basically worthless, but it's a lot of trouble to take them all apart and remove the hard drives. Stuff just accumulates and then you forget what it is or why you bought it in the first place. I've still got stuff from my Dad's estate in the warehouse. There are probably a few things from my grandparent's estate. There's a lesson in this somewhere, but I didn't learn it soon enough. The millennials who spend their money on experiences instead of stuff are probably the smart ones.

Dawn walks a little further every day. We're still going very short distances though. I'm not sure she'll ever get back to where she was before. We're not going to push her. When Dawn starts to slow down or look tired, we immediately turn around and go home. Dawn does seem to be improving. Tomorrow we start gradually reducing her Prednisone dose. The real test will come when she has finished all her meds.

The temperature was still nice when we took our short morning walk with Dawn, but warmer weather has definitely returned. It was actually pretty hot when I took my longer afternoon walk. I wish the weather was more predictable, but I guess I wish everything was more predictable. When I was walking this afternoon I saw the mother Muscovy duck again. There were only three ducklings with her this time. Where did the other three go? Nature can be pretty cruel. I'm not sure I even want to know what happened to the ducklings.

It looks like the Delta IV Heavy launch is finally going to happen tonight. The weather looks good and the countdown is going smoothly. I'd still like to see one of these giant rockets before they are retired and become obsolete. These days they are only used to launch billion dollar school bus sized spy satellites for the CIA. Nobody really knows what these satellites do, but watching them head into orbit is pretty impressive. I'll try to stay awake tonight and watch tonight's launch on my computer. The next time one of these monsters launches from Cape Canaveral sometime in 2022, I hope I can see it in person.

As I approach 4000 days on my blog quest, I'm really starting to wonder if it's worth the effort to go any further. I'm running out of things to say. A lot of days are so uneventful that I wonder why anyone reads this at all. Maybe I'll get a second wind and start doing interesting things again when Covid finally dies out and life returns to normal. Actually I don't even care if life returns to normal. I'd just like to travel normally again.

Thelma is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day