Day 3757

I keep wanting to say "Y'all are doing it wrong" when I hear all these suggestions about social distancing. I don't think extroverts have a clue about staying apart. Unfortunately, extroverts are making the rules. I actually think I was doing a much better job of keeping my distance before all the restrictions started. When most of the stores are closed, people just congregate at the few remaining open ones. I've never seen Lowes and Home Depot as busy as they are now. Did everyone start a home improvement project at the same time or do they just want to get out of the house?

Social distancing is much easier when you basically don't like people. I've never had a problem staying away from you guys. When you zig, I zag. I do all my shopping when you are at work. I love the gloomy, overcast days at the park when nobody is trying to barbecue or get a suntan. I don't even understand the concept of a virtual cocktail party on Zoom. Real cocktail parties were bad enough. Back when I had to attend parties for work, I would quickly find the host, make a little small talk and then quietly leave when nobody was looking.

You don't need to scream at me on Twitter to "just stay home" in all capital letters. Other than a walk in a nearly empty park with Dawn, I was home all day. I'm almost always home all day. I did get a lot done today. The weather was warm this afternoon so I pulled the big bucket of silicon up on the roof using a rope and made some more repairs. I must be doing a pretty decent job. We've had a lot of rain this Spring and the leak still hasn't returned. When today's repairs dry completely, I'll make another sweep of the roof and look for more weak spots.

Janet and I both washed our cars today, but they never left the driveway. I think one reason that mine was so dirty is that it has been sitting so long. At this time of year, the trees seem to shed a fine yellow powder that gets over everything. I'm not a botanist, but I think the yellow powder must be the  pollen inside the catkins that fall from our Oak trees. This is also the season when the ants and tent caterpillars arrive. I saw a ton of ants on the roof and a lot of them will end up getting trapped in the wet silicon. It serves these pesky ants right for trying to find a way into our kitchen.

I passed my security clearance to get a press pass for the upcoming Crew Dragon launch in late May or early June. I doubt that I'll get final approval for a while though. The folks at Kennedy Space Center are probably still trying to decide if the launch will even happen. I bet the two astronauts are already in quarantine though. NASA definitely doesn't want those two to get the virus. The Crew Dragon launch and the Mars 2020 Lander are still on schedule. Just about everything else at NASA has been put on hold. We'll see what happens. I'd still like to go cover this launch.

Tomorrow is Wednesday for those of you who have forgotten what day it is. It's easy to do. Like many of you, I need a project. Maybe I'll finally start uploading a bunch of new pictures to my Shutterstock account. Stock photography is a good way to make money even if you are confined to your house.

Molly is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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Day 3739

Maybe I'm fooling myself, but I'd like to think that all my long walks are keeping me healthy. What's not to like. Walking burns calories, strengthens your heart and lungs, lowers your blood sugar, increases bone density, reduces the risk of stroke, improves circulation and posture, and enhances creativity. Will my five mile daily walks keep me from getting the coronavirus? Hard to say. It certainly doesn't hurt to stay in shape though.

Dawn seems to agree with me. She loves her daily walks. I don't think she ever got a good walk before. All we have to do is show her a leash and harness and she's ready to go. It's fun to watch her explore and smell everything in her path. It's amazing that something so simple can bring so much joy to a dogs life. It's good to have a dog around again. Dogs have their priorities straight.

The pandemic keeps inching closer and closer to home. There has been a death in Dallas in the last few days and someone has tested positive in our own neighborhood. Janet and I still feel healthy and hope to stay that way. I think social distancing is working, but I feel sorry for all the small businesses that no longer have any customers. I took some letters to the post office this morning and a nearby strip mall was virtually empty. A lot of little shops and restaurants aren't going to make it if this national quarantine goes on much longer.

I went ahead and applied for press credentials for the upcoming Space X Crew Dragon launch that is supposed to take place in late May. This is a big one, since it will mark the first time American astronauts will travel to the International Space Station on an American rocket since the Space Shuttle program ended in 2011. The launch could easily get postponed, especially since NASA has already shut down the Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans and the Stennis Space Center in Mississippi. Who knows. The world could change a lot by mid-May. I'm going to stay optimistic though.

I'm also going to stay in touch with the astronomers at McDonald Observatory. I wrote one of my new friends today and asked hime to let me know when the 82" Otto Struve telescope is eventually rescheduled for another all night special viewing session. I would still really like to spend some time behind the eyepiece of this historic telescope. With all the disruptions caused by the coronavirus, it is doubtful that the telescope would be available until late this Summer. It's going to happen sometime though, and I want to be first in line.

I wish people would stop hoarding food. It forces you to go to the grocery store a lot more often than necessary. There is plenty of food. There is even plenty of toilet paper if people would just continue to shop normally. Panic buying forces you to go to the store frequently, just to see if the empty shelves have been refilled. One day you buy water. The next day you buy bananas.  I just hope there is still a steady supply of fresh fruit for my morning smoothie.

Life is still pretty normal for me. I spent the afternoon clearing water from the roof. Both pumps have become clogged with catkins from our remaining Oak trees. The roof was a mess, but apparently the patches I made recently are working. Despite an abundance of rain, we haven't seen any more leaks.

Baxter is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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Day 3356

20,000 steps today. That's what you get when you walk the dog twice, go to the gym, and remove all the water from the roof. I was surprised that Dash even wanted a walk this morning. It was bitterly cold. There was a brisk wind for most of the day and the wind chill made the temperature feel like 20 degrees. I definitely didn't feel like going up on the roof in this kind of weather, but I knew that if I didn't remove the standing water immediately, it would be ice by morning. So far, the roof leak hasn't reappeared, so maybe all my efforts have been worthwhile. Just being outside today was quite a workout. My trip to the gym seemed easy by comparison.

I wasn't surprised that Dash seemed tired today. Walking in freezing weather takes a lot out of you. We probably should have stayed inside but it's hard to convince a dog who loves to smell things in the park that it is too cold. As soon as Dash gets back inside on these cold days, he starts shivering. He never shivers while he is actually walking though. I still haven't figured this out. At any rate, after a short nap under his favorite blanket, Dash was fine. The cold weather certainly didn't hurt his appetite. Dash ate anything within reach today.

I watched the Crew Dragon capsule dock with the International Space Station on NASA TV this morning. The capsule looked so clean and neat inside. It looked a lot more like the interior of a Tesla Model 3 than your typical space capsule. The Russian Soyuz capsule looks like a flying garbage can by comparison. I'm amazed at the progress that Elon Musk has made in the last ten years. It's pretty impressive. I hope he can reach his goal of landing on Mars while I'm still alive.

I didn't have the energy to do any house cleaning after I finished with the roof this afternoon. I didn't finish updating the Dalmatian Rescue website either. I guess I can do those things tomorrow. Today just seemed like a long, continuous workout. Maybe I lost a few a few pounds. It isn't every day that I rack up 20,000 steps on the Fitbit.

I wonder why I've become so fascinated with tracking things. The Fitbit tracks me while I'm walking around and up until yesterday an IOS app called Fabric tracked me when I was driving around. the Fabric company went out of business recently and the app has gone dead. The same thing happened to Moves, another tracking app I used to use. I guess this shows that there isn't much of a market for apps that track your every more. Most people apparently don't want to be tracked.

I wonder whether I should cancel tomorrow's appointment with the plumber? Another arctic cold front is on the way and temperatures are supposed be get down in the teens. I would imagine that if the ground is frozen, it's going to be a lot harder to find that leak in the sewer line. I can't imagine that the plumbers would enjoy working out in the cold either. I'll call in the morning and see what the plumbing company wants to do. This seems like something that could wait until things warm up a bit.

Dash was restless last night and I didn't get a lot of sleep. Hope things improve this evening. I've done enough moving for one day. I need to be still for a while.

Maggie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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