Day 4813

Things did not go smoothly today. The roof has started leaking again in the office. Enough already. Dawn's hematoma seems to be getting worse, even though she's been wearing her head wrap. I couldn't renew my prescription this morning because the pharmacy said it had expired and I wasn't able to reach my doctor. Why did the bottle say I still had refills left? 

The roofers made an appointment to come over this afternoon and then never showed up. I guess all roofing companies are the same. I made an appointment with the appliance repairman and then did a load of laundry and everything worked fine. Should I cancel the appointment? Who knows. Even my long walk was strange. There was an air quality alert on my phone and when I went outside there was such a thick haze that I couldn't even see the city buildings on the horizon. Probably another dust storm.

It wasn't just my own little world that was haywire either. The Crew-6 launch got scrubbed last night with two minutes left on the countdown clock. Something was wrong with the engine ignition system. I don't think there's been a problem with a crewed Space X launch before. Things are even worse out at the observatory. There is currently a big uncontrolled forest fire near Mount Locke and the entire facility has been without power for several days. Residents living on the mountain were under an evacuation warning for a while. I'm sure other things have gone wrong in the world as well, but these are the only things I follow.

At least the severe weather that was predicted for last night never materialized. It never even rained. There were high winds though and the wind probably brought along all the dust from West Texas. I took my long walk early today because of my appointment with the roofers. I should have known better. I've done something to my shoulder so both my shoulder and my foot hurt today. I still completed my six mile walk, but I think I probably aggravated my old shoulder injury by climbing up on the roof too frequently this week. I didn't make that mistake today. I'm tired of messing with these roof leaks.

I shouldn't complain too much though. If you could ignore all the dust on the horizon it was a very nice day. It was certainly warm enough. I was able to wear shorts and a t-shirt on my walk again. It felt like we were having an early Spring this afternoon. The trees are even starting to bud. This is seldom a good sign because an early Spring usually insures that there will be a late freeze in March that kills everything. We'll see what happens. I'd be happy enough if Winter were over, but March is usually full of surprises.

Hopefully tomorrow is uneventful. No surprises please. I should probably be more flexible, but that's not going to happen. I'm happy enough with my rigid little routine, punctuated with a few trips to Florida and West Texas. Sometimes I wish I were working again, but then I remember what clients are like. It's probably best that I learn to enjoy my retirement.

Princess is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4812

Today was a nice combination of mall walking and dog walking. It was overcast, but there was no rain and it was quite warm. Sadly, that is about to change since we are under a severe weather warning for later tonight. I'm glad now that I didn't go to Florida for the Crew-6 launch. I would be worried about Janet and Dawn.

The mall was crowded with walkers today. I have no idea why the place is almost empty one week and busy the next. Mall walking seems popular with families that have young children. There are always lots of strollers and little kids. I guess this is inexpensive entertainment for some. The kids all seem to be having fun. There are also a fair amount of older people like me. I'm probably not the only one who has discovered that this is a good way to stay active. I'm a lot more active than some of these geezers. A few of them can barely move. There was nothing new in the windows this week. This seems to be an in-between time for retailers. All the window displays were the same as they were last week.

Since the ground was muddy at the park where we normally take Dawn on Sunday, we thought we'd try someplace new. Janet and I had no idea how Dawn would react. We weren't sure she would even get out of the car since new routines often frighten her. Much to our surprise Dawn was really excited to visit this new location. She had a great time smelling things and probably would have walked further. We were a little nervous about walking too far though. We both had memories of taking Dawn on walks where she was walking just fine and then would suddenly freeze and refuse to walk any further. The freezing in place behavior disappeared quite a while ago and I hope it never returns. Dawn does seem a lot more relaxed and well adjusted now. It took a while but I think she finally knows she has a home.

Even though we went to a different place this week, we still ended our outing with ice cream cones. Dawn loves getting ice cream. Occasionally, we've wondered if this little indulgence was bad for her health, but all her vital signs came back normal after her annual exam last week. Dawn is a good dog and she deserves a special treat every now and then.

The leak in the office has finally stopped but I won't be surprised if it starts leaking again after the storm passes through town later this evening. It's good to know that the leak finally stopped on its own. I didn't even bother getting up on the roof and sweeping away the standing water this time. Why bother if more rain is on the way.

My big project for today was cleaning out the dryer hose. I was convinced that a clogged or dirty hose was causing the dryer to overheat. What a messy job. I never should have attempted this right after taking a shower because I got dirty all over again. I had to move the dryer so I could squeeze behind it and unhook the dryer hose. It was a tight squeeze since the utility room is very small. I thought I could vacuum the lint out of the dryer hose, but the vacuum cleaner clogged up immediately. I had to reach into the hose and pull the caked on lint out of the tube with my hands. By compressing the flexible hose at either end, I was able to reach a lot further than I thought. There is still an area where the hose runs behind the furnace that I couldn't reach, but I did what I could. I thought I had fixed the problem, but when we ran a test load of wash through the dryer, it shut down just like it did before. The cycle finished and the clothes got dry but the machine wouldn't run another cycle until it cooled off. Oh, well. I tried. The thermostat has probably gone bad and I will have to call the appliance repairmen tomorrow.

Hopefully tonight's tornado warnings won't amount to anything. The storm front will be here soon. I'll probably watch the Crew-6 launch later on the Space X live stream. Wish I was there, but you can't have everything.

Bingo is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4809

I can't get used to this roller coaster weather. Yesterday I was wearing shorts and a t-shirt. Today I was wearing my down parka again. We've gone back and forth like this for weeks. It's weird to say the least. Even though it was chilly this morning, we had a nice early walk with Dawn. She doesn't seem to mind the cold nearly as much as I do. I can tell the days are gettig longer now. A few months ago we would have been walking in the dark at this time of day. Today is was quite light out and we watched the sun rise as we headed back to the house.

It looks like I failed at stopping the roof leaks. I thought I had dodged a bullet yesterday, but right after breakfast I noticed a small wet spot in the office carpet. The roof was leaking again. My patching efforts must have helped because there was only one small leak instead of multiple leaks all over the house. It was still disappointing to see a leak though. I was forced to climb up on the roof again and sweep away the remaining standing water from yesterday's rain. I wasn't surprised to find that the leak was directly under the biggest duck pond on the roof.  The roof was largely dry, but this one large puddle of standing water was evidently enough to cause a leak. My patches seemed to have held up fairly well during the rain, but I must have missed something. If there is a lot of standing water, it doesn't take much of a hole in the elastomer coating to cause a leak.

I've given up on going to the Crew-6 launch. My application must have gotten lost because I still haven't heard anything one way or the other. NASA is usually pretty good about notification even if your request is rejected. I don't know what happened this time. Truthfully this is a blessing in disguise. I wasn't planning on returning to Kennedy Space Center until April or May and couldn't really afford this trip anyway. I do like to go to most of the important launches, but it certainly doesn't hurt anything to miss this one.

I had to change my route through the park again today. There is some major construction taking place on one of the park's main service roads. I still can't figure out how the park seems to get better roads than the rest of the city. In our neighborhood we get those cheap spray on roads. This was a proper road. They had one of those huge machines that scraped away the old road and then they started from scratch applying completely new pavement. Personally I would prefer no roads through the park, but the place has become a recreation destination. Not everyone can get to this place by walking out their back door like I can.

The roofing company wants to come over and meet with me next week to go over their bid. I don't know what this is going to prove. It's certainly not going to soften the blow of whatever expensive price they put on the job. I've dealt with roofing bids before. They are always more expensive than you expect. I can think of lots of ways I'd rather spend the money, but we can't go on living like this. We need a new roof.

I haven't really accomplished much this week. There are still leaves to rake and it appears that I failed to stop the leaks yesterday. It doesn't look like I'm going to the Crew-6 launch either. I did get this weeks trash taken out to the curb this evening and the roof has finally stopped leaking. More importantly, there is no longer any rain in the forecast for next week. Hey, I'll take what I can get. Dawn is still being good about wearing the No Flap Ear Wrap. It will probably take a while, but I hope this will help eliminate the hematoma in her left ear.

Joey is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4808

Our timing was perfect this morning. There was a light mist when we took Dawn on her early morning walk, but we decided to walk anyway. Literally in less than a minute after we returned home the skies opened up and there was a downpour. If we'd started our walk five minutes later we would have gotten soaked. The rain was over in an hour, but it was certainly enough to put yesterday's roof repairs to the test. So far there have been no leaks. I'm not going to declare victory yet though. Sometimes it takes a while for water to start leaking.

It was certainly warm today. Our air conditioner has been running for the second day in a row. This is definitely not your normal February, but I've got no complaints. Life is easier when it's warm outside. The weather was the only surprise today. Everything else was exactly like yesterday. I had my shredded wheat and fruit for breakfast, checked my messages for a non-existent credentialing notice from NASA, and took my long walk in the park.

I had to change my route a bit today because a construction crew was repaving a road I normally walk on. The park department seems very efficient about getting things done, while other city departments like water and public works seem exactly the opposite. I wonder how this works since the park department is part of the city? Even though the park is well managed, I liked it better when it was largely undiscovered. When we first moved here it was rare to see anyone in the park. Now it's become a recreation destination for the entire Metroplex.

Dawn's lab reports came back today and everything looks good. It's nice to have a healthy dog again. Dot and Dash had many good years, but they had lots of problems as well. Both dogs had cancer in their later years. Dot went through a complicated spinal surgery and Dash had a long recovery after being attacked by another dog. Petey and Greta had their share of problems as well. I really hope that Dawn stays healthy for a long time. It's sad watching a dog decline.

I don't know why I'm still fretting about the Crew-6 launch since I'm not even sure I want to go. I should have heard something by now. I always worry that I might have fallen out of favor and will lose access to the space center. It wasn't easy getting press credentials or even finding a magazine that would be interesting in publishing my stories. Attending launches makes me feel like I'm still working and have something to contribute. My problem is that it's hard to get noticed when you can only afford to make several trips to the space center each year. The local launch photographers are down there all the time and have gotten to know the credentialing people personally. It makes a difference.

I need to find something I'm interested in doing here in Dallas. It would be easier if I didn't have to think about airfare and hotels every time I wanted to do something. I'm not a joiner though. I can't think of a single organization or club that I'd like to be a part of. It's probably a good thing that I still like blogging. It gives me something to do everyday.

Maggie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4807

I'm tired. I did a lot of chores today that I've been trying to avoid. I knew that bulky trash pickup was this week, so I raked leaves right after breakfast. It's a good thing I started early because the trash trucks came today. I thought they were coming tomorrow. I hadn't finished by the time the trucks arrived but at least three big bags of leaves got hauled away. I guess I'll get the rest of the leaves next month.

Dawn wore her No Flap Ear Wrap on our early walk this morning. We hope this helps the hematoma on her ear to heal. I wasn't aware of how often she shakes her head. She does this a lot when she's outside. The device really does a good job of keeping her ears in place and Dawn doesn't seem to mind wearing it. Lets hope it works.

It was really warm today. I wore shorts and a t-shirt on my long walk and was still hot. By mid-afternoon it got up to over 80 degrees. This isn't like February at all. Even though the weather was nice, I was fairly slow this morning. This was probably because I had already been raking leaves for over an hour. I just don't have as much energy as I used to. I still managed to walk six miles. It just took me a little longer. I always try to convince myself that it's better to go slow than to quit, even though on many days I'd much rather just take a long nap.

With 80 degree weather I knew the roof would be dry, so I managed to lug the big bucket of Armor Flex silicon up on the roof and used it to patch the holes where the coating had torn. There was only about one gallon of liquid silicon left in the bucket, but it was enough to fill most of the bare areas. This stuff is so old now that I'm not even sure if it is good anymore. It's got to help though. I'll try to go up on the roof again tomorrow and see if the coating I applied dried properly. I hope this works because it's supposed to start raining again tomorrow. The roofing company still hasn't called me with their bid, but I'm not in any particular hurry to get started. I know the job is going to be expensive and the rainy season isn't over yet. I guess I can keep setting buckets under the leaks until Spring.

The Crew-6 launch got postponed until Monday. I doubt that this matters much to me, since I still haven't heard whether I've been credentialed or not. It's odd that I haven't been either accepted or rejected yet with the launch so close. Usually I would have heard something by now. Maybe this is a sign that I should just plan to skip this launch. There's a good chance that it's going to rain this weekend anyway and I don't want to leave Janet with a bunch of leak buckets to manage.

It's weird to have the air conditioner running in February, but at least the air conditioner is working fine. I've just about given up trying to predict this weather. I wouldn't be surprised if we're freezing again soon. I know we've still got a lot more rain to look forward to, but I hope it stays dry long enough for the silicon patches I applied today to dry. We'll see what happens tomorrow. I probably didn't fix the roof, but at least I got rid of some leaves today.

Lizzy is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4805

Has it already been a week since the Superbowl? Time flies. The football season may be over, but our Sunday was pretty much the same. I woke up wondering why it was so cold outside, we took Dawn on her sunrise walk, and then we had another big weekend breakfast. After I made the bed and checked my messages, I went mall walking again.

Each time I visit Northpark I notice that things have changed. It's a busy place. All the Valentines Day displays are gone now, but no new theme has emerged. I still see raincoats in a lot of windows. Sunday seems to be a day for staff meetings. You often see groups of people in the yet to be opened stores listening to some sort of presentation. In one store these people were all wearing white jumpsuits like they were at a hazmat scene. What was that all about? You see lots of people dusting things with Swiffer dusters. I never realized that retail stores were such a big market for Swiffer. Several stores used to have off-duty policemen sitting inside the store. They are all gone now. Was this a policy change, or is the mall actually safer these days? 

I have my favorite stores now and often think that I would buy my clothes at these places if I were still working in an office. I'd probably change my mind quickly if I actually went inside the stores and checked on the prices. There are no bargains at this mall. Truthfully, the last thing I need are more clothes. There are still things in my closet that I have never worn. Clothes are never a high priority when you work from home. When you retire, clothes become an even lower priority.

Dawn's priority today was her Sunday outing. We were a little late leaving today and she knew it. That dog has an amazing internal clock. She knows when everything is supposed to happen, right down to the minute. You'd better not be late. Especially when it comes to meals. It had warmed up quite a bit by the time we left the house and we all had an enjoyable walk. The ground is finally drying out from our recent rains and our shoes didn't even get muddy today.

There was a line of cars at the ice cream store today. This place advertises it's product as "frozen custard" even though it tastes exactly like ice cream. I've tasted custard before. This stuff is definitely ice cream.  It is more expensive than Dairy Queen, but is still pretty reasonable. Dawn certainly approves.

I didn't do much this afternoon. There are plenty of things that need attention around the house, but I didn't feel like starting anything new. The Crew-6 launch is next Sunday and I still haven't heard anything. This probably means I'm not going. It's no great loss if I don't get credentialed this time although I would like to go. Oh, well. There are still a few day left and plenty of launches in the future. We'll see what happens.

Dawn has her annual exam at the vet tomorrow. We think she's healthy but you never know what's going to turn up in the lab reports. Hopefully this will just be a routine visit.

Spot is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4804

Another cold, grey day. It was a fairly typical Saturday. We got up a little later than usual, dressed warmly for our early walk with Dawn, and then returned home for a big weekend breakfast. My grocery list was longer today, so shopping took a while. I also had to get gas and pick up a prescription. As usual, I had to visit several stores to find everything. 

Since Janet was going to a charity event this evening, I stopped at my favorite barbecue place to get some ribs for dinner. I like ribs more than she does. There was a banjo orchestra practicing inside the restaurant. Weird. I'd never seen anything like this before. There was a conductor leading about twenty people playing banjos. Everyone was playing different parts and the result was surprisingly good. The owner told me that the group practiced at the restaurant every Saturday morning and that they had a concert once a month. There are so many things in this city that I am totally unaware of. Who would have thought that Dallas had a banjo orchestra.

Today was a lot like yesterday. It looked like it was going to rain but never did. It also never warmed up very much. I had planned to go to the gym today because of the weather, but all the traffic I encountered while grocery shopping made me change my mind. I just don't like being out on the roads anymore. I put on a warm coat and took my long walk. I wasn't very fast today, but it didn't really matter. Once I finished my errands this morning I had nothing to do for the rest of the day.

Dawn seemed upset that Janet wasn't around for dinner. This dog doesn't like surprises. I wanted to take a nap on the bed after my long walk but every time I sat down on the bed, Dawn would leave the room and go out to the kitchen and whine. Eventually I got tired of this and just took a nap on the couch in the living room. I wish Dawn felt more comfortable around me, but it is what it is. For the most part, our life is very predictable and Dawn is fine. She just doesn't like surprises and will probably never be comfortable alone with me.

There were a lot of things I should have done around the house this afternoon, but I wasn't in the mood. I did a load of laundry and called it quits. I felt tired all day because I haven't been sleeping well. My nasal congestion is so bad now that I have to sleep on my back. If I sleep on my side, my nose drips continually. I know I must have gotten some sleep last night but my Fitbit registered nothing. The Apple watch said I got an hour and a half of sleep. Hopefully I will do better tonight.

I wonder when NASA is going to let me know about the Crew-6 launch. It's getting kind of close and I still haven't heard anything. I imagine that if I'm credentialed at the last minute I'll still go, but it sure would be nice if I could plan ahead. I probably shouldn't have applied for credentials for this launch. I didn't realize until after I sent my application in that the launch takes place at 2 AM. I like daytime launches a lot better. Oh, well. We'll see what happens. It's not like I have a lot on my agenda.

Tomorrow I'll go mall walking and we'll take Dawn on her Sunday outing. It's going to be warmer so hopefully the walk will be easier than last week. I'm sure we'll get ice cream cones even though it seems strange to do this in the Winter. Janet won't be home until late tonight so Dawn is still moody. I would have shared my ribs with her but she refused to join me in the kitchen. I guess her loss was my gain.

Bailey is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4800 - Valentines Day

Only two hundred days to go. I should have established a less ambitious blogging goal back in the beginning, but I still think I can do this. In less than a year I will have written a daily post for 5000 consecutive days.

I wasn't surprised to see the roof start leaking again when we woke up this morning. We got a lot of rain last night. Thunder and lightning woke me up several times and I always got up and checked for leaks. Needless to say, I didn't get a lot of sleep. The leaks didn't start until I was having breakfast this morning but it didn't take long for the water to make a mess of things. We had water running down a wall again, making it impossible to capture in a bucket. Luckily this leak was in a hallway where we have brick floors.

It was still raining early this morning, so Dawn didn't get her usual sunrise walk. We didn't forget her though. When the rain ended, Dawn got a nice walk later in the day. I didn't take my usual long walk because I was too busy dealing with roof leak problems. I did get my 10,000 steps though. Just barely.

All in all the leaks weren't nearly as bad as the previous two rain storms. The pumps on the roof were working well too. When I started seeing clear sky, I climbed up on the roof and swept away the remaining standing water. So far, so good. The leaks have finally stopped and I don't see any more rain in the two week forecast. If the roof gets completely dry again I may try to patch the obvious holes with the remaining Armor Flex silicon coating I have left. I doubt that this will fix the problem, but maybe it will help.

I still haven't gotten an estimate for replacing the roof from the roofing company, but I wasn't expecting anything until the end of the week. Prices were pretty high when I replaced the roof the last time and I expect that they are even worse now. I don't have much of a choice though. You just can't live in a house with leaks all over the place.

Although I had the best of intentions to quit climbing on the roof, it looks like this unpleasant chore is still going to be a part of my future for a while. I'm more careful these days but I'm also more clumsy. I definitely don't want to end my days by falling off a roof. Maybe by Summer we'll have a new roof and I can put this all behind me.

We didn't have our usual Valentines cupcakes this year. Janet had a class this evening and we were both tired anyway. Hopefully tomorrow will just be an ordinary February day. I'd like to hear something about the Crew-6 launch soon so I can make plans, but I'll be happy enough if nothing happens at all tomorrow. As long as the house stays dry, I'm good.

Dot is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4798 - Superbowl Sunday

That was a good game. I wasn't a huge fan of either team, but the game was competitive right down to the final seconds. I do think the best team won. I spent most of my career working in the advertising industry and I'd be the first to admit that I don't understand superbowl commercials anymore. Traditionally, these commercials are supposed to be the best of the best, but they are no longer funny or memorable. There wasn't a Budweiser commercial with Clydesdales and Dalmatians either. I still think Prince and Michael Jackson had the best halftime shows. Rihanna didn't even come close. It was a good game though. Hard to believe that Patrick Mahomes is only 27 years old.

Other than watching more football than I normally do, the rest of my day was pretty normal. We had a nice early morning walk with Dawn, ate a big weekend breakfast, and then I went mall walking. The mall seemed virtually empty today. A lot of the window displays have changed. Several stores seem to be featuring raincoats. I guess this makes sense. It is the rainy season here in Dallas. 

I still walk a lot slower indoors than I do outdoors. It's a mystery. I think I'm walking faster until Fitbit tells me otherwise. I don't spend a lot of time looking in the windows anymore. I've practically memorized everything. Mall walking is still a nice change of pace from my regular walks in the park. I wouldn't do it if the stores were open though. I prefer going to the mall when the stores are closed.

Dawn got her Sunday outing today. She seems to know that this is her day. She gets all excited about 30 minutes before we are ready to leave. You can tell she is excited, but as soon as the car starts she immediately goes into panic mode. I don't think we could ever take a long car trip with Dawn. Dawn doesn't really calm down in the car until she gets her ice cream cone. She's pretty normal after that.

The leaks have stopped. I put all the buckets away today. We've got a reprieve until the next rain storm, but unfortunately there is more rain on the horizon. It's supposed to rain again as soon as next Tuesday or Wednesday. These leaks are getting old. I'm really hoping that the roofing company I contacted gives me a decent bid so we can finally put an end to this madness.

I still haven't heard anything about the Crew-6 launch. I hate waiting until the last minute to learn whether I've been credentialed or not, but there's not much I can do about it. I like to think that the articles I write are of some value, but they're probably not of any consequence. Attending a launch still feels like work though. That's good. I'd hate to think that all I've got left are hobbies.

Tomorrow it's back to shredded wheat for breakfast and more long walks in the park. I should make an effort to add more variety to my life, but I probably won't. I like consistency, as long as we aren't talking about consistent rain. 

Lucy is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4796

The roofing guy was nice and seemed knowledgable. He didn't like my idea about going back to a tar and gravel roof, but the solution he proposed seemed reasonable. At first he wanted to put a new roof over the existing roof, but we've already been down that road. I made it clear that I wanted to remove the existing roof material, check to make sure there was no rotted decking, and then apply a completely new roof. Lord knows how much that's going to cost. The guy said he'd have a firm estimate in three or four days. No hurry. I think it would be crazy to do this before it gets warmer anyway. This company came highly recommended, but so did the companies that replaced my roof before. I don't have a lot of faith in roofers.

It was so cold today. This was a total surprise to me, since it was nice yesterday. Dawn seemed fine on her early morning walk, but I made a mental note to dress warmer when I took my long walk a little later. Part of the problem today was the wind. A cold winter wind isn't very pleasant to walk in.

I waited until after the estimator finished his roof inspection to take my long walk. I was thinking that it would get warmer if I waited until later in the day, but actually it seemed to get colder. At least there was no rain. The ducks and geese seemed hungry today and would chase after anyone who came near them at Sunset Bay. I would think it would be pretty miserable to be a duck in the winter, but then I'm not a duck. I'm certainly glad I don't live up North anymore. I have no tolerance for cold weather.

Despite the cold I managed to complete my six miles and get my steps. I'm persistent and it takes a lot to keep me indoors. The walk is getting boring, but I'm a creature of habit. Since the park is huge, I could easily take a different route but I seldom do. I think I follow the same route day after day because it's easy to compare results. I know exactly how long it takes to reach various points along the way on both good and bad days. I'm not a competitive person by nature, but I do compete with myself from time to time. It's always nice to get better at something. Even walking.

I didn't do much this afternoon, but the day still seemed to go quickly. The roof is still leaking a little but I don't hear a lot of dripping water anymore. Probably by tomorrow morning all the leaks will have stopped. Actually I'm surprised that the roof is still leaking at all. It seemed pretty dry when I was up on the roof with the estimator this morning. There is no rain in the immediate future but I'm sure it will rain many times before a new roof can be installed. 

I hope I hear something about my application for Crew-6 credentials soon. Sometimes NASA waits until the last minute to issue credentials and then the airfare to Orlando becomes more expensive. Hotels are often more expensive if I wait until the last minute to book as well. There's nothing I can do about this, so I just wait. Last minute credentialing is no problem for the launch photographers who live in the area. It can be a problem for me though. I wish I could plan ahead.

I do have a plan for tomorrow. It's grocery day for me. If I go to the gym at all, it's usually on Saturday. We'll see how the day goes. Maybe I'll go back tomorrow afternoon and shoot some baskets. I'm getting tired of counting ducks in the park.

Landry is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4792

Where did the day go? I certainly didn't accomplish much today. It was a little chilly outside but there was no rain. It was foggy when we took Dawn on her early morning walk and it was very windy when I took my long walk later in the morning. I was hoping for a warm, clear day, but I'll take what I can get. I'm still dreading the rain that is supposed to start early tomorrow morning.

I didn't realize how addicted I've become to my Fitbit until the app crashed this morning and I couldn't count my steps. I don't know why I even need this thing, especially since I walk the same route every day and know exactly how long it is. The variations in the speed and distance I travel are so small that I can usually guess my pace and the number of steps I've taken at any point in time. All this really proves is that I can take any activity and make it boring.

Against my better judgement I applied for press accreditation to attend the Crew-6 launch. I didn't get accepted as a social media correspondent for this launch, but maybe I'll have better luck as a magazine reporter. The Crew-6 Mission will be exactly like all the other crewed missions I've attended at Kennedy Space Center, but I'd still like to go. Strangely, I feel like I belong when I'm down at a launch. I seldom feel that way in Dallas. It's a shame that Titusville is so far away and travel is so expensive. I'd go to every launch if I could. Kennedy Space Center and McDonald Observatory seem like home to me now. I've published numerous articles about my experiences in both places, but it still seems like a very expensive hobby. Oh, well. There are worse things to waste money on. At least I'm not buying watches or electric trains these days.

I don't know whether I still have seasonal allergies or a persistent cold. I've had a runny nose for weeks now. I don't feel sick, but the constant nasal drip is irritating. I use those heavy duty Scott blue towels as Kleenex now. It's surprising how quickly I can run through a roll. If I forget to put a few Scott towel squares in my pocket when I'm walking, I'm miserable. I wonder how long this is going to last? I'm used to Spring allergies and even Fall allergies, but a runny nose all year long is a little much.

I've noticed that the operating systems I run on my computers are called "antiques" now. Apple stopped updating my version of Safari years ago. This is causing problems since quite a few websites I use have quit working correctly. I can still use the latest version of Firefox for transactions, but Safari is becoming next to useless. I stubbornly refuse to buy a new computer and pay for subscriptions to Photoshop, Microsoft Word and just about anything else that is actually useful. Why can't I keep using Sierra or High Sierra forever? I haven't changed since these operating systems were considered state of the art. If Sierra and earlier Apple operating systems were perfectly good when my business was flourishing, why should I be forced to start over when I'm basically just killing time? This attitude is probably why I no longer have any web development business. I celebrate the old and the obsolete. I like my old computers, my old Nikon film cameras, and I wish I still had my Citroën SM.

I hope that tomorrow's forecast is wrong. Dawn still needs her early walk and I don't relish the idea of driving to the gym in the rain. All the buckets are clean and ready for use, but the thought of dealing with more roof leaks so soon after our last big rain is depressing.

Landry is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4780

The rain has stopped. Unfortunately, the roof is still leaking. I could probably put a stop to this if I went up on the roof and swept all the standing water away. I'm really trying to avoid climbing on the roof though. My balance isn't as good as it used to be and I'd hate to fall off. Heavy rain in the winter is the worst because it never evaporates. Hopefully, the leak will stop tomorrow. The buckets are filling slower now, so at least we're making progress.

It was cold enough on our morning walk with Dawn that I seriously considered going back to the gym. Dawn wore her sweater and it was definitely a two coat day for me. Dawn still enjoyed smelling things but I think she was glad when we returned to the house. I'm already tired of winter and it's barely even started.  We have at least three more months of cold weather before I can start to think about Spring.

I ate my breakfast slowly and did some small chores around the house in hopes that it would warm up outside if I waited long enough. It never did. In fact, I think it got colder as the day progressed. I still needed to get my steps though, so I dressed warmly and headed out on my daily long walk. The walk might have been a mistake, but I made it. There are a lot fewer people in the park on cold days. I saw very few bicycles and joggers today. I didn't even see many ducks. I still see people walking their dogs though. Dogs need to poop and pee in all types of weather.

My feet still hurt on these long walks. Sometimes the pain goes away after a while, but other times it gets worse. I think I've just reached the age where everything hurts. My shoulder hurts when I attempt to raise my arms above my head. My knees hurt when I bend them. Even my wrists and fingers hurt. None of this is really debilitating. It's more of an irritation than anything. I remember the days when nothing hurt.

I still can't decide whether to apply for the Crew-6 NASA Social. One of the cardinal rules for these things is never apply unless you really plan to go. They don't like it if you cancel after you have been accepted. Crewed launches are always interesting, but if I go to this one, it means one future launch I won't be able to attend. My budget is a bit limited this year. I just can't afford to be going down to Florida every month.

Janet and I decided not to visit the rescue dogs this week. It was too cold and damp to play with them outside and it's still unclear if there is an available indoor space we can use. We'll try to go up next week. It's too bad that the old kennel went out of business. It was just about perfect. Hopefully, the dogs will like this new place. It seems clean and well managed. It's just a long way away for Janet and I.

There's new software available for the star tracker and I had plans of testing it again today. The day got away from me though and when I finished everything else, it was too close to dinner to mess around with new software. I have no faith in the Benro people. Sometimes their software and firmware updates make thing better and other times they make things worse. I'm always apprehensive about starting the tracker up after I've installed new software.

Dawn didn't go to training class tonight. It was too cold and damp for her to be outside that long. The days are getting longer though. Maybe next week will be better.

Bones is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day