Day 4132

We watched Prince Phillip's funeral while we were eating breakfast this morning. It felt like the end of an era. Phillip was the last of my Dad's generation. He was one of the very last World War II vets. He certainly was among the last to place any value on dignity and tradition. It was nice to see a nation that still reveres its history and traditions rather than try to tear them down and erase them. The monarchy may be a relic of a bygone era, but so am I. God save the Queen.

Phillip certainly had good taste in cars. This is the first and probably last time I will ever see a Land Rover Defender used as a hearse. They say Phillip chose the Defender because it was practical and unassuming. Of course he had the vehicle custom made to his own specifications and it was probably much more expensive than any ordinary hearse. Royal prerogative I guess. I was amused that at one point during a solemn and silent part of the ceremony all I could hear was the noisy motor of the Defender. I miss my old Defender and I miss the bygone era it represents. What comes next is anybody's guess, but I suspect that it is going to be a dystopian horror show.

It took me several stores to find my favorite beer while I was grocery shopping this morning. I've gotten hooked on small batch craft beers, but unfortunately some of them don't stay on the shelves with any regularity. I hope they are still brewing this beer. I went for years with having any alcohol at all when I had Hepatitis-C, but now having a single beer with dinner each night has become one of my daily pleasures. 

My back is still giving me problems. Janet has had back problems for years and tells me that I have to be patient and continue doing stretching exercises. It's hell getting old. You are supposed to lift things using your knees instead of bending over and lifting with your back. Easier said than done for a person with bad knees. One of my knees is so bad that I can't put much weight on it at all. There is definitely not a spring in my step anymore. If you see an old man shuffling slowly through the park, it is probably me.

I'm not going to let a few aches and pains stop me from walking. I've noticed that the walks don't actually make anything worse, so I'm assuming that staying active is helpful. There are dozens of commercials on TV for products that eliminate the aches and pains of aging. Many of them seem to have terrible side effects. I manage my blood pressure and control my cholesterol and A1C, but that's where the pills stop. If your joints are wearing out, there is going to be some discomfort. I'd rather live with it than get a knee or hip replacement. Eating healthy food and staying active still seems like a good plan to me.

I went and got Chinese take out for dinner again tonight. Why are there so many cars on the road at 6PM? Every time I go out it seems like rush hour. I suspect that this is only going to get worse. I've never seen so many out of state plates on cars. People are moving here in droves from failing cities in other parts of the country. I hate to see all the congestion, but it's still better to live in a successful, vibrant city than in a failing, crumbling one. 

Bella is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3956

We woke up to heavy rain this morning. Where did that come from? I guess I haven't been keeping track of the weather. Along with the rain came a new cold front. It was actually pretty chilly today. We couldn't take our regular morning walk because of the weather, so I got the pumps on the roof started, ate my breakfast, and tried to make the bed around Dawn, who refused to move.

Eventually the rain stopped and we took Dawn on her walk. She loved the cold weather. She was frisky this morning and had a lot more energy than I did. The rain must enhance smells, because she wanted to stop and smell everything. When we arrived at Pelican Bay, all the Pelicans were out of the water and up on the shore. This was the first time I've seen this happen. Usually the birds perch on submerged logs in the shallow water. The Pelicans were huge up close, but Dawn had no interest in them. She mostly just wanted to check her pee-mail by sniffing every rock and tree.

The abrupt change in the weather made me feel even older than usual. Every joint in my body hurt this morning. Most of these aches and pains were very familiar. They are a big reason why I try to stay active. If I were sedentary, I think I would feel the effects of aging even more. Activity does help. By the time we returned from our walk, I was starting to feel normal again.

I don't know where the day went today. I certainly didn't do all that much. Two walks, breakfast, dinner, and a short nap seemed to use up the entire day. I was planning to practice using the stacking software again this afternoon, but never got around to it. I didn't spend much time watching the Boca Chica live feed either. Things were strangely quiet at Space X for a change. 

I didn't watch the debate last night, but clearly it didn't change anyone's opinion. When I was channel surfing during breakfast this morning, Fox and OAN said that Trump clearly won the debate, while MSNBC and CNN said the Biden clearly won the debate. No wonder I just watch the business channels these days. I'm sick of politics.

I hope my car starts tomorrow morning. I haven't used it in nearly two weeks. I always rent a car for my trips and I haven't been shopping lately. It's time to get groceries again though. Hopefully my battery is still good. I have no real desire to go to the grocery store any more, but we still need food. We are actually eating better during the pandemic than we were before. Having a good meal is definitely something you can still do at home.

I'd kind of like to buy a new telescope, but it makes no sense whatsoever. There is nothing to see in Dallas's light polluted skies and I'm still apprehensive about driving to a dark place out in the country late at night. Every time I turn on the local news there's something about another overnight shooting on city streets. Sadly, Dallas is not a safe place to be driving around at 3 AM.

I guess I'll have to be content with periodic trips to McDonald Observatory. I feel safe out there and the skies are amazing. The only amazing thing about Dallas is that it has always been a great place to find a good job. Dallas has been good for my career. Not so sure if it's a great place to retire.

Freckles is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3951

I'm back in Dallas again. As always, I miss the Davis Mountains. The stark difference between this isolated wilderness and the urban sprawl I call home doesn't really hit me until I reach the outskirts of Fort Worth. The closer I get to home, the worse the traffic gets. I thought the streets would be fairly empty, since I was arriving on Sunday evening. Wrong. It seemed like rush hour on a normal work day to me. I counted three major accidents between downtown and my house. I had just finished a 1500 mile journey without seeing a single wreck. During my stay in the Davis Mountains, I didn't hear a single police siren or firetruck either.

There were only ten people at the astrophotography workshop. Most were serious amateur astronomers or professional photographers. Almost everyone was envious of the astronomers who lived at the observatory. "You must love living out here," we'd say. "It's so peaceful that you can almost forget that the rest of the world exists." "That's true," one of the astronomers told us, "but you have to remember that there are no good grocery stores anywhere in the area, I haven't been to a good restaurant in years, and I have to travel over one hundred miles to see my doctor."

This is definitely not a lifestyle for everyone. I'd think that you would either love it or hate it. The truth is that most of the residents at the observatory love the place and hate it. It is just so different from almost anywhere you could compare it with. If your interest is astronomy, this place remains the holy grail. It's hard to overlook the fact that Mount Locke has the darkest skies of any professional observatory in America. When you look up at the sky at night, you learn to overlook the observatory's many limitations.

I really enjoyed my trip. One of the best things was that I spent four days without any knowledge of what was happening in the rest of the world. There was no TV or radio at the ranch cabin where I stayed. I didn't even listen to the radio during the long drive to and from the observatory. During the long nights on the mountain, there was plenty of time for conversation with the nine other workshop participants. Not once did anyone mention politics. There was no talk about the election or the supreme court. Nobody argued or bickered about anything. I liked these people. These were interesting, very intelligent folks who realized that there is a lot more to life than the 24-hour news cycle.

I was amazed that I made the trip back to Dallas today on a single tank of gas. I had to stop for gas on my way to the observatory, but not on the way back. Weird. The only thing I can think of is that it takes more energy to go uphill than downhill. There's quite an increase in elevation between Dallas and Fort Davis. Consequently, it's all downhill coming back. I made the entire trip without stopping. That's a long time to remain seated. When I finally got out of the car, it felt strange to stand up again. I also really had to pee. It took me a minute or so before walking felt normal again. I wonder how long haul truckers and pilots do this sort of thing. It can't be very healthy.

McDonald Observatory is having star parties again, but it's not the same. 300 people applied to attend the most recent star party, but only 40 got to come. It's that restrictive now. Visitors don't get to look through telescopes anymore. The telescope part of the evening is all virtual now. Instead of looking through telescopes, people watch telescope images projected on a big screen set up in the outdoor amphitheater. I suspect the experience is kind of like watching a YouTube video. All of us at the workshop were wondering when the observatory would return to normal again. There weren't any answers. We were the first group to get any sort of access to the mountain. It's a start, but there is still a long way to go. As I watched a thin crescent moon set over Mount Livermore last night, I wondered when I'd be back. I just don't know.

Little Petey is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2401

For the first time ever I thought that today's morning walk might be Dot's last. The day started normally enough. The dogs ate their breakfast and both of them seemed eager to go outside. Dot has been a little shaky lately, but when we reached our first turn back point, she seemed eager to continue. We made it home OK, but it was obvious that Dot was tired. As the day progressed, it was equally obvious that something was wrong with her left front leg. This was very bad. With two bad rear legs and a front leg that had suddenly become lame, she only has one good leg left.

I made sure that Dot rested for the remainder of the day, trying to ensure that she was laying on her side with the problematic front leg on top. My first thought was that she had slept badly on the leg the night before and that she had gotten a cramp. Relaxing on her side with all her legs extended didn't help though. By lunchtime she could barely walk. I had to provide support for both her front and back legs.

I'm going to cancel Dot's therapy session this week. Extended rest has helped Dot in the past and maybe it will again. If we're lucky and she does regain the use of her front leg, we won't be able to walk as far as before. Going up hills is probably out of the question now. There's not much a vet can do at this point either. There's just no cure for old age. That's the discouraging thing about geriatric care. I saw it with my Dad. I saw it with all my earlier Dalmatians. And I'm seeing it with Dot. As resilient and tenacious as she is, Dot has still been in a slow, steady decline for at least two years.

I spent most of the day trying to make sure that Dot was comfortable. She didn't seem to be in pain while she was resting, but she definitely was having difficulty standing up. It was hard to find the motivation to do anything today. I posted my July invoices and took them to the post office while Dot was sleeping. I also took Dash on a walk around the lake while Dot was asleep. It's a delicate balance to keep the peace in this house. If Dash gets restless, he starts barking, which upsets Dot and gets her barking as well. I wanted Dot to sleep today, so it was important to keep Dash happy.

I doubt that I'll leave the house tomorrow. The president is coming to town and traffic is going to be horrible. I hope the visit will be a positive one. Our city has had all the protests and strife it can handle. At least Hillary and Trump are staying away. I don't think either of these two bozos would calm the situation at all.

I'll go to sleep tonight hoping that Dot will be walking again in the morning. I know it's a long shot, but it has happened before. Whatever happens tomorrow, it's going to be a long day.

Sophia is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2398

It's a sad day in Dallas. I learned about the shootings just before I went to bed last night and watched the unfolding carnage on TV for several hours before I drifted off to sleep. The next morning I woke to find myself in a city that was coming to grips with a massacre. At breakfast and later at the grocery store I overheard people talking about the shootings. I'm sure there was anger, but the prevailing sentiment seemed to be profound sadness. What have we become? When I think about recent events, I feel like I'm witnessing the decline and fall of civilization itself.

It wasn't always this way. There was a time not all that long ago when Americans genuinely thought of our country as a great melting pot. People came here from all walks of life and were proud to adopt a commonly held sets of values and call themselves Americans. Assimilation was not only regarded as a good thing, it was the only thing.

All that has changed. Somewhere along the line, we have abandoned the concept of our country as a great melting pot and started worshiping diversity and multiculturalism instead. In my opinion, the results have been disastrous. We no longer have a common set of shared values. We have reverted to a strange kind of tribalism where people's loyalties are only to their own tribe. I've been around a while and I've never seen the country more divided. We may talk a good game about how American society is different, but when you look what is happening, are we really that different from the Israelis and the Palestinians or the Shiites and Sunnis? Basically, we all hate each other.

It was a slow, very hot day. Dot pooped in the house. I paid a few bills. And I spend way too much time trying to convince the U-Verse people to remove the non-return fee from my statement and credit the $150 back to my account. Eventually, some help desk people on the opposite side of the world told me that the situation had been resolved and that I should just pay my normal monthly bill. On the plus side of things, the sink doesn't leak anymore.

I'm hoping that the water on the roof has evaporated. I'm getting really tired of removing it every time it rains. At least we didn't have any downed trees during our recent thunderstorms. High winds blew over one of our neighbor's trees, creating a real mess and blocking a city street for two days. I always worry that one of our old Oak trees is going to come crashing down, but so far all they are doing is killing the grass. I need to think of something more exciting than vacuuming and going to the gym this weekend. We'll see how it goes. I've been so tired lately that whenever I find myself with free time, I just take a nap.

Trevor is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1859

It felt like the day before Superbowl Sunday today, but of course it wasn't. The stores were probably just crowded because it was the first weekend after a payday. Everywhere I went, I was greeted with full parking lots and long checkout lines. This congestion is becoming normal and I find it kind of sad. I still prefer the city as it was in 1977 when I initially moved here from Seattle. Truthfully, I'd probably prefer any city as it was in 1977. Technology has advanced a lot in thirty years, but manners and basic civility have actually gone backwards. I don't think many people realize how much more relaxing it was to live in a world without the Internet, smartphones, and a 24-hour news cycle.

A few days ago, I was bundling up in coats and sweaters to cope with sub-freezing temperatures. Today it was 70 degrees outside and I was considering wearing shorts. I don't know how long this unseasonal warmth will last, but people were certainly taking advantage of it today. Joggers and cyclists returned to the park in droves. There were lots of families having picnics while other people were walking their dogs. The park was almost as busy as the grocery store. It was all good though. For the first time in weeks, I didn't have to clean a lot of mud off my boots.

I did have to clean the bedding though. When I let Dot out to pee after I woke up this morning, I discovered that she'd left a little trail of poop pellets that led all the way from the back of the bed to the back door. It wasn't her fault. We've been adding pumpkin to her diet to soften her stools a bit so she doesn't have to strain as much when she squats with her weak back legs. It's difficult to get the recipe just right though. Too little pumpkin and her poop is too hard. Too much pumpkin and it just falls out of her as she's heading for the door to do her business.

I was planning on writing today, but I got sidetracked by weekend chores instead. By the time I'd finished fighting the crowds at the pharmacy, post office, grocery store and bank, I didn't feel like writing anymore. Luckily, you don't need a lot of brainpower to use the washing machine, so I got all the laundry done instead. I suppose I could catch up on writing assignments tomorrow, but I'll probably just wait until Monday. Monday is a holiday. Work holidays are always a good time to catch up on things.

I need to go to the gym tomorrow to spread the soreness equally around my body. Right now, just my right shoulder is sore from all the physical therapy. I like symmetry. Maybe I would feel better if the soreness was spread around equally. Who knows what will happen tomorrow? I don't have a plan yet. The dogs need a bath, but they'd much rather go to the dog park. The weather should be nice for a trip to the dog park, but the last two times we've been, there have been bad encounters with aggressive dogs. I need to take some stuff to the storage warehouse too, but I'd really rather have a long leisurely breakfast with lots of bacon.

Chief is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1750

Good grief. Flu season is here. The State Fair of Texas just started. And a guy with the Ebola virus was admitted to Presbyterian Hospital after wandering around town for a week. What could possibly go wrong? I guess it was inevitable that Ebola would make it's way to America, but did it have to come to Dallas first? This is a little too close to home. Presbyterian Hospital is only four or five miles from my house. The gym that I go to is actually owned by the Presbyterian healthcare network.

I listened to the press conference held this afternoon by the CDC. The only thing I could think of was that every single post-apocalyptic end-of-the-world movie I've ever seen starts with some government bureaucrat standing in front of a microphone telling people that there's "nothing to worry about." Every time I hear that this disease can't be transmitted through the air, I think of all the other things that couldn't possibly happen, like Fukushima and Chernobyl.

I'm sure for the next week of so, everyone who gets a fever in Dallas will think they've come down with Ebola. It doesn't help that officials are very close-lipped about the whole situation. They won't reveal the airline the guy flew here on. They won't reveal who his family is, or where he was seen in town before he arrived at the hospital feeling sick. Why do they let people from West Africa continue to fly here? This is an uncontrolled pandemic that has already claimed over 3,000 lives in a short amount of time. It is insane to keep pretending that "there is nothing to worry about."

I awoke this morning to the sound of a dog trying to throw up in the bed next to my head. I've heard this sound before, so I immediately picked Dot up and quickly took her outside where she proceeded to throw up on the back porch. It's probably nothing, but when a dog is recovering from cancer you always worry that the cancer may have returned. Both dogs have sensitive stomachs and are prone to eat crap in the park. It's not a good combination. I've been keeping an eye on Dot today and she seems completely normal. All dogs throw up from time to time and hopefully this was just a fluke.

I completed my troublesome website project today and wrote two new articles. I consider this a good day. It would have been an even better day if the stock market hadn't taken a tumble. It's depressing to toil away at the computer to earn a few hundred dollars when you're simultaneously losing thousands in the market.

The yard is rapidly becoming covered with dry, yellowed elm leaves that the dogs and I inevitably track inside. The elm tree loses its leaves first, and then the oaks and pecan trees quickly follow. Fall has definitely arrived.

Thelma is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1078

It's pretty clear who calls the shots in this house. I was just a little off schedule with walks and feeding times today and the dogs wouldn't let me hear the end of it. There is a time for everything, and when I'm late they both start barking and nudging me with their snouts to get me back on schedule. It's futile to resist, so I usually just go along with the program. If I'm late, you'd think the earth was coming to an end. On the other hand, if I'm early it just establishes a new benchmark and I'm expected to be early all the time

I don't know why Dot and Dash were so eager to go out today. It was cold outside. Another cold front must have swept through last night, because it was 70 degrees on Sunday. This morning, it was in the mid 30's. Too cold for me!

Every Winter I have reservations about our plan to move North when we retire. I don't like the cold. Even though I went to high school in Alaska and spent a few winters in Idaho and Washington, I never really got used to snow. After thirty years in Texas, I've totally forgotten how to deal with it. Nevertheless, Dallas is no place to grow old. When the time comes, I'll easily trade this city's problems for someplace cold and very quiet.

The only thing I'd miss about leaving Dallas are the city's great veterinarians. There isn't a better place in the entire country if you have a sick dog. The Veterinary Referral Center of North Texas is the Mayo Clinic for dogs. It's amazing what the doctors and surgeons at that place can do. They've saved the lives of several of our dogs and many of our friends dogs. It would be hard to go back to a little rural vet clinic after getting used to the idea that dogs can actually get better care than humans.

The cold weather seemed to cool everything else down as well. Business was slow today. I ended up having time to watch the Joss Whedon "Serenity" DVD after I took Dash to the vet for his antigen shot. It was a good movie, but the dogs didn't like it at all. It was what got me off schedule.

Spots is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 942

About this time every year I start to wonder what ever possessed me to move to Texas. Jeez, I used to live in Seattle. I even lived in Aspen, Colorado for a while. I still remember the first time I exited a red eye flight from Seattle to Dallas for a job interview and smelled the Texas air for the first time as I walked up the jetway. The atmosphere was moist and humid and the heat enveloped me like a cocoon. It was only 9 AM, but it was August and it was very hot. As I was waiting for my bag in the Braniff baggage claim, I had a strong feeling that this wasn't going to end well.

Oddly, I never moved again. Even though I still hate the heat, and the tornadoes, and the humidity, I've lived in Dallas longer than all the other cities I've called home put together. Dallas just happened to be where I got tired of moving.

Living here certainly isn't all bad. Dallas is a great place to earn a living. Through good times and bad, there has always been an abundance of jobs in this city. If you can't find a job in Dallas, you probably just don't want to work. Dallas was also where I discovered the joys of having a dog. I never would have considered a dog in Seattle. A dog might scratch the hardwood floors or damage a painting. Dallas was probably where I finally became a somewhat decent person and shed these silly values. Nevertheless, it's still too damn hot here.

I wish I could remember when my day to water was. Even though the lakes are full this year, the city has imposed severe restrictions on lawn watering this Summer. I don't have much of a green thumb, so I used to water my lawn whenever I saw my neighbors water theirs. Now the neighbors all have automatic sprinkler systems that are programmed to water during the middle of the night, so I never get the reminder I need. I hate to be the only one watering during the day, since I'll inevitably pick the wrong day and get hit with a big fine. My indecision about watering day is already causing my front lawn to turn yellow. This whole situation is ridiculous. I don't need another reason to hate Summer.

Do you ever find that social media is a beast that constantly needs to be fed? When I started this journey, I thought that I'd never run out of things to say. Now I'm beginning to wonder. The sheer volume of material you have to produce to keep posting something fresh and original every day is almost overwhelming. I might have to become more introspective in the days ahead. There just isn't much to report when it's so hot outside that all you want to do is take a nap.

Dolly is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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