Day 4994

We almost got some rain this afternoon. Lots of people around us saw a little rain today, but sadly we didn't see one drop. It's still bone dry. I kept watching the weather radar and the closest the rain got to us was about five miles away. Oh, well. Sometimes you get lucky and sometimes you don't. I don't  think we'll see another chance of rain for a while. This rain coincided with the arrival of the cold front that is supposed to bring temperatures down to the mid 90's tomorrow.

The rest of the day was fairly predictable. We got up a little later this morning, took our early walk with Dawn, had a big weekend breakfast again, and then I went mall walking. The mall was kind of strange this morning. There were lots more people than usual. Many of them were slightly overweight young men walking around staring at their phones. They all looked like they had spent the past ten years sitting at home playing video games. I had no idea what was going on until I started seeing t-shirts saying Pokémon GO Fest 2023. These guys, along with a few girls, were all looking for Pokémon at the mall. I still don't understand why.

The store windows are all filled with Fall clothes now. These styles would make a lot of sense in New England, but it never gets cold enough in the Fall to wear this stuff here. Yes, it occasionally snows here and we do get freezing temperatures but it is very rare. Heat waves like we are experiencing now are more common. Although we continue to set record high temperatures, I remember one summer where it got so hot that our lake almost dried up.

When I returned home Dawn was already waiting for her Sunday outing. She even gave me one of those Dalmatian smiles when I entered the house. It was too hot for a real walk, but we took Dawn to the Sunday park anyway and let her smell things for a few minutes. She's no fool. After she found the right smell to pee over, she headed straight back to the air conditioned car. The ice cream cones were nice and cold today, but they didn't give us very much. The server just plopped a scoop of ice cream on top of an empty cone. For the prices they charge, they could definitely do better.

My 5000 Day blogging goal is less than a week away. If you count up the number of days on the calendar since I started posting, I actually reached this goal yesterday. Somewhere many years ago I must have made a typo in the blog header that threw the count off. I've never been able to find the error even though I've tried several times. Looking through 5000 blog posts trying to find a typo will drive you insane. Let's just stick with calling this Day 4994. It certainly wouldn't be the first time I've made a mistake.

Tomorrow's sunrise walk should feel a lot cooler. I think temperatures will only be in the 70's tomorrow morning. Of course it will get a lot hotter later during the day. It will probably just feel like a normal August day instead of the end of the world.  Eventually the heat dome will dissipate and normal weather will resume. I can't wait until we start to see some real Fall weather even if it means raking leaves again. I don't think our Fall will be cold enough to wear those wool clothes I saw in the store windows today, but it will be a lot nicer than it is now.

Dot is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4993

Another busy day. It never cools down anymore. Our air conditioner runs throughout the night and our early morning walk feels more like a midday walk. At least it's still cool enough before sunrise to give Dawn a walk. It's far too hot later in the day.

We had a big weekend breakfast and then I left to do my grocery shopping and other errands. I had to get a prescription transferred to a different pharmacy this morning because my regular pharmacy couldn't obtain the pills anymore. The new pharmacy said the pills were on backorder as well, but luckily they still had some in stock. Hopefully this problem will be resolved before my 90 day supply runs out.

I filled my car with gas and noticed that gas prices are going up again. I guess the gas companies don't want to be left behind. All prices keep going up. It's a regular guessing game to see what the prices of my regular items are going to be this week. At least I could find everything today. Some common items seem to be in short supply as well.

After I put the groceries away, I let Dawn out to pee, checked my messages, and went to the gym. My gym is always pretty empty on weekends. This seems counterintuitive to me, but I'm always happy to have the place to myself. I did my three mile walk around the indoor track and was disappointed in my time again. I wasn't great on the basketball court either. I didn't even bother with lifting weights today. I was ready to come home and take a nap.

I'm still disappointed that I'm not down in Florida this weekend. Other people's photographs of the Crew 7 launch early this morning looked great and there was a Starlink launch just about an hour ago. There will be a third Space Force launch on Tuesday. It's rare to have this many launches so close together and I could have been approved for all of them. Oh, well. I need to think of the money I'm saving. At least that's a positive.

I went out and got a pizza for dinner tonight. Our favorite pizza place has raised their prices as well. You wonder where this is going to end. Everyone can't keep raising their prices indefinitely. If I was working I would probably raise my own prices as well. Retirees can't do this though. We're kind of at the mercy of everyone else.

I keep checking my weather app to see if there is a chance of rain. Nope. We're looking at clear skies for the rest of the month. They say a cold front will be arriving on Monday, but temperatures will still be in the 90's. It's going to be a while before I can resume my long walks in the park. Tomorrow I'll go back to the mall. Mall walking is pleasant and it's always nice and cool inside. I don't think Dawn is going to get a Sunday outing walk. We'll still go for ice cream though. An ice cream cone on a hot day always makes things a little better.

Cammy is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4987

The heat is relentless. It's even hot on our sunrise walks now. I just wonder how long this can continue. I keep looking at the weather app on my phone and all it shows are sunny days and triple digit temperatures. Everything is so dry that now were are getting fire hazard warnings in addition to the daily heat advisory warnings. Today there was an ozone warning as well. I guess things could be worse. There have been no tornado warnings in a long time and we certainly don't have to worry about flooding.

I followed my regular Sunday schedule today. We had a big breakfast and then I went mall walking. I've noticed that there are a lot more walkers lately. The mall is nice and cool and I think a lot of people have started coming before the stores open just to get out of the heat. I'm almost certain that they keep the mall cooler than most people's homes. We do pretty well maintaining temperatures inside our house at night and during the morning hours. By mid afternoon our system is struggling though. If you set the thermostat at 76 degrees the temperature is going to be 80 by dinnertime.

There was nothing new at the mall today. The auto show is still going on, but I have little interest in looking at cars. The car I'm driving now might end up being the last car I have. I don't drive much anymore and my current car is becoming a really low mileage vehicle for it's vintage. We'll see what happens though. I've learned that you can never take mechanical things for granted.

It kind of bothers me that I'm walking slower now. It took me longer than usual to do my five laps at the mall today. I'm slower at the gym as well. I think this heat has just drained all the energy out of me. Hopefully this will change when things get cooler. Right now very little captures my interest and all I want to do is sleep.

I started on the web project that I volunteered to help my neighbor with this afternoon. The files they sent me didn't match at all with what they said they wanted. This might be a little harder than I thought. Situations like this used to be a daily occurrence back when I made my living as a web designer. It all seems a bit strange now though. I'm glad I've officially retired.

Dawn still gets her Sunday outing, but it's way to hot for a second walk. We let her outside at the park for a few minutes so she could pee and then we headed straight for the ice cream store. They must have been having problems today, because the line at the drive through window moved a lot slower than usual. Our cones weren't as cold as they should have been either. Dawn didn't mind though. She loves ice cream.

On the way home we stopped at the vet so Dawn could get her Bordetella shot. Actually, she got a nasal spray today instead of a shot because she was already coughing. We don't think she has kennel cough, but she was due for a Bordetella shot in a few weeks anyway. There was a sign on the door of the vet today warning that there has been an outbreak of canine flu in the area. The symptoms of canine flu are very similar to what we are seeing with Dawn as well. The vet doesn't think Dawn has either kennel cough or canine flu. So what actually is going on here? We still don't know.

I don't expect very much to change tomorrow. I wish I could just hibernate like a bear until cooler weather arrived. This has definitely been a very strange summer.

Blackjack is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4980

Nothing out of the ordinary today. We got up a little later this morning. Getting up early to avoid the heat doesn't accomplish much any more. It always seems a little warmer every time I step outside of the house in the morning, but our sunrise walks are still tolerable. Dawn still enjoys these early walks, but has little interest in going outdoors later in the day. She's a smart dog. Nobody enjoys being outdoors when the temperature is 105.

We had a big weekend breakfast and then I went mall walking. I probably should have skipped walking entirely today. My foot pain has returned with a vengeance. I don't know what I did yesterday, but I could barely walk today. This happens from time to time and I don't think there's a good solution. I've seen the x-rays of my feet. Most of the cartilage is gone and if I walk the wrong way the bone on bone contact can cause inflammation. It's hard for me to give up walking though. In the absence of anything else, the walks provide a structure to my day.

Even though I went earlier than usual, the mall was full of walkers today. I think the heat has driven everyone indoors. There were tons of young families with small children this morning. This seems to be a popular place to take your kids. I'm amazed at how many stores have either changed locations or are planning to change locations. I wonder why? I doubt that a move to the other side of the mall will lower the rent. If the stores aren't moving, they are remodeling. This place is full of activity.

I had my slowest time ever today. I probably looked like a cripple limping around the mall. I did finish my five laps though. Oh, well. At least it's nice and cool inside and the terrain is completely flat. Fall clothing is already on display in the store windows. Why do they continue to sell heavy Fall clothing in Dallas. It's not going to be cold. We don't really have four seasons here. Winter is short, but it can get cold ocassionally. Spring and Fall are just an illusion. These transition seasons only seem to last a few weeks.

Dawn got her Sunday outing today, but she didn't get much of a walk. We let her out in the Sunday park for about five minutes so she could pee and smell a few things. Then we headed straight to the ice cream store. We were the only customers at the drive-up window. It's so hot that people aren't even venturing out for ice cream anymore.

 I didn't do much this afternoon, but that's not surprising. I never seem to do much in the afternoon. I watched a show on PBS about great excursion railroads. There was a time when I would have wanted to ride on all of these trains. My interest in trains seems to have wained. I've been selling my model train collection and I haven't ridden on a train in decades. I have ridden passenger trains cross-country though. I've taken the Empire Builder from Seattle to Chicago and I've ridden the Super Chief as well. That was a long time ago though. The memories are getting fuzzy.

Tomorrow I begin a new week that will look a lot like the previous week. There's a dental appointment on my calendar, but I doubt that anything's wrong with my teeth. My left foot is the only thing that is bothering me at the moment.

Emma is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4973

No surprises today. Since it was the weekend, we got up later than usual and then took Dawn on her morning walk. The heat has really reduced the number of people in the park. It's pretty empty even early in the mornings now. There aren't as many joggers and cyclists, but people are still walking their dogs.

After another big breakfast I checked my messages and went mall walking. The mall was having their annual auto show this week and the concourse was filled with new cars. Oddly there were almost no domestic cars on display. Other than an occasional Cadillac, all the cars were imports. I like cars so I had to look in the windows as I walked by. It didn't take long to notice that almost nobody uses in-dash GPS displays anymore. It seems like everyone just bolts an iPad to the dash. To my eye, this doesn't look very good, but what do I know. The car companies have probably done a lot of research and discovered that customers actually like having an iPad bolted to their dash.

The mall is constantly changing. The new two-story Nike store was finally open and the Longchamp store that sells expensive purses closed. Most of the stores had new window displays as well. I don't know why all this interest me, but it beats listening to people tell their physical therapists about their ailments while I'm walking around the indoor track at the gym. The mall was noticeably warmer today. I guess air conditioning units everywhere are struggling to keep ahead of this heat.

When I returned from the mall, Dawn was ready to go on her Sunday outing. She definitely remembers when it's time to do something for her. It was too hot for much of a walk, but we let her outside at the Sunday park so she could pee and then took her for ice cream. We never know whether we are going to get small cones or large ones. It seems to vary a lot depending on who's serving. It's too bad that the cones aren't as large as the picture on their logo, but they are still tasty. Dawn loves ice cream. I think she would be real disappointed if we ever dropped this ritual from our Sunday schedule.

There still isn't much that interests me this summer. I have a bad case of been there, done that. I don't even feel like going back to the observatory this year. In pervious years I would have been eager to spend some quality time out in West Texas. I'm still interested in space but it's way to expensive to hop on a plane every time there's a launch in Florida. I guess that leaves naps. I'm always up for an afternoon nap.

It's time to get my car safety inspected again. Maybe I'll do this tomorrow on my way to the gym, although I'll probably forget. One by one, all these chores eventually get taken care of. All I've really got on my calendar now are upcoming doctor's appointments. I hope I get selected to go to the OSIRIS-REx event at Johnson Space Center. It will give me something to do this Fall.

Margo is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4972

Just a normal Saturday, doing my Saturday things. We're taking our sunrise walks earlier now to avoid the heat but it doesn't really help. It's already uncomfortably warm even before the sun comes up. At least there was a breeze this morning. A breeze always helps.

We had our big weekend breakfast this morning and then I got started on my grocery shopping. I had to get gas today and it was even more expensive than it was last week. It seems weird that the price has shot up so suddenly. Gas prices were a lot lower earlier this summer.

I'm still trying to find a replacement for my favorite beer. I try something new every week. Maybe I'll get lucky with this week's selection. I did get lucky in the seafood department at Central Market. Maryland Crabcakes were on sale. Yum. Janet and I both love these. I discovered that the hydroponically grown strawberries I got last week were exactly twice as expensive as Sam's Club strawberries. Oh, well. It's back to the regular strawberries.

After I put the groceries away I went to the gym. I like the gym on weekends because it is virtually empty. It's easy to find a spot in the parking garage and there are no trainers on the floor. I still go through my regular routine on weekends, but it seems more peaceful. I was slower on the indoor track today,  but oddly I was much better on the basketball court. I completed my ten free throws in record time today.

Dawn loves to sit out in the sun even on hot days like we've been having lately. I let her out when I returned from the gym and kept an eye on her so she wouldn't get overheated. Five or ten minutes outside is plenty of time in this weather. When I start to get hot, I know she's getting hot as well and we come back inside. Our air conditioner is still working well. Knock on wood. I really hope it doesn't break down this summer.

I read an article yesterday that said that short naps were good for the brain and could actually cause it to grow. Just what I wanted to hear. I usually take a short nap in the afternoon and today was no exception. Dawn doesn't run away as frequently now when I take a nap in the bedroom. I think that's a good sign. I'm not typically an optimistic person, but I do think that she'll eventually learn to trust me.

These weeks go so quickly now. It doesn't seem like a week since I've been mall walking, but it's almost time to go again. Mall walking is a nice change of pace from going to the gym. Both places are indoors and the air conditioning works well. We'll take Dawn for ice cream cones tomorrow, but it's way too hot for a mid-day walk during our Sunday outing. I think Dawn is fine with just getting ice cream.

I wish I could hibernate like a bear until Fall arrived. I keep looking at the weather forecast and all I see is an endless string of triple digit days.

Morgan is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4966

Another insanely hot day. This is getting old. At least our sunrise walks are tolerable. It's never really cool though. Even when we leave before sunrise it already feels like the high for the day in a normal world. Oh, well. At least our air conditioner still works well.

No big weekend breakfast today. Janet had a meeting to go to, so I had my shredded wheat and fruit again. The hydroponically grown strawberries are actually quite good. I'll have to get these again. I'm going mall walking earlier now. The mall opens for walkers at 9 AM and there is no reason to sit around the house. There was nothing new this week, but the place was pleasantly cool and it's still more enjoyable to walk there than at the gym. The hotter is gets outside, the more people I see mall walking. There are very few middle aged people mall walking. It's mostly young couples pushing kids in strollers and old people like me. Some of the restaurants open early for the walkers, but the stores don't open until noon. I'm gone by then. I like going to the mall, but have no interest in doing any real shopping.

Dawn was eager to go on her Sunday outing as soon as I returned home. We let her get outside a bit at her Sunday park, but it is too hot now for much of a walk. After she pees and does a little sniffing, we return to the car and head for the ice cream store. Sometimes our cones are piled high with ice cream and other times we feel cheated.  It just depends on who is serving. Dawn loves ice cream but she is a messy eater. She always seems to spill some of her cone on the back seat.

Afternoons are always slow. I seem to have run out of energy and enthusiasm. There are so many things that I could be doing and probably should be doing, but I do my best to avoid starting something that will be difficult to finish. I'm not going to paint the house and probably won't fix the sheetrock either. I could hire someone to do these things, but I hate having strangers around the house. I used to spend time writing and recording songs but I haven't picked up a guitar in over a year. After several gallery shows I totally lost interest in making fine art prints. What does this all mean? It probably means I should go to Florida more. I still have more than a passing interest in chasing rockets.

It's getting to be where I hate to look at Facebook anymore. There is an endless parade of people trying to re-home their dogs, along with desperate pleas from other people to save dogs that will be euthanized at the pound tomorrow. I don't understand animal control. Why don't they just stop intake until they can find homes for their current dogs. They keep taking in more and just killing them. Jeez. What is wrong with people? Why get a dog if you aren't willing to treat it as a member of the family for as long as it lives. The older I get, the less tolerance I have. I guess there are still good people out there, but there seems to be a huge number of totally worthless people.

It's going to be a long summer. There is no rain in sight and a seemingly endless string of triple digit days. I'm sure I'll be back at the gym tomorrow. It gets me out of the house and it's a lot cheaper than a trip to Florida.

Penny is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4965

Another Saturday in the books. We see lots more people on our weekend sunrise walks. The park was full of runners this morning. I guess if you like to run, this would be the time to do it. Since we got up later this morning, it was already a bit warmer outside. We still had an enjoyable walk though because there was a nice breeze.

I'm glad we slept in later because I didn't get much sleep last night. Dawn woke me up several times itching and scratching. We don't know what is bothering her, but she's been itching and licking her belly a lot lately. I think she's itchy from sitting out in the grass, but it could be anything. Since she mostly does this at night, maybe she's allergic to the comforter or blankets on the bed.

After our big weekend breakfast I did my weekly grocery shopping. I had to get gas today and was surprised at how much prices at the pump had gone up in just a week. I don't think there are any gas shortages, but I haven't been keeping up with the news. It's weird how volatile prices are these days. At least eggs are a bit more reasonable now.

Strawberries have been in short supply for several weeks. This week I saw something new called hydroponically grown strawberries. They looked a lot fresher than the regular berries. I thought they might be expensive since there was no price listed on the display, but they turned out to be about the same price as strawberries grown in the ground. We'll see what they taste like when I resume eating shredded wheat and fruit on Monday.

It's kid of irritating that stores have quit selling my favorite beer. Maybe the company doesn't brew it anymore. Probably it just wasn't a big seller. If I like something there's always a good chance that nobody else does. At any rate, I finished my shopping fairly quickly this week. It probably helps that I'm starting earlier now.

After I put the groceries away I went back to the gym. I like going to the gym on weekends because it is virtually empty. It's easy to find a spot in the parking garage and there were only five people on the floor when I arrived. The gym is quite large and five people working out are almost invisible. I felt like I had the place to myself. Even though all the machines were available, I just did my same old routine. I briskly walked three miles on the indoor track and then spent ten or fifteen minutes on the basketball court. All I do is shoot free throws. If I ever get really good at this, I may try something else.

When I returned home I took a shower and did a load of laundry. I got some author copies of SpaceFlight in the mail with my article about the AX-2 launch. All in all it was a pretty good day. Tomorrow I'll go mall walking, but it will probably be too hot for Dawn's Sunday outing. We'll take her to get ice cream cones though. She'd be real disappointed if we forgot the ice cream cones.

Tink is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4959

Not a bad day, even though everything about it was very predictable. We started out with a nice early walk with Dawn. Why can't the weather stay this way all day? The temperature was in the high 70's and there was a nice breeze. It's amazing how quickly things warm up though. The temperature didn't reach 100 degrees today, but it was still a very hot day.

After another big weekend breakfast, I checked my messages and went to the mall. I go mall walking earlier now because the place is quieter and more peaceful. It's surprising how many people go mall walking. It often feels like a normal business day except that the stores aren't open. I've done this so many times that I'm familiar with all the window displays now. Some change weekly and others never change at all. There were quite a few changes today. Maybe stores are already transitioning from Summer to Fall merchandise. It's a mystery how many of the little stores can remain in business. Even when I go to the mall during the week, these stores never seem to have any customers.

It always takes me about an hour to complete my walk. On the way home I usually listen to Stephen Dubner's Freakonomics Radio. Most of what I know about economics comes from listening to this show. Even though I returned home earlier than usual, Dawn was ready to go on her Sunday outing. She knows our routine really well by now, especially when it involves her. It was too hot to take a long walk, but we took a shorter walk in the Sunday park to let her get outside for a bit.

We always end our Sunday outing with a trip to the ice cream store. Technically this stuff is called Frozen Custard, but it tastes like ice cream to me. How much ice cream we get depends on who is serving the cones. Today we got a lot. Dawn loves ice cream, but she is a messy eater. She'd probably love anything that she got to eat in the car.

As usual I didn't do much this afternoon. More bugs seem to be getting into the house this summer. It must be the heat. I had to chase down a wasp and a cricket this afternoon. There are still a ton of things that need attention around the house, but most are projects I've been trying to avoid for years. I hate to paint and sheet rock repairs are so messy. I may end up doing these things myself anyway, just because I hate having strangers around the house. Doing my own repairs will save a lot of money as well.

It's strange that I still haven't heard anything about the EchoStar Jupiter 3 launch. This thing is supposed to take place on Wednesday and credentialing notices still haven't gone out yet. I guess it doesn't matter anyway. I've decided not to go to this one. I really want to see the first Vulcan Centaur launch, but that has been postponed until the end of the year. Oh, well. Winter in Titusville is much more pleasant than Summer anyway.

I have no big plans for tomorrow. No little plans either. So far it looks like it's going to be a long, hot and very uneventful summer.

Jewel is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4952

Life is back to normal. Dawn was so happy to take a walk again this moring. She could have taken a walk with me every day last week, but she's a strange dog. Unless we're both around, she just retreats to the bedroom. It was surprisingly cool this morning. The temperature was still in the 70's when we woke up. If it wasn't for the sporadic rain showers it would have been a good day for a long walk in the park.

After our walk with Dawn we had a big weekend breakfast and then I got ready to go mall walking. Dawn didn't hide in the bedroom today She joined us for breakfast and even got her own egg. It was nice to be back on schedule again. The long list of daily tasks was gone. All I have to remember now is to feed Dawn her dinner and bedtime snack.

I go to the mall earlier now. This leaves more time later in the day for whatever needs to be done. There were very few changes this week. No new stores opened and almost all of the window displays were he same. I'm still surprised at how popular mall walking seems to be. There are almost as many people circling the perimeter before the stores open as there are later in the day. I really prefer mall walking to walking around the indoor track at the gym. You can only really do this one day a week though when the mall opens for business at noon. On most days the stores open too early to make mall walking feasible.

Dawn got her Sunday outing today. There was a light mist when we left the house, but Dawn still got a chance to walk around her Sunday park a bit before we went for ice cream. There was a big line at the ice cream store drive thru this morning. I guess this is what you do on a rainy day. The cones have gotten more expensive, but I still can't think of a better alternative. This definitely beats getting a soft serve cone at Dairy Queen.

The big pile of stuff in the living room is gone. Janet is a wizard at getting rid of things. Some stuff got thrown away. Other things got bagged up to take to a charity resale shop. The few things that remained all found a new place to reside. It's weird. I would have had a much harder time getting rid of this stuff, but I don't miss any of the things that got thrown away.

Since it was much cooler than I expected today, it seemed like a good time to mow the grass. I almost never mow during the afternoon in the summer, but I knew the temperature was going to be much warmer next week. Luckily the mower still had a charge and I was able to finish the front yard before dinner. The back yard is easier. Maybe I'll do that right after breakfast tomorrow.

I don't have any plans for Monday. I need to take a few things to the storage warehouse and fill the car with gas. I'm sure I'll go to the gym. The temperature is supposed to reach 105 tomorrow.

Laura is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4938

It was a little cooler today and it made a big difference. Temperatures in the mid eighties are a lot easier to handle than temperatures in the high nineties. Our early morning walk with Dawn was actually quite pleasant. Dawn certainly enjoyed her walk. If only the temperature would stay like this for the rest of the day.

We had another big weekend breakfast this morning and then I got ready to go to the mall. I try to leave earlier now so we can take Dawn on her Sunday outing earlier as well. Everything is based on the temperature these days. I was surprised to get caught in the rain while I was driving to the mall. I usually keep track of the weather and this rain was unexpected. The rain didn't last long unfortunately. We could have used a little more.

The mall was very quiet and almost empty when I arrived this morning. I like it this way. Most of the window displays have finally changed to summer apparel and I noticed that one new store had opened. I have been doing this long enough now that I have a mental map of all the stores and what is in their windows. The mall is arranged around a large outdoor courtyard, so you end up walking in a giant circle. It's a square actually, but you get the idea. Each circuit is a little over a half mile. I walk around the place five times, so I end up walking about two and a half miles. When you add Dawn's Sunday outing, I end up walking about the same distance as other days.

It's more interesting looking in store windows than walking around the indoor track at the gym. At certain times of year walking in the park is the most interesting of all, but not this summer. It is just a hot wasteland out there now. I try to keep a decent pace when I'm mall walking, but I'm always a bit slower than I am at the gym. Looking in windows, even if you keep moving, apparently slows you down. I still wonder who buys this stuff. There is nothing essential in any of these stores.

It was still cool enough to take Dawn on her Sunday outing when I got home. We walked a little slower and Dawn did fine. She enjoyed having new things to small. I still seem to walk slower than everyone else. Janet and Dawn arrived back at the car quite a while before I did. Hmm. I think I'm in reasonably good shape, although I might be kidding myself. 

As always, we went for ice cream cones on the way home. The cones have been softer for the past several weeks, but they still taste good. Maybe something is wrong with their machine. These cones are certainly no bargain, but it's a nice little tradition. Dawn loves ice cream too. It's nice to see her happy.

I doubt that we'll do anything special over the holidays. I'm just glad I survived Fourth of July as a kid with all my limbs intact. You could still buy cherry bombs and M-80's back then and my friends and I would spend the day blowing up things. Seems strange now that our parents never supervised us. Once we found an old iron pipe and made a cannon out of it, sending tin cans filled with sand hundreds of feet in the air.

If it stays cooler tomorrow I might mow the grass in the morning. It certainly needs it. The rest of the day will be pretty predictable. I'll go to the gym and write another uneventful blog post.

Bud is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4924 - Father's Day

The weather is always nice when we take Dawn on her sunrise walk. Unfortunately, it doesn't stay that way long. By the time I finished breakfast it was already back to what you'd expect for mid-June in Texas. Luckily there was a breeze today and it was still cool enough to take Dawn on her Sunday outing.

I went mall walking after breakfast. I'm glad I discovered that the mall is open earlier for walkers than I originally thought. If I go before 10 AM it is even quieter than usual. I don't tend to get out much and mall walking is my time to reflect on the state of the world. I wonder why people buy so many things they don't really need? I'm guilty of this myself, but it does seem strange that almost none of the stores are filled with necessities. They don't even seem to be filled with things that are all that desirable and yet people continue to buy.

You'd think that people who went mall walking would be healthy, but that doesn't seem to be the case. A lot of the walkers are really overweight. Maybe they are making an effort to get healthier, or maybe they are just looking for something else to buy. There often seem to be staff meetings going on in the stores before they open. I wonder what they talk about? I think I'd hate to work in retail. I'm not even friendly with my friends. I don't think I could be upbeat and friendly with strangers all day. I certainly would have a hard time selling them things they didn't need.

I often wonder how this mall can be so successful when the stores never seem full. Occasionally I have a reason to go there when the stores are open, and most of the stores are empty. I probably have a distorted view of how the world works however. For years I've made a conscious effort to do things at times when other people aren't doing things. I've never liked crowds. Maybe there are times when this mall is packed with people and I'm just home taking a nap.

It's much nicer walking in air conditioned comfort instead of walking outside in the heat. On a rare nice day I'd probably prefer walking outside, but those days are few and far between in the summer. It's probably just the humidity that's been making the weather feel so oppressive lately. Other than the unusually high humidity, this is just a normal June. The weather is going to get a lot worse in August.

Luckily it was still cool enough to give Dawn her Sunday outing. She really likes these little excursions. The Sunday park has a whole new set of things to smell. It's too bad that Dawn has such a fear of riding in the car. If she rode better in the car there are all sorts of places we could take her. 

Dawn's favorite part of the walk is the ice cream that comes afterwards. Ice cream does a good job of calming her down. I like the ice cream too, but it is certainly no bargain. They just plop a scoop of ice cream on top of the cone and don't even bother to try and fill it. To add insult to injury, they've raised their prices as well. We still go there every week though. Getting ice cream cones has become part of our weekend ritual.

Father's Day is kind of a non event for me. I'm not a father myself and my Dad passed away a long time ago. I do remember Mom telling Dad that I was a Father's Day gift, since my birthday is so close to Father's Day. Personally, I think Dad would have preferred a new fishing rod.

Rugby is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4917

We started the day with clear blue skies and ended the day with a thunderstorm. I guess I shouldn't be surprised. It's almost always like this in early June. We made the most of the nice part of the day though. Dawn got her sunrise walk and a nice Sunday outing.

I went mall walking like I always do on Sunday. I go earlier now because I discovered that the mall is actually open at 9 AM. I wish walking outdoors was this pleasant. The mall is very quiet early in the morning and the temperature is perfect.

There's always something new to look at in the store windows and even though I'm not that interested in clothing, the ever changing windows keep me occupied. A new store seems to open every week. Sometimes I wonder how it makes sense to locate in this mall. There are tons of small high end stores and I never see any customers in them when the mall is open. When I went to pick up my glasses last week, almost all of these smaller stores were empty.

Dawn was ready to go on her outing as soon as I returned from the mall. I thought it might be too hot outside for her today, but she had a lot more energy than I did. By the time we finished our one mile circuit, Janet and Dawn were way ahead of me. As usual, we stopped for ice cream on the way home. There is always a help wanted sign outside the ice cream store. You'd think this would be a good summer job for high school kids. Maybe kids don't have summer jobs anymore. I certainly don't see any kids mowing lawns in the neighborhood these days.

There's a new update for the star tracker, but I haven't even bothered to install it yet. I'm probably going to lose interest in this thing before I manage to get any decent pictures with it. There are too many trees and streetlights to attempt astrophotography in our backyard and I'm definitely not going to be wandering around in the park late at night. Even though there were mountain lions in the area, I always felt safe setting up equipment at all hours of the night when I was out at the observatory. Not so much here in Dallas.

There are a ton of things that need attention around the house, but I keep trying to avoid them. The carpenter on the roofing job was pretty good, but I haven't called him yet either. I keep telling myself that there's no rush. I seem more concerned with finishing things than starting new things these days. I'm eager to finish my 5000 day goal on this blog. I don't make large Giclée prints anymore and I haven't used my little recording studio in ages. I used to always have some sort of new project on the back burner. Now all I want to do is take a nap.

Maybe I'll install the new star tracker software tomorrow. It certainly beats my next alternative, which is mowing the grass. I have an appointment to get a TSA Pre card pretty soon, but no real travel plans. At least I'm still interested in chasing rockets. That's something I guess.

Willa is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4910

No surprises today. We got up a little later than we do on weekdays, took Dawn on her morning walk, and had a big breakfast. Dawn is scared of the neighbor's cat and always wants to make sure the cat is not around before she'll leave the yard. The city has begun a program to eradicate poison hemlock from the park, so I'm always looking for the stuff now when we walk. The pictures of the poison hemlock look a lot like Queen Anne's Lace which grows everywhere in the park. Dawn likes to eat grass, so now whenever I see Queen Anne's Lace I think it might be poison hemlock. There's always something new to worry about. 

I went back to the mall to walk after breakfast. There always seems to be something new. Some stores change out their window displays every week and other stores never change. It's quiet before the stores open and it feels a bit like I'm walking through a strange sort of museum. The stuff in store windows seem like cultural artifacts to me, just like museum pieces. I have no interest in buying this stuff, but it is interesting. Oddly, there are lots of real museum pieces in the mall as well. I pass a sculpture by Henry Moore and then look at a bunch of brightly colored shirts in the Psycho Bunny store. It all kind of blends together for me.

When we took Dawn on her Sunday outing today there was an amusement company setting up rides in the park. It was hard to tell whether this was for a public event or a rich person's birthday party. It could go either way in Dallas. The place was crowded and we had trouble finding a parking place. Dawn got her walk, but we had to park near some horse stables near the edge of the park. Either I'm getting slower or everyone else is getting faster. By the end of our walk Janet and Dawn were way ahead of me.

Sometimes I feel cheated at the ice cream store. They just plop a scoop of ice cream on top on an empty cone, making no attempt to fill the cone. At least with soft serve ice cream like Dairy Queen, the cone gets filled. The ice cream is good though and Dawn loves it. Even though the cones are no bargain, getting ice cream has become part of our Sunday ritual.

I didn't do anything useful this afternoon. I've fixed the screen door several times before, but I can't bring myself to get started on this project. I could probably fix the cracks in the sheetrock myself as well. I've done that before too. There's a lot of stuff that needs to be done, but I keep postponing things. My interest in doing my own home repairs has gone to zero. I hate to accomplish nothing though, so I did a load of laundry.

Tomorrow it's back to my weekday schedule. I've got plenty of shredded wheat and strawberries, so I'm good for the week. I'll probably call and see if my glasses with the progressive lenses are ready. It's already time to mow the front yard again, but maybe that can wait a day or two. I'm sure I'll find something to do.

Daisy is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4903

Not a bad day. It was supposed to rain today, but the rain never materialized. We had a pleasant early morning walk with Dawn and then returned home for a big breakfast. Our routine on Sunday seldom changes. After breakfast I make the bed and check my messages. Then I go walking at the mall.

Mall walking is a nice change of pace from walking in the park. The temperature is controlled, the terrain is flat, and the scenery is interesting in its own weird way. Every week there are stores that have closed and new ones that have opened. Window displays change, but everything still looks the same. I wonder who buys this stuff? I have never seen anyone wearing anything remotely similar to what is on display in these windows.

From a mall walkers perspective you'd think the most important things in the world were expensive purses. There are tons of purses on display in store windows. Some stores make a real effort to always feature new merchandise, while others never change their displays at all. Although most stores don't open until noon on Sunday, there are already people inside many of the stores. They are dusting things with Swiffer dusters. They are having staff meetings. And they are stocking merchandise. I don't think I'd enjoy working in retail. It seems like a boring existence.

Dawn was ready to go on her Sunday outing when I returned from the mall. As usual, she was eager to get in the car and than panicked as soon as the car started to move. It was a little warm today, but Dawn got a chance to smell new things and I added another mile to my daily step total. We concluded our Sunday outing with ice cream cones and then returned home. The ice cream store always has a help wanted sign outside. There must be a high turnover. 

I finally got started on my article about the AX-2 launch this afternoon. It seemed like a better alternative than fixing the screen door. I made good progress on the article, but still have some work to do. I'll probably finish the article tomorrow and then send it to the magazine on Tuesday. There are several interesting launches this summer, but it might be a while before I return to Kennedy Space Center. Until I can find a publication that actually pays for travel expenses, I need to watch my budget. The cost of everything continues to go up and these trips are getting expensive.

One of the UPS battery back up power sources for the computers in the office has gone bad. Do I replace this thing, or just do without it? After my last trip to the battery store, I'm reluctant to replace expensive batteries again. Batteries are the bane of my existence. They never last as long as I expect. I don't know what people who buy electric cares are thinking. None of these people have had the cars long enough to experience the frustration of battery replacement. It's still much easier for me to just go to the gas station.

I guess Memorial Day is tomorrow. This is a confusing holiday. For decades Memorial Day was always observed on May 30. Then somewhere along the line the date got changed to the last Monday in May so Federal employees could get a three day holiday. I'm glad Christmas is always on December 25. I have trouble remembering dates that change like Memorial Day and Easter.

Sam is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4902

Just another grocery day. The day started as always with Dawn's sunrise walk. It was nice and cool this morning. I wish the temperature would stay in the low 70's for the rest of the summer, but of course that's not going to happen. I'd better enjoy this weather while it lasts, because in a month from now it's going to feel a lot different.

When we returned to the house we had a big weekend breakfast. I couldn't eat like this all the time, but it's nice to have a change of pace from my shredded wheat and fruit. Shredded wheat was on my grocery list today, but I still couldn't find any at HEB. Hopefully they'll have my favorite brand back in stock before I run out. I found everything else easy enough and was back at the house by 11 AM. I've discovered that the stores aren't nearly as crowded if I go shopping an hour earlier. Probably a lot of things would be easier if I did everything an hour earlier.

By the time I was ready for my long walk it had warmed up quite a bit. It wasn't uncomfortable though because it was still overcast outside. It always feels cooler when there is no direct sunlight. There were no ducks to count today. The Muscovy Ducks have been gone for several weeks, but the geese were gone today as well. I have no idea where the geese went. I'm not even sure that these domestic geese can fly. I thought that breaking in a new pair of Hoka shoes would ease my foot pain, but the new shoes haven't made much difference. Some days are good and other days are terrible. There's no point in going to a doctor about this. I've seen the orthopedic specialist several times and it's pretty obvious that I have arthritis.

I was going to work on my AX-2 article this afternoon, but never got around to it. I've managed to convince myself that there is no point in finishing the article until the eight day mission is complete and the Dragon capsule splashes down in the Gulf of Mexico on June 1st. Hey, I've still got plenty of time.

I resisted the urge to do another load of laundry this afternoon. I think my obsession with doing laundry is why our water bill has gone up. I hate to think what the water bill is going to be like in July when we are watering the lawn again. Actually, all the utility bills have gone up this year, but what else is new. It's just another sign of the times.

It's supposed to rain tomorrow, but I think we'll still be able to take Dawn on her Sunday outing. The rain isn't supposed to start until later in the afternoon. There has been no appreciable rain since the new roof was completed. I'm curious to see how well it drains. I'd be real disappointed if there is still standing water up there after all this trouble. I'll go to the mall again in the morning. Mall walking is another thing that would benefit from starting an hour earlier. I went earlier last week and the place was almost empty. 

I really need to make an effort to work on my article tomorrow. I need to put a new screen on the screen door at the back of the house as well. I've got a roll of screen wire. I just don't have the energy to do this anymore. Usually after my walks all I want to do is take a nap.

Libby is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4889 - Mother's Day

Today was mostly a dreary, very wet day. We got lucky and were able to walk Dawn this morning before the rain started. We were even able to give her a very short Sunday outing walk during a short break in the rain later in the day. For the most part, it rained all day though. As you know, I'm not a big fan of rainy days. So far the roof hasn't leaked, but the pumps on the roof have been running all day.

Very little can deter us from our regular schedule, so we had a big family breakfast after we took Dawn on her early walk and then I got ready to go mall walking. It was raining on my way to the mall, but that was a good thing. It washed all the dust and tree pollen off my car. I wouldn't think of mall walking as a Mother's Day event, but there were a surprising number of moms with kids at the mall this morning. There were also quite a few dads taking their kids to the mall alone, presumably to give mom the day off. Maybe I'm imagining things, but the families walking with their kids together all seemed happier than the dads minding the kids by themselves.

Nothing changed at the mall this week. No new stores opened and no existing stores closed. One or two window displays changed, but most of them were exactly the same as well. It seems curious to me that some stores change their window displays every single week, while others haven't changed since I started mall walking. There is nothing new in fashion anymore. Everything in the windows is something I've seen two, ten, or even twenty years ago. I could pick almost any moth eaten old item of clothing out of my closet and I'd be right in style. Maybe I'm being too harsh though. One thing has changed. Shoes. There are a lot of really ugly looking shoes in store windows these days.

When I was driving home there was a show on NPR radio about an explosion of fake scientific papers in the academic world. Up to 20% of scientific papers published these days appear to be fake. Apparently there is great pressure to publish in the academic world and jobs and promotions depend on your publishing history. The people who have nothing to say purchase fake papers. It makes you wonder how much bogus information is floating around out there.

We were planning to skip the Sunday outing walk today and just go for ice cream cones, but Dawn seemed eager to walk. We waited for a break in the rain and took her to a section of the park where there were sidewalks so we wouldn't get muddy. We got lucky with the weather because it didn't start raining again until we were finished walking and back in the car. Dawn seemed happy with her short walk and was even happier when we arrived at the ice cream store. Ice cream cones on Sunday is a nice little ritual that we all seem to like.

I was going to call the roofing company tomorrow morning to postpone next week's roof installation, but the last time I looked at the weather forecast everything has changed and it now looks like the weather will be good next week. I'll check again tomorrow morning and see how things look. I'm beginning to think that the weather forecasts I get on my phone are basically worthless. There are pretty good for telling you what is going to happen five minutes from now, but almost useless for telling you what will happen five days from now. Every time I look at one of these weather apps, the forecast seems to change.

It appears like Axiom is going to wait until the last minute to provide credentialing information for next Sunday's AX-2 launch. I still don't know if I'm going to go. This is frustrating, but almost expected by now. Nobody seems to care that I might have trouble making travel arrangements. I guess I'll just wait and see what happens. Maybe I'll go to next Sunday's launch. Maybe we'll get a new roof next week. At this point your guess is as good as mine.

Lady is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day