Day 4280

Today was mostly walking and packing. I'm good at walking and terrible at packing. We get up a little later on Sunday, but our sunrise walk was still nice and cool even though the sun was already over the horizon. We had a nice leisurely breakfast on our return and then I took my long walk in the park. Somehow I forgot it was time for Dawn's Sunday outing today, but Dawn and Janet were quick to remind me when I got back home. I rested for about fifteen minutes and then we went walking again. I was really pleased at how well I did today. This was easily the longest I've walked since I was hospitalized.

I wasn't nearly as pleased with the progress I've made getting ready for my trip. Did I mention that I was terrible at packing? I always forget things. Sometimes I forget important things. Every time I remembered something I'm going to need, I dumped it in an empty suitcase. I'll organize things later. I made a list of addresses I'm going to need. I should have these addresses memorized by now, since they're the same places I always go, but this kind of stuff never seems to stick in my head. I'm so old school that I always print out all my reservations and contacts instead of keeping them on my phone. I put all this information in a manila folder and always keep it nearby. My phone stays charged a long time because I hardly ever use it.

Whenever I travel to Florida I always worry that I'll get there and discover that the launch has been canceled. It's miracle when things actually go according to schedule. More than once I have had to extend my stay when a launch got postponed. Usually the delays are only 24 hours though. NASA is pretty good about sending you constant updates, but Space X is a lot more succinct. I received one short message from them that actually had all the information I need and haven't heard anything since. This terse communication makes me a little nervous but what can you do. You either make the trip or you don't.

You can't have a drink on the plane anymore. That's a shame. Having a drink was always relaxing. I guess eliminating alcohol is supposed to make the passengers less unruly. I wish the airline's would go back to keeping the center seat empty. Flying was actually kind of nice when all the center seats were empty. I'll have to remember to take plenty of masks. The space center is fanatical about masks. You have to wear them indoors and out, day or night. I wish I could wear something that would protect me from mosquitos. Florida mosquitos are horrendous on night launches. No matter what kind of bug spray I use, I always come home covered in bites.

The fur on Dawn's paws has finally grown back. So far, she has not started licking again. We still don't know if getting all the stones out of her bladder caused the licking to stop, or if it was the allergy medicine the vet prescribed. We'll probably stop the allergy medicine soon and see if the licking behavior returns. I'm guessing that the stones made her uncomfortable. They certainly made me uncomfortable.

I hope my upcoming trip is worth the effort I'm making. I do want to be a space journalist, but I'm never that wild about traveling. I'm happy enough just taking naps in the afternoon with Dawn. I'm probably happier about the naps than Dawn is. She's still not wild about sharing the bed with me.

Marcie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4221

It was a typical July day. The sky was filled with white puffy clouds. The constant sound of cicadas was punctuated by the sound of yard crews with leaf blowers. The humidity wasn't opressive, but you knew you were in Texas and not Nevada. There is a laziness to mid-summer days that makes it hard to do anything substantial. I mostly just try to get through the day.

We can't figure out what is going on with Dawn's paws. She doesn't appear to be in any discomfort, but she licks them constantly now. This is new, but there is nothing new in Dawn's diet or daily routine. If allergies were causing this, you'd think we would have noticed this behavior earlier. The grass and plants in the yard and park have always been the same, so we don't think this is the problem. We haven't changed detergents or household cleaners. Dawn's meds haven't changed and the lab report from her recent exam looked excellent. She's getting used to wearing protective socks around the house and this seems to temporarily stop the licking. It's kind of a dumb solution to what may be a serious problem, but it's all we've got for now.

The weather seemed a little cooler when we took Dawn for her sunrise walk, so I thought I'd take my long walk after breakfast instead of going back to the gym. Sometimes this is the only decision I make all day. To walk or not to walk. I should try to make more ambitious plans, but I can't think of why. There is an abundance of time in retirement. You just need to make your plans modest, because there isn't always enough money.

I still can't figure out why an hour at the gym is still more tiring than a two hour walk. I walk up and down hills and my Fitbit says I'm burning a lot more calories on my walk than I do at the gym. The gym is still tiring though. I think this is because I basically find going to the gym boring. I constantly daydream on my walks, while I just count laps and the number of repetitions I'm doing at the gym. Something about being outdoors triggers memories. I seldom think about anything at all while I'm at the gym.

I used to buy things or at least window shop when I was bored. There were several independent camera stores where I liked to hang out. There were two telescope stores in town at one point. My model train collection started at three eclectic little stores that sold nothing but model trains. Even computer stores had more personality back in the day. All these stores are long gone now. What's the point of going to a Best Buy or a giant shopping mall? I always hated joining clubs, but I did like to hang out at little stores with like minded people.

The park was pretty empty today. You can tell that people are returning to work and that the pandemic is basically over in Dallas. Maybe it's just the summer heat that keeps people away, but there were a lot more people in the park last July when everything was shut down. Did all the restrictions really make any difference, or was the pandemic more like a wildfire that would have run its course whatever we did? I have mixed feeling on this. I do tend to think that humans like to think they have more influence over natural events than they actually do.

This week has gone quickly. The week's trash has been taken out to the curb again and I'm already thinking about the weekend. I'm pretty sure it will be the same as last weekend.

Lizzy is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day