Day 3530

I was looking for a key this afternoon and realized that I didn't know what half the keys on my key ring even went to anymore. These keys were just the tip of the iceberg. My search uncovered keys to cars I no longer owned, keys to rental property I sold years ago, and a lot of mystery keys that didn't seem to unlock anything. How did I accumulate all these keys? I hate to throw them away because they must have a purpose. I'm sure this is why my office is so cluttered. Everything in here must have a purpose. I did eventually find the key I needed. I'm glad I never threw it away. Now I have an excuse to hang on to other old things of dubious value.

Janet and I went to the Rich-Tones concert tonight. Janet knows some of the singers in this chorus and we have been going to their Fall concerts for many years. I was completely unfamiliar with a cappella barbershop harmony before we started going to these concerts, but I've grown to like the music. This group competes all over the world and have been international champions several times. A hundred people singing four part harmony can sound pretty amazing. I can't handle rock concerts anymore, but the audiences for these events are more my speed. Lots of old people and families. I enjoyed the evening.

I can't say I enjoyed the weather today. It was a little cooler, but the temperature and humidity were still well outside the comfort zone. I only took one walk today, but that was plenty. I hope this outdoor activity is doing me some good. I'd hate to think I was doing all this for nothing. At least the day are getting shorter now. These walks will be a lot more enjoyable this Fall.

I watched a couple of episodes of Have Gun Will Travel and Maverick while we were eating breakfast this morning. I like these old TV westerns. Most of these shows aren't remotely politically correct by today's standards, but the scripts are surprisingly good. I think I like old Hollywood better than new Hollywood. You can have the Coen brothers, Quentin Tarantino and Black Mirror. I'll take the simple  black and white morality of Have Gun Will Travel and The Twilight Zone.

I'll definitely go to the gym tomorrow, but maybe I don't need a 20,000 step day. I've got some other stuff to do and it just takes too long to take all these steps. If I'm ambitious I'll just walk a little longer while I'm at the gym. If I'm not feeling ambitious I might do nothing. We'll just see how the day goes.

Hero is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3439

Today seemed like a prelude to Summer. The temperature was over 90 again. I've noticed that some of the sticking doors in the house are starting to shift back to their warm weather positions. The air conditioner runs quite a bit now. It still seems a little early to be sweating on my morning walks, but the weather is weird these days. Janet just got back from Las Vegas and she said the temperatures were just in the 60's out there.

Today was quiet. I got up early and had a bagel and some fresh peaches while I watched old episodes of Have Gun Will Travel as I ate. I did my weekend grocery shopping as soon as the stores opened so I could take my morning walk before it got too hot. This didn't help much. I still got too hot. I can't tolerate the heat as well as I used to. This might be a long summer.

I saw the baby ducks again today. They were twice as big as when I saw them last time, but I only counted seven. I wonder what happened to the other three? Maybe coyotes or hawks got them. I've seen some very large hawks in the area. It probably isn't easy being a duckling when you're a tasty meal for predators. It's possible that I was looking at a completely different family of ducks, but I don't think so. They were swimming in the same place where I initially saw them and the mother looked the same.

I've started exploring options for traveling to Florida. It's a sixteen hour drive, so I'll probably fly. Do I fly nonstop to Orlando or one-stop to Melborne? What about rental cars? Are there hotels near the space center that don't tend to fill up in advance? Planning for rocket launches can be tricky since they frequently get postponed on short notice. NASA warns you to buy refundable tickets and make sure your travel plans can be changed if needed. There are seldom any bargains on these trips. Maybe it would be better to drive.

I wonder if I'll hit the 20,000 step threshold tomorrow. This seems to be my new Sunday goal. If it gets much warmer I'm going to need to think about spending more time in the gym and less time in the park. I enjoy observing plants and animals in the park. I don't really enjoy being drenched in sweat after a one hour walk. The allergies have been pretty bad this Spring as well. I always make sure to take plenty of Kleenex and a bottle of Visine with me before I leave.

There was a turtle in the yard as I was leaving the house this morning. I couldn't find it when I returned. I don't know how turtles get through the fence or how they get out. It doesn't seem to be a problem though. Most of the turtles we see are just passing through. Once we had a turtle that would drink water from a saucer in the yard and would return every morning to eat strawberries we left for it. The turtles stopped lingering when they discovered we had Dalmatians.

So far, so good with the plumbing repairs. The shower head doesn't leak and the toilet is quiet. Next on deck for repairs is the sliding glass door. It stopped sliding ages ago. We just think of it as a large window now.

Ranger is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day