Day 4821

I went to the storage warehouse today and brought home Petey's orthopedic dog bed and Dash's Help 'Em Up Harness. I could start a store with all the dog paraphernalia we've accumulated over the years. It comes in handy though. We're hoping that Dawn makes a full recovery but have no idea how long that's going to take. The x-ray results came back today and Dawn does have a bulging disc in her neck. This would explain some, but certainly not all of her symptoms. We've dealt with lots of illness and injuries before but this one is new. We still can't identify a cause. 

Dawn's problems just seemed to appear out of nowhere. What do a swollen neck and stumbling have in common? Hopefully the Help 'Em Up Harness will help keep Dawn from falling when we take her outside to do her business. She will stumble or collapse with no warning at all. A few minutes later she will seem normal again. The pain medication is helping keep Dawn calm, but we really need to figure out what is going on. We'll talk to the vet again tomorrow, but if there were any easy answers we'd probably already know them.

I missed my chance to search for leaks on the roof because it is supposed to start raining again later tonight. It wasn't a great day to attempt repairs anyway because I need the roof to be dry to apply the remaining Armor Flex. It was a grey day with a light mist in the air for most of the day. It was easy to convince myself that it wasn't worth the trouble to do anything.

I don't mind walking in a light mist so I took my long walk anyway. I didn't get as many steps today because there was no sunrise walk with Dawn, but I kept moving. The mist was so light that I didn't get very wet and it certainly kept things cooler. All in all, it was a good day for a walk. The weather has gotten so warm lately that it's hard to believe there will be another hard freeze. Stranger things have happened though. We've had some pretty heavy snowfalls in March. Let's hope that doesn't happen. I have enough problems without dealing with snow.

I backed another Kickstarter project this morning. You'd think I'd have learned my lesson after backing the Benro Polaris star tracker, but apparently not. Backing the Polaris project was several years filled with delays and frustration, but eventually I did receive the product and it has more or less lived up to expectations. Kickstarter backers usually get a much better price than what the new product will eventually retail for. There's always a risk though. The product may end up being a failure or never ship at all. At any rate, I may get a self leveling tripod someday.

I'm still not sure what I'm going to do in April. I haven't received any requests for help from the observatory, so maybe they don't need volunteers anymore. I hesitate to apply for credentials at Kennedy Space Center because we don't know what is going on with Dawn yet. If she's having trouble moving around, it's going to take both of us to help her. I'm not even sure I even want to go anywhere now. You've got to be in the mood.

Connor is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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Day 4387

I paid my property taxes today. I think that pretty much takes care of 2021 for me. I'm done. Maybe we'll stay up on Friday night and welcome the new year with a glass of champagne. Maybe not though. Lately, we've both been falling asleep before midnight. I hope there are still things to look forward to in the year ahead. I'm having trouble getting excited about anything these days. I'll try to rekindle my interest in rockets and astronomy, but that's going to require travel. Traveling in a world filled with Covid restrictions has lost a lot of its luster. 

Until then I'll just keep walking. I'm lucky to live by a beautiful lake. I don't feel like walking anywhere new. The old familiar trails seem fine to me. I've been walking around this lake for thirty years. I find it interesting to watch how things change slowly over time. Flowing water carves gullies into the earth. Old trees die and eventually start to rot. Animal habitats change. I wish the park were quieter. The place seemed a lot more silent years ago. Now it's hard to escape the sound of leaf blowers and police sirens. At least there are no outboard motors. Only sailboats are allowed on this lake.

I saw two White Pelicans today. I have no idea where the rest of them went. It's hard to hide a hundred Pelicans. All the Double Crested Cormorants are gone as well. I hear the Monk Parakeets occasionally, but I haven't seen them in weeks. I have no idea where the two Bald Eagles are hiding. They are supposed to be nesting nearby, but they remain illusive. The most reliable birds on my walk are two large Muscovy Ducks who seem to have established a permanent residence under a picnic table. I see these two every day.

I still haven't used the new star tracker that I spent most of December waiting for. It remains sitting in the box. The software that controls this thing is evidently still going through a lot of changes, so maybe it would be wise to wait. Kickstarter backers got this product first, before it goes on the market. I think we are the beta testers. I read the support group for the product regularly and people much smarter than me are still having problems getting their units to work. I'm in no hurry. Maybe I'll see if I can get Sky & Telescope interested in an article about backing a new astronomy product. It's an interesting story and it definitely isn't over yet.

I'm still making progress with Dawn. The progress is slow but I can feel a difference. She comes when I call occasionally now. I used to have to put her on a leash to take her outside to pee, but typically all I have to do now is say "Dawn, let's go outside." She's very friendly with me early in the mornings. Later in the day, not so much. Janet is going on a cruise with her family next year, so we've still got a lot of work to do. Dawn needs to trust me if I'm going to be taking care of her myself. It's still a work in progress, but things are improving. Maybe some day we will be best buddies.

It's strange to be wearing shorts and a t-shirt in late December, but I'm happy for the warmer weather. I know it won't last. A heat wave in December is much nicer than a heat wave in July. Temperatures are supposed to drop below freezing again this weekend unfortunately. At least there is no snow in the forecast. I'm never happy with the weather. When it's cold I wish it were warmer. When it's hot I wish it were cooler.

I have no plans for tomorrow. I didn't have much of a plan for today. I think you'll agree that blog posts are more interesting when I have a plan.

Dot & Petey are today's Dalmatian of the Day

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Day 4372

It was a normal Monday. We got up early, took Dawn on a sunrise walk, I ate my breakfast, and then took my own longer walk. The weather was a little warmer  today so I didn't have to change clothes as the sun got higher like I did yesterday. I has a leftover Santa Paws donut with my breakfast this morning and wondered how people can eat these things on a regular basis. There is an insane amount of sugar in a regular glazed donut.

The park has turned into a construction zone. You'd think they were building a new freeway instead of a trail by the amount of activity I'm seeing. It's going to be this way until next Summer, so walking options for Dawn are a bit limited now. I don't think Dawn minds. There is no construction near her favorite one mile loop. Janet has done an amazing job with Dawn at their Wednesday training class. She's starting to act like a well behaved dog now.

My feet gave me a lot of trouble on my long walk this morning but I managed to complete five miles. I've tried Biofreeze and Voltaren for pain, but neither makes much of a difference. Maybe it's just time for new shoes again. Despite the foot pain, it was a nice day for a walk. The weather was crisp and cool, but not freezing and windy like it was yesterday. All the ducks and geese were in their proper places too. I do like consistency.

When I returned home we went up to visit Charlie and Oliver at the kennel. Both dogs were full of energy today and we played for a long time. Oliver seems to be getting more mature. He loves to fetch things and bring them back to you. He is even learning to release the toys so we can throw them again. Charlie is a little different. When you throw a toy for Charlie, he wants to thrash and kill it. To get Charlie to release a ball or toy you just throw another. He has a short span of attention and is easily distracted. We washed Janet's car at a car wash next to the kennel on the way home. I was surprised at the price of a car wash now. It seems to have doubled since I've taken my own car through a car wash. 

I was planning to pick up my FedEx package on our way home from the kennel, but it still isn't ready yet. I think this further delay might have been my fault. When I put a one day vacation hold on the delivery, I thought it would only apply to home deliveries. Apparently the package doesn't go anywhere during a vacation hold. It's still sitting at the main FedEx receiving warehouse. 

I guess it doesn't really matter when I get this little star tracker. I'm hearing on the Kickstarter support group that most people who received early shipments haven't been able to use them yet. There is nothing wrong with the product itself, the the app on your phone that controls the tracker is still full of bugs. I have a feeling that the lower price Kickstarter backers were able to get on this innovative product is because we are really just product testers. The company is using our feedback to refine the product for retail sale. By the time I eventually get a chance to use this thing under a dark sky, I'm sure all the bugs will be gone.

Tomorrow I have an appointment to see the dermatologist. This is the last of my annual appointments, although I still need to see the dentist toward the end of the year. I have to have these annual visits to make sure that my Actinic Keratosis doesn't turn into squamous cell skin cancer. This type of Keratosis is caused by caused by ultraviolet damage to the skin. It is very common. I guess I should have worn sun screen or at least worn a hat when I was younger. I'll be glad when I can check all these doctor visits off my list. I'm getting tired of going to the doctor.

Hopefully, I will finally be able to pick up my FedEx package tomorrow. I may not be able to use it for a while, but it's been a long time since I initially backed this Kickstarter project. I'm very curious to see if it works.

Cookie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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Day 4366

I ordered some Christmas gifts on Amazon this morning and within a few seconds after placing my order everything connected with Amazon crashed. Amazon Prime deliveries, Disney+, and the Amazon.com website were all down. This must have been a big service outage because it made the national news. I spent the rest of the day wondering whether my order actually went through, but eventually the problem got solved. All is well and my Christmas shopping is done for the year.

It was really cold when we got up this morning. I had to add a few extra layers before we took our sunrise walk with Dawn. At least the furnace is still working well. I'm thinking of cleaning the flame sensor before it goes bad this year. The furnace always seems to go out on a particularly cold morning when the last thing I want to do is crouch down in the tiny utility room and attempt to fix things before I've even had breakfast. Although it was near freezing before sunrise, things warmed up surprisingly quickly. By the time I finished breakfast and was ready to take my long walk, it was already warm enough so that I could shed a few layers. On the home stretch, I was even able to take my jacket off.

I got a notice today that the Kickstarter project I backed has finally shipped. It was supposed to ship in June, but I suspected it would be late. I'm still wondering whether this advanced computerized astro tracker is going to work. Communications from the Chinese manufacturer have been vague at best. One of the recent messages said to be sure to check my junk mail and answer all phone calls until the package is delivered. Hmm. I can tell you right now that's not going to happen. Evidently I will still need to pay import duties before the package can be delivered. FedEx is delivering the package. I wish it was DHL, but I'm sure it will eventually get here.

The mosquitos in the house are driving me nuts. If I have any exposed skin showing, they will bite me. Most of the time I don't even see the mosquitos until it's too late. These are smaller than usual and very stealthy. Oh, well. At least we don't have problems with ants or roaches this year.

A lot of people I've met on my NASA trips seem to have applied to become astronauts. At least three people I know posted their rejection letters today on Facebook. These people were all really talented, so the criteria for getting selected to join the latest class of astronaut candidates must have been really stringent. Even if I were much younger I don't think I would have applied. My stomach feels a lot more comfortable when it's on the ground. I took flying lessons once a long time ago and spent a lot of time throwing up in the plane. I passed ground school easily, but flunked out of flight school. None of the instructors wanted to go near me.

The sunset was beautiful tonight. I really ought to spend more time out photographing things. At the very least I should get a better phone. There's a lot of beauty out in the park, but most of the time all I am thinking about is how much my feet hurt. I don't think my photography days are over, but it's a lot harder to get interested. If I see something interesting I'll pull my phone out of my pocket, but that's about it. If it weren't for the Santa Paws dogs I'd probably forget that I used to do this for a living.

Humphrey is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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