Day 4732

We've been having a lot of nasty weather lately. I guess it's like this every year. I feel like I'm spending most of my time looking at the weather radar and trying to find time to squeeze in walks between rain showers. I was successful today, but you never know. I could get drenched tomorrow.

I ordered Christmas gifts on Amazon this morning. The web site said that they will be delivered on time, so I guess I'm done for another year. I used to send out Christmas cards, but I haven't done that for a long time. We used to get a ton of Christmas cards, but now we just get a few. Most of them are business cards from insurance agents and doctor's offices. I don't even know if sending Christmas cards is a tradition anymore. 

I hope the roof doesn't leak tonight. It rained enough today that it probably will. I usually go to bed thinking that everything's fine and then wake up in the middle of the night when I hear the ominous drip, drip, drip of another leak. I never know where to put the buckets ahead of time. The leaks usually originate near ceiling light fixtures or small cracks in the sheetrock, but you never know. Water is creative and can always seems to find someplace new to get into the house.

I've just about finished changing all my online passwords. I don't know if this is a futile gesture, but you've got to make an effort. So many people I know have gotten hacked recently that it would be foolish to think I'm immune. I really wonder if staying online is even worth the effort. Online shopping is really convenient, but I got along just fine without it for decades. I have a feeling that once I reach my 5000 day blogging goal, I'll be on the Internet a lot less. Now that I'm retired and the Internet is no longer an integral part of my business, it just doesn't give me much joy.

I did get to see Mars for a few minutes last night as it emerged from the other side of the moon. I missed the actual exit point of the occultation by a few minutes because I couldn't find any accurate times for the occultation in Dallas and I didn't feel like staying outside all night. The beginning and end times were different for every city. I did manage to see Mars very close to the Moon when there was a brief break in the clouds, so my efforts were at least semi-successful.

It's hard for me to resist the urge to buy things I don't need at this time of year. Almost every day I receive notices about big sales on astronomy and photographic gear. It's tempting, but I don't really need anything. How many cameras do you really need? When I feel like buying something I should go to the storage warehouse instead and take a look at where the stuff will wind up in a few years.

I find it interesting that Goblin Mode is this year's Oxford English Dictionary word of the year. I had to look up what the term means because I had never heard of it before. Maybe this term never resonated with me because I am never in goblin mode myself. My life is very regimented. I don't binge watch television. I don't eat snacks in bed. I actually make the bed every morning and always pick up my clothes. It just seems strange to me to celebrate self-indulgent, slovenly behavior. I find a structured life comforting, so I guess I'll continue methodically writing a blog post every evening and trying to walk six miles every day. 

Willow is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3707

Everyone got some attention today. I went and visited the Dalmatians at the kennel while Janet stayed home and gave Dawn another walk in the park. Since I've been traveling, it's been a while since I've been to the kennel and I was pleased to see that everyone was still doing well. Charlie was playful and full of energy as usual. Hank's behavior makes a lot more sense now that I know he is deaf. In the beginning I just thought he didn't listen. Larry and Lord have become best friends and enjoy playing together. I had fun with these two today. All these boys could learn a few manners from Dawn. It's amazing how gentle and polite our new houseguest is. It's been a real joy having her around the house.

I was busy today. In addition to visiting the rescue dogs at the kennel, I finally started making some headway on my Solar Orbiter article. I finished the first third of the article this morning and now that I have a plan, the rest should be easier. With any luck I might be able to finish the article tomorrow, but there is no hurry. I'm still not sure where I'm going to send this piece. A lot has been written about the Solar Orbiter already and not everyone is interested in my first person narratives.

I was planning to inspect my roof repairs today but I ran out of time. I'm going to hope for the best, since it looks like rain tomorrow. It's a shame that it probably won't be clear just before sunrise tomorrow morning. There is a rare occultation of the moon and Mars that I'd love to see. Mars will disappear behind the moon around 5:45 AM and then reappear again around 7:20 AM. Unfortunately the rain is supposed to start around 6 AM. Oh, well. I'll set an alarm anyway. If clouds cover the moon, I can always go back to bed and fret about the roof leaking.

I got a late start on my walk this afternoon. Since the days are getting longer, it's rare that I walk in the dark anymore. It was still quite warm and I didn't need a jacket, but it was very humid. It feels like rain is on the way. Jeez. What happened to yesterday's beautiful weather? Every day is a new day as far as the weather goes. I could use a little more consistency. You just never know what to expect.

I hope the roof doesn't leak tomorrow. I've run out of the silicon material and the roofer is still ignoring me. When the rainy season is over, I can consider making some more serious repairs, but for now it would be pointless. When it rains every few days, the roof just doesn't get dry enough. I'd like to feel confident about the roof before I leave for my trip to the observatory, but right now I'm not very confident about anything.

Rain or shine, I'll probably continue writing tomorrow. Once I've started something, it's hard to stop. I hope I can find someone who is interested in the Solar Orbiter article. This trip to Florida was very interesting and there is definitely a story worth telling. The main problem with the Solar Orbiter story is that it will be three to five years before it starts returning useful data. The anticipation of the launch is already over, but it's going to be a long time before we know if this thing works.

Will I see the moon and Mars tomorrow morning? Will I even wake up in time? It all remains to be seen

Lexi is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day