Day 4050

These weeks go quickly. It's Dalmatian day at the kennel again. Cooper was much more relaxed this week. He has started playing with toys and we discovered that he already knows several commands. If you have a treat in your hand he will sit, lie down, stay, and come. Clyde is still pretty shy, but he will sit and extend a paw for a treat. Charlie is still a crazy nut. He loves the new toy we bought him last week. It is shaped like an octopus with tough webbing tentacles and a head made of a rope that has been knotted into a ball. The toy is virtually indestructible, but give Charlie enough time and he will figure out a way to "kill" it. He loves to take the toy and vigorously shake it back and forth. I'm surprised he hasn't knocked himself out. 

Dawn walked two miles today. We discovered that after she walks her mile in the morning, she will walk the same route all over again later in the day. She might not do this every day, but she seemed to enjoy a double walk today. The weather was so nice this afternoon that we all enjoyed a second walk.

I continued walking again after Dawn and Janet returned to the house. I probably should have gone home with them. For some reason my foot pain returned with a vengeance this afternoon. I was still wearing the special shoes the foot doctor recommended, but there was no magic today. My left foot hurt so bad after I had gone five miles that I could barely make it home. Oddly, my wrist hurt more than usual today as well. Maybe my aches and pains are weather related. The weather was really nice this afternoon, but there were severe thunderstorms and a lot of rain overnight. Truthfully, I have no idea why my joint pain varies from day to day. I understand what is going on with the loss of cartilage, but logically it seems like the discomfort would be constant.

I bought some more N-95 masks today. I have a feeling that we're going to be wearing these things for a while. It's odd that N-95 masks are still hard to find. I have to order them from a specialty medical supply company in New York. You'd think that after companies have had almost a full year to ramp up production, these things would be everywhere.

I'm still thinking about buying a new lens for my camera. I probably will. There's nothing like a new lens to get me photographing things again. I don't have a lot of natural curiosity about the world around me, but I do like to test equipment. I"m much better at preparing for things than I am at actually doing them. Hey, what's to lose? If I ever get to attend rocket launches again or spend time at observatories, I'll be ready.

Janet and I are still trying to figure out Dawn's odd reaction to me. She is very friendly when we are resting on the bed together. She is very nervous when I'm out in the kitchen. She loves to eat, but sometimes she won't even leave the bedroom when I'm fixing her meals. I've learned to never make sudden moves. If I move suddenly, she panics and runs away. She likes me to walk her though and is very good on a leash with me. This inconsistent behavior doesn't make a lot of sense. Dawn has spent her entire life in a kennel. Maybe she just thinks I'm a kennel attendant.

I hope my foot feels better tomorrow. I don't think I'm walking too much, but maybe I am. If I had to give up walking, I'm not sure what I'd do. So much is on hold until the pandemic is over that walking has become the perfect placeholder for meaningful activity. Nobody questions walking. If I sat in my room for months and did nothing, people might become alarmed. If I say I'm going on a walk, everything is fine. 

Bones is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3988

Today was an exercise in futility. I attempted to follow the instructions from the manufacturer for getting a warranty replacement for my dehumidifier. I called the list of service providers the manufacturer provided and asked about bringing the dehumidifier in so I could get the diagnostic report that was required for warranty replacement. All the repair shops I called said they didn't even work on dehumidifiers and none of them had heard of the warranty replacement program. One of the companies on the approved vendor list had already gone out of business. This was going nowhere, so I called the manufacturer again for some clarification. It appears that the replacement program is real and that my dehumidifier qualifies, but this isn't going to be easy. I think I have a Plan-B now that I'll work on after the holidays.

I also wrote the company that I bought my N-95 masks from and told them that the elastic bands on the masks I had purchased were so dry and brittle that the elastic straps were breaking when I tried to slip the elastic over my head. The only way I've been able to use these masks is to make holes on either side using a hole punch and attach new elastic. The company asked me to send pictures to back up my claim, which I did. They said they'd get back to me. These masks are genuine but I have a feeling that they've been sitting on a warehouse shelf for ten years. Rubber does not become dry and brittle overnight. Will my dehumidifier get replaced under the company's warranty replacement policy? Will the mask distributor send me a replacement for the bad batch of masks I received? Who knows. I don't have high hopes for either of these issues. It is 2020 after all and few things go according to plan. 

The weather forecast said it was going to rain today, so we got started on our morning walk earlier than usual in an effort to avoid getting wet. It never did rain, but it was damp all day. It felt like we were walking in a light mist. By the time we returned home our clothes were wet and we had to throw them in the dryer. Dawn didn't seem to mind the weather. For the most part, dog seem to like damp days. The moisture must make the smells more intense.

I'm still very tempted by the Black Friday camera deal I received a few days ago. I don't really need another camera body, but I'm spending way too much time trying to convince myself that this purchase is actually necessary. Trust me. It isn't. I still may get the camera although it would make more sense to save the money for something essential. I know my weaknesses. I tend to buy gear when I'm bored or have too much time on my hands.

Maybe I'll accomplish something tomorrow. I certainly didn't today. Jeez. I just looked at the radar and discovered that we're under a tornado warning. What else is next. I'd better post this now before the power goes out.

Maggie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3982

My American made 3M N-95 masks arrived today. These are definitely a step above what you can find at the grocery store. The masks arrived a little late for my trip to Kennedy Space Center, but I will use them when Dalmatian Rescue does Santa Paws Christmas Pictures. It's hard to believe it's that time of year again, but it is. We're only doing pictures at a single venue this year. This one is large enough where we can do everything safely. That's fine by me. One day of pet photography is enough. Every December I keep saying that I'm getting too old for this. The show must go on however. It's been a tough year for fundraising and the Dalmatians still need to eat. I hope we do well.

I'm beginning to think that I got bitten by fire ants instead of mosquitoes while I was watching the Crew-1 launch. These bites are starting to look and feel suspiciously like fire ant bites. I've been bitten by fire ants before and they make hard little welts that itch intensely. Also, fire ants are everywhere in Florida. Maybe this is why I got bitten even though I sprayed myself liberally with mosquito repellant. I forget how long it takes for these things to go away, but it can't be soon enough.

I finished my story for the magazine this afternoon and will start sorting through the pictures tomorrow. I will easily meet the new deadline and then will eagerly await publication. This will be the fifth article I've gotten published since I decided to reinvent myself as a space and astronomy journalist. The whole process has been very rewarding. It's nice to know that you can do something new at any age. I'm glad I didn't start out as a space journalist and then decide to get into advertising after I retired. That wouldn't have worked at all.

I wish I could get a mulligan on that one day I missed my Fitbit goal in Florida. It hardly seems fair. Now I have to start all over again and it's going to take a long time to beat my 422 day record. Oh, well. I was just too busy to take a long walk on launch day. This obsession I have with continuity is why I continue to write the blog even though very few people are reading anymore. After 3982 days, you can't just stop. 4000 days is easily within reach and I may live long enough to reach my 5000 day goal after all. Sometimes I get a little jealous when I see a picture of a puppy that has hundreds and hundreds of likes while I only have about ten readers, but I need to remind myself that I'm doing this for me, not you.

We had another very nice walk with Dawn this morning. I still don't understand Dawn's behavior. She's very friendly with me in the morning. She comes up to me wagging her tail and can't wait for me to put on her harness so we can walk. Early in the day I can't detect any difference in the way she reacts to me and the way she reacts to Janet. As evening approaches she typically becomes wary and will often run away if I make any type of sudden movement. She does come out to the kitchen with me when I fix her dinner now. I guess this is progress. She wouldn't leave the bedroom without Janet a month ago.

I guess peaches are gone until next season, but I did get some more strawberries for tomorrow morning's smoothie. I also looked for a smoked ham for Thanksgiving. I guess we're going to eat at home this year. There is a small batch custom smokehouse in the neighborhood that prepares amazingly delicious smoked meats. They had several large hams available, but nothing small enough for two people. They told me to come back Friday. I'll give this a try, but I'll still miss going out to the Melrose for a Thanksgiving buffet.

I'm already getting invited to future launches by Space X and ULA. Unfortunately, I can't afford to travel very far for a while. I'll have to skip a few launches in the months ahead. I'm counting on there being something interesting on the horizon when my bank account recovers.

Puppies are today's Dalmatians of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3974

I got an e-mail today saying that NASA was providing a limited number of one-on-one interview opportunities with Crew-1 mission specialists prior to the launch. I signed up to interview the Commercial Crew Program Launch Integration Manager and was subsequentially approved. Good grief. Why did I do this? I guess I'm really a reporter now. I'll have to think of some intelligent questions to ask before I leave. Do I record the interview or make notes in a little reporter's notobook? Personally, I'd rather just listen and write down what I remembered later. That would probably look very unprofessional though. A lot of reporters I saw the last time I was at the Space Center carried little notebooks with them. Maybe I'll do that. I'd better remember to take something to write with too. I forgot to take a pen with me when I went to McDonald Observatory. A pen is definitely simpler than a tape recorder. Somehow I hate to add audio equipment to the camera gear I'm already taking.

I found a raincoat I liked at REI. I took a coupon with me that I got in the mail a few days ago which said I could save 20% on any item in the store. When I tried to use the coupon the clerk said it wasn't valid until three days from now. I bought the raincoat anyway, but I kind of felt cheated. If someone sends you a coupon you ought to be able to use it as soon as you receive it without reading a bunch of fine print with a magnifying glass. Janet said that maybe I should have bought a larger size, but the coat looked good in the store mirror. It's going to be warm at the Space Center anyway. It might be wet, but with temperatures in the 80's I don't think I'll need a sweater under the raincoat.

I didn't feel like getting up this morning. I'm definitely not a morning person. I usually wait until I hear Janet call out "thirty minutes" before I get out of bed. Dawn and Janet are always up before I am, but thirty minutes gives me enough time to make the bed and get dressed before we leave on our morning walk. It was pretty warm this morning. I'm always surprised at how different each day begins. Yesterday I needed a warm coat. Today a t-shirt was fine.

I got Emma up on the Dalmatian Rescue website today. It wasn't really necessary to add her to the site since she is already adopted, but people are always interested in learning about new dogs in the program. I used to work on several animal rescue websites, along with my regular clients, but the Dalmatian site is the only one I've got left.  I think if I didn't update this site periodically, I would forget how to work with HTML documents entirely. It's kind of alarming how much I've forgotten already.

I'm not going to get my special N-95 masks in time for my trip. The company said that they would refund the fee I paid to expedite my order, but that they were running behind and wouldn't be able to ship for at least another week. Why did I not anticipate this? I thought I ordered in plenty of time, but I should have known by now that nothing goes smoothly in 2020. Oh, well. I have other masks. We bought a ton of them back when toilet paper was in short supply.

Tropical storm ETA is less of a worry now, but I'm sure I'll find other things to worry about. Lets face it, I'm just not a good traveler. Hey, what are you going to do? You can't see many stars in Dallas and they definitely don't launch rockets here.

Puppies are today's Dalmatians of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3970

When some days draw to a close, I wonder if I've done anything at all. Today was slow, even by my own lax standards. I must have done something, but nothing comes to mind. Dawn seems to have adjusted to the time change quicker than I thought she would. She's content to sleep in until we get up now and doesn't demand her dinner at 4 PM anymore. We walk in the daylight now, even though the days are still getting shorter. The weather remains pleasant and we are finally starting to see some Fall color in the park. A lot of trees just turned brown this year, but there are patches of reds and yellows. You'd never mistake this place for Vermont, but it's starting to look pretty outside.

My watch said that my heartbeat was dangerously low last night. I guess 40 beats per minute is pretty low. I think this was a mistake, but I didn't even know that the Apple Watch warned you about this type of thing. The watch has also warned me about falls where I have never fallen. Are you OK it asks me? This all seems a little overprotective to me. It makes me wonder what else the watch is keeping an eye on. I just hope that it doesn't call an ambulance for me while I'm sleeping some night.

The company I ordered the N-95 masks from told me that shipping is taking  from ten to fifteen days because of hight demand. What did I pay for expedited shipping for? Ten to fifteen days was the time listed on the web site for regular shipping. I wonder why shipping takes so long when Amazon can send you almost anything in two days or less? I have a feeling that these masks will arrive the day after I leave for Florida. That's always the way these things work.

I got a notice that some events prior to the Crew-1 launch may be canceled due to tropical storm Eta. I wonder why they even plan launches when the weather looks bad. It happens again and again though. Sometimes they'll wait right up to a few minutes before liftoff to scrub the launch when it is clear that the weather isn't improving. I guess you have to be optimistic in Florida. I don't think I've ever been there when there hasn't been at least a little rain during the day. I hope the storm has either dissipated or moved on by launch day. I'd really hate to make this trip for nothing. It's kind of late in the season for a storm like this to appear, but then it is 2020. Anything can happen in a year like this.

I think I'll get a haircut tomorrow. It doesn't seem like that long since my last haircut, but it does look like I need one. All the virus restrictions have distorted my sense of time. I've really only had one haircut since last March. Maybe it is time. I always seem to wear better clothes and look more presentable when I travel. It's a shame that appearances don't seem to matter the rest of the time. Retirement and virus restrictions can definitely change your perspective on things. I'm amazed that I even get dressed some days.

It's grocery shopping time again. I finally found Clorox wipes but now they say that disinfecting wipes and toilet paper will soon be in short supply. Do I stock up and start hoarding again? Who knows. This whole year seems like groundhog day. The same things keep happening over and over. I always thought I liked consistency, but I'm not so sure about consistent chaos. 

Spot is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3961

More rain and cold weather. I'm really glad our furnace is working well this year. I didn't even want to get up this moring. I was warm under a heavy blanket and I knew it would be all downhill as soon as I got out of bed. We had to postpone our morning walk again because of the rain. I ate breakfast. Dawn went back to bed. And Janet went to the gym.

Our second dehumidifier seems to be on its last legs. We run the thing 24/7, but it seems like a dehumidifier should last a lot longer than this. The dehumidifier still works, but the defrost cycle kicks in a lot and it doesn't extract as much water from the air as it used to. This is exactly what happened to the first dehumidifier before it gave up the ghost about a month later. I was going to get the first machine repaired but I never could find a convenient service center. It's still sitting in the storage warehouse with a lot of other broken stuff.

I finally found a medical supply company that would sell me some decent American made 3-M N-95 masks. I had to call customer support several times to get the shopping cart on the website to work. The website left a lot to be desired but eventually I got my order to go through with expedited shipping. I ordered the smallest number of masks available because these things just seemed too expensive. Someone is making a fortune selling this stuff. I remember what industrial masks used to cost at Home Depot. I wish I'd bought a bunch back then. It's definitely a different world now.

The rain always seems to stop around noon, so we've been walking Dawn right after lunch. She's pretty particular about the weather. She loves cooler temperatures, but hates getting her paws wet. She was reluctant to leave the house today, but once we reached the park she found lots of things to smell and her interest in walking picked up quite a bit. We actually made good time today, but I was winded by the time we got home. Dawn and Janet put me to shame on these walks. I really need to start going to the gym again.

Janet had a tire pressure warning on her dash, so I got out the air compressor and pumped up her tires. I hate getting old. I remember that moving the air compressor around used to be easy. I had to struggle with the thing today. Somehow it felt a whole lot heavier than it did a few years ago. I was going to top up my own tires as well, but then I remembered that they are filled with nitrogen instead of air. Luckily, none of my tires were low. It's a pain to go to the dealership just to check your tire pressure.

I asked my NASA contacts when they were going to update the media schedule for the upcoming Crew-1 launch. They are still about a week away. I guess that still leaves me plenty of time to make travel arrangements. I'm still a little apprehensive about flying, but that's why I ordered the good masks. I'm convinced that Covid is going to be with us for a long, long time. I'm going to continue to be very careful, but you can't just put your life on hold forever. I think all of us have to figure out ways to continue doing what we think is important even though the rules have changed. I won't be going to weddings or large parties, but a rocket launch every now and then should be fine.

The rain should be over tomorrow. It's still going to be cold, but I've got warm coats. I don't know how Northerners stand living through long, cold Winters. The worst weather hasn't even arrived yet, and I'm already waiting for Spring.

Abi is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3960

Another wet day. Today seemed almost identical to yesterday. It was cold and raining when we woke up. We had to delay our morning walk. And it was still cold when things tried off enough to walk later in the day. Damp cold days aren't the same as dry cold days to Dawn. About halfway through our planned five mile walk she stopped in her tracks and wouldn't go any further. She'd had enough of the wet weather and was ready to go home. She was the wise one today. When we arrived home a little earlier than we'd planned, I realized that I didn't want to walk any further either. It was a nasty day and staying at home in a warm house was definitely the smart thing to do.

My senior moments come more frequently now. Last night I discovered that I had completely run out of one of the pills I take every evening. Since most of my meds auto-renew, I don't even think about running out anymore. I was sure I must have a new supply somewhere, but I couldn't find it anywhere. Oops. When I tried to sort things out this morning, I discovered that the annual exam when I usually get this pill renewed for another year was always in September. Why did I think it was in November this year? The doctor never reminded me of the September appointment because I never made an appointment. My bad. I'm so used to doctors and dentists pestering me about upcoming visits that it never occurred to me that scheduling appointments was my responsibility. It's all sorted out now, but I still don't have the pills I need. They were out of stock at my pharmacy and needed to be ordered.

I tried to buy some N-95 masks for my trip to Florida on Amazon this afternoon. The first thing I discovered was that you needed a business account to shop for PPE. No problem. I have a business account on Amazon. I found the masks I needed and put them in my cart. The checkout process seemed normal until I got to the end. Instead of completing my order, I got a message saying that there had been a problem and my order had been canceled. I tried several times to complete the order and finally discovered that Amazon didn't think my company was a proper medical organization. They could have just told me this up front and saved me a lot of time. 

When I was trying to select the mask I wanted, I read a lot of the comments. Evidently most N-95 masks are not made for medical use. They are made for drywall contractors, exterminators, woodworkers, and other trades that do dusty or hazardous work. These people are furious that they can't find the masks they need for their trade anymore. Jeez. It's been over eight months now. Wouldn't you think that someone would have figured out how to make enough of these things? Hardware stores used to be filled with industrial masks. Not anymore. I can't believe there is still a shortage of N-95 masks and Clorox wipes. 

Truthfully, I can't believe a lot of what goes on these days. The world has gone nuts. The European nations who supposedly did everything right about the pandemic are having a huge resurgence of the virus. The Chinese, who started this whole mess, don't appear to be having any problems at all. It doesn't make sense. Two senile old men are running for president and nobody seems to realize that this is a problem. There is no objective news media anymore. Everyone is just pushing an agenda. If you don't like something, you just call it fake news. Social media isn't content with controlling our friendships and buying habits. Now they want to censor us as well. The world is slipping off the rails, but instead of rational, logical solutions, people keep asking for more empathy. 

I'm tired of all this. I wish there was a remote island where I could put up some solar panels and have a helicopter drop me supplies from time to time. I'm a realist though. Little islands routinely get blown away by hurricanes. If the weather stayed nice, I'd probably get eaten by alligators. I guess I've got to make my peace with the world, even if it means wearing my crappy Chinese made KN-95 masks to Florida.

Dash is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3759

There is very little to talk about these days unless you want to argue with someone. There is plenty to argue about because nobody really knows anything. Projections change daily. Strategies change daily. We are told to listen to the scientists, but so far they have surprisingly few answers. What seems strange about this virus is that we've been talking about biological warfare since I was a kid and yet we were completely blindsided by this pandemic. Didn't we know this would happen someday? I'm not saying that the coronavirus was a bioweapon, but at this point does it really make any difference? The simple truth is that we weren't ready for this. The preppers must feel a sense of vindication now. They were right all along.

When this is all over, the first thing I'm going to do is buy a case of N-95 masks, investigate solar power a bit more, drill a well, and maybe learn how to grow strawberries. Self reliance will be worth it's weight in gold in the future. My self reliant friends who always understood the importance of staying healthy, learned how to fix things at an early age, and appreciate the sound of silence seem to be the most sane right now. Most of them are doing fine. The ones who are totally freaking out still want to blame someone.

You can't blame a virus. It isn't even alive. I was as surprised as the next person that something like this happened, but I shouldn't have been. The signs were all there. Every major country has had secret labs where they've been concocting deadly pathogens for decades. The United States is no better than any other country. If you haven't heard about Plum Island you ought to read about it. It will frighten you. At least this bioweapons lab is an island. The government has been wanting to build another lab like this in Manhattan, Kansas within a few miles of the Kansas State football stadium. What could possibly go wrong?

After Chernobyl, the Union Carbide Cyanide gas leak, the Exxon Valdez, Fukushima, and the Deepwater Horizon fire did we really think we were up to the challenge of containing a deadly virus? Humans always overestimate their abilities. The virus will eventually run out of victims and burn itself out. Then everyone will congratulate each other on defeating it. We won't be ready for the next disaster though. We never are.

Honestly, I'm tired of talking about the virus. I'd rather talk about my roof or the next rocket launch I'm planning on attending. You get sucked into these conversations though because nobody is talking about anything else. I try to maintain a sense of normalcy. I still drink my morning smoothie. Janet and I still take Dawn for long morning walks. I'm still optimistic enough to think I'll still reach Day 5000 with this blog. Eventually I run out of toilet paper though and I realize that the world has gone  terribly wrong.

Livy is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day