Day 4364

Our first Santa Paws event went well. It didn't seem like we had quite as many dogs this year, but there were still enough to keep us all very busy. All the dogs were very well behaved. There was no growling. Nobody knocked over the set or peed on the backdrop. I was proud of these dogs this year. There were a few dogs that have been coming to these events since they were puppies. Some of the old timers have put on a few pounds, but everyone looked like they were living the good life.

All the equipment felt heavier when I was loading the car this morning but nothing broke. We made it through another event. I'm amazed that my strobe lights have lasted this long. I've basically been using the same equipment since 2004. I had some problems with my wireless flash trigger, but I got the unit working again while we were eating lunch. I hope this stuff keeps working. It's almost impossible to find someone who can repair this gear anymore and almost all of it is no longer available.

It was a lot harder for me to get up and down this year. I spent most of my time sitting in a chair. I felt like one of those old rock and rollers who perform sitting down now. I think Phil Collins sings sitting in a chair on his latest tour.  Hey, we all aren't Mick Jagger. I'm glad I can still move at all. I talked to some of the other volunteers about knee surgery and foot pain today. I'm definitely not the only one with aches and pains. I'm still very reluctant to have surgery, but will buy almost any supplement that claims to build back cartilage.

Dawn seemed to do fine on her own at the house today. She's probably used to spending a lot of time alone. Janet still had time to give her a walk when she got home from our event. I took a little longer to arrive home. I am so slow now. It seemed to take me forever to take the equipment down and put it in the car. I think I'll just leave everything parked in the hall until our next event. The backdrop does need to be washed though. A couple of the dogs were fairly dirty.

I'm really glad I didn't try to go to the STP-3 launch now. Not only would this have disrupted the Santa Paws schedule, I would be just sitting in Titusville. The launch got postponed yesterday and today I learned it has gotten postponed even further. If I'm smart I won't even apply to go back to Kennedy Space Center until sometime next Spring. There's too much going on here and real estate taxes are due again anyway. That will suck up any travel money I might have had.

I didn't have time to take my long walk today, but still managed to get 12,000 steps. Tomorrow will be back to normal. Hopefully, I will get a good night's sleep before I resume my regular routine in the morning. All in all, it was a good day. I hope everyone was happy with their photos.

Emmitt is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4363

I saw the eagle again today. This makes the fourth time I've seen the bird. I don't think I'm very observant. Every time I've seen the eagle, someone else has pointed it out to me. The two bald eagles must be here to stay. There are even signs in the park now warning people to stay away from the nest.

There wasn't much on my grocery list this week. I did notice that prices are still going up though. While I was out, I started looking at televisions. Flat screens are huge now. Most of the TV's I saw wouldn't even fit in our house. I suppose I could just get the old TV repaired, but the repair costs would probably be more than a new TV. You can't just replace a few tubes these days. Generally you have to get an entirely new mother board.

I've got all the photo gear packed and ready to go. I forget how long we've been doing these Santa Paws events, but it feels like it must be at least ten years. We get a new backdrop every few years, but most of the equipment has always been the same. I'm surprised that everything has lasted this long. Hopefully, the essential stuff will last a few more years. I don't feel like buying anything new at this point. The equipment will probably last longer than I will. I need to remember to bring my cane tomorrow.

I'm glad I didn't try to attend the STP-3 launch. This was one that I really wanted to go to at some point. Tonight's launch just got scrubbed and now it won't take place until Monday. If I was already down in Florida, the last minute scrub would have meant two more hotel and rental car days plus the hassle of trying to reschedule airfares during the holiday season. The older I get, the more travel just seems like a giant hassle. I wish my interests were closer to home. Maybe I'll get bored and become eager to get on the road again. Right now, doing nothing sounds pretty good to me.

I certainly won't be doing nothing tomorrow. I don't know how many people have made reservations, but usually we are pretty busy at Santa Paws events. Janet and I decided not to take Dawn with us. She's going to be a lot happier just snoozing on the bed. I hope everything goes well. Usually at least one dog tries to knock over the set, but we haven't had a disaster yet. Everyone always seems happy with their pictures.

We had pizza for dinner tonight. My new medication for acid reflux works like a charm. I can basically eat anything now. It's too bad that PPI's aren't recommended for long term use. It's a shame that doctors don't agree about this medication. I hate to take something that is going to create more problems than it solves.

We've got to get up early tomorrow so we can walk Dawn and eat breakfast before the photo event. At least there is no longer any rain in the forecast for tomorrow.

Camp is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day