Day 3670

It snowed this morning. This was no winter wonderland, but it was snow. Less than two days ago it was 70 degrees. Where else could you go from a warm Spring day, to tornados, to snow in 24-hours? That's Texas weather for you. I'm not even going to predict what's going to happen tomorrow.

It seemed harder than usual to get the water off the roof today. Maybe it was just because it was so cold. I kept the pumps running all night, but they must have gotten clogged. There was still a ton of standing water to remove when I got to work. I'm way beyond tired of doing this loathsome chore, but it's got to be done. Left to its own devices, standing water will always find a way inside.

Batteries were on my shopping list today. Unfortunately, the store had moved the battery display again. I knew they were somewhere, but it took forever to find them. Why do stores do this? Almost every week I'm looking for something that is not in its usual place. I know that stores are trying to get you to explore new aisles and end up buying more but this tactic of constantly moving the merchandise around seems almost diabolical.

It's hard to know how to dress at this time of year. When I take my walk I'm almost always too cold when the wind blows and too hot when the sun come out from behind a cloud. It seems ten degrees colder when I walk along the shoreline and is always warmer away from the lake. I was a little cold today, but that's still better than being too hot. At least when I go to the gym, I know exactly what to expect.

I'm wondering whether I should go buy a warmer coat. On cold days like today I wonder how much colder it is going to seem when I'm outside helping with star parties on Mount Locke. Brrr. I was already cold when we went out there last Summer. I have a feeling that I just can't handle cold weather anymore. I'm always dressed warmer than most of the other people I see on my walk. Today, several joggers dressed in shorts and t-shirts passed me again. Are these people insane? It was barely above freezing.

We got some pictures of Selena in her new home. She already seems more relaxed than she was at the kennel. I think these dogs know when they have found their forever home. It is amazing how quickly some of them adapt. Sooner or later they are sitting on the couch or sleeping on the bed. Dalmatians can be very persuasive in getting what they want.

Time just flies by now. It's already the middle of January. So much to do. I need to make reservations for my trip to Florida. I need to schedule some telescope time at the little observatory north of Dallas. I want to be a knowledgable star party guide when I head for the Davis Mountains. I need to find out if Sky and Telescope is still interested in an article. I hope they are. First things first though. Tomorrow, I just need to go to the gym and see if I can still shoot free throws.

Pepper is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3669

The weather could have been better, but it was still a very good day. Selena went to her forever home this morning. I think Selena hit the jackpot. The couple who adopted her were wonderful. They were very patient and understood the challenges of building a shy dog's confidence. Selena liked their dog too. She even hopped into their car on her own for the journey back to Houston. A few hours later, Janet and I were happy to hear that Selena and her new family had safely arrived at her new home without getting getting caught in the severe storms that were traveling through Texas today. We were also happy to hear that Lake will be going to his new home tomorrow. There are still a lot of dogs in the rescue program, but Dalmatian Rescue has been doing a great job of finding them good homes.

When we returned home from the kennel, I discovered that I will be going to the Solar Orbiter launch after all. NASA has taken me off the waitlist and given me social media credentials. I wasn't expecting this. These events for social media influencers have become so popular that very few people cancel after they have been accepted. When you are waitlisted, it is usually the end of the line. I actually though I had a better chance of getting traditional media accreditation through SpaceFlight Magazine. That still could happen, but it doesn't really matter now. I will be going to the launch.

All day we've been hearing that severe weather was on the way. There were prediction of extremely high winds, large hail, and a possibility of tornados. One reason we met the couple who adopted Selena so early this morning was so they would have plenty of time to get back to Houston before the storms hit. I'm sure somebody experienced storm damage today, but luckily we were spared. We got a lot of rain, but that was about it. There were no high winds and all the trees are still standing. The storm has already moved to the East and the rain has almost stopped. The weird weather isn't over though. Another cold front is on the way and we have a chance of snow by morning.

Since the weather wasn't as bad as it was predicted to be, I was still able to take a walk today. The walk was shorter than usual and I got a little wet, but I did walk several miles, got my 10,000 steps, and closed all three activity rings on my Apple watch. When I got home I managed to get the pumps working as well, so there shouldn't be a huge amount of water on the roof tomorrow morning.

I always expect the worst when severe weather is in the forecast. I guess today proves that when there is rain, there is often a rainbow as well. It looks like I am going to have a very busy Spring. I have two very interesting trips to plan and one by one all the rescue Dalmatians are finding homes. It would be uncharacteristic of me to say that life is good, but occasionally even I feel this way.

Murphy is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day