Day 4259

I stayed busy today. We got a late start on our sunrise walk, but it was still nice outside. Dawn was eager to walk today. She was full of energy and enthusiasm this morning, even though we still basically just completed our basic one mile loop. The Rimadyl must be working because she showed little signs of discomfort today. The main problem with the Rimadyl is that we had to temporarily stop her allergy medicine and Dawn has started licking her paws again. It's always three steps forward, two steps back. If the licking started again when the allergy medication stopped, it must mean that the medicine works. We're going to stop the Rimadyl in a day or so, so hopefully we can get back to some semblance of normality very soon.

I took my long walk right after breakfast to avoid the heat as much as I could. We could have taken Dawn on her Sunday outing right after breakfast, but we wanted to give her time to rest after her sunrise walk. I completed my full six mile route and was surprised at how many people I saw out on the trails. People still like to exercise in the summer. They just do it earlier.

The temperature was warmer when we took Dawn on her Sunday outing but we stayed under shade trees while we were walking and only traveled half of our usual distance. Dawn was happy. She got to smell new things and didn't get overheated. As always, we finished our little excursion with ice cream cones. The price for the ice cream has gone up. I'm not surprised. The price for absolutely everything has gone up.

This afternoon I went and got the 2022 registration sticker for my car. You have to do the safety inspection first and then you can get the window sticker. You used to be required to put two stickers on your window, but now the safety inspection information is just transmitted electronically to the registration department, eliminating the need for one sticker. I remember when it was a major job to scrape the old stickers off your windshield. You had to use a single edged razor blade and there was still a lot of sticky residue when you were finished. The new stickers can be applied and removed easily and don't leave any residue at all. I appreciate progress wherever you happen to find it. The new stickers are much better.

I certainly don't see much progress whenever I turn on the television. I guess this is what woke America looks like. You've got a bunch of people more concerned about non-binary pronouns than about what is happening outside their little inwardly focused world. They talk a good game about climate change, while completely exempting China and India from the equation. They want everyone to drive an electric car, completely forgetting that our electric grid can't even handle the use of air conditioners in the summer. They think that removing performance requirements for math and science in schools will create a greater sense of equity. Dumb and dumber is what it will create. I could go on and on. The Afghanistan fiasco might be the last straw. We are no longer a serious nation and the whole world knows it. China totally wins the long game here and they didn't even have to fire a shot.

If I'm smart I won't even turn on the television tomorrow. We've got Dalmatians to visit at the kennel and there's plenty to do around the house. I'm thinking of writing an article about Johnson Space Center. It's one of the few places that I've visited extensively that I've never written about at all. 

Lance it today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4182

Dawn is a smart dog. She knows we sleep in late on Sunday and stays in bed with us at least an hour longer than her usual breakfast time. I don't know if she is being patient or lazy. Maybe she would sleep in late every day if Janet didn't get up early on weekdays. Dawn also seems to know that she gets a special outing on Sundays. As the time for our departure approaches she starts pacing around, whining and barking. I think we've overcome her fear of the car. Dawn is eager to hop in the car on Sunday morning. Maybe she never was fearful of the car; just fearful of where the car might be going. Dawn still doesn't like to get in the car if we are going to the vet or to get a bath. I think she knows.

We had a nice walk this morning. We had a lot of rain last night, but it was over by morning. The ground was still wet but the grass is thick everywhere now and it is easy to avoid getting muddy. Dawn seems to listen to me outside when I am holding her leash. She never listens to me inside the house. This is a very strange dog. I think I am slowly beginning to understand her. After our regular walk, Janet worked on a few training exercises. Dawn wasn't very interested. I think she knew it was time for ice cream cones. We always get ice cream at Andy's on the way home They call their ice cream frozen custard, but it tastes like Dairy Queen to me. I"m not particular about ice cream. I like all ice cream.

I wasn't that eager to go on my long walk today because I knew it would get hot quickly as soon as the sun came out. I decided to walk earlier than usual in hopes that the skies would stay cloudy. I almost got my wish. It stayed overcast with a little breeze until I was almost home. I was slow today but I wasn't in a hurry. I'm trying to not be such a slave to my Fitbit. I really ought to stop wearing the Fitbit on walks and start carrying a small camera again. I used to take better pictures in the park. Now I mostly just depend on my phone. Sometimes I'll just use an old picture for the blog. I've photographed everything there is to photograph in the park by now. If I see something interesting on my walks, I can almost always find an old photograph of exactly the same thing.

I'm beginning to hate taking a shower after I walk. The shower drains slowly if any hair gets in the drain and water alway seems to get under the tile floor through various small cracks in the tile grout. I usually end up having to snake out the drain and use the wet/dry vac to extract the water that has gotten under the ceramic tiles. This is a huge pain and it almost make staying hot and sweaty a viable option. Old houses are an endless problem and so is finding knowledgable and dependable repair people. You learn to live with the problems. I've already learned that a small bag of party ice will last almost three weeks in the freezer. I could buy party ice forever for a lot less than the cost of having an appliance repairman install a new ice maker.

I thought about watching some more tutorials about PixInsight this afternoon but my heart wasn't in it. I have to admit that I'm just not very interested in the technical aspects of astrophotography processing. I can get fairly decent looking photographs just using Photoshop. Maybe I'll just stick with what I know. I read an article today where various amateur astronomers were recounting stories about being stalked by mountain lions, bears, and coyotes while observing in remote wooded locations. These stories were a little sobering and took some of the fun out of staying at the Astronomer's Lodge. I can't be fearful of everything though or I'd never leave the house.

We'll probably go see the rescue Dalmatians tomorrow. I'm curious to see who's still there. Charlie is a safe bet, but the others might all be adopted by now.

Wendy is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4181

Today was busy. Shopping is interesting now that Texas has rescinded the mask mandate. At Home Depot, half the people were wearing a mask and the other half weren't. At Sam's Club, everyone was still wearing a mask. Later at Tom Thumb, nobody was wearing a mask. Clearly the mask has outlived it's original purpose and just become another symbol. Some people can't wait to get rid of these things while others will continue to wear them forever. I was never a fan of the mask, but I'll probably keep one in my back pocket for quite a while. If I go into a store full of masked people, I'll put it on. Whatever it takes to stay invisible. I don't think there ever was a problem with shoppers. Other shoppers don't want to interact with you. I'll continue to avoid weddings, family gatherings and sporting events, just like I did before the pandemic.

Now that I've had time to inspect the Redcat 51 that arrived yesterday, I think I made a good purchase. It may be a while before I have an opportunity to attach this to the star tracker and try my hand at photographing nebulas and galaxies, but I'll definitely use it. The little telescope is extremely well made, small enough to travel with, and will last a lifetime. 

There was a spot of blood on the bedspread this morning, so the cortisone shot Dawn got the other day wasn't a magic bullet. The shot helped, but Dawn is still licking her paws excessively. Janet and I think this is a nervous habit, but this is probably because Dawn already has so many other nervous habits. We're just guessing here. If she is allergic to something, it's not going to be easy to determine what it is. She'll probably need to have an allergy skin test, but that's not an exact science either. Hopefully we can find an answer without a huge amount of trial and error. Nervous habits are OK, but self harm isn't.

I'm not looking forward to Summer. Today was hot and muggy, but it is going to be so much worse in July. I could tell that Dawn was getting hot on her walk today. We might have to start taking sunrise walks again like we did with our other dogs. I was OK on my long walk today, but if it gets much warmer I'm going to have to return to the gym. I'm not really worried about Covid anymore, it's just inconvenient to drive to the gym. At a certain point air conditioning trumps convenience though. That indoor track at the gym is looking better all the time.

I can't believe that it's already time to mow the grass again. Everything grows quickly when the ground is wet. Luckily, it's still a little too wet outside to mow. My electric mower just isn't strong enough to cut through wet grass. The grass is going to be even taller next week, but I don't feel like mowing anyway. I don't feel like cutting down any more dead Photinia trees either, even though I got a new blade for my saw with carbide teeth that are supposed to be ten times better than an ordinary blade. The grass and the trees can wait until next week.

It's hard to say whether Dawn will get her Sunday outing tomorrow. There is rain in the forecast again, but  it never seems to rain all day. With any luck we'll be able to find a little dry time for a Sunday walk. Janet wants to work on Dawn's training exercises a bit. Dawn and I just want the ice cream cone on the way home.

Scooby is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4140

Taking Dawn on a car ride to a new park has become a Sunday ritual. Dawn always appears excited and apprehensive at the same time. It kind of reminds me of how I feel when I take car trips. By all rights Dawn and I should be best buddies. We both spend way too much time waiting for the other shoe to drop. Today was certainly a good day for a little excursion. It was beautiful outside. We saw horses today. Dawn wasn't scared of them, but I don't think she realized that Dalmatians are supposed to have a natural affinity for horses. What Dawn was really interested in was the ice cream. We always end our Sunday outings with an ice cream cone.

I stayed busy today. It was an increasingly rare 20,000 step day. I must have looked pitiful when I was mowing the grass this morning because a homeless man wandering down the street stopped and asked if I needed help with the mower. I assured him that I was fine and always mowed this slow, but he persisted for a while before he continued wandering down the street. I think he just wanted money. The good news is that the yard looks a lot better now. The bad news is that I'm probably going to have to start mowing every week again. Most people on the street use a yard service now, but I continue to mow myself. Why not. We have a small yard and it's good exercise. I don't really like yard work, but I don't like going to the gym either. I wish the human body just stayed in shape automatically.

Now that my missing package has resurfaced, I'm getting frequent notices from the post office about its whereabouts. Oddly, the package is still in Indiana. I think it is making a grand tour of Indiana postal facilities. The post office needs to talk to Amazon. Janet has Amazon Prime and they seem to be able to deliver virtually anything the next day.

There were even more people in the park today than there were yesterday. It's not surprising. You've really got to take advantage of nice weather here in Dallas. It doesn't last long. I don't mind all the joggers and dog walkers on the trails, but there are way too many skateboarders and guys barreling along at thirty miles an hour on those electric Onewheel boards. You can buy a used car for the price of a Onewheel, but  these things are surprisingly popular. A brand new way to kill yourself I guess.

I'm continuing to watch YouTube tutorials about astrophotography. I'm amazed at how many people make these things. Some of them are very good. If you want to do anything, there's a YouTube video to tell you how. Before I attempt any major computer repairs, I'll look for a YouTube video to explain the process. Why do people make these videos? You might make a little money from the ads that Google inserts at the beginning, but I suspect that most of these tutorials are a labor of love. I could never do this myself but I'm glad these tutorials are out there. You can learn a lot on a lazy Sunday afternoon.

Dawn has decided to join us for dinner again now that Janet and I have switched chairs and she can't see me. It's weird to have a dog that doesn't like you. Dawn isn't scared of me at all and is perfectly comfortable with me feeding her and walking her on a leash. She just doesn't want to be friends. It's OK. Actually I understand completely. I don't want to be friends with everyone either. 

Pogo is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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