Day 4959

Not a bad day, even though everything about it was very predictable. We started out with a nice early walk with Dawn. Why can't the weather stay this way all day? The temperature was in the high 70's and there was a nice breeze. It's amazing how quickly things warm up though. The temperature didn't reach 100 degrees today, but it was still a very hot day.

After another big weekend breakfast, I checked my messages and went to the mall. I go mall walking earlier now because the place is quieter and more peaceful. It's surprising how many people go mall walking. It often feels like a normal business day except that the stores aren't open. I've done this so many times that I'm familiar with all the window displays now. Some change weekly and others never change at all. There were quite a few changes today. Maybe stores are already transitioning from Summer to Fall merchandise. It's a mystery how many of the little stores can remain in business. Even when I go to the mall during the week, these stores never seem to have any customers.

It always takes me about an hour to complete my walk. On the way home I usually listen to Stephen Dubner's Freakonomics Radio. Most of what I know about economics comes from listening to this show. Even though I returned home earlier than usual, Dawn was ready to go on her Sunday outing. She knows our routine really well by now, especially when it involves her. It was too hot to take a long walk, but we took a shorter walk in the Sunday park to let her get outside for a bit.

We always end our Sunday outing with a trip to the ice cream store. Technically this stuff is called Frozen Custard, but it tastes like ice cream to me. How much ice cream we get depends on who is serving the cones. Today we got a lot. Dawn loves ice cream, but she is a messy eater. She'd probably love anything that she got to eat in the car.

As usual I didn't do much this afternoon. More bugs seem to be getting into the house this summer. It must be the heat. I had to chase down a wasp and a cricket this afternoon. There are still a ton of things that need attention around the house, but most are projects I've been trying to avoid for years. I hate to paint and sheet rock repairs are so messy. I may end up doing these things myself anyway, just because I hate having strangers around the house. Doing my own repairs will save a lot of money as well.

It's strange that I still haven't heard anything about the EchoStar Jupiter 3 launch. This thing is supposed to take place on Wednesday and credentialing notices still haven't gone out yet. I guess it doesn't matter anyway. I've decided not to go to this one. I really want to see the first Vulcan Centaur launch, but that has been postponed until the end of the year. Oh, well. Winter in Titusville is much more pleasant than Summer anyway.

I have no big plans for tomorrow. No little plans either. So far it looks like it's going to be a long, hot and very uneventful summer.

Jewel is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4910

No surprises today. We got up a little later than we do on weekdays, took Dawn on her morning walk, and had a big breakfast. Dawn is scared of the neighbor's cat and always wants to make sure the cat is not around before she'll leave the yard. The city has begun a program to eradicate poison hemlock from the park, so I'm always looking for the stuff now when we walk. The pictures of the poison hemlock look a lot like Queen Anne's Lace which grows everywhere in the park. Dawn likes to eat grass, so now whenever I see Queen Anne's Lace I think it might be poison hemlock. There's always something new to worry about. 

I went back to the mall to walk after breakfast. There always seems to be something new. Some stores change out their window displays every week and other stores never change. It's quiet before the stores open and it feels a bit like I'm walking through a strange sort of museum. The stuff in store windows seem like cultural artifacts to me, just like museum pieces. I have no interest in buying this stuff, but it is interesting. Oddly, there are lots of real museum pieces in the mall as well. I pass a sculpture by Henry Moore and then look at a bunch of brightly colored shirts in the Psycho Bunny store. It all kind of blends together for me.

When we took Dawn on her Sunday outing today there was an amusement company setting up rides in the park. It was hard to tell whether this was for a public event or a rich person's birthday party. It could go either way in Dallas. The place was crowded and we had trouble finding a parking place. Dawn got her walk, but we had to park near some horse stables near the edge of the park. Either I'm getting slower or everyone else is getting faster. By the end of our walk Janet and Dawn were way ahead of me.

Sometimes I feel cheated at the ice cream store. They just plop a scoop of ice cream on top on an empty cone, making no attempt to fill the cone. At least with soft serve ice cream like Dairy Queen, the cone gets filled. The ice cream is good though and Dawn loves it. Even though the cones are no bargain, getting ice cream has become part of our Sunday ritual.

I didn't do anything useful this afternoon. I've fixed the screen door several times before, but I can't bring myself to get started on this project. I could probably fix the cracks in the sheetrock myself as well. I've done that before too. There's a lot of stuff that needs to be done, but I keep postponing things. My interest in doing my own home repairs has gone to zero. I hate to accomplish nothing though, so I did a load of laundry.

Tomorrow it's back to my weekday schedule. I've got plenty of shredded wheat and strawberries, so I'm good for the week. I'll probably call and see if my glasses with the progressive lenses are ready. It's already time to mow the front yard again, but maybe that can wait a day or two. I'm sure I'll find something to do.

Daisy is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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Day 4805

Has it already been a week since the Superbowl? Time flies. The football season may be over, but our Sunday was pretty much the same. I woke up wondering why it was so cold outside, we took Dawn on her sunrise walk, and then we had another big weekend breakfast. After I made the bed and checked my messages, I went mall walking again.

Each time I visit Northpark I notice that things have changed. It's a busy place. All the Valentines Day displays are gone now, but no new theme has emerged. I still see raincoats in a lot of windows. Sunday seems to be a day for staff meetings. You often see groups of people in the yet to be opened stores listening to some sort of presentation. In one store these people were all wearing white jumpsuits like they were at a hazmat scene. What was that all about? You see lots of people dusting things with Swiffer dusters. I never realized that retail stores were such a big market for Swiffer. Several stores used to have off-duty policemen sitting inside the store. They are all gone now. Was this a policy change, or is the mall actually safer these days? 

I have my favorite stores now and often think that I would buy my clothes at these places if I were still working in an office. I'd probably change my mind quickly if I actually went inside the stores and checked on the prices. There are no bargains at this mall. Truthfully, the last thing I need are more clothes. There are still things in my closet that I have never worn. Clothes are never a high priority when you work from home. When you retire, clothes become an even lower priority.

Dawn's priority today was her Sunday outing. We were a little late leaving today and she knew it. That dog has an amazing internal clock. She knows when everything is supposed to happen, right down to the minute. You'd better not be late. Especially when it comes to meals. It had warmed up quite a bit by the time we left the house and we all had an enjoyable walk. The ground is finally drying out from our recent rains and our shoes didn't even get muddy today.

There was a line of cars at the ice cream store today. This place advertises it's product as "frozen custard" even though it tastes exactly like ice cream. I've tasted custard before. This stuff is definitely ice cream.  It is more expensive than Dairy Queen, but is still pretty reasonable. Dawn certainly approves.

I didn't do much this afternoon. There are plenty of things that need attention around the house, but I didn't feel like starting anything new. The Crew-6 launch is next Sunday and I still haven't heard anything. This probably means I'm not going. It's no great loss if I don't get credentialed this time although I would like to go. Oh, well. There are still a few day left and plenty of launches in the future. We'll see what happens.

Dawn has her annual exam at the vet tomorrow. We think she's healthy but you never know what's going to turn up in the lab reports. Hopefully this will just be a routine visit.

Spot is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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Day 4651

Another nice Fall day. The mornings are cool but it warms up quickly. We had a pleasant sunrise walk with Dawn and didn't encounter many other dogs or bicycles. Dawn has lots of energy for an older dog. She enjoys her walks and I'm glad she still seems very healthy.

After breakfast I checked my messages while I waited for the mall to open. Mall walking on Sunday has become a regular part of my weekly routine. I usually walk from 10 AM until noon. The stores aren't open, but this is perfect for me. Finding a parking place is easy when the stores are closed. The temperature inside is perfect and I never have problems with my seasonal allergies. I don't need to wear a hat or worry about getting sunburned. The window displays are interesting too. Oddly it seems just as natural to walk indoors as outside. There are no snakes either. I guess I'm not much of an outdoorsman.

Styles haven't really changed that much over the years. I think they just get recycled. I see things in window displays that are very similar to things I saw thirty years ago. Kitchen and jewelry stores haven't changed at all. The main difference in stores today are the prices. Retro looks cost a lot more than the originals they are emulating. 

A few things still confuse me. Who takes care of the ducks and turtles that swim around in the mall's reflecting pools? Why are there so many little stores that sell cookies? I don't understand several current style trends either. When did asymmetrical looks become popular? I still prefer symmetrical clothing where the left side of the garment looks the same as the right. A lot of modern shoes look really clunky as well. All these windows give me a lot to look at. For the most part, it's more interesting than watching squirrels chasing each other in the park.

When I returned home, Janet and I took Dawn on her Sunday outing. It was too hot for a longer walk, but Dawn got a chance to get out of the car and smell things for a while. It's never too hot for ice cream. For some reason we got larger cones today for the small cone price. I think it was just a mistake. We checked on the neighborhood Chinese restaurant on our way home and it was still closed. Such a shame. I really liked this place. I don't know how anyone has the nerve to open a new restaurant. It's a hard business.

I keep waiting for news about the next Artemis launch attempt. Nothing yet. At least the weather is improving in Titusville. Space X was finally able to launch its next batch of Starlink satellites after being rained out for an entire week. I kind of hope that the launch does get postponed again. I'll go down for the next attempt, but I'd rather wait another month or two until the weather starts to improve. This is still hurricane season. The chances for weather related delays are high.

I miss visiting the rescue Dalmatians on Mondays. Things change though and you've got to stay flexible. I could always mow the grass instead, but that doesn't sound nearly as much fun.

Puppies are today's Dalmatians of the Day

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Day 4231

Another Sunday in the books. It was pretty much the same as last Sunday, but there's nothing wrong with that. We have definitely entered the hottest part of the summer. I try to walk earlier and drink lots of water. I wish we'd get a cool day so I could mow the grass. It's just too hot to mow the grass or go up on the roof right now. I do water the grass though. So far, the new grass hasn't died.

We still enjoy our sunrise walks. It's amazing how quickly the temperature rises as soon as the sun comes up. Dawn walked a lot today. She went a mile and a half on our early walk and then walked another mile when we took her on her Sunday outing. I took my own long walk in between these two dog walks. Now my routine includes standing under the spray fountain I discovered recently. An early start and a cooling mist of water along the way really helps.

When we got ice cream after Dawn's outing today, I noticed that the cones have gotten smaller. The price is the same, but there is definitely less ice cream in each cone. This is happening everywhere. I can't think of a single instance where portion sizes have increased recently. I've already mentioned dog food cans and paper towel rolls, but I'm sure there are other things as well. When you buy the same things over and over again, you notice small changes.

We've got to come up with a better solution for protecting Dawn's feet. All the socks we've tried don't tend to stay on very long. I don't know how she gets them off, but whenever I look she's always missing a sock. So far we've been using things that were left over from Dot and Dash. We probably need to measure her feet and find something that is specifically designed for her feet. Lots of luck with that though. Dog socks just tend to come in small, medium, and large. Hopefully, when we eventually discover why she is licking her paws, we can deal with the root cause and the licking will stop.

I ordered a new pair of Hoka One One running shoes today. My old shoes haven' worn out yet, but since I will probably be wearing these things forever, it makes sense to buy a pair whenever I see a good sale. It's a shame that running shoes wear out so quickly. I have hiking boots that will last for generations, but they hurt my feet now so I can't wear them anymore. All my old shoes still fit fine. When your cartilage starts to degenerate and wear out, your feet just aren't very forgiving.

Sometimes I wonder what I'd like to do in the years ahead. If I had a car that was absolutely guaranteed not to break down in the middle of nowhere, I'd wander aimlessly along the back roads of America, stopping whenever I found a place that seemed lost in time. I would avoid cities like the plague. The future looks bleak, but the past still exists, tucked away in little pockets here and there. It might be fun looking for them.

Puppies are today's Dalmatians of the Day

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