Day 3555

The doctor's office called with the lab results from yesterday's visit. Everything looks good. I think my health is better today than it was ten years ago. It's amazing what a healthy diet and a little exercise can do. A lack of stress probably helps too. Running a small business was stressful at times. So was caring for very sick dogs. I really miss the dogs, but I don't miss all the worries.

It rained a little today. South Texas is getting some serious downpours, but we just got a few showers. I didn't even hear the rain. I was surprised to go outside and see that the driveway was wet. It's hardly worth going up on the roof for this amount of rain. It's still so hot that any standing water will evaporate quickly. Hopefully, we got enough water to revive the grass in the front yard. It's been looking pretty brown lately.

There are a lot of people who walk faster than me in the park, but there are at least two that walk much slower. I see them every day. There are very old and both use walkers. When I have finished my five miles, they have usually only traveled a few hundred yards. I initially thought these people were lost or abandoned, but they live in the neighborhood and are just doing the same thing I am on a smaller scale. This is probably me in a few years. I hope they manage to keep moving. You've got to keep moving and you've got to know your own pace. I used to see a guy at the gym every Sunday who always wore a t-shirt that said "I wish I was still 85." One day the guy disappeared and I assumed he died. He had a good run though. He had to be at least 95 when I would see him on the treadmill.

The bills from the Davis Mountains trip are starting to come in. The damage wasn't as bad as I thought. Actually a modest road trip is pretty affordable. You get a lot better gas mileage on the highway and restaurants in small towns are much more affordable than what you find in Dallas. The only downside is all the truck traffic. I wish companies would start shipping their freight by train again. A constant stream of eighteen wheelers can ruin just about any long drive.

Should I go see Ad Astra? I see almost every new science fiction movie, but this one is being pushed so hard by the studio and the critics that I almost want to skip it. I did skip the latest episode of Country Music this evening. I made it through the Hank Williams era, but I don't think another four hours will will teach me much more. Ken Burns needs to make shorter movies.

Tomorrow is another day. I think I've eaten most of the left overs, so I may need to go to the grocery store. I'll probably finish the history of the Davis Mountains I've been reading. What does it mean when the early history of West Texas becomes more interesting than Brad Pitt going to Neptune?

Puppies are today's Dalmatians of the Day

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Day 3538

I walked ten miles today. I walked on the treadmill at the gym for a while. I walked along the lake. And I walked up on the roof clearing away rain water. Needless to say, accumulating my 22,000 steps didn't leave a lot of time for anything else. Sundays have become a time for physical activity. I give my brain a rest.

Of course I give my brain a rest on other days as well. I don't know why I still like to think of myself as a thoughtful person, because I can go for hours without thinking of anything at all. Occasionally at the gym I wonder if the other members know something I don't. Almost everyone else follows a completely different exercise routine. Maybe I should copy them. I'm a creature of habit though and still follow a simple routine a physical therapist recommended years ago when I was being treated for a dislocated shoulder.

I was discouraged to find some new areas than need repair while I was up on the roof today. The roofer still hasn't brought over the silicon material he promised. I could always go buy some of the stuff myself, but I am reluctant to do so. The material is very expensive, only comes in large containers that are too heavy for me to lift to the roof, and it quite messy. I hate to carry this stuff in my car. If the drum tipped over and spilled, my car is ruined.

I took one long walk today instead of the two shorter ones I usually take. There are plusses and minuses to a five mile walk. On the plus side, when I am finished I don't have to go outside again. On the minus side, my feet start to swell after a while and my feet hurt. My shoes fit properly, but I have a really high arch and it's always been hard to find a shoe that will go the distance. I don't remember having these problems when I was younger, but then a lot of things were easier when I was younger.

I'm enjoying reading about West Texas history. The only thing I knew about Marfa was that Donald Judd lived there. There was an episode of Trackdown about Alpine once. I sometimes watch that show on Saturday mornings. I never knew much about Fort Davis. I wasn't even aware that the confederacy extended that far West. The observatory itself has quite a colorful history. Mount Locke, where the telescopes sits, was initially won in a poker game on a transcontinental train. The Davis Mountain have become one of my new favorite places. I'm definitely going back someday.

Tomorrow is a holiday which means it is exactly like any other day for me. We usually visit the Dalmatians on Monday's, but I think the kennel is closed for the holiday. I won't be going to the post office or the bank either. Even my gym is closed tomorrow. I guess I'll need to continue reading.

Spot is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day