Day 4804

Another cold, grey day. It was a fairly typical Saturday. We got up a little later than usual, dressed warmly for our early walk with Dawn, and then returned home for a big weekend breakfast. My grocery list was longer today, so shopping took a while. I also had to get gas and pick up a prescription. As usual, I had to visit several stores to find everything. 

Since Janet was going to a charity event this evening, I stopped at my favorite barbecue place to get some ribs for dinner. I like ribs more than she does. There was a banjo orchestra practicing inside the restaurant. Weird. I'd never seen anything like this before. There was a conductor leading about twenty people playing banjos. Everyone was playing different parts and the result was surprisingly good. The owner told me that the group practiced at the restaurant every Saturday morning and that they had a concert once a month. There are so many things in this city that I am totally unaware of. Who would have thought that Dallas had a banjo orchestra.

Today was a lot like yesterday. It looked like it was going to rain but never did. It also never warmed up very much. I had planned to go to the gym today because of the weather, but all the traffic I encountered while grocery shopping made me change my mind. I just don't like being out on the roads anymore. I put on a warm coat and took my long walk. I wasn't very fast today, but it didn't really matter. Once I finished my errands this morning I had nothing to do for the rest of the day.

Dawn seemed upset that Janet wasn't around for dinner. This dog doesn't like surprises. I wanted to take a nap on the bed after my long walk but every time I sat down on the bed, Dawn would leave the room and go out to the kitchen and whine. Eventually I got tired of this and just took a nap on the couch in the living room. I wish Dawn felt more comfortable around me, but it is what it is. For the most part, our life is very predictable and Dawn is fine. She just doesn't like surprises and will probably never be comfortable alone with me.

There were a lot of things I should have done around the house this afternoon, but I wasn't in the mood. I did a load of laundry and called it quits. I felt tired all day because I haven't been sleeping well. My nasal congestion is so bad now that I have to sleep on my back. If I sleep on my side, my nose drips continually. I know I must have gotten some sleep last night but my Fitbit registered nothing. The Apple watch said I got an hour and a half of sleep. Hopefully I will do better tonight.

I wonder when NASA is going to let me know about the Crew-6 launch. It's getting kind of close and I still haven't heard anything. I imagine that if I'm credentialed at the last minute I'll still go, but it sure would be nice if I could plan ahead. I probably shouldn't have applied for credentials for this launch. I didn't realize until after I sent my application in that the launch takes place at 2 AM. I like daytime launches a lot better. Oh, well. We'll see what happens. It's not like I have a lot on my agenda.

Tomorrow I'll go mall walking and we'll take Dawn on her Sunday outing. It's going to be warmer so hopefully the walk will be easier than last week. I'm sure we'll get ice cream cones even though it seems strange to do this in the Winter. Janet won't be home until late tonight so Dawn is still moody. I would have shared my ribs with her but she refused to join me in the kitchen. I guess her loss was my gain.

Bailey is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4786

I wasn't expecting this. We woke up to find a lot of sleet on the ground. From a distance it looked and felt like snow, but it was definitely sleet. There were no flakes. Just tiny little balls of ice. Dawn didn't get a walk this morning. The ground was so slick that we had trouble taking her 200 feet behind the house to poop in her favorite place. The stubborn dog just won't go in the yard.

We made no attempt to get out on the roads today. The streets in our neighborhood just looked like big blocks of ice. At some point this morning I started my car to warm up the engine, but never left the driveway. Did it get this cold last year? I can't even remember. I know we have had a lot more snow and ice in the past, but it seems like it's been a while.

I have even more junk in my office than I thought. The headphones that Janet uses to watch movies on her iPad broke and she asked me where the ones she used to take on trips were. I had no idea what she was talking about. She insisted that there were a pair of earphones she used to use and that I would always tell her not to break them. I started looking and turned up five pairs of headphones, including one very professional pair that looked like it belonged in a recording studio. I hadn't used any of these things in years. It's been a long time since music was a part of my life. Janet eventually found the headphones she was looking for herself. They were quite nice and I have no recollection of ever buying or using them. In the process of looking for the headphones, I found a lot of things with batteries that needed to be recharged and a fair amount of stuff I never knew I owned. Sometimes I think the office isn't very different from the storage warehouse. Both are just time machines housing relics of a former life.

Janet and I are both active people, so eventually we started getting cabin fever just sitting around the house. We dressed warmly and decided to take a walk through the neighborhood. We avoided any areas with steep hills since the ground was so slick, but we were able to walk several miles. I'm glad I bought the Hoka boots a while ago. The boots provided good traction, were waterproof, and very warm. I remember that it was quite an effort to find these boots. How long ago was that? At any rate, the walk wasn't as difficult as I anticipated. We tried to stick to the grass on the side of the roads because the roads themselves were pretty icy. I still haven't got my 10,000 steps for the day, but I think I'll make it. According to my Fitbit I have only 200 steps to go.

I got a weird phone message today. The guy told me his name and said he was from Turkey where he had sold me a carpet "some long time ago." Janet and I actually did buy a carpet in Turkey ages ago when we traveled a lot. How could this guy have saved my name and number for all this time? How could my phone number even still be the same? At any rate, the guy had moved to Texas and wanted to sell me another carpet. Sorry. The rug we bought was very nice and to this day remains the only perfectly square Turkish carpet I have ever seen. It looks nice in our living room. We don't need any more rugs though. I'll have to give the guy kuddos for his initiative. If I saved the number of every person I have ever run into in my life, it might be easier to find a carpenter, or even some new website business for my company.

I think there is more freezing rain on the way. The forecast doesn't look good for the next several days. The roof hasn't leaked yet, but that probably only because everything is frozen. I'm definitely ready for Spring. I can't handle cold weather anymore. It's kind of amazing that I went to high school in Alaska and spent my first working years in Idaho. Not my cup of tea anymore. I've definitely become a Southern boy.

Cooper is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4784

The weather was strange today. When we took our early walk with Dawn this morning the temperature was in the high 50's. That was as high as it got and it continued to get colder for the rest of the day. It's already down to freezing and will probably get even colder overnight. I'm not looking forward to next week at all. The forecast says we are going to have freezing rain and icy roads for most of the week.

Today was mostly walking and football. I woke up with an upset stomach so I just had shredded wheat instead of our normal big weekend breakfast. After breakfast I went to the mall and walked several miles indoors. I enjoy mall walking at Northpark. The temperature is perfect. The air is clean and filtered. There's plenty to see as well. Looking at the window displays in all the stores is much more pleasant than fighting a cold lakeside wind while wondering why I didn't dress warmer. There are a few weeks in the spring and fall when the weather is actually nice. The rest of the time it is either too hot or too cold outside.

There are always several new stores that just opened when I go to the mall. Things always seem to be changing. Today, even the indoor duck pond was closed for some type of refurbishment. I wonder where they are keeping the ducks and turtles while all this construction is going on. When I returned home Dawn and Janet were ready to go on their Sunday outing. This was definitely the coldest walk of the day, but we made it. We walked faster than usual in an attempt to stay warm, but we were all glad to return to the car. It seemed kind of strange to get ice cream on such a cold day, but Dawn loves her ice cream cones. Personally I could have used a cup of hot chocolate.

It was definitely an afternoon to stay inside so I ended up watching both NFL playoff games. The Bengals and Chiefs game was the more interesting game. It was a close contest right down to the final seconds. The Eagles ran all over the 49ers. It was pretty clear that the Eagles were going to win this game early on. Dawn wanted the bed to herself and wasn't happy with me watching the Eagles game. Later, when Janet came home Dawn was much more interested in the cooking that was going on in the kitchen, so I had the bedroom to myself. I don't often spend the afternoon watching football but the Bengals and Chiefs game was definitely worth watching. 

The house feels cold even though the temperature inside is the same as it's always been. I've had to bring out the little ceramic space heater and put it under my desk. No shorts today either. I'm wearing heavy pants and a sweater. I'm not sure what to expect with the roof next week. We haven't had sustained freezing rain for quite a while. If memory serves, sometimes the leaks are worse when heat from inside the house melts the bottom layer of ice on the roof. We'll just have to see what happens. There's not much I can do about the weather.

I might not be able to get my steps next week. That would be a shame. It's probably going to be too cold and wet to walk in the park and too icy on the roads to drive to the gym or mall. I'll never get 10,000 steps pacing around the house. The house is just too little. Hopefully, we'll be able to give Dawn her morning walk before the rain and sleet starts.

Spirit is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4780

The rain has stopped. Unfortunately, the roof is still leaking. I could probably put a stop to this if I went up on the roof and swept all the standing water away. I'm really trying to avoid climbing on the roof though. My balance isn't as good as it used to be and I'd hate to fall off. Heavy rain in the winter is the worst because it never evaporates. Hopefully, the leak will stop tomorrow. The buckets are filling slower now, so at least we're making progress.

It was cold enough on our morning walk with Dawn that I seriously considered going back to the gym. Dawn wore her sweater and it was definitely a two coat day for me. Dawn still enjoyed smelling things but I think she was glad when we returned to the house. I'm already tired of winter and it's barely even started.  We have at least three more months of cold weather before I can start to think about Spring.

I ate my breakfast slowly and did some small chores around the house in hopes that it would warm up outside if I waited long enough. It never did. In fact, I think it got colder as the day progressed. I still needed to get my steps though, so I dressed warmly and headed out on my daily long walk. The walk might have been a mistake, but I made it. There are a lot fewer people in the park on cold days. I saw very few bicycles and joggers today. I didn't even see many ducks. I still see people walking their dogs though. Dogs need to poop and pee in all types of weather.

My feet still hurt on these long walks. Sometimes the pain goes away after a while, but other times it gets worse. I think I've just reached the age where everything hurts. My shoulder hurts when I attempt to raise my arms above my head. My knees hurt when I bend them. Even my wrists and fingers hurt. None of this is really debilitating. It's more of an irritation than anything. I remember the days when nothing hurt.

I still can't decide whether to apply for the Crew-6 NASA Social. One of the cardinal rules for these things is never apply unless you really plan to go. They don't like it if you cancel after you have been accepted. Crewed launches are always interesting, but if I go to this one, it means one future launch I won't be able to attend. My budget is a bit limited this year. I just can't afford to be going down to Florida every month.

Janet and I decided not to visit the rescue dogs this week. It was too cold and damp to play with them outside and it's still unclear if there is an available indoor space we can use. We'll try to go up next week. It's too bad that the old kennel went out of business. It was just about perfect. Hopefully, the dogs will like this new place. It seems clean and well managed. It's just a long way away for Janet and I.

There's new software available for the star tracker and I had plans of testing it again today. The day got away from me though and when I finished everything else, it was too close to dinner to mess around with new software. I have no faith in the Benro people. Sometimes their software and firmware updates make thing better and other times they make things worse. I'm always apprehensive about starting the tracker up after I've installed new software.

Dawn didn't go to training class tonight. It was too cold and damp for her to be outside that long. The days are getting longer though. Maybe next week will be better.

Bones is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4779

What a dismal day. It was cold and raining when we woke up. It rained all day and it hasn't stopped yet. Needless to say, Dawn didn't get her sunrise walk. She didn't even want to go outside. I immediately started the pumps on the roof and prepared myself for the worst. At first I thought I was going to get lucky, but I set the buckets out anyway. I managed to finish breakfast before I started hearing the all too familiar sound of dripping water. The big leak today was located in the office, but I see some staining in the kitchen above Dawn's water bowl. I'm afraid there will be more leaks before this rain ends.

There wasn't much I could do today. I checked the weather radar frequently, but the storm was huge and covered much of Texas. It could have been worse I guess. At least we weren't getting snow like they are are in the panhandle or tornado warnings like they were in Houston. The roof blew off the animal shelter in Pasadena, Texas and all the dogs were left exposed to the weather. Hopefully things will be better tomorrow. I think the rain is supposed to end by midnight.

It was pretty clear that I wasn't going to get 20,000 steps today. A walk in the park was out of the question, so I reluctantly got in the car and went to the gym. You can tell I've become obsessed with getting my steps because I definitely do not like driving in the rain. I'm always glad for heated seats and a heated steering wheel on a cold day like this. I need new wiper blades though.

The gym was crowded today. I guess a lot of people had the same idea I had. I walked three miles around the indoor track to get my minimum 10,000 steps for the day and close all three rings on my Apple watch. At least I kept up a decent pace today. Usually I'm slow on the indoor track. I had planned to work on my upper body strength while I was at the gym, but after finishing my three mile walk I felt like I'd had enough. I did use the leg press for a bit, but didn't even bother shooting baskets. Rain really puts a damper on my mood.

There's going to be a NASA Social for the Crew 6 launch at the end of February and I can't decide whether to apply. NASA discontinued these events for social media influencers during the Covid years, but they are slowly starting to return. I've been to a few of these and sometimes they provide even better access than press credentials. Since I can't afford that many trips to Florida this year, I'll have to look at the 2023 launch schedule and see if there are more interesting things in the future. I'll think about it. I'm not even sure my application would be approved since NASA tends to favor newcomers now. I've already been to five of these NASA Socials.

I'm getting tired of listening to the roof leak drip. The leak isn't far from my desk and it's a constant reminder that the house needs a new roof. I still haven't decided on a roofing contractor. I have gotten several bids, but all have left something to be desired. Why is a flat roof so expensive. I may get one or two more bids, but I really have to do something this year. Old houses and flat roofs aren't a good combination.

We probably will wait another week before visiting the rescue Dalmatians at their new kennel. The kennel said that Wednesday was the best day to visit. but it doesn't look like tomorrow is going to be a good day. I think we will be playing with the dogs outside and ir would be better to wait until the weather was warmer and the ground was dry.

I don't have big expectations for tomorrow. I just hope the roof stops leaking.

Holly is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4743

It's definitely Winter. It's cold. It's damp. I want to sleep with an extra blanket on the bed. Winter is not my favorite season, but luckily it's not as bad here as it is further north. The problem with Winter is that I continue to do exactly the same things I do in the summer even though the experience is not as pleasant.

I dressed warmly for our early walk with Dawn. Actually I dressed a little too warmly, but I didn't want to take chances. As temperatures drop, there are fewer people on the trails. We're dedicated though. If it's not raining, we'll be out walking.

I waited a while before taking my long walk today because I was hoping that it would either warm up or the wind would die down. Neither happened but I went walking anyway. I must really hate driving because in many ways it would be so much easier to go to the gym on days like this. Sadly, the weather was nice today compared to what it is going to be like later in the week. Single digit temperatures are still in the forecast.

I found a really nice sweater under a pile of clothes when I was getting dressed for my walk. Where did this come from? I must have had the sweater for years. It looked like it had never been worn. I wonder what else I have. I accumulated a lot of clothes during the time I traded design services for clothing and shoes. Looking back, this was a pretty good deal. The money I made during the early years of my company disappeared a long time ago. I still have a lot of the clothes though.

I didn't see the eagles today on my walk. I wonder where they go when they aren't near their nest? I cover a lot of ground in the park and you'd think I'd see them somewhere. They're either near the nest or gone completely. People speculate that since the pair returned this year to build a second nest that they might have made the lake their permanent home. I don't think anyone really knows however. I hope they didn't scare the pelicans away. I think I enjoyed watching the pelicans more than the eagles. 

Since the ground has dried out and bulky trash pickup is later this week, it was a good day to start raking leaves. Since we have large Oak trees in our back yard, there are a ton of leaves on the ground every fall. I'm not a fan of raking and bagging leaves, but it needs to be done. When we first moved here I just let the leaves blow away during the Winter. It worked pretty well until all the neighbors built tall privacy fences. Now we don't get the same kind of breeze we used to get and the leaves just stay on the ground. 

I bagged a lot of leaves this afternoon and took them out to the curb. There are still a lot of leaves on one of the Oak trees, but it's a start. Maybe I'll rake a little more tomorrow. The leaves are dry now and it is supposed to rain later in the week. For a while, Janet and I were both out working on the leaves and Dawn got excited, thinking that we were out there to play with her. She had great fun racing through the big piles of leaves. It was nice to see her enjoying herself. Dawn is not usually a very playful dog.

I made an appointment to get a haircut later in the week. I have an appointment to see the eye doctor the same day. Doing two different things in one day is rare for me. I think I'll manage though. I'll probably find time to take a walk as well.

Ranger is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4706

Good grief. Our furnace went out on the coldest night of the year. It wasn't the flame sensor this time so I couldn't fix it myself. The gas was coming on, but the fan wasn't working so no air was reaching the vents. Since there was no air circulating through the furnace, it would quickly overheat and shut down. 

As luck would have it, the HVAC guy I've been using for over twenty years retired a few months ago. I didn't know who to call until I remembered that the plumbing company I've been using has a HVAC division. I called their emergency number and about a half hour later one of their on-call technicians called me back. He said he could come over, but advised against it, telling me that the company's overtime and weekend rates were ridiculously high. He said that if we were cold, we could stay in a nice hotel for the weekend for a lot less than their emergency rates and asked if I could wait until Monday. The rates definitely were ridiculously high and I asked who would pay this kind of money. Hospitals, commercial companies, and others who absolutely could not afford to have their heating and cooling interrupted evidently. This company is good but they don't do much residential work. I decided to wait until Monday.

We bundled up for our sunrise walk this morning. Dawn, like all of our Dalmatians, seemed to like the cold. I was warm enough because I was wearing two down coats. Winter arrived rather suddenly this year. Only a few weeks ago I was wearing a t-shirt and shorts. A hot breakfast warmed me up a bit, but the house has stayed cold all day. I have resisted the urge to monkey around with the furnace because I would probably only make things worse. The technician I talked to this morning said that I probably need a new fan motor and capacitors. I wished the guy could have come out today but I wasn't about to pay $700 extra for a weekend service call. 

I had a hard time starting the car when I went to get groceries this morning. WTF? I have a brand new battery. The battery is still under warranty, but I'll have to find time to go to the repair shop that sold me the battery on Monday. At any rate, the saga of broken stuff continues and I can't seem to catch a break. Once the car was warm it started fine, but I don't want an unreliable car if I've got to get up early to go to the airport.

I probably will need to go to the airport soon. I got a message from NASA today saying the the Causeway bridge has been repaired and that the Titusville entrance to Kennedy Space Center is usable again. Damn. This took away my best excuse to scrap the trip and stay home. I guess I should just go through with the trip. I've already committed to write an article for SpaceFlight Magazine and I'm a bit worried that if I skipped this launch it might affect my ability to get a press pass in the future. Oh, well. Like it or not, I'm headed back to Florida.

It never did get warm today but I took my walk in the park anyway. This was a winter walk with a sweater and a warm coat. There are a lot fewer cyclists and joggers in the winter. The weather was nice this afternoon, but I was still a bit chilly. Tomorrow I'll go mall walking and start to pack for the Artemis launch. I'd better get some warm blankets out for tonight. I't s going to be very cold in the house.

Jada is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4681

Brr. Winter arrived a little early this year. The furnace was on when we woke up this morning and it was time for a change in walking attire. I wore long pants on our sunrise walk and added a sweater under my jacket. It wasn't that cold, but it's been a while since we've seen temperatures in the 50's. Dawn loved the cooler weather. She was full of energy this morning and we completed our one mile loop three minutes faster than usual.

It was another good day for a long walk in the park. There was no sense in going to the gym on a day like this. I ate my breakfast and waited a while for the sun to get higher before leaving the house. It never did warm up very much, but the sky was clear and the cold front seems to have cleared away my allergy problems for a while. It felt good not to have a runny nose today. I didn't make great time, but I did OK. I saw quite a few photographers with long telephoto lenses looking for the eagles, but the birds appeared to be in hiding. Watching this quest to see the eagles made me feel like I was walking back in time. It was exactly like this last October.

I've been thinking about deleting several of my social media accounts because I never use them anymore. I keep thinking that some of these accounts might be the source of all the spam I'm getting. I haven't used LinkedIn in years. I couldn't even remember my password. When I finally logged in with a new password, I was surprised to discover that only 11 people have visited in the past two years. There was a time when I thought that LinkedIn might bring me business but it never did. It hardly seemed worth the trouble to delete this abandoned account, so I just turned off everything I could on the settings page and left. I also thought about deleting my Instagram account but then I remembered that NASA likes people to use Instagram when they visit the space center. There was also a time when I regularly posted on Instagram, but it is no longer a showcase for photographers and I've lost interest. Once again it didn't feel like it was worth the trouble to actually delete the account. Who knows. I might start using this again someday.

I've become ambivalent about social media in general. I only continue blogging because I'm determined to reach my 5000 day goal. Blogging definitely isn't like is used to be. I don't think anyone reads the blog anymore. A few friends still read the JPEG images of the blog I post post every day on Facebook, but I don't know if anybody still reads the real blog. The last time I looked at the stats, it showed that I only had two readers per day. That can't be right. This used to be a really popular blog back in the day.

I'll probably wind up right back where I started, writing my daily journal with a ball point pen in a little leather book. Writing is still a useful skill. I have a terrible memory and if I want to know what I was doing back in 1985, it's all there somewhere. I saved all the journals, just like I've saved all the negatives from decades of photography before the digital world was invented. I used to spend hours and hours in the darkroom. I don't think I've developed a roll of film or printed anything in twenty-five years but I used to be pretty good at it.

I don't know why I'm feeling nostalgic today. I guess the world in the rear view mirror seems more appealing than the world looking forward. I haven't turned into a prepper yet, but the future does look bleak. I think I'd be happier if I could bring myself to turn off the computer for good and quit watching cable news. I'm pretty good at amusing myself doing simple things and definitely don't need a daily diet of bad news. 

Little Petey is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4444

What a nasty day. The temperature has been well below freezing all day with periodic sleet and freezing rain. We tried to take Dawn on a sunrise walk, but it didn't take her long to realize that she'd rather be in the house. Needless to say we didn't make it very far this morning. I kept hoping that it would warm up a bit, but it never did. Janet had to go to a doctor's appointment and said the roads were slick in places. I started my car to warm up the engine, but didn't attempt to leave the house.

All I do on days like this is hope the power doesn't go out and the roof doesn't leak. So far, so good. Our electric and gas bills are going to be high next month though. Sadly, tomorrow is going to be just as cold. We've had worse winters, but I'm getting tired of this. No wonder so many people retire to Florida.

Although I had no real desire to leave the house today, I did want to get a minimum of at least 10,000 steps. Around mid-afternoon I bundled up in my warmest clothes and took a not so long walk. It didn't seem like it was raining when I left the house, but there was a light sleet that froze on my outer jacket. A cloth mask is actually useful on days like this. It kept my face warm better than a scarf. Today I mostly walked through the neighborhood because I knew the weather would be even worse down by the lake.  No bicycles or joggers today.  I seemed to be the only person out and about. I only completed two miles this afternoon, but that was plenty.

Both Olympus and Panasonic have come out with new micro 4/3 cameras recently. The GH6 and OM-1 sound intriguing and I've been reading a lot about their capabilities. What else do you do on a cold day when it's sleeting outside? I'm like a bug attracted to a light when it comes to new gear. The last thing I need is more cameras. I haven't even learned how to use all the features of the cameras I already own. I'm probably the same way with cars. I don't even like to drive, but I've bookmarked lots of sites about the new Ford Bronco. I don't need a new car any more than I need a new camera. Probably I find reading about new gear more satisfying than reading about current events.

I wish my office wasn't so cold. The little ceramic heater is running full time now. This room is the furthest from the furnace and it shows. I think the warm air in the ducts has already cooled off by the time it reaches me. This is still the room to hang out in on a cold day though. It's got the best computer screen. Dawn gets grumpy if I sit on the bed with her and if I'm out in the kitchen I eat too many snacks. The days would pass faster if I still had a few clients but the young kids in advertising and marketing aren't fond of hiring someone older than their grandfather. I guess that leaves me with reading about new cameras and planning trips I probably won't take.

I don't think Dawn is going to be any more excited about walking tomorrow than she was today. I'm not going to be very excited about walking tomorrow either. At least it's supposed to warm up a little on Friday. I'm waiting for next week when the temperatures will be back in the 70's again.

Joey is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4425

Another very cold day. There was no new snow or ice, but very little melted. As I expected, we have a small roof leak caused by heat from the house melting the ice on the roof from the bottom up. There is still a layer of ice on the roof, but it has started to melt underneath. It's way too slippery to climb up on the roof and fix things, so I'll just have to live with this for a while. At least it's a very small leak so far.

Dawn hates the snow, so she went without a walk again today. I should have done the same, but I run out of things to do in the house fairly quickly. I need a long walk to kill time. Janet can't go back to the gym until the roads clear up, so we took another walk together in the park today. I tried some different boots but they were worse than yesterday's boots. I really need to find some of the more comfortable Hoka boots, but they seem to be out of stock nationwide. I'm sure they'll be back in stock this summer when I won't need them anymore. I think we saw one of the eagles in the nest this afternoon, but we couldn't get closer because melting snow has turned the best vantage point into a swamp. It was a nice day for a walk though. The sun was out and there wasn't much of a wind. I just wish it were a little warmer.

I think I've finally figured out how to use the star tracker. Since I was house bound for most of the day, I spent a lot of time trying to master the surprisingly complex gadget. You can't really track stars indoors during the day, but you can see if the camera and tracker are pointed in the right direction using planetarium software on my computer. At any rate, I think I'm making progress. I was able to go back and forth between several targets without the software crashing. I also learned how to use the tracker to create panoramas and time lapse sequences. I still haven't taken the device outside and photographed anything, but that day will come. All in good time.

It's too bad I don't enjoy watching Netflix movies. Snow days are perfect for binge watching something. I'm not sure what I enjoy anymore. Astronomy is a strange hobby to have if you don't feel comfortable going outside at night. Dallas feels too dangerous for astronomy. I love my time out at McDonald Observatory, but it is way too far away for casual observing. The worse my foot gets, the more I dread making a long car trip as well. I'm even starting to feel out of the loop down at Kennedy Space Center. There's a lot going on right now and if you only make one or two trips a year, it's hard to be considered a serious part of the space reporting community. Some of my Florida friends are on site almost every week. Hopefully, I'll still get to cover the Artemis 1 launch later this year, but you never know. I'd better take advantage of any opportunity I get. I'm starting to think my traveling days are numbered.

It looks like I will be traveling to the grocery store tomorrow. The larger roads are almost completely free of ice by now and tomorrow should be even warmer than today. I'm sure prices will continue to get higher.  Almost everything is higher these days. I got a bill from my web hosting company yesterday and the annual rate almost doubled. Do I even need a website anymore? Probably not. You think more about the cost of things when you are retired. When I was working I never gave a second thought to the cost of anything. In retrospect, those days were pretty good.

Duke is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4424

We got ice and a little snow, but our heavily hyped winter storm wasn't nearly as bad as I anticipated. We never lost power, so the house stayed nice and warm. This was important because it was very cold today. I hope our good luck continues because it is supposed to be even colder tomorrow. It's probably good that last night's freezing rain turned to sleet fairly quickly because the trees never got coated with a lot of ice. I didn't see any downed trees in our neighborhood.

Janet and I had planned to just stay in the house all day. That was certainly Dawn's plan as well because it was hard to even get her to go out in the backyard and pee. Some dogs love snow. She isn't one of them. After several hours of doing absolutely nothing Janet and I got bored and decided to go on a walk. It probably wasn't the wisest thing to go walking on ice when the temperature was 20 degrees but we both had cabin fever. I knew I couldn't wear my Hoka shoes on a day like this so I dug out my Dad's old Pivetta hiking boots. These boots are almost 60 years old and they are still better than anything you can buy today. A pair of`Pivetta boots was the gold standard for serious hikers for many years. It's too bad this fine Italian company is no longer in business. Lord knows what a pair of hand made boots like this would cost in today's market. You just can't get things like this anymore.

The sleet and snow made the ground crunchy instead of slippery. Even going downhill felt fairly safe. We stayed away from roads wherever possible and stuck to dirt trails. For the most part there wasn't a wind. That helped a lot. When the wind did pick up near the lake, it was brutal. We didn't set any records today, but we did walk almost four miles. Even though we were both very cold when we returned to the house, the walk was much better than sitting around the house staring out the window. I think we have both become addicted to movement.

I don't know why it is going to be so cold tomorrow. The storm has already moved well beyond us. I'll be glad when it is above freezing again. There's a lot of ice on the roof right now and I hope the pumps still work when the ice starts melting. If memory serves, these type of conditions frequently cause roof leaks. Heat from the house melts the ice from the bottom while the layer on the top is still frozen. the water can't escape and it typically finds a way inside. The pumps froze up fairly quickly last night, so they won't be much help until things get a lot warmer.

We both started our cars this afternoon and kept them running until the engines reached operating temperature. This is a habit we got into during last winter's extended freezing spell. There's nothing worse than the sound of an engine that won't turn over on a really cold morning. I won't drive on ice unless it's absolutely necessary, but I do want a reliable car in the winter. I learned how to drive on ice when I was going to high school in Fairbanks, Alaska. On an empty road I'm generally OK. It's the other cars you have to worry about. Very few Dallas drivers have any idea how to drive on ice and snow.

I feel bad for my friends out at McDonald Observatory. It's five degrees and snowing out there. I think they are essentially trapped until conditions improve. Everyone is well prepared though. They stock up on food ahead of time and if things get really bad they can all move temporarily into the Astronomers Lodge which has a large emergency generator. It's only when gasoline for the generator starts to run low that things start to get dicy. I miss my time out at the observatory. Not in the winter though. Being trapped on a mountain in a snowstorm is not for me.

Dawn is such a lazy dog. She had a good time just lounging on the bed today. She had no interest in going outside whatsoever. Janet finally got her to go outside and poop, but she had to put Dawn on a lash to get her out the back door. Needless to say, Dawn did not join us on our walk today. 

Tomorrow will probably be more of the same. I hope a lot of the sleet and ice blows away or evaporates. I don't think it is going to melt. The temperature tomorrow morning will be nineteen degrees.

Casey is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4423 - Groundhog Day

Things aren't looking good. Milltown New Jersey had to cancel their annual Groundhog Day festivities when their popular groundhog, Milltown Mel, died a few days before he was able to prognosticate the length of this year's Winter. Granted, this wasn't Punxsutawney Phil, but Milltown Mel was still a very popular rodent. I'm not sure if this unfortunate event had any effect on today's weather in Dallas, but it isn't looking good down here either. It's currently 32 degrees and raining hard. The temperature has been steadily dropping all day long and the rain is expected to turn into sleet and ice before midnight.

Janet got groceries today and brought home extra blankets from the storage warehouse. I started the gasoline generator to make sure it worked properly and made sure the smaller solar generator is fully charged. I started my car to make sure the battery was good, but didn't leave the driveway. I don't plan on going anywhere until this winter storm is over. Northerners probably think this is overkill, but ice storms have a way of knocking Dallas out cold. We just aren't prepared for stuff like this. Everyone who has lived here a while has memories of a bad ice storm and nobody wants another one.

We got an early start this morning in anticipation of what was coming. Dawn's sunrise walk was actually the warmest it was going to be all day. I took my long walk right after breakfast and I could feel the cold front arriving. I dressed warmly though and I was fine. I pretty much had the park to myself today. Everyone else was probably out emptying the shelves at every grocery store in town. The empty park turned out to be good for me though. I ended up seeing both eagles today. I saw the female in her nest and the male was sitting atop a nearby tree looking for food. I even had my camera with me. My pictures are definitely getting better. I was pretty pleased with today's results.

The rest of the day was fairly uneventful. I've got the pumps on the roof running to try and get as much water off the roof as possible before everything freezes. Janet and I both did our laundry so we wouldn't have a big pile of dirty clothes if the power goes out. I need to remind myself that this is only a two day event. The freeing rain should stop by tomorrow morning and Friday should just be very cold. By Saturday afternoon, Dallas should be back to normal again. I don't think everyone is nearly as worried about the weather as they are about the power company's inept response to freezing temperatures. We're pretty good at keeping cool in the Summer. Not so good at keeping warm in the Winter.

Dawn definitely won't be getting a sunrise walk tomorrow morning. I won't be taking my long walk either. I may be foolish but I'm not an idiot. An old guy who has balance issues has no business walking on ice. It's kind of a shame that my long streak of 20,000 step days will be broken. Despite the foot pain, I was really making progress.

I guess I've done everything I can get prepared for something that still may turn out to be a non-event. Better safe than sorry though. Just about the only thing I hate worse than cold weather is ice. Ice is something you should put in your drinks. It definitely shouldn't be toppling trees, bringing down power lines, and coating the roads. Forget everything I ever said about hot Texas summers. Texas winters are even worse.

Jasper is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4405

It was so cold today. I practically had the park to myself on my long walk. It was just me and a couple of idiots jogging in shorts. I certainly couldn't blame people for staying inside. It was thirty degrees with a forty mile an hour wind. I dressed warmly, but it still felt like I was on an expedition to the South Pole. I don't know why I felt compelled to walk today. A sane person would have just stayed home and watched a movie on Netflix.

Maybe nobody was down at the lake because they were all at the grocery store. The stores were packed when I did my shopping this morning. I think the threat of bad weather brings out an instinct to stock up on food. Prices are still going up, although that wasn't stopping people from filling up their buggies. The weekly price increases aren't dramatic, but they've been going on for a long time. I haven't seen anything come down in price.

I'm glad I got the new battery for my car a few months ago. It never would have started this morning without it. I vaguely remember living up north, but I don't think I could handle it anymore. I have memories of scraping ice off of windshields and navigating snow covered roads. No thank you. On days like today I'd like to live even further south.

Dawn likes colder weather but I think she draws the line at freezing weather. She was certainly eager to get back in the house on our sunrise walk this morning. She wore her new sweater this morning, but maybe we should have introduced her to the hat. We got a hat for Dash that actually fits a dog pretty well. It kept his ears a lot warmer on days like this.

Whenever the temperature dips below freezing I always think I am experiencing the coldest winter ever. It's easy to forget that it has been much colder in the past. One winter the entire lake froze over. I didn't even see any ice on the lake today. We've had thick snowfalls in the past as well. In recent years it's been rare to get snow at all. I saw a few flakes fall this afternoon, but there was no accumulation.

The furnace is working fine, but it's still cold in the office. Every winter this is always the coldest room in the house. I had to break out the little ceramic heater this afternoon. I'm pretty sure that this house was designed in the summer. It's a lot easier to cool than to heat. The main problem is that there is way too much single pane glass. Insulation doesn't do a lot of good when you have a lot of floor-to-ceiling glass.

I was going to play around with the star tracker this afternoon, but the cold weather put a damper on things. All I really felt like doing after my walk was getting warm again. I probably should have waited until today to watch the last episode of The Expanse. All I did instead was nibble on snacks.

It remains to be seen whether we'll take Dawn on a Sunday outing tomorrow. These little outings are supposed to be fun for her and walking in freezing, windy weather is the exact opposite of fun. I think Dawn's idea of fun would be to share a little bacon with us at our Sunday breakfast. We'll see what happens though. Maybe tomorrow will be warmer.

Betty is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4399

Another cold Winter day. If I could have slept all day, I would have. No rest for the weary though. We got up early, took Dawn on a sunrise walk and were relieved to see that her poop has almost returned to normal. The pills the vet gave her definitely helped. It was very foggy this morning and there was a light mist in the air. Dawn always enjoys smelling things, but I think she was glad to return to a warm house.

On weekends we have a real breakfast. Today we had bacon and eggs with toast. It's a nice change from the shredded wheat I've been eating the rest of the week. After breakfast, I checked my e-mail and read all the new entries on the Polaris forum. I'm glad the other Kickstarter backers seem willing to share what they've learned. I don't think I'd have a clue about how to operate the star tracker if I were on my own. 

Since the weather was dismal and we knew the ground would be wet, we decided to take Dawn to a different park today where we wouldn't get muddy. We walked on paved sidewalks today. Dawn was initially excited at all the new things to smell, but she quickly became worried when she realized that she didn't know where she was. It doesn't take much to get Dawn in a panic. Being lost isn't one of her favorite things. She started to freeze in place like she used to do months ago. The only way we could get her back to the car was for Janet to walk out ahead of Dawn and me. Dawn didn't want to let Janet out of her sight, so she followed her back to the car. Everything ended well though. We still went to Andy's for ice cream and by the time we returned to the house, Dawn was a happy camper again.

I still took my long walk today, but this was not an easy one. The temperature was actually colder than when we walked Dawn at sunrise and the wind had picked up a lot. My feet hurt more today as well. Not surprisingly, there weren't a lot of people out on the trails. Even the ducks looked cold today. I've noticed something new in the park recently. The city has installed placards with a QR code on a lot of the park signage. If you scan this code with your phone it will bring up a map that shows you exactly where you are. I have so many questions. Who gets lost in a city park anyway? I can't imagine anyone really getting lost in this park. Even the wooded areas are fairly close to major roads. Even if you did manage to get lost, why would you need a QR code on a stop sign to give you directions? All you have to do is open Google Maps on your phone and it will tell you exactly where you are anyway. There are a ton of these new QR code signs scattered all over the park. Another example of our tax dollars at work, I guess.

Since I didn't really have any plans for today, I watched the latest episode of The Expanse this afternoon. This series certainly doesn't appear to be coming to any conclusion. Maybe they want to keep their options open in case someone wants to continue the series with a Season 7. Everyone says this will be the last season though. We'll see.

I wonder if I'll be able to put the star tracker to good use after I figure it out? There are so many streetlights in our neighborhood that the sky never gets very dark. Our yard has a bright security light as well that is very difficult to shut off since there is no light switch. A sensor on the light automatically turns it on at sunset and off again the next morning. There are a few darker places down in the park, but crime has gotten so bad in the city that I'm definitely not venturing out to a dark and lonely place after sunset with a lot of expensive equipment. I hate reading the local news because it seems like someone gets shot every single day. It almost always happens at night and often involves an unlucky random stranger. No wonder I miss the solitude of the Davis Mountains so much.

Depending on the weather, we'll probably visit the rescue Dalmatians tomorrow. I hear there's a new dog in the program now, so I'd better take my camera. I wish astrophotography was as easy as taking pictures of dogs. I've gotten pretty good at taking pictures of dogs.

Mack is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4397

Another day, another problem. This Polaris star tracker is driving me nuts. I don't think I'm cut out to be a Beta tester. The Polaris unit itself seems very well made. It's the software app on my phone that controls the thing that's full of bugs. I think I may have defective connecting cables as well. Everything works well for a little while and then the app freezes and I have to restart everything and try again. I really got nowhere today. The app kept saying that I didn't have a memory card inserted in my camera. The card was there however and it actually was recording pictures for a while. 

It's very hard to communicate with the Chinese manufacturer and the other Kickstarter backers in the Facebook support group are just as lost as I am. A few seem to be able to track stars and are getting some amazing pictures. I suspect that they are all using the one camera that magically seems to work. I imagine that it is very hard, or almost impossible for the Polaris unit to support hundreds of different cameras.

Dawn seems better today. Her poop is still soft, but it is not a runny liquid anymore. Hopefully, this will clear up soon. Dawn definitely doesn't seem sick and her appetite is still good. She is mad at us now because we are feeding her less until her GI tract seems stable again. She had to go outside several times last night and it was very cold. Luckily, Janet is a light sleeper so she was able to let Dawn outside when she appeared restless. We think Dawn is getting better, but if the diarrhea persists we'll take a fecal sample to the vet to be tested. There's always a chance that she might have giardia.

I stubbornly continue to walk, although I'm beginning to question my own sanity. It just isn't very pleasant to walk on a cold windy day. The wind is worse than the temperature for me. A lot of my route is along the shoreline of the lake and on days like today, the lake effect wind can be pretty bad. It's really hard to dress properly. When the wind stops and the sun comes out, I am hot. When the sun goes behind a cloud and the wind start blowing, I'm freezing. The foot pain is always lurking in the background as well. The pain wasn't bad today. Maybe it was just so cold that my feet went numb.

Janet does her grocery shopping on Friday and she said the store shelves are starting to get empty again. I hope we're not headed back to the dark days of 2020. It seems that way sometimes. I'm tired of panic buying. I'm tired of mandates that create more problems than they solve. If the past two years have proved anything it is that the government is fairly inept at solving these type of problems and that everything in today's society gets so politicized that we lose focus of the real problem. Hey, at least we aren't Australia. Those poor Australians are fucked. What ever happened to Crocodile Dundee and Mad Max? I'm amazed that the Australians don't rebel against their repressive government. Maybe they've looked around at other countries and realize what will happen if they do. Sadly, we've living in an increasingly totalitarian world.

We took the Christmas tree down today. I'll take some of the decorations back to the storage warehouse tomorrow and that will be the end of the holiday season. I kind of liked looking at the Christmas tree in the evenings. The lights were pretty and strangely optimistic. I'm not really a very festive person, but holidays are certainly better than nothing. It's fun to watch dogs open their Christmas gifts too.

I'm making my grocery list for tomorrow. Hopefully, I won't run into the same empty shelves that Janet encountered today. I'm almost certain that prices will be higher. Inflation is not only real, it can be quite dramatic. Janet and I have different items on our respective grocery lists, but the things I buy have gone up in price every single week for several months now. The price of gas keeps getting higher as well. You really have to wonder where this is all going to end?

Misty is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4396

I now have a camera that connects to the star tracker. It's almost identical to a camera I already have, but for some reason this one works. I'm not home free yet, but I'm getting closer. The software for the phone app that controls the camera and tracker is still a little wonky. I don't think this will be a problem. I'm sure the app will have been updated at least five times before I get a chance to use this combo under dark skies. 

I went down to a local camera store after breakfast this morning and tried cameras until I found one that worked. I went through a period when I ordered almost everything online. That's over. Real stores have their advantages. If I ordered online, there's a good chance I would have bought the wrong camera and would have had to send it back. Seeing and touching things before you buy definitely beats reading a bunch of bullet points on a web page. More importantly, after my recent experiences with Fedex I'm not sure I ever want to deal with delivery services again.

Tomorrow I'll see if I can conquer some of the software issues that still remain with the iPhone app. There is already new firmware to install. Maybe that will fix some of the problems I had today. This is still a work in progress, but it definitely gives me something to do. Luckily, I was able to find the camera I needed used. It looks new and has seen very little use, but I was able to get it for basically half price. Hey, it doesn't hurt anything to have one more camera.

I wasn't very surprised that it was cold this morning. The surprising thing was that it never warmed up. I waited until almost noon to take my long walk and it was still only a few degrees above freezing. I worry that Dawn is getting cold. Some dogs love the cold weather but Dawn isn't one of them. I'm with her. I don't like cold weather either. At least I have plenty of warm coats. I still need to order some waterproof Hoka boots. The boots should have really been a higher priority than the camera, but it's always been hard for me to make clothing a priority.

My foot pain was worse today. The humidity was still low, so there goes my humidity theory. It still baffles me why my feet feel different from one day to the next. Logically, things should be a lot more constant. I wear the same shoes and basically walk the same distance every day. My comfort level varies wildly though. I guess I should just be glad for the good days. I'm well aware that this could be a lot worse.

Dawn had diarrhea today. She must have eaten something bad in the yard because she doesn't seem sick and still has a good appetite. We always watch carefully to make sure she doesn't get into anything in the park. Dogs are sneaky though. You think they are just smelling something and then all of the sudden they snarf something down. All of our dogs have had diarrhea at one time of another. Mostly it was because they ate something bad. We'll keep an eye on Dawn. I have a feeling that we might need to take her outside in the middle of the night as well. Brrr. It's going to be very cold tonight.

I'm glad I did a good job of fixing the furnace the other day. This is no time to have a cold house. No time for a cold car either. It was nice to have heated seats and a heated steering wheel while I was driving down to the camera store this morning. I don't think I'll ever really get used to Winter. At least the days are starting to get longer though.

Nellie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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Day 4380 - Winter Solstice

Today is the shortest day of the year. I can't wait for the days to get longer again. I've never been a fan of Winter, so I'll look forward to getting a little more daylight each day, even though there are many cold mornings yet to come. It was near freezing again this morning but the sky was clear and the temperature warmed up rapidly. I wore two coats on our sunrise walk, was able to shed one of these coats when I took my long walk after breakfast, and when when we took Dawn on her second walk later in the afternoon, I only need a very light jacket. A second walk for Dawn has been added to our daily routine on days when Janet is home. Dawn definitely enjoys the extra activity. For an older dog, she has a lot more energy than we initially thought.

My Fedex package has still not been delivered. Absolutely nothing happened today. The package still appears to be sitting at a distribution warehouse in a nearby town. I tried without any success to contact the Fedex case manager investigating my misplaced package and got nowhere. These people are supposed to contact you within 24 hours, but it's been five days now. I would drive over to the distribution center myself and pick up the package if I could, but these facilities are off limits. I have been told several times that I would not be allowed inside. It's all very frustrating. The only good news is that I have finally been able to contact the Chinese manufacturer and they are going to investigate the lost shipment from their end.

I really need to find something to do other than walking and obsessing over lost packages. These days are getting really monotonous. Unfortunately there just isn't much that interests me at the moment. I don't really feel like I'm a part of the space community since my trips to Kennedy Space Center are so infrequent. I envy the local Florida space photographers who seem to be on site almost every single week. I'm not really part of an astronomy community either. I still like to volunteer at McDonald Observatory, but it is a long and tiring drive to West Texas and the observatory only needs me about once a year. There are local astronomy clubs in the area, but I have become reluctant to drive at night. Almost every single day I read about someone randomly getting shot on a Dallas freeway. It is not a good time to be driving around very late at night.

It's too bad I don't enjoy watching TV more. There are more movies available for streaming than I could watch in a lifetime. Unfortunately, very few of them have any interest to me. I did notice that Season Six of The Expanse has started. The first two episodes are already available on Amazon Prime. Even this simple pleasure seems difficult. For some inexplicable reason Amazon Prime movies won't run if you are using Safari. You keep getting an "incompatible plug in" message. I was finally able to access the new season by using Firefox, but quickly discovered that my computer couldn't keep up with the high resolution stream. I eventually discovered how to lower the data transfer rate, but by then it was time for dinner. Oh, well. At least I"ll have something to do tomorrow.

I have to remind myself not to join the fray and start arguing about politics on the blog. It's tempting, but just because everyone else is doing this doesn't mean it is right for me. I do have opinions but I don't think I'm going to be able to convince you to change yours. We have all dug in our heels. I've never seen the country so divided. Sadly, I don't realistically see us coming together on anything important in my lifetime. I find myself increasingly nostalgic about my childhood. The period of time between the end of World War II and the beginning of the Vietnam Way was pretty darn good.

Willow is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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