Day 4858

The big event of the day was seeing one of the bald eagles again. When we were taking Dawn on her early walk this morning there was an eagle in a tree very near us. I haven't seen the eagles in so long that I honestly thought they were gone. This was the first time Janet had seen them at all. I wish I'd had my camera with me because it would have made a nice picture. 

It was kind of funny that the eagle was only about 500 yeards away from the tree with the baby owls. As usual, there were a group of photographers under the tree photographing the owls. They didn't even realize that there was an eagle, and probably a much better picture, very nearby. I think Janet and I were the only ones who saw the eagle because it flew away shortly after we passed.

The weather continues to be near perfect. I'm used to walking in all types of weather and it's rare to have conditions when it's not too cold or too hot. It's a luxury to be able to take a walk without getting hot and sweaty or wearing a heavy coat. I think Dawn likes this weather too. She loves sitting out in the back yard on days like these. I still get tired by the time I finish my long walk, but this is the best time of year to be out in the park. Everything is green and pretty with an abundance of wildflowers. I forget when the mosquitos start arriving, but I haven't seen or felt any yet. Hopefully this nice Spring weather will morph into a mild Summer. I don't know if I can handle a Texas heat wave anymore.

I need to finish raking the remaining leaves because it's time to set out items for bulky trash pickup again. Maybe I'll do that tomorrow. I thought about raking this afternoon, but I was tired and didn't feel like getting dirty. I tried to get rid of fire ant mounds instead. The fire ants seem to get worse and worse every year. I'm not sure if the fire ant granules I put out even work. One of the mounds I treated last week still had ants in it today. Fire ants are even appearing through cracks in our sidewalks now. It's getting out of hand.

I need to learn more about weather. For the past several days it has been completely clear in the morning. Then around mid-day lots of puffy cumulus clouds develop. Late in the afternoon the clouds disappear and it is clear again. I'm guessing that as the ground heats up, moisture evaporates and forms into clouds. I could be wrong though. These are definitely not rain clouds. They just appear during the warmest part of the day.

Drivers in Dallas keep getting worse and worse. A reckless driver nearly destroyed a recently restored building in the park built by the Civilian Conservation Corp in the 1930's. Yesterday there was a fatality accident near the dam at the southern part of the lake. Today I saw another serious wreck with several wreckers and lots of cops as I was returning home from my walk. People don't even seem to be trying to watch the road anymore. It's one of many reasons I don't like to drive in Dallas.

I've taken this weeks' trash out to the curb, so I guess my week is over. Tomorrow Dawn will wait for hours for Janet to come home with the groceries. I think grocery day is her favorite day. I've just about given up on hearing anything about Viasat-3 press credentials. Still no news today.

Valli is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4839

I hate getting old and forgetful. Today I accidently left my wallet in my pants while I was doing a load of wash and all the paper ID cards inside basicallly disintegrated. Any cards made of plastic were fine, but more things than I thought were made of coated paper. I'm trying to dry this stuff out, but in some cases it's a lost cause. Everything can be replaced, but it's a big hassle and will involve a lot of phone calls. Will I ever do this again? I certainly hope not.

Other than being irrationally fearful, Dawn seems fine now. We've reduced her meds to a minimal dose and will discontinue them entirely in a few days. Dawn seems strong and moves around normally now. The swelling on her neck is gone and her collar fits normally again. If we could just get her to quit shaking her head so much, she might be fine for quite a while. She does have a bulging disc in her neck though, so we need to be careful. Unfortunately it's very hard to tell a Dalmatian to be careful.

I got my grocery shopping done this morning without any problems. I found everything I needed easily and prices seem to have stabilized. The weekend traffic is still horrible, but what else is new? At least the weather was nice today. A beautiful Spring day makes everything a little easier.

Dawn seemed completely normal today, so I felt comfortable leaving her alone in the house while I took my long walk. She wasn't really alone that long because Janet didn't leave the house until I was on my way home. It was easy to get 21,000 steps today because I did a fair amount of walking while I was out grocery shopping. I can't say that I made good time though. I may never make good time on these walks again. My painful feet are really a problem. You've got to keep moving though. I'm convinced that a healthy diet and staying active are the secret to a long life.

The park is really pretty at this time of year. The early wildflowers are in full bloom now and new flowers will be appearing weekly for at least the next month. I keep thinking we're having an early Spring, but really this is just a normal Spring. The flowers always start blooming around this time of year. I wonder if I'll ever see the eagles again? I know they are in the area because the birders have staked out several areas to watch for them. I would never have the patience these guys seem to have. They bring lawn chairs and an array of cameras with long lenses, often waiting for hours for the birds to appear. I just get lucky occasionally when I accidentally happen to be in the right place at the right time.

I had a nice conversation with a neighbor I seldom see while I was out walking today. We both used to play in bands back in the day and chatted about guitars, our dogs, real estate values, and changes in the neighborhood. There have been a lot of changes in the neighborhood. Janet and I have lived here over 35 years and the place has undergone a lot of gentrification. I liked the place a lot better before the park became a popular destination, but I guess you can't stop progress. It's probably a good thing that the neighborhood has become desirable, although I couldn't afford to buy a house here anymore. People definitely aren't trying to escape from this place.

It looks like tomorrow will be another clear Spring day, so Dawn ought to have a nice Sunday outing. I'll go mall walking indoors even though the weather outdoors is just about perfect. Mall walking on Sunday has become part of my regular routine.

Petey is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4837

I attempted to check a few small things off my list today with even smaller results. I called a music store to check on some gear I still have on consignment and discovered that nobody I knew still worked there. The guy who answered the phone said he wasn't familiar with my stuff but that he would look for it and to call him tomorrow. It's probably my fault for not having called the place since before Covid, but I wasn't expecting the gear to be lost. Hopefully they can find this stuff. The synthesizer and mixing board are old and probably obsolete, but they were still working fine when I consigned them three or four years ago. They'll make a great addition to the storage warehouse if they can be found.

I've been wanting to repair my large format printer, so I called the company I used to use and discovered that their printer technician had retired and they no longer service printers. I called a second company that was recommended and they lost their printer technician too. Evidently fewer people repair their printers these days. They just buy new ones because it is often cheaper than the repair. I finally found someone who still works on my type of printer. He seemed knowledgable, but he had bad news. Many parts are no longer available for the printer and the ink has gotten really expensive. A set of eight cartridges costs over $800 these days.Yikes.  Janet says it is stupid to buy a large format printer if all I want to do is print three or four photos. I'm sure she's right, but I always liked that printer. Making huge prints is awesome.

Today was even warmer than yesterday. I can't imagine that we will get any more freezing weather at this point. We will get more rain though and that means I'm going to have to start mowing the grass soon. I'm one of the few people in the neighborhood who still mows his own grass. Just about everyone else uses a lawn service. I've grown to hate these services because they are always around with their loud leaf blowers. The neighborhood just isn't very quiet anymore. One of these days I'll probably have to start using a lawn service myself. It's getting harder and harder to push the mower up the hill in the front yard.

Dawn is almost back to normal. We took her on a longer walk this morning and she did fine. She's getting better at going up and down her step to the bed as well. Her front legs are still a little shaky, but she's definitely getting better. We thought she was well enough to get a bath today, so we took her to our local self bathe place. I still have to ride in the back seat with her to keep her from sliding off the seat, but probably by next week she'll be ready to return to her training class. At least she's clean with trimmed nails again.

Even though I wore shorts, I still got hot on my long walk. It felt like summer this afternoon. I think I saw one of the bald eagles again. It was flying overhead and I didn't get a good look, but I suspect that it was an eagle because there were a number of photographers with long telephoto lenses in the area. There must be some sort of network among birders for eagle sightings because every time I see the eagles I also see photographers. I made terrible time on my walk today, but I'll give myself a pass. I was very tired.

Janet and I are both thinking of getting new phones, but the whole process is frustrating. All the major phone companies seem to get horrible reviews. Nobody seems to like their service provider. I don't want an iPhone 14, but the 12's and 13's seem to be in short supply. I still like a SIM card that can be removed from the phone. My current phone plan has been discontinued and I'm kind of grandfathered in at a ridiculously high rate. I guess there are better plans, but when I read the fine print, there's always something I don't like. Why do I even need a phone? I hardly ever call anyone. I just use the thing to take pictures and check on the weather.

Ariel is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4783

It was a fairly typical Saturday. I did my grocery shopping and continued to be amazed at how expensive everything is getting. I did my walking and was equally amazed at how slow I'm getting. I'm still making an effort though. It seems important to keep moving.

There was a light mist in the air when we took Dawn on her early walk this morning. It never really turned into rain, but my jacket was wet by the time we returned home. Dawn was wet too. I think she would have preferred staying home. I wish everything would dry out. There are still leaves to rake and I don't want the roof leak to reappear. I was thinking of repairing the damaged areas with what remains of my five gallon bucket of Armorflex silicon coating, but the surface needs to be dry before you can apply this stuff. I'm not sure if I can manage to lift the bucket up to the roof either.

I couldn't find shredded wheat at the store today. Hopefully the shelves will be restocked before I run out completely. I have become such a creature of habit that I don't know what I'd do if I'm forced to eat something else for breakfast. At least I found everything else on my list. I was actually very close to the gym this morning, but I came home and walked in the park instead because I didn't want to leave the groceries in the car. I didn't want my week's supply of strawberries to go bad.

I'm beginning to think that the bald eagles have moved somewhere else. I haven't seen them for over a month and I'm out in the park every day. It still seems kind of ironic that the birds would disappear right after the city fenced off several acres of land near their nest. The eagles stay so high in the trees that I don't think they care what is happening on the ground anyway unless it is something they can eat.

No leaks today. The ceiling is stained again though. It's probably not worth bleaching the stains away with more rain on the way, but the task is back on my to-do list. I really need to get serious about hiring a roofing company to replace the roof. I find it very irritating that replacing a roof has become so expensive, but being mad isn't going to stop the leaks. I need to find someone who will give me a twenty year guarantee. In twenty years from now I'm probably not going to be around anyway.

I looked at some of the test pictures I took with the star tracker yesterday and finally discovered where panorama pictures were being saved when I hit the "save to local" button in the Benro app. I thought they were being sent to the camera, but apparently they are being saved on my iPhone instead. This is good to know if I ever get around to actually using the tracker. For now it is just something to test on a slow day.

Hopefully the weather will stay dry for Dawn's Sunday outing tomorrow. Rain or shine, I'll probably go mall walking as well. There will definitely be ice cream.

Molly is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4776

Grocery shopping provides a unique window into what is happening in the world. It isn't pretty. Prices keep increasing. Variety and selection seems to be decreasing. There are a lot more empty shelves than there used to be. Stores like Costco and Sam's Club keep replacing national brands with their own private label brands. Prices are lower on these private label brands, but so is the quality. I suspect that these stores know that price matters a lot more to their customers than quality. You might not notice many changes on a week-to-week basis, but if you keep track of things, you will definitely notice that a lot has changed in a year. I find this all very disappointing. Younger people never experienced better times and nobody listens to older people, so the world just keeps deteriorating.

The sun was already up when we took Dawn on her early walk this morning. That was fine by me. I get my best sleep just before it is time to get up. A few hours of extra sleep is great. I thought I'd start sleeping well again after I returned from Florida, but so far that hasn't been the case. I've had sinus congestion all week and I have to sleep on my back to keep my nose clear. I fall asleep much faster when I sleep on my stomach, but the nasal congestion turns me into a mouth breather and I wake up with a dry mouth in the middle of the night. I don't do well with over-the-counter decongestants, so I just get irritated and wonder how I got this head cold. I felt fine in Florida. Maybe it's just allergies. I could easily be allergic to something in the house.

I didn't accomplish much today. Grocery shopping took longer than usual because the stores were crowded. My walk in the park took longer because I woke up tired and walked slowly. The weather was a lot colder than yesterday. I have trouble deciding what to wear on these walks. If it's a windy day, I freeze down by the shoreline. If the sun pops out from behind a cloud on a calm day, I'm usually too hot. I can either dress for the first part of the walk or the last part. Today I was cold for the first few miles, but was fine on my way home. I noticed today that the city has fenced off a large area near the eagle's nest. Maybe they haven't noticed that the eagles don't seem to be using the nest anymore. It's weird that the city seems to be doing a much better job of protecting the eagles than protecting the people. I still don't feel safe in this park after dark.

I don't know what it's going to take to get me back to the gym. I had the best of intentions today, but after I brought the groceries home, I didn't feel like going out again. I was actually pretty close to the gym when I was out shopping, but I didn't want the food to go bad in the car. Oh, well. The gym isn't going away. One of these days I'll start using it again. For now, it's a lot easier to just easier to open the back door and start walking.

I need to at least make an effort to do something productive tomorrow. I'll go mall walking in the morning, but that's just another way of avoiding things. I used to always have a project I was working on, but most of these projects seem pointless now. I probably just have a bad case of 'been there, done that.' Tax season is right around the corner, so I'll have to start gathering materials for my accountant soon. Working on my upper body strength would be a good project, but so would reading a good book. Starting this blog was a project and look what that got me into. Luckily I have less than a year to go.

Molly is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4757

I took down the Christmas tree today. If memory serves, it will be a long time until the next major holiday. It's usually warm around Christmas here in Dallas. It's easy to get lulled into thinking Winter is over. Then comes February and you realize that you've still got a long way to go until Spring. I'm not a big fan of Winter, but I do like the holiday season. I turn on the Christmas lights every evening and they add a festive tone to our otherwise austere house. 

Food at the grocery store is a lot more interesting during the holidays. I frequently pick up something to eat at the Central Market deli counter and the selections are always much better around Christmas. As I put the tree away, I was glad that Janet, Dawn and I had survived another year. At our age you can't take anything for granted. Hopefully, when it's time to unpack the Christmas decorations again, life will still be treating us well.

We were under a severe weather watch today, but the storms never materialized. It rained for about five minutes right after breakfast and that was it. Maybe people living to the East of us got some bad weather, but I doubt that it was too bad because I've heard nothing on the news. Once I was sure that I wasn't going to get wet, I took my long walk. It was so warm today that I didn't even need a jacket. This is Texas weather at its finest. One week we are freezing and making sure that all our outside faucets are set to drip. The next week I'm wearing shorts and a t-shirt on my daily walks.

I saw both eagles on my walk today. It would have made a great picture, since they were sitting close together on a tree limb near their nest. Later, I saw one of he eagles flying low over the lake. It was probably looking for fish. I didn't see many white pelicans today. I still think they don't like it when the eagles are nearby.

I made pretty good time today, but I didn't set any records. I usually keep a steady pace during my first two miles. I start to slow down a little on the third mile and by the fourth and fifth miles I've slowed down considerably. The last mile is always the hardest because I'm tired and a lot of it is uphill. You'd think I'd be in great shape doing this day after day, but I'm just hanging in there. These long walks are great for my heart and maintaining bone density, but I'm not building any muscle mass. If I want that I'm going to have to work a lot harder and start going to the gym every day.

I seldom watch television, but Janet was cleaning and wanted me out of the way so I started watching a Las Vegas marathon that was already on the bedroom television. I'd never heard of this show even though it starred James Caan, ran for five seasons on NBC, and was apparently fairly popular. I watched two episodes before I became bored and went back to the computer. The show was mildly entertaining, but I just can't watch TV for very long. It still seems strange that I was totally unaware of this big budget show, even though I used to like to go to Las Vegas myself. There are probably a ton of things that I'm totally unaware of.

Tomorrow the holidays are officially over. I need to run some errands and take a few things back to the storage warehouse. I'm sure I'll find time to take another long walk and then start complaining about my feet hurting. Somehow I feel like 2023 is going to look a lot like 2022.

Dash is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4755 - New Year's Eve

Well, 2022 is a wrap. It was a pretty good year all things considered. There were no medical emergencies. Dawn is healthy. Janet and I are healthy. I got to take a few fun trips this year. I'm still writing and I'm still managing to take at least 10,000 steps every day. Hey, today I got 20,000 steps. Not bad at all. I have no big goals anymore, but life has been good. If next year is more or less the same, I'll be happy enough. There's not a lot to prove anymore.

Dawn was excited to take a walk today. I don't think she will ever understand that she could have taken a walk every day last week. Dawn wanted to keep going this morning, so we walked an extra mile. She is happy again, since her world has returned to normal. Instead of our usual weekend breakfast, I fixed french toast this morning. It was a nice change of pace.

My grocery list wasn't large today, but I had to go to several stores. All the stores were crowded and food keeps getting more expensive. It seems strange to me how much simple things like bottled water, cheese, and strawberries have gone up in price. I wonder where this will end. I still believe that everything that goes up must eventually come down, but I've been waiting a long time. I'm glad I had some good years when I was younger, or things would be looking pretty bleak.

When I took my long walk this afternoon, I saw the eagles again. The birders in town must have some kind of secret network where they immediately tell each other whenever the birds are in the area. I've never seen the birds without a large contingent of people with cameras nearby. It only seems to take minutes for a large group to assemble. Most of them have huge telephoto lenses and tripods, so it's not like they were just wandering through the area. When the eagles are gone, the cameras are gone. It's still a mystery how these people find out about the birds so quickly.

It's amazing how quickly the weather changes around here. I've still got freeze covers over all the outdoor faucets, but the temperature got up to 70 degrees this afternoon. That's quite a change in less than a week. I wore shorts on my walk this afternoon and wasn't cold at all.

Dawn is definitely a weird dog. All our other dogs have been scared of the vacuum cleaner. When I vacuumed the bedroom this afternoon, she just sat on the bed like a little diva and looked at me. She wasn't scared at all. Of course when I finished with my chores and sat down on the bed to take a quick nap, Dawn immediately left the room. The fact that I'm more scary than the vacuum cleaner just isn't right.

People are already shooting off fireworks in the neighborhood. Fireworks are another thing that doesn't seem to bother Dawn. She just ignores the noise. I have no interest in fireworks myself. It just seems like a strange way to celebrate. We'll stay up till midnight and ring in the new year with a glass of bubbly. It seems like eons ago when I was always playing at someone's New Year's Eve party when the band was together. I won't be doing that again. It probably won't be that long until we don't even bother to stay up until midnight anymore. The older I get, the more one year starts to seem exactly like the next.

Dot is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4752

It was a quiet day. Dawn and I have our routines down now. She still seems depressed with Janet gone, but she isn't acting fearful anymore. I was able to take a nap with her on the bed today and she didn't even try to leave. We're not doing anything exciting, but we are consistent. I think Dawn knows she's going to be OK.

My cold is just about gone. There is no sore throat anymore and my cough has subsided. Hopefully, this was my Winter cold for the year. There are things I'd like to do this Spring and I'd like to feel well. I'm glad I didn't get too worried about Covid. This didn't feel like Covid at all. Of course I've never had the virus, so how would I know?

Typically I buy something for the business at the end of the year, but I have no desire to buy anything this year. There's nothing I really need. Who am I kidding. I don't have any clients anyway. Maybe I could convince myself that I've transitioned into an aerospace writer if I made any money. I do get published, but it still seems like more of a hobby. I'm just glad there is still something that interests me. So many of my old interests have vanished.

I wish Dawn was interested in taking a walk. She could use the exercise. I'm not going to push things though. Dawn is finally starting to calm down and act normal. That's all we need right now. We can start walking again as soon as Janet gets home. I'm certainly continuing to walk. There isn't much else to do. It was much warmer today and I only needed a light jacket. I was slower today although I didn't feel particularly tired. I talked to a neighbor who said a stray dog had wandered into his yard and decided to stay. He asked if I wanted another dog and then said he was taking the dog to a vet to see if it was chipped. If he can't find the owner, he'll try to get the dog in a rescue program.  I wish him luck. All the rescues in town all full. It's sad how often dogs get dumped in the park. This isn't the first time something like this had happened in the neighborhood.

I haven't seen the two eagles in several weeks. All the pelicans have returned though. I see lots of people with binoculars looking for the eagles now. If they're in the area they are easy to spot. They are very large birds. I keep thinking I ought to take a camera with me in case the eagles return, but I'm not really that interested. I already got some good pictures last year. I don't think I'd make a good birder. Birds are mildly interesting, but I'd still rather take pictures of rockets.

The Waterpik I fixed yesterday doesn't work as well as I'd hoped. It doesn't seem to have as much water pressure as it used to. This seems weird because the pump was never broken. Oh, well. I tried. I may need to buy a new Waterpik anyway. My dentist convinced me that I need to use this contraption every day and I guess I've become a believer.

I thought our Christmas leftovers would last for the rest of the week, but I may need to go to the grocery store tomorrow. I'm really glad that Janet likes to cook. If I had to fend for myself, my diet wouldn't be nearly as healthy. Maybe I'll pick up a bottle of champagne if I'm out tomorrow. New Year's Eve is just around the corner.

Dot & Petey are the Dalmatians 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 4741

Today was busy. There was lots of walking, grocery shopping, and household chores. It was in the mid-30's when we took our early walk with Dawn. That's warm compared to what it's going to be like next week though. An arctic cold front is headed our way with predictions for single digit temperatures. I hope the power grid holds up this year. You definitely don't want a power outage when you are experiencing sub-freezing temperatures.

I got a box of large leaf bags when I was out shopping this morning. This doesn't mean that we are going to rake leaves right away, but it does mean this odious chore is officially on the radar. The stores were crowded today and so were the roads. I think it's going to be this way until Christmas. You can tell that Hanukkah and Christmas are almost here. The stores were filled with holiday food favorites. It's tempting to buy more than you need, but I've finally learned that two people can only eat so much.

Yesterday I was pretty sure I was going to the gym today, but the heavy traffic made me change my mind. When I finished my shopping all I wanted to do was go home. Actually, walking in the park is better exercise than I typically get at the gym. I walk faster for some reason and I definitely walk longer. The weather was definitely brisk this morning but I dressed warmly and I was fine. 

I saw the eagles again today but there are still no White Pelicans. The pelicans started disappearing around the same time the eagles arrived. My theory now is that the eagles drove the pelicans away. Both birds use Sunset Bay to catch fish. You wouldn't think that two eagles could scare one hundred pelicans, but the eagles are fairly ruthless. Most of the local waterfowl seem nervous around them. Truthfully, I know nothing about birds, but this does seem like a plausible theory to me. The White Pelicans have always been here in December before.

I vacuumed, did laundry, and finished a few other small chores this afternoon. Every dog we have had before Dawn was scared of the vacuum cleaner. Dawn could care less. She just sits on the bed and looks at me when I'm vacuuming in the bedroom. Today she even fell asleep. Apparently the noise doesn't bother her at all. Dawn is definitely a weird dog. She ignores things that frighten most dogs and is frightened of things that a normal dog would ignore.

Since it is going to be at or near freezing tomorrow morning I started my car in the driveway and ran it until the engine was warm. I did this last year during freezing weather and it seemed to work. I've had car batteries fail during cold weather before and I don't want to deal with that again. Janet brought home a down comforter for the bed from her storage warehouse. We don't want to deal with a cold weather power outage either. Every time winter weather is headed our way I'm envious of my Florida friends. It was seventy degrees in Titusville this afternoon. There was a rocket launch this evening too.

I'll probably go mall walking tomorrow morning but it all depends on the weather. I'm not even sure my car will start at this point. At least there is no rain or snow in the forecast. One day at a time I guess. Eventually it will be Spring again.

Duke is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4737

We woke up this morning under a tornado warning. Several tornados did touch down in the area, but luckily none were near us. We managed to get Dawn walked before the bad weather arrived. Somehow Dawn always seems to get her walks. I watched the storm arriving on the weather radar as I was eating breakfast. Typically bad storms pass to the North or South of us, but this one looked like it was going to pass directly overhead.

The storm didn't last long, but the rain was quite heavy. It wasn't long before the roof started leaking again. I can't seem to catch a break this year. Every time things are starting to dry out it rains again. It's been too wet to rake leaves or mow the grass for weeks. As soon as the leaks in the roof stop dripping, it rains again and the leaks start all over again. I know this is the rainy season, but this year has been over the top. The continual wet weather is wearing me out. I'm ready to move to the desert. Of course I'm kidding. I'm not ready for any type of big life change. I'm tired and those days are behind me.

The rain was over before noon. I paid some bills while I was waiting for the weather to improve and then I took my long walk. We got lucky here in Dallas. Even though high winds were predicted, I saw no downed trees in the park. Everything looked normal. It was actually a nice day for a walk. The temperature was in the low seventies and the fast moving storm had cleared away some of yesterday's humidity.

I saw both bald eagles today along with a gaggle of geese and all three of the Muscovy ducks. The White Pelicans were gone however. Where did they go? The pelicans always seem to do everything together. I'm sure they'll be back. It's not time to migrate North again. Maybe they just needed a break from all the gawkers watching the eagles.

My feet were bothering me today but I still made pretty good time. All the walking I'm doing is great for my heart but it is doing nothing for building muscle mass. It's a shame because I enjoy walking and don't really enjoy lifting weights at the gym. There's really no substitute for weight training for building muscle mass. I hate that muscle atrophy is a natural part of the aging process. I've been in reasonably good shape my entire life, but age is starting to catch up with me. I've got to work harder now and it's not easy with bad knees and shoulders.

I wrote a letter to my sister this afternoon. I'll take it to the post office tomorrow. I always answer whenever she writes. We've been communicating this way for decades. We never call or visit. We're not a close family and I think we know our limits. 

Dawn was mad that Janet was out doing volunteer work today. My companionship wasn't good enough for her. When I was in the back of the house, she would go out to her dog bed in the kitchen. When I went out to the kitchen to fix myself some lunch, she went back to the bedroom. There are days when I think Dawn is warming up to me. Today wasn't one of them.

Hopefully the weather will be better tomorrow. All this rain is really getting me down. Just a reminder: if you read the real blog at https://john-sealander.blogspot.com instead of the Facebook JPEG facsimile, you can click on the Dalmatian of the Day link and learn more about each dog. You can also click on the picture of the day and enlarge it quite a bit. There is also an index of all the old blog posts. It's a better experience. Oh, well. Just dreaming. If I could train you guys to read the real blog, I wouldn't have to be on Facebook at all.

Cookie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4736

Today was uneventful. When I woke up this morning there was a new leak in the living room. The leak was small and this area has leaked before. Since the rain is over now I thought I had dodged a bullet. No such luck. Water is slow and relentless. Eventually I will find someeone to fix everything, but it won't be easy. I have no problem finding a good plumber. Finding a good HVAC technician is fairly easy too. Good electricians are a little harder to find, but the most ellusive of all are competent carpenters and roofers. I read an article recently about a nationwide carpenter shortage. I believe it is true. Most roofers can't or don't want to deal with damage to the structure underneath the roof. Many don't even want to deal with a flat roof. It's frustrating. I still want to find a group of people like the oncs I see on that "This Old House" show on PBS. I know they're out there but I haven't found them yet.

Today was mostly just walking. We had a nice early morning walk with Dawn and then I took another walk after I ate breakfast and made the bed. The days keep getting shorter. We had to wear our warning lights again this morning. Other dogs in the neighborhood wear lighted LED collars too. I'm learning to recognize the dogs from the colored lights I see in the distance. So far, Dawn is the only dog that wears a green collar.

I saw one of the bald eagles again on my longer walk this morning. I should start bring a camera with me, but I don't really have that much interest. I already took some good pictures of these eagles last year. I definitely don't have the dedication of the photographers who seemingly sit out and wait for them all day. The eagles are just birds. I've taken hundreds of pictures of birds in the park over the years. Pelicans are the most interesting, but I've grown tired of them as well. These day I'd rather take pictures of rockets.

I'm still having problems with my web hosting account. These guys have the world's worst customer service. I'll spend twenty minutes talking with someone I can barely understand and end up accomplishing nothing. I'd move my websites somewhere else, but it is just too much trouble. I really don't even know why I maintain the company website anymore. I'm retired and all it does is serve as a magnet for people trying to sell me something.

I miss seeing the rescue Dalmatians on Mondays. It was always a nice way to spend the afternoon. The temporary kennel the dogs are in now is too far away and I don't think we'd be welcome anyway. We were just lucky with the last kennel. We knew everybody and they had a nice big empty room where we could play with the dogs. In most kennels if there is a big room it is either filled with dogs or used for training.

I don't have any plans for tomorrow. Actually, I don't have any plans for the rest of the year. When my bank account improves I'll start planning another trip to Kennedy Space Center. For now I'm just hoping that the house doesn't fall down around me.

Savannah is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4734

Another wet day. The roof is leaking again and I've had to dry out my shoes several times. Today's heavy rain kind of surprised me, since the day started out normally enough. We had a nice early morning walk with Dawn, ate a big weekend breakfast, and then I did my grocery shopping. I stayed dry the entire time. I even had time to take a long walk in the park before the rain started. I walked pretty slow today and my feet hurt towards the end, but I did manage to see both of our resident bald eagles. All in all it was a pretty good morning even though grocery prices continue to creep upwards.

Everything changed around mid-afternoon when the rain started. It was a heavy driving rain, so I knew the roof was going to leak. I pre-positioned buckets, but I guessed wrong and the leak started in a place where I didn't have a bucket. No problem. That's what towels are for. These leaks are frustrating because there's not much I can do about them at the moment. This is the worst time of year to replace a flat roof. At least the pumps are working today. I need a few more pumps, but they are high wattage gizmos and even two of them running at the same time tends to throw circuit breakers. 

Dawn is really starting to relax. When I took an afternoon nap today, she stayed on the bed with me and didn't appear nervous or alarmed. She still has good day and bad days, but I'm starting to see a real improvement. This is happening just in the nick of time, because Janet will be visiting her family over Christmas and Dawn and I will be alone together for a while. That's always interesting, but somehow we manage.

This evening Janet and I went to the annual Christmas party for Dawn's weekly training class. I haven't been to one of these events since we used to take Dot and Dash to training class quite a few years ago. The party was held in a park event building just down the hill from our house. I offered to drive, but Janet said we should just walk since it was so close. We got a little wet, but there was plenty of time to dry out once we arrived.

It was an enjoyable evening. We had a great dinner with some exceptionally good brisket and then there was a gift exchange. Everyone had a number and when your number was called you could pick from a large pile of wrapped gifts on a table or steal a gift from someone who had picked out a gift previously. After a gift had been stolen twice, it was retired and couldn't be stolen again. The most popular gifts always seems to be dog beds, but dog blankets seem desirable as well. Gift cards are very desirable, but don't turn up all that often. I've you happen to pick a package containing a gift card, you can expect that it will be stolen. There is a name for this kind of humorous gift exchange, but I've forgotten what it is.

Hopefully the weather will be better tomorrow. There is no rain in the forecast anyway. I don't know how I managed to get 23,000 steps today with all the nasty weather. I must have been pretty busy this morning. Tomorrow I'll go mall walking and weather permitting, we'll take Dawn on her Sunday outing. If this sounds like exactly what I did last week, you'd be wrong. Last week I was taking Santa Paws pictures.

Princess is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4731

I have a hard time getting used to Winter in Texas. A few weeks ago it was below freezing. Today the temperature was in the mid-70's. No goose down coats today. I wore shorts and a t-shirt on my walks. It would have been nice if the sun was shining today, but at least it wasn't raining. The sky was grey and looked like it was on the verge of raining all day, but luckily it never did.

We had a nice quiet walk with Dawn this morning. There were very few bicycles to avoid because the roads were wet. There weren't many joggers either which was surprising. It seemed like a good day for a run. One problem with days like this is that our shoes get muddy. We have a system for cleaning them but Dawn gets impatient with us. She's ready to go inside and eat some more as soon as we return home.

I continued changing old passwords today. Some of my oldest passwords were so simple that anyone could figure them out. I discovered that I'd reused many of these passwords as well. You can't do that these days. Implementing more secure passwords made me nostalgic for the days when the Internet was innocent and simple. These days it seems more of an adversary than a friend.

I continue walking in the park because I don't like fighting all the Christmas traffic on the way to the gym. At least a walk in the park creates an illusion of peace and tranquility. I saw both eagles today. They were sitting in their nest. I wonder why eagles love to build nests in dead trees. The eagles I see in Florida do the same thing. A rotten dead tree got Nick and Nora in trouble last year and they lost their nest. Hopefully they will have better luck this year.

I keep wondering why five of the domestic geese that live near Sunset Bay have disappeared. I keep thinking that someone captured them and took them home to eat. Something like this wouldn't really surprise me at all. There has to be a reason for all the "no trapping or poaching" signs I see along the shoreline. 

There is a rare occultation of Mars and the Moon happening right now. I'd been hoping to see this, but it's quite cloudy outside. I keep going out in the back yard, hoping for a break in the clouds. No such luck. Occasionally I'll see a faint glow through the clouds where the moon is supposed to be, but mostly I see nothing. The sky is really overcast tonight. My luck with astronomical events isn't very good. This definitely isn't the first time that bad weather has prevented me from seeing something interesting in the night sky.

There is another firmware update available for the star tracker but I didn't feel like bothering with it today. The day was dismal and I didn't feel like doing much of anything. Dawn was in a better mood than me and  actually did pretty well in her training class this evening. Maybe we'll see the sun tomorrow. I certainly hope so.

Humphrey is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4726

I would have preferred to sleep in this morning, but Dawn and Janet were ready to walk. Did it rain last night? The ground was very wet even though I don't remember it raining. There was a light mist in the air and my coat was damp by the time we returned home. Dawn had a good walk though. We took our lights this morning because we got started early, but we didn't need heavy coats. It was surprisingly warm today.

After breakfast I installed the latest firmware on the star tracker and tested everything to make sure it still worked. This took about an hour. I must have upgraded the firmware on this tracker at least a dozen times by now. There have been quite a few changes to the software app that controls the tracker as well. After many hours of testing, I've still only used this thing out in the field once. I guess it was a good purchase though. It has kept me occupied for many hours and I suspect that I've learned a lot along the way. One thing I've learned is that I'm not quite as interested in astronomy as I thought I was. The night sky is fascinating, but I'd really rather stay inside at night.

I changed my eye doctor appointment because it turned out to be on the same day I need to take Janet to and from dental surgery. When they asked when I'd like to reschedule, I felt like saying how about several years from now. I know my eye doctor is going to want to do cataract surgery and I'm not ready yet. Somehow it really bothers me that I won't be able to quickly change focus between near and far objects anymore. The artificial lens is just a simple fixed focus lens usually optimized for distance viewing.

It was fairly warm by the time I took my long walk, but it was not a nice day. It's been grey and gloomy all day. There were lots of people with cameras and binoculars when I passed the eagle's nest. I thought it was funny that the three Muscovy ducks were wandering through all the gawkers and being totally ignored. I'm sure the ducks thought the people were there to feed them and they looked pissed. "Hey, what about us," they seemed to be saying.

Construction continues on the world's most elaborate stone gates. I would have liked to be a fly on the wall at the meeting where the city approved these five gates. I'm still not sure what their purpose is, but there had to be a less expensive way to accomplish the park department's goals.

I think I've got my equipment ready for the first Santa Paws photo shoot tomorrow morning. I always take an extra camera body and a spare strobe light and power supply in case something breaks. Likely the only thing that is going to break is me. I'm getting too old for this. Dogs are small and I'm down on my knees a lot trying to get the best angle. I'm sure I've already mentioned that my knees are terrible. Last year I brought a cane to one of the photo shoots, but it didn't help much. Oh, well. This event is a good fund raiser for the dogs. I don't really do enough to help the rescue Dalmatians.

I can postpone my weekly grocery shopping, but I'm not sure how I'm going to get my steps tomorrow. Santa Paws days are long. Did I manage to get 10,000 steps last year? I don't even remember. 

Gretta is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4725

Another cold and largely uneventful day. We slept in this morning so we didn't need flashlights and lighted collars on our early walk today. I would have preferred warmer weather, but it was actually a pretty nice day.

The leaks have stopped, but I think I'm going to be nervous about rain for the rest of the winter. The trouble with cold weather is that standing water on the roof never evaporates. I'm reluctant to continue climbing up on the roof to sweep the water away as well. The older I get, the clumsier I get. I really don't want to fall off the roof.

My one errand of the day was a trip to the bank. Something spooked Dawn just before I left, and I had trouble getting her back to the bedroom. This is her safe space. One of our earlier Dalmatians jumped through the living room window and cut himself badly trying to get a squirrel. A dog waiting for your return at the front door can always get out as well. I just don't like to take chances. Dawn is always gated in the bedroom before I leave the house. I lured her back to the bedroom with a few treats and was on my way.

Later, when I took my long walk, Dawn had no interest in leaving the bedroom. These walks are getting boring, but I generally still prefer them to going to the gym. Lots of people are looking for the eagles now that the location of the nest is known. I've been seeing them at least once a week lately. I still need to remember to take a better camera with me. You never know when they are going to be nearby.

Everyone is putting up their Christmas lights this week. White seems to be the popular color this year. I see very few colored lights. One family down the street from us went all out this year. They hired a crane to hang lights on their three story house. We've never put lights on the house. We're lucky just to get the tree up.

I didn't upgrade the star tracker after all today. It just seemed like too much trouble. I decided to watch Good Night Oppy on Amazon Prime instead. This documentary about the Spirit and Opportunity Mars rovers was quite good. I remember watching the landings on my computer. It definitely doesn't feel like eighteen years ago. I've met several people who work at the Jet Propulsion Lab. They all loved their work. The tradition of passing peanuts around for luck before a launch is real. When I was out at Vandenberg Air Force Base in 2015 to watch the SMAP launch, a group of JPL scientists who were nearby passed me a jar of peanuts and explained the tradition to me. The peanuts didn't work well that time because the satellite's radar unit stopped transmitting about three months after launch.

This week has gone quickly. I've already taken this week's trash out to the curb. We'll be doing Santa Paws  pictures this weekend, so I need to make sure my cameras and strobe lights are ready tomorrow. Hopefully nothing breaks and we have good weather for the events.

Jada is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4724

It's hard to get used to this weather. It was a beautiful day but was very cold. I guess I'd better get used to this. It's Winter now. We bundled up and took Dawn on another early walk in the dark. Mars was very bright in the early morning sky. The planet is nearing opposition now and won't be this bright again until 2033. Dawn wasn't very interest in the sky, but was very serious about smelling things this morning. I was just glad to return to a warm house.

After breakfast I wrote a letter to my sister because I knew I would be passing the post office later in the morning on the way to pick up a prescription. I don't like to drive anymore and try to combine errands whenever I can. After all these years I have never left letters in our mailbox for the postman to pick up. Somehow I have no faith that these letters would get delivered. I always have to drop the letter in a slot at the post office myself.

I don't understand drug prices at all. I still get a much better deal using GoodRx than using my Medicare Part D plan. Today's choice was $17 on GoodRx vs $65 on my supplemental insurance. Lord knows how much this prescription would cost if I was just paying retail. When I asked the pharmacist how this all works, she didn't know either. She said she'll always give me the lowest price available though.

I waited for it to warm up before I took my long walk. Maybe it got a little warmer but it still felt very cold when I left the house. I tried a different coat when I walked today. I'd almost forgotten that I have several goose down jackets. This one was a little warmer but the hood didn't fit as snugly. I continue to be amazed when I see men running on the trails wearing shorts and no shirt in this kind of weather. I dress like I'm on an expedition to the South Pole.

I saw one of the eagles again today. This time it was in flight. The pair of eagles is definitely here for the Winter. The nest continues to get bigger. Maybe there will be eaglets in the nest next Spring. I need to start taking a camera with me. I have a little compact camera with a long telephoto lens. The lens retracts when it is not in use and the camera is pretty easy to carry while walking. Right now all I bring with me on my walks is my phone and the nest is too far away to get a good picture.

I tried to contact a contractor who was too busy for me last Fall. There are so many problems with the house that I really need to do something. I keep hoping to find someone like those people you see on that This Old House program on PBS. Craftsmen like this are hard to find though. It's easy to find someone to remodel your kitchen or bathroom. A lot harder to find someone to do quality restoration work on mid-fifties architecture.

Dawn didn't go to her dog training class this evening. It was just too cold. Dawn didn't seem to mind napping on the bed instead. She's a smart dog. I noticed today that there is new firmware available for the star tracker. That will give me something to do tomorrow. One of these days I might actually go outside at night and use the thing. Maybe I'll wait till Spring though. I really don't like this cold weather.

Belle is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day