Day 4358

The kennel was still full with holiday boarding dogs, so we didn't get to go see Charlie, Oliver, and Pepper today. We'll see everyone this Sunday though. That's when the first Santa Paws photo event takes place. If we're not too busy, we always try to take Christmas photos of the rescue dogs. I don't think Santa will be holding Charlie in his lap though.

Tomorrow I'll go retrieve the equipment I need from the storage warehouse and make sure it still works. We need to wash and dry the new backdrop to get all the shipping creases out of the cloth. I have a new camera that is in theory much better for pet photography, but I'll probably just use an older camera I've used many times before. I don't like surprises. 

Other than the change of plans for visiting the kennel, there weren't many surprises today. Dawn got her sunrise walk. I had my bowl of shredded wheat and fruit. I waited a bit before taking my long walk. It's amazing how quickly it warms up on a sunny day. It was in the mid 30's when we woke up this morning. By 10 AM it was already in the 50's. I'm beginning to think the Bald Eagles have moved on. I'm in the park so often that I'm almost certain I would have seen them again by now if they were still around. All the other birds aren't going anywhere. I saw the Monk Parakeets, the Canada Geese, the domestic geese, the White Pelicans, the Double-Crested Cormorants, the Muscovy Ducks, along with plenty of coots and Mallards today.

I also saw the oversized Bobcat again. The big cat made me a little nervous since I was the only one around when we crossed paths. The Bobcat had his mind on other things though and wasn't interested in me at all. I worry about people who walk their dog in the park without a leash. This is probably a cat that it wouldn't be wise for a dog to chase.

Since we didn't go to the kennel today, I thought about putting up the Christmas tree. I got sidetracked though and ended up doing nothing. Probably tomorrow would be a good time to do this, since I have to bring some Christmas things back from the storage warehouse anyway. I keep thinking I need to do some serious decluttering at the storage warehouse, but the task always gets postponed because I hate throwing things away. My storage space has become a convenient dumping ground for just about everything.

Janet got a new battery for her car today and hers was even more expensive than mine. Why have car batteries gotten so expensive? I remember changing lots of reasonably priced batteries myself. You just took the old battery out and hooked up the new one. You can't do that anymore. You have to take newer model cars to the dealership so they can reset the car's computer and electrical systems. I don't think my car would even start if I attempted to change the battery myself. Hopefully we both have very reliable batteries now. With the way the world has become lately, you'd really hate to be stranded anywhere in a major city.

I've got to figure out why my new Fitbit keeps trying to access my phone. It's really draining the battery. I've turned off all the notification and update in background settings I can find on the app, but the Fitbit is still determined to connect to the phone whenever it can. The shopping app that lets me bypass the checkout line in the grocery store is a real battery hog too. This app is constantly updated and each new version seems to drain the battery more than the previous one. I'm sure the store has figured out a way to suck all the information out of my phone and use it for marketing purposes as soon as I start shopping. Even though I know they are doing this, it would still be hard to quit using the app. It's a real time saver. I'm not sure what kind of information the Fitbit wants, but I'm sure it wants something. 

Petey is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4348

I did end up seeing the eclipse last night. Yep, I had to pee. When I went outside, the sky was crystal clear and Orion and Sirius were high in the sky. The eclipse was as near totality as it was going to get, taking on a characteristic reddish hue as the moon passed thru the earth's shadow. It was all beautiful and serene. The night was quiet with no barking dogs or police cars racing down the street with their sirens on. For about ten seconds I thought about staying outside and doing some observing. I quickly remembered that almost every house in the neighborhood, including ours, has a bright security light in the yard and that a huge tree blocks our view of the North, making it almost impossible to polar align a telescope. It was also very cold. I took one last look at the moon and then went inside and back to sleep again. I am glad I saw the eclipse though.

This morning when we took Dawn on her sunrise walk, the moon was on the horizon and just about to set. It always looks larger when it is on the horizon for some reason. The sky was still clear and it looked like it was going to be a nice day. All this put me in a slightly better mood than usual. It wasn't dramatic, but it was enough to keep me from wanting to go back to bed again.

I waited for an hour or so after breakfast to take my long walk. I wanted the temperature to warm up a little. I was surprised when a rather large bobcat crossed my path. The cat wasn't interested in me and apparently wasn't frightened of humans. I've seen bobcats in the park before, but never one this large. Too bad I didn't have a camera with me. I was glad that Dawn wasn't with me though. I have no interest in tangling with a bobcat.

Work crews were busy ripping out the old trail when I was walking this morning. I'm still disappointed to see this happening. When we first moved here, the park was neglected and largely abandoned. At some point, a large bond issue passed and the city began making improvements. I liked the old days better. There were a few bikers who used to hang out in the park, but it was mostly empty. It certainly wasn't a recreation destination like it is today.

My feet didn't bother me today and I was able to maintain a fairly good pace on my walk. I kept looking for the two bald eagles, but have no idea when I'll see them again. I guess I should be content with seeing the bobcat today. When I returned home I couldn't think of anything to do. I did a load of wash and ignored a bunch of "suspected spam" calls on the landline. I really need to call AT&T and see if there is a way to block these calls from coming through. There seems to be more bogus calls every day and they are becoming irritating.

The proton pump inhibitor pills I've started taking appear to have cured my heartburn. We had cheeseburgers for dinner and they caused no problem. I've taken a PPI before and they've always worked well. It's too bad these pills can have some nasty side effects. I wonder how long I can get away with taking these things this time. My gastroenterologist says yes and my primary care physician says no.

Hard to believe that it's the weekend again. It's time to go grocery shopping and fill the car with gas. I wonder how much prices have gone up this week?

Jasper is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day