Day 4753

Dawn seemed sad today. I could hear her crying in the bedroom ocassionally. We are getting along fine, but I've never seen a dog so dependent on one person. Dawn is just not the same dog when Janet is not around. It all makes sense if you know Dawn's history. Dawn was attacked by another dog at the rescue kennel and Janet took her home and nursed her back to health. 

I was out of town at the time and Dawn didn't know I was a part of the household until later. I don't think Dawn has ever trusted men. She was born at the puppy mill where she was later used as a breeding dog and was mistreated by the two men who ran the place for her entire life. It is all she has ever known. Dawn could probably put her past behind her if she was a young dog, but she is older and has seen a lot.

We do the best we can. I don't think that Dawn and I will ever be best buddies, but she does depend on me.  I do the best I can to make sure she has nothing to worry about. We do everything very consistently and try to avoid surprises. I have always been very consistent with Dawn and think that it helps to build trust. We eat and go outside at the same times every day. It's probably not great that she wants to spend her day sitting on the bed, but she's peaceful and relaxed there. She will go down to the park with me every morning to smell things and do her business. Hey, it's a start. Given enough time, I might eventually be able to convince her to take a walk. I know she loves to walk when Janet is around.

I continue to take my long walk every day. I just don't feel like going anywhere else. I don't think there will be any year end purchases this year. I just don't feel like buying things this year. The walk has become a placeholder to fill a very long day. If my feet didn't hurt so much, I might walk even longer. Walking is great exercise and it doesn't prevent you from day dreaming. I daydream a lot. I think about future trips I'm planning and cars I'd like to buy. Sometimes I think about articles I'd like to pitch to various magazines. Occasionally I worry about my health, but I still think I'm pretty healthy. I rarely think about doing anything with friends. I'm happy enough by myself.

All the leaves are off the trees now and the grass has turned yellow and dry. The park is actually looking pretty bleak, but there are still plenty of birds to watch. Another female Muscovy duck turned up today, so now there are four of these strange birds. Maybe there will be ducklings this Spring. I have no idea where the eagles went. They don't even seem to be in the area anymore. Maybe that's why all the white pelicans have returned. I saw a ton of white pelicans today. I don't know where the monk parakeets went either. These loud birds were everywhere this summer, but I haven't heard a peep out of them for months.

It's hard to believe what is happening with Southwest Airlines. I almost always fly Southwest and have liked the airline for a long time. It's sad to see them implode like this. All things considered it wasn't even that bad of a storm. It makes you wonder how many other companies are living on the edge of disaster. I don't think our economy is nearly as robust as we'd like to think it is. Look what happened when a little bad weather almost brought down the entire Texas power grid a few years ago. This ongoing uncertainty doesn't bring me any comfort. Much of my future is tied up in the stock market and there has never been anything safe about the stock market. In some ways I'm glad I'm old. The world is doomed, but I think it will probably last another twenty years.

I've taken this weeks's trash out to the curb. There wasn't much trash this week. I guess I don't consume much. I imagine that tomorrow will be very much like today. It's been a very quiet week.

Petey & Greta are the Dalmatians of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4475

Every Saturday I rejoin the world for a little while. I'm not sure I like what I see. The roads are crowded. The shelves at the grocery store seem emptier than they used to be. Gas actually seemed a little less expensive than it was the last time I filled my tank, but there was a line of cars behind me at the pump and you could tell that people wished I would hurry up. 

I don't know why the beer I like is getting harder to find. I bought the last 12 pack in the store today. The ginger ale I like is getting harder to find as well. On the plus side, strawberries are less expensive. They must be back in season again. I'm glad I do this only once a week. I don't enjoy shopping anymore.

Today was even warmer than yesterday. Even our sunrise walk with Dawn was fairly warm. By the time I took my long walk later in the day, the temperature was almost ninety degrees. I took my time, but I was tired. I don't know why I keep doing this. A long nap would have been preferable. I do need the exercise though. Without a long walk today, I probably would have gone back to bed after I finished grocery shopping.

I think I've been approved for the Axiom-1 launch although I haven't received any notification yet. I've started receiving mail from Axiom Space about pre and post launch press opportunities and I don't think I would be on this list if I wasn't approved. Hopefully I will get the official word soon. It's time to start making travel arrangements.

The rescue group is taking part in a shoe drive for charity and Janet keeps asking if I have any shoes to donate. Do I have shoes? I looked today and was amazed at how many shoes I've never even worn. Where did all these shoes come from? I guess I used to like to buy shoes. Many of these shoes are really nice, but I doubt that I will ever wear them. Foot pain has really limited my choice of footwear. I should be able to make a nice donation. If I don't get rid of these things now, I'll have to face the fact that I've become a hoarder. I don't like the idea of being a hoarder, but I do have tendencies in that direction.

Dawn definitely seems friendlier toward me now. Maybe that week we spent together was good for us. I don't think that Dawn will ever be completely comfortable with men, but I'm glad she's finally starting to trust me. The puppy mill dogs must have had a terrible life, because Dawn isn't the only one who has taken a long time to adjust. I think Dawn has finally realized that being a little Diva isn't a bad life. This evening she barked at me to hurry up and fix her dinner even though Janet wasn't home. For Dawn, that's getting pretty bold.

I think the eagles have gone for good. I look for them every day but I haven't seen either of the birds in weeks. Probably losing a nest with eggs in it was a traumatic event. I've noticed that a lot of the pelicans have disappeared as well. It's probably time for them to migrate wherever they go in the Summer. When the pelicans leave the purple martins start to arrive. Now that it is officially Spring, I'll probably start seeing baby ducks soon. I'll never be a birder, but becoming familiar with the birds in the park has made my walks more interesting.

It's time for Dawn's Sunday outing again. I'm really comfortable doing the same things over and over again. It's the new stuff that bothers me. 

Bubba is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4463

Janet left on her vacation today. So far, so good with Dawn. She seems a little nervous and runs to the front door every time she hears a noise, but she did eat her dinner and take her evening meds. She spent most of the day on the bed, but that's what she does anyway. Hopefully she will relax a bit in the days ahead.

The weather wasn't great today, but we were able to give Dawn a nice early morning walk before Janet had to leave for the airport. It remains to be seen whether Dawn will walk with me. She might want to go down to the field behind our house if the weather is nice, but I'm not going to push things if she's reluctant.  It fine if she just wants to sit on the bed and do her business in the back yard. As long as she eats her meals, takes her pills, and gets a good night's sleep, we're good. It would be nice if Dawn can learn to trust me and relax when Janet is away. 

I could tell the weather was headed South when I took my long walk today, but I didn't get wet. The rain didn't start until later in the afternoon. It didn't rain long, but we got quite a downpour. We even got a little hail at some point. Luckily Dawn isn't bothered by storms. I'm the one who freaks out at bad weather. I'm always anticipating the next roof leak. The house is dry so far, but the pumps are still running on the roof.   I don't think we'll sleep well. Dawn will be listening for Janet and I'll be listening for the drip, drip, drip that signals a roof leak.

I was planning to test the new software for the star tracker today, but when the time came I just wasn't in the mood. I did a load of laundry and took my long walk but that was about it. Dawn sat out in the yard with me for a while before the rain started. That's a good sign. The yard is her territory now and she loves to roll in the grass.

I still may get 20,000 steps today. I'm almost there. I probably should have taken a shorter walk though. My feet are really bothering me this week. I wish there were other ways to use up the day, but walking still seems the best. You don't have to think while you walk. You don't have to drive anywhere. Walking is actually a very good form of exercise and if you are a visual person, there's always plenty to see. I wonder what I did before I started taking long walks? Oh, I remember. I was working.

I'm still toying around with getting a new iPhone. There are some deals out there now that look pretty tempting. I love gadgets and a phone is little so it won't take up a lot of space. The office is so full that I don't buy big things anymore. I'm trying to convince myself that I need a better phone camera, but do I really? I doubt it. I hardly ever use the phone I already have.

I start a new routine in the morning. Usually Janet feeds Dawn her breakfast, makes sure she takes her morning meds, and takes her outside to poop and pee. Dawn likes to hang around and eat some of Janet's breakfast too. She loves a boiled egg. I'm not sure how much of this morning routine Dawn will do with me. We'll give it a try though. I'm sure she'll eat but I may have to go back and make the bed while she's eating. Dawn doesn't like to eat if I'm nearby unless Janet is nearby as well.

Humphrey is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3602

I really enjoy the time we spend with the Dalmatians on Mondays. We currently have lots of dogs, so our visit takes most of the afternoon. It is time well spent. The dogs all have distinct personalities now. Some are rambunctious. Others are still shy and timid. Most of the dogs walk well on a leash now. A few have already learned basic commands and will sit, stay, and even lie down. Even the shy dogs have learned to take a treat from your hand. We're making progress.

I wish I knew what makes the shy dogs so fearful. You never really know with a rescue. They probably have a good reason not to trust people. Building trust is one of the reasons we spend so much time with these dogs. They need to learn that life can be good. Happy dogs always have an easier time finding a home. It helps that the kennel staff is so good with these guys. You can tell that they are gaining confidence.

Leftie found his forever home this week and someone is going to adopt Ginny as soon as she finishes her heartworm treatment. It's not surprising that the friendly, affectionate dogs tend to find homes faster than the shy ones. Luckily, shyness is seldom a permanent condition. Many dogs have led a difficult life before they entered the rescue program. It is only natural that they might not immediately trust you. Hopefully our attempts to socialize these guys will help them find the homes they all deserve.

I take a shorter walk on Mondays now. I only walked three miles today but it was nice to get outside. I wonder how long this nice weather will last? It is rare that you can take a walk in the park without feeling either too hot or too cold. Today was one of those days.  We're not getting a lot of Fall color this year, but I need to start taking a good camera with me anyway. There are lots of trees in the park and you never know when you'll see a spectacular splash of red and gold.

It looks like the little circus has finished its run in Dallas. They were starting to take down their tent this morning. I wonder why the performers would choose to spend their life this way. Audiences are small and nobody is getting rich. To each his own I guess. The circus performers would probably wonder why I'm attempting to spend time in a remote part of the Davis Mountains looking at the night sky.

I got a bid to replace the large sliding glass door. Unfortunately, it was not the same type of door and the replacement won't look good with the existing architecture.  Even custom fabricators say they can't duplicate the existing door. Jeez. I need those guys on that "This Old House" show on PBS to come to my house. Ordinary contractors just don't seem well equipped to deal with vintage house problems. So many things in our house just aren't made anymore. Even simple things like cabinet hinges have disappeared over the years. I bought spares for some hard to find items years ago, but when the spare parts start to wear out, you are out of luck.

I'm glad that the dentist was willing to reschedule my appointment so I could visit the dogs today. I'm wondering if it is even worth the effort to replace my retainer. I haven't been wearing one lately and everything seems fine. What do I know though? I seldom question doctors and dentists anymore. I've learned that I get better results by doing what they tell me.

Ginger is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day