Day 4212

We took Dawn to the vet today. She had some lab tests done and we came home with some new dog food. We didn't learn anything today, but hopefully when the lab results come back we might find the answer to why Dawn is not eating normally and continues to lick her feet. I'm still thinking that we have a smart and very stubborn dog. She was certainly eager to eat the new wet food we brought home today. Dawn might just be training us. Why are we even worried about a temporary loss of appetite? Well, when our other dogs stopped eating, they usually died. It is not unusual for a dog to get tired of what they are eating. We've had to change a dog's diet many times for a variety of reasons. You've got to take loss of appetite seriously though. Dogs love to eat and when they stop, it could mean that something is seriously wrong.

We got some scattered showers today, but if you blinked you probably missed it. I noticed that the grass was wet several times, but I never actually saw any rain fall. We were able to take Dawn on her morning walk without getting wet and there was no rain while we were at the vet either. I could see a lot of dark clouds when I went to the gym later in the afternoon, but the rain always seemed to be somewhere else. This was all fine by me. I didn't feel like washing the car and I certainly didn't feel like dealing with the roof leak again.

My gym must be offering a special deal on personal trainers because almost everyone seemed to have one today. Maybe it just seemed that way because the gym was fairly empty. I think the city is still on vacation. Everything is open again, but the roads are still surprisingly empty. I wasn't even planning on going to the gym today, but the humidity was oppressively high. This didn't seem like a day to be walking six miles outdoors. As I circled around and around on the small indoor track, I kept watching the trainers pushing the people they were working with to go a little faster or work a little harder. I don't think I could work with a trainer. I can't deal with people telling me what to do, even if it might be in my best interest. It's hard enough for me to go to the gym as it is. If somebody was there pushing me to test my limits and improve myself, I'd probably stop going altogether.

Improving myself is not very high on my agenda these days. I still read articles about astrophotography, but I probably forget most of what I learn because you can't really see stars in Dallas. Setting up my gear and actually taking photographs several times a year out in West Texas probably isn't enough. In theory I could probably find some reasonably dark skies within easy driving distance, but I don't feel comfortable being out at night in the city anymore. Whenever I turn on the local news, the lead story is always about someone being shot late at night. Dallas isn't as bad as Chicago or Philadelphia, but it's a lot, lot worse than Fort Davis or Marfa.

I think that future historians will write about this period of time the same way we currently think about the fall of Rome. We're definitely on a downhill slope and the barbarians are already at the gates. It's such a shame because it didn't have to be this way. When I was growing up there wasn't a single murder in my town during my entire childhood. Parents let their kids roam around town on Halloween without any supervision. Nothing bad happened. It was kind of like growing up in Mayberry on that old Andy Griffith Show. 

Luckily, I'm still pretty confident when the sun is up. If the weather stays cool I'll take my long walk. If it gets hot, I'll go to the gym. Either way, tomorrow will be pretty much the same as today. I'm sure the telescopes will stay inside.

Cisco is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3479 - Independence Day

For the first time in ages Janet and I went and watched the fireworks displays. A succession of dogs that were terrified of fireworks made this impossible in the past. We couldn't take them with us and we didn't want to leave them home alone. Missing the fireworks was no great loss, but it was kind of nice to see them again.

When I took my walks through the park today I was surprised at the lack of crowds. The park used to be packed with people on the Fourth of July. Often you could smell the smoke from dozens of barbecue fires all the way up at our house. Times have changed I guess. There were still some large family picnics but the crowds were nothing like I remember in the past. Actually, Cinco de Mayo celebrations seem to attract more people than Fourth of July celebrations these days.

If you felt like grilling something, today was a good day to do it. It was typical July day with billowing white puffy clouds dotting the sky. Although it was hot, there was a nice breeze and it didn't feel oppressive at all. Some parts of town got a little rain late in the afternoon, but the park stayed dry and no picnics were ruined. We even did a little grilling ourselves. All we cooked were hot dogs, but somehow hot dogs seemed appropriate for the Fourth of July.

Every Fourth of July I am thankful that I am still in one piece. I cringe when I think of all the dangerous things my friends and I did as kids. We would take the powder out of firecrackers and combine it to make bigger explosions. You could buy cherry bombs and M-80s everywhere and it's a miracle that one of us didn't blow off our hands. I remember making cannons out of steel pipe and filling coke cans with sand to use as shells. A couple of M-80's and a heavy rock blocking the end of the pipe would send those cans traveling a long way. We would also put cherry bombs in the center of  full rolls of toilet paper and throw them up in the air. It was great fun, but I still wonder why no parents intervened.

I enjoy petting a dog a lot more than lighting a firecracker these days. Solitude and quiet is preferable to noise. There are still some Independence Days I remember however. In 1976 I remember sailing into Seattle harbor at night after spending the day in Vancouver. The bicentennial was being celebrated and the fireworks overhead were awesome. I remember selling glowsticks to a huge crowd that had gathered in downtown Dallas to watch the fireworks. We were raising money to help the Dalmatians and I don't think anyone in the group would have the nerve to do something like this today. Dallas seemed a lot safer back then. The whole world seemed safer when my young friends and I were tossing cherry bombs around in the late 1950's. Maybe that's why we felt no danger doing very dangerous things.

I think I'll go try out the new neighborhood breakfast restaurant tomorrow morning. It would be nice if this place were good. It's so close and convenient. The rest of the day is up in the air. I need to start getting bids on fixing some things around the house. I hate to spend the money though. I'd rather go to another rocket launch.

Matao is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3426 - Mother's Day

20,000 steps today. I'm doing a pretty good job of staying active although I'm not sure what it all means. I'm going to the gym earlier now, so I have plenty of time to walk. I need to take advantage of days like these because they won't last long. The air seemed free of pollen and the temperature was perfect. The wildflowers are at their peak right now as well. It was a good day to be outside. These long walks give me plenty of time to think, but my mind is usually blank. It's relaxing to turn your mind off and just observe. I count birds. I try to remember the names of flowers. When I hear footsteps behind me, I try to guess whether the person is male or female by the sound of their steps. I'm right about 80% of the time. The landscape changes rapidly in the Spring. Almost every day I see a new variety of flower. Some of the early bloomers are already gone.

There were lots of family gatherings in the park today. I'm sure this was because it was Mother's Day. It's hard to believe that it's been almost thirty years since my Mom passed away. She was younger than I am now. My family memories are really starting to fade. Truthfully, they were never that good to begin with. I remember we had a Boxer named Pepper. We used to take trips to visit national parks in the Summer. I read a lot of books and wanted to be a physicist until I realized there was math involved. I always thought that I had a completely normal childhood until I learned later in life that Mom was manic depressive and had been going though some really rough times while we were growing up. Either my Mom was exceptionally good at hiding things or I was completely oblivious to what was going on around me. I suspect it's the latter. It's probably a good thing that I didn't have a clue back then. If you think you're normal when you are small, you probably wind up normal as an adult.

I experimented with shoes today. I wore one pair of shoes to the gym. Another pair on my first walk. And a third pair on my evening walk. The third pair was surprisingly comfortable. I'd never worn them before. I bought these boots two or three years ago and was planning to use them as dog walking shoes. Then I completely forgot about them. They've just been sitting in a box all this time. The shoes were a little snug, but I think I wore thinner socks back then. All I need to do is buy some thinner hiking socks and I'll be back in business.

I should have mowed the grass and cleared the remaining water off the roof this afternoon. I just didn't feel like it. I spend way too much time fighting a losing battle with this house. Sometimes it's more satisfying to just let your mind wander and count ducks. I'll still have to go up on the roof and mow the grass eventually. Like it or not, my Mom did teach me to be responsible.

This weekend has gone quickly. Janet and I may go visit the rescue dogs again tomorrow. We seem to be welcome at the kennel and the dogs definitely enjoy the attention. In lieu of long range plans, I guess we'll just stick with short range plans for the moment.

Dixie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3170

They've discovered two bats with rabies in our neighborhood. That's a little disconcerting. We haven't had a rabies scare in ages. I don't think I have much to worry about. I rarely see bats in the yard and Dash is current on his rabies shots. He's totally lost interest in going after dead things in the park as well. We never used to have disease scares. Now people worry about getting Leptospirosis from contaminated water in the park. Almost every year there are new reports of someone being diagnosed with West Nile Virus in the area. Now, we've got rabies too. Good grief. We've even had to deal with the Ebola Virus here in Dallas a couple of years ago. I must have led a charmed life as a child. We never worried about anything.

My Dad was a zoologist who studied bats. He used to band them, set them loose in our yard, and see how long it took them to fly back to their caves. We were quite familiar with bats growing up. I don't think the subject of rabies ever came up. I don't think our neighbors were as interested in bats as Dad was. One Summer he released a few that refused to fly home. For the rest of the Summer the bats were a common sight at neighborhood barbecues.

Dash got me up last night, but we made it outside in time. At least I thought we made it outside in time. When he finished his business and we came back inside, I discovered that Janet was changing the bed. Yep. Dash had left another present for us. People ask why I don't use diapers on Dash. They rarely work on large dogs. I don't think they work at all on dogs with mobility issues. Diapers are messy too. It's a lot easier to clean the brick floors.

There are lots of chores I've been postponing. The floors are getting dirty and the grass needs to be mowed. I haven't unclogged the large production printer in a long time. If I was really ambitious, I could try to fix the shower tiles myself. The sheetrock on the living room ceiling needs a lot of attention too. There is an endless list of things that need to be fixed. None of these things appeal to me now. I wonder if this self imposed lethargy will ever change. By the time I finish dealing with all of Dash's many issues, I rarely feel like doing anything else.

I need to do something. Maybe I should apply for that opportunity to go behind the scenes at JPL and watch the InSight Mars landing. Janet will be home with Dash and I could always cancel the trip if his condition got worse. I'm trying to talk myself into doing this, but it's not that easy. I've become very comfortable with being a recluse.

I hope Dash sleeps well tonight. We're off to a good start because he pooped out in the yard this evening. When Dash is able to sleep, I sleep. That's important if I expect to get anything done tomorrow.

Duke is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day