Day 4446

The cold wave continues. We didn't even try to walk Dawn this morning. She hates the cold and we don't want walking to feel like punishment. Dawn is a smart dog. I think she's realized that if she runs out in the back yard first thing in the morning and does her business quickly, she can forget the walk and spend the rest of the day resting on the bed. We were hoping that temperature would warm up enough so that we could all take a walk in the afternoon, but the weather did not cooperate. It stayed cold all day.

I typically channel surf the news channels while I'm eating breakfast and I've just about had enough. There is no such thing as objective news anymore. Everyone has a narrative they are trying to push and they gather just enough plausible information to support their pre-drawn conclusion. It doesn't matter what the subject is. Vaccine mandates, inflation, trucker convoys, January 6, climate change, and even Ukraine. Take your pick. 

There are opposing narratives on just about everything. If you don't agree with something, you just call it fake news. Although most people seem to agree that what is happening in Ukraine is terrible they certainly don't agree on what to do about it. The recommended responses range all the way from doing nothing at all to preemptively starting World War III. I remember a time when the country agreed on the important things. The memories are getting fuzzy though. It's been a long time since we've been able to reach a consensus on anything.

The trouble with pushing a narrative is that it makes it impossible to see the big picture. You only see one side of what is usually a very complex story. People are very poor students of history and they forget that what is happening now has been happening over and over again since the dawn of time. The dawn of time for humans is just a grain of sand in the ocean too. We haven't been around nearly as long as the dinosaurs.   During our short time on this planet we have been constantly fighting with each other. Archeology is basically a study of ancient conquests. The boundaries of every country on earth have been established through countless wars. You can virtue signal all you want but you can't erase the fact that humans are pretty nasty creatures.

I think about things like this while I am walking. Probably even more so while I'm looking at the stars at night. What I see is only a tiny fraction of the know universe. The earth and its inhabitants are almost inconsequential. Humanity is here for a while but our fate will probably be just like the dinosaurs. Something else will replace us. This is why it is so insane to spend so much time fighting. In cosmic terms we are only here for the blink of an eye. Why can't we enjoy and make the most of the short time we've been allotted?

I'll admit that I didn't have a lot of deep thoughts on my walk today. It was so cold that I just concentrated on putting one foot in front of the other. I don't do a lot of sightseeing or even hear much on cold days like this. My parka restricts my hearing and side vision. I'm usually just looking at the trail immediately ahead so that I don't trip on anything. It's still peaceful walking in the woods though. Even the coldest day outside is better than watching the news on TV inside.

After hauling the week's trash out to the curb in the cold last night, the trucks didn't even come to pick it up today. It was this way last week as well. Getting back to normal after Covid is proving to be much more difficult than many people expected. Admittedly, these are first world problems. I'm worried about garbage pickup while on the other side of the world people are wondering if they've got a country left.

Cookie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4313

I recorded my slowest walk ever today. My pace was a full six minutes per mile slower than a normal day. Sadly, I was never that fast to begin with. The main reason I was so slow was that my feet hurt, but my terrible seasonal allergies certainly didn't help. I walked over four miles, but by the time I returned home I could barely move. I don't know whether I need to quit walking for a while, or just start wearing the new Hoka shoes I bought a month ago. I'll try the new shoes first. I'd really hate to give up walking.

One year ago at this time I was out at McDonald Observatory for an astrophotography workshop. I was definitely feeling my age then, but things have gone downhill since that little adventure. The way I feel today, I'm wondering if I can even make another of these long trips out to West Texas. Astrophotography involves a lot of standing and even worse, kneeling in the dark. The terrain is uneven and you need good balance. It's very cold at night too. The drive itself is a nightmare. The past two trips to the observatory were during the height of the pandemic when traffic was lighter. Now that Texans have decided that the pandemic is over, freeway traffic is as bad as it ever was. I've heard horror stories from some of the West Texas locals about I-20. Evidently, there's a lot of road construction now, which makes the long drive even worse.

My motto is to always keep moving, so hopefully I will rebound from my current foot pain setback quickly. If the new shoes don't work, I may have to scale back walking for a while. I can't imagine quitting though. Walking defines my day now. I feel the same way about trips to McDonald Observatory and Kennedy Space Center. There are so few things I really enjoy these days that it would be a crime to give up any of them.

I think the cold wave that everyone's been talking about has finally arrived. The skies cleared today, but the temperatures kept getting cooler. Actually, the only pleasant thing about my long walk this morning was the temperature. It was a little chilly, but not quite jacket weather yet. If my feet didn't hurt so much, it would have been perfect walking weather. I think it's going to be even colder tomorrow. Luckily, there is no more rain in the forecast. I'm glad I cleared the roof of standing water when I did. I doubt that I could even make it up on the roof today.

Janet is trying to help me with my heartburn. She brought home a vegetarian pizza tonight for dinner. It was basically just artichokes, fetta cheese and a few olives on a pizza crust without any of the normal sauce. This isn't going to give me heartburn, but it isn't a pizza either. I told Janet that she ought to keep eating what makes her happy and if I need to fix something else for myself that's fine. We both agreed that an artichoke and fetta pizza wasn't a good idea.

We haven't seen any of the empty store shelves they keep talking about on TV. Gas is more expensive but everything else seems pretty normal. I'm wondering if I should stock up on a few things when I'm grocery shopping tomorrow though. This is probably how panic buying starts. Everyone is just trying to get ahead of the curve. We'll see how the stores look tomorrow. I basically think panic buying is stupid, but I'd hate to run out of toilet paper.

I still keep hoping that Dawn will warm up to me. She adores Janet, but still thinks I'm a kennel attendant.  She's fine when I'm feeding her or walking her on a leash. The rest of the time she gives me the stink eye.

Lucky is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3571

We spent the morning moving dogs around. Jelly Bean needed a distemper booster shot, so we took her to the vet. Jasmine was already at the vet finishing her heartworm treatment, so after Jelly Bean got her shot, we took both dogs back to the kennel. Jelly Bean didn't like riding in the car on the way to the vet. She was just fine on the way back however. The two girls have bonded and feel more secure together. It would be nice if they could find a home together. I think we'll be back at the kennel tomorrow. Someone from Houston wants to look at Sock.

I might have to go back to making my own breakfast on Fridays. Nobody seems to be able to make anything consistently anymore. Even simple things like pancakes and omelets seem to change from week to week. I had my favorite omelet this morning and it was completely different than the same thing two weeks ago. It's frustrating. There was a time when I was able to order the same thing for almost three years and know exactly what I was going to get. Those days are gone. When the chef finally left at this particular restaurant, the whole place folded. Family owned restaurants with a permanent staff are becoming a thing of the past. Turnover seems very high these days. Some places seem to have a completely new staff every time I visit. I shouldn't complain. I wouldn't want to work at a restaurant and I could always stay home.

I keep hearing that a cold wave is on the way, but it never seems to get here. I was expecting rain today, but it was just hot and humid again. It must be raining somewhere in Dallas because I heard thunder around dinnertime. Nothing yet though. As soon as it does rain I'll be complaining about it. I want to live in a place where it is 72 degrees all the time with very low humidity. It would be nice if the place had no snakes, mosquitoes or ticks either.

I wrote the editor of Sky and Telescope today, outlining my future plans to visit observatories. They sounded so positive about my writing when they rejected my initial article that I'm hoping the magazine might be able to help me get access to some places I'd like to visit. This is all going to take a long time. It's hard for someone like me to get access to large telescopes in the first place and then there's the weather. At least I have a bucket list now. Every old person needs a bucket list.

Thoughts of going to rocket launches, large observatories, and dark sky viewing areas have got me interested in buying a van. It's not time for a new car yet, but a Mercedes Sprinter van converted into a camper would be a lot more practical than buying another Land Rover. These vans are small enough to drive in the city and large enough to live in for several weeks at a time. I could go to Boca Chica to watch Space X Starship launches. I could apply to be a Star Party guide at McDonald Observatory and stay on the mountain for several weeks at a time. I could visit places like Joshua Tree and The Badlands to take pictures of the Milky Way. It's something to think about. If I can manage to establish my credentials as a space journalist, I might even get magazines to pay for these trips.

Until then, I'll continue walking around the lake and complaining about my roof. When I'm tired of complaining, I'll go visit the Dalmatians. It's very hard to complain about a Dalmatian.

Jersey is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3247

I closed out my account at the old storage warehouse and said goodbye to the place. I never would have made the deadline without the movers help. I don't know why I thought I could make the move on my own. I didn't even come close. The deed is done though. I hope I won't need to move anything else for a long, long time.

I also hope this cold wave we've been having is over soon. It makes life difficult. It was 27 degrees when we woke up this morning. Dash still needs to go out at night, but he doesn't like the cold. After I let him out to pee last night, he started shivering violently. We went back to bed, but he continued shivering even after I wrapped him in a blanket. It was almost an hour before he was calm again. Tomorrow Dash has another big exam at the cancer center. Hopefully they can tell us what these night tremors are all about. The shivering is almost a nightly occurrence now and it seems to be getting worse.

I'm amazed that Dash still enjoys walking. He does OK if he keeps moving forward, but he stumbles a lot at home and is having trouble getting up on the bed. I wish I could convince Dash to sleep on the floor, but he is very stubborn. It's sad seeing him going downhill like this. He definitely doesn't want to give up, but with each passing day he seems a little slower and weaker.

I got my first payment from an auction house today. This was reassuring. Maybe this whole process is going to work after all. You have to be patient when you are consigning things. I started this journey last June and the final auction won't take place until next June.

I watched another episode of Mars on the National Geographic Channel this afternoon. I wonder who's idea it was to combine a science fiction story with a lot of present day interviews with people like Neil deGrasse Tyson and NASA astronauts? I find the back and forth structure distracting and wish I could watch the story about the 2033 Mars landing all by itself. I've never liked multi-tasking, even if it's just watching a TV show. A simple little adventure is all I want at this point.

The sky was clear today, but there is still rain in the forecast. It's strange that Texas gets all the rain these days and California is in the middle of a multi-year drought. The wildfires in California keep getting worse and worse. The last time I spent time in Northern California I never would have dreamed that one day entire towns like Paradise would end up burning to the ground. I used to live on the West Coast and always thought that Texas was the place with terrible weather. I know I complain a lot, but with every passing year Texas is looking better and better.

The only thing I've got to complain about today is a paper cut on my left index finger. It's hard to type. Otherwise, things are looking good. Dash did well today. My back is feeling better. The roof is drying out. I was even able to get back to sleep after taking Dash outside last night. A few more days like this would be welcome.

Puppies are today's Dalmatians of the Day

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