Day 4153

New census data shows that the Dallas/Fort Worth area had the biggest population growth in the country in 2018. We could overtake Chicago in size in the near future. This seems impossible until I start running my Saturday errands and then I realize that the story is true. The traffic is impossible now. Where did all these cars come from? Many cars have out-of-state plates. I guess I was ahead of the curve when I moved here in the 1970's. Dallas was still a big city then, but life moved at a slower pace. I liked it better then. To be fair, Seattle, the city I moved here from, was a lot better in the 1970's as well. I need a time machine.

Before the pandemic I used to love Cadence Kitchen flash frozen meals. These tasty nitrogen frozen skillet meals quickly disappeared from stores when people started panicking about touching things. The Cadence Kitchen meals weren't packaged. You scooped the amount you wanted from big bins in a display case and put it in your own container. The brand quickly disappeared because of Covid fears, but I saw the exact same meals today in standard frozen food packages under a different brand name. Was this the same product, or did somebody copy the idea. I bought one of my favorites and we had it for dinner tonight. Same name. Different recipe. Janet and I both agreed that this wasn't the same as the original. It didn't taste as fresh and there were too many added spices. I think it was more expensive too. How could a company get away with such a blatant steal? I looked on the Internet and didn't see anything about a licensing agreement or a sale of technology. I guess I don't know much about the food industry.

The ice maker broke in our refrigerator. This is a problem because ice is an important ingredient in my morning smoothie. I guess I'll have to call the appliance repairman again. Major appliances used to last forever. Not any more. I'm always having problems with the washer, dryer, and the refrigerator. We have a dishwasher that has worked pretty well for over twenty years and a microwave that has worked flawlessly for over thirty years. Our newer appliances are the ones that are always causing the problems.

The grocery store I shop at stopped carrying my favorite brand of beer. Last month they stopped carrying my favorite cheese. I hate that modern stores routinely change the merchandise they carry based on the check-out tapes of their customers. They carry more of what customers are buying and less of the things that aren't so popular. I always seem to be the loser in these situations. I could always go to a different store, but this store is convenient. I can't help it that demographics are changing. I know what I like and hate driving all over town to find it.

Maybe this is why I like walking. The lake changes at a much slower pace than the city around it. When I look at the trees and the water I can often fool myself into thinking that things haven't changed at all. The ducks still quack the same. It's all an illusion though. The neighborhoods surrounding the park have changed a lot. The houses are bigger and the lots are smaller. Nobody does their own yard work anymore. You can't walk two blocks without seeing a lawn care truck with a long trailer full of lawnmowers. Everybody seems to be doing well. I guess that's why people are moving here.

I didn't mow the lawn today. I felt tired after my long walk and took a nap instead. Maybe I'll have more energy tomorrow. I  hope so. It's supposed to start to rain again soon.

Daisy is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4132

We watched Prince Phillip's funeral while we were eating breakfast this morning. It felt like the end of an era. Phillip was the last of my Dad's generation. He was one of the very last World War II vets. He certainly was among the last to place any value on dignity and tradition. It was nice to see a nation that still reveres its history and traditions rather than try to tear them down and erase them. The monarchy may be a relic of a bygone era, but so am I. God save the Queen.

Phillip certainly had good taste in cars. This is the first and probably last time I will ever see a Land Rover Defender used as a hearse. They say Phillip chose the Defender because it was practical and unassuming. Of course he had the vehicle custom made to his own specifications and it was probably much more expensive than any ordinary hearse. Royal prerogative I guess. I was amused that at one point during a solemn and silent part of the ceremony all I could hear was the noisy motor of the Defender. I miss my old Defender and I miss the bygone era it represents. What comes next is anybody's guess, but I suspect that it is going to be a dystopian horror show.

It took me several stores to find my favorite beer while I was grocery shopping this morning. I've gotten hooked on small batch craft beers, but unfortunately some of them don't stay on the shelves with any regularity. I hope they are still brewing this beer. I went for years with having any alcohol at all when I had Hepatitis-C, but now having a single beer with dinner each night has become one of my daily pleasures. 

My back is still giving me problems. Janet has had back problems for years and tells me that I have to be patient and continue doing stretching exercises. It's hell getting old. You are supposed to lift things using your knees instead of bending over and lifting with your back. Easier said than done for a person with bad knees. One of my knees is so bad that I can't put much weight on it at all. There is definitely not a spring in my step anymore. If you see an old man shuffling slowly through the park, it is probably me.

I'm not going to let a few aches and pains stop me from walking. I've noticed that the walks don't actually make anything worse, so I'm assuming that staying active is helpful. There are dozens of commercials on TV for products that eliminate the aches and pains of aging. Many of them seem to have terrible side effects. I manage my blood pressure and control my cholesterol and A1C, but that's where the pills stop. If your joints are wearing out, there is going to be some discomfort. I'd rather live with it than get a knee or hip replacement. Eating healthy food and staying active still seems like a good plan to me.

I went and got Chinese take out for dinner again tonight. Why are there so many cars on the road at 6PM? Every time I go out it seems like rush hour. I suspect that this is only going to get worse. I've never seen so many out of state plates on cars. People are moving here in droves from failing cities in other parts of the country. I hate to see all the congestion, but it's still better to live in a successful, vibrant city than in a failing, crumbling one. 

Bella is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4111

I think a lot of people must have moved here during the pandemic. The traffic is horrible now. Every time I go out, I feel like I am driving in Los Angeles. Dallas was never a small town, but it wasn't always this way. I remember when there was a farm with livestock right across from Northpark. Maybe I'm just getting too old for city life. It's getting harder and harder to find anything positive to say about all this congestion. 

Shopping was relatively easy today. I found everything on my list fairly quickly and was home well before noon. I used to think that the pandemic would be over when I started seeing Clorox wipes again. The wipes are everywhere now, so why does it feel like nothing has changed? Even getting vaccinated didn't change much. I still wear a mask whenever I go out. I seldom eat at restaurants anymore. When I pass someone while I'm walking in the park, I make a conscious effort to move way out of the way. I might never go to a large gathering again. I could go on and on. I doubt that this behavior is going to change any time soon. I've never trusted people all that much. Now I have a reason not to trust them.

I do trust dogs, which is why it bothers me that Dawn doesn't seems to like me. Dot and Dash would follow me everywhere, but Dawn still hasn't set foot in the office. The whole room seems off limits to her. We are making a little progress though. When I take a nap on the bed, she no longer leaves the room. She seems content to share the bed with me now, but she won't follow me outside even when I know she wants to go. The only way I can get her to go in the back yard with me is to lead her out on a leash. Dawn is an entirely different dog when Janet is home. She is much more confident and very little seems to bother her. Oh, well. I guess it's just me.

My long walk was a little slow again today. I felt fine, but I could tell after the first 300 yards that I wasn't going to set any records. It's still a mystery why on some days I have a spring in my step and on other days I don't. I used to think my slow days resulted from a lack of sleep, but I've been sleeping well lately. I doubt that any of this even matters. I should just turn off the Fitbit and enjoy the view. On today's walk I noticed that one of the Muscovy ducks and three of the geese were missing. I saw two Monk Parakeets which was strange since these birds usually fly together as a large group. There were lots of people in the park, which was understandable since it was a nice Spring day. For the first time in over a year I saw some of the baseball diamonds in use. School sports have definitely returned. The soccer fields in the park have been in use for quite a while now.

I'm spending way too much time looking at telescopes and other astronomical paraphernalia online. This usually leads to buying things which is probably unwise. I'm never going to spend much time looking at the stars here in Dallas. The light pollution is terrible and I don't feel safe going out at night in the city anyway. This leaves the occasional trip to West Texas, which might actually be all I need. It's too bad I can't just rent the equipment I need the same way I rent a car for these trips. 

I may be forced to do some yard work tomorrow. The yard still looks terrible after our big freeze, and neither of us want to spend the money to hire a lawn service anymore. I guess we need to clean up the place for Dawn. She loves being out in the yard.

Chloe is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1859

It felt like the day before Superbowl Sunday today, but of course it wasn't. The stores were probably just crowded because it was the first weekend after a payday. Everywhere I went, I was greeted with full parking lots and long checkout lines. This congestion is becoming normal and I find it kind of sad. I still prefer the city as it was in 1977 when I initially moved here from Seattle. Truthfully, I'd probably prefer any city as it was in 1977. Technology has advanced a lot in thirty years, but manners and basic civility have actually gone backwards. I don't think many people realize how much more relaxing it was to live in a world without the Internet, smartphones, and a 24-hour news cycle.

A few days ago, I was bundling up in coats and sweaters to cope with sub-freezing temperatures. Today it was 70 degrees outside and I was considering wearing shorts. I don't know how long this unseasonal warmth will last, but people were certainly taking advantage of it today. Joggers and cyclists returned to the park in droves. There were lots of families having picnics while other people were walking their dogs. The park was almost as busy as the grocery store. It was all good though. For the first time in weeks, I didn't have to clean a lot of mud off my boots.

I did have to clean the bedding though. When I let Dot out to pee after I woke up this morning, I discovered that she'd left a little trail of poop pellets that led all the way from the back of the bed to the back door. It wasn't her fault. We've been adding pumpkin to her diet to soften her stools a bit so she doesn't have to strain as much when she squats with her weak back legs. It's difficult to get the recipe just right though. Too little pumpkin and her poop is too hard. Too much pumpkin and it just falls out of her as she's heading for the door to do her business.

I was planning on writing today, but I got sidetracked by weekend chores instead. By the time I'd finished fighting the crowds at the pharmacy, post office, grocery store and bank, I didn't feel like writing anymore. Luckily, you don't need a lot of brainpower to use the washing machine, so I got all the laundry done instead. I suppose I could catch up on writing assignments tomorrow, but I'll probably just wait until Monday. Monday is a holiday. Work holidays are always a good time to catch up on things.

I need to go to the gym tomorrow to spread the soreness equally around my body. Right now, just my right shoulder is sore from all the physical therapy. I like symmetry. Maybe I would feel better if the soreness was spread around equally. Who knows what will happen tomorrow? I don't have a plan yet. The dogs need a bath, but they'd much rather go to the dog park. The weather should be nice for a trip to the dog park, but the last two times we've been, there have been bad encounters with aggressive dogs. I need to take some stuff to the storage warehouse too, but I'd really rather have a long leisurely breakfast with lots of bacon.

Chief is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day