Day 4024

It was cold and wet today. Dawn was smart. She quickly went outside and did her business after we woke up and then didn't want to leave the house for the rest of the day. I foolishly thought I could take advantage of a break in the weather and get some steps in. It didn't take long for the rain to start again and I ended up getting wet after I finished my first mile. Janet was smarter. She went to the gym to get her exercise.

Nothing gives you cabin fever like a cold all day rain. I made sure the pumps on the roof were working, but there were very few projects I felt like starting today. After drying my wet clothes, finishing my morning smoothie and wasting as much time as I could on the computer, I eventually became so bored that I decided to go to the grocery store in the rain. I would have waited until tomorrow, but it is supposed to rain all day tomorrow too.

I was surprised at how much traffic there was on this cold dismal day. Were all these other people bored like me or did they actually have important things to do? I got the things I needed and came home again. Of course I had to wash the car because I can't stand a muddy car.

I think the dehumidifier company sent me a factory second. The unit seems to work fine, but it makes a strange rattling noise that sounds like something is loose inside. The other dehumidifiers never made this noise. There is something strange about the mechanism that shuts the unit off when the tank is full as well. It doesn't seem to be connected to anything electrically, so I don't know how it can turn the unit off after the water bucket becomes full. How do I test this thing without flooding the house? For now, I'm just turning it off at night. Better safe than sorry. I hate to complain to the manufacturer because they did give me this thing for free.

I hate the fact that the virus appears to be getting worse even though many states are completely shut down. When is this thing going to end? I'm really hesitant to travel now. It would probably be foolish to go anywhere. So much for following rocket launches for a while. I keep reading that hospitals in Dallas are filling up again, but I still don't know anyone in town who had become sick. It's all very strange. It's easy to become paranoid when you turn on the news. There's always a story about some young, healthy athlete who got the virus and died a few days later. I try to stay safe, but part of me thinks that everyone is going to get this virus eventually.

I've started following a few astrophotography groups on the Internet. It's become pretty apparent that this is all about accumulating as much gear as you can and then trying to figure out how to hook it all together. There is a lot more talk about gadgets on these groups than about objects in the sky. It was pretty much the same when I collected watches or even model trains. Time will tell whether I have the patience to take hundreds of pictures of the same object, call the resulting photographs "data," and then meticulously stack them all together along with dark, flat, and bias frames to produce an image that would be impossible to see with your eye. I love looking at the night sky, but I also like getting a good night's sleep and am not a terribly patient person.

I'm not looking forward to tomorrow. Every forecast I've looked at says there's a 100% chance of rain for most of the day. The best thing about tomorrow is that 2020 will be over. Let's hope that 2021 turns out a little better.

Penny is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4022

We found a couple of ticks on Dawn while she was sitting on the bed this morning. Since the last thing you want is ticks in your bed, we washed all the bedding. It takes quite a few loads to wash the sheets, the blankets, the comforter, and whatever else was on the bed at the time. We did take Dawn outside and brushed her too but didn't find any additional ticks. When I remade the bed later in the day, I realized that it was a lot harder to put on a fitted sheet than it used to be. My shoulder has really gotten worse. It's not so easy to lift up the mattress and tuck everything in anymore.

We've quit taking a walk before breakfast. With very little evidence to back up our decision, we decided that it's going to be easier to walk Dawn later in the day when it is warmer. It didn't actually get warmer today, but that wasn't our fault. Dawn did well today. We took an old familiar route and she only froze once for a very short amount of time. For the most part, she was back to her old self today. Maybe Dawn knows what happened yesterday, but she sure isn't talking.

It's still hard to remember what day it is. We started getting mail again today and I fixed a smoothie for breakfast. It must be Monday. It was a good thing we walked Dawn when we did, because the sky kept getting darker as the day progressed. It wasn't supposed to rain until tomorrow, but I should have known better than to trust the forecast. It started raining right about when I was getting ready to take my afternoon walk.

Since I couldn't walk and I'd already finished cleaning all the bedding, I decided up upgrade the firmware on my new camera. I'm always a bit apprehensive about upgrading firmware on electronic equipment. There were all sorts of warnings in the camera's instruction book that if you didn't follow the instructions for firmware upgrades exactly, there was a good chance that you could brick your camera. Hey, nothing ventured, nothing gained. The entire procedure took about fifteen minutes and I kept thinking that something might go wrong the entire time. If the Internet went out during the procedure you bricked the camera. If the power went out, same thing. Japanese camera companies don't always do a great job of translating their manuals into English either. The instructions I was supposed to follow to the letter weren't entirely clear. The upgrade went smoothly though, even if it did take a long time. I now have a camera that will do even more things that I will probably never find a use for.

I've decided that it wouldn't be smart to go out to the Jet Propulsion Laboratory for the Perseverance landing in February. The situation in California keeps getting worse and worse. To get to JPL, I'd have to fly into Los Angeles which seems to be leading the nation in new virus cases. Hospitals are full. The city seems to be in full lockdown. Oh, well. Space adventures can wait. I"m sure there will be something else the magazine might be interested in later. With the way things are going, I doubt that I'd be welcome at JPL anyway.

I really need to remember to take out the trash tomorrow evening. The trucks come by on Wednesday morning during the holidays. I forgot about the holiday schedule last week and the trash is stacking up. Maybe this is why Facebook finds my blog offensive. I'm always talking trash.

Petey and Dot are Dalmatians of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3989

I think Dallas has decided the coronavirus is over. People cetainly weren't sheltering in place today. There were traffic jams everywhere and the stores were packed. I had to pick up some last minute items for tomorrow's Thanksgiving dinner and it seemed like the entire town had the same idea. The grocery store that I went to was so crowded that I had trouble moving from one aisle to the next. I got what I needed though. Janet and I will have a nice Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow.

The storm last night was intense, but it was over very quickly. The thin line of storms passed through town at about 50 miles and hour and within fifteen minutes it was all over. We got a lot of rain within a short amount of time and there were some momentary high winds, but we didn't have any damage. One thing we learned was that Dawn does very well during a storm. We all sat together in our pitiful little hallway "safe space" during the worst of the storm and Dawn was completely calm. She just lay down between us and waited until the coast was clear. Petey and Dash would have totally lost it and Dot wouldn't have done that well either. A lot of our former dogs have had severe storm phobias, but Dawn just takes the weather in stride. I think she's more fearful of men than she is of tornadoes.

I succumbed to temptation and got the camera. There was no real justification for this purchase, but I knew that six months from now when the camera was full price again, I would be kicking myself for not getting it when it was on sale. I have plenty of cameras, but this is something I will definitely use. There are several innovative features that will be very useful the next time I find myself at Kennedy Space Center. My next attempt at astrophotography might benefit from this camera as well. At any rate, the deed is done. Now I have to read the instruction manual and learn how to use this thing.

I got a reminder call about my eye exam on Monday. Once you see a doctor about anything, they make sure that you'll continue seeing them forever. My vision is still good, although I need readers now for close up work. My vision would probably be even better if I hadn't spent so many years staring at a computer screen. The eye doctor says that I am slowly developing cataracts, but I can't notice any changes yet. Eventually, I'll have to deal with this, but cataract surgery is still way off in the future as far as I'm concerned. My distance vision is still 20/20 and I want to keep it that way. Good vision is important to almost everything I do. Hopefully the eye doctor won't throw me a curve on Monday.

We had a really nice walk this morning. Last night's storm seemed to have cleared the air and I didn't have any allergy problems at all. Lately it's been a little chilly when we leave the house, but we warm up quickly. Dawn loves the cool Fall weather and has been eager to walk these days. There are days when it's hard to get her out of bed, but today she was waiting at the door for us. It's nice to see her back to her old self. That seizure last month really had us worried.

I hope that tomorrow's celebrations don't cause a big virus spike. I'm tired of listening to pundits attempt to pin the blame for all this on somebody. If there is a huge spike, we'll never hear the end of it. Have a nice Thanksgiving. Eat too much and watch footfall afterwards. Just don't sit grandma right next to your college age kids at the table.

Dot is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3970

When some days draw to a close, I wonder if I've done anything at all. Today was slow, even by my own lax standards. I must have done something, but nothing comes to mind. Dawn seems to have adjusted to the time change quicker than I thought she would. She's content to sleep in until we get up now and doesn't demand her dinner at 4 PM anymore. We walk in the daylight now, even though the days are still getting shorter. The weather remains pleasant and we are finally starting to see some Fall color in the park. A lot of trees just turned brown this year, but there are patches of reds and yellows. You'd never mistake this place for Vermont, but it's starting to look pretty outside.

My watch said that my heartbeat was dangerously low last night. I guess 40 beats per minute is pretty low. I think this was a mistake, but I didn't even know that the Apple Watch warned you about this type of thing. The watch has also warned me about falls where I have never fallen. Are you OK it asks me? This all seems a little overprotective to me. It makes me wonder what else the watch is keeping an eye on. I just hope that it doesn't call an ambulance for me while I'm sleeping some night.

The company I ordered the N-95 masks from told me that shipping is taking  from ten to fifteen days because of hight demand. What did I pay for expedited shipping for? Ten to fifteen days was the time listed on the web site for regular shipping. I wonder why shipping takes so long when Amazon can send you almost anything in two days or less? I have a feeling that these masks will arrive the day after I leave for Florida. That's always the way these things work.

I got a notice that some events prior to the Crew-1 launch may be canceled due to tropical storm Eta. I wonder why they even plan launches when the weather looks bad. It happens again and again though. Sometimes they'll wait right up to a few minutes before liftoff to scrub the launch when it is clear that the weather isn't improving. I guess you have to be optimistic in Florida. I don't think I've ever been there when there hasn't been at least a little rain during the day. I hope the storm has either dissipated or moved on by launch day. I'd really hate to make this trip for nothing. It's kind of late in the season for a storm like this to appear, but then it is 2020. Anything can happen in a year like this.

I think I'll get a haircut tomorrow. It doesn't seem like that long since my last haircut, but it does look like I need one. All the virus restrictions have distorted my sense of time. I've really only had one haircut since last March. Maybe it is time. I always seem to wear better clothes and look more presentable when I travel. It's a shame that appearances don't seem to matter the rest of the time. Retirement and virus restrictions can definitely change your perspective on things. I'm amazed that I even get dressed some days.

It's grocery shopping time again. I finally found Clorox wipes but now they say that disinfecting wipes and toilet paper will soon be in short supply. Do I stock up and start hoarding again? Who knows. This whole year seems like groundhog day. The same things keep happening over and over. I always thought I liked consistency, but I'm not so sure about consistent chaos. 

Spot is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3967 - Election Day

Good grief. There's a bird flying around inside my office. How the hell did a bird get inside the house? Janet didn't want Dawn to notice the bird, so she shut the door to the office, leaving me inside to deal the bird. How do you reason with a bird? I opened as many windows as I could, but the bird wasn't very smart. It kept flying into walls and knocking things off shelves instead. Eventually, it flew into a bathroom adjacent to the office and sat on my electric toothbrush. It also started pooping. I opened the one bathroom window that wasn't jammed shut and closed the door. You'd think the bird would immediately fly out the window, but it took quite a while. I was afraid that when I opened the door again there would be a possum sitting in the bathroom with the bird. Everything ended well when the bird finally discovered the window and flew away. I still have no idea how it got inside the house.

Today's big event was a routine doctor's appointment. If you ever see a doctor for anything, they'll want to see you again and again on an annual basis. If they prescribed medication for you,  you basically have to see them again to get your prescription renewed. It's interesting how doctors choose to deal with the coronavirus. Some continue to operate more or less normally, while others tend to look at patients like they just arrived from Chernobyl. This clinic ran a tight ship. You had to check-in online before your visit. A nurse took your temperature and asked you a bunch of questions before they let you in the front door. There was only one person in the lobby at a time. I don't know how they scheduled this, but they did a pretty good job. I wore one of my Chinese KN-95 masks and imagined wearing the thing on a three hour flight to Florida. These are the same masks I see a lot of doctors and pharmacists wear, but they are hard to breathe through. I hope the genuine 3-M N-95 masks I ordered are better.

You'd never know it was election day. There are several polling sites in our neighborhood, but I didn't see any lines anywhere. Early voting is popular in Texas and I have a feeling that most people have already voted. I voted, but I won't be staying up late to watch the results. Somebody is going to win and I will adjust accordingly. I've seen plenty of bad presidents in my lifetime and somehow life goes on. Those of you who think the world is going to end if your candidate doesn't win are probably wrong. The world will end, but it will be something you never even thought of that seals our fate.

I can't remember a nicer Fall. We've been having beautiful weather this year. There have been a few rainy day, but mostly it's been clear skies with temperatures in the 60's and 70's. I can see why Dawn likes this weather. I'm kind of enjoying being outdoors myself. I should have mowed the grass today, but it's getting harder and harder to complete more than one task per day. With two long walks, leisurely meals, and a blog to write there isn't a lot of time for anything else.

If I don't hear from NASA soon, I'm going to have to make my reservations anyway. I'm trying to avoid this, because it almost guarantees that I'll have to change them later. I'm still excited to be attending a launch again, but Covid restrictions take a lot of the fun away. There are so many things that I did on previous trips that are off the table now. I'm sure the article I end up writing for SpaceFlight Magazine will be as much about the virus as about the launch. That's just the world we live in now. 

I need to go look for a dehumidifier tomorrow. I'll probably end up ordering something online, but I like to see what I'm ordering. I might go looking for a new carry-on bag too. I've got to streamline how I go through TSA checkpoints. It takes too long now to open up my bags for these guys. The only thing I know for sure is that we'll be walking with Dawn tomorrow morning. I sure hope only one bird got in the house. I'd hate to wake up and find another bird flying around in the dark tonight. Oh, well. At least it wasn't a bat that got into the house.

Puppies are today's Dalmatians of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3957

Dawn loves cold weather. She was eager to walk this morning and we ended up completing our full five miles for the first time in quite a while. If she continues to act this way, I'm going to really need to find some better shoes. My feet were killing me by the time we returned home. Even though I have my share of aches and pains, it was a very nice walk this morning. We're having an exceptionally nice Fall this year. 

My grocery list was small this week and I had no problems finding everything. I saw disinfecting wipes on the shelves for the first time in quite a while, but they weren't the brand I like so I didn't get any. Even though the infection rate is going up again, I refuse to succumb to panic buying. Been there, done that. We've still got some of the stuff we bought last April.

Dawn is acting weird again. Janet was gone this afternoon, and when it came time to fix Dawn's dinner, she refused to leave the bedroom. I could tell she was hungry and she knew I was fixing her dinner, but she wouldn't get off the bed. I tried staying in the office for a while, but that didn't work. When I went outside to check the mail, Dawn finally ventured into the kitchen. As soon as I came back inside the house though, she ran back into the bedroom and abandoned her food. I had to go pick up take-out for dinner anyway, so I left the house again. I guess she ate as soon as I was gone. Janet said her bowl was empty when she returned. Clearly, the breeders who owned Dawn previously punished her for doing things that Janet and I consider normal. It's sad. We hope she will eventually forget her past life.

I'd like to forget this entire year. It's pretty clear to me that we are going to be just as divided after the election as we are now. The virus isn't going away any time soon. When a vaccine finally does appear, a sizable percentage of the population will refuse to take it. That's how we are. A lot of jobs that were lost in the pandemic will never come back. Business has discovered that they can operate even more efficiently without a bunch of pesky workers. It has become a very weird world. Many companies are making record profits at the same time most of us have discovered we are non-essential. Everyone is upset about the wrong things and nobody is looking at the big picture.

Every Saturday I think about going back to the gym. I wonder why I am still reluctant to go when I have just completed a 1500 mile trip to and from West Texas. I'm still planning to attend the Crew-1 launch in Florida next month as well. Clearly I am not thinking rationally. A workout at a gym owned by a major hospital is probably a lot safer than a Southwest Airlines flight to Orlando. Maybe going to the gym was never really a high priority of mine. I'm sure that's why the virus is still with us. We all have our own priorities. For me it might be rocket launches. For you it might be weddings and family gatherings. Thanksgiving is going to cause a big spike in infections, but it won't stop Thanksgiving dinners. Human nature is what it is.

Today was a bad allergy day. It's too bad distancing and masks don't work for allergies. Staying away from other people is a pieces of cake. Staying away from ragweed pollen in another matter entirely.

Ellis is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3937

Dawn had her best day since she got sick. She was alert, full of energy, and was able to walk four miles this morning. It probably helped that the weather was absolutely beautiful. There was a nice breeze and the temperature was in the 60's. We took our time and Dawn stopped to smell everything. I think she was very happy to be feeling better again.

We have started the process of gradually decreasing her meds. That probably helps as well. Steroids like Prednisone do a great job of reducing inflammation, but they have a lot of side effects. Any time that I've had to take steroids, I've been really glad when I finished my treatment.

Dawn even seems to be overcoming some of the fear she has of me at times. She comes when I call most of the time and seems much more relaxed. I've been feeding and walking her for several weeks in an effort to get her to associate me with positive events. It's a slow process, but it seems to be working. Dawn's overall mood is better than we've seen in a long time. Maybe this all has something to do with what is going on in her brain. It could be that she was feeling strange long before she got the high fever and had a seizure. Hopefully, she will remain stable when she is finished with her meds. We should know in a week or two.

Even though it was a beautiful day, my allergies were terrible. I was blowing my nose constantly on our walk this morning. I've been going through quite a few blue shop towels lately, but this is still better than taking antihistamines. After breakfast this morning, I went up on the roof and made a careful search for damaged areas in the silicon coating. I found two small spots that need to be recoated, but I didn't do the repairs today. The weather looks good for at least the next week, so I"m hoping that one of these days will be free of allergies. I still don't know what makes some days worse than others. The air quality reading on my weather app was good today, but my allergies were still terrible. Maybe I need to look for another app that is specific to allergens in the air. I looked on the weather.com website and it said that the ragweed pollen count was high in Dallas today. Maybe that was what was bothering me.

It's kind of sad that I've given up on travel. It seems like the right thing to do though. Every time I'm out and about I see convincing evidence that the virus is going to be around for a while. This isn't really about Democrats vs Republicans. It's mostly about family and friends who seems to think you can only be infected by strangers. Since today was a nice day, I saw lots of large gatherings in the park. I know several friends who have attended or are planning large weddings. What are these people thinking? Statistics show that this is exactly how the virus spreads. I take precautions and feel like I would be safe enough out at McDonald Observatory or Kennedy Space Center. It's getting there that is the problem. I have no faith at all in the people I might be sitting next to on Southwest Airlines.

This weekend has really gone quickly. I'm not really looking forward to another week of walks with a runny nose or watching more dismal news on the television while I drink my morning smoothie. It is what is is though. I probably should just go ahead and fix the roof. There isn't much else to do.

Jersey is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3936

I didn't see any coyotes today, but the rest of the White Pelicans seem to have arrived for the Winter. There were way too many to count today. I wonder whether these birds arrive at night. I never see them flying in, but there always seem to be additional birds when I arrive at Pelican Bay on my daily walks.

Dawn continues to take much shorter walks, so I am faced with making up the extra steps I need on my own. The park was busy today. There were people playing rugby and baseball on city maintained fields. There were lots of families having large picnics and barbecues. I passed a young couple having their wedding pictures taken. It really just seemed like a normal Fall day. A lot of people are still wearing masks, but it appears that Dallas has collectively decided that the virus is over.

One of the many changes I have noticed is that there are a lot of Airstream trailers in the neighborhood now. I counted four Airstream Internationals today. There are big, expensive trailers and seeing so many is probably a good sign that it's going to take a long time for air travel to recover. More and more people are taking car trips now. They say that National Parks have become overcrowded this summer. I thought about getting an RV when I first began contemplating spending a lot of time out at McDonald Observatory. That didn't last long. The bathrooms in an RV or travel trailer leave a lot to be desired. I like to take long showers and dealing with grey and black water tanks is disgusting. Even in a post-Covid world, I still think a nice hotel is much better.

Grocery shopping went smoothly today. I found most of the things on my list, but I have been noticing that there just aren't as many items on the shelves these days. There is plenty of food, but just not as much variety. It still feels like the entire supply chain is messed up. I wonder how long it is going to take for the world to return to normal. Maybe it never will. Sadly, we might just redefine what normal is.

My seasonal allergies have returned with a vengeance. Occasionally a cold front will bring a few days of relief, but it's pretty bad this Fall. I forget how long this typically lasts, but I've had enough. It's awkward having to blow your nose all the time when you are wearing a mask. I don't do well with antihistamines either. Those heavy duty blue shop towels are a lot better than Kleenex. I make sure to stuff my pockets with a few shop towels before I go anywhere. Seasonal allergies are probably one more reason I shouldn't attempt to fly anywhere in the near future. 

I went out and picked up a pizza for dinner tonight. I continue to be amazed at how full the restaurants are. Texas must have returned to full occupancy because a lot of the restaurants I passed on the way to the pizza place appeared to be full. Shopping malls and big box retailers seem to be full as well. It's weird. You turn on the television and you see one world. Then you drive around town and see a completely different world. 

Dawn seems a lot better now. Around the house she seem perfectly normal. She still won't take long walks though. It's kind of hard to tell whether she is becoming tired more easily or has just discovered that she's in charge now. Now that she has learned that we will turn around and head home again whenever she sits down in the road, it might have gone to her head. Dalmatians are high energy dogs, but they can also be very lazy.

Hobbs is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3935

Every day there seems to be a new reason to take the virus seriously. I've pretty much decided that I'm not going to travel anywhere until this whole thing blows over. Unfortunately, that may be a long time. If the president and NFL football players can get sick while being closely monitored inside their special protective bubbles, what's going to protect me? I still think the best thing I've got going for me is that I have very little desire to interact with other people. They say now that the most common way the virus is transmitted is thru family gatherings. Weddings, funerals, birthday parties, and backyard barbecues are much more dangerous than a trip to the grocery store. This makes sense to me. People tend to be comfortable around their own friends and family and let their guard down. I see huge family picnics almost every day in the park.

Semi isolation does get boring though. Eating and taking long walks have their limits. Today I decided to get productive and mowed the grass in both the front and back yards. I also unclogged the shower drain, which I wasn't planning to do. If the shower backs up while you are taking a shower, you've got no choice though.

Dawn still doesn't feel like taking long walks. She's eager to go outside in the mornings, but tires a lot more easily than she used to. We're not sure if her lack of energy is related to the meds she's currently taking or the underlying condition that caused the high fever and apparent seizure. At least the fever is gone and she's eating normally again. All we can do right now is continue to monitor Dawn carefully and wait.

I watched another Space X launch get scrubbed tonight with two seconds remaining on the clock. This is really weird. Every launch attempt at Kennedy Space Center in recent weeks has been canceled or scrubbed. The Cygnus resupply mission did successfully launch from Wallops Island this evening, but that mission has been delayed recently as well. Maybe this is just the 2020 curse. It does seem like a lot of failures in a row though.

The Moon and Mars look spectacular tonight. I went outside a few minutes ago to look at the conjunction and immediately smelled smoke. Whenever the temperature drops below seventy degrees in Texas, people start lighting fires in their fireplaces. Just about everybody has a fireplace in our neighborhood, so sometimes the smell of smoke gets oppressive. This probably sounds like needless whining to people out West who are dealing with real wildfires, but I still don't understand the fascination with fireplaces. We've never had a fireplace. I don't miss them at all.

When I was taking my solo walk this afternoon I saw several coyotes peeking out of the bushes near one of the trails. It looked like they were just waiting for a little dog to come by. There were lots of little dogs being walked this afternoon. I thought about warning them, but somebody honked their car horn and scared the coyotes away. It's rare to see coyotes in the middle of the day. I see them occasionally around sunrise, but this siting was kind of strange.

It's time to make my grocery list again. Janet did her shopping today and said that a lot of items are still in short supply. It does seem like the whole supply chain is kind of broken now. Really common items have just disappeared from the shelves. What a weird year it's been. You really have to wonder what is going to happen next.

Bailey is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3934

Our long family walks may be over. Dawn still enjoys her morning walks. She just doesn't feel like going very far. This morning we turned around at about the same point we did yesterday. I'm glad Dawn knows how to tell us when she has reached her limit. At least she's able to get some exercise this way. Other than not having quite as much energy, she seems to be doing fine. There is no fever and as far as we can tell, no signs of discomfort. Dawn's appetite is better than ever, but a lot of that is because of the Prednisone. I'll be glad when she has finished her meds and we can see if we've made any real progress.

The Delta IV Heavy isn't making any progress at all. I stayed up late and watched the launch on my computer last night. It didn't happen. For the second time in less than a month the launch was scrubbed in the final seconds of the count. Considering that this rocket was originally supposed to launch back in June, it has had an extraordinary streak of bad luck. Articles are starting to be written now about how the launch pad is so old that it is falling into disrepair. I doubt that ULA will be spending a lot of money to upgrade things though since there are only two launches left at Cape Canaveral before the rocket is officially retired. All this kind of makes you realize how far ahead of everyone else Space X is now.

The weather was perfect for making roof repairs or mowing the grass, but I couldn't get motivated to do anything. This year has just sucked the energy out of me. Some days I don't even feel like taking a shower.   I still take long walks where I often daydream about better times. I count the ducks and pelicans and still try to identify mystery trees. I got over 20,000 steps today. Not bad for a weekday without a trip to the gym.

When I got back from my long walk, Janet thought Dawn might like a short afternoon walk, so I just continued walking. We took Dawn down to the shoreline where there were lots of things to smell. We didn't go far, but Dawn really seemed to enjoy herself. That's our goal now. We just want to make Dawn's days as enjoyable as we can, since we don't really know how long she has left.

Janet said her doctor is taking part in a vaccine clinical trial. I don't think I'd have the nerve to do this. I assume that at some point the participants will be told whether that got the vaccine or a placebo. What if you got the vaccine but it wasn't very good? Could you still take another type of vaccine later? It still seems so weird to me that are moving full speed ahead without a lot of knowledge. Why is it considered unsafe to eat in a restaurant when you can fly on a crowded plane? Isn't anybody even curious whey so few people are getting the virus in Africa? Why are infections rising again in Europe? Aren't these the guys who were supposed to be doing everything right? Statistics are constantly being revised and a lot of them were never correct in the first place. It's all very frustrating.

All I really want is the ability to travel freely again without worrying about catching a deadly disease from a stranger or finding myself in the middle of a riot in a strange city on the way back to my hotel. It's an unsettling dystopian world we live in now. Maybe all those zombie movies were just getting us ready for what's to come.

Tori is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3930

Dawn may have brain damage, but I still think she's a very smart dog. When we walk in the morning, she tells us exactly how far she wants to go. When she's decided she's gone far enough, she just sits down. I'll ask her if she's ready to go home and she'll immediately get up, turn around and head for the house. She did this yesterday and she did the same thing today. We went about 400 yards further today, so maybe she's feeling a little better.

The meds appear to be working. Dawn's temperature is back to normal now and she is eating normally again. She is still quiet and doesn't have a lot of energy. I'm almost certain that even though the fever is gone she still isn't feeling normally. The meds probably sedate her a bit and whatever caused the problem in the first place is still there. I've been reading a lot about brain lesions and if this is the problem it would explain a lot. There have always been a lot of little things that just didn't make sense about Dawn's behavior. I'm mostly just thinking about what happens in a human brain, but any sort of physical abnormality can cause a lot of changes. I'm still hoping that her problems are minor and that life will return to normal in a few weeks. For the moment, all we can do is wait and see.

Dawn's walks are so short now that I've returned to taking long walks by myself to get my exercise. Today I kept thinking that I really should just return to the gym. Janet has been going to her gym for over a month and has had no problems. My seasonal allergies have returned with a vengeance and at some point a continual runny nose and itchy eyes is going to seem a lot worse than the threat of Covid. My allergies were especially bad today. My the time I returned home I was miserable. I used up all the tissues I took with me before I'd even finished my first mile.

It's too bad I have this fear of catching the virus on a plane. The multiple delays that have taken place with the Delta IV Heavy have pushed three launches very close together. If there aren't further delays caused by weather, all three rockets may launch within hours of each other. This is quite rare. Delays aren't rare at all however, so everything could change again tomorrow. If all three launches do end up taking place together it would tempt me again to make the trip to Florida. A lot would depend on how Dawn was feeling once her meds wear off. Flying with seasonal allergies is probably not a great idea either. I might get kicked off the plane for sneezing a lot.

I read an ad about running shoes today that sounded just about perfect for my difficult to fit feet. I was just about ready to go out and buy a pair until I started reading the online reviews. Customers generally weren't happy. I should have learned by now not to believe advertising. I'm an advertising writer. I've spent decades perfecting the art of making things seem better than they actually are. Sadly, I'm still looking for the perfect shoe. The Nike Air Max shoes I bought recently are already starting to wear out and my feet still hurt after long walks.

This weekend certainly wasn't what I expected. A sudden illness can change everything. Hopefully Dawn will continue to improve. We knew that she wasn't a young dog when we adopted her, but she definitely deserves a few more happy, pain free years. I guess we all do.

Sophie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3929

Dawn was very subdued today, but is feeling much better than yesterday. Her temperature is down and she is starting to eat again. We took a very short walk just to the end of the street and back because we didn't want to push our luck. Ths fact that the medication she's taking appears to be working indicates that she probably did have a seizure. Hopefully, Dawn's condition will continue to improve and she will remain stable after she has finished her meds. Seizures are strange and unpredictable. Dawn could have another seizure tomorrow or several years could go by before we experience something like this again. 

I'm still not sure that Dawn even had a seizure, but it is the most logical explanation for her condition. We've had a lot of experience with seizure dogs and Dawn didn't react the same way that Dot and Dash did when they had seizures. On the other hand, she was treated as if she'd had a seizure resulting from some type of brain lesion and the treatment seems to be working. We probably won't learn a lot more unless we proceed with MRI or CT scans. Sometimes this advanced imaging doesn't even tell you anything definitive. When we began to suspect that Dot was having vestibular seizures we made sure that she had an MRI. All we learned for sure was that dogs have very tiny brains. I thought that Dot's brain would have taken up a lot more space in her skull.

When a vet says your pet may have brain lesions, I think they are just trying to be nice and avoid saying the word tumor. A brain lesion and a brain tumor are basically the same thing. Pretty soon you are talking about cancer and the surgery, radiation and chemotherapy options that accompany it. We need to figure out what is going on, but I am in no rush to do anything. The first step is to see if Dawn remains stable after she has finished her meds.

I took my walk today without Dawn. I've done a lot of walking over the years and walking with a dog is always more enjoyable. You never really question why you are walking, because it is usually obvious that the dog enjoys the walk. When you start to experience what the dog is experiencing, you become much more aware of your surroundings. When I am walking by myself, it is usually just an effort to stay in shape. When I am walking with dogs, it is often more about sharing the dog's enjoyment.

The launch I was thinking of attending in Florida has already been postponed two more times. It is a good thing I never made the trip. Even if there were no Covid restrictions and Dawn wasn't sick, I would still just be sitting in a hotel room wondering if it was worth the effort to extend my trip a few more days. After the latest delay was announced this morning, there is still no firm launch date. Maybe I'd better wait for a more reliable rocket before I make my next trip to Florida.

I did my grocery shopping today and was able to find almost everything on my list. I usually get the same things week after week and I've noticed that prices have really gone up since the pandemic started. The price increases haven't been dramatic, but they have been steady. Is this just the normal supply and demand equation at work, or are manufacturers trying to see what they can get aways with? It really doesn't seem that prices should have gone up than much since last March, but what do I know.

I went to get take-out from our favorite Chinese restaurant this evening and the place was full. I was surprised. I guess they have ended restaurant restrictions in Texas. It's strange. When you turn on the TV you'd think we're all headed for disaster. When you just walk around town, you'd think that the pandemic was over. Time will tell, I guess.

Suki is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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Day 3927

Well, I'm still here in Dallas. The weather has deteriorated a bit further in Titusville, but to be honest that wasn't the reason I scrapped my trip. Sadly, I'm still not comfortable flying and it's a long drive to Florida. A recent CDC report says that at least 1600 flights this year have had someone on board with coronavirus. This means that over 10,000 people have been exposed to the virus just by flying. It doesn't exactly fill you with confidence. The airlines try to convince you that they are completely safe by touting their advanced air filtration systems. I find this hard to believe. It's not about the air. It's the fact that you are packed in like sardines with a bunch of total strangers. That six foot rule doesn't mean much when you are actually touching your fellow passengers.

I have a lot of sympathy for restaurant and small business owners, but it's hard to have much sympathy for the airlines. They are all crying poor now, but most of them were making record profits just a few years ago. Where did all that money they made from eliminating legroom, charging extra for baggage, and getting rid of food service go? Fares didn't go down when the airlines were rich either. They just kept going up. The airlines must have a strong lobby in congress. I just don't understand why if it's unsafe to go to church or out to dinner, it's still completely safe to sit six inches away from a bunch of strangers on a plane for hours at a time.

If the weather clears up and the launch takes place on schedule, I may regret canceling my trip. I worked so hard to get press accreditation during the pandemic and then when an opportunity presented itself, I just said never mind. Oh, well. There will be plenty of rocket launches in the future. I'm just not sure what the future will look like.

There was no rain this morning, but we walked later in the day anyway. It's nice to have that option when the weather is cooler. Dawn seems to enjoy sleeping in and walking later. We know she's lazy and are beginning to think she may be afraid of the dark. I guess it makes sense that she's be scared of things that go bump in the night. Almost everything else frightens her as well.

I didn't really do much today. I've resumed taking afternoon walks and mindlessly watching Space X construction progress on the Boca Chica live stream. There is so much I need to do around the house, but it all involves fixing things. I've really gotten tired of fixing things. At least the weeks go by quickly. I can't believe it's Thursday already. I've already taken this week's trash to the curb, so the week is officially over for me. I'm still not going out for breakfast on Friday mornings, but I have started looking at lists of best breakfast restaurants on the Internet. Maybe this is a start. On the other hand, looking at a list of best restaurants might be just like thinking about flying. It might be a while before life starts feeling normal again.

I'm sure something will happen tomorrow. It always does. Things that happen on TV don't count though. I'm trying to quit watching TV. Especially the news. I think I'd rather watch ducks in the park

Scout is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3895

There was no need to go to the gym today. After walking and mowing the grass I felt like I had all the exercise I needed. Around this time of year I start thinking that I might not need to mow any more. I even thought that today. Late August is ridiculously early though for these type of thoughts. The leaves are still on the trees and the Fall rainy season hasn't even started yet. Our grass is often still green in December.

We got a late start this morning on our walk and the park was already filling up with people. We probably should have started earlier, but it was clear that we needed the extra sleep. Without an alarm to wake us, we slept two hours longer than usual. Dawn certainly wasn't interested in getting up. The only thing that gets her out of bed is the sound of her breakfast being fixed. It was a little warmer than we would have liked, but we all did pretty well. I think we'll go back to pre-dawn walks tomorrow.

I wasted a lot of time today watching a static fire test of the SN-6 Starship prototype. It took three tries and most of the day before the rocket motors actually fired. The guys who put this coverage together on their YouTube channel have a lot of patience. There were several false starts today. The rocket would be filled with fuel and then emptied again when something didn't go right. Basically nothing happens for hours at a time and then eventually the rocket fires for about five seconds. Watching these events is definitely an acquired taste. I didn't watch today's tests continuously, but I kept a window open on my browser and checked in on progress throughout the day. I think next week this rocket will fly on a short hop, just like its predecessor did a few weeks ago. If I go down to Boca Chica, I think I'll wait until the program is a little further along. Before the end of the year, Space X is supposed to be making much longer hops with a more polished looking rocket that has fins, a nose cone and two extra Raptor engines. The more I watch this Boca Chica channel on YouTube, the more interested I become in seeing a Starship launch. I'm going to try to make some contacts and see what happens.

When I walk in the park on weekend afternoons, I always see tons of people sitting in hammocks. I don't understand the fascination with hammocks. On a nice day, they're everywhere. Young people string them between two trees and then spend the rest of the afternoon taking selfies and looking at their cell phones. I don't get it. If this is what passes for enjoying nature these days, we're all doomed.

Can you believe it's going to be September soon? What a wasted year. Maybe next year will be better.  The cynical side of me says the virus will disappear from the news right after the November elections. Realistically, I think it's going to be with us for a very long time. New cases keep cropping up in countries that supposedly have already eradicated it. What's going to happen when everyone gets the flu this Fall and thinks they've got the virus instead? The hypochondriac's are going to be panicking. I'm going to continue to keep my distance. Seems to have worked so far.

Janet and I eat a traditional breakfast together on the weekends. Tomorrow it's back to my fruit smoothies though. Where am I going to find uncontaminated peaches. I've got plenty of strawberries, blueberries and bananas, but good smoothie has got to include a peach.

Mickey is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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Day 3887

We're getting better at leaving the house early. The main reason for our pre-dawn walk today was to see if we could avoid the Saturday crowds in the park. It worked. There are much fewer joggers and cyclists before 7 AM. Janet got Dawn a little red light to put on her collar, but it quit working before we finished our first mile. There was a nice conjunction of the Moon and Venus in the morning sky, but no sunrise clouds today. We did see the Muscovy ducks sitting on the bridge rail again though.

I found almost everything on my shopping list today. Another benefit of getting an early start on Saturday morning is that there are fewer people in the grocery stores. Almost all the stores seem to offer curbside pickup now. Most have reserved spaces in their parking lots for this sort of thing and I always see people waiting in their cars. It seems so much easier to just go in the store though. The waiting time is still less if you do the shopping yourself.

There seems to be no end in sight for our hot weather. I think the high today was 104 degrees. I guess I need to start watering again. The grass is turning yellow and two of the Photinia bushes appear to be dying. I'm bad about watering because a wet yard always leads to a muddy dog.

I'm thinking about going down to Boca Chica to see the Space X facility. I got as far as checking airfare to Brownsville or South Padre Island and surveying the general area using Google Earth. I continue to look at the LabPadre remote cameras every day and there is a lot going on down there. I think this would make a good story for SpaceFlight Magazine, but there isn't much point in going unless I can obtain some kind of access. Evidently you can drive very close to the Starship launch site on public roads, but the roads are always closed when there is activity. I'll have to do some research and find out who to write about getting a tour. It couldn't be any harder to gain access to the Space X site than it is to get press credentials at Kennedy Space Center. Maybe I'm getting ahead of myself though. I'm not even sure if the magazine is interested in an article about Boca Chica.

I thought I might be able to fix the sliding glass door today, but failed miserably. A few weeks ago I noticed that there was a little piece of metal blocking one of the tracks for the door. I got a small metal file and filed the gouged area smooth. Logically, this should have worked, but it made no difference whatsoever. If anything, the door was even harder to move than the last time I tried.

I got Chinese take out for dinner again. Every time I go to pick up a take out meal at a restaurant, I see more and more people dining in. I guess I shouldn't find this strange. Janet and I went out for dinner ourselves on my birthday. We'll probably go out again on her birthday. It's still hard to strike a balance between being ultra careful and getting on with your life. I have a feeling that this virus is going to be with us for a long time. I got a haircut. I've been to the dermatologist and the dentist. I certainly don't do much though. I really wonder how long a large group of people can live this way without going insane? Almost anybody can handle a lockdown of a few weeks. I'm not so sure about two years though. We've got to find a way out of this mess.

I'm still not comfortable going back to the gym. It was a nice thing to do on Sunday though. Even though I consider myself Mr. Isolation, I'm getting tired of days that consist entirely of long walks and staring at a computer. I haven't planned a launch trip in a long time. Maybe I need to be connected to something too.

Freckles is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3876

We got such an early start this morning that we had to take a flashlight with us. Venus, Mars and a full Moon were still bright in the sky and there was a cool breeze. We kept an eye out for coyotes. They are often on the move at this time of day. I'm not typically an early riser, but the hour before sunrise is definitely the best part of the day. The sky changes from darkness to daylight remarkably quickly and if there are clouds in the East, you often get to enjoy a beautiful sunrise. I just need to go to bed a little earlier to fully enjoy the experience.

Our walks were the main event of the day. Our morning walk is for Dawn and the afternoon walk I take by myself is basically just a substitute for going to the gym. Eating, sleeping, and walking. That's pandemic life for you. I paid some bills after breakfast and did a little bookkeeping, but spent most of my time watching the Space X Starship's first test hop down at Boca Chica. Coverage of events at Boca Chica is strictly a volunteer affair. A couple of Space X fans have set up cameras outside the perimeter of the Space X compound and provide a running commentary whenever something is going on. Often hours go by and nothing happens at all. If there is a puff of smoke or even a bird flying by, there will be a lot of speculation about what it all means.

Boca Chica is the exact opposite of Kennedy Space Center. There are lots of tents and temporary buildings. The place is a mess. Rocket parts and construction equipment are strewn around everywhere. After seeing all the high tech equipment and precision engineering at Michoud Assembly Facility, this place seems more like a bunch of oil field workers decided to weld together a rocket out of scrap steel. The SN5 prototype that was being tested today looked exactly like a huge grain silo. It certainly didn't look like it could fly. The first attempt today got scrubbed, but everything went perfectly the second time. The flying grain silo slowly rose over 150 feet in the air and then descended again to land safely at a nearby landing pad. Probably in less than a year, a more refined version of this rocket will be launched into into orbit from this same Boca Chica site. It doesn't look like much now, but if Elon Musk has his way, this barren strip of land on the Gulf Coast will be where we depart for Mars. Hope I'm still around to see the journey begin.

I wish people could make up their minds about the virus. In less than ten minutes this morning I heard that things are getting better, that conditions are getting worse, that the virus will be with us forever, and that we are getting ourselves in a panic for nothing. Wait a few minutes or flip the channel and you will hear something completely different. Who do you trust these days? Even the scientists don't seem to agree on this one. I have no doubts that this is a serious disease, but I'm equally convinced that the media is stirring the pot.

I think we're going to try to get up real early again tomorrow. It's a little strange walking in the dark but it's the only way to beat the heat. The only downside to these early walks is that too much of the day remains after you return. What do you do next? Tomorrow I'll attempt to answer this seemingly eternal question again.

Pebbles is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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Day 3870

It's been exactly one year since I received the press proofs of my first article for SpaceFlight Magazine. A second article was published about six months later and a third is still scheduled for publication in September. It was a good beginning, but I thought my budding career as a space journalist be a lot further along by now. I certainly thought I'd be down at Kennedy Space Center tomorrow morning for the launch of the Mars 2020 Perseverance mission. Oh, well. It wasn't meant to be. Little did I know back then that the world was about to change. I keep trying to get media accreditation again, but it might be a while. In a post-covid world, newcomers go to the back of the line.

I shouldn't complain though. My problems are small compared with what other people are going through. I was going to get a haircut later in the week, but my stylist got laid off at the salon. Another covid casualty. I know someone locally who got infected now. He's OK, but it makes me realize that the disease is all around us. Most of my friends are healthy and continue to lead normal lives. A few seem to have flipped out and are way too angry for their own good.

Sometimes when my day is uneventful it is tempting to go on an angry rant myself. It would certainly be an easy way to fill up space. The problem is that I'm not really angry. I'm still very detached. I think this is the secret to social distancing. I look at the world like it is an episode of Black Mirror or the Twilight Zone. It is not my world though. I try to navigate the pandemic and the social unrest like everything is covered in a sticky glue that you can't let touch you. You have to plan your moves very carefully.

I have a few farmer and rancher friends that I envy. I keep thinking that their farms are so remote that they are completely unaffected by all this turmoil. This probably isn't true though. Farmers and ranchers might not have to worry about riots in the city or getting killed by a random cough at a grocery store, but some of them are probably having big problems selling their cattle or their crops. The whole supply chain is screwed up now. We are in the middle of a global mess that affects all of us.

You'd think we could all rally together to find a solution. That's what my parents did during World War II. It's not happening though. I have never seen so much anger and division. Much of the rancor takes place on Facebook. I look at what some of my friends say online and think "Do I even know you." I think there are going to be articles in prestigious medical journals for years to come about how social media causes mental illness.

The solution for some of us has always been dogs. It's hard to be angry when you've got a good dog. Dawn continues to be a joy. She certainly came into our lives at exactly the right time.

Tink is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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