Day 4744

It's that time of year again. I'm blowing my nose constantly. This seems to happen every Winter and I usually chalk it up to seasonal allergies. This time I'm wondering if I've caught a cold though. It kind of feels like a head cold. Maybe it's allergies though. I could easily be allergic to falling leaves.

Janet had plans today, so we took our early walk in the dark again. Dawn has two lighted collars now. She got a second one at the training class Christmas party gift exchange. I continue to be surprised at how quickly night transitions into day. It is usually quite dark when we start these early walks and daylight by the time we return home. We only walk a mile, so we're not out all that long either.

Dawn went to the vet today for a bath, a nail trim, and her canine influenza booster shot. It was kind of weird not having a dog around the house this morning. Dawn mostly ignores me, but I'm still very aware of what she is doing. I always take her out to pee before and after my long walks and feed her lunch when she is in the mood. She looked very clean when she and Janet returned this afternoon. You'd think a Dalmatian would always look clean, but that's not usually the case. She likes to roll around in the grass, so I tend to forget how white her coat actually is.

I saw all the Sunset Bay birds today. It's weird that so many species call this place home. I saw several kestrels. The Muscovy ducks and geese were all there. The coots, mallards, and double crested cormorants were there as well. The female bald eagle was in her nest. Even about half of the white pelicans had returned. I don't think I will ever become a serious birder, but I am learning to recognize the various species that call the park home.

I didn't make good time today. I'm surprised at how much my pace varies from day to day. I'm obviously slower when my feet hurt. The temperature seems to have a lot to do with my pace as well. It was warmer today. I'm usually faster on really cold days. 

It's going to be a lot colder later in the week. If it is as cold as the forecast predicts I might not walk in the park at all. My gym seems to be a much better alternative when temperatures are in the teens. We'll see what happens. Southerners tend to get very alarmed about cold weather, but hopefully everything will be fine. I'm trying to get prepared. I put foam insulation around all the outdoor water pipes. Tomorrow I'll go to the hardware store and get some protective covers for the faucets. Indoors we should be fine, but Janet did bring a down comforter back from her storage warehouse in case the power goes out. I think everyone remembers the big statewide power outage in February 2021. We were one of the lucky ones that year. Our power didn't go out.

I just found out that there is going to be another falcon heavy launch in January. I wasn't planning on returning to Kennedy Space Center so soon, but I think I'll apply for credentials to attend this launch. The last time I tried to view a falcon heavy launch all I saw was heavy fog. I heard the rocket but it was completely invisible in the fog. Hopefully I'll be luckier this time.

I've got to remember my appointment with the eye doctor this week. I completely forgot my last appointment and if I did this two times in a row it wouldn't be good. I'll leave a big note for myself on the kitchen table. The note will say "Don't walk this morning, you have an eye appointment at 10:45 AM." That should work if I remember to write the note.

Lexi is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4509

I stayed up late last night giving the Polaris star tracker it's first real test. I had a few unforeseen problems, but the thing actually worked. It tracks stars very well for long exposure photography. I'm still having problems with the tracker disconnecting from the camera at random intervals, but hopefully these problems will get resolved with future software updates. It would be nice if the tracker was more reliable because it's hard to fix things when it's pitch black outside. They don't even want you to turn on a flashlight up here because you might disrupt observing at one of the large telescopes. I stayed close to the Astronomer's Lodge when I was out doing photography last night because I was alone and I'd heard too many stories about mountain lions and snakes.

Today was a work day, but I didn't have any assignments until later in the day so I was able to sleep in late. I don't sleep wall while I'm traveling, but if you get tired enough you can sleep anywhere. I had a leisurely late breakfast and then took my daily walk. To get the steps I need takes ten trips around the rim road that circles the two large telescopes on Mount Locke. I'm not walking as far as I do in Dallas, but the altitude is much higher here and four miles a day seems plenty to me.

I got lucky tonight and got a really good telescope to take care of at tonight's star party. The 16" Ritchey Chretien is very nice. Basically all I had to do was make sure the telescope didn't drift off target and rotate the dome every once in a while so the dome slit stayed lined up with the telescope. I also had to answer a lot of questions. There were 300 people at tonight's star party, which was actually a lot smaller than the last star party I volunteered for just before Covid shut everything down. I thought I would know the answer to most people's questions, but of course I didn't. You never know what people are going to ask.

The weather was perfect tonight. It wasn't freezing cold like the last time I helped with star parties. I didn't  need to bring my winter coats. Better safe than sorry though. It probably helped that I was inside a dome this year. Last time I was outside and it was windy. I didn't hear any coyotes howling tonight. I did see the Javelinas though. These small wild pigs are everywhere. My telescope target tonight was Messier 3. This globular cluster is spectacular under the dark Davis Mountain skies. Everyone who looked through the telescope seemed quite impressed.

Tomorrow I'll have more to do during the day. I'll be at a booth with different types of telescopes on display and will be answering questions for future amateur astronomers. I enjoy talking about telescopes but I need to ask someone tomorrow about the pronunciation of certain items. When most of your knowledge comes from reading books rather than talking to other people, it's very easy to mispronounce words.

I don't think I'll take the star tracker out again this evening. It's late. I doubt that I'll get up early to see the Milky Way core rise before dawn tomorrow morning either. I'm tired and I think I've seen enough of the night sky for one day. It was a good day though. I enjoyed it.

Lucky is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4450

Dawn got a bath today. It seemed like a good day for a bath since it was unseasonably warm. Also Dawn has been rolling in what is left of the backyard grass a lot and was getting pretty dirty. It's hard to keep the bed clean when a dirty dog likes to spend the day there. Dawn goes into full tilt drama queen mode when we go to the self-bathe place. She hates getting a bath. All our dogs have been this way even though they feel better afterwards. I guess I understand. I've gotten to the point where I don't like getting wet either.

It's hard to believe the weather we've been having. Every day is completely different. Today it got up to 80 degrees. The air conditioner in our house came on and I wore a t-shirt on my long walk. I probably should have worn shorts. We have had years where it snowed on the 1st of March. This definitely wasn't one of them.

I thought my little WiFi hotspot was going to go dead today, but I tried it and it still worked. I re-read the letter I got from T-Mobile and it turns out that they aren't discontinuing 3G service until July. I'm a little confused why I even got the letter. I always thought my hotspot was a 4G device. I wonder if I even need the hotspot anymore. It was useful when I traveled a lot, but those days might be over. I probably still need some sort of alternate way to connect to the Internet though. We still get the occasional power outage.

Today was not a good day for foot pain. My discomfort seems to vary just as much as the weather. Maybe I overdid it yesterday.  Who knows. At any rate I had to cut my walk short this afternoon. It was a shame because it was such a nice day. I was able to complete three miles, but just barely. I really need to order some Hoka boots even if they have discontinued the style I really wanted. I'm not even sure the boots will help, but if I get them I will feel like I'm making an effort.

It looks like we have four new dogs in the Dalmatian Rescue program. Janet heard that the dogs arrived today. They are all at the vet now getting checked out. Depending on their condition, they will probably be at the kennel sometime next week. We haven't had this many dogs in the program for quite a while. I'm looking forward to meeting the new guys. There will be lots of pictures that will need to be taken.

There's a new study out that says daily walks may significantly reduce the risk of Alzheimer's. This is good news for me. I walk so much that my brain may actually be improving. On the downside, my feet are probably getting ruined. I guess you've got to pick your poison. If I were still lifting weights at the gym I'm be ruining my knees and shoulders instead. I don't know how I ever used to be able to walk Dot and Dash at the same time. When they were young they were a handful. Now, I'm always telling Dawn to slow down because I have a hard time keeping up with her. I still believe that you've got to keep moving even if that means moving a lot slower.

It's hard to believe it's March already. February went by in a flash. I hope we have an early Spring. After today's nice weather, it would be a shame to see Winter return. You never know about March though. Anything can happen in March.

Lucky is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4444

What a nasty day. The temperature has been well below freezing all day with periodic sleet and freezing rain. We tried to take Dawn on a sunrise walk, but it didn't take her long to realize that she'd rather be in the house. Needless to say we didn't make it very far this morning. I kept hoping that it would warm up a bit, but it never did. Janet had to go to a doctor's appointment and said the roads were slick in places. I started my car to warm up the engine, but didn't attempt to leave the house.

All I do on days like this is hope the power doesn't go out and the roof doesn't leak. So far, so good. Our electric and gas bills are going to be high next month though. Sadly, tomorrow is going to be just as cold. We've had worse winters, but I'm getting tired of this. No wonder so many people retire to Florida.

Although I had no real desire to leave the house today, I did want to get a minimum of at least 10,000 steps. Around mid-afternoon I bundled up in my warmest clothes and took a not so long walk. It didn't seem like it was raining when I left the house, but there was a light sleet that froze on my outer jacket. A cloth mask is actually useful on days like this. It kept my face warm better than a scarf. Today I mostly walked through the neighborhood because I knew the weather would be even worse down by the lake.  No bicycles or joggers today.  I seemed to be the only person out and about. I only completed two miles this afternoon, but that was plenty.

Both Olympus and Panasonic have come out with new micro 4/3 cameras recently. The GH6 and OM-1 sound intriguing and I've been reading a lot about their capabilities. What else do you do on a cold day when it's sleeting outside? I'm like a bug attracted to a light when it comes to new gear. The last thing I need is more cameras. I haven't even learned how to use all the features of the cameras I already own. I'm probably the same way with cars. I don't even like to drive, but I've bookmarked lots of sites about the new Ford Bronco. I don't need a new car any more than I need a new camera. Probably I find reading about new gear more satisfying than reading about current events.

I wish my office wasn't so cold. The little ceramic heater is running full time now. This room is the furthest from the furnace and it shows. I think the warm air in the ducts has already cooled off by the time it reaches me. This is still the room to hang out in on a cold day though. It's got the best computer screen. Dawn gets grumpy if I sit on the bed with her and if I'm out in the kitchen I eat too many snacks. The days would pass faster if I still had a few clients but the young kids in advertising and marketing aren't fond of hiring someone older than their grandfather. I guess that leaves me with reading about new cameras and planning trips I probably won't take.

I don't think Dawn is going to be any more excited about walking tomorrow than she was today. I'm not going to be very excited about walking tomorrow either. At least it's supposed to warm up a little on Friday. I'm waiting for next week when the temperatures will be back in the 70's again.

Joey is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4095

I made reservations to go out to McDonald Observatory in May. It's a long drive but it will be worth it when I get there. Ostensibly this trip is to learn more about astrophotography, but the real reason is I just like the place. The combination of dark skies, clean air, and wide open spaces is hard to beat. It looks like I will be staying at the Prude Ranch again. The Astronomer's Lodge is still closed because of Covid. I'd much rather stay on the mountain so I don't have to drive at night, but the Prude Ranch is pretty close.

I'm not sure what I'll do if I get approved to attend one of the April launches out at Kennedy Space Center. It's doubtful that I could afford two trips this close together. Oh, well. We'll see what happens. I probably won't get approved anyway. Florida may be open, but NASA isn't. They still have a lot of Covid restrictions in place. It might be better to wait until the Fall to return to Kennedy Space Center anyway. I think the more interesting launches will take place later in the year.

I"d been thinking about getting a star tracker before my next trip to the observatory, but everyone is out of stock. Telescopes, eyepieces, mounts, and almost anything related to astronomy are impossible to find these days. They say that Covid lockdowns caused a huge upsurge in interest in backyard astronomy. This is probably true of other solitary hobbies like backpacking and fishing as well. I have a feeling that we'll be learning about the unintended consequences of the pandemic for years to come.

Dawn expects her shorter daily walks now. She's usually waiting by the back door as soon as we finish lunch. It's amazing what a transformation there's been. As soon as we started doing things her way, all the freezing in place and weird behavior stopped. She's a smart little dog. We haven't done very well training her, but she's done an excellent job training us.

My foot felt better today. I wish I could figure out why the pain comes and goes. This couldn't be random, but it sure seems that way. If I knew what was causing the problem, I could change my behavior. Today's walk was exactly the same as yesterdays. Same route. Same shoes. Same everything. It sure didn't feel the same though. Yesterday I limped home. Today I was fine. I have no idea what will happen tomorrow.

I do know what I'd like to happen tomorrow. I'd like to get the washing machine running again. Hopefully, the part I need arrived today and the repairman will be out in the morning. I probably spend way too much time doing laundry, but it's hard to teach an old dog new tricks. I won't feel comfortable until I can do a load of laundry every day again.

They say that you should never kill dandelions in the Spring because they are the only food that bees have until the other flowers start to grow. I'm not sure if this is true, but it sounds good. I guess I'm a sceptic. What to bees do for food during the winter when there are no flowers at all. At any rate, the bees shouldn't have long to wait. The Redbud and Dogwood trees in the park are starting to bloom. This means that wildflower season is only a few weeks away.

This week has gone quickly. This week's trash is already out by the curb and tomorrow we'll haul the bags of leaves out for next week's bulky trash pickup. By next Tuesday Janet and I should have acquired immunity to Covid. Does this mean that the world has returned to normal. I doubt it. Appliances will continue to break. We'll probably have masks in our cars forever. Dawn will continue to treat me like a kennel attendant and I'll continue inching along toward my 5000 day goal.

Tyson is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day