Day 3537

As we were driving between Midland and Odessa on Monday, it never crossed my mind that this long, flat stretch of highway would become the site of a mass shooting. What a difference a few days makes. Of course, when I was at Kennedy Space Center earlier this Summer I wasn't thinking about being in the path of a hurricane either. You never know what is going to happen these days. Maybe this is why I seldom listen to the local news. It is just too alarming.

I find enough uncertainty just dealing with the weather. It's a good thing I didn't bother to clear the water off the roof yesterday because we got some more heavy rain this morning. I waited for a break in the rain to do my Saturday grocery shopping and then the rain started again. So much for my forecasting skills. At least the pumps on the roof were working today. I think the water needs to reach a certain depth to prime them.

The good thing about today's rain was that it really cooled things down. When I took my walk after I finished shopping today it was only seventy five degrees. It was still very humid, but I'll take what I can get. Since it was much cooler today, I just kept walking after my first three miles. I wanted to see how far I could go before I got tired. After five miles I wasn't all that tired but I had other things to do. Five miles is plenty for one day.

I had to go to the bank today and ended up standing in line behind an older lady who clearly had no idea what was in her account. She seemed apprehensive and confused despite the teller's best attempts to help her. When she eventually walked away with an envelope full of cash, I hoped she was doing the right thing. Maybe she was just giving money to a granddaughter but maybe she was the victim of a scam. It happened to my Dad. I sincerely hope I never become senile. It's a sad thing when the mind begins to go.

I'm hoping that reading and writing will keep my mind functioning. That's my plan anyway. I bought some books on local history when we were out in West Texas and I started reading one today. It's a sure sign you are getting older when you become interested in history. I was never interested in history when I was younger which might explain why I am interested today. Reading about the past helps me fill in some gaps in my own history. I read a lot about the Apollo program during the Fiftieth Anniversary moon landing celebrations and was surprised at how much I'd forgotten or never knew in the first place. When we were visiting the The National Museum of the Pacific War I realized that I actually knew very few details about World War II. I certainly wasn't thinking about little towns in West Texas when I was younger but their story is fascinating. I guess I'll keep reading.

It's hard to believe that it's almost September. Where has this Summer gone? I'll go to the gym and try to get my 20,000 steps. If I can bring myself to go up on the roof I might get a few more. No wonder reading seems appealing at times. You just lie in bed and take the steps in your mind.

Domino is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2209

It's a lot harder to get up in the morning when the temperature is cold and the sky is dark and overcast. When I first heard about seasonal affective disorder and the theory that light deprivation can cause depression, it made perfect sense. Gloomy days and lack of sunlight really do influence your mood. The only benefit to days like these is that the dogs often feel the same way and don't want to get up either. Dot and Dash had no interest in getting up this morning, so Janet and I were about to get an extra hour of sleep. I had mixed feelings about letting Dot sleep in. Her incontinence makes her a ticking time bomb. The longer we wait to go outside after she wakes up, the more likely it is that she'll poop in the house. I decided to take a chance this morning and it worked. Everybody just wanted to sleep.

The woman who colors Janet's hair is on the news as a missing person. She went to work on Tuesday and never showed up. Her car was later found abandoned in an apartment complex near a wooded area. Hopefully, she will be found unharmed, but it doesn't look good. It's alarming how often things like this happen in Dallas. It's a lot more dangerous place than it was when I moved here over 30 years ago. Of course, you could probably say the same thing for any large American city, but that doesn't make it any less unsettling. What happened to a world where people didn't even bother to lock their doors at night? I would easily trade the Internet, smartphones, and the powerful computer on my desk for a world where people felt safe. I grew up in an age where our neighbors had a fallout shelter in their back yard and we all practiced "duck and cover" exercises in school in case there was a nuclear attack. It still seemed like a safer place though. I guess it's all a matter of perspective.

There were a lot of things on my grocery list today. It's amazing how quickly you can spent $100 in a grocery store without even filling up your cart. You always hear on the news about how we've got inflation under control, but I don't believe a word of it. With the possible exception of gasoline, prices for ordinary things have gone up enormously. When wages remain stagnant and prices continue to go up, it just doesn't seem like it is going to end well.

I've been feeling like I'm on the verge of coming down with a cold all week. It's probably just hypochondria, but this is the time of year when I tend to get sick. There's really not much you can do when people are wheezing and sneezing all around you. I'll either get a cold or I won't. I wonder if the dogs get minor colds? Whenever I take them to the vet, there is usually something serious going on, but they must get minor ailments too. It's hard to tell with a dog. Sometimes when Dot throws up in the morning, there's nothing wrong at all.

I need to make time to go to the gym tomorrow. My pants are starting to feel tight from all the holiday meals. If I went to the gym three times a week, I'd be in great shape. I don't think it's going to happen though. Even in my quasi-retirement, I just can't find the time. Doing simple things properly can take an enormous amount of time. There's no point in cutting corners though. Why would I even consider cutting corners at my age? There appears to be a Doc Martin marathon on PBS tonight. Everyone talks about their Walking Dead marathons, but Doc Martin is more my style.

Dash is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day