Day 4746

Brrr. It is really cold today. I think the temperature dropped thirty degrees in less than an hour when the arctic front rolled through town. Luckily we were able to give Dawn a morning walk before the cold weather arrived. I don't think we'll be walking tomorrow morning though. It's just too cold.

After breakfast I put the faucet covers on the three outdoor faucets. The covers are a little too small but they will have to do. Actually I should have bought four covers. There is a fourth outdoor faucet I forgot about. I covered that one with a big pile of leaves.

Janet wanted me to take a Covid test today because she thought my head cold might be Covid. I didn't think so, but what do I know. We still had a bunch of those home test kits around the house, so I read the directions and did the test. I found it ironic that the test kit was made in China. According to the test, I don't have Covid. I definitely have a cold though. I wonder how I caught this since I am seldom around other people. This is the first time in years that I've had a sore throat.

I drove to the store where I got the faucet covers yesterday because I needed to warm up the car. Not surprisingly, they had sold out of the covers again. I think everyone in town must be looking for faucet covers. I always have this fear that my car won't start in cold weather, so I started it several times today. No problems today, but I hope the car starts tomorrow. I've got an appointment with the eye doctor in the morning and am getting a haircut in the afternoon.

I should have gone to the gym today. I was really cold on my long walk. I dressed warmly, but there was a fierce wind. My face was the only exposed skin, but I really should have worn a scarf that covered everything except my eyes. I was the only person out in the park today. There were no bicycles, joggers, or dog walkers. No park department workers either. I guess I was the only stupid one. It was so cold that I couldn't complete my full route. After walking a mile or so I was ready to turn around and come home. Not a stellar day for exercise, but I did manage to get 10,000 steps.

I think I've lived in Texas to long. I don't understand how anyone could live in Wyoming or North Dakota in the Winter. I went to high school in Alaska and spent several of my early working years in Idaho, but that's ancient history now. I like being warm and right now even Texas is too cold for me. 

We'll see what tomorrow brings. I'm afraid it's going to bring single digit temperatures. The wind chill index is already below zero here. I may break with tradition and have a hot breakfast tomorrow. 

Two sisters are today's Dalmatians of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4745 - Winter Solstice

I should have known. You don't start planning for cold weather on the day before the cold weather arrives. I went out this morning to get some faucet covers for our outdoor faucets. It seemed like a simple enough errand. Home Depot was completely out of stock. Lowes was completely out of stock. Ace Hardware was out of stock as well. I couldn't even find any of the covers at Teeters. Everyone seemed to be looking for these things. I definitely wasn't the only one asking about faucet covers today. I started calling around and eventually found a few covers in a small neighborhood store. The guy on the phone said that he had ten faucet covers left. I asked if he could hold three for me and that I would be right over to pick them up. When I arrived at the store my three faucet covers were sitting behind the register and the other seven were in the hands of people checking out. I'm glad I called ahead of time. If I had just driven over to the store, they would have all been gone before I got there. If this little saga proves anything it is only that I'm not the only one who waits until the last possible minute to plan for bad weather.

It also took quite a while to get gas this morning. Everyone seemed to want to fill their tank before the storm arrives. I don't know if it makes any difference, but a full tank of gas seemed like a smart move to me as well. Am I ready for the arctic blast? I doubt it. Thankfully the really cold weather will only last two days.

We had a nice early walk with Dawn this morning. It was quite dark when we left the house and I was worried about coyotes. The sky brightened rapidly though and it was daylight by the time we arrived home. I didn't' sleep well last night and even this short walk made me tired. I should have gone back to bed, but I ate breakfast instead and got ready to take an even longer walk.

I sent in my application for press credentials for the January falcon heavy launch. I'm pretty sure that my application will be accepted since credentialing is being managed by the Space Force. The Space Force is easier to deal with than NASA for some reason. I wish I knew the actual date of the launch so I could go ahead and make travel arrangements. I'd like to stay at my favorite Airbnb again.

I was really slow on my long walk today. I thought about turning around early but I kept trudging along and eventually made it home again. Maybe I do have a cold instead of seasonal allergies. I certainly didn't feel very good today. I wanted to take a nap as soon as I returned home, but Dawn didn't want me in the bedroom. As soon as I got on the bed she went out in the hallway and started whining. Eventually I just took a nap on the sofa in the living room. I hate to see Dawn crying. She's a very manipulative dog and I think she's got me figured out.

The cold weather and high winds arrive tomorrow afternoon. We should be able to have a normal sunrise walk with Dawn, but all bets are off after that. I just hope we don't have any problems with the furnace. It has a tendency to go out at the worse possible times.

Willow is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day