Day 4056

Today was quiet and uneventful. We had a leisurely breakfast before taking Dawn on her morning walk. Walks are not a problem now. Dawn really seems to enjoy things now that she's getting her own way. Janet continued walking with me after we took Dawn back to the house. I thought we were walking faster than usual, but my Fitbit said I was burning fewer calories than when I walked alone. Maybe you walk a little slower when you are talking. At any rate, it was a very pleasant walk even though it was still very windy today.

I need to find something to do. Now that following rocket launches and volunteering at the observatory have been curtailed for a while, I don't know what to do with myself. My office is littered with the debris from former interests and obsessions, but very little intrigues me anymore. 

When I was cleaning the other day, I found some old lenses I'd completely forgotten about. I knew that I'd used these lenses with digital cameras before, but I'd forgotten how to connect them. Where were the special adapters I'd purchased many years ago? My office is a black hole that just swallows stuff up. Looking for the adapters kept me occupied for hours. I finally found a fitting that seemed like it would allow a 500mm mirror lens from the 1980's to be connected to one of my older digital cameras. This was a start. If I could get the big telephoto lens to work with this camera, I knew where there was another adapter that I could add that would let it work with my newer mirrorless cameras. I have no idea why I spent so much time doing this because none of these older lenses are nearly as good as modern digital lenses. Sometimes I think I'm more interested in the cameras themselves than in the pictures they take.

There are two Starships sitting on the pad at Boca Chica right now. When I see the images of these monster rocket sitting right next to each other, it is very tempting to make a trip down to South Texas. Several of the launch photographers I've met in Florida have already made the trek. So what's stopping me? I already live in Texas. Lots of things actually. Space X has no real schedule. You could go down to Boca Chica and end up waiting for weeks before there was a launch attempt. There aren't a lot of places to stay either. Whenever there is a launch or hop planned, the few hotels on South Padre Island get booked very quickly. Sadly, the real reason I'm hesitant is snakes. I hate snakes and the dunes around Boca Chica are full of them. Rattlesnakes, Copperheads, Desert Massasauga, Cottonmouth, Corral Snakes, and more. They are all down there.

There are snakes here too, but I've learned how to avoid them. I certainly don't anticipate encountering a snake tomorrow when we go visit the rescue Dalmatians at the kennel. I think the same three dogs are there, but every once in a while we are surprised to meet a new one. I walk much later in the day on Mondays because we spend quite a while at the kennel. Last Monday the sun was setting by the time I returned to the house. Better late than never I guess. I still think walking is one of the best ways to stay healthy.

Cooper is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3036

Dash surprised everybody today. He was well behaved at the vet. He didn't act up or bark in the car. He let the nurse take his blood pressure. He didn't squirm or try to escape when the vet gave him the rabies shot. Maybe Dash has turned over a new leaf. This was the first time he's been a good dog at the vet in many months. We'll have to go back for a Leptospirosis shot in May, but hopefully vet appointment won't be as frequent now that the blood clot worries have subsided a bit.

Dash was eager to take a walk when we returned from our vet appointment, so breakfast was very late this morning. At least Dash took a nice walk. He's pretty reliable in the morning, but I still have trouble getting him to leave the house in the afternoon. Nothing is predictable with Dash anymore. I was totally surprised at how good he was at the vet today. I never know what he's going to eat at any given time, and I can never predict when he's in the mood for an afternoon walk. They say dogs like a predictable routine. Not Dash. He likes to mix things up.

It's weird that only two days after that Sixty Minutes report about how terrible Allegiant Airlines is that an engine exploded on a Southwest Airlines flight and killed a passenger. Southwest has a good safety record, so I guess you never know when your number is up. I'm certainly going to be reluctant to sit in a window seat again. I'm certain that the poor woman who almost got sucked out of the plane never expected that a routine flight to Dallas would be her last.

I hate stories like this because I have enough fears and phobias already. I definitely don't need to add fear of flying to the list. I rarely stay out late at night anymore. I find driving in heavy traffic stressful. When I go to a restaurant I wonder if I'm going to get food poisoning. I'm always looking for snakes when I walk Dash. Nothing seems safe anymore. This isn't a great way to live, but I don't think I'm being paranoid. Just turn on the evening news tonight and you'll probably agree with me about the state of the world.

I almost called my accountant today to remind him to file my taxes. Luckily, I realized how ridiculous this would sound and didn't make the call. I think I actually did do this a few years ago and the accountant just laughed at me. Jeez. I've got to learn to trust people. At least a little.

I wonder if Barbara Bush will be the last person in the political arena to be loved and respected by everybody. I'm hearing praise and tributes from both sides of the political fence tonight. It's probably the end of an era.

The national news wasn't good today, but it wasn't a bad day for a recluse like me. I was pleased that the stock market went up again and even more pleased that Dash was a good boy at the vet.

Bella is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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