Day 4673

Columbus Day or Indigenous Peoples’ Day? To me it's just another day when we don't get any mail. There's growing evidence that the Vikings were the first Europeans to set foot in North America anyway. I wonder why holidays like this even matter to people. Humans have been displacing other humans since the dawn of time. The European colonialists were certainly no saints, but neither were the people who lived here before they arrived. The Aztecs were just as warlike and murderous as the Spaniards who conquered them. I'm surprised that our species has survived as long as it has. We really don't deserve this planet.

We have returned to walking in the dark. I don't know why we still treat Monday thru Friday as work days since we are both retired. Old habits die hard I guess. Dawn has no problem with walking in the dark. I still worry about bumping into a coyote though. A beautiful full Hunter's Moon was low in the Western sky and Mars was directly overhead this morning. Jupiter seems to have disappeared in the pre-dawn sky. It's an evening planet now. I'm not a morning person, but I enjoy our sunrise walks. It's still quiet and peaceful outside. Later in the day all you hear are police sirens and the leaf blowers and mowers of countless lawn care companies. The hustle and bustle of the city makes me nostalgic for the isolation I enjoy during my stays at McDonald Observatory. Silence is my friend.

I took my long walk after breakfast this morning. The temperature warmed up much faster than I expected and I was hot by the time I returned home. I noticed that a female Muscovy Duck has joined the two large males I see every day on my walks. I hope she's careful. These two males killed the last female who joined them. They say Muscovy Ducks are friendly and make good pets. I certainly wouldn't want these two as pets. They are almost as mean as the Canadian Geese.

I kind of miss all the construction that was going on in the park this summer. It gave me something to think about other than counting ducks. There are so many specialized skills in the construction trades. I wonder where you learn these things? I'm old and I still don't have any idea how to lay concrete or frame a house. Truthfully, I can't even fix a running toilet. I guess writing is a skill, but I never trained to be a writer. My professional life has been largely accidental.

I need a plan for the afternoons. I'm usually pretty busy in the mornings, but I typically run out of steam right after lunch. There are so many things that no longer interest me. My storage unit is filled with prior interests and obsessions. When did these interests die? It's been a very gradual process. Oh, well. At least I still like dogs and rocket launches.

Neo is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4611

It rained today. The rain only lasted for about five minutes but it was very welcome. I wish the rain had lasted longer. An hour or two later everything was dry again. There is another chance of rain tomorrow. Maybe we'll get something more substantial.

A squirrel tore up a bottle of fire ant granules and we found Dawn walking around in the back yard with one of the pieces of the plastic bottle in her mouth. We don't think she ingested any of the granules, but this still was not good. According to what I've read on the Internet the insecticide used in the Amdro granules isn't very strong and eating a small amount shouldn't be harmful to dogs. We're keeping an eye on her. It's been about four hours now and she appears absolutely normal. If this proves anything it is that dogs can and will get into anything. When I Googled "my dog ate Amdro granules" there were a ton of links. Apparently Dawn wasn't the first dog to become a little too interested in this stuff.

I was disappointed that we didn't get more rain. It would have been a nice change of pace. With the exception of the very short rain shower, today was exactly like yesterday. We started the day with an early sunrise walk with Dawn. You can really tell the days are getting shorter now. Tuesday seems to be a popular day for cyclists. We really have to watch out for bicycles on our Tuesday walks.

I had my usual bowl of cereal for breakfast and then checked my messages, hoping for some clarification from NASA. Nothing yet. I went to the gym, shot 25 free throws on the basketball court, walked two miles on the indoor track, and came home again. I got gas on the way home. I'm using more gas now that I'm going to the gym every day. It still beats walking in the park though. It's going to have to get a lot cooler before I start taking long walks in the park again.

While I was out and about this morning I listened to a program on NPR about how the invention of air conditioning was changing society. It was kind of a doom and gloom story, but I suspect that most of it was true. I have become totally dependent on air conditioning. I had the air conditioner on in my car as I was listening to the story. When the air conditioner goes out at the house it is always a major emergency. Without air conditioning I seriously doubt that I would be living in Texas. When I lived in Seattle my house didn't have an air conditioner and it never was a problem. I don't remember having an air conditioner when I lived in Idaho or Colorado either. Texas is different. Maybe it is a huge waste of energy, but I'm convinced that it is a necessity here.

I still can't think of anything that captures my interest for an entire day. I usually get off to a good start, but by mid-afternoon I've run out of steam. I never had these problems when I was working. There always seemed to be a writing job to keep me busy. It's a good thing I enjoy taking naps. I've been taking a lot of naps lately.

We'll see what tomorrow brings. I'm sure there will be another trip to the gym. I'm still hoping for rain. Our yard could really use a good soaking. I hope I don't find a dead squirrel in the yard tomorrow. I don't think Dawn ate much Amdro, but I think the squirrel probably did.

Nautica is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4610

Well, the rain disappeared from the forecast overnight and now it shows no chance of rain for the next week. The yard is looking pretty dry right now. We still take our sunrise walks with Dawn, but they are only nice when there is a breeze. Maybe I got spoiled by last summer's cooler than normal temperatures, but I'm really getting tired of this.

There isn't a lot to write about lately. I don't like talking about politics or current events and I don't have many irons in the fire myself. Every day is so similar to the previous day that I could save a lot of time and just write one post for the entire summer. Maybe this monotony will eventually force me into doing something more substantial. Time will tell. For now I'm just treading water.

We didn't visit the rescue Dalmatians today. The new kennel doesn't have a space for us to play with the dogs and they are very busy. The dogs are well cared for, but it is very different from the previous kennel. Things may change in the future, but for now we just hope that they all get adopted soon. Janet and I are meeting someone who wants to look at one of the dogs later this week. Maybe someone will get lucky and find their forever home.

I went back to the gym after breakfast this morning. I still think it's strange that the same people are always there doing the same things day after day. They probably think it's strange that I'm doing the same things day after day as well. Who knows. Maybe it's Groundhog Day for all of us. 

I'm wishing now that I'd snapped up one of those Special Viewing Nights on the Otto Struve telescope. I'm so bored this summer that the long drive out to West Texas doesn't seem quite so bad anymore. There's still the Artemis-1 launch at the end of the month, but I have a strong feeling that this launch will be delayed or postponed again. The program is already years behind schedule. What's a few more months at this point. I just hope they decide what they are going to do before I get on the plane. There have been a lot of big bills this summer and I can't really afford a trip to Florida for nothing.

Janet cleans the house on Monday. Cleaning makes me uneasy because I feel like I'm probably the one who made the place dirty in the first place. We each have our chores around the house, but I'm probably a little behind on mine. I have a feeling that I should get out the vacuum cleaner tomorrow. Vacuuming the rugs is easy. The other things that need attention are a lot more difficult. I need to repair the trim around the windows. Paint is starting to peel away in places but to get a smooth finish I would need to sand all the trim down to the bare wood and start over. Since the trim moulding is a bit ornate, it is a lot of work. There are cracks in the sheetrock that need to be spackled and patched. Once I did that I would need to paint though. Painting is such a mess. The dryer hose needs to be cleaned but it's hard for me to get behind the dryer now and remove it. I could go on and on. Basically, I'm just tired of fixing things. We've lived in this house too long.

Maybe something interesting will happen tomorrow. I wouldn't count on it though. These are the dog days of summer.

Lilly is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3903

These weeks go quickly. It's already Dalmatian Day again. There are still only three dogs at the kennel and it looks like very soon there will only be one. Hank and Luckie will be going to their forever homes soon. This pair gets along well and will be adopted together. After playing with the dogs this afternoon, we took Luckie to the vet to get spayed. Ordinarily the rescue group does this when a dog enters the program, but we needed to wait until Luckie's blood work looked good and it was safe for surgery. We may see Hank and Luckie one more time, but it looks like they will go to their new home soon. I'm glad things ended well for these two dogs. Now we've got to find a home for Charlie.

The weather was terrible today. It didn't cool down much overnight and it was oppressively humid when we left for our morning walk. There was no breeze, but at least it was cloudy. We didn't go as far today, so Dawn would't get overheated. I could tell she was glad to get back to the house. So was I. Enough of this weather. Fall can't come soon enough for me.

We might not get to walk at all tomorrow. It's supposed to start raining again around 8 AM. The forecast doesn't look good for the week. Right now it looks like the rain will continue until Saturday. I hope the pumps work this time. It's a lot easier to get the water off the roof if the pumps are helping me a bit. I'm still waiting for some cool dry weather so I can finish my repairs on the roof. It might not happen though. Fall is very unpredictable.

I really need to find something interesting to do that doesn't depend on getting approval from NASA. Writing jobs and website design used to keep me busy almost 100% of the time. Now I find myself spending way too much time on Facebook and living vicariously through the few people I know who are still actually doing something. There are a small group of people who are still photographing launches at Kennedy Space Center and an even smaller group that seems to spend their days trying to guess what Elon is doing at Boca Chica. My astronomer friends are still using the telescopes at McDonald Observatory. I'm not an astronomer though. I'm sitting here keeping the batteries charged on my laptop.

I got a business card from some tree trimmers who were removing one of my neighbor's trees. It's a start. They seemed very organized and methodical. I'll give them a call and get an estimate for removing the damaged Oak tree in the back yard. Every time there is a big storm I'm afraid this tree will fall. It's just a matter of time. We saw a large tree that had fallen across a road in the park this morning. These old growth trees seem to fall all the time. I hate to deal with this stuff, but you can't ignore it forever.

We'll see what tomorrow brings. It's a new month, but I suspect that September will be more of the same. One of these days life will return to normal, but it certainly won't be tomorrow.

Domino is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3807

I wasted hours today watching a launch on NASA TV that ended up getting scrubbed at the last minute because of weather. If I was down in Titusville as I'd planned to be, I'd be wondering now if I could afford to stick around until the next attempt on Saturday. Launch delays get complicated quickly. Sometimes the hotel is full and it is difficult to extend your stay. Airline and rental car reservations need to be rebooked. You alway have to keep in mind that the next launch attempt could get rained out as well. I've been lucky on my last two trips to Kennedy Space Center. The Solar Orbiter went off right on schedule and the Falcon Heavy STP-2 launch was only delayed a few hours. I've had to return home without seeing anything though. It's always a risk.

It was fun watching the launch preparations today. I kept thinking "I've been there" when I saw something familiar. I recognized an astronaut I'd met in Houston and noticed a few familiar faces among the NASA media relations staff. I missed this launch and I might miss a few other until the pandemic is over, but I'll be back. Maybe the next time I return, I'll have a few more publications under my belt and it will be easier to get media accreditation.

It may still be raining in Florida, but I think the rain is over in Dallas for a while. We had a nice walk with Dawn this morning. It was still overcast when we left around sunrise, but we could see patches of clear sky by the time we returned. As Summer approaches, it is increasingly important to get an early start. Dawn enjoys these walks but dogs can easily get overheated. I always worry about Dawn because she's not a young dog anymore. It rarely occurs to me that Janet and I are getting older ourselves. Neither of us think of ourselves as old. Probably the rest of the world does though.

My chore for the day was clearing the standing water off the roof. Since there is no rain in the immediate forecast, maybe my work is done for a while. The warmer is gets, the more unpleasant it is up on the roof. It can get quite hot in the Summer. At some point, I need to power wash the surface and look carefully for more bad spots before I apply the rest of the silicon material. I don't think there is any rush to do this though. I seem to have sealed all the leaky areas.

I've got to come up with a Plan-B for the Summer. It doesn't look like McDonald Observatory is going to reopen any time soon and it might be a while before I can get media accreditation at the Space Center again. I've photographed all the plants and animals in the park, but don't really feel like going anywhere else on a photo expedition. I don't feel like buying new gear either. The pandemic has got me spooked about spending money. The Land Rover dealer called today and told me that the new Defenders have finally arrived in the showroom. I wasn't even interested in that. It's definitely time for a Plan-B.

Libby is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2761

It's weird to feel bored and tired at the same time. I want to get out and do something, and yet I don't feel like doing anything at all. Resting with my feet elevated is completely mindless, but it sure beats walking around for any length of time.  My legs still hurt. The swelling in my right leg is almost gone and the swelling in my left leg continues to subside. Even though the inactivity is driving me nuts, I'd better not tempt fate at this point. Judging by the way things are progressing, I have a feeling that I'll be good to go after one more week of rest and limited activity.

The neighbors mowed my grass this morning. This was a nice gesture and I really appreciate it. I'm glad they were able to quarantine their dog at a veterinarian's office instead of being forced to take it to the city pound. Although it was painful being bitten, I'm not mad about the whole incident. It was just one of those things. If the neighbors were home at the time instead of an inexperienced house sitter, I doubt that anything would have happened. If you have a dog, you need to remember that any dog can bite, given the right circumstances. This is why I'm nervous whenever I see loose dogs in the park. You never know what might happen. Years ago, I was responsible for a foster dog who bit somebody. I had the dog well controlled on a short leash while I was talking to a friend about fifteen feet away. For some unknown reason, the dog suddenly ripped the leash out of my hand, lunged and bit my friend. It was all over in less than a second. To this day, I am super cautious around dogs. I wish everybody was.

I really hope I can get my car back tomorrow. Dash has an appointment at the cancer center on Tuesday and the dealership frowns on having dogs in their loaner cars. If I'm forced to take a dog to the vet while I've got a loaner car, it takes forever to carefully remove all the dog hairs so you can say there was never a dog inside. Dash rides better in my car anyway. Truthfully, Dash doesn't ride well in any car, but he is familiar with my car and we've learned to make things work.

With any luck, the landscapers should arrive tomorrow morning. Dash will have to stay inside, because even though I tell the landscapers a million times to keep the gates closed, they always tend to leave them open. We'll just put Dash on a leash and take him down to the park when he needs to pee. We should be able to handle this, even though we are becoming forgetful. The landscapers are very noisy and hard to ignore, and since Janet and I are both home, we can remind each other not to let Dash outside unsupervised.

I worry too much. Worrying isn't very productive, but it is hard to avoid. I don't worry about nuclear war and global warming much because I think the human race is doomed anyway. The planet will survive. We won't. On a good day I think we've got maybe 30,000 years before we become extinct. On a bad day, I think 300 years is optimistic. We have become an invasive species, just like Kudzu Vines. In just a few years, there will be more plastic in the ocean than fish. Think about that for a minute. Unless we can all agree to quit having babies for a couple of generations, I think the planet is doomed. If I can't get you to change your mind about something so basic, I think I'll limit my worries to things much closer to home. Will Janet and Dash stay cancer free? Will I stay healthy? Did I save enough money to survive whatever lies ahead? Why knows? Life is such a mystery, but I do feel blessed to have the opportunity to think about what it all means while I'm drinking my fruit smoothie tomorrow morning.

Laura is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day