Day 4980

Nothing out of the ordinary today. We got up a little later this morning. Getting up early to avoid the heat doesn't accomplish much any more. It always seems a little warmer every time I step outside of the house in the morning, but our sunrise walks are still tolerable. Dawn still enjoys these early walks, but has little interest in going outdoors later in the day. She's a smart dog. Nobody enjoys being outdoors when the temperature is 105.

We had a big weekend breakfast and then I went mall walking. I probably should have skipped walking entirely today. My foot pain has returned with a vengeance. I don't know what I did yesterday, but I could barely walk today. This happens from time to time and I don't think there's a good solution. I've seen the x-rays of my feet. Most of the cartilage is gone and if I walk the wrong way the bone on bone contact can cause inflammation. It's hard for me to give up walking though. In the absence of anything else, the walks provide a structure to my day.

Even though I went earlier than usual, the mall was full of walkers today. I think the heat has driven everyone indoors. There were tons of young families with small children this morning. This seems to be a popular place to take your kids. I'm amazed at how many stores have either changed locations or are planning to change locations. I wonder why? I doubt that a move to the other side of the mall will lower the rent. If the stores aren't moving, they are remodeling. This place is full of activity.

I had my slowest time ever today. I probably looked like a cripple limping around the mall. I did finish my five laps though. Oh, well. At least it's nice and cool inside and the terrain is completely flat. Fall clothing is already on display in the store windows. Why do they continue to sell heavy Fall clothing in Dallas. It's not going to be cold. We don't really have four seasons here. Winter is short, but it can get cold ocassionally. Spring and Fall are just an illusion. These transition seasons only seem to last a few weeks.

Dawn got her Sunday outing today, but she didn't get much of a walk. We let her out in the Sunday park for about five minutes so she could pee and smell a few things. Then we headed straight to the ice cream store. We were the only customers at the drive-up window. It's so hot that people aren't even venturing out for ice cream anymore.

 I didn't do much this afternoon, but that's not surprising. I never seem to do much in the afternoon. I watched a show on PBS about great excursion railroads. There was a time when I would have wanted to ride on all of these trains. My interest in trains seems to have wained. I've been selling my model train collection and I haven't ridden on a train in decades. I have ridden passenger trains cross-country though. I've taken the Empire Builder from Seattle to Chicago and I've ridden the Super Chief as well. That was a long time ago though. The memories are getting fuzzy.

Tomorrow I begin a new week that will look a lot like the previous week. There's a dental appointment on my calendar, but I doubt that anything's wrong with my teeth. My left foot is the only thing that is bothering me at the moment.

Emma is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4865

After our early walk with Dawn this morning, I turned on the computer and watched the Starship explode. A lot of people expected this would happen, but it was still disappointing. At least the massive rocket made it off the launch pad. It looked like a lot of photographer's remote cameras were destroyed though. Hopefully things will go a lot smoother for the Viasat-3 launch next week. My accreditation request was approved today, so I will be going to the launch. I just finished making my reservations. Last minute airfares were predictably expensive and my favorite Airbnb was already booked, but the trip is scheduled.

It looked like it was going to rain all day, but the rain didn't start until this evening. I think Dawn enjoyed her walk more than I enjoyed mine. I made an effort to move faster on my long walk this morning, but that just made my foot hurt more and I ended up walking much slower on the final mile. Even though my first two miles were faster, my overall pace didn't improve at all. Growing older is frustrating. Even on the best of days, aches and pains are just part of normal life. I think I'm healthy, but maybe I'm fooling myself. It seems almost impossible to increase muscle mass at my age and my balance isn't what it used to be. You've got to keep moving though. I think things would be a lot worse if I just sat around.

I finally changed the furnace filters today. I've been seeing a reminder on the thermostat to do this for the past three days, but I keep forgetting. I even forgot what day it was today and Janet had to remind me to take the trash out to the curb. It's actually pretty easy to forget what day it is when they are all basically the same. Maybe another launch trip will be the change of pace I need. These trips aren't very relaxing though.    I don't sleep well and I usually just end up substituting anxiety for my typical boredom.

The temperature got up to 85 degrees today. I was hot on my long walk and it made me realize that Summer is not far away. Nice weather doesn't last long here in Texas. Currently we are under another severe weather alert. There is no danger of a tornado this time, but we might get some good sized hail. We'll see what happens. I'm watching the weather radar and it looks the worst of the storm is going to travel a little north of us. So far we've been pretty lucky with bad weather. No damage this year, but I still haven't repaired the damage to the greenhouse from last year's storms.

This week has gone quickly. I'm really glad that Dawn seems to have fully recovered. She's fine now. I'm not so sure about myself. I didn't accomplish much this week, but I'm still here. We'll see if I can do a little better next week. I hope the Viasat-3 launch schedule doesn't change at the last minute. Flights already looked pretty full when I made my reservations. Oh, well. Much of this is out of my control. At least we missed the really bad weather tonight. I think the storm has already moved north of us. 

Wilson is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4790

Shopping is not a pleasure anymore. Traffic is unreal these days. Even at 10 AM Northwest Highway looked like the worst evening rush hour I've ever experienced. Where are all these people coming from? It feels like the population of Dallas has doubled overnight. Stores are crowded and shelves are empty. I routinely have to go to several stores to find things that I used to find in a single location. Prices keep rising and in an effort for keep prices lower, many stores are replacing familiar national brands with their own private labels. Most of these private label brands seem to be of lower quality. It's sad. As soon as we reset our expectations and learn to accept this new reality, I suspect things will get even worse.

What happened to our ice storm? It's like it never even happened. The weather was nice today. It was much warmer and the ground is almost dry again. We had a great walk with Dawn this morning. She really missed her walks during the storm. I think we're almost back to normal now. I cleaned and put most of the buckets away and did a huge load of wash. It seems like every towel and cleaning cloth we own was put to use when there were leaks everywhere. I thought all the leaks were gone, but after the temperature warmed up a very small leak reappeared in the office. This leak has finally stopped as well, but I'm still leaving a container under it just in case.

The roof estimator wanted to come over a little early, so I postponed my long walk until after he finished looking at things. He seemed a bit overwhelmed by all the problems I was having. The guy was young and I don't think he had dealt with many flat roofs before. He took a lot of pictures and said he was going to confer with someone at the company who had a lot of experience with my type of roof. Later in the day I got a call from someone who seemed to have a wealth of knowledge about anything related to roofing. She didn't even live in Dallas and said she worked with roofing companies all over the country. She seemed to know a lot about my particular roof and had the exact dimensions, even though the guy who came out never took any measurements. She said there is a company that uses satellite and drone imagery to provide this information for roofing companies. Welcome to a new world where practically everything is outsourced. The woman said that she would have a specialist in residential flat roofs contact me next week. So far, so good I guess. This wasn't what I was expecting, but I will say that this company has been very responsive. I'm going to stay optimistic even though there is more rain in the forecast for next week.

My long walk was slow today. I had a lot of foot pain. There's not a lot you can do about osteoarthritis. Bone on bone contact of any nature is going to be painful. They say that a change in diet can slow down the degeneration of cartilage, but it may be too late for that already. I don't know if I could do it anyway. You are supposed to give up alcohol, red meat, cheese and other dairy products, refined carbohydrates and sugar. Jeez. What's left?

I did get my steps today. I've been surprisingly active lately. At least working on the roof had a few benefits. I got 24,000 steps yesterday and 22,000 steps today. Walking is still enjoyable, but it's starting to take a toll on me. I feel quite tired after I finish my long walks these days. I guess that's the point, isn't it? You are supposed to feel tired after exercise. 

It looks like it is going to be nice tomorrow, so Dawn will get her Sunday outing again. I'll probably go mall walking as well. I don't get as many steps when I go walking at the mall, but I need a change of pace from my walks in the park at least once a week. Mall walking when the stores are closed is strangely peaceful.

Duke is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4778

I'm getting apprehensive about the weather again. We're supposed to get a lot of rain and possibly even snow tomorrow. This means that the roof will inevitably start leaking and I'll be back to square one with my cleanup efforts. To say that I'm getting tired of this would be an understatement. At this point I just hope the forecast is wrong. It often is.

Today was a another day of long walks and paying bills. I extended my 20,000 step streak to six days. I think that's a record for me. It's going to be hard to make it a full week though if it rains tomorrow. We'll see what happens. I hate the thought of driving to the gym in the rain tomorrow, but I can't just sit around the house all day. Walking brings a necessary structure to my life. I need to keep walking.

It's time to start working on my taxes again. I had a talk with my accountant today about whether it was time to stop filing as a business. Am I retired or not? I'm certainly busy enough. I still build and maintain animal rescue websites and I regularly write for SpaceFlight Magazine. The British magazine even calls me their U.S. Correspondent now. The only problem is that I'm not making any money. I think a business has to make money at least two years out of five. I need to find a gig with a magazine that actually pays for content. Easier said than done though. Especially when all you want to write about is astronomy and space. The magazine industry is not very healthy. I used to receive a ton of trade magazines at the house. Most of them are out of business now.

All the extra walking I'm doing is killing my feet. I probably need to retire my current pair of Hoka shoes and break out a new pair. I have one fairly new pair of Bondi 7 shoes that I just use when I travel and a brand new pair that I got just before they discontinued this style. My current shoes still feel comfortable but I'm sure they are not providing the support I need. The soles and heal areas are completely worn out. It's too bad that sneakers don't last like boots. I've got twenty year old hiking boots that are in better shape than my two year old Hokas.

Tonight there was a conjunction of Venus and Saturn right after sunset that astronomer friends said was a must see event. It's not happening. It was clear for most of the day, but clouds have rolled in and the skies are overcast now. This is probably the beginning of the bad weather that is supposed to start later tonight. There is also a green comet in the northern skies that people are talking about. I'll probably never find this. I had trouble finding Neowise a few years ago and it was much brighter. Lately my only connection with astronomy is testing the Benro Polaris star tracker every time a new firmware update comes out.

We were thinking about visiting the rescue Dalmatians this Wednesday but we'll wait and see what the weather is like. It's a long drive to this new kennel and it looks like we'll be playing with them outdoors instead of indoors like we did at the old kennel. Weather and rain will be an issue. I have a feeling that we won't end up visiting every week like we used to. We'll figure out something though. Janet and I still think socializing the dogs is important.

There's nothing on the agenda for tomorrow. I'll probably spend most of the day fretting about roof leaks.

Chloe is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4698

We got a lot of rain today, but all is well. The storm did produce tornados, but there were none in our area. No trees fell in the yard, the roof hasn't leaked, and the day wasn't totally disrupted. We were able to give Dawn her regular sunrise walk and I even had time to take a long walk in the park after breakfast before the weather got bad. The entire storm system moved through town very quickly, leaving much cooler temperatures in its wake. I was really surprised at how cold it feels now.

I walked earlier than usual this morning in an effort to beat the rain. Although I've only seen the eagles once since their return to the park, I did find their new nest today. Eagles don't appear to be that smart about picking a nest location. Once again they've built their nest at the top of a dead tree. Hopefully, the tree won't blow over in a storm and destroy the nest like it did last year. Everyone seems to assume that these are the same two eagles that made their home in the park last year. You couldn't prove it by me. Every eagle I've ever seen looks exactly the same.

My feet certainly aren't improving. I'm starting to have a lot of foot pain again. For a while I thought this might be because my walking shoes are starting to wear out. That's not it. I wore some new Hokas on my last trip to Florida and my feet felt exactly the same. The pain isn't bad enough to stop me from walking, but it is irritating. It's just another aspect of growing old I suspect.

The media logistics e-mail for the next Artemis launch attempt came out today. I now know when and where to go throughout the entire launch window. I'm glad everything meshed well with the plans I've already made, because it's way too late for me to change anything. I really hope the next launch attempt is successful. I can't afford many more trips to see launches that get scrubbed.

I'll continue to look for a better hotel, but I doubt that I'll find anything. Even if a room does open up, I'm sure that someone pushier or with a lot more clout than I have will grab it first. Oh, well. You win some and you lose some. I've usually found very nice places to stay while I'm in Titusville. I guess my luck had to run out sometime.

I'm glad we didn't get any damage from today's storms. Storms are not my friend. After years of downed trees and roof leaks, I always expect the worst. I don't know what I'd do without the weather apps on my phone. They are really pretty accurate. I know when the rain is going to start and stop, as well as how bad it is going to be. Without these apps, I probably wouldn't have had the nerve to take a long walk today. You don't want to be out alone in the woods when tornados are in the forecast.

The weather will be a lot better tomorrow. We'll have to dress warmly for Dawn's sunrise walk though. The temperature will be in the low 40's. I haven't made a grocery list yet, but that's on the agenda. It looks we're going to have a fairly normal weekend. As far as I'm concerned, normal is good.

Ginger is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4684

Today was uneventful. I almost made us late for our sunrise walk when I fell back asleep after Janet's ten minute warning wake up call. Luckily I can get dressed quick and I was ready before she tied her shoes and Dawn had her harness on. We walked in the dark again. I need to find some better clip-on lights. The ones I wear now are too bright and mess with my night vision. I'm going to look for a red LED armband that I can wear for astrophotography as well.

I waited about an hour after breakfast to take my long walk in the park. The temperature warms up quickly and I didn't want to wear a coat that I would have to take off and tie around my waist when I was halfway finished. The temperature feels just about perfect around 10 AM now, so that's when I'm trying to leave the house. I wish the city was quieter. Nothing spoils a perfect day faster than a cacophony of leaf blowers, chain saws, and police sirens. When I used to take my morning walk out at the observatory all I would hear was the wind and the occasional sound of a hawk flying overhead. I really miss the sound of silence.

There's not a lot going on in the park these days. The construction work on the trails is finished now and there are fewer joggers and cyclists when the weather is cooler. I watch the leaves turn yellow and fall from the trees. I count ducks and watch out for snakes. I saw a baby copperhead yesterday. You've really got to watch out for these things in the late Fall. The babies are even more poisonous than the adults. This is why we always try to stay on the trails with Dawn. I really don't want her to get bitten by a snake.

Truthfully, I'm not a huge fan of nature. I just don't like people. I can walk my six miles in the park without having to talk with anybody. The only downside to these long walks is foot pain.  I wish there was a solution, but I'm not very optimistic. Articular cartilage cannot regrow or heal because it doesn’t have any blood vessels. This doesn't stop people from offering a wide variety of cures. Some say damaged cartilage can grow back. Really? Where do they get their information? I've taken Glucosamine for years and it doesn't seem to do anything. They say eating oranges, nuts, and brussel sprouts helps too. I like all these foods, but still have bone on bone contact when I walk. I'm not complaining though. I'm still doing pretty well for a guy who will turn 75 next summer.

I'm convinced that I'm paying way too much for cable TV. I looked up U-verse rates on the AT&T website today and their advertised rates are quite a bit less than what I'm actually paying. I tried to change my plan on the website this afternoon. You used to be able to do this, but now a page comes up that just asks you to call a representative instead. I didn't call. I'm sure if I got someone on the phone they'd just try to convince me that their exorbitant rate was actually a bargain. I think I know what is going on, but I'll have to go to a store and talk to someone in person. I'm an early adopter of almost everything. U-verse was more expensive when it was initially introduced quite a few years ago. I probably got grandfathered in at the old rate. Companies have no problem overcharging you if you don't complain.

Tomorrow is the annual Dalmatian Rescue golf tournament. I usually take team pictures of the golfers at these events. I'll ride around the course on a cart and stop and take pictures whenever I see a team playing.  I'll take a team picture and then try to get a few pictures of players teeing off or putting. This seemed easy when I was younger, but now it seems tiring. Depending on how many teams there are, it can be a long time to be out in the sun. I'm glad the tournament is in the morning tomorrow because the weather will be cooler.

Lance is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4682

I knew this was going to happen. We woke up this morning and there was no heat on the coldest day of the year so far. I was pretty sure I knew what was wrong because this happens every year. The furnace flame sensor gets dirty and the burners won't light. A repairman taught me how to fix the problem myself and it has saved me a ton of money over the years. That being said, I still don't enjoy doing the repair. It's an easy fix that involves sanding the flame sensor with fine grit sandpaper. The problem is that I have to dismantle part of the furnace to access the sensor. It is located down near the floor which is hard on my knees as well. At any rate, I got the furnace working again before breakfast, because I hate being cold while I eat.

It was really chilly this morning. I had to put on some extra layers for our sunrise walk. Dawn didn't need to wear a sweater yet, but if it gets any colder that's next. The park was really empty this morning. The colder it gets, the fewer runners and cyclists we see. Dawn really enjoys this cooler weather and I'm happy with it as well. I've got plenty of warm coats and I don't sweat much on a chilly day. The stars were out when we got started this morning. It reminded me that I ought to spend a little more time stargazing. Maybe not though. It's just not that much fun here in Dallas.

Once I finished breakfast and was satisfied that the furnace was running properly, I took my long walk. I didn't do as well this morning. My pace was slower and my feet hurt. There is no way to predict how I'm going to feel until I start walking. I thought this was going to be a good day when we took our sunrise walk with Dawn. Apparently not. By the time I returned home I felt like soaking my feet in a bucket of warm water. It was a beautiful day for a walk. My feet just weren't having any part of it.

After lunch I got out my video gear and checked everything out while recharging a bunch of batteries. I discovered that I'd forgotten how to use my wireless microphones and had to download a PDF document to relearn how to use the transmitter and receiver. Will I ever use this equipment again? It's doubtful. Making corporate videos was an important part of my business back in the day. I had a little editing studio and did everything myself. I still have the tape machines but I doubt that anything is done on tape these days. Oh, well. The equipment paid for itself and most of it is sitting in the storage warehouse now.

Dawn graduated to the advanced group at her training class this week. Janet said she did well, although she didn't bring home any ribbons. Next week the class is having a Halloween party and Dawn is going as Cruella de Vil. Janet made her a cute costume, but we don't know how long she will keep the Cruella wig on.  

I've got to get up early and take my car in for a service appointment tomorrow morning. We'll see how expensive the repairs are before I move on and get the dryer fixed. There's always something that needs to be fixed.

Diva is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4536

Today's big event was giving Dawn a bath. I didn't think Dawn was too dirty and probably neither did Dawn, but she likes to roll in the dirt and Janet likes a clean dog. We always take Dawn to a self bathe place in the neighborhood. She hates getting in the tub, but always seems to relax when we apply the shampoo and rinse her off with warm water. By the time we dry her with a couple of bath towels, she seems like a happy dog. I kind of feel the same way about taking a shower. I hate getting wet, but it does feel better being clean.

It was surprisingly cold when we took our sunrise walk this morning. The furnace was on when I woke up and I actually needed a coat when we went outside. I thought I was done with Winter coats for the year, but maybe not. The weather here is full of surprises. Dawn approved of the cooler weather and really enjoyed her walk this morning. I thought she might want to take a longer walk, but she was more interested in returning home for her breakfast.

I always take Dawn outside around 11 AM to pee. I sat outside with her for about fifteen minutes and she did nothing, so we went back inside again. I then went out in the front yard to pull weeds in a little garden area and when I returned not more than ten minutes later I discovered a trail of pee leading to the back door. Dawn never does this. I wonder why she didn't go when I had her outside a little earlier. I hope she isn't getting senile or has some kind of medical issue. She's been fine the rest of the day, but it's something to keep an eye on.

My long walk this afternoon was curtailed by foot pain again this afternoon. I was lucky to get 10,000 steps today. It's a shame that my feet have been bothering me when the weather has been so nice. This would have been a great afternoon for a long walk. As much as I hate driving in city traffic, I'll probably have to start going back to the gym soon. I have a feeling that my feet need a rest and I probably need to start doing some alternate exercises anyway. My upper body strength is terrible now. It's a shame that it is so easy to lose muscle mass as you get older, but so hard to gain it back again. 

I've got to stop using Facebook. It's become totally irritating lately. Whenever I see an interesting story, it always ends up being hidden behind a paywall. I hate those paywalls and steadfastly refuse to subscribe to anything. Newspapers and magazines are the worst. Now that nobody reads the printed page anymore, all these publications seem to be trying to recreate their subscription models online. Even in the old days I used to read magazines in libraries. I guess I've always thought that information should be free. Almost as irritating as paywalls is the proliferation of sponsored articles on Facebook. These are all clickbait. If you click on an interesting headline and picture, you are led through an endless series of pages filled with ads and other nonsense, all trying to get you to hit the next button that will lead you to your destination. Usually I realize that I've been scammed after hitting the next button a few times. I should have learned by now that these sponsored posts are all worthless clickbait.

Where has this week gone? I've already taken the trash out to the curb and and am contemplating going out for breakfast on Friday again. Maybe I will one of these days. I think the magic is gone unfortunately. I don't enjoy eating as much as I used to. Exploring new restaurants used to be a big adventure. Now eating a perfunctory bowl of shredded wheat is just the easiest way to get some food in my belly.

Chief is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4533

We're getting to know the remaining rescue Dalmatians pretty well. Each of these dogs has their own distinctive personality. Charlie can go from calm to chaos in a fraction of a second. He's one of the smartest dogs we've known, but he definitely isn't a lap dog. He loves to show off and we've been able to teach him some amazing tricks. Oliver is a goofy clown who will fetch a toy or ball for hours. He's the only one who will bring the toy back to you so you can throw it again. Jo Jo is a gentle giant who prefers to be outdoors. He won't play in the indoor play area, but take him outside and it's a completely different story. He likes to hide his ball, even though it's always in plain sight. He's the only one who likes to climb up on a bench so you can pet him at eye level. Willie likes to play with a weird plastic ball that makes funny noises when it rolls along the floor. He prefers being petted to playing though. He's super affectionatee with people but doesn't seem to get along with other dogs. Rocket is a shy boy who is making amazing progress. He didn't even know how to play at first, but is definitely starting to enjoy playing with rope toys. They all love the treats we bring. It's a shame that these boys haven't been adopted yet. Each of their unique personalities would be perfect for some lucky person.

Today was unusually busy for a Monday. I paid some bills after breakfast and our early morning walk with Dawn. Then I shut off the computer and took the heavy uninterrupted power supply to the Interstate store to get the batteries replaced. I was hoping that the dead batteries would still be under warranty, but time flies and they were already two years old. No free batteries this time. I was amazed at how much prices had gone up since the last time I had to replace UPS batteries. The two batteries in the unit cost $95. That's more than double what the same batteries cost several years ago. Oh, well. One more sign that we are living in a crumbling, dystopian universe.

The weather was quite a bit cooler today and it would have been a good day to walk if my feet were cooperating. I joined Janet and Dawn on an afternoon walk after we returned from the kennel, but I felt like returning to the house with Dawn after she finished her short one mile loop. I did walk a little further, but not much. Even counting Dawn's two walks, I didn't even complete four miles today. Maybe I overdid things last week. Maybe my Hoka shoes are wearing out again. Who knows. My feet are definitely bothering me more than usual though.

Dawn is a funny monkey. When Janet is away she won't come out of the bedroom while I am fixing her dinner. I have to get everything ready and then return to the office before she will come out and eat. When Janet is home it's completely different story. She's a bossy little thing who is right out in the kitchen with me, barking at me constantly to hurry up and get her supper ready. I wish she was more comfortable being alone with me, but it is what it is. I'm sure Dawn has her reasons for all of this.

There has been rain in the forecast for several days, but I think it's finally going to start raining later tonight. I hope this current forecast is wrong because it shows an all day rain tomorrow which extends into Wednesday. It's a shame that we typically get all our rain for the year in one month. We've had plenty of rain lately and everything is green, but it will be bone dry again by July and August. An all day rain conjures up visions of roof leaks. I hope the pumps are still working.

There's already a new update for the star tracker. I'm afraid to install it though because it might break the fix the Benro folks sent me a few weeks ago. I'd hate to go back to square one again. I should leave well enough alone, but if I'm stuck inside on a rainy day, curiosity might get the better of me and I could end up installing the update anyway. Curiosity killed the cat, or so they say.

Willie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4480

Dawn got a bath this afternoon. It wasn't a big event, but it will have to do. Today was a slow day. All our dogs have hated getting a bath. They seem to love getting dirty though. Dawn loves to roll in the grass in the back yard. The grass is pretty thin in places, so she is mostly rolling in the dirt. Of course as soon as she's back in the house, she likes to roll on the bed. If you have a dirty dog, you also have a dirty house.

Dawn always feels better after a bath. She just doesn't like the whole process. We always take her to one of those self bathe places. I'm glad that someone came up with this idea since it works a lot better than trying to take your dog in the shower. At least it was a nice warm day. The whole ordeal was over quickly and now we have a clean dog again for a few days.

I printed out all my reservations, maps, and directions for my trip this morning. I always do this when I travel and carry around a yellow manilla envelope with all this information wherever I go. Everything in the envelope is readily available online, but I like having things on paper. 

When I drive I'll often take a road atlas with me. Even though the atlas is out of date, it still makes more sense to me than Google Maps.  I'm about as old school as you can yet, but I do try. I've finally realized that the app on my phone is much more convenient that a paper airline ticket.

It was such a nice day that Dawn got two walks. I continued walking after Janet and Dawn returned home this afternoon, but I didn't make it very far. My feet really bothered me today and by the time I'd walked two miles I realized that it was time to head for home. None of this makes a lot of sense to me. Yesterday I walked much further with relatively little foot pain. Today was terrible.

It's time to get the lawn mower running again. It's an electric mower and I usually have to replace the batteries every couple of years. I kept the battery inside this winter, so hopefully it will take a charge. We'll see. The large batteries are kind of expensive, but I still like the electric mower better than the old gas powered mowers I used to use. I just wish this mower was self propelled. I'm tired of pushing the heavy thing up and down our hilly front yard.

I'm supposed to pick up my press credentials at the Starfish Room in the Cocoa Beach Hilton. I looked up the hotel online and it doesn't have a Starfish room. This kind of stuff drives me crazy. Every time I go to Florida I'm always thinking "What if I get down there and they're not even having a launch?" I have no faith in anything these days. I usually call to double check everything, which probably annoys the people who put all their information on a website just to avoid people like me.

I've taken this week's trash out to the curb and am halfheartedly thinking about going out for breakfast tomorrow morning. I'll probably just stay home and have another bowl of shredded wheat, but I should resume my Friday morning restaurant breakfasts one of these days. It's been a while, but I know I used to enjoy them.

Smiley is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4467

All is well that ends well. Janet is home again and Dawn is a very happy dog. Actually today was Dawn's best day this week. She was finally starting to relax a little. I could clearly see the fear and uncertainty start to recede. Who knows. If Janet's vacation had lasted a few days longer we might have started to bond. I'm glad the week is over though. It's been a tough week for both of us. Dawn had to work really hard to overcome her many fears. Her worst day was when she threw up on the bed and refused to eat her breakfast. My worst day was when I felt like I'd come down with the flu. I have no idea if I really had the flu or not, but I had a persistant cough, was running a fever, and everything ached. I feel quite a bit better now and of course Dawn is over the moon now that Janet has returned..

I was determined to get something done today. I wrote several query letters with proposals for future articles. I guess it's a good sign that I've already received one reply. There's a launch in early April that Spaceflight would like me to cover, so I've already applied with Space X for credentials. Space X is much easier to deal with than NASA, so I'm optimistic that this is going to work out. The proposal I sent to Sky & Telescope might take a while to percolate to somebody's desk. They have always been very slow to respond. At least I did something. I was getting to the point where I was becoming too discouraged to even try.

I'm not sure how long I can continue taking my daily long walks. It's not fun anymore and the foot pain keeps getting worse. Usually only the last mile is terrible, so I'm thinking of scaling back my walks to 10,000 steps a day. That's less than half of what I can do on a good day, but I haven't had a good day in a long time. Maybe I'm wrong but I think reducing my daily mileage is a lot better than just quitting.

I had to make a non-standard change on the Dalmatian Rescue website today and it took me forever to remember how to write the code. I kept wanting to revert to the old way I used to build static sites years ago. This didn't work because I need to use the new mobile friendly website code. Why have I forgotten all this? I eventually figured out what I needed to do, but it was a bit disconcerting to see how quickly skills fade away if you don't use them everyday. I guess this is why I still do a daily blog post and take pictures with my phone whenever I see something interesting. If you want to call yourself a creative person, you've got to have some skin in the game.

I hope now that life has returned to normal I can finally get some sleep. Dawn and I didn't sleep well this week. The slightest noise would wake Dawn and she would sit up in the bed and look real alert until she thought the danger had past. This would usually wake me up as well. My problem was that I was always either too hot or too cold. The temperature never seemed right and my sleep stats on Fitbit and my Apple Watch were very strange. My resting heart rate was much higher than usual and my respiration rate was all over the place. At any rate, I'm tired of feeling poorly. Maybe I just don't handle stress very well.

It's hard to believe that it's already time to go grocery shopping again. My list will probably be longer than usual this week because the refrigerator is looking pretty empty. The pot roast that Janet fixed lasted all week. I don't know whether I'll need to get gas since I didn't go anywhere this week. The car never left the driveway. Hopefully the car will start tomorrow.

Skippy is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4465

Dawn was reluctant to eat her breakfast this morning. She eventually got off the bed and ate but it took a while. I'm not sure how a dog acts when they are depressed, but Dawn certainly fits the bill. Luckily her appetite returned later in the day. I wish I could explain to Dawn that Janet is coming back. She seems a bit lost right now. We're getting everything done that Dawn needs to do, but she's not showing a lot of enthusiasm. It's probably not good for a dog to be so fixated on a single person, but I don't know what to do about it. Dawn decided early on that she was Janet's dog.

Tomorrow is the roll out for Artemis-1. I applied to attend this event but I never heard anything from NASA. I didn't even get a rejection letter this time. This is disappointing. I was getting press credentials fairly regularly for a while but something seems to have changed. I think my previous editor at the magazine had better connections with NASA but I'm just guessing here. It does feel like I've slipped off the radar though.

I'm going to have to get out the star tracker again because I did something wrong when I was uploading the information the company requested. I hope I don't lose interest in this thing before I get some good pictures. It could happen though. I don't think I'm cut out to be a Beta Tester. I'm not that detail oriented and for the most part I just expect machines to work. I'm sure that the bugs will be worked out in this thing over time, but I'm not certain that I want to be part of the process.

The weather was beautiful today but it was a bad day for foot pain. I'm really going to have to get some new shoes soon. I keep waiting for the boots I want to come back in stock, but I don't think that's going to happen. I don't know why it's been so difficult for me to buy something else. Walking is about all I do these days. I really need good shoes.

It's pretty quiet around the house now. I rarely watch television and Janet has the TV on most of the time. I wonder if Dawn would like to have a little noise? I think the quiet is peaceful, but I'm not a dog. There are so many things that I'd like to ask this dog. It would be nice to know why she doesn't like me. Maybe I look or smell like one of the guys who mistreated her at the puppy mill. I still hope we will bond at some point. This week would have been a good time to start.

I think I might have a mild case of the flu. My bones ache, I have a persistent cough, and I'm more tired than usual. I don't really feel sick although I do have a low grade fever. Janet's cough went away very quickly so hopefully mine will as well. I should probably take it easy tomorrow although I was going to do that anyway. My days are never very stressful or strenuous.

I hope Dawn perks up tomorrow. I hate to see her looking so dejected. We're just concentrating on the basics now. I make sure she eats, takes her pills, and has plenty of fresh water. She has plenty of opportunities to go outside and pee and at least once a day we go down to the park behind our house. I would be happy to take a walk with her, but as soon as she does her business, she wants to go immediately back to the house. It's actually a good sign that she will leave the yard with me at all. She stays on the bed with me now as well. We're making slow steady progress. Very slow at some points.

Ruthie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4458

Another slow day. Dawn still won't walk in the morning because it's too cold. We go down to the field behind our house and as soon as she poops she wants to come back home again. For a dog that's scared of everything, she's incredibly stubborn. When she's ready to go home, nothing can make her move forward. Until Spring really arrives, we're just going to walk her in the afternoon. The temperature warms up quickly. It went from 30 degrees to 60 degrees today.

After breakfast I filled out my application for 2022 press credentials with the Space Force. I've been credentialed for the past two years, so it shouldn't be a problem. You never know though. I don't take anything for granted anymore. I'm not even sure the magazine I write for likes me these days. Something has changed but I can't quite put my finger on it. At any rate, I hope everything goes smoothly. I still want to attend the Artemis 1 launch. I watched this spacecraft being assembled at Michoud Assembly Facility and have followed its journey for several years. Hopefully when the time comes I'll be able to afford airfare. I have a feeling that the cost of a plane ticket is going to be a lot higher in a few months from now.

I wasted a lot of time this morning trying to get my Dreamweaver software to work better. My plan was to boot the computer from an older system that I was using about the same time I bought my Adobe CS-5 software. Surprisingly this actually worked, but my WiFi was really slow because I was running an old operating system from an external hard drive. The website files I needed weren't on the drive either. By the time I finished transferring everything I realized that this was a pretty stupid plan. I guess I'll go back to using my semi-broken copy of Dreamweaver on my main computer.

I got my 20,000 steps again today but it wasn't easy. My feet felt terrible. Usually the last mile is the worst. At least I dressed appropriately this time. It was pretty warm by the time I took my long walk and I wore a light jacket that I could easily tie around my waist as I warmed up. I didn't see any ducks of geese this afternoon. I doubt that I'll ever see the eagles again. I wonder where the birds went. Parks and Recreation has been doing a lot of work in the park lately. Maybe all the noise is disrupting things. I haven't seen this much activity in many years. I may be wrong but it feels like the park department is trying to use up the remaining money in their fiscal year budget before it disappears.

I still think we should be doing more to help the Ukrainians. What good are NATO and the United Nations if all they can do is issue proclamations? I seem to remember no fly zones being established in almost every major conflict during the past thirty years. So now it's too dangerous to have a no fly zone? Basically the Ukrainians got screwed. When they broke away from the Soviet Union and became an independent country, they voluntarily relinquished their own nuclear weapons in exchange for protection from the West. It sure doesn't seem like we are doing much to protect them from Putin.

Janet said that Dawn did really well at training class tonight. We definitely won't be going to training class while she's away on vacation. The way things are going, we might not even leave the backyard.

Bacardi is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4456

It was a busy day at the kennel. We met the three new females. Candy is a very active eight month old pup. Julip is a small four year old who loves to smile. And Sammy is a sweet three year old mama who is going to have puppies soon. Sammy will go to a foster next week to have her puppies and Candy and Julip will soon be joined by Rocket, a three year old male who is still at the vet. Considering what these puppy mill dogs have been through, they all seemed happy and remarkably well adjusted.

We spent a lot of time taking pictures of the new dogs, but we didn't forget about Charlie, Oliver, Jo Jo, and Willie. The rescue group hasn't had this many Dalmatians for quite a while. Each of these dogs has their own unique personality, but they are all wonderful. I would have a hard time choosing a favorite. When we left the kennel this afternoon I wondered if I would see some of these dogs again. The younger Dals often get adopted very quickly.

Winter has returned, but I hope it doesn't stay around long. It was so cold when we took Dawn on her early walk this morning that she didn't want any part of being outside. As soon as she did her business, she quickly turned around and wanted to go back to the house. While I was eating breakfast it was even sleeting for a while. Eventually the sun came out, but it never got very warm. It was still cold when I took my long walk later in the afternoon when we returned from the kennel.

I didn't walk far today because my feet were bothering me again. Every day is a new day. Some days I can walk almost normally, while other days I just hobble around. The inconsistency makes no sense to me. I probably spend way too much time wondering about my feet. If things were really bad I wouldn't be able to walk at all. The simple truth is that just about everyone my age deals with aches and pains. I'm probably still doing better than most.

I noticed on my calendar that Spot's birthday is tomorrow. If Spot hadn't been such a good dog, we probably wouldn't have continued having Dalmatians after he passed away. Spot changed everything. So many Dalmatians have been a part of our lives over the years. We've had some serious health issues and there are still teeth marks in some of the furniture, but I wouldn't change a minute of the time we've been able to spend with these dogs. Hopefully the people who end up adopting our friends at the kennel will feel the same way about their Dalmatians.

I'm just about finished with my taxes, so I'll probably take the files to my accountant tomorrow. Next on the list is re-applying for press credentials with the Space Force. With NASA you apply to attend individual launches, but Space Force credentials last for the entire year. It's good that I am thinking about going to Kennedy Space Center again. For a while this Winter I didn't feel like going anywhere.

Tomorrow I need to get the new dogs up on the Dalmatian Rescue website. I probably need to get the star tracker out of the box again too. There have been several software and firmware upgrades recently and I need to keep up. I keep moving along but I still have trouble doing more than one thing a day.

Connor 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 4442

We met Willie today. This delightful three year old male came to Dalmatian Rescue from animal control in a nearby city. It always seems strange to me that such a nice dog could wind up abandoned or stray but it happens a lot. I don't know a lot about Willie's history, but I think it's safe to say that his future will be a lot better than his past.

With four Dalmatians at the kennel now, we're spending more time playing with the dogs. Jo Jo has adjusted to his new surroundings well. Oliver is recovering from an eye infection. We helped the kennel staff give him eye drops which was a lot harder than I thought. Oliver wouldn't stay still and had no interest in the drops. Charlie continues to amaze me at how well trained he's become. This is a good group of dogs and we enjoy spending time with them.

It was so warm today that the air conditioner came on for a while. It's almost impossible to plan for this weather. Every day is something new. There was a light mist when we took our sunrise walk this morning, but the sun came out later in the day. Amazingly, the temperature topped 80 degrees this afternoon. Apparently there are still more surprises to come. We are under a severe thunderstorm alert now with storms arriving in the area later tonight. I'm really getting tired of this schizophrenic weather.

I'm also getting tired of my foot problems. I investigated some alternative treatments offered by sports medicine specialists this afternoon. One involved injections of bone marrow concentrate and the other treated you using stem cells. Both procedures looked a little sketchy to me, but what do I know. I'm in no hurry to do something stupid. I'll ask my doctor about these alternative treatments the next time I see him.

The foot pain has definitely put a damper on my long walks. I didn't even get close to 20,000 steps today. We typically walk about a mile and a half with Dawn in the morning and I walked another two miles after we returned from the kennel. That was plenty. I don't think new shoes are going to be a magic bullet at this point. The cartilage between the bones in my feet is wearing out and I haven't heard of many effective ways to replace it.

Traffic has gotten so bad in the city now. When we are driving back and forth to the kennel it seems like a completely different place than it used to. Rush hour seems permanent now. Where are all these new people coming from? I guess there are still a lot of job opportunities in Dallas. I've never seen so many out of state plates.

My repairs to the problematic French toilet didn't go so well. I'm already hearing a drip again. I wish things would stay fixed. Every time I hear a strange noise in the kitchen or utility room I think I'm going to have to make another call to the appliance repairman. I'm nervous about finishing repairs to the living room ceiling as well. I know that as soon as I get things looking nice again, the roof leak will reappear.

I'm continuing to watch the weather radar. The storm is closer to us now. It looks like the worst weather will be to the north of us, but we're definitely going to get some rain. Let's just hope the roof doesn't start leaking while we're asleep.

Lizzy is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4441

Sunday is usually a good day for walking but I didn't make it very far today. My feet just weren't cooperating. I tried the Voltaren again but as usual it did nothing. Our sunrise walk with Dawn was fine because she spends so much time smelling things that we end up going very slow. Now that we've decided to let Dawn choose her own route and walk wherever she wants she seems much happier. 

Our Sunday outing walk was a little more challenging and Dawn and Janet got back to the car at least five minutes before I did. I still made it thogh. Usually on Sunday I will still take my regular long walk, but I just didn't have it in me today. After the first mile I knew it was time to turn around and come home. I'm reluctant to stop walking, but I may have to for a while.

I'm still frustrated with my Google blog site. If you read this on Facebook you don't see how messed up the actual site has become because all you see is a photograph of each days individual post. There is more to the real blog with a header, additional pictures, and a sidebar with links and an index of previous posts. The problem is that Google has retired, or as they call it "depreciated" the ancient theme I initially used to create the blog. Some of the elements don't work anymore and the sidebar isn't at the left side like it used to be. For some reason it's at the bottom now, below a ton of old posts. I guess I could transfer the blog content to one of the new modern themes they offer these days, but I like the look I had. Definitely a first world problem, but it is irritating.

Apple is equally irritating. I don't update the OS on any of my computers anymore so I can continue to run old familiar software and open ancient files. Each computer seems to have a system that works best, but they are all pretty old at this point. Apple has no interest in supporting its older systems. My Safari doesn't work well anymore because the browser is meant to be used with current operating systems. Even older Quicktime files won't open on the latest Macs. I liked the Apple of ten or even twenty years ago much better than the current company. I doubt that they care.

We forgot to give Dawn the calming medication before we went on our Sunday outing today and she was back to her usual frantic behavior in the car. I'm not a fan of these type of meds, but I reluctantly have to agree that gabapentin seems to help. Dawn was much calmer on last Sunday's outing. She wasn't as frantic while still seeming to have plenty of energy to enjoy her walk. I wonder occasionally if Dawn even likes these Sunday excursions. We're doing this all for her. It would be a shame if she'd rather stay home.

I voted in the state's primary election yesterday. I wonder why so many people are running in these primaries? Both sides seems to have an abundance of candidates and they are all badmouthing each other. Isn't this counterproductive? I think some of the things they say today will come back to bite them in the general election. It's weird that I am still a regular voter. I dislike politics intensely and think most politicians are totally worthless.

I do like Janet's cooking and we had a delicious dinner tonight. It made up for all the foot pain earlier in the day. Tomorrow it's time to visit the kennel Dalmatians again. I hear that we have a new dog, so I'll need to remember to take my camera. 

Odie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day