Day 4608

The only thing I can say about today was that I got everything done. This never ending heat wave has taken away any vestige of enthusiasm I might have had. The park has become way too crowded on our sunrise walks. We have to watch out for bicycles, large groups of runners, unleashed dogs, and even cars. At least the temperature is still tolerable at this time of day. Dawn enjoyed herself this morning and even followed a new path for a while.

I did my grocery shopping before going to the gym this morning. We had our big weekend breakfast first though. There is no shredded wheat on the weekend menu. It's Hatch Chili month at Central Market and since Janet and I don't really like Hatch Chilies I had to look carefully to make sure that the popular peppers weren't included in the ingredients of anything I bought. Everything in the store seems to have a Hatch Chili component this month. There is Hatch bread, Hatch desserts, Hatch Mac & Cheese, Hatch Salads. The list goes on and on. Apparently, most people in Dallas like these peppers because Hatch Chili month is always a popular promotion. 

The gym was almost empty today. I followed my usual routine of shooting free throws on the basketball court, followed by a long walk on the indoor track. I'm getting better at both activities, but progress is slow. For the time being I'm not very interested in all the machines on the floor. I just want to get my steps and go home. The big event of the day was that the gym finally filled the basketballs with air. Most of them have been under inflated for weeks.

I still haven't heard any further information about the Artemis-1 launch. I don't know why I'm worried about this since the event is still almost a month away. I like to have all my ducks in a row. though and always anticipate problems. My big fear is that the launch will be delayed after I'm already in Florida and I won't be able to stay until the next launch opportunity. Typically a launch can be rescheduled for the next day, but the first three Artemis launch opportunities are almost a week apart. I definitely can't afford to stay in Florida for three weeks. I'm not sure I'd want to stay that long even if I could afford an extended trip. Oh, well. Let's just hope this thing gets off the ground on the first attempt.

This afternoon was uneventful. I really don't feel like doing anything in this heat. I need to decide whether to try mall walking again tomorrow. I probably will but I don't want to interfere with Dawn's Sunday outing. I guess she can wait until I return for her ice cream cone. I wish my gym would open on Sunday again. They used to be open on Sunday but that was one of the many things that were changed by Covid. 

Margo is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3675

What a difference a day makes. It was 85 degrees yesterday and 45 with rain and wind today. A line of thunderstorms rolled through town and woke me up around 5 AM. The rain slowed to a drizzle at times, but it was basically a very cold, wet day.

So much for raking more leaves before bulky trash pickup day. The remaining leaves are all wet and soggy now. I did get the pumps running when I got up this morning, but one of them doesn't seem to be pumping well. It's probably clogged again. At least the leak hasn't returned. I think we're doing a lot better than we were this time last year.

I took my walk after breakfast when I saw a break between the moving line of showers on the weather radar. I got a little wet, but it was a lot better than sitting in the house doing nothing. Yesterday, the park was full of people. Today it was just me. Spontaneous people will go to the park on a nice day. People like me who depend on a regular routine go everyday. The only people I ever see in the park on nasty days like today are really disciplined joggers and people who know their dog will poop in the house if they don't take them on their daily walk. Dogs like a routine. I'm sure this is one of the reasons I like dogs so much. We think alike.

I don't know whether I have allergies or a low grade cold. I've had a runny nose for the past two days and am sneezing a lot. The constantly changing weather probably has something to do with this. I wish the runny nose would stop. I don't like to take antihistamines but I don't like to pack my pockets with paper towels before I go anywhere either. Being outside in the damp weather seems to make things worse. I ran through quite a few paper towels on my walk today. I hope this clears up quickly. I read an article recently that if you cough or sneeze on a plane, the whole plane instantly hates you.

I need to quit fretting about my upcoming trips. There are still a lot of little details to work out, but I've got plenty of time. I hate surprises and try to avoid them whenever I can. The problem is that any type of travel is full of unknowns and surprises. Some people find this exhilarating. Not me. I like to know the outcome ahead of time. Sadly, you can't avoid surprises even if you stay home and do nothing. The roof could start leaking five minutes from now.

I've taken this week's trash out to the curb, which is always the symbolic end of the week for me. Now I've got to decide whether to go out for breakfast tomorrow. I guess it depends on the weather. There isn't a lot of food in the refrigerator, but there is always a box of cold cereal for emergencies. Rain or shine, there's still stuff I need to do tomorrow. I need to reschedule with the tree guy. Who knows when it will be dry enough to cut down a tree though? I'm also waiting on my final paperwork from NASA. Hope they don't wait until the last minute again. It always makes me nervous.

Shelby is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3610

It was so cold today. I felt like staying under a warm blanket all day, but knew that I had to face facts and admit that it was winter. I took my time eating breakfast in hopes that it would get warmer. Maybe the temperature rose a few degrees, but it wasn't enough to notice.

I wasn't surprised that the park was empty today. It was just me and an insane jogger who wasn't even wearing a jacket or a hat. I was warm enough. I looked like the Michelin Man, wearing a puffy outer down coat over a lighter inner down jacket. Add a pair of compression pants under my jeans. a wool hat, and some heavy insulated boots and it was a miracle I could even move.

I finished the entire five miles. There were a few spots where the wind was pretty nasty, but for the most part it was a beautiful winter day. I'm glad I dressed warmly. Anything lighter and I would have froze. When I passed the area where the Pelicans spend the winter, they were all huddled together in a big clump. Maybe this was their way of staying warm. What do I know though. If I was a cold Pelican, the first thing I would do was get out of the water.

There seem to be an abundance of opportunities to attend NASA events in December. After I got rejected to attend the Space X ISS resupply launch, I applied to attend the first Boeing Starliner launch a few weeks later. Now there's an opportunity to tour the Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans. I'm not a huge fan of New Orleans but it would be cool to see the Artemis moon rocket being assembled. Should I apply for this event too? I'm not even sure if I could afford to do both.

I did try to contact the volunteer director at McDonald Observatory today. I haven't heard anything about my application yet. The director wasn't in, so I sent him an e-mail. It would be nice to know if these thoughts I've been having about spending time on Mount Locke this Spring are real or just a fantasy. Sometimes I think all my travel plans are just a fantasy. It's not like I actually need to do any of this.

We'll see what happens. I might be very busy toward the end of the year, or I could just be sitting here wondering if the roof was going to leak. I wish that getting selected to attend rocket launches wasn't so competitive, but that's just the way it is. When something is desirable, there are usually lot of people who want to take advantage of the opportunity. I suspect that being an on-site volunteer at the observatory is the same way. I know for a fact that there are a ton of amateur astronomers who are way more dedicated than me. A lot of them would probably love to spend time at McDonald Observatory. Hey, I rarely even look through a telescope. The only thing that works in my favor is that I'm a pretty decent writer. Sometimes a story needs to be told.

We have a rare adoption event to attend this weekend. Janet and I still can't decide which dog to take. Some aren't quite ready to be around a crowd yet and others might end up being adopted before the event. With the weather we've been having, it might even be too cold for the dogs to be outside. No sense in fretting yet. If I've learned anything it's that a lot can change in a week.

Jada is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3351

I noticed this morning that there was a large muddy puddle in the middle of the back yard. WTF? This wasn't here yesterday. It didn't rain last night. For a moment I thought that I might have left a garden hose on, but all the faucets were off. What new kind of hell was this? When the puddle refused to dry up as the day progressed, I began to suspect the worst. Our sewer line passes under the muddy area. A pipe probably rusted or broke. Several other houses in the neighborhood that are about the same age as ours have had to replace their sewer lines. Maybe it's my turn this time.

It's weird that virtually every single problem I've had with the house involves water. Roofs leak. toilets run. Pipes break under the concrete slab. Washing machines break. Refrigerator coils freeze. Somehow the problem always involves water. I guess that's why there are hundreds of plumbers in town. I see a plumbing truck in front of someone's house just about every time I walk Dash. Maybe the wet ground will start to dry out tonight. If not, I'll have to call the plumber. I don't look forward to plumbers digging a big hole in the back yard, but what are you going to do? Things like this are one more reason why I'm never going to have any extra money.

Janet has started putting Dash's boots on before he wakes up in the morning. It's much easier to get the socks and boots on while Dash is lying down, but this doesn't always make him eager to walk. He was very reluctant to leave the house this morning. It took us forever just to get down to the park. Dash would walk a few feet and then he'd stop for a while. I don't know what was going through his head. Eventually we reached the area where the good smells begin and Dash began walking normally again. We took a much shorter walk than we normally do this morning and then Dash went back to sleep again. He didn't eat his breakfast until several hours later. I hope he's feeling OK.

Nothing exciting happened today. I balanced my checkbook after breakfast. Sometimes this process is easy. Other times it is infuriatingly difficult. It took me a long time to realize that I'd failed to record several January bills. I paid the bills. I just didn't subtract them from my balance. Eventually I found the problem and everything balanced but it sure took me a while.

I still haven't accepted the NASA invitation to visit the Johnson Space Center. I probably will, but there are still a few days left until the deadline. I keep finding excuses to postpone making a decision. I worry about Dash having a setback. Today I was fretting about my potential plumbing problem. I need to realize that I'm never, ever going to wake up without a care in the world. There's always going to be something to worry about. It's not a perfect world, but I shouldn't use this as an excuse to do nothing.

I did remember that it was Tuesday today. That means that if I don't procrastinate, I might be able to get a plumber out to the house before the end of the week. I might as well go for it. I despise expensive repairs, but sitting around and watching the mud hole in the yard grow deeper for a few additional days isn't going to make the repair any cheaper. I'll call tomorrow. The sad thing is that the plumbing repair will probably cost exactly the same as a trip to Houston.

Bingo is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1897

Another cold, grey day. Although the temperature hovered around freezing all day, a lot of the ice melted anyway. I'd say the worst is over, except that I'm hearing we are supposed to get snow tomorrow. Our Winter is so mild compared to what people are experiencing on the East Coast, but it's still too cold for me. I'm ready for Summer. Truthfully, I think I'm always ready for the next season, never fully appreciating the season I'm currently experiencing.

Work was slow today. I think I finished all my assignments before noon. On days like this, I usually fret. What happens if it snows when we have to take Dot to the specialty center for surgery? What happen if my teeth start to hurt again before I get Dot's surgery paid for? What happens if the water heater starts to leak? What happens if I fall off the roof? The list is endless.

In a lot of ways it's better when I'm overworked and trying my best to meet impossible deadlines. When I'm trying to meet a deadline, I don't have time to think about anything else. I seldom fret when I'm really busy. I think this is one of the reasons that Janet wants to go back to work. Having time to think can be a dangerous thing.

I made a list of questions for Dot's vet and neurologist. I feel a little better now that most of them are answered. I actually learned a few things by asking questions today. Does Dot get her heartworm pill on March 1, while she is still in post-op recovery at the hospital? Nope. It's better to wait until she comes home again and is a bit stronger. Does Dot continue taking prednisolone while she is at the hospital. Yes. Actually the dose will probably be increased right after the surgery to minimize inflammation. Will Dot became incontinent again? Maybe. She will have to be on fluids for a few days.

I got a call from an insurance company in Indiana this afternoon, asking me about the accident in California. I told them that Hertz was handling the entire thing, but they didn't seem to be aware that Hertz's insurance was taking care of this or was even involved. I have a feeling that this is going to be like dealing with Medicare problems. I'll have to explain the entire story to ten different people before the whole thing gets resolved.

A few people in Dallas are looking forward to snow tomorrow. Most of us have more sense. We didn't move to Texas to deal with snow. When you've got rattlesnakes, tornadoes, and 110 degree days in August, you don't need to be throwing snow into the mix.

I must not be sleeping well. For the past several days my fitness band app has been asking me if I was actually asleep the night before. Apparently, I've been sleeping so lightly that the UP band can't tell whether I'm awake or not. When I say say "yes" of course I've been sleeping, the app prepares a pitiful chart that shows three or four hours of light sleep. I'm sure that the sleep deprivation and fretting are connected somehow. It's weird. It's so easy for me to just not care at all about so many things, but I really do care about these dogs.

Nora is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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