Day 4971

The heat wave continues. It's easy to see the changes the heat has brought on our sunrise walks. The grass in the meadows has turned dry and yellow. Some of the trees that aren't heat resistant are turning yellow and losing their leaves. Giant cracks are appearing in the soil as well. I've seen this before during hot summers and am always worried that a dog will step in one of these cracks and break a leg. It's going to take a lot of rain to reverse this damage. Unfortunately the rainy season doesn't return until October. It always seems to rain a lot during the State Fair.

Today was a bit different. After breakfast this morning I went to get a haircut. I guess I ought to be glad that I still have hair at my age. It's slowing turning white but it's still all there. I always feel better after a haircut and don't understand men who like beards and longer hair. I wore my hair a lot longer during my college years and early thirties but that was another universe. I can't even remember why I liked the things I did back then.

My stylist likes to chat, so I talk more during haircuts than I do for the rest of the month. Janet and I talk during our morning walks, but I'm usually silent for most of the day. This is a big change from my ad agency days, or even the early days of my company. I like it this way though. I find silence peaceful.

I went to the gym on the way home from my hair appointment. The gym is not very silent. It seems to be a social occasion for most people. Other people on the floor always seems to be chatting with each other. I think some of the older people hire a personal trainer just to have someone to talk to. To each his own I guess. I doubt that I will ever be a chatty person again. Janet and I are both quiet people.

The demolition crew is still causing a big racket down the street. I don't think this house wanted to be removed. They even took out the pool today. If the original owners were still alive they would have been horrified to see what happened to their home. The street is definitely changing. I hate to even think what it will look like twenty years from now.

Dogs are easy to please. Dawn remains excited when Janet comes home with groceries on Friday. She won't get excited at all when I do my own grocery shopping tomorrow. I'm sure Dawn knows that Janet always brings home the good stuff like cheese and sliced turkey. I tend to bring home garbage bags, Swiffer dusters, and beer. Maybe I can find something interesting for Dawn when I go to the store. 

Pebbles is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4894

We have a new roof. We won't be able to tell if this was all worth it until we've had a couple of hard rains, but I'm pretty pleased so far. We've lived here a long time and this is the third roof we've had to put on our house. This crew was by far the most professional I've encountered so far. I guess if you count the condo I owned before I bought our current house, I've been through a total of five roof replacements. Why so many? Well, if you are an architect or live in a house designed by one, chances are it will have a flat roof. I think it's a rule that architects, or former architects like myself, must live in houses with flat roofs.

I hope the new roof holds up well when we get our next big storm. I also hope it drains well. If I never have to climb up on the roof again to sweep away standing water, the cost will be well worth it. We certainly didn't have to wait long for rain. Literally less than an hour after the roofers finished working today it started raining. This was only a light shower. It's going to take a lot more to put the roof to the test.

I thought I'd be packed by now, but of course I haven't even started. I guess I had an excuse since I've been dealing with the roofers most of the day, but I could have been packed if I was more organized. I always seem to wait until the last possible minute to get ready for a trip. I'll probably end up packing first thing tomorrow morning. My flight doesn't leave until the afternoon. I always take the same things with me whenever I go to Florida. I could save time if I just left a suitcase permanently packed.

I got a haircut after breakfast this morning. I almost always get a haircut before I travel anywhere. There was a long list of other things I needed to do, but they will have to wait until I return from the launch. I needed to get home quickly today, so Janet could do her grocery shopping. Dawn doesn't like the noise of the roofers overhead and we didn't want to leave her alone. While I was waiting for Janet to return I decided to do some yard work and take advantage of the big dumpster sitting in our driveway. By the time I finished moving dirt around, I was too tired to take my long walk. Hey, I got my 10,000 steps, so that was enough for me.

I finally enabled e-mail on my phone. The last time I was at Kennedy Space Center I felt kind of helpless sitting in my car during a violent tornado warned thunderstorm without the ability to communicate with anyone locally. I had some of the other rocket photographer's e-mail addresses but I didn't know their phone numbers. Also NASA communicates with everyone using e-mail. I couldn't remember all the passwords and IP addresses for my mail host, so I couldn't set up my e-mail on the spot.  That's all been fixed now. I can't believe that I've been using an iPhone for dozens of years and have never used it to get e-mail before.

I hope that the AX-2 launch doesn't get postponed. I've got a busy week when I return. I've got a doctor's appointment that was scheduled months ago and I need to get my driver's license renewed as well. This is the first time I've had to go down to the DMV in many years. I think I've renewed online for at least ten years, but I guess they want to see you in person every once in a while. I didn't have the option to renew online this time. I hope they don't make me take a driving test again. I was surprised to learn that several people my age had to take a driving test to get their license renewed. My license is more for travel than driving these days. I have to show it everywhere when I'm down at Kennedy Space Center. You need a license to get on a plane as well.

I'd better call it a day so I can get up early tomorrow and pack for my trip. It was a good day today. I think I made the right decision to get a new roof and even managed to pick a good roofing company. Hopefully, this is the last roof we'll ever need. The roof has a ten year warranty. That's pretty good for a flat roof. I think the warranty on my own body expired years ago.

Holly is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4893

The mountain of construction materials in the front yard is now mostly up on the roof. Quite a lot got done today. The main roof is finished except for the metal flashing that goes around the fascia. The roofers still need to finish the carport, but they assure me that they can do this tomorrow morning. The translucent fiberglass covering over the atrium will be replaced as well. Our new roof may get it's first test tonight. It was supposed to remain clear all week, but a surprise thunderstorm has cropped up over Amarillo and it appears to be headed our way. I wish the roof was completely finished before it is tested by weather, but I learned long ago that I have no control over the weather. Actually we've been pretty lucky to have had two warm sunny days in  row.

I went up on the roof to inspect things for the first time this evening and everything looks a lot better. There are no low spots I can see that would cause ponding. The TPO Membrane seems tough and resilient. With any luck, this roof should drain normally now. I'm going to be real disappointed if there is still standing water after the first big rain. We'll see what happens. There's no way to determine how well the roof is going to perform until it gets wet.

I like to think of myself as a low key person who doesn't get bothered by anything. I'll have to admit though that this roof replacement has stressed me out. I didn't sleep well last night. Usually I fall asleep instantly. The work has been extremely noisy and there have been times when I though the house was falling apart. I think replacing all the rotted wood has given the house a lot more structural stability, but it won't reverse the interior damage that has already been done. There are still cracks and stains in the ceiling all over the place. One thing at a time I guess. Once we are confident that the roof no longer leaks, we can start repairing the damaged sheetrock and give the house a new coat of paint. 

We took Dawn on her early walk at the normal time. The roofers start working early, but Janet and I start our day even earlier. When the roofers arrived this morning, I was already eating my breakfast of shredded wheat and fruit. I stayed around the house longer than usual today because Janet wasn't going to return home until about 2 PM. I still didn't feel comfortable leaving Dawn alone with the roofers making so much noise on the roof. Today was even noisier than usual because the roofers were running a large portable generator right outside my office window. The electric welding  machine that fused the TPO segments together must have required 240 volts because they used our outdoor electric outlets for all their other tools.

When Janet returned home I took my long walk. Since it was mid-afternoon by this time, I almost immediately began to feel hot. I have a feeling that our mild Spring is just about over. It's been way too wet this Spring, but I think I prefer the rain to a long string of 100 degree days. Today I passed a group of photographers surrounding a tree. I asked what was going on and one guy said there were baby eagles in the tree. The nest looked too small for eagles, but what do I know. Eventually a guy on a bicycle showed up and told everyone that we were actually looking at baby Red Shouldered Hawks.

Tomorrow is going to be busy. The roofers are supposed to finish their work in the morning. I bet it's going to take them all day. I have an appointment to get a haircut tomorrow. I always like to get a haircut before I take a trip. I'll spend part of the day packing. I haven't even started yet. The weather doesn't look great for Sunday's launch, but I'm going to try to remain optimistic. It's got to be better than my last trip to Florida.

Skippy is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4823

I got a lot done today. I signed a contract with the roofers to replace our roof. I went and got a haircut. I kept an eye on Dawn while Janet was away. And I still had time to take my long walk. I should have started the walk about twenty minutes earlier because it started raining again on my way home and I got soaked. No harm done, although the thunder and lightning made me a little nervous. I definitely don't want to be struck by lightning just because I was determined to get my steps.

Dawn seemed pretty steady today and there were no falls. She seems to be retaining a lot of fluid and her neck is still swollen though. It's kind of hard to tell what's going on because the medications she is taking make her sleepy and lethargic. This is on purpose because our vet wants her to stay quiet and as inactive as possible to let the inflammation subside and give everything a chance to heal.

Oddly, Dawn seems friendlier toward me now. I don't know if she is just too tired to leave when I sit down on the bed with her, or if she's finally starting to realize that I'm trying to help her. I'd like to think the latter, but who knows. She's a dog and will continue to follow her canine instincts.

The roofers want to start on the new roof in April. Let's hope the weather is better by then. The roof leaks started again within an hour after today's rain started. The leaks aren't bad, but it never got dry enough to start hunting for where the water continues to get in the house. It's probably just as well that I didn't attempt further repairs. I don't need to be disappointed again. The roofers are confident that they can eliminate the low spots that are causing all the standing water. I take everything they say with a grain of salt though. Roofers are always confident before they start a job.

I applied for press credentials to attend another Falcon Heavy launch in April. I'm almost sure this will end up conflicting with the roof replacement schedule, but we can work that out later. After the exceptionally rainy Spring we've had this year, I'm definitely going to need a trip to Florida to put this all behind me. It doesn't look like I'll be going to the observatory this Spring. I never got a volunteer request from them this year and their busy Spring Break season starts next week. I'm kind of glad that I don't have to make that decision. I'm still not sure I'm up for a long drive to West Texas.

Hopefully Dawn will continue to get stronger. She actually had a pretty good day today. My day wasn't bad either, although I wasn't wild about getting soaked when I was taking my walk. We'll see what happens tomorrow. I don't want any surprises.

Val is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4747

It was as just as cold and nasty as everyone predicted this morning. It was eleven degrees when we woke up, with a wind chill that was below zero. Not surprisingly, we did not take a morning walk with Dawn. Dawn is no fool. She ran out in the back yard and quickly did her business and then came right back inside again.

Considering the weather, I actually had a very busy day. After breakfast I went and had my annual eye exam. My cataracts are getting worse, but evidently my eyes are deteriorating very slowly. My doctor said that he wouldn't recommend doing anything yet and said that I could easily go another year without cataract surgery. I no longer have 20/20 vision unfortunately. I was given a prescription for glasses, but it is optional if I ever use it. I'm still OK to drive and I guess do anything else without glasses. I may fill the prescription if I ever drive back to McDonald Observatory. My eyes get tired on long car drives.

The car started fine in the cold weather. I was a little worried about that. The outside faucets that I set to drip are still dripping, so I guess that's good too. So far there are no problems related to the cold weather. The furnace is running constantly, but it is still working normally. Our house is not well insulated and you can see condensation on all the windows on days like this. The dehumidifiers help, but there is only so much you can do with large expanses of single pane glass. I just hope that this cold spell doesn't linger. With temperatures this low, I feel like we are under siege.

This afternoon I got a haircut. Either my hair is growing faster or it's been longer than I thought since my last haircut. Even my stylist thought it was growing fast. I guess Covid worries are largely over. I didn't need a mask at the eye doctor or at my hair appointment either. Janet was the only one worried about Covid since she is traveling soon and didn't want to go if I was infected. She worries about giving Covid to her relatives. I took another Covid test this morning and that one turned up negative too. I just have a head cold and even that seems to be getting better.

Since it was way too cold to go walking in the park today, I stopped by the gym on the way back from my hair appointment. I still had to get my steps. I was in street clothes, but that was fine for walking around the indoor track. Actually I fit right in. A lot of the old people who come to my gym just wear street clothes anyway. I got my 10,000 steps, closed all the rings on my Apple watch and headed home for dinner.

Janet fixed an early Christmas dinner for us tonight, since she will be gone on Christmas Day. I'm glad that Dawn doesn't know what's up yet, since she will be very upset. We made it through Janet's last vacation, and we'll make it through this one as well. I know how to get Dawn to eat and take her meds and she will go down to the field behind our house with me in the morning to poop and pee. We won't even try to take a walk while Janet is gone. That would be stressful for both of us. 

Ziggy is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4593

Yay. NASA approved my application for press credentials and it looks like I will be attending the Artemis-1 launch later this summer. Forget everything I said yesterday. This launch definitely won't look like all the others. The Space Launch System is the largest rocket we've ever built and it's headed to the moon. Well, this first one is headed around the moon anyway. Hopefully, I'll get lucky about the launch dates. The trip could still get expensive if the launch gets delayed after I'm already in Florida.

All in all, it wasn't a bad day. I entered a few of my astrophotography pictures in a Dark Skies photo contest, went to the gym in the morning, and got a haircut in the afternoon. The weather was still very hot, but other than our sunrise walk with Dawn I managed to stay indoors. These sunrise walks provide a good preview of what the day is going to be like. It was humid this morning. I hate getting hot and sweaty before the sun even comes up. Sunrise walks are still tolerable though and Dawn likes them.

I haven't had the nerve to check airfare and hotel rates for my upcoming trip to Florida yet. I'm sure it will be more expensive than last time. I can't think of a single thing that has gotten less expensive this year. Sign of the times I guess. I think travel is still beneficial though. I don't do much, but it's good thing to have something to look forward to. Who knows. I may make it as a space journalist yet.

I got stung by a bee again this morning. This is the second time in a week. Technically, I guess I got stung by a wasp, but it still felt the same. These wasps are everywhere in our yard. It's hard to avoid them. I really hope that Dawn doesn't get stung. She's scared of almost everything already. I definitely don't want her to get scared of going out in the back yard. Lounging in the grass on a sunny day is one of her favorite things.

I always feel better after a haircut. I don't know why I spent my younger years wearing my hair longer. Shorter is definitely better. Especially in the summer. My hair is a lot thinner now, but it still seems to grow fast. It's funny. Yesterday I said I typically don't get a haircut unless I've got a trip planned. Well, now I've got a trip planned again. I still can't decide whether to go back to the observatory this year. One thing at a time is probably best.

I take my car in tomorrow morning for the factory recall. It seems like my car is a little old to still be getting recall notices, but you hate to ignore these things. Hopefully the dealership will do what they promised and won't keep my car over the weekend. They said the repair should only take two hours. I've heard that before. Two hours means about the same thing as two weeks to these guys. We'll see how it goes. I've got groceries to buy tomorrow and being without a car will complicate things.

Pongo is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4500

Yay. Only 500 days to go. Why I ever took on this 5000 day challenge is lost in the mists of time, but I think I'm going to make it. 500 days is less than two years. Back when blogging was popular readers were impressed when I posted something 500 days in a row. Now that I'm closing in on 5000 days nobody cares. I don't even care myself. It's just something I do everyday like taking a long walk. Maybe the writing is beneficial, but it's a little late now to discover it's not.

I got a haircut today. I always feel better after a haircut and tend to get one before every major trip. When I was much younger I wore my hair a lot longer. That makes no sense to me now. Beards make even less sense. It all seems so messy. I kind of miss the days when I put on a suit to go to client meetings. Life seems way too casual now. People don't even wear suits to church anymore. A certain amount of formality is good for you. It adds a layer of structure to the chaos all around you.

With these attitudes it's no surprise that I didn't celebrate 4/20 today. I've never liked pot. I've never liked any form of hallucinogens. I think I've tried almost everything at least once, but that was enough. Why would you want an altered state of consciousness? Life is a rollercoaster ride full of nuances and complexities. I prefer to be alert and functional to take it all in.

I picked up my new boots at the REI store on my way home from getting a haircut. They look like what I need, but I haven't tried them on yet. Janet was surprised that I didn't wear them on my long walk today. All in good time. I'm never in a hurry to do anything. I'll wear them on at least one long walk before I leave on my trip. I'd hate to discover that these shoes hurt my feet when I'm on top of a mountain in West Texas. One good thing about Hoka shoes is that you don't really need to break them in. They feel about the same on the first day you wear them as the day you decide they are finally worn out.

This is the windiest Spring I can remember. I cut short my long walk today because the wind was blowing me off the trail. For some reason the wind is even stronger down by the lake. When I was walking into the wind it was hard to make any forward progress. At any rate, I only walked half my normal route today. That was plenty. I didn't really feel like going a long way anyway. I think I overdid it yesterday.

Janet said the Dawn did really well in training class tonight. You can tell that she has grown to like these classes. She is eager to go to class on Wednesday evenings now and has even made friends with some of the other dogs. She has also gotten really good at the obedience exercises. Maybe dogs need a little structure in their lives as well.

The ants are back. We get them every Spring. They don't stick around long, but when they arrive it seems like an invasion. I'm going to have to go buy some more bug spray and go around the outside of the house and cut off as many entry areas as I can. By May the ants are usually gone, but right now it seems like they could win this battle.

I don't have any plans for tomorrow. I'll try to think of something. I don't really want taking the trash out to the curb to be the big event of the day.

Wilson is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4495

It was hard to get up this morning. I was still asleep when Janet and Dawn were ready to walk. Janet said that she woke me up earlier, but I have no memory of a wake up call. At any rate, I quickly got dressed and off we went. I think our rainy weather is over, but it was still very windy. Dawn remembers that we gave her a treat to get her moving again when she used to freeze in place. Now she does this every morning just to get the treat. She's not nervous anymore, just conniving.

After breakfast, I got the lawn mower running. I was kind of surprised that the batteries still held a charge after being dormant all winter, but everything seems to work. I'll probably have to mow the grass this weekend. It's getting pretty thick. I keep meaning to ask one of the neighbor's yard crews what they'd charge to mow my front lawn as well. I haven't been home lately when they've been working on the neighbor's yards though. One of these days I'll catch them. I'm getting tired of doing the mowing myself.

I made an appointment to get a haircut. I should have done this several weeks ago. Now the first time I can get in is next Wednesday. That will work fine. I just wanted a haircut before I go to the observatory. I still have mixed feelings about this trip. One day I'll feel like canceling my plans and not going at all. The  next day I'll feel better and start looking forward to the peaceful isolation of Mt. Locke. I've been going back and forth like this for weeks. Hopefully, I'll be in a good mood on the day I'm supposed to leave.

I got a notice this afternoon that the Hoka boots I've been trying to find for over six months are finally back in stock. Too bad I didn't get this notice before I bought the regular Hoka Bondi 7 shoes a few weeks ago. Oh, well. I went ahead and ordered the boots because lord knows when they'll be available again. The notice said "limited supply, act now" so they'll probably be out of stock again tomorrow.

There's already a new update to the star tracker software. Now I'll have to get the tracker out and install things all over again. I've lost track of how many updates I've already installed. I can't decide whether to take the tracker to the observatory with me. If memory serves, these volunteer assignments keep me so busy that there's not much time for photography anyway. It would be tempting not to take a camera at all. I've already taken plenty of pictures out there already.

I don't know how I did it, but I got 22,000 steps today. The weather was nice and I didn't have much else to do. "Might as well walk" has been my motto lately. I was tired when I returned home, but the foot pain wasn't that bad. I felt this way yesterday as well. Hopefully, this trend continues. The last thing I want on a road trip is foot pain.

I finished the day by paying some bills and doing a little accounting. Most of the bills from my Florida trip haven't even come in yet, but I know it isn't going to be pretty. It's a shame that life has become so expensive. I don't know if I'd do more if prices were reasonable again, but I might. 

Krissy is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4430

We got Dawn to walk this morning by doing our regular route backwards. She didn't want to go down the street first. When we turned around and went toward the field behind our house first, everything was fine. Maybe we should just let Dawn choose where to walk every morning. It would probably make life a lot easier.

I suspect that Dawn was more enthusiastic this morning because it was much warmer than yesterday and we got off to a late start. Dawn doesn't like the cold and I think she'd like to sleep in a little longer. I wouldn't mind sleeping longer myself, but Dawn refuses to walk with me alone, so we walk when Janet has the time. She's the busy one in the family.

After breakfast I went and got a haircut. My hair is a lot thinner these days, but it still grows fast. I always know it's time for a haircut when my eyebrows start getting bushy. I rarely see people and there isn't a pressing need to look presentable, but I still enjoy getting a haircut. It's relaxing in an odd sort of way. I catch up on things with my stylist, who Janet and I have both known for years, and when I walk out the door, life feels a little more organized. A good haircut doesn't make me look any younger. I feel a little younger though.

I think I walked way too long this afternoon. At least that's what my feet are telling me. It was such a nice day that it was easy to keep putting one foot in front of the other. By the time my feet started to hurt, I was already a long way from home. It is hard to believe we were in the middle of an ice storm a week ago. Today the temperature was over seventy degrees. It definitely felt like Spring today even though all the trees were bare.

I've been wondering what happened to the two Muscovy Ducks I usually see on my walk. I haven't seen them for quite a while. Imagine my surprise when I returned home and found a Muscovy Duck in our backyard. I thought this was the female of the pair I see in the park, but Janet thinks it is a different duck because it doesn't have quite as many white feathers. She's probably right because she's much more observant than I am. I wonder where this duck came from? In all the years we've lived here, we've never had a Muscovy Duck in our yard. There have been plenty of possums, a few raccoons, and the occasional armadillo, but we've never had ducks. This duck had no fear of us and didn't want to leave. Oddly, Dawn wasn't even interested in the duck. Some of our other Dalmatians would have been obsessed with a duck in the yard. The duck stayed around for hours but eventually I shooed it away. I knew that if the duck became a permanent resident, it wouldn't take long for Dawn to develop a taste for duck poop. 

I continue to see crowds watching the eagles while I walk. Predictably, there are divided opinions about what to do about these birds. I hear people in the park talking about how exciting it is to see them up close while others whisper that everyone should just leave the eagles alone. The two eagles haven't made it easy for people to leave them alone. They built their nest right alongside one of the busiest streets in town. Everyone knows where these birds are now. I predict that the crowds are going to be around for a while. 

When Dawn and Janet came back from training class tonight I asked how Dawn did. Janet didn't say anything, but pulled out a best in class trophy from behind her back. I couldn't believe it. Dawn has really come a long way. None of our other dogs have ever won the trophy on trophy night. Dash won a few ribbons before he got bored with training class, but he never came close to winning the trophy. I'm not sure that Dot ever won anything. At any rate, even though Dawn is consumed with fears and phobias, she is a very smart dog. We are proud of her.

Jazz is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day