Day 4653

I mowed the front lawn this morning. As expected, the mower's battery died right as I was finishing up, but I did get the job done. I don't seem to be able to manage more than one chore a day lately, but ever so slowly I am getting things done. The yard looks nice now. At this time of year I start to hope that I won't have to mow for another season. It's probably just wishful thinking though. It got up to 90 degrees this afternoon. The grass will probably keep growing for a while.

There were still a few stars in the sky when we took our sunrise walk with Dawn this morning. We carry a flashlight with us now. I continue to be surprised at how quickly the days are getting shorter. It was a pleasant morning but it felt like it was going to get hot later on. On our sunrise walks it feels like Fall. Later in the day it still feels like summer.

I mowed the grass right after breakfast while it was still relatively cool. I wonder how long I'm going to keep doing this? I've found someone who will do the mowing for me but haven't used him yet. I get tired, but it's still easier to do this chore myself. Truthfully, it's easier to do most chores myself. I hate dealing with suppliers.

I went back to the gym because the day was getting warm. I was surprisingly good on the basketball court this morning. I don't think I've ever completed this many free throws in a row before.  Most of the other people using the court shoot from all over. I just shoot from the free throw line over and over again. If I ever get really good at completing free throws I may try more difficult shots. I'll never join in a pick up game with other gym members though. Shooting free throws is satisfying, but I don't even like basketball that much.

I had a productive morning, but I was basically done by noon. Sometimes I think I don't get enough sleep at night, but I probably get too much sleep if you count all the naps I take. I'd probably take more naps if Dawn wasn't so grumpy about sharing the bed with me. When I lie down on the bed during the day, Dawn gets up and leaves the room. Usually she waits just outside the bedroom door and as soon as I leave the room she hops up on the bed again. She doesn't do this with Janet. Only with me.

There is going to be a Delta IV Heavy launch out at Vandenberg Air Force Base this weekend. After this launch there are only two more of these huge rockets left before they are retired. Hopefully, I'll be able to see one of these remaining launches. I've applied to cover a Delta IV Heavy launch before but it didn't work out for some reason. There's always something to look forward to in the world of spaceflight. Maybe I'll even get to see a Starship launch someday. 

While I'm waiting for something exciting to happen, I'll continue to do small chores around the house. I need to do some maintenance work on the roof but I don't like to climb up there anymore. I'm getting too old for a lot of this stuff I used to do around the house. Even the easy stuff is getting hard. I tried to fix the troublesome Porcher toilet again this afternoon, but the parts I bought last week didn't work. Who knows what's on the agenda for tomorrow. I suspect the day will be very similar to today. 

Rosie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4206

No rain today. There was an abundance of heat and humidity though. Even though the sky was pretty with lots of big puffy clouds, it wasn't a great day to be outside. That didn't stop us from walking of course. We got up early and walked Dawn before the heat became opressive and then I ate my breakfast. I didn't really feel like going to the gym again, so I convinced myself that it was still cool enough for a walk in the park.

It's too bad that sweating isn't as beneficial as elevating your heart rate when you exercise. If sweating was the goal, I'd be in great shape. Today would have been better if there was a breeze, but the air was pretty still. I completed my six miles, but by the time I returned home I was beat. Maybe I should have gone to the gym after all. I've finally learned the importance of hydration and drink a lot of water while I cool down. As I was returning to normal I watched a repeat of yesterday's Space X Transporter 2 launch on the streaming channel. This time the rocket got off the pad without incident and everything worked like clockwork. The booster landed back at Kennedy Space Center which doesn't happen very often. Seeing the booster return is pretty exciting if you are watching the launch in person. Maybe someday. I definitely don't have any plans to travel this summer. It's going to be a while before travel seems normal again. Hotels and air fares still seem way too high to me. 

I watered the new grass this afternoon. It's hard to tell if I'm watering too much or too little. When it's hot, the water seems to disappear pretty fast. I hope I can keep this grass alive. It was a lot of trouble to put it in. While I had the hose out, I watered the plants in the atrium. There's an outlet inside the atrium, but I haven't used it since there was a severe plumbing problem years ago and we almost flooded the house. Now I just use an outside hose and water the plants through the screen wire wall that forms one side of the atrium area.

On days like these I wish I could sleep soundly during the day. I take short naps, but I don't really go to sleep. If I could get the sleep I need during the day, I wouldn't feel bad about staying up late at night. I've always been able to get more done at night. It's quiet and peaceful. When I was working, I did a lot of my writing jobs at night. It's unfortunate that writing at night and stargazing aren't really compatible with each other. One activity is inside and the other is outside and both require a certain amount on concentration. Oh, well. At least I'm wide awake if there is a good opportunity for stargazing. I do pretty well out at the observatory.

I really need to make another attempt to find the source of the roof leak tomorrow. All the forecasts say that it's going to start raining again later in the week. I'm probably going to end up just pouring some of the silicon material over random spots as a futile gesture. I really did look carefully when I was up on the roof the other day and couldn't find any obvious place where the water might be getting in.

Janet and Dawn went to training class again tonight. Dawn certainly seems excited as they are getting ready to leave the house. I'm not sure that Dawn is wild about being trained, but she sure seems to like to go places in the car. Hopefully she will learn to heel eventually. She still pulls pretty bad when she is on a leash. Pulling on the leash is a lot better than panicking and freezing in place though. I think we are making progress. 

Tucker is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4199

One of the reasons that I don't get enough sleep is that I'm a night owl and Dawn and Janet are early birds. I didn't feel like getting up this morning since it felt like I'd just gotten to bed. Dawn was ready to walk though. What happened to yesterday's beautiful weather? Even though the sun hadn't risen yet, I could tell it was going to be a very hot day. The humidity was much higher than yesterday and it's the humidity that determines my comfort level. We still had a nice walk though. Things don't get bad until the sun is high in the sky. I'm careful to watch for snakes now. Dawn almost stepped on a snake a few days ago. I think it was a copperhead but we didn't linger or examine the snake close enough to make sure. I guess I've already told you how much I hate snakes. I'd like to live in a place where it was 72 degrees all year long with no snakes, mosquitos, or poison ivy.

Dawn walks completely normally now. She doesn't freeze in place or have panic attacks anymore. I think she really likes our new early morning schedule. I've never seen her this eager to walk before. Dawn's new confidence makes it worth getting up early. It's nice to see a happy dog. I guess it doesn't matter how much sleep I get at night. I can always take naps. I take a lot of naps during the day.

I briefly thought about taking my long walk right after breakfast, but a quick trip outside to get the mail convinced me that this was a bad idea. While I was outside I saw a lot of small ants crawling up and down one of our brick exterior walls. I looked up and there were a ton more ants up on the ceiling under the front porch. It looked like we were under an ant invasion. I got some bug spray and killed all the ants. After they all died, I swept them into a pile and disposed of them. We've had ant problems before, but I've never seen this many. I hope they were coming from outside the house trying to get in rather than from inside the house trying to get out. We'll see if they come back tomorrow. I hope I've seen the last of them.

It was way too hot and humid to walk in the park, so I went to the gym instead. I always feel like my gym workouts are harder than my walks in the park, but my Fitbit says otherwise. Apparently I burn a lot more calories in the park. I tend to walk faster outdoors too, although it certainly doesn't feel like it. I'm working more on my upper body these days, because that's what needs the work. I usually return home sore, because a lot of these muscles haven't been used in a while. I still prefer walking outdoors, but I'm glad I'm getting some use out of my gym membership. I don't understand why so many people wear a mask while exercising at my gym. It's not mandatory anymore. Janet says almost nobody wears a mask at her gym now. The decision whether to wear a mask or not will probably end up being one more thing that divides us as a country. I have a feeling that some people will continue wearing their masks forever.

Dawn knows she goes to training class on Wednesday now. She starts pacing around and whining almost an hour before Janet is ready to go. She seems genuinely excited, but then Janet says she becomes fearful once she gets there. Dawn is very apprehensive about doing anything new. She's a lot like me in that regard. Dawn's a very smart dog and she does learn though. I have a feeling that she is going to be a star pupil after she gets used to the routine.

I still haven't made an appointment to have a colonoscopy. I think I'm due for a visit with the dermatologist too. I keep avoiding these things in hopes that they will just go away. Doctors are used to people like me unfortunately. They just keep hounding you until you eventually decide it's just easier to get the procedure over with. There are so many things to avoid this summer. I wonder how long I can avoid mowing the grass?

Boo is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4104 - Vernal Equinox

It definitely felt like the first day of Spring. The weather was beautiful and that meant the park was incredibly crowded. It seemed weird to see so many people out and about when the commentators on television are still talking about social distancing and Covid spikes. People aren't listening anymore. I think they've had enough. It also seems weird that only a little more than twelve percent of the population has been vaccinated when every single person I know has had at least one shot. Even younger people seem to be getting vaccinated now. Apparently it is still hard to get an appointment in some parts of the country, but the whole process is relatively easy in Dallas. I'm still glad I live in Texas.

My grocery list was longer than usual this week, but I managed to find everything. When I was getting blueberries, the ink was smudged on all the bar code labels and I had to learn to enter the information by hand in my handy shopping app. I kept getting the SKU wrong because there is one number way to the left of all the other numbers. The produce guy finally showed me how to enter the information correctly. I bought some LED bulbs for a burned out lamp in the bedroom, forgetting that we already had plenty of spare bulbs at home. I also bought some more Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, forgetting that I'd already gotten some two weeks ago. I'm not really a very good shopper.

We slept in late this morning, but I'm still not getting enough sleep. I need to get to bed earlier. It's taking me longer and longer to write the blog each night, even though I have less and less to say. Sometimes I seriously wonder if I'm going to be able to complete my 5000 day goal. I keep plodding along one day at a time, but a little voice in my head keeps telling me that this strange journey doesn't even matter anymore. I'm certainly not writing for an audience. I think only about ten of you are regular readers.

Dawn seems to like being outside more than our other dogs. We leave the back door open for her on these nice Spring days, but that's not going to last long. It won't be long until the air conditioner starts running continually and all the windows and doors will be sealed shut again. It's a shame that Spring doesn't last longer in Texas. It's easy to forget how nice it can be when the temperature is reasonable.

I keep bookmarking articles and videos about astrophotography. I'm learning a lot, but still feel like a beginner. It's amazing to me how many people around the world have chosen this complicated activity as their hobby. There must be thousands and thousands of them. I took a telescope out occasionally over the years to look at the planets and the moon, but never really got serious about astronomy until I started spending time out at McDonald Observatory. It's fascinating to look at the sky at night and realize how truly insignificant we really are. It's a shame that so much of the night sky is invisible to Dallas residents. Maybe all the light pollution is for the best though. I don't feel safe going out at night in this city anyway. Somebody seems to get shot every night.

My feet weren't my friend today. By the time I finished my long walk, every bone in my body seemed to ache. I'm not very fast. On a good day it takes me about 19 minutes to walk a mile. On a bad day it can take me up to 24 minutes. People pass me all the time. I don't really care. Most of these people are in their 30's and 40's. Let's see how fast they move when they're 72.

Baxter is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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