Day 4925 - My Birthday

I turned 75 today. Any way you measure it, that's getting old. I think I'm hanging in there though. We started the day early to avoid the heat. Dawn got a nice sunrise walk and then I had my regular breakfast of shredded wheat and fruit. Right after breakfast I mowed the grass. I did both the front and back yards and was finished before 9 AM. The temperature was already in the mid-eighties, but it was still overcast so I decided to take a short walk and get my steps before it got really hot.

I'm definitely slowing down and am not as fit as I used to be, but I felt good that I was still able to do this much on what turned out to be the hottest day of the year. My Mom had already passed away before she reached 75 and my Dad had been diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease and a host of other ailments by his 75th birthday. I'm basically still reasonably healthy. I try to walk six miles every day and am staying active. Who knows how long I can continue this, but nothing is stopping me at this point. I still hope to be attending launches at Kennedy Space Center when I'm 85.

I'm glad we walked Dawn really early this morning because it was way too hot for her to be outside later in the day. It looks like this heat wave is going to continue for the rest of the week. Luckily our air conditioner is working well and I think the insulation we added to the roof is helping keep the house cooler. I'm glad we didn't have to deal with the power outages that plagued other parts of the community after last week's storms. This is not the time to be dealing with power outages.

It was a low key and largely uneventful birthday, but I felt good about it. I didn't do much during the afternoon. I took a shower and looked at my birthday messages on Facebook. I'm not a big fan of social media anymore, but I still think these birthday messages are a nice thing. Nobody sends cards anymore. I got one birthday card from my Luddite sister who has probably never even looked at Facebook. Later in the afternoon I tried to take a nap with Dawn but she wasn't in a celebratory mood. As soon as I went in the bedroom, Dawn went out in the kitchen.

Janet and I went out for dinner at our favorite Italian restaurant. We've been there for birthdays before and the food is always good. The prices were a bit higher and the portions were slightly smaller, but what else is new. All restaurants are doing this. At least the place was still in business. A lot of our favorite restaurants didn't survive the pandemic and are no longer here. Our waiter seemed disappointed that we weren't having dessert, but we had cake at home. We wanted to include Dawn in the birthday celebration.

After some cake and a glass of champagne, I did what I always do every evening. I wrote a blog post. Since I will have reached my 5000 Day goal before my next birthday, this might be my last birthday post. We'll see what happens.

Inky is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4834 - Vernal Equinox

I've had enough of this cold weather. It certainly doesn't feel like the first day of Spring. I guess it could be worse. At least it doesn't look like we're going to get any snow this year. You can complain about Texas weather all you want, but it's still a lot better than other parts of the country. I just try to go with the flow. I look out the window when I wake up and then dress accordingly.

Dawn did well on her sunrise walk this morning although she seemed tired and a little stiff after we returned. We've reduced her daily dose of Rimadyl and will watch her for a few days before trying to reduce it further. It's hard to tell how much activity Dawn needs. Too little activity and she gets restless. Too much activity and she gets tired and we risk falling again. I still think she is doing better than I am. She definitely had more energy than I did on our morning walk.

I didn't accomplish much today. It was too cold for outdoor activity and nothing needed immediate attention indoors. I also didn't sleep well last night and could have easily gone back to bed after breakfast if Dawn was more agreeable about sharing the bedroom. I am glad that I didn't make plans to go out to McDonald Observatory for their annual Spring Break star parties. There's been an unusual amount of snow in West Texas this year. From what I see on the Internet I'm better off here in Dallas, even if I am a bit bored.

It was cold and windy on my long walk today, but I dressed warmly and completed my route. I really need to find something more interesting to do with my time. These walks are good exercise and keep me from sitting around the house doing nothing, but they have become boring. When I'm out walking I'm usually daydreaming about being somewhere else. I'd definitely like to attend more launches in Florida but my budget has put a cap on what I can do. If I get credentialed for either the Axiom AX-2 or the ViaSat-3 missions I'll probably go though. It's really time for another trip.

It's too bad that nobody wants to hire old geezers to design websites anymore. I actually enjoyed working. When I look at the current websites of former clients they certainly don't look any better than the ones I designed. Several of them look a lot worse and don't function well. I doubt this even matters. The people I used to work with have all retired and several have died. Their replacements are much younger and prefer to work with someone their own age. I can't say that I blame them. I prefer to work with people my own age as well.

It's supposed to be a lot warmer tomorrow, so maybe I'll go up on the roof and look for leaks. It's definitely not my favorite activity but it needs to be done. I wonder how long I can keep using my current phone and computer? Almost every day I find something else that is no longer supported. I live in an old house, drive an old car, and am surrounded by old equipment. Goes with the territory I guess. Some would say that I'm obsolete myself.

Baxter is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4560 - My Birthday

Another trip around the sun. I'm 74 now. I'm definitely feeling a little worse for wear.  I'm still hanging in there though. I walked my full six mile route this morning. We'll see if I can keep this going for another year. I'm already doing better than my parents were. My Mom was dead before she turned 74 and my Dad had already been diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease.

We went out for dinner at my favorite restaurant this evening. We hadn't been since before Covid and things had changed a bit. The place was seriously understaffed and everyone seemed a bit stressed. The food was still good though. My favorite dish wasn't even on menu anymore. That was a little disappointing. I was surprised because it was still on the online menu, it just wasn't on the actual menu that the waiter brought us. Oh, well. I found something else I liked and we had a very nice dinner. 

I wouldn't want to be in the restaurant business right now. Everyone is still trying to recover from the Covid shutdowns, the cost of ingredients has gone up, and fewer people are dining out because of out of control inflation. We arrived a little early tonight, but they wouldn't seat us until our scheduled time even though the restaurant seemed half empty. I'm sure it was company policy. I bet they thought if they could shuttle everyone to the bar for a while before they were seated, they would sell a little more. I can't really blame them. It was clear that this place was just trying to keep their doors open.

We always have Sprinkles cupcakes and a little champagne to celebrate birthdays. Dawn gets a pupcake as well. I forget how long we've been doing this, but it's been quite a while. I enjoy the celebration, but I don't look forward to birthdays anymore. I'm clearly on a downhill glide path. I'm doing the best I can to stay healthy, but you never know. People my age are dropping like flies. I know a few people who are still active in their 90's though, so maybe I'll get lucky.

I get fewer Facebook birthday greetings every year. The difference isn't dramatic, but it is consistent. I think the smaller numbers correspond pretty well to the number of friends who have died during the year. I should do a better job of keeping up with my remaining friends, but I probably won't. I'm a solitary person and if I could just get my dog to like me I'd be a happy camper.

I was a little surprised that I got 20,000 steps today. I guess I was busier than I thought. Dawn still got her Sunday outing, even though she only took a very short walk because of the heat. She did get a nice sunrise walk earlier in the day though. These early morning walks are the only times when it's still pleasant to be outside. We didn't spend a lot of time outside on Dawn's outing, but we did still go and get ice cream. Dawn even got an extra treat today when they gave her a free doggie cone.

All in all it was a good day. I tire easily and my feet hurt, but I'm still in pretty good shape. I think I've still got a few good years left. I hope I've managed to see a few more rocket launches and made at least one more trip to the observatory before I turn 75. There are no big plans anymore. Little day to day plans are all I need. I think we'll go visit the rescue Dalmatians tomorrow. I'm a year older now but it's time to get back to our regular schedule.

Jade is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4303

It's always interesting to go to a new doctor. I think this one is a keeper. The doctor I talked with today was the same one who removed the stones from my bile duct while I was hospitalized. and discovered that I had Barrett's esophagus. She did a good job of explaining why a second endoscopy and a biopsy of the esophagus was necessary. Evidently Barrett's esophagus is considered a pre-cancerous condition, even though the chances of it turning into cancer are very low. This inflammation of the lower part of the esophagus is caused by years of repeated acid reflux.  I've certainly experienced heartburn for a long time. Chances are the damage was done decades ago.

The upshot is that I go back to the hospital in a few weeks for an upper GI tract endoscopy. As a dubious bonus I am going to have a colonoscopy done at the same time. I knew that my primary care physician would never stop bugging me about the colonoscopy, so I thought this might be a good idea. Hey, I'm always up for killing two birds with one stone. I was somewhat surprised that the doctor agreed and said that doing both procedures at the same time would be no problem.

I don't look forward to being anesthetized again and having tubes shoved up both ends, but I'm a practical person and agree that this is necessary. No matter how healthy you think you are, seeing the doctor more often is just part of growing older. This is the time of year when I'm due for most of my annual exams anyway. I still need to make appointments to see the dermatologist, the urologist, and the eye doctor.

My doctor's appointment didn't stop me from taking my long walk. My new routine is to start the day with our sunrise walk with Dawn, eat a quick breakfast, and then immediately return to the trails for my long six mile walk before it gets too hot. This seems like a good plan even though it doesn't really get too hot anymore. The weather is just much nicer before 11 AM. 

People continue to send me surveys to fill out on an almost daily basis. What is the deal with all these surveys? I get them from the Land Rover dealer, the hospital, various doctors, elected representatives, the electric company, and just about anyone else I've crossed paths with. This is a recent phenomenon. Five years ago nobody asked me to take a survey. I wonder what has changed? Probably everything is driven by big data now and surveys determine what products and services we will get in the future. That's a shame if this is true. The world would be a much better place if people just used common sense to make decisions.

I finally figured out how to get the new medical features on my Apple Watch to work. The good news is that I have a few more graphs to look at in the morning. The bad news is that the batteries on both my phone and watch don't seem to last as long anymore. I've been trying to disable the background app refresh settings on my phone whenever I can find them. These seems to be on by default when you upgrade your operating system. Apple doesn't really care how long your battery lasts. They'd rather just sell you a new phone or computer every couple of years.

I think I'm more or less caught up on things for a while. I haven't heard from the observatory lately, so I'll probably just postpone my next visit until the Spring. I doubt that I'll be returning to Kennedy Space Center this year either. The launches I want to see have all been postponed until 2022. Maybe this is all for the best. It's been an expensive year and I don't have much money left for travel anyway. There's always plenty of walking to do. I'll just walk my way into 2022 and then pick up where I left off.

Lightning is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4103

Today I found out that the electrician I've used for many years has died. I'm getting older. Many of the best service people I've used over the years have passed away. Nobody seems to replace these people. Their skills and expertise just seems to disappear forever. It's kind of sad to see a generation of people who could fix everything be replaced by a new crop of folks who can only replace disposable components. Looks like I'm going to have to find a new electrician. I just hope that nothing breaks for a while.

I have so many unanswered questions that I'm beginning to feel like I'm invisible. I write people, fully expecting a prompt reply and then I never hear anything back. I still don't know whether my press credentials have been approved by the Air Force. I never received a confirmation about my stay in West Texas in May. I've been waiting for months for author copies of some of my articles. Questions about my new camera have gone unanswered and the dehumidifier company hated my continual questions so much that they wrote me a check for the machine instead of fixing it and told me to throw it away.

I got Dawn to go down to the park with me this morning while Janet was away. We didn't go very far, but it was a start. After she peed in a field immediately behind our house, she quickly turned and immediately headed for home. I didn't try to make her walk further. I want her to learn to trust me, so this will be a very slow process. Janet wants me to work with her every day, even if I don't make much progress. Right now, Dawn won't even eat when Janet is away. This makes it very hard for Janet to make any travel plans. It's all very weird. I'm used to being the one who takes care of the dogs during the day because I'm always here. If Dawn could just learn to trust me, she would have so much more fun.

Tomorrow is the first day of Spring. It's certainly starting to look like Spring has arrived. Wildflower season is still a few weeks away, but I see a few new blooms every day. The trees are definitely looking greener. I've even started seeing turtles sunning themselves on logs at the lake. Pretty soon I'll start seeing baby ducks again. I enjoy seeing this seasonal rebirth. It's especially nice this year after the big freeze where everything appeared to have died. It's amazing how predictable this cycle of life is. I've seen wildflowers reappear in exactly the same spot year after year. There are winter animals and summer animals and they never seem to get the seasons mixed up. I guess there is that one Pelican that always refused to fly north with the others in the Spring. I wonder what the Pelican will do this year?

My foot still hurts when I walk, but there are plenty of reasons to keep walking. I don't want to wind up like my electrician. He was younger than I am when he died. I really should start going back to the gym. I'm fully vaccinated now, but I'm still a bit reluctant to spend time around a bunch of sweaty people. My gym reopened their pool recently, so they're clearly not worried about much anymore. I don't know why they're still closed on Sundays though. Janet has been going to her gym for weeks now. Maybe I'm just lazy.

It's time to make a grocery list again. It's amazing how quickly these weeks go by. It will be Summer soon and I will be wishing for cooler weather again. Hopefully 2021 will be a little more interesting than 2020. I applied with NASA to attend the Space X Crew-2 launch today. Who knows if I'll get approved, but eventually things will start clicking together.

Pringles is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3889

Last night's rain really cooled things down. It was genuinely pleasant outside when we left the house this morning. It warmed up quickly, but for a little while we could convince ourselves that this was the beginning of Fall. These walks have become so predictable that we aren't far away from giving the ducks names. When things become so familiar that you start to recognize individual ducks in a park that's full of them, it might be time to change your route. I imagine that we'll keep walking this way though. We've finally found a route that's just the right distance and seems to maximize the possibility of finding a breeze. A little breeze can make all the difference in the summer.

It was a slow day. We didn't visit the dogs for a variety of reasons. I occupied myself paying online bills and looking for interesting stuff on the Internet. I should have gone up on the roof and cleared away the standing water from last night's rain, but I've learned that water evaporates quickly in the summer. If I wait until tomorrow, there will be much less water to deal with. I still enjoy my morning smoothie, but I've got to find a substitute for watching the news while I eat breakfast. The news is just too depressing.

I've just about given up on hearing from NASA or the Air Force. My various applications for media access to Kennedy Space Center all seem to have fallen into a black hole. I'm not sure if NASA will ever reinstate the social media programs I used to like so much. They've switched to doing virtual events instead, which have turned out to be very popular and reach a much wider audience. I imagine that virtual events are much less expensive as well. With media credentials at KSC becoming harder and harder to obtain, this leaves me with Boca Chica and the Starship. Maybe this is just a pipe dream too, but it's worth exploring.

Janet and I still talk about moving but we can't think of any place to go. Small towns that would have seemed ideal ten or fifteen years ago have already been overrun by people fleeing the cities. The pandemic has accelerated this exodus and even less popular places are seeing their population grow dramatically. Home prices are soaring in many small towns. I don't see this changing any time soon. Why would you want to live in a big city these days? There are still small towns that have remained small, but often there's a good reason. Terrible weather, no jobs, and lack of access to health care are usually at the top of the list.

The older you get, the more important it becomes to have a good hospital nearby. We have friends who have moved to the country who have to travel over a hundred miles if they have a serious medical problem. You get spoiled when there are world class doctors and hospitals just a few minutes away. Even taking your dog to the vet can be a problem in many small towns. The Dallas area has amazing veterinary specialty centers. They've saved our dogs lives more than once. You have to think seriously before giving all this up.

Yesterday's rain has already made our grass look a little greener. I think the weather is going to be cooler for a few more days as well. In mid-August little things like this can make a big difference.

Toby is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3830 - My Birthday

Another trip around the sun. I guess I'm doing pretty well for 72. My Dad already had Parkinson's and Macular Degeneration at this age and my Mom didn't even make it this far. Janet and I do our best to stay healthy, but when you are over seventy, every extra year is a gift. I figure that I've got a good ten years left before I start to fall apart, but you never know. Not all of us are destined to be Betty White.

We went out for a birthday dinner at our favorite restaurant this evening. With all the controversy about whether Texas has reopened too soon, I didn't know what to expect. We were both pleasantly surprised and felt completely safe. The tables were spaced far apart, the staff all wore masks, and everyone was super nice. Our waiter even recognized me and said that it was nice to see us again. I always enjoy dining at Knife and was glad we didn't decide to stay home.

The restaurant wasn't crowded. Everyone was responsible. You could tell that the entire staff was trying hard to make this work. Too bad everyone doesn't seem to be able to reopen this way. It's crazy out there. Some stores are still completely closed. Others have you order online and then they bring your merchandise out to your car. A few stores are just pretending like none of this ever happened. I find this inconsistency confusing. Clearly we can't keep the entire country quarantined forever, but it is equally obvious that the virus isn't going away. Texas is having a big spike in new cases at the same time the state is trying to reopen.

Everyone was really pretty good about staying quarantined for several months, but it feels like everyone has had enough. "We did our part," you can almost hear people saying. Now they expect the virus to go away. I'm going to continue to stay away from people. I've never liked crowds anyway. I think that as long as you avoid public transportation, bars, sporting events, concerts, weddings, church services, and other situations where people are crowded together you are probably OK. I might even go ahead and get a haircut. When Janet went to the salon last week, she said that everyone was so careful and that they only let a few customers in at a time.

When we came home from the restaurant the skies were clear and now we are under a severe weather warning. Texas weather is always full of surprises. I hope we don't lose power. The wind is blowing pretty hard outside. It is always a pain when we lose power right in the middle of a blog post. I've got to get all the emergency power devices working and then start over again using the laptop.  Hopefully that won't happen. I don't have that much more to say anyway.

Thanks for all the birthday greetings. Checking to see who sent you a birthday message on Facebook has become a ritual part of almost everyone's birthday these days. Did Facebook always send out birthday notices? I can't even remember when this started. Nobody sends birthday cards anymore except my sister who refuses to use the Internet. I wonder if people have started having birthday parties again? During the lockdown, people in our neighborhood would put up birthday signs in their front yards and drivers would honk when they drove by.

It is a little weird to be 72. Most of my NASA and astronomy friends are half my age. I don't feel old at all. Hopefully I'll feel as healthy when I turn 73 as I do now. I'm not doing anything special, but I can tell you for a fact that lots of exercise and a healthy diet work wonders.

Inky is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3815

I'm more forgetful now. The other day I forgot to take my house keys with me when we walked Dawn. Luckily Janet had her keys with her, but it was a reminder that I need to be even more methodical than I already am. It's important to keep your mind sharp as you grow older. I remember watching my Dad descend into senility in his later years while thinking that I wasn't going to let this happen to me.

I don't think you can prevent the inevitable, but I do think it is possible to postpone things for a while. Eating healthy food and getting plenty of exercise can do wonders for an aging body. The mind is a little trickier though. Is it better to remember the past, or is a mind unencumbered with a ton of old baggage healthier? Is knowledge cumulative, or should you wipe the slate clean and be receptive to new things?

I wonder about all this as my memory banks slowly become scrambled. I don't know if your brain can only hold so much, or if your memories remain forever and just become lost over time. Some things only appear in dreams now. There are a few recurring dreams that I genuinely can't decide whether they really happened.

I'm always putting my brain through its paces when I walk. I'll pick out a specific rock or tree and always try to account for it when I pass. I count ducks and try to remember the names of flowers and trees. There are hundreds of objects in the park that I have committed to memory, but it is surprising how often I'll forget about them. If I'm daydreaming, an entire mile can go by and I won't notice anything. It is a very rare walk when I can remember my entire list.

There is a large sailboat anchored out in the lake and I always try to notice when it is exactly perpendicular to me. There will always be a point when I am looking exactly at the bow or stern of this boat. The position of these encounters changes from day to day and I've learned to estimate wind speed from how quickly the boat turns in the water. I used to try and keep my eyes agile by alternately focusing on something very close and then turning my vision to something very far away. Unfortunately, that ship has sailed. My distance vision is still good, but my close up vision is shot.

It's interesting watching Dawn while we walk. She has a mind of her own. Now that she knows her way around, I've noticed that she likes to choose her own route. When we come to a fork in the trail, I  like to keep her on a loose leash to see which direction she'll choose. Often I am surprised. What is going through that dog's mind? Dawn will always follow us when Janet and I are leading the way, but she will make her own decisions when left to her own devices. She is a very smart dog.

This week has gone quickly. The trash is out on the curb again and my supply of fresh fruit is almost gone. Tomorrow it's time to make my signature omelette again. I edited a bunch of pictures to send to Sky and Telescope today. Eventually the magazine will need them. I just need to remain patient.

Daisy is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3676

Another dismal day. I think it rained more today than it did yesterday. I wasn't that hungry, but I went out for breakfast anyway because I thought it would make the day go faster. Rainy days have a tendency to be long days. I wanted something cold but I didn't feel like cereal, so lox and bagels sounded good. This used to be my go to breakfast when I traveled a lot, but it's been a while. Lox and bagels turned out to be a good choice. It brought back memories and made me forget about the rain for a while.

After picking up something for dinner at the grocery store, I came back home and got the pumps working. I'm not sure the pumps on the roof even help that much, but seeing water exit through the garden hoses attached to the pumps makes me feel better. If the rain ever stops, I'll need to go up on the roof and finish the job.

A few days ago Janet got some solar powered pathway lights at the dollar store and to my surprise they actually worked. A dollar for a solar powered light is a pretty good price. Nothing lasts long at the dollar store, so I went back today and got some more of these lights. Like the rubber snakes I once found here to keep birds from pooping on my car, I knew I would never see these things again. During a break in the rain, I placed the lights along the gravel path leading to the alley. I don't expect them to last very long, but for now they are working and actually look pretty good. So much for landscaping on a rainy day.

During the next break in the rain, I decided to take my walk. This worked for a while, but it was a long walk on a rainy day. Before I returned home I was pretty wet. I was really on my own today. Even the joggers and dog walkers opted to stay dry this time. I don't know why it has become such a big deal to keep moving. Probably just because there is little else to do and it is easier than going to the gym.

When I woke up last night I noticed that I was seeing ghost images of the little LED lights on the network router through my left eye. I only saw a single point of light from each bulb with my right eye. My eye doctor warmed me this would happen when cataracts started to develop. I sometimes saw ghost images when I looked up at the moon, but this was more pronounced. When daylight returned, my vision seemed more or less normal, but double images are still not good. For several years my eye doctor has told me that I was developing cataracts. At some point I will need to deal with it. The doctor says I've got five years at best. Cataract surgery is pretty safe and is usually successful, but I'm not looking forward to the day when I need to make this decision. I depend on my eyes and hate to mess with them. I'm also seeing signs of keratosis on the skin under this eye. I guess I need to deal with this too. Jeez. I hate growing old.

I think the weather is going to clear up tomorrow. I certainly hope so. The sooner I get the water off the roof, the less I have to worry about leaks.

Chief is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3577

The roofers finally delivered the silicon coating they've been promising. Literally five minutes after the large container appeared on my front porch, it started to rain. I guess I should have expected this. Nothing is ever easy. I've been waiting all summer for this stuff. It's been a hot, dry summer and conditions have been almost perfect for repairs. Now that severe thunderstorms and another major cold front is on the way, I'm good to go. I guess there is a silver lining to this mess. The roofer left me a lot more of the silicon material than I anticipated. This was probably just because he doesn't want to hear from me again, but I'm always glad to have more of the material on hand. If history is any guide, there will be more leaks in the future.

I filled out all the paperwork I got yesterday and returned it to the observatory. Unfortunately, I left one of the form fields blank by mistake, so I had to do everything all over again. The forms are done now. I'll just have to wait and see what happens. Some of the forms I submitted today were requests for medical information. It was a bit sobering to provide this much detail. I know there have been accidents on the mountain. Astronomers have fallen off viewing platforms. Cars have driven over cliffs. There is concern about bears and mountain lions in the area as well. I am very risk adverse, but I don't want to be house bound either. I guess the bottom line is that I'd like to do this, so I'd better be careful.

I lost my last client today. Once again the business went to some much younger folks who claim to be on the cutting edge of Internet technology. The client claims his site is no longer mobile friendly. What? I completely revamped the site several years ago specifically to make it mobile friendly. The site worked and everyone was happy. Maybe the client is right though. When we concluded our phone call I looked at his website on my phone and there definitely were problems. I hadn't changed anything, but maybe the way modern phones interpret HTML code has changed. I'm sure that I could fix the problems after doing a little research. Do I even want to make the effort? Probably not. I told the client that I've enjoyed working with him all these years, but that he probably did need someone younger to manage his website. I'm really tired of keeping up with constant change and nothing changes faster than the Internet. It's time to pass the torch. There is no pretending anymore. I guess I'm stone cold retired now.

This weather is driving me nuts. We has our first cold front a few days ago. Then it got hot again. Now, another cold front is on the way and temperatures are supposed to be in the forties tomorrow. That's quite a change, since it was over ninety degrees this afternoon. I hope we have a little more warm weather before winter arrives. I really do need to get the roof patched.

For me, the week always ends on Thursday evening. The week's trash has been taken to the curb and I'm already thinking about where to go for breakfast tomorrow. If it's raining when I wake up, I'll probably just stay home and have a bowl of cereal. I've used up all the fresh fruit, so having another smoothie isn't an option. Driving in a thunderstorm isn't much of an option either. Breakfast just isn't that important.

Neo is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3525

This was the first day I haven't walked in quite a while. There just wasn't time. I had quite a few things I needed to do before we headed up to the Dalmatian Rescue kennels, so I decided to skip my morning walk. By the time I ran a few errands and went to the post office it was time to go. I can't say that I missed walking today. It was way too hot to be outside for any length of time.

The dogs were all doing well. Since there aren't a lot of dogs in the program at the moment, we were able to spend quite a bit of time with each one. Dalmatians love attention. I think they were all glad to see us. It's fun to see their personalities develop as they become more relaxed. Rolly still needs to finish his heartworm treatment before he can go to his forever home, but other than that, these dogs are ready. I hope that they all find great homes.

As we were driving back from the kennel it became apparent that school was back in session. Traffic seemed to double overnight and there were school zones everywhere. When school is out, mid-afternoon is often the best time to avoid bad traffic. The lunch crowd is back at work and rush hour hasn't started yet. Those days are over. This afternoon it seemed like the entire city was starting to queue up to pick up their kids from school.

Janet likes watches and loves going to the gym, so I thought she might be able to use my old Apple Watch while she was working out. I figured out how to restore the watch to its factory settings and gave it to her. She reminded me that she had given me the watch in the first place, but I think she was still glad to have it. The Apple Watch workout app is much better than Fitbit. At least the watch will get used. I don't need to wear two of these things.

Janet and I both try to eat healthy, but we love a good burger. In recent years we've been exploring new burger places on our birthdays. This evening we went to a place that has gotten great reviews for several years but that neither of us had ever tried. It was surprisingly close to home, but we don't go out much anymore. Eating healthy is almost impossible if you spend too much time in restaurants. It's OK to indulge every once in a while though. We got lucky tonight. The reviews were accurate and the burgers were delicious. I'm very full. I don't think I'll be eating much tomorrow.

We're both 71 now. All things considered, we're doing pretty well. Two years ago at this time, Janet was getting ready for a second round of cancer surgery. Five years ago, I was being treated for Hepatitis C. We're both healthy now and reasonably happy. I hope this continues. The older you get, the more you realize that having your health is a blessing. All the things you worried about when you were young just don't seem that important.

Spot is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3498

I noticed a big brown blotch on my arm today that wasn't there yesterday. It didn't hurt and it didn't look like a bite or infection. At first I thought the blotch was just grease but it didn't wash off. Was this an age spot? I recall that my Dad had blotches like this all over his arms and face when he got old. Was it melanoma? I doubt it, but melanoma is very common. Was it just some minor internal bleeding? Maybe I shouldn't be taking low-dose aspirin anymore. The weird thing is that this just happened overnight. I swear the blotch wasn't there yesterday. Getting old is full of surprises.

I kept switching between the morning news and an old rerun of Independence Day on TV as I was eating breakfast this morning. It became apparent after just a few minutes that just about the only thing that could ever unite humanity would be aliens. Humans have been fighting each other over ridiculous differences for centuries. It's impossible to turn on the TV these days without being bombarded with news about some sort of conflict. If only aliens would invade us. That would probably be the only thing that might actually bring people together.

To be fair, I don't think animals are much nicer than we are. Mockingbirds are horrible. They are always fighting with other birds. I've been dive bombed by angry Mockingbirds several times and poor Dash suffered a direct hit once. Raptors and Owls look magnificent but whenever I see them they always seem to be grabbing smaller animals with their talons and eating them. Don't even get me started about ducks. I've seen ducks do things during nesting season that should land them in jail.

Today was pretty uneventful. I paid a few bills and wrote a letter to my sister. While I was at the post office I asked the postmaster if they had any of the new Apollo 11 commemorative stamps. He said that local post offices didn't sell commemorative stamps anymore. You had to buy them online. This kind of sucks. I'm not a stamp collector, but I always liked to pick up some interesting new stamps while I was at the post office.

I sent friendly reminder messages to several of the repair people who have been ignoring me. So far none of them have replied. I don't know why this always has to be a battle. The first battle is finding someone good in the first place. The second battle is getting them to show up. And the third battle is getting them to come back when you discover that they didn't do the job properly.

I'll bug a few more people tomorrow but I don't really expect anything dramatic to happen. These are the dog days of summer. Nobody wants to deal with problems. I don't want to deal with problems either but I sure would like to get the torn spots in the roof fixed before it rains again.

Jewel is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3482

Sunday is all about taking 20,000 steps. I have to stay pretty active to do this, but I've reached my goal for over a month now. Fitbit says I've walked 2,500 miles since I began wearing their bracelet. I haven't even been wearing the Fitbit that long. I wore a succession of Jawbone UP bands before buying the Fitbit. I wonder how many miles those bands accumulated? When Dot and Dash were young we walked long distances every day without bothering to keep track of anything. I had nothing to prove in those days and the walks were probably more enjoyable as a result.

I'm not sure I'm trying to prove anything now. It just seems prudent to keep moving. A lot of my friends are still reasonably healthy, but whenever someone falls by the wayside it is alarming. This is the age when people around you start to drop like flies. I've already outlived a number of friends I went to college with. You hate to think that you only have a limited amount of time left, but that's just the reality of things. Ten to twenty more years at best. Jeez. I've lived in this house longer than that.

It seems much hotter than it did last summer. It's probably just my perception of things. As Dash got older and became less mobile, we never went out during the heat of the day. We would take our short walks before sunrise when the air was still cool. Back when my company was busy I didn't have time to worry about how many steps I was taking anyway. I had ads to write and websites to design. Back in the day I spent a lot more time at this computer than I ever did walking.

I feel bad for all the dogs I see being walked in the park this summer. It is too hot for many of them. Dogs don't sweat like we do and they are wearing a fur coat. If you feel compelled to walk your dog in 100 degree weather, please take water with you and if your dog gets tired go sit under a tree for a while. Whatever you do, don't walk on hot pavement. Paws get burned in this weather. I'm sure people get heatstroke too, but I mostly just worry about the dogs. Today I saw a dog standing on one of those stand up paddle boards way out in the middle of the lake. If the dog fell off the board it probably wouldn't be able to climb back on and it was too far to swim to shore. Why do people do things like this?

I had a good day at the gym. I think I set an all time record for the number of baskets I sunk in a row. I don't think my skills have actually improved though. It was just blind luck. When my streak was eventually broken, I went right back to the same mediocre performance I usually show on the court.

I need to go fix the pump on the roof tomorrow morning. It's bound to rain again soon. I should try that Liquid Rubber in a Can stuff too and see if it works. It it's too hot tomorrow, I can always wait until Tuesday. There's really nothing that's all that urgent anymore. I'm just counting steps these days.

Delaney is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3373 - Vernal Equinox

I'm always happy to see the first day of Spring. There may be a few more cold days ahead of us, but Winter is essentially over. If it weren't for the inevitable seasonal allergies, this would be the nicest time of the year. There is supposed to be Super Moon tonight which apparently makes the equinox special. I looked outside and the moon looks the same to me. When something is ten percent larger than usual, I don't think I can perceive the difference. If the moon was 50% bigger, I'd probably notice. As it is, it's just a bright full moon.

Dash wouldn't take his pills again this morning. Some of the pills aren't critical, but the phenobarbital is. We just don't want to risk another seizure. I was hoping I could get Dash to take his meds as soon as we returned from our morning walk, but he was too tired and immediately went to sleep. He wasn't interested in anything until he woke up again a few hours later. I guess all is well that ends well, but life would be easier if we could keep Dash on a regular schedule.

I spent most of the day trying to catch up on sleep. Dash got me up way too often last night. He made it outside each time and there was no mess to clean up, but once again life would be easier if Dash would just pee and poop before he went to bed at night. He used to do this every single evening, but those days are gone. I was glad there was no mess in the bed last night, but a little more sleep would be nice.

There were more bills to pay today. March turned out to be an expensive month. My web hosting plan auto-renewed for another three years, my doctor's concierge medicine retainer was due, and there were airfare and travel expenses from my recent trip to Houston. I think we're done for March though. I won't have to pay for those Sequential Circuits synthesizers until April or May.

Tomorrow, I need to figure out how to get Janet's iTunes account to show up on the flat screen TV. She rented some movies I'd like to watch, but I don't want to watch them on her iPad. I've added her account to the TV before, but I ended up erasing my own account in the process. I'm sure that Apple has a way to share multiple accounts on the same TV, but they could make the process of switching from one to another a little easier. Oh, well. I don't have much else to do tomorrow. Little things like this count as a challenge these days.

I wish that Dash would regain his strength. He still seems weaker and more lethargic than he did last month. His decline has been so slow that it's easy to convince myself that nothing has changed. There are still good days and bad days but at the end of the day we're definitely headed downhill. I don't think there's anything I can do to stop the process.

Baxter is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3324

Sometimes I turn on the news and I feel like I'm living inside a dystopian science fiction novel. It was colder in Chicago today than it was in Antarctica. Is that even possible? Chicago shouldn't be that cold. When I was young I once thought about taking an ad agency job in Chicago. I visited the place in January and all it took was a brief walk down Michigan Avenue to convince me that Chicago was far too cold for me. I wasn't dealing with a polar vortex. I just wasn't wearing a warm enough jacket. I decided then and there that I was meant to live down South.

As far as I'm concerned, Dallas winters are bad enough. I wear my warmest clothes when we take our morning walks. Even though it is running fine, I always worry that the furnace is going to break on a cold winter evening. I worry about frozen pipes too. It seldom gets cold enough for the pipes to freeze, but it has happened. The lake behind our house completely froze over once as well. The fact that there is no ice on the lake at all this Winter just shows that I am getting older and the planet is getting warmer. I doubt that the lake will ever freeze again. It hardly even snows anymore.

It's gotten to the point where I need to make sure exactly where Dash is and what he is doing before I let him out of my sight. He falls so easily now that it's easy for him to get in trouble. I make sure he is gated in a safe place before I take a shower and try not to leave the house unless he is sleeping. Dash's naps last for hours at a time, so it is usually safe to run errands while he is asleep.

I don't even worry about poop anymore. As those old bumper stickers used to say: shit happens. I do wish that Dash would work on his timing. He inevitably poops in the house right when I'm starting to relax with my first cup of coffee. I always jump up immediately and clean things up. I've learned from experience that if I don't act fast, Dash will step in the poop and track the mess all over the house. Also, I enjoy the smell of coffee in the morning. I can't say the same for the smell of poop.

I wrote a letter to a sick friend today and realized that I have no natural empathy at all. I kept having to rewrite portions of the letter when I noticed that I was just making sarcastic comments about the unfairness of life instead of being warm and sympathetic. By the time I sealed the envelope I think I got things right, but it didn't come naturally.

Aging doesn't seem to come naturally either. They say you're officially old when you start having trouble putting on your socks or clipping your toenails. I think the moment has arrived. I feel like a rusty old machine this Winter. Maybe when the weather warms up, I'll feel younger.

Malcolm is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3278 - Blogiversary

It's hard to believe that I've been doing this for ten years. That's an entire decade without missing a single day. I always thought that if I just kept writing, it would eventually start to mean something. I'm not sure if this nightly journal means anything at all, but I see no reason to quit writing. For better or worse, blogging has become like breathing.

A lot has changed in ten years. When I started writing, I didn't give a lot of thought to what would eventually replace the world of work. I didn't have time to think about retirement because I was very busy. I think about this now, but still don't know what replaces work. Retirement seems awkward and strange. I never thought that I'd live in a country as polarized and divided as we've become. This seems strange as well. I'd prefer that we could all get along with each other. I never thought that having access to good doctors might keep Janet and I from moving. I never thought that my house might start falling apart before I did. Houses are supposed to be permanent.

Ten years later I'm starting to realize that nothing is permanent. I've outlived many of the friends I went to college with. Spot is gone. Petey and Greta are gone. Even Dot is gone. I'm glad that Janet and Dash seem indestructible. We all need something in our lives that seems indestructible.

The blog is far from indestructible. Google could pull the plug at any time. They already decided to abandon Google+ and many other products that were supposed to change our lives. Does anyone remember Google Glass? I wonder if Blogger is next? I don't really have a plan B if someone takes my blogging platform away. I don't think I have the energy or even the desire to export ten years worth of musings to Wordpress.

For now, I'll continue writing. Why not? I've got nothing to lose. Maybe this journal will still mean something eventually. Someday a PhD candidate might use the blog to write a thesis on how opinions change over time. I might even win an award for having the last blog standing some day. I doubt that anything will happen at all. Most of you are just here for the dog stories. Maybe that's enough. I think dog stories matter.

It wasn't a bad day to begin my second decade blogging. Dash had a good day. I'm even making some progress with the roof. Getting on the roofer's emergency list seems to have made a difference. Two guys showed up this morning to evaluate the roof. The wet areas will need to dry out for a few days, but they thought they could repair the leak next week. Several friends have suggested good roofers to completely replace the roof. I'm going to get bids from them. Hey, the sky was clear today, there is no rain in the forecast, and Dash was feeling good. It was easy to feel like I'm making progress.

Jasper is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3220

I cleaned up poop in the middle of the night again. Luckily, Dash made it off the bed, but he couldn't make it to the back door. Several people have suggested that I try diapers. Unfortunately, diapers seldom work on a dog with severe mobility problems. Dash can barely stand up as it is. We've tried doggie diapers and while wearing them, he can't seem to move his rear legs at all. Puppy training pads don't work either. Dash has always moved around at night. If you place a pad under him when you go to bed, he will be somewhere else when you wake up. Puppy pads worked great for Dot. I've still got several cartons of them at the storage warehouse. I've just got to realize that Dash is a different dog. It's not his fault. Old age catches up with all of us eventually.

It was damp and overcast today, but there was very little rain. I'll take what I can get. When I was walking Dash this morning, I noticed that the little circus in the park was getting ready for a show. You've got to admire these guys. They couldn't have picked a worse time to come to Dallas, but they refuse to give up. I almost feel like going to a show to help them out, but I've never liked circuses all that much. Hopefully, the weather will stay dry this evening. They've worked really hard to rebuild.

I found out on Facebook that another friend is in the hospital. This happens way too often. My generation is falling apart. I guess younger people still find out about weddings and engagements on social media. Older people find out about their friend's knee replacements, back problems, and cancer. The page for my high school class has kind of turned into an online obituary. All this decline and decay makes me nervous, but I still feel healthy. I hope I've got a few good years left.

I have no idea how long Dash has left. He's hung in there a lot longer than I expected. I think the pain pills are helping. He still stumbles and falls, but he seems more confident now. For a dog who can barely move, he sure loves his walks. Dash is facing old age with a lot of dignity. He accepts his many frailties and does the best he can. He and Dot have been an inspiration. When I wake up with a stiff neck or a sore back I keep thinking "if these dogs can do it, so can I."

Neither of us set the world on fire today. My to-do list has shrunk to breakfast, dinner, and walking Dash. I did a little house cleaning this afternoon, but I also took a long nap with Dash. Hey, I deserved a nap. I felt like I was up half the night cleaning up after Dash.

I think it's supposed to rain again tomorrow. I wonder how long this can go on? I think we have doubled our annual rainfall in less than two months. We'll see how it goes. I've taken the trash out to the curb and am ready for bed. If it's nasty tomorrow morning, I'll just stay home and make pancakes. I can always go out for breakfast when things dry off.

Little Petey is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day