Day 3612

Ginny has completed her heartworm treatment. We picked her up at the vet this morning and took her back to the boarding kennel. She rides well in the car now, immediately hopping in the back seat and waiting for me to join her. Ginny is much less fearful now. Maybe she knows that she will have a home soon. I think she will be the next to be adopted.

The kennel was too busy for us to play with the dogs today, but we made sure to say hello to each of them and give them a treat. This is a great group of Dalmatians. It's not surprising that they are finding homes quickly. We spent some time with each of them in their kennel runs before we left. The dogs were so friendly. It was like they were inviting us into their homes for tea.

Not much else happened today. We stopped at CostCo on the way home and then I took my walk. Winter has made a temporary retreat. Today was just what you'd expect a Fall day to be. The sky was clear. The leaves are turning beautiful shades of red and gold. There are already more leaves on the ground than on the trees. On a nice day they crunch under your feet as you walk through them.

I made another attempt at contacting McDonald Observatory today but couldn't reach the person I was looking for. I ended up just leaving a message. I'll quit bothering these people for a while. They're busy. I'm not. I still can't decide whether to try and attend Artemis Day at the Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans. Opportunities to tour this facility are rare and it would be quite interesting. On the other hand, I've heard rumors that NASA is starting to frown on people who try to attend all of their events. They don't want the same people attending over and over again. Would it hurt my chances of going to the Starliner launch if I try to go to Artemis Day too? Who knows. It's all out of my hands anyway.

I did find the modeling light bulbs I need for my Norman strobe lights and ordered two of them. Twenty dollars a bulb seems a bit steep for a simple halogen bulb, but what are you going to do. At least I don't need a new flash tube. Those cost several hundred dollars. Here's hoping that nothing breaks during this year's Santa photo season. I hate replacing this stuff.

I'm a little disappointed that I'm not getting any stronger even though I've been walking five miles a day for quite a while now. The walks are still tiring and I always feel like taking a nap when I return home. I have to remember that all the people passing me on the trails are in their twenties. I haven't seen a lot of walkers in their seventies.

This week went quickly. Not a lot was accomplished, but nothing went wrong. The trash has been taken to the curb and I'm trying to decide what to do about breakfast tomorrow. I guess I'll need to go out to eat. No smoothie tomorrow. All the fresh fruit is gone.

Puppies are today's Dalmatians of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3574

Treasure got her stitches out today. Hopefully she won't need to wear the cone of shame anymore. Nobody rides better in the car than Treasure. Some of the rescue dogs bark at everything and others won't stay still, but Treasure just sits quietly and looks out the window during the trip. She's curious about her surroundings, but never seems alarmed. I think she just likes car rides.

Charlie likes playing with a ball so much that we thought we'd see if he liked catching a Frisbee. He was good at chasing after the disc and caught it a few times, but he didn't want to give it back so we could throw it again. All he really wanted to do was chew it up. We'll have to work on this for a while. Maybe we can find an indestructible Frisbee. Hey, at least Charlie was interested. The Frisbee scared Jelly Bean and Hanks had no idea what to do with it.

All the dogs were in good spirits today. They're all getting healthier too. Hank is finally starting to gain weight and as soon as Jasmine finishes her heartworm treatment, she'll be good to go as well. There is a new group of dogs that are still being evaluated at the vet. A few have bad skin conditions like Sock did when he first entered the rescue program, but so far the vet hasn't found any serious problems. As soon as the new dogs have been spayed and neutered, they will join the others at the kennel.

Our long awaited cold front arrived last night. The temperature was still in the nineties when I finished dinner, but had dropped to seventy eight degrees by the time I went to bed. Some parts of town saw rain when the front passed through, but we stayed dry. This morning the weather really felt like Fall. It was crisp and cool with a light breeze and blue skies. The temperature was only sixty nine degrees at sunrise.

The weather stayed nice all day. I didn't take my five mile walk until later this afternoon because we were visiting with the dogs, but it was still very pleasant. This was the first time I wasn't drenched in sweat for a long time. I'm not sure how long this is going to last, but I'm calling today the first day of Fall.

If our cooler weather is here to stay, I'm going to need to call the carpenter and tell him to get started repairing the greenhouse. He didn't want to start the repairs during the hottest part of the Summer. That was fine by me because I wasn't ready to spend the money yet. I can't see any reason to delay things much further. The greenhouse is a wreck and it's time to get this fixed.

I wonder how long it's going to be before we need to use the furnace again. Sometimes it starts up just fine and other times I have to clean it first. It's always a guessing game. I used to have to call the HVAC guys every Fall to get the furnace running. Now I know to check the flame sensor first. If the flame sensor is dirty, the furnace won't light. I spent a fortune on needless repairs before a friendly technician showed me how to clean the furnace myself.

As usual, I have no plans for tomorrow. I'm busy planning imaginary trips to visit the darkest skies in America.

Hershey is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3567

Treasure was mad that she couldn't play today. It has only been a few days since her surgery and she's not ready to have her stitches removed yet. Treasure can play rough when she gets excited. We didn't want to risk having her incisions come open. It's hard to tell a dog that there'll be plenty of time to play later, but Treasure will just have to wait. After her stitches come out, she can show us how well she knows how to roll over again.

Hank is still too thin but he is eating well and his gastrointestinal problems seem to have gone away. The vet says he should start gaining weight in a week or so. He certainly has plenty of energy. Hank could play ball for hours. Sock isn't interested in playing but loves the attention. He has a new soft bed now and would probably rather have us take a nap with him than play ball. Jasmine and Jelly Bean, our two new girls, have really come out of their shell. It's quite a transformation. They seems to become friendlier and more trusting with each passing week. They are both eager to see us now. Rolly might be getting a home soon. He's such a friendly, easy-going dog that we're going to miss seeing him. Charlie is almost ready for a home as well. He's come a long way. He still needs to learn how to relax but he seems to trust me now and enjoys getting belly rubs.

Poor Jasmine starts her heartworm treatment tomorrow. The treatment can be hard on the dogs, but it needs to be done. Heartworms will kill a dog if left untreated. It's still hard for me to believe that so many people don't give their dogs the preventative medicine. It's easy and it works. So many of the dogs we rescue end up having heartworms. Jasmine has become comfortable with life at the kennel, but she still doesn't like riding in a car. She drooled a lot on the way to the vet this afternoon. Maybe she gets motion sickness. At least she didn't throw up in the car. When I see a dog drool a lot, they are either looking at a piece of cheese or getting ready to throw up.

A morning walk in the park and an afternoon with the Dalmatians basically took up the entire day. That's OK. I don't really make plans anymore. There is very little these days that can't wait until tomorrow. I've got a dental appointment later this week, but that's about it. Sometimes when I walk in the park, I daydream about what I'd like to do next. I can't think of anything I'd like to do here in town. The idea of traveling around in a little van looking for dark skies and bright stars sounds appealing. I don't know if I'd feel safe on the road though. Truthfully, I'm not sure I feel safe anywhere these days. The world I grew up with is crumbling.

Maybe I should start looking for places like Fort Davis. There are probably lots of little towns like this scattered around the country. Maybe not though. When I was a kid, my family used to spend summers in Colorado. Towns like Crested Butte and Telluride were a lot like Fort Davis back then. Then rich people discovered them and ruined everything. I used to love Crested Butte when it was almost a ghost town. I don't even recognize the place anymore.

I'll save these thoughts for another day. I don't have a time machine. Basically, it doesn't matter if you are living in a little hamlet or a big city. It's still 2019 everywhere.

Thelma is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3560

I don't think I'm cut out to binge watch a series on Netflix. I'm enjoying the new Ken Burns documentary on PBS, but it's so long that it makes me fidgety. It's hard to turn away though. Every segment is interesting and some of the recent shows bring back memories. I don't like to sit in front of a TV for this long though. Especially in the evening. It disrupts my schedule. I've probably missed a lot of interesting shows writing the blog every night for so many years. On the other hand, I might have missed nothing. Writing seems more valuable to me than passively watching something. To me it's the mental equivalent of walking. You've got to keep your body and mind on the move.

I got my walking done early today so we could spend the afternoon with the Dalmatians. It's amazing how relaxed the new dogs seem now. They have adjusted well to life in the kennel. For dogs that were running stray or were abused, the kennel is kind of like a halfway house. It allows them to relax and start to feel safe again while they wait for their forever homes.

Rolly is gaining weight and is almost finished with his heartworm treatment. Sock's skin problems are  getting much better and he is turning into a very handsome dog. Hank is on a special diet now and it appears to be working. So far, there has been no more vomiting or bloody stools. Jasmine and Jelly Bean are playful now and eager to see us. It's hard to believe that they were so nervous just a few weeks ago. Charlie continues to amaze us with the progress he's made. He's a very smart boy.

Poor Treasure was the only one with problems today. We noticed a suspicious growth on her belly a few weeks ago and it turned out to be a mammary tumor. We think the tumor is benign, but it still needs to be removed. When we finished visiting with all the dogs we took her to the vet on our way home. She will have surgery in the morning. Treasure has already had another tumor removed when she first entered the rescue program. Hopefully, this will be the last. You'd never know she was headed for surgery tomorrow. She was full of energy this afternoon and as always, enjoyed rolling over for treats.

Tomorrow, the tree guy returns to remove what is left of the large Elm tree that fell earlier this Summer. The yard is going to look bare without this once impressive tree. I hope we won't end up losing all the trees. All of them have seen better days and most have lost a few limbs over the years. Hopefully the tree removal won't cause neighbor problems. One of our neighbors hates having the alley blocked even for short periods of time.

The security light in the back yard has quit working again. It must be the temperature that is causing the problem. The hotter the day, the shorter amount of time the light stays on at night. One of these days I'll break down and get the silly thing fixed.

Sage is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3511

We went and met the new boy today. Rolly is a sweet four year old male who seemed like he'd been living on the streets for a while. He was skinny and has heartworms. If you made any sudden movements he flinched and moved away from you. Once he decided that we were OK and didn't want to hurt him, he was extremely gentle and friendly. Rolly wasn't interested in chasing a ball, but he loves treats. As soon as he puts on a few pounds and we treat his heartworms, this dog is going to make a wonderful companion for some lucky family.

The rest of the crew was in fine form. Treasure has perfected her roll over trick. Charlie can now catch his treats in mid air. And Hank wanted to make sure we knew he was the fastest. The kennel staff treats our dogs really well. They are all more relaxed than when they initially arrived. You can tell with each passing week that they are becoming well socialized canine citizens.

It's still extremely hot and humid. With the exception of Rolly who actually seemed to enjoy being outdoors, all the Dalmatians wanted to stay inside. Who could blame them. I should have stayed inside myself today. I probably keep walking because I can't think of anything better to do. I'm hooked on getting as many steps as I can too. It's weird that a little band on my wrist controls my day.

My memory is better than I thought it was. I've been trying to memorize things I see on my daily walks and I'm surprised at the level of detail I've been able to retain. I know what signs say now before I approach them. I remember the street numbers on people's houses. When little things change, I notice now. It's just a silly game, but maybe it will prevent me from getting Alzheimer's someday.

The AT&T crew still hasn't showed up to bury my fiber optic cable. The roofer hasn't showed up with his long promised bucket of silicon material either. For the moment I don't feel like adding to this list of suppliers who are ignoring me by calling the electrician. I may have to though. The security light in the back yard still won't stay on all night. All these things are irritating, but none of them really matter. Maybe things don't get done because I seldom get mad. It's a waste of energy to get mad about most things.

Tomorrow I'll update the Dalmatian Rescue website, adding Rolly and marking several other dogs as adopted. I guess I could do this tonight, but it's getting late and I'm ready for bed. I need something to do tomorrow anyway. I don't think I'll be watching the business channel during breakfast. I'd rather enjoy my meal. Something tells me that today's nasty selloff is going to continue. It's probably best not to turn on the TV at all. There's no good news anywhere these days.

Morgan is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3476

We spent the afternoon getting to know some of the new arrivals in the Dalmatian Rescue program. Hank and Pongo were both handsome, friendly young males. One was a stray and the other was an owner surrender. It always amazes me that wonderful dogs like these wind up being abandoned. They should have been valued members of someone's family since they were small puppies. We'll make sure they get better homes next time.

Pongo has heartworms and Hank is still a little nervous about his new surroundings. I'm convinced that they'll both be healthy and happy in the near future. These boys are so friendly that I'm sure they'll find their forever home very soon. After we finished photographing the new dogs for the website, we spent some time playing ball with the other dogs in the program. This is a great group of Dalmatians. Janet and I enjoyed our time at the kennel just as much as the dogs did.

All the dogs preferred to stay in the air conditioned play area today. Who could blame them. It was very hot today. I guess this is to be expected for the first of July. You can tell that people are already getting ready for the Fourth of July holiday. Unfortunately this means fireworks. Our dogs never liked fireworks. I'm sure that most of the dogs at the kennel don't either. They will all be safe inside their kennel runs, but hopefully there will be no loud displays nearby. People are already shooting off fireworks at the lake in the evenings. It doesn't matter that the city doesn't allow this. People do it anyway.

It took a lot of willpower to go on my long walk after we returned from the Dalmatian kennels. I should have done this early this morning when it was cooler, but there were other chores that needed to be attended to. It's hard to skip these walks entirely now. I've become a slave to the Fitbit.

I'm apparently not a slave to anything else. I can't get motivated to do yard work in this heat and starting a new personal project seems out of the question. Every once in a while I think it's time to completely redesign my company website. Then I realize I'm retired. The old website will do just fine.

There's another launch at Kennedy Space Center early tomorrow morning and two members of our group stayed in Florida so they could see both. I don't know how they managed to get credentials for back to back launches, but the rest of us were envious. Realistically, I can probably only afford one of these trips a year. That's assuming that I even get accepted again. Hey, at least I know what to save my money for now.

Maybe I'll go up on the roof tomorrow and try to patch a few areas with the Liquid Rubber in a Can that I bought at Costco. It might not work, but what do I have to lose. On the other hand, it might be better to forget the roof and go see a movie instead. Yesterday is still playing in Dallas. The movie has gotten mixed reviews, but I still think I'd probably like it.

Bentley is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2350

The mosquitoes are terrible this year. I must have been bitten a dozen times while we were walking the dogs this morning. Mosquitoes always seems to carry something nasty. Last Summer everyone was worried about West Nile Virus. This year it's the Zika Virus. Of course, the dogs always have to worry about getting heartworms from a mosquito bite. That's why Dot and Dash continue to take a heartworm pill at the first of every month. I wish there was a place where mosquitoes weren't a problem, but I don't think this place exists. Even when I was growing up in Alaska, there was a terrible mosquito problem in the Summer. I don't know how you get rid of the insects without harsh chemicals. We've tried UV bug zapper lights that didn't work very well. One year we had a weird contraption in the back yard that generated a cloud of carbon dioxide gas that was supposed to cause the mosquitoes to move elsewhere. It didn't work at all. There is an organic spray that isn't toxic to the dogs that you can apply with a garden hose. We tried this last year and it worked well until the first big rain washed it all away. I'm not sure what remedy I'm going to try this year, but I'm sure I'll try something. I'm tired of getting bitten by the little beasts.

Today seemed more like a work day than a Saturday. I spent the morning completing a major website update involving adding 73 new pictures with captions. I probably could have waited until Monday to finish this update, but I knew that I'd enjoy Sunday a lot more without a deadline hanging over my head. It took a while to make all the changes, but the job is done. Now I can spend the rest of my weekend vacuuming, cleaning up dog poop, and other fun things.

Butter was on my grocery list today. I always get butter at Sam's Club because you save a lot of money buying in bulk. Unfortunately, I should have looked at the packaging a little more carefully before I made today's purchase. Instead of regular sticks of butter, I had gotten huge logs of butter that must have been meant for restaurants. Jeez, how was I to know. The packaging looked almost identical. I had to drive all the way back to the store and exchange the restaurant sized logs of butter for some regular sized sticks.

It took forever to balance my checkbook this afternoon. I used to do this routinely, but now I despise the task and only bother to straighten things out every two or three months. Inevitably, I discover that I've entered something erroneously in Quickbooks that causes a mysterious discrepancy, For a writer, I'm atrociously bad at typing. It typically takes me longer to proofread my articles than it does to write them. Finding math errors I've made takes even longer. If I had more money in the bank, I wouldn't even bother to balance my checkbook at all. Tracking down missing pennies is a waste of time.

I think I could write a book on the nuances of cleaning up dog poop. As Dot's incontinence has gotten worse, my cleanup technique has gotten better. Things that are hard to clean like carpets must always be protected. There are lots of small rugs now that can be thrown in the washing machine after being hosed off outdoors. There are lots of comfy acrylic dogs blankets that can be washed over and over again. Under the blankets are rubberized pads, in case she pees as well. When Dot goes to sleep, I lift up her butt a bit and slide a disposable puppy training pad underneath. If I'm lucky, I can slide the soiled pad out, roll it up and throw it away, without even waking her up when she poops in her sleep. I buy these disposable pads in 100 count boxes now. That's what life has become.

Casey is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day