Day 4679

Today's all day rain didn't really amount to much. The only time we got wet was when we tried to take Dawn on her sunrise walk. The weather radar failed us this time. I thought we had enough time to take a short walk, but the rain started almost immediately. Dawn did her business in a hurry and we headed back to the house.

I didn't want to risk getting wet again, so I went mall walking after breakfast instead of walking in the park. The temperature was nice and cool, but the skies looked ominous. I was surprised at how crowded the mall was today. At first glance you would have thought the stores were open. There were a lot more families with children today. I guess when the kids can't play outside on a rainy day, you take them to the mall. I walked an extra lap around the mall this morning because we didn't get our sunrise walk. One way or another, I was going to get my steps.

I'm starting to see some of the same people every Sunday. It's the same way when I walk in the park. I guess everybody has their regular routines. Some people walk around the mall in a clockwise direction while others go counterclockwise. This direction never seems to change. I'm a clockwise person myself. I wonder when the Christmas displays will start to appear. Christmas merchandise is already out at Walmart and Sam's Club. It looks like Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas are all happening at the same time.

The rain was basically over by the time I returned home, so Dawn got her Sunday outing anyway. It was pleasant outside, even though the ground was a little wet. Dawn enjoyed her walk, but she still doesn't ride well in the car. I don't think we'll ever be able to take her on a car trip. She does calm down when we get to the ice cream store though. I think Dawn likes ice cream even more than we do.

I washed the car this afternoon. I thought a heavy rain might clean it off on the way to the mall, but a light rain just got it muddy. My office is always a perpetual mess, but I do like a clean car. It seems like I'm always washing the car even though I don't drive much.

There's a new update for the star tracker available, but I didn't feel like dealing with it today. I have spent far more time updating this thing and installing new firmware than actually using it. Maybe someday. I'm still fascinated by astrophotography, but I can't imagine spending much time outside at night in Dallas. The few times I've gone outside to observe something I'm usually interrupted by multiple police cars racing down our street in pursuit of bad guys. Our own neighborhood is relatively safe, but this street appears to be a superhighway to high crime areas. 

It doesn't look like we are going to make it to the fair this year. Sometimes going to the fair seems like a fun thing to do. This year we had no interest. I don't think we missed much. Neither of us like fair food and yesterday there was an active shooter scare that had everyone running for the exits. One of the reasons I like going to Kennedy Space Center is that everyone has to go through a background check to get their credentials. I feel very safe wandering around the space center. Not so much here in Dallas.

I need to make an appointment to see the eye doctor next week. It doesn't seems like a year since my last visit, but here we are again. I"m dreading this visit because I know the doctor will want to schedule cataract surgery almost immediately. I can tell my cataracts have gotten worse this year. I'm sure the doctor will know too.

Camp is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4651

Another nice Fall day. The mornings are cool but it warms up quickly. We had a pleasant sunrise walk with Dawn and didn't encounter many other dogs or bicycles. Dawn has lots of energy for an older dog. She enjoys her walks and I'm glad she still seems very healthy.

After breakfast I checked my messages while I waited for the mall to open. Mall walking on Sunday has become a regular part of my weekly routine. I usually walk from 10 AM until noon. The stores aren't open, but this is perfect for me. Finding a parking place is easy when the stores are closed. The temperature inside is perfect and I never have problems with my seasonal allergies. I don't need to wear a hat or worry about getting sunburned. The window displays are interesting too. Oddly it seems just as natural to walk indoors as outside. There are no snakes either. I guess I'm not much of an outdoorsman.

Styles haven't really changed that much over the years. I think they just get recycled. I see things in window displays that are very similar to things I saw thirty years ago. Kitchen and jewelry stores haven't changed at all. The main difference in stores today are the prices. Retro looks cost a lot more than the originals they are emulating. 

A few things still confuse me. Who takes care of the ducks and turtles that swim around in the mall's reflecting pools? Why are there so many little stores that sell cookies? I don't understand several current style trends either. When did asymmetrical looks become popular? I still prefer symmetrical clothing where the left side of the garment looks the same as the right. A lot of modern shoes look really clunky as well. All these windows give me a lot to look at. For the most part, it's more interesting than watching squirrels chasing each other in the park.

When I returned home, Janet and I took Dawn on her Sunday outing. It was too hot for a longer walk, but Dawn got a chance to get out of the car and smell things for a while. It's never too hot for ice cream. For some reason we got larger cones today for the small cone price. I think it was just a mistake. We checked on the neighborhood Chinese restaurant on our way home and it was still closed. Such a shame. I really liked this place. I don't know how anyone has the nerve to open a new restaurant. It's a hard business.

I keep waiting for news about the next Artemis launch attempt. Nothing yet. At least the weather is improving in Titusville. Space X was finally able to launch its next batch of Starlink satellites after being rained out for an entire week. I kind of hope that the launch does get postponed again. I'll go down for the next attempt, but I'd rather wait another month or two until the weather starts to improve. This is still hurricane season. The chances for weather related delays are high.

I miss visiting the rescue Dalmatians on Mondays. Things change though and you've got to stay flexible. I could always mow the grass instead, but that doesn't sound nearly as much fun.

Puppies are today's Dalmatians of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4616

Mall walking has become part of my Sunday routine. This is the third week in a row that I've done this and it still seems like a pleasant activity. The stores are starting to look pretty familiar now. The window displays must not change often because so far everything looks exactly the same. Surprisingly, the art on display does change ocassionally. I've noticed a few new pieces that weren't there several years ago, along with several favorites that are gone. I wonder where they store this art when it isn't on display. Some of the sculptures are huge.

We need to start our sunrise walk with Dawn earlier on weekends. We didn't leave the house until after 8 AM this morning and the park was already bustling with activity. Now that school has started there are high school sports teams that run in the mornings and there are always lots of bicycles to watch out for. The park is a lot quieter in the mornings when the weather cools down. In the winter it is practically empty. Dawn enjoys walking more in cooler weather and so do I. I'm ready for winter so I can start complaining about something else.

The weather was a littler cooler this morning, so we took a short walk in Dawn's Sunday park on her outing today. We didn't walk far though. It is still too hot for a dog to be out in the middle of the day. The price for cones at the ice cream store has gone up at the same time the cones have gotten a little smaller. This doesn't seem fair, but I'm not running a business. People are still buying ice cream, so I suspect that they  are just seeing how much they can get away with.

The real estate market in town seems to have really slowed down. We're seeing for sale and for lease signs stay up in the neighborhood a lot longer than they used to when interest rates were near zero. Houses for rent near the lake used to be snapped up almost immediately. Lately I've seen a couple of real estate signs standing in people's yards for well over a month. Sign of the times I guess. Who would want to commit to a major purchase with so much uncertainty in the world?

I wrote a letter to my sister this afternoon and will mail it tomorrow. I also vacuumed the carpets. The Dyson vacuum still takes longer to clean than it does to vacuum, but I guess it does a good job. There is sure is a ton of dust and dirt in the clear plastic tube when I'm done. I still think old fashioned vacuum cleaner bags are a better solution, but what do I know. When the bags were full on our old Hoover, I just took them out and threw them away.

There is a new version of the star tracker software available now, but I haven't had the heart to install it. I keep thinking that updates to this thing should start slowing down soon, but the Benro team seems relentless in their efforts to add new features. Sometimes the new features work and other times they don't.  This experience has made me wary about buying anything new before all the bugs have been worked out. I have tended to buy computers just before they are discontinued because you can often get great deals. I've rarely had problems with these older computers because mature products are just more stable. I think the same thing can be said for cars. I've been interested in the new Bronco, but early buyers seems to be plagued with problems. Maybe a few years from now this car will be more reliable.

Tomorrow I return to my weekday routine. I'm sure there will be a trip to the gym and maybe a nap with Dawn. I've got a few bills to pay and it's time to take bulky trash out to the curb. I don't think I will mow the lawn though, even though it really needs some attention. Will I finally get details about the Artemis launch press itinerary from NASA? Somehow I doubt it. 

Elliott is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4602

We got all the dogs moved to the new kennel this morning. The move went smoothly and everyone seems happy in their new home. All of us thought that Charlie would probably be the hardest to move but he turned out to be the easiest. JoJo, who is usually laid back and calm, was the one who hated to get in the car. The new kennel runs are smaller than what the dogs were used to previously, but they are clean and I think the dogs will be OK. 

There is a nice outdoor yard at the kennel that will be even nicer when the weather cools down. The staff takes each dog out to pee every few hours so they aren't stuck in their kennel runs all day. It took four of us to move the dogs this morning and the staff at the new kennel was very helpful. I thought this move would be a huge ordeal, but it turned out to be fairly easy. I suffered the only mishap when one of the dogs scratched my arm and it started to bleed. I've got to stop taking baby asprin. My skin is thinner now and I bleed easily. I didn't even notice the cut until I looked down at some point and saw dried blood all over my arm. I still don't know which dog scratched me. I didn't feel a thing.

On the way home from the kennel I stopped at Northpark Mall to give mall walking a try. I wish I'd thought of this earlier. It's an enjoyable place to walk a few miles. The stores open at noon on Sunday, but the mall itself opens an hour earlier. If you come at 11 AM there is plenty of parking and no big crowds inside. There were plenty of mall walkers, but the place wasn't as crowded as the park on a typical Sunday. I hadn't been to Northpark in over a year and was surprised at how much the place had changed. There were a ton of new stores and many of the existing stores had moved to new locations. Somebody must still have money in Dallas. There were no low end stores left. The place seems like a climate controlled Rodeo Drive now. As it got closer to noon I began to see lines form in front of some stores. The largest line was at the Apple Store. Some if the restaurants had big crowds as well. When I returned to my car after walking several miles, the parking lots were completely full. I'd have to conclude that shopping is still much more popular than mall walking in Dallas.

Dawn still got her Sunday outing. When we stopped at the Sunday park to let Dawn smell things, she immediately peed next to the car and then wanted to hop back in. She had no interest in being out in the hot sun. She was interested in an ice cream cone though. Dawn is always calmer on the ride home after she's had her ice cream. All the rescue dogs were much better in the car than Dawn is. Dawn wins the prize for worst dog to take on a road trip. All the kennel dogs rode calmly to their new home with no issues at all this morning. Even JoJo rode well after we finally managed to get him in the back seat. He just didn't want to get in the car. This is probably where I got scratched. JoJo is a strong dog.

The rest of the day was uneventful. I thought about upgrading the star tracker, since the new firmware is available now. A nap sounded better though. I'll wait until I'm really bored to mess with the star tracker again. It's hard to believe that it's going to be August tomorrow. Where has this year gone? It looks like August is going to be a busy month for me. I have a dental appointment on Tuesday and several doctors appointments later in the month. I need to get my car safety inspected and I think it's time for an annual maintenance visit as well. The Artemis-1 launch is getting closer too. Honestly, I'd rather take a long nap and have someone wake me up in September. Our extreme weather is really getting old.

Shelby is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4588

We are well on our way towards having the worst summer of all time. There are so many triple digit days ahead of us in the weather forecast that chances are good that we will set an all time record soon. It's not a good sign when you start to sweat on a pre-dawn walk with your dog. Our sunrise walk wasn't that bad though and we got Dawn back to the house before it got too hot. My long walk after breakfast was quite a bit worse. I managed to complete my entire route and was back at the house before 10:30 AM. The walk still wore me out though. Janet says I ought to go mall walking when my gym is closed. Actually, it's a pretty good idea. Walking around Northpark Mall on a hot day would probably be more interesting than walking around the indoor track at the gym.

Dawn got her Sunday outing, but we didn't do much walking. We just let her out of the car for a few minutes at the Sunday park to smell things and then headed straight for the ice cream store. I don't know why the store picked National Ice Cream day to raise their prices, but they did. It was so hot that the ice cream was a little soft. It seemed a bit like Dairy Queen soft serve, but it was still good. 

Since I definitely didn't want to go outside again, I spent the rest of the afternoon trying to upgrade the star tracker. There always seems to be an app upgrade or new firmware available for this thing, but I'm usually very apprehensive to install it. Once burned, twice shy I guess. I should have known that this latest firmware upgrade would break my camera connection again. I've been through this before. Benro sends me a custom software patch that fixes the problem and then a few days later there is a new firmware update that breaks things all over again. It's a good thing I don't actually need this star tracker. I've spent hours and hours testing this thing, but have only used it once to photograph the night sky on my last trip out to McDonald Observatory. I guess all these problems are par for the course for being a beta tester. It's frustrating though. I don't know why the company keeps trying to upgrade this product. It seemed to work fine to me several months ago.

Dawn has finally realized that I am not a threat when I nap on the bed with her. We coexist on the bed pretty well now. When I decide to take a nap, she no longer gets up and leaves the room. She doesn't even look alarmed. You can tell Dawn is starting to worry when her ears are laid back. When they are relaxed, she is fine. It's a good thing that Dawn is finally warming up to me. I can appreciate why she likes staying on the bed. The room is cool and the bed is comfortable. It's too bad I can't hibernate like a bear. I'd like to just take a very long nap until this heat wave is over.

Janet fixed a great dinner tonight. I'm glad she likes to cook because I sure don't. I do like to eat though and it was a nice way to end a very hot day. Tomorrow we'll go visit the rescue Dalmatians again. I think we need to take Spot back to the vet although I'm not sure why. I hope he rides well in the car because it's my turn to drive this week. I don't think I'll attempt another walk in the park. I'll probably go to the gym when we get back from the kennel. I'd still rather hibernate like a bear until this horrible summer is over. Jeez. When are we going to get some rain?

Riley is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4581

This has got to be one of the hottest summers on record. I remember one summer like this, but I was a lot younger then. If this continues, I may just start saying that this summer is the worst ever and chalk the past up to memory loss. If I were smart, I would have just stayed inside today, but I'm hooked on getting my steps. Getting at least 10,000 steps every day and writing a blog post every evening are about the only goals I have left.

I got an early start on my long walk this morning, but it didn't help much. It was already too hot when we took Dawn on her sunrise walk. In this weather I soak my hat in cold water before I leave the house and it is already dry before I reach the halfway point. The wildflowers are almost all gone now and the grass in the meadows is turning yellow. I still see a few ducks, but most of the other animals are in hiding. I don't see as many joggers anymore, but there are still plenty of cyclists. Maybe it feels cooler when you are moving faster. Surprisingly, I was able to complete my entire route today. My pace was really slow, but that had more to do with foot pain than with the heat. 

Dawn did get her Sunday outing, but we were careful to make sure she didn't get overheated. We only spent a few minutes in our Sunday park and then went straight to the ice cream store. It wasn't surprising that the place was pretty busy today. Ice cream and hot weather were made for each other. Sometimes we bring home a pint of our favorite flavor. They said they were out of that today, so we picked something else. We had some of the ice cream for dessert tonight and were surprised to find the flavor that the store said they were out of. It was a small surprise, but a nice one.

I hope I can get my car worked on tomorrow. I don't drive much, but it is still a real inconvenience being without a car. I can't get to the gym for starters. If the car ends up being in the shop for a while, I'm going to have to continue these very hot walks in the park. I stay hydrated and don't think there is any danger in walking in the heat but it isn't very pleasant. It definitely helps to get an early start. I don't think it would be wise to walk in the afternoon. I'm still hoping that the problem with my car is minor. The check engine light came on in my old Defender whenever the gas cap went bad. The same thing happened back when Janet had a LR-2. There is even a sign inside of my gas filler door that says to turn gas cap until you hear a clicking sound or the engine light will come on. Replacing the gas cap is easy. Replacing a major engine component is something else entirely.

Janet tells me that there is a new Dalmatian up at the kennel now. We'll get to meet this new boy tomorrow. I think we are supposed to take him to the vet as well. I need to remember to take my camera. The new guy will need to go on the website soon. It been a while since we've visited the rescue Dalmatians. Last week was the July 4th holiday and the week before that Janet was on vacation. I always enjoy visiting the dogs. Playing with a dog is so much more enjoyable than dealing with people.

The in-door water supply in our refrigerator doesn't work anymore. When did that happen? It might have happened months ago, since I usually just drink bottled water. You can still get ice through the door, but no water. Oh, well. One more thing to fix. So many problems around our house involve water. The washing machine has been repaired several times. We just got a new dishwasher. I need to get a new toilet as well. These are all basically water problems. Our worst water problem was having a water line break under the concrete slab of our house. What a mess. Hopefully that will never happen again. 

Keller is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4580

Not a great day. The app that lets me bypass the checkout line at the grocery store didn't work this morning and there were no berries. All they had were grapes. These were minor annoyances though. When I got back in the car, the check engine light came on. This is not a light you want to see, so I curtailed the rest of my shopping and went back home. The last thing I wanted today was for my car to die in a grocery store parking lot when I knew the dealership closed at noon. 

When I called to make a service appointment, they said that the earliest they could get me a loaner car was the middle of August. What? I tried calling the other place that services Land Rover, but they weren't open on the weekend. I don't drive much so this isn't a serious inconvenience. I'm more worried about the cost. Engine problems can be expensive. Hopefully this is something minor. The car didn't overheat on the way home and the engine sounds normal. I will need to take the car in for service though. It's not a good idea to ignore the check engine light.

Since I couldn't make it to the gym today, I took my walk in the park on what was probably the hottest day of the year so far. The temperature got up to 109 degrees today. Not surprisingly, I wasn't able to complete my full route because it was so hot, but I was able to get at least 10,000 steps. It probably wasn't a good idea to walk outdoors on such a hot day, but I hated the idea of starting over on steps. The bad news is that I'll have to do the same thing again tomorrow. I'll try to get an earlier start though.

Our air conditioner is having a hard time keeping up with this heat. I set the thermostat at 76 degrees and then watched the temperature slowly climb to 80. We just have too much single pane glass in the house. These large windows aren't insulated like double pane glass and on a hot day you can feel the heat just standing next to them. After the sun set, the inside temperature started falling again, but the air conditioner has been running all day. I don't even want to think about what our electric bill is going to be next month.

I certainly didn't accomplish much this afternoon. I did a load of laundry and watered a few plants. This heat takes away my desire to do anything. I wanted to check the oil level in my car to make sure it wasn't low and discovered that there wasn't a traditional dipstick in the engine compartment. There's a setting on the dash where you can check the oil level there. Why am I just now discovering this? Probably because this car has never leaked oil and I get it changed routinely at service checks. I was always checking the oil on my Defender. It did leak.

I don't think we will be walking on Dawn's Sunday outing tomorrow. Dawn will get her sunrise walk, but it's just too hot during the middle of the day. We will get ice cream though. Dawn doesn't like the heat but she does love her trips to the ice cream store.

Greta is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4434 - Superbowl Sunday

Not a lot to complain about today. My team didn't win the Superbowl, but other than that it was a great day. Something in the air has changed and my allergies are gone. At least they're gone temporarily. The weather was nice today. By early afternoon the temperature was 65 degrees. My feet didn't bother me a lot either. I took three walks and managed to get 22,000 steps.

Before our Sunday outing with Dawn, Janet wanted to try giving Dawn gabapentin to see if it would help with her anxiety in the car. Our vet told us to give her the pills two hours before any anxiety provoking event and that they would wear off about four hours later. We can use the gabapentin as needed without having her take it all the time. 

I've always been a sceptic about any type of mood altering drug, but I'll have to admit that the pills did seem to work. The gabapentin took the edge off of Dawn's anxiety without doing anything dramatic. Dawn was still alert, had fun smelling things, and enjoyed her walk. There was still a little anxiety in the car, but the difference was dramatic. She seemed more relaxed about her walk as well. The one segment of the walk that made her nervous previously seemed normal now. All in all, this seems to be a safe and practical way to reduce stress in the car. 

The lady at the drive thru window finally noticed Dawn in the back seat and gave her a free pup cone this morning. Dawn thought this was a great idea. Usually we order two cones, eat some ourselves, and then give Dawn the rest. Today Dawn still got to share our cones and then had another cone all for herself. The gabapentin certainly didn't affect her taste for ice cream. I don't think she had much to complain about today either.

After I finished my long walk, I attempted to bleach away the brown stains in the living room ceiling. I must have learned something from my past attempts because I didn't make a mess this time. The ceiling looks much better now, but unfortunately the source of the leak is still up there somewhere. If we have another hard rain, I'm sure the stains will reappear. If I were younger I might make a further effort to find this leak. I've tried though and it seems hopeless. I really need to just give up this fight and have a new roof installed. I'm sure there would still be standing water on any new roof, but with a good enough warranty it probably wouldn't even matter. My goal now is just to avoid going up there and risk breaking my neck.

I was disappointed that Cincinnati didn't win today's game. I never followed either team very closely, but Cincinnati seems like a better city than Los Angeles. I can't find much to like about LA anymore. I can't find much to like about the current crop of Superbowl television commercials either. Most of them didn't even make sense. Today's advertising creatives don't seem to have a sense of humor. Their attitude appears to be lets spend a lot of money, create a lot of action, and make a lot of noise. The halftime show certainly made a lot of noice.  Call me old fashioned but I would have preferred hearing the Eagles sing Hotel California to this. The soundtrack to today's chaotic life has no melody.

I imagine that the power company crew will be back to trim our trees tomorrow. We still don't know whether they will cut the trees down or just make a mangled mess of things again. I suppose we will go visit the kennel dogs, but it depends on what's going on in the yard. I don't really feel comfortable leaving Dawn alone if the yard is filled with the sounds of trucks and chain saws.

Tessa is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4420

We tried to enjoy the nice weather today, because it looks like we've got snow and ice to look forward to later in the week. The forecast looks dismal and I'm dreading the thought of freezing rain. Freezing rain means icy roads and power outages. Winter can't be over soon enough for me.

It's hard to believe that things will change this quickly when the temperature is over 70 degrees. I didn't even need a jacket on my walks today. Actually, I did wear a jacket on our sunrise walk with Dawn, but even then you could tell the day was going to be a good one. We changed our schedule a bit because Janet had plans this morning. I took my long walk after a hearty breakfast of bacon and eggs and ended up seeing both eagles again. I should have brought a camera since one of the eagles was fairly close. It was still a nice walk though. Foot pain wasn't too bad today and the weather was perfect.

Dawn got a rare afternoon Sunday outing and she had a good time. She still isn't comfortable riding in the car though. That's probably not going to change. We usually walk around the perimeter of the Sunday park and one leg of the journey always makes Dawn a little nervous. She does fine until we turn the first corner and then she balks and has to make sure that I am walking nearby. None of this makes any sense. As soon as we make the second turn she is fine again and Dawn and Janet begin pulling ahead of me. It's OK. I just can't keep up with the way my feet are acting. I usually see them making the final turn off in the distance and start heading back to the car as I slowly trudge along. I keep walking though and completed 20,000 steps again today.

We've never been to the ice cream place in the afternoon before. What a difference. Ice cream must be a lot more popular in the afternoon. The nice weather probably helped business as well. At any rate, this was the first time we had to wait in a long line to get to the drive through window. The line moved quickly though. An employee with a laptop walked down the line of cars and took people's orders so that when you arrived at the window, your order was ready. Dawn loves ice cream. I think we do these Sunday outings just to see how happy she gets.

When we got home I upgraded the firmware on the star tracker and gave it a try again. The tracker would still connect to the camera and take pictures, but the calibration was way off. The tracker couldn't even find the sun today. Maybe I'm doing something wrong. Other Kickstarter backers seem to be having success with their trackers, but most of them are using Canon cameras. I don't think the calibration problems I was having today have anything to do with the camera though. When I use the compass on my phone, it finds North pretty accurately. When I use the calibration function on the Polaris app, I get a completely different compass reading. This is still a frustrating work in progress.

The house smelled great today. Janet fixed a pot roast for dinner in the slow cooker and the smell permeated the house for hours. Crock pot meals are easy and almost always delicious. Dawn enjoyed dinner almost as much as we did, because she loves carrots. The pot roast contained lots of carrots and we made sure that Dawn got some. 

We plan to visit Charlie and Oliver at the kennel tomorrow and then pick up a new cold weather sweater we ordered for Dawn on the way home. I hope the bad weather doesn't materialize. Ice storms are the worst. We'll see what happens. When storms approach I always wish we had a whole house generator. We do have a small generator, but it definitely won't heat the house. I guess it makes no sense to worry. I can't change the weather.

Malcolm is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4406

It was still really cold this morning, but there was no wind. It made a world of difference. We still had to dress warmly for our sunrise walk with Dawn but as the sun got higher in the sky it gradually turned into a very nice day. It was a good day for walking. Dawn got her Sunday outing and I had enough energy left to take my long walk later in the day.

When we went to the ice cream store today we thought the place was closed. We were about to drive away when one employee finally came to the window. It turned out she was the only employee in the building and had to do double duty as cashier and ice cream maker. I don't know if there was a staff shortage or if the management just thought that no one would want ice cream on such a cold morning. Usually there's a line at this place, but we were the only customers today. The ice cream was good though. It made Dawn very happy.

I saw the eagle again today on my long walk. People have told me that you are more likely to see the eagle in the afternoon. Maybe that's true. I've almost always seen the bird when I end up walking later for some reason. I was really glad that it wasn't windy today. Yesterday was miserable. I had a moderate amount of foot pain, but I still managed to get over 20,000 steps. 10,000 steps used to be my goal. Now I try for 20,000. I don't think I'll ever walk 30,000 steps in a day. My body just isn't up to the challenge. For now, I'm lucky to be able to keep walking at all. One step at a time.

I was finally ready to order the Hoka boots today. I didn't expect to find the boots locally, but I never dreamed that every single web site I visited would be out of stock. These shoes must be made in China or Vietnam. Most places indicated that they didn't expect a new shipment until March. This is bad news for me. My current shoes are wearing out and I wanted to replace them with the boots. I may have to buy another pair of regular Hoka running shoes instead. My feet depend on these things now.

I don't know if I'll ever be able to depend on the Polaris star tracker. The last time I tried it, the thing worked pretty well. Today was a disaster. I can't tell whether the problem is caused by bugs in the software, bad connecting cables, or a fundamental flaw in the tracker itself. Inconsistency is a common theme among members of the Kickstarter user group. The unit will work one day and then go haywire the next. Today when I tried to track something it pointed straight down toward the ground when I told it to go find the sun. If this thing can't even find the sun, it's worthless. I don't think I have the patience to be a Beta tester. Maybe I'll just leave the unit in the box for a while until Benro completes a few more software updates. Another firmware update for the hardware itself might be a good idea as well.

I'm pretty sure now that the new Fitbit wasn't draining my phone's battery. I just have a bad battery on my phone. I guess it's time for a new one. I still am using the original battery that came with my iPhone SE. I don't want to deal with the Apple Store again, but I found a little fix-it shop in the neighborhood that can replace iPhone batteries. I'll try to get a new battery installed tomorrow.

I think it's supposed to be a little warmer tomorrow. A nice day would be welcome. I'm already tired of Winter and we've got several more months to go. At least we aren't getting snow like a lot of the Eastern states. Tomorrow it's time to visit the rescue Dalmatians again. I think we'll go, but I'm never sure anymore. Charlie would certainly be glad to see us. He doesn't get as much attention during the holidays.

Shelby is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4399

Another cold Winter day. If I could have slept all day, I would have. No rest for the weary though. We got up early, took Dawn on a sunrise walk and were relieved to see that her poop has almost returned to normal. The pills the vet gave her definitely helped. It was very foggy this morning and there was a light mist in the air. Dawn always enjoys smelling things, but I think she was glad to return to a warm house.

On weekends we have a real breakfast. Today we had bacon and eggs with toast. It's a nice change from the shredded wheat I've been eating the rest of the week. After breakfast, I checked my e-mail and read all the new entries on the Polaris forum. I'm glad the other Kickstarter backers seem willing to share what they've learned. I don't think I'd have a clue about how to operate the star tracker if I were on my own. 

Since the weather was dismal and we knew the ground would be wet, we decided to take Dawn to a different park today where we wouldn't get muddy. We walked on paved sidewalks today. Dawn was initially excited at all the new things to smell, but she quickly became worried when she realized that she didn't know where she was. It doesn't take much to get Dawn in a panic. Being lost isn't one of her favorite things. She started to freeze in place like she used to do months ago. The only way we could get her back to the car was for Janet to walk out ahead of Dawn and me. Dawn didn't want to let Janet out of her sight, so she followed her back to the car. Everything ended well though. We still went to Andy's for ice cream and by the time we returned to the house, Dawn was a happy camper again.

I still took my long walk today, but this was not an easy one. The temperature was actually colder than when we walked Dawn at sunrise and the wind had picked up a lot. My feet hurt more today as well. Not surprisingly, there weren't a lot of people out on the trails. Even the ducks looked cold today. I've noticed something new in the park recently. The city has installed placards with a QR code on a lot of the park signage. If you scan this code with your phone it will bring up a map that shows you exactly where you are. I have so many questions. Who gets lost in a city park anyway? I can't imagine anyone really getting lost in this park. Even the wooded areas are fairly close to major roads. Even if you did manage to get lost, why would you need a QR code on a stop sign to give you directions? All you have to do is open Google Maps on your phone and it will tell you exactly where you are anyway. There are a ton of these new QR code signs scattered all over the park. Another example of our tax dollars at work, I guess.

Since I didn't really have any plans for today, I watched the latest episode of The Expanse this afternoon. This series certainly doesn't appear to be coming to any conclusion. Maybe they want to keep their options open in case someone wants to continue the series with a Season 7. Everyone says this will be the last season though. We'll see.

I wonder if I'll be able to put the star tracker to good use after I figure it out? There are so many streetlights in our neighborhood that the sky never gets very dark. Our yard has a bright security light as well that is very difficult to shut off since there is no light switch. A sensor on the light automatically turns it on at sunset and off again the next morning. There are a few darker places down in the park, but crime has gotten so bad in the city that I'm definitely not venturing out to a dark and lonely place after sunset with a lot of expensive equipment. I hate reading the local news because it seems like someone gets shot every single day. It almost always happens at night and often involves an unlucky random stranger. No wonder I miss the solitude of the Davis Mountains so much.

Depending on the weather, we'll probably visit the rescue Dalmatians tomorrow. I hear there's a new dog in the program now, so I'd better take my camera. I wish astrophotography was as easy as taking pictures of dogs. I've gotten pretty good at taking pictures of dogs.

Mack is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4287

I finally mowed the grass today. It was kind of nice having a doctor forbid you from doing something you hated to do anyway. Time to move on though. I'm better now and the yard looked terrible. It was time to mow. I didn't take my normal long walk today, but according to my Fitbit, mowing the grass is better exercise anyway. Fitbit doesn't seem to understand lawnmowers. My tracker always records this activity as riding a bicycle.

Although it got hot later in the day, it was reasonably cool when all our activity took place. We had a nice sunrise walk with Dawn, even though the sun was already up. We get started later on Sunday. After I mowed the grass, we took Dawn on her Sunday outing. For the first time in weeks I was able to keep up with Dawn and Janet. As usual, we all enjoyed an ice cream cone on the way home. I'm really going to have to work on getting back in shape during the weeks and months ahead. I have a feeling that a lot of the weight I lost during my hospital stay was muscle mass.

I received a press proof of my SpaceFlight Magazine article this morning. Wow. That was fast. It finally occurred to me that the November issue was probably almost ready to go to press and they just squeezed my article in at the last minute. The editor did tell me what pages the article would appear on before I even wrote it. I was pleased that they used three of the pictures I sent. One of the pictures was a full page spread and looked pretty dramatic. They changed a few things in the text that I thought were confusing, but British grammar rules are different. At least I've got another article about rockets under my belt. I was afraid that having a new editor might mean that I was done at the magazine. It appears they still like me though, so all is good.

Janet made a pot roast in the slow cooker today and the house smelled good all day. Pot roast is almost a perfect meal to me. The meat is as tender as a good brisket and it's packed full of healthy vegetables. As an added bonus, pot roast doesn't seem to give me heartburn. We ate well tonight and I'll have tasty leftovers for the rest of the week.

I thought that I'd used plenty of bug spray when I watched the launch last week, but it's obvious now that some mosquitos made it through the barrier. Florida mosquitos are much worse than Texas mosquitos. The bites itch more and leave bigger welts. I still cover the bites with clear nail polish, although I think this method only works with chigger bites. Actually Florida mosquitos feel a lot like Texas chiggers.

It's been a busy weekend, but I'm ready for another week to start. We'll probably visit Charlie and Cooper at the Dalmatian kennel tomorrow. A young female Dalmatian came and went while I was in Florida and I never got to see her. The females always seem to get adopted quicker. I don't really have any plans for next week, but that shouldn't be surprising. They say the weather will be dramatically cooler starting Tuesday. Hey, that's something to look forward to.

Rhett is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4140

Taking Dawn on a car ride to a new park has become a Sunday ritual. Dawn always appears excited and apprehensive at the same time. It kind of reminds me of how I feel when I take car trips. By all rights Dawn and I should be best buddies. We both spend way too much time waiting for the other shoe to drop. Today was certainly a good day for a little excursion. It was beautiful outside. We saw horses today. Dawn wasn't scared of them, but I don't think she realized that Dalmatians are supposed to have a natural affinity for horses. What Dawn was really interested in was the ice cream. We always end our Sunday outings with an ice cream cone.

I stayed busy today. It was an increasingly rare 20,000 step day. I must have looked pitiful when I was mowing the grass this morning because a homeless man wandering down the street stopped and asked if I needed help with the mower. I assured him that I was fine and always mowed this slow, but he persisted for a while before he continued wandering down the street. I think he just wanted money. The good news is that the yard looks a lot better now. The bad news is that I'm probably going to have to start mowing every week again. Most people on the street use a yard service now, but I continue to mow myself. Why not. We have a small yard and it's good exercise. I don't really like yard work, but I don't like going to the gym either. I wish the human body just stayed in shape automatically.

Now that my missing package has resurfaced, I'm getting frequent notices from the post office about its whereabouts. Oddly, the package is still in Indiana. I think it is making a grand tour of Indiana postal facilities. The post office needs to talk to Amazon. Janet has Amazon Prime and they seem to be able to deliver virtually anything the next day.

There were even more people in the park today than there were yesterday. It's not surprising. You've really got to take advantage of nice weather here in Dallas. It doesn't last long. I don't mind all the joggers and dog walkers on the trails, but there are way too many skateboarders and guys barreling along at thirty miles an hour on those electric Onewheel boards. You can buy a used car for the price of a Onewheel, but  these things are surprisingly popular. A brand new way to kill yourself I guess.

I'm continuing to watch YouTube tutorials about astrophotography. I'm amazed at how many people make these things. Some of them are very good. If you want to do anything, there's a YouTube video to tell you how. Before I attempt any major computer repairs, I'll look for a YouTube video to explain the process. Why do people make these videos? You might make a little money from the ads that Google inserts at the beginning, but I suspect that most of these tutorials are a labor of love. I could never do this myself but I'm glad these tutorials are out there. You can learn a lot on a lazy Sunday afternoon.

Dawn has decided to join us for dinner again now that Janet and I have switched chairs and she can't see me. It's weird to have a dog that doesn't like you. Dawn isn't scared of me at all and is perfectly comfortable with me feeding her and walking her on a leash. She just doesn't want to be friends. It's OK. Actually I understand completely. I don't want to be friends with everyone either. 

Pogo is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4126

We took Dawn in the car to another park today. She seems to like these outings. Dawn is still nervous about riding in the car, but now that she knows where we are going, there is visible excitement as well. It was a perfect day for a walk. The temperature was in the low 70's with a clear blue sky and little to no allergies. For some reason Dawn walks faster and eats less grass when we walk her at the alternate park. At any rate, everyone had a good time and we celebrated by having an ice cream cone on the way home. We're not expert dog trainers, but this is our way of introducing Dawn to new experiences. It seems to be working.

I should have mowed the grass today, but maybe it can wait one more week. I still feel compelled to take my daily long walk and this typically doesn't leave me with enough energy to do yard work as well. I'm probably just making excuses. I'll do almost anything to avoid yard work. Usually in the Spring I'm up on the roof every other day, but this year it's been over a month since I've climbed up to inspect things. At some point I'll need to remove the remaining leaves and make sure there will be no leaks over the Summer, but I'm basically done with the roof for a while. My knees are bad, my shoulder is unstable, and I'm getting too old for this kind of foolishness.

The irises in the park are finally blooming. Most of the flowers are late this year, but the big freeze didn't seem to hurt anything. Actually it seems like it is going to be a very good year for wildflowers. The only things the big freeze decimated appear to be Azaleas, Rhododendrons and our Asian Jasmine ground cover. I'm still hoping that the ground cover returns to life, but things don't look good at the moment.

I had a good long walk this afternoon. Counting our earlier short walk with Dawn, I managed to complete over six miles today. I didn't set any records, but my feet didn't give me a lot of problems either. I've found that the best way to alleviate foot pain is to avoid uneven surfaces and never walk on my toes or the balls of my feet. This slow, flat footed walking style probably makes me appear even older than I am, but on a good day it appears to work.

After my walk I resumed my quest to transform my laptop into an astrophotography processing machine. Every time I come up with a plan, there is a snag that renders the plan worthless. Hardware limitations on the 2011 machine make it impossible to run the latest operating systems. I am currently running a 32 bit operating system and almost all modern software is 64 bit. I may be able to run some 64 bit software by installing the last operating system supported by my laptop. Unfortunately, if I attempt the upgrade I may lose all my currently installed software. It's a problem. My latest plan is to add a new partition on my hard drive and create a dual boot system. On one partition I'll keep all my faithful old software and on the new partition I'll install a newer operating system that hopefully will run some of the astrophotography software I need. My laptop doesn't have enough memory to run the newer operating system, but that can be fixed. I really should have replaced the memory when I upgraded the hard drive and installed a new battery several months ago. Oh, well. I probably thought that attempting to upgrade too many things at once was pushing my luck.

Have I turned into a hopeless geek who has lost all contact with thee rest of the world? Maybe. These things need to be done however and I don't think anyone else is going to help me. Eventually I'll get my computer problems solved and move on to other things like fixing the sliding glass door.

Tyson is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4112

Today was busy. I helped Janet clear away more of the dead Asian Jasmine in the back yard. It's becoming more and more apparant that this stuff is not going to turn green again. My only hope is that the roots are still alive and that we might get some new growth next season. I ran the vacuum cleaner because I promised Janet I would start doing this every week again. I've always thought of dust as a protective coating, but apparently most people don't think this way. The hardest task today was giving the atrium a spring cleaning. It's is almost impossible to pry the broken sliding glass door open wide enough to get inside the atrium these days. If I'm lucky, I can just manage to squeeze through the narrow opening. I'm always afraid that I won't be able to get the door closed again, but with enough pushing and shoving, I"ve been successful so far. I've tried for several years to get the door fixed but parts are no longer available. Nobody makes a replacement for this oversize door either. I never realized how much trouble I was in when the last guy in town who worked on these things died.

The saga of old impossible to replace things continued when I discovered that the video component that I accidentally threw away is no longer manufactured. It's not available anywhere. I even looked on the eBay used market and couldn't find it. Come on guys! It hasn't been that long. It really is frustrating that everything becomes obsolete so quickly now. I've stopped upgrading the system on my computers so I can still run the last stand alone versions of Microsoft Office and Adobe Creative Suite. I'm old school and don't want to pay for subscription software or save my files in the cloud. As a result, I can't use a lot of new software. The industry standard for processing astrophotography files won't run on any of my computers. 

We thought we'd do something different with Dawn today, so we drove her to a different park for her daily walk. This actually worked out pretty well. Dawn is a strange traveler. She is terrified of riding in the car, but is always excited when she arrives at her destination. We had a nice walk. Dawn had lots of energy and wasn't interested in eating grass at all. Janet walked Dawn, because I can never keep up with her when she is excited. I walked along behind and Dawn and Janet were kind enough to wait in the car for me when they were finished. To make the ride home less traumatic, we stopped for an ice cream cone along the way. Dawn loves ice cream.

I didn't take my own longer walk until later in the afternoon. The park was even more crowded today than it was yesterday. On a nice Spring day, it feels like I'm the only one who doesn't believe that Covid is over yet. Luckily, the park is huge and it is quite easy for me to keep to myself. I just don't understand why people like to gather in large groups. I can see getting together with a friend for coffee, but the whole concept of parties has always seemed strange to me. I never had to give up parties for Covid. I never liked them in the first place.

I keep getting messages that time is running out for me to use my 20% off coupon at REI. Today I got an e-mail saying that my discount expires tomorrow. In the past, messages like this would send me directly to the store. Not anymore. I don't need anything from REI. I think it is an encouraging sign that I'm slowly learning to resist the urge to buy. I did get a camera earlier this year and I got that start tracker recently, but I know I'll use these things. The star tracker is practically a requirement for attending the advanced astrophotography workshop later this Spring.

It's going to be a busy week. We'll go visit the rescue Dalmatians tomorrow and then go to the arboretum later in the week. One of these days I'm going to have to go up on the roof. The catkins have started falling from the Oak trees and they can make a huge mess on the roof when it rains if I don't remove them. The catkins are also responsible for the thin layer of sticky yellow dust that covers everyone's cars at this time of year. I like watching all the wildflowers bloom, but a lot of other things associated with Spring are a nuisance. What's the biggest nuisance of all? It's time to mow the grass again.

Doc is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3863

Dawn is getting better at riding in the car, but she definitely doesn't like going to the vet. She was shivering and shaking during our entire visit this morning. There was certainly nothing to be afraid of. She just got a Bordetella shot and we took in a urine sample for analysis. We were in and out in fifteen minutes. Dawn certainly has some bad memories about going to the vet. We'll never know what they are unfortunately. Some things about a rescue dog's past are never known.

Since Dawn had a traumatic morning, we stopped and got ice cream cones on the way home. That seemed to do the trick. Like most dogs, she loves ice cream. By the time we returned home, our little prima donna was completely back to normal.

There was rain in the forecast again today, but for the second day in a row it never appeared. There was a lot of cloud cover, which helped keep things bearable on our walk this morning. It also helped that we got an early start. We were able to complete our full five miles and even finish breakfast before our vet appointment.

For a while this afternoon I thought the skies might clear. I began making plans to search for the comet again tonight, but before I could even decide on what gear to take, the clouds returned. Time is running out to photograph this comet. It's getting a little dimmer every day. If I was braver, I would have planned a camping trip to an area with dark skies. Unfortunately, I don't like to camp and I'm wary about spending the night alone in the middle of nowhere. I have a real fear of snakes. Under normal circumstances a lot of local astronomy groups would have planned star parties to view the comet under favorable dark sky conditions. Star parties appear to be out for the rest of the year however. They are being canceled left and right.

I just applied for press credentials to attend the second crewed mission to the International Space Station in September. I don't think my chances are good however. The application form stated that Covid-19 rules were still in effect at Kennedy Space Center and that press participation would be extremely limited. I don't think the little British magazine I write for is even on NASA's radar these days. You've got to keep trying though. I keep applying for every launch opportunity. Who knows. Maybe the virus will have started to die out by September.

I'm trying to think of something interesting to do tomorrow. My options appear to be limited. I don't feel like cleaning and straightening things around the house. It's too hot for yard work. There seems to be little point in making travel plans. I don't even feel like buying new gear. Maybe I'm just making excuses, but I think the pandemic is wearing me down. If an antisocial person like me is starting to feel hemmed in, I can only imagine what social people are feeling. This is not the way the world is supposed to work.

Maybe if I go to bed early, it will be easier to get up at the crack of dawn tomorrow. Got to keep walking. I think I'll go outside one last time tonight and see if the clouds have cleared. Oddly, I still believe that things can change.

Pongo is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3835

Dawn got a bath today. Yes, that was the big event of the day. We took her to a neighborhood dog-wash place and probably erased weeks of car conditioning efforts. As far as Dawn is concerned, a bath is even a worse destination than the vet. None of our dogs have liked getting baths, but it was time. The dog-wash place was busier than we expected, but everybody was wearing masks. I thought the restaurant we went to on my birthday felt safer. I'm sure Dawn would have agreed. She would have loved to accompany us to the steak house.

Since Dawn was good about getting bathed, we took her to get an ice cream cone on the way home. All is well now. We have a clean dog and Dawn is starting to think that all car rides end with ice cream.

I forgot what day it was again. For a while this morning I thought it was Tuesday. I guess it's understandable that the days would blend together. The pandemic has made them virtually indistinguishable. It's a shame that infection rates are going up in Texas. I was hoping that things were returning to normal. I'm hearing now that some stores and restaurants are thinking of closing again. I might have missed my chance to get a haircut. We'll see what happens in the next week or so, but things aren't looking good.

Things aren't looking good in Florida either. I really doubt that I'm going to get media accreditation to attend the Mars 2020 launch now. Especially since states are starting to impose travel bans on other hot-spot states. Even if I did get approved, I'm not sure if it would be wise to go. Air travel still seems questionable. Now that we are all getting used to the idea of distancing, I wonder if people will ever feel safe on a plane again. Do you remember how crowded a full plane actually is? Yikes. I haven't been that close to other people since this whole mess started.

Our early morning walks are still enjoyable, but it is definitely getting warmer. At least the rain is gone for a while. I don't know if we could get started any earlier. I'm half asleep when we leave the house as it is. The only way to get more sleep would be to get to bed earlier. I've tried, but it seems to take longer and longer to finish the blog every evening. It's hard to write when you've got nothing to say.

I got a call from the dermatologist's office today saying that my biopsy results were negative. What biopsy? I didn't even know they did one when they removed the keratosis from my face. I guess this is good news. The blemishes were not melanoma or even a pre-cancerous lesion. It's a little late now, but I didn't need to have these things removed in the first place. Better safe than sorry though. You don't want to mess around with anything that might turn into cancer.

It looks like I'm going to have to go up on the roof tomorrow. There's still water up there from our recent rain. The hotter is gets, the worse it is up on the roof. Being a roofer has got to be one of the worst jobs in the world. Oh, well. I've got to keep the roof free of water. It's the only way I'm going to keep the leak from returning.

Hopefully, I'll remember that tomorrow is Thursday. I can't forget trash day since we seem to generate a lot of trash. I hope nothing terrible happened today. I didn't even turn on the TV.

Rio is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day