Day 4601

There have been rain clouds around us all day. I even heard thunder at one point. We didn't get a single drop of rain. This was the one day where we might have had a chance. It didn't even get up to a hundred degrees today. Now we return to another never ending string of triple digit days in the weeks ahead.

I got the electric bill today. It was literally double what it was this time last year. Last month was high. This month was a lot higher. This is not good. The cost of everything has gone through the roof. Grocery bills are ridiculous now. So are utility bills, insurance bills, gasoline, and just about everything else. It makes you wonder where all this is going to end. It doesn't help that we are in the middle of an almost unprecedented heat wave. I'm just waiting for water shortages.

Our sunrise walks with Dawn are getting uncomfortably warm. The temperature was in the high eighties this morning and the sun wasn't even up yet. Dawn was panting when we returned home and I was starting to sweat. You really don't expect this before breakfast. I keep hoping that nothing goes wrong with the air conditioner. It could get dangerously hot very quickly.

We had a nice weekend breakfast and then I went to the gym again. More people are wearing masks on the gym floor now. Sign of the times I suspect. I'm getting a lot better on the basketball court. I'd probably get some real exercise if I'd start dribbling and shooting from other points on the court. So far, all I'm doing is shooting free throws from the free throw line. I've got really bad knees though. The last thing I want to do is screw up my knees running around on the basketball court.

I'm walking at a faster pace on the indoor track as well. Practice makes perfect I guess. This is a lot better than walking in the park. They keep my gym really cold. Sometimes I feel like I need a jacket. I won't be able to go to the gym tomorrow since it is closed on Sunday, but I will be busy anyway. Tomorrow is the day we move the rescue Dalmatians to the new kennel. Hopefully the dogs will like their new home. I haven't seen the place yet, but I hear it is a little smaller than the current kennel.

I'm beginning to get apprehensive about my trip to Florida. I'm hearing that up to a million people might converge on Titusville for the Artemis launch. This can't possibly be true, but locals say that this many people used to come to watch the Apollo launches. I am told to expect huge traffic jams on the roads leading to the space center on launch day. Yikes. Maybe I should have gone out to the observatory instead. There certainly aren't many people out there.

I did my grocery shopping earlier today. I should do this more often. There really aren't a lot of people in the stores before 10 AM. There seemed to be a better selection of fruit as well. I don't know how I got such an early start today since I think we actually got up later. Gasoline was the only thing that was less expensive this week. The price drop was probably temporary, but I'll take what I can get. 

I don't know how long it will take us to move the dogs tomorrow, but hopefully Dawn will still get her Sunday outing. There won't be a walk, but there will be ice cream. I'm not sure how I will get my steps tomorrow. I definitely don't want to walk in the park, so I'll probably try mall walking. I always thought that this was something only old people did, but I guess I'm an old person now.

I wish life didn't feel so apocalyptic. I'd like things to return to normal before I completely forget what normal looks like. Tomorrow will be normal though. Dalmatians and ice cream are always good.

Penny is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4549

I don't know what it is about beeping noises. When I removed the old battery fron the uninterrupted power supply in the bedroom this morning so I could take it to the battery store, the unit made a single high pitched beep. That was enough to freak Dawn out and she left the room for her dog bed in the kitchen. It was at least two hours before she would come back to the bedroom again. Dawn doesn't like anything out of the ordinary. Hey, I don't either, but this is ridiculous.

The battery store is located in an industrial area and the roads are filled with large trucks. It was a traffic jam of eighteen wheelers and it was only 10AM. This explains your inflation problem right here. Everything moves by truck these days and diesel fuel is insanely expensive. I'm old enough to remember when areas like this were all served by trains. Just about every warehouse had it's own rail spur where boxcars could unload. This system worked well for many, many years. We took long road trip summer vacations when I was a kid and I never remember seeing large trucks on the highways. There weren't as many cars either. Sometimes we traveled by train. Even our small town was served by a daily passenger train. I miss train travel and empty roads. At least I got to experience these things. Younger people probably don't have a clue what I'm talking about.

I'm glad the new battery I bought worked. Hopefully, there won't be any more annoying beeping noises for quite a while. There is no need for Dawn to be on high alert all the time. Last night a small stick landed on the roof and woke Dawn up. It seemed like hours before she would go back to sleep again. I probably wouldn't have noticed except that I was having trouble sleeping as well. I fell asleep watching television after I finished my blog post last night and when I woke up again it was almost 2 AM. When I got up to brush my teeth and take my evening meds, I had trouble getting back to sleep again. 

I got gas on the way home from the battery store. I was only down a quarter of a tank, but I wanted to see how much I'd save by buying gas at Sam's Club. I saved five dollars, but the gas was still pretty expensive. Since my car gets terrible gas mileage in the city, gas is actually ridiculously expensive. I calculated that two trips to the gym, a short trip to pick up Chinese take out, and our visit to the Dalmatian kennel yesterday cost me $35 in gas. My conclusion: $5 gas when you are getting 14.5 miles per gallon isn't good.

Since there was a nice breeze when we took Dawn on her sunrise walk, I decided to walk in the park today instead of going to the gym. I probably didn't want to spend $6 on gas just to go to the gym either. It wasn't hot on my walk, but it was extremely humid. I didn't feel like walking my full six mile route, but I did get enough steps to satisfy my need for consistency. I've met my fitness goals for over 200 days now. I wonder how long I can go? Usually the only things that force me to start over are an extremely long road trip that leaves little time to walk or an illness. It doesn't really seem like it's been 200 days since I was hospitalized for gallbladder surgery, but I think that was the last time I was unable to get at least 10,000 steps in a day.

I'm glad the new dishwasher is coming soon. I think the water leak is getting worse. Still haven't caught the rat either. Janet said that Dawn did really well at training class tonight though. I'm glad Dawn enjoys her training class. Maybe it makes up for the annoying beeps she heard this morning.

Lacey is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4521

Good grief. It's the hottest day of the year so far and our air conditioner broke. It got uncomfortably hot inside very quickly. Hopefully things will cool off tonight. I called our HVAC guy, but the soonest they can get over here is tomorow afternoon. It's easy to forget how much we depend on air conditioning in the South. A day without a working AC serves as a pretty good reminder. I'm not sure what is wrong, but I hope it's an easy fix. An entirely new system could be pretty expensive.

At least the day started out nice. We didn't notice that the air conditioner wasn't working until around noon. It was still nice outside when we took our sunrise walk with Dawn. I should have just kept walking after Dawn finished her one mile loop. As soon as the sun got higher in the sky, the temperature warmed up quickly. Instead of walking when it was cooler, I started monkeying around with the star tracker again right after I finished breakfast. I think I'm obsessed with getting this thing to work. I installed the custom firmware the company provided a second time in hopes that it would work properly this time. Nope. I got exactly the same results as I did yesterday. I realize that the star tracker is still under development, but it's frustrating to go backwards. This thing was working fine when I was out at the observatory and now it isn't. The only thing that has changed is an app and firmware upgrade.

By the time I was ready to take my long walk, it was already too hot. I didn't do well at all and was only able to complete half my normal distance. This isn't good. We've got a long summer ahead of us. It's always hot in the summer, but I don't think I can handle the heat as well as I used to. I know we're having record temperatures for early May, but this is nothing compared to what it's going to be like in July and August. I need to get used to this.

I wonder what is going to break next? Broken toilets. Broken air conditioner. Fire ants in the back yard. I'm really tired of dealing with bugs and broken stuff. Living in a hotel room while I'm watching rocket launches seems really appealing at this point. Even the simplest task always seems to turn into something more difficult. I went into the greenhouse this afternoon to turn off a faucet that had been on drip all winter. The door to the greenhouse fell apart when I tried to open it. Now I've got to find some special fasteners to put the door back together when I go to Home Depot to get fire ant killer. Yes, I was supposed to do that today, but I got sidetracked by the star tracker again.

Growing old is weird. When I had the money to travel, I didn't have the time. Now that I have the time, I don't have the money. Rampant inflation is especially irritating when you're living on a fixed income. Everything seems so much more expensive than it did two years ago. The cost of my recent trips to Kennedy Space Center and McDonald Observatory were almost double what they were several years ago. I don't really notice the price of gas because I don't drive much, but airfares have gotten ridiculous. Hopefully the price of air conditioner repairs hasn't gone up that much. This is another expense I wasn't expecting.

Sometimes I envy Dawn. All she does is eat and sleep. I'd be OK with just eating and sleeping as long as nothing went wrong. I hate it when things go wrong. That's life, I guess. Things always go wrong.

Dodger is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4516

The star tracker is driving me crazy. It kind of worked out at the observatory, but there were a few serious problems. I had high hopes that the latest upgrades would resolve these issues and I would be good-to-go. I installed the new app on my phone and downloaded the latest firmware to the Polaris after breakfast this morning. Did this help? Nope. Now my camera won't connect to the tracker at all. I wasted an inordinate amount of time trying to get the camera to connect, but it was all for nothing. I'm going backwards now. The camera would never stay connected for long, but it always worked before. Now what? I sent my Chinese contact a message. Maybe they'll come up with another update that can turn this brick back into a star tracker.

The weather was great today. No threat of rain at all. Dawn seemed to approve. She was so eager to walk this morning that she added another half mile to her regular route. I never know what to expect when we leave the house in the morning. Sometimes she isn't interested in walking at all and other times she acts like a young pup. Today she really enjoyed her walk and just kept walking.

After I gave up on the star tracker this morning, I decided to defrost the little refrigerator. We got this thing years ago during a major power outage but we still use it today. It's small enough to be powered by a small generator and serves as an overflow fridge when the big one gets full. I wish I'd looked around for self-defrosting mini-fridge now. This one needs to be defrosted every few months. It's easy to forget that all refrigerators needed to be defrosted not that long ago. At any rate, I'm good-to-go for another few months and I didn't make too big of a mess.

My long walk wasn't so long today. My feet weren't the problem this time. It was the heat. It really felt like Summer today. I'm not ready for this yet. With the temperature near 90 degrees, I just didn't feel like walking my full six mile route. I'd better get used to warmer days because they're coming soon. Last Summer I used to soak my hat and shirt in water before I left the house and they would be completely dry before I returned. Maybe the heat will drive me back to the gym again. I prefer walking outside, but the gym is air conditioned.

I keep getting messages that it's time to apply for credentials for a variety of upcoming launches. Things are hopping down at Kennedy Space Center. It's a shame that I can't get down there more often, but it's just too expensive. I wonder if prices will ever go down again? I doubt it. I'll have to choose my launches wisely. I can probably afford one more trip to Florida this year and maybe one more trip out to the observatory as well. It's a shame that there's nothing I like to do in Dallas.

Time to make a grocery list again. The stuff I buy every week isn't a huge expense, but a trip to the grocery store certainly makes inflation seem real. Certain things seem to go up in price every single week. If this is the future I may need to think about working again.

Patches is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4512

There are only four Dalmatians at the kennel now. Dorothy found her forever home this week. Sammy has not been staying at the kennel since she's been busy raising eleven puppies. The puppies are all weaned now and ready to go to their new homes, so Sammy was able to go to her forever home this week as well. Rocket is the only one of our puppy mill dogs that has not found a home yet. He will soon though. He is overcoming his fears and each week we see him he acts more and more like a normal dog.

We are really pleased with Rocket's progress. He has gone from a terrified dog who wouldn't even come near us, to a much happier dog who wags his tail and runs to greet us when we arrive with a bag of treats. We even managed to teach Rocket to sit today, which was a major accomplishment.

We know why it is going to take Charlie a little longer to find a home, but it's a mystery why Oliver and Jo Jo haven't already been adopted. Both dogs are some of the friendliest we've ever had in the program. Oliver loves to play and Jo Jo just wants attention. Maybe people want a smaller dog. Oliver and Jo Jo are both larger male Dalmatians. Maybe their luck will change soon. All these dogs really deserve a great home.

I spent a big chunk of today unpacking and doing laundry from the trip. Everything is back in it's proper place now and ready for the next adventure. It's a shame that travel has become so expensive. I wouldn't mind spending more time at McDonald Observatory as well as Kennedy Space Center. You may wonder why I spend so much time at these two locations. The answer is easy. They feel like home. I avoid people in Dallas, but I always find folks that seem like kindred spirits at the observatory and the space center. Rocket launches and the night sky never get old to me. I'll keep going back because it is just more satisfying than visiting someplace new as a tourist.

I went to the bank today and picked up prescriptions for myself and Dawn. When I went to pick up my prescription at the pharmacy, I was confused. "Didn't I just pick up this same pill last week," I asked. The pharmacist checked and sure enough I was right. It turned out that I had two separate prescriptions for the same medicine. One renewed in 30 days and the other renewed in 90 days. "Let's just cancel the 30 day prescription," I said. One more example of automated systems run amok. For some reason neither my doctor or the pharmacist ever noticed that there were two identical prescription floating around in the system.

Almost every day something we need goes up in price. It's not just travel expenses. My storage warehouse had a dramatic price increase this year. Real estate taxes are up. The cell phone bill keeps getting higher even though I don't make any calls. Today I got a letter from my primary care doctor saying that the clinic was going to raise rates again in July. Concierge doctors were always expensive, but this is getting ridiculous. I'm just glad I'm not trying to buy a house. Housing is what has really gotten ridiculous.

Dawn didn't want to walk this morning because it rained last night. She's a strange dog. The thunder and lightning last night didn't bother her at all, but getting her paws wet is another story. She just doesn't want to walk on wet ground. By the time Janet and I returned from the kennel, the weather was nice again and we had a nice walk with Dawn. As I often do, I continued walking after Dawn finished her one mile loop. I guess I'm still tired from my trip because I couldn't complete my regular six mile route. Maybe I'll have to change the name of this blog from "Some Assembly Required" to "Perpetually Tired."

Bogart is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4501

I paid my travel bills today. What a discouraging experience. When I enter transactions in Quickbooks, it always brings up the previous transaction I had with that company. This comes in handy for recurring transactions, but it was just an irritating eye opener this time. Wow. I knew things were more expensive but I guess I didn't realize how much more. Airfares, hotels and rental cars were all just about double what they were during a very similar trip to Florida last September. I stayed in the same hotel and flew on the same airline too. If prices can go up this much in less than a year, I hate to even think what things will be like next year.

I think my new boots are keepers. I wore them on a six mile walk today and they did pretty well. They are firmer than my Hoka Bondi 7 shoes, but they still have that same Hoka feel. The Kaha boots provide a lot more ankle support and the Vibram soles provide a better grip on loose surfaces. These boots are waterproof as well, which wasn't a factor today but it will be soon enough. I'd like to think that the boots provide a little better protection against snake bites, but I certainly don't plan on getting near any snakes.

Dawn has really come a long way. She comes when I call her now and is really excited to go on walks. We try to give her two walks a day now since she seems to like them so much. Dawn is enjoyable for me to walk because she stops to smell things so often that it's easy for me to keep up with her. I think we're both basically lazy. Dawn still won't walk alone with me but luckily Janet enjoys walking too, so it isn't a problem. I wish I enjoyed walking as much as Dawn does, but I can't smell things as well as a dog. Dawn has an incredible sense of smell and can smell critters long before I see them. I can't smell much of anything, which can sometimes be a benefit in today's world.

I lost another sock in the wash today. I don't know how this happens. I looked in the washer and dryer and it wasn't there. I looked through all the other laundry to make sure it wasn't stuck to anything. It didn't appear to fall on the floor either. The sock just disappeared. Sometimes these things turn up later, but other times they never do. One of life's many mysteries.

I'm still eating Easter leftovers. Variety was never a big deal with me. If I find something I like, I can have it over and over again. I do like ham. It certainly seems to keep well. You need to eat seafood right away, but I think you could keep making ham sandwiches with leftover ham forever.

I'm still having trouble keeping track of the days. Today seemed like Friday which means tomorrow will seem like Saturday. It's kind of amazing that I can crank out something a little different each day on the blog because my days are remarkably similar. Every once in a while something different happens, but not that often. I'm not complaining though. Monotony can be kind of relaxing if you don't fret about what you could be doing instead.

It did get the trash out to the curb this evening. I changed the furnace filters too. I could have done more. If I was smart I'd start packing now instead of waiting until the last minute. Nope. Can't do that. I need to avoid the issue for a few more days.

Joe is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4491

Today was very busy. At least it was busy for me. After the usual sunrise walk with Dawn and my weekday breakfast of shredded wheat and berries, I finished my article for SpaceFlight Magazine. I also sorted through over a thousand pictures to find a selection to send to the magazine to accompany the article. I was fairly pleased with the results. The pictures looked great and I was able to write something to the magazine's requested length. One more article about life on the space coast is complete.

It looks like I'll be going out to Mcdonald Observatory after all. I finally got a confirmation of my reservation at the Astronomers Lodge today and after a bit of soul searching, I decided that I really should go out and volunteer again. Sure, I've got a lot of aches and pains and it definitely is a long drive, but it's only going to be worse next year. I tire easily and my feet hurt, but I'm still healthy. Who knows how long this will last. I guess I feel the same way about my trips to the observatory as I do about my daily walks. To stay at your best mentally and physically, you've got to keep moving. I can do this.

If inflationary pressures continue to get worse, the limiting factor for my travels might end up being the expense. My stay at the Astronomers Lodge will be more expensive this year. Their prices went up almost the same amount as my hotel in Titusville. I don't even want to think about what the rent car is going to cost. The price of rental cars has gotten ridiculous. For the moment I can justify the expense. I'd rather spend the money doing something I enjoy than watch it disappear in some future stock market crash.

Since today was Monday, Janet and I went up to the kennel and visited the rescue Dalmatians again. Visiting the dogs takes a lot longer now since there are so many of them. I had thought that some of the new dogs would have gotten adopted by now, but they are all still there. Everyone was in good spirits. Rocket is still scared, but his skin condition is getting better. Dorothy is going to take the crown away from Charlie as the kennel's resident wild child. She has so much energy and really loves to play. I think she would do great at agility. Jo Jo has become the group's gentle giant. He's big and strong, but is extremely well behaved. Willie and Julip and both tiny and very sweet. They both love attention and like being petted. Candy still needs to learn some manners, but she is very young and has received absolutely no training or socialization. We are working on this. I think we've almost taught her to sit. Oliver is still a goofy clown and Charlie is still the most fun to play with. Despite his many issues, Charlie is the smartest dog at the kennel. 

We had fun with the dogs today but it didn't leave me with a lot of time to walk when we got home. For a while I though we'd get rain this afternoon, but all we got was a lot of wind. I did manage to get in a short walk before dinner time and ended up completing about three miles. I doubt if I could have walked much further even if I had all day. My feet still hurt.

I seldom say anything about the watches, but today's watch used to belong to Alice Cooper. At least that's what I was told.

Tyson is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4454

My grocery list was long this morning. Prices are still going up. It's not just a few cents anymore either. Most of the items I got today were at least a dollar higher than the last time I bought them. I don't really know who to blame here. Companies are facing a host of problems they never had to deal with before. There is a shortage of workers. Supply chain problems make it harder to get components to the factories and finished goods to the consumer. It's pretty clear that Covid has messed up everything. On the other hand, I think a lot of companies are taking advantage of the situation and raising prices just because they've got a good excuse now. I want prices to stay reasonable but I also want a healthy stock market because I depend on it for a retirement income. Why do I have a feeling that I'm not going to be able to have both.

It was quite warm today. We didn't even have to wear jackets on our morning walk with Dawn. I don't call this a sunrise walk anymore because the sun is rising earlier now. Lately, it's almost always been up by the time we get started on our walk. Unfortunately, this is going to change in a few weeks. Daylight Savings Time begins again on March 13. I don't think anyone likes the time change but like everything else in modern life we are divided on whether to make Standard Time permanent or Daylight Savings Time permanent. My vote would be to make Standard Time permanent. I've never liked Daylight Savings Time and am not looking forward to walking in the dark again.

For some reason my pace was a lot better on my long walk today. I completed my walk at least five minutes faster than I usually do. Not a lot has changed. I still wake up tired and I have foot pain, although it wasn't all that bad today. Maybe I walked faster because it was so warm that I wore shorts today. I don't see a lot of cold weather in the long range forecast so maybe we really will get an early Spring this year. I hope we do. I'm tired of freezing weather and wearing multiple coats in the morning.

I wonder when my seasonal allergies are going to stop. My nose feels red and raw now, but the drip is relentless. Years ago my allergies didn't start until everything started turning green in the Spring. That hasn't happened yet, so maybe the worst is yet to come. There's got to be a solution to this that doesn't involve taking Allegra-D or other powerful decongestants. I don't handle decongestants well, but lately I think I'd prefer the buzzing in the head they give me to a constantly dripping nose.

I had the best intentions to start working on my taxes today, but one thing led to another and I ended up doing nothing. I'll get this finished before the deadline, but I have no desire to deal with taxes this year. I know I'm procrastinating but procrastinating is one of the things I do best. It's almost a superpower. I tend to wait until the last possible minute on everything and somehow still manage to get things done just in the nick of time.

I think I'm making a little progress with Dawn. She comes to me in the mornings now to get her harness on for her walk. About half the time, she'll stay with me on the bed if I take a nap during the day. She's more likely to stay if I don't look at her though. If I turn away and sleep on my side, she usually stays. She's getting a lot bolder in the kitchen too. I don't think that has a lot to do with me. Dawn just loves food.

It looks like we'll have a nice Sunday outing tomorrow as long as it doesn't rain. There's a slight chance of rain but the temperature will certainly be nice. Here's hoping for sunshine and ice cream for all.

Rory is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4440

Today was busy. We started out with a fairly long sunrise walk with Dawn. She likes walking along the shoreline now and had a good time smelling things. As usual, it was cold when we left the house this morning but it warmed up quickly. By the time we returned home for breakfast, I already felt like shedding my heavy coat.

Grocery shopping is always interesting these days. I pay more attention to prices now. I had to fill my tank and gas is definitely more expensive than last week. A tub of strawberries that was $2.95 six months ago is now $7.95. A bottle of Tide liquid that was $17 not long ago is now $24. My Keurig coffee pods have gone up quite a bit as well. Even bottled water is much more expensive than it used to be. At least the beer I like is still the same price. That's probably just because it was too expensive to begin with.

The weather was so warm this afternoon that I finally decided to wash my car. The car looks nice now which almost guarantees that it will rain the next time I have to take it out of the driveway. I also cleared the carport and front porch of leaves again. Every time I do this I think I'm done for the year, but the leaves keep coming. I don't know where they are coming from. There haven't been any leaves on the trees for quite a while now. Out last windstorm took care of the few remaining ones. We've already removed most of the leaves from the back yard. There are still some in the side yards, but we'll take care of those before next month's big trash day.

I don't know why I bothered to take my long walk today. By the time I finished my grocery shopping and household chores, I'd already had plenty of activity. I should have been content with 10,000 steps and rested my feet a bit, but long walks have become a compulsion. Without my persistent foot pain, today would have been a great day for walking. The sky was clear and the temperature was unusually warm for February. It was over 70 degrees this afternoon. I just wore a t-shirt and jeans on my walk and probably could have gotten away with wearing shorts. I don't think this will last unfortunately. I believe another cold front is headed our way later this week.

I hope Google isn't abandoning my blogging platform. Yesterday I has a lot of trouble adding pictures to my post and today I noticed that my blogspot layout is all screwed up. Hopefully this is just a temporary glitch. After I've made this big commitment to post for 5,000 consecutive days it would be just my luck that Google blogs don't last that long.

Janet had a volunteer event today so this was a good time for Dawn and I to get to know each other a little better. Dawn wasn't pleased about the situation, but she's actually been pretty good with me. I've been able to feed her meals and get her to take her meds. When it's time for her to go outside and pee, she's come to the door when I call. She even stayed on the bed with me when I took a short nap this afternoon. We aren't best buddies yet, but this is encouraging. We've got a long way to go before Janet leaves on her Spring trip, but I think we're making progress.

Hopefully, the weather will be as nice tomorrow as it was today. It's always a pleasant surprise to have great weather in February. We'll plan on having our Sunday outing with Dawn. Of course there'll be ice cream.

Spot is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4439

Another uneventful day. We're having better luck with Dawn's morning walks when we let her choose which direction she wants to go. Lately she wants to turn right at the back gate, go down the hill and walk along the shoreline. That's OK with me. I don't know why we kept trying to get her to walk up the street for so long. It's still very cold in the morning but it warms up quickly. Dawn doesn't seem to mind the cold. I'd like it a little warmer, although I'm getting used to the thirty degree temperature swings every day.

I keep thinking that I'm going to skip my long walk for a while because my feet are bothering me so much. I keep walking though because I can't think of anything better to do. I waited until several hours after breakfast this morning in hopes that it would warm up. It did warm up a little, but it was still below freezing when boredom set in and I decided to set out on my daily trek anyway. I dress warmly and am always amazed to see runners pass me wearing light shorts and a t-shirt. I look more like I'm headed for the South Pole on days like this. Even though it was chilly this morning, it was a beautiful day. It's always nice to see blue sky. Cloudy skies bring rain and rain brings roof leaks.

I kind of miss seeing the eagles. I was seeing them every day for a while. With the nest gone, there are no longer any gawkers in the park. I guess the birds are still in the area. Some people say they are building a new nest but I don't think anyone really knows for sure. They were certainly nowhere to be seen today. I'm glad I managed to get a few pictures. Now I'll have to go back to snapping shots of more common birds.

I was going to practice using the star tracker again today, but lost interest before I even got the thing out of the box. I think I've already proved that the unit does work. It doesn't work that well though because the current software version is still buggy. I'm waiting for the next software upgrade. One of these days I'll take the tracker out at night and photograph something. I think I'll wait until it is warmer though. I'm kind of a fair weather astronomer.

It's tax season again. What a pain. I haven't even started gathering my tax files together. It seems like I just finished doing this for the previous year. Why do old people even have to pay taxes? It seems like you should be exempt at some point. Oh, well. I'd better start working on this stuff. Every year my accountant seems to want my files a little earlier.

It's time to make a grocery list again. Janet says gas prices have gone up. Probably everything has gone up. I'm glad I'm retired. If I was still working full time I think today's economy would make me a little nervous. The 70's and 80's were a good time to be an ad guy. The 90's were actually a good time to start a business. Today I'm not so sure. What would I do today? Maybe I just don't know where to look for opportunities anymore. 

Bailey is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4418

Today was busy. I fixed the other toilet after breakfast and then I finally bleached the rust stains in the living room ceiling where the worst water leak was. The ceiling looks much better now. I'm tempted to get some drywall mud and finish repairing the ceiling but I need to remember that I never found where the water was getting in on the roof. It might be worth repairing things even if it is a temporary fix. I'm getting tired of looking at the crack in the ceiling.

I hope the toilet repairs last a while this time. Little by little, everything on my to-do list is getting done. Janet wanted me to change the battery on the key fob to her car today. I followed the directions, but couldn't get the key fob to open up. Clumsy hands I guess. Janet finally got the key fob to open herself. I think the key fob for my car has a better design. I had to change my key fob battery a few months ago and it opened up in less than a minute. It doesn't take long to learn that there are some things on modern cars that are better to do yourself. All it takes is a two dollar watch battery to fix a key fob. The dealership wanted to charge me twenty dollars.

I keep putting off upgrading the firmware on my star tracker. For now I'm content to just read the user forum and see what the other Kickstarter backers are doing. Maybe I'll feel more like using this thing when the power line tree crews arrive in our neighborhood. Right now two big trees block my view of the southern horizon from the back yard. The utility company has eminent domain and about every six years they come and butcher these trees so they don't get too close to the power lines that run down the alley. After decades of doing this the trees look really ugly now. 

Janet and I decided to just ask the crew to cut the trees down this time. It would be easier for them in the long run and it would also make it easier for us to reroute our driveway to the back yard someday. Backyard astronomy might become easier as well. I don't know if the utility company will remove the trees though. I've been watching the crews inch their way toward us in the neighborhood and it looks like they are only doing minimal cutting this time. The last time these guys were here they made such a mess of everybody's trees that the entire neighborhood rose up against them. There were lots of threats of lawsuits, although I don't know if any were actually filed. Eminent domain laws are pretty powerful. If you have a power line running next to your property the utility company can pretty much do whatever they want to any trees that are in the way.

I keep getting 20,000 steps a day despite my foot problems. My pace has slowed quite a bit though. Now my right knee is starting to bother me as well. I feel like I'm slowly falling apart. Unfortunately, the alternative is falling apart much more quickly if I became less active. I still think it is important to keep moving. I think Dawn wishes I moved a lot faster. Her natural pace is a lot quicker than mine. Hey, I'm doing the best I can. I'm kind of amazed that I used to walk two young, strong Dalmatians at the same time. I couldn't do that anymore.

It's time to make a grocery list again. I wonder how expensive things are going to be this week. It's easy to forget that there have been high gas prices and rampant inflation before. I remember gas lines in the Jimmy Carter era and the first time I bought a house, interest rates were over 11%. There have always been problems. You expect things to get better though. It's disappointing when we keep making the same mistakes over and over again.

Molly is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4405

It was so cold today. I practically had the park to myself on my long walk. It was just me and a couple of idiots jogging in shorts. I certainly couldn't blame people for staying inside. It was thirty degrees with a forty mile an hour wind. I dressed warmly, but it still felt like I was on an expedition to the South Pole. I don't know why I felt compelled to walk today. A sane person would have just stayed home and watched a movie on Netflix.

Maybe nobody was down at the lake because they were all at the grocery store. The stores were packed when I did my shopping this morning. I think the threat of bad weather brings out an instinct to stock up on food. Prices are still going up, although that wasn't stopping people from filling up their buggies. The weekly price increases aren't dramatic, but they've been going on for a long time. I haven't seen anything come down in price.

I'm glad I got the new battery for my car a few months ago. It never would have started this morning without it. I vaguely remember living up north, but I don't think I could handle it anymore. I have memories of scraping ice off of windshields and navigating snow covered roads. No thank you. On days like today I'd like to live even further south.

Dawn likes colder weather but I think she draws the line at freezing weather. She was certainly eager to get back in the house on our sunrise walk this morning. She wore her new sweater this morning, but maybe we should have introduced her to the hat. We got a hat for Dash that actually fits a dog pretty well. It kept his ears a lot warmer on days like this.

Whenever the temperature dips below freezing I always think I am experiencing the coldest winter ever. It's easy to forget that it has been much colder in the past. One winter the entire lake froze over. I didn't even see any ice on the lake today. We've had thick snowfalls in the past as well. In recent years it's been rare to get snow at all. I saw a few flakes fall this afternoon, but there was no accumulation.

The furnace is working fine, but it's still cold in the office. Every winter this is always the coldest room in the house. I had to break out the little ceramic heater this afternoon. I'm pretty sure that this house was designed in the summer. It's a lot easier to cool than to heat. The main problem is that there is way too much single pane glass. Insulation doesn't do a lot of good when you have a lot of floor-to-ceiling glass.

I was going to play around with the star tracker this afternoon, but the cold weather put a damper on things. All I really felt like doing after my walk was getting warm again. I probably should have waited until today to watch the last episode of The Expanse. All I did instead was nibble on snacks.

It remains to be seen whether we'll take Dawn on a Sunday outing tomorrow. These little outings are supposed to be fun for her and walking in freezing, windy weather is the exact opposite of fun. I think Dawn's idea of fun would be to share a little bacon with us at our Sunday breakfast. We'll see what happens though. Maybe tomorrow will be warmer.

Betty is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4362

It was foggy and humid this morning. I'm always surprised at the weather when we wake up. It's never the same. We passed some neighbors walking their dogs when we were leaving the house with Dawn this morning and they advised us to "watch out for the Bobcat." Apparently there are Bobcats everywhere now. We didn't see the cat. We actually didn't see much of anything because it was so foggy.

I thought about going out for breakfast this morning, but I wasn't very hungry. I don't know if I could eat a restaurant breakfast anymore. The portions are huge. I had my regular small bowl of shredded wheat and got ready to take my long walk. By the time I left the house, the fog had lifted and it was even warmer. I was able to wear shorts today. It seemed strange that it is already snowing in other parts of the country. I read something today that it's even snowing in Hawaii now. Strange weather all over.

I brought a very old computer back to life today. I have an ancient Apple laptop that still runs System 9 and after completely forgetting about it for two or three months I discovered that the battery was completely dead. It wouldn't take a charge from the charger and wouldn't even run under AC power. I thought the trusty old machine had finally died, but I left it plugged into the charger just in case. After several days I noticed that the charging light had come on. I waited another day and the battery slowly recharged. This was kind of amazing to me because the battery was almost twenty years old. It is impossible to replace. When I started the computer up this morning, everything worked fine. They don't make things like this anymore. This computer always went with me when I used to work in Europe and it was responsible for many ad campaigns. It's hopelessly slow by today's standards, but I'm glad it still works.

I washed the new photo backdrop to get the wrinkles out and was pleased at the quality of the fabric and the printed Christmas themed design. These new backdrops are so much better than the old hand painted ones. If a dog pees or throws up on one of these, you can just throw it in the wash and you're back in business. It's a shame that innovative products like this are almost always made in China. The computerized star tracker I backed on Kickstarter is also made in China. Many of the best new camera lenses come from China as well. No wonder everyone is so upset about all those container ships stacked up off the West Coast. We don't make anything here anymore. Even iconic brands like Fender guitars and Levis are manufactured in other countries now.

I found some small hand weights lying around the house and reluctantly started working with them today. I find little joy in working out, but I've got to do something. Walking is good for my heart and maybe for my leg muscles but it does nothing for my upper body. My arms seem weak now. It's a shame that it's so much harder to gain muscle mass as you grow older. Gaining weight is easy. Adding muscle, not so much. 

Time to make a grocery list again. When Janet went shopping this week she said prices had gone up again.      You wonder where this is going to end. I don't think the earth will end up becoming the apocalyptic place depicted in The Expanse. It probably won't be like Mad Max at Thunderdome either. It's isn't going to be pretty though. I'm glad I grew up in the 1950's. The Atomic Age was good.

Spot is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4342

Prices still seemed outrageous when I went shopping this morning. Inflation is real and I don't think it's going away any time soon. People will get used to the new prices and eventually they will seem normal. It's always been this way. Prices from everything from gasoline to butter routinely go up and down, but at the end of the day they always seem to be higher than they used to be. When I was in college, gasoline was 25 cents a gallon and a $40,000 house was considered expensive. I wish I'd bought a $40,000 house back in the day and held on to it. I could sell it for millions now. I wish I'd bought that 1956 300 SL Gullwing I saw on sale for $25,000 when I lived in Seattle. That car would definitely be worth more than most houses today. The problem was that when gas was 25 cents a gallon, I was young and had no money. 

Prices have always seemed to rise faster than wages and yet most people seem better off than they used to be. All the little frame houses in our neighborhood are gradually being replaced by McMansions. When I was grocery shopping this morning, the parking lots were all filled with shiny new cars. I guess I really don't understand economics. We complain about high prices, but as a country we appear to be doing really well. There will always be poverty, but I think it was a lot more prevalent when my parents were young.

It was only 39 degrees when we got up this morning. This meant we had to wear warm clothes when we took Dawn on her sunrise walk. Dawn, like most Dalmatians, appears to like the colder weather. I complain a lot, but I don't really mind it either. It's a lot easier to add clothes when you're cold than to subtract them when you are hot. 

When I took my long walk after I finished grocery shopping I saw one of the eagles again. It was more distant than it was when I saw it a few weeks ago, but it was still easy to tell the bird was an eagle. The size of these birds and the white head makes them pretty distinctive. I walked across an open field trying to get closer to the eagle, but all I managed to do was twist my ankle. My feet are a mess these days. I really need to stick to walking on pavement and well defined trails.

Grocery shopping and my long walk used up a big chunk of the day, so I didn't feel guilty about doing nothing for the rest of the day. I went out to pick up Chinese take-out for dinner and was amazed at all the traffic. Where were all these people going? It felt like the entire city was on the move. Heavy traffic is the main reason I don't like to drive anymore. Driving on empty roads out in West Texas is a completely different experience.

I watched the Starlink launch on the Space X live feed this morning. This would have been a really pretty launch to see in person. Kennedy Space Center was covered in a thick ground fog and only the top of the rocket poked through the cloud bank while it was on the launch pad. It kind of looked like a science fiction movie where the Falcon 9 was taking off from a different planet. I would have loved to photograph this one.

I would have loved to photograph the eagle I saw today too. I don't think I have the dedication though. Some of the local photographers hang around the area for hours, hoping to catch a glimpse of the bird. It's usually a photographer who points the eagle out to me. I would have missed the bird today if it weren't for a photographer crossing my path holding a camera with a long telephoto lens. "See the eagle over there," he gestured toward me as he raced to get his shot. Sure enough, there it was.

I guess people are still reading the blog. My niece sent me a picture of my Mom in uniform after reading my Veteran's Day post.

Puppies are today's Dalmatians of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4314

I woke up this morning with terrible foot pain. What have I done? This was the right foot which had never given me problems before. It was the left foot that I went to see the foot doctor about. My foot didn't appear red or swollen, but I could hardly put any weight on it at all. Since I couldn't get back to sleep, I applied some Voltaren cream to the sore area, took two Tylenol, and transferred the orthotics from my old Hoka shoes to the new ones.

It was odd that the pain came at night while I was sleeping. I felt a little better when I was wearing the new shoes, so I thought I'd try going along on Dawn's sunrise walk. That didn't work very well. I couldn't keep up with Dawn and Janet and quickly decided to turn around and go home. It was a shame that I didn't feel better, since the weather was beautiful.

Eventually, the pain started to subside. I think the new shoes helped, but maybe it was the arthritis cream and the Tylenol that did the trick. By the time we finished breakfast, I felt like I could still do my Saturday grocery shopping. I guess my old Hoka shoes were pretty worn out, because the new ones kept my feet in a lot better position. I wasn't walking on the edge of my feet anymore. As the day progressed, the pain gradually became a background noise. It still hurt, but I could deal with it. By mid-afternoon I felt it would be OK to take a short walk. I walked slowly and carefully, eventually completing about two miles. It did feel that putting weight on my feet felt better than resting in bed.  This didn't make any sense, but I was happy to be feeling better. 

Things are definitely getting more expensive. I was surprised at how much I spent filling the car with gas this morning. Everything seems to go up a little with each passing week. You have to wonder how this is going to end. Inflation basically hurts everybody. I didn't do any panic buying today, but I did pick up a big package of toilet paper. The toilet paper aisle was starting to look a little bare. Better safe than sorry, I thought. Hopefully the top of the cedar chest in the entryway won't start to look like it did during the early days of the pandemic. You never know though. I'll buy what's needed and am just going to take this one week at a time.

I guess I'll take some more Tylenol before I go to bed tonight and hope that the pain doesn't return. The Dalmatian Rescue golf tournament is tomorrow but I don't feel like I'm in any shape to spend the day photographing golfers. I'll stay home with Dawn while Janet goes to the tournament. This is good in a way, since we would have had to board Dawn if we both went to the tournament. Dawn may have other ideas. I'm sure she wishes that I was gone for the day instead of Janet.

It's a shame that I couldn't walk further today because the weather was absolutely perfect. The temperature was in the low sixties for most of the day and the cold front seemed to sweep away a lot of the pollen in the air. I mostly just hung around the house this afternoon. I watched a replay of the Lucy launch. I would have liked to be there but if I'm going to have a foot problem it's much better to be home. I seldom wear shoes inside the house, but I kept the Hoka's on all day. The support they provided helped a lot.

Dawn won't get her Sunday outing tomorrow unless we decide to go later in the day after Janet returns. She's a lazy dog and will be content just napping on the bed unless I decide to take a nap next to her.

Camp is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4229

I got a message from Patrick Air Force Base today saying that due to the increased threat from Covid, new protocols would be going into effect immediately. In a long list of new restrictions, one thing stood out to me: no more on base launch viewing. What a shame that things are going backwards. I was hoping to resume attending launches soon. I wouldn't be terribly surprised to hear that McDonald Observatory is reconsidering its plan to resume pre-Covid operations in September. Very little surprises me anymore. I'm beginning to think that this virus might be with us forever. People overestimate their ability to control things. Do you really think we can stop floods, wildfires, and deadly new diseases? We can't even control overpopulation which is causing many of these problems in the first place.

There is no point in being gloomy though. Dawn had a good day and I actually got quite a bit done. Maybe Dawn didn't lick her paws because she wasn't left alone today. I made sure to wait until Janet returned from grocery shopping before I went to the gym. We had a nice sunrise walk and are continuing to explore new locations in the park. Dawn seems curious and increasingly confident. When it was time for me to take her outside to pee around lunchtime, I didn't even need to put her on a leash. I just told her it was time to go pee and she followed me out to the back door. This may seem like a small thing, but it's been months since she has followed me on her own. Maybe Dawn is starting to like me.

I think the camera case foam inserts I ordered over a month ago are finally on their way. I thought I was dealing with a large organization, but apparently the company is just a single guy who cuts the foam to order. He wrote me today saying that he'd been sick lately and was way behind on orders. I was promised that my order would be in the mail tonight. I kind of feel bad now that I've been pestering this guy. Keeping a small business alive is never easy and I imagine that there isn't a lot of demand to refurbish old camera cases.

When I went to the gym this afternoon I was surprised to discover that half of the treadmills weren't working. I usually use the same treadmill, so I've never really paid much attention to all the others. Today someone else was using my regular treadmill, so I was going to use one of the many others on the floor. It took quite a while to find one that would work. What happened to the repairman who used to regularly service these machines. I used to see him frequently at the gym. Did the guy get Covid? Did he retire? People who make or fix things are in short supply these days. One by one, many of the craftsmen and repair people I used to depend on have simply disappeared.

I paid a bunch of July bills today and continue to be amazed at how much more expensive everything is getting. Inflation is real. Utility bills are higher. Insurance is higher. Not only are prices going up in stores, quantities are getting smaller. I've been using those blue Scott shop towels for years and the price has literally doubled. To add insult to injury, I noticed last week that the size of the rolls is smaller and they decreased the size of each sheet to maintain the same sheet count per roll. Who do these guys think they're fooling? When we started buying wet food for Dawn, we've noticed that many brands have smaller cans now. The cans were larger when we bought for Dot and Dash. The prices haven't come down though. The prices never come down.

It's time to make a grocery list again. I will have to buy some more party ice tomorrow because I still haven't gotten the ice maker in the refrigerator fixed. I haven't made a service appointment for my car either, or scheduled two upcoming doctor's appointments. I'd just as soon postpone everything this summer. The dentist did pin me down though. Got to go to the dentist next week.

Jewel is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4202

I've had to switch to a different grocery store because the store has become too efficient in measuring its customer's buying habits. All stores do this. Your purchases are scanned at checkout and the information is used to determine what items will be restocked. Basically stores want to sell what people are buying. This often leaves me on the short end of the stick. For weeks I haven't been able to find my favorite cheeses, beers, spices, or even bottled waters. I switched stores today and found an abundance of everything I like. I have to drive a little further, but that's better than being continually frustrated.

Inflation is real. Everything I buy has gone up in price. Sometimes the price increases are small, but they add up. Prices for fresh fruit and vegetables still go down when the produce is in season. Paper products and processed food always go up though. It's amazing how expensive those blue Scott shop towels have gotten. Gas is pretty high too. I'm glad I don't drive a lot.

Dawn enjoyed her early morning walk. I'd easily sleep an hour longer if we didn't walk Dawn so early. I guess it's worth it though. The weather is very nice just before sunrise. Today we had the added benefit of a pleasant breeze. We definitely aren't the only people who have discovered the benefits of walking early. You see a lot of people walking their dogs at this hour. I thought that Dawn might like to walk a little longer this morning because it was so nice outside. Nope. One mile is still plenty for her.

I knew the gym was going to close early today so I decided to take my long walk right after breakfast and then do my weekly grocery shopping later. This turned out to be a good plan. It had warmed up quite a bit by 9 AM, but the temperature was still in the low 80's. When the sun was behind a cloud, I was quite comfortable. Some group was having a charity race in the park this morning. You don't see many of those in the summer. It must have been a short race, because it was all over by the time I returned home. 

I probably should have started looking for the source of the leak on the roof this afternoon, but by the time I took my walk and finished all my Saturday errands it was way too hot. I've slowed down so much that there is never enough time to finish everything I need to do anymore. If I accomplish anything at all it's a plus. Things never seem to get easier either. Now my Saturday errands will take a little longer because I have to drive further to go to the grocery store. Roof leaks don't disappear on their own unfortunately, so I will have to make an effort to find the source of the leak and patch things very soon.

We'll probably have to combine Dawn's Sunday outing and early morning walk tomorrow. I'm sure that will be fine with Dawn, but it may be too early for ice cream on our way home. I wish my gym would reopen on Sunday, but it might be a while. They seem quite happy with reduced hours and a smaller staff. There still aren't as many people using the gym as there were in pre-pandemic days, so they probably won't go back to their old schedule until demand increases significantly. It is what it is. I'm beginning to think that life will never return to normal. Normal has changed.

I wouldn't want to own a condo on the beach right now. You'd have to wonder if your building is going to fall next. Nature is relentless. If it only took forty years for salt air and shifting sand to destroy this building, imagine what Miami is going to look like in 200 years. You might think that moving inland to a remote corner of Wyoming will keep you safe, but then there's that huge super volcano under Yellowstone waiting to explode. If you look at the world through the eyes of a geologist, it's kind of amazing that we're here at all.

Derrick is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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