Day 4995

This morning was a pleasant surprise. We didn't get any rain yesterday but the cold front definitely brought cooler weather. The temperature was in the low 70's when we took our sunrise walk this morning. There was a nice breeze as well. I don't know how long this is going to last but the change is welcome.

It was still reasonably cool after I finished breakfast this morning, so I decided to take my long walk in the park instead of going to the gym. It's been a while, so I thought I'd see a lot of changes. Nope. Nothing changed at all. I suspect that it just been too hot for the maintenance workers in the park. Everything is looking really dry. This is fire hazard dry. Many trees are turning yellow early and starting to lose their leaves. The water level in the lake is very low as well. A big stretch of Sunset Bay has completely dried up. 

I find walking in the park more tiring than walking at the gym. Strangely, my Fitbit seems to think I'm actually getting more exercise at the gym. This is a mystery to me. There are lots of small hills on my walk and maybe I don't burn much energy when I'm walking downhill. My feet definitely hurt more when I'm walking outdoors. I'd almost forgotten how bad my feet can get after a long walk. I think the indoor track at the gym has a cushioned surface. Oh, well. Despite the problems, I still enjoy being outdoors.

I'm glad I didn't go down to Florida for the Silent Barker launch. I was approved for this one, but didn't go because I've been feeling poor this month. Staying in Dallas was definitely the right decision. I just got a notice that tomorrow's launch has been postponed indefinitely because of Hurricane Idalia. They are rolling the rocket back to the vertical integration facility. No new launch date has been announced. This would have been a huge mess if I was down in Florida. I'd be trying to change reservations and get a flight back to Dallas right when the hurricane was arriving.

I got my August electric bill today. Not good. This was the highest bill I've ever received since we moved here many years ago. I know that TXU has raised their rates, but this is ridiculous. The bill was higher than my car insurance payment and more than I charged for monthly rent back when I owned rental property. Oh, well. It is what it is. Hopefully things will cool down and next month's bill will be lower.

I'm so tired of this weather. I never was interested in much but the heat has destroyed my interest in just about everything. I don't want to take too many naps or I won't be able to sleep at night. I probably ought to get some books to read, but my interest in reading has wained. It wasn't always this way. There are hundreds of books on shelves in the office and I'm sure I enjoyed reading them. Luckily the days go quickly. Before you know it Dawn is ready for her dinner and I have mine shortly afterwards. I still don't know what I'm going to do with myself when the blog is finished. This has been my evening for many, many years. So far, no regrets about ending the daily posts though. It's time to do something else.

It would be nice if it's cool enough to walk in the park again tomorrow. We'll see. It was quite nice when I started out this morning, but was getting pretty hot by the time I returned. At least tomorrow's sunrise walk will be pleasant. This is always the nicest part of the day.

Mandy is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4980

Nothing out of the ordinary today. We got up a little later this morning. Getting up early to avoid the heat doesn't accomplish much any more. It always seems a little warmer every time I step outside of the house in the morning, but our sunrise walks are still tolerable. Dawn still enjoys these early walks, but has little interest in going outdoors later in the day. She's a smart dog. Nobody enjoys being outdoors when the temperature is 105.

We had a big weekend breakfast and then I went mall walking. I probably should have skipped walking entirely today. My foot pain has returned with a vengeance. I don't know what I did yesterday, but I could barely walk today. This happens from time to time and I don't think there's a good solution. I've seen the x-rays of my feet. Most of the cartilage is gone and if I walk the wrong way the bone on bone contact can cause inflammation. It's hard for me to give up walking though. In the absence of anything else, the walks provide a structure to my day.

Even though I went earlier than usual, the mall was full of walkers today. I think the heat has driven everyone indoors. There were tons of young families with small children this morning. This seems to be a popular place to take your kids. I'm amazed at how many stores have either changed locations or are planning to change locations. I wonder why? I doubt that a move to the other side of the mall will lower the rent. If the stores aren't moving, they are remodeling. This place is full of activity.

I had my slowest time ever today. I probably looked like a cripple limping around the mall. I did finish my five laps though. Oh, well. At least it's nice and cool inside and the terrain is completely flat. Fall clothing is already on display in the store windows. Why do they continue to sell heavy Fall clothing in Dallas. It's not going to be cold. We don't really have four seasons here. Winter is short, but it can get cold ocassionally. Spring and Fall are just an illusion. These transition seasons only seem to last a few weeks.

Dawn got her Sunday outing today, but she didn't get much of a walk. We let her out in the Sunday park for about five minutes so she could pee and smell a few things. Then we headed straight to the ice cream store. We were the only customers at the drive-up window. It's so hot that people aren't even venturing out for ice cream anymore.

 I didn't do much this afternoon, but that's not surprising. I never seem to do much in the afternoon. I watched a show on PBS about great excursion railroads. There was a time when I would have wanted to ride on all of these trains. My interest in trains seems to have wained. I've been selling my model train collection and I haven't ridden on a train in decades. I have ridden passenger trains cross-country though. I've taken the Empire Builder from Seattle to Chicago and I've ridden the Super Chief as well. That was a long time ago though. The memories are getting fuzzy.

Tomorrow I begin a new week that will look a lot like the previous week. There's a dental appointment on my calendar, but I doubt that anything's wrong with my teeth. My left foot is the only thing that is bothering me at the moment.

Emma is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4979

I had a long list of things to get today and most of them weren't groceries. I needed bug spray, WD-40, dishwasher detergent, Swiffer dusters, and blue shop towels. There were food items too, but it seemed like I visited way too many stores this morning. When I returned home with the groceries Dawn didn't get excited at all. She didn't even get off the bed this morning.

They are still tearing up the streets in the neighborhood to put in new water mains. Inevitably when the city paves a street, some other department tears it up again within six months. I'm not sure why we need new water mains in the neighborhood, but it seems like a major undertaking. 

The weather hasn't gotten any better. When we took our early walk this morning the temperature was almost 90 degrees. This was before sunrise too. I keep looking every day to see if there is any rain in the forecast. Nothing so far. It's kind of ironic that after we got a brand new roof, we haven't really needed it. It's been hot and dry ever since the roof was installed.

I went to the gym after I finished my errands this morning. The place is usually fairly empty on weekends, but I didn't get to shoot baskets today because there were other people using the court. I did my three miles on the indoor track, lifted a few weights, and came home again. I was slow again today. I still have no idea why some days are better than others.

I treated the western side of the house for spiders when I returned from the gym. Hopefully this will keep the webs from returning. It's so hot outside that I've given up on mowing the grass or doing other yard work. The grass isn't growing a lot anyway. It's all starting to turn yellow. Leaves are starting to drop from the trees way earlier than they should as well. This heat is bad for plants and animals alike. I keep wondering what happened to the rabbits we used to see every morning. We haven't seen any bunnies in almost a month.

Dawn's lab results came back today and she appears to be in good health. Her blood work actually looks better than mine. Although Dawn was already an older dog when we adopted her, she seems to be quite healthy. If she has any problems they all appear to be mental. To be fair, Dawn has actually adapted quite well to her new life. She was born in a puppy mill and spent her first ten years as a breeding dog. Life with us is probably still pretty new to her.

I'm still having trouble getting excited about anything. It's probably the weather. I'm not even sure I want to go to the OSIRIS-REx event at Johnson Space Center now. I'm probably getting ahead of myself though. I haven't even been approved yet. Until then I'll keep following my regular routine. I'll go mall walking tomorrow morning and then we'll take Dawn on her Sunday outing. It will probably be too hot for a walk, but at least we'll get ice cream cones.

Ellis is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4975

I keep looking for a break in the weather, but there is nothing on the horizon. Next Monday the temperature is supposed to reach 109 degrees. This is not good. It will probably be September before the temperature is in the 90's again and we won't have nice weather until mid October. I still wish I could hibernate like a bear until it got cool again, but that doesn't appear to be in the cards. To make matters worse, I heard that we are expected to have an unusually cold Winter this year. Jeez. We'll just go from one extreme to the other with maybe two weeks of Fall in between.

I've started seeing reports from the Orion Media Day that I didn't get invited to. Most of the launch photographers I know were there. So why didn't my application get accepted? Who knows. I'm just not down at Kennedy Space Center enough to be remembered or recognized. I write for a little British magazine that's nobody's heard of as well. I guess I should be glad I get invited at all. Truthfully, it's for the best that I haven't been traveling lately. I've had too many expenses this summer and I'm still trying to get all my bills paid. I'm just hoping that the air conditioner keeps working. That's all I need now is another big appliance repair bill.

We're still getting up very early so we can walk Dawn before it gets too hot. It should have been cool today. The sky was overcast and there was a nice breeze. I think some people to the north of us might have gotten a little rain, but unfortunately none of it reached Dallas. It wasn't even very humid this morning. It was just hot and very dry. The park department has mowed all the native prairie meadows because they present a fire hazard. Mowing the native prairie grasses is very rare. I've only seen it happen a few times before.

Every day is a repeat of the previous day. The temperature is the same. The sunrise walk is the same. My breakfast is the same and so is my daily trip to the gym. I don't know what I'd do differently though. My limited routine seems like a good way to fill up a day and very few things have captured my interest lately.  I lost interest in music years ago after the band broke up. I lost interest in making fine art prints after I'd had a few gallery shows. I wonder if my interest in astronomy was even real. I have absolutely no interest in looking at the stars here in Dallas. Going out at night is just a good way to get eaten alive by mosquitos and with all the light pollution you can't see anything anyway. Maybe it's a good thing I still like chasing rockets. Too bad it's so expensive.

The gym was crowded today. I think this heat wave is driving people indoors. I've never seen so many people at the gym around lunchtime. Usually this is when the place is empty. I still kept up a pretty good pace on the indoor track even though there were quite a few people walking and running. I did well on the basketball court as well. Unfortunately I didn't do so well finding a parking place. The parking garage was full today. Maybe I'll have better luck tomorrow.

I didn't accomplish much today. I got the inspection sticker placed on my windshield. This simple task took way too long because I'm hopelessly OCD and I wanted the sticker to be perfectly level. Hard to do on a curved windshield. I tried to find a better sprinkler to water a dry patch of grass in the back yard. We have lots of sprinklers but none of them work properly. I didn't do any laundry today because I did that to kill time yesterday. Tomorrow will be more of the same. It definitely won't be any cooler.

Lilly is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4973

No surprises today. Since it was the weekend, we got up later than usual and then took Dawn on her morning walk. The heat has really reduced the number of people in the park. It's pretty empty even early in the mornings now. There aren't as many joggers and cyclists, but people are still walking their dogs.

After another big breakfast I checked my messages and went mall walking. The mall was having their annual auto show this week and the concourse was filled with new cars. Oddly there were almost no domestic cars on display. Other than an occasional Cadillac, all the cars were imports. I like cars so I had to look in the windows as I walked by. It didn't take long to notice that almost nobody uses in-dash GPS displays anymore. It seems like everyone just bolts an iPad to the dash. To my eye, this doesn't look very good, but what do I know. The car companies have probably done a lot of research and discovered that customers actually like having an iPad bolted to their dash.

The mall is constantly changing. The new two-story Nike store was finally open and the Longchamp store that sells expensive purses closed. Most of the stores had new window displays as well. I don't know why all this interest me, but it beats listening to people tell their physical therapists about their ailments while I'm walking around the indoor track at the gym. The mall was noticeably warmer today. I guess air conditioning units everywhere are struggling to keep ahead of this heat.

When I returned from the mall, Dawn was ready to go on her Sunday outing. She definitely remembers when it's time to do something for her. It was too hot for much of a walk, but we let her outside at the Sunday park so she could pee and then took her for ice cream. We never know whether we are going to get small cones or large ones. It seems to vary a lot depending on who's serving. It's too bad that the cones aren't as large as the picture on their logo, but they are still tasty. Dawn loves ice cream. I think she would be real disappointed if we ever dropped this ritual from our Sunday schedule.

There still isn't much that interests me this summer. I have a bad case of been there, done that. I don't even feel like going back to the observatory this year. In pervious years I would have been eager to spend some quality time out in West Texas. I'm still interested in space but it's way to expensive to hop on a plane every time there's a launch in Florida. I guess that leaves naps. I'm always up for an afternoon nap.

It's time to get my car safety inspected again. Maybe I'll do this tomorrow on my way to the gym, although I'll probably forget. One by one, all these chores eventually get taken care of. All I've really got on my calendar now are upcoming doctor's appointments. I hope I get selected to go to the OSIRIS-REx event at Johnson Space Center. It will give me something to do this Fall.

Margo is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4964

I got a message from my editor asking if I'd be interested in getting a tour of the ship that will be used to retrieve the Orion astronauts after the next Artemis mission. I had to say no. The event is being held at the Navy base in San Diego and I'd have to pay for the trip myself. Jeez. I can barely afford an ocassional trip to Titusville and this would be much more expensive. I'm also a bit superstitious. The last time I went to California on a NASA related event, I had a wreck in my rent car.

Today was another day with triple digit temperatures. We still had a nice sunrise walk with Dawn though. I knew it was going to be a bad day when we walked out the door before sunrise and the temperature was already in the high 80's. We've definitely had hotter days in Texas, but I can't remember this many 100 degree days in a row. I seldom wish for rain but we could definitely use some. Sadly there is no rain on the horizon. My Apple weather app shows triple digit weather and clear skies for the next ten days.

Today was just like yesterday. I had my breakfast of shredded wheat and fruit, made the bed, checked my messages, and headed for the gym. I wish there was something that would capture my interest, but there isn't. I'm not even as excited about launch trips anymore. I certainly have no regrets about skipping the EchoStar Jupiter 3 launch. The weather has been stormy in Titusville this week and even if the launch does take place tonight, I would have ended up spending most of my time sitting in a hotel room. 

I've got to start doing something else at the gym. The place is very well equipped, but all I do is walk around the indoor track and shoot a few baskets afterwards. I've been going to the gym for a long time and have used most of the machines, but I'm not very interested. This is just a poor substitute for walking in the park. I've managed to convince myself that it's important to get my steps every day. Somehow it doesn't seems that important to build up my strength.

As usual I did very little this afternoon. It's too hot to take a walk or even take Dawn outside for long. The house needs lots of work but it's discouraging to even think about it. There are no movies I want to watch or books I feel like reading. I must be doing something though, because the afternoons usually go quickly. I guess I'll watch the Falcon Heavy launch on the Space X feed later tonight. Dawn did get excited about grocery day, but even she seemed a bit subdued today. The dogs days of summer have definitely arrived. I'm ready for Fall. Even Winter would seems like an improvement right now.

Queenie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4935

So glad the air conditioner is working. This heat has been relentless. It doesn't even cool down at night anymore. When we take Dawn on her sunrise walk the temperature is already in the 80's. At least it's not quite as humid as it was a few days ago. Early mornings are still the best time of the day though. There's almost always a nice breeze and you can convince yourself that it's going to be a nice day until the rising sun hits your face. I don't know how landscaping crews and mail carriers continue to work in this heat. As soon as the sun comes up I'm ready to go back inside for the rest of the day.

My routine is pretty boring this summer, but I think everyone else's is as well. We see the same people doing exactly the same things day after day. I think the city has discovered that early mornings are the only time to be outside. We're seeing lots more people in the park on our early walks. Many of them have dogs. This is really the only safe time to take your dog on a long walk.

I linger over breakfast these days. There is usually nothing in particular I want to do and lots of things I don't want to do. When I checked my Fitbit this morning there was a message on the screen asking me to switch my account to Google. I keep forgetting that Google owns Fitbit now. I'm sure that they'll figure a way to monetize the Fitbit stats of millions of users. I used to be concerned about companies having so much access to my information. Now I don't even care. It's pretty clear that they already have all the information anyway.

It looks like driving to the gym is going to be part of my daily routine for the foreseeable future. June is never the hottest month of the year. I'm afraid this heat is going to be even worse in July and August. Actually it's pretty warm in Texas until mid October. I don't mind going to the gym every day. The exercise is good for me. I'm having to fill my tank more often now though. I usually spend very little for gas because I don't go anywhere. Looks like that's about to change.

Today I did exactly the same things I did yesterday. I walked three miles on the indoor track and shot free throws on the basketball court for fifteen minutes. The gym has a nice weight room and I really ought to spend more time working with free weights. I talk a lot about improving my upper body strength. At some point I really need to do something about it. All the walking I do is good for my heart. The rest of my body needs some work.

I had a quick lunch when I returned from the gym and then Janet and I took Dawn to a self-bathe place for a bath. Like many dogs, she hates getting a bath, but she definitely needed one. Dawn likes to roll in the grass in the back yard and gets dirty quickly. She also needed her nails trimmed today. We'll see how long Dawn manages to stay clean this time. It probably won't be long.

I'm noticing that my new phone is much faster than my old phone was. Everything downloads extremely fast now. Speed is not a big issue with me, but it does make me realize how slow my main computer is. Eventually I'll need to replace that as well. It would be nice if I had a business reason to replace the computer but it will probably just be boredom that drives me to the Apple Store again. When you get my age, you don't really need anything.

It's hard to believe it's almost July. It still seems like I put away the Christmas tree just a few weeks ago. 

Sparky is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4934

I finally got the new phone configured. Why did I get this thing? It really doesn't seem that different than the old phone. With the phone and Apple Watch both updated to the latest operating systems, all I really notice is that the watch battery runs low even faster now. Sometimes I think the latest technology is of dubious value. I was probably happier with a clunky old Oki 900 cell phone and an ancient Mac running System 9.  

Our heat wave seems to have no end in sight. Even our sunrise walks with Dawn are pretty warm these days. These early walks are still the nicest part of the day. There is usually a nice breeze and it's easy to convince yourself that the day won't be that bad. We're starting to see lots more people on these early walks. I'm sure that almost everyone has discovered by now that just before sunrise is the only time worth going outside.

I returned to the gym after breakfast this morning. I still wonder how this place stays in business. It never seems crowded. I walked three miles around the indoor track and spent about twenty minutes on the basketball court, but I don't think I'll be able to close all three rings on my Apple Watch today. I didn't install the activity app correctly yesterday and it measured nothing last night and early this morning. Walking endlessly around a small indoor track is boring, but at least it's cool inside. I've noticed that almost everyone has a fixed routine that they follow. I guess I'm not the only one why does the same things over and over again. I should make more of an effort to improve myself while I'm working out. On most days I barely work up a sweat. I could do better, but it's far too easy to convince myself that I'm in great shape just because I'm not as fat as some of the other people walking around the track.

When I returned home I figured out how to get my phone paired with my car again. I'm glad Google exists, because I never would have figured this out on my own. I kept entering the wrong PIN number over and over again before I finally realized that this wasn't a number I used on my phone or computer. It was a special Land Rover number. I don't know why I made the effort to do this today. It's been ages since I've gotten a phone call while I was driving.

I don't do much in the afternoon these days. Cracks in the ceiling taunt me and I still haven't mastered the star tracker yet but the only thing that seems appealing is a long nap. I often wish I was working again, but I can't be bothered to look for new clients. I'm not even sure what I would have to offer. It's pretty easy to put up a decent looking website just using a template from GoDaddy. I'm sure there are other writing jobs out there, but the pay is minuscule. I'm happy enough just writing the occasional article for SpaceFlight Magazine. 

Janet took Dawn to training class tonight, but they came home early because it was too hot outside. I imagine that it will be too hot outside tomorrow as well. This seems like the hottest summer I can remember. I could be wrong, of course. I don't remember things as well as I used to.

Patch is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4923

Very little happened today, but it still seemed like a long day. We had to get up very early this morning because Janet had an all day event to go to. For the first time since last winter, we took our sunrise walk in the dark. Dawn wore her lighted coller and I clipped a small LED light to my shirt. It was just like old times.

After breakfast I checked my messages and got ready to do my grocery shopping. My list wasn't long this week, but it still takes a while. I've started shopping earlier recently. The stores aren't as crowded and the selections seem a little better. The only downside to shopping early is that I've got more time to fill when I return home.

I had planned on going to the gym again today, but there was a nice breeze and it was overcast outside, so I decided at the last minute to walk in the park instead. It would have been cooler inside the gym, but I just didn't feel like driving anymore. Even though the humidity wasn't as bad as yesterday, I was still soaking wet by the time I returned home. In retrospect, it might have been better to go to the gym.

The light inside the refrigerator burned out today. It took me a while to figure out how to replace it. The light was behind a translucent cover and I couldn't figure out how to get the cover off. I save everything, but couldn't find the manual to the refrigerator. I tried to find a service manual online, but I couldn't find our particular model. Maybe the refrigerator is too old. I eventually got the cover off without breaking it and then wasted even more time looking around the house for a 40 watt appliance light bulb. I knew I'd bought this type of bulb before, but it's been a while. After a major search, I found a single 40 watt bulb left at the bottom of a shoe box full of old incandescent bulbs. Mission accomplished.

This afternoon was uneventful. I did a load of laundry and paid some bills on the computer. Dawn was in a bad mood because she thought Janet had been gone too long. She wasn't excited at all when I came home with my groceries. I eventually got her to go out in the back yard and pee, but all she really wanted to do was sit in the bedroom and sulk. I've really got to figure out a way to bond with this dog before Janet goes on vacation again.

I need a project, but I don't feel like starting anything new. All the old standbys don't seem to work anymore. I don't play my guitar or write songs anymore. I've already photographed every inch of the park and am losing interest in carrying a camera around. The last thing I want to do is start a home repair project, even though there are plenty of things that need attention. I would like to spend more time down at Kennedy Space Center, but that's just too expensive. It's too bad that Dawn doesn't like me to nap with her. A long nap always sounds good.

Finally it seems like there is no more severe weather in the forecast. It's going to be hot for the next week, but I can always go to the gym or just stay inside here at home. I'll go mall walking tomorrow morning. Hopefully, Dawn will still get her Sunday outing. If it's too hot we'll just go for ice cream.

Bali is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4917

We started the day with clear blue skies and ended the day with a thunderstorm. I guess I shouldn't be surprised. It's almost always like this in early June. We made the most of the nice part of the day though. Dawn got her sunrise walk and a nice Sunday outing.

I went mall walking like I always do on Sunday. I go earlier now because I discovered that the mall is actually open at 9 AM. I wish walking outdoors was this pleasant. The mall is very quiet early in the morning and the temperature is perfect.

There's always something new to look at in the store windows and even though I'm not that interested in clothing, the ever changing windows keep me occupied. A new store seems to open every week. Sometimes I wonder how it makes sense to locate in this mall. There are tons of small high end stores and I never see any customers in them when the mall is open. When I went to pick up my glasses last week, almost all of these smaller stores were empty.

Dawn was ready to go on her outing as soon as I returned from the mall. I thought it might be too hot outside for her today, but she had a lot more energy than I did. By the time we finished our one mile circuit, Janet and Dawn were way ahead of me. As usual, we stopped for ice cream on the way home. There is always a help wanted sign outside the ice cream store. You'd think this would be a good summer job for high school kids. Maybe kids don't have summer jobs anymore. I certainly don't see any kids mowing lawns in the neighborhood these days.

There's a new update for the star tracker, but I haven't even bothered to install it yet. I'm probably going to lose interest in this thing before I manage to get any decent pictures with it. There are too many trees and streetlights to attempt astrophotography in our backyard and I'm definitely not going to be wandering around in the park late at night. Even though there were mountain lions in the area, I always felt safe setting up equipment at all hours of the night when I was out at the observatory. Not so much here in Dallas.

There are a ton of things that need attention around the house, but I keep trying to avoid them. The carpenter on the roofing job was pretty good, but I haven't called him yet either. I keep telling myself that there's no rush. I seem more concerned with finishing things than starting new things these days. I'm eager to finish my 5000 day goal on this blog. I don't make large Giclée prints anymore and I haven't used my little recording studio in ages. I used to always have some sort of new project on the back burner. Now all I want to do is take a nap.

Maybe I'll install the new star tracker software tomorrow. It certainly beats my next alternative, which is mowing the grass. I have an appointment to get a TSA Pre card pretty soon, but no real travel plans. At least I'm still interested in chasing rockets. That's something I guess.

Willa is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4838

What a strange day. We woke up under severe weather warnings with some ominous looking dark clouds overhead. I took a quick look at the weather radar and then we hurridly took Dawn on a quick morning walk. Our timing was next to perfect because as soon as we returned home there was a bright flash of lightning and some very loud thunder. The lightning must have hit something nearby because shortly after this our power went out.

The power came on again within a few minutes, but this was just the first in a series of power outages this morning. Dawn doesn't like power outages and they bother her even more when Janet is gone. The multiple power outages totally freaked Dawn out and she began acting weirdly. She started hiding in corners and trying to get into closets. For some reason our big bed was no longer a safe place and she wanted out of the bedroom. She ended up sitting in a living room chair next to a window which always bothers me because the chair is next to a glass coffee table and Dawn could hurt herself if she didn't get off the chair carefully.

I wasn't able to comfort or reassure Dawn because she is usually scared of me anyway. She seemed to want to go outside, but when I let her out she tried to make a nest in the ground cover. I eventually just let her sit on the living room chair because that's where she wanted to be. She didn't really settle down until hours later when Janet returned with the groceries. I thought Dawn would be fine once the power was restored, but it didn't seem to make any difference. Once Dawn goes into panic mode, it's hard to get her out of it.

Luckily, when Janet came home with the groceries Dawn started returning to normal. She still didn't want to go in the bedroom though, which was very strange. I think battling with fear this morning wore her out. She seemed exhausted this afternoon and is still sleeping on the bed right now. Dawn really doesn't like surprises. I don't like surprises either, but Dawn's reaction is pretty extreme. Hopefully the next few days will be completely uneventful so she can get her confidence back.

I got a real late start on my long walk today because I didn't want to leave Dawn alone while she was in panic mode. I was kind of tired myself by the time I started walking but I managed to finish my route. The weather this afternoon was completely different than it was this morning. The skies were clear and blue with pleasant warm temperatures. We got quite a bit of rain this morning, but by mid-afternoon it was like the storm never even happened. Luckily we didn't get the worst of the storm. The really bad weather went to the south of us.

When I was walking today I gave some thought to what I want to do next. Sadly, my mind was a blank. I don't feel like driving out to the observatory anymore and I'm not even that excited about going down to Florida for launches. I've never liked flying that much and all the current airline problems have caused old fears to return. Maybe Dawn and I aren't all that different. My favorite thing is sleeping now. What was I thinking yesterday? I really don't need another large format printer because I haven't been doing gallery shows for a long time. Most of my unsold art is sitting in the storage warehouse. I definitely don't need all the music gear in the office. I haven't written and recorded my own songs in ages. All these former interests seem curious and strange to me now. How did I get interested in this stuff in the first place? I'm not even sure how I got interested in rockets.

Tomorrow is another day. Hopefully it will be a day where Dawn remains calm and happy. For my part I'll make a grocery list and do my weekly shopping. I won't need to get gas because I didn't drive anywhere this week. I'm sure I'll take a long walk. I always take a long walk.

Chelsey is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4514

I made sure I got up in time to walk with Janet and Dawn this morning. It was extremely foggy and a little wet. Naturally, Dawn wasn't in a mood to walk. She hates getting wet, but it really was just a little damp. As soon as we got to dry ground, Dawn was fine.

It was definitely a slow day today. Did I do anything at all? I'm not really sure. I thought my Space Force press credentials were already approved for 2022, but I got an e-mail this morning asking for more information. I probably forgot to fill out something on the application form. No problem. I can't afford to go back to Kennedy Space Center anytime soon anyway. Two major trips in a single month have pretty much tapped me out.

I thought about updating the star tracker software again, but I wasn't really in the mood. There's plenty of time for that. I have a feeling that it's going to be a while before I'm taking pictures of the night sky again. Now that I've unpacked my bags, done my laundry, and put everything back in it's proper place, I'm left with my old standby activities. I ate my breakfast and I took a long walk.

The air is much more pleasant in the Davis Mountains. I didn't have any allergy problems while I was out at the observatory. As soon as I returned the allergies came back. Now my eyes are watering and I'm constantly sneezing and blowing my nose again. Allergies don't stop me from walking though. What else is there to do? I walked my full six mile route this morning, but my feet were killing me on the last half mile. I still can't figure out why my feet are extremely painful one day and then just fine the next. I was really slow today in  hopes that a slower pace would help. It didn't make any difference. I probably should have stayed home and read a book.

I'm already wishing I was back on the road again. Life is simple when I'm at a launch or helping at the observatory. There are specific tasks to do and I build my day around them. Living in a hotel is super simple. There is no grass to mow and if something breaks, it's not your responsibility to fix it. I don't do much anyway, so having a desk where I can write and a bed to sleep in is all I need. I love the food out at the observatory and always look forward to meals. The barbecue is pretty good at the NASA commissary too.

Since I won't be going anywhere for a while, I need to find something to do. Theres a kayak sitting in the back yard. Using it would help build upper body strength, but the last time I was out on the lake I saw a bunch of snakes swimming next to me and that was that. I hate snakes. There's a guitar and some keyboards in the office, along with the remains of a small recording studio, but I haven't felt like writing songs in ages. I definitely don't want to start collecting things again. I'm glad I finally kicked that habit. I guess I should be happy that I still have two things left that I enjoy doing. Rockets and astronomy are still oddly satisfying.

I hope the weather is better tomorrow. It was hot and very humid today. It feels like our short Spring is already over and we are sliding headlong into Summer. Let's just hope that the air conditioner in both the house and the car keep working.

Crosby is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4513

It was surprisingly cold this morning. The temperature stayed in the 50's all day. I hope this is a sign of things to come. I'd like to see a mild Summer for a change. I overslept this morning and Dawn and Janet took their morning walk without me. I was surprised that Dawn walked at all since it rained again last night and the ground was still wet.

I really didn't do much of anything today. I eventually got up, made the bed and fixed my breakfast. I paid some bills and updated the Dalmatian Rescue website. Quite a few dogs have been adopted recently and it's important to keep the site up to date. When I finished I realized that I had forgotten to mark Willie as adopted. I marked Willie as adopted and then realized that Sammy had been adopted as well. Oops. I opened Dreamweaver again and added her too. Lets just say I'm not as sharp as I used to be.

I didn't think I'd be wearing a winter coat this late in the year, but it was chilly outside so I took a coat with me on my daily walk. The skies were grey, but it was pleasant outside. I like this kind of weather. Cloudy bright skies are best for photography and 50 degree temperatures are certainly a lot better than 90 degree temperatures. There weren't a lot of animals to look at today, but the construction in the park was interesting. I'm surprised at how much progress has been made on the new trail going through the park. The city ought to hire these guys to fix the roads in Dallas. The are much more efficient than your average road crew. Personally, I'd rather have fewer of these concrete superhighway trails, but I'll have to admit that the new trail looks pretty nice.

After spending a considerable amount of time testing the Polaris star tracker out at McDonald Observatory, I come home to discover that there are already new software and firmware updates to install. What this means is that some things that have finally started for feel familiar to me will probably change. This has happened before and I feel like I've had to learn how to use this thing all over again several times already. The software does keep getting better though, so that's a good sign. Maybe by the next time I get out to the observatory, the tracker will finally have been perfected.

I have no idea what I'll be doing tomorrow. I should start reading more books. I should start lining up contractors to fix the house. I should be doing a lot of things. If the economy gets any worse, I should probably start looking for a few paying jobs. I probably won't do any of these things and will just start planning my next trip to Kennedy Space Center instead. 

Milo is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4481

It's getting harder to get up in the morning. I'm getting plenty of sleep. I'm just not eager to start a new day. Dawn's early walks actually help make the transition from night to day. After 45 minutes outside, everything starts to seem normal again. It's hard to be in a bad mood when you are following behind a happy dog. Dawn loves her morning walks. I've learned to like them as well.

As expected, I didn't go out for breakfast this morning. I thought about it, but I wasn't that hungry. The thought of driving across town to eat more than I was hungry for made a bowl of shredded wheat sound pretty good. 

After I finished breakfast and completed a few morning chores, I called the hotel where I'm supposed to pick up my press credentials and asked if they really had a Starfish Room. They did. It was a small meeting room so they didn't bother to put it on their website. One more needless worry averted. Now I'm going to have to find something else to fret about.

I had to upgrade all the Apple stuff today. Apparently there was another hacker exploit that needed to be patched. This never used to happen. Back in the day, Apple systems seemed totally immune to hackers and malware. I could go years without worrying about my system becoming compromised. I guess that's the price you pay for becoming popular. I dutifully upgraded my phone, watch, and tablet knowing that I'll probably have to do it again in a few weeks.

Janet does her grocery shopping on Friday and grocery day has become Dawn's favorite day of the week. She gets so excited when bags of food arrive at the house and immediately starts barking for me to open the dog gate. The gate stays closed until all the food is in the house and the front door is closed. Then Dawn runs to the kitchen to supervise while everything is put away. A dog's life is pretty simple. It revolves around food and sleep. Throw in a few walks during the day and you've usually got a happy dog.

The older I get, the more I've started to live like a dog. I get lots of sleep, take naps during the day, and spend more time than I should wondering about what to eat for dinner. I also spend a huge chunk of my day walking. I walk a lot more than Dawn, but otherwise our lives are similar. Maybe this is why I react to traveling the same way Dawn does to riding in the car. Traveling gets me outside my comfort zone. It would be so easy for me to do nothing at all, but I'm convinced that new experiences are important.

My upcoming trip to Kennedy Space Center won't be a completely new experience, but every launch is different. I worry more about plane crashes that I used to and traveling seems excessively expensive now. On the other hand, I enjoy feeling part of the little community of rocket photographers and writers at KSC. Even though I don't go to the space center that often, there are still people who remember me. It's a real job too. I have a story to write and a deadline to meet. Is all this important? It's really hard to say.

Tomorrow is my own grocery day. Dawn doesn't get very excited when I return. That's probably because I usually buy things like paper towels, laundry detergent, toilet paper, and bottled water. Fresh meat and produce probably smells much more exciting to a dog. Maybe I'll look for some Hoka shoes when I'm out and about tomorrow. I"ve been thinking about new shoes for way too long.

Haley is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4432

The power company crews arrived in our alley today. I asked if they would just cut down the two trees at the back of our yard that are growing through the power lines but they made no promises. It will be much easier for them to just cut off the branches touching the wires like they've done in the past and leave the bare trunks again. The trees eventually grow back but they are so ugly now after multiple haircuts like this that they are not worth saving anymore. 

Ironically, the last time the power line crews were here they asked us if they could remove the trees. I was determined to save them then. Now that we are ready to let them go, tree trimming budgets have been cut and the crews are only doing minimal trimming. We'll have to see what happens. I thought they'd get to our trees today, but they spent most of the day in our neighbor's yard. I'm sure they'll be back though. Our trees are tangled up in the power lines worse than anyone else's.

When I was starting out on my long walk this afternoon I noticed that a friend's house had been scraped. A big excavator was being unloaded as I was walking down the street and by the time I returned the house was gone. My friend sold the house a while back and I guess that the new owners just wanted the lot with a nice view of the lake. This was a very nice house and many years had gone into fixing it up. It still seems strange to me to buy a house and just tear it down, but it's pretty common these days. RIP old house.

I wish my seasonal allergies would go away. My eyes are watering constantly and I spend the day sneezing and blowing my nose. Sadly, things will get worse as Spring approaches and everything starts to grow again. I used to suffer from allergies only a few months a year. Now it seems like there are only a few months without them.

Dawn still doesn't seem to like walking in the morning. She was eager to get her harness on today and raced out the back door, but as soon as she got to the park she froze again. We got her moving using some treats we have in  our pockets, but she froze in place several times before we completed our loop and made it home again. Oddly, we walked exactly the same route this afternoon and Dawn was fine. No problems whatsoever. None of this makes any sense to me. Maybe it would if I was a dog.

I didn't accomplish much today. I was going to wash my car but didn't get around to it. I was going to write a letter to my sister, but didn't do that either. I did take several naps and thought about what I was going to do tomorrow. I probably won't do those things either. The older I get, the less important it seems to stay busy. I still get stuff done. It just takes a little longer.

I wonder what I'll find at the grocery store tomorrow? At first I just noticed that things were getting more expensive. Now I'm starting to notice that entire shelves are empty. We never should have shut the country down for two years. The economy isn't like a light switch. You can't just turn it off and back on again. I'm glad I'm retired. This doesn't seem like a great time to be looking for new clients. Everyone seems cautious and confused. Maybe we'll snap out of this malaise, but I certainly don't have any answers.

Lady Gogh is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4431

Dawn got a clean bill of health at her exam this morning. She's lost a little weight and all her lab reports looked good. Our appointment was very early this morning, but it left the rest of the day free. Basically Dawn is a very healthy dog with a lot of anxiety. She definitely didn't like going to the vet this morning. I think she knew right away that we weren't going for ice cream.

Against my better judgement, I went up on the roof after we got home from the vet and cleared away the remaining standing water and what was left of the Fall leaves. I was pleased to see that more water had evaporated than I anticipated, but not so pleased to discover a few new tears in the elastomer that will have to be patched. It was a little harder getting down from the roof than it used to be, but the job needed to be done. Now I can work on removing the stains from the living room ceiling again. I wish I could find someone to go up on the roof for me, but it's a weird job and if someone doesn't know what they're doing they could easily ruin the fragile roof.

Janet was determined to get Dawn to walk this morning. Eventually we made it around our short one mile loop. Dawn was fine after we got off the street that leads to the park. She just doesn't like that street early in the morning. I'm not looking forward to walking Dawn when Janet is on vacation. Maybe we'll just stay in the yard for a while. If Dawn freezes in place it often takes both of us to get her home again. At least she's a healthy dog. A little weird maybe, but that's a lot better than being sick.

I'm pretty healthy too, but I feel like a cripple when I take my long walks these days. I don't think there is much I can do about the foot pain. The cartilage that used to provide a cushion is mostly gone now and I don't want to resort to steroid shots. I don't want to do the fusion surgery either. It seems like having all the little bones in your feet fused together would make walking really awkward. Sometimes I think going back to the gym would be better, but using my other joints is no picnic either. Walking is still better than doing something that puts a lot of strain on my shoulders or knees.

I still got 20,000 steps today, but I'm walking really slow now. I guess that's OK. It gives me plenty of time to think about other things I might be doing. So far, I haven't come up with anything. Most things end up being like my experience with the star tracker. I like to learn new things, but as soon as I get reasonably good at something I lose interest. As soon as I get one really good picture using the tracker it will probably go back in the box. 

The duck hasn't returned to our yard, so I guess it was just passing through. I probably should have encouraged it to stay because it looks like it was eating grubs. We've always had problems with grubs in the backyard. They live underground and eat the roots of our grass. I think grubs are one reason it has always been difficult to get grass to grow in the yard. Ducks and dogs aren't always a good mix though. Most of our dogs would have tried to kill the duck. Dawn would have probably been scared of it.

This week has really gone quickly. I was going to wash the car today but that would have violated my one task a day rule. Surviving another trip up on the roof was plenty for one day. I'm sure Dawn would say that surviving a trip to the vet was plenty for her as well.

Landry is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4428

Peanut has been adopted. When we saw this six month old puppy last week, we knew it wouldn't take long for him to find his forever home. There were still three Dalmatians at the kennel however. Today we met the newest member of the rescue program. Jo Jo is a three year old male Dalmatian mix who is still getting used to his new surroundings. We took some pictures for the website, but didn't spend a lot of time playing with this handsome boy. He needs some time to relax and get settled. Charlie and Oliver were certainly relaxed. They look forward to seeing us now and always enjoy the toys and treats we bring.

Visiting the kennel is really our only activity on Monday. Dawn got her sunrise walk, but I didn't take mine until later in the afternoon. I wanted to wait until it got warmer. It's hard to decide when to walk in the Winter. I have more energy in the morning, but don't have to wear as many coats in the afternoon. Either way, I usually have problems with my feet. I probably should start going back to the gym and try a different type of exercise. These long walks don't seem to be helping things.

I wonder when the trash is going to get picked up. The ice storm threw the sanitation department off schedule and last week's trash is still sitting out on the street. I don't think any trash got picked up last week because the dumpster at the kennel was full and so was the one at our vet. It's kind of amazing how much trash we all generate. In our neighborhood most of it is Amazon boxes. No wonder a lot of shopping malls are going out of business. Everyone is buying their stuff on Amazon.

I've been watching the power company tree crews slowly get closer and closer to our house. I wonder how cooperative they are going to be this time? We are going to ask them to take down the two trees near the alley. After many years of power line trimming, they have totally butchered these trees. Since they are right next to the power lines, there isn't much left when the trimming crews are finished with them. I wish now that we'd removed the trees seven years ago when the power company offered to cut them down. Now, they seem to be doing minimal trimming, so they might just make them really ugly again. We'll see. They'll probably be here later this week.

I didn't pay any attention to the eagles today. I didn't pay any attention to the star tracker either. I did a load of wash and ate a lot of snacks. That was about it. Other than meeting the new Dalmatian it was really an uneventful day. I wonder what I'm going to do with myself this year. I'm not nearly as obsessed with going to Kennedy Space Center or McDonald Observatory as I was in previous years. Covid restrictions have taken a lot of the fun out of traveling. I don't have the energy I used to either. I guess that's why I keep walking. It would be so easy to slip into doing nothing.

I still need to make an appointment to get my hair cut. Maybe I'll do that tomorrow. I can't believe I wore my hair long for so many years. It just seems like a nuisance now. A lot of things seem like a nuisance as you grow older. I'm glad I started this blog a long time ago. Today my attitude would be more like "why bother." Writing something every day is definitely a nuisance.

Stortz is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day