Day 4784

The weather was strange today. When we took our early walk with Dawn this morning the temperature was in the high 50's. That was as high as it got and it continued to get colder for the rest of the day. It's already down to freezing and will probably get even colder overnight. I'm not looking forward to next week at all. The forecast says we are going to have freezing rain and icy roads for most of the week.

Today was mostly walking and football. I woke up with an upset stomach so I just had shredded wheat instead of our normal big weekend breakfast. After breakfast I went to the mall and walked several miles indoors. I enjoy mall walking at Northpark. The temperature is perfect. The air is clean and filtered. There's plenty to see as well. Looking at the window displays in all the stores is much more pleasant than fighting a cold lakeside wind while wondering why I didn't dress warmer. There are a few weeks in the spring and fall when the weather is actually nice. The rest of the time it is either too hot or too cold outside.

There are always several new stores that just opened when I go to the mall. Things always seem to be changing. Today, even the indoor duck pond was closed for some type of refurbishment. I wonder where they are keeping the ducks and turtles while all this construction is going on. When I returned home Dawn and Janet were ready to go on their Sunday outing. This was definitely the coldest walk of the day, but we made it. We walked faster than usual in an attempt to stay warm, but we were all glad to return to the car. It seemed kind of strange to get ice cream on such a cold day, but Dawn loves her ice cream cones. Personally I could have used a cup of hot chocolate.

It was definitely an afternoon to stay inside so I ended up watching both NFL playoff games. The Bengals and Chiefs game was the more interesting game. It was a close contest right down to the final seconds. The Eagles ran all over the 49ers. It was pretty clear that the Eagles were going to win this game early on. Dawn wanted the bed to herself and wasn't happy with me watching the Eagles game. Later, when Janet came home Dawn was much more interested in the cooking that was going on in the kitchen, so I had the bedroom to myself. I don't often spend the afternoon watching football but the Bengals and Chiefs game was definitely worth watching. 

The house feels cold even though the temperature inside is the same as it's always been. I've had to bring out the little ceramic space heater and put it under my desk. No shorts today either. I'm wearing heavy pants and a sweater. I'm not sure what to expect with the roof next week. We haven't had sustained freezing rain for quite a while. If memory serves, sometimes the leaks are worse when heat from inside the house melts the bottom layer of ice on the roof. We'll just have to see what happens. There's not much I can do about the weather.

I might not be able to get my steps next week. That would be a shame. It's probably going to be too cold and wet to walk in the park and too icy on the roads to drive to the gym or mall. I'll never get 10,000 steps pacing around the house. The house is just too little. Hopefully, we'll be able to give Dawn her morning walk before the rain and sleet starts.

Spirit is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4777

I did a whole lot of walking today. I really wanted to have five 20,000 step days in a row, so I ended up taking four walks. We started off with Dawn's sunrise walk. Then I went mall walking at Northpark. When I returned it was time for Dawn's Sunday outing. Finally, to push me over my 20,000 step goal, I took another walk in the park. Walking was enjoyable. Watching the Dallas Cowboys playoff game later in the day, not so much. It looks like it's going to be a long time before the Cowboys ever get to the Super Bowl again.

It was really chilly this morning. I think Dawn thought we were crazy for taking an early walk when she could have been sleeping an extra hour in our bed. She got her reward when we returned though. She gets to have a little bacon when we have our Sunday morning breakfast. I rarely cook since Janet is a much better cook than I am. I made French Toast this morning though. Every once in a while, French Toast hits the spot.

Northpark seemed kind of empty this morning. Maybe I was a little early, but there were a lot fewer walkers today. All the Christmas decoration were gone and so were most of the sale signs in the store windows. I'm still surprised at how rapidly stores open and close at the mall. Every week there is something new. Two new stores opened for the first time this week, but even more seem to have disappeared. There were a lot of boarded-up storefronts this week. It's probably because the rent is so high. A lot of stores probably can't afford to stay at this location.

It still seem weird to me that I always walk slower when I'm inside. The temperature is always pleasant and the terrain is flat. You'd think I'd walk faster here. Of all the walks I took today, my Northpark indoor walk was the slowest. Maybe I'm slower because I'm looking in the store windows. I'm not conscious of walking slower as I pass the window displays, but maybe looking at things slows me down. Apparently watching ducks and animals when I'm outside doesn't slow me down.

When we took Dawn on her Sunday outing, it was foot pain that slowed me down. Dawn and Janet finished the one mile walk well ahead of me. Dawn is always really excited to go on these Sunday outings.     As soon as the car starts though, her excitement turns to panic. After all this time you'd thing she'd know where we were going. Apparently not. Every day is a new day for Dawn. She really enjoys this new and different walk though. There are all kinds of new things to smell.

Our ice cream was really soft this morning. The quality of the cones seems to change from week to week. Dawn doesn't seems to care whether the cones are firm or soft, but a soft cone makes for a messier experience. When Dawn licks a soft cone there's always more of a mess in the car.

I was hoping that our Sunday outing would get me over 20,000 steps, but unfortunately it didn't. After resting a bit I took one final walk on a path where I used to see owls. I haven't used this route for quite a while and was curious to see if anything had changed. Everything looked more or less the same, but there were no owls and the nest that used to be up in a tall tree was gone. I did see some Great Egrets though and it was a beautiful clear day, so all was not lost.

Not a bad day, all things considered. I even managed to get some laundry done. Tomorrow it's back to my routine weekday schedule. I think we're due for more rain and even colder weather this week. I'm not looking forward to that. I'm tired of this runny nose I've got and am really ready for Spring.

Raider is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4546

Lots of walking today. It was another 20,000 step day. We took our sunrise walk with Dawn, ate breakfast, and then I immediately took my long walk in the park before the temperature got too hot. A local running club was having a 10K race and there were lots of runners sharing the trails with me. The fast runners had already finished, but the slow stragglers were still making their way toward the finish line. Some of the slowest weren't going much faster than me. I momentarily thought of crossing the finish line myself, but I walked around it. Runners are a proud lot. I'm sure someone would have called me out as a fraud. 

Big races often have live musicians placed along the course. I guess this is to provide encouragement. One hapless duo were playing the Eagles greatest hits very badly. They sang out of tune and kept playing long after all the runners were gone. One my way home I heard them say they were going to play one last song. After they were finished one of the guys thanked everyone for coming and said he hoped they enjoyed the show. There was absolutely nobody within three hundred yards of the band. I think they were playing for squirrels.

I rested about an hour after I returned home and then Janet and I took Dawn on her Sunday outing.  I was afraid that it might be too hot for her, but she had a good time and did fine. It probably helped that there was a nice breeze and it was partially overcast. When we went for ice cream today we got lucky and received nice sized cones. They even put some ice cream inside the cone instead of just plopping a single scoop on top. Dawn expects the ice cream now. I think she would be very disappointed if we skipped this part of the outing.

This afternoon I went and looked at dishwashers in two additional stores. This turned out to be a good idea because both Lowes and Home Depot still had Memorial Day sales going on and offered much better deals than Best Buy. I found an LG model that I liked and will probably go get it tomorrow. Appliance sales are deceptive. There's the price on the sticker and then there are all the hidden extras. Installation and delivery are extra. The hoses and fittings to hook up your appliance are extra. Most dealers charge you extra to haul away your old appliance as well. It is what is is though. Few people will want to install a dishwasher themselves. Hopefully I can schedule the installation fairly soon because the old dishwasher is still leaking water.

I still haven't figured out the best way to catch the rat in the atrium. I have a Havahart Animal Trap but it only seems to trap squirrels. Rats are too smart. They quickly learn how to eat the bait without setting off the trap. I'll see if I can find the trap tomorrow and see if it still works. It's probably been eight years since I've used it. It's worth a try anyway. I really don't want to kill the rat.

There's already new firmware for the star tracker, but I don't have the nerve to install it. Everything is working now. Why do I even need the new firmware? I guess I don't really have the temperament to be a Beta tester. Each new firmware version adds additional features, but many of them don't work in the beginning. It can be frustrating. No wonder the Kickstarter backers got a good deal on this product. We are the ones working out all the bugs before it goes on sale commercially.

It will be good to go back and see the rescue Dalmatians tomorrow. All eleven of Sammy's puppies, as well as Sammy herself, have found great homes. Charlie, Oliver, JoJo, and Rocket are still waiting for their chance at a forever home though. Maybe our attempts to socialize these boys will help.

Scooby is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4385

I wasn't expecting it to be cold and foggy this morning since yesterday was the hottest Christmas on record. The weather has been hard to predict lately. Every day is something new. The dense fog didn't last long, but it was very pretty. Since it was Sunday, I did a lot of walking again. After our early foggy walk with Dawn, I ate breakfast and then hit the trails again. I tried to use Voltaren today to ease the inevitable foot pain, but it didn't seem to work very well. I'm not sure that any of these over the counter pain remedies actually do anything.

The weather warmed up rapidly today. It wasn't as hot as yesterday, but the only time I needed a jacket was on our early walk with Dawn. There were still plenty of people in the park. Kids must have not wanted scooters for Christmas this year, because I didn't see any. On the day after Christmas in previous year you'd see lots of new kids scooters in the park. I did see several guys trying out their new drones. You can always tell when someone has just gotten a drone because they crash them a lot. 

When I returned from my long walk, I could tell that Dawn was ready to go on her outing. She's got a good sense of time and she thought I was late. We almost immediately got in the car and headed for Dawn's Sunday park. Dawn gets so excited to go on her outing, but as soon as she gets in the car, she becomes apprehensive again. It's a good thing that it isn't a long drive. We all had a very nice walk even though the ground was damp and our shoes got wet. I really need to buy some of the waterproof Hoka hiking boots because I'm getting tired of wet feet.

We always enjoy getting ice cream on the way home. The ice cream place still has a help wanted sign out front. Actually every restaurant in town has a help wanted sign out front. I can understand why restaurant jobs might not seem as desirable anymore, but why is there a shortage of truck drivers? A lot of truck driving jobs pay very well. The work ethic that my parents had just isn't there any more. I certainly have no desire to return to the work force, even though I could probably get a shitty job tomorrow since everyone is short on staff. Maybe that's the point. Nobody wants a terrible job anymore and most low level jobs are still terrible.

After we returned from Dawn's outing, my feet were telling me that they'd had enough for today. I've become hooked on getting 20,000 steps a day, so after a short rest, I went out again. For my last walk of the day I've been choosing an old path I used to use a lot when I walked Dot and Dash. I used to have specific things I looked for on this path that I used as memory builders. It became a game for me to find every single item on my list. I've started doing this again, but my mind seems to wander. The game is much harder ten years later.

We had leftover Christmas dinner tonight. It was just as good as it was yesterday. It's hard to cook a small Christmas dinner, so it looks like we will be eating very well this week. I'm a bit apprehensive about tomorrow. I guess I'm optimistic and pessimistic at the same time. The last time I talked with someone at the local Fedex distribution center on Friday, he practically promised me that my missing package would be located and ready for me to pick up on Monday. These people have been wrong so many times before though. I guess it doesn't hurt to remain optimistic until I makes that initial phone call right after breakfast tomorrow morning. 

I'm not sure if we'll be visiting Charlie and Oliver at the kennel tomorrow. The Christmas rush might not be over yet, since some people board their dogs while they are away between Christmas and New Years. One way or another, it should be an interesting day.

Dash is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4378

24,000 steps today. My feet hurt, but it was a good day to walk. It was very cold this morning, but I have lots of warm coats. On our sunrise walk with Dawn this morning I wore two coats for the first time this season. The double layer of down jackets keeps me warm in almost any type of weather. I used to wear my heavy vintage Eddie Bauer parka on days like these, but these two lightweaght jackets work much better. I wear a snug very lightweight jacket under a looser outer jacket and am never cold. If it's really a chilly day, I'll put on a sweater and wear long underwear as well. The only thing I need now are warmer shoes. The Hoka shoes really help with foot pain, but they aren't built for warmth.

One of the birders at Sunset Bay told me that I'd have a better chance of seeing the eagles if I came in the afternoon. This guy is pretty dedicated. He's out there with his long telephoto lens every single day. I don't think capturing a good photo of an eagle matters that much to me. I've gotten a lot of nice bird pictures over the years. I'm not a birder though. I'm often not even sure what type of bird I photographed until I look it up on Google later. I'm sure I'll see the eagles again at some point, but I probably won't have my camera with me. 

We did end up taking Dawn on her Sunday outing today. There was no reason not to go, especially since Dawn loves the cold. Janet uses this Sunday walk to work on Dawn's training exercises. This is a good thing for me, since I could never keep up with these two otherwise. After our walk, we went for ice cream cones. The ice cream seemed extra cold today, but it was good. It's always funny to watch Dawn eat ice cream. This dog definitely has issues, but she can be very funny.

I can see on my Fedex account that my package has moved to a new warehouse. There was still no attempt at delivery though. Unfortunately the Mesquite warehouse where the package is now has an even worse reputation than the Hutchins warehouse where it was yesterday. I still don't know what is going on, but I don't expect to see this package before Christmas. If some of the comments I'm reading from other customers are true, I may never see it at all. At least I have finally been able to contact the manufacturer and let them know what is going on. Communication is difficult because I think some of the e-mail from the Chinese manufacturer is being intercepted by my hosting company's spam filters. Most people have two layers of spam protection these says. You never even see the spam and malicious mail that your web host or e-mail provider intercepts. Spam still gets through though and the e-mail reader on your computer or phone provides a second layer of protection. With all these filters in place only about a dozen spam messages a day wind up in my in box. Without the spam filters I would be wading through hundreds of spam messages every day.

Our cable set-top box went out today. This used to happen a lot, but service has been fairly reliable for the past year, so I forgot how to reset everything. The U-verse box doesn't interact with our new TV the same way it did with our old TV either. I spent most of my non walking time today trying to bring the U-verse signal back to life.  Eventually I succeeded and I didn't even have to call AT&T. I'm pretty good at solving technical problems. Not so good at anything else lately.

We'll probably visit the rescue Dalmatians again tomorrow. We'll call first and make sure the holiday boarding traffic hasn't started yet. When the kennel fills up, there is no room to play with the Charlie and Oliver. It's hard to believe that Christmas is actually next weekend. I'm not feeling the Christmas spirit yet. Of course that's nothing new. I rarely have any Christmas spirit. I still think Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday.

Ranger is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4367

Today was uneventful. I wanted to sleep longer this morning even though I got plenty of sleep. It was warmer when we took Dawn on her sunrise walk today. It was also very foggy. Construction on the trails in the park has blocked some of the routes we used to take, but this doesn't seem to have bothered Dawn. The short little one mile loop that provides the quickest path back to the house is still her favorite.

I spent some extra time walking today because I couldn't think of anything else I wanted to do. I've had three 20,000 step days in a row now. Walking is a good way to avoid things. You're really not doing anything, but you feel good about it. It's a lot better than just sitting in a chair. I let my mind wander while I walk, but I don't have many profound thoughts. I basically do the same things I used to do as a kid when my parents took us on car trips. I count animals. I try to identify brands of cars at a distance. I think about what I'm going to have for dinner. I have no plans to save the world and very few big dreams. When I hear someone say they are passionate about something I am mystified. What is that even about? A lot of things are interesting, but I don't think I've ever been passionate about anything.

I've joined a lot of interest groups on the Internet over the years and I'm continually amazed at the time and energy some people put into their hobbies. Amateur astronomers are always trying to outdo each other with pictures of their telescopes. These guys spend a fortune on telescopes. Watch collectors used to do the same thing but I don't see as much interest in watches anymore. The Apple Watch has kind of taken over the watch market. Model railroading has almost disappeared. I don't think younger people are very interested in trains. Some of the dog show people are pretty intense, but I do enjoy seeing pictures of their dogs. I used to be interested in art, but I sold most of my collection. I don't miss any of the things that used to hang on our walls. I still get e-mail from the galleries and auction houses though. They must think I have more stashed away somewhere. Pick your passion, I guess. There seems to be an unlimited number of things you can obsess about.

The stand for the new TV arrived today. We had to get a stand because current model flat screens don't have a pedestal base and you can't just place them on top of the VCR and cable set top box like our old TV. The box for the stand is smaller than I thought it would be but is very heavy. I haven't opened it yet, but I have a feeling that there will be a lot of assembly involved. I know that Janet will want to throw the old TV away when the new one arrives. I will inevitably want to get it repaired and then place it in the storage warehouse. Jeez. I still haven't used any of the keyboards and synthesizers I had repaired two years ago. I'll have a million reasons for saving the TV, but most of them will be bogus. It might make a good second monitor for my computer, but my desk isn't even big enough for two large monitors. Lets face it. I just don't like to throw things away.

Activity really seems to be picking up down at Kennedy Space Center. There is a launch scheduled almost every week now. I wish it wasn't so expensive to go down there. I can't say I'm passionate about space either, but launches are really interesting. At least they are interesting for now. One of these days I'll realize that they are all basically just the same. A flash of light, a loud noise, and three minutes later it's all over.

Willow is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4301

Today was beautiful. It's hard to complain about clear blue skies and cooler temperatures. Dawn was ready for a walk as soon as we woke up this morning. She doesn't really approve of sleeping in on weekends. One of the many nice things about cooler weather is that we don't really need to walk before sunrise anymore. It's cool enough now to walk a dog any time of day.

After a breakfast of pancakes and sausages, I took my long walk. I wanted to be finished in time for Dawn's Sunday outing. The park was full of people this morning and the roads were crowded. I think everyone with a convertible had their top down today. I saw a beautifully restored Porsche 356 Speedster and a Shelby Cobra on my way to the park. There were lots of convertible Mustangs and Cameros as well. I've never understood the appeal of a convertible. I've never even opened the sunroof on my car. I prefer as much insulation from road noise and exhaust fumes as I can get.

I'm surprised that the lake level is still way down after the big rain we got the other day. The little bay where all the ducks and geese used to gather is still mostly dry. I see lots of photographers with long telephoto lenses in the park on weekends. I don't think they were very successful today. There were lots of people taking advantage of the nice day, but the animals were elsewhere.

When we took Dawn on her Sunday outing, there were crews taking down lots of tents. I think there was a big Octoberfest event yesterday. As you might expect, there was trash everywhere. People don't seem to be able to throw their trash in a trash can even if there are receptacles every ten feet. I have no desire to attend festivals like this. I'm not even sure I want to go to the fair. There are way too many people for me. 

Dawn doesn't know how to pace herself. She gets too excited on these Sunday outings and it wasn't long before her tongue was hanging out and we needed to rest under some shade trees. The weather was cool and we weren't walking fast. Dawn couldn't relax though. She seems to really like these outings, but she is still a very anxious dog. The ice cream cone at the end of our walk did calm her down. We all love ice cream.

After three walks I was done for the day. Since the weather was nice I thought I'd try to clear some weeds out of the gravel pathways in the back yard. That didn't last long. My knees are terrible now and weeding is no longer something my body seems to approve of. Never mind. I convinced myself that the weeds were going to die soon anyway and went back into the house.

I can't get the new sleep tracking features on my watch to work, but the watch talks to me now. Who thought that was a good idea? I've got to figure out how to turn this off. There is too much noise in the park already. I don't need to listen to my watch telling me how slow I'm going.

Tomorrow we'll visit the Dalmatian kennels. We always do this on Mondays. I'm not sure if Oliver is back from the vet yet, but Charlie will be there to greet us. 

Hobbs is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4294

Sunday's are always enjoyable. We get up a little later. We spend more time with Dawn. And we end the day with a nice dinner that usually provides leftovers for the rest of the week. Lately, our Fall weather has been making Sundays even better.

I did a lot of walking today. The temperature was only in the sixties when we took our sunrise walk with Dawn. You can tell the days are getting shorter. We get up later now, but it is still dark outside when we leave the house. I wonder why they wait so long to go back to Standard Time? The time change doesn't happen until November 7 this year. A lot of people seem to think it would be better to stay on Standard Time all year. I think I agree.

It was still cool outside when I took my long walk after breakfast. I've noticed that I walk faster when the weather is cooler. I'm sure I have more energy on some days than others, but the temperature has proven to be a pretty reliable predictor of my pace. I can tell how fast I am walking now just by listening to the rhythm of my steps. Usually the Fitbit confirms my guess. If you do something long enough it all starts to fall into a pattern. Sometimes when the park is empty I see how far I can walk with my eyes closed. Often I know exactly where to turn.

I think we need rain. The grass in the park is starting to turn yellow and the water level in the lake is really low. The geese have moved because the little bay where they used to congregate is completely dry now. I'm always surprised at how shallow this lake is. I think you could walk halfway across before the water got above your head. I'm sure our yard could use some rain as well, but I'm not ready to start worrying about the roof again. This long dry spell has been kind of relaxing for me.

Dawn had a nice Sunday outing today. We've been waiting until later in the morning to leave the house to make sure the ice cream place is open and now we don't have to worry about it being too hot outside for Dawn. The weather was nice all day today. Dawn enjoyed her walk and we all enjoyed the ice cream. It's a simple little tradition, but seeing a dog eat ice cream always makes us smile.

Ever since I returned from the hospital I've been getting e-mail surveys from various places asking me to rate the care I received. Even the anesthesiologist sent me a survey. Today I got a survey asking me to rate another survey. What is the point of all this? Do people even tell the truth on surveys? I rarely fill them out, but if I do I always say nice things. I just don't want anyone following up with me trying to resolve a problem that wasn't a big deal in the first place. 

I have to take my car in this week for a scheduled maintenance. I skipped last year's scheduled maintenance so I expect that this will be expensive. I had planned to do the maintenance earlier, but it took almost a month to reserve a loaner car. The dealership used to have tons of loaner cars, but now they are in short supply. One more example of a supply chain problem caused by Covid.

I need to remember my camera tomorrow. Janet tells me that there is a new Dalmatian up at the kennel. Even bigger news is that Cooper got adopted a few days ago. We already go a picture of Cooper sitting on his new owner's sofa. Dalmatians adapt really quickly to home life. 

Suki is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day