Day 4848

The weather continues to follow its unpredictable ways. It was over 90 degrees this afternoon. Yikes. That just doesn't seem right. Even though there were clear skies for most of the day, we are under another severe weather alert. It's supposed to start raining pretty hard in about an hour from now.

I tried to finish mowing today but the mower's battery died again before I could complete the back yard. I can't decide whether to replace the 24 volt batteries or replace the entire mower. Mowing the grass is one of my least favorite things, but it is good exercise and I still don't like the idea of paying a lawn service. At least our yard is small. Pushing the mower still feels tiring although it doesn't take all that long. I'll charge up the mower again and finish the rest tomorrow.

It was too hot to give Dawn an afternoon walk, but she did get a nice early morning walk. It's hard to keep her from eating grass in the park. I don't know if this is a nervous habit or if she really likes the taste. Sometimes she gets a blade of grass stuck in her throat and starts coughing. Usually a drink of water solves the problem but she doesn't seem to understand that eating grass is a bad idea. I guess it could be worse. Petey, one of our earlier Dalmatians, was obsessed with eating other dog's poop.

I went to the bank and then came home and paid the early April bills on my computer. After the mower died and put an end to my lawn care efforts I did a load of wash. Next came the day's real chore: a long walk in 90 degree weather. I completed my six mile route and even managed to get over 20,000 steps today but it was an effort. How did I do this last summer? I guess I was younger then.

All the White Pelicans in the park are gone. Their numbers have been decreasing for over a week, but I didn't see a single bird today. It seems like they stayed a little longer last year, but it's been a warm Winter. The birds spend the summer in North and South Dakota and then return the following Winter. They've been doing this for as long as I can remember. I think birds are a lot more predictable than people.

I've been wondering why I haven't heard anything about my credential request for some upcoming launches at Kennedy Space Center. Today I discovered that my only media contact at Space X no longer works there. Now who do I ask about Space X launches? People move around a lot these days. My contact list is basically worthless. Every time I try to contact someone, they are no longer there. Hopefully I will still get credentialed, but you never know. 

Nothing is very predictable anymore. In the time it has taken me to write seven paragraphs, tonight's severe weather alert has expired and the storm headed our way don't look nearly as bad. I think we're still going to get some heavy rain but we'll have to wait and see. I don't have a lot of faith in the weather forecast anymore. Whatever happens, we still need to get Dawn outside and pee before we go to bed.

Lexi is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3868

It's Dalmatian Day again. We have a new boy named Marshall on the way, but for now there are still just three dogs at the kennel. Luckie is really making progress. She trusts the kennel staff now and didn't seem nearly as shy as she did last week. She loves treats and Janet and I were both able to get her to come over to us for a cookie. Luckie might even have a forever home in the near future. We learned today that someone is looking at her this week. Charlie and Hank seemed quieter than usual. Maybe it was the heat. They played with their toys for a little bit, but mostly they just wanted to sit next to us. Not surprisingly, the two boys were just as interested in treats as Luckie. Hank has learned to sit for a treat and Charlie has a whole repertoire of tricks to impress us with.

We managed to get an early start on our walk with Dawn this morning and it was definitely worth the effort. The combination of an overcast sky with a nice breeze made the walk fairly pleasant for late July. Dawn seemed to agree. She had lots of energy today and we completed our full five miles. The park is much less busy on a weekday, but we still encounter a lot more people than we would have at this time last year. I used to remember the park being completely empty on a Monday morning. Those days are gone. There are too many folks who are still out of work and looking for something to do.

I wrote one of my Air Force contacts today to ask about the status of my media accreditation request for upcoming military launches at Kennedy Space Center. I imagine that everything has been delayed because of the coronavirus, but I would have thought I'd have an answer by now. I submitted my application months ago. It's hard for me to be patient when so many things have been put on hold. I'm very polite because I don't want to burn any bridges, but I wish I could figure out a way to move the ball forward. I'm ready to resume writing about rockets and astronomy.

I'm doing a better job of maintaining contacts with my friends out at the observatory. I got a letter from one of the astronomers today. I'm pretty sure that I'll be welcome back as soon as the place opens up again. Lord knows when that will be though. There are certainly no plans at the moment. I don't think anyone is welcoming visitors now. Even the National Parks are starting to regret opening up again. I imagine Disneyland is having second thoughts as well. Until the situation changes, I'll have to be content with making travel plans in my head while I watch the ducks and geese at the park.

I wonder if anyone realizes the true extent of the mess we have managed to create? Some say that at least half the jobs lost during the pandemic will never return. People are leaving big cities in droves. Why live in a city when the stores are boarded up and you've lost faith in public transportation. Now that they're saying the virus can be transmitted through air conditioning systems, is anyone ever going to want to come back to work in a high rise? I doubt it.

With bad news everywhere you look, this is starting to look a lot like the fall of the Roman Empire. Civilizations come and go but I never thought I'd witness something like this during my lifetime. It's easy to focus on what is happening in the United States, but the changes I'm seeing are global. I sure hope the world can manage to get it's act together. When Rome fell, it wasn't followed by the Renaissance. The Middle Ages lasted for a very long time.

Deuce is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day