Day 4187

I didn't accomplish a lot today. It's still too wet to mow the grass or do yardwork. There are indoor projects I could start, but I've been trying to avoid them. Eventually I'm going to have to repair the sheetrock in the ceiling where water used to leak, but I"m not sure I have the skills to do this. I'm not sure I want to hire anyone either. It's a messy, very dusty job. It's a lot easier just to not look up and pretend that the stained areas aren't there.

I ended up writing a letter to my sister and telling her about the lost letter that went to O'Reilly Auto Parts. I wish she'd start reading the blog, because that's a lot easier way to keep up with things. I can respect someone who wants to ignore the Internet though. I'd kind of like to ignore it myself, but I'm too lazy. I've grown to depend on Google and Wikipedia to verify things I'm not sure about and I don't know what I'd do without online shopping. I've grown to hate driving around town looking for things I need. Stores are often out of stock and prices are almost always better online. I'd probably be just fine writing the blog with a ball point pen in a little leather bound journal, but it would be hard for me to give up Amazon.

When I went to the post office I noticed that they no longer had a mask mandate. They just had a sign saying that it would be rude and inconsiderate to come inside without one. Masks are going to be around for a long time. A certain segment of the population loves them and they are very judgmental. I don't really care. Personally, I'd rather expand the six foot rule to a ten foot rule and make sure that I never got close to anyone again. If the pandemic has accomplished anything, it has convinced me that the rest of the world is full of disease and should be avoided at all costs.

Dawn really seems to be overcoming her fear of being around me in the kitchen. She's started following me to the kitchen when I go to fix her dinner now. This is new. She used to wait until I was safely back in the office again before she would venture out to eat. She likes going out in the back yard with me as well. After breakfast we will often spend up to an hour sitting out in the sun together. This is a slow process though and Dawn spooks very easily. She doesn't like loud noises and sometimes all it takes is blowing my nose to send her running away.

It was hot today on my walk but at least there was a nice breeze. I've started dipping my hat in water every time I pass a water fountain in the park and that seems to help keep me cooler. It's amazing how quickly the water evaporates though. I should probably just spray myself with a hose before I leave the house. I'd probably be entirely dry again by the time I returned.

It looks like it's clear out at the observatory tonight. I'd still kind of sad I'm not out there with my camera. I hope they decide to continue the photography night program. There just aren't that many opportunities to spend the night on Mount Locke. I'll skip the monsoon season, but I'd like to go back in the Fall. Maybe rental car rates will have become more reasonable by then. Maybe I'll have mastered using the star tracker as well.

I wonder if travel will ever seen normal again? Janet and I used to travel a lot, but cities aren't safe anymore and neither of us likes to camp. I'm glad we saw the world when it was a simpler, safer place. A lot of places we've visited wouldn't even be conceivable now. Hopefully, exciting trips will still be an option in the years ahead. I wonder though. The world has become a very strange place.

We'll see what happens. For now, I've got groceries to buy and another long, hot walk to look forward to.

Willa is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4174

It was a busy day for a lazy guy like me. I got my grocery shopping done right after breakfast and then I came home and mowed the grass. The grass was pretty thick, but I managed to get the job done before the mower's battery ran out. Everything looks surprisingly green this year. All this rain probably helps. After I finished mowing, I treated all the fire ant mounds that have started to appear in the yard. Hopefully, the Amdro powder does the trick. I think these ants are biting Dawn when she's outside. The yard actually looks pretty good now. It probably won't last long.

While I was grocery shopping, I noticed that there are no longer any mask mandates. Everyone still wears a mask though. I didn't see anyone in the two grocery stores I went to this morning without a mask, even though they weren't required. I go with the flow. If everyone else is wearing a mask, I'll wear one too. If people aren't wearing a mask, I won't wear one either. I never wear a mask outside though. That seemed silly even at the height of the pandemic. By the looks of things today, it's going to take a long, long time to return to normal. I think we've all forgotten what normal is.

Dawn is getting more adventurous. She went off in a different direction again on her walk today. She seems to know the way home, which is a good thing. I hope her new found curiosity continues. Exploring is a good thing for a dog. It probably isn't bad for people either. 

I waited a while today before taking my long walk. Mowing the lawn tired me out. When we first bought the house, I mowed the lawn with an old fashioned push mower. It seemed easy back then. Now, mowing is quite a chore. The electric mower isn't self propelled and I have to push it up and down hills. I used to have a self-propelled Yazoo gas mower, but it broke years ago. The gas mower was hard to start and broke frequently. The only problem I've had with the electric mower is dead batteries. It's much easier to buy a new battery than to haul the entire mower to a repair shop. I wonder if I'll feel the same way about electric cars someday. I hear they are pretty low maintenance too.

I walked the full six miles today, but I was very slow. I think my days of doing manual labor are numbered. On days where I have a lot of chores to do, I don't really feel like walking. I keep going though, because I know that if I ever quit, it will be very difficult to get started again. I watched my Dad become sedentary and I don't want it to happen to me. My plan for staying healthy is pretty simple. You've just got to keep moving.

The weather was a lot better today. There were clouds early in the day, but a lot of sunshine later. It was almost the opposite of the way it was yesterday. Tomorrow looks good as well. We'll probably take Dawn on a little outing again. She seems to like visiting a different park on Sundays. Maybe she just likes the ice cream.

Emmitt is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4160

I spent the day falling asleep at random moments. That's the price you pay for spending a week masquerading as a younger man. It was worth it though. I really needed my visit to the observatory. Today was kind of like those stories you hear about astronauts returning from the ISS. I felt heavy and sluggish. Grocery shopping wasn't at all like star watching.

I had a lot of things on my list today. I had to get some fire ant bait because our yard is getting overrun with fire ant mounds. Most of the things on  my list were still readily available, but I had to find a new store that carried my favorite beer. Since the mask mandate has been rescinded in Texas, shoppers were a mix of of masked and bare faced. This is going to be a problem. These two different approaches to life are never going to come to a mutual agreement about anything. I even saw a few gas lines this morning. This is crazy because there is no shortage of gas in Texas. Gasoline is plentiful. We were never affected by that pipeline shutdown at all.

Dawn apparently thinks that I am a necessary component in her daily walks. Janet told me that she was reluctant to take walks while I was away. When I asked her if she was ready for a walk today, she immediately gave me one of those big Dalmatian smiles and started wagging her tail. When we left the house she couldn't wait to return to her regular one mile loop. In Dawn's world I am apparently a necessary and beloved dog walker, but a scary and frightening presence in the kitchen. I can't figure it out, but I'm willing to go with the flow. Maybe Dawn just has PTSD from years of being abused at the breeding kennel.

I took my new camera with me to the observatory, but I completely forgot how to use one of the features I thought would be useful for astrophotography. I didn't have a lot of time to figure things out, so I reverted to using my old camera and a few tried and true settings. I got some good pictures, but was frustrated that the new camera appeared to be broken. This afternoon I was determined to figure out whether it was the camera or me. I loaded the massive 500 page PDF instruction manual in my computer and slowly went through the procedure for creating Live Composite images. Yep. It was me. The camera worked fine. They could have made enabling this feature a little easier to do in the dark. There were way too many steps and it wasn't intuitive at all.  Maybe I just don't have the same capacity to assimilate new knowledge as I did when I was younger. I had trouble with the star tracker  and the PixInsight processing software as well. I'm determined to master the intricacies of the new camera by the time I return to the observatory again. I've probably got plenty of time.

My long walk was difficult today. It was hot outside and my feet were giving me problems again. It's a mystery why my foot pain is so inconsistent. I have good days and bad days. Today was one of the bad days. I completed six miles, but I didn't set any speed records. I was practically limping by the time I returned to the house. I don't understand this at all. I wear the same shoes and walk the same route. It seems like any discomfort would be more consistent.

I'm back on the Air Force launch list. I've received two notifications for upcoming military launches this week, but I don't think this would be a good time to go to Florida. I keep hearing that there are gas lines everywhere and rental cars are almost impossible to find. Rental car rates have gone up in Dallas, but it is much, much worse in Florida. I feel like waiting until life returns to normal before traveling to Kennedy Space Center to attend a launch. On the other hand, I may never travel again if I wait for life to return to normal. Maybe I should just plan a trip to Boca Chica for a Starship launch. That's where the future is anyway.

Tomorrow's version of normal will probably include a trip to Dawn's alternate park for a Sunday walk. If we're lucky there might be an ice cream cone as well.

Sadie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day