Day 3459

Travel is stressful. NASA finally confirmed a launch date for the Falcon Heavy, so I started looking for a hotel. Literally as I was looking online, I started seeing hotels disappear from the availability list. In less than four hours half of the hotels were already gone. I guess everybody else attending the launch was looking at the same time I was. I'm not good making quick decisions and hotel prices can be confusing. The price you see online is usually meaningless because most hotels change their prices everyday based on demand and availability. I picked a few places that looked nice and called the front desk, even though the website showed no availability. I ended up getting one of the last two rooms available at a nice hotel very near the space center. I felt like the clock was ticking the entire time I was making the reservations. The whole experience confirmed my opinion that it is always better to talk with a real person. You can make changes and compromises when you are talking to a real person. Websites aren't flexible at all.

I went back to the hotel with the good French Toast for breakfast this morning. Breakfast was delicious as always, but my appetite keeps shrinking. I could barely finish my meal. Even though I'm a creature of habit, I need to eat less. During the power outage Janet and I just has some fresh fruit for breakfast that didn't need to be refrigerated. A small bowl of peaches, strawberries, and blueberries was just about perfect. Maybe I need to make this my regular morning meal. Even my smoothie is starting to seem too complicated now.

I'm so glad the weather was cooler during our power outage. It's starting to warm up again and we would have been miserable without power with temperatures in the nineties. We were really lucky that temperatures were in the seventies while we had no electricity. Although life is getting back to normal in Dallas, I'm still hearing the sound of chain saws everywhere. The storm must be a bonanza for tree services and lawn care companies. I had no idea there were so many tree trimming services in Dallas. They're everywhere in our neighborhood. So far, the city's Park and Recreation Department seems to be doing the best job of tree removal. City workers were out in force in the park today, sawing up downed trees with chain saws and hauling away the debris in large trucks.

I wrote a letter to my sister asking if she'd like us to stop and visit when we return from Florida. It might be difficult to coordinate a visit with someone who only communicates through the U.S. mail, but we'll see what happens. I mentioned in my letter that a visit might be easier if she started using her phone.

I guess the week starts on Monday, but it always seems to start on Friday for me. Friday's have seemed like Saturday to me for years. I guess that an empty trash can and breakfast at a nearby restaurant signals a new start. It certainly seemed like Saturday today. I almost started to run my regular weekend errands, but then I finally remembered. I hope my memory doesn't become even worse in the years ahead. I forgot to wear my hat again on my morning walk. I guess a sunburned head will eventually jog my memory.

Daisy is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1488

I woke up with a nosebleed this morning. For most of my life I wouldn't have given something like this a second thought. Now that half my friends have had heard attacks and I have a primary care physician who is obsessed with heart attacks, it's hard not to be a hypochondriac. It seems like there's always something that isn't working the way it should. I try not to worry about my health though. After all, there are other things to worry about, like water on the roof, clogged printers, and unexplained engine noises.

Janet likes to walk the dogs on weekends, so I went up on the roof to inspect the downed tree while everyone was away.  The tree is still there of course, but I'll have to give the roofers credit. There doesn't appear to be any damage to the roof at all. Despite some nasty icy weather and  falling tree limbs, the new roof has held up pretty well.

It's really hard to anticipate what the weather is going to be like in January here in Texas. Although we had temperatures in the single digits last week, it was in the mid-sixties today. It was nice to be able to go outside without bundling up, but the ground was still muddy. It remains to be seen whether the dog park will be open tomorrow. Sometimes they close the park even on nice days when the ground is muddy. If the dogs have any say in this, it will definitely be open.

I went to Home Depot and got a new furnace filter today. It irritates me to pay $19 for a furnace filter, but I guess it's my fault. I'm always compelled to buy the best instead of the cheapest. I could have gotten a filter for $4, but it looked completely worthless. I used to have some great electrostatic filters for the old furnace. They were made from sturdy aluminum and I would wash them out every month and use them again and again. With today's practice of only keeping the most popular items in inventory, I just can't find these things anymore. I'm sure I could find something on the Internet, but I still like the idea of a hardware store that has everything. Trust me on this. Home Depot does not have everything. They don't even come close.

There was nothing very eventful about today. That's a good thing though. There are clean sheets on the bed. A big pile of towels has been washed. All the weekend errands are done. The printer is even working. Dot and Dash are happy and full of energy today. What more could you ask for?

Pepper is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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Day 1482

There were a lot of people at the gym today. Most of them were walking or running around the large, oval indoor track. It certainly made sense to me. Dallas has a lot of joggers and it was very cold today. If I were a runner, I'd certainly rather run indoors on a day like this. I still saw a few outdoor runners when I walked the dogs, but these were the masochists. There are those who think they aren't getting a good workout unless they are putting their body through some kind of hell. I'm not one of those people. There will be no Ironman marathons for me.

There were some rather large people working out near me today. Sometimes I'm amazed at how strong fat people can be. They may have a heart attack at any minute, but they can certainly bench press more than me. Lifting weights isn't one of my strong points. I've got good core strength though. I can do a plank forever.

As might be expected, the dogs weren't all that excited about going outside today. Who could blame them? Did I mention it was cold? We didn't bother to go to the dog park today and Dot and Dash were content to nap on their dog beds, conveniently located near a warm heater vent. I don't like the cold much more than I like the rain. I'd like a climate like Hawaii where it was mild all year long with no obvious seasons. In my Hawaii there'd be no hurricanes though, and nobody would have discovered the place yet, so property values would be low. A lot of things I like only exist in my mind.

Janet got a crock pot for Christmas and she decided to try it out today. I don't think either of us realized just how slow a slow cooker actually is. Five hours wasn't nearly enough. Tonight's dinner will end up being tomorrow's dinner instead. That's OK. While we're waiting, the house sure smells good. I've always liked the idea of one pot meals. Make something good in a big pot and then eat the leftovers for the rest of the week. It's tasty, it's easy, and there aren't many dishes to wash.

My workload has been pretty light for the past several weeks, but I'm afraid things will be returning to normal tomorrow. By tomorrow, just about all the holiday travelers will have returned to their cubicles. Maybe some of my clients in the Northern states will still be snowed in though. No hurry guys. You can wait till Summer to start sending me stuff if you'd like.

Lucy is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1461 - Blogiversary

The sun returned today. The bright blue sky and warmer temperatures were a welcome relief from last week's icy weather. I was so happy to see the sun that I got an enormous amount accomplished today. The big pile of equipment from our Santa Paws photo shoots has been put back in its proper place. The car has been washed. I even cleaned all the leaves and ice off the roof. Yes, there was still ice up there after an entire week of gradually warmer temperatures. That was quite an ice storm we had! I finally got up my nerve to talk to my neighbor about the tree of theirs that was still resting on my roof. They were actually quite nice and said they'd already contacted a tree service to remove it.

Fortunately, there was more to the day than an endless progression of weekend chores. Janet and I also went to photograph a very old German Shepard, so the owners could have a nice portrait to remember the dog by when it went to The Rainbow Bridge. The old dog was weak and couldn't walk anymore, since her rear legs had become paralyzed from the canine equivalent of ALS. She definitely hadn't given up yet, however. There was a dignity in the dog's eyes that I often see in older dogs. I hope my photos captured this dog's spirit. Sometimes I think that dogs cope with their short time on Earth much better than we humans do with our much longer block of time. We could learn a lot from the dignity of dogs.

It was hard getting out of bed this morning. I've been tired all week and even though it is getting warmer, I still don't think my body has completely recovered from last week's ice storm. I spent quite a bit of time on my knees photographing the old German Shepard and I felt like joining her on her comfy fleece dog bed. My legs weren't working all that well either at that point. After a long day filled with indoor and outdoor chores, I'm looking forward to a good night's sleep.

I'm hoping that today's mild weather continues through next week. Even though I got a lot accomplished today, there's still a long list of chores on my to-do list. There are still Christmas gifts to buy, bills to pay, and an illusive UPS package to locate. Oh, I almost forgot. Today I begin my fifth full year as a blogger. It's my Blogiversary again. Can you believe it? Five years without missing a single day. I don't think I've been this consistent with anything before. It's been a lot of work, but it's been good for me to collect my thoughts like this at the end of each day. I see a rhythm and poetry to life that I never noticed before. Although I'm still a grumpy old man, I think this forced reflection has made me a better person in many subtle ways. Who knows how long this personal journey will continue, but as long as it does, I hope that each of you will continue to join me for a few minutes at the end of each day. I'll see you again tomorrow.

Jasper is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1321

Today was pleasant. The weather was surprisingly mild for a July day in Texas. Janet fixed a nice breakfast. The dogs enjoyed their visit to the dog park. They even saw several dogs that they knew. When we returned home, I got the lawnmower out and mowed until the yard looked presentable again. I'm more or less caught up on work assignments too. The only thing that was missing today was a mid-afternoon Dr. Who marathon on BBC.

Since I finished my weekend cores early, I decided to brave the crowds at the mall and go looking for a better WiFi camera to monitor Dash when I'm away. I may have overdone it. The camera I came home with not only has a great picture, it also monitors sound, keeps track of the temperature and humidity, allows two way communication, and plays a lullaby on command. Yes, I really bought a baby monitor instead of a pet monitor. I guess people with babies are even more apprehensive than I am with the dogs, since this thing had features that had never even occurred to me before.

The icing on the cake was that the camera actually worked. Sometimes they don't. I read all the reviews and they were split 50/50. Half the people thought this was the best WiFi camera on the planet and the other half thought it was a worthless piece of junk. I bought the camera making the assumption that the 50% who hated the camera had never hooked anything up to a WiFi network before. Routers, firewalls, and wireless gateways aren't always friendly with each other and it is often difficult to introduce a new piece of equipment to the system. Luck was on my side today though. The camera works like a charm.

The electrician is coming to fix the garbage disposal at 7:30 AM tomorrow. Lord knows why he wants to come so early, but it's just as well. Maybe he'll be able to get the faulty wiring fixed in time for me to take the dogs on a walk at their normal time and proceed with my Monday work day. You never know with electricians though. He may fix the problem in five minutes, or he may tell me that the entire house is not up to code and that everything needs to be rewired.

I hope I have time to go to the gym tomorrow. It's been more difficult to establish a regular schedule than I anticipated. Dash has a vet appointment every other Tuesday and Dot has a vet appointment every Wednesday. Walking the dogs and carting them around to their various appointments eats up a lot of time. Work is erratic too. Some days there is so much to do that I don't even have time to eat. Other days are so quiet that I have trouble staying awake. Workout or no workout, I'll be a happy camper if I have a working garbage disposal at the end of the day.

Queenie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1320

I got a new push broom today. It was a day of very small accomplishments. I didn't have to pay for the broom though. I took my broken push broom to the store and they exchanged it for a new one after saying that they'd never seen a broom break like that after only a month of service. The rest of my Saturday shopping was equally uneventful. I got some more supplements at the health food store. While I was at the store, my nutritionist told me that he had some new ideas for me. I thought he was going to tell me about some interesting lifestyle or diet ideas, but he just recommended an additional pill. I was disappointed. I didn't buy the extra pills.

This morning we made juice with an apple, an orange, a mango, and a peach. The fresh juice was quite tasty. Oh, I put fresh sheets on the bed too. Did I tell you that not much happened today.

Since the day was so slow, I thought I'd get a head start on my monthly writers group assignment. I usually wait until the last possible minute to finish these things. Hey, I could have waited until tomorrow to finish the article. I've been writing so many articles and advertising assignments this year that I'm starting to get burned out on writing. I'm wishing I had more photography jobs now. I only want the type of jobs that don't require me to lug a ton of equipment around with me though. I'm tired of that too.

I almost went to the Apple store to look for a better WiFi camera. It's taking me too long to set up the laptop to monitor Dash every time I leave the house. Probably a dedicated camera would be much better. On my way to the mall, I remembered my iron-clad rule of never visiting a shopping mall on a weekend unless it is absolutely necessary.  I turned around and came home. The camera definitely wasn't absolutely necessary. I"ll go back sometime at 10 AM when nobody's there.

The weather was really mild today. It's been cooler than normal all week and I hope this trend continues. Dot has much more energy on cooler days and so do I. With any luck, the weather will still be nice for our weekly visit to the dog park tomorrow. It may seem strange that a visit to a dog park is the high point of the weekend, but it's actually quite enjoyable. Dogs are so open and direct about having fun that you feel good just watching them. It certainly beats buying a broom at any rate.

Deuce is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 894

Dot and Dash had great fun meeting some other Dalmatians we know at the dog park today. The Dalmatians got so much attention that I started to wonder what would happen if even more Dalmatians appeared? What about 101 Dalmatians? It might be possible. I know that there are hundreds of Dalmatians living in the Metroplex. I've probably photographed 500 myself over the years. Janet and I are thinking of inviting all the Dalmatians we know to come to the park next weekend. If we could get a good showing, it would be quite an event. I bet if we could get 101 Dalmatians to show up, it would make the local news. We might get a write up in the local paper, or even a YouTube video that goes viral. It's worth a try anyway.

I wish the weather would stay like this all Summer. It was about 85 degrees with a nice breeze when I was out and about today. You can't get much better than that. When it's warm, but not oppressive, everyone is happy. The dogs like their walks, I'm able to work in the yard, and the electric bills are reasonable. We'll see what happens in July, but I have a feeling that nice days like today will just be fond memories when Summer really arrives.

I can't decide whether tomorrow will be a holiday or not. Some of my clients will probably send me things to do, even though I wish they would just take the day off. I think Janet has work to to too. We'll probably compromise. We'll sleep in late, but when we finally do get up, it will just be a regular workday.

We had a great holiday feast tonight: home made cheeseburgers, french fries, onion rings, cole slaw and Shiner beer. Since I'm trying to save my liver, I rarely get to drink beer anymore. This was a real treat for me. Maybe if I'm lucky, I'll get to enjoy some of my favorite beer again on my birthday.

Libby is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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