Day 4442

We met Willie today. This delightful three year old male came to Dalmatian Rescue from animal control in a nearby city. It always seems strange to me that such a nice dog could wind up abandoned or stray but it happens a lot. I don't know a lot about Willie's history, but I think it's safe to say that his future will be a lot better than his past.

With four Dalmatians at the kennel now, we're spending more time playing with the dogs. Jo Jo has adjusted to his new surroundings well. Oliver is recovering from an eye infection. We helped the kennel staff give him eye drops which was a lot harder than I thought. Oliver wouldn't stay still and had no interest in the drops. Charlie continues to amaze me at how well trained he's become. This is a good group of dogs and we enjoy spending time with them.

It was so warm today that the air conditioner came on for a while. It's almost impossible to plan for this weather. Every day is something new. There was a light mist when we took our sunrise walk this morning, but the sun came out later in the day. Amazingly, the temperature topped 80 degrees this afternoon. Apparently there are still more surprises to come. We are under a severe thunderstorm alert now with storms arriving in the area later tonight. I'm really getting tired of this schizophrenic weather.

I'm also getting tired of my foot problems. I investigated some alternative treatments offered by sports medicine specialists this afternoon. One involved injections of bone marrow concentrate and the other treated you using stem cells. Both procedures looked a little sketchy to me, but what do I know. I'm in no hurry to do something stupid. I'll ask my doctor about these alternative treatments the next time I see him.

The foot pain has definitely put a damper on my long walks. I didn't even get close to 20,000 steps today. We typically walk about a mile and a half with Dawn in the morning and I walked another two miles after we returned from the kennel. That was plenty. I don't think new shoes are going to be a magic bullet at this point. The cartilage between the bones in my feet is wearing out and I haven't heard of many effective ways to replace it.

Traffic has gotten so bad in the city now. When we are driving back and forth to the kennel it seems like a completely different place than it used to. Rush hour seems permanent now. Where are all these new people coming from? I guess there are still a lot of job opportunities in Dallas. I've never seen so many out of state plates.

My repairs to the problematic French toilet didn't go so well. I'm already hearing a drip again. I wish things would stay fixed. Every time I hear a strange noise in the kitchen or utility room I think I'm going to have to make another call to the appliance repairman. I'm nervous about finishing repairs to the living room ceiling as well. I know that as soon as I get things looking nice again, the roof leak will reappear.

I'm continuing to watch the weather radar. The storm is closer to us now. It looks like the worst weather will be to the north of us, but we're definitely going to get some rain. Let's just hope the roof doesn't start leaking while we're asleep.

Lizzy 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

Day 4421

We picked up a new dog at our vet on the way to the kennel today. Peanut is a six month old male owner surrender. He was a little thin, but very healthy and well cared for. I never make judgements about why someone would give up their dog, but it does puzzle me when a dog this nice turns up in the rescue program. Peanut came with a big box of blankets and dog toys, along with a list of what tricks and commands he knew. Peanut knew quite a bit and totally charmed Janet and I, along with the entire kennel staff. We spent quite a while playing with him today because we suspected that this might be the last time we see him. Young dogs like this get adopted incredibly quickly. Don't worry. Charlie and Oliver didn't get left out. We spent a lot of time playing with them as well.

The weather was nice today, but the cold front keeps moving closer and closer. The bad weather isn't supposed to arrive until Wednesday but I can already feel a change in the air. I'm trying to take advantage of the nice weather while I can. I took my long walk early this morning so we'd have plenty of time to visit the kennel. On the way home I finally spotted the eagles nest, along with both eagles. I was totally surprised at where the eagles built the nest. I had always suspected that it was hidden deep in a thick wooded area away from human contact. Nope. These two eagles built their nest right next to a busy road in plain sight of everyone. It's only a few miles from our house. I don't know why I never noticed this before. I drive right by the nest every time I go to the post office. I've heard that the eagles have actually built two nests. I have no idea whether the nest I saw today was the new one or the old one. It was definitely occupied though. The female was sitting in the nest and the male was guarding it from a nearby tree.

The closer the winter storm comes, the more apprehensive I become. Everyone remembers the big fiasco last winter when big chunks of the entire state lost power for days. The cold is bad enough, but this storm comes with freezing rain. Ice storms are the worst because they knock down trees and power lines. I remember a few ice storms where we had to go stay in a hotel for a few days because the power company wasn't making restoring power to our neighborhood a priority. This was back when Janet was still working so we could all go to Janet's office during the day and warm up. Don't have that luxury anymore. I'd be nervous taking Dawn to a hotel anyway. She freaks out about doing anything new. Hopefully, the storm won't be as bad as it already is in my mind. We'll probably be OK. Most things aren't nearly as bad as they are in my mind.

Janet has cataract surgery tomorrow, so I'm the designated driver for a while. I hope the surgery goes smoothly and is as trouble free as most people say it is. I'm next on the list for this same procedure. I'll probably delay my surgery until next year, but I can already tell that I'm going to need it. I've made my living using my eyes for a long time and the thought of a doctor doing anything to them makes me cringe. They say you are back to normal remarkably quickly though. At any rate, I'll be paying close attention to what happens with Janet's procedure.

I took a camera back to the park late in the day to get a picture of the eagles in their nest. Not surprisingly, they were gone. If they went to this much trouble to build the huge nest, they'll probably be back though. I'll keep watching for them. Maybe I'll even have a camera with me. The birds are interesting, but dogs are still much easier to photograph.

Cooper is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4316

It was a pleasant, very normal Monday. I walked and visited the Dalmatians. That was about it. It became clear this morning that the reason I felt better yesterday was largely due to the Tylenol. I didn't take any today and the foot pain quickly returned. The arthritis that doctors started showing me years ago on x-rays has finally reached the point where it is impossible to ignore. All my joints ache and right now it is my feet that want all the attention. It was a nice day and I took my long walk, but I didn't set any records. I still don't like pain medications. I'm reluctant to take strong meds like Tramadol at all and even over the counter stuff like Tylenol bothers me. If your body is trying to tell you something, you should listen. Maybe I should slow down for a little while. I always prefer lifestyle changes to meds, but sometimes this doesn't work. When you reach a certain age, your body just starts to wear out.

We met the new girl at the kennel today. Pepper is a livewire. She's three years old and full of energy. Playing vigorously for 45 minutes didn't wear her out at all. She knows how to sit, but it isn't her favorite thing. It made me dizzy trying to follow her around with the camera. Eventually, we had to put a leash on her to get her to sit still for her website photo. I have a feeling that Pepper is going to get adopted very soon. She is small, very pretty, and super friendly. She doesn't listen very well, but that's what training is for. When we left the kennel today, we took Pepper with us and dropped her off at the vet to be spayed. All the rescue dogs have to be spayed or neutered before they can be adopted. For such a wild, playful girl, Pepper rode extremely well in the car. She just sat quietly and looked out the window. I suspect that we'll see Pepper next week, but she isn't going to be around long. There's often a waiting list for dogs like this.

Each dog has their favorite toy. Pepper and Charlie like the green octopus, while Oliver prefers the red Kong ball. He'll bring you the ball and drop it at your feet so you'll throw it again. Cooper would never do this. He always wanted you to play tug with him. Charlie likes to thrash the toys around and kill them. If a squeaker is gone from a toy, Charlie probably had something to do with it. We're convinced that playing with these dog helps to socialize them. If Pepper is still around in the coming weeks, we're going to try to teach her some simple commands.

Apple has certainly changed from the Steve Jobs days. Each time I update my watch and phone, they become more intrusive. The watch talks to me now. It frequently asks if I'd like to record a walk. If I'm sitting at the computer for a long time, it will encourage me to do breathing exercises or meditate. I finally figured out how to disable the fall detection feature. I toss and turn in my sleep and one night it automatically dialed 911, thinking that I had fallen and wasn't responding. This is all a little much for me. I don't need a watch to be my friend. It's just a tool. I think Steve Jobs would have agreed with me, but clearly the young people that are running the company now have other ideas.

Do I take two Tylenol tonight or just roll the dice and see what happens? Wearing better shoes makes sense to me. Taking pain meds without figuring out what the underlying problem is doesn't make sense. Maybe I'll just wait and ask the next doctor I see. It looks like there are plenty of those on the calendar.

Little Petey is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4246

We met Bullet today. This four year old male is the newest member of the rescue program and probably won't be with us long. He's healthy, good looking, and very friendly. Bullet loves to play and we had a lot of fun getting to know him. I have a feeling that he's going to find his forever home soon. I took some pictures of Bullet for the rescue website and then we made sure to pay equal attention to Charlie and Cooper. All three dogs were happy to see us today. Each dog has his own distinct personality and they'd all make a great pet for the right person. I wonder if we'll see Bullet next week? I think there's a family looking at him already.

We had to get a new longer cone for Dawn before we left for the kennel because she's learned how to reach her back paws wearing the shorter one. The new cone seemed to work, because there were no signs of damage when we returned. Dawn doesn't seem to mind the cone and mostly just sleeps while wearing it. She took her last antibiotic pill today, so hopefully she is clear of the bacterial infection now. The vet will want to culture another sample to make sure and then we'll move on to solving the paw licking problem. 

I still feel like I'm not getting enough sleep. When we took our sunrise walk this morning all I could think of was going back to bed. I stayed up though because by the time we returned to the house, I was wide awake. Monday is never a terribly busy day, but it usually seems that way. After I made the bed and fixed my breakfast, I charged my camera batteries and got ready to go to the kennel. I'd been using my new Olympus camera to take dog pictures recently, but reverted to the Panasonic GH-4 because it seems to work better under the low light conditions in the kennel playroom. I'm wondering why I got the new camera now. It isn't that great for astrophotography and I think I like my old cameras better for dog pictures. 

There wasn't enough time to take a long walk this morning, so I went to the gym late in the day after we returned from the kennel. I guess I'll keep going to the gym, but the relentless news about how bad the Delta variant is becoming in Texas is making me feel like laying low again. I'd really hate to get Covid now after keeping myself safe for over a year and a half. My gym is never crowded and it's probably even safer than going to the grocery store, but you never know. Obviously somebody is getting this disease because hospitals are filling up again and they say Dallas is running out of ICU beds.

I'm really sick of the pandemic. It's very difficult to make plans because things keep changing. I feel foolish even trying to contact people at NASA or Patrick Air Force Base about upcoming launches because I know I'm not going to Florida anyway. By the time Covid has run its course and disappeared, I'll probably have to start over from scratch on my quest to become a space journalist. 

Janet would like to travel too, but I doubt that either of us will be going anywhere soon. It's probably just as well. We've got our hands full with Dawn anyway. Tomorrow will be a repeat of today except that I won't be going anywhere. On Wednesday I get my root canal done. Such an exciting week.

Nautica is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4225

Daisy, the new dog at the kennel, is wonderful. This three year old owner surrender is good looking, has a great personality, and is fully trained. We were amazed that she seemed to know every single command we gave her and had no trouble following commands from two total strangers. She even knew tricks and would roll over to get a treat. She was an athlete too and would leap high in the air to catch a ball. She never missed and would even return the ball so we could throw it again. Not surprisingly, Daisy already has a long waiting list of people who want to adopt her. I have a feeling that she won't be at the kennel very long.

I wish that Charlie and Cooper could find a home this quickly, but they both have to overcome their past. In rescue it is customary to let any potential adopter know if a dog has been involved in a bite incident. Charlie and Cooper are very nice dogs, but they both have bitten someone. I don't think it was their fault and they are definitely not aggressive dogs, but you can't hide the fact that somebody got bit. Eventually Charlie and Cooper will find a home with a person who understands that any dog can bite under the right circumstances and will give these boys a chance to shine again. I can't blame someone for picking Daisy first though. Daisy is perfect. I don't think I've ever seen a better dog in rescue.

I wish we'd left Charlie's possum at home so he would play with his other toys. As soon as Charlie saw the possum today he began gently carrying it around and wouldn't play with anything else. He looked kind of sad. I have no idea what this means. Maybe Charlie needs a friend.

It was considerably cooler today. Many parts of town got rain, but we stayed dry for some reason. Our sunrise walk with Dawn was very enjoyable and I had no problem taking my own long walk in the park when we returned from the kennel. A ten degree drop in temperature makes a huge difference. You could still tell it was summer, but it wasn't miserable outside. For a while I thought I was going to get wet today. On my way home I found myself walking directly toward a very ominous dark cloud and I kept hearing thunder and seeing lightning off in the distance. The storm passed slightly to the Northeast of me however and I never got wet.

Dawn is still licking her paws whenever she can get her socks off. The paws don't appear quite as red and raw now, so maybe something we're doing is working. We've started giving her probiotics and a little goat's milk on the recommendation of friends. She has an appointment at the vet tomorrow to make sure her urinary tract infection has cleared up. I'm sure the vet will weigh in with his own opinions on Dawn's paws as well. Like everything else in life, if you ask ten people for their opinion, you will get ten different answers.

I've read several article recently that say brisk walking is one of the best things older people can do to prevent Alzheimer's and dementia. I've read that journaling has many benefits as well. If this is true, I should live forever. I'm tired a lot, but you'd be tired too if you slept four hours a night and walked as much as I do. I go to bed too late and get up too early. It's not a good combination. We'll see if I can get an extra hour of sleep tonight. I had leftover pizza for dinner though, so that's not working in my favor.

Jade is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4155

We picked up a new dog at the vet on our way to the kennel this afternoon. Aries is a beautiful six year old female who was an owner surrender. I can't recall that we've had another dog named after a zodiac sign. I wonder is she has an Aries personality. Aries is friendly, very gentle, and will probably find her forever home almost immediately. I wouldn't be surprised if she was determined as well. That's a typical Aries trait. I took some pictures of her for the website, but I think she already have someone looking at her. A dog this nice doesn't stay at the kennel very long.

Cooper was still at the kennel, but only because the guy who wanted to adopt him still needed to fix a few things in his yard. As soon as the yard is secure, I think Cooper will have his forever home. Charlie will probably be with us a little longer, but he certainly deserves a good home as well. Charlie is one of the smartest dogs in the rescue program. He just never developed a soft mouth as a puppy, so you have to be careful where you put your hands. 

Dawn got her walk today, but I had to skip my longer excursion. I'm already way behind on packing for my trip. I did take a short walk after we returned home from the kennel, but the weather hasn't been very cooperative today. It's been on the verge of raining all day. I thought I was going to get lucky, but when I had to go out and run some errands toward the end of the day, I got soaked. I hope the weather improves later in the week, but it's not looking good right now. I have a feeling that I'm going to be driving to West Texas in the rain.

I keep hoping that the ice maker will start working again, but we haven't seen any ice for several days. It's a safe bet that the ice maker is broken and will need to be replaced. We got a big bag of ice on the way home from the kennel. Maybe that will last until I can make arrangements with the appliance repairman to get this fixed. Something always seems to be broken around here. As soon as I get one thing fixed, another thing breaks.

I'm starting to wonder why I wanted to go to the astrophotography workshop at all. I'm very disorganized this time and I'm dreading the long drive. Hopefully the weather in West Texas will be nicer than the weather in Dallas. The rain is pounding down now and there is lots of thunder. There have been several severe weather warnings on the television this evening as well. I'm really glad that Dawn is unaffected by the weather. Thunderstorms don't seem to bother her at all. I wish I could say the same.

It's been a long day and I need to get some sleep. I'll do a little more packing before I go to bed. I guess there's always tomorrow, but I am running out of time. Why didn't I get organized sooner? I certainly knew this was coming. 

Chief is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4008

With temperatures hovering around 32 degrees when we woke up this morning, we decided that it was too cold for an early walk. I ate my breakfast and waited for the sun to warm things up. It didn't take long. By the time Janet returned from the gym, it was pretty nice outside. Dawn was eager to walk and I had trouble keeping up with her. My feet were bothering me this morning and I eventually handed the leash to Janet. I think they arrived home a good fifteen minutes ahead of me. Oh, well. I see the foot doctor on Wednesday. We'll see what he has to say.

Since it was Monday, we spent the afternoon visiting Charlie and a new dog named Clyde at the Dalmatian Rescue kennel. I think Charlie expects to see us on Monday's now. When we arrive he races around like a maniac tossing toys in the air and catching them. We throw balls for him and play for a while and then take him outside to pee. After he has calmed down a bit we sit on a bench with him while he chews on a red Kong. Charlie is always chewing on something. Eventually Charlie gets tired and we bring out the treats. This dog will do anything for a treat and we've managed to teach him quite a few tricks.

Charlie and Clyde have completely different personalities. Clyde is kind of shy and seemed a little nervous around us today. He really likes one of the kennel attendants though so she stayed with us while we visited. I have a feeling that Clyde will be more relaxed the next time we visit. The kennel is still very new to him.

I got a check from Sky & Telescope today. The adventure that started well over a year ago has finally come full circle. I have been to the observatory three times since my initial visit in August of 2019. I have made some lasting friends. And I have gotten published in a magazine I have enjoyed since childhood. It's a good start. I'm already thinking of a second article to submit to the magazine.

Tomorrow Dot goes to the vet for her annual physical. She has recovered so well from her seizure incident that it's hard to believe the event even happened. We've got a list of questions for the vet, but there is nothing alarming at the moment. Dawn seems pretty healthy. She is going to need her teeth cleaned pretty soon, but hopefully there is nothing else on the horizon that would require her to be anesthetized. I hope that Dawn stays healthy for a long. long time. I have too many memories of serious illnesses with earlier dogs.

I don't know why it is so hard for me to throw away the two damaged dehumidifiers. My HVAC guy has explained to me how expensive is would be to get these things fixed. I have two perfectly good working dehumidifiers, including one that is still in the box. In my head I still think these things should be easy to fix. I guess that's why my storage warehouse is filled with junk. My large production printer is nonfunctional now, but I still remember the beautiful prints I used to make. I can't seem to throw this away either. I went to great lengths to fix three vintage synthesizers last year and I still haven't bothered to play any of them. It's a sickness.

Hopefully Dawn will get a clean bill of health from the vet tomorrow. Then it's my turn to go to the doctor on Wednesday and Thursday.

Lance is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day