Day 3651

I got my shingles shot today. Well, I got the first of two shots anyway. I really wasn't planning to do this now, but my pharmacy had the vaccine available and I knew I'd feel foolish if I went back next month and they were out of the stuff again. It's a mystery to me why the vaccine has been in short supply for over a year. It's somewhat of a mystery why I even need these shots. When I got the older Zostavax shingles vaccine a few years ago, that was supposed to be effective too. I'm pretty good about following doctor's orders though. I think it's one reason why I'm still reasonably healthy today.

On the way home from the pharmacy I picked up some more LED bulbs to replace the ones that are burning out. I think the reason these bulbs are failing is that I was a very early adopter of this technology. Today's bulbs are less expensive and last longer than the first generation bulbs I bought. Most of them even have a ten year guarantee now. This is the curse of the early adopter. I'm ofter the first to buy a new type of computer or camera. It's been irritating to realize that if I just had the patience to wait a few years, I could have gotten something that was much better, often for a lot less. I'm glad I wasn't the first to buy a flat screen TV. The early models used to cost over $5000. Now you can get something much better for a few hundred bucks.

I finally got my tree guy to commit to removing one of the remaining Oak trees in the back yard. I like the trees, but they are all getting very old and part of this tree has already fallen. I definitely don't want to have the rest of this large tree falling on my house or the neighbor's cars. I'm also thinking of relocating my driveway to the back yard. The traffic on the street in front of our house keeps getting worse and worse. During rush hour it is almost impossible to get out of the driveway. As luck would have it, the big Oak tree is right where a potential driveway might go. This is kind of an ambitious project, so it may never happen. A lot of my ambitious projects don't.

I'm continuing to watch Series Four of The Expanse. I still don't think the new series is as good as the shows first three years, but it's good enough to get me hooked. It's a good thing to watch during this holiday week. There isn't much else to do anyway.

I've noticed that some of the White Pelicans wintering at our lake are wearing little leg bands. You can see a band on the leg of the bird in today's picture. Who put these on and why? A little research revealed that ornithologists have been banding pelicans and other migratory birds for a long time to study their migration patterns. A lot of White Pelicans were initially banded at Marsh Lake, Minnesota between 1972 and 1998. Evidently Dallas is right on the migration route between Minnesota and Mexico. One question remains. How do you catch a pelican? These are large, powerful birds. They don't even want you to get close to them.

I started washing the windows on the house this afternoon. I'd like to show Janet that I made at least a minimal effort to straighten things up while she was gone. It's hard to do more though. The house has a lot more problems than I have energy.

Ziggy is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2265

When we were walking the dogs this morning, I noticed that all the neighbors were getting brand new concrete driveways. Apparently the construction crew that is fixing the street also does freelance concrete work on weekends. I can see why everyone is jumping at this opportunity. They are all getting highway grade concrete work at half the price a private contractor would charge. These guys don't need special permits from the city because they are already paving the road. They probably get quantity discounts on concrete, since a ton of concrete is already being used for road repairs. Best of all, there is no big contractor markups on the job. The neighbors just pay the crew directly. I wish I could get a new driveway for half price like the other neighbors, but my driveway exits to a different street that is unfortunately not under construction. I don't quality for this unexpected bonus.

I finally crawled up on the roof and removed last week's standing water. Half the water had already evaporated. Maybe if I had waited another week, the roof would have just dried out on its own. I think I got lucky this time. We had a very windy day right after it rained and the wind blew away all the dead leaves and a lot of the standing water. The roof only gets messy when leaves create little Beaver ponds that keep the water in place. The roof seems to be holding up fairly well this year. I didn't see any cracks in the elastomer, which was surprising. Maybe the gods have finally realized that I've had enough water problems for one year.

I typically use those automated checkout lanes at stores because they are generally much faster. Not today. When I was getting groceries, I got stuck in line behind someone who tried to stick every single credit card in his wallet into the machine before he eventually gave up, abandoned his buggy full of food, and walked out of the store. Why would you even try to use the automated check out if all your credit cards had expired? People amaze me sometimes.

It was unusually warm today and Dash tried to crash several outdoor picnics while we were walking in the park. He's got a good nose for barbecue. It was embarrassing when he was tugging at his leash to reach someone's barbecue grill. I kept having to explain to people that he was really a very friendly dog who had no manners whatsoever. I kind of hate it when people picnic in the park, because they throw their bones on the ground and I have to watch carefully to make sure that Dash doesn't find them. I've had dogs that have swallowed pork ribs or chicken bones before and it usually involves a trip to the vet.

I should go to the gym tomorrow, but it has been a long day and I haven't completely recovered from my cold yet. I think my body would appreciate a nap a lot more than a workout.

Princess is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day