Day 4348

I did end up seeing the eclipse last night. Yep, I had to pee. When I went outside, the sky was crystal clear and Orion and Sirius were high in the sky. The eclipse was as near totality as it was going to get, taking on a characteristic reddish hue as the moon passed thru the earth's shadow. It was all beautiful and serene. The night was quiet with no barking dogs or police cars racing down the street with their sirens on. For about ten seconds I thought about staying outside and doing some observing. I quickly remembered that almost every house in the neighborhood, including ours, has a bright security light in the yard and that a huge tree blocks our view of the North, making it almost impossible to polar align a telescope. It was also very cold. I took one last look at the moon and then went inside and back to sleep again. I am glad I saw the eclipse though.

This morning when we took Dawn on her sunrise walk, the moon was on the horizon and just about to set. It always looks larger when it is on the horizon for some reason. The sky was still clear and it looked like it was going to be a nice day. All this put me in a slightly better mood than usual. It wasn't dramatic, but it was enough to keep me from wanting to go back to bed again.

I waited for an hour or so after breakfast to take my long walk. I wanted the temperature to warm up a little. I was surprised when a rather large bobcat crossed my path. The cat wasn't interested in me and apparently wasn't frightened of humans. I've seen bobcats in the park before, but never one this large. Too bad I didn't have a camera with me. I was glad that Dawn wasn't with me though. I have no interest in tangling with a bobcat.

Work crews were busy ripping out the old trail when I was walking this morning. I'm still disappointed to see this happening. When we first moved here, the park was neglected and largely abandoned. At some point, a large bond issue passed and the city began making improvements. I liked the old days better. There were a few bikers who used to hang out in the park, but it was mostly empty. It certainly wasn't a recreation destination like it is today.

My feet didn't bother me today and I was able to maintain a fairly good pace on my walk. I kept looking for the two bald eagles, but have no idea when I'll see them again. I guess I should be content with seeing the bobcat today. When I returned home I couldn't think of anything to do. I did a load of wash and ignored a bunch of "suspected spam" calls on the landline. I really need to call AT&T and see if there is a way to block these calls from coming through. There seems to be more bogus calls every day and they are becoming irritating.

The proton pump inhibitor pills I've started taking appear to have cured my heartburn. We had cheeseburgers for dinner and they caused no problem. I've taken a PPI before and they've always worked well. It's too bad these pills can have some nasty side effects. I wonder how long I can get away with taking these things this time. My gastroenterologist says yes and my primary care physician says no.

Hard to believe that it's the weekend again. It's time to go grocery shopping and fill the car with gas. I wonder how much prices have gone up this week?

Jasper is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3780

I've been interested in astronomy for a long time. I'm certainly no expert, but I do know the basics. That's why I've been completely baffled to keep seeing articles on the Internet saying that the Moon, Jupiter, and Venus will form a smiley face in the sky on May 16th. If you Google this event you will literally find dozens of articles, some from seemingly reputable sources, telling you how and when to view this rare celestial show. I've even started seeing Facebook friends telling each other to mark their calendars.

Have any of these people actually gone outside and looked at the sky? Jeez. There isn't going to be a smiley face in the sky. It's not going to happen. On May 16th, Venus shines brightly in the evening sky after sunset, but you won't see Jupiter unless you get up early the next morning and look toward the East a little before sunrise. These two planets are on the opposite sides of the sky. The Moon is a waning crescent at this time, but it isn't even thin enough to look like a smile. The only planet anywhere close to it is Mars.

So how could so many people be completely wrong? Do people actually believe what they see on the Internet more than what they can see with their own eyes? Sadly, the answer is yes. This isn't rocket science, people. Just go outside and look at the sky. I'm kind of amazed that none of the many "fact checker" websites have called out the "smiley face" story as a hoax. They probably believe the story too.

I think the reason this obviously false story persists is that people like a smiley face. A smiley face makes them feel good. They want to believe the story. A smiley face in the sky is an innocent little story but it illustrates perfectly why fake news is so prevalent today. People believe what they want to believe. Nobody questions anything in a clear, dispassionate way anymore. You find something that supports your preconceived opinion and then you tell your friends about it. If enough people agree with you, your opinion goes viral. I doubt that the bogus smiley face story is any sort of conspiracy. It's just laziness. There actually have been conjunctions of the Moon, Jupiter and Venus in the past. I think the last time this happened was in 2008. You can see almost anything in the sky if you wait long enough.

I don't know why the smiley face story bothers me so much. Perhaps it is because it illustrates human nature so well. If you can easily convince people to ignore the laws of physics, you can convince them of anything. Almost everything we see and hear in the media has been designed to influence you in one way or another. Ads try to influence you to buy something you may or may not need. It's pretty easy to do this because people are gullible and they have emotions. I spent my entire career trying to influence you and got pretty good at it. Today, what used to be called "hard news" has just become another form of advertising. These news sources feed you a steady diet of what you already believe so you will continue watching. Pick your poison. It's not that hard to to find something that appeals to you these days. Maybe you like OAN and Fox. Maybe you like CNN and MSNBC. Don't expect that what you are hearing is true however. You are being manipulated.

If you have your heart set on seeing something cool in the sky on May 16, just wait until the next morning. If you get up around 5 AM on May 17 you can see Jupiter and Saturn extremely close together in the Eastern sky. The two planets will only be a few degrees apart. No smiley face though. I have no idea when that will happen again.

Bea is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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Day 3616

We spent another enjoyable afternoon with the Dalmatians. All the dogs are doing well. Lord is finally gaining some confidence. We've discovered that he enjoys being with Sock and is more likely to try things when they are together. Sock isn't the world's best role model, but it's a start. Both these dogs seem to gain confidence by being together. It was a warm, sunny afternoon and Treasure just wanted to sit outside in the sun with us. She gets the gold star for chilling out today. I hope that whoever adopts Charlie will train him to be an agility dog. Charlie is extremely smart with an enormous amount of energy. We've made more progress training him than with any of the others so far. He definitely needs a task to do and tries to please. I think he would do great at agility. Hank's new diet seems to have solved his health issues. He's been stable for well over a month now with no vomiting or bloody stools. Hank is ready for a home. Ginny is ready too. She just needs to remain quiet for a few more weeks while she recovers from her heartworm treatment. We spent some extra time with Jasmine today. It might be the last time we see her before she goes to her forever home. Such a great group of dogs. They were much more enjoyable than spending the afternoon with a bunch of people.

I'm glad I finished most of my errands and chores over the weekend because there wasn't time for much today. All I did after we returned from the kennel was take my regular walk. It was a very nice day, but darkness comes way too quickly at this time of the year. The sun was already setting when I completed my first three miles. I thought if I kept going that I might be able to see Jupiter and Venus in the evening sky. At mile four both of these planets were shining brightly. A little later I was able to see Saturn as well. I'm still not wild about walking at night, but this was an enjoyable evening.

It was completely dark when I returned home but the sky still wasn't dark enough to see many stars. Light pollution is terrible in Dallas. Basically all you can see are the brighter planets and the moon. City skies really make me miss Fort Davis. I'd probably feel safer wandering around this quiet little town at night too. Dallas was a good place to work because the economy has always been good and there were lots of jobs. My little company did well in Dallas. I'm not so sure this city a great place to retire. Cities don't have a lot of appeal anymore. The best thing about living in a city is access to good medical care and fewer snakes. I wouldn't be bored in the country but I would worry about snakes.

The next time I hear leaf blowers next door I need to ask the neighbor's yard guy if he could fix my front yard. I definitely don't want to haul a big load of dirt in my car. The neighbor's yard has a big divot in it as well, so maybe he could fix both at the same time. Filling the hole that the off course car made isn't a huge priority but it does need to be done. Right now it looks like someone threw a grenade in the yard.

I've got the schedule for Santa Paws pictures now. I just need to find out what's happening with the NASA events. Whether I attend another launch or not, it looks like its going to be a busy December.

Puppies are today's Dalmatians of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1857

I saw the sun today. It's amazing what a little sunlight and blue skies can do. It was still cold outside and I had way too much work to do, but today was much more satisfying than yesterday. Let's hope the clear skies continue for long enough for the ground to dry up. Although the sun made me happy today, cleaning my muddy boots didn't. I don't know how Northerners keep their houses clean. It all seems pretty hopeless to me.

I've heard that tonight is an ideal time to try and see Comet Lovejoy. I doubt that I'll be able to see the comet with all the city lights, but since I didn't even think I'd have the opportunity, I'm going to go out with a pair of binoculars and give it a try. The comet is located near the constellation Orion. This is something even I can find in the night sky, so maybe there's hope.

I called the oral surgeon's office today to confirm my surgery appointment and discovered that the estimate they gave me was for having all four wisdom teeth removed. Whoa! I thought that estimate was too high. The last thing I want is to go to the dentist thinking I'm having one tooth removed and wake up to discover that four are gone. The receptionist explained that almost everybody has all four wisdom teeth removed at the same time, so they just assumed I was going to do this too. "That's not what the dentist and I talked about," I said. Jeez. If I ever have to have all my wisdom teeth removed, I prefer to have them removed one at a time at ten year intervals.

Dot did great at her physical therapy session today. I'm amazed at how much stronger she seems than last January. Since a large part of the year was spent recovering from cancer, her new found strength and stamina seems even more remarkable. I keep thinking that if Dot can do this, maybe I can too. Hopefully, after a year or so, my own physical therapy efforts will start paying dividends as well. I've got to remember that nothing dramatic ever happened during Dot's therapy. There were no decisive moments. She just very slowly began to improve over a long period of time.

There are articles to write tomorrow, broken websites to fix, photo shoots to schedule, and a pile of bills to pay. I'm still going to have a nice breakfast at my favorite restaurant though. I deserve it.

Betty is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1744

When I was walking the dogs this morning I noticed a bulldozer ripping up the trail we normally use. Now there is just a lot of loose dirt that will immediately turn into a mud pit as soon as it rains. I think the city is planning to replace the trail with a much wider concrete bicycle highway to accommodate all the cyclists who like to ride in the park. I'm not looking forward to this. The trail has been a nice, peaceful place to walk the dogs for many years and as soon as the cyclists arrive, it will just be another place to avoid. Bicycles and dogs on a leash don't mix. The dogs and I have almost been run over by Type-A cyclists too many times to count. When you're on the same trail together, these guys, and they're almost always guys, don't want to slow down or move over for anybody.

I probably won't have to worry about the bicycles for quite a while. City projects move exceedingly slow. It will take at least a month for them to rip out the old trail. Then it will take another month to construct the wooden forms and place the steel rebar reinforcement before actually pouring the concrete. Sooner or later though, this bicycle highway will be finished and I'll have to find a quieter place to walk the dogs.

Life is gradually returning to normal. The dogs are healthy again and Dot's incontinence problems seem to be over. My workload has returned to a predictable mix of writing and website design. I'm busy, but not too busy. There seems to be plenty of time for a leisurely breakfast and long dog walks while still meeting deadlines. The familiar routines aren't all that exciting, but they're comfortable. As long as the dogs stay healthy, I'm OK with this.

Dot was stronger today and participated in many of the exercises at our training class this evening. Both dogs seemed to enjoy the cool, pleasant weather. Since the autumnal equinox was yesterday, the days will start to get noticeably shorter now. It's already dark by the time training class is over and pretty soon it will be dark before we even begin. The sky was clear and I recognized a few constellations overhead as Dash and I did our training exercises tonight. It made me wish I'd bought something when I went to the telescope store the other day.

Tomorrow is Dot's physical therapy day. She's still not quite as strong as she was before her illness, but she's getting close. Her progress reminds me that physical therapy actually works. I really need to get one of my doctors to refer me for physical therapy myself. It would sure be nice to have a functional shoulder again.

Scout is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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