Day 4226

I watched Jeff Bezos and his passengers take a short ride to space aboard his New Shepard rocket this morning while I was eating breakfast. I also watched the rocket's namesake Alan Shepard take a similar ride in his Freedom 7 capsule 60 years ago. The Internet didn't exist back then. We all gathered around a bulky black and white television that has been placed in the middle of the gym at my middle school. Fifty two years ago today my college friends and I gathered around a different television in the university student union to watch Apollo 11 head toward the moon. A lot has changed since those early days, but I find that after all these years I'm still interested in space travel. 

Back in the day I thought we'd have atomic rockets and be living on Mars by now. It never really occured to me that we'd have space tourism instead. I wouldn't mind flying on that New Shepard rocket. The price would have to come down a lot though. If someone could manage to get the cost down to the price of a Carribean cruise, I might consider it. Jeff would have to put an elevator in that tower though. Climbing all those stairs looked like the hardest part of the trip.

Time flies. Two years ago I was in Florida to attend a Space X Falcon Heavy launch from Pad 39A on the fiftieth anniversary of the Apollo 11 launch from the same pad. One year ago I was looking for Comet Neowise in my backyard and starting to develop an interest in astrophotography. I wonder if I'll still be around when the first Space X Starship lands on Mars? There are going to be a lot of interesting developments in the years ahead. Hopefully, I'll get a chance to witness some of them. For now, I'm just going to try to stay healthy until Dallas gets a total solar eclipse in April 2024.

We took Dawn back to the vet today so they could get a urine sample to determine whether her infection has cleared up. We talked for a bit about Dawn's obsession with licking her paws.  We have to determine whether the problem is behavioral or medical in nature. The vet thinks we should try anti-anxiety medications first before doing extensive allergy testing. Janet agrees with the vet while I remain suspicious of all psychotropic medications. I'm sure that anti-anxiety medications work. I just don't like the idea of depending on a drug to regulate your mood.

Dawn took her longest walk in many months this morning. She seems to enjoy exploring the neighborhood now. Our one mile loop has slowly increased to a mile and a half. We let Dawn choose where she wants to go and don't try to push her too hard. She is increasing her territory a little bit at a time and seems to feel comfortable as long as she knows the way home. This cautious behavior still seems strange, since Dawn took long walks with us for many months when we first got her. She did have that one pretty bad seizure about six months ago. Maybe that caused some brain damage.

It was a little hot this afternoon, but the skies were overcast so I decided to take my long walk instead of going to the gym. I use the spray fountain I discovered recently and this helps keep me cooler. It's weird that I spend so much of my day doing things I don't really enjoy. Writing and walking provide a certain amount of discipline and I think everyone needs to lead a disciplined life. If you looked up 'free spirit' in the dictionary, the definition would definitely not include me.

They say that people who overthink things tend to develop anxiety. I wonder if it is the same for dogs? It would be a shame if Dawn spends her day overthinking things while I'm here thinking of nothing at all. 

Lady Jane is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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Day 4100

It's been two full weeks since Janet and I received our second dose of the vaccine. In theory, we should have acquired immunity to the virus by now. Do we really have immunity? I don't think anyone knows for sure. I do feel safer now, but not a lot has changed. Until a lot more people get vaccinated, we're still going to be dealing with masks, dire warnings from Dr. Fauci, and a tendency to avoid people who cough and sneeze. I guess I'll feel more comfortable about traveling now, but I never really stopped traveling. I went out to McDonald Observatory last October for an astrophotography workshop and then to Florida in November for the Space X Crew-1 launch. At any rate, I'm ready to put this weird chapter in my life behind me. I'm going to miss the airlines flying with the middle seats empty. That was nice while it lasted.

I changed the sheets on the bed today and finished washing the bedding that Dawn got dirty the other day. When did changing a fitted sheet on a low platform bed become an athletic event? This used to be an easy, somewhat routine minor chore. Now, the combination of a bad shoulder and weak unstable knees have turned changing the sheets into a nightmare. When old people get down on the floor, you have to think carefully about how you are going to get up again. Stand up chores like mowing the grass seem much easier by comparison. I guess I shouldn't complain. I'm still moving.

The bulky trash trucks didn't come today, so we raked a few more leaves and I cut down some small trees that actually died last year. I went to Home Depot and got a hedge trimmer to cut the dead growth off a hedge that runs along the back of our yard. I think this hedge will come back later this Spring, but the dead growth definitely needs to be removed.  Next up is replacing the grass. The dead grass has nothing to do with the big freeze. We always have a lot of dead grass in the Spring. I think Dawn will appreciate the new turf and it should keep her from rolling in the dirt so often.

I saw some Periwinkles blooming on my walk today. One by one, the Spring wildflowers are starting to appear. The Redbud and Dogwood trees are in full flower now. It won't be long before the Bluebonnets start to appear and in less than a month the meadows behind our house should be covered in colorful flowers. This spectacle doesn't last long, but I always enjoy it.

I was glad to see the Muscovy Ducks again on today's walk. The last time I saw them, they were being chased by a large dog that had gotten loose from its owner. The dog almost caught the female duck and all three ducks disappeared for several weeks. All is well now, but two of the ten geese I see everyday have disappeared. The two missing geese disappeared during the big freeze. I wonder if they died? I ponder things like this while I walk the familiar trails. Keeping track of animals and looking for flowers keeps me from getting bored. 

Dawn took a normal walk today. She didn't hesitate at all. Maybe I overthink her behavior. Janet and I wonder if she has brain damage after a vet raised this possibility, but it's entirely possible that she's just another stubborn Dalmatian. It would be nice if she enjoyed her walk everyday, but I certainly don't enjoy things everyday. Why should she?

They say we'll be getting our stimulus money tomorrow. I won't be buying Bitcoin or Gamestock shares with mine. It will just gradually disappear paying routine bills. I can't even remember what the last two stimulus checks got used for, but they're gone now. I'll take the money, but I think a lot of this stimulus has been wasted. We should have kept it simple and just helped the restaurant owners, out of work musicians, bartenders, flight attendants, gym instructors, and others who actually lost their jobs during the pandemic. 

Ruthie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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