Day 4253

Dawn's paws continue to improve. The redness has subsided and fur is starting to grow back. She only has to wear the cone when we are both out of the house now. We're still not sure what caused Dawn to quit licking. It could be the new allergy medicine or it could be the antibiotics that finally got rid of her bacterial infection. Very occasionally she still had the desire to bite at her paws, but the whole situation is much, much better.

All three boys are still at the kennel. Someone looked at Bullet this week, but he didn't get adopted. The dogs were in fine spirits today and were all very playful. We got a new soft toy for Charlie and this time he didn't get weird with it. He just tried to get the squeaker out and destroy the toy like a normal dog. We had to put it away after a while because it wouldn't have survived the afternoon. The boys are pretty rough on toys and very few things survive. There is a solid red rubber ball that is indestructible, but only Bullet likes to play with it. The bright yellow Kong football has held up pretty well, but the best toys are two rope octopus toys that all three dogs love to thrash around with. Charlie, Cooper and Bullet are all great dogs. They are healthy, lots of fun, and will make great pets for the right person.

Dawn is still not walking very far on our sunrise walks, but she seems happy enough with her one mile loop. I wish the temperature would stay like it is when we take these early morning walks. It was very pleasant at 6:30 AM. At 3 PM, when I decided to take my own long walk, it was almost unbearable. I should have gone to the gym today, but I just didn't feel like it. Maybe I'm starting to worry about Covid again, or maybe I just didn't feel like driving. The gym just didn't feel like a good option today.

Somehow, I finished my full six mile route. I stopped at the spray fountain twice though and wet myself down. The elastic knee brace definitely makes the long walk easier. I just need to remember to wear it. I thought we might get some rain this afternoon. The sky got dark and I heard thunder in the distance, but the small storm must have passed to the North of us. My opinions about rain have changed a bit as the days get hotter. I welcome a little rainfall now. These short summer storms don't appear to cause the roof to leak and they keep the yard looking green. An old fashioned all day rain still causes a lot of problems, but we haven't been having that type of weather lately.

I'm old enough to remember the fall of Saigon at the end of the Vietnam war. The current exit from Afghanistan seems exactly the same. What were the generals thinking? Instead of getting on television and talking endlessly about diversity training and flying rainbow flags at Army bases, they should have remembered there was still a war going on and figured out how to get all their expensive equipment out of the country instead of just giving it to the Taliban. They had six months to plan an orderly exit. Nope. Can't do that. Lets have chaos instead. As a result, the Taliban now owns some of the most sophisticated military equipment on the planet, all courtesy of us. Say what you will, but Biden owns this mess. You can't keep blaming your predecessors forever.

I can't figure out how so many healthy people are already getting their third Covid shot. A third shot isn't even authorized yet unless you are severely immunocompromised. I think that people who want a third shot are just walking up to their local pharmacy and telling their pharmacist that they haven't been vaccinated yet. It's weird world we live in. You've got people who refuse to take the vaccine at all and then you've got other people who'd take ten shots in a row if they could.

Pogo is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4251

Life is full of little surprises. The battery in my smart key fob went dead and I discovered that I couldn't start my car without it. You'd think this would be a simple fix, but it wasn't. I couldn't figure out how to get the old battery out of the key fob so I went to the Internet for help. Before I could find what I needed, a sudden storm appeared and the power went out. I called in the power outage on my phone and then attemped to restore our WiFi connection using back-up power. I couldn't find everything I needed, but luckily the power came back on about an hour later. I found a YouTube video that showed how to disassemble the key fob and replace the battery, but I didn't have the correct battery in my watch battery box. I found another video that showed how to start your car without the key fob and went to the grocery store to get a new battery. Everything is fixed now, but it took an enormous amount of time to do something that should have been very simple.

I'm glad went to the gym and I got all my grocery shopping done this morning, because we got a lot of rain this afternoon. There was quite a downpour and I wasn't expecting it at all. So far the roof hasn't leaked. This doesn't really mean anything though. Water could have gotten inside the elastomer coating on the roof and is still working its way toward a crack in the ceiling. I'm not really sure where to put a bucket out, because the leak could basically appear anywhere. Hopefully the rain is over and a new leak won't appear. I'm very tired of roof leaks.

The gym was surprisingly crowded this morning and so were the grocery stores. It appears that people are determined not to go back into lockdown mode. When we were taking Dawn on her sunrise walk, we passed a large group of people running together. They didn't appear to be worried about anything. I worry a little, but still find it strange that the pandemic feels so distant from me. I probably wouldn't even know that Covid exists if it weren't for Facebook and cable news.

Dawn isn't licking as much today, so maybe the new allergy pills she's taking are working. She also doesn't seem to have as much energy, so maybe the pills have something to do with that as well. I'm probably overthinking this, but I don't like the idea of solving Dawn's problems through trial and error. Maybe there is no other way. Dawn may know what's bothering her, but she sure isn't talking. 

Every time the power goes out there are all kinds of things that need to be reset. I've already reset the two dehumidifiers and a few clocks but I'm sure that there are all sorts of things that will surprise me tomorrow. I'm sure the coffee maker won't turn on at the correct time but I don't want to mess with it now. A lot of things seems to have a life of their own in this house. Some stuff will reconnect to the WiFi network automatically when power is restored, but other things won't. At least the lights are on and the computer is working. I'd love to have one of those whole home backup generators, but they are very expensive and our power outages usually don't last that long.

Maybe today's rain will keep thing cooler tomorrow. I hope so. Last week it was too hot for Dawn's Sunday outing although we still got ice cream. The gym is closed tomorrow and I don't want to sit around the house all day. Let's hope for no roof leaks tonight and walking weather in the morning.

Elliott is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4249

We got some bad news at the vet today. Dawn has some large bladder stones that will need to be surgically removed. The stones never showed up on x-rays, but the vet did an ultrasound today and they were very obvious. The vet thinks the stones are one reason why her infection had been so hard to get rid of. We still don't know if her last course of antibiotics worked, They will have to do another bacteria culture to determine that. 

I asked the vet if lithotripsy could be used for dogs. I had this non-invasive procedure many years ago to remove my own bladder stones and it worked very well. Bacically the procedure uses shock waves to break up the stones and then the debris is passed through the urine. Evidently lithotripsy does work on dogs, but very few vets have the equipment needed. There is a mobile veterinary lithotripsy truck that travels around the country, but the vet didn't know where it was currently. He said the procedure is quite expensive and that surgery is much more affordable. At any rate, we will probably need to have the surgery done soon so we can clear up her infection before it becomes even worse.

We still don't have any answers about Dawn's obsession with licking her paws. It could be a behavioral problem. It could be allergies. It could be something medical that hasn't even been diagnosed yet. The vet seems to think Dawn needs to wear a cone all the time because it only takes five minutes of licking to undo a week of healing. He showed us a special soft cone that she could wear all the time. I guess we'll order one. She's also trying a new medication that is supposed to be very effective with certain allergies. I gave the vet a list of Dawn's weird behaviors in hopes that this might lead to a quick diagnosis. He wasn't very impressed and still thinks the process of elimination through trial and error will eventually solve the problem.

It was way too hot today for a walk in the park. Even our sunrise walk felt a little warm, although we did have a nice breeze this morning. We always seem to run into the dog that bit me many years ago on our early walks. The dog is well behaved, on a short leash, and listens to his owner better than Dawn listens to us. Nevertheless, it still makes me very nervous to be anywhere near this dog. It probably shows. I always move as far out of the way as I can when we pass on the street.

There is a new mask mandate in Dallas, but nobody seems to be listening. Admittedly, I don't get out that much, but so far I haven't detected any change in people's behavior at all. Few people were wearing masks at the vet and it is largely a symbolic gesture at the gym. Most people seem more angry than worried. Everybody had plans for the Fall and now those plans are in limbo again. It's a shame that everyone wants to blame someone else for their Covid woes. I think that even if the entire country were vaccinated, we would still have problems with the variants. The variants are all coming from other countries and the entire society just can't seem to stop traveling. Just stop traveling for a while. It's a no-brainer.

I keep hearing that "everybody took the polio vaccine so why won't they take the Covid vaccine." Jeez. It took years and years to develop an effective polio vaccine. The first polio vaccines actually gave people polio. The smallpox vaccine never worked on me because I never developed a scar on my arm. Doctors couldn't decide whether I had a natural immunity to the disease or if the vaccine just didn't work so they kept vaccinating me over and over again. Lord knows how many smallpox vaccinations I received as a child. I guess the point I'm trying to make is that it's hard to defeat a microscopic organism that trying just as hard to survive as we are. You've got to be patient. Masks aren't the problem. Human behavior is the problem.

The trip to the vet was the big event for the day. I wrote a letter to my sister, took it to the post office, and went to the gym. That was about it. I did remember to take the trash out to the curb though. Hopefully, the sanitation people will remember to pick it up tomorrow.

Ellis is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4248

I was aprehensive about my root canal today, but it all turned out well. The endodontist was very good. The only pain I felt was to my wallet. Yikes. I had no idea a root canal would be $2200. The endodontist said I had unusually deep roots, but I think he was just an expensive dentist. The whole procedure seemed quite complicated. Every time I thought we were done, the endodontist pulled out a different instrument and did something else. 

At one point during the procedure I thought I smelled burning flesh. I mentioned this and the dentist said there was a small amount of dead tissue inside the tooth, but that I might have smelled burning rubber instead. Nope. This was burning flesh. I smelled the same thing when the dermatoligist burned off keratosis growths on my skin. It seems weird to have spent so much money and the tooth looks exactly the same as it did before. I'm glad the root canal is done though. It's one more loathsome thing I can check off my list.

I didn't have my smoothie this morning and didn't feel like eating much for dinner tonight. This is as close to dieting as I get. Tomorrow I'll be back on my regular schedule. The numbness in my mouth has finally worn off and their is no pain or soreness in the tooth. It's weird when your entire tongue feels numb. A dentist is a lot like a fancy mechanic in many ways. As I listened to the endodontist ask his assistant for different tools this morning, it sounded a lot like they were working on a car.

We tried to get Dawn to walk a little longer this morning because we knew she would be alone for a while inside the house. She wasn't interested though and just wanted to do her short one mile loop. She has to wear a cone now while we are away. Just to make sure I won't have to wash all the bedding again, I put a waterproof drop cloth on the bed as well. On top of this goes Dawn's favorite dog blanket. It all works out pretty well, but I still feel bad that she has to wear the cone. I tried to make it up to her when I returned home. I sat outside with her for at least half an hour and she had a good time rolling in the grass.

When the anesthetics wore off about mid afternoon I decided to go to the gym. There was a huge traffic jam at the Covid testing site today and I had to take a detour. Something has clearly changed. This site has been here for quite a while, but I've never seen so many people waiting to be tested before. There were more people wearing masks while they exercised at the gym today as well. I hope the gym doesn't close again. It might though. We are definitely headed in the wrong direction.

Dawn goes back to the vet tomorrow for some more tests. Hopefully the MRSA infection is gone now. I keep thinking that this has to be related to the itching and paw licking. There's always a chance that the licking is purely a behavioral problem, but this doesn't make sense to me because Dawn has been with us for well over a year and never began obsessively licking her skin until recently. Old vet records show that Dawn had a bacterial infection when she entered the rescue program. Maybe the initial treatment she received didn't completely clear up the infection and it gradually returned. Who knows at this point. We've got to get this problem solved though. Dawn is not a happy dog right now.

I've got to get my car safety inspected soon. It's time for a new sticker again. I guess I might as well make an appointment for my regular scheduled maintenance as well. I hate to throw even more money down the drain, but I'm tired of seeing that 'service required' light come on every time I start the car. I wish I'd have a month or two with no expenses at all. That's not going to happen though.

Hannah is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4247

Last year at this time we were in the middle of a pandemic. Apparently, we still are. A year has gone by and it feels like nothing has happened at all. We were taking sunrise walks with Dawn last August because that's what you do when the weather gets hot. I was waiting for things to open up so I could resume attending launches again. I'm still waiting. Last year there was a big stained spot in the ceiling where the roof had leaked. The spot is still there. It's hard to get enthusiastic about anything. Sometime I wake up in the morning and think "That's it, I'm done." Then I get up, make the bed and get ready for our sunrise walk. There is a cadence to each day that is very familiar. It's easy to get from breakfast to dinner without a lot of thought. I often feel like complaining about my many aches and pains and then I remember friends who have cancer or aren't even here anymore and realize I have nothing to complain about at all. Life is good. I just need to appreciate it more.

I called the dentist office to confirm my appointment for tomorrow. I wanted to make sure I could drive to and from the appointment on my own. I don't know why I thought I might be sedated for the procedure, but I've never had a root canal before. They assured me that getting a root canal wasn't much different than getting a filling. I'll be glad when this is over. Having dental work done is the least satisfying way of spending money I can think of. I've thought about getting dental insurance but it really doesn't cover very much. My teeth are pretty good so I'll continue to take my chances. Hey, three cavities in seventy three years isn't bad at all.

Dawn hates the new larger cone, but it keeps her from reaching her rear paws. She only wears the cone while she's on the bed because that's where she does the most damage. While she's walking or active around the house, she seldom pays any attention to her paws. If I feel sorry for her and take the cone off, it won't take five minutes before she starts going after the paws again. It's frustrating. Dawn has a vet appointment this week to make sure her bacterial infection is gone. Hopefully the vet will have some answers about the obsessive licking for us.

I really should have gone to the gym today, but I didn't feel like driving. I took my long walk instead and was very hot. There aren't many people in the park on days like this. A few bicycles passed me on the trails and I think I saw one or two other walkers, but the place was basically empty. I completed my six miles, but when I returned home I was done for the day. 

I wonder how Facebook decides what to show me? I'm not very active and seldom reveal my interests. I always erase the cookies on my computer at the end of the day as well. The blog is just a JPEG image on Facebook,  so I doubt that they're reading that. Nevertheless, my feed is filled with pictures of guitars, reviews of the new Ford Bronco, and updates from NASA. They've actually got me pegged pretty well. There used to be lots of information about watches on my feed, but somehow Facebook has learned that I've lost interest in watches. Even though my timeline is mostly pictures of Dalmatians, I get very few sponsored posts about dog products. It's all very curious.

I don't think I'll have time for my morning smoothie tomorrow. My dental appointment is in the morning and the whole ritual of preparing and drinking the huge smoothie takes forever. Maybe I'll just have a small bowl of fruit instead. I could always skip breakfast entirely. I'm definitely in no danger of starving.

J-Lo 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 4245

Sundays are usually just a lot of walking. Today was no exception. The gym isn't open on Sunday and I'm finally learning to take my long walk early in the morning to beat the heat. We took our sunrise walk with Dawn, came home to eat breakfast, and then I immediately left again on my long walk thru the park. Today was actually fairly pleasant since there was a strong breeze. The wind kept me cool, even though the sun was out most of the time. I'm really learning to appreciate a cloudy day. Most of my yard work takes place on cloudy days now. I was able to complete my full six miles today. It wasn't a big accomplishment, but I'm willing to settle for small accomplishments lately.

When I returned to the house, I took a few minutes to cool down and then we took Dawn on her Sunday outing. We didn't overdo it this time and only walked Dawn a short distance. Today was mostly about the ice cream. The ice cream place surprised us by offering Dawn a free pup cone. This was new. Usually we order two small vanilla cones, eat part of them ourselves, and then give the rest to Dawn. Dawn seemed to like the idea of having a whole cone to herself. Of course, she still got some of ours as well. We try to be careful that she doesn't overdo it. I'd hate to discover that she was allergic to ice cream and that was what was causing the paw licking. 

I'm having trouble remembering to take the antibiotics the dentist gave me. I take them on a different schedule than my regular morning and evening meds and anything new is a problem. I'm such a creature of habit that I do virtually everything the same way day after day. You'd think adding one new pill wouldn't be a problem, but new isn't in my vocabulary anymore. You might think my interest in rockets and astronomy is new, but I've actually been interested in these things since childhood. I just got distracted from childhood interests during my working years.

Dawn has figured out how to reach her rear paws even with her cone on. It's really been an uphill battle to control the licking. We think we're making progress and then there'll be a setback where we'll catch her chewing on her paws again. It's always three steps forward, two steps back. Usually, it's our fault for leaving her unsupervised, but you can't watch a dog 100% of the time. Dawn is nervous around me anyway. If I was following her around all day long and reprimanding her for trying to attack her paws, she'd be even more nervous. I don't think I'm the problem with the paws though. Janet said she started the licking while I was away during my last trip to the observatory.

You'd think with unruly passengers on airplanes, nonexistent rental cars, and a surge in Covid infections, that I'd already have enough reasons not to visit Florida. Now there's something new. I saw a notice that Titusville residents have to boil their water because E. coli bacteria has gotten into the city water supply. It makes you wonder what's next. Maybe it's a good thing that two dentists have dibs on all my money this month. I can't be tempted by rocket launches for a while.

I need to remember to take my camera when we visit the Dalmatians tomorrow. I've heard that there's a new dog at the kennel. I don't know much about this four year old owner surrender, but I'm fairly certain he'll like squeaky toys and tasty treats.

Lilly is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4244

It was a busy Saturday. We took our sunrise walk, but Dawn still isn't wanting to walk very far. Where did that little burst of energy come from a few weeks ago? We're trying to use up some things that partially thawed when the freezer malfunctioned last week, so we had a package of toaster waffles for breakfast. They were actually pretty good. When I ran my Saturday errands, I got some long foam tubes at Home Depot to make more professional looking inserts for my camera case. I also filled the car with gas, picked up some salicylic acid at the pharmacy, and did my grocery shopping. Everybody was wearing masks at Sam's Club, but almost nobody was wearing masks at Central Market. Go figure. It's Hatch Chili season again in Texas. I don't understand the fascination with Hatch Chilis, but for one month a year, you can get Hatch Chile pound cake and cookies, Hatch Chile Sourdough Bread, Hatch Chile potato salad, Hatch Chile burgers and rotisserie chickens, along with all sorts of Hatch Chile concoctions at the deli counter.

Since I got started early, I was still able to make it to the gym before they closed at 1 PM. You have to wear a mask when you check in now, but you can take it off as soon as you get down to the gym floor and start exercising. I don't know what this proves, but we are all pretty good about following the rules. Some people continue wearing their mask during their workout, but most don't. I don't spend as much time at the gym on Saturdays, but I did get my steps and fill all the rings on my Apple Watch. I'm continuing to work on upper body strength, but I don't know how much progress I'm making.

I've started taking the antibiotics the dentist prescribed for my root canal. Dawn and I are both taking antibiotics now. Her paws are starting to look a little better, but I don't know if this has anything to do with the meds she's taking. I think it's mostly because she's wearing a cone a lot now. We always put the cone on when we're both going to be out of the house. You don't have to leave Dawn unsupervised very long before she starts biting at her paws again. 

When I went to the gym today, there was a line of cars wrapped all the way around the block at the Covid testing site. New pandemic fears certainly aren't stopping people from shopping though. Grocery stores were full today and the Northpark Mall looked like it was Christmas. There wasn't a parking place anywhere. I picked up Chinese take out for dinner and PF Chang's was absolutely packed. There wasn't an empty table in the place and everybody was seated close together. This is all very confusing to me. When you turn on the television, the sky is falling. When you're out in the community, everything seems normal. 

I basically don't trust anyone now. I don't trust what the government is telling me. I think the strangers I see are probably all infected with horrible diseases. You certainly can't trust the media anymore. Every time you change the channel, you get a completely different story. I wonder if anyone's done a study to see if extroverts get infected with Covid more frequently than introverts? I bet they do. They always seem to trace a big spike back to a party or a wedding.

It's a weird world we live in. They still haven't found the missing cobra in Grand Prairie. This snake will never make it all the way to Dallas unless it is already in someone's car. I guess we're safe on our Sunday outing tomorrow. I don't know why I'm worried about cobras. The park is full of poisonous snakes anyway. 

Lou is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4242

I'm really trying to get things done. Today I tackled a task I've been avoiding for months. I got a stepladder and scraped all the loose paint and plaster from the ceiling in the area where the worse leak has been occuring. The ceiling still looks terrible, but now the area is clean and I can apply spackling or even tape and bed if I am so inclined. The sheetrock was completely dry, so that's encouraging. Maybe I'll just paint over the rust colored stains with Kilz white primer as a temporary fix. I always hesitate to spend a lot of time on the ceililng, because the roof is just going to leak again if we get a heavy enough rain. I still need to search further for the source of the leak on top of the roof, but it's been too hot lately.

It took longer to clean up all the dust, paint chips and plaster chunks on the floor than it did to scrape the ceiling, but at least the job is done. With this task out of the way, I tackled another messy job. I finally removed the crumbling, disintegrating foam from the Zero Halliburton camera case and replaced it with the new foam inserts I bought recently. The old foam had basically turned to a sticky powder and was a mess to remove. At some point within the past five years, I realized that this was going to happen and carefully wrapped the camera and six lenses in heavy duty blue Scott shop towels. This protected the equipment, but I had to be really careful removing each item from the case so it wouldn't come in contact with the sticky foam residue. I did all this outside, because I didn't want to spend the rest of the day cleaning up a sticky mess in my office. Actually the case is not finished yet. The foam in the lid and at the base of the case are in place, but I couldn't bring myself to cut a bunch of holes in the central piece that holds the cameras yet. I still need to figure out how to do this precisely so I won't make a mess of things. To temporarily protect the camera and lenses, I cut apart a small pool noodle and wrapped it around the equipment. This actually worked very well. I may go to Home Depot tomorrow and look for a long foam tube that matches the color of the other foam. The foam tubes used to protect outdoor pipes from freezing might be perfect.

Dawn has lost her nerve again. I have to take her outdoors on a leash again when she needs to pee and she has reverted to her short one mile loop on our sunrise walks. She won't follow me out to the kitchen anymore when I am fixing her dinner either. I don't know what gave her so much confidence a few weeks ago or why she has lost it now. Dawn is a very complicated dog. You could write a book about all her weird personality traits. I wish I could make a list of every strange thing she does, take it to the vet, and get an immediate and definitive answer that would explain what is going on. I keep thinking she has some weird, undiagnosed disease. Janet just thinks the hard life she's led has made her extremely nervous and unstable. 

Finding normal with Dawn is such a long, slow process. I was able to take a nap with Dawn this morning for almost an hour without her biting or licking her paws at all. She was very relaxed and even curled up next to me. As soon as I left the room, she started going after her front paws unfortunately and I had to put the cone on her. Strangely, she doesn't seem to mind the cone at all. It seems to calm her and she usually goes to sleep within several minutes after I put it on. Go figure.

It was too hot to walk this afternoon so I went back to the gym. It's disappointing to see everything slowly revert to lockdown mode. We were doing so well there for a while. A lot more people are wearing masks now. The Covid testing center I pass on the way to the gym has a long line of car now. It was virtually empty earlier this summer. I'm glad the gym is still open, but it will be the first to close again if things get worse. Florida is a mess. Let's not even talk about Florida. Oh, well. At least the money I was going to spend attending a launch this summer will pay for my root canal.

Morgan is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4241

I checked a few small chores off my list today. I took the two ice chests back to the storage warehouse because the refrigerator is fixed and we don't need them anymore. The storage warehouse is really full. My plan to clear it out clearly isn't working. I keep adding more and more stuff. The ice chests were actually in Janet's storage warehouse before the refrigerator problems, but it is more convenient to get them when needed if they are in mine.

An LED bulb burned out in the bathroom, so I needed to find a replacement that would match the bulbs in the other ceiling can lights. All these new LED bulbs claim that they'll last twelve years, but mine burn out frequently. They're still a lot better than the older incandescent bulbs though. I eventually found a bulb that matched the other bathroom bulbs. Hopefully this one will last a few years.

Dawn has reverted to taking very short walks again. The weather was quite nice when we left on our sunrise walk and I thought she'd want to go further. Nope. She back to her short one mile loop. She's also more obsessed with licking her paws than ever. We have to leave the cone on whenever we aren't watching her now. I hate to do this, but it's the only thing that's working. If we forget and leave her unattended, she can do a lot of damage in just a few minutes. The redness is getting better, but it's an uphill battle. Every time we forget the cone, we're back to square one. We still don't know what is causing the licking, but I bet it has something to do with the antibiotic resistant infection she has. I didn't even know that dogs could get a MRSA infection, but they can. Hopefully the new antibiotics will work.

It was probably cool enough to take an outdoor walk today, but it felt very humid. My feet hurt too, and I didn't feel up to walking six miles. I went back to the gym instead and made sure I had a mask in my pocket this time. Even though the gym has reverted to the same Covid restrictions that were in place when they first reopened, it didn't feel like much had changed. The masks are largely symbolic, because you don't have to wear them on the floor when you are actively exercising. I don't think there's much to worry about at this place. I'm almost certain that everyone at my gym has been fully vaccinated for quite a while. It's an older crowd. There are quite a few people even older than me on the floor.

I still haven't changed out the foam inserts in my camera case. I dread doing this because I have to cut openings in the foam for lenses and the camera. It's not easy to cut this type of foam. I want the cut outs to be straight and professional looking, but I don't think I have the proper tools. I'll probably just end up using a steak knife. I tried to order pick and pluck foam, but it wasn't available for my sized case. I may postpone this job for quite a while, since I don't actually use the cameras. 

Now that Covid restrictions are coming back, I wonder if my trip to the observatory in September is off too. I wouldn't be surprised. The observatory has been closed to the public for a long time because of the risk of the staff becoming infected. The place is a long way from a medical center, so the risk is real. It's such a shame that we are headed in the wrong directions again. There's plenty of blame to go around, but someone needs to shut the southern border immediately. It is insane to be imposing travel bans on European countries while we continue to let tons of unvaccinated, sick migrants flood the southern border. 

Hopefully my two Pfizer shots will continue to provide the protection I need. I'm really getting tired of this. As soon as the Delta variant fades away it will probably be replaced by something even worse. All this is so unnecessary. The virus spread through international travel. The dreaded Delta variant certainly didn't originate locally. Couldn't everyone just stay in their own country for a while. Maybe stay in your own state as well. None of this would have happened if there wasn't this compulsion to travel internationally. Don't get me started on another anti-globalist rant, but the world would be a better place if we all stayed home, raised our own food, made our own stuff, and minded our own business. 

Pebbles is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4235

Today was busy. Well, at least it was busy for me. I did more than one thing today which is becoming increasingly rare. It doesn't cool down at night the way it used to last month. Since our sunrise walks are warmer, Dawn doesn't like to walk as far. We are back to our bare minimum one mile loop again. I can't blame Dawn for wanting to get back inside. I usually feel like getting back inside as well.

I stopped at REI to pick up my new running shoes on my way to get a haircut. You could tell the whole mask situation is getting very confusing. Some of the staff were wearing masks while others weren't. The customers were the same way. I see this everywhere. When I went to the pharmacy a little later to pick up the antibiotics I need for my upcoming root canal, none of the pharmacists on duty were wearing masks. My hair stylist still wants customers to wear masks though and says she might continue wearing them forever. Clearly, we are just as divided on masks as we are on everything else in this country. I carry a mask in my back pocket and put it on if it makes someone happy. I don't think they are necessary if you have been vaccinated though. I'm wearing mine less and less.

I always enjoy getting a good haircut. Usually a haircut means I will be traveling somewhere interesting in the near future. Not this time. Travel is another thing that has become completely messed up in a post-Covid world. Planes are crowded and the people flying on them have become extremely rude. Hotels have gotten very expensive and rental cars are almost impossible to find in popular destinations. This is one of many reasons why I will be missing the upcoming Boeing Starliner launch. It's just as well I guess. If I was down in Titusville now, I would be fretting about the latest launch delay and wondering how I was going to pay for the trip. I'm hoping that things will change in the Fall, but I'm not counting on it. A perpetual Covid panic seems to benefit some people. This may go on forever.

I feel bad about making Dawn wear the cone so much, but it is the only thing that keeps her from licking and biting at her paws. We can usually leave the cone off in the mornings because she is tired after her sunrise walk and just goes to sleep. It's the afternoons where she gets into trouble. She knows we don't like the licking and will usually not go after her paws while one of us is in the room with her. If we leave her alone in the house she starts licking immediately. I thought this might be separation anxiety for a while, but she also does a lot of licking while we are asleep. Luckily, she can sleep normally wearing the cone, because she's been having to wear it at night lately.

I'm getting tired of spending money on things that bring no joy. I got my car insurance bill today and of course it was a lot higher than it was six months ago. I looked up the average price of a root canal on Google and was horrified at how expensive they were. Several reputable tree guys want to charge me as much as $5000 to remove the big Oak tree in the back yard. Lord knows how much it will cost to fix all the things that need attention in the house.

I went to the gym again today. I may not be getting any satisfaction, but I am still getting my steps. Maybe I'm fooling myself, but I still think staying in shape and drinking a healthy smoothie every morning is the secret to everything. We'll see how tomorrow goes. I've taken the trash out to the curb and watered the new grass. I'm ready for anything as long as there are no surprises.

Tink is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4234

Good grief. Usually a trip to the dentist is uneventful for me. I have good teeth and seldom have problems. Today the dentist told me that I have a cavity in one tooth and need a root canal in another. My regular dentist doesn't do root canals, so I had to go see an endodontist. My regular dentist said it was time for another pano-x-ray. That wasn't good enough for the endodontist however. He said I needed a cone beam CT scan. I got both. Needless to say, it was an expensive afternoon. All I was expecting was a routine teeth cleaning today. My teeth don't hurt and I had no idea there was a problem. The x-rays don't lie unfortunately, so I've got two different appointments in August for some major dental work.

This is probably why I still haven't made appointment with two other doctors I need to see this summer. I hate surprises and the older you get, the more likely you are to be surprised during a routine doctor visit. I'll get everything done this summer, but I'm saving the colonoscopy for last. I'd really like to avoid that one. 

Medical expenses always seem so unrewarding. I'd much rather get a new camera lens than a root canal. You can't ignore your health though. Both dentists agreed that it wouldn't be wise to postpone the root canal, even though the tooth isn't bothering me at the moment. The endodontist said the infection was still contained within the bone. "You don't want this to spread to soft tissue," he told me. "It will be very painful." OK. I believe you. I've made both dental appointments and will probably go ahead and make all my other appointments as well. I might as well get all this medical stuff behind me. Then I can concentrate on important things like going to rocket launches and visiting the observatory again.

It was too late to go to the gym after I returned from my two dental visits today. Even though it was very hot, I went for a walk instead. There was no compelling reason to do anything, but I really wanted to get those steps. I have become a slave to Fitbit and my Apple Watch. There's nothing wrong with exercise though. I think I'm in pretty good shape for 73. Age catches up with you though. Dusty Hill died today. He was younger than I am. I never saw ZZ Top perform, although I really liked their music. I should have gone to a concert while I had a chance. The band spent a lot of time in Dallas. Actually Dusty was born here.

Dawn is still trying to lick and bite her paws. I had to put a cone on her before I went to the dentist today. She's still taking antibiotics and I thought it was funny that the endodontist prescribed the same antibiotic for me. I'm supposed to start taking the pills four days before the root canal procedure. The root canal is underneath a crown and I keep thinking that this never would have happened if I hadn't gotten the crown. I chipped a tooth years ago and I wanted the dentist to just smooth the little chipped part and seal it. Nope. He said I had to have a crown, even though only a tiny part of the tooth had broken off. I still think that tooth was basically fine. What do I know about dentistry though? I'm the guy who went fifteen years without seeing a dentist at all.

Tomorrow I get a haircut. Somehow it is much easier for me to make a hair appointment than a doctor's appointment.

Queenie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4233

The sunrise walks are warmer now. You can tell what kind of day it is going to be the instant you step outside. I knew today was going to be a hot one. Dawn's enthusiasm for walking is very temperature dependent. She walked slower today and chose a shorter route. I couldn't blame her for wanting to get back to the house. When the temperature is already in the 80's during the coolest part of the day, even a dog knows that it's crazy to stay outside.

The air conditioner is running nonstop now. I keep hoping that this essential piece of machinery won't break. The problem with air conditioning is that it can only lower the ambient temperature by about twenty degrees. This works pretty well when the outside temperature is 90 degrees. When the temperature climbs over 100 degrees, most systems start to struggle. Our house isn't well insulated either. We have lots of single pane glass. The house was originally built with a thick tar and gravel roof that provided a modest amount of insulation. Modern roofing materials are much thinner and provide little insulation value at all. We have lost several large trees over the years as well, which used to provide lots of shade. We've always had hot summers here in Dallas, but it seems like the air conditioner is working a lot harder than it used to.

After breakfast I wrote a letter to my sister. This is the only way we communicate, so I always try to answer her letters. I kind of wish that everyone still wrote letters. It's easy to put a paper letter or a bill in a file folder and save it forever. I can't tell you how much e-mail that I have accidentally erased over the years. I have already forgotten to pay several bills now that I have switched over to electronic payments for everything. My old IBM Selectric typewriter used to feel so much more substantial than this Apple keyboard. I think my spelling used to be better back in the day as well, since it was such a pain to correct things. The older I get, the more nostalgic I become, so I guess I'm glad that there is still one person who believes in putting their thoughts on paper. My sister is even more old school than I am and writes everything in long hand instead of using a keyboard.

Dawn is getting better about wearing a cone while I'm away. She doesn't like it, but it works much better than the socks did for protecting her feet. She's got some new antibiotics now, but we still don't know what is causing the compulsive licking. It's rare that Janet and I are both away at the same time, so Dawn doesn't have to wear the cone that often. The redness does improve if we can keep her from licking or biting at her paws, so maybe if we can just keep her away from those paws for two or three weeks, everything will be better.

The gym must have fixed their air conditioning overnight, because the place was much cooler today. A lot of the treadmills are still broken, but I was still able to find a good one. It looks like I might be going to the gym every day this week because we've got a long string of 100 degree days ahead of us. Oddly, my car has better air conditioning than either our house or the gym. I have no problems staying cool in my car.   The only problem I have with the car is that it gets terrible gas mileage. If I'm driving in the city, I can almost see the gas gauge go down while I'm looking at it. Its silly to complain about this though, since I don't drive much and basically go nowhere. I only fill my tank about every three weeks.

The foam inserts for my camera case finally arrived. I haven't installed the foam in the case yet because I still have to cut slots in the foam for the lenses and camera. It seems like I had a special knife for this at one point. I'll have to look for it. Once I replace the disintegrating foam in the old aluminum Halliburton case I probably won't look at the cameras again for several years. It's way too much trouble to shoot on film these days unless you do the processing yourself.

I hope it's a little cooler tomorrow, but I'm sure it won't be. I'm probably going to be complaining about the heat for the next several months. 

Deuce is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4230

It was apparent when we took our sunrise walk this morning that it was going to be a hot day. We got a late start, but it still felt early to me. I didn't sleep well last night. A combination of heartburn and an upset stomach showed me that I've really got to start watching what I eat. I felt better after the walk, but still felt like goig back to bed.

Since today was definitely too hot for a walk in the park, I thought I'd try something new. I went to the gym before I did my Saturday grocery shopping. The gym closes early on Saturday, but this worked out pretty well. I walked three miles at the gym and did a little work with free weights before going to two grocery stores that were on my way home anyway. I got all my shopping done earlier than I usually do and  I didn't have to think about walking in the hot sun. Mission accomplished.

We got a small cone of shame for Dawn, but she really doesn't like it. When I ran my errands this morning I put a waterproof covering on the bed so we wouldn't have another laundry disaster if Dawn started licking again. She does most of her licking while we're gone. It's a shame that we can't leave the paper bootie bandages on her paws while we are away. I'm afraid that she might eat the booties trying to get them off and we would find ourselves at the emergency vet with a blockage. The socks work great while we are at home, but we have to keep an eye on Dawn. The booties do prevent her from licking her paws, but she knows how to get them off now. Keeping her from licking is an uphill battle.

This afternoon was uneventful. There were a number of things I should have done, but I couldn't seem to get motivated. Ants are getting in the house again, but I can't figure out where they are coming from. This would be a good time to patch the roof since there is no rain in the forecast, but it is way too hot. I tried to take a nap with Dawn, but she didn't want to share the bed and went off to her dog bed in the kitchen. It's too bad I don't enjoy watching television. It was kind of a television watching afternoon.

I'm really disappointed that Florida has become a virus hotspot again. The Boeing Starliner launch is next week and NASA recently sent out invitations to apply for credentials to view an upcoming ISS resupply mission in late August. Things are happening, but I'm just not involved. I feel like I'm losing touch with the space community, but I still don't feel any burning desire to return to Kennedy Space Center right now. I don't think I could turn any of this summer's launches into an interesting story for Spaceflight magazine anyway, and I don't want to press my luck by traveling into a virus hotspot.

I've got to find something interesting to do in Dallas, or I'm just going to be mowing the grass and fretting about Dawn's paws. I could make a long list of things I don't want to do, but the list of things that interest me is getting pretty small. I really wonder if I'm going to make it until Day 5000. I may just wake up one morning and realize that this quest is silly and pointless.

When I wake up tomorrow I'll be thinking about Dawn's Sunday outing. Janet and I both enjoy this little trip because it makes Dawn happy. If a walk in a different park and an ice cream cone can make Dawn happy, I guess it's good enough for me as well

Molly is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4228

We're back to square one. I left Dawn alone while I went to the gym today and she did some serious paw licking while I was gone. I thought her paws were really starting to improve, but now they're all red and raw again. I don't know what to do with her. I take the socks off when I leave the house now, because she has started to eat them. If we put a cone on her, she can still manage to reach her rear paws. Usually she just sleeps while I am gone, but today was pretty bad. She did so much licking that the comforter and sheets were all wet and had to go in the wash.

The paw licking wasn't the only bad news either. The vet called and told us that Dawn still has a bacterial infection. The antibiotics she was taking failed to clear it up. Now they are doing a culture of the bacteria to find out specifically what it is and then then we'll probably have to treat it with a different antibiotic. What happened to our gentle, low maintenance dog who just wants to sleep all day? At least she's not as fearful of me anymore. She doesn't run away when I'm fixing her dinner anymore. This probably has more to do with her new food than it does with me though. We've got a long road ahead of us. First, we've got to clear up her bacterial infection. Then we've got to go through a slow process of elimination to find out why she continues to lick her paws. Can dogs self harm like people do? So far, this seems like a reasonable explanation to me. We've taken her to the vet several times and haven't found anything medical that would explain the licking yet.

Dawn continues to explore new areas of the park on our sunrise walk. We didn't go as far as we did yesterday, but she still had a very nice walk, exploring an area where we haven't been in many months. It's disappointing that her paws looked so good while we were walking this morning. I really thought we'd turned a corner. Now we're starting over again. At least we know that it's possible for the paws to heal. We've just got to keep her from licking for two or three weeks.

While Dawn was making a mess of things at home, I was at the gym trying to undo the mess I'd made of my body during a lazy Covid year. I really wish I enjoyed this because it is much harder to build muscle mass as you grow older. I'm thinking now that I had a stomach ache yesterday because I've been working too hard on my core and abs. My stomach is sore and I'm beginning to think it has nothing to do with what I've been eating. I did some different exercises today. We'll see if that helps.

It's a shame that Covid infections have become an issue again. Texas was doing so well for a while that I thought that we'd put the pandemic behind us. Now Florida has become a hotspot again. 20% of all the new cases in the entire country come from Florida. This isn't good for any near term launch viewing plans. I'm not even considering going to Florida until the state returns to normal. I sure hope they don't reinstate mask mandates in Texas. So far, our state seems to be doing pretty good. Unfortunately, anything that happens in other states can easily come here.

We need a bigger dryer. It's going to be hard to get all the bedding washed and dried again before it's time to go to bed. It takes a long time to dry a heavy bedspread. I've always wished we had one of those industrial sized washers and dryers that you often see at vet clinics and boarding facilities. If you have dogs, a regular washer and dryer just doesn't cut it. The sad thing is that as soon as I get everything back on the bed, Dawn will probably make a mess of things again as soon as we go to sleep.

At least it's Friday tomorrow. I've taken the trash out to the curb and watered the new grass. I ate a very light dinner tonight and so far no stomach ache or heartburn. I"m hoping for a very uneventful day tomorrow.

Pongo is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4227

Dawn walked two miles this morning. I was amazed. She was tired when we returned home, but this was her longest walk in many months. Something has changed. Dawn seems happier and more assertive now. I don't know if we'll ever discover what caused her to freeze in place and become reluctant to leave the house. It's nice to see her become more confident though. We were probably walking her too far in the beginning. She's an older dog and tires easily. It seems to work pretty well if we just let Dawn choose what to do. She seems to know her limits.

Today was totally uneventful. It was too hot to take a walk in the park, so I puttered around the house for a while and then went to the gym. I need to think of something to do that doesn't involve planning a trip to Florida or West Texas. I probably need to start working again, but the thought of finding clients seems daunting. Things change quickly and I've lost most of my old contacts. I don't think I could work for anyone else either. I've gone way too long without having a boss or a supervisor. Oh, well. So much for working. Probably all I need are a few good books.

I find it strange that there is so much animosity toward Jeff Bezos. There seemed to be a lot of criticism of his rocket on the morning shows today. The same people who find pleasure in hating Bezos always seem to have Amazon boxes on their front porch. I think it's great that Bezos, Branson, and Musk want to go to space. People forget that during the early days of aviation only rich people could afford to fly. The same has been true for most new innovations. Even color televisions were out of reach for many when I was a kid. Hey, somebody has to be first. Say what you will about Zuckerberg, but you are probably on Facebook right now. People like Bezos and Zuckerberg are rich because you want what they have to offer. It seems so hypocritical to badmouth successful tech titans while you are constantly glued to your cell phone, ordering stuff you don't really need online. At any rate, I hope Bezos succeeds with his dream of moving heavy industry off the planet and Musk is able to establish a colony on Mars. We need a lot more people with outlandish big dreams and a lot fewer substance abusers living in tents on city streets.

I can't figure out how my gym stays in business. There are usually only about twelve people on the floor and it's always the same people. I can't believe that the gym is usually crowded and I just happen to pick the times when it is empty. I'm certainly not complaining. I like the fact that most of the machines are always open and there's never a wait for anything. I did my usual routine today and then came home. I actually think I get more exercise walking in the park, but the gym is a nice change of pace. It certainly beats going outside on a hot, humid day.

Maybe I'm imagining things, but I think Dawn's paws are starting to get better. They don't look as red anymore. We try to keep the socks on her while she's sleeping or around the house. She can get the socks off if she really tries, but there aren't as many opportunities to lick or bite at herself anymore. I think the antibiotics she was taking for her urinary tract infection helped too. I hope we can clear this up. I doesn't really matter if the licking is a behavioral or a medical issue. We need to discover the cause and get her back to normal.

I have a stomach ache tonight. This is weird because I ate exactly the same thing for dinner as I did on Monday. I guess life is full of unexplained mysteries. Luckily, like a stomach ache, most of the mysteries don't matter and you forget about them the next day.

Katie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

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

Watch of the Day