Day 4919

It was hard to stay ahead of the weather today. It would rain for a while, but never stop for long enough to get anything done. Dawn missed her early walk this morning because of a sudden storm. I almost missed my long walk as well. I actually did get rained on for a while, but it wasn't bad. Basically, the word of the day was wet.

I tried to call the roofer about the standing water on the roof but my contact person wasn't available. I just left a text message. The roof isn't leaking and I doubt the roofers can do anything, but I'm still unhappy. Getting a roof that drained properly was one of my main objectives when this whole roof saga began.

When I was walking this morning I noticed that there was a lot of interest in a loose dog. The dog seemed friendly, but the local park ranger and several police officers both seemed interested. They must have called animal control because when I was returning home I saw an animal control officer trying to catch the dog. I felt sorry for the dog since it probably won't last long in the pound. The animal control officer didn't seem to know what he was doing. Instead of using a catch pole, he was trying to catch the dog using a large net. It kind of looked like a huge butterfly net. With a little cheese, this dog would have probably come right over and let you put a leash on him. Maybe there was more to this story. The dog might have bitten someone or maybe there were worries about rabies. Who knows. I see loose dogs in the park all the time, but seldom see this kind of drama.

I shouldn't have been so industrious yesterday, because I had nothing to do today. I did a load of laundry because that's what I always do when I can't think of anything else. The good news was that the water from the machine didn't overflow the drain today. There were other problems though. Our phones went dead for a while which was strange because the Internet still worked. I eventually discovered that if I disconnected an old wall phone in the kitchen, the phones worked again. This means that there is a bad connection in the wiring somewhere. It's almost not worth trying to fix this though. We still have plenty of phones without the problematic kitchen phone.

I don't know why I bothered taking a walk today. There was a light mist when I started and intermittent showers throughout the walk. I was pretty wet by the time I returned home. I never even considered not walking though. These long walks have become an integral part of my day. At least it was cool outside. The ducks seemed to love the weather. I saw lots more ducks today than I usually do.

Dawn seem bothered by the storms today. This was odd because she usually totally ignores the weather. I'm worthless at calming Dawn down when Janet is away. If I come in the bedroom when she's upset, she'll just go to the opposite side of the house. Dawn needs to get serious about bonding with me. Eventually Janet is going to take a vacation again.

I have no plans for tomorrow. This means it will probably be exactly like today. I think there is more rain in the forecast tomorrow as well. Oh, well. The rainy season will be over soon enough. 

Marcie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4868

It was a dreary, rainy day. It never rained hard, but there was a constant drizzle for most of the day. It was too wet to take Dawn on a sunrise walk this morning, but we did take her down into the park to poop and pee when we woke up this morning. She still doesn't like to do her business in the yard.

After we dried off, we had a nice weekend breakfast and then I got ready to go mall walking. It might have been raining outside, but it was still dry at the mall. Mall walking provides me with my weekly glimpse at the state of the world. Judging from what I see every week, I don't think we are in good shape. Maybe I'm being too harsh though. People are still having families. I saw lots of young Moms and Dads with little children today. At least the walkers are still making an effort to stay active and healthy. I see people of all ages, from the very young to the very old. 

It's hard to generalize, but I do notice things. Women generally dress much better than men. It doesn't matter if the men are young or very old, they all seem to look like they pulled their clothes out of a pile of dirty laundry. Young people seem to love to wear torn and ripped denim. I never understood this trend at all. People are actually paying more for artificially distressed clothing that looks like it is almost worn out. The young and the old seem to like mall walking. You don't see many middle aged people walking. Young couples usually seem happy, while old couples are usually arguing about something. There are a lot more old gay men than I would have suspected. Quite a few walkers still wear masks. Why? Finally, little children are quite loud. They all seem to love to run and yell.

Overall, the walkers seem to be a wholesome lot. The stores themselves, not so much. A lot of the clothes on display seem purposefully ugly. The shoes are the worst. Who wears these clunky, awkward looking things? The more expensive the clothes are, the smaller the sizes on display. I think you'd need to be a size 0 to even be allowed inside some of the upscale little European boutiques. Most of the mannequins in the windows look like android robots with no faces. Only Neiman Marcus still uses realistic mannequins these days. The mannequins in Victoria's Secret windows are fat. Seems odd to me, but maybe they know their audience. The odd thing about fashion is that there is nothing new under the sun. Today's latest styles are all recycled from earlier eras. Judging from what I see in the windows, I could pull something from thirty years ago out of my closet and still be in style.

I like to listen to Stephen Dubner's Freakonomics Radio while I'm driving home. I always learn something from this show. I also like to listen to Guy Raz's How I Build This and the TED Radio Hour, but these shows seem to be on Saturday now and I only hear bits and pieces when I'm returning from grocery shopping.

Dawn didn't get her Sunday outing walk today, but we still took her for ice cream cones. She is such a weird dog in the car. She's always super excited when she gets to go somewhere, but immediately starts acting scared when the car starts moving. She would be a terrible dog to take a road trip with. Ice cream calms her down though. We eat our cones in a parking lot near the ice cream store and on the way home Sawn seems almost normal.

I started preparing for my trip this afternoon. I didn't get a lot done, but my manilla folder full of vital information is finished. I make one of these for every trip, just in case my phone or computer breaks. I have no faith in my memory. I need to have my NASA badging instructions, airline and hotel reservations, rental car contracts, and travel maps on paper as well. Hopefully, I'll be able to finish packing tomorrow.

Wyatt is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4835

What happened? Today was supposed to be nice and I was going to go up on the roof and look for leaks. It wasn't warm and nice at all. It was very chilly outside and there was an all day drizzle. It never rained very hard, but it never stopped either. I waited and waited to take my long walk and I finally gave up, put a raincoat on and walked in the rain.

Dawn had a minor setback this morning. When we took her out to pee in the yard, she saw the neighbor's dog in the back alley and started barking and running toward the fence. She always barks at anything in the alley, but this was an unfortunate time. She was running too fast and must have strained a muscle in her weak leg. She didn't fall, but she was limping a bit. 

We helped her back on the bed and she didn't want to get off again for quite a while. We had to feed her breakfast in bed again. Eventually today's Rimadyl pill kicked in and she started walking normally again. We don't want Dawn to be in pain, but we definitely would like her to take things easy for a while. We're making progress, but it's going to take a while for her to heal. We would have been fine this morning if Dawn hadn't seen the neighbors walking down the alley with their dog. You win some. You lose some. Dawn is a very protective dog. I can't seem to explain to her that it's not our alley.

I was the only one walking in the park today. I saw one man walking his dog but that was it. There were no bicycles and no joggers today. I did see a group of park employees laying new sod in a bare area. I guess they don't get the day off when it rains. My raincoat kept me surprisingly dry and I was able to complete my entire route. My shoes and socks got wet though. Why didn't I think to wear my waterproof Hoka boots? Days like today were exactly why I bought those boots. 

I got a form letter from my accountant today saying that since my tax materials arrived later than their self imposed in-house deadline, they might not have time to finish my return by April 15. They could need to file an extension on my behalf. First in, first out the letter said. What? I delivered the materials the same time I always do every year. It's never been a problem before. I don't want to file an extended return. I'll have to give the guy a call. My return is always pretty simple. I can't believe it would take them that much time to prepare it this year.

I'm so sick of all this rain. It just seems to go on and on. We're going to miss bulky trash pick up this month because the remaining leaves in the back yard are too wet to rake. The roof still isn't leaking, but I have very little faith in my repairs. It never gets dry enough for me to find and seal the remaining leak. Dawn doesn't like the rain either. It's really hard to get her to poop when the ground is wet. If we do managed to get her down to the park, the ground is slippery and that increases the danger of falling. The rain isn't over either. Tomorrow is supposed to be dry, but there will be new storms arriving on Thursday and Friday.

Hopefully there will be no surprises tomorrow. Is a predictable life, a healthy dog, and a dry house too much to ask?

Big Boy is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4830

Yesterday was such a nice day and today was exactly the opposite. It turns out that it was the drugs that were keeping Dawn happy. After 24 hours without pain meds she woke up stiff and painful again. There were no falls, but there was one stumble where she almost fell. We've had to go back to having her wear a harness with a handle all the time so we can help her on and off the bed and make sure she doesn't fall when going out to pee. After giving her another Rimadyl she is much calmer this evening. We'll have to check with the vet and see how long it is safe to continue this medication.

Today was a dismal rainy day, but I did manage to get a few things done. I finished gathering and preparing my 2022 tax information to take to the accountant. During a break in the rain I took a fat folder with my tax materials and another with Janet's information to the accountant and then dropped off the old printer at an animal rescue donation site. When I returned home it looked like there was still enough time to take my long walk before the next round of storms arrived.

I completed my entire route today but I was pretty slow. My feet weren't having a good day. We didn't give Dawn a morning walk today and probably won't tomorrow either. Since she seems to feel good when taking pain medication it's hard to know what to do. We don't want to aggravate the situation, but it isn't good to be completely inactive either. Dawn is much happier when she can follow her regular routine. She and I are pretty similar in that regard.

The dreaded severe storms we've been hearing about for several days finally arrived late this afternoon. Usually bad storms go either to the north or south of us, but today they appeared to be headed directly in our direction. It all looked pretty serious for a while. We started getting warnings on our phones and then the tornado sirens started going off in the neighborhood. The local weather said the entire area was under a tornado warning and sure enough when I looked at the weather radar our house was inside the tornado warned zone. This hasn't happened for a long time. We gathered up Dawn, her dog bed, several blankets and our phones and headed for our safe spot. Truthfully, we don't have a safe spot in our house since it is an open plan design with no interior rooms. There is a ton of single pane glass that would break easily in a bad storm. We ended up huddling next to the refrigerator in a little alcove in the kitchen that was as far from windows as we could find. This still wasn't a great location because we were near the utility room with a gas furnace and water heater.

Dawn was good in her inaugural safety drill. She was nervous for a few minutes and then settled down and was pretty relaxed. I think she felt comfortable that both of us were right there next to her. Dawn didn't want us on the dog bed with her though, so she ended up having more room than Janet and I. The storm blew over pretty quick and everything is quiet again. A cold front has arrived though and it is almost thirty degrees colder than it was a few hours ago. When I took the trash out to the curb about an hour ago it felt like a completely different day than it did this morning.

There are no roof leaks yet, but I expect we'll start to see some soon. The pumps are running now and it's clear that there's a lot of water on the roof. I wish I knew where to place the buckets before I go to bed tonight, but the leaks never seem to appear in the same place. I actually hope the dripping noises wake me up tonight or there might be a big mess in the morning. The good news is that there is no more rain in the forecast for a while. The bad news is that Dawn isn't out of the woods yet. Whatever's wrong is still bothering her.

Ruthie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4815

This weather is driving me nuts. As soon as the leaks stop the rain starts again. Once water gets under the Armor Flex coating on the roof there is a time delay before it reaches the inside of the house. What this means is that it can be sunny outside while the roof is leaking inside. The leaks aren't nearly as bad after my attempt to patch the roof, but even a small leak is still annoying. It's not raining right now, but we have tornado warnings starting tomorrow evening. I'm wondering if this will ever end.

There was nothing important on the agenda today. I ate my breakfast and tried to time my long walk so I wouldn't get wet. We were lucky again on Dawn's sunrise walk, making it home a few minutes before a heavy shower began. My luck ran out later this morning. Everything looked good on the weather radar, so I headed out. The weather was fine for the first mile or so and then a sudden shower appeared out of nowhere. I got wet, but it was quite warm so it wasn't a big deal. The shower didn't last long and I was almost dry again by the time I returned home.

I am so hooked on getting my steps these days that very little stops me. It's been a long time since I failed to get at least 10,000 steps. When I make the drive to West Texas it's almost impossible to reach my goal since I'm spending all day in the car. I missed my goal when I had gall bladder surgery too. There's not much you can do when you are hooked up to IV tubes in the hospital.

My feet were in bad shape today. I could barely walk when I got out of bed this morning. The odd thing is that the pain is worse when I first wake up. After I put on shoes and start walking around it usually gets a lot better. Aches and pains are the story of my life these days. Between bad knees, a bad shoulder and the persistent foot pain, something always seems to hurt. Most of this can just be attributed to growing older. Like many people my age I probably have a moderate case of osteoarthritis.

It's hard to believe that it is already March. Where does the time go? I did make it down to Florida in January for a Falcon Heavy launch, but most of this year has just been dealing with rain and roof leaks. It would be a nice break from this frustration to make another trip out to the observatory in April for their annual Dark Sky Festival, but I'm not sure that I'm up for the long drive anymore. When I made the trip last year it was really tiring. I definitely don't want to fall asleep at the wheel and my left hand tends to go numb if I grip the steering wheel for too long. Unfortunately there is no way to fly to this destination. It's a long drive to West Texas or nothing.

We're on the edge of the tornado warned area, so hopefully we won't get any severe weather tomorrow. I actually worry more about high winds than tornados. High winds have already brought down several large trees in our yard and there are several more that are just waiting for the right storm to take them out. These old mature Oak trees really don't hold up that well to high winds. I wonder if there are still places where the weather is nice all the time. Florida has frequent hurricanes and my favorite place in West Texas is dealing with a huge range fire right now. I wouldn't even consider living up North. How do people deal with all that snow? Who knows? Maybe it will be nice tomorrow. Our weather forecast is often wrong.

Lucky is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4794

When going to the dentist turns out to be the best thing about your day, it's usually a pretty dismal day. The dental hygienist is always very complementary about the way I take care of my teeth. My gums are healthy. There is very little plaque on my teeth and no cavities. One more dental cleaning is in the books. I'll go back for another in August.

It's been raining nonstop for almost 24 hours. Dawn didn't get a morning walk and I almost didn't get an afternoon walk. There are leaks everywhere in the house. I've run out of buckets again. It was raining pretty hard when I drove to the dentist, but by mid-afternoon most of the precipitation had finally moved out of the area. I did get to eventually take a long walk and get my steps, but it was very cold outside. Although the temperature was almost fifty, it felt more like thirty. There was a light mist and a strong wind. Lets just say that it wasn't a very pleasant walk.

The roof leaks are driving me crazy. I never know where the drips are going to occur. This time the leaks appeared in a different location than they did during the ice storm last week. My Fitbit didn't register any sleep at all last night. I know I must have slept, but the dripping water kept waking me up. Every time I heard a new sound I had to get up and investigate. At least this time there has been no water flowing down the walls. Those type of leaks are almost impossible to capture in buckets.

I was the only person on the trails today. I literally did not see anyone else when I was out walking this afternoon. I'll admit that I'm a bit obsessive, but walking gives a structure to my day. The exercise is good for me too. Even the ducks looked miserable on today's walk. I feel sorry for the animals on days like this. They have no place to hide. The geese seemed angry since no one was feeding them. I should have taken them some dried corn or frozen peas. People are always feeding the ducks and geese bread, but that's just about the worst thing you can give them. I just kept moving today. I wanted to get back home where it was warm and relatively dry.

I got a surprise e-mail this morning. The local historical society in a small Pennsylvania town asked me for a copy of a story I'd written about their town many years ago. I'd almost forgotten about the story and no longer had a copy. Why would someone even remember this so many years later? It was thirty years ago. I told the lady that I'd look for the story but I doubt that I'll find it. I remember it was somewhat controversial and I ended up taking it off my website. I don't like controversy and prefer to remain invisible. Lesson learned I guess. This is why I mostly just write about myself these days. 

The rain has moved to the East but the roof is still leaking. I'll have to empty all the buckets before I go to bed tonight and if the weather is nice tomorrow I suspect that I'll have to climb up on the roof and sweep away the standing water. The roofing company did call me today. They want to schedule a time for their flat roof specialist to come out and take a look at things. Maybe if all goes well we can replace this roof in the Spring. Until then, I just hope it quits raining.

Hopefully it will be dry enough to give Dawn a walk in the morning. She didn't get to go to her training class tonight and appears to be getting cabin fever. Although Dawn is basically a lazy dog who spends most of the day on our bed, she does like to go smell things in the park. 

The medical and dental appointments never end. Now the dermatologist wants to see me again. Didn't I just see this guy a little while ago? It appears that doctors want to see you every six months now. This week has gone quickly, but not quickly enough for me. I just want it to be warm and dry again. Hopefully tomorrow will be an improvement.

Taylor is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4793

I've been waiting for rain all day. For most of the day there have only been a few sprinkles. That's changing quickly though. Is the roof going to leak again? Probably. I just hate the suspense. I'll probably go to sleep tonight thinking that everything's fine and then wake up in the middle of the night hearing the dreaded dripping sounds I've grown to hate.

Most of my problems today weren't related to water. They were with my computer. The hardware is too old to upgrade to a modern operating system and that means most of my software is not supported anymore. A lot of things still work fine, but if something crashes it's very hard to reinstall it again. I've tried to upgrade my antivirus software, but current versions require a newer system. I've had to quit using Safari because it is considered system software and I'm still running Sierra. I guess I could upgrade to High Sierra which is the last OS that my computer will recognize. High Sierra wouldn't make any difference though. It is still ancient. Basically, when I fire up the computer every morning I'm taken back to 2010. Hey, there's nothing wrong with 2010. It was a good year. A lot has changed though. Especially when it comes to Internet security, WiFi, and how websites function. A lot of websites just won't work with my antique browser and hardware.

Will I give in any buy a new computer and upgrade all my software, or will I just abandon the Internet altogether? It's an open question. Computers were a vital and very essential tool when I was working, but I'm retired now. Basically just about the only thing I use a computer for these days is writing this blog. With my blogging goal less than a year away, we'll just have to see what happens. I still spend a lot of time online, but it is just force of habit. I have a feeling that I could make better use of my time.

Even though it's been a dreary day, Dawn and I both got our walks. It was surprisingly warm today. I only needed a light jacket on my long walk and probably could have gotten away with wearing shorts. I got a little wet on my walk, but the heavy rain is just starting now. I can hear thunder outside so I'd better get the buckets ready. 

I haven't heard anything yet from the flat roof specialist who was supposed to call me. I'm going to remain optimistic for a while, but I have my doubts that this story has a happy ending. When roofing companies take a good look at my problems, most just walk away. I'm so tired of dealing with leaks I could scream. This has to be dealt with though. Will I weather these storms or will I go batshit crazy? Only time will tell.

I've got a dentist appointment tomorrow. That's actually where my computer problems started today. The program I've used for years to remind me of upcoming events crashed and I had trouble reinstalling it. The program has completely disappeared on the app store and I think the company has gone out of business. I'm sure there are similar programs out there, but I liked this one. This isn't the first software that has bit the dust on my computer. It probably won't be the last either. For the moment I just wrote all my appointment information on a piece of paper and put it on the kitchen table where I will see it when I eat breakfast tomorrow.

No wonder I like to go to launches in Florida. It's an imaginary world where none of these problems exist. Reality is an old house, an old car, and an aging body that are all falling apart. I think I'm doing a pretty good job of staying healthy, but long walks won't fix an old house. It's a shame that my carefully curated list of craftsmen have all died or retired. These guys could have fixed anything in this house, but they're all gone now. There's no use crying over spilt milk. I'm already starting to hear dripping water. I'd better get the buckets out.

Stortz is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4779

What a dismal day. It was cold and raining when we woke up. It rained all day and it hasn't stopped yet. Needless to say, Dawn didn't get her sunrise walk. She didn't even want to go outside. I immediately started the pumps on the roof and prepared myself for the worst. At first I thought I was going to get lucky, but I set the buckets out anyway. I managed to finish breakfast before I started hearing the all too familiar sound of dripping water. The big leak today was located in the office, but I see some staining in the kitchen above Dawn's water bowl. I'm afraid there will be more leaks before this rain ends.

There wasn't much I could do today. I checked the weather radar frequently, but the storm was huge and covered much of Texas. It could have been worse I guess. At least we weren't getting snow like they are are in the panhandle or tornado warnings like they were in Houston. The roof blew off the animal shelter in Pasadena, Texas and all the dogs were left exposed to the weather. Hopefully things will be better tomorrow. I think the rain is supposed to end by midnight.

It was pretty clear that I wasn't going to get 20,000 steps today. A walk in the park was out of the question, so I reluctantly got in the car and went to the gym. You can tell I've become obsessed with getting my steps because I definitely do not like driving in the rain. I'm always glad for heated seats and a heated steering wheel on a cold day like this. I need new wiper blades though.

The gym was crowded today. I guess a lot of people had the same idea I had. I walked three miles around the indoor track to get my minimum 10,000 steps for the day and close all three rings on my Apple watch. At least I kept up a decent pace today. Usually I'm slow on the indoor track. I had planned to work on my upper body strength while I was at the gym, but after finishing my three mile walk I felt like I'd had enough. I did use the leg press for a bit, but didn't even bother shooting baskets. Rain really puts a damper on my mood.

There's going to be a NASA Social for the Crew 6 launch at the end of February and I can't decide whether to apply. NASA discontinued these events for social media influencers during the Covid years, but they are slowly starting to return. I've been to a few of these and sometimes they provide even better access than press credentials. Since I can't afford that many trips to Florida this year, I'll have to look at the 2023 launch schedule and see if there are more interesting things in the future. I'll think about it. I'm not even sure my application would be approved since NASA tends to favor newcomers now. I've already been to five of these NASA Socials.

I'm getting tired of listening to the roof leak drip. The leak isn't far from my desk and it's a constant reminder that the house needs a new roof. I still haven't decided on a roofing contractor. I have gotten several bids, but all have left something to be desired. Why is a flat roof so expensive. I may get one or two more bids, but I really have to do something this year. Old houses and flat roofs aren't a good combination.

We probably will wait another week before visiting the rescue Dalmatians at their new kennel. The kennel said that Wednesday was the best day to visit. but it doesn't look like tomorrow is going to be a good day. I think we will be playing with the dogs outside and ir would be better to wait until the weather was warmer and the ground was dry.

I don't have big expectations for tomorrow. I just hope the roof stops leaking.

Holly is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4733 - Dawn's Birthday

Good grief. I forgot my appointment with the eye doctor today. It wasn't their fault. They've been sending me reminders for the past two weeks. I got distracted by a roof leak this morning and just forgot. I remember thinking yesterday that maybe I ought to leave a note out on the kitchen table to remind me while I was eating breakfast. No, I'll remember I thought. I rescheduled the appointment, but I feel kind of foolish. I can't remember anything anymore.

Today's roof leak was minor, but it was annoying. This is what happens in the Winter. It never gets hot enough for the water to evaporate, so it just sits up there. I used to get on the roof and sweep the water away after every rain, but I try to avoid that now. I'm getting clumsy and I don't want to fall off the roof.

The park was empty when we walked Dawn this morning. You don't see many bicycles or runners on days like this. People still walk their dogs though. No matter what the weather looks like, we always see several other people walking their dogs. 

I keep telling myself that I don't feel like walking in the park, but somehow I end up doing it anyway. It's just easier to go out the back door and start walking than it is to go to the gym. I completed my entire walk this morning without thinking that I should have been at the eye doctor instead. It never even occurred to me that I'd missed my appointment until later this afternoon. Next time I will make myself a note and place it on the kitchen table. 

I upgraded the star tracker this afternoon. I don't know why I bothered because it doesn't seem any different than the last version. The unit still works, but it takes me a while to get it going. There is a specific start-up sequence that needs to be followed and I never remember to do everything in the right order. I wouldn't be surprised if I wear the star tracker out testing it and never get around to doing any actual astrophotography.

Today is Dawn's birthday. She is now ten years old. Coincidentally, December 9th is also my Dad's birthday.  He would have been 102 year old if he hadn't died 19 years ago. Dawn is getting older, but she still seems very healthy. I think she enjoys her life with us and is finally starting to relax. I took a short nap on the bed earlier this evening and she didn't leave. She actually seemed fairly content. One of these days she's going to realize that I mean no harm and we'll be buddies. We'll have a little birthday party for Dawn when Janet gets home this evening. We don't make elaborate dog cakes anymore, but we do get pupcakes from Sprinkles. Janet and I will have a little champagne as well. It's just a birthday tradition.

There's more rain in the forecast for tomorrow. I wish the rain would wait until I finish my grocery shopping, but it probably won't. I'm resigned to getting wet tomorrow. Dawn might get a morning walk though. I don't think the rain is supposed to start until around 10 AM. If it keeps raining I'll go to the gym in the afternoon. It's time for me to go back to the gym anyway.

Puppies are today's Dalmatians of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4732

We've been having a lot of nasty weather lately. I guess it's like this every year. I feel like I'm spending most of my time looking at the weather radar and trying to find time to squeeze in walks between rain showers. I was successful today, but you never know. I could get drenched tomorrow.

I ordered Christmas gifts on Amazon this morning. The web site said that they will be delivered on time, so I guess I'm done for another year. I used to send out Christmas cards, but I haven't done that for a long time. We used to get a ton of Christmas cards, but now we just get a few. Most of them are business cards from insurance agents and doctor's offices. I don't even know if sending Christmas cards is a tradition anymore. 

I hope the roof doesn't leak tonight. It rained enough today that it probably will. I usually go to bed thinking that everything's fine and then wake up in the middle of the night when I hear the ominous drip, drip, drip of another leak. I never know where to put the buckets ahead of time. The leaks usually originate near ceiling light fixtures or small cracks in the sheetrock, but you never know. Water is creative and can always seems to find someplace new to get into the house.

I've just about finished changing all my online passwords. I don't know if this is a futile gesture, but you've got to make an effort. So many people I know have gotten hacked recently that it would be foolish to think I'm immune. I really wonder if staying online is even worth the effort. Online shopping is really convenient, but I got along just fine without it for decades. I have a feeling that once I reach my 5000 day blogging goal, I'll be on the Internet a lot less. Now that I'm retired and the Internet is no longer an integral part of my business, it just doesn't give me much joy.

I did get to see Mars for a few minutes last night as it emerged from the other side of the moon. I missed the actual exit point of the occultation by a few minutes because I couldn't find any accurate times for the occultation in Dallas and I didn't feel like staying outside all night. The beginning and end times were different for every city. I did manage to see Mars very close to the Moon when there was a brief break in the clouds, so my efforts were at least semi-successful.

It's hard for me to resist the urge to buy things I don't need at this time of year. Almost every day I receive notices about big sales on astronomy and photographic gear. It's tempting, but I don't really need anything. How many cameras do you really need? When I feel like buying something I should go to the storage warehouse instead and take a look at where the stuff will wind up in a few years.

I find it interesting that Goblin Mode is this year's Oxford English Dictionary word of the year. I had to look up what the term means because I had never heard of it before. Maybe this term never resonated with me because I am never in goblin mode myself. My life is very regimented. I don't binge watch television. I don't eat snacks in bed. I actually make the bed every morning and always pick up my clothes. It just seems strange to me to celebrate self-indulgent, slovenly behavior. I find a structured life comforting, so I guess I'll continue methodically writing a blog post every evening and trying to walk six miles every day. 

Willow is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4720

This is how people go insane. I had just finished cleaning up the house and the last leak had finally stopped when another storm came though town while we were sleeping. There was a massive amount of rain and the leaks started all over again. I realized that something was wrong when I stepped in water on my way to the bathroom. Not exactly the way I wanted to wake up, but I got out the buckets and towels again and started round two of leak patrol.

I didn't bother going up on the roof today. Trying to sweep the water away in the rain didn't stop the leaks last time and I knew it wouldn't this time either. The pumps weren't working initially, but I did get them to work on my third try after we finished breakfast. I think each pump has to be submerged in a certain amount of standing water before it starts pumping. 

There was a break in the rain around 8 AM, so Dawn got her sunrise walk after all. She wasn't wild about getting her paws wet, but she did her business and completed the walk. Once we got off the wet grass and started walking on roads again Dawn was a happy camper and started enjoying her walk. I know she would have preferred waiting until the sun came out, but that wasn't going to happen today.

After our big weekend breakfast I went out to do my grocery shopping. There was a light drizzle, but it really wasn't all that bad. The stores weren't crowded today at all. I guess everyone was eating Thanksgiving leftovers. I filled the car with gas, found everything on my list and came home again. 

I kept hoping that the rain would stop, but that wasn't in the cards today. This was definitely an all day rain. Since the rain during the day was nothing like last night's downpour, the leaks inside the house gradually began to diminish. Most of the leaks have stopped by now, but there is still the one troublesome leak in the office. The water is leaking through a can light in the ceiling. Since this doesn't seem terribly safe, I am leaving the light off until things dry out. Lord knows how long that is going to take. This is the worst roof leak we have had in years.

It would have been miserable walking in the park today, so I went to the gym instead. It doesn't matter when I go, the same twelve people always seem to be there. I'm beginning to think they live there. I did pretty well on the basketball court today. At least I did well by my low standards. I'm glad I finished my thirty free throws and was off the court before some real basketball players appeared. I would have embarrassed myself if they has seen my pitiful efforts. I was pretty slow on the indoor track as well. I completed my two miles, but I always seems to be a lot faster when I'm walking outdoors.

When I returned from the gym, Dawn was sleeping comfortably on the bed, so I took a nap on the living room couch instead. It hurts my feelings when Dawn leaves the room every time I try to join her on the bed, but it is what it is. Dawn had a hard life at the puppy mill kennel and I don't think she is ever going to trust men.

The weather is looking much better tomorrow. According to the forecast we will have clear skies and mild temperatures. This sounds like a good day for Dawn's Sunday outing. I'll probably go mall walking as well. Mall walking is a nice change of pace from my regular walks.

Pepper is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

4718 - Thanksgiving

It was the best of times. It was the worst of times. We had a lovely Thanksgiving dinner this afternoon. It was worth all the calls it took to get a reservation at our favorite restaurant. The elaborate buffet was delicious, the service was great, and it felt almost like pre-Covid times. We'll just have to remember to make our reservation a little earlier next year.

Thanksgiving dinner was definitely the high point of the day. The rest of the day was a mess. We had a tremendous amount of rain last night. It was a relentless pounding rain that lasted for hours. Not surprisingly, all this rain caused leaks. It's been two or three years since our roof leaks have been this bad. I woke up several times during the night to the unmistakable sound of dripping water. I placed buckets under the leaks and went back to bed. By morning even more leaks had appeared. There are leaks in three different rooms now. What a mess. Some carpeted areas got soaked and will take a while to dry out. 

Since one of the two pumps on wasn't working I was forced to go up on the roof in the rain and try to fix things. I got the pumps working again, swept away a mountain of pecan leaves from the neighbor's tree, and came back inside to warm up. I really need more pumps. One pump for the main roof and another for the carport and storage areas really isn't enough. Initially the pumps were throwing circuit breakers, but after I put each pump on a different circuit, everything started working smoothly. Over eight hours later water is still dripping from the ceiling, but the buckets are filling much slower now. Hopefully by morning the leaks will have stopped.

This roof leak debacle has forced me to think seriously about putting on a new roof again. I got out the bids from several roofing companies I've contacted and looked them over this afternoon. This reminded my of how much I dislike roofers. Each bid had at least one serious flaw and seemed to be designed to protect the roofing company rather than help me. I really want an iron clad warranty that the roof isn't going to leak for at least fifteen years. Nobody even comes close to that kind of promise. Most of the companies didn't even have a good plan for eliminating the low spots that cause ponding during heavy rain. I've got to do something though. It's time for a new roof.

Dawn didn't get a walk today. She didn't even want to go outside. We tried to take her on a morning walk during a break in the rain, but Dawn was smarter than we were. As soon as she did her business, she headed straight back to the house. Not a minute too soon either. As soon as we reached the back porch, it started pouring. 

I wasn't nearly as smart as Dawn. After we returned from our Thanksgiving dinner I still insisted on taking a walk. It was still raining but I've gone almost a full year without missing my daily goal and didn't see any reason to stop now. Somehow I managed to get 15,000 steps on a very rainy day. I think most of those steps were when I was up on the roof. Hey, at least my raincoat works. I got the raincoat for my trips to Kennedy Space Center, but I rarely use it. They don't launch rockets in the rain very often.

I've taken this weeks trash out to the curb and emptied the roof leak buckets several times by now. It wasn't the Thanksgiving I expected, but it was still a pleasant one. We had a wonderful dinner, our house is warm, and we've certainly experienced leaks before. Life goes on.

Maggie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4717

It was a dismal day with a silver lining. We finallly managed to get a reservation for the Thanksgiving Brunch at our favorite restaurant. We'll be eating a little later than we had planned, but it is all good. An early Thanksgiving dinner is just as tasty as a midday meal.

Luckily, we were able to get Dawn walked this morning before the rain started. We just got a little wet as we returned to the house. This rain shower didn't last long. After I finished breakfast the rain stopped and I was able to take my long walk without getting wet. I don't know why I continue to walk outside when my feet are bothering me. It's definitely easier to walk on the indoor track at the gym. I guess I just didn't feel like driving.

The park was fairly empty today. Cyclists don't like to ride on wet, slick roads and most of the joggers probably have better sense than to be out on a day like this. I suspect that most of the people I saw today were addicted to getting their steps just like me. I don't know what I'm going to do tomorrow. My gym is closed on Thanksgiving and it is supposed to rain all day.

The pumps on the roof aren't working today. That's unfortunate because it probably means I will start hearing the ominous drip, drip, drip of a roof leak in the middle of the night. I wish the pumps were more reliable. Sometimes they get clogged with leaves and other times during a heavy rain one of the pumps shorts out when the end of the extension cord that connects to the pump is under water. I'm tired of dealing with these problems but they're not going away. I'm always going to have a flat roof that holds standing water.

The websites and apps I use seem to have developed a life of their own. Sometimes they work and other times they don't. Part of the problem is probably my older computer and phone. I have no desire to upgrade just because developers are constantly making changes to their products. I'm sure these folks are just trying to stay ahead of the latest malware and hacking attempts, but it's frustrating. Couldn't everyone just leave things alone for a while.

Sometimes I feel like I live in a world that is crumbling around me. There seems to be a new mass shooting on the news every single day. The country is hopelessly divided and we can't seem to agree on anything. It doesn't feel safe to be out after dark anymore. Homeless encampments are everywhere. People are stealing catalytic converters from underneath your car and you risk a road rage incident every time you go to the grocery store. You can't even escape the madness if you stay home and do nothing. I must get twenty-five spam and telemarketing calls on my phone every single day. I don't even answer my land line anymore. It didn't used to be this way. I don't think young people believe me though. It was always this way for them.

I hope we have a relaxing, enjoyable Thanksgiving tomorrow and don't get caught in a bad thunderstorm. The weather forecast doesn't look good. I"m going to try to stay positive though. Thanksgiving should be a happy time.

Petey is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4708

We found out what was wrong with the furnace today. Unfortunately it needs a special order part to fix the problem. The furnace is still not working, although it does come on occasionally. The technician tried to explain why the fan motor was making strange clunking noises and wouldn't always engage the fan, but I didn't really understand. I bet if the furnace has a simple single speed electric motor instead of this sophisticated variable speed gizmo, it would still be working. 

 I keep waiting for someone to call off the Artemis launch at the last minute. With my luck they won't postpone the launch until after I get down there. The countdown has already started, but some engineers are still worried about a piece of insulation that got blown off by Hurricane Nicole. Time is running out, but I don't think everyone is in agreement yet. Oh, well. At least the weather looks favorable. I'm going to go ahead and go to the launch, but if this thing gets scrubbed one more time I'm about ready to give up on Artemis. It's already too late to cancel reservations without a penalty. I guess we'll just see what happens. This is a historic launch, but it could also be a huge waste of money. I don't even know what the furnace repairs are going to cost yet. One way or the other, I'm pretty sure that this will be my last launch trip of the year.

It rained most of the day and the HVAC technician took a while to diagnose the furnace problem, so I didn't end up taking my long walk until late in the afternoon. As soon as I got my 10,000 steps I headed home. It was a miserable day and I felt cold and wet after only two miles. Dawn had a good walk this morning though. We managed to take our sunrise walk before the rain started.

I haven't packed yet, but there's nothing new about that. I always seem to wait until the last possible minute. The cameras and computers are charged though, so all is good. It probably won't take me very long to finish things up. I wish there were more direct flights to Orlando. I usually have to leave very early in the morning because this is the only flight that works. I hope the flight isn't late. I have only a few hours to pick up my credentials. For some unexplained reason, the Press Accreditation Office isn't open all day tomorrow.

I hope that the furnace is an easy fix and that the weather stays warmer until the part arrives. I hope the Artemis launch succeeds. Third time's the charm, or so they say. I'm already tired and I haven't even left Dallas yet. It would be embarrassing if I fell asleep at the Press Site waiting for the rocket to get off the ground. It could happen. I'm not much of a night owl anymore.

Puppies are today's Dalmatians of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4705 - Veteran's Day

Today was disappointing. The carpenter came over right when he promised he would. He was a nice guy. Unfortunately, when he looked at the damage, he told me that the repairs looked too complicated for him and he didn't want to bid on the job. After several days of searching, this was the best carpenter I could find, so I don't know what I'm going to do now. Carpenters seem to fall into two categories. There are framers who build new houses and cabinetmakers who remodel kitchens and make custom bookshelves. I need one of those carpenters like you see on that "This Old House" show on PBS. I think a restoration carpenter is going to be very hard to find in Dallas. This city doesn't value anything old. Scrape it and replace it is the motto here.

After my failure with the carpenter, I went back inside and checked my e-mail. There was a message from NASA saying that the NASA Causeway bridge between Titusville and Kennedy Space Center had been damaged by Hurricane Nicole and was closed until further notice. They said that journalists would have to take an alternate route to the Press Site for the Artemis-1 launch. Bummer. This new route adds an extra hour of driving time each way between the hotel and the space center. A big section of this road is under construction as well. Since the launch is scheduled to take place at 1 AM, the last thing I want to be doing is driving at night on roads that have those concrete construction barriers on either side of a narrow lane. I've been on this road before and it's a pain during the day. I'm really not looking forward to driving two hours every time I want to go to the Press Site. There will probably be horrible traffic jams as well, since this alternate route is now the only entrance to the space center. A lot of people work at this facility. Add all these employees to the visiting Artemis press and you've potentially got a real mess. I find it difficult to believe that a hurricane that could seriously damage a major bridge would leave the Artemis rocket unscathed, but that's what they say. NASA is apparently still planning to launch this thing on November 16th.

I'll think about this over the weekend, but I'm really tempted to cancel my plans and just stay here in Dallas. None of this seems very fun anymore. I'm staying in a bad hotel. The launch is in the middle of the night now, so you won't be able to see much. Worst of all, the main bridge connecting Titusville to the space center is out, forcing everyone to take a very long detour to reach the press site. Is it worth it? I seriously doubt it. There will be other launches in the future. It might be time to get realistic and cut my losses.

Not only was it a dismal rainy day, it was also very cold. When we took our sunrise walk this morning, it didn't feel like Fall, it felt like Winter. I think it will be even colder tomorrow with temperatures approaching freezing. This all seems rather sudden, but that's Texas weather for you. We're going to have to find Dawn's sweater for tomorrow's walk.

It rained for most of the day but I still had to get my steps. The fact that I drove to the gym in heavy rain shows how committed I've become to getting my steps. Maybe the cold weather improved my metabolism because I was pretty good on the basketball court this afternoon and made surprisingly good time walking on the indoor track. I may end up going back to the gym tomorrow. It's grocery day for me and I often don't have time to take a walk in the park.

I don't have much of a connection to Veteran's Day anymore. Both my parents were Navy veterans but they've been gone a long time. I don't actually know many people who've served. I think our veterans deserve a lot of respect, but we really need to stop sending them to needless, pointless wars. We never should have gone to Iraq and Afghanistan. We probably should have never gone to Vietnam either. 

Dolly is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4701

The day started out normally enough. It was already light outside when we took Dawn on her sunrise walk. It was also very warm and muggy, but I didn't give that any thought. I ate my breakfast and took my long walk in the park. There was no wind and I thought it was just going to be another overcast day, but about five minutes after I returned home the skies opened up and it started pouring rain. What was this about?. I'm usually right on top of changing weather, but this downpour caught me completely by surprise.  

Actually the entire day caught me by surprise. I finally got hold of the restaurant where Janet and I wanted to have Thanksgiving Brunch and they told me that the event was already completely sold out. I must have acted surprised because the person I talked to on the phone said that some people had made their reservations two to three months ago. What has changed? I have made reservations several weeks ahead of time at this restaurant many times before and never had any problems.

I tried to remember other places we've gone on Thanksgiving and our second choice wasn't even doing a Thanksgiving Brunch this year. I did a Google search and found a couple of other places, but when I called I just got a voicemail message. We may have to come up with a plan B.

I have a feeling that the November 14th Artemis launch isn't going to happen. Nicole is a named storm now and is headed toward Kennedy Space Center. I got a message from NASA this morning saying that all media activities are subject to change. A lunar eclipse photo opportunity has already been canceled and remote camera activities have been postponed. If the storm strengthens and becomes a hurricane, I suspect that Artemis will be rolled back to the VAB again. Things are changing quickly though. There may not even be time to roll the rocket back to the VAB. This launch appears to be cursed. I hope they don't wait until the last minute to make a decision about the launch date. I need time so that I can cancel my reservations without penalties if necessary. Right now it appears that they are just going to leave the rocket on the pad during the storm and hope for the best. I have a bad feeling about this. If they just cancel the attempt on the 14th and push everything back to the 16th at the last minute I doubt that I'll be able to find a hotel. At any rate, I'll be checking the weather in Florida very carefully as the week continues.

I was surprised at how heavy today's rain was. I just got lucky that I wasn't caught out in it. At this time of year I need to remember to always check the weather before I do anything. Storms can appear out of nowhere during the rainy season. Oh, well. At least I don't have to worry about an approaching hurricane. The pumps are still working on the roof and so far we have had no water leaks.

I hope our weather improves tomorrow. I have a doctor's appointment and it looks like it will be a busy day. I hope I can still find someplace nice to go out for dinner on Thanksgiving. We weren't really planning to stay home and cook. I'm still disappointed that our favorite restaurant is completely booked. They stopped doing their Thanksgiving Brunch during the Covid years and Janet and I were both looking forward to a return to normalcy. This should probably be a lesson for me. There's a good chance that nothing will ever be normal again.

At least all the annoying campaign ads and commentary on TV will be gone after tomorrow. I'm sick of all the hysteria. The world isn't going to end no matter who wins. It will just slowly continue to deteriorate.

Spot is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4691

Another rainy day. We were able to take Dawn on a very early walk before the rain started, but it hasn't stopped since. There haven't been any roof leaks yet, but I wouldn't be surprised to hear a dripping sound soon. The pumps on the roof are still working, although I think one of them is partially clogged. Considering how hard it has been raining, a lot more water should be coming through the discharge hose.

It has been a dismal, very wet day, but it still seemed like a pretty normal Friday. I ate my shredded wheat and fruit for breakfast, checked my messages, and made plans to go to the gym. I kept hoping that the rain would stop, but it never did. Ordinarily I'd avoid driving in heavy rain, but I've become totally addicted to getting my steps. There were more people at the gym than I thought there'd be. Makes sense I guess. What else do you do on a dismal, rainy day? I was better on the basketball court today and kept up a pretty good pace on the indoor track. I didn't feel like doing much else though. Once I got my steps, I was ready to go home.

Against my better judgement, I've decided to go to the upcoming Falcon Heavy launch. The launch takes place pretty soon, but I was able to make travel arrangements. I initially thought that this trip would be too expensive, considering that I'm going back to Florida in the middle of November for the Artemis launch. Luckily I remembered that I had enough points to book my flight using points. That helped a lot because fares were really high this time. Airfares seem to change minute-by-minute. The cost can vary dramatically, depending on when you need to fly. I lucked out on my hotel as well. There's a brand new Hyatt very near the space center that I've been wanting to try. It's never been available before. 

I got credentialed by both Space X and The Space Force for this launch, so I'll have a choice of where to set up my cameras. The Space Force provides viewing from the ITL Causeway and the Space X viewing site will be on the Press Site lawn. I'm not sure which of these locations provides a better view of the two side boosters returning to Landing Zone 1, but I'll find out. I've seen one of these Falcon Heavy launches before and it's pretty spectacular when the two boosters return side-by-side to land at the space center.

The tree guy returned my call today and said it would be two weeks before he could come remove the tree from my roof. I wish he could come sooner, but it is what is is. Right now the broken limb is lodged between the edge of the roof and another branch in the tree that it fell from. I noticed today that the limb has slipped a bit after today's heavy rain. Hopefully the limb will stay where it is until the tree guy arrives. If it falls to the ground it will likely do some damage.

I hope the weather clears up tomorrow. I don't do well on days like this. I'm always worried that the roof is going to start leaking again and I tend to get cabin fever quickly. I like a day where I always have an option of walking in the park and am never forced to drive in the rain. Rain or shine I've got grocery shopping to do tomorrow. I'd better start packing for the Falcon Heavy launch too.

Abi is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day