Day 4861

Another beautiful Spring day. The sun was already up when we took Dawn on her early walk, but I guess it still counts as a sunrise walk. There is always a crowd of photographers when we pass the tree with the baby owls. These appear to be very popular little owls. Dawn had lots to smell and didn't want to stay on the trail this morning. This meant dirty paws and dirty shoes when we returned home, but we all had an enjoyable walk.

After a big weekend breakfast of sausage, eggs, and toast I went mall walking. I'm always surprised at how much changes from week to week. The duck pond has reopened after weeks of renovation. It looks exactly the same, but I suspect the area was leaking. Kids seem to love this little water attraction with ducks and turtles. I still wonder where they kept the ducks while the area was being refurbished.

All the window displays have changed and feature Spring clothing now. White seems to be the seasonal color of choice. Most of the window displays seem very similar. It's kind of weird that the mall has hundreds of stores and they all seem more or less the same. I did my five laps of the mall perimeter and came home. According to Fitbit I was a little faster today, although it certainly didn't feel that way. I still seem to walk slower than most people.

Dawn was ready for her Sunday outing as soon as I returned home. It was definitely a beautiful day for a walk. The sky was clear and no jackets were required. I really hope this Spring weather lingers for a while. This has been an exceptionally nice Spring this year. Dawn really enjoyed her walk and we didn't forget the ice cream either. It wouldn't be a proper Sunday outing without ice cream cones.

I finally finished raking leaves this afternoon. I've been avoiding the leaves in the side yard because this is where the wind blows leaves off the roof and the thick pile of leaves is perpetually damp. Wet leaves are a lot heavier than dry leaves. Every time I filled a leaf bag, I could hardly lift it to carry it out to the curb. I don't think the yard will ever be completely free of leaves, but it definitely looks better now. The yard work tired me out. I'm not as strong as I used to be. It's one more reason I need to start going back to the gym.

Dawn has been getting much bolder around me lately. I took a short nap after I finished raking leaves and Dawn stayed on the bed with me. She didn't appear entirely happy about the situation, but she didn't get up and leave. She never used to come in the office. Now, she'll come in and bark at me when it's time for her dinner. Her internal clock is flawless. She always knows exactly when it is time for breakfast, dinner, and snacks.

I need to remember to get up early and watch the live feed of the Starship orbital launch tomorrow morning. I can't believe how many people I know decided to drive to Brownsville and see the launch in person. Why? There are very few places to stay in the area. If you decide to drive down Highway 4 to see the rocket up close, you need to remember that there are absolutely no public restrooms. If you need to go, you are at least thirty minutes away from the nearest gas station. You are never far away from the bugs and snakes though. I hear that the insect bites are terrible around Boca Chica. At any rate, I think I'll have a much better view of things on my computer.

I won't be going to Florida next week since the Falcon Heavy launch has been delayed. I think all the April launches have been delayed now. Oh, well. There's plenty to do here in Dallas. I still need to get the roof replacement scheduled and I need to go pick up the unsold gear I consigned at the guitar store as well. The yard still needs a lot of work too.

Becker is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4858

The big event of the day was seeing one of the bald eagles again. When we were taking Dawn on her early walk this morning there was an eagle in a tree very near us. I haven't seen the eagles in so long that I honestly thought they were gone. This was the first time Janet had seen them at all. I wish I'd had my camera with me because it would have made a nice picture. 

It was kind of funny that the eagle was only about 500 yeards away from the tree with the baby owls. As usual, there were a group of photographers under the tree photographing the owls. They didn't even realize that there was an eagle, and probably a much better picture, very nearby. I think Janet and I were the only ones who saw the eagle because it flew away shortly after we passed.

The weather continues to be near perfect. I'm used to walking in all types of weather and it's rare to have conditions when it's not too cold or too hot. It's a luxury to be able to take a walk without getting hot and sweaty or wearing a heavy coat. I think Dawn likes this weather too. She loves sitting out in the back yard on days like these. I still get tired by the time I finish my long walk, but this is the best time of year to be out in the park. Everything is green and pretty with an abundance of wildflowers. I forget when the mosquitos start arriving, but I haven't seen or felt any yet. Hopefully this nice Spring weather will morph into a mild Summer. I don't know if I can handle a Texas heat wave anymore.

I need to finish raking the remaining leaves because it's time to set out items for bulky trash pickup again. Maybe I'll do that tomorrow. I thought about raking this afternoon, but I was tired and didn't feel like getting dirty. I tried to get rid of fire ant mounds instead. The fire ants seem to get worse and worse every year. I'm not sure if the fire ant granules I put out even work. One of the mounds I treated last week still had ants in it today. Fire ants are even appearing through cracks in our sidewalks now. It's getting out of hand.

I need to learn more about weather. For the past several days it has been completely clear in the morning. Then around mid-day lots of puffy cumulus clouds develop. Late in the afternoon the clouds disappear and it is clear again. I'm guessing that as the ground heats up, moisture evaporates and forms into clouds. I could be wrong though. These are definitely not rain clouds. They just appear during the warmest part of the day.

Drivers in Dallas keep getting worse and worse. A reckless driver nearly destroyed a recently restored building in the park built by the Civilian Conservation Corp in the 1930's. Yesterday there was a fatality accident near the dam at the southern part of the lake. Today I saw another serious wreck with several wreckers and lots of cops as I was returning home from my walk. People don't even seem to be trying to watch the road anymore. It's one of many reasons I don't like to drive in Dallas.

I've taken this weeks' trash out to the curb, so I guess my week is over. Tomorrow Dawn will wait for hours for Janet to come home with the groceries. I think grocery day is her favorite day. I've just about given up on hearing anything about Viasat-3 press credentials. Still no news today.

Valli is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4856

Another slow day. At least the weather was nice. Dawn enjoyed her early walk this morning and still seems fine after we discontinued her pain medication. I'm glad she's feeling better. I still see people photographing the baby owls when take our walk. Those little owls are getting a lot of exposure.

I still haven't heard anything about the Falcon Heavy launch next week and am beginning to wonder if I've been forgotten. Usually I get some sort of notification even if my application for credentials has been rejected. There's still time, but the launch is getting pretty close. Is chasing rockets even worth it? I wonder. I probably should be planning a trip to Brownsville for the first Starship orbital launch next week, but I have little interest in going to South Texas. I guess I'll just wait and see if I hear anything from NASA later this week.

You'd think I'd find something new to occupy my time, but I keep following the same routine day after day. My long walk has become extremely predictable. So many things are the same that I keep an eye out for little differences. There's always something new. Sometimes the air smells different. Sometimes I catch a glimpse of illusive park animals. Occasionally I see rare or strange cars. Park department workers are always doing something different. This week they are making large piles of brush along the shoreline that will get hauled away later by other park workers. They always seem to be mowing the grass.  I'll be glad when the mowers make it around to our side of the park again. The grass in the meadow behind our house grows fast.

Since it was a nice day, Janet and I tried to rake up the remainder of the leaves in the back yard. Since a lot of the remaining leaves were in the Asian Jasmine ground cover, it was hard to remove them without ripping up the ground cover. We did our best. The yard does look better now. Dawn watched us while we worked and ended up completely flattening a small patch of Monkey Grass that was just starting to grow. She loves to roll in the grass, which I guess is better than rolling in the dirt.

I have little interest in yard work or home repairs anymore. You can't ignore these things though. I wish it were easier to find people I trust to do these things for me. My problem is that I don't really trust anyone. The office is filled with things to occupy my time, but I've lost interest in most of them as well. It's been ages since I've picked up my guitar. I can't even remember how to use some of my recording gear. I still have a passing interest in photography, but that's fading as well. I guess it's a good thing that I still enjoy chasing rockets. Everybody needs something they enjoy.

Tyson is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4807

I'm tired. I did a lot of chores today that I've been trying to avoid. I knew that bulky trash pickup was this week, so I raked leaves right after breakfast. It's a good thing I started early because the trash trucks came today. I thought they were coming tomorrow. I hadn't finished by the time the trucks arrived but at least three big bags of leaves got hauled away. I guess I'll get the rest of the leaves next month.

Dawn wore her No Flap Ear Wrap on our early walk this morning. We hope this helps the hematoma on her ear to heal. I wasn't aware of how often she shakes her head. She does this a lot when she's outside. The device really does a good job of keeping her ears in place and Dawn doesn't seem to mind wearing it. Lets hope it works.

It was really warm today. I wore shorts and a t-shirt on my long walk and was still hot. By mid-afternoon it got up to over 80 degrees. This isn't like February at all. Even though the weather was nice, I was fairly slow this morning. This was probably because I had already been raking leaves for over an hour. I just don't have as much energy as I used to. I still managed to walk six miles. It just took me a little longer. I always try to convince myself that it's better to go slow than to quit, even though on many days I'd much rather just take a long nap.

With 80 degree weather I knew the roof would be dry, so I managed to lug the big bucket of Armor Flex silicon up on the roof and used it to patch the holes where the coating had torn. There was only about one gallon of liquid silicon left in the bucket, but it was enough to fill most of the bare areas. This stuff is so old now that I'm not even sure if it is good anymore. It's got to help though. I'll try to go up on the roof again tomorrow and see if the coating I applied dried properly. I hope this works because it's supposed to start raining again tomorrow. The roofing company still hasn't called me with their bid, but I'm not in any particular hurry to get started. I know the job is going to be expensive and the rainy season isn't over yet. I guess I can keep setting buckets under the leaks until Spring.

The Crew-6 launch got postponed until Monday. I doubt that this matters much to me, since I still haven't heard whether I've been credentialed or not. It's odd that I haven't been either accepted or rejected yet with the launch so close. Usually I would have heard something by now. Maybe this is a sign that I should just plan to skip this launch. There's a good chance that it's going to rain this weekend anyway and I don't want to leave Janet with a bunch of leak buckets to manage.

It's weird to have the air conditioner running in February, but at least the air conditioner is working fine. I've just about given up trying to predict this weather. I wouldn't be surprised if we're freezing again soon. I know we've still got a lot more rain to look forward to, but I hope it stays dry long enough for the silicon patches I applied today to dry. We'll see what happens tomorrow. I probably didn't fix the roof, but at least I got rid of some leaves today.

Lizzy is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4743

It's definitely Winter. It's cold. It's damp. I want to sleep with an extra blanket on the bed. Winter is not my favorite season, but luckily it's not as bad here as it is further north. The problem with Winter is that I continue to do exactly the same things I do in the summer even though the experience is not as pleasant.

I dressed warmly for our early walk with Dawn. Actually I dressed a little too warmly, but I didn't want to take chances. As temperatures drop, there are fewer people on the trails. We're dedicated though. If it's not raining, we'll be out walking.

I waited a while before taking my long walk today because I was hoping that it would either warm up or the wind would die down. Neither happened but I went walking anyway. I must really hate driving because in many ways it would be so much easier to go to the gym on days like this. Sadly, the weather was nice today compared to what it is going to be like later in the week. Single digit temperatures are still in the forecast.

I found a really nice sweater under a pile of clothes when I was getting dressed for my walk. Where did this come from? I must have had the sweater for years. It looked like it had never been worn. I wonder what else I have. I accumulated a lot of clothes during the time I traded design services for clothing and shoes. Looking back, this was a pretty good deal. The money I made during the early years of my company disappeared a long time ago. I still have a lot of the clothes though.

I didn't see the eagles today on my walk. I wonder where they go when they aren't near their nest? I cover a lot of ground in the park and you'd think I'd see them somewhere. They're either near the nest or gone completely. People speculate that since the pair returned this year to build a second nest that they might have made the lake their permanent home. I don't think anyone really knows however. I hope they didn't scare the pelicans away. I think I enjoyed watching the pelicans more than the eagles. 

Since the ground has dried out and bulky trash pickup is later this week, it was a good day to start raking leaves. Since we have large Oak trees in our back yard, there are a ton of leaves on the ground every fall. I'm not a fan of raking and bagging leaves, but it needs to be done. When we first moved here I just let the leaves blow away during the Winter. It worked pretty well until all the neighbors built tall privacy fences. Now we don't get the same kind of breeze we used to get and the leaves just stay on the ground. 

I bagged a lot of leaves this afternoon and took them out to the curb. There are still a lot of leaves on one of the Oak trees, but it's a start. Maybe I'll rake a little more tomorrow. The leaves are dry now and it is supposed to rain later in the week. For a while, Janet and I were both out working on the leaves and Dawn got excited, thinking that we were out there to play with her. She had great fun racing through the big piles of leaves. It was nice to see her enjoying herself. Dawn is not usually a very playful dog.

I made an appointment to get a haircut later in the week. I have an appointment to see the eye doctor the same day. Doing two different things in one day is rare for me. I think I'll manage though. I'll probably find time to take a walk as well.

Ranger is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4741

Today was busy. There was lots of walking, grocery shopping, and household chores. It was in the mid-30's when we took our early walk with Dawn. That's warm compared to what it's going to be like next week though. An arctic cold front is headed our way with predictions for single digit temperatures. I hope the power grid holds up this year. You definitely don't want a power outage when you are experiencing sub-freezing temperatures.

I got a box of large leaf bags when I was out shopping this morning. This doesn't mean that we are going to rake leaves right away, but it does mean this odious chore is officially on the radar. The stores were crowded today and so were the roads. I think it's going to be this way until Christmas. You can tell that Hanukkah and Christmas are almost here. The stores were filled with holiday food favorites. It's tempting to buy more than you need, but I've finally learned that two people can only eat so much.

Yesterday I was pretty sure I was going to the gym today, but the heavy traffic made me change my mind. When I finished my shopping all I wanted to do was go home. Actually, walking in the park is better exercise than I typically get at the gym. I walk faster for some reason and I definitely walk longer. The weather was definitely brisk this morning but I dressed warmly and I was fine. 

I saw the eagles again today but there are still no White Pelicans. The pelicans started disappearing around the same time the eagles arrived. My theory now is that the eagles drove the pelicans away. Both birds use Sunset Bay to catch fish. You wouldn't think that two eagles could scare one hundred pelicans, but the eagles are fairly ruthless. Most of the local waterfowl seem nervous around them. Truthfully, I know nothing about birds, but this does seem like a plausible theory to me. The White Pelicans have always been here in December before.

I vacuumed, did laundry, and finished a few other small chores this afternoon. Every dog we have had before Dawn was scared of the vacuum cleaner. Dawn could care less. She just sits on the bed and looks at me when I'm vacuuming in the bedroom. Today she even fell asleep. Apparently the noise doesn't bother her at all. Dawn is definitely a weird dog. She ignores things that frighten most dogs and is frightened of things that a normal dog would ignore.

Since it is going to be at or near freezing tomorrow morning I started my car in the driveway and ran it until the engine was warm. I did this last year during freezing weather and it seemed to work. I've had car batteries fail during cold weather before and I don't want to deal with that again. Janet brought home a down comforter for the bed from her storage warehouse. We don't want to deal with a cold weather power outage either. Every time winter weather is headed our way I'm envious of my Florida friends. It was seventy degrees in Titusville this afternoon. There was a rocket launch this evening too.

I'll probably go mall walking tomorrow morning but it all depends on the weather. I'm not even sure my car will start at this point. At least there is no rain or snow in the forecast. One day at a time I guess. Eventually it will be Spring again.

Duke is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4407

It was a busy day. We visited Charlie, Oliver and Jack at the kennel and they were all in a playful mood. Jack doesn't like to play with toys like Charlie and Oliver, but is extremely friendly and seems to have settled in well to kennel life. I think someone will be looking at the dogs soon, so one of them might not be there when we visit next week. The kennel was pretty quiet today since all the holiday boarding dogs have gone back home.

It was my turn to drive to the kennel today and I was amazed at the terrible gas mileage my gas was getting. Maybe it always got terrible gas mileage, but I'm more aware of things since the price of gas has gone up so much. Traffic was terrible today as well. It's a good thing we are always going in the opposite direction of the inevitable rush hour traffic when we visit the kennel.

I replaced the battery in my phone this morning and the phone seems to be working a lot better now. I'm glad I found the little neighborhood phone repair store. The battery replacement only cost about half of what the Apple Store currently charges and was done on less than thirty minutes. The only weird thing was the technician didn't want me in the store while he was working. He seemed unusually worried about Covid and said I was welcome to wait in the car. I went to a nearby CVS and picked up a few things instead. 

The day started out cold but warmed up quickly again. I'm getting used to wearing different clothes depending on the time of day. It was below freezing when we took our sunrise walk with Dawn but when I took my long walk after we returned from the kennel, I didn't even need a jacket. Unfortunately, I think these warm afternoons might be over soon. I think another arctic cold front is headed our way.

I saw the eagle for the second day in a row. Another bird watcher told me that if I had arrived five minutes earlier I would have seen both eagles together. Judging by the bird's behavior, most of the local birders don't think there are any eggs in the nest yet. Apparently, late in the day is the best time to view the birds. I should probably drive over to the area where they are often seen near sunset one of these day and try to get a picture. I've seen people photographing the birds for several months now and I still don't have a single picture. I do have good pictures of owls and hawks though. There are plenty of owls and hawks in the park. There are only two eagles.

I didn't think I'd be walking far today, but my feet held up better than I expected. I ended up getting 23,000 steps. My pace has really slowed unfortunately. If I walk slower my feet don't hurt as much. It's kind of embarrassing though. The other day an old guy walking with a cane passed me on the trail. 

My toilet repair didn't last very long. It's only been a few days and the toilet is already running again. I guess I'm going to have to go to the plumbing supply store and buy the expensive little pneumatic valve after all. The little plastic valve always seen to do the trick. It gets tiring to be constantly fixing things. I wish I lived in a house where nothing broke.

I should have raked leaves this afternoon, but there just wasn't time. I think the bulky trash trucks are coming tomorrow and it would have been a good time to bag up as many leaves as we could. Oh, well. There's always next month. We've got to get rid of the leaves because Dawn is way too interested in something that is hidden underneath. There are lots of feral cats in the neighborhood and that probably means there are a few dead birds and mice in the yard. You can't tell a dog not to eat nasty stuff. I think they live to eat nasty stuff.

Chief is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4092

I took my tax files over to the accountant today. It's weird walking around in a large office building these days. This building seemed empty as a tomb. A lot of people must still be working from home, because only about one in four offices even seemed open. My accountant's office was open though. This is his busiest time of the year. I'm glad that tax preparation is behind me now. It's never a pleasant task.

It was a nice day, so we resumed raking leaves. I wish I could convince Janet that the leaves will eventually just blow away, but she likes a nice looking yard. Dawn probably does too. We made good progress today, but there is probably another day of work ahead before the leaves are all gone. The freeze killed more plants than I initially thought. I'm going to have to cut back all of our Asian Jasmine and hope that it starts to grow again in the Spring. For the first time ever, the Live Oak trees in the back yard have lost all their leaves. I'm pretty sure these trees are fine, but it's odd to see a Live Oak without any leaves.

My feet weren't kind to me today. I still can't figure out why some days are worse than others. I started out pretty well, but after the fourth mile I was practically limping. Maybe I should give it a rest, but I don't think it would make any difference. I walk slowly anyway and if I didn't spend so much time walking, I would just be faced with more household chores.

I received a residual value refund for my dehumidifier from the manufacturer today. This was basically a nice way of saying "please don't bother us any more about this thing." The dehumidifier still works. It just doesn't have an automatic shut-off switch. As long as I use it in a small room and remember to turn it off before I go to bed at night, it works fine. It's hard to tell if I came out ahead on this deal or not. I got a refund on a machine that I didn't buy in the first place. The free dehumidifier was a warranty replacement for a dehumidifier that I actually did buy however. I won't purchase this brand again. I've had three identical dehumidifiers now, and two out of three were faulty.

I'm trying to decide whether to apply to attend the Crew-2 launch in late April. This one will probably exactly the same as the Crew-1 launch which I did attend, but I'd like to be doing something. Applying for press credentials for these launches is kind of like buying a lottery ticket. A lot of applications doesn't really improve your chances that much, but you can fool yourself into thinking it does. I'm beginning to wonder why I like watching these launches so much. It takes a lot of planning and then you end up standing in a field and getting eaten alive by mosquitos while the rocket you've been chasing quickly disappears overhead. It's all over in less than five minutes.

We missed seeing Charlie and Cooper today, but I'm sure they are fine. We'll be back as soon as Spring Break is over. The fact that Spring Break trips are still happening at the same time we continue to receive daily warnings about Covid seems very strange to me. There won't be any Spring Break activities out at the observatory this year, so my services might not be needed again until 2022. I don't think cancellations are going to stop people from traveling this Summer though. Everyone seems to have a bad case of cabin fever and there is a lot of pent up demand. This might be a good time to invest in airlines and cruise lines.

I have no idea what I'm going to be doing tomorrow. I hope it isn't raking leaves though.

Bacardi is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4081

I managed to get most of the leaves bagged and out of the yard before it started raining. This was quite an accomplishment, since there were a lot of leaves. I'm starting to understand why there are so many ads on TV for products claiming to reduce arthritis pain. You've seen the ads: Voltaren, Australian Dream, Blue-Emu, Capsaicin, Infrared light therapy, Salonpas, the list goes on and on. The sad fact is that at a certain age, your joints start acting like a rusty hinge. I can't recall raking and bagging leaves ever being this troublesome before. My shoulder bothered me. My wrists bothered me. My knees bothered me. Of course, my foot wasn't going to get left out of the pain parade either. Maybe that lawn care service actually was worth the money.

I was pleased to see a package from England in this morning's mail. Inside were two copies of the October 2020 issue of SpaceFlight with my article about the Artemis program. It's been a long wait. I wrote the article a year ago last February after a visit to the Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans. My joy was short lived unfortunately. Where was the February 2021 issue with my article about the Space X Crew 1 mission? The magazine forgot to send the second article. This means that I'm going to have to ask them again, which I hate to do since everyone at the magazine is working from home and dealing with all sorts of Covid problems. I'm determined to get a copy of the Crew 1 article though, even if it takes me another year to do it.

Dawn really surprised us today. When she finished her one mile loop, she just kept walking. She wasn't reluctant at all and seemed to be really enjoying herself. Maybe it was the weather. It was a lot cooler this morning, but the rain hadn't arrived yet and it was still dry. There were lots of new smells as well, because the city workers had just mowed the grass along our trail. By the time Dawn decided that she'd had enough and headed for home, she'd walked over two miles.

By the time I'd finished my longer walk, I'd gone over five miles. I wasn't trying for distance today. I was just trying to beat the rain without destroying my feet. I've developed a peculiar flat footed style of walking that seems to work. Flexing the foot causes the most discomfort. If I can just lift the left foot up and down without a lot of heal and toe flex, I'm usually OK. Janet says I should go back to the gym and try exercises that don't involve walking. She's probably right.

My seasonal allergies started early this year. I've had a runny nose for weeks now. It got so bad today that I took an Allegra. Of course this pill did nothing. It never does. I hate adding a mask to seasonal allergies. Sneezing and blowing your nose constantly just doesn't work very well. I've ruined more than one mask by sneezing into it. I can't really recall when the seasonal allergies go away, but May comes to mind. It's going to be a long Spring.

I've got an appointment for a haircut tomorrow morning. I won't have time for my regular huge smoothie, so I'll just have a bagel and a cup of coffee instead. I'm sure it will still be raining in the morning. It's supposed to rain all the way through the weekend. I'm glad I took care of the leaves before the rain started. I'll be glad to get a haircut too. I'm long overdue.

Cookie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4080

I had a rare Zoom meeting today. I still don't understand people's fascination with Zoom. In most cases, a simple phone call would suffice. I've participated in a multitude of conference calls during my working years and I can't ever remember a need to actually see the other people. I somehow lost the shared screen during today's call, but I pretended to follow along. I guess my main problem with Zoom is that I can't slouch and stare off into space. I have to look at the camera and appear interested. I guess this is kind of like a real meeting around a conference table. I didn't like those either.

Since rain is in the forecast for tomorrow,  I reluctantly started raking leaves today. I didn't actually spend a lot of time raking. Most of my time was spent with the leaf blower, trying to get all the leaves out of the Liriope and Asian Jasmine ground cover. I thought all the leaves were dry, but there were many layers and the bottom layers were still soggy and wet. When we were younger, cleaning up the yard in the Spring was a routine event. Then for a while, we had a lawn care service do this chore for us. After we retired, we started pinching pennies and returned to doing the annual cleanup ourselves.  I doubt that all the leaves will be gone before it rains again, but at least we've started. For me at least, starting a chore is always the hardest part.

I'm still wondering what has happened to our mail. Deliveries have resumed, but we certainly haven't received a week's worth of accumulated mail. I have a feeling that some of this mail is gone forever. Most of the junk we get I would never miss, but I do hope that my copies of SpaceFlight Magazine turn up eventually. I'm old school. It doesn't really feel like I've been published unless I can hold the magazine in my hand.

I received a message from my new Air Force contact saying that I would soon be receiving instructions on the re-credentialing process and that I should be good to go well before the upcoming Starliner launch. I took this as a good sign that life will eventually return to normal. It's important to me to start covering launches again. In the grand scheme of things, whatever I write is not very important, but it does make me feel like I've got a job. I'd like to feel like I'm entirely self-motivated, but having deadlines and an editor does make me a lot more productive.

Janet was gone this afternoon, so I tried to see if Dawn would do some simple things with me. She likes to lie in the sun on nice days, but she wouldn't leave the bedroom on her own. Oddly, she's happy to follow me outdoors on a leash. When I take the leash off, she will go lie in the grass like she normally does. We did this several times this afternoon. She didn't appear scared when I led her outside on a leash. She just wouldn't leave the bedroom on her own. It's all very weird. Maybe Dawn thinks I'm a kennel attendant.

My foot hurt again today on my long walk. It's baffling why this varies from day to day. Actually, my foot hurt when I woke up this morning, so maybe I'm doing something wrong when I sleep. I'm tired of seeing doctors. I've seen four doctors about this over the years and nothing has changed. There are no fractures or bone damage. Other than some obvious arthritis, the foot is fine. I don't want to take strong pain medication, so I guess I'm stuck. I've seen people get addicted to pain pills and it's not a pretty sight. I'm a born complainer, so I'll live with the discomfort and just complain a lot.

The forecast says that it should start raining tomorrow afternoon. It looks like I'll be bagging leaves as fast as I can tomorrow morning.

Nora is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4079

I tried to get organized today. I applied for press credentials to attend the Boeing Starliner launch in April. I made an appointment to get a haircut. I wrote the Air Force, asking how to renew my 45th Space Wing credentials when they expire in March. Amazingly, I was finally able to reach a real person at the dehumidifier company and asked if they could send me the part I need to get my replacement machine working properly. I thought this would be easy since I was talking directely to the manufacturer. Apparently, nothing is easy. 

I learned that I had reached the corporate headquarters here in the United States, but that the dehumidifiers were actually made in Mexico and that it was impossible to get the part I needed. "We can prorate your machine based on use and give you a refund," the technical support guy told me. This made no sense to me because the machine was brand new and I had paid nothing for it in the first place. "Wouldn't it be easier to just send me the inexpensive part I need," I asked? Nope. I guess if they want to send me money for a machine they just gave me, I'll take their money. I just need to remember to empty the collection bucket more often because this dehumidifier will overflow if it gets too full.

I hope that I haven't fallen out of the loop with NASA and the Air Force. It wasn't easy to get credentials to cover launches in the first place, and now it appears I will have to start all over again. Covid changed everything and there are new rules and restrictions now. Oh, well. It will give me something to do this Spring. It is frustrating how rare it is to be able to do something once and be done with it. People change jobs frequently. Rules change. I guess it has always been this way. I had to make new contacts frequently during my working days, but I was younger then and had more patience for this sort of thing.

Dawn is eager to go on her walks again. She seemed so happy to be outside this morning that we thought we'd see if she'd walk in a different direction. Nope. Every time we tried to get her to turn left, she insisted on turning right. The one mile loop she has chosen as her daily walk consists of a series of right turns. Dawn knows exactly where she wants to go and won't turn left at all. While I took my longer walk, Janet took Dawn in the car to a different park to get her used to different surroundings. As usual, she hated the car ride but was happy enough to walk around and smell things at the new location. I don't think we will ever know what is going through Dawn's head. She's made it pretty clear what she wants though, so we'll just go with that.

My feet didn't hurt as much today on my long walk. I walked the same distance at my usual pace, but it wasn't nearly as much of a struggle today. I didn't use any of the anti-inflammatory gel on my foot either. One more mystery to think about. I have no idea why the foot pain varies from day to day. I am very consistent about my activities. The weather has been pretty consistent for the past several days as well.

The weather has definitely not been consistent for the past several weeks. The temperature got up to 80 degrees this afternoon. At some point during the day, our air conditioner came on. It's pretty weird to go from -2 degrees to 80 degrees in less than a week, but that's what happened today. Texas weather is full of surprises. I guess I should have learned that by now.

I need to start raking leaves tomorrow. The leaves are dry again and we've got plenty of large leaf bags to put them in. Since we're looking at a solid week of rain on the horizon, tomorrow might be the best day to start this odious chore. I wish the leaves would just disappear on their own, but that's not going to happen.

Joey is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4058

I went to the bank and paid some bills today, but that was the only deviation from my eat, walk, sleep schedule. If I wanted to punish myself I guess I could go stand in line at one of the drive-thru vaccine mega-sites that are popping up around town. Never mind. I think I'll wait. I had so many bad experiences with my engine overheating in heavy traffic when I owned the old Land Rover Defender that I just can't bring myself to sit in a car inching through a line with the engine idling for hours at a time. I heard that the vaccine is coming to neighborhood pharmacies soon anyway. Truthfully, I'm in no hurry. I'll wait for a while and see if all you people posting about your vaccination on Facebook develop side effects.

The big event of the day was watching another Starship explode on the Boca Chica live feed. I guess it helps to be the world's richest man if you're doing this sort of thing. These huge rockets look pretty expensive. It's easy to forget that the same thing happened with Falcon 9. A lot of those rockets exploded in the beginning as well. This time next year I imagine that things will look a lot different. Practice makes perfect, or so they say.

The lens I bought recently just went on sale. Jeez. If only I'd waited a week. Oh, well. I seldom get lucky with bargains. It's a good lens and I know that I'll use it. The amount that I would have saved would have probably gotten wasted on something else anyway. Maybe I'll use this lens to photograph a Starship in Boca Chica someday. More and more of the launch photographers I know are starting to head down there. There is a growing feeling that this is where the real future is. I'll have to admit that it is pretty exciting to see Elon Musk cranking out gigantic rockets in a bunch of tents down on the Mexican border. This is the Wild West of space travel. You keep wondering what is going to happen next.

Dawn continues to enjoy taking two short one mile walks a day. We've wondered if she might take three one mile walks a day, but we really don't have time to try this experiment. Several short walks seem to take a lot longer than a single long one. Dawn seems happy walking the same predictable path over and over again. Who am I to question this? For the most part, I walk a very predictable path over and over again as well. My path is much longer, but that's about the only difference. 

I have an appointment for a follow up visit with the foot doctor tomorrow. I was ready to tell him that he'd completely solved my problem, but this week my foot has started to hurt again. What a disappointment. I don't know whether the recurring pain is because I'm walking faster now, or because my new shoes are already starting to show some wear. I guess I should be happy that the shoes have made a difference. At my age, there are going to be aches and pains no matter what I do.

I haven't been up on the roof in a long time. I suspect that there is still standing water up there, but I don't feel like climbing up to inspect things. We have a bird bath in the back yard and when the water evaporates in the bird bath I like to imagine that it has evaporated on the roof as well. Actually birds probably splash most of the water out of the bird bath, but that destroys my theory. The roof still isn't leaking and my shoulder still hurts, so I guess we'll just leave things as they are for the moment. 

It's getting dry enough to rake leaves again. That's the last thing I want to do, but we've got to get rid of all these leaves before Spring. I'm sure that raking leaves is actually pretty good exercise, but I'd much rather just daydream while I'm walking along the shoreline counting ducks.

Jasper is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4055

It was hard to tell if today was a busy day or not. I did my grocery shopping, filled the car with gas, walked Dawn with Janet, walked six more miles by myself, and picked up some Chinese food for dinner. It still seemed like nothing happened. It was really windy today. There were whitecaps on the lake and I almost got blown over a couple of times. It must have been windy to the west of us as well. By sunset the sky started looking strange and you could tell that a dust storm was rolling in.

It's weird to listen to all the gloom and doom on television and then look around me when I leave the house. The park was full of people today and I had a hard time finding a parking place when I went to pick up dinner at PF Changs. There may be parts of the country that are still shut down, but Dallas isn't one of them. They say that local hospitals are full but you'd never know it. Everything looks completely normal in this town.

Leaves were blowing everywhere today and I was hoping that ours would blow away. No such luck. The thick mat of Oak leaves covering the back yard seems glued to the grass underneath. Maybe the leaves are still damp, but I think they are just being difficult. This was the perfect chance for them to blow away and save me a lot of work. It looks like I'll still have to spend an entire weekend raking leaves sometime before the next bulky trash day. We've decided that it isn't worth hiring a lawn service anymore, but when I look at all these leaves, I wonder if this was the right decision.

It's flu season again, but there have been almost no cases of the flu reported this year. Could it be that the best way to prevent the flu is just wearing masks and staying away from other people? Who would have thought. Maybe staying away from other people is the way to prevent most diseases. I keep waiting for isolation to start trending, but it's just not happening. People love to congregate. I wonder why. There are many hidden benefits to keeping to yourself and minding your own business, but I don't think I'm going to become a trend setter. Even I'm going to need the help of other people to return to Kennedy Space Center.

I should have continued yesterday's cleaning efforts, but my heart wasn't in it. It's discouraging to spend hours cleaning up the office and have the place look exactly the same when I'm finished. I started my company in 1990 and stuff has been accumulating in the office ever since. I was amazed yesterday at how many things I found that I had never even used. I'll get interested in something, buy the gear I need, and then my interests will turn elsewhere. I am well prepared though. Well prepared to be living in the 1980's anyway.

Janet said that Dawn waited at the door for me the entire time I went out to pick up dinner tonight. Was she waiting for me or the food? I suspect the latter. I think she's warming up to me, but we've got a ways to go. Sometimes this dog is just rude. Often when I want to take a nap on the bed, she will get up and go to her other bed in the kitchen. I keep telling her that she's supposed to be man's best friend.

I have no idea what I'm going to do tomorrow. Maybe I'll work on my article about astrophotography. It sure beats raking leaves.

Malcolm is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4043

We got a new supposedly indestructible toy for Charlie today. In less than five minutes he had broken the squeaker and was shaking the thing so vigorously that I thought he would knock himself silly. Charlie was just having fun, but if I was a squirrel, I wouldn't get anywhere near this dog. Clyde is gradually overcoming his shyness and Cooper seemed much calmer than he did last week. Everyone is making progress and they were all glad to see us. We'll be back again next week. Visiting the kennel Dalmatians has become a permanent part of our routine.

Dawn is making progress as well. She is eager to take her shorter walks now and doesn't balk or freeze at all. Now that she has become confident that we're not going to try to lead her somewhere where she doesn't want to go, she's a happy camper again. Like most of our previous Dalmatians, Dawn is gradually training us instead of us training her.

I continue to walk about six miles every day. I can't say that the walks are always fun, but they are the only real exercise I get. I'd like to walk ten miles every day, but I don't think my feet are up to it. The new shoes help a lot, but I still feel like an arthritic old man when I return home. I had been planning on going back to the gym again, but now that Covid is resurgent, I think I'll wait a while. I've managed to stay healthy all year. There is no reason to start tempting fate now. The pandemic will eventually be over and I have a high tolerance for doing nothing anyway.

I missed my chance to get rid of the leaves in the yard before big trash day. It's supposed to rain tomorrow and the bulky trash trucks will arrive on our street in a day or two. I was hoping that our recent windy days would blow some of the leaves away, but all the wind did was blow more leaves into the yard. The leaves never used to be a problem before all the neighbors started putting up tall security fences. Now, they just stay in the yard forever until we haul them away.

I continue to bookmark interesting astronomy and telescope sites, making imaginary lists of equipment I need to buy and places I'd like to visit. Oddly, I seldom go out in the backyard and look at the stars. I always seem to have an excuse. It's too cold. It's too wet. You can't really see anything in Dallas anyway. I should make an effort just to stay in practice, but I suspect I have become spoiled. Once you've seen the stars from the dark skies in West Texas, looking up at the sky in a large city hardly seems worth the effort.

I hope I don't buy a bunch of gear that I never end up using. I already did that with audio equipment, but I never returned to songwriting. Once I lose interest in something, it's very hard to rekindle. I think my interest in astronomy is real. I had a telescope in junior high and high school and even thought of becoming an astronomer. Math put an end to that. There was some math involved in becoming an architect, but it was nothing compared to being a physics or astronomy major. Let's face it. I was never very good at math.

I learned something new today. I can't open pictures taken with new iPhones. The new photos are saved using the HEIC image format which isn't recognized by anything on my older phones and computers. I finally found a website that allowed me to convert a photo that was sent to me today but it was a pain to use. I'm glad I am retired or I would have to upgrade everything. Why does Apple continue to do this? I continue to get further and further behind. Adobe and Microsoft have gone to subscription services for all their software and now I can't even see iPhone pictures. Maybe my sister was right in becoming a Luddite.

Dovey is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4036

We went and photographed Cooper, the newest Dalmatian in the rescue program, this afternoon. Cooper is a handsome dog, but was a little nervous around us, so the kennel attendants kept him on a leash. Maybe a good picture will help him find a home. Clyde seems to be adjusting well to kennel life, and Charlie was just Charlie. We spend most of our time at the kennel with Charlie because he really seems to enjoy the time we spend with him. Hopefully, all three of these boys will find their forever homes soon.

The weather was much better today but that didn't seem to impress Dawn much. She wasn't in the mood for walking at all. She likes to smell things in the meadow behind our house, but after five or ten minutes she's ready to go home again. Her world seems to be getting smaller. She just wants to spend her time inside these days. It wasn't always this way and we can't figure out what caused the change.

I picked up some prescriptions at the pharmacy after we returned from the kennel and looked for one of those frames that holds a leaf bag open at Home Depot. I couldn't find anything, but remember having something like this in the past. It's much easier raking leaves when you aren't always struggling with the bag. I guess this means that we are going to try raking the leaves ourselves again this year. We have a ton of leaves, but we also have a lot of time. There was no need to start today. The leaves were still wet from yesterdays rain and snow.

I didn't get started on my long walk until later this afternoon. It was just as well that I waited because it was much warmer than it was this morning. It's kind of amazing to see the wild temperature swings you can get on a sunny day. It was below freezing when I woke up and almost sixty when I took my walk. My new shoes really help on these walks, but they aren't so new anymore. They are already starting to show some wear.

I guess I need to tell my editor at SpaceFlight Magazine that I won't be going to either the Artemis-1 static fire or the Perseverance rover landing at JPL. You can blame Covid for that. It's kind of discouraging that I was just getting established covering these events when Covid restrictions changed everything. It is much harder to get press accreditation these days. I didn't even bother to apply for accreditation out at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. California doesn't want visitors these days and even if your visit is considered essential, you have to quarantine on arrival. I think I'll wait.

The vaccine is slowly making its way to Texas, but I think I'll wait until my own doctor gets a supply before I get the shot. I think you can already make an appointment at one of the mass distribution centers, but the last thing I want to do is sit in a car for six hours waiting to arrive at the tents where they vaccinate people. I hate being in a long line off cars. I'm always afraid that my car will stall out or overheat idling for so long. It still seems like the best solution is to just stay away from other people. That's pretty easy for me to do.

We made an appointment to get Dawn's teeth cleaned. She doesn't like going to the vet, but she's got some significant plaque build up on her teeth. It's time. Maybe the vet will have some suggestions about her recent behavior. The refusal to walk really seems to be more of a mental issue than a physical one. Dawn has a few minor medical issues but basically appears to be very healthy.

I have no idea what I'll be doing tomorrow. I wish I hadn't already watched all the new episodes of The Expanse. A little science fiction seems a lot more appealing than going up on the roof or raking leaves.

Pepper is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3680

I'm glad I decided to trim trees and rake leaves this morning. Less than an hour after I bagged up the leaves and hauled the branches I'd cut out to the curb, the bulky trash trucks arrived and hauled everything away. I thought the trucks were coming tomorrow, but I guess I got lucky.

About three months ago I heard something about a new free gym membership plan that was going to be added to my health insurance coverage. I've been waiting for a letter explaining the program ever since. I never heard anything, so I finally went on the healthcare website to see if there was any informations there. The plan has already been in place for several months. Hmm. I wonder when they were going to tell me about it? Since my current gym supports the plan, all I have to do is sign up. This will be the third gym membership plan I've joined since turning 65. Hey, even the government wants me to keep moving. All these plans for seniors have been pretty good. I just wonder why they keep changing.

I got an e-mail today saying that my social media press accreditation for Kennedy Space Center has been officially approved for the Solar Orbiter launch. I can make my reservations now. A few hours later I got another e-mail saying that my traditional media press accreditation for Kennedy Space Center has been verified and submitted for approval. Hmm. I wonder if I will ultimately get both of these applications approved? I'm still hoping to get a real press pass. I suspect that both types of media accreditation provide pretty much the same access. Often when I go to these events, the social media folks are on the same bus with the magazine and television journalists. In my own mind, a real press pass is better because it makes me a working journalist. Instead of having an expensive hobby, I would be embarking on a second career. Here's hoping anyway. There's no real money to be made following space launches, but there's no money to be made sitting at home watching Netflix either.

Another cold front must have rolled through town last night. This is probably why I have a continually runny nose. We keep going back and forth between warm and cold weather on a 48 hour basis. There's no time to get used to anything. Now it looks like it's going to start raining again around midnight. I'm tired of this, but I guess it has always been this way. When I look back at old January posts, it is always a story of cold, wet weather. Last January it was much worse because I was still trying to keep Dash walking. His rear legs were weak and he dragged them while walking, so he needed three layers of protective socks and boots to keep his paws from bleeding. On cold days it took forever to get Dash dressed. He has a sweater under his Help 'Em Up harness, a leg brace, and the protective socks and booties. It was worth the effort though because Dash still loved to walk. It was his favorite time of the day.

I was surprised to see a patch of Pink Phlox blooming in the park today. Aren't these plants supposed to bloom in the Spring? They were definitely the only wildflowers to be seen. I was glad to have something to photograph. The park can look pretty bleak during these cold winter months. There are always birds to photograph, but I would need to bring a better camera. On a cold day, these walks are purely for exercise. I just want to get back to the house so I can get warm again.

Maybe tomorrow I can finish all the things I meant to do today. I did manage to get some leaves raked, but it's hard to get motivated on a cold winter day.

Molly is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3679

Every week there are fewer Dalmatians at the kennel. The new dogs are getting adopted quickly. Lake went to his new home over the weekend. Hopefully, the remaining dogs will be finding homes soon as well. Hank is looking great now. He's put on a few pounds and doesn't look so skinny now. He's happy and playful as well. We' ve discovered that Larry and Lord enjoy being together and the time they spend with each other seems to be helping both dogs with their shyness. They were both having a great time running around in the outdoor yard today. All Dawn wanted to do was sit in the sun and be petted. We were happy to oblige. It was a nice day and all the dogs except Sock loved being outdoors. Sock still prefers staying inside for some reason.

My memory is shot. I was getting ready to go on my walk this morning when Janet reminded me that it was our day to go up to the kennel. That wasn't the first time I forgot what day it was either. Right after I woke up I heard a big truck stopping and starting on the side street. It sounded like a garbage truck and I almost went out to retrieve the trash can. Jeez. It's not even close to Friday morning. Oh, well. At least I remembered to fix my smoothie for breakfast.

I still haven't received any information about the time and place I'm supposed to meet the NASA folks for the Solar Orbiter launch. Usually, all these details are finalized by now. I haven't heard whether I'll be receiving a press pass either. Hopefully, I'll hear more before the end of the week. If not, I'll have to go ahead and make all my reservations anyway. I've already heard that I've been accepted for this event, but it's always nice to have all your ducks in a row.

My plans to visit the little observatory north of Dallas are also up in the air. Now that the moon is rising much later, this would be a good time to go if the weather could ever make up it's mind. I was hoping for a week of good weather so I'd have time to coordinate with the owner of the observatory. So far, every day is different. Hot, cold, sunny, rain, you never know. It's kind of like weather roulette. It was nice today, but there is already more rain in the forecast. Maybe we'll get several nice nights before the moon returns again.

It's still a long time till Spring, but the days do seem to be getting longer. I got a late start on my walk this afternoon after we returned from the kennel, but the sun still hadn't set yet when I returned home. A month ago, I would have been walking in the dark. I'm walking a little faster than I was a year ago, but the changes haven't been dramatic. I guess I should be happy that I still have the energy to do this every day. Five miles is no marathon, but it's a lot better than sitting around the house.

Tomorrow is probably the last day to rake more leaves before this month's bulky trash pickup. I need to do this, but I'm already looking for ways to avoid the loathsome task. Will I find something better to do? Probably not.

April is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day