Day 4990

When is this month going to be over? I keep waiting for the weather to change, but every day is the same. It looks like we're going to have clear skies and triple digit temperatures forever. The only time when the weather is tolerable is just before sunrise. Our early walks with Dawn are warm now, but they are still the nicest part of the day.

I applied to attend another launch at Kennedy Space Center. This one isn't until early October and I'm not even sure I want to go. I need to keep my space connections alive though. It took me a long time before I was publishing regularly and could consider myself an official space reporter. I definitely don't want to be forgotten and have to start all over again. Maybe my interest in things will return when the weather gets cooler. Right now I just want to hibernate.

I took my time with breakfast this morning because I didn't want to get to they gym too early. What's the hurry? Going to the gym is my only regular activity lately. I've got to space things out so I don't have an entire afternoon to fill. When I did arrive for my workout there seemed to be twice as many people on the floor as there usually are. I'm convinced that the heat is driving everyone indoors. Luckily someone was leaving just as I arrived and I still found a spot in the parking garage. If I have to park outdoors, the steering wheel is almost too hot to touch when it's time to go home again. I was slow on the track today, probably because there were too many other people walking and running. I was pretty good on the basketball court though. If I can ever manage to complete ten free throws in a row, I'll move on to something more difficult.

I wish I hadn't started eating lunch again. I know that's why I'm gaining weight. I'm not even that hungry, but fixing myself lunch is a great way to kill time. There are all kinds of things that need attention around the house, but I'm doing my best to avoid them. Painting is messy. Repairing cracks in ceiling is messy. Some of the carpentry work that is needed is probably beyond the scope of my abilities. It's actually pretty easy to talk myself out of doing repairs. I'm an expert at talking myself out of things.

The pharmacy still doesn't have the pills I need. I may have to get the prescription refilled at a different pharmacy because I will run out tomorrow. It seems like a pharmacy should always have the pills you need but nothing works smoothly anymore. Little inconsequential things have a way of becoming giant hassles.

It looks like we're going to be doing Santa Paw pictures again. We've already got dates scheduled in December. I hope my old equipment keeps working. I hope my body keeps working as well. I definitely don't want to buy any new photo equipment at this stage of my life. I'll keep walking to keep myself working.

Dawn didn't get to go to her training class tonight. It's still way too hot outside. Maybe next week will be better.

Mickey is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4985

Dawn woke us up early this morning with a rasping cough. We think she has kennel cough, although we have no idea how she caught it. Other than her weekly training class she's not around other dogs. We canceled her dental appointment and will be taking her in Sunday for another exam. The cough could be something else and we definitely don't want to put her under anesthesia for a dental cleaning until we can figure out what is going on.

Since we got up so early, we ended up taking our sunrise walk in the dark. It was the first time we'd gotten out the flashlights and lighted dog collar since last Winter. Even though it was still dark it was already hot. The temperature was in the mid 80's and there wasn't any breeze. We didn't need the sun to tell us that today was going to be a hot one.

When I was fixing breakfast I discovered that the Keurig coffeemaker was broken. How did this happen? It was working fine yesterday. Breakfast without coffee wasn't an auspicious way to start the day, but what could I do. At least I had orange juice. Later in the day I did a Google search and figured out how to fix the coffeemaker, but it didn't help me much at breakfast. 

The thermostat had a message that it was time to change the furnace filter, so I did that after breakfast. I also cleaned the toilets and swept some more spiderwebs off the office windows. I didn't want to go to the gym too early because it's always full early in the mornings. A friend asked if I could make some minor revisions to a website I'd done years ago. Sure. Why not. I think I can still remember how to do these things. I wasn't even sure I could open the site since I built it so long ago, but I managed to find a web development program on the computer that still worked. I'll make the revisions this weekend.

I decided not to apply to attend the Silent Barker Space Force military launch. I was pretty sure I'd be accepted for this ULA launch, but I have a feeling that I'll only be able to afford one more trip to Florida this year and I didn't want to squander the trip on this launch. There will be better things later in the Fall. It's also been very stormy in Titusville lately. I've already made too many launch trips where bad weather spoiled everything.

It got up to 110 degrees today. I thing we set another record high. There is no end in sight either. The weather app on my phone shows sunny skies and triple digit temperatures for the next ten days. Will we ever get any rain? There is a hurricane starting to develop out in the Caribbean and I'm kind of hoping that it will move through the Gulf and eventually bring some rain to Texas. There's only a 40% chance that this storm will even develop though. It may amount to nothing. 

My gym has always been freezing cold, but even the massive air conditioning units can't keep up with this heat. I noticed that the gym felt warmer yesterday and today the temperature crept up a little higher. It's still reasonably cool inside, but I don't think I need to wear a long sleeved shirt anymore. Maybe it's the heat thats slowing me down. I was still slow on the indoor track today. 

Dawn was happy that it was grocery day again. When I do my own grocery shopping tomorrow it will be a non event though. There is a big event tomorrow however. It's Janet's birthday.

Lucy is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4984

It's hard to believe that the temperature can fluctuate 40 degrees in just a few hours. That's what happened today. We had a very pleasant early morning walk with Dawn this morning. It was only 72 degrees. By the time I returned from the gym a few hours later, we had set an all time record high of 109 degrees. To make matters worse the rain that was in the forecast yesterday has disappeared. It's clear skies and triple digit temperatures as far as the eye can see.

The weather may be terrible, but my teeth are fine. I have no cavities, my gums are healthy, and the dental hygienist says I'm doing a good job keeping things clean with the Waterpik. My teeth felt so clean when I came home that I kind of hated to eat anything. I'm good till next February. Everyone seems to want to see me every six months now.

My application to attend the OSIRIS-REx sample return event got rejected. I was a little surprised, but I shouldn't have been. The NASA invitation went out to social media influencers. It's been a long time since anything I've posted on the Internet has been popular. I think the blog only has about twelve readers these days. That's all fine by me but NASA is looking for people with thousands of followers. Years ago, actually decades ago, I created a website that was nominated for website of the year. Another website I created was included in a book called The World Wide Web Top 1000. I also had a ton of followers on the short lived Google+ platform after a well know photographer praised my images. Like I said, that was a long time ago.

I'm happy to live in relative obscurity now, but I still like rockets and space. I guess it's a good thing that a little magazine in London likes me. If I wasn't publishing in SpaceFlight Magazine regularly, I probably wouldn't get to attend launches and space related events at all. Like I said, this is all fine by me. I've always liked the printed page better than online publications anyway.

When I returned from the dentist I changed clothes and went to the gym. The gym was actually on my way home from the dentist, but I didn't want to wear shorts to the dentist or long pants to the gym. I let Dawn out to pee before I left but she didn't want to stay outside long. It was just too hot. I was slower on the indoor track and better on the basketball court today just like yesterday. I wonder why I'm slowing down on the track. I didn't really feel tired. I was just slow. My shoulder is starting to hurt from the weight training I'm doing now. Maybe I should back off a bit. I'd be happier if I could just go back to walking in the park but that's going to be a while. These continual high temperatures are starting to feel apocalyptic.

I watered what is left of the lawn this evening but it was probably just a waste of water. The sun is winning this battle. They say there is a heat dome over Texas now. I'd never heard of a heat dome before, but apparently a high pressure ridge has trapped hot dry air and is keeping clouds from forming which could cool things down and bring much needed rain. How do you get rid of a heat dome? That remains to be seen. 

Toby is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4975

I keep looking for a break in the weather, but there is nothing on the horizon. Next Monday the temperature is supposed to reach 109 degrees. This is not good. It will probably be September before the temperature is in the 90's again and we won't have nice weather until mid October. I still wish I could hibernate like a bear until it got cool again, but that doesn't appear to be in the cards. To make matters worse, I heard that we are expected to have an unusually cold Winter this year. Jeez. We'll just go from one extreme to the other with maybe two weeks of Fall in between.

I've started seeing reports from the Orion Media Day that I didn't get invited to. Most of the launch photographers I know were there. So why didn't my application get accepted? Who knows. I'm just not down at Kennedy Space Center enough to be remembered or recognized. I write for a little British magazine that's nobody's heard of as well. I guess I should be glad I get invited at all. Truthfully, it's for the best that I haven't been traveling lately. I've had too many expenses this summer and I'm still trying to get all my bills paid. I'm just hoping that the air conditioner keeps working. That's all I need now is another big appliance repair bill.

We're still getting up very early so we can walk Dawn before it gets too hot. It should have been cool today. The sky was overcast and there was a nice breeze. I think some people to the north of us might have gotten a little rain, but unfortunately none of it reached Dallas. It wasn't even very humid this morning. It was just hot and very dry. The park department has mowed all the native prairie meadows because they present a fire hazard. Mowing the native prairie grasses is very rare. I've only seen it happen a few times before.

Every day is a repeat of the previous day. The temperature is the same. The sunrise walk is the same. My breakfast is the same and so is my daily trip to the gym. I don't know what I'd do differently though. My limited routine seems like a good way to fill up a day and very few things have captured my interest lately.  I lost interest in music years ago after the band broke up. I lost interest in making fine art prints after I'd had a few gallery shows. I wonder if my interest in astronomy was even real. I have absolutely no interest in looking at the stars here in Dallas. Going out at night is just a good way to get eaten alive by mosquitos and with all the light pollution you can't see anything anyway. Maybe it's a good thing I still like chasing rockets. Too bad it's so expensive.

The gym was crowded today. I think this heat wave is driving people indoors. I've never seen so many people at the gym around lunchtime. Usually this is when the place is empty. I still kept up a pretty good pace on the indoor track even though there were quite a few people walking and running. I did well on the basketball court as well. Unfortunately I didn't do so well finding a parking place. The parking garage was full today. Maybe I'll have better luck tomorrow.

I didn't accomplish much today. I got the inspection sticker placed on my windshield. This simple task took way too long because I'm hopelessly OCD and I wanted the sticker to be perfectly level. Hard to do on a curved windshield. I tried to find a better sprinkler to water a dry patch of grass in the back yard. We have lots of sprinklers but none of them work properly. I didn't do any laundry today because I did that to kill time yesterday. Tomorrow will be more of the same. It definitely won't be any cooler.

Lilly is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4974

I can cross one more thing off my to-do list. I got the car safety inspected today and picked up my new window sticker. It doesn't seem like a year since I've done this, but time goes by quickly now. Safety inspections are much faster than they used to be. Probably the process is smoother now because I take my car to a little neighborhood garage instead of going to the Land Rover dealer. It used to take forever to get the car inspected at the dealership.

Each day seems a little hotter than the previous day. We take our sunrise walk earlier now, but it doesn't help much. The temperature never really cools down anymore. At least there's a breeze on these early morning walks. Even the breeze disappears later in the day. Dawn still enjoys these early morning walks. I do too. Pre dawn is about the only time when it feels comfortable outdoors anymore.

It's back to shredded wheat and fruit for breakfast again. There's a new restaurant in the neighborhood that I'm vaguely curious about, but I'm just not very hungry anymore. I think my restaurant breakfast days are over. It doesn't matter. I like my boring meals. A bowl of mini-shredded wheat with strawberries is pretty good. I always use half and half instead of regular milk and have a glass of fresh squeezed orange juice and a cup of coffee. How did I drink those huge breakfast smoothies for so many years? Things change, I guess. What I eat for breakfast has changed radically over the years. It will probably change again one of these days.

I didn't want to go to the gym too early so I did a load of laundry after breakfast to kill time. I ended up being early anyway because getting my safety inspection didn't take nearly as long as I thought it would. I've decided that I like going to they gym during the lunch hour because there are fewer people on the floor and I can almost always find a place in the parking garage. The car is much cooler on the way home when it's been inside the garage. 

I still complete the same unambitious routine every day. I try to walk three miles on the indoor track in under an hour. Yes, I know this is pretty slow. I then try to complete ten free throws on the basketball court in less than ten minutes. I still miss a lot more shots than I complete, but I'm getting better. I've added a few upper body exercise to improve my arm strength, but I really ought to do more. I usually leave the gym when I'm bored instead of when I'm tired.

Janet cleans the house on Monday afternoons, so I vacuumed the carpets so I wouldn't feel guilty just lying around while she was working. The house never stays clean long when you've got dogs. Dalmatians shed a lot and there's always dog hair everywhere. My standards are a lot lower than they should be. It seems like I was a lot neater when I was right out of architecture school. These days it's hard to care. Janet doesn't even like to come in the office because it is much messier than the rest of the house.

I'll put the new inspection sticker on my windshield tomorrow morning. I'll think about fixing the cracks in the living room ceiling, but I probably won't do anything. I've been staring at the mess for months now. I'm not even sure I can do these repairs myself, but I need to try. If I hire a tape and bed guy to do the job it will be a huge production and there will be dust everywhere. 

We'll still be under a heat advisory tomorrow. There's lots of rain in the Northeast but it's bone dry here. I wonder how long this can continue? We're setting records for triple digit temperatures now. This too will pass I guess. I just hope our air conditioner keeps working.

Lou is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4598

Another day just like all the other days. If we haven't already set a record for consecutive one hundred degree days, we will soon. We see lots of people in the park on our sunrise walks now. The runners and cyclists have realized that this is the only time during the day when it is still enjoyable to be outdoors. The temperatures don't stay in the mid-80's for long. As soon as the sun comes up, it's off to the races.

I had my usual breakfast of shredded wheat and fruit and then headed straight for the gym. I went earlier than usual today because I knew we were going to visit the rescue Dalmatians in the afternoon. I'm getting better on the basketball court and occasionally can sink five or six baskets in a row. I'm worthless shooting from anywhere other than the free throw line though. No three point shots for me. Maybe I should broaden my horizons and try something new. Never mind. I'm content just shooting free throws.

I tried walking faster on the indoor track today and managed to match my outdoor speed. This was encouraging because I felt exactly the same after walking two miles as I did when walking slower. After getting my Fitbit steps, I spent a little time trying to strengthen my shoulder. Regaining any sort of flexibility won't be easy but it's worth a try. I really want to avoid any type of surgery. There are lots of older people at my gym and I frequently see them going through physical therapy after a knee replacement. No thank you. I'd rather keep the aging joints I already have.

The Dalmatians enjoyed seeing us today. None of them seemed to have their usual energy, but it was understandable since it was so hot. The kennel has air conditioning, but just about everybody's AC system is having trouble keeping things cool in these insanely high temperatures. I'm sure we'll see the dogs again, but this was the last time at this particular kennel. I'm sorry to see things change, but I shouldn't have been surprised. Things always change. You've just got to adapt and move on.

I noticed that Twitter doesn't work on my computer anymore. It now requires a newer browser than I use. I don't really care about Twitter and seldom use it, but this is still a somewhat troubling turn of events. All my computers run older operating systems so I can continue to use my legacy software. I hate the subscription services that Microsoft and Adobe use now and refuse to use them. My older versions of Microsoft Word and Photoshop work just fine. They don't expire or require a subscription either. Now that malware, computer viruses, and hacking has become such a problem, manufactures just don't like dealing with older software. Increasingly, they are refusing to support anything other than their latest releases. This is not good news for me. I have no interest in upgrading my computers, software, or phone again. 

I found a giant spider in the office this evening. I hope it wasn't poisonous. I managed to kill the thing with a fly swatter, but it was troubling to see something like this inside. Where there is one bug there are usually more. I'm seeing more bugs inside this summer. I'm sure it has something to do with the heat. There have even been a few wasps in the living room. They fly in the back door when we let Dawn out. We've got bug spray for every type of bug now. There's one can for ants. Another for spiders. And a third for wasps and hornets. I'd like to live someplace where there were no bugs. I don't know where that would be though. Bugs are everywhere.

Dawn did well at training class tonight and won a ribbon again. I thought it would be to hot for her class, but Janet says it cools down after sunset and there is usually a breeze. All the dogs were fine. Dawn has finally learned to drink water from a water bottle too. Dawn really enjoys this class but I bet she'll enjoy it even more when the weather gets nicer.

I'm sure tomorrow will be very similar to today. I'm surprised that I can find enough to say for a blog post these days.

Deuce is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4552

Nothing is easy these days. The appliance installers arrived this morning, carried a huge box containing the new dishwasher inside the house and then told me that they couldn't install it. What? Why not? This is an easy job. You pull the old dishwasher out, attach the supply and drain lines to the new dishwasher, push it back under the counter and you're done. 

No can do, they told me. "You have copper supply lines," one of the guys said, "and we're not allowed to touch copper." I couldn't believe it. "You'll have to get a plumber to install this," the other guy told me. The installers left and I now have a very large box sitting in my living room. I called the two plumbing companies I normally use and they both told me that they charged emergency or after hours rates on weekends. Since these exorbitant rates were double what they normally charge, I decided to just wait until Monday to deal with this. I kind of wish I'd just called an appliance repairman to fix the old dishwasher now.

When I called to get my installation fee refunded I was told that I would have to go back to the store because I used two different credit cards on the transaction. I did use an old gift card I had for part of the purchase, but never realized that it would cause complications later. When I went back to the store I ended up talking to the same salesperson who sold me the dishwasher. "I warned you about copper pipes," she said. Nope. I don't think so. This thing will eventually get installed, but it has become a major nuisance.

I think we set a new high temperature record today. The thermometer on the back porch reached 106 degrees. How did the weather go from wet and cool to impossibly hot so quickly? It wasn't that long ago that the furnace was coming on in the morning. It was good that we got Dawn walked very early this morning. We weren't really trying to avoid the heat at that point. We were just trying to get everything done before the dishwasher installers arrived. At least I managed to get my grocery shopping done before everything started to unravel.

By the time I finished dealing with all the installation problems it was way too hot to walk in the park. I decided to go to the gym after I got my installation refund from the appliance store. The gym was almost empty by the time I arrived because it was getting close to closing time. I still had time to shoot some hoops on the basketball court, use the rowing machine, and walk a mile on the indoor track. It wasn't my best workout, but it will have to do.

I'm so tired of dealing with broken things I could scream. The dishwasher problems will be resolved sooner or later, and then it will be on to the next thing. It would be tempting to just tell a contractor to fix everything all at once, but we still live here. There's nothing worse than trying to go about your life in the middle of a bunch of construction. I hate all the surprises that contractors and repair people throw at you too. Few people these days are really familiar with old houses and they either don't know how to do the job right or are in too much of a hurry to do the job right. Most of these people prefer to work on new construction when the homeowner isn't even around.

We might not be able to take Dawn on her regular Sunday outing tomorrow. If we wait until the ice cream store opens, it will be too hot. Dawn will get her sunrise walk, but maybe we'll skip the later walk at our Sunday park and just go directly to the ice cream store. I don't think Dawn will have any complaints. It was almost too hot for her last week and tomorrow will be much warmer. So far, it looks like it's going to be a long, hot summer.

Willa is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3132

It was 111 degrees at our house today. Yikes. That's only two degrees away from the all time record for Dallas. Any way you look at it, the weather is brutally hot. Lately, our entire day revolves around surviving the heat. There were still a few stars in the sky when we got up this morning. There wasn't much of a breeze, but the temperature was only 85 degrees. Dash seemed to appreciate our attempts to protect him from the heat. He was enthusiastic about his early walk this morning and for the first time in over a month wanted to explore the shoreline. This was actually very encouraging. Dash has so many medical problems that it's nice to see that he can still enjoy some of the things he loved to do when he was younger.

I'm not sure the backyard plants are going to make it, but we're trying our best to keep them alive. The water from the sprinklers probably benefits the squirrels and birds as much as it helps the yard. There were dozens of squirrels enjoying the water while we were eating breakfast. You'd think with a large lake nearby, these critters would migrate to the shoreline, but they seem to prefer their favorite trees.

I went to the gym right after breakfast. Why not. The gym has a better air conditioning system than we do and the place is nice and cool. Only the regulars were exercising this morning. The park wasn't very crowded either. The longer the heat continues, the less you want to do. After a while, the only thing that seems appealing is eating a big bowl of ice cream.

Janet's laptop had a weird problem today. The trackpad popped out and the case wouldn't close. I've had lots of Macs, but had never heard of this happening before. I did a little research and discovered that this was actually a very common problem. When Macintosh laptop batteries get old they have a tendency to swell, and this can cause the trackpad, which sits directly above the battery, to pop out. Luckily, the fix is pretty easy. The computer just needs a new battery.

One day next week is going to be battery day. I promised Janet I'd get the laptop fixed and I still need to replace the backup batteries in my uninterruptible power supply as well. Since batteries were on my mind, I recharged my own laptop and replaced the batteries in the wireless mics for the video camera as well. I haven't used the microphones for a while, but you never know.

Since Janet is leaving to visit her family soon, she's been trying to teach me the routine she uses for giving Dash his daily meds. It's a complex system since Dash hates taking pills and we never know what he will eat from day to day. On good days we can still hide the pills in a meatball of Hills ID dog food. When that doesn't work, we have to resort to more exotic treats. Sometimes peanut butter works. Other times we've tried to hide the pills in angel food cake. When nothing else works, we always keep some fresh steak in the refrigerator. When I master Dash's meds, I've still got to figure out how to get his protective boots on by myself.

The security light went out again last night. Jeez. This thing was fixed for the second time just last week. The light comes on normally at dusk and then shuts itself off around 1 AM. The circuit breaker is not tripped and the light comes on normally again the next evening. I have no idea what is going on. The electrician doesn't have a clue either. The only thing I can think of is that the special LED bulb is not compatible with the photocell. Who knows. Maybe the light just won't work during a heat wave.

Since it's not getting any cooler tomorrow, I'm going to have to try getting Dash to take a walk while Janet is getting ready for work. Usually he won't walk until after she leaves the house, but it will be too hot by then. Dash is a stubborn dog, but maybe he'll listen to reason. Leaving early is for his own good. We'll see.

Pongo is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3130

Persistence pays off. The roof has finally been repaired. Lord knows how long I've been complaining about this roof. I'm sure the time is measured in years, not months. I'll have to wait until the elastomer coating dries completely before I can inspect things, but at first glance, it looks like the guys did a good job. I really hope that these repairs work. I'm tired of having problems with the roof. I'm tired of complaining too. Truthfully, I'd like to forget about the roof for a while. In retrospect, I wish the roofers had told me in the beginning that the high-tech membrane roof wasn't appropriate for my type of building. An old fashioned tar and gravel roof would have worked much better. That's ancient history now. The roof is what it is.

Every year on this date I grow nostalgic about the moon landing. I feel really old when I hear adults who aren't that young themselves talk about viewing the landing with their parents when they were seven. I was in college at the time. 1969 was a great year. The moon landing and Woodstock both happened during the same summer. I miss those times. There was a spirit of optimism that had nothing to do with political parties. We were a country then. Now we're just a bunch of warring tribes.

We had our second consecutive day of record heat with temperatures topping out at 108 degrees. They say the heat wave should peak tomorrow when temperatures could reach 110 degrees. We're also setting new records for electricity and water usage. I hope the power company can meet the demand. I'm not sure that Dash could handle a power outage. We were without electricity for four days in July when we first moved here. It was miserable. Even without a power outage, I worry about the air conditioner. It's been running non-stop for several days now. I had an HVAC company as a client once and they told me that there were an unbelievably number of air conditioner failures during Summer heat waves. I'm keeping my fingers crossed. This oppressive heat can't last forever.

Our morning walk went well this morning. We got started before sunrise and there was a nice breeze. I shortened our route and we only walked about half the distance we usually do. This seemed to do the trick. Dash was normal when we returned home. The roofers got started early too. They were up on the roof before I left for breakfast. It was smart to get started early. The temperature was only 87 degrees at sunrise but quickly rose to triple digits within a matter of hours.

It goes without saying that I stayed inside most of the day. I did go out for breakfast and got some groceries on the way home, but that was about it. I ordered the same meal I had last Friday, but it tasted different. There must have been a different chef this morning. I don't know why consistency is so important to me. Breakfast was actually fine. I just wish it was exactly the same as last week.

We're setting the alarm to get up extra early tomorrow. It's going to be the only way to give Dash a decent walk.

Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3129

We broke a 93 year old record. The temperature was 108 today, making this the hottest day of the year as well as the warmest July 19th on record. I'm not looking forward to tomorrow. They say it is going to be even hotter. I walked Dash really early this morning, but we should have stayed inside. The temperature was already above 90 degrees at sunrise. Even though we walked slowly, Dash became overheated. I was worried about him when we came home. I found him panting in the bedroom with his tongue hanging out. I covered him with a cool damp towel and watched him until his breathing became normal again. He seemed fine while we were walking, but this heat can be deceptive. I shouldn't have taken him out this morning. We'll either take a very short walk tomorrow, or no walk at all.

Our air conditioning system is struggling. It does fine when the exterior  temperatures are in the low 90's, but we were way above that today. Realistically, you can only expect an air conditioner to lower the temperature by twenty degrees. When the temperature is 108, it is difficult to keep things at 75 degrees inside. I'm worried that there will be a power outage. Our power grid is old and everyone is using their air conditioners at once. It's not a good combination.

I was surprised that the roofers even showed up today. The crew power washed the roof to prepare the surface for a new elastomer coating. The roof does look clean, but unfortunately it's wet again. Now, even more of the old coating is peeling away. I guess it doesn't matter since all the damaged areas will be recoated tomorrow. I wish the guys would just replace the entire roof, but that's not going to happen. If I can get them to repair all the bad spots, this is probably as good as it's going to get. I hope the guys get started early. If they wait until the afternoon to begin, it is going to be unbearably hot.

Dash is fine now, but he really gave me a scare this morning. With his bad heart, we really can't take chances. As much as he enjoys his walks, I think we're going to have to stay inside until the weather cools down a bit. I wonder how long that will take? The ten day forecast shows triple digit temperatures as far as the eye can see.

Texas weather is basically horrible. Every Summer I can't wait until Winter arrives and every Winter I can't wait until Summer. Spring and Fall only seem to last around two days. Every time I start to get complacent, there's a tornado warning to remind me that things can get even worse. I wonder where the good weather is hiding? I used to think I'd like to live in Colorado, but that part of the country is having terrible wild fires now. Hurricanes, tornados, floods, wildfires, and drought. There always seems to be something just beyond the horizon waiting to spoil the party.

I actually enjoyed my breakfast last Friday. Maybe I'll go back to the same restaurant again tomorrow. It all depends on when the roofers arrive and whether Dash remains calm without his morning walk.

Jade is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day