Day 3832 - Father's Day

Mom used to say that I was her Father's Day gift to Dad, since my birthday was so close to Father's Day. I think Dad would have preferred a Bass boat or even a new fishing rod. We weren't close for many years. It took a long while for each of us to realize how similar we were. I don't think children are destined to become like their parents, but it does help to understand where you came from. Although Dad and I followed very different paths in life, I grew to respect him. He was a good man. I hope Dad didn't feel like I let him down in the end. When I had to get a Power of Attorney and take over his affairs I know he was disappointed. I never was able to get him out of critical care. Getting old and sick is a bitch. I still think Dad's fate might become mine as well. That's why I try so hard to stay healthy.

Today was another rainy day. By carefully watching our weather radar apps, Janet and I were able to give Dawn her morning walk, but we were housebound for much of the day. I'm glad I didn't try to remove the standing water from the roof yesterday. It would have been a wasted effort. I'm pleased that after two heavy rains, there are still no roof leaks. I think I did a good job of patching things earlier in the year. There is still work to do, but nothing is critical now. I think it is safe to turn my attention to other things that are falling apart.

Since McDonald Observatory is still closed, some of the resident astronomers have started live streaming their evenings at the observatory's telescopes. I've subscribed to one of these podcasts and it makes me really miss my time on the mountain. I have a small telescope but there are too many lights in our neighborhood and I don't feel safe taking the telescope into the park at night. The splendid isolation of Mount Locke is the exact opposite of life in the city. You have to be cautious about mountain lions, javelinas and bears, but there are few worries about other people. When you live in a city you quickly realize that people are the most dangerous animals of all.

I tested a lot of old cameras and electronic gear this afternoon. Everything still seemed to work, but there were a lot of batteries that needed to be replaced or recharged. I used to be a lot better at keeping my gear operational and ready to go. It's hard to be all that diligent when you realize that you will never use a lot of this stuff again. Much of my equipment is obsolete. It got a lot of use in the 1990's when my business was flourishing but times have changed and I tend to hold on to things too long. It was easier to get rid of my art and collections because I knew that the stuff had resale value. Old studio gear is different. I'm either going to have to toss this stuff or add it to the growing pile in the storage warehouse.

My gym is open again, but I didn't go today. I'll probably eventually return, but for now my long walks seem like all the exercise I need. There are so many new rules at the gym that it hardly seems worth the trouble. One of my favorite things was shooting baskets and I think they've closed the basketball court. They don't want anyone touching the basketballs. I guess I could bring my own, but it is a collector's item given to me by Dick Vitale. I'll wait.

I hope I can find something useful to do next week. I still need to get a haircut and I'm hoping to hear from NASA about the Mars 2020 launch. I have my doubts that I'll be able to attend this launch, but one can always hope. Eventually, something has to return to normal.

Barley is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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Day 1244 - Mother's Day

I should have paid more attention to my Mom when I had the chance. It's way too late now. Both my parents have been dead for many years. Mom died way too soon. She would have loved the Internet and all the new opportunities it brought. Mom was a champion of lost causes and would have been delighted to discover that there were other folks who thought the same way as she did. The Internet is good for that sort of thing. As it was, she fought her battles more or less alone. Towards the end of her life, she took me aside and told me, "You're the writer in the family. You're going to have to tell my story, because nobody else will." I wonder why it slipped her mind that there was another, more celebrated writer in the family. I don't know whether Mom would have liked what I wrote. I was never good at reading her mind. She certainly had me pegged pretty well though. And she did make a difference. Thank you Mom.

Dot occupies the role of Mom in our house. She knows she's in charge and does an amazingly good job of keeping Janet and I punctual, while doing everything in the proper order. Dash never listens to me, but he does listen to Dot. All it takes is a stern look or a low growl to put an end to his bad behavior. Dash isn't scared of Dot, but he does respect her. The girl has an air of authority about her that every dog in the dog park understands. If Dot was a person, she'd have made a great Mom.

The dogs and I had a quiet day. I took them on an extra long walk this morning to compensate for missing their outing to the dog park. While they both took a snooze after we returned, I watched a movie on Hulu. I wonder if there's any way to turn off those irritating commercials on Hulu. One of the reasons I signed up for Hulu in the first place was to get away from commercials. I guess I shouldn't be surprised. Whenever someone comes up with a good idea, the first thing they want to do is monetize it.

Later in the day, I went back to Central Market and got some more tasty food from the deli counter. I like to eat, but I really don't like to cook. I think I've got enough now to last until Janet gets back. Never mind that there's tons of food in the freezer. I never open the freezer. That's Janet's side of the fridge.

We slept in longer than usual this morning. The dogs aren't very good alarm clocks. They'll get up when the sun starts streaming through the bedroom window, or when they hear Janet making their breakfast. Whichever comes first.  We'll probably get up late tomorrow as well. I'm certainly not getting up before the sun starts streaming through the bedroom window.

Dixie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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