Day 4624

What a lot of rain. It rained more in one day than it has during the entire summer. I think we got over ten inches today. This wasn't a gentle rain either. It was a downpour. Not surprisingly, the roof leaked. I put a bucket under the leak before I went to bed last night but I underestimated how fast the water was dripping. When I woke up this morning the bucket had overflowed and the carpet in the office was soaked. Such a mess. I guess I should consider myself lucky that only one area in the house had a leak. It could have been worse.

Dawn didn't get a walk this morning. She got a trip to the vet instead. This visit was for lab work she needed before getting her teeth cleaned. Dawn is a healthy dog but she has a lot of anxiety. She definitely didn't like being at the vet. It's kind of embarrassing how she acts in the exam room. As soon as we returned home Dawn headed straight for the bedroom and took a long nap. I felt like doing the same, but I had lots to do.

After I finished breakfast I went up on the roof. This wasn't a pleasant job since it was still raining, but I needed to get the pump working. I also trimmed some of the low hanging branches on the pecan tree that were interfering with the pump. I don't know how much this will help, but at least I eliminated one source of problems. I didn't even bother to sweep the water off the roof since it was still raining. I must have done something right because eventually the leak in the office roof stopped. I still need to go buy a very long heavy duty extension cord so I can put the second pump back in operation. 

The combination of roof leaks and ants has made me totally disgusted with the house. The running toilet in the second bathroom doesn't help either. It's definitely time for a new roof. I've interviewed lots of roofing companies over the years and haven't really liked any of them. Companies that specialize in flat roofs tend to only want to do commercial work. Our house is too small for them to bother with. Everyone is too expensive. The problem with our house is that is has settled over the years and the roof no longer drains properly. There are always puddles and duck ponds on the roof after a big rain. Nobody seems to have a great solution for this problem.

Even though I hate to drive in the rain, I went to the gym this afternoon. I needed to get my steps. The gym was fairly empty today and was even colder than usual. I was terrible on the basketball court and slower than usual on the indoor track. Basically, I just felt tired. Trimming branches on the roof in the middle of a rainstorm was hard work this morning.

It didn't even get up to 80 degrees today. For the first time in months it's colder outside than it is inside. There's still a chance of rain tomorrow, but I don't see anything ominous on the weather radar. Who knows. We may even be able to take a sunrise walk with Dawn tomorrow morning. I don't think it is going to rain tonight but I'm going to leave the buckets out just in case. Be careful what you wish for. I've been wishing for rain for weeks, but this was too much.

Lance is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4425

Another very cold day. There was no new snow or ice, but very little melted. As I expected, we have a small roof leak caused by heat from the house melting the ice on the roof from the bottom up. There is still a layer of ice on the roof, but it has started to melt underneath. It's way too slippery to climb up on the roof and fix things, so I'll just have to live with this for a while. At least it's a very small leak so far.

Dawn hates the snow, so she went without a walk again today. I should have done the same, but I run out of things to do in the house fairly quickly. I need a long walk to kill time. Janet can't go back to the gym until the roads clear up, so we took another walk together in the park today. I tried some different boots but they were worse than yesterday's boots. I really need to find some of the more comfortable Hoka boots, but they seem to be out of stock nationwide. I'm sure they'll be back in stock this summer when I won't need them anymore. I think we saw one of the eagles in the nest this afternoon, but we couldn't get closer because melting snow has turned the best vantage point into a swamp. It was a nice day for a walk though. The sun was out and there wasn't much of a wind. I just wish it were a little warmer.

I think I've finally figured out how to use the star tracker. Since I was house bound for most of the day, I spent a lot of time trying to master the surprisingly complex gadget. You can't really track stars indoors during the day, but you can see if the camera and tracker are pointed in the right direction using planetarium software on my computer. At any rate, I think I'm making progress. I was able to go back and forth between several targets without the software crashing. I also learned how to use the tracker to create panoramas and time lapse sequences. I still haven't taken the device outside and photographed anything, but that day will come. All in good time.

It's too bad I don't enjoy watching Netflix movies. Snow days are perfect for binge watching something. I'm not sure what I enjoy anymore. Astronomy is a strange hobby to have if you don't feel comfortable going outside at night. Dallas feels too dangerous for astronomy. I love my time out at McDonald Observatory, but it is way too far away for casual observing. The worse my foot gets, the more I dread making a long car trip as well. I'm even starting to feel out of the loop down at Kennedy Space Center. There's a lot going on right now and if you only make one or two trips a year, it's hard to be considered a serious part of the space reporting community. Some of my Florida friends are on site almost every week. Hopefully, I'll still get to cover the Artemis 1 launch later this year, but you never know. I'd better take advantage of any opportunity I get. I'm starting to think my traveling days are numbered.

It looks like I will be traveling to the grocery store tomorrow. The larger roads are almost completely free of ice by now and tomorrow should be even warmer than today. I'm sure prices will continue to get higher.  Almost everything is higher these days. I got a bill from my web hosting company yesterday and the annual rate almost doubled. Do I even need a website anymore? Probably not. You think more about the cost of things when you are retired. When I was working I never gave a second thought to the cost of anything. In retrospect, those days were pretty good.

Duke is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4312

The rain appears to be over for a while. I'm glad because we did get a small roof leak last night. This wasn't in the living room where it usually leaks. It was in the office. Water was dripping around the edge of one of the can lights in the ceiling. There have been leaks in this location before, but they are rare. I've never found the source. Since there was a leak, I decided I couldn't postpone going up on the roof any longer. I had to remove the standing water.

Since the drip in the office stopped after about an hour,  I was in no hurry. I had breakfast and took my long walk first. Dawn got her sunrise walk as well. The standing water refused to go away on its own, so I eventually climbed up on the roof and dealt with it.

I really hate this job. It's fairly strenuous and it's getting harder and harder for me to climb up on the roof. The neighbor's pecan tree is no friend of mine. It drops tons of pecans on the roof every Fall and the squirrels break them open and make a mess. The pecans turn the standing water into a brackish brown mess which stains the roof and makes it harder to find any tears in the elastomer. I really need to bring the power sprayer up on the roof and clean up this mess, but the sprayer is heavy and I'm afraid that power washing the roof might cause even more leaks. I still push all the standing water over the edge with a big push broom which resides on the roof permanently. Even on a good day it takes me well over an hour to remove the water. Today, since I was removing a ton of broken pecan shells as well, it took me even longer. I've said this many times, but never buy a house with a flat roof.

It would be nice to live in a new house with no problems, but I've never seriously considered moving. The house was paid for years ago and we live in a great neighborhood. I like living by the lake. There isn't a better place in the entire city to have a dog. Things will continue to break and I will continue to fix them. It's too bad that all the repair people I used to use have either retired or died. This new generation of repair people aren't nearly as talented as those older guys. Back in the day I always felt like the guys from "This Old House" were coming over to fix things. Not anymore. That's why I try to do as much as I can myself.

The launch photographers I know are all getting ready for the Lucy launch this weekend. Somehow major science missions always seem a little more interesting than your routine communication satellites. I can't help being a little envious of these Florida photographers. Photographing rockets is one of the few things I actually enjoy, but traveling to the space center for every launch is way too expensive for me. I probably won't return until the Artemis 1 launch in early 2022.

The city finally mowed the meadow behind our house. This will make it much easier to return home after Dawn's sunrise walk. When the grass was tall, our shoes and socks would get wet for several days after a rain and Dawn's paws and legs would always get sticky from the grass pollen. Every morning we'd have to clean Dawn with a wet rag before we went back in the house. Maybe since it is so late in the year, the grass won't start growing again until Spring.

The week's trash has been taken out to the curb and Dawn is sitting alert on the bed, waiting for Janet to return from a meeting. I'm happy to say that this day is just about over.

Abby is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4197

We like to bring the rescue dogs a new toy to play with when we visit on Monday. Today we brought a stuffed possum with us. We thought that Charlie would destroy this toy and get the squeaker out in less than five minutes, but he surprised us. He carried the toy around gently the way a mother dog might move a puppy. He didn't thrash the toy around or make it squeak at all. He seemed a little confused, but it sure looked like he had found a friend. We'd never seen Charlie act this way before. Dogs tend to be predictable, but they are often full of surprises. When we put the toy possum away, Charlie immediately reverted to his old self and begain to play rough with all his other toys. Cooper had no interest in befriending the little possum. He was determined to get the squeaker out.

I knew it was going to rain today, so we walked Dawn as soon as we got up and then I took my long walk right after breakfast. It wasn't terribly hot this morning, but it was incredibly humid. I had to change clothes when I returned home because I was drenching wet. I wish Spring had lasted a little longer. There isn't a lot to like about a Texas Summer. 

It didn't start raining until we were driving home from the kennel. The rain didn't last long but it looked like it had been intense in our neighborhood. When we went in the house I was extremely disappointed to discover that we had a roof leak again.  It's been almost two years since there has been a leak. I was actually beginning to believe that I had solved the problem. Why did the roof leak today? We've had a lot heavier rain earlier in the Spring. This leak was right over Dawn's food bowl, so I don't think she was very happy about it either.

I really had no choice. I climbed up on the roof and spent the next two hours sweeping all the standing water away. The roof was a mess. I hadn't been up there in a while, having convinced myself that the hot weather must have evaporated any standing water. There was a lot of water from today's rain, but since there was algae developing in some of the puddles, it was apparent that there had been water on the roof for quite some time.

I'm really getting too old to remove standing water from the roof every time it rains. It's hard work pushing hundreds of pounds of water over the edge of the roof with a big broom. It's slippery up there as well. By the time I finished removing all the water my heart was pounding. I'm going to be really pissed if it rains again later tonight. I don't want to go up there again. 

I hate to spend a ton of money putting on a new roof and still have problems with standing water afterwards. I've gotten multiple bids from different roofing companies to replace the roof and they all say that since the house has settled, there will still be standing water in the low spots after they are finished. It's discouraging. I guess you could completely remove the roof and start over, but that doesn't seem like a good solution since we are still living in the house. The only times I get really depressed is when I'm up on the roof. It seems hopeless up there.

The only thing good about today's rain is that it is supposed to be a lot cooler tomorrow. One forecast says we will get more rain tonight. The other says we are in the clear. I guess we'll see what happens. I'll leave a bucket out in the kitchen just in case.

Barley is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3713

I must have forgotten the letter B at the grocery store yesterday. I had to go back to the store this morning for blueberries and beer. I didn't make this mistake at the gym. My regular routine always includes some time on the basketball court and at least twenty minutes on the arm bicycle.

I try to keep moving on Sunday. A good workout is just the start. When I returned from the gym, Janet and I took Dawn on a walk. Today, I tried to teach her to sit whenever we come to a street or crosswalk. She actually did pretty well. She doesn't sit automatically yet, but it only took a small correction for her to get the idea. Teaching her to heal might be a little harder. She still likes to follow her nose wherever an appealing smell takes her. I'm glad Dawn enjoys walking. The exercise is just as important for her as it is for me.

Our early Spring has disappeared again. Every nice day seems to be followed by a dismal, rainy day. We didn't get a lot of rain today. Just enough to be irritating. It stayed dry while we walked Dawn, but a little later when I went out to walk again, I got wet. I thought the light sprinkle would stop, since there was nothing on the radar, but I was wrong. The light showers continued and by the time I returned home I was very wet. I got my steps though. It was a 24,000 step day.

Spring is getting closer. I'm starting to see lots of Daffodils in the park. These usually appear right after the Grape Hyacinths bloom. I think the Wild Iris blooms next. After that, all bets are off. There are over 5,000 different flowering plants in Texas. It looks like we're going to have a good wildflower season this year. It's amazing that these flowers continue to appear year after year. I used to think that all wildflowers were perennials, but many of the most popular Texas wildflowers are actually annuals. Both can come back year after year, but annual wildflowers are a brand new plant that grows from the seed of a plant that died. Perennials don't die. The roots stay alive over the Winter and begins growing again the next Spring.

I think I will buy that wide angle lens. I guess I really do want to take spectacular night sky pictures. It would be a shame to go to a place that has some of the darkest night skies in America and not take pictures. It's probably a little late to become a world class astrophotographer, but I can certainly learn to take better night sky pictures than I have in the past. Occasionally, I try this in Dallas, but the light pollution is so bad that the pictures are pitiful.

I started the pumps after dinner tonight, but no water came out. Hopefully, this means there isn't much water on the roof. It also might mean that the pumps aren't working correctly. I'll probably find out tomorrow morning. There is no roof leak now, but it would probably be smart to put a bucket under the suspicious spot before I go to bed.

It's supposed to be clear tomorrow. I hope the forecast is right. On a nice day I get a lot more done.

Joey is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3710

Things are looking up. When I woke up this morning the rain had stopped and I was seeing patches of blue sky. The first thing I did after breakfast was go up on the roof and clear the water away. This stopped the leak. Hopefully the weather will stay dry enough for me to figure out where the leak originates before the next storm arrives. The source of the leak certainly isn't obvious. I looked again today and couldn't find anything suspicious.

It looks like the magazine is going to publish my article about the Solar Orbiter. This was a pleasant surprise. When I was in Florida I thought the only thing they wanted were photos. I have no idea when the article will be published. My previous article about Artemis Day in New Orleans hasn't even been published yet. I'm three for three though. My last three NASA trips have all resulted in published articles.

Early voting has started in Texas so I stopped by a local library and voted on my way home from the post office. Dallas has changed all its voting machines. Now you are handed a blank paper ballot which you insert into a machine. You make your choices using a touch screen and then when you are finished the machine prints a paper ballot with your selections. You place this ballot into another machine on your way out of the building. It all seems pretty complicated to me, but I guess there's a paper trail now if the machines go haywire.

Janet and I took Dawn on another walk today. We walk her a little longer each day and she is doing very well. She doesn't know how to heal yet, but does pretty well on a leash. I have to keep my eye on her because she can't decide whether she wants to be on my right or my left and often has a tendency to walk directly in front of me. I have to stay alert because I don't want to trip over her. There's no daydreaming with this dog.

I've paid my credit card bills and now I don't have the Florida trip hanging over my head. I wish I could figure a way to lower the cost of these NASA trips. The fixed costs are always the airline, hotel and rental car. You really can't save any money on these things if you have to change your reservations frequently. I think I had to change my reservations four times on the Solar Orbiter trip.

Now that my trip to Kennedy Space Center has concluded, It's time to get ready for my next big adventure. I wrote the observatory today and asked if I could change my arrival time. I was going to arrive on a weekday, but it occurred to me that there would be much less traffic if I drove to West Texas on a Sunday. Since the Astronomer's Lodge isn't a regular hotel, I need to find out whether I need to bring things like towels and bedding. I wonder if they have laundry facilities? I'm going to be there a while.

Tomorrow morning we take Dawn to the vet to get her stitches out. She'll probably have a few scars for the rest of her life, but her wounds are healing nicely. She's almost finished will all her meds too. Hopefully, her memories of the attack will fade. I want her to have a happy, normal life.

Odie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3709

Another rainy day. I kept the pumps running and for most of the day I thought my repairs were working. Late in the day the leak returned unfortunately. I'm back to square one. This is not a good situation since we're right in the middle of the rainy season. The roofer who is experienced with the silicon material is still not responding and the other roofers just want to start over and put on a new roof. For now, all I can do is put a big bucket under the leak and wait for the rain to stop.

At least I stayed busy today. I edited the pictures I took at the Solar Orbiter launch and sent the best ones to the magazine. A few hours later the editor wrote me back and said he might be interested in my story after all. This was a surprise. They already had another correspondent writing about the launch, but it was nice that they wanted to take a look at my article. I kind of doubt that they will run two articles about the same launch, but who knows. They did like my pictures though.

Although it was a dismal, wet day, it didn't rain for the entire day. There was a dry enough period around mid-day that we were able to give Dawn another walk in the park. She seems to love walking, so we took her on a longer walk this time. It's been so long since I've walked a young, healthy Dalmatian that I've forgotten how fast and strong they are. Dawn walks well on a leash, but she definitely wanted me to pick up the pace.

Although it is definitely still Winter, I'm starting to see the first signs of Spring. There are Grape Hyacinths blooming in the meadow behind our house now. There are only a few now, but in a few weeks the meadow will be a sea of purple. Grape Hyacinths are usually the very first of the Spring wildflowers. Daffodils come next, followed in late March and early April by an avalanche of colorful blooms. Spring can't come soon enough. I'm tired of this dreary weather and I've got to do something about this roof leak.

It looks like this dismal weather is going to continue tomorrow. It's actually raining harder now. Dawn is curled up on the bed watching TV with Janet. I'm listening to the drip, drip, drip of water hitting the bucket in the kitchen. It's discouraging that my repairs didn't work. I have no idea where this leak is coming from. Eventually, this rain will stop. Maybe someday I'll even get this problem under control.

I'm not going to lose any sleep over this. It seems like I've been dealing with a leaking roof forever. Tomorrow morning I'll make my smoothie and try to think of something useful to do until the rain stops. Right now taking a long nap with Dawn sounds pretty good.

Spot is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3702

We took Dawn back to the emergency vet today to get the drainage tube removed from her neck. She was nervous in the car because she knew where she was going but was a lot more relaxed on the way home. She had to feel better without the plastic tube protruding from her neck. We'll have to go back again in about ten days to get her stitches removed, but so far everything is looking good. The vet said her wounds were healing nicely.

Dawn has been the perfect houseguest. She has adapted so quickly to her new routine that it seems like she has been living here for years. The family who adopted her couldn't have found a better dog. Dawn is one of those Dalmatians who smiles, but I haven't been able to get a picture yet. When you point a camera at her, she quits smiling. We have a low platform bed, which probably seems like the world's biggest dog bed to Dawn. It's easy for her to get up and down and she loves to take naps on the bed. We haven't been able to walk her because the location of her wounds makes it difficult to use a collar or harness. She likes our yard though and is completely housetrained. Just like Ginny, it's going to be hard to see her leave.

I miss having a dog, but I still think fostering is the right thing to do. Since we're experienced with Dalmatians, but don't have a dog of our own now, we're the perfect place for dogs like Hank, Ginny, and Dawn who temporarily need a quiet place to rest and recuperate.

The rain finally stopped around noon today. I was able to get up on the roof and remove all the water. A few hours later the leak in the kitchen stopped. I noticed that there is another leak on the back porch as well. I wrote the roofer a very polite letter asking for help. He's done so many repairs already that I know he doesn't want to hear from me again, but I don't think I can fix this leak myself. I can't really call other roofers either, because he's the only one locally who specializes in these silicon roofs. I think I've found where the water is getting in, but I could be wrong. I definitely don't want to make the situation worse.

I sent my pictures of the launch to the magazine but still haven't received a response. This is a little troubling but it has happened before. The magazine is based in London and the editor is often away from the office for days at a time. Oh, well. I've done my part. I hope they like the pictures. I offered to write a story, but since the Solar Orbiter was a European mission I think they already had a European writer working on an article. I'll probably write an article anyway and try submitting it to other publications.

Janet wanted to see how Dawn would do alone in the house, so I took a short walk while she was out running errands. Dawn seemed a little nervous when I gated her in the bedroom but quickly warmed up when I gave her a few treats. When I returned home, she was sleeping comfortably in the center of the bed. I'm usually here, but it's nice to know that it's safe to leave her if we need to be somewhere else.

It's hard to believe that it's almost the middle of the month already. I need to start working on my taxes and do some more planning for my upcoming trip to McDonald Observatory. Retirement is starting to feel busier than when I was working. That's probably a good thing.

Lucy is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3701

An all day rain reminded me that life has returned to normal. I've traded rockets for roof leaks. Even though it's hard to get me out of the house, I'll have to admit that life on the road does have its advantages. The problems of day-to-day life fade away temporarily. I don't worry about plumbing problems and having trees removed when I'm away. I've never had my hotel roof leak either. It's nice to have someone clean your room and make your bed every day as well. Rental cars never have to be taken to the dealership for expensive repairs. This is all an illusion of course. A month after your trip ends the credit card bills arrive and you realize that all this freedom can get pretty expensive as well.

Today was definitely a day to stay home and get to know Dawn a little better. What a sweet, gentle girl. It's sad that she was attacked by another dog, but she is doing well and we all think she will make a complete recovery. Dawn seems much more mature than the male Dalmatians we currently have in the rescue program. I guess this makes sense. Dawn is older than the boys. She is completely house trained and doesn't chew or tear things up. She can't wear a cone because of the injuries to her neck, but she probably doesn't need one anyway. So far she hasn't tried to pick at her stitches or pull out her drainage tube.

We go to the vet tomorrow for a checkup and hopefully they will remove the tube in her neck. I think there's a good chance that the tube will be removed since there is very little bleeding or drainage. Dash had to have drainage tubes inserted for almost a month, but his wounds were much more severe. We will keep Dawn until she is healthy again. She already has a forever home, but her new family has other dogs and it's easier for her to heal in a quiet environment.

I don't know what I'm going to do about this roof. We're in the middle of the rainy season and it hasn't gotten dry enough for me to attempt new repairs or even make a decent inspection. I keep the pump running but there is still plenty of water on the roof every time it rains. It's kind of a losing battle to keep the water out. Traditional repair techniques don't work with a silicon roof, so I'm going to be forced to call the roofer again. I know he's sick of hearing from me by now, but what choice do I have? This company is the only one with experience in applying silicon roofs. Architects recommend these guys, but unfortunately I don't think they had enough experience to realize that I wasn't a good candidate for this type of roof. A silicon membrane might be great for new construction, but it doesn't work well in old houses that have settled. New flat roof are designed to drain properly. Basically, all roofs need to drain properly or they are eventually going to leak.

I hope it quits raining tomorrow. It was cold and wet all day. I thought I had found an hour or so when I would be able to take a walk, but unfortunately I miscalculated. About two miles from home, it started raining again. By the time I returned to the house I was soaking wet. I put on some dry clothes, put my wet coat and hat in the dryer and took a nap with Dawn.

I should have just stayed home and taken a longer nap with Dawn. She is definitely a good dog to curl up with on a cold winter day.

Lady Gogh is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3694

This weather is nuts. Every day is different. Today it was very cold and forecasters are still predicting snow and sleet tomorrow. It must have rained quite a bit last night because the roof leak in the kitchen has returned. Even though I knew that it was going to continue raining tomorrow, I was forced to go up on the roof and remove as much water as I could to stop the leak. Was I really wearing shorts and a t-shirt just a few days ago? Today, two warm coats and compression pants under my jeans didn't seem enough.

I did manage to stop the leak but this morning's success is only temporary. I still don't know where the water is getting in and as soon as the rain returns, I'm sure the leak will reappear. It's going to be a while before I can even think about doing some more patching. It's all very frustrating.

I had to run some errands this morning and while I was out I stopped at a few drug stores to see if I could find a pack of disposable face masks. The pharmacists just laughed. They told me they had completely sold out of the masks quite a while ago. This seemed a bit weird to me. I haven't seen a single person wearing a mask here in Dallas. People must be hoarding these things. I guess this makes sense. We'll all been watching apocalyptic pandemic movies since The Andromeda Strain appeared in 1971. There are a ton of these movies: The Stand. 12 Monkeys. 28 Days Later. Outbreak. Contagion. I am Legend. The list could go on and on. When something real happens like this, it's easy to let your imagination run wild.

I can't say that I enjoyed my walk today. I was already tired from removing the water from the roof, but went ahead and walked anyway. The combination of rapidly falling temperatures, a light mist, and a stiff wind made walking fairly miserable. I was warm enough though. Two coats, heavy gloves, and compression pants under my jeans does the trick. I guess if I can survive this, I'll be fine up on Mount Lock later this Spring.

I still can't decide whether to view the rollout of the Atlas 5 rocket from a fishing boat near the pad. The view should be spectacular but I don't do well on boats. I've even gotten sick on large cruise ships. A photographer friend has watched a launch from this same boat and said he got seasick. Would dramamine do the trick? I'd really like to get a close up view of the pad before the launch, but it would be so much easier to catch a ride on the press bus. It's too bad they are only allowing thirty people on this bus. Will I get off the waitlist? I doubt it. There will always be thirty journalists more senior than me.

I don't think I'll be going anywhere tomorrow. I'm hoping the forecast is wrong. Snow and sleet in Dallas is never a good thing. Whatever happens, it looks like this is just a one day event. Thursday, Friday in Saturday are supposed to be clear. I don't know why I spend so much time fretting about weather forecasts. They're mostly wrong anyway.

Duke is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3687

It rained again last night. It looked like the roof was going to leak again, so I set some buckets out in the kitchen and went outside to turn the pumps on. Water is not my friend this year. One of the toilets keeps running. It's hard to shut off the kitchen sink. Water is getting underneath the tiles in the shower. The water heater is starting to show its age as well.

There's not an easy fix for any of these things. When I first became a homeowner it seemed much easier to find repair people who could fix anything. I can't find these people anymore. The ones I really liked have all either died or retired. I can fix a lot of things myself, but it's hard to even find the proper parts these days. Basically, your typical mid-century modern house is 70 years old. Nothing lasts that long.

I waited for the roof to start leaking while I was eating breakfast, but it never did. I could tell the sheetrock was getting damp though, so there is definitely still a problem. I decided not to tempt fate and went up on the roof to sweep the water away. How is this water getting in? The silicon coating looks solid and I don't see any obvious problems. When I got all the water removed, it started raining again. It's too bad that the rainy season isn't even close to being over. I won't be able to examine things more closely until we get a few weeks of really dry weather. Even though it was a nasty day, I still found some time to take my walk. There was a light drizzle while I was walking, but I managed to stay reasonably dry by dressing in layers. When I returned home, I threw my damp clothes in the dryer and got some rags and a ladder to try to dry out the damp spot in the kitchen ceiling. I guess things could be worse. There was no need for buckets today. I can stop the toilet from running by taking the lid off the tank and jiggling things a bit. The kitchen faucet will probably last a few more years if we are gentle with it. I still with I could find really talented repair people who were interested in fixing things instead of just replacing them. I keep thinking that repair people should all be like those guys you see on that "This Old House" TV show. Unfortunately, real life is a little different.

Since water seemed to be the theme for the day, I looked at the long range weather for my trip to Florida. Jeez. There is a high probability of rain on launch day. I bet this launch is going to get postponed again. The forecast looks a lot more promising for the trip to McDonald Observatory later this Spring. It's going to be cold though. It looks like nighttime temperatures will still be below freezing the entire time I'm there. Maybe I ought to get my old Alaska coat out of the storage warehouse after all.

Hopefully, I'll see a little blue sky tomorrow. I'm definitely not at my best on a rainy day. We'll see how it goes. I have a feeling that I'll be battling water for a long, long time.

Molly is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3682

I saw a little blue sky today. Things are looking up. I guess the big news is that I got my press pass. NASA sent me a notice today that my application has been approved. I'm a space journalist now. I'll be covering the Solar Orbiter launch for a little British magazine few people have even heard of, but it's still a big deal to me.

The good news about getting real press credentials inspired me to get my butt in gear and make my reservations for the trip. Since I've started traveling more, I've joined several airline, hotel, and rental car loyalty programs in hopes of getting a better deal. All I've gotten so far is a lot more spam e-mail. It's not so easy to get a great deal. What I've discovered is that when you tell an airline or hotel when you want to travel, there are seldom any deals. You get the bargains when you let them tell you when to travel. Discounts aren't really meant to help you. They exist to fill empty seats and rent rooms on slow days. Needless to say, I'm not getting any deals this trip, but I do have my reservations now.

I spent a lot of time up on the roof today. Truthfully, I still have no idea where the leak is coming from. After I removed all the standing water, I took a tape measure and found the spot on the roof directly above where the leak occurred. Everything looked good to me. I couldn't find any holes or tears in the silicon coating at all. The water is getting in somewhere though. I just don't know if I'll ever find the source. The problem is that once that water manages to get under the protective coating, it can travel almost anywhere. The leak might be nowhere near where it is actually entering the house. Luckily, this was a very small leak after a very heavy rain. Maybe if I'm more careful about using the pumps, it won't happen again.

Since the rain has moved on to the East, I was able to take my walk today. It was definitely easier walking on an indoor track, but time seems to pass much more quickly when you are outdoors. It's easy to let your mind wander and daydream when there are interesting things to look at. Walking the same distance on a small indoor track is mind numbing. I totally lost track of time yesterday and was just waiting for my Fitbit to tell me that I'd gone the distance. I'll admit it was warmer though. There's definitely something to be said for staying warm. It was nice to see blue sky this afternoon, but I was still cold.

This week has gone quickly. I even managed to get a few things done. Now it's time to take this week's trash out to the curb and start thinking about where I want to go for breakfast tomorrow. Shrimp grits sounds pretty good. If the weather stays nice, I might start thinking about visiting the little observatory north of town as well. I still need to do this before leaving for the Davis Mountains. Did I mention that the weird rattling noise in the washing machine has disappeared. The machine sounds normal again. All in all, it's been a pretty good day.

Chloe is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3681

All day rain. Ordinarily, that's all you'd need to say about a day like this. Today, I'll add two more words. Roof leak. Yes, the roof is leaking again. It's been so long since we've had a leak that I didn't initially recognize the ominous dripping sound I heard early this morning. The leak didn't last long, but it destroyed any notions I might have had that the roof had been fixed.

This leak was in a new location that I'd thought was pretty safe. I'll have to check when things are dry again, but I can't remember any questionable areas above the kitchen. I guess I should have turned on the pumps last night, but I was asleep. It's unfortunate that it rained so hard while we were sleeping. You can't turn the pumps on ahead of time because they get hot if they run dry and it's easy to burn out the motor. By the time I woke up, it was too late.

Things didn't really get better as the day progressed. I was going to make my reservations for the Florida trip and discovered that the hotel where I wanted to stay was completely full. I wasn't expecting this either. I still thought I had plenty of time. I looked for other hotels in the vicinity, but they were either twice as expensive or had terrible reviews. You really don't want to stay at a place where reviewers say "If you like threadbare towels and roaches in the shower, this is your place."

I'll have to find some place acceptable tomorrow and wrap this up. If I wait much longer to make my reservations, I'm afraid that the most convenient flights might be booked as well. I guess the days of traveling without a plan are long gone. When I was young, I remember driving until I felt like stopping and there were never any problems finding a room. I've gone to the airport without reservations too, but I'll admit that was a long time ago.

I kept waiting for the rain to stop so I could take my walk, but it never did. Finally, I gave up and went to the gym. As much as I hate driving in the rain, I hated having a day without 10,000 steps even more. At least it was warm and dry at the gym. I was going to enroll in my healthcare plan's new  free membership program, but I discovered that my current membership was automatically upgraded to the new plan at the first of the year. No more gym membership bills. At least there was some good news today.

I hope this rain moves out of the area by tomorrow. I need to go up on the roof and see if I can find where this new leak is coming from. I am not optimistic. I have a feeling of hopelessness about this whole situation. I have gotten bids from reputable companies and they all say that because of the way the house has settled over the years, there will still be standing water even after a new roof is installed. Give me a break. I don't want to spend a ton of money on a roof and still have to climb up and sweep the water away after every rain.

This day needs a do-over. I'll see if I can get a fresh start on things tomorrow. If I look up and see a little blue sky, I can almost guarantee that the day will end better.

Raider is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3597

Darn went to his forever home this morning. The couple who adopted him seemed very nice and they have had Dalmatians before. I think this is a good home. Darn might not realize it now, but his life is going to get a lot better. Hopefully, he will get a new name. Many of our new dogs came to us with very strange names. Sock and Jelly Bean seemed to know their names, but the others didn't. I wonder if Darn and Sock got named at the same time. Maybe somebody's sock had a hole in it. Darn is one of the shy dogs, but I think as soon as he starts to feel safe in his new home he's going to relax and start enjoying life.

It was very cold this morning. It was also very wet. After the cold front arrived yesterday, it continued raining for the rest of the night. It rained a lot. I left the pumps running overnight, but I don't think it helped much. Just before I got up this morning, I heard the sound of water dripping into a bucket. The water was coming from the same can light in the office ceiling as it was before. I guess my repairs didn't accomplish much.

It was disappointing that I wasn't able to stop the leak. I certainly tried my best. I have no idea how the water is getting in, but when you have four inches of standing water on a flat roof, water will find a way. The new roofer I called is going to come take a look at things tomorrow. I'm not very optimistic at this point, but I'm always open to suggestions.

I made an appointment to take my retainer back to the dentist. I tried to wear it again last night and it is clear that the thing doesn't fit. Soaking the retainer in hot water before trying to fit it didn't help at all. I should have had a proper fitting at the dentist before taking the retainer home, but the dentist and I were both in a hurry. They told me that these things almost always fit perfectly. I guess I am the exception to this rule.

I wore my winter clothes on this morning's walk. Maybe our hot summer wasn't so bad after all. The temperature was around forty degrees but there was a very strong wind. The wind chill effect made it feel like it was below freezing. I think it actually is going to dip below freezing later tonight. This is our first freeze warning of the fall. I finally remembered to bring the 24 volt battery for the electric lawnmower inside for the winter. It's anybody's guess whether the battery will still be good next spring, but at least I've made an effort to save it.

We can look forward to another very cold day tomorrow. At least the rain is over for a while. I went up on the roof this afternoon and swept all the water away. This stopped the leak for the moment. I'm sure it will return with the next heavy rainfall. All this is frustrating, but at least the tornado didn't blow down our house. We passed through some of the tornado damage on our way back from the kennel this morning and it looked even worse than the pictures I've been seeing. It's still hard to believe that all this destruction happened in just a few minutes.

Puppies are today's Dalmatians of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3592

We got an enormous amount of rain last night. I apparently couldn't even escape the rain in my sleep. About 3 AM I woke up from a bad dream in which I was walking through a flooded house. The house appeared to be the house I grew up in, but you can never tell about dreams. Once I was awake, I got a drink of water and looked around. I could hear the pumps running on the roof and I didn't see any leaks, so I went back to bed. There were still no leaks when I got up the next morning, so I thought I was in the clear. Sadly, I wasn't. Later in the day I heard an ominous drip in the office. Water had started leaking through a can light in the ceiling. It was a small leak, but there shouldn't have been a leak at all. I thought I'd done a good job of making repairs.

I decided to take a walk when the rain appeared to stop about an hour after I finished breakfast. Both the weather apps on my phone confirmed that there would be no more rain until later in the afternoon.  It was cold and wet outside, so I wore a warm jacket and my old waterproof dog walking boots. The weather radar apps apparently aren't sensitive enough to measure mist. It wasn't raining, but after a mile or so I realized that I was pretty wet. The mist had soaked my jacket.

The park was empty today. The cyclists, joggers, and dog walkers were all gone. I only encountered two people during my entire walk. There was a Japanese guy in shirtsleeves who tried to give me a pamphlet and asked if I had found Jesus. He looked very cold. Later, I passed a girl in dance attire who was using a camera with a self timer on a tripod to take pictures of herself on a very wet pier.

When I got home I threw my clothes in the dryer and had no desire to go outside again for the rest of the day. The dripping noise in the office finally got to me though. I went up on the roof to try and find the source of the leak. I failed. I still have no idea how the water is getting in. All the patches I applied the other day held up very well. I couldn't find any new areas where water might be getting in.

Unfortunately, the water is getting in somehow. I cleared all the standing water away and hope that the roof will have a chance to dry again before the next rain arrives. I need to find the source of this leak. There are still a few areas where the old acrylic coating was never replaced with the silicon material. When the roof dries out again, I will first look for suspicious damp areas and then make sure that the entire roof is coated with the more durable silicon material. Will that work? Who knows.

Because I am losing patience with this roof, I called a fourth roofer to give me a bid for replacing the roof. This guy comes highly recommended, but so did the other three. So far, nobody agrees on the best way to solve my problems. It doesn't help matters that the architect who designed this mid-century modern house thought it would be cool to have an garden atrium right in the middle of the house. Having a big square hole right in the middle of the roof definitely complicates the process of replacing the roof. The house was built in 1955 and like all old houses has settled over the years. Water now drains toward the atrium at the center of the house instead of toward the edges of the roof.

I hope I sleep better tonight. When I was young I used to have exciting dreams where I could fly and do amazing things. Having a dream where your house is flooded is just a bit too close to real life.

Patch is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3582

I went to the dentist today and got impressions made for my new retainer. It actually took longer to drive to my appointment than to make the impressions. I was in and out in fifteen minutes. It always seems weird when the dentist fills your mouth with what looks like bathroom caulk and has you bite down on a spacer that presses the stuff into your teeth. I'm always convinced that this mess will stick to my teeth and be impossible to remove. After two minutes the goop hardens and pulls away cleanly though, making a perfect impression of your teeth. This will serve as a mold to make the actual retainer which should be ready on Thursday. I asked if they could just mail it to me, but the dentist needs to make sure the retainer fits properly. Looks like I'm going to have to drive all the way up to the dentist again.

It rained again during the night and this morning I noticed what appeared to be a small leak in the office. The water looked like it was coming through a can light in the ceiling. I've never had a leak in this spot before, so this was very disappointing. It's too bad it rained on the same day I got the silicon roof coating. Due to the weather, I still haven't been able to make any repairs. I cleared away all the standing water after I took my walk today and am hoping for the best. The long range forecast says it's not going to rain again until next Monday. Hopefully I can patch things before then.

This weather is driving me nuts. This Fall we have already had two cold fronts that only lasted one day each. Yesterday it was back to ninety degrees and today was super muggy. The humidity was so high that my shirt was drenched before I even finished my first mile. Tomorrow it is supposed to be cold again. I think the temperature at sunrise is expected to be fifty-five degrees. At least it isn't going to rain tomorrow. I've really got to get this roof fixed.

My allergies have been terrible this week. The windy days and swiftly changing weather probably have something to do with it. I was afraid I was going to be blowing my nose and sneezing on the dentist while he was making my impressions, so I took an antihistamine this morning. I rarely take antihistamines because they make me feel terrible. My nose stops dripping, but my entire head feels like it is wrapped in a blanket. I get an odd buzzing feeling that is hard to describe. I didn't want to sneeze on the dentist today, but generally I'd rather go through a box of Kleenex every hour than feel this way.

Janet is traveling again. This means I have to start cooking for myself again. Cooking to me generally means just heating something up in the microwave. I still like those Cadence Kitchen flash frozen meals though. You just heat them up in a skillet on the stove and ten minutes later you have a tasty and reasonably healthy meal. I like their Mexican Style Pulled Pork and Chicken Tikka Masala. I think they make a Paella Valenciana now too. There is a little too much salt in these meals, but not as much as I'd get if I went to a restaurant.

I can't decide whether to write the roofer again. He'd probably just ignore me. The gift of a $250 bucket of liquid silicon is his way of saying "don't bother me anymore." It's irritating to still have a leak though. The roof shouldn't be leaking. If he'd gotten me the silicon coating back in July, I probably wouldn't be having this problem.

Camp is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3348

The roof is leaking again. I definitely wasn't expecting this. It was a clear sunny day and there wasn't even that much water on the roof. Apparently the roofers hadn't stopped the leak, they had just slowed the water down. Somehow, water was still getting under the elastomer coating and finding its way inside through a bad seam. I put a bucket under the drip in the living room, cleared the remaining water from the roof, and looked for a damaged area where the water might be getting in. I couldn't find anything. The dripping water stopped in about an hour, but that wasn't the point. There shouldn't be a leak at all. I sent an e-mail to the roofer, informing him of the bad news and made a mental note to contact the people who still owe me a bid for completely replacing the roof. This is getting old.

Dash pooped in the bed three times last night. I think this is a new record. The poop landed right on the puppy pad each time, so there really wasn't much of a mess to clean up. Dash never woke up. We wondered why he never pooped yesterday. Now we know. Despite the interruptions, I actually got a good night's sleep. Apparently Dash did too. He was eager for a walk this morning.

The weather app on my phone has been saying that today was going to be windy for the past several days. It was pretty calm when we took our morning walk, so I thought the forecast must be wrong. Nope. This afternoon it suddenly became fiercely windy outside. I could see the wind trying to rip the roof off of the greenhouse again. Some of the new nails I added held and some of them didn't. None of the fiberglass roof panels blew off this time, but they all were loosened. The problem is that I can't climb on the shed roof to secure the top of the fiberglas panels because the greenhouse is too flimsy. When a panel falls off, I just push it back in place and nail the bottom to the top of the greenhouse wall. Apparently this is not enough.

My to-do list today included getting phenobarbital for Dash, a small plunger to help clear a slow drain in the bathroom, and fresh fruit for next week's breakfast smoothies. Kroger has peaches again, so the smoothies will taste a little better. I wonder why none of the other stores have peaches yet?  When I filled the car with gas, I noticed that the station had brand new pumps. It still took two tries to get the new pump to accept my credit card.

The strong winds only lasted a couple of hours but they stirred up a lot of dust. When I was taking Dash on his evening walk it looked like there was a dust storm on the horizon that partially obscured the sun. I hadn't seen skies like this for three or four years and though it would make a great photograph. Unfortunately I didn't have my camera with me. Dash walks so slowly now that by the time we got home, the sun had completely set. I guess the dust storm photo will have to wait until the next dust storm.

Today was discouraging. I can't believe I'm still dealing with a roof leak, a slow bathroom drain, and a dilapidated greenhouse. There is no joy in replacing a roof. It is expensive and you can't even see the results when it's done. I don't even think a new roof will increase the value of the house. The neighborhood is slowly becoming gentrified and our small house will ultimately become a tear down no matter what we do.

I hope that Dash wakes up with lots of energy tomorrow. Janet has an early charity event to attend and it's up to me to get the day started. We'll see how it goes. I'm not a morning person and neither is Dash

Joey is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day