Day 4468

I can't seem to shake this cold I've got. There's no fever anymore and my cough isn't as bad, but I'm still not feeling myself. I kind of just trudged through the day in a fog. I'd sit down on the bed to rest for a few minutes and then I've wake up several hours later wondering where the day went.

Dawn was eager to take a walk this morning. This was the first family walk she'd had in a week. She certainly hasn't forgotten her old schedule and had a good time smelling things in the park. Dawn has resumed all her old habits and has started barking at me again if I don't fix her dinner fast enough. She was a little nervous when Janet left to go to the gym this morning but after she returned Dawn realized that all was well. This was just the way life had always been.

For the first time in ages I saw almost nobody wearing masks in the grocery stores when I was shopping this morning. The stores didn't even have signs on the doors anymore. It was as if the entire city decided they'd had enough at the same time. I think the few people that still wear masks everywhere will continue doing so for the rest of their lives. That's OK. There are lots of things of dubious medical value that give people comfort. Just look on the shelves at any health food store. 

I continue to think the best way to stay healthy is to avoid crowds, get outside a lot, eat healthy food, go easy on the sweets, and get lots of exercise. Seems simple enough. So why do so many people still go to McDonalds? I guess I don't even understand the concept of fast food and haven't been through a drive thru window in years. Even a good restaurant meal usually has way too much salt. So, if I'm so healthy, why do I have a cold now? I think Janet gave me this cold, but she says that is ridiculous. Her cough was just allergies, she says.

Tomorrow is the first day of Spring. Somehow today felt like the first day of Summer. It was really hot this afternoon. I started to sweat on my long walk which reminded me that Winter isn't all bad. I didn't walk nearly as far today. I'm going to try this for a few days and see if it helps my feet any. I'm going to order some Hoka boots with an REI coupon I've got. They probably won't make any difference, but at least I won't have to wonder about this any longer.

It looks like it's going to be a good day for Dawn's Sunday outing tomorrow. Spring is always nice, although I tend to like Fall better. It's the temperature extremes of Summer and Winter that I try to avoid. I hope Dawn enjoys her walk tomorrow because it looks like we're going to get a lot of rain on Monday. Why? The roof is finally dry again. I'm so tired of rain, roof leaks, and the inability to find a roofer that I really trust. 

I think the eagles are gone for good. I haven't seen either of them in weeks. Nobody even talks about the birds anymore. It's almost like the whole eagle episode that captivated Dallas for a few weeks never even happened. I guess Andy Warhol's thirty minutes of fame principle applies to birds as well.

Holly is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4306

I discovered more dead ants this morning. It's not strange to see ants, but I can't recall seeing large piles of dead ones before. Luckily, most of the ants are outside, but they do seem to be coming from inside the roof. Is the one foot space between the surface of the roof and the sheetrock ceiling full of ants? Who knows. I need to crawl up on the roof and see if there is an entry point for these critters, but it's always too hot by the time I've completed my long walk. I know ants stay together in colonies in the ground. Maybe they do the same thing if they find themselves inside a roof. I don't know why they are all dying now, but I wish they'd stop. It's a disgusting mess to clean up.

We were hoping that Dawn would be adventurous on her walk again this morning, but she reverted to her old ways and just wanted to do the short one mile loop. She loves to smell things on these morning walks, so maybe when she leads us on a new path, she is just following a particularly attractive scent.

We didn't get an early start this morning, but it didn't really matter. It was still nice and cool for Dawn's sunrise walk and my own long walk that came later. It's been so nice for the past week or so that it's hard to believe there are severe weather warnings for this weekend. Forecasts change frequently around here, so I'm hoping that the severe weather threat doesn't amount to anything. I hate worrying about roof leaks, power outages, and downed trees.

I wish I hadn't upgrade my phone to IOS 15. Now the battery life is terrible. It won't even last an entire day anymore. I kind of knew this would happen, but the geek in me wanted to know what was so special about this new operating system. Curiosity killed the cat, I guess. I should have known better. New systems with lots of bells and whistles generally don't perform well on old phones.

I did better on my long walk this morning, but I'm still moving slower than I should be. The weather is beautiful and I'm feeling pretty good. Why am I so slow and what gave me that little burst of energy last week? I may be wrong, but I think my seasonal allergies are causing all this. When you are constantly sneezing and blowing your nose, it can be tiring. I guess I could take antihistamines, but I usually have a bad reaction to them. Who knows. Maybe if a storm rolls in this weekend, it will blow all the allergies away.

The dietary changes I made after my hospitalization appear to be permanent. I wasn't really expecting this and certainly haven't made much of an effort to change my lifestyle. Nevertheless, I'm drinking less coffee, have no desire to make my smoothies anymore, and am eating less for dinner. I'm having a small green salad with dinner now, but I started doing this before I went to the hospital. The salad was just an effort to eat more like Janet because she seems really healthy. It will be interesting to see if I actually am any healthier when I go in for my annual physical at the end of the month. Maybe I am, but this all might just be in my mind.

Dawn certainly seems healthier now. Getting rid of her bladder stones seems to have made a world of difference. She's on a special diet that is supposed to prevent new stones from forming. Janet and I have never liked those Hills Prescription Diets though. Finding the right food for your dog is a long, slow process. Everybody has strong opinions and if you ask ten people you'll get ten different answers. Too bad you can't ask the dog. I'm sure that Dawn has an opinion on this. She actually seems to love the food we're feeding her now, so maybe we'll stick with this for a while.

Time to make a grocery list again. I'm going to try to go early again tomorrow. It worked last week. If you can get your shopping done before 10 AM the stores are almost empty.

Madison is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4174

It was a busy day for a lazy guy like me. I got my grocery shopping done right after breakfast and then I came home and mowed the grass. The grass was pretty thick, but I managed to get the job done before the mower's battery ran out. Everything looks surprisingly green this year. All this rain probably helps. After I finished mowing, I treated all the fire ant mounds that have started to appear in the yard. Hopefully, the Amdro powder does the trick. I think these ants are biting Dawn when she's outside. The yard actually looks pretty good now. It probably won't last long.

While I was grocery shopping, I noticed that there are no longer any mask mandates. Everyone still wears a mask though. I didn't see anyone in the two grocery stores I went to this morning without a mask, even though they weren't required. I go with the flow. If everyone else is wearing a mask, I'll wear one too. If people aren't wearing a mask, I won't wear one either. I never wear a mask outside though. That seemed silly even at the height of the pandemic. By the looks of things today, it's going to take a long, long time to return to normal. I think we've all forgotten what normal is.

Dawn is getting more adventurous. She went off in a different direction again on her walk today. She seems to know the way home, which is a good thing. I hope her new found curiosity continues. Exploring is a good thing for a dog. It probably isn't bad for people either. 

I waited a while today before taking my long walk. Mowing the lawn tired me out. When we first bought the house, I mowed the lawn with an old fashioned push mower. It seemed easy back then. Now, mowing is quite a chore. The electric mower isn't self propelled and I have to push it up and down hills. I used to have a self-propelled Yazoo gas mower, but it broke years ago. The gas mower was hard to start and broke frequently. The only problem I've had with the electric mower is dead batteries. It's much easier to buy a new battery than to haul the entire mower to a repair shop. I wonder if I'll feel the same way about electric cars someday. I hear they are pretty low maintenance too.

I walked the full six miles today, but I was very slow. I think my days of doing manual labor are numbered. On days where I have a lot of chores to do, I don't really feel like walking. I keep going though, because I know that if I ever quit, it will be very difficult to get started again. I watched my Dad become sedentary and I don't want it to happen to me. My plan for staying healthy is pretty simple. You've just got to keep moving.

The weather was a lot better today. There were clouds early in the day, but a lot of sunshine later. It was almost the opposite of the way it was yesterday. Tomorrow looks good as well. We'll probably take Dawn on a little outing again. She seems to like visiting a different park on Sundays. Maybe she just likes the ice cream.

Emmitt is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4009

Dawn did very well at the vet today. There was a lot of shivering and shaking while we were waiting in the lobby, but when the vet took her back to the exam room, she told us that Dawn almost immediatelly calmed down and was well behaved during her entire exam. Maybe we are being played. We still can't join Dawn in the exam room due to Covid restrictions, but maybe that is for the best. It's nice to know how she reacts when we are out of sight.

There is still no clear consensus about what caused Dawn's seizure and high fever earlier this year, but she certainly appears to be in good health now. Our vet says she is less inclined to think that the seizure had anything to do with brain cancer because the type of cancer associated with the symptoms Dawn showed during her seizure progresses rapidly and Dawn actually seems much better now than she did at the time. I guess we'll just keep monitoring her health and hope for the best. Everyone seems to think that the seizure will appear again at some point in the future. We are not inclined to do an MRI or elaborate imaging at this point. If there is a tumor or lesion in her brain it is likely to be inoperable anyway.

There were no doubts that it was Winter today. It felt like it was about to snow for most of the day. We waited until early afternoon to walk Dawn in hopes that it would warm up a bit. It didn't. The house thermometer said it was 40 degrees, but it felt like it was below freezing. This didn't stop us of course. We added a sweater under Dawn's Winter coat, dressed warmly ourselves, and off we went.

After our walk, all I wanted to do was stay in the house and keep warm. I made a quick trip to the bank at some point but that was about it. It's hard to get motivated on a cold, grey day. It's not surprising that I remembered these lyrics today. "All the leaves are brown, and the sky is grey. I'd been for a walk, on a winter's day." I don't spend a lot of time California Dreaming, but it would be nice if it was a little warmer.

Tomorrow I go to the foot doctor. I hope he can come up with a solution for me that doesn't involve surgery. I can't imagine that surgery would be involved, but the guy is a surgeon. For some reason, my regular doctor didn't really want to refer me to a podiatrist. I imagine the guy will take an x-ray, tell me that nothing is really wrong, and prescribe some sort of expensive orthotic. That's what's always happened in the past anyway.

I"m trying to organize my thoughts about a second Sky & telescope article. I've got several ideas, but am not sure whether any of them would be all that interesting. I'm not really an academic writer or a teacher. I think I'm more of a travel writer who just happens to be interested in rockets and space. Since I don't have clear skies, a good telescope, or an extensive knowledge of astronomy, I'll have to think of something else. 

I hope it warms up a bit. Janet says we need to walk early tomorrow. We'll see how that goes. Dawn and I might just want to stay under the covers. 

Jasper is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3830 - My Birthday

Another trip around the sun. I guess I'm doing pretty well for 72. My Dad already had Parkinson's and Macular Degeneration at this age and my Mom didn't even make it this far. Janet and I do our best to stay healthy, but when you are over seventy, every extra year is a gift. I figure that I've got a good ten years left before I start to fall apart, but you never know. Not all of us are destined to be Betty White.

We went out for a birthday dinner at our favorite restaurant this evening. With all the controversy about whether Texas has reopened too soon, I didn't know what to expect. We were both pleasantly surprised and felt completely safe. The tables were spaced far apart, the staff all wore masks, and everyone was super nice. Our waiter even recognized me and said that it was nice to see us again. I always enjoy dining at Knife and was glad we didn't decide to stay home.

The restaurant wasn't crowded. Everyone was responsible. You could tell that the entire staff was trying hard to make this work. Too bad everyone doesn't seem to be able to reopen this way. It's crazy out there. Some stores are still completely closed. Others have you order online and then they bring your merchandise out to your car. A few stores are just pretending like none of this ever happened. I find this inconsistency confusing. Clearly we can't keep the entire country quarantined forever, but it is equally obvious that the virus isn't going away. Texas is having a big spike in new cases at the same time the state is trying to reopen.

Everyone was really pretty good about staying quarantined for several months, but it feels like everyone has had enough. "We did our part," you can almost hear people saying. Now they expect the virus to go away. I'm going to continue to stay away from people. I've never liked crowds anyway. I think that as long as you avoid public transportation, bars, sporting events, concerts, weddings, church services, and other situations where people are crowded together you are probably OK. I might even go ahead and get a haircut. When Janet went to the salon last week, she said that everyone was so careful and that they only let a few customers in at a time.

When we came home from the restaurant the skies were clear and now we are under a severe weather warning. Texas weather is always full of surprises. I hope we don't lose power. The wind is blowing pretty hard outside. It is always a pain when we lose power right in the middle of a blog post. I've got to get all the emergency power devices working and then start over again using the laptop.  Hopefully that won't happen. I don't have that much more to say anyway.

Thanks for all the birthday greetings. Checking to see who sent you a birthday message on Facebook has become a ritual part of almost everyone's birthday these days. Did Facebook always send out birthday notices? I can't even remember when this started. Nobody sends birthday cards anymore except my sister who refuses to use the Internet. I wonder if people have started having birthday parties again? During the lockdown, people in our neighborhood would put up birthday signs in their front yards and drivers would honk when they drove by.

It is a little weird to be 72. Most of my NASA and astronomy friends are half my age. I don't feel old at all. Hopefully I'll feel as healthy when I turn 73 as I do now. I'm not doing anything special, but I can tell you for a fact that lots of exercise and a healthy diet work wonders.

Inky is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3789

Saturday is my day to observe the rest of the world. It's the only day I get in the car and go anywhere. Some things I see astonish me, but I'm not going to be judgmental. The post-pandemic world is complex, and humans don't deal with complexity well. We crave a simple answer. I think most of us have a reason for what we are doing, even if it ultimately proves to be wrong. So far, there are very few answers about the virus, so there is a natural tendency to interpret anything we hear as evidence that our existing beliefs and theories are correct. This is called confirmation bias.

I see no point in telling you what to do, but I do notice things. Traffic is already back to pre-pandemic levels. I'm having trouble getting out of my driveway again. I wonder where everyone is going? I see little shops in the neighborhood with signs in the window saying that they are open, but I don't see any customers. People are still afraid. I don't think everyone is afraid of the same thing. Some people wear masks at the grocery store because they are afraid of getting sick. Others wear them because they are afraid of being shamed. I'm becoming afraid of people who feel compelled to go around saying "I'm not doing this for me, I'm doing this for you."

We walked Dawn very early this morning because we knew the park was going to be crowded. It was  a beautiful Spring weekend and the park is always crowded on beautiful Spring weekends. At sunrise the only people out are the most dedicated runners and cyclists. We had a pleasant walk before breakfast. When I went out later in the day, the park was a zoo. It was still easy to keep your distance, but people were playing volleyball, the ice cream truck was making its rounds, the kayak rental store had resumed business, and there were hammocks tied to every available tree. Most of these activities didn't really bother me. The small group throwing axes did make me a little nervous though.

Kids have been hanging out in the park since the pandemic started. They just hang out with their friends and never seems to mix with other groups of kids. Maybe if you are a certain age, these small groups of friends are considered a family unit. At any rate, these kids have been hanging out together for several months now. I see some of the same ones almost every day. If what they were doing was that risky, they would all be dead by now.

I believe the experts who say that it's important to keep your distance. Most of the virus deaths have been in extremely high density areas. People work right next to each other in meat packing plants. Few people own a car in New York City. They all travel by subway. It's no surprise at all that cruise ships quickly became infection factories. Wearing a mask isn't a long-term solution. Moving to the country might be.

I know changing behavior is hard, but it's actually pretty easy to keep your distance. I've been doing it for years. I think the solution to the coronavirus problem and future pandemics that might be even worse is obvious. We've got to reduce population density. Why are we still living in cities?  Cities are obsolete. We spend so much time and money trying to make cities work when they have never really worked. Maybe it's time to embrace technology and spread out to the vast empty areas of this country. There's plenty of room.

Janet and I were saying today that we both feel healthier at 70 than we did at 60. Maybe if this virus causes more people to become conscious of their own health and make some necessary lifestyle choices, it will ultimately be a good thing. I applaud the people I see out running early in the morning. You guys who are still sitting at home watching Netflix, you've got work to do.

Spot is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3744

Hey, I'm doing my part. My car hasn't left the driveway all week. With the exception of a short trip to the vet yesterday, Janet's car hasn't moved much either. I can't say that my behavior has changed. I've been living this way for years. Janet is the only person I talk to regularly and I frequently drive less than ten miles a week. Isolation isn't all that bad. For many, many years I made a good income writing and designing websites from a computer in our spare bedroom.

It seems strange and somewhat disorienting to see people turning to things I've been doing for decades. Videoconferencing, working from home, ordering supplies online, maintaining a home network, and learning to tolerate long periods of silence and isolation are all skills I mastered years ago. I wonder how many people are going to decide that this is actually a better way to live when the pandemic is over?

I think people are already discovering the benefits of being outdoors. I see more people in the park than I've seen in years. I see them doing yoga, practicing kickboxing, and lifting weights, as well as the usually walking and cycling. Parents are taking their kids on long walks. I suspect that most of them are trying to wear the kids out so they will take a long nap and let the parents get some work done when they get home. Seems like a good plan to me. We all keep our distance in the park and hope nobody tries to force us indoors. There aren't a lot of things you can do proactively to stay healthy. I'm convinced that exercise and getting some good outdoor air into your lungs is a good place to start.

Local grocery stores are starting to limit the number of people inside the stores. In theory this is a good idea, but all it really does is cause people to bunch together at the store entrance waiting to get in. I wonder when the panic buying will stop? Eventually everyone is bound to have enough rice, bread, beans, and toilet paper.

I'm already starting to see used gloves and masks littering parking lots. This is insanity, but I'm really not surprised. For years I've seen people in the park pick up their dog poop in poop bags and then just throw the bags in the woods. What does this prove? There are plenty of trash cans in the park. Leaving a sealed poop bag in the hot sun is worse than doing nothing at all. Dog poop is biodegradable. Poop sealed in a bag and not disposed of properly probably becomes radioactive or something.

I wonder where all these people throwing away used masks and gloves in grocery store parking lots are getting them? You certainly can't find these items in stores yet. We still have lots of purple surgical gloves left over from Dash's chemo treatments. No masks though. When I administered Dash's meds every day, I couldn't touch the Palladia pills. They were very toxic and I had a complicated cleanup procedure to follow. Even Dash's poop was toxic and had to be disposed of properly. Washing my hands frequently seems simple by comparison.

One of the most enjoyable things about Spring is that there are new wildflowers to enjoy every single week. The Prairie Verbena arrived this week. These little purple flowers have always been one of my favorites.

Petey is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3739

Maybe I'm fooling myself, but I'd like to think that all my long walks are keeping me healthy. What's not to like. Walking burns calories, strengthens your heart and lungs, lowers your blood sugar, increases bone density, reduces the risk of stroke, improves circulation and posture, and enhances creativity. Will my five mile daily walks keep me from getting the coronavirus? Hard to say. It certainly doesn't hurt to stay in shape though.

Dawn seems to agree with me. She loves her daily walks. I don't think she ever got a good walk before. All we have to do is show her a leash and harness and she's ready to go. It's fun to watch her explore and smell everything in her path. It's amazing that something so simple can bring so much joy to a dogs life. It's good to have a dog around again. Dogs have their priorities straight.

The pandemic keeps inching closer and closer to home. There has been a death in Dallas in the last few days and someone has tested positive in our own neighborhood. Janet and I still feel healthy and hope to stay that way. I think social distancing is working, but I feel sorry for all the small businesses that no longer have any customers. I took some letters to the post office this morning and a nearby strip mall was virtually empty. A lot of little shops and restaurants aren't going to make it if this national quarantine goes on much longer.

I went ahead and applied for press credentials for the upcoming Space X Crew Dragon launch that is supposed to take place in late May. This is a big one, since it will mark the first time American astronauts will travel to the International Space Station on an American rocket since the Space Shuttle program ended in 2011. The launch could easily get postponed, especially since NASA has already shut down the Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans and the Stennis Space Center in Mississippi. Who knows. The world could change a lot by mid-May. I'm going to stay optimistic though.

I'm also going to stay in touch with the astronomers at McDonald Observatory. I wrote one of my new friends today and asked hime to let me know when the 82" Otto Struve telescope is eventually rescheduled for another all night special viewing session. I would still really like to spend some time behind the eyepiece of this historic telescope. With all the disruptions caused by the coronavirus, it is doubtful that the telescope would be available until late this Summer. It's going to happen sometime though, and I want to be first in line.

I wish people would stop hoarding food. It forces you to go to the grocery store a lot more often than necessary. There is plenty of food. There is even plenty of toilet paper if people would just continue to shop normally. Panic buying forces you to go to the store frequently, just to see if the empty shelves have been refilled. One day you buy water. The next day you buy bananas.  I just hope there is still a steady supply of fresh fruit for my morning smoothie.

Life is still pretty normal for me. I spent the afternoon clearing water from the roof. Both pumps have become clogged with catkins from our remaining Oak trees. The roof was a mess, but apparently the patches I made recently are working. Despite an abundance of rain, we haven't seen any more leaks.

Baxter is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3732

It's definitely Friday the 13. We're currently under a tornado alert and we just learned that McDonald Observatory is being closed because of the coronavirus. All visitors and non essential staff will meed to leave by tomorrow morning. The visitor center has already been closed and there are no more star parties. The Astronomer's Lodge will be closed as well. Essentially, my visit is over.

I got one of those severe storm alerts on my phone a little while ago, but have no idea what I'd do if there actually was a tornado.  I"m not  even sure there's anybody in the building right now. The engineering team who is staying here is still up at the telescope trying to finish their work before they have to leave as well. I actually think the severe weather is north of us, but what do I know? My weather radar coverage is pretty spotty up here.

I did work a full day today. The three tours we did seemed pretty normal. That's why the sudden decision to close the observatory came as a surprise to almost everybody. We started hearing rumors that the University of Texas might do something like this yesterday, but I didn't believe them. I was still planning on having a star party tonight. The star party activities are outdoors and visitors aren't packed closely together. Could some of the visitors to my telescope be spreading the virus around? Possibly. I think spreading fear is even worse though. I'm sure this virus is serious, but so is mass hysteria.

I'm disappointed that my visit has been cut short. I've really enjoyed my time here. I was really hoping to have another chance to spend an evening observing with the 36" Dall-Kirkham telescope, but the situation is what it is. Pretty soon, everything in the country will be closed. Personally, I think the cat is already out of the bag. This virus has such a long incubation period that chances are high people were being infected here in the United States well before we started hearing about a pandemic.

I think the best thing you can do is try to stay healthy. Eat nutritious food. Get lots of exercise. Go outdoors and don't spend you day cooped up with a lot of other people. Basically, I'm doing this already. I can't see that a home quarantine would change my life all that much. I've been social distancing for most of my life.

I'd much rather stay up here on this lonely mountain than return to Dallas and join the ongoing panic. It's kind of ironic that they are sending us home. I have a much higher chance of catching the coronavirus in Dallas that I do here. It is what is is though. I'll be packing my bags and leaving in the morning.

The coronavirus is definitely a Black Swan event. I didn't see this coming. SARS, Bird Flu, Ebola, H1N1, HIV Aids, and many other nasty diseases never caused this type of mass panic. Either the world has gone mad or somebody knows something I don't.

I don't look forward to the drive home tomorrow, but the traffic probably won't be all that bad. Nobody is going anywhere these days.

Wyatt is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3593

I renewed my storage unit for another year. All storage warehouses are basically the same. They use a diabolically clever marketing strategy. They lure you in with an attractive rate and then relentlessly start raising your rent until the end of time. New customers get all the deals because the storage companies know that once you go to the trouble of moving all your junk into one of their units, you're not going to want to move again. I moved last year because my monthly rent was getting ridiculous and now the rent is already going up on my new unit.

I keep thinking that I'm going to get rid of this stuff, but it's so much trouble that  I inevitably end up getting a larger storage unit instead. Before I switched storage companies, I increased the size of my storage space three times. Last year at this time I was actively selling art, guitars, and collections. I had hopes of being in a smaller unit this year, but my unit is already completely full. Keeping a storage unit isn't even rational. If I'd just thrown everything away and kept the rent I've spent over the years I'd be ahead of the game. Storing things doesn't even always keep your things safe. I've already ruined one valuable guitar due to heat and moisture issues and spent so much restoring a piece of artwork last year that I only broke even when it came to auction. Knowing all this, I went ahead and renewed my space again. I just don't want to deal with this stuff now.

Today was beautiful. Yesterday's torrential rain seems like a distant memory. I hope the temperature stays warm enough so that I can apply some more of the silicon coating to the roof tomorrow. There are no obvious holes in the coating, but there is one suspicious area that could probably benefit from being coated again with the silicon material. I'll have to do the work tomorrow if I want the coating to dry. The weather forecast says it's going to start raining again on Tuesday.

I continue to be amazed by the pictures I'm seeing of the tornado damage in North Dallas. This was a really bad tornado. I'd been planning to remove the Oak tree in the back yard that was damaged when a large limb fell off a few months ago. It just occurred to me that it is going to be very difficult to get a tree guy to do this job for the next few months. Probably every tree guy in town has their hand full dealing with tornado damage. The same probably goes for roofers and contractors of all types. A big chunk of the city has been totally demolished.

I felt really tired on my walk today. The distance was the same but it felt like the Earth's gravity had increased or something. I couldn't wait to get home so I could take a nap. Sometime I wonder if I could even survive up on Mount Locke living in semi-primitive conditions as an astronomy volunteer. I think I'd make a good guide to the night skies, but I like my creature comforts as well. There's no sense fretting about this now since I haven't even been approved yet, but it's something to think about. I'm not getting any younger. I suspect that's why the observatory asked me so many health questions on my application form.

I guess this is why I keep going to they gym and taking five mile walks everyday. There's still a lot of stuff I'd like to do. When you're over 70, your Facebook feed starts to look like an obituary page, but you can't let that get you down. Hey, my grandparents were active until their mid nineties. Maybe I've got good genes.

Pearl is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3555

The doctor's office called with the lab results from yesterday's visit. Everything looks good. I think my health is better today than it was ten years ago. It's amazing what a healthy diet and a little exercise can do. A lack of stress probably helps too. Running a small business was stressful at times. So was caring for very sick dogs. I really miss the dogs, but I don't miss all the worries.

It rained a little today. South Texas is getting some serious downpours, but we just got a few showers. I didn't even hear the rain. I was surprised to go outside and see that the driveway was wet. It's hardly worth going up on the roof for this amount of rain. It's still so hot that any standing water will evaporate quickly. Hopefully, we got enough water to revive the grass in the front yard. It's been looking pretty brown lately.

There are a lot of people who walk faster than me in the park, but there are at least two that walk much slower. I see them every day. There are very old and both use walkers. When I have finished my five miles, they have usually only traveled a few hundred yards. I initially thought these people were lost or abandoned, but they live in the neighborhood and are just doing the same thing I am on a smaller scale. This is probably me in a few years. I hope they manage to keep moving. You've got to keep moving and you've got to know your own pace. I used to see a guy at the gym every Sunday who always wore a t-shirt that said "I wish I was still 85." One day the guy disappeared and I assumed he died. He had a good run though. He had to be at least 95 when I would see him on the treadmill.

The bills from the Davis Mountains trip are starting to come in. The damage wasn't as bad as I thought. Actually a modest road trip is pretty affordable. You get a lot better gas mileage on the highway and restaurants in small towns are much more affordable than what you find in Dallas. The only downside is all the truck traffic. I wish companies would start shipping their freight by train again. A constant stream of eighteen wheelers can ruin just about any long drive.

Should I go see Ad Astra? I see almost every new science fiction movie, but this one is being pushed so hard by the studio and the critics that I almost want to skip it. I did skip the latest episode of Country Music this evening. I made it through the Hank Williams era, but I don't think another four hours will will teach me much more. Ken Burns needs to make shorter movies.

Tomorrow is another day. I think I've eaten most of the left overs, so I may need to go to the grocery store. I'll probably finish the history of the Davis Mountains I've been reading. What does it mean when the early history of West Texas becomes more interesting than Brad Pitt going to Neptune?

Puppies are today's Dalmatians of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3482

Sunday is all about taking 20,000 steps. I have to stay pretty active to do this, but I've reached my goal for over a month now. Fitbit says I've walked 2,500 miles since I began wearing their bracelet. I haven't even been wearing the Fitbit that long. I wore a succession of Jawbone UP bands before buying the Fitbit. I wonder how many miles those bands accumulated? When Dot and Dash were young we walked long distances every day without bothering to keep track of anything. I had nothing to prove in those days and the walks were probably more enjoyable as a result.

I'm not sure I'm trying to prove anything now. It just seems prudent to keep moving. A lot of my friends are still reasonably healthy, but whenever someone falls by the wayside it is alarming. This is the age when people around you start to drop like flies. I've already outlived a number of friends I went to college with. You hate to think that you only have a limited amount of time left, but that's just the reality of things. Ten to twenty more years at best. Jeez. I've lived in this house longer than that.

It seems much hotter than it did last summer. It's probably just my perception of things. As Dash got older and became less mobile, we never went out during the heat of the day. We would take our short walks before sunrise when the air was still cool. Back when my company was busy I didn't have time to worry about how many steps I was taking anyway. I had ads to write and websites to design. Back in the day I spent a lot more time at this computer than I ever did walking.

I feel bad for all the dogs I see being walked in the park this summer. It is too hot for many of them. Dogs don't sweat like we do and they are wearing a fur coat. If you feel compelled to walk your dog in 100 degree weather, please take water with you and if your dog gets tired go sit under a tree for a while. Whatever you do, don't walk on hot pavement. Paws get burned in this weather. I'm sure people get heatstroke too, but I mostly just worry about the dogs. Today I saw a dog standing on one of those stand up paddle boards way out in the middle of the lake. If the dog fell off the board it probably wouldn't be able to climb back on and it was too far to swim to shore. Why do people do things like this?

I had a good day at the gym. I think I set an all time record for the number of baskets I sunk in a row. I don't think my skills have actually improved though. It was just blind luck. When my streak was eventually broken, I went right back to the same mediocre performance I usually show on the court.

I need to go fix the pump on the roof tomorrow morning. It's bound to rain again soon. I should try that Liquid Rubber in a Can stuff too and see if it works. It it's too hot tomorrow, I can always wait until Tuesday. There's really nothing that's all that urgent anymore. I'm just counting steps these days.

Delaney is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3353

Dash seems to have a new schedule. He gets up early to go outside and pee. If we're lucky, he poops as well. Instead of taking his morning meds like he usually does at this time of day, he stumbles back to the bedroom and goes to sleep on the floor. He seems exhausted and is often shivering like he used to do in the middle of the night. I'll wrap him in a blanket and about two hours later he will wake up again. If I'm lucky I can get him to take his pills at this time. He'll pee once more and go back to sleep without touching his breakfast.

These two hour naps will often continue until noon when he seems to get a burst of energy and wants a walk. When we return from our walk, he'll usually eat his breakfast. I'm all about consistency, so I don't really understand these changes. I go along with the new schedule though. Dash body is telling him something. He's probably trying to conserve what little energy he has left.

It's just as well that we didn't take an early walk this morning. It was below freezing outside when I woke up this morning. It had warmed up a little by the time I walked Dash around noon, but it was still really cold. I should have worn a sweater under my jacket because I was freezing by the time we returned home. I need to remember that this is Texas and I always need to check the weather before I leave the house. I was in a hurry today because I could see that Dash was in the mood to go and I wanted to get him down to the park before he changed his mind.

I talked to the roofer that my architect friend recommended today. He seemed very knowledgable and we had a long conversation about the pitfalls of homes with a flat roof. He seemed to know a lot about my house just by looking at Google maps. Apparently he had a software program that could provide a rough cost estimate just by looking at the satellite view of the house. The estimate was horrendously high, but the guy said if would probably be lower when he actually came out and measured things. The other roofer who took a look at the house last month said the cost would be high as well. The cost of installing a flat roof has increased dramatically in the last twenty years. It doesn't help that I need an engineered roof with a consistent slope of 1/4" per foot either. The roof will still look flat with this type of slope, but the water will drain and there will be no standing water. I'm not getting any younger and I'm not going to be able to climb up on the roof forever. Getting a roof that drains properly is imperative.

It's a shame that there are so many large expenses like this in my future. We need numerous repairs inside the house as well. Oh, well. That's life I guess. I think I know where my new car fund is going. Maybe it won't be so bad. I like to stay dry and I don't really like to drive all that much anyway.

I certainly didn't drive much today. I had to pick up some Enalapril for Dash at the vet and some dinner for myself at a nearby barbecue place. In retrospect, I should have had something bland for dinner. The ribs and brisket were delicious, but I've got heartburn again. Damn. I wish I enjoyed eating sensibly. All-in-all, I do a pretty good job of staying healthy, but unfortunately everything I really enjoy is bad for you. I kind of envy people who really enjoy eating vegetables. Discipline and restraint keep me healthy. I'd much rather just eat cheese.

I did manage to get the trash out to the curb this evening, but I have no idea whether I'll go out for breakfast in the morning. A lot depends on Dash and the weather.

Connor os today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3078

There was blood in Dash's water bowl this morning. Where did this come from? His gums looked good and his mouth wasn't bleeding. The clump of blood in the bottom of the bowl looked more like something he had coughed up. This certainly wasn't normal. I've watched Dash all day and he seems absolutely fine, but now I've got one more question for the vet at his next exam.

I feel like things are slowly coming together around the house. The landscaper finally contacted me and made a commitment to clean up the yard and put in new grass next week. The tree guy is coming over this weekend to remove the dead limbs from the Oak trees. Now, all I've got to do is get the roofers to come back again and finish what they started several weeks ago.

It looks like I've got a new website project. This will keep me busy during the month of June. I have mixed feelings about work now. It's good to be busy and I like to feel needed, but work is still work. Truthfully, I'm getting used to doing nothing. The older I get, the harder it is to maintain the work ethic I've had for most of my adult life. I've got nothing to prove anymore and napping with the dog seems to make as much sense as anything else I might try.

I got a call from my doctor reminding me of my appointment tomorrow. I've got to fast so they can do new blood work. Ordinarily, I would have made an early appointment and stopped for breakfast on the way home. This won't work with Dash's new schedule. He doesn't like to walk before Janet goes to work anymore so we no longer walk at sunrise. We'll walk at our regular time and I'll just skip breakfast tomorrow. This is probably the only way I can lose weight anyway. I should try intermittent fasting sometime, but it's hard to skip a meal. Eating is my primary form of entertainment these days.

It's going to be a bad summer for bugs. This always happens after a warm Winter. I knocked down some wasp nests in the back yard this afternoon. As soon as the landscapers finish putting in the grass, I'm going to treat the yard for mosquitoes. I don't know know what I'm going to do about the chiggers. This has been the worst season for chiggers that I can remember.

I hope they don't find anything wrong with me tomorrow. I feel OK, but I've grown to expect surprises. Just when I think I'm home free, someone says I need another colonoscopy or adds a new prescription to my growing list of meds. I feel like I'm in better shape than my Mom or Dad was at my age, but that isn't saying much. Until I hear otherwise, I'll just keep eating healthy food and walking everyday.

I'm not looking forward to lab work tomorrow. Last time, the phlebotomist had trouble finding a vein.  Maybe she's gotten better in the past six months. It's not a big one deal one way or the other. At least there'll be a new episode of The Expanse to watch tomorrow evening.

Emmitt is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2906

It was so cold this morning that we decided Dash needed a sweater in addition to all the regular gear he wears on walks. I'm surprised he could move after we got him all bundled up. The sweater went on first. Then the Ruffwear harness was placed on top of the sweater. The knee brace attached to the harness and then came the socks. Finally, the rubber boots were placed over the socks and Dash was ready to go. We had to adjust several straps so all this would fit properly, but Dash took it all in stride.  He doesn't resist wearing this gear at all. I think he realizes that he is more sure footed now and that he can walk with more confidence. I hope he appreciated the sweater too, because it was only 28 degrees this morning.

I didn't go out for breakfast this morning because I had a meeting scheduled. I was a little worried about leaving Dash, but he slept well last night and had a lot of energy this morning. There were no visible signs that he was still having problems with his vestibular disease, so I decided it was OK to go.

It was kind of weird to have a business meeting again. I used to do this almost every single day and now it's all becoming a distant memory. The project sounded interesting and I hope I get the job. There is a website involved, but it's really more of a rebranding project. After a while my brain kicked into gear and I started spitting out ideas. It was almost like old times again. The meeting lasted a lot longer than I though it would, but when I got home Dash was fine. He woke up when I opened the front door, but it was obvious that he'd spent most of the morning sleeping on the bed. It didn't take him long to let me know he was ready for lunch. I'm really glad he's finally getting back to normal.

I was hoping to finish my website project today but that didn't happen. My morning meeting threw me off schedule for the rest of the day. By the time I fed Dash, took our regular afternoon walk, and did a few errands around the house, the day was over. I was feeling good that it was Friday and the long week was almost over and then I remembered that we've got another Santa Paws photo shoot tomorrow.

Most of the equipment is already packed and ready to go. All I had to do today was recharge the camera batteries. I'm glad that we didn't get snow like the Southern half of the state. I've got a long drive in the morning and it's going to be a lot easier on dry roads. I'll need to remember to dress warmly. Santa always gets hot inside his heavy red suit, so that means I'm almost always cold. I'm used to cold though. Both Janet and Dash like a cold house. I'm just the opposite. I'm wearing a jacket now and wishing there was a furnace vent under my desk.

The doctor I saw earlier this week called with my test results. Everything is fine. I've had some major health problems over the years, but most of them have been resolved. I wish I could say the same for Dash. He has a fabulous team of doctors and we do everything we can, but our little guy has never really been healthy. We think he probably came from a puppy mill, but like any rescue dog, we'll never know his early history. Dash might not have been dealt a good hand at birth, but we're doing our best to make sure he stays in the game. He's happy and comfortable now. We've all just got to keep taking things one day at a time.

Willow is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2874

The exam I received from my new doctor seemed almost exactly like the physical exams I'd received from my old doctor for all these years. I briefly wondered if it was worth all the effort required to switch doctors. Then I remembered that I wasn't worried about my car being stolen while I was sitting in the waiting room. I didn't have to sit in the waiting room very long either. In addition to being clean and reassuring, this place was super efficient. It kind of felt like I was going to a German doctor, and for me that is a good thing.

The doctor seemed to think that I was in pretty good shape for a man of my age, but that's what they all say. I know better. Men let things creep up on them. I know too many men my age who've just dropped dead without much fanfare. We're all falling apart like rusty old machines, but I still think it's a good idea to know what your odds are.

The medical exam took most of the morning. That left most of the afternoon to work on the roof. Thankfully, the wet spots had all dried out and there was very little wind. It was a good day to apply the messy coating. I thought it would take a gallon of material to cover the areas I'd exposed yesterday, but it ended up taking two. I didn't spill any of the goop on myself this time and was able to make a nice looking repair. Since it takes the silicon material 24 hours to cure, I won't know if my repairs were successful until tomorrow afternoon, but everything seems fine so far.

I also called the refrigerator repairman and he's coming out again tomorrow. Lord knows what he's going to do this time. The last time the repairman was here, he told me that there was nothing left to replace. I always thought that the problem was caused by a loose wire or a burned out internal fuse. You can't tell repairmen and plumbers how to do their job though. I've tried this before and it just makes them mad. I'm very polite to repairmen now, but I'll keep calling them back from now to eternity if they haven't done the job right.

Getting Dash to walk in the afternoon is turning out to be just as much of a problem as I thought it would be. He doesn't understand time changes at all. I tried several times to get him to walk while the sun was still up, but he wasn't ready to go until it was almost dark. This is a good way to get some nice sunset photos, but it's not good for anything else. Dash is shaky on his feet now and I need to see where he is walking. I don't want to encounter stray dogs or coyotes in the dark either. We're going to have to work on this, because it was way too dark when we returned home this evening.

I continue to be amazed at how little I get done these days. I used to have time to go to business meetings all over town, play in a band, and still have enough time left over to read a book a week. All I did today was go to the doctor and paint some sticky goop on the roof. Basically these two things used up the entire day.

Spot is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2806

It was a little unusual to go to the gym on Wednesday, but why not. There is nothing to differentiate weekdays from weekends anymore. I've decided that stopping or reversing the muscle atrophy I've been experiencing is as important as anything else that's on my plate. I might as well go to the gym whenever I've got some free time.

Truthfully, I could go to the gym every single day if I enjoyed it as much as some of the other people I see working out. Some of them seem to live at the gym. It doesn't matter what day I pick. They're always there. I actually did pretty well today, considering that I'd already been up on the roof. If I could bring myself to consistently exercise like this three times a week, I might actually see some results.

Preparing the roof for my repairs was actually a lot more work than my workout. I cleared away the remaining standing water today. Tomorrow I will clean the damaged surfaces and hopefully on Friday I can apply the new elastomer patches. Since there is no more rain in the forecast, there is a reasonable chance of success. It is so discouraging to go up on the roof. I think the materials that were originally used to coat the roof were defective, but the roofer won't put on a completely new roof. The whole thing is eventually going to be patched one square foot at a time.

I could spend the rest of my life repairing broken stuff around the house. I think I understand now why people sometimes just get in their cars and drive away from it all forever. There is so much that needs to be fixed now that it seems a bit overwhelming. If it was hard to find a good contractor before, it's going to be impossible now. Everybody is going to be down in Houston rebuilding the city for the next ten years.

I stopped by the REI store on the way to the gym and there was absolutely nothing that I wanted or needed. I left the store empty handed. I felt the same way the last time I visited the Apple Store. Maybe I am finally moving beyond my need to constantly accumulate stuff. It would be a good thing if this was true. Every amazing gadget turns into a pile of broken stuff after three to five years. I have enough broken stuff already. Maybe possessions are actually a liability. This would be a totally new concept for me, but it's something I see looming on the horizon.

It's time for my annual physical, but since I'm thinking of switching doctors I don't know whether to go ahead and schedule an appointment or wait until I find another doctor and start over with a clean slate. Why did my doctor have to fire me as his web designer? I was reasonably happy until this happened. Now I hate to even visit the clinic. Janet's doctors are great, but they are in a whole different league than mine. It's pretty obvious that the quality of care she gets is worth the extra money, but it's still hard to put aside money for health that could be used for a new camera. Nevertheless, I'm fairly certain I'll eventually go ahead and make the switch. The older you get, the more you realize that staying healthy is the only thing that matters.

I'm glad the rain finally stopped in Houston. Hopefully, the flood waters will start to recede soon. As hard as things are now, I think it will be even harder when the news crews disappear and people are left with the enormous task of rebuilding their lives from scratch. A tornado roared through a suburb of Dallas a few years ago and the residents are still wrangling with insurance companies and trying to rebuild their homes. We'll see what happens, but I think Texas has been changed forever.

Tessa is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day