Day 4783

It was a fairly typical Saturday. I did my grocery shopping and continued to be amazed at how expensive everything is getting. I did my walking and was equally amazed at how slow I'm getting. I'm still making an effort though. It seems important to keep moving.

There was a light mist in the air when we took Dawn on her early walk this morning. It never really turned into rain, but my jacket was wet by the time we returned home. Dawn was wet too. I think she would have preferred staying home. I wish everything would dry out. There are still leaves to rake and I don't want the roof leak to reappear. I was thinking of repairing the damaged areas with what remains of my five gallon bucket of Armorflex silicon coating, but the surface needs to be dry before you can apply this stuff. I'm not sure if I can manage to lift the bucket up to the roof either.

I couldn't find shredded wheat at the store today. Hopefully the shelves will be restocked before I run out completely. I have become such a creature of habit that I don't know what I'd do if I'm forced to eat something else for breakfast. At least I found everything else on my list. I was actually very close to the gym this morning, but I came home and walked in the park instead because I didn't want to leave the groceries in the car. I didn't want my week's supply of strawberries to go bad.

I'm beginning to think that the bald eagles have moved somewhere else. I haven't seen them for over a month and I'm out in the park every day. It still seems kind of ironic that the birds would disappear right after the city fenced off several acres of land near their nest. The eagles stay so high in the trees that I don't think they care what is happening on the ground anyway unless it is something they can eat.

No leaks today. The ceiling is stained again though. It's probably not worth bleaching the stains away with more rain on the way, but the task is back on my to-do list. I really need to get serious about hiring a roofing company to replace the roof. I find it very irritating that replacing a roof has become so expensive, but being mad isn't going to stop the leaks. I need to find someone who will give me a twenty year guarantee. In twenty years from now I'm probably not going to be around anyway.

I looked at some of the test pictures I took with the star tracker yesterday and finally discovered where panorama pictures were being saved when I hit the "save to local" button in the Benro app. I thought they were being sent to the camera, but apparently they are being saved on my iPhone instead. This is good to know if I ever get around to actually using the tracker. For now it is just something to test on a slow day.

Hopefully the weather will stay dry for Dawn's Sunday outing tomorrow. Rain or shine, I'll probably go mall walking as well. There will definitely be ice cream.

Molly is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4696

Today was a busy catch up day. I unpacked my bags, did my laundry, and wrote my article about the Falcon Heavy launch for SpaceFlight Magazine. I haven't submitted the article yet. I'll check it tomorrow morning for typos and errors. There's still time. I hope the magazine isn't expecting great pictures. I have nothing. This was the first launch I've ever witnessed where the fog was so heavy that it obscured everything. Hopefully, I'll have better luck when I return for the Artemis launch later this month.

We're back to walking in the dark again. We clipped lights to our jackets, put on Dawn's green LED collar, and off we went this morning. These dark early morning walks won't last much longer because the time is going to change soon. When Daylight Savings Time ends we'll trade a late sunrise for an early sunset. I still can't decide which is worse. It surprised me that it was foggy in Dallas this morning. Our fog was nothing compared to yesterday's monster fog bank at Kennedy Space Center. The fog was already lifting by the time we returned from our sunrise walk.

The weather was nice and I was planning to take my long walk in the park right after breakfast until I learned that the tree guy could come over today. I've been eager to get the large branch removed from the roof before it rains again. The broken limb has been precariously perched between the edge of the roof and a nearby tree for almost a week. With rain in the forecast again, I was afraid that the position of the branch might shift causing the whole thing to come crashing down on our back porch. 

The tree is gone now. That's one more thing I can cross off my list. As expected, the cost of tree removal has gotten higher. It cost the same to remove this limb as it used to cost to remove an entire tree. I hope I don't have any more tree problems for the rest of the. year. There is a large Red Oak in the back yard that isn't going to last much longer, but I hope it survives for a few more years. I like the trees. I just don't want them to fall on us. About ten years ago a big limb came crashing down less than ten feet from me. With very old trees, this can happen at any time. Trees can be dangerous. You can be seriously injured or even killed if a tree falls on you.

I did manage to take a short walk later in the day after a quick trip to the bank and my pharmacy. This walk was just to get my steps. I walked a lot longer at the Orlando airport yesterday. I don't think I could have walked my usual six miles anyway. My feet were protesting today. I suspect that I spent too much time walking yesterday.

I hope that tomorrow is a slow day. I've been feeling tired all day and need some rest. Sadly, I just don't have as much energy as I used to have. 

Puppies are today's Dalmatians of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4649

Today was frustrating. I decided it was time to make reservations for the Artemis launch attempt on September 27th and almost immediately ran into problems. The Airbnb I liked was already booked. So was the Holiday Inn where I've stayed frequently. I looked for other Airbnb rentals in Titusville and many were already booked as well. The available places I found either had a four day minimum stay, were ridiculously expensive, or looked pretty shady. I eventually found a decent hotel and made a reservation. I wondered why this hotel wasn't sold out like the others and later discovered that it was undergoing renovations and many guests thought the construction noise was irritating. Oh, well. When I was making airline reservations my computer crashed right while my transaction was being processed. That took a while to get sorted out.

The sad thing is that all the effort I put in today is probably for nothing. There's a very good chance that the launch will get postponed again and I'll have to change or even cancel these reservations. The launch attempt on the 27th is really just tentative at this point. The Artemis team won't know whether the repairs they made recently to the hydrogen fill line are effective until they try to fill the rocket with fuel on September 21st. I had to abandon several promising Airbnb's because the 20th was the last day you could cancel your reservation without a penalty. I have a gut feeling that this rocket isn't going to launch until Halloween, but what do I know. If I want to see this launch I have to play along at this point. NASA doesn't care how often you have to change your travel plans.

The park department finally mowed the meadow behind our house. It's much easier to get down to the lake now on our sunrise walks with Dawn. This morning's walk was very pleasant. The weather was crisp and cool and the park was fairly empty. Although my feet are starting to hurt again, I decided to take another long walk in the park after breakfast. Actually it was quite a while after breakfast because I had to make all my travel arrangement first. It's a good thing I took care of this early. By lunchtime the hotel where I made my reservation had sold out.

My pace today wasn't as fast as yesterday's. This was probably because the temperature was warmer. I probably should have gone to the gym, but I didn't feel like driving. More American White Pelicans arrived at the park this morning. The pod of pelicans will continue to grow throughout October and by the time Winter arrives there will be hundreds of them. There will be lots of Double-Crested Cormorants as well but they haven't arrived yet. I enjoy watching the seasons change and always look forward to Fall. It's the one time of year when it's actually pleasant to be outside in Texas.

This week has gone quickly. There are still a lot of things on my to-do list but I'm going to postpone most of them. I'll postpone taking my car in for service until I pay my travel bills. Maybe next month. I'll postpone getting the roof replaced until the stock market starts going up again. Maybe next year. I can't postpone mowing the grass much longer. It grows really fast when there's rain. The only thing I never postpone is doing the laundry. It's easy and strangely satisfying. I did a load of laundry this afternoon.

It's time to make a grocery list again. Prices have come down at the pump a bit, but the cost of food is still going up. One more thing to be frustrated about.

Phantom is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4625

We got more rain overnight, but it was over by morning. Dawn was able to get her sunrise walk and the temperature was nice and cool. I was surprised that the water level in the lake looked normal even though we've had an enormous amount of rain in the past few days. We must have timed things right this morning because we encountered no bicycles and very few runners. We did see a lot of ducks though. I wish every morning was like this. It was a very pleasant walk.

Since the weather was so nice, I decided to take a walk in the park instead of going to the gym. I left the house right after breakfast because I knew how quickly the weather could change if the sun came out. It was heavily overcast and there was a light mist, but even that was nice. It seemed like a treat to be able to walk without immediately getting hot and sweaty. It was surprising how quickly the meadows have turned green again after a few days of rain. There was very little standing water though. The ground was so dry that it probably immediately just absorbed all the water.

I was determined to get something done today. After a light lunch I went to the T-Mobile store and tried to update my non-functional Internet hotspot. The little hotspot quit working about a month ago because it was very old and still used 3G for connectivity. The phone company warned me that the unit was obsolete and would quit working when they pulled the plug on their 3G network. I've been avoiding having yet another expense, but I hate to travel without an Internet hotspot. The hotspot has been great when there are power outages at the house as well. 

The new 5G hotspot is a little bigger than my old companion but it still fits in my pocket. It took a lot longer for the T-Mobile guys to get me hooked up than I though, but everything is working now. It took a long time for them to find my account because they look for a phone number to find your records. The old hotspot has a phone number but I had no idea what it was. I just turn it on and connect whatever device I want to use to the hotspot WiFi. Eventually they found my account by taking out the SIM card and using the SIM card ID to find my account. Oddly the new hotspot uses the same phone number as the old one. The guys told me to write this number down in case I need it in the future.

On the way home I stopped at Home Depot and got a new extension cord so I could get the second pump on the roof working again. I got a heavier gage cord this time because maybe the old cord was too light to handle the pump's amperage. The heavier the cord, the more expensive it is. It's probably directly related to the price of copper. There was a display of electrical wire next to the extension cords and I was amazed at how expensive copper wire has become. I don't know why I was surprised. Everything is a lot more expensive now.

Hopefully I won't need to climb up on the roof again for a while. Both pumps are working now. It's amazing that doing one or two things can use up an entire day. Tomorrow I'll try to check a few more things off my list. The Artemis rocket is waiting for me and I've still got a lot to do.

Mickey is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4618

I got a notice today that I'm approved for an Artemis photo opportunity that takes place more than a full week ahead of the launch. Wish they could have scheduled this closer to the launch. There is no way I can spend this much time in Titusville. It looks like I may not be able to get close to the pad at all. They are scheduling remote camera placement much earlier than usual for this launch. There's a chance to take sunrise pictures at the launch pad that I'm going to miss as well. Oh, well. At least I'm on the approved list. I wish I could take part in more of the pre-launch activities but I really can't complain. I did get invited.

It's going to take a lot more rain before things start to turn green around here. It already feels like last week's showers never even happened. The park, as well as our yard, still look brown and dry. Luckily, the temperatures are still nice for our sunrise walks with Dawn. It was in the high 70's when we left the house this morning. Tuesday mornings are a lot busier than Mondays. There are cycling clubs that ride around the lake on Tuesday and Thursday as well as a lot more runners. I'm glad that Dawn still enjoys these early walks because they are basically the only exercise she gets in this hot weather.

I still am getting my exercise at the gym. I basically do the same things day after day. I spend twenty minutes on the basketball court, forty-five minutes on the indoor track, and another twenty minutes working with free weights. I could definitely spend more time here because I seldom have any place to go.  This short routine seems plenty though and is enough to keep my Fitbit happy.

There's more I could be doing at home as well, but I'm doing my best to avoid even thinking about it. Periodically I think about calling a roofer, but I've had such bad experiences with roofing companies that it's easy to put this off a little longer. I need to find a carpenter as well to replace some rotted wood trim. There are three carpenters in my contact list. I remember that one of them was really good and the other two were terrible. Unfortunately I can't remember which guy was the good one. It probably doesn't even matter. It's been so long since I've hired a carpenter that all three of these guys have probably retired by now.

I finally got my author copies for the last Spaceflight article I wrote. I keep thinking that I ought to submit articles to more magazines but I really don't have that many experiences to share. I enjoy writing about my visits to Kennedy Space Center and I'd probably enjoy writing about a visit to another observatory. Sky and Telescope doesn't seem interested in another article of this type though. I used to write articles about Spot and Petey for a little magazine called Dalmatian Quarterly.  Unfortunately that magazine went out of business a long time ago. Truthfully, I'm not much of a journalist. Everything I write is basically just about me.

One of these days I'll have something interesting to write about on the blog again. Don't hold your breath though. This entire summer has felt like Ground Hog Day. Every day is exactly the same. Maybe tomorrow I'll get around to testing the star tracker again. There is new software available now and what else do I have to do. I guess I could always take a nap with Dawn. Taking a nap with your dog always sounds good.

Pogo is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4579

Another hot day. It's really hard for me to get motivated in this weather. I kind of envy Dawn's ability to sleep for most of the day. There's a whole list of things I need to do, but I keep postponing things. I need to schedule my car for a recall service. I hate dealing with the dealership now, so I keep putting this off. 

I need to retrieve a few things I put on consignment at a guitar store several years ago. I haven't talked to the place since before Covid started and I know my stuff hasn't sold yet. The electronic gear will just go to my storage warehouse, but if I don't do anything, the store might go out of business and the stuff could just disappear. 

I really need to start calling people about repairs to the house, but living in a house while renovations are going on is one of the worst things I can think of. There are doctors appointment I need to make and I need a haircut again. I could go on, but you get the picture. It's easier to just do nothing.

I went back to the gym again after breakfast. If it gets any hotter, it's going to be too warm for our sunrise walk with Dawn. It's definitely too warm for doing yard work during the day. Going to the gym reminds me of the Groundhog Day movie. Everything is always the same. The same people are always there and are doing the same exercise routines. The place is nice and cool though. It must cost a fortune to keep the giant room as cold as they do. When I watch the same people do the same exercises on the same machines day after day, I realize that most people's lives are more or less like mine. Everyday life is not always exciting. Most things we do are repetitious and often boring.

I think spending nine days alone with Dawn has changed things a bit. We seem to get along better now. Dawn comes when I call now and seems to be content to share the bed with me. I took a long nap this afternoon and she was right there with me. Dawn is still more excited when Janet is in the house, but I am no longer someone to fear. I hope this continues. Life will be a lot easier if Dawn starts treating Janet and I the same way.

My sister reads a lot and I asked her for a few recommendations. Now she wants to send me boxes of books she's already read. I need to send her pictures of my office. Our house is already filled with bookshelves and there isn't room for anything more. There are books in the storage warehouse too. Sadly, I really don't read that much anymore. Three or four books would probably keep me busy for the rest of the year.

Food and gasoline aren't the only things that are getting more expensive. I paid some utility bills today and every one of them was higher than expected. I can't think of a single thing that is actually getting cheaper these days. If I was still working, I could raise my own rates, but that's not going to happen. I learned quite a few years ago that the kids working in ad agencies these days don't want to hire their grandfather. Too bad the stock market is also taking a hit. It's kind of like a perfect storm of bad news.

A lot of people on my Facebook feed are getting Covid. Why now? I thought the pandemic was supposed to be winding down. It makes me wonder if I'll eventually get Covid myself. I've probably escaped so far because I'm not around other people very much. Avoiding people still seems like a good plan to me, but my luck could run out at any point. It's probably not good to dwell on thoughts like this. It's a crazy world. My luck could run out driving to the gym or even walking in the park.

Trevor is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4557

The dog days of summer are definitely here. It's hot. I feel lethargic. And there is a dearth of good news. When I turn on the TV during breakfast looking for something encouraging it's slim pickings these days. I lost interest in cable news quite a while ago. It doesn't matter which side of the political fence you're on, everyone is just pushing a narritive. I used to like watching the business channels, but that's turned very dismal lately. We're headed toward another recession. I can remember quite a few recessions in my past, but I'd been hoping to avoid another one at my age. It just takes too long to recover from these things. I don't have a long time to recover from another recession. Today I tried the weather channel. How can you go wrong with the weather channel? Never mind. This mornings coverage was all about the flooding in Yellowstone. One of my favorite areas is under water. Somehow it seems like everything in the world is under water these days.

I didn't feel like going to the gym today, so I tried another long walk right after breakfast. There was a nice breeze for a while, but it didn't last long enough. I can tell things are starting to dry out in the park. The meadows don't look as green and lush as they did a month ago. A lot of the wildflowers are starting to disappear as well.  It's a shame that we get all our rain at once in Texas. If the weather would spread things out and give us a little rain every month everything would look a lot greener in July and August. Our yard looks great now, but I'm going to have to start watering the lawn soon. That's a quick way to double the water bill. We don't have a sprinkler system, so even when I water I only use a small fraction of the water the sprinkler systems in the neighborhood use. When I see all the wet streets on our early walks with Dawn I quickly realize what an enormous amount of water these systems waste.

I managed to complete my six mile route today, but I was hot and tired by the time I returned home. I took a shower and then wanted to take a nap for a while. Dawn quickly left the room and sat outside the bedroom door, watching me and occasionally whining. I hate to see this, so I got up and took my nap on the couch in the living room. I keep telling Dawn that she's running out of time to be buddies with me. Janet will be going on vacation soon. Things will go a lot smoother if Dawn would realize that I mean no harm and would really like to be friends with her. The two guys that ran the puppy mill must have been terrible. A lot of the dogs that came from that place are suspicious of men.

Our air conditioner is having trouble keeping up with this heat. My HVAC guy told me once that air conditioning systems are basically designed to keep the air in your home up to twenty degrees colder than the outside air. This works pretty well when the temperatures are in the 80's and low 90's. Not so much when the temperature is over a 100 degrees every day. The best we are able to do on days like these is about 78 degrees. Coincidentally, this is the temperature the power company wants you to use to save energy. I don't know how much energy we're saving though, since the AC seems to be running all the time.

There are still a lot of things on my to-do list, but I'm not really in the mood to do any of them. Sometimes I fantasize about living in a nice new house in a safe little town. I'm sure there are people who thought the same thing when they moved to those little towns north of Yellowstone that are getting flooded now. There's really no escape anymore. Life is a roll of the dice these days, but I still think it helps to avoid all the drama. On that note, I've taken this weeks trash to the curb and am ready to start another uneventful week.

Hershey is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3362

We had a little bit of everything today. There was a light rain when I woke up. About twenty minutes later a line of thunderstorms blew through. There was even some dime sized hail for a while. The severe weather disappeared as quickly as it arrived. By the time we finished breakfast there wasn't a cloud in the sky. The temperature warmed up quickly and it wasn't long before I needed to turn the air conditioner on. I think the high temperature today was almost 80 degrees. This was Texas weather at its finest.

After the storms moved to the East, I thought Dash would enjoy a walk. I was surprised at how tired he seemed. He slept well and seemed in good spirits this morning but he was very slow and stumbled more than usual while we were walking. The same thing happened this evening. Maybe we should have skipped the walks today. It's hard to tell with Dash. One minute he seems fine and a few minutes later he seems exhausted.

It only rained for forty five minutes, but that was enough to fill the roof with water again. I ran the pumps for a few hours and then went up on the roof later in the day to sweep the remaining water away. Removing the standing water quickly seems to be the key to keeping the leak from returning. I'm already seeing a few new tears in the elastomer material. I have a feeling that it's just about hopeless to keep this roof watertight for very long. Two roofing companies are currently working up bids to replace the roof. I'll probably get one more bid before I make a decision. However this ends, I don't think it will be a pleasant experience.

I used the self checkout when I was getting groceries this morning. I had some fresh fruit in a bag with no bar code. When I weighed the fruit at checkout, I thought I'd have to type in some kind of a code number. Nope. The scanner automatically recognized the fruit correctly even though there was no packaging or bar codes. How did it do that? Automation is really getting sophisticated. I wonder if anyone will have a job fifty years from now.

Since it was such a nice day, I washed the car this afternoon. This was probably a futile gesture since it is supposed to rain again on Monday. Removing the water from the roof was probably a futile gesture as well. So far, the one chore that has paid off was giving Dash a bath. After several walks and countless trips outside to pee, he still smells clean.

Maybe I'll start working on my taxes tomorrow. I should have had everything ready for the accountant by now. The more unpleasant the task, the longer I tend to put it off. Amazingly, everything still gets done. It may not get done on time or even done properly, but I'm no slacker. I've already got a long to-do list for tomorrow that probably won't get done either.

Val is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3281

I had a brief moment of panic this morning when I looked at the weather forecast and saw that there was a chance of rain tomorrow. Where were the roofers? They were supposed to return on Monday. I sent out e-mail and text messages explaining my worries about an exposed roof surviving the next rain, but by noon the weather forecast had changed anyway. Now, I just think it's supposed to be windy tomorrow. Texas weather is totally unpredictable. As of this evening, I think that the guys are supposed to finish the repairs tomorrow, but I'll believe it when I see it.

I'm skeptical that these repairs will succeed for very long, but as least they should give me time to get bids for replacing the roof. I'm afraid that 2019 will be the year of fixing the house. It's impossible to avoid my crumbling infrastructure much longer. I'll have to prioritize the repairs to be able to afford everything. I guess the big question is which problem is the most irritating. Right now the dryer is pretty high on the list. I'm drying a load of wash right now and the rotating drum is making an awful squealing noise again. The cracked shower tiles in the bathroom are a big problem, but regular use of the wet/dry vacuum seems to be keeping the problem from becoming serious. The sliding glass door to the atrium needs to be fixed, but we never use the atrium anyway. At the moment, the solution for the damaged sheetrock in the ceiling is just not to look up. All of this will get taken care of eventually, but none of it seems as important as an incontinent dog with a bad heart and failing rear legs.

Dash got me up at 4:30 AM to pee, but I couldn't convince him to poop while I had him outside. I knew what was going to happen, but what are you going to do? Dash went back to bed as I expected, fell into a deep sleep, and pooped in the bed an hour later. The bed is well protected now, so cleanup has become easier. You just have to make sure that Dash doesn't wake up or move before you can remove the poop. I used to hate our washing machine, but it has been doing yeoman's duty lately. The machine is actually more reliable than I've been giving it credit for.

I watched the latest episode of the National Geographic Channel's Mars series while I was waiting for a reply from the roofers. At first I was unable to view the episode and got a message saying that my cable provider only offered limited access to this channel. That sucks. I deleted all the cookies on my computer, the message went away, and I has access to the latest episode again. It seems bizarre to me that so many large websites depend on the use of cookies. Why would anybody want thousands of tracking cookies on their computer? I usually delete mine at the end of every day. Every time I do this I get "unusual activity" messages from Facebook and Google. They must think I buy a new computer every week. If you haven't deleted your cookies, do it now. Delete your browser history too. Everything still works, but nobody is tracking you for a while.

I hope I see the roofers tomorrow. Even if the repairs aren't permanent, it will be one less thing to worry about. I've got a few more bills to pay, but I'm almost caught up for the year. I don't think there are any more surprises. I'm not even going to look at my brokerage account until the market climbs back above 25,000. Hey, why make myself miserable. The big thing on my to-do list right now is finding a nice smoked ham for Christmas.

Alvin is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3058

I went to visit my watchmaker friend today. I don't bother to fix my own watches anymore, but I took four of Janet's with me that needed new batteries. I enjoy talking with the watchmaker. Like almost everyone I know, he used to be a client. We have similar interests and always end up talking about how much the world has changed. My friend is still very busy. There aren't a lot of good watch repairmen left anymore. Most of them have retired or died. I'm glad the watchmaker hasn't retired yet. He's the only guy left that I know who does this sort of thing. He tells me that if someone told him how much the watch industry was going to change thirty years ago, he would have chosen a different line of work. I can relate. I might have chosen a different line of work too if I knew how radically the world was going to change.

One of Janet's watches needed a new movement and crown, but I took the other three back with me. It's ironic that Janet is more interested in watches now than I am. She still likes to wear a nice watch to work. I lost interest quite a few years ago. I have so many watches that I just became overwhelmed with the upkeep. It's impossible to keep hundreds of watches running. I should have bought three really good watches that would hold their value instead of a ton of weird, eclectic watches with pretty dials. When I started collecting, I think I just liked getting things in the mail. I bought a ton of stuff on e-Bay from all over the world. I learned a lot, including how to bring old Bulova Accutrons and 1970's LED watches back to life. I actually managed to get quite a few of these dinosaurs running again before I lost interest. If you're just getting interested in watches, don't ever go buy a dozen old Accutrons, hoping they will take you back to the 1960's. Yesterday's state-of-the-art technology is today's albatross around your neck. Just go buy a Rolex. They may too conventional for some, but they are well made, hold their value and you can eventually give the watch to your grandchildren.

I finally contacted the landscaper today. He apologized for not returning my calls and said he could probably come out and get my yard looking decent again late next week. I feel like Sisyphus pushing the rock up the hill with this yard. Whatever I do, I know I'm going to have to do it all over again next year. It's still better to replace the grass than do nothing though. At least our yard will look nice through the Summer.

One of Dash's rubber booties fell off on our walk this morning and I couldn't get it back on again. Dash wanted to keep walking and definitely didn't want me near his rear paw. He even growled at me when I tried to put the boot back on again. This was troubling, because he really needs to wear the booties. His legs are weak and his rear paws turn under when he walks. Without the booties to protect him, it doesn't take long for the top of his paw to start to bleed. I'm not looking forward to getting Dash ready to walk when Janet goes on vacation. It takes two of us to get him suited up now.

There was a new episode of The Expanse tonight, but I didn't bother to watch it. It's more enjoyable to record the thing on the DVR and watch it during the day while Dash is taking a nap. This will give me something to do after breakfast tomorrow. I should just use the DVR for everything. You can fast forward through all the commercials. If I have the patience to wait for a series to come to Netflix or iTunes, that's even better. You have to pay, but the commercials are gone. I wouldn't even want to watch my own commercials anymore. Life should be commercial free.

The next thing on my to-do list is getting my oil changed. I just noticed that the sticker on my windshield said I should have changed it in January. I drive so seldom now that I never change the oil based on mileage. It would take me another year to meet the mileage requirements for my next oil change. Unfortunately, motor oil doesn't last forever. You have to change it eventually whether you drive or not. I end up fixing a lot of things whether I use them or not.

Spot is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3001

I still haven't adjusted to Daylight Savings Time. Why are the stars out when it's time to get up in the morning? Isn't it Spring yet? I'm having a hard time getting out of bed in the dark. I know the days are getting longer, but everything was fine before the time change. By the time I wake up to sunshine again, it will probably be too hot.

Dash has adjusted to the time change better than I have. He gets up in the dark with Janet because he knows who feeds him. By the time I'm up, he's ready for his morning walk. At least the weather is nice. We're walking at sunrise again. All the trees are starting to bud and I see a few new wildflowers every morning. I enjoy our walks in the Spring. There's always something to see.

Dash might not get a walk tomorrow morning. It's time to get his nails trimmed again. I was lucky that Dash's vet could work us in. She was completely booked, but told us to come over before her first appointment. She's the only one left who is able to trim Dash's nails, so I think she knew how desperate we were. I hope Dash is well behaved tomorrow. When he was healthy, Dash used to actually enjoy going to the vet. He's always been a social dog and enjoyed the attention. Now, it's a different story. Even something as minor as a nail trim sends him into a panic.

Today was slow. We got off to an early start, but by the time I finished my morning smoothie and cleaned up the dog poop in the yard, it was time for lunch. I don't actually eat lunch, but Dash does. Somewhere along the line we started feeding him a rice cake at lunchtime and now he insists on it. The rice cake doesn't add many calories and it's something he can look forward to in an often boring day. When Dash was having trouble eating, we started spreading something tasty on top of the rice cake to make it more appealing. Sometimes I add a little peanut butter. Other times I add some canned dog food. Now this rice cake sandwich is part of our daily ritual.

I took a small check to the bank and paid a few bills this afternoon. Checks from clients are infrequent now, but they are still appreciated. There are so many things on my to-do list, but it is hard to focus on them. Everything is necessary, but nothing is appealing. I have a feeling that I'll fix the CD burner on my computer before the toilet, the roof, or the refrigerator. The computer still seems like a friend. The other things, no so much.

It's taking me forever to completely shake off this cold. I still have some nasal congestion and an upset stomach. Luckily the night sweats seem to be gone. Maybe the upset stomach has nothing to do with the cold. The last batch of food I got at Central Market's deli counter was way too spicy. I got the same things I always do, but there must have been a new chef. I wish people would leave recipes alone. As soon as I get used to something, it changes.

Day 3001 was a bit anticlimactic. I shouldn't have been surprised, but very little happened. It's a bit early to start thinking about Day 4000 too. That's almost three years away.

Wyatt is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2730

I tend to procrastinate. Usually I can find a good reason. I've been postponing getting my passport renewed because there's really no place I want to go. I've been postponing going to the doctor because I'm tired of hearing that most of my problems are the inevitable result of aging. I postpone cleaning as long as I can because it's just going to get dirty again.

I think I've postponed cleaning under and behind all the furniture as long as we've owned the house. My theory about dust is if you can't see it, it doesn't exist. Now that Janet's doctors have decreed that it is essential to have a clean house, I have to make up for lost time. I know I said that I cleaned under the bed the other day, but I really just cleaned around all the photo equipment that has been sitting under there for decades. Today, I pulled out all the dusty flight cases and canvas bags full of backdrops, tripods, strobe lights, and light stands. It was time for an honest cleaning job. Most of the canvas bags were coated with a thick layer of dog hair. All our dogs have slept on the bed and I think there was hair from every dog we've ever had. I vacuumed and scrubbed each bag, dusted each case, and then gave the carpet a complete cleaning. The dust from the small area under the bed filled the entire Dyson canister. I hope I don't have to do this again anytime soon. The low platform bed is too heavy to move and my aching joints aren't very nimble anymore. You really have to be a contortionist to clean under this bed.

I wish I'd left the guitars under the bed. When my photo gear began to accumulate, I move the guitars somewhere else many years ago and put my photo gear under the bed where it would be easier to access. Unfortunately, I put the guitars in a closet where the humidity was too high and ruined a rare Vox Mark VI from the 1960's. If only I'd known about dehumidifiers back then. Live and learn is my motto, but sometimes I don't learn quickly enough.

I don't know what to do about Dash. Yesterday he was fine. Today, he's back to being moody again and was reluctant to take a walk. He didn't even want to go outside this afternoon until Janet came home from work. When we both took a walk together with him, he was fine. The only thing Dash wants to do with me during the day is eat and nap. If I get on the bed with him, he will immediately curl up to me and seems happy. When I try to take him out in the yard to play or go on a walk, he has no interest. I'm sure this all has something to do with Dot being gone, but there is very little I can do about it.

I'm planning on going out to breakfast again tomorrow morning. There's no reason to stay home. If I was really industrious, I'd go down to the passport office when it first opens and beat the long lines. Like I said, there no place I want to go though, so this can wait a while. One thing that can't wait much longer is treating the yard for mosquitoes. I can't go outside for two minutes without getting bitten. Maybe I'll do that tomorrow. I'm determined to get one thing checked off my to-do list. Two things might be a little ambitious.

Shadow is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2722

I'm thinking about going to see the solar eclipse this August. There's really no reason not to anymore. It's probably a little late to be planning something like this, since motels and even campsites in the path of totality have probably been booked for months now. We'll see. At least this is worth thinking about. The last time I experienced a total eclipse of the sun was in 1963 when I was going to high school in Alaska. My Dad and a few of his friends took me with them to view the eclipse. All went well until a few minutes before totality when a large cloud covered the sun. I guess technically I still haven't seen a total eclipse.

Although seeing the eclipse is the big thing on my Summer to-do list, there are other things I need to do as well. I've been avoiding making a doctor's appointment for months because I didn't want to worry about Dot while I was enduring the inevitable long wait in the doctor's lobby. I don't have an excuse now.  I also need to renew my passport soon. I certainly haven't used it much during the past ten years, but there was a time when my passport was filled with visa stamps. Who knows? Maybe I'll travel again.

The pressure washer works fine. It's a bit messy to use and there is no convenient place to store the hoses and cords, but other than that, it does exactly what it is supposed to do. I cleaned the bricks on the front porch and the wheels on my car and then put the thing away. Removing the spiderwebs from the windows and eaves will have to wait until later. I'm sure the windows will leak when they are sprayed, so this will be a two person job. One person will have to use the pressure washer and the other will have to quickly mop up any water that gets inside.

I wish I could convince Dash to take long walks again. He used to love taking long walks. We're only walking half as far as we should this week. I don't think anything is wrong with Dash. He just doesn't seem to be in the mood. This is the perfect time of year for long morning walks. A month or so from now it will be too hot. We'll see. Maybe he'll snap out of this moodiness soon. Dash did share a banana with me this morning. That's a start, I guess.

I got an e-mail from Apple with information about the new products they introduced at the developer's conference. I think I'd like the get the new iMac Pro. There's no earthly reason I need a super fast computer anymore, but this thing sure looks cool. I've had my current desktop computer since 2010. That's much longer than I used to keep them. It was easy to justify new computers when I was doing large scale video editing projects every week, but those days are gone. If I get an iMac Pro, it will just be an indulgence.

I put out some new traps for the rat, but so far he has avoided all of them. Maybe I should just make my peace with the rodent and let him stay in the atrium. He's a smart little devil. Maybe he'd like to be my financial adviser. I wish rats weren't so destructive. They've already chewed up everything in the greenhouse. I don't want rats to ruin the atrium too. I have a feeling that this battle will continue for a while.

Domino is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2644

Weekends are when I realize that I've lost control of the house and yard. I start with a long list of little things I need to improve or repair and when I'm finished, nothing has changed. I was certainly busy today, but it's not clear how much I accomplished. Dot has been peeing on the porch a lot and the garden hose isn't long enough to clean it off properly. I looked in the greenhouse and found several sections of old hose and strung them together to create a single long one. The only problem was that all the rubber gaskets had gone bad and my new hose leaked like a sieve where each connection joined. I would have saved a lot of time if I'd just gone to Home Depot and bought a new longer hose.

Next, I got some bleach and tried to remove some ugly rust stains in the ceiling. The stains are gone, but so is a lot of the old dry paint. I had to get the vacuum out and spend a lot of time cleaning up all the paint chips that had fallen on the floor. Since I had the vacuum cleaner out, I thought I'd clean all the leaves and debris out of the air conditioner floor vents. Leaves blow in the house every time I leave the back door open to take Dot out to pee and they all seem to wind up in the floor vents. Cleaning these vents seemed like it would be an easy job, but the vent covers are sticky and most of them have to be pried off with a screwdriver. Eventually, I got all the vents in the living room and kitchen clean and decided I'd done enough for the day. I spent a lot of time working, but nothing really seems to be improved. It's still the same old house.

I can't figure out the produce section at the grocery store. I love strawberries, but the produce manager has a habit of mixing bad batches of strawberries in with the good ones. I guess he thinks people will be stupid enough to buy the strawberries on the verge of rotting, but I haven't seen anyone buying them yet. Everyone searches through the entire display case, looking for the freshest looking package. I've seen people spend ten minutes picking over these berries. I spend a lot of time too. I usually wind up with a good package of berries, but sometimes I get fooled. I think they pack rotten berries in the middle on purpose where nobody can see them.

While I was getting gas this afternoon, someone came up to me and asked if they could inspect my windshield for rock chips and repair it on the spot. I resisted the urge to scream "this is a scam, get out of this parking lot immediately." Instead I just politely said "no thank you" and the person moved on to another car. I hate random people approaching me. Maybe they're crazy or won't take no for an answer. There are far to many people asking for money these days. I can never figure out whether all the people asking for donations in front of the grocery store are legit. Sure, the girl scouts selling cookies are real, but what about all the others? I have a feeling that some of these people have no connection with a charity at all.

The weather has changed again. This morning it was warm and muggy, but by the time I took Dash on his afternoon walk it had become quite cold. It feels like a storm is on the way, but the weather app on my phone still says that it will be 72 and partly cloudy tomorrow. Have I mentioned that the weather app on my phone is basically worthless.

The time changes tonight. This means that when we wake up at 7 AM tomorrow, it will already be 8 AM and I'll spend the rest of the day trying to catch up on things. Why do we even have Daylight Saving Time? I don't know anybody who likes it. Maybe it served some purpose a hundred years ago, but I don't think artificially shifting the time around makes much sense now. Trump seems to like abolishing things. Maybe he could just abolish Daylight Savings Time. That would probably get some bipartisan support.

Tyson is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2282

There are so many things piling up on my to-do list. They will all get done, but it will take a while. It's time to reinstall the battery in the lawn mower and see if it still works. I store the 24 volt battery in the house during the Winter to make sure it won't freeze, but that doesn't guarantee that it will still hold a charge the next Spring. If the battery doesn't work, I will need to get it re-celled again. I've done this twice already, but it's still a lot cheaper than buying a new lawn mower. I need to get the tree trimmer to remove a few dead limbs from the backyard Oak trees. I've been waiting until Spring, so I could make sure which limbs were really dead. Now, it's pretty obvious. It's time to plant new St. Augustine grass in the backyard. The grass never seems to last more than a single season. It's long past time to start working on my taxes. I also need to get the roofers to patch a few worn spots in the elastomer roof coating. This has to be done every year as well. I can't get excited about any of these things, but they all need my attention. While I'm at it, I might as well call the plumber. The washers have worn out in several faucets, making them almost impossible to turn off completely. One of the toilets runs as well. I used to do these type of repairs myself, but I've lost all desire to be a handyman.

Dot seemed very shaky today. She was slow on her morning walk and had more difficulty than usual standing without assistance. When she's wearing her harness, I can tell if she is supporting her own weight or not. She can usually support her own weight fairly well if she is on flat ground and moving forward. Today, she stumbled a lot and I had to keep her from falling. I'll be glad when we have our consultation with the oncologist on Friday. I'd like to know whether it is the cancer causing the weakness, the Palladia pills, or something else.

I like the warmer weather, but I'm not wild about all the bugs that announce the arrival of Spring. I've started seeing ants around the house again and the crane flies are everywhere. Crane flies look like giant mosquitoes except that they don't bite and they fly very slow. You can catch them with your hands, but you just give up after a while because there are so many. Every time I open the back door at night to let the dogs out, ten of these irritating bugs manage to get inside. They are everywhere this year.

When I wasn't chasing bugs, I was repeating everything I did yesterday. I paid a few more bills and stopped at the pharmacy on the way home from the post office to pick up a prescription that was on back order yesterday. I even had the same thing for dinner as I had yesterday, since we still have a lot of leftovers from the weekend. We did avoid walking in the dark this morning, since we made a point of starting twenty minutes later.

I have some major website repairs to make tomorrow. The client wants to remove a page that has always been an integral part of the main navigation menu. I hate when that happens. To remove this one page, I have to end up changing all the other pages. Oh, well. The client is always right. I certainly have time to do this cosmetic surgery tomorrow. The only other thing on the schedule is Dot's physical therapy session.

I hope Dot feels better in the morning. Sometimes it helps when she gets a good night's sleep. I hope I get some sleep tonight as well. Four to five hours a night just isn't enough.

Carmine is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2231

If you happen to follow my Instagram account, you've probably noticed that certain images appear again and again. On Sundays, there is often a picture of a basketball. On Thursdays, you frequently see Dot exercising in the underwater treadmill. On Fridays its almost always a picture of my breakfast. Although these pictures are similar, they are not the same. Each one records a specific event that will never happen again. To me, repetitious pictures like this are an affirmation. They are a way of saying that I'm still here. Life itself is fairly repetitious. The sun comes up every morning and sets every night. We brush our teeth, we shower, we fix our meals, over and over and over again. Some try to escape this monotony with wild adventures. I celebrate the tiny little nuances that make even the most repetitious event unique.

Today was like most Sundays. We slept in a little later and waited until after sunrise to walk the dogs. I can eat a bigger breakfast on weekends because I know I'm probably going to work it off. According to my fitness band, Sunday is the most active day of my week. Today when I vacuumed the house, I not only cleaned the rugs and carpets, I got down on my knees and cleaned baseboards, under tables, and even under the bed. I'll have to admit that Janet shamed my into this additional cleaning, but the house does look pretty nice now.

On my way to the gym this afternoon I stopped by the REI store again. I'm kind of fascinated by the stuff inside this store. I got a pair of mountaineering pants. I'll never go near a mountain with these clever pants, but they seemed perfect for walking dogs. The knees in my regular jeans wear out way too fast because I'm always kneeling down to get Dot's harness on and off or clean Dash's paws. Maybe these heavy duty, reinforced pants will last longer. Shoes wear out pretty fast too with two walks a day over rough terrain. I finally retired my old dog walking boots and started wearing a new pair this morning. The odd thing was that I'd had these new boots for over a year. A receipt in the box said I bought them on January 12, 2015. This is typical of me. I tend to wear old clothes as long as I possibly can, because they become more comfortable with age, but I always have a replacement waiting in reserve.

I wonder if I'm going to be able to see Mercury during the short window of opportunity I have between now and early February? I went outside around 6 AM this morning with a pair of binoculars when I knew the planet would be above the horizon, but once again it was obscured by clouds. For the past several days skies will be crystal clear around midnight, then around dawn clouds will roll in. Later in the day the clouds will burn off and it will become clear again. I'll try again tomorrow.

I need to remember to order printer ink tomorrow. The longer I wait, the harder it will be to unclog the printer. I'm not sure how busy I'll be tomorrow. If there aren't many websites to update, I might see if The Martian is available on Hulu. I currently watch old TV shows on Hulu, but haven't used it yet for pay per view movies. I've noticed that falling leaves are starting to accumulate on the front and back porch. It might be time to use the blower again. Janet couldn't find rubber snakes this weekend either, so she got a rubber lizard to protect her car. We'll see how that goes. The pooping birds are definitely still around. They made a mess of the lawn furniture yesterday. All this may sound insignificant and somewhat boring to you, but it's really not. I'm already looking forward to my banana and strawberry smoothie in the morning.

Holly is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1801

It's nice to feel caught up on things. I've finished this week's writing assignments. My websites are up to date. The vet bills at the cancer center have been paid. Even the trash has already been taken to the curb for tomorrow's pickup. I'm sure there are still a lot of loose ends, but everything seems reasonably tidy. I like a tidy life.

I continue to be pleased with Dot's progress at her physical therapy sessions. Our vet cautioned us not to expect miracles, but now that we've been doing this for over a year, I can really see a difference. Even after her battle with cancer, she is still stronger than she was a year ago. I would highly recommend physical therapy for anyone with a senior dog. I'm sure physical therapy is equally beneficial for people, so I ought to consider finding a good therapist myself. With the proper care and exercises, my shoulder might actually begin to heal.

The temperature has warmed up considerably, but I'm still dressing as if it were below freezing. Consequently, I felt hot for most of the day. I definitely overdressed for this morning's walk. I always have this problem, because I don't respond quickly to change. I'm inclined to wear my Winter clothes all Winter long, but you can't do that in Texas. You always have to be ready to put on a pair of shorts one day and a parka the next.

Once again, I had a choice between going to the grocery store and picking up some take-out at a nearby restaurant. I should have gone to the store, but I took the easy way out and brought home a burger for dinner instead. It was just one burger and an order of fries, but I feel so full. When did restaurant portions get to be so huge? I never eat like this at home. I have a feeling that diabetes, heart disease, and a half a dozen other ailments could be cut in half if we just quit going out to eat so often. A special breakfast once a week is fine, but I think this is where I should draw the line. If I ate out more frequently, I'd gain ten pounds before you could say do you want fries with that.

Much to my surprise, people are actually buying my pictures on Shutterstock. Unfortunately, I only uploaded ten images to my account before I lost interest. If I can make a little money with ten pictures, just think of what I could do with a hundred, or a thousand. I need to get serious about uploading more pictures. I've certainly got plenty. Who knows. Maybe even some of my blog pictures might get accepted.

There was another package from Klout in the mailbox today. This time it was a big box of dog biscuits for Dot and Dash. They could smell them before I even opened the box. My influence seems to be limited to dogs and thermostats, but I can't complain. Free stuff is fun. Hey, with a cheeseburger in my belly and an empty to-do list for tomorrow, I'll have to admit that life is pretty good.

Puppies are today's Dalmatians of the Day

Watch of the Day