Day 4988

The Bordetella vaccine that Dawn got yesterday really helped. She hardly coughed at all today. I think the only time she started coughing at all was when she drank water too fast. I don't know why nobody seemed to think she had kennel cough. If it quacks like a duck, it is usually a duck. I always thought she had either kennel cough or the canine flu. Hopefully Dawn remains healthy and we can put this problem behind us. The last thing we need during this impossibly hot summer is a sick dog.

It looks like Houston might get some rain from the storm system currently in the Gulf, but it doesn't seem like any of this moisture will reach Dallas. The forecast still indicates clear skies and triple digit temperatures for the next week. We've learned to look forward to our sunrise walks with Dawn. The hour before sunrise is the only time when you can even pretend that being outdoors is enjoyable. It was 85 degrees when we walked Dawn this morning. There was a light breeze though. It felt nice.

I went to the gym later today because Janet likes me out of the house while she's cleaning on Monday afternoon. I had lots of time to kill this morning so I wrote a letter to my sister, did a load of laundry, payed bills, and did some more work on my neighbor's website. Website maintenance is turning into a struggle these days. The Dreamweaver software I've always used to upload and maintain sites is obsolete and barely runs anymore. I'm sure there are newer alternative available but they won't run on my older computer. I'm still running the Sierra operating system, which is the latest system that will run on my 2011 desktop. I really don't want to buy a new computer at this point. I don't use it very much and will use it even less when I finish with the blog.

When I finally made it to the gym I did surprisingly well. Where did I get all this energy today? I had my best pace on the indoor track in weeks and completed my ten free throws on the basketball court in record time. It took me less than seven minutes today. The gym must have fixed the air conditioning system because it was nice and cool inside while I was there. No wonder there have been more people using the gym lately. It's probably one of the more pleasant places you can go in town these days. The temperature at the gym is certainly cooler than the restaurant where we ate on Janet's birthday.

I made some minor updates to the Dalmatian Rescue website when I returned home and then took a nap. I got an invitation today from McDonald Observatory to attend an appreciation dinner for past and present volunteers. I appreciate the invitation but it seems like a really long drive just to go out for dinner. I think I'll pass on this one. I'd love to return to the observatory at some point, but I don't know if I'm up for the drive anymore. On my last drive home from Fort Davis I had a strong feeling that this was going to be the last trip. I was really tired and the eighteen wheelers that were continually barreling past me on the freeway were frightening. These days my drive to the gym is about as far as I want to go.

I'm probably still up for an occasional trip to Kennedy Space Center. Titusville is a nice sleepy little town and I like it there. The launch photographers are a pleasant group to hang out with as well. With any luck I'll make it down there again this year. There's no hurry though. I don't feel like going anywhere until the weather cools off. Right now I'll just make very short trips to my very cold gym.

Joe is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4983

It was actually a little chilly this morning. I was amazed. We had a very pleasant walk with Dawn today. I think we were all surprised at the cooler weather. Unfortunately this isn't going to last. It's going to be 108 degrees again tomorrow. There's a chance of rain next week though. One can always hope.

The weather was so nice today that I didn't go to the gym. I ate my breakfast and for the first time in ages decide to take my long walk in the park again. It's been a while, so I noticed a few changes. Stone masons are rebuilding the park restrooms that got destroyed when a guy lost control of his car and crashed into the building several months ago. 

New grass has been planted in several bare areas. I didn't see many people though. Even though it was much cooler than yesterday, it was still pretty warm. I was surprised to see that all the ducks at Sunset Bay were gone. I wonder where they went. The water level in the lake was lower as well. These were all small changes though. The walk was pretty much the same as it's always been. 

I think walking outdoors is better exercise than walking at the gym. I certainly felt more tired when I returned home. Oddly, my Fitbit didn't agree. It says I actually burn more calories per mile while walking indoors. It's definitely more interesting walking outdoors. This is probably going to be a one day event however. The rest of the week will be just as hot as it's always been.

I got another invitation to attend a launch at the end of August. I'll think about it. I probably won't go though. I'm still feeling poor. There will always be other launches and Florida will be more pleasant later in the Fall. The fact that I'm not terribly eager to travel anywhere is a bit troubling. Ordinarily I'd have figured out a way to return to McDonald Observatory by now and would never turn down an opportunity to see a launch.

Maybe a few more weeks of fighting the heat here in Dallas will have me thinking differently soon. Driving to the gym every morning and then spending the afternoon wondering if the air conditioner was going to keep working is not very exciting. There are other things I could be doing but most of them involve work. I really don't feel like fixing things around the house.

Dawn got to go to her training class again. The temperature was finally cool enough for class. Dawn seemed really excited this evening when she realized she was going to go somewhere. Janet said she did well in class although she didn't bring home any ribbons this week. Dawn enjoys this class. Hopefully she will get to go again next week.

I need to remember that I've got a dental appointment tomorrow. I get so used to my never changing schedule that it's easy to forget these things. I don't think I have any cavities, but you never know. I go to the dentist regularly now, probably to make up for the many years when I never went at all. Dawn has her own dental appointment next week. She probably spent many years not going to the dentist as well.

Pogo is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4957

There's a Falcon Heavy launch next week that I'll almost certainly get credentialed for. I don't think I'm going to go. Hmmm. This is new. I never turn down a chance to go to a launch. I just don't feel like it this time. Florida in July is not pleasant and I get eaten alive by bugs on night launches. That's not a good excuse though because Texas in July is not pleasant either. Flights are always fully booked now and I always have to pay a lot more to get a seat when approval notices go out at the last minute. Sometimes it's hard to find a hotel as well. I've already been to a bunch of Falcon Heavy launches and it's getting harder and harder to come up with something to write about. I'm also feeling poor. I've had a lot of large expenses this summer and these launch trips aren't cheap. Do I even really need an excuse? I started doing this for fun, and if it doesn't seem fun anymore, why bother.

When I'm sitting here doing nothing next week I might regret my decision, but there are plenty of other launches to think about. I'm sure I'll return to Kennedy Space Center again. I still kind of envy the guys who live in the area and can easily go to any launch they want on very short notice.

Hey, I can still go to the gym on very short notice. It's open seven days a week now. Unless the temperature cools down a bit, a daily trip to the gym is going to be my summer. No complaints though. I'm staying in shape inside an air conditioned building and keeping the car filled with gas is a lot cheaper than a plane ticket. 

Today was uneventful. The only thing that happened out of the ordinary was that Dawn threw up on the bed and we had to wash all the bedding. She wasn't sick. Sometimes when Dawn drinks a lot of water right after she eats, she regurgitates things. This certainly isn't the first time this has happened. It would be nice if she threw up on the brick floors where it is easy to clean things up. She prefers the bed for everything though. It is her safe space.

I prefer the bed too for afternoon naps. It's more comfortable than napping on the sofa. Dawn must have been in a good mood because she seemed happy to share the bed with me this afternoon. It's supposed to be a bit cooler tomorrow. That would be nice. It's already time for me to make a grocery list again. Janet did her grocery shopping today and of course that made Dawn happy. Dawn loves grocery day.

Katie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4895

I made it to Florida. It's been a long day. We got up early and took Dawn on her sunrise walk. While I was eating breakfast, the roofers came over again to clean up and load their remaining supplies. I continue to be impressed by these guys. The roof is finished, but they didn't forget about cleaning up the job site. They did such a good job this morning  that you'd never know that they'd spent the past three days making the yard look like a tornado hit it. The roof itself looks great. We got some rain last night and there are no signs of any leaks. I really hope that I can put all my roof problems behind me now. If I never have to climb up on the roof again, that would be fine by me.

After breakfast I packed my bags. I think I could do this in my sleep by now. Every time I make these trips to Kennedy Space Center I take exactly the same things. I have a small bag full of connecting cables for computers and cameras. I have another small bag full of pills and toiletries. I take enough clothes for an extra day or two. Launches get postponed so often that you have to plan for contingencies. Everything fits in a small carry-on bag and the camera bag fits under my seat. Packing is easy. Trying to remember if I forgot anything is a little harder. It's easy to forget essential things like reading glasses and toothpaste. I always take a raincoat now after getting caught out in the rain without one once. I don't think I forgot anything this trip, but I never know for sure until I can't find something I really need.

Airports are weird. Spend several hours in an airport and you've got a pretty good bird's eye view of what's going on in society. Today I saw pilots with red hang tags on their luggage saying "We're ready to strike," I saw a small crowd surrounding a group of police officers trying to arrest someone. The crowd was shouting "Don't touch him" over and over again. I couldn't figure out who's side the crowd was on. Were they worried that the man being arrested would get injured, or were the worried that the officers might get dragged into a protracted lawsuit if they touched the guy. It could go either way. People are constantly eating at the airport even though the food is ridiculously expensive. I was kind of hungry, but I didn't feel like buying a nineteen dollar hamburger or a six dollar bag of chips. 

I think Love Field in Dallas is the best airport in the country for going through security. You don't have to take anything out of your bag anymore. Even computers stay inside your bag while they are being scanned. You still have to empty your pockets, but you can leave your watch and Fitbit on your wrist. Everyone reminds me that my driver's license is about to expire. Thanks guys but I can still remember a few things. Actually, I've got an appointment to renew my license next week.

It's going to be a long day tomorrow. I have to pick up my press credentials at 5:45 AM. This means that I have to get up even earlier so I can drive to the press office. We get to go out to the launch pad at 7:30 AM to set remote cameras and take pictures of the rocket. The afternoon is filled with interview opportunities and the launch itself is supposed to take place at 5:37 PM. If the weather holds up, this will be a beautiful launch. Sunset launches are the best.

I'd better get some sleep and make sure I set several wake up calls. It's a shame that Axiom has such a small window for picking up credentials. If you're late or miss the window, you are out of luck. Hopefully everything stays on schedule. The weather looks promising and I haven't heard about any problems with the rocket. We'll see what happens.

Harley is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4894

We have a new roof. We won't be able to tell if this was all worth it until we've had a couple of hard rains, but I'm pretty pleased so far. We've lived here a long time and this is the third roof we've had to put on our house. This crew was by far the most professional I've encountered so far. I guess if you count the condo I owned before I bought our current house, I've been through a total of five roof replacements. Why so many? Well, if you are an architect or live in a house designed by one, chances are it will have a flat roof. I think it's a rule that architects, or former architects like myself, must live in houses with flat roofs.

I hope the new roof holds up well when we get our next big storm. I also hope it drains well. If I never have to climb up on the roof again to sweep away standing water, the cost will be well worth it. We certainly didn't have to wait long for rain. Literally less than an hour after the roofers finished working today it started raining. This was only a light shower. It's going to take a lot more to put the roof to the test.

I thought I'd be packed by now, but of course I haven't even started. I guess I had an excuse since I've been dealing with the roofers most of the day, but I could have been packed if I was more organized. I always seem to wait until the last possible minute to get ready for a trip. I'll probably end up packing first thing tomorrow morning. My flight doesn't leave until the afternoon. I always take the same things with me whenever I go to Florida. I could save time if I just left a suitcase permanently packed.

I got a haircut after breakfast this morning. I almost always get a haircut before I travel anywhere. There was a long list of other things I needed to do, but they will have to wait until I return from the launch. I needed to get home quickly today, so Janet could do her grocery shopping. Dawn doesn't like the noise of the roofers overhead and we didn't want to leave her alone. While I was waiting for Janet to return I decided to do some yard work and take advantage of the big dumpster sitting in our driveway. By the time I finished moving dirt around, I was too tired to take my long walk. Hey, I got my 10,000 steps, so that was enough for me.

I finally enabled e-mail on my phone. The last time I was at Kennedy Space Center I felt kind of helpless sitting in my car during a violent tornado warned thunderstorm without the ability to communicate with anyone locally. I had some of the other rocket photographer's e-mail addresses but I didn't know their phone numbers. Also NASA communicates with everyone using e-mail. I couldn't remember all the passwords and IP addresses for my mail host, so I couldn't set up my e-mail on the spot.  That's all been fixed now. I can't believe that I've been using an iPhone for dozens of years and have never used it to get e-mail before.

I hope that the AX-2 launch doesn't get postponed. I've got a busy week when I return. I've got a doctor's appointment that was scheduled months ago and I need to get my driver's license renewed as well. This is the first time I've had to go down to the DMV in many years. I think I've renewed online for at least ten years, but I guess they want to see you in person every once in a while. I didn't have the option to renew online this time. I hope they don't make me take a driving test again. I was surprised to learn that several people my age had to take a driving test to get their license renewed. My license is more for travel than driving these days. I have to show it everywhere when I'm down at Kennedy Space Center. You need a license to get on a plane as well.

I'd better call it a day so I can get up early tomorrow and pack for my trip. It was a good day today. I think I made the right decision to get a new roof and even managed to pick a good roofing company. Hopefully, this is the last roof we'll ever need. The roof has a ten year warranty. That's pretty good for a flat roof. I think the warranty on my own body expired years ago.

Holly is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4890

Today was busy. I talked with the roofers and made sure they still wanted to start tomorrow, even though there was rain in the forecast today. They assured me that the weather would be fine and so far the weather apps on my phone seem to agree. It did rain today, but the thunderstorm was very brief. Dawn and I both got our walks completed without getting wet.

After breakfast I wrote a letter to my sister and took it to the post office. I didn't have a lot to say, but I'm always good at answering mail. Somehow after all these years, a letter received in the mail still seems more real and important than e-mail. I'll often ignore the e-mail I receive, but I rarely ignore a letter.

I got my press credential notice from Axiom Space today, so I'll be attending the AX-2 launch on Sunday. I still have mixed feelings about going to this launch since prices for everything keep going up. There aren't many things that still capture my interest, so I think it's worth the effort to hang on to the few things I still enjoy. The magazine I write for seems very interested in this launch and wants me to try to get interviews while I'm down at the space center. I'll give it a try, but it's not that easy to secure interviews with astronauts. I did sign up for a media teleconference tomorrow morning. Maybe I'll ask a question, I also finished making all my reservations for the trip this afternoon and now I feel poor again. 

We had a brief but very intense storm this afternoon. I'm getting sick of all this rain. I was going to remove the pumps from the roof today, but I ended up needing them. Hopefully with the new roof in place, I will never have to use these pumps again. Since the roof hasn't leaked during the most recent storms, I'm beginning to question my decision to get a new roof. Replacing a flat roof is a lot more expensive than putting on new shingles. I guess I made the right decision. I've had problems with this roof for many years and they aren't magically going to disappear just because I don't want to spend the money.

The new printer we got recently won't stay connected to our WiFi network. It's getting irritating. Every time there is a power outage the printer loses it's settings and I have to reprogram it again. Somehow a whole house WiFi network is a lot more trouble than just plugging things into an Ethernet cable. My computer is starting to feel sluggish as well. I really don't feel like upgrading equipment at this stage of my life, but everything I use is starting to feel obsolete. Truthfully, I've grown tired of being online. Maybe when I complete my 5000 day blogging goal, I'll pull the plug on everything and just disappear. I think I could live without computers fairly easily.

The roofers are supposed to begin work early tomorrow morning. The last I heard they are supposed to arrive around 7 AM. I hope all the noise up on the roof doesn't freak Dawn out. She's scared of enough things as it is. We won't be able to let her outside in the yard without a leash for a few days. Construction crews are notorious about leaving gates open. I hope this goes well. I'd really like to get this house in shape again and then never have to think about it anymore for the rest of my life.

Sadie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4888

Every time I go shopping on Saturday I'm amazed at how much traffic there is. The roads are crowded and the stores are full. The city has changed a lot in ten years. I often fantasize about living in a small town with excellent health care and great veterinarians. Unfortunately, I don't think these places exist. It could be a lot worse though. At least I don't still live in Seattle. That city has really changed a lot. Whenever I visit another large city, Dallas starts looking a whole lot better.

The weather forecast last night said that it would be raining all day. It didn't rain at all. Now the forecast says it will be raining all day tomorrow. We'll see what happens. Whatever happens, it doesn't look good for replacing the roof next week. I'll wait until Monday to call the roofers though. A lot could change over the weekend. I'm torn between wanting to get the roof done immediately and postponing things until the middle of Summer. I know that the roofers will want to go ahead despite the weather and make all kind of promises they can't keep. If they only worked during completely dry weather they wouldn't have much business this Spring. 

The stores seemed unusually crowded today. Maybe it was because it's Mother's Day tomorrow. I might be imagining things, but prices still seem to be going up every single week. It's discouraging. I found what I needed though. I'm glad I only need to do this once a week. I don't even need to get all the groceries either. Janet gets some things and I get other things. I doubt this routine will ever change. It seems to work.

It was nice outside when we took our early walk with Dawn, but by the time I was ready for my long walk, it felt like Summer was already here. I was hot and mildly uncomfortable walking this afternoon. How am I going to make it through July and August?  Today's temperatures were nothing compared to what's coming our way later in the year. I've walked my way through Summer before and I guess I can do it again. I'm not looking forward to July and August though. I guess I can always go to the gym. They keep my gym very cold.

I'm talking myself into going down to Florida for the AX-2 launch. SpaceFlight has already expressed an interest in doing an article and I think I'm going to get credentialed for this one. Even though these trips can get expensive, I'm not spending money on other things these days. When I'm sitting here doing nothing, I can think of all sorts of reasons to go. When I'm paying for these trips, I can think of a lot of reasons to never go again.

If it doesn't rain tomorrow, we'll take Dawn on her Sunday outing. I'll go mall walking either way. One good thing about mall walking is that the weather doesn't matter. It's always exactly the same inside. 

Haley is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4882

We got quite a bit of rain last night, but I think I slept through most of the storm. An app on my phone said there had been a power outage, but I slept through that as well. The ground was surprisingly dry when we took Dawn on her early walk, although there was a lot of water on the roof, judging by how long it took the pumps to clear the standing water away. I thought there would be leaks with this much water, but so far there hasn't been a problem. Any rain without a roof leak is fine by me.

Janet had to leave right after we walked Dawn this morning, so I had my shredded wheat and fruit instead of our usual weekend breakfast. I checked my messages and then headed for the mall. Very little had changed since last week. One new store had opened, but most of the window displays were the same. I've walked past these stores so many times now that I've got my favorites. John Varvatos has the best looking men's clothing and Scanlan Theodore has the best looking women's clothes. Gucci seems to have the ugliest clothes. If the stores were actually open when I walked, I would probably enjoy visiting Williams Sonoma the most. I'm not much of a cook, but I do enjoy nice cooking utensils.

Dawn was ready for the Sunday outing when I returned from the mall. As usual she was excited when we got ready to go and immediately panicked as soon as the car started. This Sunday walk is about the same distance as our regular sunrise walk, but we complete it two minutes faster. This is probably because Dawn spends more time smelling things on our early morning walks. I tried my best to keep up with Dawn and Janet today. I need to work on elevating my heart rate on these walks. Elevating my heart rate is probably a lost cause though because the Carvedilol I take slows down my heart.

Dawn doesn't really calm down on her Sunday outing until we go to the ice cream store. Dawn loves ice cream. The ice cream is good, but it is certainly no bargain. They've raised their prices twice since we started getting cones on Sunday and they don't even bother to fill the bottom of the cone. They basically just put a big scoop of ice cream on top on an empty cone. I can't really complain though. Ice cream is an indulgence, not a necessity.

I updated the Dalmatian Rescue website this afternoon. I'm not very involved with website design and maintenance anymore, so I'm getting a little rusty. The updates to the Dalmatian site are very easy, but sometimes it takes me a while to remember how to modify the code. Part of the problem I'm having lately is that I use a browser based design tool and my Safari browser is woefully out of date. Apple won't update Safari unless the operating system is updated as well. I can't update the OS any more because my computer is too old. The old computer does everything I need though, so I'll probably be using Sierra forever. I can use High Sierra on the laptop, but that's still a very old operating system.

It was a busy day in the park, but I missed most of the activities. There was a charity dog walk that the vet we used with Dot and Dash was involved with. We probably would have taken Dot and Dash on something like this, but Dawn is unpredictable around other dogs. There was also an annual car show in the park that I like to go to, but I forgot the date and it was already over by the time we got back from our Sunday outing with Dawn. I could have gone to the car show instead of mall walking this morning, but it never even occurred to me. I'm a creature of habit.

I guess I'll send my article about the Viasat-3 launch to SpaceFlight Magazine tomorrow. I still can't decide whether to go to the AX-2 launch at the end of the month. I'll probably get credentials for this one, but these trips are getting way too expensive. 

Spot is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4873

Should I stay or should I go? When I woke up this morning I immediately checked all the weather apps on my phone, trying to decide whether it was worth extending my trip to Kennedy Space Center even further. None of the forecasts came to exactly the same conclusion, but the general consensus was that there was about a 20% chance of favorable weather at launch time. Not good. When I checked with the front desk at the hotel they said they were fully booked for the weekend. Not good either. I would have to look elsewhere for a new place to stay if I wanted to watch tonight's launch attempt. Finally, airline prices were even higher this weekend and most flights to Dallas were already full. Things weren't looking good.

I reluctantly decided to call it quits and made plans to head for the airport after a final breakfast at the Cracker Barrel Restaruant down the street from my hotel. I second guessed my decision all the way home. As luck would have it, I ended up making the right decision after all. Tonight's launch was scrubbed with only 59 seconds left on the clock. That's three scrubs in a row for this rocket. Ironically, tonight's scrub had nothing to due with the weather. The weather was actually improving.

When I was only a few miles from the Orlando airport I got a message on my phone saying that my flight had been canceled. What? This was disconcerting to say the least. I briefly thought about going back to Titusville, but I was already at the airport. I turned in my rent car just as I got another text message saying that I'd been rebooked on a flight leaving at 8:30 this evening. Not good. I definitely wasn't looking forward to spending the entire day at the airport. When I looked at the departure board, my flight was the only one canceled. Why? I saw that there was another flight leaving for Dallas in ten minutes, so I quickly headed for the gate in hopes that I could get on board as a standby passenger. When I arrived at the gate the plane was already loading. I thought I was too late, but the gate agent managed to get me onboard. I was the last passenger to board the plane. I was very surprised that I got on this plane since it was supposedly full. I learned later that a lot of Southwest employees fly free on the airline and they get bumped if there is a paying customer who wants their seat. 

I must have brought the bad weather back with me to Dallas. The sky looked dark, but I thought I could still take my long walk. I never got a chance to get my steps at the airport, since my flight left almost immediately after I arrived. For better or worse,  I'm definitely hooked on getting at least 10,000 steps every day. It's a good thing I kept up the pace today. When I was about five minutes from home, I got another severe weather warning on my phone. I made it to the house with minutes to spare. The storm was pretty bad, but it was nothing compared to what I experienced out at the Space Center last night.

I'm not sure when I'll get back to Kennedy Space Center again. These launch trips are getting expensive. There are several other launches I'd like to see this Spring, but I definitely can't afford to see them all. Dawn was actually glad to see me when I returned home. I guess life is full of surprises.

Lucky is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4869

I should have been packed by now, but as usual I am way behind. Guess what I'll be doing after I finish this blog post. I'll be fine since I've done this many times before, but I do wish I was a little more organized. So far, the weather doesn't look great for the Wednesday launch attempt. I hate to turn down an opportunity though, especially when I already have press credentials. Hopefully the weather will cooperate and I'll get to see something.

Dawn had a nice early walk this morning. I'm glad she is back to normal again. It's going to be hard to keep her from jumping on and off the bed, but we're working on it. We no longer use a leash around her neck and she doesn't do the jumping exercises at training class anymore, but otherwise her life is just the same as it has always been. 

It took me longer than expected to sync my laptop with this morning. I like everything to be exactly the same when I travel. I meant to only transfer the launch related e-mail messages, but I did something wrong and ended up transferring thousands of unwanted messages instead. Oops. Usually I erase old messages from the server before I sync the two computers, but I guess I forgot today. At any rate, all the batteries on my devices have been charged. Now I just need to throw a few clothes in my suitcase and I'm ready to go.

I made good time on my long walk today. It's a mystery to me why some days are better than others. I didn't feel particularly energetic this morning, but I was definitely faster. I passed a crew pouring concrete for a new sidewalk this morning. The park department seems unusually active this year. I haven't seen this much activity for a long time. Maybe they're trying to use up their budget before the fiscal year is over. It's hard to request an increase when you still have money left over from the previous year.

We don't see photographers around the tree with the baby owls anymore. Have the owls already flown away? They didn't look old enough the last time I looked, but I don't know that much about owls. I need to go down and inspect the tree myself, but that will have to wait until I return from my trip. I'm curious about the baby owls, but not that curious. I still look for the bald eagles whenever I walk, but other than a chance encounter on one of our early walks with Dawn, I haven't seen either of them in ages. I'll probably see eagles in Florida. There are a ton of bald eagles at Kennedy Space Center.

I hope there are no flight delays or heavy rain tomorrow. Driving from Orlando to Titusville at night in heavy rain is not fun. Southwest Airlines has certainly had its share of problems recently, but hopefully tomorrow will be a good day. I really wish I'd gone ahead and filled out my application for TSA Pre. I should have taken care of this by now. Oh, well. All it means is that I'll be standing in a long line again for my return trip.

I guess I'd better post this and go back to packing. I need to remember to pack a small travel umbrella. I know it's going to be raining on Wednesday.

Sadie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4865

After our early walk with Dawn this morning, I turned on the computer and watched the Starship explode. A lot of people expected this would happen, but it was still disappointing. At least the massive rocket made it off the launch pad. It looked like a lot of photographer's remote cameras were destroyed though. Hopefully things will go a lot smoother for the Viasat-3 launch next week. My accreditation request was approved today, so I will be going to the launch. I just finished making my reservations. Last minute airfares were predictably expensive and my favorite Airbnb was already booked, but the trip is scheduled.

It looked like it was going to rain all day, but the rain didn't start until this evening. I think Dawn enjoyed her walk more than I enjoyed mine. I made an effort to move faster on my long walk this morning, but that just made my foot hurt more and I ended up walking much slower on the final mile. Even though my first two miles were faster, my overall pace didn't improve at all. Growing older is frustrating. Even on the best of days, aches and pains are just part of normal life. I think I'm healthy, but maybe I'm fooling myself. It seems almost impossible to increase muscle mass at my age and my balance isn't what it used to be. You've got to keep moving though. I think things would be a lot worse if I just sat around.

I finally changed the furnace filters today. I've been seeing a reminder on the thermostat to do this for the past three days, but I keep forgetting. I even forgot what day it was today and Janet had to remind me to take the trash out to the curb. It's actually pretty easy to forget what day it is when they are all basically the same. Maybe another launch trip will be the change of pace I need. These trips aren't very relaxing though.    I don't sleep well and I usually just end up substituting anxiety for my typical boredom.

The temperature got up to 85 degrees today. I was hot on my long walk and it made me realize that Summer is not far away. Nice weather doesn't last long here in Texas. Currently we are under another severe weather alert. There is no danger of a tornado this time, but we might get some good sized hail. We'll see what happens. I'm watching the weather radar and it looks the worst of the storm is going to travel a little north of us. So far we've been pretty lucky with bad weather. No damage this year, but I still haven't repaired the damage to the greenhouse from last year's storms.

This week has gone quickly. I'm really glad that Dawn seems to have fully recovered. She's fine now. I'm not so sure about myself. I didn't accomplish much this week, but I'm still here. We'll see if I can do a little better next week. I hope the Viasat-3 launch schedule doesn't change at the last minute. Flights already looked pretty full when I made my reservations. Oh, well. Much of this is out of my control. At least we missed the really bad weather tonight. I think the storm has already moved north of us. 

Wilson is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4864

We are getting closer to pinning down a start date for the roof replacement. I think the roofers will be ready to begin sometime in early May. Unfortunately, I'm not getting any closer to pinning down anything else. I have no idea if or when I'll be going to Kennedy Space Center again. The launch date for all the missions originally scheduled for April keeps changing. In theory I'm still going to the Viasat-3 launch, but I haven't received my credentials yet. I have a feeling that Space X is preoccupied with the Starship orbital launch and I won't hear anything until that takes place. I guess all this uncertainty should teach me to just chill out and carry on. Life won't change much whether I go to these launches or not.

It was quite warm today, but it was overcast, so it was still reasonably pleasant walking weather. The days are getting longer now and it is almost always daylight when we take Dawn on her sunrise walk. This morning we saw no photographers surrounding the tree with the baby owls. Have the owls left the tree or have the photographers become bored with taking endless pictures? Maybe I'll have to visit the tree tomorrow and see if the owls are still there.

I got a late start on my long walk today, but I guess it didn't matter. There was certainly nothing else on my schedule. I see a lot fewer birds these days because the seasonal migrations have taken place and the migratory birds have left the area. There are still Purple Martins fighting with Starlings over the Martin houses in the park and a handful of Great Egrets and Blue Herons but that's about it. I don't even see many Mallards this Spring. The resident geese and Muscovy Ducks are always at Sunset Bay, but that's because they just hang around and wait for people to feed them. I haven't seen the Monk Parakeets in ages. I wonder where they went? I did see one of the Bald Eagles today. It was flying and I didn't get a great view, but the bird definitely was an eagle.

It bothers me that even though I walk six miles a day, my Apple Watch still says my fitness level is low. This is because the watch can estimate the amount of oxygen your body can consume during exercise. Unfortunately, certain blood pressure medications can throw the measurement way off and make it seem artificially low. There's nothing I can do about this, but it's irritating that I do so much exercise and still get a low score. I'm pretty sure that the Apple Watch and Fitbit don't make me any healthier, but I do like to measure things.

I should have mowed the grass today but I did a load of laundry instead. I've grown to hate mowing the lawn. I need to either buy a self-propelled lawn mower or hire a lawn service. Pushing that old mower around is getting harder and harder. I try to convince myself that this is good exercise, but it just feels like a giant nuisance. Too bad I can't just let the weeds grow and call the yard a small "native prairie."

Janet said that Dawn did well at training class tonight. Since we no longer use a leash around her neck because of the bulging disc, it's a little harder to get her to heal. Dogs tend to pull more when they are wearing a harness. A harness isn't typically allowed in the training class, but Dawn has a doctor's excuse. She still does all the other exercises well, but if she doesn't heal properly she's not going to be winning any more ribbons. I'm sure Dawn could care less. The reason she likes the class is that she gets to see other dogs.

Marley is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4855

What a difference a day makes. The park was empty today and all signs of yesterdays celebrations were gone. I'll have to give people credit this year. Everyone seemed to have done a great job cleaning up their mess. In prior years I'm seen the park totally trashed on the day after Easter. This year all trash was neatly bagged and placed in or near trash receptacles. By the time I took my walk this morning, collection crews were already hauling the trash away.

I didn't expect much to happen today and it didn't. We took Dawn on her early walk, I ate breakfast, made the bed, checked my messages for the illusive accreditation notice I've been waiting for, and then got ready for my long walk.

Last year I watched an old stone building in the park being restored. Over the weekend it looks like someone lost control of their car and it smashed into the building and destroyed one of the stone walls. The building is in ruins again. I wonder how long it will take to restore the building again. It took years to fix it the first time.

The lake seems kind of empty now. The White Pelicans, the Double Crested Cormorants, and even the gulls have all disappeared. There don't even seem to be many Mallards left. When the migratory birds leave they aren't replaced by a new batch of Summer birds. A few Great Egrets and Blue Herons remain, but the only birds I saw on the water today were Coots. Don't worry. I'm not becoming a birder. There's just not a lot going on in the park.

I'm surprised I haven't heard from the roofers. I was almost certain they'd be wanting to get started on the roof replacement by now. As much as I want to avoid this project, I may need to call them. The sooner the roof gets fixed, the sooner we can deal with the rest of the house. I think I'll wait to call until I've heard about accreditation for the April 18th Falcon Heavy launch. I should have heard something by now, since the launch takes place next week. I guess I'll go to the launch even if I get notified at the last minute. It's irritating not to be able to plan ahead though. Maybe this is a sign that I need to think about scaling back my launch coverage plans. I spend way too much time fretting about this stuff.

We stopped Dawn's pain medication today and she still seems fine. There are no signs of discomfort at all. We may never know if her problems were caused by the bulging disc in her neck or the shoulder tear. Maybe it was a combination of both. Now that she seems strong again it's going to be harder than every to keep her from jumping. Every time she jumps down from the bed or a chair, I worry that she will land wrong and injure herself again. To Dawn's credit, she is learning to use her step though. At least she uses it when we're watching her.

I have no plans at all for tomorrow. I guess that's OK. I had no plans for today and everything worked out fine.

Apollo is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4841

Another day when I didn't really accomplish much. We woke to blue skies again, but surprisingly it was raining again by dinner time. Dawn got a nice walk while the weather was still nice and so did I. It was a bit disorienting to hear thunder late in the day. I wasn't expecting this.

After my usual weekday breakfast of shredded wheat and fruit I wrote a letter to my sister and took it to the post office. Even at odd times during the day the traffic is always heavy now. Even a short trip to the post office can end up being a hassle.

It was starting to get cloudy when I took my long walk, but I definitely wasn't expecting rain. There are still people out looking for the eagles, but I haven't seen them in a long time. I'm also wondering what has happened to our resident geese. Three or four years ago there was a large flock of the honkers. Then the birds moved to the other side of the lake and I only saw ten. I saw the ten geese every single day for a long time and then they began to disappear one by one. Now there are only four. Oddly there are more Muscovy ducks these days. For years there were only two large males. Now there are two females as well, I don't even try to count the Mallards. There must be hundreds of Mallards who call the lake home.

I called the owner of the music store again to see if he had located my equipment. He found a synthesizer and some rack mount gear, but hasn't been able to find a mixer I consigned. When he asked for details about the mixer I wasn't very helpful. I couldn't remember the brand name or even how many channels it had. I think it was British, which means it was probably a Soundcraft or Studiomaster, but I really can't remember. All I remember is that it was housed in a big square brown flight case. We used it briefly with the band I was in, but it was too much trouble to lug around. I'm not sure which is worse: losing the mixer or my memory.

I learned this morning that Miley, the Dalmatian who was in the Paypal ad with me, passed away today. Considering that I'd only really seen the dog once at a photoshoot in San Francisco for the ad, this made me very sad. I've been following Miley's adventures on Facebook for many years and he was a very special dog. RIP Miley. A lot of people will miss you.

Our own Dalmatian continues to get better every day. I hesitate to say that Dawn's troubles are over since a bulging disc in the spine is a serious thing, but she is acting normally again. We have reduced her medication and will discontinue it entirely in a few days. Hopefully Dawn will continue to do fine in the days ahead. Like many Dalmatians she loves to run and jump and this might be her undoing. We've got to convince her that staying calm is for her own good.

It would be nice if I'd hear something about the upcoming launches where I've applied for press credentials. All I know is that they're supposed to take place sometime in April. This is also when the roofers want to start replacing the roof. I definitely don't want to be in Florida when the roofers start tearing off the roof. I don't think I deal well with uncertainty anymore. I'd feel more comfortable if everything was mapped out for the rest of the year and I could just follow a schedule. Actually, working was a lot easier than retirement.

Chloe is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4834 - Vernal Equinox

I've had enough of this cold weather. It certainly doesn't feel like the first day of Spring. I guess it could be worse. At least it doesn't look like we're going to get any snow this year. You can complain about Texas weather all you want, but it's still a lot better than other parts of the country. I just try to go with the flow. I look out the window when I wake up and then dress accordingly.

Dawn did well on her sunrise walk this morning although she seemed tired and a little stiff after we returned. We've reduced her daily dose of Rimadyl and will watch her for a few days before trying to reduce it further. It's hard to tell how much activity Dawn needs. Too little activity and she gets restless. Too much activity and she gets tired and we risk falling again. I still think she is doing better than I am. She definitely had more energy than I did on our morning walk.

I didn't accomplish much today. It was too cold for outdoor activity and nothing needed immediate attention indoors. I also didn't sleep well last night and could have easily gone back to bed after breakfast if Dawn was more agreeable about sharing the bedroom. I am glad that I didn't make plans to go out to McDonald Observatory for their annual Spring Break star parties. There's been an unusual amount of snow in West Texas this year. From what I see on the Internet I'm better off here in Dallas, even if I am a bit bored.

It was cold and windy on my long walk today, but I dressed warmly and completed my route. I really need to find something more interesting to do with my time. These walks are good exercise and keep me from sitting around the house doing nothing, but they have become boring. When I'm out walking I'm usually daydreaming about being somewhere else. I'd definitely like to attend more launches in Florida but my budget has put a cap on what I can do. If I get credentialed for either the Axiom AX-2 or the ViaSat-3 missions I'll probably go though. It's really time for another trip.

It's too bad that nobody wants to hire old geezers to design websites anymore. I actually enjoyed working. When I look at the current websites of former clients they certainly don't look any better than the ones I designed. Several of them look a lot worse and don't function well. I doubt this even matters. The people I used to work with have all retired and several have died. Their replacements are much younger and prefer to work with someone their own age. I can't say that I blame them. I prefer to work with people my own age as well.

It's supposed to be a lot warmer tomorrow, so maybe I'll go up on the roof and look for leaks. It's definitely not my favorite activity but it needs to be done. I wonder how long I can keep using my current phone and computer? Almost every day I find something else that is no longer supported. I live in an old house, drive an old car, and am surrounded by old equipment. Goes with the territory I guess. Some would say that I'm obsolete myself.

Baxter is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4823

I got a lot done today. I signed a contract with the roofers to replace our roof. I went and got a haircut. I kept an eye on Dawn while Janet was away. And I still had time to take my long walk. I should have started the walk about twenty minutes earlier because it started raining again on my way home and I got soaked. No harm done, although the thunder and lightning made me a little nervous. I definitely don't want to be struck by lightning just because I was determined to get my steps.

Dawn seemed pretty steady today and there were no falls. She seems to be retaining a lot of fluid and her neck is still swollen though. It's kind of hard to tell what's going on because the medications she is taking make her sleepy and lethargic. This is on purpose because our vet wants her to stay quiet and as inactive as possible to let the inflammation subside and give everything a chance to heal.

Oddly, Dawn seems friendlier toward me now. I don't know if she is just too tired to leave when I sit down on the bed with her, or if she's finally starting to realize that I'm trying to help her. I'd like to think the latter, but who knows. She's a dog and will continue to follow her canine instincts.

The roofers want to start on the new roof in April. Let's hope the weather is better by then. The roof leaks started again within an hour after today's rain started. The leaks aren't bad, but it never got dry enough to start hunting for where the water continues to get in the house. It's probably just as well that I didn't attempt further repairs. I don't need to be disappointed again. The roofers are confident that they can eliminate the low spots that are causing all the standing water. I take everything they say with a grain of salt though. Roofers are always confident before they start a job.

I applied for press credentials to attend another Falcon Heavy launch in April. I'm almost sure this will end up conflicting with the roof replacement schedule, but we can work that out later. After the exceptionally rainy Spring we've had this year, I'm definitely going to need a trip to Florida to put this all behind me. It doesn't look like I'll be going to the observatory this Spring. I never got a volunteer request from them this year and their busy Spring Break season starts next week. I'm kind of glad that I don't have to make that decision. I'm still not sure I'm up for a long drive to West Texas.

Hopefully Dawn will continue to get stronger. She actually had a pretty good day today. My day wasn't bad either, although I wasn't wild about getting soaked when I was taking my walk. We'll see what happens tomorrow. I don't want any surprises.

Val is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4821

I went to the storage warehouse today and brought home Petey's orthopedic dog bed and Dash's Help 'Em Up Harness. I could start a store with all the dog paraphernalia we've accumulated over the years. It comes in handy though. We're hoping that Dawn makes a full recovery but have no idea how long that's going to take. The x-ray results came back today and Dawn does have a bulging disc in her neck. This would explain some, but certainly not all of her symptoms. We've dealt with lots of illness and injuries before but this one is new. We still can't identify a cause. 

Dawn's problems just seemed to appear out of nowhere. What do a swollen neck and stumbling have in common? Hopefully the Help 'Em Up Harness will help keep Dawn from falling when we take her outside to do her business. She will stumble or collapse with no warning at all. A few minutes later she will seem normal again. The pain medication is helping keep Dawn calm, but we really need to figure out what is going on. We'll talk to the vet again tomorrow, but if there were any easy answers we'd probably already know them.

I missed my chance to search for leaks on the roof because it is supposed to start raining again later tonight. It wasn't a great day to attempt repairs anyway because I need the roof to be dry to apply the remaining Armor Flex. It was a grey day with a light mist in the air for most of the day. It was easy to convince myself that it wasn't worth the trouble to do anything.

I don't mind walking in a light mist so I took my long walk anyway. I didn't get as many steps today because there was no sunrise walk with Dawn, but I kept moving. The mist was so light that I didn't get very wet and it certainly kept things cooler. All in all, it was a good day for a walk. The weather has gotten so warm lately that it's hard to believe there will be another hard freeze. Stranger things have happened though. We've had some pretty heavy snowfalls in March. Let's hope that doesn't happen. I have enough problems without dealing with snow.

I backed another Kickstarter project this morning. You'd think I'd have learned my lesson after backing the Benro Polaris star tracker, but apparently not. Backing the Polaris project was several years filled with delays and frustration, but eventually I did receive the product and it has more or less lived up to expectations. Kickstarter backers usually get a much better price than what the new product will eventually retail for. There's always a risk though. The product may end up being a failure or never ship at all. At any rate, I may get a self leveling tripod someday.

I'm still not sure what I'm going to do in April. I haven't received any requests for help from the observatory, so maybe they don't need volunteers anymore. I hesitate to apply for credentials at Kennedy Space Center because we don't know what is going on with Dawn yet. If she's having trouble moving around, it's going to take both of us to help her. I'm not even sure I even want to go anywhere now. You've got to be in the mood.

Connor is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day