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 The Dreamweaver software I've always used to upload and maintain sites is obsolete and barely runs anymore.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 4578

Today was just like yesterday. Tomorrow will probably be the same. I'm not happy with this heat wave, but what are you going to do. It's summer in Texas. I think it's been this hot before, but I mostly remember last summer, which seemed much cooler.

I've pretty much given up on walking in the park for a while. We still take our sunrise walk with Dawn, but even that is getting a little too warm. I always go outside after I finish breakfast to evaluate the weather and I'm not even tempted to take my long walk. It's just too hot.

I returned to the gym this morning and might keep going for the rest of the summer. When I used to just go to the gym on Sunday I was always surprised that so many people chose the same day as me. Now I realize that these people go every day. Some of the regulars seem to live there. If I go in the morning, they are there, and if I go in the afternoon, they are still there. I never stay more than two hours. On an average day, it's more like an hour and a half.

My routine is pretty simple these days. I shoot free throws on the basketball court until I get fifteen baskets. Sometimes this goes quickly and other times it takes a while. Next, I walk long enough on the indoor track to get my steps for the day. If Dawn takes a decent walk in the morning, I walk two miles. If Dawn doesn't feel like walking, I walk three miles. I spend a little time working with free weights before I go home. Today I used a machine where you sit on a bench and pull down on a weighted horizontal bar. I'm trying to stretch my bad shoulder a bit and get some more mobility. At first I couldn't use this machine at all because I couldn't raise my right arm above my head high enough to reach the bar. I'm getting better though. One benefit of going to this gym is that I can watch what all the physical therapists are doing with their patients and then do some of the same things myself. It's a nice gym and I could do a lot more, but mostly I'm just here to keep my Fitbit happy and get those steps.

I should have stayed inside when I returned home, but the spiderwebs on the windows continue to bug me and I decided to finish cleaning the windows. I only do a few windows each day so I won't get too hot. Our house has a lot of windows and spiders seem to love them. I think this is because lights from the house attract bugs in the evening and spiders build webs to catch the bugs. I always carry one can with window cleaner and another can with wasp spray when I am cleaning windows. Little by little I am getting rid of the wasp nests, but there are a lot of them. I think I'm making progress. The bedroom windows look a lot better when I'm taking a nap anyway.

I think Dawn has turned a corner with me. She no longer leaves the room when I'm in the bedroom during the day. We share the bed quite peaceably now. Maybe after spending nine days with me, she finally realized that I am not a threat to her. Dawn is also comfortable walking to the meadow behind our house with me now. She won't take a longer walk unless Janet is with me, but I think we are making progress. Janet seems pleased with this situation. I think she is eager to travel again.

I'm surprised that the week has gone so quickly since basically nothing has happened. This week's trash has been taken to the curb and I think I've remembered which parts of the yard needed to be watered. Maybe something interesting will happen soon, but I'm not counting on it.

Delaney is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day