Day 4093

It was not an auspicious day. Right after breakfast I did a load of laundry and halfway through the wash cycle the washing machine broke. The drum was full of soapy water and just quit turning. I watched the timer count down to zero, but nothine else was working at all. I had to fish all the wet clothes out of the water, put them in a big plastic tub and take them to the laundromat. I called an appliance repair shop I've used in the past, but they can't get a technician out until tomorrow. I asked for the same repair guy who had come out to the house before, but he didn't work there anymore. This always happens. It's almost impossible to get the same plumber, HVAC tech, or appliance repairman. These guys move around a lot. I suspect this is because their employers don't pay them enough. At any rate, I'll meet someone new tomorrow. I hope he's good.

Laundromats are strange places. It's easy to forget that lots of people still don't have washer/dryers in their homes. They fill their cars with large piles of laundry and come to the laundromat. I used to use a laundromat when I was young and lived in an apartment building. Often it was just easier to go to a laundromat than to try to use the small and inadequate laundry room provided by the building. Maybe a lot of the people I saw today live in these types of apartments. Maybe they live in rent houses where the landlord doesn't provide washer/dryer hookups. Laundromats are always pretty full and they are universally depressing.

As I was getting ready to put my load of clothes in one of the laundromat dryers, I remembered that there was nothing wrong with our dryer at home. I put the wet clothes back in the plastic tub and returned home.  While the clothes were drying I got the electric lawn mower working and cut back all the dead Asian Jasmine in the back yard. This was a harder job than I anticipated because I haven't trimmed the ground cover for several years and it has become very overgrown. Actually, I think you are supposed to cut back Asian Jasmine at the end of every winter. The landscape people used to do this when they took care of the yard. I think trimming these bushes encourages new growth. There are lots of other decorative plants that look like they got killed by the freeze. I'm going to leave them alone for a while and hope that they start to grow again.

I don't think I'll have long to wait. When I took my long walk today, I noticed that there were Daffodils and Grape Hyacinth blooming in the park. These are usually the first flowers to bloom every Spring, but it won't be long before the fields behind our house are covered in wildflowers. I enjoy photographing wildflowers because they don't move or fly away. At various times I've tried to learn the names of the hundreds of different wildflowers I see in the park. I've probably forgotten more names than I can currently identify.

Today wasn't a good day for my feet. Both feet hurt today. I'm walking slower now, which makes my Fitbit and Apple Watch think that I'm not getting as much exercise as I should. This is frustrating to me because these slow painful walks are much more strenuous and tiring than the old days when I wasn't even aware of my feet. My Fitbit doesn't seem to know what I'm going through. It keeps urging me to go faster.

I hope the repairman can fix the washing machine tomorrow. Sometimes you get lucky and they have the part you need on the truck. Other times they have to order parts from a warehouse and you can end up waiting days or even weeks to get up and running again. I wish major appliances were more reliable. We have a microwave that has worked flawlessly for 30 years. Our television has never broken. I can't say the same for the washing machine. I think this will be the fourth service call for this machine.

Val is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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Day 4085

Charlie and Cooper were really playful today. They had a lot more energy than we did and could have played all afternoon. Charlie is nimble and can easily catch things in midair. Cooper is kind of clumsy but still has fun chasing after things he can never seem to catch. The dogs have plenty of toys at the kennel, but are always most interested in the new toys we bring with us. Both dogs are very motivated by food and will do almost anything for a treat. We spent some extra time with them today because next Monday the kennel will be full with Spring Break visitors. 

It kind of surprised me that people are even traveling on Spring Break this year. Have schools even been open long enough to have a break? Is there even anyplace to go? So many questions. I don't think McDonald Observatory is having any special Spring Break activities this year. Traditionally, this used to be their busiest time of the year and it was always the time when they called on volunteers like me to come out and help them with tours and star parties. I won't be making the trip this year. People are getting vaccinated, but restrictions are still in place almost everywhere. I wonder how long it will be before people start filling stadiums and going to concerts again? I have a feeling that it's going to take at least another year.

Dawn is full of surprises. She decided to take a longer walk today. The new route she picked wasn't a lot longer, but it probably added at least ten minutes to her walk. It was encouraging to see her try something new. We tried a second walk when we returned from visiting the rescue Dalmatians and she picked the longer route again. Who knows. Maybe she will decide to join us on longer walks later this Spring. We're not going to force her to walk longer than she wants. Walks should be fun for a dog. She's going to enjoy walking a lot more if it is something she looks forward to. At any rate, Dawn had a good day today. So did Charlie and Cooper.

I can't say that I did that well myself. I walked seven miles today, but my foot was bothering me for much of the way. Often my foot doesn't start bothering me until I've walked quite a way. By then it's too late. I still have to walk home. Today's return journey was slow and somewhat uncomfortable, but I did get 21,000 steps.

Our nasty weather appears to be over. We should have clear skies for the rest of the week and afternoon temperatures will be in the 70's. Maybe we've got a few more winter days left, but I doubt it. It's already March. It won't be long before the trees start budding and things get green again. I certainly hope they get green anyway. A lot of plants froze in our yard during the cold spell and it is unclear if they are going to come back again. 

Tomorrow, Janet and I get our second Covid vaccinations. I don't anticipate any problems, but they do say that the second shot is harder on you than the first. In two weeks from now we should have immunity and be good to go. Where do you go though? It's really hard to plan ahead. What if there's another surge in infections? What if the places we like don't open up again? Everyone wants to get back to normal, but what is normal now? Maybe all this uncertainty has become normal.

We'll see what happens. You've kind of got to take things one day at a time. Maybe Dawn will like walking again. Maybe NASA will invite me down for the Starliner launch. Maybe my allergies will go away. One can always hope.

Lucky is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4066

Today was all about the weather. I woke up cold and never really got warm. It looked and felt like it could snow at any time, but I think that comes later. One forecast I heard today said that we could get up to 11 inches later in the week. I dont think Dawn likes the cold any more than I do. On cold nights she makes a nest out of the blankets and they end up piled around her instead of on top of me. Maybe that's why I woke up cold.

I should learn to dress warmer in Winter like Northerners do, but I tend to turn up the furnace instead. This is probably why I am always so concerned about the furnace going out. A warm house is essential. One Winter our power was out for several days after an ice storm and it got so cold we had to go stay in a hotel for a while. Luckily, Janet still worked then and we would go down to her office during the day to stay warm. Dot and Dash thought that this was a big adventure, but I couldn't wait for the weather to get warmer. It's no surprise that old people retire to Florida. You never hear old people saying "let's move up to Minnesota when we retire."

Today was uneventful. My arm hurt a little at the injection site when I woke up this morning, but it wasn't bad at all. I think getting the shingles vaccine was much worse. We walked Dawn earlier today because Janet had things to do in the afternoon. It wasn't going to get warmer in the afternoon anyway. The temperature hovered around freezing for most of the day. I dressed warmly and was able to finish my longer walk after Dawn and Janet returned home, but it wasn't long before I began to question my sanity. There was nobody on the trails today. I only saw two other joggers during my entire walk.

I had been planning on watching the latest episode of The Expanse this afternoon, but when I opened Amazon Prime on my computer I discovered that Season Five of the show was already over. What? The episode I watched last week didn't feel like a season finale at all. There were hundreds of other shows I could have watched, but I closed my browser and took a nap with Dawn instead. Dawn didn't look entirely happy sharing the bed with me, but she didn't leave this time. I'll call that progress.

I should have gone to Home Depot today and gotten some of those foam tubes that you wrap water pipes with. I put the foam around the exposed outdoor water faucet pipes every year, but it doesn't seem to last long. I think that rats eat the stuff. I remember seeing an exposed copper pipe coming out of the ground recently, so it's time to do this again. Actually, it's past time. I hope nothing freezes tonight. I'll set the faucets on drip and hope for the best.

I haven't heard anything further from the dehumidifier company. They've probably gotten sick of me, just like the roofer did. I really wished that I'd saved the broken dehumidifiers now because I know that I could have salvaged parts from them. I have discovered how to stop the rattling noise. If I lift the dehumidifier 1/2 inch off the ground and then drop it, the rattling stops for several days. I doubt that this is a factory approved solution, but it works. I'm sick of fixing things.

Tomorrow looks like a repeat of today with even colder temperatures. I need to come up with a better plan for dealing with Winter. It's going to be a long time until Spring.

Landry is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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