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 4837

I attempted to check a few small things off my list today with even smaller results. I called a music store to check on some gear I still have on consignment and discovered that nobody I knew still worked there. The guy who answered the phone said he wasn't familiar with my stuff but that he would look for it and to call him tomorrow. It's probably my fault for not having called the place since before Covid, but I wasn't expecting the gear to be lost. Hopefully they can find this stuff. The synthesizer and mixing board are old and probably obsolete, but they were still working fine when I consigned them three or four years ago. They'll make a great addition to the storage warehouse if they can be found.

I've been wanting to repair my large format printer, so I called the company I used to use and discovered that their printer technician had retired and they no longer service printers. I called a second company that was recommended and they lost their printer technician too. Evidently fewer people repair their printers these days. They just buy new ones because it is often cheaper than the repair. I finally found someone who still works on my type of printer. He seemed knowledgable, but he had bad news. Many parts are no longer available for the printer and the ink has gotten really expensive. A set of eight cartridges costs over $800 these days.Yikes.  Janet says it is stupid to buy a large format printer if all I want to do is print three or four photos. I'm sure she's right, but I always liked that printer. Making huge prints is awesome.

Today was even warmer than yesterday. I can't imagine that we will get any more freezing weather at this point. We will get more rain though and that means I'm going to have to start mowing the grass soon. I'm one of the few people in the neighborhood who still mows his own grass. Just about everyone else uses a lawn service. I've grown to hate these services because they are always around with their loud leaf blowers. The neighborhood just isn't very quiet anymore. One of these days I'll probably have to start using a lawn service myself. It's getting harder and harder to push the mower up the hill in the front yard.

Dawn is almost back to normal. We took her on a longer walk this morning and she did fine. She's getting better at going up and down her step to the bed as well. Her front legs are still a little shaky, but she's definitely getting better. We thought she was well enough to get a bath today, so we took her to our local self bathe place. I still have to ride in the back seat with her to keep her from sliding off the seat, but probably by next week she'll be ready to return to her training class. At least she's clean with trimmed nails again.

Even though I wore shorts, I still got hot on my long walk. It felt like summer this afternoon. I think I saw one of the bald eagles again. It was flying overhead and I didn't get a good look, but I suspect that it was an eagle because there were a number of photographers with long telephoto lenses in the area. There must be some sort of network among birders for eagle sightings because every time I see the eagles I also see photographers. I made terrible time on my walk today, but I'll give myself a pass. I was very tired.

Janet and I are both thinking of getting new phones, but the whole process is frustrating. All the major phone companies seem to get horrible reviews. Nobody seems to like their service provider. I don't want an iPhone 14, but the 12's and 13's seem to be in short supply. I still like a SIM card that can be removed from the phone. My current phone plan has been discontinued and I'm kind of grandfathered in at a ridiculously high rate. I guess there are better plans, but when I read the fine print, there's always something I don't like. Why do I even need a phone? I hardly ever call anyone. I just use the thing to take pictures and check on the weather.

Ariel is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4808

Our timing was perfect this morning. There was a light mist when we took Dawn on her early morning walk, but we decided to walk anyway. Literally in less than a minute after we returned home the skies opened up and there was a downpour. If we'd started our walk five minutes later we would have gotten soaked. The rain was over in an hour, but it was certainly enough to put yesterday's roof repairs to the test. So far there have been no leaks. I'm not going to declare victory yet though. Sometimes it takes a while for water to start leaking.

It was certainly warm today. Our air conditioner has been running for the second day in a row. This is definitely not your normal February, but I've got no complaints. Life is easier when it's warm outside. The weather was the only surprise today. Everything else was exactly like yesterday. I had my shredded wheat and fruit for breakfast, checked my messages for a non-existent credentialing notice from NASA, and took my long walk in the park.

I had to change my route a bit today because a construction crew was repaving a road I normally walk on. The park department seems very efficient about getting things done, while other city departments like water and public works seem exactly the opposite. I wonder how this works since the park department is part of the city? Even though the park is well managed, I liked it better when it was largely undiscovered. When we first moved here it was rare to see anyone in the park. Now it's become a recreation destination for the entire Metroplex.

Dawn's lab reports came back today and everything looks good. It's nice to have a healthy dog again. Dot and Dash had many good years, but they had lots of problems as well. Both dogs had cancer in their later years. Dot went through a complicated spinal surgery and Dash had a long recovery after being attacked by another dog. Petey and Greta had their share of problems as well. I really hope that Dawn stays healthy for a long time. It's sad watching a dog decline.

I don't know why I'm still fretting about the Crew-6 launch since I'm not even sure I want to go. I should have heard something by now. I always worry that I might have fallen out of favor and will lose access to the space center. It wasn't easy getting press credentials or even finding a magazine that would be interesting in publishing my stories. Attending launches makes me feel like I'm still working and have something to contribute. My problem is that it's hard to get noticed when you can only afford to make several trips to the space center each year. The local launch photographers are down there all the time and have gotten to know the credentialing people personally. It makes a difference.

I need to find something I'm interested in doing here in Dallas. It would be easier if I didn't have to think about airfare and hotels every time I wanted to do something. I'm not a joiner though. I can't think of a single organization or club that I'd like to be a part of. It's probably a good thing that I still like blogging. It gives me something to do everyday.

Maggie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4807

I'm tired. I did a lot of chores today that I've been trying to avoid. I knew that bulky trash pickup was this week, so I raked leaves right after breakfast. It's a good thing I started early because the trash trucks came today. I thought they were coming tomorrow. I hadn't finished by the time the trucks arrived but at least three big bags of leaves got hauled away. I guess I'll get the rest of the leaves next month.

Dawn wore her No Flap Ear Wrap on our early walk this morning. We hope this helps the hematoma on her ear to heal. I wasn't aware of how often she shakes her head. She does this a lot when she's outside. The device really does a good job of keeping her ears in place and Dawn doesn't seem to mind wearing it. Lets hope it works.

It was really warm today. I wore shorts and a t-shirt on my long walk and was still hot. By mid-afternoon it got up to over 80 degrees. This isn't like February at all. Even though the weather was nice, I was fairly slow this morning. This was probably because I had already been raking leaves for over an hour. I just don't have as much energy as I used to. I still managed to walk six miles. It just took me a little longer. I always try to convince myself that it's better to go slow than to quit, even though on many days I'd much rather just take a long nap.

With 80 degree weather I knew the roof would be dry, so I managed to lug the big bucket of Armor Flex silicon up on the roof and used it to patch the holes where the coating had torn. There was only about one gallon of liquid silicon left in the bucket, but it was enough to fill most of the bare areas. This stuff is so old now that I'm not even sure if it is good anymore. It's got to help though. I'll try to go up on the roof again tomorrow and see if the coating I applied dried properly. I hope this works because it's supposed to start raining again tomorrow. The roofing company still hasn't called me with their bid, but I'm not in any particular hurry to get started. I know the job is going to be expensive and the rainy season isn't over yet. I guess I can keep setting buckets under the leaks until Spring.

The Crew-6 launch got postponed until Monday. I doubt that this matters much to me, since I still haven't heard whether I've been credentialed or not. It's odd that I haven't been either accepted or rejected yet with the launch so close. Usually I would have heard something by now. Maybe this is a sign that I should just plan to skip this launch. There's a good chance that it's going to rain this weekend anyway and I don't want to leave Janet with a bunch of leak buckets to manage.

It's weird to have the air conditioner running in February, but at least the air conditioner is working fine. I've just about given up trying to predict this weather. I wouldn't be surprised if we're freezing again soon. I know we've still got a lot more rain to look forward to, but I hope it stays dry long enough for the silicon patches I applied today to dry. We'll see what happens tomorrow. I probably didn't fix the roof, but at least I got rid of some leaves today.

Lizzy is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4806

Dawn had her annual exam today. The lab results haven't come back yet, but it looks like she is in good shape. Dawn, like many Dalmatians, has had problems with crystals in her urine, but hopefully changes in her diet have helped eliminate that problem. The only other problem was her ear. About a month ago we noticed that she had developed a hematoma on her left ear. She shakes her head a lot, which either caused or aggravated the problem. 

The vet recommended a special pet headwrap called the No Flap Ear Wrap that will help the hematoma heal without the need for surgery. The device actually seems to work, although she looks like a little babushka now. Dawn is still shaking her head, but her ears don't flap around any more. Hopefully this will help. I'm not sure how long she will have to wear this contraption, but she seems to tolerate it well. We're not sure why she shakes her head so much. Dash did this too and developed a hematoma as well. It's definitely not an ear infection. Her ears look good..

It took me a while to realize that today was a holiday. I kept wondering why we didn't get any mail and why the park was so full of people. President's Day is kind of a weird holiday, but if you're working and get the day off, I guess you'll take what you can get. Other than Dawn's vet appointment, the day was exactly the same for me. We took Dawn on a sunrise walk, I had my shredded wheat for breakfast, and then I took my long walk.

There was a pretty sunrise and sunset today. I should have taken more pictures. I've spent so many years documenting things in the park a that I'm not very interested anymore. I didn't even take a picture of Dawn at the vet today. I used to do that with Dot and Dash a lot. There's always a phone in my pocket, but I rarely carry a camera with me these days. I used to always carry a little Lumix DMC ZS40 with me. It was about the size of a pack of cigarettes and had a long Leica telephoto lens that collapsed flat when the camera was off. This was the perfect camera to carry while taking long walks in the woods but I can't be bothered anymore. I just spend my walking time daydreaming these days.

I was expecting to hear from the roofer today and was hoping to learn whether I'd been credentialed for the Crew-6 launch as well. I guess nothing happens on holidays. We'll see if anything happens tomorrow. I won't be that disappointed if I don't get credentialed for this launch. Life will be simpler without having to arrange a last minute trip to Florida. Life would be simpler if the roof didn't leak too, but you can't have everything.

I need to remember that it's time for bulky trash pickup this week. There are still leaves that need to be raked in the side yard. Raking leaves is not my favorite activity, but these leaves don't seem to be going anywhere on their own. There have been several really windy days and I was hoping that they would just blow away. No luck there. If anything, more leaves seems to be blowing into the side yard.

It was unseasonably warm today and almost got up to 80 degrees. I think it's supposed to be even warmer tomorrow. That's fine by me. As long as it doesn't rain, the weather can do what it wants.

Odie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4791

It was over seventy degrees today. It's hard to believe that we were freezing last week. We had a nice early walk with Dawn this morning and then came home to an equally nice weekend breakfast. Even though it was a beautiful day outside, I went mall walking. I just wanted a change of pace.

There were a lot fewer people walking at the mall this morning. Maybe they were walking outside today. I made my five circuits of the mall and came home. There was nothing new today. There were no store openings or closings and none of the window displays had changed. Even the restaurants looked empty today. This appears to be one of the few places in Dallas where people still wear masks. I see more people wearing masks at Northpark than anywhere else. I still don't understand today's styles. Younger women all wear their hair long these days. You don't see any of the shorter cuts that used to be popular. Maybe nobody wants to be mistaken for a Karen. A surprising number of men wear beards now. A thick beard combined with a shaved head seems to be popular. When did having a beard become so fashionable? I guess beards are better than fades and man buns though. I show my age. Even tattoos seem weird to me.

When I returned from the mall, Dawn was ready for her Sunday outing. It was a perfect day for a walk and Dawn enjoyed her outing. We often see people riding horses in this park but Dawn totally ignores them. Dalmatians are supposed to have an affinity for horses and many of our previous Dalmatians seemed to like them. Horses mean nothing to Dawn. She gets much more interested when she sees a possum.

I didn't get quite as many steps today but it sure felt like I walked a lot. I still can't figure out why I walk slower at the mall. It's feels like I'm actually walking faster. Since I use a different app to track indoor walks, it occurred to me that maybe the app measures my steps differently. The next time I go mall walking, I'll track my steps as an outdoor walk and see if it makes a difference. Consistency seems to matter to me. At least the ice cream cones we get are consistent. They are overpriced, but they are pretty much the same every week. Dawn certainly likes them.

This afternoon I did a number of small chores around the house. I tried to wash a down jacket and it didn't go as planned. I followed the washing instructions exactly, but the coat was so light that the final spin cycle in the machine wasn't working properly. The coat was sitting in a puddle of water when the load was finished. I had to run the spin cycle again with several towels thrown in the load to get the spin cycle to run properly. The instruction said to throw two clean tennis balls in the dryer with the jacket to get the down filling to fluff up properly. This actually worked pretty well. I also cleaned out the atrium today. I don't know how all the leaves get in there, but they do. I've been waiting for a warm day to attempt to open the broken sliding glass door, since I was afraid I might have trouble closing it again. Everything worked well though. The atrium looks nice now and the door was actually easier to open and close than I expected.

It was largely an uneventful day, but it was a peaceful one. I got some exercise and I got a few things done. That's enough for me. Tomorrow is supposed to be nice as well. I'm dreading the return of rain on Tuesday though. The house is finally dry and the cleanup is complete. I'm not looking forward to going through the whole water leak drill all over again.

Zorro is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4766

Another unseasonably warm day. It got up to 80 degrees again and the air conditioner kicked in during the afternoon. This is very strange for January. It was a pleasant day though. The sky was clear and there was very little wind. Dawn definitely enjoyed her walk this morning.

I've finally managed to catch up with almost everybody I've been trying to reach. SpaceFlight is sending me author copies of the issues with my Falcon Heavy and Artemis articles. My editor has contacted me with article suggestions and I now have all the info I need from Space X for the upcoming Falcon Heavy launch. I still haven't heard back from the contractor I'm trying to reach about fixing the house, but that's an entirely separate matter.

I think the older I get the stupider I get. I had real problems today transferring information from my desktop computer to the laptop. I always do this before I travel. I recently updated all my passwords on the desktop computer to more secure versions, but I forgot that I hadn't updated the laptop. Initially, I couldn't check mail on the laptop or open several websites. I can never remember these new passwords because they are long and complex. Some passwords were easy to retrieve, but others were maddeningly frustrating. All I could see in the password field was a series of dots. Janet says I should write these things down, but I never do. I just depend on password managers. I eventually got everything on the laptop to work, but I ended up having to change a few passwords. I miss the old days when you could just use one simple password for everything.

When I was trying to print out all my travel information I discovered that both of our printers were out of ink. I hate it when the printer won't work just because your Cyan cartridge is low. Printers ought to have a black and white mode where you can just bypass the low colors. Now I've got to go out and buy more printer ink in the morning because I have to have all my contact and reservation information printed out so I can put it in a little manilla envelope that I carry with me everywhere. Just a quirk. I could probably find most of this information on my phone, but I prefer paper.

I was actually hot on my long walk this afternoon. I just wore shorts and a t-shirt and it felt like summer. We might have set another record today. I think it's colder in Titusville than it is in Dallas right now. I shouldn't complain though. 80 degrees is very pleasant even if it happens to be January. At least we aren't having torrential rain and flooding like they are in California now.

Tomorrow is going to be a busy day. I need to pack, go get the printer ink I need, make sure all my photo equipment is working properly, wash the clothes I will be taking with me, and take my long walk. I'm sure I will forget something important on this trip. I always do. I don't think Dawn will miss me while I'm gone, but hopefully she will be glad to see me when I return.

Pepper is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4518 - Mother's Day

Well, Dawn is certainly a mother. I bet she was a good mom. Lord know how many litters of puppies she had when she was a breeding dog at the puppy mill. I don't think those were pleasant days because she is still very fearful. She loves her new life now, but I think she's always waiting for the other shoe to drop. We suspect that one of the reasons that she's fearful of riding in the car is that she's worried she might be going back to her old life in Marshall, Texas. Dawn enjoys her walks and likes her Sunday outing, but is always relieved to be back at home in her safe spot, sitting on our big bed.

She must have known that today was a special day. She was full of energy this morning and ended up walking twice her normal distance on our sunrise walk. We always led her lead the way and are curious to see where she'll go. Usually she just follows her familiar one mile loop, but occasionally she gets adventurous.

After our walk we had breakfast and then did some household chores while waiting to take Dawn on her Sunday outing. We always wait until the ice cream store is open because getting ice cream is a big part of this Sunday adventure. I thought Dawn might be tired because she already walked quite a bit. Nope. She enjoyed this second walk too. She loves smelling new things. We have to steer her away from the poison ivy though. Lots of poison ivy in this park.

The ice cream store seemed short staffed this morning. Probably because it was Mother's Day. The staff seems too young to be moms, but thats just an old guy's perspective. Everybody seems young to me. Probably most of the staff are in their mid twenties. We all enjoyed our cones today. Dawn always seems calmer after having ice cream. She is always remarkably calm on the ride home.

I decided to mow the grass today. It was a little hot for my taste, but the traffic is much lighter on a Sunday. I don't enjoy mowing down by the street when everyone is in a hurry. I'm not close to the road very long, but even a few minutes seems too long when cars are racing by just inches away at fifty miles an hour. I'm not sure how much longer the electric mower is going to last. At the very least it needs new batteries. There used to be enough charge in the battery to mow the back yard after I finished the front. Now I have to let the mower recharge for a while before I can tackle the back yard. I could buy a new mower, but I really ought to just start paying the guy who is willing to mow my yard for me.

I felt industrious today, so I tried to fix the running toilet again. It's a shame that the parts I really need aren't available anymore. I've tried, but even the best plumbing supply store in Dallas can't find them for me. I do what I can and usually my repairs last about a week. My last attempt only lasted two days though. It's probably time to break down and get a Toto.

I didn't take a long walk today. After two walks with Dawn and mowing the grass I had all the steps I needed. It was hot this afternoon and I was tired. There is no need to punish myself just to keep my Fitbit happy. I"ll probably go back to taking a long walk tomorrow. Hey, what else is there to do?

I wish I'd get some feedback from the Benro people in China. I'm in no particular hurry to use the star tracker for astrophotography, but it's driving me crazy that I can't get it to work correctly. Since I had at least a partial success with the tracker out at McDonald Observatory, I can see it's potential. It's a pretty cool little piece of machinery. I'd like it a lot better if it worked though.

I like weekends because they inject a little variety into my life. Tomorrow it's back to shredded wheat for breakfast, long walks, and looking up random information on Google. 

Daisy is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4475

Every Saturday I rejoin the world for a little while. I'm not sure I like what I see. The roads are crowded. The shelves at the grocery store seem emptier than they used to be. Gas actually seemed a little less expensive than it was the last time I filled my tank, but there was a line of cars behind me at the pump and you could tell that people wished I would hurry up. 

I don't know why the beer I like is getting harder to find. I bought the last 12 pack in the store today. The ginger ale I like is getting harder to find as well. On the plus side, strawberries are less expensive. They must be back in season again. I'm glad I do this only once a week. I don't enjoy shopping anymore.

Today was even warmer than yesterday. Even our sunrise walk with Dawn was fairly warm. By the time I took my long walk later in the day, the temperature was almost ninety degrees. I took my time, but I was tired. I don't know why I keep doing this. A long nap would have been preferable. I do need the exercise though. Without a long walk today, I probably would have gone back to bed after I finished grocery shopping.

I think I've been approved for the Axiom-1 launch although I haven't received any notification yet. I've started receiving mail from Axiom Space about pre and post launch press opportunities and I don't think I would be on this list if I wasn't approved. Hopefully I will get the official word soon. It's time to start making travel arrangements.

The rescue group is taking part in a shoe drive for charity and Janet keeps asking if I have any shoes to donate. Do I have shoes? I looked today and was amazed at how many shoes I've never even worn. Where did all these shoes come from? I guess I used to like to buy shoes. Many of these shoes are really nice, but I doubt that I will ever wear them. Foot pain has really limited my choice of footwear. I should be able to make a nice donation. If I don't get rid of these things now, I'll have to face the fact that I've become a hoarder. I don't like the idea of being a hoarder, but I do have tendencies in that direction.

Dawn definitely seems friendlier toward me now. Maybe that week we spent together was good for us. I don't think that Dawn will ever be completely comfortable with men, but I'm glad she's finally starting to trust me. The puppy mill dogs must have had a terrible life, because Dawn isn't the only one who has taken a long time to adjust. I think Dawn has finally realized that being a little Diva isn't a bad life. This evening she barked at me to hurry up and fix her dinner even though Janet wasn't home. For Dawn, that's getting pretty bold.

I think the eagles have gone for good. I look for them every day but I haven't seen either of the birds in weeks. Probably losing a nest with eggs in it was a traumatic event. I've noticed that a lot of the pelicans have disappeared as well. It's probably time for them to migrate wherever they go in the Summer. When the pelicans leave the purple martins start to arrive. Now that it is officially Spring, I'll probably start seeing baby ducks soon. I'll never be a birder, but becoming familiar with the birds in the park has made my walks more interesting.

It's time for Dawn's Sunday outing again. I'm really comfortable doing the same things over and over again. It's the new stuff that bothers me. 

Bubba is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4455

I didn't pay enough attention to the weather this morning. I decided to take my long walk early and didn't even get to the end of the street before it suddenly started pouring rain. I quickly turned around and headed home, but it was too late. I was soaking wet. This was a strange little downpour. It didn't last long and it seemed to have been timed specifically to get me wet. It wasn't raining earlier when we took Dawn on her morning walk. And it wasn't raining later when we took her on her Sunday outing.

While my clothes were drying, I thought I might as well make use of my time, so I reluctantly started working on my taxes. While I was preparing my Quickbooks files for my accountant I noticed that my expenses had gone up in almost every category. Even though I drove less in 2021 I paid more for gas. Annual utility bills were considerably higher. Company expenses were about the only thing that went down. Makes sense I guess. I didn't have any business.

I've heard that our unseasonably warm weather is about to end. It got up to 80 degrees again today but tomorrow's high is supposed to only be in the mid-fifties. Later in the week we will be taking our morning walks in freezing weather again. This is basically par for the course. Almost every year we have a late freeze that kills all the early blooming flowers. Despite the odd weather, Spring is definitely getting closer. Things are starting to turn green in the park. It won't be too long before I start seeing baby ducks.

Dawn enjoyed her Sunday outing today. Maybe I was imagining things but she even seemed calmer in the car. I must have been feeling better too, because for the first time in over a month I was able to keep up with Dawn and Janet. My feet didn't bother me much today and I was able to make another attempt at my long walk later in the day after we returned home. We all enjoyed our ice cream cones today. A walk with Dawn followed by ice cream has become a Sunday tradition.

Basically all I did today was walk and do a little work on my taxes. I've had three 20,000 step days in a row now. That's not too shabby for a guy who can barely move when he gets up in the morning. I'm still not sure why my foot pain varies so much from day to day. Based on what is actually going on with my bones, you'd think the discomfort would be more or less constant. Maybe there is something to the old adage of mind over matter. I do tend to feel a little better on days when I'm in a good mood.

I'm about as anti-war as you can get, but it still bothers me that we aren't doing more to help the Ukrainians. At the very least, these guys should have iron dome defense shields around their cities like the Israelis do and  A-10 fighters to take care of the columns of Russian tanks and armored vehicles. Why was it OK for the United States to go into Iraq when virtually none of the locals wanted us there, but it is not OK to get involved with the Ukrainians when they are begging for our help? Yeah, I know the answer is Putin's nukes, but he still needs to be stopped.

Three of the four puppy mill Dalmatians will be at the kennel when we go to visit tomorrow. I can't wait to meet them. None of the dogs are ready for adoption yet, but I will take their pictures for the website anyway. I saw a few pictures of the dogs that were taken while they were at the vet. One of them looks a lot like Dawn. There certainly seems to be a family resemblance. I wonder if she could have been one of Dawn's puppies?

Anne is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4454

My grocery list was long this morning. Prices are still going up. It's not just a few cents anymore either. Most of the items I got today were at least a dollar higher than the last time I bought them. I don't really know who to blame here. Companies are facing a host of problems they never had to deal with before. There is a shortage of workers. Supply chain problems make it harder to get components to the factories and finished goods to the consumer. It's pretty clear that Covid has messed up everything. On the other hand, I think a lot of companies are taking advantage of the situation and raising prices just because they've got a good excuse now. I want prices to stay reasonable but I also want a healthy stock market because I depend on it for a retirement income. Why do I have a feeling that I'm not going to be able to have both.

It was quite warm today. We didn't even have to wear jackets on our morning walk with Dawn. I don't call this a sunrise walk anymore because the sun is rising earlier now. Lately, it's almost always been up by the time we get started on our walk. Unfortunately, this is going to change in a few weeks. Daylight Savings Time begins again on March 13. I don't think anyone likes the time change but like everything else in modern life we are divided on whether to make Standard Time permanent or Daylight Savings Time permanent. My vote would be to make Standard Time permanent. I've never liked Daylight Savings Time and am not looking forward to walking in the dark again.

For some reason my pace was a lot better on my long walk today. I completed my walk at least five minutes faster than I usually do. Not a lot has changed. I still wake up tired and I have foot pain, although it wasn't all that bad today. Maybe I walked faster because it was so warm that I wore shorts today. I don't see a lot of cold weather in the long range forecast so maybe we really will get an early Spring this year. I hope we do. I'm tired of freezing weather and wearing multiple coats in the morning.

I wonder when my seasonal allergies are going to stop. My nose feels red and raw now, but the drip is relentless. Years ago my allergies didn't start until everything started turning green in the Spring. That hasn't happened yet, so maybe the worst is yet to come. There's got to be a solution to this that doesn't involve taking Allegra-D or other powerful decongestants. I don't handle decongestants well, but lately I think I'd prefer the buzzing in the head they give me to a constantly dripping nose.

I had the best intentions to start working on my taxes today, but one thing led to another and I ended up doing nothing. I'll get this finished before the deadline, but I have no desire to deal with taxes this year. I know I'm procrastinating but procrastinating is one of the things I do best. It's almost a superpower. I tend to wait until the last possible minute on everything and somehow still manage to get things done just in the nick of time.

I think I'm making a little progress with Dawn. She comes to me in the mornings now to get her harness on for her walk. About half the time, she'll stay with me on the bed if I take a nap during the day. She's more likely to stay if I don't look at her though. If I turn away and sleep on my side, she usually stays. She's getting a lot bolder in the kitchen too. I don't think that has a lot to do with me. Dawn just loves food.

It looks like we'll have a nice Sunday outing tomorrow as long as it doesn't rain. There's a slight chance of rain but the temperature will certainly be nice. Here's hoping for sunshine and ice cream for all.

Rory is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4450

Dawn got a bath today. It seemed like a good day for a bath since it was unseasonably warm. Also Dawn has been rolling in what is left of the backyard grass a lot and was getting pretty dirty. It's hard to keep the bed clean when a dirty dog likes to spend the day there. Dawn goes into full tilt drama queen mode when we go to the self-bathe place. She hates getting a bath. All our dogs have been this way even though they feel better afterwards. I guess I understand. I've gotten to the point where I don't like getting wet either.

It's hard to believe the weather we've been having. Every day is completely different. Today it got up to 80 degrees. The air conditioner in our house came on and I wore a t-shirt on my long walk. I probably should have worn shorts. We have had years where it snowed on the 1st of March. This definitely wasn't one of them.

I thought my little WiFi hotspot was going to go dead today, but I tried it and it still worked. I re-read the letter I got from T-Mobile and it turns out that they aren't discontinuing 3G service until July. I'm a little confused why I even got the letter. I always thought my hotspot was a 4G device. I wonder if I even need the hotspot anymore. It was useful when I traveled a lot, but those days might be over. I probably still need some sort of alternate way to connect to the Internet though. We still get the occasional power outage.

Today was not a good day for foot pain. My discomfort seems to vary just as much as the weather. Maybe I overdid it yesterday.  Who knows. At any rate I had to cut my walk short this afternoon. It was a shame because it was such a nice day. I was able to complete three miles, but just barely. I really need to order some Hoka boots even if they have discontinued the style I really wanted. I'm not even sure the boots will help, but if I get them I will feel like I'm making an effort.

It looks like we have four new dogs in the Dalmatian Rescue program. Janet heard that the dogs arrived today. They are all at the vet now getting checked out. Depending on their condition, they will probably be at the kennel sometime next week. We haven't had this many dogs in the program for quite a while. I'm looking forward to meeting the new guys. There will be lots of pictures that will need to be taken.

There's a new study out that says daily walks may significantly reduce the risk of Alzheimer's. This is good news for me. I walk so much that my brain may actually be improving. On the downside, my feet are probably getting ruined. I guess you've got to pick your poison. If I were still lifting weights at the gym I'm be ruining my knees and shoulders instead. I don't know how I ever used to be able to walk Dot and Dash at the same time. When they were young they were a handful. Now, I'm always telling Dawn to slow down because I have a hard time keeping up with her. I still believe that you've got to keep moving even if that means moving a lot slower.

It's hard to believe it's March already. February went by in a flash. I hope we have an early Spring. After today's nice weather, it would be a shame to see Winter return. You never know about March though. Anything can happen in March.

Lucky is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4442

We met Willie today. This delightful three year old male came to Dalmatian Rescue from animal control in a nearby city. It always seems strange to me that such a nice dog could wind up abandoned or stray but it happens a lot. I don't know a lot about Willie's history, but I think it's safe to say that his future will be a lot better than his past.

With four Dalmatians at the kennel now, we're spending more time playing with the dogs. Jo Jo has adjusted to his new surroundings well. Oliver is recovering from an eye infection. We helped the kennel staff give him eye drops which was a lot harder than I thought. Oliver wouldn't stay still and had no interest in the drops. Charlie continues to amaze me at how well trained he's become. This is a good group of dogs and we enjoy spending time with them.

It was so warm today that the air conditioner came on for a while. It's almost impossible to plan for this weather. Every day is something new. There was a light mist when we took our sunrise walk this morning, but the sun came out later in the day. Amazingly, the temperature topped 80 degrees this afternoon. Apparently there are still more surprises to come. We are under a severe thunderstorm alert now with storms arriving in the area later tonight. I'm really getting tired of this schizophrenic weather.

I'm also getting tired of my foot problems. I investigated some alternative treatments offered by sports medicine specialists this afternoon. One involved injections of bone marrow concentrate and the other treated you using stem cells. Both procedures looked a little sketchy to me, but what do I know. I'm in no hurry to do something stupid. I'll ask my doctor about these alternative treatments the next time I see him.

The foot pain has definitely put a damper on my long walks. I didn't even get close to 20,000 steps today. We typically walk about a mile and a half with Dawn in the morning and I walked another two miles after we returned from the kennel. That was plenty. I don't think new shoes are going to be a magic bullet at this point. The cartilage between the bones in my feet is wearing out and I haven't heard of many effective ways to replace it.

Traffic has gotten so bad in the city now. When we are driving back and forth to the kennel it seems like a completely different place than it used to. Rush hour seems permanent now. Where are all these new people coming from? I guess there are still a lot of job opportunities in Dallas. I've never seen so many out of state plates.

My repairs to the problematic French toilet didn't go so well. I'm already hearing a drip again. I wish things would stay fixed. Every time I hear a strange noise in the kitchen or utility room I think I'm going to have to make another call to the appliance repairman. I'm nervous about finishing repairs to the living room ceiling as well. I know that as soon as I get things looking nice again, the roof leak will reappear.

I'm continuing to watch the weather radar. The storm is closer to us now. It looks like the worst weather will be to the north of us, but we're definitely going to get some rain. Let's just hope the roof doesn't start leaking while we're asleep.

Lizzy is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4387

I paid my property taxes today. I think that pretty much takes care of 2021 for me. I'm done. Maybe we'll stay up on Friday night and welcome the new year with a glass of champagne. Maybe not though. Lately, we've both been falling asleep before midnight. I hope there are still things to look forward to in the year ahead. I'm having trouble getting excited about anything these days. I'll try to rekindle my interest in rockets and astronomy, but that's going to require travel. Traveling in a world filled with Covid restrictions has lost a lot of its luster. 

Until then I'll just keep walking. I'm lucky to live by a beautiful lake. I don't feel like walking anywhere new. The old familiar trails seem fine to me. I've been walking around this lake for thirty years. I find it interesting to watch how things change slowly over time. Flowing water carves gullies into the earth. Old trees die and eventually start to rot. Animal habitats change. I wish the park were quieter. The place seemed a lot more silent years ago. Now it's hard to escape the sound of leaf blowers and police sirens. At least there are no outboard motors. Only sailboats are allowed on this lake.

I saw two White Pelicans today. I have no idea where the rest of them went. It's hard to hide a hundred Pelicans. All the Double Crested Cormorants are gone as well. I hear the Monk Parakeets occasionally, but I haven't seen them in weeks. I have no idea where the two Bald Eagles are hiding. They are supposed to be nesting nearby, but they remain illusive. The most reliable birds on my walk are two large Muscovy Ducks who seem to have established a permanent residence under a picnic table. I see these two every day.

I still haven't used the new star tracker that I spent most of December waiting for. It remains sitting in the box. The software that controls this thing is evidently still going through a lot of changes, so maybe it would be wise to wait. Kickstarter backers got this product first, before it goes on the market. I think we are the beta testers. I read the support group for the product regularly and people much smarter than me are still having problems getting their units to work. I'm in no hurry. Maybe I'll see if I can get Sky & Telescope interested in an article about backing a new astronomy product. It's an interesting story and it definitely isn't over yet.

I'm still making progress with Dawn. The progress is slow but I can feel a difference. She comes when I call occasionally now. I used to have to put her on a leash to take her outside to pee, but typically all I have to do now is say "Dawn, let's go outside." She's very friendly with me early in the mornings. Later in the day, not so much. Janet is going on a cruise with her family next year, so we've still got a lot of work to do. Dawn needs to trust me if I'm going to be taking care of her myself. It's still a work in progress, but things are improving. Maybe some day we will be best buddies.

It's strange to be wearing shorts and a t-shirt in late December, but I'm happy for the warmer weather. I know it won't last. A heat wave in December is much nicer than a heat wave in July. Temperatures are supposed to drop below freezing again this weekend unfortunately. At least there is no snow in the forecast. I'm never happy with the weather. When it's cold I wish it were warmer. When it's hot I wish it were cooler.

I have no plans for tomorrow. I didn't have much of a plan for today. I think you'll agree that blog posts are more interesting when I have a plan.

Dot & Petey are today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4383

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas. There were lots of people walking in the park today and many of them wished me a Merry Christmas. Traffic was lighter as well. If you haven't finished shopping for gifts by now, you're probably too late. There were even fewer people in the grocery stores. I did my weekly shopping today because most stores will be closed tomorrow.

I continued the search for my lost package and thought I got lucky for a minute when one of the Fedex call center representatives gave me the private phone number of the local distribution center. When I called the number, the people I talked to were friendly and actually tried to help me find my package. I was amazed. I thought I hit pay dirt when one lady told me that she had tracked the package down to a trailer on the dock waiting to be unloaded. She said her shift would be over before the trailer could be unloaded, but that I should call back later and someone else would help me. The trailer eventually did get unloaded but the contents were immediately loaded on another truck that was headed out to make deliveries. Needless to say, the package didn't get delivered. My package is still lost. I do think I'm getting closer now, but nobody I've talked to has seen or physically touched the illusive package yet.

I'm going to have to wait until Monday to resume my search because the Fedex distribution center and the Fedex Office Center that was supposed to hold the package for me are both closed for the holidays now. The last person I talked with at the distribution center told me that he would put a "trap" on the package so that it couldn't leave the distribution center again. He was optimistic that I could pick it up on Monday. Ironically, the distribution center is fairly close to my house. I could have easily driven there in twelve minutes and picked up the package earlier in the week if anyone had told me it was there. I wish I had discovered this local phone number earlier. I'm going to chalk this whole episode up to another lesson in patience. I'm not a very patient person. Maybe I need to be.

The weatherman was right about our Christmas heat wave. Today was pleasant, but much warmer than you'd expect for Christmas Eve. I didn't need a jacket today at all and took my walks wearing shorts and a t-shirt. It is supposed to be even warmer tomorrow and might set a new record for Christmas Day. Dawn certainly enjoyed the weather. She lounged on her rug in the back yard for a while and took two walks with Janet and I. With the exception of my Fedex frustrations, it was a pretty nice day.

We're getting older so there aren't a ton of presents under the tree, but we are planning a delicious Christmas dinner. Janet has a great recipe for Crown Roast which has always been one of our favorites. Dawn gets a special treat as well. There's a package from Devon under the tree. Devon's Doggie Delights are the world's best dog treats and they've become a tradition in many Dalmatian households. Dot and Dash loved these things. I'm sure Dawn will as well.

I need to quit fretting about my missing star tracker and just enjoy a relaxing Christmas. The weather looks like it is going to be great. We'll take a Christmas walk with Dawn, enjoy a delicious meal, and maybe watch a movie. The James Webb Space Telescope is supposed to launch from French Guiana tomorrow and I think there's a new episode of The Expanse to watch as well if I run out of things to do. It should be a nice Christmas.

Dash is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4127

It's Monday again. We got another Kong football for Charlie and Cooper to replace the one that got destroyed. Both dogs love to fetch and catch things and have boundless energy. They were delighted with their new toy. Charlie and Cooper are smart, very athletic, and I keep thinking that they would respond well to agility training. I keep hoping that one of these days when we visit the kennel, we'll discover that at least one of them has found their forever home.

I was expecting rain today. We were under a severe weather forecast for a while but nothing materialized. I'm glad when that happens. At this time of year storms can pop up out of nowhere. Sometimes they disappear quickly as well. By the time I took my long walk, I wasn't worried about rain at all. I was more worried about getting a sunburn. Today was very hot for early April.

I decided to upgrade my laptop and install an operating system that will run the astrophotography processing software I need. Step one is to replace the current 4 GB of memory with 16 GB of memory. This is an easy upgrade and I wish I'd done it earlier. Every time I remove the tiny screws that secure the back of the computer in place, I'm afraid I'm going to strip the threads. Apple won't sell you replacement screws. If I am successful at adding the additional memory, I'll create two partitions on the hard drive with a separate system on each. In theory these dual boot systems are easy to create and quite safe to use. I still worry that I'll, screw something up though. I've certainly done that before.

After I ordered two 8 GB memory sticks, I found a replacement for the video component that I accidentally threw away a few months ago and ordered that as well. I may never use this gear, but I hate not having it. I also feel stupid for throwing something away in what I thought was an empty box. The New York audio shop where I found the part told me that had only one left. Everybody tells you that they only have one left these days. The star tracker people told me that they only had one unit left as well. I guess these guys know what they are doing. This psychology certainly works with me. I'm usually the first to buy the last available widget.

I seem to feel perpetually tired these days. Sometimes I wonder if I might have had Covid and never even realized it. Since literally everything under the sun is a potential side effect from Covid, it's pretty easy to attribute anything abnormal to the disease. Probably, I'm just getting old. Trust me, 70 is a lot different than 40. My joints are toast, but I'm going to continue walking and probably even return to the gym. I'm convinced that you start to go downhill the minute you stop being active.

I have a feeling that I may be able to postpone any further furnace repairs until next Fall. This morning when I woke up I heard the air conditioner instead of the furnace. The temperature was in the high eighties today. Our gas bill will go down for a while, but our electric bill will go through the ceiling this Summer. We have a very small house and I can only imagine what all the people in the huge houses that are popping up all over the neighborhood pay for electricity.

Dawn doesn't like me to be in the kitchen with her so I've started going back to the office after I fix her meals. This seems to work and it is much easier than trying to figure out what is going through her head. Dawn is my buddy when we are hanging out on the bed together. She's scared of me in the kitchen though and won't come in the office at all. Go figure. All is fine when we're outdoors. Dawn loves being outdoors when the weather is nice. Dogs are just as complicated as people. Luckily they are nicer than most people.

Nellie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4087

I'm still battling seasonal allergies. I went to the pharmacy this morning for a different kind of allergy medicine. I'd been taking Allegra, but a friend told me that I really needed Allegra-D. What's the difference, I thought. The first kind is available over the counter and the second kind you have to ask the pharmacist for after showing him your driver's license and registering with the DEA. What's the big deal with adding a decongestant to this allergy medicine, I asked the pharmacist? Well, you can use this stuff to make meth, he told me. I guess I've led a sheltered life. This was news to me. Allegra-D was also more expensive than the regular Allegra. We'll see if it works. If this stuff can stop my runny nose, it's worth it.

My feet hurt and my nose is running like a faucet, but I can't even feel my second Covid shot. I've had no reaction to the vaccine at all. This is pretty typical. I don't think I've had much of a reaction to any vaccine I've taken. One thing Janet and I both noticed was that that there didn't seem to be much vaccine in the syringe. The needle was very small and the injection just seemed to take a second or two. This was quite different from the Shingles vaccine we'd taken earlier in the year. The Shingles vaccine syringe was quite large and the injection seemed to take forever. At any rate, I hope this stuff works. I've already written my editor at SpaceFlight Magazine and told him I'm ready to travel again.

Our weather continues to be unseasonably warm. I was able to wear a t-shirt on my long walk again and was actually hot by the time I returned home. Dawn enjoyed her shorter walk but she's started eating grass again. Why do dogs like to eat grass? All our dogs have eaten grass at one point or another. Does this mean they are deficient in some nutrient or do they just like the taste? Dawn will only eat a particular type of grass, but there seems to be a lot of it in the park.

I watched the SN10 Starship test flight this afternoon on the Boca Chica live feed. This time the rocket seemed to work perfectly and was able to make a soft landing on the pad. After sitting on the pad for about five minutes, it inexplicably blew up. What was that all about? Was this something Space X did on purpose to test the flight termination device? Did the rocket make a hard landing and damage an engine? Was it cheaper to blow the rocket up than to disassemble it later? Nobody seems to know, but there is a lot of wild speculation. People who like Space X say the test was 99.9% successful. People who don't like Space X say the test was a failure and that the Starship design is flawed. Why am I not surprised that people can't seem to agree on anything.

I just read the fine print on the Allegra-D box. It says not to take the stuff if you have high blood pressure, diabetes, an enlarged prostate, or have difficulty swallowing. Wouldn't it have been easier to just say not to take the pill if you were old? There is also a warning not to take the pills with fruit juice. Hmm. I wonder if my morning smoothie counts as fruit juice?  Maybe I ought to talk to my doctor before taking this stuff. I've never run into a pill that my doctor didn't like, but there's a first time for everything.

I've really got to get started working on my taxes tomorrow. I've run out of excuses and I'm running out of time. I guess it's either the taxes or raking leaves. I'm running out of excuses to finish with the leaves as well. No wonder I'm so eager to leave town and go to a rocket launch.

Maggie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day