Day 4666

The refrigerator is working properly again. I was amazed at how quickly the metal exterior cooled down after the compressor fan was installed. Hopefully the compressor wasn't damaged by running too hot for over a month. We'll see. The technician fixed the in-door water dispenser too. We seldom use this, but it's nice to have it if we need it. Several years ago we read a report that city water in our part of town was contaminated and we've been drinking bottled water ever since. I imagine the water supply problem was fixed a long time ago, but I'll stick with the bottled water.

I was thinking about just getting a new dryer instead of replacing the failing belt drive. Then I checked washer and dryer prices. Like everything else, dryers have gotten much more expensive. I thought that dryers were still the least expensive major appliance. Not anymore.  Oh, well. I guess I'll fix the dryer next month. I've spent enough on repairs this month.

The weather continues to be near perfect. I had to wear a warmer jacket on our sunrise walk with Dawn because the temperature was only in the mis-50's. Sadly, the web worms haven't completely gone away. I found a few on my clothing when we returned home this morning. The park is very quiet on Monday morning. I wonder if anyone works on Monday anymore? The before work runners and cyclists don't start appearing until Tuesday morning. 

Since I had to wait around for the appliance repairman this morning I didn't take a walk in the park. After the repairs were finished I went to the bank and then to the gym. Janet doesn't like me in the house while she's cleaning, so this worked out well for everyone. I wonder how my gym stays in business. It's a huge facility and there are always only a small handful of people there when I go for workouts. Maybe the place fills up before and after work, but it was just about empty at 2 PM.

I took my iPhone case apart and cleaned it this afternoon. The case is supposed to be completely sealed against the elements, so I can't figure out how so much gunk gets inside. The phone doesn't work any better, but the screen is much clearer now. I wonder if it's time to get a new phone. There's nothing wrong with my SE but it is so old now that it won't run IOS 16. Since I can't upgrade the phone, I can't upgrade my watch either. Apple used to be a lot better at supporting older equipment. Now they just don't care. 

Janet wanted me to test some batteries for her today. I know I have a battery tester somewhere, but I had no luck in finding it. This happens a lot lately. I'll look for something in the last place I remember storing it and all I'll find is a stack of junk piled on top of other junk. Where did all this stuff come from. I used to be so neat and orderly. Now I need to go buy a new battery tester but there is no longer a Fry's Electronics store in our town. Fry's is where I always used to go for this type of stuff. Just about all my go-to stores have disappeared. You've got to order things on Amazon now.

I don't have any plans for tomorrow but you can probably guess what I'll be doing. I really need to find a few new interests.

Hobbs is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4665

I did a lot of walking today. 20,000 step days are becoming increasing rare, but I had another one today. The weather was just about perfect and I certainly didn't have anything better to do. There was no need to go mall walking this morning. It was much nicer to be outside.

We had to share the trails with a bunch of runners on our sunrise walk. A local running group was having a race. We probably should have started our walk earlier, but we typically walk later on weekends. Even though we are both retired, we still seem to differentiate between weekdays and weekends. Walking with Dawn is much more enjoyable when the park is empty. She loves to smell things and will wander right in front of passing runners and bicycles if we aren't watching carefully. Janet ordered some little clip-on lights so bicycles won't run over us when we are walking in the dark. Neither of us are a big fan of bicycles.

The park was more enjoyable when I took my long walk after breakfast. The runners were gone and all that was left of the race were a few volunteers cleaning up. Surprisingly, my feet didn't hurt very bad today. I maintained a fairly good pace for my entire walk. I'm still having problems with seasonal allergies, but they weren't as bad today. The air was clean and the humidity was much lower than it was a month ago. I can tell the humidity is lower because I don't have to empty the dehumidifier as often. During the summer I had to empty the water bucket twice a day. Now it takes the entire day to fill with water.

Dawn got a nice Sunday outing today. Since the temperature was cool all day we were able to walk a full mile at her Sunday park. Dawn likes to eat grass and we've had to be careful and keep her away from tall grass in these parks lately. The city has been trying to eradicate the Johnson Grass that has overrun the native prairies in the area and they've been selectively applying herbicide to the Johnson Grass. When I first started seeing the tractors applying the herbicide, I thought they would kill everything. Whatever they are using appears to be very selective. Only the Johnson Grass appears to be dying.

After we made our trip to the ice cream store and headed home, I tested the washing machine. I'm happy to report that is is working normally again. Even the clothes seem to be a little cleaner. The only downside to cleaning out the drain filter is that the machine drains more rapidly now. Sometimes the floor drain overflows now and I've had to plug it again. I stuff a cloth down the floor drain pipe so that condensation from the AC can still drip through the pipe, while backflow from the washing machine drain is greatly reduced. I wouldn't have these problems if the builders of this house had put in three inch drain lines instead of two inch pipes. A two inch drain is just too small for modern appliances.

Dawn is still weird about being in the house with me when Janet is gone. When I try to take a nap in the bedroom, she hops off the bed and goes out to the hallway by the front door and whines until I leave the room. I've started napping on the couch in the living room because it just makes life easier. I don't think Dawn is ever going to change. She is nervous about everything and doesn't feel safe when Janet isn't around. When Janet is here, Dawn actually seems to like me. I'm OK with all this. Dawn had a very rough life before we adopted her. I'm sure she has a doggie version of PTSD.

Tomorrow the appliance repairman returns to fix the refrigerator. This is basically preventative maintenance since the refrigerator works just fine now. The warm to the touch metal exterior is a bad sign though. If we don't replace the fan that cools the compressor, it could fail at any time. It could still fail even with a new fan, but I'd like to keep this thing running as long as possible. Modern refrigerators keep getting larger and it is almost impossible to find a replacement that will fit into the designated refrigerator slot in our kitchen.

I didn't see any little green web worms today. I did see a lot of dead Hackberry trees in the park though. Maybe the worms have finally eaten their way through their food supply and died.

Bailey is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4664

One down, two to go. The repairman came out today and fixed the washing machine. At least I think it is fixed. The drain filter was clogged with debris and after it was cleaned out, water drained from the machine at a much faster rate. I think everything is fine, but I'll do a load of laundry tomorrow just to make sure. If there are any problems, the repairman is coming back on Monday. I've still got the refrigerator and the dryer to fix. A fan has broken on the refrigerator which is causing the compressor to overheat. I was wondering why parts of the exterior were warm to the touch. Evidently the entire refrigerator is acting like a heat sink to dissipate the heat from the compressor. The funny noise the dryer is making is caused by a failing belt drive. Janet says it would be cheaper just to replace these appliances. She's probably right.

We had a pleasant sunrise walk with Dawn this morning. It was only 54 degrees when we woke up. I actually should have worn a warmer jacket. It was definitely chilly outside. I'm finally learning which trees to avoid in the park now. The little green web worms are everywhere. I wonder why they are so bad this year? I've seen these things before, but this time it's different. It feels like we have a major infestation of these things.

I feel like I spent most of the day waiting for the appliance repairman. He actually came to the house twice. The second trip was necessary because he forgot a tool that he needed. The repairman told me that many washing machines have a convent access panel that makes it easy for users to clean out the drain filter. Not my machine. You have to tear apart the entire machine to gain access to the hidden filter. They couldn't have made it any more difficult to service if they tried. Maybe I won't have to do this again. The machine is fairly old and I don't recall ever cleaning this filter before. The dog hair alone that this machine has seen over the years is probably enough to clog anything.

I did get my grocery shopping done today, but I spent so much time waiting for the repairman that there wasn't time to go to the gym or take a long walk. I did manage to get at least 10,000 steps though by taking a short sunset walk after dinner. I don't know why I've become obsessed with getting my steps. I walk when I travel. I walk on rainy days. I even walk when I'm feeling sick. Occasionally I am able to rack up over 20,000 steps in a day, but 10,000 steps is my minimum. I think one of the days when I was hospitalized at Baylor was the last time I missed this daily goal. I've almost completed a full year of 10,000 step days with at least fifty 20,000 step days. Who knows if this is the secret to health and longevity, but I prefer to think that it makes a difference.

Hard to believe it's October already. Where has this year gone? I don't think I've accomplished anything signifiant this year but I do keep moving. I don't think Artemis is going to be ready to launch again until late November. This gives me something to plan for.

Tori is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4663

Today was busy. It was chilly this morning on our sunrise walk. It was only 63 degrees and I definitely needed a light jacket. I also needed a stick to brush the web worms away as we made out way down toward the lake. I'll be glad when these little green worms disappear. They've really become a nuisance.

After breakfast I did a few minor chores around the house while I was waiting to leave for my haircut appointment. My hair is thinner now but it still grows fast. It doesn't seem that long since my last haircut. I usually get a haircut before any major trip, but I won't be going anywhere for a while. There are several interesting launches next month, but I didn't apply for credentials. It's just as well that I won't be going anywhere soon. I've got too many bills to pay.

On the way home from my haircut appointment I stopped at the gym. It was cool enough to walk outdoors today, but the gym turned out to be more convenient. I was fairly terrible on the basketball court, but I was actually faster on the indoor track today. It still seems like my performance should be more consistent, but it never is. Some days I do well and other days I don't.

I did some of my grocery shopping today because I'm not sure how long the washing machine repairs will take tomorrow. I hope that no parts are needed for this repair because that always requires a second visit. I really want to avoid going to the laundromat. Hopefully, the problem is minor. According to the error code on the machine there is just a clogged drain filter.  I need to learn how to fix this myself. I'm tired of paying technicians to do things that turn out to be very easy.

The State Fair of Texas opened today. We usually go to the fair, but I'm not sure if we'll go this year. I can't even remember if we went last year. It might have still been closed due to Covid. Somewhere on the fairgrounds there is a brick walkway where you can purchase bricks with your name on them. Years ago we bought some bricks in memory of our first Dalmatian. Whenever we go to the fair, it is always a challenge to find these bricks. They're still there but it is surprisingly difficult to locate them. We used to walk Spot in Fair Park every weekend, but the city was different then. The city felt much safer twenty years ago. I'm not sure I'd want to walk in this park during off season anymore.

I hope the appliance technician is on time tomorrow. I hate waiting for repair people. They usually give you a four hour window and then show up about an hour after the window has expired. The utility room where we keep the washer and dryer is very small. I always have to move a ton of stuff out of the room before a service call to give the technician room to work. I'm not even sure how we got these appliances into this room now. It doesn't seem like they should fit.

I hope the rescue Dalmatians are doing well. We haven't seen them in quite a while. I think they will be moving to another kennel later this Fall where we can visit again. I wonder if they will remember us?

Thelma is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4662

Today was disappointing. The rent has gone up again on my storage unit and the washing machine broke. The storage warehouse increases rates every year. All storage warehouses do this. This is why I moved several years ago. Now my rent is even more than it was at the last storage warehouse when it became too expensive. I hate to move again because it is a giant pain. Janet says I ought to just throw everything in the storage unit away. That's not easy for me either.

The irritating thing about the washing machine is that I may have caused the problem myself. I decided to wash the hat I always wear when I walk in the park. The old hat was filthy. I was going to put the hat inside a lingerie bag but I couldn't find one, so I just threw it in with the rest of the laundry. I was kind of worried that the bill of the ball cap might get bent by throwing it in the washer, but I never thought the whole hat would fall apart. When the washer stopped in mid-cycle with an error code that indicated a clogged filter, I unloaded the soggy wash and discovered that parts of the hat had completely disappeared. Who knows how this happened but I bet those missing pieces are stuck in the machine's filter. I'd clean the filter myself if it were accessible. It's buried away inside the machine somewhere. I called the appliance repair shop but my favorite technician doesn't work there anymore. Hopefully whoever replaced him knows what they are doing. It's always something. I was dreading the annual maintenance costs for my car and now I've got an appliance repair bill on top of that.

The web worms in the park keep getting worse. Janet and I have to check each others clothing after our sunrise walk to make sure we aren't bringing any of the little green worms inside with us. Typically a few worms escape our scrutiny and I'll see them crawling on my shirt while I'm eating breakfast. They say the infestation should be over in two or three weeks. It won't come a minute too soon.

I don't know how the people in Florida can handle all the devastation they are currently facing. I think the worst that has ever happened at our house was a broken water pipe under our concrete slab that flooded the AC vents under the floor. A tree fell on our house once, but it didn't do any real damage. It's a good thing we've been lucky because I don't handle major problems well. I get the problems fixed, but they put me in a bad mood for weeks. Even something as minor as a broken washing machine can ruin my day.

At least the weather was nice today. It's easy to avoid the web worms when I'm taking my long walk in the park, but it's dark when we take Dawn on her sunrise walk and she often leads us right through them. Dawn is a creature of habit and it's easier to walk through the web worms than it is to get her to take a new route. I wasn't very fast on my walk this morning. My feet are slowing me down again. I think the recurring foot pain is going to be around forever. It's not bad enough to stop walking, but it sure is irritating. 

For some reason Southwest Airlines has only refunded half my airfare from the canceled Florida flights. I did change my reservation from September 27 to October 2, but I didn't think that would complicate a refund. I suspect that the rest of the money will turn up in a few days, but today the missing funds were just one more source of irritation.

I finally tested the remote shutter app for the Olympus camera. It works, but is not nearly as convenient as the remote shutter app for the Panasonic camera. Both of these apps connect to the camera using WiFi, but it's not easy to get the Olympus camera to connect. I guess I'll keep using the Panasonic camera for rocket launches.

I've taken this week's trash out to the curb and I've got an appointment for a haircut tomorrow. Getting a haircut usually puts me in a good mood for a while. I could have used a haircut today.

Sweet Pea is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4661

I'm glad I'm not in Florida now. Ian is really a terrible storm. I was listening to the weather channel this morning and one of the reporters said "I don't know how we're going to get out of here when this is over. We all have rental cars and our cars got swept away." The storm looks like it is headed straight toward Orlando now. Whenever I do return, I have a feeling that rental cars are going to be in short supply. I hope there is no serious damage at the space center. All upcoming launches, including Crew-5 have been postponed.

The weather was beautiful here in Dallas. We had another enjoyable sunrise walk with Dawn. I've really got to watch out for those little green worms. They're everywhere. Even when I tried my best to avoid them, I found a few on my jacket when I returned home. I'm glad we don't have any Hackberry trees. These things seems to be killing Hackberry trees in the park.

I was mesmerized by the hurricane coverage on TV while I was eating breakfast. Whenever there is a hurricane, I wonder why people continue to live on the beach. You are basically a sitting duck when you live on the beach and a hurricane is headed your way. I guess you are a sitting duck when a tornado is headed your way as well, but tornados are much smaller. If there's a tornado in the area, chances are reasonably good that it will miss you. Since  it was still cool outside after breakfast, I took another long walk in the park. It's really starting to feel like Fall. The trees are starting to turn and the days are noticeably cooler. I like Fall. The only trouble with this season is that it doesn't last very long. I hope I can stop mowing the grass soon. I've never liked mowing the grass.

Several people have reported seeing eagles in the park again. I keep looking for them on my walks but haven't seen anything. I guess I shouldn't be surprised. It took me a long time to spot the two eagles the first time they arrived at the park. I'm not even sure these are the same eagles, or if there are any eagles at all. Somebody could have easily just posted an old picture on Facebook just to stir things up. I'll keep watching though. I'd still like to get some really good pictures.

I guess I need to take my car in for service. The "service required" light is still showing on my dashboard and it's starting to irritate me. I've grown to hate these annual Land Rover service visits. There never seems to be anything wrong with the car, but they always seem to find something very expensive that needs immediate attention. I'd like a car that never needed attention. I'd like a house that never needed attention as well. I've really grown tired of fixing things.

Dawn did well at training class tonight. She didn't win any ribbons this week, but Janet said her trainer thinks she is doing really well and wants her to move on the the advanced class.  I'm glad Dawn enjoys these classes. They are helping her become a normal dog.

Spanky is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4660

Not a lot happened today. It was still dark when we started our sunrise walk with Dawn. There were other people in the park, but you could only see the lights they wore. Some people carried flashlights. Others wore headlamps and some even put little lights on their shoes. A lot of dogs had lighted collers. We used to have a little red light that would clip on Dawn's collar, but it got lost on a walk over a year ago. You don't really need these lights very long. The predawn sky brightens quickly. I could see Orion in the South with Mars overhead and Jupiter setting in the West as we left the house. By the time we arrived home it was daylight.

I discovered where the little green worms were coming from this morning. There is a tree I often pass under on our morning walks with hundreds of the things dangling from thin weblike threads. I must have walked through this mess the other day and didn't even realize it. Evidently the city is infested with these little green caterpillars this Fall. They seem to favor Hackberry trees.

The temperature was nice and cool today, so I took my long walk instead of going to the gym. Our Fall typically doesn't last very long, but I hope this weather continues. It's rare that the temperature is just right in Texas. Today was perfect. I could walk without getting hot and sweaty, but I didn't need a coat either.

It doesn't look like there is going to be an Artemis launch until mid to late November, but I still feel compelled to check on the rocket every day. Overnight they rolled the rocket back to the Vertical Assembly Building where it is safely stowed away. With the hurricane's path moving to the East, there is a chance that the storm will pass directly over the space center now. By the time Ian reaches the space coast it will be a lot weaker, but it will still be quite a storm. It's a good thing I'm not traveling to Florida this week. I've heard that they might even close the airport in Orlando soon.

My seasonal allergies keep getting worse. I'm not sure what causes these allergies, but it doesn't make any difference whether I'm indoors or out. Either way I'm always blowing my nose. The nasal congestion is irritating but I'm used to it by now. I've had seasonal allergies for years. I really appreciate the few weeks each year when the allergies completely go away.

I was thinking about learning some new features on one of my cameras today, but when the time came, I had already lost interest. Modern digital cameras will do a lot of things that people like me seldom use. I basically shoot the same way I used to with my old Nikon film cameras. The only controls I use are shutter speed and f-stop. I wish manufacturers would invent a way to insure perfect focus at night. That's always a tricky one for me.

I wish Dawn would warm up to me. Janet was gone this afternoon and every time I came in the bedroom, Dawn would leave. We both like to nap. It's a shame that it's so hard to do this together. I don't think Dawn will ever completely trust men.

Sophie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day