Day 4686

Lots of walking today. We got up later this morning, so we didn't need to attach lights to our jackets for Dawn's morning walk. It was quite windy today. Maybe that is why there is rain in the forecast. Dawn enjoyed her walk, but I kind of felt like going back to bed. I got plenty of sleep last night, but apparently not enough.

We always have a big family breakfast on weekends. Dawn likes this because she gets more table scraps. She loves bacon. The temperature was still cool enough to go walking in the park after breakfast, but I decided to go to the mall instead. I enjoy walking in the mall before the stores open. The temperature is perfect and the filtered air never gives me any allergy problems. The floors are smooth and I don't have to worry about tripping over a loose stone. No snakes either.

There are three types of people who seem to enjoy mall walking. There are old people like me. There are families with small children. And there are young couples on a very cheap date. Maybe some of these people stay and buy stuff after the stores open. Not me. As the stores prepare to open, the place starts to fill up and I get a strong desire to leave. I've gotten used to seeing a line in front of the Apple Store as it prepares to open. Today there was a line in front of the Swatch Store as well. Why? These are just cheap plastic watches.

I wonder how some of these stores stay in business. The clothes on display aren't very attractive and don't even begin to resemble what the people wandering around are actually wearing. The shoes on display are uniformly terrible. How did super thick soles get to be a thing? Maybe the shoe makers are just grasping at straws. People aren't wearing these shoes. They are all just wearing running shoes.

I walked three miles and came home. After resting for a few minutes Janet and I took Dawn on her Sunday outing. She is always super excited to go and then gets scared as soon as she gets in the car. I don't think we'll ever be able to take her on a road trip. The weather was nice today and Dawn got another one mile walk. I fell behind as we completed our walk and approached the car. I don't know why I was so tired today.

The ice cream cones are getting smaller. When we first started getting ice cream on Sunday, the cones were definitely bigger. They were less expensive too. I hope this isn't a sign of the times. The little Chinese restaurant we like across the street has already gone out of business. It's probably not a great time to own a restaurant. Somehow I think the ice cream store will do OK. There always seems to be a line of cars in front of the take-out window when we arrive.

I still haven't heard anything about the Falcon Heavy launch. I think this is supposed to take place this Thursday, but credential notices haven't gone out yet. I don't even think they've officially announced a launch date. None of this really matters because I can't afford another trip anyway. That being said, seeing a Falcon Heavy that actually launches is probably better than watching another Artemis launch get postponed again. I'm scheduled to go down for the next launch attempt, but I'm not terribly optimistic about a success.

I need to call the appliance repairman again. The slipping belt in the dryer is getting worse. I really need to get this fixed because I hate going to the laundromat.

Freckles is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4399

Another cold Winter day. If I could have slept all day, I would have. No rest for the weary though. We got up early, took Dawn on a sunrise walk and were relieved to see that her poop has almost returned to normal. The pills the vet gave her definitely helped. It was very foggy this morning and there was a light mist in the air. Dawn always enjoys smelling things, but I think she was glad to return to a warm house.

On weekends we have a real breakfast. Today we had bacon and eggs with toast. It's a nice change from the shredded wheat I've been eating the rest of the week. After breakfast, I checked my e-mail and read all the new entries on the Polaris forum. I'm glad the other Kickstarter backers seem willing to share what they've learned. I don't think I'd have a clue about how to operate the star tracker if I were on my own. 

Since the weather was dismal and we knew the ground would be wet, we decided to take Dawn to a different park today where we wouldn't get muddy. We walked on paved sidewalks today. Dawn was initially excited at all the new things to smell, but she quickly became worried when she realized that she didn't know where she was. It doesn't take much to get Dawn in a panic. Being lost isn't one of her favorite things. She started to freeze in place like she used to do months ago. The only way we could get her back to the car was for Janet to walk out ahead of Dawn and me. Dawn didn't want to let Janet out of her sight, so she followed her back to the car. Everything ended well though. We still went to Andy's for ice cream and by the time we returned to the house, Dawn was a happy camper again.

I still took my long walk today, but this was not an easy one. The temperature was actually colder than when we walked Dawn at sunrise and the wind had picked up a lot. My feet hurt more today as well. Not surprisingly, there weren't a lot of people out on the trails. Even the ducks looked cold today. I've noticed something new in the park recently. The city has installed placards with a QR code on a lot of the park signage. If you scan this code with your phone it will bring up a map that shows you exactly where you are. I have so many questions. Who gets lost in a city park anyway? I can't imagine anyone really getting lost in this park. Even the wooded areas are fairly close to major roads. Even if you did manage to get lost, why would you need a QR code on a stop sign to give you directions? All you have to do is open Google Maps on your phone and it will tell you exactly where you are anyway. There are a ton of these new QR code signs scattered all over the park. Another example of our tax dollars at work, I guess.

Since I didn't really have any plans for today, I watched the latest episode of The Expanse this afternoon. This series certainly doesn't appear to be coming to any conclusion. Maybe they want to keep their options open in case someone wants to continue the series with a Season 7. Everyone says this will be the last season though. We'll see.

I wonder if I'll be able to put the star tracker to good use after I figure it out? There are so many streetlights in our neighborhood that the sky never gets very dark. Our yard has a bright security light as well that is very difficult to shut off since there is no light switch. A sensor on the light automatically turns it on at sunset and off again the next morning. There are a few darker places down in the park, but crime has gotten so bad in the city that I'm definitely not venturing out to a dark and lonely place after sunset with a lot of expensive equipment. I hate reading the local news because it seems like someone gets shot every single day. It almost always happens at night and often involves an unlucky random stranger. No wonder I miss the solitude of the Davis Mountains so much.

Depending on the weather, we'll probably visit the rescue Dalmatians tomorrow. I hear there's a new dog in the program now, so I'd better take my camera. I wish astrophotography was as easy as taking pictures of dogs. I've gotten pretty good at taking pictures of dogs.

Mack is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day