Day 4803

Another very cold morning. I guess I shouldn't be surprised since it is technically the middle of Winter. It's hard to tell what season it is in Texas. It might be cold today, but next Tuesday it is supposed to get up to 80 degrees. Go figure. The cold didn't stop us this morning. We bundled up and took Dawn on her sunrise walk. One benefit of the days starting to get longer is that we aren't walking in the dark as often anymore. The skies were clear this morning and I had hopes that it would warm uyp later in the day. It didn't. It got a little warmer but I was still cold on my long walk.

After breakfast this morning I went to Home Depot and got some spare halogen bulbs for the living room lamps. These bulbs burn hot and don't last very long. I always have to remember to have spares handy. The two lamps in the living room are the only lights in the house that haven't been converted to LED bulbs. I called in a prescription and hoped to pick it up while I was out. The pharmacy said it wouldn't be ready until tomorrow. Sign of the times I guess. Prescription renewals used to be ready in two hours. Now it often takes two days.

Every morning when we walk Dawn I think it's too cold to walk in the park and that I should go to the gym instead. When the time comes, I just put on a warm coat and keep walking in the park. I don't go to the gym as often as I used to mostly because I hate all the traffic. It seems like traffic has doubled in Dallas in recent years. It's not pleasant driving in this city anymore. I'm glad the city was smaller and a little more sane when I had to drive to work everyday. After thirty years of working from home I've totally lost my patience with city traffic.

It's nice living next to a huge and still somewhat wild city park. When I take my long walks it's easy to forget I'm living in a large and very busy city. I do have to watch out for bicycles, but for the most part the park is a very peaceful place. Today a couple stopped me and asked where the eagles were. They seemed disappointed when I told them that I hadn't seen them in several months. It's strange that people have become obsessed with the bald eagles. There are lots of other interesting birds. The white pelicans are almost as large as the eagles and look majestic when flying. The Blue Herons and Great Egrets are pretty spectacular too. My favorites are the Muscovy Ducks. They are kind of ugly but have a lot of personality. I always look for them when I pass Sunset Bay on my walk.

Friday is Dawn's favorite day. She gets all excited when Janet returns with the groceries and starts waiting for the car at the front door up to an hour before she returns. Dawn seems to know that it is Grocery Day as soon as she wakes up on Friday. I don't know how this got to be such a big deal, but as soon as the groceries are in the house Dawn races out to the kitchen and stays with Janet until everything has been put away. Needless to say, she had a good time today.

It's my turn to get groceries tomorrow. We each have different things on our lists and it seems to work out well. I'm getting used to the rising prices, but I can't figure out why a lot of things are in short supply now.  I used to be able to find everything I need at a single store. Now I routinely have to visit several stores. I guess this is the new normal. Truthfully, nothing really returned to normal after Covid. The definition of normal just changed. Was life really easier in the 70's and 80's? It certainly seemed that way to me.

Lexi is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1125

We saw a bobcat on our walk this evening. Although the park is full of bobcats, it is rare to actually see one. My guess would be that the cat was just catching some rays like everyone else this afternoon. It was a beautiful day. Luckily, Dot and Dash had the good sense to leave the bobcat alone. I don't think it would be smart to mess with a bobcat. On the way home we saw a disheveled looking man wandering through the woods carrying a container of gasoline. Personally, I'd be a lot more wary of that man than any bobcat.

Since it was a clear day with blue skies all the way to the horizon, we though for sure that the dog park would be open. Guess again. When we arrived with Dot and Dash the park was closed. Sure, it rained yesterday, but that was yesterday. Today was nice. Sadly, you're at the mercy of the city whenever you go to the dog park. If someone from Parks and Recreation doesn't feel like coming out and unlocking the gate, you're screwed.  The dogs showed their displeasure about this unfortunate turn of events by howling and barking the entire way home. A road trip with this pair would be like a journey into the Twilight Zone. I don't think you'd emerge with your sanity intact. Oh, did I mention we're planning a road trip.

I'm getting intrigued with the idea of using a sprayed-on foam roof to solve my roof problems.  I've been researching this type of roof on the Internet and on the surface, it seems like the perfect solution. The roof is completely seamless, so there are no joints or seams that can crack later. The foam has excellent insulation value, to the house would stay warmer on cold days like this. It's pretty cost effective too, compared to other alternatives. There must be something I don't know, or I would have heard of this before. Maybe the foam is flammable and a spark from one of the irritating designer piñon pine logs my neighbors use in their fireplace would burn the house down. Maybe the foam is an environmental hazard and I'd have to have a hazmat crew remove it before I could sell the house. Maybe the stuff is just fragile and a falling branch of two would ruin the whole thing.  I'll have to find out more.

I'm watching the Golden Globes as I write this.  I had trouble finding a live video feed initially, but then I went to Twitter and found one immediately. The Internet feed appears to be live, but I don't think I'm watching NBC. All the comments on the website are in Arabic.

Taylor is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day