Day 4907

I didn't accomplish much today. Somehow it's June already and it still seems like it should be February. I guess I've done a few things this year, but it doesn't seem like much. What happened to all the goals I used to have? I wake up, wonder what I'm going to do today and always end up doing the same things I did yesterday. There are really only two goals I have left. I want to continue walking six miles a day as long as I can and I want to finish my quest to write 5000 consecutive blog posts. Both of these are kind of silly goals. Is six miles a day really any better than four miles a day? It's just an arbitrary distance I picked a long time ago. I'm pretty sure that completing 5000 blog posts is no different than completing 4000 blog posts, but that's the number I chose. I'll be glad when I'm done because I really don't have that much to say.

We had a nice early walk with Dawn. The park seemed unusually busy this morning and I have no idea why. It wasn't a holiday but there were a ton of bicycles to avoid this morning. Dawn definitely gets the best walk of the day. It's almost always pleasant before sunrise. When I took my long walk later in the day it was way too hot.

When I checked my messages this morning there was a thank you note from my editor at SpaceFlight. I always feel better after I get some kind of acknowledgment that these articles I write have been received and are appreciated. One of these days a story will be rejected. I'm kind of surprised that all my stories have been accepted so far. I have absolutely no connections within the aerospace industry and don't really know that much about rockets. I can't even remember how I got interested in writing about space. Hey, it gives me something to do. All old people need something to do.

I had to go to the bank this morning but had no desire to go anywhere else. I just made a quick trip and came home again. I've probably driven more in rent cars in Florida this year than I have in Dallas. I do walk a lot though. Getting 10,000 to 20,000 steps a day seems far more important to me than what I see on these walks. I just walk the same route over and over again. The area where we live is pretty compared to the rest of Dallas, but after thousands of walks I hardly notice things anymore. I'm pretty sure I could do the walk blindfolded these days.

Now that the roof is fixed the other flaws in the house seem even more noticeable. The stained and cracked sheetrock in the ceiling really needs to be fixed. The sliding glass door to the atrium needs to be repaired as well. The whole house needs paint and new carpets. I'm sure there are many other things as well. The main drawback to making these repairs is that I hate having strangers in the house. Unless I want to learn how to do everything myself, I probably don't have a choice.

I've taken this weeks's trash to the curb, so this week is over for me. Tomorrow is Janet's grocery day and is Dawn's favorite day of the week. She gets so excited when Janet comes home with groceries. I'll continue watching the mail for my new driver's license. I'll feel a lot better about traveling when it arrives.

Charlie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4277

I got a letter from the new editor at SpaceFlight Magazine today hoping that I would continue to be a contributor to the magazine and asking if I had any ideas for new articles. This was definitely encouraging news. It kind of keeps the dream of being a space reporter alive. I still have no plans to return to Kennedy Space Center any time soon, but eventually the pandemic will be over. I am confident that there will be future articles.

The weather has been really nice this week. When we took our sunrise walk with Dawn this morning it was only 69 degrees. The weather was still cool enough for me to take a nice long walk after breakfast. It's pretty evident that I enjoy walking outdoors more than going to the gym. Extreme heat isn't fun though and it's nice to have the gym as a backup, even though I might not need it again for another year. I may be wrong, but I think Summer is finally over.

I'm still not doing much during the day. It's nice to have a doctor's excuse to be lazy. I've still got a week or so to go before I can lift anything, but my recovery is proceeding nicely. Eventually I'll have to get the lawn mower out and cut all the tall grass. The only useful thing I did today was spray for spiders under the eaves. Hopefully, now that the windows are clean and the spiders are gone I won't have to do this again for quite a while.

Dawn is weird. She gets excited when I get her leash for our sunrise walk. She gets even more excited when I begin preparing her dinner. When I want to take a nap with her during the day however, she immediately moves to the far corner of the bed. She'll stay on the bed with me as long as I don't look at her. If I stare at her, she'll get up and go to her bed in the kitchen. Doesn't she know by now that I actually like dogs, especially Dalmatians? I'm still waiting to win this dog over, but I think she's made up her mind.

I wonder who sold my number to the telemarketers. There has been a huge increase in telemarketing calls this year. AT&T is supposed to block these calls, but they don't do a very good job. I get spam text messages and cell phone calls as well. I wonder who actually answers these calls? I don't. If I don't know you already, I don't pick up the phone. Somebody must be picking up the phone though. I can't believe that so many people would be spamming me if it wasn't profitable.

When I was ready to take the trash to the curb this evening I discovered that Janet had already done it. She's making the bed in the morning too. I like this, but don't want to appear lazy. That was always one of the best things about making my living as a writer. I could stare at the ceiling for hours at a time and everyone would always think I was working. Pretty soon I'll be able to lift things again and I'll resume my household chores. Personally, I enjoy doing nothing. It's an acquired taste though. Most people I know like to stay busy.

Dawn took a new route on her sunrise walk this morning. She ended up walking an extra half mile. This was the first time she's done this in over a month. I wonder what she'll do tomorrow morning?

Chief is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day