Day 3806

The weather was much better today. There was a slight chance of rain as we headed out on our morning walk, but we chose to ignore it. The park was surprisingly quiet this morning. People must be returning to work. It's amazing how quickly traffic has returned to normal levels. I don't know where everybody is going, but they're certainly going somewhere. It appears that Texas has decided the pandemic is over.

Those companies that make vinyl signs and banners bust be doing a booming business these days. Almost every store and restaurant in the neighborhood has a brand new banner saying that they're open again. I was kind of hoping that the empty highways and quiet skies would last a little longer. I understand the urgency of getting back to business though. So many small businesses are on the verge of going under. I'm sure that if I wasn't retired I would feel a lot more urgency about getting back to business myself. It takes an enormous about of work to make a small business successful. It still seems so unfair that the only winners in this whole situation appear to be huge companies like Walmart, Home Depot, and Amazon.

We took Dawn to look for a new collar today. Hey, even a dog can help support small business. Janet is convinced that short excursions will help Dawn overcome her fear of the car. Dawn seems excited to be going somewhere now, but she still doesn't like the car itself. We didn't find the perfect collar at the pet store, but the short trip gave us all something to do. I think Dawn would have preferred to go for ice cream again.

I took some letters to the post office this afternoon and was planning to get stamps while I was there. There was such a line at the counter that I quickly decided that I didn't need stamps after all. Ever since the pandemic started there have been lines at the post office. I don't get it. The grocery stores have all figured out how to make this work. Somehow the simple process of buying something at the post office has gotten way more complicated. I'm sure once the government gets involved everything becomes more complicated. I dread the day when I need to fly again. I have a feeling that going through the TSA line will be like getting a medical exam.

I keep wondering who got selected to cover the Demo-2 launch at Kennedy Space Center. Somebody is out there taking photos and making videos. I'm seeing lots of activity as the launch approaches, but I don't recognize many of the people making videos. I think NASA staff is doing a lot of the coverage themselves. At any rate, tomorrow is the big day. There seems to be a good chance that the launch will get rained out, but I'll be watching tomorrow afternoon anyway. I'm still disappointed that I couldn't be there in person.

I got Murphy up on the Dalmatian Rescue website today. At least I did something constructive. I'll probably be up on the roof again tomorrow. I'd much rather be at an observatory.

Chief is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3805 - Memorial Day

Another all day rain. This one was a soaker. We thought we could squeeze in a shorter walk this morning, but we were wrong. The storm moved faster than we did and by the time we returned home we were all very wet. Oh, well. We tried. I think Dawn would have preferred to sleep in late.

I must have done a decent job on roof repairs because even though we have had a ton of rain this Spring, there is still no evidence that the leak has returned. I left the pumps running all day today. They can't keep up with the rain, but over time they do help reduce the amount of standing water on the roof. It's clear that I will be up on the roof again soon. I've just got to wait for the rain to stop.

The wet weather didn't stop us from visiting the Dalmatian kennel. Today, in addition to playing with all the dogs, we photographed Murphy, our new arrival. Murphy is an owner surrender. Like most owner surrenders, I can't imagine why anyone would even consider giving this dog up. Murphy was extremely friendly and had obviously had some obedience training. He knew how to sit, stay, and lie down. He also seemed very adept at catching treats in the air. I don't think Murphy will be with us for very long. He's an amazing dog and should find his forever home very soon.

There were no Memorial Day picnics in the park today. There wasn't even much traffic on the roads. A hard rain really puts a damper on things. There is more rain in the forecast for tomorrow, but I hope the forecast is wrong. I'm sick of this wet weather. Pandemic confinement is bad enough on a good day, but wet weather makes it seem even worse. As long as I can take a long walk, I'm fine. Sitting in the house watching TV while rain pounds on the roof gets old quickly though. I'm totally over listening to "experts" disagree with each other about the virus. It's refreshing to occasionally hear a thoughtful person admit to the world that actually nobody has any answers.

The weather isn't looking good for Wednesday's Demo-2 launch. Maybe NASA's new media restrictions just saved me from making an expensive trip to Florida to view a launch that ended up getting scrubbed. This has happened to me before. Sometimes it is possible to stay an extra day or two, but other times you end up going home without seeing anything. Hopefully, everything will go according to schedule. Whatever happens, I'm sure I'll be streaming the event on my computer.

I'll add Murphy to the Dalmatian Rescue website tomorrow. Hopefully the skies will clear so we can take a decent walk without getting wet. Maybe I can think of something else to do as well. It's hard to believe that it's almost June. Half the year is already gone and the world is still on hold. I'm certainly on hold myself. There are no observatory trips to plan. I have no idea when Kennedy Space Center will open again. I haven't heard from the Air Force yet either. I'm a self-motivated person by nature but it's hard to get excited by anything when the world feels like a giant jigsaw puzzle that has just been dropped on the floor. I'm not smart enough or patience enough to put all the pieces back together. You probably aren't either.

Ranger is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3804

We went out for breakfast this morning at a little neighborhood restaurant that had recently reopened. We should have taken Dawn with us, since the place had a nice dog friendly outdoor seating area. You could tell that the restaurant was trying super hard to get back on its feet. All the new distancing rules were followed and everyone was super friendly. I was initially a little sceptical about going to a restaurant, but I'm glad we did. I hope this place makes it. They had only been open a month or so when the pandemic hit. Not very good timing.

We took another very early walk this morning, but the park wasn't empty this time. I guess I should have expected more people since it is Memorial Day weekend. We were expecting rain again, but the skies lightened and we began to see patches of blue during our walk. I got overconfident seeing the weather improve and went up on the roof to remove yesterday's standing water. I should have waited. The rain returned later in the day and the roof is already wet again. This has definitely been the wettest Spring I can remember.

It was time to defrost the little spare refrigerator today. We got this refrigerator during a power outage because it could be powered by our generator. Somehow the refrigerator went from temporary to permanent after the power was restored and is now an essential part of the kitchen. Things that won't fit in the regular refrigerator go here. I wonder if anyone makes a self defrosting dorm refrigerator? We never even looked. It's hard to believe that everybody used to have to defrost their refrigerator. All the places I lived right after college had refrigerators that needed to be defrosted. I never did this very often. Usually my freezer compartment was caked in a thick sheet of ice.

I sure wish that bee hadn't stung me the other day. I've still got a big welt on my leg. Now that I've started looking, I'm seeing the beginnings of nests everywhere. It's time to get some more wasp and hornet spray and get rid of them before they get any bigger. We have wasps who build paper nests and mud daubers who make theirs out of mud. Both critters seems to love our house. The spiders are starting to return as well. Welcome to Summer in Texas.

I've started listening to astronomy podcasts. I was surprised at how many there are. Obviously a lot of people are a lot more industrious about their hobbies than I am. One of the astronomers I met at McDonald Observatory does regular videos about galaxies and deep sky objects. Several people I've met at NASA events have podcasts about rocket related stuff. I watch some of these too. It seems weird to me that there seems to be fewer and fewer really good blogs, but an abundance of podcasts. I like listening to podcasts, but can't imagine doing one myself. I don't even like to talk.

We're not sure if the kennel will be open on Memorial Day, but if it is we'll go photograph a new Dalmatian that recently entered the rescue program. If the kennel is closed I can always make my smoothie and sweep the water off the roof. It's life in the fast lane around here.

Ziggy is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3803

Dawn woke us up last night barking at the wind and rain. She's not scared of storms, but definitely doesn't like things that go bump in the night. The power went out just long enough to cause all the backup power supplies to start beeping which got Dawn barking all over again. Eventually things calmed down and we all went back to sleep. I reset the clocks and timers in the morning and wondered why we were having such a rainy Spring.

We walked Dawn as soon as we woke up since it looked like it was going to rain again. Starting early was a good idea. The rain never arrived and it ended up getting quite warm and humid later in the morning. I didn't feel like going up on the roof today, but since the pumps are working I don't think there will be a lot of standing water. Maybe I'll do this tomorrow.

My chore for the day was mowing the grass in the front yard. I think I'm the only one in the neighborhood who still mows my own grass. It's not my favorite chore but it's a small yard and I don't feel like dealing with a lawn care service. Pushing the mower does seen a little harder with each passing year however. Maybe I'm just a creature of habit. I've mowed this yard for as long as I can remember.

I had a lot of things on my grocery list today. I found most of the items we needed fairly easily but I don't think Clorox Wipes are ever going to return to the shelves. Shopping is certainly different now. Although stores are officially open again, it looks like some of the pandemic rules are here to stay. I'm still not a fan of one way aisles.

My e-mail server was down for most of the day. Being without e-mail is no great loss. Most of my messages are spam anyway. I never learned what the problem was but it must have been major. Service wasn't restored until almost supper time.

We haven't had barbecue for a while so I picked up some ribs from one of my favorite barbecue places. The restaurant was open for table service, but there wasn't a single customer inside. All the table were spaced out for social distancing and there was a full staff on duty. I really feel sorry for restaurant owners. They really got hit hard by the pandemic and it still doesn't seems very fair. I hope this place manages to stay in business. They definitely know how to smoke meat.

I keep getting letters from my gym telling me to be patient. They still can't decide when they are going to open again. I'll probably return to the gym as soon as they open. The place was never very crowded to begin with. I'm not so sure about restaurants. Many of the places I like are quite small. I guess we all choose what to believe about this virus. The theory that recirculating air from building air conditioning systems might be a problem sounds reasonable to me. I guess that's the problem in airplanes as well. My plan is to wait a month and let other people try these things first. We'll see how bold I actually am if I manage to get media accreditation for the upcoming Mars 2020 launch this Summer.

I didn't have much to write about today. I may have even less tomorrow. No Sunday plans at all.

Willie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3802

Maybe I've become too dependent on weather forecasting apps. Janet and I were both convinced that it was going to rain this morning, so we walked Dawn even earlier than we usually do to avoid getting wet. Getting started before sunrise meant we had the park to ourselves. We saw dozens of Great Egrets and very few people. The temperature was nice as well. I was a little sleepy when we started our early walk, but I hope we can manage to do this again. It was a very pleasant two hours.

It never did rain today. Actually the skies cleared up and it got quite warm later in the day. I didn't feel like mowing the grass, so I thought I'd try to remove the water stains in the living room ceiling with bleach. I don't know why I'm always convinced that this will work, because it never does. I certainly didn't get off to a good start today. When I went outside to get the stepladder, I got stung by a bee.

It's not easy to soak the ceiling with bleach, because gravity causes it to drip down my arm and all over the floor. I've ruined a few items of clothing when I've tried to do this in the past, so I only wear things that I don't mind getting soaked by bleach. I made a good effort today, but I can't honestly say that the ceiling looks any better. I guess I'll be forced to sand everything down and patch the areas with drywall mud. There's still no reason to actually remove and replace the sheetrock until we get a new roof. It would be nice if the house looked a little better though.

I paid some more bills and did a little accounting in Quickbooks this afternoon. Online banking is starting to seem more familiar now. I don't know if I'll ever be confident enough to set everything up to auto-pay, but I'm making progress. I'll have to admit that this is a lot easier than writing checks and driving to the post office.

After all the dire warnings from my dermatologist about possible side effects from cryosurgery, I haven't noticed anything at all. If my face is going to turn bruised and blotchy, it certainly hasn't happened yet. The keratosis doesn't look very different either. Did I even go to the dermatologist? We'll see if the liquid nitrogen treatment works, but this wasn't what I expected.

It's a shame I'm not down in Titusville now. I'm starting to see a lot of media coverage of the Demo-2 mission now that the launch is only a few days away. Obviously some people still have media credentials. Too bad I'm not one of them. I can see these guys asking the astronauts questions on TV. I wonder how many members of the press are actually there. NASA isn't saying, but the Press Site at KSC does look pretty empty.

It was amusing to hear Dr Fauci say that there would be irreparable damage to the country if we didn't open up soon. Wasn't this the same guy who said kids shouldn't go to school next year and that we should stay in lockdown mode over the Summer? I wonder why nobody seems to hold the good doctor accountable for his many flip-flops? He has changed his mind radically on almost everything. The virus isn't something to worry about in the United States. No, forget that. The virus will kill millions. Don't wear a mask. Nevermind. You've all got to wear a mask. I could go on and on. It's all on tape. Hey, the guy's got an honest face. And he's a scientist.

In other news, the State of Washington announced today that they mistakenly gave away millions of the state's unemployment money to a Nigerian Prince. Yep. We're really on top of this pandemic stuff.

Rosco is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3801

Another uneventful day. I set up a few more accounts for online payments this morning. Hope I don't regret this later. I've been a fan of paper for a long time, but I guess it's finally time to move into the future. I just need to convince my Luddite sister to use e-mail and then I won't have to use the post office at all.

Restaurants in the neighborhood are opening again, but I think I'll just stay home and make an omelette tomorrow instead. I have a feeling that my tradition of going out for breakfast on Friday morning might be gone for good. It's not a fear of the virus that keeps me at home. People have just become more irritating.

It was a little warmer this morning and I could tell that Dawn didn't have quite as much energy. The temperature wasn't bad, but it was quite humid. I didn't have as much energy myself. We're going to have to make an effort to get out earlier. I still tend to stay up quite late and it's hard to get up early in the morning. I don't know how Janet does it. By the time we take our walk with Dawn, she has already been out and run three miles.

I think we're headed for some dark days ahead. When did mask shaming become a thing? Some of our leaders have become petty tyrants. People aren't happy. A recent poll showed a dramatic increase in the number of people in almost every state who would prefer to secede from the union if given the choice. We are talking about building an army of contact tracers to follow your every move. Isn't this what we have criticized China for doing for years? Where is the ACLU when you really need them? A lot of what is going on right now violates the constitution in so many ways and all people have to say is "Well, it's an emergency." The latest version of Apple IOS already has the contact tracing backbone built into the system. All that is waiting is the official government app that we will be implored to download "for our own good." I can almost guarantee that this won't end well.

I think we could end this whole virus mess in a hurry by just banning partying. No more bar hopping, rock concerts, or football stadiums. No more big weddings, cruise ships, or family reunions. Sound extreme? It wouldn't change my life much. I'd actually prefer a ban on large gatherings to an army of contact tracers snooping on everyone. I don't think I'll be installing that Apple tracking app either. Personally, I think individual liberty is still more important that some vaguely defined concept of "the greater good." Unless we can all agree what this greater good actually is, it means nothing.

Just quit the mask shaming you guys. You can look right on the CDC website and see where it says that most masks are completely worthless against a virus. A virus is almost microscopic. When was the last time you saw a picture of a biolab technician wearing a bandana? This is all getting ridiculous. Masks have become nothing more than a symbolic gesture. They're like wearing a team jersey. That's why they are so important to some people. I wear a mask when I am out in public so I'll blend in and not call attention to myself. If the rule was to wear a plastic purple hat, I'd probably do that too. When people are in the mood for witch trials, you definitely don't want to be the witch.

I still think a lot about the David Mountains. Maybe if I lived somewhere very remote and far away from all this nonsense, the world would start to feel normal again.

Casey is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3800

My visit to the dermatologist wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. I was diagnosed with actinic keratosis which my doctor assured me could be easily and effectively treated. This was good news because I was a little nervous that the rough skin on my face might be squamous cell carcinoma instead. Left untreated, actinic keratosis can actually turn into squamous cell carcinoma, which is probably why my regular doctor wanted to get me into the dermatologist's office in a hurry.

Treatment was fairly straightforward and involved no cutting. Basically the doctor wanted to destroy the skin lesions by freezing them. Technically this is called cryosurgery, but it felt more like accidentally getting freon on your skin while you were trying to top up your car's AC. The doctor took a pressurized canister of liquid nitrogen and carefully sprayed the skin lesions. "Don't freeze my eyeball," I told the doctor. "I still need these eyes."

The whole process took less than five minutes. The dermatologist wants to see me again in a month to makes sure the actinic keratosis has completely disappeared. He said there would probably be some redness, blistering and crusting in the weeks ahead but not to worry about it. On the off chance that the liquid nitrogen doesn't work, he said that there might be some curettage and excision involved on my next visit. This sounds suspiciously like going under the knife, so lets hope the liquid nitrogen works.

I wouldn't recommend spraying your face with liquid nitrogen. I've felt like I've walked into a hot frying pan for most of the day. A freezer burn is still a burn. The whole purpose of the treatment is to destroy the keratosis. Luckily our new social distancing rules will ensure that few people see me for the next several weeks.

We had a nice walk with Dawn this morning before I left for my doctor's appointment. The sky was overcast, but this kept the temperature down and Dawn was happy. I like overcast days. Everything photographs better without hard shadows. For photographers, an overcast day is like having a giant softbox in the sky.

I watched an interview with Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley after they arrived at Kennedy Space Center this afternoon. I noticed that the pair arrived in a Gulfstream corporate jet. Quite a change from the old days when astronauts used to fly their own Northrop T-38 fighters to the cape. I guess they won't be using the old Airstream Astrovans anymore either. These guys will make the final journey to Pad-39A in a Tesla Model-X.

When I handed my ID cards to the receptionist at the dermatologist's office this morning, she handed me back the ID cards belonging to another patient. I recognized immediately that the Medicare cards were wrong, but ended up putting the other guy's driver's license in my wallet. Jeez. I didn't even recognize my own picture. The error was quickly rectified but it made me wonder how the world works at all. We all make mistakes every day. I make many of them myself.

Harley is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3799

If I told you that it is hard to differentiate one day from another it wouldn't be news. I'm sure you've heard this before. You've probably heard it from me before. When we take our walk with Dawn in the morning I look for things that have changed. We watch the progress of a road construction crew we see along the way. It take longer than I thought to build a road. We're seeing sailboats on the lake again. Why weren't they there before? I wonder if the sailing club was shut down or considered nonessential? It wouldn't make sense to ban boats on a lake, but then nothing really makes sense these days. The White Pelicans are gone, but one stayed behind just like last year. I wonder if it is the same bird? I think about these things because there isn't much else on my mind.

It's definitely getting warmer. The temperature was in the low 90's for the second day in a row. By walking very early we are still able to keep Dawn from getting overheated, but those days are numbered. I've never been a fan of Texas summers. Hey, at least we had a nice long Spring. It's been a wet spring as well and everything is very green.

Janet continues to take Dawn on short trips in the car in hopes of getting her used to traveling. If Dawn wasn't fearful of car travel, we could take short day trips with her. Janet tries to do something pleasant on each of these trips so Dawn will eventually look forward to getting in the car. It's a work in progress. Today they went to get ice cream at a local custard stand. Dawn apparently loves frozen custard. Maybe we'll take her to Keller's next and get hamburgers. We use to do this with Spot and it was one of his favorite things.

I still check my e-mail each morning, hoping to hear good news about two yet to be published articles. In addition to the upcoming Sky and Telescope article, there is another article about my visit to the Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans that I'm waiting on as well. Both of these articles have been approved for publication, but waiting on them to appear in print is testing my patience. I need some sort of positive affirmation that I'm making progress.

I need a haircut, an oil change for the car, and new walking shoes, but I have little desire to leave the house. I'm not that worried about catching the virus, but somehow the pandemic has made me even more reclusive than I was before. Now that I've become more familiar with online banking and shopping there is no compelling reason to get in the car and go anywhere.

I do have a doctor's appointment tomorrow that is unavoidable. Since it is a mid-morning appointment, I'll either have to skip breakfast or my morning walk with Dawn. It's hard to say which will be more important when I wake up tomorrow morning. I have a feeling that the walk will win. I haven't really been that hungry lately.

It will be interesting to see how things go at the dermatologist. They said to wear a mask to my appointment, but the patch on my skin that they are supposed to examine is actually covered by the mask. I'm sure the doctor will want me to remove it and I'll break the earloop like I always do. I'd better take a spare with me. It's all part of the new normal.

Holly is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3798

Visiting the rescue dogs on Monday has become part of our regular schedule again. We missed seeing these guys when everything was shut down. Hank, Charlie, and Cinder are the only Dalmatians currently staying at the kennel, but we don't want to forget about them. Each of these dogs has their own distinct personality and it's fun spending time with each of them. They certainly love the attention.

Dawn is content to stay home when we visit the other dogs. I don't think she has any desire to return to the kennel. When we return from our long morning walks, she immediately hops on the bed and takes a long nap. She's found what she wanted. Dawn still loves her walks, but I think we're going to have to shorten them as the weather grows warmer. Dawn is not a young dog and Texas summers can be pretty intense. So far, it's still really nice early in the morning but I don't know how long this is going to last. Today's high temperature was over 90 degrees and it's not even June yet.

I finished filling out all the paperwork and sent my application for media accreditation to the Air Force. Hopefully, my request will be approved. There are several important launches taking place this year and I'm uncertain if NASA will return to normal operations in the immediate future. Getting military clearance might be my only chance to return to Kennedy Space Center this Summer or Fall. The magazine I write for has been very helpful. We'll see what happens. Now I've just got to sit back and wait. I'm still looking forward to covering the Mars 2020 launch in July.

I'm not looking forward to seeing the dermatologist later this week. I've known that I probably needed to have the blemishes on my face looked at for quite some time, but I've been avoiding making an appointment. My doctor finally made the appointment for me and gave me no choice. Maybe it won't be that bad, but I've seen what dermatologists do. I don't want anyone cutting on my face.

Stores are open again in Dallas, but I have no desire to go shopping. I wonder how many of my new habits will become permanent. I wash my hands obsessively now. Whenever someone approaches on a path in the park, I move well out of the way. I've always been somewhat suspicious of strangers and now I look at them like hand grenades waiting to explode. I'm not really fearful about the disease, but my natural suspicions about people have been amplified. This is probably not a good thing. Especially if millions of other people feel the same way.

I'm not sure when I'll return to a restaurant. I believe the information I'm hearing that confined indoor spaces where you linger a while are the most dangerous. Grocery stores are actually pretty safe because you are moving around and are not in one place for very long. Walking in the park is not dangerous at all. I'm glad I have no desire to go bar hopping. A crowded bar is probably the worst place you could be right now.

I know where I'll be tomorrow. We'll be walking Dawn early in the morning to avoid the heat and then I'll make my morning smoothie. Sounds pretty much like what I did today.

Skippy is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3797

The weather was much better today. We got up early to avoid the crowds, but apparently we didn't get up early enough. Even before 8 AM, the park was already filled with runners and cyclists. This must be the city's new exercise destination now that the gyms are closed. I guess I shouldn't have been surprised. It was a Sunday morning on a very nice day.

It's pretty clear that the quarantine is over in Dallas. Traffic is back to normal and people aren't shy about gathering together in the park. When I returned later in the day for my afternoon walk, the place was packed. There were large barbecues, clusters of hammocks strung between trees, and a flotilla of kayaks on the water. Most of the large gatherings consisted of young people. Maybe they are starting to develop herd immunity.

There are still a lot of people wearing masks in the park. I suspect that some of these people will continue wearing masks forever. They will become a fashion statement or a badge of identity. There definitely aren't many who know how to wear a mask correctly. I see a lot of noses poking out on top of these masks. People take them off to talk to other people or even to sneeze. Basically, you wear a mask to show other people that you are a team player. Medically, most of the disposable earloop masks are of dubious value.

I was back on the roof this afternoon removing the standing water from yesterday's rain. Both pumps are working again, but there is still a lot of residual water after it rains. Removing the water with a big push broom is actually good exercise. I'm usually tired after I finish the job. I'm always careful, but I hope I never stumble and fall. That's the first question my doctor asked at my physical last week. "Did you have any bad falls last year," he said.  I guess I've arrived at the "I've fallen and I can't get up" stage of life. I felt like telling the doctor that I was much more careful than he was. At least I don't ride bicycles.

Dawn likes our bed so much that she gets upset when I change the sheets. I told her that everything was going to be OK and that she would be pleased when I was finished. After everything was clean, there was still dog hair on her blanket. I've noticed that the vacuum cleaner canister fills up twice as fast now that we have Dawn. Dalmatians shed constantly. You just get used to the dog hair after a while.

I had another 20,000 step day, but I didn't do anything of consequence. 20,000 step days are so common now that maybe it's time to up the ante and try for 25,000 steps a day. I'm hoping that walking will keep me in shape, but I need something to occupy my mind as well. I'll complete my application for launch access to Kennedy Space Center and send it to the Air Force tomorrow. Maybe I'll start editing my McDonald Observatory pictures and send a batch to Sky and Telescope. They haven't actually requested the pictures yet, but have indicated that they will use them when the article eventually appears. I'll be glad when they give me a publication date. Right now I don't know whether the article I wrote will appear a few months from now or next year.

The chigger bites still itch, but I've got some nice looking fresh fruit for tomorrow morning's smoothie. Life goes on.

Susie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3796

Today was dismal. You know how I feel about an all day rain. We were lucky to be able to take Dawn for a short walk before the rain started in earnest, but even on this little excursion we managed to get wet. Dawn isn't scared of storms, but she definitely doesn't like to get wet. Neither do I. I definitely got wet today. I had to go up on the roof during the rain to restart one of the pumps. Water had caused a short in an extension cord and thrown a circuit breaker. I managed to get everything fixed, but the pumps couldn't keep up with all the water. It was a very heavy rain.

I should have skipped grocery shopping this morning, but I needed more fresh fruit. I had to go to two different stores to find strawberries. All the berries destined for Sam's Club must has been delivered to Kroger instead. There was a huge display and the berries were even on sale. There seems to be an abundance of food, but distribution is all messed up. You never know what you are going to find at a store on any particular day.

The chiggers have arrived. I got my first bites of the season yesterday. I must have gotten bitten when I stepped off the path on our walk the other day to photograph some Texas Thistle for my blog photo. It doesn't take much. Now I am itching like crazy. I'm pretty good at avoiding poison ivy, but I seem unable to escape chiggers and mosquitos. We've got to check Dawn for ticks every day as well. The bugs are back for the Summer.

I'm making progress on my quest to return to Kennedy Space Center. I contacted my editor at SpaceFlight Magazine and the magazine agreed to sponsor me, providing the information I needed to apply for clearance from the military. I'll fill out the government forms over the weekend and send them to the Air Force next week. I don't know how long the approval process takes, but I hope to be able to cover the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover launch later this Summer.

I am completely baffled that so many people want to stay in lockdown mode until a cure for Covid-19 is found. Don't these people read history? There may never be a cure. It took over 100 years to eradicate polio and several early attempts at a vaccine were disastrous. To this day there has never been a successful vaccine for any virus in the coronavirus family. We all get our flu shots, but some years this vaccine is only marginally effective. The common flu keeps mutating and a new vaccine must be developed every year. Remember, vaccines don't actually cure anything. They just accelerate the process of building herd immunity in a population.

There have been other pandemics in my lifetime, but I don't remember a reaction like the one I'm seeing now. This is irrational panic. The Hong Kong flu killed well over a million people in 1969 and few people even remember it. I don't and I was there. The Hong Kong flu was a major global pandemic that caused huge disruptions in Europe, but nothing was shut down anywhere. Corpses were stored in subway tunnels in Berlin. Half the workforce in France was bedridden while the rest of us were preoccupied with Woodstock, Vietnam, and going to the moon. A vaccine was eventually developed but it didn't eradicate the disease. It remains in circulation today as a strain of the seasonal flu. Quick cures for viruses just don't exist.

I hope the rain stops tomorrow. I'm tired of shepherding balky pumps and nervously looking for leaks. The "service required" light came on in my car again. I'm tired of that too. Give me a break. I'm not even driving the car these days.

Liberty is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3795

The lights are flickering and a big storm is headed our way. I hope the power doesn't go out before I can finish this post. It has certainly happened before. It's giant pain to have to start over using battery power, a laptop, and an alternate Internet source. At time like these I wish I could write faster, but I'm pretty slow.

Other than the bad weather, it has been a pretty good day. We had a nice walk with Dawn this morning before the weather turned bad.  My Friday morning omelette was tasty. It wasn't a busy day, but it wasn't a bad day either.

I'm gradually becoming more familiar with online banking, but I think I still prefer writing checks and going to the post office. Somehow checking a few boxes on a website doesn't seem real. I keep checking the website every few days to make sure the transaction has actually gone through. I don't know why I trust the post office so much. The post office has lost my mail several times. So far, the bank's website has worked perfectly.

I'm going to have to get used to doing as much as I can online. New regulations have made doing almost anything in person a totally frustrating experience. Texas is technically open again but you'd never know it if you have to go shopping. With each passing week going to the grocery store becomes more complicated. The new trend is to put lots of arrows on the floor and establish a one way traffic pattern throughout the store. This is not the way most people shop. If you are going to have one way aisles, you definitely need a few passing lanes. It is almost inevitable that you will end up stuck behind someone who can't decide what they want to put in their buggy and they just stand there blocking everyone behind them. Some stores have even blocked entrances, leaving only a single door to enter and exit the store. Not only is this a potential fire hazard, it also creates even more traffic jams. Keep in  mind that I didn't even go shopping today. I'm just remembering this madness from last week. I have a feeling that things will be even worse when I make my weekly shopping run tomorrow.

A Florida friend told me that I might have better luck obtaining access to Kennedy Space Center through the military than with NASA. I didn't even know that this was an option. I found out how to contact media relations for the Air Force and I think I'm going to apply. The forms I need to fill out are lengthy and a magazine needs to sponsor me but what have I got to lose. Evidently this is how some photographers are still managing to get launch access. It's easy to forget that Cape Canaveral is still an active military base.

The virtual NASA Social event for the upcoming Crew Dragon launch is actually more interesting than I'd thought it would be. I find myself posting to the group frequently. Admittedly this is mostly because there isn't much else to do these days. Hey, if I'm going to do something online, I think I'd rather talk about rockets than complain about masks.

I continue to be amazed that Dawn seems to have no fear of storms. All our other Dalmatians had pretty severe storm phobias. This evening while the lights were flickering and thunder was rumbling, Dawn was just calmly lying on the bed as if nothing was happening.

I may get gas tomorrow when I make my weekly shopping run. It's been well over a month since I filled my tank. The new normal isn't normal at all.

Sadie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3794

When a solitary person like myself starts getting cabin fever, things must be getting bad. I guess I spend more time shopping and going to restaurants than I realized because I'm really getting the urge to buy something I don't need. I look forward to our long walks with Dawn every morning, but my reaction when we return home is usually "Now what?"

It's a shame I won't be able to go to Kennedy Space Center for the Crew Dragon launch. This would be the time when I would be making reservations and actively planning for the trip. I've got some new lenses I'd like to try at the launch. There was a magazine interested in having me do a story. Watching the launch on NASA TV just isn't going to be the same.

It's probably going to rain tomorrow since I went up on the roof this afternoon and cleared away the remaining water from the last rain. One of the pumps doesn't seem to be working well anymore. I don't know what to do other than buy a new pump. I've burned through quite a few pumps over the years. The first pumps were made of metal and were tough as nails. I had one that lasted for over fifteen years. The quality seems to gradually deteriorate on each new generation of pumps. I'm sure these new ones are made in China.

Many stores are open again in Dallas. Janet got some new running shoes today. She asked whether I wanted to come along but I was having a bad allergy day and didn't want to sneeze in the store. I do need new shoes though. Shoes don't last that long when you are walking 20,000 steps a day.

How long can the coronavirus continue to be the only topic of conversation nationwide? I think people are already starting to experience disease fatigue. The longer society is disrupted, the more people will start demanding a return to normal. Clearly a plague isn't normal, but neither is locking down an entire country. This can't be sustained indefinitely. I may be wrong, but I predict that if a cure isn't developed in a reasonable amount of time, we will simply stop talking about the dead. As a society we have a remarkable ability to sweep almost anything under the rug.

It's a shame that a health crisis is being politicized, but eventually everything is politicized in this country. The election in November is going to be all about the virus. Pick a side. If you think there is nothing more important than human life, you may change your mind if you are dead broke and without a job in November. If you think it is absolutely essential for society to return to normal, you may change your mind if a loved one becomes sick.

Almost every day I see well known local restaurants announce that they are shutting their doors for good. It's sad to see how unfair the lockdown had been. Home Depot and Lowes have never done better. Their business is thriving. Local businesses a block aways from these stores are dead. They will never return. Who decided which businesses would get to stay open? Clearly safety wasn't the primary factor. Every time I've been to Home Depot lately, the store has been packed. Stores that were designated as "essential" are actually doing more business now than they were before the pandemic. This just seems all wrong to me. I don't like seeing politicians picking winners and losers.

I've taken the week's trash to the curb and there is no more fresh fruit in the refrigerator. This always marks the end of the week for me. Tomorrow I will make myself an omelette and watch politicians argue with each other on TV while I drink my morning coffee. We'll take Dawn on a nice long walk and then I'll wish I had another computer to fix. It's going to be a long, long summer.

Lady is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3793

My annual physical went well. I'm definitely getting older, but it appears that I'm just as healthy as I was last year. The only mildly alarming thing is that my doctor wants me to see a dermatologist. He thinks that some small scaly spots on my face that I always thought were keratosis might be squamous cell carcinoma instead. I hate having something removed that is so close to my eye, but I've learned not to ignore things like this. I'll see the dermatologist next week.

I enjoy talking with my doctor. In addition to being an excellent physician, he is also a history buff and loves talking about Texas history. He comes from a long line of Texas doctors that can trace their roots all the way back to the Republic of Texas. We talked about the Davis Mountains for a while and then I asked him about the coronavirus. He wasn't very confident that the pandemic would end soon. He said we were dreaming if we thought there would be a vaccine before the end of the year. "Just look at history," he told me. "It took decades to develop a safe polio vaccine. We failed to develop any sort of vaccine for SARS or other types of coronaviruses. Even the common flu vaccine we all take every year isn't always effective. You have to remember that a vaccine just helps speed up the development of herd immunity within a population. No pandemic since the Black Plague has been eradicated until herd immunity has been established and often that takes years."

This wasn't very encouraging. I told the doctor I was feeling fine but wondered why he was wearing a cast on his arm. He told me he was a Covid Casualty. When his gym closed, he started riding a bicycle for exercise. At some point, he lost control of the bike, flew over the handlebars, and broke both his arms. I never realized this guy was a badass. He fell in a remote area and somehow managed to reattach the chain to his bicycle with two broken arms and ride four miles back to town.

The nurse who did my EKG said that the past month at the clinic has been very weird. "We've been open the entire time," she told me, "but everyone canceled their appointments because they were scared of leaving the house." She said that there were many days when the entire staff just sat around with nothing to do. The phlebotomist who did my blood work said that even now some patients freak out if you even touch them. It's pretty hard to draw blood without touching someone.

I did have a mild fever last night after receiving the Shingles vaccine, but my temperature returned to normal this morning. Some people have a terrible reaction to these shots, but I've been pretty lucky. I felt a little tired today, but that might just be because it was hot and humid. At least I can cross this off my list. Hopefully I won't hear any bad news from the dermatologist.

There's going to be an all day virtual NASA Social for the Crew Dragon launch on the 27th of this month. It's definitely not the same as being there, but this was a good idea. I applied and quickly got accepted. I was pleased to see that many friends I'd met at previous NASA Socials were already there. I enjoy being part of the space/astronomy community. You can talk for hours with these people without ever mentioning politics or the coronavirus.

Haley is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3792

I got my second of two Shingles shots today. I was a little late, but still well within the recommended time period. I was initially going to postpone this injection until things returned to normal, but now it appears that normal is out the window. My pharmacist gave me the usual warning about side effects. "I didn't have any side effects with the first vaccination," I said. "Well, you might this time," the pharmacist told me. So, what are the most common side effects you might experience after getting a Shingles shot? Fever and flu-like symptoms. Great. That's exactly what I need at this moment in time.

I mainly got the shot today because I have my annual physical exam tomorrow and the injection costs twice as much at a doctor's office. Why? Bureaucratic nonsense. The Shingles vaccine is classified as a prescription drug and most healthcare providers haven't set up billing systems to file claims through prescription drug plans. So if you end up getting vaccinated at your doctor's office, you are required to pay the full retail cost of the vaccine. Why isn't the Shingles vaccine classified as a necessary preventive service under Medicare Part B like flu and pneumonia vaccines? Your guess is as good as mine. Oh, well. The deed is done. Hopefully, my doctor won't turn me away if I have a fever tomorrow morning.

When the doctor's office called to remind me of my appointment tomorrow, they went over their new post-pandemic procedures. They weren't as bad as I expected. No doctors wearing spacesuits or anything drastic. I'll need to wear a mask and they take your temperature at the front door before you enter. That's it. No valet parking anymore either.

We got caught in the rain again while we were walking Dawn this morning. Timing these Spring storms is tricky. After looking at the weather radar, we thought we'd have plenty of time to take a shorter walk. Wrong. We got wet, but luckily we weren't that far from a picnic shelter when the rain started. We waited for about fifteen minutes for the storm to pass while we were inside the shelter and then continued our walk. I'm so glad that Dawn isn't afraid of storms. Thunder and lightning doesn't seem to bother her at all.

Since I've been successful with my first two computer upgrades, I asked Janet if she wanted me to fix her computer as well. She's been telling me that she can't go to several websites she needs. It turned out that she just had an ancient browser installed. The system was pretty old too, but I left that alone. The system seemed to be working fine. My rule of thumb is if it's not broke, don't fix it unless you are really, really bored. After installing a modern browser, everything seems to work fine.

I have to fast tomorrow since the doctor will be doing new bloodwork. With an early morning appointment I won't be able to enjoy my morning smoothie. Janet will probably have to walk Dawn while I'm gone. It's weird that even tiny changes in my personal schedule bother me. Most of the huge sweeping changes imposed by the pandemic I don't even notice. For the most part, my life in the slow lane is just the same.

Dixie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3791

It was nice to get back to visiting the rescue Dalmatians. There was only a skeleton crew at the kennel and very few boarding dogs, but our dogs have been well cared for during the pandemic. We photographed Cinder, a new girl who entered the program recently, and played ball with Hank and Charlie. The dogs were glad to see us. It's been very quiet at the kennel lately.

We started our day with another long walk before breakfast. I wish this Spring weather would last a little longer. It's been absolutely beautiful lately. We didn't encounter many people this morning. Maybe it was just early, but I have a feeling that a lot of people were returning to work this morning. Something was happening, because traffic was certainly heavier.

Even though I made the switch to online banking recently, I still have to go to the post office occasionally. I mailed a letter to my luddite sister who refuses to use the Internet and then returned home. If all I do is get groceries on Saturday and make an occasional trip to the post office, I may never have to fill my tank again.

My task for the day was getting Microsoft Office running again on my laptop. I finally found a technical support department at Microsoft that specialized in Macintosh problems. I gave them a call this afternoon and explained what happened when I backed up my computer to a new hard drive using Time Machine. The guy I talked to sounded like he'd heard this problem many times before. He asked if I would consent to letting him operate my computer remotely. Sure. Why not. For the next fifteen minutes I watched as an unseen hand moved things around on my screen. When he was finished, Microsoft Office was activated again and everything worked perfectly. The tech support guy was very nice and didn't even ask me why I was using a ten year old product.

It was kind of amazing to me that all this could be done remotely. From the sound of the guy's voice, it didn't even seem like he was located in the United States. Back in the day, you would have had to have someone come out to your location to make these type of repairs. It actually took me longer to find the special phone number than it took the tech guy to get my software working again. I wish Apple did this sort of thing. Having someone take control of my computer and diagnose the problem remotely is so much easier than making an appointment to visit the Genius Bar at an Apple Store and lugging your computer down to a shopping mall. I've never been a huge fan of Microsoft, but my respect for them went up a few notches today.

Now that I have two super fast computers, I don't know what kind of project to tackle next. Even though it was stressful at times, I kind of enjoyed upgrading the computers. Too bad I don't feel the same way about the office where the computers reside. Truthfully, the office needs an upgrade much more than the computers did.

I got a notice from my gym and the place that cuts my hair that even though Texas is opening, they were going to wait a while longer before they opened for business themselves. Seems reasonable to me. I wouldn't want to be the first to open when nobody seems to understand how this virus works yet. I have a feeling that this is going to be a very long Summer, especially if you like to go to concerts and sporting events. Since all I really want to do is go back to a lonely mountain and look through large telescopes, I think I'll be fine.

Dodger is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3790 - Mother's Day

My Mom's been gone for so long that I can't even remember what we used to do on Mother's Day. I'd like to think we did something special, but maybe we didn't. I still have a few childhood Christmas memories along with a fuzzy recollection of Sunrise Services at Easter, but I'm drawing a blank on Mother's Day. No memories of Father's Day either.

I thought the park would be really crowded since it was a holiday, but there were fewer people than I thought. It was a nice cool day and we had another pleasant walk with Dawn before breakfast. Dawn seems to like this new routine. Of course she'd already eaten her own breakfast before we left the house. People can postpone their breakfast. Dogs want to eat as soon as they wake up.

The new battery for my laptop arrived this morning. I was surprised that FedEx delivers on Sunday now. I wasn't expecting the battery until tomorrow. I was glad to see the package at the door. It gave me something to do today. There are always surprises with computer upgrades. I ordered the correct battery but for some reason it wouldn't fix in the enclosure. It seemed to be exactly the same size as the dead battery I was replacing, but there must have been a tiny difference. I thought about sending the battery back, but decided to file off one of the edges instead. It looked like if I rounded one of the corners just a bit, the battery should fit. I found a special file in my old watch repair toolkit and carefully shaved away some of the plastic case. After I rounded one of the corners, the battery fit perfectly. I still can't figure out why the battery didn't fit right out of the box. It looks identical to the OEM battery.

After I reattached all the loose cables and put the computer back together, I nervously pressed the power button. The computer started and booted up normally. I wasn't done though. I had to calibrate the power management system. This involved charging the battery and then discharging it completely, waiting five hours, and then recharging the battery again. I'm still not done with that process.

One of the downsides to this whole upgrade process is that my Microsoft Office 2011 no longer works. It is no longer supported by Microsoft either. Buried in the license agreement is a short paragraph that says you can't move the software to a different machine without voiding your license. Why? This makes no sense, since computers crash all the time. I'm sure I'm not the first person who installed a new hard drive in their computer. I guess a new hard drive counts as a new computer to Microsoft. They were no help at all when I called them this afternoon. They just want me to subscribe to Office 365.

I think we're going to start visiting the rescue dogs again. We haven't been to the kennel since the pandemic started. There is a new dog that needs to be photographed for the website and we miss seeing the Dalmatians. The place should be safe enough. It's mostly just dogs.

I have my annual physical exam later this week. Looks like my doctor is seeing regular patients again, since I got a reminder about the appointment today. I've got all sorts of questions for the doc. What do you think about hydroxychloroquine? How about vitamin D? What is an ideal pulse oximeter reading? He'll probably just ask me about my trip to the Davis Mountains. We both love West Texas.

Chief is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day