Day 4626

I made some progress with my travel plans today. I didn't make as much progress as I'd like but at least I've checked a few more things off my list. I'm not a great traveler. I procrastinate. I overthink things. I concentrate on cameras and computers and forget to take the clothes I need. I'm sure I'll be ready in time, but I'm equally sure that I'll forget something important.

We had a nice cool day again today. There was a beautiful sunrise on our early walk with Dawn and the park was pleasantly quiet. Dawn really loves these sunrise walks. I'd prefer to sleep in a little longer, but the walks do help to wake me up. I'm usually ready to start the day when we return to the house.

It was cool enough to take another long walk in the park after breakfast. I don't think summer is over yet, but it's great to get some relief from the constant string of 100 degree days we've been having. It kind of irritates me that my Fitbit doesn't think I'm exercising enough when I take these long walks. It doesn't think you've had a real workout unless your heart rate becomes elevated. I walk at a nice steady pace and my heart rate is very low. Who cares what Fitbit thinks. I think I'm doing pretty good to walk six miles a day.

I printed out all the documents and maps I think I'll need for the Florida trip and put them in a manilla folder. I do this every time I travel. Most of this information is available on my computer or phone, but it seems so much easier to just pull a piece of paper out of my folder. I did add the Airbnb app to my phone though and saved my destination in Google maps. I need to remember to copy the NASA e-mails to my laptop. I may need those as well.

I got another message today saying to arrive very early for the launch and any pre-launch activities. These messages always end with a disclaimer saying that NASA can't be responsible for journalists missing an event because of bad traffic or congestion on the roads. They are still expecting huge crowds for this event. Now there is a chance of rain in the forecast as well. I read an article yesterday about all the hundreds of things that could go wrong with the Artemis rocket from now until the launch. It didn't sound promising. It will be a miracle if this launch takes place on schedule. The only thing that would guarantee a perfect launch is if I wasn't there. I can't take that chance, so I'll go. I'll probably stay up all night on launch day, get eaten alive by mosquitos, and end up watching the launch get scrubbed at the last minute by an unexpected morning thunderstorm.

I wish I could be more positive about this trip, but I'm not very positive about anything lately. Traveling makes me nervous, but I usually end up being glad I went. Let's hope this continues. I don't want to end up being one of those old people who never leaves the house. Dawn didn't win any ribbons at training class tonight, but Janet said she did well. Tomorrow we'll take another sunrise walk and I'll continue getting a little closer to being ready for my flight. I'm so slow these days, but luckily I still manage to reach the finish line.

Hero is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4625

We got more rain overnight, but it was over by morning. Dawn was able to get her sunrise walk and the temperature was nice and cool. I was surprised that the water level in the lake looked normal even though we've had an enormous amount of rain in the past few days. We must have timed things right this morning because we encountered no bicycles and very few runners. We did see a lot of ducks though. I wish every morning was like this. It was a very pleasant walk.

Since the weather was so nice, I decided to take a walk in the park instead of going to the gym. I left the house right after breakfast because I knew how quickly the weather could change if the sun came out. It was heavily overcast and there was a light mist, but even that was nice. It seemed like a treat to be able to walk without immediately getting hot and sweaty. It was surprising how quickly the meadows have turned green again after a few days of rain. There was very little standing water though. The ground was so dry that it probably immediately just absorbed all the water.

I was determined to get something done today. After a light lunch I went to the T-Mobile store and tried to update my non-functional Internet hotspot. The little hotspot quit working about a month ago because it was very old and still used 3G for connectivity. The phone company warned me that the unit was obsolete and would quit working when they pulled the plug on their 3G network. I've been avoiding having yet another expense, but I hate to travel without an Internet hotspot. The hotspot has been great when there are power outages at the house as well. 

The new 5G hotspot is a little bigger than my old companion but it still fits in my pocket. It took a lot longer for the T-Mobile guys to get me hooked up than I though, but everything is working now. It took a long time for them to find my account because they look for a phone number to find your records. The old hotspot has a phone number but I had no idea what it was. I just turn it on and connect whatever device I want to use to the hotspot WiFi. Eventually they found my account by taking out the SIM card and using the SIM card ID to find my account. Oddly the new hotspot uses the same phone number as the old one. The guys told me to write this number down in case I need it in the future.

On the way home I stopped at Home Depot and got a new extension cord so I could get the second pump on the roof working again. I got a heavier gage cord this time because maybe the old cord was too light to handle the pump's amperage. The heavier the cord, the more expensive it is. It's probably directly related to the price of copper. There was a display of electrical wire next to the extension cords and I was amazed at how expensive copper wire has become. I don't know why I was surprised. Everything is a lot more expensive now.

Hopefully I won't need to climb up on the roof again for a while. Both pumps are working now. It's amazing that doing one or two things can use up an entire day. Tomorrow I'll try to check a few more things off my list. The Artemis rocket is waiting for me and I've still got a lot to do.

Mickey is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4624

What a lot of rain. It rained more in one day than it has during the entire summer. I think we got over ten inches today. This wasn't a gentle rain either. It was a downpour. Not surprisingly, the roof leaked. I put a bucket under the leak before I went to bed last night but I underestimated how fast the water was dripping. When I woke up this morning the bucket had overflowed and the carpet in the office was soaked. Such a mess. I guess I should consider myself lucky that only one area in the house had a leak. It could have been worse.

Dawn didn't get a walk this morning. She got a trip to the vet instead. This visit was for lab work she needed before getting her teeth cleaned. Dawn is a healthy dog but she has a lot of anxiety. She definitely didn't like being at the vet. It's kind of embarrassing how she acts in the exam room. As soon as we returned home Dawn headed straight for the bedroom and took a long nap. I felt like doing the same, but I had lots to do.

After I finished breakfast I went up on the roof. This wasn't a pleasant job since it was still raining, but I needed to get the pump working. I also trimmed some of the low hanging branches on the pecan tree that were interfering with the pump. I don't know how much this will help, but at least I eliminated one source of problems. I didn't even bother to sweep the water off the roof since it was still raining. I must have done something right because eventually the leak in the office roof stopped. I still need to go buy a very long heavy duty extension cord so I can put the second pump back in operation. 

The combination of roof leaks and ants has made me totally disgusted with the house. The running toilet in the second bathroom doesn't help either. It's definitely time for a new roof. I've interviewed lots of roofing companies over the years and haven't really liked any of them. Companies that specialize in flat roofs tend to only want to do commercial work. Our house is too small for them to bother with. Everyone is too expensive. The problem with our house is that is has settled over the years and the roof no longer drains properly. There are always puddles and duck ponds on the roof after a big rain. Nobody seems to have a great solution for this problem.

Even though I hate to drive in the rain, I went to the gym this afternoon. I needed to get my steps. The gym was fairly empty today and was even colder than usual. I was terrible on the basketball court and slower than usual on the indoor track. Basically, I just felt tired. Trimming branches on the roof in the middle of a rainstorm was hard work this morning.

It didn't even get up to 80 degrees today. For the first time in months it's colder outside than it is inside. There's still a chance of rain tomorrow, but I don't see anything ominous on the weather radar. Who knows. We may even be able to take a sunrise walk with Dawn tomorrow morning. I don't think it is going to rain tonight but I'm going to leave the buckets out just in case. Be careful what you wish for. I've been wishing for rain for weeks, but this was too much.

Lance is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4623

You can learn a lot about society by walking around a shopping mall before the stores open. Cooking hasn't changed much. I see exactly the same Cuisinart food processers, Vitamix blenders, and Le Creuset cast iron pots in store windows as I did fifteen years ago. On the other hand, what people put on their feet has changed a lot. Everyone wears sneakers now. Even the mannequins in high-end men's stores show men wearing sneakers with suits. Every clothing store has some sort of sneaker in the window. That's all you see on the feet of people walking around too. Not a leather shoe in sight. 

The expensive boutiques still display clothes for impossibly skinny people, but middle of the road stores now proudly display larger sizes in their windows. There are even fat mannequins now. There must be a large market for purses. I counted at least a dozen stores that sold nothing but very expensive purses. Jewelry stores don't put jewelry in the windows anymore. There are just posters with pictures of jewelry. The Apple store has a policeman inside the store even when it is closed. Times have definitely changed. Truthfully, there is very little you actually need in most shopping malls. You get that stuff at Walmart.

We got more rain today. I knew the rain was coming so I went up on the roof and fixed the pumps. A low hanging limb from the neighbor's pecan tree had knocked over one of the pumps and it had become unplugged. The other pump had a bad extension cord that started to smoke every time I plugged the pump in. That pump will stay unplugged until I can buy a new extension cord. Oh, well. At least I got one of the pumps working again. I swept the remaining water and a ton of pecan shells off the roof before I called it a day. I really hate going up on the roof these days. My balance isn't as good as it used to be.

At least the rain has cooled things down a bit. It was quite pleasant outside on our sunrise walk with Dawn  and we were even able to take a short walk later in the day on Dawn's Sunday outing. It's still quite humid though. A succession of rainy days makes things uncomfortably humid outside. The humidity didn't stop us from getting ice cream though. You can eat your ice cream cones in the car with the air conditioner running.

I vacuumed the can light sockets in the bathroom ceiling this afternoon in an attempt to get rid of the ants. This was a wasted effort. Even though the dead ants are falling directly below the can lights, there were no ants to be found when I removed the bulbs from the light sockets. Ants and debris are still falling from the ceiling. My success with the pumps was short lived as well. It just started raining again and my one remaining pump is no longer working. It's probably that same pecan tree again. When the limbs get wet they droop down and some even touch the roof. The moving limbs probably knocked over the pump again. This house can be very discouraging at times. I think I just heard the ominous drip of a roof leak.

I charged the laptop and installed security updates this afternoon. I think I'm ready for the trip now. Working with computers is much easier than dealing with household problems. The computers are old but not nearly as old as the house. 

We need to take Dawn to the vet tomorrow morning for pre-dental lab work. It's time to have her teeth cleaned again and they want to make sure she is OK for anesthesia. Getting her teeth cleaned is probably a big reason why Dawn doesn't like the vet. Healthy teeth are important though. For people and animals. 

Sure wish the pumps were working this evening. We're getting a lot of rain.

Cookie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4622

Just a normal Saturday. We got up early and took our sunrise walk with Dawn. The park was even busier than usual. We must have caught the tail end of a 5K race because we saw lots of people walking rather than running with race numbers attached to their clothing. I don't know how early you'd have to get up to beat the crowds on weekends, but it's probably too early for us.

When we returned home we had our usual weekend breakfast of bacon, eggs, and toast. You can't eat shredded wheat all the time. I did a few small chores around the house after breakfast and then did my grocery shopping and went to the gym. I briefly thought about walking in the park again, but it was too humid today. 

The stores weren't crowded today because I remembered to go shopping early. I went to the gym earlier as well. Nobody seems to go to the gym on weekends. The place was practically empty this morning. Often this seems like a private gym for twelve people. Since this place is run by a large hospital they probably don't need the LA Fitness customers. I'm sure they do just fine with all their physical therapy patients.

I think I figured out why I don't get the same Fitbit results walking indoors as I do outdoors. I noticed today that I take shorter steps when I'm walking on the indoor track. Fitbit doesn't count the length of your stride, just the number of steps. This probably explains why I can accumulate 10,000 steps in a shorter distance at the gym than I do when walking in the park. Why do I have a longer stride when I'm walking outdoors? One of life's mysteries.

I looked at the long range weather and there appears to be a good chance of rain while I'm in Florida. It actually always rains at some point during the day in Titusville, so this doesn't actually mean much. The passing showers usually don't last long. I've seen thunderstorms at 5 PM and then watched a launch take place right on schedule at 8 PM the same day. That being said, I'd still rather see a forecast of clear skies for the entire week. There's already enough that could go wrong with the rocket. We don't need bad weather to screw things up even further.

I had a long list of things to do this afternoon and didn't do any of them. I did do a load of laundry. Laundry is my go-to activity when I don't feel like doing anything. Janet dusts, I do laundry. I'm trying to adjust my schedule so I get to bed and get up earlier. So far, this effort has been a total failure. I never seem to be able to get to bed before midnight. With a very early flight and an early launch next week, I need to do something. I'm usually so tired on these trips because I never get any sleep.

Ants have invaded the house again. I've noticed that they are falling out of the can lights in the bathroom ceiling. Most of the ants are dead. I guess the heat from the light bulbs kills them. I wish the ants would move on. It's way too late in the season for an ant invasion. At least it's just ants living above the sheet rock in the ceiling. Once we had a colony of bees up there and had to get a beekeeper to come remove them. The beekeeper didn't kill the bees. He just found where they were entering the house and put something with a smell the bees didn't like at the entrance to the hive. The entire colony of bees left and moved somewhere else the same evening.

There is rain in the forecast for tomorrow, but Dawn will get her Sunday outing rain or shine. We can still go for ice cream cones in the rain. I can go mall walking in the rain as well. It doesn't matter what the weather's like when you're walking in an indoor mall. I'd probably enjoy walking at the mall every day if it weren't for all the shoppers. The mall is much more enjoyable for me when the stores are closed.

Blackjack is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4621

Today is Janet's birthday. We dressed up a little, went to a nice restaurant, and had a great dinner. We were both born on the 19th, but two months apart. Neither of us is getting any younger, but we seem to be doing well. Janet is still doing a better job of staying in shape than I am. The birthdays come too fast now. It doesn't seem like a year has passed since our last birthday celebration. Hopefully, there will be many more.

The weather is still a little cooler. Dawn enjoyed her sunrise walk and it was still nice enough for me to take a long walk in the park later in the morning. I probably should have gone to the gym because it did seem pretty hot by the time I returned home. I managed to complete my full six mile route, but it's starting to seem a little harder that it did a year ago. I'm determined to keep moving though. I think I would deteriorate pretty rapidly if I stopped moving.

I had trouble posting the blog to Facebook last night. I finally discovered a work around, but it did make me wonder why I still post something every day. I really don't have that much to say. Computer problems are becoming more common now. I keep getting messages that my browser is out of date and is no longer supported. The computer is old and can't run new systems. I don't feel like buying a new one though. As far as I'm concerned the computer worked fine ten years ago. Why do people insist on changing things? At any rate, I hope the blog posts normally tonight. I'm tired and want to get to bed at a reasonable hour.

There were more bills to pay today. Living on a fixed income in inflationary times is not something I'd recommend. When I was working I could just work a little longer and make more money when prices started to rise. Now I have to pay more attention to budgeting. I don't buy as many things I don't need now. Maybe if I did this when I was younger, I wouldn't even need the storage warehouse.

I think there might be a Space X Starlink launch while I'm down in Florida. It would be nice if I could see two launches in a single trip. I'm not sure about the date though. Some places say the Space X launch will take place two days before the Artemis launch. Other places say the day before and one website says that the launch has been postponed until some time in September. Probably the most accurate website just said "launch date subject to change."

I think Dawn finally accepts me as a family member. We're getting along pretty well now. We certainly share some of the same interests. We both like to eat and we like to nap. I don't think that Dawn will ever be completely comfortable with men, but this is close enough for me. She is a good dog.

Spot is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4620

It rained again last night and it was a lot cooler this morning. Ten degrees can make a big difference. We had an enjoyable early morning walk with Dawn and since the skies were overcast it looked like it might stay cooler all day. I ate my breakfast and checked the temperature again. Finally, it was cool enough for a long walk in the park.

I enjoy walking outdoors more than on the indoor track at the gym. I don't enjoy the heat though, so I need to take advantage of days like this. It didn't even get up to 90 degrees today and for most of my walk it was in the 70's. The only thing I don't like about walking outdoors is the continual drone of leaf blowers from the landscaping crews in the neighborhood and the frequent police and fire sirens. Add in all the planes on final approach to Love Field and it's not a very quiet place. Our park is a beautiful wooded area but it is located inside a large city. You really can't avoid the noise.

Since it was cooler today I decided it was finally time to mow the grass. We've been letting it grow because the taller the grass, the deeper the roots. Even though it has been a dry summer, I think the lawn is going to survive. I'm not sure how long the mower is going to survive though. I definitely need new batteries. I used to be able to mow both the front and back yards on a single charge. Today the mower died before I finished the back yard. I hesitate to buy another mower though. I think the next step is to join the other neighbors and just get a landscaping service to do the mowing for me. I'm definitely not getting any younger. Mowing the yard tires me out now.

I managed to find another ESA astronaut to interview while I'm down at Kennedy Space center. Maybe I can turn the two interviews into a separate article. Both astronauts have interesting stories. The Italian astronaut had a close call when a faulty spacesuit caused his helmet to fill up with water while he was outside the space station doing repairs. The German astronaut is a musician and joined a live Kraftwerk concert while he was on the space station and may be the only person to play a synthesizer in space.

I'm still a little apprehensive about my upcoming trip. Everything important happens early in the morning and I'm not a morning person. My flight leaves at 6 AM and the launch itself takes place at 6:30 AM. Different days though. I've been told to arrive at the press site five hours ahead of the launch. Yikes. That means I'll be getting up in the middle of the night. I'm not so sure about staying at an Airbnb either. The place I selected got great reviews but I've never stayed at an Airbnb before. I've stayed at the Titusville Holiday Inn so many times that I feel like family there. Oh, well. You know what they say about old dogs and new tricks. It might be good for me to try something new.

I briefly thought about getting out the star tracker and seeing if I could duplicate yesterday's test session. It seemed like too much trouble though and I ended up doing a load of laundry instead. Even though I mowed the lawn today, it still seemed like a slow day. Hey, there's nothing wrong with slow days. I've taken this weeks trash out to the curb and I'm read to start all over again tomorrow.

Lucy is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4619

I got as message today that NASA was providing a wide variety of one-on-one interview opportunities with people connected with the Artemis program. This sounded interesting, so I went to their website link and looked for someone to interview. Every time I found someone interesting and selected them I received a message saying that another person had picked the same person at almost the same time and they were no longer available. I tried again and again and every single time someone else had grabbed my time slot first. After seven of eight tries I just gave up. 

It probably would have been easier to interview some obscure technical person, but I wanted to interview an astronaut. The astronauts available for interviews were by far the most popular. Most of the available time slots were snapped up in just a few minutes. The feeding frenzy for interviews was one more sign that this launch is going to be a three ring circus. I've heard that 700 journalists will be covering the launch. I guess it's an honor to be included in this group, but I still wonder if I made the right decision. I really hate crowds.

There was rain in the forecast for today, but true to form we never got any. Our sunrise walk was pleasant, but it got hot pretty quickly. By the time I finished breakfast the temperature was already too high for another walk in the park. Oh, well. I guess I was planning on going to the gym anyway. I got a late start because I wasted a lot of time trying to snag an interview on the NASA website. When that failed I paid some August bills. Actually it was a good thing that I got a late start at the gym. I didn't have to spend the entire afternoon looking for something to do.

I'm eating lunch again, which I haven't done in a long time. This means that I am probably gaining weight as well. After lunch I installed the new firmware in the star tracker and gave it a spin.  This update was major. So many things had changed that it was disorienting at first. I had a lot of trouble getting the camera to connect, but eventually I succeeded. Since the tracker worked fine once I managed to get the camera connected, I suspect that I may have installed one of the cables improperly. The cables are definitely a weak link on this thing. They are very finicky.

After I put the tracker away I looked at the NASA interview website again and discovered that a retired European astronaut was available. I hope he speaks English. This guy is German and I've totally forgotten the German I learned when I was working in Europe on the Siemens account. I never was very fluent but at least I made an effort. German is not an easy language to learn. I'm glad I was finally able to secure some sort of interview with an astronaut. It makes me feel a little more legitimate as a journalist.

I thought it was going to be too hot for Dawn's training class tonight, but it quickly became obvious that Dawn really wanted to go. Dawn loves that class. Janet said the weather was fine once the sun went down. The weather certainly didn't bother Dawn. She did great tonight and came home with a blue ribbon. She's got quite a collection of ribbons now. Dawn is full of surprises. I never expected her to be a star at class.

Looks like we may still get some rain later tonight. I'm not counting on anything though. Somehow the rain always seems to miss us.

Toby is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4618

I got a notice today that I'm approved for an Artemis photo opportunity that takes place more than a full week ahead of the launch. Wish they could have scheduled this closer to the launch. There is no way I can spend this much time in Titusville. It looks like I may not be able to get close to the pad at all. They are scheduling remote camera placement much earlier than usual for this launch. There's a chance to take sunrise pictures at the launch pad that I'm going to miss as well. Oh, well. At least I'm on the approved list. I wish I could take part in more of the pre-launch activities but I really can't complain. I did get invited.

It's going to take a lot more rain before things start to turn green around here. It already feels like last week's showers never even happened. The park, as well as our yard, still look brown and dry. Luckily, the temperatures are still nice for our sunrise walks with Dawn. It was in the high 70's when we left the house this morning. Tuesday mornings are a lot busier than Mondays. There are cycling clubs that ride around the lake on Tuesday and Thursday as well as a lot more runners. I'm glad that Dawn still enjoys these early walks because they are basically the only exercise she gets in this hot weather.

I still am getting my exercise at the gym. I basically do the same things day after day. I spend twenty minutes on the basketball court, forty-five minutes on the indoor track, and another twenty minutes working with free weights. I could definitely spend more time here because I seldom have any place to go.  This short routine seems plenty though and is enough to keep my Fitbit happy.

There's more I could be doing at home as well, but I'm doing my best to avoid even thinking about it. Periodically I think about calling a roofer, but I've had such bad experiences with roofing companies that it's easy to put this off a little longer. I need to find a carpenter as well to replace some rotted wood trim. There are three carpenters in my contact list. I remember that one of them was really good and the other two were terrible. Unfortunately I can't remember which guy was the good one. It probably doesn't even matter. It's been so long since I've hired a carpenter that all three of these guys have probably retired by now.

I finally got my author copies for the last Spaceflight article I wrote. I keep thinking that I ought to submit articles to more magazines but I really don't have that many experiences to share. I enjoy writing about my visits to Kennedy Space Center and I'd probably enjoy writing about a visit to another observatory. Sky and Telescope doesn't seem interested in another article of this type though. I used to write articles about Spot and Petey for a little magazine called Dalmatian Quarterly.  Unfortunately that magazine went out of business a long time ago. Truthfully, I'm not much of a journalist. Everything I write is basically just about me.

One of these days I'll have something interesting to write about on the blog again. Don't hold your breath though. This entire summer has felt like Ground Hog Day. Every day is exactly the same. Maybe tomorrow I'll get around to testing the star tracker again. There is new software available now and what else do I have to do. I guess I could always take a nap with Dawn. Taking a nap with your dog always sounds good.

Pogo is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4617

I finally got the information I've been waiting for from NASA. It doesn't look like I'll have to change any of my travel plans, so all is good. The only thing I didn't like was that they have turned this launch into a two week long media extravaganza. I can't afford to stay that long, so I will miss some of the pre-launch events. Hopefully the Artemis rocket will launch on the first attempt or I will miss the launch as well. I guess the trip is still worthwhile though. I'm sure I'll see something interesting. This is a historic event.

Our Monday morning walks with Dawn are always very quiet. It's a real contrast to all the activity we typically see on the weekend. I don't know if people are busy getting ready for work or sleeping in and trying to avoid the start of another week. I appreciate the solitude though. I wish the park was like this everyday. 

By the time the sun came up I could tell that it was going to be another hot day. It didn't matter though. I was planning to go to the gym anyway. When we started out this morning we caught a glimpse of the conjunction between the Moon and Jupiter before the sky got too bright. It might have been more dramatic if I had stayed up for a look late last night when the Moon was rising, but this was fine.

I went to the post office on my way to the gym this morning. Since I started paying bills online I don't have many reasons to go to the post office anymore. Stamps and envelopes seem to last a lot longer too. I still send a monthly letter to my sister even though we could easily talk on the phone. Letter writing is becoming a lost art. Actually most things I do are becoming a lost art, but I have no desire to change at this point.

The gym is pretty empty on Monday as well. Even the roads seem less crowded. Some of the personal trainers I used to see have disappeared. Maybe they were students who have returned to school. The same people seem to be working out whenever I arrive. Most of them are much more interested in body building than I am. I just want to get my steps and go home.

I did some routine bookkeeping this afternoon and then cleared some brush in the back yard so I could take it out to the curb for bulky trash day. There is more yard work to do, but it was too hot to stay outside for very long. I didn't bother to upgrade the star tracker today either. I'm actually getting tired of messing with this thing. I've lost track of how many upgrades I've installed already. I think the little tracker works pretty well, but I doubt that I'll use it until I get a chance to return to the observatory again. You can't see much of the night sky from our back yard and I don't feel safe going anywhere else at night.

I miss visiting the rescue Dalmatians on Mondays. Maybe we'll be able to work out something with the new kennel in the future, but who knows. At least the dogs have a nice clean place to stay. The old kennel was always where we did our Santa Paws Christmas photos as well. We'll need a new venue for that event.  I should be used to change by now, but I'm not. Change has never been exciting to me. I wish that everything would stay the same.

Freckles is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4616

Mall walking has become part of my Sunday routine. This is the third week in a row that I've done this and it still seems like a pleasant activity. The stores are starting to look pretty familiar now. The window displays must not change often because so far everything looks exactly the same. Surprisingly, the art on display does change ocassionally. I've noticed a few new pieces that weren't there several years ago, along with several favorites that are gone. I wonder where they store this art when it isn't on display. Some of the sculptures are huge.

We need to start our sunrise walk with Dawn earlier on weekends. We didn't leave the house until after 8 AM this morning and the park was already bustling with activity. Now that school has started there are high school sports teams that run in the mornings and there are always lots of bicycles to watch out for. The park is a lot quieter in the mornings when the weather cools down. In the winter it is practically empty. Dawn enjoys walking more in cooler weather and so do I. I'm ready for winter so I can start complaining about something else.

The weather was a littler cooler this morning, so we took a short walk in Dawn's Sunday park on her outing today. We didn't walk far though. It is still too hot for a dog to be out in the middle of the day. The price for cones at the ice cream store has gone up at the same time the cones have gotten a little smaller. This doesn't seem fair, but I'm not running a business. People are still buying ice cream, so I suspect that they  are just seeing how much they can get away with.

The real estate market in town seems to have really slowed down. We're seeing for sale and for lease signs stay up in the neighborhood a lot longer than they used to when interest rates were near zero. Houses for rent near the lake used to be snapped up almost immediately. Lately I've seen a couple of real estate signs standing in people's yards for well over a month. Sign of the times I guess. Who would want to commit to a major purchase with so much uncertainty in the world?

I wrote a letter to my sister this afternoon and will mail it tomorrow. I also vacuumed the carpets. The Dyson vacuum still takes longer to clean than it does to vacuum, but I guess it does a good job. There is sure is a ton of dust and dirt in the clear plastic tube when I'm done. I still think old fashioned vacuum cleaner bags are a better solution, but what do I know. When the bags were full on our old Hoover, I just took them out and threw them away.

There is a new version of the star tracker software available now, but I haven't had the heart to install it. I keep thinking that updates to this thing should start slowing down soon, but the Benro team seems relentless in their efforts to add new features. Sometimes the new features work and other times they don't.  This experience has made me wary about buying anything new before all the bugs have been worked out. I have tended to buy computers just before they are discontinued because you can often get great deals. I've rarely had problems with these older computers because mature products are just more stable. I think the same thing can be said for cars. I've been interested in the new Bronco, but early buyers seems to be plagued with problems. Maybe a few years from now this car will be more reliable.

Tomorrow I return to my weekday routine. I'm sure there will be a trip to the gym and maybe a nap with Dawn. I've got a few bills to pay and it's time to take bulky trash out to the curb. I don't think I will mow the lawn though, even though it really needs some attention. Will I finally get details about the Artemis launch press itinerary from NASA? Somehow I doubt it. 

Elliott is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4615

Today was busy. Our rain and cooler weather is just a memory now. The temperature didn't set any records today, but it is definitely still summer. We took Dawn on her sunrise walk, had some bacon and eggs for breakfast and then went to move the rescue Dalmatians. The move took longer than expected and there were several complications, but we got the job done.

When we returned home I did my grocery shopping. I'm beginning to think the preppers might be right. Almost every week something on my list seems to be in short supply. Are we headed toward Armageddon? So far, the shortages appear to be random. You never know which shelves are going to be empty. I can still find what I need, but I often have to go to several stores. Janet thinks that things are going to get worse. I hope not. I'm not used to seeing empty shelves in grocery stores.

I picked up a prescription while I was shopping. GoodRx is still a lot cheaper than my prescription drug plan. Why am I paying so much for my Part-D plan when it doesn't even give me the best prices? Medical costs are a mystery. There is no rhyme or reason to anything.

The oil light came on in Janet's car when we were moving the dogs, so I picked up some oil for her at Auto Zone. Oil is another thing that has gotten real expensive. I remember when engine oil was only a couple of dollars a quart. Now most later model cars require synthetic oils and the prices are over ten dollars a quart.

I went to the gym later this afternoon but I didn't get to stay as long as I usually do. The gym closes early on Saturday and I got a late start. I managed to get my steps on the indoor track, but ran out of time on the basketball court. I'd never stayed at the gym until it closed before. Someone comes around to all the stations at closing time and shoos everyone out. The gym is closed tomorrow, but I'll probably go mall walking again.

I picked up Chinese for dinner tonight. I hope the little neighborhood restaurant that Janet and I like manages to stay in business. It hasn't been very busy the last several times I've been there and this evening the place was completely empty when I came to pick up my order. The food is good but I don't think we can keep the place going on our own. Chinese food once or twice a month is plenty.

I need to remember to do my mall walking early tomorrow so we can still take Dawn on her Sunday outing. There are still a lot of things that need attention in the yard, but I'm going to wait until it gets a little cooler. 

Emma is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4614

JoJo got adopted today. Janet and I met the couple who were interested in him this morning. They looked at several dogs but it was clear that JoJo was their favorite. JoJo seemed to know that he had found his forever home. He didn't want to get in the car when we were changing kennels, but this time he hopped right in the couple's car for his freedom ride. They definitely got a good dog. Everyone who meets JoJo comments on how friendly and easy going he is. I'm glad he found a home.

Since I knew we were going to the kennel today, I went to the gym early. Dawn still got her sunrise walk and I had my regular breakfast, but I was out of the house before 9 AM. One of these days I'm going to need to change up my exercise routine. I continue to do exactly the same things day after day. That's OK though. It's an easy way to get my Fitbit steps and have a little fun on the basketball court without getting hot and sweaty. I don't know how they keep my gym so cold. The place is like a refrigerator.

I finally heard something from NASA today. Unfortunately it was not the news I've been waiting for. Today's message was primarily meant for people planning to attend the rollout on August 18. It would be nice to attend both the rollout and the launch, but I can barely afford launch day travel expenses. Oh, well. I've already seen the Artemis rocket sitting on the pad. It was there the last time I was down at the space center for the Axiom-1 launch. I'm really hoping that everything stays on schedule. I'm still not sure what I'm going to do if the launch gets delayed.

We're planning to move the rescue Dalmatians to a new kennel tomorrow. The current kennel is nice, but the kennel runs are too small for larger dogs like Dalmatians. Since some of the dogs end up spending a long time at the kennel before they find their forever homes, they deserve a bigger kennel run. I wasn't aware that there were so many boarding kennels in the Dallas area until we needed to find a new home for the dogs. There seem to be kennels everywhere. The place we are going tomorrow is new and is very clean. I think we have enough volunteers that everyone will only need to make one trip when we are transferring the dogs. I hope that everyone, especially Charlie, likes their new home and we won't have to move them again. Rescue dogs have had enough stress in their lives already. We want them to be happy.

It doesn't seem like it's time to make a grocery list already. It feels like I just did this a few days ago. I need to remember to pick up a prescription at the pharmacy as well. It's shaping up to be a very busy day tomorrow. It's already too hot again to go walking in the park during the day, but I'm not sure when I'm going to find time to go to the gym. I'll probably end up going late in the day. I was hoping that we might get some more rain next week, but rain has already disappeared from the forecast. At least Wednesday's rain didn't cause any roof leaks. I dodged a bullet on that one.

Ellis is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4613

What a difference a day makes. Yesterday's rain really cooled things down. It was only 71 degrees when we woke up this morning. Dawn enjoyed her sunrise walk and so did I. The cooler temperatures were so nice that I decided to skip going to the gym today and walk in the park instead. I left the house right after breakfast and the temperature had already climbed to 78 degrees. It was still nice though.

I managed to complete my full six mile route but I was slow and it was getting pretty hot by the time I finally returned home. The fancy new trail through the park is complete now. It looks like it was completed right on schedule. I saw the two Muscovy ducks this morning and was surprised that there are only five of the resident Sunset Bay geese now. I wonder what happened to the other five? The grassy meadows already look a little greener, but maybe I'm just imagining things.

Even though I was slower than usual today, my pace was still faster than I typically walk on the indoor track at the gym. I always seem to walk faster outdoors even though this seems counterintuitive to me. The indoor track is much easier on my feet. You'd think I'd walk faster indoors.

When I checked my messages this morning there was still nothing from NASA. Hopefully, when the credentialing and logistics information finally arrives it won't be too late to change my reservations if it becomes necessary. I have a feeling that I'm getting too old for this. I have no inherent flexibility or sense of adventure anymore. I"d be much happier if everything, including the weather, was locked down months ahead of time.

I did a load of laundry this afternoon, but didn't attempt anything major. The afternoon still went quickly though. Dawn is completely comfortable napping with me now. When I run out of things to do I'm always up for a nap. I thought about doing some yard work this afternoon, but this morning's cooler temperatures had already disappeared. It was very humid too. I need to go up on the roof and check on the pumps, but I'm not even sure I can climb up there anymore. I definitely don't want to fall, so maybe my roof climbing days are over. Sadly, this task is difficult to pass on to someone else. Years of dealing with this troublesome roof have taught me all kind of tricks for keeping it dry and leak free. The elastomer coating is kind of fragile too. Someone who didn't know what they were doing could really make a mess of things.

Tomorrow Janet and I will be meeting someone who wants to adopt either JoJo or Spot. I'm curious to see which one she'll choose. Both are great dogs but have very different personalities. I'm glad that one of these dogs will be finding their forever home. Now that the kennel situation has changed, it is good to have fewer dogs in the program. Hopefully, we'll still be able to work out a way to play with the dogs on a regular basis. They definitely seem to enjoy our company.

This week has gone very quickly. I've already taken this week's trash to the curb and am ready to start over again on my predictable weekly routine. Maybe next week I can resolve all my travel uncertainties.

Hannah is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4612

We got rain again. This time it was a real soaker. We had a heavy downpour that lasted almost three hours. I think things will look a lot greener next week. Today's rain ended 67 days of drought. This might not be enough to end our dry spell, but it will certainly help. I'd almost forgotten about the pumps on the roof. Of course they didn't work. It wasn't surprising since I haven't checked them in months. So far, no roof leaks though. Fingers crossed.

The rain didn't start until later this afternoon, so the morning was just another hot summer day. We took our sunrise walk with Dawn and wondered if the weather was going to change. There were clouds on the horizon and a nice breeze, but we weren't expecting much. After breakfast I checked my messages and there was still nothing from NASA. I guess there is no point in worrying about this. The launch schedule will either work out or it won't.

I got to the gym a little later today because I am slow about everything these days. I thought I'd change things up and shot baskets on the south goal instead of the north goal. My accuracy was pretty good today.  I was a little slower on the indoor track, but not by much. Since I had absolutely nothing to do this afternoon, I stayed a little longer and worked on some machines designed to strengthen my shoulders. I seriously considered walking in the park today but wisely decided that it was still too hot. I definitely don't have to worry about the heat at the gym. They keep the place super cold.

I spent the afternoon looking at the weather radar and wondering when the rain was going to arrive. I still waste too much time looking at Facebook although I wonder why I bother. I rarely see posts from friends anymore. It's all sponsored posts now, curated by Facebook's demented algorithm. I don't know how they decide what I'd like to see. I think they're just blindly guessing. My feed is filled with posts about battle tanks, pictures of the SR-71 spy plane, obscure blues musicians, news articles that are hidden behind a paywall, old pictures of the Beatles, blatant clickbait, and information about state parks in places I'll never visit. Facebook doesn't know me at all. Luckily I still see lots of pictures of Dalmatians. Without the dog pictures there would be no reason to visit at all.

I think I should delete some of my other social media accounts. I'm convinced that a lot of the e-mail spam I get, as well as some of the telemarketing calls originate from my LinkedIn account. You can tell from a lot of the message headers that they grabbed my contact information from LinkedIn. Years ago I thought that LinkedIn would help me get business. I don't think it ever did. Almost all my clients came from word of mouth recommendations. While I'm thinking about it, I should probably delete my Instagram account as well. I used to love Instagram back in the early days when it was a place for photographers to showcase their work. I haven't visited Instagram in years. I grew to hate the place when it was taken over by videos and influencers.

There is no rain in the forecast for tomorrow, so I'll be returning to my regular hot and dry schedule. It was a shame that Dawn didn't get to go to her dog training class tonight because of the rain. Dawn really likes that class.

J-Lo is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4611

It rained today. The rain only lasted for about five minutes but it was very welcome. I wish the rain had lasted longer. An hour or two later everything was dry again. There is another chance of rain tomorrow. Maybe we'll get something more substantial.

A squirrel tore up a bottle of fire ant granules and we found Dawn walking around in the back yard with one of the pieces of the plastic bottle in her mouth. We don't think she ingested any of the granules, but this still was not good. According to what I've read on the Internet the insecticide used in the Amdro granules isn't very strong and eating a small amount shouldn't be harmful to dogs. We're keeping an eye on her. It's been about four hours now and she appears absolutely normal. If this proves anything it is that dogs can and will get into anything. When I Googled "my dog ate Amdro granules" there were a ton of links. Apparently Dawn wasn't the first dog to become a little too interested in this stuff.

I was disappointed that we didn't get more rain. It would have been a nice change of pace. With the exception of the very short rain shower, today was exactly like yesterday. We started the day with an early sunrise walk with Dawn. You can really tell the days are getting shorter now. Tuesday seems to be a popular day for cyclists. We really have to watch out for bicycles on our Tuesday walks.

I had my usual bowl of cereal for breakfast and then checked my messages, hoping for some clarification from NASA. Nothing yet. I went to the gym, shot 25 free throws on the basketball court, walked two miles on the indoor track, and came home again. I got gas on the way home. I'm using more gas now that I'm going to the gym every day. It still beats walking in the park though. It's going to have to get a lot cooler before I start taking long walks in the park again.

While I was out and about this morning I listened to a program on NPR about how the invention of air conditioning was changing society. It was kind of a doom and gloom story, but I suspect that most of it was true. I have become totally dependent on air conditioning. I had the air conditioner on in my car as I was listening to the story. When the air conditioner goes out at the house it is always a major emergency. Without air conditioning I seriously doubt that I would be living in Texas. When I lived in Seattle my house didn't have an air conditioner and it never was a problem. I don't remember having an air conditioner when I lived in Idaho or Colorado either. Texas is different. Maybe it is a huge waste of energy, but I'm convinced that it is a necessity here.

I still can't think of anything that captures my interest for an entire day. I usually get off to a good start, but by mid-afternoon I've run out of steam. I never had these problems when I was working. There always seemed to be a writing job to keep me busy. It's a good thing I enjoy taking naps. I've been taking a lot of naps lately.

We'll see what tomorrow brings. I'm sure there will be another trip to the gym. I'm still hoping for rain. Our yard could really use a good soaking. I hope I don't find a dead squirrel in the yard tomorrow. I don't think Dawn ate much Amdro, but I think the squirrel probably did.

Nautica is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4610

Well, the rain disappeared from the forecast overnight and now it shows no chance of rain for the next week. The yard is looking pretty dry right now. We still take our sunrise walks with Dawn, but they are only nice when there is a breeze. Maybe I got spoiled by last summer's cooler than normal temperatures, but I'm really getting tired of this.

There isn't a lot to write about lately. I don't like talking about politics or current events and I don't have many irons in the fire myself. Every day is so similar to the previous day that I could save a lot of time and just write one post for the entire summer. Maybe this monotony will eventually force me into doing something more substantial. Time will tell. For now I'm just treading water.

We didn't visit the rescue Dalmatians today. The new kennel doesn't have a space for us to play with the dogs and they are very busy. The dogs are well cared for, but it is very different from the previous kennel. Things may change in the future, but for now we just hope that they all get adopted soon. Janet and I are meeting someone who wants to look at one of the dogs later this week. Maybe someone will get lucky and find their forever home.

I went back to the gym after breakfast this morning. I still think it's strange that the same people are always there doing the same things day after day. They probably think it's strange that I'm doing the same things day after day as well. Who knows. Maybe it's Groundhog Day for all of us. 

I'm wishing now that I'd snapped up one of those Special Viewing Nights on the Otto Struve telescope. I'm so bored this summer that the long drive out to West Texas doesn't seem quite so bad anymore. There's still the Artemis-1 launch at the end of the month, but I have a strong feeling that this launch will be delayed or postponed again. The program is already years behind schedule. What's a few more months at this point. I just hope they decide what they are going to do before I get on the plane. There have been a lot of big bills this summer and I can't really afford a trip to Florida for nothing.

Janet cleans the house on Monday. Cleaning makes me uneasy because I feel like I'm probably the one who made the place dirty in the first place. We each have our chores around the house, but I'm probably a little behind on mine. I have a feeling that I should get out the vacuum cleaner tomorrow. Vacuuming the rugs is easy. The other things that need attention are a lot more difficult. I need to repair the trim around the windows. Paint is starting to peel away in places but to get a smooth finish I would need to sand all the trim down to the bare wood and start over. Since the trim moulding is a bit ornate, it is a lot of work. There are cracks in the sheetrock that need to be spackled and patched. Once I did that I would need to paint though. Painting is such a mess. The dryer hose needs to be cleaned but it's hard for me to get behind the dryer now and remove it. I could go on and on. Basically, I'm just tired of fixing things. We've lived in this house too long.

Maybe something interesting will happen tomorrow. I wouldn't count on it though. These are the dog days of summer.

Lilly is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day