Day 4949

It's been a long day. Two plumbers have been here all day installing the new water heater. I never dreamed that putting a water heater in a confined space was such a complicated procedure. Due to new code requirements, the plumbers couldn't simply duplicate the old arrangement. New water heaters have to be installed on a raised base with an overflow pan that drains to the floor drain. Too many things use the floor drain in the utility room already. Now I've got one more. 

The plumbers told me that I could no longer use the copper pipes at the top on the water heater to support a shelf. I have no shelf in the utility room now and no place to store the things that were sitting on it. The new water heater is slightly larger than the old one and takes up more space, but the good news is that we have hot water again.

I guess I shouldn't have been surprised, but the price of water heaters has more than doubled since the last time I replaced one. The plumbers were amazed at how old the leaking water heater was. "Your new one won't last that long," the lead plumber told me. I wonder what else can go wrong in this house? Probably more things than I can even imagine.

Dawn is still frightened of almost everything, but she is eating her meals and going outside to pee and poop. That's all I can ask for at this point. She was actually very good today with all the commotion going on in the house. She just stayed in the bedroom all day until the plumbers left. I was a little worried last night that Dawn wasn't coming back to the bedroom to go to sleep. We had a very brief power outage and when the lights and TV went out, it scared her and she ran to the kitchen. Basically everything seems to scare Dawn except plumbers. She seemed fine with the plumbers today.

Since I was home with the plumbers all day, I didn't get to go to the gym. It wasn't a good day to take a long walk since the temperature got up to 104 degrees. I'm hooked on getting my steps though. After dinner I took this week's trash out to the curb and then took a short walk. I walked just long enough to get 10,000 steps and returned home. No sense in being stupid. I thought it would be cooler if I waited until evening to walk. It was still 95 degrees though.

Somebody has spoofed my e-mail address and I'm seeing spam that appears to come from me in my spam folder almost every day. It's irritating. I did a little research and discovered that this type of spoofing is extremely common and very hard to stop. I'll call my hosting company again and ask them to put a stop to this. I did this once before and the spoofing stopped for about two weeks and then started all over again. I'm beginning to think that my Luddite sister who isn't on the Internet at all might have the right idea. 

Hopefully tomorrow will be uneventful. Having plumbers banging around all day in one room with a scared dog in another room was a bit stressful. I'll be glad when Janet returns home.

Watson is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4948

Not the best of days. It was 104 degrees this afternoon, our water heater started leaking and will need to be replaced, and my application to attend the Orion Media Day at Kennedy Space Center was denied. Other than that, it was just a normal Wednesday.

Dawn regressed a bit this morning. I had to put the bowl with her breakfast next to her on the bed again. She didn't want to move and is still fearful about everything. Dawn definitely isn't getting her exercise this week. She goes out in the backyard to pee several times a day and I managed to get her down to the park this morning to poop, but all she wants to do is sit on the bed.

It was too hot for another walk in the park today, so I went back to the gym after breakfast. There were people on the basketball court, so all I did was walk three miles around the indoor track and return home. I tried to find a replacement for the broken knife rack at Bed Bath and Beyond on the way home, but the store is going out of business soon and there wasn't much left. I'll have to look for the knife rack online.

I did find orange juice at Central Market, so at least I could check something off my list. When I returned home I got a rude awakening. There was water on the floor in the utility room and it was spilling out into the kitchen. I was initially puzzled since I hadn't done any laundry recently. A quick look revealed that the water was coming from the water heater. It looked like the place where the supply lines enter the heater had rusted out. 

I shut off the heater to stop the leak and we have no hot water now. A plumber is coming out tomorrow to look at things, but he pretty much confirmed that I'll need a new water heater after looking at the pictures I sent him. He also told me that the shelf that is currently above the water heater will have to be removed because it won't pass current building codes. This was a new wrinkle. The last time I replaced this water heater you didn't need a city inspection. Water heaters have gotten a lot more expensive too. Why is nothing easy anymore? I'm going to have a hard time even finding a water heater that will fit in our tiny utility room. The size and shape of these things has changed over the years.

I'm disappointed that I didn't receive credentials to attend the Orion Media Day at Kennedy Space Center, but the rejection might be a blessing in disguise. Instead of paying for a trip to Florida this month, I'll be paying for a new water heater instead. Hopefully the plumbers can take care of everything tomorrow. I hate being without hot water.

Hopefully nothing else breaks and there is no more bad news tomorrow. At least Dawn ate her dinner normally tonight. I'll feed her a bedtime snack soon and then we'll call it a day. 

Winston is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4947

Dawn was a little calmer today. We're making slow progress. She still wouldn't come to the kitchen for breakfast this morning, but she did get off the bed and eat from her bowl when I placed it on the bedroom floor. Dawn is pretty good about going out in the back yard when she needs to pee. She's still reluctant to go down to the park though. Unfortunately this is still necessary because it's the only place where she will poop. A walk is out of the question. She does her business quickly and then tries to get back to the house as fast as she can. The bedroom is her safe place. I think Dawn knows that Janet hasn't gone out for groceries by now. She's stopped waiting by the front door. She started letting me nap with her for a while in the afternoon. In her own weird way maybe she appreciates my company.

It was surprisingly cool today. The weather radar showed lots of rain to the north of us, but very little reached our part of town. All we got were a few light sprinkles. This seemed like the perfect type of weather to skip the gym and take a walk in the park. The park hasn't changed much since I've been away, but it was still nice to be walking outdoors again. It's an entirely different experience when you can feel the wind and smell nearby flowering trees. Most of the wildflowers have gone to seed by now, but the park is still green and full of life. I enjoyed my walk.

I was surprised that my pace was faster than it's typically been on the indoor track at the gym. Maybe having something to look at put a spring in my step. Most of the migratory birds have gone north for the summer, but there are still quite a few mallards and bluewinged teal, along with our five resident geese. I didn't see the muscovy ducks today, but I'm sure they are still in the area. They tend to stay hidden in hot weather. There were surprisingly few people in the park this morning. I thought more people would take advantage of the cooler weather. Maybe everyone was afraid it was going to rain. There were dark clouds overhead, but I didn't get wet at all. Maybe I just got lucky.

I'm not sure I trust my Fitbit. Even though I walked quite a bit faster and further today, I supposedly burned about the same number of calories as I typically do at the gym. My heart rate wasn't any faster either. Even when I was walking up hills. I should probably just quit looking at the Fitbit and Apple Watch so much. I know walking is good for you and I do a lot of walking. I'd like to go walking in the park again tomorrow, but it's looking doubtful. The weather forecast says it will reach 104 degrees on Wednesday.

I still can't think of much to do in the afternoon. Luckily I'm well versed in doing nothing and enjoy napping. It's nice that Dawn will let me nap with her now. We both got a surprise when we heard a loud clattering noise in the kitchen. When I went out to investigate, I discovered that the knife rack had broken and all the kitchen knives were scattered on the kitchen floor. It's a good thing we were back in the bedroom. 

I've been going to bed earlier, although I'm still not getting any more sleep. It would be nice to get eight hours of sleep sometime, but I seemed to be programmed to get five. No matter when I go to bed I always seem to get five hours of sleep. Not to worry though. If you count naps, I'm certainly not sleep deprived. I'm kind of envious of Dawn. Nobody gets more sleep than that dog. She seems happy though. Maybe she's been wanting a quiet, peaceful room of her own for her entire life.

Sophia is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4946

We made it through our first day. I hate to see Dawn sad, but if she had her way, neither of us would ever leave the house. As I expected, Dawn refuses to take a walk and seems nervous even going outside to pee. At least she is still eating. Dinner and her evening snack are fairly normal because I've always fed her those meals. Breakfast is a bit of a challenge though. Typically Dawn gets up with Janet and follows her out to the kitchen. Janet takes her outside to pee and fixes her breakfast before I'm even out of bed. Now she doesn't know what to do.

She refuses to come out to the kitchen and eat breakfast with me. She won't even get off the bed while I'm trying to make it. The last time Janet went on vacation Dawn would eat her breakfast if I left her bowl on the bedroom floor. That didn't work today. I eventually had to place the bowl on the bed with her and then leave the room. Ten minutes later the bowl was empty and she got her morning meds. 

I wish I could tell Dawn that everything is going to be OK and that Janet will be back soon. It doesn't work that way though. Dawn will act like she lost her only friend until Janet eventually walks through the front door again. I guess it all makes sense in a weird way. Dawn spent most of her life as a breeding dog in a kennel run by two older men. I don't think she will ever trust men. Janet was the one who rescued her while I was away at a launch in Florida. They bonded immediately and in Dawn's mind I'm probably just Janet's assistant. We do the best we can when Janet is away, but she's always been a nervous dog. I do think Dawn is trying and I understand as well. I get nervous too when life throws me a curve ball.

It's still too hot for my long walk in the park, to I went to the gym again after breakfast. I had to walk a little further on the indoor track because there was no sunrise walk with Dawn. I got my steps though and shot some baskets before I returned home again. I thought Dawn might come out and join me for lunch because she always gets some sliced turkey with Janet at lunchtime. Dawn loves sliced turkey. I got the turkey out and called her, but Dawn still refused to leave the bedroom. Oddly, she was happy enough to go out in the back yard with me after I finished my sandwich. This is something we always do, so I guess it seemed normal to her. Dawn loves to lounge in the sun and roll in the grass. We stayed outside for about ten minutes and then Dawn was off to the bedroom again.

We'll follow this weird little routine for the rest of the week. Dawn still needs her bedtime snack, but I know she'll come out and eat that. This is something we do every evening. We'll take a final trip outside to pee before bed and then she'll reluctantly let me join her on the bed after I get finished with today's blog post. I don't know how she can spend so much time on that bed. Even I have my limits when it comes to napping.

At least it didn't rain today. Rain would only complicate things further because Dawn doesn't like to get wet. It's hard enough to get her to go outside and pee as it is. I don't think she's drinking enough water either, but I make sure her bowls are always filled with fresh water. Jeez. How do you make a dog drink water? Dawn will gradually adjust to things as the week rolls on. It's a slow process though. I wish I could make it easier for her.

Keller is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4945

Dawn is still nervous because Janet is away, but we're doing OK. She's eating her meals and has had her evening meds. I think taking a walk is a lost cause, but we'll give it a try tomorrow morning. I hate seeing Dawn sad like this, but I think she knows Janet will return. We've been through this routine before.

The day started normally enough. We took a nice sunrise walk and then had our big weekend breakfast. The temperature was a little cooler this morning, but it's still obvious that this is July in Texas. I've been hoping that it would cool down enough for me to start walking in the park again, but this wasn't going to be the day.

After Janet left for the airport this morning, I made sure Dawn was OK and then went mall walking like I normally do every Sunday. The mall was a little more crowded this morning because it was closer to opening time when I arrived. No new stores this week and very few changes in the store windows. I made my five loops around the mall perimeter and then came home again. There was a long line waiting to get in the new Tecovas store. It was either their Grand Opening or they were giving away something. I didn't join the line. I haven't worn cowboy boots in years.

When I returned home I filled out an application for credentials to attend the Echostar Jupiter 3 launch. This is another Falcon Heavy launch. I've seen quite a few of these already, but they are always interesting and it is often easier to get credentials directly through Space X than it is with NASA. We'll see what happens. The upcoming launches I really want to see don't take place until later in the year or early 2024. Until then, I might as well do something to pass the time.

I hope Dawn calms down soon. When she's nervous it makes me nervous as well. I always worry that she might get stung by a bee or need to go to the vet for some reason. She's never ridden in my car without Janet nearby. She rarely rides in my car at all, since we usually take Janet's car when Dawn is with us. At any rate, getting her in the car would not be fun. It probably won't be a problem. I suspect that Dawn will just sit on the bed for most of the week.

I'm not sure what I'll be doing next week. I have a feeling that it's going to be a slow week. I've got my list of things I need to do with Dawn every day, but almost everything else has been taken care of. I got my new drivers license and have TSA Pre now. My passport doesn't expire for several more years. There are no doctor or dental appointments for quite a while either. It's a shame I'm no longer in demand as a writer or web designer. Having a deadline to meet every day sure made the days go faster.

It's pretty quiet around the house now. I'll go to bed earlier and get up a bit later, but the days will be more or less the same. There will be shredded wheat and fruit for breakfast and a trip to the gym. If I'm lucky, maybe Dawn will take a short walk tomorrow.

Greta is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4944

It was quite pleasant on our sunrise walk with Dawn this morning. It was overcast, the temperature was in the low 80's and there was a nice breeze. I was seriously considering taking my long walk in the park today because the weather seemed better than it has been for several weeks. Then the sun came out. By the time we finished breakfast this morning it seemed like a completely different day. I would be returning to the gym again.

First things first though. I had grocery shopping to do. As luck would have it, a lot of things on my list weren't available today. Sam's Club didn't have strawberries. Central Market didn't have any orange juice and their strawberries didn't look fresh. Their juicer must have been broken because there were very few fresh squeezed juices at all. My favorite beer has totally disappeared from the market as well. I had trouble finding the brand last week and this week it had disappeared from all the stores. I have this problem a lot. Frequently things I like aren't terribly popular. Store routinely drop items that don't sell well now. They look at register data and only restock the items that are selling best. That's why a lot of stores are full of unhealthy food.

Since I had to scrap my plans for a walk in the park, I headed back to the gym after I put the groceries away. I tried to get Dawn to go outside an pee before I left, but she had no interest. Dawn doesn't like the heat. She's a smart dog. I don't like the heat either.

The gym is always pretty empty on weekends. It's a very large space, but their were only about half a dozen people on the floor today. My workout was the same as it's been all week. I walked briskly around the indoor track for three miles and then spent fifteen minutes on the basketball court. One of these days I'm going to have to start working with weights again, but that can wait. When I get my Fitbit steps and close all three rings on my Apple Watch activities app, I'm ready to go home.

I stopped at another grocery store on the way home because I started thinking that hot dogs would be good to have for dinner while Janet was away. I got uncured Wagyu beef hot dogs with no Nitrites or preservatives. They were still hot dogs though. Definitely not the healthiest meat, but very tasty. I don't understand grocery stores anymore. The checkout clerk asked if I brought my bag with me. What? I was confused and told the clerk to just put my items in one of their bags like they usually do. Janet told me later that this store charges for plastic bags now and had added ten cents to my bill. It seems weird that they are trying to cut down on pollution by eliminating plastic grocery bags, while literally everything in the store comes packaged in plastic.

When I returned home I did a load of laundry, paid some online bills, and took a nap. Dawn actually stayed with me on the bed which was a surprise. I've got a lot to remember while Janet is away. She takes care of giving Dawn her meds, filling water bowls several times a day, and fixing Dawn's breakfast. I feed Dawn dinner and her late night snack. Janet packages all Dawn meds in little baggies labeled for morning and evening on each day she is away on vacation. When I give the pills, I put a check mark on the calendar. With Dawn you have to do everything in the right order. I need to remember that she goes down to the park to poop after breakfast, never before. I do the same thing after dinner. Hopefully she will come out to the kitchen to eat her breakfast this time. The last time Janet went on vacation I had to bring her breakfast back to the bedroom and then stay out of sight while she ate. Dawn is a picky, stubborn dog who is set in her ways, but I still think she's great. We'll do OK next week.

Trevor is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4943

During the past week I've gotten three invitations to apply for launch credentials. So far I haven't replied to any of them. This isn't like me. I'm a little worried about the malaria mosquitos in Florida. I always get eaten alive by bugs when I'm down there in the summer. Airfares keep going up as well. It's getting ridiculous. I keep hearing that Southwest pilots are threatening to strike as well. Instead of looking for opportunities, I'm looking for excuses. This same thing happened the last time I had an opportunity to go out to McDonald Observatory. In that case the excuses won and I didn't go. I've always been a bit reclusive but I need to watch this. Pretty soon I'll be just like Dawn and be reluctant to leave the bed.

Truthfully there isn't a compelling reason to get up in July. It's terribly hot outside and a relaxing walk in the park is out of the question. Outdoor chores like mowing the grass have to be done very early in the morning. Summer has never been my favorite season, but this summer is even worse than most. I've been driving to the gym every day to avoid the heat, but getting my steps walking endlessly around the indoor track is proving to be very boring. When I got my new phone I accidentally broke my multi-year move streak too. The default settings for the Apple activities app were different than they were on my old phone and I failed to close all the rings on the first day I used the phone. This kind of took the wind out of my sails. When a long streak has been broken, the whole idea of tracking everything starts seeming a little silly.

We got up earlier than usual this morning because Janet had an appointment. The earlier we get started on our sunrise walk, the nicer it is outside. It was pleasantly cool this morning and there was a nice breeze as well. Dawn had a good time smelling things and we all arrived home in a good mood. I'll try to keep giving Dawn walks while Janet is on vacation but this has never worked in the past. Dawn immediately goes into panic mode while Janet is away and hates to leave the house. She'll make a brief trip to the edge of the park behind our house to poop in the morning but that's about it.

I usually watch the news while I'm eating breakfast, but I left the TV off today. I'm getting sick of the dismal state of the world. It really seems like we are living in some sort of dystopian science fiction novel. I don't think we're heading in the right direction. Maybe I'm imagining things but it feels like we're living in some modern day version of the fall of Rome.

I try to go to the gym around the lunch hour because it is the least crowded then. There were very few people on the floor today, but there were still two guys playing Pickleball on the basketball court. Luckily they finished their game before I finished my three mile walk around the indoor track. I always like to finish my trip to the gym by shooting baskets. There's really no reason I couldn't walk four miles around the indoor track. That would bring my Fitbit stats closer to my walks in the park. I've got the time to do this, but I don't think I could stand the boredom. It's a lot more interesting looking at things in the park while I walk. Sadly, it's going to be a while before I return to walking in the park during the day. We're in the middle of a long hot summer.

It was an ordinary day for me, but this was grocery day for Dawn. I don't know why she gets so excited helping Janet put away the groceries, but it's become one of her favorite things. I'm glad there are still a few things than make Dawn happy. She doesn't like to fetch a ball and won't play with toys. She spends way too much time sleeping on the bed, but in her defense it is a nice bed. I wouldn't mind spending a little more time napping there myself.

Delaney is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4942

I fixed the screen door this morning. Well, I kind of fixed it anyway. I bought a roll of new aluminum screen wire, but I discovered that it was a lot easier to just tighten and reattach the old screen. It won't last forever, but at least the screen isn't flapping loose anymore. This job used to seem a lot easier. The heavy duty staple gun I've always used to attach the screens to the door seemed a lot harder to squeeze this time. I had to use both hands. Have I really lost that much strength in my hands? Maybe so. I'm just not as strong as I used to be.

Today was almost identical to yesterday. It was pretty similar to Monday as well. We had a pleasant early morning walk with Dawn. She ambles around and smells everything. They say letting a dog smell things is relaxing for them. When we get near the lake there is always a nice breeze. I keep wishing it would stay this way so I could walk in the park, but as soon as the sun rises you immediately know that it is going to be a hot day.

I've been hearing thunder off and on all day, but there is still no rain. We could use some rain. It's been so hot lately that the grass and everything else is starting to look dry. Rain might cool things down a bit too. It's nice that I don't have to worry about leaks ever time it rains now. The roof still doesn't drain as well as it should, but hopefully the days of constant leaks are behind me. I've really gotten tired of climbing up on the roof every time it rains. 

I went to the gym again after fixing the screen door this morning. I keep thinking that the same people are there every day, doing exactly the same things. Of course that's what I'm doing as well. Maybe we are all creatures of habit, just going through the motions over and over again. A three mile walk and a little time on the basketball court seems like a decent workout to me, but Fitbit doesn't agree. It keeps reminding me that I'm not taking as many steps or burning as many calories as I used to. I guess a six mile walk was more serious exercise than I imagined. I'll get back to my long walks in the park eventually, but not right now. It's way too hot outside.

Now that I'm going to the gym earlier, I don't really know what to do with my afternoons. I haven't been feeling like doing much of anything lately. This afternoon I looked at the 2023 launch schedule and tried to decide which ones I really wanted to see. Realistically, I can only afford two more trips to Kennedy Space Center this year. Maybe three if I want to splurge. There are lots of opportunities, but many launches are almost identical to events I've already seen and written about. I have to be careful what I apply for because if I'm accepted, it's more or less a commitment to make the trip.

Mosquitos keep getting into the house. This is another annoying aspect of living in Texas. Mosquitos are everywhere. Hopefully these aren't the malaria mosquitos I keep reading about. The city used to come down the alley behind our house and spray once a month in the summer but they don't do that anymore. A garbage truck use to come down the alley twice a week too. Now I have to take the can out to the street for once a week pickup. Hmmm. All I've really done is trade my winter complaining for summer complaining.

Tomorrow is Dawn's grocery day. I'm glad she doesn't realize that Janet is leaving on vacation soon. She would be sad. Dawn and I will do fine while Janet is away, but she is definitely a one person dog. 

Cisco is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4941

Another uneventful day. I'm having problems connecting to the Internet this evening, so this post is taking a lot longer than expected. Actually, everything is taking longer than expected today, but that's pretty typical for a hot July day. I'm not looking forward to the next two months.

It's always deceptively cool on our sunrise walks with Dawn, but the pleasant weather doesn't last long. As soon as the sun hits our faces we know that we're in for another hot day. The humidity seems to have returned as well. Oh, well. So much for fixing the screen door today.

After finishing breakfast I drove to the post office and mailed the letter I wrote yesterday. Then I returned to the gym for another three mile walk on the indoor track and a little time on the basketball court. I know I need to work on my upper body strength, but when I'm finished with these two activities I'm usually ready to go home. At least I found a space in the parking garage today. The car stays much cooler when it's inside.

When I returned home I spent some time corresponding with my editor, trying to sort out which launches I'll be covering for the rest of the year. There are always more launches I'd like to attend than money for unlimited trips to Florida. I think I'll be able to attend the important launches though. Sometimes I wonder why I continue to do this. The magazine doesn't pay travel expenses and all these launches are more or less the same. It's still a pleasant experience to be considered a space journalist though. I guess I'll continue chasing rockets as long as I can.

I wish there was something that captured my interest right here in town. Right now I usually just feel like taking a long nap. I've thought about joining an astronomy club, but I hate driving at night. I've been spoiled by the dark skies out at McDonald Observatory as well. The night sky in Dallas isn't much to speak of. What else is there? I don't collect things anymore and I basically have everything I need. I don't even eat lunch much anymore. I used to frequently go out for lunch with people, but it was usually business related. Pretty much everything I did for thirty years was business related. Truthfully, retirement isn't all that exciting.

There are still plenty of chores to do around the house but I'm trying my best to avoid them. It's too hot to work outdoors and too messy to repair the damaged sheetrock on the ceiling. If we ever get a cool day I'll fix the screen door, but I'm not eager to do that either. In theory I could get more writing jobs. It's just a theory though. Just about all my contacts have either retired or died.

Tomorrow will be just like today. We'll have a nice walk with Dawn before it gets too hot. I'll go to the gym, but won't really take advantage of all it has to offer. I'll end the day with a blog post talking about how little happened that day.

Isabella is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4940 - Independence Day

Today seemed like any other day. If I didn't turn on the television I might never have known it was Independence Day. It's a shame that the country is so divided. This should be a day that we all celebrate the many things we have in common. Instead we seem like a country divided right down the middle. It's not just politics either. One half of the country doesn't agree with the other half about anything. It kind of feels like we are in the middle of a lazy man's civil war.

I keep to myself and try to steer clear of all the arguments and division. A simple life is a good life as far as I'm concerned. We started the day as we always do with a sunrise walk. Dawn loves these walks, but she's not a very energetic dog. As soon as we return home she goes back to bed.

After my regular breakfast of shredded wheat and fruit, I gathered the tools I will need to fix the screen door. I didn't get around to actually fixing the door though. It already felt too hot outside. I wonder why this still feels like the hottest summer on record. Last Independence Day was much worse. I think it was 102 degrees at this time last year. This morning the temperature was only in the high 70's on our early walk. I think the older I get, the less I'm able to tolerate a normal Texas summer.

Since I didn't feel like doing anything useful this morning, I wrote a letter to my sister before getting ready to go to the gym. The post office was closed today, but I'll mail the letter tomorrow. I thought the gym would be empty today but it was surprisingly crowded. It didn't seem like I would be able to shoot baskets because people were playing pickleball on the basketball court. The pickleball game finished long before I completed my three miles on the indoor track, so I ended up doing the same thing that I did yesterday. A three mile walk and fifteen minutes on the basketball court seems to be my workout these days. I really ought to be doing more.

I've added lunch to my daily schedule but it doesn't change much. I still run out of things to do by mid-afternoon. Today I tested the Polaris star tracker again. I wanted to make sure it still worked with my new phone. The phone wasn't a problem but the tracker still isn't very reliable. It take forever to get the camera to connect with the app on my phone and I still haven't figured out how to do panorama shots. I'm sure I'm doing something wrong, but there still isn't a proper instruction manual for this thing. Will I ever use the little tracker for astrophotography? That remains to be seen. I certainly don't have any plans to go back to McDonald Observatory any time soon.

I haven't heard any fireworks this evening. That's strange. Usually it feels like a battle zone by this time of night. Maybe the big city sponsored shows got canceled. Maybe they are later this year. Who knows. At any rate we're lucky that Dawn isn't scared of fireworks. She doesn't seem to notice them at all.

Tomorrow will be another hot day. Maybe I'll finally get around to fixing the screen door, or maybe I'll do nothing at all. 

Matao is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4939

It was a little cooler today. It's surprising what a difference a few degrees can make. We had a very pleasant sunrise walk with Dawn this morning. For the first time in weeks we even saw a bunny again. Dawn loves these early walks but is not a very active dog. After we return home she usually spends the rest of the day sleeping.

After finishing breakfast I thought I'd take advantage of the slightly cooler weather and mow the grass. After mowing the front yard I realized that the temperature was a bit warmer than I'd thought. I was hot and tired. The back yard will have to wait. As long as this hot weather continues, I'll probably be limited to one outdoor task a day. Early mornings are OK, but it warms up quickly.

Janet had volunteer work today so we got an early start. When I finished mowing the grass after breakfast it still wasn't even 9 AM. I answered a letter from my editor at Spaceflight, paid a few bills, and then got ready to go to the gym. I haven't been to the gym this early before and it was probably a mistake. There must have been classes or meetings going on because the parking garage was completely full. I had to park outside which guaranteed a very hot car on the drive home.

For the third day in a row I did exactly the same things at the gym. I walked three miles on the indoor track and shot free throws on the basketball court for fifteen minutes. I could have stayed a lot longer because I had no plans for the afternoon. I just didn't feel like doing anything else. Fitbit is getting on my case, telling me that I'm not exercising as much as I used to. Sorry. Three miles just isn't the same as six miles. I can't imagine walking six miles on that indoor track. Even three miles is incredibly boring. My pace was slower today. I guess mowing the grass tired me out more than I thought. Maybe I'll do better tomorrow. The gym will be open on Independence Day and I'm almost certain I'll be back. It's still way too hot for a daytime walk through the park.

I don't think I'll go to the gym this early again. It leaves too much of the day to fill when I return home. I've started eating lunch again just to kill time. There are definitely things that need attention around the house, but I loathe doing sheetrock repairs and I'm kind of afraid the screen door will fall apart if I attempt to put on a new screen. I have a feeling that my desire to avoid difficult tasks is why I do the laundry so often. Doing the laundry is marginally useful and it is very easy.

The July issue of SpaceFlight with my article about the Viasat 3 launch came in the mail today. The article about the Axiom 2 Mission will be in the August issue. Writing these articles is something I actually do enjoy doing. I've always enjoyed writing. I used to have a ton of writing jobs when print magazines were still popular. Most of these magazines and the ads they used to contain are gone now. Somebody still creates advertising but I'm definitely out of the loop. Most of the ads I see these days are absolutely terrible and the millennials who create them would never hire their grandfather anyway.

I don't know what I'll be doing tomorrow but it definitely won't include watching fireworks. We have no interest in fireworks anymore. Fireworks are just something that needlessly frightens dogs. I probably will go to the gym. Hey, you've got to do something.

Bob Hope is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4938

It was a little cooler today and it made a big difference. Temperatures in the mid eighties are a lot easier to handle than temperatures in the high nineties. Our early morning walk with Dawn was actually quite pleasant. Dawn certainly enjoyed her walk. If only the temperature would stay like this for the rest of the day.

We had another big weekend breakfast this morning and then I got ready to go to the mall. I try to leave earlier now so we can take Dawn on her Sunday outing earlier as well. Everything is based on the temperature these days. I was surprised to get caught in the rain while I was driving to the mall. I usually keep track of the weather and this rain was unexpected. The rain didn't last long unfortunately. We could have used a little more.

The mall was very quiet and almost empty when I arrived this morning. I like it this way. Most of the window displays have finally changed to summer apparel and I noticed that one new store had opened. I have been doing this long enough now that I have a mental map of all the stores and what is in their windows. The mall is arranged around a large outdoor courtyard, so you end up walking in a giant circle. It's a square actually, but you get the idea. Each circuit is a little over a half mile. I walk around the place five times, so I end up walking about two and a half miles. When you add Dawn's Sunday outing, I end up walking about the same distance as other days.

It's more interesting looking in store windows than walking around the indoor track at the gym. At certain times of year walking in the park is the most interesting of all, but not this summer. It is just a hot wasteland out there now. I try to keep a decent pace when I'm mall walking, but I'm always a bit slower than I am at the gym. Looking in windows, even if you keep moving, apparently slows you down. I still wonder who buys this stuff. There is nothing essential in any of these stores.

It was still cool enough to take Dawn on her Sunday outing when I got home. We walked a little slower and Dawn did fine. She enjoyed having new things to small. I still seem to walk slower than everyone else. Janet and Dawn arrived back at the car quite a while before I did. Hmm. I think I'm in reasonably good shape, although I might be kidding myself. 

As always, we went for ice cream cones on the way home. The cones have been softer for the past several weeks, but they still taste good. Maybe something is wrong with their machine. These cones are certainly no bargain, but it's a nice little tradition. Dawn loves ice cream too. It's nice to see her happy.

I doubt that we'll do anything special over the holidays. I'm just glad I survived Fourth of July as a kid with all my limbs intact. You could still buy cherry bombs and M-80's back then and my friends and I would spend the day blowing up things. Seems strange now that our parents never supervised us. Once we found an old iron pipe and made a cannon out of it, sending tin cans filled with sand hundreds of feet in the air.

If it stays cooler tomorrow I might mow the grass in the morning. It certainly needs it. The rest of the day will be pretty predictable. I'll go to the gym and write another uneventful blog post.

Bud is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4937

I tried going to bed early last night, but didn't really get any more sleep. I woke up this morning thinking it was Sunday. Nope. Only Saturday. Our sunrise walk with Dawn was a little cooler this morning. There was a nice breeze too. You appreciate the little things during a heat wave.

We had a big weekend breakfast this morning and then I did my grocery shopping and ran my weekly errands. I went to the bank and then stopped at a tire store and got a valve stem cover for a rear tire that had been missing one. I filled the car with gas and then went to Sam's Club where I discovered that the app I use to avoid the checkout line no longer worked with my new phone. I tried to fix things in the store but couldn't remember my password. Luckily I could still check out the old fashioned way. Eventually I got the app working again when I returned home. It's a learning process. I'm sure this won't be the last problem I'll have getting the phone configured.

When I got the groceries put away I went to the gym. I find walking in the park more enjoyable, but nothing outdoors is very enjoyable in this heat. The gym was pretty empty this afternoon. I walked three miles on the indoor track and shot free throws on the basketball court again. I need to start doing something different, but when I finish these two things, I'm usually ready to go home. The best thing about this gym is that they keep the place extremely cold. You have to make a real effort to work up a sweat at this place.

This afternoon was slow. I just didn't feel like doing anything. I did some bookkeeping on the computer and then took a nap. Dawn still doesn't like me napping with her, but she'll have to get used to it. It's a hot summer and I have a feeling that there are going to be a lot of naps in the days ahead. I can't decide whether to hire someone to fix the damaged sheetrock in the ceiling, or attempt to do the job myself. I've repaired cracks in the ceiling before and it's not all that hard. It is messy though. The easiest thing to do is just keep thinking about it and do nothing. This is what I've been doing with the screen door that needs to be fixed and the plan seems to be working.

Dawn wouldn't eat her dinner tonight. This was weird. She is always eager to eat her dinner. I thought something might be wrong, but as soon as Janet returned home Dawn ran to the kitchen and gobbled everything up. She was just being moody. I keep telling Dawn that she's running out of time to bond with me. Janet is going on vacation later this month. Dawn will eventually get used to life without Janet in the house, but she's not a happy camper. She is definitely a one person dog.

I'm already starting to hear fireworks going off. Dawn isn't scared of fireworks, but I feel sorry for the dogs who are. It's going to be a long four days for these dogs. We used to walk down to the lake and watch the fireworks displays on July 4th. We don't even bother anymore. There are too many mosquitos and ants at night.

I guess I'll go mall walking again tomorrow. I have a choice now since my gym is open on Sunday again, but I've grown to enjoy mall walking. I wonder what I'll see this week.

Bentley is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4936

I've got to start getting more sleep. After finishing my blog post I usually watch TV in bed for a while. I immediately fall asleep and don't wake up again until after nmidnight. I realize that I still have to run the dishwasher, empty the dehumidifier, brush my teeth, and get ready for bed. By the time I'm actually ready for sleep it is often 1 AM. We get up early too, so we can walk Dawn before it gets hot. There's probably an easy solution to this problem. I just need to write my blog post earlier. Easier said than done though. I'm a creature of habit and I've been doing this for a long time. I'm actually kind of glad that my blogging days are winding to a close. I'm running out of things to say.

It certainly doesn't help matters that every day this summer has been exactly the same. Today was no exception. We got up, took Dawn on her sunrise walk, looked for rabbits and critters along the way, and then returned home for breakfast. I made the bed, ate my shredded wheat and fruit, listened to the morning news for a while, and checked my messages before going to the gym. 

My routine at the gym was the same as yesterday as well. It's been the same all week. I walk three miles at a brisk pace on the indoor track and then shoot free throws on the basketball court for a while before heading home again. I always briefly think about doing more but seldom do. An hour and a half at the gym is usually enough for me.

The first thing I do when I return home is let Dawn outside to pee. Lately she doesn't pee, but just rolls in the grass instead. So much for that bath we gave her yesterday. Dawn like to lie out in the sun but I have to be careful that she doesn't stay out too long. I don't think Dawn realizes how dangerous this heat can be.

I never used to eat lunch, but I've been having a toasted ham sandwich lately. I melt some sharp cheddar cheese on the toasted bread and then put thin strips of ham on top. I'll usually drink a can of sparkling water with the sandwich. It's a tasty little lunch and I try to eat a little less for dinner to compensate. My weight has remained constant for years and I don't want that to change.

In the winter I might start on some sort of project in the afternoon, but this summer it is just too hot. I don't feel like doing anything and usually end up taking a nap. Probably I actually get plenty of sleep. It's just spread out throughout the day. I've noticed that Dawn often stays on the bed with me now when I take an afternoon nap. That's progress I guess.

Today is Dawn's favorite day. It's always grocery day on Friday and Dawn waits for Janet to return for at least an hour before she arrives with the groceries. Putting the groceries away seems to be a very big deal for Dawn. She gets very excited and follows Janet around until everything is in it's place. Oddly, she shows no interest at all when I do my own grocery shopping on Saturday.

Tomorrow's schedule will be a little different since I do my grocery shopping in the morning. Dawn will still get a sunrise walk. I'll go to the gym. And I'll end the day with a blog post. Pretty much the same thing as today. It's always Groundhog Day around here.

Tucker is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4935

So glad the air conditioner is working. This heat has been relentless. It doesn't even cool down at night anymore. When we take Dawn on her sunrise walk the temperature is already in the 80's. At least it's not quite as humid as it was a few days ago. Early mornings are still the best time of the day though. There's almost always a nice breeze and you can convince yourself that it's going to be a nice day until the rising sun hits your face. I don't know how landscaping crews and mail carriers continue to work in this heat. As soon as the sun comes up I'm ready to go back inside for the rest of the day.

My routine is pretty boring this summer, but I think everyone else's is as well. We see the same people doing exactly the same things day after day. I think the city has discovered that early mornings are the only time to be outside. We're seeing lots more people in the park on our early walks. Many of them have dogs. This is really the only safe time to take your dog on a long walk.

I linger over breakfast these days. There is usually nothing in particular I want to do and lots of things I don't want to do. When I checked my Fitbit this morning there was a message on the screen asking me to switch my account to Google. I keep forgetting that Google owns Fitbit now. I'm sure that they'll figure a way to monetize the Fitbit stats of millions of users. I used to be concerned about companies having so much access to my information. Now I don't even care. It's pretty clear that they already have all the information anyway.

It looks like driving to the gym is going to be part of my daily routine for the foreseeable future. June is never the hottest month of the year. I'm afraid this heat is going to be even worse in July and August. Actually it's pretty warm in Texas until mid October. I don't mind going to the gym every day. The exercise is good for me. I'm having to fill my tank more often now though. I usually spend very little for gas because I don't go anywhere. Looks like that's about to change.

Today I did exactly the same things I did yesterday. I walked three miles on the indoor track and shot free throws on the basketball court for fifteen minutes. The gym has a nice weight room and I really ought to spend more time working with free weights. I talk a lot about improving my upper body strength. At some point I really need to do something about it. All the walking I do is good for my heart. The rest of my body needs some work.

I had a quick lunch when I returned from the gym and then Janet and I took Dawn to a self-bathe place for a bath. Like many dogs, she hates getting a bath, but she definitely needed one. Dawn likes to roll in the grass in the back yard and gets dirty quickly. She also needed her nails trimmed today. We'll see how long Dawn manages to stay clean this time. It probably won't be long.

I'm noticing that my new phone is much faster than my old phone was. Everything downloads extremely fast now. Speed is not a big issue with me, but it does make me realize how slow my main computer is. Eventually I'll need to replace that as well. It would be nice if I had a business reason to replace the computer but it will probably just be boredom that drives me to the Apple Store again. When you get my age, you don't really need anything.

It's hard to believe it's almost July. It still seems like I put away the Christmas tree just a few weeks ago. 

Sparky is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4934

I finally got the new phone configured. Why did I get this thing? It really doesn't seem that different than the old phone. With the phone and Apple Watch both updated to the latest operating systems, all I really notice is that the watch battery runs low even faster now. Sometimes I think the latest technology is of dubious value. I was probably happier with a clunky old Oki 900 cell phone and an ancient Mac running System 9.  

Our heat wave seems to have no end in sight. Even our sunrise walks with Dawn are pretty warm these days. These early walks are still the nicest part of the day. There is usually a nice breeze and it's easy to convince yourself that the day won't be that bad. We're starting to see lots more people on these early walks. I'm sure that almost everyone has discovered by now that just before sunrise is the only time worth going outside.

I returned to the gym after breakfast this morning. I still wonder how this place stays in business. It never seems crowded. I walked three miles around the indoor track and spent about twenty minutes on the basketball court, but I don't think I'll be able to close all three rings on my Apple Watch today. I didn't install the activity app correctly yesterday and it measured nothing last night and early this morning. Walking endlessly around a small indoor track is boring, but at least it's cool inside. I've noticed that almost everyone has a fixed routine that they follow. I guess I'm not the only one why does the same things over and over again. I should make more of an effort to improve myself while I'm working out. On most days I barely work up a sweat. I could do better, but it's far too easy to convince myself that I'm in great shape just because I'm not as fat as some of the other people walking around the track.

When I returned home I figured out how to get my phone paired with my car again. I'm glad Google exists, because I never would have figured this out on my own. I kept entering the wrong PIN number over and over again before I finally realized that this wasn't a number I used on my phone or computer. It was a special Land Rover number. I don't know why I made the effort to do this today. It's been ages since I've gotten a phone call while I was driving.

I don't do much in the afternoon these days. Cracks in the ceiling taunt me and I still haven't mastered the star tracker yet but the only thing that seems appealing is a long nap. I often wish I was working again, but I can't be bothered to look for new clients. I'm not even sure what I would have to offer. It's pretty easy to put up a decent looking website just using a template from GoDaddy. I'm sure there are other writing jobs out there, but the pay is minuscule. I'm happy enough just writing the occasional article for SpaceFlight Magazine. 

Janet took Dawn to training class tonight, but they came home early because it was too hot outside. I imagine that it will be too hot outside tomorrow as well. This seems like the hottest summer I can remember. I could be wrong, of course. I don't remember things as well as I used to.

Patch is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4933

I got a new phone today. I'm already wishing I had the old phone back. In theory transfering everything from the old phone to the new phone was supposed to be a no brainer. In practice it was a little more difficult. Most things downloaded smoothly from my iCloud account. Everything connected using Bluetooth became unpaired though. The new phone wouldn't recognize my Apple Watch at all and I had to erase it and start over. I'm still trying to reconnect Bluetooth devices like my Fitbit and the petcam monitor. I'm sure I'll have to reconnect the new phone to my car as well. Was this worth it? Time will tell I guess. At least I'll be able to run a current operating system on my phone and Apple Watch again.

I should have just let the Apple Store people configure the phone for me. I had to learn the hard way that you have to unpair things from the old phone before you can pair them again with the new phone. There are no warning messages saying "still connected to your old phone" You just get a failure notice and a button that asks you to try again. I hit that try again button quite a few times before I realized that it wasn't going to work. I hope the iCloud saved all my passwords. This is going to get really tedious if I have to manually reenter passwords for all my apps.

I did do a few other things today. We took Dawn on a nice early morning walk and then I made the bed and ate my breakfast. It was even hotter today than yesterday. Usually the sun comes up on the final leg of our sunrise walk and you can instantly feel the temperature start to rise. It's still very humid outside too. Until this heat wave ends, I'm going to try my best to avoid outdoor chores and activities.

Heat wave or not, I'm still determined to get my steps. This probably means a daily trip to the gym. Today I walked three miles on the indoor track and shot free throws on the basketball court. I probably had the energy to do more, but I got a late start today and still needed to go purchase the new phone before I headed home again. I need to quit worrying about Fitbit steps so much and concentrate on rebuilding my upper body strength. All the tools are there. I just need to use them. Maybe I can force myself to be a little more organized tomorrow. Unless a miracle happens with the weather, I'm sure I'll be back at the gym every day this week.

There are so many things I need to do around the house, but it's just too hot outside to deal with most of them. I'm sure I could repaint the trim around the edge of the roof myself, but I don't want to attempt this in triple digit temperatures. I don't wand to put a new screen on the screen door either. Lets face it, I don't really want to go outside again until Fall. Our sunrise walks with Dawn are still enjoyable, but we're probably going to have to start a little earlier on those as well. 

I'm not sure what I'm going to do tomorrow. With my luck I'll probably still be trying to reconnect apps on the new phone. When I eventually complete updating my phone and watch, the main computer is going to seem even slower. I don't even want to think about getting a new desktop computer though. Enough is enough. I can't afford any more big purchases anyway.

I'm hoping for an uneventful day tomorrow. It would be nice if it was a little cooler as well, but that's probably too much to hope for.

Rascal is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day