Day 3849

I had to run some errands today and when I came home I noticed that there were blood stains all over the sidewalk next to the driveway. What the hell was this? When I got out of the car, I noticed a large dead rabbit underneath the car. The rabbit wasn't there when I left a little earlier, so whatever killed it must have done so recently. To make matters worse, I'd run over the rabbit and squashed it while I was parking the car. Yuk. I cleaned up the mess and asked Janet if she'd seen or heard anything strange while I was gone. "Well, there was a really large cat running away when I checked the mail," she said. "Did it look anything like a Bobcat," I asked? Yep. It probably was a Bobcat. We've seen Bobcats in the park before. They've been spotted in a dense grove of trees behind our house frequently. This was the first time they'd killed anything in our yard though. Hey, it's 2020.

It was cool enough to take our regular long walk this morning. Every once in a while there would be a breeze and we'd feel OK and then the breeze would stop and it was instantly humid and felt ten degrees warmer. The forecast says that it is going to be even warmer in the days ahead. I'm not looking forward to this.

I vacuumed the house today, mostly because Janet was cleaning everything else. I've more or less given up on household chores, but can still be shamed into action. I kind of wish we still had our old vacuum. The Dyson cleans great but it is such a pain to clean. Once I empty the canister it is still so dusty that I have to take it outside and use a leaf blower to get rid of all the dust. Old fashioned vacuum cleaner bags were so much easier.

I've got a dental appointment tomorrow. I'm a little apprehensive about going since Dallas has become a virus hotspot in recent days, but I'll go ahead and keep the appointment. Janet has already gone to this same dentist recently and says they are incredibly careful. They've eliminated certain procedures and do a simplified cleaning now. It's pretty safe sitting in the chair, but I still wouldn't want to be a dental hygienist. Even with a mask, gloves, and face shield, some of the patients are still going to cough on you. It's a simple rule of dentistry that you can't be sitting in the dentist's chair with a mask covering your face. They took my temperature when I went to the dermatologist and I'm sure they will here as well. What does this prove though? If it is the asymptomatic person with no fever and no symptoms that everyone is worried about, how are you ever going to effectively screen your patients?

I'm sure everybody has seen the charts that show the United States has plateaued with a high rate of infections, while all the other countries have reduced their infection rates to zero. How can this be? It seems to me like everyone did a good job of isolating for at least two or three months. I don't think Italy or South Korea isolated for longer than this. The current spike couldn't have just come from Memorial Day weekend. Even all the big city protests don't explain why the virus is now surging in places as remote as Wyoming and Montana. All I can think of is that the United States is a very large country and individual states didn't seal their borders the way most of the European countries did. Maybe it just took a long time for the virus to slowly travel from the coast to the heartland. It's just weird when the wild conspiracy theories actually make more sense than what passes for science these days. The scientists don't have many answers yet and seem to change their minds every week. I'm glad I don't have to make the decision of school or no school in the Fall.  It could turn out bad either way.

I'm also glad I'm retired and have been able to enjoy a lot of good years when the world was a much different place. When I was a kid I always thought that 2020 would be kind of like the Jetsons. Nope. Not even close.

Trevor is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3848

I've discovered some curious things about Facebook that reveal equally curious things about me. When I created the Some Assembly Required group, I just assumed that my daily posts would always appear in chronological order. Nope. If someone comments on an older post, Facebook automatically changes the order of the posts so the post with the most recent comments appears first. It messes up the timeline.

I can manually change the order back so that the most recent post appears first, but Facebook seems determined to prioritize activity rather than chronological order. I have to keep changing "New Activity" back to "Recent Posts" almost every day. It drives me nuts. There is also often a suggested list of other Facebook groups that might interest members. Why is this here? I'm always deleting these groups because I'm not interested in them at all, but Facebook just keeps suggesting something else.

At first I thought I was really clever by creating a version of the blog that was just a series of JPEG images. Facebook loves pictures and appears to hate links. I'm still mad that Facebook arbitrarily erased years and years of blog posts because their AI robots decided that the daily links back to my Blogger address were spam. I wish more people would just read the real blog on Blogger. The type is crisp and much easier to read. You can click on each day's main picture and enlarge it. And you can click on each Dog of the Day to go to a more detailed story about the dog on the Dalmatian Rescue website. The Facebook blog is just a daily JPEG image of the real blog. Apparently when you give people a choice between good and easy, they will always pick easy. At any rate, the blog really does exist independent of Facebook. I don't even like Facebook. Hey, if you ever feel like reading the real blog, just go to https://john-sealander.blogspot.com and bookmark the address. It's easy.

I guess Facebook has come to represent many of the things I dislike about modern life. If I click on a story about the new Ford Bronco, I instantly get an endless stream of updates on my timeline about four wheel drive vehicles. There must be a connection between Facebook and Google, because if you Google anything, you will automatically start receiving information about that subject on Facebook. I love all the dog pictures, but I hate seeing people I actually know trying to shame people who don't share their beliefs. I've grown tired of all the "If you blah, blah, blah, just delete me now" posts as well. Who cares.

I've spend a significant chunk of my life designing websites and writing for online clients. It seems totally natural for me to turn on the computer every morning and spend hours in front of the screen. This is how I made my living for many years. I'm finally starting to realize that there is no need to do this anymore. I'm retired. I think a worthy goal would be to find something satisfying to do for long periods of time that doesn't require a computer or even interactions with other people. My dad never used a computer and seemed happy making little wood carvings of animals after he retired. I do like technology though and am fairly lazy. It's a dilemma.

The weather was much cooler this morning and there was no threat of rain. We were able to walk five miles with Dawn with no problems at all. I wish these daily walks took longer so I wouldn't have to think of how to spend the rest of my day. It's a shame that my little niche of following rocket launches has been taken away by the coronavirus. That was working pretty well.

Delaney is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3847

I should have brought my good camera when we went to the kennel today. We were greeted by a new dog we hadn't met before. Lucky was a foster who returned to the kennel. She initially went to her foster home before I had a chance to photograph her for the website. Fosters are either temporary or they turn into adoptions and Lucky wasn't destined to be a foster fail. She will still need to find her forever home, but she's going to be perfect for somebody. I'll do her portrait next week.

Lucky seemed quiet and reserved compared to Hank and Charlie. The two boys were full of energy today. They both love to play catch but still need to work on releasing the ball so you can throw it again. Charlie will sit, stay, lie down, and come on command. Hank will automatically sit before receiving a treat now. He's been harder to train since he's deaf, but we are making progress.

Dawn didn't get much of a walk this morning. We noticed that a storm was approaching on the weather radar, so we quickly took a short walk and returned home a few minutes before the downpour started. I'm glad we timed things right today, because the rain was quite heavy. At least the pumps are working again. I think I discovered what the problem was yesterday. The two pumps are in different areas on the roof and if one runs dry before the other, it can overheat and trip a breaker. I watched things more carefully today. Actually the rain was so heavy that there was little danger of either pump running dry.

The rain eventually stopped and I took another walk later in the afternoon to get some more steps. The morning's rain had basically turned to steam. It was incredibly humid outside. I don't know why I continue walking. Probably just because I can't think of anything better to do.

I think It's going to rain again tomorrow. The combination of terrible weather and equally terrible news on TV is starting to take its toll. This summer seems like an episode of Black Mirror. There are conflicting reports about absolutely everything. It shouldn't be raining this much in July. The virus shouldn't be getting worse in July when everyone was so good about distancing in March and April. I'm still irritated that Florida has turned into such a mess. Will I ever get back to Kennedy Space Center again? Will I even have the nerve to fly again? I've gotten used to the idea of our old house falling apart. Now it appears like the entire world is falling apart.

I was initially surprised when international travel ground to a halt. Now it appears that state-to-state travel is being restricted as well. At least we live in a big state. There's plenty to do here in Texas. I'd hate to be locked in a little state like Connecticut. I need to reexamine things and find some activities that are satisfying and enjoyable to do while the world crumbles around you. Reading seems an obvious choice. I used to be a voracious reader, but it's hard for me to pick up a book these days. Oddly, I find it easier to write than to read. I seem to have lost my interest in music as well. At least there are dogs. Dogs are always enjoyable.

Cisco is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3846

It was so hot and humid this morning that we had to cut our walk with Dawn in half. Dawn was still tired when we got home and I had to change my clothes. It's definitely going to be a long summer. I thought the day might improve, but it actually got worse. By the time I took my afternoon walk, it was stifling outside. At least I managed to complete my 20,000 steps before the weather changed again. Around mid-afternoon a sudden storm appeared out of nowhere and drenched us with rain.

I turned on the pumps and they worked fine for about an hour and then one of the pumps shorted out. I went up on the roof in the rain to see if any of the electrical connections had become submerged. Yep. I moved an extension cord out of the water, reset the circuit breaker and the pumps started working again. About thirty minutes later the lights in the kitchen went out. The pumps had tripped another circuit breaker. Something is definitely wrong with the pumps. I disconnected the pumps so I wouldn't start a fire and I guess I'll have to deal with this later. It might be quite a while later. There is more rain in the forecast for tomorrow and Tuesday.

I skipped going to the gym for the second Sunday in a row. The way things are trending in Dallas, I wouldn't be surprised if my gym decides to close again. This is the third day in a row we have had more than a thousand new Covid-19 cases a day. When we only had ten or twenty cases a day everyone was staying inside. Now, despite a dramatic resurgence, everyone has gone back to normal mode. Some blame the resurgence on Memorial Day. Others blame the people who don't wear masks or the protests in the streets that were taking place a few weeks ago. Very few people appear to be blaming themselves.

I think we have given our adversaries a blueprint for taking us out whenever they want. When we stay united, we are a badass country that will nuke you back into the stone age. If you can manage to turn us against ourselves though, you won't have to go to war at all. You can just sit back and watch while we destroy ourselves. Who would have thought that a tiny little virus combined with an avalanche of conspiracy theories could render all our missiles and aircraft carriers useless. I still think the virus was created in China for a specific purpose, but that's just my own conspiracy theory.  Just watch China be the first to come up with a vaccine and we all rush out to take it and die. Relax. That's a  conspiracy theory too.

I have a dental appointment next week. Why are dentist's offices still open? Aren't dental procedures right up near the top of the danger list? I guess I'll go ahead and keep the appointment. My dentist is extremely careful and there is only one patient in the office at a time. I wouldn't want to be a dental hygenist though. They're bound to get coughed on sooner or later.

I guess we'll go visit the Dalmatians tomorrow. It is Monday tomorrow, isn't it? It's getting to be so hard to tell the days apart. Even our walks are starting to seem like Ground Hog Day. We see the same people walking the same dogs or riding the same bicycles over and over again. They probably are saying the same thing about us. Everything is so predictable that Janet and I have started wondering about the "Hello Guy." There is this one cyclist who says Hello very loudly to every single person he passes. We used to see him every morning and he's been gone for several weeks now. I wonder if he got the virus.

Isabella is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3845 - Independence Day

I guess I'm sort of a lazy patriot. I never served in the military. I seldom fly a flag, although we did have one on our house for a while right after 9/11. I'm proud to be an American though. I like it here. I've visited and worked in other countries and none of them even comes close to this one. I really hate to see people tearing this country down for things we either did or didn't do in the past. You've got to put historical events in context. Everything happens for a reason. The journey from the Stone Age to the Rolling Stones has taken us three million years. Humanity has only been keeping track of this journey for around five thousand years, but still that is a lot of time. When the founding fathers wrote the Declaration of Independence they had already learned from the Mesopotamians, the Greeks, the Romans, the Italian Renaissance, the Industrial Revolution, The Protestant Reformation, the establishment of parliamentary democracy in England and much more.

It's not really fair to condemn the founding fathers for owning slaves. The practice was commonplace at the time and in fact has been commonplace throughout human history. You can throw a dart at any civilization and you will find slaves. The Romans had them. The Aztecs had them. Many countries still have them today. It was commendable that John Quincy Adams rejected slavery, but he was the exception rather than the rule.

I think we should remember Washington, Jefferson and the others who signed the Declaration of Independence for their brilliance in creating a system of self governance that has lasted far longer than most. The history of the world is mostly a history of war and revolution. Generally the citizens haven't ruled. When you look at the United States through the lens of history, we come out looking pretty good. The founding fathers designed a system that was durable and flexible enough to adapt to a world that none of them would have recognized. Hey, we only had one civil war. The French had at least four.

While I'm sitting here musing about history, everyone else seems to be outside shooting off fireworks. It sounds like a war zone in our neighborhood. I don't know what it proved to eliminate public fireworks displays this year. Everyone seems determined to have their own. I think fireworks became cheap and abundant this year when so many municipalities decided to cancel their public displays because of the coronavirus. Apparently people have been shooting off fireworks every night in major cities for weeks now. I think this is happening in Dallas too, but I live far enough away from the city center that I don't hear what goes on downtown. I'm sure Dawn hears the fireworks, but she certainly isn't bothered by them. She's just sleeping calmly on the bed now.

It was a little cooler today and the park wasn't as crowded as I expected. There were the usual Saturday morning runners and cyclists, but there weren't many picnics and barbecues. Actually Fourth of July celebrations have been declining for several years. Cinco de Mayo is the big day for picnics in the park these days. Sign of the times I guess. Independence Day doesn't get as much respect anymore.

I removed the remaining water from the roof today. I'm not sure what I'll do tomorrow. My gym has been open for several weeks now, but I think I'll wait a while before returning. Gyms still seem to wind up on the list of most dangerous list of things to do while walking in the park appears to be the safest.

Matao is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3844

Was today a holiday or not? A lot of businesses were closed, but the mail still got delivered. The grocery stores were packed with people buying for holiday meals even though gatherings of any kind are strongly discouraged. Most of the large cities in North Texas have canceled Fourth of July fireworks displays, but some of the smaller towns in the area are still planning parades and celebrations. I guess you can take your pick of what you want to do in Texas. There's something for everyone. I welcome fewer fireworks, but I'm sure there will still be enough loud noises tomorrow night to frighten all the city's dogs.

It was a little cooler this morning, so we were able to complete our normal five mile walk. Dawn actually did very well today. A few degrees can make a big difference in the summer. It did warm up quickly though. By the time I took my afternoon walk the temperature was almost 100 degrees. It was too hot to go up on the roof. I think I'm just going to let the water evaporate.

When we were eating dinner this evening, I got one of those loud alerts on my phone. For some reason, these alerts appear on my Apple Watch as well. I thought this was another Amber Alert or tornado warning. Nope. It was a message from the governor telling me to wear my mask.

Things are getting bad in Texas, but I keep wondering what there is to compare this to? I'm still convinced that when the coronavirus has finally disappeared, I will still know many more people who have died from cancer than from the virus. I already know of dozens of friends who have died from cancer and zero people who have died from the virus. I do know of two people who caught the virus, but neither of them lived in Texas and both recovered quickly.

Why do I keep thinking that if we reported statistics on every single person who had been diagnosed with cancer on a weekly basis, complete with ominous looking charts and graphs, we would become very alarmed. A cancer diagnosis is actually pretty common, but many people recover. I suspect the same is true with coronavirus cases. I'd like to hear more reporting about recoveries.

Maybe the only way you can get Americans to comply with anything is to scare the hell out of them. I'm old enough to remember when nobody wore seatbelts. When I was a kid, our family took us on vacations all over the country in a car without seatbelts. When I first began working in an office, everyone smoked. Changing behavior is a long, slow process. If living with deadly viruses is really part of our long-term future, I imagine that there will be other changes as well.

Seatbelts do save lives. I wear one all the time. I'm glad that fewer people smoke these days as well. Change is inevitable and a lot of change is actually good. I don't think you change things by erasing what you don't like. This is the problem with cancel culture. Even statues can teach you something. You can still smoke if you are so inclined. You can still buy cigarettes even though they will kill you. I'm not in favor of banning things or tearing them down. Learn from others experiences and then decide for yourself. This is why history should never be erased. Sometimes you can learn more from the things you don't like than from the things you approve of. I wouldn't be criticizing Washington, Jefferson and confederate generals so much. Just wait and see how future generations criticize you.

Bob Hope is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3843

The combination of bad weather and bad news is starting to get me down. We didn't get rained on during our walk this morning, but it was so humid that it was hard to tell the difference. I still had to change my clothes when we returned. Without a breeze to cool us down, it was pretty obvious that we'd have to cut things short today. Dawn was happy though. She saw another rabbit. For some reason, Dawn has no interest in squirrels but she goes nuts when she sees a bunny. I hope the park rabbits still know to steer clear of our yard. Dawn is fast. She'd probably catch one.

I was planning to go up on the roof today, but I'm glad I didn't. There was nothing on the radar when I woke up, but an intense little storm passed overhead right after lunch. I wasn't expecting this at all. At least both pumps are still working and there are still no leaks. It's so hot now that any water that is still remaining after the pumps do their job will probably evaporate in a day or two.

Dallas keeps setting new records for coronavirus infections. I really didn't think it was going to get this bad here. Despite the dismal news, businesses and restaurants seem really reluctant to close again. I have a feeling that they will continue to stay open unless there is a new mandate shutting everything down. I have a lot of sympathy for small businesses in our neighborhood, but I don't really think they are going to have a lot of customers in the next few weeks. Everyone is suspicious now and there is very little trust. I don't think it helped matters that for months there has been massive media criticism of anyone who wanted to go back to church or get a haircut and then there were these huge street protests and the media seemed to imply that these events were OK or even necessary. Even now, there are a lot of people who refuse to acknowledge that the protests had anything to do with the spike in new cases.

It's all people going to parties or refusing to wear masks they say. Are protesters packed shoulder to shoulder on city streets immune to this disease? I seriously doubt it. A lot of things don't add up. I've wondered myself why there hasn't been another big spike in the Northeast, and then it occurred to me that most of the really vulnerable people up there are already dead. This virus is like a forest fire and it is going to keep burning through the population until everyone has been exposed. I'm good at keeping my distance, but every time I have a scratchy throat or need to cough, I wonder if my luck has run out. I'm sure I'm not the only one who feels this way. I don't think we can live like this indefinitely.

I keep wondering what is going to be the next shoe to drop. Will Ghislaine Maxwell implicate the world's entire ruling elite as a bunch of pedophiles? It could happen unless she commits suicide soon. Will those infected pigs in China start another pandemic before we manage to get a handle on our current mess? It doesn't look like we will have football this Fall, but we will have the presidential debates. That ought to be entertaining. Already both Biden and Trump seem determined to prove how sharp their brains are. Neither of these old fools are willing to admit that their best days are behind them. These debates are going to be a dementia derby. Cue the astroid strike. I think it's time.

I still have enough fresh fruit to have another smoothie tomorrow. I have no interest in going out for breakfast on Friday mornings anymore. I don't even have much interest in changing the breakfast menu. It's all smoothies all the time now. It hasn't been a great day, but at least I managed to take the week's trash out to the curb. As far as I'm concerned, this day is done.

Bud is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3842

You don't have to convince me that July has arrived. It definitely feels like July. We got started on our morning walk before sunrise again and were lucky to have a breeze and overcast skies for most of the way. Dawn knows all the routes we travel so well now that we let her choose how long to walk. If it's cool outside and she has lots of energy, she'll usually pick a longer route. On hot days like today, she'll pick a shorter route home that shaves at least a mile off our travels. I continue to be amazed at what a smart Dawn is. She's kind of street smart too. I get the feeling that she's seen and survived a lot in her former life.

I paid my early July bills online this morning, but still had to go to the post office to mail a letter to my sister. Since there was no line at the counter today, I finally bought a roll of stamps. This roll ought to last me for several years. Periodic letters to my Luddite sister are the only reason I need stamps anymore.

It was a slow day so I did what I usually do on slow days: look at cars on the Internet. It's weird that I'm so interested in cars since I don't even like to drive, but that's the way it is. Ever since I spent that week at the Astronomers Lodge, I've decided that my desire to buy a 4x4 Sprinter Van was just a passing fancy. It is much more comfortable to stay in a hotel while you are traveling. Now I'm interested in the new Ford Bronco that is going to be introduced in a week or so. I owned a Bronco once and it was a fairly rugged trouble free car. There's plenty to choose from though. A British company called INEOS is introducing a car called the Grenadier that is a dead ringer for the old Land Rover Defenders I loved so much. This tough looking Defender clone features permanent all wheel drive and a BMW engine. It's going to be available for the US market too. Something to think about. I might even consider getting a Tesla Cybertruck. It's hard to bet against Elon Musk. Once they get around to putting a few Superchargers in Fort Davis, a Cybertruck is going to start looking pretty good.

While I was eating breakfast this morning I watched with some amusement as police began to dismantle the Seattle CHOP zone on TV. Very interesting that it wasn't the violence and murders in the occupied zone that caused the Seattle mayor to change her mind. It was when the angry mob started marching toward her own house. The people of Beverly Hills have banned protests in their ritzy neighborhood too. What a bunch of hypocrites. It's all fun and games for these armchair warriors until the mob threatens to burn down their homes.

There is a very famous quote from George Orwell in his book 1984. You probably read it in school: “Every record has been destroyed or falsified, every book rewritten, every picture has been repainted, every statue and street building has been renamed, every date has been altered. And the process is continuing day by day and minute by minute. History has stopped. Nothing exists except an endless present in which the Party is always right.” The interesting thing to me is that the left thinks this ominous message refers to Donald Trump, while the right is convinced Orwell is talking about today's cancel culture. This is the world we live in. We are able to look at the exact same thing and see something different.

I hate all this conflict. I think the United States has become too divided to govern effectively. I wish we could just agree to let the red states secede and form their own woke country. California, Oregon, and Washington State would make a nice little country. Maybe they could take an empty state like Nevada too so all the Californians who have moved to Texas could return to their roots. This will never happen of course, because Americans are too argumentative to do anything practical.

Before someone writes the next tell-all political book, we need to remember that over 100,000 Americans worked on the Manhattan Project for several years during World War II and not a single one of them betrayed the secret of the atomic bomb. That's unity. Before we continue finding Nazis under every tree, we need to remember that Wernher von Braun, the beloved scientist who took us to the moon was an actual real Nazi. Before we tear down any more statues and cancel everything, we need to remember that it was the Jewish people who insisted that Auschwitz remain standing after World War II, so that history would never forget. I think we started erasing history long before the statues started tumbling. It's convenient for a superficial world that communicates using Emojis to just remember what we like. We need to own both the good and the bad and erase nothing. It's who we are. Civilization requires both.

Bentley is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3841

I finally got the grass mowed. I thought about waiting until the weather was cooler, but I'd probably be waiting until Fall. Temperatures are expected to be in the 90's for the rest of the week with a few triple digit days thrown in for good measure. The Saharan dust cloud appears to have returned as well. It definitely wasn't a great day to be outside. At any rate, the yard looks better now and I got some exercise. I'm glad we have a small yard.

We got our earliest start yet on Dawn's morning walk, but we still had to cut things short today. Instead of our usual five mile walk, we only walked four miles. Since at least half of our walk was completed before sunrise, Dawn was fine. Dawn still loves these morning walks, but we have to be careful that she doesn't become overheated. I have a feeling that our walks are going to become even shorter in the weeks ahead.

I watched a Space X military launch on my computer this afternoon. Some of my Florida photographer friends were there, setting up cameras right next to the launch pad. I wonder whether I'll ever be able to do this again. I was just getting started as a space journalist and then the pandemic happened. Since both Florida and Texas are hotspots now, I'm not anticipating getting clearance to return to Kennedy Space Center any time soon. I shouldn't complain though. There are worse places to be quarantined than where I live. Even though the vegetation is starting to dry out, the park is still a beautiful place. There are fewer flowers now, but I enjoy listening to the birds and trying to identify them.

Dawn enjoys the wildlife too. She saw her first rabbit up close this morning. I'm glad she was on a leash. She was a little too interested in this bunny. A lot of Dalmatians have a strong prey drive. Spot and Dot would chase squirrels for hours. Dot even caught one once. Greta went after birds. I have a feeling that Dawn would have gone after this rabbit. I guess it's not as bad as having a cat. We've never had a Dalmatian try to bring a dead mouse into the house.

I wish I'd gotten a haircut when the stores first opened. Now I'm becoming reluctant to go out in public again. Dallas has been setting new records for Covid-19 infections every day for the past week. Twenty people died yesterday. We're still doing a lot better than Houston or Austin, but the trend isn't your friend here. I'm sure the park will be full of people barbecuing and having parties on July 4. It's no problem staying away from these people since the park is huge, but it's still a little sad to see so many folks ignoring everything.

The dermatologist must have known what he was doing. The scabs on my face are starting to peel away and my skin looks clear again. Like many things involving medicine, I should have done this procedure earlier. Hey, better late than never. I'm glad I don't have to return to a hospital any time soon. I don't want to go anywhere near a hospital right now.

I need to think of something to do around the house that doesn't involve cleaning tomorrow. I'm the expert at isolation, but I'm becoming bored. I'm realizing now that working saved me from cabin fever for many years. Staring at a computer when you are working and making money is one thing. Staring at the same computer when you are retired is something else entirely. I don't recommend it.

Tucker is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3840

I almost forgot it was Monday until Janet reminded me that it was time to go visit the rescue Dalmatians. There are still only two dogs at the kennel, but we don't want to forget about them. Hank and Charlie were in fine form today. Both of these high energy boys love to race around and chase a ball. Sometimes they will even bring it back to you. Hank is deaf and we're starting to make progress in teaching him simple commands. Today for the first time, he sat fairly reliably for his treats. Once Hank has mastered the sit, we'll work on stay, heal, and a few other basic commands. Charlie already knows all these commands plus a few more. Charlie and Hank have taken longer to adopt because they each have special needs. For the right person, each of these guys would make a wonderful pet. I heep hoping they'll find their forever homes soon.

I didn't accomplish much today. We probably should have started our morning walk a little earlier because the temperature keeps climbing. The longest day of the year is already behind us and the Fourth of July will be here soon. We're in the middle of another Texas Summer. Dawn did OK this morning, but we're going to have to start taking shorter walks. If we keep leaving around sunrise, I think we can complete three miles pretty easy. Five miles is probably to be too much. The trouble is that the temperature climbs quickly as the sun gets higher in the sky. By 9 AM it's all over.

I made my morning smoothie without blueberries this morning. It was fine. Sometimes I don't think it even matters what I put in the Vitamix. The ingredients vary depending on the time of year, but the result is always pretty tasty. How did I get hooked on a liquid breakfast? I used to fix myself sausage and eggs every morning. Before that, I ate a grapefruit for breakfast. Somehow alternating sips of hot coffee with an ice cold beverage seems the thing to do right now. The only thing I missed when I spent that week out at McDonald Observatory was my morning smoothie.

I wonder if the observatory and Kennedy Space Center will ever reopen? I check my e-mail every morning but there is still no news. The space center has probably discovered that life is easier without a large media contingent at every launch. Since the Davis Mountains are one of the few places in the country without any virus infections, I wonder if McDonald Observatory is ever going to want visitors from a big city again. Life is changing. We used to like spending time in places like Paris and Barcelona. I doubt that we'll be doing that again. I doubt that we'll be going anywhere at all for the foreseeable future. It's too bad that neither of us likes camping. I think it's still pretty safe to go camping.

One of my favorite houses in the neighborhood got scraped this week. It's gone. I remember that there was a time when we wanted to buy this house. Why would anyone want to tear it down? Of course there is always an easy answer. Real estate is always about money.. A developer could easily fit two contemporary McMansions of the large double lot. Like I said, life is changing. I just don't like where we are headed.

I guess I'll finish mowing the grass tomorrow. Hank and Charlie gave me an excuse to avoid this chore today. The only excuse I'll have tomorrow is if we get more rain.

Sparky is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3839

I had good intentions today. I was definitely going to mow the yard. I got out the mower, charged the battery, and was just starting to mow when a surprise storm appeared out of nowhere. It wasn't even supposed to rain today. I put the mower away and waited for things to dry, which of course they never did. So much for good intentions.

When we walked Dawn earlier in the day, we weren't even thinking about rain. It actually seemed like it was going to be a nice day. I could see patches of blue through the clouds and yesterday's big dust cloud appeared to have dissipated. It's amazing how quickly the weather can change in Texas.

I went back to the grocery store right after breakfast to test out a theory that I was just getting to the store too late for find blueberries and Clorox Wipes. This was a totally wasted effort. I didn't notice any difference at all and still couldn't find the things I wanted. I did get gas though. Yesterday, I forgot to bring a doggie poop bag with me so I could avoid touching the pump handle.  This is what social media has done to me. I have been grabbing gas station pump handles for most of my life with no adverse effects and now I've become convinced that they are riddled with disease. Who knows if the virus even lives on surfaces. Opinion seems to be changing on this. You literally don't know what to believe anymore when everything has the potential to either be fake news or an outdated medical opinion.

I've got a bad case of pandemic boredom, but for some reason I am unable to binge watch anything on TV. Janet can do it. Most of my friends can do it, but I just can't. I've tried watching podcasts on things I'm interested in like astronomy and rockets, but I quickly lose interest in these as well. It seems like the only thing I can stay focused on for any length of time is creating something myself. Mostly I'm a self-absorbed documentarian.

When I was younger, I wrote a lot of songs about my experiences. I still record my experiences photographically, but not as obsessively as I used to. Although I am fascinated with astronomy and space travel, all I really want to write about is how I personally interact with these things. I've basically just become a geeky travel writer. The blog, of course, is just an endless personal journal.

Does any of this even matter? Probably not. It does make me frightened when I see groups of people trying to do something for the "common good." How do they know what is good for everyone? They certainly don't know what is good for me. The whole notion of good is very subjective and has changed radically throughout history. To me the hive mind that social media has created is extremely dangerous. It's considered old fashioned in today's connected world, but I still believe in the individual. I'm convinced that if everyone concentrated on maximizing their own potential, instead of sticking their noses in other people's business, the world would be a much better place.

When I see people walking in the woods while obsessively looking at their phone, I think the whole concept of the individual doesn't even exist anymore. Critical thinking is a lost art. Young people just want to instantly know what everyone else is doing so they can do the same thing. When flash mobs first began to appear, people thought they were so creative. All the sudden an orchestra would appear and start playing in a shopping mall or something. I was one of the few people who found these things alarming. I saw flash mobs as a precursor to what is happening in our cities right now.
It's not good to be instantly connected to everything. You need time to think about things.

I've done a lot of critical thinking and somehow my plans all seem to involve turning off the Internet for a while. Don't you think that if Twitter, Facebook, and the ubiquitous 24/7 news cycle would just disappear, our world might actually start to heal? Talking to your neighbor over coffee is probably good. Getting mad at a Facebook post from someone you don't even know is probably bad. Just saying...

Patch is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3838

The Saharan Dust Cloud has arrived in Dallas. The sky has looked gray and hazy all day. No spectacular sunsets here. The dust was so thick that I kept thinking I could smell it. This dismal science fiction sky seemed the perfect companion for a world ravaged by disease and riots. The Saharan Dust plume is a yearly event, but they say that this year's cloud is the thickest ever recorded. There have been air quality alerts all over Texas today. Hey, it's 2020. What else would you expect.

I wonder when grocery stores will get back to normal. The stores aren't crowded anymore but there seem to be too many of some items and not enough of others. There is an enormous amount of bottled water and toilet paper in some stores now, but I haven't been able to find blueberries for two weeks. Still can't find Clorox Wipes. Sooner or later there will be a huge end aisle display of those too. It will probably be right next to the towering piles of toilet paper.

Texas is a virus hot-spot now, but businesses seem very reluctant to close again. There seems to be a strong desire to ignore the latest news even though area hospitals are quietly reaching capacity. Dallas had the states very first pop-up emergency hospital back in April, but it was never used. The hospital was dismantled and there appears to be no plan to bring it back. It's all very weird. Everyone was very good about preparing for the virus when it was still in the Northeast. Now that it's actually here, people have grown tired of the whole mess.

There are lots more walkers in the park than there used to be. Maybe I'm not the only one who thinks staying healthy is your only real defense. They say bicycle sales have skyrocketed. It sure seems that way. I wish we didn't share the same trails with these cyclists. You have to be careful when you are walking your dog. Cyclists won't slow down for anything.

We got take-out for dinner this evening and I used one of those curbside pick up arrangements for the first time to get our food. Everything was very efficient. You called your order in and when you arrived, they brought it out to your car in a big bag and swiped your credit card with a mobile terminal. I didn't have to wait long at all. The restaurant seemed to be doing a very good business. There was a steady stream of people bringing bags out to cars. I have a feeling that this particular restaurant is doing just fine. Some businesses will learn to adapt to this new environment and others will disappear.

I'm not sure how adaptable I am at this point. I'm envious of my friends out in the Davis Mountains. They seem insulated from all the urban problems we are facing now. I hope the virus and civil unrest never reaches these remote rural areas. When this is all over, we need some reminder of what life was like before.

Rascal is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3837

We've noticed that Dawn is more comfortable around women than men. I guess this is understandable. When she was used as a breeding dog, Dawn was owned by two men who didn't treat her very well. Dawn is friendly with me when Janet is home, but always seems a bit nervous when she and I are alone together. Usually she will just sit in the center of the bed until Janet returns. She will let me bring her a treat, but never follows me around the house or even goes outside. It's kind of sad. I'm good around dogs and have spend an enormous percentage of the past thirty years with a Dalmatian as my constant companion. I wonder how long it will take to win her trust?

I think we are doing all the right things. I'm the one who feeds her and gets her ready for walks in the morning. We're trying to get her to associate me with positive things. Dawn is eager to follow me to the kitchen and loves to be petted when Janet is home. She's certainly not unfriendly when we are alone, just wary, like she's waiting for the other shoe to drop. You never really know what a rescue dog's life was like before they enter the adoption program. Dawn clearly loves her new life. I've rarely seen a dog so happy to do simple basic things. She must have had some very bad experiences though when she was a puppy mill mom. Some memories never fade.

I'm a patient person, so hopefully I will win Dawn's trust over time. We are already starting to see some progress. It's something to work on. Janet loves to travel and if this coronavirus mess ever gets resolved, I'm sure there will be many times when Dawn and I will be alone together. It looks like we've got a lot of time to work on trust issues because the virus keeps getting worse in Texas. It doesn't look like either Janet or I is going anywhere soon.

It certainly doesn't look like I'll be going to Florida for the Mars 2020 launch. That state has turned into a disaster. Even Texas looks good compared to Florida. I don't think people in these Southern states are behaving much worse than people in other states. The virus is just slowly working its way from state to state. Nothing can stop it. Even the smallest rural areas will be hit sooner or later.

I wonder why it is such a human thing to want to gather together? Even when I am walking in the park, I notice that people tend to like to walk together in groups. I listen to birds. Everyone else chats. When I used to go out for breakfast on Friday mornings, I was always the only person eating alone. Walking alone is lovely. I even prefer going to a movie theater alone. This is why the solution to this virus problem seems so obvious to me.  If you catch the virus from other people, just stay away from them.

Why would you feel compelled to flock to a beach, hang out in a bar, or hit the streets marching or protesting right now? The virus doesn't care what you like to do. I think I'll postpone getting a haircut for a while longer. I've still got to get groceries tomorrow, but that feels pretty safe. I've been getting groceries for months now. Nobody talks or mingles. We just quickly push our buggies through the store like masked ghosts, all looking for Clorox Wipes.

When the definitive book about 2020 is written, I think the title will be "Unintended Consequences." I'm just waiting to see what happens next.

Derrick is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3836

It's hard to keep your eye on the ball. I've been around a long time and I don't think I've ever seen so many things going wrong at once. It seems inconceivable that the country doesn't seem capable of taking the coronavirus seriously. South Korea was able to control their outbreak quickly because the entire population was comfortable with the idea of universal surveillance. In a matter of weeks cell phone data, credit card transactions, and surveillance camera information were coordinated in a massive effort to track the entire population. It worked. People with the disease were quickly identified and isolated. China, Taiwan, and other asian countries had similar results.

This doesn't seem to work in the United States. People complain about contact tracing because of privacy issues. Everybody is clamoring for a vaccine but half the population already says that they will refuse to take it because they are suspicious of vaccines in general. There is a huge uproar over masks, which was partially created when the government initially said they were worthless and then changed their mind and said they were essential. Businesses desperately want to open up again, but customers aren't coming back because they still don't feel safe. It's a huge mess.

Add riots and civil unrest to a plague and you've got a recipe for disaster. If there is anything that should cause us to finally get our act together and come up with a unified plan to solve these problems it should be this. It's not happening though. We are not acting like South Korea at all. Every aspect of American life has become politicized, including virus mitigation, mask wearing, tearing down statues, and destroying vibrant American cities. Sadly, there are a lot of people in both political parties who think that this chaos will help them win the next election. Instead of getting together to fix things, they are strategizing on the most effective ways to blame the whole mess on the other side. At this point I think the winner will be ruling a pile of rubble.

I look at this whole situation with a certain amount of sadness. We have become a tribal society and I'm not a member of any tribe. I look at everything as an outsider and it gives me a different perspective on things. Democrats are quick to criticize fundamentalist Christians without acknowledging that they have become a religion themselves. Republicans have a leader who is trying to get rid of the deep state when his own political party actually is the deep state. It's all insane. You can't really blame the Russians and the Chinese for trying to destroy us with provocative memes on Facebook. It's so easy. We've already proved that we are willing to believe almost anything. I hate to throw my vote away in November but it's hard to get excited when both political parties have selected a senile, brain dead old man as their leader.

Oh, well. Life goes on. I've always been a survivor and as things continue to deteriorate, I'm inclined to become even more of a prepper than I was before. I'll continue to take long walks and work on getting stronger. I'll become even better at fixing things myself and will continue to favor the companionship of dogs. As soon as I can find an interesting long-term project I'll stop talking about current events. It's pointless and I certainly don't have a solution. Hey, I got the water off the roof today and took the trash out to the curb. I think that's enough for one day.

Shiner is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3835

Dawn got a bath today. Yes, that was the big event of the day. We took her to a neighborhood dog-wash place and probably erased weeks of car conditioning efforts. As far as Dawn is concerned, a bath is even a worse destination than the vet. None of our dogs have liked getting baths, but it was time. The dog-wash place was busier than we expected, but everybody was wearing masks. I thought the restaurant we went to on my birthday felt safer. I'm sure Dawn would have agreed. She would have loved to accompany us to the steak house.

Since Dawn was good about getting bathed, we took her to get an ice cream cone on the way home. All is well now. We have a clean dog and Dawn is starting to think that all car rides end with ice cream.

I forgot what day it was again. For a while this morning I thought it was Tuesday. I guess it's understandable that the days would blend together. The pandemic has made them virtually indistinguishable. It's a shame that infection rates are going up in Texas. I was hoping that things were returning to normal. I'm hearing now that some stores and restaurants are thinking of closing again. I might have missed my chance to get a haircut. We'll see what happens in the next week or so, but things aren't looking good.

Things aren't looking good in Florida either. I really doubt that I'm going to get media accreditation to attend the Mars 2020 launch now. Especially since states are starting to impose travel bans on other hot-spot states. Even if I did get approved, I'm not sure if it would be wise to go. Air travel still seems questionable. Now that we are all getting used to the idea of distancing, I wonder if people will ever feel safe on a plane again. Do you remember how crowded a full plane actually is? Yikes. I haven't been that close to other people since this whole mess started.

Our early morning walks are still enjoyable, but it is definitely getting warmer. At least the rain is gone for a while. I don't know if we could get started any earlier. I'm half asleep when we leave the house as it is. The only way to get more sleep would be to get to bed earlier. I've tried, but it seems to take longer and longer to finish the blog every evening. It's hard to write when you've got nothing to say.

I got a call from the dermatologist's office today saying that my biopsy results were negative. What biopsy? I didn't even know they did one when they removed the keratosis from my face. I guess this is good news. The blemishes were not melanoma or even a pre-cancerous lesion. It's a little late now, but I didn't need to have these things removed in the first place. Better safe than sorry though. You don't want to mess around with anything that might turn into cancer.

It looks like I'm going to have to go up on the roof tomorrow. There's still water up there from our recent rain. The hotter is gets, the worse it is up on the roof. Being a roofer has got to be one of the worst jobs in the world. Oh, well. I've got to keep the roof free of water. It's the only way I'm going to keep the leak from returning.

Hopefully, I'll remember that tomorrow is Thursday. I can't forget trash day since we seem to generate a lot of trash. I hope nothing terrible happened today. I didn't even turn on the TV.

Rio is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3834

Another rainy morning. This is getting old. Especially when I keep hearing from my astronomer friends that skies are clear out at McDonald Observatory. We managed to find time to give Dawn a shortened walk this morning. After getting caught in the rain a few too many times, I think we've finally learned not to tempt fate. Dawn was fine with the shorter walk. Not me. I had to go out later in the day to make up the lost steps.

When I went out again I passed a woman feeding the ducks with her children not more than twenty yards away from a crazy man wandering around shouting "My favorite is missing," over and over again. Occasionally he'd add "They're not all missing, but my favorite is gone." Was this guy talking about a loved one, a teddy bear, or maybe a sock? The woman feeding the ducks didn't seem alarmed. There were lots of runners on the trail and everyone ignored the crazy man. This strange tableau seemed to represent America today. We all want to keep feeding the ducks while the world is burning around us. It's pretty weird.

I wonder if the other NASCAR drivers are a little embarrassed after that noose in Bubba Wallace's garage turned out to be a garage door pull. The exact same rope was found in every other driver's garage and they had all been there since 2019. There was no hate crime. There was nothing at all. The media jumped all over this story before any investigation had been made. They did the same thing when Jussie Smollett said he had been assaulted in Chicago. Do you think the media is pushing a narrative? They love this stuff.

I don't love any of this. I don't know many members of the police force, but the few cops I do know are wonderful people. I'm pretty sure that the percentage of bad cops is about the same as the percentage of bad people in the general population. I used to live in Capitol Hill in Seattle. It was a great place back in the 1970's. If I was living there now, I would be outraged by a mayor that does nothing to stop the madness. I don't support tearing down monuments at all. If you think you can improve the future by erasing the past, you are wrong. It just doesn't work that way.

You can't defeat the virus by ignoring it either. I used to think that the Chinese were lying about their relatively low death rates during this pandemic. Now I'm more inclined to believe they were telling the truth. The Chinese had the liberty to impose draconian containment strategies. Jeez. These guys welded the doors shut to people's homes to keep them from moving about. We're so used to having our freedom that we just ignore anything that we don't like. It's not really a surprise that the United States has one of the highest death rates from the virus in the world.

I've thought for a long time that the Chinese would be the first to set foot on Mars. These guys play the long game and seem to have a thousand year plan for everything. We have trouble making a plan for next week. I wish we could get our act together as a country. There is so much potential here. We need more people like Elon Musk and Steve Jobs and fewer people pulling down statues. You may not agree with me, but we'll see who's right soon enough. Chaos is not a winning strategy. Sooner or later the Chinese will just declare "game over."

Boo is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3833

And now there are two. Murphy found his forever home this week and has left the building. The only dogs left at the moment are Hank and Charlie. These two happy clowns have adjusted very well to kennel life. The staff loves them and it often feels like we are visiting them at home. Hopefully, each of these boys will find a real home soon. They certainly deserve it. Until that day comes, we'll continue to visit. Janet and I like to think we are helping to socialize the dogs, but I think Hank and Charlie know we are just having fun.

We woke to more rain this morning. It was raining pretty hard, so we changed our plans a bit. Janet went to the gym and I went ahead and made my morning smoothie. Two hours later, the rain had moved to the East and the skies began to clear. The good thing about these early morning storms is that they bring cooler weather with them. By the time we got Dawn in her harness and ready to walk, it was quite pleasant outside.

Monday's are all about the dogs now. By the time we've finished taking Dawn on a long walk and visiting Hank and Charlie at the kennel, the day is pretty much done. That's OK. I'm convinced that spending time with dogs is a lot better way to spend your day than worrying about which businesses in Dallas are virus free zones or watching the country self-destruct in television.

It still seems weird to me that Texas is reopening in a big way at exactly the same time as new virus infections are at an all time high. Maybe this was inevitable. The whole problem with lockdowns in the first place was that they were never designed to eliminate the virus. At best, all they could do was postpone the problem by kicking the can down the road a bit. Now that everyone has gotten tired of being quarantined and seeing their jobs and future go down the tubes, we are starting to notice that the virus is still here. Oops. It never left. I'm continuing to keep myself out of circulation, but I think we'll all become infected at some point. I just hope my immune system kicks in when the time comes.

It's actually pretty easy to avoid people when you are retired. I have no meetings to attend and no desire to engage in long conversations with anyone. Online shopping and banking actually works pretty well. I think I'm actually more worried about social unrest than the virus. Exposure to the virus can be controlled. I'm not so sure about an angry mob.

When I see people toppling statues indiscriminately and attempting to set up their own tiny countries inside the boundaries of large cities, I don't see anything resembling social change. This chaos reminds me of March 2001 when the Taliban destroyed the world's largest standing Budda statues in Afghanistan. The world thought that was terrible. Where is the outrage now? If you think all this violence and destruction is still about George Floyd you are being naive. This is more like Chairman Mao's Cultural Revolution. Like the Cultural Revolution, it is a blatant attempt by anarchists  to completely erase history. The sad thing is that when you erase history, you are much more likely to repeat it.

I'll probably have a pretty good day tomorrow if I can just avoid turning on the TV. It's getting ugly out there.

Kirby is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day