Day 4122

Well, at least I tried. Today I spent way too much time trying to figure out how to add a Windows partition to my laptop and when that didn't work, trying to get my Fitbit to track sleep stages again. I've known for years that Apple computers with Intel chips can run Windows, but I never tried to install it. Having a Windows partition on the laptop would let me easily run the astrophotography software I need for this May's workshop.

I should have known that nothing is easy. I quickly learned that my laptop and its Sierra operating system were too old to run Windows 10. No problem. Windows 7 would be fine for my needs. Not so fast. Microsoft doesn't let you download Windows 7 anymore. The Apple Boot Camp Assistant that is used to install Windows on a Mac no longer accepts older versions either. 

Basically, all the old software that used to work perfectly on all my computers has been erased from the earth. Nobody wants to deal with 32 bit software anymore, so they have just eliminated it. Backwards compatibility doesn't exist anymore. Apple, Microsoft, Dell, HP, and everyone else have been been relentless in their efforts to make sure that everyone upgrades to their current models. This is very frustrating to someone like me. I'm not interested in anything new. All I want is to retain the ability to do the things I could easily do twenty years ago. Quite literally, I could do a lot more useful work with computers twenty years ago than I can now.

My Fitbit isn't old at all, but I'm sure that the problems I'm having measuring sleep stages is related to software upgrades as well. Apps on your phone seem to automatically upgrade every week or so. There are so many minor upgrades that you quickly lose track of them. Somewhere along the line my Fitbit gained the ability to measure blood glucose levels and lost the ability to track sleep. Sadly, I'd probably sleep a lot better if I just quit trying to measure everything. I actually thought I slept pretty well last night, but the sleep app on my Apple Watch said I was only asleep for 2 hours and 37 minutes. 

I watched the Space X Starlink launch livestream while I was getting ready to walk this afternoon. This was a rare daytime launch and the weather looked beautiful. It would have been nice to see this in person, but it was all over in six minutes. The launch basically looked identical to all the other Falcon 9 launches as well. I'm beginning to question my desire to attend these launches. Covid restrictions have made attending launches in Florida much harder and it's getting a lot easier for me to say "been there, done that."

My daily walks are pretty routine as well, but at least they're easy and free. All I have to do is put on my shoes and walk out the back door. Today's walks were actually pretty enjoyable. Dawn did well on her short one mile walk and I did pretty well on my longer walk as well. No foot pain today. I have no idea why today's walk went so smoothly, but I'll take a good day when I can get it. When my foot doesn't hurt, I tend to walk a bit faster. I didn't embarrass myself today and kept up a pretty respectable pace for a septuagenarian.

While we were walking Dawn this afternoon, we ran into a neighbor who warned us about places where cars were getting broken into during the day. Apparently there is an epidemic of car break-ins in the city. I'm not surprised. Everywhere you look it seems like the fabric of society is breaking apart. Some call it progress, but it looks like chaos to me. I'm starting to envy my parents. I don't think they realized how good they had it back in the day.

I have no idea what is going to frustrate me tomorrow, but I'm sure something will crop up. For now, I'm just hoping that I won't have weird dreams tonight. I've been having a lot of weird dreams lately. Maybe my Fitbit doesn't count them as sleep.

Molly is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4121

I can't figure out why my Fitbit has stopped tracking my sleep stages. Everything else seems fine. It just doesn't measure sleep anymore. As I am prone to do, I went looking for solutions on the Internet and discovered that lots of people seem to have this problem, but nobody seems to know how to fix it. I'm always amazed that so many people are eager to offer solutions that clearly don't work. There are other people who will spent hours or even days making a YouTube video explaining in great detail how to fix something that would probably be better to just replace. While I was looking for answers to my missing sleep function I got sucked into watching a video about how to replace a Fitbit Alta HR battery. Most of the video consisted of the guy saying "be very careful because this is easy to break."

Today was even more uneventful than usual. I watched the news while I drank my morning smoothie. I made the bed. I tried to get Dawn to go outside with me. I watched a few more videos explaining how to process astrophotography photos in Photoshop. I think I actually learned something. When Janet came home we took Dawn on her one mile walk and then I continued walking further. For a minute I thought that Dawn was going to follow a new path again, but she changed her mind at the last minute and continued following her familiar loop.

My long walk is a familiar loop as well. I guess I could go somewhere new, but I continue walking the same paths over and over again. The lake level continues to fall. What's going on here? The water level falling way too fast for this time of year, so there must be a leak in the dam. This has happened before. Eventually the city will fix the problem, but sometimes it takes months. 

While I was walking today I watched several Muscovy ducks chase away a group of Mallards from a grassy spot where they were feeding. From what I have been able to observe, animals spend almost as much time arguing and fighting as we do. The resident geese seem especially argumentative. I don't even want to get near them at times. 

There's a Space X launch tomorrow morning that some people I know are attending. I wish it was easier for me to watch these events in person without a long and expensive trip to Florida. Most of the people who attend launches regularly live in the area. I'll probably return to Kennedy Space Center sometime this year, but I've got to pick my launches carefully. The magazine I write for isn't interested in covering everything and I don't end up getting approved for all the launches anyway. I've applied to attend two launches so far this year. It's kind of like buying a lottery ticket. You just wait and see what happens.

I spoke too soon about allergy season being over. My allergies were terrible today. Maybe it was the wind. It was so windy today that I almost got blown off the trail several times. At least it was warm. Warm and windy is a lot better than cold and windy. The wind didn't contribute to my foot pain, but today wasn't a good day for the feet. I probably should have stayed home and taken a nap with Dawn. Never mind. Whenever I try to take a nap with Dawn, she gets up and moves to a different room.

I never did get around to looking for the cell phone extender thing that Janet wanted. Maybe I'll do that tomorrow. Right now, all I want to do tomorrow is sleep.

Sam is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4120

I got a call from my doctor asking whether I'd been vaccinated yet? Good grief. The place where I got vaccinated is part of the same medical group that my doctor belongs to. When I filled out all the vaccination forms, I checked the box that asked whether it was OK to share the information with my primary care physician. Obviously, nothing has been shared. Doctors seem inable to share information with each other. I've filled out the same information over and over again whenever I see a doctor. Nobody shares information and nobody corrrects incorrect information in your files. It makes you wonder why doctors even want all this information. Nobody reads it.

When we visited the rescue Dalmatians this afternoon the football the dogs liked so much last week was gone. We asked about the football and were told that the kennel dogs had destroyed it. I'm not surprised. A popular toy doesn't last long in a busy kennel. We'll have to look for a new toy football. Charlie and Cooper loved that thing. The dogs were playful today, but that wasn't much of a surprise. They are always playful. I hope both of them end up getting adopted by a young, active person.

My allergies seem to have cleared up. I can't remember if this the time of year when they disappear for a while, but it seems about right. Nothing is happening on schedule this year. Most of the Irises in the park haven't even bloomed yet. The ducks seem to be nesting later than usual as well. I haven't seen any baby ducks at all. I have no idea whether school is in or out anymore. I still see lots of kids in the park during the week who ought to be in school. Just about the only thing that hasn't seemed to change this year is Dallas traffic. The traffic is still terrible.

Dawn had a nice walk before we went to visit the rescue Dalmatians and then I had a not so nice walk after we returned. Today wasn't a great day for my feet. There still seems to be no rhyme or reason as to whether I'm going to experience foot pain on any given day. I'd ask my doctor except I've already done that. He sent me to a specialist who didn't have an answer either. I should probably just quit complaining. The pain obviously isn't bad enough to keep me from walking. I completed six miles today.

I think I felt more comfortable traveling during the height of the pandemic than I do now when everyone is returning to hotels and airports. I've always enjoyed doing things when other people were doing something else. I loved when the airlines blocked the center seats and the planes were half empty. My favorite time to walk is on overcast, dismal days when the park is empty. Even when I was younger and went out more, I would typically get tickets to see unpopular bands because I knew there wouldn't be big crowds. There are some interesting launches at Kennedy Space Center later this Spring, but I'm dreading flying into Orlando now that everyone wants to go to Disneyland again. 

I finally figured out why I'm probably stuck running Sierra on my computers forever. Sierra is the last OS that will run 32 bit software flawlessly. Apple began the transition to 64 bit software with High Sierra and when Catalina appeared, they completely pulled the plug on 32 bit software. It just won't run on newer machines or newer operating systems. This kind of sucks since I still have a ton of perfectly good 32 bit software that I bought back when my business was busy. Why should I subscribe to Office 365 when I have a perfectly good working copy of Office 2011? Why should I subscribe to Adobe's Creative Cloud when I've been using CS-5 for years without any problems? I hate the subscription model that most software companies have adopted. It's just a way for rich companies to get even richer. Can I keep ignoring the future? Maybe. My Dad never used computers at all and he did OK.

Janet wants me to go out and look for a cell phone booster tomorrow. Do such things exist? Our iPhones barely work in the house anymore. We have to go outside when we get a call. I keep the old landline because it's much easier to make outgoing calls on it. All the phone companies are talking about 5G now when they never even got 4G to work reliably. It's a a good thing I'm retired. I'd really be frustrated if I had to depend on today's technology.

Angel is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4119 - Easter

The picture is old, but I still like it. Dot was a great dog. She was a patient soul who let us dress her up in all manner of ridiculous costumes. I doubt that Dawn would wear bunny ears. They would just be one more thing to be scared of. We wanted Dawn to have a nice Easter, so we drove her to another park this morning where we knew she would have new things to explore. Dawn really enjoys these outings even though she's not fond of riding in the car.

We had a relaxed and very enjoyable Easter. Janet went to church yesterday to avoid the crowds and today was just a low-key day around the house. Dawn was in a good mood today and took two walks. We were impressed. After we took her to a new park in the car, she did her familiar one mile loop later in the day. The park was busy, but it wasn't nearly as crowded as in previous years. Covid has changed everything.

Janet joined me on my long walk today. A walk is always a good time to talk and catch up on things. I managed to keep up a pretty decent pace and my foot didn't give me any major problems. Although it was overcast today, the weather was mild and I didn't need a coat. We've lived in this area for a long time and it's weird how much the neighborhood has changed. Even the park has changed quite a bit. It was largely undeveloped when we moved here. I think I liked it better then. At some point the city passed a huge bond issue with the money designated to go toward improving the park. Over time the area became a popular destination for people all over North Texas. They come to birdwatch, to hike, to cycle, to kayak and sail, and to have picnics and barbecues. It's really a wonderful park now, but I still liked it better when it was wild and undiscovered.

By mid afternoon the house began to be filled with the smells of a delicious meal being cooked. While Janet was cooking, I tried to clean up the yard. There are still lots of leaves trapped under the dying ground cover in the back yard. We haven't tried to rake this area because it would pull up the remaining Asian Jasmine that managed to survive the big freeze. I thought I'd try to blow these leaves away with a leaf blower. I was partially successful. I removed a lot of leaves, but unfortunately the entire area doesn't look any better. It's going to take a long time for this part of the yard to recover.

After I gave up on yard work, I practiced processing some of last October's astrophotography images in Photoshop. I watch a lot of YouTube videos and bookmark tutorial sites. I continue to learn and the results are beginning to show it. I'm getting better at this odd and often difficult avocation. I walk to keep my body active and I write and keep learning to keep my brain active. I may be wrong, but I'm convinced that staying active like this is the best way to avoid dementia and maybe even Alzheimer's. I've seen way too many people my age begin to decline the minute they give up and quit learning.

Our Easter dinner was delicious. The small batch meat company that hand smokes the hams I get every Easter is amazing. This stuff is addictive and surprisingly easy to cook. Janet made candied yams with marshmallows on top and green beans with bacon and peppers. We topped everything off with a cherry pie for dessert and we are both pleasantly stuffed.

It looks like I'll have some tasty leftovers for the rest of the week. I hope Dawn continues walking. She did well today. She even came out of the bedroom and joined us at dinner for a while. Easter is supposed to be a hopeful time and today felt good. I'm not typically an optimistic person, but today I'm more than willing to give it a try.

Dottie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4118

The stores were crowded today. Passover is almost over so I guess most people were buying for Easter meals. Some stores are discounting masks and toilet paper now. There doesn't seem to be a shortage of anything. Those stickers on the floor that tell people to stay six feet apart are largely ignored these days. It basically just seemed like a normal shopping day.

While I was out this morning I stopped at an abandoned Fry's store that was selling fixtures and equipment. There were some great bargains for anyone starting a business that required lots of bins and out of date computers. The store's PC's and printers were all on sale for $50 each. I don't know who would buy these things though. They were all old and showed lots of wear. I bought nothing.

When we walked Dawn today, she took the new route that she discovered yesterday again. We have no idea why this route seems more appealing now. As we made out way through the neighborhood, we kept noticing that there was an unusual amount of remodeling and landscaping projects going on. Everyone appears to be fixing up their houses and yards. Maybe some people are hurting from the pandemic, but I'm not seeing it. The real estate market is booming. The stock market is booming. A lot of people seem to be doing better than they ever were.

Janet was gone for most of the afternoon, so Dawn and I spent some quality time together. I stayed outside with her for quite a while, but inside she still won't leave the bedroom. When I fixed her dinner, she wouldn't even come out and eat it until Janet returned. It's been a year now, so she should have adjusted to anything that needs adjusting. Maybe I'm missing something, but it just doesn't look like it's going to happen.

I'm still spending a little time each day familiarizing myself with the new star tracker and camera. I oscillate between genuine interest and befuddlement. Sometimes I look at this stuff and wonder why I even bought it. The night sky is interesting, but if I had a choice I'd probably opt for a good night's sleep. If I ever really got serious about backyard astronomy, I'd probably have to start writing the blog during the day. By the time I finish each night's post, I'm done for the day. On most nights I'm way too tired to spend another three hours staring up at the sky.

Today I was almost too tired to take my long walk. I definitely didn't set any records this afternoon. My foot hurt for most of the walk and my right knee still feels stiff. I saw the mean little duck that chased away all the larger ducks while I was walking. I haven't seen her in over a month and was wondering if she was still around. Today she was peacefully eating with a bunch of Coots. Most of the White Pelicans have flown away, but there are still a few stragglers. I thought they would all leave together, but there are still about half a dozen left.

I tried running my laptop off of an external drive this afternoon in hopes that I could get it to run the software I'll need for the astrophotography workshop in May. The laptop ran way too slow to be useful unfortunately. Sadly, I'll probably end up attending the workshop with the wrong cameras and computer, just like I did last time. I'm not about to convert to a PC just for a few evenings under a dark sky.

I'm already looking forward to Easter dinner. Such a simple life I lead. I mostly just think about food and wonder why Dawn doesn't like me.

Lexi is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4117

Dawn surprised us today. At the corner where she normally turns right and begins to head back home, she turned left instead. She seemed happy and eager to follow a new path today. We still didn't walk all that far, but it was encouraging to see her try something new. While Janet was out earlier in the day I sat outside with her for about 15 minutes. She was very relaxed and came over and sat with me several times. We're still having problems in the kitchen though. Dawn seems to have some very bad memories associated with feeding and food. That's really a shame, because she loves to eat. Building trust with this dog is going to take a very long time.

I had to go to the bank today and I'm beginning to wonder if they are ever going to reopen the lobby. I've been making transactions using the drive through window for over a year now. I think a lot of businesses have discovered that it's a lot easier to operate in lockdown mode. The bank certainly doesn't have to hire as many people these days. Everything still seems to work, so why would they bother to reopen?

I'm beginning to think I bought the wrong camera. This new camera is a kind of heavy and my old camera seems to work a lot better with the star tracker. The new camera has some amazing features but since most astrophotography is done in full manual mode, I don't even need them. What I really need is a very light camera with a good sensor and long battery life. I still don't have anything that will make my life easier. Most deep sky processing software requires a PC to run. I use a Mac. Canon and Nikon cameras are popular with astrophotographers. I use Panasonic and Olympus cameras. I probably should have just gone on eBay and bought a used Canon DLSR and a cheap PC that would run the software I need. Why don't these guys use a Mac? I've always hated using a PC.

We needed to renew a prescription for Dawn today and discovered that our vet no longer worked at the clinic. Do we move with the vet or stay with the clinic? One more thing to be frustrated about. People in the veterinary business seem to move around like musical chairs. There is a huge turnover. My business used to do a lot of work with veterinarians and not a single one of these old clients is working at the same place anymore. I used to move around a lot when I worked at the ad agencies, but I expected the rest of the world to remain stable. Now, nothing is stable. The whole world reinvents itself every week.

When I went out to the street this morning to retrieve my garbage can, a new neighbor who just moved in crossed the street to introduce himself. When he shook my hand it startled me. I hadn't shaken anyone's hand in over a year. The guy was new in town and was just trying to be friendly. Nevertheless, I washed my hands as soon as I returned to the house. Is it always going to be this way? Maybe. I'm suspicious of everyone now and have no desire to make new friends. Covid changed everything.

It's Easter weekend and the park will be filled with little kids having egg hunts. Not many people use real eggs anymore. They fill plastic eggs with candy instead. The kids leave candy and unfound eggs all over the park. It's a mess. We'll see if Dawn has a nose for candy like Dot and Dash did. I always had to watch Dot and Dash like a hawk in the weeks following Easter because they were always trying to eat the candy.

Miracle is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4116

The furnace wasn't working when I woke up this morning. Damn. This always seems to happen during the very last days of winter when you don't think you are going to need the furnace anymore. I wasn't looking forward to taking the unit apart to clean the flame sensor again. The flame sensor is almost always the problem. Before I went to all that trouble I gave the tried and true method for fixing anything electrical a try. I unplugged the furnace, waited thirty seconds, and then plugged it in again. I also reset the thermostat for good measure. Amazingly, this worked. The furnace fired up and roared into life. The flame sensor probably is dirty, but with any luck I won't need to deal with it until next Fall.

I managed to find a nice little smoked ham today. I don't know why I thought there was going to be a run on Easter hams. When I went to the smokehouse, I was the only person in the store. There were even several small hams to choose from. I was surprised. Did Covid change something? In previous years I've had a terrible time finding a good smoked ham this close to Easter. 

I received a message from the Air Force, or I guess it is the Space Force now, saying that my press credentials have been reinstated for another year. Yay. I'm good to go for 2021. The message seemed to imply that the Air Force wasn't working as closely with NASA anymore. My credentials might only be. good for military launches. That's OK with me. I think the Space Force will be launching a Falcon Heavy later this year. A Falcon Heavy launch is always spectacular because both side boosters return to the Cape to land.

I wasn't expecting much on my walk today. When I woke up this morning I felt like a cripple. My left foot hurt. My right knee felt stiff. My hip felt sore and my shoulder still felt loose. Oddly, walking seemed to help loosen up these aching joints. I certainly didn't set any records today, but I completed five miles in a little more than an hour and a half. That's slow, but it will have to do for now.

I began to familiarize myself with the new star tracker this afternoon. The unit is sturdy and seems to be extremely well made. I don't think it is going to be easy to use unfortunately. A star tracker is basically a small German equatorial mount that holds a camera instead of a telescope. A motor slowly rotates the unit at 15 degrees per hour to counteract the rotation of the earth. You can take a lot longer exposures since the stars aren't moving from the camera's perspective. Like most telescope mounts, you have to assemble and balance the tracker in the field. There are several little adjustment screws that will fall off and get lost if you loosen them too much. You also have to align everything very exactly with Polaris. I know how to do all this in theory, but it's harder to do in the dark. Have I mentioned that I am very clumsy.

My Fitbit isn't tracking my sleep anymore. Maybe it's getting old and needs to be replaced. I always liked the sleep tracking capability. I have no idea whether it is accurate or even produces meaningful results, but I like to look at it in the morning and discover that I slept better than I thought I did. About half the time it does the opposite and shows me that I didn't sleep well at all. I probably don't need a Fitbit to tell me that I'm not sleeping well. My weird dreams tell me all I need to know.

Yesterday I got an e-mail from the Dallas arboretum asking me to review them on Facebook. A few minutes ago I got an e-mail from the smoked meat company where I got the ham, asking for a review on Facebook. The appliance repair company asked for a review after they fixed my washing machine a few weeks ago. Does everybody do this now? Couldn't we just go back to word of mouth? A world addicted to social media feedback is not a good thing.

Haley is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4115

The star tracker I ordered arrived today. I looked at the instruction manual just long enough to realize that it's going to take me a while to learn to use this thing. I've got a month or so to master assembling and operating the tracker in complete darkness. This is not easy. When I was out at McDonald Observatory last October, even setting camera exposures in the dark was a chore. I spent a lot of time looking for little things I dropped on the ground. It was way too easy to throw off your polar alignment by bumping the tripod in the dark or spoiling the focus that took you forever to get just right by accidently touching the lens. Astrophotography is not an avocation for the clumsy. Unfortunately I am very clumsy. We'll see if I can be more careful this time. The last time I was on the mountain, I almost fell in a hole and broke my leg.

Maybe I ought to stick to photographing dogs. I'm pretty good at photographing dogs. Getting a good picture of the Andromeda Galaxy or the Orion Nebula is much harder for me. The night sky is interesting though and there are very few things that interest me anymore. Hey, if other people can do this, I should be able to take good night sky pictures as well. I'll figure out this star tracker in the weeks ahead and I bet my photos will be a lot better this time than they were last October.

I resumed my long walks today. It was very windy which made it almost impossible to dress for the occasion. When I was near the shoreline and the wind was blowing in my face I was cold. When I was out in the meadows and away from the water I was hot. I don't know where the ducks were today. I saw very few. Pretty soon the pelicans will fly North for the summer. There are already a lot fewer of them at the lake. Another week of two of warm weather and they'll be gone.

I see a few new wildflowers blooming every day now. It's interesting that the blue and purple flowers bloom first. Then the yellow flowers start blooming. The red flowers are almost always last. In April and May you see all the flowers at once and then they slowly start to disappear. It's not as much fun to photograph these flowers anymore because I've already captured every variety that grows here many times. April used to be a time for photography. Now it's mostly a time where I don't need to wear a coat and I don't get sunburned either. 

I was going to go looking for an Easter ham today but I forgot. I need to do this tomorrow. I've learned to ask for a Chop at the smokehouse. This is a small boneless cut that the store uses to make ham sandwiches for customers. A regular ham is way too much for two people and this small size is perfect. If you vacuum seal the meat in a boil-in bag you can keep it nice and juicy by just heating it in boiling water instead of putting it in the oven. Did I mention that I love a good smoked ham?

It's hard to believe that tomorrow will be April 1. It's getting harder and harder to separate the April Fool's jokes from reality. Life is so strange now that I'm having a difficult time telling the difference. The fact that Covid is still with us after an entire year seems like a cruel joke, but I guess it's real. I don't need any more big surprises. I'm waiting for life to become simple and predictable again. That wish is probably an April Fool's joke. I don't think that life will ever be simple and predictable again.

Smiley is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4114

The arboretum got hit pretty hard during the big freeze. I don't know why I thought this place would be exempt from all the carnage, but mother nature definitely had the upper hand here as well. As Janet and I walked through the gardens we kept saying "look, their's died too." Strangely, I felt a little better about our own pitiful yard after seeing that even dozens of skilled gardeners couldn't save these plants.

Even though almost all the Azaleas and Rhododendrons died, the Spring celebration was still pretty spectacular. Thousands of seasonal flowers made the well manicured gardens seem even more colorful than usual. Janet and I always get lots of ideas for our own yard when we visit the arboretum. Somehow we never follow up on these ideas though. When you have large dogs and thousands of squirrels in your yard, it's easy to lose interest in gardening. Usually we never get beyond cleaning up all the dog poop.

I didn't bother to take a long walk today. After stopping for a beer and a cup of tortilla soup at a patio restaurant inside the arboretum, a stroll through the gardens seemed like all the exercise I needed. Maybe it was good to take a break. My foot didn't hurt at all today. It's too bad you can't take dogs to the arboretum. Dawn would have enjoyed this afternoon's outing.

While I was eating breakfast this morning, one of the TV stations I was watching showed a supposedly live broadcast of the latest Starship launch at Boca Chica. Something seemed vaguely familiar about this launch, but I couldn't put my finger on it. Later in the day I realized that the broadcast I was watching wasn't live at all. It was footage from several weeks ago with a "live" caption pasted over the top. The real launch today was much different. It was very foggy outside and the rocket blew up in midair. This makes four Starships in a row that have blown up. I have a feeling that the first person to ride in one of these things is going to be pretty nervous.

Although I didn't take my long walk today, Dawn did get her shorter walk. She always seems eager to take these walks, but some days we don't get very far. Today was a good day. We completed our short one mile loop with no strange behavior at all. Some days Dawn walks like a normal dog. Other days, she freezes in place for no apparent reason. We still can't figure out her many moods. She certainly doesn't seem sick. Every time we take her to the vet, everything checks out fine.

I thought about taking a good camera to the arboretum, but I'm glad I didn't. I find that a lot of experiences are more enjoyable without a camera. I always have my phone in my pocket, but that's a lot different than lugging heavy professional equipment around. I find that I remember things better if I just take the experience in with my eyes instead of constantly trying to compose a scene for the camera. Oddly, I still haven't used my new camera. Maybe I should have just got a better phone.

Today seemed like Sunday for some reason. I hope that won't make tomorrow feel like Monday. One Monday in any week is plenty. I have no idea what I'll be doing tomorrow. I"m still trying to avoid climbing up on the roof. Maybe if I wait long enough, the water will just evaporate.

Sparky is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4113

Somebody bought Charlie and Cooper a yellow football with a squeaker inside and it was their new favorite toy this week. We discovered that both dogs would make pretty good wide receivers because you could toss them the football and they would catch it in the air surprisingly often. We met some new employees today. Like most Dallas businesses, the kennel seems to be slowly returning to normal. I'm glad they survived the pandemic.

When we returned home I went out and got a new pair of walking shorts. I was down to a single pair and I knew they wouldn't make it through the Summer.  Amazingly, I found some shorts that were exactly the same brand and style as the ones I bought three years ago. In theory, buying something that I didn't need to try on first should have saved me time. It didn't. There was only one person working at the checkout counters and the person ahead of me in line was trying to return something without a receipt. It took me forever to get out of the store, but I still like to support local business whenever I can.

Dawn did well on her first walk this morning, so we thought she'd enjoy a second walk after we returned from the kennel. Apparently not. We couldn't even get her down to the park. She froze in place and wouldn't go any further before we had even gone three hundred yards. Oh, well. At least she got a good walk this morning. Janet returned to the house with Dawn and I continued walking.

I wonder how long this nice Spring weather is going to continue? The weather has been almost perfect for over a week and there is no rain in the forecast. The pleasant weather is probably why I thought about getting shorts today. I've been wearing shorts and a t-shirt all week. Right now, the heat comes on when we wake up in the morning and then the air conditioner comes on later in the afternoon. I'd better enjoy this while it lasts. Pretty soon it's going to be way too hot.

I had a good walk this afternoon, even though I am still embarrassingly slow and every step reminds me that I'm almost 73 years old. I have so many aches and pains that I feel like an old rusty machine. I think things would be a lot worse if I didn't keep moving. Would I feel more fit if I moved even more? I guess I'll never know unless I return to the gym. When am I going to find the time though? I'm so slow that a few chores and a long walk fills my entire day.

I'm surprised that I still haven't heard from NASA or the Air Force about the launches I've applied to attend in April. Jeez. It's almost April. I hate to make plans at the last minute. I haven't heard anything from the magazine I write for either. It's starting to feel like everyone has forgotten about me. I'm torn between wanting a full schedule and the realization that I could never afford a full schedule anyway. I do get published, but the magazine never pays for my expenses when I travel. Does this just make my space journalism quest an expensive hobby? Who knows. 

I'm thinking about getting a smoked ham for Easter again. Janet thinks about the true meaning of Easter, but I usually just think about smoked ham. I'd better go look for something tomorrow. It may be too late already.

Elliott is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4112

Today was busy. I helped Janet clear away more of the dead Asian Jasmine in the back yard. It's becoming more and more apparant that this stuff is not going to turn green again. My only hope is that the roots are still alive and that we might get some new growth next season. I ran the vacuum cleaner because I promised Janet I would start doing this every week again. I've always thought of dust as a protective coating, but apparently most people don't think this way. The hardest task today was giving the atrium a spring cleaning. It's is almost impossible to pry the broken sliding glass door open wide enough to get inside the atrium these days. If I'm lucky, I can just manage to squeeze through the narrow opening. I'm always afraid that I won't be able to get the door closed again, but with enough pushing and shoving, I"ve been successful so far. I've tried for several years to get the door fixed but parts are no longer available. Nobody makes a replacement for this oversize door either. I never realized how much trouble I was in when the last guy in town who worked on these things died.

The saga of old impossible to replace things continued when I discovered that the video component that I accidentally threw away is no longer manufactured. It's not available anywhere. I even looked on the eBay used market and couldn't find it. Come on guys! It hasn't been that long. It really is frustrating that everything becomes obsolete so quickly now. I've stopped upgrading the system on my computers so I can still run the last stand alone versions of Microsoft Office and Adobe Creative Suite. I'm old school and don't want to pay for subscription software or save my files in the cloud. As a result, I can't use a lot of new software. The industry standard for processing astrophotography files won't run on any of my computers. 

We thought we'd do something different with Dawn today, so we drove her to a different park for her daily walk. This actually worked out pretty well. Dawn is a strange traveler. She is terrified of riding in the car, but is always excited when she arrives at her destination. We had a nice walk. Dawn had lots of energy and wasn't interested in eating grass at all. Janet walked Dawn, because I can never keep up with her when she is excited. I walked along behind and Dawn and Janet were kind enough to wait in the car for me when they were finished. To make the ride home less traumatic, we stopped for an ice cream cone along the way. Dawn loves ice cream.

I didn't take my own longer walk until later in the afternoon. The park was even more crowded today than it was yesterday. On a nice Spring day, it feels like I'm the only one who doesn't believe that Covid is over yet. Luckily, the park is huge and it is quite easy for me to keep to myself. I just don't understand why people like to gather in large groups. I can see getting together with a friend for coffee, but the whole concept of parties has always seemed strange to me. I never had to give up parties for Covid. I never liked them in the first place.

I keep getting messages that time is running out for me to use my 20% off coupon at REI. Today I got an e-mail saying that my discount expires tomorrow. In the past, messages like this would send me directly to the store. Not anymore. I don't need anything from REI. I think it is an encouraging sign that I'm slowly learning to resist the urge to buy. I did get a camera earlier this year and I got that start tracker recently, but I know I'll use these things. The star tracker is practically a requirement for attending the advanced astrophotography workshop later this Spring.

It's going to be a busy week. We'll go visit the rescue Dalmatians tomorrow and then go to the arboretum later in the week. One of these days I'm going to have to go up on the roof. The catkins have started falling from the Oak trees and they can make a huge mess on the roof when it rains if I don't remove them. The catkins are also responsible for the thin layer of sticky yellow dust that covers everyone's cars at this time of year. I like watching all the wildflowers bloom, but a lot of other things associated with Spring are a nuisance. What's the biggest nuisance of all? It's time to mow the grass again.

Doc is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4111

I think a lot of people must have moved here during the pandemic. The traffic is horrible now. Every time I go out, I feel like I am driving in Los Angeles. Dallas was never a small town, but it wasn't always this way. I remember when there was a farm with livestock right across from Northpark. Maybe I'm just getting too old for city life. It's getting harder and harder to find anything positive to say about all this congestion. 

Shopping was relatively easy today. I found everything on my list fairly quickly and was home well before noon. I used to think that the pandemic would be over when I started seeing Clorox wipes again. The wipes are everywhere now, so why does it feel like nothing has changed? Even getting vaccinated didn't change much. I still wear a mask whenever I go out. I seldom eat at restaurants anymore. When I pass someone while I'm walking in the park, I make a conscious effort to move way out of the way. I might never go to a large gathering again. I could go on and on. I doubt that this behavior is going to change any time soon. I've never trusted people all that much. Now I have a reason not to trust them.

I do trust dogs, which is why it bothers me that Dawn doesn't seems to like me. Dot and Dash would follow me everywhere, but Dawn still hasn't set foot in the office. The whole room seems off limits to her. We are making a little progress though. When I take a nap on the bed, she no longer leaves the room. She seems content to share the bed with me now, but she won't follow me outside even when I know she wants to go. The only way I can get her to go in the back yard with me is to lead her out on a leash. Dawn is an entirely different dog when Janet is home. She is much more confident and very little seems to bother her. Oh, well. I guess it's just me.

My long walk was a little slow again today. I felt fine, but I could tell after the first 300 yards that I wasn't going to set any records. It's still a mystery why on some days I have a spring in my step and on other days I don't. I used to think my slow days resulted from a lack of sleep, but I've been sleeping well lately. I doubt that any of this even matters. I should just turn off the Fitbit and enjoy the view. On today's walk I noticed that one of the Muscovy ducks and three of the geese were missing. I saw two Monk Parakeets which was strange since these birds usually fly together as a large group. There were lots of people in the park, which was understandable since it was a nice Spring day. For the first time in over a year I saw some of the baseball diamonds in use. School sports have definitely returned. The soccer fields in the park have been in use for quite a while now.

I'm spending way too much time looking at telescopes and other astronomical paraphernalia online. This usually leads to buying things which is probably unwise. I'm never going to spend much time looking at the stars here in Dallas. The light pollution is terrible and I don't feel safe going out at night in the city anyway. This leaves the occasional trip to West Texas, which might actually be all I need. It's too bad I can't just rent the equipment I need the same way I rent a car for these trips. 

I may be forced to do some yard work tomorrow. The yard still looks terrible after our big freeze, and neither of us want to spend the money to hire a lawn service anymore. I guess we need to clean up the place for Dawn. She loves being out in the yard.

Chloe is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4110

I took a few things to the storage warehouse today and while I was there, I looked for the missing video component. Maybe I moved the thing there and just forgot about it. Nope. I really did throw it away with the empty boxes. Oh, well. Kind of an expensive lesson to learn, but I doubt that I will be making corporate videos again anyway. While I was searching through my storage unit, I found an entire case of yellow tennis balls. Why? I don't play tennis. We must have gotten them for some dog related event in the distant past.

Spring is here. Everything is turning green except for our Asian Jasmine ground cover. It still looks brown and completely dead. I wonder why this stuff fared worse than the rest of the plants? We have a lot of ground cover in the back of the yard because it grows well under our large trees. I have a feeling that the yard is going to look pretty ugly for a while. It's kind of amazing what a week of freezing weather can do.

It was a beautiful day for walking, but my feet didn't get the message. Yesterday, I had a spring in my step and walked briskly. Today I felt like I was carrying a sack of rocks. I got plenty of rest last night, but I just didn't have any energy today. I kept walking and completed five miles, but my time was a lot slower.  Before I started wearing my Fitbit, I wasn't even aware of these changes. I've done this walk so many times now that I can calculate my pace just from the sound of my footsteps. I can pretty accurately guess how many calories I'm burning as well. The trade off is that I don't stop and take pictures as much as I used to.

Dawn likes being outside, but she still won't go outside with me unless I take her out on a leash. As soon as I attach the leash, she hops off the bed and follows me out the back door. I take the leash off as soon as we are in the back yard and she is very comfortable staying out in the yard with me. She wanders around the yard barking at things and will occasionally come over to the chair where I'm sitting to be petted. When we go back inside, she heads straight for the bedroom and waits for Janet to return. It's very strange behavior, but it's starting to feel normal.

The star tracker I ordered has already shipped. This flies in the face of everything I've been reading on the Internet about having to wait months for astronomy equipment. Hopefully, I can learn to use this thing before I go out to the observatory. The trick will be finding any stars to track. You really can't see much of anything here in Dallas.

There was supposed to be a Starship launch today, but it got canceled for some unknown reason. I've known several people who travel down to Boca Chica to watch these launches, but I haven't had the nerve to go myself yet. You could end up waiting for days because Space X schedules change frequently and they are never published ahead of time. There also seems to be a major influx of people crossing the border around Brownsville, so this might not be the best time to visit the area. I'm still amazed that they launch these rockets within a few feet of a Texas state highway and visitors can walk right up to it. This is bound to change soon, but for now it's still the Wild West down in Boca Chica. I really need to plan a visit before the whole compound becomes a restricted area.

I need to plan a lot of things, but I'm finding it extremely difficult to get motivated. It's easier to just get up, fix my smoothie, and repeat the same things I did the previous day. There's always tomorrow, but usually it's just like yesterday.

Bubba is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4109

I think one of the worst habits I ever acquired was meticulously recording every transaction I make in Quickbooks. I have a category for everything and even divide grocery shopping into numerous sub-categories. It takes an enormous amount of time to enter everything correctly and I'm getting tired of it. I really should have just made two categories: stuff I really need and stuff I don't really need. Today I entered three months worth of receipts and am finally caught up for 2021. My accountant tells me that I've made Quickbooks Pro ridiculously overcomplicated and he doesn't even look at most of the entries. Old habits are hard to break though, and just like my daily blog entries, I continue to categorize everything.

Nesting season has arrived and I'm seeing pairs of duck in places where they never usually go. They leave the lake at this time of year and you see them in fields and meadows throughout the park. I even see pairs of ducks in people's yards. You'd think the ducks would be more careful about where they choose to nest. The coyotes get a lot of the eggs and sometimes the ducks as well. It won't be long before we start seeing baby ducks though, and some of them always survive.

They say that if you spend an hour a day studying something, you will become an expert within three years. I try to spend a little time each day learning more about astrophotography. Today, while I was doing my Google searches I stumbled across a very desirable star tracker that was actually in stock and ready to ship. Anything related to astronomy has been almost impossible to find since the pandemic started. I guess people have more time on their hands and interest in the hobby has exploded. A lot of things are on back-order for months now. When I saw the iOptron tracker, I felt it was a sign and that I needed to act quickly. The tracker is on order and I should be able to take it with me when I go out to McDonald Observatory in May. I'll never be able to use this thing in Dallas, but when people start doing things in person again, I may join a local astronomy club that owns a nice dark sky site in southern Oklahoma. On the other hand, the tracker may end up in the storage warehouse with a lot of other passing fancies.

Janet and I made reservations to see Dallas Blooms at the arboretum next week. We always mean to go to this event but for some reason something always comes up and we end up being too busy. They say this event is one of the 14 best places to see spring flowers in the world. I don't know where the other 13 places are, but we really enjoyed going to the arboretum around Christmas and we've heard that Dallas Blooms is spectacular. There are 500,000 tulips for starters, along with 100's of varieties of flowering plants and trees. Hopefully, it won't rain.

We must have gotten some rain last night, because the yard was wet in the morning. We totally avoided the severe weather though. There was bad weather to the North and to the South of us, but all we got was a little rain. I didn't even hear any thunder last night. The only thing that woke me up was the sound of Dawn snoring.

Dawn continued to walk well today. She's been doing well on her daily walks all week. I did pretty well today too. I kept up a decent pace for five miles and didn't have a lot of foot pain. I still have no idea why the foot pain varies so much from day to day. I'm very consistent about the way I walk. You'd think the way my foot feels would be consistent as well. It's a mystery. I"m just glad there are good days as well as bad days.

The trash has been taken to the curb, the refrigerator is almost empty, and I feel like the week is just about over. I don't know why my week always starts on Friday, but it's been that way for a long, long time. Hey, when you don't work in an office, you make your own rules.

Petey is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4108

I got a chair mat this morning. When I got home I discovered it was too small. Jeez. I thought these things were all the same size. I guess I'll live with the smaller size though. It's too much trouble to take the thing back. I also got the 12 month accordion folder I needed for receipts. How could a cardboard folder be worth $22? They say we don't have inflation, but I don't believe it. Everything seems a lot more expensive than it used to be.

My train dealer friend told me that he finally sold another of my trains. This was the first sale in about six months. Business hasn't been good during the pandemic. I was happy to see the sale, but I'm not expecting much in the future. The best items in my collection are already gone. I hope business picks up for my friend. I've decided that this is a good time to be retired. I would have had a hard time keeping my own business going during the past year. 

We're under another severe weather alert. This is the time of year when we get a lot of bad weather. I'm watching a storm head our way on the weather radar and hoping that the power doesn't go out. Isn't there somewhere that doesn't have any bad weather at all? We have tornados to worry about. Other parts of the country have hurricanes, wildfires, dust storms, or too much snow. I'd really prefer not to worry about bad weather at all.

The Purple Martins have returned to the park. I'm kind of glad that we don't live near these birds. They are considered very desirable, but they are also very loud and you could hardly call the sound they make a song. It's more like a loud, angry squawk. I'd rather have the Pelicans live nearby. I've never heard them make any sound at all. Pelicans poop a lot though, so maybe this wouldn't be a good idea after all. I guess our resident possums aren't so bad after all.

I was hoping for three consecutive nights of restful sleep, but it wasn't meant to be. I woke up at 4:30 AM and couldn't get back to sleep. Maybe I'm taking too many naps. When I was working, I seldom had problems sleeping. When you are really tired, sleep is almost inevitable. I wish it were easier to keep a dream journal. When I first wake up I'm always aware that I've been dreaming. The dreams fade quickly though. Many of my dreams involve being lost in mundane situations. I'm looking for my car in a parking garage. I'm trying to find my room in a hotel. Sometimes I'm in an ad agency but I can't find my office. There are other dreams where I'm living in a house I have never seen before. If I could remember these things clearly, I might know what they mean. Occasionally, I have had a dream that felt so real that I've wondered if it was something that I actually experienced. Vivid dreams and a poor memory make a strange combination.

I'm mesmerized by the weather radar. It looks like the storm where tornados were spotted is going to the south of us. It will be close, but I think the storm will miss us. Dealing with weather makes you realize that much of life is governed by luck. It helps to be careful, but you've got to be lucky as well. Every time you go to get groceries you could get hit by a drunk driver. Your house might be a tornado target. I'm convinced that a lot of the people who got Covid just had bad luck.

So far, I feel like I've been lucky in life. I hope my luck continues and I never become paralyzed by fear. I'm on the home stretch now, but there is still lots to be done. Right now, I'm optimistic. Reaching Day 5000 seems like a piece of cake.

Chelsey is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4107

Another beautiful Spring day. In theory, I should get a lot accomplished on days like this, but I seldom do. Things are moving along slowly though. My 2020 taxes have been submitted, so I don't have to deal with that for another year. The Kickstarter project I backed has funded, so it looks like the product will go into production. If all goes well, I should get my hands on one of the first available versions sometime this Fall. One of the tree trimmers I called finally returned my call, so it looks like I'll be getting a bid on removing the Oak tree in the back yard. Janet wants to remove the tree more than I do, but I would hate to have it fall on the neighbor's cars and have everybody tell me "I told you so." The tree will probably be gone before the Kickstarter project ships.

Dawn did well on her walk today. There was no hesitation or freezing at all. I still have no idea what influences her behavior. She did get excited by another dog and tugged on the leash hard enough to make my hip hurt when I walked. I have so many aching joints now that I have to walk slow and steady. Sometimes I feel like that slow walking Duane Toddleberry character created by Tim Conway on the old Carol Burnett show. It's hard to believe now that I was ever nimble and agile.

I haven't heard anything from the Air Force yet about getting my credentials reinstated for 2021. We were supposed to hear something by the middle of March, but I guess I shouldn't be surprised that things are running late. Everything seems to be running late this year. It's just as well that I won't be tempted by launches in Florida for a while. My trip out to McDonald Observatory later this Spring is all I can afford anyway.

I need to get a new plastic mat to put under my office chair. I've worn a hole in my existing mat and the wheels of my chair get stuck in it all the time. It's irritating. I used to see these mats everywhere, but now I can't find them. I probably haven't looked very hard. That will be my task for tomorrow. I also need an accordion folder for my 2021 receipts. I usually get one of these every January, but it's March already. I'm slipping. Looks like a trip to Office Depot might be in order.

It must have rained a lot last night because the water level in the lake looked a lot higher today. If there's more water in the lake, there's probably more water on the roof as well. I really should get up there and sweep the standing water away, but it is supposed to rain again tomorrow night, so maybe I'll wait. The way my hip feels right now, I probably couldn't make it up on the roof anyway. It sucks getting old. All these things that used to be easy aren't all that easy anymore.

Something weird is happening with our mail. Instead of getting a single batch of mail once a day, we are getting several deliveries during the day. Today we got three deliveries, each with a few letters and flyers. Is the mail actually getting delivered more often, or is our mail just getting misplaced in neighbor's boxes. Maybe neighbors are just returning misplaced mail. I really don't trust mail deliveries anymore. We used to have the same mailman for decades. Now there seems to be a new delivery person every week. 

I've slept well for two nights in a row. What changed? Probably nothing. My nights are probably just as random as my days. I hope this trend continues though. It really makes a difference.

Ariel is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4106

Charlie and Cooper were both glad to see us today. These two have boundless energy and race around throwing their toys in the air until they are completely worn out. Both dogs will bring rope toys to you because they want to play tug. They won't release the toys however until you throw another toy for them to chase. Charlie becomes so fixated on killing the squeaker in these toys that you have to be careful not to let your hands get too near his mouth. The mouth is constantly moving. These energetic males are the complete opposite of Dawn. We haven't seen Dawn play with a toy yet.

It was a rainy day, but we were able to give Dawn two short walks between the storms. I have a feeling that Dawn is a lot easier to walk than Charlie or Cooper. They are both smart dogs and do listen to commands, but they are so strong. I'm not sure I could even walk Cooper at all with my bad shoulder. They would be great companions for an active family though. I hope they find their forever homes soon.

It wasn't dry enough to take my long walk today, but I was able to squeeze in a little walk after Dawn's afternoon walk. I walked just long enough to get ten thousand steps on the Fitbit and close all three activity circles on the Apple Watch. My foot didn't bother me today. Probably because I didn't really go very far. Maybe my foot is trying to tell me something. 10,000 steps might be enough. I do like long walks though. We'll have to see how I feel tomorrow.

I'm so glad that Dawn isn't scared of storms like Dot and Dash were. There's been lots of thunder and lightning today, but it hasn't bothered her at all. She can certainly hear the thunder. Dawn hears everything.   She can hear people walking down the alley behind our house long before she can see them. Her new favorite thing is to stand in the yard and bark at these people, especially if they are walking a dog. Dawn must have spent a lot of time outdoors in her former life. When the weather is nice she likes being outside more than being in the house. I didn't think anything could compete with the big bed in the bedroom, but sunning herself on the grass runs a close second. I really need to plant some new grass for Dawn. The grass we have now is fairly pitiful. Maybe today's rain will help everything in the back yard turn green again.

I called my accountant to review my taxes along with two different tree companies to get bids on removing the damaged Oak tree and all I got was voice mail. It's really hard to get a live person on the phone anymore. Nobody seems to have a receptionist these days. Nine times out of ten you will just get a voicemail message if you call a business. Voice calls have definitely gone out of style. Maybe you have to leave text messages for businesses too. You certainly have to leave a text message for personal calls. The world have definitely left me behind. I still write letters and I still prefer voice calls.

The pumps on the roof aren't working very well today. This is frustrating with so much rain, but I'm definitely not climbing up there to inspect things right now. I'll have to trust that my repairs keep working. So far, so good. There haven't been any problems with leaks for over a year. I still wish I could find someone to put a slope on the roof, but it is a complicated, oddly shaped roof and nobody seems up to the job. If I was convinced that the roof would never leak again and we got rid of the old, damaged trees in the back yard, I might install solar panels. It would be nice not to worry about power outages again. This is all fantasy talk unfortunately. It will probably never happen.

I finally got a good night's sleep last night. Hopefully, I will be able to do the same this evening. A good night's sleep can make even a dismal, rainy day seem a little better.

Brooke is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day