Day 4189

It was a very busy day. Right after breakfast I got out the reciprocating saw and attempted to cut down the remaining dead Photinia trees in the back yard. The new carbide tipped blade helped a lot, but there were still a few trees where the stumps were too thick for my saw. I was amazed at how heavy these trees were. I had trouble hauling some of them out to the alley. Later this week I will move the pile of wood out to the curb for the monthly bulky trash pick-up. By the time I was finished, I was drenched in sweat and changed my clothes for the first of many times today.

After a short nap to rest up, we took Dawn on her special outing to her Sunday park. She gets so excited about these Sunday outings now. I'm beginning to think that she's not really scared to ride in the car. All her weird behavior might be just the way she shows her excitement. We had a nice walk. It was starting to get hot, but the walk was short enough that Dawn was in no danger of getting overheated. Her self imposed one mile limit is actually pretty smart. We always conclude our outing with ice cream cones at Andy's. Dawn loves ice cream. After we returned home I changed my clothes for a second time. I wonder if people sweat more when they get older. I never remember sweating this much in the summer.

The temperature was in the 90's by the time we returned home. I was pretty tired already and wasn't really looking forward to a six mile walk. I took a short nap and finally managed to convince myself that I still needed the exercise. This was another slow day. My pace was two minutes per mile slower than it usually is on a cooler day. The park wasn't very full for a Sunday. Most sane people were staying inside. I'm always surprised at the number of people having family picnics on really hot days. Is this actually fun? There were very few joggers and runners today, but quite a few picnics.

When I returned from my long walk I was totally beat. I took a shower and changed my clothes for a third time. At least our air conditioner is working well. If the air conditioner broke we would be miserable in less than an hour. Things don't look good for the week ahead. It looks like it is going to be sunny and hot for the rest of the week. Temperatures will be in the high 90's and may top 100 degrees on some days. This is only June too. July is usually much worse.

It's easy to get dehydrated on days like this. I find myself drinking twice as much water as I usually do. Even this probably doesn't replace the amount I sweat though. Our house is still cool, but the air conditioner never stops running. I have a feeling that our electric bill is going to be horrendous next month. The electric bill is always high in the summer, but the electric companies all raised their rates after last winter's big freeze knocked the power out throughout the state. I'm not looking forward to this. The air conditioner compressor and two dehumidifiers use a lot of electricity.

These weeks go quickly. It's already time to visit the rescue Dalmatians again. We heard that Riggs got adopted this week and that there's a new dog up at the kennel. I'm not sure what his name is, but he's young and quite handsome. I'll need to remember to take my camera so I can get some pictures up on the website. I don't expect a lot to happen next week, but I do wish it would cool off a little. How quick we forget. It's only been a week or so since all the rain ended and I'm already wishing it would come back.

Marcie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4188

The roads and stores didn't seem as crowded today. I wonder where everybody went? Even the park was strangely empty. Maybe all the news stories are right. The lockdown is over and the country has gone on vacation. A vacation actually does sound like a good idea, but Janet and I can't decide where to go.

Today certainly was no vacation. After I finished grocery shopping and running errands, I mowed the grass and cleaned up the yard a bit. I've grown to hate mowing the grass. My electric mower isn't self propelled and it seems to get heavier every year. The yard does look a lot better though. Somehow my Fitbit interprets mowing the grass as cycling. This isn't even close. It is exercise though. I don't think I ever did anything this strenuous at the gym.

I didn't feel like getting up this morning and neither did Dawn. I thought we were going to bond for a while and then Dawn realized that Janet had gone running and she was alone in the house with me. She groaned, hopped off the bed and went out to her dog bed in the kitchen. As soon as I made the bed and went to fix myself some coffee, Dawn reclaimed the bed and went back to sleep. We go back and forth like this all day. When I'm in the bedroom, Dawn is in the kitchen. When I'm in the kitchen, Dawn is in the bedroom.

I heard thunder early this morning, but it never rained at our house. I was hoping that having rain in the vicinity would cool things down, but that didn't happen. It was hot and humid today. It wasn't a great day to do yard work, but it didn't make sense to put things off any longer. The grass would have been even harder to mow next week. I may cut down the remaining dead Photinia trees tomorrow. That's another chore I've put off long enough.

I seriously thought about going to the gym today, but I was already hot and sweaty after our short walk with Dawn, so I convinced myself that continuing on a longer walk couldn't possibly be any worse. I was wrong. I managed to complete my six miles, but I was very slow. I had an excuse though. I had already mowed the grass and was tired before we even started our walks. Hopefully all this pointless activity will keep me fit and healthy. I can't think of any other reason to punish myself like this.

I was briefly glad that I didn't go out to the observatory for the June photography night. I would have been driving back home today and that long drive can seem even worse than mowing the grass. It's weird when even the fun things in your life can fill you with a sense of dread. I love spending time in West Texas and down at Kennedy Space Center. It's getting there that's the problem. I kind of envy the people who live in these places. They just roll out of bed in the morning and they are already there.

I went out and got Chinese take-out for dinner tonight. About once a month this is what we're hungry for. Some of the staff at the restaurant were wearing masks and others weren't. This is probably how the pandemic will end. It will be slow and awkward and nobody will do everything at the same time. I feel stupid now when I go into a store wearing a mask and none of the staff have one on. Let's all get on the same page people. 

With any luck Dawn will get her special outing tomorrow. It's a simple thing, but it's nice to do something that all three of us enjoy.    

Lucky is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4187

I didn't accomplish a lot today. It's still too wet to mow the grass or do yardwork. There are indoor projects I could start, but I've been trying to avoid them. Eventually I'm going to have to repair the sheetrock in the ceiling where water used to leak, but I"m not sure I have the skills to do this. I'm not sure I want to hire anyone either. It's a messy, very dusty job. It's a lot easier just to not look up and pretend that the stained areas aren't there.

I ended up writing a letter to my sister and telling her about the lost letter that went to O'Reilly Auto Parts. I wish she'd start reading the blog, because that's a lot easier way to keep up with things. I can respect someone who wants to ignore the Internet though. I'd kind of like to ignore it myself, but I'm too lazy. I've grown to depend on Google and Wikipedia to verify things I'm not sure about and I don't know what I'd do without online shopping. I've grown to hate driving around town looking for things I need. Stores are often out of stock and prices are almost always better online. I'd probably be just fine writing the blog with a ball point pen in a little leather bound journal, but it would be hard for me to give up Amazon.

When I went to the post office I noticed that they no longer had a mask mandate. They just had a sign saying that it would be rude and inconsiderate to come inside without one. Masks are going to be around for a long time. A certain segment of the population loves them and they are very judgmental. I don't really care. Personally, I'd rather expand the six foot rule to a ten foot rule and make sure that I never got close to anyone again. If the pandemic has accomplished anything, it has convinced me that the rest of the world is full of disease and should be avoided at all costs.

Dawn really seems to be overcoming her fear of being around me in the kitchen. She's started following me to the kitchen when I go to fix her dinner now. This is new. She used to wait until I was safely back in the office again before she would venture out to eat. She likes going out in the back yard with me as well. After breakfast we will often spend up to an hour sitting out in the sun together. This is a slow process though and Dawn spooks very easily. She doesn't like loud noises and sometimes all it takes is blowing my nose to send her running away.

It was hot today on my walk but at least there was a nice breeze. I've started dipping my hat in water every time I pass a water fountain in the park and that seems to help keep me cooler. It's amazing how quickly the water evaporates though. I should probably just spray myself with a hose before I leave the house. I'd probably be entirely dry again by the time I returned.

It looks like it's clear out at the observatory tonight. I'd still kind of sad I'm not out there with my camera. I hope they decide to continue the photography night program. There just aren't that many opportunities to spend the night on Mount Locke. I'll skip the monsoon season, but I'd like to go back in the Fall. Maybe rental car rates will have become more reasonable by then. Maybe I'll have mastered using the star tracker as well.

I wonder if travel will ever seen normal again? Janet and I used to travel a lot, but cities aren't safe anymore and neither of us likes to camp. I'm glad we saw the world when it was a simpler, safer place. A lot of places we've visited wouldn't even be conceivable now. Hopefully, exciting trips will still be an option in the years ahead. I wonder though. The world has become a very strange place.

We'll see what happens. For now, I've got groceries to buy and another long, hot walk to look forward to.

Willa is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4186

I think I'm losing my ability to fix things. A light burned out in my office today. It should have been a simple matter to replace the bulb. It wasn't. I had to get a ladder to reach the fixture, hidden on top of a tall cabinet. I kept replacing bulbs, but none of them would light up. Were these all bad bulbs, or had the fixture itself gone bad? I should have screwed a bulb I knew was good into the fixture to test it, but all the known good bulbs were in the ceiling can lights and I would have had to go outside and bring in a taller ladder to reach them. I still don't know if the light fixture is bad. It probably is, but it's too much trouble to test it. I eventually found a brand new box of LED bulbs I bought at Home Depot a few months ago by mistake and used them to replaced the bulbs in another easier to reach fixture in the office. The brighter bulbs seem to help. Problem solved I guess. The light on top of the tall cabinet still doesn't work though.

Almost overnight we have gone from daily rain to daily extreme heat with near one hundred degree temperatures. Maybe I shouldn't have been so critical of all the rain we were getting. I'm starting to miss the cooler temperatures already. It's been so humid the past several days that the buckets in the dehumidifiers are filling almost three hours earlier. I have to keep an eye on the dehumidifier without an automatic shut-off. It's in a small bathroom and I never thought it would collect enough water to overflow. We got pretty close today.

To keep myself from getting depressed, I keep buying astronomy gear. Nothing I've bought is terribly expensive and all of it is light and easy to transport. I could backpack with this gear if I was the backpacking type. Today's purchase was a better and easier to adjust mount for my star tracker. Eventually, I'll use this stuff, but it will probably have to wait until I make another trip out to the observatory. It's not even worth the trouble to set this stuff up in the backyard. In addition to all the light pollution in Dallas, there is a very bright security light in the back yard that is almost impossible to turn off at night. The security light comes on automatically at sunset and there is no switch. I would have to turn the light off at the breaker box and that would turn off some other things as well that need to be left on. 

I've grown so frustrated at my inability to get author copies of my latest SpaceFlight Magazine article that I decided to just buy a back issue off their website. That effort failed too. I filled out the online form and ordered the February 2021 issue, but when I tried to place my order I kept getting asked for my password. There was no place to add a password or join anything. I gave up. I don't think I'm ever going to get a copy of this issue.

Dawn was eager to walk today, but quickly realized how hot it was. She's starting to seem like a very smart dog for choosing such short walks. One mile is fine in this weather. Six miles, not so much. I kept walking out of stubbornness. I hate to give up now, because it's only going to get hotter next month. I have to change clothes when I return home these days. It's so hot and humid that I'm drenched in sweat. Even my hat was wet today. I filled it with water from a water fountain and put it back on my head. I thought this would keep me cooler, but it didn't help all that much.

It's been a long week, but at least it's almost over. I've already taken this weeks trash out to the curb and I'm about ready to call it a day and go to bed. Getting up bright and early tomorrow morning might be a problem.

Escher is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4185

I was putting on my Apple Watch this morning and it spoke the time to me in a woman's voice. WTF. I've been wearing an Apple Watch for years and I didn't know it could do this. I couldn't get the watch to speak to me again, so I did a quick Google search and discovered that if you put two fingers on the screen at the same time, a voice will tell you the time. Who knew. Actually, this seems like a reasonably useful feature. Much better than that other feature that will automatically dial 911 if the watch thinks you have fallen. I turned that feature off after my watch accidentally dialed 911 in my sleep one night. 

Our machines are becoming too smart and too powerful. At least I don't have an Amazon Alexa that will automatically share your Internet connection with your neighbors if their power goes out. I read today that General Motors is going to temporarily stop putting that device that automatically stops your engine at stop signs and traffic lights in their full size SUVs because of the global chip shortage. Those vehicles are instantly going to become very desirable. I've yet to meet anyone who actually likes their car's engine starting and stopping on its own just to save a little gas.

I got a nice letter from NASA today explaining why I was sometimes excluded from the press pool at Kennedy Space Center. The letter was an answer to a question I'd asked over a month ago. I was a little disappointed that I apparently wasn't very high on the list of people NASA wants to attend their launches. I get bumped when more important people need to attend. On the other hand, I was encouraged that the NASA folks even remembered me. They urged me to keep applying for credentials in the future and acknowledged that if I've been credentialed once, I'll probably be credentialed again.

There was no rain today, but it was so humid that it felt like you could squeeze water out of the air. I almost went to the gym today to escape the heat, but I'm a creature of habit, so I kept walking like I usually do after Dawn finished her short one mile loop. I think the humidity is much worse than the heat. It kind of takes the fun out of walking when your clothes are all damp with sweat. I was tired when I finished my six miles today, but at least my feet didn't hurt.

Janet said that Dawn did better at training class tonight. She was less fearful and was able to complete most of the exercises. This was encouraging. Maybe Dawn will start looking forward to these weekly classes. Dot and Dash grew to love going to class. Training class will help Dawn gain confidence and give her a chance to be around other dogs.

I'm overdue for a follow-up visit with virtually every doctor I've ever seen. There's nothing wrong, but apparently if you see a doctor once, they never forget you. I find this a little irritating, but I'll eventually make an appointment with these guys. I'd hate to wind up with a disease that was caused by avoiding the doctor. These routine visits still seem like a waste of time though. I keep going and nobody's discovered any problems yet.

There's going to be a special photo opportunity out at the observatory this Friday. It's looks like the weather will be clear too. I'd love to go, but I just got back from there. The drive is too long and I haven't even finished paying for my last visit. Maybe I'll return to the Davis Mountains in October. I wish my interests weren't so expensive and far away. I can't think of anything I really want to do here in Dallas.

I can think of a number of things I really don't want to do, but as the skies clear and the ground starts to dry up, I'm going to be forced to mow the grass and finish cutting those dead Photinia trees. Maybe that long drive to the observatory isn't so bad after all.

Liberty is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4184

I got this letter from O'Reilly Auto Parts in Springfield, Missouri today addressed to Johnny Sealander. That's odd, I thought. Nobody calls me Johnny except my sister. Inside this letter was another letter from, you guessed it, my sister. Along with the letter was a note from the auto parts company saying that the post office delivered the letter to them by mistake. Hmm. I wonder how much other mail of mine the post office has lost and scattered around the country? It's hard to figure out how a letter clearly and legibly addressed to me could wind up at an auto parts store in Missouri. It's no wonder I have so little faith in the post office or any government entity these days. I feel bad now about complaining to SpaceFlight Magazine about not sending me author copies. They probably sent the magazines months ago and the post office just lost them.

For the first time in weeks there is no rain in the long range forecast. It did rain for a while early this morning, but that might be the last we see for a while. I should be happy that our yard looks so green this year. Rain depresses me though. I'm always waiting for the roof to start leaking again. I'll give the yard a couple of days to dry out and then I'll mow the grass again.

We're getting way more spam and telemarketing calls than we used to. They've always been a problem on the land line, but now I'm getting them on my cell phone as well. The phone company needs to do a better job of screening these calls. If the caller ID says "suspected spam" why do they even let the call go through? It's become an almost daily ritual to block callers on my iPhone. I wonder if there is a limit to how many numbers you can block? If there is, I'm probably pretty close to reaching it. I think the phone company needs a new billing plan. If a spam call gets through, they should credit your account instead of billing you. Right now I'm just paying the phone company to be irritated.

I'm wondering how much longer I can continue my long walks as temperatures continue to rise. It wasn't even that hot today by Dallas standards, but I was drenched in sweat by the time I completed my walk. It's only going to get worse too. I think Winter walks are much more enjoyable. I don't think Dawn likes the heat either, but she's smart enough to keep her walks short. Janet just goes to the gym where it is air conditioned. I keep walking because the walks add a little structure to my day. I can't say it's any fun though. I'd much rather be on top of Mount Locke out at the observatory.

We live near the remnants of the Blackland Prairie. I can remember fields covered with native grasses like Big and Little Bluestem, Indian grass, and Canada Wildrye. Lately, these prairie areas are completely overrun with Johnson Grass and Queen Ann's Lace. Sometimes I see small groups of people trying to weed these huge prairie areas, removing Queen Ann's Lace plants one by one. What are these people thinking? They are out in the hot sun for hours and maybe are able to remove a hundred plants. There are millions of Queen Ann's Lace plants in the park. If you look out over a field all you see is a sea of Queen Ann's Lace. This futile gardening effort seems like a metaphor for something but I can't figure out what. 

It's hard to tell if Dawn is becoming normal or I'm just becoming weird. I stay out of the kitchen now while Dawn is eating or hanging out with Janet. Dawn stays out of the bedroom while I'm making the bed. We cross paths during the day going back and forth between the front and back of the house. I've gotten to where I think I'm just being polite by staying out of Dawn's way. She's super friendly when I have a leash in my hand and she likes me to take her on walks. She just doesn't like to hang out with me. I don't think she's ever been in my office. For some reason she thinks the room is off limits.

Life is strange. I've given up trying to figure dogs or other people out. You could drive yourself crazy looking for answers where there aren't any. I've got a little routine that gets me through the day and so does Dawn. It's all good.

Lacey is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4183

It rained a lot today. That didn't stop us from visiting the Dalmatians though. Millie, formerly known as Aries, has gone to her forever home. The three boys, Cooper, Riggs, and Charlie, were still at the kennel and were ready to play. They all acted like they had cabin fever because the heavy rain was keeping them indoors. We always bring an assortment of toys with us so the dogs won't tear the squeakers out while we are gone. The guys love these "fresh" toys and give them a good workout. We didn't work on training much today, but everybody had a good time.

Traffic is always bad in Dallas, but it is even worse on a rainy day. It seemed to take forever to get to and from the kennel. Luckily, by the time we returned home, the sky was getting lighter and the rain was finally stopping. We waited a little while for the rain to stop completely before taking Dawn on a walk. Dawn must have had cabin fever too, because she was eager to go outside even though the ground was still quite wet. She was adventurous and took a new route today, although we still ended up only walking a mile. One mile seems to be Dawn's limit these days.

I felt tired this afternoon but I continued walking after Dawn and Janet returned to the house. We got back from the kennel later than usual and I didn't want to end up walking in the dark. I was amazed at how high the lake was today. The water was over the banks in several places and there were tons of logs and other debris that had washed up along the shoreline. I wonder how much rain we ended up getting last night? The pumps on the roof ran continually for most of the day and water was still coming out of the hose after about seven hours. I don't even want to know how much standing water is still up there. There are still no signs of any leaks though, so that's encouraging.

I finally put all my gear away from the observatory trip. Everything has been sitting on the floor of the office for weeks. I thought that the office would look a lot neater after everything had been put away, but it really didn't. The place is still a mess. I left the new little telescope out in a place that was easily accessible. I need to learn how to use this thing on the star tracker in case we ever have a clear day. I may have to wait a while. There's still a lot of rain in the forecast.

One of the launch photographers I know sent me some tips for getting credentialed at Kennedy Space Center. I've tried most of these ideas already with little success, but it was a nice gesture. Even though there have been a record number of launches this year, I'm starting to think that this isn't the best time to be planning a trip to Florida. Everyone wants to take a vacation now and all roads lead to Disneyland. Flights between Dallas and Orlando are packed. I keep hearing horror stories about finding a rental car as well. Maybe I'll wait until Fall when kids will finally be back in school. Hurricane season has started as well. On second thought, maybe waiting until Winter would be an even better idea.

Hopefully, I can think of something interesting to do tomorrow. I used to have an endless list of projects I was working on, but very little interests me anymore. I haven't taken the Stratocaster out of its case in more than a year and I don't think the large production printer even works anymore. Playing in a band and having gallery shows are just distant memories. Thank goodness for astronomy. This is probably a transitory interest as well, but for now it seems to keep the old brain from getting rusty.

Domino is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4182

Dawn is a smart dog. She knows we sleep in late on Sunday and stays in bed with us at least an hour longer than her usual breakfast time. I don't know if she is being patient or lazy. Maybe she would sleep in late every day if Janet didn't get up early on weekdays. Dawn also seems to know that she gets a special outing on Sundays. As the time for our departure approaches she starts pacing around, whining and barking. I think we've overcome her fear of the car. Dawn is eager to hop in the car on Sunday morning. Maybe she never was fearful of the car; just fearful of where the car might be going. Dawn still doesn't like to get in the car if we are going to the vet or to get a bath. I think she knows.

We had a nice walk this morning. We had a lot of rain last night, but it was over by morning. The ground was still wet but the grass is thick everywhere now and it is easy to avoid getting muddy. Dawn seems to listen to me outside when I am holding her leash. She never listens to me inside the house. This is a very strange dog. I think I am slowly beginning to understand her. After our regular walk, Janet worked on a few training exercises. Dawn wasn't very interested. I think she knew it was time for ice cream cones. We always get ice cream at Andy's on the way home They call their ice cream frozen custard, but it tastes like Dairy Queen to me. I"m not particular about ice cream. I like all ice cream.

I wasn't that eager to go on my long walk today because I knew it would get hot quickly as soon as the sun came out. I decided to walk earlier than usual in hopes that the skies would stay cloudy. I almost got my wish. It stayed overcast with a little breeze until I was almost home. I was slow today but I wasn't in a hurry. I'm trying to not be such a slave to my Fitbit. I really ought to stop wearing the Fitbit on walks and start carrying a small camera again. I used to take better pictures in the park. Now I mostly just depend on my phone. Sometimes I'll just use an old picture for the blog. I've photographed everything there is to photograph in the park by now. If I see something interesting on my walks, I can almost always find an old photograph of exactly the same thing.

I'm beginning to hate taking a shower after I walk. The shower drains slowly if any hair gets in the drain and water alway seems to get under the tile floor through various small cracks in the tile grout. I usually end up having to snake out the drain and use the wet/dry vac to extract the water that has gotten under the ceramic tiles. This is a huge pain and it almost make staying hot and sweaty a viable option. Old houses are an endless problem and so is finding knowledgable and dependable repair people. You learn to live with the problems. I've already learned that a small bag of party ice will last almost three weeks in the freezer. I could buy party ice forever for a lot less than the cost of having an appliance repairman install a new ice maker.

I thought about watching some more tutorials about PixInsight this afternoon but my heart wasn't in it. I have to admit that I'm just not very interested in the technical aspects of astrophotography processing. I can get fairly decent looking photographs just using Photoshop. Maybe I'll just stick with what I know. I read an article today where various amateur astronomers were recounting stories about being stalked by mountain lions, bears, and coyotes while observing in remote wooded locations. These stories were a little sobering and took some of the fun out of staying at the Astronomer's Lodge. I can't be fearful of everything though or I'd never leave the house.

We'll probably go see the rescue Dalmatians tomorrow. I'm curious to see who's still there. Charlie is a safe bet, but the others might all be adopted by now.

Wendy is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4181

Today was busy. Shopping is interesting now that Texas has rescinded the mask mandate. At Home Depot, half the people were wearing a mask and the other half weren't. At Sam's Club, everyone was still wearing a mask. Later at Tom Thumb, nobody was wearing a mask. Clearly the mask has outlived it's original purpose and just become another symbol. Some people can't wait to get rid of these things while others will continue to wear them forever. I was never a fan of the mask, but I'll probably keep one in my back pocket for quite a while. If I go into a store full of masked people, I'll put it on. Whatever it takes to stay invisible. I don't think there ever was a problem with shoppers. Other shoppers don't want to interact with you. I'll continue to avoid weddings, family gatherings and sporting events, just like I did before the pandemic.

Now that I've had time to inspect the Redcat 51 that arrived yesterday, I think I made a good purchase. It may be a while before I have an opportunity to attach this to the star tracker and try my hand at photographing nebulas and galaxies, but I'll definitely use it. The little telescope is extremely well made, small enough to travel with, and will last a lifetime. 

There was a spot of blood on the bedspread this morning, so the cortisone shot Dawn got the other day wasn't a magic bullet. The shot helped, but Dawn is still licking her paws excessively. Janet and I think this is a nervous habit, but this is probably because Dawn already has so many other nervous habits. We're just guessing here. If she is allergic to something, it's not going to be easy to determine what it is. She'll probably need to have an allergy skin test, but that's not an exact science either. Hopefully we can find an answer without a huge amount of trial and error. Nervous habits are OK, but self harm isn't.

I'm not looking forward to Summer. Today was hot and muggy, but it is going to be so much worse in July. I could tell that Dawn was getting hot on her walk today. We might have to start taking sunrise walks again like we did with our other dogs. I was OK on my long walk today, but if it gets much warmer I'm going to have to return to the gym. I'm not really worried about Covid anymore, it's just inconvenient to drive to the gym. At a certain point air conditioning trumps convenience though. That indoor track at the gym is looking better all the time.

I can't believe that it's already time to mow the grass again. Everything grows quickly when the ground is wet. Luckily, it's still a little too wet outside to mow. My electric mower just isn't strong enough to cut through wet grass. The grass is going to be even taller next week, but I don't feel like mowing anyway. I don't feel like cutting down any more dead Photinia trees either, even though I got a new blade for my saw with carbide teeth that are supposed to be ten times better than an ordinary blade. The grass and the trees can wait until next week.

It's hard to say whether Dawn will get her Sunday outing tomorrow. There is rain in the forecast again, but  it never seems to rain all day. With any luck we'll be able to find a little dry time for a Sunday walk. Janet wants to work on Dawn's training exercises a bit. Dawn and I just want the ice cream cone on the way home.

Scooby is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4180

Another rainy day. I split my walk today into several shorter walks to avoid getting wet. I should do this more often. I stayed dry and still managed to get the same number of steps. Dawn's walks have gotten interesting. She's exploring new areas now, but still seems to know exactly how long a mile is. No matter what direction we travel, we always cover the same distance.

Today was probably the most uneventful day this week. I didn't attempt any outdoor projects because it always looked like it was just about to rain. I was expecting a UPS delivery today, but I'm still waiting for the truck. I'm the very last street on the driver's route and if it's been a busy day the driver sometimes doesn't bother to stop. The website can say 'out for delivery" all day long and then eventually I'll get some sort of delivery exception e-mail saying I wasn't home or something. Hey, I've been home all day except for a few short walks. Not that it matters. I have absolutely no control over these things.

Accepting things you can't control is difficult. I'm learning though. I can't control the weather, the state of the world, the stock market, or even Dawn's opinion of me. It's all good though. I learned a long time ago that trying to swim upstream was a wasted effort. Go with the flow. Make the best of things. If life gets you down, take a nap.

The park was pretty empty today. Maybe everyone else thought it was going to rain too. I can't believe how green everything is this year. This is the wettest Spring I can remember and the plants seem to love it.   The park looks great this year. Even our yard is looking pretty good. The grass seed that Janet sprinkled over some bare areas in the back yard is actually starting to grow. This almost never happens. I hope this doesn't mean we are going to have a hot, dry Summer but it probably does. We never get rain in the Summer.

There have been so many launches at Kennedy Space Center this year that it's making me crazy to see all the other launch photographers photos on an almost daily basis. I should be down there with them. I don't think it's going to happen though. NASA seems to have forgotten about me and I'm beginning to think SpaceFlight Magazine has too. It's been oddly silent on both fronts. Oh, well. If it's meant to be, it's meant to be. I have made an effort to stay in the loop. That's all I can do.

The mosquitos are terrible this year. We have tried several remedies, but none of them seem to work. I usually spray the ground cover with a mosquito repellent, but it has been so wet lately that the rain would just wash the repellent away. Our latest effort is a little burner that look a bit like an incense burner. The pellets that make the smoke that is supposed to drive the mosquitos away won't stay lit though. I got bit by mosquitos trying to fix the thing this morning.

I need to go to Home Depot tomorrow and look for a saw blade that will actually cut through the dead Photinia trees. I also need to buy some more duct tape. Duct tape is my solution for everything these days. I need to get groceries tomorrow as well. Hopefully I can run these errands without getting caught in the rain

The UPS driver actually did deliver my package a few minutes ago. He was very late and probably very tired as well. I don't think this would be a job I would like at all.

Daisy is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4179

At least I made an effort today. I've been promising forever to cut down the dead Photinia trees in the back yard. I don't know what happened to them. They looked nice for over twenty years and then one Spring, two thirds of them abruptly died. The dead trees are an eyesore now, but they are large enough that they are difficult for me to remove.

Years ago I decided that I was never going to use a chain saw. Several friends of mine have gotten seriously injured using chain saws and they are not the best tool for a clumsy person. I use a reciprocating saw instead. I don't like battery powered tools, so I have a heavy duty 15 amp corded model. The saw weighs ten pounds and will cut through anything. It's not really meant to cut through trees though. These saws are mostly used in the construction industry for demolition work. A small chain saw would be ten times faster and probably weigh a lot less. It's what I got though, and I did promise to remove those trees.

I eventually removed four of the dead Photinia trees, plus as couple of small scrub trees that had grown up next to our back fence. This was all I could handle for one day. The saw was heavy and hard to hold parallel to the ground so I could saw the trees down at the base. The dry dead wood was like sawing through Oak. It took a long time. Sometimes the small blade would get stuck in the tree and it would take me forever to free it. No wonder I waited so long to do this. I've still got four more trees to remove, but I'll save them for another day. Maybe sometime next year.

I had to rest for a bit before I was ready to walk Dawn with Janet. Dawn was ready, but she'd been resting all morning. I felt like taking a shower and a long nap, but I knew I'd just get hot and sweaty all over again on my walk. I was kind of mad that my Fitbit didn't really register the effort it took to remove those trees.

This was another day where it was supposed to rain, but didn't. It was overcast, but there wasn't much of a breeze. I wish there was a little wind because it would have kept me cooler. Dawn is still surprisingly adventurous on her walks. She goes somewhere different almost every day now. Her walks are still short and sometimes the new path she takes is very close to the old path, but it's still good to see her becoming more curious and less afraid.

I continued walking after Dawn and Janet returned to the house. Might as well get it over with, I thought. I knew I was going to be slow today and I was. I did complete my six miles though. The park isn't as full on weekdays anymore. I think this is a sign that people are slowly returning to work. Two of our local gaggle of geese have gone missing. I haven't seen them for almost two weeks now. It's hard to know if birds have died or just flown away. Sometimes they just disappear and I never see them again. I did see the Muscovy ducks though. These large ducks cover a lot of ground on the Eastern side of the lake and I never know where they will turn up. Sometimes I won't see then for weeks at a time, but they are always around somewhere.

I watched the CRS-22 resupply mission launch on the Space X live stream while I was eating lunch. Every time I see one of these launches I'm torn between wanting to return to Florida and wanting to avoid the state entirely until everyone gets their post-covid vacations out of their systems. Flights between Orlando and Dallas are packed right now. Rental cars are hard to find in Florida and everything is expensive. I'm thinking that it's probably a bad time to even think about attending launches. Communication has been poor with the magazine I write for as well. I'm not even sure if they are interested in me anymore.

With no travel plans on the horizon, I just took the trash out to the curb and am anticipating another uneventful Friday. I'm going to try my best to avoid yard work tomorrow. I'm still feeling tired and a bit sore.

Freckles is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4178

Janet took Dawn to her first training class this evening. I didn't go, because there isn't much point in going to a dog training class without a dog. Hopefully, Dawn will do well and enjoy the class. Some of our dogs loved the training classes and others didn't. Dash did very well at first and then grew bored with the class and became a poor student. Some of the exercises are done off leash and I was always nervous that Dash would run away. He was unpredictible that way. Dawn likes being around other dogs, so hopefully she will have a lot of fun.

Today might have been eventful for Dawn, but it was uneventful for me. Not a lot happened. It didn't rain today, but I didn't take advantage of the dry weather to do anything special. I fixed my smoothie while I watched the morning news. I checked my e-mail, hoping that there might be a message from NASA or the magazine I write for in London. Janet and I walked Dawn after she returned from the gym. And then I took my longer walk later in the day. I do these things every day. I really need to add a little variety to my routine.

One thing I didn't do today was practice using PixInsight or any of the other astrophotography processing software I'm trying to learn. I don't want to get burned out before I even get started on this somewhat difficult hobby. When I was working, I was reluctant to call things like writing, photography, and graphic design hobbies because I made money doing these things. Astronomy is clearly a hobby. I will never be an astronomer. I don't even understand what a lot of them do.

I think the cortisone shot the vet gave Dawn yesterday is working. She didn't lick or bite at her paws nearly as much today. I wish the cortisone shot would solve the problem, but it will only point us in the right direction. If allergies are the problem, we need to find out what Dawn is allergic to. We had Spot, our first Dalmatian, tested for allergies and it was a long, complicated process. It turned out he was allergic to almost everything.

I made good time on my long walk today. I can't figure out why I feel so different from one day to the next. Yesterday I could barely make it home. Today I actually had a spring in my step. Inconsistency bothers me. I would like everything to be consistent and predictable even though it never is. In an inconsistent world, I'm always waiting for the other shoe to drop. I have a feeling that Dawn feels the same way. We should be best buddies. We share many of the same fears and are alike in many ways.

The little telescope I ordered has shipped and is on its way. When it arrives I will probably spend the day testing and learning how to use it. Then it will go back in a box until my next trip out to McDonald Observatory. I still haven't really mastered the star tracker I got for my last trip to the observatory. That's sitting in a box too. One problem is that you have to align the tracker with Polaris before it will track anything and you can't see the North Star from our house because there are too many trees in the way. This is just an excuse, but it's good enough for me. I'm definitely not dragging my equipment out into the park at night. 

This week has gone quickly. Pretty soon it will be my birthday again. Last year on my birthday we were right in the middle of a global pandemic. I guess we still are.

Abby is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4177

We had to take Dawn to the vet today. She's been licking her paws so bad at night that we often see blood on the bedspread in the mornings. This behavior is relitively new and we're trying to figure out whether she has a medical problem or a behavior issue. The vet gave her a cortisone shot tonight. If this stops the licking, he says that there's a good chance the problem is allergies. If the cortisone shot works, we then need to figure out what she is allergic to. Is is a food allergy, an environmental allergy, or something else? Of course, the problem might have nothing to do with allergies. She might have a yeast infection under her nails. She might have severe anxiety problems. Too bad that dogs can't talk. This is going to be a long process to figure this out.

It didn't rain today, but that doesn't mean it was a nice day. It was overcast and cold for most of the day. There were ominous dark clouds that made it look like it could rain at any time. The grey day actually made it more pleasant to walk. I'll take a windy, overcast day over a hot, sweaty day anytime. Dawn seemed to like the weather. She's been much more adventurous lately. We went off in an entirely new direction today. Dawn seems to know her way around the neighborhood. Even thought the route we took today was new to her, she seemed to know the way home. It's good to see her confidence grow. It's too bad she wasn't as confident at the vet.

I ordered the little telescope I've had my eye on. Redcat 51 if you're interested. I'm determined to become a better astrophotographer. I've definitely got a long way to go. The main problem I'm facing is a lack of dark skies. The light pollution in Dallas is terrible and I don't feel safe out at night in the city anyway. This means I will probably continue making the long trip out to McDonald Observatory several times a year. Mount Locke is hard to beat. The skies are some of the darkest in the entire country and the Astronomer's Lodge is essentially a great little invitation only hotel with a fabulous chef right at the top of the mountain.

My walks are starting to get boring. I do them purely for exercise now. I guess I could add a little variety by walking on the other side of the lake, but it's hardly worth the trouble. The other side of the lake is familiar territory too. There must be a lot of people who do the same thing I do. I recognize a lot of dogs now and I've noticed that certain cars seem to be parked along the side of the road every single day. The ducks and geese always hang out together in small little groups. The Muscovy Ducks never mingle with the other ducks. The geese stick to themselves as well. The domesticated geese don't even mingle with the Canada Geese.

Dawn certainly seems calm now. I think she wore herself out at the vet. We'll see how it goes tomorrow.  I hope the cortisone shot works. I think allergies would be a little easier to deal with than anxiety. Hard to believe it is June already. Where has this year gone? I'll fix another smoothie tomorrow morning and take another long walk. I'm trying to think of another writing project, but I'm not having a lot of luck with the magazines right now. There's always bills to pay I guess. I paid a few more today.

Charlie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4176 - Memorial Day

Will this ever end? We had more rain today. This is the wettest Spring I can remember. The plants love it, but I don't think anyone else does. We got a lot of rain today, but still managed to find time to walk. Dawn's walk was completely dry, but I ended up cutting it pretty close on my own walk a little later. As soon as I completed my full six miles and returned to the house, the skies opened up and it started pouring. If I'd been walking just a little slower, I would have got soaked.

The park is a popular place for picnics and barbecues on Memorial Day. I was surprised at how many people stubbornly refused to give up in spite of the bad weather. There were makeshift tents and tarps erected over picnic tables. I saw one huge tarp that roofers often use to cover damaged roofs strung between several trees. The tarp not only covered a picnic table and a barbecue pit, it covered the owner's car as well. Nothing seemed to bother these people. The ground was wet and I could hear thunder in the distance, but the barbecues continued all over the park.

I think I've lost my mojo when it comes to fixing things. I have a waterproof iPhone case with a Gorilla Glass screen protector. One of the corners was loose, so I thought I'd fix it this morning. I carefully took the case apart and cleaned it. I found the problem. There was a broken post on the back of the case, so the corner screw on the front couldn't be tightened. I tried to super glue the broken part back together, but in the process a lot of other small parts started breaking or falling off. I tried to super glue these parts back together as well, but ended up losing one of them. I didn't align the post with the brass nut perfectly, so when I finally did attempt to reassemble the case, the screws on the front wouldn't align with the nuts inside the small posts in the back. I can't believe that I used to be able to fix watches. I was so clumsy that I ended up making a mess of the case. I thought the case company had gone out of business, but I managed to find a replacement on the Internet and ordered it. It must be coming from China, because the shipping charges were almost as much as the case.

The pumps on the roof aren't working very well, but I really don't want to climb up there and inspect them.  The weather is nasty and the roof gets slippery when it's wet. If I can't even fix an iPhone case, I don't want to risk fixing a pump on a slippery roof. Luckily, when I was just a little younger I made some pretty decent repairs to the roof. Even after all this rain, there have been no leaks.

We didn't get to visit the Dalmatians today. The kennel was closed for Memorial Day. The dogs were fine because kennel attendants still check on them several times a day to feed them and take them out to poop. The place just wasn't open to the public. Maybe when we visit next time the two dogs that have already been adopted will have gone to their forever homes.

Dawn has started licking her paws a lot. We don't know if this is a nervous habit or whether she is allergic to something outside. I thought she might have been bitten by fire ants, but there are no welts or sign of a bite on her paws. We found some socks that Dash used to wear when he had an injured paw, but they wouldn't fit on Dawn. Dash had really tiny feet for a Dalmatian. There is a big box of dog stuff at my storage warehouse. Dash had so many types of socks, shoes, and booties when his rear legs began to get weak and I may be able to find something for Dawn that might work. She needs to quit licking because her paws are already starting to get red and irritated.

According to the weather forecast, it is supposed to rain every day for the rest of the week. Not good. I hope the forecast is wrong. Enough is enough. I'm really getting sick of this rain.

Amy is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4175

Another busy day. It's rare that I get two 20,000 step days in a row, but today was one of those days. The weather was pretty decent, so Dawn got her Sunday outing. She really likes the park we take her to on Sundays, but other places we've tried have been dismal failures. Dawn is a hard dog to figure out. I'm just glad when something works. We always get ice cream cones on Sunday. This time we remembered to bring towels so Dawn wouldn't get ice cream all over the car.

We finally got rid of all the dead Asian Jasmine in the back yard. We spent hours pulling the dead vines off our back fence, which looks pretty bare right now. Surprisingly, the Asian Jasmine that survived the big freeze is coming back strong. In a few years the yard will look just like it did before. This doesn't necessarily mean that the yard will look all that great. There are still several dead photinia trees, bare patches where the grass has died, and a half destroyed greenhouse that was damaged in one of our periodic windstorms.

I was tired after Dawn's Sunday outing and all the yard work, but I still took my long walk anyway. The park was surprisingly crowded today. It was probably the holiday weekend. Usually people stay away when the weather is cool and overcast. Now that crowds are returning everywhere, I'm starting to miss the lockdown. It was nice to fly on empty planes and drive on uncrowded roads. That's all over now. Everyone who has been waiting for an opportunity to gather together is making up for lost time.

I made another effort to understand PixInsight this afternoon. I watched the first four videos in a twelve part series called PixInsight for Total Beginners. The complex astrophotography processing software was still hard for me to understand. Photoshop was designed for and by visual people. PixInsight seems to have been designed by mathematicians. It's clear that the software can do some amazing things, but it's not intuitive at all. I still think that maybe I picked the wrong hobby.

It's difficult to learn things on your own. It's easy to go down a rabbit hole and become hopelessly lost. No wonder classes and clubs are popular. I seldom take classes. I'm too much of a loner. I flounder around and eventually figure out what I need to know on my own. I'm probably doing a lot of things backwards, but does it even matter? People sometimes ask why I use such an old version of Photoshop. My answer is always the same. I'm still discovering new things that CS5 will do.

I'm not sure whether we'll visit the Dalmatians tomorrow or not. The kennel might be closed for Memorial Day. It's hard for me to relate to this day. I've lived a long time and it still seems odd that I don't know a single person who died while in the military. All the people I knew from my parent's generation came back from World War II and Korea. Several people I knew in high school got sent to Vietnam and they all came back. I don't even know anyone who got sent to the Middle East during all the various Gulf Wars. A lot of people did die though. Were any of these wars even necessary? Maybe World War II, but the others accomplished nothing. I'm not a globalist. I guess I'm basically an isolationist at heart. We ought to make all our own stuff in our own factories and stay out of other people's business. 

Ollie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4174

It was a busy day for a lazy guy like me. I got my grocery shopping done right after breakfast and then I came home and mowed the grass. The grass was pretty thick, but I managed to get the job done before the mower's battery ran out. Everything looks surprisingly green this year. All this rain probably helps. After I finished mowing, I treated all the fire ant mounds that have started to appear in the yard. Hopefully, the Amdro powder does the trick. I think these ants are biting Dawn when she's outside. The yard actually looks pretty good now. It probably won't last long.

While I was grocery shopping, I noticed that there are no longer any mask mandates. Everyone still wears a mask though. I didn't see anyone in the two grocery stores I went to this morning without a mask, even though they weren't required. I go with the flow. If everyone else is wearing a mask, I'll wear one too. If people aren't wearing a mask, I won't wear one either. I never wear a mask outside though. That seemed silly even at the height of the pandemic. By the looks of things today, it's going to take a long, long time to return to normal. I think we've all forgotten what normal is.

Dawn is getting more adventurous. She went off in a different direction again on her walk today. She seems to know the way home, which is a good thing. I hope her new found curiosity continues. Exploring is a good thing for a dog. It probably isn't bad for people either. 

I waited a while today before taking my long walk. Mowing the lawn tired me out. When we first bought the house, I mowed the lawn with an old fashioned push mower. It seemed easy back then. Now, mowing is quite a chore. The electric mower isn't self propelled and I have to push it up and down hills. I used to have a self-propelled Yazoo gas mower, but it broke years ago. The gas mower was hard to start and broke frequently. The only problem I've had with the electric mower is dead batteries. It's much easier to buy a new battery than to haul the entire mower to a repair shop. I wonder if I'll feel the same way about electric cars someday. I hear they are pretty low maintenance too.

I walked the full six miles today, but I was very slow. I think my days of doing manual labor are numbered. On days where I have a lot of chores to do, I don't really feel like walking. I keep going though, because I know that if I ever quit, it will be very difficult to get started again. I watched my Dad become sedentary and I don't want it to happen to me. My plan for staying healthy is pretty simple. You've just got to keep moving.

The weather was a lot better today. There were clouds early in the day, but a lot of sunshine later. It was almost the opposite of the way it was yesterday. Tomorrow looks good as well. We'll probably take Dawn on a little outing again. She seems to like visiting a different park on Sundays. Maybe she just likes the ice cream.

Emmitt is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4173

Our weird weather continues. I saw the sun for a while this morning, but by mid-afternoon the sky was dark and I was hearing a lot of thunder. My schedule revolves around finding a time to walk these days. I usually manage to stay dry, but sometimes I end up cutting it pretty close.

While I was waiting for a good time to walk, I wrote a bunch of letters. I wrote the tree trimmer, thanking him for his estimate and told him that Janet and I still couldn't decide whether to remove the big Oak in the back yard or just trim it. I wrote SpaceFlight Magazine, asking them if there were any upcoming launches they particularly wanted to cover. I listed the launches I was interested in attending and am hoping that at least one of them will be something the magazine is interested in. I also wrote the observatory asking whether they were planning to continue their new photography night program. I heard back from the observatory in just a few hours with an affirmative answer. I think I'll probably be going back sometime this Fall. Maybe I'll get that little telescope I've had my eye on and take it with me.

Dawn seems to be getting more relaxed around me. We spend time in the back yard together every day when weather permits. She is very relaxed in the back yard with me and reasonably relaxed when we are napping on the bed together. The kitchen is still a problem though. I have a feeling that this is not going to change. 

The training class that we used to take Dot and Dash to has opened up again. It's another sign that Covid restrictions are over. Janet has decided that training will be good for Dawn and has enrolled her in a beginner's class. I'm not sure whether I'll go along or not. I used to train Dash while Janet trained Dot. There's not much point in going to the class without a dog. Dawn might do better in class without me around anyway, since I tend to make her nervous. I'm real curious to see how Dawn will do in this class. She really seems to want to be around other dogs.

The sky was already starting to look dark by the time we got around to walking this afternoon. Dawn was adventurous today and ventured off on a new route she hadn't tried before. She enjoyed smelling things and ended up walking much further than her normal one mile loop. It's encouraging to see her try new things.

We stayed dry on Dawn's walk but I had a feeling that I might get wet on my own longer walk. I continued walking anyway, checking the weather radar on my phone from time to time. For a while I thought I might be able to complete my regular six mile route until I started hearing thunder. I never saw any lightning, but the thunder was very loud. There must have been cloud to cloud lightning high overhead. I headed home expecting to get wet, but only experienced a few light sprinkles. I kept seeing heavy rain falling off in the distance and somehow managed to make it home before it arrived. It wasn't a great walk, but I managed to get enough steps to keep Mr. Fitbit happy.

I thought about mowing the grass today but it was still too wet. Some of my neighbors were mowing their grass, but they had gas mowers. My electric mower just isn't powerful enough to cut through wet grass. I hope we get some dry weather soon. The grass is growing fast and pretty soon it will be too tall to mow. 

It's time to make a grocery list again. I'm glad I got new windshield wipers because it looks like I'll be doing my shopping in the rain. This has been an unusually wet Spring. It probably means that we will have an unusually dry Summer.

Sam is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day