Day 4368 - Dawn's Birthday

Dawn celebrated her ninth birthday today. Unlike many of our other dogs, this is her real birthday. Many rescue dogs celebrate their birthday on their gotcha day because it is impossible to know when or even where they were actually born. We know that Dawn was born in the same kennel where she eventually became a breeding dog. That was the fate of many females in that facility who weren't immediately sold as puppies. Dawn had a rough life and wasn't treated well, but the breeders did keep records. We just hope that all her future birthdays will be happy occasions. I think she enjoyed the little celebration we had tonight. She loves Sprinkles Pupcakes.

Oddly, today is also my Dad's birthday. He would have been 104 years old, but he died a long time ago. Dad provides my inspiration to keep walking and stay healthy. I think he would have lived longer if he'd eaten better and taken care of himself. My childhood memories are a little fuzzy now, but I do remember eating a lot of Swanson TV Dinners. We even had the little metal TV trays. Dad was fond of liver and onions, pickled pig's feet, and sardine sandwiches as well. My own diet wasn't exemplary during my younger years, but I'm trying to make up for lost time. Maybe I'm fooling myself, but I think I'm doing pretty well.

Dealing with FedEx today has been totally frustrating. I wanted FedEx to hold the Kickstarter package that is being delivered at one of their facilities so I wouldn't have to wait around the house all day to sign for the delivery. I used to do this all the time when clients used to send me a lot if things via Fedex. The Fedex website is horrible. I kept clicking on the tabs to change a delivery and the site kept saying to come back later or sometimes just crashed. I never could get the website to work so I drove up to the Fedex office that used to hold my packages for me. The door was open but there was nobody inside. I waited and waited but no one came to the front desk. Finally, I started knocking on the door behind the counter where all the packages were kept. Eventually an agent came out and told me that the facility doesn't hold packages for customers anymore. I could try having the package delivered to a local Walgreens, but it would take several days longer. Covid has basically ruined everything. Fedex definitely isn't the only company that has used the pandemic as an excuse to fire a bunch of people and eliminate services that we all used to take for granted.

Dawn got a bath and a nail trim this afternoon. I don't think this was her idea of a good birthday present, but Janet had some extra time today and wanted a clean dog. I keep trying to tell Dawn that if she'd be friends with me I'd let her stay dirty. I don't think she has gotten the message. She was friendlier than usual with me today though. I think we are making progress. I was actually able to get her to go down to the park with me on her own while Janet was gone this morning. We didn't stay long, but she never used to leave the yard with me unless Janet was nearby.

I got 22,000 steps today. This is the fourth day in a row that I've gotten more than 20,000 steps. I don't think I can keep this up forever, but I might as well keep walking. For the moment, I can't think of anything better to do with my time. Today was unusually warm. I think we set some kind of heat record for December today. I think I saw the eagle again. It was flying off in the distance and I couldn't make a positive identification. If it wasn't the eagle, it was the largest hawk I've ever seen. Oddly, the bird appeared to be flying over my house.

I put together the stand for the new TV. It felt a lot like assembling something you bought at Ikea. All these companies that sell internationally just use pictures for their assembly instructions now. I guess pictures are easier than translating into multiple languages. I'm a word person, but I managed to get the stand assembled by carefully looking at the the series of pictures. I think we are slowly reverting to a preliterate society. There's an emoji for just about everything now and many people I know prefer to listen to books in their car rather than actually reading them.

When I took the trash out to the curb tonight I noticed that the Moon, Jupiter, Saturn, and Venus were all arranged in a nice little row. The view was pretty but it didn't make me want to linger outside. I don't think I'll be getting up early to look for Comet Leonard either. I've got to catch up on my sleep. We've got another Santa Paws event this weekend.

Puppies are today's Dalmatians of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4367

Today was uneventful. I wanted to sleep longer this morning even though I got plenty of sleep. It was warmer when we took Dawn on her sunrise walk today. It was also very foggy. Construction on the trails in the park has blocked some of the routes we used to take, but this doesn't seem to have bothered Dawn. The short little one mile loop that provides the quickest path back to the house is still her favorite.

I spent some extra time walking today because I couldn't think of anything else I wanted to do. I've had three 20,000 step days in a row now. Walking is a good way to avoid things. You're really not doing anything, but you feel good about it. It's a lot better than just sitting in a chair. I let my mind wander while I walk, but I don't have many profound thoughts. I basically do the same things I used to do as a kid when my parents took us on car trips. I count animals. I try to identify brands of cars at a distance. I think about what I'm going to have for dinner. I have no plans to save the world and very few big dreams. When I hear someone say they are passionate about something I am mystified. What is that even about? A lot of things are interesting, but I don't think I've ever been passionate about anything.

I've joined a lot of interest groups on the Internet over the years and I'm continually amazed at the time and energy some people put into their hobbies. Amateur astronomers are always trying to outdo each other with pictures of their telescopes. These guys spend a fortune on telescopes. Watch collectors used to do the same thing but I don't see as much interest in watches anymore. The Apple Watch has kind of taken over the watch market. Model railroading has almost disappeared. I don't think younger people are very interested in trains. Some of the dog show people are pretty intense, but I do enjoy seeing pictures of their dogs. I used to be interested in art, but I sold most of my collection. I don't miss any of the things that used to hang on our walls. I still get e-mail from the galleries and auction houses though. They must think I have more stashed away somewhere. Pick your passion, I guess. There seems to be an unlimited number of things you can obsess about.

The stand for the new TV arrived today. We had to get a stand because current model flat screens don't have a pedestal base and you can't just place them on top of the VCR and cable set top box like our old TV. The box for the stand is smaller than I thought it would be but is very heavy. I haven't opened it yet, but I have a feeling that there will be a lot of assembly involved. I know that Janet will want to throw the old TV away when the new one arrives. I will inevitably want to get it repaired and then place it in the storage warehouse. Jeez. I still haven't used any of the keyboards and synthesizers I had repaired two years ago. I'll have a million reasons for saving the TV, but most of them will be bogus. It might make a good second monitor for my computer, but my desk isn't even big enough for two large monitors. Lets face it. I just don't like to throw things away.

Activity really seems to be picking up down at Kennedy Space Center. There is a launch scheduled almost every week now. I wish it wasn't so expensive to go down there. I can't say I'm passionate about space either, but launches are really interesting. At least they are interesting for now. One of these days I'll realize that they are all basically just the same. A flash of light, a loud noise, and three minutes later it's all over.

Willow is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4366

I ordered some Christmas gifts on Amazon this morning and within a few seconds after placing my order everything connected with Amazon crashed. Amazon Prime deliveries, Disney+, and the Amazon.com website were all down. This must have been a big service outage because it made the national news. I spent the rest of the day wondering whether my order actually went through, but eventually the problem got solved. All is well and my Christmas shopping is done for the year.

It was really cold when we got up this morning. I had to add a few extra layers before we took our sunrise walk with Dawn. At least the furnace is still working well. I'm thinking of cleaning the flame sensor before it goes bad this year. The furnace always seems to go out on a particularly cold morning when the last thing I want to do is crouch down in the tiny utility room and attempt to fix things before I've even had breakfast. Although it was near freezing before sunrise, things warmed up surprisingly quickly. By the time I finished breakfast and was ready to take my long walk, it was already warm enough so that I could shed a few layers. On the home stretch, I was even able to take my jacket off.

I got a notice today that the Kickstarter project I backed has finally shipped. It was supposed to ship in June, but I suspected it would be late. I'm still wondering whether this advanced computerized astro tracker is going to work. Communications from the Chinese manufacturer have been vague at best. One of the recent messages said to be sure to check my junk mail and answer all phone calls until the package is delivered. Hmm. I can tell you right now that's not going to happen. Evidently I will still need to pay import duties before the package can be delivered. FedEx is delivering the package. I wish it was DHL, but I'm sure it will eventually get here.

The mosquitos in the house are driving me nuts. If I have any exposed skin showing, they will bite me. Most of the time I don't even see the mosquitos until it's too late. These are smaller than usual and very stealthy. Oh, well. At least we don't have problems with ants or roaches this year.

A lot of people I've met on my NASA trips seem to have applied to become astronauts. At least three people I know posted their rejection letters today on Facebook. These people were all really talented, so the criteria for getting selected to join the latest class of astronaut candidates must have been really stringent. Even if I were much younger I don't think I would have applied. My stomach feels a lot more comfortable when it's on the ground. I took flying lessons once a long time ago and spent a lot of time throwing up in the plane. I passed ground school easily, but flunked out of flight school. None of the instructors wanted to go near me.

The sunset was beautiful tonight. I really ought to spend more time out photographing things. At the very least I should get a better phone. There's a lot of beauty out in the park, but most of the time all I am thinking about is how much my feet hurt. I don't think my photography days are over, but it's a lot harder to get interested. If I see something interesting I'll pull my phone out of my pocket, but that's about it. If it weren't for the Santa Paws dogs I'd probably forget that I used to do this for a living.

Humphrey is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4365

We've got a new TV. Well, we don't actually have a new TV in our house yet, but we do have a receipt saying that we purchased one. Stores are weird now. Very few stores keep a lot of inventory in stock anymore. There may be something on display, but if you actually want to buy it, it usually has to come from a warehouse somewhere. There are still advantages to buying from a store however. A very nice and knowledgable salesman answered all my extensive list of questions about both the old and new TV. Our old Sony had a lot more inputs than the new models on sale today. Manufacturers have realized that there is no longer a need for a lot of inputs, since everybody is just streaming content. Things that are plugged in to our current TV like a Roku stick and Chromecast are obsolete now. All that stuff is just build into the TV these days. I also learned that the problem with our current TV is probably that several of the several of the backlighting LEDs have gone bad. These LEDs can be replaced, but that might not even be the problem. I've dealt with electronic repairs before. Smaller new TVs are so cheap now that often they cost more to repair then than to replace.

At any rate, a new TV is headed to the store where we will pick it up later. There is no point in having it delivered because porch pirates have ruined home delivery. This new TV won't need a set top box to get cable. You also can use a single remote to control everything. That was the feature that sold Janet on this model. You can also watch things on your iPad and transfer the picture to the larger screen if you want. Somehow I don't think all the fancy features will be as easy to use as the salesman described, but we'll see. I never learned how to use all the features on the old TV that we got almost fifteen years ago.

The salesman said he wasn't on commission and that he'd really appreciate it if we'd fill out a survey the store would be sending us. I told him that I knew all about these surveys. All large companies seem to have them now. Apparently promotions and salary seem to be tied directly to survey results. Just like at the Land Rover dealer and even at the hospital, employees seem almost desperate to get good survey results. This doesn't seem fair to me. The old way of working on commission and having a supervisor right in the store evaluate your performance seemed to provide more opportunities for retail workers. I used to know several people who worked in retail on commission that made very good incomes. Basically, I'm just glad that I'm retired now. The work world isn't what it used to be. 

We didn't visit the Dalmatians at the kennel today. Evidently the place is still busy with holiday boarding and we would just be in the way. There has been a change in management and hopefully we will still be welcome in the future. Janet and I enjoy playing with the rescue dogs. I think the dogs enjoy seeing us as well.

It was much colder today. I think the temperature will be even colder tomorrow. I'm not fond of these drastic changes. It will be 75 degrees one day and then 35 degrees the next. It's hard to know what to wear.  Sometimes the temperature will change ten degrees just on my long walk. Dawn seems to enjoy the colder weather more than I do. She had a good time smelling things on her sunrise walk. I dressed warmly so I was fine, but it sure was windy today. I shouldn't complain about the weather when the sky is blue. There is much worse coming in the months ahead. Actually, according to what I've been reading, Texas has better weather than most of the rest of the country. We've had cooler summers and warmer winters than prior years. I hope the warmer winter prediction is true for this year as well.

We've got mosquitos inside the house now. I can't seem to catch them but they're doing a pretty good job of biting me. How can there be mosquitos in December? These things were supposed to go away when summer was over. Hopefully I will find something better to do than chasing bugs tomorrow. Whatever happens, I know a long walk will be involved.

Ellis is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4364

Our first Santa Paws event went well. It didn't seem like we had quite as many dogs this year, but there were still enough to keep us all very busy. All the dogs were very well behaved. There was no growling. Nobody knocked over the set or peed on the backdrop. I was proud of these dogs this year. There were a few dogs that have been coming to these events since they were puppies. Some of the old timers have put on a few pounds, but everyone looked like they were living the good life.

All the equipment felt heavier when I was loading the car this morning but nothing broke. We made it through another event. I'm amazed that my strobe lights have lasted this long. I've basically been using the same equipment since 2004. I had some problems with my wireless flash trigger, but I got the unit working again while we were eating lunch. I hope this stuff keeps working. It's almost impossible to find someone who can repair this gear anymore and almost all of it is no longer available.

It was a lot harder for me to get up and down this year. I spent most of my time sitting in a chair. I felt like one of those old rock and rollers who perform sitting down now. I think Phil Collins sings sitting in a chair on his latest tour.  Hey, we all aren't Mick Jagger. I'm glad I can still move at all. I talked to some of the other volunteers about knee surgery and foot pain today. I'm definitely not the only one with aches and pains. I'm still very reluctant to have surgery, but will buy almost any supplement that claims to build back cartilage.

Dawn seemed to do fine on her own at the house today. She's probably used to spending a lot of time alone. Janet still had time to give her a walk when she got home from our event. I took a little longer to arrive home. I am so slow now. It seemed to take me forever to take the equipment down and put it in the car. I think I'll just leave everything parked in the hall until our next event. The backdrop does need to be washed though. A couple of the dogs were fairly dirty.

I'm really glad I didn't try to go to the STP-3 launch now. Not only would this have disrupted the Santa Paws schedule, I would be just sitting in Titusville. The launch got postponed yesterday and today I learned it has gotten postponed even further. If I'm smart I won't even apply to go back to Kennedy Space Center until sometime next Spring. There's too much going on here and real estate taxes are due again anyway. That will suck up any travel money I might have had.

I didn't have time to take my long walk today, but still managed to get 12,000 steps. Tomorrow will be back to normal. Hopefully, I will get a good night's sleep before I resume my regular routine in the morning. All in all, it was a good day. I hope everyone was happy with their photos.

Emmitt is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4363

I saw the eagle again today. This makes the fourth time I've seen the bird. I don't think I'm very observant. Every time I've seen the eagle, someone else has pointed it out to me. The two bald eagles must be here to stay. There are even signs in the park now warning people to stay away from the nest.

There wasn't much on my grocery list this week. I did notice that prices are still going up though. While I was out, I started looking at televisions. Flat screens are huge now. Most of the TV's I saw wouldn't even fit in our house. I suppose I could just get the old TV repaired, but the repair costs would probably be more than a new TV. You can't just replace a few tubes these days. Generally you have to get an entirely new mother board.

I've got all the photo gear packed and ready to go. I forget how long we've been doing these Santa Paws events, but it feels like it must be at least ten years. We get a new backdrop every few years, but most of the equipment has always been the same. I'm surprised that everything has lasted this long. Hopefully, the essential stuff will last a few more years. I don't feel like buying anything new at this point. The equipment will probably last longer than I will. I need to remember to bring my cane tomorrow.

I'm glad I didn't try to attend the STP-3 launch. This was one that I really wanted to go to at some point. Tonight's launch just got scrubbed and now it won't take place until Monday. If I was already down in Florida, the last minute scrub would have meant two more hotel and rental car days plus the hassle of trying to reschedule airfares during the holiday season. The older I get, the more travel just seems like a giant hassle. I wish my interests were closer to home. Maybe I'll get bored and become eager to get on the road again. Right now, doing nothing sounds pretty good to me.

I certainly won't be doing nothing tomorrow. I don't know how many people have made reservations, but usually we are pretty busy at Santa Paws events. Janet and I decided not to take Dawn with us. She's going to be a lot happier just snoozing on the bed. I hope everything goes well. Usually at least one dog tries to knock over the set, but we haven't had a disaster yet. Everyone always seems happy with their pictures.

We had pizza for dinner tonight. My new medication for acid reflux works like a charm. I can basically eat anything now. It's too bad that PPI's aren't recommended for long term use. It's a shame that doctors don't agree about this medication. I hate to take something that is going to create more problems than it solves.

We've got to get up early tomorrow so we can walk Dawn and eat breakfast before the photo event. At least there is no longer any rain in the forecast for tomorrow.

Camp is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4362

It was foggy and humid this morning. I'm always surprised at the weather when we wake up. It's never the same. We passed some neighbors walking their dogs when we were leaving the house with Dawn this morning and they advised us to "watch out for the Bobcat." Apparently there are Bobcats everywhere now. We didn't see the cat. We actually didn't see much of anything because it was so foggy.

I thought about going out for breakfast this morning, but I wasn't very hungry. I don't know if I could eat a restaurant breakfast anymore. The portions are huge. I had my regular small bowl of shredded wheat and got ready to take my long walk. By the time I left the house, the fog had lifted and it was even warmer. I was able to wear shorts today. It seemed strange that it is already snowing in other parts of the country. I read something today that it's even snowing in Hawaii now. Strange weather all over.

I brought a very old computer back to life today. I have an ancient Apple laptop that still runs System 9 and after completely forgetting about it for two or three months I discovered that the battery was completely dead. It wouldn't take a charge from the charger and wouldn't even run under AC power. I thought the trusty old machine had finally died, but I left it plugged into the charger just in case. After several days I noticed that the charging light had come on. I waited another day and the battery slowly recharged. This was kind of amazing to me because the battery was almost twenty years old. It is impossible to replace. When I started the computer up this morning, everything worked fine. They don't make things like this anymore. This computer always went with me when I used to work in Europe and it was responsible for many ad campaigns. It's hopelessly slow by today's standards, but I'm glad it still works.

I washed the new photo backdrop to get the wrinkles out and was pleased at the quality of the fabric and the printed Christmas themed design. These new backdrops are so much better than the old hand painted ones. If a dog pees or throws up on one of these, you can just throw it in the wash and you're back in business. It's a shame that innovative products like this are almost always made in China. The computerized star tracker I backed on Kickstarter is also made in China. Many of the best new camera lenses come from China as well. No wonder everyone is so upset about all those container ships stacked up off the West Coast. We don't make anything here anymore. Even iconic brands like Fender guitars and Levis are manufactured in other countries now.

I found some small hand weights lying around the house and reluctantly started working with them today. I find little joy in working out, but I've got to do something. Walking is good for my heart and maybe for my leg muscles but it does nothing for my upper body. My arms seem weak now. It's a shame that it's so much harder to gain muscle mass as you grow older. Gaining weight is easy. Adding muscle, not so much. 

Time to make a grocery list again. When Janet went shopping this week she said prices had gone up again.      You wonder where this is going to end. I don't think the earth will end up becoming the apocalyptic place depicted in The Expanse. It probably won't be like Mad Max at Thunderdome either. It's isn't going to be pretty though. I'm glad I grew up in the 1950's. The Atomic Age was good.

Spot is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4361

My eye exam was a pleasant surprise. I've been dreading this exam for weeks because last year my doctor told me that I would be needing cataract surgery soon. Well, it's not going to be this year. My eyes have actually improved. There were no signs of diabetic retinopathy. There were no signs that my cataracts had gotten worse. Actually my doctor said that there was less cloudness in my right eye this year. The left eye has never been a problem. I aced the eye chart this year. I could read everything on the bottom line and the doctor's assistant said that I still had 20/20 vision.

In fairness, I think I could read the eye chart better this year because it was closer. I mentioned this to the doctor's assistant and she said this didn't matter because the projection system ensured that the chart would appear the same size to the viewer even though the far wall in the other exam room was further away. "This may be true," I told her, "but the closer projected image is definitely brighter and brighter images are easier to see." She gave me a strange look. I know she knew I was right. I bet everyone who gets their eyes examined in the smaller exam room gets a better score.

I asked the doctor about different types of cataract lenses and he told me that the Crystalens system didn't work as advertised and that most people who opted to go this route ended up having serious problems. He didn't recommend bifocal or trifocal lenses either, saying that they felt strange to everyone not already wearing bifocal or trifocal glasses. When I asked him if drops were being developed that could just dissolve the cataracts, he just laughed. "It's not going to happen," he told me. "Cataract eyedrops would put me out of business." Hey, at least the guy was honest. I didn't want to argue, but they are already using eye drops to treat cataracts in dogs. The Lanosterol treatment has also proved to be effective with guinea pigs, horses, rabbits. I think it's only a matter of time before these eye drops, or something even better, is approved for use in humans. 

Sometimes it is better to wait. When I first discovered that I had Hepatitis C, there were several treatments available that had serious side effects and didn't even work for many people. Then Sovaldi was invented and this little pill revolutionized everything. My Hepatitis C was totally eliminated in twelve weeks with no side effects whatsoever. Cataract surgery is a safe and very common procedure. Lots of people I know have had the surgery and are very happy with it. Given a choice, I'd much rather keep my natural lens so I can continue to focus at all distances. I was happy that my doctor thought my eyes looked just fine today.

The weather continues to be wonderful. I took my long walk early this morning because I didn't want to walk in the bright sunlight after my eyes had been dilated. This was probably a good idea since it takes four or five hours for your eyes to completely return to normal after they've been dilated. I always hate driving home after an eye exam. Everything is fine now. I only have to see the dermatologist and the dentist now and then I'm done with the medical parade.

Dawn was good with me today. I took her outside after my long walk and then again after I returned from the eye doctor. Both times she came when I called and followed me to the door. I sat with her for about fifteen minutes while she sunned herself in her favorite spot and she appeared completely relaxed. She also followed me out to the kitchen when I fixed her dinner tonight. It's a slow process, but we're making progress.

Gretta is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4360

The television broke today. I hate it when stuff you take for granted breaks. Things like toilets, stoves, and televisions should never break. I started looking at new televisions and it seems they've grown quite a bit since our last one. An average sized flat screen won't fit in our bedroom. Jeez. I don't even like television, but it seems wrong not to have one nearby. I guess we could watch the little TV in the kitchen, but that won't work for falling asleep at night. Too bad this little mishap didn't happen a few days earlier so I could have snagged one of those Black Friday deals.

The weather continues to be exceptional. I continue to walk my same route but there's always something new to look at. The park department is ripping out some of the old trails and replacing them with new superhighway trails. This is not good news for me because the trails will be full of bicycles now. There was lots of activity this morning with surveyors staking out the route and bulldozers clearing a path. I saw several signs saying to expect disruptions until the Summer of 2022. We'll have to be careful where we walk with Dawn for a while. There are lots of new ways to get muddy.

I wrote a letter to my sister this afternoon and took it to the post office. I think the post office is one of the only places left in Dallas where everyone still wears a mask. My old bank closed recently, so on the way home I went to the new branch that replaced it. The old bank had three drive thru lanes for deposits and one for the ATM machine. This new branch had multiple ATM lanes and one drive thru for deposits. I guess that means more people are taking money out of the bank than putting money in these days. I used to always go inside the bank but Covid made me a believer in drive thru windows. I still go inside the post office though. I don't trust those blue postal boxes.

It looks like we added another Santa Paws location. Lord help me. These events are fun but they are hard on my knees. I think I've finally found all the equipment I took last year. I was missing spare bulbs for the strobes and a battery charger for one of the cameras, but everything has been located now. I've decided to use an old camera I know is dependable. Maybe I'll use my new camera next year.

I've got to see the eye doctor tomorrow. I know he's going to tell me that it's time for cataract surgery, but I'm going to try to wait another year. I can tell that there's something going on in my right eye now, but it doesn't seem too bad. I'm pretty sure I could still pass a driving test. Eventually I will need the cataract surgery, though. I keep wondering how it feels to not be able to focus your eyes. I've heard that new technologies like Crystalens make it possible to focus an artificial lens but it all seems a bit scary to me. You really don't know what your vision is going to be like until the procedure is over and you can open your eyes again.

Janet said Dawn did well in training class tonight. Little by little she is becoming more relaxed and increasingly confident. She may never decide to become my best friend, but she's really making progress.

Jada is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4359

The Christmas tree is up. It is a small tree decorated with Dalmatian ornaments. We used to buy Dalmatian ornaments whenever we'd see them, but it's been a long while since there's been anything new on the tree. We have plenty of ornaments now. Maybe we should find an ornament for Dawn. All our previous dogs seem to have one.

I retrieved all the gear we need for the Santa Paws photo shoots and it will clutter up the entryway for the next several weeks. The poles and crossbar that hold up the backdrop have seen better days, but I think they'll be good for another season. I really meant to buy a new softbox this year but I never got around to it. There are several boxes of scarves, bandanas, hats, and costumes the dogs can wear. These will probably need to be washed. Somehow I've managed to lose the spare modeling light bulbs for my Norman strobes, but I've got the rest of the week to find them. I can't even remember how long we've been doing this, but it seems like a very long time.

Every time I go to the storage warehouse, I find things I've totally forgotten about. What on earth am I doing with an old dentist's drill, an outboard motor, a wind sail board complete with sail, and the entire PA system from my old band? I really need to clean this place out, but I have no desire to get rid of this stuff. Everything has a memory attached to it. If the cost for storage space didn't continue to go up every year, I'd just get a bigger space so I could clear a few things out of my office. I wonder if that Storage Wars show is still on the air? My space would be a perfect candidate for the show.

Today was a good day for walking. The weather was just about perfect. Since we're trying to give Dawn a second walk in the afternoon now, I spend even more time walking than I used to. It's all good though. If I wasn't walking I don't know what I'd do with myself. I don't feel like taking on work projects anymore and  I have little desire to do things with other people. Someday I'm going to try to walk all the way around the lake. It will need to be a day when Janet is home though. She may need to come retrieve me if I don't make it all the way around.

I'm thinking about going out for breakfast on Fridays again. Its been a while. Some of my favorite restaurants are gone now, but there are new ones to discover. Oddly, I still have no desire to return to my morning smoothie. I always knew that shredded wheat was a temporary solution, so maybe it's time to start eating out again.

We can't decide whether to take Dawn with us to one of the Santa Paws events. It would be nice to have a Christmas picture of her, but she hates car rides. She probably has bad memories of the kennel too, since another dog bit her there. That's how she wound up with us in the first place since she needed a quiet place to recover from her injuries. Probably she'd rather just sleep on the bed while we're gone.

Belle is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4358

The kennel was still full with holiday boarding dogs, so we didn't get to go see Charlie, Oliver, and Pepper today. We'll see everyone this Sunday though. That's when the first Santa Paws photo event takes place. If we're not too busy, we always try to take Christmas photos of the rescue dogs. I don't think Santa will be holding Charlie in his lap though.

Tomorrow I'll go retrieve the equipment I need from the storage warehouse and make sure it still works. We need to wash and dry the new backdrop to get all the shipping creases out of the cloth. I have a new camera that is in theory much better for pet photography, but I'll probably just use an older camera I've used many times before. I don't like surprises. 

Other than the change of plans for visiting the kennel, there weren't many surprises today. Dawn got her sunrise walk. I had my bowl of shredded wheat and fruit. I waited a bit before taking my long walk. It's amazing how quickly it warms up on a sunny day. It was in the mid 30's when we woke up this morning. By 10 AM it was already in the 50's. I'm beginning to think the Bald Eagles have moved on. I'm in the park so often that I'm almost certain I would have seen them again by now if they were still around. All the other birds aren't going anywhere. I saw the Monk Parakeets, the Canada Geese, the domestic geese, the White Pelicans, the Double-Crested Cormorants, the Muscovy Ducks, along with plenty of coots and Mallards today.

I also saw the oversized Bobcat again. The big cat made me a little nervous since I was the only one around when we crossed paths. The Bobcat had his mind on other things though and wasn't interested in me at all. I worry about people who walk their dog in the park without a leash. This is probably a cat that it wouldn't be wise for a dog to chase.

Since we didn't go to the kennel today, I thought about putting up the Christmas tree. I got sidetracked though and ended up doing nothing. Probably tomorrow would be a good time to do this, since I have to bring some Christmas things back from the storage warehouse anyway. I keep thinking I need to do some serious decluttering at the storage warehouse, but the task always gets postponed because I hate throwing things away. My storage space has become a convenient dumping ground for just about everything.

Janet got a new battery for her car today and hers was even more expensive than mine. Why have car batteries gotten so expensive? I remember changing lots of reasonably priced batteries myself. You just took the old battery out and hooked up the new one. You can't do that anymore. You have to take newer model cars to the dealership so they can reset the car's computer and electrical systems. I don't think my car would even start if I attempted to change the battery myself. Hopefully we both have very reliable batteries now. With the way the world has become lately, you'd really hate to be stranded anywhere in a major city.

I've got to figure out why my new Fitbit keeps trying to access my phone. It's really draining the battery. I've turned off all the notification and update in background settings I can find on the app, but the Fitbit is still determined to connect to the phone whenever it can. The shopping app that lets me bypass the checkout line in the grocery store is a real battery hog too. This app is constantly updated and each new version seems to drain the battery more than the previous one. I'm sure the store has figured out a way to suck all the information out of my phone and use it for marketing purposes as soon as I start shopping. Even though I know they are doing this, it would still be hard to quit using the app. It's a real time saver. I'm not sure what kind of information the Fitbit wants, but I'm sure it wants something. 

Petey is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4357

What a difference a day makes. Yesterdays gloomy weather was followed by clear blue skies today. It was a little chilly, but not too cold. Basically it was perfect walking weather. I always walk a little more on Sunday because Dawn has her Sunday outing in addition to her regular sunrise walk. I was hoping that my feet wouldn't fail me today and I actually did pretty well. I still can't figure out what causes such big variations in my comfort level from one day to the next. I guess I should just be glad for the good days.

There was still a lot of ground moisture from yesterday's rain so we all got muddy on our sunrise walk. Dawn hates to have her feet cleaned. Her goal is always to run in the house and hop on the bed before we clean her up. I cleaned my shoes and placed them on a furnace vent so they would dry out while we had pancakes and sausages for breakfast. It's funny how quickly Dawn loses her fear when something is cooking in the kitchen. She'll sit down right next to me if she thinks she might get a little scrap of bacon or sausage.

The park was fairly crowded this morning. I guess everybody was making up for lost time after yesterday's rain. It's actually turning into a fairly colorful Fall. Lots of reds and yellows appearing on the trees today. I made good time today. On the way home from my long walk I passed a neighbor who was in the process of moving. Just about all our original neighbors are gone now. We were the youngest when we first moved here, and now we are close to the oldest. I doubt that we'll be going anywhere soon. We live in the best part of the city to have a dog and it's way too much trouble to move anyway.

When I returned home, I rested for a few minutes and then we all got in the car and went to a different park for Dawn's Sunday outing. Dawn is hard to figure out. She gets so excited when she knows we're going to go somewhere and then immediately panics as soon as the car starts moving. Luckily, our Sunday journey is very short and Dawn is fine as soon as she gets out of the car. I don't think we'll ever be able to take a long road trip with her though. I'd be afraid she'd have a heart attack or a stroke.

Our Sunday outing always concludes with ice cream cones. Lately, we've been bringing home a pint of our favorite flavors to eat during the week. They call this stuff frozen custard, but I think it's just ice cream. Actual custard tastes completely different. Dawn loves ice cream. We don't give her a lot, but it's a treat she really seems to appreciate. 

It's weird how dry it gets in the Winter. The dehumidifier buckets are filling up slower now. I used to have to empty one of the machines twice a day and now once in the evening seems plenty. The dry air gives me nose bleeds in the morning sometimes. I guess we don't have to keep the dehumidifiers running all the time, but getting rid of the dampness in the house is worth an occasional nose bleed. I wish we'd discovered the benefits of a dehumidifier a long time ago.

Since the Thanksgiving holiday is over, we'll start visiting the rescue Dalmatians again tomorrow. I'm pretty sure we'll be seeing Charlie, Oliver and Pepper but there's a possibility that Pepper might have been adopted. We'll be visiting the kennel a lot during the next several weeks. It's the location for several of our Santa Paws photo events. I need to get my equipment out of the storage warehouse soon. I hope it all still works. 

Scooter is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4356

It was a damp, rainy day. Not a lot of surprises today. We managed to get Dawn walked this morning before the rain started. I had bacon and eggs for breakfast instead of my usual shredded wheat and did my grocery shopping before taking my long walk. I had to go to three different stores to find everything on my list. It wasn't a long list either. One store didn't have strawberries. Another didn't have the Swiffer dusters Janet wanted me to get. There was supposed to be a half price sale on pies at Central Market, but they were all gone when I got there. I did find my Local Buzz beer though. I used to be able to find everything I needed at a single store. I guess those days are gone. Oddly, none of the stores were crowded.  I guess everyone is still eating Thanksgiving leftovers.

I decided to go ahead and walk in the drizzle when I got home because it didn't look like the rain was going to stop. Bad weather definitely cuts down on the traffic in the park. The trails were pretty empty again. I didn't enjoy getting wet today, but I actually prefer dismal, overcast days like this. It's quiet and peaceful when you have the park to yourself.

So far, no roof leaks today. It's been a quiet, gentle rain, so maybe that helps. I've been avoiding going up on the roof lately, but I guess I'll have to when we get a clear day. Lots of leaves are falling now and they tend to create little duck ponds on the roof after a big rain. I'll have to remove these leaves or the water will never drain away. At least the pumps are still working. I saw water coming out of both pump hoses just before dinner.

Dawn didn't get a second walk today because of the bad weather. She certainly didn't seem very disappointed. Dawn is a lazy dog and seems content to just sit on the bed most of the day. I felt like doing the same thing today. It's hard to get motivated on a rainy day.

I have a feeling that I'm going to have to get a new phone soon. My battery doesn't stay charged very long anymore. I guess I could just replace the battery, but the cameras in the newer iPhones are so much better. A new phone is tempting. The camera is just about the only thing I use on my phone. I rarely talk to anyone and I'm not a big fan of texting. I wish that Apple would put their best camera on their smallest phones, but I don't think that's going to happen. There's certainly no rush to get a better phone. The little app that keeps track of your screen time says I only spend 11 minutes a day on my phone.

It's about time to get the photo gear out of the storage warehouse for our first Santa Paws event. I was going to get some new umbrellas or softboxes this year, but never got around to it. We did get a new backdrop though. I have a growing collection of Christmas themed photo backdrops now. There's nothing wrong with the old ones, but since we get a lot of repeat visitors, it's nice to offer them something new.

Hopefully the weather will clear when we take Dawn on her Sunday outing tomorrow. We've been lucky this Fall with an abundance of clear beautiful days. I guess a little rain is to be expected. At least we don't have to worry about snow. It's hard to believe that it's already snowing in many parts of the country. 

Spots is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4355

It's beginning to feel a lot like Winter. The temperature was 36 degrees when I woke up this morning. I'm glad I brought the lawnmower battery inside yesterday. Freezing temperatures destroys these batteries. Dawn enjoyed the chilly temperatures on her sunrise walk, but I wasn't happy with the thought that this type of weather will probably be with us until next March. I had to wear long underwear and a sweater under my jacket on today's walk. It's a lot easier to get dressed when I can just throw on a t-shirt and a pair of shorts.

It was a little warmer when I took my long walk after breakfast, but it was still pretty chilly. The park seemed empty this morning. Only the serious joggers and cyclists were out today. The colder the weather, the fewer people I see. Very few people are as consistent as I am. I know these people by sight now. We usually wave or say "Hi" as we pass each other. There is one cyclist I call the Hello Man who shouts out hello to every single person he passes. You can hear him coming from a long way away.

The big event of the day was that I was able to take Dawn on a walk by myself today. It definitely wasn't a long walk, but this was real progress. As recently as several months ago, Dawn would have been terrified to leave the yard without Janet at her side. Dawn is fine with me walking her as long as Janet is nearby. When I'm alone with her it's a totally different story. It's been a long, slow process to get Dawn to trust me.  We're definitely not there yet, but today's little walk was definitely progress. It probably helped that she had to pee. As soon as Dawn finished her business she immediately wanted to return to the house again.

I had a 20,000 step day today. That's pretty good, considering how cold it was. We've added a late afternoon walk with Dawn to our daily routine. Dawn seems to like the activity and she can certainly use the exercise. With three walks a day now, I don't have time for a lot else. That's fine by me. I usually manage to complete one little fix-it chore around the house during the day and that's about it. Today's task was clearing the leaves off the front and back porch and doing a load of laundry.

Today was Black Friday and I didn't buy a thing. I don't even think Black Friday is a big deal anymore. You don't hear about long lines waiting to get in Walmart or Best Buy these days. I got a lot of e-mail about Black Friday bargains, but the prices all seemed pretty normal to me. Since everything seems to be constantly on sale these days, having a special day just for sales is essentially meaningless.

I forgot what day it was again today. Having a holiday on Thursday is confusing. Almost all the major holidays have been moved to Friday or Monday so people can take a three day weekend. Christmas and New Years move around but they actually are on the weekend this year. Easter is always on a Sunday. I guess there is some justification for being confused by Thursday holidays. The only other explanation is that I've become a forgetful old man.

It's time to make a grocery list again. I wonder how much prices have gone up this week? Inflation is definitely real and I don't think it is going away soon. I read an article the other day that said that when governments gave away money like they did during Covid, inflation is the economy's way of reclaiming it. Makes sense to me. There is no free lunch in this world. Eventually you pay for everything.

Pepper is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4354 - Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. I wish all days were this relaxed. We got up late and had a nice early walk with Dawn. I ate a light breakfast and then went out walking again. It was chilly outside, but I kept up a good pace with seemingly little effort. I completed my walk with the best time I've had in over a month. There were a lot of families in the park this morning. I think it is a tradition in some families to take a Thanksgiving walk before sitting down to a huge meal.

When I got home there was a message from the Kickstarter project I backed many months ago. The project is finally finished and getting ready to ship. I think this project was supposed to ship in June, but there are always delays with Kickstarter projects. Today's message was actually a request for more money. Evidently shipping rates from Asia have gone up dramatically since the project started and the amount I had already paid was no longer enough. The project I backed was an advanced computerized star tracker that many amateur astronomers thought couldn't possibly work. I'll be curious to see if it does.

Janet and I both wondered whether there would be many people at our Thanksgiving brunch. This was the first full scale buffet we've heard about since Covid began and it could have easily gone either way. Would the fear of big platters of commonly shared food keep people away, or would pent up demand for a delicious all you can eat meal pack the place? When we arrived, it was obvious that pent up demand won. The Mercury had doubled in size since the last time we'd dined there and the place was packed. There were hundreds of people enjoying their Thanksgiving feast and not a mask in sight. It's pretty clear that Dallas has decided Covid is over.

The restaurant was extremely efficient. They must have hired a ton of extra help for this event. Even though there were lots of people, nothing seemed rushed or hurried. There was always a waiter nearby to refill our drinks and the buffet tables were constantly being replenished with fresh food. We usally make three trips to the buffet tables. First for a plate of salads, sushi and hors d'oeuvres. Next comes the main meal. I'm not a big fan of turkey and dressing, but I love prime rib. Finally, even though we are stuffed at this point, we go back a third time for dessert. I'm glad the Thanksgiving buffet is back. We missed this once a year extravagance last year.

Years ago we would always go up and feed the rescue dogs after our Thanksgiving dinner. We cooked each of them a fresh chicken breast and they loved it. After their dinner, we took the dogs on a walk. We no longer do this anymore. A lot of things have changed over the years. We used to have up to seventeen dogs at a time. Now we have three. We used to have keys to the facility too, so we could come and go as we pleased. The new kennel is a lot cleaner and the dogs get treated extremely well. There are times when I miss the old days though. I still remember all the names of the dogs we helped take care of in the early 2000's. Today it's all a blur. I can't remember any of the dogs from 2019.

We were stuffed when we returned from the restaurant, so we decided if there weren't any kennel dogs to walk, we'd walk Dawn instead. Dawn needs to lose a little weight, so we're trying to walk her two times a day now. It's too bad she won't go along with me on my long walks. She'd get plenty of exercise then.

I seldom watch football, but today's Cowboys game was really good. I thought the Cowboys were going to win, but in the end there were just too many penalties and errors. 28 penalties is a lot. Anthony Brown racked up four pass interference penalties all by himself, including the one that lost the game. Oh, well. It was still a good game.

I almost forgot to take the trash out to the curb tonight. It felt like Thanksgiving, but it didn't really feel like Thursday.

Dot is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4353

I called the restaurant today to confirm our Thanksgiving reservations for tomorrow. I didn't really need to do this, but I don't trust my own memory anymore. I am always checking things that I've already checked. I check the stove several times a day to make sure it is turned off. I check the door locks multiple times before I go to bed. I'm always checking the locks on the gates in the back yard. I don't think Dawn would ever run away, but you never know. Uncertainty makes me nervous and life is full of uncertainties. It's a dilemma.

Today was pretty much a repeat of yesterday. It was cold when we got up, but warmed up quickly. Dawn is back to her short one mile loop. We tried to tempt her with other options today, but she wasn't interested. I started a new box of shredded wheat this morning. The only significance of this is that I won't have any crumbs in my cereal for a few days. I felt good on my long walk today. My pace was good and there was very little foot pain. I wonder where the eagles are? I haven't heard of any reported sightings recently and I certainly haven't seen the birds myself. I keep looking though. It gives me something to do while I'm walking.

I wrote some letters to friends today asking for contractor suggestions. I'm still so old school that it feels more natural to ask a friend for suggestions than to use an app to find suppliers. Almost everyone who has ever worked on the house has resulted from a friend's referral. Most of these suggestions have been good ones. Maybe I'll use The Good Contractor's List or Angie one of these days, but I'm not quite ready yet.

I am ready to return to Kennedy Space Center, so I wrote another letter to a NASA contact asking how to apply for long term credentials. Right now I always apply for daily or short term credentials when I want to attend a launch, so it can be difficult for me to assure the magazine I write for that I'll be able to cover a story they might be interested in. Sometimes I get accepted and other times I don't. If I could manage to get yearly credentials, life would be a lot easier for me.

I'm starting to see a lot of for sale signs in the neighborhood. Are people becoming more transient, or are they just trying to take advantage of today's high real estate values? When we first moved here, all our neighbors had lived here forever. They never moved, but they eventually all died. I miss these people because they represented a world that has largely disappeared. Janet and I are old enough now that we get brochures from retirement communities. I don't think we'll ever move though. It's just too much trouble.

Every Wednesday evening Dawn has training class. I used to go to these classes when we had Dot and Dash. With only one dog to train now, only Janet goes. I'm always happy to hear that Dawn is starting to do better in class. She isn't as scared anymore. You have to be patient with Dawn, but he is starting to relax. Maybe she's finally starting to realize that her old life is over and this new life she's got now isn't so bad. 

Maggie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4352

Very little happened today. I got up when I heard Dawn barking in the back yard. Dawn and Janet always get up earlier than me. I got dressed and we went on our sunrise walk. The weather was crisp and cool but Dawn wasn't interested in walking very far. Before eating breakfast I changed the sheets and began a load of laundry. All the bed coverings got cleaned today and Dawn spent the day sleeping on an old worn out blanket I've had since my days in Seattle. There were several holes in the blanket, but I can't remember which dog chewed them. Eventually, everything was cleaned and dried and I put the bed back together while Janet and Dawn were eating lunch. Making the bed seems complicated now. There are all these layers and lots of pillows. Was it always this way? It seems like changing the bed used to be much easier, but everything is easier when you are younger. A word of advice. Don't get a low platform bed if you have bad knees.

I read an article today that the city wants to pass an ordinance that bans loud leaf blowers. Seems like a weird thing for the city to be spending their time on, but I'm in favor of this one. When I take my long walk in the morning all I hear is the sound of leaf blowers. Some of the yard crews bag the leaves and take them away, but mostly they just blow them in the street and the wind immediately blows them back in the yard. What is the point of all this? Nobody blows the leaves away in the park, but by Spring they are always gone. 

My new Fitbit still doesn't count steps the same way as my Apple Watch. At the end of the day there is quite a difference in the step count. I don't know why this bothers me, but clearly one of these devices is wrong. After many years of wearing a tracker, I still don't know which device is right. Maybe they are both wrong. The new Fitbit adds quite a bit of new information, but as you might expect, most of it is useless. I pride myself on not being addicted to my phone, however I'm the weird one with a different tracker on each wrist.

I'm amused at all the birders I see out in the park lately. They usually have huge telephoto lenses that I don't know how they can hold steady without a tripod. There are always a lot more nature photographers on bright sunny days. Don't these guys realize that this is when the light is at its worst. An overcast day without any hard shadows usually leads to much more pleasing pictures. At least these folks are taking pictures though. My cameras are still sitting in a bag at the house. If I didn't have a phone in my pocket I wouldn't be taking any pictures at all.

The phone in my pocket has a new case again. I bought the case about three months ago but never got around to using it. Finally my old case broke and I realized that I already had a spare. When I bought this thing I wondered why it was more expensive. It was exactly the same as the other two Lunatik cases I've used in the past. Turns out that this case wasn't the same. This one was made of metal. I'm glad they finally thought of this. Maybe this one will last a little longer than the other two.

On slow days like this I sometimes think about filling a few paragraphs with political or social commentary. I really try to avoid this. Everybody's got an opinion these days, but very few have the facts. I don't even know how you find facts anymore. It seems like we live in a world with multiple realities. When I'm channel surfing cable news while eating breakfast I realize that there are just a bunch of competing narratives out there trying to convince you that your own preconceived conclusions are right. Are any of these narratives even close to the truth? I doubt it.

Petey is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day