Day 4672

I went mall walking again today even though the weather was beautiful. I've done a lot of walking in the park this week and I guess I just needed a change of pace. It's interesting that some stores never change their window displays, while others always change them. I wonder if it makes any difference? Several stores have closed since I last visited and one new one has opened. 

I don't understand current styles at all. Most of the clothing on display looks ugly. Mall walking is surprisingly popular. On most Sundays there seem to be more people walking at the mall than I see walking in the park. Northpark is very pleasant when the stores are closed. I avoid the place when the stores are open though. It is far too crowded for my taste.

We got started on our sunrise walk so late this morning that we didn't need our flashlights and lighted dog collars. The park is usually busier on weekends, but it was fairly quiet today. Most of the green web worms are gone now. Now that I know what to look for, it's amazing how many trees they destroyed. The city recently mowed the meadow behind our house, so it was easier to get down to the lake this week. Although our walks are always the same, I almost always see something new. Today I noticed that a for lease sign on one of the houses on our street was gone. The sign had been there quite a while and I wondered if the place was finally rented or the owners just gave up and ended their listing? 

After I returned from the mall, we took Dawn on her Sunday outing. The weather was cool enough that we were able to give Dawn another one mile walk before we went for ice cream. There is lots of poison ivy in Dawn's Sunday park, so we have to watch where we walk. There is a lot of construction going on as well. I have no idea what the city is building but it certainly looks expensive. Janet uses these walks to work on Dawn's training. I'm just trying to get a few more steps.

It still bothers me that our ice cream cones have gotten smaller while the price has become more expensive. There is no ice cream inside the cone at all. Just a scoop on top. You'd think they could manage to fill the cone up. Oh, well. We still like to support local businesses. Expensive ice cream is still better than no ice cream at all.

Although I was busy this morning, I did virtually nothing this afternoon. There are still lots of things that need to be done around the house, but they didn't need to be done today. I haven't been up on the roof in a long time. It is probably filled with pecans that have fallen from the neighbor's tree. I should clean things up before it rains again, but I've become wary about climbing on the roof. This isn't a good activity for someone who is starting to have balance issues.

I still need to get my car serviced. I'll probably wait until I see whether I'm been credentialed for the Falcon Heavy launch. The dryer is definitely going to need to be repaired sometime soon as well. I hate having to budget expenses. I never used to do this when I was working. Oh, well. Welcome to retirement. 

Maverick is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4671

Shopping isn't easy anymore. I had to go to four different grocery stores to find the things on my list. There was nothing exotic or rare that I was trying to find. It was just ordinary stuff. I had trouble finding shredded wheat. I had even more trouble finding distilled water for the coffee maker. I needed dishwasher detergent. Most stores just had pods. I needed the liquid kind. Same thing with Swiffer dusters. Lots of places had the wet dusters but I wanted the dry variety. 

I think the problem is two-fold. There are still supply chain issues for many common items. The real problem is how stores restock inventory though. Increasingly stores use register receipts to determine what goes on the shelves. If not many people are buying a certain item it gets discontinued. That's why all the stores had plenty of sugar coated mini-shedded wheat, but very few still carry plain shredded wheat. Variety is disappearing from many stores. People like cheap stuff, so there is lots of cheap stuff. There are actually lots of expensive status items too. What's missing these days are the plain, practical items that were commonplace twenty years ago. 

I eventually found everything I needed but it took longer than expected. When I leave the house these days, I feel like I'm entering a dystopian world. Traffic is terrible and nobody knows how to drive anymore. There is an explosion of people making u-turns in the city. You really have to watch when making a turn at an intersection. Somebody making an unexpected, and often illegal u-turn can wind up right in your lane as you are turning. Stores rarely have exactly what you need anymore. I guess that's why Amazon is so popular. At any rate, I'm glad I do this only once a week. Traffic isn't as bad when I go to the gym because I almost always go during the day when most people are at work.

The weather was nice today. It was cloudy most of the day and there was a nice breeze. Even though I didn't get my shopping done until well after noon, it was still cool enough to take a walk in the park. The temperature was in the 70's all day. If this pleasant weather continues next week, I may mow the grass again. It's finally getting cool enough that this might be the last time I need to mow. My pace was just average today. It wasn't too fast and wasn't too slow. I did get a lot of steps though. I had a rare 22,000 step day. This is probably why my feet hurt today. It's probably time to retire my worn out Hokas and start using the new pair I bought recently. Walking a little less wouldn't be a bad idea either.

We're having more power outages now. These outages usually only last a few seconds, but sometimes they happen several times a day. The short outages knock out the Internet and cause all the networked items to reboot. Like the bad traffic and empty store shelves, these power outages are just another sign of the times.  Our power grid is no longer up to the job. A huge number of people have moved to Dallas recently and they use a lot of electricity. These newcomers also probably explain the surge in u-turns on our roads.

Today was a pretty good day. The weather was perfect. I managed to stay active without doing any household chores. Dawn was a little friendlier toward me and we has a delicious dinner of Maryland Crab Cakes and bacon wrapped asparagus. Tomorrow is Dawn's day. Hopefully we will have a nice Sunday outing.

Madison is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4670

Today was uneventful for me, but it is Dawn's favorite day. Janet does her grocery shopping on Friday and Dawn loves to supervise in the kitchen while she puts all the food away. All I have to do is tell Dawn that it's "grocery day" and she gets all excited.

We started the day with our usual sunrise walk. We got started a little later this morning so it wasn't quite as dark. Unfortunately, the days keep getting shorter. The sun was already up when we did this walk in the summer. Today a few stars were still shining at 6:45 AM. 

The weather was cool and there was a nice breeze, so I decided to walk in the park again instead of going to the gym. I've definitely had better days. My pace was slower this morning and I felt tired when I returned home. I have no idea why my performance varies so much from day to day. Maybe I didn't get enough sleep last night.

I decided to apply for credentials to attend the next Falcon Heavy launch. The timing isn't ideal, since the USSF-44 Mission is supposed to take place at the end of October, only a month away from the next Artemis attempt. I attended the last Falcon Heavy launch three years ago and always wanted to see another. I'm not sure I can afford two trips to Florida so close together, but we'll see what happens. When I apply for press credentials, I'm never sure if I'll get approved.

I'm thinking about getting a new phone. My old phone works just fine, but it's hard to ignore all the promotional advertising I get on an almost daily basis from AT&T and T-Mobile. I guess it would be nice to have a better camera. I use my iPhone camera a lot more than my professional cameras. I probably wouldn't get the new iPhone 14. An iPhone 13 on sale sounds a lot more attractive. Maybe I won't get anything at all. I always think about buying stuff I don't need when I get bored.

Dawn is still leaving the room when I want to take a nap during the day. This is unfortunate, because I enjoy taking a good nap. I feel guilty when Dawn leaves the room though. It is her room. She spends most of the day in the bedroom and it's the one room in the house where she feels completely comfortable. I'm just going to have to get used to the fact that Dawn was treated very badly by men when she was used as a breeding dog. She has had a hard life and there's no particular reason why she should trust me. 

The failing dryer belt seems to be getting worse. I was hoping that it would last for a while, but I'll probably have to call the appliance repairman again soon. I'm really tired of things breaking or wearing out. Something around the house always seems to be on its last legs. I need to take my car in for a service appointment pretty soon as well. It's always something. I'd much rather spend my money on trips to the space center.

Tomorrow is my grocery day. Dawn is not nearly as excited when I return with groceries. I tend to get unexciting things like bottled water and laundry detergent. Janet brings sliced turkey and cheese.

Harshey is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4669

We had to get up really early this morning so we could walk Dawn before I had to take Janet down to Baylor. The park was empty and felt a little ominous  in the dark. The sky did lighten up a bit before we returned home and Dawn had a nice walk. I'll be glad when the time changes next month. I'm not really wild about walking in the dark.

There was a lot of road construction this morning, but we made it to the hospital on time. We've made this drive many times for a wide variety of check-ups and exams. Sometimes Janet drives me and other times I drive her. Our doctors really frown on driving yourself if you need anesthesia.

By the time I finished fixing breakfast and checking my messages it was time to go pick up Janet again. I was supposed to call the nurse when I arrived so they could bring Janet out to the car. It's been so long since I've used the phone in the car that I forgot how to make a call. I couldn't figure out why nobody heard me when I dialed the number. I completely forgot that the phone is paired with the car and that I needed to press the green call button on my steering wheel to connect the call. I eventually just turned the car off and made the call normally on my phone. I felt foolish later in the day when it finally occurred to me what was going on. 

It warmed up quickly today, so I decided to go to the gym instead of walking in the park. I was terrible on the basketball court for no apparent reason. The place was really empty when I arrived. There were only two other people in the entire gym, I walked two miles on the indoor track, eventually completed my 25 baskets from the free throw line and went home. I wish the gym was a little closer to home, but I can't imagine going somewhere else at this point. I've been coming here a long time. I'm pretty sure that I've outlasted all the staff. There was a completely different set of trainers and therapists here when I first joined.

A Space X launch got scrubbed today with only 30 seconds left on the countdown clock. I'm glad I didn't go down to Florida for that one. I'm still planning to return for the next Artemis launch attempt, but have no idea when that will be. It's a shame that they haven't set a date for the launch yet, because Southwest Airlines is having a great sale. There is no point in getting a ticket now and changing the reservation later. I would end up paying whatever current prices were after the sale was over and probably wouldn't save anything. The only way you can get a good deal on airline prices is if your plans never change.

The star tracker project that I backed on Kickstarter has finally arrived in retail stores. Some of the backers who still haven't received their Polaris units aren't very happy about this. I received my Polaris quite a while ago, but the little tracker still seems like a work in progress. Every time I turn it on I'm never sure if it is going to work. I'll have to admit that I did get a good deal though. The current retail price is almost double what I paid.

I've taken this week's trash out to the curb. Jupiter is rising in the evening sky now. It doesn't seem that long ago that it was setting in the morning sky. Light pollution is so bad in Dallas that the only objects worth looking at are bright planets and the moon. I've never seen the milky way from my back yard. This would seem like a good reason to plan another trip out to McDonald Observatory but I really hate that drive. I'll probably go back to Florida first.

Cassie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4668

I surprised myself with how much I got done today. I took care of a bunch of small, insignificant chores that I'd been ignoring for far too long. I cleared away the spiderwebs that have been collecting under the eaves. I cleaned the living room windows. I watered the plants inside the atrium which is actually harder than it sounds. I cleaned the toilet. I did a load of laundry. And finally I vacuumed all the carpeted rooms in the house. The house still looks about the same, but all these things really did need to be done.

There was still plenty of time for walking. We got a later start on our sunrise walk today so it wasn't quite as dark outside. It wasn't quite as cold either, although I still needed a light jacket. After breakfast I took my long walk and actually made pretty good time. I've done this walk so many times now that I can pretty accurately guess what my time will be at each mile marker. I'm only off by four or five seconds these days. I can usually tell how fast I'm going by the sound of my footsteps. It's amazing that my brain can do all these little calculations while I'm just daydreaming. Truthfully, the walk isn't that interesting anymore, but I burn a lot more calories walking outdoors than I do at the gym.

I was out walking in the park when the Crew 5 mission launched and I didn't really care. I watched a replay of the launch on my computer later in the day. I have attended a number of manned launched down at Kennedy Space Center and they are all more or less the same. A few hours before the launch the astronauts get in Teslas and drive out to the launch pad. Sometimes I've been invited to watch the astronauts leave the iconic NASA crew quarters and say goodbye to their families but other times I've been excluded from this small group. Everyone sets up their cameras near the countdown clock and waits for the launch and then ten minutes later it is all over. Actually you get a lot better view of things watching the Space X live stream, but it is still nice to be there in person.

Dawn still doesn't like to nap with me. Whenever I come in the bedroom during the day, Dawn leaves the room and goes out to her dog bed in the kitchen. I'm sure Dawn has her reasons, but this just seems rude to me. If Janet is home Dawn is much nicer to me, but she is uncomfortable being in the house alone with me. Oh, well. It is what it is. Strangely, when I vacuumed the bedroom this afternoon, Dawn stayed on the bed. She didn't mind the vacuum at all. She just doesn't like sharing the bed with me during the day. Nighttime is fine. I often wake up with Dawn right next to me. All this seems very strange, but no stranger than most aspects of modern life. It's a weird world we live in these days.

We've got to get up extra early tomorrow morning. I need to drive Janet down to Baylor for some medical tests. There should still be time to give Dawn her sunrise walk, but it depends on how organized we are. It doesn't matter if it's dark outside. We are prepared with plenty of lights now. Dawn even has a spiffy new green lighted collar now. 

Lightning is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4667

Dawn got a bath today. That was about the only noteworthy thing that happened all day. Our sunrise walk was earlier this morning because Janet had places to go. We're well equipped with lights now on these dark pre-dawn walks. Dawn has a little light that clips to her harness and Janet and I have lights that clip to our jackets. These lights aren't to help us see better in the darkness. They are so other people can see us. We are much more worried about getting run over by cyclists than encountering coyotes.

When we returned home I has my usual breakfast of shredded wheat and fruit and then took a walk in the park. I thought it was going to be chilly, but it warms up quickly once the sun comes up. These walks are boring now, but so is walking around the indoor track at the gym. I'm determined to keep moving because all I'd probably do if I stayed home is take a long nap. Although my feet bothered my quite a bit today, I was able to complete my full six mile route.

The refrigerator and washer are still working fine. I can't decide whether to go ahead and fix the dryer before taking my car in for service. I might as well get one or even both of these tasks out of the way before I start planning another trip to Florida. I don't think another Artemis launch attempt is planned until late November, so I've got some time. 

Janet and I took Dawn to a self bathe place after lunch. Dawn doesn't like a bath but she's better about the ordeal than some of our other dogs. I didn't think she really needed a bath but I'll have to admit that she does look cleaner now. Unless she rolls in something nasty, I think she's safe for another month.

I wish I lived closer to the space center. There was an interesting ULA launch today and the Crew 5 mission to the International Space Station launches tomorrow. I think there's another Starlink launch tomorrow as well. Some of the launch photographers I've met go to every single one of these launches. I'm lucky to attend two launches a year. These trips usually last three or four days and it's just too expensive to travel to Titusville more often.

I have no plans for tomorrow. I should find a good book to read but I have little interest in reading these days. I'll probably watch a livestream of the Crew 5 launch and wonder why I'm not down there with everyone else. Maybe something interesting will happen. I doubt it though.

Jersey is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4666

The refrigerator is working properly again. I was amazed at how quickly the metal exterior cooled down after the compressor fan was installed. Hopefully the compressor wasn't damaged by running too hot for over a month. We'll see. The technician fixed the in-door water dispenser too. We seldom use this, but it's nice to have it if we need it. Several years ago we read a report that city water in our part of town was contaminated and we've been drinking bottled water ever since. I imagine the water supply problem was fixed a long time ago, but I'll stick with the bottled water.

I was thinking about just getting a new dryer instead of replacing the failing belt drive. Then I checked washer and dryer prices. Like everything else, dryers have gotten much more expensive. I thought that dryers were still the least expensive major appliance. Not anymore.  Oh, well. I guess I'll fix the dryer next month. I've spent enough on repairs this month.

The weather continues to be near perfect. I had to wear a warmer jacket on our sunrise walk with Dawn because the temperature was only in the mis-50's. Sadly, the web worms haven't completely gone away. I found a few on my clothing when we returned home this morning. The park is very quiet on Monday morning. I wonder if anyone works on Monday anymore? The before work runners and cyclists don't start appearing until Tuesday morning. 

Since I had to wait around for the appliance repairman this morning I didn't take a walk in the park. After the repairs were finished I went to the bank and then to the gym. Janet doesn't like me in the house while she's cleaning, so this worked out well for everyone. I wonder how my gym stays in business. It's a huge facility and there are always only a small handful of people there when I go for workouts. Maybe the place fills up before and after work, but it was just about empty at 2 PM.

I took my iPhone case apart and cleaned it this afternoon. The case is supposed to be completely sealed against the elements, so I can't figure out how so much gunk gets inside. The phone doesn't work any better, but the screen is much clearer now. I wonder if it's time to get a new phone. There's nothing wrong with my SE but it is so old now that it won't run IOS 16. Since I can't upgrade the phone, I can't upgrade my watch either. Apple used to be a lot better at supporting older equipment. Now they just don't care. 

Janet wanted me to test some batteries for her today. I know I have a battery tester somewhere, but I had no luck in finding it. This happens a lot lately. I'll look for something in the last place I remember storing it and all I'll find is a stack of junk piled on top of other junk. Where did all this stuff come from. I used to be so neat and orderly. Now I need to go buy a new battery tester but there is no longer a Fry's Electronics store in our town. Fry's is where I always used to go for this type of stuff. Just about all my go-to stores have disappeared. You've got to order things on Amazon now.

I don't have any plans for tomorrow but you can probably guess what I'll be doing. I really need to find a few new interests.

Hobbs is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4665

I did a lot of walking today. 20,000 step days are becoming increasing rare, but I had another one today. The weather was just about perfect and I certainly didn't have anything better to do. There was no need to go mall walking this morning. It was much nicer to be outside.

We had to share the trails with a bunch of runners on our sunrise walk. A local running group was having a race. We probably should have started our walk earlier, but we typically walk later on weekends. Even though we are both retired, we still seem to differentiate between weekdays and weekends. Walking with Dawn is much more enjoyable when the park is empty. She loves to smell things and will wander right in front of passing runners and bicycles if we aren't watching carefully. Janet ordered some little clip-on lights so bicycles won't run over us when we are walking in the dark. Neither of us are a big fan of bicycles.

The park was more enjoyable when I took my long walk after breakfast. The runners were gone and all that was left of the race were a few volunteers cleaning up. Surprisingly, my feet didn't hurt very bad today. I maintained a fairly good pace for my entire walk. I'm still having problems with seasonal allergies, but they weren't as bad today. The air was clean and the humidity was much lower than it was a month ago. I can tell the humidity is lower because I don't have to empty the dehumidifier as often. During the summer I had to empty the water bucket twice a day. Now it takes the entire day to fill with water.

Dawn got a nice Sunday outing today. Since the temperature was cool all day we were able to walk a full mile at her Sunday park. Dawn likes to eat grass and we've had to be careful and keep her away from tall grass in these parks lately. The city has been trying to eradicate the Johnson Grass that has overrun the native prairies in the area and they've been selectively applying herbicide to the Johnson Grass. When I first started seeing the tractors applying the herbicide, I thought they would kill everything. Whatever they are using appears to be very selective. Only the Johnson Grass appears to be dying.

After we made our trip to the ice cream store and headed home, I tested the washing machine. I'm happy to report that is is working normally again. Even the clothes seem to be a little cleaner. The only downside to cleaning out the drain filter is that the machine drains more rapidly now. Sometimes the floor drain overflows now and I've had to plug it again. I stuff a cloth down the floor drain pipe so that condensation from the AC can still drip through the pipe, while backflow from the washing machine drain is greatly reduced. I wouldn't have these problems if the builders of this house had put in three inch drain lines instead of two inch pipes. A two inch drain is just too small for modern appliances.

Dawn is still weird about being in the house with me when Janet is gone. When I try to take a nap in the bedroom, she hops off the bed and goes out to the hallway by the front door and whines until I leave the room. I've started napping on the couch in the living room because it just makes life easier. I don't think Dawn is ever going to change. She is nervous about everything and doesn't feel safe when Janet isn't around. When Janet is here, Dawn actually seems to like me. I'm OK with all this. Dawn had a very rough life before we adopted her. I'm sure she has a doggie version of PTSD.

Tomorrow the appliance repairman returns to fix the refrigerator. This is basically preventative maintenance since the refrigerator works just fine now. The warm to the touch metal exterior is a bad sign though. If we don't replace the fan that cools the compressor, it could fail at any time. It could still fail even with a new fan, but I'd like to keep this thing running as long as possible. Modern refrigerators keep getting larger and it is almost impossible to find a replacement that will fit into the designated refrigerator slot in our kitchen.

I didn't see any little green web worms today. I did see a lot of dead Hackberry trees in the park though. Maybe the worms have finally eaten their way through their food supply and died.

Bailey is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4664

One down, two to go. The repairman came out today and fixed the washing machine. At least I think it is fixed. The drain filter was clogged with debris and after it was cleaned out, water drained from the machine at a much faster rate. I think everything is fine, but I'll do a load of laundry tomorrow just to make sure. If there are any problems, the repairman is coming back on Monday. I've still got the refrigerator and the dryer to fix. A fan has broken on the refrigerator which is causing the compressor to overheat. I was wondering why parts of the exterior were warm to the touch. Evidently the entire refrigerator is acting like a heat sink to dissipate the heat from the compressor. The funny noise the dryer is making is caused by a failing belt drive. Janet says it would be cheaper just to replace these appliances. She's probably right.

We had a pleasant sunrise walk with Dawn this morning. It was only 54 degrees when we woke up. I actually should have worn a warmer jacket. It was definitely chilly outside. I'm finally learning which trees to avoid in the park now. The little green web worms are everywhere. I wonder why they are so bad this year? I've seen these things before, but this time it's different. It feels like we have a major infestation of these things.

I feel like I spent most of the day waiting for the appliance repairman. He actually came to the house twice. The second trip was necessary because he forgot a tool that he needed. The repairman told me that many washing machines have a convent access panel that makes it easy for users to clean out the drain filter. Not my machine. You have to tear apart the entire machine to gain access to the hidden filter. They couldn't have made it any more difficult to service if they tried. Maybe I won't have to do this again. The machine is fairly old and I don't recall ever cleaning this filter before. The dog hair alone that this machine has seen over the years is probably enough to clog anything.

I did get my grocery shopping done today, but I spent so much time waiting for the repairman that there wasn't time to go to the gym or take a long walk. I did manage to get at least 10,000 steps though by taking a short sunset walk after dinner. I don't know why I've become obsessed with getting my steps. I walk when I travel. I walk on rainy days. I even walk when I'm feeling sick. Occasionally I am able to rack up over 20,000 steps in a day, but 10,000 steps is my minimum. I think one of the days when I was hospitalized at Baylor was the last time I missed this daily goal. I've almost completed a full year of 10,000 step days with at least fifty 20,000 step days. Who knows if this is the secret to health and longevity, but I prefer to think that it makes a difference.

Hard to believe it's October already. Where has this year gone? I don't think I've accomplished anything signifiant this year but I do keep moving. I don't think Artemis is going to be ready to launch again until late November. This gives me something to plan for.

Tori is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4663

Today was busy. It was chilly this morning on our sunrise walk. It was only 63 degrees and I definitely needed a light jacket. I also needed a stick to brush the web worms away as we made out way down toward the lake. I'll be glad when these little green worms disappear. They've really become a nuisance.

After breakfast I did a few minor chores around the house while I was waiting to leave for my haircut appointment. My hair is thinner now but it still grows fast. It doesn't seem that long since my last haircut. I usually get a haircut before any major trip, but I won't be going anywhere for a while. There are several interesting launches next month, but I didn't apply for credentials. It's just as well that I won't be going anywhere soon. I've got too many bills to pay.

On the way home from my haircut appointment I stopped at the gym. It was cool enough to walk outdoors today, but the gym turned out to be more convenient. I was fairly terrible on the basketball court, but I was actually faster on the indoor track today. It still seems like my performance should be more consistent, but it never is. Some days I do well and other days I don't.

I did some of my grocery shopping today because I'm not sure how long the washing machine repairs will take tomorrow. I hope that no parts are needed for this repair because that always requires a second visit. I really want to avoid going to the laundromat. Hopefully, the problem is minor. According to the error code on the machine there is just a clogged drain filter.  I need to learn how to fix this myself. I'm tired of paying technicians to do things that turn out to be very easy.

The State Fair of Texas opened today. We usually go to the fair, but I'm not sure if we'll go this year. I can't even remember if we went last year. It might have still been closed due to Covid. Somewhere on the fairgrounds there is a brick walkway where you can purchase bricks with your name on them. Years ago we bought some bricks in memory of our first Dalmatian. Whenever we go to the fair, it is always a challenge to find these bricks. They're still there but it is surprisingly difficult to locate them. We used to walk Spot in Fair Park every weekend, but the city was different then. The city felt much safer twenty years ago. I'm not sure I'd want to walk in this park during off season anymore.

I hope the appliance technician is on time tomorrow. I hate waiting for repair people. They usually give you a four hour window and then show up about an hour after the window has expired. The utility room where we keep the washer and dryer is very small. I always have to move a ton of stuff out of the room before a service call to give the technician room to work. I'm not even sure how we got these appliances into this room now. It doesn't seem like they should fit.

I hope the rescue Dalmatians are doing well. We haven't seen them in quite a while. I think they will be moving to another kennel later this Fall where we can visit again. I wonder if they will remember us?

Thelma is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4662

Today was disappointing. The rent has gone up again on my storage unit and the washing machine broke. The storage warehouse increases rates every year. All storage warehouses do this. This is why I moved several years ago. Now my rent is even more than it was at the last storage warehouse when it became too expensive. I hate to move again because it is a giant pain. Janet says I ought to just throw everything in the storage unit away. That's not easy for me either.

The irritating thing about the washing machine is that I may have caused the problem myself. I decided to wash the hat I always wear when I walk in the park. The old hat was filthy. I was going to put the hat inside a lingerie bag but I couldn't find one, so I just threw it in with the rest of the laundry. I was kind of worried that the bill of the ball cap might get bent by throwing it in the washer, but I never thought the whole hat would fall apart. When the washer stopped in mid-cycle with an error code that indicated a clogged filter, I unloaded the soggy wash and discovered that parts of the hat had completely disappeared. Who knows how this happened but I bet those missing pieces are stuck in the machine's filter. I'd clean the filter myself if it were accessible. It's buried away inside the machine somewhere. I called the appliance repair shop but my favorite technician doesn't work there anymore. Hopefully whoever replaced him knows what they are doing. It's always something. I was dreading the annual maintenance costs for my car and now I've got an appliance repair bill on top of that.

The web worms in the park keep getting worse. Janet and I have to check each others clothing after our sunrise walk to make sure we aren't bringing any of the little green worms inside with us. Typically a few worms escape our scrutiny and I'll see them crawling on my shirt while I'm eating breakfast. They say the infestation should be over in two or three weeks. It won't come a minute too soon.

I don't know how the people in Florida can handle all the devastation they are currently facing. I think the worst that has ever happened at our house was a broken water pipe under our concrete slab that flooded the AC vents under the floor. A tree fell on our house once, but it didn't do any real damage. It's a good thing we've been lucky because I don't handle major problems well. I get the problems fixed, but they put me in a bad mood for weeks. Even something as minor as a broken washing machine can ruin my day.

At least the weather was nice today. It's easy to avoid the web worms when I'm taking my long walk in the park, but it's dark when we take Dawn on her sunrise walk and she often leads us right through them. Dawn is a creature of habit and it's easier to walk through the web worms than it is to get her to take a new route. I wasn't very fast on my walk this morning. My feet are slowing me down again. I think the recurring foot pain is going to be around forever. It's not bad enough to stop walking, but it sure is irritating. 

For some reason Southwest Airlines has only refunded half my airfare from the canceled Florida flights. I did change my reservation from September 27 to October 2, but I didn't think that would complicate a refund. I suspect that the rest of the money will turn up in a few days, but today the missing funds were just one more source of irritation.

I finally tested the remote shutter app for the Olympus camera. It works, but is not nearly as convenient as the remote shutter app for the Panasonic camera. Both of these apps connect to the camera using WiFi, but it's not easy to get the Olympus camera to connect. I guess I'll keep using the Panasonic camera for rocket launches.

I've taken this week's trash out to the curb and I've got an appointment for a haircut tomorrow. Getting a haircut usually puts me in a good mood for a while. I could have used a haircut today.

Sweet Pea is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4661

I'm glad I'm not in Florida now. Ian is really a terrible storm. I was listening to the weather channel this morning and one of the reporters said "I don't know how we're going to get out of here when this is over. We all have rental cars and our cars got swept away." The storm looks like it is headed straight toward Orlando now. Whenever I do return, I have a feeling that rental cars are going to be in short supply. I hope there is no serious damage at the space center. All upcoming launches, including Crew-5 have been postponed.

The weather was beautiful here in Dallas. We had another enjoyable sunrise walk with Dawn. I've really got to watch out for those little green worms. They're everywhere. Even when I tried my best to avoid them, I found a few on my jacket when I returned home. I'm glad we don't have any Hackberry trees. These things seems to be killing Hackberry trees in the park.

I was mesmerized by the hurricane coverage on TV while I was eating breakfast. Whenever there is a hurricane, I wonder why people continue to live on the beach. You are basically a sitting duck when you live on the beach and a hurricane is headed your way. I guess you are a sitting duck when a tornado is headed your way as well, but tornados are much smaller. If there's a tornado in the area, chances are reasonably good that it will miss you. Since  it was still cool outside after breakfast, I took another long walk in the park. It's really starting to feel like Fall. The trees are starting to turn and the days are noticeably cooler. I like Fall. The only trouble with this season is that it doesn't last very long. I hope I can stop mowing the grass soon. I've never liked mowing the grass.

Several people have reported seeing eagles in the park again. I keep looking for them on my walks but haven't seen anything. I guess I shouldn't be surprised. It took me a long time to spot the two eagles the first time they arrived at the park. I'm not even sure these are the same eagles, or if there are any eagles at all. Somebody could have easily just posted an old picture on Facebook just to stir things up. I'll keep watching though. I'd still like to get some really good pictures.

I guess I need to take my car in for service. The "service required" light is still showing on my dashboard and it's starting to irritate me. I've grown to hate these annual Land Rover service visits. There never seems to be anything wrong with the car, but they always seem to find something very expensive that needs immediate attention. I'd like a car that never needed attention. I'd like a house that never needed attention as well. I've really grown tired of fixing things.

Dawn did well at training class tonight. She didn't win any ribbons this week, but Janet said her trainer thinks she is doing really well and wants her to move on the the advanced class.  I'm glad Dawn enjoys these classes. They are helping her become a normal dog.

Spanky is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4660

Not a lot happened today. It was still dark when we started our sunrise walk with Dawn. There were other people in the park, but you could only see the lights they wore. Some people carried flashlights. Others wore headlamps and some even put little lights on their shoes. A lot of dogs had lighted collers. We used to have a little red light that would clip on Dawn's collar, but it got lost on a walk over a year ago. You don't really need these lights very long. The predawn sky brightens quickly. I could see Orion in the South with Mars overhead and Jupiter setting in the West as we left the house. By the time we arrived home it was daylight.

I discovered where the little green worms were coming from this morning. There is a tree I often pass under on our morning walks with hundreds of the things dangling from thin weblike threads. I must have walked through this mess the other day and didn't even realize it. Evidently the city is infested with these little green caterpillars this Fall. They seem to favor Hackberry trees.

The temperature was nice and cool today, so I took my long walk instead of going to the gym. Our Fall typically doesn't last very long, but I hope this weather continues. It's rare that the temperature is just right in Texas. Today was perfect. I could walk without getting hot and sweaty, but I didn't need a coat either.

It doesn't look like there is going to be an Artemis launch until mid to late November, but I still feel compelled to check on the rocket every day. Overnight they rolled the rocket back to the Vertical Assembly Building where it is safely stowed away. With the hurricane's path moving to the East, there is a chance that the storm will pass directly over the space center now. By the time Ian reaches the space coast it will be a lot weaker, but it will still be quite a storm. It's a good thing I'm not traveling to Florida this week. I've heard that they might even close the airport in Orlando soon.

My seasonal allergies keep getting worse. I'm not sure what causes these allergies, but it doesn't make any difference whether I'm indoors or out. Either way I'm always blowing my nose. The nasal congestion is irritating but I'm used to it by now. I've had seasonal allergies for years. I really appreciate the few weeks each year when the allergies completely go away.

I was thinking about learning some new features on one of my cameras today, but when the time came, I had already lost interest. Modern digital cameras will do a lot of things that people like me seldom use. I basically shoot the same way I used to with my old Nikon film cameras. The only controls I use are shutter speed and f-stop. I wish manufacturers would invent a way to insure perfect focus at night. That's always a tricky one for me.

I wish Dawn would warm up to me. Janet was gone this afternoon and every time I came in the bedroom, Dawn would leave. We both like to nap. It's a shame that it's so hard to do this together. I don't think Dawn will ever completely trust men.

Sophie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4659

NASA finally decided to move Artemis back to the VAB, so I guess someone eventually realized that launching on October 2nd wasn't a good idea. Hurricane Ian is moving slower than expected, so what is left of the hurricane might still be in the area at the end of the month. 

As soon as the rollback to the VAB was announced this morning I canceled all my reservations. I wonder why so many companies are so eager to take your money as soon as you make a reservation? Rental car companies don't demand payment until you pick up the car, but airlines charge you immediately. So does Airbnb. Everyone would rather offer you a credit toward future travel than refund your money. I think I'll get a full refund for everything, but it will be several days before the money shows up in my account. If there is a silver lining to this mess, it is that I can now afford to take my car in for service. I don't think Artemis will be ready for another launch attempt until late November.

It was really pleasant on our sunrise walk with Dawn, but I could tell it was going to warm up quickly as soon as the rising sun hit my face. I guess I could have tried walking in the park right after breakfast, but I decided to go to the gym because Janet likes me out of the house when she is cleaning. It took a while to get my reservations sorted out and then I did a few small chores while I was waiting for the best time to leave. I swept the pecans from the neighbor's tree off the front porch and walkways and then pried the broken atrium door open so I could clean up the atrium. I still can't find anyone to fix the oversize sliding glass door. It may stay broken like this forever.

I stayed a little longer at the gym today and spent some extra time working with free weights. It's true what the say about muscle atrophy as you get older. It's really hard for me to build back any muscle at all in my arms. You'd think my legs would be really strong with all the walking I do, but they could use some work as well. I don't think I'll ever have to worry about getting fat, but I may have to worry about turning into a skeleton. I need to come up with a better way to build back muscle.

I watched the DART asteroid redirect mission on NASA TV while I was fixing dinner this evening. I didn't realize until recently that the DART acronym meant Double Asteroid Redirection Test. Artemis might be a dismal failure, but at least NASA can get some things right. It seemed amazing to me that the DART spacecraft could score a direct hit on the tiny Dimorphos asteroid orbiting the slightly larger Didymos when the pair is millions of miles from Earth.

When we returned from our sunrise walk this morning I discovered that I had tiny green worms or caterpillars in my hair. This was disgusting. I think these things are called cankerworms because you often find them in Oak trees, but this is the wrong time of year for them. They usually hatch in March or April. At any rate, I took a shower to make sure I got rid of the things. I was surprised at how many fell out of my hair.

With no trip on the agenda and waning interest in the star tracker, I'm not sure what to do next. It gets old if the high point in your day is a walk you've taken a thousand times before. Janet thinks I ought to do volunteer work like she does, but that's not for me. I kind of enjoyed being in demand as a website developer, but that's ancient history now. I guess I'd better start planning another trip.

Suki is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4658

No hurricanes in Texas, but we did get some thunderstorms this afternoon. As usual, the rain missed our house. It always does. We still had to use the sprinklers to water the grass this evening. It's a different story down in Florida. Everyone in the state seems to be preparing for the approaching storm except for the folks at NASA. The Artemis rocket is still sitting out on the pad. What are they waiting for? The odds of a sucessful launch on October 2nd are practically zero by now. My guess is that Artemis will be loaded on the crawler and will be headed back to the VAB sometime tomorrow. I haven't canceled my reservations yet, but I suspect that I will be doing that tomorrow as well.

I didn't have to cancel anything today. It was a regular Sunday that started with a Sunrise walk and ended with ice cream. Janet fixed a nice Sunday breakfast and then I headed for the mall for my Sunday morning walk. For some reason I wasn't allowed in the entrance I regularly use. I was told that this entrance was only for store managers now and that walkers needed to use a different entrance about a quarter of a mile away. Whatever. I came here to walk anyway, so it wasn't a big deal. I have no idea why Northpark has designated entrances now. It must make sense to somebody. Probably a group of very bureaucratic people sat around for weeks discussing the idea in staff meetings.

The store windows are already filled with heavy Winter clothes. Why? It never gets that cold in Texas. I think the mall gardeners must have bought every pumpkin in Dallas. There were massive displays of pumpkins artfully displayed throughout the mall. I've never seen pumpkins and gourds in so many different colors. I didn't even know that green pumpkins were a thing, but I certainly saw lots of them today. I shouldn't make fun of the elaborately decorated mall. It's always a very pleasant place to get my steps.

I though it would be too hot to take a walk on Dawn's Sunday outing, but the skies were overcast and there was a breeze, so we gave it a try. We made a one mile loop around Dawn's Sunday park and then we headed for the ice cream store. I think Dawn was a little tired, but not as tired as I was. I don't do well walking off pavement anymore. My feet hurt and my balance isn't as good as it used to be. Dawn loves all the new smells though, and it is her day.

I was really surprised to hear thunder this afternoon. I wasn't expecting rain since the weather forecast showed nothing but clear skies for the next week. Actually we didn't get any rain in our neighborhood but it was all around us. I'm glad we were able to take Dawn on her Sunday outing while it was still nice outside. 

When I'm busy in the morning there is often nothing to do in the afternoon. I spent an inordinate amount of time searching for information about the Artemis team's plans for the hurricane. Nothing. Probably putting out press releases is the least of their worries now. I heard somebody wonder what happens if the crawler breaks down on the way back to the VAB tomorrow and is stuck outside when the hurricane arrives The crawler is over 50 years old and every time they move Artemis several of the treads fall off the tracks. It's hard to predict what is going to happen next. The hurricane isn't going away though. This weekend I was putting on some sandals and got stung by a bee that was inside the sandals. I certainly wasn't expecting that. I wish NASA luck. They're probably going to need it.

Rosie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4657

I canceled all my reservations for the 27th and made new reservations for October 2nd. Will Artemis actually launch on the 2nd? I kind of doubt it. There's a good chance it will roll back to the VAB tomorrow and sit there for weeks. It doesn't hurt to be optimistic though. I can always cancel the reservations if Artemis has to return to the VAB. One good thing about the October 2nd date is that my favorite Airbnb is available again. I can't imagine leaving Artemis out on the pad with a hurricane approaching but stranger things have happened. NASA really wants to launch this thing. It will be interesting to see what takes place tomorrow.

The park was busy this morning. This always happens on a weekend. We have to stay alert so Dawn doesn't get run over by bicycles. The weather was nice and Dawn enjoyed her walk. We got a later start this morning and the sun was already up. You could tell that it was going to warm up quickly. It felt like it would make more sense to go to the gym today.

I got a late start on my grocery shopping because I needed to change all my reservations as soon as I heard that the launch attempt on the 27th had been canceled. I've finally learned to act fast whenever there is a schedule change. Every other journalist covering the launch was probably doing exactly the same thing this morning.

With my reservations in order again I went to get groceries. The stores were crowded, but this was probably just because I got a late start today. I'm sure they're like this every week. I filled my tank on the way back from the store. Gas is less expensive now. The decrease in gas prices wasn't enough to offset the increase in food prices unfortunately. Food prices keep going up.

The gym was almost empty today. I did my normal routine and came home. I should probably try a little harder to improve myself when I'm at the gym. I just do the same things over and over again. On many days I don't even work up a sweat or elevate my heart rate much. I do get my steps though, and I guess that is the whole point for me.

My task for the afternoon was defrosting the little refrigerator. We got this refrigerator after a power outage years ago. It's small enough that it can be easily powered by our generator. It's weird that this simple little dorm room refrigerator seems essential now. We use it every day.

Tomorrow I'll probably go mall walking again and then we'll take Dawn on her Sunday outing. Since the weather is getting cooler now, we might be able to take a real walk. If not, there's always ice cream.

Scout is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4656

With a developing hurricane headed straight toward Florida, I fully expected NASA to postpone the Artemis launch today. Nope. They just kicked the can down the road, saying that they were closely monitoring the situation. I haven't canceled my reservations yet, but I probably will tomorrow. Flying into Orlando at the same time everyone else is trying to leave just doesn't seem very smart. It takes three days to roll the Artemis rocket back to the VAB, so NASA will need to make a decision soon. You can tell that these guys are trying really hard to avoid moving the rocket again. I'm sure they realize that after another bumpy journey back to the VAB, it will probably start leaking again.

The weather was fine here in Dallas. We had a very nice sunrise walk with Dawn. The temperature was in the mid-70's. The humidity was low. And there was a nice breeze. I didn't even think about going to the gym today. Even before breakfast I could tell that it was going to be a good day for a walk in the park.

After breakfast I checked my messages and got ready to change all my reservations. There wasn't any news yet though, so I went on my long walk. The trees are definitely starting to show some Fall color now.   I saw lots of Great Egrets today and the American White Pelicans are growing in number.  I didn't see the Muscovy Ducks this morning. After all these years I still don't know where they hide.

I returned to the house in time to catch an audio teleconference where the Artemis team was going to review their options going forward. There were lots of questions about why the team was moving forward toward a launch on the 27th when the weather was clearly deteriorating. Right now there is an 80% chance of a weather violation on launch day and the forecast is getting worse. The Artemis team clearly wants to keep their options open though and hope for the best. We'll see what happens tomorrow. I think they are running out of time.

I hate that my seasonal allergies have returned. I'm blowing my nose all the time now. I feel like I have inhaled pepper and at night I get nasal congestion and end up breathing through my mouth. This means that I don't sleep as well. I wake up with a dry mouth and have to go to the kitchen to drink some water. When I go on my long walk I have to stuff my pockets with Kleenex. If memory serves, these allergy problems aren't going away soon. I"m going to have a runny nose for the next several months.

I did some little chores around the house this afternoon, but didn't feel like attempting anything ambitious. I watered the plants in the atrium, tested the generator to make sure it was still working, and cleaned a toilet. I didn't do a load of laundry today because I already did that yesterday. I really should have gone ahead and canceled my reservations. I can't imagine that the launch will take place on the 27th, but what do I know. NASA has access to the best weather forecasters in the world. Maybe they know something I don't.

I don't have a big grocery list this week, but I'll still go to the store tomorrow morning. I'll probably go to the gym tomorrow afternoon. I think I've walked in the park enough this week. Hopefully NASA will make a final decision about the launch sometime tomorrow as well. I think Saturday is the last day I can cancel everything without penalties.

Sage is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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