Day 3570

We went to the State Fair today. I haven't been to the fair in years, but it hasn't changed much. The main difference I noticed was that everything was much more expensive. We did a lot of the same things we used to do. We visited the auto show building and looked at new cars. We went to the building where they usually have pig races and watched the Amazing Trick Dogs. The dogs were basically well trained agility dogs and it was fun to watch them catch frisbees, jump over hurdles, and run through an agility course. I wasn't very interested in sitting in a vibrating chair or eating a deep fried pickle, but a talented dog can always make me smile.

One of the weirdest things we saw today was a booth called Shrink Yourself. These people would make a full body scan of an individual or even a small group and then turn it into an amazingly realistic small doll that was 3-D printed. The whole process was fairly expensive and it took three weeks to get the finished doll, but people were lining up to be scanned.

As we were walking around today we found ourselves walking on a brick walkway paved with memorial bricks. This immediately brought back memories. We used to take Spot, our first Dalmatian, to Fair Park every Sunday. After he died we bought him a brick with his name on it to be placed on this walkway because Fair Park was one of his favorite places to walk. We spent a long time this afternoon trying to find Spot's brick and eventually found it. I had forgotten that we had also bought a brick for ourselves to be placed on either side of Spot. There we were thirty years later, John, Spot, and Janet, memorialized on some old bricks right in the middle of the State Fair.

Instead of having fried food on a stick, we had dinner at the Old Mill. This restaurant, located on the fairgrounds, has been around as long as I can remember. This place was built as a flour mill for the 1936 Texas Centennial Exposition and hasn't changed much since. The menu is exactly the same as it was when we used to bring Spot here to share fried chicken with us at an outdoor table on Sunday afternoons. Some of the old waiters seemed to be the same as well. The place that used to give Spot a free burger every year still exists at the fairground too, but none of the people we knew are still around. I imagine that many of them have died. It's been a long time.

I heard from Sky and Telescope today. They rejected my article. I was disappointed, but this was actually the most positive rejection letter I've ever received. The editor told me that everyone at the magazine loved my article. They thought the article was interesting, well written, and encouraged me to submit to the magazine again. The magazine would have loved to publish the article if I had actually seen anything through one of the telescopes. This is understandable. Sky and Telescope is an astronomy magazine, not a travel magazine. The editor liked my writing style and encouraged me to pitch other articles to the magazine in the future. I got the impression that they would like me to become a contributor. I just can't write about rainy nights at an observatory. What I need now is a plan to guarantee clear skies the next time I visit the Davis Mountains.

I walked over 25,000 steps today. This is a new Fitbit record. I'm a little tired, but I enjoyed our time at the fair. It was nice to rekindle some old memories of Spot. Sometimes it feels like my life has always been about Dalmatians. It probably always will be.

Hobbs is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3569

I used to go for years without seeing the dentist. Now, I never miss an appointment. Every six months a dental hygienist cleans my teeth and once a year I get new x-rays and the dentist gives me an exam. I've always had good teeth, but it's not worth tempting fate anymore. Life is full of problems as it is. I don't need to add dental work to the list.

There were no problems today. The dentist thinks I'm doing a good job of taking care of my teeth. I use a Sonicare toothbrush and a Waterpik everyday and do my best to avoid sugar. The only thing that needed attention today was the retainer I wear at night. I broke it in half about a year ago and have just been wearing each half at night. The dentist said this was fine, but I think my teeth are shifting a bit. Getting a new retainer was more reasonable than I thought, so I'm going to go ahead and have them make me a new one.

There was no time for a morning walk today. As soon as I finished breakfast it was time to go to the dentist. This didn't mean I skipped the walk. It just meant I was outside during the hottest part of the day. Jeez. When are we going to get some Fall weather? It was really hot this afternoon. Temperature really does make a difference. These walks are much easier when it's cooler.

I can't figure out what is going on with the security light in the back yard. This weekend the light stayed on all night. Yesterday it didn't work at all. Now it's back on again. I've had this problem before and every time the light eventually seemed to fix itself. I'm hoping that it will start to work normally again. The light itself is inexpensive, but I always have to call an electrician when there is a problem. In theory I could easily install a new light myself, but it is located very near our power line and I'm clumsy at times. I don't want to get myself electrocuted. I'm trying to convince myself that it's easier to look at the stars at night when the yard is dark, but I like a little light coming in through the windows at night. Somehow it is easier to sleep when the security light is working.

I'm still eating leftover sandwiches from the golf tournament for dinner. If I'd thought to take a few more, I wouldn't have to go to the store at all this week. I ate the last sandwich tonight, but I doubt that I'll be very hungry tomorrow anyway. We're planning on going to the fair on Thursday. There's so much junk food at the fair that you seldom want to eat when you get home. You can get virtually anything deep fried on on a stick at the fair. I know it's not good for you but that's why the fair is only once a year. Whatever I eat tomorrow, there's a virtual certainty that it will give me heartburn.

I recharged my laptop batteries and applied a security patch this afternoon. With all the power outages we have around here, you never know when I'm going to need this thing. I used to ignore the security updates but you can't really do that anymore. Apple is no longer immune from hackers and malware. My laptop seems very slow, but that's probably just because it's old. I hate to retire this thing. It's the last laptop Apple made that came with a CD/DVD drive and full size USB ports. There's a slot for camera cards too. New laptops don't have any of this stuff.

Last year at this time, Dash was having seizures and I was getting nervous about an upcoming art auction in New York. That all seems so long time ago now. The only thing that hasn't changed are the telemarketing calls. We're still getting a ton of telemarketing calls.

Bailey is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3568

The older you get, the harder it is to tell whether the aches and pains you feel are completely normal or a sign that something's wrong. When I wake up in the morning I hate to move, because it feels so comfortable to just lie there doing nothing. As soon as I'm up and about, my joints start telling me that I've seen better days. The aches and pains are real. My ankles hurt when I walk long distances, but I suspect that there's nothing wrong. I wear really light Nike Air shoes now because they're easier on my feet but they don't provide the firm ankle support that my old heavy hiking boots did. I'm sure that there is something wrong with my shoulders, but I'm not certain what to do about it. I haven't been good at keeping up with my physical therapy exercises and I don't even want to consider surgery. Everybody I know who has had shoulder surgery never regained a full range of motion. Basically, old bones just aren't as resilient as young bones.

I probably should start going to physical therapy again for my shoulder. It did help a little when I was doing the exercises every day. I'll ask my doctor to recommend someone the next time I see him. I really need to improve my range of motion, but it's hard to do exercises that are painful. I'm not very motivated. It's easier when someone is forcing me to do the right thing.

I've got a dental appointment in the morning and an appointment with the eye doctor later in the month. Doctors always tell me I'm doing great. What does that mean? They probably just mean that I'm doing pretty good compared to other people my age. I remember feeling a lot healthier when I was younger, but it was probably just an illusion. I actually had more medical problems when I was young than I do now. At least I'm eating healthy and taking care of myself these days. Hopefully, I'll never wind up in the ER again.

October is here, but where is the nice Fall weather? Today still felt like Summer. I think my walks will be a lot more enjoyable when the weather is cooler and I don't have to change my clothes as soon as I get back to the house. I keep telling myself that sweating is good for you. At least that's what I hear. Sweating during exercise is supposed to reduce the risk of developing kidney stones, prevent colds, and detox your body. Sounds good to me.

I wonder if I'll have time to take my walk tomorrow? I might not even have time to drink my smoothie. I should have made my dental appointment during the afternoon. These days even 11 AM can seem pretty early. How did I ever used to go to work every morning? I need to ask the dentist whether braces could benefit someone my age. I feel like my teeth are getting out of alignment. Does it even matter? Probably not.

Tori is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3567

Treasure was mad that she couldn't play today. It has only been a few days since her surgery and she's not ready to have her stitches removed yet. Treasure can play rough when she gets excited. We didn't want to risk having her incisions come open. It's hard to tell a dog that there'll be plenty of time to play later, but Treasure will just have to wait. After her stitches come out, she can show us how well she knows how to roll over again.

Hank is still too thin but he is eating well and his gastrointestinal problems seem to have gone away. The vet says he should start gaining weight in a week or so. He certainly has plenty of energy. Hank could play ball for hours. Sock isn't interested in playing but loves the attention. He has a new soft bed now and would probably rather have us take a nap with him than play ball. Jasmine and Jelly Bean, our two new girls, have really come out of their shell. It's quite a transformation. They seems to become friendlier and more trusting with each passing week. They are both eager to see us now. Rolly might be getting a home soon. He's such a friendly, easy-going dog that we're going to miss seeing him. Charlie is almost ready for a home as well. He's come a long way. He still needs to learn how to relax but he seems to trust me now and enjoys getting belly rubs.

Poor Jasmine starts her heartworm treatment tomorrow. The treatment can be hard on the dogs, but it needs to be done. Heartworms will kill a dog if left untreated. It's still hard for me to believe that so many people don't give their dogs the preventative medicine. It's easy and it works. So many of the dogs we rescue end up having heartworms. Jasmine has become comfortable with life at the kennel, but she still doesn't like riding in a car. She drooled a lot on the way to the vet this afternoon. Maybe she gets motion sickness. At least she didn't throw up in the car. When I see a dog drool a lot, they are either looking at a piece of cheese or getting ready to throw up.

A morning walk in the park and an afternoon with the Dalmatians basically took up the entire day. That's OK. I don't really make plans anymore. There is very little these days that can't wait until tomorrow. I've got a dental appointment later this week, but that's about it. Sometimes when I walk in the park, I daydream about what I'd like to do next. I can't think of anything I'd like to do here in town. The idea of traveling around in a little van looking for dark skies and bright stars sounds appealing. I don't know if I'd feel safe on the road though. Truthfully, I'm not sure I feel safe anywhere these days. The world I grew up with is crumbling.

Maybe I should start looking for places like Fort Davis. There are probably lots of little towns like this scattered around the country. Maybe not though. When I was a kid, my family used to spend summers in Colorado. Towns like Crested Butte and Telluride were a lot like Fort Davis back then. Then rich people discovered them and ruined everything. I used to love Crested Butte when it was almost a ghost town. I don't even recognize the place anymore.

I'll save these thoughts for another day. I don't have a time machine. Basically, it doesn't matter if you are living in a little hamlet or a big city. It's still 2019 everywhere.

Thelma is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3566

It was a nice day for a golf tournament. The weather was warm, but not too hot. There was a nice breeze which I enjoyed, but it might have made things challenging for the golfers. We had a good turnout this year and everybody seemed to enjoy themselves. It takes a lot of work to put on a golf tournament, but this has always been a good fundraiser for the dogs. It's hard to believe that Dalmatian Rescue has been doing this for eighteen years.

This years tournament was held at Tour 18. They call this place a replica course. Each hole duplicates a hole from famous golf courses like Doral, Sawgrass, and Augusta. Seems weird to me, but the golfers seem to like it. While the teams played, Janet and I drove around the course in a cart and took their picture.  I haven't done this in a while and I must have slowed down a bit. I remember taking over three hundred pictures at previous tournaments. Today I only took 200.

This evening I discovered that an airline pilot we've known for years likes astronomy as well as Dalmatians. I've known about his dogs for years, but I've never known about his telescopes. I told him about our recent trip to McDonald Observatory and we shared a few observing experiences. It's a small world. I didn't really think I'd run into anyone else who was equally fond of Dalmatians and astronomy.

Jenga's new family brought him to the golf tournament. He looked great and seemed very happy with his new life. Quite a few people brought their dogs with them today and almost all of them were familiar faces. They got their start in the rescue program and have all found wonderful homes. It's fun to see how well these guys are doing. They've come a long way since their life at the kennel. I knew some of the golfers today, but I think I recognized more dogs than people this afternoon.

I still don't really understand the appeal of golf. It's expensive to play and difficult to master. My shoulders are so wrecked that I don't even think I could swing a golf club. Lifting my arms above my head isn't something I can easily do anymore. That being said, I'm still in better shape than many golfers. To each his own, I guess. I'll skip the golf clubs and keep looking for dark skies and a good telescope.

I should sleep well tonight. It's been a long day. Tomorrow we'll visit the Dalmatian Rescue kennel again. We'll be taking Jasmine to the vet to begin her heartworm treatment. I'm not sure what I'll begin. It's a new week. I'm sure there's something that needs attention.

Sweet Pea is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3565

Our power went out again today. There was no wind and no rain, but I did hear an explosion back in the alley. A squirrel probably shorted out a transformer again. It has happened before. Since there weren't problems in other parts of the city, our power was restored in just a few hours. We went out to dinner tonight and by the time we returned home, the electricity was on again. I did use the generator to keep the refrigerator running, but all-in-all this was a pretty painless outage.

When I went to the grocery store this morning I discovered that the app I've been using to bypass the checkout line wasn't broken after all. I was just using it wrong. One of the many updates apparently changed the way the app works and I never noticed. Jeez. Why do people keep changing things on me? As soon as I get used to something it changes.

The weather is still unusually hot for September. That's not the worst of it though. I'd forgotten that in addition to Spring allergies, there are also Fall seasonal allergies. Ragweed is usually the culprit, but on a windy day like today there is a lot of other pollen in the air as well. For the past several weeks I've had to stuff my pockets full of paper towels and blow my nose every few hundred yards while I'm walking. If there was ever a reason to start walking inside at the gym, this would be it. I'm a creature of habit though. Even though seasonal allergies make me feel miserable, they've never stopped me from doing anything. I doubt that this month's unusually high pollen counts will stop me either.

I got a note saying that it's time to make an appointment with the eye doctor. Has it been a year already? If you go to any type of doctor these day, you'll have to see them again a year later. There's nothing wrong with my eyes but I guess a regular checkup makes sense. My Dad had macular degeneration as he grew older. I certainly don't want to deal with that. I have to wear readers now when I'm working at the computer, but my distance vision is still 20/20. I'm sure my close range vision would be better too if I hadn't spent so many years staring at a computer screen.

I guess I'm ready for the golf tournament. The cameras seem to be working well and all the batteries are charged. I just need to decide what shoes to wear. Just about all my shoes feel uncomfortable after a long day. I probably won't be walking all that much anyway. I mostly just drive around in a golf cart and take pictures of each team. I've never played golf myself. I'm left handed and can't even hit the ball using right handed clubs. I doubt if I'd be much better using left handed clubs. I've never tried.

I'm glad we've got electricity again. The house heats up quickly when the air conditioner isn't running. It's always a pain writing the blog without electricity too. I haven't charged the laptop battery recently, so that might have been a problem. Power outages, loss of WiFi, and computer crashes have never stopped me yet. I would have figured out something, but everything is so much easier with electricity.

I need to get some sleep tonight. It's going to be a long day tomorrow.

Spanky is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3564

Nothing appealed to me this morning, so I just had a bowl of cold cereal at home. This was actually a good thing because it allowed me to get an early start on today's walk. I should walk earlier every day but it's hard to get organized. The temperature was only in the seventies and there was a hint of Fall in the air. A few of the trees are already starting to turn yellow. There was a nice breeze this morning and the walk was quite pleasant until the sun got higher in the sky. By the time I finished my five miles, I was still hot and sweaty, but it feels like the worst of Summer is over. Pretty soon we'll have our two weeks of nice weather for the year.

This afternoon I wrote some letters and took them to the post office. It's getting harder for me to do chores around the house, but it's always easy to write. I can see a time where all I do is walk and write. Walking is exercise for the body and writing is exercise for the mind. All in all, I think I'm doing pretty well.

This Sunday is the annual Dalmatian Rescue Golf Tournament. Since I will be taking photos at this event, I started checking out my cameras today. Step one is choosing which camera to take. Lately, I always opt for the lighter cameras. These cameras seem to get heavier every year. I need to make sure all the batteries are fully charged. Since I don't use my cameras much anymore, the batteries are usually completely dead. They take a lot longer to charge than you'd think when they are fully discharged. Sometimes I find a battery that has died and I need to replace it. Hard to believe that I used to use these cameras almost every day. The last time I used the one I'm charging now was last Christmas when I was taking Santa Paws pictures for Dalmatian Rescue. Mostly I just use my phone to take pictures now.

While I was charging batteries this afternoon, I thought it would be a good time to defragment my hard drives. This takes a long time as well with a 4 terabyte drive. I'm not even sure you need to defragment hard drives anymore. You don't hear much about it these days. Old habits die hard though and periodically I go through the lengthy process of defragmenting all the drives. I never notice any performance differences when I'm finished, but at least I'm trying to keep things from getting scrambled.

Janet wants to go to the fair this year. It's been years since we've been to the fair. I'm not sure a lot has changed. The fair has always been about fried food, farm animals, and Fall weather. One thing that has changed is that we can go for free now. There is a Senior Citizen's Day every Thursday. Many years ago we used to take our first Dalmatian to Fair Park a few weeks before the fair started when everybody was setting things up. One of the vendors really liked Spot and they would always give him a hamburger when we visited their booth. This became a ritual and Spot would look forward to this visit every year. I remember writing a story about this once called Dog Day at the Fair.

I still find myself fantasizing about going back to McDonald Observatory, which probably means I'll be making the trip sooner rather than later. It take me so long to plan things though that sooner could be next year. I wish there was a better way to predict the weather. I'd hate to travel all that way just to arrive on another rainy day.

I'm still hoping to get my roof patched before we have another rainy day here. At the rate I'm going, I might make it back to the observatory first.

Sophie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3563

When I look back, it's amazing how similar my days are. Year after year I talk about the weather. I worry about roof leaks. I try to fix broken things around the house. I watch the latest crisis on TV while I'm eating breakfast. Every now and then something exciting happens. I guess I should be trying to eliminate the monotony and increase the excitement, but I'm not so sure. Often there's not much difference between excitement and sheer panic.

My days are uneventful now and that's OK. I loved having dogs around the house, but my strongest memories are of unexpected injuries, sickness, and middle of the night trips to the emergency room. Somehow, the sadness of losing a dog seems to linger a lot longer than the happiness of playing with a puppy.

It was always exciting to get a big new assignment during my working days. I was proud that I was able to build a successful company on my own. The exciting assignments always turned into stressful deadlines though. I always enjoyed getting new clients and new jobs. I just didn't enjoy doing them.

Sometimes I wake up thinking "what now?" I'm a clever guy. I could do just about anything, but I have no strong desires. Most of the things I've done in my past, I have no desire to repeat. I'm sure I'll apply to be a guest of NASA again. Watching a rocket launch is quite an experience. Once every year or two seems plenty though. Repeating anything too often ruins the magic.

There is a little magic in the idea of becoming a Star Party guide at McDonald Observatory. With so many volunteer opportunities right here in Dallas, I would have to get intrigued about one in a very remote part of the country. I'm definitely not going to buy an RV just so I can work for free in the middle of nowhere. The idea of volunteering for the observatory is still worth exploring though. Maybe they would let me stay in the astronomer's lodge.

I'll save future travel plans for another day. Tomorrow I've got to find a place to go to breakfast. Last week's choice was a disaster. I'm not going back there again. It's getting harder to keep these little Friday morning outings interesting. Like I said earlier, doing anything too often ruins the magic.

Suki is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3562

I tried to tie up a few loose ends today. I called a roofer who promised me a bid back in March. He said he was still interested but was so busy that he probably wouldn't even have time to think about my roof until after the first of the year. This guy disagrees with another roofer who has already given me a bid about the best way to fix my roof. Probably my current roofer disagrees with both of these guys. It doesn't give you a lot of confidence when nobody can find a common solution to your problems.

I called about my unsold guitars and synthesizers. Just as I expected, they are still unsold. Evidently, people are interested but nothing has resulted in a sale. I'm not ready to give up yet. If I took these things back, they would just wind up in my storage warehouse again. At least a few of my guitars have already sold. I have an offer on one synthesizer, but it is ridiculously low. I've been a pack rat all my life and I thought that parting with this stuff would be hard. That turned out to be the easy part. Actually selling the stuff is the hard part.

Earlier this summer I noticed that McDonald Observatory always seems to be looking for retirees with an interest in astronomy to help conduct their weekly star parties. Since the observatory is so isolated, they specifically look for people who own an RV and can stay for several weeks at a time. It's a volunteer job, but the observatory provides a place to park the RV, electricity, and access to the observatory's facilities. This sounds like fun to a person like me. If you stayed at the observatory long enough, you are bound to have a few clear nights. Unfortunately, I don't have an RV. I'm not sure I'd like to drive one either. I was in a daydreaming mood this afternoon, so I started looking at RV's on the Internet. Jeez. These things are expensive. You could buy almost any luxury car for a lot less. A Porsche 911 and a well appointed Sprinter conversion van are about the same price. You could buy a decent house for less than some of those huge Type A motorhomes. So much for thoughts of living on the road.

I need to find a way to make my walks more interesting. The benefits of this type of exercise are obvious, but the walks are becoming boring. I guess I keep walking because being outdoors is still a lot more interesting than walking on a treadmill at the gym. The best thing about walking is the solitude. The worst thing is being drenched in sweat with sore feet. Maybe I'll enjoy things more in the Winter.

I noticed that the tree guys dumped all their lunch trash in my garbage can. Most people wouldn't be bothered by this, but I'm obsessive. I hate loose trash. I always bag and seal everything. I emptied out the can and put all the loose stuff in a big black leaf bag. I was surprised at how much food the tree guys eat on the job. I don't eat lunch at all. Falling branches and logs also damaged a few things in the yard. I expected that though. At least they didn't drop anything heavy on the roof while they were removing the tree.

I guess I'll watch the final episode of the Ken Burns documentary later this evening. I don't ever listen to country music, but I know a lot more about it now. I'm always fascinated watching the credits at the end of a Ken Burns movie. Hundreds and hundreds of people seem to work on these things. I wonder what Ken Burns actually does? I made a few documentaries back in the early 1970's. There wasn't much need for credits. It was just me and a sound man.

I got caught up on a lot of things today. That doesn't leave much for tomorrow. I'm sure I'll think of something though. I've got an entire day to fill.

Rosie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3561

Jeez. It costs more to remove a tree than it does to take a nice little vacation to the Davis Mountains. This was the third time I've had to have the tree guys out this year. I bet they'll be back again. Janet wanted them to remove another tree as well, but the Elm tree was all they had time for today. I hate spending money to make the yard look even worse than it did before, but what are you going to do? Mother nature always wins these battles. These trees get blown down in windstorms or they fall from rot or old age. Mature trees the same age are falling in the park all the time. There's not much I can do to stop this.

At least the Elm tree is gone and I can check one more thing off my to-do list. The tree was located very close to the house, so we can't use a stump grinder to remove the stump. There is too much danger that the stump removal process would break the glass in the bedroom windows. The tree was close to our sewer line as well. One more reason not to get a stump grinder involved. People in the country often burn a tree stump out. Nope. That's not going to work. Sounds like a good way to burn down the house. I guess I'm going to have to get used to living with the unsightly stump.

Treasure's surgery went well. She had three growths removed, but none was cancerous. One growth was a benign fatty lipoma, another was a mammary tumor, and the third growth was scar tissue from an earlier surgery. Treasure should be on the road to recovery soon. What she needs now is a home.

There are a lot of Dalmatians that need a home right now. The rescue group has been asked to take in as many as twenty new dogs recently. This is way more than usual. We've already picked up six of these dogs, but it's a real challenge to find the funds to do something on this scale. Vet bills, food, and boarding expenses really add up quickly. Hopefully the group will find a way to bring all these dogs into the rescue program.

When I was taking my walk this morning, I could hear the tree guys chain saws from a long way away. Chain saws are really noisy. I wonder why people choose this line of work. There is a lot of skill involved to bring down a large tree without destroying everything in the vicinity. There is also a lot of danger. I've known several people who have experienced serious chain saw injuries. For that reason alone, I won't go anywhere near a chain saw. I'm glad there are people who will do this work. If you've got a tree on your roof, you've got a serious problem.

I just upgraded my phone to IOS 13 a few days ago and there is already another update. I guess it doesn't take long for bugs to be discovered. I downloaded the new update as well. I have no idea why it is needed, but it's better to be safe than sorry.

I skipped episode six of the Ken Burns documentary tonight. I'm sure I'll watch it later though. They rebroadcast these things over and over. I still can't decide whether to go see Ad Astra in a theater. Now that I've started taking long walks, there isn't a lot of time for a matinee movie. I eat breakfast, I walk, I do a few unavoidable chores, and I write the blog. Lately, I call that a pretty full day.

Scout is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3560

I don't think I'm cut out to binge watch a series on Netflix. I'm enjoying the new Ken Burns documentary on PBS, but it's so long that it makes me fidgety. It's hard to turn away though. Every segment is interesting and some of the recent shows bring back memories. I don't like to sit in front of a TV for this long though. Especially in the evening. It disrupts my schedule. I've probably missed a lot of interesting shows writing the blog every night for so many years. On the other hand, I might have missed nothing. Writing seems more valuable to me than passively watching something. To me it's the mental equivalent of walking. You've got to keep your body and mind on the move.

I got my walking done early today so we could spend the afternoon with the Dalmatians. It's amazing how relaxed the new dogs seem now. They have adjusted well to life in the kennel. For dogs that were running stray or were abused, the kennel is kind of like a halfway house. It allows them to relax and start to feel safe again while they wait for their forever homes.

Rolly is gaining weight and is almost finished with his heartworm treatment. Sock's skin problems are  getting much better and he is turning into a very handsome dog. Hank is on a special diet now and it appears to be working. So far, there has been no more vomiting or bloody stools. Jasmine and Jelly Bean are playful now and eager to see us. It's hard to believe that they were so nervous just a few weeks ago. Charlie continues to amaze us with the progress he's made. He's a very smart boy.

Poor Treasure was the only one with problems today. We noticed a suspicious growth on her belly a few weeks ago and it turned out to be a mammary tumor. We think the tumor is benign, but it still needs to be removed. When we finished visiting with all the dogs we took her to the vet on our way home. She will have surgery in the morning. Treasure has already had another tumor removed when she first entered the rescue program. Hopefully, this will be the last. You'd never know she was headed for surgery tomorrow. She was full of energy this afternoon and as always, enjoyed rolling over for treats.

Tomorrow, the tree guy returns to remove what is left of the large Elm tree that fell earlier this Summer. The yard is going to look bare without this once impressive tree. I hope we won't end up losing all the trees. All of them have seen better days and most have lost a few limbs over the years. Hopefully the tree removal won't cause neighbor problems. One of our neighbors hates having the alley blocked even for short periods of time.

The security light in the back yard has quit working again. It must be the temperature that is causing the problem. The hotter the day, the shorter amount of time the light stays on at night. One of these days I'll break down and get the silly thing fixed.

Sage is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3559

It's not even October yet and Halloween is already in full swing. People are buying pumpkins. The stores are full of Halloween candy and pumpkin spice flavors. Costume ideas are being shared on Facebook. I wonder why this holiday has become so popular. I used to go trick or treating as a kid, but I never remember preparing for the day a month in advance. I guess what I remember most is that our parents let us wander around the neighborhood for hours at night with no supervision whatsoever. It's kind of ironic. The scariest day of the year used to be completely safe.

I got my 20,000 steps today. There really isn't time for much else on these high activity days. My heart rate was higher than usual at the gym. Why? I certainly wasn't exercising any harder. Even the smallest inconsistency in my life catches my attention these days. There was something different in the park as well. The first of the Winter White Pelicans have arrived. There are four birds at the lake now. Since the pelican that never migrated disappeared a week before these new birds arrived, I don't know whether he left to get the others or left because he knew they would be arriving soon. Is the pelican I watched all Summer one of the four birds I'm seeing now? I'll probably never know because all pelicans look the same to me.

I downloaded the latest system for my Apple watch today. Apple really wants to monitor your health. Now, in addition to monitoring for signs of Atrial fibrillation and sending out an alert if you take a hard fall, the watch will warn you if your are around a noise loud enough to cause hearing damage. They could probably add blood pressure measurement to the list with a watch band that would expand like a blood pressure cuff. I don't know how they'll be able to monitor blood sugar levels, but I hear they're working on it. The new health and safety features are cool, but I like the new California watch face. This face was popularized by Panerai and other watch makers back in the 1930's and I've always liked the look of it. I'd like to see Apple add more well known watch faces.

The Ken Burns documentary about Country Music resumed tonight and I guess I'm hooked for the entire series. As the show slowly crawls its way toward modern times, some of the history is starting to seem familiar. Back in my ad agency days I used to record jingles and commercials in Nashville. Some of the session musicians featured on tonight's show were used on these commercials. During this time, I remember seeing a young Dolly Parton singing with Porter Wagoner during a taping of their popular TV show. Much later I think several members of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band were session musicians on some other commercials I recorded in Nashville. Nashville always had an allure for anyone who fancied themselves as a songwriter. I never moved to Nashville but I did think about it briefly for a while.

Tomorrow it's back to drinking fruit smoothies again. Since it's Monday, we'll probably visit the Dalmatians as well. The tree guys are scheduled to return on Tuesday to remove the rest of the big Elm tree that fell in June. The yard is going to seem strange without this familiar tree. I wish the roofers would return with a big can of silicon coating. Of course it would seem really strange if they actually did.

Sadie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3558

Two days before my billing cycle ends AT&T tells me that I've used up my data plan for the month and as a courtesy they've added $20 to my bill so that I'll still have data access on my phone for the next two days. Jeez. Couldn't they have given me the option of just going without a data plan for two days. I never would have missed it. I seldom use my data plan anyway. The only reason I ran out last month was that I used my phone as a WiFi hotspot for my laptop while we were in Fort Davis.

I called customer service to complain, but the guy I talked to had no interest in refunding my $20. He tried to sell me an iPhone 11 instead. I have no problem with the electric company, the gas company, and the city water department. The phone company always irritates me though. Everything they do seems like a rip off. What are you going to do? Even a budding Luddite like me needs a phone.

Maybe my data plan ran out today because I kept having problems with the app that lets me bypass the checkout lanes at the grocery store. Everything I tried to scan in the produce section kept giving me an error message saying "must use cashier for this item." I finally gave up and used the cashier for everything.

I keep reading about the new Land Rover Defender, hoping that I'll like it better. I've been waiting for this thing to arrive for a long time and I'm so disappointed. It doesn't look like an indestructible off road vehicle at all. The design looks like something you'd take to the grocery store or use to pick up the kids after school. I have no doubt that the new design is more reliable than my old Defender. That thing broke down all the time, but it was part of the charm. Why does everything need to be computerized these days. If I wanted a computerized car, I'd just go buy a Tesla.

When I'm sleeping I'm always wandering around lost in my dreams. When I wake up, I'm taking long walks in the park. Sometimes it feels like I'm spending all my time walking. There is definitely a Forest Gump quality to all this. It's too bad that all the walking I do in my dreams doesn't count as exercise. It probably barely counts as sleep. They say that REM sleep isn't as beneficial as deep sleep.  I spend a lot of time dreaming, but according to Mr. Fitbit, I don't get much deep sleep at all.

I didn't accomplish anything today, but I did keep moving. Tomorrow I'll move even more. Sunday's have become my 20,000 step day. Years ago, the band used to practice on Sunday. Then there was a time when I would use Sundays to build up my photography portfolio. Now I just walk. Priorities change when you've got nothing to prove.

Rowe is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3557

Every once in a while I go to a restaurant that I thought was terrible just to see if it got any better. Today I went to a place that I remembered as being dirty with rude waiters. The place was very clean and everyone was extremely friendly. I ordered the one thing on the menu that I used to like and it was terrible. What was going on here? Did this place get bought by someone else? It was all very disorienting.

It rained a lot last night, but the rain didn't cool things down. It was still hot and muggy. I knew I would need to go up on the roof and clear the standing water away, but I decided to get my morning walk out of the way first. By the time I returned, I was too tired to go up on the roof and took a nap instead. I kept trying to postpone this task by taking some mail to the post office and updating my phone to IOS 13. Eventually, I turned on both pumps and water came gushing out of the attached hoses. Damn. There was a lot of water up there. I had to deal with it.

I hate going up on the roof these days. It seems like I've been clearing away water forever. Every time it rains, the damaged areas get a little worse. There really isn't a good solution. Since the house is old and has settled, there would still be standing water even with a new roof. To reengineer the roof so it still looked the same but had just enough of a pitch to reliably drain water away is ridiculously expensive. I guess I'll just keep patching things. I'll probably have to go buy a five gallon can of the silicon coating material myself since the roofer still hasn't brought me the coating he promised. Residential roofers don't know how to do a flat roof and commercial roofers aren't interested in doing small jobs like this. They'd rather do a shopping center instead. It's all very tiring. I've gotten bids on a new roof, but nothing seems realistic. This is why I hate rain. If it would just quit raining, I wouldn't have a problem.

Every time I update my phone I get all these messages asking if various apps can connect to Bluetooth or operate in the background. My instinct is always to say no to everything and then the apps quit working. I think I've got everything I use working again, but I keep wishing that people would quit constantly updating everything. I was happy with the way my computer and phone worked five years ago. I really don't care about Dark Mode or a host of new Emojis. As long as I can check the weather and take pictures on my walks, I'm good.

With my five mile walk, a trip to the post office and grocery store, and a lot of manual labor on the roof, I got in quite a few steps today. It will be interesting to see what my regular doctor thinks when I go in for my annual physical soon. I feel healthier than I did last year. I also feel older. Maybe I'm just treading water. Janet and I both think it's important to keep moving. It's amazing how sedentary some people our age have become. It would be nice if I actually liked exercising like Janet does, but I can't complain. Staying active keeps me from wondering about my purpose in life. You don't need a purpose when you are walking. You just walk.

The backyard security light stayed on twice as long as it usually does last night. It was a lot cooler yesterday. Maybe the problem with the photoelectric sensor is temperature related. Maybe the rain washed away some of the spider webs. Who knows. If we still had dogs, I would have replaced this light by now. Some things just don't seem to matter as much anymore.

Rosie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3556

For the first time in months I got caught in the rain on my morning walk. It actually felt kind of nice. For a little while it felt like Fall had finally arrived. There was a cool breeze and I noticed that a few leaves were already blowing in the wind. I should have taken a good camera with me since I saw several large Great Blue Herons. Maybe some other time. Rainy days are good for photography, but not so good for cameras.

I heard from one of the editors at Sky and Telescope today. My submission had wound up in somebody's junk mail folder and wasn't discovered until today. The article still has to go through the review process, but I was encouraged that the magazine took the time to write me. They also seemed pleased that I had photos to accompany the article. We'll see what happens. At least for today I'm feeling optimistic.

I lied about not watching last night's episode of the new Ken Burns documentary. As I was going to bed I noticed that PBS was rebroadcasting the fourth episode again and I ended up watching the entire thing. Is the show over yet? Nope. There are eight more hours to go.

I had to pick up another prescription this afternoon. For some reason all my prescriptions are getting renewed automatically now and they are being filled weeks before the old pills run out. I guess I could fix this problem, but it's easier to just ignore it. I'll use all the pills eventually.

Today went quickly, considering that nothing really happened. It's amazing that I managed to get so much done during my younger years. Now, a few simple things can take up the entire day. I guess all the important things have been taken care of. This week's trash has been taken to the curb. I'm up to date on my prescriptions. All my bills are paid. I guess I'm ready to go out for breakfast tomorrow morning.

It rained enough today that I'll probably have to go up on the roof tomorrow and remove the water. It never ends. I sure hope my Sky and Telescope article gets published. I need some little victories every now and then to keep me moving forward.

Rhett is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3555

The doctor's office called with the lab results from yesterday's visit. Everything looks good. I think my health is better today than it was ten years ago. It's amazing what a healthy diet and a little exercise can do. A lack of stress probably helps too. Running a small business was stressful at times. So was caring for very sick dogs. I really miss the dogs, but I don't miss all the worries.

It rained a little today. South Texas is getting some serious downpours, but we just got a few showers. I didn't even hear the rain. I was surprised to go outside and see that the driveway was wet. It's hardly worth going up on the roof for this amount of rain. It's still so hot that any standing water will evaporate quickly. Hopefully, we got enough water to revive the grass in the front yard. It's been looking pretty brown lately.

There are a lot of people who walk faster than me in the park, but there are at least two that walk much slower. I see them every day. There are very old and both use walkers. When I have finished my five miles, they have usually only traveled a few hundred yards. I initially thought these people were lost or abandoned, but they live in the neighborhood and are just doing the same thing I am on a smaller scale. This is probably me in a few years. I hope they manage to keep moving. You've got to keep moving and you've got to know your own pace. I used to see a guy at the gym every Sunday who always wore a t-shirt that said "I wish I was still 85." One day the guy disappeared and I assumed he died. He had a good run though. He had to be at least 95 when I would see him on the treadmill.

The bills from the Davis Mountains trip are starting to come in. The damage wasn't as bad as I thought. Actually a modest road trip is pretty affordable. You get a lot better gas mileage on the highway and restaurants in small towns are much more affordable than what you find in Dallas. The only downside is all the truck traffic. I wish companies would start shipping their freight by train again. A constant stream of eighteen wheelers can ruin just about any long drive.

Should I go see Ad Astra? I see almost every new science fiction movie, but this one is being pushed so hard by the studio and the critics that I almost want to skip it. I did skip the latest episode of Country Music this evening. I made it through the Hank Williams era, but I don't think another four hours will will teach me much more. Ken Burns needs to make shorter movies.

Tomorrow is another day. I think I've eaten most of the left overs, so I may need to go to the grocery store. I'll probably finish the history of the Davis Mountains I've been reading. What does it mean when the early history of West Texas becomes more interesting than Brad Pitt going to Neptune?

Puppies are today's Dalmatians of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3554

Today was a little different. Instead of taking a walk right after breakfast, I turned on the computer and recreated the missing business card. Why didn't I do this in the beginning? It only took me about fifteen minutes to redo the card from scratch. I spent hours looking unsuccessfully for the old files. I uploaded the layout to one of the same online printing companies I thought might have printed the original card and I was done. Is there a lesson in this? Probably not. If there is an easy way and a hard way, I usually pick the hard way.

After I got the business card taken care of, I edited some of the new Dalmatian pictures I've been taking and got dressed to go to my doctor's appointment. This was just a yearly checkup with a specialist I don't see much anymore. I was hoping that they'd have a better nurse this time. I remember she had a hard time finding a vein during my last visit and ended up sticking me multiple times. You'll never feel it when a good phlebotomist draws your blood. An inexperienced one can make you want to skip your appointment.

Todays blood draw was fairly painless, but my blood pressure seemed abnormally high. I mentioned this to the doctor and he just laughed. "We don't even need your blood pressure," he told me. "We're required by law to take a reading before every exam though, so we just buy the cheapest monitors we can find." "Throw that cuff away," he told his nurse. "It's been reading high all day." The doctor seemed pleased with my exam and said that I didn't need to see him again until this time next year. I don't have nearly as many doctor's appointment anymore. I feel healthier and apparently the most of my doctors agree.

I finally did a side-by-side comparison of the old and new dehumidifiers today. The old one clearly isn't working as well as the new one. It's hard for me to throw the old machine away because it still looks brand new. Rationally, the dehumidifier isn't worth fixing. I've had trouble finding a repairmen who works on this brand and I know that the repairs would cost almost as much as a new machine. This is why we bought the new dehumidifier in the first place. Too bad. I was kind of hoping I could fix the old machine and then we'd have two. Hey, you can't have too many dehumidifiers.

This morning, I was convinced that I wouldn't have time to take my long walk today, but when I got home from the doctor's office, I decided to walk anyway. Skipping a day now and then is no big deal, but I've gotten hooked on taking a lot of steps for my Fitbit to count. A walk at the end of the day is really no different than a walk in the morning. It was still way too hot.

I watched the third episode of Ken Burns documentary about Country Music. After the first hour, I got bored and wandered away from the TV to do something else. Ken Burns films are well done and really interesting, but they are way too long. I think I've got the message now. I'm not sure if I'll watch the final episode at all.

I'm sure that tomorrow won't seem nearly as busy as today. I don't have many busy days anymore. I'll figure out something to do though. I always do.

Princess is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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