Day 4077

I hate getting old. It was a lot warmer today, so I thought I'd inflate my tires and get rid of the annoying warning light on my dash. I struggled to get the heavy air compressor out of the storage shed next to the carport. I'd put the compressor up on a shelf when I was younger and much stronger. Why didn't I put this thing on the floor like a sensible person? When I got the machine going and sat on the pavement to inflate the first tire, I realized that it was very hard to get up again. I went to the kitchen and brought out a chair to sit in while I was checking the tire pressure and inflating it to to proper specifications. I don't know why I never thought of this before. It's much easier to inflate tires sitting in a chair. These tires are supposed to be inflated with nitrogen, but who cares anymore. I'm tired of going to the Land Rover dealer and waiting around for an hour just to get my tires checked. All is well now. The tires were pretty low and they never would have inflated themselves.

The temperature got up to 70 degrees today which just shows you how weird Texas weather is. I thought for a while this afternoon that the air conditioner was going to come on in the house. I'm glad to have the warmer weather back. No more worries about frozen pipes and setting all the faucets to drip before I go to bed at night. I was expecting a lot of mud after the snow melted, but it seems to have just evaporated. The ground was surprisingly dry today.

The roads and trails were dry too, which allowed me to wear my good shoes on my walk today. The shoes made a big difference. My feet still began to hurt after about four miles, but I felt so much better than yesterday. Janet joined me today as well, which helped me to pick up my pace. She tends to walk a lot faster than I do. I'm sure this is because she is in better shape than I am.

I saw a huge possum on the back porch before I went to bed last night. This explains why Dawn has been so interested in smelling things in the yard lately.  We had to watch her carefully when she went out to pee this morning. Possums are beneficial animals, but I don't want our dogs to tangle with one. I have a feeling that the possum is probably living in our damaged greenhouse. There are probably a lot of critters living in that greenhouse.

Dawn is back to taking two walks a day again. She seems happy taking these two short walks. Maybe that all she ever wanted to do. She enjoys smelling things in the park and occasionally gets to greet another dog. She is very particular about other dogs. Some she clearly likes and others she tends to avoid. I'm always careful when we approach another dog, because it's hard to predict how she's going to react.

I wonder if we're ever going to get mail again? We haven't had any deliveries in over a week. Ordinarily, I wouldn't care, but I'm waiting for some copies of SpaceFlight Magazine to arrive from England. These copies with my articles in the October and February issues were mailed just before the big storm hit. I know there are sitting in a bin at the post office somewhere, or maybe in a mail carrier's trunk. I hope they arrive eventually because I know the magazine is getting tired of me asking about the October issue. At least I don't worry about bills getting lost anymore. It's so much easier to just pay everything online.

I'm running out of time to get my tax material prepared for the accountant. I have no interest in doing this anymore. You know what they say about death and taxes though. I'd better get busy. I was always very meticulous about keeping accurate records when I was working. With each passing year I care less and less. I know there have been a lot of tax law changes because of Covid. I hope my accountant knows what they are, because I certainly don't. I still think old people should be exempt from all this stuff. It's hard enough to remember to take my pills every day.

It looks like everything will be back to normal tomorrow. I've got fresh fruit ready for my morning smoothie. The only thing on my calendar is my second Covid shot.

Lizzy is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4076

Things got done today. We had a hearty breakfast and then I chopped the ice out of the driveway so we could get the cars out. I was expecting empty grocery stores from what I'd been hearing on the news, but it looked like most stores spent the night restocking things. The shelves were full and I found everything on my list. Even bottled water was abundant which might be because Dallas wasn't one of the cities with a "boil water" notice. For the most part, the roads were completely clear. I thought that my tire pressure would increase because it was warmer today, but that didn't appear to be the case. I'm still getting a warning light on the dash. The tires didn't look or feel low, so I'll deal with pumping them up later.

Amazingly, the pumps on the roof still worked and I was able to pump away a lot of very cold water. I won't attempt to climb up on the roof and remove the rest of the water until all the ice is gone. I'm not that stupid. We've had no problems with frozen pipes. Even the outdoor faucets seem OK. I think the outdoor faucets survived because they're so old that they all drip naturally. Most of them I can't turn completely off anymore.

We were worried that Dawn wouldn't want to go outside, but she seemed eager for a walk. She hopped and jumped through the remaining snow and had a great time smelling everything. She remembered her old route and was ready to return home after she completed her short one mile journey. Since it was a nice day, I continued walking and though I would attempt my old six mile route. This was a mistake without my good shoes. This was the slowest six miles I've ever walked and my feet started hurting almost immediately. I needed the heavy boots because there were still a lot of slushy areas, but I don't think my feet will ever forgive me.

The lake has already thawed quite a bit. I wouldn't be surprised if all the ice was gone tomorrow. Pretty soon this cold spell will just be a memory. In a few years I'll wonder whether this was worse than other big storms we've had in the past. We've certainly had more snow, but I don't ever remember it being so cold for this long. I'm so glad we didn't lose power. We lost power for five days during an ice storm a decade ago and it was miserable. You should never take electricity for granted. I have a feeling that there are a lot of people who are going to be looking into whole home generators after all this is over. Every time we've had a sustained power outage, I've thought about a whole home generator. We still don't have one because they can be quite expensive and to be practical, you'd need one that runs on natural gas and can be easily isolated from the grid for safety reasons.

The reason we don't have a whole home generator is probably the same reason the Texas power grid hasn't been winterized properly. It's expensive and complicated to do things right. It's much easier to just kick the can down the road and hope for the best. If we did things right, I should have cut down the aging large Oak trees in the back yard, moved our driveway and entrance to the back, and put a sloping roof on the house. Sadly, it would be easier to just move.

I wonder how long it will be before the next catastrophe makes us forget about the big freeze of 2021? Jeez. 2021 is already worse than 2020 and it's only February. I'd like to be optimistic, but I'm not. We live in an interdependent world where everything has become too big to fail. Someone eats the wrong bat in China and the entire world faces a deadly pandemic. Someone fails to anticipate a cold winter and the entire power grid almost goes down. You really wonder what is going to happen next. 

Odie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4075

It's still cold, but the snow is melting rapidly. ERCOT says that operations have returned to normal and that the crisis is over. Plumbers, on the other hand, say the worst is yet to come. I'm surprised at how many people have had their pipes burst. Even brand new buildings have had frozen pipes. I don't know if we did everything right or just got lucky, but our water is still flowing. 

It finally got above freezing today, but only for a little while. That was enough to get a lot of the ice off the roads though. The road in front of our house is almost clear. I don't think we'll have any problem going grocery shopping tomorrow. The problem will be finding food. A lot of the grocery stores in town have been emptied out and I'm not sure how quickly they can be restocked.

It got warm enough today that we were able to do a load of laundry and take showers. The blame game will go on for months, but I think the worst is over for this storm. With the temperature expected to reach fifty degrees this weekend, I think everyone can finally begin to relax. It's ironic that this is the time of year when retailers have their big winter sales. There were some great bargains on gloves and coats, but it was almost impossible to get to the stores.

We're going to try to give Dawn a walk tomorrow. During the cold spell she had become increasingly reluctant to leave the bedroom. This is not a good sign. Hopefully with warmer temperatures she will enjoy being outdoors again. Dawn needs some variety in her life and she could certainly use a little exercise.

Janet and I are definitely getting our exercise. It's surprising how much more strenuous it is to walk in the snow. We've been pretty tired after our walks this week. Oddly, Fitbit doesn't give me any extra credit for these cold Winter walks. I feel tired, but my heart rate is actually lower for some reason.

I've always thought the slogan of the Post Office was "Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds." Apparently this isn't true anymore because we haven't gotten any mail all week. I can understand curtailing deliveries during the worst of the storm, but there was no reason that mail couldn't be delivered today. As far as I could tell, the roads were clear. The trash folks seemed to have mixed feelings about picking things up today.  The recycling folks emptied all the blue cans, but the regular trash pick up trucks were nowhere to be seen. I put out the trash anyway last night because I knew that if I didn't it would almost guarantee that the trucks would arrive on schedule.

I don't think it was really necessary to start the car today but I did it anyway out of habit. Sitting in the car this week while waiting for it to warm up has reminded me of the Groundhog Day movie. It was the same thing over and over again twice every day. I've never claimed to get good gas mileage, but I was surprised that I used up an 1/8th of a tank of gas just sitting in the driveway.

It's been a long week, but we really didn't suffer much. We had electricity. We had water. We had WiFi. And we had food. What more do you need? I do think we've had enough of winter though. Let's move on to Spring.

Spot is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4074

Somehow they can flawlessly land a rover on Mars, but they can't keep the lights on in Texas. I watched the Perseverance landing today and I'll have to admit that I was impressed. After traveling almost 300 million miles, the spacecraft landed within 115 feet of it's target. I can't say that I'm very impressed with Texas. Other states seem to be able to cope with winter. Why can't we? Not planning for a storm like this is like not putting antifreeze in your car because you don't think it's going to be cold. Jeez. I can't predict the future. Can you? I'd like to see a little contingency planning. If the utility company's were cutting corners to save money, then why is my electric bill always so high? Something seems fishy to me. At the rates most utilities charge, there should have been plenty of money to winterize everything.

It still hasn't gotten above freezing, but it was a little warmer today. Maybe tomorrow will be the magic day when everything starts to thaw. We still have power and no pipes have frozen. I'm glad that our water pipes are buried under the slab. Most of the burst pipes in town seem to be located in exterior walls or uninsulated attics. For once the design of our house is working to our advantage. Even the snow on the flat roof is providing extra insulation. This is no time to let down your guard though. I think we'll leave our faucets dripping until it's t-shirt weather again.

I hope we don't have problems getting Dawn to walk again when this cold spell is over. She seems awfully comfortable sitting on the bed and doing nothing. Most dogs would be upset if you left them behind on a walk. Dawn doesn't even leave the bed. She just gives us this look that says "Bye you crazy fools. I'll keep the bed warm for you." 

Our shorter walks seem much more tiring than the longer ones we used to take when the weather was warmer. It's hard to walk on crusty snow and icy roads. Neither of us wants to fall. Your bone density gets worse as you age and I don't think a bad fall would be very forgiving. My boots aren't very forgiving either. I don't think the orthopedic surgeon who looked at my feet would approve of these boots, but they are waterproof and keep my feet warm. I'll go back to wearing the special running shoes when all the snow melts.

They say that most grocery stores are running out of food because trucks can't get in to restock them. I hope that changes in the next day or two. We've got enough food left for a couple more days, but the refrigerator is starting to look a little bare. I'm glad we stocked up on grocery day last Saturday. People who didn't plan ahead are living on Cheetos now.

While I was watching the Perseverance landing on NASA TV today I kept thinking how ironic it was that I abandoned my attempts to go out to JPL in California because of Covid. It never even occurred to me that if I had managed to get press accreditation, I wouldn't be able to go anyway because a winter storm had closed all the airports. It just goes to show that it doesn't pay to predict the future.

I"m not going to predict what will happen tomorrow. I do hope it gets above freezing though. This winter storm has worn out it's welcome. It's time to go back to regular weird weather.

Bailey is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4073

The storm of the century continues. It was a little warmer today, but still well below freezing. We got more snow overnight and nothing is melting. I think just about everyone has had enough of this. The power company is still unable to say when power will be fully restored and if you lose power, you are out of luck. When the electricity goes out, your house cools rapidly, greatly increasing the danger of burst pipes. I had a Zoom call scheduled this afternoon and it was abruptly canceled when one of the participants learned that a pipe had just broken in his home. This is what everyone dreads. Broken pipes, flooded homes, and not a plumber in sight. Now that everyone had learned to put their faucets on drip, some municipalities are telling residents not to do this because it is causing dangerously low water pressure levels. Warmer weather can't come soon enough.

When Janet and I went walking today, we couldn't believe some of the things we saw. There was a guy using an ATV to pull a kid on a sled around on city streets. I cringed just looking at this. If a car was to start sliding toward them, it would be very hard for the sled to get out of the way. When we arrived at the lake we saw several people attempting to walk on the ice. On person was way out on the edge of the ice where it met the remaining open water. Didn't this guy know that the lake ice was still very thin? If he fell through the ice, he would probably freeze before the fire and rescue folks could get to him. Of course there were plenty of cars driving too fast on the frozen roads. The cold weather definitely isn't making people smarter.

We still have power, which is kind of amazing since our electricity is usually the first to go when a bad storm hits us. I think power is slowly being restored in the city, but there are still a lot of people in the dark. I see tons of posts on Facebook from folks who have been without electricity for hours or even days. Things are even worse for my friends out at McDonald Observatory. They have been stranded up on the mountain without electricity for days and fuel for the emergency generators is running low. It's hard to believe that an entire state has been crippled by this storm. Hurricanes and tornadoes are bad, but they are very localized. This is the entire state.

There is still conflicting information on almost everything. AAA says to start your car for a short time and then immediately turn it off again. Others say to bring. the engine up to normal operating temperatures before turning it off. Janet is doing the former and I'm doing the latter. Neither of us knows who's right. I'm just glad the cars still start. I'm definitely going to have to add some air to my tires before I go anywhere. All four are very low.

When the snow first arrived, Dawn would race around the yard for a while after she went outside to pee. Now she does her business as fast as she can and immediately heads for the back door. Dawn is a smart dog and I think the novelty of snow wore off very quickly. Several of the neighborhood dogs seem to love the snow, but these all seem to be Huskies or Labs with thick heavy coats. I'm not surprised that Dawn gets cold quickly. So do I.

We have one more day of sub-freezing weather before things start to thaw. Late next week the temperature is supposed to be in the sixties again. Warmer weather can't come soon enough when you are faced with the possibility of a power outage or broken plumbing pipe at any moment. I"m wondering if we'll have to reschedule our second dose of the vaccine. They say the vaccination process is a mess now, since most vaccination sites have been closed all week. We'll see what happens. I'm sure February still has a few surprises for us.

Lexi is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4072

Another ridiculously cold day. It's weird to be in the middle of a story that's become national news. Predictibly, everyone seems to be looking for someone to blame for this mess. Are frozen wind turbines the problem? Is poor statewide planning the problem? Is the fact that it's just not supposed to get this cold in Texas the problem? I'm sure that there is plenty of blame to spread around, but that's not going to make it any warmer. 

So many people are without power and the outages haven't been caused by ice covered power lines or falling trees. They've been caused by power companies shutting people off to prevent the entire power grid from collapsing. I never even realized that Texas wasn't even part of a national power grid. We're stuck when something like this happens because we can't buy extra electricity from warmer parts of the country. Usually this isn't a problem, but when the entire state is under a winter weather advisory, there just isn't enough energy to go around. I really wasn't expecting this, but I wasn't expecting Covid either. It makes you wonder what is going to happen next.

We still have power and I don't think any pipes have frozen, so we are among the lucky ones. Things can change quickly though, so I don't think anyone is taking their situation for granted. There's another storm headed our way that could be even worse than the first one. This time sleet and freezing rain are in the forecast and that is often a lot worse than snow. Most of our Winter power outages in the past have been caused by ice covered trees and power lines. That could easily happen again. 

There is so much conflicting information about how to cope with cold weather. Some say both the hot and cold water lines should be set on drip. Others say the hot water should be shut off entirely. There is a controversy about a drip versus a thin continuous stream of water too. I keep hearing that it takes a lot more energy to raise the temperature on cold days than to cool the temperature in hot days. This doesn't make sense. Our gas furnace uses way less electricity than the big air conditioner compressor out in the back yard. All I know is that my electric bill is way higher in July than it ever is in February.

We're setting our thermostat lower and turning off lights when we leave the room. I'm not sure how much this helps though. We have a very small house and use much less energy than most of this extravagant city.   Probably the biggest culprits are the huge office towers downtown that light up the sky every night from miles away. 

Dawn has sensibly decided to stay inside, but Janet and I are still taking daily walks. Each day the walks get a little shorter. We only walked 3 1/2 miles today, but that was plenty. The terrain seemed icier today since a lot of the dry power snow on top of everything has blown away. Underneath this snow is ice and it's pretty slick. I'm still amazed at how many people are out driving. Some of these people are probably essential workers, but others are just fools who are going to wind up in a ditch soon enough. Our own cars aren't going anywhere. We start then every day to keep things working properly, but they never leave the driveway.

I hope the sleet and ice forecasters are predicting tonight doesn't amount to much. After tomorrow, things will start to get better. They say by Saturday the temperature might even climb above freezing.

Joshua is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4071

It's pretty darn cold down here. It's ten degrees right now and the temperature has been in the single digits for most of the day. Amazingly, we still have power. There have been rolling power outages throughout the state all day long, including in many parts of Dallas. So far, so good. Our furnace is still running. The dehumidifiers are pulling moisture out of the air and keeping the windows from fogging. And we haven't had any problems with frozen pipes.

I hope the power company doesn't cut power to our neighborhood. They've had trouble turning the power back on in some areas and planned 15 minute to 2 hour outages have turned into eight hour nightmares. We're trying to conserve energy, but when the temperature is 5 degrees outside, turning down the thermostat to 68 degrees doesn't seem to make much of a difference. The furnace still runs all the time.

Dawn loves to race around in the snow for about two minutes and then run back inside to get warm. She definitely doesn't feel like taking a walk. Janet and I didn't think we'd take another walk after yesterday's experience, but we got bored sitting around the house and we went walking again. I was surprised at how much snow we got overnight. I was even more surprised at how many people were out on the roads. Today was a federal holiday and there weren't a lot of compelling reasons to drive anywhere. That certainly didn't stop anyone. Everyone with a Jeep seemed determined to see how it handled in the snow. There were almost as many cars in the park as there are on a nice day. 

We didn't walk nearly as far today, so we made it home without getting wet and cold. It was actually beautiful outside. The sky was clear and the snow was a light powder that still looked clean and pristine. The only problem was the wind. There were wind chill warnings in effect for most of the day which made the single digit temperatures feel like it was 15 degrees below zero. I'm glad I have warm clothes.

The snow is gone for the moment, but they say that it's going to be even colder tomorrow. Then another storm system arrives on Wednesday, bringing even more snow and ice. I don't think that the temperature is expected to climb above the freezing mark until this weekend. All this makes me continue to worry about power outages. We'll be extremely lucky if we manage to make it through this cold spell without an outage.

I continue to start my car twice a day to keep the battery charged. I've been surprised at how long it takes for the engine to warm up to normal operating temperatures. All four tires are low, which shows that air pressure and temperature are related. I have an air compressor, but I'm not about to sit out in the cold and pump up my tires. When it warms up, the tire pressure should go back to normal.

Ice is starting to form all over the lake now, but I wouldn't walk on it yet. The ice still looks extremely thin. Someone will try to walk on it soon. It will probably be the same people who were convinced that they could drive their cars on icy roads. Janet and I wondered where all the ducks were today. There were none to be seen. The white Pelicans have disappeared as well. These birds probably haven't gone far. There is lots of undergrowth near the shoreline that probably gives the birds some protection. 

I'm surprised that Dawn hasn't tried to get under the covers yet. Most Dalmatians seem to learn how to do this very quickly. She doesn't even seem to like having a blanket over her. We've been covering her with a light blanket before we go to bed and it's always off when we wake up in the morning. I don't seem to have this problem. The more blankets I have on top of me, the better I sleep.

I hope we wake up in the morning with heat. As long as we have electricity, gas, and running water, the weather can do whatever it wants. Even today's wind has been kind to us because it's been blowing a lot of the powder snow off the roof. I think we're reasonably well prepared, but a lot of surviving a storm like this depends on luck. So far, we've been lucky.

Lucky is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4070 - Valentines Day

Brr. It's 12 degrees now and the temperature is falling. The roads were coated with ice this morning with a light dusting of snow on top. The snowfall was never heavy during the day but it is starting to accumulate this evening. This is exactly what the forecast predicted, but it's still hard to believe. This is not a normal Texas winter.

Needless to say, neither of our cars left the driveway today. We've gone out to start them several times to keep the batteries charged, but that's about it. I'd like the house a little warmer, but we followed the power company's instructions and lowered the temperature. The last thing we want now is a power outage.

Dawn has no interest in going outside. She will run out in the backyard quickly to pee and poop, but I've never seen her do her business so quickly before. I'm sure Dawn thought we were crazy when Janet and I decided to see how far we could walk this morning. We made it four miles, but I don't think we'll be doing this again tomorrow. The first half of our walk was brisk and enjoyable, but we were both really cold by the time we returned home. We had to walk carefully to avoid slipping on icy ground. I wore heavy hiking boots so my feet were warm, but the soles flexed too much which caused my foot pain to return. I really can't win with my feet. Today I wore a lightweight cloth mask which made breathing easier, but what I really need is one of those wool Balaclava head coverings that mountaineers use. Of course by the time I can get the car out of the driveway to get one at REI, the worse of this weather will be over.

When Janet and I were out walking we saw several power company trucks in the neighborhood. Some people must have lost power overnight, but luckily there have been no widespread outages. This is what everyone fears. There have been several ice storms here in Dallas that have knocked the power out for days during the middle of winter. We have so much glass in our house that the temperature drops quickly. An extended power outage in this house isn't fun. I don't think that ice is going to bring down power lines this time, but it definitely is sticking to the roads. I won't be driving anywhere tomorrow. My rear view mirrors have frozen and are stuck in the retracted position anyway, so that's not good. 

Janet made a pot roast in the slow cooker today and the smell made staying inside a lot more pleasant. A good pot roast is almost the perfect meal for a cold winter day. The wind chill is already below zero and the actual temperature will be close to zero by tomorrow morning. I've done everything I can to keep the pipes from freezing, but when it gets this cold they just might freeze anyway. Got my fingers crossed that everything will be fine. They say it's going to be real hard to find a plumber when all this is over.

I don't know why cold bothers me so much. I went to high school in Alaska where the temperatures got down to -40 during the winter. It was common to see kids with bandaged ears at school. The cool kids never dressed warmly enough and their ears would get frostbitten if their cars stalled out on the way to class. Dad made sure that we dressed like we were making a trek toward the South Pole. I was always warm. Our large coal fired furnace ran constantly during the winter. Every Fall a large dump truck would come to the house and fill an entire room in the basement with coal. The house was well insulated and there was double pane glass everywhere. Oddly, I was warmer in Alaska than I am now.

The snow is supposed to stop later tonight, although tomorrow is going to be our coldest day. I feel sorry for folks who had an appointment to be vaccinated tomorrow. It's going to be a mess. At least there won't be quite as many bugs next Spring. This hard freeze should kill most of them.

Dot is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4069

So far, so good. The car started easily this morning. The roads are still dry and I managed to get all my shopping done. The house is toasty warm and there is plenty of food for the rest of the week. That's the good news. The bad news is that there is a 100% chance of snow tomorrow. Forecasts are often wrong, but I have a feeling that it is going to snow.

Dawn wants nothing to do with this cold spell. She still doesn't want to take a walk and races out to the back yard to pee and runs right back to the house again. She's just being practical and smart. Only a fool would want to spend time outside in this weather.

The cold didn't stop Janet and I. We dressed warmly and took our regular long walk. I wore a mask again to keep my face warm, but discovered that it had limitations. When you're cold and walking briskly, you breathe faster. It didn't take long for the inside of my mask to get damp from my breath. As the mask got damp, it became harder to breathe through it. I eventually gave up and took it off. Janet wore a wool scarf and that worked much better.

The lake is already starting to freeze. Several of the small creeks feeding the lake have already frozen. I wonder how long it will take for the entire lake to freeze over? During the entire time we've lived here, the lake has only frozen over once. It was a long time ago, but I distinctly remember people walking out on the lake. The media is calling this a cold wave of historic proportions, but I remember times when things seemed a lot worse. We've had lots of snow, terrible ice storms, and a couple of periods when the entire city shut down. Our own pipes burst once and I think my problems with the roof actually started after a particularly heavy snowfall. Lets hope we don't set any new records. What we've been through in the past was bad enough.

I didn't do much today. A long walk and the usual Saturday errands. That was about it. I'm having a hard time getting motivated these days. My office is littered with the debris from past endeavors, but none of these things interest me anymore. Why do I have all these watch repair tools and books?  What are these dusty model trains? I know there's a guitar here somewhere, but it's buried under other stuff. I'm still interested in rockets, but I'm not going anywhere until Covid is behind us. I'm kind of superstitious and feel like I've used up most of my luck. I've hate to catch the virus now when we are so close to the finish line. There's always the night sky, but I think I'm a fair weather astronomer. On cold, clear nights, the last thing I want to do is go outside.

We'll see what tomorrow brings. According to my phone, it's supposed to start snowing overnight. Estimates range from 3 to 11 inches over the next several days. That's a lot of snow for Dallas. I'd prefer that we get no snow at all, but I don't think I get to choose. Some of our dogs have loved snow, but Dawn doesn't seem to be a fan of winter weather. It will be interesting to see how she reacts to snow. 

We already know how I react to snow. I fantasize about a place where it it is 70 degrees year round and there are no hurricanes, tornados, or snakes. I suspect this place only exists in my dreams. 

Tessa is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4068

The weather keeps getting colder. I had trouble starting my car for the first time in ages. I need to remember to start it every day now until the weather gets warmer. I had a couple of errands to run and the stores were packed. People were buying groceries like the end of the world was coming. There were so many posts about frozen water pipes on Facebook that I got worried and put new insulation foam around all the outdoor faucets.

Dawn refused to walk this morning. There wasn't anything wrong. She was just being smart. She knew almost instantly that it was way too cold for a walk. I didn't have the good sense to come back inside with her and took my six mile walk anyway. I discovered a new use for my N95 masks. The close fitting mask really helped keep my face warm. My coat and gloves kept me pretty warm yesterday, but my exposed face was freezing. With the hood of my jacket up and my mask on, only my eyes were exposed today. I completed my walk, but was happy to return to a warm house. I know people who love Winter weather. I think they're all nuts. When I was young, I read a story by Fritz Leiber called A Pail of Air. It was about how the earth got pulled out of its orbit by a passing dark star and how one family survived by melting oxygen from the frozen atmosphere that had settled over the earth like a thick snow. I always think of this story on very cold days.

We got a notice from the electric company that we all need to conserve electricity during the freeze by  turning our heat down and using as few appliances as possible. I doubt that that's going to happen. When people are cold, their first instinct is to turn up the heat. I really hope we don't have an ice storm. Whenever there's an ice storm there are power outages all over town. Trees fall. Power lines break. It's a big mess. Hopefully, the weather won't be as bad as people are predicting. They say we may see a new record low temperature early next week. Zero degrees in Dallas is very, very rare.

For now everything is fine. The furnace is working well. The two dehumidifiers are keeping condensation away from the windows. We've got plenty of warm clothing. I'm still nervous about this kind of weather though. Things can go downhill quickly when the roads get icy and the power goes out. I still don't understand how northerners can take this kind of weather for granted. Zero degrees is even worse than 100 degrees to me.

If the roads are dry in the morning I need to remember to get my grocery shopping done early. Janet got her shopping done today, so we should have plenty of food. If we get snow or ice, I'm not driving at all. The problem with slick roads here in Texas isn't the ice, it's the other drivers. Nobody knows how to drive on ice here. 

I have a feeling that we're going to be spending a lot of time indoors for the next few days. I should start a new project that will keep me busy, but I'll probably just fret about the furnace instead.

Lucy is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4067

What a nasty day. There was black ice on the roads that caused a 100 car pile up in Fort Worth and the temperature never got above freezing all day. Janet postponed going to the gym this morning and needless to say, I certainly didn't need to go anywhere. As I slowly drank my morning smoothie, it was clear that this was going to be a very cold and uneventful day.

It doesn't take much to shut us down in Dallas. This would be a normal winter day in much of the country, but here the mail didn't get delivered and I got an e-mail from the city saying not to expect normal trash pickup tomorrow. Oddly, the message said to put your trash out tonight anyway and they would just come when they can. I feel sorry for those who had their vaccine appointments today. That's not something you would want to postpone.

Dawn is no fan of winter weather. She was a little reluctant to walk this afternoon, but completed her short one mile walk anyway. I dressed in my warmest clothes so I could keep on walking. The trails were virtually empty. I only encountered a single runner today. There were no bicycles at all. For the most part, the roads and trails were clear, but I had to cross two bridges that were still completely iced over. I walked slowly and carefully across each bridge because at my age falling is definitely not a good idea.

You could tell that the birds and other animals knew that something was up with the weather. The resident geese had moved to the opposite side of the lake and the Muscovy Ducks were more than a mile away from their usual habitat. There were some visiting Canadian Geese where the local geese usually live. I hardly saw any squirrels at all. Most of them probably had a nest to take cover in.

On bad thing about taking my long walk right after I finish my morning smoothie is that I have to take bathroom breaks. I didn't have to do this when I was younger, but I didn't drink several quarts of liquid every morning then either. These days I need to plan my route between strategically place porta-potties in the park. It's a nuisance but it's also a necessity.

While I was walking, I heard a bunch of fire truck sirens that appeared to be headed in the direction of my house. This is always a little alarming when you are on foot and miles away. I got out my phone and checked the petcam. Dawn was sleeping on the bed and everything was fine. I like the petcam. Who knows. Maybe the Chinese are spying on us, but the little camera does provide some reassurance that Dawn is safe when we are away.

I got a reminder from my accountant that my tax information is due soon. I haven't even started yet. One more unpleasant task in my immediate future. I wish seniors were exempt from dealing with taxes. Hey, if you can be exempt from jury duty, why not taxes as well? 

It's hard to believe but they say the temperatures will be in the single digits next week with a good chance of snow accumulations of up to a foot. Yikes. I really hope this isn't true. Spring can't come soon enough for this Southern boy.

Lady Gogh is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4066

Today was all about the weather. I woke up cold and never really got warm. It looked and felt like it could snow at any time, but I think that comes later. One forecast I heard today said that we could get up to 11 inches later in the week. I dont think Dawn likes the cold any more than I do. On cold nights she makes a nest out of the blankets and they end up piled around her instead of on top of me. Maybe that's why I woke up cold.

I should learn to dress warmer in Winter like Northerners do, but I tend to turn up the furnace instead. This is probably why I am always so concerned about the furnace going out. A warm house is essential. One Winter our power was out for several days after an ice storm and it got so cold we had to go stay in a hotel for a while. Luckily, Janet still worked then and we would go down to her office during the day to stay warm. Dot and Dash thought that this was a big adventure, but I couldn't wait for the weather to get warmer. It's no surprise that old people retire to Florida. You never hear old people saying "let's move up to Minnesota when we retire."

Today was uneventful. My arm hurt a little at the injection site when I woke up this morning, but it wasn't bad at all. I think getting the shingles vaccine was much worse. We walked Dawn earlier today because Janet had things to do in the afternoon. It wasn't going to get warmer in the afternoon anyway. The temperature hovered around freezing for most of the day. I dressed warmly and was able to finish my longer walk after Dawn and Janet returned home, but it wasn't long before I began to question my sanity. There was nobody on the trails today. I only saw two other joggers during my entire walk.

I had been planning on watching the latest episode of The Expanse this afternoon, but when I opened Amazon Prime on my computer I discovered that Season Five of the show was already over. What? The episode I watched last week didn't feel like a season finale at all. There were hundreds of other shows I could have watched, but I closed my browser and took a nap with Dawn instead. Dawn didn't look entirely happy sharing the bed with me, but she didn't leave this time. I'll call that progress.

I should have gone to Home Depot today and gotten some of those foam tubes that you wrap water pipes with. I put the foam around the exposed outdoor water faucet pipes every year, but it doesn't seem to last long. I think that rats eat the stuff. I remember seeing an exposed copper pipe coming out of the ground recently, so it's time to do this again. Actually, it's past time. I hope nothing freezes tonight. I'll set the faucets on drip and hope for the best.

I haven't heard anything further from the dehumidifier company. They've probably gotten sick of me, just like the roofer did. I really wished that I'd saved the broken dehumidifiers now because I know that I could have salvaged parts from them. I have discovered how to stop the rattling noise. If I lift the dehumidifier 1/2 inch off the ground and then drop it, the rattling stops for several days. I doubt that this is a factory approved solution, but it works. I'm sick of fixing things.

Tomorrow looks like a repeat of today with even colder temperatures. I need to come up with a better plan for dealing with Winter. It's going to be a long time until Spring.

Landry is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4065

Janet and I got our first Covid shots today. After waiting a year, the whole experience was kind of anticlimactic. I was in and out in less than twenty minutes and that included the fifteen minute wait after the shot in case there was an adverse reaction. If you've got a choice, get vaccinated in a hostital instead of one of those huge community mega-sites. I'd heard horror stories about people waiting in their cars for hours at some of the Dallas mega-sites. Everything was so efficient at the hospital. There were no lines. There was plenty of parking near the facility. All our information was already in the computer when we arrived. The shot itself was quick and painless. There was even a guy playing the piano in the area where we waited to see if we were going to have an adverse reastion. I'm not easily impressed, but these guys were very impressive.

In three weeks we get our second dose of the vaccine and hopefully we'll be looking at Covid in the rear view mirror. It's been a long year and I'm ready to move on. There are rocket launches to see and observatories to visit. If Dawn wasn't terrified of riding in the car, we'd even consider taking her on a long car trip. Maybe it's a little early, but I've had no reaction to the vaccine so far. My arm isn't sore at all. Knock on wood. Usually shots don't bother me and I've been vaccinated for almost everything.

It was really cold today. Dawn had to wear her coat when we walked this afternoon and I wore two coats just to make sure I wouldn't get cold. Dawn was eager to return to the house after she finished her mile, but I continued walking as usual. My foot pain wasn't as bad today. I don't know whether my foot was better or if it was just too cold to feel the pain. I'm definitely familiar with cold weather. I just don't like it. I went to high school in Alaska. I lived in Aspen for a while. And one of my first jobs was in Idaho. I don't know why it took me so long to discover Texas. Texas was where I should have been all along.

It's supposed to start raining tonight and temperatures will be near freezing in the morning. This sounds like a recipe for sleet or freezing rain. Yuk. I'm glad I got the vaccine out of the way and have nowhere to go tomorrow. Tomorrow sound like a good day to curl up with your dog, except that Dawn doesn't like to curl up with me.  If I lie down next to her on the bed, she usually gets up and goes to the kitchen. I keep telling Dawn that she's running out of time to be friends with me. Janet is eager to travel again and sooner or later Dawn and I are going to be spending some quality time together. 

I'm a little disappointed that Sky & Telescope rejected my idea for an astrophotography article. It was the only idea I had. I guess the proposal didn't really get rejected. My editor said he'd put it in his "maybe" folder for next year. This wasn't good news for a person who's always looking for instant gratification though. I guess I'm going to have to wait until I can get out to an observatory again to come up with any more astronomy articles. There's nothing to see here in Dallas. I don't even like to go out after dark in Dallas these days. The city doesn't feel safe anymore.

I've discovered that I sleep better under a heavy blanket. I wonder why? It seems counterintuitive to me, but my Fitbit always says that I sleep better on very cold nights. I ought to sleep well tonight. It's definitely starting to feel like winter. Northerners probably think we're wimps here in Texas, but this weather doesn't feel natural. At least the furnace is running normally and both our cars are in good shape. We'll see what tomorrow brings. Maybe there'll be another new episode of The Expanse to watch.

Jazz is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4064

We spent some extra time with Clyde at the kennel today. He's still very shy but he is making progress. Since he has already bonded with one of the kennel attendants, I think he's going to be OK. Charlie and Cooper have no problem with shyness. They both love to play and are very motivated by food. Cooper likes to chase a ball and Charlie prefers his octopus toy. Both dogs got a good workout today and were ready to go back to their kennel runs for a long nap by the time we left.

Even though Dawn prefers Janet, there are certain things she expects me to do. I always feed her dinner and I usually hold the leash when we take our walks. Today I was having trouble with my foot and wanted Janet to hold the leash while we went down a steep hill. Dawn wasn't having any part of this. She let us know that she wanted things the way they usually are. As soon as Janet returned the leash to me, Dawn immediately resumed walking normally. 

I don't know what is wrong with my foot. It feels almost as bad as it used to be before I started wearing the special supportive running shoes. I still walked another five miles after Janet and Dawn returned to the house, but the last mile was a struggle. I may have to put a temporary hold on these long walks while I give my foot a chance to rest for a while. Things could be a lot worse, but I hate to give up walking, even temporarily. This is the one thing that gives some structure to my day.

My editor at Sky & Telescope told me that he is looking for more of a nuts and bolts type of article than the one I proposed. Interesting. I was initially going to write a basic "how to" article about astrophotography back in the beginning. Then I started reading other articles about the subject and realized pretty quickly that this territory was pretty well covered. The article I was thinking about writing had already been written quite a few times. I thought my chances might improve if I wrote something original and different. Apparently not. I guess I could still write a "how to" article, but I don't think it would come out well. I would feel compelled to celebrate the weird and quirky ways I tend to do things rather than clearly and concisely articulating how everybody else could accomplish the same thing. Somehow it's always all about me. With the exception of the many advertising messages I was paid for, virtually everything I have ever written has been some sort of personal narrative.

Apparently bad weather is headed our way. It is supposed to get very, very cold later this week. We are definitely going to get some rain and there might even be snow. Yikes. All I can think of is that I hope the furnace  keeps working normally and the roof doesn't start leaking again. Household problems always seem to happen at the worst possible time. I don't know how Northerners can stand this type of weather. Every time I see someone celebrating snow, I wonder what is wrong with them. Snow and freezing weather are just a big nuisance.

Maybe I just like to complain. Later this Summer I'm sure I'll be complaining about how hot it is and how much I hate all the Texas bugs. If you ever find me writing about the pure joy of doing something, bookmark it. I'm sure this happens occasionally, but it is a very rare occurrence. In my world, complaining is perfectly OK as long as you keep slogging forward through the mud. In the words of Larry the Cable Guy, Git-R-Done.

Taylor is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

4063 - Superbowl Sunday

I expected Tampa Bay to win tonight, but I didn't expect the game to be a complete rout. Kansas City was completely humiliated. It just goes to show that you should never count the old guys out. Experience beats youth almost every time. At 43, Tom Brady never looked better. At 68, Bruce Arians is one of the oldest head coaches in the NFL. No risk it, no biscuit is what Bruce always says. I think Elon Musk would agree with this philosophy. Jeez. Rob Gronkowski even came out of retirement to play this year. Lets hear it for the old guys.

The NFL could learn a few lessons from the old guys when it comes to halftime shows. What on earth has happened to music. Do today's artists even have a clue? Personally, I don't think there has been a truly great halftime show since Micheal Jackson. Prince came pretty close when he sang Purple Rain in a driving rainstorm, but Michael Jackson is still the king of pop. Bruce Springsteen put on a good show. Bruno Mars put on a good show. That's about where it all ended. Recent Superbowl shows have been uniformly terrible. I couldn't even hear the Weeknd's vocals. The sound was muffled and there was way too much reverb. OK, I'll admit it. I've never even heard of the Weeknd. Who is this guy? And what on earth was that chorus of guys wearing jockstraps on their heads? 

I can't say much for the ads either. Superbowl ads used to be one of the best things about the game. Not anymore. The quality of Superbowl ads has been slowly deteriorating for years, but this year hit a new low. Usually car ads are the worst, but this year two of them were the best of the lot. I liked the humorous GM ad taking on Norway and I liked the serious Jeep ad about coming together in the middle. Most of the rest of the ads were crap. This is what happens when you cancel Stan Richards. There used to be Tom Brady's in the ad industry as well, but giants like George Lois and William Bernbach just don't exist anymore. 

After we finished walking Dawn, Janet and I took our long walk together. There is one particular duck we see frequently that we've always called the Lonely Duck because she never seemed to be part of a group. All the other ducks want nothing to do with this one. Today we watched the Lonely Duck chase four larger ducks off a little island. The four ducks had a conference and all went back after the little duck, but she lowered her head and held her ground.  She ran straight toward the larger ducks and they all scattered and started running toward the water. That wasn't good enough for the little duck. She started swimming toward the larger ducks and chased them entirely out of the lake. This performance explains a lot. We're not going to call her the Lonely Duck any more. From now on, she's the Mean Duck.

Tomorrow is Dawn's first anniversary living with us. A lot has changed, but a lot has stayed the same. Dawn is a well loved member of the family and we are convinced that she really likes it here, but she's still scared of everything. I don't think this is going to change. She is an older dog and has a lot of bad memories. You have to be careful not to make sudden movements or talk too loudly. She's always waiting for the other shoe to drop. Dawn has quite a personality though and always makes us laugh. In an odd way, I think we were all meant for each other.

Next week ought to be interesting. It's going to continue to get colder, although I don't think there is snow in the forecast anymore. Janet and I get our Covid shots next week. Will we get the Pfizer or the Moderna version? I still have no idea which of the two is better. If anyone does know, they're certainly not going to tell us at this point. We'll see how it goes. Hey, if we get to travel again, I'm good.

Stortz is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4062

Not a lot happened today. We had oarmeal and fruit for breakfast like we always do on Saturday. I went to the grocery store and got all the things I usually get. I don't know why I make a list. I seem to get the same things every week. We took Dawn on her one mile walk and after we returned to the house, I continued walking for a total of six miles. I've noticed that the lake is much lower than it was a month ago. This seems strange because we've been getting normal amounts of rain. One little cove where ducks used to congregate is completely dry now. 

It was cold when the wind was blowing and warm when the sun was shining. I kept taking my coat on and off again for the entire duration of my walk. By the time I returned home my feet were hurting pretty bad. This is very disappointing. I was doing so well the first month after I got my new shoes. I really thought the problem had been solved. Now my foot pain is almost as bad as it was before I went to see the doctor. What gives? The shoes are still pretty new and I'm walking the same way I always have.

I'm not sleeping well either. I think this is because of the weather. At certain times of year, I have terrible nasal congestion. I wake up during the night with a stuffed up nose and breathing through my mouth. My mouth is so dry that I go to the fridge and drink some water. Then I go to the bathroom and by the time I crawl back in bed, I'm wide awake. Sometimes this happens several times a night. Apparently, whenever my mouth gets dry, I wake up.

This happens every Winter, but it doesn't last too long. Unfortunately, when the nasal congestion goes away, it is replaced by Spring seasonal allergies. I'm not certain what I'm allergic to, but during the Spring growing season I'm constantly sneezing. The air filter in my car must be very good, because I almost never sneeze in the car. Dust, pollen, low humidity; there's always something in the air that bothers me. Sometimes I fantasize about wearing a space helmet and breathing pure oxygen. Pure oxygen would be nice.

The space station was supposed to fly over the house tonight. I went outside to look at the appointed time, but it was cloudy and I saw nothing. It was also very cold, which was surprising since the weather wasn't that bad this afternoon. I think it is supposed to get even colder next week. There is even snow in the forecast again. I hope the forecast is wrong. Allergies or no allergies, I'm ready for Spring.

Janet was out of the house this afternoon, and when I fixed Dawn's dinner she refused to leave the bedroom to eat. I knew she was hungry, but she wouldn't go out to her bowl until Janet came home. One of these days Janet will take a trip again and it will be just Dawn and me in the house together. That will be interesting. I really hope that Dawn finds a way to overcome her many fears.

It doesn't really feel like a Superbowl weekend. Was there even a football season this year? It didn't feel like it. I don't have any special feelings for either team, but I guess I'd like to see Tom Brady win. I always root for the old guys these days.

I discovered a Facebook group about my Kickstarter project. A lot of people seem to be skeptical and think that the product will never happen. I was actually surprised at all the negativity. I hope these people are wrong. This is my one shot at being optimistic this year.

Landry is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4061

I was busy with correspondence today. I wrote the dehumidifier company and tried to explain why the warranty replacement unit they sent was still not working properly. I wrote both of my editors about future assignments. I'm trying to get an approval from Sky & Telescope to proceed with my astrophotography article and also trying to find out what SpaceFlight Magazine wants me to focus on next. I'd like to remain optimistic and assume that once most of us have been vaccinated, I will be able to travel freely again during the second half of the year. There are several interesting launch events this Spring, but it's still probably too early to travel. When I was working, my goal was usually to complete one work related task every day. Now, if I can manage to accomplish two or three things each year, that's pretty good. One way or another I will eventually find something new to write about.

Our vet called with the results from Dawn's latest urine test. She still has high levels of protein in her urine, which can often be an early sign of kidney disease. Her test results were better than last month though, so we are going to remain hopeful that things will continue to improve. Dawn's diet is good and she's drinking enough water now. We'll do another test in a month and if things don't continue to improve it will be time for an ultrasound test to determine if she might have bladder stones.

I got a notice that I could do my registration paperwork for the vaccine online to save time. There were quite a few items to fill out, so this probably actually will save me time when I get to the vaccination site. Whenever I look at my online medical records I find something wrong. You can't really change your medical records. All you can do is notify someone that there's been a mistake. Sometimes the mistake is corrected months later and other times nothing happens at all. The records that I looked at today say I still have Hepatitis-C. Very odd. The hospital group that sent me the forms was the very same hospital that cured me of the disease. The medical profession is a confusing labyrinth of conflicting information. I'm amazed that anything works at all.

So far this year I have had an elaborate set of tests to determine why I sometimes have coughing fits at dinner. The results of these video x-rays were inconclusive and I still have no idea why I cough so often. I consulted with an orthopedic surgeon recently to determine why I have persistent foot pain. I was really encouraged by the doctor's recommendations, but now the foot pain has returned. Basically I've coughed a lot and had foot pain for the last fifteen years. I've been to doctors before and the results have always been inconclusive. Medicine is messy and there aren't always easy answers. I'll take the vaccine but I don't think it's going to be a magic bullet. Why do I think that this will end up just like the flu vaccine and we'll end up taking this shot at least once a year for the rest of our lives. The whole idea of "back to normal" is probably just an illusion. We have just taken a short cut into the future.

The trouble with this Kickstarter campaign that I supported is now I'm going to be wondering about this commitment until the Fall when the product is supposed to start full production. Is this thing even going to happen? Did I throw my money down a rabbit hole? I'm really not very comfortable with uncertainty. In another universe, I'd probably make a very good dog.

It's time to make a grocery list again. I won't have to get gas this week though. I didn't do anywhere. I got word that last October's issue of SpaceFlight Magazine is finally in the mail to me. Maybe my dehumidifier problem will eventually get resolved as well. I still have hopes of being back at Kennedy Space Center before the end of the year. Sometimes I feel like nothing is happening, but time marches on. I just need to be patient.

Zorro is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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