Day 4363

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Camp is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4362

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

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

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

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

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

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

Spot is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4361

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

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

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

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

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

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

Gretta is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4360

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

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

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

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

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

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

Jada is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4359

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

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

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

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

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

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

Belle is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4358

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Petey is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4357

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Scooter is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4356

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Spots is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4355

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Pepper is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4354 - Thanksgiving

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Dot is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4353

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

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

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

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

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

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

Maggie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4352

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

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

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

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

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

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

Petey is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4351

It appears that people have forgotten about John Kennedy. November 22 used to get a lot of news coverage, especially locally. Tons of people used to converge on Dealey Plaza on this day, either to pay their respects to Kennedy or to trade the latest conspiracy theories. Back when I first moved here, I visited Dealey Plaza several times on November 22. I haven't been down there in years, but at the time it seemed like an interesting event to photograph. There were still a lot of old timers who had actually been there on that fateful day. Some of them had little booths selling pamphlets claiming to tell you what really happened. There was always a lot of talk about the Grassy Knoll and the mysterious second gunman. I imagine that most of these people are dead now. I also imagine that there weren't nearly as many people at Dealey Plaza today. A new generation of conspiracy theorists have bigger fish to fry these days.

We didn't visit the Dalmatians today. The holiday week has already started for many and that means a lot more people are boarding their dogs while they travel to visit relatives for Thanksgiving. The room where we typically play with the dogs is transformed into additional boarding space during the holidays and we would just get in the way. We'll be back as soon as things quiet down a bit. We'll be visiting the kennel a lot during the holidays anyway. It's also the location of our Santa Paws Christmas photo events.

With the Santa Paws events in mind, I went to REI today and got a trekking pole. Trekking poles are just a fancy high tech version of a cane. Usually they are collapsible so they will fit in a backpack when you aren't using them. I thought one of these poles in the collapsed position would be perfect for helping me get off the floor when I'm down on my knees photographing small dogs. We'll see how this works. It may turn out to be another stupid idea.

While I was at REI I saw a Fitfit on sale and got that as well. So much for yesterday's post bragging about no longer having a desire to buy things. Oh, well. I did need the Fitbit though. I'm hooked on tracking my activity and my old Fitbit is ready to give up the ghost. The battery is just about gone and I have to charge it every day now. One disappointing thing about the new Fitbit is that it expects me to be even more active than the old one. Give me a break. I move slow. I don't think I'll ever get my heart rate up to 180 BPM.

Today was another nice day, but it is very hard to dress for this type of weather. Typically it is quite chilly when we take Dawn on her sunrise walk. I always wear a ski jacket and a wool hat for this walk. It warms up quickly after the sun comes up, so I only need a very light jacket on my long walk. Usually after I've completed a few miles, I get hot and have to take the jacket off and tie it around my waist. It was easier to dress in the summer when I just wore a t-shirt and shorts, but of course then I was always hot.

I'm looking forward to going out for dinner on Thanksgiving. Covid put an end to the extravagant buffet/brunches that some restaurants and hotels served on Thanksgiving. We were actually surprised to find that a few places that have have resumed the tradition this season. It's about time. We've been to this place before but it's been a while. Hopefully the food is still good.

I keep hoping that Dawn will bond with me soon. Janet is going on a cruise with her relatives in about six months. Dawn and I need to be best buddies by then. We've still got a ways to go.

Chelsey is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4350

Another Sunday with lots of walking. My feet held up fairly well today and my pace was back to normal. The weather seemed strange today. When we took Dawn on her sunrise walk it was warm and a little humid. It was still pretty warm when I took my long walk, but later in the day it suddenly became a lot colder. I've given up predicting the weather. Every day is a new day.

We discontinued Dawn's new meds. They actually seemed to be making Dawn worse instead of better. Janet and I both noticed strange changes in behavior that could only be explained by the new meds. I'm glad that Janet noticed the changes independently and was the first to want to discontinue the meds. I've tried to remain neutral since both Janet and the vet wanted to give the medicine a try. I've never been a fan of Prozac or any other anti-depressants. My Mom was manic/depressive and I've seen what these drugs can do. It's not good. You are playing with fire when you try to mess with the brain.

Dawn will never be completely normal, but she is back to her old self. I don't think any damage was done with the short trial of the drug. She was anxious in the car when we began our Sunday outing today, but quickly recovered when we arrived at our destination. She's always this way. Dawn doesn't like surprises and wants her life to be very predictable. I'm sure the drugs made her feel a little different and in her mind that was a big surprise that frightened her. I can appreciate this. For most of my life I've felt the same way. When I was in college in the 60's, I tried almost every mood altering substance you could eat, drink, or smoke. Once was enough for me. I hated being high. I don't like being out of control. LSD and Psilocybin were the worst, but I didn't even like weed. To this day I still think substance abuse is at the root of most of our nation's problems.

Every year about this time I'm inundated with ads for Black Friday bargains. This year for the first time I can remember, I have no desire to buy anything. I don't think I've reached the decluttering stage yet, but I've got all the stuff I need. Since I've always been somewhat of a gearhead, I can see how technology companies try to make you feel like what you are currently using is obsolete. There is this relentless desire to sell you new stuff because if you were happy with what you had, they wouldn't have a business. I think the fashion industry operates the same way. It's a shame that we are being programmed to desire cheap, disposable stuff that only lasts a few years, when what we really need are a few durable things that last a lifetime.

While we're on the subject of cheap, disposable stuff, I many need to get a new Fitbit soon. Why do they make these things with a battery that can't be replaced? When the battery wears out, you have to buy a whole new tracker. Would it have been that hard to design a tracker using a small flat easily replaceable watch battery for power? A lot of new technology is this way. It is not designed to be repaired, it is designed to be replaced.

While we were eating dinner this evening we heard the news about the Christmas parade in Wisconsin. What a shame. These kind of things keep happening over and over again. It's like humanity has become a bunch of wild, feral animals. Events that would have seemed impossible when I was a child are just considered normal now. It makes you wonder how low we can go? I don't think humans deserve this planet. We manage to screw up everything we touch.

Puppies are today's Dalmatians of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4349

I keep hearing that the shelves are going to be empty this Christmas, but that doesn't seem to be the case around here. When I did my shopping this morning, the stores were full of Christmas stuff. Nobody seems to be waiting until after Thanksgiving anymore. Christmas tree lots are already up and running. Stores are full of gifts. Some of our neighbors have already put Christmas lights up.

I keep worrying that Dawn might be having an adverse reaction to the new meds she's taking. She seemed slower on her walk this morning. She spit out the cookie I always give her before I leave on my own long walk. She certainly doesn't seem any friendlier toward me. I guess the real test will be tomorrow when she rides in the car to go on her Sunday outing. It's hard to evaluate Dawn's mood anyway. To me, she is always acting weird. 

It didn't take long to get my shopping done today. There were no lines at the gas pump. The shelves were well stocked. And I didn't have a long list anyway. It did take a long time to complete my walk unfortunately. The weather was nice but my feet hurt again today. My pace was pretty slow today. Even old, overweight people were passing me on the trails.

I was wrong when I said we weren't going to get any Fall color this year. The trees are just turning a little later than usual. I saw lots of reds and yellows today. I didn't see the eagles unfortunately. I didn't even see the regular group of ducks and geese. I am seeing Kestrels again and the White Pelicans have started to become active. I like it when the animals are active. They keep my mind off the human side of the equation.

I wonder why there are so many for sale and for rent signs in the neighborhood. The population seems a lot more transient than it used to be. Janet and I seems to be the only people who have been here forever. A lot of the older neighbors have either passed away or moved on to assisted living. I don't know what the young ones are doing. I don't know hardly any of them because they don't stay here long enough.

I also wonder why almost all modern cars look the same and why there are so many people walking babies in strollers? It's a different world now. I hear police and fire sirens constantly these days but I don't see as many airplanes overhead. I don't think that air travel has completely recovered yet. Maybe everybody is just out on the highways. I've never seen traffic this bad in all the time I've lived here.

My Fitbit battery ran out this morning. It bothered me a bit because I didn't get any credit for my long walk. I'm definitely hooked on checking my stats. Every morning I check to see how many hours of deep sleep I got and how long I was in a dream state. I dream a lot, but from what I can remember the dreams are never very satisfying. When I was young I had flying dreams. Now I seems to be constantly lost. I'm always looking for my car in a parking garage or riding up and down elevators looking for my room in a hotel. I think Dawn has lots of dreams too. She often wakes me up at night while barking in her sleep.

The vet called with Dawn's test results. Everything looks normal. I hope she enjoys her Sunday outing tomorrow. I'm not a big fan of her new meds but I do want her to be happy. If she is less anxious it's probably a good thing. 

Ranger is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4348

I did end up seeing the eclipse last night. Yep, I had to pee. When I went outside, the sky was crystal clear and Orion and Sirius were high in the sky. The eclipse was as near totality as it was going to get, taking on a characteristic reddish hue as the moon passed thru the earth's shadow. It was all beautiful and serene. The night was quiet with no barking dogs or police cars racing down the street with their sirens on. For about ten seconds I thought about staying outside and doing some observing. I quickly remembered that almost every house in the neighborhood, including ours, has a bright security light in the yard and that a huge tree blocks our view of the North, making it almost impossible to polar align a telescope. It was also very cold. I took one last look at the moon and then went inside and back to sleep again. I am glad I saw the eclipse though.

This morning when we took Dawn on her sunrise walk, the moon was on the horizon and just about to set. It always looks larger when it is on the horizon for some reason. The sky was still clear and it looked like it was going to be a nice day. All this put me in a slightly better mood than usual. It wasn't dramatic, but it was enough to keep me from wanting to go back to bed again.

I waited for an hour or so after breakfast to take my long walk. I wanted the temperature to warm up a little. I was surprised when a rather large bobcat crossed my path. The cat wasn't interested in me and apparently wasn't frightened of humans. I've seen bobcats in the park before, but never one this large. Too bad I didn't have a camera with me. I was glad that Dawn wasn't with me though. I have no interest in tangling with a bobcat.

Work crews were busy ripping out the old trail when I was walking this morning. I'm still disappointed to see this happening. When we first moved here, the park was neglected and largely abandoned. At some point, a large bond issue passed and the city began making improvements. I liked the old days better. There were a few bikers who used to hang out in the park, but it was mostly empty. It certainly wasn't a recreation destination like it is today.

My feet didn't bother me today and I was able to maintain a fairly good pace on my walk. I kept looking for the two bald eagles, but have no idea when I'll see them again. I guess I should be content with seeing the bobcat today. When I returned home I couldn't think of anything to do. I did a load of wash and ignored a bunch of "suspected spam" calls on the landline. I really need to call AT&T and see if there is a way to block these calls from coming through. There seems to be more bogus calls every day and they are becoming irritating.

The proton pump inhibitor pills I've started taking appear to have cured my heartburn. We had cheeseburgers for dinner and they caused no problem. I've taken a PPI before and they've always worked well. It's too bad these pills can have some nasty side effects. I wonder how long I can get away with taking these things this time. My gastroenterologist says yes and my primary care physician says no.

Hard to believe that it's the weekend again. It's time to go grocery shopping and fill the car with gas. I wonder how much prices have gone up this week?

Jasper is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4347

The weather has changed again. It was really cold this morning. Northerners wouldn't consider today's temperature cold, but it was pretty chilly to me. I just can't handle cold anymore. I'm wearing sweaters around the house when Janet is still in shirtsleaves. I'll turn the thermostat up and she'll turn it back down again. This is all kind of weird since I've spent plenty of time in cold climates. I went to high school in Alaska and lived in Idaho for a while right after college. I don't remember being cold then. Of course my memory may be fooling me. I don't remember a lot from 60 years ago.

Dawn seems to love the colder weather. She was full of energy on her sunrise walk and even took a second walk with Janet later in the day. I bundled up for my long walk and for the first time this season didn't feel like taking my jacket off after the first few miles. A brisk wind made it feel even colder, but I finished my six miles. My pace was better today. I must have been walking faster to stay warm.

I can't say that I did anything useful today. I did clear the leaves off the front and back porch, but that was a futile activity. It was a windy day and by the time I was finished, a new batch of leaves had already fallen from the trees. I have to sweep the front porch often. Prevailing winds push leaves against our front door and then when you open the door they blow inside. I think the fun part of Fall is almost over. Now comes months of leaf raking. The leaves used to just blow away, but now that all the neighbors have built those awful tall wood security fences, we don't get a breeze anymore and the leaves have no place to go.

There's an eclipse of the moon later tonight. It's supposed to be the longest eclipse in hundreds of years according to the media accounts I've read. Will I get up at 4 AM to look at the moon as it approaches totality? Maybe. There's a good chance I'll just sleep through the whole thing. I've already photographed a number of lunar eclipses and they are all pretty much the same. The only time I bother to go outside when astronomical events like eclipses and meteor showers are taking place in the wee hours of the morning is if I happen to wake up to go to the bathroom at the same time. I value my sleep. The last thing I want to do is get up in the middle of the night. Maybe I should write a book called The Lazy Astronomer. I love looking at the night sky between 9 and 11 PM. After that, it's bedtime.

It looks like there is a lot of construction going on in the park. The city is replacing some of my favorite trails with much larger concrete walkways. This isn't good news for me. The new walkways will be promoted as bike paths by the city and all the sudden there will be a new influx of bicycles from all over the place. Bicycles don't mix well with people walking dogs. Cyclists never slow down for anybody and dogs love to wander around and sniff things on both sides of the trail. For as long as I can remember I've had to be on the lookout for bicycles so the dogs and I don't end up getting run over. 

I filled out my application to attend the Artemis 1 roll out this morning. Will I get credentialed? Who knows. They haven't even set a date for the roll out yet, but it will probably take place toward the end of December. I kind of like Winter events in Florida because the mosquitos aren't so bad. If I don't get accepted for this one, it's not a big deal. I can still apply to attend the launch sometime in 2022. I'd enjoy seeing the roll out, but if I don't go, I'll save some money.

It was chilly when I took the trash to the curb this evening. The sky was clear and the moon was trying to tempt me. I still can't decide whether to get up for the eclipse. I will have to get up tomorrow morning and the temperature is only supposed to be 37 degrees. Brrr. It's almost time to set the outdoor faucets on drip and bring the lawnmower battery inside for the winter.

Puppies are today's Dalmatians of the Day

Watch of the Day