Day 3744

Hey, I'm doing my part. My car hasn't left the driveway all week. With the exception of a short trip to the vet yesterday, Janet's car hasn't moved much either. I can't say that my behavior has changed. I've been living this way for years. Janet is the only person I talk to regularly and I frequently drive less than ten miles a week. Isolation isn't all that bad. For many, many years I made a good income writing and designing websites from a computer in our spare bedroom.

It seems strange and somewhat disorienting to see people turning to things I've been doing for decades. Videoconferencing, working from home, ordering supplies online, maintaining a home network, and learning to tolerate long periods of silence and isolation are all skills I mastered years ago. I wonder how many people are going to decide that this is actually a better way to live when the pandemic is over?

I think people are already discovering the benefits of being outdoors. I see more people in the park than I've seen in years. I see them doing yoga, practicing kickboxing, and lifting weights, as well as the usually walking and cycling. Parents are taking their kids on long walks. I suspect that most of them are trying to wear the kids out so they will take a long nap and let the parents get some work done when they get home. Seems like a good plan to me. We all keep our distance in the park and hope nobody tries to force us indoors. There aren't a lot of things you can do proactively to stay healthy. I'm convinced that exercise and getting some good outdoor air into your lungs is a good place to start.

Local grocery stores are starting to limit the number of people inside the stores. In theory this is a good idea, but all it really does is cause people to bunch together at the store entrance waiting to get in. I wonder when the panic buying will stop? Eventually everyone is bound to have enough rice, bread, beans, and toilet paper.

I'm already starting to see used gloves and masks littering parking lots. This is insanity, but I'm really not surprised. For years I've seen people in the park pick up their dog poop in poop bags and then just throw the bags in the woods. What does this prove? There are plenty of trash cans in the park. Leaving a sealed poop bag in the hot sun is worse than doing nothing at all. Dog poop is biodegradable. Poop sealed in a bag and not disposed of properly probably becomes radioactive or something.

I wonder where all these people throwing away used masks and gloves in grocery store parking lots are getting them? You certainly can't find these items in stores yet. We still have lots of purple surgical gloves left over from Dash's chemo treatments. No masks though. When I administered Dash's meds every day, I couldn't touch the Palladia pills. They were very toxic and I had a complicated cleanup procedure to follow. Even Dash's poop was toxic and had to be disposed of properly. Washing my hands frequently seems simple by comparison.

One of the most enjoyable things about Spring is that there are new wildflowers to enjoy every single week. The Prairie Verbena arrived this week. These little purple flowers have always been one of my favorites.

Petey is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3743

We took Dawn to the vet today. It wasn't the first time she's been to the vet. All the Dalmatian Rescue dogs get an extensive vet check when they enter the rescue program. She also spent several days at the emergency vet after she was attacked by the two pit bulls. This was the first time she'd seen our own vet though. It was good to see some familiar faces again, although neither Janet or I had expected to be back in an exam room so soon.

It was reassuring to confirm that Dawn was reasonable healthy. Since she had worms when the rescue group picked her up, we wanted to make sure that the first treatment was effective. Hookworms can be difficult to eradicate. Dawn's heart seemed strong and there was no telltale murmur that might indicate an enlarged heart. We did an ultrasound and it is possible that she might be a stone forming Dalmatian. Urate bladder stones are common in Dalmatians. We'll have to see the results of her urinalysis to confirm this. The vet thought that her front teeth were worn not from age, but by being caged for long periods of time. She was used as a breeding dog in her former life and never got a chance to live the life she deserved. Apparently she really is six year old. We thought she was much older. Considering that she has had a hard life, she is still very healthy.

We hadn't seen our regular vet since Dash died and it was nice to catch up on things. The clinic was quieter than usual for obvious reasons. I was glad they were still seeing patients. The place was sparkling clean and the entire staff had done an excellent job of adapting to the coronavirus threat. If only the grocery stores could do this well.

Our visit to the vet reminded me how expensive owning a dog can be. I told Dawn that she's going to be just fine until we go bankrupt. The stock market had a massive rebound today, but I don't think it means anything. It is too early for things to return to normal. It took me so long to get back to even after the 2008 crash that I knew I never wanted to do this again. Surprise. I'm going to have to pick up the pieces and rebuild all over again. I'm too old for this. Even if I do some smart strategic buying when the market finally bottoms, this is going to take a long time.

I know the virus is a serious health threat, but I wish the media would quit trying to instill fear in everyone. The media always loves a catastrophe. Jeez. This is not the zombie apocalypse. It's easy to forget how many people die every single day from other causes. If the media covered deaths from cancer, suicides, gunshot wounds, and car accidents with the same relentlessly zeal they're using to cover this virus, we'd be living in fear for the rest of our lives.

I guess most of the new safety guidelines seem reasonable to me. I've been staying at least six feet away from other people for most of my life. It doesn't bother me to shun crowds. I hate crowds. I've always gone shopping when other people are working just to avoid them. I think the real danger we are facing isn't the virus. It is a lack of common sense. If people used common sense and always acted rationally, I'm convinced that the dire problems we're facing now wouldn't be nearly as bad.

Hang in there guys. I'm glad some of you are still making funny memes. We still need to smile.

Chelsey is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3742

If we all die it will be because of a basic lack of common sense instead of the coronavirus. I really wonder about people. We are not running out of food. If we all just started shopping normally again, there wouldn't be shortages of anything. You don't have to stay indoors either. Just stay away from other people. I could be wrong, but I still think outdoor air and lots of exercise is good for you. And couldn't the people we elected just quit fighting for a while? Is it really that hard to pass a bill that would give hospitals and first responders what they need without trying to pack it with a long wish list of pet projects? Democrats and Republicans are equally guilty of this. I don't understand why quarantined senators and representatives aren't allowed to vote. Do you really have to physically be on the floor of the senate to vote? This is silly. It is just political gamesmanship with one side trying to gain an advantage over the other. There ought to be a way to test for antibodies, so people who have developed an immunity to the virus can get back to work. A complete shutdown just isn't sustainable for very long. The deaths ought to be put in context too. I suspect that a lot more people are still dying from auto accidents and gunshot wounds than from the virus here in the United States.

I went to the audio repair shop to pick up my Sequential Circuits synthesizers this morning. The employees were all wondering how long they could stay in business without musicians. Live music venues throughout Texas are all closed. There are no concerts either. Working musicians aren't thinking about repairing their equipment these days. They are more likely to be thinking about pawning something.

The head electrician who owns the company came over to look at my switch today. He said a lot of his younger employees didn't want to go into people's homes anymore because they had young children at home. I guess that's understandable. I have no desire to go into other people's homes these days either. The electrician did figure out what was wrong with my switch and said he could order a part to fix it. You can always depend on the old guys to actually fix things.

The baby owl has been gone from its nest for several days now. I'm thinking now that I may have seen the owl on the day it finally decided to fly. It was tentatively flexing its wings when I was photographing it. I suspect that both baby owls are still in the area. I hope they stick around. Since owls have taken up residence in our neighborhood, there has been a noticeable decrease in the number of mice and rats we see in the yard.

I finished my article about McDonald Observatory and sent it to the editor at Sky and Telescope. Now I wait. Unfortunately, I'll probably have to wait a long time. This magazine is not terrible responsive. I often wait weeks, wondering whether my e-mail has wound up in someone's spam folder. Since this has happened before, it is a concern. I think my article turned out pretty well. I hope the editors agree.

Dawn got another long walk today. Luckily, walking your dog is still acceptable under the new citywide lockdown. I see more people in the park lately, but social distancing isn't a problem. Most of the people we saw today were several hundred yards away.

Ariel is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3741

It was almost inevitable. Dallas, like many other large cities, is now under a lockdown. The new "Shelter in Place" rules go into effect tomorrow. I'm not sure if there will be many changes for Janet and I. We can still go to the grocery store and we can still take walks in the park as long as we stay at least six feet away from other people. It's a big park and other people are usually at least 300 yards away. I don't think this is going to be a problem. Maybe the new rules will make a difference. I hope so. There are already a lot of people testing positive in Dallas County and we aren't even testing many people yet.

So far, life seems normal until I turn on the television. Apparently, the world is ending but I just keep on having my morning smoothie, taking long walks in the park, and minding my own business. I never realized it before, but I've been sheltering in place for years. When this is all over, maybe introverts will finally get the respect they deserve.

I saw a meme this morning that said that people with seasonal allergies have become the new Salem Witches. It certainly feels that way. Every Spring my eyes start watering and I find myself sneezing a lot. I'm glad that most of this sneezing takes place when I'm alone in my office at home. It wouldn't go over very well in an office cube environment. You feel very self conscious when sneezing becomes unacceptable behavior. When I felt a sneeze coming on at mealtime at the Astronomers Lodge last week, I would excuse myself and go back to my room to sneeze. Sneezing and coughing was starting to be unacceptable even then. I'm sure things have gotten much worse.

The park was pretty empty today because it was a rainy day.  There were still plenty of people walking their dogs though. I've noticed that people do keep their distance when they pass on the trails. Generally the people I see in the park are much more polite than the people I encounter at the grocery store. If this virus really gets out of hand, it will be because of all the people hoarding toilet paper.

Dawn has her first appointment with our regular vet on Tuesday. I'm not sure how the new lockdown rules affect veterinarians. I'll have to call and see if we need to reschedule. If the vet still feels comfortable seeing us, we'll probably still go. I'm also supposed to get my second shingles shot tomorrow. I'm pretty sure that this will be classified as an unnecessary visit and will need to be postponed. No a problem really. There is a pretty wide window to get this second shot. Any time within the next three or four months is OK.

I told the audio repair shop that I would pick up my Sequential Circuits synthesizers tomorrow. It is becoming clear that they aren't going to sell and they want them out of the shop. Since all local businesses are supposed to remain closed during the lockdown, the synthesizers might need to stay a while longer though. One more thing to check tomorrow.

I still don't know anyone personally who has become sick. Friends of friends have become sick though. The disease is getting closer. A friend who lives in rural Kentucky and likes to hunt and fish has invited us to come and stay if all hell breaks loose. "We're all hillbillies up here, but we've already got a six month supply of food," he told me. I'm still hoping for the best, but the offer might sound pretty good a few months from now.

Brooke is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3740

The baby owls have really grown since I saw them last. I initially mistook one of the babies for the mother this afternoon. A closer look quickly revealed that I was looking at one of the babies, but it was still surprising to see how quickly they had developed. Evidently, young Great Horned Owls eat four times as much as adults, causing them to grow very quickly. The mom isn't around as much these days, but still returns almost every day to feed her children mice and encourage them to fly.

I think there are a lot more doomsday preppers than I ever would have imagined. I can't believe how much food people are buying. When I went to Sam's Club this morning to get some necessities, I saw people with enough food to last them for an entire year. Several people with large SUV's had the entire back of their cars stuffed to the ceiling with food and paper products.

It's easy to see how panic buying escalates. Literally everyone in the store had a big package of paper towels in their buggy, so I got one too. It wasn't a brand that I usually buy, but who cares when you are facing the apocalypse. I certainly hope people don't decide to start using paper towels as toilet papers. If that happens there are going to be some major plumbing problems.

I finally found some distilled water, oatmeal, and blueberries. I never realized that so many people need distilled water. I use it to prevent mineral scale from building up in my coffee maker. Other people use it for more important things, like preventing their Dalmatians from developing stones and keeping CPAP machines running properly.

I wonder when these Spring rains are going to end? I spent so much time clearing the roof of water yesterday and now it's raining again. Water on the roof is my own private version of the Sisyphus myth. The gods who condemned Sisyphus thought that there is no more dreadful punishment than futile and hopeless labor. They were probably right. At least the roof isn't leaking.

I think dogs are loving this pandemic. I've never seen so many people walking their dogs in the park. It's good that people are becoming more active. They seem to becoming kinder too. I wonder how long this will last when the pandemic is finally over? I think the panic buying will finally subside when people realize they have more food than they could possible use. Maybe people will continue to drive less as well. One can only hope. I hope some of these new behaviors become permanent.

It's a shame that I won't be able to go to the gym tomorrow. Our options for doing things away from home continue to grow smaller. Janet and I did do our part to support local restaurants by ordering a pizza from a little neighborhood restaurant that makes a good pie.

My dealer told me that I sold a few more brass trains today. It's kind of astonishing that anyone is still buying railroad collectibles during the apocalypse, but it's fine by me. Today's sales almost paid for my trip to McDonald Observatory. I still don't have the nerve to look at my brokerage account. Janet and I have both lost a lot of money, but it's better at this time not to know how much.

The lesson of this week is that life goes on no matter what happens. We adjust to things and establish new priorities. I hope you guys are all doing well. Nobody I know has died yet. I hope I can say the same thing next week.

Big Boy is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3739

Maybe I'm fooling myself, but I'd like to think that all my long walks are keeping me healthy. What's not to like. Walking burns calories, strengthens your heart and lungs, lowers your blood sugar, increases bone density, reduces the risk of stroke, improves circulation and posture, and enhances creativity. Will my five mile daily walks keep me from getting the coronavirus? Hard to say. It certainly doesn't hurt to stay in shape though.

Dawn seems to agree with me. She loves her daily walks. I don't think she ever got a good walk before. All we have to do is show her a leash and harness and she's ready to go. It's fun to watch her explore and smell everything in her path. It's amazing that something so simple can bring so much joy to a dogs life. It's good to have a dog around again. Dogs have their priorities straight.

The pandemic keeps inching closer and closer to home. There has been a death in Dallas in the last few days and someone has tested positive in our own neighborhood. Janet and I still feel healthy and hope to stay that way. I think social distancing is working, but I feel sorry for all the small businesses that no longer have any customers. I took some letters to the post office this morning and a nearby strip mall was virtually empty. A lot of little shops and restaurants aren't going to make it if this national quarantine goes on much longer.

I went ahead and applied for press credentials for the upcoming Space X Crew Dragon launch that is supposed to take place in late May. This is a big one, since it will mark the first time American astronauts will travel to the International Space Station on an American rocket since the Space Shuttle program ended in 2011. The launch could easily get postponed, especially since NASA has already shut down the Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans and the Stennis Space Center in Mississippi. Who knows. The world could change a lot by mid-May. I'm going to stay optimistic though.

I'm also going to stay in touch with the astronomers at McDonald Observatory. I wrote one of my new friends today and asked hime to let me know when the 82" Otto Struve telescope is eventually rescheduled for another all night special viewing session. I would still really like to spend some time behind the eyepiece of this historic telescope. With all the disruptions caused by the coronavirus, it is doubtful that the telescope would be available until late this Summer. It's going to happen sometime though, and I want to be first in line.

I wish people would stop hoarding food. It forces you to go to the grocery store a lot more often than necessary. There is plenty of food. There is even plenty of toilet paper if people would just continue to shop normally. Panic buying forces you to go to the store frequently, just to see if the empty shelves have been refilled. One day you buy water. The next day you buy bananas.  I just hope there is still a steady supply of fresh fruit for my morning smoothie.

Life is still pretty normal for me. I spent the afternoon clearing water from the roof. Both pumps have become clogged with catkins from our remaining Oak trees. The roof was a mess, but apparently the patches I made recently are working. Despite an abundance of rain, we haven't seen any more leaks.

Baxter is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3738

The Crane Flies are back. I hate these things. They are like spiders with wings and every Spring thousands of them seem to gather by the back door, just waiting to get inside. I'm finding Crane Flies in every room of the house. They're slow and easy to catch, but they are a big nuisance. I've even found them inside the refrigerator.

The electrician came over today to fix the light switch in Janet's bathroom. As luck would have it, the switch wasn't made anymore and the replacement that the electrician thought would work wasn't compatible with the house wiring. Simple things always seem to turn into complicated things with this house. The electrician got the bathroom light and the exhaust fan working again, but a third switch on the receptacle that controls some exterior lighting is still inactive. I told the electrician to come back if he could figure out how to control all three circuits with a modern switch. It isn't critical though. The light works again and that was all that really mattered. Apparently, there are backflow problems with my house wiring. I'm not sure what that means at the moment, but it's one more thing to learn about.

Dawn was scared of the electrician. She didn't bark or anything. She just sat in the center of the bed and shivered. It's sad to see her frightened of anything new. It's understandable though. Dogs remember things and I'm sure she's had some very bad experiences in her life. At least she trusts Janet and I now. It's going to be a long, slow learning process to get her to trust the rest of the world.

I asked the electrician how he was coping with the virus and his reaction was about the same as mine. If everything you know is delivered by a media you don't entirely trust, how can you know what is true? I'm definitely keeping my distance from people, but I would be doing that anyway. The weird thing is that nothing has changed in my life. Nobody has sent me home from work. I have no children or older parents to worry about. If I don't show symptoms in another week or so, it's a pretty safe bet that I didn't catch anything from star party guests at the observatory. It's unlikely that any of these people were infected anyway, but anything is possible.

I got a notice that NASA was taking applications for media accreditation for the first Crew Dragon flight to the ISS in mid-May. Will the virus have subsided by then, or will things be even worse? It's impossible to tell at the moment. I think I'll apply anyway. A lot can happen in two months. I'll have to ask the British magazine that has been publishing my articles to send me to Kennedy Space Center, but I have a feeling that this won't be a problem. The real problem will be whether I have the nerve to get on a plane again after the pandemic runs its course.

I finished the first draft of my Sky and Telescope article today. I'll still need to do some editing, but I'm pleased so far. It's been so long since I initially proposed the McDonald Observatory article that I'm not sure the magazine is still interested. It doesn't hurt to be optimistic though. I think the article is pretty good.

I took the trash out to the curb, but it doesn't look like I'll be going out to breakfast tomorrow. All the restaurants in town are closed.

Pringles is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3737

It's going to be a very long Spring. They say that new cases of the coronavirus won't begin to peak for another 45 days. Even if infections begin to decrease after that point, it's going to be mid-Summer before life returns to normal. I hope the experts are wrong. I'm not really prepared for toilet paper riots at the grocery store.

So far, nothing has changed for me. The only time I left the house was for my long walk. Janet and I walk Dawn three miles every day and then I continue walking another two miles by myself. Janet has started jogging, since she can't go to the gym anymore. We may be bored, but we're going to be in good shape.

I started writing my Sky and Telescope article today. The first draft is almost done, but the article will need considerable editing before I'm ready to submit it to the magazine. So far, so good. I've got some human interest stories about life at the observatory. There are descriptions of the astronomical targets I viewed through the 36-inch Dall-Kirkham telescope. There are side trips to the Tull Spectrograph and the Hobby-Eberly Telescope. I think this will be interesting to other amateur astronomers, but what do I know. I hope the article gets published. Sky and Telescope actually pays for articles.

The house continues to deteriorate. A light fixture in Janet's bathroom quit working today. I can't decide whether to problem is in the wiring or in the switch that controls the light. I just finished paying the electrician for his last visit to the house, but it looks like I'm going to have to call him again. The problem isn't a bad bulb and I'm not all that good with wiring. I took the fixture apart and couldn't find any loose or burned wiring. Anything beyond that and I'm likely to electrocute myself.

My taxes are done. Once again I owe money. It doesn't seem fair that I'm paying more now than I was when I was working. It makes a big difference when you have nothing to deduct. I sure wish I had converted my IRA to a Roth IRA a long time ago. The mandatory distributions all count as earned income. It would have made a lot more sense to pay the taxes upfront when I was making a good income rather than now when I am living on a fixed income.

Dawn becomes more relaxed with every passing day. It is clear that she calls our place home now. Sudden movements still spook her, but that's understandable. After the way she was attacked, I don't think she will ever be completely comfortable approaching strange dogs again. She's certainly got a personality. I've never seen a Dalmatian smile quite as often as Dawn does.

I certainly hope the medical experts are right. Shutting down the entire country is pretty drastic. I've been around a long time and have never seen anything like this. Our collective reaction to 9/11 wasn't nearly this severe. I guess this is a perfect storm. What we have is a fear of financial ruin combined with a fear of dying. That pretty much covers all the bases. A lot of senior citizens are going to lose their savings. A lot of younger people are going to lose their jobs. Some people are going to lose their lives. Any way you look at it, this pandemic is not good.

Luckily, we're not running out of toilet paper and there's enough food in the freezer to last for quite a while. I'm going to take things one day at a time.  What else can you do.

Nick is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3736

I'm still getting used to the new normal. Lots of people were walking their dogs in the park today. There were more people without dogs as well. Hey, exercise and fresh air are good things. There was a lot less traffic as well. In Dallas that's a great thing. It's ironic that now that the roads are finally clear, there is no place to go. I feel bad for all the restaurants and small businesses in our neighborhood. Nobody is going anywhere. I wonder if some of these restaurants will survive.

The grocery stores are still doing well. If you're going to get the coronavirus, it will probably happen in a grocery store. This is the only place left where people tend to congregate. Everyone is still looking for water and toilet paper. I saw several people waiting for the bus carrying big packages of toilet paper and nothing else.

I don't think I need to worry about a lack of fruit and fresh vegetables. The produce aisles in most stores are still well stocked. Apparently, people can go without food, but not without toilet paper. I'm having trouble finding distilled water for my coffeemaker. Is there anything special about distilled water? I initially thought it would be easier to find than regular bottled water. I can't find rubbing alcohol either. I guess people started buying that when the stores ran out of hand sanitizer.

My life hasn't changed much. I've been living in a semi isolated state for decades. Even when my business was busy, I rarely saw clients face to face. Most of my business was conducted over the Internet. It's amazing how much you can get done when you aren't distracted by meetings and office politics. I have a feeling that when this pandemic has run its course, a lot of people aren't going to want to go back to work. Working from home isn't so bad.

I'm really glad I got to attend the Solar Orbiter launch and spend a week out at McDonald Observatory before the world changed. Those were the only trips I had planned this Spring anyway. Lots of people's vacations are being rescheduled as we speak. This is definitely not the time to be visiting Italy or taking a cruise. This won't last forever though. I have a feeling that there are going to be some tremendous travel bargains later in the year.

I hope that large companies and our own government are finally starting to realize that it's not a good idea to outsource production to countries that can make the stuff cheaper. Wouldn't you rather pay a little more for your medicine in return for the security that it was always going to be there when you need it. We could solve so many problems if we made our own stuff again. I can remember when every little town had a factory. It was these thousands of factories that kept people employed and helped our parents and grandparents win World War II.

Mistakes have been made, but hopefully we can learn from them. Personally, I hope that things don't return to normal when all this is over. I like the fact that there is dramatically less traffic on the roads. Maybe we'll all discover that we don't need to drive as much. They say air quality has improved as well. There are already dramatic air quality improvement in China because their factories aren't churning out an endless supply of things we don't really need. Could we solve the global warming problem just by consuming less? It's worth a try.

I hope I don't get the virus. I hope you don't either. Until the panic subsides, I'll just continue doing what I've always done. I'll make my smoothie in the morning. I'll take long walks by myself. I'll get to know Dawn a little better. And I'll write my blog in the evening. As far as I'm concerned, life is good.

Allie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3735

I'm glad I went to the gym yesterday. I got an e-mail this morning saying that they were closing until further notice. Stores are closing. Restaurants are closing. The world as we know it is starting to disappear. No wonder people are buying everything in the grocery stores. Things are changing so rapidly that it's hard to tell what is going to happen next.

Janet and I both went back to get more groceries today. I think we've got plenty of food for at least a month. As luck would have it, they were restocking the bottled water when I went to the store, so I added to our supply. Janet got extra food for Dawn and lots of things we can freeze. We've got plenty of food, water, medicine, and household supplies now. Eventually we'll use all these things, but I hope our lives don't depend on them.

It's weird that everything is closing to keep people from congregating, but the grocery stores are still full. There was no social distancing at the store I went to today. The place was packed and people were buying like there was no tomorrow. It's hard to know what to buy for the apocalypse. If things really do get bad, I imagine that most of us will realize that we bought the wrong things.

I heard that the stock market had it's worst day in history, dropping 3,000 points in today's session. This is not good. A lot of small businesses will be wiped out. It's sad to see so many restaurants closing. Owning a restaurant is not easy during the best of times. I hope all my favorite places survive. When this all blows over, there is going to be a huge desire to go out to eat again. Canned beans and tuna fish are going to get real old after a while.

This is a bad time to lose faith in the media. There is so much information floating around and it's almost impossible to tell which of it is true. I was feeling pretty good when I read that if you could hold your breath for ten seconds, your lungs were in good shape and it was unlikely you had the virus. On a good day I can hold my breath for thirty seconds. Later, I was disappointed to read that this test was bogus and had nothing to do with the coronavirus. The theory that drinking lots of hot tea or other hot liquids will kill the virus turns out not to be true either.

It looks like I'll have plenty of time to write my Sky and Telescope article. I'll start writing tomorrow before the memories begin to fade. Even though my trip to McDonald Observatory was cut short, I had some very memorable experiences. It was an amazing week. If I can manage to turn my time on the mountain into an article worthy of publication, a little home quarantine might even be worth it.

I wonder if society is going to fundamentally change after this pandemic runs its course and things return to normal? I can't remember a time where we were all actively encouraged to stay away from each other. It would be ironic and even a little funny if a lot of people started living like me. What if people discovered that living in relative isolation wasn't all that bad? It's been my little secret until now. If you stay away from people, you automatically remove most of the things that cause you stress.

I don't think my life will change all that much, even if we are in a lockdown. I've been known to go weeks without leaving the house even when things were normal. I doubt that anyone will ban walks in the park. Outdoor air and exercise are good for you. I guess we'll all just have to wait and see what happens. This is all new. I have no idea what will happen next, but I hope it ends well.

Ruthie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3734

I'm glad my gym was still open this morning. There were a few additional signs about wiping down the machines after use, but just about everyone did that anyway. The only changes I noticed were that the water bottle and paper cups had been removed from the water dispenser and all the magazines had been removed from the magazine rack. All the gym rats were still there. I don't think anything would deter these people from exercising.

The gym seemed comforting and familiar, but the grocery store certainly didn't. I've never seen the shelves so empty. Bottled water, toilet paper, cleaning products, diapers, and many other items were completely gone. There was a long line of people waiting for something at the back of the store. I don't know what they were waiting for. When I got my items and left the store, the line was still there and nobody had moved.

When I went to pick up a prescription at a pharmacy located inside a different grocery store, the situation was the same. Empty shelves everywhere. Conditions like these are what causes panic buying. You can't help but thinking that all the other people must know something you don't.

Before I headed home again, I went to Home Depot to look for an in-line dimmer switch for a floor lamp in the living room that had broken. Apparently they don't make these things anymore. I needed to find something to turn the lamp on and off and ended up buying a WiFi plug that claimed it would let me switch things on and off with my phone. The high tech switch turned out to be even harder to connect to the network than our new petcam, but I ultimately got it to work.

It's raining pretty hard now, so the time I spent on the roof removing all the standing water this afternoon was a totally wasted effort. Janet said the pumps on the roof were working while I was gone, but they must not have been working well. There was a lot of water on the roof. This roof is almost as frustrating as the virus. The problems never seem to end.

Janet and I both thought we had plenty of food on hand, but rumors are swirling now about a 14-day lockdown. We both made a list of things we might need if the grocery stores and restaurants were closed and will go shopping again tomorrow. Most of the things we like to eat are only available fresh, but a lot of fresh meat and vegetables can be frozen. We'll try to be creative. Neither of us plan on eating canned beans for the next month.

Dawn doesn't appear to be afraid of storms at all. There is lots of thunder and lightning right now and she is snoozing calmly on the bed. Dawn has seen some hard times in her life, but she seems to have learned to handle almost anything. She is one of the most calm and well adjusted Dalmatians I've ever seen. If the world continues to go to hell in a handbasket, she'll be good to have around.

If you've been reading this blog for a while, you already know that I'm not a big fan of globalism. I wonder if people will start listening to me now? We need to start making the things we need ourselves again and quit being so dependent on China. What we are seeing now is what happens when you outsource everything just to save a few bucks. It is unbelievably that we get most of our medicine from China. Who let this happen? We need to rethink a lot of things as a country. I hope we can finally put and end to all our political bickering and get to work.

Carmine is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3733

I took a final walk around the mountain early this morning before saying goodby to a place I'd grown to love. Birds were starting to sing. The deer were grazing. The skies were starting to clear after last night's rain. It looked like it was going to be a good day. Too bad I wouldn't be able to enjoy it. It's still hard to believe that the observatory will be closed for 37 days. It seems like overkill to me. Call me a skeptic, but I think a lot of places are closing simply to avoid a lawsuit. If you are closed, nobody can blame you for making them sick.

It's a long drive from the Davis Mountain to Dallas. As I left the solitude of Mount Locke, I expected things to change. Oddly, the quiet seemed to continue. Sometimes the traffic is bad on I-20, but not today. The traffic was surprisingly light. I turned on the radio in the car and discovered that there was no escape from the coronavirus. Sirius XM already has a dedicated coronavirus channel. I turned the radio off. I've already heard enough about washing my hands and hoarding toilet paper.

I approached Abilene in heavy fog. The thousands of wind generators that dot the landscape in this part of the country all seemed to disappear into the sky. You'd see part of a blade descend out of the clouds and then disappear again as it continued to rotate. Hundreds of wind generators obscured by fog would have made a great picture, but there are few places to stop on the freeway. I continued to drive. I'll just have to remember this picture in my head. I just wasn't in the mood to look for an exit and search for backroads, just so I could capture a moody shot of some windmills.

I didn't see a single Land Rover on the road until I was approaching Fort Worth. It still seems ironic to me that this go anywhere vehicle is only seen in upscale, urban parts of Texas. When farmers and ranchers need to leave the highway, they take their truck. The absence of imported cars in remote parts of West Texas is making me rethink my affection for Citroën and Land Rover vehicles. Maybe it would be better to just buy a normal American car next time. The last time I traveled to the Davis Mountains I rented a Cadillac. This time I rented a Chevrolet Impala. Both cars were just fine.

When I turned off the alarm on my phone this morning I noticed a message saying that I had a dental appointment. I immediately called the dentist and left a message that I was out of town and would need to reschedule. It was only later that it occurred to me that the dentist never works on Saturday and that Apple phones always list your next appointment, no matter when it happens to be. It was a little embarrassing to realize that my next appointment of any kind was April 7. Such a busy guy I am these days. Oh, well. I'm sure my dentist is used to dealing with old people by now.

I'm not sure that Dawn initially recognized me when I returned home late this afternoon. She gave me a big nervous smile and looked at Janet as if to warn her there was a stranger in the house. She warmed up quickly though after I gave her a few treats. We're buddy's again now.

Humphrey is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3732

It's definitely Friday the 13. We're currently under a tornado alert and we just learned that McDonald Observatory is being closed because of the coronavirus. All visitors and non essential staff will meed to leave by tomorrow morning. The visitor center has already been closed and there are no more star parties. The Astronomer's Lodge will be closed as well. Essentially, my visit is over.

I got one of those severe storm alerts on my phone a little while ago, but have no idea what I'd do if there actually was a tornado.  I"m not  even sure there's anybody in the building right now. The engineering team who is staying here is still up at the telescope trying to finish their work before they have to leave as well. I actually think the severe weather is north of us, but what do I know? My weather radar coverage is pretty spotty up here.

I did work a full day today. The three tours we did seemed pretty normal. That's why the sudden decision to close the observatory came as a surprise to almost everybody. We started hearing rumors that the University of Texas might do something like this yesterday, but I didn't believe them. I was still planning on having a star party tonight. The star party activities are outdoors and visitors aren't packed closely together. Could some of the visitors to my telescope be spreading the virus around? Possibly. I think spreading fear is even worse though. I'm sure this virus is serious, but so is mass hysteria.

I'm disappointed that my visit has been cut short. I've really enjoyed my time here. I was really hoping to have another chance to spend an evening observing with the 36" Dall-Kirkham telescope, but the situation is what it is. Pretty soon, everything in the country will be closed. Personally, I think the cat is already out of the bag. This virus has such a long incubation period that chances are high people were being infected here in the United States well before we started hearing about a pandemic.

I think the best thing you can do is try to stay healthy. Eat nutritious food. Get lots of exercise. Go outdoors and don't spend you day cooped up with a lot of other people. Basically, I'm doing this already. I can't see that a home quarantine would change my life all that much. I've been social distancing for most of my life.

I'd much rather stay up here on this lonely mountain than return to Dallas and join the ongoing panic. It's kind of ironic that they are sending us home. I have a much higher chance of catching the coronavirus in Dallas that I do here. It is what is is though. I'll be packing my bags and leaving in the morning.

The coronavirus is definitely a Black Swan event. I didn't see this coming. SARS, Bird Flu, Ebola, H1N1, HIV Aids, and many other nasty diseases never caused this type of mass panic. Either the world has gone mad or somebody knows something I don't.

I don't look forward to the drive home tomorrow, but the traffic probably won't be all that bad. Nobody is going anywhere these days.

Wyatt is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3731

Today was basically a free day with no star parties or tours, so I decided to drive down to Marfa and look around. I drove south to Alpine and then West to Marfa, passing the Marfa Lights viewing center along the way. Marfa is a weird place. It's an old Texas ranch town turned into a hipster mecca, all because of Donald Judd. When this famous New York minimalist moved to town, it quickly became a destination for art aficionados around the world. I wanted to visit the old Army base that Judd acquired as his studio and gallery, but it was closed because of the coronavirus. I has to settle for wandering through the town's many small shops and galleries. They all smelled strongly of disinfectant. If this little town in the middle of nowhere is worried about the coronavirus, we're all in big trouble.

The entire loop from Fort Davis to Alpine to Marfa and back again is only 69 miles. It doesn't take long for the landscape to change from the volcanic Davis Mountains to the arid Chihuahuan desert. The landscape is majestic. If you like solitude and wide open spaces, this is where you need to be. It was nice to have a change of pace from my work duties, but I made sure I was back at the Astronomer's Lodge by dinner time. Nobody misses meals at the Astronomer's Lodge. The cook should start her own restaurant. She's from Mexico and speaks no English, but make the best Guacamole, Tacos, Enchiladas, and Fajitas I've ever had. Even the Tortillas and chips are made from scratch.

It started raining right after dinner and since the telescopes couldn't be used tonight, an astronomer I met at one of the star parties asked me if I would like to take a closer look at the huge 433 inch Hobby Eberly Telescope located at the top of Mount Fowlkes. This revolutionary telescope is the second largest in the world and doesn't use an eyepiece. Instead, it uses a sophisticated fiber optic network to send light from the mirror straight to a bank of virus spectrographs. No, this is a different kind of virus. The name is just an acronym for Visible Integral-Field Replicable Unit Spectrograph, whatever that means. This telescopes is used to look for the source of gravity waves, find planets orbiting distant stars, and to do fundamental research on black holes. Not only was I able to go inside the room where the telescope was housed, I was able to go inside the telescope itself. I don't think OSHA would approve, but it was amazing to climb through the huge structure and get so close to the enormous mirror that I could touch it. I didn't touch it of course. That's another thing that would have gotten me banned from the mountain.

Tomorrow it's back to work for the remainder of my stay. The weather is pretty bad now, but I hope we still have a few more clear star party nights. Sometimes I wonder if we'll have any more star party nights at all. We're far from the eye of the storm out here in West Texas, but news about the spread of the coronavirus keeps changing by the day. I wouldn't be surprised if the University of Texas decided to cancel the rest of the event. They're certainly canceling everything else.

I hope the event continues. I'm enjoying myself and have already had some amazing opportunities that few people who enjoy astronomy will ever experience. McDonald Observatory is a remarkable place. It is a world class research center located in the middle of nowhere. The place is completely self sufficient with it's own water and sewage system. There are enormous back up generators in case the power goes out. If there's ever a zombie apocalypse, this is the place to be.

It's going to be hard to get back on a daytime schedule. The astronomers here stay up really late and then sleep really late the next morning. Not a lot happens before noon. This is fine by me. I've always been a night owl anyway. I can see why people come here for a two week project and end up staying for twenty five years.

Lance is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3730

Today was amazing. Nothing went according to plan, but I managed to come up with a new plan that was much better. My tour guide shift was over early today, so I used my telescope key to open the door to the 82" Otto Struve dome and ask one of the staff members if it I could take pictures of the telescope. No problem. Go right ahead they told me. I had full access to the telescope floor all my myself and spent several hours getting some good pictures of the Otto Struve. I've always wanted to see this telescope, so this was an amazing opportunity.

Tonight's star party got canceled because of coronavirus fears. There was rain in the forecast and nobody thought it was a good idea to pack 500 people into the small visitor center theater for the alternate cloudy weather program. Since the CDC now recommends that gatherings of more than 50 people be canceled, moving the star party indoors wasn't going to work. Everything was canceled and I had the night off.

Since I was expecting rain, I thought I'd spend the evening in my room watching Netflix movies on my computer. Amazingly, the skies cleared around 9 PM and I got an e-mail from an astronomer I'd met earlier in the day, asking me if I'd like to join him while he was observing at the 36" telescope.

This telescope was only a short walk from the Astronomer's Lodge, so I said I'd be there in a few minutes. We spent the next three hours looking at things I'd been wanting to see for years. I saw the Owl Nebula, Cleopatra's Eye, The Crab Nebula, The Eskimo Nebula, and the beautiful planetary nebula NGC 2438 superimposed on the open cluster M-46. Of course we looked at the Orion Nebula too and I could see colors and fine detail for the first time ever. The evening ended up being much better than the star party that was originally planned and probably better than a special viewing night as well. Best of all, I may get a chance to spend another evening at this telescope several days from now if the weather holds up. I think I finally have enough information so I can actually write my Sky and Telescope article the way it was originally intended.

The coronavirus has finally left its mark on the observatory. Nobody is sick, but all the rules have changed. Mostly this is because technically the observatory is part of the University of Texas system and has to follow the University's guidelines. We used to serve ourselves at a buffet line for lunch and dinner at the Astronomer's Lodge. No self service anymore, Starting today, the kitchen staff, all wearing gloves, has to hand us our food individually. I guess they were worried that someone would sneeze on the buffet table. Silverware is individually wrapped now and our salad is served in saran wrapped bowls instead of the giant salad bowl where we used to serve ourselves. There aren't big bowls of Guacamole and hot sauce on the tables anymore. We have our condiments served in little plastic cups with lids now. Do all these precautions actually change anything. I doubt it. Rules are rules though and I imagine that things will only get worse in the near future. Nobody wants to get sick. It's not acceptable to cough or sneeze in public anymore. Jeez. I've spent most of my life sneezing for no reason at all. It's awkward.

Tomorrow is my day off and I was thinking of driving to Marfa  It all depends on whether it rains or not. I'm not going to worry about the weather though. Something interesting will happen rain or shine. It always does.

Tyson is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3729

I'm starting to feel like I live here. Life has settled into a routine. You don't miss meals at the Astronomer's Lodge. The food is excellent and it's the one time during the day where you can relax and chat with people. Today was Taco Tuesday. Need I say more? This afternoon was my first work day at the 107" telescope. I did three tours today. Usually there are about twenty to thirty people per tour. The tours are interesting and everyone seems to enjoy them. An observatory staff member gives a presentation describing the telescope and demonstrating how it moves. My duties as his assistant are mostly insuring that people don't get into trouble or hurt themselves. I escort visitors to the restrooms and make sure the children don't try to climb dangerous ladders or venture into restricted areas. The observatory can be a very dangerous place with lots of places to fall and buttons that could do a lot of damage if pressed at the wrong time. I make sure that nobody has a heart attack going up the long flight of stairs leading to the telescope on the fifth floor of the building. Since the observatory is at a fairly high altitude, people have passed out climbing these stairs.

Between tours I stay at the observatory until the next tour arrives. It's kind of a weird feeling to be alone in this huge building at the top of a remote mounting. Inside the building you hear the rumble of air conditioning and filtration equipment. Outside all you hear is the wind. It is absolutely silent. You are on your feet a lot during tour duty and at the end of the day all you want to do is soak your feet in some warm water. If I do this again I definitely need to find some more comfortable shoes.

The skies were clear for tonight's star party. It was absolutely beautiful. As the sky grew dark you could see the faint triangular glow of the zodiacal light. This light is caused by sunlight hitting interplanetary dust and is hard to see unless the sky is clear and dark. The Winter Milky Way was clearly visible as well, along with thousands of stars that are never visible in a city like Dallas. I was assigned M-41, the same telescope target I was looking at last night.  This time, thanks to a quick Google search in my room before breakfast,  I knew more about it. I told people that they were looking at something 2300 light years away that was probably discovered by Aristotle. Open star clusters can be quite beautiful. All my telescope visitors seemed to enjoy what they saw tonight.

After the star party was over the staff and volunteers had a meeting about the coronavirus. It may rain tomorrow and when  this happens the star party usually moves indoors and staff members give presentations in the visitor center theater instead. Since Spring Break star parties are large and the theater is small, the observatory decided that it was too risky to pack the theater with people during a coronavirus pandemic. If it rains everything will be canceled. This was probably a wise precaution, but I think the cat is already out of the bag. We've already had close proximity to hundreds of strangers ever since the Spring Break festivities began.

I'm glad my tour guide duties don't start until afternoon. Writing the blog after star parties have concluded and I've had time to drive up the mountain without my lights on keeps me up very late. I set the blog to post just before midnight on Tuesday, but I'm really writing this in the wee hours of Wednesday morning. Luckily I can sleep late tomorrow. I'm not going to set an alarm and will just try to sleep as long as I can. The room is certainly dark enough to get a good night's sleep.

Ely is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3728

My first star party is in the books. I managed to keep my telescope pointed at the right star cluster for the entire evening. Everyone seemed pleased at what they were seeing. I was surprised  that we even had a star party tonight. It was overcast for most of the day, but the sky began to clear toward sunset. The original star cluster I was supposed to show people was covered by clouds, so a different target was selected. I now know a lot more about Messier 41 than I did yesterday.

Almost five hundred people looked through my telescope this evening. I didn't actually count them, but that was supposed to be tonight's attendance. Every night is supposed to be this way. The crowd seemed healthy, but if I don't get the coronavirus after all this, I'm probably immune.

It's a good thing I brought two warm coats. I needed both of them tonight. It gets very cold after sunset on the mountain. I thought I brought my most comfortable shoes, but they still left a lot to be desired. It's hard standing on your feet for that long. My feet hurt, but all in all, I was fairly well prepared. I even brought a little flashlight with a red bulb so I could check the telescope settings without ruining my night vision.

One of the weirdest things about the evening was driving back to the Astronomer's Lodge at the top of the mountain without headlights. You are supposed to keep your lights off so you won't ruin an astronomer's observing session at one of the big telescopes. The staff told me to use my headlights if I didn't feel safe, but there was a full moon and there were no other cars on the road. I just drove with my parking lights and straddled the center line. I could actually see very well, since there was a full moon and my eyes were completely dark adapted by the time the star party was over.

It's been an interesting day. I met some engineers at breakfast who were doing modifications to the huge coudé spectrograph located underneath the 107" telescope. They invited me to tag along with them and I got to see the spectrograph room, as well as the huge vacuum chamber where the main mirror is recoated every few years. The Tull Spectrograph is used to search for exoplanets now and has found quite a few. I always expect rooms where science is being done at these large telescopes to look like something out of Star Trek. Usually they are a messy maze of wires and pipes with plug strips and loose electric cords and cables everywhere. I've learned no to touch anything.

Tomorrow I start doing observatory tours. I have an orientation lesson in the morning and my first work shift starts in the afternoon. I'm going to be kept busy out here. That's a good thing actually. There is nothing else to do on the mountain. The isolation is kind of nice. I'd rather be here than sitting in front of the television in Dallas, listening to alarming news about the coronavirus and stock market crash.

I shouldn't have any problem sleeping tonight. I'm really tired and my room is completely dark when you turn the lights out. Last night I had to keep a flashlight by my bed so I could find the bathroom. Hope it doesn't rain tomorrow. The forecast doesn't look good.

Vai is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day