Day 3831

We had a lot of rain and high winds last night. I didn't sleep well because I was nervous about trees falling in the back yard and roof leaks. Luckily, the storm passed without doing any damage. I probably just got lucky. I noticed that there were a lot of downed trees in the park this morning. I also noticed that it was a lot colder. The storm did bring one good thing. Cooler weather.

Dawn loved her walk this morning. It was brisk and cool with a nice breeze. I spotted a new type of heron that I'd never seen before and we saw the green parrots again. On the way home we saw what looked like a fine mist rising from a grove of trees silhouetted in the rising sun. Very strange. I wish I had my camera with me. There seemed to be an enormous amount of frogs. You could hear them everywhere. Everything felt fresh and new. It felt like nature had pushed the reset button.

Somebody needs to press the reset button for grocery shopping. Many items are still in short supply. I had a long grocery list today, but I still couldn't find Clorox Wipes. Maybe that brief sighting last week was just an illusion. I couldn't find blueberries either, but I did find peaches. Peaches are back in season and you can find nice looking ones everywhere. It seems like that's all I think about these days. What am I going to eat for breakfast and dinner?

The Mars rover is almost ready to fly and I still haven't heard anything from NASA or the Air Force. I miss my little community of space friends. When we would gather for launch events it was always an interesting mix of people. There were active military folks and college professors. Some people came from small towns and others from big cities. Lots of space fans were young, but there were plenty of old people like me as well. Often we would get together for dinner or drinks while we were waiting for the main event. You'd think that in today's environment there would be lots of arguments in such an eclectic and diverse group. Nope. Everybody got along. There was an unwritten rule that we never talked about politics. I've been to many launches and this always seems to be the case. It works. Improbable and lasting friendships can be made when you don't talk about politics or religion.

I wonder how many people realize that things are going to get worse no matter who wins the election.   Today's problems have simply become too complex to fix. Nobody even wants to listen when you try to explain how complex and interconnected the world has become. If you try to fix one thing, you inevitably wreck something else. I've never been a big fan of politicians. Their job is to supply solutions, so they tend to oversimplify and make promises that are never kept. The globalists think they are clever enough to manage all this complexity. The isolationists just want to pretend it doesn't exist. There is a conspiracy theory going around now that Bill Gates and his Davos buddies engineered the entire pandemic and subsequent social unrest in an effort to significantly reduce the world's population, stop climate change, and install a world government. Lots of luck with that. It's far more likely that humans will simply become extinct in three hundred years. Bill Gates is right that there are too many of us, but I don't think you can stop this train.

Taking the long view on things gives you a curious perspective on current events. Pulling down statues means nothing. Look up at the stars. Our country's two hundred year history, or even humanity's 300 thousand year history isn't even measurable on a cosmic scale. We are temporary. I sometimes wonder what ants think. We are just ants in the grand scheme of things.

Alamo is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3830 - My Birthday

Another trip around the sun. I guess I'm doing pretty well for 72. My Dad already had Parkinson's and Macular Degeneration at this age and my Mom didn't even make it this far. Janet and I do our best to stay healthy, but when you are over seventy, every extra year is a gift. I figure that I've got a good ten years left before I start to fall apart, but you never know. Not all of us are destined to be Betty White.

We went out for a birthday dinner at our favorite restaurant this evening. With all the controversy about whether Texas has reopened too soon, I didn't know what to expect. We were both pleasantly surprised and felt completely safe. The tables were spaced far apart, the staff all wore masks, and everyone was super nice. Our waiter even recognized me and said that it was nice to see us again. I always enjoy dining at Knife and was glad we didn't decide to stay home.

The restaurant wasn't crowded. Everyone was responsible. You could tell that the entire staff was trying hard to make this work. Too bad everyone doesn't seem to be able to reopen this way. It's crazy out there. Some stores are still completely closed. Others have you order online and then they bring your merchandise out to your car. A few stores are just pretending like none of this ever happened. I find this inconsistency confusing. Clearly we can't keep the entire country quarantined forever, but it is equally obvious that the virus isn't going away. Texas is having a big spike in new cases at the same time the state is trying to reopen.

Everyone was really pretty good about staying quarantined for several months, but it feels like everyone has had enough. "We did our part," you can almost hear people saying. Now they expect the virus to go away. I'm going to continue to stay away from people. I've never liked crowds anyway. I think that as long as you avoid public transportation, bars, sporting events, concerts, weddings, church services, and other situations where people are crowded together you are probably OK. I might even go ahead and get a haircut. When Janet went to the salon last week, she said that everyone was so careful and that they only let a few customers in at a time.

When we came home from the restaurant the skies were clear and now we are under a severe weather warning. Texas weather is always full of surprises. I hope we don't lose power. The wind is blowing pretty hard outside. It is always a pain when we lose power right in the middle of a blog post. I've got to get all the emergency power devices working and then start over again using the laptop.  Hopefully that won't happen. I don't have that much more to say anyway.

Thanks for all the birthday greetings. Checking to see who sent you a birthday message on Facebook has become a ritual part of almost everyone's birthday these days. Did Facebook always send out birthday notices? I can't even remember when this started. Nobody sends birthday cards anymore except my sister who refuses to use the Internet. I wonder if people have started having birthday parties again? During the lockdown, people in our neighborhood would put up birthday signs in their front yards and drivers would honk when they drove by.

It is a little weird to be 72. Most of my NASA and astronomy friends are half my age. I don't feel old at all. Hopefully I'll feel as healthy when I turn 73 as I do now. I'm not doing anything special, but I can tell you for a fact that lots of exercise and a healthy diet work wonders.

Inky is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3829

Living in the shadow of the coronavirus for most of 2020 doesn't really fill you with confidence about anything. Why don't we know anything definitive about this thing? At first it was nothing to worry about. Then it was something that only affected the old and sick. Now practically every story I read is about how the virus struck down a young, healthy marathon runner who works out and never gets sick. There is no consistency anywhere. Masks are worthless. Masks are vital. Nobody knows how to wear a mask properly. Pick a topic and you will find a conflicting opinion.

Retail stores are opening up, but you can't try on clothes. What is the point of this? Restaurants are opening again only to close a few days later when the chef or a waiter turns up sick. At least five newly opened restaurants in Dallas have already had to close again. Airlines and hotels send me tempting offers almost every day, but where would you go these days? If a destination isn't a virus hotspot it it probably the site of rioting and looting. I wonder how long this can go on without everyone going insane?

It would be nice if you could trust what you read and hear. The media aren't doing us any favors. As far as I can tell, the scientists don't have any answers yet. The politicians keep trying to spin whatever the scientists say and use it to their own advantage. You certainly can't believe what your friends and neighbors say. Most of them get all their information from Facebook memes.

This whole situation certainly hasn't turned out the way I expected. I never thought that the United States would end up with the highest death rate. I guess I thought that there was be lots of devastation but that it would all be very far away in countries I couldn't pronounce properly. I certainly thought we would know more about how the virus works by now. We know nothing. Nobody seems to be developing herd immunity and everybody keeps arguing about mitigation strategies. Now that civil unrest has taken center stage, we don't even hear from Dr. Fauci anymore. It's easy to imagine Dr. Evil sitting in his favorite chair petting Mr. Bigglesworth while orchestrating this entire mess.

I feel like all my plans have been put on hold. Even if I do manage to get press clearance for the upcoming Mars 2020 launch, I'm not sure it would be wise to go to Florida. Florida is a mess right now. Texas isn't looking so good either. Janet and I keep thinking of taking a car trip, but neither of us can think of a place to go. We aren't fans of camping and who would want to go to a city right now. I don't think I would ever go on a cruise again. I"m looking forward to the day when McDonald Observatory opens up but I doubt that it will be happening soon. The place is so remote that the staff can't afford for anyone to get sick. The last thing they probably want right now is visitors from big cities.

I guess this leaves me with walking. I continue to walk. The weather was nice today. We're all getting used to getting up early to avoid the heat and Dawn really enjoys these morning outings. My afternoon walk is not as fun, but I do it anyway. Even when nothing happens, I can end the day with 20,000 steps.

Rugby is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3828

The doctor wasn't pleased with my progress this morning. "I froze the hell out of those things last time and the roots are still there," he told me. It was a little unsettling to learn that keratosis blemishes had roots. I've watched enough science fiction movies to know that having something growing inside you with roots is not a good thing. "We're going to have to scrape these," the doctor told his nurse. I had visions of sandpaper and asked the doctor if it would hurt. "You won't feel a thing," he told me.

The doctor was correct. The anesthetic they injected in my face was pretty effective. I closed my eyes because I didn't want to see what the doctor was actually doing. After a while I began to smell something burning. "Is that me," I asked? I couldn't feel anything, but there was a definite smell of burning flesh. "This is how we remove these growths now," the doctor told me. "It is very effective. "Will this bleed a lot," I asked the doctor? "I doubt if it will bleed at all," He told me. "There is already a scab." The nurse placed a small bandage under my eye and the doctor said he'd see me again in four months. I was good to go in less than fifteen minutes.

This wasn't what I expected at all. The entire procedure was much less traumatic than a trip to the dentist. I'm glad I don't have to go back for another four months. A trip to the doctor in today's post-pandemic world is still a little unsettling. There are rules about how many people can ride in the elevator and lots of social distancing circles on the floors. So many people are wearing masks that you just know that some of them have got to be sick. I definitely wouldn't want to work in a hospital environment right now. You can tell these guys know that they are at ground zero. I always have to fill out a questionnaire saying that I haven't traveled anywhere in the last fourteen days and haven't come into contact with anyone who has been exposed to the virus. How would they even know if I was telling the truth?

The rest of my day was uneventful. We're still walking extremely early, but you can tell that the temperature keeps rising. Summer is here. There was a breeze this morning, but Dawn seemed a little tired. We'll probably try a shorter route tomorrow morning. Dawn loves these walks in the woods and enjoys smelling things, but we don't want to push her too hard. She's getting older and isn't as obsessed with exercise as Janet and I seem to be.

If I were writing a dystopian novel, it would be hard to top what is happening right now in real life. People around the world are tired of being quarantined and are becoming restless. The virus is still here though and keeps reappearing like a forest fire that can't be extinguished. Social unrest is growing everywhere and there is already a shortage of Xanax. Everyone is upset about something. Truckers say they are going to stop delivering to cities with protests. People want to go back to the beach. Supply chains are crumbling as workers fall sick in critical industries. Police and emergency workers are under attack at the same time there are massive riots and arson in many cities. Kim Jong-un is blowing up buildings along the South Korean border and a weird little country just appeared right in the middle of Seattle. Basically, it's a total shit show everywhere you look.

This isn't going to end well. We need to get a grip on things in a hurry. It's easy to break something. It's a lot harder to put it back together.

Riley is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3827

I always used to think I was an early adopter. My first computer was an Osborne 1. I was online way before browsers and the World Wide Web even existed. I had a home office long before it became a fad. What a surprise to discover that I'm actually pretty old school. In my own way, I'm probably just as bad as my Dad who steadfastly refused to use a computer at all. I'm still having a hard time adapting to online banking. I've made the switch, but it still seems easier to write a paper check and take it to the post office. I rarely made mistakes when writing checks, but I always have to check for typos now. It's easy to void a paper check, but a lot harder to undo an online mistake after you've hit send. At any rate, I did manage to get the bills paid today.

I'm becoming increasingly skeptical about modern life. What does all this technology really prove? I don't answer my phone anymore because I know I will be talking to a telemarketer. I seldom even make a call because it is so irritating to connect with an automated call center. I carefully delete cookies and the browser cache every evening before I shut off my computer. Almost nothing is trustworthy or reliable anymore. Maybe that's why I like those old Perry Mason shows. When somebody wanted to talk to Perry, they just called him up and he always picked up the phone. Nobody would ever send Perry a text message in the courtroom. I miss the days when I had a list of dependable suppliers and vendors and I could call each of them directly whenever I had a problem. All bets are off these days. Do you really trust Angie's List or Yelp. I don't.

Even writing the blog was easier when it was just a daily journal entry written by hand in a little leather bound book. Maybe I should go back to those simple journals. I was never writing for an audience. The blog and the yearly journals that preceded it were always just a way for me to keep track of my life when my memory begins to fail. My memory is still pretty sharp, but it is interesting to go back occasionally and see what I was doing five years ago. If I ever get Alzheimer's, having a detailed record like this might help.

I always wanted to keep this narrative going for 5000 consecutive days. Maybe 4000 is enough. I'm having second thoughts about all this. The world has changed a lot since I started the blog over ten years ago. People seem more argumentative now. I remember flame wars on those old Usenet News Groups but it never seemed personal. There is an angry vibe online these days and I've never been interested in arguing. I'm not even interested in having a dialog. Whenever I see one of those "If you blah, blah, blah, just unfriend me now" messages I feel like unfriending the person even if I happen agree with them. All the raw emotion and endless memes are becoming tedious. I think I was more comfortable with the Internet back when it was just a few nerdy electrical engineering majors struggling to send simple messages over a 300 baud modem.

Tomorrow I go back to the dermatologist. I've already gotten half a dozen text messages reminding me to wear a mask. I imagine that they'll do something, since my face hasn't completely cleared up. Will the doctor cut me or give me another liquid nitrogen treatment? Will I even have time to walk Dawn and finish my breakfast smoothie before my appointment? When you are used to doing nothing, even having one thing to do can seem complex.

Hershey is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3826

Another day with the rescue Dalmatians. Monday's are all about the dogs now. We spend the morning walking Dawn and the afternoon playing with the three remaining boys in the rescue program. Hank, Murphy, and Charlie are all doing well. They never seem to tire of chasing red rubber Kongs and begging for treats. All three of these dogs have an enormous amount of energy. I hope they get adopted by someone who enjoys staying equally active.

I wish I had an enormous amount of energy. I'm just not feeling it these days. By the time we've finished our early morning walk, I'm tempted to just go back to bed. I never do, of course. I'm still disciplined enough to make the bed, fix my breakfast, and contemplate how to navigate my way through another day. I used to have a ton of ongoing projects that kept me occupied, but it's getting harder and harder to find anything that captures my interest.

The office is filled with the wreckage of abandoned obsessions. I still have the huge printer I used to make Giclée prints for gallery shows. There are still a few model trains on shelves that somehow never made it to my dealer in Kentucky who is selling my collection. I have a ton of watch repair tools and timekeeping paraphernalia, but no desire to even keep my remaining watches running. I wonder how I ever became so interested in watches? It's a mystery.

I'm still interested in following rocket launches and hanging out at major observatories. Jeez. Couldn't I have picked something less complicated like gardening or collecting stamps? Getting access to launch sites requires multiple levels of approval and the observatories I like to visit are very far away. I'm still waiting to hear whether I'll be able to attend the upcoming Mars 2020 Perseverance rover launch in late July. I keep checking my e-mail to see if my request for media accreditation has been approved. I also check the news to see if the virus keeps getting worse in Florida. Who knows. By the end of July, I might not even feel safe going to Florida. Flying on a half empty plane seems fine, but I'm not sure about how I'll feel when the flights are full again.

I found a book in the office today that has been missing for years. When I became interested in astronomy again, I knew I had a book somewhere that explained a new and easy way to learn the names and locations of the constellations. I got the book back in high school but I haven't seen it in ages. I even thought for a while that this might have been a library book. All I knew that the book was large and the cover was blue. Imagine my surprise when I found the volume today. I was actually looking for something else, but there it was. It is actually a very interesting book. I wonder how many other forgotten treasures are lost in the labyrinth of this messy office?

The world is still a train wreck, but I'm tired of talking about it. A little house in the country with clear, dark skies and no neighbors for miles and miles sounds pretty good to me now. Of course if there really was a way to escape the chaos of urban life, I'd probably immediately get bit by a snake or fall off a cliff or something. I like to think I'm self sufficient, but few of us really are.

Shadow is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3825

I'm beginning to feel like Forest Gump. I find myself spending more and more of my time walking. I've gone from three miles a day, to five miles, and now eight miles. Occasionally, I'll walk ten miles a day. Walking is a great way to kill time. You can let your mind wander without the distraction of cable TV reminding you that the world is coming unglued or your computer reminding you that you have definitely become a non-essential worker. I don't try to solve problems when I walk. I don't brood or get angry. I just observe things. I wonder about cloud formations and the color of the sky. I notice the changes in vegetation that take place over time. I listen to bird sounds and try to identify them. I try not to think about people at all.

Some people plan elaborate hiking vacations. I seem content to walk the same neighborhood trails over and over again. For some reason I have no desire to walk to the bottom of the Grand Canyon or hike the Appalachian Trail. I don't think I'm looking for adventure at all. Walking is just a peaceful, solitary way to kill time.

One of the nice things about dogs is that they generally like to walk even more than I do. Janet likes walking as well. I wonder how far I've traveled over the years? I didn't even start counting until I got a Fitbit several years ago. Fitbit says I've already earned my "Africa" badge by walking the 5000 mile length of the continent. Add thirty years of walking Dalmatians to that total and I imagine that I've covered a lot of territory.

There is nothing wrong with doing repetitive things. There's always something new if you keep your eyes open. We saw the Monk Parakeets on our walk this morning. These bright green South American parrots have been spotted around our lake for many years but nobody knows how they got here. They are not migrating birds and they are definitely not native to the area. I think there are several dozen birds in the local colony. I've seen them several times now.

Now that the Spring rains are over, I'm already starting to see the water level in the lake start to drop. The lake is actually quite shallow. If we have a dry Summer, a few parts of the lake will dry up completely. The native prairie areas are still green, but these will dry and turn yellow as the Summer progresses. All these things are interesting and I don't have to travel anywhere to see the changes.

I guess writing the blog is another repetitive thing that I've been doing for years. I didn't think that I'd have anything to write about today, since I certainly didn't do much. There's always something to write about though. You can look outward, or you can look inward. I prefer to look inward. I wish more people would try this. There is a lot to be said for keeping quiet and minding your own business.

Daisy is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3824

When I was leaving the grocery store this morning I noticed that the guy ahead of me had a package of Clorox Wipes in his buggy. How could I have missed these? I've been looking for them for months. I went back into the store and asked an employee where I could find the elusive Clorox Wipes display. "We're sold out," he told me. "You must have seen the guy who bought the last ones today." I asked when the store was getting more and was told that they were receiving a pallet of wipes several times a week. This was encouraging news. I've been convinced that when Clorox Wipes were on the shelves again the pandemic would be over.

I'm going to buy a ton of Clorox Wipes the next time I see them again. I'll buy a bunch of N-95 masks if I happen to see those too. It hard to believe now that these masks used to be a common item in the paint section at Home Depot. Even though I continue to see crowds in the park and traffic is back to pre-pandemic levels, I don't think anything is over. The virus will ebb and flow for the next year or so. People will forget about it for a while and then they will panic all over again. Civil unrest probably won't disappear until after November 3rd. Call me cynical, but I think both political parties have reasons to keep stirring the pot right up until election day.

I think the only way to restore a sense of normalcy quickly would be if there was a way to completely eliminate the media for 30 days. I"m talking about all the media, including Facebook and Twitter. The media loves a crisis. They always have. A crisis is good for ratings. Wars. Hurricanes. Civil unrest. It's their bread and butter. Have you ever noticed how quickly war correspondents rise through the ranks at news organizations? Cover a good war for a while and sooner or later you are hosting the evening news.

At any rate, without the media constantly stirring the pot to increase their ratings, we might actually be forced to talk to our neighbors to find out what is going on. Without looking at the world through the distorted lens of social media, we might actually go outside and notice that our immediate surroundings aren't so bad after all. I know a few people who are little terrors on social media that are actually fairly nice when you can sit down and have coffee with them. We need a lot more real conversations and a lot fewer emojis.

Our society has made has made it far too easy to act without thinking. The ignorance I'm seeing these days is breathtaking. When you form your opinions by looking at memes, you wind up vandalizing a statue of Matthias Baldwin without even realizing he was a leading abolitionist. When you keep saying you've got to "follow the science" without having a clue what scientists actually do, you wind up wearing a mask when you are driving alone in your own car. When you try to start the next revolution by turning a few city blocks in Seattle into a low rent copy of Burning Man, you probably just leave advocates for real social change shaking their heads in despair.

I've said it before and I'll probably say it again. Everything we have experienced in the last six months has been made worse by social media. We live in a world where everyone is glued to their phone and nobody talks to their neighbors. The traditional media isn't helping things either. They keep pouring gasoline on the flames in a mostly failing effort to stay relevant. Lord help us in the days ahead. We have become a nation of idiots.

Marcie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3823

We thought we'd give Dawn a treat this morning, so we took her out to breakfast at a dog friendly restaurant. I thought she'd like this little outing because Dot and Dash loved going out to eat. New things make Dawn nervous though and she had a hard time relaxing. Even getting to share our breakfast with us didn't help much. She was much happier when we returned home and she could hop up on our big bed again.

Dawn did enjoy her walk this morning and walks made her nervous in the beginning as well. We've already come a long way. Dawn was a breeding dog and had a hard life before she entered the rescue program. A lot of things we take for granted she has never experienced before. We'll try the restaurant again sometime. We know that she does love food.

The weather was still very pleasant in the morning. You have to get up really early to avoid the heat though. We took our walk right at sunrise and ate breakfast afterwards. A lot of other people seem to have the same idea. No matter how early we start there are always plenty of runners and cyclists on the trails.

It's been a year since the severe wind storm that blew down our Elm tree and destroyed the greenhouse in the back yard. It's amazing how quickly a year can go by. The greenhouse still hasn't been repaired and a large Oak tree that received some damage in the storm hasn't been removed either. I got bids on replacing the greenhouse months ago, but now we are just thinking of tearing it down and putting our driveway in the back. Traffic continues to get worse and worse on our street. Being able to easily get out of the driveway seems more important than a greenhouse now. Janet and I could never keep plants alive anyway.

I think the liquid nitrogen treatment I received is working. Some of the actinic keratosis spots on my face have already started to scab over and fall off. I may need one more treatment to get rid of this stuff for good, but it does seem like a fairly painless and easy remedy for something I was initially fearful of.

I'm still having trouble remember what day it is. Ever since the pandemic started all days seem more or less the same. I almost went to the grocery store this morning until Janet reminded me that it was only Friday. I did go to the pharmacy to pick up a prescription this afternoon. I think it was the first time I've driven the car this week. I used to fill up my tank once a week. Now, once a month seems plenty.

It looks like it's going to be another long, hot summer. During the Spring rainy season I can't wait for the rain to stop. As soon as it gets hot and things start to dry up, I'm wishing the rain would start again. This is the perfect time to finish repairs on the roof except that the roof is so hot it will burn your skin. We'll see how much gets done tomorrow. Maybe walking Dawn in the morning is enough.

Lucky is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3822

It seems like you can't do anything these days without being asked to take a survey. You go to the doctor. The next day you get an e-mail asking you to take a survey. You take your car in for an oil change. You are asked to take a survey. You stay in a hotel or rent a car. Yep. More surveys. You can't even call someone on the phone without being asked to take a short survey at the end of the call. It seems like employees are being evaluated based on survey results. Sometime they will practically beg you to give them a ten because an upcoming raise or promotion depends on good results. When did this start happening? I've had plenty of performance reviews during my career, but my fate never depended on a survey. I used to fill out some of these surveys but I try to ignore them now. There are always lots of questions about how well you like the company's service. There never seems to be any questions about how irritating you found the survey.

So many things about modern life are irritating. The future didn't end up being like the Jetsons after all. I certainly didn't expect a double header of plagues and riots in 2020. I didn't expect a concerted effort to erase history either. There is something troubling about pulling down statues and condemning classic films like Gone with the Wind. It seems a little too much like Chairman Mao's Cultural Revolution to me. You realize quickly that popular favorites like All in the Family, The Jeffersons, Married with Children, and even Sienfeld would never survive in a world where a children's cartoon like Paw Patrol is being castigated.

Isn't anyone familiar with history anymore? History repeats itself over and over again. The Weather Underground led directly to the Law and Order years of the Nixon administration. Do you want that again? The pendulum always swings one way and then the tide turns and it swings the other way. It's a shame that people in both political parties seem willing to let a city like Seattle self destruct because they think it will help them politically. Republicans are eager to use footage of the chaos on Capitol Hill in campaign ads to depict a world controlled by Democrats. Democrats are just as eager for Trump to bring in the tanks so they can do their own campaign ads depicting him as a ruthless dictator.

It's a shame that Americans seem to need an enemy. We were at our best during World War II. The country prospered and the middle class grew during the Cold War when most people seemed to agree that The Soviet Union must be defeated. Little wars in Vietnam and the Middle East never seemed to do the trick. Without an external enemy, we just fight with each other. I think the Chinese are laughing at us now. They probably look at what's going on over here and think "Game over. We've got this."

I just wish that things would stay peaceful for another twenty years. After I'm gone, you guys can do whatever you want. I kind of liked it when everything was locked down. The roads were quiet and people just concentrated on staying alive. I heard birds when I woke up instead of airplanes. Now that things are slowly rumbling back to life, you realize that we humans have learned nothing. We are just as determined to make a mess of things as we ever were.

Willa is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3821

What a difference a day makes. The weather this morning was beautiful. A rare Summer cold front swept away yesterday's dust and cooled things down significantly. It was only 68 degrees when we woke up. Needless to say, Dawn loved her walk today. I felt pretty good myself. The sky was clear and the air even felt fresher. My seasonal allergies are finally gone. It's kind of amazing how little it takes to put me in a better mood. A nice day isn't going to change the world, but I'll take what I can get.

The day got even better when I checked my e-mail after breakfast. I finally heard from the Air Force. They said they were beginning my credentialing process this week and that they would let me know when I was good to go for 2020. I haven't actually received media clearance yet, but the upbeat tone of the letter made it seem like this was only a formality. I've also applied for NASA media accreditation, but I'm not as optimistic about this route to attending the Mars 2020 launch. NASA has already said that they are still limiting the number of journalists that can attend launch events because of the coronavirus.

I hope there isn't a huge spike in virus outbreaks in the weeks ahead. I'm OK with traveling now, but things could change quickly. The virus definitely isn't under control yet and both Florida and Texas seem to be heading in the wrong direction. I could easily change my mind about attending the launch if things start heading downhill. I'm eager to return to being a space journalist, but I'm not stupid. You've got to be careful where you go these days. I'm not planning any trips to Seattle either.

The weather was so nice today that I thought I'd better mow the grass while I had a chance. This might be the last 70 degree day we have for quite a while. The yard looks a lot better now and I managed to accumulate 23,000 steps today as a bonus. My day was so productive that I even managed to fix the carport security light. It doesn't work quite as well as it used to but if a moose or large cow walked by it would probably trigger the sensor. I probably should have just bought a new motion detector, but I still feel compelled to fix things.

My dentist called today and finally wants to reschedule my appointment. My gym said it is reopening next week as well. Everyone is starting to seem almost desperate to return to some form of normalcy, but the virus doesn't appear to care. Protesters don't appear to care either. I really hope we don't have a second wave of outbreaks in the Fall because that might be the last straw that brings everything crumbling down. We're only holding on to sanity by a thread right now. It wouldn't take that much to push civil society right over the edge. Hopefully the world can get its act together. There are still things I want to do. I definitely don't want to spend my old age living in a dystopian nightmare.

Escher is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3820

The weather was full of surprises today. I was expecting our morning walk to be hot, but there was a nice breeze. Actually it was quite windy. With the wind in our face, the walk was actually quite enjoyable. We had been thinking about shortening the walk for Dawn, but we easily completed our five miles this morning. Probably the wind and cooler temperatures were just a fluke. It's still Summer. We might have to shorten the walk tomorrow.

By mid-afternoon there was evidence that this morning's breeze might have stirred up more than I thought. There wasn't a cloud in the sky, but everything looked weird. There were hard shadows on the ground, but the sky wasn't blue. It had a strange grey tint and everything looked less bright than usual. It almost reminded me of the way the sky looks during a partial eclipse. When I got home I looked up the weather conditions and discovered that the air quality was very poor. Evidently there was a lot of particulate matter in the air. Was this a dust storm where the particles were so small that they didn't look dusty? I don't know. There were some high winds to the west of us earlier in the day.

When I was getting dressed this morning I noticed that the carport security light was on. Had it managed to fix itself overnight? The light went out after about five minutes just like it is supposed to do. Later, I went outside and waved my hands in front of the sensor trying to get the light to come on again. Nothing happened. I tried again this evening and the light was still dead. Things like this frustrate me. It this thing broken or not?

Today was really slow. I did a little correspondence in the morning, but that was about it. I need a new project that doesn't involve fixing things. There are certainly enough things that need fixing around the house. Broken things are discouraging though. I feel like the house has let me down. Couldn't the place just keep its act together for a few more years? I don't even know how to find good help anymore. All my favorite carpenters, plumbers, and craftsmen have either retired or died. No wonder traveling seems so appealing these days. You are quite literally just running away from your problems.

It still seems weird that everything is opening up while coronavirus cases still keep climbing in Texas. I read that Dallas is considered a hot spot now. It's almost like everyone collectively got tired of the whole thing and just decided to ignore it. I think masks will eventually just become fashion statements. There will be little sections in clothing stores selling them right next to the socks.

I've given up on life ever returning to normal. Actually, life probably never was normal. Weird stuff just keeps happening in endlessly repeating cycles because we never learn from our mistakes.

Liberty is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3819

Another dog day afternoon. Every Monday, Janet and I spend the afternoon visiting the rescue Dalmatians at their kennel. It is one of the best parts of the week. Currently there are only three dogs in the program and we've grown to love each of them. Hank, Murphy, and Charlie all have their own unique personalities, but they all love to play. Hank is deaf and today we tried to teach him some simple commands. It took a lot of patience and a lot of treats, but I think he finally understands how to sit on command. We'll see if he remembers next week.

Dawn was happy to stay home and sleep on the bed while we visited the rescue dogs. She'd already had her five mile walk and was ready for a nap. We always get started before 7 AM but it seems impossible for us to get ready any earlier. I don't even make the bed or eat breakfast until we have finished our walk. In theory, we should be out the door around 5:45 AM but it's not going to happen. All three of us sleep pretty soundly in the morning.

I heard from my editor at Sky and Telescope today. She said that my article will be published early next year. This seems like an exceptionally long time to wait, but some magazines have always had a long lead time. Actually, six months from manuscript to publication is fairly normal for Sky and Telescope. I wish there was a way to speed the process along. The more published articles I can get under my belt, the easier it will be to get other publications interested in using me. I'd almost forgotten that I had to go through this same arduous process to establish myself as an advertising writer. It seems weird to have to pay my dues at my age, but that's how it works with anything new. I actually welcome the opportunity to reinvent myself one more time. I just need to learn to have patience.

For the first time in many years, Janet and I are talking about moving. It will probably never happen because the whole process is just too complicated. City life is definitely losing its appeal though. Where would you go these days? We enjoy excellent medical care now. So do our dogs. When we used to take Dot and Dash to the cancer center, it was common to meet people waiting in the lobby who had traveled for hours with their dog from a small town just to meet with the oncologist. Life in a little town like Fort Davis seems idyllic at first glance and then I remember all the stories people tell me about wells that go dry and living with septic tanks. Snakes in the garage doesn't sound very appealing either. Everything from getting your car repaired to buying groceries becomes more difficult in a small town. There are a lot of problems with urban life, but there are a lot of things you take for granted too. We definitely aren't interested in retirement communities or life in the suburbs. If we start taking car trips to visit picturesque small towns, you'll know we're getting serious. Actually, what I'd like is a time machine. Almost any place thirty or forty years ago sounds pretty nice to me.

The temperature is supposed to reach 100 degrees tomorrow. We'll have to get an early start on our walk. With clear skies predicted for the next two weeks, I won't have to worry about the roof for a while. Now we just have to make sure that the air conditioner keeps working.

Lacey is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3818

Today was futile task day. I tried and failed to fix a security light in the driveway. I think I discovered the problem though. Wasps had built a nest inside the motion sensor. I managed to kill the wasps, but the bug spray probably didn't do what remained of the sensor any good. I thought I'd get rid of a few more wasp nests while I was outside, but they build them back so fast that I don't know why I even bothered.

My big task for the day was cleaning the atrium. I managed to pry open the broken sliding glass door just wide enough for me to squeeze inside with a broom and a bottle of Windex. I tried to lubricate the door tracks with a silicon spray designed for balky garage doors, but it didn't do much good. One, or perhaps several, of the track wheels have broken and jam when you try to move the door. The atrium does look better now. It's just impossible to use as it was intended. I probably won't try to open the door again for another six months. I'm always afraid it will become permanently jammed in an open position. Since there appears to be nobody in creation who is able to fix this oversize sliding glass door, this would be very bad.

We figured out that we would have to leave at 5 AM to beat the morning runners and cyclists on our walk with Dawn. That would get us home at 7 AM when the morning rush usually starts. We left at 6 AM this morning and the trails were quiet for a while. The tranquility didn't last though. By the time we returned home the park was packed. The good thing about these early walks is that the weather is still cool enough for Dawn. She did well today and we felt good about completing our full five miles.

I still take an afternoon walk, although I don't really know why. It is very hot and there are far to many people in the park. I still keep my distance from these people, but clearly nobody cares about social distancing anymore. There are large groups having picnics and crowds routinely gather around the ice cream truck and the kayak rental stand. After all the mass protests, I think it will be impossible to institute another lockdown if there is a second wave of virus infections. Everyone has moved on and they just don't care about the virus anymore. Very odd, since infections are still increasing in Texas.

It's time to mow the grass again but I just could bring myself to start the mower. The house feels like an old friend who has let me down. Everything is shabby and falling apart. It's hard to get excited about yard work and even harder to get excited about major renovations. We live in a neighborhood where virtually all the small houses like ours are eventually torn down to build McMansions when they are sold. It seems crazy to put a lot of money into a house that will just be torn down.

I saw the International Space Station for a final time this evening. I worked up my nerve to walk to a good viewing spot in the park with a pair of binoculars. It was a good thing that I brought the binoculars because the station was fairly dim this time. The sky was clear, but it was much further away. The first time I saw it on Thursday evening was definitely the best.

Maybe I'll try to contact Sky and Telescope and the Air Force media office tomorrow. I've been very patient. It's about time I heard something from these guys.

Domino is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3817

Another hot Summer day. The park was full of people early this morning, all trying to beat the heat. I like weekdays better. On Saturday, you realize that you really do live in a big city. It was worth the effort to take our sunrise walk though. Even though it was already eighty degrees, it was still the nicest time of the day.

I had to go to several stores to find butter today. How has a toilet paper shortage turned into a butter shortage? The whole supply chain still seems disrupted. All four stores I visited during my weekly shopping run were very busy. Dallas seems to have decided that the pandemic is over. I guess we'll see fourteen days from now whether they were right. Even though it seemed like a normal Saturday, I felt a bit uncomfortable being around so many people. It wasn't a fear of the virus that made me uneasy. Maybe I'm just tired of living in a city. I miss the wide open spaces and quiet emptiness of West Texas.

I went with Janet today when she took Dawn on her regular car training trip. We went to another nearby park and walked around for a while. This is the place where we used to take Dot and Dash for training classes. We want to get Dawn familiar with this place, so that when training classes resume sometime later this Summer we can take Dawn. I'm a little apprehensive but Janet thinks she'll enjoy the experience. On the way home from this little excursion, we stopped for ice cream cones. Dawn loves ice cream. I have a feeling that all dogs love ice cream.

I don't know why I even bother to take an afternoon walk anymore. It's way too hot now. I guess it's just a good way to kill time. If I stayed home, I'd be compelled to start some household repair project I've been trying to ignore. It's always nice to get 20,000 steps too. Such a simple life. What did you do today? Oh, I took 20,000 steps.

There was another chance to see the International Space Station this evening, but this time the path the station took was obscured by trees in the back yard. I would have had to walk about half a mile into the park to get a clear view. Never mind. I don't need to see the ISS again. Not now anyway. It's a shame that I don't feel comfortable walking alone in the park after dark. I enjoy the night. I just don't enjoy living in the city.

I applied for NASA media credentials to attend the Mars Perseverance launch in late July. I'm not terribly optimistic about my chances, especially since coronavirus cases seem to be spiking up in Florida again. I haven't heard from the Air Force yet, so maybe one of these two alternatives will work out. I know a few people are still getting launch access, but most of them seem to live in Florida. I've learned to never give up though. If you want something, you've got to keep trying.

I wonder when I'll be able to resume going to the gym on Sunday? Janet has already gone to her gym twice but mine hasn't even set an opening date. The place is definitely not open tomorrow so it looks like I'll be taking more long walks.

Wendy is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3816

I've seen the International Space Station fly over the house for two nights in a row. Last night it passed directly overhead and was very bright. I thought it might pass in front of the moon, but the station ended up traveling a little to the right before it was eventually obscured by clouds. Tonight the ISS appeared a little earlier while it was still twilight. It wasn't nearly as bright as last night, but was still easy to see. It's kind of amazing that there are five people aboard this swiftly moving bright little dot in the sky who are probably looking down at me. I think there will be a few more opportunities to view the station later this week. Maybe next time I'll try to view it with a telescope.

I noticed that Christo died a few days ago. He was one of my favorite artists. I met him once and still have a photo of Running Fence that he signed for me hanging in my office. I remember telling him that if he tied a string around this picture, it might become very valuble and he just laughed. I always admired Christo because his art was temporary. He and his wife often spent years getting permission to undertake one of his elaborate projects, but they only lasted a few weeks and then they were gone. Christo's projects were totally unnecessary, but grand in scale and strangely inspiring. This art also introduced me to the Maysles Brothers, who filmed many of his projects. Watch their Running Fence documentary sometime. The almost insurmountable struggle to build this beautiful 24 mile white nylon fence will make you realize that almost anything is possible.

Not a whole lot seemed possible for me today. It was simply too hot. We got started very early on our morning walk, but Dawn was panting by the time we returned home. We may have to shorten her walks soon. She loves being outside, but Texas Summers can be brutal. Maybe three miles is plenty. We'll figure something out. I guess we could start a little earlier, but I do need some sleep. I'm still having trouble getting to bed at a reasonable hour.

This would be a good time to finish repairing the roof or plant some new grass in the back yard. It's hard to get motivated though. Most of the projects around the house don't really fix anything permanently. They just postpone the inevitable a little. Big home projects are for young people. When you are older, you realize that none of this really matters. It is the nature of things to wear out and fall apart.

It's time to go to the grocery store again tomorrow. Shopping has more or less returned to normal, except that there are still no Clorox Wipes and everybody wears masks. I wonder if wearing masks will last forever? I didn't think that taking your shoes off at the airport would last very long, but here we are. I have a feeling that some of the changes we are experiencing now will be permanent.

When I was out looking for the space station  I noticed that some of the exterior landscape lighting had burned out again. One more thing to add to a very long list of stuff to fix.

Scooby is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3815

I'm more forgetful now. The other day I forgot to take my house keys with me when we walked Dawn. Luckily Janet had her keys with her, but it was a reminder that I need to be even more methodical than I already am. It's important to keep your mind sharp as you grow older. I remember watching my Dad descend into senility in his later years while thinking that I wasn't going to let this happen to me.

I don't think you can prevent the inevitable, but I do think it is possible to postpone things for a while. Eating healthy food and getting plenty of exercise can do wonders for an aging body. The mind is a little trickier though. Is it better to remember the past, or is a mind unencumbered with a ton of old baggage healthier? Is knowledge cumulative, or should you wipe the slate clean and be receptive to new things?

I wonder about all this as my memory banks slowly become scrambled. I don't know if your brain can only hold so much, or if your memories remain forever and just become lost over time. Some things only appear in dreams now. There are a few recurring dreams that I genuinely can't decide whether they really happened.

I'm always putting my brain through its paces when I walk. I'll pick out a specific rock or tree and always try to account for it when I pass. I count ducks and try to remember the names of flowers and trees. There are hundreds of objects in the park that I have committed to memory, but it is surprising how often I'll forget about them. If I'm daydreaming, an entire mile can go by and I won't notice anything. It is a very rare walk when I can remember my entire list.

There is a large sailboat anchored out in the lake and I always try to notice when it is exactly perpendicular to me. There will always be a point when I am looking exactly at the bow or stern of this boat. The position of these encounters changes from day to day and I've learned to estimate wind speed from how quickly the boat turns in the water. I used to try and keep my eyes agile by alternately focusing on something very close and then turning my vision to something very far away. Unfortunately, that ship has sailed. My distance vision is still good, but my close up vision is shot.

It's interesting watching Dawn while we walk. She has a mind of her own. Now that she knows her way around, I've noticed that she likes to choose her own route. When we come to a fork in the trail, I  like to keep her on a loose leash to see which direction she'll choose. Often I am surprised. What is going through that dog's mind? Dawn will always follow us when Janet and I are leading the way, but she will make her own decisions when left to her own devices. She is a very smart dog.

This week has gone quickly. The trash is out on the curb again and my supply of fresh fruit is almost gone. Tomorrow it's time to make my signature omelette again. I edited a bunch of pictures to send to Sky and Telescope today. Eventually the magazine will need them. I just need to remain patient.

Daisy is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day