Day 3883

I made an appointment to get my car safety inspected today. I didn't used to need an appointment for this sort of thing. I just drove up to the dealership and was in and out in a few minutes. A lot has changed. I used to have the same service adviser for five or six years at a time. Everyone knew me and was familiar with my car. Now staff turnover is much higher and there seems to be an entirely new crew every time I visit the dealership. The dealership seems to have replaced people with technology. Any time I contact these guys, I immediately start receiving a barrage of text messages, e-mails, and reminders on my Apple calendar. As soon as I finish with my appointment tomorrow, I will get multiple requests to take a survey. Employees seem desperate to get good marks on these surveys. Some have specifically asked me to give them high satisfaction scores because their salary or bonus depends on it. Oddly, there is never a question on these surveys that allows me to tell the dealership how much I hate surveys.

Changes like these are happening in every industry. It would be so much nicer if companies would just forget the technology and hire more people. Back in the day when there were lots of employees, the phones were answered on the first ring. You didn't need online surveys to tell you what was going on. Companies knew their customers. There used to be so many companies where someone knew me personally. They didn't need a survey to know what I liked or needed. It didn't matter whether it was a car dealer, a clothing store, or a camera shop, the sales people who waited on me looked at their jobs as a career. I often dealt with the same people for decades. It's hard to even explain how different things used to be to younger people. They don't believe me when I tell them that life was better with less technology. I guess you had to be there.

We got another early start this morning. There were still stars in the sky when we left the house, but I've learned not to look up too often while I'm walking Dawn. She has not learned to heal and is constantly crisscrossing from my left side to my right. She also speeds up and slows down rather abruptly. If I'm not watching her carefully, it's easy to trip over her. I also need to make sure that she stays well out of the way of bicycles and other dogs we encounter while walking. Maybe she'll learn to heal one of these days, but until then I can't be daydreaming and looking up at the stars.

I still have a hard time dealing with how much the temperature changes on an average August day. Sometimes there is a forty degree difference between the pre-dawn hours when we take our walks and late afternoons when things are hottest. Mornings are pleasant. Afternoons are torture. I still do both walks because there isn't much else to do, but I definitely prefer pre-dawn mornings.

I got some embroidered mission patches from the Mars 2020 and DM-2 missions in the mail today. I always made sure to get a mission patch for every launch that I attended. It was nice to have something tangible to remember. Now I've started collecting these patches from launches I haven't been to at all. Yikes. This is getting dangerously close to being a collector again. I guess it's a harmless activity. The patches are small and don't take up much space.

I hope they don't keep me waiting around at the dealership forever tomorrow. A safety inspection shouldn't take any longer than fifteen minutes. Maybe I'll tell them that if they can get me in and out in a hurry, I'll take their silly survey.

Hannah is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3882

These weeks go quickly. How did it get to be Dalmatian day again? We still only have three dogs at the kennel. Luckie seems to be adjusting to kennel life. She didn't seem frightened this week and even appeared glad to see us. Charlie was full of energy and got a good workout chasing after a big red Kong. Hank evidently caught a rat in one of the outdoor play areas this week and ate it. Yuk. Dogs will be dogs I guess.

My new walking shoes fit well but my feet still hurt after a long walk. I doubt that there is much that can be done. It's just a combination of arthritis and old age. I've worn all types of shoes, including some very supportive ones. There is no magic bullet. I doubt that I could walk all day anymore no matter what I was wearing.

I'll be glad when Fall arrives. Getting up early helps, but it's still pretty hot. To keep Dawn from getting overheated, we have to make sure we're back at the house by at least 8:30 AM. We did manage to get an early start this morning and are going to try to get up even earlier tomorrow. Walking before sunrise is really the only thing that works.

I need to go get my car safety inspected sometime this week. It really doesn't seem like a year since I've done this. Last August seemed so much busier. I'd recently returned from a trip to Kennedy Space Center to attend a Falcon Heavy launch and was getting ready to make my first trip out to McDonald Observatory. No plans this year at all. Everything is still in limbo.

Some of my friends in the space and astronomy world have started doing podcasts and Zoom meetings. Makes sense, I guess. What else can you do these days? As far as I can tell, these virtual events are similar to the conversations you would have over a few beers at lunch, except that everyone is in a little window on your computer screen. I listen to these things occasionally, but never join in the conversation. Writing seems natural, but talking still seems weird. I don't like to hear my own voice. I skipped an online reunion of my architecture school class because I don't want to be in a little window on someone's screen. I should have been born a hundred years ago. It still seems more natural to write a letter and then wait two months for a reply.

I haven't used my large production printer in so long that it has become hopelessly clogged. I don't even think the Epson repair shop I used to use is even in business anymore. I haven't used my video editing equipment in ages either. I assume this gear still works, but I don't even have any blank Betacam tapes to test it with. Logically, I should just get rid of all this stuff. I'll never use it again. It's so much trouble though. What do you do with high quality, obsolete equipment? My solution is to let the stuff gather dust, but I don't think Janet likes this plan. So far, I'm finding it impossible to clean out the office.

Maybe I'll do something useful tomorrow. Who knows. I'm still hoping to get media accreditation to return to Kennedy Space Center. There are some interesting launches this Fall. I check my e-mail every morning, but so far no response. I've been waiting for months. They say patience is a virtue, but this is getting ridiculous.

J-Lo is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3881

We managed to get an early start this morning. The pre-dawn skies were clear, there was a nice breeze, and as an added bonus, there was a conjunction of the Moon and Mars overhead. Mars is nearing opposition and gets brighter every day. I still find it hard to believe that three spacecraft are currently on their way to this little orange dot in the sky.

The female Muscovy duck has returned and the trio living by the bridge is back together again. The hello guy has returned on his bicycle as well. The guy who walks his cat on a leash is still gone, as are a few regular dog walkers, but I appreciate continuity wherever I can find it. I have counted the local gaggle of geese and I always make sure that there are still ten. Four of the geese are white and the rest are brown. I'm still not sure what that means.

The Mexican plums are getting ripe. It would be tempting to pick some and make jam, but my plant identification skills leave a lot to be desired. I just think these are plums. They might be something pretty and poisonous instead. They say the white powder on the surface of this fruit is actually a natural yeast and can be used for making a sourdough starter. That seems a lot more complicated than making jam.

I finally acknowledged that my walking shoes have worn out, so I went out and got some new ones after breakfast. I still think Nike Air shoes are ugly and don't last very long, but they seem to provide the best cushioning for my tired feet. Another pair of Nike Air Max shoes it is. Since I was already out, I stopped and got some more ink for my printer and a tub of ice cream on the way home. There is no further need to use the car for the rest of the week.

This afternoon I made sure that all my video gear still worked. I doubt that I'll have a need for any of this stuff soon, but I don't want to forget how to use it. Actually, I did forget how to pair the wireless microphone transmitter and receiver. I had to download a manual online and review the procedure. At any rate, batteries are charged, everything works properly, and I'm ready to make a video again if the urge ever strikes me.

I don't know why I still take afternoon walks. Mornings are fine, but afternoons are way too hot. A lot of people must actually seem to like the heat because the park is full of people renting kayaks, having picnics, sitting in hammocks, and slacklining on Sunday afternoons. Young people have no problem gathering in large groups. I'm convinced that they are the ones spreading the virus.  It couldn't be us old people.

I guess I'll try out my new walking shoes tomorrow morning. This is when I usually discover that I've gotten the wrong size. My feet must be an odd size because nothing seems to fit perfectly. Shoes improve with wear however. By the time you've worn them out, they usually fit perfectly

Nautica is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3880

One of the worst things about the pandemic is that every little ache and pain makes you think that your luck has finally run out. I woke up with a sore throat this morning. "This is how it begins," I thought. Never mind. I forgot that this is a common occurrence. When I don't sleep on my back, I get nasal congestion and start breathing through my mouth. Instant morning sore throat. As soon as I was up and had some coffee the sore throat disappeared.

Maybe I'm just a hypochondriac, but this has happened before. Occasionally I'm winded after a long uphill walk and I start to wonder about my lungs. I'm always checking my temperature with the forehead thermometer. If it even varies by a tenth of a degree I wonder if this could be the start of something. Every time I hear someone cough, I wonder how far the virus can travel through the air. None of this is good, but there is a certain logic to this sort of thinking. The virus is relentless and people aren't all that careful. I find it easy to believe that the longer you stay healthy, the more likely it is that your luck will eventually run out.

This is probably why I'm never wild about shopping day. Half the people in the grocery store had their mask below their nose this morning. I forgot the doggie poop bag I usually put over my hand when I pump gas. People are always picking through the produce to find the freshest items. There are so many opportunities for things to go wrong.

Oddly, I never worry about walking in the park even though I don't wear a mask outdoors. Joggers and cyclists pass us on the trails, but nobody lingers and nobody gets close. Fresh outdoor air is much different than a building's air conditioning system. I'm sure that if sports eventually returns, watching football in an outdoor stadium would be safer than watching basketball in an indoor arena. It's not good to think this way. Once you become convinced that every stranger is a potential danger, it's going to be hard to trust anyone again. No hugs please. Ever.

Every time I go shopping, I'm more and more convinced that our country's supply chain and distribution system has become seriously damaged. Stores just aren't as well stocked anymore. I'm still seeing an overreaction to the toilet paper shortage. There is an abundance of toilet paper and bleach now, but not enough cheese. Every week I find common, everyday items that just aren't on the shelves anymore. Some aisles are half empty and I can't even remember what used to be there. This inconsistency often forces you to go to several stores when one used to be enough. If the whole idea is to get in and out of the store as quickly and efficiently as possible, it would be nice if the store had what you need.

We got a late start on our walk again this morning. Saturday should be the day we start extra early. The park is always crowded on Saturday, but few people get up before sunrise. Old habits die hard though. We always used to sleep in on Saturdays. One of these mornings we need to take a picture of Dawn right at dawn. At least once a week we see a beautiful sunrise. This would make a nice backdrop for a portrait of Dawn.

I hope I don't wake up with any aches and pains tomorrow. I'm tired of waiting for the other shoe to drop. It's about time to wake up and feel like going to the gym.

Lilly is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3879

I look presentable again. It's hard to believe I haven't had a haircut since early March. My stylist's new salon was a bit of a drive. I kept thinking that I'd been on this road before, but I couldn't remember why. Somewhere out here was a store where I bought my kayak. I think I passed a machine shop where I had some parts fabricated once. I know I used to pull dogs from a small community dog pound in the area. The details are all kind of fuzzy. I think I've lived in Dallas too long.

The salon was surprisingly busy for a place out in the middle of nowhere. I guess I wasn't the only one who needed a haircut. It seemed like everyone was playing it safe. Customers and employees all wore masks. A few people wore those clear face shields as well. There was a long list of rules on the front door but a lot of them appeared to have been forgotten. Nobody took my temperature or asked me to wash my hands when I entered the building. Hopefully, the next time I need a haircut the world will seem a little more normal.

We got started on our walk a little later this morning. A half hour makes a big difference around sunrise. I wish it were easier to get up early enough to start walking a full hour before sunrise. The air is much cooler at this time of day and the trails are mostly empty. Mornings are pleasant, but afternoons feel like I'm walking on a different planet. Sometimes there is a thirty degree temperature difference between sunrise and sunset.

I didn't stay up late enough to watch the Space X launch last night, but I watched the replay after breakfast this morning. I'm amazed at the dedication of my Florida photographer friends. They are always out there. Whenever there is a launch, they will post pictures of it on Facebook within a matter of hours. Even though last night's launch was in the middle of the night, there were still plenty of pictures. I'm still a little jealous. These local guys still seem to be the only ones getting access to the Space Center.

I'm seeing a lot of Egrets lately. These birds migrate, but I think ours hang around all year. I see lots of Great Egrets on our morning walks, along with the occasional Great Blue Heron, Cattle Egret, and Black-Crowned Night Heron. I'll never be a birder, but I'm slowly learning to identify all the local wildlife. We've got quite a variety down at the lake.

It's been a year since we had Hank over to the house for a few days following a medical emergency. It doesn't seem that long ago. I thought he would have found a home by now, but he's still up at the kennel. Dogs with special needs often take longer to place, but hopefully Hank will find his forever home soon. We also went to the Dior show at the Dallas Museum of Art about a year ago and I was starting to plan my first trip out to McDonald Observatory. What a weird year it's been. One year ago I would never have predicted that we'd have a new dog now and that I'd be wearing a mask to get my hair cut.

Tomorrow it's time to get groceries and fill the car with gas again. The precautions are all starting to feel normal now. I hope we don't get used to this. The old normal was a lot better than the new normal.

Lou is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3878

I got asked to join a Zoom reunion with some old classmates today. Hmm. I've never used Zoom. I've heard about Zoom meetings on the news, but I don't even have the application on my computer. I have no desire to install it either. I guess I'm officially a Luddite. I have no interest whatsoever in this sort of thing. I'm glad I retired well before Zoom meetings became mandatory in a post-pandemic world. Jeez. I didn't even like conference calls years ago. Why would you want to add a camera to a conference call?

We got started on our morning walk in the dark again. It's weird walking this early. There aren't many people out, but we certainly aren't alone in the park. Cyclists seem to get an earlier start than joggers. The main reason we take a flashlight is so these guys won't mow us down in the dark. Cyclists are relentless and don't slow down for anything. Before the sky started to lighten, we saw what looked like an odd, very slow bicycle moving in the distance. As we got closer, we realized that what looked like bicycle wheels were actually two dogs with red lights on their collars and the third light we thought was a rider was a lighted bracelet on the wrist of the woman walking the dogs. When joggers started to appear on the trails, many of them had little LED lights on their arms and legs as well. Some of the lights were red and green as if the joggers were trying to emulate the port and starboard lights on boats. Maybe Janet and I are even Luddites about walking in the dark. All we had was a flashlight.

My days continue to be slow and uneventful. Maybe this is why blog readership has gone down. Nothing to see here. Very few people read blogs anyway. They're all out doing podcasts and having Zoom meetings. Even some of my space and astronomy friends have their own podcasts now. When did things change? I remember when blogs were very popular. Lots of people used to write blogs. Of course I remember when everything on the Internet was just text because it took too much bandwidth to send a picture. I wonder if Usenet news groups still exist? There were thousands of groups and not a single picture among them. Those were the days. Luddites tend to be nostalgic. We long for manual typewriters, film cameras, and those old brick cell phones.

When we walk really early, we've noticed that the ducks and geese are typically on the water. Later, when the sun comes up they return to the shore. This makes me wonder what the ducks do at night. Do they swim around all night? Are they nocturnal like the coyotes? I guess this will always be a mystery. I'm certainly not going down to the park at midnight to investigate.

Tomorrow I get a haircut. It's about time. I haven't had a haircut since last March. If this goes well I might start going to the gym again. I'm still very careful and tend to avoid people altogether, but this virus is going to be with us for a long time. We've all got to figure out what kind of risk we can tolerate. I'll take one of the good masks with me tomorrow. The masks I wear to the grocery store and get gas are basically worthless.

I've taken the trash out to the curb and am ready for another early morning walk. There are no Friday morning breakfast restaurant outings anymore. Such is life in the new normal.

Margo is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3877

Wednesday has turned into house cleaning day. Don't look at me. I have lost all interest in cleaning, but I don't want to be a slacker. I still try to do my part. Today I vacuumed the house. I used to think the Dyson was amazing because it appeared to pick up so much dust. Now I suspect that the clear plastic cylinder is just a marketing gimmick to make you notice the dirt. The house doesn't seem any cleaner than it did with our old fashioned vacuum. It certainly was easier to empty a paper vacuum cleaner bag than it is to clean the Dyson. I have to go outside and use a leaf blower to get all the residual dust out of the canister after I empty it. Oh, well. The carpets and the Dyson are clean again until I have to repeat this exercise next Wednesday.

We got a later start on our morning walk today, but we got lucky with the weather. There was heavy overcast and a nice breeze that kept things cool. It didn't seem as humid today either. If you can manage to avoid the sun and the humidity, even August isn't quite so bad. We must be having a hot summer though. Our August electric bill hit an all time high. Something was fishy about that bill though. I know we have had hotter summers. I think the electric company just raised our rates.

At first it was baffling to me why the stock market was doing so well at the same time there was record unemployment and well known companies were going bankrupt every day. Now the answer is becoming clearer. The economy didn't shut down at all. It just changed. Some companies lost, but other companies were big winners and are doing better than ever. It seems like the pandemic just accelerated the rate of change that was happening anyway. Even Luddites like me have gone digital now. A wide varieties of companies have been urging me to use their mobile app, go paperless, and try online payments for years. All it took was a global pandemic to get me to change my ways.

I'm always curious about long-term trends. I think it will be five years before we realize how much has changed. I used to think everyone would revert to their old ways as soon as the lockdown was lifted. New habits are emerging though. We aren't going to be comfortable around strangers for a long time. Nobody even wants to ride in an elevator with me anymore. Handshakes are no longer going to be a common ritual. Ghost kitchens will become more popular than restaurants. Sports fans are going to have problems with the new normal, but ticket prices were becoming exorbitant anyway. Fewer and fewer people could even afford to go to a professional football game. Maybe fans will learn to love players in empty stadiums. I guess the big question is whether schools can safely reopen. If the kids have to stay home indefinitely, we are in for a world of hurt.

I guess we're just going to have to learn to live with the changes. Some of these changes were going to happen anyway. Just not as fast. Change is never easy and it is seldom fair. I'm certainly having problems dealing with all this. I need to remember the importance of staying flexible. Youth was all about staying flexible and seizing opportunities. It was only when I became older that I became set in my ways. We'll see how it goes. There will be winners and losers in the days and months ahead. It would be nice to be a winner.

Tomorrow we're going to try to get up early again. The flashlights are ready. I don't know how ready I'll be. I was never a morning person and it's not easy to change old habits. I'm convinced that the future will be all about changing old habits. I might as well get good at it.

Morgan is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3876

We got such an early start this morning that we had to take a flashlight with us. Venus, Mars and a full Moon were still bright in the sky and there was a cool breeze. We kept an eye out for coyotes. They are often on the move at this time of day. I'm not typically an early riser, but the hour before sunrise is definitely the best part of the day. The sky changes from darkness to daylight remarkably quickly and if there are clouds in the East, you often get to enjoy a beautiful sunrise. I just need to go to bed a little earlier to fully enjoy the experience.

Our walks were the main event of the day. Our morning walk is for Dawn and the afternoon walk I take by myself is basically just a substitute for going to the gym. Eating, sleeping, and walking. That's pandemic life for you. I paid some bills after breakfast and did a little bookkeeping, but spent most of my time watching the Space X Starship's first test hop down at Boca Chica. Coverage of events at Boca Chica is strictly a volunteer affair. A couple of Space X fans have set up cameras outside the perimeter of the Space X compound and provide a running commentary whenever something is going on. Often hours go by and nothing happens at all. If there is a puff of smoke or even a bird flying by, there will be a lot of speculation about what it all means.

Boca Chica is the exact opposite of Kennedy Space Center. There are lots of tents and temporary buildings. The place is a mess. Rocket parts and construction equipment are strewn around everywhere. After seeing all the high tech equipment and precision engineering at Michoud Assembly Facility, this place seems more like a bunch of oil field workers decided to weld together a rocket out of scrap steel. The SN5 prototype that was being tested today looked exactly like a huge grain silo. It certainly didn't look like it could fly. The first attempt today got scrubbed, but everything went perfectly the second time. The flying grain silo slowly rose over 150 feet in the air and then descended again to land safely at a nearby landing pad. Probably in less than a year, a more refined version of this rocket will be launched into into orbit from this same Boca Chica site. It doesn't look like much now, but if Elon Musk has his way, this barren strip of land on the Gulf Coast will be where we depart for Mars. Hope I'm still around to see the journey begin.

I wish people could make up their minds about the virus. In less than ten minutes this morning I heard that things are getting better, that conditions are getting worse, that the virus will be with us forever, and that we are getting ourselves in a panic for nothing. Wait a few minutes or flip the channel and you will hear something completely different. Who do you trust these days? Even the scientists don't seem to agree on this one. I have no doubts that this is a serious disease, but I'm equally convinced that the media is stirring the pot.

I think we're going to try to get up real early again tomorrow. It's a little strange walking in the dark but it's the only way to beat the heat. The only downside to these early walks is that too much of the day remains after you return. What do you do next? Tomorrow I'll attempt to answer this seemingly eternal question again.

Pebbles is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3875

Dalmatian day is here again. We didn't get to meet Marshall after all. Some dogs get lucky. We found out today that Marshall was only at the kennel for a few days and has already gone to his forever home. Charlie, Hank, and Luckie were still waiting for us however. Luckie seems more relaxed this week. She still had little interest in playing, but would come when we called and wasn't nearly as fearful. She definitely likes treats. Charlie and Hank were still happy and playful. One of these days, these three will find their forever homes as well.

It was hard getting up this morning. Another day where everything seems the same. I always thought I was well suited for monotony, but enough is enough. Janet and I are both having trouble remembering what day it is when we wake up. It's definitely time for something different.

I hope Dawn still enjoys her morning walk. The landscape is getting pretty familiar by now. I think I have memorized the entire route. When everything is the same, you start to notice the smallest changes. There was a guy who used to walk his cat on a leash who we haven't seen in a while. There were three Muscovy ducks who always used to hang out next to a small creek we always cross. The female has been gone for several weeks. Where did she go? I'm still trying to identify some of the trees we see everyday. I'm fairly certain that the fruit tree we have been speculating about is a Mexican Plum, but I'm not sure. The fruit is edible, but I'm not going to try it.

I still don't have a publication date for my Sky and Telescope article. The closest I've been able to get to a commitment from the editors was a mention of "early next year." I hate to bother these guys. I'm afraid they might get irritated at my impatience and not publish the article after all. It has been a long time though. It's been almost a year since I got the idea for the article and made my first trip to the Davis Mountains. I got rained out on the August 2019 trip and it took a second visit to McDonald Observatory the next March before I finally had an opportunity to look through the large telescopes. I never dreamed the whole process would take this long when I initially contacted the magazine over a year ago.

Life seems to be a waiting game these days. I'm still waiting for the Artemis Day article I wrote about my visit to the Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans to be published. I wrote that article last December. I think this piece is going to appear next month though. We'll see. I'm also still waiting for the Air Force to process my application for media credentials at Kennedy Space Center. How long ago did I send that application in? I'm waiting for the new Bronco to appear at Ford dealers. I'm waiting for star parties to resume. Most of all, I'm waiting for the pandemic to be over. In many ways, this has been a wasted year.

It's weird that all the things we used to worry about are still here. There is a hurricane on the East Coast and wildfires in the West Coast. The virus just adds another layer of bad news. It makes you wonder what we'll be dealing with this time next year. Sure would be a nice surprise if something good happened.

Puppies are today's Dalmatians of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3874

I spent a lot more time watching Bob and Doug return to earth than I intended. It was fascinating watching all the events leading to splashdown in real time as they happened. The capsule was completely automated and the astronauts were basically just passengers. All the people in the control room at Hawthorne were just monitoring a very complicated sequence of events to make sure nothing went wrong. Nobody had to intervene. Unlike the Boeing Starliner mission, the Space X software worked perfectly. I've always been impressed with what Elon Musk has been able to accomplish. Today was a big milestone. I can't wait to see Starship get off the ground.

It didn't take me long to spot Elon in the mission control video feed. He was the guy in the front row who kept taking his mask on and off and casually eating a sandwich while everyone else was staring intently at their screens. I kept wondering what the guy behind him wearing white hi-top boots was doing. Other than the outlandish shoes, he was dressed very normally. I spotted a woman on the back row of monitors who didn't appear to be wearing a mask. What was the story here? The room itself seemed spotless with the exception of one table with a big piece of laminate material falling off. Some might find the long lock-off shots of control rooms boring, but I like looking at the details. Where is the box of donuts? Who is texting or taking selfies instead of looking at their screen? There is always something going on.

I bet Space X will keep the splashdown location secret the next time there is a manned launch. I was surprised to see a flotilla of cabin cruisers and fishing boats coming near the capsule as the Space X team prepared to secure it. Space X was probably even more surprised. Apparently they forgot to ask the Coast Guard to set up a safe zone around the splashdown area. Some of these private boats got very close to the capsule while it was floating in the water. Oops. I doubt that this will happen again.

I didn't spend all day watching the landing. We had a nice walk with Dawn this morning. We didn't get an early start, but the weather was a little cooler and there was a nice breeze. There are always fewer people in the park on Sunday than on Saturday. Tomorrow morning there will be fewer still. Everything is very predictable after you've been doing these walks for a while. Usually you see the same people day after day. When a regular walker disappears, you can't help but wonder what happened. Did they catch the virus, or did they just get tired of exercising?

I briefly thought about going back to the gym today, but then I remembered that the grass needed mowing. Mowing the grass burns just as many calories as my time on the treadmill. The yard looks better too. I'll go back to the gym some day, but I'll still in no hurry. I'm getting plenty of exercise on Sundays. 20,000 steps was a piece of cake today.

Janet made a pot roast for dinner tonight. We've had to cut out a lot of activities, but we are certainly eating well during the pandemic. Tomorrow we meet Marshall when we go visit the rescue dogs at the kennel. He's finished with his initial visit to the vet and will be joining Charlie, Hank, and Luckie. I need to remember to take my camera so I can get some pictures of him for the website. I don't anticipate an exciting week, but it will be predictable.

Scout is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3873

The park is so busy on Saturday mornings now. It never used to be this way. We got an early start today, but apparently not early enough. It was way too crowded on the trails. Is the pandemic turning us into a nation of fit and healthy people? Naw. Probably not.

I ran my usual Saturday errands after breakfast and on the way home a warning light came on saying that I had a low tire. Typically I would have gone to the dealership because the tires are filled with nitrogen. I didn't have the patience to sit around for several hours, so I went home and got out the air compressor. Ordinary air will do just fine. I couldn't find any nails in the tires, so I filled them up to the required pressure and called it a day. I used to do this all the time with the Defender, but I haven't used the compressor in so long that I was surprised that it even worked.

Dawn took her monthly heartworm pill this morning. I'm glad that she's relatively healthy and doesn't need a lot of meds. Giving the dogs their pills eventually got very complicated with Dot and Dash. So far, I take the most pills in the family. Nothing exotic, but they all are necessary. If you aren't taking any meds at my age, you probably aren't seeing the doctor enough.

I wonder why it took me so long to warm up to online banking? It sure is easier to pay bills this way. It only took me a few minutes to pay my utility bills this morning. I haven't gotten around to depositing checks using my phone yet, but it's only a matter of time. If the pandemic has caused me to change ingrained habits like going to the post office every few days, I imagine that other people's habits have changed as well. I read an article the other day that said ice cream sales are up and deodorant sales are down. Somebody is certainly selling a lot of bicycles in town. I've never seen so many cyclists in the park. Life is changing and some of the changes are going to be permanent.

Sadly, a lot of jobs will never return. Companies are already discovering that they can do just as well with fewer people. So many of us were always non-essential and just didn't realize it. I've been non-essential for most of my life. I was just lucky that my clients and employers seemed to find me useful.  I'm sure the pandemic is already creating a wide variety of brand new jobs. Change always creates new jobs. Actually, this probably isn't a bad time to be a web designer. Everything takes place online these days. I'd have to know a lot more if I was starting a web design shop today. Things were a lot simpler back when I started my company. Life in general was simpler then. It's not that surprising that I would like to find a time machine and go back.

I picked up Chinese food for dinner tonight. When I went to the restaurant to get my order, there was an entire section reserved for DoorDash, Uber Eats, and Grubhub deliveries. There seemed to be a constant stream of drivers picking up orders. There seems to be a lot of people in grocery stores doing home delivery or curbside pickup shopping as well. This is probably why I can never find Clorox Wipes. I got a mailing from one of the New York auction houses that sold my art a few years ago. It was about an upcoming sale of one-of-a-kind face masks created by well known artists. I wonder if all this strangeness will just seem normal next year? We're not in Bladerunner territory yet, but we're definitely headed in that direction.

Snoopy is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3872

We tried an experiment this morning. I attempted to walk Dawn by myself. She started out confidently enough, but quickly became apprehensive and nervous. Where was Janet? I walked confidently and was very encouraging but Dawn kept looking back toward the house. After we had gone about a quarter of a mile, she stopped completely and wouldn't go any further. "Do you want to go home," I said. Immediately, she turned and started walking confidently toward the house.

We knew Dawn still wanted a walk, so Janet put on some shoes and off we went again. Everything was fine now. Dawn just wanted to make sure that Janet was with us. We'll have to keep working on this. Actually, I was encouraged that Dawn made it down to the edge of the lake with me. We've never made it this far before. Dawn has always seemed frightened when Janet isn't nearby. When Janet first began fostering Dawn, I was in Florida attending a launch. Maybe that had something to do with her uncertainty toward me. I was the stranger who just appeared about five days later. It's weird. Dawn is super friendly with me when Janet is around. It's only when she and I are alone that she gets nervous. I keep thinking that she was treated badly by the puppy mill breeders who kept her before she entered the rescue program. We'll never know everything about Dawn's former life, but she clearly prefers women.

I was back up on the roof this morning. The rain we got last night didn't last long, but it was heavy. There was a lot of water on the roof. At least it was a little cooler today. The rain brought a cold front with it. A cold front in July doesn't mean much, but it was definitely a little cooler than yesterday. I'm starting to see a little deterioration in the silicon coating. At some point I'm going to have to start making repairs again if I want to keep the roof from leaking this winter.

I made another appointment to get a haircut toward the end of next week. We'll see how this goes. I'm still not completely comfortable being out and about, but you can't put everything on hold forever. I have a feeling that this virus is going to be with us for a long, long time. I'm careful, but you've still got to get groceries and eventually you're going to need a haircut.

I'm still getting 20,000 steps a day, but that's about it. I'd like to think I'm in between avocations, but who knows. I certainly don't want to become a collector again. That was a giant waste of time and money. I don't want to be a fine art photographer either. Been there, done that. After spending years getting to the point where I could have my own gallery shows, I discovered that being around other artists irritated me. The art world turned out to be just as phony as the advertising world. These days I prefer the company of scientists. I'm sure this is an illusion as well, but the people I've met in the space and astronomy communities have seemed really interesting. Unlike ad folks, they all appear to be doing something of substance.

Hard to believe it's going to be August tomorrow. Where has this year gone? It's time to make a grocery list again. I wonder if I'm ever going to find Clorox Wipes? I have a feeling that when Clorox Wipes are readily available again, the pandemic is officially over.

Shelby is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3871

We knew it was going to be a hot day so we got an extra early start on this morning's walk. You could still see a few stars and several planets as we left the house. Mars was almost directly overhead, reminding me that the Mars 2020 launch would take place while we were walking. I watched it all on video later after I finished my breakfast. Watching a launch on the computer makes it seem kind of weird that I used to travel so far to see these launches in person. The entire event was over in just a few minutes.

Our timing was good this morning. We reached the halfway point in our walk before the sun rose and there was a nice gentle breeze the entire way. Things heat up quickly once the sun is above the horizon unfortunately. It quickly became warm enough for Dawn to choose the shorter route home.

When I was watching the launch coverage on my computer this morning I looked for familiar faces in my Facebook feed. I recognized a couple of launch photographers I'd met earlier who still seemed to have media credentials. There always seems to be a race to see who can get their pictures on the Internet first. These guys were definitely fast. I wonder who you have to know to maintain media accreditation these days? I'm definitely not in the loop. Oh, well. Maybe some day things will return to normal.

After breakfast I decided to go up on the roof and remove the standing water from the rain we got a few days ago. It was so hot that I was surprised that the water hadn't evaporated yet. The metal handle of the push broom I keep on the roof was almost too hot to touch. The white surface of the roof itself was hot enough to burn your hands. I had to bring a wet rag with me to place on the edge of the roof that I use to steady myself when I lower myself down after I'm done. There was no rain in the forecast when I cleared the water away this morning, but ironically there is a thunderstorm headed our way right now. This always happens. We'll have rain again before I go to bed tonight.

It doesn't look like I'll be getting a Bronco any time soon. I read an article today that Ford already has well over 200,000 reservations for the new 4x4 and the entire 2021 production run is sold out. Seems weird that so many people would decide to buy a car based entirely on pictures and reviews they see on the Internet. What happened to kicking the tires? It's probably just as well that there will be nothing to tempt me at a dealership for a while. At the rate I'm driving these days, my current car will last forever. Eventually, I'd still like something reliable and easy to service for trips to West Texas. Hey, a guy can dream.

My days are still extremely slow. I've got to think of a project for now instead of for later. Right now I occupy a lot of my time thinking about telescopes I might buy for future dark skies, cars I might buy for future travels, and future launches I'd like to attend when I can get my media credentials restored. Nothing wrong with this of course. I guess it just tells me that there is very little about Dallas that intrigues me anymore.

Penny is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3870

It's been exactly one year since I received the press proofs of my first article for SpaceFlight Magazine. A second article was published about six months later and a third is still scheduled for publication in September. It was a good beginning, but I thought my budding career as a space journalist be a lot further along by now. I certainly thought I'd be down at Kennedy Space Center tomorrow morning for the launch of the Mars 2020 Perseverance mission. Oh, well. It wasn't meant to be. Little did I know back then that the world was about to change. I keep trying to get media accreditation again, but it might be a while. In a post-covid world, newcomers go to the back of the line.

I shouldn't complain though. My problems are small compared with what other people are going through. I was going to get a haircut later in the week, but my stylist got laid off at the salon. Another covid casualty. I know someone locally who got infected now. He's OK, but it makes me realize that the disease is all around us. Most of my friends are healthy and continue to lead normal lives. A few seem to have flipped out and are way too angry for their own good.

Sometimes when my day is uneventful it is tempting to go on an angry rant myself. It would certainly be an easy way to fill up space. The problem is that I'm not really angry. I'm still very detached. I think this is the secret to social distancing. I look at the world like it is an episode of Black Mirror or the Twilight Zone. It is not my world though. I try to navigate the pandemic and the social unrest like everything is covered in a sticky glue that you can't let touch you. You have to plan your moves very carefully.

I have a few farmer and rancher friends that I envy. I keep thinking that their farms are so remote that they are completely unaffected by all this turmoil. This probably isn't true though. Farmers and ranchers might not have to worry about riots in the city or getting killed by a random cough at a grocery store, but some of them are probably having big problems selling their cattle or their crops. The whole supply chain is screwed up now. We are in the middle of a global mess that affects all of us.

You'd think we could all rally together to find a solution. That's what my parents did during World War II. It's not happening though. I have never seen so much anger and division. Much of the rancor takes place on Facebook. I look at what some of my friends say online and think "Do I even know you." I think there are going to be articles in prestigious medical journals for years to come about how social media causes mental illness.

The solution for some of us has always been dogs. It's hard to be angry when you've got a good dog. Dawn continues to be a joy. She certainly came into our lives at exactly the right time.

Tink is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3869

All day rain. We really needed the rain, but it presented all the usual frustrations. It didn't take me long to realize that the pumps weren't working this morning. When I went up on the roof to investigate, I discovered that a tree limb had fallen and knocked over one of the pumps. This must have tripped a circuit breaker that shut off the other pump as well. It was a simple fix to get things running again, but I did get wet.

Luckily, we had already walked Dawn before I had to deal with the pump problem. We're getting better about using weather radar apps to avoid getting wet on our morning walks. Staying dry this morning involved getting a very early start. It was pretty dark when we left the house but as the sky lightened we were treated to a beautiful sunrise and a brief rainbow. We had to cut things a little short this morning, but we were still able to cover four miles.

There is even less to do on a rainy day than a dry day during a pandemic. As I slowly drank my morning smoothie, I kept flipping channels on the kitchen TV. I didn't feel like watching endless congressional hearings and I didn't feel like watching reporters standing in front of hospitals talking about the virus either. I used to watch the BBC in the mornings, but inexplicably my cable provider took it away. My plan never changes, but the channels come and go. No wonder so many people watch those home improvement shows or Christmas movies in July on the Hallmark Channel. Everything else has become hopelessly politicized.

Once I turned on my computer I watched the roll out of the Atlas V-541 with the Mars Perseverance rover attached to the top. Whenever I see these shots from Kennedy Space Center my first reaction is "Hey, I've been there." Since the launch takes place at Launch Complex 41, everything looked very familiar. This is where I was for the ESA Solar Orbiter launch earlier this year. I watched that roll out from the same little hill where the cameras were this morning.

It never did stop raining but late in the day I decided to take another walk anyway. There was a very light drizzle, but it cooled things down and was actually kind of pleasant. The park was finally completely empty again. Even though I got wet, I enjoyed this walk. I listened to bird sounds and looked for new flowers to photograph. I enjoy the sound of silence. There's just not enough of it these days.

Who knows what I'll end up doing tomorrow. It will probably involve eating, walking, and sleeping. These are strange times. I've completely internalized the whole notion of social distancing. Six feet apart isn't nearly far enough. I don't know why we are arguing about masks. We just need to stay completely away from each other. If everyone would turn off their phones and take a vow of silence for 30 days the virus would probably just go away. A lot of our political problems would go away as well. It's the compulsion to talk to each other that makes social distancing so difficult. I wonder what would happen if everyone could just stay alone with their thoughts for a month? No TV. No Internet. No Happy Hour. No Zoom meetings. Just your thoughts. Hey, that's my solution.

Queenie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3868

It's Dalmatian Day again. We have a new boy named Marshall on the way, but for now there are still just three dogs at the kennel. Luckie is really making progress. She trusts the kennel staff now and didn't seem nearly as shy as she did last week. She loves treats and Janet and I were both able to get her to come over to us for a cookie. Luckie might even have a forever home in the near future. We learned today that someone is looking at her this week. Charlie and Hank seemed quieter than usual. Maybe it was the heat. They played with their toys for a little bit, but mostly they just wanted to sit next to us. Not surprisingly, the two boys were just as interested in treats as Luckie. Hank has learned to sit for a treat and Charlie has a whole repertoire of tricks to impress us with.

We managed to get an early start on our walk with Dawn this morning and it was definitely worth the effort. The combination of an overcast sky with a nice breeze made the walk fairly pleasant for late July. Dawn seemed to agree. She had lots of energy today and we completed our full five miles. The park is much less busy on a weekday, but we still encounter a lot more people than we would have at this time last year. I used to remember the park being completely empty on a Monday morning. Those days are gone. There are too many folks who are still out of work and looking for something to do.

I wrote one of my Air Force contacts today to ask about the status of my media accreditation request for upcoming military launches at Kennedy Space Center. I imagine that everything has been delayed because of the coronavirus, but I would have thought I'd have an answer by now. I submitted my application months ago. It's hard for me to be patient when so many things have been put on hold. I'm very polite because I don't want to burn any bridges, but I wish I could figure out a way to move the ball forward. I'm ready to resume writing about rockets and astronomy.

I'm doing a better job of maintaining contacts with my friends out at the observatory. I got a letter from one of the astronomers today. I'm pretty sure that I'll be welcome back as soon as the place opens up again. Lord knows when that will be though. There are certainly no plans at the moment. I don't think anyone is welcoming visitors now. Even the National Parks are starting to regret opening up again. I imagine Disneyland is having second thoughts as well. Until the situation changes, I'll have to be content with making travel plans in my head while I watch the ducks and geese at the park.

I wonder if anyone realizes the true extent of the mess we have managed to create? Some say that at least half the jobs lost during the pandemic will never return. People are leaving big cities in droves. Why live in a city when the stores are boarded up and you've lost faith in public transportation. Now that they're saying the virus can be transmitted through air conditioning systems, is anyone ever going to want to come back to work in a high rise? I doubt it.

With bad news everywhere you look, this is starting to look a lot like the fall of the Roman Empire. Civilizations come and go but I never thought I'd witness something like this during my lifetime. It's easy to focus on what is happening in the United States, but the changes I'm seeing are global. I sure hope the world can manage to get it's act together. When Rome fell, it wasn't followed by the Renaissance. The Middle Ages lasted for a very long time.

Deuce is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3867

I guess I should look out the window more. I kept seeing all these pictures of a large rainbow by the lake on the Internet. I didn't even know it had rained. The rain couldn't have lasted long, but the yard is wet. It's weird. I've been waiting for rain for weeks and I missed it. I doubt that I would have made an effort to take a picture of the rainbow anyway. I hate to get wet.

Without my regular trip to the gym, Sundays are more uneventful than ever. We got another late start on our walk this morning but it was OK. The sky was cloudy and there was a breeze. The ducks and geese have all returned to the water. Why? As recently as a week ago they were all on the shoreline. One thing about ducks and geese, they do everything together.

I thought the wildflower season was over, but I keep finding new ones. The other day I found the Buttonbush flowers. Today it was a Rose Mallow. I think they call these big blooms Hardy Hibiscus as well. Janet and I are trying to identify a tree that looks like it is full of little plumbs. The park does have plumb trees, but this fruit looks a bit too small. I don't understand why so many people seem to spend their entire time in the park looking at their phones. There is so much to see out here.

It was hard to get up this morning. It's difficult to get up early when you go to bed late. It's taking me longer and longer to write the blog in the evening because I have so little to say. I stare at the screen waiting for a thought, but often nothing comes. Sometimes I'll take a break and do laundry, but that's not very inspirational. I need to go back to the observatory. I felt safe up on the mountain and I felt inspired looking at the night sky. The whole experience was the exact opposite of life in the city during a pandemic.

I keep seeing all these amazing pictures of comet Neowise on the Internet. I'm impressed, but lot of these people are just showing off. The images have clearly been manipulated using compositing and other advanced image stacking techniques. Sky replacement seems to be a popular technique these days. I kind of admire the people who just go take a picture of the comet in their back yard with their phone. It doesn't look like much, but for most of us the comet doesn't look like much in real life either.

I'm fascinated by the popularity of manipulated images that are presented as real. Somebody ought to do a serious article about this. Real isn't good enough anymore. People want better than real. Most selfies aren't real. There are so many filters out there that make it easy to bump things up a notch. I've met people at NASA events that I'd only seen on the Internet before. I didn't even recognize many of them. My photos may not be great, but they are definitely real. I'm too damn lazy to manipulate images.

I wish Dawn would warm up to me. She's pretty good most of the time, but I can tell she is still frightened at times when Janet is gone. Dawn tolerates me, but she's clearly Janet's dog. Oh, well. We've got plenty of time to bond and work on things. I'm not going anywhere. This pandemic has ruined most of my plans.

Smokey is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day