Day 3929

Dawn was very subdued today, but is feeling much better than yesterday. Her temperature is down and she is starting to eat again. We took a very short walk just to the end of the street and back because we didn't want to push our luck. Ths fact that the medication she's taking appears to be working indicates that she probably did have a seizure. Hopefully, Dawn's condition will continue to improve and she will remain stable after she has finished her meds. Seizures are strange and unpredictable. Dawn could have another seizure tomorrow or several years could go by before we experience something like this again. 

I'm still not sure that Dawn even had a seizure, but it is the most logical explanation for her condition. We've had a lot of experience with seizure dogs and Dawn didn't react the same way that Dot and Dash did when they had seizures. On the other hand, she was treated as if she'd had a seizure resulting from some type of brain lesion and the treatment seems to be working. We probably won't learn a lot more unless we proceed with MRI or CT scans. Sometimes this advanced imaging doesn't even tell you anything definitive. When we began to suspect that Dot was having vestibular seizures we made sure that she had an MRI. All we learned for sure was that dogs have very tiny brains. I thought that Dot's brain would have taken up a lot more space in her skull.

When a vet says your pet may have brain lesions, I think they are just trying to be nice and avoid saying the word tumor. A brain lesion and a brain tumor are basically the same thing. Pretty soon you are talking about cancer and the surgery, radiation and chemotherapy options that accompany it. We need to figure out what is going on, but I am in no rush to do anything. The first step is to see if Dawn remains stable after she has finished her meds.

I took my walk today without Dawn. I've done a lot of walking over the years and walking with a dog is always more enjoyable. You never really question why you are walking, because it is usually obvious that the dog enjoys the walk. When you start to experience what the dog is experiencing, you become much more aware of your surroundings. When I am walking by myself, it is usually just an effort to stay in shape. When I am walking with dogs, it is often more about sharing the dog's enjoyment.

The launch I was thinking of attending in Florida has already been postponed two more times. It is a good thing I never made the trip. Even if there were no Covid restrictions and Dawn wasn't sick, I would still just be sitting in a hotel room wondering if it was worth the effort to extend my trip a few more days. After the latest delay was announced this morning, there is still no firm launch date. Maybe I'd better wait for a more reliable rocket before I make my next trip to Florida.

I did my grocery shopping today and was able to find almost everything on my list. I usually get the same things week after week and I've noticed that prices have really gone up since the pandemic started. The price increases haven't been dramatic, but they have been steady. Is this just the normal supply and demand equation at work, or are manufacturers trying to see what they can get aways with? It really doesn't seem that prices should have gone up than much since last March, but what do I know.

I went to get take-out from our favorite Chinese restaurant this evening and the place was full. I was surprised. I guess they have ended restaurant restrictions in Texas. It's strange. When you turn on the TV you'd think we're all headed for disaster. When you just walk around town, you'd think that the pandemic was over. Time will tell, I guess.

Suki is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3928

Dawn is sick. She was fine yesterday, but she woke up this morning very lethargic and didn't want to eat her breakfast. We initially thought she had an upset stomach and might have eaten something bad in the yard. When we went on our morning walk she walked about a block and then refused to go any further. We went back home and she immediately went back to the bedroom. When she still refused to eat anything at lunchtime, we began to get worried. She felt a little warm, so we took her temperature and were shocked when it was 105 degrees. This was serious. We called the vet and made an appointment. When we described our situation, they told us to come in immediately.

Dawn is still under observation. Her blood work looks good, but the vet initially thought that she might have had some sort of seizure. If she did have a seizure overnight, it wasn't like anything we've experienced before. We've had dogs who have had both epileptic and vestibular seizures and Dawn wasn't acting like this at all. She occasionally had a mild tremor in her body that appeared like she was having hiccups. She had some rapid eye movement as well. The thing that scares me is the last time we took a dog to the vet with a 105 degree fever, we discovered two days later that she had abdominal cancer and required immediate surgery.

Each of our dogs has had to deal with very serious health issues at some point during their life. After dealing with cancer, epilepsy, neurological and spinal cord problems, torn cruciate ligaments, and attacks by other dogs, we were worn out. The sadness that comes from dealing with serious and often incurable health issues was one of the reasons that we didn't think we'd get another dog after Dot and Dash passed away.

Dawn is such a sweet dog with such a troubled past that we were really hoping that we could offer her a happy, trouble free life where she could forget her former life. Hopefully we still can. The vet thinks she might have a neurological problem and wants to get an MRI done of her brain as soon as we get her fever under control. We've taken one of our dogs to see a neurosurgeon before. If there is a problem in the brain or spinal cord, it often doesn't end well. 

Maybe I'm getting ahead of myself. Hopefully, we can bring Dawn home later tonight and the vet will be able to figure out exactly what is going on. In the best of worlds, we'll all wake up tomorrow morning and everything will be fine. Dawn has always had some muscle atrophy on the top of her head that you usually don't see until a dog become very old. I've always thought this was strange. Up until this morning she has seemed perfectly healthy though. She routinely gets a clean bill of health when we take her to the vet. This is 2020 though so anything could happen.

Well, it's two hours later now. We just returned from the vet with Dawn and a big bag of meds. They managed to get her fever down, but still don't really know what caused it. The vet suspects that Dawn had a mild seizure last night and might have brain lesions. This is just a guess though. We'd need to do an MRI to know for sure. Other things could have caused a sudden high fever as well. It could be a viral infection. It could be a wide variety of things at this point. From past experience I know that a conclusive diagnosis can be quite difficult. Dawn is eating again though. That's a good sign. Oops. Janet said she just threw up. That's not a good sign.

I'm glad I didn't go to Florida. I'd feel even worse if I was far away. We'll see how Dawn feels in the morning. She's resting calmly now. This is all very familiar territory that I was hoping to avoid for a while.

Rosie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3927

Well, I'm still here in Dallas. The weather has deteriorated a bit further in Titusville, but to be honest that wasn't the reason I scrapped my trip. Sadly, I'm still not comfortable flying and it's a long drive to Florida. A recent CDC report says that at least 1600 flights this year have had someone on board with coronavirus. This means that over 10,000 people have been exposed to the virus just by flying. It doesn't exactly fill you with confidence. The airlines try to convince you that they are completely safe by touting their advanced air filtration systems. I find this hard to believe. It's not about the air. It's the fact that you are packed in like sardines with a bunch of total strangers. That six foot rule doesn't mean much when you are actually touching your fellow passengers.

I have a lot of sympathy for restaurant and small business owners, but it's hard to have much sympathy for the airlines. They are all crying poor now, but most of them were making record profits just a few years ago. Where did all that money they made from eliminating legroom, charging extra for baggage, and getting rid of food service go? Fares didn't go down when the airlines were rich either. They just kept going up. The airlines must have a strong lobby in congress. I just don't understand why if it's unsafe to go to church or out to dinner, it's still completely safe to sit six inches away from a bunch of strangers on a plane for hours at a time.

If the weather clears up and the launch takes place on schedule, I may regret canceling my trip. I worked so hard to get press accreditation during the pandemic and then when an opportunity presented itself, I just said never mind. Oh, well. There will be plenty of rocket launches in the future. I'm just not sure what the future will look like.

There was no rain this morning, but we walked later in the day anyway. It's nice to have that option when the weather is cooler. Dawn seems to enjoy sleeping in and walking later. We know she's lazy and are beginning to think she may be afraid of the dark. I guess it makes sense that she's be scared of things that go bump in the night. Almost everything else frightens her as well.

I didn't really do much today. I've resumed taking afternoon walks and mindlessly watching Space X construction progress on the Boca Chica live stream. There is so much I need to do around the house, but it all involves fixing things. I've really gotten tired of fixing things. At least the weeks go by quickly. I can't believe it's Thursday already. I've already taken this week's trash to the curb, so the week is officially over for me. I'm still not going out for breakfast on Friday mornings, but I have started looking at lists of best breakfast restaurants on the Internet. Maybe this is a start. On the other hand, looking at a list of best restaurants might be just like thinking about flying. It might be a while before life starts feeling normal again.

I'm sure something will happen tomorrow. It always does. Things that happen on TV don't count though. I'm trying to quit watching TV. Especially the news. I think I'd rather watch ducks in the park

Scout is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3926

I've been going back and forth all day about going to Florida. The indulgent side of my brain would like to go, but the practical side thinks the trip is a stupid idea. The weather doesn't look good on launch day, there are still pretty severe Covid restrictions in place at Cape Canaveral, and I don't think the magazine is interested in a story about this particular rocket anyway. On the other side of the coin, I'm eager to try out my newly acquired press credentials. We'll see. I'd better decide soon though. The launch is Saturday. I have a feeling that my practical side is going to win this battle. It almost always does.

We had to delay our walk again because of the weather. The weather is cool enough now that there is no need to start early anymore. We left the house around 11 AM this morning and the temperature was still only 70 degrees. These few weeks of Fall weather are really nice. I wish this pleasant season would last a little longer. We couldn't find the ducklings this morning. The mother Muscovy duck really hides them well. No rabbits today either. It was just a pleasant walk in an empty park. One good thing about rainy days is that it really limits the number of cyclists on the trails.

I got a lot done today. I went to the storage warehouse and retrieved a few things that Janet wanted me to get. I went up on the roof and removed all the standing water as well. Cooler weather makes removing the water more difficult. Nothing evaporates when the temperatures start to fall. There was no need for an afternoon walk today. I got all the exercise I needed pushing the water off the roof. It's disappointing to see that parts of the silicon coating are starting to deteriorate. It's a never ending task to keep the roof sealed properly, but making these repairs is a lot cheaper than a new roof. I'm not even sure a new roof would end my problems because nobody will give me a bid on adding a pitch to the roof without changing the house's appearance. I know this can be done, but it must be more complicated than I imagine.

Even though chores kept me busy today, I still wasted a lot of time checking out airfares, hotel rates, and rental cars. There are a lot fewer flights to Orlando than the last time I went to Kennedy Space Center. I understand why the airlines are doing this, but it's not a good way to build confidence in flying. I wouldn't have any problem flying on an empty plane in a pandemic. A full plane might be a problem. I can't recall flying anywhere where I didn't hear someone on the plane coughing every five minutes. Even if the airline doesn't sell the middle row of seats, you're still not six feet apart. Basically an airliner is just a sardine can filled with people.

I hate that I'm even thinking this way, but that's the world we live in. You shouldn't have to worry about catching a deadly disease just by hopping on a plane. You shouldn't have to worry about getting trapped in a downtown riot when you are driving home late at night. I don't have kids, but you shouldn't have to worry about school shootings either. We've let our world fall apart. I don't know how to fix things. I don't think the politicians do either. 

Sage is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3925 - Autumn Equinox

Another rainy day. We had to wait until this afternoon to walk Dawn. Luckily, it was still quite cool when the rain stopped. The weather seemed appropriate for the first day of Fall. I think Dawn would have preferred to sleep all day, but we all need our exercise. Even on a wet day there is always something to see. The female Muscovy duck moved her ducklings about a half mile away from all the other ducks. I don't know what this means, but it was probably a good idea. There are several owls that live near where the ducks gather. I imagine that ducklings would look pretty tasty to an owl.

I got my official invitation to the Delta IV Heavy NROL-44 launch today. Now I've got to decide whether to go or not. The ULA website says that there is a 70% chance of good weather at launch time. My long range weather app says exactly the opposite, predicting a strong chance of thunderstorms. I'm pleased that I'm good to go, but more than a bit frustrated that travel is so complicated in the post-Covid world. Hotels and rental car companies are offering special deals to attract customers, but airlines have actually become more expensive. They've reduced the number of flights they offer as well, so that chances are good that you'll still be flying on a full plane.

I watched Elon Musk's battery day announcement this afternoon. I hope this doesn't mean that I've become a fanboy. The talk was actually kind of interesting in a dry technical way. I guess I never really realized how batteries were made. The audience for this talk was a bunch of people sitting in their Teslas. When they liked something Elon said, they would honk their horns. I don't know if this was corny or cute, but I'm still thinking about getting a Cybertruck.

I wonder when the mosquitoes disappear for the year? It seems like they shouldn't be a problem in mid-September, but I'm still getting bitten when we take our morning walks. I'll be glad when the bugs are gone. One of the only good things about Winter around here is fewer bugs. I'm getting tired of knocking down wasp nests, clearing away spider webs, and keeping roaches out of the house. If I do go to Florida I'll need to remember to take plenty of insect repellant. The bugs down there make ours seem like amateurs.

Dawn immediately jumped off the bed and came to the kitchen when I called her to dinner tonight. She also followed me outside after she ate when she needed to pee. Is this progress? It's hard to tell. Dawn still seems very fearful for no reason at all. I'm convinced that she was treated badly in her former life. You realize that trust is a fragile thing with both people and animals. It's hard to acquire and very easy to destroy.

I forgot what day is was several times today. I'll probably do the same tomorrow. Maybe this is why I'm thinking of going to Florida even though the weather is less than ideal and the planes aren't safe. It's time for something different.

Sadie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3924

We met Clyde today. He's a friendly, affectionate owner surrender who's probably still wondering what he's doing at a boarding kennel. Whenever I see a dog that has voluntarily been surrendered, I wonder how this could happen. Dogs are family. I just can't imagine treating a dog this way. Clyde will get a second chance though and I'm confident that this time things will work out better for him. I don't think it will take long for Clyde to find his forever home. We heard that he's already got someone looking at him.

When we go up to visit the Dalmatians at the kennel, that usually takes care of the day. In a post-Covid world having one interesting thing to do a day is plenty. There are many days where nothing happens at all. It's fun spending a few hours getting to know these dogs a little better. Each of them has their own personality, but they are all Dalmatians. You could never mistake a Dalmatian for any other breed.

We spent most of the day wondering when the rain would start. It was overcast all day, but we managed to stay dry on our morning walk. It was a little chilly out and I kept thinking that I should have worn a jacket.   I spotted two more White Pelicans this morning. One by one they are all making their way to their winter home. We didn't see the baby ducks this morning, but it was still pretty dark outside. Dawn managed to spot two rabbits this morning. She is much more interested in the rabbits than the ducks. I think we all had a good walk.

I was planning on calling my contact at the Air Force today, but ended up just paying some online bills instead. I've been looking at the long range weather for launch week and thunderstorms are in the forecast before, during, and after the scheduled launch day. Forecasts can change, but it's not looking good now. If I were a betting man, I'd bet that the Delta IV Heavy launch will get postponed again. 

I really have mixed emotions about traveling. I'm getting a bad case of cabin fever and would really like to start covering launches again. There are some interesting things going on between now and Christmas. On the other hand, I just read an article that said over 11,000 people have already tested positive for Covid after flying on airplanes. I'm hearing more and more that airplanes aren't so safe after all. Who knows what to believe though. There are so many conflicting opinions about almost everything. I'm cynical enough to think that we may never hear of the virus again after the election is over.

Once again, I failed to make any more roof repairs before the rain started. This happens a lot. I probably should have applied the silicon on one of those really hot days last month, but it's a miserable job. I'm still waiting for a stretch of three or four clear, cool days where I can make the repairs without burning my arms and legs. Maybe next week will be good. After the current storms pass through the area, I see a long stretch of sunny days ahead.

I'm still a little surprised that I actually enjoyed the Zoom call last night. Maybe being completely isolated isn't such a good idea after all. One of the things I liked so much about covering launches and spending time at the observatory was that I got to meet really interesting people, but I was still basically on my own.      I need to figure out how to get back to West Texas. Spending long hours alone on Mount Locke punctuated by interesting dinner conversation with astronomers was just about perfect.

Rowe is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3923

What a beautiful Fall day. The temperature was in the mid-60's when we went walking this morning. The smoke disappeared overnight and the sky was clear and blue. There was a nice breeze and my allergies weren't bothering me at all. A lot more trees are starting to turn and we noticed that two more White Pelicans have arrived at the lake. We counted five of the birds today.

We also found the lost female Muscovy Duck this morning. Janet and I were convinced that the duck was dead since we haven't seen her in over a month. She is very much alive with six brand new baby ducklings. The ducklings explained a lot. The mom probably just found a safe place to make a nest and it's just now that the ducklings are getting old enough to rejoin all the other ducks. The reappearance of the female duck probably explains why the two male Muscovy Ducks moved to a different section of the lake. All three were together again today. It made me feel good to see the three ducks reunited. Muscovy Ducks are ugly, but we've become attached to them.

After our regular walk this morning we took Dawn to a different park in the afternoon to continue our efforts to get her used to riding in the car. She's still nervous about car rides, but she always enjoys the destination. She got a special treat today because we stopped for ice cream on the way home. I've never met a dog yet who didn't love ice cream.

I was going to make roof repairs today but when Janet suggested taking Dawn on a car ride that seemed like a much better idea. I don't know if there would have been time to apply the silicon coating anyway. It really needs 48 hours to dry completely and it's going to rain again tomorrow. It's looks like there is rain in the forecast for several days. It must have something to do with the next hurricane headed for the Texas coast. We are pretty safe from the hurricanes themselves, but we often get rain from the outer rain bands.

I joined my very first Zoom meeting today. I can see now why the software is popular. It was easy to use and the whole experience was more enjoyable than I thought it would be. Maybe I won't be so reluctant to join these things in the future. It took less than an hour out of my day and much to my surprise I enjoyed talking to these people again.

It appears that there is going to be a rocket launch next Saturday. Now I just need to decide whether I'm going or not. One of my Florida friends said that if I have confirmed press clearance I ought to go. He said that the Covid rules change frequently and nobody with credentials really knows if they are going to get clearance again. We'll see. I'll try calling the Air Force again tomorrow. I suspect that the launch will get postponed again anyway. There are a lot of hurricanes in the Atlantic right now.

There might be a new Dalmatian at the kennel tomorrow. I know that we have a new dog in the program now, but he might still be at the vet getting his initial exams. I'll take my camera just in case. Hopefully, we'll be able to take our walk with Dawn in the morning before the rain arrives. 

Rosie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3922

The sky was exceptionally hazy today. When the sun rose on our morning walk, it was just a dull orange ball in the Eastern sky. Oddly, the air quality was good. The smoke from the Western wildfires must have been high in the atmosphere. We have seen these smokey skies frequently lately. They need to add a new category to my weather app. Clear, partly cloudy, and overcast isn't descriptive enough anymore.

I found everything on my shopping list today, although I has to go to two different stores to find peaches. There were still several things Janet couldn't find on her list. I wonder how long these disruptions in the supply chain are going to last? It's been a long time and quite a few very ordinary things are still hard to find.

We got a late start on our walk this morning and the park was already crowded. The people who go to the park in the morning are completely different from the ones who go in the afternoon. The morning people seem very energetic and productive. They are all cycling, jogging, or walking their dogs. If someone has a camera they are usually taking pictures of wildlife.

Afternoon people are different. Most of them are sitting in hammocks looking at their phones. The cameras are used for taking selfies. There are often large family picnics and the occasional energetic folks are usually riding skateboards. I guess I identify more with the morning people. It's easy for me to imagine that they are the ones designing the phones and selling the hammocks that the afternoon people use.

Dawn was reluctant to come out of the bedroom today and eat her dinner because Janet was gone. I knew she was hungry, but she just wouldn't move. I even went out in the back yard for a while to see if she would come out to her bowl when I wasn't around. Nope. As soon as Janet returned home, Dawn went straight to her bowl and immediately ate all her dinner. This is going to be a problem if Janet ever decides to travel.

Dawn will be just fine if I decide to travel. I just can't decide if I'm ready to go anywhere. I still haven't heard if I am cleared to attend the Delta IV Heavy launch in Florida next week. Would I go if I get the OK? I'm not sure. I still don't feel comfortable sitting on an airliner for three hours with a bunch of strangers. There is so much unrest in the world that I would worry about getting caught up in a demonstration in the wee hours of the morning while returning to my hotel from a launch. Maybe I'm overreacting, but this is the world I'm shown on the news every single day.

I was just getting used to living without seasonal allergies when the Fall allergies arrived. Janet and I are both having problems. It seems like the Spring allergy seasons extends all the way into the Fall allergy season these days. I had a month or so with no problems at all, but unfortunately those were the days when it was over 100 degrees.

I'm thinking about joining a Zoom meeting tomorrow with some of my NASA friends. I'm not all that eager to talk with anyone, but I'm curious how the software works and whether I've actually learned how to use it. We'll see how I feel tomorrow. The meeting is around dinner time. That could be a factor. I hate to miss a meal.

Rhett is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3921

I learned how to use Zoom today. I'm still not sure why you would want to use this software. The application has well documented security issues and is banned by several companies and many schools. Nevertheless, it is extremely popular and it probably the way we will all work together in the future. I can't imagine that I will make a regular practice of working together with anyone, but now I've got one more piece of software on my computer that I will probably forget about after a few months.

I don't like the new Blogger interface at all. I have to manually resize pictures after I have uploaded them and all the labels I already added seem to have disappeared. I can tell that this new interface has been designed for people who like to post short entries from their phones. People who write longer essays like me will have to work a little harder.

I wrote my contact at the Air Force today trying to find out some details about upcoming launches at Cape Canaveral. I still can't decide whether to attempt a trip to Florida this Fall. I don't take a lot of things seriously, but I am wary of the virus. I'm not getting any younger and the last thing I want at this point is to get infected after staying safe for over six months. On the other hand, I don't think the virus is going away soon and you can't stay locked away forever. I think Janet wants to travel even more than I do. At some point, we'll be making travel plans whether the virus is here or not.

Our only travel plan today was our regular walk in the park. When you do the same thing day after day it's funny how many little details you remember. We recognize individual ducks now. Most of the people walking dogs say hi to us as they pass. I've learned to identify a few more trees and I'm noticing that several of them are already starting to turn. I don't think we are going to have much Fall color this year. Some trees are going directly from green to brown.

The big event this morning was that the first of the White Pelicans have returned. There were only three this morning, but pretty soon there will be dozens of the large birds. They return every year around the time when the State Fair starts. Of course, there isn't going to be a State Fair this year, but the birds don't know that. I always make a point of photographing the pelicans because they are such spectacular birds. I already have plenty of White Pelican pictures, but it never hurts to take a few more.

I'm making slow progress with Dawn. I got her to come outside and sit in the sun with me this afternoon while Janet was gone. Usually, she won't leave the bedroom. We stayed outside for about thirty minutes and Dawn seemed fairly relaxed. It was a small step, but I'll take it. I think the key to winning Dawn's confidence is to be very patient. Of course, I've always thought that patience was the key to almost everything.

This week has gone quickly. It's time to make a shopping list again. I get groceries every week, but have lost all desire to visit other stores. I used to fill my car with gas every Saturday, but there is no need this week. I didn't go anywhere.

Puppies are today's Dalmatians of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3920

I guess it was inevitable. I can no longer use the old Blogger layout to write the blog. I kept switching back to the original legacy version of Blogger for as long as I could, but today that option disappeared. I don't know why this is a big deal to me. I guess I just hate needless change. My familiar Facebook timeline is going away as well. I keep pressing the "return to legacy view" button, but I've been warned that this option will disappear in September. Hmm. I guess it already is September. I'm even reluctant to install IOS 14 on my phone because I've heard that Apple is changing the way the screen looks. I'm used to the way my phone screens look. I don't want anything new.

I don't have to worry about change on our morning walks. These walks are remarkably consistent. The seasons and the weather change of course, but natural changes are much easier to deal with. The seasons are actually very consistent. I'm not surprised by Fall weather. It is supposed to be cooler at this time of year. The motion of the moon and planets is extremely consistent. You can plot their positions for years in advance. Even the ducks and geese at the lake are fairly consistent. They are always in the water at night and routinely come ashore right around daybreak. 

I'm very comfortable with nature. It's people who are inconsistent. People get bored easily and like to change the way they dress and the types of cars they drive for no reason at all. All this needless change drives me nuts. As soon as I manage to find something I really like, it's gone. Maybe this is why I keep trying to fix old things. I guess I'm supposed to throw away my old computers, printers, and cars after three of four years. It is probably actually cheaper to toss things when they become obsolete. I keep trying to patch them back together. Old things are familiar and comfortable. Who really needs a faster computer or a car with LED headlights? I'm tired of all these needless changes.

I send the low resolution pictures to Sky & Telescope this morning even though they probably won't be needed for several months. I also wrote some people in Florida to find out more about upcoming launches. There are several interesting events occurring in the next several months, but I can only really afford to go to one. It's hard to decide, especially when Covid restrictions reduce access to everything. 

It's weird. Smoke from the West Coast wildfires is dramatically reducing visibility at dark sky areas all over the country. The Rio Grande valley, where the Boca Chica Space X facility is located, currently has the highest rate of Covid infections in the country. Florida and the Gulf Coast is having an unusually heavy hurricane season. It's almost like the universe is telling me to just stay home and wait until all this is over.

It probably would be wise to hunker down and forget about travel plans for a while. I've already been doing that for most of the year however. Eventually boredom and cabin fever become a significant part of your decision making process. I'm sure I'm not the only one who's decided that 2020 totally sucks. Unfortunately nobody has figured out how to hit the fast forward button and move on to something better.

I doubt that tomorrow will be better, but it probably won't be worse either. The weather still looks good and I bought some fresh strawberries for my smoothie. I just finished taking this weeks trash to the curb. I'm done for the day. I think it's time to hit the new orange "publish" button on my Blogger layout and see what happens.

Princess is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3919

Zoom must be really popular. During the past month I have received a number of invitations to join Zoom meetings, conferences, or reunions. I've never been a big fan of meetings. Most of my experience having meetings remotely has been limited to the occasional conference call and a few test drives with GoToMeeting. I might have had GoToMeeting installed on my computer at some point. It's not there anymore. As useless as most meetings are, I still think I prefer the in person variety better because there are always donuts.

At any rate, it's hard to ignore Zoom these days. After receiving another invitation to join a Zoom meeting, I finally became curious enough to download the app. I'm not sure how to use it yet, but it couldn't be that hard if school kids are using it.

Dawn was reluctant to get up this morning. Was she trying to tell us something? Sometimes I think these long walks we've been taking are too much for her, but she seems to really enjoy herself once we arrive at the park. She had lots of energy today and wanted to stop and smell every tree. Maybe Dawn is just fine and the walks are too much for me. I always seem to be the tired one when we return home.

It's hard to believe it's the middle of September already. I'm still uncertain about what to do for the rest of the year. A few astronomy groups are starting to have star parties again. I've thought about attending one, but there are all sorts of restrictions about masks and distancing. There are several interesting launches at Kennedy Space Center in October as well. I'm still not sure how my Air Force media accreditation actually works. I'm supposed to be on a list to receive information about upcoming events I might want to attend, but I haven't received any messages yet. I hope they give me some advance warning. It takes time to plan these trips. A trip to Boca Chica seems very intriguing, but how do I get someone to invite me? So many things to think about while I'm sitting here doing nothing.

I got the low-rez images of my visit to McDonald Observatory prepared to send to Sky and Telescope. I hope I haven't overpromised on these pictures. They seemed a lot more interesting when I took them last March than when I reviewed them again this morning. Oh, well. It is what is is. I'm sure the magazine can find something they like.

Janet wants to get an early start on our walk tomorrow morning. I hope the skies are clear. Walking in the dark is more enjoyable when you can see stars. I still need to go to REI and buy a headlamp. The days keep getting shorter and there will be many more pre-dawn walks. You've really got to watch out for bicycles in the dark. Cyclists get up early and they like to go fast. We saw a bicycle almost run into a jogger early this morning. Lots of swearing in the dark.

I'll see if I can figure out how to use Zoom tomorrow. If I get bored enough, I might even join a meeting or two.

Phantom is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3918

Did I do anything at all today? It's hard to say. We certainly got an early enough start on the day. It was interesting to watch the sky change from heavily overcast to nearly clear as dawn approached. A thin crescent moon, Venus, Mars, and several bright stars would pop in and out of the clouds as we walked. The heavy cloud cover actually reflected the city light and made things appear a little brighter than they should. Area rowing clubs were already out on the lake practicing in the dark. The sculls had little electric port and starboard lights that we could see in the distance. I wonder why these guys start so early? Cyclists start pretty early as well. Janet and I are usually the first people walking their dog.

We walk early so Janet can take a class at the gym. I have no reason to get up early at all. Usually these early starts just leave me with more idle time later in the day. I used to like watching the news as a drank my morning smoothie, but current events have spoiled that. There's nothing good on the news these days. I just watched the Weather Channel this morning. Come to think of it, the Weather Channel wasn't very encouraging either. Wildfires are still raging out of control on the West Coast and another hurricane is headed for the Gulf Coast. I'm glad that all we have to deal with at the moment is high humidity.

The Sky and Telescope editor told me not to send high resolution pictures to the magazine at this time. He wanted smaller lo-rez images to look at while he was putting the layout for my article together. This gave me something to do today. I downsized all my McDonald Observatory images and got ready to send the smaller files to the magazine. There is no real urgency to this project. As I mentioned the other day, my article won't appear until February of 2021.

I also paid some online bills today and made a halfhearted effort to reconcile my account. I still can't find the missing transaction. I'll give it another month or so. If the missing amount stays the same, I'll just make a journal entry to even things out again. I've done this before. It's a lot easier than fretting over small mistakes.

There was nothing happening on the Boca Chica live feed today. There were still people in the chat room though, all speculating about the uneventful video they were looking at. I hesitate to join these conversations. Spending inordinate amounts of time watching construction workers weld bits of metal to something that looks like a stainless steel grain silo is just an open admission that you don't have a life.

Apple introduced a new Apple Watch today. It looks exactly like the old Apple Watch. It's hard to get excited about Apple product introductions anymore. Do I need a phone that is a little faster? Do I need a watch with three new watch faces? When you are retired, the answer is almost always no. I just wish I could keep my older equipment running forever. As far as I'm concerned, the older stuff is almost always better.

I hate the new Facebook layout. Blogger has a new layout that looks almost as bad. I keep switching back to the older legacy view, but it's getting harder. Now, Facebook will only let you look at things the old way for 48 hours at a time. What's the point in trying to make everything look the way it does on your phone? I'd rather have my computer look like a magazine. Actually, I'd rather just read a magazine. Hey, a Luddite can dream. One of these days I'm just going to go back to writing this journal on paper.

Spot is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3917

Yay. I finally heard from my editor at Sky and Telescope today. It looks like my article about McDonald Observatory is going to be published in the February 2021 issue. This seems like a long time to wait considering that this whole process started well over a year ago, but that's how publishing works. It took a long time for my article about Michoud Assembly Facility and the Artemis program to get published as well. Now that I know the magazine hasn't forgotten about me, I'd guess I'd better learn to just be patient and wait.

We went up to the kennel to visit Charlie today. He's the only Dalmatian left at the place. Charlie is always glad to see us. I know the kennel staff loves him, but sometimes it feels like we're the only friends he has. He always seems to get overlooked when potential adopters come looking for a pet. Admittedly, Charlie has a few problems, but he's a great dog. He's going to find his forever home one of these days. Sometimes it just takes a little longer.

The weather was still nice today. We got off to a late start on our morning walk, but it didn't seem to matter. There was a chill in the air and it felt like Fall had arrived. I even noticed that a few trees are starting to turn this morning. The upper level winds must have changed because the sky looked blue again. I didn't see any smoke in the air. Dallas is a good place to be right now. There are no hurricanes, no wildfires, and temperatures couldn't be better. I think our two weeks of Fall have finally arrived.

It looks like the Delta IV Heavy mission I've been waiting to see is back on schedule again.. I think it's going to launch within the next couple of weeks. I've got to decide whether it's worth going down to Florida for this. Even though I've got Air Force credentials now, the Space Center is still fairly restricted. You have to stay in your own car and follow an Air Force vehicle to the designated photography location. There are no group activities or interview opportunities and you definitely can't wander around the base on your own. I'm still thinking about this one. If all I can do is stand next to my car and take a picture, I'm not sure there's much of a story. Unless I can convince the magazine that an article about Covid restrictions at Cape Canaveral might be interesting, I have a feeling that I'll pass on this launch.

Janet found some puppy pictures of Dawn on the Internet. I don't know how she managed to find these, but it's definitely Dawn. All the spots match perfectly. From the date on the picture, we think Dawn might be one year older than we previously thought. That would make her seven years old instead of six. I've always thought that Dawn was even older than this. She just acts like an older dog.

Janet wants to get an early start tomorrow, so it looks like we'll be walking in the dark again. Every time I look up at the sky on these early walks, I'm reminded about how much better things look out at McDonald Observatory. I miss the dark skies and am ready to go back. I wonder if things will be back to normal by next March? I hope so. What a long strange year it's been

Nicholas is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3916

Busy day. Any day with over 24,000 steps is a busy day in my book. I finally got caught up on a number of chores I've been trying to avoid. I started by removing the standing water from the roof. A lot of the water had already evaporated because it hasn't rained for several days, but there was still plenty of water that needed to be removed. If I leave the water too long, algae starts to grow. It's a mess.

While I was up on the roof, I noticed that some scrub bushes on the Western side of the carport had been cut. I didn't do this, although I'd been meaning to remove the bushes for months. I asked Janet and she didn't remove the bushes either. It must have been my neighbor. Weird. Why would anyone come on my property and remove these bushes? Sure they were ugly, but they weren't hurting anything. I wonder when this happened? It could have been months ago. I never go on that side of the house.

While I was waiting for the electric mower to get charged, I removed some vines that were taking over a Hackberry tree in the front yard. These troublesome vines seem to come back every year and if I don't remove them, they will kill the tree. My ongoing battle with nature is never ending. Fire ants and weeds keep trying to overtake the front yard. Dead limbs from the large Oak trees periodically fall in the back yard. Water is always trying to penetrate the roof. I get tired of fighting these battles, but what is the alternative? Living in a downtown high-rise certainly isn't the answer. I'll take weeds and ants over noisy neighbors and a homeowners association any day.

After I finished mowing the grass, the yard looked a lot better. Around this time of year I start thinking that I might not have to mow any more, but I'm usually wrong. If we have a mild Winter, I often have to mow in December. We live so near the park that all kinds of seeds blow into the yard and weeds of all kinds proliferate. Sometimes I try to pretend that the weeds are grass. I mowed a little patch of them in the back yard today and they don't look half bad.

We had a nice walk this morning. Maybe the cooler weather really is here for good. The leaves haven't started to turn yet, but it is definitely starting to feel like Fall. The sky looked a little odd today. It was a clear day, but the normal blue color wasn't there. I wonder if some of the smoke from the West Coast fires has reached as far as Texas? From the pictures you see, it seems like the prevailing winds are blowing most of the smoke out to sea. If some of the ash reaches a high enough altitude though, it could be carried eastward by the jet stream.

I've spent a lot of time in some of the areas where they are having wildfires in Oregon and Northern California. It's very sad to see these areas burn. The wildfires appear every year. I always keep wondering why they don't remove the underbrush and dead trees that provide kindling for these fires? Surely this would be less expensive than repairing the damage caused by the fires. There used to be a lot of logging in this part of the country but there weren't nearly as many fires. Could it be that the loggers weren't as bad as people thought? They certainly planted tons of new trees to replace the one they cut.

I'm glad I had an opportunity to see the country before everything started falling apart. The United States was such a beautiful place when I was growing up. I miss those days.

Molly is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3915

Hank and Luckie have left the building. Janet helped transport them to their new home in Austin today. We've already received pictures showing Luckie sitting on the sofa. It doesn't take long for these dogs to adapt to a better life. Charlie is the only Dalmatian at the kennel right now. He probably won't be alone for long. I've heard that two more dogs will be entering the rescue program soon.

After bragging endlessly about the shopping app that lets me bypass the checkout line, the app has failed me two weeks in a row. After entering all my items and heading for the door, the app fails to connect with my bank and I have to erase all the entries and go back and check out all over again with a cashier. This app used to work perfectly until the company decided to "upgrade" it so that the same app could be used for several different stores. It hasn't worked since.

I shouldn't complain. My shopping day is still very simple. I just buy the same things over and over again. Today I filled my cart with strawberries, blueberries, raspberries and peaches. I bought some coffee pods for the Keurig and a case of bottled water. That was it. That's not all we eat, but Janet got the other stuff yesterday.

The weather is still pretty nice. We didn't need jackets on our walk this morning, but it still felt like Fall. It was even reasonably nice this afternoon. Maybe Fall has actually arrived. Fall always seems to be the shortest season here in Texas. Some years it only seems to last a few weeks. Hopefully, this year will be different. After a long hot Summer, I could use an equally long Fall.

The bridge that they've been working on in our neighborhood for over a year is finally done. It looks exactly like the old bridge it replaced. Maybe the new bridge is a little wider, but it's hard for me to tell. It sure looks the same to me. I wonder what led to this bridge being replaced? Was the old bridge structurally unsound? Is the city anticipating a lot of growth in this area. Who knows. Road construction in Dallas is a mystery to me. The roads are always torn up. Will there ever be a time when the construction is finished?

Today was really uneventful. There were a lot of things I should have done. I didn't do any of them. The older I get, the harder it is for me to get motivated. You start asking yourself "does this even really matter" and the answer is often no. This is how things start to decay. I don't think I'll ever become like the Beales of Grey Gardens, but I'm starting to see how this all happens.

Dawn refused to come out of the bedroom until Janet returned late this afternoon. She wouldn't even leave the room when I went to the kitchen to fix her dinner. She seemed comfortable enough when I was sitting on the bed with her, but she just wouldn't get off the bed. As soon as Janet came in the front door, Dawn went straight to her bowl and ate her dinner. Weird. Maybe we do need to see a behaviorist.

Marcie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3914 - 9/11

I don't know about you, but I don't think I'll ever forget. I still remember the twin towers falling like it was yesterday. I was sitting at the same breakfast table where I eat today mesmerized by something on television that I didn't think was possible. As I ate breakfast today, it was very clear that a lot has changed in nineteen years. The weeks and months following the attack were probably the last time that all Americans were united about anything. There were no cries to defund the police. Our police and first responders were national heroes nineteen years ago. In our neighborhood, almost every house was flying an American flag. It was a troubling time, but I miss the sense of unity we felt then.

Of course it didn't last long. In retrospect, we should have just nuked Tora Bora when we had Osama bin Laden cornered there and called the score even. Endless wars in the Middle East didn't prove anything. Pointless wars with the lack of an end game actually sowed the seeds for a lot of the discord and unrest we are facing today. Each year as we celebrated the anniversary of 9/11, things just became more and more muddled. Senior citizens like my Dad had to take their shoes off at the airport and undergo invasive searches while absolutely nothing was done to restrict the travel of people who clearly shared the beliefs of bin Laden. A special department of the government with almost unlimited funding was set up to track the movements of these people. Nobody was arrested. It wasn't long before the NSA started tracking ordinary citizens as well. The war on terror was about as successful as the war on drugs. Basically, it was a total failure.

I wonder a lot why the country has become so divided. I think we have lost something special that my parents took for granted. The idea that our country was a great melting pot where people from all over the world with a diverse set of beliefs could come to Ellis Island, renounce their past and adopt a common set of values as American citizens was central to our national identity. This common set of values was what allowed my parents generation to win World War II. We were a tough, bad-ass country and we owned it. Nothing could stop us.

This didn't last long either. Our definition of diversity changed over the years and the whole idea of the melting pot was lost. Instead of adopting a common set of values, people were encouraged to keep their traditions, beliefs, and language. It took a while, but tribalism gradually replaced the melting pot. Now we are an extremely tribal nation where people's loyalties don't extend very far beyond their own tribe. I don't see how you can even have a country where the citizens are just a bunch of special interest groups.

I'm not really surprised that a lot of young people just want to scrap everything and start over. If I was young in today's world I might want the same thing. One of the few benefits of age is experience. I'm lucky to have experienced a world where nobody locked their doors at night. I grew up in a world where none of my friends had peanut allergies or autism and our Moms let us wander around all over town without supervision. I ate dirt, took family vacations in cars without seatbelts and grew up confident. It's hard to convey to a younger generation how valuable this was. Pretty soon there won't be anyone left who actually saw the twin towers standing. I've taken the elevator to the top of the South Tower and looked out over the city. It was a fun place to work when I was young. I took this picture many years ago from my hotel room in the UN Plaza. Times were good. I'm glad I had no idea back then what the future would bring.

Shadow is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3913

Jacket weather has arrived. Our recent rain was accompanied by a cold front, bringing considerably cooler temperatures. This was the first time I've needed a jacket since late last Spring. The last time I actually remember wearing a coat was last March when I was out at McDonald Observatory. There must have been a few more cold days after I returned to Dallas, but my memory isn't as good as it used to be.

The heavy rains washed away all the food the guy set out for the ducks and geese the other day. What a shame. The huge bag of feed was probably pretty expensive. Maybe the ducks ate it all before the rain arrived, but I doubt it. At any rate, I hope the ducks and geese ate hearty before the rain washed their unexpected treasure away. I'm not even sure that the wildlife in the park needs any help finding food, but it made me feel good to see the man attempt to take care of a gaggle of angry geese. People can fend for themselves. My loyalty remains with the animals.

Space X and ULA have both added me to their media lists. I received the notice from Space X today. I don't know if this will amount to anything in the future, but it's another step in the long road to legitimacy as a space journalist. I also got a letter from SpaceFlight Magazine saying that my author copies of the October issue with my article about the Artemis program were on their way. I now have three published articles under my belt and am confident that the fourth will eventually appear in a future issue of Sky and Telescope. This is really slow progress but it beats doing nothing. It's not exactly a natural transition going from writing ads about soft drinks and tacos to becoming a legitimate space journalist.

I was proud of Dawn today. She seems to slowly be learning to trust me. Today Janet had to be gone for a considerable amount of time and Dawn came when I called and ate her meals in the kitchen normally. This may not sound like much, but less than a month ago, she refused to come out of the bedroom until Janet returned to the house. I think this will all work out fine. I have no idea what Dawn went through earlier in her life, but it clearly wasn't good. I think the key to winning Dawn's trust is to be patient and consistent. She may never be completely comfortable with men, but I think she will eventually become comfortable with me. I can see a difference already.

I saw a video today where someone took the music from Bladerunner and added pictures of San Francisco with dark orange forest fire skies. It was kind of eerie, especially considering that the original Bladerunner movie was supposed to take place in 2019. I guess we are entering science fiction territory here. You wonder what else can go wrong in 2020. We've still got three months to go.

I've taken this week's trash to the curb. I'm so bored now that I'm starting to miss my restaurant breakfasts on Friday mornings. I doubt that I'll be going out any time soon though. They now say that indoor dining is pretty high on the danger list. Janet and I survived our birthday dinners, but we'll just stick with take-out meals for a while. When you've stayed healthy this long, you start to get superstitious.

Cleo is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day