Day 3968

I reluctantly made my travel arrangements for the Crew-1 launch today. I still haven't received the official media schedule from NASA, but it looked like return flights from Orlando were filling up fast. Two of the three available flights on the day I wanted to return were already full and the third only had three seats left. Jeez. How can these flights be full when I keep hearing that people aren't comfortable with flying yet? Clearly a lot of people have returned to the skies. I can't recall making reservations this early even before Covid hit.

With airline reservations taken care of, I went ahead and booked a hotel and reserved a rent car as well. I guess I'm all set now. Just waiting for NASA to change the launch date so I can do this all over again. You'd think with all the stories about how the travel and hospitality industries are struggling, there would be lots of bargains out there. I didn't find any. Airline, hotel, and rental car rates were all higher than they were the last time I traveled to Florida.

I looked at dehumidifiers today. There weren't a lot available locally and most looked pretty shoddy compared to the one we already have. When I was looking online a few days ago, I found that there were very few portable models available with a 70 pint capacity. Everyone was selling 50 pint capacity portables now. When I looked at Lowes, several brands said "equivalent to older 70 pint models" on their 50 pint dehumidifiers. How can this be? What happens to the extra 20 pints? So many questions and nobody knows anything about dehumidifiers here. Most of these are sold up North where people have damp basements.

On the way home from my dehumidifier search, I stopped at a luggage store and got a new carry-on bag. I'm getting tired of having to open my entire suitcase to get the laptop out so TSA can examine it. I wanted something with an outside pocket for a laptop. Janet said I should look at AWAY bags and that's what I ended up getting. Luggage has come a long way since the last time I bought any. This bag was well thought out and extremely well made. I'm all set now for future rocket launches and observatory trips.

Our beautiful Fall weather continues. We had a pleasant walk with Dawn before breakfast this morning and when I took my second walk later in the afternoon, the temperature was still only in the low seventies. I hope this weather continues. Dawn loves the cooler temperatures and I definitely need the exercise. When I'm walking, I realize that I still need to go to the gym. Walking is relaxing, but it doesn't elevate my heart rate much and does nothing for my arms and upper body. I wish I actually enjoyed going to the gym. Janet returned to her gym weeks ago, but I'm still making excuses. 

People who were expecting a blue wave didn't seem happy this morning. Investors were pleased with the prospect of a divided government though. The stock market had a great day. Investors almost always like a divided government because it means that politicians can't do much of anything. Perhaps this is for the best. Politicians seem incapable of making the right decisions anyway. Given a choice, I'll take gridlock any day over what either party would do if left unchecked. 

Ginger is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3967 - Election Day

Good grief. There's a bird flying around inside my office. How the hell did a bird get inside the house? Janet didn't want Dawn to notice the bird, so she shut the door to the office, leaving me inside to deal the bird. How do you reason with a bird? I opened as many windows as I could, but the bird wasn't very smart. It kept flying into walls and knocking things off shelves instead. Eventually, it flew into a bathroom adjacent to the office and sat on my electric toothbrush. It also started pooping. I opened the one bathroom window that wasn't jammed shut and closed the door. You'd think the bird would immediately fly out the window, but it took quite a while. I was afraid that when I opened the door again there would be a possum sitting in the bathroom with the bird. Everything ended well when the bird finally discovered the window and flew away. I still have no idea how it got inside the house.

Today's big event was a routine doctor's appointment. If you ever see a doctor for anything, they'll want to see you again and again on an annual basis. If they prescribed medication for you,  you basically have to see them again to get your prescription renewed. It's interesting how doctors choose to deal with the coronavirus. Some continue to operate more or less normally, while others tend to look at patients like they just arrived from Chernobyl. This clinic ran a tight ship. You had to check-in online before your visit. A nurse took your temperature and asked you a bunch of questions before they let you in the front door. There was only one person in the lobby at a time. I don't know how they scheduled this, but they did a pretty good job. I wore one of my Chinese KN-95 masks and imagined wearing the thing on a three hour flight to Florida. These are the same masks I see a lot of doctors and pharmacists wear, but they are hard to breathe through. I hope the genuine 3-M N-95 masks I ordered are better.

You'd never know it was election day. There are several polling sites in our neighborhood, but I didn't see any lines anywhere. Early voting is popular in Texas and I have a feeling that most people have already voted. I voted, but I won't be staying up late to watch the results. Somebody is going to win and I will adjust accordingly. I've seen plenty of bad presidents in my lifetime and somehow life goes on. Those of you who think the world is going to end if your candidate doesn't win are probably wrong. The world will end, but it will be something you never even thought of that seals our fate.

I can't remember a nicer Fall. We've been having beautiful weather this year. There have been a few rainy day, but mostly it's been clear skies with temperatures in the 60's and 70's. I can see why Dawn likes this weather. I'm kind of enjoying being outdoors myself. I should have mowed the grass today, but it's getting harder and harder to complete more than one task per day. With two long walks, leisurely meals, and a blog to write there isn't a lot of time for anything else.

If I don't hear from NASA soon, I'm going to have to make my reservations anyway. I'm trying to avoid this, because it almost guarantees that I'll have to change them later. I'm still excited to be attending a launch again, but Covid restrictions take a lot of the fun away. There are so many things that I did on previous trips that are off the table now. I'm sure the article I end up writing for SpaceFlight Magazine will be as much about the virus as about the launch. That's just the world we live in now. 

I need to go look for a dehumidifier tomorrow. I'll probably end up ordering something online, but I like to see what I'm ordering. I might go looking for a new carry-on bag too. I've got to streamline how I go through TSA checkpoints. It takes too long now to open up my bags for these guys. The only thing I know for sure is that we'll be walking with Dawn tomorrow morning. I sure hope only one bird got in the house. I'd hate to wake up and find another bird flying around in the dark tonight. Oh, well. At least it wasn't a bat that got into the house.

Puppies are today's Dalmatians of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3966

We thought we'd be visiting two dogs at the kennel today, but only Charlie was there to greet us. Colt is at the vet. The kennel staff told us he started throwing up at night a few days ago, so he's under observation now. This could be something as simple as drinking water too fast, or it could be a sign of something more serious. Since Colt is new and the rescue group doesn't know everything about his past, it's better to be safe than sorry. Colt is getting new blood work and will remain under observation until the vet can determine what is going on. Hopefully, he will be feeling better when we visit next week.

Dawn is definitely feeling better these days. She seems to love the Fall weather. It was hard to get her out of bed when we had to walk before sunrise in the Summer, but she's getting us out of bed now. I suspect that part of this is the time change. Dogs definitely don't understand setting the clocks back in the morning. From her perspective, all the time change means is that breakfast is late. She's ready for dinner at 4 PM as well. I"m sure she'll get used to the new schedule, but right now she just thinks we're ignoring her.

We had a great walk this morning. The weather has been perfect lately. The temperature is in the mid fifties when we wake up and seldom gets above seventy later in the day. Dawn has a lot more energy on these cool mornings. Although it is clear she likes the weather, I think she is feeling better than she was before her seizure as well. Her condition had probably been deteriorating for a while, but the changes were too subtle for us to notice. The treatment the vet prescribed worked. I hope it keeps her healthy for a long time.

I have a doctor's appointment tomorrow and they wanted me to do the check-in paperwork online. It will save time, they said. Maybe this saved time for them, but not for me. They seemed to have added a ton of new questions to the check-in procedure. I usually answer "on file" or "don't know" to many of these questions when they ask me at the office. I had no excuse today. I had to look all the answers up. I doubt that doctors even read these forms, because they ask me the same questions all over again during my exam. I wish that the online form had allowed me to save a copy. I'm sure I'll be asked these same questions again the next time I visit. The medical profession just isn't very efficient. I do like my doctors. I just don't like all the red tape surrounding a visit.

I was hoping to receive the official media schedule for the Crew-1 launch from NASA today. Nope. I haven't heard anything yet. This isn't unusual, but I sure wish I could go ahead and make travel arrangements. I hate to make reservations before a schedule has been finalized because I inevitably have to change them later. Schedules change frequently too. This is one reason why these trips can get expensive. You can never take advantage of any plan-ahead bargains.

I still can't decide what to do about the dehumidifier. Do I get another like the one we have currently, or do I try a new brand? Our first dehumidifier lasted over five years, but the replacement is already starting to fail in less than two years. Clearly quality has deteriorated. One of the reasons I chose the first dehumidifier was that it was still made in the USA. The replacement looks the same, but I think it is made in China now. I may go to Lowes tomorrow and see what is available locally. You can't tell how long something will last by looking at it on a shelf, but at least you can get an idea about the build quality. I may go shopping for a new carry-on bag as well. I need something with a pocket for a laptop on the outside. It's as pain to have to open up a full suitcase just so TSA can examine the laptop.

I know now that my gym is only open Monday thru Friday now. Covid rules. This doesn't help me much. I always liked going on Sunday morning.

Wolfgang is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3965

I decided to go back to the gym today. There didn't seem like there was much point in waiting longer. I changed into my gym clothes, got in the car, and drove to the gym. Much to my surprise, it was closed. There was no sign on the door explaining what had happened and the hours of operation sign still said "Open Sunday from 9 AM until 5 PM." There were no cars in the parking lot, and nobody else was trying to get in. Clearly I was the only one who didn't get the memo. I need to figure out what is going on before I try this again. I'm sure the closure has something to do with Covid.

I still managed to get plenty of activity today. We had a nice walk with Dawn before breakfast this morning and I took another walk by myself later in the afternoon. Lately this doesn't seem enough. I think I do need to start going back to the gym. My legs are doing fine, but my arms and the rest of my body could use a little help. One of the bad things about growing older is that your muscles start to atrophy. You have to work harder and harder to keep from going downhill. Walking doesn't bother me, but I struggle to do pushups and pull-ups. 

It's amazing how quickly it warms up on a sunny day. It was chilly when we left the house this morning, but by the time we returned home I was getting hot. It's hard to pick the right jacket at this time of year. When the sun is at your back, it's hot. When you're walking through a heavily wooded area, it's cold. Dawn seemed to think the weather was perfect this morning. She had a great time smelling things in the park.

I spent some time this afternoon reviewing the astrophotography images I took out at McDonald Observatory. On closer examination, many were better than I thought they were. Some images left a lot to be desired and a few were clearly out of focus. All in all, I did pretty well. I definitely know what not to do the next time I try this. Sixty seconds is too long an exposure and causes stars to streak. Ten seconds is too short an exposure and doesn't reveal enough stars. Manual lenses are definitely better than automatic ones. You don't always need a super wide angle lens to photograph the Milky Way either. I brought a 15mm lens with me, but some of my best photos were taken with a 50mm lens. A regular fast telephoto lens works as well as a small telescope for photographing brighter galaxies. I learned a lot. I wonder if I will remember anything the next time I see dark skies. I have a feeling that it's going to be a while.

I guess cleaning the dusty vent didn't fix the dehumidifier after all. I noticed that the defrost light was coming on again today. When the dehumidifier goes into defrost mode, it doesn't extract water from the air. Something is wrong. I've just got to decide whether it is better to repair the dehumidifier or buy a new one. I usually think that repairing things is better, but I can't even find someone who is familiar with this brand. We clearly need a functioning dehumidifier though. It has worked wonders at reducing dampness and moisture inside the house.

Hard to believe it is already November. Thanksgiving will be here soon and so will Christmas. Unless the schedule changes again, I will be headed for Florida this month to attend the Crew-1 launch. It's definitely been a weird year, but not that much has changed for me. I still take long walks, eat healthy meals, and plan occasional interesting trips. As long as I don't turn on the television, life seems pretty normal.

Jeda is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3964 - Halloween

This weather can't make up it's mind. It was cold again this morning. What happened to yesterday's t-shirt weather? I had to get out my winter coat when we walked Dawn. I may have been a little chilly, but Dawn liked the cooler temperatures. She had lots of energy this morning. Her condition has certainly improved. I had trouble keeping up with her today.

When I went grocery shopping this morning, I was surprised to discover that I can now buy gas with my phone. The app I use to avoid the checkout lines now works at the gas pump as well. There was no need to slide my credit card into the pump. I just pointed my phone at the pump and filled my tank. I love technology when it works. Unfortunately, it frequently doesn't work.

I buy pretty much the same things every week, but my bill is always a little higher than it was the previous week. What's going on here? Some items have gone up more than others. I don't see much of a pattern in the price increases, but I'm sure it has something to do with Covid. Maybe manufacturers who have been disrupted are trying to make up the difference somehow. I never look for sales, but maybe I should.

Janet and I decided to get a new dehumidifier. We weren't sure which model we had, so I looked at a small label on the bottom of the machine. Near the label was a little vent I had never noticed before. It was completely clogged with dust. I cleaned out the vent and the defrost light didn't come on for the rest of the day. Maybe there was nothing wrong with the dehumidifier. I'll have to go check the other dehumidifier in the storage warehouse. I wouldn't be surprised if the little vent was clogged in that one too.

There are Halloween decorations in our neighborhood, but I didn't see any trick or treaters this year. Maybe I wasn't looking very hard, but I suspect that parents weren't that eager to have their children asking strangers for candy in today's environment. Halloween was a big deal when I was a kid. We wandered all over the neighborhood unsupervised and came home late at night with huge bags of candy. Streets were safe back then and nobody was worried about a deadly virus. Times have definitely changed. Halloween is still spooky, but it isn't ghosts and goblins that are scaring us anymore.

I still need to find something interesting to do. I got my 20,000 steps today, but that was about it. It's hard to put what I learned at the astrophotography workshop to good use because you still can't see much when you look up at the sky in Dallas. Light pollution is terrible here. It's easy to forget that I am technically still on assignment for SpaceFlight Magazine. I seldom hear from those guys anymore because they are all preoccupied with the virus over in the UK. Hopefully, I can come up with an interesting article for the magazine when I go to Florida.

Do I go to the gym tomorrow? They're sure trying hard to get me to return. I get an e-mail almost every day about new classes and activities. I really need to stay in shape, but my instinct is to take long naps instead. Dawn is a bad influence on me. She's all about taking long naps. We'll see what tomorrow brings. I think I dodged a bullet with the dehumidifier today. It's still working like a champ.

Roxy is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3963

What a difference a day makes. Yesterday I was wearing a down jacket and a wool hat on our walk with Dawn. Today I wore a t-whirt. The weather changes quickly here and today was exceptionally nice. I didn't even have allergy problems today. Hopefully this nice weather will last a while, but who knows. This is Texas. Tomorrow it could snow.

We don't even bother walking early in the morning anymore. That was mostly to avoid the heat during the Summer and early Fall. Now even the warmest days are cool enough for Dawn. As a result of this change of schedule, I've been sleeping better. My sleep tracking app says I'm getting more deep sleep now and I'm slowly erasing a long standing sleep deficit. Oddly, I sleep more soundly when there's a blanket on the bed. I don't know the reason for this, but I'll take what I can get.

All things considered, today was fairly productive. I got Colt added to the Dalmatian Rescue website and removed all the standing water from the roof. Updating the website was a pleasure, while working on the roof was a tiresome chore. I don't know how long I can continue doing this. It's exhausting. You just don't see many 70 year old men up on their roof in our neighborhood. I guess I could say the same about mowing my own grass.

The bad thing about colder weather is that the water on the roof doesn't evaporate after it rains. The pumps remove a certain amount, but the rest will remain forever until I clear it away. I always complain about the heat in the summer, but the cold isn't so great either.  I have to remember to wear waterproof boots so my feet won't freeze. It took me several hours to dry the roof off today, but the forecast looks good, so maybe I won't have to do this again for a while.

I think I did a good job repairing the furnace. It's still working normally today. I wish I could say the same about our dehumidifier. It's not working normally at all. The condensation coils keep freezing and the dehumidifier spends most of its time in the defrost cycle. I tried to fix our old dehumidifier, but after spending hours disassembling the thing, I discovered that there were no user serviceable parts. The only service center is about forty miles away. It's a lot easier to just buy a new dehumidifier than to fix a defective one. We live in a disposable society and I've learned the hard way that fixing almost anything these days has become very expensive.

My dealer told me that he sold another train from my collection. What remains of the collection is selling very slowly. There used to be sales every month but now I'm lucky if a buyer shows up several times a year. I may need to make a provision for the collection in my will. I kind of doubt that the entire collection can be disposed of in my lifetime. It's always good to hear about a sale though. This will probably pay for my hotel when I go to the Crew-1 launch.

It's time to make a grocery list again. They say we might have shortages again because Covid cases are rising. I hope this isn't true. I don't think the shortages ever stopped. You can find toilet paper easily now, but a lot of things are still in short supply. I wonder what the end game is? Our whole society wasn't designed to work well in a pandemic. You can put things on hold for a while, but you can't do it indefinitely. I think we're starting to see that now. 

Puppies are today's Dalmatians of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3962

I knew it was going to happen sooner or later. I felt cold when I got up this morning and I decided to turn up the heat. Nothing happened. The furnace wouldn't light. This seems to happen every year. I used to call the HVAC guy to come out, but I've learned over the years that I can often fix the furnace myself. It's not a fun job, but it beats sitting around freezing until the furnace repairman gets here.

Often there is nothing really wrong with the furnace. There are a few parts that tend to get dirty and can prevent the pilot light from igniting. I unplugged the furnace, took the covers off and got to work. Since the utility room where the furnace is located is small, it is hard for me to reach the parts that need to be cleaned. I'm not as agile as I used to be. When I'm down on the floor in a confined space, it can be hard to get up again. I felt really old this morning. My tools are basically sandpaper and Windex. I try to clean the parts in place, because I don't want to reassemble anything improperly. The last thing you want to do with a gas furnace is cause it to explode. Cleaning everything was tedious, but it worked. When I was finished I plugged the furnace back in, reset the thermostat, and turned it on. Thirty seconds later we had heat. 

I got a late start on breakfast because of the furnace mishap, but it didn't matter. We weren't walking early anyway. It wasn't raining today, but it was very cold. We thought if we waited to walk until after lunch it might get warmer. I guess it did get a little warmer, but it was still very cold when we left the house. Dawn wore a winter coat for the first time. She wasn't sure about the coat at first, but got used to it quickly. I'm never sure if dogs really like their coats and sweaters. I hope so. They're bound to get cold too.

I've finally had to hook up the little ceramic heater in the office. Just because I fixed the furnace doesn't mean that this room gets warm. The office is the most distant room from the furnace and I think the air in the vents cools down before it even gets here. Cold days in the office have always been a problem in the Winter. It's not a big deal now though. I'm retired. I don't even know why I spend time in this room.

It was a slow day. There were things I needed to do, but I just couldn't get motivated. I need to work on processing more of the pictures I took out at the observatory. I need to add Colt to the Dalmatian Rescue website as well. He's not ready for adoption yet, but I guess he needs to be up there anyway. Who knows. Colt might be exactly the dog someone has been looking for.

This week has really gone quickly. I was kind of surprised that it was already time to take the week's trash out to the curb. I wonder if I'll ever start going out for breakfast on Friday's again. I'm in no hurry. I've started buying a little more fruit so I can have my smoothie all week long now. If the weather is a little warmer tomorrow I need to go up on the roof and remove the standing water. I'm in no hurry to do this either, but water doesn't evaporate in the Winter.

Dakota is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3961

More rain and cold weather. I'm really glad our furnace is working well this year. I didn't even want to get up this moring. I was warm under a heavy blanket and I knew it would be all downhill as soon as I got out of bed. We had to postpone our morning walk again because of the rain. I ate breakfast. Dawn went back to bed. And Janet went to the gym.

Our second dehumidifier seems to be on its last legs. We run the thing 24/7, but it seems like a dehumidifier should last a lot longer than this. The dehumidifier still works, but the defrost cycle kicks in a lot and it doesn't extract as much water from the air as it used to. This is exactly what happened to the first dehumidifier before it gave up the ghost about a month later. I was going to get the first machine repaired but I never could find a convenient service center. It's still sitting in the storage warehouse with a lot of other broken stuff.

I finally found a medical supply company that would sell me some decent American made 3-M N-95 masks. I had to call customer support several times to get the shopping cart on the website to work. The website left a lot to be desired but eventually I got my order to go through with expedited shipping. I ordered the smallest number of masks available because these things just seemed too expensive. Someone is making a fortune selling this stuff. I remember what industrial masks used to cost at Home Depot. I wish I'd bought a bunch back then. It's definitely a different world now.

The rain always seems to stop around noon, so we've been walking Dawn right after lunch. She's pretty particular about the weather. She loves cooler temperatures, but hates getting her paws wet. She was reluctant to leave the house today, but once we reached the park she found lots of things to smell and her interest in walking picked up quite a bit. We actually made good time today, but I was winded by the time we got home. Dawn and Janet put me to shame on these walks. I really need to start going to the gym again.

Janet had a tire pressure warning on her dash, so I got out the air compressor and pumped up her tires. I hate getting old. I remember that moving the air compressor around used to be easy. I had to struggle with the thing today. Somehow it felt a whole lot heavier than it did a few years ago. I was going to top up my own tires as well, but then I remembered that they are filled with nitrogen instead of air. Luckily, none of my tires were low. It's a pain to go to the dealership just to check your tire pressure.

I asked my NASA contacts when they were going to update the media schedule for the upcoming Crew-1 launch. They are still about a week away. I guess that still leaves me plenty of time to make travel arrangements. I'm still a little apprehensive about flying, but that's why I ordered the good masks. I'm convinced that Covid is going to be with us for a long, long time. I'm going to continue to be very careful, but you can't just put your life on hold forever. I think all of us have to figure out ways to continue doing what we think is important even though the rules have changed. I won't be going to weddings or large parties, but a rocket launch every now and then should be fine.

The rain should be over tomorrow. It's still going to be cold, but I've got warm coats. I don't know how Northerners stand living through long, cold Winters. The worst weather hasn't even arrived yet, and I'm already waiting for Spring.

Abi is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3960

Another wet day. Today seemed almost identical to yesterday. It was cold and raining when we woke up. We had to delay our morning walk. And it was still cold when things tried off enough to walk later in the day. Damp cold days aren't the same as dry cold days to Dawn. About halfway through our planned five mile walk she stopped in her tracks and wouldn't go any further. She'd had enough of the wet weather and was ready to go home. She was the wise one today. When we arrived home a little earlier than we'd planned, I realized that I didn't want to walk any further either. It was a nasty day and staying at home in a warm house was definitely the smart thing to do.

My senior moments come more frequently now. Last night I discovered that I had completely run out of one of the pills I take every evening. Since most of my meds auto-renew, I don't even think about running out anymore. I was sure I must have a new supply somewhere, but I couldn't find it anywhere. Oops. When I tried to sort things out this morning, I discovered that the annual exam when I usually get this pill renewed for another year was always in September. Why did I think it was in November this year? The doctor never reminded me of the September appointment because I never made an appointment. My bad. I'm so used to doctors and dentists pestering me about upcoming visits that it never occurred to me that scheduling appointments was my responsibility. It's all sorted out now, but I still don't have the pills I need. They were out of stock at my pharmacy and needed to be ordered.

I tried to buy some N-95 masks for my trip to Florida on Amazon this afternoon. The first thing I discovered was that you needed a business account to shop for PPE. No problem. I have a business account on Amazon. I found the masks I needed and put them in my cart. The checkout process seemed normal until I got to the end. Instead of completing my order, I got a message saying that there had been a problem and my order had been canceled. I tried several times to complete the order and finally discovered that Amazon didn't think my company was a proper medical organization. They could have just told me this up front and saved me a lot of time. 

When I was trying to select the mask I wanted, I read a lot of the comments. Evidently most N-95 masks are not made for medical use. They are made for drywall contractors, exterminators, woodworkers, and other trades that do dusty or hazardous work. These people are furious that they can't find the masks they need for their trade anymore. Jeez. It's been over eight months now. Wouldn't you think that someone would have figured out how to make enough of these things? Hardware stores used to be filled with industrial masks. Not anymore. I can't believe there is still a shortage of N-95 masks and Clorox wipes. 

Truthfully, I can't believe a lot of what goes on these days. The world has gone nuts. The European nations who supposedly did everything right about the pandemic are having a huge resurgence of the virus. The Chinese, who started this whole mess, don't appear to be having any problems at all. It doesn't make sense. Two senile old men are running for president and nobody seems to realize that this is a problem. There is no objective news media anymore. Everyone is just pushing an agenda. If you don't like something, you just call it fake news. Social media isn't content with controlling our friendships and buying habits. Now they want to censor us as well. The world is slipping off the rails, but instead of rational, logical solutions, people keep asking for more empathy. 

I'm tired of all this. I wish there was a remote island where I could put up some solar panels and have a helicopter drop me supplies from time to time. I'm a realist though. Little islands routinely get blown away by hurricanes. If the weather stayed nice, I'd probably get eaten by alligators. I guess I've got to make my peace with the world, even if it means wearing my crappy Chinese made KN-95 masks to Florida.

Dash is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3959

Winter has arrived. We woke up this morning to a cold rain and the temperature stayed in the low 40's all day. We had to skip our morning walk today because it was just too nasty outside. Dawn went back to bed and I turned up the heat a notch while I ate my breakfast. I don't know why I spent all that time on the roof yesterday. Oh, well. At least all the leaves and pecans are gone.

We met the newest member of the Dalmatian Rescue program when we visited the kennel this afternoon. Colt is a sweet, gentle boy who currently has heartworms and is very underweight. We won't begin his heartworm treatment until he has gained some weight and is in better condition. Colt is a handsome dog with a great temperament. I don't know much about his past history, but he already seems to know some basic commands. He can sit, stay, and will come when you call. This friendly guy is going to make a great companion for some lucky family as soon as we can get him healthy again.

It never warmed up today, but the rain eventually did stop. When we returned from the kennel, we took Dawn on a late afternoon walk. She loves the cold, but doesn't like wet weather very much. Despite the wet weather, she was definitely ready for a walk. It was even colder than I anticipated and I ended up wearing the same two winter coats that I wore during our late night photography sessions at McDonald Observatory several weeks ago. Wet weather must enhance smells outside. Dawn wanted to smell everything today. She seemed happy to be outdoors. I was happy to get back to a warm house again.

I've lived in cold climates before, but I wonder how I survived. I definitely don't do well in cold weather anymore. It's hard to believe that I used to live in Idaho and went to high school in Fairbanks, Alaska. I guess I became a permanent Southerner years ago. I don't like all the bugs we have down here, but it sure beats icy roads, drafty houses, and taking the dogs out to pee in a snowstorm.

NASA has finally set a new date for the Crew-1 launch. It doesn't conflict with Thanksgiving or Christmas, so all is good. I'll wait to make my reservations until I get the official word from my NASA contacts, but it'a beginning to look like this is going to happen. Let's not have any late season hurricanes or civil unrest. There's already enough to worry about this year.

It looks like tomorrow is going to be exactly like today. We may have to postpone our morning walk again because the forecast sure looks like rain. Even on the worst of day, there always seems time to a walk. Having weather radar on our phones has changed everything. Rather than be surprised and end up soaking wet, you can usually find a 30 to 60 minute window where it is dry enough for a decent walk. I was always bad at guessing when the rain would stop. Spot and I got soaked a lot back in the days before the iPhone was invented.

It looks like we might need an extra blanket on the bed tonight. We'll see what tomorrow brings. If the weather is really bad, I'll just turn up the heat and take a long nap with Dawn.

Pearl is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3958

I almost went to the gym today. Then I remembered that there was still water on the roof. It's going to rain again soon, but I knew that along with the water, there was a ton of leaves, acorns, and pecans that needed to be cleared away. All this debris makes little dams when it rains and turns the roof into a series of duck ponds. I eventually got everything cleared away and ready for the next rain. I'm sure that I burned a lot more calories than I would have if I'd gone to the gym.

We slept in a little late this morning, but it didn't seem to bother Dawn at all. When I finally woke up, she was still curled up under her blanket and in no hurry to get up. We had a nice walk, but nobody set any speed records. By the time we returned home it was almost time for lunch. Since we still hadn't had breakfast yet, we fixed pancakes and sausages instead. 

The whole day was kind of slow. Janet baked an apple pie and I didn't do much of anything. After spending a couple of hours cleaning up the mess on the roof, I didn't have the energy for anything else. I did get 20,000 steps today though. Two long walks and some roof duty. That was about it.

I'm convinced that the virus is spreading through large family gatherings. Every time I walk in the park I see very large family picnics and barbecues. Everybody has learned to be wary of strangers but they are a little too comfortable with people they know. I'm not terribly close to my own family, so it's hard for me to understand why people like to gather together. It's happening though. I have a feeling that weddings, funerals, reunions, and birthday parties are far more dangerous than trips to the grocery store.

I washed my favorite drywall mask in the washing machine today and now it smells like soap instead of sawdust. I don't know what this thing is made of. It's not paper and it's not fabric. I thought it might disintegrate in the wash, but it held up pretty well. The mask looks a lot better now. It suffered a mishap out at the observatory when I forgot I had it on and tried to take a bite of a taco.

I still need to order a replacement for the part that fell off my tripod at the observatory. Luckily, the missing piece is not very expensive. Ordinarily, I would have taken care of this by now but I'm operating on a retiree's clock these days. There is no sense of urgency about anything. One of these days I will need the tripod again, but not this week. It's weird to have lost my desire to continually acquire new and better gear. Since I've become interested in astrophotography, it would be tempting to upgrade my camera gear. There are definitely things I could improve. The existing cameras are more than adequate though. Why bother. I don't really have the money anyway.

I will need the cameras tomorrow. There is a new Dalmatian up at the kennel. He's going through heartworm treatment now, but will be available for adoption as soon as he's healthy again. I'll need to get him up on the website soon. At least Charlie isn't all alone any more.

I wish that NASA would reschedule the Crew-1 launch. I'd like to know what I'm going to be doing in November. The launch was originally scheduled to take place on Halloween. I hope the new schedule doesn't move the launch to Thanksgiving. I'd hate to miss Thanksgiving dinner. We'll see what happens. At least I know what I'll be doing tomorrow. It's going to be another Dalmatian Monday.

Patch is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3957

Dawn loves cold weather. She was eager to walk this morning and we ended up completing our full five miles for the first time in quite a while. If she continues to act this way, I'm going to really need to find some better shoes. My feet were killing me by the time we returned home. Even though I have my share of aches and pains, it was a very nice walk this morning. We're having an exceptionally nice Fall this year. 

My grocery list was small this week and I had no problems finding everything. I saw disinfecting wipes on the shelves for the first time in quite a while, but they weren't the brand I like so I didn't get any. Even though the infection rate is going up again, I refuse to succumb to panic buying. Been there, done that. We've still got some of the stuff we bought last April.

Dawn is acting weird again. Janet was gone this afternoon, and when it came time to fix Dawn's dinner, she refused to leave the bedroom. I could tell she was hungry and she knew I was fixing her dinner, but she wouldn't get off the bed. I tried staying in the office for a while, but that didn't work. When I went outside to check the mail, Dawn finally ventured into the kitchen. As soon as I came back inside the house though, she ran back into the bedroom and abandoned her food. I had to go pick up take-out for dinner anyway, so I left the house again. I guess she ate as soon as I was gone. Janet said her bowl was empty when she returned. Clearly, the breeders who owned Dawn previously punished her for doing things that Janet and I consider normal. It's sad. We hope she will eventually forget her past life.

I'd like to forget this entire year. It's pretty clear to me that we are going to be just as divided after the election as we are now. The virus isn't going away any time soon. When a vaccine finally does appear, a sizable percentage of the population will refuse to take it. That's how we are. A lot of jobs that were lost in the pandemic will never come back. Business has discovered that they can operate even more efficiently without a bunch of pesky workers. It has become a very weird world. Many companies are making record profits at the same time most of us have discovered we are non-essential. Everyone is upset about the wrong things and nobody is looking at the big picture.

Every Saturday I think about going back to the gym. I wonder why I am still reluctant to go when I have just completed a 1500 mile trip to and from West Texas. I'm still planning to attend the Crew-1 launch in Florida next month as well. Clearly I am not thinking rationally. A workout at a gym owned by a major hospital is probably a lot safer than a Southwest Airlines flight to Orlando. Maybe going to the gym was never really a high priority of mine. I'm sure that's why the virus is still with us. We all have our own priorities. For me it might be rocket launches. For you it might be weddings and family gatherings. Thanksgiving is going to cause a big spike in infections, but it won't stop Thanksgiving dinners. Human nature is what it is.

Today was a bad allergy day. It's too bad distancing and masks don't work for allergies. Staying away from other people is a pieces of cake. Staying away from ragweed pollen in another matter entirely.

Ellis is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3956

We woke up to heavy rain this morning. Where did that come from? I guess I haven't been keeping track of the weather. Along with the rain came a new cold front. It was actually pretty chilly today. We couldn't take our regular morning walk because of the weather, so I got the pumps on the roof started, ate my breakfast, and tried to make the bed around Dawn, who refused to move.

Eventually the rain stopped and we took Dawn on her walk. She loved the cold weather. She was frisky this morning and had a lot more energy than I did. The rain must enhance smells, because she wanted to stop and smell everything. When we arrived at Pelican Bay, all the Pelicans were out of the water and up on the shore. This was the first time I've seen this happen. Usually the birds perch on submerged logs in the shallow water. The Pelicans were huge up close, but Dawn had no interest in them. She mostly just wanted to check her pee-mail by sniffing every rock and tree.

The abrupt change in the weather made me feel even older than usual. Every joint in my body hurt this morning. Most of these aches and pains were very familiar. They are a big reason why I try to stay active. If I were sedentary, I think I would feel the effects of aging even more. Activity does help. By the time we returned from our walk, I was starting to feel normal again.

I don't know where the day went today. I certainly didn't do all that much. Two walks, breakfast, dinner, and a short nap seemed to use up the entire day. I was planning to practice using the stacking software again this afternoon, but never got around to it. I didn't spend much time watching the Boca Chica live feed either. Things were strangely quiet at Space X for a change. 

I didn't watch the debate last night, but clearly it didn't change anyone's opinion. When I was channel surfing during breakfast this morning, Fox and OAN said that Trump clearly won the debate, while MSNBC and CNN said the Biden clearly won the debate. No wonder I just watch the business channels these days. I'm sick of politics.

I hope my car starts tomorrow morning. I haven't used it in nearly two weeks. I always rent a car for my trips and I haven't been shopping lately. It's time to get groceries again though. Hopefully my battery is still good. I have no real desire to go to the grocery store any more, but we still need food. We are actually eating better during the pandemic than we were before. Having a good meal is definitely something you can still do at home.

I'd kind of like to buy a new telescope, but it makes no sense whatsoever. There is nothing to see in Dallas's light polluted skies and I'm still apprehensive about driving to a dark place out in the country late at night. Every time I turn on the local news there's something about another overnight shooting on city streets. Sadly, Dallas is not a safe place to be driving around at 3 AM.

I guess I'll have to be content with periodic trips to McDonald Observatory. I feel safe out there and the skies are amazing. The only amazing thing about Dallas is that it has always been a great place to find a good job. Dallas has been good for my career. Not so sure if it's a great place to retire.

Freckles is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3955

I learned something new today. I downloaded the compositing software I needed, watched a few YouTube tutorials, and started stacking a sequence of Milky Way photos I'd taken out at the observatory. The whole idea of stacking is to take a series of identical images and then layer them on top of each other to eliminate artifacts and electronic noise. The software actually works and really does clean up night sky images while leaving everything looking natural. The process takes a lot of time though and I'm not sure if it's that much better than the internal noise reduction that's already built into my camera. I took some pictures using the camera's internal noise reduction and they were almost as good as the time consuming stacking procedure.

Actually, I was more pleased to discover that my pictures look pretty good right out of that camera than I was to learn how to stack images. It's always nice to learn something new though. Even thought I'm too lazy to stack my night sky images all the time, I'm sure I'll use the stacking software in the future. It's always good to be knowledgable about this stuff when you're talking with other photographers.

It's a good thing I had something new to learn today, because there wasn't much else going on. The weather is still nice and Dawn continues to do well on her morning walks. We have no idea if her seizures will return at some point, but for now everything seems fine. Dawn is definitely back to her old ways, taking long walks in the morning and then sleeping on the bed for the rest of the day.

I kind of felt like sleeping on the bed for the rest of the day myself. I'm still having a hard time catching up on my sleep. I go to bed too late and get up too early. I thought I'd sleep a lot less while I was out at the observatory, but I got almost the same amount of sleep out at the Prude Ranch that I get here. I stayed up a lot later, but I also slept in a lot later every morning. It appears that I get about five hours of sleep each night wherever I am.

When I took the trash out to the curb tonight I was amazed at how few stars I could see. It felt like Dallas was on a different planet than Fort Davis. It's clear out tonight, but basically all I could see was the moon, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn. It's a shame that I now know how to take good star pictures, but there are no stars to photograph. Oh, well. I guess I could drive out in the country to find darker skies, but I don't like driving at night and there's nowhere close where I'd even feel safe.

The Boca Chica live feed was interesting today. The Space X folks added the nose cone and forward wings to the SN8 booster that was already sitting on the launch pad. This thing is huge and really looks like a rocket now. It is quite impressive. It's amazing how different Space X is than NASA. They basically drive the rocket parts down a state highway and assemble them in a field. The activity never stops. There are three shifts that operate 24 hours a day. I still think these guys are going to get to Mars first.

They say Covid cases are spiking in Dallas again. It's a shame that nobody can seem to get a handle on this. I don't think the Europeans are doing any better than we are at this point. I don't even know anyone who is sick now, but we continue to be bombarded with dire statistics every day. This is not good. I'm always wondering when my luck is going to run out. 

Dot is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3954

I didn't do much today, but it still felt like a busy day. Dawn must have felt good this morning because she chose a longer route on her own. We walked almost five miles this morning with no issues at all. Dawn completed all her meds several days ago with no signs of a relapse. Her temperature is normal. Her behavior is normal. And all is well.

After spending an inordinate amount of time eating breakfast, I did some accounting and paid a few more online bills. I wish I had the nerve to just quit keeping track of things. One of my fantasies has always been having the ability to just buy what I want whenever I feel like it without even considering the price or how much is in my account. That's not going to happen. I'm a methodical, careful planner, but it gets old sometimes.

I had a conversation in Messenger this morning with a young niece who is interested in the same things I am. These conversations are rare, but I always end up feeling slightly better about the millennial generation. Many of these kids are hopeless, but the ones who chose to take STEM classes and pursue a difficult goal no matter how hard it seemed at the beginning are going to do just fine. I feel the same way about some of the younger folks I've met at NASA events. The future belongs to those who chose science over selfies.

I spent some time this afternoon learning how to enhance photos of the night sky by stacking multiple images of the same scene using special software that can align all the stars in each images. Usually you need at least ten images to see much of a difference. I have plenty of raw material to work with, but this is going to take a while. I just watched some YouTube tutorial videos today while looking at my notes from the workshop. When I find some time later this week I may start stacking some real images.

The rescue group got a call today from a veterinarian who still wants to do Christmas photos. This came as a surprise to me. I was fairly convinced that there would be no Santa Paws photos this year because of Covid-19. Everything else has been canceled this Fall, so I just assumed that photo events would be canceled as well. I'm a little apprehensive about doing this, but the more I thought about it, I'm pretty sure everything will be fine. Unless Santa himself has the virus, I'm spending most of my day with a bunch of dogs. Dalmatian Rescue could certainly use a fundraiser, especially since our golf tournament got canceled. Anyway, if I survive my upcoming trip to Florida to attend the Crew 1 launch, doing Santa photos will be a piece of cake.

When I looked at the Boca Chica live feed today I noticed that they are putting a nose cone on the current Starship prototype. This thing is starting to look like a real rocket now. No more flying grain silos I guess. I'm still amazed at how fast Elon Musk works. NASA has spent years developing Artemis, but Elon has already accomplished more with his Starship program in just a few months. I'd still like to go down to Boca Chica and see a Starship launch myself, but it's going to be hard to get invited.

Janet says there's a new Dalmatian at the kennel now. I'm curious about this new dog and will need to update the website the next time we go visit the kennel. Dalmatians, rockets, and stars. What else do you need? It may seem like a small world to you, but it is an entire universe to me. 

Lance is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3953

The weather was warmer today. You can almost tell what temperature it is by how fast Dawn walks in the morning. She seems very sensitive to temperature and walked a little slower this morning. I'm equally sensitive to changes in the pollen count. My allergies have returned with a vengeance. I'm blowing my nose constantly again. It's hard to know what to wear on our morning walks. Sometimes the temperature remains constant. Other times it is ten degrees warmer by the time we return. The only thing constant about Dallas weather is that it is constantly changing. Needless to say, I liked the cool, dry, and allergy free air in the Davis Mountains a lot better.

Today was uneventful. I unpacked my bags, put my stuff away, and set then up a few more accounts for online payments. I guess I'm done with writing checks and paying for things in person. I've even set up an online account for the storage warehouse. I used to pay for my storage space a year at a time. I'm paying month to month now in hopes of getting rid of enough stuff to move to a smaller, cheaper unit later this year. Janet loves to throw stuff away, so she said she'll help.

I got a bid for taking down the big Oak tree in the back year. The bid seemed horrendously high, so I guess I'm get another bid. I wish this tree was healthier, because one of my favorite things about the yard when I bought the house years ago was all the big mature trees. Sadly, these tree are nearing the end of their life. I see trees just like our own trees fall in the park for no reason at all there doesn't even need to be a storm. Every time I see one of these huge trees fall, I wonder if one of our trees is going to be next. I'd hate to have a tree fall into the house, or even worse into the lawyer's house next door.

I have all these cool pictures from my trip, but I decided years ago that I would always include a single square picture taken on the same day as my latest blog post. All I could find today was some pathetic leaves trying their best to show some Fall color. Most of the leaves just turn brown here, but occasionally we get a little color. I guess I could always add more pictures, but I won't do it for the same reason that I always drink a large fruit smoothie every morning. Consistency is everything to me. It drives some people nuts, but I find comfort in doing the same things over and over again. Maybe I'm really a dog. All our dogs have been nervous of changes in their schedule and wanted a very consistent life.

I'm glad I already voted. It looks like the lines are getting longer now. The trouble with social media is that there are no secret places anymore. If there is a polling place without much of a line, everyone takes selfies and brags about how quickly they voted. The next day the place with no line has a huge line. I think life would be so much better if social media didn't exist. We don't really need to know what everyone else is doing.

I wonder when NASA is going to reschedule the Space X Crew 1 launch? I was feeling pretty good about making the trip to Florida when Covid cases seemed to be declining. Now, cases are spiking again almost everywhere. I wonder if we're ever going to get a handle on this thing? I'm pretty good about wearing a mask and keeping my distance, but there's that pesky airline flight to Orlando. I learned recently that a Dallas woman actually died of Covid while she was on a plane returning from Arizona. That's a little unnerving.

Emily is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3952

No more head in the stars for a while. I have returned to my regular routine. We visited Charlie again today. He's still the only Dalmatian at the kennel. As you can see, he's always happy to see us. Charlie might have to remain the only dog for a while. When Covid took away the rescue group's ability to have in-person events, it also took away our biggest source of revenue. We usually have a golf tournament every Fall as a fundraiser. There won't be one this year and it's going to hurt. Like everything else about the coronavirus, everyone hopes we can return to normal soon. The dogs depend on us.

Janet and I spent quite a while with Charlie this afternoon. Like many rescue dogs, Charlie has a few issues, but he is very smart and loves to play. He probably needs to be the only dog when he finds a home, but he'd be a great companion for the right person. I keep thinking that he'd be fabulous at agility events. He's very athletic, learns commands easily, and loves to play.

Dawn is very quiet and reserved compared to Charlie. She doesn't race around like a maniac or endlessly fetch a ball, but she does love her walks. Since it was cooler again this morning, she was in fine spirits. We had a nice walk before breakfast and took our time so she could smell every rock and tree. Dawn finished all her meds a few days ago and we're hoping that she's back to normal now. Only time will tell, but so far she is doing very well. Hopefully, she won't have another seizure for a very long time.

I still haven't finished unpacking yet. I think I need to catch up on my sleep. I stayed up very late every night at the observatory, but still woke up when I normally do. The lack of sleep catches up with you. Especially at my age. Every time I thought about getting organized today, a little nap seemed a lot more tempting. There's no rush. I've got all the time on the world to put my cameras away, do some laundry, and put my clothes back where they belong.

I looked at the pictures I took at the observatory with a critical eye today and was pleased with the results. I was a little worried that the pictures might not be in sharp focus, since it's always hard to tell with the camera I use. When I looked at the images on a good monitor though, most of them were very sharp. It's hard for me to focus on stars, since they are very dim in the viewfinder. Since the lenses I use are able to focus past infinity and I often shoot with the lens wide open, getting the focus perfect is critical.  There is not much room for error. I've heard that some photographers nail their focus in the daytime and then duct tape the lens in place so the focus point can't move. I might try this next time, although I would never use duct tape on an expensive lens. It seems like you should be able to lock the focus on a lens, so you don't accidentally twist it to a different setting in the dark. Believe me, it is easy to do.

I found the replacement part I need for my Gitzo tripod. I guess I'll order it tomorrow. I probably won't need the tripod again for a while, but I like to have my equipment ready. I'm also kind of obsessive about broken things. It doesn't matter whether it's a car, a musical instrument, or a piece of photo gear, I want my equipment in good condition and ready to go to work. Too bad it's not this easy to replace the worn out things on my own body. I think my cameras are in better condition than I am.

I have no real plans for tomorrow. I guess it would be a good time to unpack. There's no need for suitcases cluttering up the office. There's way to much clutter here already.

Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day