Day 4259

I stayed busy today. We got a late start on our sunrise walk, but it was still nice outside. Dawn was eager to walk today. She was full of energy and enthusiasm this morning, even though we still basically just completed our basic one mile loop. The Rimadyl must be working because she showed little signs of discomfort today. The main problem with the Rimadyl is that we had to temporarily stop her allergy medicine and Dawn has started licking her paws again. It's always three steps forward, two steps back. If the licking started again when the allergy medication stopped, it must mean that the medicine works. We're going to stop the Rimadyl in a day or so, so hopefully we can get back to some semblance of normality very soon.

I took my long walk right after breakfast to avoid the heat as much as I could. We could have taken Dawn on her Sunday outing right after breakfast, but we wanted to give her time to rest after her sunrise walk. I completed my full six mile route and was surprised at how many people I saw out on the trails. People still like to exercise in the summer. They just do it earlier.

The temperature was warmer when we took Dawn on her Sunday outing but we stayed under shade trees while we were walking and only traveled half of our usual distance. Dawn was happy. She got to smell new things and didn't get overheated. As always, we finished our little excursion with ice cream cones. The price for the ice cream has gone up. I'm not surprised. The price for absolutely everything has gone up.

This afternoon I went and got the 2022 registration sticker for my car. You have to do the safety inspection first and then you can get the window sticker. You used to be required to put two stickers on your window, but now the safety inspection information is just transmitted electronically to the registration department, eliminating the need for one sticker. I remember when it was a major job to scrape the old stickers off your windshield. You had to use a single edged razor blade and there was still a lot of sticky residue when you were finished. The new stickers can be applied and removed easily and don't leave any residue at all. I appreciate progress wherever you happen to find it. The new stickers are much better.

I certainly don't see much progress whenever I turn on the television. I guess this is what woke America looks like. You've got a bunch of people more concerned about non-binary pronouns than about what is happening outside their little inwardly focused world. They talk a good game about climate change, while completely exempting China and India from the equation. They want everyone to drive an electric car, completely forgetting that our electric grid can't even handle the use of air conditioners in the summer. They think that removing performance requirements for math and science in schools will create a greater sense of equity. Dumb and dumber is what it will create. I could go on and on. The Afghanistan fiasco might be the last straw. We are no longer a serious nation and the whole world knows it. China totally wins the long game here and they didn't even have to fire a shot.

If I'm smart I won't even turn on the television tomorrow. We've got Dalmatians to visit at the kennel and there's plenty to do around the house. I'm thinking of writing an article about Johnson Space Center. It's one of the few places that I've visited extensively that I've never written about at all. 

Lance it today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4258

Dawn didn't want to walk this morning. She still seems uncomfortable after the bladder stone removal procedure. The vet said this was normal, but I hate to see her this way. She's always waiting for the other shoe to drop anyway. We got her some Rimadyl for pain and that seemed to help. We would never use Rimadyl on a long-term basis, but it is effective for short-term pain management. Dawn will only need to take the pills for a few days.

I stopped at a little Mexican garage on my way to the gym this morning and got my safety inspection done. They were so quick that I wasn't sure that they did anything at all. I got the paperwork I needed to get my window sticker though. The little garage was a pleasant surprise. It takes forever to get the simplest thing done at the Land Rover dealer and it's always so expensive. My car is getting older. Maybe it's time to abandon the dealership.

It works out well to go to the gym before I do my grocery shopping on Saturday morning. I wonder when they are going to get their machines fixed. They are currently having a campaign to get new members, but I don't think anyone is going to be impressed by the growing number of 'temporarily out of service' signs on the exercise equipment. Maybe I ought to start using the weight room more. Free weights don't break.

Everyone is wearing masks again in grocery stores. There are no mask mandate signs on the doors anymore, but there are enough stories out there about dire 'long Covid' side effects and fully vaccinated people getting the virus that fewer people want to take chances. I certainly don't want to get sick. I've never really liked crowds anyway. This virus will give me all the excuses I need to remain an aloof loner forever.

I got a letter from my editor at SpaceFlight Magazine today saying that he was no longer with the magazine. This sucks. I really liked working with the guy and it took me forever to build a relationship with the magazine. Now I'm going to have to start all over again with the new editor. I'm not having a lot of luck getting published again at Sky and Telescope either. Most of their articles are scientific in nature. I just got lucky when they became interested in publishing my astronomy related travel article.

My Fitbit died at the gym this morning. I'm afraid I'm going to have to get a new one. The battery isn't holding a charge anymore. I can get it to charge by using a higher wattage charger, but it won't stay charged very long. I watched a YouTube video showing how to change a Fitbit battery yourself. Lots of luck with that. I'd have as much luck fixing a Fitbit by hitting it with a hammer as I would by taking it apart. My hands just aren't that dexterous.

We're not sure that Dawn will want to take her Sunday outing tomorrow. She didn't want to walk today and we don't want to push her. We'll see how she feels in the morning. Even if she doesn't feel like walking, I'm sure she'll still be up for an ice cream cone.

Cookie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4257

Dawn is fine. The vet was able to flush a large number of stones from her bladder and no surgery was needed. I was a little worried when the vet called while I was fixing breakfast and told me that Dawn's bladder was empty. He wondered if we had let her go pee before we brought her over. Nope. We did everything exactly as we were instructed. It turned out that Dawn had peed in her kennel run while they were getting ready to do the procedure. Plan B was to give her intravenous fluids and let her bladder fill again. This worked and a few hours later the stones were removed. Her teeth were cleaned as well while she was under anesthesia so she wouldn't have to be anesthetized again a few months later for her scheduled annual teeth cleaning. A sonogram after the procedure confirmed that all the stones are gone and Dawn was able to come home early this afternoon. The vet told us to expect blood in her urine for a day of two, but that the procedure had gone very well.

I'm sure today's events won't do much to alleviate Dawn's fear of riding in the car. Is she going for an ice cream cone at Andy's, or a trip to the vet? Both destinations are in the same general direction. Being anesthetized today certainly didn't ruin her appetite. Dawn was really hungry this evening and I had to feed her a little early.

I was planning to get my car safety inspected today, but the two places I tried both had long wait times and wanted me to leave the car. I used to be able to go to the Land Rover dealer and get an inspection done in fifteen minutes. Those days are gone. When I called Land Rover today they told me that a state inspection would take at least five hours. What this really means is that the dealership is short handed and there aren't enough mechanics. Apparently, nothing works smoothly in a post Covid world. So many things I used to take for granted just don't function the way they used to.

This morning was pleasant, but by the time Dawn was safely home again and sleeping on the bed it had become far too hot for a walk in the park. I went to the gym and discovered that even more treadmills had broken since my last visit. Another example of a dysfunctional world. Why is it proving so hard to fix these machines? There must be over a dozen broken treadmills now. Since we didn't take a sunrise walk with Dawn this morning, I had to work a little longer to get today's steps. Three miles inside always seems a lot longer than three miles outside.

Now that school is back in session, I've had to change my route to a number of locations. You definitely don't want to get stuck in a line of cars waiting to pick their kids up from school. If you are near a school zone, the right hand line is often completely blocked with cars and the other lanes become even more crowded. Drivers in Dallas are rude on a nice day. When school is in session they become even worse.

It would be hard to find someone less interested in politics than I am, but I'm horrified at what's happening in Afghanistan. Why won't Biden just admit that he screwed up royally? It was his decision alone to remove the military before protecting the civilians. He keeps doubling down, blaming everyone else, and looking befuddled and senile while he's doing it. If this is what 'having an adult in charge' looks like, we're all in big trouble.

It's time to make a grocery list again. Whenever I'm out and about, it's become increasingly apparent that merchants and their customers have grown sick of all the conflicting social distancing and mask mandates. It's a free for all now and everyone is just doing what they want. 

Blackjack is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4256

It was a busy day. When we took our sunrise walk this morning, Dawn wanted to do her one mile loop in reverse. This was surprising because she hasn't done this before. I thought she was just going to poop in the little meadow behind our house and come back home, but she found the trail and continued her regular walk backwards. I always think that Dawn is set in her ways, but she's probably more flexible than I am. She certainly does surprise us from time to time. I wonder what's going on in her head.

I went to the gym today because it was really humid outside and I needed to run some errands anyway. The place was fairly empty this morning. I did a perfunctory two mile walk on the treadmill and then came home again. On the way home I stopped at Sprinkles to get cupcakes for Janet's birthday celebration and then at Central Market to get some champagne. They have little bottles that are perfect if all you want is a single glass each. I discovered that 3 PM was the perfect time to go shopping. All the other shoppers were waiting in long lines wrapping around every school zone to pick up their kids. I was the only person in Sprinkles and Central Market was surprisingly empty. There were a ton of parking places today which is almost unheard of.

We went to a nice Italian restaurant for a birthday dinner this evening. We've been going to this restaurant for many years and it is one of Janet's favorites. Even though they've moved to several different locations over time, the menu is still exactly the same. We were around 43 when we discovered this place. Now we are both 73. Time flies. When we were younger we used to go out a lot. Then we got Dalmatians. Life is different now, but I think it is much better. I can't imagine not having a dog anymore. We tried, but Dawn quickly reminded us that dogs rule.

We always have cupcakes and a glass of champagne on birthdays. I can't remember when we started this, but it seems like we've been celebrating like this forever. I'm surprised that I can even write the blog tonight. Wine with dinner and champagne with dessert is a little rich for me. We'll sleep in later tomorrow. Actually, we need to sleep in later because as soon as we wake up tomorrow, we've got to take Dawn straight to the vet with a full bladder. This will be interesting because the first thing Dawn does every morning is go outside and pee. Apparently, a full bladder makes it a lot easier to flush the bladder stones out. I hope this plan works. The back up plan for tomorrow is still surgery.

We got some rain today, but not as much as yesterday. It was purely accidental, but we planned our sunrise walk perfectly. Five minutes after we returned home, the skies opened up and we got our heaviest rain of the day. I'm glad the pumps on the roof are still working. I'm not looking forward to going up there at all. At some point I'll probably have to go clear away all the residual water. The pumps help, but there's still a ton of water on the roof after the pumps can't remove any more. I'm hoping that the standing water will just evaporate again. A few more hot days and it probably will.

Tomorrow I'll probably just worry about Dawn a lot. Whatever happens, she'll be at the vet for most of the day. Rain is out of the forecast for now and it is supposed to be hot tomorrow. I'll probably go to the gym unless something unexpected happens with Dawn. I'm hoping that it will just be another uneventful day.

Spot is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4255

More rain today. We didn't think Dawn would walk at all this morning, but she surprised us and did pretty well. The skies were dark and ominous looking all day, but by carefully watching the weather radar we were able to take our sunrise walk a little later than usual. I was also able to take my long walk later in the day, although I did get a bit wet.

I always watch the morning news while I drink my smoothie and today's news was as dismal as the weather. I felt foolish complaining about anything as I watched what is happening to those people in Afghanistan. Was this preventable? Probably. Will it get even worse? Definitely.

The people in Haiti aren't doing too well either. Janet knows some people from her home town who run an orphanage in Haiti. They keep hanging in there through one disaster after another. I wonder what gives people the resilience to deal with impossible conditions. I cope with prosperity fairly well, but I don't know how I'd deal with sustained adversity. A little roof leak is enough to send me over the edge.

With no work projects to speak of and little to do around the house, I depend on daily walks. I set out on today's walk without waiting for the rain to stop. There was a light drizzle for the first few miles, but it actually felt pretty good. It is almost unheard in Dallas of to have temperatures in the 70's in August. This was the first time in ages that I was able to complete my long walk without getting hot and sweaty. I did get wet though. The local ducks and geese were all in their usual places, but they looked pitiful today. Some of them looked too wet to fly. It makes me wonder where animals go during a bad storm. They must have a place to hide.

I'm glad the pumps are still working. I just don't have the energy to climb up on the roof and monkey around with them anymore. I can't believe that I used to occasionally go up on the roof during a storm. In a few more years I probably won't be able to go up there at all. It's not that safe on the roof and my balance isn't as good as it used to be. It would be nice to live in a brand new house without any problems, but that ship has sailed. It's not going to happen. I don't think a problem free house exists anyway. It's a fantasy.

I made reservations for dinner tomorrow. We don't do much these days, but we do still celebrate birthdays. Time passes so quickly. We were the youngest people in the neighborhood when we moved here and now we're the oldest. We're both still fairly healthy though and have a lot to be thankful for. Janet is two months younger than me but often seems years younger. I guess a positive attitude is beneficial after all.

I'm still a little worried about Dawn's vet appointment on Friday. If they aren't successful at flushing out her bladder stones, I think they are going directly to surgery since she will already be under anesthesia. The surgery is considered very safe, but I always worry about surgery. It would take a lot to get me to consider any type of elective surgery. I think I'd rather live with a bad knee than have a knee replacement.

Hopefully the weather clears up a bit tomorrow. We've definitely had enough rain.

Lucy is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4254

Another rainy day. We tried to get an early start this morning, but Dawn wasn't having any part of it. She doesn't like getting wet and quickly reverted to her old tactic of freezing in place. It wasn't raining when we left the house, but we had to turn around and go home before we were even out of sight of the house. Dawn can be realy stubbborn but she usually gets her way. Maybe she could smell what was coming. It wan't long before the skies opened up and we had another downpour.

The rain came and went throughout the day. It was enough to make me worry about roof leaks but I was still able to take my long walk. The weather certainly helped to cool things down. My walk would have been quite pleasant today if it weren't for my bad knee and aching feet. I don't know why I feel so compelled to keep walking. I guess it's better than doing nothing.

I got a message from McDonald Observatory this morning asking if I could come out to help with star parties in mid September. I was kind of surprised because these folks have always been super worried about Covid. They're still planning on resuming normal operations though. Maybe things are better in far West Texas. Jeff Davis County does have one of the lowest transmission rates for the disease in the entire state. 

I'm still undecided, but I'll probably go. The Space X Inspiration 4 launch is in mid September as well. That's an interesting mission and I got an invitation to apply for press credentials, but I'm undecided about this as well. I don't think I can afford to do both things. At this point a trip to the observatory seems safer and less expensive than a trip to Kennedy Space Center. A lot can change in a month though. We'll see what happens.

Hopefully Dawn will be completely cured and back to normal by mid September. Her damaged paws are starting to heal and she rarely attempts to bite at them anymore. This Friday the vet will try to flush the stones out of her bladder so she won't need surgery. I hope this works. I'd feel a little better about traveling if I knew Dawn was completely healthy again. So far, so good. She seems a little more subdued than usual, but that could just be the weather.

So far there have been no roof leaks. I wonder what caused the roof to leak before? The rain we've gotten in the past two days had been much heavier than the rain that actually did cause the roof to leak. It's one of life's many mysteries. I still hesitate to repair the sheetrock in the ceiling though. I can almost guarantee that as soon as I patched things up and painted again, the roof will immediately start leaking and I'll be back to square one.

I'm trying to resist the occasional urge to turn the blog into a political rant. It's hard to avoid current events these days and everybody has an opinion. That's part of the problem. There is too much anger and way too many opinions. I've thought for years that we were governed by idiots. Nothing has happened recently to change my opinion. I think it's ironic that there is this big push to make it easier to vote. We should really be making it harder to vote. At a bare minimum there should be some sort of an intelligence test involved. Oh, well. I do believe in Karma. It's a shit show out there, but we are probably just getting what we deserve.

Maybe I'll get my car safety inspected tomorrow. I'm starting to run out of time. I'm always running out of time.

Toby is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4253

Dawn's paws continue to improve. The redness has subsided and fur is starting to grow back. She only has to wear the cone when we are both out of the house now. We're still not sure what caused Dawn to quit licking. It could be the new allergy medicine or it could be the antibiotics that finally got rid of her bacterial infection. Very occasionally she still had the desire to bite at her paws, but the whole situation is much, much better.

All three boys are still at the kennel. Someone looked at Bullet this week, but he didn't get adopted. The dogs were in fine spirits today and were all very playful. We got a new soft toy for Charlie and this time he didn't get weird with it. He just tried to get the squeaker out and destroy the toy like a normal dog. We had to put it away after a while because it wouldn't have survived the afternoon. The boys are pretty rough on toys and very few things survive. There is a solid red rubber ball that is indestructible, but only Bullet likes to play with it. The bright yellow Kong football has held up pretty well, but the best toys are two rope octopus toys that all three dogs love to thrash around with. Charlie, Cooper and Bullet are all great dogs. They are healthy, lots of fun, and will make great pets for the right person.

Dawn is still not walking very far on our sunrise walks, but she seems happy enough with her one mile loop. I wish the temperature would stay like it is when we take these early morning walks. It was very pleasant at 6:30 AM. At 3 PM, when I decided to take my own long walk, it was almost unbearable. I should have gone to the gym today, but I just didn't feel like it. Maybe I'm starting to worry about Covid again, or maybe I just didn't feel like driving. The gym just didn't feel like a good option today.

Somehow, I finished my full six mile route. I stopped at the spray fountain twice though and wet myself down. The elastic knee brace definitely makes the long walk easier. I just need to remember to wear it. I thought we might get some rain this afternoon. The sky got dark and I heard thunder in the distance, but the small storm must have passed to the North of us. My opinions about rain have changed a bit as the days get hotter. I welcome a little rainfall now. These short summer storms don't appear to cause the roof to leak and they keep the yard looking green. An old fashioned all day rain still causes a lot of problems, but we haven't been having that type of weather lately.

I'm old enough to remember the fall of Saigon at the end of the Vietnam war. The current exit from Afghanistan seems exactly the same. What were the generals thinking? Instead of getting on television and talking endlessly about diversity training and flying rainbow flags at Army bases, they should have remembered there was still a war going on and figured out how to get all their expensive equipment out of the country instead of just giving it to the Taliban. They had six months to plan an orderly exit. Nope. Can't do that. Lets have chaos instead. As a result, the Taliban now owns some of the most sophisticated military equipment on the planet, all courtesy of us. Say what you will, but Biden owns this mess. You can't keep blaming your predecessors forever.

I can't figure out how so many healthy people are already getting their third Covid shot. A third shot isn't even authorized yet unless you are severely immunocompromised. I think that people who want a third shot are just walking up to their local pharmacy and telling their pharmacist that they haven't been vaccinated yet. It's weird world we live in. You've got people who refuse to take the vaccine at all and then you've got other people who'd take ten shots in a row if they could.

Pogo is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4252

Yesterday's rain did cool things down a bit. It was pleasantly cool on our sunrise walk and we were able to take Dawn on her Sunday outing as well. We had a nice, traditional breakfast of bacon, eggs, and toast and then I took my long walk right after breakfast. I've started wearing an elastic knee brace and it really helps. I didn't feel like my right knee was constantly popping out of joint today. My body felt surprisingly normal. I like days like this because clearly nothing else in the world is anywhere near normal.

Dawn did very well on her Sunday outing. She added another mile to her sunrise walk and didn't appear tired at all. Cooler temperatures make a huge difference. It may seem weird to call temperatures in the eighties cool, but that's the way it is in Texas. Eighty degrees is always a lot better than one hundred degrees. When we went for ice cream after our walk, there was a line of cars at the drive up window.  We haven't seen this for a while. Maybe we were just a little later today. We didn't get a free pup cone this time, but the ice cream was still good.

The Union Pacific Big Boy steam engine that we went to see last year in Palestine, Texas was in Fort Worth this weekend. Somewhat surprisingly, I had no interest in seeing it again. Maybe it was the difference between a pleasant drive in the country and a congested drive to another big city. Janet and I have actually ridden on the yellow passenger cars that were part of today's train, although they were pulled by a different engine. Quite a few years ago Union Pacific brought a special historic excursion train to Dallas and we managed to get tickets. Train travel is still appealing to me. In my younger years I've taken the Great Northern Empire Builder from Seattle to Chicago. I've also ridden the Sante Fe Super Chief and other historic trains. Amtrak doesn't even come close to these grand old passenger trains, but even the worst Amtrak train is better than most airlines.

It's sad to see what is happening in Afghanistan. What a colossal waste of money and American lives. We were there for twenty years and accomplished absolutely nothing. You'd think we would have learned after Vietnam that these types of 'nation building' wars are pointless. Biden could have done a much better job of getting out, but we shouldn't have been there in the first place.

I thought my Fitbit was broken this morning. It was completely dead and didn't appear to take a charge. Sadly, I've become addicted to this thing. Looking at stats and comparing one day to another brings a certain structure to my days. Lord knows there isn't much else in today's world that provides a reference point. At any rate, I was mad that I had no sleep data from last night. I thought I might have to go out and buy another Fitbit this afternoon, but I left the Fitbit on the charger while I took my long walk and eventually it must have remembered the battery was dead and started recharging. Crisis averted. I know it shouldn't matter how many steps I get in a day, but it does.

We've got to decide whether to keep Dawn on the allergy medicine or not. She's definitely not biting or licking her paws as much, but it might have nothing to do with allergies. It could have been that the MRSA infection was causing intense itching or even pain. I guess it makes sense to continue the medication until her paws heal and then discontinue it for a while to see if the licking returns. Maybe trial and error is the only solution. Dawn's bladder stones need to be removed as well. I hope the vet is able to flush them out. This would be much better than surgery.

It's time to visit the rescue Dalmatians again. I'm not sure if Bullet is still there. I think someone was looking at him last week. Janet got a new toy for Charlie. That's always interesting.

Freckles is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4251

Life is full of little surprises. The battery in my smart key fob went dead and I discovered that I couldn't start my car without it. You'd think this would be a simple fix, but it wasn't. I couldn't figure out how to get the old battery out of the key fob so I went to the Internet for help. Before I could find what I needed, a sudden storm appeared and the power went out. I called in the power outage on my phone and then attemped to restore our WiFi connection using back-up power. I couldn't find everything I needed, but luckily the power came back on about an hour later. I found a YouTube video that showed how to disassemble the key fob and replace the battery, but I didn't have the correct battery in my watch battery box. I found another video that showed how to start your car without the key fob and went to the grocery store to get a new battery. Everything is fixed now, but it took an enormous amount of time to do something that should have been very simple.

I'm glad went to the gym and I got all my grocery shopping done this morning, because we got a lot of rain this afternoon. There was quite a downpour and I wasn't expecting it at all. So far the roof hasn't leaked. This doesn't really mean anything though. Water could have gotten inside the elastomer coating on the roof and is still working its way toward a crack in the ceiling. I'm not really sure where to put a bucket out, because the leak could basically appear anywhere. Hopefully the rain is over and a new leak won't appear. I'm very tired of roof leaks.

The gym was surprisingly crowded this morning and so were the grocery stores. It appears that people are determined not to go back into lockdown mode. When we were taking Dawn on her sunrise walk, we passed a large group of people running together. They didn't appear to be worried about anything. I worry a little, but still find it strange that the pandemic feels so distant from me. I probably wouldn't even know that Covid exists if it weren't for Facebook and cable news.

Dawn isn't licking as much today, so maybe the new allergy pills she's taking are working. She also doesn't seem to have as much energy, so maybe the pills have something to do with that as well. I'm probably overthinking this, but I don't like the idea of solving Dawn's problems through trial and error. Maybe there is no other way. Dawn may know what's bothering her, but she sure isn't talking. 

Every time the power goes out there are all kinds of things that need to be reset. I've already reset the two dehumidifiers and a few clocks but I'm sure that there are all sorts of things that will surprise me tomorrow. I'm sure the coffee maker won't turn on at the correct time but I don't want to mess with it now. A lot of things seems to have a life of their own in this house. Some stuff will reconnect to the WiFi network automatically when power is restored, but other things won't. At least the lights are on and the computer is working. I'd love to have one of those whole home backup generators, but they are very expensive and our power outages usually don't last that long.

Maybe today's rain will keep thing cooler tomorrow. I hope so. Last week it was too hot for Dawn's Sunday outing although we still got ice cream. The gym is closed tomorrow and I don't want to sit around the house all day. Let's hope for no roof leaks tonight and walking weather in the morning.

Elliott is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4250

Dawn's infection is gone. There was no bacteria in the cultured sample this time. This is good news. We've still got to get rid of the bladder stones though. She has an appointment next week and the vet is going to try to flush out her bladder first and try to avoid the need for surgery. We still may need surgery though because the infection will reoccur of the stones remain in her bladder. There was some talk of doing a CT scan to see if there was anything else going on in her abdomen, but we decided to take things one step at a time and see if getting rid of the bladder stones solves her problems. The new allergy pills Dawn is taking now appear to be working. She hardly tried to lick her paws at all today.

I scheduled a service appointment for my car today and was surprised to discover that the first availability for a loaner car was September 28. Jeez. I asked what the problem was and the service guy said that the chip shortage we've been hearing about was so bad that the dealership was having problems keeping cars on the lot. They have started to sell their loaner car fleet as used cars now. They said they could do the service sooner without a loaner car, but I'm not falling for that again.  Whenever the dealership says they can get the car back the same day, you're usually still waiting four days later. I still need to get my car safety inspected this month, but I can do that anywhere.

Dawn seemed slow on her walk this morning. Maybe it is the new allergy pills she's taking. I hope allergy medications don't affect her the same way they affect me. When I take antihistamines or even something like Allegra, I just don't feel right. It feels like there is a constant buzzing in my head. It's almost better to have the allergies. Luckily allergy season is over for a while. I wish dogs could talk. It's always hard to tell how medications affect them.

The gym seems different now. It feels like the early days right after it first reopened. More people are wearing masks while they exercise now. There is no requirement to do this, but some people must be worried. The gym is so large and empty that being near other people is rarely a problem. There were less than ten people in the entire place this afternoon. I saw no need to keep my mask on while I exercised.

The treadmill I use is near a TV that is permanently tuned to HGTV. I've noticed that these home improvement shows all follow a fairly rigid formula. First a designer leads a couple through a house that looks completely messed up. A wall is always removed to "open the place up." A huge amount of time is spent choosing ceramic tiles for a kitchen backsplash. Usually the old carpet is ripped up to reveal a pretty hardwood floor underneath that everyone wants to keep. Finally pine cones and arty little nicknacks are placed on shelves, throw pillows are strategically placed on the couch and the couple is invited back in to ooh and ahh. I'm sure the cooking shows follow a formula too, but those TVs are in another part of the gym that I seldom use.

We had spaghetti for dinner tonight. I know this will give me heartburn, but it is still one of my favorite meals. Other than the occasional acid reflux, I'm feeling pretty healthy. My dermatologist keeps leaving me text messages to make an appointment, but there is nothing wrong with my skin. I feel like staying far away from hospitals and medical facilities right now. It's time to make a grocery list again. I feel sorry for the grocery store people because they're probably going to have to put all those "Stay six feet apart" stickers back on the floor that they just got finished scraping up. Hopefully nobody starts hoarding toilet paper again.

Emma is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4249

We got some bad news at the vet today. Dawn has some large bladder stones that will need to be surgically removed. The stones never showed up on x-rays, but the vet did an ultrasound today and they were very obvious. The vet thinks the stones are one reason why her infection had been so hard to get rid of. We still don't know if her last course of antibiotics worked, They will have to do another bacteria culture to determine that. 

I asked the vet if lithotripsy could be used for dogs. I had this non-invasive procedure many years ago to remove my own bladder stones and it worked very well. Bacically the procedure uses shock waves to break up the stones and then the debris is passed through the urine. Evidently lithotripsy does work on dogs, but very few vets have the equipment needed. There is a mobile veterinary lithotripsy truck that travels around the country, but the vet didn't know where it was currently. He said the procedure is quite expensive and that surgery is much more affordable. At any rate, we will probably need to have the surgery done soon so we can clear up her infection before it becomes even worse.

We still don't have any answers about Dawn's obsession with licking her paws. It could be a behavioral problem. It could be allergies. It could be something medical that hasn't even been diagnosed yet. The vet seems to think Dawn needs to wear a cone all the time because it only takes five minutes of licking to undo a week of healing. He showed us a special soft cone that she could wear all the time. I guess we'll order one. She's also trying a new medication that is supposed to be very effective with certain allergies. I gave the vet a list of Dawn's weird behaviors in hopes that this might lead to a quick diagnosis. He wasn't very impressed and still thinks the process of elimination through trial and error will eventually solve the problem.

It was way too hot today for a walk in the park. Even our sunrise walk felt a little warm, although we did have a nice breeze this morning. We always seem to run into the dog that bit me many years ago on our early walks. The dog is well behaved, on a short leash, and listens to his owner better than Dawn listens to us. Nevertheless, it still makes me very nervous to be anywhere near this dog. It probably shows. I always move as far out of the way as I can when we pass on the street.

There is a new mask mandate in Dallas, but nobody seems to be listening. Admittedly, I don't get out that much, but so far I haven't detected any change in people's behavior at all. Few people were wearing masks at the vet and it is largely a symbolic gesture at the gym. Most people seem more angry than worried. Everybody had plans for the Fall and now those plans are in limbo again. It's a shame that everyone wants to blame someone else for their Covid woes. I think that even if the entire country were vaccinated, we would still have problems with the variants. The variants are all coming from other countries and the entire society just can't seem to stop traveling. Just stop traveling for a while. It's a no-brainer.

I keep hearing that "everybody took the polio vaccine so why won't they take the Covid vaccine." Jeez. It took years and years to develop an effective polio vaccine. The first polio vaccines actually gave people polio. The smallpox vaccine never worked on me because I never developed a scar on my arm. Doctors couldn't decide whether I had a natural immunity to the disease or if the vaccine just didn't work so they kept vaccinating me over and over again. Lord knows how many smallpox vaccinations I received as a child. I guess the point I'm trying to make is that it's hard to defeat a microscopic organism that trying just as hard to survive as we are. You've got to be patient. Masks aren't the problem. Human behavior is the problem.

The trip to the vet was the big event for the day. I wrote a letter to my sister, took it to the post office, and went to the gym. That was about it. I did remember to take the trash out to the curb though. Hopefully, the sanitation people will remember to pick it up tomorrow.

Ellis is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4248

I was aprehensive about my root canal today, but it all turned out well. The endodontist was very good. The only pain I felt was to my wallet. Yikes. I had no idea a root canal would be $2200. The endodontist said I had unusually deep roots, but I think he was just an expensive dentist. The whole procedure seemed quite complicated. Every time I thought we were done, the endodontist pulled out a different instrument and did something else. 

At one point during the procedure I thought I smelled burning flesh. I mentioned this and the dentist said there was a small amount of dead tissue inside the tooth, but that I might have smelled burning rubber instead. Nope. This was burning flesh. I smelled the same thing when the dermatoligist burned off keratosis growths on my skin. It seems weird to have spent so much money and the tooth looks exactly the same as it did before. I'm glad the root canal is done though. It's one more loathsome thing I can check off my list.

I didn't have my smoothie this morning and didn't feel like eating much for dinner tonight. This is as close to dieting as I get. Tomorrow I'll be back on my regular schedule. The numbness in my mouth has finally worn off and their is no pain or soreness in the tooth. It's weird when your entire tongue feels numb. A dentist is a lot like a fancy mechanic in many ways. As I listened to the endodontist ask his assistant for different tools this morning, it sounded a lot like they were working on a car.

We tried to get Dawn to walk a little longer this morning because we knew she would be alone for a while inside the house. She wasn't interested though and just wanted to do her short one mile loop. She has to wear a cone now while we are away. Just to make sure I won't have to wash all the bedding again, I put a waterproof drop cloth on the bed as well. On top of this goes Dawn's favorite dog blanket. It all works out pretty well, but I still feel bad that she has to wear the cone. I tried to make it up to her when I returned home. I sat outside with her for at least half an hour and she had a good time rolling in the grass.

When the anesthetics wore off about mid afternoon I decided to go to the gym. There was a huge traffic jam at the Covid testing site today and I had to take a detour. Something has clearly changed. This site has been here for quite a while, but I've never seen so many people waiting to be tested before. There were more people wearing masks while they exercised at the gym today as well. I hope the gym doesn't close again. It might though. We are definitely headed in the wrong direction.

Dawn goes back to the vet tomorrow for some more tests. Hopefully the MRSA infection is gone now. I keep thinking that this has to be related to the itching and paw licking. There's always a chance that the licking is purely a behavioral problem, but this doesn't make sense to me because Dawn has been with us for well over a year and never began obsessively licking her skin until recently. Old vet records show that Dawn had a bacterial infection when she entered the rescue program. Maybe the initial treatment she received didn't completely clear up the infection and it gradually returned. Who knows at this point. We've got to get this problem solved though. Dawn is not a happy dog right now.

I've got to get my car safety inspected soon. It's time for a new sticker again. I guess I might as well make an appointment for my regular scheduled maintenance as well. I hate to throw even more money down the drain, but I'm tired of seeing that 'service required' light come on every time I start the car. I wish I'd have a month or two with no expenses at all. That's not going to happen though.

Hannah is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4247

Last year at this time we were in the middle of a pandemic. Apparently, we still are. A year has gone by and it feels like nothing has happened at all. We were taking sunrise walks with Dawn last August because that's what you do when the weather gets hot. I was waiting for things to open up so I could resume attending launches again. I'm still waiting. Last year there was a big stained spot in the ceiling where the roof had leaked. The spot is still there. It's hard to get enthusiastic about anything. Sometime I wake up in the morning and think "That's it, I'm done." Then I get up, make the bed and get ready for our sunrise walk. There is a cadence to each day that is very familiar. It's easy to get from breakfast to dinner without a lot of thought. I often feel like complaining about my many aches and pains and then I remember friends who have cancer or aren't even here anymore and realize I have nothing to complain about at all. Life is good. I just need to appreciate it more.

I called the dentist office to confirm my appointment for tomorrow. I wanted to make sure I could drive to and from the appointment on my own. I don't know why I thought I might be sedated for the procedure, but I've never had a root canal before. They assured me that getting a root canal wasn't much different than getting a filling. I'll be glad when this is over. Having dental work done is the least satisfying way of spending money I can think of. I've thought about getting dental insurance but it really doesn't cover very much. My teeth are pretty good so I'll continue to take my chances. Hey, three cavities in seventy three years isn't bad at all.

Dawn hates the new larger cone, but it keeps her from reaching her rear paws. She only wears the cone while she's on the bed because that's where she does the most damage. While she's walking or active around the house, she seldom pays any attention to her paws. If I feel sorry for her and take the cone off, it won't take five minutes before she starts going after the paws again. It's frustrating. Dawn has a vet appointment this week to make sure her bacterial infection is gone. Hopefully the vet will have some answers about the obsessive licking for us.

I really should have gone to the gym today, but I didn't feel like driving. I took my long walk instead and was very hot. There aren't many people in the park on days like this. A few bicycles passed me on the trails and I think I saw one or two other walkers, but the place was basically empty. I completed my six miles, but when I returned home I was done for the day. 

I wonder how Facebook decides what to show me? I'm not very active and seldom reveal my interests. I always erase the cookies on my computer at the end of the day as well. The blog is just a JPEG image on Facebook,  so I doubt that they're reading that. Nevertheless, my feed is filled with pictures of guitars, reviews of the new Ford Bronco, and updates from NASA. They've actually got me pegged pretty well. There used to be lots of information about watches on my feed, but somehow Facebook has learned that I've lost interest in watches. Even though my timeline is mostly pictures of Dalmatians, I get very few sponsored posts about dog products. It's all very curious.

I don't think I'll have time for my morning smoothie tomorrow. My dental appointment is in the morning and the whole ritual of preparing and drinking the huge smoothie takes forever. Maybe I'll just have a small bowl of fruit instead. I could always skip breakfast entirely. I'm definitely in no danger of starving.

J-Lo is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4246

We met Bullet today. This four year old male is the newest member of the rescue program and probably won't be with us long. He's healthy, good looking, and very friendly. Bullet loves to play and we had a lot of fun getting to know him. I have a feeling that he's going to find his forever home soon. I took some pictures of Bullet for the rescue website and then we made sure to pay equal attention to Charlie and Cooper. All three dogs were happy to see us today. Each dog has his own distinct personality and they'd all make a great pet for the right person. I wonder if we'll see Bullet next week? I think there's a family looking at him already.

We had to get a new longer cone for Dawn before we left for the kennel because she's learned how to reach her back paws wearing the shorter one. The new cone seemed to work, because there were no signs of damage when we returned. Dawn doesn't seem to mind the cone and mostly just sleeps while wearing it. She took her last antibiotic pill today, so hopefully she is clear of the bacterial infection now. The vet will want to culture another sample to make sure and then we'll move on to solving the paw licking problem. 

I still feel like I'm not getting enough sleep. When we took our sunrise walk this morning all I could think of was going back to bed. I stayed up though because by the time we returned to the house, I was wide awake. Monday is never a terribly busy day, but it usually seems that way. After I made the bed and fixed my breakfast, I charged my camera batteries and got ready to go to the kennel. I'd been using my new Olympus camera to take dog pictures recently, but reverted to the Panasonic GH-4 because it seems to work better under the low light conditions in the kennel playroom. I'm wondering why I got the new camera now. It isn't that great for astrophotography and I think I like my old cameras better for dog pictures. 

There wasn't enough time to take a long walk this morning, so I went to the gym late in the day after we returned from the kennel. I guess I'll keep going to the gym, but the relentless news about how bad the Delta variant is becoming in Texas is making me feel like laying low again. I'd really hate to get Covid now after keeping myself safe for over a year and a half. My gym is never crowded and it's probably even safer than going to the grocery store, but you never know. Obviously somebody is getting this disease because hospitals are filling up again and they say Dallas is running out of ICU beds.

I'm really sick of the pandemic. It's very difficult to make plans because things keep changing. I feel foolish even trying to contact people at NASA or Patrick Air Force Base about upcoming launches because I know I'm not going to Florida anyway. By the time Covid has run its course and disappeared, I'll probably have to start over from scratch on my quest to become a space journalist. 

Janet would like to travel too, but I doubt that either of us will be going anywhere soon. It's probably just as well. We've got our hands full with Dawn anyway. Tomorrow will be a repeat of today except that I won't be going anywhere. On Wednesday I get my root canal done. Such an exciting week.

Nautica is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4245

Sundays are usually just a lot of walking. Today was no exception. The gym isn't open on Sunday and I'm finally learning to take my long walk early in the morning to beat the heat. We took our sunrise walk with Dawn, came home to eat breakfast, and then I immediately left again on my long walk thru the park. Today was actually fairly pleasant since there was a strong breeze. The wind kept me cool, even though the sun was out most of the time. I'm really learning to appreciate a cloudy day. Most of my yard work takes place on cloudy days now. I was able to complete my full six miles today. It wasn't a big accomplishment, but I'm willing to settle for small accomplishments lately.

When I returned to the house, I took a few minutes to cool down and then we took Dawn on her Sunday outing. We didn't overdo it this time and only walked Dawn a short distance. Today was mostly about the ice cream. The ice cream place surprised us by offering Dawn a free pup cone. This was new. Usually we order two small vanilla cones, eat part of them ourselves, and then give the rest to Dawn. Dawn seemed to like the idea of having a whole cone to herself. Of course, she still got some of ours as well. We try to be careful that she doesn't overdo it. I'd hate to discover that she was allergic to ice cream and that was what was causing the paw licking. 

I'm having trouble remembering to take the antibiotics the dentist gave me. I take them on a different schedule than my regular morning and evening meds and anything new is a problem. I'm such a creature of habit that I do virtually everything the same way day after day. You'd think adding one new pill wouldn't be a problem, but new isn't in my vocabulary anymore. You might think my interest in rockets and astronomy is new, but I've actually been interested in these things since childhood. I just got distracted from childhood interests during my working years.

Dawn has figured out how to reach her rear paws even with her cone on. It's really been an uphill battle to control the licking. We think we're making progress and then there'll be a setback where we'll catch her chewing on her paws again. It's always three steps forward, two steps back. Usually, it's our fault for leaving her unsupervised, but you can't watch a dog 100% of the time. Dawn is nervous around me anyway. If I was following her around all day long and reprimanding her for trying to attack her paws, she'd be even more nervous. I don't think I'm the problem with the paws though. Janet said she started the licking while I was away during my last trip to the observatory.

You'd think with unruly passengers on airplanes, nonexistent rental cars, and a surge in Covid infections, that I'd already have enough reasons not to visit Florida. Now there's something new. I saw a notice that Titusville residents have to boil their water because E. coli bacteria has gotten into the city water supply. It makes you wonder what's next. Maybe it's a good thing that two dentists have dibs on all my money this month. I can't be tempted by rocket launches for a while.

I need to remember to take my camera when we visit the Dalmatians tomorrow. I've heard that there's a new dog at the kennel. I don't know much about this four year old owner surrender, but I'm fairly certain he'll like squeaky toys and tasty treats.

Lilly is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4244

It was a busy Saturday. We took our sunrise walk, but Dawn still isn't wanting to walk very far. Where did that little burst of energy come from a few weeks ago? We're trying to use up some things that partially thawed when the freezer malfunctioned last week, so we had a package of toaster waffles for breakfast. They were actually pretty good. When I ran my Saturday errands, I got some long foam tubes at Home Depot to make more professional looking inserts for my camera case. I also filled the car with gas, picked up some salicylic acid at the pharmacy, and did my grocery shopping. Everybody was wearing masks at Sam's Club, but almost nobody was wearing masks at Central Market. Go figure. It's Hatch Chili season again in Texas. I don't understand the fascination with Hatch Chilis, but for one month a year, you can get Hatch Chile pound cake and cookies, Hatch Chile Sourdough Bread, Hatch Chile potato salad, Hatch Chile burgers and rotisserie chickens, along with all sorts of Hatch Chile concoctions at the deli counter.

Since I got started early, I was still able to make it to the gym before they closed at 1 PM. You have to wear a mask when you check in now, but you can take it off as soon as you get down to the gym floor and start exercising. I don't know what this proves, but we are all pretty good about following the rules. Some people continue wearing their mask during their workout, but most don't. I don't spend as much time at the gym on Saturdays, but I did get my steps and fill all the rings on my Apple Watch. I'm continuing to work on upper body strength, but I don't know how much progress I'm making.

I've started taking the antibiotics the dentist prescribed for my root canal. Dawn and I are both taking antibiotics now. Her paws are starting to look a little better, but I don't know if this has anything to do with the meds she's taking. I think it's mostly because she's wearing a cone a lot now. We always put the cone on when we're both going to be out of the house. You don't have to leave Dawn unsupervised very long before she starts biting at her paws again. 

When I went to the gym today, there was a line of cars wrapped all the way around the block at the Covid testing site. New pandemic fears certainly aren't stopping people from shopping though. Grocery stores were full today and the Northpark Mall looked like it was Christmas. There wasn't a parking place anywhere. I picked up Chinese take out for dinner and PF Chang's was absolutely packed. There wasn't an empty table in the place and everybody was seated close together. This is all very confusing to me. When you turn on the television, the sky is falling. When you're out in the community, everything seems normal. 

I basically don't trust anyone now. I don't trust what the government is telling me. I think the strangers I see are probably all infected with horrible diseases. You certainly can't trust the media anymore. Every time you change the channel, you get a completely different story. I wonder if anyone's done a study to see if extroverts get infected with Covid more frequently than introverts? I bet they do. They always seem to trace a big spike back to a party or a wedding.

It's a weird world we live in. They still haven't found the missing cobra in Grand Prairie. This snake will never make it all the way to Dallas unless it is already in someone's car. I guess we're safe on our Sunday outing tomorrow. I don't know why I'm worried about cobras. The park is full of poisonous snakes anyway. 

Lou is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4243

This is a bad time to be a hypochondriac. You can't turn on the television without being bombarded with seemingly apocalyptic health news. Are more people getting infected now than during the height of the pandemic? Are hospitals full again? It's hard to tell what's really going on. Every time I venture out in the world, everything seems normal. I only know one person who has gotten sick during the last year and he recovered quickly. I know a lot more people who have gotten cancer than have gotten Covid. Why all the fear mongering? It is unnecessary. Every time I have a runny nose or wake up with a scratchy throat, I have to go to Google and see if that might be a symptom associated with one of the new variants. At my age there are probably a lot more immediate health issues to be concerned about. Jeez. I got the vaccine. If you didn't, that's your business.

I'm so glad I am no longer a landlord. I used to own rental property and I know I would have gotten stuck with a tenant who used Covid as an excuse to stop paying rent. I don't really understand extending the eviction moratorium. The economy is doing great. I've never seen so many help wanted signs in stores. You could easily get a job if you wanted one these days. You could probably get a better job than you had before. I think I have more sympathy for the landlords than the tenants. There are definitely easier jobs than owning a few rent houses. I had endless problems with tenants. I'm glad that chapter is behind me.

There is a cobra loose in the neighboring town of Grand Prairie. Who keeps a six foot West African Banded Cobra as a pet? I know I would be really mad if a neighbor let their pet cobra escape. It would be hell to worry yourself sick about Covid and then end up getting bit by a cobra instead. I should just stop watching the news. There is too much weirdness going on. They say the Gulf Stream is slowing down and could drastically change the climate on the East Coast. The West Coast seems to be perpetually on fire. Are these the end times? I have friends who think so.

I don't know why I thought today would be a good day to take a long walk. It was even hotter than yesterday. I guess I just didn't feel like driving today. I completed my full six mile route, but I was really starting to wonder what I was doing outside. I'm glad I discovered the misting station in the park. I sprayed myself with water on both the inbound and outbound segments of my journey, but it didn't take long for the water to evaporate. I read an article recently that said walking consistently was one of the best forms of exercise and included a long list of health benefits. I hope this is true. Walking is still enjoyable for me because it is the best place to daydream.

I need to start taking the antibiotics prescribed for my root canal tomorrow. I take the pills for four days prior to my procedure and then for four days afterwards as well. I'm not looking forward to this. I've never had a root canal before. I've had relatively few fillings over the years as well. All good things come to an end I guess. I'm certainly spending more time at doctors and dentists these days than I did in my 30's and 40's.

Dawn had a good day. There weren't as many problems with licking her paws today and she seemed to enjoy her morning walk. I hope Dawn is happy, but I'll never know for sure. Dawn is an enigmatic dog. Dealing with Dawn's problems is as far as I want to go with problems. I'm definitely not going to solve the world's problems. I doubt that you are either.

Margo is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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