Day 4339

When I was walking through the area where the eagles live this morning I was surprised to see a car flipped over on its roof on one of the small service roads that cut through the park. The accident must have just happened because a fire truck and EMS vehicle were arriving as I approached the car. The driver was an older woman who didn't appear to be seriously hurt. How could this have even happened? The speed limit is 20 miles per hour on these roads and I can't imagine that the woman was driving fast. My guess is that she was looking for those two eagles and inadvertently drove over one of the low barriers at the side of the road. Whenever I see something like this it makes me realize that life is full of surprises. The last thing I expected to see this morning was a car flipped on its roof in an empty section of the park.

Other than witnessing a weird car accident, it was a pretty uneventful day. I did manage to find the Reed's Extra Ginger Brew I've been looking for. I doubt that drinking more ginger ale and less beer will make me any healthier, but this stuff is real tasty. It's not as sweet as other brands and has a strong ginger taste. I should have done a few more errands while I was out of the house but I didn't feel like it. One task a day is plenty for me.

The new photo backdrop arrived today. I guess I'm ready for another season of Christmas pictures. It's probably time to buy some new photo umbrellas, but I think the two I've got will make it through one more season. My equipment is getting pretty old, but so am I. My knees are getting so bad now that I'm going to need an assistant to pull me up off the floor after photographing the little dogs. Maybe it's time to add a cane to my photo gear.

I watched the Crew 3 launch on the Space X live stream this evening. I wished I could have been there. Everything looks so familiar when I watch these launches on television. I'm getting to know Kennedy Space Center pretty well. I've asked my Florida photographer friends whether this ever gets old and the answer is always no.  There's something about watching a launch in person that is completely unique. I'm sure I'll return to Kennedy Space Center, but it might take a while. I'm hoping to be down there for the launch of Artemis 1 next February.

I just heard a severe weather warning on the television. Where did that come from? Its been nice out for most of the day. I just checked the weather radar and sure enough a big storm system is headed our way. I'm glad I didn't go up on the roof and clear the water away this afternoon. That would have been a wasted effort. I alway worry about downed or uprooted trees during storms. We've lost trees before and it's always a huge mess.

This week has gone quickly. Every day feels like Ground Hog Day, but that's OK. Tomorrow we'll walk Dawn at dawn. I'll brew some coffee and eat my bowl of shredded wheat. I'll take a long walk through the park and hopefully won't see any more auto accidents. I need to write another letter to my sister, but I really don't have much to say.

Puppies are todays Dalmatians of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4338

Today was quiet and uneventful. I woke up to a pretty sunrise. We took Dawn on her early morning walk and then I came home and ate a bowl of shredded wheat. After breakfast I took my long walk and was amused at how many people are out looking for the eagles with binoculars. The nest location hasn't been revealed, but everyone seems to know where it is. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has been dispatched to protect the nest from foot traffic, but I don't think there will be a problem. By all indications, the nest is located in a swampy area that is not very accessible. That doesn't mean people won't try. Today I saw a helicopter circling the area. I'll bet the two eagles loved that. I'm not sure why a pair of eagles would choose Dallas as their home. Actually, I'm not sure why anybody would choose Dallas as their home.

Today's NASA teleconference was interesting. I wasn't terribly surprised to learn that the Artemis program was going to be a lot more expensive than expected and that the moon landing had been delayed for another year. They don't expect the Artemis III mission, which will land two astronauts on the moon, to take place until 2025 now. I had a couple of questions ready to ask, but by the time CBS News, The New York Times, The Discovery Channel, The Washington Post and other well know outlets had finished asking their questions, the moderator announced that they had run out of time and the event was over. Even The Verge, a very popular website, was at the very bottom of the question list. Before the first five minutes had passed I knew they weren't going to get around to my question.

DHL was supposed to deliver our new photo backdrop for Santa Paws pictures today, but it never arrived. So much for German efficiency. I thought the package would be arriving on Monday the 15th, but I got a message this morning saying that it was already out for delivery. I was kind of hoping that this delivery would be more reliable than FedEx or UPS, but apparently not. Oh, well. We've still got a lot of time. With any luck at all, the backdrop will still be here in time for Christmas pictures.

We may still get some Fall color after all. When I was taking my walk today I noticed that some of the Oak trees were starting to turn red. A few other trees have turned yellow, but I can't remember what species they are. The trees are turning a lot later than they did last year. Maybe it is because it has been warmer than usual. We often have a hard freeze by this time of year and occasionally we've even had snow. Personally, I'm pleased by the warmer weather. I was never a big fan of snow.

I've discovered that the extra strength Ginger Ale I've been looking for is available at Target. I never even thought of looking there. Maybe finding some Reed's Extra Ginger Brew will be my mission for tomorrow. At the moment I can't think of anything better to do. A lot of grocery stores will tell you  exactly how many items are available at specific stores on their websites now. This would be pretty amazing if it worked. In my experience, this inventory information is almost never accurate. The humans entering and updating the information are still the weak link in the chain.

Dawn comes out and watches me fix her dinner now. She barks at me like I'm some kind of servant, but I still consider this progress. Maybe by the time Janet starts to travel again, we'll be best friends.

Dot is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4337

It only took one day to adjust to the time change. It seems more natural to wait until it gets light to get out of bed. It get dark earlier, but now that I've adjusted the timers on the lights in the house, I hardly notice the difference. Dawn wasn't demanding dinner at 4 PM today either. I guess we're all good to go for what will hopefully be a mild Winter.

Monday is always a very quiet day at the park. I encountered very few people on my walk today. It looks like the park department is getting ready to do some road construction. They were marking sections of the main road through the park for replacement. This is how they seems to do road repairs these days. Instead of repaving the entire road, they just cut out potholes and bad chunks and replace them instead. Most of the roads in the city look like patchwork quilts of concrete and asphalt. 

The ducks, geese, and pelicans were all in their regular places this morning, but I haven't seen the eagles in several weeks. They are still residing in the park because people report sightings just about every day. Maybe I'm just not taking my walks at the right time. I'll never be one of those people who hang out for hours with a camera or binoculars hoping to catch a glimpse. The eagles are certainly impressive, but they are not even as large as some of the pelicans. 

Since it was Monday, we spent the afternoon visiting the Dalmatians at the kennel. I thought Pepper might have been adopted by now, but she was still there, along with Charlie and Oliver. Sock, a Dalmatian Rescue alumni, was being boarded there this week as well, although he has a new name now. Somehow I always remember the dogs by the names they entered the rescue program with. Most owners rename the dogs after they adopt them. We've renamed some of our dogs, but not all of them. Dash was originally named Boomer and I think Petey had another name as well. We left Dawn's name alone, because she was older and already seemed to know her name. The change from life as a breeding dog to life as a spoiled pet was enough for Dawn. She didn't need a new name to remember as well.

On the way home from the kennel, Janet needed to stop at a Walmart to get some things. I try to avoid Walmart at all costs, but am always surprised when I step inside one of these stores. They are huge and seem to be so poorly organized that you have to aimlessly wander through every aisle in the store to find what you need. This is probably by design. Janet seemed to be able to navigate the store pretty well though. The only thing I tried to find was Reed's Extra Ginger Brew. This is the only soft drink I like and it is becoming impossible to find. The beer I like, Four Corners Local Buzz, also seems to be disappearing from the shelves. Grocery stores have become so computerized now that they only restock the popular items. If you like something that everybody else likes, you'll find entire aisles of the stuff. Otherwise, you are generally out of luck.

I need to remember the NASA teleconference tomorrow. I got the dial in number and passcode to join the conference today. I've participated in a couple of NASA press conferences before, but the other ones were in person. I guess this will be kind of like a Zoom meeting. I seldom end up asking questions at these type of things. If I even think of a decent question, some other reporter usually ends up asking it first.

I really need to go up on the roof and remove the remaining water. I know it's still up there, even though nothing is leaking now. I know that when the water in the back yard birdbath has evaporated, that the water on the roof is probably gone as well. I keep watching the bird bath and it's still full of water. Hopefully, I can find something more exciting than sweeping the water off the roof tomorrow. At least I'm going to try.

Spot is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4336

I've been waiting for this day. It's daylight when we walk Dawn in the morning again. I've never really understood the time change anyway. Noon should always be when the sun is at it's highest point in the sky and we should just adjust our schedules accordingly as the days get longer and shorter. I don't think that Dawn would agree with this philosophy though. She seemed very indignant that I didn't fix her dinner at 4 PM today. Personally, I don't mind it it's dark when we eat dinner. I've usually finished all my outdoor activities by early afternoon.

It would have been another 20,000 step day if I had remembered to wear my Fitbit this morning. I always do a lot of walking on Sunday. Dawn enjoyed her sunrise walk and still had plenty of energy when we took her on her Sunday outing around noon. In between, I took my regular long walk in the park and added another five miles to my total. While I was out, I encountered some sort of marathon race. There were lots of people running, but none of them were going very fast. I must have encountered the stragglers at the end of the race. The winners had probably already finished before I entered the park. I suppose that running is excellent exercise, but all I saw today were a bunch of future knee replacements.

Since it was such a nice day today, I decided to mow the grass. At this time of year I always hope that this is the last time I have to mow and that I can put the mower away for another year. It seldom works out that way. If we get a lot of rain and there isn't a freeze, the grass just keeps growing. I'm going to remain hopeful though. Maybe I won't have to mow again until next Spring.

There seems to be virtually no Fall color this year. The trees seem to be going directly from green to brown. In previous years there would be a lot of reds and yellows in the park by now. Every once in a while we have a spectacular Fall. This year is kind of blah. I wonder why? It seems like the warm days and cool, crisp nights we've been having lately would be perfect for vibrant Fall colors.

The proton pump inhibitor I've started taking seems to be working. Last night's chili didn't give me heartburn. I haven't had acid reflux for several days now. I still have misgivings about taking a PPI though. Stomach acids are actually essential for digesting food and preventing bacteria from developing. You just don't want the acid escaping into your esophagus. We'll see how long my doctor wants me to continue this medication. If the answer is forever, we may have problems.

My watch winders are all starting to die. I guess they are getting pretty old. I keep thinking that a watch winder should last forever. It's just a simple motor that rotates the watch for a while combined with a circuit that turns the motor off for about 17 hours to let the watch unwind. I've never had a watch winder that lasted ten years. Some haven't even lasted five. I guess this shouldn't even matter since I seldom wear a mechanical watch anymore. The Apple Watch has replaced all the watches I used to wear. Watch collecting just seems like a strange hobby now. How did I ever get interested in the first place? 

At least I'm still interested in dogs and rockets. I'm interested in astronomy when I'm out in West Texas. Here in Dallas the light pollution is so bad that it's hardly worth the effort to look up at the sky. Most of my interests wind up in the storage warehouse eventually. Am I fickle, or is this just the way it works? The storage warehouse has become a museum of things I am no longer interested in.

Chase is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4335

I was surprised at how much prices had gone up when I went grocery shopping this morning. Janet had warned me that things would be more expensive, but this was fairly spectacular. A two pound tub of strawberries was over $10. Granted, these were the more expensive organic strawberries, but I've bought these things for $2.50 before. Gas has been creeping up in price as well. I've noticed that lines are starting to form at places where gas is the cheapest. I wonder where this will end? It's certainly not very encouraging.

As least my car starts easily now. Hopefully with a new battery and a recently completed scheduled maintenance, I will be good to go for another year. I don't drive much anymore so it doesn't seem fair to have car problems. I need to save my money and my energy for the house problems that are going to need attention soon.

We had no problems with loose dogs this morning, but Dawn wasn't interested in a long walk. It was a nice day and we tried to get her to try a new route, but she let us know that she preferred her short one mille loop.  We saw another Dalmatian on our walk this morning. It's rare to see a Dalmatian in the neighborhood these days. The owner lived on the other side of the lake, so she was either taking a very long walk or had driven her dog over here for a change of scenery. 

I probably need a change of scenery on my own long walk. My route has become so familiar now that I've practically memorized every step along the way. There are other routes I could take, but on most days it just doesn't matter. I'm not sightseeing when I take these walks. I'm just trying to stay active and get some exercise.

We'll see how good the new PPI I started taking is at controlling heartburn. We had chili for dinner tonight. Chili, spaghetti, pizza, and several other of my favorite meals have been pretty much off limits for the past year or so. Chili was generally number one on the heartburn register, so I'm a bit skeptical about whether a little green pill can change all that. It's worth a try though. If I still have heartburn tonight, it certainly won't be the first time.

My new editor at SpaceFlight must work all the time. I get messages from him on the weekends now. This never used to happen with the old editor, who was more my age. I guess there's a changing of the guard at the magazine. I miss the old familiar faces in my life. One by one they are all starting to disappear. My advertising friends are just birthdays to remember on Facebook now. Even some of the people I've met out at the observatory are starting to retire. I'm not terribly worried about being replaced by a younger writer at the magazine though. Writing is becoming a lost art. All the younger folks want to do podcasts and videos.

Where did this week go? It's almost time for Dawn's Sunday outing again. It's should be a nice day with a lot of walking. It's too bad my feet still hurt. Even with bad feet, I still prefer walking to lifting weights though. Walking is the perfect activity for daydreaming.

Spot is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4334

It was pretty clear that I really did need a new battery when I tried to start the car this morning. Luckily, I was successful and the engine eventually roared into life. I drove to the new Land Rover garage I discovered and got the battery I needed. I was both pleased and discouraged by the new place. They were extremely fast and very professional. I liked them. Unfortunately, prices were just about the same as the dealership. I could have saved a lot of money if I just bought a battery myself at the Interstate Battery store. Like I mentioned earlier, it's not that easy though. Once the car has been disconnected from a source of electricity, a number of security settings have to be reset. I suppose there are YouTube videos that would explain how to do this, but YouTube videos have not been very helpful to me in the past. I paid the inflated price and will probably use this garage again. All things considered this was a much better experience than going to the dealership.

The doctor who examined my esophagus and did my colonoscopy earlier this week called today with the results of the biopsy samples they took. Nothing abnormal was found in my esophagus, but some pre-cancerous cells were discovered in the small polyp that was removed from my colon. None of this seemed alarming to the doctor, who said I should plan to repeat the EGD/Colonoscopy procedure five years from now. She also prescribed a proton-pump inhibitor to help control my acid reflux. There are some side effects to taking a PPI for an extended length of time, but like the doctor explained, there are side effects to everything, including continual acid reflux. 

When we started our walk this morning, one of the neighbor's dogs came after Dawn. The dog didn't hurt Dawn, but she was terrified. She was also scared when the guy who owned the dog started yelling at it. It was pretty obvious that Dawn remembered the attack that ultimately led to us fostering her while she recovered from some pretty serious wounds. For the rest of the day, she acted very fearful. Hopefully, this isn't a big setback, because we were really starting to make some progress. The whole event could have been avoided if the guy had just kept his dog on a leash. One of my pet peeves is unleashed and unattended dogs in our neighborhood. You never know what is going to happen.

It was another nice day today. We got Dawn to walk by avoiding the neighbor's house and going in the opposite direction. Later, I took my long walk and wished I'd worn a lighter jacket. At this time of year you can be freezing when you start a walk and hot by the time you finish. I see people looking for the eagles almost every day now. They are in the area, but are fairly illusive. I've managed to see one of the Bald Eagles in the air once and a few days later noticed another sitting on a tree limb. I doubt that I will see them often. They don't hang out with the other birds.

I got a message from my editor at SpaceFlight wanting me to participate in a teleconference about the Artemis program. I guess I can do this. Maybe the NASA teleconference will help me write future articles.  I really wish the magazine could help me get credentialed more consistently. Covid restriction have made it difficult for me. I guess I shouldn't complain though. The magazine doesn't pay expenses and I really can't afford to make the trip to Kennedy Space Center more often than I currently do anyway.

I hope that Dawn isn't scared tomorrow morning. She loves her walks and it's hard to get to the park without going down the street with the loose dog. It's always something these days. Life in the city is usually three steps forward and two steps back. It takes a lot of patience.

Coach is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4333

I can now cross one more medical exam off my list. I saw the urologist today and got a good report. I don't have to see him again for another year. Sometimes I can't decide whether routine yearly exams from every doctor you've even seen in your life are just a way to pad doctor's incomes, or if they are really necessary. I guess they are necessary. Most of these exams are to check for early signs of cancer. So many of my friends have had cancer that I'm all for early detection. In the early stages, cancer often has no symptoms. By the time you realize something is wrong, it can be too late. I only have one more exam this year and then I'm done. I'll have to call the dermatologist and schedule that soon.

The only problem I had today wasn't with my body, it was with my car. I had a hard time starting the car this morning, which is usually the sign of a bad battery. It was very cold this morning and I haven't used the car in almost a week, but still it's probably time for a new battery. I don't want to get stranded on a cold day. I was determined to avoid the Land Rover dealer this time and went straight to the Interstate Battery store on the way home from the doctor's office. I was convinced that batteries would be less expensive there and they were. Unfortunately, I was told that the store couldn't put batteries in Land Rovers, along with several other makes of late model cars. Evidently, changing a battery on my car causes several security circuits on the car to lose their settings and only the dealership has the codes to reset things properly. I'm screwed. Remember the problems I had with the "service required" light on my dash? There are lots of other things that try to force you back to the dealership.

I still didn't want to go back to the Land Rover dealership, so I called an independent garage that works on Land Rovers. Usually you have to drop off your car at this place, but they said they could put in a new battery for me while I waited tomorrow afternoon. I'm going to go ahead an do this even though I could probably squeeze another month or two of life out of the old battery. Batteries don't give you a lot of warning when they die. I've been stranded before and it can ruin your day. Hopefully, the car will start tomorrow when I take it over to the garage.

My feet didn't hurt at all this morning when I took my long walk. Go figure. There is not a lot of rhyme or reason to this. Some days my feet are painful and other days they are not. Since I do virtually the same things day after day, this doesn't make a lot of sense to me. I'm not a podiatrist though and I do walk a lot. I'm just going to chalk this up to old age.

Venus is so bright right now that I thought I was looking at an airplane coming toward me while I was taking out the trash tonight. The light didn't move though, so I checked a star chart when I got back in the house. It was definitely Venus. Friends out at the observatory say that Venus is bright enough now to cast a shadow. I've even seen pictures that prove it. You'd never see this phenomenon in Dallas. There are too many street lights and left over Halloween decorations casting their own weird shadows. I really miss the dark skies of West Texas, but I've pretty well resigned myself to waiting until next Spring to make the trip. Milky Way season is already over and it's starting to get cold up on the mountain. I definitely don't want to make the long drive in the Winter. I've heard too many stories about stranded motorists on icy freeways. 

I guess the big event tomorrow is getting a new battery. It's not very exciting, but I'll regret it later if I don't do this now. Maybe I'll ask these guys what they'd charge for several other repairs I'm going to need within the next year. It wouldn't be hard to beat the dealership prices. I hope my car will last until car prices become reasonable again. Right now they are insane because of low inventories caused by the chip shortage. Even used cars have gotten way too expensive just because there are so few cars available. You never know what is going to happen next. Maybe next month there will be a battery shortage.

Ginger is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4332

What a cold, rainy day. I didn't even want to get out of bed this morning. Neither did Dawn. It was 10 AM before I could even get her to go outside and pee. It rained quite a bit during the night and continued raining for most of the day. There was a small leak in the office, but the main trouble spot in the living room stayed dry. I really wish I had liked at least one of the roofers I interviewed earlier in the year. Now that the rainy season is here, it would be nice to have a new roof.

I resumed eating normally today. I still have a bit of a stomach ache, but that is to be expected when you've had tubes and cameras inside of you. I have one more scheduled doctor's appointment tomorrow and I still need to make an appointment with the dermatologist, but this Fall's medical marathon is about to come to a close. Hopefully I've been checked enough so that I'm good to go for another year. I guess I still need to reschedule a trip to the dentist too. I think they're forgotten that I still have a cavity that needs to be filled.

The rain finally stopped early this afternoon and Dawn was eager to walk. This was the first day it really felt like Winter. I wore a warmer coat and put some leggings on under my jeans. We thought about putting a sweater on Dawn, but she seemed to enjoy the colder weather. The only bad thing about the new Hoka shoes I'm wearing now is that my feet get wet almost immediately when Dawn decides she wants to walk in the grass. I was hoping that she'd stay on the trails today, but she likes to smell things. 

After we'd made our one mile loop, Janet and Dawn went home and I continued walking. I had the park to myself today. There were no bicycles and very few joggers. I like days like this. It's very peaceful, but I do need to find some waterproof boots that don't make my feet hurt. I can't wear the heavy boots I've worn for years any more. After the first mile or so, my feet start to say no. Somebody needs to make a tough, waterproof leather boot with a sole like the Hoka shoes.

I kind of wished that I'd gone to see the Rolling Stones last night. I saw both previous shows at the Cotton Bowl, but this time it was way too wet and cold for me. I didn't have tickets either. Tickets for big concerts have gotten way too expensive. Tickets to the Steel Wheels tour were only $17.50 back in 1981. A little more expensive these days. I was well connected back in the day and got free tickets to the Steel Wheels Cotton Bowl Show. I think I still have a couple of unused tickets in a box somewhere. Janet and I both had good jobs when we went to the Voodoo Lounge show thirteen years later and the price of concert tickets wasn't a big deal. I probably should have gone. There might not be an opportunity to see the Rolling Stones again. These guys are even older than I am. The Stones are currently missing a drummer and a bass player. All that's left of the Beatles is a drummer and a bass player. They ought to get together for one last tour.

I think it is supposed to be even colder tomorrow. I'm glad our furnace is still working well. Furnace problems and cold, rainy weather always seems to go together at our house. Winter is not my favorite season. I still walk and maintain my regular routine, but I'd prefer that the temperature was 72 degrees all year round. Oh, well. Like the Rolling Stones say, "You can't always get what you want."

Wolfgang is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4331

Well, I've got two more medical procedures behind me now. I think everything went well. My upper GI endoscopy has the longest name imaginable. Technically the procedure is called a esophagogastroduodenoscopy. The doctor wanted to do a follow-up biopsy of my esophagus when they discovered that I had a condition known as Barrett's esophagus. Very rarely Barrett's esophagus leads to esophageal cancer, so early testing is always wise. I think they discovered why I have reflux issues so often. The upper part of my stomach protrudes into my esophagus a bit. The doctor didn't think this was serious and said most people learn to live with it. Surgical options are available, but I'd rather just learn to eat foods that don't cause reflux.

The Colonoscopy I had done at the same time also went well. They removed one very small polyp from my colon. Polyps are very common at my age, so I was pleased that I only had one. The worst thing about today's Colonoscopy was the prep liquid I had to drink last night. This always seems like an enormous amount of water to drink in a single evening. I was up most of the night. I was hoping that this would be my last Colonoscopy ever, but the doctor said since they found a polyp, I would have to have one more five years from now. I might also need to have one more upper GI endoscopy, depending on the results of today's biopsy.

Hospital visits are always interesting. The administrative part of the visit is always slow and tedious, while the medical part is usually very swift and efficient. I think I sat in the waiting room this morning for longer than it took to do the procedure. When you sit in a waiting room for any length of time you realize that most patients are older and many are extremely overweight. Old people are why health care is so expensive. If we just threw the old people to the wolves, health care would be a lot less expensive. Since I am an old person, I'm happy to get good care though. I do try to do my part to stay healthy. I stay active, exercise a lot, and eat healthy food. No fast food for this guy. It's probably been decades since I've been to a McDonalds.

Janet wanted to vote today, so we stopped at our polling place while she was driving me home from the hospital. It was a cold, rainy day and the only things on the ballot were a bunch of constitutional amendments. No one was actually running for office where we live. You have to be careful when you vote for propositions or amendments. They seem to be worded as obscurely as humanly possible. If you don't read the ballot slowly and carefully, it's easy to end up voting for the opposite of what you intended.

I missed getting a minimum of 10,000 steps for the first time in a long time today. The doctor said it would be OK to take a walk later in the day, but it was raining outside so walking was out of the question. I can't decide whether to leave the pumps running tonight. If the pumps run dry, there's a chance they can overheat, but if I leave them off there's a chance of a roof leak. We need the rain, but rain is never my friend. Rain disrupts my walks, Dawn gets dirty on her walks, and there's always that pesky roof leak.

The Rolling Stones are in town tonight. It's a sign that I'm getting older that I have no desire to sit out in the cold at the Cotton Bowl and hear them in the rain again. Been there, done that. It always seems to rain when the Stones come to the Cotton Bowl.

Puppies are today's Dalmatians of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4330

Today started normally and ended weird. We took Dawn on her sunrise walk and then I had a bowl of green Jello for breakfast. The Jello was delicious compared to the Colonoscopy prep medication I'm drinking now. This stuff is vile and I have to drink a gallon of the disgusting liquid before I can call it a day. I couldn't eat solid food at all today, but that wasn't as bad as I thought. Coffee and Jello for breakfast really isn't that bad. Hot chicken broth for dinner wasn't terrible either. I used the same chicken broth we put on Dawn's food.

In between all the weird food was a fairly normal day. I took a long walk this morning and Janet and I visited the Dalmatian Rescue kennel this afternoon. Charlie, Oliver and Pepper are still there and are as playful as ever. Since there are three very playful dogs at the kennel now, we are spending more time there than we used to. Charlie is still the best trained of the three. We are trying to teach Oliver and Pepper some new commands but they both have short attention spans. They are all very food motivated, so we use treats to teach them new things. Sometimes this works and sometimes it doesn't. Everyone has fun though. I was surprised that Pepper was still there this week. She is small and very friendly and cute. Typically a dog like this gets adopted almost immediately.

I wish I'd been able to take the newer Colonoscopy prep medication. The new stuff still tastes terrible but you don't have to drink nearly as much. When I asked why I was given the older prep kit, a nurse told me that it was the only thing Medicare covered. It's a shame that I wasn't given a choice. I would have paid retail to be able to drink less of this stuff. As it is, I'll be up till midnight and that doesn't even count all the times I'll have to get up to go to the bathroom later.

Actually the upper endoscopy test I will be having tomorrow is more serious than the colonoscopy, but all I can think of is the colonoscopy because of the prep liquid I have to drink tonight. I hope I didn't make a mistake agreeing to have the EGD and the colonoscopy done at the same time. I've had both of these procedures done before and the recovery period is very quick. Usually you are back to normal the next day. Janet wants to go vote tomorrow after she picks me up from the hospital. I have a feeling that I might be a little groggy for that. There are just some obscure propositions on the ballot, but we always like to vote.

One thing I hate about all the medical appointments I'm having lately is that I have to answer my phone more often. You never know if the call is important and doctor's offices seldom seem to enable their caller ID. To avoid missing medical calls, I end up answering a lot more spam and telemarketing calls by mistake. I feel under siege by telemarketers lately. We must get twenty unwanted calls every day. I don't know what these guys have to gain by calling me. I never want what they have to offer.

Janet drops me off at the hospital early tomorrow morning. I hope everything goes well. I'm really looking forward to eating a decent meal again tomorrow evening. I'm certainly not hungry now though. I haven't drank this much liquid at one time since my last Colonoscopy over ten years ago.

Jada is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4329 - Halloween

There were more tricks than treats today. I started the day with a Covid test. This is a new requirement before you enter the hospital for anything these days. I assume that my test will be negative, but they'll let me know before I go in for my combo EGD/Colonoscopy. The test only took a few minutes. It was much easier to go to the hospital than to wait in my car forever at one of those drive-thru testing facilities.

I stopped at the pharmacy on the way home and there still wasn't a Colonoscopy prep kit waiting for me. I had a feeling that the prescription got sent to the wrong pharmacy. I wasn't sure how I could let anyone know, since the doctor's office was closed today, but I eventually found a number for the on-duty nurse at the hospital. She called me back in fifteen minutes and filled my prescription on the spot. Now all I have to do is drink the vile stuff.

Dawn was in an adventuresome mood this morning, so we took a longer than usual sunrise walk. This was before my Covid test, but I still got to my appointment on time. Later in the morning we took Dawn on her Sunday outing and we walked some more. The weather was still nice today, although it warmed up quickly after the sun came up. Dawn has grown to expect her ice cream cone on Sunday. I guess I have too. Dawn's Sunday outing has become a nice tradition.

After a short nap I took my regular long walk. My pace was slower today since I'd already done a lot of walking. At the end of the day I'd taken 22,000 steps and my watch told me that I'd achieved a personal best for my number of exercise minutes. It didn't feel like I'd done anything special today, but I did keep moving.

I think adults like to dress up for Halloween more than children do these days. When I went to the hospital for the Covid test I saw people in costume. The staff at the pharmacy were wearing Halloween costumes too. I even saw a couple of cyclists on my walk wearing costumes. I guess children still like Halloween costumes too, but I don't see many children these days.

We never get trick or treaters at our house. We live on a busy street with lots of traffic. There are auto accidents all the time and no sane parent would ever let their kids trick or treat on this street. I don't think there are many kids in the neighborhood anyway. They have all grown up. The kids that used to go trick or treating when we first moved here are in college now. Halloween is a non-event around here. We didn't even get a pumpkin this year, although I do like pumpkin soup. I wish pumpkin soup was a Halloween tradition.

Tomorrow is a fasting day. I get to have Jello for breakfast and a cup of chicken broth for dinner. That's about it. No fiber, no fat, no dairy products of any kind. Basically everything I like is off limits. The Colonoscopy prep stuff I have to drink is disgusting, but the good news is that this is the last colonoscopy I will ever need. Typically you have the procedure every ten years, but they stop when you reach 75. I wish all medical procedures stopped when you reached 75, but sadly they don't. The older you get, the more you see the doctor.

Roxy is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4328

Every time I go shopping, the world seems a little more dysfunctional. The stores are far from empty, but I'm having a harder time finding what I need. I used to find everything in one store. Now I have to go to three. Gas has been more expensive in the past, but it's definitely creeping up there again. The increasing prices and decreasing inventory isn't dramatic, so you don't really question it. You just wonder why your grocery bill keeps getting a little higher every week.

The doctor still hasn't filled my colonoscopy prep prescription. This might be a problem. I tried to call the doctor's office but they were closed for the weekend. When I called the pharmacy, nobody answered. The pharmacist I've known for years isn't there anymore. He either retired or quit. The kids that are running the place now seem very disorganized. Of course the front desk at the doctor's office seems a little disorganized too. I'll see if I can sort out the problem tomorrow when I go to the hospital for a pre-admission Covid test. I guess multiple Covid tests have just become a regular part of modern life. I keep expecting life to eventually return to normal, but maybe all this is normal now.

I'll be glad when the time changes in early November. It is completely dark when we get up in the morning now. We wait until the sky lightens a little before we leave on Dawn's sunrise walk, but we still need to take a flashlight. The flashlight isn't really to help us see. It is mostly so cars and cyclists can see us. We used to have a little red light that we clipped to Dawn's collar, but it got lost. Pretty much anything you clip to a dog's collar will eventually get lost. One vigorous shake and it's gone.

It's still nice and cool for my long walk, but I'm getting tired of walking. Maybe I need to go back to the gym for a while. The park seemed congested today and my feet are starting to hurt again. I think I prefer walking on cold, gloomy days when I'm the only one in the park. Right after a rain is usually a good time. The air smells fresh and there are a lot fewer bicycles when the roads and trails are wet. Since it was a nice day, everyone was out and about. I shouldn't complain about foot traffic in the park though. It isn't nearly as bad as traffic on the roads. Traffic was horrible when I was grocery shopping today. It doesn't matter when I leave the house. It always feels like rush hour.

After my last astrophotography workshop I joined several astrophotography groups on the Internet. I still read these things every day but it it is becoming clear that I don't have the same temperament as most of the other amateur astronomers. They will spend weeks planning and executing a single shot. To get good results, you often have to take hundreds of images and then combine them all together using special software. It's a slow tedious process and very often things go wrong and you have to start over. My roots were in fashion photography, which actually made me well suited to taking pictures of dogs. I'm pretty good at capturing a moment, but I find technical photography boring. I like to see the results right away. I still love to look at the night sky though and am eager to return to the observatory again. Maybe next Spring.

Until then, I'll continue my regular routine here in Dallas. It looks like it will be a good day for Dawn's Sunday outing tomorrow. I scheduled my Covid test early tomorrow so I will be back in time for a walk and some ice cream.

Puppies are today's Dalmatians of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4327

I ran a bunch of small errands today. I picked up the prescriptions my doctor called in when I had my physical exam a few days ago. My prescriptions always get renewed whenever I have an exam whether I need more pills or not. Now I've got too many pills again. I got a new aerator for a bathroom faucet at a plumbing supply store. I forgot to have the plumber replace this when he was out to the house a few weeks ago. It was surprisingly hard to find an aerator that fit because the faucet was European and had different threads than most faucets. I took my vaccination card back to the doctor's office so the nurse could add my booster shot information. Now I'm wondering what the new electronic card on my phone is good for if it can't be updated. Actually, it probably can be updated, but it will take most doctors forever to learn how. My doctor didn't even know there was an electronic card. Since the colonoscopy doctor was just across the hall from my regular doctor, I visited them too to ask if they'd filled the prep kit prescription yet. Nope. I hope they remember because their office isn't open this weekend. I wasted a lot of time doing not very much, but all these things needed to be taken care of.

It was still windy and cold today. It's time to start wearing long sleeved shirts again. There's a fine line for me between pleasantly cool and cold. It was getting pretty close to cold this morning. I have a coat for every season, so I was comfortable walking, but I still enjoy shirtsleeve weather the best. Dawn certainly seems to enjoy the cooler weather, although the wind sometimes scares her. She took a longer sunrise walk today on a very brisk early morning.

My arm doesn't hurt any more from the Covid shot. I don't feel as tired either. I guess this means that I have no excuse to keep postponing mowing the yard now. I keep wanting to wait a little longer so I only have to do this one more time this season. It's hard to predict when the grass will stop growing. Occasionally we'll get a warm spell in December and the grass will start growing again.  I should probably get a yard service like all my other neighbors, but we have a small yard and mowing is actually good exercise. I don't like mowing the grass at all, but I do like being self sufficient.

I ran all my errands today early in the afternoon, hoping that there would be less traffic. This plan didn't work at all. Traffic has gotten so bad in Dallas that it seems like rush hour all the time now. If doesn't matter when I leave the house. There are always a ton of cars on the road. There's always a lot of construction too, which makes things even worse. I definitely miss the empty roads of far West Texas. I won't be going back there any time soon though. I'd better get used to life in the city for a while.

I have this urge to buy more gadgets when I really should be saving my money to fix things around the house. I keep putting things off because I hate the idea of having strangers inside the house. Other than the plumber and my HVAC guy, I don't know anyone I trust anyway. When I used to own rent property I always had repair work done between tenants. It's a lot easier to work on a house when it is empty. When you are actually living in the place, even simple things like painting or replacing carpets can be problematic. Just removing all the books from the bookshelves in my office so someone could paint behind them would be a nightmare. Workmen are always going in and out and leaving doors open too. That just doesn't work when you have dogs. 

Tomorrow is grocery day again. Where does the time go? My list is a little longer this week, so I'm going to get started as early as I can. Anything to avoid the crowds.

Dakota is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4326

Dawn got a bath today. I'm sure she thought we were going for ice cream when she hopped in the car. She certainly seemed disappointed when we arrived at the self-bathe place instead. I don't mind a dirty dog, but Janet prefers a clean dog sleeping next to her. My sense of smell isn't so good, so I probably wouldn't know the difference even if Dawn was filthy. I'll have to admit that Dawn's fur does feel soft and smooth again though. The lady that owns the facility clips Dawn's nails and does her anal glands while we are there. We've never been very successful at doing these things ourselves.

The plumbing company still hasn't received the check I sent them almost a month ago. I called today to see if they wanted me to cancel the check and pay with a credit card, but the bookkeeper told me to wait another week or so. They have discovered what the problem is. They typically send prepaid return envelopes with their invoices and evidently the post office is holding on to over a hundred of these invoices because the woman who processes them quit and they haven't finished training her replacement yet. How hard could it be to process a postage paid envelope? I always thought they were treated just like any other piece of mail. You don't see postage paid envelopes very much anymore, but they used to be very popular. I remember using them quite often back in the day. Needless to say, the plumbing company isn't very happy with the post office. I don't blame them. Mail service for all types of mail has deteriorated recently, but a month to get a letter delivered less than ten miles away is pretty extreme. If I had known this was going to be a problem, I would have just gotten in the car and driven the check over to the plumbing company.

In other dysfunctional news, I read an article that people in North Texas are camping out in front of DMV offices at 2 AM just to get a good place in line to get their driver's license when the office opens the next morning. Evidently the influx of people moving to Texas and chronic staff shortages have caused a huge backlog at the DMV. It can take over a month to get an appointment to renew your license or take a driver's test. Who knew? I haven 't been to the DMV in years because I started renewing my license online as soon as that became an option. I hope they get this all sorted out before I have to go back in person to take the vision test again.

It was cold and windy today. In fact, it was so windy that I had to hold on to my hat frequently while I was taking my long walk. Several times I felt like the wind was going to blow me off the trail. I didn't make very good time today, but I don't think it was the wind that slowed me down. I'm still feeling tired because of the Covid and flu shots I got the other day.  My arm doesn't hurt as much at the injection site anymore, so hopefully my energy will bounce back soon. This shot seemed to pack more of a punch than the first two, but I will feel safer traveling on an airplane now.

I have to go back to my doctor so the nurse can add the booster shot information to my vaccination card. I thought I wouldn't need the card anymore now that you can download an official vaccination record to your phone. When I showed my phone to the nurse she said, "What good is this? I can't write anything on your phone." The whole idea of these vaccination cards wasn't thought out very clearly. They don't fit in your wallet and in most cases there is no corresponding electronic record. You should be able to update all this information electronically. Right now, it's a mess if you happen to lose your card.

Janet had a meeting tonight, so I took a long nap on the bed with Dawn. She seemed reasonably relaxed and stayed on the bed with me the entire time, but was sure happy when Janet returned. I don't think this dog is every going to be best friends with me.

Abi is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4325

I now have a flu shot in one arm and a covid booster in the other. The rest of my exam this morning was fairly routine. The doctor always asks what medications I am taking, even though he was the one who prescribed them in the first place. He listens to my breathing with a stethoscope, tests my reflexes, asks a few questions, and then a nurse comes in and draws my blood. The whole process doesn't take very long and it is always the same. I hope doing this every six months keeps me healthy, but life is full of surprises. 

The doctor never told me that I would need gallbladder surgery this year. He did ensure that I got excellent care while I was hospitalized though. You can't ask for more than that. I still believe in preventative medicine. That's probably why I have so many exams every Fall. I still need to see the eye doctor, the dermatologist, and the urologist. There's that Colonoscopy/EGD procedure coming up soon as well. I guess I'll have to add one more doctor to the growing list of people keeping me alive.

I had to fast this morning because of the blood work. No breakfast today. When I got home from the doctor I was hungry and fixed myself a ham sandwich. It's hard to believe that I used to eat lunch every day. When I worked at the ad agencies, lunch was a big deal and we ate a lot. It's amazing that I never gained weight. I'd certainly gain weight if I ate three meals a day now. Breakfast and dinner is plenty these days. Sometimes I don't even feel like dinner.

It rained a lot last night and there was a very small roof leak in the office. The pumps worked well, so hopefully there isn't still a ton of water on the roof. I need to get up there and sweep the remaining standing water away. Now that it's cooler, the water just isn't going to evaporate. I hate going up on the roof now. I'm getting older and it seems much harder to climb up the access wall than it used to be. I guess I've got an excuse for a few days. My arm hurts from the covid shot. I was wondering if both arms were going to hurt, but it's only the left arm. I feel nothing from the arm that got the flu shot.

Last night's rain must have brought a cold front along with it. It was much colder today. I had to wear a light jacket on my long walk. The leaves are starting to drop, but I don't think we're going to get much Fall color. The leaves that were turning red last year are only turning yellow this season. The pelicans certainly seems to know that the seasons are changing. They are on the move now. When they first arrived at the lake, they just sat on logs for weeks at a time. Now they are swimming and flying around. They move around in large groups and usually the double-crested cormorants follow them. The pelicans always seem to know where the fish are and the other birds take advantage of this.

I really need to decide on a roofer and go ahead and replace the roof. I've been disappointed in every roofer I've interviewed, but the situation is just going to get worse if I keep ignoring it. I'm really getting tired of these leaks. I wish I'd never bought a house with a flat roof. I guess I'll never learn though. Every house I've ever owned has had a flat roof. 

Dash is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4324

Not a lot happened today. I wrote a letter to my sister and took it to the post office. I went to Home Depot and got a new plunger to replace the one I broke trying to clean out a slow drain last week. I went to Auto Zone to buy a windshield wiper blade for my car. I only needed one wiper blade because I bought the other one over a month ago when it was the only one in stock. Wiper blades at Auto Zone only cost a small fraction of what the Land Rover dealer was going to charge me. I had trouble finding a blade that matched the one that was already on the car, but the counter guy eventually found something for me in the back. Why did I do this today? Well, I have a doctor's appointment tomorrow and it is supposed to rain. Doctors frown on canceling an appointment because it is a rainy day.

I tried a different brand of shredded wheat this morning because the brand I'd been using had too many crumbs. When I got to the bottom third of the box, all I was eating was crumbs. When I opened this new box, the cereal inside looked exactly the same as the old box. It was so similar that it looked like it came from the same factory. What was I expecting? Did I really think that this cereal would be better because the picture on the box looked better. Maybe I should just go back to fixing myself an omelet in the morning.

There is some odd construction going on in the park. This morning I saw a bunch of small stone dams blocking some of the gullies that fill with water when it rains. Wire mesh held the stones in place, but water could clearly pass through the stone barriers. Was this some sort of erosion control or something else? There was also a huge pile of stones blocking a trail at one point. The cyclists who ride in the dark are going to love that. The park department definitely stays busy although I seldom know what they are doing. I wish the street department was this industrious. Potholes can stay in city streets for years without any attention.

I've noticed that a lot of people are looking for the eagles when I take my walk in the morning. I haven't seen the birds again, but the word is definitely out that they have arrived. If you see someone going from tree to tree looking upward, they are probably looking for the eagles. I even passed a city event sign that said "The Eagles have landed." I spend so much time in the park that I"ll probably see these birds again. I hope I have my camera with me next time.

I got an invitation in the mail to go to a focus group about cars. I like talking about cars, but I'm not sure if I'll attend. Focus groups usually pay attendees a small stipend for their trouble, but they are sometimes located far away and take place at inconvenient times. I'll probably talk myself out of this. I'm really reluctant to do anything new these days. 

I did order a new backdrop for this years Santa Paws pictures. We've got a ton of these Christmas themed photo backdrops now, but Janet thinks we need to make the set look a little different every year. She's probably right. I ordered the backdrop from China, so hopefully it won't be sitting on a ship somewhere when we do the Christmas pictures. I paid for expedited shipping, so I assume that this means it will be coming by air. We'll see. Hard to believe that it is already time to be thinking about holiday pictures again. Where did this year go?

I need to remember not to eat breakfast tomorrow. I have a physical exam scheduled in the morning to see if my blood work has finally returned to normal and I'm not supposed to eat anything after 10 PM tonight. Needless to say, I hate missing breakfast. 

Pearl is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4323

We definitely made the right decision when we adopted Dawn. Younger Dalmatians have way too much energy for us these days. Charlie, Oliver, and Pepper are fun to play with when we visit them at the kennel, but they'd run circles around us at home. I must have had a lot more energy when I was younger to be able to walk Dot and Dash at the same time. Dot and Dash slowed down a lot when they reached Dawn's age, but when they were young and healthy, there was no stopping them.

I thought that Pepper would be a little more subdued because the last time we saw her, we were taking her to the vet to be spayed. She was still wearing a cone when we saw her today but it didn't slow her down much. She appears to have fully recovered and I think she only has to wear the cone for a few more days. Pepper is very playful and unlike Oliver and Charlie, never appears tired. I think she would play all day if we had the time. I can't get over how large Oliver is for a young dog. Pepper is twice as old as Oliver, but only half the size. Charlie is the most energetic of all when we first arrive, but he tires more quickly than the others. He always lets us know when he is tired of playing and is ready for his treats.  As always, we had a lot of fun playing with the dogs while Dawn took a long nap on our bed.

On the way home we drove by Dawn's training class site and filled in the hole that Janet was afraid of falling in. When I saw the hole, I could see why Janet was worried. The hole was obscured by grass so it was hard to see, but it was quite deep. If a dog inadvertently got their paw in the hole while they were doing a training exercise, they could easily break a leg. A person could twist an ankle pretty easily as well.  While we were filling the hole, a city water utilities worker who was in the vicinity gave us a strange look, but said nothing. We only used about half of the bag of dirt I bought. We took the rest of the dirt home and  who knows what I will do with it. There are certainly no holes in our yard. Maybe I'll buy a plant and pot it in one of the big empty pots in the greenhouse.

I made good time on my long walk today. My speed must be related to the weather. On cooler days I always seem to walk faster. I still have a little foot pain, but I'm going to stop complaining about it. My bones are old and I do a lot of walking. I'd probably have the same discomfort if I spent a lot of time at the gym. Actually, I did have a lot of aches and pains at the gym. They were just different. I had problems with my shoulder when I was lifting weights and problems with my knee on the treadmill. I guess I should be happy that I'm still pretty mobile.

I did some bookkeeping this afternoon. Finally, my Florida trip, the expensive car repairs, and the plumbing expenses have all been paid for. Since I use a credit card for everything, expenses sometimes don't show up until several months after an event has taken place. It can be disorienting. The big charges are easy to remember, but some of the little ones remain a mystery. The only time I wish I was still working is when I am paying bills. The rest of the time I am very content to do nothing. 

I'm dreading my upcoming colonoscopy and EGD. It's a safe, routine procedure, but I'll have to go to the hospital and be anesthetized again. I've never liked being anesthetized. I'm not a very trusting person and I always wonder if I'm going to wake up again. I can't say that I like the prep for a colonoscopy either. That's just disgusting.

Luckily there's nothing to worry about tomorrow. It's supposed to be another nice Fall day. I hope this beautiful weather continues. After a month of clear skies and cool breezes, Winter is going to be a real disappointment.

Patch is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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