Day 4534

It's a little late, but the rain has finally arrived. I spent most of the day trying to avoid getting wet but I guess you can't avoid it forever. I did manage to get my long walk finished before the storms started and Dawn got her walk as well. Now we wait for the roof to start leaking. We've got quite a downpour right now and the pumps on the roof aren't working. It's not a good combination.

Other than waiting for the rain to start, it was a pretty slow day. I discovered that the shower drain was clogged when I was taking a shower today. I wish I'd discovered this before I was actually in the shower and already wet. I had to get dressed so I could go outside and get my tools to snake out the drain before I could continue. Water is not my friend. Between running toilets, slow drains, and leaking roofs, I've had just about all the water problems I can handle.

Dawn must have know that the weather was about to change because she refused to take a sunrise walk. It wasn't raining, but the ground was wet. That's all it takes with her. Luckily, Janet was able to give her a walk in the afternoon before the next round of storms hit. I think Dawn is much better at forecasting the weather than the apps on my phone. Yesterday they said the rain would start last night and continue all day today. The forecast was only off by 12 hours.

I wasn't feeling lucky today, so I postponed updating the star tracker app on my phone. It was tempting because there wasn't much else to do today, but I kept remembering that the last time I updated this app was when all my camera connection problems started. One of these days I'm going to have to deal with this. My phone keeps wanting to update apps automatically when they become available. I've had to disable this function and update apps manually, being careful to avoid the Benro app.

I wish I could get the pumps to work without going up on the roof. Sometimes when the extension cords to the pumps are under water for too long they short out and throw a circuit breaker. Other times, leaves and dirt clog the pumps and need to be cleaned out. Unfortunately, you never know that something is wrong until after it starts raining. Oh, well. It is what is is. I'd better go get the buckets ready. It will be a miracle if we don't get a leak tonight.

My problems always seem so minor whenever I turn on the news. I guess that's why I don't like listening to the news anymore. I often feel like I am witnessing the total collapse of society. If you are even a casual student of history you realize that all civilizations come to an end at some point. We've had a good run, but we may be nearing the end of ours. I wonder what the next Middle Ages will be like? Probably a bit like BladeRunner. I may be wrong but I keep thinking that globalization is behind many of the problems we are seeing today. Just because something is too big to fail doesn't prevent failure. It almost guarantees it. The world would be a better place if there were lots of tiny little powerless civilizations, all completely independent of each other. If one fails or goes haywire, the rest just continue on. Of course this wouldn't work in a world filled with jet planes and satellite phones. It wouldn't work if two tiny civilizations decided to join forces and take over a third tiny civilization either. Hey, I've got no answers. Maybe we just need a lot fewer people.

I hope this rain stops soon. I know that rain is a lot better than drought and wildfires, but water still makes me nervous.

Ziggy is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4533

We're getting to know the remaining rescue Dalmatians pretty well. Each of these dogs has their own distinctive personality. Charlie can go from calm to chaos in a fraction of a second. He's one of the smartest dogs we've known, but he definitely isn't a lap dog. He loves to show off and we've been able to teach him some amazing tricks. Oliver is a goofy clown who will fetch a toy or ball for hours. He's the only one who will bring the toy back to you so you can throw it again. Jo Jo is a gentle giant who prefers to be outdoors. He won't play in the indoor play area, but take him outside and it's a completely different story. He likes to hide his ball, even though it's always in plain sight. He's the only one who likes to climb up on a bench so you can pet him at eye level. Willie likes to play with a weird plastic ball that makes funny noises when it rolls along the floor. He prefers being petted to playing though. He's super affectionatee with people but doesn't seem to get along with other dogs. Rocket is a shy boy who is making amazing progress. He didn't even know how to play at first, but is definitely starting to enjoy playing with rope toys. They all love the treats we bring. It's a shame that these boys haven't been adopted yet. Each of their unique personalities would be perfect for some lucky person.

Today was unusually busy for a Monday. I paid some bills after breakfast and our early morning walk with Dawn. Then I shut off the computer and took the heavy uninterrupted power supply to the Interstate store to get the batteries replaced. I was hoping that the dead batteries would still be under warranty, but time flies and they were already two years old. No free batteries this time. I was amazed at how much prices had gone up since the last time I had to replace UPS batteries. The two batteries in the unit cost $95. That's more than double what the same batteries cost several years ago. Oh, well. One more sign that we are living in a crumbling, dystopian universe.

The weather was quite a bit cooler today and it would have been a good day to walk if my feet were cooperating. I joined Janet and Dawn on an afternoon walk after we returned from the kennel, but I felt like returning to the house with Dawn after she finished her short one mile loop. I did walk a little further, but not much. Even counting Dawn's two walks, I didn't even complete four miles today. Maybe I overdid things last week. Maybe my Hoka shoes are wearing out again. Who knows. My feet are definitely bothering me more than usual though.

Dawn is a funny monkey. When Janet is away she won't come out of the bedroom while I am fixing her dinner. I have to get everything ready and then return to the office before she will come out and eat. When Janet is home it's completely different story. She's a bossy little thing who is right out in the kitchen with me, barking at me constantly to hurry up and get her supper ready. I wish she was more comfortable being alone with me, but it is what it is. I'm sure Dawn has her reasons for all of this.

There has been rain in the forecast for several days, but I think it's finally going to start raining later tonight. I hope this current forecast is wrong because it shows an all day rain tomorrow which extends into Wednesday. It's a shame that we typically get all our rain for the year in one month. We've had plenty of rain lately and everything is green, but it will be bone dry again by July and August. An all day rain conjures up visions of roof leaks. I hope the pumps are still working.

There's already a new update for the star tracker. I'm afraid to install it though because it might break the fix the Benro folks sent me a few weeks ago. I'd hate to go back to square one again. I should leave well enough alone, but if I'm stuck inside on a rainy day, curiosity might get the better of me and I could end up installing the update anyway. Curiosity killed the cat, or so they say.

Willie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4532

What a difference a day makes. Finally, a proper Spring day. The temperature was in the sixties for most of the day and there was a nice breeze. Dawn was pleased with the situation and so was I. This would have been a great day for walking, but my feet refused to cooperate. This was a bad day for foot pain. After our two walks with Dawn today, I really didn't feel like walking much further.

Dawn really enjoyed our Sunday outing today. I think she knows where we are going by our schedule or maybe by what we wear. It's weird to see a dog get so excited to get in a car she hates riding in. The ride is short fortunately and pretty soon she is back on the ground again, tugging at her leash and smelling everything in sight.

After our walk, we always go for ice cream. The ice cream place raised their prices about a month ago, but now the price has gone back to what it used to be. There must have been complaints. There's always more than one way to achieve your objective though. I noticed today that the cones are smaller than they used to be. The cones used to be filled all the way to the bottom and now there's just a scoop of ice cream on top and the cone itself is largely empty. I feel cheated. Maybe the price increase would have been better.

Today changing the sheets was on the agenda. Why has putting on a fitted sheet gotten so hard? I struggle with lifting the heavy mattress and tucking in the bottom sheet now. This never used to seem like a difficult task, but my wrists still ache hours later. Now I think I know why my Dad started just sleeping on the top of his bed after Mom passed away. It was probably too much trouble to make the bed. Janet says I need to go back to the gym because I'm losing my upper body strength. She's probably right.

Today's long walk was just a short walk through the neighborhood. A lot has changed over the years. One by one all the small frame houses are being torn down and replaced by McMansions. I wonder how people can afford these monster houses or why they even want them. Who really needs a third story on their house? I'm old enough that I don't even like the idea of stairs.

I feel perpetually tired these days. After every activity I feel like taking a nap. You'd think that after a number of short naps I wouldn't feel like sleeping at night. That isn't the case at all. I go to sleep quickly and sleep soundly. Sleeping has become one of my favorite activities. I'm starting to remember my dreams better than my daytime activities. I lived in Seattle for several years right after I graduated from college and I can't ever remember going to the grocery store there. How did I eat? I remember furniture stores and art galleries, but no grocery stores. Weird. The other day I was thinking about a production house that I used to use when I started my business. I went there frequently, but now I can't remember why. What client was I working for and why wasn't I doing the work in my own studio? I could go on and on. I still think I'm pretty sharp, but I'm sure I've lost a few brain cells along the way.

I guess I'm going to have to get the uninterrupted power supply fixed tomorrow. I've already lost one computer due to power surges and I don't want to lose another. The UPS is heavy and awkward though, so I'm not looking forward to this. I'm definitely going to have to take a nap after finishing this chore.

Rosco is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4531

When I started seeing reports of people spending over $100 to fill their tanks, I didn't believe them. "How is that even possible," I thought. Much to my chagrin, I discovered that it would take more than $100 to fill my own tank when I got gas this morning. Yikes. This is a pretty steep increase from a year ago.

I stopped at the pharmacy on my way to the grocery store and sure enough, my doctor had renewed all my prescriptions again. "I don't need these yet," I told the pharmacist. "I won't need any of these for a very long time." I checked on the prices while I was there and all the meds were a lot cheaper using GoodRx. I really need to talk to my provider and find out why I have a prescription drug plan. Maybe I'm missing something, but it appears that I am paying a whole lot for nothing.

A lot of my favorite brands are being replaced by private labels at grocery stores. This started at Costco and Sam's Club, but other stores are doing it as well. The cost differences are often significant, but I have to wonder about the quality. I still believe that you usually get what you pay for. I don't really like this private label trend. I've been buying certain brands for years and it's frustrating when you can't find them anymore. Oh, well. I guess this is just one more sign that I'm growing old. I'm not a big fan of needless changes.

Today was another day where it was supposed to rain, but didn't. I took my long walk earlier today because I didn't want to get wet. I stayed dry. I think there is still rain in the forecast, but it hasn't arrived yet. All we got today was the humidity. It was hot and muggy all day. I should have just gone to the gym, but after I finished grocery shopping I didn't want to get in the car again. I was able to complete my full six mile route, but I can't say the walk was pleasant. Welcome to Summer.

Dawn was grumpy all day because she thought that Janet was gone too much. When I fixed her dinner this evening, she refused to come out of the bedroom and eat it. I knew she was hungry, but she stubbornly stayed in her room until Janet returned home. As soon as Janet arrived, she raced out to the kitchen and ate everything in a big hurry. Dawn is a strange combination of stubborn and scared. It's going to be a fun time when Janet goes on vacation next month.

I couldn't replace the batteries in my uninterrupted power supply this morning because the battery store is only open on weekdays. At least I remembered this before I unplugged everything and put the heavy UPS in my car. It's seems kind of quaint for a store to only be open Monday thru Friday, but that's the way it is. It will give me something to do next week, now that my problems with the star tracker seem to be over for a while.

I just looked at the temperature and it's dramatically colder than it was a few hours ago. Looks like it is going to get down in the high fifties overnight. It's hard to get used to Texas weather. It's like a roller coaster. You can be sweating one day and freezing the next. At least we aren't getting snow like they are in some parts of the country. I fantasize about a place where it is 70 degrees all year long. Does such a place even exist?

The big event tomorrow is Dawn's Sunday outing. It's a simple thing to drive to another park for a walk, but it sure beats mowing the lawn.

Casey is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4530

I didn't accomplish much today. I think I'm just avoiding things. I got a recall notice on my car and didn't bother to open it. I'm pretty sure it's the same recall notice I got six months ago. I called the dealership then, but they didn't have the part that needed to be replaced. They said they'd call me when the part was available. Never heard from them. I haven't looked at my blood test results either. My doctor said that they looked pretty good for the most part. I'll take him at his word. I got a call from my pharmacy, but I haven't gone to pick up the prescriptions yet. I have a feeling that my doctor called in new refills, even though I think I have enough pills to last me for the rest of the year. I keep telling them to wait on the prescription refills, but everything seems to be on automatic pilot.

These are all minor problems. There's plenty of bigger things that need attention. I need to call a roofer, a carpenter, a painter, and a tape & bed guy. A lot of stuff needs to be fixed around the house, but getting involved with contractors and repair people almost always leads to further problems. I'm tired of dealing with problems. I'd just as soon eat my breakfast, take my walk, and go back to bed. I kind of miss living in a hotel room.

I don't know why I continue to take long outdoor walks. It's hot and unpleasant out now. I should start these walks right after breakfast before the temperature gets too high, but I'm such a creature of habit that I keep doing things the same way I always have. Usually after I've walked about three miles I realize I've made a mistake and should have gone to the gym instead. Even Dawn doesn't want to stay outside in this weather. I often sit outside with her while she lounges in the sun. Lately, she just pees quickly and wants to go right back in the house. She's smarter than I am about the heat. She knows she's got a nice soft bed and the air conditioner is running well. What's not to like.

I'm dreading going grocery shopping tomorrow. The traffic is terrible. Prices are skyrocketing. And I need to get gas. Janet said gas prices have gone up again. It's a good thing I don't drive much because my car gets terrible gas mileage. We'll see how bad the damage is tomorrow. If I remember, I'll go to the pharmacy and pick up the pills I don't need, just so they will quit calling me. I need to get the batteries replaced in the computer UPS too. Do I even need a battery backup system for the computer? Probably not. I mostly use this thing to protect the computer from power surges. I'm tired of looking at the display that says I have 0 minutes of backup power remaining too.

One of the things I enjoyed most about going out to the observatory was that there are no radios or televisions at the Astronomer's Lodge. I have no desire to learn what is going on in the world when I'm out there. I think I could go a long time without listening to the news. I like the isolation of Mount Locke, but it's hard to duplicate in the city. You can't go ten minutes here without hearing sirens. I hear them every day on my walks. The constant police and fire sirens are a reminder that life in a city is filled with uncertainty. Was it always this way? I don't think so. Urban life has definitely gotten worse.

Our neighbor's fence has been falling down for a long time. I kept hoping that they'd just tear the fence down so we'd get a breeze again in our back yard again. Nope. Instead of tearing the fence down, they're building a taller one now. I wish I lived on a hundred acres in the middle of nowhere with no neighbors for miles. Of course then I'd have to deal with snakes and the occasional bears and mountain lions. I guess there are no easy solutions anywhere.

Harley is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4529

I had my semi-annual physical today. It seemed exactly the same as every other physical exam I've ever had. What medications are you taking? Same as always. Do you have any questions or concerns? Not really. My doctor wants me to continue to take baby aspirin despite the negative press it has received lately. He asked if I wanted a second Covid booster. I told him I didn't think I needed one. A nurse gave me an EKG. Another nurse took my blood. I gave them a urine sample and I was done. It looks like I'm still in pretty good shape. The doctor probably made some notes about cognitive decline though. I couldn't remember the names some of the specialists I've been seeing. I couldn't even remember the names of most of the medications I'm corrently taking. In fairness, how can anyone remember these long incomprehensible names? I did remember the color and shape of each pill though.

Medical exams are one of many things that make me think of the Ground Hog Day movie. So many things in life are exactly the same no matter how many times we experience them. We repeat these things over and over again. Whenever I brush my teeth, load the dishwasher, go to the post office, or even take my daily walks, I feel a sense of déjà vu. I've been here before.

I had to fast before my medical exam this morning, but that didn't prevent me from having breakfast when I returned. It was almost lunch time, but I still had a big glass of orange juice and a bowl of shredded wheat topped with fresh fruit. My doctor seems to approve of my long walks, so I took another one after I finished my late breakfast. I completed my full six mile route, but it took me a while. There just isn't much joy in walking in hot weather. I should start going back to the gym, but it's so much easier to head out the back door and start walking instead of driving all the way to the gym. Even when I'm exercising, I'm basically lazy.

The batteries have gone bad again in the backup UPS for my computers. I'll have to take the heavy UPS to the battery store and get the batteries replaced this weekend. I might as well have the lawn mower batteries replaced while I'm there. I think all these people buying electric cars are forgetting some very basic things about batteries. They don't really last that long and they can be quite expensive to replace. If you forget to remove the batteries from an unused item, they can leak and ruin your expensive gear. Batteries have always been my nemesis.

I watched the livestream of the Boeing Starliner launch this afternoon. I kind of wish I'd been down there. United Launch Alliance lets you get a lot closer to the pad to place remote cameras than Space X does. This was a daytime launch too, so the bugs aren't so bad. I always get eaten alive by mosquitos on night launches. Don't think I'll be traveling any time soon though. I paid my remaining travel bills today. Ouch. This is getting ridiculous.

I took the trash out to the curb this evening. This always marks the end of the week for me. Tomorrow I'll think about going out for breakfast, but will probably just stay home and have another bowl of shredded wheat. It's time to mow the grass again. I should call a lawn service, but I'll probably just continue doing it myself. Hey, it's good exercise. My doctor would probably approve.

Holly is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4528

Yay. The star tracker is working again. I'm not sure what the Benro people did, but apparently their third try was the charm. The first two patches they sent me to fix the connectcion problem didn't work, but the one they sent me yesterday worked perfectly. I'm still curious how a routine firmware upgrade rendered my camera useless and what the Benro engineers did to fix the problem. I'll probably never know the whole story though. Communication with my Chinese contacts has been rudimentary at best.

Now that the star tracker is working again, I'll have to turn my attention elsewhere. There are a ton of things that need attention around the house, but most of them are beyond my ability. I can't put on a new roof by myself. I'm not a good carpenter. And I'm certainly not a plumber. Sadly, I'm not very good at delegating things either. It would be easier if I could do everything myself, because I don't tend to trust people.

I went out and voted after breakfast this morning. When I arrived at the polling place, I was greeted by a poll watcher who told me that the power was out and asked if I was scared of the dark. Hey, no problem. I actually kind of like the dark. The room where the voting machines were was completely dark. All I could see were the glowing screens of the machines. I was surprised that the place was even open, but they said the voting machines were running on backup power. I was led to a machine by a lady with a flashlight and I cast my ballot. If there was even a time to be suspicious about whether your vote counted, this might be it. There must have been some people scared of the dark, because it appeared that I was the only one in the room voting. Voting in a dark room was certainly easier than getting the star tracker to take pictures on a dark sky.

It looked like it was going to rain this morning when we took Dawn on her sunrise walk. The rain never came, but it did stay overcast for most of the day. The cloudy weather made it easier to take my long walk. I was able to complete my full six mile route, but it wasn't easy. My feet seem to be getting worse. The Hoka shoes help, but walking is still painful on some days. It's time for my physical exam tomorrow, so I'll ask my doctor if I'm doing anything stupid. My gut feeling is still that a little discomfort is better than becoming idle. I need to keep moving and walking is still a lot easier on my joints than most other forms of exercise.

I've got to remember not to eat breakfast tomorrow. I need to fast because they will be doing routine blood work again. At least I was able to get an early morning appointment. I hate going without food for very long. I got a call from the clinic while I was out walking reminding me to wear a mask. I have a feeling that my doctor's office will keep requiring masks forever. Not a problem. Whatever keeps you happy is my motto. I don't wear a mask very often these days, but I've got plenty of them. Most are unused. I just wear the same one over and over again.

Dawn won a ribbon at training class again tonight. She's got quite a collection now. Janet says Dawn really enjoys the training class. Like most Dalmatians, she forgets everything she's learned on our morning walks, but that's OK. I've forgotten almost everything I learned in school as well.

Skippy is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4527

I had to pick up a prescription this morning and I asked the pharmacist if there would be any difference in price if I used GoodRx instead of my Part-D prescription drug plan. I was surprised. The pills cost $37 using my drug plan and only $10 using GoodRx. Jeez. Why do I even have this prescription drug plan? I would just drop it, except that I suspect that GoodRx only covers certain widely used drugs. Some medications for cancer and other diseases are insanely expensive. You wouldn't want to be without coverage if you needed them. 

When I had hepatitis C, the Solvaldi I needed to cure the disease cost $1000 a pill. I had to take the pills daily for 12 weeks. I've had a healthy respect for medical insurance ever since. When I was working, medical insurance was my largest single expense. Often it made the difference between a profit or a loss for the year. It's hard to even get medical insurance if you own a small business and aren't part of a group. I had friends who were freelancers or owned small businesses like mine who went without medical insurance because of the expense. I always thought this was insane. The quickest way to get wiped out financially is to get sick without insurance. I'll use GoodRx when I can, but I'll keep my prescription drug plan. You never know when you might need it.

I got another update from the Benro people who said it would fix my camera connection problem with the star tracker. I didn't bother trying to install it because I knew it would just cause further aggravation. Why the hesitation? On the same day I received this special patch, there was also a general update to the iPhone app that controls everything. Do I upgrade the iPhone app first and then apply the patch, or the other way around? The Benro folks never said and it could make a big difference. I'm sure I'd have a lot better luck with the star tracker if I spoke Mandarin. I had the same problem when I worked for Seimens in Germany. Language barriers can create huge problems. I tried to learn German when I was doing a lot of work in Europe, but whatever I learned never stuck with me. I'm back to a single language now.

The weather was a little cooler today. We had a nice early walk with Dawn and I was even able to complete my full six mile route on my long walk later in the day. It was still hot outside, but somehow it seemed a lot better than yesterday. I really need to start going back to the gym. They have a nice indoor track and they keep the place very cold. It's boring walking six miles around a small indoor track. but it beats having a heat stroke. I have a feeling that we are going to have a very hot summer. It's only mid-May and it already feels like July.

I'm automatically cleared to attend certain launches and I get lots of messages about when and where to meet to set up cameras or attend press briefings. It kind of makes me sad that I can't attend most of these launches. Some of my Florida photographer friends go to all of them. It's just too expensive if you live out of state and don't have a big media outlet covering your expenses. I think airlines lead the list for price hikes in 2022. Flying has gotten very expensive. Driving isn't so cheap either. Gasoline expenses for my trip out to McDonald Observatory recently were a lot more than they were last year. When I was in college gas was 25 cents a gallon. In the early 70's when I was starting out in advertising, you could buy a Porsche for $8000 and rent a great apartment for $200 a month. I never dreamed then that we would end up where we are today.

I wonder if I'll have the nerve to upgrade the star tracker tomorrow. It depends on how bored I am. I usually make a mess of things when I get bored.

Susie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4526

I thought we were going to get a bad storm last night, but it passed slightly to the East of us. We experienced a few minutes of strong straight line winds, but got very little rain. Needless to say, I didn't see last night's lunar eclipse. I expect the rain. What I didn't expect was a power outage. The power went out several hours after the storm had passed. I probably wouldn't have noticed but Dawn woke us up. This strange dog isn't bothered by thunder and lightning, but power outages freak her out. I called in the outage to the power company and tried to get back to sleep. Dawn wasn't about to go back to sleep. She sat on the middle of the bed in high alert mode for what seemed like hours.

It seemed a bit ironic that just after we had fixed the air conditioner and bought some new fans, we didn't have any electricity. Both the AC and the fans were useless. We could feel the temperature rising in the house almost immediately, but at least the outage happened during the middle of the night when things were cooler. If we lived in a safe place, I would have opened the doors and windows so we could get some air circulation. That's not going to happen in the city though. Eventually I went back to sleep and hopefully so did Dawn.

The power was back on in the morning, but it must have been off for about four hours because that's how far the clocks were off. I reset everything, turned off the washer and dryer which somehow come on automatically after an outage, and got ready for our early morning walk with Dawn. Everything is back to normal again. Last night wasn't what I expected though. I was hoping to view an eclipse.

When we went up to the kennel to visit the rescue Dalmatians today, we discovered that Willie was back. This was disappointing, but sometimes things just don't work out. Willie is a very sweet dog who is going to find a great home, but it looks like he will need to be the only dog in the family. It was hot today and everyone wanted to stay inside except for Jo Jo. This dog definitely prefers playing outdoors. We continue to be impressed at how well Rocket is adjusting to his new life. He seems like a normal dog now. After everyone had their play time and lots of treats, we headed back home. It was my turn to drive today and I kept thinking how much nicer it was out in the Davis Mountains. I like a road with no cars on it.

There was plenty of time to take a long walk this afternoon, but I wasn't feeling up to the task. It was just too hot outside. After walking a a little more than a mile I headed for home again. Since Dawn walked a little longer this morning, I managed to eek out a total of four miles today. It wasn't much, but it kept my Fitbit happy. I don't think we're going to see cool weather for quite a while. This strange May heat wave will eventually end, but it's Summer now. Summers in Texas are always hot.

As usual, I have no plans for tomorrow. I'll probably think of something, but I hope it doesn't involve the star tracker. I'm getting sick of that thing. I anticipate more power outages this summer, but lets hope there isn't another one tonight. I need to catch up on my sleep.

Liberty is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4525

The weather was still hot, but it didn't affect our plans. We still had a nice early walk with Dawn and were able to take our Sunday outing a little later in the day after the ice cream store opened. It was getting a little hot by the time we took our second walk, but there was a nice breeze and Dawn did OK. We may have to stop these daytime walks later this summer though. Dawn doesn't do well in the heat.

I tried to be industrious today with mixed results. I really felt my age when I tried to fix the greenhouse door this morning. The door was heavy and I had trouble holding the pieces together without breaking the glass window in the center. I've repaired this door before, but it seemed much easier ten years ago. I thought I might need to go to Home Depot for parts, but I found everything I needed in the tool shed. The amount of stuff in the shed would indicate that I used to spend a lot more time fixing things than I do now. I didn't do a great job, but the old door is back together again. I don't know what the two hours I spent prove. The greenhouse still doesn't have a roof.

Since bulky trash day is this week, I tried to clean out the yard a bit. I noticed a lot of brush and fallen tree branches in the side yard where the air conditioner is the other day. I had to cut a path through the brush so the repairman could get to the compressor. I cleared the mess away today and hauled the brush to the curb. I cut down some giant weeds in the other side yard and hauled them to the curb as well. The yard looks a little better, but most of the time I forget the side yards even exist. Most of what I cleaned up today never gets seen by anybody.

I didn't take a long walk today. It was just too hot. I figured that between Dawn's two walks and my carpentry and clean up tasks that I already had all the exercise I needed. The worst part about being outside today wasn't the heat. It was the bugs. While I was fixing the greenhouse door, I must have been bitten twenty times. I think they were mosquitos, although I never saw any. Chiggers and other tiny critters bite as well, so it could have been anything.

There's an eclipse of the moon later this evening. I can't decide whether it's worth the effort to stay up late and try to watch it. The weather isn't cooperating. It was clear around sunset, but it is partly cloudy now and the weather radar shows a line of thunderstorms headed south toward us from Oklahoma. I'll take a look outside and see how things look after we take Dawn out to pee for the night. No great loss if I can't see the moon. I've seen lunar eclipses many times before. They all look pretty much the same.

It's been a nice weekend even though it is way too hot. I think we are setting record temperatures for May. Hopefully it will be cooler tomorrow when we go visit the rescue Dalmatians. I've never met a Dalmatian that enjoys the heat. 

Sadie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4524

It's nice to have a livable house again. It's hot outside, but the air conditioner is working fine and keeping it nice and cool inside. Hopefully, nothing else will go wrong this summer. I'm sure we've got a lot more hot days to come. 

If I didn't get to bed so late, I'd probably enjoy getting up early. Now that the weather has gotten warmer, it's definitely the nicest part of the day. We all enjoy our early walks with Dawn. The temperature is still in the low seventies before sunrise and there is usually a nice breeze when we get near the lake. Dawn has been very enthusiastic about these early walks lately. I can't blame her. Later in the day it is fairly miserable outside.

Today was grocery shopping day. I found everything on my list fairly quickly, but I don't enjoy this activity any more. I think a ton of new people have moved to Dallas recently. The stores are always crowded and the traffic is terrible. There really isn't a good time to avoid the traffic anymore. It is always bad.

I was finally able to download the new firmware that the Benro folks wanted me to install in the star tracker. I didn't have high expectations, but I did have a lot of time this morning. I gave it a try. I installed everything exactly as instructed and absolutely nothing changed. The firmware seemed exactly the same as the previous firmware I installed. The star tracker still won't connect to my camera.  I wish I'd never bothered to upgrade things after I returned from the observatory. When I was testing the Polaris on Mount Locke at the end of last month, it was the last time it worked.

I really can't handle the heat anymore. I took a walk after lunch today, but I wouldn't call it long. Two miles and I was done. I even wet down my hat and shirt, but it didn't help much. Why was this so much easier in previous years? I guess I'm just getting older. I hate to think what the weather is going to be like in July. Who knows. The weather has been so strange lately that it might actually be cooler in July. I doubt this will happen, but I can always hope.

There's a ton of stuff I need to do around the house, but this heat has taken away my motivation. It's just not supposed to be this hot in May. If I'm going to do anything in the yard, I need to do it early. Afternoons are way too hot. I don't know why I feel like I need to fix the greenhouse door. The greenhouse doesn't even have a roof anymore. A bad storm blew most of the roof off last year. We really need to tear the greenhouse down, build a carport and move our cars to the back. Traffic has gotten so bad that it's hard to get out of the driveway now.

Hopefully it won't be too hot for Dawn's Sunday outing tomorrow. She enjoys exploring a different park on Sunday. If it is too hot, we'll still go get ice cream though. Ice cream is good in any type of weather.

Lady is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4523

After another long, hot day we finally have a working air conditioner again. The house was so hot that I think it's going to take all night for it to cool down. We've making progress though; one degree at a time. I don't know how people lived here before air conditioning. I guess you get used to it. I grew up in a house without central air conditioning. We had an attic fan, but no AC. I don't remember life being particularly bad, although I doubt I could live this way now. We would open our windows at night and the attic fan would pull in cool air from outside. When I first moved to Texas I knew someone who didn't believe in air conditioning. They had a large swimming pool in their back yard and would just jump in the pool when they got hot. To each his own I guess.

The HVAC technician was very nice. I tried not to waste his time by asking a bunch of stupid questions about how air conditioners work. I'm always very curious about mechanical things. The HVAC company used to be a client of mine. We don't talk about that now. At some point just about everyone decides they need someone young and hip to do their web site. It's not true of course, but try telling that to the kids who are running ad agencies these days.

At some point Janet bought a fan because the house has been so hot for the past several days. We discovered that Dawn loves sitting by the fan. She really doesn't like hot weather. We were uncomfortable, but we were more worried about Dawn than us. She's not a young dog and excessive heat can be hard on dogs. I ended up cleaning windows today because every time I tried to open windows to get a breeze blowing through the house, I discovered lots of spider webs on the other side. We have quite a few frosted glass windows in our house. They let light in, but block ugly views of the neighbor's house. You never really know what's on the other side of these windows until you open them.

The only way I was able to complete my long walk today was by walking early. I started right after breakfast, just like I did yesterday. No wonder Dawn likes her sunrise walks. This is the only time of the day when it is actually pleasant outside. It really wasn't bad at 10 AM though. I soaked my hat in water before I left the house and that helped a lot. I don't think I'd like to be an air conditioner technician in the summer. By the time the guy arrived late in the afternoon it was pretty miserable outside.

I'm getting messages almost every day now from the star tracker people in China telling me to do exactly the same thing that I've already explained to them doesn't work. The messages are so similar that I don't know whether we're having communication problems, or if I'm just being answered by some sort of automated system. The star tracker still doesn't work but I'm not giving it a lot of thought right now. It's going to be a while before I can get out to the observatory again.

This week has gone quickly. I hope nothing else goes wrong. Actually, the refrigerator seems to be working again. I don't really have an explanation for why it warmed up so quickly yesterday, but I suspect that we might have accidentally left the door open. We'll see how it runs during the weekend. I can always call the appliance repairman on Monday.

It's time to make another grocery list. I wonder how expensive things are going to be this week.

Haley is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4522

Not a great day. I waited most of the day for the air conditioner repairman to arrive. I was hoping that the problem was minor and that all I would need was a new capacitor or something equally trivial. Nope. When the repairman finally arrived at the end of the day he said the capacitor was fine. I need a new compressor motor. As luck would have it, he didn't have the proper motor on the truck and will have to order it. Yikes. How could this motor cost over $600? I guess that's still a lot less than replacing the entire unit. The parts warehouse was already closed when the repairman discovered the problem, so he won't be able to order the part until tomorrow morning. Oh, well. It looks like another very hot night. He said it is a bad idea to try to run the AC without the motor running too. I tried that last night and eventually the fan started turning. "That's a good way to burn out the compressor and that's when things get a lot more expensive," he said. Did I mention that the temperature was almost 95 degrees this afternoon?

A broken air conditioner is bad enough, but now I think the refrigerator is broken again as well. Late this afternoon I noticed that the temperature inside the fridge was a lot higher. For the past week I've noticed that a metal strip around the edge of the door seemed unnaturally hot. The refrigerator was still cooling fine, but this didn't seem right. I probably should have called the appliance repairman two days ago. Now it appears that the refrigerator is broken. We shifted some critical food to the little refrigerator but it won't hold that much. Hopefully I can get this fixed tomorrow before food starts to go to waste.

The only good thing about today was that I was able to complete my six mile walk. I started after breakfast so it wouldn't be too hot. It was a lot cooler than it was later in the day, but it still seemed way too hot for me. I don't know why it seems so important for me to walk everyday. On some days it's a real struggle. I think it's about time for me to start wetting down my hat and t-shirt before I start these walks. Last summer this really seemed to help.

I got a message from the Benro folks that they had another firmware package for me to install. Instead of just attaching the file I needed to the e-mail message, they provided a link to one of their servers in China. Of course, this link didn't work. Both my Firefox and Safari browsers said they couldn't establish a secure connection to the server and refused to open the link. This has happened to me before with Chinese servers. I have a feeling that it's going to take me a long time to get this star tracker working.

The temperature has gone down eight degrees outside, but only one degree inside. What's that all about? I can't really open the windows to let a breeze in because I took off the window screens years ago for aesthetic reasons and if I open the windows at night, tons of bugs will fly in the house. Ordinarily I wouldn't even want to open the windows at night, but ordinarily we have an air conditioner that works.

I kind of worry about Dawn. She hates hot weather and is currently the only one wearing a fur coat inside the house. Hopefully, it will start cooling down soon. It's supposed to get down to 70 degrees by tomorrow morning, but that still a long way away. I sure hope that compressor motor comes in tomorrow.

Dixie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4521

Good grief. It's the hottest day of the year so far and our air conditioner broke. It got uncomfortably hot inside very quickly. Hopefully things will cool off tonight. I called our HVAC guy, but the soonest they can get over here is tomorow afternoon. It's easy to forget how much we depend on air conditioning in the South. A day without a working AC serves as a pretty good reminder. I'm not sure what is wrong, but I hope it's an easy fix. An entirely new system could be pretty expensive.

At least the day started out nice. We didn't notice that the air conditioner wasn't working until around noon. It was still nice outside when we took our sunrise walk with Dawn. I should have just kept walking after Dawn finished her one mile loop. As soon as the sun got higher in the sky, the temperature warmed up quickly. Instead of walking when it was cooler, I started monkeying around with the star tracker again right after I finished breakfast. I think I'm obsessed with getting this thing to work. I installed the custom firmware the company provided a second time in hopes that it would work properly this time. Nope. I got exactly the same results as I did yesterday. I realize that the star tracker is still under development, but it's frustrating to go backwards. This thing was working fine when I was out at the observatory and now it isn't. The only thing that has changed is an app and firmware upgrade.

By the time I was ready to take my long walk, it was already too hot. I didn't do well at all and was only able to complete half my normal distance. This isn't good. We've got a long summer ahead of us. It's always hot in the summer, but I don't think I can handle the heat as well as I used to. I know we're having record temperatures for early May, but this is nothing compared to what it's going to be like in July and August. I need to get used to this.

I wonder what is going to break next? Broken toilets. Broken air conditioner. Fire ants in the back yard. I'm really tired of dealing with bugs and broken stuff. Living in a hotel room while I'm watching rocket launches seems really appealing at this point. Even the simplest task always seems to turn into something more difficult. I went into the greenhouse this afternoon to turn off a faucet that had been on drip all winter. The door to the greenhouse fell apart when I tried to open it. Now I've got to find some special fasteners to put the door back together when I go to Home Depot to get fire ant killer. Yes, I was supposed to do that today, but I got sidetracked by the star tracker again.

Growing old is weird. When I had the money to travel, I didn't have the time. Now that I have the time, I don't have the money. Rampant inflation is especially irritating when you're living on a fixed income. Everything seems so much more expensive than it did two years ago. The cost of my recent trips to Kennedy Space Center and McDonald Observatory were almost double what they were several years ago. I don't really notice the price of gas because I don't drive much, but airfares have gotten ridiculous. Hopefully the price of air conditioner repairs hasn't gone up that much. This is another expense I wasn't expecting.

Sometimes I envy Dawn. All she does is eat and sleep. I'd be OK with just eating and sleeping as long as nothing went wrong. I hate it when things go wrong. That's life, I guess. Things always go wrong.

Dodger is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4520

Not a lot on the agenda today. We got up early because of the unseasonably warm weather. It's still nice outside before the sun comes up. Dawn has decided that she likes walking again. She's really enthusiastic on her early walks now. She hasn't balked or frozen in place for a long time now. This is all good. I hate to get up myself, but the walks are good for me too. After walking a mile or two with Dawn, I'm usually ready to start the day.

My contact at Benro told me to go ahead and apply the patch they sent me to fix my star tracker. Somewhat cryptically he said that it wouldn't hurt anything. Against my better judgement, I carefully followed the instructions exactly and installed the custom firmware the company provided. The tracker worked, but the camera still wouldn't connect. Actually, nothing seemed different at all. The last step in the instructions said to remove the SD card from the tracker and erase the custom patch file when I was done. Oddly, the file I had installed an hour earlier was already gone. Did the Polaris erase the file itself after the upgrade? Did anything happen at all? I'm sure this saga will continue. At some point they'll probably just tell me to use a different camera. My camera is on the approved list, but it never seemed to work well with the tracker. 

I only waste time with things like this because I've got plenty of time. Actually, I've got way too much time on my hands. There are no work deadlines anymore and thankfully Dawn is still pretty healthy. I write several articles a year for obscure magazines and halfheartedly try to fix things around the house. That's about it. I'd probably travel more if it weren't so expensive. I think I actually enjoy living in hotel rooms.

I was able to complete my full six mile route today. When the sun was behind a cloud it was actually fairly pleasant. Summer is coming though. I can feel it. I usually have to change clothes when I return home because I am hot and sweaty. My pace isn't what it used to be either. Even on a good day I'm slower. I distinctly remember walking a lot faster last year. Oh, well. This is one of the downsides of wearing a Fitbit all the time. You get a detailed record of your decline.

I'm seeing fire ant mounds in the yard again. They are all over the place in the park. Fire ants are nasty and I guess I'll have to go get some Amdro granules to kill them. I always worry about this kind of stuff with dogs though. Dogs get into everything. One of the reasons our yard doesn't look great is that I never use fertilizer. Our dogs have always liked to roll around in the grass. There is no sense in using something that could irritate their skin or even poison them if they ate it. At least fire ant mounds are small. I can block them off after I treat them.

There's a pretty moon out tonight. I should go out and photograph it with one of my telescopes. Why though? It's the same moon I've seen all my life. I've photographed the moon plenty of times before. That's my dilemma. I'm bored with things I've done before and apprehensive about trying new things. It kind of leaves me with writing a blog every night.

Chief is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4519

It's starting to feel a lot like Summer. When you feel a little warm on the pre-dawn sunrise walk, you know it's going to be a hot day. It looks like the temperature is going to be in the 90's all week snd that's definitely too warm for me. Jeez. How did I handle this last year? It looks like I'm going to have to get used to Summer all over again.

There are only four Dalmatians at the kennel now. The others have all been adopted. Charlie, Oliver, Rocket, and Jo Jo were all glad to see us. We were really impressed with the progress Rocket has made. When he first arrived at the kennel, he was scared of everything and completely unsocialized. Now, he wags his tail and comes over to greet us. He's a smart dog and it didn't take long to teach him to sit. We're going to work on teaching him to lie down and a few other commands next week. 

I'm surprised that Oliver and Jo Jo haven't been adopted yet. They are good looking, have great personalities and are definitely ready to go to their forever homes. It's going to take a little longer for Charlie to find a home, but he's turned over a new leaf. I think his biting days are over. One of these days Charlie is going to find a wonderful home with someone who understands his unique personality. Charlie always makes us laugh. He's really a great little dog.

By the time we returned from the kennel it was almost too hot to take another walk. I tried, but ended up walking just enough to satisfy my Fitbit with a minimum of 10,000 steps. I'm not sure what I'm going to do the rest of the week. I may have to start going back to the gym. I don't really like walking on an indoor track, but they keep the place nice and cool. I have a feeling that I started going to the gym in the first place because of the air conditioning.

I got a reply from the Polaris folks about my star tracker. It's hard to communicate with these guys, The instructions they sent this time seemed strange and unlike anything I've tried before. I'm suspicious. The file I am supposed to upload to the tracker is in Chinese too and I'm not entirely sure what it is. I haven't done anything yet because I don't want to brick the thing. I wrote the guy I usually talk to and explained the situation. Maybe he can help me make sense of things. I don't know why I'm still convinced that I'll eventually get this thing to work. It's been a long, slow process so far.

My latest toilet repair didn't last long. The toilet is already running again. I'm not sure I can fix this thing anymore. Plumbers are no help either. They won't work on the strange toilet. The problem with an old house is when you fix one thing, something else breaks. I'm tired of fixing things. I'd like to live someplace where everything was guaranteed to work perfectly for at least ten years.

I hope I don't succumb to temptation and try to apply the weird patch to my star tracker tomorrow. I have a strong feeling that it will only make things worse.

Spot is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4518 - Mother's Day

Well, Dawn is certainly a mother. I bet she was a good mom. Lord know how many litters of puppies she had when she was a breeding dog at the puppy mill. I don't think those were pleasant days because she is still very fearful. She loves her new life now, but I think she's always waiting for the other shoe to drop. We suspect that one of the reasons that she's fearful of riding in the car is that she's worried she might be going back to her old life in Marshall, Texas. Dawn enjoys her walks and likes her Sunday outing, but is always relieved to be back at home in her safe spot, sitting on our big bed.

She must have known that today was a special day. She was full of energy this morning and ended up walking twice her normal distance on our sunrise walk. We always led her lead the way and are curious to see where she'll go. Usually she just follows her familiar one mile loop, but occasionally she gets adventurous.

After our walk we had breakfast and then did some household chores while waiting to take Dawn on her Sunday outing. We always wait until the ice cream store is open because getting ice cream is a big part of this Sunday adventure. I thought Dawn might be tired because she already walked quite a bit. Nope. She enjoyed this second walk too. She loves smelling new things. We have to steer her away from the poison ivy though. Lots of poison ivy in this park.

The ice cream store seemed short staffed this morning. Probably because it was Mother's Day. The staff seems too young to be moms, but thats just an old guy's perspective. Everybody seems young to me. Probably most of the staff are in their mid twenties. We all enjoyed our cones today. Dawn always seems calmer after having ice cream. She is always remarkably calm on the ride home.

I decided to mow the grass today. It was a little hot for my taste, but the traffic is much lighter on a Sunday. I don't enjoy mowing down by the street when everyone is in a hurry. I'm not close to the road very long, but even a few minutes seems too long when cars are racing by just inches away at fifty miles an hour. I'm not sure how much longer the electric mower is going to last. At the very least it needs new batteries. There used to be enough charge in the battery to mow the back yard after I finished the front. Now I have to let the mower recharge for a while before I can tackle the back yard. I could buy a new mower, but I really ought to just start paying the guy who is willing to mow my yard for me.

I felt industrious today, so I tried to fix the running toilet again. It's a shame that the parts I really need aren't available anymore. I've tried, but even the best plumbing supply store in Dallas can't find them for me. I do what I can and usually my repairs last about a week. My last attempt only lasted two days though. It's probably time to break down and get a Toto.

I didn't take a long walk today. After two walks with Dawn and mowing the grass I had all the steps I needed. It was hot this afternoon and I was tired. There is no need to punish myself just to keep my Fitbit happy. I"ll probably go back to taking a long walk tomorrow. Hey, what else is there to do?

I wish I'd get some feedback from the Benro people in China. I'm in no particular hurry to use the star tracker for astrophotography, but it's driving me crazy that I can't get it to work correctly. Since I had at least a partial success with the tracker out at McDonald Observatory, I can see it's potential. It's a pretty cool little piece of machinery. I'd like it a lot better if it worked though.

I like weekends because they inject a little variety into my life. Tomorrow it's back to shredded wheat for breakfast, long walks, and looking up random information on Google. 

Daisy is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day