Day 4615

Today was busy. Our rain and cooler weather is just a memory now. The temperature didn't set any records today, but it is definitely still summer. We took Dawn on her sunrise walk, had some bacon and eggs for breakfast and then went to move the rescue Dalmatians. The move took longer than expected and there were several complications, but we got the job done.

When we returned home I did my grocery shopping. I'm beginning to think the preppers might be right. Almost every week something on my list seems to be in short supply. Are we headed toward Armageddon? So far, the shortages appear to be random. You never know which shelves are going to be empty. I can still find what I need, but I often have to go to several stores. Janet thinks that things are going to get worse. I hope not. I'm not used to seeing empty shelves in grocery stores.

I picked up a prescription while I was shopping. GoodRx is still a lot cheaper than my prescription drug plan. Why am I paying so much for my Part-D plan when it doesn't even give me the best prices? Medical costs are a mystery. There is no rhyme or reason to anything.

The oil light came on in Janet's car when we were moving the dogs, so I picked up some oil for her at Auto Zone. Oil is another thing that has gotten real expensive. I remember when engine oil was only a couple of dollars a quart. Now most later model cars require synthetic oils and the prices are over ten dollars a quart.

I went to the gym later this afternoon but I didn't get to stay as long as I usually do. The gym closes early on Saturday and I got a late start. I managed to get my steps on the indoor track, but ran out of time on the basketball court. I'd never stayed at the gym until it closed before. Someone comes around to all the stations at closing time and shoos everyone out. The gym is closed tomorrow, but I'll probably go mall walking again.

I picked up Chinese for dinner tonight. I hope the little neighborhood restaurant that Janet and I like manages to stay in business. It hasn't been very busy the last several times I've been there and this evening the place was completely empty when I came to pick up my order. The food is good but I don't think we can keep the place going on our own. Chinese food once or twice a month is plenty.

I need to remember to do my mall walking early tomorrow so we can still take Dawn on her Sunday outing. There are still a lot of things that need attention in the yard, but I'm going to wait until it gets a little cooler. 

Emma is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4614

JoJo got adopted today. Janet and I met the couple who were interested in him this morning. They looked at several dogs but it was clear that JoJo was their favorite. JoJo seemed to know that he had found his forever home. He didn't want to get in the car when we were changing kennels, but this time he hopped right in the couple's car for his freedom ride. They definitely got a good dog. Everyone who meets JoJo comments on how friendly and easy going he is. I'm glad he found a home.

Since I knew we were going to the kennel today, I went to the gym early. Dawn still got her sunrise walk and I had my regular breakfast, but I was out of the house before 9 AM. One of these days I'm going to need to change up my exercise routine. I continue to do exactly the same things day after day. That's OK though. It's an easy way to get my Fitbit steps and have a little fun on the basketball court without getting hot and sweaty. I don't know how they keep my gym so cold. The place is like a refrigerator.

I finally heard something from NASA today. Unfortunately it was not the news I've been waiting for. Today's message was primarily meant for people planning to attend the rollout on August 18. It would be nice to attend both the rollout and the launch, but I can barely afford launch day travel expenses. Oh, well. I've already seen the Artemis rocket sitting on the pad. It was there the last time I was down at the space center for the Axiom-1 launch. I'm really hoping that everything stays on schedule. I'm still not sure what I'm going to do if the launch gets delayed.

We're planning to move the rescue Dalmatians to a new kennel tomorrow. The current kennel is nice, but the kennel runs are too small for larger dogs like Dalmatians. Since some of the dogs end up spending a long time at the kennel before they find their forever homes, they deserve a bigger kennel run. I wasn't aware that there were so many boarding kennels in the Dallas area until we needed to find a new home for the dogs. There seem to be kennels everywhere. The place we are going tomorrow is new and is very clean. I think we have enough volunteers that everyone will only need to make one trip when we are transferring the dogs. I hope that everyone, especially Charlie, likes their new home and we won't have to move them again. Rescue dogs have had enough stress in their lives already. We want them to be happy.

It doesn't seem like it's time to make a grocery list already. It feels like I just did this a few days ago. I need to remember to pick up a prescription at the pharmacy as well. It's shaping up to be a very busy day tomorrow. It's already too hot again to go walking in the park during the day, but I'm not sure when I'm going to find time to go to the gym. I'll probably end up going late in the day. I was hoping that we might get some more rain next week, but rain has already disappeared from the forecast. At least Wednesday's rain didn't cause any roof leaks. I dodged a bullet on that one.

Ellis is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4613

What a difference a day makes. Yesterday's rain really cooled things down. It was only 71 degrees when we woke up this morning. Dawn enjoyed her sunrise walk and so did I. The cooler temperatures were so nice that I decided to skip going to the gym today and walk in the park instead. I left the house right after breakfast and the temperature had already climbed to 78 degrees. It was still nice though.

I managed to complete my full six mile route but I was slow and it was getting pretty hot by the time I finally returned home. The fancy new trail through the park is complete now. It looks like it was completed right on schedule. I saw the two Muscovy ducks this morning and was surprised that there are only five of the resident Sunset Bay geese now. I wonder what happened to the other five? The grassy meadows already look a little greener, but maybe I'm just imagining things.

Even though I was slower than usual today, my pace was still faster than I typically walk on the indoor track at the gym. I always seem to walk faster outdoors even though this seems counterintuitive to me. The indoor track is much easier on my feet. You'd think I'd walk faster indoors.

When I checked my messages this morning there was still nothing from NASA. Hopefully, when the credentialing and logistics information finally arrives it won't be too late to change my reservations if it becomes necessary. I have a feeling that I'm getting too old for this. I have no inherent flexibility or sense of adventure anymore. I"d be much happier if everything, including the weather, was locked down months ahead of time.

I did a load of laundry this afternoon, but didn't attempt anything major. The afternoon still went quickly though. Dawn is completely comfortable napping with me now. When I run out of things to do I'm always up for a nap. I thought about doing some yard work this afternoon, but this morning's cooler temperatures had already disappeared. It was very humid too. I need to go up on the roof and check on the pumps, but I'm not even sure I can climb up there anymore. I definitely don't want to fall, so maybe my roof climbing days are over. Sadly, this task is difficult to pass on to someone else. Years of dealing with this troublesome roof have taught me all kind of tricks for keeping it dry and leak free. The elastomer coating is kind of fragile too. Someone who didn't know what they were doing could really make a mess of things.

Tomorrow Janet and I will be meeting someone who wants to adopt either JoJo or Spot. I'm curious to see which one she'll choose. Both are great dogs but have very different personalities. I'm glad that one of these dogs will be finding their forever home. Now that the kennel situation has changed, it is good to have fewer dogs in the program. Hopefully, we'll still be able to work out a way to play with the dogs on a regular basis. They definitely seem to enjoy our company.

This week has gone very quickly. I've already taken this week's trash to the curb and am ready to start over again on my predictable weekly routine. Maybe next week I can resolve all my travel uncertainties.

Hannah is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4612

We got rain again. This time it was a real soaker. We had a heavy downpour that lasted almost three hours. I think things will look a lot greener next week. Today's rain ended 67 days of drought. This might not be enough to end our dry spell, but it will certainly help. I'd almost forgotten about the pumps on the roof. Of course they didn't work. It wasn't surprising since I haven't checked them in months. So far, no roof leaks though. Fingers crossed.

The rain didn't start until later this afternoon, so the morning was just another hot summer day. We took our sunrise walk with Dawn and wondered if the weather was going to change. There were clouds on the horizon and a nice breeze, but we weren't expecting much. After breakfast I checked my messages and there was still nothing from NASA. I guess there is no point in worrying about this. The launch schedule will either work out or it won't.

I got to the gym a little later today because I am slow about everything these days. I thought I'd change things up and shot baskets on the south goal instead of the north goal. My accuracy was pretty good today.  I was a little slower on the indoor track, but not by much. Since I had absolutely nothing to do this afternoon, I stayed a little longer and worked on some machines designed to strengthen my shoulders. I seriously considered walking in the park today but wisely decided that it was still too hot. I definitely don't have to worry about the heat at the gym. They keep the place super cold.

I spent the afternoon looking at the weather radar and wondering when the rain was going to arrive. I still waste too much time looking at Facebook although I wonder why I bother. I rarely see posts from friends anymore. It's all sponsored posts now, curated by Facebook's demented algorithm. I don't know how they decide what I'd like to see. I think they're just blindly guessing. My feed is filled with posts about battle tanks, pictures of the SR-71 spy plane, obscure blues musicians, news articles that are hidden behind a paywall, old pictures of the Beatles, blatant clickbait, and information about state parks in places I'll never visit. Facebook doesn't know me at all. Luckily I still see lots of pictures of Dalmatians. Without the dog pictures there would be no reason to visit at all.

I think I should delete some of my other social media accounts. I'm convinced that a lot of the e-mail spam I get, as well as some of the telemarketing calls originate from my LinkedIn account. You can tell from a lot of the message headers that they grabbed my contact information from LinkedIn. Years ago I thought that LinkedIn would help me get business. I don't think it ever did. Almost all my clients came from word of mouth recommendations. While I'm thinking about it, I should probably delete my Instagram account as well. I used to love Instagram back in the early days when it was a place for photographers to showcase their work. I haven't visited Instagram in years. I grew to hate the place when it was taken over by videos and influencers.

There is no rain in the forecast for tomorrow, so I'll be returning to my regular hot and dry schedule. It was a shame that Dawn didn't get to go to her dog training class tonight because of the rain. Dawn really likes that class.

J-Lo is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4611

It rained today. The rain only lasted for about five minutes but it was very welcome. I wish the rain had lasted longer. An hour or two later everything was dry again. There is another chance of rain tomorrow. Maybe we'll get something more substantial.

A squirrel tore up a bottle of fire ant granules and we found Dawn walking around in the back yard with one of the pieces of the plastic bottle in her mouth. We don't think she ingested any of the granules, but this still was not good. According to what I've read on the Internet the insecticide used in the Amdro granules isn't very strong and eating a small amount shouldn't be harmful to dogs. We're keeping an eye on her. It's been about four hours now and she appears absolutely normal. If this proves anything it is that dogs can and will get into anything. When I Googled "my dog ate Amdro granules" there were a ton of links. Apparently Dawn wasn't the first dog to become a little too interested in this stuff.

I was disappointed that we didn't get more rain. It would have been a nice change of pace. With the exception of the very short rain shower, today was exactly like yesterday. We started the day with an early sunrise walk with Dawn. You can really tell the days are getting shorter now. Tuesday seems to be a popular day for cyclists. We really have to watch out for bicycles on our Tuesday walks.

I had my usual bowl of cereal for breakfast and then checked my messages, hoping for some clarification from NASA. Nothing yet. I went to the gym, shot 25 free throws on the basketball court, walked two miles on the indoor track, and came home again. I got gas on the way home. I'm using more gas now that I'm going to the gym every day. It still beats walking in the park though. It's going to have to get a lot cooler before I start taking long walks in the park again.

While I was out and about this morning I listened to a program on NPR about how the invention of air conditioning was changing society. It was kind of a doom and gloom story, but I suspect that most of it was true. I have become totally dependent on air conditioning. I had the air conditioner on in my car as I was listening to the story. When the air conditioner goes out at the house it is always a major emergency. Without air conditioning I seriously doubt that I would be living in Texas. When I lived in Seattle my house didn't have an air conditioner and it never was a problem. I don't remember having an air conditioner when I lived in Idaho or Colorado either. Texas is different. Maybe it is a huge waste of energy, but I'm convinced that it is a necessity here.

I still can't think of anything that captures my interest for an entire day. I usually get off to a good start, but by mid-afternoon I've run out of steam. I never had these problems when I was working. There always seemed to be a writing job to keep me busy. It's a good thing I enjoy taking naps. I've been taking a lot of naps lately.

We'll see what tomorrow brings. I'm sure there will be another trip to the gym. I'm still hoping for rain. Our yard could really use a good soaking. I hope I don't find a dead squirrel in the yard tomorrow. I don't think Dawn ate much Amdro, but I think the squirrel probably did.

Nautica is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4610

Well, the rain disappeared from the forecast overnight and now it shows no chance of rain for the next week. The yard is looking pretty dry right now. We still take our sunrise walks with Dawn, but they are only nice when there is a breeze. Maybe I got spoiled by last summer's cooler than normal temperatures, but I'm really getting tired of this.

There isn't a lot to write about lately. I don't like talking about politics or current events and I don't have many irons in the fire myself. Every day is so similar to the previous day that I could save a lot of time and just write one post for the entire summer. Maybe this monotony will eventually force me into doing something more substantial. Time will tell. For now I'm just treading water.

We didn't visit the rescue Dalmatians today. The new kennel doesn't have a space for us to play with the dogs and they are very busy. The dogs are well cared for, but it is very different from the previous kennel. Things may change in the future, but for now we just hope that they all get adopted soon. Janet and I are meeting someone who wants to look at one of the dogs later this week. Maybe someone will get lucky and find their forever home.

I went back to the gym after breakfast this morning. I still think it's strange that the same people are always there doing the same things day after day. They probably think it's strange that I'm doing the same things day after day as well. Who knows. Maybe it's Groundhog Day for all of us. 

I'm wishing now that I'd snapped up one of those Special Viewing Nights on the Otto Struve telescope. I'm so bored this summer that the long drive out to West Texas doesn't seem quite so bad anymore. There's still the Artemis-1 launch at the end of the month, but I have a strong feeling that this launch will be delayed or postponed again. The program is already years behind schedule. What's a few more months at this point. I just hope they decide what they are going to do before I get on the plane. There have been a lot of big bills this summer and I can't really afford a trip to Florida for nothing.

Janet cleans the house on Monday. Cleaning makes me uneasy because I feel like I'm probably the one who made the place dirty in the first place. We each have our chores around the house, but I'm probably a little behind on mine. I have a feeling that I should get out the vacuum cleaner tomorrow. Vacuuming the rugs is easy. The other things that need attention are a lot more difficult. I need to repair the trim around the windows. Paint is starting to peel away in places but to get a smooth finish I would need to sand all the trim down to the bare wood and start over. Since the trim moulding is a bit ornate, it is a lot of work. There are cracks in the sheetrock that need to be spackled and patched. Once I did that I would need to paint though. Painting is such a mess. The dryer hose needs to be cleaned but it's hard for me to get behind the dryer now and remove it. I could go on and on. Basically, I'm just tired of fixing things. We've lived in this house too long.

Maybe something interesting will happen tomorrow. I wouldn't count on it though. These are the dog days of summer.

Lilly is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4609

I think I like mall walking. The air is clean, filtered, and just the right temperature. No seasonal allergy problems at all. There are also no bugs. The place is well lit, but you don't get sunburned. I don't hear constant police and fire sirens like I do when I'm walking in the park. I actually like that the stores are closed. The latest trends are on display in every window, but there are no irritating salespeople asking if you need help. If you did see something you liked, you could just buy it online. Every store in the mall has a website. 

I used to hate malls because they were so crowded, but there are relitively few walkers before the stores open. The walkers all seem like nice people too. There are no pan handlers or crazy people wandering around trying to harrass you. It's also really easy to find a parking place before the stores open. Granted, this is not real life, but I'll take it. Real life is ugly and messy these days.

Northpark has a great art collection. I try to learn a little about the artists as I'm walking. Most of the art on display is sculpture, but there are a few large scale paintings as well. Each piece has a little plaque with information about the artist. This stuff has always been here but I never paid much attention before. It's interesting. Today the mall had new cars on display. I think they do this every year before the new model year begins. Cars have really gotten expensive. Luxury cars are around $100,000 now and regular cars seem to start around $50,000. The real expensive cars are always displayed near Neiman Marcus and the cheaper cars are down at the other end of the mall around Macys. There are a ton of police patrolling the mall. It feels pretty safe. I wish the park had half as many police. I've seen some pretty strange things in the park.

Since I did my mall walking early, there was still plenty of time for Dawn's Sunday outing. It was a little cooler this morning, so we thought she might like to spend a little more time outside. Nope. It was still too hot for her. She peed quickly and headed straight back to the car. I think she knows that the Sunday outing is all about the ice cream now. For the second week in a row we tried to buy a pint of our favorite flavor to take home with us and the store was out of it. The cones were good though.

I did a bunch of little odds and ends around the house this afternoon, but didn't really accomplish much. I watered plants, swept the porch, recharged device batteries, made another attempt to fix the leaking toilet, and oiled some sticking locks. Dawn doesn't mind when I nap with her now. I don't think we're best buddies yet, but she's not frightened of me anymore. I think that week we spent together while Janet was on vacation turned out to be quality time. This is all good news to me. I like to take naps and it's much easier if your dog approves.

It's back to the gym tomorrow. There's no point in mall walking when the stores are open. I hope I hear something from NASA this week. The launch is getting closer and I still know virtually nothing. All I have is a short cryptic note saying that my request for press credentials has been approved. I guess it wouldn't be the end of the world if I didn't make the trip at all. So far, this event has caused me a lot more stress than joy. I do have an article to write though. The magazine would be very disappointed if I wasn't there at the launch.

There is a 40% chance of rain next Wednesday. Usually the rain seems to miss our house even when there is a 100% chance of rain, but one can still hope. We really need the rain.

Lou is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4608

The only thing I can say about today was that I got everything done. This never ending heat wave has taken away any vestige of enthusiasm I might have had. The park has become way too crowded on our sunrise walks. We have to watch out for bicycles, large groups of runners, unleashed dogs, and even cars. At least the temperature is still tolerable at this time of day. Dawn enjoyed herself this morning and even followed a new path for a while.

I did my grocery shopping before going to the gym this morning. We had our big weekend breakfast first though. There is no shredded wheat on the weekend menu. It's Hatch Chili month at Central Market and since Janet and I don't really like Hatch Chilies I had to look carefully to make sure that the popular peppers weren't included in the ingredients of anything I bought. Everything in the store seems to have a Hatch Chili component this month. There is Hatch bread, Hatch desserts, Hatch Mac & Cheese, Hatch Salads. The list goes on and on. Apparently, most people in Dallas like these peppers because Hatch Chili month is always a popular promotion. 

The gym was almost empty today. I followed my usual routine of shooting free throws on the basketball court, followed by a long walk on the indoor track. I'm getting better at both activities, but progress is slow. For the time being I'm not very interested in all the machines on the floor. I just want to get my steps and go home. The big event of the day was that the gym finally filled the basketballs with air. Most of them have been under inflated for weeks.

I still haven't heard any further information about the Artemis-1 launch. I don't know why I'm worried about this since the event is still almost a month away. I like to have all my ducks in a row. though and always anticipate problems. My big fear is that the launch will be delayed after I'm already in Florida and I won't be able to stay until the next launch opportunity. Typically a launch can be rescheduled for the next day, but the first three Artemis launch opportunities are almost a week apart. I definitely can't afford to stay in Florida for three weeks. I'm not sure I'd want to stay that long even if I could afford an extended trip. Oh, well. Let's just hope this thing gets off the ground on the first attempt.

This afternoon was uneventful. I really don't feel like doing anything in this heat. I need to decide whether to try mall walking again tomorrow. I probably will but I don't want to interfere with Dawn's Sunday outing. I guess she can wait until I return for her ice cream cone. I wish my gym would open on Sunday again. They used to be open on Sunday but that was one of the many things that were changed by Covid. 

Margo is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4607

Another slow day. Every day seems like a duplicate of the day before. I get up when I hear Dawn eating her breakfast. We all take a sunrise walk and wonder if it is ever going to rain. The days are noticeably shorter now and often we have returned home before the sun crosses the horizon. 

Janet watches out for bicycles as we walk and I keep a wary eye out for the neighbor's dog. They are on vacation now and we see a dog walker with the dogs almost every morning. She probably doesn't know that the dog has bitten me before and probably thinks we are being antisocial when I move well out of the way when we cross paths on the trail. I'll be glad when the temperature gets cooler. There is way too much activity in the park on these early walks now. There is a little window of time where it is still enjoyable to be outside and a lot of people try to take advantage of it. Later in the day the park is empty.

Not surprisingly, I didn't go out for breakfast this morning. I'm content to just stay home and have my bowl of shredded wheat and berries. I keep hoping for further news from NASA when I turn on my computer in the morning, but so far I have received nothing. Before leaving for the gym this morning I watered the front lawn and attached the inspection sticker I got yesterday to my windshield. It doesn't seem like it's been a year since I last did this, but time seems to be moving faster now. I lot of things I did a year ago seem like they happened yesterday.

I still can't figure out why the parking garage at the gym is so full when there are so few people on the gym floor. I see the same people everyday. There are probably less than a dozen people working out at any one time. They all have their routines and so do I. It's amazing how predictable everything is. On our sunrise walks we pass the same people on the trail every day. At the gym I see the same people working out on the same machines. There is nothing wrong with this. I guess I'm not the only person who leads a very predictable life.

I think Friday is Dawn's favorite day. Janet does her grocery shopping on Friday morning and Dawn gets really excited when she returns with the groceries. All I have to do is tell her it's "grocery day" and she starts barking. Dawn, like most Dalmatians, is very food motivated. She knows exactly when she is supposed to be fed and if I am even five minutes late in fixing her meals, she lets me know. 

It's time to write my sister again. I have very little to say these days, but that doesn't stop me. After all these years of writing the blog, I've gotten good at saying nothing. I guess it's time to make a grocery list as well. I need to remember to go shopping early tomorrow. There is a much better selection if you arrive before the crowds. I'll go to the gym later in the day but the same people will probably still be there. I'm beginning to think that some of these folks live at the gym.

Morgan is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4606

I always try to do at least one thing every day. Today I got my car safety inspected. I used to do this at the dealership, but they always used the opportunity to find other things to charge me for. Now I take the car to a litle neighborhood garage. They are so fast that sometimes I think they aren't doing anything at all. It works for me though. As long as I have the paperwork, I'm good for another year. 

Safety inspection is always a two step process. You get the car checked at one place and then go to another place to get the sticker to put on your windshield. I used to have to go downtown to the courthouse to get this sticker but now you can pick it up at just about any grocery store. At any rate, the car passed inspection and I can cross one more thing off my to-do list.

There was a nice breeze on our sunrise walk this morning, but you could tell it was still going to be another hot day. The park is pretty busy on these early walks. People have discovered that this is the only way to beat the heat. I think 7 AM is the coolest time during the day and 7 PM is the hottest.

After breakfast I went to the gym again. It turned out to be convenient to take care of the safety inspection while I was on my way. My trip to the gym is as methodical as any other part of my day. I always do the same things. I'm more consistent on the basketball court now and I've picked up the pace on the indoor track a bit. I'm definitely not setting the place on fire though. There are lots of people on the floor who are in better shape than me. I've noticed that all the televisions at the gym are turned to either a cooking channel, a home improvement channel, or a sports channel. No news here. It's probably for the best. Listening to the news would probably upset anyone's exercise routine.

I still haven't heard anything more about the Artemis-1 launch. I wish I'd receive a definite schedule soon. With so many people converging on Titusville there is going to be a point where it is impossible to change airline reservations or extend my stay. I'm already hearing rumbles in the space community that it's almost impossible to find a hotel room. Even campgrounds have filled up. At least I have a plan, although it might be hard to change it at this point. I hope the trip goes smoothly, but I'm starting to get a little nervous.

I paid a few bills this afternoon, but that was about it. Keeping the yard looking green seems hopeless now. I still water things that look dry but it doesn't seem to do any good. The heat and drought have won this battle. This week's trash has been taken to the curb and I'm ready for another day more or less like today. Somehow I don't think I'm ever going to resume my restaurant breakfasts on Fridays. Why did I do this for so many years? A lot of things I used to do seem strange now.

Pebbles is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4605

Modern life is weird. The phone seems to ring constantly now but I never answer it. All the landline calls are spam. The phone company even knows the calls are spam but still puts them through. Typically, there is a message on the caller ID that says "Suspected Spam" or "Telemarketer." Why are these spammers so relentless about attempting to contact you? I suspect that virtually nobody answers these calls. If someone really wants to contact you these days, they send you a text message. It probably all just comes down to money. Spammers are probably the phone company's best customers.

Nobody knocks on your door anymore. If they did, you definitely wouldn't answer it. If you go out for dinner, you have to be careful where you go. Some places are no longer safe after dark. If your car breaks down on a busy road, you lock the doors, call AAA on your phone and wait for the service vehicle to show up. You can't depend on a friendly stranger for help anymore. When did the world change? It definitely wasn't this way when I was a kid. My friends and I never worried about being kidnapped and half the time our parents never knew where we were. Even when I was in college the world seemed relatively safe. I hitchhiked all over the country during my college years without a care in the world.

I feel like movies like Mad Max and Bladerunner were just preparing us for a dystopian future. Sadly, that future is here. I hate to even turn on the TV anymore because there is nothing but bad news. At least there are dogs. I find solace in dogs and am convinced that they are nicer than most people. I'm sure I'm not the only one who feels this way. There are a lot more pictures of dogs on my Facebook feed than there are of people enjoying each others company.

I may not go out at night anymore, but I still go to the gym during the day. There is nothing threatening about my gym. Most of the members are older like me. They seem quietly determined not to let themselves fall apart. It is somewhat inspirational to see a person even older than I am lap me on the indoor track. I doubt that there are many drug users in this group. I don't know these people but they seem like confident self starters. Even the people in physical therapy seems like they are really trying. Am I slowly becoming a gym rat? I doubt it, but there are definitely worse groups of people to hang out with. The Gym is OK.

Our heat wave seems never ending. It seems strange to read about floods in other parts of the country. We haven't had rain in so long that I've almost forgotten what it feels like. One of the smaller trees in our front yard is dying. I've been watering it, but it seems beyond hope. The asian jasmine ground cover that is out of reach of the sprinkler is dying as well. Almost all the grass in the park is dry and brown. This is not good. The drought will end eventually. Fall is usually our rainy season. Often is seems to rain continually during the State Fair. When the rain begins, there will be a sigh of relief, some temporary joy, and then we'll all start complaining about the rain.

I was surprised that Janet and Dawn went to training class tonight. It was still very hot around sunset. Janet said that Dawn was the only dog in her class and that she got a private lesson with the trainer's dog. The class was short and Dawn didn't get too hot. You can't be too careful in this weather. It will be nicer when we take our sunrise walk tomorrow morning. Sunrise walks are still the best part of the day.

Puppies are today's Dalmatians of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4604

Everything went well at the dentist this morning. No new cavities or root canals. There was a new dental hygienist today. I don't like anything new at the dentist office, but she did a good job. My teeth are clean now and I'm good for another six months. Like everything else in life, the price for the exam, x-rays, and cleaning went up. I wasn't surprised though. I'm getting used to the price for everything going up.

The day started normally enough. We took a sunrise walk through a parched and very dry park. The city has mowed the native prairie grass to reduce the risk of fire. The water level of the lake is noticeably lower. We don't see many ducks or animals now. I wonder how they are managing in this drought?

I had to get gas today. There are no lines at the pump when prices are coming down, but long lines when prices are doing up. Go figure. Human behavior is weird. You'd think that people would want to take advantage of lower prices, but usually fear kicks in when prices start rising. Somehow my car seems to get even worse gas mileage since I took it in for the recall repair. This doesn't make sense though. I'm probably just imagining things.

I went back to the gym this afternoon. I don't think mall walking will work during the week. I drove by Northpark on the way to the gym and the place looked packed. I guess I'll just do this on Sunday before the stores open. The gym was crowded too, but I did manage to find a parking place. At least half the people who come to my gym seems to be having physical therapy. It's an eye opener watching what they have to go through. Yikes. I need to be careful not to fall or injure myself. This is going to be harder than it seems. My balance isn't as good as it used to be and life is full of hazards. Even today, I noticed that my shoulder hurt after I got home. I have no idea what I did.

I got a bill from my HVAC supplier today for work done back in May. This was a surprise. I was sure that I'd already paid this bill because the technician told me that both service calls would be rolled into the final bill. Evidently he was wrong and my AC repair was even more expensive that I thought it was. The first call to diagnose the problem was never added to the final bill. I paid this bill over the phone and then noticed later in the fine print on my invoice that there was a 3% convenience fee for paying bills over the phone. You really can't win these days.

I'm apparently not the only one nervous about travel arrangements for the Artemis-1 launch. Hotel rooms are already drying up in Titusville and the launch is still a month away. I'm glad I already made my reservations because other people are already having problems. This is not normal. I've made last minute decisions to travel to Titusville before and never had any problems finding a room. There are three launch opportunities in late August and early September that are spaced four or five days apart. I'm hoping that everything goes smoothly on the first attempt. I can't afford to stay in Florida for two weeks and I probably couldn't extend my stay anyway with hotels rooms in such short supply. My editor at SpaceFlight is really happy that I will be attending the launch. I see no reason to burden him with all the problems that might occur.

I'm hearing that we should expect our hot weather to continue all the way through the end of August. That sucks. They say that the summer of 2011 was even worse, but you couldn't prove it by me. This seems like the worst summer ever. I shouldn't complain though. Our air conditioner is still working and I certainly don't have to worry about roof leaks for a while.

Scout is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4603

Such a long, hot summer. Every day is more or less the same. We get up and take Dawn on a sunrise walk. I make the bed and then eat breakfast. It's always shredded wheat topped with peaches and strawberries. I do the breakfast dishes by hand even though we just got a new dishwasher. I check my messages on the computer, putter around the house for a little while, and then go to the gym. It's kind of a boring routine, but it's better than no routine at all.

My routine at the gym seldom varies either. If nobody is using the basketball court, I always try to shoot 25 free throws before taking my walk on the indoor track. I used to just try to get 15 baskets, but I'm getting a little better. The direction people walk or run on the track changes every day, so I usually have to check and see if it is an odd or even day. It takes fourteen trips around the track to walk a mile. I always walk two miles and occasionally I walk three. Often I go home after I finish walking, but sometimes I stay and work with free weights for a while. The same people seem to be at the gym every day. I guess I'm becoming one of them.

As soon as I get home I let Dawn out to pee. Usually she likes to lounge in the grass for a while, but lately she wants to go right back inside. It is just too hot to lounge in the sun. If I'm hungry I'll fix myself a sandwich, but I don't always eat lunch. Afternoons are when I miss being employed. I used to always have writing jobs to keep me busy. Now there is very little that captures my attention.

Today I upgraded the firmware on the star tracker again. I'm always a little apprehensive when doing this, but the tracker still works. I point the tracker at various planets and galaxies using the app on my phone, but all I get are pictures of my office ceiling. I seldom take the tracker outside. Again, it is just too hot. I am getting better at using the thing though. I'm pretty sure it is pointed where it is supposed to be pointing and occasionally check for accuracy using other astronomy apps on my phone.

Dawn is still not wild about sharing the bed with me, but she doesn't get up and leave the room when I take an afternoon nap these days. I guess that's progress. Dash used to follow me around the house all day long. Dawn follows Janet around and tries her best to ignore me when I'm home alone with her. I doubt that this will ever change. Dawn is just not comfortable around men. 

I still wish that NASA would hurry up with a schedule for the Artemis-1 launch. I'll feel more comfortable when I know I don't have to change my airline reservations. I got a notice today that I could apply to attend the next crewed launch to the ISS. I think I'll pass on the Crew-5 mission though. I have a feeling that the Artemis launch will be my last trip to Florida this year.

I've got a dentist appointment tomorrow. Hopefully I don't have any cavities. It doesn't seem like six months since I've been to the dentist, but time flies when you are doing nothing. 

Snoopy is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4602

We got all the dogs moved to the new kennel this morning. The move went smoothly and everyone seems happy in their new home. All of us thought that Charlie would probably be the hardest to move but he turned out to be the easiest. JoJo, who is usually laid back and calm, was the one who hated to get in the car. The new kennel runs are smaller than what the dogs were used to previously, but they are clean and I think the dogs will be OK. 

There is a nice outdoor yard at the kennel that will be even nicer when the weather cools down. The staff takes each dog out to pee every few hours so they aren't stuck in their kennel runs all day. It took four of us to move the dogs this morning and the staff at the new kennel was very helpful. I thought this move would be a huge ordeal, but it turned out to be fairly easy. I suffered the only mishap when one of the dogs scratched my arm and it started to bleed. I've got to stop taking baby asprin. My skin is thinner now and I bleed easily. I didn't even notice the cut until I looked down at some point and saw dried blood all over my arm. I still don't know which dog scratched me. I didn't feel a thing.

On the way home from the kennel I stopped at Northpark Mall to give mall walking a try. I wish I'd thought of this earlier. It's an enjoyable place to walk a few miles. The stores open at noon on Sunday, but the mall itself opens an hour earlier. If you come at 11 AM there is plenty of parking and no big crowds inside. There were plenty of mall walkers, but the place wasn't as crowded as the park on a typical Sunday. I hadn't been to Northpark in over a year and was surprised at how much the place had changed. There were a ton of new stores and many of the existing stores had moved to new locations. Somebody must still have money in Dallas. There were no low end stores left. The place seems like a climate controlled Rodeo Drive now. As it got closer to noon I began to see lines form in front of some stores. The largest line was at the Apple Store. Some if the restaurants had big crowds as well. When I returned to my car after walking several miles, the parking lots were completely full. I'd have to conclude that shopping is still much more popular than mall walking in Dallas.

Dawn still got her Sunday outing. When we stopped at the Sunday park to let Dawn smell things, she immediately peed next to the car and then wanted to hop back in. She had no interest in being out in the hot sun. She was interested in an ice cream cone though. Dawn is always calmer on the ride home after she's had her ice cream. All the rescue dogs were much better in the car than Dawn is. Dawn wins the prize for worst dog to take on a road trip. All the kennel dogs rode calmly to their new home with no issues at all this morning. Even JoJo rode well after we finally managed to get him in the back seat. He just didn't want to get in the car. This is probably where I got scratched. JoJo is a strong dog.

The rest of the day was uneventful. I thought about upgrading the star tracker, since the new firmware is available now. A nap sounded better though. I'll wait until I'm really bored to mess with the star tracker again. It's hard to believe that it's going to be August tomorrow. Where has this year gone? It looks like August is going to be a busy month for me. I have a dental appointment on Tuesday and several doctors appointments later in the month. I need to get my car safety inspected and I think it's time for an annual maintenance visit as well. The Artemis-1 launch is getting closer too. Honestly, I'd rather take a long nap and have someone wake me up in September. Our extreme weather is really getting old.

Shelby is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4601

There have been rain clouds around us all day. I even heard thunder at one point. We didn't get a single drop of rain. This was the one day where we might have had a chance. It didn't even get up to a hundred degrees today. Now we return to another never ending string of triple digit days in the weeks ahead.

I got the electric bill today. It was literally double what it was this time last year. Last month was high. This month was a lot higher. This is not good. The cost of everything has gone through the roof. Grocery bills are ridiculous now. So are utility bills, insurance bills, gasoline, and just about everything else. It makes you wonder where all this is going to end. It doesn't help that we are in the middle of an almost unprecedented heat wave. I'm just waiting for water shortages.

Our sunrise walks with Dawn are getting uncomfortably warm. The temperature was in the high eighties this morning and the sun wasn't even up yet. Dawn was panting when we returned home and I was starting to sweat. You really don't expect this before breakfast. I keep hoping that nothing goes wrong with the air conditioner. It could get dangerously hot very quickly.

We had a nice weekend breakfast and then I went to the gym again. More people are wearing masks on the gym floor now. Sign of the times I suspect. I'm getting a lot better on the basketball court. I'd probably get some real exercise if I'd start dribbling and shooting from other points on the court. So far, all I'm doing is shooting free throws from the free throw line. I've got really bad knees though. The last thing I want to do is screw up my knees running around on the basketball court.

I'm walking at a faster pace on the indoor track as well. Practice makes perfect I guess. This is a lot better than walking in the park. They keep my gym really cold. Sometimes I feel like I need a jacket. I won't be able to go to the gym tomorrow since it is closed on Sunday, but I will be busy anyway. Tomorrow is the day we move the rescue Dalmatians to the new kennel. Hopefully the dogs will like their new home. I haven't seen the place yet, but I hear it is a little smaller than the current kennel.

I'm beginning to get apprehensive about my trip to Florida. I'm hearing that up to a million people might converge on Titusville for the Artemis launch. This can't possibly be true, but locals say that this many people used to come to watch the Apollo launches. I am told to expect huge traffic jams on the roads leading to the space center on launch day. Yikes. Maybe I should have gone out to the observatory instead. There certainly aren't many people out there.

I did my grocery shopping earlier today. I should do this more often. There really aren't a lot of people in the stores before 10 AM. There seemed to be a better selection of fruit as well. I don't know how I got such an early start today since I think we actually got up later. Gasoline was the only thing that was less expensive this week. The price drop was probably temporary, but I'll take what I can get. 

I don't know how long it will take us to move the dogs tomorrow, but hopefully Dawn will still get her Sunday outing. There won't be a walk, but there will be ice cream. I'm not sure how I will get my steps tomorrow. I definitely don't want to walk in the park, so I'll probably try mall walking. I always thought that this was something only old people did, but I guess I'm an old person now.

I wish life didn't feel so apocalyptic. I'd like things to return to normal before I completely forget what normal looks like. Tomorrow will be normal though. Dalmatians and ice cream are always good.

Penny is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4600

Only 400 days to go. Kind of a strange goal to write something for 5000 consecutive days, but I'm thinking I'm going to be able to do this. We're getting close now. Maybe a few more interesting and unexpected things will happen along the way, but probably not today. I got excited when it looked like we might get some rain this evening, but it missed us again. Still bone dry.

Today really was a lot like yesterday. Our sunrise walk with Dawn was warm but tolerable. My breakfast was boring but easy to fix. I made the bed, checked my messages and headed for the gym. I'm glad I have this option. It's been way too hot lately to take my normal walk in the park. 

Fridays are Dawn's favorite day. Janet does her grocery shopping on Friday morning and Dawn loves to watch as the food is being put away. She's not nearly as interested when I return from the store because I tend to buy the bulk items like laundry detergent and trash bags. Janet buys the sliced turkey which Dawn dearly loves.

I probably should stay at the gym longer. I always walk two or three miles on the indoor track and shoot free throws on the basketball court, but I'm seldom very tired when I'm finished with my workout. I should probably try a little harder to elevate my heart rate. My goal is mostly just to keep moving. Hey, I burn just as many calories as I did walking outdoors and I don't get sunburned. It's hard to argue with that. If I remember, I'm going to try mall walking this Sunday when the gym is closed. I have no desire to walk outdoors again until this heat wave is over.

I practiced using the star tracker again this afternoon. I was going to wait until the new firmware update was released, but boredom intervened. For the first time in ages there were no error messages today. Everything worked perfectly. I try to be consistent but I still can't figure out why I have good days and bad days with this thing. Even if I don't spend a lot of time doing astrophotography with the tracker, it was probably a good investment. It has already provided hours of entertainment. Although frustrating at times, testing the tracker is much more enjoyable than mowing the lawn.

I'm still waiting to hear more about the Artemis-1 launch. I've already made my reservations, but it would be nice to know whether I picked the right days to travel. I've been invited to attend several other launches in the interim, but I can only afford one more trip to Titusville this season. I need to just be patient and wait. Eventually, I'll get a schedule from NASA and I'll be on my way.

Tomorrow I do my share of the grocery shopping. I've got my list ready and expect prices to be higher again. It's probably time to fill the car with gas too. No shredded wheat in the morning. Janet cooks a big breakfast on the weekends.

Tink is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4599

I took care of a lot of little odds and ends today. Nothing important was accomplished but it was good to cross a few things off my list. The remote for the kitchen TV has been broken for a while. A few weeks ago I found a new unused remote in a box in my office but I couldn't get it to work. Today I remembered that you have to program the thing. This took a while since the cable remote and the kitchen television were old and there were no instruction manuals. I finally got the remote to turn on and off, but then I screwed up the TV and it wasn't picking up the signal from the cable box. It seemed like this whole process was easy when I initially installed everything years ago. I tried looking up information on the Internet but the results were inconclusive. Eventually I got everything working again through trial and error. Hopefully this remote control will last for another ten years. I'm tired of messing with this thing.

I did some laundry, cleaned some stains on the bricks in the kitchen, looked up how to change a few setting on my star tracker camera, and changed the head on my electric toothbrush. I was going to practice with the star tracker again, but decided to wait when I received an e-mail saying that another update would be available this Saturday. I wonder if they are ever going to stop upgrading this thing. I've lost track of how many firmware updates I've already installed.

The day itself was pretty much like yesterday. The sky was clear. The temperature was hot. And I followed the same routine I've been following all summer. We got started a little later on our sunrise walk this morning and you could immediately feel the difference in temperature. We should have started thirty minutes earlier because Dawn wasn't quite as eager to walk. We carry dog treats in our pockets now to get her moving again when she gets stubborn and refuses to move. 

After breakfast I went back to the gym. There weren't many people on the floor today, but the parking garage was still full. I had a good day on the basketball court. I think my hand eye coordination is getting better. I was slower on the indoor track though. Go figure. I am always surprised by exercise inconsistency. My routines are almost always the same, but the results are frequently very different. I didn't feel more tired this morning, but I guess I was. I'll have to check my Fitbit and see how I slept last night.

One of my contacts at Kennedy Space Center said that they expect over 10,000 people to descend on the area for the Artemis launch. The space center will need to charter over 70 busses to move people around. No wonder all the hotels were full. Why am I even going to this launch? I've never liked crowds or complicated logistics. Getting through the checkpoints on launch day is going to be a nightmare. I hope I get a schedule from NASA soon. At this point I don't even know if I made airline reservations for the right days. I always try to minimize my stay to save money, but it would be easier if you had an unlimited budget and arrived early and just stayed until the launch finally took place. I can't do that, so I just cross my fingers and hope that I've picked the right days for my stay.

I keep hoping for rain but the forecast doesn't look promising. It still looks like an endless string of hundred degree days as far as the eye can see. The sad thing is that August is usually even hotter than July here in Dallas. Oh, well. It's not going to be a fun summer. I just hope the air conditioner keeps working. This week has gone quickly. I've watered the back yard and taken this weeks trash to the curb. Tomorrow will probably be a repeat of today.

Queenie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day