Day 4962

Instead of incurring new bills with a last minute trip to Florida, I spent the morning paying old bills. There seems to be a relentless push with online payment systems to get you to sign up for automatic payment plans. Some companies are even charging more if you don't specify automatic payments. I keep doing this manually on my own schedule, but I'm clearly behind the times. Oh, well. At least I'm not taking bills to the post office anymore.

Today was completely uneventful. I'm still glad I didn't go to the launch though. There will be plenty of other opportunities in the future. For the moment I'm just trying to survive the summer. The day always starts well. I really enjoy our sunrise walks with Dawn. The temperature is still in the high 70's and there is usually a nice breeze. I'm glad Dawn gets these walks because the rest of the day isn't worth bothering with.

I still make the bed every morning and have my standard breakfast of shredded wheat and fruit. I always check my messages after breakfast but I don't know why?  There seldom anything in my inbox but spam. I'm beginning to wonder what I'm going to do when I finish with the blog. My 5000 day goal isn't that far away. I still spend too much time at the computer but it's just force of habit. I made my living at this keyboard for decades and old habits die hard. Unfortunately, there is little pleasure in being online these days. Google relentlessly sucks up all your information and then sells it to Facebook, where it turns into ads the next day. It's amazing how thorough this process is. If I write about something on the blog, there will be ten ads about the same thing on Facebook the next day.

Why is everybody continually trying to sell you something? After my gym changed management, they are really trying to push personal trainers and special classes now. Jeez. That's not why I go to the gym. I only go because it's nice and cool in the summer and lately it's been way too hot to walk outdoors. When it cools down a bit I'll quit going to the gym and resume my long walks in the park. I don't even want anyone to talk to me while I'm at the gym. Let me do my three miles on the indoor track, shoot a few baskets and then I'll get out of your way.

When I returned from the gym, I sat outside with Dawn for a little while. True to form, she immediately rolled in the grass. Doesn't she realize that this is what makes her itchy? Dawn loves to lounge in the sun, but I limit these excursions to five minutes at a time because I don't want her to get too hot. It's still nice and cool inside, but I hate to think what our electric bill will be next month.

Janet and Dawn went to training class this evening, but they came home early again. Class got let out early when the dogs started to get hot. Dawn was really eager to go to class despite the heat though. She likes being around the other dogs and probably gets bored just sitting on the bed all day.

I'll watch the live feed of the Falcon Heavy launch on the Space X site later this evening. Weather is good in Titusville and it looks like the launch is going to take place on schedule. Live coverage usually only lasts about eight minutes. If I was actually at Kennedy Space Center the rocket would disappear from view even quicker than this. It really makes you wonder if these launch trips are worth it.

Puppies are today's Dalmatians of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4905

The roof got its first big test today. We had a driving mid-afternoon thunderstorm and no leaks. I resisted the urge to climb up on the roof after the storm was over and see if there was standing water. I am curious though. The roof is also paid for now. A representative from the roofing company came over to pick up the final payment earlier this morning. Hopefully I won't spend much time thinking about the roof anymore. There are other things that need attention.

The rain was somewhat of a surprise. I wasn't expecting it. Dawn apparently wasn't expecting rain either. The thunder and lightning sent her into panic mode for a while. Dawn usually isn't scared of storms, so this was a surprise as well. Luckily, the storm was over in an hour or so and there is no more rain on the horizon.

The day started normally enough. We had a nice early morning walk with Dawn. She seemed to have a lot of energy this morning and wanted to take a longer route than usual. Last month's falling episodes seem like a distant memory now. Hopefully, whatever caused the weakness in her front legs won't return. A healthy dog is a happy dog.

After paying for the roof, I decided to pay all my other bills as well. I'm really going to have to curtail my trips to Florida. These launch trips are just getting too expensive. Airfares have gone up the most, but when I compare expenses with past trips, everything else has gone up as well. It's kind of sad. Maybe I can plan something for the Fall, but I'd better stay close to home for a while.

I'm glad I was able to complete my long walk today before the storm arrived. I've been surprised by weather before and wouldn't have wanted to be caught out in this storm. There was lots of lightning. I don't mind getting wet, but I definitely don't want to get struck by lightning. Even with a waterproof roof, I'm still not a big fan of rain. Rain makes for muddy dog walks and when the grass grows faster I have to mow more often.

When I passed Sunset Bay on my long walk today the Muscovy Ducks were fighting with the geese. One of the geese was trying to run away with a Muscovy Duck's bill firmly clamped to its tail feathers. Birds are not very friendly creatures. They are very territorial and always seem to be fighting with each other. The Mallards are always chasing each other. Sometimes the birds don't seem to like me either. I've had Mockingbirds dive bomb me several times on walks. You don't want to get too close to their nests.

It's hard to believe that it's almost June. Where has this year gone? It still seems like I just finished putting away the Christmas tree. I'll finish up my article tomorrow morning and send it to the magazine. There isn't much else on the agenda. I owe my sister another letter and I still need to fix the screen door, but I'll probably just take a walk tomorrow. 

Ollie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4848

The weather continues to follow its unpredictable ways. It was over 90 degrees this afternoon. Yikes. That just doesn't seem right. Even though there were clear skies for most of the day, we are under another severe weather alert. It's supposed to start raining pretty hard in about an hour from now.

I tried to finish mowing today but the mower's battery died again before I could complete the back yard. I can't decide whether to replace the 24 volt batteries or replace the entire mower. Mowing the grass is one of my least favorite things, but it is good exercise and I still don't like the idea of paying a lawn service. At least our yard is small. Pushing the mower still feels tiring although it doesn't take all that long. I'll charge up the mower again and finish the rest tomorrow.

It was too hot to give Dawn an afternoon walk, but she did get a nice early morning walk. It's hard to keep her from eating grass in the park. I don't know if this is a nervous habit or if she really likes the taste. Sometimes she gets a blade of grass stuck in her throat and starts coughing. Usually a drink of water solves the problem but she doesn't seem to understand that eating grass is a bad idea. I guess it could be worse. Petey, one of our earlier Dalmatians, was obsessed with eating other dog's poop.

I went to the bank and then came home and paid the early April bills on my computer. After the mower died and put an end to my lawn care efforts I did a load of wash. Next came the day's real chore: a long walk in 90 degree weather. I completed my six mile route and even managed to get over 20,000 steps today but it was an effort. How did I do this last summer? I guess I was younger then.

All the White Pelicans in the park are gone. Their numbers have been decreasing for over a week, but I didn't see a single bird today. It seems like they stayed a little longer last year, but it's been a warm Winter. The birds spend the summer in North and South Dakota and then return the following Winter. They've been doing this for as long as I can remember. I think birds are a lot more predictable than people.

I've been wondering why I haven't heard anything about my credential request for some upcoming launches at Kennedy Space Center. Today I discovered that my only media contact at Space X no longer works there. Now who do I ask about Space X launches? People move around a lot these days. My contact list is basically worthless. Every time I try to contact someone, they are no longer there. Hopefully I will still get credentialed, but you never know. 

Nothing is very predictable anymore. In the time it has taken me to write seven paragraphs, tonight's severe weather alert has expired and the storm headed our way don't look nearly as bad. I think we're still going to get some heavy rain but we'll have to wait and see. I don't have a lot of faith in the weather forecast anymore. Whatever happens, we still need to get Dawn outside and pee before we go to bed.

Lexi is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4774

Sometimes I wonder whether taking business online has solved anything. I spent a huge amount of time this morning paying bills, renewing credit card information, updating passwords, and making appointments. I remember the days where you just could call someone on the phone and they would answer immediately and resolve your problem. I also liked working on a big desk where you could spread lots of paper all over the place and look at everything at once. Screen real estate is awkward for me when I am doing my accounting. I have a large screen on my desktop computer, but it is almost impossible to keep all the windows I need open at the same time. Lets face it. I have become a Luddite, just like my sister. I'm not sure I want to go all the way back to the 1950's, but the 60's and 70's would be fine.

Since I have received several reminders to renew my driver's license, I went on the DPS website this morning to make an appointment. When did appointments start being required? I've been renewing by mail for quite a while, but this year I have to renew in person. When I used to renew my license in person I would just go down to the nearest renewal office a few days before my birthday and get a new license on the spot. When I went to the website this morning, the earliest appointment they had was late in May. Jeez. No wonder everyone was urging me to renew now. This is just one more example of a world that is slowly crumbling to dust. Almost nothing works smoothly anymore.

My editor as SpaceFlight likes my article and pictures and says it will run in the March issue. He wants me to go down to Johnson Space Center in April and cover the Mars CHAPEA experiment. CHAPEA is a long, awkward acronym standing for Crew Health and Performance Exploration Analog, whatever that means. NASA is building a full scale 3D printed Mars surface habitat to simulate what astronauts might experience on a long duration mission. They are giving the press a tour of this habitat sometime in April, and I'm invited if I can stand going to Houston again. I can't remember a single time that I've had a good experience on a trip to Houston. It's one of my least favorite cities. I think I'd much rather go back to McDonald Observatory in April.

I wrote my monthly letter to my sister today and took it to the post office. Sending letters through the mail is definitely old school, but it makes sense to me. The time lag involved in sending a letter slows things down to a reasonable pace. My e-mail correspondence is getting ridiculous. Everyone expects a reply the same day. Those folks who insist on texting are even worse. You are expected to reply to text messages immediately.

When all my unpleasant computer business was finished, I took a long walk in the park. It was a little chilly when we walked Dawn early this morning, but by this afternoon it had warmed up quite a bit and was quite pleasant outside. I had an enjoyable walk and managed to complete another 20,000 step day. Almost every day I have plans to go to the gym because I really need to work on my upper body strength. When the time comes, it is always easier to just take a walk. I probably should just start doing some work with free weights here at home. Actually, I see a few five pound weights sitting over in the corner of the office. I guess that would be a good place to start.

It's been a busy week full of small problems. Sunday's Falcon Heavy launch seems like ancient history now. It's funny. Whenever I'm traveling I'd usually rather be home. When I actually am at home though, I'd always rather be traveling. 

Daisy is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4715

I'm not a big fan of Winter. I always feel cold no matter what the temperature is in the house. Life goes on though. We got up early and took Dawn on her sunrise walk. The colder it gets, the fewer joggers and cyclists we see. Dawn is still eager for her morning walks though. It's definitely not too cold outside for her. I guess this makes it all worthwhile. I like seeing a happy dog.

It's back to eating shredded wheat and fruit while channel surfing cable news. I usually end up watching the financial channels because even on a bad day the markets show more promise than current events. The world is kind of a depressing place these days.

When I was flying back from Florida the guy sitting next to me on the plane was watching a weird movie involving hidden treasure, lost sailing ships, and falling out of cargo planes. The movie seemed ridiculous but looked very expensive to produce. Who would make a movie like this? The only clue I had was that Mark Wahlberg was in it. I recognized him. It took about three minutes on Google to discover that the movie was called Uncharted and was based on a popular video game. I guess all this proves is that I have no idea what is going on in the world these days and that you can find anything on Google. I wouldn't recommend the movie.

I thought about going to the gym this morning but didn't really feel like driving. I bundled up in a warm coat and took my long walk instead. Nothing exciting to report today. I didn't see the bald eagles, but did see the resident geese and Muscovy ducks. Many of the trees have already lost their leaves. We don't get a lot of Fall color here, but some of the Oaks are developing a nice golden hue. The only construction that is still going on in the park are five stone gates.  I have no idea what these gates are for.

I paid some November bills today and discovered that my travel has caught up with me. Yikes. With three recent trips to Florida along with dryer and furnace repairs, this was going to be an expensive month. It's too bad there is no demand for my services these days. I'm still a pretty good web designer, but the young ad agency types will do just about anything to avoid hiring their grandfather. Lets face it. My time has come and gone. I had a good run though. No regrets.

I need to remember that I'm having my semi-annual physical exam tomorrow. Time flies. It feels like I just had one of these exams a few weeks ago. Since I will need new blood work, I can't eat breakfast tomorrow morning. I don't like these fasting exams, but I'll just have a larger lunch. After this is over, there's only one more exam for the year. I've still got to see the eye doctor in December. I'm pretty sure he will want to do cataract surgery, but we'll deal with that when the day comes. Maybe I can avoid the surgery for one more year.

I continue to see better pictures of the Artemis launch than I took myself. Disappointing. My pictures weren't bad but there is plenty of room for improvement. It's really hard to master this strange art when I attend so few launches. Some of the good photographers go to all of them. I guess I need to save my money and start planning another trip.

Ranger is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4680

Today was busy. We got started with a nice early morning walk. I hesitate to call these sunrise walks anymore because usually we have completed our walk and are home again well before sunrise. It was dark and a bit chilly this morning. We clipped lights to our jackets and Dawn wore her green LED collar. I wish everyone wore lights when they walked in the dark. It's still a little unsettling when a runner, or even worse a stealth bicycle, surprises you in the dark.

After my weekday breakfast of shredded wheat and fruit, I checked my messages and took my long walk in the park. This was the first time this season that I've worn a jacket on one of these walks. I still wore shorts though. It will have to get a little colder before I resort to long pants. That day is probably coming soon. The cold front that arrived with our recent rain promises even lower temperatures later in the week. 

I made good time today although I didn't set any records. My feet didn't bother me much, which always makes a difference. This weekend's rain washed away much of the sticky aphid honeydew on the roads. It was nice not to have to clean my shoes when I returned this morning. Hopefully these aphids will disappear soon, just like the ants and web worms that preceded them. We don't have a lot of Maple trees here in Dallas, but the ones I do see are showing some nice Fall color. Some of the Red Oaks actually do turn bright red in the Fall, but their leaves haven't started to turn yet. Some of the Pecan trees are turning yellow and I'm starting to see lots of Goldenrod near the shoreline at the lake. It's going to be a colorful Fall.

The park squirrels are all busy gathering nuts for the Winter. They love this season's abundant pecan crop. There seem to be more Double-Crested Cormorants every day and the female Muscovy Duck that has joined the two males is a permanent fixture now. Maybe there will be ducklings in a few months. No eagle sightings though. It will be easier to spot the eagles a few months from now when all the leaves are off the trees.

After I returned home I had a quick lunch before dealing with today's to-do list. I never used to eat lunch. Maybe that's why I've been gaining weight. You'd think I'd be losing weight with all the time I spend walking. I guess I need to walk faster.  I paid a bunch of bills this afternoon and did this month's Quickbooks accounting. This takes longer than you'd think because I am obsessively meticulous and have a Quickbooks category for just about everything. 

I finally made an appointment to see the eye doctor, even though I'm dreading the visit. I was glad that the first he could see me was sometime in December. I'm in no hurry. I actually am in a hurry to get my car serviced though, so I made an appointment to get this done as well. I'm tired of seeing that annoying "service required" light every time I start the car. Unfortunately, nobody offers loaner cars anymore. That convenience disappeared with Covid. I was able to schedule a time where I can just wait at the shop while they do the required service. I'd rather sit around at the shop for a few hours than deal with Uber again. I've never been a fan of Uber and Lyft.

Curiosity got the better of me and I upgraded the star tracker to the latest firmware this afternoon. I don't expect a lot more of these software updates. The product has finally reached production status and is available in stores now. My days as a beta tester are coming to a close. I did get a good deal on the tracker by becoming a Kickstarter backer. The retail version of the star tracker sells for a lot more than what I paid.

The last thing I did today was a load of laundry. You can't have a proper busy day without doing a little laundry. Maybe I should have saved some of this stuff for tomorrow. I have no plans for tomorrow at all.

Lucky is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4654

The Artemis fueling test went well today, so it's looking more like a launch attempt will actually take place next Tuesday. I was hoping for a delay since I just got finished paying for my previous trip to Florida. If the launch stays on schedule, I'll be there though. I feel lucky to be among the journalists selected to cover this launch. I don't want to squander this opportunity. We'll see what happens in the next few days. I wouldn't be at all surprised if the launch date still changes.

We got another early start on our sunrise walk this morning. I wish Dawn would stay in the neighborhood when we're walking in the dark, but she still insists on going to the park. The smells are better there. Dawn doesn't seem to mind walking in the dark, but I'm still a little nervous about bumping into a coyote. I'm always surprised at how quickly the sky brightens just before dawn. By the time we returned home the sky was blue and daylight had returned.

After breakfast I watched the Artemis fueling test on NASA TV for a while before heading for the gym. This was not exactly must see TV. The rocket just sat there doing nothing and every twenty minutes or so an announcer would give a brief update on what was taking place. There was another hydrogen leak at one point but they got it under control and were able to complete the test. When I returned from the gym, the test was still going on. I'm glad I didn't watch the whole thing. 

I had trouble finding a parking place at the gym today. I was expecting a crowd on the gym floor, but it was just the same people I always see. What were all those extra cars doing? Somebody must have been having a meeting. Since the gym is owned by a major hospital, a lot of hospital functions take place here as well. My routine never varies. There's a large wall clock on the gym floor and I always try to guess when I'll be finished exercising. My whole routine is just like clockwork. I shoot baskets. I walk two miles on the indoor track. And I lift free weights for a while. It's no surprise that I usually guess within a few minutes of the actual time I spend on the floor.

I paid a few more bills this afternoon and finished the accounting work I started yesterday. I still haven't had the nerve to look at my brokerage account. The stock market hasn't been doing so good lately. I learned a long time ago to stay the course when the market fluctuates. If you pick good solid companies and stay aware of what is happening in the world, you'll usually do OK in the long run. A bear market is still unsettling though.

Dawn won another ribbon at her training class tonight. She really looks forward to this class now. She starts getting excited at least an hour before it's time to leave for class. I don't go to the classes with Janet, but I'm really pleased that Dawn is doing so well. She's come a long way since she came to us as a frightened breeding dog in a puppy mill.

Rowe is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4621

Today is Janet's birthday. We dressed up a little, went to a nice restaurant, and had a great dinner. We were both born on the 19th, but two months apart. Neither of us is getting any younger, but we seem to be doing well. Janet is still doing a better job of staying in shape than I am. The birthdays come too fast now. It doesn't seem like a year has passed since our last birthday celebration. Hopefully, there will be many more.

The weather is still a little cooler. Dawn enjoyed her sunrise walk and it was still nice enough for me to take a long walk in the park later in the morning. I probably should have gone to the gym because it did seem pretty hot by the time I returned home. I managed to complete my full six mile route, but it's starting to seem a little harder that it did a year ago. I'm determined to keep moving though. I think I would deteriorate pretty rapidly if I stopped moving.

I had trouble posting the blog to Facebook last night. I finally discovered a work around, but it did make me wonder why I still post something every day. I really don't have that much to say. Computer problems are becoming more common now. I keep getting messages that my browser is out of date and is no longer supported. The computer is old and can't run new systems. I don't feel like buying a new one though. As far as I'm concerned the computer worked fine ten years ago. Why do people insist on changing things? At any rate, I hope the blog posts normally tonight. I'm tired and want to get to bed at a reasonable hour.

There were more bills to pay today. Living on a fixed income in inflationary times is not something I'd recommend. When I was working I could just work a little longer and make more money when prices started to rise. Now I have to pay more attention to budgeting. I don't buy as many things I don't need now. Maybe if I did this when I was younger, I wouldn't even need the storage warehouse.

I think there might be a Space X Starlink launch while I'm down in Florida. It would be nice if I could see two launches in a single trip. I'm not sure about the date though. Some places say the Space X launch will take place two days before the Artemis launch. Other places say the day before and one website says that the launch has been postponed until some time in September. Probably the most accurate website just said "launch date subject to change."

I think Dawn finally accepts me as a family member. We're getting along pretty well now. We certainly share some of the same interests. We both like to eat and we like to nap. I don't think that Dawn will ever be completely comfortable with men, but this is close enough for me. She is a good dog.

Spot is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4495

It was hard to get up this morning. I was still asleep when Janet and Dawn were ready to walk. Janet said that she woke me up earlier, but I have no memory of a wake up call. At any rate, I quickly got dressed and off we went. I think our rainy weather is over, but it was still very windy. Dawn remembers that we gave her a treat to get her moving again when she used to freeze in place. Now she does this every morning just to get the treat. She's not nervous anymore, just conniving.

After breakfast, I got the lawn mower running. I was kind of surprised that the batteries still held a charge after being dormant all winter, but everything seems to work. I'll probably have to mow the grass this weekend. It's getting pretty thick. I keep meaning to ask one of the neighbor's yard crews what they'd charge to mow my front lawn as well. I haven't been home lately when they've been working on the neighbor's yards though. One of these days I'll catch them. I'm getting tired of doing the mowing myself.

I made an appointment to get a haircut. I should have done this several weeks ago. Now the first time I can get in is next Wednesday. That will work fine. I just wanted a haircut before I go to the observatory. I still have mixed feelings about this trip. One day I'll feel like canceling my plans and not going at all. The  next day I'll feel better and start looking forward to the peaceful isolation of Mt. Locke. I've been going back and forth like this for weeks. Hopefully, I'll be in a good mood on the day I'm supposed to leave.

I got a notice this afternoon that the Hoka boots I've been trying to find for over six months are finally back in stock. Too bad I didn't get this notice before I bought the regular Hoka Bondi 7 shoes a few weeks ago. Oh, well. I went ahead and ordered the boots because lord knows when they'll be available again. The notice said "limited supply, act now" so they'll probably be out of stock again tomorrow.

There's already a new update to the star tracker software. Now I'll have to get the tracker out and install things all over again. I've lost track of how many updates I've already installed. I can't decide whether to take the tracker to the observatory with me. If memory serves, these volunteer assignments keep me so busy that there's not much time for photography anyway. It would be tempting not to take a camera at all. I've already taken plenty of pictures out there already.

I don't know how I did it, but I got 22,000 steps today. The weather was nice and I didn't have much else to do. "Might as well walk" has been my motto lately. I was tired when I returned home, but the foot pain wasn't that bad. I felt this way yesterday as well. Hopefully, this trend continues. The last thing I want on a road trip is foot pain.

I finished the day by paying some bills and doing a little accounting. Most of the bills from my Florida trip haven't even come in yet, but I know it isn't going to be pretty. It's a shame that life has become so expensive. I don't know if I'd do more if prices were reasonable again, but I might. 

Krissy is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4415

Some days are eventful. Other days nothing happens at all. One of the downsides of writing a daily blog is that you have to account for all the days. I wouldn't be offended if you just skipped today's post. The big event of the day was driving a few miles to the pharmacy to pick up some prescriptions. Some days I wonder how the days go so quickly even when nothing happens. You'd think I'd feel bored or fidgety when nothing happens, but it just seemed like a normal day to me.

Time goes by quickly when you are naturally slow. I spend a lot of time eating breakfast, switching back and forth between the news and business channels on TV as I sip my coffee. I spent more time with breakfast when I drank my enormous smoothie, but it still shouldn't take hours to eat a bowl of shredded wheat. I've grown to depend on our sunrise walk with Dawn to wake up in the morning. When I hear Janet say "we're leaving in ten minutes," I get out of bed and get dressed. Janet and Dawn are faster than me and the brisk morning walk ensures that I'm wide awake when we return and I don't just go back to bed again.

I used to spend a lot of time answering work related e-mail after breakfast, but now I just wade through a mountain of spam. It's rare that anything in my inbox even needs a response. Old habits die hard though. Without a lot of writing and editing jobs to keep me busy, I just waste time on Facebook and bookmark various camera and astronomy sites for future reading. I'm so used to sitting in front of a computer that I don't know what I'd do without it.

The weather was beautiful today. Yesterday's dismal drizzle turned into clear blue skies and nice moderate temperatures. One of the reasons I take my long walk every day is that it is an excellent way to kill time. I purposely walked slower than usual today and it seemed to help my foot pain. I think I saw one of the eagles sitting atop a distant tree but it was too far aways to be certain. Usually I know the eagle is around when I see a bunch of photographers with long telephoto lenses all pointed in a specific direction. I did see all the resident ducks and geese. There are way too many White Pelicans, Mallards, Coots, and Double Crested Cormorants to count, but I always look for the ten Domestic Geese, the two Canadian Geese, and the two Muscovy Ducks.

I've temporarily lost interest in the star tracker. I've already determined that the product kind of works and I don't think there are going to be any improvements until the next firmware upgrade. It seems pointless to take the Polaris out in our yard. The front yard isn't level and I'm always scared that a speeding car or truck is going to come careening through the yard again. It's happened before. There is a slight bend in the road just before it reaches our house and people, especially drunk people, have been known to miss the turn. The back yard is safe from traffic, but it is too hard to turn off all the security lights. There are nearby streetlights as well. Basically the neighborhood isn't very conducive to astronomy.

I paid the rest of the January bills today and noticed that these recurring expenses keep going up as well. It's a shame that the stock market us headed down again. I was feeling good for a while. Hey, at least I didn't succumb to buying Bitcoin. Crypto is taking a tumble as well. When I was working I was never concerned about fluctuations in the market. I always knew it was easy enough to earn more money. Retirement is a bit different. No matter what you've managed to save, it never seems like enough. 

Bones is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4323

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Patch is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4305

Dawn surprised us this morning. She walked twice as far as she usually does on her sunrise walk and had lots of energy the entire way. Of course she slept for the rest of the day, but you never know with this dog. Maybe she knows like I do that this beautiful Fall weather isn't going to last forever. We might as well take advantage of it while we can.

I don't spent nearly as much time at breakfast now since I'm just having a bowl of shredded wheat instead of making my elaborate and very large smoothie. You'd think I'd find something productive to do with this extra time, but I still seem to do exactly the same things in the same order.

Maybe Dawn's energetic early walk wore me out. I felt good this morning, but my pace on my long walk was a lot slower than usual. After a while, my foot started to hurt again too. By the time I returned home I was beat. It seemed weird that Dawn had more energy today and I had less. I certainly had plenty of time to recover. There was nothing at all on the agenda.

I got a second bill from the plumber this morning. I already paid the bill, but this makes me wonder whether they ever received it. The business reply envelope they sent with the bill was much smaller than usual and I remember thinking "this is going to get lost in the mail." I have no faith in the post office anymore. Of course, I don't have much faith in anything else either, but just adds one more thing to my list of things to sort out later.

The hospital is already sending me instructions for my upcoming endoscopy/colonoscopy. It's a little early guys. Why don't you wait until a few day ahead of time so I won't forget. My brain is like a sieve now. If you tell me something I need to know a month from now I will have totally forgotten about it when the time comes. 

The new editor at SpaceFlight sent me a style guide for writing for the magazine. It was just your ordinary run-of-the-mill style guide, but I felt a bit disappointed receiving it. The old editor would never have done something like this. He never tried to box me in with a pedantic set of rules. If anything, I always felt like he was encouraging me to be expansive and break the rules if possible. Maybe I'll still have a good relationship with the magazine, but this style guide wasn't a good omen. Why take the fun out of things. Maybe the editor doesn't realize that "Badges? We don't need no stinkin' badges!" is still my favorite line of dialogue from any movie ever made.

I wonder how long Fall allergy season will last this year? My allergies were terrible today. It seemed like I was blowing my nose all day. The ants are back too. The weird thing is that most of them appear to be dying. There were a ton of dead ants in the atrium this morning and we keep seeing them from time to time in both our bathrooms. I wonder where these guys are coming from? At least they aren't termites. 

Cupcake is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4298

I got the car back. It runs fine, but it seemed to run fine before I took it in for the scheduled service. I assume that the mechanics did everything on the lengthy receipt I received, but when I leave the dealership it always feels like I just paid for the world's most expensive carwash. The car never seems any different than it did before. I won't be going back to the dealership any time soon. The prices they charge are ridiculous and they don't even try to be competitive.

As I was leaving, the young service advisor implored me to give him a good rating on the survey I knew would be coming. "My job depends on this," he told me. "I know," I told him. "All your predecessors have told me the same thing." I didn't tell him that none of his predecessors were still working at the dealership. I'll give the guy a good score, even though he basically knew nothing. It wasn't his fault that the dealership charged insanely high prices. It's too bad that the survey doesn't rank the dealership itself instead of a low level employee who had no control over anything.

When I returned home, there was a bill from the plumber in the mailbox. This bill was quite high as well but I didn't feel quite as bad about it. The two plumbers had spent the better part of a day trying to retrofit a 2021 restaurant faucet to a quirky 1950's mid-century modern GE kitchen unit. These two large bills pretty much insure that I won't be going anywhere in October. I'm tapped out and the month hasn't even started yet.

I took my long walk early today because I thought I was supposed to pick my car up at 10 AM. As it turned out, the car wasn't ready until very late in the day, but it was still nice to be walking while the weather was cool. While I was walking I saw park department mowers approaching the meadow behind our house. This was good news. The grass has grown very tall in the meadow and it's full of sticky pollen. Every time we return home from Dawn's sunrise walk we have to get wet rags and clean Dawn's legs and paws. They always let the grass grow longer in the Fall so that it has time to re-seed. I'm pretty sure that this native grass will be back next Spring.

I forgot to mark Cooper as adopted on the Dalmatian Rescue website when I was updating things yesterday. I took care of that this afternoon while I was waiting for the call to pick up my car. It still surprises me that my website development skills have seemingly evaporated. I used to be so good at this stuff. I guess the old adage "use it or lose it" still applies. When you do something every day you're going to be a lot better at it than when you do the same thing once a month.

My Fall allergies are back with a vengeance. I'm always blowing my nose and wiping my watering eyes while I walk. It seems like every year the space between when the Spring allergies end and the Fall allergies begin grows shorter and shorter. I'll be so glad when all the Covid fears are over. I'm always checking Google to make sure my allergy symptoms aren't a sign of Covid instead. I've had seasonal allergies for so long that I ought to know the difference. Unfortunately you don't hear much about seasonal allergies in the news and we are constantly bombarded with Covid news. 

It looks like we are finally going to get some rain tonight. All three weather apps on my phone show a band of rain headed towards us. The yard is dry and we really do need the rain, but all I can think of is roof leaks.

Thelma is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4297

As expected, they didn't finish working on my car today. I knew they wouldn't and it's not even a big deal. I think I am finished with the dealership. This whole experience was the last straw. I looked on the Internet and discovered two places in the Dallas area that exclusively work on Land Rovers. Both had excellent reviews along with much lower prices than the dealership. I don't know why I haven't looked for something like this earlier. I just got in the habit of going to the dealership. I liked the free loaner cars and the place wasn't far from my house. Now that the loaners cars aren't a sure thing and prices have gone through the roof, it looks like my loyalty to the dealership was a bad decision. It would be smarter to just pay for a rent car myself and take advantages of the lower prices at other repair shops.

The rain I was expecting last night never arrived. It was still dry this morning when we took our sunrise walk with Dawn. We have to leave later now because the days are getting shorter. I wish they would make the change back to Standard Time a little sooner. I don't care when it gets dark at night because I do almost everything in the morning now. It would be nice to wake up to sunlight again though.

My pace is improving on my long walks. I've lost weight, but I feel like I'm back to normal now. I'm probably ready to start lifting weights again. Truthfully, I was probably ready a week ago, but I just haven't felt like going to the gym. Something needs to be done about muscle atrophy, so I can't avoid the gym forever. I'll probably return as soon as the weather turns bad. Our beautiful Fall weather isn't going to last forever, so I might as well take advantage of it while it's here.

I still haven't heard anything from the observatory, but it might be best if I postponed any travel plans for a while. October is going to be an expensive month with car repairs, plumbing bills, along with various doctor and dental bills all coming due at the same time. Living on a fixed income is fine when nothing goes wrong, but you can start to feel poor pretty quickly when you are hit with surprises. I never liked surprises even when I was younger. Now I hate them.

I finally found something to enter in the Olympus photo contest. The theme for the contest was "Into the forest" and I had to go all the way back to 2004 to find a wildlife photo shot with an Olympus camera. This certainly wan't one of my best, but it will have to do. I'm glad the rules didn't stipulate a new Olympus camera. My photo of a male and female Mallard duck sitting on a log together was shot with one of the first serious digital cameras available. It took pictures natively in tiff format at 300 DPI. Even my current cameras don't do that anymore.

Janet said that Dawn did really well in training class tonight. Apparently, she's ready to graduate to a more advanced class starting next week. Progress with Dawn has been slow, but she is definitely becoming more comfortable with her new life. Dawn seems confident now and a lot of the fear she had initially is gone. When I fixed her dinner tonight, she was right there beside me and eager to eat. Six months ago this would have seemed impossible.

Sweetpea is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4289

It felt like Fall today. The cold front everyone was expecting arrived this morning and it made a huge difference. Walking was enjoyable again. We had a nice sunrise walk with Dawn and then when I was ready to take my long walk after breakfast, the temperature had dropped even more. I don't know how long this is going to last, but I'm going to enjoy it while I can.

When I mowed the grass this weekend I was worried about my surgery. I should have been worried about my bad shoulder. I must have aggravated something because my shoulder has been hurting ever since. All things considered, I'm really in pretty good shape, but the aches and pains of aging can be irritating. I'm starting to feel like an old broken down machine.

I got a jury summons in today's mail. This was a surprise since I've been exempt from jury duty for  quite a while. The first thing I did when I reached the mandatory age limit was apply for a permanent exemption. I never liked getting selected for jury duty. I'd spend most of the day down at the court house and inevitably end up getting sent home. Occasionally, I'd make it as far as the voir dire process. I never got seated. I learned quickly that if you asked questions during voir dire, either the prosecution or the defense lawyers would decide that you weren't what they were looking for. I'm sure there's a number I can call to get my exemption reinstated. I'll put it on tomorrow's to-do list. I don't know how I slipped through the cracks this time, but these guys have already told me many times that they don't want me as a juror.

Very little happened today. I paid a bunch of bills that had accumulated while I was in Florida, but that was about it. I thought that bills would be easier to keep track of now that I pay everything online. It turns out that getting a paper statement in the mail is still the best way to remember these things. Some folks send me a reminder e-mail and others don't. Who remembers old e-mail anyway? Oh, well. Unless I forgot something, I'm all caught up for the moment.

I haven't heard anything from the observatory lately, but now I can't decide whether I even want to go out to West Texas in October. It's such a long, tiring drive. I've been thinking of taking my own car the next time I make the trip, but after my trip to Florida I think I'll stick with rental cars. There's just too much that can go wrong with a car on a road trip. I wish Southwest Airlines flew to Alpine or Marfa. That's not going to happen though.

It's supposed to be even colder tomorrow. That would be nice. This is kind of the sweet spot as far as temperatures go. It's nice to be outside when the temperature is in the low seventies. It's not jacket weather yet, but you don't get too hot being out in the sun. Fall is beautiful in Texas. Unfortunately, it only seems to last two weeks.

Rowe is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4274 - Labor Day

I'm making progress. I completed my full six mile walk in the park this morning. I was pretty slow, but who's counting. It helped that the weather was nice. For most of the walk it was overcast with a nice breeze. When I returned home, I felt no different than any other day. I'm still not supposed to lift anything heavy, but I think my recovery is progressing nicely. The big black and blue blotch on my belly is even starting to fade. When that disappears, I'll consider myself back to normal again.

The park was really busy today. I guess Labor Day is a real holiday after all. There were even a lot of people on the trails when we took Dawn on her sunrise walk. When I took my long walk right after breakfast it felt like the Fourth of July. I wouldn't mind seeing a lot fewer people in the park, but it's still nice to have a huge wooded area right outside your back door. When we moved here many years ago I didn't realize that we'd accidentally picked the best part of the entire city.

When I left on my walk this morning. I had to put Dawn's cone on because Janet hadn't returned from the gym yet. Dawn was totally disgusted. Dawn hates the cone, but her paws are looking so good now that I'd hate to see all this progress go down the drain. Dawn could still do a lot of damage if she started licking and biting at herself again. Luckily, I'm never gone for long. I don't think Dawn has it too bad.

I need to find some new ways to occupy myself. For the past several years most of my activities have been centered around trips to McDonald Observatory and Kennedy Space Center. I've learned a lot about astrophotography and made some valuable contacts at the space center. I wrote quite a few articles and many of them got published. Somehow, that all seems to have disappeared. Many of my contacts have retired and Covid restrictions have changed everything. I kind of feel like I'm back to square one and I'm not all that excited about starting over.

It's way too easy to spend the day sleeping. You'd think that if I slept during the day I wouldn't be able to sleep at night. This doesn't seem to be a problem. I've been getting a lot of sleep lately. I've been able to convince myself that all this rest is helping my recovery, but I won't be able to get away with this excuse much longer. I'm either going to have to find a new project or just admit that I'm lazy.

Dawn and I should be soulmates. She likes to walk and she likes to sleep. This sounds pretty good to me as well. Dawn still seems a little miffed that she has to share the bed with me, but she's learning. The room is quiet and I never watch television. Dawn usually falls asleep before I do. It bothers her if I'm staring at her so I usually turn away. We coexist pretty well, although she still hops off the bed and races to the front door as soon as she hears Janet's car in the driveway.

I've got a pile of bills I need to pay tomorrow. I find no joy in paying utility bills. The gas bill is lower in the summer, but the water and electric bills are much higher. You've got to water the grass in the summer and the air conditioner is running non stop. At least the air conditioner is working. The house is nice and cool.

Tomorrow will be much like today. Probably the entire week will be much like today. You realize that it's been a slow summer when the only excitement is a trip to the hospital.

April is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4191

We came up with a new plan to beat the heat. It involved getting up early and walking Dawn before sunrise. It was actually quite nice outside at 6 AM. The temperature was only 75 degrees and there was a pleasant breeze. Dawn loved the early walk. She walked briskly without any hesitation at all. I was planning to go to the gym today, but our early walk was so enjoyable that I thought I'd take my own longer walk right after breakfast. I probably should have just skipped breakfast and kept walking. The temperature wasn't bad when I left the house, but by the time I reached my halfway point it was getting pretty hot. It's amazing how quickly the temperature rises on a sunny day. I should have left the house an hour earlier. By the time I returned home I was just as hot and sweaty as I usually am.

Getting up early is a good plan. We've done this during the summer with our other dogs. The older you get, the easier it is to sleep in late though. Dawn is no help. She'd sleep till noon if Janet didn't go out to the kitchen in the morning and start rattling plates. I'm just going to have to start going to bed earlier. I should have started writing the blog in the mornings about what I planned to do instead of writing in the evenings about what I actually did. As it stands now, it's hard for me to get to bed before midnight.

Getting an early start didn't help me get any more done today. It was way too hot outside to do yard work and I'm growing tired of watching YouTube videos about astrophotography. I ended up paying some June bills and then going to the pharmacy to pick up some prescriptions. I thought I had a good prescription drug plan, but my prescriptions keep getting more expensive. What else is new. Everything keeps getting more expensive.

While I was driving to the pharmacy I noticed that there was a road crew re-paving one of the streets in our neighborhood. I wonder how the city decides which streets to fix? This street had been resurfaced only a few years ago, while other streets in the neighborhood have been ignored for decades. We may need to take a different route tomorrow, since we typically use this street to get down to the park.

The new mount for my star tracker arrived today. There were no instructions. Figuring out how to use this thing will give me something to do tomorrow. I don't think I need to worry about breaking it. The mount looks indestructible. I wonder how long it's going to be before I start actively using this stuff? I'm sure I could find dark skies closer to Dallas than McDonald Observatory, but I don't feel like wandering around in the dark in a strange area. Maybe I need to join a local astronomy club. Even after in-person viewing events resume, I'd still have to drive home very late at night though. It's a problem. I feel much more comfortable all alone on the top of Mount Locke than in the middle of a city full of crazy people at night.

I need to get Penny's picture up on the Dalmatian Rescue website. I should have done this today, but I'm slow about everything these days. There was a small plumbing leak I was going to fix today as well. Oh, well. There's always tomorrow. I can already tell that it's going to be a long, hot summer. I just hope the air conditioner doesn't break.

Shadow is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day