Day 4995

This morning was a pleasant surprise. We didn't get any rain yesterday but the cold front definitely brought cooler weather. The temperature was in the low 70's when we took our sunrise walk this morning. There was a nice breeze as well. I don't know how long this is going to last but the change is welcome.

It was still reasonably cool after I finished breakfast this morning, so I decided to take my long walk in the park instead of going to the gym. It's been a while, so I thought I'd see a lot of changes. Nope. Nothing changed at all. I suspect that it just been too hot for the maintenance workers in the park. Everything is looking really dry. This is fire hazard dry. Many trees are turning yellow early and starting to lose their leaves. The water level in the lake is very low as well. A big stretch of Sunset Bay has completely dried up. 

I find walking in the park more tiring than walking at the gym. Strangely, my Fitbit seems to think I'm actually getting more exercise at the gym. This is a mystery to me. There are lots of small hills on my walk and maybe I don't burn much energy when I'm walking downhill. My feet definitely hurt more when I'm walking outdoors. I'd almost forgotten how bad my feet can get after a long walk. I think the indoor track at the gym has a cushioned surface. Oh, well. Despite the problems, I still enjoy being outdoors.

I'm glad I didn't go down to Florida for the Silent Barker launch. I was approved for this one, but didn't go because I've been feeling poor this month. Staying in Dallas was definitely the right decision. I just got a notice that tomorrow's launch has been postponed indefinitely because of Hurricane Idalia. They are rolling the rocket back to the vertical integration facility. No new launch date has been announced. This would have been a huge mess if I was down in Florida. I'd be trying to change reservations and get a flight back to Dallas right when the hurricane was arriving.

I got my August electric bill today. Not good. This was the highest bill I've ever received since we moved here many years ago. I know that TXU has raised their rates, but this is ridiculous. The bill was higher than my car insurance payment and more than I charged for monthly rent back when I owned rental property. Oh, well. It is what it is. Hopefully things will cool down and next month's bill will be lower.

I'm so tired of this weather. I never was interested in much but the heat has destroyed my interest in just about everything. I don't want to take too many naps or I won't be able to sleep at night. I probably ought to get some books to read, but my interest in reading has wained. It wasn't always this way. There are hundreds of books on shelves in the office and I'm sure I enjoyed reading them. Luckily the days go quickly. Before you know it Dawn is ready for her dinner and I have mine shortly afterwards. I still don't know what I'm going to do with myself when the blog is finished. This has been my evening for many, many years. So far, no regrets about ending the daily posts though. It's time to do something else.

It would be nice if it's cool enough to walk in the park again tomorrow. We'll see. It was quite nice when I started out this morning, but was getting pretty hot by the time I returned. At least tomorrow's sunrise walk will be pleasant. This is always the nicest part of the day.

Mandy is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4936

I've got to start getting more sleep. After finishing my blog post I usually watch TV in bed for a while. I immediately fall asleep and don't wake up again until after nmidnight. I realize that I still have to run the dishwasher, empty the dehumidifier, brush my teeth, and get ready for bed. By the time I'm actually ready for sleep it is often 1 AM. We get up early too, so we can walk Dawn before it gets hot. There's probably an easy solution to this problem. I just need to write my blog post earlier. Easier said than done though. I'm a creature of habit and I've been doing this for a long time. I'm actually kind of glad that my blogging days are winding to a close. I'm running out of things to say.

It certainly doesn't help matters that every day this summer has been exactly the same. Today was no exception. We got up, took Dawn on her sunrise walk, looked for rabbits and critters along the way, and then returned home for breakfast. I made the bed, ate my shredded wheat and fruit, listened to the morning news for a while, and checked my messages before going to the gym. 

My routine at the gym was the same as yesterday as well. It's been the same all week. I walk three miles at a brisk pace on the indoor track and then shoot free throws on the basketball court for a while before heading home again. I always briefly think about doing more but seldom do. An hour and a half at the gym is usually enough for me.

The first thing I do when I return home is let Dawn outside to pee. Lately she doesn't pee, but just rolls in the grass instead. So much for that bath we gave her yesterday. Dawn like to lie out in the sun but I have to be careful that she doesn't stay out too long. I don't think Dawn realizes how dangerous this heat can be.

I never used to eat lunch, but I've been having a toasted ham sandwich lately. I melt some sharp cheddar cheese on the toasted bread and then put thin strips of ham on top. I'll usually drink a can of sparkling water with the sandwich. It's a tasty little lunch and I try to eat a little less for dinner to compensate. My weight has remained constant for years and I don't want that to change.

In the winter I might start on some sort of project in the afternoon, but this summer it is just too hot. I don't feel like doing anything and usually end up taking a nap. Probably I actually get plenty of sleep. It's just spread out throughout the day. I've noticed that Dawn often stays on the bed with me now when I take an afternoon nap. That's progress I guess.

Today is Dawn's favorite day. It's always grocery day on Friday and Dawn waits for Janet to return for at least an hour before she arrives with the groceries. Putting the groceries away seems to be a very big deal for Dawn. She gets very excited and follows Janet around until everything is in it's place. Oddly, she shows no interest at all when I do my own grocery shopping on Saturday.

Tomorrow's schedule will be a little different since I do my grocery shopping in the morning. Dawn will still get a sunrise walk. I'll go to the gym. And I'll end the day with a blog post. Pretty much the same thing as today. It's always Groundhog Day around here.

Tucker is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4922

The weather was a little better today. When we took Dawn on her early morning walk the oppressive humidity was gone. There was a nice breeze and the temperature was in the mid 70's. Of course this didn't last long. By 10 AM it was just another hot summer day. At least Dawn got a nice walk. She's only been getting one walk a day lately since it is too hot in the afternoon.

After breakfast this morning I hauled some brush out to the curb for bulky trash pickup. I wasn't outside long, but it was enough to convince me not to bother with my long walk. Oh, well. I need to make a habit of going to the gym anyway. I'm not good at making resolutions, but I really need to work on improving my upper body strength.

I feel like I'm getting a decent workout at the gym, but both my Fitbit and Apple Watch say that I'm actually getting more exercise on my long walks. It's probably just the amount of time I spend walking. Twenty minutes on a treadmill really doesn't equate to several hours on the trails. I like walking, but I'm probably going to be spending a lot of time at the gym for the next several weeks. According to the weather forecast, the temperature is going to be in the high nineties for the next ten days.

Walking is probably better for me. The rowing machine is hard on my shoulders. When I'm using the treadmill I worry that one of my knees might go out. I'm not terribly strong at this point. Whenever I use a machine, I usually have to subtract some weights from what the previous person used. At the time of day I usually go to the gym it feels a lot like a geriatric physical therapy center. Most of the people on the floor seem even older than I am. Some of them do pretty well though. I've got a long way to go before I could keep up with some of these old codgers.

My editor at SpaceFlight Magazine wants me to attend a media day for the Orion Spacecraft program at Kennedy Space Center. I told him I'd think about it. There is no launch involved, but media would have access to the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building where the Orion capsules for Artemis II through IV are in the process of being assembled. I applied for credentials to this event, but NASA hasn't set a date for the Media Day yet. We'll see what happens. I guess I'm always looking for an excuse to go back to the space center.

I also keep looking for an excuse to avoid mowing the grass. It's definitely time to mow again. I'm going to have to do this very early in the day, because it's just too hot once the sun is high in the sky. Maybe sometime next week. Tomorrow I do my grocery shopping and Sunday I always go mall walking. Monday isn't good either. I don't like the idea of mowing grass on my birthday. 

Janet does her grocery shopping on Friday and Dawn spends the entire morning waiting for her to return with the groceries. The ritual of putting away sacks of groceries seems very special to Dawn. She only gets excited about Janet's groceries though. When I return from my own grocery shopping Dawn doesn't even get off the bed.

My trips to the gym must be working because I feel sore in brand new places. My goals in life are simple now. I've just got to keep moving.

Hershey is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4832

Another cold morning. We had to wear our winter coats when we took Dawn on her morning walk. The walks are shorter now, but Dawn still loves them. Her entire day is better when she gets a chance to smell things in the park. So far her recovery is going well. We've already eliminated two of her meds and will start reducing the remaining Rimadyl tablets tonight. She's pretty steady on her feet now, but we still have to help her on and off the bed.

We had our traditional big weekend breakfast and then I did my weekly grocery shopping. This week it was time to fill my car with gas. I do this about every two weeks. As little as I drive, you'd think I could go a lot longer between fill ups, but my car gets terrible gas mileage. Truthfully I don't need a 5 liter supercharged V8 to go to the post office.

Grocery stores are still a mess. I guess that's the new normal. Selections aren't nearly as good as they used to be and prices have gone through the roof. To keep prices lower stores are increasingly stocking the shelves with their own house brands. These brands are less expensive but you get what you pay for. For the most part these house brands are noticeably inferior. I do my low end shopping at Sam's Club and my high end shopping at Central Market. These two stores are world's apart although both have their own house brands. Central Market's house HEB brands are much better than Sam's Member's Mark brands, but Sam's is still the place to buy bottled water, detergent, coffee pods, garbage bags, and other items that don't go on the dinner table. 

Janet had to be away from the house this afternoon, so we thought we'd see how Dawn would do on her own. We were pretty sure that Dawn would stay on the bed while we were gone, but dogs are never entirely predictable. I left the house to go on my long walk before Janet left, but the house was empty when I returned. Sure enough, Dawn was still lying on the bed. She made no attempt to get up and greet me, but that wasn't unusual. She never does. When she saw that I wasn't Janet, she just sighed, put her head down and went back to sleep.

I was a little worried when she wouldn't eat her dinner tonight. I even tried bring her bowl back to the bedroom and she still had no interest. It turned out nothing was wrong at all. As soon as Janet came home Dawn gobbled everything down and then went outside to pee. The little diva was just upset that her weekend schedule had been disrupted. Dawn is constantly at Janet's side when she is home and she just doesn't like being alone with me. I think she's getting better.  When she was really sick she seemed to tolerate me being nearby a lot better. I'm sure this was just an illusion. She probably just had trouble moving away.

We're not sure Dawn is ready to ride in the car again, but if all goes well we might try to take her on a shorter Sunday outing tomorrow. She'll still need help getting in and out of the car, but she does love her walks. We'll see how it goes. I'll go mall walking in the morning and when I return to the house that's usually a sign to Dawn that she's going on her outing soon. Last week she was real disappointed when we didn't go anywhere. Hopefully we can keep Dawn a happy dog tomorrow.

Nick is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4593

Yay. NASA approved my application for press credentials and it looks like I will be attending the Artemis-1 launch later this summer. Forget everything I said yesterday. This launch definitely won't look like all the others. The Space Launch System is the largest rocket we've ever built and it's headed to the moon. Well, this first one is headed around the moon anyway. Hopefully, I'll get lucky about the launch dates. The trip could still get expensive if the launch gets delayed after I'm already in Florida.

All in all, it wasn't a bad day. I entered a few of my astrophotography pictures in a Dark Skies photo contest, went to the gym in the morning, and got a haircut in the afternoon. The weather was still very hot, but other than our sunrise walk with Dawn I managed to stay indoors. These sunrise walks provide a good preview of what the day is going to be like. It was humid this morning. I hate getting hot and sweaty before the sun even comes up. Sunrise walks are still tolerable though and Dawn likes them.

I haven't had the nerve to check airfare and hotel rates for my upcoming trip to Florida yet. I'm sure it will be more expensive than last time. I can't think of a single thing that has gotten less expensive this year. Sign of the times I guess. I think travel is still beneficial though. I don't do much, but it's good thing to have something to look forward to. Who knows. I may make it as a space journalist yet.

I got stung by a bee again this morning. This is the second time in a week. Technically, I guess I got stung by a wasp, but it still felt the same. These wasps are everywhere in our yard. It's hard to avoid them. I really hope that Dawn doesn't get stung. She's scared of almost everything already. I definitely don't want her to get scared of going out in the back yard. Lounging in the grass on a sunny day is one of her favorite things.

I always feel better after a haircut. I don't know why I spent my younger years wearing my hair longer. Shorter is definitely better. Especially in the summer. My hair is a lot thinner now, but it still seems to grow fast. It's funny. Yesterday I said I typically don't get a haircut unless I've got a trip planned. Well, now I've got a trip planned again. I still can't decide whether to go back to the observatory this year. One thing at a time is probably best.

I take my car in tomorrow morning for the factory recall. It seems like my car is a little old to still be getting recall notices, but you hate to ignore these things. Hopefully the dealership will do what they promised and won't keep my car over the weekend. They said the repair should only take two hours. I've heard that before. Two hours means about the same thing as two weeks to these guys. We'll see how it goes. I've got groceries to buy tomorrow and being without a car will complicate things.

Pongo is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4550

I had a memory lapse today and thought I had ordered the wrong dishwasher. For some reason I was convinced that I had ordered a unit with top mounted controls. This was going to be a problem because there is a slight overhand on the top of the kitchen counters that would cover up the controls when the door was closed. I don't know why it took me so long to look at the picture on my phone that I took in the store. What was I thinking? The controls were right on the front of the door like they should be. I guess it was an easy mistake to make. I looked at a lot of dishwashers and they all basically look the same.

I wish the temperature would stay the same as it has been lately when we take Dawn on her sunrise walk. It's pleasant to walk when the temperature is 72 degrees and there is a nice breeze. It's a lot different later in the day when it's 92 degrees under a hot sun. I'm really trying hard to walk earlier now before the temperature becomes unbearable. I started my long walk right after breakfast this morning. It started out well, but I'm slow and it takes me almost two hours to complete my route. By the time I returned home I was hot, sweaty, and wishing I'd gone to the gym instead.

The ants are back. Every June around this time a huge swarm of small ants appears on our front porch. I don't know if they are climbing down from the roof or up from the ground. There are thousands of ants crawling up and down the brick walls of the house. I spray the column with ant spray and the mist inevitably falls back on my head. Most of the ants are dead now, but I'll have to wait a few days to see if they come back. Sometimes it takes two treatments to get rid of them. It's weird that this had happened every June that I can remember. There are usually no ant problems for the rest of the year.

Since I haven't seen the rat in almost a week, I decided to take some leftover potting soil and fill in a hole where I thought it might be getting in the atrium. There used to be a large cactus growing in this area, but it died long ago. If this dirt is disturbed it means the rat is still around. I'm leaving the Havahart trap in place for a few days, but I have a feeling that the rat has moved on.

Since it was an exceptionally slow day I found myself experimenting with the star tracker again. I wanted to make sure that the new attachment I bought would allow me to quickly change the camera from a landscape to a portrait orientation. Everything worked fine, but I still don't have the nerve to install the newest firmware version. I've written the Benro folks in China several times to see if this new update was safe, but communication has always been difficult with these folks. I guess you get what you pay for. Early backers of this project like me received the product for basically half of its eventual retail price.

It was too hot to give Dawn an afternoon walk again. I don't think she cared. Dawn is basically a very lazy dog. Sometimes I envy her lifestyle. She takes a brisk walk early in the morning when it's still cool and then sleeps for the rest of the day. She never misses a meal though. Dawn has a good little internal clock and knows right down to the minute when she is supposed to be fed. As long as a strange noise doesn't upset her, Dawn is a happy camper.

This day is almost over and I've accomplished nothing. The week's trash has been taken to the curb and I'm already wondering what I'm going to do tomorrow. Part of me wants to resume my old breakfast restaurant Friday tradition, but I'm just not very hungry anymore. 

Liberty is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4371

Santa has left the building. Another year of Santa Paws events is in the books. It's hard to believe that we used to do five or six of these events a year. We're all getting older now and two events seems plenty. We had a good day today and photographed quite a few dogs along with two cats. Even Charlie and Oliver got a picture with Santa today. We had quite a few Dalmatians at today's event. Dalmatians are very photogenic but they are not always the best behaved. Santa had his hands full. It was lots of fun to see some of our Dalmatian Rescue alumni though. I've known a few of these dogs since they were puppies. We tried to figure out how long we've been doing Santa Paws pictures and our best guess is fourteen years. We might be off by a year or two either way though.

Janet and I walked Dawn even earlier than usual this morning so we would have time to set everything up before the event. This was the first morning this Winter where the temperature was below freezing. Dawn wore her new sweater for the first time and seemed to be comfortable wearing it. The cold doesn't bother Dawn much. Personally, I prefer warmer weather. I dressed very warmly and had to shed a few layers before I left for the event. It seems to take me longer to load the car and set everything up now, but even though I got a late start I was still ready for our first customer. I really need to buy some new stands for the backdrop before next year's events. These stands have seen better days. Everything still worked though. Since most of this equipment was build for daily use in a studio, it might last forever since I basically only use it once a year.

I'm still not sure where my FedEx package is. I know it has arrived in the Dallas area though. Since I wasn't sure if the customer service agent I talked to yesterday understood my request to hold the package at a nearby Fedex Print Center, I also put a vacation hold on the delivery. I was successful at preventing the package from sitting on my front porch all day, but I'm still not sure where it is. There was a cryptic message on the FedEx website this morning that just said "address corrected." I hope this means that the address was changed to the location where I hope to pick up the package tomorrow. It could mean something else though. We'll see. 

I really hate off-shore call centers. You used to be able to pick up the phone and talk directly to almost anymore. Not anymore. Everything is automated now. I'm so tired of sitting on the phone forever to listen to a series of automated prompts that never seem to refer to what I was calling about. Press 1 if you want blah, blah, blah, etc. By the time the robotic voice reaches Press 9, I usually get frustrated and just hang up. If I do eventually manage to reach a real person, it is usually someone in the Philippines or Malaysia that I can barely understand. I remember a time when the FedEx driver in our neighborhood would give me his personal cell number. If I was away when he came to make a delivery, I could just give him a call when I returned and he would swing back by. Those days are gone forever.

I was more organized than usual today. Instead of leaving all the photo gear lying around the house for a week, I took it directly back to the storage warehouse on the way home. Usually, I am too tired to do this, but it is nice to have all this stuff out of the way. Now all I have to do is wash the backdrop, recharge all the camera batteries, and I'm done.

I'm not sure if we'll go back to the kennel tomorrow. We were there all day today and got to see Charlie and Oliver anyway. We still might go, since it is a regular part of our Monday routine. When you are retire, you've got to have a routine or you completely forget what day is is. 

Savanah is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day