No We Don't Miss Indiana Winters

With our second winter here in the southwest the bloodhound and I have realized we do not miss those single digit days in the winters back in "the tropics" of southern Indiana. The puppies are pure Arizona pups so they have not experieced the lifting of paws while on a walk through freezing snow like Stella has. Yes, it has been cold this week and it does get cold every night while sleeping but by the afternoon the sun is hot enough to be outside. Stella and Henry do this every afternoon. With the temps in the 50's and 60's this past week.

While I was sitting outside on a cool afternoon with hot sunshine in shorts and a t-shirt, my old friend sent this photo of her patio up in the Chicago area. This was taken after the 12" of new snow on top of their previous 13" the day before. I walked back outside to soak up some rays and keep my tan going barely remembering what that kind of weather felt like.

Walter is letting all of us sleep a little longer but not by much. We are up way before sunrise so we don't miss seeing them. Every day shows a great morning sky to get started. I never get tired of this.

Snow still up on the mountains but needs more than that and should have more than that. The 20 year drought continues. There are a few surprises down below, things you would never expect living here.

The first surprise, the sound of cattle. Which made the two hounds and the dog sprint through the kitchen outside to the back wall as if they could see over it. But they could smell the air and knew something was not normal. I grabbed the camera to record what I was hearing ... sure enough, cattle have been grazing behind the house for the past few weeks now.

I am not sure of their destination but every afternoon at the same time of course, they head back the way they came. This activity drives the doberman next door absolutely insane. So much, that all the cows/cattle stop and stare in his direction, then move on.

The second surprise happened a couple of Sundays ago when I thought I heard some loud knocks on my front door at 5:20am. It sounded like someone using a door knocker, but I don't have a door knocker on my door. Saw no one through the door peephole but heard voices loud enough that I thought they might be on the driveway. I found out about 20 minutes later when I opened the blinds that five of the town's finest had parked outside the house across the street ... I was later asked by one of the officers if I had heard gunshots. Their police log on the city website shows the case is still open, AGG, which is aggrivated assult with a deadly weapon. No arrests were made that morning but a lot of evidence was picked up off the street and put in evidence envelopes.

Nothing bothers the hounds though, they find time to sleep on schedule.

Walter has started to like Stella's idea of sunbathing but he uses the patio for his. Whenever his ears curl back I know he is in a dream state of sleep. Snoring away. 

Henry always likes to protect the computer surge protector. Every morning he is in that position but only one time did he roll in such a way that my computer shut off unexpectedly ... some of that loose heavy skin clicked the on/off switch. He is really getting heavy. I can barely pick him up.

I heard it and was lucky enough to catch it on camera. All that loose skin of Stella's was flapping loudly as she did an intense head shake. I guess she was moving around some of the ear cleaner I had used an hour before to clean her ears. Henry is huge at a week shy of 8 months. Walter is also getting bigger after he was 1 year old on February 1st. 

Not much has been going on because I am not a cold weather person in the mornings. With the weather getting back to normal this week I should be able to get out in the area to take some hikes and some photos. Although I have been told that until furhter notice I should not be making solo trips over Montezuma Pass to Parker Canyon Lake and if I am riding my bike south of town to be aware of any high speed chases. Those are starting to increase lately with border patrol, county sheriffs and park rangers in doing the chasing.

I have a ballgame to watch in a couple of hours but I have a feeling that one of my VWs will take me down to Papa's 50 Diner today for some of their great food. Do they serve the breakfast menu in the afternoon? I am going to find out. It has been a few weeks or maybe a month since I have been there.

All is good here in the 'Wild West' and the hounds and the dog continue to have fun.