Routine Moving Toward Winter

The hounds and the dog can tell that the season is changing. Their routines are changing ever so slightly as the overnight temps get colder and it takes longer for the sun come up. Right after their breakfast, which is as soon as possible after Walter wakes all of us up, they head to new spots to sleep. Henry and Watson head for the dark bedroom, Walter is right behind my desk chair. I was told yesterday it has been too warm for leaves to change color. In past Octobers I blogged about my "leaf project" supervised by Sadie and Stella. This year I am mowing a few of them every week and most of them are green and still on the trees.

Watson would probably like to go explore that yard and the next one over like Stella use too. Instead he will sit a lot at that spot and look next door. Luckily he has shown no signs or desire to dig under the fence to get outside the yard. 

One of the few times both have a knuckle bone and not wanting the same one.

Not a bad chew toy for $4.69 and they last forever. Even Walter will grab one of theirs occasionally and head to the computer room to chew on it for hours.

Walter never leaves the yard if he is with me outside. He will explore away from me but always comes running when I head back inside. 

To reduce the instances of Henry and Watson fighting over the knuckle bones, I stuck some small Milk Bones inside two Kong Balls thinking that might work. It didn't. Both are males, both are food driven and they want the same Kong Ball if there is food inside it.

He was trying his best the other night for just one piece of my grilled steak.

Another good book by Victor Davis Hanson.

I guess a part of me believes the supply chain backup, the chance for lack of food or household goods, even dog food. I have already bought an "inventory" of dog food and have been buying beans, rice, canned tuna, salmon packets to add to my inventory. At the rate beef prices are rising, a steak will be few and far between I believe. Luckily Wild Fork has great meat, poultry, seafood at great prices. My first order was delivered the next morning. The link is only for information, I am not an affiliate.

As I bent down to the lowest shelf to grab a bag of rice I saw that maybe I wasn't the only one thinking grocery supply might get tight in the future.

Many here know my "issue" with cars and trucks. I call it a love of cars and trucks and if I had the money and a warehouse to park them I would have at least 25 of them. I have had more than 25 move through my garage the past 24 months. My friends just laugh, a couple understand completely but one of them sent this to me the other day. It was the best laugh of the month, although I let him know he spelled my official name incorrect. 

Not much going on. Weekly yard/leaf mowing, college football on Saturdays, time outside on Sundays and during the week there seems to be something pop up out of nowhere that needs taking care of. Watson's head is as tall as my waist, learning new rules and has a bay of a bloodhound that only Stella could match when she wasn't fed on time. He is a little different though, he bays when he sees people outside, when I come home or if he sees another dog walking down the street.

I plan to get a library card for the library just a couple of miles away and closer than all the stores I shop at. I bought that book above but I generally like to check out books to read during the winter. Farmers Almanac predicts a cold and snowy winter here. National Weather Service predicts higher than normal temps and a lot of precipitation. Take your pick. Reality is after five months of living here, the storms split a little west of me, one following the Ohio River and the second going north of me by 10 miles or more. I might be in a very nice weather pocket for mild weather, as my neighbors tell me.

I am down to two cars finally. One FJ for dog trips, vet trips and it can get me anywhere in any kind of weather. One Mini Cooper JCW for great gas mileage (never ending rise in gas prices) and enough turbo horsepower to satisfy my need for speed. I am finally not looking at cars for sale.

I plan to try it this weekend ... see if I can pull the FJ into the garage. A rough measurement shows I have about 4" to play with, without taking taking the garage door down. If my friend cannot come over to spot me I will slowly move it inside, getting in/out and standing on a step stool to make sure things are going okay. I still want to high pressure wash my driveway for the first time. I also shoot baskets almost every day.

Things are pretty good here in "the tropics" of Southern Indiana but I miss Cochise County Arizona.