Light Pollution & Watson's Normal

For the third time in 27 days, my house and backyard lit up like an airport runway Thursday night. I had sat down to watch a movie and couldn't figure out the reflections I was getting through my patio door. It was bouncing off the window left of the tv and was blinding me while I sat on my couch. Then it dawned on me what was going on. It was the LED security light from the neighbors barn/shed. It is a motion detection light that never turns off. Or she says it is a motion detection light.

I have shown these photos to friends and told them the stories of the next door neighbor via text or phone calls. They let me know that I am not crazy. This latest incident sent me out in the direction of looking at houses to buy in this town and different towns, even different states. Luckily after all the research I did years prior to moving to Arizona in May 2019, I had cut out a lot of the leg work. Before you jump out of your seat with excitement and tell me that I am nuts for moving only 5 months after getting here ... I am not going anywhere. I like this house, the neighborhood and the town. This yard is perfect for the hounds and the dog.

I bought this house for various reasons, made some improvements for the dogs and I so I am not going to do all of that again just because I would move somewhere else. Plus I don't want to pack everything up again, although the last move I paid movers to do that. Some way I will get this neighbor issue figured out.

There is not a lot I can do in this state about lights like this. Indiana is not one of 13 states that have Light Pollution Laws. There are no county ordinances concerning lights like this. I called almost every county office yesterday and even the county sheriff's department looking for answers. Many calls went unanswered and the few where I left a phone message, calls were not returned. Had they defunded the county sheriff's in Vanderburgh County??? I could not get anyone to answer the phone!!!

For some strange reason a receptionist forwarded my question to the "detectives department". Don't ask me why but if they answered the phone and I got a live voice to discuss my problem with, I was happy with that. Come to find out a room full of detectives did not know of any light laws or county ordinances but the man I spoke to told me he had a neighbor just like mine. Only when he asked him to point the light straight down, his neighbor complied. 

Whereas when I asked mine to either point it down or turn it off she replied "what purpose would it serve if they were turned off?" Afters showing her these and other photos on my iPhone, explaining to her the light was once again inside my house ... it did not compute with her. Her lights couldn't be doing that.

She is in her 60's taking care of her mom who has dementia. She grew up in that house, so maybe she feels that what she does is okay and what I think makes no difference. Here is an example where her light is all the way across my backyard, through the fence and lighting up my other neighbor's shed.

In past discussions with her about the lights issue, all of this stems from two things. TWENTY YEARS AGO, someone broke into that barn/shed. They then installed the dusk to dawn light you see lighting up her whole backyard. Then I found out the security light IN MY YARD where I cut the pole down, capped off the electric wire and buried it, was on all the time before I moved in and it lit up the berm ... no doubt keeping all potential intruders and druggies away from my yard and her barn/shed. She felt safer.

There is only one or two things at the most I can do legally. Let just hope she keeps the LED airport runway lights turned off or at least have her friend point them straight down.

The leaves have finally changed color and more of them are blowing into the yards. People mow their leaves here. So I have raised the blade of my mower to mulch the leaves but not cut the grass. I miss my old way of doing it up north in the small house I lived in, where I would have a huge fire of leaves and any tree limbs I had picked up out of the yard after storms. Yes, I did consider moving back to that small town the other day when I was house hunting. Not a lot of houses to choose from though in that town or any other towns in that area.

If you look closely at the field to the right, they cut the soy beans last weekend. Watson, Henry and Walter stood and watched the combine "mow" the field. Maybe those photos have not been downloaded from my camera or I didn't take any. I can't remember and that sucks.

Watson and Henry enjoyed the few days where the sunshine was warm. The slept the day away out there. They always move in the yard where the sunshine is the warmest. They laid in that spot for quite a while this past week.

An hour later I looked outside to check on Watson. He had moved to the opposite side of the yard and was enjoying his early afternoon nap. He had his staples taken out this past Thursday. The vet said he looked really good. It really never affected him after he got home from surgery. He and Henry would run and play at full speed. He was running so fast one day that he tripped, fell down and slid across the patio almost the whole way. He runs all over the yard so proof again the visible fence was a great idea.

After his surgery I found out I was not feeding him enough food. Based on some studies from the Vet school at Ohio State University I had a math formula to follow based on age, size and weight of the dog, giving me the correct amount of dog food to feed him based on his calorie requirements as a bloodhound puppy. They grow really fast and as you see they burn up about all the calories they eat.

That formula ended up telling me that I needed to double his food intake as a growing bloodhound puppy from 3c to 6c ... so when he stepped on the scales on Thursday at the vet appointment he weighed in at 74 pounds, a couple of weeks shy of 7 months old. He had gained 8 pounds in 14 days. He is going to be a big boy in a couple of years.

I guess winter is around the corner based on the actions of the two hounds and the dog. Closer means warmer even with the heater turned on in the house. Plus when I get up for more food, a drink or a bathroom run ... I lose my seat.

Well the following photos shows the strategy of Henry and Walter jockeying for that third spot on the couch. It reminded me of the time where Sadie forced more room on the couch for her to lay down next to Winston and I. You can click here to see her strategy back in 2014.

Watson and Walter had given me enough room to sit on the end of the couch while watching the new Tom Hanks movie on AppleTv. Things were soon to change. I will let the photos tell the story, since I have already rambled too much on the light story.

Walter finally jumped off the couch and gave up. 

Not a lot going on as usual. I have pulled weeds from the flowerbeds after each rain. I have pruned some of the larger plants back to ground level. I have "thought" about painting the living room and the computer room but don't have the urge yet to do it. Watson is showing signs of calming down but I doubt it is from him being neutered just a couple of weeks ago. He chewed the cover off a baseball the other day in 10 minutes ... no more baseballs.  LOL

Now that college basketball has started, mixed with college football, I have more things to do I guess. I have a stack of books I want to read and the older tv was moved into the living room strictly for PS4 games ... PGA Golf and Grand Turismo racing. Looks like I am ready for the months of winter.

I wonder at times why I don't have the urge to get out and do things ... colder temps will only make it harder to do.

Otherwise all is good here in "the tropics" of Southern Indiana.