Blog Additions & Rambling

It was not a surprise to me because around 5am I heard a clap of thunder so powerful and loud I thought it was in the bedroom. I got up to close the windows not knowing how hard it was going to rain and went back to sleep. The hounds and the dog?? Never woke up. So when I opened the patio door for them to go out first thing in the morning like every morning, they stopped in their tracks and stared at "their" wet patio.

We need the rain as it has been a dry July so far and I hear we didn't get the normal amount of rain for June. Manicured lawns in the neighborhood are showing signs of brown grass, so whatever rain we got last night and what we might get today will help. I am not sure how that will affect my first day back on the job of blogging and taking photos.

I will say it is a nice feeling to be back in the blogging mode. With the windows open and a cool breeze coming through the computer room this morning, it's nice to see the Nikon sitting ready next to the monitor. I took these photos with the 50mm lens that came with the camera. It was also nice to see some comments from old blog friends, long time readers and maybe one or two that have joined recently.

My friend and I were discussing our urges not only to come back to blogging, but also Facebook. We found as we get older that we both have a tendency to retreat into our cave, away from all the turmoil going on. Staying within our bubble of life where things are easy most of the time. But the way of communication has changed these past few years as you all know. 

Phone calls are rare, emails are even rarer. It's all texting with me but others are on TikTok, Instagram, vlogs on You Tube etc. Still being what I call "old school" I am sticking to old fashion blogging and no plans of moving to those other platforms. Like before, I found that friends only do things on Facebook. They wanted to keep seeing photos of the hounds but would not come to the blog to see them. Of course they probably have the Facebook app on their phone so it is not only easier for them but more convenient. 

Convenience is the key word there. Don't we all like things or ways of doing things that are convenient to us?

I almost forgot what I was going to say when I started this post today. Like the Post Title says ... "blog additions" .. now probably a lot of you read the blog from your phone so I am not sure how you get to the right side of the blog, but on that side I have added my profile (not important), a list of links that interest me and might interest you (I had them before), a list of blogs I follow (more will be added as I remember them) and then my archive of posts have been moved to the last section on the right side of the blog.

I'll try to describe a few links that have been added.

Basset Hound Rescue -- located in Illinois. I have used them twice, adopting basset hounds. Around 1999 I adopted Max, the largest basset hound I had ever seen. Barely fit in the front seat of the Miata I had driven to pick him up. Then Heidi was adopted through them around 2011? They let me know she was a "runner" and to keep her leashed at all times. That leash lasted her first day and after that for the next 8 years she ran free in the field in back and in the yard with no fence.

Out West Bassets -- Henry's breeder in Arizona. She has the best looking, best temperament basset hounds I have ever seen. They just had two new litters but the waiting list for their puppies is over a year. They have their own large air conditioned facility just for their basset hounds plus they get to hang out around the house during the day. I took Henry back for a visit before we moved to Indiana.

Hounds A Running Bloodhounds -- is where I bought Watson. A lot of good information on their website about all the good work their hounds do nationwide in search and rescue. I asked and made sure with the breeder if it was going to be okay if Watson was just a couch potato, and didn't pursue a career in search and rescue. They said that was fine ... but he has a nose that tells me he would be great at tracking scent.

Old VWs For Sale -- Although I no longer have one or two in my garage, this is still a good website to look at. I have the search set for buses, and trucks (Type II) but you can find any year and any kind of VW on their site. Yes, they do get those prices they are asking. I got out of the VW collection this past winter. Doing normal maintenance and adjusting the points inside the distributer, I could not see the gap with or without my glasses. I also found it harder to lay under them to adjust the valves on each side of the engine. I knew then it was time to sell what I had.

Circle of Blue -- I didn't find this until yesterday, July 16. It started with a linked news article on my Flipboard account. It was the best article I had read yet about the "real" water issues out west but this article also focused in on Cochise County. I moved from there last May 2021 and potential water problems in the future (lower house values) was just one reason I moved.

Luckily I have an old blogger friend that has a college degree in geology, along with over 25 years of traveling and camping in the west, that was aware of all these problems years ago. She told me to read a book called Cadillac Desert which explains the fight for water, the shortages of water all the way back into the 1860s ... yes 18 60's ... those are still ongoing today.

I see more and more articles about what is going on with Western water, daily in the news articles that show up in my Flipboard, but you have to wonder if they are too late taking action. They didn't listen to the scientists that were publishing warnings decades ago. They just kept building houses and increasing population in addition to all the farming that produces food we depend on nationwide. That's the perfect storm for disaster.

You know when they are suggesting building a system to transport water from the Missouri and/or Mississippi Rivers to the western states ... things are out of hand. You would think if the US Navy can convert salt water into fresh drinking water on their ships when they are out at sea, they can surely figure out how to convert some of that Pacific Ocean for California. Maybe not, I'm not a scientist.

As time passes, different foods that I eat give me indigestion for the first time. Is it the food or my gut health, as they call it. Well yesterday I decided to give my system a true test of carb overload. Normally this food and combo would send me to bed for a long siesta while I sucked on a TUBS anti-acid tablet. Different brand names, that I will not mention to keep me out of court, were eaten for years. But last night with a large appetite and wanting to see what would happen to me ... I used the new brand of pasta and pasta sauce I bought from Costco last week.

I liked the 'bite' of his pasta. It was tender, good taste and it didn't bloat my stomach as I ate it like the past pasta did. Usually in the past by the time I finished eating I could feel my stomach expanding but not with this pasta.

My two excuses for this amount of food are, this was a test and I wanted to overload my system to see what would happen. The other excuse is that plate is smaller than the normal dinner plate. I will stick to those excuses no matter what kind of comments I have below. LOL

The 30 minute mark passed, nothing. I wasn't feeling tired and I had not reached for that bottle of TUMS. Normally I would already be starting a long siesta 30 minutes after eating this, time of day would not be a factor. I went one hour, two hours, three hours and longer ... even thoughout the night ... no indigestion. Not only was I happy about the results but surprised. The other pasta and sauce was put on my "indigestion" list of foods months ago.

The second photo in this post turned to sunny skies by the afternoon. Compared to the cooled inside of the house, it felt like walking out into an oven to take these next four photos. Before I knew it, another day had basically passed by and it was 5pm. I didn't do much and what I did, the camera was not with me. I took a nice drive in the Z4, top down across town to the bike shop. I needed a small air pump for flat tires that I might have. After looking everywhere it was determined the last air pump I had like that just last year, has disappeared.

Watson is my first "black and tan" bloodhound. All the others were "red" and all but one were females. He is past his destruction stage much earlier than I expected. I can leave the house for any amount of with him roaming freely inside with Walter and Henry, no harm found when I return. He is going to be a good one, very smart and definitely keeps me on my toes.

Henry does not care what the weather is outside. Heat does not bother him in the least. Looking at old photos of Winston, their mahogany coats were almost identical at this age. I just looked and did not have the repeat setting on the calendar for his birthday. I missed it this year, he was 2 years old June 29. He is basset stubborn but will always come when called about 5 minutes after you ask him.

Walter???? Too hot outside as he refused to come out and enjoy the warmth late afternoon. When I said "come on" he turned and went sprinting for the computer room where it is nice and cold. I would say that is his favorite place to sleep.

There is still time to take a second bike ride in the neighborhood or go out and shoot some basketballs or even sit out on the patio before the mosquitos arrive but this air conditioning is feeling awfully good where I am. I'm thinking it might be movie night tonight while the hounds and the dog find their positions on the couch and love seat. They love to sleep during movies just like ballgames.

It was a good day here in "the tropics" of Southern Indiana.