We're Alive And Well

 Hard to believe it has been 15 days since my last post but that is what happens when cold weather hits, in addition to "March Madness" and then this afternoon the first of three to four days of rain. Can you believe they have predicted 4"-5" of the liquid by Friday??? We might have to get a wave maker for the backyard if that prediction happens, so we can surf in the backyard. That photo above covers multiple times per day for the last 15 days, one photo does it all.

The past few days we have taken the hound walks in 30° weather. Even though I have all the layered clothing and coats needed for those temps, that does not make me a fan of cold weather. I don't care what anyone says, I don't like it, I will never like it and I don't have to like it. Give me those hot summer temps.

The hounds have already found out it is raining lightly but steady this afternoon. They stand at the door wanting to go out but when I see drops of rain hitting the small puddles on the patio deck, it's not going to happen.

About a week ago the annual "March Madness" in college basketball started. By Thursday there were solid games on four different tv channels from 11am for the next 12 hours. That happened Thursday through Sunday for those that don't follow college basketball. I bought a bunch of ballgame food/snacks and crawled into "the cave" for the past week. The hounds were still walked, fed, fresh water and let out at their request during those days. I guess you could compare it to binge watching a tv show you like.

Although my team was eliminated on Sunday, then the women's team last night, I will still continue to watch the mens tournament. PLUS ... Opening Day of MLB starts in 10 days. My Reds have cut payroll around $40 million from last year's squad. I guess instead of being excited to see if we win and go to the playoffs in the fall ... it's reverse ... will they play well enough to NOT lose 100 games. Sick isn't it.

No matter what the weather is or how low or high the temps are at 7:30am every morning, the routine does not change. Up before sunrise, breakfast served, all three go outside for the second time after their meal, play a little outside then into a deep nap by 7:30am while I drink coffee and read the internet.

As you can see seats are not plentiful while trying to watch basketball every night ... none of us want to move or we lose our seats.

Since I have bene hibernating the past 15 days, not taking photos of any hounds or the dog or the house or the area, not having the urge to blog, I had to come up with some old photos for this post. The photos before this one were recent but only three of them were taken today. So I started thinking ... what if I searched on this day in past years. Well just last year the hounds and the dog had new knuckle bones and it was warm enough to stay outside all day and devour them.

These three photos were taken March 21, 2022.

Five years ago, March 21 2018 I took this photo out my kitchen window as I sat at my kitchen table. It was when I was living in the small house up north. There are days I wish I hadn't sold that house and was back up there ... but mostly for the field in back and the daily walks, not much else really.

It was a little shocking that when I went back to March 21, 2013 ... 10 years ago at the house up north it was snowing again. .... so maybe the rain I am getting this week is not a bad thing after all. 

Of course I was curious to see what we were doing our first March in Sierra Vista AZ ... March 21, 2020 Heidi and Stella were enjoying that hot high altitude sunshine. Walter would not show up until April 11, 2020 about three weeks after this photo. Henry wouldn't show up until August the same year.

That is another house I miss living in. Those mountain views were awesome to see every day. The hiking and bicycling were the best I ever experienced. The temps might be cool but usually by noon that high altitude sunshine was hot and nothing in the world mattered while I sat outside in the sun roasting my brain cells. 

Yet I also swing back to where I am living now when I am remembering all the nice places I have lived and what basset hounds or bloodhound I had sharing the house. This house is perfect for me, the hounds and the dog. The neighborhood is friendly and safe. Watson met a new neighbor on his walk this morning. I warned her that he still jumps on people when they try to pet him.

He did and he was taller than she was. Luckily she said she had a dog they never could break that habit of jumping on people, so she understood. In the meantime Henry has a new friend at the end of the street and he always glances at the house as he trots by to see if his new friend is outside to meet him.

I did try walking Walter one day. I thought he wanted to go because he would run into the garage with Watson ... that is our staging area where I put the collar and the attached leach on Watson ... but once the harness was on Walter and the leash attached .... he tried biting the leash to get it away from me and went running back to the door to go inside.

The cut on my hand is on Day 38 of the healing process. It is now in the process of closing the cut at the level of the skin. All the healing under that is healed. For the first time yesterday the cut was itching before I put more Neosporin on it. It has a little scab on top of the thin cut. It hurt when I tried to peel it out the other day so I left it as is. 

Of course when I see that cut I think of Samson and I still second guess my decision of calling animal control that Saturday night on February 11th. 

On the social media scene I have deleted my Facebook account and in the past two weeks or so I have had no urge to log back in to activate it nor have I missed it. I am not going through any withdrawals like I have read about other people doing. If it were not for the camera, the notes and map on my iPhone, I could almost go back to a flip phone and be happy. 

On the car and truck front. Believe it or not I have not had the urge to buy or trade my FJ or sell the Z4. I just bought the tags for each vehicle for 2023 and in the past few months both of them have barely been driven. That is what happens when you are hibernating in your house for weeks at a time. The fees have risen so much for Instacart to deliver groceries I don't do grocery delivery much anymore. I get out to the store to resupply the kitchen shelves. 

I had a shock today when I went to buy a 3M heater filter. I cannot remember what I paid last year for one that was 14x20x1 but I am pretty sure it wasn't $22.86 for just one filter. 

So that's my update. Not much going on. 43° and rain feels the same as 10° and snow to me ... with no ballgames on tv tonight ... it could be movie night.

I almsot forgot. If you remember I have mentioned more than a few times my neighbors are obsessed with their yards .... well today I hear something from inside the house and cannot figure out what it is nor where it was coming from. Once I saw Watson standing at the window I had a good idea ... was it possible ?????

He was watching the neighbor mow his yard !!!!! 

It is "Seattle Weather" here in "the tropics" of Southern Indiana today.