Roaming Brain Cells

Watson and I have had wondering thoughts today. There might be some old fashion rambling in this post today. I haven't done that in a while. It might be caused by "my spring" vanishing with a snap of my fingers or is it the cool temps today? The next 10 days looking like highs in the 60's when I am wanting those mid to high 70's back that I experienced before the rains and the cold front. Yet I shouldn't be complaining about the weather nor anything else. Reading about various online friends and their health issues pulls me back from any thoughts about complaining, especially something so minor as high temperatures. I am thankful for my good health.

Yet as long time readers of this blog know, when "roaming brain cells" occur, that's dangerous for me. Decisions big and small are made sometimes only to be regrets later. For about 20 months it was cars, trucks and old vw's that took up a lot of the roaming brain cells. Then once I finally found my two vehicles that have been long time favorites, the urge to trade, buy or sell those cars is not around. I did test drive a 2022 Subaru Wilderness a couple of weeks ago just out of curiosity.

Today though, those "roaming brain cells" are focused a lot about moving back to Cochise County AZ. Don't fall out of your chair or gasp with horror when you read those words. Really it's nothing new. I've been looking at houses on Realtor dot com, multiple times per day, since the day I set up my internet service where I live now. It's just what I do when I am bored. I go online and I look at cars and houses that are for sale.

While Watson sat in deep thought, Henry laying on the patio enjoying the cool temps and me looking around at the sky with my camera in hand ... Walter was looking for his perfect place to relieve himself. That is his normal process. He just doest step out into the yard and squat, no he has to find and hunt for the perfect spot. Then afterwards ... he explores the area back to the house, sniffing grass, rope bones, bare spots or anything else that he is curious about. Sounds of snorting while exploring might be heard.

He is very small for a male english bulldog, but he is about the same size as his mother. He turned 3 years old back on February 2nd. 

It is not like I don't like living where I do. It's a nice small city, nice neighborhood that is very quiet, nice people with plenty to do outside and a nice house for me, the hounds and the dog. I've never experience the feelings I had back in June 2019 when I would step out on the patio with a bright sunny sky and three different mountain ranges within my view ... looking left to right. I have told people before, those Huachuca Mts, St Joe and the Mule Mts energized me. If I was feeling down they would make me feel better. It was soothing to sit back and just observe those mountain tops in the high desert from my chair.

I rode my bike a lot more out there, I hiked more out there and the times I have done both here it is just not the same. I could be riding out there feeling tired, start looking at the mountains around me and felt better. Even when hiking out by the San Pedro River the mountains were always in view. 

It is just hard to explain. The high desert of Cochise County and me had a very very strong connection. When my friend here suggested I take a two week vacation and go see the mountains I replied that would only be a tease because 14 days isn't enough because I need to see them 365 days not 14. 

I have analyzed why I feel this way when it occurs. I go back into my private blog and re-read what I was thinking before I moved where I am now. I re-read how I felt after the move was complete and things around here were finally getting installed, fixed and cleaned up. I have discussed with a friend or two about these thoughts wondering why they never disappear. 

In my life I have lived in some great places, from the beach in Southern California, the pacific northwest between Seattle and Vancouver BC, outside of Breckenridge CO just for a 10 month ski season, and the high desert 62 miles south east of Tucson AZ. I have liked all of those places. I thought about them too after I moved but there was never a pull like I have about the Sierra Vista AZ area. 

It will be the third time since moving here that I will be on my hands and knees pulling weeds in this flowerbed and two others. Not one of my favorite things to do but I tell myself I feel good doing it because of the way it looks when I am finished. The other part of my brain reminds me constantly as I move along the flowerbed "you never had to do this when you lived in Sierra Vista, you would be out riding, hiking or just sitting in the back looking at those mountains" .... the brain can be viscous sometimes.

When seeing something like those weeds I always ask myself ... if barrier paper plus mulch are suppose to prevent the growth of weeds then why do they keep coming back after I pull them out by their roots ????

It also might be the monthly real estate report I get from a realty company in Sierra Vista that lights the inner fire to move. When I left in April 2021 the state of California, NJ and other places were moving in at a rapid rate. I remember seeing 238 house sold in that current quarter in 2021. This quarter that just ended Jan-Feb-Mar there were only 53 houses sold in that Sierra Vista area. With the large Army base outside of town those moves could be just normal military moves.

I change my search parameters to check on the most expensive homes, new builds and vacant land that was sold. The building of sub-divisions outside of town along my bike routes never happened like I thought they would. I can use an updated Google Street View and travel the roads I have questions about and find my answers as of this current year.

Yet, house prices are still high out there just like they are in this area. A house down the street a couple of months ago was listed at $199,900 and sold in 48 hours for $242,500. So there were obviously different buyers bidding on it. There isn't a lot of movement in this neighborhood but it is known to be popular when a house is listed for sale.

About the only way I can get the same moutain views I had before is to look for housing south around the Hereford AZ area. You can get 4 and 5 acre lots with those houses but there isn't any within my price range. They are listing house trailers in the $190,000 - $210,000 price range and even some more than that depending on property size. That is an example to show how high the prices have become.

I saw a house listed this morning that looked familiar from the past two years. Listed at $225,000 but only 458 square feet of living space on 8.56 acres of land, halfway between South Bisbee and Hereford. Of course it had beautiful mountain views and plenty of room for Watson to bay as loud as he wanted. That's a bit more than I want to pay for something that size.

From that camera angle you could think my patio is rolling and about to fall apart but it is very stable and feels flat when I walk on it. No creaking sounds. Henry looks a lot like the way I feel some days around here. But the strange thing in all of this thinking is ... when the hounds and the dog are outside, I am sitting on the patio just taking in the surroundings I hear a voice in my head telling me not to leave here. Yes, you don't have to tell me this place is the best for the Watson, Henry and Walter.

Since today's computers, smart phones and apple watches are so entwined in our lives anymore what do I get in my list of articles this morning on the Flipboard website I use ???? How to make a decision. ONE question to ask yourself when you are having trouble deciding what to do .... no really, that is what the article was about AND ... at no time recently have I told anyone outloud that my watch or phone could hear me, about my thoughts of moving back to Sierra Vista AZ .... yet as we all know ... looking at those houses for sale multiple times per day or looking at cars ... the internet has picked up enough info that I might need help in how to decide what to do.

The one question to ask ???? "What's the worse thing that could happen?" if you were to chose what you are thinking of doing.

I will say I am very curious about the chatAI stuff. I'd like to read about it, try it out but I fear that once "they" realize I have an interest in that, then I will be swarmed with spam mail plus they have an avenue to spy on everything I do, say or think. You might think that is being paranoid. If so, you don't know enough about how AI operates. It is scary to think about.

This bright fluorescent green bone is Walter's. It is one of two just like it. The other is bright orange and is still missing. I cannot tell you how many times I laid on the bedroom floor, fighting off two hounds and a dog, to look under the bed and under the chest for this bone or the orange bone. Many times !!!! Yesterday I see this one under the chest back against the wall. Was it there all the time and I missed it ???

Walter will be happy to get this back. It might be hard for you to believe but whenever he sees me getting ready to leave the house for any reason he will run and hunt for this or the orange bone and then obsessively starts chewing it as I grab my keys, billfold, phone and glasses to leave. It is like a "security bone" for him.  LOL

It was suggested that I use a head collar for Watson to train him and prevent him from lunging at cars that pass, jumping on people when they approach to pet him or jumping on me when he is excited. I found a video on YouTube for those brand name head collars suggested. It was more about walking the dog with a loose leash so he wouldn't pull. I already walk Watson and Henry with a loose leash so they can let their nose decide where they go and how fast or slow.

One other video said that if I stood still holding the leash normal the head collar would stop Watson from lunging or jumping but I have yet to find a video showing that in action. A few have made comments under the video they are wanting the same information as I do because they have the same problem. I will keep looking and reading about them. I mean the other day standing in the street, Watson sees Charlie (the big white dog) barking at him from inside their front door, bent down in the "I want to play" position.

Watson got so excited when he heard that and possibly seen him that he literally jumped in the air with all four paws airborne while baying at Charlie.  LOL

For those asking in their minds ... yes I have thought about renting a house out there and keeping the one I have for a year before doing anything. It is extremely hard to rent a house with three dogs. Even with photos to show they will not tear the house up, it is still hard to find a place to rent. Plus rent is extremely high and more than I want to pay.

At the time of this post, there are 18 houses for sale in Sierra Vista up to $250,000. Many of them are older homes in the older part of town that have been remodeled yet still overpriced. A house that had the exact same floorplan as what I had before in SV, sold last summer for $240,000. The market was different than now but the prices have not changed.

I read yesterday that sellers today will not come down on their prices because of what their neighbors sold their houses for 9-12 months ago. They want the same amount of money for their house, refusing to realize the market has changed with available houses for sale and an interest rate on a 30-year mortgage that has more than doubled. Just last week in Sierra Vista, there were two newer (20 years old) that were on contract within 48 hours, so they don't last long when they are available. 

Nothing to worry about though ... I am pretty sure that once those temperatures come back that are in the high 70's my "roaming brain cells" will be back to pulling weeds instead of thinking about wild options of moving cross country again.

The hounds and Walter are in a deep sleep, the sun is bright and the skies are blue here in "the tropics" of Southern Indiana.