A Lot Going On

After a second day in a row of working outside in flowerbeds and the "rock patio", I am sitting here with 20oz of ice cold water in front of me, a bunch of photos and some thoughts running around my head. I guess my "water break" has turned into calling it a day, and instead of going to another thing on the "to do" list, I will blog instead. Grab something to drink and prepare to read, a lot of news in this blog post. Some would call it rambling or in some cases ... total craziness.

I guess I will start with that rusted steering mid shaft. That jointed piece is suppose to rotate as you turn the steering wheel in a Toyota FJ. I found this during my curiosity one day in July. I had my small LED camping flashlight angled up into the lower engine area while I was flat on my back, iPhone camera nearby.

Long story short, I went to the FJ forum to see if I had a problem or not. Got some advice on what it took to fix it and when I heard the words "air hammer" to knock the rust off to be able to get those bolts out, I knew that was outside of my pay grade. I could lose steering at anytime they said and as I knew from my old VW bus days in recent years ... when you see rust, there are more rust issues you don't see. 

As much as I love FJ's .... it was time to make a trade.

NO, I did not go out to buy this Veloster. People know that I do a lot of research before making a trade with spreadsheet analysis, Edmunds and other auto reviews, etc. A friend of my loved his Hyundai Tucson and suggested I go test drive one. I found on on the local Hyundai lot. Last day of the month and the place was packed. EVERY salesman had a customer in their office signing papers for their car deal. I stood in the middle of the lobby and not one salesperson approached me because they were all busy.

I went back outside to look around and try to find the 2021 Tucson I had found online. I found a Sante Fe I liked although it looked to be a little smaller. How small can I go is always compared the the Mini Cooper Countryman I owned when I moved from Arizona to Indiana. 

Sales woman comes out apologizing that she cannot help me yet but asked what I needed. I needed to test drive the Santa Fe and the Tucson. As we returned from our drive in the Tucson I told her I didn't have an interest in that Veloster but wanted to see what it looked like in back. I always loved that car when I saw it in a parking lot somewhere and was just curious how much room was in back. There didn't look like much.

She opened the trunk and I was shocked, it was bigger than the Mini Cooper and had a deeper trunk. It looked like Watson would be able to step in the back with the seats down for his trips to the vet. He flat out refused to get up in the back of the FJ, which was another reason I started looking at other cars.

I told her I needed a test drive. She laughed and said get in. As she got in and put on her seat belt I warned her "hang on" because I already knew what this car could do, I just wanted to see it for myself. I-69 was the perfect place to check out the "sport" mode and as I pulled into the car lot I knew I was buying the Veloster not the Tucson.

I had no idea if my bike would fit and I doubted that Watson could fit but I was buying that car. It felt bigger than the Mini Cooper and a little more car like instead of go kart like. Real leather seats and I found out later it has more HP than the Mini although the Mini is bigger in all specs inside and outside except the cargo area with the seats up.

The next morning I was on my way to buy a bike rack that would work for that specific model and year of car. I thought before I went I would just see if my bike would fit in the back. It did with about the same inches to spare as the Toyota FJ ... no bike rack was needed.

Yet, after a couple of weeks I changed my mind on that. I had taken the bike out and folded the backseats in the up position an noticed some disfigurement in the leather seats. I didn't want that nor did I want to have the chance of permanent damage from having the back seats folded down all the time.

This is the Saris Bone 2 bike rack you saw the hounds and the dog helping me work on the other day. I just didn't tell you at the time what vehicle that rack was going on and kinda strange nobody asked. It works out well and the bike is very stable at 65mph. It can carry up to two bikes but that probably will not happen. So it's perfect for me, the car and my bike.

Whenever I get ready to leave the house, Walter can tell and he will run off inside or even outside if he has to, to find his "security" REI bone .. the orange one is still missing in action. He will grab that bone and chew the living crap out of it up until the time I open the door to leave. He has been doing that for almost three years now.

The question is ... where was I going because he had a vibe that this was not just a trip to the store but an all day trip ... I was going on a long road trip. I had seen a new cabin for sale on 4.75 acres of land outside the town that I lived for 22 years and from where I moved to Arizona in May 2019.

Built in 2018, brand new on the inside. A mowed 5 acres with most of the pasture fenced in for horses. I met the listing realtor there last Wednesday at 4pm ET. Quit a change from that cabin I showed you in my last post outside of Bisbee AZ isn't it. In fact this one is twice as big living area and a lot greener landscape.

I knew that fence would not hold back Henry and Watson but what they couldn't do with 5 acres of roaming, probably deer and wild turkeys visiting on occasion. I figured I could use that out building there in the photo to store my mower and in the enclosed area I could store everything that is in my garage and shed here. Would I mow it with a new 60" zero turn mower or let it grow back into a field of wild flowers and hay with a worn path from our hound walks ... just like we had with Stella, Sadie, Winston and Heidi??

I got there about 30 minutes early so I could walk around outside and take some photos of stuff. I wanted to see what kind of vibe I was feeling before the agent got there. Yes that temperature is correct and it was in the shade. Which made the next thing all that surprising.

She opens the front door and the cabin is colder than my house here. I found out later it was set at 74° and that split unit worked better than I ever imagine keeping the whole cabin freezing cold from its second story location. I was impressed. Later when I told my nephew about it, he said they used them when he was stationed in Iraq and they worked great.

This gives you some idea of the size and most are asking "how could he ever fit himself and three dogs in that area PLUS, they would never make it up those stairs to the bedroom !!!!! From the backside of my couch to the wall in my current great room and the width is 15x20' ... the same size as this living room.

They fit a small round kitchen table under that lamp, just past the stairs. That door is the back door and inside that short wall is a full size stackable washer/dryer along with a full size bathroom past that wall. The quality of material and the build was all high quality stuff. Enough to scramble my brain cells on the 90 mile trip back home.

5 acres of privacy has always been a dream of mine. I was there 55 minutes and didn't see one car or truck pass the house on the newly paved country road in front of the house. Not one. No shade but a great place is already staked out for a patio/firepit. No garage but plenty of space in that pole barn. The stairs are an issue although the hounds and dog could walk up the steps to the outdoor deck on the 2nd floor that goes into the bedroom.

Two bedrooms are bigger than what I have here. Of course one would be a computer room/office with a bike on an indoor trainer. Here I don't use one bedroom, the master bath nor the living room. The cabin has more square feet than the small house I lived in north of this town for 22 years ... with 3-4 hounds at a time. Would there be any leaves to rake or mow? Will the backyard flood every time the snow melts or it rains hard all day and night?

It's still available .... and it still peaks my interest.

Sunday was the last home game for the Evansville Otters at Bosse Field, the 3rd oldest ballpark in MLB behind Fenway Park and Wrigley Field. There have been players play here on their way to MLB fame. Looking at last years photos, this year was one day earlier than last year and they were playing the same team as last year ... The Florence Y'Alls. I got there early, grabbed some food and a soft serve ice cream cone and found my normal seat just left of home plate. Not bad for a free ticket someone gave me about 30' from the ticket office.

Seeing this guy not quite in front of me wearing a Y'Alls baseball cap I asked him if he had driven all the way over from Florence KY for the game? He said he actually lives north of Cincinnati and had come over to watch the game because his son was the catcher on the Y'Alls team. We watched a few innings together and then I had the urge to check out some other seats. Too much walking traffic in front of me so I headed over to the first base side and found some great seats between home plate and first base ... that is until ....

Until the Otter's team mascot stood about 20' to the right of me. I could see the game and saw the guy's son #21. In high school he had played at Cincinnati Moeller HS ... same high school that Ken Griffey JR and HOF shortstop Barry Larkin attended.

I noticed a large group of kids and parents were walking my way and sure enough, they had all come to see the Otter's mascot, with hugs and pictures ... with kids and parents blocking my view I had to move to a different seat and I knew of only one place where I would not be bothered but people walking in front of me.

I quietly stepped down into "The Reserve" seats. ... gated plus someone that would take your order for the concession stands and bring it back to you just like they do in the overpriced seats at MLB games. These Field Premium Seats are $10. I watched the last half of the game from these seats. Otters lost 5-0 with some exciting plays from both teams. Not a bad day at the ballpark and the short 6 mile drive home.

With the temperatures 10-15 degrees cooler than last week, Sunday I left the patio door open while I watched the Reds playing in Arizona on tv. That way Henry and Watson can go in and out as they please and by that time of night Walter is already back on his sleeping bag in the corner of the bedroom snoring the night away. 

I had a "senior moment" Sunday night. After the game I got up and closed the patio door, shut off the lights and headed to bed. I didn't see Henry in the bedroom on his bed when I walked in but saw the other two. I didn't think much about it and assumed Henry had decided to sleep on the living room couch like he does at times. For the first time in a long time I slept through the night, not getting up until 6 am when I heard Walter snorting around like he usually does.

I went back to bed soon after he woke me up ... 30 minutes later I wake up to start the day and none of the dogs are in the bedroom. That is a first for that to happen and seemed very weird to me. So I gathered their dog food bowls since Henry eats in the bedroom, Walter eats in the computer room ... I headed to the mud room to dish out their morning kibble.

Watson and Henry always go outside first thing in the morning, so I sat the bowls down to go open the patio door. Here is Walter and Watson inside at the patio door waiting for me to open it but Henry is OUTSIDE the patio door !!!!! 

I had left him outside all night !!!! LOL The temp didn't drop lower than 65°. He NEVER barks to come inside during the day. In fact he rarely barks at all. I told his breeder before that he loves this yard so much that some times he will not want to come inside at night when I am going to bed. 

He was thrilled to come inside Monday morning though ... one very happy hound with his tail wagging a mile a minute. Watson was jumping and hopping over him, Walter was making bulldog sounds with excitement. They were all happy to be back together. 

That photo above was taken right after all three had eaten their breakfast. I doubt that any of them slept good Sunday night knowing Henry was shut outdoors so they were sleeping good Monday morning. For the first time ever, all three were snoring at the same time.

Monday morning after some breakfast I decided to tackle my long "to do" list. Weeding the flower beds and clearing out the "rock patio" in back was the highest priority. I know from past experience that simple task of pulling weeds whether I am on my hand and knees or bending over to pull them, my legs will be sore and feel like I have ridden a bicycle for the first time in a hundred years. They are really sore the next day.

From what I read, I don't trim those bushes until late fall. 

This shows two things ... how lazy I have been this summer and how hot it has been not to do anything. Looks like a major job but a lot of that was vine type weed with a lot of ground cover and only one or two root stems to pull out. The grass is zoysia and it pulled out pretty easy because it is also vine based. It did not take me long to get this back to the way it looked when I moved in.

Watson approved my work plus enjoyed his large bowl of cold water. Any grass or weeds you see here were pulled up after the photo was taken and after I had taken a short break.

While I sat in that gray chair that I moved with me from Arizona I had a cool breeze whipping around that enclosed "rock patio". The yard was shaded and the hounds were just hanging out. Walter was right around the corner laying on the rug inside the open patio door. I tried to trade this moment to the cabin up north to imagine what the exact same thing would be like up there.

Of course the fencing would be different but there would be something put in front of that barbed wire fence to keep the hounds inside their yard. They would only go out into the pasture with me as their escort. Would they eventually be able to go for walks without a leash on those five acres like Sadie, Stella, Heidi and Winston did ??

The hounds and dog seem to have outgrown their chewing stage inside and outside. I can put back those end pieces on the patio I removed two years ago. They were pulling them out to chew on. So many are missing and Home Depot will get a new supply of them tomorrow on the 30th. I will pick them up and put them back at the end of each patio board.

When I think of that cabin, the main thing are those spiral stairs. The hounds and dog MIGHT walk up them but none of them will make it down them. They are too steep and even I had to use the handrail coming down them. Using the outside deck stairs for them to get upstairs to sleep is definitely not an option in the winter when the snow is flying and it's below 20°. 

Yes ... dogs will adjust to any change they might encounter but is it really worth it? They like being around me whether I am on the computer or sleeping for the night. They rotate during the night, sleeping in each other's beds or spots on the floor.  Would they all like sleeping in the living room in the cabin with me upstairs?

And these photos. You can tell they like their yard and patio deck. They would eventually adjust to the yard up there but there is no shade there like there is here. Of course with that shade I will spend a day or so a week raking or mowing leaves this fall. Not one of my favorite things to do. Yet sometimes it's nice to sit outside in the shade.

With the drop in morning temps it is nice enough to have breakfast outside on the patio. Of course the hounds and dog think my food is their food. Luckily they do not grab it but will lay around me and wait for a piece of any food to drop to the floor. 

That is four strips of burnt bacon, some hot salsa on a three egg avocado and cheese omelet. 

Walter must have been anticipating some bacon when I took this photo.

And Watson will wait as long as it takes for anything edible to drop on the floor.

Henry has to be the closest of all three of them. 

The morning was so nice I almost talked myself out of doing anything today ... but that list is bugging me into action. Just like last September.

I found out today that small car I bought can hold quite a lot with the backseats folded down. That is four bags of mulch, two bags of top soil and four plants. At 34mpg, and a sport mode with 202hp and a turbo engine ... it checks a lot of boxes for good things.

I thought my Azaleas were dead last winter. Unlike the ones I had at the old house north of here, these had no leaves of any kind during the winter. I thought they had died until last spring with the green leaves were barely coming back.  I sat the four plants around today before deciding where I wanted to put them. All of them are perennials and will get much bigger so the ones I planted in pots will not be there long.

Probably not the right pot for that yellow one but the ground under that rock ground cover is hard as concrete as the rock is close to two inches deep. The pot might be big enough to hold it when it's full grown.

It's probably good that I was not in the mood to buy flowered plants last spring because the hotter summer and heat wave would have killed them.

Might be a strange combination of plants but for today it's the best I could do. Watson is giving me his final approval.

I was going to dig a hole and plant the white one where it is sitting. That hard clay was like concrete under the ground cover stone.

So I put it in a bigger pot but by next year it will be too big and I will will have plant it in the ground somewhere. 

I will admit my "to do" list is a combination of the one I keep all the time with additions of things I would like to do before a professional photographer would take photos for a sales ad. Yes, I did call and talk to an agent about my house last week after seeing the cabin. She had sold the two houses up the street in a matter of hours after they were listed. Both had four to five people bidding and both sold a lot higher than the asking price.

I told her nothing could be done until I made an offer on the cabin and it had been accepted. She told me she thought she already had a buyer for my house if I would list it. They need three bedrooms which I have and they love the neighborhood. I wonder if it was one of the bidders of the other two houses, where they were outbid.

I did make an offer on the cabin last Friday then had it withdrawn. Things were moving too fast. They were planning to have my house photographed last Sunday at 11am since my house faces east. Then she would list it for sale on Tuesday (today)  if they had accepted my offer. I had/have no doubt that my house will sell within the first day it's listed. What if I couldn't get a house inspector at the cabin until later or within the 15 day requirement, only to find something that would be a deal breaker with my house already on contract to sell ????

This would be the third time that I would be trying to time it right where the house I am selling closes with in a day or two before the house I am buying. Agent's like that but it's stressful getting all the pieces in place for that to happen.

Another thing I have always thought about living alone with the hounds and dog out off-grid or like this cabin, out in the country but near town ... what if ... the worse happens, or at least a medical emergency ... how long would it take to find me and what about the hounds and dog. Here my neighbors would take care of the hounds an dog, a different location I would have to find someone. That was another reason I withdrew the offer. 

I would be doing the things I am doing on my "to do" even if I had not seen this cabin ... but a few of them are moved up to the top of the list in case I see something I want to buy and would need to list my house for sale pretty quick. 

Then other days I feel like I don't want to move at all and I am in the perfect place as are the hounds and dog. I really do wish I would get back to feeling content. I am not sure I have ever felt that content about anything. 

So that is the latest from "the tropics" of Southern Indiana.