The Hounds Explore

Just like Watson did at 8 weeks old, he does every morning at two years and five months old. He was born the day before we left Sierra Vista, AZ for Evansville IN. Is that weird? Of course back in early July 2021 I did not have the fence installed yet and that pole held a security light that I found out was installed here by a previous owner. To the dismay of my neighbor, I cut the wires, capped them off and buried them back in the ground then cut the pole down. I like a dark yard plus I didn't like the pole standing in the middle of the backyard. The neighbor is still not happy about that.

This morning after their morning kibble, the hounds did what they always do. Henry and Watson walk the fence line collecting data on who or what may have entered their yard while they were asleep during the night. They explore the fence line in detail then spread out to different areas of the yard, where the scent leads them.

It was another football Saturday where the first game I watched started 11am CT. I think I might have set an all-time record Saturday, after many years of the same routine. The last game was delayed and didn't start until 10:20 CT. It was a great game to watch and I did until it finished. Colorado State at Colorado in Boulder. It went two overtimes and I think I remember turning off the tv at the game end around 1:20am CT. Needless to say, I felt pretty tired when Walter woke me up at 5am Sunday morning with his new routine.

Last week I made good progress on my 'to do' list. It's more of a spring cleaning done in the fall.

The sound of the Nikon interrupted his concentration.

Henry was on the other side of the yard and acted like he was tracking a mole but there are no signs of mole traffic in the yard anywhere. Last month he and Watson did find a small hole in the yard that kept them interested. Later I found three baby moles inside that hole after Henry drug one of them out into the yard.

Looks like the farmer in back will have a good crop of soy beans this fall. 

Besides the temps dropping in the 50s every night while I sleep with the windows open, this morning I see the first signs of fall. 

I am not a fan of Walter's new routine. Neither is Watson or Henry. For three mornings straight now, at 5am, Walter is out by the patio door barking to go outside. For three years he has never gone outside until after he eats his breakfast and that is much later than 5am. His night routine is normal so it's not a bladder issue from not going outside before he goes to sleep. He has never done that after I stopped carrying him outside as a puppy. Watson and Henry refuse to get up when they hear him barking. They know when it is dark inside the house, it's too early to rise.

Seven days after planting new grass seed on top of better top soil than I bought last spring, I see new grass growing. This is an area that has flooded for 60 years I'm told. I have witnessed the same for a couple of years. I keep adding top soil and new grass it seems every fall in this area.

One of the priorities on the 'to do' list was to clean the mud room. Watson eats in the far left corner not pictured. I still have to clean the dog food containers. I took everything down off the hooks, everything off the floor and found out the cleaning job was easier than I thought it would be. I patched the holes I made to hang my Dyson vacuum to recharge and will paint over them this week.

I remember after making those holes that are patched in white, I was an idiot ... why not mount it on the white wood ... which I did. Since the battery wore out in less than four years I was not interested in buying a replacement battery for $190. So the charger rack was dismounted and along with the vacuum is stored in the shed until I win the lottery so I can waste money on a $190 battery for the cordless vacuum.

I have found the Bissell I bought with an emphasis in dog hair collection with a 30' cord works much better than the overpriced Dyson I bought in 2019. My first Dyson had a cord and worked much better than the newer model and was still going strong for eight years. I donated it to Goodwill during my pre-move downsizing in May 2019.

I am almost finished with the 'to do' list. I have one major job and that should be fairly easy. Or a couple of jobs. Paint the door jam outside around the front door. Paint the new framing around the lower smaller living room windows and then paint the inside of the hallway entry way along with the mud room entry way. You can see in the photo above this, the wood knots are showing through the paint the previous owners used. I will use some KILZ primer then some interior white paint.

I still stay the house is too big for me. It seems I am constantly cleaning inside and doing yard work outside although the yard work is basically maintaining what I have. It just seems I spend too much time on the house and yard.

With the hounds and dog surrounding my desk chair sleeping with two of them snoring, I can barely get up out of my chair for a second cup of coffee. Rain is nowhere to be seen on the future forecast so we well kickback and enjoy the beautiful fall weather we have been having. No AC, and the windows open at all times now for the past couple of weeks.

The hounds, the dog and I are doing good in 'the tropics' of Southern Indiana.