Ava Recovered & Weeds Are Gone

Tomorrow will be 10 days from her spay surgery. That was how long she was suppose to wear the cone, all walks by a leash, contained if not confined. The cone went off a day or two after she got home. She did drag the leash around if I wasn't walking her for about a week. She would lay down and show me her scar without me asking every day. That has healed completely with another five days of antibiotics. She has been "rough housing" with Watson and Henry for the past couple of days. You will notice her left leg where the cut was, has healed also without any swelling. She should be good to go now for the next 10-15 years.

A Lot Done These Past Two Days

By nature I think I am pretty pro-active. I might be lazy at times but once I decide to do something I am pretty focused on getting things done. I've been that way for as long as I can remember. Today was one of those days, which I will explain after I show you what happened yesterday.

A Long Day Watching TV

I'm old. I've seen a lot, experienced some. Until today I had never ever watched a Congressional Hearing from start to finish, even a video of it later. So by the time I write this on Monday, the day is almost over but still time to hopefully get some outdoor photos. That doesn't mean it was a boring or quiet day ... oh no!!

Ava Continues To Improve

I DO understand there is a lot of news going on but many of us are keeping a close eye on Ava. It all started for her on the June 30th blog where my kitchen looked like an episode in the old tv series called Dexter. I have all the seasons on my DVD shelf. For the viewers that wonder about that show ... most I know felt Season 4 was the best and then the other 4 seasons were never has good. There were subtle changes. Well just some trivia ... After Season 4 of Dexter, their writers took another job on a brand new series called Breaking Bad. That is also on my DVD shelf.

Ava Needs A Med To Calm Down

Ava was not hyper but as she started feeling better, she wanted to wrestle Henry and Watson ... not good to heal. She wanted to trot or run ... not good for healing inside organs. 10 Days requirement to keep calm and restricted if not with me ... is 10 days, no matter what. So last night as you see wasn't much different than Thursday night ... but things changed Saturday morning.

An Interesting Day As Ava Heals

The interest all started last night after spending some time outside in the cool weather. I needed to fix dinner, Ava still needed leashed or confined. So she helped me out. While standing in the kitchen I decided to let go of the leash and see where she would go and if she would try to trot. She walked in the crate and laid down, she had made the choice for me.

Ava Recovering From Being Spayed

I picked Ava up yesterday and arrived home a little after 5pm. The hounds and dog were thrilled to see her as they surrounded her sniffing her face in the garage before climbing a few short steps into the house. I was going to have to come up with a plan to keep them away, to let her rest and at the same time following the instructions of nothing more than 10 days of walking leashed.

AT&T Fiber Internt Plot Changes

It was a long day today and as I sit here at 4:09pm CST, it is hard to believe it basically is over ... but the fun has just begun for the next 10 to 14 days. I have SO MUCH to write tonight that I didn't want to put it off and I had time since Ava is sleeping off her anesthesia from her spaying surgery this morning. I will start with her story since it is a lot more important than my AT&T internet story ... BUT ... you might want to stick around for that story because it ... is ... just ... unbelievable !!!!!

A Busy But Calm Day

First of all, the photos tonight are of no particular order, but will give you a good idea I think that all of us had a busy but calm day. There were no phone calls today so being on hold for hours didn't happen. With my payment to AT&T for their "balance due" on their free phone they gave me, processed and showing $0 on their site, I started the process to port my number and phone to Spectrum Mobile mid-morning.

A Totally Unbelievable Day!!!

Hello, we are speaking tonight from Spectrum Ultra Internet. Up to 500Mbps, $29.99 for 24 months, free wireless for 24 months and a $7 modem. Needless to say with taxes included my Internet and Phone have gone from $107 to $37 per month, locked in for 24 months. I know that I will be negotiating for the best deal before they raise those prices in 2026.

AT&T Will Not Stop

Around 9am Sunday I received this text from AT&T --- "Hi, it's AT&T again. We confirm that your appointment is now on Saturday 07/20. Our tech is scheduled to arrive between 4pm - 8pm. Add to calendar: link

Shut The **** Up !!!!!!!

See the title of this blog post ? ... That is me looking in the mirror screaming that title to myself. I could learn a lot from those two sleeping, especially Henry. NOTHING and I mean NOTHING bothers that basset hound. Even when he senses I am in a bad mood or mad at something (AT&T), he remains laidback, calm and relaxed.

Squirrels Love AT&T Fiber Internet

Friday morning around 10am I see the infamous BOi truck with the lift parked a couple of houses down the street. I assumed they were working for just one customer and it was a continuation of their work last Monday. I still had internet service so I didn't think much about it. I was more interested in seeing when the yard would dry out enough to mow.

Cone Off For Eva

The open cut has closed completely. The four staples are still in. So I thought I'd take off the cone yesterday afternoon and see what happens. It is healing so it is itching, just like the two small cuts I have. I don't lick mine but she did and does lick hers. When I did not see her licking her wound later last night after all the staining was gone and the area clean, I decided I'd leave the cone off for the night. The legs was perfect this morning and no signs of chewing or licking.

Ava's Cut Improves

With the sun shining, widows open with a cool breeze the past few mornings, I was about to tell you or asked if you noticed I had changed to blogging early in the mornings with photos from the day before. It is a good time for me to write and seems to work out well, better than trying to fit it in around dinner and tv ballgames. Surprise this morning when I only had 10 photos to upload to the blog ... so I guess I will have more later for a late afternoon post.

We Survived But Close Again

Walter is happy this morning. He was a little bit late with his production but the caregiver next door warned us around 4:15pm that a tornado had hit AstraZeneca Pharmaceutical Company in Mt Vernon about 16 miles away.

Tuesday Night Could Be Interesting

I ended my night seeing this from an Evansville X (twitter) account that I follow. None of those things looked good to me and I instantly flashed back to the downed utility pole and cables laying across my fence and power lines across my patio deck on May 26th. I know it can be somewhere in-between that as the weather data continues to update. But I couldn't sleep.

AT&T Fiber Internet Is Down Again

Late Sunday afternoon I lost my Internet connection. I am currently using my AT&T Wireless account as a hotspot, which is churning out data around 78Mbps instead of the normal 300-680Mbps depending if I am at my computer or streaming tv. This same service went out May 23rd but there have been various technicians out since the storm damage on May 26.

Cone Off Cone Back On

I had a friend tell me he took the cone off his dog when it was neutered a few years ago. It was bothering the dog and him. I remembered then that I did the same with the "three boys" I have now ... they never did try to chew the stitches out nor did they lick in the area of the incision. So I thought I would give it a try. She was one happy puppy with that cone off.

Rain Wanted Rain Received

The yard and new grass seed on the side from the utility pole to almost the street, needed rain. My backyard needed rain .. and rain we have received. Woke up to the loud noise of thunder and the bedroom lighting up with bright lightning in the dark bedroom. The hounds and dogs slept right through that noise just like the fireworks on the night of July 4th.

A Stormy July 4th

We spent most of the day having this over and over. Needless to say, the hounds and dogs did not get outside much. We did have time to clean the yard between rains and it was good to see all that rain I got last night really soaked into that new grass seed in the side yard. It needed it and I could already tell today the difference in new grass growth. The rumor is there will be severe storms later tonight.

A Great Day !!!

I wrote that title at 8:36am this morning. I don't care what else happens, no matter how bad ... it will still be a great day. I had changed the routine a little this morning with the hounds and dogs. I didn't let them go out all at one time, hoping to cut down on the amount of playing with Ava. She went out by herself, Henry and Watson went out together and Walter sprinted outside right after his breakfast like he always does. So things were more calmer than most mornings because she likes to run and play right off the bat, that first trip outside after their breakfast. Temporarily I am approving all comments before they post, so that is why you don't see your comment as soon as you submit it.

What A Start To Tuesday

I'm exhausted at 4:37pm CT. Ava wakes me up a little later than normal and as I lean up in bed I can see her cone has come apart someway during the night but is still connected around her neck. It is flopping and dragging the floor. I immediately look at her leg and do not see anything out of the ordinary. Of course I cannot get the cone connected with their plastic strap going through the other side so I decide to feed her breakfast and her meds.

But that is not where the fun begins for Tuesday ... oh no, not even close.

Ava Has Not Slowed Down

When I told the vet that Ava likes to sprint from the patio door to where she see a rabbit or squirrel inside her fence, she replied I might have to use a leash to prevent that. Well luckily that was not needed this morning. 4am she woke me like usual to go outside to pee, then semi trotted back to her dog bed. After her meal that was mixed with two required meds, she was out exploring the backyard like normal. I think she understands when I tell her not to run by the way she responds.

Ava Goes To Emergency Vet

Warning --- Very graphic photos below that shows a lot of blood. Proceed at your own risk.

As you can see Ava is home and resting. She will get the bandage off in 24-48 hours but the cone and staples in her leg have to stay for 14 days. Appointments have been made with my regular vet to do each removal. It's a real mystery what happened. I have looked inside and outside and the mouth, chest and feet of each hound and dog ... no signs of blood on the hounds and dog. The vet did say it was NOT a dog bite.

I Guess I'm Back

After a couple of weeks on 'blog vacation' it looks and feels like I might be back to blogging. I read all the comments and emails I received after announcing I was retiring from blogging. A newsletter was suggested to keep in touch but I finally decided, if I had time to do one of those I have time to do a blog post on occasion. 

I have always come back to blogging after a few times of trying to quit. The thing is I like to talk which leads to writing and I have always liked taking photos of my hounds and now dogs. 

One thing that really got me thinking about the readers that really enjoy just the photos of the hounds and dogs came to me last Saturday. 

I noticed in my Apple Photo Library, after years they returned the file names under each photo. Was it an update or did I click something that made them show up? I don't know.

When I went back before the year 2000 to see if the file names I manually changed at the time I took photos and saw they were still there, I grabbed another cup of coffee and started scrolling. By late Saturday afternoon I had scrolled through 82,000 + photos. It was like reading a book. Good and bad memories came back to me with the photos that I would click to enlarge and look at. 

I Am Retiring From Blogging

I know in the past I have either announced I was going to stop blogging (December 2015) or took unannounced months off (May 2019) but this time it's for good. 

I am going to stop blogging.

Just like that old oak tree pictured there, things change over time and it has gotten to the point I really struggle to put a post together. Probably some have noticed that in my posts.

With two dogs and two hounds there is plenty of stuff to blog about I guess but when most of that is here at the house ... to me as a reader, that is not something I want to follow or read.

I know, I know ... most are here to see photos of the hounds and dogs. Yet, even with a new puppy, taking time to take photos just to put a blog post together is becoming a chore.

An old blogger told me once, "some of the best photos you ever take will be the ones you don't". I have to agree with that because a lot happens around here besides what you see.

Dog Crate Possession

Friday was a day of battling the heat and deciding who owns the dog crate. Early morning cool enough to leave the patio door open but the majority of time it is closed with the AC on during these hot temperatures. I did get the yard mowed for the week. No calls nor repairs to lingering storm damage. Reds game ends in a weird and exciting way, with a win. Ava walked in the crate on her own and laid down.

Ava Needs A Crate

Ava has lived here a little over two months. She has been the best puppy I have ever lived with and I have raised a few in the past 37 years from 8 weeks old. She is easy to live with, she gets along with the other three. She has never needed to be crated at night to sleep and always whines at 5:30am to wake me so I can trot with her to the patio door so she can go out for a quick trip. Then back to bed she runs and we might sleep for another 30 minutes to one hour.

Storm Damage Saga Continues

For the first time in a long time I am putting a post together spread over a lot of days. I changed my mind about his post before 11am. See below for the reason. As I sit here Saturday morning June 8th, I hear a light rain outside my open windows. It will keep the lawn green, the one that I mowed yesterday just in case it would rain like it predicted. What's that picture above????

Hounds & Dogs Approve

 

Watson, Henry and Ava approve of all the work that was done today and things are very close to being normal again. Fence appraiser said all I need are 7 new posts, the sections and gate can be reattached to the new poles. With their new system the same concrete will be used, no need for pulling them out and digging new holes.

Walter refused to come outside and enjoy the beautiful cool weather at 84° today.

Storm Repair Finished

I am calling the job finished because the major part was done this morning by a 3 man crew that contracts out for Spectrum and AT&T. By 11:30am not only had they hung the three cables on the new pole but tightened my AT&T fiber wire and started the job at my neighbor's backyard by connecting her Spectrum wires back up to the pole in her backyard.

Storm Repair Update

Just off the phone with CenterPoint Energy. They are not liable for the damage to my fence "call your insurance company" ... "we are only liable for the damage to our poles, our equipment" But they are going to come out and repair the hole from the transformer hitting the ground and the tracks from their pole hole machine that tracked through the wet saturated yard.

A friend of my neighbor's (cousin) showed up early yesterday with a large trailer, the truck to pull it and two different size chain saws. By 9am they had the tree nearest the pole, completely cleared. By 3pm their yard looked like this ... completely cleared.

Compared to this just the day before.

Storm Damage Sunday Morning

I was watching the F1 race in Monaco and started to lose satellite tv signal Sunday morning. I pulled the fireplace out enough to reach in there and get that antenna that tapes on the wall so I could see the Indy race on NBC. I knew that antenna would work, as all the four network channels are in HD quality. While I was leaning against the wall the loudest clap of thunder I had ever heard shook the wall I was leaning on.

Baseball On The Radio

A little bit different Saturday night, but it's still early as I write this so plenty of time for a movie after the Reds game is over. Since 221 miles is more than 168 miles, the local FOX channel is showing the St Louis Cardinals vs Chicago Cubs game instead of the one I want to watch the Cincinnati Reds vs the Los Angeles Dodgers. So I have tuned into the radio broadcast, which I like better actually since the radio play play announcer is better than the one on tv for the Reds games. As you can see, Walter was more interested in enjoying the cool weather with the ceiling fan on.

A Surprise Tonight

With Ava arriving a month and a half ago, our mornings start at 5:30am now ... today I took the photo of the neighbors shed at 5:14am ... It was going to be a busy day since my internet connection was lost last night around 5:30pm. Everything is automated now and by the time I was finished punching numbers and answering AT&T texts, I had an appointment for anytime between 8am and noon today. He arrived at 8:45am.

A Lot Going On

We have been pretty busy lately with yard work, pulling weeds, cleaning house, watching baseball, plus the normal reading. Anyway to start, Ava went to her final appointment for shots, rabies certificate, blood work for her spay operation in July and a stool sample. They called back on Wednesday that she had a clean bill of health. I bought 3 chewables of he NexGuard+ for her ... $117 for that little package. I remember paying $20 each just a few years ago. As you can see she was calm and relaxed waiting to see the vet.

Ava vs Watson

 

With long tv commercials on both games I was watching, the NBA Pacers vs Knicks and the Reds vs Giants, I was able to catch the last part of a play session with Watson, Ava and Henry. Where was Walter ... back in the cool computer room where the blinds were closed and the ceiling fan was keeping him cool ... snoring loudly.

I Do My Best Work Supervised

Walter came out to check out the activities Friday morning. The yard still needed another day to dry out but I had other projects to do. In the U-section in the back I had started the annual weed pulling. I needed to get up a look at my gutters in that section because of the rain water coming over the edge last week that I photo'd here. With gutter guards I couldn't imagine what had slipped inside the small holes to plug up the two downspouts.

Hounds & Dogs Relax After Storms

The rains came the high winds predicted did not. We have had 2.48" of rain since Tuesday, therefore I am going to wait a few days for the ground/yard to become less saturated before I mow. Blogger photos upload is still not working for me. All of these are once again in reverse order. I changed to the Nikon 18mm-55mm lens yesterday for a different kind of view. Here are the hounds and dog relaxing before their lunch today after a day and night of hard rain yesterday.

Non Stop Rain

We set a record for rain in April with over 5". So far in 7 days of May we have close to 2" of rain. Yesterday I took these photos early in the morning and I can't remember seeing it rain so hard that caused these areas to flood like this. Luckily the water drained quickly, just in time for more storms last night. It is sunny now but the grass will not be dry enough to mow the backyard today ... more storms and a tornado watch at 2pm today.

New Mower

The title mentions a new lawn mower but it is not the "featured" photo. That shows you I am as lazy as these two in recent days but I am starting to feel that "motivation train" about to pull out and have me outside pulling weeds. Ava continues to do pretty well by you will see below that she had a "puppy incident". (Fetching photos below)

Just Photos

The sounds of Henry and Ava barking led me to these photos. Of course as they saw me they stopped the best photos from being taken. Highlight of the day besides great weather, I installed a new blade on the lawn mower. I bought the last one in stock at Home Depot. Had a siesta, watched a little baseball, ate a salad, sat on the patio and thought about stuff. A good day.

Ava's Vet Trip & Game Of Fetch

This was Ava's first vet trip to the one I use. I prepped the passenger seat with a blanket, a leash connector to the seatbelt to keep her in the car and attached the leash, all before I brought her out to the FJ. As I connected her to the leash, she sat down and looked around as I closed the driver's door. I needed to go back inside and grab some paperwork. She never barked, never cried and didn't get feisty attempting to get away. She was sitting there calmly looking at me as I climbed into the passenger driver's seat. A friend of mine pointed out that mistake and I corrected it 11:20pm CT.

The Farmer's Dog Story

A little out of the normal format tonight because I have a story that I feel needs to get out so those readers with dogs will not go through what my friend's friend went through after her dog started eating the fresh food from The Farmer's Dog Company. 

[photo credit: mysubscriptionaddiction.com]

Perfect Weather For The Hounds & Dogs

Perfect weather today for the hounds, dogs and I. They played most of the morning while I rested horizontally most of the morning. Not sure why but I am dragging in the mornings any more. Coffee isn't helping so I will have to change to a different brand. Mowed the yard again, which happens about every four days this time of year. No plans tonight but watching a little of the Reds game. The scheduled starting pitcher drives me insane so I may be moving to a book or a movie soon after the game starts.

A Cold April Sunday

You can see what kind of day we had just by Watson's photo. The low 50s might have been their preferred temperature but not mine. I anxiously wait for next weekend where the highs will be back in the 80s. Now the hounds and puppy did not sleep most of the day like Walter did. Ava was the leader of the pack in playing outside. They chased each other all over the yard and inside, tugged on bones they didn't want to share, crawled on each other and watched the other next door neighbor mow their yard today. They are all sleeping in the computer room as I write this after their very active day.

Saturday Night Live

Saturday morning started off sunny but cold, around 40°. Normal morning routine. A trip to the grocery store gave Ava a chance to prove to me she was good on the loose with the other hounds and dog. She passed the test in flying colors. She continues to do well in her day to day living. Sunday will be interesting as I attempt to cut her nails for the first time ever. She has no problem letting me hold her feet or touch her pads so things should go well.

Friday Night Baseball

Friday Night Baseball on AppleTV but not the Reds game. I pick those up on Bally Sports Ohio every game. I don't like them but they started wearing the MLB "City Connect" uniforms on Friday home games. I cannot tell if the Reds are 'contenders' or 'pretenders'. It's early, three missing out of the starting lineup due to long term injuries. Hovering around .500 in a tough Central Division.

The Buffalo Horns

I was planning to buy Ava deer antlers because that is what the breeder said she liked. The store didn't have any but did have Buffalo Horns. It is sitting on top of her leg. Very popular where Henry thinks it is his and will let others know, he is serious about possession. Good day today. Severe storms in about an hour. The siren has been sounded, possibly as a test. Mowed all of the lawn today since it would rain tonight. IU spring football game was good to see on tv. I'm tired and cannot figure out what is wrong. I had to take breaks again mowing the yard and this spring is the first time I've every had to do that.