Normal Daily Routine

This time of year not much going on. 

While Ava continued her limping leg rehab, Walter remained by her side. By this morning that limp was gone and she was back to high energy and sprints around the yard.

As forecasted it started raining sometime after midnight Sunday night and by 10:30 Monday morning my "wrap around pool" was being installed. I told me friend after he saw these three photos and asked if he could swim once finished, I told him his membership would be $14.99 per month and cancel anytime. He laughed about that since we had been discussing all the costs for streaming tv, apps to stream separately and how the cost of tv service continues to increase. For example YouTube TV will be $84.99 starting in January. 

It was a little over two hours later, not quite three hours, that the yard had absorbed the standing water. By today with the temps in the high 50's it was moist but dry enough to walk anywhere and clean up some leaves. It is taking longer this year for the leaves to drop from the trees so I am still messing with leaves inside and outside the fence. 

Cletus has made it clear, that all food is his food. At least in his own mind. To show you how fast he is at stealing food. He is standing next to me as I take a bagel out of the plastic bag. As I am closing the bag to put it back in the cabinet drawer, he grabbed the bagel sitting right there on the counter and was running away to the family room. Just that quick. Rick the trainer, told me he used bagels to train Cletus. Lucky for him it was a plain bagel.

This is one of Walter's morning spots to sleep. Usually around 7am, he is snoring in this part of the room, on the left side of the desk.

Some may have noticed I have been messing around with my sidebar. I took down the blog list and replaced it with "labels". I decided to use the names of every hound and dog I have had or have now. I also added "Rambling" and "Ranting" to that list.

You can click a label you are interested in and see blog posts from 2011 to 2024 on that subject. I have thought about change the theme (design) but I like this one although it is a basic look. This last change will probably be it for a while. 

I was told in a blog traffic report that 74.3% of the blog visitors are on the blog less than 5 seconds!!! 8.8% of the total visits are here between 5-30 seconds!!! LOL ... Now when readers see I have a new post, 6.5% of the total visitors will stay and read or look at photos between 5-20 minutes.

It's not a big deal but I thought those were some interesting numbers. I have noticed since the US election results I have a pretty significant decrease in the number of people that visit the blog. The post is no longer there but obviously they didn't like the photo of the Trump Train, that I posted around that time. 

I thought it was a pretty nice looking locomotive. 

I don't know about you but it seems in the past two weeks my phone is being OVER TAKEN with calls offering me food cards, cash back, vision, blah blah ... You have to wonder where all that money came from to give out all the free stuff they offer. I have been bored enough lately to answer a few calls. They are persistent I must say. I think 99.9% of the illegals have be hired by those telemarking firms.

It is hard for me to believe it is 9 days before Christmas. I see fewer houses on this street that have Christmas lights this year. My first year here I think every house did but mine and one across the street to the left of me. The weather is what is throwing my calendar off. It's nice and warm most of the time.

I don't anymore, but I can see a college football game on tv every night from last week until January 9th. I tried watching a NFL game Sunday but didn't finish. I had two automatic renewals that I didn't catch soon enough to cancel. Peacock hit me for a year's worth of subscription and YouTube TV renewed a day early and on the same day as my reminder to cancel, so I have service for another month.

I want to watch the Reds this season but MLB took over their broadcast since Bally Sports went bankrupt and sold out to FanDual Sports Betting Biz. That will be $14.99 per month to watch their games along with other out of market games so it's really not that bad of a deal. I had that in past years on Directv for $13.99 per month for the sports package. I remember when that package was $9.99 per month.

I like a couple of shows on Paramount + and they also grab you by releasing a new season about the time a favorite show has shown its last episode. All of my FEW favorites are never on at the same time of year. So that has turned into an annual expense.

I have always like Apple TV but canceled service last summer I think, the shows I liked were finished for this season but I went back for $9.99 per month to check out a movie I was interested in. Five minutes into the movie I was no longer interested, then couldn't find anything else I was really interested in watch. Luckily that is a month to month subscription and I can cancel anytime.

I will anxiously await my annual increases in water, utilities, dog food, and the big increases in auto and house insurance. I know that the 2% something income raise I get for 2025 will not cover those expenses that will increase. I'd prefer not to dip into my savings to balance the sheet every month. 

My Subaru is working out quite well. Not real good gas mileage at 24mgp overall driving but I don't drive that much so I am able to fill the tank every other month and have enough fuel. I cannot think of anywhere I want to go nor can I find anything I want to buy as far as "toys" for me and the hounds. I did find a new milk bone type treat the other day that is made by the same company that makes their dog food. Wholesome Sportmix. 

A box of their bones was $41 but the box was a little bigger than the ones I buy at Costco. At the end of the counter though they had open boxes of the same bones in different flavors and different sizes where I could mix and match for $1 per pound. Plastic bags, a scoop to use and a scale to give you some idea how much weight you're going to pay for. 

It has been an interesting year to say the least. Two major storms where I had damages to internet power cables, utility pole, and my fence. I would like to bush hog that berm once things dry out. I can have Home Depot deliver a bush hogger for $130 but with my luck and power equipment, I am sure something would go wrong. So I will call around some landscaping companies or individuals that do that type of work for an estimate.

If I didn't know better I swear that berm and the ground under it is slowly moving under my fence towards my house. Let's just say when the fence was installed in July 2021 there was space below the vertical slats but in some places now that space is filled up and the ground doesn't seem as level as it use to be when I mow grass behind the fence.

I tried something different this week for groceries. Frozen foods like burritos and the usual Marie Calendars pot pies along with some Yellowstone Chili and a two helping size of Stouffer's Lasagna. With a pitcher of freshly made ice tea, I have been pretty well set for dinner this week with more in the freezer. 

I got tired of cooking, at least right now. So it's a good change of pace. 

I've noticed from my Sleep App on my phone, in addition to Apple Health that comes with the phone, my sleeping heart rate has increased to the lower 50s where most of the time in the past it was in the 40's and sometimes below. I have been pretty consistent with a ms in the 250s but the past week even before I went to frozen meals, it has dropped into the ms range of 150. So for some reason my heart is beating faster while sleeping but is normal during the day.

I cannot think of any thing else to ramble about except I am counting the days until they can take that clemency pen away from Biden. I guess he is going out in style as they say. He is a dangerous individual. 

The hounds, dogs and I are happy right now in "the tropics" of Southern Indiana.