A Nice Peaceful Day

The hounds didn't wake me up this morning like they normally do but when I sat up with my eyes wide open for some reason this morning ... it was 4:10am. I knew the chances of me getting back to sleep were slim so I get out of bed, turn on the light and both hounds are already up laying the living room wagging their tails ... they know breakfast will be served soon.

That first photo was taken a little after 5:30am. So it was normal routine, hounds eat and back to sleep within 5-10 minutes. I sit outside with a cup of coffee watching the day wake up. A lot of thinking does NOT happen at that time of day. I'm just there.

I was surprised the Aerostat was still airborne this morning ... I had to get up around 1am to shut the bedroom window because it was raining hard and the wind was blowing the rain inside the bedroom. I checked the weather before I decided to open the window for the night ... it showed there was a 0% chance of rain all night long.

This is my view from the sitting position in that ugly but comfortable rubber chair.

Stella has become use to being on the "Injured List" with instructions not to take walks for 10-14 days. So the times we use to walk ... she sleeps besides my chair while I drink coffee.

I noticed this morning when I let Heidi out she was walking along the fence line. It was dark so I could not really see what she was doing nor why she was walking that way. After the sun came up I could see that small dry area along the fence. It's the lighter color rock that is dry. In Indiana she would walk under the roof overhangs when it was raining or had rained ... here along the fence.

I rode my 35 year old Romic bike this morning for a little more than a hour. It has gears that are too big sometimes so I don't ride it a lot until I get in better shape. So when I came back home the AC had kicked on ... Heidi decided she would stay inside to enjoy the cold air.

Stella thought it was the perfect time to get in some sun bathing in BEFORE lunch instead of her normal AFTER lunch.  LOL

I barely caught the Aerostat slowly lowering to it's landing spot, which I have ridden my mountain bike out there within view ... I am shocked that is were Brown Canyon is compared to the rest of the mountains.

You would not believe with a sky like that ... it was raining !!!!

The gray thunderhead clouds were above the house and opposite these photos. I thought about going for a hike, take some photos then the clouds started rolling in. Then I got busy making phone calls I needed to make and before I knew it the afternoon was over. Of course the hounds slept their afternoon away .... although Heidi did wake up at 4:10pm to let me know it was time for her bone treat they get every afternoon.

Not much else going one. Stella's vet appointment is at 9am tomorrow so she will at least get a new bandage ... that last visit just to change bandages and check the healing was $34 ... I know I know ... it's not that much and if you have dogs of any breed eventually you will start adding up the vet bills. It's normal. Some things I am just cheap about spending money ... other things, not so much.

Another beautiful day in the Wild West ... I love it here.

The Vet Says Stella Is Doing Well

Not a lot has been going on since Stella needs to be confined to the house, can't go on walks and needs a plastic bag put over her bandage if the yard is wet. That has happened only one time although it has stormed the last three out of four nights. Heidi as you will see below doesn't change her routine much. I do believe though as the temperature cools during the day that she will start taking more walks.

The past few days Stella had figured out that we were not walking. She was no longer whining to go on that walk yet every time I pick up the car keys she is excited and wants to go. She did that Friday morning at 10am as we headed out for her vet appointment where they would change the bandage, check the stitches and see if things were healing.

With the recent Border Patrol bust in the middle of a high traffic area in town, the Aerostat has been in the air 24/7 and I hear a lot more helicopter traffic since that news. Reports were they were caught loading cars or vans with illegal immigrants. Strange to me that they were near a high traffic area surrounded by shopping centers. I did not see anything in the paper about it but caught the news on one of my Twitter feeds.

After a night of the best storm I had seen yet.

Stella doesn't mind the bandage and has not tried chewing it off. She does not limp when she walks and a few times when she thinks she has a chance to escape through the front door when I go out, she almost breaks into a trot. I did not realize until the photos I took this morning that both bandages matched colors in her collar. How is that for attention to detail at the vet office?

They received the lab results on the growth they removed from Stella's paw. It was benign. 

This is about all the aerobic activity Stella and Heidi get during this time for Stella's recovery.

Notice the color change of the bandage on Friday ... matching colors in her collar. From pinkish red to purple.

It looks this nice every morning but with a 20% chance of thunderstorms later this afternoon and tonight ... it seems like a 100% the past few nights. I saw it storm the other afternoon when the weather apps said there was only a 10% chance of rain. We have our own little weather system in this area.

We have not seen any snakes or spiders, since I saw the snake in the driveway a few weeks ago. Stella and now Heidi move over the backyard daily with their noses to the ground in the mornings to make sure they know what kind of traffic, if any, had been there during the night.

When I moved in the seller had new carpet runners in different areas of the house. I rolled up all of  them except the one by the front door. Since day one, that has been one of Heidi's favorite places to sleep or just sit and relax. She chooses that piece of carpet over her Mexican blanket that is in the opposite corner.

In this photo I left the spot on the door on purpose. In this post all the photos but four, were taken with the Canon G9X camera that has a black spot on the sensor. That black spot showed up after I had the camera for only 6 months. I am heading to the Canon camera forum after this to see what the solution is. I'll contact Cannon about a fix since it is still under warranty. In the other photos I erased the black spots through editing the photo.

I didn't think the four photos I posted here taken with the Nikon D3200 were that good either. I am beginning to think the best camera I have in the house is my iPhone 8+. Maybe I should start looking at and researching the new attachments they are coming out with for higher zoom capability. Currently their built in zoom is not that good.  That might be better than spending money on a different camera.

There have been times I have had the feeling that my new 2019 Toyota 4Runner TRD OffRoad is too luxurious to go off-road. It will go anywhere I want it to but it's not like the old 4Runners that felt more like a truck. This feels more like a "family suv" than an off-road vehicle. I still say that the best car Toyota ever made was the FJ Cruiser. They stopped making them.

Long time readers know what happens when my braincells start thinking about cars and analyzing. Over the past 10 years at least I have had a TON of different cars and suvs. The best combination I ever own was one FJ and one sports car. Those sports cars were either Mini Cooper S or BMW Z4's.

I might go out for a short Sunday bike ride today just to see how my finger reacts, which is in it's 7th day of healing from a very deep cut. The cut is in the way of everything I hold, from a fork, a knife or where my hands go on a pair of bicycle handlebars. I'll find out today real soon after I start riding.

College Football arrived these past three days in the Wild West.

Stella's Back To Normal

After a good solid Monday afternoon siesta after her surgery, along with a solid sleep on Monday night, by the time Stella woke up on Tuesday she was back to her normal self with a bright reddish pink bandage on her rear paw. She whined and woke me up for breakfast with Heidi in tow. Then when she saw I was making coffee before her walk she whined and gave me this look. "Where's my walk?"

After all it was a bright sunny morning, it was time to leave before the kids flow down the sidewalk to the school bus.

Plus the weather couldn't be better than this with the Aerostat airborne. Why aren't we walking?

She gave me one more look pleading to take off on the walk or at least go outside through the front door to act like we were taking a walk ... but she settled for a day of rest, and sleep. I don't believe the word 'NO' is in her vocabulary.

This morning it was a different story with the weather but not with Stella. All things are normal ... water intake, appetite, no limping or signs of pain from the removed growth. Of course she is not doing any trotting or running but did catch me with the front door open yesterday afternoon ... where she bolted outside faster than I could call say her name. She just wanted to stand in the driveway and look around. Maybe there would be someone taking a walk with treats in their hand for her.

She practically owns the neighborhood now as her reputation is spreading.

I forgot to mention that on Tuesday morning, the day after her surgery I got a call TWO MINUTES after the vet office opened, asking me how Stella was doing and what was her night like? Did she mind the bandage? Is she eating normal and any issues with the medication she is taking?

We go back on Friday morning for them to remove this bandage, inspect the surgical area and I am guessing they will put a bandage over that area leaving her paw free and clear. That will only have Stella thinking that she has the 'green light' to get back to her morning walk.

Remember in early June back in 'the tropics', she was  boycotting the morning walks and stood at the corner of the house and not moving. Now she whines to let me know we are late for the walk.

With the skies getting dark quick this morning, the lightning moving closer to the house with the thunder louder ... It was loud enough for Stella to wake up. She listened to what was going on outside but she showed no signs of stress or fear of the storms about to arrive. I guess we had a little higher percent chance of rain than the 20% the weather apps were showing.

Or course Heidi has no fear of any kind of storm and besides, it was during her normal morning time for a deep sleep. Sorry for the blurriness ... user error.

Rain toward the Mule Mountains.

Raining down in Mexico. I'd venture to say the current highway resurfacing on Hwy 92 in that area is called off today.

I took this photo just to prove that we actually do get rain here at the house sometimes. Too bad the camera did not catch the big rain drops I was seeing.

I would normally be riding my bike in that area or driving the car to the top of Carr Canyon Rd ... not today.

Just a few miles to the left and I can see blue skies trying to peak through. The rain has had its five minutes of fame this morning ... back to normal stuff. That normal stuff will have the hounds sleeping until lunch is served. I'll be reading my latest book by heart surgeon Dr Grundry, written in 2008 but someway found its way from the library shelf to my coffee table.

I mysteriously cut my finger the other night deep enough I thought I might need stitches. I was picking up Heidi and am not sure if her fingernail caught me. It doesn't seem like it based on the type of cut. I've looked at that small metal hook on her collar that holds the rabies tags .. no blood stain there ... so there are not many other choices on what slashed my finger open. Due to that, plus trying to stay home to keep an eye on Stella ... I've not ridden the bikes yet this week.

I feel antsy because of the lack of riding and can literally feel the pounds combing back ... of course that small container of Ben&Jerry's Ice Cream I've been nibbling has not helped. At least I didn't eat the whole container in one setting.  LOL

No matter what the injury, what kind of weather ... it's all good this morning in the Wild West.

Photos From A Year Ago

The day looked promising but I knew after seeing the 10-day forecast last night that soon after our lunch, the gray thunderheads would be moving in with rain in the forecast. That still gave all three of us time to do what we do ... hound walk, biking, hounds sleeping, me reading. Since I did not have a lot of photos to choose from today I went back into the library to August 21, 2019 and pulled some photos from a year ago. Big difference eh?

Once again Stella was highly active for some reason. She trotted from the time we were on the street all the way down the block to the vacant land across the street. Then she would spend time with her nose pressed to the street or ground identifying scent ... bounce up and start running to get ahead of me. I stopped her hip supplements a few weeks ago as a test. I'm not sure what game she is playing now ... but she is enjoying her walk.

As soon as we got back from the walk and I had a cup of coffee enjoying the mountains to my right, I decided I was riding in plain clothes today on the mountain bike. I'd still take two water bottles with me just in case I decided to ride longer. I was only going to follow the bike path around the west side of town and then come back home on the east side ... but with me plans always change.

This is the best photo I have taken of the Aerostat. I am back in love with my older Nikon D3200.

I ended up riding out toward the canyon again like I do most days only today I wanted to force myself to go slow. I wanted to keep my heart rate in zone two as they call it. For me that would be around 118 bpm. I can see that information on my Apple watch using the Strava app while I am riding. That app also records my distance, time, speed, and heart rate as I am riding.

I ended up riding a little past 25 miles and had a hard time keeping my heart rate below 118. There are too many gradual climbs where even in low gears, fast pedaling, the old ticker jumps up to 130 bpm pretty easy. My plan this week is to ride a total of 6 days by riding slower, less effort, and enjoy the scenery.

I had just opened the door for the hounds to take a break outside, at their request. A loud clap of thunder filled the skies as I was looking at the sunshine over the Mule Mts two photos up. To my right is where all the noise was coming from. I tried by holding the camera shudder halfway down to time the next lightning strike but it never happened.

As time passed the darker it got, the temperature dropping and rain everywhere but my house. It's almost the end of August and I have not seen too much of the 'infamous' monsoons I was warned about. All the locals told me "you are just in time for the monsoons" when they found out I had just moved here. Either way is good with me. I love living here ... no bugs ... no humidity ... beautiful skies ... friendly people.

So here is the start of the photos from last year to the day ... August 21, 2018

Looks like the skies were getting ready to rain there too.

While I have moved from the kitchen cooking an actual meal of steamed veggies and brown rice/lentils for lunch, both hounds followed me from room to room. The living room to catch some sports news and finding out that my Reds game had already been played at 9:30am my time. When I came into the computer room to check some things on the computer both hounds followed me and plopped down in their corners of the room for more sleep.

Stella seems to be use to the louder than normal thunder now ... she sleeps through these kinds storms. They have never bothered Heidi.

I moved back in the book Going Back to Bisbee. It's a slow read but a fantastic history lesson of this area. Now if it were the winter I'd be more motivated to read but in great weather, even when it's high 90's it just hard for me to sit still long enough to read many pages at a time.

Stella's light snoring is making me feel like a siesta for me is right around the corner here in the Wild West.