15° Makes A HUGE Difference

Can you believe I cut this hydrangea back to the ground every fall? I was told by a landscaping company that looked at what I wanted done when I moved in May 2021, the Hydrangea root system spreads so much that if they were to pull them out of the ground, my whole side yard might be destroyed. So I cut them back every fall and have kept them.

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.

To Early To Say Winter Is Over???

Since I last posted we have experienced a little bit of everything. Good and bad weather, a head cold, temps that were single digits as highs then almost 60° a week later. All of us did a lot of sleeping, a little eating and recently more book reading. So really, not a lot going on. Everything is normal.

Hounds Dog & I Survive New Year's

I got the new wireless Harman Kardon speaker to work, but not through the tv. I used an app on my phone to listen to a ballgame the other night and used the speaker paired with the phone. Works very well. Since the hounds and dog are out of the puppy chewing stage I am going to replace my coffee table and end table where they (I think Walter) chewed the corners bad enough I am not sure I personally can repair them. As you will see, we didn't do much on New Year's Eve but we were up past midnight this year ... I didn't say awake, just up.

TV Update

When I left you yesterday the question asked was ... Do I leave my tv low on the coffee table, where I like it the most or put it back up on top of the gas fireplace to keep it safe from hound dog nose prints and a possible accident like yesterday?? As I sat drinking coffee and waking up this morning in the computer room, I could hear the hounds in the great room playing. They are allowed to do that. Yet all I could think about was the possibility of another tv accident. THAT motived me enough to move it to where it was when I first moved here. I had it up and running by 9:45am.

A Perfect Day To Blog

When the day is full of rain in the forecast I guess any excuses for not blogging are not valid. Plus I had an urge to write some updates, not that things are happening a mile per minute but actually in the laidback slow routine we lived in 'the tropics' of Southern Indiana. I have no idea how I can tell but I am almost positive that the hounds are enjoying a winter that is so much milder than their past ones. So today I will ramble a little bit and post a few recent photos. You can tell not much has been happening in the "blog topics' department. These photos were taken with four different cameras.

A few weeks ago I mentioned I had labwork done thru the local VA Medical Center. It was an option I've always had but I needed to stop by and straighten out some thing on my file since I had not talked to them in 15 years or so. I blogged recently how I had joined the VA Circus ... but they have done a 360° turnaround in performance and I can say they have been nothing but professional and proactive since my complaining here on the blog.

Having an annual physical there saved me time and money. Even around the Christmas holidays they had a followup appointment 4 days after they drew blood and urine. Then a nurse practitioner spent almost an hour going over my results, asking questions about my diet and physical activities. She mentioned that if I wanted they could make an appointment for me to speak on the phone with a VA Nutritionist in Tucson. I accepted that appointment without hesitation ... Two days ago I had more great news confirmed about my health and diet.

You may remember when I have written about different diets over the past 5-6 years. I've tried some not all. They were not really diets to me but just a change in what I ate or how. From years of going back and forth, reading journals online, books from the library, I decided sometime last year that my diet plan was pretty good. Moderation for dairy and beef plus ice cream. Yet there were times I would fall off that eating plan wagon hard and I would be on the extreme end of binging on all the food I should not be eating.

Basically if it was in my house it was gone, in large quantities. Whole packages of Pepperidge Farm cookies, full containers of Ben&Jerry's ice cream, too many slices of a large loaded pizza that would come with breadsticks and cheese or brownies for desert, chips, candy, etc. In all the years of reading about diets and health in books and online, I've never found the cause of such a drastic change in eating in a matter of 12 hours. What brought on these extreme eating binges of mine?

I found out last Tuesday talking to the nutritionist ... "not eating enough protein will cause those binges for junk food and sweets." I use a free app called Cronometer because it gets into the detailed nutrient breakdown on all foods I eat. Their database of food is fantastic and if it has a bar code on the package you can scan that with your smart phone camera and it will load the nutritional data.

From the answers I was giving her and the lab results she could see on her computer, she thought I was going great. Then she explained how I could stop these binges based on what I had told her. We both agreed that I cannot have those kinds of foods in my house. I can go out for a "slice of pizza" or "a scoop of ice cream" or have some "chips and salsa" as an appetizer before my Mexican meal but don't bring any of that stuff home.

We discussed different popular diets, different books that I had read, the food app to log all food eaten, then compared that to the lab work results. What fat I am eating is being processed normally with nothing left over as added calories. The little sugar I add to my coffee is workable with my glucose numbers at the low end of the normal range. Evidently my own diet as I called it, with moderation principals, was working better than I thought they would. She agreed with what I was saying and what I was eating.

Of course the bicycling I do is a great addition to staying healthy. Now I am not in racing shape nor will I ever reach that level of physical fitness again but what little I do is a key to my lab results and general health overall. Every doctor and nurse, except one, has said so. How much I ride outside is dependent on weather during these months but I still get on the bike on a trainer inside to ride for 0-45 minutes. Especially on days like today.

She also agreed with what I read in a book last weekend. The 30-Day Heart Tune-Up by Steven Masley, MD. Eliminating food is not the way to go but the way you eat it and the quantity. Some say beef is beef but the book and the nutritionist said that "grass fed" made a world of difference. Eggs? Only those from "cage free" chickens. Vegan or Vegetarian Diets were not a good option in her opinion. Dr Masley wrote in his book that even a diet like a whole food plant based diet that added fish, poultry and grass fed beef could reverse heart disease in all the tests he had performed for over 30 years.

Of course it's not the 16oz NY Strip steak but one that has been divided up into 3oz or 4 oz portions. I never could tell who to believe when I reads stuff like this since some claim that ONLY a Whole Food Plant Based Diet can reverse artery blockages. Dr Masley can prove it otherwise. Here is a nice sheet in poor quality photo that seems to help me so far.

How do you know if that makes a difference? What about those large cheeseburgers at The Diner sometimes? or back in Indiana at 5Guys Burgers? How do you know what is too much whether it be fast food, junk food or ice cream? Which kind of diet is best? I can only accept my answer by looking at my lab results.

Blood tested in the lab ... it doesn't lie.

During my VA annual physical they gave me a free machine to measure my blood pressure. I was almost ready to click the buttons on Amazon a few days before my appointment to buy exactly that. My apple watch does a great job of monitoring my heart rate but I wanted more data. I logged my blood pressure twice per day for 14 days and then went back to the VA nurse practitioner to go over the results. I could also download that data from the machine if they wanted to verify my spreadsheet.

I sat in her office on Tuesday at 9:30am BEFORE having any coffee and produced a 116/64 blood pressure reading. I was cleared with a "see you next December" and was on my way. The times I took it during the day of normal eating, two cups of strong coffee with two tsp of sugar in each up (16 oz), it still ranged in the 120s/60's

So without getting those Medicare "Notices" on what they pay and what I "might" pay ... I went in for free or a low co-pay that I have not seen yet, drew blood and urine on a Monday before Christmas holiday and the Friday after was back in their office reviewing the results. Two weeks later they confirmed my blood pressure was good and consistent ... finished and not a dime out of my pocket. I am getting different stories on the possible co-pay I might have to pay ... based on some military awards the VA tells me that I'll not have co-pays but I know Viet Nam vets that do pay a co-pay. I'll find out in the next month I guess.

The hounds have not changed. They are doing great and have never looked or felt better since moving back to Fromm Dog Food for Large Breeds in October. Heidi's and Stella's coats have never felt softer and smooth. Stella has healed her two small "elephant spots" that were on her hip bones ... I think the cause was the carpet in my house in Indiana when she would sit on those hip bones as she scratched herself.

Heidi is now going on every .57 of a mile walk we take almost every day except when it rains. She even gets excited when I take the retractable leashes out of the closet. They have done pretty well adjusting from walking in a 7 acre field of grass/weeds to walking on sidewalks with cars (not a lot) passing us, along with meeting people that want us to stop so they can pet the hounds. They are quite popular in the neighborhood.

Every night Stella sleeps in the same spot while I read a book or watch a movie or game. That smudge on the couch that I just noticed is not anything damaging or a stain ... the material has moved in an opposite direction when Stella used it to brace her self as she curls around into her sleeping position. They adapted to the new rule of not getting on the couch very quickly.

My new hip turned 4 months old on January 8th. It had felt great most of the time the past two months but I was still feeling some soreness or stiffness when I would get up off the couch or out of my desk chair. Colder weather made it a little sore ... then things changed almost instantly at that January 8th date.

The soreness and stiffness was completely gone and it did not matter how long I sat on the soft couch or on the hard desk chair. I was back to getting in and out of bed or cars and my truck the normal way, instead of sliding into the seat with by back to the door before swinging my legs around. I could feel the small changes in that hip area that told me all those muscles that were cut were healing and getting stronger each day. Those muscles were back to wanting to exercise, to ride the bike just like before my bike wreck. I don't have to go back to see my surgeon until next December which would be 15 months after surgery.

So healthwise I am good. Not bad results for someone who had their last physical close to 20 years ago.

As far as blogging ???

I am pretty sure I will no longer be blogging every day. There just isn't enough time for me to do that based on what my daily routine has changed into. Time passes quickly every day and before I know it 6pm is there on my watch staring back at me and I am not finished doing whatever I might be doing.

Activities have increase and we are not even in great weather yet. I read a lot more, I hike a lot more and I am trying to ride my bike as much as possible. The information I read in the "30 Day Book" gave me assurances that I cannot ride my bike enough and there was no reason to track my heart rate while riding unless it shot way above the maximum limit. That maximum limit is higher than what I was using ... the old formula of 220 minus your age. The MD author cited that formula as a very general estimate then gave me the correct way to find it.

Back to blogging. Like I have mentioned in past years, there are times my blog is boring to me ... very boring. Same photos of the hounds, sunrises or sunsets and certain hikes just on a different day. That kind of blogging doesn't excite me and I am sure if I am bored with it, so are you as a reader.

I've discussed this with other current and past bloggers so it's just not my messed up head ... you try not to but at times but you catch yourself taking that hike or taking those photos just to do the blog for that day. Then you wonder if those photos are good enough, can't I find something different and better to show people? Sometimes I'd ramble about nothing for pages and other times I'd sit here for an hour and thought of nothing to write about. I notice and do know for a fact that when I blog less I take fewer photos. I've regretted missing some photos in the past when I have taken time off from blogging.

Although it's easier, I'll not move to Instagram and use that as a blog replacement. YouTube is definitely NOT an option. I post a photo or two at times on Facebook for friends there that don't have time to read blogs but want to see the hounds. I've thought about emailing photos to readers that want to see the hounds but not certain that is a good move either.

Then there are the times I enjoy getting away from electronics like computer, phones, tablets and tv's. After the initial excitement of watching movies from Amazon Prime and the shows that Apple produced ... my tv time decreased rapidly and is trending to no tv by next fall. With a spring and summer of hiking, biking and local exploration in moving vehicles, the desire to watch tv in the fall may be completely gone. Tv time in my house is decreasing rapidly even in the middle of college basketball. So we will see what happens.

I've added some time to do some barbell training here at home three times per week. They are based on exercises recommended by the book author who happens to be a cardiologist. Most of them I was doing 7-8 years ago. I implemented my own stretching program for my hip once I found out there was no pain afterward. There was some during the stretch but not afterward so I figured some of that scar tissue was breaking up or stretching. No matter what it was, there is no pain now when I stretch and it's to the point of a normal feeling of good.

As the weather gets warmer I'll be out and about more and more. Not all the time but there will be times the hounds will join me. Yet the one time I took both of them hiking with me or really walking out by the San Pedro River/House ... Heidi wore out a short time after we started as she had her nose to the ground from the time we left the car. Stella had too many distractions ... from horse scent, coyote scent, possible snake scent ... just too many scents for a bloodhound nose. Let's just say they reacted the same way as Winston, Heidi and Sadie when we took our camping trip to Colorado and Utah in June 2015.

Two hands ... two leashes ... two hounds ... both wanting to go different directions at different speeds. It's the BREED not the dogs that make it hard for me to hike with dogs like I read and see on other blogs of those that travel. These two are not herding breeds but hound breeds and their noses are stronger than ever which equates to a LOT of distractions or new things to explore.

So that is about it from the 'Wild West" today.

Tonight's Post Is All Heidi

It had been days since Heidi had any photos on the blog. She really is camera shy or is just stubborn enough that she doesn't want to be bothered having her picture taken. So the other day I decided I would go to her and take whatever pictures I could get. These show her typical day as I took two days worth. I just missed getting pictures of her sleeping outside in the sunshine because every time she would wake up by the time I came back with a camera. She loves the bed I bought a couple of months ago and will spend most mornings in the bedroom lined up with the sunshine while she sleeps on the floor.

You can tell it's cold at night, not that I leave the windows open during the 30's and 40's but she knows what time of year it is ... it's again a two blanket winter.

I put one of her favorite blankets folded in the corner of the computer room but that wasn't what she needed. She pawed and scratched the blanket from the corner of the room out by the book case, out of the way but directly behind my desk chair. She folded it exactly like she wanted it.

Any breed of dog will walk in circles to mash the grass down before they lay down ... this is her sequence to get the blankets in the perfect spot. She does this many times throughout the day.

She doesn't stay in one place too long either.

One of her favorite spots to sleep after her morning breakfast. She will also walk in circles in that space before laying down.

Once again not going to look directly in the camera.

Headed out for a nap in the sunshine.

Not happy having every one of her movements photographed.

She was sound to sleep in the sun until she either heard me or smelled my scent, that I was outside looking at her.

The day is over. Fed twice, many naps and she will do this while I blog tonight.

The last couple of days have been busy with errands around town, and a bike ride in the early afternoon. Yesterday I went to Lowes for their Craftsman sales but only bought one thing Craftsman but something else that was also on sale. This morning was going to be a busy morning. With some of my tv channels losing signal Friday night, the Cox technician was here by 8am. He found the trouble to be out in their box in my yard. Of course another technician can only do that kind of work and that's another appointment ... luckily I don't have to be here for them to fix the problem.

I also had a friend coming over this morning to pick up shelving my neighbor gave me when he moved out. I decided I did not want to put holes in the walls to hang those shelves plus I didn't have that much stuff to fill up a garage full of wall space. There were enough shelves to go around the garage more than once.

While I waited for him to pick up the stuff, I put a shelving unit together to not only hold the few things I brought with me when I moved, but also to have a workbench of some type in the garage. Instead of having different tools, tape, sockets, tape measures and anything else that would go into a toolbox ... scattered in different portable tool boxes and kitchen drawers ... I wanted everything organized in that black Coleman tool box.

The Cox tech, my friend picking up the shelves I had and me getting to this picture, job completed, taking me 3 hours. By 11am I was on the road for a Saturday morning bike ride.

These next few photos are taken from the patio but zoomed 65x and is clearer than the 300mm zoom I use on the Nikon D3500.

Those are the Mule Mountains down by Bisbee.

It did get over 70° today but I am finding out that since it is winter, even if it is sunny and high temps, there is still cool wind most of the time. A little too cold for cargo shorts but still sweatshirt weather after the early morning hours.

My hip and lower back feel good after my 26 mile ride today and most of it in a headwind of 14-18mph. For the last two days I have applied an ice pack to the spot that is sore plus taking those natural supplements to heal tissue and promote healing of muscle and bone. I plan to at least ride a short ride tomorrow.

I'll try to get out tomorrow for some local exploring. I have some new ideas of where I am going. I might reverse my riding to go in the morning with cooler temps and the exploration in the afternoons. Stella did not mind not being the featured hound tonight ... she sleeps as much as Heidi does.

Another beautiful busy day here 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.