Stella Decides It's Warm Enough To Walk

 I did not notice until I downloaded this picture of the field, all of the deer tracks in the corn field. Not a surprise but I am glad all of them were not out running around during the times the hounds and I were outside. Not only did I see a lot of deer tracks in this field across the highway there were many more in the field we walked through for the first time in a week.

We know the temps were going to get back to being bearable but even at 9:15am Stella decided it was still too cold. After we came inside I went back to looking at houses in a town I am keeping private for personal reasons. I can get more into that later on but it might be months from now.

With a demand for lunch much earlier than normal we were able to get back outside with hopes of doing the half mile walk without any shortcuts or interruptions, deer chases or Stella running off. It had warmed up considerably and with the bright sunshine the chances looked good.

Stella took the lead today but both hounds were everywhere chasing new scents their noses were picking up. I could see a lot of new tracks in the snow that were not from our previous walks. The field looked like it had been quit busy with deer, birds, and possible field cats.

Sadie decide something in the wooded area was too good to pass up. I had to change my tone of voice to get her to move and walk back out into the field.

Here are the first sign of deer tracks that going from the woods behind the neighbors house, across the field into the wooded gully where Sadie just stood.

Any ideas? It looks like deer tracks where they were walking so slow they were dragging their feet. Or is it something else?

Stella was feeling warm enough today to move in and out of the wooded area sometimes on her own and other times where I had to do some verbal herding.

Some more of those tracks where the deer were using snow shoes to get across the field. None of those tracks you see are from the hounds.

Near the back of the field we decided to take the "ATV path" ... more deer tracks that had crossed that path. It was a nice day to take a walk ... not too cold, very little wind and snow 5"- 6" deep.

Stella checked to see if Sadie and I were going to follow her lead or were we going off on our own?

I took this picture basically for reference when I take the same photo when it's 80°.

She wasn't cold but you can see she was walking slow enough that she was dragging her feet, barely getting them out of the snow.

Will the deer wonder what these 'new' tracks are when they come out later tonight?

I couldn't tell exactly what these prints were but I am assuming birds were finding some sort of food around the dormant hay.

This was another deer path across the field but closer to the house. Looking in opposite directions.

Here they split as they approached the yard. Those on the left facing the photo, walked by the edge of the yard along the brush and trees on the north side of the house then down across the highway into the corn field.

The single path on the right led to someplace interesting.....

That single deer had walked past the property pole, turning left toward the trees and was stopped by the fence. I saw no signs where it had walked down the bank around my house but I didn't see any signs of it turning around and going back out into the field.

Sadie wanted to make sure it was deer tracks I was seeing.

Maybe I am confused in my old age and those tracks are going back into the field instead of coming into the yard. It is the only way to explain where the deer went after they stopped at the old 75 year old fence.

Stella was warm enough today that she didn't want to come back inside. She eventually did but she was already training me to get back on bloodhound time in preparation for our future daily walks.

The undisturbed drifting snow was about to be walked on and walked through, shattering the smooth surface.

I'll wait for it to get a little warm today, then I will go out and shovel as much of this snow off the driveway to speed up the melting process before this weekend's rain washes it away.

We are all happy the temps are going to increase here in 'the tropics' of Southern Indiana.

We Changed Our Mind

It wasn't two hours ago that I posted "Not Interested" when I mentioned anything about walking in the snow, shoveling snow, watching the snow ... anything with snow. Yet when you live in "5 minute windows" like I do anything is possible. So .... Stella and Sadie were THRILLED that I changed my mind about going outside for a hound walk in the deep (deeper than we thought) snow.

I was not to the field yet and the snow was up to the top of my boots. They are built for this so I had no doubt that my feet would stay dry and stay warm ... onward ... the hounds were already in the back of the field knowing we were going to go on a walk.

The longer I walked, the deeper the snow got. I could tell watching the hounds it was much deeper than forecasted or what I thought it was by adding 2" to the 2" to 3" we already had. The snow was almost up to the elbows of each bloodhound.

Stella was more interested in the wooded area and the gully rather than the field. I had to yell loud for her to change her mind and her direction.

She was having fun running through the snow around the field from the wooded area to the middle of the lower field. In past years I have seen and walked through this field when the snow was up to the bottom of Sadie's stomach and higher than Winston's back ... but today's snowfall although not as deep as that was deeper than we have had in recent years.

First I couldn't believe I was seeing sparrows on the ground up ahead. If you remember, Sadie LOVES chasing birds in the heat of the summer if she finds birds at ground level in the field or yard ... she was going to get some sprints in today.

As I looked down at my buried boots ... Sadie took off.

I caught her over by the woods behind the neighbor's house but she came sprinting when I called her name.

Of course today was one of those days where one hounds is in the opposite direction than the other. Once Stella realizes that is happening, then it's her chance to escape. By the time I found Stella all I saw were her two rear legs and her butt ... she was about to go down into the gully.

Yelling her name with a stern tone and saying "get out of there", she turned around and ran toward me through deep snow, thorny bush stems and anything else in her way. She does not run, trot or walk around anything ... including me ... when something is in her way.

Sadie ??? Well one of "her birds" had escaped and had flown back across the field back to the area on my right side just ahead of Stella. I had to do a little convincing to break her focus otherwise her chase could lead her to parts unknown if that bird had gone airborne.

I decided to turn around before the back of the field. I thought but was wrong, I had seen Stella raise her paw slightly signifying that she was cold ... but she had other ideas.

They too live in "5 minute windows" so their focus soon changed to the neighbor across the highway that was brushing the snow off of his windshield. Only mom gets to park in the garage.

I could measure the distance from the ground to Sadie's elbow or I could go outside and drop a tape measure into the snow to get the depth ... but she would never stand that still, assuming I was about to cut her toenails ... and ... I've had enough fun in the snow this afternoon. So I'll just say the snow is deep and leave it at that.

Stella was ready ... I only said "let's go home" and she ran over to the path we had made and took off.

Sadie had to explore more on the way home.

Their time in the snow with a walk and some wrestling was satisfying enough to them that they ran to the door to go back inside ... but I had some work to do.

Doesn't look like much snow but it is sitting under the roof, plus I needed to clean up what I could in the carport before those rain showers show up later this afternoon and tonight, then turn to ice.

I only shoveled the area of the carport I spoke of early today ... but when you get distracted like I do outside, I decided I needed to clear out the required space around my mailbox that is requested by the post office to get the mail delivered ... 99.9% junk mail anymore.

The only problem with that is ... as the plow moves further out to the edge of the asphalt with each high speed pass, what I have shoveled around the mailbox will be covered with salty, sandy, slush ... that will freeze over tonight with the lower temps. It will be a disaster tomorrow when the mail carrier returns to work after a holiday off.

Before going back inside I kicked my boots hard and often against the concrete steps to get as much snow off of them as possible. My feet were dry and warm inside them.

Since we have had our unexpected walk, the carport is shoveled, a 2nd blog post within hours there is nothing more planned outside for today. It will be some reading, a few games of Mahjong, and maybe a game, movie or two transferred from my DVR to DVDs.

The hardest part of today will be explaining to Sadie why she cannot have any of my Oreo Golden Double Stuf Cookies. (THEY only use one 'F'). When you have to go out late at night, snowing hard enough that you cannot see when you drive to buy some kind of 'snack' food ... you know that you have fallen off of your diet wagon head first.

Enjoy the photos, there are 40 of them ... hope this didn't soak up too much data for those readers with data limits.

Waiting for those late afternoon, early evening "snow showers" here in 'the tropics' of Southern Indiana.