The Hounds Battle Hotter Weather

As the temperatures get hotter every afternoon this week, our routine didn't change much. Fewer photos were taken and there was less interesting things to write about. I continue to be on the fence on deciding a few things. So here are a few photos from the last few days that I didn't blog.

Every day after her lunch Stella likes to take a 30 minute nap in the sun. Heidi sprints back inside as soon as she relieves herself and Sadie roams the field. While Stella wanders the field during the morning walks, Sadie will get her running in as the grass gets taller and taller all over the field.

Each time Sadie finds Stella over by the neighbors house. I've been letting her do what she wants since our last post here. I have been basically lazy and haven't done anything besides two walks per day, nibble food during the day only when I feel hungry, without fixing what you would call a meal. Then every night I watch Reds baseball on tv and while the hounds sleep.

With my food supply very low it was time to find some groceries and the perfect time to get serious about what kind of food I was going to start eating. I went back to logging all my food intake on Cronometer.com It will break each food down into the micro nutrients and track your protein, fat, carbs and calories plus all the vitamins and minerals. If you click on one of those topics, it will list from the highest to the lowest food in that category. I can see now why my weight was starting to creep upward while I ate less food before this recent change.

So far I am losing a pound per day after three days. Most likely that is just water weight. I can make it from breakfast to the time I go to bed without feeling hungry. Basically no grains, no pasta, no beans, a few nuts or seeds and dairy is allowed but not much because that kills your required low carbs count.

On the Friday morning walk I didn't see Stella anywhere on the horizon and she wasn't near the edge of the woods behind the neighbor's house. So I told Sadie "go find Stella" and she took off with her head in the air as high as she could get it.

She stopped once looking in all directions, then moved left toward the last place I saw Stella. About the time I started walking that direct she turned completely around and started running toward the neighbor's backyard.

Sure enough, there was Stella right next to the woods in their yard where they throw food scraps out for the field cat. Stella was scarfing down food as fast as she could. I couldn't take any photos of that because I was trying to get to her as fast as I could. That included jumping over their small drainage ditch that goes along the edge of the yard.

Sadie headed her back in the direction of the house ... the afternoon walk I had Stella on the retractable leash to keep her near us.

Late Thursday night I logged into my two week old Instagram account and deleted it. Then I logged into my Facebook account and deleted that. All in the name of downsizing my internet footprint and spending time on this blog and my private blog whenever I feel like writing.

I still have a Twitter account which I will keep. I use it as a reader mostly for all my sports teams. I do follow James Woods, the actor, because he comes up with some great stuff to remind people just what the truth is in this time of constant manipulated information.

For some reason the Z4 has not left the carport for the past three days. I had a big workout mowing the yard on Thursday afternoon late. It was hotter than I had planned on and 52 minutes later I finished and then stood in front of a fan to cool off as fast as possible. My highest pulse rate during that time was 82% of my max and for the past week my resting pulse rate has averaged 49. I think that shows  have a healthy heart. Now to get rid of some of this gut.

When I put some gas in my FJ the other day it was the highest prices I had paid but was still not higher than prices were in 2013 based on my checkbook register entry that I do on a spreadsheet. I have done that on a spreadsheet since 1997 when Lotus 1.2.3 was the spreadsheet to use.

I did think about starting a blog where I could rant yell and scream about anything that made me mad. Plus I would talk about life in general, ask questions I wonder about at times. I even talked it over with a friend of mine that is also thinking of downsizing his blog activity and social media.

The more I thought about what he said and what I felt, I decided I did not want to have a blog like that. I want my life as simple as possible, the fewest conflicts as possible and computer time online the least amount possible. That might change next winter when it's single digits outside.

I'll be prepared this winter though. That same friend I was talking to me, mailed me a full length Carhartt Coverall that fit me perfectly since I am two inches taller than he is. Last winter at times on the walks I found out that high quality ski underwear and jeans were not enough to stay warm during that half mile walk. The Carhartts should change that drastically.

Sunday will start with the daily hound walk, then back home in front of a tv by 9am for the F1 race at Monaco. After that I will flip over to ABC to watch the Indy500 at noon with the hounds being fed and out for a pre-race pee. I will not watch all of the preliminary pre-race stuff loaded with commercials.

I am thinking of stepping out on the 'thin ice' and expanding the "Other Stuff" part of the blog title and possibly bring some life to this boring blog where no topic will be left behind.

All is good in 'the tropics' of Southern Indiana because I LOVE hot weather.

Summer Routine Is Back

I always say "it will never happen again" ... but it does. The other day after mowing the yard and trimming along the small brick edging, I sat my lithium battery for the weed eater on my FJ bumper ... again. I do that when I am putting each item back into the small shed that stores my lawn mower. But a few days had passed before I realized that expensive battery had made another 25 mile trip and was waiting for me on the FJ bumper as I returned with a shopping cart full of groceries. Right where I left it on Sunday.

Using that same word "again" I decided this morning I'd let Stella follow her nose on the morning walk. After all it's the middle of the week that some employees call "hump day" and are overjoyed their work week is half over. In retirement it feels the same as any other day and our only interest seems to be in the weather changes. It will change today from great weather to thunderstorms.

Stella didn't disappoint me as she took off in the opposite direction from Sadie and I. She has been good lately by not wandering off except that one time last week or two. She might require some of my verbal herding but for some strange reason she has been responding and obeying to certain words. No, not those words.

So while Sadie and I followed our normal path I kept glancing over at Stella to see if she was heading our direction or was taking off for the neighbors backyard, where there is a scent of a cat that keeps her interested. It was good to see Stella might meet Sadie and I by the time we were at the first turn.

Sadie was going to make sure Stella would follow us and made such a fast run over to her to lead the way, it caught me and my camera off guard and we missed the command that Sadie was giving her, but Stella got the message loud and clear.

Without cutting the field a second time last fall, there is a lot of grass replacing the wild weeds we saw last year. Last summer was so dry and hot that the field really didn't need cut a second time but if that Farmer's Almanac is right this year, with "a wetter than normal summer" ... they might be baling the field twice. The ticks are not as bad as a few springs ago when I kept a counter in the upper left corner of the blog,  updated after each walk. Yet I am finding a few of them on me after our recent walks this week.

I know there are heavy chemicals in Nexguard for killing ticks, fleas and mosquitoes but in this area of the USA it's needed. In the past two summers only one dose has done the job for the rest of the summer. Yes, I have tried the different natural remedies and I have not found them to work in this area.

I've gone back to Facebook but still using my own previous policy of having no Facebook friends listed. No offense to them and there were only a few of them I listed, but I use Facebook only to read updated information about the groups I follow. I capture a lot of good information about the Toyota FJ, updated sports teams news, and even tornado tracking. I do not follow any groups about bloodhounds or basset hounds.

I have also made some changes to my internet browser and search engine. It probably doesn't mean anything but I guess it's best to take advantages of different browser and search engine options. I went from Google Search to DuckDuckGo for more privacy. I also went from Google Chrome back to Safari, which runs faster and smooth on my iMac and MacBook Air.

With their latest updates they automatically block 3rd party tracking and that results in having a lot less if any advertising showing up in my inbox or on the websites that I visit. The new Firefox Quantum browser is nice but is just too much of a data hog and my budget allows me only 20Gb per month, so that is not an option for me.

Motivation has been at a low point at times, in attacking that 'to do' list. I have spent more time just sitting outside enjoying the hot weather, reading a book or watching the hounds as they roam the field. Plus we are taking 3 walks per day, except Heidi. She prefers to wander the front yard, the top of the driveway and lay in the sun in the backyard while the bloodhounds and I take our walks.

Monday was hound toenail cutting day. Sadie was good once again and will let me cut hers as long as she can stand up. Stella will always lay down if I show her and let her sniff the clippers. Heidi was more than ready to get her long nails cut and laid down in the grass as soon as she saw (smelled) the clippers. I cut hers back the shortest I can remember they have ever been ... without cutting the quick. I could tell she felt a lot better after her manicure.

Stella jumped out ahead of Sadie and I this morning. I was positive she was heading for the 'far right corner' of the field. Yet, lately she has responded when I tell her "over here" ... she then turns and walks toward our direction. What has gotten into her obeying verbal commands?

Sadie is just Sadie ... every walk, morning, noon or late afternoon she follows the same directions with her nose to the ground most of the way. That's her tracking personality coming out.

Stella was pretty sure that recently deer had gone straight into that brush and up over the small wire fence. After spending a few minutes staring in that direction, she finally gave up and slowly started following Sadie and I along the back edge of the field.

With rain in the forecast this afternoon, tonight and the next three days, this farmer got his planting finished yesterday just in time. Based on how the field looks, in my NON expert opinion, I am guessing he planted soybeans this year instead of corn.

Stella checked to see if she could get away and head to the north woods before I would notice her. She stood there watching me as I walked 30 yards away from her and past her, as Sadie and I headed home.

Sadie never barks but lets her know it would be best if she started following me and her toward home.

At no time during these last photos were any verbal herding involved. They slowly wandered back to the house.

I think in the last part of the walk, they are following a scent of the field cat that I have only seen a couple of times. At least the cat is good at keeping the mice traffic to a minimum around the house. I can't remember the last time I've even seen a mouse in the house.

After 14 months the change in dog food to Sportmix, manufactured by the same company that makes Earthborn Holistic Pet Food, continues to work well for all three hounds. It solved Heidi's skin problems from a few years ago, put weight back on Stella and keeps Sadie lean and mean.

Due to increased soil erosion after I cut the taller grass around the old fence post and bank, I am letting that corner grow back to the height and thickness it was. The water has decided to follow that slightly indent in the yard, making a right turn and goes down the bank toward my house. I have changed that direction of water by a little digging out and modifying that corner close to the house at the bottom of the bank. Feel free to make any suggestions that might help.

I barely caught him flying by the house as the hounds and I were just finishing our walk. It looks like a shipment of brand new John Deere mowers heading to a dealership somewhere south of us.

I am more in the mode of being outside now, reading a book rather than working on that 'to do' list. How long will I wait to get started?

It's been a week of very enjoyable weather here in 'the tropics' of Southern Indiana.

Stella And Facebook Disappear

A long story this morning starting yesterday afternoon and concluding about 15 minutes ago. Not sure where to start but you know I like to post photos and write in chronological order so here it goes. The weather yesterday afternoon was fantastic. I knew things were good outside when I saw Heidi jump from the couch and run to the door, without being asked, as we headed outside for a 2nd walk of the day around 1pm.

Heidi didn't go on the 2nd walk but while the bloodhounds and I did, she explored the yard and driveway. She even stayed outside a hour longer as I mowed half of back yard and a third of the front yard. Those areas of grass were taller than the rest of the yard based on winter hound fertilizer in the back and an operating septic tank in the front of the carport in front. It's good to see it operating as designed after 42 years of operation without issues.

The weather was so nice being in the 60's the hounds were looking at me for a 3rd walk of the day but we had just returned from the 2nd walk of the day. I decided they could roam the field while I mowed for the next 30 minutes. Luckily they stayed inside the boundaries of the field and I did not have to go chase either one of them ... while Heidi stayed in the front yard enjoying the sunshine.

Once Stella realized that the 3rd walk of the day would be late afternoon, after I grabbed some Motrin and a glass of water to go with it, she wasn't too excited as she walked back toward the house. As you get older it doesn't take long to fall out of shape. I know I walk usually 2x per day, a little over a mile per day, sometimes more but just the short time I pushed my 22" mower on fairly level ground I could feel new muscles had been used soon after I was finished mowing.

Earlier before the 2nd walk I tuned into live tv news so I could watch Mark Zuckerberg squirm in his seat while talking around questions, never giving accurate answers and playing dumb on some others. {"my team will get back to you"} ... I was feeling a little nauseated. I've never really liked the guy although he is brilliant in his idea for Facebook although misdirected in some ways. The more I listened to him the more irritated I got.

I had just posted yesterday morning "Why I Am Keeping Facebook" here on this blog that some of you may have caught early enough to read before I deleted it ... but as I turned off my tv after a short dose of Zuckerberg's bullshit I decided I was deleting my Facebook account. I could get 99% of my information on Twitter, that also harvests personal data but not nearly as much as Facebook and has privacy settings that work.

Another thing that set me off ... I looked at something I had never looked at in my Facebook account because I had never sold anything on Facebook. I had never used their ads nor had I ever clicked their ad links. But if you go into your Facebook account, then click settings, look to the left for the link called 'ads'. That page opens up to where you can change some settings for what type of ads you want to see. I saw that some of mine had been changed back to Facebook's default settings and settings I did not want.

But that wasn't where all the surprises were. I started clicking different links on that page and once I saw a notification that I was seeing these list of advertisers because I HAD CONTACTED THEM IN SOME WAY AND HAD GIVEN THEM MY PROFILE INFORMATION .... never happened ... I was shocked of the amount and who those advertisers were.

When the congressman confronted Zuckerberg yesterday about how many data points Facebook had on each user ... he answered his own question before Zuckerberg could get even a word out of this mouth ... 29,000 data points on each Facebook user.

Then when asked if Facebook tracked people that did not even have a Facebook account ... YES !!! How could someone stop that tracking that did not even have a Facebook account???? They had to sign up for a Facebook account to get to the page to opt out ... HOW CRAZY IS THAT ????

So after that my Facebook account was definitely going to be deleted as fast as I could click all of the different links required to get that job done.

I am not trying to HIDE anything that I do on the internet as a couple of readers mentioned in their comments yesterday by saying "I have nothing to hide" ... THAT IS NOT THE POINT.

The point is if Facebook can get away with this amount of data stealing what more can they do in the next 2-5 years EVEN IF regulations are put in to place. The fact is like many websites that we use ... they make millions if not billions of dollars through advertising using our personal data ... they will never stop because profit to them is like heroine to an addict.

Don't tell me that in the future (Facebook's CEO) "we may have to ask you to pay us to opt out for us using your personal data" What I think of that idea and what I would tell them cannot be printed here.

Of course, even though Zuckerberg claims that my data would be gone as soon as I deleted my account, they would still give me 14 days to change my mind to come back and would store my info somewhere in their system in case I did ... I won't go back to Facebook ever!!

I will say after following my morning routine of internet reading while enjoying my morning coffee today -- I did not miss seeing Facebook at all. I was NOT even tempted to reactivate my account. It felt good to get that smug a****** out of my life. Yes, Facebook will still harvest my data from other websites they are hooked into just for that purpose but at least I am not turning over my information for free.

So it was a breath of fresh air to start our walk this morning with the warmest temperature we have had at 9am in the morning for a very long time ... 59°. It will get up to 75° this afternoon. Heidi might take an afternoon walk with us and I am definitely going to wash the Z4 later this afternoon. It will be another 3 walk day for the hounds and myself.

It was good to feel some solid ground under us. We have more of our share of rain in March and April so it looks like we will get a break to clear out the gutters, pick up all the tree limbs in the yard and add them to the burn pile for the fall bonfire. With that fire I also toss in a year's worth of small pieces of paper that I have cut out of mail received that has my name, address and that barcode below it before recycling the mail. It might not make any difference but it cannot hurt.

While Stella hung back and Sadie was already chasing birds she had seen on the ground in 'her' field ... I figured we would pick up Stella over by the neighbors field on our way back, just like yesterday morning. Little did I know just how wrong that assumption be.

As she slowly trotted toward me I thought she would make it to the corner of the field at least so I turned and followed Sadie along our path. The wind had a slight chill to it coming from the southwest but that was fine. I had traded my wool ski cap for my ball cap and I wasn't wearing my down parka over a Columbia Sportswear jacket ... also, no gloves were involved today ... so it was all good.

At this time nothing out of the ordinary took place during the first half of the walk. When I scanned the field ahead I did not see Stella but in this photo she could have been over by the neighbors woods and I would not have seen her due to the steep angle of that part of the field, which you will see later.

I did not see any birds taking flight from the ground so I found it a little interesting that Sadie was taking off in the opposite direction at a fast pace and was ignoring my calls. It's never good to have two bloodhounds out of sight and in two different directions.

Luckily as my calls got louder she turned around and sprinted toward me. In a way that was good yet I thought she might have seen Stella in that direction and that would have saved me some time searching for a bloodhound that I knew I would not find because I never have in these situations.

As I approached the center of the field far enough along to see around the corner of the woods ... I scanned the field quickly and did not see Stella anywhere ... how can a dog disappear so quickly when I do not consider her a 'tracker' comparing her responses to Sadie. If Sadie did the same thing I could understand it and know that a scent led her away ... that rarely if ever, happens with Sadie.

As you see there is not a sign of Stella anywhere.

I started yelling her name loudly but not expecting to see her anywhere.

I always look in the same spots when this happens. First Sadie and I step into the woods and look into the deep gully to see if we can see that tan reddish color stand out amongst the dark colors of the trees. Stella was not in that area ... nor showed up while I yelled her name.

Next we head to the neighbor's woods and walk around the edge of it toward the backyards of the neighbors two houses down. While calling her name ... She is not showing up.

Here you can see the steep drop off of the field north of my house in an area that we never walk, unless we are looking for Stella. See the largest tree on the left side ... my house is just right of that tree.

As we walked closer to the neighbor's woods, the field is steeper behind us.

We walked around that woods, checked the back and front yards of two neighbors while yelling her name. She was nowhere. We walked all the way back to the house, yelling her name ... nothing. I decided to check the woods and gully again hoping she had not gone that direction since the gully is nothing but knee deep mud. I know that from the time 8 or 9 years ago when Sadie took off as a 1 or 2 year old puppy and came home covered ... covered ... in wet mud from her head to her toes.

Just as Sadie and I stepped into the woods yelling Stella's name ... guess who came up behind us? With drool hanging from both sides of her mouth I have a sneaky suspicion the neighbor's (who like her), let Stella inside their house for some late morning breakfast ... I know that is a wild guess and one that I will try to confirm later today with a phone call to the neighbor.  LOL

As you see, she didn't see anything wrong with her disappearance and couldn't understand the urgency to come home. I don't mind it, except I hate the thought of her being curious enough to get into the highway.

I only mowed half of the pictured backyard. It was the only part that needed mowed even after raising the mower blade up a notch ... I am going back to cutting the yard higher this year. See those twigs? I have a lot of them to pickup in the back and front. I use that large blue trash can to collect them and I am pretty sure I'll fill that up a couple of times.

As the outside gets warmer I become more motivate to attack my 'to do' list. Some of those tasks include things inside the house that I could have done all winter but I never do until it's warmer outside.

Things are looking up here in 'the tropics' of Southern Indiana.