The Hounds Start Off Strange

As I start writing this morning the day is a little over 3 hours old for us. Stella was determined to wake my up in the dark as her whine was the loudest I had ever heard as I tried to comprehend what was going on. That isn't the strange start that I am speaking about in the post title though. The normal routine is me turning on the light then BOTH hounds run to the door to be let outside because they know that as they are reliving themselves I am pouring their breakfast kibble into their bowls.

So strange and it had to be a first ... ever. I am at the door having to wait for both of them. For some reason Heidi had sprinted around the corner to the living room and was on the couch, Stella was standing looking at me as if she was trying to figure out why did she have to go outside. Compare this to their normal running to the door ... that is a strange start to the day. It wasn't raining and it was a little after 6am, normal time for them.

It didn't end there.

For some strange reason I was ready to go and wanted to start the walk a little earlier than normal, at 8am. Stella was sitting in the open area in my small house which is next to the kitchen island but right outside my computer room. With her front legs crossed, she didn't have any plans of going anywhere. After all she had not drank her water yet before the walk.

I had to stand at the door, holding it open, telling her to "come on" and could barely get her out of the house. So strange !!!! As I took my daily photo of the field across the highway from my carport step, Stella sat in the middle of the carport and wasn't moving. As I was taking my first step in the field, she was standing at the corner of the house not wanting to go anywhere, acting as if it was raining.

It had rained a little over night but there wasn't standing water anywhere, nor was the yard or field that wet but for some reason she did not want to take the walk this morning. Maybe she didn't like me choosing the time we walk?

After a lot of verbal convincing, she slowly stepped slowly in the yard and it was like she was taking her last steps as she entered the field and walked passed me. I could almost hear her dragging her paws on the ground because she was walk that slow.

It's a good thing when my boots built for snow are used more after rain. Looking back at this past winter here in 'the tropics' we really did have a pretty mild winter. We had very few days of single digit temps and really only one period with some substantial snow but that was it. I might have to check out the Farmer's Almanac and see what the weather prediction for this summer is.

While I enjoyed the warm morning, Stella moved over to the old return path and was on a deer scent. Things had flipped to normal just like that. I was finished with verbal suggestions for her today so I let her go at her own pace as long as she was within my view. I had to stand waiting more than a few times for her to proceed through the walk.

I did not finish watching the Oregon - Virginia basketball game last night. I had seen enough by 11:45 pm and went to bed. There were some pretty good college basketball games last night, a couple of upsets all after an afternoon of watching baseball. I will follow that same routine today ... but I still feel slightly motivated for some reason today.

Besides vacuuming the house and doing some dusting, I might hit the yard after this post and start the process of picking up all the small sticks throughout the yard and add them to my burn pile. There are a ton of them laying in the backyard and front yard all the way down to the highway.

The eating plan still continues to be successful. Every time I wanted something sweet yesterday I ate an apple or a bowl of mixed berries. I buy the large bag of  blueberries, raspberries and blackberries. That solved the urge for something sweet. It was not intended but it turned out to be a "meatless" Thursday. I followed recommended portions on everything I ate except the size of my lunch salad. Those salads have always been large.

I almost forgot, but we had some major excitement yesterday in the 'hood. I heard a pretty loud, low flying helicopter as I was watching baseball. We do have helicopters pass the house but never this loud and never that low sounding ... I headed outside and grabbed the Nikon D3200 sitting on the table.

I was right. As the helicopter was leaving it was barely clearing the tops of both trees down by the highway. Across the highway on the single path road next to the field that leads to the old steel bridge, were two state patrol cars, three and then a few minutes later four county sheriff cars and SUVs.

I have no idea what was taking place. I didn't see anyone apprehended but about an hour after they all left, the local town police pulled into that road and drove all the way down to the steel bridge.

That was the excitement for the day until the end of the Reds baseball game.

As you can see, Stella was in her detailed investigation mode this morning.

I was curious if she would go all the back to the back of the far right corner of the field. She has not been in that area more than once since Sadie left us. It has not been the first time I have thought that Sadie basically took care of and and led Stella on the walk ... getting her to keep moving, to track scent and cover a lot more field than Stella has since last September. Sadie use to sprint to catch up to me, Stella never does.

This is about the best I can do making a panoramic photo of the field, as I stood next to Stella in the southern corner of the field. I can see our path, and have for years, on Google Satellite ... pretty interesting.

It was good to see some small green buds on the bushes in the background ... another sure sign that spring is near.

I want to know what came out of here and where did it go?

have not viewed any tv news since early Thursday morning. The silence is fantastic.

When the camera catches Stella's paw in the air while she is walking, does that show just how slow she is walking ... one step at a time, in slow motion. No time table and definitely no schedule for her.

She didn't stop to look today but did glance over toward the neighbor's house just to make sure things were fine over there.

This morning's strangeness continued as she did NOT check out the corner on the right, nor did she sniff along the edges of the fence line and around each tree. Maybe it is because she heard me tell her "I have to go buy dog food" and decided it was best to get back inside as soon as possible.

own I only closed the door with the baby gate as a backup. I wasn't going to be gone for more than 5-7 minutes.

It was good to feel a dry door knob when I got back because that meant she had not tried to open the door while I was gone. I also commended myself as I walked in and out of the local hardware store with only a 40 pound bag of dog food on my shoulder and not Baby Ruth candy bar in my pocket nor did I stop for a free warm bag of popcorn that they make in an old popcorn popper. All of these activities were finished by 8:35am.

It will be interesting to see if the strange routines from this morning will take place tomorrow morning.

Otherwise, it's a great day for baseball and baseball on tv here in 'the tropics' of Southern Indiana.

Stella Starts Her Day Earlier Than Normal

While I was taking this second photo from the corner of the house like I do every morning, Stella was already starting her walk without me. Not only was she starting on her own but today she was sitting at the entry to the computer room, wagging her tail and whining to go on her walk ... an hour early. It was barely past 8am and my second cup of coffee wasn't halfway finished. I set the camera to 'auto flash' and I think that may have made a difference today in this morning's photos.

The way she was taking off I thought she might really be on a scent and I would spend most of my walk running to catch her. I hadn't seen this quick action with her nose to the ground. I think she is changing her personality on these walks. I do know she is starting to tell me more often what she wants during the day. Whereas before, Sadie basically decided the 'what, when and where'.

I guess without wind, the 33° temperature hasn't bothered me yet on these walks. I keep looking at the iPhone Weather 10-day forecast and I don't see any high temperatures for each day over 58°. That is way below the normal average for this time of year. I told my friend in Phoenix yesterday that the hounds and I were thinking about a winter road trip this year to warmer temps.

Here is where it got a little interesting. Bloodhounds and Basset Hounds are NOT problem solvers like some dogs are. Their pain threshold is high so they don't feel sharp thorns when they get trapped in wild vines. They just keep charging ahead through them if they get hung up in the vines. One year Sadie did that as a puppy and a thorn cut the inside of her ear lengthwise like a razor blade. Off to the vet we went. That did not happen to Stella today ... but she wasn't happy about being tied up in vines.

It was disappointing to see the camera did not catch here raising her head through the vines and hopping upward slightly to get untangled. A step after this photo she was tangled up.

This is after she hopped out of the wild growing vines with sharp thorns ... like nothing happened.

That is facing north to northeast with the sun just barely above the horizon.

No verbal commands for her today ... she was on her own.

I've always like looking at the cloud patterns while on this walk.

As you can see with me 50mm away ... she is in a world of her own.

Amazing to see just how different the morning is outside an hour earlier than our normal time for walking but the same time we use to walk this past summer.

Ed told me in past years why the leaves were more colorful than other years, or lack thereof. I'll have to get on the internet and find out why because I cannot remember the reason he told me. I'll also look at last years fall photos to see when the leaves really started to look colorful. I might be mistaken that I should be seeing some leaves changing by now.

Just like all the other times on this walk, about the time I almost catch up to her while she is eating deer scat, she will trot away from me like nothing is going on. Notice her right ear is flipped up as she trots away.

I couldn't make up my mind where to put the focus, either the frosted stems or the bud ... consequently I ended up taking a poor photo.

Not only did she slow down in front of me but she stopped almost immediately in front of me. I couldn't resist taking an overhead photo of her.

Once she figured out that I was standing right there she took off trotting again ... but with a different way than her normal return home.

She veered left parallel to the older path we use to always take. I could tell by the frozen grass there had been some fresh 'traffic' overnight or early this morning and she was walking right in the middle of those.

She might look like she is wrapping up her morning walk ... but there is always something to distract her.

Heidi was where she normally is this time of day and in this kind of weather. She was very energetic thought when she woke up a little before 7am in the dark ... wanting breakfast.

I thought I might get something done this afternoon but all I did was finish reading Fear by Bob Woodward. I led the hounds outside after their lunch with with cool temps and a cold breeze. They were not much more interested than I was about staying outside to take some photos.

Stella didn't move from that spot until I headed toward the door right after that photo. Heidi was going to do her lap around the house but I was too cold without a jacket to follow her ... "too cold" and it's only October 19th.

It felt like snow was on the way instead of the rain we are suppose to get tonight. All of those bright skies this morning were gone for good, maybe for the weekend too.

With the cold weather and a poor start to blooming, I am surprised the red mums bloomed out to this.

I'm not sure but the hounds and I may take a short break from blogging for a few days or maybe change from a daily blog to 3-4 days per week. Or just photos and only a paragraph of content. I am finding it hard again to blog with a lot of photos and still get things done inside the house that I want to get finished. Throw in 2-3 hound walks during the day, a meal or two and there doesn't seem to be enough hours in the day unless I hit the projects running by 9am.

We will see what happens but that is the way I am leaning this afternoon.

60° inside the house today. Colder outside, makes me wonder if I will seek warmer weather this winter with just two hounds to ride along with. Although the day I took both of them to the vet a few weeks ago and got them out of the car each on separate 6' leashes ... Stella wrapped her leash around my legs right below the knee and Heidi circled around to put her leash above my ankles. I was trapped and laughing.

It reminded me of the time I was at the Rest Area on I-70 in the middle with the interstate on each side of us, west of St Louis in 2013. I was heading to Arkansas to pick up a Lil Snoozy Trailer, that I backed out of the deal 12 hours later ... I didn't have Stella then but Heidi went one way, Winston another and Sadie took off for the pet area .... I couldn't move and could see I had a full table of people laughing as I stood behind the H3 Hummer. I knew then traveling with three hounds was not going to happen.

A road trip is still on the table for analysis before winter arrives.

Stella slept through her 2pm walk. She might not want an afternoon walk today with the weather the way it is. Once Heidi had lunch all she wanted was a warm leather couch and a blanket over the top of her to stay warm while she slept. With strong winds predicted for tomorrow from the WNW ... I am feeling cooler temps than today. Inside watching college football all day and night Saturday will keep me from freezing.

There is never a bad day in retirement so all was good today in 'the tropics' of Southern Indiana.