Surprise Visitor Thursday Night

With it being such a busy day I am late posting today on the blog. I am sitting down to do this one at 11:30pm.

I'm up late every night so that isn't an issue. It was a busy day, and I did a couple of things I had not planned on which took most of the afternoon. Then it was football and a baseball game on different channels that took up most of the evening.

Stella decided this morning there wasn't much to check out, she walked to the edge of the yard, looked at Sadie, then turned to come inside. When the weather was hot a few weeks ago she would head out to the middle of the field and wouldn't leave during that early morning trip.

Thursday night, close to 7pm, as I walked into my "computer room", something was out in the field. I couldn't tell if it was an animal or a possible sack of some kind that had blown into the field. I tried to check it out with my zoom lens on the camera and snapped this very poor photo through the mini blinds while standing inside. I didn't know how long that foreign unidentified object would stay there.

After a few minutes and four more poor quality photos, I decided to try to keep the bloodhounds inside and very quietly walk outside to try to get a photo of it before it ran/flew away. Not only was I able to stand there taking photos of it, it was in no rush. Strange how the hounds like deer scat and the broad wing hawk likes dog poop.

I could tell from where it was, that was most likely what it was eating. During the walk this morning I checked that area right on our path and all the dog poop was gone. I guess all forms of recycling are good.

I had to make a noise for it to fly away. The hounds were still inside standing at the door but were making no noises to come outside. Evidently they didn't smell the hawk. For some reason Stella decided months ago that she would stop opening the door on her own to go outside, so they were both looking out the screen door when went back to get them.

You can barely see it in the trees, in the center of the photo.

I went back inside to let Sadie and Stella outside. They came outside and had no idea who or what had been close to their yard. They didn't show any signs of running into the field to track it. They just needed to pee before the baseball game started and headed back inside.

Today was another nice day and even though we all were late risers, we were able to get two different walks in today plus some of the typical domestic stuff around the house. Heidi ??  She slept most of the day wrapped up in her sleeping bag with the windows open.

Stella decided on both walks today that she would cooperate and walk near Sadie and I. I didn't say a word the whole way and let the hounds go where their noses led them.

With Sadie not wearing a collar the past few months, it's easier to tell them apart. At times Stella looks like she has gotten bigger this past year but from a different angle, she looks the same.

On the way back on the first walk, they both took off as if they had found gold somewhere, or some food, but it turned out to be nothing.

Shortly after washing my dishes, for some strange reason I had this sudden urge to bring out the Rug Doctor Pro carpet cleaner that I have and clean the carpets. I normally do it in the spring and fall anyway but I usually plan in advance to do the job. That task has never been an impulsive act.

It didn't take long while the hounds were barricaded in the bedroom with the baby gate blocking the doorway. With one hound walk already taken, all of them slept through the noise of the carpet cleaner.

After all the equipment was cleaned up and put away, the fans turned on to help dry the carpet ... it was nice enough for the 2nd walk of the day. I may have said summer is over in my opinion but the forecast shows three days next week in the high 80's ... I'll not be complaining.

Before I could even get my first photos of the 2nd walk taken, Sadie and Stella were sprinting for the first corner in the field. I was sure they had smelled deer in the area but when I looked at the horizon ready to take photos ... I didn't see any deer activity. Maybe they were just happy to be let out of 'jail'.

They gave me a chance to catch them ... then they moved to their normal spots. I could tell some of the leaves had changed color even since this morning.

Most of the way home both Stella and Sadie were walking right next to me or right behind me. They were too close to take photos even with the 18mm setting.  About the time we were close to the yard, I could see Heidi over by the trees in the backyard. She has been spending more and more time outside alone just roaming the yard and laying in the sunshine. It's good to see her spending more time outside.

As always, Sadie had to run over to her, touch noses and see if she was okay.

I plan to plant new grass seed where that area of dirt is. It goes down a small bank and then over toward the fence. That has had the same wild brush growing there for years that was on the right side of the trees until April 2015.

Over by the fence the English Ivy has taken over. I had hoped it would have taken over the wild brush over the years but it didn't happen ... so I have a few more roots to dig out and will plant grass next spring, maybe some rye this fall to keep the weeds out and have some ground cover.

She is still not gaining weight .. stuck at 36 pounds and has been that weight since June 2015.

We have a full day of football Saturday and Sunday with the MLB Playoff games mixed in during them. That means a lot of work with the remote changing channels during commercials of different games.

I made vegan chili and it's in the crock pot to cook on low all night so by the first game at noon Saturday it should be a good meal while watching football.

I had a really bad fight tonight with myself, resisting the urge to buy some Haagen Das ice cream just down the highway. Drinking water wasn't working and I finally had to think about something else to get ice cream out of my thoughts.

So I looked at my friend's car lot online, it's where I buy most of my cars. They had a 2007 Toyota FJ, silver, basic model for sale. Just looking through the 21 photos of that FJ erased the urge for ice cream.

It will be sunny and 70's tomorrow in 'the tropics' of southern Indiana on Saturday.

Friday?? Really??

First of all if you glance left, you will see that I have decided to track the number of ticks I pull of me and the hounds. I won last years contest by a landslide and am off to a fast start in 2016.

Having the house and yard so close to the field, it doesn't matter if I spray the backyard. Plus I don't follow all of the tick laws. I don't tuck my jeans in my socks ... how would that help my waistline or neck? I do wear a hat though and as the temps get higher I also wear cargo shorts as we take our walks through the field and I know that is against the rules. So anyway, out of curiosity I am counting ticks this year, all the way to December 31, 2106.

I really didn't have any idea it was Friday when I started my day. That is a common theme while retired, losing track of days. In the fall it is easier to keep track of the days due to my addiction for college and pro football ... even though anymore you can see a football game almost any day/night of the week.

Warning - It's Friday and that means a LOT of photos and a LOT of rambling. Click any photo for a better/bigger view, scroll through them to the bottom, or grab something to drink as you read along.

Early on it looked like rain but nothing was planned on the two weather stations I follow online. Sadie and Stella didn't stay out long on their first trip. Heidi has gone outside every time the bloodhounds have gone ... that's a nice change.

A little after 10am, she made her next trip outside. Where I had clouds to the west but blue skies to the NE, I decided it was time for a walk. My long sleeves were off and it was t-shirt weather even at 60°.

Just past that edge where you see green under the fallen tree ... goes straight down.

Looking left I caught something in a tree, not sure what it was since I was not wearing my glasses. You can see the zoomed photos here. I wasn't sure what it was, nor did I know it had "landed" until Stella took off in a very fast sprint. By the time Sadie arrived I saw the hawk (?) taking off from the ground, kind of running into the woods.

When I got back to the house, I checked google images to see what it might be. I am not a 'birder' so if any one knows please comment below and let me and the other readers what kind of bird that was. The best I could come up with was some kind of hawk.

In the past I have seen them fly up out of the ground, hawks do that. I have also see skeletons of them in the field. So I think it is safe to add the hawk scent to many spots in the field that the bloodhounds are too interested in, besides just the deer.

Both, Sadie and Stella, were not into the running mood this morning, the were mostly slow paced besides the sprint to the hawk. Sadie spent most of her time walking next to me on the way back to the house.

A different type of photo than I normally take, but thought the leaf was an interesting shot for this time of year. Not a lot of weeds growing in the field this spring like I remembered last year, so they should get some pretty good hay in July.

I guess since it's Friday, Stella deserves to be a little low key after another fast paced week as a bloodhound.

Heidi stayed near the house outside as the bloodhounds and I walked this morning. Once inside she was wagging her trail and trotting under and around the bloodhounds to growl to herself and scratch each side of her mouth. She seems more active today, so the Epsom Salt soak must have helped. I'll give her another one this weekend instead of waiting for her skin to become irritated.

The biggest decision of the day was trying to decide how high to grow the lawn. In the past out west where I never saw a yard mole, I could cut the grass down to the ground and have it look like a fairway at Augusta. Here due to the bumpy surface, small dirt piles or rises from mole traffic plus hotter summers, I've had to cut the lawn taller.

I think I have it about the right length for this area but I haven't really measured it ... some say to let it grow to 3". If so, I need to raise my mower blade another notch higher. I may try that just for a change of pace ... kinda like driving the Mini Cooper instead of the FJ or using Firefox instead of Google Chrome.

Or like today I decided to list ALL the labels I have used the past 5+ years instead of just the 200 or so of the ones I edited. I had plenty of room to run over 500 of them down the right side ... does anyone click them to go to a specific topic?  I have no idea.

At least we don't have to schedule a meeting to decide those things ... that is all I remember about my working career ... meetings and power point presentations. Did I ever tell you how much I hate Microsoft Office Power Point?  LOL

It wasn't too long after their lunch, the three hounds decided I needed to mow the yard today. Before that, we hopped in to the FJ and took a trip downtown to the local feed store. An establishment that opened in 1938 and is still owned by the same family. The times I've gone in to buy dog food, I noticed they had bully sticks.

It's either cash or check there, so I robbed my trash fund and left $2 for my next trash run. The balance of $6 was going to the hound's bully sticks. I bought 3 of them at a $1.86 each ... $6 with tax. They were long and cost less than the once I bought yesterday but didn't last as long.

Not to worry, I have used only half of 1 stick, while I was out mowing the yard. Once again Heidi, grabbed her portion and with her tail wagging, trotted off for the far corner of the living room which is another favorite stop of hers.

I'm really out of shape but know my wind will improve the more I work outside. Today instead of mowing back and forth across the hill in the front yard I wanted to mow a different direction ... that meant pushing the mower up my hill every other turn. It was too soon in the "mowing season" to be doing something as strenuous as that.

Each time I mow, the hounds like to come outside and inspect my work. The inspection didn't even get started today ... Stella found a nice spot to take a nap ... she seemed to have lost interest as an inspector.

You can tell by her mouth that she was getting warm in the sun. Her jowls were wet and she was panting. Sadie looked over and knew she was staying near the shade where I was.

It wasn't long before Stella woke up and moved to the shade but the spot wasn't as comfortable as the one she had. She didn't lay there long either.

In fact she decided the best option was going back inside the house with a cool breeze coming through the open windows and taking a siesta.

That is what all three hounds have been doing since I came back inside. Since mowing the yard, my sinuses have been going crazy. I think that might be the cause of some of Heidi's skin allergies becoming active that would lead to more chewing and itching.

I have already had my Dairy Queen Blizzard for the day, so it looks like the rest of the night is water and some baseball on tv.

I still cannot believe it's Friday night, here in 'the tropics' of Southern Indiana.