Beautiful Day Today

After a few days of bad weather only starting in the early afternoon, the rain finally showed up at the house last night with strong winds. I watched a little of it, it wasn't anything major compared to what I saw this past spring in Indiana. With that rain, the temps dropped from 94° to 62° just like that. It wasn't even 7pm yet and the cool breeze felt fantastic. Stella is getting use to the loud thunder and only looks at it to analyze instead of whine.

The mornings were the typical sky show and great weather but if I did not get home from my morning bike ride by 10am, it was already up to 90°. A couple of mornings I didn't get back before then. After the snake by the garage door last week I aways look at the base of the garage door now when I pull in with the car or the bicycle. These storms would show up around between 1pm-2pm, after bright sunny skies just a few hours earlier.

No hiking this week. There were to days this week where I was set to go but a final check on the weather radar and looking outside cancelled them. These storms were moving in fast and covered all of the mountains in any direction. I've seen photos on Facebook of flooded streets in Bisbee, Douglas and Benson.

For those that are into bike riding, I added my bike blog on the side bar. I had been keeping a training journal on my computer but once again decided a blog format was better at retrieving past information instead of looking through Apple Pages for information I may want a year from now. Plus there might be something I write about that will help someone over 65 years old wanting to get back into cycling or just starting.

I have never felt better and rode 5 days this week with plans of getting my 6th day of riding in tomorrow on a week ending easy ride. Plus my Strava app uploads my rides automatically on the new blog on the left side. You can click the map for a more detailed view, along with a scale below the map, showing how much I rode 'up and down.

This morning's sunrise was fantastic. Stella and I were on the walk barely after sunrise and it was a little dark. Cold at 64° but great weather.

The moon was still there when we got back ... it was time for coffee and 32 miles of bike riding.

With the cooler temps Heidi spent more time than she ever had since moving, exploring the backyard. With the cooler temps those stones are not too hot to walk on like they were before this morning.

For the first time that I can remember she sat on the patio while we were all outside enjoying mid-day sunshine.

Besides her walk, this is all Stella did today. All these photos were taken within 10 minutes ... that's all it took for her to decide it was too hot to sunbath any longer. Time to head inside and enjoy the AC. The temp had just crawled above 80°.

Her tongue hanging out of her mouth means she needs or wants air conditioning.

College Football 2019 has started today with only two games that I am interested in watching. With all the things to do outside my days of watching 13 straight hours of college football on Saturdays like in past years are over ... you've heard it here first. I'll watch only a few different teams and will put a lot of them on DVD to watch later when I am not outside enjoying the day. IF the fall weather is like today ... I'll never be home.  LOL

My neighbor brought over a baby rat snake he found in his garage ... so that vent in the lower garage wall for ventilation will be their entry way.  One thing strange I have noticed, on two separate occasions I have had birds banging their beaks on my windows as if they are trying to get inside. They are very loud and almost as active as a woodpecker. Once I tapped the window or pulled the blinds back, they flew away.

I continue to lose weight daily and feeling stronger riding the bike. Yet, the best new thing may be the massage bar and massage roller I bought a week or so ago. That takes away a lot of after riding pain, moves the bad stuff out of the muscles. All good stuff. Is it a coincidence that I have slept every night since using the bar and roller, through the night and do not get up?

A great Saturday here in the Wild West.

A Quiet Holiday Monday

Since retirement I rarely look at a calendar anymore while I use the 'Reminders' program that came with my Apple phone and synchronizes to my computers. At times I also forget what day it is but I knew today was Monday but I did not know why the traffic on the highway in front of the house was so light. I found out it's a holiday with a lot of government workers having the day off. Farmers don't have days off, especially this time of year.

Stella wasn't sure what to make of the sound from the combine. She wasn't going to run toward the road but was a little curious what that weird sound was coming down the highway. She will also show interest in loud motorcycles and pickup trucks that pass by ... as if they are part of her past in some way.

The morning walk started as they all do. Heidi in a deep sleep after her breakfast kibble and Stella adding some wet green grass to her diet. As you can see the ragweed is dying out fast only to leave those small brown burs that like to stick to my clothing and in Stella's hair if we get too close on the walks.

It will be interesting to see how much the leaves turn colors this week. By Wednesday the high temp of the day will be in the 60's and by next weekend or sooner the high temp of the day will be in the 50's. As I write this my AC system is running at 100% power ... hard to believe it will be that cold later this week.

The photos don't capture it but Stella likes to walk in front of me but only if she can walk as slow as possible. If I lag behind giving her room, she will slow her walk down even more. If I walk around her to get in front there are times she will walk on my heels. So we go back and forth trading who is in front for a lot of the walk.

I had to be very quick to get this photo of her behind me before she was moving right past me.

The mosquitoes continue to be thick on these walks. I am hoping they disappear with the high temps this Tuesday night while we sleep.

She glanced down in the gully that is overgrown but a place the deer use to run to. I am not sure they visit that area after last summer (2017) when there was a lot of ATV traffic up and down the hills through the woods. I see no signs of deer passing through with worn down grass/weeds.

She started to head to the 'far right corner' of the field but stopped, stared and then looked at me for permission. When I told her 'over here' she turned and got back on our path and walked toward the back of the field.

I did not watch any NFL games yesterday nor did I tune into the MLB Playoffs. My lack of interest surprises me. I spent a lot of time sitting outside reading in the bright sunshine and watching the neighbor mow his yard with his huge riding mower. There just isn't that much going on lately around here. I also like watching traffic. (strange)

Walking fast enough to blur her photo.

Although Stella walks at a slow pace, the total time for the walk doesn't change much from the morning walks to the afternoon walks. Now that my brain has calibrated itself, why would the total time change with Sadie gone because we both walked or did the walk in whatever time it would take Stella. It just seems slower now with her taking her time moving through the field. Obviously from her looks, she doesn't understand the urgency of completing the walk before the mosquitoes haul me away.

This is from a small 2" diameter sapling that I cut down about 4 years ago.

A sure sign that fall is here and the leaves will be changing color.

I walked over to check out what Stella was staring at and saw nothing in that area below her nose and eyes. She stood in that pose long enough for me to take the photo, walk over to her and away from her. I would love to know what goes through that bloodhound's thought process.

She trotted toward the house, fast enough that it was hard for me to get these two photos taken.

Last night there was a huge visible cobweb right in front of the shed door, near the lower edge of the carport ceiling. This morning I could barely see what was left of the spiderweb and this victim was moving as fast as possible to get away from being tangled up inside it.

I had a few things I wanted to get done today. Of course when you are retired anything can change in an instant, consequently I did nothing I thought I would while drinking my morning coffee. Instead I spent time outside, went to the library to turn in two books and bring three more back with me to read.

This question is for all the plant experts ... why isn't this mum blooming ??? The yellow one I bought just as it is .. in full bloom but the two crimson mums I bought have not. When I look at them at the business I bought them out, within view of the house, all of their mums are in full bloom. I need help just like the two mums do.

Stella had a good lunch when I returned from the library. It was Heidi's non-stop barking when I got home that let me know I was late and she needed to be fed now!!!

The spider from the photo above taken earlier in the morning was still moving trying to escape. You can see how big the spiderweb is.

I could see Stella's nostrils working overtime trying to capture some scent.

Very rare to see her nose pointed to the sky ... that is too much effort for her.

Her right eye is looking good after the two growths were removed. With a face like that and a laidback personality how did three different owners give her up within her first six years of life?

She has been living here three years already ... time flies.

I have a driveway bank and seven acres of field behind my house for Heidi to dump her tanks ... but she loves the front yard the most. She never goes to the field. Sometimes she will move in back but mostly in the front yard.

She is headed that way now.

She then follows up by taking a lap around the house to inspect the area before coming back inside to sleep all afternoon.

Oh, Stella sleeps just as much as Heidi does between her meals and the two walks we take per day.

Here are some highlights of our early evening walk a few minutes ago.

I know you probably get tired of hearing me say it but it really is another beautiful day here in 'the tropics' of Southern Indiana.