The Hounds Start Monday Early

Little did I know when I snuck up behind Heidi on Saturday that I would be 'out of commission' on Sunday. She was doing her lap around the house in great weather on Saturday when I took these first two pictures. That small amount of sunshine can definitely make a winter day feel much different and is always welcomed.

Heidi is pretty set in her ways. I have found that basset hounds are not as stubborn as bloodhounds but it is part of the pedigree. So the times I have tried to get Heidi outside in previous years has never worked. I guess I could carry her from the couch to outside but she would immediately sprint for the door to go back inside as soon as her paws hit the ground. That would be some exercise for her, I guess. Otherwise she goes outside 2-3 times per day/night to relieve herself and is more than excited when her meals are served. She loves sleep.

We took our 2nd walk on Saturday with no camera and Stella attached to the retractable leash, giving her 25' to roam. With all the ballgames on tv I didn't have time to take our normal leisure walk and that was the reason she was under my control. Our 'halftime' walks have to be quicker than normal, yet Sadie gets in her nose exercise and some running. It's nothing new to them for Saturday and Sunday afternoons.

This morning was a different story. All of us woke before dawn and since we did not take any walks yesterday due to my 'sickness', I felt I owed it to Sadie to get started with her first walk as soon as possible. She gave me a lot of 'stare downs' yesterday when she found out I couldn't take her for walks. This morning we found fog, and a light drizzle after daybreak but it was good enough to head outside earlier than normal.

It was dark enough that I used the flash on this first photo and I should have continued to use it. Instead, I had most of my photos turn out too blurry to post and I was still unable to capture the darkness like I wanted to.

I'm sure that Stella doesn't know the days of the week but she is pretty consistent in coming up with a new routine on Mondays. Why I don't know but she started one this morning. By routines, I mean what areas of the field she will wander off to while Sadie and I continue to make the whole walk.

With it feeling warm and the field not being too wet after our overnight 0.01" of rain, it was a good morning to walk. I didn't really know there was a drizzle until the small spots started to cover the sleeves of my jacket.

With the low light and my unsteady hands (evidently) I am posting more photos than normal this morning that are blurry.

With that drizzle becoming a little more prominent I cut off my walk on the back side of the field and turned onto the ATV path. It's not a lot of difference in distance but is shorter and is usually taken when the weather is bad. Sadie doesn't mind, she can exercise her nose anywhere.

This gives you some idea how the early morning looked. Actually it was darker than this photo shows. You can tell the dormant hay is wet. The fog and mist reminds me of my days living on Whidbey Island in the winter.

Drizzle, rain, hail, sleet or snow ... doesn't matter to Sadie. Tracking the field is like me needing coffee.

It will be interesting to see if this will be Stella's new area for the next few weeks, during the times I let her hang back on her own. It's not new territory for her, she has always roamed over by the woods behind the neighbor's house but it's been months since she has wandered to this area.

Of course she is not going to come while I call her. It's Monday and she is always more stubborn on that day of the week, than other days. It is not too far off our alternate path but she did not move until I walked right up to her, then she gleefully trotted away to the path without me saying a word.

Sadie in the meantime was bring up the rear as Stella and I moved out on the path home.

Both hounds will keep searching right up to the yard but once their paws hit the grass they know the walk is over and the next thing on their agenda is a nap until their lunch. Unless there is scent of the field cat or deer.

It looks like Stella is ready for another new week. College football has started it's Bowl games and will now start being on tv every day/night from now until after the start of the new year. The routines of the hounds will not change but there might be a few more of those 'halftime' walks, that is at a little faster pace. I love this time of year being the sports junkie that I am.

Evidently no cat scent in the yard this morning since both hounds ran for the house once they walked into the yard. Or it could have been that drizzle becoming a little stronger that made them a little more motivated to get back inside.

I read a little about this new law they are passing about Net Neutrality. I won't go into detail but from what I have read, it will take up to a year or longer before it goes into action. It will probably be delayed even longer due to all the appeals held up in court. All of the major internet service providers have come out with statements saying they will NOT be making the changes the media is suggesting as a worse case scenario.

That means they are saying the internet will remain fast and open for all. That they will NOT prevent certain websites from showing up on your computer nor will they charge you more money for faster speeds with plans similar to your tv programming. Yet, in today's climate I find it hard to trust anything that large companies tell us. So, sometime years from now we will find out if they are telling us the truth. I will never pay on a tier system for faster internet speeds.

It always surprises me when the counter in my camera flips to 0001 to start another 10,000 photos.

Not much planned today in 'the tropics' of Southern Indiana.

Stella's Back Under Control Today

The day started off too strange for all of us, getting up and starting our day in the dark. While I made coffee and did system downloads and app updates during my 'free' data (50Gb/mo) period, the hounds continued to sleep. Sadie was curious only for a few minutes before she turned and went back to bed. I could hear Stella snoring in the next room. Monday's always remind me how much I love retirement.

I'm not sure what is on the agenda for the day, with rain forecasted late this afternoon and early evening. I have plenty of typing to do though. I finally pulled out my handwritten journal from the box in the closet that I want to turn into a electronic document. I kept this journal on my 1976 cross-country bike trip. I thought I had typed a lot yesterday. By the time I quite I was as far as Phoenix Arizona on my trip but it looked like like I had only 1/3 of it finished.

Just in the pages I typed, I found a few things I had forgotten about. I can't say it was written as well as some of my blog posts are but it's interesting enough that I didn't want to stop reading it. After a little research I decided to write the journal in Apple's Pages. That's Word Documents to all of you Microsoft users. I do have some photos that I can scan but at the same time I have some slides from a camera that was taking 8mm film, if that is possible to even remember. I'll talk more about that trip later or may make a separate post about the trip with photos, after I am finished transposing everything.

As you can tell by this mornings photos, Stella was urged to follow me and Sadie. That is the normal protocol after she does one of her disappearing acts. She didn't mind too much and would usually start trotting toward Sadie by the time I reached her.

During our afternoon walk yesterday, I heard the loud engines of ATVs. I was able to see them when I glanced into the woods but by the time we reached the first corner of our walk, they were speeding along the path they've made over the past few months at the back of the field. Stella was on the 25' retractable leash, otherwise she would have sprinted after them based on her reactions. Sadie started to chase them but turned around when I yelled her name.

Consequently there were a lot of things both hounds needed to inspect up in the far right corner of the field. That is the entry point for the ATVs going from the field to the deep gully. Why do I have a feeling that next spring/summer will bring more ATV traffic? I also don't think they will bale it anymore based on the farmer's were doing the owner a favor by baling and taking the hay ... based on what their son told me.

I guess it could be worse. When my neighbor bought the land through an estate sale a few years ago, he mentioned to me he was thinking of plowing it up and planting corn. If that were to have happened I would be long gone by now, I would have sold the house and left. So, I guess I can live with some ATV traffic as long as they stay in the other side of the field.

I had to call both Sadie and Stella to stop this morning. They were trotting with their heads down and heading right below the high power tower, leading them to the woods to the north. It was the fresh new ATV tracks that were getting them motivated. Luckily both of them stopped and waited for me to catch up with them, when I called their names.

I'll not say at what time I decided to get out of bed, but I will say there is no doubt that a siesta will take place later this afternoon. I received my first of two refund payments on Saturday for the Z4 parts/hardware I returned last week. I wonder how they liked the itemized spreadsheet I sent with box full of parts/hardware?  LOL

The hounds were pretty laid back the closer we got to the yard this morning. Within minutes after walking inside they both had joined Heidi in a morning nap. Stella sleeps as close to my desk chair as possible. Heidi is still on her sleeping bag and Sadie moves the large chair/ottoman in the living room. They will usually stay that way until they decide to tell me to feed them lunch.

It wasn't long before I had Sadie standing in the doorway giving me her stare and Stella at my elbow, nudging it with her nose. That's when I knew it must be time for lunch. The normal routine is with Heidi not moving a muscle off the couch until she hears Stella howling to be fed, then she will chime in with basset hound barking. After that, there is no way I can not feed them their lunch.

I couldn't believe it could be that late already.

I had been typing from my journal since we came back from the walk. I had lost myself reading it while I typed. Before they came to get me to feed them, I had ridden from Phoenix Arizona and was now riding up the coast highway just north of Santa Barbara.

Stella wasn't sure if it was a good time for a walk or not. She rarely, if ever goes on the 2nd walk of the day within minutes of finishing her meal. It's one of the ways to prevent bloat. I've never had a bloodhound bloat before and I no longer follow Bloodhound groups, so I don't know how common it is anymore but I'm taking no chances.

Heidi came outside long enough to sniff the air and feel that the temps moving across her nose was not warm enough to spend any more time it would taken than to use the bathroom. She was sprinting for the couch by the time Sadie, Stella and I were at the door.

Hard to believe that yard is that green for the 4th day of December.

After the mandatory wait period for them before we started our walk, both of them took off running toward the edge of the field. I didn't hear any ATVs and shouldn't have since the kids are in school today. I saw no deer on the horizon but the wind from the south had picked up and it's possible that had something to do with them taking off.

(Yes, I know I changed in the middle of the post and started typing content that goes with the photos UNDER them instead of BEFORE them.)

I normally have Stella on the leash for the afternoon walk but I didn't have enough photos after our walk this morning so the camera took the leash's place. That did not mean I was going to let her hang back and give her a chance to wander off again. It took a lot of "come on" to get her to move but she gradually followed Sadie and I.

Sadie is just Sadie and when she is outside anywhere it's time to track scent. Here you can barely see her on the full inhale as her jowls have filled with air as she sniffs the ground.

I could see how the rain could blow in later this afternoon based on how strong the winds were from the south. There was a lot of cloud movement that my camera didn't catch but it should be a nice rain later today and then freezing temps in the 30's by Thursday.

It surprised me to see Stella trotting to catch Sadie and I. She will follow this same path for any walk she does after the morning walk. Again, it took some verbal commands as "come on" to get her back home, probably more of them than I wanted to say. Yes, she always wins and gets her way.

Just because the wind has picked up speed, the temps are a little warmer than this morning and I am already standing at the corner of the house does not mean it's time to finish this 2nd walk of the day. There are scents to check out all the way up to the yard and beyond if I have the time to wait on them.

This is the look she has when she is tired and is ready for her afternoon siesta.

Once she feels that way and decides she wants to sleep, THEN she can't get back into the house fast enough.

I'll go back to typing the journal and forget I'm not back riding my bike up the west coast on Hwy 1 heading toward Seattle. I am still amazed as I type from that journal just how much stuff I forgot about the trip.

I'm sure you know that Christmas is only 3 weeks from today? That is hard to believe, just how fast time is flying right now.

Another sunny day in 'the tropics' of Southern Indiana.

The Hounds Start A New Week Of Warm Weather

Even though it will be in the high 50's by late afternoon that does not meat that Heidi is changing her recent routine. She is outside first thing in the morning with the bloodhounds while I pour the breakfast kibble. As soon as she eats its back to 'her' sleeping bag and she will stay there most of the morning until lunch is served around 11am, adjusted for DST. Her routine will not change much this winter.

It's hard to believe by this afternoon I'll be hand washing my car along with changing the oil filter. Yes, I found the correct tool ... not online but at O'Reilly's Auto Parts just 12 miles away and open on Sundays. I decided to do more research online for the correct tool that would remove the cap to the oil filter. The Z4 has a different type of oil filter where the filter itself slips into a permanent casing on the engine. So removing the cap on top was the tool I needed.

Many of the online auto parts stores agreed their part would fit my 2003 BMW Z4 3.0i, but they were showing the same incorrect part that I was shipped twice and was the wrong one. The diameter was too small and would not slide down over the 86mm cap. Only by a description for that part on Amazon noted it would not fit the Z4 but if you needed that part to click here. I clicked the link to find my answer.

Since Amazon also lists other sources for the product you are looking for, there was a picture for a 36mm socket that would fit over the nut on top of the cap that is built into the cap. A quick phone call to O'Reilly's, speaking to someone finally that 'knew' cars ... he confirmed not only would that part work on my car but had one on the shelf for $9.99. I drove right over and bought the part, after checking to see if it would fit in their parking lot. When I got home I let the engine cool while I watched the Colts blow another 4th quarter lead and then used the new tool to loosen the oil filter cap.

Sadie seems to be getting more demanding (by staring) as she gets older for the times she wants to go on a walk. That is a minimum of 2x per day and most of the time 3x per day. She and Stella was go outside for short roaming trips around the yard or the front of the field near the yard, in-between those walks. So this morning she is sitting in the doorway staring me down for the first walk at a little past 8am. My first cup of coffee had not been consumed yet, so the earth's rotation had not started in my world.

She waited.

The temperature was great for an early Monday morning walk. Stella let me know soon into the walk that she was on her own schedule as was Sadie. I kept walking with my camera ready for any action shots. There wasn't a lot of action this morning but it was a good walk.

I wrote about it on my other blog yesterday how Sadie and I changed our path for the afternoon walk. Stella was left behind just like this morning but I heard the neighbor mowing his yard for the last time this year. I thought that mower would entice her to check him out to see if he needed any help and I didn't want her tempted in leaving the field. So Sadie and I cut our walk off before the first turn and walked toward the corner of the woods behind the neighbor's house to wait on Stella to migrate over to us.

If she would follow her past trips while Sadie and I walked up ahead ... if we stood there a while, Stella would eventually show up by walking right to us with her nose to the ground. She didn't disappoint us and that decision worked out well. By that time the neighbor was in his part of the yard that borders the field.

This morning Sadie and I moved on. She didn't hardly raise her head today as she explored the edge of the field. She was walking a constant pace as these photos were taken.

As I walked along the back edge of the field I saw a shadow moving up behind me at a rapid rate. Sadie was sprinting by me and then put her nose back to the ground to collect more information about who, when and what had been in 'her' field while she slept.

As I looked at the horizon I did not see Stella anywhere. She blends in well amongst the dead light brown hay.

In times like these I always ask Sadie "where's Stella" ... she will always stop what she is doing, scan the air with her nose and then take off running in Stella's direction.

It was not until Sadie was almost to Stella did I see her through the lens.

Once the job of locating her is over, Sadie moves to her own exploring.

Even with Stella within 5' of the path I am walking, she will not come when called, ignores me and then slowly walks to the yard on her own time. She has taught me how to have patience in the short 27 months I've had her.

She has another walk in the books, another new week starting and a new 40# bag of kibble to be opened for lunch. Life is good in her eyes.

After our morning hound walk yesterday I took the Z4 out on my 42 mile loop through the country side. It has country highways along with a state highway where you can see forever and a good spot to do a high speed run. I wanted to push the limits on my newly installed grille and that was the highway to try it on. Luckily there is plenty of clear space where I can see if any State Patrol cars are parked on the side of the road with their radar locked in on me.

I got home, laid down in front of the car and checked every piece I installed last week. Everything was tight and that's a good sign. I even had a few rough spots on the country highway that I went over doing 60mph. So the new installed parts have a little over a 100 miles on them and everything seems to be okay.

As Sunday moved on I kept feeling better after my short intense sickness. I knew I was back to normal late last night as I decided to change all of my spreadsheets back to Microsoft Excel from Apple Numbers. It was just a few months ago that I moved them from Excel to Numbers.

Why the change??

It's that time of year where I make new sheets for the upcoming year (2018). For those that don't know, I love spreadsheets, just short of the line of addiction. I've had these personal spreadsheets for at least 19 years, all the way back where Lotus 1,2,3 was THE spreadsheet software to use. So why the change? I was setting up new ones for the new year in advance. When I started inserting simple charts and adding their data source Apple Numbers was too long to do and too confusing.

I had to Google to find ways of setting up the data sources for the charts so I was already spending more time than I wanted and I still could not figure out how to do it. I tired copying the Numbers 2017 sheet and pasting it for 2018 but that did not work like it does on Excel.

In the amount of time I spent looking for answers online, I converted 24 spreadsheets back to Excel and set up data sources with a click of the mouse, or in my case a tap on my mouse pad. I found the few short months I used Numbers there are things that I like where one program uses it but the other doesn't ... yet overall I like Excel. Since my spreadsheets never leave my computer, sent to anyone via mail or messages, I am still using the Microsoft Office for Macs 2011.

Microsoft announced last summer they would stop supporting that version with updates "leading the sheep" to buy their 2016 or newer versions. I'm not going to do that since I only use Excel for very simple designed spreadsheets only on my computer.

Social Media was in action last night and may have set history outside the Presidential Election last year. The University of Tennessee was about to announce their new football coach on Sunday night when Vol fans caught the information online about who was being hired ... a Twitter storm erupted. Even state congressmen got involved. Long story short ... by the end of Sunday night the university let the coach and his reps know they had changed their mind and the offer to be their head football coach was being rescinded.

When I look at my iPhone weather app it is showing temps in the mid to high 50's for the next week. I'll take it without complaint.

Could be 3 walks today here in 'the tropics' of Southern Indiana and that could mean another post sometime later this afternoon right after another Z4 drive.