No Surprises Just A Few Changes

There is one thing you can always count on with this blog, just like life, there is going to be changes. Sometimes those changes are not announced until after they are completed, others in the past were thought about outloud and sometimes they never happened. It's only been a couple of days since my last post but there have been a few changes taken place. Some of you will see them on my sidebar if you are not reading this from your phone. Nothing major, just put all the blog archives in a dropdown menu format. Moved some things around. Added a 'Followers" gadget.

It wasn't until I was clicking different links in the dashboard behind the scenes that Blogger told me to take a look at "the new and improved" blogger under the Stats section. I am assuming over these next few months they will complete their changes to Blogger without any announcement to blog users. It will be interesting to see what the new improvements offer. Maybe a blog design that I really like?

Doesn't bother me, I'll stay and float the way Google wants me to. Speaking of Google, I decided in my retirement years they could not find out much more of where I go or what I do on the internet. I have been stumbling around the 'world wide web' since the mid 1990's when I bought WebTV. I exported all of my bookmarks from Safari to my desktop in an html file, then made Google Chrome my default browser and imported the bookmarks from my desktop. Yes, I know I could click the link "import from the browser name" but that has never worked out as well as the way I do it.

I told you the other day how tired I felt on Sunday after riding my bike Saturday morning then hiking on Saturday afternoon and I would stop doing that. I'd do one or the other in one day but not both. I have followed that this week and feel good. Of course that cuts down on the blogging and "Other Adventures" because my thing is riding a bicycle. I enjoy that more than anything and as my fitness improves the further and longer I ride. You can read about those on my bike blog which is located on the sidebar or click here.

You have to look up in the upper left corner for the drop down menu to the sidebar choices and where the rides are captured in detail by a free app called Strava.

We are into the 4th morning of the new black lab puppy next door. Stella is still somewhat confused by what she hears. I've caught her a few times over by the fence sniffing the air and pulling in that smell of a puppy. He is adapting to spending his days outside. They have decide to keep their old pug outside with him and the doggie door locked shut. He is getting better but man that is a lot of alone time for a 8 week old puppy.

Another thing that has changed for most of you but not me ... is Daylight Savings Time. We in Arizona do not change time and although my longtime Phoenix resident friend tells me I am now on Arizona Standard time but all I know is when I look for game times on the ESPN website that equates to my games starting on Mountain Time. I also know that our walks in the morning are much later than sunrise. We need to get to warm up first, as the hounds no longer do cold weather.

Games?  You would not believe how much my tv viewing of games has changed since I moved here. Just as I suspected my addiction to watching game after game after game on weekends is basically over. The great weather almost every day, having sunshine, pulls me outside every day. Thus I find it hard to take the time to watch games live on tv as I am also finding it harder to blog every day at a certain time. So the "blog when you feel like it" is in full force and a great idea from blog readers.

Most to the times when I go out riding my bike which is now up to one and a half hours, or when I have errands in town to do, I have left Stella in her crate. But when it's perfect weather outside why not let her stay there with Heidi, put their water in the shade and they can enjoy outside instead of being inside. Then hope she doesn't howl to long or bother the neighbors that might be home as there are just a couple nearby.

When I left Stella this morning around 10am she was sound to sleep in the sunshine. I was gone for almost two hours and by the time I returned, Heidi was sleeping in the corner of the fence in the shade and Stella was standing at the door waiting for me to open it for her.

She had not only been sleeping, it got to hot for her and she did what all dogs do when they want to cool off ... dig until they hit dirt, circle around it then lay down and sleep. I am going to sweep off the patio but I am going to let that patch of dirt stay where it is. That is one spot that is always cleared out to sleep even when a dog bed or blankets are left in the shaded patio. As I walk behind the hounds along my fence line the majority of dog owners leave their dogs outside or they have doggie doors.

The water bowl did show that they had plenty of water to consume while I was gone. So again, a little change here and there. My sleeping habits have changed this past week. Heidi is having an upset stomach waking me up every two hours to go outside. It's good exercise for my hip to move quickly in the dark in the middle of the night to spring out of bed and catch up to her walking down the hallway. I need to get to the patio door first to let her out.

She hears the lab puppy next door.

I tried the old white rice and cottage cheese. That didn't work this time. Then I tried white rice and plain unflavored yogurt. That didn't work this time. I tried 50/50 kibble/white rice. That didn't work this time. I remembered back in 2015 my vet shocked me by writing "Famotidine 10mg" on a piece of paper and telling me to buy the generic brand at the drug store. THAT WORKED THEN AND IS WORKING NOW!!!

After a lot of thought I sold the road bike I crashed on. I did not sell it because I wrecked it in fact I tried selling it on Craig's List before I moved because I have never liked it. It always felt too big. Consequently I was never enthused too much about riding it. It didn't take long once I mentioned I was selling it on a bicycling Facebook group here in this area. I had offers that night. Monday I took it for a ride out to the roads I used before my surgery to see if I felt like keeping it.

Wednesday morning I had a gentleman stop by to pay me and also give me a letter to show the IRS of my additional donation to his non-profit disabled vets group here in town. We had a great 30 minute talk, swapping bike stores and injury stories. He has 11 bikes, is still happily married and has had a knee replacement on the same knee that had an ACL surgery 30 years ago. Still rides more than I have this year and will as soon as he recovers from his recent shoulder surgery.

I have a group of new friends in my age range, all have had hip or knees replaced, a cancer survivor and another older than I riding with a pacemaker. So slowly but surely I am coming out of my 'loner' shell and meeting new people with the same interests and increasing my group of friends. It's happening but not quite as fast as I expected it would.

While I was flipping through Twitter today catching up on all my sports news, OSDaily had a photo of the new watch face now available for Apple Watches. I picked up my iPhone and added this watch face to mine. I changed the four corner with what I wanted ... heart rate, temperature, strava icon for my bike rides and an activity icon to start my hound walks. It's also cool to see how much daylight I have left, which might come in handy on bike rides or late afternoon hikes. BTW I fixed the heart icon to where it shows my heart rate at all times.

The red dot at the top is letting me know I have new email or a new text.

Checking Heidi's bed the other day for any signs of her being sick I found this laying on top of her bed in the open. It didn't fall out of her blanket because she had that rolled up into ball. She doesn't have long hair so it's not something she picked up outside. The strange thing is, between the time I spend picking up hound poop and the number of laps I did during hip rehab I know my yard pretty good ... I've seen nothing like this in the backyard.

Any ideas? To me it looks like a bullet. Did she try to eat it and bring it back inside without me seeing her do it? I don't know.

Without taking hikes and not able to carry a camera with me on the hound walks because now Heidi goes with us almost every day. (another good change) .. I find that I don't have a lot of photos to use for the blog posts. So today I tried something different. Since I am a organizer freak and within my 100,000 photos in my Apple Photos Library file ... I have separate folders for each dog, each trip, each car past and present, etc ... you get the picture. (no pun intended) ... for each of of the categories every day I name the first photo of each ... such as Heidi and Stella ... yyyy mmm dd. IE: 2019 Nov 14

So when I do a search for just Nov 14 it pulls out 196 photos taken on that day in any year. So tonight to fill in some photo space, possibly bring up some past memories or favorites I have posted those photos below in no special order. I will say the range between the years 2012-2018, all taken on November 14th.

I admit that after September 15, 2018 the field in back never seemed right with just one bloodhound no matter how many walks Stella and I took.

Heidi has changed a little with the move to Arizona. She walks DAILY now that the temps are cooler. She had three favorite spots in the house that she likes to spend time sleeping and she loves the new bed I bought her. She likes to sleep in the sunshine on the patio and is exploring the yard more. Change has been good for her.

The doctor told me on October 22nd that I would start feeling better every day. There would be a bad day mixed on on occasion not because of something I had done but just part of the healing process. So far 22 days later that has been the case and this morning was the best I have felt yet. That comes after my longest bike ride since the surgery yesterday afternoon. I see him again on November 20th, hopefully for the last time until my year anniversary.

It would not be right not to tell you that I have too many cars but just the right number for me. So with a two car garage and two spaces in the driveway, things are pretty tight if I don't want to put two cars inside the garage. So I play what I call "Musical Cars". Today I moved the Mini Cooper out and put the FJ back inside. The new car sits out in front of the house at the curb like my neighbors do with the truck in the driveway.

I'll be using my truck on Saturday to load tables, 15 gallons of water, Gatorade and Lemonade in separate 5 gallon containers. There will be food for the bicyclist that make it to the top of Carr Canyon ... I'll take photos once I get up there. This two day ride totals 150 miles, three major mountain climbs then riding the gradual climb I talk about sometimes on Ramsey Canyon Road 10 TIMES for each rider .... It's a dedication to a young rider that was killed last December when the truck she was driving hit some black ice over by Elfrida AZ.

So all the bikes and all the cars are being used just as I planned. The hounds are happy where they live, love their residential walk, love their stone yard and the sounds of coyotes in the early morning hours before dawn. Yet Stella didn't know what to do about that owl sitting on our fence staring at her as he walked out this morning. By the time I grabbed the camera to get back outside the owl had flown away.

Things have or are changing for the better here in the 'Wild West'. 

(Late tonight I redirected my old domain name "houndsandotherstuff.com" to this blog.) You should NOT have to change any bookmarks but let me know if www.bhounds3.blogspot.com does not work for you. That should automatically redirect to the domain name. Since it is always good to have the Blog Title matching the domain name ... I'll be changing the title to his blog back to where it use to be and will change my "parked" blog on Wordpress to it's original name ... if I don't delete it.

The Hip Is Not All The Issue

I knew when I went to bed at 4:30pm Wednesday I was following orders from my body telling me to. I had a lot of steps vacuuming and doing laundry. The first two days home I was close to 900 steps per day and when the dust settled Wednesday at midnight I had 2,286 for the day. I was glad that my plan was to cut back a little, rest and sleep more. I had pushed myself a little but that is okay in this process. Pushing yourself is getting up and out of bed when you think it might hurt. Mother Nature and the Hounds are a huge motivating factor pushing the limits.

I sleep very good between the periods I get up. Mostly for me and toward the end of the morning, for the  hounds. It is more stiffness than soreness than anything else. I have not had any kind of severe pain since my wreck on Saturday morning.

Stella woke me up at 4am with the nose nudge to my hand. Heidi was 'lights out' and probably didn't hear us the whole time we were up. She did her job I did mine but when she came back inside she had that smile that dogs get ... she thought she was back to normal routine of eating breakfast as soon as she woke up.

You can see by 7am she figured out that was not going to happen. She waited outside on the patio all morning before MJ would show up to feed them. She is very busy but very conscientious. She washes the dog dishes after each meal. She talks to them although her stay is short now that I am home and gives them a treat before she leaves. So it's good to know the hounds are taken care of from this point forward if something were to happen.

Heidi decided to sleep until the food was served .. her new bed does not arrive until September 16th ... Chewy had to go all the way to their warehouse in Indiana to find one.

Stella followed our routine as much as possible but boy has that changed. First she could not walk for two weeks, now I can't take her for a walk for who knows how long. MJ will take her for the walk if I add a few bucks to my discounted rate she is giving me.

Even though I could get up out of bed the first time they asked me to on Monday morning and all the times I have had to get up at all hours of the night here ... there is always a slight hesitation making that first move. Luckily my arms and my left (non surgical) leg are stronger. I can lift my butt up off the bed a little higher to make swing the bad leg to the left or edge of the bed a little easier. I have to keep it straight at all times and rotate slowly not to put any added stress on the hip joint as I turn.

I then sit on the side of the bed and slowly raise my lower leg to the level of my knee ... both legs. I've been doing the "ankle push" as they suggested for PT to not only strengthen the calf and hamstring but also for circulation to prevent blood clots.

When I stand if I can feel my left heel dig into the carpet that lets me know that I have all my weight on my good leg as I position myself within the walker in front of me. Then away we go, one foot in front of another slowly gliding down the hallway.  I keep telling myself how good it will feel five days from now, each time I am walking. I sit in hard straight back chairs slowly and can't wait until I can sit on the couch again ... but I sink back into that so much I would never be able to get back on my feet at this point in time.

I have three different places with gauze covering holes where they either took blood or put my two different IVs. I would like to take them off but I remember how fast and hard they bled with the nurse took them off. I have gauze but I don't have that brown wrap they use but almost bought a few weeks ago with my cut finger. Believe me, although I think and others do to, that I am doing great so far, there is still hesitation at times to make that first step or move ... there is fear at times.

As far as those past insertion points, they have classified me as a bleeder now. I'm not in the mood to be chasing blood all over the bathroom because I wanted to take off the 4 day old gauze pad. So they will stay until I find out what to do. all three bandages came off without blood shooting all over the monitor ... that's good.  LOL

I try not to dwell on much. It is what it is. Life is constantly in motion and this is what we are riding right now, only to get better. I was pissed off Saturday morning in the ER but got rid of that feeling soon after and thought about nothing but a plan to feel better and what I had to do. As much as I want to I am NOT going to rush this healing/rehab process. I am going to do what the doctors tell me and when to do them.

Different friends of mine and even the surgeon know of other bicyclists that have had a "total" hip replacement and are back in Spinning Class or riding on the road competitively. My friend that is a bicyclist and PT tells me I will have no problem getting back on the bike feeling good enough to ride.

But there's a big elephant sitting in the room with me and the hounds.

My Electrocardiogram Saturday showed that I have a heart murmur. From what friends have told me  the past few days, everyone seems to have one or knows someone that does. But ....... In my case ...

My heart murmur is caused by a genetic deficiency and something called Aortic Valve Stenosis. The aorta valve that opens and closes for blood to leave the heart is not working smoothly and is partially blocked. The valve will not open and close all the way. With a family history of heart disease I always thought I'd have by-pass surgery first not this.

From what the doctor told me again on Monday before I left, my physical condition is a big factor in my fast recovery from the hip surgery and also makes the treatment options for the valve much less severe. Of course I will not know the recommendation until I talk to a cardiologist and I can't see one until a General Practitioner recommends one. In the meantime the doctor says I need to see one fairly soon but with my active life and diet that I eat ... things should be fine until then.

Those last few paragraphs should be a sign that this blog is going to get more truthful or giving out more information than I want to give. I wasn't going to say anything about the heart situation but after a few emails and a comment or two here, I agreed with them. The more honest I am with what is going on with my health might help someone else or others that have the same situations.

Al at BayfieldBunch.com said from the first of his health issues he was going to lay it out for all to see in case it helped someone else. I agree now that I am sitting in a similar lobby that he is. That is hard for someone that has lived alone for decades by choice ... I like it. I like the freedom. I like being single. So now instead of "me me me" my life is heading towards spilling my guts with hopes of not only improving my own health but maybe helping someone else that has similar issues.

Or cannot seem to get a straight answer from a doctor.

So stay tuned I guess.

The hounds have slept most of the morning and I can hear the small voice in my head telling me it's time for a siesta ... so that's what I'll do.

Never fear ... it's great living in the Wild West.

Day 3 - Huge Improvements

I slept solid until 10pm last night when I needed to make a bathroom run. That forces me to work on my technique getting out of bed and back into bed. I was back to sleep and it wasn't until 4am when Stella woke me up "like the old days" ... she went straight outside so she really had to go and it wasn't food induced. Although when she walked back inside she gave me the bloodhound smile where she thought she was going to get fed breakfast but I told her not today. I cannot bend over far enough to dish out the dog food nor sit their dishes on the floor.

By 5:55am I been watching the sun come up from the bed instead of the patio ... it was time to get up.  Oh, that large wedge of foam is better than putting two pillows between you legs to sleep. That keeps the hip area stable during the night.

I could feel by the way I got out of bed that I was feeling stronger today, a lot stronger. Mentally I felt normal and had to remind myself about my hip and that I had to use the walker. Even after scooting and sliding to the edge of the bed I always sit for a couple of minutes to make sure things are ok and remind myself of the procedure to standing up with the walker.

The hounds are helping with my rehab because I might be walking a little faster down the hallway, around the corner and to the backdoor to let them outside. I want to open that door soon enough so Heidi doesn't pee in the house. Stella checked me out standing at the counter with the Nikon D3200 and knew once again the chances for a walk were slim today.

Too hard to walk with a walker and holding a Nikon D3200 so I zoomed outside while standing at my counter at the end of the kitchen to take his photo.  A cool 62° breeze was blowing through the house. I am now rolling the walker across the floor as I walk with a normal continuous steps instead of one foot at a time. Yet I am very causious and take my time to turn around or to make a turn just like the PT showed me.

Stella's eating pattern has been disrupted and she no longer eats as soon as she wakes up. The dog sitter has to feed horses first and can get her around 7:30am and then again around 3:30pm. She thinks it's best to feed dogs 8 hours between meals and so do I ... so Stella no longer eats at noon because she is not being fed at 4am.

With the reaching tool they gave me I can pick up anything on the floor. With outlets up high in some places I could plug in the vacuum and it's light enough and smaller than my Dyson that I can pick it up to unwound the electrical wire. .... So with a Swifter I dusted all the tables and bookshelves in these, I vacuumed the whole house and felt motivated enough to do a large load of laundry.

All of this was going to be finished on Saturday when I got back.

I am ALWAYS AWARE to keep my knee facing forward, making turns easy and not reaching for things. I would hate to have that new hip pop out of joint, which I was warned about before coming home. FOLLOW INSTRUCTIONS.

You can see Stella is happy to be back at the blogging desk.

Chewy will start delivering our dog food and dog treats. They will also send Heidi a brand new dog bed, arriving September  16th.

Things are good in the Wild West.