I Was More Than Bored Today

Today was like any other day but for some reason I couldn't settle on anything to do. Siesta, Mahjong, reading books, tried a movie and didn't finish, sat outside, tried watching taped ballgames, read some online stuff about AVS, not much interest in anything. I was able to drag the box from Chewy from the front porch to the kitchen. I lifted the 40# bag of kibble with nothing but my arms and felt no signs of pain or stress on the new hip. Some different soreness on what I would call the top of the femur so I haven't tried to walk. I assume it's the bone attempting to grow onto the new hip. Just a blah day ... so I listed some photos below.

There will be better days than today in the Wild West.

Wide Awake At 3am

I wake up in the middle of a dark bedroom with two sleeping hounds. It's so quiet that I hear nothing. I don't hear them snoring, breathing or running in their sleep. I hear nothing outside in the distance like I do sometimes. I'm not too hot nor cold like I was just a morning or two ago. The window is wide open and it's 66°.

It's 2:14am and something has woke me up.

I feel literally nothing in my hip, on the side of my hip ... it feels normal, zero feelings of any kind. Yet when I woke up I was just on the verge of rolling over on my ride side to sleep, the surgical side. Rarely do I sleep on that side and I can confirm I haven't for at least the past 26 nights. Was I dreaming or was I really about to roll to my right side?

I lie there for a second waiting for some sort of feeling or twinge of pain from that unadvised move ... there isn't any. I wonder how long my surgical side has been moving? From the hip all the way down to my foot ... what has been moving while I slept and in what angles? Did the hip, knee, foot or leg move outside the safety zone? Is there even a safety zone?

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By 6:30am I had my answer from a friend that is a PT and works with a lot of patients from the same surgeon that I had. ---

"Dr. ********** is right. You need to listen to your body! Sometimes that comes through trial and error because everyone is different. If you’re walking a lot then the next day you can’t move because you hurt so bad, it’s too much. Cut back. If you’re walking a lot and don’t feel bad at all, then you’re fine! It really just depends how YOU feel! You won’t hurt the hip... only if you fell on it or really twisted it or something."
 
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I don't know that there is ... the doctor never verbally issued one. So in a way the 'confusion' I spoke of a few days or weeks ago is there lingering in the background. It's also one of the things that come with writing about my health issue or rehab. I expect it and knew from the start when I decided to write about what I was going through ... there would be a lot of comments and different ideas from readers and Facebook followers.

It's hard to sort out at times because most people have a different idea or an opinion. That comes with blogging on any subject and it's also prevalent in my Facebook updates to friends, a few family that use Facebook but don't follow the blog.

I have no problem with the different opinions. I like reading them. I listen to what people say because some of them are more experienced with this "medical train" than I am. Others have had the same surgery or know of someone that has. Some readers have even taken care of someone that has had the same surgery. So there is a lot of information out there just from the feedback I get in blog comments, emails, Facebook comments, texts and information I find online from my own research.

At 2:15am, all of this is going through my mind as I lie in a dark room with an open window on the south wall in front of me that looks like a large movie screen as it captures the light from the sky. It looks bigger in the dark than it does in the daytime.

Since I woke Heidi up at 8pm on Thursday night to go outside for her last pee of the night, she is sound to sleep at 2:14am. I feel that's a good trade and keeps me from chasing her down a hallway at 1:30am hoping to get to the backdoor before her, to let her outside so she can pee. Getting old is a pain in the ass, even if you are a basset hound.

I hear Stella now running in her sleep. Her paws are moving against the wall she sleeps next to. Is she with Sadie chasing deer again in the field back in Indiana? That has to be it because she has not ran like that for years and out here in the Wild West she has only trotted during her walks but has never ran full speed anywhere.

By the sound of her paws rubbing the wall .... she is in a full sprint gallop after something.

I decide to take my own trip to the bathroom and the first thing I feel when I stand up has nothing to do with my new hip or a leg and foot that is back to normal size. It's my left shoulder. I must have slept on it wrong or it is still reminding me I threw too many baseballs when I was a kid decades ago. At one time I was playing on three different baseball teams and a few times pitched too many innings in a week. Yes, I still feel the damage done to a left handed pitching arm 50 years later.

Where's that Ibuprofen?

I feel good coming back down the hallway with the walker that now glides over the tile floor since I added those two Wilson tennis balls to the rear legs of the walker. That adjustment also makes the walker glide over the carpet when I am in the bedroom or computer room. Remember, I use the walker from the time I go to bed until I carry the first of two cups of coffee to my computer room.

This morning that happened at 3:54am !!!!

Yes, I had been laying in bed awake all of that time trying to get back to sleep. My watch told my my pulse rate was 52bpm so there was nothing there that kept me awake. It was 66° outside, no wind and cloudy skies ... but my mind was working, sorting through all the latest comments I had read the previous 24 hours. I don't dwell on them but it's amazing the number of things I should or should do during this rehab.

It confuses me at times, just like it is at 2:45am.

I also think of my friend that just returned home after 77 days in 3 different hospitals after having major back surgery. He can stand up straight he said, for the first time in years. He is learning to walk again with is wife holding him up one step at a time. Last month he had to learn how to breath again on his own. His situation and recovery makes mine look like a day at the beach in sunny southern California.

I suggested to him last night to add the tennis balls to his walker for a smoother 'ride'. He replied my walker was the exact one he had been using in rehab. He is another old friend at 68 years old with major surgery to rehab. My list of friends doing that grows by one.

I start thinking about my situation again as I lay there. I can barely see the silhouette of the chest of drawers. I see the tiny green light of the wired in smoke/carbon detector. I feel how good my hip feels, it feels normal, like nothing ever happened. Do I dare move my right leg sideways to the point of a twinge so see how far it goes?

No, don't think so.

Honestly I don't know what is too much or not enough. The doctor didn't set firm guidelines with numbers of reps, or minutes for walks, or dates of the month ... all numbers that I like because I am and have always been a 'numbers guy' ... remember I have the addiction to spreadsheets even in my time of retirement.

I think back to that room 14 days after surgery where I had my followup appointment. My surgeon told me things look great and even said fantastic as he watched me walk across the room. Had he seen the x-rays they had taken before I was called into his exam room? Greg was right with his comment yesterday ... face time with him was about 10 minutes, it seemed rushed and he ended our consultation within a minute after reading a text on his phone.

But at 2:45am while thinking back to that appointment and double checking to see if I missed something he said, I only remember him telling me to walk as much as possible AS LONG AS I did NOT walk to the point of fatigue.

Although my neighbor told me I didn't know the meaning of that word 'fatigue' and I didn't know what my body was saying no matter if I rode a bike or not for many years ... I do know that if my leg muscle or hip would 'fatigue' I would collapse immediately, just as I did that Saturday when 3 people held me as I tried to stand up on the side of the road. I collapsed immediately then and I would now if I walked to the point of fatigue.

So ... I do remember "that limit" he set for me.

He also told me to rest so I could heal. He reminded me that he had sewn a lot of muscle with the new implant as well as muscle torn in my bike wreck and that I needed to rest. But ... he didn't tell me how long to rest. Sitting in a chair count the same if I am laying in bed? Probably not, but at least I am not moving ... so that has to mean some sort of rest.

He didn't give me the numbers my brain needed to know what is good or bad, what is good rest or not enough. He didn't give me a number of steps I need so I still don't know what is too much walking or not enough. "Don't push yourself, I know how you bicyclists think" ... "Listen to  your body and it will tell you how much is too much or not enough"

I understood his instructions ... but I'd like some numbers. 6,000 steps in a day too much? An hour nap not enough? The 'urge' to walk and keep walking ... is that listening to my body?

I don't know the answers to any of those questions really.  Ha Ha

So that is why some blog readers or Facebook followers say be careful after they have read what I have done that day or that week. That is why some friends on Facebook say 'back off' and do only what the doctor tells you.  LOL

I thought I was and think I am following those doctor's orders.

So .... around 3:30am as I am reading Ed Fry's blog that is linked on my sidebar ... I realize that I am not going to get back to sleep. I might as well get up, make some coffee and blog. Really, I have a big urge to write.

Yes ... at 3:45am as the coffee is dripping into the pot, the hound have gone outside then headed back down the dark hallway to go back to sleep in the dark bedroom ... I FELT LIKE BLOGGING !!!!

Just like the times last December when I had moved this blog to a Wordpress blog I had, I felt like writing at all times of the night so there were a few days I was blogging at 4am and was wide awake.

I am not sure what was worse though ... freezing weather outside in December or a cane handle sitting on my desk reminding me my new hip is only 26 days old as of right now and it needs to heal.

or ....

Sitting in a chair reading a book or laying in the prone position in bed with my eyes wide open wondering what in the hell happened that beautiful Saturday morning on September 7th?

Don't take what I said about blog and Facebook comments wrong. I want those comments from all different ideas and beliefs. I have gained a lot of information from comments on the blog and Facebook as well as private emails and texts. The good stuff out numbers the questionable stuff. It more of the "TONE" of how it's said that upset me the other day NOT what she said. She wasn't the first nor the last person to say the same thing about seeing a cardiologist.

It was the 'tone'.

So I guess I will classify this post as rambling, no photos.

I will add that once Stella saw I was blogging she walked from the bedroom to her corner on the right side of my desk and has been sleeping every since with the room light on ... at least she didn't let out a bloodhound howl wanting her breakfast served at 3:56am ... that will probably come later this morning. She LOVES food, I've never seen anything like it with my other hounds.

After all of this ... I only know one thing ... what the doctor told me "listen to your body" and that will tell me what I'm doing today.

It's still dark outside but with the windows open and no cold air blowing anywhere, it's a great morning here in the Wild West ... I need a 2nd cup of coffee.

I'll blog later tonight with some photos of the day.

The Body Said To Walk

I thought it was going to be a day to "take off" after my big day yesterday. I had multiple short walks of around a 1/4 mile each, went over 6,000 steps for the day and had a restful night of sleep. There wasn't what I would call soreness but something on the side of my hip this morning while I laid in bed. Not painful, not numb nor discomfort ... just a feeling of some sort. As I walked around using the walker in the kitchen making coffee, letting the hounds outside and a few trips down the hallway, the leg and hip started to feel better ... I decided to watch and listen to see what the day would bring.

The hip felt strong again as I turned from the kitchen counter to the fridge, multiple times. I felt strong if I just stood without any support of a walker or cane. I was still willing to give things time today to see if I would continue to walk or take a day off. That would mean no walks to the mailbox, down the street or laps around the backyard ... just steps inside the house with normal activity.

It didn't take Stella long to get back to wanting breakfast at 5am. She unexpectedly let out a loud bloodhound howl as I was about to turn the corner toward the kitchen. It was so loud I was sure she was waking up the neighbors. Once Heidi heard that she woke from a deep sleep then sprinted and slid down the tiled hallway.

I stuck to my guns and told them breakfast would be served at 7am, no sooner ... go back to sleep. Believe it or not they did. Heidi turned back to her bed and Stella snuck into the computer room in the right corner. Both were sound to sleep as sat down with a cup of coffee.

I took it as a good sign that I had walked out on the patio to take some photos and completely forgot to bring my cane with me. I went back inside and moved around the kitchen on my own two feet, putting some things away and fixing some breakfast. Fry's Market would be delivering my online grocery order at 9am so I needed clear counter space.

A friend had told me that Al Roker on NBC Today, had a hip replacement about a week or a few days after me and I should tune in to see how he was doing. He was also walking with a cane but when he was giving the weather forecast he was moving fast, going back and forth, a few steps forward then back. I was beginning to wonder after seeing that if I had been too cautious, too timid at times to stretch my stride out to a normal stride.

I remembered that everyone is different, each recovery is different and to just listen to my body and just walk. By mid-morning Stella has passed out in one of her favorite spots. It didn't take long for them to get use to the new rule of not getting on the furniture. They don't even look and beg to do it anymore.

Heidi loves her new bed from a few weeks ago and spends the majority of her time right there. It doesn't matter what time of day or night it is ... if she feels like sleeping, off she goes to the back of the house.

I could tell as time went on I was feeling pretty good and even better than I expected. I thought I'd feel some soreness after yesterday but didn't. When I took a small trash bag out to the bin, I felt strong walking across the driveway and once again I had forgot to take my cane. In fact I couldn't remember where I had left my cane ... couldn't find it anywhere !!!!

Then the light inside my head clicked on and I remembered leaving it on the arm of the patio chair.

Since Heidi and Stella no longer get their lunch at noon, they like to hang out near the kitchen or in the kitchen close to the door where the dog treats are hidden. I think MJ spoiled them with dog treats where she would pass them out each time she left, which was twice per day. Today Stella wasn't moving until I gave her at least one treat to hold her over until their mid-afternoon meal.

Heidi does not like getting her picture taken. She moved every time that I had her almost lined up for a great shot.

My USPS email notice let me know I had a lot of mail today. A LOT of junk mail but only one envelope of any importance. My body was wanting to walk so off I went with my mailbox key in hand and Stella in the backyard with the door closed. So far this past week she has shown no signs of trying to dig her way out under the gate while she stays in the backyard. I don't think she leaves the patio as she stares inside through the door window until I return.

Not intending to change anything on my walk, I could feel my pace was a little faster and my stride might be a tad bit longer. Going earlier in the afternoon meant less traffic, not that I have a lot, and I could make it back home before two school buses dropped off the kids from school.

By the time I got home I had the usual .26 of a mile and felt like walking even more ... so I did lap after lap around the fence line inside the yard. It didn't take long before I was over .65 of a mile and just clicked 20 minutes total time. Definitely not a speed record but that's not the point. I walked the whole way without any kind of support, holding my hand in my hand just in case I might need it. I could have walked longer if I wanted. The goal is to eventually walk 1 mile without support.

It was my longest walk yet ... 20 minutes, no support.

I'll plan to watch both MLB Playoff games tonight but I will not make it through even the first one based on recent times. I am usually tired before 8pm and definitely before 9pm and I don't hesitate turning the lights off and officially calling it a day. The body is dictating when to walk and when to rest.

I read somewhere today that at 6 weeks I should feel 80% normal and will resume normal activities. That is the exact time for my next follow up appointment with my surgeon. After a year I will most likely forget that my hip was ever replaced. It will take about 3 months for the bone to grow into the implants.

I felt so close of taking the car for a short drive and not too far from the house but once again, I have nowhere I need to be and it cannot hurt to add more days of healing before I try to get behind the wheel.

That's about all for today. Sorry I don't have more photos but the hounds didn't do much and I did a lot of reading.

My progress continues in the Wild West.

Ranting And Raving Today

I'm not sure what the reason is but for some reason it was a day of the littlest of things bothering me and even ticking me off a few times. Even as late as a few minutes ago I could not even go through my photo library to find some photos to add to this post since I didn't take more than these photos today. Yet, I felt like blogging, like I had to blog to clear my mind. So for readers that love 20+ photos ... not happening today. For those that like rambling you MIGHT be interested otherwise I can feel a vibe right now as the words come out that there could be more ranting than rambling.

That dog bed that Heidi is laying on has a lot of drool stains that remain even after the cover is washed. I bought that bed the same day I picked her up from GABR only to have Sadie claim that bed was hers when she saw it and the older bloodhound slept on that bed every night for the next 7 years. The morning after Sadie passed, Heidi creeped over to it to check it out ... laid down on it ... and has been sleeping on it at night and different times during the day since last September 2018.

The two photos of the hounds exemplifies what the day was like today ... but it really started out beautiful as the sun came up. It may have been one of the best sunrises yet since I moved in June 13.

Another thing interesting in these photos ... they were taken with my iPhone 8+ camera. Yes I am eligible for what they call an "upgrade" but that is only a way to keep buying a new phone every two years. I plan on keeping this phone for quite a while and not fall into the marketing trap of Apple, Verizon, Best Buy or whomever wants to sell me a new phone. Their emails are always deleted when received.

So lets get back to the day starting and try to put some order in this. My routine was changing before it got started today with Stella's vet appointment at 9am. That's a bad time for me because I am out riding my bike at that time 4-5 days per week. Maybe not riding was the cause of this day that seemed out of order.

Or it might have been arriving at the vet about 10 minutes before my appointment ... then sitting there ... sitting some more ... glancing at my watch numerous times and watching the waiting room fill up with dog and cat owners ... all of us here for our appointment. With FIVE behind the counter and vet tech's walking all over the place going somewhere you would think at least ONE of us dog and cat owners would be called for our appointment.

Didn't happen.

We continued to sit and I could feel the lack of patience rising in my pulse rate. I was keeping my mouth shut but I could tell I wasn't thrilled about what was going on. Then like everything else either in dental, doctor or vet appointments ... each visit brings out the same exact questions with the same exact answers because they are reading from a prompt basically ... just like those you talk to over the phone for any kind of customer service.

WTF .... do you think my address and phone number has changed in the LAST TWO DAYS SINCE OUR LAST APPOINTMENT ???? Or on the phone ... you press different numbers moving through their maze of questions when all you want to do is talk to a live person. Then after you have told the recording your name, street address number, your phone number blah blah blah .... what is the first thing that live person asks ???  ALL THE SAME QUESTIONS YOU JUST ANSWERED IN THEIR COMPUTER SYSTEM.

Since I'm in that area of bitching that brings up something else I have noticed lately ... you cannot buy anything either in person or online, you cannot go to the dentist, doctor, vet or car dealers, WITHOUT HAVING A SURVEY EMAILED TO YOU WITHIN THE NEXT 24-48 HOURS to fill out "How did we do?"

It has gotten so ridiculous with all this crap being electronic that even the phone, email and texting systems got confused when I confirmed my vet appointment as they asked by email. When I typed "C" on the vet office text to confirm THE SAME appointment .... it came back with a reply "We don't see your appointment, please call the office !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

It's 11pm the NIGHT BEFORE the 9am appointment THAT I HAVE ALREADY CONFIRMED ON THEIR EMAIL.

How ridiculous can it get???

So back to the vet ... the day is still early with a lot more story telling. I can feel all the frustration and anger leaving my body as I type and I am not even to the good stuff yet.  Ha Ha Ha

We are called in ... the tech has her clipboard with the green form that will later be put in Stella file by one of the five people out at the counter I'm sure. Let's see ... same phone number, same address, yes she eats and drinks normally, no she has not puked or had diarrhea, yes she seems normal blah blah blah. Same answers as the PREVIOUS THREE APPOINTMENTS in the LAST TEN DAYS !!!!!

I'm instructed to go sit in the waiting area while they take off her bandage, check the healing area and then decide whether we continue this #$^@#@E%7 circus another two days or is she okay? Guess what ????????? A new bandage ... "the area looks great it is really healing well. She is such a nice dog" ... come back on Friday and we will take off the bandage" $34.71 each visit to replace the bandage. At this point in time I just don't give a shit ... I'm irritable and I want to get out of here as fast as possible. I feel almost claustrophobic.

Then guess what?

I have to go through the "maze of questions" with the girl at the front desk just to pay my bill and make Friday's appointment. I wanted to tell her so bad "Isn't any of this information on your computer screen" .... GEEEZZZZZUUSSSSSSS !!!!

We are loaded and we leave. I can tell this day is not lined up right so I am keen on watching other drivers just to prevent any kind of possible wrecks. LOL ... if you only knew what was going to happen. I decide to hit the McDonalds drive-thru for a coffee and a bacon egg cheese biscuit. It's down the highway about a mile but don't they say most accidents happen within 6 miles of home?

No accident ... but something different.

I'm on the highway at a stop light heading home. I feel better already with the TOO HOT Mickey D's coffee moving through my veins. I'll eat the biscuit when I get home. The light turns green and I accelerate at a normal speed, not beating any land records but also not crawling through the intersection like a turtle. Left lane is bumper to bumper traffic and in my .... rear view mirror .... I see a beat up old Dodge Chrysler van with a closing speed so fast that my mirror is filling up fast and I can see her eyes in my mirror ... she is that close as she slams on her brakes to keep from hitting me.

Nothing I hate worse than a #^$#@@$& idiot hitting my car from behind ... a rear end crash. NOTHING I HATE WORSE. Especially when I have my bloodhound riding in the back ... that would have been ugly ... but no ....

She swerves to miss me, cutting off the cars on the left as she cut into traffic on the left lane.

Now, remember I don't care how hot it is ... when I drive around town I like to have the windows open ... HER window is open .... as she flies by me tailgating the car in front of her ... I mean NASCAR close to their bumper like she was with me ... she starts slowing down and with no cars in front of me I think she is going to move to my lane and that's fine.

NO .... she doesn't want to change lanes in front of me ... she wants to yell at me. In the mood I'm in not not even 10am in the morning this is going to get ugly. I have no idea what she is yelling because I am yelling louder and calling her everything possible ... I had this one second urge to veer left and ram her beat up van just like you see in the movies but not when my bloodhound is in back.

So what does she do .... you guessed it.

She slows down way below the speed limit blocking the cars behind her as she cuts in front of the pickup truck following me and is right on my bumper RIGHT ON MY BUMPER !!!!

Luckily my turn is just up ahead ... I move right into the turn lane ... SHE DOES TOO. Is she going to follow me home? LOL .... I hope so. Nope, we both make the turn at the stop light and while I go straight to go home she makes another left which will take her to multiple businesses.

She was probably late for work.

The day is just getting started WITH FRUSTRATING FUN !!!!

I just finish the bacon egg cheese biscuit and my coffee that has finally cooled enough to drink it. I let the hounds back inside from the backyard and I hear the doorbell ring. HAS SHE FOUND ME, SAW MY CAR AND KNOWS WHERE I LIVE ????

It's my neighbor from across the street. Nice guy, late 70s maybe 80's ... LOVES to talk and is holding his tail light from his Jeep Liberty in his hand. I'M NOT A MECHANIC, but he is mechanically inclined with a garage full of every tool you can imagine.

He shows me the problem, asks me what to do or can WE get that broken large melted plastic OUT of the tail light through the hole the light bulb would go. NOW ... I have Stella and Heidi wanting to investigate with the door open and identify this visitor so I am trying to keep them inside, hold the door open and still give my opinion on the light WHICH I KNOW IS NOT THE RIGHT ANSWER HE WANTS !!!!

I don't mind helping people but I have plans to change clothes into bike stuff, get on the bike and pedal my anger away mile after mile ... I HAD those plans but just like that my whole day is about to change.

It's called life ... live with it.

I'll not lead you down that rabbit hole of the story but if I tell you I didn't get back home for 3 hours ... you get the picture I'm sure.

Back to the vet ... Stella weighed in a pound heavier today ... that is what happens when she doesn't get her daily morning walk I guess. Hopefully by Saturday morning she can get back on the road right after the sun comes up.

When I mentioned my camera problems the other day, with the 6-8 month old Canon G9 X having a black spot on the sensor ... a sensor I can only get to with a jeweler set of screwdrivers and take the whole thing apart ... NOT HAPPENING. Then wondering if it is time to upgrade from the Nikon D3200 to a D5300 or a D5600 ??? There is one way to find out ... one way to sort out all the bullshit specs on different cameras. It's just like the marketing of the smart phones ... new models very little change except the prices.

So as I have in the past when I am confused about what to buy IF ANYTHING ... I go here for my camera comparison. As you see the link I use is where I was comparing the Canon G9 X with my Nikon D3200. Looks like I should have followed my intuition and the website advise instead of following the advice of the world famous blogger on the motorcycle and a sidecar. That was back in December or January.

Long story short ... Today I plugged in every camera model I was thinking of upgrading to and followed the advice of these experts. This old D3200 is a pretty good camera even though it's an entry level camera for a 'beginner'. Add to the fact I needed to update the firmware for the lenses I use, I saved myself hundreds of dollars today by following that website.

I also looked at CNET Reviews for camera's. I am not interested in the 'mirrorless' cameras. I was able to pull some other models off of CNET that they recommended and compare it to the old D3200. Nothing I could find in my price range was worth buying to replace the D3200.

The best thing I could do for my frame of mind today was to .... take a nice long siesta.

I think the trend lately of disrupted sleep every night and my lack of riding a bike today is the cause of the shitty attitude I've had today. I have ZIP to bitch about. My life is good as always, very easy and chaos free compared to many others and where I am at I don't have to worry about trees falling on my house from the wind or even if my house will be lost to flooding ... so I have NOTHING I should be complaining about. Every day can't be smooth as butter ... sometimes there are disruptions.

I will keep an eye out for that faded old beat up maroon dodge/chrysler van just in case she is still angry and wants to ram me. LOL

Ah ... I feel better now after my "writing therapy" ... sorry I didn't have a lot of photos today but hopefully some humor.

Really ... all is good in the Wild West.

Too Hot To Hike This Afternoon

I keep forgetting how hot it gets outside starting around 10am. By 1-2pm it's like an oven outside and any thoughts of taking an afternoon hike have to be slid to the side for another day. Those hikes I did last week and blogged about were in temperatures in the 80s, so that is the difference. I had looked in my book for more details for hiking the Lower Brown Canyon. It is about 3 miles out and another 3 miles back with some southern exposure on a sunny day like today.

Just like any other morning the hounds wake me up with their head shaking, ears flapping, metal tags making noise. I have no doubt they are on Eastern time and may never change. This morning felt different though. A clear sky, a warm breeze from the SE as I opened the door. The sun was barely rising when these photos happened.

Hard to believe that small mountain sits inside the Mexican border.

If you look closely to the right you can barely see the Aerostat was launched for the first time in weeks. Right after taking this photo I did not even bother to make coffee. Changed into clothes for the day and tied my shoes while Stella whined for her walk ... and we were out the door. She was energetic today ... trotted down the block and just about the time she crossed the street ... she stopped and turned hard enough to swing my arm around with the leash in hand ... there was a scent in the middle of the street she had to check out and it was only a scent ... I saw nothing in that area.

As we stepped into the lot she kept trotting, tail upright and a smile on her face. (mouth open) She ran out ahead of me as far as the 25' retractable leash would let her. She was in the mood to run today I guess but like I said a few posts ago ... here is no way around here she can be off the leash. She would stop and sniff the air in certain spots ... like that huge smell of bacon coming from the exhaust vents of a nearby hotel. I couldn't get her to move.  LOL

After the walk I had just sat down with my first cup of coffee when I hear a loud distinct bird call. I have no idea what it is but it was loud and sharp enough to wake Stella up. She turned to look where all the noise was coming from. She had finished her walk and she was very interested in getting back to sleep. The increase of bird calls have not bothered her like this since she moved here.

Once Stella rose to her feet I knew our visitor wouldn't be staying long. A couple of steps into the stone yard and the bird was gone.

With her walk finished, some bird watching, she decided the best place to sleep was in the shade while I changed into my bike riding gear. I wasn't wasting time today as I went from dog walking to coffee to riding. Those blocks sitting next to Stella bother me so I guess I'll do some "yard work" and carry them into the garage and stack them them in the corner. Out of sight out of mind.

It doesn't happen every day but it could later even with high temperatures and a day full of sunshine. Storm clouds will blow in and before you know it, it's raining. Not good for surprised out of town afternoon hikers or bike riders.

These were not from today but from the SD card I downloaded from the Nikon D3200 from a few weeks ago. Notice the blue skies on the other side of the mountains.

The typical afternoon for the hounds are the two photos you see right here. They might move from the computer room where these were taken, to the living room and to the bedroom as day moves into early evening. They did the same thing as you know, back in 'the tropics' so there are no changes to their afternoon routine most of the time.

Along with that download I found some photos from our Sunday drive that either did not download properly or it might have been user error, not giving the card enough time to download. If I remember right this is Hwy 90 heading east toward Tombstone/Bisbee. I love traveling through this open land.

This was on Hwy 191 north of Pearce, I think. To me it looks like some sort of power plant and on the right side of the highway a possible nuclear plant yet I found nothing online about it. Anyone that is familiar with the area know what this is?

Again, I kept my eyes on the road and one hand holding the camera up in a general direction not knowing if the camera would succeed with what photo I wanted taken. No, I don't use the monitor on the Nikon while driving and still only use the view finder when I'm not driving.

I am thinking about contacting Canon about my G9X and see if they will do anything under the 1 year warranty about the black spots that are on the sensor. I am even a little motivated to package in it's original box and put that into a bigger box to ship it to them via UPS. After checking my memory banks I bought that camera just last January, sad that it didn't work right for at least a year based on how much it cost.

I've been fooling around with different browsers again. Currently I am using Safari with no problems. With their latest updates it is easier than ever to move an icon to my address bar that I can click to unblock the "blocker" so I can open forms I need from certain websites to view them. I may pay everything automatically but I still like looking at the actual utility bills for electric, gas and water.

Google is still the #1 ranked browser but just that word leaves me with a bad taste in my mouth, just like Facebook ... but I still use them. I tried Firefox again for a few weeks and it supposedly gives you privacy while on the internet, but when Facebook can figure out I've been talking to someone about cars, then floods my newsfeed with advertisements for the exact cars we have discussed ... I guess Firefox can't do anything about that.

I have been attempting to drink 100oz of water per day. I know that is between 4-5 glasses with the glass that I use. Even after bike riding in the mornings and the hot afternoons living in the high desert I find it hard to drink that much water.

No ... I don't miss the thunderstorms nor the tornado warnings I left back in Indiana.

Another laidback day here in the Wild West.