Winter Storm Headed Our Way

The one thing nice about retirement is the ability to change activities at a drop of a dime. Instantaneous, no checking schedules, no asking someone's permission, you just get to do it like you want at that very moment. Such was the case this morning. I had almost talked myself out of our morning walk due to that "feels like" temp of 10°. I even thought it was probably too cold for Stella's paw pads and if there was enough moisture in the air last night there would be ice and she could possibly get ice between her toes and then wouldn't move on the walk.

So when she looked in the doorway to the computer room to tell me it was time to head outside, just a few minutes before 8am, I grabbed my down parka, put on my new Carhartt sock hat but didn't put on any gloves because I had a new plan. I would stand in the backyard while she would find her a spot in the field to dump her tanks. It felt too nice outside, much warmer than that "feels like" temp and even the old carport thermometer was different than my high tech iPhone weather app.

So I told Stella "let's go" and off we went, no gloves and all.

I could tell from the fresh prints of mashed down grass that there had been a lot of deer traffic in the field last night. Stella could tell to as she spent a lot of the morning walk with her nose to the ground. It's hard to see but just to the left into those woods in the lower left part of the brush you can barely see a path where the deer have mashed down the bushes from their repeated trips into or out of the woods. Where Stella stands there are many small round areas where the grass is mashed and a fresh deep hoof print in the center of those areas.

It didn't feel too bad without gloves, so we continued on. On the other side of this photo you can see the bank going down into the gully. On my side just past those trees the drop-off is steep and fortunately Stella has not had the urge to head down there to explore. Many times over the years I had to keep Sadie from going that way. She would go into the wooded area when I would tell her to stop. Sadie was in that gully as a small puppy one year and came climbing up that steep bank with black mud from her toes to halfway up her sides. Luckily it was a Saturday so I had time to give her a bath and still was in time for college football at noon.

To get off subject, I'll say this new book I am reading called "21 Lessons for the 21st Century" explains a lot about what is happening in the USA and all of the chaos in weather, politics and the social unrest. I would start by reading his Introduction chapter at the start of the book. I have only read through the first chapter about "Work" and have a lot of answers to questions I have asked myself and a couple of close friends. No ... I am not an affiliate nor am I making any cash on the side for mentioning the title of the book. This author is just that good.

I also played around with Google Chrome, version 70.0 last night. It's too bright for me but that might be because I am so use to using my macOS and Firefox Quantum in their 'dark mode'. Even after I did some searching for answers on the Blogger and Google Chrome forum, it still signed me out of my Google Account if I wanted to reply to comments on my blog or make a comment on other blogs using my blog profile.

I tried a couple of their recommended changes to their settings but that still did not work. At least I found out that the problem is due to the script and privacy settings of the browse itself because Firefox does not have the same problem (different script) but Safari does. So I went back to Firefox since I like the design better than Chrome and it is now just as fast.

One thing to remember now days if your webpages are not loading as fast as they use to. With all the major browsers adding their own video and advertisement blockers, that will slow the time it takes for a webpage to load, even if you have fast internet. To those that have a Gb of download speed, then no problem but for those of us that have 40 or less Mb of download speed, at times it might remind you of those old days of dial up connections.

As my local weatherman was warning us of the winter storm blowing in tonight, he didn't try to nor mean to but he let his viewers know that all of this information is based on data fed into the computers. It is not he that puts this forecast together but the computers do it. After reading that first chapter on 'Work' in the book I mentioned with what he was saying I laughed at myself saying "you can be replaced by a robot within the next 5 years" ... but as the book explained all of the high tech Artificial Intelligence will only be implemented when those in power or political positions decide it will. I'd say with that factor the chances for major changes  to jobs will take longer than one or two decades and I might not be around to see it.

This was a surprise finding and maybe those that have dogs that have had regular dental work on your dogs can help me out. How often do you clean your dog's teeth? As I pulled back Heidi's jowls to check her teeth last night, that had just been cleaned at the end of September or early October, I was shocked to see plaque build up showing on her big molar. I do have some dog toothpaste on the shelf that is brand new so I might buy a toothbrush or find one of those rubber tips you put on your fingers to brush a dogs teeth.

In comparison, Stella does not show any signs of plaque on her teeth and I have not had her teeth cleaned in the three years that I have had her.

I was finally in front of Stella on the walk, hoping to take some photos from her front end instead of her back end. As I was about to turn around and lift my camera to the shooting position I felt this heavy object hit the outside of my left knee as she ran past me, knocking me off her path. Before I could regain my balance she was ahead of me heading for an unknown destination.

The walk this morning was pretty quick. My watch said we were gone only 16 minutes from the time I closed the door. That included me standing for a few minutes deciding if we were going to walk this morning. She did not stop nor wander too much. As I walked toward the house I remembered a verse in a song by the Mama & Papa's back in the 60's ... "all the leaves are brown and the skies are gray", such as this morning in 'the tropics'.

My house stayed warm overnight (66) with the heaters turned down. I am wondering of that small amount of calking I did between the storm windows and window frame are making that much of a difference. It's a huge change if so. All the gaps were very small but are now filled.

Stella never fails to look to her right in the direction where that large cat stays. I've seen it only one time and had no clue that it was a cat until the boy in the neighborhood told me it's history in 2017. He didn't ride his ATV in the field last summer nor did the grandchildren of the field's owner. I wonder why the change?

She is checking to see if I am going to let her roam over to the neighbors, where she has only been once since mid-summer. I didn't say a word as she turned around and headed home.

With a bloodhound's nose 4x stronger than any human, I always wonder what she might be smelling and how far away that something is. To be inside the mind of a bloodhound would be a great adventure.

I was prepared to leave Stella exploring the north yard around the bushes and trees while I walked to the house. Then I had my second surprise of the morning when she trotted past me without any acknowledgment, all the way to the door to go inside. She had decided her walk was over for this morning.

Yesterday afternoon when Stella let me knew she needed to go outside by nudging the door handle with her nose as I sat here at the kitchen table playing Mahjong, we were not outside longer than 10 minutes. After she finished she was heading toward the carport on her own as I looked at the nice sunset.

Then .... I saw them ... 10-15 deer running across the open field from the right, heading behind the corner of those woods. I immediately had to grab Stella's collar because she had also saw movement, more than likely smelled them, and her long bloodhound ears perked up telling me she had locked into that familiar deer scent. As she looked in the direction of the field, I led her back inside the house by the collar.

By the time I grabbed my camera off the kitchen table, next to my laptop, they had disappeared. Which was really strange because the only way they could have gone was behind that line of trees, cross the gravel road I talk to the old steel bridge and then run through that field on the left. I've seen them do that and I have also seen them cross the highway in a large group, and sprint through my neighbor's yard into the woods south of my house.

So this time of year, with this kind of weather, I will be a little more focused on what is going on around us while Stella or even Heidi and I are outside.

With it being pretty cold outside both hounds dug in for some sleep before lunch. They still have not adjusted to the time change and usually are howling and barking for lunch by 10am. I try to hold them off until 11am.

I smell something dead in the middle of all of the ragweed burrs, where Stella would love to go. I am not sure what it is but I smelled something I as walked by that part of the field. Whatever it is, it is buried beneath the leaves and thick grass. As you see, she knows it's out there but hasn't figured out how to get there without me catching her. It a little funny that she will go no further than the edge of the yard.

Again today Heidi was pretty quick with the mid-day break.

While the hounds slept I drove over the vet to buy a 30 day supply of the OraVet chewables for Heidi. They do not go down easy and she looks like she is chewing gum. The mouthwash liquid is suppose to rinse any bacteria that causes plaque and the gum textured chew cleans the teeth. Like she should, she titled her head back to get the chew on her back teeth where she could get as much power as possible to chew it up. I was told today that as long as Stella shows no signs of having plaque there isn't a reason she needs these.

The rest of the afternoon was spent reading books, checking the internet and taking Stella on her early afternoon walk. We do those with her on the leash and no camera most of the time. The weather radar is showing that sleet is on it's way, within 20 miles of our location, which will eventually turn to snow.

College basketball game tonight on tv so all is good in 'the tropics' of Southern Indiana.

Some Sunday Rambling

By 10am it was time to sneak out of the house with the bloodhounds for their morning walk, another late start seems to be the norm recently. As you can tell Heidi didn't have any intentions of taking a walk. She had been outside first thing in the morning with the bloodhounds while I poured the breakfast kibble. After that meal she assumes her daily position on the couch until it's time to eat lunch.

As I opened the door and stepped outside I could feel the heat and humidity in it's slightest form, letting me know it was going to be a hot muggy day today. Perfect for staying inside with the AC on and two baseball games on the tv screen this afternoon. I also heard what sounded like a Harley but after looking at it when I downloaded the photo it was hard to tell, but I could barely see one tucked inside all of the other stuff. I was told once by a motorcyclist that the highway in front of my house was one of the most popular in the state of Indiana to ride on. It's also one of my favorite routes in the Z4.

I cannot say why our morning walks have started later this summer. Like always I am extreme one way or another. We use to get our walks in by 8am, photos edited and posted with a morning blog post finishing sometime between 9:30am and 10am. Anymore it seems I don't start my second cup of coffee while reading the internet sports news and blogs by 9:30am ... or I am up outside doing a task from the 'to do' list by 9am. I guess it's good to have variety in a pretty mundane daily routine.

Every morning walk is now drenched in heavy dew where the shade is in the field. So every morning without asking I wear the North Face snow boots, that double as my rain boots, to keep my feet dry. This morning was no different than any other morning ... soaked boots dry feet soon after the start of the walk.

That doesn't bother Stella though. Whereas Sadie rarely if ever changes her path in the field, Stella likes to change her routine every couple of weeks. Recently she likes to veer off into the middle of the field, make a couple of complete circles before deciding the most perfect place to fertilize the 7 acres of wild flowers and little grass.

I might have to say "come on" a couple of times to get her headed in our direction. She will walk directly to the path I am on but never directly to the voice she is hearing. While this is going on, Sadie is nose to the ground trotting or stopping to investigate a scent near the edge of the field and wild bushes.

She never changes her walking area in any of the walks we take. Lately we have been able to squeeze in three walks per day and still get back in time for the first pitch of the Reds game, which is usually at 7:10pm local time.

I saw nothing through the woods and down over that ridge into the gully but from the loud sounds of tree limbs breaking I could only guess it was a deer and not a rabbit running away. I'd have to look at past photos to see if we have seen deer in the summer months ... honestly I can't remember.

It is said that bloodhounds can hear 4x better than the human ear. You would have assumed they also heard the breaking of tree limbs with 'something' running through the woods ... but you would have never been able to tell looking at them. Deer scat is much more important sometimes. I wish I knew why it was so addicting to them. Getting them away from it is like taking a container of Ben&Jerry's ice cream away from me ... not going to happen.  LOL

I've mentioned somewhere that I have felt twinges of motivation recently but that doesn't mean anything is getting done. I went to the lower driveway yesterday to apply my drop of Trimec weed killer on the driveway, by the mailbox pole and the left side culvert. Whatever was killed before has grown back to the point I am thinking I bought the wrong kind. I needed the blend that also kills grass because that was what I was seeing the most of. I see signs of dead weeds at the top of the driveway but nowhere else ... it was grass.

I had thought of turning the driveway to asphalt years ago but every asphalt drive I see that is on a hill in the vicinity of my house, has cars parked at the bottom of it during winter snow storms. I'll stick with gravel.

A friend that is in his 4th month of retirement asked me the other day if I was doing what I had planned on when I retired. He too is wondering "if this is all there is", yet he plays golf, lives in crowded southern California with a much higher cost of living than I. I told him I was doing what I had plan, in a way. I was either going to travel in an RV of some sort or stay where I am right now. Traveling was not an option once I decided having three hounds was too hard with two hands. Some might that that is a cop out, but they don't have two bloodhounds.

I told him that I am doing exactly what I thought I would be doing if I stayed in this house in this location. I knew that I would extend the things I did on weekends or after work into a daily routine, which I have. Of course we are all different. He is married I am single. I am a loner he is not. He was somewhat mystified that his old co-workers don't stay in touch with him like he expected where I knew and guessed I'd never hear from mine again, just like I wanted.

For some reason though, recently my friends need to have me notify them someway by text or email that I am up, have a pulse and I am alive because ... because ... I don't know. Do we all become more concerned after our 65th birthday that death is right around the corner. I don't think that way nor feel that way. So I have tried to explained to them I do not feel I need to text that I am awake and alive every day just because I live alone with three hounds.

I have never been sick. I do not have what they call a family doctor. I keep track of my eating, my blood pressure, resting pulse rate and the Garmin watch can tell me within a tap what my pulse rate is walking with the hounds or mowing the yard. Everything is below the limits of someone my age. Nothing to worry about in my eyes ... but not theirs I guess.

To change the subject ... it's still hard to believe these flowers are poisonous.

You can barely see Sadie's lump on the right side of her stomach. It has not changed in size although from that angle it looks bigger. From different angles you cannot see it at all. It has not gotten softer or harder. I feels just like her stomach feels on her left side. She has never shown any signs of pain. She still runs as fast as she can when she needs to catch up with us.

As I approached the backyard I could see a butterfly fight going on.

They ended up close to each other but on different flowers.

Stella seems to think the pollen count is high today. You wouldn't know that as she sleeps right behind my desk chair right now. She stopped two times on the walk plus in this picture, to scratch herself. I have some dog shampoo that is suppose to stop itching. I know that is only a marketing ploy on the label but since she likes the bathtub I'll give her a bath today and let the hot sunshine dry what I cannot with a towel. If you can bathe one hound you can do two ... so Heidi will get one today also. Sadie ??? LOL ... no way. She gets hers at the groomer.

I will say at times it's hard being a loner. Not for me but for the few friends that cannot even comprehend what it's like nor how could I ever be happy. They are flabbergasted at times. I can tell when I talk to them on the phone. The general consensus is I need to travel more, I need to get out more, I need to do this more ... yet they have all known for years that I am out of touch at times. They also know and joke about the dates of August 30th to April 4th, give or take a few days, that I spend my time watching college football and college basketball.

Only one friend understands why I live where I do and that I have lived here for 20 years. Others think I must have taken residence on Mars and cannot even understand why I like it here. All of them have been at my house in the past year or two.

The request for daily communication, the opinions on what I should or should do retired does irritate me at times. I like a content, quiet, no visitors kind of retirement. What does it take to convince them of that in a respectable way? My daily, mundane to some, routine is perfect for the hounds and I.

The hounds tell me it's time for lunch.

Even with that little amount of drama from friends, it's another fine day of retirement here in 'the tropics' of southern Indiana.

Heidi Takes Her First Walk In 2018

I decided earlier this morning that since it was so sunny outside that I'd wait to post today because I was pretty sure I would be able to get some photos of Heidi, although the temps were not going to get as high as her threshold of 70° As you will find out I have a lot, over 50 photos in this post.

It was so nice this morning that we took the morning walk before I started my coffee. Now that is a slight change in routine but I couldn't resist the bright sunshine, reasonable temperatures, plus the hounds were ready to get outside. The grass in the field looked like it grew 6" over night and in some places I could barely see our worn path.

After a lot of sleep, Stella was energized this morning and got a little jogging in. No verbal herding was needed again today as she followed Sadie most of the walk for the first half.

While Sadie and I walked away I figured I'd pick up Stella on the way back but she surprised me today as you will see below. It looks like I can get a lot done outside today although I don't have that much on my list. I may try to get the Z4 washed today even with a high temperature of 59° but it's sunny.

Sadie was more intent on tracking today, possibly more than she normally is. I was seeing fresh deer hoof prints along our path so her nose was quite active.

You can tell that Spring is near as semi-trucks off load new inventory at the landscaping place nearby. The owner is kind of between a rock and a hard spot. He usually asks me about retirement when I shop there, was it a big adjustment going from work to no work. He is a few years older than I am and could retire any time yet he has found no one that is interested in buying the landscaping business.

He knows how valuable his business is to the local small town and surrounding areas, thus very hesitant in closing his business ... and he still enjoys work at his business but would like to retire.

Sadie was faster than my camera could catch her today ... therefore some of her running photos are a little blurred.

Not sure what had walked near the large roll of hay on the back side of the field, but Sadie smelled something strong enough that she walked into the roll of hay pressing her head against the roll and holding it there as she investigated the scent. Rabbits ???

I was headed home when I turned around and saw her in a full speed sprint. She likes to run in the field and gets a lot of exercise for a 'almost' ten year old.

I was keeping an eye on Stella to see if I needed to divert my path over to the woods to get her to follow us home but she had other plans that worked out for both of us. She wasn't walking to meet us, she was walking with speed and a focus that she had plans of heading across the field in a direction I wasn't sure where she was going.

I let her walk and watched to see where she was going.

When I saw she was about to walk across our path and head a direction away from us, I called her by name and she stopped. She acted as if she did not know if it was I or Sadie as she stood there investigating us ... finally once Sadie touched her, she knew who we were.

We had a slow walk home, all of us going at our own pace. Everything is turning green again and growing fast. I could almost mow the south half of my backyard again today.

Looks to me like another relaxed day.

I am at a point I would normally post this to the blog. Today, I think I'll wait to post until later this afternoon and see if I can capture some action shots of Heidi this afternoon. She did come outside to roam the yard yesterday during our afternoon walk. She has found something she likes on the bank behind the driveway. Not sure what it is but she is always in that area when we return.

It wasn't long after their lunch that I knew I was going to spend some time outside. I had a couple of things I wanted to do in the yard so I let the hounds roam at their leisure. I decided that instead of cutting down all of the small saplings along the driveway bank that I would just out a width of 16' that lined up with my tv and internet satellite dishes.

I forgot what someone thought these saplings are, sassafras? but I remember when they told me a few years ago, I read that they would only grow to 20' tall. That would be okay and still keep my southern sky clear for the satellite dishes. So I left all of the other saplings up so I can see just how tall they get 3 years from now. I usually cut them down every two years anyway.

By the time I climbed the bank back in the yard, Heidi was looking as if she might take a walk with me. I knew Sadie would by the way she looked. She was ready to go ... but where is Stella? I knew most likely she would disappear while I worked over the bank out of sight.

Sadie and I headed straight north toward the neighbor's backyard but before we were even close I saw a tan reddish object bending over in their ditch between their yard and the field. When I called her name she hopped up on the bank and started walking toward Sadie and I.

By the time we waited on Stella and walked across the backyard, Heidi was ready to take her first walk in the field for 2018.

She made the half mile walk with no problems. Sadie is getting ready to tap noses just to make sure she is okay. She always does that when Heidi comes in the house from outside.

As I post this mid-afternoon, it has never gone higher than 57° but the bright sunshine makes you want to spend time outside. Sitting in the sunshine is a little warmer but it's good to some kind of spring weather show up.

A beautiful day today in 'the tropics' of Southern Indiana.