The Hounds Have A Late Start

The rains that were in the forecast for this weekend finally arrived. It sounded like a good excuse to catch up on some sleep but they arrived late and were very light. The reason the hounds started their day late is because the hounds let their slave sleep in this morning. Those times the past couple of weeks where I was up until 2am - 3am finally caught up with me. That didn't mean the hounds had a late breakfast ... kibble was still served at 7:30am.

With a piece of cold pizza in my system by 12:30pm and the other two pieces in the oven warming up, Sadie was going to have to wait for her first walk. We never do walks soon after their lunch yet the hourly weather forecast was a factor in the plan. First we would watch the Tour de France that is always taped by the DVR, too early in the morning for me to watch. Needless to say that once Sadie was on the walk mid-afternoon ... she took off running ... she was thrilled getting back into the field.

Even though the skies were dark I guessed they would hold off long enough for us to get our short half mile walk in. I only needed around 9 minutes for me. With Stella's pace 15 minutes of no rain would be nice.

Stella took the lead in her normal slow pace. Rain was not a factor in her planning ... never is.

Last night with a three hour rain delay in the Reds game, the first pitch wasn't until 10:10pm. I justified starting to watch it to the finish by telling myself it was just like a west coast game when they play in San Diego, Los Angeles or San Francisco. With a steady rain during the game I wasn't sure it would finish and I'd still get to bed at a reasonable hour. I assumed wrong.

I guess due to the high chance of rain today and for their game tonight, they decided to get that Friday night game finished unless they were flooded out. It ended around 1:30am, I was tired and I knew that I would definitely get up to feed the morning kibble but it would be straight back to bed, skipping any coffee.

As we rounded the first turn on our walk I felt a couple of drops of rain but decided to charge on. Sadie was in her element as was Stella. I knew that neither hound would want to turn around just because of a few drops of rain.

I could tell by the boots I was wearing it had rained earlier in the day. Good for the yard.

Stella attempted her escape but turned in the direction of the our path when I yelled 'no'.

With her out in the middle of the field, Sadie was already trotting along the back edge of the field. She was making up for the missed walk earlier this morning.

We were not quite to the first corner on our way back when I looked up ahead and it was a background of solid light rain. I told the hounds "lets go" and took off trotting with my camera lens pointing downward.

It was raining steady enough I could hear it hitting the bill of my ball cap ... but it didn't matter to the bloodhounds. They are not fans of rain so it shows it wasn't raining hard enough for them to be concerned.

In fact Stella wasn't concerned at all. I was standing under the mahogany trees in the backyard as I took these photos. The rain is coming down harder as I waited for the hounds finish their walk.

Sadie decided it was raining too hard for her and came running toward the yard ... not Stella.

In fact Stella was almost making a right turn toward the neighbors yard/woods when I yelled 'no' again. She seemed to obey that word better than others today. You can see the rain against the background of the trees.

She never increased her pace. The rain came down in a steady stream and Stella walked into the yard slow as she ever does.

As you can tell it wasn't a sprinkle but wasn't a hard rain either. Both hounds were happy and asleep minutes after coming inside. While Heidi was still passed out on the couch, Sadie laid down by her water bowl to sleep and Stella was partially on the legs of my office chair. She will never go to sleep until she licks her paws and legs dry after a walk in the rain or heavy dew.

As I typed this it started to rain harder. Hopefully the Reds will get their game in tonight or I'll make it a movie night. The yard and plants will look better in a few days with some much needed rain.

All the severe storms have been missed here in 'the tropics' of Southern Indiana.

Bloodhounds Explore & It's Going To Rain Finally

You didn't think I'd buy a TV without my normal over-analytical research did you? I am also not someone that has TVs in the kitchen and bedroom, no matter what size the screen is. I have thought of having two TVs in my living room because on most Saturdays between September - January there are more games being played at the same time than I have TVs for even with Dish Networks split-screen where I can see 4 at once. I know ... it is hard to understand if you are not a 'sports junkie'.

The forecast showed a 40%-70% chance of rain starting at 1pm and covering the rest of the night. This one time I hope it will happen. We need the rain, my yard needs the rain as do the few plants I planted last summer. The clouds to the east this morning seem to tell me I had a pretty good chance of that forecast being accurate.

It's times like these I wonder about the theory of 'after-life', whether it be dogs or people. I had blogged recently that these white flowers were in the field but only one maybe two in 7 acres. This morning as Stella and I stepped into the field just a small section next to the yard was covered with those small white flowers that look nice. During our walk I did not see one of these anywhere within my view ... even the top of the gully that is filled with honeysuckle and sprouts them at times. You have to wonder why were there so many there and nowhere else. I know I'm probably crazy but it does make me wonder.

With it already being hot and muggy when we started a little after 9:30am, the AC had kicked on automatically as we closed the door. That is a sure sign to close the windows when we return. I did not hear any rain last night while sleeping but it looked like rain had passed through, but not large amounts of it. The ground was soft but not muddy. Stella was off on her own but staying withing distance.

No change in Sadie's lump on the right side. I was never able to get a picture of her right side today. I did feel it first thing in the morning and there is no change. Not hard, not soft, not larger nor smaller ... it's just there.

From the middle of the field I was happy to see Stella turn our direction and join us ... she did well today, very nice, obedient, no signs of stubbornness ... LOL, she's funny.

I told you yesterday that I had an article about taking pictures to read in my Feedly account. Here is what I am talking about, and ... no, this is not an affiliate link but it is a safe link to open.  It was called Are You Using Your Camera Wrong?

So I double checked some settings on my camera and right off the bat I found something different in the type of photo where you can set it two different ways. When I bought the camera in September 2014 I turned the setting knob to 'Guide' and set up my camera ... when I did that yesterday it was showing photos were RAW and Large. The other way of setting that is in my 'Menu' and it showed where I had changed the setting to JPG-Fine and Small. Did that make a difference in photo quality ??

I also found I had been letting my right elbow 'float' more than tucking it under the camera. I didn't see much more than those two points in the short article. I did change the settings in Guide to match what I had set in the Menu option. So this morning I changed everything to JPG-Fine and Small for the size of photo.

Can you tell any differences in the photos compared to yesterday.
 

Last Wednesday afternoon while watching two baseball games at one time and texting to my friend that was at the Cubs game in San Francisco, I sent her a photo of my TV screen showing her the two 'pic n pic' that she does not get with DirecTV. Later as a test I used the 4 screen split. Sitting 8' away I could see them clearly enough to watch without leaning in closer to the tv for a better picture.

But like anything else that is electronic ... I couldn't get that larger TV screen idea out of my mind like I said in yesterday's post. Saturday morning after our hound walk I started my final stages of research by asking this first question.

"What is the difference between the 4K UHD and the HD I have now"?

After reading a lot of reviews, this site gave me the best explanation ...  Compare the two types

That lead me to wondering what size was best with me sitting 8' away ... actually 7'8" from my chest while sitting on the couch to the front of the TV screen.

This site answered a lot of questions and maybe not asked by many TV buyers who wonder in customer reviews and forums "why is my 4K picture not like the one in the store" ??  {I know the question mark should go inside the quotation marks} 

So after a couple of hours of reading I could see I was borderline on whether I needed a new TV. The chart showed me I needed a 65" for my eyes to tell a difference between HD and 4K UHD but to me, in my long narrow (15' wide) living room, that screen would be too big and not one I would want to look at sitting 7'8" away. I knew that I was not going to change my furniture arrangement because I had tried the only other option when I first moved in 20 years ago.

You will laugh at this reason ... plus the size of box for the 65" would NOT fit in the back of the FJ. IF ... IF I was going to by a new TV, I was picking it up at the store and have that thing up and running by the 4:15pm Reds game.

So that shoved me back to the 55" screen and at 7'8" the chart still shows I am still borderline on if it would make that much difference.

I have no complaints about my current 8 year old 46" Samsung. But you know how it is when you know deep inside you want to buy something, anything!!! LOL Whether it be a new computer, a different car or new car or RV ... is that addictive behavior rising to the top??

By cross-referencing customer reviews on Amazon, Best Buy and the websites of the specific brand name. I match those reviews with the 'Questions and Answers' on CNET and the website that I linked. I still had one more question though.

"What is the best TV to watch sports"?

I mean why not ask that question? Every review I was reading was showing some TVs were better for watching movies, than DVDs or some were better for sports, than movies.

I had my answer right here ... in fact I had 4 of them that were recommended. Some of them were the same models other websites were showing. Would any of them fit within my budget?

Looking down through their 'Questions and Answers' section I had my answer ... not only that, one answer saved me from buying a model the day before when I almost bought a TV on Friday. I had my answer ... this buyer traded in the model I was going to buy on Friday and bought the one I had narrowed my choice to.

I called the automated system at Best Buy at my local store. Their answer for the model I wanted to buy was "Less than 3". I like Best Buy because I can return anything buy within 15 days, no questions asked and I get an immediate refund. They will also match price if I show them a cheaper price for the same model, even if it's a few days after I make the purchase. Plus I can pick it up at the store and bring it home.

I checked all the specs, including the size of the box and saw there was plenty of room in back of the FJ for it to sit upright and a couple of straps to tie it down firm for the ride home. It was already close to 1pm ... ball game on at 4:15pm ... I wasn't sure if I had time and I didn't want to miss the Reds game.

IF any of you are looking to buy a new TV, I hope the information on those links helps you in some way. I am not paid in anyway if you click those links and they are safe to open.

A few weeks ago I had this same overwhelming urge to buy a new camera, maybe a small point and shoot or the midsize point and shoot with a zoom lens. After researching and changing some settings in my Nikon D3200, I resisted the urge to buy a different camera and moved on. I found after a couple of adjustments that my photo quality was still just as good as September 2014 when I bought the camera.

Like I have said many times ... Sadie might lag behind me in the walk at times but without ever calling her, she always runs to catch up with Stella and I.

In the meantime Stella continued her 'slow' exploration ... I am still amazed how slow she can walk.

This is facing NE but with the winds blowing from the SW, this will not be the source of our upcoming storms.

Can you tell by Stella's photos just how slow she moves?   LOL

Standing with Sadie at the corner of the house after our walk, waiting on Stella to show up ... I glanced toward the trees from the house and didn't see her. Had she wandered off toward the neighbor's house, a place I have intentionally kept her from?

Luckily she didn't. I took a few steps into the yard and there she was hid behind a tree doing her daily scratch in the same spot of the yard after every morning walk.

"Looking for me"  ???

"Okay then, I'll come inside"

If you want a free tour of France besides reading Contessa's blog with pictures of their recent European vacation ... tune into NBCsports channel ... and watch the Tour de France. It will be on almost every morning and later that night for the next two weeks. Yes, it's a bicycle race and if you have never raced or know about the sport you wonder what is the use ... they are just riding a bicycle like you would around your neighborhood when you were a kid.

They aren't and there is much more going on in that group of riders as far as team strategy but I'll not explain why. That is not why I told you to tune in.

From the helicopter cameras that follow the race, they show the most beautiful country side in France, the small towns and the great buildings ... I like seeing the scenery as much as the race. When I raced at the amature level in the 70's ... 3-time TOF winner Greg LeMond was only 15 years old beating older professional riders in the USA in California.

While we waited for the rain, Heidi slept, Sadie slept, Stella slept while I watched the TOF Stage 9 that was taped at 6am this morning. Reds baseball from St Louis will try to play a game around the rain, which will followed by the Cubs game in San Diego. My favorite team, the Cincinnati Reds started the season 3-18 ... in their last 30 games they are 21-9, the best record in baseball.

48 days until College Football starts. Sports addiction is a much better than a lot of other stuff I could be doing. What can I say ... it keeps me off the streets and out of trouble.  LOL

A lazy Sunday in 'the tropics' of Southern Indiana.

Stella Always Surprises Me

This morning was Day Two of Stella's Total Freedom routine. On the way back I had an uneasy feeling about my decision because she was nowhere on the horizon as I scanned from the center of the field to my right to see the woods behind the neighbor. The search was going to have to take place with shoes and feet so wet I could feel the water squishing inside my shoe with each step. Another poor decision choosing the New Balance running shoes with the field so wet.

As Sadie took off on the normal path I could see the field was continuing to grow at a rapid rate. Within 10' of stepping into the field from the yard my legs were wet from the heavy morning dew. As I glanced back at the house, the grass is tall enough now that I couldn't see Stella anywhere.

She had decided to walk north through the yard, not even close to where Stella and I were. I have a feeling she is really enjoying her new found freedom without any verbal herding by me. Where would she end up this morning?

Just passing the property line pole and heading due north.

Sadie's face, ears and legs were already as soaked as my shoes were soon after she started. That never bothers her.

By the time I approached the first turn both hounds were almost complete out of view. Stella because she was hidden some where in the middle of the field and Sadie standing in taller grass over by the edge of the field and brush line.

I turned and kept walking.

I was hoping I'd get some photos of Sadie running to catch up with me but by the time I turned around she was already close to me. I took some rapid fire photos and came up with only this one, while the others were too blurry to post here. Nothing like shaking your head dry while on the run.

Amazing how the dew stayed in perfect round balls lined up along the seam of the leaf.

With a slight wind out of the North/Northeast, this morning had that feeling of muggy. I could tell it was going to be hotter than yesterday yet the weather apps were saying no higher than 84°. We've gone from 15° below normal in April to 10° above normal so far in May. We are already in what I call "June Weather".

Heading back on the return path at a faster pace with that uneasy feeling I had about Stella, I told Sadie to "go find Stella". She took off running straight ahead but for some reason stopped until I caught up with her. I was still scanning the field straight ahead and then toward the woods. She must be down in that drainage ditch next to the neighbor's yard.

Then my eyes caught just a little movement in my vision to the left of me .... unbelievable ... Stella had not moved 10' while Sadie and I did the half mile loop.

You would have thought by looking at her wet face, ears and legs that she had  ran a mini-marathon but from the location I last saw her ... she had moved 10' max. That was much better than having to walk through more tall wet grass looking for her. She was near the path waiting for us.

Notice how short the grass is in the middle of the field compared to the lower part behind the house that has a lot of winter fertilizer from the hounds.

Like every morning when we take the 'alternate' route, they scan the backyard from the property line pole all the way to the carport. No squirrel was seen this morning but I did hear that same animal conversation in the middle of the night, outside my window.

A couple of days ago when I saw forecasts of 30% to 80% change of rain for the next 4 days I put the car cover on the Z4 .... so it hasn't rained. It does not take that long to take it off or put it on, so driving it is just a few minutes away, when I want to.

Heidi's inner weather app has told her it's has to be mid-summer weather so she has gone back to her Phase II Hibernation ... I had to check a few times between meals if she was breathing because she was in that deep of a sleep. I am not sure when her next session of high activity will be ... but this is the normal life of a basset hound in the summer.

I could feel some afternoon plans forming in my brain cells this morning during and after our walk. They were plans from grocery shopping to a possible drive around the local countryside with my camera in hand. Yet that is one thing about being retired, plans can change in an instant and this afternoon they did.

After a nice phone conversation with a friend out west, it was time for lunch and I had a craving for small burritos/tacos on small corn tortillas. They are pretty basic but somewhat addicting, consisting of refried beans, chopped tomatoes, onions and cilantro, topped off with some salsa. They are so small you cannot wrap them like a burrito but fold them like a taco.

Small but evidently powerful ... I cannot think of any other reason that soon after I cleaned up the kitchen after that lunch I was down for the 10 count as they say. I staggered (not really) to bed for what I thought was a short siesta. A little over 3 hours later I found out those plans I had were no longer tentative but cancelled ones. All of the hounds were still asleep.

Grabbing some cold water to drink, trying to sort out my brain cells, Sadie and Heidi migrated to the door one by one. Heidi came outside just to relieve herself, looking like she might spend some time outside with us but looked almost as tired as I felt. She turned and headed for the door to go back inside.

By the time I had let her inside, Sadie had taken off into the field thinking we had started our afternoon walk.

Stella was still back inside laying on the dog bed in the corner of the bedroom, filled with cool air. When she came outside she seemed just as dazed and confused as Heidi and I was, not sure what she wanted to do nor what we were going to do.

As I walked over to the shaded area of the Mahogany trees I yelled Sadie's name since I saw her nowhere in the field as far as I could see. Was the tall grass hiding her or was she in the woods? Stella was checking out something with her nose ... were one the neighbors cooking dinner. Her nose can pick up a meal a mile away.

Out of nowhere as I was looking out into the field, Sadie came sprinting down the path into the yard but slightly confused when she didn't see me standing there. I was hiding between the two tree trucks where the squirrel had escaped yesterday morning.

It was hot but that did not mean we couldn't take the afternoon walk now. I walked back inside to trade the camera for the retractable leash in case I needed to help Stella stay in the same direction as Sadie and I. Heidi had decided she had seen enough and had no plans of returning outside ... she was done for the day.

Long naps put me in a daze afterwards. It might seem like a wasted day but evidently 8 nights of "west coast baseball" played a toll on my sleeping habits. With games starting at 10:15pm local time I was already near the time I had been going to bed lately while getting up earlier than normal. Summers bring a change in sleep times.

I must admit the thought of blogging here or not did cross my mind. I have never been able to figure out that question or feeling. To me it's strange as I go back and forth in my head on whether to continue blogging while I've been blogging every afternoon now for 3 days in a row.

Since the rain never showed up again today ... I think I need a sundown drive in the Z4 to clear my head.

Somewhat tired but all is good in 'the tropics' of Southern Indiana.