Stella Gets Out Of The House !!

Thursday morning started like all the others. I can say that things really are back to normal and it's nice to be able to get out when I want and go when I want. These first two pictures were taken with the same camera (Nikon) but the second one I used the flash. That made the sky just as I was seeing but I didn't care for the bright fence the camera captured. Thursday proved to be a very interesting day and Stella provided most of the entertainment.

I wasn't planning on riding my bike while I was drinking morning coffee but I was planning a road trip back to a town I had visited in June with the two hounds. The problem was it was too hot to keep the hounds in the car while I walked around to check out Patagonia. So we drove through it and around it then but just a quick look. Yesterday I went alone and looked a little bit closer.

So far the mornings after riding my bike the previous day a little further each time, my hip is feeling normal. No signs of swelling, no soreness and and no pain the hip area. It seems like I have been doing something active almost every day and in my mind that can't do anything but help getting those hip muscles stronger. Yesterday was Day 60 since my surgery. They say that hip joint where the ball fits into the pelvis takes two to three months to totally heal, so I might have another month go to go.

Heidi has come up with her own routine after breakfast or after the sun comes up. She will smell the entire fence line so slow it's almost like she is taking in each rock.

Once she reaches the corner of the backyard fence she will then cut diagonal towards the house.

I decided I would do test #2 with Stella. I mean what did I have to lose, just time to have the installers come back and install any vertical blinds she might tear down? I still thought she would be okay even if I were away for three to four hours. Everything was set up the same way as Wednesday when I was gone for a little over two and a half hours. Now to some this might not seem blog worthy but long time readers will remember she has driven me crazy with her destruction at times. It is totally random when she does this.

It was a great day to take a drive. This is heading west on Hwy 82, a highway that has turnouts just at the right spot to take some photos.

When I was searching for a small town to move to in Arizona I'd asked my friend that lives in Phoenix and at one time traveled the whole state for a job he had years ago. I would mention a town I found and he would give me a review in full detail. At times he would suggest some based on what I was looking for. Patagonia was a town on my list until I decided I needed more conveniences. I was tired of having to drive 25 miles to get to the stores I liked. I would have had to drive further than 25 miles in Patagonia.

I like traveling in this open country as I have mentioned before. I find the scenery beautiful and the open skies are beneficial to me.

Just past the 82/83 intersection in Sonoita there is a rest area that the hounds and I stopped at in June. Today I stopped for different reasons. I needed to make a point of getting out of the car and stretching my lower back and hip area. Sitting too long in a car or a chair is not a good thing, so this rest area is the perfect place to get out and walk around a little. Of course there are mountains to look at on both sides of the car.

I was a little surprised just how short of a drive it was from the house. The trip meter said a little over 35 miles. As I entered the town, the small high school was there to greet me. The orange and black school colors of the Patagonia Lobos. There is something about seeing a small school baseball diamond that makes me want to pull over and watch a little bit of the game ... but no baseball is being played today, it's November.

The biggest change I saw as soon as I pulled into town, a LOT less people and cars than what I saw in June. Tourist season was over and parking spaces were basically anywhere I wanted to park. I decided to start my exploration at the west end of town and walk eastward. The RAV4 drove smoothly, very quiet even with the off-road tires on them. My gas mileage is almost at 28mph from the time it hit the showroom floor.

This nice park splits Hwy 82 and the main street of town. I could have sat here for hours but I wanted to this to be a four hour trip for Stella's sake not eight hours like I would want. Even with the main highway next to the park, it was extremely quiet. It wasn't quite 10am and it seemed like I had missed the morning rush.

The health food store on the right was tempting to go in and take a look around but what caught my eye was the lot next to it that had all kinds of stuff for sale. No plans to buy anything and no cash in my billfold for a reason, I decided to go take a look.

There must be something about me and bicycles. What are the odds of walking into a 'flea-market' type of business and finding a very nice and very expensive 'road' bike in a place called Patagonia? I knew it was expensive so I asked the business owner David, "how much?" ... He was told by a friend that gave him the bike to sell it would bring $2,000. It would have cost much more than that new but this is a used bike, a good used bike. I had NO plans on buying this bike under any circumstances. Besides, I could tell the frame was too big for me and I was right ... I ride a 54cm-57cm depending on the bike and this bike was a 58cm. Yes ... that 1cm makes a world of difference.

I didn't bother looking around at much he had for sale. I wasn't in the mood to buy anything but he had some great stories about Patagonia and the area. He had 33 years worth of experience in that town and it was amazing to hear all of the changes that he had seen from the time he moved there. I had the impression he did not have any interest in having his picture on my blog so I didn't ask.

To get a 'feel' for a town, especially a small town, is there any better place than stopping in a coffee shop? I thought I saw something and headed that way. Luckily the coffee shop was that second business building with the yellow painted building. As you an see in this town you will find all kinds of vehicles, from 'vettes to FJs. As I was lining up this picture I dropped my month old overpriced iPhone ... the Tech21 case not only protected it but helped it bounce a couple of times off that hard dirt gravel you see. No damage and not even a scratch on the corner of the case itself. I immediately looked at the three lenses for the camera ... not even a scratch.

I was not even inside the door when I could smell good coffee and good food.

Of course that friend I told you about that traveled the state of Arizona for his state job years ago, stopped in this place many times he said and if nothing had changed, just their basic house coffee would fit the bill. As I stood in that short line to pay I came up with another plan. The food they were carrying out of the small kitchen just to the left of those coffee cups (were for sale) looked fantastic.

I knew I had time for two huge pancakes and their 16oz cup of coffee. They tasted just as good as they looked.

Somewhere during that time spent in the coffee shop I lost interest walking to the other end of town. There is a large old hotel just down the street but I had seen that in June. The park on the east side looked just like the west side, so I turned left and slowly headed back to the car.

This town has some nice old buildings, a few run down buildings and a few 'fixer upper's for sale.

One thing I do miss where I live is the butterflies. I might see one occasionally on our morning walks but nothing like I would see in August while walking through the field behind the house in 'in the tropics'. For those that are reading this blog from a computer instead of a phone, you can search "butterflies" and find all the photos I took of them while taking our afternoon walks.

It was the wrong time of year, I didn't see one butterfly anywhere near the "Butterfly Garden"

Well it was time to go. My inner clock told me I had seen enough of Patagonia and it was time to hit the road home. I had one more stop to make though .. Elgin AZ, just a few miles off of Hwy 82. This is another place my friend suggested I check out when I was trying to decide where to move. A short trip on Google Maps satellite view last winter, told me all I needed to know ... beautiful area but I am not sure the word "town" would apply. They do have a very nice large vineyard outside of town after passing through what I guessed to be the town.

With little traffic I was able to stop the car to take his picture. I love all the formations out here in the high plateaus.

By the time the wheels pulled up in front of my house I had been gone a little over three and half hours. I noticed the window was still intact and the blinds were still hanging in their proper position but I didn't see Stella at the fence gate nor did I see her at the window looking for me. I quietly opened the door and neither hound came running to greet me. Heidi was back on her bed sleeping and I could see looking straight ahead that Stella was out cold with her afternoon nap.

So again ... no damage for the 2nd day in a row.

That would all change a couple of hours later. I had the urge to ride my bike so I grabbed my helmet, I let Stella sniff it and from that she knows I am going riding. In fact she knows so well that she walked down the hallway to the bedroom thinking I was going to put her in her crate like I had done before every bike ride until the past two weeks.

I didn't do laps around the neighborhood where she could see me pass the house every 7-8 minutes. I rode 38 minutes through residential streets as I slowly increase my time on the bike. I suspected nothing was going on at home while I rode the bike. She never had issues with me leaving before and would stand by the window waiting for my return ... with the window open and a cool breeze coming through the screen window.

I was probably a block or two away from my house when I noticed something about Stella's color was over on one of the driveways but at that time I could not tell what it was. Once she raised her head with drool hanging from each side of her mouth I knew it was Stella. She was trotting nervously on the sidewalk to the next garage door ... she was looking for me I guess.

When I called her name she looked confused. She stood motionless looking at me and didn't move toward the bike. I kept riding and she followed. Once I stopped and gingerly moved my surgical side leg up and over the seat of the bike ... she came up to me wagging her tail a mile a minute, happy that I was home.

I was so happy that I saw her before she got any further away. The school buses had arrived a few minutes after we were inside letting kids out to walk the sidewalks to their home. Stella would have followed any kid that wanted to take her home and of course she would have stayed if they had any kind of food. So I felt very fortunate that I found her when I did.

When I looked at the screen window that had been pushed out I was really happy that the screen had not been torn out like she did in Indiana 4 years ago. I was also happy that the window went back into the window frame with ease and was not bent beyond repair. Funny that a few months ago I tired getting that screen out to clean it and it wouldn't budge. They probably had not been taken out of the frame for the age of the house.

She was able to take the screen out of it's track with no problem at all.

So will I leave her out to roam the house while I am gone next time ... yes I will. Only I will continue to close that window so she cannot get to the screen. Will I let her roam the house on my next bike ride or a walk to the mailbox?  Yes I will ... only this time I will close that window every time I leave so she can't get to the screen.

If she finds a way to bite the door knob and get out that way ... then all bets are off and back in the crate she goes every time I leave ... but the difference here than the door in Indiana where she did open a locked door ... this door as a deadbolt that is locked.

No matter, what it was a great day on Thursday in the Wild West.

Do you like the change of the new post first thing in the morning or at the end of the day writing about that day? I find I have more time to write in the morning than I do at the end of the afternoon. I also don't stay up as late as I use to, so posting late at night about the day doesn't seem like an option. So at least for now, this is how I am writing ... about the previous day and posting early in the morning.

A Scare & Missed Stella Story

With the forecast of 10 days of those small sunshine icons on my phone's weather app, we have returned to beautiful weather and that starts as soon as the sun comes up a little past 6am. Believe it or not, I can feel that Fall is in the air with the overnight temps dropping into the 50's. Shorts and t-shirts might be just an option as days move towards October. I forgot to tell the funniest story about Stella on her spa day ... how could I? Then around 4am this morning I had a scare with my right leg (surgical side) ... stay tuned.

The hounds have noticed the change in morning temperatures but more than that, they can feel the change of seasons I think. No longer do they follow me into the kitchen every morning, going outside and then howling and barking for their breakfast after they walk back inside. They do follow me and they do go outside but the past few days they walk past me, down the long hallway into the dark bedroom or dark computer room and go back to sleep. They no longer want to eat at 5am or earlier.

I opened the backdoor this morning to let them out and had quite a surprise. No ... no snakes or spiders ... 52° hit me. That will be the new normal for overnight lows now. I can handle that because I know the sunshine will be bright all day and it might touch 80° by late afternoon but maybe not.

My only plans for today were to walk as usual but start reading books again. I feel settled enough to be able to focus on a book. Plus I have some Amazon deliveries today. All light stuff so I should be able to drag them inside from the front porch and open them on the kitchen counter. "The Grabber" is the best tool I have ever come across and has done will with boxes on the front porch, into the house.

To those that emailed me last night and yesterday concerned about losing my 'help' ... fear not. When this happened a few weeks ago, neighbors on each side of me gave me their phone numbers and told me to call them for anything I needed help with. We all have something in common too. They have also had the same type of  ending with the 'helpful' neighbor I blogged about yesterday. What happened yesterday is nothing new to him.

Early in the morning while coffee is being made and the temps are too cold to sit outside in shorts and a t-shirt, I migrate to the computer room to answer email, texts and reply to blog comments from the night or day before. The hounds are ALWAYS in a sleeping spot before I return with my cup of coffee. Stella always picks one corner on each side of my desk. Heidi moves to any location that feels comfortable for that morning. She has 4-5 different places inside the computer room where she likes to sleep.

She is never too far away from me.

This is Stella's normal position as I sit and watch ballgames, day or night. Since I am not allowed yet to set on soft couches or chairs that soak you up with comfort, I sit to the side of the end table on my kitchen chair with the higher seat, a straight back and the 4" orthopedic seat cushion I bought on Amazon. This location moves Stella out to the right side of the small coffee table.

So ... the Stella story.

I warned Kelly from Sierra Dog Groomers that Stella was a professional escape artist and she might try to get out of any kennel she was staying in for the day. I did not ask but found out they put her and Heidi in the same kennel which is perfect. Kelly told me it was one of their older kennels and I can't remember exactly how big the opening was but there was a 'slight' opening made by past escape experts I guess.

All the kennels are in another room, a shut door separating them from the big room where the bathing and grooming takes place. Kelly started laughing when she described how her and two other groomers were working on other dogs with Heidi and Stella in the other room INSIDE A KENNEL !!! ..... when .... you guessed it ....

Out walks Stella into the room they were grooming other dogs !!!!

Not only did she get out of the kennel but was able to turn the round doorknob of the closed door that separated the two room ... LOL She could not believe it and I laughed and replied "I warned you she is an EXPERT in escaping anything that locks her inside." Funny funny hound.

Now ... the scare at 4am

I have been following the technique from the day I got home on how to get in and out of bed, in and out of a chair and how to turn gradually no matter how good I feel and no matter how many thousand of steps I walk in a day. That has never changed no matter what.

So in the dark bedroom this morning I sat up and let my lower back stretch a little bit before moving my legs. Keeping the legs straight and together, I lean back on my hands and slowly swing my legs to the edge of the bed and then letting them bend over the edge of the bed. I decided at this point the first day on, that I would sit a moment to let the muscles get used to bending, before I attempt to stand.

At first I thought I had to walk to the bathroom for the first time all night but didn't, what a shock from the number of times earlier in the week BEFORE I was given doctors permission to sleep on my side instead of my back. So I lifted my straight legs and while bracing myself with hands behind me ... I swung the legs back to the right onto the bed.

Now before last Tuesday's followup with my surgeon I was still sleeping with the big foam piece from the hospital, between my legs. Now that large foam piece is replaced by a pillow so I can sleep on my side ... ALL doctors instructions and allowed.

This morning something happened as I spread my lower legs and feet that scared the crap out of me !!!!

As I was spreading my lower legs and feet, the heel on my right foot (surgical side) caught on the sheet on top of the mattress that has some sort of vertical design in the support sections. I have a firm mattress but there is a layer of softness on top. If you can picture that.

With my heel stub, the leg TRIED to move right ... for a SPLIT SECOND, that felt like a lifetime ....

My whole right leg had the feeling it was "dangling by a thread" ... a thin thread, not a rope or a tendon nor any kind of muscle ... a thin piece of thread.

I laid there perfectly still in the dark assessing the situation and scared. Ok ... no severe pain when it happened. No feeling of a thigh spasm when it happened nor after the foot eventually moved. No pain in the groin area which would signify damage to the hip socket. I felt nothing but normal.

I lifted that right leg and moved it slightly right than to the left ... no pain, felt like normal. I laid there still waiting for some sort of reaction from that heel stub, the dangling feeling and nothing showed up. Maybe I was okay after all. I'd know once I sat up, stood up and walked down the long tiled hallway but in the meantime I was going back for another hour of sleep.

I like using the walker first thing in the morning from the time I walk away from the bed, like a warmup. I can make sure all the muscles and joints are moving in the right direction and can make sure the least amount of weight is applied to the new hip joint. I use this walker for about the first hour or so just to get everything loose and operable. The doctor did tell me to keep alternating between the walker and walking without support of any kind.

So a close call and a funny Stella story ... not a bad way to start today's blog.

It seemed later than it was for most of the day. We didn't do much out of the ordinary and just enjoyed the sunshine, took a siesta and walked. I walked off and on during the day, some inside with the walker, doing laps around the backyard with the trekking pole or free with the pole in hand. I loaded some packing from my Amazon shipments into the trash bin for Monday pickup.

So I had some lightweight activity today.

Good weather puts the Aerostat back into the air.

With the cooler temps it was perfect for Stella to sleep the morning off outside. This photo seemed to be pretty popular among my Facebook friends. When her legs are crossed she is pretty relaxed.

While Stella was sleeping outside, Heidi took the living room.

I wore New Balance flat bottom, rubber sole shoes from the hospital and to my appointments. It was the only shoe I could fit my swollen right foot into. Once that swelling went down enough I put on my daily walking shoes. A lightweight hiking shoe with more support on top and a good sole on the bottom for all types of terrain.

How do I get that on my right foot?

I loosen the laces, curl the tongue forward the grip that with "the grabber". As I slide my foot into the show I use the 2-3 foot shoe horn the hospital gave me and by using that on back of the shoe and heel, my foot slides in with no problem. To tie the show I prop my right foot up like they showed me in PT, on a chair and tie them fast. Tie the left shoe is not a problem.

I did not walk as many steps today as the past two days but did walk halfway to the intersection Stella and I cross for her walk before turning around. That walk showed me I might have to use the walker to get to the mailbox which is further away.

Stella moved throughout the house most of the day sleeping.

When I tell the hounds I have to rest or take a siesta this is where they go. Every day, around noon. Today there was a strong cool breeze coming through the window and that made it even nicer to sleep. No AC for the past couple of days.

Yes, Stella sleeps during the daytime in the area where I put my feet when I get ready to get out of bed. So to prevent any kind of mistake I wake her up and get her to move before I swing my legs to the left to set my feet on the floor. She seems to understand what I am telling her and she moves as soon as she realizes I am getting up.

I did not hear the postman but around 1:15pm there was a nice long box leaning up against my porch wall. My Amazon metal adjustable cane had arrived !!!! There is a lot of difference between the cane with the padded curved handle and a trekking pole with the flat top rubber handle where you are to grip the side of the pole. I was so excited I went out and did a couple of laps around the backyard to check it out.

While I was walking Stella was deciding whether it was nice enough for all three of us to sit on the patio for a while and enjoy the hot sunshine. Due to elevation, the sun is a lot hotter here than where we lived in Indiana. It feels great though.

Tonight has a couple of college football games to watch and then to bed to start it all over tomorrow.

A nice day in the Wild West.

Stella Escapes AGAIN !!!!

Anyone want a bloodhound??? An EXPERT in getting out of any kind of confinement. She can open doors with lever handles or round. If she ever gets outside the house, she will sit and wait for your return. Her funny personality and being a great bloodhound 99.99999% of the time keeps her from any animal shelter or me giving her away. Don't panic and don't scream at me .... I'm kinda joking here and need some space to vent as I tell the story from today. Thank you.

When I left at 10:42am to drive 27 miles to Best Buy, I was using the tested proven security of a tight, a very tight, cord tied around the bedroom door (she is behind that door), stretched tightly to another door handle that goes to a closet maybe 10 feet away.

The theory being ... if she pulled the doorknob from inside the bedroom, the tension from pulling would tighten the cord from the opposite direction and prevent her from opening the door. This has worked many times since her last escape almost a month ago

This is the other doorknob the cord is tied to. I double checked both doors before tying the cord to make sure their latches were in place and would prevent either door from opening.

When I arrived home at 12:53pm .... around 2 hours and 11 minutes later .... I saw that top photo, Stella standing next to her LAST apple out of five of them. I bought some great Red Delicious apples just yesterday morning. I was in total shock about her standing there, a lot more than the damaged fruit.

For those that read the post this morning you may remember it was suppose to start raining at noon. When I walked out of the store it sure didn't look like rain nor did it rain at home ... so that isn't what made her want to escape. Maybe she was hungry since I was almost two hours late serving her lunch??? Who knows???  LOL

All I could think about was HOW DID SHE GET THAT DOOR OPEN  ?????? God Almighty she is good!!!!! Anything I have tried the past 3 years and 4 months with a 18 month gap of nothing in the middle ... she has figured out ways of escaping !!!! I cannot tell you all that she has destroyed in those first 22 months ... but to give you an idea I'll mention the word "drywall."

Today, she had opened the bedroom door just enough to chew the cord in half, thus getting out. I guess by her pulling inside with her mouth and jaws around the door knob, it popped the closet door open releasing the tension on the cord. THEN she probably chewed the cord in half.

I glanced to my left and saw what was left of a new bundle of 7 bananas. Obviously from all the small brown marks on the floor, she had not only eaten them but had walked on soft bananas and the peelings, with sigs of her paws on the floor.

She has not been sick today, in any way. This isn't the first time she ate all of my fruit sitting in bowls on the kitchen table or on the counter. The first week I had her in September 2015, I was outside mowing the yard while she ate all of my bananas, apples, half of a whole pineapple, three mangos minus the pits (which are poisonous), and four kiwi. She didn't get sick then either.

Like I said I was in shock. At least there was no damage in the bedroom like in the past. She did not touch my desk and probably never walked in the computer room. She walked up to me slightly cowering, slowly wagging her tail. She knew she had done something she shouldn't have. When she looks up with those eyes of hers, any frustrated or angry feelings I have are always gone instantly. She really is a great bloodhound.

For new readers, I was her 4th owner in her first 6 years of life.

Seeing that she had escaped took away any excitement I had about buying the Apple Watch. Here I am just starting to set it up, getting ready to change the face and move the information to where I want it on my watch face.

With Stella's escape I was mentally stymied again, slightly confused on what do I do now? Will I ever be able to leave my house again while she is living here? Am I a prisoner in my own home? She had 18 months of perfect manners, never trying to escape with just a closed door. There were times during that 18 months that I was gone 8-10 hours visiting friends.

Later in the afternoon she had a second change ... a short test. I had to go buy some dog food. I had two choices ... take her with me for the half mile trip to the store or leave her at home in the same set up ... only this time I would add the baby gate right next to the door in case she opened the bedroom door again.

In the afternoon test I was gone for less than 10 minutes, in and out with a new 40 pound bag of kibble. I was relieved when I pulled into the driveway to see she was not outside waiting on me. (that happened in 2015) I was thrilled as I looked in the kitchen door window to see the bedroom door still closed. I didn't care that I was only gone for 10 minutes at the most ... I was just happy she had not escaped.

As she walked out with Heidi wagging her tail, I praised her like I was training an 8 week old puppy again ... then gave her a couple of grain free, bacon flavored (what a combo that is) dog treats. I will continue that positive reinforcement no matter how long I am gone, IF she is good. She went almost a month since her last escape.

I am still learning all about the Apple Watch Series 4. In the few hours I have owned it, it is awesome !!!! In fact it might be the BEST Apple product I have bought in the last 10 years. It is that good.

I did my first ECG (EKG and was told my heart rhythm is normal. Of course I will have to get used to charging the watch every day or at least every 18 hours. It came 100% charged. I will write a review about it after a few weeks of using it or a month at the latest.

Since Stella figured out I was not going to hang her from the highest rafters, give her away or keep her outside as punishment ... she was more interested in finding a car door that was opened or one she could open for a ride around town. Or, she was smelling the bag of dog food in back of the car, locked up.

I had another toy show up in the mail today. It's a Canon G9 X Mark II, with a 1" sensor and from I have been told by a friend that recommended the camera to me, it will do just as well if not better than my Nikon D3200. I am anxious to use it on the morning walks as soon as the rain stops. Maybe by tomorrow morning. In the meantime I'll take some photos with it in the house, low light conditions, so I can compare those with my iPhone 8+ photos.

To say the least, it's been quite a day. From being very happy, to pissed off, to laughing as she looked at me with those crazy eyes of hers, then feeling busy again while I read about the watch and the new camera.

No worries .. I just had to add a little flavor of honesty to the story about Stella's escape.

I will continue to think of a Plan C for securing her when I am gone and I am always open to suggestions. Just remember, she is an EXPERT, not a normal dog you may have experienced with separation anxiety ... plus she is strong as an ox.  :)

Friday night in 'the tropics' of Southern Indiana, exciting times!!