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.

All The Hounds Enjoy Monday

You will have to excuse the 'lived in' look as I have been lagging on my housekeeping inside. I wanted to show what Heidi does most of the time not only during the freezing cold days in the winter but those summer days where the temps are above 80*, if not 75°. Any ideas on cleaning a leather couch of that size?

I had barely taken my regular second photo from the corner of the house, then setting my Garmin VivaSmart to monitor time and distance for the walk ... when I glanced up and Sadie was in a full run starting her own walk. We had a later than normal start today but the shaded areas were still wet with heavy dew. The snow boots were worn again today. I like dry feet.

As I walked I glanced over at Stella and all things seemed normal.

Then she made an abrupt turn and I knew then ... this was going to be a long walk and since it was Monday, she may have had come up with a new routine.

After standing there for a few minutes I realized she was just looking for that perfect spot for the second time this morning to relieve herself. Without any words being said, once she was finished she started trotting in our direction.

Sadie was in the exploring mode, Stella had returned to her stubborn mode and never heard a word I said. Verbal herding was not working the first part of the walk. Luckily it was another nice morning although I could feel a little more heat than our Saturday morning walk. It was still be about 10°-15° cooler this afternoon compared to last week and that would be good enough.

Sadie was acting as if she had picked up a field mice ... not with her mouth but with her nose. With her tail slightly wagging and her nose moving from spot to spot, I was sure it was a mouse she had corralled.

After a lot of begging, pleading and promises of dog treats when we returned home ... I finally got Stella around that first turn. Once she did that she settled in on her pace and seemed pretty content on this walk this morning.

More proof that Sadie had 'cornered' a live field mouse.

Unlike Winston, she will never pick up a field mouse with her mouth ... Winston would especially after the field was cut.

The thing about Sadie is, you never have to call her ... she will always come running on her own to catch up with me.

I was barely able to slide the lens down to 18mm to catch this photo. The rubber grip has stretched on the lens and at times makes it hard to turn the lens quickly. Searching online I found the problem was not only a Tamron problem but it also happens to Nikon and Canon lenses.

Just as I turned away from Sadie ... Stella was heading north at a fairly good pace. She was attempting her escape.

I yelled "hey" real loud and I was surprised she stopped and gradually turn and walked over to join Sadie. But that doesn't mean that she would keep walking as I walked the path. Oh no ... not Stella.

I had made the final turn toward home and when I glanced back both Sadie and Stella were way behind me next to the path ... I had to walk all the way back to Stella to explain to her the benefits of heading home with me, without further delay.  LOL

Both hounds decide on the way back if we follow the normal route at the "Y" or take the alternate route home. This morning Stella followed the alternate path.

I should have kept her in front of me, but she walks so slow that I have to pass her ... today that was a mistake. You remember this is a new week, it's Monday and soon into the walk Stella was showing me she has new plans starting today. She attempted one escape in the back of the field ...

I don't think I had walked more than 30', when I glanced back at Stella and she was already heading to the woods behind the neighbors house. Once again I yelled 'hey' loudly and she slowly turned our direction. It took a while but she finally stepped into the yard a few minutes later as Sadie and I waited at the corner property pole.

This is one reason I have a hard time to keep the moles out of my yard. Out in the field near the brush line I saw fresh mole activity. Now this is pretty far away from the yard but there were two to three spots like this in he field.

So it was not a surprise as Sadie and I stood in the north part of the yard waiting for Stella that I saw new mole activity in my yard. In March I spread some grub worm killer I had found in the shed and did the whole yard. It did a very good job so far this summer keeping the moles completely away. I might have to apply another small bag of the grub worm killer right before the next rain.

All of the hounds let me know by 12:30pm that I was a little off in my prediction of late afternoon hitting only the mid-80's. While Heidi stood there as her inner thermometer gauged the real temperature, Sadie and Stella had not moved off the driveway.

When I drove over to the recycling center this morning have of those miles to and from are on highways or country roads cutting through corn or soybean fields. With all the rain we had this spring and the perfect planting the farmers did with rain flooding out their crops ... it looks like a stellar year for the low farmers harvest in the fall. Every field I have seen locally has the perfect look to it.

While I walked around looking for any signs that my weed killer was starting to work, with rumors that might take weeks, Stella decided it was a perfect time for one of her short after lunch naps. Even Heidi had moved over to her favorite spot, a place that she will sit when I let her out alone when she goes to the door. It is really nice to have three hounds that don't wander off most of the time. Heidi never does, of course you know Stella's background and there are just a few times that Sadie will but that will be in the field or woods.

This is the look or one of the looks of a content basset hound.

The sky seems so blue when the clouds are large and puffy ... I guess I should have cut out that electrical wire from the photo.

Sadie wanted a walk but knew it was too soon after lunch. She can tell it's pretty hot by her open mouth but hardly any panting. As I stood talking to her I could feel that it sure felt like 90°.

I decided it was the perfect time to cut the toenails of all three hounds so I headed inside to grab the nail clippers. One step back outside and all three hounds were standing in front of the step wanting back inside ... the plan to cut toenails had been delayed. I hate cutting them inside even with a great vacuum.

Stella is due for a bath. Luckily she loves having the water run over her ... Sadie sprints away all over the house until I give up. So I have had to trick her in the past to go for a ride, then have the groomer do the job. It's nice now that there is a dog groomer at the vet we use.

With most things finished outside and the temperature too hot to do much, I migrated back inside the air conditioned room to clean the house and then start a new book. I am feeling it's going to be biography's for a while and they are all on my bookshelf here at home.

It was the normal routine this afternoon while the hounds slept I watched a tape copy of the Tour de France Stage 3 and the F1 race that was on Sunday. The DVR was on of the best inventions ever, right behind Gorilla Glue.

We are headed out for our 2nd walk of the day and those are always without the camera and Stella on a leash. That is because it is usually to hot to let her roam at her on pace. She doesn't mind the retractable leash and still has 25' to veer off the path.

Reds baseball tonight, maybe a movie, or reading my book.

No matter what, it was a great day here in 'the tropics' of Southern Indiana.