Stella Was Energized Today

After getting to bed earlier than normal last night, the hounds and I started our day in the dark before 7am. The days are getting shorter and reminds me of the days I would drive to work in the dark and at times arrive back  home in the dark. Retirement gives a different feel when waking up and making coffee in the dark and the hounds outside for their first trip of the day. I knew when I saw Stella running out of the carport to the left toward the field ... she was energized today.

It did not feel as humid as we stepped outside this morning and that 70° will not last long today. I have to wait for 6 more days the high temps move back to the lower 70's and high 60's. Due to that all my polyurethane work is on hold. I want to apply it and let it dry with good ventilation with all the windows open. So ... today I'll pick another task off the 'to do' list and do that today, inside, with the AC running when it decides it needs to.

This time as we started the walk ... Stella didn't wait for me like she had been doing recently. Once again a sign of energy that I haven't seen in a while.

 

I decided today to add some photos of the dying or died wild flowers or plants in the field. A sure sign of fall, plus I wasn't sure how many photo opportunities Stella would give me on this morning's walk. She would spend a lot of time walking about 3' feet behind me, barely within camera range.

It's been a few days of changes. You may have noticed that I started putting the commentary for the photo above the photo not below. Yesterday I changed the Apple and Firefox to a 'light' mode from the 'dark' mode ... this morning I changed it back to the darker mode. I've always liked the feel of a new iPhone. NO ... I didn't upgrade my 8+ for one of the new ones. I did take off my new case and decided I would try using the iPhone without a case.

I like the feel of the sleek, thin phone. Since the first Apple iPhone came out I have dropped my phone only 1 time on the concrete carport floor as I was trying to balance phone, books, cup of coffee and my FJ keys. The corner of the case probably saved the phone. So why I am tempting possible disaster with a glass back iPhone and no protection of any kind?

My curiosity always leads me to do an internet search. I have not used Google Search in many months and instead use DuckDuckGo ... it's not what Google has found but it's the principal. If I didn't have Blogger blogs I would have deleted my gmail accounts months ago. Transfer the blogs to Wordpress ???? On the free version that is a hard process but problem free if I were to use their paid Wordpress blog where I would have to buy a host server. So ... I've stayed on Blogger.

What did I search?  "How many iPhone users do not use a case" ... surveys show around 40% for all the same reasons why I want to test it without a case. I'll keep you posted what happens ... or you will hear me screaming loudly through this blog when I drop it and crack the glass black of the iPhone or screen. If that happens, believe me ... hearing me through this blog is possible, without even writing a post.  LOL

Another sign of energy from Stella ... she was actually curious about things off the path.

It's times like these I think of buying a macro lens for the camera.

Stella enjoying her morning walk. Not a care in the world ... is her world.

You see her following the path without much variation.

Here you can see she is going to follow the path and automatically turn left as the path turns left.

It is kind of funny on her walks because she walks at the same slow pace, rarely changing speeds, and rarely darting all over the field from place to place. As you know there is a lot less energy and activity on our walks without Sadie. She loved to track scent in this field.
 

She always seems to stop at the same places to scratch herself. Luckily this past week since her surgery she has not scratched the spot on her head, the stapled spot on her inner front leg nor her right eye. All three tumor spots are healing and look great.

I waited, had my camera focused and waited for Stella to catch up ... I was hoping to see her run. She RAN but ran so fast toward me that my camera was only able to catch her running in one photo. This is the fastest I have seen her run in a year or longer.

We have two choices when we are walking back toward the house. I let Stella choose which path we take. This morning it surprised me that she chose our old return path so we turned left and followed parallel to the edge of the field. She was only fooling me.

She started walking away from me toward the middle of the field. I let her go because I was pretty sure she was just going to follow other other path into the backyard, like she has before. She walked her way and I walked my way.

Again this Friday, a white flower blooms next to the return path and within 3' from where Sadie lay in the field on the 15th of September. Honestly ... this flower was not there on yesterday's walk nor any day this week.

By the way Stella was acting along in the backyard, I had a feeling she would have wanted to play if I were over with her. By the time she ran toward the house I was positive I missed an opportunity to play with her at the end of the walk.

She stood there for a while ... was she waiting for me ?

She showed some energy again as she broke into a run faster than a trot.

I barely caught her at the end of her run. She never stopped, ran around the corner of the house straight to the door, standing there waiting for me to open the door for her.

Heidi ??? .... she spent the morning in a deep sleep on the dog bed in the corner of the bedroom. I bought for her in 2011 but claimed by Sadie as hers the next day and used for the past 7 years. Heidi has been spending more time outside in the afternoon but I always catch her without having my camera in my hand.  She has not shown any interest in taking a walk with us, even with short toenails and clean teeth.

It was normal routine after their lunch but I was a little late feeding them and they let me know it soon after I arrived home with three books to read from the library. Heidi didn't hesitate to start barking nonstop with Stella raising her nose to the ceiling and howling as loud as possible.

Once they were fed and outside ... all that excitement and energy was gone ... it was hot, muggy and time for their afternoon siestas.

After a lot of book reading, some baseball on tv that is still being played now, I even took a short siesta ... as you can see the hounds were not much more energetic five hours later. They wanted to go outside but with that western sun setting it is the hottest side of the house this time of day.

Hidden in these last five photos are the top two projects of my 2019 'to do' list. Can you figure out what they are?

I am not sure what passes so close to the carport while we are either sleeping at night or inside during the day but this spot has a lot of interest from Heidi and Stella. I am guessing a cat that we never see when we are around.

The book that I cannot put down and will finish tonight is The Fifth Risk by Michael Lewis.

Another great day here in 'the tropics' of Southern Indiana.

The Hounds Roll Along

Although the days change the hounds stay the same day in day out. The weather might make them deviate from their routines but overall nothing changes with them too much, and me either. A couple of things that have, cooler temps and my 'to do' list items keep getting marked off as I complete them. I knew that once I got started the momentum would start to roll. The hounds take me for walks when I need a break.

With the extra kibble I am giving Stella I can tell that she is gaining a little weight and her ribs are starting to disappear. I also caught her trotting a few times this past week during our morning walks.

Stella was sure that she was out of my line of sight. I can't remember what I was saying to get both of their attention. Sadie's lump on the right side has not changed.

I am stuck right now on what to say ... I am almost speechless and out of ideas.

Stella's collar made it through the last load of laundry. Looks like new and she was really happy to wear it again. It's the one she came with. Hair is growing back on her ears and inside of her legs. Maybe she had only summer allergies?

One morning while I was taking pictures of butterflies and clouds, Stella was making her attempt of sneaking away toward the backyard of the neighbor. She was walking with purpose, a little faster than what she walks near me and was ignoring all of my calls.

Sadie decided on her own it was time to make a rescue.

The only problem was when she stopped to look for Stella, she was facing the wrong direction. She was facing north and Stella was walking northwest.

It seems on every late afternoon walk, on the way back to the house, Stella will stop stand and smell something toward the neighbors a couple of houses down. Or it might be that she hears someone. On this day she decided that standing wasn't going to be good enough ... so she sat, not moving facing the direction she does every afternoon. I am sure it's food she smells.

No ribs showing.

You can see the lump on Sadie in front of her rear leg. At times when she is standing still, I can barely feel the lump at all.

Through all of these walks ... this is what Heidi does 99.9% of the time. She must be preparing for the freezing temps in the winter. Well back to my tasks at hand ... I've really been in the mood to work lately. I'm getting a lot done.

It's been a great summer in 'the tropics' of Southern Indiana this year.