Day Cancelled Due To Rain

It actually started last night with different periods of hard rain. At times it sounded as if I had a metal roof on the house. Directv signal was knocked out for short time as well as the Exede satellite internet.

That didn't matter. I was deep into my newest book, a novel by John Grisham called The Summons. I'm liking the large print. It's an older book and hard to put down so it was another night I had to force myself to stop reading to get some sleep ... it was 3am.

I was out cold and never heard another drop of rain the rest of the night, in fact I didn't hear anything. No weird dreams, no waking up in a sunlit room ... just solid sleep. You can always tell how much rain and how windy it was during the night by looking at the floor of the carport then next morning, to see it was pretty active.

It was good to see the car cover was still on the Z4. Halfway down each side of the cover are two grommets where I connect each with a bungee cord that goes under the car. That keeps the cover from blowing off when the wind speeds are extreme. Ask me how I know that.  LOL

Sadie and Stella went out this morning for just a short time. Stella did not have any hesitation in returning to the house after she took her bathroom break. Sadie in the meantime was trying to figure out the mole traffic which has destroyed not only my backyard this year, but the front yard this winter. I'm killing the grub worms in March, chemicals and all.

Stella normally has her tail lowered, rarely up and curled like Sadie so when she had her tail up and pointing out I couldn't believe how long it was. When you see the bottom half of her tail is black from a parent being a 'black n tan' bloodhound, it is pretty easy to see why the original owner named her "Dipstick". Plus there is a story from the couple I got her from that she did get into some oil in the garage while they were at work.

Once back inside the house, it was time to continue the book with Heidi and Stella exemplify what kind of day it's been. I've been keeping my house between 60°-65° but today is one of those days it might be 62° outside and inside the same but it feels much colder. Heidi needed the Marmot sleeping back to keep her warm.

Later we took a short break outside but it was lightly raining, the sky to the west didn't look any better. It might be 62° but the weather experts say it will be a high of 28° by Thursday. Where's global warming when you need it?

Lately when thinking about my spring to do list, I've change my mind about planting grass along the old 75 year old wire fence and hill at the corner of the house. Due to keeping the hill from moving I'd like to keep all of the roots of the trees in the ground, along with the concrete blocks the Amish house builders threw into the hill 40 years ago.

I have enough problem with 'ground swell' as it is besides pulling up all the roots and planting new grass. I don't think just planting grass on this hill would hold it. All the underground water in that field leads right to my backyard.  I might throw a few handfuls of wild flower seeds over this area to mix in with what grows back to give it some color.

After posting the pictures of the Mini Cooper yesterday without the stripes here and on the Mini Cooper forum, I have had a surprising number of emails and forum replies. Everyone has some pretty good ideas on how to move forward.

One interesting idea was to put two solid wide stripes only on the hood in dark gray and on each outside edge a very thin red strip. The majority of Countryman owners on the forum suggested keeping the red mirror caps and the brake inlets, then doing a couple of mods to accent the red.

I originally thought of making it black as possible. Now remember all the ideas I speak of, have pictures online or on the Mini Forum showing me what it would look like before I make changes. I also thought of putting on door handle caps that are black. They sell those along with the chrome trip around the headlights and brake lights. Many paint those chrome trim pieces.

One forum member even suggested painting the thin piece of chrome around the car called the 'belt line' red.

Interesting about the color black. I thought it would be quite easy just to order a set of mirror caps in black and then sell my red ones. I was wrong. Even the official Mini accessory site does not list black caps as an option. So I guess from the pictures I saw online, those were special ordered at the time they bought the car or were painted later.

The thing is I am still a fan of chrome and to me there is just enough chrome there to make the car look good. Until I was looking through 5 different sites last night that sold Mini accessories, I didn't realize those red brakes you see behind the black wheels cost almost $1,500.

I also found the exact stripes I took off, in a kit for $117. Some have suggested putting them back on, only on the hood and rear hatch door. Some think only on the hood would look okay while others say forget the stripes and make it as black as possible.

Speaking of cars, I noticed the Toyota dealership that took my blue FJ in trade back in October still has it on their lot for sale. They just had their 3rd price reduction and it is now priced the same as what they gave me for a trade in. I'm surprised it has not been sold yet, since they installed new OEM catalytic converters plus fixed anything they found to replace.

The hounds probably miss riding in it. But I like the Cooper Countryman and it still gives me all the room I need plus better gas mileage. It's quite comfortable.

Well I am headed back to my book. I think I can finish that tonight. Thanks to all that have suggested books to read the past few days. I have included every one on my list of books to read and have found a few of them available in my library. If they are not available I can have them sent here within the state library system.

I see just a little blue sky trying to peek outside the clouds but it's way too wet to take a hound walk today here in 'the tropics' of southern Indiana.

Stella's Deer Chase In July

After giving an overcast day a chance to dry out the wet field after a night and morning of steady rain, I thought me might be able to fit a walk in before the next storms were scheduled to arrive around 6pm. After starting the walk it looked like the ground would be dry enough ... but my 55mm-200mm lens wasn't working smoothly when I tried to focus.

Right after this photo the hounds took off into a sprint, chasing something at ground level. I was too busy turning off the camera, taking off the lens and putting it back on, to see what they were chasing. Hoping that would get the lens to work properly.

I zoomed in for this next photo since they were way ahead of me.

As I approached the corner of the field I didn't see a bloodhound anywhere but at the same time I didn't see anything running on the horizon or along the edge of the field.

They were both pretty intense on what they were finding on ground. At times small birds would take off from ground level, where the hounds had flushed them out.

While the hounds explored their favorite spots, I saw this red leave shining bright from a distance away. Everything is green except this.

All of us headed along the path towards the turning point near the high power line tower. Stella trotted over to "the no fly zone" and when I turned around to see where she was ... I saw her in this stance ... I knew she had locked into to some deer over near the next wooded area where we never walk.

About this time the camera lens decided it wasn't going to work. It didn't move either way as it tried to auto focus. By the time I did the shut down drill and reinstall the lens I was way behind all of the action that had taken place. I saw deer hopping sky high as Stella and Sadie took off after them.

I headed over the small grade to see where the hounds were. No deer but they were double checking all of the deer scents that had just passed through that area. They had always came back to me so instead of walking all the way over there I headed back to the path home.

When I got to this point of the walk, I turned to check the horizon and didn't see a bloodhound anywhere, I thought it might be a good idea to start walking their direction just in case they had headed into that woods. I thought Sadie would have shown up by now, but she wasn't around either.

As I glance a little left, I see a deer sprinting as hard as it can, way before this photo was taken. I didn't see any bloodhounds chasing it though. Once again the camera lens decided not to cooperate so by the time I caught the deer in the next photo, she had ran through three lots of green grass and through the small woods behind my neighbors house.

By this time the hounds are not even close to the woods and the deer is already out of the woods to the north of my house and is headed into the woods where we start our walks.

This is the corner of that small wooded area behind my neighbors house. Stella has the right scent path of the deer but she was too late and too far behind to see any deer.

Stella was proud of her chase though. After all that deer was running for her life and Stella had flushed her out into the open field.

They both decided they would track that deer all the way to the house, even if the deer had cut into the woods nowhere near the house.

As I write this I have lost internet connection. The first clap of loud thunder was at 5:07pm so Wunderground was pretty close on the time of the next round of storms. It's forecasted to rain all day for the next 6 out of 7 days. Tuesday is the only day I'll have no rain scheduled, where I can mow the yard.

It's a hard downpour here in 'the tropics' of Southern Indiana tonight.

Stella Has Anxiety Attack 2nd Day In A Row

I am beginning to think the field across the highway will not be planted this year. I'd have to look back through my photos to see when the last time they did not plant anything.

I believe it's dry enough to get their equipment into that field but thunderstorms are forecasted for this afternoon. That will give me enough time to get all the outdoor stuff done and maybe even a short drive in the Z.

I was up way too early this morning, a few minutes after 5am. Instead of tv's and computers the past two days and nights, I've been reading books and that puts me in bed way before midnight. It's also nice to sleep all night instead of getting up numerous times. I know reading is much better than tv's and computers, especially before going to bed, yet I am also reading during the afternoons.

I stayed up this morning and woke the hounds up around 6am by just pouring their morning kibble into their stainless steel bowls ... they heard that behind a closed door and they were thrilled.

It looks like someone else is getting an early start on their day also.

To get you caught up and get my mind caught up, I guess I'll start with Wednesday morning. It was a 12 minute test for Stella and she failed again.

I was reading on the Z4 forum the other day that Country Mart gasoline was rated high and I have a station near me that I wanted to check out. This place has changed hands so many times that it may or may not have 91 octane gas. It was good to see they not only had 91 octane but with no ethanol.

So that was going to be my 12 minute test for Stella. Following my process of "lets she what she does in this situation" ... I did not close the window all the way but left a small window fan that goes across the width of the window and is locked in by the window frame sliding down on top of the fan.

Thinking now, I could have slid the storm window down behind it since it was just a test but I didn't think of that yesterday, so the window screen was behind the fan.

It was good to see as I drove up the driveway that Stella was nowhere to be seen. :)  I wanted to see what she had done so I walked around to the window to look in from the outside ... screen complete gone!!!! No fan visible. She stood on her back legs to look out the window at me so I could tell there was no way she could get out the window.

She tried to move the bed but I had blocked it with my locker full of camping stuff that sits about bed frame high. Otherwise she would have gotten out of the window again by getting on the bed.

The fan was okay but she had tore that out of the window. Then with her front paws had tore out the screened window all the way but the frame stayed inside the storm window this time.

I was not happy with her results. She had been great for 3 months when I was gone and even on Monday when I was gone for 4 hours. So, the only thing that has changed in our routine or life ... it has to be the new car.

How could that be? Contessa told me her two dogs can tell a difference in which car they are taking so it might be the sound of the car that is upsetting her.

I had an appointment in the afternoon and by the time I drove to and from, sat through the appointment, I was going to be gone almost 3 hours. That had "disaster" written all over it. Too hot to take her with me and leave her in the car even with the windows cracked open a few inches. It was 83°

So to see if it was the car ... before I left I shut both windows all the way, turned on the A/C for them. Then took the FJ to town and back. No damage. Then took the Z4 to town and back. No damage. Yet, the windows were closed completely.

I returned that afternoon a little over 2 hours. There wasn't any damage but the windows were closed. Last night I took a drive for about 45 minutes, leaving her in the same set up ... windows closed, bed blocked ... no damage.

So maybe ... just maybe ... she is back to being okay with me being gone. In the meantime I'll take a short drive today before it rains to see what she does. I have let the car idle with Stella outside so she can hear the sound. She just sat there staring at me and staring at the car with her eyes barely open.

I might have found though where all of this separation anxiety came from last night when I was talking to the original owner of Stella. The story about her background kind of changed a little from what I was told when I picked her up which to shows me how all this anxiety started.

The family moved from a farm to the city. I knew that but what I did not know, was there was a period of a year that Stella was left with a relative until they could find a house with a big backyard. She had lost her owner. I did not ask how often she went back to visit Stella.

Then a year later the original owner picks her up and takes her to the city with a fenced in yard ... but since she is an expert in escaping ... that is all she did every time they left her in the backyard while they were gone ... she escaped and tormented the neighbors.

Then Stella is given to a new owner that lives on a large farm, which is where I picked her up 7 months after she moves there, on August 30, 2015. So, in 6 years of her life she had moved 4 times and had 4 owners counting me. Seems obvious why she has separation anxiety doesn't it???

By yesterday afternoon Heidi was wanting to go on a walk again. She sprinted toward the field so fast I could barely catch her with the camera. From the very beginning the bugs, flies, gnats were out in full force ... simply miserable.

Let's just say that we didn't make it far on this walk before turning around and going back home. I wussed out. When I saw this bird jump from the tall grass in front of Sadie I thought there might be issues but nothing happened.

Heidi is off to a good start but the flies are bothering her along the way. Is it me or does it look like she has gained a little weight?

At this point in time, Heidi stops and doesn't move. I'm not sure what's going on and by the time I walk back to her, she turns and starts trotting for the house. That is when I decided we all go back together.

A few hours later, Sadie is still wanting to finish the walk so we decide to take an early evening walk. Heidi had a huge red rash on her stomach and legs ... her skin has really been looking better recently. When she didn't get off the couch but rolled onto her back to show me her stomach ... I'm serious ... the bloodhounds and I decided we would get the walk in.

Another day of walking in that tall grass and I found zero ticks on the hounds but I had a couple to pull off of me. So for a month the ticks disappeared from the hounds after giving them NexGard.

Since Stella was woke up about an hour earlier than her normal time, she was tired and not interested in getting any further away than the corner of the FJ. Her routine was off and she was more than happy to go back inside and continue her morning sleep.

All the storms are coming from the west and should be here later this afternoon but this was a morning photo looking NE. Maybe the storms will do their normal split at the state line and miss me by following the Ohio River and I-70. I can dream can't I?

It's hard for me to blog just a few days a week ... too many photos and too many stories.

Sunny this morning in 'the tropics' of Southern Indiana.