Heidi Surprises All Of Us

It was a great afternoon with the windows open, the hounds sleeping next to me on the couch while I started a couple of new books while watching the Reds win their third straight game. We are now a half game in front of the Cubs, who dwell in last place. :) As forecasted, the winds started picking up some steam as the day went on. Nothing major but you can see I have some new tree limbs to start my burn pile scheduled to burn this November 2019.

I could barely stand up straight while I took the photo of Stella checking out the strong winds from the SW. I wasn't sure what her plans were but it was past 4pm and I needed to take our second walk of the day. She was probaby smellig those three trucks worth of fertilizer across the highway. I admit the smell has been pretty strong. It's just part of living in a rural area.

If you would have seen Heidi at 4:15pm you would have thought there was no way she was getting outside this afternoon even with the temperature hitting 81°. She had not moved hardly at all during the ballgame that started at 12:30pm.


When she sat up staring out in front of her with eyes barely open, I asked "do you want to go outside and go for a walk?" ... she didn't bother to even look in my direction. All she did was slowly turning left, changed the side she was sleeping on. I thought the walk was cancelled for sure and went back to reading my book.

It only takes me getting up off the couch and do anything and I mean anything, in the kitchen ... both hounds will always wake from a deep sleep and come running. After all, the only reason I would be in the kitchen would be to get some food FOR THEM ... wouldn't it?

So they both let me know they were ready to head outside when I asked them. Heidi marched across the carport floor as if she had plans leading us on the walk today. That one large limb stopped her in her tracks, where she had to think not only how to get over or around it (she's not a problem solver), or even if a walk was possible.

I was about 10' in the field asking her or telling  her to "come on" .... she slowly turned just like she did on the couch and sat down. She would enjoy the temps while Stella and I were gone but she wasn't in the mood to walk the half mile ... even at her pace.

She will usually trot out toward me and Stella to welcome us back but with all the new grass, weeds and wild flowers growing in the yard she had a few places she needed her nose to check out.

Stella was claiming no guilt to the new strip of dried bloodhound drool that my newly washed car caught sometime in the past 24 hours. It was the type of drool that flies through the air when she shakes her head.

I guess it is better to see it on the rear corner of the car instead of spread out on my 55" tv screen.  :)

With my short run to the recycling center this morning I was able to stop by the library to turn in the two books I checked out last week and see what they had on their autobiography shelf and their 'new' section.

Victor Davis Hanson is not a Trump insider, past WH employee, in congress nor anywhere near the political scene. He did not work for Trump in any way nor has he ever met him and has no plans to. He was raised in a Democratic family, still lives in the same house he was raised in, Central California and still farms ... he has written many books but the one I picked up today was The Case For Trump.

It's hard to put down and I'll return to reading it as soon as I finish this blog post that will be scheduled to post early tonight. Take a look at it online, I think you will find it interesting to read ... both fans and haters.

There were FOUR new books about diets, food, and scientific proof on what I should eat, in the "new section" and I brought home Eat To Beat Disease by William Li, MD. I'll not go into detail but I compared my shopping list and what I have been eating to his lists (he has more than one) of foods he recommends.

What I found strange, bananas and avocados were not listed in his book nor found in the index in back. Hmmmmm.

It was good to see that what I have been eating overall is all on his lists of good food. He also states that you can tie in his information to any kind of diet you might be doing or any kind of diet prescribed by a doctor for any specific diseases you might have. You do not have to give up those good food diets to do his recommendations.

Chewy told me they were going to file a complaint with FedEx based on my feedback on their website for my last two out of three screwed up shipments. I received an email last night (the 10th) they had shipped my GlycoFlex Plus supplement for Stella ... I received it TODAY !!!!! Just like they use to do. My shipments in January and March took between five to seven days to arrive after I got the first notice it had shipped.

I'll go back to their website right after I finish this post and leave great feedback.

So another day in the books, marked as a success. No injuries, no falls, hounds are healthy and wise, well rested and I have not had any crushing urges for junk food. Yet .... we do have our annual TICK attack. As with any warm weather in the spring the ticks are out in force and of course they like me more than they like the hounds.

One thing good about wearing shorts while walking in the field (never recommended) ... I could see all 8 of them as they walk on my legs and before they could attach themselves. I checked both hounds, inside their ears, in their armpits and everywhere else .... ZERO found. I won the tick game today 8-0 ... the Reds won 5-0.

A few years ago on my blog on Blogger, I added a little square in the upper corner of the blog with my name and the hounds names listed individually for our "tick counter" ... over 120 total tics in April of that year and I won the contest by a landslide. It was tempting to join them as they chewed their NexGuard chews that year. I passed on that option.

Thunderstorms tomorrow but I already have an idea for my blog post on Friday ... I'll have to dig up some photos but I think you will enjoy them. New readers, those since December, will see what I meant when I mentioned Sadie and Stella in this morning's post.

Another very very nice day here in 'the tropics' of Southern Indiana.

A Nothing Day Today

Nothing too exciting today here in 'the tropics'. The day started slower than slow and didn't end much faster as the photos will show.

There were a few minor changes today ... some to this blog, some additions to my Feedly account, some more ideas of traveling with Stella and general day dreaming.

The biggest and most enjoyable change today was the "heat index". That dropped around 15° and made a huge difference in the comfort level inside and out. Less air conditioning was ran today and the afternoon hound walk was more enjoyable ... even at a leisure pace.

Sadie was giving me that "stare" to walk this morning but at the time I took this photo I had not had my first cup of coffee ... so we weren't walking anywhere, except back inside to pour that first cup.

I saw a lot of blue skies today but it had a feel of being overcast most of the day. The rain is unpredictable but that doesn't really matter while all of us hide out inside to escape the afternoon heat.

Not sure where he was head but he had highway traffic backed up longer than the traffic laws allow and really nowhere to pull off to the side if he passed the intersection just in front of him. He passed that turnoff and the line of traffic slowly passed by the house.

After the hounds had lunch we did the normal trip outside. Heidi wasn't out longer than 5 minutes before she headed back to the door for me to let her inside. Stella decided she would sleep there because she was sleeping right before lunch ... she likes sleeping anywhere.

Sometime a little before 4pm I decided to do the afternoon walk. The weather seemed okay temperature wise outside, I needed something to do and the hounds are willing to walk anytime I grab the camera and say "lets go".

It might be just me but it seems that since the field has been cut and baled, the hounds spend more time with their noses in the ground than anywhere else.

Stella wasn't happy that I called her before she could walk into those woods. She started my direction but took her sweet ass time doing it. She has been pretty stubborn this week for some reason.

I did one more look at this last roll of hay they had here and there is not a string to bind it with anywhere. Just a roll of hay that is slowly falling apart.

Stella made one last attempt to sneak off into her "no fly zone" but once again slowly walked in my direction when I called her. When I say slow, I mean slower than slow. I've never seen a hound that walks as slow as she does.

They brought the red trailer last night right after we finished our walk. Probably a good thing because Stella would have been real interested in meeting their springer spaniel they had in back of their truck. Something seems to be wrong with the tractor but didn't see anyone today working on it, the few times I looked in that direction.

I've been thinking today of going back to a vegetarian diet. Last year I started Paleo Diet and lost a little over 20 pounds but never felt comfortable eating as much bacon and red meat as they recommended. I've been adding brown rice back to my diet which the past 6 months has had more chicken and salmon and less red meat.

As you see I started playing with the blog template today. From the choices of Blogger templates there isn't one that gives me everything I want in design but the one I changed to gave me more things I wanted than the one I have been using since January. Let me know of the fonts are too small for you to read, since I did decrease the page font one size smaller.

I am not finding any ticks on Sadie or Stella after our walks since giving them NexGard in April. They still love me though, as I pull off 4-5 after every walk. With the record heat out west, my friend in Phoenix says the scorpions are out in full force ... I think I'd rather have the war against ticks here in Southern Indiana.

It's that same time of year where I think of making some travel plans. I always wait too late and by this time it is really hot in the majority of the western states. That puts my choices up towards Montana, the Dakotas or the Pacific Northwest. I was planning to head that direction last July but Heidi became sick a few days before our departure. The vet needed for her to stay here 30 days before she could travel.

Of course last summer I had different hounds and a different combo. I handled the one bloodhound and two basset hounds with no problems in Rest Areas or off in a grassy area when refueling. All liked the tent, they slept most of the time I was on the highway.

This year Stella makes it a little different situation. One is because she is a large hound and I've gone to two bloodhounds and one basset hound. Here at home even two bloodhounds at times are hard to handle when they were both leashed when walking last fall. Plus the few times I have taken Stella with me to buy dog food in Bloomington I've let her out on a leash before we head back home.

With that store being on a busy four lane street and new surroundings, I found Stella to be a little skittish when I had her out on a leash. The traffic noise spooked her and she had the urge to take off running if I did not have her on that leash. She couldn't wait to get back inside the FJ.

Most likely a lot of her anxiety is from the times she had moved in her first six years. So if I am serious about traveling this summer, I need to load the hounds up in the FJ, with my standard 6' leashes and drive about 70 miles to the freeway and head to the nearest Rest Area to see how Stella would handle that. I know Sadie and Heidi would do okay in a Rest Area stop.

I think I'll go study cameras and see if it would be worth buying the Nikon D3300 at a discount price since they are discontinuing that model this summer.

Overall it was slow but a good day here in 'the tropics' of Southern Indiana.

The Hounds Fit In a Walk

When I wrote that earlier post this afternoon I thought the day was over and most outside activity was done. I'd be spending the rest of the day looking at different blog templates and playing around with them, while the Reds baseball game was on in the background.

Sadie had other ideas and as usual she got her way. The ground had dried out more than I thought it would be although my feet were wet most of the walk. I could tell from the start that Stella's nose was wired for sound today.

Of course that meant she was on her own schedule. When I didn't see her when I took the 2nd photo I figured she had gone into the woods and over the steep bank for the first time ever. That would not be a good idea for her.

About the time I was planning on seeing her much later, smelly from the mud and it going up her legs to her stomach ... that is how wet the bottom of that gully is ... I was saved by the bell, she came into view running fast.

She did a fly-bye with Sadie and they both took off. I guess that is what a morning of cabin fever does to them. High energy, where their noses and ears are working overtime.

I would say this area off to the right corner is where the deer spend a lot of time but I don't see a lot of mashed down hay where they would lay. There is something from scent that drive these two bloodhounds crazy when they get there.

Sadie is double checking to see if I see them. Or she may be trying to find out if I am yelling for them. Not today ... I keep walking without calling them.

Stella going from one place to another and is almost obsessed today with her nose to the ground.

She didn't want to leave but finally made the turn to come home. Once her feet hit the yard she didn't come straight to the house like she usually does ... she had some other smells to check out.

Sniffing all the way to the door.

NexGard continues to work well, especially today. I could not find one tick on either of them but pulled 6 off of me from my neck and legs within 10 minutes of sitting down at my desk. I wonder of those beef flavored chews taste good ... maybe I should be the one taking them.  j/k

The sun finally came out in 'the tropics' of Southern Indiana.