Stella's Birthday Was Yesterday

Even with a calendar reminder, plus the App "Reminders", someway I forgot to notice Stella's 8th birthday was last Wednesday. We made up for that yesterday with a hand full of treats and a manicure for her. She seemed pretty content as she, Sadie and I stood under the Mahogany trees in the backyard late Saturday afternoon enjoying the shade.

The pace here in 'the tropics' has almost come to a complete stop. I am working with what I have in the flowerbeds. I am waiting for mums to bloom at the local landscape biz and enjoy not having the Yews in front of the house. Since it was so nice outside yesterday I turned Sadie and Stella loose in the field and let them wander as they pleased.

They didn't go far, didn't run off and was more than happy to run back to the house when I called them. They were outside for almost an hour. They were both asleep within minutes after drinking water.

To break up the pace I thought I'd trying something different today on the blog. I only pulled a few photos from this morning's walk instead of the usual 25-30. I thought I'd include some photos from the afternoon or early evening if I took any ... then get back to posting at the end of the afternoon sometime after 5pm or 6pm.

That way I am not including yesterday photos with today's post.

While I walked this morning, Sadie did nothing but thoroughly explore the field and the far right corner. She was changing directions in an instant it was as if she was looking for something but not finding it. She covered a lot of ground by running and trotting until she closed in on a scent.

Stella was on her own exploration and spent more time trotting or at a very fast paced walk. Most of the time she was not around Sadie nor I and only within view with a 200mm lens.

I think that's a sign she is feeling better and getting back to her old self. She made a quick left turn about the time I took this photo. She was trotting to the 'no-fly zone' and I wasn't even close enough to start running after her.

By the time I reached the rolls of hay I could barely see her as she went down over the small hill toward the woods. She was on deer scent and headed to the woods ... until I yelled her name. She did an abrupt turn and started walking toward me ... she had been caught.

Sadie continued her field exploration and was totally unaware that Stella was heading to the woods without her.

I finally got them headed in the direction of home. They headed for the north part of the yard while I walked through the wet weeds, flowers and grass along the path. While they slept until lunch, I took off in the Z4 for a Sunday morning drive before it got too hot. It was only 70° when I left and the cool air felt great with the top down.

The hounds are taking these fantastic days for granted. They forget what it's like to have temps in the 20's and a strong wind blowing colder air on their walks. It will not bother them but I dread just the thought of that type of weather. All three hounds slept through the afternoon. I sat outside and read for a while with them inside.

Afternoon walks are much slower paced than the morning walks. That doesn't mean their noses take a break. They were very slow on the afternoon walk today at least during the first part of the field.

There were a few butterflies out but not nearly the number of them a few afternoons ago. Sadie was not into chasing them and at times would almost touch them as she walked by them with her nose to the ground.

It would be history in the making if both hounds walked slowly together following the path to the back of the field but that has never happened in the two years I've had two bloodhounds at the same time.

I'm calling this my favorite butterfly due to the color. I don't see a lot of them.

I continued my walk. Sadie headed off for the far right corner of the field and Stella found a spot and didn't move.

I have no idea what the name of this tree is but it looks like it should be in southern Florida not in the Midwest. I like the deep colors it produces.

At first I thought Sadie was joining me but she ran past me headed toward the 'no-fly' zone.

I had to zoom in with all my lens had to offer (200mm) to see that Stella thought she had time to check out the far right corner of the field. She had time, I didn't. That 80° temperature was starting to feel too hot to me.

When I yelled her name and she stopped, I knew I had her attention. Now, what would she do? She slowly turned and started walking toward me.

To the right of me, Sadie came running over the top of the hill and acted like I couldn't see her ...

Sadie moved past me and then away from me again. I wonder what she was smelling to make her go as fast as she was?

Again, I don't know the name of the tree but this one always starts changing color this time of year. That is at the first corner on the walk as I take the return path home.

I thought Heidi was going to join us this afternoon. Maybe she thought I was taking my camera, when I asked if she wanted to go. She turned from me, ran and jumped up on the couch. I took that as a 'no'.

The past two afternoon walks without the camera she has come out with us but decided to search the very first part of the field while the bloodhounds and I did the complete walk.

I gauge how rested I am by the times I take to complete Mahjong games. Being tired equals higher times, well rested equals lower times and a lot of them. Such was the case yesterday and today as I did most of my games in 3:10 or less. I find that game easier to play on my laptop using the touchpad mouse to eliminate the matching tiles.

Not sure what's on the agenda tonight. Still not in the mood to watch players trying to make their NFL teams and my interest in MLB will start again the closer they get to their playoffs. Even that is months away.

With stuff done around the house, the lawn cut on Friday, laundry finished yesterday ... it's time to start a new book from my bookshelves. It's just hard to believe how nice the weather has been in August. Will we have a hot September as payback for these below average temps?

It was a quiet Sunday here in 'the tropics' of Southern Indiana today.

Hounds Present A New Problem

As with anything in life, changes present new challenges. It's nothing new and it happens every time the field is mowed. The challenge during the multiple daily hound walks changes from trying to see them in tall grass to now watching for and preventing them from eating what they find.

It's the point in time of dog ownership where we find out they really are just dogs and not what their owners wish them to be. They might seem just like children or grown people as they sleep on couches, eat people food, toss things at you to play and understand what you are saying.

They are all of those things but one act they do proves they are still dogs. They can eat the grosses stuff when they find it. After a fresh cut field that includes dead mice and an occasional dead bird that was caught under the mower. Deer scat is the furthest thing from their mind when there is other stuff to try to devour before I scream "NO".

As Sadie and Stella walked mostly along the edge of the field after making that first turn, I could see a worn path right where Stella stopped, signifying deer traffic. You can kind of see the path right above her head that would lead into the gully.

She was positive the deer had gone that way and was about to get deep into the brush and down in the gully until I told her to get out of there. I am happy to see she knows what that means when I say it. An example of when hounds act like people.

With the field cut it was still a little wet this morning in the shaded areas but nothing like it is with tall grass. Now we can venture up into the far right corner adding a little more time, more steps and a longer walk ... and without getting soaked from the tall grass in the shaded area.

Here is Sadie about to act like a hound and not a person. It's a time where her nose is just too good. Luckily she dropped what she had found when I said "drop it". In the past about the time I would say "drop it", Winston would take one big gulp and it was gone. He never got sick but it made me sick seeing it happen.

There were a few times this morning that Stella broke into a trot that was a faster pace than previous weeks. I get the feeling she likes having the field cut.

When the hounds are in the searching mode it's a constant battle to keep walking forward while turning to keep an eye on them. They never drop anything they find on their own, only when I tell them to. Luckily on this morning's walk, they did not eat anything they found and followed my commands of "no" or "drop it".

Sadie was walking very slow as I took this picture. You notice she was able to curl her paw as much as she could with each step. It was like she was walking in slow motion.

Looking at the rows of drying grass, flowers and weeds it does not look like they will get their normal 16-18 rolls of hay. The field needed to be cut but I could tell during our walks that much of the field was not real tall nor thick like it has been in the past.

Even with the sunshine out early this morning and covering most of the field, Stella did not like walking over the rows that were still wet. Once she stepped into the yard she trotted to the door. She needed water and a morning nap when she got inside.

The afternoon turned out more productive than I had planned. One thing led to another and before I knew it 8pm was just around the corner. All three hounds made an appearance after their lunch. It didn't take long for Heidi to head back to the couch for a Sunday afternoon siesta while a cool breeze blew through the house. Sadie and Stella let me know that I probably should mow the yard.

By 12:30pm I was able to sit down for lunch and watch the IndyCar race. That followed into a Reds game. Since they were winning today instead of that loss on Saturday I watched most of the game but not all. I had the sudden urge to take the Z4 out for a nice 50 mile drive. It's perfect weather right now at 75°.

I was going to wait until there was more shade on the front yard but after I finished the mowing the backyard I kept going. It might rain tomorrow and there's a very good chance for the rain to return this week from Tuesday through Thursday.

Once again this week the Garmin VivoSmart3 shows I went over my max heart rate while mowing the yard. It wasn't that hot nor was I going that fast but much more effort mowing with a push mower than I ever suspected. Following the 'old school way of figuring the max heart rate, mine is 160. That is taking 225 - my age. There is probably a more accurate way in today's math but we used that formula for years while training for bike races.

The Z4 doesn't get driven much but when it does it runs quieter and smoother than any car I have owned.

After three hound walks today, the hounds are beat and were in a deep sleep by 7:30pm.

All is good in 'the tropics' of Southern Indiana.

The Hounds Are Loving This Weather

It was hot enough yesterday afternoon that I could feel the burn on the back of my neck as we did an afternoon walk. With Heidi still sleeping on the couch enjoying a breeze coming through the north living room window ... Sadie, Stella and I decided to enjoy the late afternoon sunshine.

As Stella walked slowly on the path I thought she was going to take another walk, but she stopped, turned to look at me, then slowly sat down and laid down for an afternoon nap in the middle of the field!!!

This lasted about 15 minutes before the sun beating down on her with enough heat that she woke up to move. She makes me laugh on a daily basis from something she does or did.

She sat up to think about her next move.

Sadie decided the heat was too much, for the first time this spring or year. She walked over to me so she could sit in the shade from the roof overhang.

Stella did not walk too far before she realized that Sadie might have the right idea of getting out of the sunshine. She headed back to the house.

I was surprised that Sadie was actually laying in the yard. As I have said in the past, she rarely sits or lays in the yard but is always moving around smelling different scents. She has always had a hard time sitting still when she is outside.

While sitting in the shade with the hounds, enjoying a glass of freshly brewed ice tea, I heard a large truck slowing down and it sounded as if it was coming down the country road instead of the highway.

From his load, it looks like they are dismantling the old steel bridge a few miles behind my house, not the one across the highway. With "rush hour" traffic on the highway I wondered how long he would sit there waiting to pull out onto the highway. It turned out to be less than a minute.

While I was taking pictures of the truck from my chair, Stella found her favorite spot in the backyard to take another short nap. She always has the same routine where she will lay there in deep thought, then flop over on the ground.

She loves sleeping in the sunshine.

Maybe you can tell the last time I cut my yard I raised the mower blade up one notch which puts the grass cut at 2.5" - 3" tall. I think for the summer and overall health of my type of lawn, cutting it taller is better.

Sadie did not move during both of Stella's naps. There was a little breeze whipping around the house from the southwest. She sniffed the air, looked around but never got up until we went inside.

Finally Stella had enough of the hot temps and was ready to go back inside. I thought it was the perfect time to put the top down on the Z4 and head out for a 6pm drive. I had a new route I wanted to try. The nice thing was in the middle of the drive at a T intersection I changed my plans and turned left.

This put me a nice two lane highway with a lot of curves and hills through the country side. It ended up being about an hour loop back to the house.

One thing I have noticed since I cleaned my camera yesterday afternoon, that the pictures have regained their color. They look like the same quality I had a year ago and better than in the past few months.

I am still using the lens hood, but it might just be the lighting or the time of day. After looking at the pictures below from our Wednesday morning walk I am not sure lighting is the reason. None of the pictures in this post have been edited.

We started out on the walk a little later this morning. We woke up early but for some reason we are experiencing a little slower schedule today. I have a weird idea why Stella has been trotting a little more than normal plus keeping up on the walk on her own and never having to call her.

I have not been bringing the 6' standard leash with me, carried in my pocket in case it was needed. Before I would let her sniff the leash before putting it in my pocket. Could that be the reason she is back to walking the full distance without me having to call her? Recently she had spent a lot of time walking on the path as if she was on a leash.

Sadie stayed near me more than roaming this morning so I didn't get a lot of pictures of her today.

I didn't say a word and kept walking as Stella stayed behind us. It was nice to see her running as I turned to check on her. I hope to see her doing more of this from now on.

There was not a lot of intensity on this walk compared to yesterday morning. As always they each stop in the same places each morning. Stella eats grass in the same spot and they both follow the deer path.

Stella thought she had made a breakaway heading to the far right corner without me seeing her. She made the mistake of glancing over at me when I yelled "over here" and once again she turned and headed toward Sadie and I. I just started using those two words in the last week or two and she has always responded to it.

She never looks happy when she doesn't get to walk in the direction she was heading.

While Sadie walked to the left of me, never veering off the path, Stella followed her own pace behind us but by the time the walk ended she had caught up with Sadie.

Not much planned for today. After the effort clearing the bank last week I have seemed to have lost all of my motivation in attacking my 'to do' list. By the time I take a couple of walks, shoot around 100 pictures and check them for edits, write a blog post and spend some time outside just hanging out with the hounds ... the day is over.

Time seems to be flying faster with the warm spring weather.

I did go through all of the pictures I took yesterday of some vacant closed businesses in town and the steel bridge across the highway. Counting the pictures of the hounds I took 157 pictures yesterday.

When I was at the landscaping business yesterday looking at some things, Ted told me all of that yellow in the field was "wild mustard flowers". He also showed me some stump killer that I am going to paint on all of the saplings I cut last week. He thinks this solution will keep them from growing. I'll then cover the ground of the entire bank with some seed, along with the wild ragweed that grows every year.

I need to look in the attic and in my house crawlspace but still dread doing it. Maybe I'll get under there later this afternoon. I need to back the Z4 out so I can open the ceiling in the carport, letting the built in ladder drop so I can get up in the attic to have a look around.

If I do nothing else today ... I will wash the Z4 this afternoon.

The hounds are loving the weather right now in 'the tropics' of southern Indiana.