Weather wise it could not have been a more beautiful day with temps in the mid 80's and humidity only at 45%. The skies were bluer than blue.
Each of the hounds picked out their favorite sleeping spots and slept their day away. As long as they had their two meals, a walk and trips outside to break up the day ... they were happy. Yet they seemed quieter than normal today and that says something because they are quiet every day.
With the heat shining above the field was really wet this morning, it took a while before "scratching Stella" or Sadie had a desire to out into the tall grass.
About the time we came inside I glanced out the window in time to get another photo of a different farmer ... working as usual. I am not sure where he came from but he had highway traffic backed up for quite a ways and nowhere to pull off to the side.
After lunch Sadie was pretty sure it was dry enough for their walk. I thought Heidi was going with us today but as I mentioned the word "walk" she took off in the opposite direction.
Same angle as Sunday of the field after the storm but Monday it was much nicer.
I didn't realized until I started the walk just how wet the field was going to be, especially in the shaded areas. It was almost noon when we did this but evidently that wasn't late enough. Legs and feet were soaked just as I started.
The wet grass didn't bother the hounds though. They were thrilled to be walking so I decided I'd let them be on their own, go anywhere they wanted at their own pace. I did not call their names at any time.
Sadie was pretty excited today over in Stella's area of the field ... that far right corner. She didn't stay long though before she came running to me.
Stella on the other hand had a lot of catching up to do over there, since I had not let her in that area in almost a week. I would keep calling her this past week to keep her fairly close to me.
When I turned around to look for Stella I didn't expect to see this ... but she was sprinting through the tall grass to catch up with us.
A good example of what the warm sky looked like today.
With the wind and rain Sunday afternoon you could barely see the worn path we take but it was there.
When we got back to the yard it looked like Heidi had been spending her time in the sun. Sadie went running over to her right away to make sure she was okay. Stella was nowhere in sight.
As I as looking for Stella out in the field she came out of the tall grass over on the north side of the yard. She had taken her own way home.
On a warm day like this, that shaded area looks pretty nice.
Once Sadie found out that Heidi was okay, she found the perfect spot to scratch her back. Stella only got in the way.
Heidi was happy I was back. She headed for the door and once inside sprinted for the couch.
Me? I took off my wet shoes, squeezed the water out of my socks and let them dry under the sun.
It was a nice day yesterday here in "the tropics" of Southern Indiana.
The daily life in 'the tropics', the high desert of the southwest and back to 'the tropics' with the hounds and a dog
May 31, 2016
May 29, 2016
"Stray" Storm Turns Into Hail
Nothing on the radar for 400 miles or more west of us here in 'the tropics". Radar shows 3 "stray" small thunderstorms in the state, one 90 miles NE, one about 60 SW and one right on top of us.
It had been sunny all day with a 10% chance of rain according to Wunderground Weather.
It was only 43 minutes after Stella decided we need to get in the house ... where it was a downpour for 7 minutes and little pebble size hail pounding our roof.
They have always said if you don't like the weather in 'the tropics' of Southern Indiana ... wait 5 minutes and it will change for you.
It had been sunny all day with a 10% chance of rain according to Wunderground Weather.
It was only 43 minutes after Stella decided we need to get in the house ... where it was a downpour for 7 minutes and little pebble size hail pounding our roof.
Rolling thunder at 3:30pm when we start the hound walk.
Stella didn't move from behind me during the walk ... she's afraid of thunder.
At 4:46pm it started to pour rain
2 Minutes later it started to hail
7 minutes after it started, the sun came out with a light drizzle and I had standing water.
17 minutes after it started - the sun came out
Rambling On Memorial Day Weekend
I decided to ramble a little bit about Memorial Day weekend, my newly purchased Z4, and Heidi.
When you hear Memorial Day Weekend you instantly think of parades, family barbecues, maybe water skiing at the lake or traveling.
Growing up I was never interested in parades or carnivals. Although now, I do remember riding my red, white and blue decorated Schwinn one speed bike in the town Independence Day parade a couple times but that was under a strong parent suggestion.
Yet 99.9% of the time during each holiday I'm more of a hermit. I usually stay away from the holiday crowds, not interested in parades or carnivals, so this holiday weekend will be like most others ... probably put something on the grill a few times, catch parts of baseball games, a couple of walks for the hounds, maybe even a siesta fit in around some book reading ... basically like any other day in retirement.
Except ... I'll remember those that gave their lives up for our freedom, which is really what this holiday weekend is for. Still the parades and memorials are great for those people that enjoy them and it's good to see them attend.
I will sit and watch the 100th running of the Indy500 on Sunday ... even it starts raining and the race is stopped ... I'll wait it out. Many years ago I spent more than a few days sitting in the stands at the track waiting for the rain to pass and the track to dry out enough for qualifications and/or practise. So I will stayed tuned in through all of it, even if they have to come back and finish the race or even start the race on Monday.
I do this on occasion and for some reason the word "rambling" in the title will bring more readers to the blog than most other days. With other popular titles having deer chases or Stella's anxiety damage, all the other blog subjects have about the same number of visits.
Looking through the blog traffic stats that Blogger provides, it's rare to see anyone that has clicked back through the archives to read how this blogging madness started. I am not sure if anyone clicks on the labels "topics" where I have way too many listed. They could find the same information with past posts if they typed in their subject in the search box in the upper right corner.
For the most part, readers are reading only the posts of the past week or most of them are looking at only the hound photos ... that's the popular way.
It's one of those times, with the skies overcast, the lawn is mowed, my house work is done ... I have more books to read, but the urge is there to do a little redesigning of the blog ... the template will stay the same, the fonts will stay the same but I might take off the "topics" section. Maybe I'll add a couple of new gadgets that Blogger has available. I like the archives because I can go back to certain periods of time and see what I was doing or thinking, so the "archives" will stay.
So .... now it's rambling.
Hard to believe it's Memorial Day Weekend and the month of May is gone. Granted we have not has as much rain as those poor people in the Houston Texas area this calendar year but we have had over 19" so far and the year is not half over. Statistics show that 24% of that rain has come during the month of May. Does that mean a dry summer?
People ask about Heidi, her skin, where is she, why don't you take as many photos of her as the bloodhounds, etc .... Well, she sleeps a lot, she has always loved sleep from the first day I got her from basset rescue. During the winter it's too cold for her and during the summer it's too hot for her ... her standards, not mine. I let her do whatever she wants ... so a lot of times that means few photos of her.
Her skin is getting better. The water vinegar mixture is working. The elephant skin under her neck is fighting hard to stay but below her ears that skin has become soft and is getting back to the normal texture of being smooth skin.
Heidi is okay and doing fine. I need to get her over to the vet to use their scales because she looks and feels like she has gained some weight.
I mentioned the other day I'd write about my new toy, the 2003 Z4 3.0i. I haven't had the urge to trade cars, in fact I wasn't even thinking of trading cars but recently I had been thinking of getting rid of the Mini Cooper. I thought with the warmer weather I might be able to sell it. The past two summers proved that would probably not happen.
I will admit though, once I decided a year or so ago, that I was not traveling full-time and was going to hang out here at the house until the number of hounds decreased naturally ... I thought more and more about the Z4 I sold on an impulse during the time I was in the downsizing mode with plans to travel. I missed driving that car and liked it better than the Mini Cooper S.
It will only be driven in good dry weather. I might get stuck in a rain sometime but it will not be an all-weather type of car. It will be there when I have the urge to drive a sports car, much like people that have motorcycles I guess, where they have the urge to experience the fresh open air at speed.
I really got lucky when I bought this car. That might change because it is a used car and anything can happen as they get older but I like my chances based on the history of the car I was able to come up with a few days ago.
It had a 'clean' CarFax, one owner for life of the car ... 13 years. The CarFax report showed two BMW dealerships where maintenance was done and one of those was listed right before the car was sent to an auto auction. They were not going to keep a 13 year old car on their lot for sale, even in the used cars section.
So I called the two dealerships and only needed to send them my Bill of Sale to prove I was the owner and not a prospective buyer. Once I gave them the last 7-8 digits of the VIN ... the skies opened up with a lot of good information. Detailed information.
The previous owner was a BMW employee. The car was always serviced at BMW facilities per the maintenance schedule. The correct oil was used all the time and from that it would be safe to say the correct grade of gasoline was used also.
So besides being lucky in that regard and that is very lucky in my eyes. I found that right before the release for auction, they made a lot of repairs not due to damage but due to get getting old ... replacing the old with the new.
The list of parts replaced ranged from new front and rear brakes, new belts, a lower radiator hose and sensor replaced, that oil gasket that always wears out due to age was replaced, and they replaced a leaking valve cover.
All the scheduled maintenance inspections had been done. The original tires lasted a little over 55,000 miles and new ones were installed. With that installation they performed a 4 wheel alignment. Until I looked on TireRack site, I didn't know that on this model with the 18" wheels, the tire sizes were different for the front and rear tires. The 18" wheels were an option and not added as after market.
So the rear tires are 255/35R/18 and the fronts are 255/45R/18 ... they had replaced the tires with the correct size. They have around 10,000 miles on them.
Sure, there is some normal wear on a 13 year old car, a spot or two where some touchup paint is needed or a plastic interior piece could be replaced ... but the car runs as quiet as a new one. It has power when you need it or want to try it and it's not 'beat up' under the car that is full of plastic skid plates for aerodynamics.
One thing I want to do and am still trying to decided what will take place for this to look like a clean trunk yet at the lowest cost possible at the auto bodyshop ... I want to take off these two brackets that hold the luggage rack. They are simple to take off but will leave holes.
The "Blands" decal was removed days ago with a little soapy water and a heat gun ... then peeled off easily.
The funny part about this next photo showing what those two brackets were for ... the luggage rack is on backwards. That lip should be on the opposite end to prevent any luggage sliding off the car.
It will be a great 2nd car and for the amount of miles I will drive it, it should last a very very long time.
Today's drive will be longer today, it's one of my favorites, down through a National Forest area in the hills and hollers of Southern Indiana. Stella has a chance to be a real hero today since I will be leaving her for about two hours.
Remembering what Memorial Day means here in 'the tropics' of Southern Indiana.
When you hear Memorial Day Weekend you instantly think of parades, family barbecues, maybe water skiing at the lake or traveling.
Growing up I was never interested in parades or carnivals. Although now, I do remember riding my red, white and blue decorated Schwinn one speed bike in the town Independence Day parade a couple times but that was under a strong parent suggestion.
Yet 99.9% of the time during each holiday I'm more of a hermit. I usually stay away from the holiday crowds, not interested in parades or carnivals, so this holiday weekend will be like most others ... probably put something on the grill a few times, catch parts of baseball games, a couple of walks for the hounds, maybe even a siesta fit in around some book reading ... basically like any other day in retirement.
Except ... I'll remember those that gave their lives up for our freedom, which is really what this holiday weekend is for. Still the parades and memorials are great for those people that enjoy them and it's good to see them attend.
I will sit and watch the 100th running of the Indy500 on Sunday ... even it starts raining and the race is stopped ... I'll wait it out. Many years ago I spent more than a few days sitting in the stands at the track waiting for the rain to pass and the track to dry out enough for qualifications and/or practise. So I will stayed tuned in through all of it, even if they have to come back and finish the race or even start the race on Monday.
I do this on occasion and for some reason the word "rambling" in the title will bring more readers to the blog than most other days. With other popular titles having deer chases or Stella's anxiety damage, all the other blog subjects have about the same number of visits.
Looking through the blog traffic stats that Blogger provides, it's rare to see anyone that has clicked back through the archives to read how this blogging madness started. I am not sure if anyone clicks on the labels "topics" where I have way too many listed. They could find the same information with past posts if they typed in their subject in the search box in the upper right corner.
For the most part, readers are reading only the posts of the past week or most of them are looking at only the hound photos ... that's the popular way.
It's one of those times, with the skies overcast, the lawn is mowed, my house work is done ... I have more books to read, but the urge is there to do a little redesigning of the blog ... the template will stay the same, the fonts will stay the same but I might take off the "topics" section. Maybe I'll add a couple of new gadgets that Blogger has available. I like the archives because I can go back to certain periods of time and see what I was doing or thinking, so the "archives" will stay.
So .... now it's rambling.
Hard to believe it's Memorial Day Weekend and the month of May is gone. Granted we have not has as much rain as those poor people in the Houston Texas area this calendar year but we have had over 19" so far and the year is not half over. Statistics show that 24% of that rain has come during the month of May. Does that mean a dry summer?
People ask about Heidi, her skin, where is she, why don't you take as many photos of her as the bloodhounds, etc .... Well, she sleeps a lot, she has always loved sleep from the first day I got her from basset rescue. During the winter it's too cold for her and during the summer it's too hot for her ... her standards, not mine. I let her do whatever she wants ... so a lot of times that means few photos of her.
Her skin is getting better. The water vinegar mixture is working. The elephant skin under her neck is fighting hard to stay but below her ears that skin has become soft and is getting back to the normal texture of being smooth skin.
Heidi is okay and doing fine. I need to get her over to the vet to use their scales because she looks and feels like she has gained some weight.
I mentioned the other day I'd write about my new toy, the 2003 Z4 3.0i. I haven't had the urge to trade cars, in fact I wasn't even thinking of trading cars but recently I had been thinking of getting rid of the Mini Cooper. I thought with the warmer weather I might be able to sell it. The past two summers proved that would probably not happen.
I will admit though, once I decided a year or so ago, that I was not traveling full-time and was going to hang out here at the house until the number of hounds decreased naturally ... I thought more and more about the Z4 I sold on an impulse during the time I was in the downsizing mode with plans to travel. I missed driving that car and liked it better than the Mini Cooper S.
It will only be driven in good dry weather. I might get stuck in a rain sometime but it will not be an all-weather type of car. It will be there when I have the urge to drive a sports car, much like people that have motorcycles I guess, where they have the urge to experience the fresh open air at speed.
I really got lucky when I bought this car. That might change because it is a used car and anything can happen as they get older but I like my chances based on the history of the car I was able to come up with a few days ago.
It had a 'clean' CarFax, one owner for life of the car ... 13 years. The CarFax report showed two BMW dealerships where maintenance was done and one of those was listed right before the car was sent to an auto auction. They were not going to keep a 13 year old car on their lot for sale, even in the used cars section.
So I called the two dealerships and only needed to send them my Bill of Sale to prove I was the owner and not a prospective buyer. Once I gave them the last 7-8 digits of the VIN ... the skies opened up with a lot of good information. Detailed information.
The previous owner was a BMW employee. The car was always serviced at BMW facilities per the maintenance schedule. The correct oil was used all the time and from that it would be safe to say the correct grade of gasoline was used also.
So besides being lucky in that regard and that is very lucky in my eyes. I found that right before the release for auction, they made a lot of repairs not due to damage but due to get getting old ... replacing the old with the new.
The list of parts replaced ranged from new front and rear brakes, new belts, a lower radiator hose and sensor replaced, that oil gasket that always wears out due to age was replaced, and they replaced a leaking valve cover.
All the scheduled maintenance inspections had been done. The original tires lasted a little over 55,000 miles and new ones were installed. With that installation they performed a 4 wheel alignment. Until I looked on TireRack site, I didn't know that on this model with the 18" wheels, the tire sizes were different for the front and rear tires. The 18" wheels were an option and not added as after market.
So the rear tires are 255/35R/18 and the fronts are 255/45R/18 ... they had replaced the tires with the correct size. They have around 10,000 miles on them.
Sure, there is some normal wear on a 13 year old car, a spot or two where some touchup paint is needed or a plastic interior piece could be replaced ... but the car runs as quiet as a new one. It has power when you need it or want to try it and it's not 'beat up' under the car that is full of plastic skid plates for aerodynamics.
One thing I want to do and am still trying to decided what will take place for this to look like a clean trunk yet at the lowest cost possible at the auto bodyshop ... I want to take off these two brackets that hold the luggage rack. They are simple to take off but will leave holes.
The "Blands" decal was removed days ago with a little soapy water and a heat gun ... then peeled off easily.
The funny part about this next photo showing what those two brackets were for ... the luggage rack is on backwards. That lip should be on the opposite end to prevent any luggage sliding off the car.
It will be a great 2nd car and for the amount of miles I will drive it, it should last a very very long time.
Today's drive will be longer today, it's one of my favorites, down through a National Forest area in the hills and hollers of Southern Indiana. Stella has a chance to be a real hero today since I will be leaving her for about two hours.
Remembering what Memorial Day means here in 'the tropics' of Southern Indiana.
May 28, 2016
A Slow Saturday
It didn't take too long this morning for them to move some equipment around and plant their field before the forecasted rains. You never know if it's going to rain as predicted but they are a few weeks behind this year due to the weather so even if it doesn't rain today or tonight they are caught up.
I will have to do some reading and find out if that is liquid fertilizer or something else.
The planter has not spread it's wings yet, still folded up but almost ready to start.
Stella is still trying to decide where the Mini Cooper S went. She never rode in that car but did jump in the small trunk last week when I opened the rear hatch door. She was in there about 10 seconds before jumping out.
Nothing like another bloodhound drool on the side of my new to me car.
Sadie is letting me know that if Stella gets to ride so does she ... how do we get in?
By the time we finished the afternoon siesta during this heat wave, the field had been planted with only one very small intense thunderstorm about 12 miles away based on weather radar. Would it show up?
With the overcast sky and a 'feel of rain' ... the hounds and I took off for an afternoon walk. The pace was increased after I felt some drops of rain hitting my arm not quite halfway through the walk.
It's a different farmer than the ones working across the highway from my house, but they also planted their field the past couple of days. It's the field behind the one we walk in.
I noticed a couple of different and new flowers blooming while walking today.
I tried something different on the previous post called "The Dynamic Duo". It was what I did on my Wordpress blog the past couple of months. I deleted that free blog last week. I liked posting just a sentence or two along with 4-6 photos during the day. I might start doing that on a regular basis on this blog.
I liked the Wordpress theme I had and the sharpness of the photos but it was getting hardly any visitors so I didn't see much need in keeping it.
It's turned into a hot and muggy couple of days here in 'the tropics' of Southern Indiana.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)