Great Weather Today - Hounds Relaxed

After some cool temps yesterday, the Daylight Savings time gave us another hour of sleep. Does it really matter when you're retired? Not really but for some reason my body feels better on the time it has returned to.

The first rude awakening was starting the daily routine by letting the hounds outside while I make coffee. I was OUT of coffee ... pure panic. So it was a quick 25 mile roundtrip to the nearest store that had good coffee ... that happens to be a Super Walmart. I wasn't happy about making the trip but I knew I couldn't function without coffee.

Afterall, my last college game didn't start until 11pm local time last night so that put me in the 2:30am range before the Washington Huskies were finished destroying the Wildcats of Arizona. Well worth staying up for all of that game.

As usual the hounds slept through most of the college games yesterday, the World Series game and the late night college games. They changed locations a few times but they know by now if you leave your seat you will lose your seat. They can hold out longer than I can.

They didn't do much Saturday for their breaks of going outside. They stretched a little, sat and sniffed the air but they were more interested in going back inside to sleep.

Sunday when I got back from the run to buy coffee, the time change had kicked in and all four hounds were standing as close to me as they could, letting me know they wanted to eat. So ... until next spring it looks like their new dinner time will be noon every day and will change to 1pm next spring and summer.

Before their meal they needed to burn off some energy. Sadie and Stella played for a short time, Winston sniffed the area and even Heidi came outside but only to dump her tanks. Her skin has stabilized with a little improvement after 6 weeks with the probiotics supplement added to her food.

Shaking the the ears loose

Since I have held off on the Epsom Salt soaks to check for any improvement just by giving her the probiotics, she will get a Epsom 20 minute soak today.

Great weather today, temps in the 60's ... windows open ... and NFL football on the tv.

Hounds Have High Energy Today

I spent most of Friday afternoon visiting with an old college friend of over 40 years. I met her and her husband at our favorite establishment in Bloomington. With the temps at 48°, the word "chile" sounded good to go along with a locally brewed pale ale. We talked about old college memories, places we had traveled to over the years, her grown kids and a lot of sports. Laughing was a major activity.

So needless to say by the time I arrived back home late Friday afternoon, the hounds were more than ready to get outside and dump their tanks but more importantly they were ready to eat.

For a dog that had a reputation of having separation anxiety, Stella has done very well staying with the other hounds in a room with the door closed. No damage of any kind. I suspect she does a lot of sleeping like the others while I am away.


Friday morning didn't have much activity before I headed to Bloomington, after a couple of cups of coffee and some blog reading. Heidi was not outside long enough for her to be photographed.

Stella

Sadie

Winston

I could tell though this morning (Saturday) by the way Stella and Sadie were playing inside, they needed to get outside to burn off some of the "Halloween Energy" they had. They were not 10' outside the door when they started playing. With my hands full with a camera, a lens and a cup of coffee I was unable to photo those first few feet.

They started their normal sniffing of the field. Stella trotted out to the edge of the field and woods.

You can tell she knows her name by this photo as I yelled it out from the house. She then started the trip back to the yard.

About the time her feet touched the yard where Sadie was waiting for her ... they were in action. Sprinting, dodging each other showing off their moves and agility for big lumbering hounds.

This was about all the energy Winston could muster up this morning. It looks like he might have found some good tasting dirt on his way back and was trying to lick it off his chin before I would see it.

Checking to see if I am watching him

My football marathon starts soon. I need to replenish the food supply but cannot find time today to head out to the store between games. I'll find some combination of food that's here in the kitchen and come up with something I can survive on. It's amazing how quiet the house is with 4 hounds all off in dreamland.

Cleaning up tree limbs and raking the last of the leaves will take place Monday.

Life is rough here in the tropics of southern Indiana.