The Hounds Love The Weather

I waited to post this at the end of the day because I wanted to include any photos I would take during the afternoon while we were outside enjoying the weather.

That turns into a long post with a LOT of pictures. I can't seem to post just the best pictures but I try to add pictures that lead into those best pictures because it adds to the sequence or narrative.

Due to staying up extremely late last night, we didn't start our day until 10:30am. The hounds did NOT miss their breakfast at their usual time around 7:30am, so they didn't have to wait ... they would never let me be late for breakfast.

It was perfect weather when we stepped outside. Close to 60° and you could feel the warmth from the sun, unlike a winter day. Yet, the day cannot start without a couple of cups of coffee.

The only thing that moved Stella toward the house that first trip outside was, she thought she heard something about 'food', 'eating', 'do you want?' ...

So, soon after their lunch we headed out for our first walk of the day. I can't get around the new routine. I have always let the hounds out after they eat. It was part of the housebreaking process when Sadie was a puppy, as well as all my other puppies. So now Sadie expects that we will be walking at that time.

I knew that once Stella stopped at her 'new' spot this past week that she wasn't going to leave. Sadie and I kept walking and I'm sure that Sadie enjoyed getting to all the new scents first.

This is a zoomed picture of Stella ... but she is really pretty far away, like at the start of the walk.

You can barely see Stella in the center of the picture. Sadie and I are at the first turn.

I am still trying to show you just how deep the gully is. You can almost see it here. Just past that row of trees in the center of the picture shows just how fast it drops almost straight down. It is so steep that even the hounds would NOT be able to walk down the side of it.

Sadie is getting the first scents before Stella shows up. Both popular spots both hounds love checking out.

As I turned to see if Stella was coming ... she was trying to get caught up ... but, she was going to stop just long enough to check out what her nose picked up.

They figured two noses were better than one when they hit the far right hand corner and along the back edge of the field.

These next two pictures are a panoramic view of the field from left to right. It's a great piece of property and we are very fortunate to be able to use it.

How did this tree grow into that type of form? Where did all of the lower branches go? I shot this directly into the sunshine without any lens filter.

While the bloodhounds and I walk through the field, Heidi hangs back to check out all of the yard. She is looking better because ... finally ... new hair continues to grow on her legs and paws.

Once again the picture shows her tail drooping when it is actually wagging back and forth.

Stella's theme of the day has been "I'm going to do what I want to do" ... Sadie, Heidi and I are ready to go inside but Stella still is hanging out in the field re-smelling her first spot of interest.

It was nice enough today that we spent more time sitting outside enjoying the great day.

I wasn't sure if it would happen but the thought of cutting the nails of the hounds outside. These clippers always bring different responses from Stella and Sadie.

Stella does not mind having her nails cut, so she sniffed them and then moved over into the yard and laid down expecting me to cut them. Sadie didn't stay around long enough to even sniff them ... she saw them (probably caught the scent of them) and took off running.

I was just enjoying the great weather, Stella was sleeping and Sadie was wandering like always. As you can see the grass does look a little long and tall enough to mow. That is what changed my mind from cutting the hounds toenails to mowing the yard one last time.

Stella loves the yard, the sunshine and the cool breeze from the southwest.

So I decided to cut the yard one more time. I was planning to do it within the next three days with the high temperatures in the 60's and even 70's on Wednesday. By the weekend those highs is suppose to drop to the 40's.

I was able to mulch the last of the leaves ... BUT A BIG PROBLEM !!!

In the area of the center of the yard as I was mowing, I glanced down at the side discharge guard and saw the hinge pin that holds it to the side of the mower had vibrated loose and was about half way in. I stopped and slid it back into position. I mowed most of the yard doing that and checking it as I mowed.

Near the center of the front yard the discharge guard blew off the side of the mower. The pin was gone. With the length and weight of the pin it should have been an easy find ... but wasn't. So far I have walked the path of the mower over the whole yard. In some places I was on my hands and knees running my fingers through thick grass just in case the grass was hiding the pin.

It's there somewhere. I'll buy a new garden rake since mine broke while fighting the fire on the north side of the yard a few weeks ago. Then I'll run that rake through the yard and have it show up that way. I'll have to find it by next spring because if I mow over it, it could really tear up my mower. It's a steel pin.

For the last cut of the year I always lower the mower blade one level shorter. The yard is about the worse shape I've seen it in this year. I can already see my first "to do" list thing next spring is to pull the landscaping bricks out and then backfill with dirt to put the edgers back up straight.

I'm thinking about a trip downtown for the Chinese Buffett for dinner and then watch a couple of good college basketball games tonight. I think I have only cleaning the gutters one last time to do before winter. I installed new insulation around my windows and doors on Monday so the house should be pretty air tight for those freezing winds in January and February.

I can't pull the trigger yet in folding down the back seats in the FJ, laying matching color Mexican blanket over them and letting the hounds take short trips again. It really does look good without the hair from the hounds, the dried drool and smudges on the windows. It will eventually happen, just not sure when.

We had THREE hound walks today, the yard mowed all by 3pm.

A couple of more days of great temperatures before it drops to the 40's here in 'the tropics' of southern Indiana.

A Good Monday Morning

With overnight low's the lowest so far this fall, it was kind of hard to open that door to let the hounds out knowing it was in the 20's. They relieve their bladders while I pour out their breakfast kibble. Without the heat on inside, my house was showing 56° this morning when we got up. LOL

Stella was really ready for the daily walk this morning. She sprinted toward the back of the field behind the house.

So after the normal routine of some coffee, some internet reading ... the temps get to warm up. By the time we left a little after 11am, it was borderline 50° but really nice. I don't mind this kind of weather, although I am a huge fan of spring and summer.

From the very start the hounds were really active showing evidence there was a lot of 'traffic' last night while they slept. I wonder if deer can smell where the hounds have been?? I know nothing about deer, zip, nada.

The temps must have felt perfect to Stella because she was running all over the field. It was kind of like watching a race horse slowly galloping for their morning workout.

The both took off and I was pretty sure they were heading in their favorite spots. I was right. I did let them do what they wanted and figured that if I continued to keep walking, both of them would get some great exercise in by running to catch up to me.

They may love having their noses to the ground but Stella especially loves sprinting to catch up to me. She loves to run.

Here is Sadie looking at me from the corner of her eye. I never see that until I download the pictures. She has done this before.

One of Stella's recent favorite spots, right by the corner of the first turn on the walk.

Her form of "intervals" known to runners and riders that bicycle race.

With her jowls and ears caught in this picture, it might be one of the best I've taken.

Sadie wasn't waiting for her. She moved up into the far right corner of the field to get all the good protein before Stella could get up there. By this time she is already exploring the back edge of the field. When you see a hound nose to the ground and their tail is curled, their radar is locked in.

Stella eventually made it to the far right corner but didn't take long to run again to catch up to Sadie and I.

I'm pretty sure that her ears are fold over each other ... looks earless.

She still did an immediately stop and stop to check something out before she got to us.

Finally they both decided it was time to head home ... must have been getting close to their lunch. They never let me forget what time it should be served.

Yet, Stella still had a couple of more areas to check out before really going home.

Sadie also had something to check out before the final steps back home.

I was going to hold off posting this time of day but recently it seems to be a better time for me to post. By the time I get to the end of the day I have close to 75-100 pictures choose from and much more to write about at times.

When I do post more than one post per day I am not sure everybody realizes there are two posts available that day, so I tend to try to post just one per day for that reason.

I have a few more days it looks like where it might get up to 70° and then suddenly drops to highs in the 40's. The more I look at different parts of the yard I might mow the yard for the final time. Some parts of the yard is still growing and high enough to mow it.

I also plan to buy another 50' of water hose to connect to the one I have so I can have it next to me with the water turned on, so I can burn the tall pile of tree limbs. I normally do that every spring but I have a stack higher than I normally do. I'd hate for that pile to double in size, the last burn I had 20' flames.

Someone asked if the hounds had  rode in the 'new' FJ ... No, they haven't. LOL I love having a clean FJ and it still has that new car smell that dealerships use when they detail the inside of the car before putting it up for sale. There isn't a dog hair anywhere although Stella has left some nose smudges and dried drool near the rear door.

Well it's a great day so far here in 'the tropics' of southern Indiana.