Heidi Takes Her First Walk In 2018

I decided earlier this morning that since it was so sunny outside that I'd wait to post today because I was pretty sure I would be able to get some photos of Heidi, although the temps were not going to get as high as her threshold of 70° As you will find out I have a lot, over 50 photos in this post.

It was so nice this morning that we took the morning walk before I started my coffee. Now that is a slight change in routine but I couldn't resist the bright sunshine, reasonable temperatures, plus the hounds were ready to get outside. The grass in the field looked like it grew 6" over night and in some places I could barely see our worn path.

After a lot of sleep, Stella was energized this morning and got a little jogging in. No verbal herding was needed again today as she followed Sadie most of the walk for the first half.

While Sadie and I walked away I figured I'd pick up Stella on the way back but she surprised me today as you will see below. It looks like I can get a lot done outside today although I don't have that much on my list. I may try to get the Z4 washed today even with a high temperature of 59° but it's sunny.

Sadie was more intent on tracking today, possibly more than she normally is. I was seeing fresh deer hoof prints along our path so her nose was quite active.

You can tell that Spring is near as semi-trucks off load new inventory at the landscaping place nearby. The owner is kind of between a rock and a hard spot. He usually asks me about retirement when I shop there, was it a big adjustment going from work to no work. He is a few years older than I am and could retire any time yet he has found no one that is interested in buying the landscaping business.

He knows how valuable his business is to the local small town and surrounding areas, thus very hesitant in closing his business ... and he still enjoys work at his business but would like to retire.

Sadie was faster than my camera could catch her today ... therefore some of her running photos are a little blurred.

Not sure what had walked near the large roll of hay on the back side of the field, but Sadie smelled something strong enough that she walked into the roll of hay pressing her head against the roll and holding it there as she investigated the scent. Rabbits ???

I was headed home when I turned around and saw her in a full speed sprint. She likes to run in the field and gets a lot of exercise for a 'almost' ten year old.

I was keeping an eye on Stella to see if I needed to divert my path over to the woods to get her to follow us home but she had other plans that worked out for both of us. She wasn't walking to meet us, she was walking with speed and a focus that she had plans of heading across the field in a direction I wasn't sure where she was going.

I let her walk and watched to see where she was going.

When I saw she was about to walk across our path and head a direction away from us, I called her by name and she stopped. She acted as if she did not know if it was I or Sadie as she stood there investigating us ... finally once Sadie touched her, she knew who we were.

We had a slow walk home, all of us going at our own pace. Everything is turning green again and growing fast. I could almost mow the south half of my backyard again today.

Looks to me like another relaxed day.

I am at a point I would normally post this to the blog. Today, I think I'll wait to post until later this afternoon and see if I can capture some action shots of Heidi this afternoon. She did come outside to roam the yard yesterday during our afternoon walk. She has found something she likes on the bank behind the driveway. Not sure what it is but she is always in that area when we return.

It wasn't long after their lunch that I knew I was going to spend some time outside. I had a couple of things I wanted to do in the yard so I let the hounds roam at their leisure. I decided that instead of cutting down all of the small saplings along the driveway bank that I would just out a width of 16' that lined up with my tv and internet satellite dishes.

I forgot what someone thought these saplings are, sassafras? but I remember when they told me a few years ago, I read that they would only grow to 20' tall. That would be okay and still keep my southern sky clear for the satellite dishes. So I left all of the other saplings up so I can see just how tall they get 3 years from now. I usually cut them down every two years anyway.

By the time I climbed the bank back in the yard, Heidi was looking as if she might take a walk with me. I knew Sadie would by the way she looked. She was ready to go ... but where is Stella? I knew most likely she would disappear while I worked over the bank out of sight.

Sadie and I headed straight north toward the neighbor's backyard but before we were even close I saw a tan reddish object bending over in their ditch between their yard and the field. When I called her name she hopped up on the bank and started walking toward Sadie and I.

By the time we waited on Stella and walked across the backyard, Heidi was ready to take her first walk in the field for 2018.

She made the half mile walk with no problems. Sadie is getting ready to tap noses just to make sure she is okay. She always does that when Heidi comes in the house from outside.

As I post this mid-afternoon, it has never gone higher than 57° but the bright sunshine makes you want to spend time outside. Sitting in the sunshine is a little warmer but it's good to some kind of spring weather show up.

A beautiful day today in 'the tropics' of Southern Indiana.

I Woke The Hounds Up Early

Is this the new norm ? Blogging earlier ? No, the weather, is this the new norm. April is 2/3 of the way over and my iPhone weather tells me it "feels like" 28° as we take our morning walk a few minutes before 8am. The Farmer Almanac last fall predicted this winter, spring and summer to be wetter than normal and so far we have had more rain than normal. It did NOT say anything about "colder than normal" .... but again, after today we have 10 more days of close to normal temperature average ... high 60's.

Some have asked about Heidi and the lack of photos. She is well and in fact looks better than ever when she is awake. It's just not 70° every day, which is her threshold to be outside enjoying the weather. If it's overcast then it's questionable if she does anything outside her normal winter routine. She does get outside a few times per day and once at night to relieve herself. The bloodhounds have never cared about weather ... they just want to walk unless they feel rain on their backs.

The only thing different today was we started our walk about an hour earlier than normal because I woke the hounds up about 2 hours before they normally wake me up. That is what happens when you fall asleep a little after 7pm and get 10-11 hours of solid sleep for the first time in a very long time ... you wake up earlier.

They followed their normal morning routine though, of eating breakfast and all of them going back to sleep while I drink coffee and read the internet. Sadie then sits at my computer room doorway letting me know when it's time to walk.

I must say that I feel so much better than I did 24 hours ago. I will never eat another frozen pizza again ... ever. With my new reader called Flipboard, where you can join for free and then pick the subjects you want to follow, I read an article where they had rated all the frozen pizzas and even claimed they tasted as good as a carry out or one that you would eat at the restaurant. My curiosity got the best of me ... I had to try their highly recommended one.

To protect myself from a lawsuit I will keep the pizza I had nameless. All I know sometime around 3:30am after I had the pizza for dinner, I thought I was going to die. I didn't feel much better until right before we took the only walk of the day yesterday around 2pm. Yet this morning I feel great.

Stella had a bounce to her step again this morning and trotted a little faster than her normal pace to catch up with Sadie. No verbal herding was needed this morning as she was on her own. She made the complete walk with a lot of tracking instead of eating. Maybe spring really is right around the corner. This is Sadie leading the way.

For some reason I had a hard time keeping Stella in focus even while hearing the camera beep telling me it was in focus.

Luckily no wind to make it feel colder. I was wearing layered jackets, wool ski cap and gloves again and was more than warm. I guess it is a good thing I took the 30 minutes yesterday afternoon to mow the parts of the yard that needed it. I am mowing it higher again so the root system can develop in advance of the hot summer months.

Stella decided it was time to catch up just after we passed the first corner. Sadie was way up ahead waiting for her.

After she tapped Stella's nose with hers, they both took off for the back of the field to track the deer path.

As I made the final turn home I always tell them "let's go home" and they will run past me from the back of the field and choose one of the two different paths we take home.

You can see the portion of the backyard that I have mowed twice this year. This back half of the field toward the north has not grown enough to mow. In fact some of the wild flowers from years past when it was like the field and overgrown, are sprouting up.

The difference is, one half of the yard has had winter hound fertilizer and the other half has not.

Their tracking changes from the deer path to the path of the field cat that is rarely seen.

Then it's back inside for a mid-morning nap until lunch and afternoon walk. BTW, Heidi has not moved from that first photo and it's been almost an hour since that photo was taken.

My Bob Vila newsletter this morning listed some annuals and perennials that will do well year after year just by dropping their seeds onto the ground. That is what I am going to do to the bank around the old fence post and the bank along the driveway. Here are the ones he listed. I hope I can find these seeds at the local landscaping place within view of the house.

Sweet alyssum, gazania, bachelor's buttons, California poppy, cosmos, bellflowers, bleeding heart and butterfly weed.

Nothing planned today except to enjoy another day of retirement. That never gets old, no matter what happens. Freedom each day and good health are worth more than anything.

A cool morning here in 'the tropics' of Southern Indiana.