Neighbor Compliments The Fence

I had not seen the neighbor to the left of me, if sitting on the patio, since last Saturday night when she walked over to ask me if we were cutting a tree down or a light post. I let her know we were cutting down the dusk to dawn light post installed by a previous owner. She seemed irritated by the news. I get the idea she does not like change to the neighborhood since she has grown up in the house she lives in. She is in her 60's. Toward the end of the conversation when I mentioned the fence was being installed last Monday, she asked me how far down were they going to put the electronic fence.

I had told her numerous times after I mentioned the electronic fence for the dogs that I had changed my mind and was installing a regular fence 5ft tall for the health and safety of my hounds and the dog. I left out the issues I was having with her and her mother to ovoid any arguments. THAT news pissed her off as she walked out of the yard at a fast pace. So it had been a week since we last spoke. Compared to multiple times per day when Henry was on his long tether and there were no boundaries for the neighbor.

Is Walter A Hound???

Walter's nose may not be as powerful as a bloodhound or basset hound but he loves smelling scents as much has Henry and Watson. He does this every morning now since the fence was installed. Each day a different area. Is Walter "a hound in disguise"??

Henry, Walter & Watson Love Their Freedom

The difference in the hounds and the dog are indescribable since their yard is now fenced, the smaller area temp fence is gone and Henry is no longer wrapping his long tether around the legs of people wanting to pet him. We are back to our ways of Arizona where most of the time the patio door is open for them to come and go as they please. I know, a doggie door would work good but honestly I have never liked the looks of them next to a patio door and I am definitely not cutting my wall to insert one.

We've Been Very Busy

You better sit down and grab your drink ... A LOT HAS BEEN GOING ON since our last post five days ago. We have been very busy. I will let the photos catch you up. Wednesday morning I was on my hands and knees pulling out weeds, and grass that had grown up through the weed preventive sheets. The south flowerbed had not been touched in years. By noon the humidity was killing me ... at at noon 88° 63% humidity I went inside to drink ice cold gatorade, took a shower and then a nap. That photo shows just how far I had gotten ... where the new dark brown mulch is, with a lot more to go.

The Hounds Love Magnolias

(Thanks to the reader that pointed out those are marigolds not magnolias. The new temporary fence is working out well. Similar to when we lived in AZ where I could keep the patio door open in the mornings before it gets hot, so the puppies can go in and out as they please. Henry and Watson spend a lot of time outside now playing, running and laying on the deck. Yet, there are some disadvantages brought to my attention when Walter is barking or is running to the computer room to get me.

A Rainy Weekend

At times it was cool enough for the windows to be open and ceiling fans on, then all the windows would be closed with the AC on. Right on the borderline between the two options. The hounds and the dog like to listen to the rain as much as I do but it is hard as heck to keep those windows cleaned. They like using those lower windows to check on their neighborhood, see who is at the door or what dog is out walking in front of their house. 

From the looks of that window above them, Stella could not stand for me to help her in back of the FJ or even the Mini Cooper but could stand to push her nose and jowls against the window to see if she could push that window open and escape while I was gone or if I was just outside in the driveway shooting basketballs. I really miss the morning talks we had every morning. Hard to believe that she has been gone a month already.

A Cruise Around Town

The cruise around town was on Saturday morning but let's backup a little to Friday night. When I bought the couch and love seat they assured me with labels and company literature, they were "pet proof".  I couldn't keep from remembering what 16 years of hounds did to a leather couch I had in the older house up north. So the hounds and the dog remembered the new rules once we moved to Arizona, no pets on the couch. They have followed the rule after I bought the new furniture for the great room and have stayed off ... until I invited Watson up there.

Some Early Hounds & Dog Play

The room was dark and it was very early when a huge clap of thunder woke me, the hounds and the dog up. None of them are scared of such noise but when they wake up, they head to the patio door to go outside. Only this morning all three stopped in their tracks as it was raining hard outside and they were not going anywhere. They did want their breakfast kibble as the skies roared outside. Finally that storm passed through enough where they could venture outside and do what they needed to do.

Two Vet Appointments Today

I had mixed emotions about taking Henry and Walter to their vet appointments today. I was glad that Walter could get his stitches out from the neuter process a couple of weeks ago. Supposedly there is no charge but I had my doubts. For his bill I paid before they even brought him out for me to take home. The bill was back with the vet tech that would bring him out, so I had no idea how much "upselling" they had charged me for. I was irritated after seeing the itemized list of charges.

I Have A Digger

Luckily the other two puppies have grown to where they are a year or older. Still puppies but out of that real puppy stage. Watson is having fun exploring and finding new things to torment me with and is responding well when he hears the word "No". When I took this photo I noticed some dirt on his nose. I had found my digger, exactly who I expected it to be. Luckily he was not digging to get out of the fenced area but something he found in the corner of the yard by the house.