A Quiet Enjoyable Friday

Not much was planned today. The temps were going to climb from the 20's to the 50's by late afternoon. I knew the hounds would needed a couple of walks. Plus I was back in the mood for reading, after taking a day off from books.

The highlight of the week I guess was taking the car cover off of the Z4 and taking it for a spin yesterday. It had been almost a month since the last trip. It's all based on weather, when I take it out. Even in freezing temps it started right up, and the heater will blast you out of the car when turned on. I thought about putting the top down but still would have been too cold with a down parka and ski gloves.

I took it out again today after the hounds had been fed lunch. I have a few very nice country roads or highways I can take, all different directions. During the drive yesterday I decided to flip the car's positions in the carport. I had always parked my other Mini Cooper in the smaller outboard space.

Since I no longer had the FJ, I moved the Z4 to the 'inside' space and that keeps it away from the weather a little more. I'll still keep the car cover on it during bad weather and during the times the fields are being plowed or harvested due to the large amount of dust in the air.

Stella was out in front on this mornings walk. While Sadie was doing her normal hopping up and down, grabbing my hand, thrilled we were walking ... Stella trotted out in front of us.

Does it look like this chewed tree limb is getting smaller?

The hounds were a little slow in their searches this morning, not really energized and even I was walking at a slower pace. It was Friday I guess, after surviving another week of retirement.

While Sadie checked out some of the brush area, Stella was behind us and had disappeared. Instead of leaving her there, I backtracked to find her barely inside the wooded area. She came when I called and trotted along the edge of field for a while, then got distracted by something she smelled.

She didn't seem really thrilled that she had to move from her point of interest but didn't hesitate in trotting toward Sadie. Then she stopped again for the second time so it was time for the infamous standard leash. I connected it and let it drop to the ground.

It's funny how she reacts to having the leash ... she will move and stay on the path, walks slower, head lowered to the ground. I guess it's a way for her to show me her displeasure.

While she was walking along with us I moved up to unhook her from the leash and she still followed the path until we got to the far right hand corner.

She was about to take off right, until I called her name. She then ran to catch up with Sadie. She has been pretty cooperative this week.

Like I said before, Sadie wasn't as energized has she has been in recent weeks. Maybe they were tracking older deer scent that they had already identified and nothing exciting was crossing their noses.

I made the turn without looking back, calling Stella's name ... when I turned to take a picture she was already on her way to run in front of me.

It was sunny this morning but still very very cold and windy, from the SW.

I needed to make a trip to the local Walmart to pick up a new pair of sunglasses, the kind that clip on to my eyeglass. I only wear glasses to drive and watch tv. They are not needed when I am on the computer nor when reading books. But once again, I lost the clip on sunglasses yesterday in the most mysterious way. I still cannot figure out how I lost them nor where.

I parked the Z4 by the air pump, got out of the car and took off the sunglass slipping them into my jacket pocket (I thought), walked across the parking lot to the mini mart to get some change for the machine, came back to the car and couldn't find my sunglasses when I started to leave.

I went back to the mini mart to double check the counter, asked the cashier if they had found them and also checked by the ATM machine ... while walking back to the car I kept my eyes to the ground just in case they dropped out of my pocket. It was a true 'senior moment' ... they were gone!

After lunch I always let the hounds out, including Heidi, for a short trip but today I saw Sadie in an area that is not allowed. There is a small ditch behind the burn pile for her to cross to get to where she is in this photo. With all of that being overgrown with wild bushes in the summer she doesn't go in there.

For some reason when I got back from the short Z4 drive this afternoon I thought it was somewhere around 4pm. Maybe because we did so much today. So I grabbed the camera, the leash and headed out for our afternoon walk. The leash was not needed this afternoon. I only had to tell Stella "come on" and she would move and catch up with us.

It was warming up but the winds were stronger this afternoon and still blowing cold air. It's going to be great with 7 days of warmer weather and much warmer than the past February averages.

I let the hounds go where they wanted this afternoon. They were moving much faster than they were this morning. Stella and Sadie were getting in some good exercise. Heidi? She was in a deep sleep snoring when I left the house.

For some reason lately Stella has been itching a lot. No fleas were found when I checked and she will take time even during the walk to scratch herself.

Sadie was pretty happy with a walk so soon in the afternoon. I found out why as I was way off on the time, by almost two hours.

While Sadie and Stella joined Heidi for an afternoon siesta, I sat in a sunlit living room reading.

With college and pro football officially over now, I am kinda in a lull for my sports addiction. I get a daily email reminder of how many days until MLB starts but that is still a couple of months away. Maybe Heidi has the right idea and taking daily siesta isn't a bad idea.

It's sunny and nice today in 'the tropics' of southern Indiana.

Which Breeds Are Compatible ?

I decided to post something a little off topic from my normal stuff this morning. The hounds and I just got in from our morning walk. It will be about 30° warmer by late afternoon but this morning wasn't bad. I'll post the pictures of that walk later today as I try to combine a full day of information instead of halves of two different days.

I received an email yesterday asking if I would be interested in looking at a graphic they had made when researching just what breeds were compatible when sharing the same house. I guess they had noticed I had two different breeds and different sizes sharing my house after finding my blog.

Like I said yesterday, I've always liked and at times wanted a bulldog, maybe a mastiff or even mutts from the animal shelter. But for 30 years I've always had basset hounds and then my first bloodhound 20 years ago.

A few of them were from basset rescue that is linked in the upper left corner, a couple were from the local animal shelter. To be honest, I have never had a dog work out that came from a shelter but the two bassets I've gotten from Guardian Angel Basset Rescue in Illinois have been fantastic.

When I bought my first bloodhound I just assumed without any research, Max would get along with my two basset hounds Harry and Maggie. They got along great, never fought over food and as the temperatures got colder they slept closer together. The other combos I have had with different bloodhounds and basset hounds have always worked out, even though there is a huge difference in size.

I found their research at PuppySpot.com interesting enough to not only write about it but post their graphic for you to see, just in case you might be thinking of adding to your crew of dogs. I'll admit I was a little disappointed they did not cover the basset hound - bloodhound breeds and almost didn't post this because of that.

On a side note, my niece had a mini-dachshund years ago that did not like girls/women or other dogs. She was fierce and would bite people, vets and other dogs ... except my basset hounds and bloodhound when she would spend a weekend at the house while I pet sit. Here are a few pictures of her with Arthur on the couch and laying next to Winston. I will say though, she ruled the house when she was here and the hounds always stepped back when she was here and let her drink their water, eat their food, and sleep on their blankets.

She was small (4.5 pounds) but fierce.

Sleeping with Winston.

Who is going to move first?

So take a look at all of the different combinations of breeds they have found compatible and if you would, leave a comment on your thoughts and/or experiences living with different breeds in one household. I think you will find their results interesting.

If you have any questions about the basset hound or bloodhound breed getting along with other breeds, send an email to me or leave a comment and I'll answer. Throughout our travels my hounds have had visitors that were different breeds.

I had second thoughts about putting their website link in the upper left sidebar, so I removed it this morning. My decision had nothing to do with them or what they do (place/sell puppies). I've never had affiliate links, nor was their site an affiliate link, but I just didn't think it kept with the theme of my blog which is "living with the hounds in 'the tropics' of southern Indiana".

While writing this post I realized it was 30 years ago when I bought my first basset hound while living in Oak Harbor, Washington. Harry lived to be 13 years old and lived in Oak Harbor, then Breckenridge CO and later in this house in Indiana. Even as a 8 week old puppy he was a wanderer and that never stopped for the next 13 years. He was sneaky quick, disappearing within minutes and how he ever survived the highway in front of the house ... I don't know.

He would sneak off to the DMV in Oak Harbor a few times. I'm told he would walk in the open back door of the office and choose a desk to lay next to for his afternoon siesta. I'd get a call at work to let me know he was there. Here in 'the tropics' I'd get a call from the landscaping business just south of me, telling me Harry was sleeping behind the counter next to the cashier and that I could come to get him after his nap was over.

Enjoy your weekend and I'll be back later this afternoon or early evening with our post about the hounds and their day.

Hounds Walk In Freezing Temps

The snow started late yesterday afternoon as I glanced out the large window next to the kitchen table. Snow flurries interrupted my game of Mahjong.

I knew it wouldn't last nor would it get very deep. All of that was heading east. By 1am when we were outside for the last trip of the night for the hounds, the temperatures had dropped considerably and those predicted temperatures in the teens felt like they were just a few hours away.

Sadie was out early to check the amount of snow and just how cold it was. Facebook's program where they show a picture you posted a year ago or more, showed it snowed this time last year but just a little more than what we had today. It has really been a mild winter in the topics of southern Indiana.

Still it was cold enough this morning that Sadie didn't beg for a walk that early, she headed right back to the house. By 11am the temp was up to 18° and the "feels like" was around 6° ... so there was some hesitation in deciding if we should walk today. Is that too cold on the paws of their feet.

Knowing we had walked in blizzard conditions in the past, in deep snow, I decided it was safe for us to take a walk this morning. I didn't feel anything except on my face with the freezing cold wind coming out of the NW. Yet it wasn't at the level of being miserable.

Stella wanted to show me she was in her 2nd day of her new routine. That is walking with us instead of staying back and eating anything she could find under the thick grass and leaves. It's funny how she changes routines every few weeks, in an instant.

I thought it was a pretty strong wind as we walked but it wasn't until I turned the first corner that I really felt it. If you look at those tall light tan bushes you can see them blowing in the wind. It's hard to believe by tomorrow afternoon the temps will be in the high 50's for the next three days and then back to the 40s. That sounds good to me.

While Sadie broke left to head to the field, Stella headed to the far right corner. She had not been up there in a few weeks. I thought I might need to follow her to keep her going but I thought it was cold enough that she would catch up to us on her own.

Sadie was curious on what Stella was doing and wondering if she was coming or not. More than likely she was interested in what Stella was eating. They cannot see that far so what scent is she picking up to have her look that way?

It didn't matter, she not only took off down the edge of the field but caught me by surprise as she went sprinting into the 'no fly zone'. She never does that unless there is deer in the area. I saw nothing in that direction.

The scent that Sadie was chasing must have been strong because Stella was sprinting toward us. I looked in that direction again but didn't see any deer on the horizon. She smelled something so they may have been over in the woods.

I didn't want to chase Sadie into the next field, the wooded area, with the weather being this cold. So as I yelled her name, she made a big looping run and came back to me where Stella ran over to meet her. Yet, there is something over in that direction that interested them a lot.

I had the leash inside my pocket for Stella just in case I needed it, but I didn't have to use to use it this morning. I called Stella's name and said "lets go home" and she headed down the path in a slow trot.

Sadie continued to track different scents all the way home while never getting to far away but never on the path with Stella. Like I have said before, she has a much stronger nose than Stella and has heavy instincts in her natural tracking ability.

While Stella stopped to scratch ... I wish I knew what was making her itch this past month ... Sadie was still interested in something back in the northern direction.

Stella took a short time to check out the neighbor's woods and then turned and trotted toward the house. It must have been the cold weather that motivated her enough to head home with me giving a command.

The closer we got to the house the faster they ran.

Soon after we got back from the late morning walk, Stella started howling for lunch. That pulled Heidi out of a deep sleep to where she started barking along with Stella ... Sadie just hopped up and down in excitement to eat. A quick trip outside after lunch and I was back to reading books.

Heidi is looking better than she has in a long time. Hair has grown back on her front paws, not all but most hair as returned to her rear paws and is trying it's hardest to fill in her rear legs. Those are places where a vet told me a couple of years ago not to expect that hair to ever grow back.

She has shown a lot of improvement after I started feeding her Rachel Ray's beef and rice. Why beef?? She always had had problems with food that had chicken as their main ingredient, so I thought I'd try something with beef. That food had high protein (26%) and high fat (14%). She is also adding a little weight and her coat is soft and shiny.

It wasn't too long after lunch where Sadie started letting me know she wanted the 2nd walk of the day. I was reading the other book I picked up yesterday and wasn't sure I wanted to take a walk. We normally take an afternoon walk later in the day but if she wanted to go that bad, then why not?

But this afternoon's walk had a problem. It looked inside that Sadie was wanting to walk but that was not the case ... she wanted to eat poop. That never makes me happy, honestly hate it. Stella also wanted to do nothing more than that.

It was such a nice day I continued walking and figured they would eventually catch up with me. But the further I walked, I started changing my mind. Neither hound had moved and I was more interested in reading.

I took a few more steps and decided to turn around. Here I was going on a walk when I really didn't want to. It was obvious that neither hound wanted to walk. They did not even lift their heads when I yelled their names.

So I turned around and headed home. A short walk for this afternoon. (Editors Note: After taking a short 42 mile afternoon drive in the Z4, I hooked Stella to the 25' retractible leash, let Sadie outside and we had a nice late afternoon walk)

I picked up another John Grisham book at the library yesterday and then noticed when I got home I had three of his paperbacks on my shelf and I don't remember reading any of them. I've bought a lot of books that I have not read. I figure I have about a month left of reading before my focus turns to outdoor activities as the weather gets warmer.

A couple of readers commented yesterday that my red mirrors looked like a sore thumb. I sent both of them a link of all the different mirror covers available and not even the solid black is an option. I did get two email answers from owners that I asked where they got their black covers ... both were part of their new car order from the factory in Germany.

Of course one thing to think about with my ever changing mind ... If I ever decide to go back to the 'stock' look of that model, then I can install the red stripes again and then the mirrors would be part of that standard option. The hood stripes needed replaced anyway because for some strange reason they had deep enough scratches on them, as I was peeling the stripes off, they followed those scratches in a different direction.

Still I like the all black look the more I look at it. Most that have emailed me along with forum comments also like it. One in particular thought with the stripes removed made the Countryman model have a much cleaner look. Whereas the two door coupe models that I had before, the stripes looked good.

You may have noticed a new link up on my upper left sidebar.  (Removed - 2nd thoughts) I don't put everything up there until I look around that particular website and decide if it pertains to what we talk about here and if it might be of interest to our blog readers.

I'll post about that website within the next day or so but in the meantime take a look at puppyspot.com especially if you are looking for a puppy that is not a bloodhound or basset hound. This brought up the question "what breeds are best to mix and match". I'll also post a graphic they have made after their research on choosing different dog breeds to live together.

Since I am a hound lover I've always had bassets and bloodhounds. Although there are other breeds I have been interested in such as bulldogs, mastiffs, and mutts from the shelter. I will say the mini-dachshund that I use to pet sit for my niece years ago, did like both basset hounds and bloodhounds.

I'm going to spend the rest of the afternoon keeping warm and reading books. All of the hounds are sound to sleep for their afternoon siestas.

Life is good here in 'the tropics' of southern Indiana.