I Finally Get Out Of The House

That title means I actually got in the FJ, took a drive, took some photos and visited a place I've never really explored after living here for 18 years. I've been getting out of the house with the hounds but only in the yard and taking the daily walk. I even took days to buy some groceries ... but lately nothing more than that. A rut? Maybe ... maybe not.

It was a great day to take a drive. As you can see the leaves are not turning bright like they normally do. As I drove around the countryside there was still a lot of corn to be harvested, yet some farmers had already harvested their beans, corn and had disc'd their fields to be ready for next spring planting.

The hounds started out the day with their normal routine of a little yard and field snooping first thing in the morning. Right about the time I finish my first cup of coffee, Sadie is always by my desk giving me the look to go outside ... then she and Stella play most of the time. Winston will search and Heidi only comes out if the temps are 70°.

Since the temps were in the high 50's by the time we got outside, Heidi stayed in bed sleeping, not waking up until she heard the dog food being poured out into the stainless steel bowls sometime after 1pm.

Winston started out refereeing the wrestling between Sadie and Stella but became bored and headed out on his own little trip.

I decided somewhere during that first cup of coffee that I was going to drive to one of the local small rural towns just to take a drive. The leaves do not have any color anywhere this year so I didn't get any photos besides holding the camera on top of the steering wheel while driving.

Before I headed north out of town I stopped somewhere I had been inside just a couple of times in the 18 years I've lived here. I was never there long, once to fax and once to check their computers. Today I wanted to explore inside, see what they had and sign up for a library card.

I got more than I bargained for. This small town library was connected to a large statewide network where any book I am interested in, I can check out, have transferred to my local library or just download it into my iPad to read electronically. Besides that they had a huge collection of DVD's and CD to choose from.

I may have grown pretty naive about modern day libraries over the years from my lack of use, so my excitement may be over the top to some readers here. I was still surprised with all that was available. I didn't go overboard on my first trip, I checked out a new book I wanted to read and a new James Taylor CD.

Once I was home I set up an online account, set up the Overdrive app and added a lot more books to my reading list along with audio books, DVDs and CDs.

Some might be asking why I never take the hounds with me on these short trips in the FJ. They all love to ride but they all have one thing in common when riding ... within minutes all the hounds are sound a sleep. I guess I could take them, but they would only be sleeping while we drove somewhere.

When I got back we headed outside to enjoy the sunshine. Winston found a great spot, gave me a look  that said don't bother me ... then laid down in the grass and slept for about an hour, or until I went outside to call him inside before the baseball game started.

This is one of the best times to live in southern Indiana. The days are sunny and the temps are cool.

I'm not sure if Winston is losing some of his hearing due to old age but he does seem to be ignoring me more than I can remember. He has a bad habit of eating something so I have to keep an eye on him most of the time he is "roaming" with his nose to the ground. Today I caught him in one of those periods he was in the ignore mode as I was calling his name.

I really got lucky when I got Stella. I was really expecting some sort of issues, some bad habits, do something wrong .. like a typical bloodhound ... but she has been nothing short of perfect since arriving August 30, 2015.

This is about all the color I have around the house right now. Last year I had a lot of bright colored leaves along the drive ... so things are running a little late this year, but the leaves are not staying on the trees very long after they start turning colors.

I was surprised the farmer across the highway was able to harvest any beans out of his field that was underwater last May. I couldn't tell at the time in May what was planted but he was able to get a couple of truckloads of beans out of that field.

Heidi finally came outside after dark ... a couple of different times, but I think she is getting a head start on her strategy for El Nino this winter ... a lot a lot a lot of sleeping.

Ballgames Make Me Hibernate

With all of these MLB playoff games on tv at the same time as NFL and College football it's hard to see all of them of course. The college football games I'll sit on the couch and watch every play, game after game. The MLB games I'll have on tv in the background but will go outside at times, take the hounds for a walk but will always sit and watch when there is some sort of action going on.

This past weekend, including today, about all I have done is sleep, eat, watch games, walk the hounds and take just a few photos of them. With that type of schedule there is really not much to blog about.

Here are some photos of the hounds Saturday and Sunday.

Heidi decided to get out of the house Saturday morning. Her skin continue to look better, yet by 8pm at night there is enough redness you wonder if something inside the house is the cause of her allergies.  By the first thing the next morning her skin looks great. She sat outside for almost an hour by herself, in the sunshine on Saturday.

Sadie and Stella play quietly in the house, almost in slow motion ... yet when they get outside it was full speed. They seemed to have their seating figured out this past weekend and understood that no matter what ... I was allowed my seat on the couch.

Winston didn't do much besides telling me he wanted to go outside about a million times per day. He would spend most of this time laying in the sunshine when outside and would sleep every minute he was inside.

Back to the baseball game and a Monday Night Football game. Great weather today here in "the tropics" ... cool, windy enough some of my tree leaves were blown out of the yard.

Hounds Warm Up Before MLB Baseball

I was wrong yesterday when I said that MLB was taking a day off so I would have time and room on the tv to watch two different football games on Thursday night. Right after I posted yesterday's blog I saw that one game was already completed and another to be played last night. I caught last nights game between commercials of the Indianapolis Colts game.

I decided to tape the Washington - USC game while the Colts game was on. I also decided NOT to look at the game at anytime, stay off my twitter sports and Facebook sports so I would not see the score. I didn't want to know who won before watching the tape.

After the surprise victory by the Colts, the hounds and I went outside for them to do their final job of the day ... while I look into the sky for stars and airplane traffic flying into Indianapolis 70 miles away.

The hounds headed to bed and I turned on the Washington game. It was after midnight but I knew with fast forward during commercials and halftime, that 3+ hour game on tv would be a little over an hour long. Another surprising victory by the Dawgs ... so my night ended with both of my teams winning.

The problem, I was wide awake and these past few days I have been back to staying up late (3-4am) and sleeping late (10:30am). I don't care for that routine but that is what's happening.

Winston and Heidi decided to call the day off today due to overcast skies and have been only awake to eat and to go out one time. Sadie and Stella are both sleeping next to my desk chair but as you see they had a good workout this morning, sprinting, running in the yard and field, some wrestling and then final a break.

I need groceries but with 4 MLB games back to back to back today and tonight ... I'll sneak out of the house Saturday morning to replenish supplies before college football starts at noon.

Here are the bloodhounds playing at full tilt ... but their sudden burst of energy didn't last long.

Stella In Full Sprint Mode

I Think Sadie Has A New Friend

Headed Back Inside To Sleep

I do remembering posting in various posts over the years on this blog that I am a "sports addict" ... this time of year proves it, living in "the tropics" and cool weather on the way.