Hard To Believe It's Friday

Most of the days seem the same during retirement. I remember while working that Friday was a great day because it was the start of a weekend and I LOVED weekends. It always 'felt' like Friday. Not anymore. That's fine though because I enjoy each day with good health and freedom. I guess you could say in some way for the past 18 months I've been living a "hounds life".

Our routines are consistently the same, most of the time. I admit though I do ask myself at times if I am living or just existing. I had plans after retirement when I first saw Glenn's article on Yahoo Business page, on a Friday in October 2011. I knew people traveled all over the place in RVs, many of them pass by my house. What I did not know until that day was just how many people lived full-time in their RVs and how many people traveled full-time in their RVs. The more blogs I read after that the more I wanted to do it.

So as I read more blogs, my retirement date changed from 'whenever' to the age of 62. Instead of staying where I am now, I started getting plans to travel, maybe sell out and move west where I had spent 20+ years of my life. Long time readers of my blog remember all my ideas, going back and forth on plans, etc. I'll not bore you with the details. For new readers all of that is documented in my past posts listed on the right side under 'Archives'.

So yesterday afternoon was just like most afternoons in my schedule. No plans, just do things at random. As I took the hounds outside after their meal, camera in hand, I thought I'd get the rake out of storage just in case I decided to rake some leaves. I sat the camera down and by the time I got to the backyard I decided to rake a small section. That lead to the whole back yard. That's how things go most of the time in my life of retirement.

There wasn't that many leaves but still quite a few. Unlike last year when I left them until the end after all the leaves had fallen off the trees. Last year at times I was walking in piles of leaves that were over three feet tall. It turned into multiple days of work to get rid of all of them.

I had a thought this year of doing a little every day. It only took 55 minutes to rake the backyard and burn those that were collected. There are still more leaves on the trees than on the ground so I know there is a lot of work ahead. I may have raked them yesterday but I might end up using my leaf blower next time and either mulching them or blowing them into a pile to burn.

Stella seems to influence the other hounds into laying in the yard enjoying the sunshine. Always before Winston and Sadie were always in the searching mode but while I raked the backyard yesterday all four hounds laid in the yard enjoying the sunshine. Heidi enjoyed it so much she stayed outside in the sun until I went out an hour later to bring her inside.

This morning was the same normal routine. Is it living or existing? With a college football game not starting on tv until 10:35pm last night, I was up until 3:30am and basically forced myself to go to bed instead of staying up all night. The game was over around 2am but I stayed up after the game to read news, sports, blogs then some of my book. I played around on my blog and changed the profile pictures of three of the hounds. I started to change my profile but I don't have any idea what to write, so I stopped where I did.

It's another beautiful day today, just like this past week. I am happy where I am, I enjoyed the trip we took last summer and know there are more trips planned in the future even with a 4th hound. There will be a few adjustments for storage as I had planned even before getting Stella. I might also get a bigger tent, one that I can stand in and a 8'x8' floor. I'm not sure when that will happen. Weather and finances will most likely dictate my decision.

Speaking of finances, I see where I will not be getting a pay raise this year with social security nor my government retirement check. The 'experts' claim the price of gasoline has decreased enough to validate that decision, that it cost less to live this past year so we can pay for that next year. Yet, I see the price of groceries, eating out, non food essentials going up in price every few weeks when I shop. How do they account for that?

Stella has been here long enough she is now starting to demand things like any good bloodhound does. She whines a little when she wants to eat. She will sit by my desk staring at the wall with her eyes barely open when she wants something. She is jealous and wants all the attention when I pet the other three hounds. She has claimed the couch as hers and I should feel lucky I have somewhere to sit while watching ballgames. Here is a photo of her "wanting something".

Back to that question of living or existing. Sure my retirement life could be a lot more exciting. At the same time it is exactly what I thought it would be before I read or even knew about any RV blogs. I've made the decisions I've made for some reasons I discussed here on the blog and a few reasons that are private. Basically I enjoy every day whether I do nothing but hangout or I decide on spur of the moment to go somewhere or rake the backyard.

In retirement it's the freedom that is enjoyable ... whether on the road traveling ... or doing what you want when you want at home living in a stick's 'n bricks. To me, that's living ... not just existing. I'm sure the hounds love their routine, their sleeping spots that never change, and dinner time the same every day. They have enough area in back to exercise their noses and stimulate brain cell activity ... this photo of Sadie shows there is a LOT of brain cell activity going on.

The two bloodhounds are finding out they need to play everyday ... inside or outside. At least three of the hounds crave that daily walk with Heidi doing the walk only when she feels like it.

Winston is just Winston ... he never changes from one day to the next. He has been as laidback as he is now since the day he showed up at 8 weeks old.

Heidi is feeling better and is looking better. Even though it has not been the recommended 5 weeks before improvement can be seen using the probiotics supplement. I see that her skin is looking better plus her energy levels is getting back to what she was last year before all of these health issues. She is spending more time outside.

I was thinking last week that a possible reason she is not gaining her weight back is because of her diet. Her diet of no grain food. I thought of my diet change in May when I went back to eating red meat, fish and chicken along with veggies ... but no grains. I lost weight and have maintained that 20 lbs loss after 5 months. "No grains" ... If I lost weight and maintained that loss, maybe that is why she is not gaining her weight back as her skin and health improves.

I have a close friend that emailed me yesterday after seeing Heidi's picture, saying that maybe she would gain weight by putting her back on a dog food diet that included the rice, barely ... other good grains. We were thinking the same way.

So I am going to give that a try. I've started the diet change immediately after going out to get her some Fromm dog food that includes grains with duck and duck meal as the main protein source. The other 3 hounds are on Fromm's Senior food to maintain their weight. I wanted Heidi to have a lot of fat in her diet along with high protein.

I'll note any changes in my spreadsheet along with photos. She is feeling better and is also returning to be demanding as the hound that barks for lunch for her and all the other hounds.

Another great day in retirement, even in "the tropics" of southern Indiana.

First Morning In The 30's

I will say that I am not a fan of cold weather but I do like a morning like today where it's high 30s, sunny, crisp cool air and a hot cup of coffee. That is what it was like this morning with Sadie, Stella and I making our first of many trips outside today. The basset's made the early trip to dump their tanks but not the 2nd trip. Evidently they can feel that winter is in the air.

It didn't matter that it was 37°. As Sadie was running in from the back of the field, Stella met her head on and the playing began ... wet grass and all. They can be going full out effort, trying to get position on the other, pulling on ears and skin but never growling ... then stop immediately and the session is over. They've come back inside and are asleep probably until brunch is served around 1pm.

Yesterday was warmer, a great weather day. Stella and Sadie got a little pre-game exercise in the morning. That seems to be their normal routine.

Once again I didn't do much, at least nothing to write about. Read my book, played some Mahjong and then tuned into the Toronto - Texas MLB game around 4:30pm. I grew up with sports and remember watching the only game of the week on tv in black and white ... Saturdays ... it was always the New York Yankees. I remember parts of the World Series in 1958 (?) with the Los Angeles Dodgers. So I've been watching sports for a pretty long time.

Yesterday in the 7th inning of the Toronto - Texas game, I watched one of the strangest innings of baseball that I can ever remember. I'll not go into details but it lasted 53 minutes. It had one of the strangest, correct called plays that lit the Toronto fans up with enough anger they were tossing cans of beer onto the field and some on the fans below them from the upper deck.

Needless to say, the scene was ugly, disappointing. It's baseball after all, not hockey.

Anyway it was a great game to watch. I watched every play of that game and then the hounds and I took the daily dog walk. Heidi stayed inside and Winston had be woken up from a deep sleep, but he always likes to on the daily walk. I also watched every pitch of the game last night between Houston and Kansas City. Since the pitcher of KC was a long time pitcher of my favorite team, the Cincinnati Reds, until this past July. Why is he in KC? ... economics of modern day professional sports. I hate that part of it.

We were able to still fit in time outside and the daily hound walk before the first game and between games.

During the night game, Winston headed to the bedroom to sleep in the dark, Heidi took the big chair and both bloodhounds were on the couch with me. Last month sounds from the tv during the game would startle Stella and last night she slept solid through all the turmoil on tv.

It looks like I might make a 2nd post later today, not sure. If I do I will label it in the first sentence so you will know there is also a new post below that one. I might pull the rake out today and rake some leaves. They would be easier to rake now while they are damp but would be hard to mulch them.

I added a new blog to my reading list late last night, over on the left side. It's called Dirt Roads & Dogs. All smaller dogs than mine, can walk without a leash and camp in tents or a Toyota 4Runner when the weather is bad. Reading through some of her posts and looking at her photos gave me a little urge to travel again. Then I see the hounds in their environment this morning and think I need to stay here. Nothing changes.

The sun is out, blue skies ... another great day here in "the tropics" of southern Indiana.

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.