Hounds Burn Off Cabin Fever

With it staying cold all day and overcast most of the afternoon I didn't leave the computer much at all. Weather outside was not the only reason.

While loading blogs to my blog list I ran into a blog that looked interesting, had great photos and advertised it as a blog that documented their process of selling it all and hitting the road full-time. That sounded very familiar and about the same period of time I looked at it those same ideas but ended up with a different decision.

So since it was freezing outside, I made a couple of more cups of coffee, clicked on the On The Road Abode blog, dropped their archives down to their first post and then proceeded to spend the afternoon reading from the start. For any readers that are thinking about the RV lifestyle, that blog was a perfect example of the process and how important it is to have a plan and follow that plan. It is well written and covers all their experiences ... good and bad.

During this time there were still breaks for eating lunch, letting the hounds out, letting Heidi out a 2nd time and then the bloodhounds out later in the afternoon. While they were out in the field snooping around, I took a couple of photos and was about to call them to come inside ... when Stella decided it was time to play. Running and wrestling was sure to burn off some cabin fever.

They started then stopped. That is their normal procedure. Then ... the match was on. One thing to remember while looking at these photos ... they play rough at times but in the 7 months I've had Stella, neither hound has growled, tried biting the other or starting a fight when playing this way ... they just play, stop immediately in the end ... and walk back inside the house.

Five minutes after they came inside they were sound asleep for their short late afternoon nap, while I continued to read about Bill & Jodee's RV lifestyle.

With the 43° and feels like 35°, I'm going to stay inside and watch the Cincinnati Reds game. I'd normally feel sorry for them playing baseball in that cold of weather but when the average salary per player on the 25 man roster is $3,000,000 ... I doubt they feel how cold it is.  LOL

I couldn't resist, I had to look at the 10 day forecast ... it will be in the 70's in 5 more days but who's counting.

It's the weekend here in 'the tropics' of Southern Indiana but when you are retired every day is the weekend ... love it.

Some Friday Rambling

I hate to complain about weather but it's April 8th, 38° and raining?? What about that global warming? El Nino? Where are those 70° temps I had in March??

As I type this, my hands are freezing, I'm wearing my NorthFace jacket, I feel freezing air from somewhere ... yes I am inside my house ... where it's 54° in the living room and 58° back here in the computer room. It's April and I refuse to turn on my heaters because of that.

Heidi has the right idea ... hibernate under a stack of blankets, sleep and stay warm ... thus no photos of her.

I am back with an urge to blog today, something I have not had recently. I'll be back to posting here on a regular basis, sometimes multiple times per day depending on the weather outside and/or mood.

I will also keep posting on my new blog on Wordpress that I started a few weeks ago. It's located at http://bhoundsblog.wordpress.com or to the left on the blog list sidebar. It's a little different with few words, a few photos, sudden thoughts or a good picture.

No particular order for the photos and paragraphs today. These are the photos I took this morning up to noon. I'll squeeze in some paragraphs between the photos as I go since it feels like I have a lot to say today. It's okay to skip over my rambling and check the hound photos if you want.

Last month on one of those 72° days in March I was washing my FJ with my camera with the 18-50mm lens attached, my 55-200mm lens sitting in the chair at the corner of the carport. I was taking photos at different times of the hounds as I washed the FJ. It wasn't windy but "Murphy" was watching me as he usually does anytime I am involved with activity away from my computer ... a gust of wind blew into the carport ... lifting the chair, the camera and the lens into the air where they landed 15ft away on the gravel driveway.

Since that time I could swear that the photos I take with the 55-200mm lens are not as clear and definitely not as sharp as they use to be. Maybe it's my eyes, maybe not. So, recently I've been taking photos with each lens and I can tell the difference in sharpness between the two lenses. Anyone else see the difference or is it my imagination? I think it might be time for a new zoom lens.

Sadie woke me up a little earlier than normal. A rude awakening since I didn't get to bed until 2:30am and then couldn't sleep after that. Although both hounds took their last trip of the night at 1:30am, they still had to go outside this morning I guess around 7:45am ... we were up for the day.

I knew something was up when I felt coldness inside the house as we migrated toward the door to go outside. I always take the photo of the field across the highway to catch the weather the first time we go outside. As I glanced at the carport thermometer it was somewhere between 35° and the 40° mark. It felt even colder than that. Needless to say the hounds did not stay outside long ... only because I did not want to stay outside long.

When the camera flash works automatically you know it's too early to be up especially when you have the job of retirement. Seattle's Best Coffee #5 was the quick fix and all things were better after just a cup.

I took a look at my blog that I reactivated last night and decided it was time to look for more blogs to add to the blogroll I had deleted. I must have backed up my blog after I deleted them instead of before because they didn't show up when I tried an update. I could remember a lot of them and could find them with a Google search. Others I found on other blogs that I follow. I think right now I might be missing just one and their name will come to me sometime today.

A side note to the photo below. Back last fall and winter I thought Diamond Natural dog food was giving Sadie indigestion problems and it was one reason I switched to Fromm for Large Breeds. Well a few weeks ago she was frantic to go outside to eat grass ... so then I knew it was not the Diamond Naturals kibble, nor was it the Fromm for Large Breeds.

What was it??  I caught her licking a blanket obsessively ... then today I saw her doing it again so I waited. Sure enough, within the hour that she finished, she was frantic to get outside and go immediately to the spot the photo was taken and started to eat the wet grass.

I spent this morning finding most of the blogs I have followed since October 2011. After they were added, of course I had to spend time to get caught up on each one. A few of them I had not read in a while so that was a lot of reading. Since it's freezing outside with rain off and on ... what better things did I have to do? So I am caught up with everyone in blog land.

I did add a new section to the blog list called 'Retirement Blogs'. It started with a blog I have followed for a while called A Satisfying Journey. I grabbed a few retirement blogs from his list, then some from theirs. It will probably stay at the number I have listed and will not increase. For those interested that list is located on the left sidebar below the list of 'Blogs I Follow'. Some good information put out by bloggers in their retirement years.

Stella's separation anxiety has seemed to improved. I left yesterday to grocery shop and when I got back there was no damage. There again, maybe she has damaged all she can and there is nothing left to tear up?  LOL ... I will always be paranoid though when I leave the house for longer periods of time.

They both like to ride in the FJ ALL the time. At times now when we go outside they will stand by the FJ in back wanting me to open the door for them. I do take them on more short trips around town but not all the time.

As I write I am forgetting all that I wanted to ramble about ... seems typical anymore.

My old friend just got back from a two week vacation to Cuba. She traveled with a group of 20 people, saw the Rolling Stones Concert with photos close to the stage and once she is caught up with texts, emails and work she will tell me more about her trip. I'll post any interesting nuggets of information. I wonder if she could ship me some of those cigar she brought back home?

Oh, here's one ... the boxes in the upper left to subscribe to posts, comment by RSS or by email both work. One reader told me she was no longer getting email notifications when I posted new stuff so I added a second feed as a test. I joined the old feed by email and found out that also works now. 13 HOURS later I got an email notice a while ago about the blog post I posted last night around 11pm ... so it does work but Google takes their time notifying you.

One the right side of the blog under 'Popular Posts' I've gone back and forth on what period of time to choose. Currently it is set on the past 30 days instead of All Time. The difference is from the way the blog changed over time from a focus on RVs to Hounds ... each of those periods collect the most popular posts and may not be of interest to the current readers. So because of that I have chosen the option of 'posts from the last 30 days'.

Bloodhounds demand a lot more attention than basset hounds ever did. Or it might be that Stella is that more jealous of Sadie that makes it seem that way.

I survived tax season and filed early. Mine are easy and I will not go into the details of the reasons why. I still find it somewhat amazing the amount of taxes I have to pay as a single filer with a lot less gross income than when I had a job. I'm not into socialism so I will not even go there for ranting about where my taxes go.

The iPhone SE brings up a lot of interesting questions for me. I went back to a flip phone and basic service sometime back in Nov/Dec time frame. That saves me about $400 per year in phone bills ... but there are a few things I miss by not having an iPhone. I had one since the first one that Apple released. I miss having a good camera to taking inside photos of the hounds in a situation of spur of the moment. I miss the 'notes' program for when I go shopping, reminders or different lists I have made and were only a touch away.

So with the SE being the same size as my old 5S and with the technology of the 6plus ... I may have to eat that $400 per year for my sanity and a new toy for 2016. Time will tell.

Time out ... the hounds want fed lunch.

Speaking of dog food ... Heidi looks like she is gaining weight. It's visible and also I can feel muscle again along her spine, her shoulders and around her rib cage. It's enough that when I get off my lazy butt, I'll take her over to the vet and use their scales. She is still itching way too much ... is it a habit?

Compare from March 5 to April 8 for weight gain?

March 5

April 8

Maybe not ...

I know that most retirement advice is to downsize your house (already did 20 yrs ago) and vehicles to one if not none depending on your local public transportation ... but I like having two vehicles, especially the ones I have. I don't drive the Mini Cooper more than 2,200 miles per year since I have retired but it's there when I want that change of pace and need to drive fast with the feel of a sports car. :)

The hounds need the FJ for transport and for those 'rare' times we travel.

The sun is trying to come out but just a few minutes ago it was blowing freezing rain. It's either more coffee or stop writing, climb into my sleeping back for warmth and take a siesta. Retirement is a rough lifestyle even in a sticks 'n bricks environment.

I think that is about all I have to ramble about. As I have noted earlier in other posts I stay way from the topic of politics because all that does is make me mad. My ranting would then go over the top and the men in blue might end up at my door ... you never know with this administration.

Freezing in 'the tropics' of Southern Indiana.

Hound Photos From The Missing Week

I took off a little over a week from blogging on this blog. It was one of those periods that all bloggers go through and what I have gone through a few times over these 5+ years. Even though the hounds knew they were no longer 'blog stars', they still went through their normal routines. Not all days in 'the tropics' were sunny and warm, but those days seem to have the best photos. A few walks were taken without a camera.

Stella enjoying the breeze from the west. She would love it if I would let her turn right so she could explore in the "no fly zone".

When it started raining that meant more time inside the house. As you can see, Stella and Sadie were not interested in my games of Mahjong that I was playing a few feet away. Stella is actually sleeping that way next to her bone.

As usual, every day the field gives the hounds new scents to lock into and chase. Most of the time Stella came when called but there were a couple of times I had to pull out the 6' leash from my pocket as a little reminder.

This is where both of them were letting me know that it was time to go for a 2nd walk in the late afternoon as you can tell by the shadows. They are now addicted to two meals per day and two walks per day. If they don't get their walks in ... they get grumpy.

We had a 2nd deer chase but luckily I saw the deer before Sadie and Stella did. They took off after them but stopped and came back when I called them.

It's mid-day in this photo but both hounds seem to be tracking yard moles. I have one mole track but not in this part of the yard. I guess I need to tell them they will have better chance of catching them at 7am and 7pm. On second thought, I'd rather them not catch the moles. I'd rather put up with the mole tunnels instead of the trenches the hounds would dig in the yard.

Stella loves to run any chance she gets. The 2nd photo shows Sadie is jogging a little in hopes of losing a few pounds this summer.

A few days ago strong winds were picking up from the SW. Stella always likes to go outside and face the incoming wind. She would sit there for hours if I didn't call her to come inside.

I always wonder just what they can see. I know it's not all scent because they will react to my hand signals at times when a word is not spoken.

Well I think I have the blog rebuilt now. I have a few more blogs to track down on the internet to add to the blogroll but I think I have found most of them that were listed.

With some readers getting snow in their location I guess I shouldn't complain about temperatures being on the cool side here in 'the tropics' of Southern Indiana.

Where's Heidi? Is she okay? .... Yes, she is okay and she is in her normal hibernation until warmer temps show up.

We Are Blogging Again

 Yes, your eyes didn't deceive you, your browser was working fine, nothing wrong with your computer ... this blog was deleted, gone.

After spending most of today and tonight away from the computer I found my email inbox stuffed with questions and requests.

Some wanted to know where the blog was. Some were confused by what their screens were showing them when the clicked the url. Some missed reading about the hounds and seeing their photos with what they were up to and even some missed my drivel about 'the tropics' of Southern Indiana.

Over the past week or so I have gone back and forth like I do from time to time, justifying in my mind the reasons for public blogging. So after what I had been thinking the past few days plus the feedback received in my inbox, I decided to log into my Blogger account and click the reactivate button to bring the blog back. It looks like I need to rebuild the blog roll. I think I can remember most of the them, there were over 50, then last week it was cut to 30 or so.

I do have that other blog on Wordpress but it was mostly just a few photos and a sentence or two. A few readers told me there wasn't enough words over there and not enough photos. It is a little different than this one but I like it and will continue to post there also.

So the blogroll will be rebuilt tonight and in the meantime here is what hounds did today. It rained most of the morning so the daily walks were canceled until the ground gets a little drier. They slept though the Reds baseball game and then slept while I made a grocery run. I need delivery.

They only came running because they thought they heard "do you wanna eat" ...

Heidi looks as if she is gaining some weight this week after going back to dog food with grains included.

Part of my lack of posting this past week, life was becoming to much like a rut. I didn't see a lot to write about and figured if I was bored with what I was writing about, readers must also be bored reading it. It will be good to get back into a blogging routine again.

It's cold in 'the tropics' of Southern Indiana.