Will The Hounds Ride Again?

I knew the job would be a long one for a couple of reasons. The last time I "detailed" my FJ was a year ago August. Even with the hounds taking short local rides in the FJ to stores, DQ, buy dog food, etc ... I knew there was going to be a TON of hound hair hidden in every nook and cranny in the back.

As I pulled the cargo area rubber mat out, my fears were confirmed. Combine the amount of hound hair, dried drool in places you could not imagine, spilled coffee and one spilled vanilla milk shake from a long time ago ... with my "everything has to be clean" mentality ... it was a long long day.

Before I get started with that story I have to add a great sunset from our walk on Monday night. Even Sadie and Stella were impressed enough to stop and look when I took the photo.

After a late night of MLB playoff games, we were still up pretty early Tuesday morning. Sadie thought at first we could fit a walk in before anything but she came trotting to the house when I called her. Stella was already waiting at the door so she could go back inside and finish her morning nap.

While pulling the FJ out into the drive, getting the electrical 100' extension cord plugged into my vacuum, I let the hounds roam the field. I knew that would not last long but I had a plan B for Stella so she could stay outside without roaming off while I worked on the FJ.

With that look at me, plus taking her sweet time getting back to the yard when I called her ... I pulled out the 80' tether that I anchor in the field and connected it to Stella's collar. It had been a long time since she was tethered but she didn't mind it. Plus she could stay outside on a beautiful day while I cleaned and washed the FJ.

I decided to clean the inside before washing it. I figured it would be a good way to get the hard part done first. I started in the back with a vacuum, a rubber dog hair tool that was suppose to collect the dog hair and get it off the felt material the hair had attached to. Along with that I had a pail of warm water and detergent so I could clean the hard rubber windows sills, dashboard, and inside of the windows where the dried drool was along with nose smudges on the windows.

It was a slow process because once that hair from the hounds attaches to any kind of surface it's hard to get off. The attachment on my Oreck vacuum worked great but there were a few times that dog hair removal tool I had bought a long time ago, worked like magic in removing the dog hair from the surface so it would be vacuum.

I spent 3 HOURS just doing the inside !!!!

It took me longer than I thought it would to wash and dry the outside, along with cleaning the windows inside and out plus all of the door jams. By the time I got through it had taken a total of 5 hours to clean the inside and outside of the FJ.

The more I cleaned the more I started wondering if the hounds would ever be allowed to ride again. Granted it had been 14 months since I last cleaned it with detail and I know I could clean it more frequently but even when I did that years ago ... it still took just as long and there was just as much hound hair, drool, and nose smudges on the windows.

It was as clean as any car or truck you would see on a car lot for sale. Later that night I felt all of that bending, wiping, reaching under the seats, under the dash on the floor along with going up and down a step ladder so I could wash and dry the top.

I was sore and tired but the hounds did not have their walk yet for the day so off we went, with me having the retractable leash on Stella.

Today was a different story, even after staying up past 3am to watch the Cubs/Giants game in San Francisco which went 13 innings. We got up fairly early and had that walk in before lunch. We went at the hounds pace, no leashes just roaming.

Stella started to sprint toward me and Sadie but stopped immediately when she found something of interest. She gets distracted easily.

I hope this shows how nice the day was. It's been this way for weeks and about the time I think it's amazing ... my local tv weather shows me it's suppose to be nice this time of year and all the temperatures are close to the high and low averages.

Heidi has been feeling a little more active lately. She goes out by herself a lot and sits in the sunshine and then comes to the door when she has had enough. She is barking again when she wants something or when we get back from the walk.

Yesterday while on a tether, which this photo does not show, Stella walked out in the middle of the field, laid down and slept most of the afternoon in the sunshine. This afternoon without the tether she found another spot to lay in while I moved some of the cut giant ragweed into our burn pile.

While I continued to get as much of the cut ragweed picked up and put onto the pile, both bloodhounds were slowly sneaking further and further away. Sadie saw me. Stella ignored me. Once everything was put back into the shed, I walked out toward them expecting to go all the way to them to get them to come back with me but Sadie started running toward me and then Stella followed her, so I only had to walk about halfway to them.

For a change of pace I opened up Firefox as a browser late last night and downloaded the latest updates since last April. It has improved so much I have made it my default browser for the time being. I am always going back and forth between Google Chrome, Safari and Firefox. I am finding Firefox is much faster than before, it is loading some websites where I have a user name and password where last spring the sites would not open and it will work with LastPass, my password protection program, where in the past they didn't get along.

I think it might use more data than Google Chrome does and that will be a factor if I continue to use Firefox. Data is key to me.

Speaking of data, being a long time DirecTv customer who was bought out by AT&T I have been getting bombarded with mail offers, email offers to come back to AT&T for my wireless service along with bundling with Directv for some pretty big discounts. They advertise $650 credit which I assumed they would also pay my penalty fee for breaking a Verizon contract.

But that $650 was only a tease ... it is spread out over 30 months of credits for the new phone I would have to buy because Verizon iPhones can't be used on AT&T service. Besides all the money it would cost me to switch from Verizon and Exede to AT&T for UNLIMITED DATA on my phones and computers ... the speed is a factor. With Exede my download speeds are usually 12-19Mbps and most of the time above 15Mbps. AT&T says they will give me "up to 6Mbps" depending on strength of signal.

After googling "AT&T Wireless Reviews" .... I find unhappy customers all over the place and a lot of the complaints are the same ones I had with AT&T over 2 years ago when I made the switch to Verizon after 15 years with AT&T.

It might cost more but I'll stick with Directv, Excede Satellite Internet and Verizon for my phone. It will be interesting these next few years as AT&T gets rid of Directv DISHES and all their tv will be streamed over the internet with unlimited data. Of course it will start with cities and urban areas before it ever reaches us out here in 'the tropics' .... By that time I will probably have other tv options where I can still see all my sports without using Directv satellite dish and not be forced to switch to AT&T.

That's all for today. The hounds are in a deep sleep but will probably be able to wake up when I ask them if they want to go for a walk between the two baseball games tonight.

Fall weather is beautiful here in "the tropics" of Southern Indiana.

One last note about that "will the hounds ride again"???  As usual, today Heidi was in the passenger front seat as she and I took our trip to the local recycling center while Sadie and Stella stay home to watch the house. That's the normal routine for the recycling trip, so I will guess they probably will ride in the FJ again.

Hounds Enjoy Sunday Morning

We had just gone outside for their 2nd trip and my first. With camera and and coffee in hand, it was a beautiful morning to sit outside and let the hounds roam the field.

There was one problem though.

Stella is 'gun shy'. I hadn't had but two sips of hot freshly brewed coffee when I hear a gun shot in the distance. Sadie was out in the field and turned to look at me ... but Stella had different plans.

Before she could even get to the field, as she sniffed the southern border of the yard, she turned and immediately trotted for the door with her ears back in an unusual position. All of us headed inside. Stella ran for her hiding spot in the bedroom closet.

It then turned into the normal 'inside' routine with me reading sports online, some emails, some texts from friends and drinking my daily two cups of coffee. Stella later came out to lay and sleep beside my desk chair with Sadie sleeping just a few feet away.

Once Sadie was up, she begged and begged to go out for a walk. She does that in two different ways. One way she will sit and stare at me, if that doesn't work she will walk over and nudge my arm with her nose, while I am on the computer. By 11:30am it was time for our first of two walks for the day.

With the temps barely touching the 60° mark, and the first 1/3 of the walk in a shaded area. I knew my feet were going to get wet and it was going to be cold but we continued. As you can see the first part of our walk is in the shade and that means heavy dew and very wet feet.

Stella immediately headed the wrong direction to check out that one specific spot in the field that has caught her attention this past week. I thought I might have to call her but once she saw Sadie had found something, she took off and ran toward Sadie, moving into the correct direction as far as I was concern.

I used a few "come on" to keep her moving as I didn't want her to lag behind today. Last night during the halftime of the Washington / Oregon football game I connected the 25' retractable leash on her. She doesn't mind it and I never have to pull on it to get her to move. She seems to know to keep moving when she is wearing the leash.

They were both anxious to turn that first corner and get to their favorite spots of the field ... on the right side in tall grass, beaten down by deer traffic during the nighttime hours. I was too actually because it would be in the sun.

By the time I made the first turn, my New Balance mesh shoes were soaked, socks were soaked and my feet were freezing. It was good to get into the sunshine and it made a big difference.

Stella was pretty good in her exploring, she kept moving and didn't stay in any one spot too long.

As I glanced to the left of me, I realized this field that looks so flat from a distance really has a good size incline in the back end of the field. The field as a whole all heads towards the SE corner of my backyard to drain all of that underground water. I do see a little difference in elevation in the yard when I look back at photos from ten years ago.

Stella headed back to the right corner of the field. She had not been up there in a while. I walked over to check out the wooded area, too see if there was a drop off or was it fenced. She has not gone into the woods but likes to check out the edge of that wooded area. I might change the path to include that corner into our daily walk.

A couple of photos of the wooded area behind Stella.

Out of nowhere, Stella took off in a sprint to catch up with Sadie. This is along the back edge of the field, bordering another corn field that stands between us and a turkey farm.

As you can see, the deer traffic must have been heavy last night as they both rarely took their noses off the ground.

From year to year I try to keep the same path. Right after the field is cut it is hard at times to see the worn path. It is finally coming into view today on the way back. At no time is the path worn down to dirt. 

Stella heads back to that same spot she went to when the walk started.

Until April 2015, this part of the yard up to just past the trees on the right side was nothing more than overgrown bushes, tall saplings, wild rose bushes that never bloomed, and thick under brush.

Once the neighbor surveyed the field after he bought it, planted that metal pole to show the corner of the property, is when I decided to clear out the brush and plant grass. I consider this area around the trees the best part of the yard and is much cooler in the summer. My survey in 2000 does NOT show that area as being part of my property.

The typical fall Sunday afternoon is planned ... different food within my changed diet mixed with NFL football. The hounds seem okay with that schedule ... Sadie is snoring loudly as I type this.

With the temps below that 70° threshold that Heidi has, she has declared it winter and is wrapped up in her sleeping bag while she sleeps on my bed ... that is basically her bed that I borrow on a nightly basis.

Wunderground is showing a good 10 day forecast for 'the tropics' ... I have a few plans this week and one of those is washing and thoroughly cleaning the two tons of dog hair out of the FJ. All of the dried hound drool will clean off easy from the plastic dash but I might have to put some effort in getting those hound nose smudges off of the windows.

Another beautiful day here in 'the tropics' of Southern Indiana.

Hounds Under No Restrictions Today

I decided today I would make some changes to the daily walk. I've done it before but when Stella started going outside the limits I went back to some 'adult supervision'.

We didn't get the first walk in until 11:30am. The field was still really wet in the shaded areas ... but I didn't say a word to them until the end of the walk this morning. Stella tried to head in the direction of the neighbors house instead of the direction Sadie and I were walking.

For their first trip of the day, right after their breakfast, both of them are now back to their older habit of walking straight out into the field instead of heading north. Sadie will look back at me at times to see if I am watching her.

I still don't see a lot of bright, vibrant colors while these leaves change. Nor did I do any Google searches to find out what makes those colors so vibrant one year and dull colors the other year.

The deer scent along the field must have been strong because Stella never stopped once as we started our walk. Both of them had tails up and noses down with a pace that was fast as a trot.

Sadie has the better tracking nose and was pretty intense this morning with her exploration.

Without saying a word to her, Stella ran to catch up with Sadie.

How much longer will the rolls of hay sit in the field. I was told the other day by the field owner that the farmer he lets bale this field has 100 head of cattle that go through the 32 rolls during the winter.

The corn field in back has been picked and we can see the turkey farm and AT&T tower now. I remember one day in a December snow storm, Sadie as a puppy jumped over that small hidden fence and sprinted across that field after some deer she had seen. I couldn't catch her, nor find her later. She was at the doorstep a few hours later.

Like I said, today I didn't say a word to either hound ... I kept walking and taking photos while letting them do anything they wanted.

I've always wanted to take a picture of this sign but always before I could never get the Nikon 55-200mm to focus at the 200mm setting. The Tamron 18-200mm had no problem focusing in on what I wanted to take a picture of.

Unbelievable that Stella started running toward Sadie and I as we headed for the house. This past week or two, I had to practically drag her by the collar to get her to move.

We are almost home when Stella decides to change direction and head the wrong way. She did not go to the neighbors, neither of them were outside, but she had found a spot she wanted to check out. It's the only time today that I told her to "come on".

With the MLB Playoffs in 'full swing' the first of four baseball games today and tonight started a little after 1pm. Hounds were fed, had at their morning walk and all that was needed was my lunch. Although it was only Friday, with that many games being shown back to back, I know the hounds would get a 2nd walk sometime between games.

They spent some time outside during my lunch and the 1st game. I let Heidi spend as much time as she wanted outside. She stayed outside enjoying the sunshine for over an hour after Sadie, Stella and I went back inside.

What I thought would be between baseball games, we took off on our walk. Little did I know that once that commercial was over, the 2nd game had already started.

Stella went straight to the spot she wanted to go to this morning at the end of her walk, when I called her. This afternoon I just kept walking, letting her do anything she wanted.

Something told me that she would not be running to catch up with Sadie and I nor would she still be in that same spot when Sadie and I returned from our walk.

The leaves seem to be dying before they can change colors this year.

As Sadie and I started to make that first turn, I turned around to see where Stella was ... same place.

Sadie would rather walk then just stay in one spot. There are too many things that activate her nose.

This is about the only section of color leaves.

As Sadie and I made the turn to head back home, I didn't see Stella on the horizon. I didn't see her to the left of us so I assumed the worse ... she was at the neighbors house. She won't last long if she continues to do that. If she goes that far she will eventually go as far as the highway.

I guess it was better than what I assumed, she is standing there at the edge of the woods that are behind the neighbors house.

Without calling her, she noticed Sadie and I were walking by and she started heading our direction.

As the AKC book says for the bloodhound breed ... she is definitely stubborn.

The three of us cruised on home with not much said. No lectures, just walking.

Baseball in the fall reminds me of the days growing up a long time ago .. then it was just the World Series, with no playoffs and no wild card teams. Interesting how all the sports got greedy, players and owners alike ... still there is something special about watching baseball in the fall.

Not sure about my blogging plans for the weekend. It was nice taking time away from the computer last weekend. I might try that again while I spend all my time watching ballgames.

Have a good weekend ... another week has passed here in 'the tropics' of Southern Indiana.