The Hounds Survive Another Hot Day

The temperature looked pretty cool just after noon on Monday when the hounds were fed. As I opened the door to let the hounds outside for their afternoon lunch break, the heat from the outdoor oven hit me square in the face. The heat index said 102° and I was pretty certain that was accurate by the way it felt. All three hounds came outside but didn't stay out long and didn't move much further than a few steps.

We decided to camp inside enjoying the 75° temps, when Sadie and Stella alerted me that someone was at the door. The doorbell always drives them crazy with excitement. The same man from the electrical company was back to tell me I would start Tuesday morning without any power as they finished their new installation of power lines a few hundred feet away.

I am not sure what is in this spot Stella is checking out but all three hounds at one time or another the past two days has pressed their noses into the hard gravel. They don't lick or eat anything but something attracts their noses. I'm guessing that black cat I've only seen once, has passed through here.

With the power out for a short time this morning, it was cooler outside than inside the house ... it was a perfect time to get the first walk of the day completed. They are running parallel lines from a power station behind the gully we walk by on our walks ... to across the highway ... down the closed road to the steel bridge and then across the creek to the next road over. It looks like the two lines that go to my house have been installed in the new pole.

It amazes me how those men work with power lines, knowing mistakes cannot be made and just how much power is zipping through those lines when they are set to be used. It looked like they had done a lot of work prior to 8am this morning.

This new pole is across the highway. I am not sure when they stopped traffic to run the power lines across the highway. Anytime earlier than 7:30am is 'rush hour' traffic in this area. From about 5:30am - 7:30am people are either heading to the interstate or going to work locally.

None of that work or sounds of people being near us disturbed Sadie or Stella for their morning walk. Same routine as always, for all of us. The cool air felt nice at 8am in the morning. It wouldn't last long as the muggy feeling had started by the time we returned from our walk.

I let Stella do her own thing again this morning. Why fight gravity? ... more or less, the same situation with her. Up ahead I could see how the heavy dew was making it's own design in the field this morning. I'll have a close up view of it a few pictures down.

Bye Stella ... we will see you on the way  back.

For those into plants, any ideas what this is?

While I walked at a steady pace, Sadie checked out the far right corner of the field. Before I could get any pictures of her, she had already sprinted behind my back and caught me. I felt her wet nose hit the back of my knee as she slowed down next to my side.

As I made the final turn home, Sadie walked right next to me for some reason and too close for any photos. Up ahead I could barely make out that foreign color against all of the green ... Stella had migrated over to the neighbor's woods during our walk.

She had found a lot of 'protein supplements' to enjoy this morning. I wonder sometimes why I bother buying dog food ... LOL

It only took me a few steps in her direction while calling her name, where she looked up and headed our direction. No trotting this week, just the slow pace walk where you can almost hear her feet dragging with each step.

It looks like the power lines are installed for use. I saw a couple of trucks with lifts heading toward the old abandon steel bridge, hidden by the corn in the fields. Oh, that rain they predicted for yesterday afternoon, never happened.

Another morning walk in the books for Stella. It was time for her daily morning nap behind my computer chair until lunch is served. It's a rough life being a bloodhound.

Even before lunch it was too hot to be outside long. Therefore the hounds didn't spend much time outside after their noon kibble. Heidi took one look at the drive, felt the heat and moved over to the shaded front yard to relieve herself ... then ran to the door.

With it feeling like an oven that was turned on outside, Sadie still wanted a walk ... she would have to wait another 6 hours before that would happen.

She thought if she stood in the shade and begged for a walk that might change my mind ... she still had to wait another 6 hours for our walk.

It never stops amazing me what Stella can do when the word food is involved. She was ignoring me out in the field, wouldn't move, would look up at me and hear me call her name ... not until I yelled "do you want a bone" did she start sprinting toward the house.

She had just eaten lunch but needed desert.

I wanted to check out a couple of small business in this small town that I knew sold Carhartt Jackets, work boots and clothing ... I thought the might have some rubber rain boots, low cut like a shoe. Not only did they not have any rain boots ... they were no longer in business. Another empty building in this small town.

I'm beginning to get a little cabin fever I believe. Once again I cannot find a book that interest me enough to read it. I'm tired of watching baseball and it's too hot to do much outside between 10am - 8pm.

Nothing new here in 'the tropics' of Southern Indiana today.

Where's Heidi??

Recently the photos on the blog all seem to be of Stella and Sadie. I might catch Heidi sometimes in the afternoon right after lunch but it's rare for any other times. Because of that, a few readers have asked if Heidi is okay, where is she?, does she go on our walks anymore? Well .... for any chances of a Heidi photo shoot or her walking, the temps have to be between 70°-75° and NOTHING before noon ... unless lunch is being served.

As we start every day, a morning walk through field covered with heavy dew. I decided it might not be a good idea to continue getting my hiking boots wet every day, so I switched back to my North Face snow boots. They are designed for wet fields or heavy snow. I might need to but some smaller shoes/boots to wear in the rain/wet grass.

Stella immediately took off to the north while Sadie and I were heading northeast. Is she just testing me to see what I will do? Probably not. She just likes wandering on her own pace and wants to have her way in deciding where to go. She's independent I guess.

Not more than 20' into the walk my boots are soaked but my feet/socks are dry.

Stella once again started her slow circular path gradually back to Sadie. I was at the first turn waiting to see what she would do. Once she took the time to look up from what she was eating and noticed Sadie had found something ... she came trotting in our direction. She wouldn't want Sadie to enjoy something without her.

Sadie was already reacting from the start of the walk as if the field had been cleared of all previous scents and this morning's canvas was full of new deer scent all over the field ... specifically along the edge between the field and woods.

I could tell by now that Stella would not be joining Sadie and I this morning. I was willing to let her do whatever she wanted now that she had changed her location more toward the woods instead of toward the neighbors.

As Sadie made that sound with her jowls as she inhaled all the field offered ...

Stella never moved.

It's right in there where the deer walk in and out of the gully, while some have sleeping spots in that heavy brush. At times Sadie gets so excited she will hop, wanting to jump into the middle of all that brush.

By the time I am almost to the back edge of the field, the smell of wet hay fills the air. That's a small amount of hay they cut this summer. Basically they only had about half the number or rolls they normally get in a cut. I am pretty sure they will be back in September or October to bale whatever they can so they will have enough to feed their cows in the winter.

As expected I didn't see any signs of Stella as Sadie and I walked the back edge of the field. I assume she was over the small incline and out of sight over by the woods behind the neighbors house. That is where the extremely large field cat lives.

I was almost shocked when I saw Stella walking out from the area I had left her. She had not moved and was tracing my steps long my path when I called her name.

Once she heard her name called she started walking our direction slowly.

Nothing like getting a look as if to say "what's the hurry" from her ... she is hilarious at times with her facial expressions.

To let me know they are both still in charge around here, not me, they walked their own path home at their own speed ... cutting the field in half and walked diagonal towards the north end of the yard.

After so much strenuous exercise this morning Stella will sleep next to the the floor register that pumps out air conditioned air until she is ready to eat her lunch around noon. She will howl when it's time for me to serve lunch.

Soon after we arrived home, it felt like rain in the air and the skies clouded over. Wunderground is telling me thunderstorms are possible by 4:15pm. I've heard that before with nothing happening. Since getting all my normal tasks done this weekend my daily activity this week could range between nothing ... and nothing.

Life is fast paced here in 'the tropics' of Southern Indiana.

Hounds Enjoy Another Quiet Weekend

I spoke about a lot of plans yesterday, at least a lot for me. I'm surprised to say I finished everything I wanted to and the perfect time to get things done since it's much hotter today. Those two pictured above supervised the trimming of the Yews on Saturday.

Even though we have not been getting any rain in this local area that does mean all the rain north of us doesn't affect the farmers. Due to all the flood waters moving south from Indianapolis this guy has lost his field of soybeans ... again. Even west of town where the fields are flat and large, they have lost a 2nd crop of corn and soybeans with their fields under water. That is the same field I called the "Field of Yellow" this past spring.

With a mowed yard you can see just how fast the field is growing. Stella looked like she was going to go on her own walk this morning without me and Sadie.

But she slowly circled around and headed our direction on her own. I kept on eye on her while I walked in case she headed for the neighbor's woods.

After Stella circled back and got on the path, she slowly passed up Sadie who's nose to almost too active with her stopping about ever three feet. No body was moving too fast today after the day of constant activity on Saturday.

I got over 10,000 steps in, two hound walks, mowed the yard, cut weeds with the weed eater, trimmed the yews on the left side and cut them back on the right side. By 2pm I was drenched in sweat and needed large amounts of ice cold ice tea plus plain water to revive myself.

Sadie was very very happy with all the new scents she had to investigate this morning. Heidi??  Of course back in bed sleeping.

It's nice to take these morning walks while it's still in the low 60's.

As I suspected ... they planted soybeans without me seeing or hearing them do it.

I was surprised to see the moon was still out as I was looking at the sky as I walked.

The yews have reached a height that may be problems in the future. In the past I have been able to cut all of them with electric trimmers but not yesterday. You'll notice all the thick stems I had to cut one at a time with my tree pruning tool. Will that mean there will be only more thicker stems as the yews get older? I also cut them back 20" or two boards lower on the house siding.

Due to the highway being only 100' away I have tried to train all my hounds not to go into the front yard to prevent any chance of them seeing a rabbit or have an urge to take off running toward traffic. Heidi is the exception because she likes to lay in the sunshine in the front along with dumping her tanks.

So while I walk back up the 80' hill on the driveway, Sadie and Stella watch me and make sure I make it back okay. They want to make sure I'll be around to feed them and let them in/out a 1,000 times per day.

It has been another great weekend with a lot of things being finished.

With all of the work I completed this weekend I can feel an afternoon siesta is scheduled today right after the Reds game is over. It's hard to stay awake inside with three hounds sound to sleep and one of them snoring loudly.

All is good here in 'the tropics' of Southern Indiana.