Stella & Sadie Sprint Next Door

Like I said yesterday, there is never a dull moment with two bloodhounds. This morning for the first time ever, Stella ran down over the bank into the neighbors yard with Sadie showing her the way. I'll get to that story further down the post. It proved that they can hear and smell live moving things (people) a long way off.

With Heidi already moving into her winter hibernation mode she only comes outside after her lunch and then depending on the temperature, gets back inside as soon as possible. She has moved a Mexican blanket out from her spot in the bedroom to the living room and that's a sure sign that winter is just a few months away.

Starting time for the day started later than normal. We were up late with the last MLB playoff game plus an hour or two of computer work after that while I was still wide awake. When you are retired and the hounds being quite adaptable the daily schedule can be a floating one ... without dull meetings and a day of work it's pretty easy to do.

With the temps in the late morning only in the high 50's, it was still beautiful outside ... the air smelled clean, felt a little crisp but a great time to take our first walk of the day. The sky was the bluest of blue.

I was willing to let Stella do whatever she wanted to do on this walk. She lagged behind as Sadie was darting all over the field that was loaded with fresh new scents to track. It must have been a busy night in the field with deer traffic because Sadie was beside herself with excitement.

About the time I took this picture of Sadie ... Stella sprinted past me barely touching my right leg. It was surprising because from the last picture I took of her I didn't think she would be moving much in this walk.

I did catch Sadie in one of her sharp turns but missed getting all the other darting action of her.

I'm not a weather expert, nor a naturalist expert but I am guessing this fall will not be taken over by bright colors from the trees around here. What should be bright reds straight ahead are dying leaves. Yellows are nowhere to be found. There is still enough leaves and enough time to tell me I'm wrong so we will see.

I could tell by the actions of the hounds, scent tracking was the theme of the day and there were more scents to track than what they could manage. Sadie was running everywhere with Stella doing more of a steady paced search.

I had a feeling that Stella might try to duplicate her escape like yesterday so I kept an eye on her. She looked like she was sneaking away again but she stopped heading that direction when I yelled her name. She didn't turn our direction but stopped heading north.

Sadie had that look of hers when looking in Stella's direction that seems to say "where is she going now"????

Something was in the air as the hounds met on the path and took off running, leaving me way behind.

As I started heading back on the normal return path, both of them had noses to the ground at a good pace on the alternate path we take. It leads right to the north property line pole. So I moved over to that path with their suggestion.

This is where things get interesting. They NEVER are in front of me on this path. I normally have to walk back once I get into the yard and tug at Stella's collar to get her to move. Not today.

They started running .... that put my mind on the alert and I prepared the camera for possible running.

And then they started sprinting and never stopped. I had a pretty good idea what was leading them across the yard as fast as possible toward the bank by the burn pile. I started running because I was pretty sure they were headed next door to meet the neighbor for the first time ever.

Earlier I had seen the neighbor out clearing some brush in different parts of his yard and thought the hounds might have decided it was time to meet.

By the time I sprinted to the yard the hounds were out of site. I could see his truck parked near the bank, through the dead wild ragweed stems. By the time I got to the bank the hounds had ran over the bank through the weeds and had him surrounded --- blocking his way from getting out of his truck. They don't jump on people but are more than happy to let that person(s) know they are glad to see them.

Luckily he has a sense of humor. I called them to "get up here" and they both charged through the dead ragweed, up the bank and pranced around the driveway excited they had met someone new and proud of what they had done.

While we talked about the bank's future next spring I put the hounds in the house but not shutting them up in the bedroom like I usually do even when I mow the yard. That prevents Stella from eating my bowls of fruit, dragging my glasses, iPad mini or iPhone off of the counter to give them a good lick or snooping around for new stuff to taste.

So it was a test for the hounds since they had run of the house while the neighbor and I talked.

I am happy to say the glasses, iPad Mini, iPhone and my laptop were still on the counter and kitchen table when I returned. Nothing was on the floor from Stella dragging stuff off the counter and the only 'damage' was she ate one of my mangoes but left one in the bowl for me to eat later on.

Here are some photos from late yesterday afternoon. Sometime around 3pm my TMJ kicked in and drove me to my knees at one point ... not actually to my knees but you get the idea how bad the pain was. I tried 800mg of Ibuprofen ... nothing improved.

I tried rotating an ice pack and then a warm damp wash cloth on my jaw ... that didn't help. What caused it may have been a sandwich I ate mid-afternoon. With a recent dental exam giving me a clean bill of health I knew it wasn't a cavity that was causing the pain.

I lived with it until about 9pm when it finally got so bad that I stepped away from the baseball game I was watching on tv and headed for my computer. I had bookmarked two years ago a site that was about TMJ .. in fact it was tmj.org

I wanted to review what I was doing to see if I missed something. I found out that with constant pain I need to apply heat, not ice. I needed to take some more Ibuprofen (I didn't) ... so I soaked a wash cloth in hot water, squeezed out all the water and then put it in the Microwave for 15 seconds ... it was hot and felt great against my sore jaw.

As the pain diminished I massaged around my jaw bone, near my right ear, behind the ear and at the base of my neck ... a couple of hours later I noticed the pain had all gone away without taking more Ibuprofen.

The sad thing is, coffee (caffeine) is not good for TMJ. But I had to have a cup or two this morning and I thought what a good test it would be to find out if coffee would put me back in pain this morning.

I ate food on that side of my mouth to prove it was not cavity related. When I drank hot coffee before our morning hound walk I did not try to keep the coffee away from that side of my mouth. There was no pain of any kind when the hot coffee was on that side of my mouth.

It's been a couple of hours since I had that coffee and there is no pain at all in my jaw bone area or the teeth. I do sleep with a mouth guard to prevent me from grinding my teeth or clenching my jaw while I sleep. Sometimes I can feel how much I did that when I take out the guard in the morning. So the guard does work.

As I was typing this I heard two bloodhounds wrestling in the next room. It's been almost a year since Stella has wrestled with Sadie inside the house. The play ended with a yelp from Stella and I could see it's her hips or lower back that is the problem just like I have mentioned here before. She came running to my desk wagging her tail to let me know she was okay.

"No harm no foul" as the say in basketball. Sadie shared her water bowl with Stella and the both laid down beside my desk chair to take a nap and to let me know it was time for lunch even after a late breakfast.

No plans today except for more hound walks, more pictures and watching two baseball games this afternoon and tonight.

It's a beautiful day here in 'the tropics' of Southern Indiana.

Stella Sneaks Away This Morning

You have to admit that Stella is very persistent with her attempts to travel solo when outside. Of course with her huge desire and at least a million attempts in the 26 months she has lived here to 'escape', you could bet all the money have have that once those hunger pains hit her stomach she would be back at the house trying to nudge the door open so she could eat.


Her latest attempt at total freedom was so quiet and sly this morning, that I didn't notice she had disappeared until it was almost too late. You will see later that Sadie notified me with her stare toward the north.

After yesterday's post where I did a little ranting, I found from the comments and the emails that zipped to my inbox ... that might have been one of the most popular posts in a long time. I know it wasn't the most visited post in the 6 years of the blog but it was a Top 5. It will be hard to come up with better humor than that, including some very good and funny comments.

As you can see it didn't take long after we started our walk where my waterproof hiking boots were soaked. You may notice those are jeans I'm wearing and not my normal shorts being worn which tells you just how cold it was this morning after a late start.

I am going to have to do some digging today on the internet to find out the weather predictions for this winter. The Farmers Almanac is pretty accurate but the Russian Scientist winter prediction last year wasn't. It's only been the 2nd day in a row where I felt that rush of cold air hit me as I open the door to let the hounds out while I pour out their breakfast of kibble but I'm a little concerned.

You have to look hard in the the picture above but in all of that grass with heavy dew you see my worn path on the right side but you can barely see other 'green' paths among the dew which are not the hounds ... but deer.

That is why Stella came running to catch up with Sadie ... who was long gone and out of view from where I stood.

Just as I turned the first corner I barely caught Sadie up ahead charging into the brush ... only to run back to see if Stella and I were ever going to speed up and not miss all the action.

That is Sadie on the left, Stella on the right. I adjusted the lens so I could fit both hounds in the picture as well as show you just how much roaming room they have as I walk the same path every walk and have for years, plus or minus a foot or two either way.

What is a surprise I later found out ... with them being this far apart I saw no way that Stella was going to sneak away ... I mean she is there right in front of me within view even without looking through the lens of the camera. I thought she would catch Sadie but nothing more.

Sadie eventually changed direction and came back sprinting to the path right in front of me. I continued to walk looking to the left, up at the sky, the trees ... meandering slowly on the walk ... really not paying attention.

It wasn't until I picked up Sadie's stare inside the 200mm lens that thought of "where's Stella" hit me upside the head with a jarring force.

Stella was NOWHERE !!!! That's where Stella is .... nowhere in view ... but Sadie was once again giving me a clue where she 'might be'. Although this field looks flat, there is a lot of small hills in it, where a red bloodhound can camouflage itself amongst the few tall dried out strings of hay.

I wasn't going to run this morning, not even trot to the top of the small hill to see Stella. I'd let Sadie keep an eye on her and if Sadie started running then I guess I would have to also. Luckily as I crested that small incline ... who did I see? .... Stella.

How she covered so much ground, so fast is hard to figure out. I never saw her running and in fact I never saw her head that direction. I guess that is what I get for 'daydreaming' about how am I ever going to get through this cold weather this winter .... for some reason this fall it feels different, like we are going to make up for that abnormal warm winter last year with more snow and freezing temps this year.

Stella definitely heard me calling her name but that didn't mean that she would sprint to me, admitting that I had caught her with a wagging tail and hear her baying. All she meant when she raised her head hearing my voice was that she did hear me and she was too busy to leave.

I slowly walked across another wide path made by the numerous ATV trips, Stella didn't move. In fact she let me walk all the way up to her and take her collar to lead her in the right direction ... within sections after I touched her collar she takes off sprinting to meet Sadie and off they went ... leaving me behind again.

She's funny and so different than any hound I have ever had. Of all the basset hounds and bloodhounds I've had since 1987 (first basset named Harry) ... Stella is the most stubborn hound I have ever had the pleasure of living with.

She turns dull days in 'rural america' into surprises right around the corner without a normal frequency or limit on how many. Let's just say that she keeps me on my toes.

As they took off running they would decide for me if I took the normal return path home or our new alternate route started about a month or so ago.

They both headed down the oldest return path. It may have been 51° when we started this walk but it sure did feel like the 30's by the time we finished this walk. I am more agitated about the colder temps than I normally am during October ... I've never been a 'winter person'.

With all the trees resisting changing their colors to bright colors and becoming vibrant enough for weekend leaf seekers ... this is almost the only thing with color I could find this morning ... about 20' from the yard.

This post is a perfect example of what I talked about the other day. Most bloggers post once per day, some once per week, once per month or whenever.

Since I like to talk and can't keep my mouth shut I usually come up with enough photos in a 24-hour period that I could fill 2-3 posts per day but try to keep it at 1 per day.

Since I popped today's post out automatically at 6am this morning ... you really didn't think I was up that early did you??? I now have this post with 19 photos and the normal morning commentary  that I could post now for the 2nd post of the day ... but could have more pictures of the hounds later with better lighting but that would be 3 posts in one day.

Traffic reports or post visit counters show me that whenever I post more than one post per day, the earlier posts of that same day are missed for some reason by readers.

I have my front page set up where each post has an abbreviated intro paragraph so you can see there are more than one post per day but those reports show that somehow readers miss the previous post of the day.

I have to make a quick decision though ... it's almost 1pm and all three hounds are gathering around my desk chair letting me know their lunch needs to be served. They will be thrilled with the time change that happens soon but I can't remember exactly when.

The sun continues to stay out and I continue to hear heavy big farm equipment going by the house here in 'the tropics' of Southern Indiana.

Fall is definitely here.

Voting Was Unanimous 3-0

Not only did Stella cast her vote but so did Sadie and Heidi ... although there was no eating of dirt prior to voting for them. Soon after lunch all three hounds hung out around the FJ discussing how then were going to tell me that 'they' run this blog, that I am only the typist and photographer. It kind of reminded me of my working days were people hung out in the coffee lounge discussing various things.

Instead of writing out a long detailed description of what went on during our board meeting, I'll just say here was the final decision, unanimously voting 3-0, where I was not allowed to place a vote nor voice my opinion. I was only there to take notes and then later have those meeting notes approved by Stella before posting. She insisted her photo be the 'feature' of the blog.

The discussion was short and sweet -- nothing changes from what has taken place the past 6 years. We will continue to ramble, rant a little at times, keep away from current events in the world and USA, keep away from religion and political discussion nor turn the blog into "talk radio". Cussing will be at a minimum if any at all. Posts will be published when we feel like it as well as composing the post. Photos of the hounds will be taken from all angles and all sides ... chances are the hounds will not wait for me to get in front of them just to take pictures from the front.

They tried it a couple of years ago but found it was too much work, therefore at no time in the future will each hound have their own blog and written from their point of view. GoPro cameras are under consideration but will be discussed in their next meeting ... currently all the hounds want their own cameras and mounted all at the same time ... "one for all or all for none" ??? is that how that goes?

After all, all three of them get dog treats, pieces of pizza crust and sometimes plain pancakes or waffles at the same time ... not just one of them. So the same thing goes with the camera ... until they can come to their senses and see the logic of only buying one GoPro and sharing it ... just like blankets, bones and chew toys.

Earlier with the power out while they took down the older electrical system lines that crossed the highway ... I sat at the kitchen table playing one Mahjong game after another, with the Nikon D3200 sitting right next to me.

Sadie was very interested in the stopped traffic on the highway has they removed the older power lines from high across the highway. She has never chased a car but she was sitting at 'attention' looking out the door window and her nostrils moving in an attempt to see who was out there.

After the utility company trucks left and I knew their job was finished, it was a perfect time for their afternoon walk. Much better lighting for picture taking this time of day compared to the morning pictures.

I could tell by the way they took off running they were headed for the 'far right corner' ... the scent of deer must have been strong.

The hounds did not know that high above them, on the tower for high powered cables, sat a hawk. As we got closer to making the final turn home, the hawk flew away into the north woods.

I don't know how it's possible but Stella did it ... while running and having her tongue stick out and fold sideways. You will need to click the photo for a closer look.

Later this afternoon I let Sadie roam the field on her own without a leash. I put Stella on the 80' tether to keep her somewhat near the house. It was such a nice day I didn't see any reason to keep them inside if they wanted to go outside.

I was at my computer when I heard a sound what I thought was coming from a hawk. I immediately ran outside thinking a hawk might be doing "fly byes" over Stella or Sadie. All I saw was a deer about 30' from the yard, turning and sprinting away while Stella sat in the yard staring in the deer's direction. With Sadie out in the field with no leash I was sure I was going to have to hunt for Sadie ... so I grabbed the retractable leash for Stella and my binoculars.

By the time I had transferred Stella from the tether to the leash and picked up my binoculars off the ground ... Sadie was sprinting to me from the north edge of the field, panting, out of breath ... the deer chase must have been a short one. You could tell by the look on her face she had some fun chasing that deer out of 'her' field.

It looks like a week of great weather here in 'the tropics' of southern Indiana.