The Hounds Check Out The Snow

For once the weatherman was right last night. It rained a lot over night and by the time we hit the field for the first walk of the day, water was coming up the sides of my hiking boots with each step, plus it was freezing cold. Snow showers were suppose to start about the time we went outside.

While the hounds split up and went different directions I was hearing water going down the gutter downspout but saw no rain of any kind on my sleeve. Some of the path I take had standing water but Sadie had to get her walk in.

It was borderline freezing with a windchill in the 20's. I was now seeing small balls of snow hit my parka sleeve but couldn't hear it. Sadie marched through the high grass with water trails behind each of her paws ... this was going to be very wet walk.

I left Stella where she wanted to be. That was not far from the house, out in the middle of the field between my house and the neighbors. Sadie had ran and disappeared around the first turn and I could hear a snow/rain mixture hitting the shoulders of my parka. Too late to turn around and if nothing else, I had to go get Sadie.

By the time I caught up with her she was almost to the far right corner of the field. I had dressed for freezing temps but my face was telling me just how cold it really was. The sleet was starting to come down a little harder.

It was darker than this photo shows but you can tell it's a dreary day but maybe not how cold it is.

That did not matter to Sadie ... she had a lot of ground to cover yet as I kept telling her we had to go home.

You can barely see the sleet coming down with against the background of the trees.  As it hit me in my face I increased my walking pace with Sadie trotting right beside me. Stella was no where in view from what I could see.

About the same time Sadie and I caught the alternate path home, I saw Stella over to the left of me and it didn't look like she had moved from the place I last saw her while we began our walk.

She wasn't happy about it but decided to trot toward the house as Sadie and I ran to the house. It was more rain than snow at this time.

It's hard to tell from this photo, as you can see the sleet ... a little after 9am, just like they forecasted. I poured another cup of coffee once inside and sat at the kitchen table watching the weather. A pot of chili was started right before we went on our walk.

About an hour and a half later it started snowing hard with huge flakes of snow. Based on what I heard on tv last night, this would not amount to much more than a 1/4 inch where we are. Once again, north of I-70 would be getting 1"-3" accumulation, which is 75 miles north of us.

With the temps dropping, it started to stick. It kept coming down harder and I was beginning to wonder if the weatherman was just a little off in his prediction from last night.

With the snow sticking I wanted to take the hounds outside to check it out before they had lunch. Normally the snow will energize them into playing or running around the backyard but not today.  Even Stella wasn't sure that she wanted to go any further than the carport.

Stella was more interested in frozen natural protein laying around, while Sadie acted as if she wanted to go back inside and continue her late morning nap, and wondering why Stella didn't follow her.

Once Stella heard me say "do you want to eat" ... she didn't hesitate trotting to the house for some lunch.

I didn't think Heidi would stay out too long with the weather the way it was. She went to the door after her lunch to go outside but once she stepped off the carport she wasn't sure where her perfect spot was to relieve herself. It was already too cold for me, so I stepped back inside and waited for her.

To my surprise she took off around the front of the house to do a lap around the house while staying underneath the overhang. It wasn't longer than 5 minutes after she stepped outside that the snow stopped. It went from snowing hard with large flakes to nothing ... just like that.

By the time she walked around the FJ heading toward the door where I was waiting for her ... the snow had melted leaving no evidence that it had even snowed today. They were all happy to get back inside. Stella picked up her bone to chew on ... Heidi jumped back up on her sleeping bag for her long afternoon siesta and Sadie fell asleep guarding her water bowl.

With it getting colder we don't have anymore plans for being outside today except when they want to go outside to pee. I started my 'movie marathon' last night and have a stack of DVDs from my movie shelf that I want to watch. I may or may not fit in a couple of NFL games today. Playing a game outside in Green Bay, Wisconsin later tonight could be an interesting game to watch on tv.

Perfect weather for the pot of chili that has been cooking in the crockpot since this morning

First snow of this winter, here in 'the tropics' of Southern Indiana.

First Snow This Winter

Just like the forecast stated last night on tv, it would snow a little but wouldn't last. The hounds had to check it out anyway. This is the truth ... 10 minutes after Heidi went outside the snow stopped and melted into the ground. There was no evidence of snow by the time she came back inside.

Hounds Enjoy Their Last Warm Winter Day

After weeks of hiding inside, only coming outside long enough to relieve herself ... yesterday the weather was so nice that Heidi came outside and stayed outside. She enjoyed herself. She doesn't know it yet but as soon as this post is published she is headed to the bath tub for a warm bath and a manicure afterward.

While I walked around picking up those small tree limbs in the yard, all three hounds roamed and explored on their own. Of course Stella had to test me and disappear. I stopped my tree limb expedition and changed it to a 'hunting' expedition. She can sneak away so fast.

Heidi did a lap around the house slowly, then inspected the outside border of the backyard and driveway. It was so warm that I think we could have stayed outside all afternoon yesterday. I thought it was unbelievable weather but I remembered yesterday when I took a picture of Winston on Christmas Day in 2015 and it was just as warm.

Here is a picture from that day. He had hurt his back 6 days before and could no longer walk. Even after two years I still miss that basset hound, he was the greatest. Yet by midnight tonight there is suppose to be snow showers until 6am, so we will be seeing colder weather.

I didn't pick up all of those limbs but almost filled my 32gl trash can to add them to the small pile. It doesn't look like it now but by next spring I'll have a good size pile to burn.

After I rounded up Stella as she walked out of the woods in back of the house, I had no choice but to put her on the 80' tether that is anchored in the field. It keeps her in the area within my view but gives her enough room to room. As you can see she had no problem walking into the brush and dead ragweed just behind the burn pile, getting tangled up.

I never heard a thing last night during some solid sleep but there was evidence this morning it had rained pretty hard last night. It was very warm this morning as we headed out on our walk. I can always tell if it's raining lightly before we go out by looking at the passing cars from inside to see if they have their windshield wipers on. This morning it was safe enough to try a walk through the wet field.

Stella surprised us all by taking off north in the yard ... opposite from Sadie and I. As I called her name she gradually turned and walked toward us. It took a while for her to get even close to us,  plus a little nudge from me to move her into the right direction. No doubt the most stubborn hound I've ever had in 30 years.

Sadie was moving fast enough with her nose to the ground that she was faster than the camera.

Once Stella hit the path ... she and Sadie were running around that first turn. They know it will take me a while to catch up to them.

It's hard to tell but this is one of the worn paths into the woods the deer take. It goes through the brush and after about 10' will change to a steep gully. When she walks out of this area or any part of the woods there are still thorns that grab her coat and tangle her up at times.

Sadie of course is on a scent and is focused on that ... nothing else.

By the time I was walking about halfway down the back side of the field I could feel a drizzle of rain hitting my face. None of that made a difference to Sadie. She had a lot more area to inspect.

Sadie continued to inspect an inch at a time, along that back side of the field.

I didn't take this picture today to check the camera alignment but to capture the fog. It was almost 8:30am when I took this, so there is no chance of any sunshine today.

Turning toward home, the wind from the SW increased and was blowing light rain in my face. I could hear it hitting my rain jacket.

Sadie thought she was feeling the same rain so she started her sprint toward me without me saying a word. As I snapped the camera shutter as fast as the camera would focus, I came up with only four photos from the time she started running from the back of the field. One of them was too blurred to post.

They will never run directly to the yard non-stop, no matter what the weather is doing. There is always something they need to check out before ending their walk.

To Stella it's just another day ... no worries in the world ... just food, sleep and walks. Pretty simple life.

As expected, I found out after my first day of riding my bike inside for 30 minutes on a trainer yesterday afternoon, that I would need to take today off to recover. It will get better but it's always hard to start riding again and getting into bicycling shape. I have enough muscle pain today that even Ibuprofen is not working.

The Garmin Connect App sent me a new update the other day. Along with a new Apple update for the iPhone, I was hopeful that my Garmin VivoSmart 3 would connect to the new phone like it did with my 6s. So far this morning it has not. I'll find out later since I just turned the phone off to reboot it. I can download the Garmin data to my computer with no problem but it makes it so much more convenient to see that updated data on the phone.

I had something I was going to ask all of you on this post but now I can't remember what it was. Typical isn't it?

It's foggy, it's warm and only 3 days till Christmas for those that celebrate it. It's hard to believe how warm it is in 'the tropics' of Southern Indiana.

Heidi Makes An Appearance

The weather was so nice yesterday that Heidi had no choice. She had to come off the couch, out from under her blankets and get some fresh air. She put her nose to the ground and inspected a lap around the house. She needed more so she covered the property line to the south. She looked like she was enjoying herself.

Will she enjoy her warm bath and manicure today?