It's Cold Outside !!!

I knew it was going to be colder than the past few mornings. My phone was telling me 29° but that puddle of water that was left in the carport floor had not frozen. Still it was cold but not bad. You can see that Heidi knows it's cold and this is the norm for her.

I'll discuss the process and surprise changing the blog to its new domain name at the end of this post. No one has to change anything if you have bookmarked or favored my blog site.

It is pictures like these where I wished I had a macro lens. Not quite clear enough, where a macro would show all of the small buds much sharper. Without much wind it wasn't bad starting the walk. Stella was making me feel a lot better. She was so much different this morning than yesterday. Like some suggested, maybe just a bad day when it comes to an aging back back.

She took off on the path instead of veering right into the 'land of the burrs'. As I started the walk I started thinking about my theme research last night. I couldn't resist the chance to change the theme I was using. Like anything else, everyone one has good features I like but not all the features I like.

Stella was too fast for me to catch her running. That is a definite improvement from yesterday morning and all day throughout the afternoon and night ... she was moving gingerly up until the time she went to bed last night.

These deer tracks were all over the field this morning. With the whitened field, heavy frost, they are so much easier to see. There was a lot of deer activity last night or early this morning before we made it outside.

Those deer tracks kept Stella pretty busy this morning from the start of our walk. Sadie would have been going insane this morning if she had this many deer tracks. I've said it before and I'll say it again, so much difference in personalities of the two bloodhounds. I have to continue to backtrack to get Stella moving in our direction. She will never hang back exploring then run to catch up with me.

Did she hear me mention anything about food? Nah ... I am not sure what she is trying to tell me. I had not said anything and was just walking toward the house. I'd give any amount of money in the world to know what goes through her mind sometimes.

At this point she was almost walking in slow motion, like she was sneaking up on me or trying to hide from me. She keeps a smile on my face daily with her personality and the different things she does during the day.

No worries, she is not mad about anything. She is just taking her time getting back to the house and that is a normal look of hers when her face is lowered. Skin gravity is always a problem with her.  LOL

For some reason I had the wrong idea about changing the domain name for this blog. I don't know if it was past experience of years ago or loss of memory. I had the impression that once that new domain name was pointed to this blog, then the older domain name that WordPress furnished me when I set up the blog on their free plan, would no longer work.\

Two things that I was not aware of definitely helped for a smooth transition. Unlike years ago, when I assigned a new domain to the blog I stayed where I was on WordPress .com. That also let them leave my old domain name to stay attached to my blog in the background so all of these domain name changes did not affect the reader. (you)\

If you list my blog on your blog sidebar, it is a different story because I also changed the title of this blog to match the domain name. It was also the title of my Blogger blog. I added a "B" to that title over there, which was appropriate because "Bhounds" can stand for (B)asset hound and (B)loodhound.

Why the blog site design change?

The main thing I wanted was the photos being as wide as the content. I wanted large photos for you to see when you read or scroll through the post. Although about half use tablets and phones to read the blog, there are those us still looking at the photos on a large monitor

The theme I was using to do that exact thing in November 2017 was no longer around. I remembered seeing
this designthe design from this morning, when I started this blog in November 2017. I remembered I could list the photos just like they are today and not the past week, without any manual adjustments after they were loaded.

After a little more work this afternoon I was able to find a theme much newer and offered the single column and the pictures the exact same width on the monitor as the design you saw this morning.

Another reason I was changing themes, my friend Contessa over at 5C's Que Pasa told me that she could not make a comment via her Google Account. Sure enough, the 'G' icon had disappeared in the comment section, so she could not sign in to comment. Another friend that blogs on Wordpress found the same thing when we looked in our Settings/Sharing. Google Plus was "unavailable." {Wordpress just sent me an email telling me they sent a comment with no issues and that 'G' icon is not there.} For those with google accounts, you do NOT have to log in to make a comment, just fill out your name, email and make the comment.

I am assuming that most of you know that use Google + it is shutting down in March 2019?

It turned out to be a very nice day, near 50° but the hounds wanted to do nothing but their normal afternoon routine .... sleep.

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

The Art Of Changing Your Mind

Some may think after seeing that title that I am going back to my old blog on Google's Blogger. Some of the long time readers I have would be use to that kind of announcement because I have done it before. I think I am pretty well set with change last night to go back to a right sidebar. As you see I had already changed my mind about that before this story posted. Ha Ha
In this case that is not going to happen. Not even close.

I like the Wordpress platform a lot. I am even getting use to their new editor where I write and insert the photos. Now that I have found the icons for bullet points and the small bits to add to the content I am much happier. They were well hidden deep in their menu.

I've adjusted my photo size so once they are inserted they come in at the right size. I like the size of the photos overall when the post is opened up, but I'd prefer them to be as wide as the website, without a sidebar. Yet without a sidebar, the footer is too long and I don't care for that look after trying it a day or two.

So I am suspended in between the cells of my brain, wondering what my next move is. I hope it is sitting still now, without more design changes. That way can free up some of my time and crawl away from this computer again. I feel that I am falling into a two blog a day schedule. I am going to still schedule what I can for a very early post time.

That way I can take the events and photos of the day and post those in the early evening Eastern Time. I think the first post of the day that is scheduled early in the morning, will be posts that I write as the feeling hits me. Different topics most of the time and I'll still try to include some photos from the file I have. Any announcements will be all verbal like the one yesterday.

I was reminded again the other day that I am really writing for me. That is a hard therory to wrap my mind around, because it doesn't feel like that. I try to post photos that are some of the best ones I take for the day and those that I think the readers will like.

Besides if I am only writing for me, then why is the blog public? Why do I keep looking at different theme choices in design and ask myself "what would be best for the readers?" Or ask "will anyone even scroll to the bottom where they would see the the information that use to be on a sidebar?"

Is any of this important? Not really. It's just a place to write, good or bad. Yet that would be like saying it doesn't matter what color your house is inside or outside because "it's only a place to live." Plus I like to fool around with my blog designs until I don't want to change it anymore. THEN ... I know it's the right design. Or I just like making changes.

There is one major obstacle to that. Looking through different themes soaks up data like a sponge. My data limit is between 600-700Mb per day to keep within the 20Gb per month I pay for. That doesn't mean I stop when 700Mb is reached. I do what I want all month and buy more at the end of the month if I run out of data.

When I am checking out themes for hours on end, I will burn around 1.2Gb of data  in a day based on previous experience.

By this time in the post most visitors have clicked the back arrow and have left town. Should I be concerned? If I was then it would only make sense to stop this post right here and click the 'publish' button. Since I am "writing for me" I continue with the post (probably a boring one) and take the time I need to insert the photos between the paragraphs instead of the much faster way of doing the opposite.

So .... I think you've seen about all the changes you are going to see for a long while. The new domain name is set. I believe that most people saw the post where I told them I was changing the domain name. So we will see if any gets "lost" after the change.

I guess I am kinda 'old school' when it comes to the modern designs, plus those don't really seem to fit the hounds and what I write about. The theme I have right now is about as modern as I can get.

I look at this site to see how it works on a tablet, smart phone, laptop and my iMac. A few times I noticed that large photo at the top was loading really slow but I think that is more my internet connect than it is file size. If you have that large photo taking too long to load let me know.

dI like the list of blogs and websites I follow, but not many others do. Since the majority of visitors for the past 7 years are here and gone in less than 5 seconds I am assuming this design is basically for me. I do the same thing sometimes when I visit blogs, just a quick glance to see a photo or see what they are writing about by checking their title.

It was a good time to do all the blog movement and design changes because it rained most of the day and night on Friday and continued through Saturday morning. Southern Indiana has has over 52" of precipitation since last January 1st.

When I change my mind there is way too much analysis that goes into it. Way too much, except when I trade cars. People know that once I am on that mission things are done within 24-48 hours max. Adding another hound, could cause me to think for weeks. (no, not going to happen)

It takes a lot of skill to change your mind. I like to start a brand new spreadsheet to get everything out in front of me where I can see it, then the decision becomes clear. I do not nor will I do a spreadsheet on whether to change the blog design. I know one friend that would be in shock if I didn't "spreadsheet it".  Ha Ha

With the blogs I follow I can't same very many, two or three, have changed their blog design after more years than I have had mine. Many people are still driving their same car or truck for the past 5-6 years and I cannot remember how many different ones I have had in that same time span.

I justify changing my mind a lot as if I was wearing different clothes every day, or a different pair of shoes, taking the leash or camera on Stella's walks, and even meal changes. That really isn't a good justification for change.

Enjoyment is a better word. "I enjoy changing things."

Speaking of photos ... I find it really hard during the winter months here in 'the tropics' to take photos every day. The trees are barren, leafless. The field is dormant with browns instead greens. Most of the the skies are gray and overcast. It would make no difference if I were to drive the local area to take photos, it all looks the same ... unless it snows, then there are a lot of photo possibilities.

Some say there is beauty in everything and the picture is there somewhere. Others might say that the best picture you will ever take is when you don't take one. The problem with that is I can't remember that beautiful sunset three years ago like I did then.

So I am thinking this winter you might see a lot more 'old' photos I have in my files mixed in between these unorganized paragraphs. My writing proves I like to change my mind ... it can change as fast as a new paragraph.

That drives me insane and is a habit I wish I could quit. It's just a lack of focus and a brain that is hopping all over the place.

So let's see what happens.

The coffee is gone. The Saturday morning walk was postponed due to rain. If MLB can do it so can I. I'm not hungry, don't want to read a book, don't want to watch tv or a movie nor do I want to watch daily news ... I am also rethinking that decision.

All the photos were take by me with a small Olympus camera 15 years ago. It was on a MLB Baseball Tour for 14 days, 13 cities (games) and 1 day at Cooperstown NY. Over 3,500 miles driven, plenty of room on a large bus with 32 people. One of the best vacations ever. If you might be interested in something like that, take a look at Jay Buckley's Baseball Tours.  (not an affiliate link)

Hoping for dry weather here today (Sunday) in 'the tropics' of Southern Indiana.

Stella Gets Her Morning Walk

With rain from Friday afternoon until yesterday, moving us up over 52" of precipitation for the year,  and 10" over the annual average, Stella had not been able to walk the field since Friday morning. I was surprised how warm it felt at 36° but wasn't about the amount of water coming up from underground surrounding my boots.

I noticed even before Stella had her breakfast that something was wrong.

She wasn't her normal energetic self, excited ... no thrilled, she was going to get to eat. The first sign was this morning as I started to get out of bed in the dark when I noticed a dark still shadow like a sphinx at the foot of the bed. She was beyond quiet, staring at me.

As she and Heidi followed me to the door for their first trip outside, she didn't trot, she walked slowly, behind me not out in front leading us. Back pain? Did she tweak her back sometime during the night?

Well it wasn't soon into the walk I could tell she might be hurting a little bit. She didn't trot toward me to catch up like she always does at the start of the walk.

Since Stella didn't get in any walks yesterday because of the rain, I decided today I'd give her a little freedom and we would move her at her pace. I didn't see a lot of deer scat being eaten but she was into gathering information with her nose pressed to the ground or in the taller grass.

Once that happened then should could file the name or have one of those automatic searches of her database that would tell her who had been there and when they had been there as long as two weeks ago. The bloodhound nose is amazing.

Along the back edge of that field is heavy deer traffic, showing many of those small paths that move to the fenced area where they jump over and head to the empty field behind this one. It's been 13 months since I last saw deer in this field. Those were great times when Sadie and Stella would chase the ones they saw, never catching them. It's times like those I am happy my camera caught all the action.

We spent a lot of time along that back edge of the field today. She was taking her time, plus she is never in a hurry on these walks. Today it took us 22 minutes to cover a little over a half mile.

Facing the woods to the north ... smelling or hearing something?

Same spot every day ... food or the mysterious large stray field cat?

Back on the hunt, right down the middle of one of those deer paths.

Nothing to do now but a late morning nap until lunch is served. She will take an afternoon siesta on the couch while I watch the Colts - Cowboys game.

Of course Heidi did not go with us and  this was about the best I could do for fining her presence. There wasn't anything visible except her tail.

Maybe a gross picture to some but one any dog owner has seen. Why is this on a blog post? Well a few reasons really. One, it was just late September that she had her teeth cleaned. Since that time she has been getting a daily OraVet Dental Hygiene Chew that the vet staff had good things to say about the results they were hearing, preventing plaque build up.

Do those small spots show the plaque is breaking up? Yet since I last checked there is new plaque on that front tooth. Plus it looks like a build up along the gum line. I have a tooth tool that would remove that but the biggest problem is all the bacterial that would be involved if I chipped it away, possibly leading to an infection. I'll leave it there.

Recommendations?  Yes, I have a child's tootbrush with dog toothpaste but I admit I have not been brushing her teeth every day, but some.

They were not too interested in hitting the yard later ... both headed back inside after some deep thought.

Although I am getting use to the way Wordpress's new editor works I am still not happy that I have to insert each photo one at a time if I want them listed in an individual list. I could group any number of them in a gallery format but I like having the photos as big as the theme allows. I don't like the word "theme" either compared to template or design.

Some of you might have seen that I made a change last night back to having a sidebar on the right side. Different reasons for that but I think I have finally decided on a design I like. Since buying the Premium Plan I had a few hundred new 'themes' I could choose from but in the end I chose to keep the one I had.

After that dark and overcast morning I was shocked but happy that the sunshine popping out of those clouds as I finish this post. With nice temperatures and sunshine with no rain ... perfect day.

Since I am a self-proclaimed hermit, I don't get out much. Therefore I am not surrounded by the hustle and bustle of Christmas panic for last minute gifts. If I had not glanced at my calendar a while I ago I would have never known we are only 9 days away from Christmas.

For new readers/followers ... a little warning. Since I am a world renowned scholar I blog about a variety of topics on this blog. This post here is one reason I decided last Sunday to move in a different direction. This was a daily type post on our other blog. I always try to include 18-25 photos in these kind of posts.

When I wanted to expand a little inside my demented mind I knew the topics would be much different and more random. I am trying to keep it at two posts per day because with that expansion of expertise coming out of my overactive brain cells, I cannot fit it all in one post per day.

Since I felt most readers saw the post yesterday that I would be changing the domain name from bhounds3blog.wordpress .com to houndsandotherstuff .com, I went ahead and started that process this morning. It has not finished yet. GoDaddy says it will take 4-6 hours to propagate the blog with her new url. Yes, I did put a space before the .com on purpose, in case you were wondering.

The blog title will not change ... uh, it might, it's probably best to have them match.

To see if this change will affect those that follow the blog by Wordpress Reader or by email, I too have followed my own blog with both of those options so I can see firsthand if there are any issues getting to the site or being notified of a new post after the change of the domain name.

I'll just say this about retirement living ... "its a dangerous job but I knew it would be dangerous when I took it." I still love every day of it, after 56 months of it.

The hounds are happy, I'm happy, it's another great day here in 'the tropics' of Southern Indiana.