Yes I Calmed Down Today

I'll be brief tonight and no ranting or raving. It was a nice day. I did get out in public, driving on public streets, walking into stores without any hassles or arguments with idiots. After waking up at 1am and then every hour on the hour until 5:10am ... to let Heidi outside to pee ... the sunrise was a bonus as I sat outside waiting for my coffee to finish. I needed coffee in the worst way this morning. Those are the Mule Mountains over there towards the Bisbee area.

A few hours later I looked around the computer room, the living room and the bedroom ... Stella had disappeared. It was good to see actually, that she had decide it was safe and did not have to follow me everywhere I go ... she was taking some early sunshine in this morning.

Clear skies for the Aerostat.

That pink thing might come off for good sometime Friday afternoon at 3:40pm. She and I are hoping it will and hear the words that we can resume our daily morning walks again by sunrise Saturday morning.

I had to spend all morning at home. I had a FedEx delivery that required a signature receipt so I wanted to stay until they showed up. They showed up a little before noon. The hounds had been fed and were sleeping when he arrived, they didn't hear a thing.

I needed to make a trip to town to buy more fresh caught Pacific Salmon and a little more of that Halibut, as I try not to look at the price per pound for that stuff. It tastes great. Riding 4-5 days per week now I need another pair of riding shorts so I stopped by the M&M Cycling Shop. They had a new shipment of Pearl iZumi shorts in stock and in my size. I also picked up a shop t-shirt since I never have enough t-shirts and a pair of cycling gloves since the ones I have been wearing are about wore out.

That was all I was looking for so I headed to the cashier counter. Leaned up against the counter was a red LeMond bike that I thought was just a display. I always wanted a LeMond bicycle but didn't want to spend the money they wanted to have one. As I was looking the bike over and admiring the craftsmanship built into the frame ... I see a tag "For Sale". Really ???

I asked Mike what size the bike was. My custom made Romic is a 56cm and yes the builder actually took measurements of the length of my leg, the distance between my thumb and finger to the middle of my shoulder and the distance from the outside of my knee to the the outside of my ankle. He asked if I rode hills or mountains sitting down or standing up and pedaling. That was in 1984 when those measurements took place.

The LeMond is 57cm ... you may be thinking how much difference can 1cm make? Well in bicycling it can mean a lot depending on the angles of those frame tubes. For example in 1982 I was having severe lower back and sciatica nerve problems thinking I was on the way to back surgery ... when I found out the top tube of the bike I was riding at the time was too long. Years later when one of my cleats on my shoes that lock into the pedals, was only a couple of degrees off ... it caused me to have so much pain in my knee that I could not ride.

So ... 1cm more ... I needed to test ride it ... they let me take it around the parking lot and that was enough area to figure out if this bike and me could find some enjoyment riding. The test ride was great, the bike was very responsive based on how the frame was made. It had new wheels, new freewheel, tuned up, and it was a consignment sale.

Now years ago when I was looking at LeMond bikes they were $2,500 and up ... now days this kids are racing on bikes that are $4,000 and up. I was in luck today though .. $500. They had just sat the bike out a few hours before I got there. I knew just by the condition of the 'used' bike it would be sold fast.

Just like t-shirts ... as long as I am riding on a regular basis ... you can never have enough bikes. Although for most of my life I have gotten by with having only ONE.  :)

I came home, changed into bike gear and took off to see what it would do. After 17 miles we decided both of us had had enough fun and finished the ride. Our top speed was 27 mph and that was NOT because I was going downhill. This bike could fly as long as I could pedal. LOL

Better mood today from the start even with the lack of sleep. I believe Heidi has decided I need to train her like a puppy since we didn't get that experience when she was a puppy. When I got her from GABR, they thought she was a year and half years old, maybe two years at the most. So yes, while she is outside in the middle of the night squatting in the rock yard ... I am standing on the patio looking at all the stars ... there must be a million of them at that time of night with clear skies.

I need to go ... I hear the first NFL game is on tv for the past 2 hours 25 minutes while I have been guzzling ice water, writing blogs plus answering a few texts. Only a few of us still email anymore.

Don't worry about Heidi ... she is back to her old self of running sprints in the house, rolling on the living room rug while she growls at herself and knows every day at 4pm or soon after that it is time for her and Stella's afternoon dog treat. She never misses and always comes to get me if I forget.

She is due for annual shots this month so while we are at the vet, I'll have them check out that bladder problem she seems to have ... unless she is getting some sort of sick enjoyment waking me up every hour on the hour, every night this past week ... she might.

It was a 'calm' day here in the Wild West.

Ranting And Raving Today

I'm not sure what the reason is but for some reason it was a day of the littlest of things bothering me and even ticking me off a few times. Even as late as a few minutes ago I could not even go through my photo library to find some photos to add to this post since I didn't take more than these photos today. Yet, I felt like blogging, like I had to blog to clear my mind. So for readers that love 20+ photos ... not happening today. For those that like rambling you MIGHT be interested otherwise I can feel a vibe right now as the words come out that there could be more ranting than rambling.

That dog bed that Heidi is laying on has a lot of drool stains that remain even after the cover is washed. I bought that bed the same day I picked her up from GABR only to have Sadie claim that bed was hers when she saw it and the older bloodhound slept on that bed every night for the next 7 years. The morning after Sadie passed, Heidi creeped over to it to check it out ... laid down on it ... and has been sleeping on it at night and different times during the day since last September 2018.

The two photos of the hounds exemplifies what the day was like today ... but it really started out beautiful as the sun came up. It may have been one of the best sunrises yet since I moved in June 13.

Another thing interesting in these photos ... they were taken with my iPhone 8+ camera. Yes I am eligible for what they call an "upgrade" but that is only a way to keep buying a new phone every two years. I plan on keeping this phone for quite a while and not fall into the marketing trap of Apple, Verizon, Best Buy or whomever wants to sell me a new phone. Their emails are always deleted when received.

So lets get back to the day starting and try to put some order in this. My routine was changing before it got started today with Stella's vet appointment at 9am. That's a bad time for me because I am out riding my bike at that time 4-5 days per week. Maybe not riding was the cause of this day that seemed out of order.

Or it might have been arriving at the vet about 10 minutes before my appointment ... then sitting there ... sitting some more ... glancing at my watch numerous times and watching the waiting room fill up with dog and cat owners ... all of us here for our appointment. With FIVE behind the counter and vet tech's walking all over the place going somewhere you would think at least ONE of us dog and cat owners would be called for our appointment.

Didn't happen.

We continued to sit and I could feel the lack of patience rising in my pulse rate. I was keeping my mouth shut but I could tell I wasn't thrilled about what was going on. Then like everything else either in dental, doctor or vet appointments ... each visit brings out the same exact questions with the same exact answers because they are reading from a prompt basically ... just like those you talk to over the phone for any kind of customer service.

WTF .... do you think my address and phone number has changed in the LAST TWO DAYS SINCE OUR LAST APPOINTMENT ???? Or on the phone ... you press different numbers moving through their maze of questions when all you want to do is talk to a live person. Then after you have told the recording your name, street address number, your phone number blah blah blah .... what is the first thing that live person asks ???  ALL THE SAME QUESTIONS YOU JUST ANSWERED IN THEIR COMPUTER SYSTEM.

Since I'm in that area of bitching that brings up something else I have noticed lately ... you cannot buy anything either in person or online, you cannot go to the dentist, doctor, vet or car dealers, WITHOUT HAVING A SURVEY EMAILED TO YOU WITHIN THE NEXT 24-48 HOURS to fill out "How did we do?"

It has gotten so ridiculous with all this crap being electronic that even the phone, email and texting systems got confused when I confirmed my vet appointment as they asked by email. When I typed "C" on the vet office text to confirm THE SAME appointment .... it came back with a reply "We don't see your appointment, please call the office !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

It's 11pm the NIGHT BEFORE the 9am appointment THAT I HAVE ALREADY CONFIRMED ON THEIR EMAIL.

How ridiculous can it get???

So back to the vet ... the day is still early with a lot more story telling. I can feel all the frustration and anger leaving my body as I type and I am not even to the good stuff yet.  Ha Ha Ha

We are called in ... the tech has her clipboard with the green form that will later be put in Stella file by one of the five people out at the counter I'm sure. Let's see ... same phone number, same address, yes she eats and drinks normally, no she has not puked or had diarrhea, yes she seems normal blah blah blah. Same answers as the PREVIOUS THREE APPOINTMENTS in the LAST TEN DAYS !!!!!

I'm instructed to go sit in the waiting area while they take off her bandage, check the healing area and then decide whether we continue this #$^@#@E%7 circus another two days or is she okay? Guess what ????????? A new bandage ... "the area looks great it is really healing well. She is such a nice dog" ... come back on Friday and we will take off the bandage" $34.71 each visit to replace the bandage. At this point in time I just don't give a shit ... I'm irritable and I want to get out of here as fast as possible. I feel almost claustrophobic.

Then guess what?

I have to go through the "maze of questions" with the girl at the front desk just to pay my bill and make Friday's appointment. I wanted to tell her so bad "Isn't any of this information on your computer screen" .... GEEEZZZZZUUSSSSSSS !!!!

We are loaded and we leave. I can tell this day is not lined up right so I am keen on watching other drivers just to prevent any kind of possible wrecks. LOL ... if you only knew what was going to happen. I decide to hit the McDonalds drive-thru for a coffee and a bacon egg cheese biscuit. It's down the highway about a mile but don't they say most accidents happen within 6 miles of home?

No accident ... but something different.

I'm on the highway at a stop light heading home. I feel better already with the TOO HOT Mickey D's coffee moving through my veins. I'll eat the biscuit when I get home. The light turns green and I accelerate at a normal speed, not beating any land records but also not crawling through the intersection like a turtle. Left lane is bumper to bumper traffic and in my .... rear view mirror .... I see a beat up old Dodge Chrysler van with a closing speed so fast that my mirror is filling up fast and I can see her eyes in my mirror ... she is that close as she slams on her brakes to keep from hitting me.

Nothing I hate worse than a #^$#@@$& idiot hitting my car from behind ... a rear end crash. NOTHING I HATE WORSE. Especially when I have my bloodhound riding in the back ... that would have been ugly ... but no ....

She swerves to miss me, cutting off the cars on the left as she cut into traffic on the left lane.

Now, remember I don't care how hot it is ... when I drive around town I like to have the windows open ... HER window is open .... as she flies by me tailgating the car in front of her ... I mean NASCAR close to their bumper like she was with me ... she starts slowing down and with no cars in front of me I think she is going to move to my lane and that's fine.

NO .... she doesn't want to change lanes in front of me ... she wants to yell at me. In the mood I'm in not not even 10am in the morning this is going to get ugly. I have no idea what she is yelling because I am yelling louder and calling her everything possible ... I had this one second urge to veer left and ram her beat up van just like you see in the movies but not when my bloodhound is in back.

So what does she do .... you guessed it.

She slows down way below the speed limit blocking the cars behind her as she cuts in front of the pickup truck following me and is right on my bumper RIGHT ON MY BUMPER !!!!

Luckily my turn is just up ahead ... I move right into the turn lane ... SHE DOES TOO. Is she going to follow me home? LOL .... I hope so. Nope, we both make the turn at the stop light and while I go straight to go home she makes another left which will take her to multiple businesses.

She was probably late for work.

The day is just getting started WITH FRUSTRATING FUN !!!!

I just finish the bacon egg cheese biscuit and my coffee that has finally cooled enough to drink it. I let the hounds back inside from the backyard and I hear the doorbell ring. HAS SHE FOUND ME, SAW MY CAR AND KNOWS WHERE I LIVE ????

It's my neighbor from across the street. Nice guy, late 70s maybe 80's ... LOVES to talk and is holding his tail light from his Jeep Liberty in his hand. I'M NOT A MECHANIC, but he is mechanically inclined with a garage full of every tool you can imagine.

He shows me the problem, asks me what to do or can WE get that broken large melted plastic OUT of the tail light through the hole the light bulb would go. NOW ... I have Stella and Heidi wanting to investigate with the door open and identify this visitor so I am trying to keep them inside, hold the door open and still give my opinion on the light WHICH I KNOW IS NOT THE RIGHT ANSWER HE WANTS !!!!

I don't mind helping people but I have plans to change clothes into bike stuff, get on the bike and pedal my anger away mile after mile ... I HAD those plans but just like that my whole day is about to change.

It's called life ... live with it.

I'll not lead you down that rabbit hole of the story but if I tell you I didn't get back home for 3 hours ... you get the picture I'm sure.

Back to the vet ... Stella weighed in a pound heavier today ... that is what happens when she doesn't get her daily morning walk I guess. Hopefully by Saturday morning she can get back on the road right after the sun comes up.

When I mentioned my camera problems the other day, with the 6-8 month old Canon G9 X having a black spot on the sensor ... a sensor I can only get to with a jeweler set of screwdrivers and take the whole thing apart ... NOT HAPPENING. Then wondering if it is time to upgrade from the Nikon D3200 to a D5300 or a D5600 ??? There is one way to find out ... one way to sort out all the bullshit specs on different cameras. It's just like the marketing of the smart phones ... new models very little change except the prices.

So as I have in the past when I am confused about what to buy IF ANYTHING ... I go here for my camera comparison. As you see the link I use is where I was comparing the Canon G9 X with my Nikon D3200. Looks like I should have followed my intuition and the website advise instead of following the advice of the world famous blogger on the motorcycle and a sidecar. That was back in December or January.

Long story short ... Today I plugged in every camera model I was thinking of upgrading to and followed the advice of these experts. This old D3200 is a pretty good camera even though it's an entry level camera for a 'beginner'. Add to the fact I needed to update the firmware for the lenses I use, I saved myself hundreds of dollars today by following that website.

I also looked at CNET Reviews for camera's. I am not interested in the 'mirrorless' cameras. I was able to pull some other models off of CNET that they recommended and compare it to the old D3200. Nothing I could find in my price range was worth buying to replace the D3200.

The best thing I could do for my frame of mind today was to .... take a nice long siesta.

I think the trend lately of disrupted sleep every night and my lack of riding a bike today is the cause of the shitty attitude I've had today. I have ZIP to bitch about. My life is good as always, very easy and chaos free compared to many others and where I am at I don't have to worry about trees falling on my house from the wind or even if my house will be lost to flooding ... so I have NOTHING I should be complaining about. Every day can't be smooth as butter ... sometimes there are disruptions.

I will keep an eye out for that faded old beat up maroon dodge/chrysler van just in case she is still angry and wants to ram me. LOL

Ah ... I feel better now after my "writing therapy" ... sorry I didn't have a lot of photos today but hopefully some humor.

Really ... all is good in the Wild West.

A Nice Peaceful Day

The hounds didn't wake me up this morning like they normally do but when I sat up with my eyes wide open for some reason this morning ... it was 4:10am. I knew the chances of me getting back to sleep were slim so I get out of bed, turn on the light and both hounds are already up laying the living room wagging their tails ... they know breakfast will be served soon.

That first photo was taken a little after 5:30am. So it was normal routine, hounds eat and back to sleep within 5-10 minutes. I sit outside with a cup of coffee watching the day wake up. A lot of thinking does NOT happen at that time of day. I'm just there.

I was surprised the Aerostat was still airborne this morning ... I had to get up around 1am to shut the bedroom window because it was raining hard and the wind was blowing the rain inside the bedroom. I checked the weather before I decided to open the window for the night ... it showed there was a 0% chance of rain all night long.

This is my view from the sitting position in that ugly but comfortable rubber chair.

Stella has become use to being on the "Injured List" with instructions not to take walks for 10-14 days. So the times we use to walk ... she sleeps besides my chair while I drink coffee.

I noticed this morning when I let Heidi out she was walking along the fence line. It was dark so I could not really see what she was doing nor why she was walking that way. After the sun came up I could see that small dry area along the fence. It's the lighter color rock that is dry. In Indiana she would walk under the roof overhangs when it was raining or had rained ... here along the fence.

I rode my 35 year old Romic bike this morning for a little more than a hour. It has gears that are too big sometimes so I don't ride it a lot until I get in better shape. So when I came back home the AC had kicked on ... Heidi decided she would stay inside to enjoy the cold air.

Stella thought it was the perfect time to get in some sun bathing in BEFORE lunch instead of her normal AFTER lunch.  LOL

I barely caught the Aerostat slowly lowering to it's landing spot, which I have ridden my mountain bike out there within view ... I am shocked that is were Brown Canyon is compared to the rest of the mountains.

You would not believe with a sky like that ... it was raining !!!!

The gray thunderhead clouds were above the house and opposite these photos. I thought about going for a hike, take some photos then the clouds started rolling in. Then I got busy making phone calls I needed to make and before I knew it the afternoon was over. Of course the hounds slept their afternoon away .... although Heidi did wake up at 4:10pm to let me know it was time for her bone treat they get every afternoon.

Not much else going one. Stella's vet appointment is at 9am tomorrow so she will at least get a new bandage ... that last visit just to change bandages and check the healing was $34 ... I know I know ... it's not that much and if you have dogs of any breed eventually you will start adding up the vet bills. It's normal. Some things I am just cheap about spending money ... other things, not so much.

Another beautiful day in the Wild West ... I love it here.

Stella Wants To Walk !!

The hounds have changed their routines lately that is causing havoc for me getting a good nights sleep. For some strange reason Heidi decided last week that she wanted to get up between 2:30am-3:00am to go outside. This is after she goes outside before sleeping around 9pm. Of course that wakes up Stella and her first thought is "it's time for breakfast I GET TO EAT" ... you would be amazed how much excitement that makes her. So I anxiously wait for that routine to change as soon as possible.

I guess the excitement yesterday was after almost three months living here, I pulled my small speakers out of their box and hooked them to the computer. After giving my old Epson printer/scanner away when I moved, I picked up a new Epson printer/scanner when I got here on sale for $45. It has been in the box since I bought it so it was time to get that thing running. I had a couple of things I needed to print out so it was time.

It was not hard setting up the wireless printer.

Nothing much was planned for today. I wanted to get back on the bike for the first time in a week and I did that. I saw afterward that my cut finger is healing better with just washing it and pouring hydrogen peroxide over it instead of adding the #1 recommended ointment on afterwords. I've been keeping a bandaid on it.

A trip to Walmart was almost a mistake. The place was packed and it is one of the largest Walmart stores I have ever seen. I only needed three things ... a spool of black upholstery thread, a package of two CR2032 batteries and a Krups Coffee Bean/Spices grinder. Luckily that self-checkout worked out well and I was out the door, out of the parking lot before I could even feel the million people in the area.

Since I had maintained my weight this past week when I didn't ride a mile or a minute I figured that I deserved a small amount of Mexican food. I knew right where I was going. It's a 'hole in the wall' type of place, in the old part of town but I always see a line of cars in the drive-thru when I drive buy.

I wanted to eat inside. I could tell by the size of the tortillas that were being warmed on the grill in the kitchen these were going to be HUGE burritos ... so I ordered two. One for lunch, one for dinner. Chicken burrito for lunch, carnitas burrito for dinner. Not only was it great tasting it was cheap. $6 and change for a two fisted burrito ... I WILL return ... plus the sign said "Open Late" ... I can live with that.

The first bite into my chicken burrito I thought I was back in south Oceanside California on Hill St. eating at Roberto's. I don't know if it is still there today but it was in the early 1980's and this burrito I was eating today was taking back 35 years with just one bite. It was just that good.

Although this was great food, the BEST Mexican food I have had so far is at La Casita Mexican Restaurant & Cantina just a few blocks west from where I was. But the BEST food had the MOST EXPENSIVE bill. I'll visit both on a regular basis though.

Oh the name ??? Filibertos. Trip Advisor ranks them #5 out of 10 Mexican restaurants in town.

I still have MANY restaurants that are family owned and/or hole in the wall places around here to try out. I don't think I will ever go hungry in this town but I might go broke based on how expensive a basic meal can be.

It was an expensive 10 days here in the Wild West. With Stella's unexpected surgery last Monday added to my previous dental work the weeks before and the final wrap-up the day after her surgery ... ended up taking thousands of dollars out of my billfold. I'll not tell the total amount but it would make you cringe if you saw the final tally. I need to find a hot craps table a the casino to replenish my savings for that amount of money spent.

Just a few observations to add to the ones I blog about before.

Someone asked me about the daily temps ... assuming its 90-100° every hour and every day of the week. It isn't and the mountains you see in the photos play a big factor in that, plus the monsoons that pass through. Starting in the morning when we get up it is usually 62-66°. It will slowly climb to the mid-80's by 10am and then turns the heat on ... it's like an oven soon after and before I know it, it's in the mid-90s or near a hundred.

Yet by 7 or 8pm I can sit outside to enjoy the sky, the mountains, the sounds as the sun goes down. Most nights I can turn off the AC by then and sleep with the windows open. Each day is a repeat of that and this is the last of two months of monsoons so there is heavy rain in the afternoon and/or nights but not always here at the house.

** This is strange ** -- fruits and veggies are better quality in Indiana than what I buy here in Arizona. I have tried three different stores here and they are all the same quality, although the Walmart fruits and veggies are pretty close to the quality I bought in Indiana.

My monthly grocery bill has increased about $80 to $100 per month since the move but that also may have something to do with any new tariffs with Mexico, I'm not sure. I'm told due to water rights, we are getting our avocados from Mexico and they are about half the size that we get from California.

For a town of this size I don't read or hear about a lot of crime. It's very quiet here in the neighborhood all the time and at night you hear almost nothing, even from town. No sirens, no gunshots (not expected).  I don't see a lot of crime headlines in the local online newspaper that I don't have a subscription to.

Holiday today ... I hear a knock at the door. I glance through the peep hole in the door and see two young boys at the door so I answer it since they most likely are not going to try to sell me water filtration systems, meat, or want to control my pests. One has a rake in hand, the other a broom and they almost shocked me with their question ... "do you have any chores we can do?"  I told them I didn't right now but to be sure to come back because I will eventually. I want to help them make some money with motivation like they showed.

The pest control companies, the water filter companies and meat selling companies ... oh yes, the security companies must have finally taken my address off their boards. I haven't had them knock on my door in weeks. I can live in peace now.

The move has affected Stella just a tiny bit. She still follows me from room to room unless she is in a deep sleep and doesn't hear me leave the room. If I move from the living room to the computer room, she will wake up and follow me, then lay down and sleep ... and vise versa. My bedroom and master bathroom is in back of the house ... yep ... she will wake up and follow me then lay down outside the bathroom doorway on the bedroom carpet while I shower.

On occasion she will sneak off into the dark big walk-in closet for a short siesta or the living room.

Heidi on the other hand is in her own world and sleeps in different rooms in her favorite spots depending what day or night it is. Like I said in a comment the other day, she has been having some problems not knowing where she is exactly. It's not because we moved because she was doing the same thing before we moved. I first I thought she was going blind but the vets have said that is not the case.

Due to a change in coat texture and a little more itching by Stella ... I have changed from a dog food we have used since February 2017 back to Fromm Gold for Large Breeds. I found a Fromm retailer downtown and the same deal as I had in Indiana years ago .. buy 12 bags get one free. Their biggest bag is only 33 pounds so that will not last long and it averages out to a $3 savings per bag after 12 bags are bought. I have always liked Fromm dog food's quality. Plus it's family owned.

Just like I knew before I moved here, I really like all the different business the town has to offer. I was just on the outside SE edge of Tucson on Friday and couldn't wait to get back home where there are fewer people and a lot less traffic.

I'm sure I am forgetting something that I was going to blog about today but this is about it for the day. It's been a very nice weekend here in the Wild West.

The Vet Says Stella Is Doing Well

Not a lot has been going on since Stella needs to be confined to the house, can't go on walks and needs a plastic bag put over her bandage if the yard is wet. That has happened only one time although it has stormed the last three out of four nights. Heidi as you will see below doesn't change her routine much. I do believe though as the temperature cools during the day that she will start taking more walks.

The past few days Stella had figured out that we were not walking. She was no longer whining to go on that walk yet every time I pick up the car keys she is excited and wants to go. She did that Friday morning at 10am as we headed out for her vet appointment where they would change the bandage, check the stitches and see if things were healing.

With the recent Border Patrol bust in the middle of a high traffic area in town, the Aerostat has been in the air 24/7 and I hear a lot more helicopter traffic since that news. Reports were they were caught loading cars or vans with illegal immigrants. Strange to me that they were near a high traffic area surrounded by shopping centers. I did not see anything in the paper about it but caught the news on one of my Twitter feeds.

After a night of the best storm I had seen yet.

Stella doesn't mind the bandage and has not tried chewing it off. She does not limp when she walks and a few times when she thinks she has a chance to escape through the front door when I go out, she almost breaks into a trot. I did not realize until the photos I took this morning that both bandages matched colors in her collar. How is that for attention to detail at the vet office?

They received the lab results on the growth they removed from Stella's paw. It was benign. 

This is about all the aerobic activity Stella and Heidi get during this time for Stella's recovery.

Notice the color change of the bandage on Friday ... matching colors in her collar. From pinkish red to purple.

It looks this nice every morning but with a 20% chance of thunderstorms later this afternoon and tonight ... it seems like a 100% the past few nights. I saw it storm the other afternoon when the weather apps said there was only a 10% chance of rain. We have our own little weather system in this area.

We have not seen any snakes or spiders, since I saw the snake in the driveway a few weeks ago. Stella and now Heidi move over the backyard daily with their noses to the ground in the mornings to make sure they know what kind of traffic, if any, had been there during the night.

When I moved in the seller had new carpet runners in different areas of the house. I rolled up all of  them except the one by the front door. Since day one, that has been one of Heidi's favorite places to sleep or just sit and relax. She chooses that piece of carpet over her Mexican blanket that is in the opposite corner.

In this photo I left the spot on the door on purpose. In this post all the photos but four, were taken with the Canon G9X camera that has a black spot on the sensor. That black spot showed up after I had the camera for only 6 months. I am heading to the Canon camera forum after this to see what the solution is. I'll contact Cannon about a fix since it is still under warranty. In the other photos I erased the black spots through editing the photo.

I didn't think the four photos I posted here taken with the Nikon D3200 were that good either. I am beginning to think the best camera I have in the house is my iPhone 8+. Maybe I should start looking at and researching the new attachments they are coming out with for higher zoom capability. Currently their built in zoom is not that good.  That might be better than spending money on a different camera.

There have been times I have had the feeling that my new 2019 Toyota 4Runner TRD OffRoad is too luxurious to go off-road. It will go anywhere I want it to but it's not like the old 4Runners that felt more like a truck. This feels more like a "family suv" than an off-road vehicle. I still say that the best car Toyota ever made was the FJ Cruiser. They stopped making them.

Long time readers know what happens when my braincells start thinking about cars and analyzing. Over the past 10 years at least I have had a TON of different cars and suvs. The best combination I ever own was one FJ and one sports car. Those sports cars were either Mini Cooper S or BMW Z4's.

I might go out for a short Sunday bike ride today just to see how my finger reacts, which is in it's 7th day of healing from a very deep cut. The cut is in the way of everything I hold, from a fork, a knife or where my hands go on a pair of bicycle handlebars. I'll find out today real soon after I start riding.

College Football arrived these past three days in the Wild West.