Time To Explore The Local Area

Don't get me wrong, Monday as you see, was a very nice day ... cold but nice. At the end of the day it did feel like I didn't waste it away and got a few things done besides hanging out on the couch playing PGA Golf on the PS4. I did some things in town, one for the first time, but overall the hounds and I hung out on Monday right here on the homestead. Today isn't going to be a repeat of that. I planned during my second cup of coffee that I will grab a camera and check out some places today, that I have not seen yet.

The hounds are having to wake up at different times since my clock is a little off. Sometimes I am wide awake at 4am so we get up and other days I sleep until Stella is whining loud enough to wake me a little past 6am. Stella thinks and now Heidi thinks that 'wake up' time is now time for their breakfast whether it be 4am or 6am. Believe me, they are ready to eat as soon as they get back from their short trip outside no matter what time of morning it is or how dark it is.

It's dark when they both give me those looks, but I resist mixing up and always changing their feeding times while trying to keep it around 6am and somewhere 2-3pm in the afternoons. Stella starts howling anytime after 3pm if she has not been fed yet. My neighbor claims she has never heard Stella howl except for the times she is left outside while I am gone. She laughed about it so it's not a problem I guess.

You may or may not notice but I took these first eight photos with a different camera on Monday. I am slowly sorting out my equipment on which camera does what the best. Did that make sense? Ha Ha. If I could find a camera shop, I'd take cameras and lens in to trade for a different camera or even sell them but I cannot find a "shop" that has not gone out of business. I found one shop here but after 23 years in business, it closed. I found two 'shops' in Tucson in my online searches but neither phone number was connected. Recent comments under the Yelp reviews said both had gone out of business.

I've read where Al recently did some camera equipment haggling. Jon Katz does the same thing in upper state New York, so it's possible. I am guessing I'll have to make the 3 hour drive to Phoenix to do that. I'll put it on my 'to do' list for when I drive up there to see some friends later on.

Like I said in yesterday's post ... it was cold. The hounds were like me ... they'd like to do something outside (they sleep and me riding my bike) but don't let that bright sunshine fool you. It was still in the 30's as we approached noon. I went down to my new favorite cafe, the Ole' Cafe for breakfast and then for the first time since I have moved here I checked out the Safeway grocery store. I always used Safeway when I lived on the west coast from years ago but here it's not a convenient location.

It's hard to get out of their parking lot onto the main street of four lane traffic and most the time with all the other businesses in that strip mall, the parking lot is packed ... so I never bothered checking it out. I had not even got out of the produce section of the store where I was asking myself what took me so long? "I'm not going anywhere else for groceries."

When I got home and saw the higher prices after comparing the different store receipts I've kept just to do this comparison, I may not go there for anything more than their good produce. Three large grocery stores in town and each has one thing better than the rest. Isn't that typical of most businesses ... or cameras?

There are times that Stella shows me she might like another hound to keep her company or to play with. That's not going to happen. I remember the last couple of years or the last year when she and Sadie hardly played at all compared to what they did their first couple of years together. Heidi is somewhat independent and has never needed another hound to wrestle with or sleep with. Winston was interested in that, she wasn't.

Recently Stella's maternal instincts have come out every since the neighbors bought their 8 week old black lab. She has seen the puppy a few times when the neighbor lifts the pup up to me over the fence. Of course they were both interested in each other but it wasn't too long before Stella went back to laying in the sunshine to sleep. That puppy is doing very well and growing very fast. Smart and is leading his obedience class from what I am told. The pup was obeying verbal and sign commands from the 7 year old boy last weekend. I was amazed how well the pup was doing. Once again Stella looks that way when she hears the puppy barking.

Heidi wanted so bad to lie down in the sun and sleep but there was just enough cold air blowing slightly to where she decided that laying in the sunshine on the bedroom floor to sleep was the better option.

Speaking of heat .. it's quite a change to the utility bill (good) to have a gas furnace instead of electric heat during these cold days and nights. Surprisingly the vertical blinds do a good job keeping the cold air out of the house. I can tell a difference when I open them early in the morning. Consequently I don't open them as soon as I get up like I did in the summer.

Every since the doctor told me he'd like for me to lose some weight and his number was my goal from last year I've been re-thinking diets again. Long time readers know what happens when I start thinking about stuff. All that does is lead to too much analyzing, possibly new spreadsheets being made and ending up with confusion with information overload. With all my experience in doing those things for the same topic "what to eat" ... I've been proud of myself this time because I have not decided to go to one extreme or the other. In fact I just need to tweak a few things and keep doing what I am doing.

Of course it's hard to say what is the truth when you are reading articles online, even if it is a website from a doctor or dietitian. I guess that falls into "trust issues" I have based on what a couple of friends have told me but that's a whole different blog post. LOL

Over the years of doing this research and now getting an opinion in person from a MD I have found some consistent  things. A study of all the diets going on currently, lasted one year. During the year some diets were performing better than the others as the goal of all participants was to lose weight. By the end of one year all participants lost roughly 13% of their weight no matter what diet they used. After that first year and not being in a controlled setting most of the participants had regained all the weight they lost.

So when I started searching yesterday for the best diets for someone my age, that had a little exercise during the week, I found one thing that I had never seen before. It also makes me wonder if I really do need to lose weight just so my BMR the MD talked about, would decrease to 25%. A medical journal I was reading yesterday said a man of my age and height, weighs on average 199 pounds. I am below that. Also the average BMR was 29% and I am under that measuring just a tad under 27%.

Maybe pizzas, Ben&Jerry's ice cream and large cheeseburgers at The Diner are not really ba factors ... Ha Ha ... I can only hope.

Like I said in previous blog posts, before I decided where I was going to move I did a lot of searching for the averages in winter weather temps, amount of snow fall if any and did it rain a lot. Tornado? Hurricane? Typhoon? ... all kinds of weather. So when I settled on this town that I live in now I knew it would get in the 30's at night but by mid afternoon it would be sunny and mid 50's. I can definitely live with that compared to the Midwestern winters back in 'the tropics' of Southern Indiana.

I was also told after I moved here by bicyclists I could ride outside every day of the year because the sunshine is hot enough that temperatures would feel warmer than they were. That might be true but so far I have not found that to be accurate. They DID warn me about the winds and that they would follow me to always keep me in a headwind when riding my bike and not getting those high speed tailwinds.

I HAVE found that to be true. So when I decided it was colder than I liked to ride outside I put one of my road bikes on the trainer to ride inside for 30-45 minutes a day. For those not familiar, notice the rear wheel sits up off the ground because the back wheel axle is connected to the trainer. The rear tire spins on the metal cylinder and that fan on the side is magnetic, where I can adjust the tension to make the ride harder besides just shifting to a larger gear.

You might be surprised just how good of a workout I can get in 30 minutes of riding with a few minutes at the start to warm up (slower pedaling) and the last 5 minutes to warm down (to reduce heart rate). It is tiring and I can change gears as I am riding just like on the road. It IS boring where some people ride in front of a tv or put ear buds in to listen to music. I've never wanted to do neither of those options.

So until I get enough nerve or until I quit being a whimp I'll be riding indoors and spending the days on local exploration trips with my camera and doing some hiking since my hip is getting stronger by the day. BTW ... the number of bicyclists riding by the house, people walking their dogs or their morning workout walks are almost zero, so maybe what I am feeling is just normal.  LOL

Let's see what the day brings here in the 'Wild West' today ... I'll blog about it later.

It's Cold !!!!

It's cold here in SE Arizona but if I were to compare 27° here with 27° in the winters back in 'the tropics' of Southern Indiana it would not be close. Even on those days the skies were clear, blue and sunny the wind back in the midwest would cut you like a knife while we took our morning walks through the field. Here in temps like this, the daily walk was canceled Monday morning because all three of us have turned into bad weather whimps. We don't do much when it's cold during the day.

The difference in those winter days of temps in the 40's, one there is no snow on the ground and if I were to sit outside in the sun, it is so hot on my face it felt like winter was gone and summer was here again. We, the hounds and I, cannot wait for spring and summer to arrive. As you can see Heidi wasn't sure it was warm enough to lay out in the sun and nap next to the back of the house. She kept going in and out of the house as I sat facing the hot sunshine.

Stella also was a little confused. She really did want to sleep in the sunshine like she always does IF I AM HOME but when she stood in the shade she could feel how cool it was. I continued to sit in my ugly but comfortable patio chair with my camera nearby. I was going to test my equipment today and shoot photos with just one camera ... but I did sneak in a few photos with my iPhone camera.

While I was back inside fixing some low carb lunch ... do you know carrots are carb loaded? ... Stella decided it was warm enough outside for a late morning nap. Again I thought to myself "I wish she would enjoy the backyard like this while I am gone to town or riding my bike" but she has proven to me as recently as Sunday, she will not be comfortable in the yard if she knows I'm gone. She seems to think she can tunnel under the house from that one spot she started last summer. The one I keep filling back up.

Heidi had enough of the cool breeze as the wind picked up after 1pm. After my bike ride on Saturday I now know that winds 14-18mph that are gusty, is nothing to spend time in. Even if I cannot see the trees or brush blowing in some direction behind my house, that does not mean the winds are gone. Sunday the winds were so strong on my trip to Bisbee, all the flags I saw along the way were blown straight out with rippling force.

Once Stella got up to walk back inside, I slide my chair up into her spot on the patio. The temps on my face increased at least 20°. It didn't take her long to come back out, sleep and have some added back support with that rounded edge of the patio floor against her from head to tail.

She too got too hot ... but just like I did, she found out staying in the shade was too cold. I did my test on the shade by standing on the east side of the house in total shade to see if it was even possible that I might want to take a bike ride. It was freezing in the shaded yard and I went back to the sunny patio.

Within minutes she was back out in the sunshine while I snuck back inside.

Believe me, I am not complaining about SE Arizona winters. It is just what I expected it would be. It's just that I have found I don't want to put up with cold weather even when it's bright and sunny outside.

Other news outside of hounds and bikes ... I made the mistake a few months ago of downloading the Facebook app on my iPhone out of "convenience" and I knew then I had sold my soul to the devil. They would know everything I said on the phone, texted on the phone, emails I would send or websites I would visit. With that data collected they would pound me with advertising on the exact things I had talked about with friends, texted to friends or emailed.

It's not that I am bothered by that strategic advertising it's just the thought of how they can do that.

Since they have butted into my life and billions of other Facebook users or ex-users ... they still track you ya know after you delete your Facebook account??? ... the Ukrainians have decide to index my blogs and are now the leaders in traffic to my bike blog and this public blog on Blogger. The USA number of visitors are a distant second place when I look at the blog stats on the dashboard. I find it interesting that when I click a link many times it's a Blogger blog that had their last post in 2011 or 2013. Can anyone more knowledgeable than I, explain what they are doing?

I have been bopping around different internet browsers again. I use Safari on all my Apple devices like iPhone, iPad and the laptop. On my iMac I use Safari the most because of their security features built into their system. I only have a google account ending in gmail because I have a Blogger blog. None of my personal emails have gone through gmail for years. I use Apple's email system for that. I figure if the FBI cannot break into an iPhone or iMac without asking for Apple's help, then security must be pretty good.

I always get curious about stuff though so I wander around the internet, checking out the new and bestest Firefox. I like Google Chrome but rarely use it because I don't trust Google although after 24 years of being on the internet it is definitely too late to worry about what Google has on me.

So here I am on Safari with the same problem I was having last summer. They updated their OS the other day and now it works with my Blogger blog differently. When I sign into my blog, it takes me immediately to my blog dashboard. When I go back to my blog home page to read other blogs and to make comments ... Safari has logged me out !!!!

Yes ... I've unchecked cookies, I've uncheck 3rd party blah blah blah ... I have logged out of Blogger and back in ... I have turned off my computer and logged back in ... I have unchecked and rechecked those blocks that should not be checked so I can stay logged in on my blog when using Safari. I have all my settings set the way they should be for it to work ... it does not.

That is when I look at other browsers.

I had my Cox tv channels fixed sometime Sunday. They never notified me nor have they closed the ticket the made Saturday night when their tech department requested a service call. Sports Junkies, like myself, are still having problems "cutting the cord" as they say. I would but based on my cost analysis and the rising costs of these streaming companies that use to be free or low cost ... I am actually spending $30-$40 more per month now for what I need compared to "cutting the cord" to cable or tv.

I am watching less sports by the year and I found out the other night when I could not get the BTN channel due to a signal problem, I could follow the IU basketball game on my computer. I've known that for years but too lazy to learn how to do that streaming stuff from the computer to tv. I wasn't watching the game but watching the data of the game. I have watched IU football games this past fall on my computer when they were not carried on my Cox channels and the picture quality was just as good as my Sony tv.

Wow ... looks like I am rambling a little this morning and about very little actually.

My new addiction .... PGA Golf for PlayStation4.

I use to love playing this game on PS2 and PS3 but I never cared for Tiger Woods and his name was associated with the Sony EA Sports golf game, so I stopped playing it. When I got back in the mood to play games or Grand Turismo racing game, I saw a used copy of the golf game on the GameSpot store shelf with a different professional golfer's name on the cover.

Basically I have to have a lot of choices in life. From cars to drive, to bikes to ride, to food to eat and how to waste time. I'm not always in the mood to read books, never had the urge to paint, draw or learn to play an instrument. So this PS3 and PS4 games are just something else added to the mix of things to do. Plus like I have said before, I think "hand and eye coordination" are important to keep healthy as we get older. What better way to do that then play video games ... or Mahjong for time.

Now if I can find a Flight Simulator game and a Sim City game like I had on my PC ten years ago, I'll be set.

Sorry for the rambling and I admit I am surprised that I am going to post this as a real blog post.

Bright sunny skies and 31° while it's almost 9am here in the 'Wild West'.

The Hounds Enjoy Their Sunny Sunday

I was curious what my hip would feel like this morning after riding two days in a row after taking eight days off the bike with soreness in the lower back and hip. I was thinking I'd ride for the third day in a row but it's never a bad thing to ride for two days and day off in between. It was cold as I opened the door to let the hounds out for the first time this morning. By the time I had their breakfast kibble poured, they were standing at the door wanting back inside. I could tell it was going to be a good day today.

I did my usual morning coffee while looking over the websites I visit daily. The hounds sleep next to my desk while I do this and if we can wait for just a couple of hours before our morning walk, it warms up quite a bit. This morning we were out the door at 8:39am, a little later than normal and too late if it were a weekday but perfect time on a Sunday.

It was almost warm enough to go riding when we got back. As you see the hounds took up their normal sunny positions as I tried to decide if I wanted to ride that early or wait an hour for the temps to get just a little warm. A few degrees more would make all the difference in the world.

By the time that hour wait was finished the winds had picked up, strong enough that I was feeling them sitting in my patio chair. The warm sun felt great on my face and I knew I wasn't going to pass this up. Cool air, hot sun ... but too windy to ride. When I say windy I mean any flag is blowing straight out with ripples and if a plant is thin it's bent over from the wind.

While the hounds slept I took some photos and enjoyed the sunshine. I have a couple of different once I don't think I've ever had on the blog.

Looks content, sound to sleep but if I were to leave and keep her in the backyard, she is now digging to get out. More than ever.

Heidi might look like she is awake but she is in a deep sleep. I noticed when I downloaded this picture the lump the has been there for years on her year seems like it has grown or opened. Six different vets over the years have looked, felt and said it didn't need to be removed. I'll look at it closer. We might be going the vet on Monday for that. From this angle it doesn't look good.

People have always commented how big Stella or Sadie's paws were ... well here's a close up to get a better look at them.

With a hot sun and cool breeze ... this is Heidi's favorite daytime spot.

Stella thought she was going to sleep up in the corner of the fence where the shade is. After standing there for a few minutes looking lost, she decided she would wander back over to the 'dirt spot' that she continues to dig out whether I fill it in with rock or leave it bare.

That hot sun moved behind a cloud for only a couple of minutes.

Stella thinking on what to do ....

She never did lay down.

Heidi heard me talking to myself and thought she heard the word Bisbee. I left the patio door open so she could come and go as she pleased while I was gone. Stella spent time in her crate with the blinds closed in the bedroom. When she knows I am leaving or going bike riding she walks into the crate on her own before I can get there.

It was a nice drive over to Bisbee. It was a pretty quiet town for being a couple of weeks before Christmas. I found a parking spot right across the street from the bicycle shop. On the way back for the first time I took the "southern" route back home. It parallels the border a few miles north before curving later on near the Huachuca mountains. With too many cars I like to exercise them every once in a while.

By mid-afternoon I was feeling a siesta was right around the corner. I think I might head over to the Mall Theater tonight to watch Ford vs Ferrari.

Actually a pretty lazy day here in the "Wild West" today.

Tonight's Post Is All Heidi

It had been days since Heidi had any photos on the blog. She really is camera shy or is just stubborn enough that she doesn't want to be bothered having her picture taken. So the other day I decided I would go to her and take whatever pictures I could get. These show her typical day as I took two days worth. I just missed getting pictures of her sleeping outside in the sunshine because every time she would wake up by the time I came back with a camera. She loves the bed I bought a couple of months ago and will spend most mornings in the bedroom lined up with the sunshine while she sleeps on the floor.

You can tell it's cold at night, not that I leave the windows open during the 30's and 40's but she knows what time of year it is ... it's again a two blanket winter.

I put one of her favorite blankets folded in the corner of the computer room but that wasn't what she needed. She pawed and scratched the blanket from the corner of the room out by the book case, out of the way but directly behind my desk chair. She folded it exactly like she wanted it.

Any breed of dog will walk in circles to mash the grass down before they lay down ... this is her sequence to get the blankets in the perfect spot. She does this many times throughout the day.

She doesn't stay in one place too long either.

One of her favorite spots to sleep after her morning breakfast. She will also walk in circles in that space before laying down.

Once again not going to look directly in the camera.

Headed out for a nap in the sunshine.

Not happy having every one of her movements photographed.

She was sound to sleep in the sun until she either heard me or smelled my scent, that I was outside looking at her.

The day is over. Fed twice, many naps and she will do this while I blog tonight.

The last couple of days have been busy with errands around town, and a bike ride in the early afternoon. Yesterday I went to Lowes for their Craftsman sales but only bought one thing Craftsman but something else that was also on sale. This morning was going to be a busy morning. With some of my tv channels losing signal Friday night, the Cox technician was here by 8am. He found the trouble to be out in their box in my yard. Of course another technician can only do that kind of work and that's another appointment ... luckily I don't have to be here for them to fix the problem.

I also had a friend coming over this morning to pick up shelving my neighbor gave me when he moved out. I decided I did not want to put holes in the walls to hang those shelves plus I didn't have that much stuff to fill up a garage full of wall space. There were enough shelves to go around the garage more than once.

While I waited for him to pick up the stuff, I put a shelving unit together to not only hold the few things I brought with me when I moved, but also to have a workbench of some type in the garage. Instead of having different tools, tape, sockets, tape measures and anything else that would go into a toolbox ... scattered in different portable tool boxes and kitchen drawers ... I wanted everything organized in that black Coleman tool box.

The Cox tech, my friend picking up the shelves I had and me getting to this picture, job completed, taking me 3 hours. By 11am I was on the road for a Saturday morning bike ride.

These next few photos are taken from the patio but zoomed 65x and is clearer than the 300mm zoom I use on the Nikon D3500.

Those are the Mule Mountains down by Bisbee.

It did get over 70° today but I am finding out that since it is winter, even if it is sunny and high temps, there is still cool wind most of the time. A little too cold for cargo shorts but still sweatshirt weather after the early morning hours.

My hip and lower back feel good after my 26 mile ride today and most of it in a headwind of 14-18mph. For the last two days I have applied an ice pack to the spot that is sore plus taking those natural supplements to heal tissue and promote healing of muscle and bone. I plan to at least ride a short ride tomorrow.

I'll try to get out tomorrow for some local exploring. I have some new ideas of where I am going. I might reverse my riding to go in the morning with cooler temps and the exploration in the afternoons. Stella did not mind not being the featured hound tonight ... she sleeps as much as Heidi does.

Another beautiful busy day here in the 'Wild West'.