A Sunday Morning Hound Walk

The past few days I've noticed that Sadie is slowly changing their routine. It use to be all the hounds would go back to sleep after their breakfast and then around my 2nd cup of coffee, Sadie would come to my computer desk to let me know it was time for her and Stella to go outside. They would explore the field until I would go out to call them.

A few days ago, that same thing happened until they both got outside and then they just stood there looking at me. The didn't head to the field. With the weather a lot nicer and my camera in hand ... we took off for an early morning walk. Today we get outside and both hounds are standing right next to me at the corner of the house, after whining to go outside. I thought they wanted to walk so off we went.

The sun is out to start it's path to 65° weather today. Strong winds from the southwest and low energy from the hounds. Stella stopped a couple of times to see where Sadie and I were. Neither of them took off running like yesterday's afternoon walk. They walked together with noses to the ground and barely a trot anywhere.

I thought they might take off as we came closer to that slight right turn ... they didn't, they stayed together.

Stella ended up so far away at the other end of the brush line that when I turned around to get ready to take some running photos I didn't see her. Had she gone into the brush, or over the fence into the neighbor's field? As I yelled her name and the camera worked, she came into focus and started to run towards Stella and I. She was all the back to the corner of the field.

As we turned the corner of the path to head home ... no hounds. Both of them are in single file, walking slowly behind me. They were so close to me that I didn't have enough room to fit them into a photo with the 55mm-200mm zoom lens that was mounted on the camera. When I stepped aside for them to move in front of me .. they walked even slower.

Maybe they didn't really want to walk this morning ... who knows maybe they didn't even want to go back outside. It's going to be a beautiful day here in 'the tropics' of Southern Indiana. I can see those two things I didn't do yesterday getting finished today.

Stella always has an interest in motorcycles when she hears them driving by. In this photo she is not even close to the highway.

They finally walk in front of me and then stop until I catch up. It was one of the quietest and strangest walks we have been on.

Is there any tree more worthless than the Sycamore tree? What is their purpose?

It Was Still A Good Saturday

Remember that list of two things I was going to do today? I didn't do either one!!! It was too cold for what I liked to be working outside. So move that list to tomorrow where the temps should move above 60. It was still a good day ... sunny, cool, some reading, some music and a 2nd hound walk.

I spent quite a few hours looking at property like I do on occasion, usually when I am cold. So I looked at houses for sale in places where I use to live like Oak Harbor WA, Coupeville WA ... both on Whidbey Island, and then the local town I live in (my house would sell fast). For a laugh at prices I checked Carlsbad CA ... then I spread my search out to areas I've thought of moving to ... AZ, NM, UT, CO ... a lot of the houses I've saved are still on the market and have been for a pretty long time.

Heidi made it outside for lunch but not long ... she has a firm 70° threshold to stay out longer than 5 minutes. Sadie and Stella were not too energetic after lunch.

 

I started my music marathon around 1pm. It was some people I had not listened to in a while ... like Ry Cooder, John Hiatt, Steve Earle and Lyle Lovett. The volume was loud but the hounds slept through all of it. Once they woke up a few hours later, they were ready for a walk.

Strange, but it did look like the grass got greener this afternoon ... that's a good sign.

Right from the start both hounds ran out in front of me and spent most of their time in front of me and a couple of times going just a little outside their boundaries. Still they came when called so everything was good.

You have to be flexible in retirement, especially living in 'the tropics' of Southern Indiana.

It's Going To Be A Good Saturday

Although it was pretty cold last night, by the time the hounds stepped outside this morning the sun was bright. You could see the sun's reflection off the frost covered yard ... while they were outside, their breakfast was poured into their bowls in measured quantities. While they scarfed their breakfast, my coffee was made as is the normal routine. I could tell even at that time of day, today is going to be a great day.

Instead of washing vehicles today, I'll be backing the FJ out into the driveway giving me room to clean out the built in shed and then rearranging what goes in there. I'm talking leaf blowers, rakes, shovels, Coleman coolers with my wheel barrel all the way in the back ... buried.

Once that is done I am going to start the clearing process of the area by the old 70 year old fence post. Raking it will pull up some of the roots to those wild bushes that grow every year out of control. I intend to do what I did last April when I cleared that large area ... plant grass seed.

That will be about it for the day ... plus another walk for the hounds later this afternoon.

When we went outside around 9:30am, the hounds didn't go anywhere ... it was like they were waiting for me to do something. With the ground frozen hard I decided it was time to take the hounds for a walk, earlier than normal. It seems that Sadie is really getting grayer faster if you look at her nose. She will be 8 years old this May.

Today as the ground crunched under my feet and theirs from the frost, the deer scent was stronger than ever. I could see fresh hoof prints as I walked the path. Sadie and Stella were almost unconscious in their excitement with Sadie walking under and lifting up Stella a couple of times.

 Looking back at the house, I've added a new thing to my 'to list' before it gets too hot. It will be one of the first things I do ... washing all of that algea, known as gloecapsa magma, off the roof. It's been a few years since I've done that but the last time it made the roof look like new when I was finished.

it was of course the normal path for the hounds but their intensity was pretty high today when their noses were buried in the ground.

Once again Stella came when called although she was pretty far away a couple of times.

They both found one more thing to check out before we arrived back at that house but Stella was more than happy to run to me when I called her and she was asleep inside within minutes after walking inside the house. It's amazing how fast they can fall asleep.

High temps are predicted in the 5 day forecast here in 'the tropics' of Southern Indiana. I'm declaring Winter 2016 is over!!

A Late Morning Hound Walk

The streak of good weather here in 'the tropics' is off to a great start. As we stepped outside for the first time today, the skies were blue, scattered white puffy clouds and the hounds had their noses were to the ground immediately.

Like I predicted yesterday nothing happened the rest of the day. The highlight of the cold afternoon was a trip to the China House downtown for their $7 all you can eat buffet. It's so good that I could almost eat there on a daily basis. Of course whatever is in the ingredients led to a late afternoon siesta.

Stella just stopped by the desk to let me know it was about time for lunch.

I let the bloodhounds roam the field this morning. It was time to load my one load of 1 39gl bag of trash and the one trash container for recycling. Our county recycling program has a deal where nothing has to be sorted so it makes it pretty easy to recycle. No sorting? You cannot get easier than that. For a $2 fee they will also take my 39gl bag of trash.

The bedroom was 'childproofed' for Stella. I decided today that Heidi would come with me. A little bonding between her and I without the bloodhounds trying to get all of the attention. Plus to let her see that every trip in the FJ does not mean a trip to the vet. The trip was successful and she was pretty happy has we drove up the driveway when we got home.

It was so nice around 10:30am, it was time for a walk. Sadie and Stella sensed that we were going and of course that brings excitement with Stella howling and Sadie bouncing up and down with her front paws off the ground. A LOT of photos today.

The other day I looked through my collection of baseball caps to possibly find a replacement for the cap Stella chewed up last week. I thought I had thrown this cap away in 2013 but found it among all of the MLB baseball caps I had bought on my 2 week baseball vacation I took in 2003. One of the best trips I had ever taken, 14 cities, 13 MLB games and one day at the MLB Hall of Fame in Cooperstown. So I pulled out the following "ex" yard ball cap that I thought I had retired.

The green paint on the bill is from painting the house in 2010 and the destruction of material happened when I was changing oil lines on the 2003 Coachman Class C rv in October 2013. It worked out well today during the walk so it will be the "new" yard work cap this summer.

Stella took off immediately on the walk and then turned to wait on Sadie and I as Sadie was doing her normal dragging me to start the walk. I could tell by the way they started, their speed, they would be ahead of me most of the time. Stella stopped on her own to see where Sadie and I were.

They took off around the right corner and never stopped. By the time I got to the corner they were way ahead ... plus they were both looking into that gulley. I yelled "hey" and they both came back out into the field so I could see them. Both of them were coming when called today. Stella might have strayed off like she normally does but came when called every time.

 

I yelled "hey" and them came back out to the field together

Right after that they took off for the two spots they always stop at. One doesn't want the other to get it all.

As they sniffed that line of bushes I tried to get ahead of them and prepare the camera to take some photos of them running toward me. The only problem was, the camera was ready but as I turned they had sprinted to catch up and were standing right behind me. One of those situations where one bloodhound didn't want the other getting the attention.

I really think Stella likes to get way behind so she can run to catch up with us. Basically most of the places she stops are the same day after day.

Sadie waiting for Stella to catch up

The sunshine made it feel warmer than it was. As it was a nippy 38° during this walk but felt much warmer. After telling the hounds "lets go home" they both came together on the path and headed home. At the very end they still found a couple of more scents they needed to check out ... but came when called.

It's a beautiful day here in 'the tropics' of Southern Indiana ... gotta go ... Stella is howling for lunch and now has Heidi barking along with her.