I Am An IDIOT !!!!

Okay ... here's the deal. It will not hurt my feelings if you admit it here on the blog, that you have been laughing to the point of almost falling down for the past 12-24 hours after you read me telling you about the $1 iPhone SE (new) that I discussed in my post last night.

Really, it has taken me this long to write this post because I haven't been able to stop laughing about it even after driving the 25 miles home with my new iPhone. It's a funny story that I will describe and it also might help someone getting ready to upgrade their phone.

I knew when I saw these two leaves hanging in midair that my day was going to be an interesting one. I just didn't realize at the time, the $1 iPhone was going to be the answer to the weirdness today.

Before I get started on the phone story, I'll narrate our late afternoon walk but it is still 90° as I write this at 7:10pm. We finished this walk about 10-15 minutes ago.

I am seeing more and more new purple flowers blooming throughout the field. They are everywhere. I have no idea what they are but they look nice.

Sadie and Stella didn't care about the flowers or the heat, all they knew, was they were on their daily walk and that was all that mattered.

While I was taking photos of flowers and the leaves that had turned colors, both of them ran pretty far away from me. They were happy to be outside today after I left them in the house for a little over 3 hours while I was at Best Buy picking up an iPhone.

For some reason today, Stella decided she would join us without any veering away from us nor hanging way back, ignoring my calls. That is always a good walk when that happens.

Lots of new spots for Sadie to check out ... nice fresh, some sort of natural organic nutrition. That's as far as I will go on what they were eating.

Stella trots along the back edge of the field, near both of us.

But she has that "I'm hot" look on her face, so I was pretty sure she would be following me all the way back to the house today.

Stella was the same way ... not many stops on the way home.

For those that read my post Sunday (yesterday) I spoke of the deal with Verizon and Best Buy for the iPhone 5SE ... $1 as long as you signed up for a 24 month commitment. Other options showed you would be paying a monthly installment of somewhere around $16 per month for 24 months for the cost of the phone.

I'm not as dumb as I look ... so the difference between those two options for the same brand new phone just didn't add up in my old brain .. circuits were evidently missing as I am trying to process this information over the weekend. I kept asking myself why is that iPhone only $1 ??

To make sure I was  "clear" on how I understood the two options I called customer service at Verizon and Best Buy ... and spoke to real people on each call, not a robot.

I find out today at the store at the time of purchase I was REALLY CONFUSED !!!!

The monthly charges were going to be for the data plan, one smart phone fee, a one time activation fee and the $1 phone.

NEITHER CUSTOMER SERVICE REP that I had called, told me that $1 was NOT the cost of the phone ... even after I told both of them "I just can't believe you are selling an new iPhone 5SE for ONE DOLLAR !!!!

So after a lot of research over the weekend, I was pretty sure I wanted the smaller size iPhone (4"), the same size as my 5S I sold last November. Luckily due to one of the regular Best Buy phone service reps leaving for lunch, someone that did not work in that department started my purchase.

Why was that lucky?

As I was bombarding her with more questions, she called the "Verizon/iPhone EXPERT" to help her with the purchasing process and answer the questions I had.

He had moved from the 5S to the 6S last year and had a lot of knowledge about the few differences between the two phones that I was not able to see when reading about them online. As I put the 6S in one hand and the 5SE in my other hand ... I was starting to change my mind. The slightly larger screen was easy on my eyes and it didn't feel that much bigger in my hand.

Long time blog readers know that I ALWAYS change my mind before the final purchase is done, no matter what I am buying ... RVs, computer, cars, trucks, etc.

As I told him ... "It's almost too hard to pass up a ONE DOLLAR iPhone 5SE for the larger 6S" ... he stopped ... he stared at me ... he had a shocked look on his face .... he started stuttering but the words would not come out !!!!!

And then .................. I was told ..... "it doesn't cost just a dollar ..... didn't they tell you about the $40 per month fee added for 24 months to pay for the phone ?????

I looked back through my hand written, notes ... I didn't see that fee listed.

So there was the REAL COST of the phone.

The interesting thing is, for some strange reason I could pick up the 6S model for $13 less per month and NO 24 month commitment, then after I added another $4 per month my 16Gb iPhone was bumped up to a 64Gb iPhone ... still under that $40 per month fee no one knows about for the ADVERTISED $1 iPhone.

It's only been a couple of hours playing around with it as I been going through the process of setting it and checking all of the settings that comes with it. I've also been downloading free apps that I had before on my other phone, all of this before our daily hound walk ... but after a short time, I can say that I am very very happy to have a smart phone back in my life.

I don't watch movies, nor ballgames and I don't play games on the  phone ... but I love the camera, the Notes program (basically my memory), the Maps that I can use as my GPS, and the free apps that help me track my diet/fat/calories and monitor my activity along with other uses.

Getting phone calls are just secondary ... I bought it for all the things it does besides being a phone.

So ... I hope you didn't spill anything while lauging about how stupid I must be to let the world know that there is a $1 iPhone available. ... it really is a good laugh and one that I enjoyed, even though the joke was on me.   LOL

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

It Was A Scorcher Today

By the time I took the camera outside it was mid-day and HOT!!! That hot air hit me as soon as I stepped outside, telling me not much was going to get done today.

I was wrong.

The front yard needed mowing. It had been 9 days since I cut it last but I did the backyard the other night because it needed it and rain was predicted within that night or the next day. I also raised the mower blade back up one level higher ... my best estimate tells me it cuts at 3", the recommended height for my location and grass by Scott's Lawn Care.

It was near 2pm when I decided to drag everything out of the shed. What you see there is everything I take out of the shed that is stored around the mower, so the mower can roll out. The shed is only a little over 22" wide, but it all fits. Right before the photo was taken Stella was actually laying down about where she is standing ... taking a Sunday nap.

I decided today to let the bloodhounds roam while I cut the front yard. It was hot but I figured if it was that bad for them, they would be at the door wanting back inside. Instead they both disappeared into the field that they love to roam on their own. They were gone the whole time it took to mow the front yard.

In a little over 30 minutes I had finished the front yard, cut a little higher this week so there were no brown spots where the grass was cut too short last time. Sadie and Stella were standing at the corner of the house about the time I finished ... panting, tongues hanging out, wanting to go inside.

Some time last night in between football games the urge to moved back to an iPhone from my LG flip phone hit me, hard enough to look at Best Buy and Verizon websites for prices. I found out they have the same pricing and deals going on. Those deals and pricing were good enough to make the thought of upgrading again pretty strong.

We all came outside around 5:30pm. I was thinking we might take a walk but it was still really really hot and none of the hounds seemed too interested in being outside very long. After I took the photo of Heidi, they all "trotted" to the door to be let back inside.

This weekend brought a lot of dead, BROWN, leaves down to the ground. It's that time of year.

Heidi took a look around but was not interested in moving to the yard ... she likes the AC with the added feature of a fan blowing on her. How do I know that????  She always moves to sleep in front of a fan if I have one turned on.

Here are the iPhone prices that have me very very tempted to upgrade. I don't mind a two year contract, even though they got rid of them ... because I don't plan to change from Verizon.

So an iPhone 5 SE is $1.....ONE DOLLAR ... plus a 2 year contract, $55 per month for one line and 2Gb. Since I wifi off of my home internet, the 2Gb is plenty for me. I survived on 1Gb before.

An iPhone 6s is $49.95 .... total cost ... plus a 2 year contract, the same $55 monthly fee for one line.

Those are not bad deals.

In the meantime, it is still 93° and a heat index of 113° at 6pm here in 'the tropics' of Southern Indiana.

A Slow Saturday

Getting to bed last night in the middle of the morning, after watching live college football that didn't start until 10pm local time ... had me sleeping late today.

We woke up to unexpected rain and temps in the 70's but I could see from Wunderground that the rain was not going to last and it would be hot and sunny by 2pm. So with the day starting off a little from the normal routine, it was a little weird today and very slow. I have nothing exciting to post about.

A little after 5pm with the same weather as yesterday, the bloodhounds and I started the daily walk while Heidi lay sleeping with the AC on and a fan blowing on her ... she likes having the fan in front of her.

I had a feeling that Stella was going to do the same thing as she did yesterday, hanging back and not walking with us. I was right, in fact she did not show up for most of our walk.

Sadie led the charge as usual. She might fall behind me a few times but not for long, then she will run to catch up. She really enjoys these walks. In some of the photos I can see a line of her rib cage, which tells me she has lost the weight I wanted her to lose over the summer.

We are just past the first turn ... no Stella in sight behind us.

Sadie runs to catch me, not wanting me to get too far ahead of her.

I thought this was a butterfly at first but after the photo I saw it was nothing more than a leaf that was stuck between the green leaves.

By this time I've made the final turn for home and no sight of Stella. This is the longest time that she stayed away while we were on the walk. Then ... I can barely make out a moving object ... Stella is walking up the path in the opposite direction, coming toward me.

Even as the two partners in crime are walking with me, I had a feeling they would not follow me to the house like they use to. Whatever they decided I was going to let them do as I would head down the driveway to get my mail for the day, and check to see if the front yard was dry enough to mow. I knew they would show up at the house eventually.

They did not move from this spot. I had time to walk to the house and then down the drive a 100' to the mailbox and as I turned to come up the driveway ... both of them were standing at the corner of the house waiting for me instead of coming down the driveway after me. Just like they should do when I am in the front yard.

It's NFL pre-season, week 3 tonight with the local Colts. Luckily that game starts in little over an hour so it should not be a late night tonight, unless I watch the end of the Cincinnati Reds in Phoenix baseball game ... that went extra innings last night and was still going on after 1:30am local time.

I've played around a little with blog templates today, no changes. I've read and tried to get iMessage to work again on my computer ... I found out it's an Apple problem and everyone has been having issues with it the past week or so.

I need to start a new book and have a few on my shelves that have never been read. Not in the mood for movies and the hounds are in a deep sleep after their daily walk. All is good for them.

Nothing exciting today here in 'the tropics' of Southern Indiana.

Heat Forces A Late Blog Post

First of all I want you to know that when I post temperatures and the heat index, it is for added information only and to give readers a better idea what the hounds are putting up with during their daily activities. It is not me complaining because I love hot weather.

Like the title says, today's heat forced me to post and even finish my blog later tonight. Otherwise there would have been nothing to post as far as photos for today's activities. It was a productive day though.

I started this morning giving Heidi a shampoo bath. These photos show a lot of redness but by the afternoon all of that skin color was the normal color, with no redness. I wanted to trim her nails but since we did that earlier in the week ... all of the ends were filled with the dark spot, which means the blood vessel is too close to trim.

For those anxiously awaiting to see how much weight she has gained ... no need to sit down on the announcement ... only 2 pounds. So she is up to 38 pounds after losing 12 back in the spring of 2015.

I was motivated enough after I dried her off, to start in on the dishes. So by noon a lot was done and the hounds had their lunch. The air outside was like an oven and reminded me of the thought I had late last night ... I could feel how cold it was last February and will be this winter!!

You know the kind of freezing single digit temps I write about sometimes. Where it is so cold I stay inside while the hounds are outside. Or it's so cold outside with snow and ice in the field that Stella stops walking and raises her front paw due to the ice and snow getting between her toes.

When I remembered that thought and felt it in such detail, I instantly thought of all 4 of us camping in a tent next winter in SW Arizona. That might happen this year, finally ... still everything with me is pretty fluid when it comes to plans.

We had a visitor for lunch ... he was crawling around the edge to get to some shade. Each of those tips of the legs are a gold color. I don't recall ever seeing one with this design.

Around 4:15pm, Sadie woke up for her nap, walked over to me and gave me 'the stare'. That stare she has telling me it's time for a walk. Just to make sure, I double checked Wunderground weather and saw it was 95.7° and the heat index was 110°. That's too hot, so I wanted to wait an hour or so for the temperature to drop a little.

Would the hounds be able to wait that long for a walk?? They were going to have to. I have found if the temperature is in the high 80's and the index around a 100° that is cool enough for us to venture out into the field.

Sometime around 5:45pm it was in our temperature range of being 'bearable' and off we went. Sadie was very happy to get her walk in today. By the way she was acting, she was pretty sure we were not going today.

Sadie and I were already up by the first turn and of course the freedom fighter Stella was already way behind and out of view. Sadie and I continued on the walk, knowing that Stella would come running toward us eventually.

Scratch that word 'running'. She lets me know if it's too hot by the pace she takes. No running today, just a slow walk and a long one to catch up to us.

After she met Sadie here, she wouldn't leave ... Sadie and I did though and had already made the turn for the homestretch home before Stella even raised her head to see where we were.

Sadie is the better tracker of the two and has always had a strong tracking ability. I mentioned in the past that when I talked to a different breeder that ended up with Sadie's dad ... she asked me 5 questions over the phone and Sadie was positive on 4 of them ... she was a strong tracker and not a couch potato. Ironically based on that test, this breeder said she would not have given me Stella for that reason.

Stella continues to drop behind and then catch up eventually ... only today ended up a little different than the other walks.

Once again ... After Sadie left this spot to follow me back to the house ... Stella stayed there. She stayed there long enough for us to walk back inside the house, drink a lot of water, for me to go to the mailbox, then walk to the far north corner of the yard to yell her name. I could see her in the same exact spot as we left her.

Both the bloodhounds are sound asleep as I write this, so they had a good walk.

The other exciting thing happening tonight, late my time, 10pm local ... Cal is playing Hawaii in the first college football game of the 2016 season ... IN AUSTRALIA!! It will be televised live on ESPN and will be around noon Australia time. I know that may seem strange to some readers but when you are addicted ... and I mean really addicted ... to college football like I am, then the only decision will be what kind of food to fix to eat during the game ... after 10pm.  LOL

I will say with all the time spent inside today, the hounds didn't mind it. All three of them are more than happy to sleep in the air conditioned rooms. The couple of times we did go outside, they didn't stay out long and I did not have to call them to get them headed back toward the house. They trotted to the door on their own.

I was curious today so I looked back at my blog post for this time last year ... very very similar ... very hot. I was heading to Kentucky on Sunday to pick up Stella (Dipstick) and I had just washed both vehicles, the FJ and the Mini Cooper. They both were spotless and shined even without waxing. I mentioned how much dog hair I had vacuumed out of the FJ. I think this year will beat that amount of last summer.

The FJ is pretty trashed out right now with hound drool on the hard plastic pieces, windows covered with nose smudges and dog hair that has moved to the edges between the folded down seats and around the edge of the rubber mat in the cargo area.

I might wash the Toyota FJ Saturday morning.

In the meantime, the hounds have had their walk for the day/night. I'm a few hours away from kickoff, where the world stops for me until the Final 4 in College Basketball is played next April in 2017. Things will not change that much though ... the hounds will get their daily walks in, normal activity for me ... just trading baseball for football on tv at nights. Movies will start again in April.

It's great living in 'the tropics' of Southern Indiana.