Farmers Are Busy Today

With the change of the weather forecast shoving the rain out of the area for a few days ... the local farmers are busy today and it actually started last night.

I was reading, the hounds were sleeping a little past 8:30pm last night ... when Sadie and Stella jumped up out of a dead sleep, running to the door barking and howling. I thought for a second I was having some rare company pulling up the driveway but it wasn't that. Two tractors pulled into the field across the highway and started disking.

By the time I got up and grabbed the camera I just barely caught them starting their job. It reminds me of mowing my lawn.

Even with two of them working at the same time, they didn't finish until after dark close to 10pm.

In the meantime Sadie and Stella thought they would find out what had taken place during the short intense afternoon thunderstorm. We lost internet connection for a short time as the skies turned black and the winds picked up. Less rain than predicted and the reason they could disk their field last night.

While Sadie and Stella searched around the fallen leaves from the storm, they kept disking across the highway.

Stella wasn't really interested in the tractors but Sadie was so interested she stared at them and then started moving toward the driveway. I had to tell her to stop.

It is actually a pretty big field but I only capture a small part of it with my camera. It fills in a lot of land to the right behind those trees and probably goes as far north as 3-4 property lots along the highway.

By the time the hounds and I were outside this morning a little after 7am, the field looked like this for their first of two rounds of disking. Tractors were parked, not knowing last night it was going to be so nice today. Rain forecast went from 50% to 10% in a matter of eight hours.

This shot through the trees reminds me of the time I lived here before June 2008. The fence line was solid trees all the way back to the burn pile. It was so thick with trees and green leaves I could not see the highway or the fields from my house.

With straight-line winds in June 2008, in a matter of ten minutes that seemed like a lifetime, every tree covering almost 80' of fence line was blown over or pulled out of the ground like a weed. Thus ... the open fence line.

Toward the back, the local utility company decided they would cut all trees under their power lines to my house, and ten feet to each side of the line to ground level. That took out another 40' of tree lined property, letting me see my neighbors house.

I'd love to have those trees back.

Yesterday morning a few minutes after 9am I took off in my new tow with the top down for my 40 mile loop that I drive through the country, coming home from the flat lands from the west side of town. It was the normal set up with Heidi protecting the house from the couch and the bloodhounds shut in the bedroom ... this time with both windows closed.

I could tell from the drool marks that Stella had been standing looking out the window she had escaped in a few days ago. My small camping gear locker blocked the bed from being moved again. Things were good. Yet, my curiosity got the best of me so I made a new spreadsheet to track Stella's anxiety attacks since I had her.

With date, time I left, time I returned, duration, set up and response ... I found no trends, nothing in common that set her off ... except I was gone. She and Sadie were happy that I returned 50 minutes later from my short drive.

With the sun shining there, on the back side of the house facing the NE, it was a different story. Storms to the north of us.

I decided it was time to put the car cover on because it was definitely going to rain later. There are grommets about half way, with a cord going under the car to keep the cover from blowing away in a heavy storm.

With storms forecasted for late afternoon Thursday, it was a surprise to see the skin turn dark a little after lunch. Intellicast radar showed it was going to be a pretty good thunderstorm. It was good to see Stella not pacing nor whining when loud rolls of thunder passed through the area.

My photos do not capture the intensity of the wind. I shut all of the storm windows in time and left the east side windows open so I could watch and listen to the wind through the big trees in back along the edge of the feild where we walk.

More wind with a light rain. All of those big trees are making a lot of noise with the winds ... scary to some, exciting to others.

Trying to catch the blowing trees and hay ... I guess if you look closely you can see the different directions they are blowing. All of those large trees are howling loud with strong winds.

Taking a break from reading, after opening all the windows after the storm, I checked to see if they had my 2006 Mini Cooper S detailed yet and up for sale. It was looking nice enough to go buy.  :)

While I was pouring more coffee this morning I heard a tractor fire up and thought I'd get some updated photos of them making their 2nd round of disking...but they were only moving one. While catching that, another local farmer from behind my property turned out on the highway headed to one of his fields to work before the rain this weekend.

It's not clear but that last roll of disks, does a final smaller cut with each pass. Those were spinning pretty fast when I took the photo.

Well it's time for another test with Stella. The sun is out and it's time for a morning drive. I'll post later what I found out yesterday about the history of my 2003 Z4 ... buying used cars are always dangerous in my book. There is a reason the dealer stresses "Sold As Is" in the paperwork you sign ... but I have found a hidden jewel in this 13 year old car from what information I received yesterday.

On a side note, I have already placed an order for new black lug nuts to replace those ugly rust color ones. It made me wonder when I first looked at the car where it had been since it had low mileage.

Will the rain stay away on Sunday for the 100th running of the Indy500?? Time will tell but I think it's looking better today than yesterday.

Another quiet Friday here in 'the tropics' of Southern Indiana.

Stella Has Anxiety Attack 2nd Day In A Row

I am beginning to think the field across the highway will not be planted this year. I'd have to look back through my photos to see when the last time they did not plant anything.

I believe it's dry enough to get their equipment into that field but thunderstorms are forecasted for this afternoon. That will give me enough time to get all the outdoor stuff done and maybe even a short drive in the Z.

I was up way too early this morning, a few minutes after 5am. Instead of tv's and computers the past two days and nights, I've been reading books and that puts me in bed way before midnight. It's also nice to sleep all night instead of getting up numerous times. I know reading is much better than tv's and computers, especially before going to bed, yet I am also reading during the afternoons.

I stayed up this morning and woke the hounds up around 6am by just pouring their morning kibble into their stainless steel bowls ... they heard that behind a closed door and they were thrilled.

It looks like someone else is getting an early start on their day also.

To get you caught up and get my mind caught up, I guess I'll start with Wednesday morning. It was a 12 minute test for Stella and she failed again.

I was reading on the Z4 forum the other day that Country Mart gasoline was rated high and I have a station near me that I wanted to check out. This place has changed hands so many times that it may or may not have 91 octane gas. It was good to see they not only had 91 octane but with no ethanol.

So that was going to be my 12 minute test for Stella. Following my process of "lets she what she does in this situation" ... I did not close the window all the way but left a small window fan that goes across the width of the window and is locked in by the window frame sliding down on top of the fan.

Thinking now, I could have slid the storm window down behind it since it was just a test but I didn't think of that yesterday, so the window screen was behind the fan.

It was good to see as I drove up the driveway that Stella was nowhere to be seen. :)  I wanted to see what she had done so I walked around to the window to look in from the outside ... screen complete gone!!!! No fan visible. She stood on her back legs to look out the window at me so I could tell there was no way she could get out the window.

She tried to move the bed but I had blocked it with my locker full of camping stuff that sits about bed frame high. Otherwise she would have gotten out of the window again by getting on the bed.

The fan was okay but she had tore that out of the window. Then with her front paws had tore out the screened window all the way but the frame stayed inside the storm window this time.

I was not happy with her results. She had been great for 3 months when I was gone and even on Monday when I was gone for 4 hours. So, the only thing that has changed in our routine or life ... it has to be the new car.

How could that be? Contessa told me her two dogs can tell a difference in which car they are taking so it might be the sound of the car that is upsetting her.

I had an appointment in the afternoon and by the time I drove to and from, sat through the appointment, I was going to be gone almost 3 hours. That had "disaster" written all over it. Too hot to take her with me and leave her in the car even with the windows cracked open a few inches. It was 83°

So to see if it was the car ... before I left I shut both windows all the way, turned on the A/C for them. Then took the FJ to town and back. No damage. Then took the Z4 to town and back. No damage. Yet, the windows were closed completely.

I returned that afternoon a little over 2 hours. There wasn't any damage but the windows were closed. Last night I took a drive for about 45 minutes, leaving her in the same set up ... windows closed, bed blocked ... no damage.

So maybe ... just maybe ... she is back to being okay with me being gone. In the meantime I'll take a short drive today before it rains to see what she does. I have let the car idle with Stella outside so she can hear the sound. She just sat there staring at me and staring at the car with her eyes barely open.

I might have found though where all of this separation anxiety came from last night when I was talking to the original owner of Stella. The story about her background kind of changed a little from what I was told when I picked her up which to shows me how all this anxiety started.

The family moved from a farm to the city. I knew that but what I did not know, was there was a period of a year that Stella was left with a relative until they could find a house with a big backyard. She had lost her owner. I did not ask how often she went back to visit Stella.

Then a year later the original owner picks her up and takes her to the city with a fenced in yard ... but since she is an expert in escaping ... that is all she did every time they left her in the backyard while they were gone ... she escaped and tormented the neighbors.

Then Stella is given to a new owner that lives on a large farm, which is where I picked her up 7 months after she moves there, on August 30, 2015. So, in 6 years of her life she had moved 4 times and had 4 owners counting me. Seems obvious why she has separation anxiety doesn't it???

By yesterday afternoon Heidi was wanting to go on a walk again. She sprinted toward the field so fast I could barely catch her with the camera. From the very beginning the bugs, flies, gnats were out in full force ... simply miserable.

Let's just say that we didn't make it far on this walk before turning around and going back home. I wussed out. When I saw this bird jump from the tall grass in front of Sadie I thought there might be issues but nothing happened.

Heidi is off to a good start but the flies are bothering her along the way. Is it me or does it look like she has gained a little weight?

At this point in time, Heidi stops and doesn't move. I'm not sure what's going on and by the time I walk back to her, she turns and starts trotting for the house. That is when I decided we all go back together.

A few hours later, Sadie is still wanting to finish the walk so we decide to take an early evening walk. Heidi had a huge red rash on her stomach and legs ... her skin has really been looking better recently. When she didn't get off the couch but rolled onto her back to show me her stomach ... I'm serious ... the bloodhounds and I decided we would get the walk in.

Another day of walking in that tall grass and I found zero ticks on the hounds but I had a couple to pull off of me. So for a month the ticks disappeared from the hounds after giving them NexGard.

Since Stella was woke up about an hour earlier than her normal time, she was tired and not interested in getting any further away than the corner of the FJ. Her routine was off and she was more than happy to go back inside and continue her morning sleep.

All the storms are coming from the west and should be here later this afternoon but this was a morning photo looking NE. Maybe the storms will do their normal split at the state line and miss me by following the Ohio River and I-70. I can dream can't I?

It's hard for me to blog just a few days a week ... too many photos and too many stories.

Sunny this morning in 'the tropics' of Southern Indiana.

Heidi Comes To Get Me To Walk

After going to the door or coming to get me to let her out the door during Tuesday afternoon, it was a pleasant shock that around 6:40pm she came to my computer desk and kept bothering me ... I finally realized for the 4th time in the afternoon she wanted to go outside again.

Only this time she wanted to walk in the field for the first time in a month or so. That only happened after I would put her collar on with the leash and then lead her to the field to walk leash free.

Today was different. She headed directly to the field and didn't stop. At times the pace was slow with her leading and if I tried to walk around her she would run fast enough to stay ahead of me. I have no idea why she is feeling better or acting this way but I'm happy I am seeing her with more energy.

Sadie and Stella have been in their own little world today and one that I am thrilled about. It hasn't been a good day between me and them. I focused more on Heidi's walk and let them do what ever they wanted.

At this point in the walk I am still trying to figure out what made Heidi so motivated to get outside 4 different times this afternoon and go directly on the walk during that 4th time. The other 3 times she spent time by herself laying in the sunshine.

Sadie sprinted up to the first turn to join us but no sign of Stella.

Like Winston use to ... Heidi continues but only at her pace.

Any more air under that left ear and she might have gotten airborne.

Has to stop mid walk to get the fly off of her ... she hates flies and will chase them if she can see them, inside or out.

Looking back and over to my left ... there is no sign of Stella.

Then as I am taking this photo of who I think is Sadie ... that black in her tail proves it's Stella ... but where did she come from? I never saw her.

No matter what the bloodhounds are doing, Heidi walks non-stop at her pace, sniffing all the scents along the way.

It looks like rain is coming from the west ... but the radar disagrees.

Sadie and Stella decided to join us after we are almost home. Then disappeared again ... their theme of the day.

I had to look more than a few times at this photo but eventually saw Heidi ... can you?

By the time she hit the yard it was a quick trot to the house ... walk over ... a little water and back to sleep on the couch.

By Tuesday night we were prepared for 50% chance of rain every day from Tuesday night until Sunday. Do you like how I matched the house trim color to the car cover?  :)

Back to reading books here in 'the tropics' of Southern Indiana.