Hounds Take a Short Ride

 Day started with the normal routine after staying up again until 4am to download and install Apple's OS Sierra onto my iMac. When it was slowing down I then realized what was late to me was the perfect time for those on the west coast.

For readers that use Macs, I have to say I like the new OS, the new features and I have not come close to seeing everything it is doing. That will take some reading and then digging into my computer to see how things work.

When I loaded the camera card this morning for the first time, it repaired my Photo Library. I have some photos I will check to see if their status changed or not after uploading them from iPhoto in the spring of 2015. So far I have no problems with the OS upgrades on all my devices ... things work as they should. A lot of people on the Mac forums feel different than I do. Yet, in the 6 years I've used a Mac, many hours every day, I've had only one problem that was "user error" (me) trying to use File Vault on an older machine.

It didn't bother the hounds either way. Their routines rarely change and they know their 'slave' keeps weird hours late at night ... all they want is sleep, food and walks ... with an occasional ride in the FJ.

Stella started her morning with some fresh wet tall grass. I think she just likes it because she has had no digestive issues, stomach is not growling ... she just likes grass.

Sadie was positive there had been moles in the yard this morning. She might have been right. I've heard the best time to catch them is 7am and 7pm ... it's why I never fish, hunt or look for moles ... I never catch, kill or see anything.

I stood from the chair to watch Sadie since she had gone to the north part of the field. She made sure to look back at me just to see if I was watching her. I was ... it's the new "adult supervision".

When she was finished, she came running back to the house without me having to call her.

When I told them it was "time for coffee" they both headed for the house ... a daily routine.

A little before lunch I decided that after the hounds were fed, we all would get in the FJ for a short drive through the country to visit an old friend and ex co-worker, that retired this past July. To make this trip to their house you need 4-wheel drive and in the winters you will need to drop down into LOW 4-wheel drive. Can you picture driving this road just to get to the highway on the way to work every day in the middle of the midwestern winters??

This next shot is me coming down the last part of their driveway. There are 2 very sharp 90° turns on a narrow one lane of gravel with very steep banks on each side.

The one time I go out for a surprise visit after being invited many times this summer, they weren't home. LOL  It didn't matter, as the hounds and I enjoyed the ride out through the local country side. We had the best of both worlds with the windows down so they could see out and get some fresh air ... with the AC turned on to keep the cabin cool in 87° temps.

By the time we got home ... it was time for a walk. I could tell right from the start both of them were going to be stubborn today. So I let them do what they wanted while I walked the path slowly.

Sadie is making sure her ears are still flexible.

Stella has always had a 'happy go lucky' personality ... here she is running while looking at the sky ... lol

With the temps high today we probably will not take the next walk until 7pm. We found out last night that time of day was perfect for a walk close to sundown. If you click my Wordpress blog on the left sidebar called "Life of Hounds", the photos of last night's walk are there.

I finished Chinle's Rattlesnake Cafe ebook last night and hear she is going to release another new book around Christmas time. I'll save my pennies between now and then so I can pick that up. She has a great style of writing and all of her books have a little twist at the end, even after the murder has been solved. She mentioned the hounds in one of her books last year. They were fed another "barkie bone" for that.

Another thing I have been doing these past couple of days after more reading about password managers. I am moving slowly from LastPass to Apple's Keychain. Of coarse Keychain is used only with Safari browser, while LastPass will work with all top three browsers. One difference I like, with Keychain I have that free for all of my devices. With LastPass I would have to pay to use it on my phone and tablet.

I figured if the FBI was begging, forcing, threatening Apple to open the iPhone of the San Bernardino attacker ... then security must have been pretty good.

It's NFL night tonight, to start the weekend of football.

Another beautiful day here in 'the tropics' of Southern Indiana.

A New Book & A New Mac OS

I was up until 4am last night but it was all for good reasons. Sadie was sleeping in her "big chair" in the living room, Heidi was on the right side of the couch while Stella had her back up against the side of the kitchen island on the carpet side of the room.

As you remember I get free data after midnight so that is when I do any downloads and especially downloads that are large, like a new Operating System for Macs. It was over 4GB's and was noted it would take about 1 hour.

I knew from previous OS changes it was going to be at least 3 hours and probably 4 hours by the time it was installed and running. Toward the end you have to be around to log in, using a password, hit a few 'continue' buttons ... so going to bed while it downloaded and installed was not an option. I had other things to do during those 4 hours though. Nightly after midnight I will uploaded all the photos I take that day very easily from my computer hard drive to Google Photos AND Flickr. I can organize them into their specific alums on both programs ... everything done within 20 minutes.

So what about the other 3 hours ???  How about a new book from Chinle over at The Spotted Dog Ranch. This was #7 in the Bud Shumway series and although I have just started I can see it's another great mystery. I was hesitant in buying it in the middle of the night (2:30am)  because in the past I will read them nonstop not caring what the time of day or night it was. But ... I bit the bullet, bought it on Amazon and had it in my Kindle reader and on all my devices after a short synch.

By the time I hit the bed at 4am, the new Mac OS system was working great with some fantastic new features and Chinle's book was hard to turn off. I'll finish it sometime today or tonight. The hounds still had their breakfast kibble served at 8am ... although they will not whine for it. They sleep as long as I do.

By 1pm we were ready for the mid-day walk ... another beautiful day here in 'the tropics'.

Sadie and Stella might start the walk out together, but it will not be long before they follow their own noses and head different directions. Today I decided I'd be a friend and let them roam on their own.

It didn't take long for each hound to take advantage. By the time I got to the first turn, NEITHER hound was close to me.

Sadie never likes to be left behind, so she sprinted to catch up to me.

When I asked her "where's Stella" ... she looked around in all directions, but Stella was nowhere to be seen.

The field continues to change each day as we move close to October already ... hard to believe how fast September is moving.

Sadie and I were walking along the back edge of the field heading north, not quit at the 'halfway' point ... looking back into the field ... no sign of Stella.

Every corn field I look at in a 40 mile radius shows the corn may be picked a little earlier this year. I'll be taking some photos of the fields at least across the highway ... some farmers have bought some new equipment.

As Sadie and I turn the last time to head home I didn't see Stella anywhere. I started calling her name and guess what ???  Off to the left was Stella slowly strolling through the high grass and flowers. I expected to see her walking up the path towards us but was happy to see that she was just to the left of us.

As usual, she took her time.

They both eventually move forward and when it gets hotter, they will take the lead and head to the house.

These were in the middle of the path but we always walk around and not on flowers ... hounds included.

Although they are on the way home, there isn't a scent they will not pass if that radar nose of theirs picks up a new target.

Heidi in the meantime hung out at the house and explored the yard. This is around 48 hours after her epsom salt soak and it's about the best her skin will look. It looks bad when compared to years ago when there was nothing going on but for the past 18 months, this skin is about the best it gets.

That is after 4 different vet opinions, various medications, various grain free food, food with rice, etc.

It never fails that when Sadie returns she always goes over to Heidi to see if she is okay, even at night when Heidi comes back inside the house after her last trip outside for the night.

Once again she did not want to go on the walk after I carried her to the field. She turned and headed back to the house.

The rest of the day was spent learning the new Mac OS named Sierra, testing it and also trying some of the new features it has. I also found out from some geek sites that Safari had been update to the point of getting good reviews in tests ... so I tried it, liked it and then made it my default browser again over Google Chrome.

It was very sad to read the news about Bridget over at RVSue's blog. It's never easy losing an old friend.

If you don't hear from me ... I'll be out in Utah with Bud Shumway helping him investigate another mystery.

The weather is great again here in 'the tropics' of Southern Indiana.

Sadie Shows Remorse

By the time Stella and I got to the house yesterday after catching Sadie next door, she already had that worried look on her face. She knew she had broken the rule of free roaming.

We all went inside for a little discussion. I discussed the pros and cons of "going that extra mile" where in this case that "extra mile" would put you in the highway and nothing good every happens when hounds are on the highway. She looked right at me while I was talking to her, so I think she understood what I was saying. Some would say that was just me wanting her to understand ... still her actions said otherwise.

Last night as we sat outside to enjoy the last of the good weather, she showed me (I think) that she really did understand what I had told her. Take a look at the following photos and see if you agree. Both hounds had free reign to go anywhere they wanted because I was outside. Not a word was spoken, to 'stay' or 'no' ... I just sat and watched ... with my camera making the most noise.

She is looking at Stella walking out into the field.

This photo has the look that she knows she broke the rules yesterday by running off to the neighbors house. She is pretty smart in her old age.

When she laid down I knew something was up. She rarely lays down in the yard by herself. I can think of only one time this past year, otherwise Stella has to do it first for Sadie to follow.

This morning while I was outside for the trip right after breakfast, I stood and watched them. Stella did the normal yard inspection then came inside while Sadie went straight out into the field to dump her tanks. She did not go anywhere near the north side of the yard.

Our mid day trip to check the weather and just how wet the field is, to see if a walk is possible ... Sadie was still in the mode of staying in the yard. Strange.

I was thinking last night trying to remember the last time Sadie took off for the neighbors. It was last fall on a Sunday morning when I let her and Stella outside for them to roam. Then when I went outside to check on them, both of them were next door at the same neighbors house. There was an ambulance with it's lights on backed up the driveway, with volunteer firemen (1st responders) along the drive. The hounds came sprinting toward me when I yelled their name.

So most likely Sadie saw the neighbors outside yesterday. That is something we normally don't see on our walks. Sadie must have decided to have some social interaction and went to introduce herself.

Before that it had to have been 6-7 years ago when she was a puppy. I would let her out in the mornings on her own before I went to work. One morning I go out to check on her and hear her baying ... she is next door at the house south of us ... the neighbor had some brand new rabbits in a cage for his young son. Of course the rabbits were a huge point of interest for her to take off to check them out. The neighbor wasn't happy, neither was I.

Sadie was a monster as a puppy ... too much energy to be left alone all day.

Other than that ... she has never left the field or yard. Oh, there was that time on a walk in December when she took off after a deer in back of the field. She and the deer jumped the short fence and she was sprinting across the corn field ... she came back a few hours later. I could not find her while driving my truck around the local area.

Overall though ... she has been great and still is. She knows she broke the rules yesterday.

It was still too wet to mow the yard in the shaded areas around 1pm. So we took for an early afternoon walk. Heidi made her daily noon appearance but still does not go near the field to walk with us. I tried to help her start but she turned around and ran for the house ... obviously didn't want to go.

That's her skin a day after the 20 minute soak in epsom salts and a bath tub full of water up past her belly.

Since Stella didn't 'go' this morning she headed to the field after her lunch.

Sadie was just checking to see if it was okay for her to head in that direction. Pretty amazing how she is acting today.

Instead I called her "lets go for a walk", she came sprint and Stella joined us soon after we started. Overall they both stay in the general area and came whenever I called them.

Sadie looking in the direction of 'her' scene of the crime yesterday. I looked to see what she was interested in and saw no one outside and nothing going on.

Stella got in some running to catch up to us before we got to the first turn. After they she and Sadie were on their way for 'the daily walk'.

Since the day I brought her home Stella has always shown a laidback personality. She is a great bloodhound.

Although it was very nice outside today, it started getting hotter by the end of the walk and the hounds were anxious to get home and back inside. It was borderline whether the AC was needed.

There is always something though they need to stop and check out. Even after they get back into the yard.

As we came into the yard, Heidi was in the shade waiting for us.

By 2:30pm it was dry enough to mow, a light breeze and an hour later I was done. The bloodhounds stayed in the backyard while I mowed, neither went into the field although Sadie tried a couple of times to sneak away. When I yelled her name over the sound of the mower, she ran toward me and away from the field.

While mowing the front yard I put them both in the bed room that gets the mid-day shade. Once again Stella stayed there without causing any damage. She use to sometimes so she is improving each time I leave her alone.

I usually power wash my house and hand wash all my windows in the spring. That gets all the dust from the fall, any winter weather off the siding and the house looks clean. That also gets rid of all the winter cobwebs. I might have to change that strategy. As you see, the spiders have been busy this summer and very recently this past week ... Will I power wash the house again before winter?

By definition most of these were cobwebs instead of spider webs. Either way, they are coming down.

The temps said it was hot, my t-shirt shirt after mowing showed it wasn't that bad but Stella had her tongue hanging out panting, which was the sign the AC needed to be turned on, even if it was just for a short time. With them taking a late afternoon siesta, we walked again in the early evening but after this blog posted.

Great weather right now in 'the tropics' of Southern Indiana.