The Hounds Are Never Surprised By Weather

Like many experienced last night all over the USA, the hot temps blew out with high winds and all that was left this morning were temps in the 20's and some light snow. That 62° was really nice yesterday. Yet we knew what was in the forecast, plus it really is January ... not March. Weather never bothers nor surprises the hounds, they just love to take their walks.

It was good to see that Stella was out in front of Sadie and I this morning, instead of staying behind while we took the walk. She took no time to run ahead of us and then charge into the wooded area. I yelled her name about the time she was heading down into the gully. She stopped, turned to look at me and to my surprise, started walking back to the field.

I could hear the icy raindrops hitting the leaves, the trees and my parka. Stella did not mind, nor did Sadie. I could feel the wind blowing pretty strong out of the N/NW and it was cold.

The snow was light enough to only cover my driveway, our walking path and the highway. While we walked slowly, the hounds exploring, I could hear the highway department snow plows going back and forth on the highway spraying what they use in Indiana for ice control ... a mixture of salt and sand with a little calcium chloride mixed in.

Whereas last winter we had an unknown animal feeding itself with chewing bark off of the fallen tree, this year there was a new path by ATV traffic down into the gully from the opposite side.

There is something about any amount of snow that energize the hounds. They were so excited to be outside on the walk, they were running into each other. It felt much warmer than the wind chill temp was on my iPhone.

Sadie and Stella sprinting around the first turn with no intention of waiting for me to catch them. This 200mm lens was used to get this close to them. As they ran, I could hear surface ice breaking as I walk. It had rained most of yesterday's afternoon and last night. It was still very warm around 8pm when the hounds took me outside. By 1am it had dropped 20° and was heading even colder.

In some spots like this ice, there was standing water barely hidden below the thin cover of ice and snow.

Luckily the paths were highlighted with snow ... easy to follow, even for Stella.

They both know the deer go this way.

Sometimes Stella has to put a lot of thought into her identification phase, trying to determine what it was, when it was and trying to match current info with her memory database.

Gives you some idea what type of day it is although the tower is a little blurry due to operator error.

The forecast has been very accurate so far the past 20 hours ... but also has 1"-3" of snow starting this afternoon.

Stella has a lot of interest while looking north ... Once I told her "go home", she turned and started following the path in the direction of the house. I have never seen her run all the way home from the middle of the field. She is just running to get further away from me to give her time to look around the field a little longer.

Yes, they followed that white path without veering out into the field.

By the time I caught up to them, they had just a few more things to check out before we arrived home.

The snow pointed out a deer path that comes from the woods behind the neighbor's house across the field to the woods behind our house. I have always seen the worn thin path but the light snow shows it a little bit better.

What was it? I glanced to the right ... no one was outside. No cars moving on the driveway. There wasn't even a car or truck on the highway ... still they were both very very interested in something in that direction. I forget how much more powerful their ears are in picking up sounds that I don't hear.

This has to be where the field cat walks at night.

The were done walking as they trotted side by side toward the carport. Winter always shows the backyard is not as flat as I think it is. It has changed quite a bit over the 20 years I've lived here.

I made an unexpected trip to Bloomington yesterday. I had been feeling an urge for a pizza plus there were some 'game worn' IU football jerseys available to buy. By the time I returned home, the hounds were barking with excitement and it was raining hard.

Heidi did get outside multiple times yesterday before and after my trip, but when it is snowing there is no chance she will go outside anymore than the minimum times, where she knows she has to go.

Stopped by the local library this morning but with the icy conditions on the highway, it was closed. There was not a lot of traffic in the two miles to town but my 4x4 setting had no problems with ice, slush and light snow. A jersey I bought yesterday had to be mailed today. I guessed correctly in weather like this that there would be no lines at the post office.

Right before I posted this it started snowing. The hounds went out, including Heidi, after their lunch but none of them stayed too long.

It's feeling like a Chinese Buffet lunch or dinner today ...

Cold but not bad, a little snow and a warmer than normal winter is on the way here in 'the tropics' of Southern Indiana.

Heidi & Sadie Love The Warmer Weather

It took a while to get outside this morning because I couldn't tell if or how hard it was raining. All signs on the highway and in the carport showed there had been a lot of rain overnight continuing this morning. Stepping outside I could hear the wet pavement with passing traffic but I didn't see them using their windshield wipers. That was the sign it was time to take our morning walk.

After I come up with a plan to keep the hounds off of the carport this spring or summer, long enough for concrete repair to dry I will be filling in cracks and this worn low spot. Sadie doesn't mind rain. She will walk right through the standing water but Heidi and Stella always step around any kind of water or wet pavement.

It may be close to 50° warmer than just a few days ago but that doesn't mean that Heidi had any change of plans. Her routine is to go out first thing in the morning with the bloodhounds, back in for breakfast, a stop by her water dish and then heads for her sleeping bag.

So with the warmer weather things have changed drastically. I was still wearing multiple layers of jackets but today the top was a light rain jacket instead of a large down parka. My ski cap was left in the house and my ball cap was back on my head. No gloves. The ground was no longer rock hard but showed water coming up through the ground along the edge of my hiking boots as I took a step.

Stella has had a new routine the past few days since we were able to get back outside and one that I am not happy with. Yet, it's stubborn Stella and she will do what she wants.

Sadie took off running into the area behind the burn pile, through the dead ragweed stems. That is her favorite place the past 10 days.

Stella though was in her own world and you will see by the photos listed in the order they were taken ... she did not join us for the walk until Sadie and I were almost finished. She still took her own way home and at her own pace.

Sadie was back in her element with tracking, running, diving deep into the brush for a closer analysis of what her nose lead her too.

The hawk was huge. He took off from ground level just past the first corner in the brush, as Sadie came close to the turn. I did not know I had caught it on film until I downloaded the photos from the camera.

The AT&T tower was back in view today ... the fog was gone but it was still overcast and a breeze from the southwest.

A full out sprint to catch up to me ... I was too far ahead of her.

I was very curious where Stella would be as we headed back home. With her new routine I am never sure. I am always happy to see her on the horizon though. I don't think there is a chance of her heading to the front yard while I am out of view but she might head down into the woods. With today's weather she would be stomach deep in mud if she went to the bottom of the gully. How do I know that? Sadie did that as a puppy.

By the time I was close to Stella she was in the field no further than directly behind the house. Of course she ignored everything I was saying to her, like "we are going home". She did turn and head toward the house.

Sadie was catching up to us and both hounds rarely let their noses above ground level.

As Stella started to walk away from us I thought I'd stand in the yard and just watch where she was headed with the possibility that I would have to go get her ... but all she wanted was to come back through the northern part of the yard ... at her pace.

We have had a daily afternoon visitor this past month, even when the temps were single digits or below zero. Luckily the visitor is never around when Sadie steps outside. The squirrel walks on top of the fence all the way to the end, turns around and head back to this point where she jumps off and scampers into the wood.

We will enjoy this warmer weather the next two days but snow is on the way Friday and Sunday. It will be a typical Indiana winter weather from now on. There will be drastic ranges of high temperatures. It is suppose to be warmer than normal and more rain than snow. That rain is suppose to be more than normal all the way through spring.

With the single digit temps last week I caught myself doing my annual house looking online. I have a list of small towns in the state of Arizona. I also have a friend that lives in Phoenix giving me a few more based on his state wide travels when he worked for the state.

I came to the same conclusion as I do every year. It's hard to choose just one town that I like or house that I like. Even selling my house here would not pay for a house in those small towns unless it was a major fixer upper. Moving into a house that is move in ready would change my budget from no mortgage payment to having one. The hounds would adapt to any change but I am not sure they would enjoy trading 7 acres of green grass for 7 acres or more of sand.

Through my years of research almost every area in the USA has 2-3 months of 'bad' weather ... but I find it harder to handing the cold as I get older. I doesn't make me miserable by any means but 50° sure feels better than 8°.

A little smartphone tidbit ... only charge your phone or tablet just long enough to reach 100% battery. If we leave that charge going on all night while we sleep, it actually shortens the battery life. This is what I have read. If there are any electronic experts reading this, feel free to correct me if I am wrong.

It's warm, windy and wet here in 'the tropics' of Southern Indiana.