There Was No Shadow Of The Tandy Hills Thin Man Showing On The Hills Today

There was no Shadow of the Tandy Hills Thin Man showing on the Tandy Hills today at noon.

We may currently be at our maximum level of green for the year, here in North Texas.

As you can see in today's view of a Tandy Hills trail, looking southeast, it is green. And not too colorful. The wildflowers have been a bit muted this year.

Miss Puerto Rico just called. She can't figure out how to renew her Texas driver's license online. I said I'd help. But I am not in much of a helping mood.

The Tandy Hills hiking was a bit hot today. By the end I was quite wet from sweat. Or humidity. Or both. When I lived in Washington I was never a fan of summer heat and getting hot. Something changed after moving to Texas. Now I like getting hot in the natural sauna steam bath.

I think I will go swimming and then over to Miss Puerto Rico's.

The Durango Texas Editorial Board Recommends Anyone But Betsy Price & Jim Lane For Mayor Of Fort Worth

In the picture you are looking at the backside of a mailing that was in my mailbox this morning from the Fort Worth mayoral campaign of Dan Barrett.

Dan Barrett says he want to change business as usual at city hall.

I don't know if by changing business as usual Barrett means he wants to end the Fort Worth Way.

What he specifically was referring to, in the mailing, was the business of the city closing Fort Worth's public pools to save the city $445,000 and then a couple months later the city proposed spending a million dollars to build a downtown Heliport for the convenience of incoming millionaires.

Meanwhile, speaking of the Fort Worth Way.

The Fort Worth Ruling Oligarchy has made it official, via their mouthpiece, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, that Betsy Price is the FWRO's pick to be the next mayor of Fort Worth.

In the article announcing the Star-Telegram Editorial Board's decision we are told that "Two candidates in this race stand out -- Betsy Price and Jim Lane -- and their different approaches to what will be the first item on the to-do list for the new mayor and council provide a clear distinction between the two."

Dan Barrett, Cathy Hirt and Nicholas Zebrun are mentioned, but not given serious consideration. Because all three represent a threat to the Fort Worth Way and the Fort Worth Ruling Oligarchy.

Now that the Fort Worth Ruling Oligarchy has made their pick official, there is very little time for the few people who vote, who are not part of the FWRO, to encourage Fort Worth voters to get off their lazy butts and stage a revolution in this town.

Methinks the Anti Fort Worth Ruling Oligarchy Group needs to pick between Cathy Hirt and Dan Barrett and then somehow cause a miracle to happen, with Betsy Price not being the next mayor of this company run town.

Up Early The Last Day Of April Thinking About Marrying An Older Woman & Donald Trump's Bad Behavior

Looking out my primary viewing portal on the world it appears we under a cover of clouds in my zone of North Texas on this last morning of April of 2011.

T-Storms are again forecast for today. We got a 2 day respite from thunderstorm forecasts.

The most surprising news in the past 24 hours was not that the Royal Will Windsor married an older women, it was that Donald Trump let loose with a lot of F-wording while giving a speech at one of his Trump buildings in Las Vegas.

I thought, previously, that Donald Trump was known to be a bit of a prude who did not spew profanity or approve of tattoos.

Last night's TRIP fundraiser at the Rahr & Sons Brewing Company was much more fun than I thought it would be. I did not consume any Rahr liquid product last night, fearing that doing so might cause a return of my Prairie Fest Hives.

It is well above freezing this morning, 70 degrees. This should make for a pleasant morning swim in a few minutes. After that the Tandy Hills and Town Talk are in my future for the day, creature of bad habit that I be.

The Can Of Worms Of Tarrant County Scandals & The System That Keeps Them Canned

This zone of Texas where I currently reside, Tarrant County, seems to have scandals here and there and everywhere.

But few seem to care.

Part of the problem, scandal discovery wise, is that Tarrant County does not have a real newspaper of record.

Tarrant County does have FW Weekly, which is a legitimate newspaper.

But, Tarrant County's big paper is the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, a newspaper with all sorts of problems.

FW Weekly is a small, free, weekly. You can hardly expect FW Weekly to manage to cover every scandal that scandalizes this part of the country.

And so the scandalizers are free to do their scandalizing, feeling fairly secure that no bright light will be pointed at them.

In the current issue of FW Weekly the cover story, "A High-Priced Can of Worms" is a good look at the scandals that are rocking Haltom City.

For those reading this who are not locals, Haltom City is a suburb of Fort Worth. Haltom City has creeks running through it. Those creeks flood. Those creeks have been flooding for decades, at times deadly. But very little has been done to mitigate the flooding. While almost a $1 billion is being spent in Fort Worth on an un-needed flood control project known as the Trinity River Vision Boondoggle.

The Haltom City chronic flooding is not the Haltom City Scandal covered in this week's FW Weekly.

You can watch a movie documentary called Up A Creek, on this very blog you are reading right now and learn all about the flooding problems in Haltom City. Or go to Rahr Brewery tonight to watch the movie and drink some beer.

Regarding the Tarrant County Scandals. I know of the Haltom City Scandals courtesy of FW Weekly and someone who tells me about them in person.

Other Tarrant County Scandals I know of only because someone has contacted me because they desperately want people to know about something.

For example, Arlington's Kim Feil has been trying to find out what really happened at a Chesapeake Energy gas pad in Arlington, during a storm on April 11, 2011.

It was serious. 911 was called. Fumes entered homes. But no local news media, as far as I know, has looked into this incident. That, in and of itself, is sort of scandalous.

But, you have to realize, this area is currently under the thumb, sort of, of Chesapeake Energy. Read the FW Weekly article, linked to above, about the Haltom City Scandals, for an example of that.

It seems sort of sad to me that local citizens reach out to my lonely blog because of feeling desperate for help or answers or both.

Another scandal that I have witnessed up close is the Paradise Center Scandal. The Paradise Center Scandal has gone un-reported, for the most part, in the local media. FW Weekly did mention the scandal on their blog. And one of the local TV stations had a small, very small, piece on it.

The thing with the Paradise Center Scandal is that you have to devote some time to be able to understand it. When a cry for help went out on February 17, I did not know what the problem was.

It took me about a week before I figured out that this was serious business, what was done to the Paradise Center by MHMR-TC.

I had no clue if it would do any good or not, but, I was getting so many comments about the Paradise Center Scandal to my Durango Texas blog that I decided to make a Paradise Center Scandal blog.

Well.

I tell you, it has been like Watergate. Revelation after revelation. Lies, obfuscations, character assassinating. As the weeks went by it became apparent that the Paradise Center Scandal was just a symptom of a bigger overall scandal involving the Mental Health Mental Retardation Tarrant County Agency and its controversial CEO, Jim McDermott.

If you read through the Paradise Center Scandal blog and read the comments, it becomes real clear that this is a story that should be being reported to the people who live in this problem-laden, scandal-ridden zone, by the local Fourth Estate, which is pretty much, FW Weekly.

So, what other Tarrant County Scandals are out there that no one is being told about? Are there Fort Worth School Scandals beyond the ones that have made the news?

When a gas pad goes bonkers in Arlington, making people ill, and that is not considered newsworthy, well, that is scandalous.

If You're Afraid Of Change: Elect Jim Lane For Mayor Because It's The Fort Worth Way!

For the 3rd week in a row a Jim Lane for Mayor of Fort Worth mailer showed up in my mailbox. I've previously opined that due to the years of the Moncrief Regime I've grown to be a fan of having a goofy mayor. And that it seems to me that Jim Lane presents the best hope for continuing to have a goofy Fort Worth mayor, who is occasionally a national embarrassment.

Jim Lane has been catching flak due to using the Molly the Longhorn logo on his campaign literature. There have been complaints to the City Attorney. Demands that the logo be removed immediately. Another person called the Texas Ethics Commission, saying "It makes the appearance that the city is supporting him."

I'm thinking if some of the locals think the local voters are so dumb that they think the city puts its official stamp of approval on a particular candidate, via a logo, well, if they are that dumb, well, Fort Worth has a problem.

Yikes! Sometimes I don't realize what I'm saying. The reality is, collectively, Fort Worth is dumb enough to think Molly the Longhorn is giving Jim Lane the city's official stamp of approval. It's sort of the Fort Worth Way. Where 6% of the eligible voters will vote on the Ruling Oligarchy's choice for mayor, who will win with about 70% of the vote.

But, Jim Lane is not the Fort Worth Ruling Oligarchy's choice for mayor. The FWRO's choice is Betsy Price.

Change of subject to the poster you see at the top. That was sent to me a few minutes ago from Eunice Lovers.

Eunice had some things to tell me, and then this....

Meanwhile...I was bored at work the other day and made this flyer for one of the mayoral candidates after reading one of your blogs. Enjoy.

Thanks Eunice, feel free to poster me any time you get bored at work.

Looking At A New Art Installation On The Tandy Hills While Thinking About Dancing With Elsie Hotpepper & BBQ

I'm so sleepy. Last night I was so tired I was in bed by 9. Then up by 5 this morning. I'm drinking iced coffee right now, to try and de-sleepify myself. I don't usually drink any stimulants in the afternoon, due to the stimulator having a too over stimulating effect.

I don't think I over-did the hiking on the Tandy Hills thing today, to the point of exhaustion.

Speaking of the Tandy Hills.

Today, under the Tandy Bamboo Teepee, which survived the 2011 Prairie Fest, still fully erect, there was an artwork that had been installed directly under the apex of the teepee.

Several Lake Worth Alliance water bottles had been duct taped together, along with some other materials, like the piece of red plastic you see duct taped in the lower left part of the picture.

I am not sure what the Lake Worth Alliance is. Does drinking water actually come out of Lake Worth? Isn't that lake heavily silted. With alligators living in it? I believe I have watched boaters and water skiers on Lake Worth from the outdoor patio of The Point on Lake Worth.

I think the water flowing through Lake Worth is the West Fork branch of the Trinity River. Eventually the West Fork joins up with the Clear Fork at the location where young J.D. Granger hopes to build a little lake in his mama's honor, called Lake Kay Granger. Or Kay Granger Pond. Or Kay Granger Puddle.

I don't believe the final name for the little lake has yet been picked.

Tonight you may see me at Rahrs & Sons Brewing Company watching a movie, listening to music, dancing with Elsie Hotpepper, eating BBQ and staying away from any Rahr & Sons liquid products due to my suspicion it gives me the hives.

But, right now I'm going swimming and lounge in the sun for awhile to make my skin produce some Vitamin D.

Up Before The Sun On The Last Friday Of April Thinking About Inbreeding Royals & Funnel Clouds

As you can see, looking through the bars of my patio prison cell on this next to last day of April, I am up early.

No. I did not get up early in order to watch that annoyingly ridiculous wedding brouhaha over in the UK.

I slightly remember paying slight attention to when William's mother married Camilla's husband, Chuck.

Most of those royal weddings don't work out too well in the UK.

The royal weddings used to be of the arranged sort, for political or other dynasty reasons. And then medical science advanced to the point where it was learned the reason some of the European royals, like the Habsburgs, had receding chins, was due to all the inbreeding. So, the royals started breeding with commoners, like Kate Middleston and Diana Spencer, in order to reverse the generations of royal DNA deterioration.

There is a segment of the UK population who are Monarchy Abolitionists. If I were in the UK I would be one of those. But, I'm stuck being a Monarchy Abolitionist in the U.S., where we long ago abolished the UK monarchy.

Change of subject to other strange unnatural phenomenon.

Up north, in my former location in the Skagit Valley of Washington, yesterday a funnel cloud appeared.

I have seen a funnel cloud since I have been in Texas. I never saw one in all my years of living in Washington.

I doubt I will be seeing a funnel cloud in Texas today. The forecast is predicting today to be sunny and breezy. Currently it is a relatively cold 58.

Though it may be only 26 degrees above freezing, I am not going to let that stop me from going swimming today.

Elsie Hotpepper Has Me Wondering About The Tarrant County Phallic Symbol Epidemic & Sanitary Sewers In The Tandy Hills

In the picture you are looking west, up a Tandy Hills trail, to the spot where yesterday I took a very cloudy picture of the stunning skyline of beautiful downtown Fort Worth.

Today's view was cloudless.

After my recent bouts of the hives I've decided I need to lead a more healthy lifestyle. I will be trying to get more exercise and eat a more nutritious diet.

The Fort Worth Sanitary Sewer guys were on the Tandy Highway today, preparing a creek crossing for an incoming TV truck. They were working on the creek crossing that last week was flooding with gray water from a sewer line break.

I stopped and talked to the Sewer guys for a couple minutes. It was unclear to me if they realized the sewer water had been running down the creek at a high volume. It made no sense to me that they were preparing to send a TV camera into the pipeline, again, when the leak obviously occurred somewhere up the creek.

But, what do I know about the Sanitary Sewer business?

Sanitary Sewer. I had not before made note of it before, until today, when I read it on one of the manhole covers, that the phrase "Sanitary Sewer" is a bit odd. Should it not be "Unsanitary Sewer?" How can a sewer be sanitary?

Changing the subject from sanitary sewers.

If I remember right I mentioned recently that Elsie Hotpepper had gone missing. Well, I've now heard from Miss Elsie. A few minutes ago Elsie sent me a link to a blog post in the FW Weekly blotch blog, about the epidemic of phallic symbols cropping up all over Tarrant County, titled "Them's Some Nasty Vines."

I think I will go for an afternoon swim and get some Vitamin D therapy.

Going Swimming In Texas While Not Petting An Armadillo Or Worrying About The World Ending May 21

As you can see, looking up at the Texas sky, this last Thursday of April, it is another blue sky morning at my location on the planet.

Speaking of the planet. I was a little surprised to learn, when I looked at the Seattle P-I this morning, that the world is scheduled to end on May 21. There is a billboard on Aurora Avenue, in Seattle, telling people to save that date because Christ will be returning on that day.

These billboards have been popping up around the country. I have not seen one in my current location in the Buckle of the Bible Belt.

A guy named Harold Camping, of something called Family Radio, is behind the May 21 date. Mr. Camping gets really riled up over those people who claim the world will end in 2012, saying, “That date has not one stitch of biblical authority. It’s like a fairy tale.”

Meanwhile, while I wait for the world to end, I also learned I should not pet my pet armadillo because doing so may cause leprosy. I do not want to become a leper before Jesus arrives and ends the world.

I think I will go swimming now and try to block out worrying about the world ending and catching leprosy.

Hiking With My Mom On The Tandy Hills On The Last Wednesday Of April

Looking west from the Tandy Hills, around 4 this afternoon, at the stunning skyline of beautiful downtown Fort Worth, you can see there is a bit of turbulence in the sky, not the predicted clear and breezy that had been advertised for today.

I got gas on my way to the Tandy Hills. As my one reader may remember, when I get gas I call my mom in Arizona.

Sun Lake, Arizona, to be precise.

My mom and dad living in a place called Sun Lake is interesting to me due to the fact that my favorite place we'd go on family trips was to Sun Lakes in Eastern Washington.

It has been a long time since I have been to Sun Lakes, Washington. I've been to Sun Lake, Arizona way more recently than Sun Lakes, Washington.

I have not been in Eastern Washington since August of 2001. The Washington friends I was staying with took me over to Leavenworth, via Stevens Pass, then fruit hunting by Wenatchee, then over Blewett Pass to go to Roslyn (aka Cicely, Alaska), for pizza and beer, then over Snoqualmie Pass, back to Seattle.

I have no mountain passes to cross over anywhere near my current location. Or big orchards where I can go fruit hunting.

I digress.

As usual.

I called my mom after I got gas, so mom went hiking with me on the Tandy Hills. My mom was in laughing at me mode. My mom laughing makes me feel good. My mom is one of the few people in the world who reliably finds me amusing.

I've not heard from Elsie Hotpepper for days. She is not answering her pager. Why do people go missing on me? Don't they realize this type thing worries me?

Watching The Sunny Breezy Sky While Waiting For Ernie At The Relapse Lounge & Bar In Either Richland Hills Or North Richland Hills

For several days in a row the forecast for the zone of North Texas that I inhabit has been for severe t-storms.

With no t-storms arriving. Thus rendering the forecast a bad forecast.

And now today, with the forecast being sunny and breezy, it looks the stormiest it has looked in days.

In the picture we are in either Richland Hills or North Richland Hills, looking east from the parking lot of the Relapse Bar & Lounge.

The Relapse Bar & Lounge is next to Ernie's Seafood. I was waiting for someone to show up at the appointed time at Ernie's Seafood.

I don't like waiting. My Adult Attention Deficit Disorder quickly kicks in if I am left impatiently waiting. Fortunately, the wait was not long.

Who goes to the Relapse Bar & Lounge? Rejected AA members?

Storm-Free In My Zone Of North Texas While Covered With Hives Also Known As Urticaria

Looking out my primary viewing portal on the world it appears the last Wednesday of April has dawned with a clear blue sky.

Once again my zone of North Texas dodged storms. Yesterday's predicted t-storms did their storming in East Texas, damaging or destroying over 100 homes.

I am still experiencing off and on bouts of rashes appearing and disappearing. I believe what this actually is is a case of hives. The medical term for hives is Urticaria.

Hives can be triggered by many different things, sometimes it's an allergic reaction. Sometimes it is stress. I am not particularly stressed at the present moment. The only random, different thing I've done of late, to which I may have had an allergic reaction, was on Saturday I consumed an intoxicating liquid concoction at the Prairie Fest.

Today in the noon time frame I likely will be heading north to Hurst. This may have me hiking the Tandy Hills later this afternoon.

In the meantime I am going swimming before it gets any colder. It is only 60 right now, heading to a low tonight of 48. Brrrrrr.

An Explosive Arlington Chesapeake Energy Event During Thunderstorm Is Not Being Reported

Way back on Saturday, January 23, 2010, my next door neighbor, a Chesapeake Energy Barnett Shale Natural Gas drilling site, started making real odd explosive noises, like loud pops.

After a couple hours of hearing this I walked over to my neighbor's to take pictures and video. Just as I arrived so did the white Chesapeake Energy pickup you see in the picture.

The pickup arrived at a high rate of speed, which sort of told me that whatever was happening, that was causing the popping, was serious.

I never did learn what this particular Chesapeake malfunction was. Or if any real danger was involved. But I did blog about the incident.

Moving forward more than a year. Earlier this month I heard from a lady in Arlington, Kim Feil, who told me about a Chesapeake Energy Barnett Shale Natural Gas drilling site incident which occurred in the wee hours of April 11, 2011.

Kim Feil has been trying to get answers about what happened that night, answers from TCEQ, answers from Chesapeake Energy, answers from the Texas Railroad Commission.

So far, no real answers.

So, this morning Kim Feil sent out the following....

Dear Media, during a power loss in the storm of April 11, two TCEQ investigations are ongoing to determine why emission events occurred in the same time frame.

Please inform the public of the added risk in the gas patch with storms.

Regarding the Chesapeake, Fulson site at 5720 S Watson in SE Arlington:

On  4/11/2011 early am, the emission events have been noted as follows..... (this before I have the 911 records that have gone past my 10 day open records request).

2:30 am   (approx per Mr Loredo) spewing sound awakens neighbors
3:00         Mr. Lordeo calls 911
3:15         (per records dept) Jane Lynn's first call to 911 did not result in the dispatch of the fire department-yet was told Chk would be contacted
3:30         Councilman Rivera contacted by Jane Lynn
3:34         Fire Dept dispatched (19 minutes after Jane's first call)
3:40         Jane Lynn's second call to 911 when being sickened with fumes that filled her home. Also by that time Loredo reports the fire truck was driving around the neighborhood and pointed their light on the Chesapeake contact sign
3:50         Emission sound stopped when the Chesapeake rep went onto the padsite
4:18         Fire truck back in service

In speaking with Mr O'Quinn from Railroad Commission,  a rep visited the site on 4/14 and noted that dry gas was released when the burst plate on the separator broke apart (as designed) to release pressure.  When I told him of the reported witnesses duration of the sound being almost 1 1/2 hours, Mr. O'Quinn said that long time frame would not be the sound of depressure in a relief valve (which is a short duration sound).  This indicates to me that the well did NOT AUTO SHUT ITSELF DOWN as was reported by Arl Fire Chief Don Crowson.

So it is suspect that there was actually a failure of the computer in the automatic well shut down that explains the duration of the venting of raw, unodorized, natural gasses from approx 2:30-3:50 am which is an hour and twenty minutes.

If the well auto shut itself down, then the Chesapeake rep would not have needed to go onto the site to make the sound "go away".

Then two evenings later Chesapeake rep, Tony Rutigliano, was applying for six more wells at this site. He honestly tried to tell council that he was not sure of the events.  Generalizations of emission behaviors and questionable information about the system being closed looped and about how the auto well shut in worked, as designed, made for the need to have this tabled and investigated, however, council approved the new wells by one vote.

As I see this, the only safety feature that worked as designed was the burst plate on the separator to relieve pressure.  But if the well itself was not shut in, then gasses flowing for almost an hour and a half was a failed attempt in preventing natural gas effluents from entering the airshed and our atmosphere.

In speaking with Mr. Mallick from TCEQ, the investigation is still in process and he could only say that the reports of the emission durations matched the same time frame as the XTO/Dalworthington Gardens's event that night during the storm.  Both have been reported to have lasted around an hour and twenty minutes.

I am reporting this to the best of my ability from the sources I have received information from.

Sincerely,
Kim Feil

Walking Around Fosdic Lake Talking To My Sister About My Brother's Knees While My Eyes Burn

I was housebound yesterday, due to inclement weather, with my only outdoor activity being my early morning swim.

Today I escaped my confinement at an hour before noon and went to Oakland Lake Park to walk around Fosdic Lake.

I am currently not suffering from any rash that I'm aware of. But, I am suffering from extremely irritated eyes. As in itching and dripping tears, making it difficult to see the computer monitor.

I called my mom and dad while I walked around Fosdic Lake. They weren't home. So, I called my sister. She got back to Arizona from Tacoma a few days ago.

Tacoma made my sister sick. Same thing happened the last time she stayed in Tacoma. That time it took about a month for my sister to recover. It took me about a year to recover from the last time I was in Tacoma.

As I was talking to my sister, my mom and dad arrived. I asked where they were going and learned my brother is in a hospital getting his knee or knees replaced. So, they were going for a hospital visit.

My brother was a jock, something I avoided, and so he has had many sports related surgeries. All my siblings were jocks and all have suffered jock-related maladies, not the least of which is finding watching a baseball game to be a stimulating activity.

So far, today's predicted severe t-storms have not arrived at my location. It is only 65, so I have my windows open. This may be why my eyes are being so irritated. One never knows what is in the air one breathes at my current location.

I should call my parakeet in the mine, Miss Puerto Rico, and ask if her allergies are in overdrive.

A Rash & Tarrant County Tornadoes & The Last Tuesday Of April

As you can see, looking through the bars of my patio prison cell, the last Tuesday of April has dawned with a clear blue sky.

Severe Thunderstorms are again in our forecast for today.

We had some tornado action here in Tarrant County yesterday.

Up in Washington they are having a bizarre return to winter weather, with snow.

Meanwhile, here in Texas, I had a fresh new woe visit me yesterday afternoon. I suddenly broke out in a rash, in various locations, all over me. I took an anti-histamine pill and covered the rash with calamine lotion. In a few hours the rash went away.

And then re-appeared, covering more of me, in the middle of the night. I took another pill and covered the rash, again, with calamine lotion and again it disappeared.

I have no idea what is causing this new travail. Right now I am rash-free. I hope I stay that way.

Take A TRIP To Rahr & Sons On Friday For Beer, BBQ, Music, An Auction & To Go Up A Creek In A Movie

Saturday, at the Prairie Fest, we ran out of TRIP printed material to hand out to the legions of people wanting TRIP printed material.

We were reduced to showing the legions of people the TRIP ad from this week's FW Weekly.

And writing the TRIP website address on random scraps of paper we scavenged from the ground.

For those few who don't know, TRIP is Trinity River Improvement Partnership.

TRIP proposes a sane "Alternative Plan" to the insane Trinity River Vision Boondoggle, with the very clever slogan, "Don't Move the River, Improve the River."

On Saturday Mrs. Caraway told me, due to the heat, I had to hydrate myself by drinking products from Rahr & Sons Brewing Company.

This coming Friday, April 29, from 6:30 til 9:30 you can go to Rahr & Sons Brewing Company for TRIP's next event.

I scanned the TRIP ad in FW Weekly, but the ad was bigger than my scanner. Then I remembered I can usually get a good enough reproduction of a printed thing by just taking a picture of it. And so I did.

The Rahr & Sons/TRIP deal is a fundraiser.

For $25 you get a Collector's Cup Edition Rahr Pint Glass, Live Music, a Silent Auction, Bar-B-Q, a showing of "Up A Creek," and complimentary samples of that Rahr brewery product Mrs. Caraway made me dizzy with on Saturday.

If I can manage to scrape together $25 I may go to this. But, I'm a bit wary of drinking much of that Rahr & Sons Brewing Company brewery product after Saturday's Prairie Fest's intoxicating over imbibing.

The Last Monday Of April All Wet From Thunderstorms

Looking through the bars of my patio prison cell, on this last Monday of April, you can not quite tell that all is wet in the outdoor world due to a t-storm in the middle of the night.

T-storms continue on the schedule for today.

The thunder did not boom close last night. I heard it in the distance.

I do not believe there will be any Tandy Hills hiking today.

The misconception that I am that Layla Caraway gal's dad continues to spin out of control. This morning someone calling him or herself Anonymous made the following comment....

Definitely strong physical resemblances between you and the Caraway gal.

Early happy Father's Day, Durango.

I really don't see the resemblance at all. It's very perplexing.

Hiking The Tandy Hills On Easter While CatsPaw Explains Today's Holiday To Me

I had not been on the Tandy Hills in hike mode for a few days. As you can see via the Easter noon view from the top of Mount Tandy, looking west at the stunning skyline of beautiful downtown Fort Worth, Easter is a bit overcast in North Texas.

I was erroneous when I said earlier today than no predicted t-storms had arrived yesterday. I was later informed that thunder was clapping quite loud around 10pm and then again in the wee hours of Easter.

On the way to the Tandy Hills I saw a lot of blown down tree limbs.

Apparently I slept through a couple storms. I was exhausted from being worked like a pack mule at the Prairie Fest. And on top of that that Caraway lady was plying me with some sort of intoxicating beverage from Rahr's Brewery that seemed to have the same effect on me as a sleeping pill.

This morning, in addition to saying there'd been no t-storms I asked if anyone knew why Easter was called Easter.

CatsPaw kindly alleviated me of my ignorance, telling me...

Again, we have a mixing of Pagan and Christian beliefs and practices ... the name was probably taken from the spring fertility goddess Oestre who brought the end of winter and new life at the vernal equinox.

Spring. Fertility. Now we know why those "umbrellas" were at Prairie Fest! (Interestingly, "oestre" is also the root word for estrogen, the female hormone.) Eggs, bunnies ... umm hmm.

Easter is celebrated on the first Sunday after the full moon that occurs after the spring equinox which is why the date changes each year. 

It took me a second or two to get CatsPaw's "umbrellas at the Praire Fest" reference from an earlier blogging.

I wonder if I am going to be conscious and sober for today's predicted t-storm?

If lightning bolts aren't striking I think I will go swimming again, after lunch. This morning's swim was quite salubrious. I won't be working on my tan this afternoon though, unless the wind blows the cloud cover away.

It Is Easter Morning In Texas With Wildfire Smoke And Ham & Eggs

Today is the last Sunday of April. It is also Easter. The last time I went to an Easter Sunrise church deal it was in the 30 degree range and foggy.

That 30 degree Easter Sunrise was at Roozengarde in the Skagit Valley, surrounded by thousands of tulips.

I don't think there is anywhere in Texas that I can go and be surrounded by thousands of tulips.

Easter Sunrise in Texas this morning was nowhere near freezing. More like 40 degrees above freezing.

I have my windows open. The smoky smell of wildfires is definitely in the air.

I don't believe yesterday's predicted t-storm arrived in my location. If it did, I missed it. Why are all these predicted t-storms not materializing?

Because it is Easter I am having ham and eggs for breakfast. But, before the ham and eggs, I am going swimming.

I forgot to ask. Does anyone know why Easter is called Easter? I know why Christmas is called Christmas, sort of, but Easter is a mystery to me.

A Fun Day At The Prairie Fest With Granny Grassroots, My Daughter Layla & Rahr's Brewery Product

As of about 6:30 it seems like Mother Nature has once again spared the Fort Worth Tandy Hills Prairie Fest from a weather disaster.

It was hot. It was humid. It was windy. But no afternoon t-storm arrived.

However, it does appear, as of 6:30, some weather action may be on its way.

This was the biggest Prairie Fest yet. I was very entertained, sitting in the TRIP booth, watching the passing humanity and trying to find Cathy Hirt.

Dozens of people were sporting Cathy Hirt I.D. tags. So, I'd politely inquire if that name tag wearer was Cathy Hirt. None were.

One or two people seemed to know who Durango Jones was, but other than that it was an afternoon of total anonymity for me.

I met a Texas Livewire who calls herself Granny Grassroots. That is Granny G with the black TRIP t-shirt in the picture. Granny Grassroots was with us in the TRIP booth for much of the afternoon.

Texas breeds some great characters. Granny Grassroots would be one.

Granny Grassroots has a website.

One of my favorite moments of the day came when some guy asked if I was Miss Layla Caraway's dad. I said I was and from that point on we had ourselves a few minutes of amusing entertainment.

Earlier in the day another dialogue had me either married to or marrying Ms. Caraway. Something about divorces was said. It was way too much dialogue coming at me way too fast to remember it all.

And then there were the Elsie Hotpepper inquiries. Why is there so much interest in Elsie Hotpepper? It is very perplexing.

Yes.

Elsie Hotpepper was at the Prairie Fest. I said hello as Elsie passed by on her way to the Rahr's Brewery Exhibit.

Can you find Elsie Hotpepper in the picture?

Speaking of Rahr's Brewery. At some point in the afternoon a pair of guys showed up slurping on Rahr's Brewery product. I said something to one of the guys that caused him to spill his Rahr's Brewery product. This then somehow led to him giving me and Ms. Caraway coupons for some Rahr's Brewery product.

All in all, I had myself my funnest time yet at the Prairie Fest.

Til the end.

When the White Knight and Robin showed up for the dismantling part of the day. That turned in to a bit of a boondoggle. A boondoggle that I still managed to somehow find somewhat amusing and entertaining.

Come the 2012 Prairie Fest, I am going to take a much more active role in any part I am part of. No more black t-shirts is all I can say about that. And no duct tape. Or leaky pens. Or shortage of printed material.

I just got a call from Elsie Hotpepper, asking if I want to go saloon hopping. No. I am tired. I am in for the night.

I Think Jim Lane May Be Fort Worth's Best Hope For A New Goofy Mayor

For the second Saturday in a row I opened my mailbox to find a political campaign mailing from Jim Lane that is too big for my scanner, so I can only scan part of the political campaign mailing.

Jim Lane is one of the dozens of candidates hoping to replace Fort Worth's goofy mayor, Mike Moncrief.

After years of living under the goofy Moncrief regime I have grown to become a big fan of having a goofy mayor.

Of those running, near as I can tell, Jim Lane shows the best potential to give Fort Worth a new goofy mayor.

My scanner cut off the bottom of Jim Lane's latest ad.

At the bottom it says "A Mayor who will fight for all Fort Worth families!"

And then, under that inspiring slogan...

"It takes a fighter to know a fighter...that's why I'm supporting Jim for Mayor." Signed by "Paulie Ayala, Former Two-Time World Champion."

Now that explains why Jim Lane is in a goofy pugilist pose in the picture.

Since I blogged about last week's Jim Lane mailer I've learned I was erroneous in assuming Jim Lane is the Fort Worth Ruling Oligarchy's pick for mayor, thus guaranteeing him a win with 70% of the 6% of Fort Worth voters who bother to vote.

Apparently the Fort Worth Ruling Oligarchy's pick for mayor is Tarrant County tax assessor and collector, Betsy Price.

I have received nothing in the mail from Betsy Price. But if I remember right, she is following me on Twitter. That is slightly goofy, following me on Twitter.

But, I'd like to know both Betsy Price's and Jim Lane's positions on shooting guns in downtown Fort Worth, dyeing the Trinity River unnatural colors and rappelling down Fort Worth skyscrapers.

Just looking at pictures of him I get the idea Jim Lane has a high goofiness quotient. I have read that he is quite amusing with an actual sense of humor. I don't think Fort Worth's current goofy mayor, Mike Moncrief has an actual sense of humor, but he makes up for that by being accidentally amusing, like when he rappelled upside down a Fort Worth skyscraper.

Today's Prairie Fest Opens At 10 With Strong T-Storms Scheduled For This Afternoon

Looking out my number one viewing portal on the world you can sort of see that the next to last Saturday of April has dawned fairly calm with a fairly clear sky. The current calm bodes well for the final setting up for today's Prairie Fest on the Tandy Hills.

The Prairie Fest opens at 10.

I am scheduled to do some booth sitting starting at 2.

Mother Nature is currently scheduled to deliver a strong afternoon t-storm.

Lately none of Mother Nature's scheduled t-storms have arrived on schedule.

For the sake of the Prairie Fest let's hope Mother Nature holds off on today's scheduled t-storm.

Having a pessimistic, gloomy nature, such as I possess, I have a strong feeling I am going to get drenched this afternoon while getting a heavy duty workout dodging lightning bolts.

There seems to be a nervous element to the loud bird tweeting I'm hearing come in through my open window. There is being no melody to the tweeting, just random noise bursts that are sort of annoying. It's like the birds are shouting at each other.

I guess I'll go out there and swim with the birds now.

I Did Not Break My Back Lifting Hay Bales At The Prairie Fest Preparation Today

I did something this morning that had my shoulder blades sending shooting pains to my built-in pain detector. This made me a bit wary regarding the idea of helping put the Prairie Fest together, something I'd been drafted to do.

So, I decided to park on the top of Mount Tandy and hope that hiking to the Prairie Fest Grounds would cause endorphins to abate the pain.

By the time I reached the Prairie Fest Grounds the pain had abated.

Upon arrival I reported to General Young. The Prairie Fest set-up is run like a military operation. Such precision, such organizational finesse. I was given my uniform and ordered to report to Captain Jan.

Captain Jan ordered me to report to a squad assembling umbrella stands and tent frames.

As you can see in the picture at the top, it was being a bit stormy. Very windy.

You might think, looking at the picture, that some phallic symbols had been erected for the Prairie Fest, with the theme of the festival maybe being the Fertile Prairie, or something like that.

Well, you would be wrong. Those are the unopened umbrellas we were tasked with sticking in to heavy umbrella stands, not phallic symbols.

Eventually a load of hay bales arrived. My squad was tasked with removing the hay bales and laying 3 by each umbrella stand. Either I have gotten hugely stronger since the last time I lifted a hay bale, or these were extremely light hay bales.

In the picture with the sticks stuck in the ground, you are looking at an art installation in progress.

I was a little surprised when I came off the Tandy Hills, to the Prairie Fest zone, to find painters already out on the prairie painting. I thought they did that when the festival was underway.

Betty Jo Bouvier was flying in from Seattle to go to the Prairie Fest, but now claims she was unable to book a flight. I'm very disappointed.

Using a different camera setting than the setting that made it appear that the Prairie Fest was peppered with phallic symbols, in the 2nd picture, of the same scene, you can clearly see the unopened umbrellas, the hay bales, the tent frames and one of the work squads busy working.

I suppose I could have used the second photo of the unopened umbrellas in the first place and not had this phallic symbol confusion.

But, I found that first picture to be amusing and so I amused myself by using it.

Fort Worth's Goofy Mayor Mike Moncrief Turns Into Spiderman On A Fort Worth Skyscraper

I've been asked a time or two why I think Fort Worth's mayor, Mike Moncrief, is goofy.

How would I know why he is goofy? I'm no psychiatrist.

I suppose if one did not follow, too closely, the antics of Fort Worth's mayor, it might sound a bit rude when I refer to him as Fort Worth's goofy mayor, Mike Moncrief.

But.

I've seen the mayor shooting pistols with the governor of Texas, Rick Perry, in downtown Fort Worth.

That is goofy.

I have seen the mayor pour purple Kool-Aid in to the Trinity River after reading a proclamation renaming a section of the river after a local football team. Fort Worth's mayor was trying to dye the river purple.

That is goofy.

And then this morning, in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, there were photos of Fort Worth's goofy mayor, Mike Moncrief, trying to rappel down the side of a downtown Fort Worth building.

That is goofy.

The goofy mayor forgot his rappelling instructions, which caused him to start his descent upside down.

That is also goofy.

A Morning Moon For The Misbegotten Shining Over Texas

I am feeling a bit misbegotten, so, this morning, on this next to last Friday of April, I guess I was glad to look up to see two-thirds of a moon shining in the clear blue sky above me.

It is currently a relatively warm 70 degrees, heading to a high of 87. With wind.

Today I think I'll be helping set up the Prairie Fest. What that entails I have no clue.

Thunderstorms are predicted, again, for late in the day. Of late, predicted thunderstorms have not been materializing.

The weather forecast for Saturday, that being the day of the Prairie Fest, has been changed to partly sunny with a t-storm.

I think I will go swimming now before it gets any hotter.

List Of Who Will Be At The 2011 Prairie Fest On The Tandy Hills Including Me

On the left you are looking at a list of the exhibitors, vendors and organizations who will be at the 2011 Prairie Fest on Saturday.

I will be manning one of the booths beginning at 2 in the afternoon, til closing.

This morning I got an offer, that seemed difficult to refuse, to come help set up the Prairie Fest on Friday. I'll try hard to be there.

Even if you click the image to make it bigger you still likely will be unable to read the list of who will be at the Prairie Fest.

So, I'll convert the list into readable form...

At the Prairie Fest you will find 3L Photography, Aguilar, Miguel, Amnesty International, Andralynn Creative Designs, Arendt, Erin, Arizona Sunset, Arlington Conservation Council, Artspace, Plein Air Art, Aunt Anita’s Books, Backwoods (Share w/ Patagonia), Baz, Carlos, Beloved’s Mercantile, Benson, Brenda, Birdlink Sanctuary, Inc., Black Cat Collective, Boy Scout Troop 12, C.S. Kettle Korn and More, Camsquarters, Carter BloodCare, Celtic Photography, Chadra Mezza & Grill, Champion Windows, City of FW Master Composters/Keep FW Beautiful, City of Fort Worth Water Department, City of Fort Worth/Bike Fort Worth, City of Fort Worth-Neighborhood Education (recycling), CM Artisans, LLC, Connemara Conservancy, Cross Timbers Master Naturalist, Danette’s Urban Oasis, Daylight Rangers, Degenkolb, Nancy; Photographer, Don’s Dawgs, Don't Forget to Feed Me, DownWinders at Risk, Earth Naturals Pet Food, Edible Dallas & Fort Worth, Edita Drago Accessories, Exeltech (solar-power), Family PetCare, Fazi, Jane, Creative Memories Consultant, Feed Your Head, Ferrier Custom Homes, Fire Face Painting, Food For Life, Forget-me-Not Originals, Fort Worth Nature Center & Refuge, Fort Worth Vegetarian Society, FOTHNA Head-Quarters, FOTHNA Merchandise Booth, Freestyle Craft, Friends of the Fort Worth Nature Center & Refuge, Inc., Frilly Pepper (Kelli Holmes), Go Frog Wireless, Greater Fort Worth Wellness Community, Green Mountain Energy, Greener Good, Historic Fort Worth, Joy Forever, Keep FW Beautiful (City of FW Water/ Master Composters), Kelly Willems Designs, Lake Worth Alliance, Le Gourd on Blue, Log Cabin Village, Longoria's BBQ, Loving Hut Vegan Cuisine, Madd Hatter's Balloons, Mama Lou's (soaps), Marshall Grain, Mary the Caterpillar & Friends, Meadowbrook United Methodist Church, Mercy for Animals, Mind Full, Mindful Mushroom, Mukta's Jewelry, Murals, Mosaics & More, Mykolyna, National Multicultural Western Heritage Museum, Native Plant Society of Texas-North Central Chapter, Native Prairies Association share/Connemara, Nature's Guide, NCTCA (North Central Texas Communities Alliance), Neesee’s Sunroom Jewelry, Etc., New Belgium Brewing, NORML, Dallas & Fort Worth, North Texas Peace Learning Center, North Texas Renewable Energy Group, North Texas Renewable Energy, Inc., Not Just Canvas, Papa Richter's Roach Ridder, Paper Jewelry by Ina Crowe, Patagonia (Share w/Backwoods), Peaceful Vocations (Tarrant County Green Party), Pettigrews, Pottery Conceptions, Prairie Keepers, Proforma Green Marketing, Pure Energy management, Purple Kat Creative, Rahr & Son's Brewing Co., Redenta's Garden, Riverside Kennel, Rocking D Creations, Rockin ' Rhinestones, SBDC, Scentsy Wickless Candles, Shemtov, Shining Dawn Design, Sierra Club, Greater Fort Worth, Silver Threads & Golden Needles, Sims Art, Solidarity Peddlers, Somebody Special calls me..., Sophy Sam, Sustaita Studio, Tarrant County Green Party (Peaceful Vocations), Texas Bluebird Society, Texas Campaign for the Environment, Texas Oil & Gas Accountability Project, Texas Olive Ranch, Texas Wesleyan University, threeRdesigns, Times Ten Cellars (Wine), Toyota of Fort Worth, Tribe Feathers, Trinity Bicycles, TRIP/Trinity River Improvement Partnership, Trishcat Soaps, Tutor Doctor, Unity Church of Fort Worth, West Meadowbrook Neighborhood Assoc., Whole Foods Market, Inc., Wildseed art studio, Wind Dancer Kites, Wood Art by Sandi & Don, Wyldewood Cellars and Yeleda.

A Groggy Foggy Semi-Cold Thursday Morning In Texas

Looking out from my main viewing portal on the world I can see we are a bit overcast and slightly foggy at my current location in North Texas.

It is currently only 22 degrees above freezing.

Thunderstorms are in the forecast, again, for today. Yesterday's predicted thunderstorms did no storming within hearing distance of my ears.

I don't know if I will make it to the Tandy Hills today. I have a doctor appointment that today interferes with my regular aerobicizing time.

I am going to try and go swimming in a few minutes, even though it is only a few degrees above freezing.

It is only 2 days until Saturday's 2011 Prairie Fest. Currently the forecast, weather-wise, looks good. Except for some wind action, which can wreak havoc with tents and displays.

Walking In Village Creek Natural Gas Historic Area In Arlington This Afternoon With Elsie Hotpepper

In the picture you are looking at Village Creek in the Village Creek Natural Historic Area in Arlington, some time after 4 this afternoon.

In the picture you can see the creek, a patch of pink evening primrose wildflowers and a yellow cord.

Cords of various colors are strung all over the Natural Area.

Somehow manmade cords don't seem all that natural to me, sort of out of place in a Natural Area.

Maybe the correct name for this park zone should be Village Creek Natural Gas Historic Area.

Because that is what the multi-colored cords are for. Doing seismic testing of the Barnett Shale to see if the Village Creek Natural Historic Area is a good drilling zone.

All the Indians murdered in this area, murdered by the incoming Texans, must be rolling over in their collective graves at what their village has become. First a park. And now a gas drilling site.

I must leave you now to do the bidding of the ever demanding Elsie Hotpepper, who is being particularly hot today.

Following A Texas Rocket Car While Pondering The Gail Galtex Rant About Fort Worth Incompetence

This afternoon at a little before one in the afternoon I was heading west on Harwood, coming up on Harwood's intersection with the Grapevine Highway, also known as Highway 26, when the Rocket Car you see through my windshield, rocketed past me.

The Rocket Car had a Texas license. I did not see the Rocket Man. The Rocket Car's windows were tinted.

This Rocket Car is the strangest thing I've seen on a Texas highway since I saw an Aqua Car drive into Lake Grapevine. I doubt the Rocket Car can also fly, so it's not quite as convenient as an Aqua Car.

I am now going to change the subject from flying cars to the weather. It was in the 50s when I went swimming this morning. This created the illusion that the pool was heated. It was very pleasant. So far, at just a few minutes past 3 we are currently a chilly 63 degrees. Windows open, no A/C.

I am not going to the Tandy Hills today. If the hills got hit with yesterday's rain, I don't think it's been warm enough to dry them out. I probably should go do something aerobic or else crankiness will set in.

Speaking of crankiness, the local craziness has Gail Galtex in pissed off rant mode today. I think Gail is most upset over Fort Worth's tardiness in coming to the rescue of Possum Kingdom. I learned a couple hours ago that it is hundreds of homes that have been destroyed in the Possum Kingdom zone, up from the much smaller number I was thinking had burned. Also towns, like Palo Pinto, have been evacuated. If Palo Pinto is in danger, what about Mineral Wells?

Below is Gail Galtex's Rant of the Day....

Also, did you see this in today's paper?  I am so pissed off about the TRV and the incompetence of of the FW city council I think my head is going to explode.

http://www.star-telegram.com/2011/04/20/3013627/fort-worth-council-blocks-commercial.html#my-headlines-default

Also, I'm pissed off about the FW firefighters not helping, that you mentioned and that I read about in today's paper.  Here's my FB rant of the day:

Ft. Worth, with the highest property tax rate of urban cities in TX, is the worst-run city on the planet. While nearby Possum Kingdom and towns to the west have been burning for a week, Wyoming, Arizona, and California firefighters are helping. But Ft. Worth, the largest city nearby, has not helped AT ALL because of some bureaucratic gobbledy-gook. The incompetent city council finally gave approval yesterday to help.

And, to make matters worse, the gobbledy-gook issue is over liability for health/death benefits if a firefighter is killed.  Basically, FW doesn't want to have to pay these costs if a firefighter is killed outside the city, like, in Lake Worth.

I really need to calm down.  Think I'll go to HEB and do some grocery shopping. :-)

Gail

Paradise Center Has A New Website & Is Accepting Donations While The Paradise Center Scandal Grows More Scandalous

The Paradise Center, Inc. website is back up and running.

And is now accepting donations.

The Paradise Center Scandal keeps getting curiouser and curiouser. It seems those who thought they were the "powers that be" never considered it a possibility that Paradise Center, Inc. might have the tools to fight back.

But, fighting back is what Paradise Center, Inc. has done. And at 2 months into the scandal, I can tell you, the fight has only begun.

Already there is some organizational shaking up going on in an agency or two in Tarrant County. There have been multiple demands for the firing of MHMR-TC CEO, Jim McDermott.

On the Paradise Center Scandal blog there have been around 400 comments made. I've been appalled multiple times over the meanspiritedness and downright nastiness of those making comments from the MHMR-TC side. Appalled at the nasty character assassinating, appalled at the juvenile verbiage and bad grammar. Just overall appalled.

I have not been the only person appalled at what some of these people have said. Reading through the Paradise Center Scandal blog it becomes sort of a soap opera.

At times I have trouble figuring out pieces of information I get sent. And then I'll realize how the new information fits into the scandal. It is like putting a puzzle together at times.

Paradise Center will be having an Open House in their new location sometime soon. I'll let you know when that happens so I can see you there.

A Wednesday Texas Morning Recovering From Getting Hit By Hail

The early morning view looking through the bars of my patio prison cell might make you think this is a blue sky morning in Texas.

It is not. Stormy weather is heading our way.

Yesterday, a short time before 6pm, I was walking over to Miss Puerto Rico's when I heard popping noises. I could not tell what was popping. Thunder was rumbling in the distance.

I was a couple minutes into enjoying the view from Miss Puerto Rico's balcony when suddenly what was causing the popping noise became obvious.

Hail.

Big balls of hail. Along with a downpour of rain. Soon what I assumed to be tornado sirens began screaming.

The storm did not last long. I did not learn until this morning that while I was getting pounded by hail, over in Arlington, on I-20, more than 50 vehicles collided in a chain reaction that closed the westbound lanes of the freeway for around 3 hours.

I don't know if rain fell in the Possum Kingdom zone to help put out the wildfires that continue to consume expensive homes. Firefighters from California, Arizona and Wyoming are helping put out the Possum Kingdom blazes.

Fort Worth is the nearest big city to Possum Kingdom. Fort Worth was not sending any fire fighting help to Possum Kingdom.

Until Tuesday, when the Fort Worth city council gave approval to send firefighters to Possum Kingdom.

Below is a really short video I took while the hail was hailing down yesterday. The video is really short because I started getting really wet and needed to get under cover....

Just Another Spring Tuesday In Texas With Record Breaking Temperatures, Wildfires and Power Blackouts

In the picture you are looking at a hazy view of the stunning skyline of beautiful downtown Fort Worth, from the Tandy Hills, today around noon.

I suspect the haziness is due to the huge wildfires burning to the west of Fort Worth, in the Lake Possum Kingdom zone. Dozens of homes have been destroyed. An area the size of Rhode Island is currently under flame in Texas.

We are heading to a record breaking temperature of 95 today. Currently it is 1 degree shy of the record.

It is very humid. The heat and the humidity turned the hiking today into a sauna steam bath.

It is now an hour later after typing "sauna steam bath." The power went out. Are we having rolling blackouts due to record breaking temperatures for this date?

It is only April 19. I think we are heading towards a super HOT summer in Texas. Currently I am not remembering how it is I can tolerate being out in it when the HEAT goes well over a 100. I am remembering why it is, if I fly up to Seattle in July or August, I'm a shivering mess pretty much the entire time I'm there.

Currently, as you can see, it is 94, with the humidity making it feel like 96. How is it one determines the temperature feels like a certain temperature, I can't help but wonder?

Today on the Tandy Hills is the third day in a row that, what I believe to be sewer water, is running through a Tandy Hills Creek. The water flows at a steady rate, but has still not reached Tandy Falls. The malodorousness of the Tandy Hills Sewer Creek was a bit amped up today. I assume due to the elevated temperature.

The only new wildflower color on the hills that I saw today was the solo pink tulip-like buttercup bloom you see in the picture.

I think I need to take an anti-histamine pill for the second time during this itchy eyes bout, which may be brought to me courtesy of wildfire smoke.

I went swimming again, during the blackout. But I did not enjoy lounging in the HOT sun for more than a couple minutes after I got out of the pool.

Miss Puerto Rico returns tomorrow, likely after midnight. I am under instructions not to turn the A/C on unless it goes over 100.

I see I have some Elsie Hotpepper incoming. I must brace myself and see what that's about.

A Gray Tuesday In Fort Worth Thinking About Mike Moncrief's & Cathy Hirt's Conflicts Of Interest

Monday morning was blue. Tuesday morning is gray in my zone of North Texas, at least as viewed from one of my viewing portals on the outdoor world.

It is currently 75 degrees, heading to a predicted high of 92. From the look of the sky I would guess rain and possible thunderstorms were coming my way, but that is not the forecast, which is breezy with sunny intervals.

This morning I read that one of the people wanting to be mayor of Fort Worth, Cathy Hirt, says that she will likely, if elected, get rid of the stocks she and her husband, Darrell, have in 5 of the gas drillers poking holes in Fort Worth.

Cathy Hirt said owning stocks in those 5 gas drilling companies could raise conflicts of interest issues.

Apparently Cathy Hirt has not heard that Fort Worth City Attorney, David Yett, ruled years ago that Fort Worth's current corrupt mayor, Mike Moncrief's, $600,000 income from gas drillers, poking holes in Fort Worth, did not constitute any conflict of interest.

I guess it is a good thing that Fort Worth has someone running for mayor who understands that conflicts of interest are not a good thing.

Jim Lane says if he gets elected mayor he will closely monitor the Barnett Shale operations. I wonder how much money he makes each year from the gas drillers poking holes in Fort Worth?

It is time for me to stop wondering about conflicts of interest and go swimming to take my mind off of that which perplexes me.

Fort Worth Mayoral Candidate Jim Lane's New Honest Campaign Signs

Elsie Hotpepper was out making her rounds today and came across this new Jim Lane for Mayor campaign sign.

I think it is admirable that Mr. Lane is being up front about being a crook. It is not usually the Fort Worth Way to be honest, like this, about such things.

Yesterday, I blogged about Jim Lane's latest campaign mailer.

That blogging got a whopping 5 comments. All of them good. Comments are not about the quantity, it is the quality that matters....

Steve A said...

    I like Betsy Price myself. I'd vote for her if I lived in Fort Worth. She's good people, even if her job is to collect taxes.
   
Don YOUNG said...

    ... and there's a unicorn on the dark side of the moon. hahahahaha, tell me another one Jim.

Anonymous said...

    Yay! This is all Fort Worth needs, a mayor who steals copyrighted logos who doesn't even live in our city!! Doesn't he live in Azle??

CatsPaw said...

I'm not disputing the logo stealing, but Lane does live in Fort Worth – in an allegedly haunted house. However, I do not believe the ghost is a unicorn.

Gail Galtex said...

The moment I saw his mailers, I knew this guy wasn't going to get my vote. He lost me with the cowboy hat. Being from Austin, I'm just not used to this fashion statement. I'm voting for Cathy Hirt because she is the only candidate who is against the TRV and Clyde Picht and Lon Burnham support her.

It Is A Hot Monday In Texas Bringing Blooming Wildflowers On The Tandy Hills

It is currently 8 degrees short of being 100 in my zone of North Texas. I believe the temperature today on the Tandy Hills was the hottest hiking so far this year.

I believe it was in the mid-80s when I hit the hills. This had me wondering how it is I can manage to hike the hills when it is 110. I do know I bring water along. And drink it. I had 3 bottles of water with me today. But I did not take them on the hike.

The daisy-like wildflower was my new Tandy Hills wildflower sighting of the day.

Water is continuing to stream across the formerly dry creek bed near the point where the south trail down Mount Tandy meets the Tandy Highway.

Today I lingered a bit longer by the flood. Yesterday someone opined this was a sewage leak, opining this because of the smell and the look of the water. Today I did a better job of smelling and looking and I think I agree with the sewer system leak theory.

Then again, water in streams in these parts can be a bit polluted, creating the illusion of being an open sewer, like when the Trinity River is in flood mode, not in destination happy hour inner tube floating mode.

It is only 5 days til the Prairie Fest floods the Tandy Hills with humans and other stuff.

Some forecasters are forecasting T-Storms for Friday and Sunday. With Saturday, the day of the Prairie Fest being a non-stormy day.

Below is an optimistic 7 day forecast for Fort Worth. If this holds it bodes well for the Prairie Fest. I hope.

The Next To Last Monday Of April Has Dawned Blue In Texas

As you can clearly see, via one of my viewing portals on the world, it is yet one more blue Monday in Texas.

The outdoor air conditioner is currently conditioning the air to a comfortable 69 degrees. Soon the outdoor furnace will take over, heating the air to a predicted 90, likely forcing the need for the interior A/C to be activated.

Allergy symptoms, which I usually don't have, got to me yesterday, with watery, itchy eyes and overall congestion that was discomforting.

So, I searched the medicine cabinet and found a little blue pill. No, it was not Viagra. I don't keep my Viagra in my medicine cabinet.

The little blue pill was an anti-histamine. I was very pleased at how well the little pill worked.

The last time I had myself an allergic reaction to the air that I breathe here was way back in July of 2008. I was scheduled to fly to Seattle on July 20. I thought that as soon as I started breathing the cleaner Washington air that my sore throat and allergy symptoms would go away instantly.

But, that did not happen. It was at least a week later til the sore throat was gone. Upon my return to Texas, 3 weeks later, the sore throat did not return. Maybe it was not an allergy that caused it.

It is already well past 7 this morning. I need to go swimming before it gets any hotter out there.