Getting Books Via My Fort Worth Greenbelt With Blue & My Bird Watching Nephews & Niece

In the picture you are looking at my East Fort Worth Neighborhood's Greenbelt.

As you can see, the Greenbelt is getting very green. Almost Emerald.

I wonder if all the negative ions buzzing overheard somehow help amp up the ultra greening?

I was in need of books, so today I took the Greenbelt route to my nearby East Regional Fort Worth Library. This seemed like a very time efficient thing to be doing, combining my daily endorphin inducing aerobic stimulation with a trip to the library.

I was about to walk into the library when I got a call from Miss Puerto Rico.

Miss Puerto Rico was hoping I could get her a bottle of her non-prescription nerve calming medicine. I told Miss Puerto Rico I was not in a motorized conveyance and was no where near her medicine supplier.

Two days til Spring springs. The Vernal Equinox is still on schedule to arrive March 20. I think about the only thing that could stop this from happening would be a big meteorite striking the planet causing an axis wobble.

Speaking of wobbling axis. This morning was the second day in a row I was able to stay in my cool pool as long as I wanted without getting too cool. I think we may have reached that time of the year where I can rely on going swimming for a good early morning dose of endorphin inducing aerobic stimulation.

Changing the subject from swimming to German Blitzkriegs.

I have had an inquiry, or two, asking how my poodle nephew, Blue is doing. A couple weeks ago I blogged about Blue being the victim of a savage German Shepherd attack.

This morning I asked one of Blue's parental units how he is doing. Max & Blue had not been blogging lately so I was a bit concerned. Well, Blue is doing well. The wounds have scabbed over. Blue is no longer wearing the Cone of Shame.

Changing the subject from Blue to my niece and nephews who Blue  & Max look after.

In the picture that is nephew David on the left, niece Ruby in the middle, with nephew Theo on the right.

No, the kids are not looking out the window at Blue. They are looking out the window at their bird feeder. Apparently the kids spend a lot of time monitoring their bird feeder, even when there are no birds feeding.

This particular bird feeder is in Blue & Max's backyard. A second bird feeder has been added to the front yard. I suspect there is a lot of running back and forth between the backyard and frontyard views.

Changing the subject from bird feeders to me going to the Pacific Northwest for a visit.

This afternoon I heard from my favorite ex-sister-in-law regarding me making a visit to the Skagit Valley. A hike in Anacortes was mentioned, among other things.

You who live in the D/FW zone and have never hiked in a scenic location, well, just the mention of hiking in Anacortes got me feeling homesick.

On the subject of flying out of here. Christmas before last I acquired a Southwest Airlines gift card. A couple days ago I was in the hot tub and suddenly I thought to myself I had not seen that gift card in a long time and did not know where it was. Two days later I still have not found it. I suspect I had a sleepwalking incident and hid it somewhere. Or threw it away.

My Little Sister's Brady Bunch Expanding Tacoma Tribe

My little sister is a lawyer. She works for the state in Olympia, driving there from Tacoma. One would think this would keep her busy. But, somehow she finds time to take care of two poodles, named Blue and Max. Well, actually Max is part poodle and part who knows what. Blue is a purebred pedigree with a very condescending, dominating attitude towards Max, even though Max is about twice as big as Blue.

Blue and Max have been going through a period of medical problems requiring multiple surgeries. Both are recovering well. But they are still being restricted in their movements.

Prior to my visit (for a month) last summer, my sister had taken in a couple of foster kids, Emilie and Abby. Emilie and Abby had gone to live with their grandparents by the time I arrived. That month last summer was the longest I've spent with my little sister since she was a little baby. I had no idea she was so tightly wound. I always thought she was like me. Easy going, with a highly evolved sense of humor and a tolerance for differences.

Instead, things like repetitive noises, or even the soothing sounds of a waterfall, could set my sister's last nerve on edge. And she's very particular. She has some sort of watering fetish. Even though she lives in the wet northwest, she pours absurd amounts of water on plants that don't need so much. I pretty much grieved for the poor drowning tomatoes I watched struggling so hard to stay alive under the daily flood of too much water.

I used to grow huge tomato plants that produced huge red tomatoes, when I lived in Washington.

I also used to BBQ a lot. I have all sorts of BBQ techniques to get chicken nice and brown and BBQed. Or pork chops totally smoky and well done. Or steak flipped over and over again til it's perfectly BBQed. When I was at my sister's I was forced, against my better techniques, to grill steak at an extremely high temperature and forbidden to flip the meat. The predictable result. Burnt steak. After the burnt steak incident I refused to BBQ chicken unless I was allowed to BBQ it my way. I did so, and when it turned out tasty I was asked to BBQ chicken again, using my perfected technique.

If only I'd been able to save the tomatoes.

So, after seeing what a tightly wound operation my sister's house is, I could not fathom how kids were added to that mix.

And then she got Evie. Everyone loves Evie. Evie does look like a fun kid. She's about 2 years old and reads at an 8th grade level and regularly wins legal debates with my sister.

Then a couple weeks ago a little boy, Marley, was added to the mix. Marley looks to be about 1 or so. Marley arrived right when Blue and Max were having really bad woes.

And then last week Trey was added. Another little boy, the same size as Marley. So, now the boys outnumber the girls for the first time in that house. I think this is a good thing. There was a distinct need for more testosterone in that abode.

You should have seen my little sister trying to use power tools to do something simple like remove a screw. She suffered the humiliation of me doing it for her.

Humiliation? Yes. The basic Zeitgeist whilst I was in that house was that I was inept at all things, constantly having shortcomings pointed out to me. It was exhausting. I regularly have nightmares about those drowning tomatoes.

The Blue Max Coneheads

Max and Blue are both being coneheads, but they are still keeping up with their blogging. Blue is feeling better. He did some jumping, against doctor's orders. Blue is going to get his surgical staples replaced. Stapling a little poodle seems wrong to me.

Max's condition sounds less dire than Blue's. Blue is a bit more delicate than Max. Blue is a purebred. Max is only part poodle, but it's the dominant part.

Both my sister, who, incidentally, Blue and Max take care of and Gar the Texan informed me that that text message from my parental units that said, "be good at noon" likely was intended to say, "be home at noon." Something about the text predicting function. I don't do texting. All I know is how to read one if someone sends me one.

I called the PU's Arizona landline about half past noon, my time. They weren't home, so I left a message saying I had been good at noon, but now that it is half past noon can I start being bad again.

My back continues to be pain free, but I've found other injuries from this morning's brutal fall. I landed on my right side. It was very rocky. Somehow I got a big bruise on the top of my forearm. I believe I tumbled and rolled onto my arm, reaching out to stop the fall. There are cuts on my thumb, too. I don't know why I did not notice these injuries til hours later. Post-traumatic stress, most likely.

I had a bike wreck back in the late 1990s, up in Washington, out on some National Forest land on the Olympic Peninsula. Worst bike wreck ever. When I hit the mud my thumb got bent back. It took at least 6 months to quit hurting. The same thumb took the hit today. The pain is slightly deja vu, but this is not going to turn into a long term pain. I hope.

Below is YouTube video from last summer in Tacoma. Blue and Max like McDonald's Cheeseburgers, but I was told not to give them any while they were in my care. I always do what I'm told...

Spencer Jack Invited Me To Read His Blog, While Blue & Max Look After Evie & Marley

Yesterday I think I mentioned that my favorite great nephew, Spencer Jack, was not letting me look at his blog. It was by invitation only.

Well, today Spencer invited me to his blog. Spencer has grown a bit since I last saw him. That is Evie, with whom Spencer is enjoying a Popsicle.

From what I saw on Spencer Jack's blog it appeared he was at my sister Nancy's, in Kent. I saw my mom and dad, brother, his latest wife, my ex-wife and nephew Joey. I don't think I saw Spencer's mom. She must have been taking the pictures.

Evie and Blue and Max take care of my little sister, Michele, and Kristin and Marley. Marley is a new addition. My little sister does not have enough going on so she has foster kids. I can't even take care of myself, properly, and my little sister takes care of 2 little kids and, currently, 2 extremely ailing poodles, while during the day she goes to Olympia and does legal things.

That is Max playing with Marley. Currently both Max and his brother Blue are recovering from being operated on. Blue had bladder stones that could have ruined his kidneys.

Max tore his ACL. I have no idea what that means. But I think, maybe, it has something to do with a leg joint. Whatever it is, Max is currently wearing one of those plastic guards around his head.

Blue and Max are supposed to do no jumping or running for 2 weeks. I have no idea how this is accomplished. I need to ask my sister if she realizes what happens with those poodles when the mail arrives. Utter chaos.