Village Creek Motivated Me To Barbecue Chicken On The First Day Of Fall

Today my handlebars are on the paved trail in Arlington's Village Creek Natural Historical Area.

The paved trail was looking a bit brown, not its usual gray, on this first day of Fall.

The paved trail was looking brown because a lot of brown leaves got the notice that today is the first day of Fall and so they fell, apparently.

This morning when the sun came up and I exited my warm abode to go swimming the air was being chilled to only 56 degrees.

For the first time in many a month the pool was quite cool  this morning.

The pleasantly cool temperature had more than the Sunday norm of people and their dogs out enjoying walking and biking with the Village Creek Indian ghosts.

One group was barbecuing something that smelled real tasty in one of the seldom used Village Creek Natural Historical Area's firepits.

I do not know what type meat product was being barbecued at Village Creek today, but I do know it motivated me to barbecue chicken, a process which is taking place right now as I sit here typing.

However, the meat product I am barbecuing is not smelling as tasty as that which motivated me to barbecue chicken.

I hope y'all are having yourself a mighty fine first day of Fall....

Hard Hats On The Fall Colorful Tandy Hills With Stevie Wonder In Town Talk

For my Saturday endorphin inducing aerobic stimulation I opted to do some hill hiking, venturing to the seldom visited, by me, northeast section of the Tandy Hills Natural Area.

That white object you see in the picture is a hard hat.    I do not know why a hard hat would be located in this isolated location. I did not look under the hard hat to see if there was a head inside.

With Fall well underway the leaves on the trees and bushes are beginning to put on their annual color show, as you can see in the picture with the hard hat.

In addition to the hard hat I was accosted by two humans today, along with their dog, Roxy. Roxy violated my personal space by putting her paws on me. The female half of the two humans tried to get control of the beast to little avail. Eventually Roxy ceased attacking me and we parted ways.

Above is another view of the Fall color coloring the Tandy Hills. This view is looking west from the trail junction halfway down Mount Tandy.

I had myself a nice long swim early this morning. Days with temperatures in the 80s have the pool not being cool. The Tandy Hills were also not cool today, with the temperature nearing 80, hot enough to require a minimalist approach to outerwear, but not hot enough to cause a very severe steambath effect.

After I finished my hill hiking I went to Town Talk. I got myself a lot of tomatoes today. Among other things.

Stevie Wonder, or a guy who looked a lot like Stevie Wonder, asked me for help in Town Talk. I'd bumped into his walking stick. He apologized to me, when it was I who was being a klutz.

Stevie Wonder then asked me if he could ask me something. Sure, said I.

It was only then I realized Stevie Wonder was slight of sight. He was using some sort of illuminated magnifying glass thing to look at products. He asked me if the chicken breasts were half price. It did not say so on the package, but did say so on a sign stuck to the freezer.

Stevie Wonder thanked me for helping him, and I continued on my way. Later I realized I should have asked him if he'd like me to help him  find stuff in Town Talk. Town Talk is not a brightly lit store. I have trouble reading the Town Talk labels sometimes.

I wonder how Stevie Wonder got to Town Talk? Obviously he did not drive himself there.

So, that has been my exciting Saturday, so far. I think I may go swimming again.

I Did Not Climb On Tarzan's Treehouse In Fort Worth's Gateway Park Today

No, that is not part of Tarzan's treehouse in the African jungle you are looking at in the picture.

What it is that you are looking at is part of one of the two "CLOSED TO PUBLIC' boardwalks in Fort Worth's Gateway Park jungle.

Both of Gateway Park's boardwalks have been neglected, with rotting floorboards, I think, being behind the reason for the "CLOSED TO PUBLIC' signs, that are easily walked around.

I stopped at Gateway Park on my way to Town Talk, intending to go on a short walk under the tall trees which render shade which, for the most part, blocked the sun from reaching me directly.

There were a lot of mountain bikers biking the FWMBA mountain bike trail today. Usually, at most, I'll see one or two, maybe three. Today there were, maybe, dozens. It's hard to count such a thing. Maybe all the mountain bikers were in some sort of Autumnal Equinox celebrating mode.

The air in Gateway Park today seemed real oppressive, felt heavy. By the time I got to Town Talk I was clogged up with nasal congestion. Again.

I am remaining indoors, in air-conditioned comfort, for the rest of this first day of Fall.

On The First Day Of Fall I Have Been Practicing The Buteyko Method Of Breathing Foul Texas Air

I had a very rough early first day of Fall. As in my allergic nasal congestion woes rendered sleeping very difficult.

It seems there is an epidemic of nasal congestion in the D/FW Metroplex. I come to that conclusion not based on anything I've read in what passes for newspapers in this ill-served, newspaper-wise, part of the planet. I came to the epidemic conclusion due to the number of people I've heard suffering from the same symptoms I suffer from who formerly rarely suffered such symptoms.

Elsie Hotpepper is a recently joined member of the epidemic.

I have been vertical since sometime between 4 and 5 this morning.

My  clogged desperation was so great that I Googled "nasal congestion." There are a lot of suggestions as to how to remedy this woe.

I had, in stock, a jar of mentholated Vaseline. One of the suggestions suggested rubbing some inside ones nose. I did so. Now everything smells like Eucalyptus. But the nasal congestion remained.

I already had saline spray and was using it. Maybe it had some salubrious effect, moisturizing wise, but not decongestant wise.

Then I found the nasal decongestiing method you learn about in the YouTube video above. It is called the Buteyko Method. Here's a blurb from the website from whence I got the video....

Over 90% of people with nasal congestion can get a relief in less than 2 minutes if they slow down their heavy breathing using a simple breathing exercise. This easy respiratory exercise to clear a stuffy nose was invented by Soviet MDs practicing the Buteyko method. More than 180 MDs taught this most natural remedy to thousands of their patients with asthma, sinusitis, hay fever, chronic mouth breathing, rhinitis, and many other conditions.  This treatment and remedy also works for children, pregnant women, and those with symptoms of fatigue.  The exercise can be applied during night sleep as well.

Basically you mouth breathe in a deep breath, then pace for 20-30 steps whilst pinching your nose to prevent breathing, then sitting down and exhaling through ones nose. Stand up and repeat. I did several repeats. The totally clogged nasal passages did open up a bit, but I did not get the total relief I was hoping for.

After practicing the Buteyko I left my abode for a walk around the neighborhood, holding my breath and exhaling through my nose as I walked. When I got back to my abode I was still clogged up. So, I gave in and squirted 4-Way Nasal Spray into the clogged zone.

Instant relief.

I'd stopped using the 4-Way last night because I thought I'd over done using it and had caused the dreaded rebound effect, where overuse causes the clog. Taking a break from the 4-Way seems to have been a good plan, because I have now been breathing clear for a half hour.

I believe this first day of Fall is the last day we are scheduled to be under the dire AIR QUALITY ALERT. Until the next time.

The First Day Of Fall In Texas Starts Cold With No Swimming & Sore Arms

I was up late the last night of Summer, which has me up late the first morning of Fall.

You can tell I am up after the sun's vernal equinox arrival via the view from my secondary viewing portal on the outer world.

I had to close my openings to the outer world during the middle of the night due to too much chilliness.

We chilled to a low of 53, according to my temperature measuring device, before the re-heating process began.

I was operating under the erroneous assumption that the State Fair of Texas started today, thinking erroneously that it opened on September 23. I had the Fair's opening and closing dates reversed. The State Fair closes on October 23, it opens next Friday, on September 30.

I am not going swimming this morning. This decision has nothing to do with the iceberg temperatures. It has to do with trying to figure out why both my arms are perpetually sore. I've eliminated every other potential cause. Now I am testing if I overdo it in the pool.

My arms are so sore I have trouble opening my medication containers to get the pain abating and anti-inflammatory medications I'm taking to try and abate the pain.

A lunch appointment today will be keeping me from my regular noon hiking activity.

So far, the first day of Fall really is not going all that well. I'm sure my outlook will improve soon.

The First Day Of Fall Has Arrived In Texas

As you can see, looking out my bedroom window, the sun is starting to arrive on this, the first day of fall, September 22.

I thought fall always fell on September 21 and spring on March 21. I must be remembering wrong.

The birds are tweeting an exceptionally loud racket this morning. They must be overly excited about the arrival of fall.

I know I'd tweet if I knew how, so excited am I, that we are finally putting the scorching Texas summer of 2010 behind us. Now, we can look forward to the first freeze of the year.

I am heading north today, to the Southlake zone. While I'm up there I think I'll be going to Sprouts Farmers Market. I've not been there in awhile.

I am a little sore from overdoing the mountain biking. I'm thinking maybe a day of recovery is needed. I tend to overdo things. That is one of the minor downsides to having a minor case of obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Now that the sun has lit up the place, I think I'll go swimming and see if that helps with the soreness recovery plan.

Texas Fall Most Colorful Ever

Longtime Texans are saying this is the most colorful Texas Fall ever. The North Texas weather conditions have been such that the foliage result is pretty much Vermont-like.

The brighter colors are caused by a late summer, cool nights and dry and clear days. We are running about 5 inches below the norm for rain this year. Botanical experts claim that the lack of freezing temperatures in the D/FW Metroplex has allowed the leaves to last longer and develop deeper colors.

The leaf experts claim the coldest it has gotten here was 34 on November 16.

I beg to differ. I know it's frozen already here, because I saw frost on the roofs and had to scrape ice off my windshield.

The colorful leaves in trees you see in the photos were taken this afternoon at Tandy Hills Natural Area.