A Cloudy Friday Morning In Texas With Tattoos

You are looking at the Friday morning view from my computer room window. The morning view does not look all that much different from last night's thunderstorm view, but it is not storming this morning, cloudy, but not storming.

And only 79 degrees. Brrrr. Not quite cold enough to light up the furnace. I do not remember opening windows this time of year in my previous Texas summers.

It is not currently raining, but the forecast is for a 30% chance of some more thunder and precipitation. It likely won't happen. Yesterday's storm was not in the forecast.

Betty Jo Bouvier, she being the Wild Woman of Woolley with badly burned hair, is currently in San Francisco consuming Rice-a-Roni and Jello. I do not know if this is related to the burned hair.

Another Washington friend of mine has really gone off the deep end. By deep end I mean out of character behavior. I shan't name this individual, but I will tell you what she did and is doing. She painted her nails black. Now, that really is not all that deep endish. But, after the nails went black she got several tattoos.

I am not a fan of tattoos.

And what is the reason for this Wild Girl stuff? Well, the now tattooed, black nailed Washington girl is taking off on a 4 day Harley trip. Yes, that is correct, the tattooed, black nailed, leather wearing Wild Girl is a Biker Chick. Riding with a gang of other Harley riders.

Speaking of walking on the wild side, I don't know where I'm going to get my endorphin fix today. Last night's rain may have muddied up the Tandy Hills. Then again, the hills were so parched they likely were able to swallow up a lot of water. I guess I'll find out.

It Is A Chilly Windows Open 75 Degree Tuesday Morning In Texas

The morning view from my computer room window seems to have become a repeating theme. This morning you can see a small patch of blue sky peeking through the clouds.

I have no idea what the forecast is for today. I suspect HOT. But, right now, I have my windows open. I do not recollect opening the windows in mid June in Texas, previously.

It is currently only 75, about 7 degrees below what I have the air conditioner set at. So, I'm being naturally air conditioned right now.

I ended my non-aerobicizing sabbatical early this morning with a highly aerobic totally salubrious bout of swimming.

I got up well before the sun did this morning. By noon, or thereabouts, I see some further aerobicizing in my future, with a long-awaited return to the Tandy Hills.

I'm not certain, but I think this evening Elsie Hotpepper wants me to go to downtown Fort Worth with her. If that is the case, Elsie will need to provide chauffeur service and come pick me up.

Tonight Barack Obama gives a speech from the Oval Office for the first time. Oval Office speeches are usually only for the most dire of messages. Kennedy's Cuban Missile Crisis speech. Nixon's resignation speech. George W. Bush's 9/11/2001 speech. President Obama's first Oval Office speech will be about the BP Gulf of Mexico spill.

I don't know if I will be home to hear it. I'm sure I'll hear about it later.

I Am Prepared For The Incoming Blue Norther Deep Freeze In Fort Worth Texas

I had to be in Southlake today, so it seemed a good idea to make a visit to Sprouts Farmers Market.

The view you are looking at in the picture is sort of looking north.

Which means a wind from the south is blowing the flag and pointing it north.

In a few hours the direction is going to change as Texas is invaded with the coldest Arctic Deep Freeze in a decade.

My shocking introduction to how cold it can get in Texas. And an Ice Storm. Came about 2 weeks after my arrival in Texas. I'd never experienced such weather. We'd gone to the Fort Worth Stockyards to, now long gone, Riscky Rita's Mexican food lunch buffet, coatless, temperatures in the 50s. Upon exiting Riscky Rita's I was appalled to find the temperature nearing freezing, with a strong wind making it feel way colder than freezing.

The was my introduction to a Blue Norther.

When I heard on the radio today that the incoming cold was expected to be the coldest in a decade I assumed the decade old cold was that cold I just mentioned that introduced me to the volatile Texas weather 10 years ago.

Below is the forecast for Fort Worth issued at 11:21 this morning. If the predicted Freezing Rain happens, tomorrow should be interesting. I'm well stocked with goods. I can handle a 5 day siege.

Miss Puerto Rico Is In Miami Heading To Cold Flooding Texas

That's the Thursday 10am in the morning, balcony view, in what is likely the last in the current "View From Miss Puerto Rico's" series.

As you can see a layer of gray is blocking our usual view of a Texas blue sky. We have had a big delivery of rain in the past 24 hours. The Trinity River is above flood stage in some locations. A weather alert just informed me that the West Fork of the Trinity River will be flooding parts of Grand Prairie until sometime Friday.

The majority of you reading this are not Texans. So, I'll explain that Grand Prairie is east of Arlington, west of Dallas. Arlington is where the Dallas Cowboys play football. The Dallas Cowboys do not play football in Dallas.

Near as I can tell Dallas thinks the entire Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex zone is all Dallas with the 50 or 60 Metroplex towns, like Fort Worth, Arlington, Frisco, Grapevine and all the rest, being Dallas neighborhoods.

So, now you know why it makes perfectly good sense for the Dallas Cowboys to build a $1.2 billion new stadium in the Dallas neighborhood of Arlington and still call themselves the Dallas Cowboys.

The aforementioned Miss Puerto Rico called a few minutes ago. She is now in Miami. She was not pleased when I told her what the weather is like here. When I went in the pool this morning, at 7, it was raining and 61. Now, 3.5 hours later it is not raining, but it is windy and the temperature has dropped 10 degrees.

So, I picked up a coat for her when I was over at Miss PR's taking my daily balcony picture and feeding the cat. I told Miss PR to stay inside the terminal til I got the coat to her.

The Bright Blue October Sky Of Texas

I forgot there was a cat over at Miss Puerto Rico's who was relying on me to keep her fed and her water bowl full.

So, that's the view from Miss Puerto Rico's balcony a little after 3 in the afternoon. The cat still had plenty of food and water, so I'm not too irresponsible.

As you can see it is another bright, blue sky day here in Texas. That recent unpleasantness of weeks of rain and fog and no blue sky is fading from memory.

It is 74 out there right now. Windows open temperature. I left a patio door open the night before last. That morning was in the 40s. Which is about what it felt like inside here. The patio door is open right now. Must remember to close it tonight.

Due to the cool temps the pool was a bit bracing this morning, but I quickly got used to it. It should be warmer tomorrow morning.

A Little Blue Sky Returns To Texas

The latest in the view from Miss Puerto Rico's balcony series. We have had the return of some blue sky in Texas. I had to look east towards Dallas to see some blue. I don't know how fleeting this reappearance of blue will be. Or if it will be a growing thing.

I do know that after days of cold, it has warmed up enough that I have re-ignited the A/C. And here I thought I was done with that nonsense for the year.

I can tell you that the blue sky is coinciding with my own burst of personal sunshine. As in today has been a good day. A real good day.

I have been up since 3. That's early, even for me.

Due to not wanting to, I did not go swimming this morning, even though I was back from the airport in plenty of time to do so. I seem to have slackened off on the exercise addiction. I'm quickly turned to jello-like flab. It should go away tomorrow if I decide I want to go swimming.

Texas Weather: Severe Thunderstorm Watch Tonight

The extreme weather may be my favorite thing about Texas. I love a good storm. But I'm not in the mood for one tonight. I've already had myself enough fun today. Which was our hottest day of the year, hitting 95.

WeatherBug went off with a National Weather Service Storm Watch warning about an hour ago. Apparently we can expect 2.5 inches in diameter hail with gusts up to 70 mph. I'll batten down the hatches.

Just got a live report from a local telling me lightning could be seen to the west, as in by downtown Fort Worth. Heading this way. I'm still seeing blue sky out my window, but I did step out on the balcony and looked west to a very angry, dark wall of clouds.

Below is the dire NWS warning....

THE NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS ISSUED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH UNTIL 11:00PM CDT

Urgent - Immediate Broadcast Requested Severe Thunderstorm Watch Number 312 Nws Storm Prediction Center Norman OK 520 PM CDT Tue May 26 2009

The Nws Storm Prediction Center Has Issued A Severe Thunderstorm Watch For Portions Of

Small Part Of Southern Oklahoma Much Of North Central Texas

Effective This Tuesday Afternoon And Evening From 520 PM Until 1100 PM CDT.

Hail To 2.5 Inches In Diameter, Thunderstorm Wind Gusts To 70 Mph, And Dangerous Lightning Are Possible In These Areas.

The Severe Thunderstorm Watch Area Is Approximately Along And 80 Statute Miles East And West Of A Line From 15 Miles East Northeast Of Durant Oklahoma To 45 Miles East Southeast Of Brownwood Texas.

It's A Cold Day In North Texas

The first Norther is blowing in from the Central Plains this afternoon, here in North Texas, making it bone chilling cold out there. And windy.

I've not been this cold since I was up in Tacoma in August.

Yesterday it got into the mid 80s. At midnight it was 75. By the time I went swimming, early this morning, it was 69.

Now, at 3 in the afternoon we are at 52 and falling fast. Heading to a low of 45 tonight. I won't be going swimming in the morning. Not due to the cold. Instead, due to the pool having its regularly scheduled treatment.

The photo is my stormy balcony view this afternoon. Lightning may be striking as the afternoon progresses. I like it when that happens. As long as none of my electronic stuff gets zapped.