The Smoky Windy View From Miss Puerto Rico's Balcony

I zoomed the view from Miss Puerto Rico's balcony so you could more clearly see how unclear the air is on this Friday, April 15 in my zone of North Texas.

The wind continues to gust.

I like a good windstorm, but I am ready for dead calm to return.

I would have gone for an afternoon swim if it weren't for the whitecaps on the pool.

By the time I got back here, from Miss Puerto Rico's, I realized I'd forgotten to check on the cat and its food supply.

Note to anyone reading this. It really is not wise to have me babysitting any animate creature. I did remember to reset the security alarm, so I'm not really totally 100% irresponsible.

Below is video I took a few minutes ago of the view from Miss Puerto Rico's balcony of the wind blowing and being loud....

Wal-Mart's Tattered Flag & Other Problems

It is very windy today in North Texas. The wind is coming from the south, blowing away the last remnants of the cold nastiness from the north we suffered from a few days ago.

It is humid today, the temperature right now is 78, with the Heat Index making it feel like 80.

I've got the windows open and am in comfortable Matthew McConaughey playing banjos mode.

It was warm yesterday and again today. That means my currently closed by the City of Fort Worth pool would have warmed up enough that I could have had a long swim this morning. If this heat wave continues that closed pool is going to start making me cranky.

Due to the wind, I ruled out a bike ride, blading or hiking today. I don't like trees or limbs falling on me.

So, I went walking in Wal-Mart.

As you can see in the picture, once more the U.S. flag at my neighborhood Wal-Mart Supercenter is tattered and hanging on to its pole by a shred.

I only bought a few items, and once more one of the items I intended to buy scanned incorrectly. Whenever I see "Price Rollback" I know there is a good chance that the price has not been rolled back.

Wal-Mart has these "Can't Find The Price? Scan Here" signs around the store. So, I scanned the Sharp Cheese that supposedly had its price rolled back from $2.68 to $1.50. What a shock. It scanned at $2.68.

I used to find it amusing to go ahead and buy the wrongly priced item and then go to the misnomered Customer Service and go through the hassle of getting my money back and the item for free. But, that is a lot of bother.

So, now I get my revenge by blogging about my experience.

Wal-Mart seems to be having some problems. Like running out of products. Empty spots on the shelves. And of late, this wrong price problem. Wal-Mart used to be the best at the price thing of any stores I shop at. I don't know if it just the 2 Wal-Marts I frequent, or if it is a system-wide meltdown.

One of the ugliest and fattest people I used to know made a rare visit to a Wal-Mart recently and pronounced the store "ugly." I don't know why that amused me. Maybe it was something to to with the idea that I would think an ugly person would tend to avoid using that word. A pot calling the kettle black type thing. Then again, this particular person is so addled and deluded, she may think she's beautiful. It wouldn't shock me.

Blow Hard

No, someone did not call me a Blow Hard. Not today anyway. Here in north Texas we are currently being blown by a hellacious windstorm. Most hellacious non-tornado windstorm I've been blown by since I've been in this windy state.

Today started off pleasant enough, reaching a high of about 68 around noon. And then the winds started up with the temperature dropping. I was out in this for a couple hours. I don't remember almost getting knocked over by wind before. But when I got out of my newly restored (from yesterday's near death experience) van, I had trouble walking and then the wind caught the post office's door and slammed it into me.

Power has been off and on. But the worst of it is there are dozens of out of control wildfires. You can smell the smoke and the air has taken on a pinkish hue.

One great benefit of a good Texas windstorm is it does what few else here do. The wind cleans up the litter. Well, more precisely it sweeps the littered areas clean and moves the litter to concentrated collection points, like lines of trees and fences. It is sort of fun to be out in it in a well-littered zone and play dodge litter as the pieces come flying at you.

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Just as I hit the PUBLISH POST button WeatherBug went off with a Warning. I'll copy and paste it below. It's one I'd not seen before. A "Red Flag Warning". Are we under eminent threat of a commie invasion?

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Red Flag Warning... Updated National Weather Service Fort Worth TX 1200 PM CST Tue Jan 29 2008 Montague-Cooke-Grayson-Fannin-Lamar-Young-Jack-Wise-Denton-Collin- Hunt-Delta-Hopkins-Stephens-Palo Pinto-Parker-Tarrant-Dallas- Rockwall-Kaufman-Van Zandt-Rains-Eastland-Erath-Hood-Somervell- Johnson-Ellis-Henderson-Comanche-Mills-Hamilton-Bosque-Hill- Navarro-Freestone-Anderson-Lampasas-Coryell-Bell-Mclennan-Falls- Limestone-Leon-Milam-Robertson- 1200 PM CST Tue Jan 29 2008 ... Red Flag Warning Remains In Effect Until 6 PM CST This Afternoon Across All Of North Texas For Very Strong Winds And Very Low Humidities... ... Fire Weather Watch Remains In Effect Wednesday Afternoon... Strong West And Northwest Winds And Very Low Humidities Will Continue Through The Afternoon Across All Of North Texas. Sustained Wind Speeds Of 30 To 40 Mph With Gusts In Excess Of 50 Mph And Relative Humidities Ranging From 10 To 15 Percent Will Lead To Extreme Fire Weather Conditions Through Early Evening. The Winds Are Expected To Diminish This Evening. Return Southerly Flow And Low Humidity Will Lead To Very High Fire Danger Conditions Across All Of North Texas Wednesday Afternoon. A Fire Weather Watch Is In Effect For All Of North Texas Wednesday Afternoon. A Red Flag Warning Means That Critical Fire Weather Conditions Are Either Occurring Now... Or Will Shortly. A Combination Of Strong Winds... Low Relative Humidity... And Dry Vegetation Will Create Explosive Fire Growth Potential. Avoid All Outside Burning And Welding Today. Do Not Toss Lit Cigarette Butts Outside. Report Wild Fires To The Nearest Fire Department Or Law Enforcement Office.