Tuning Up After A Morning Swim Before Wildscaping To Arlington's Chinatown

I don't know why it almost looks like waves were waving in the pool this morning whilst I was having my morning swim.

Due to weather related concerns yesterday's Labor Day Picnic took place in my communal neighborhood park.

There is a big fireplace in the center of my communal neighborhood park. For some reason Crazy Greg thought it a good idea to build a real big fire. I guess it was not HOT enough. This type behavior is why this boy is known as Crazy Greg.

Several people dragged barbecuing devices to the communal neighborhood park. I BBQed my keilbasa on the Silas and Sue BBQ. Miss Puerto Rico showed up, food-free, but with a supply of adult libations. Big Ed got in a rather odd argument with Miss Puerto Rico over the Spanish-American War.

All in all Labor Day was interesting. I was forbidden from photo documenting the communal neighborhood park Labor Day Picnic. However, no one said anything about me not painting any word pictures.

The day after Labor Day started off fine, with the aforementioned photo documented swim.

And then, mid-morning, I drove to Arlington to get a tune up for one of my motorized motion contraptions. For a decade, or longer, when I need some auto doctoring I go to a place on Division Street in Arlington, run by Iranian exiles.

I walked a bit in the neighborhood while the tune up was taking place. In the picture, above, we are looking east. That is the auto medic place on the left, to the left of the pointy thing. As you can see, this part of Arlington's Division Street is a bleak bit of commercial wasteland. Sparse on sidewalks.

The tune-up did not take too long. Since I was in the neighborhood I decided to drive to Veterans Park for a short walk before heading to Arlington's Chinatown.

Walking in the Veterans Park Xeriscape area eventually leads to the more formal garden area, where the above deck exists. The above deck  made me a bit homesick, due to reminding me of the deck on the backside of my house in my old home zone in Mount Vernon, Washington.

And then it was off to Arlington's Chinatown, to the Cho Saigon Market. I got myself some much needed Asian supplies. Curry powder, sesame oil, coconut milk, soy sauce, fish sauce, oyster sauce, jasmine rice, garlic, tamarind pods, fresh mints, bean sprouts.

And 10 pounds of lean ground beef.

Yes, the Cho Saigon Market in Chinatown has an excellent fresh fish and meat counter.

Changing the subject from fresh fish and meat to something else.

I am only barely finished with lunch. Homemade black olive, green olive, mushroom pizza, BBQ chicken and salad.

To wake up my computer to find an email from the Fort Worth Library reminding me that the Ernest Hemingway Short Stories Collection that I checked out way back in early July, is due today and must be returned, lest I face a hefty fine that I can ill afford.

Walking The Boardwalk In Arlington's Veterans Park Worrying About Getting Too Skinny

I took a walk on the boardwalk at Veterans Park this morning on my way to Arlington's International District.

The maze of trails that is part of Veterans Park's Xeriscape Garden is heavily shaded and thus quite a bit cooler than being out from under shade, where the sun has direct contact, with no intervention.

The Xeriscape Garden shows locals how to landscape with plants that grow well in the Texas heat whilst requiring less water than plants that aren't as well suited for this harsh climate.

Speaking of this harsh climate, currently it is only 91 degrees, with the humidity making it feel like it is 101.

I found out a couple days ago that without knowing it I have been on the Six Weeks to OMG Get Skinnier Than All Your Friends Diet.

I wondered why I was getting so skinny with seemingly no concerted effort towards that end. Now that I know that the morning swimming, among other things, was making me skinny, I increased the amount of time I've been pooling in the morning.

I hope I don't get too skinny.

A Windy Xeriscaped Walk In Veterans Park Wondering Why Betty Jo Bouvier Chose To Be Happy

I had to be in Pantego today in the noon time frame, so, since I was in the neighborhood I dropped in for a visit with the soldier who stands guard at the memorial in Veterans Park in Arlington.

As you might guess from the 3 flags waving, a strong wind was blowing in Arlington today.

I saw several groups disc golfing. A strong, gusty wind would not seem to be ideal for disc golfing.

Speaking of disc golfing. There are signs in Veterans Park advising that you be on the lookout for flying discs. Methinks disc golf parks should have their own designated park. It does not seem right to be required to dodge flying discs in a multi-use park.

I walked on the trails that meander through the Veterans Park Xeriscape display garden that shows people native Texas plants they can plant which require little water.

This had me wondering if Veterans Park were located in Fort Worth if the city would issue a citation to Veterans Park for having tall native grass growing that does not match the other yards in the neighborhood, like Fort Worth did to the Young couple who live across the street from the Tandy Hills, hills which are covered by native grass and other plants that grow naturally in Texas?

Changing the subject from the City of Fort Worth's bad behavior to happiness.

Betty Jo Bouvier has been on a trek to find the meaning of life. Just minutes ago I saw on Facebook what Betty Jo has discovered so far, that being that "Happiness is a Choice."

I did not know this.

I know happiness is discussed in the American Declaration of Independence, something about the right to Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness. If happiness is a choice, like Betty Jo Bouvier believes, then why would you need to pursue it, I can't help but wonder? In Betty Jo's America you don't pursue happiness, you simply choose happiness.

I wonder if Thomas Jefferson had the benefit of Betty Jo Bouvier's more enlightened view would he have changed his wording to "Life, Liberty and the Choice of Happiness?"

Doesn't quite have the same poetic ring that Thomas Jefferson's wording has.

Young Couple Fights Fort Worth City Hall & Wins The Right To Have A Yard Requiring No Watering

Young Couple On Criminal Yard

This afternoon I read an article in this week's Fort Worth Weekly, titled As Long as the Grass Should Grow, about the young couple you see in the picture and their 5 year battle with the Corrupt City of Fort Worth, a battle which the young couple won.

For now.

The battle with the city was over this young couple's landscaping.

The young couple's house sits across the street from the Tandy Hills Natural Area. So, they landscaped their yard with the same natural plants that grow in the natural area.

Including native grasses.

The yard has never been an overgrown jungle. The edges are trimmed, and part of the yard is conventionally grassed.

I have seen this particular yard many times whilst driving by on my way to hike the Tandy Hills. I have long made note of how nice this yard looks, how natural it looks and how well it fits in with its setting.

5 years ago an anonymous neighbor anonymously complained to the city that the young couple's grass was too tall.

I really am starting to develop a dislike for all the anonymous complainers out there in the world anonymously complaining about matters that really are none of their anonymous business.

The young couple got a ticket for having grass taller than a foot. The ticket was contested, with the judge siding with the city and the anonymous complainer, with the young couple fined $315.

After years of court time, on December 7, 2011 a Tarrant County Criminal Court Judge reversed the original judgment.

The city is now working towards re-working the inept wording of its codes as they pertain to property owner's landscaping.

Now, where this really bugs me is this is a city which employs someone to look like Sherlock Holmes who calls himself the Lawn Whisperer, to encourage people to conserve water used on their landscaping.

The yard of the young couple, who got fined, is Xeriscaped to a fine tuned level, requiring no watering.

One would think a city, with even a little common sense, would ally this young couple with the Lawn Whisperer to show other yard owners in Fort Worth how to replicate their water saving success.

This is a city, with a government which turns a blind eye to all the various depredations the Barnett Shale Natural Gas Drilling Industry foists upon the landscape of Fort Worth.

Gas Drillers in Fort Worth can put up a roadblock on a Fort Worth road, forcing motorists to detour, with no threat of a fine possible.

I daily see a giant, ugly brown wall, that I call Fort Chesapeake, that hovers over my neighborhood like a metaphor for a city gone mad. $315 fine because someone has some tall grass. A blind eye to multiple ugly brown wall eyesores.

Gas Drillers in Fort Worth suck copious amounts of water out of the Trinity River, with nary a peep from the Lawn Whisperer. And with the shills in charge making ridiculous claims that the millions of gallons sucked by the gas drillers are just a teeny fraction of what all those lawn watering water wasters waste.

And then this corrupt town has a young couple, trying to be good citizens, setting a good example, doing a good thing.

Using no precious water to water their yard.

And they get fined.

I'm surprised they didn't get tasered and taken to jail.

The nerve.

Growing a natural yard across from a natural area.

Taking A Long Walk Under A Blue Sky On Arlington's Veterans Park Boardwalk

The early morning cloudy gray sky soon gave way to blue. I prefer my sky to be blue and not gray.

I had to be in Pantego today. Being in Pantego gave me a perfect opportunity to take a long walk on the boardwalk in Arlington's Veterans Park.

Ahead of me on the boardwalk, where it takes a left, there was a little kid screaming at his dad because the kid was sure there was a troll hiding under the boardwalk. I think the dad was egging the kid on about the troll.

I told the kid I'd seen no trolls, just snakes.

How was I to know the kid was more scared of snakes than trolls?

There is a lot of work being done on Veterans Park. There was a "Bridge Closed For Construction" sign. But I saw no construction on the already constructed bridge.

The playground equipment has been removed with the new playground construction underway. The previous playground equipment was quite nice, so this new playground is likely going to be spectacular.

Unlike Fort Worth's parks, the Arlington parks have restrooms of the modern sort, with indoor plumbing. Plus picnic facilities, with running water.

If you live within 20 miles, give or take a mile or two, of Arlington's Veterans Park it is worth a look. The park has a variety of hiking choices, a Xeriscape to show you what you can grow in a low water Texas climate. A composting exhibit that shows you what you can do constructively with your lawn clippings. And a disc golf course where you can dodge flying discs.

Wildflower Wildscapes & Snake Skin At Arlington's Veterans Park

A few days ago I made note of the fact that, apparently, Fort Worth is no longer mowing the grass in some of its parks, Oakland Lake Park, for instance, which, unless it has been cut today, is currently a weedy hayfield.

Village Creek Natural Historic Area is still closed due to flooding. My fall back park, today, was Veterans Park in Arlington. One would think, looking at the picture above, that Arlington has joined Fort Worth in not mowing its park grass.

Well, one would be wrong to think that. What we are looking at is a large section of the open grassy area that is being left to vegetate in its natural state, which today meant a lot of flowers on vines.

Veterans Park has an area called "Wildscape." It is a very well done, wooded zone, with a maze of trails, creeks, thick with trees and foliage. And plenty of benches and a gazebo, or two, to enjoy the cool shade. If you live within easy striking distance of Veterans Park, in Arlington, you really owe it to yourself to give it a walk through.

And, if you have your own yard to tend, you can get a lot of good ideas, in the adjacent Xeriscape, of how to grow plants native to Texas that use much less water than some of the plants you might buy in a nursery.

I am a bit of a snake-a-phobe. I have never seen a snake in Veterans Park. But, today, while walking in the Wildscape, I was crossing the creek and looked down to see a thick, long snake skin in the water. I assume the skin did not travel far from its owner, and that owner was likely still in the neighborhood.

But, I really did not feel in too great of snake danger, due to the fact the cool temperatures would have a snake slithering at a greatly reduced speed.