A Cold October Saturday In Texas Thinking About Harvesting Pecans & Not Pulling A Ryan

The morning of the first Saturday of October is the coldest it has been in North Texas for a long, long time. 51 degrees with the wind causing it to feel like 43 degrees.

The water in the pool was warmer than the air, this morning, which made for some very refreshing swimming, particularly after I overheated on the Nautilus machine.

The weather change has brought the ozone level down to being "Good" and the pollen level  has gone from "Extreme" to "Moderate".

My breathing apparatus is feeling like it is functioning totally back to normal. The idea of being stuck inside an airplane, and having a sneezing fit, no longer is mortifying me.

I was a little worried that yesterday's jogging episode around Fosdick Lake might cause some soreness.

I had erroneously thought I'd jogged around 2 miles, then someone named Anonymous informed me that the paved trail around Fosdick Lake is only 1 mile.

I don't know if it was the same Anonymous person, or another one, but someone named Anonymous made another anonymous comment on the blogging about jogging. This comment confused me at first, but I think I figured it out...

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Jogging Around Fosdick Lake With Grandma & The Fosducks": 

OK, so long as you're not pulling a Ryan on us. 

I had no clue what "pulling a Ryan" might be. Then I remembered that that lightly qualified guy that Mitt Romney picked as his running mate, Paul Ryan, has gotten some bad press for obviously fudging his time on some running event he ran in. I don't remember the details, but I suspect this must be that to which Anonymous is referring.

Changing the subject from Paul Ryan's fibbery back to the weather.

Rain is on the schedule for today. I do not know if copious amounts are predicted. What I do know is no rain has dampened my location, so far.

If the rain holds off I think I'll go pecan harvesting at Quanah Parker Park today, on my way to Town Talk. On Wednesday I saw a lot of pecans on the ground under the big pecan trees in Quanah Parker Park. It did not cross my mind to get myself some pecans til Steve A caused that idea to cross my mind.

Winter Arrives In Fort Worth, Cold & Windy

That is the foggy view looking through my patio door this morning in Fort Worth. We have had a reversal of temperature fortunes, careening down into the low 40s from days nearing 80. Brrrrr.

And it is being very windy, with the windchill factor making it feel like it is the 30s out there.

Again. Brrrrrr.

But, even though it is a bit chilly out there, I managed to go swimming this morning. The water was actually quite a bit warmer than the air, so it was very easy to get in the pool.

I discovered something new this morning. I wanted to make ham and eggs and hashbrowns, but could find not any spuds hiding in here. But, I did find a sweet potato. So, I shredded it and made sweet potato hash browns. Turned out quite tasty. And way more nutritious than a hash browned spud.

It rained a bit yesterday, but I don't think enough of the wet stuff fell to muddy up the Tandy Hills. So, I see a cold hilly hike in my future for the day.

Second Day of Winter in Cold Fort Worth

The low today was 26. It is now almost 5 and 30. As in 5 the time, 30 the temp. The high today was 31. It's been another cold, gray day in Dirty Ol' Town.

That's the view from Miss Puerto Rico's balcony at about 3 this afternoon.

I forgot to mention, it's windy. Currently the Wind Chill Factor is making it feel like 20 out there.

I could have it worse. This morning I was writing a card to send my aunt up in Potholes, Washington. That's in eastern Washington near the Columbia River. I looked up her current temperature. It was 6 at 9 this morning. With a lot of snow.

Despite the frigid Arctic climate I did my usual hike around the Tandy Hills, today, a little after noon. I'd already been out and about and thought I was dressed warm enough. I wasn't. I didn't have a "hoodie" on, so there was some serious skin exposure in the neck zone. I did not hike as long as I usually do.

Tomorrow the sun is supposed to make a slight appearance with the high being 60. And no freezing. I hope I'm not disappointed by an incorrect forecast.

UPDATE: WeatherBug just went off with a National Weather Service Warning that freezing rain will start falling early Tuesday morning, continuing til 10am. That sounds like an Ice Storm. I don't like Ice Storms.

Foggy Freezy Fort Worth

Anyone who knows me knows it's not my nature to complain. Oh, who am I kidding, whining is the only thing I'm really good at. We are rapidly approaching 48 hours of sub-freezing weather here in usually warm Fort Worth. Just 2 days ago, on Sunday, it got to almost 80.

And now today I came the closest to breaking my neck since I almost fell from a high spot last summer at Mount Rainier. Today I had bundled up as best I could to buffer my sensitive skin from the bracing cold, walking in a very deliberate fashion, when I stepped on to ice.

It was only through the miracle of a hand railing and my George Bush fighting-off-an-incoming-shoe quick reflexes that I was saved from a severe bruising, or worse, as in broken back, neck, leg or foot.

I don't remember if I've mentioned it before, but I'm a very religious person. Religious about making sure I get a good dose of daily exercise. If I don't attend to my religion I can get back aches and get in a bad mood. SAD sets easily in. SAD as in Seasonally Affected Disorder.

In other words this has been the most miserable day I've spent since I spent an entire month in Tacoma last summer.

I couldn't go swimming because my swimsuit was frozen to a chair. That and it was 22 degrees out there. I could not go on a hike or a walk or a bike ride due to the icy spots. I couldn't do any exercise thing in here due to it being too hot due to the furnace constantly trying to keep it above freezing in here.

My one escape today, that involved physical motion, was to walk over to Miss Puerto Rico's to take a photo, about noon, of how miserable it looks here today from her balcony. I forgot, I did drive to the Post Office too. That was treacherous.

And now the National Weather Service has put North Texas on a fog alert, through tomorrow, which could bring a coating of ice. I fear I have not reached the nadir of my misery. If I can't get my swimsuit thawed, I think I may try to make my way to Wal-Mart to get a fresh, unthawed new swimsuit. I must go swimming in the morning. And afterwards I must not leave my swimsuit outside to dry. Because it won't. It'll freeze dry.

It's Almost Icy Cold In Texas

Last night the temperatures here in Fort Worth plummeted into the 50s. Brrrrr. Slept like a baby with the windows open and no A/C running.

This morning about 7am I contemplated going swimming. At first I decided against it, figuring the water would be too cold. But then I decided to give it a try.

Well, the water in the pool was way warmer than the air. This made it feel good to get in the warm water. Though it did take a few seconds to get adjusted to the water, which must have been in the low 70s.

I've now decided I'm going to keep on swimming every morning all the way through winter. Unless there is an icestorm making it too slippery to go outside. I may change my mind about this plan at a later date.

Cold in Tacoma and Additional Whining

It got down to 58 last night in Tacoma. That is 24 degrees below what I keep my air-conditioner set at in Texas.

This morning someone I'll call Anonymous, called me up to ask if I wanted to go to Starbucks. I declined, saying I had stuff to do. Like what? Anonymous asked.

Well, I know better than to go into any details about anything with Anonymous because all you'll get is a bunch of judgemental comments. So, I tend to keep info to a minimum when talking to this person.

Then Anonymous asked how I was this morning. I know this seemingly innocent type question is loaded, when asked by Anonymous. So, I chose my answer carefully, or so I thought, and went with a safe weather comment.

As in I said I was very cold this morning and wish I had a furnace.

To which Anonymous went into judgemental mode on even something as simple as my opinion of the temperature, telling me I'd been here long enough to be acclimated, that I only complain about the cold to get attention. This from a person who has never lived in another climate and has no first person knowledge as to how long it takes to acclimate. As in it took me a long time to acclimate to the heat of Texas.

Like I said, it got to 58 last night.

As I hear this fresh condemnatory verbiage from Anonymous I'm thinking to myself, oh yes, I am so happy now, I am getting attention due to saying I'm cold. I thought to myself why does Anonymous give herself permission to judge my relative state of warmth and then characterize my discomfort as somehow being feigned due to wanting attention? That just strikes me as bizarre. Usually I can switch perspectives and at least have some clue as to the why of what is coming out of someone's mouth. It's perplexing when I can make no sense of it.

Like I said, it got to 58 last night.

I suspect, as I often do when hearing such a thought expressed, that what I'm dealing with is a bit of projection. In that Anonymous is always doing all sortsa odd little things to get attention. And so she projects that script on to others. It's a really bad script and should be removed by a good anti-virus program. Or a shrink.

I reminded Anonymous that I weighed 25 pounds less than the last time I was in this cold state and so I, unlike others more blessed, do not have a large insulative layer of adipose tissue helping keep in my body warmth and keep out the cold.

To which Anonymous replied that I am arrogant to think I'm the only skinny person in Washington.

At which point I'm thinking to myself, change the subject, there is no reasoning with anyone who operates out of what I believe is called a contaminated parental ego state.

And so I got Anonymous off the phone and went about what I was doing before I was so rudely, and I do mean rudely, interrupted.

In 25.5 hours I should be in the air. Where the air is clear and the people are nice. Til I land and the air is hot and the people say howdy a lot.