March Roars In Like A Thunderstorming Snowy Lion One Week Late In Wichita Falls

It was only a couple days ago I looked at the long-range forecast for my North Texas location and was pleased to see nothing but warm days ahead, well into Spring.

Yesterday, day 7 of the third month of 2025, the outer world was heated well into the 80s.

Last night, around three in the morning, a thunderstorm boomed into town, downpouring copious amounts of precipitation.

And now, today's forecast for tonight.

SNOW!

With the temperature predicted to be a low of 37 degrees, as measured via the Fahrenheit method, I don't understand how precipitation can be falling in the form of snow. Unless that wind chill factor making those 37 degrees really feel like 26 degrees, as indicated via the forecast, can somehow freeze the falling rain into snowflakes.

What I do know, for certain, is I will not be engaging in any outer world nature communing today, unless one counts going to Walmart as nature communing, which I often do, what with such being a bit of an anthropological expedition observing multiple examples of human extremes, such as excessive tattooings, piercings and odd clothing choices, such as Walmarting in one pajamas...

HOT Hiking Lucy Park Backwoods Jungle Seeing Skagit Snow

Yesterday, the 3rd day of the 2nd month of 2025, I hiked the backwoods jungle of Lucy Park, currently with no leaves in the trees, with the temperature, at that point in time, nearing 90 degrees.

It was the HOTTEST day, so far, this year. Shorts and t-shirt were totally adequate outerwear.

An hour after returning from Lucy Park I was at my computer, scrolling through Facebook, when I saw a photo from Skagit Breaking News, which is what you see above.

The weather condition, yesterday, in my old home zone of Skagit County, Washington.

Even when it snows at my current location it never creates a winter wonderland scene like you see above, due to the fact there are no trees of the Washington evergreen sort, in Texas, that I have ever seen.

In the photo it looks like one vehicle has skidded off the road. This road is located near Alger, a small hamlet in north Skagit County. The road is an access road to Interstate 5, heading west, with the road on the left being an exit from I-5, with the sign pointing to the entry to I-5 South, straight ahead, and the entry to I-5 North, to the right.

It has been a few years, more than a couple decades, since I have been at this location.

I fervently hope one day to be at this location, and others in Skagit County, and Washington, again, preferably during the time of year when snow can not be a factor...

Day Two of Wichita Falls Winter Wonderland

The temperature is currently one degree above freezing this morning of the second Friday of the New Year of 2024, with my North Texas, Wichita Falls location, still sporting a white dominated color scheme, slowly disappearing, as you can see via the view from my kitchen window.

When the sun began its daily illuminating duty this morning, I looked out my bedroom window to find myself surprised to see snowflakes still making their way to the ground.

The snow flaking has since abated, with patches of blue sky now appearing, with less than two hours to go til noon.

I have yet to make it to ground level. I suspect later today I shall do so. 

Ever since two winters ago, when I experienced a surprisingly sudden slip on ice, whilst walking at MSU (Midwestern State University), resulting in a semi-long recovery from a bruised butt and lower back, I have had an aversion to walking in any sort of winter wonderland.

The February of 2021 deep freeze disaster, with most of Texas losing the power of electricity, along with a lot of snow on the ground, making driving way too adventurous, I have had an aversion to driving in such conditions. 

Particularly after having such reinforced by last winter's incident where I found myself with tires spinning, unable to make it up an extremely slight grade connecting Taft Boulevard to Southwest Parkway. That time, other drivers kindly realizing my predicament, backed up far enough to allow me to back up to get a running start at getting up that slight slope. 

I made it to Walmart, that time, and then back to my abode, making that the last time I have driven in wintry conditions...

My Texas Location Has Turned Into A Snow Covered Winter Wonderland

This time the Texas weather predictors predicting snow got the prediction totally on target.

When the sun arrived this second Thursday of the new 2025 year, I looked out to the south, from my bedroom window, and saw big white flakes falling, with the ground painted white, and the usual multi-color landscape turned into a black and which color scheme.

Basically, a snow-covered Winter Wonderland.

We are now coming up on 9 in the morning, with the temperature two degrees below freezing, and snow still copiously falling.

Let's leave my bedroom to take a look to the north from my living room window.

 I do not think I will be leaving my abode this morning.

A doctor's appointment was re-scheduled yesterday due to anticipating this morning's likely travel challenges.

It seems so odd to me to go through my usual morning ritual of checking various online news sources, to get to my old home zone of Washington news sources, to see the temperature up north being way warmer than my currently frigid Southern location.

So far, the Texas power grid has had no problems, at my location, or anywhere else that I have heard of.

My interior space is comfortably toasty, for now...

Thinking Of Cascade Mountain Drive After Night Of Texas Thunderstorms

I saw that which you see here, this 3rd November morning, on Facebook. A look at some mountain scenery on Highway 20, on the last day of the previous month of October.

Highway 20 is a road which traverses through the valley in which I lived prior to moving to Texas, traversing from Anacortes, through the town I grew up in, Burlington, and on east, through North Cascades National Park, before making its way to Eastern Washington.

At my current location I could drive hundreds of miles in any direction and not find any snow-covered mountains.

At my current location, Wichita Falls, Texas, last night, I got to experience one of the wildest storms I have ever experienced. Rain began pouring down about an hour before midnight. And then from midnight on, til daylight, almost nonstop lightning lit up the night and disturbed the possibility of sleep with booming thunder.

A few miles north, across the Red River, in Oklahoma, last night's storm produced multiple tornadoes

Thunderstorming and heavy rain is currently scheduled to start up again in about an hour. 

I currently do not know if my regular outdoor endorphin inducing aerobic activity is going to be doable, due to weather woes, requiring walking in Walmart, instead, which never is even remotely aerobic....

Snow Is On The Menu For Today's Super Bowl Party

I thought we were done with this type thing, with clear sailing til Spring, with no more freezing, ice, or snow. 

I thought wrong.

Snow is on the weather menu at my North Texas location for this second Sunday of the second month of 2014, also known as Super Bowl Sunday.

Rain began dripping late yesterday, and continued to drip all night long, and continues to drip.

A strong wind is scheduled to be blowing today, making for a wind chill real feel of the temperature being below freezing.

If I go on a salubrious walk today it will be in the climate-controlled confines of Walmart.

My Super Bowl Party is scheduled to start at 4 this afternoon. BBQed baby back pork ribs, biscuits dipped in garlic butter, pizza, chicken wings and apple cider is today's football menu.

Arrive early to secure a good seat...

Winter Returns To Wichita Falls With Snow

Winter has returned to North Texas.

Above you are looking at the early morning view from my kitchen window. Rain has been precipitating for several hours.

The temperature is scheduled to get lower and lower as the hours pass, getting below freezing around noon, with the rain turning to snow, accumulating possibly 4 inches of the white slippery stuff.

Below is a screen shot of today's rain/snow prediction for Wichita Falls.

I likely will not be getting any outdoor endorphin inducing aerobic stimulation today. If I drive to an indoor endorphin aerobic stimulation location it will need to be before noon. I do not like driving on ice...

Snow Is Covering My Old Skagit Valley Home Zone

Multiple incoming reports, this morning, from my old home zone of the Skagit Valley, reporting that, by dawn's early light, it was revealed that copious amounts of snow had piled up overnight.

And, that the snow continues to fall as the morning progresses.

The photo above arrived on my phone a few minutes ago, sent by Linda Lou, with the text accompanying the photo saying, "This is what we woke up to today!"

Linda Lou's window on the snow is in Mount Vernon, a short distance from my Favorite Nephew Jason and Spencer Jack's window on the snow.

I only remember one time when the Skagit Valley lowlands had a White Christmas. During that particular incident of the Skagit Valley being blanketed with snow, the aforementioned Linda Lou and I went driving in the snow, with me piloting a 64 Chevy Impala, which was my main means of motorized transport at that point in time.

I remember we eventually reached the little burg of Edison, and for some reason we decided to visit a classmate named Kevin Plambeck. We knocked on Kevin's door and when the door was opened, we were told Kevin was out working in the barn.

We were directed to the barn to locate Kevin. Linda Lou and I were shocked by what we found Kevin doing in the barn.

Kevin was busy castrating piglets. There was a lot of blood, and severed pig parts on the barn floor. The sound of squealing pigs awaiting their turn with the knife was haunting.

Linda Lou and I quickly departed, continuing our slippery drive to nearby Bay View....

Tacoma Snow With Theo & Ruby

Incoming snow photos from Tacoma this afternoon.

I am cold currently at my North Texas location, but it looks way colder at my old Washington location.

 Above that is the backyard of the Tacoma Trio, David, Theo & Ruby's house on M. Street in Tacoma.

That is the patio deck in the foreground, covered with snow. If all is as it was the last time I saw this location, the barbecue left of this view is the last place I successfully barbecued chicken.

And here we are seeing Ruby, and I think Theo, sliding down a hill at Wright Park, which is a park a short distance from their M. Street abode.

Here we see Theo testing whether snow tastes like vanilla ice cream.

 While Ruby laughs at Theo eating snow.

No clue what Theo and Ruby have done with brother David, who does not show up in these photos.

The start of school was postponed two hours yesterday due to the snow, and cancelled for today, due to more snow than had been predicted, falling and sticking.

Icy Saturday Lucy Park Walk With Gas

On this final Saturday of the 2022 version of February my smiley face was able to get outdoors for the first time in a couple days of being icebound. 

There are still some slippery spots, but they are now navigable.

Russia had not yet invaded Ukraine when last I had exited my abode. So, today was the first chance to get gassed before the price goes way up.

On Thursday, that being the last day I saw the gas station I gassed at today, gas was $2.98 a gallon. Now, a few days later, it has only gone up a dime, to $3.08. 

This time of year, when the temperature hovers around freezing, I tend not to fill the tank. Today the tank got filled, figuring who knows what is coming next. Huge price hike. Or a disruption to the gas supply. Who knows?

Had a relatively fine time walking around Lucy Park after getting gassed. I did not expect there to be many people in the park today. I was wrong. There were multiple groups of disc golfers. And a couple joggers. And one guy finding pecans in the snow.

By tomorrow ice should no longer be an issue.

I hope...

Wichita Falls Covered In Snow Again Chilled To One Degree Below Zero

I had hoped we were done with this until next winter, but the view above is what I saw when I looked out my kitchen window this Wednesday morning.

The weather forecasting gurus were wrong about yesterday's temperature, which had been predicted to potentially soar into the 80s.

But the Arctic Blast arrived instead, putting North Texas in a deep freeze a day earlier than expected.

As you can see via the below screen cap from the Wichita Falls Times News Record, it is real cold out there with the wind chill making 17 degrees feel like -1 degrees.

I won't be going walking at Lucy Park, Lake Wichita Park, Sikes Lake or the Wichita Bluff Nature Area today...

Sunday Snow In Rapid Retreat With Celery Soup

The sunny Sunday noonish view from my kitchen window.

The snow is quickly retreating. With any luck the retreat will be the last we see of snow and ice til next winter.

Even though the outer world is pleasantly temperatured today, with the snow mostly gone, I did not feel like any outdoor activity due to there being some lingering soreness from yesterday's slip on the ice.

So, this morning consisted of heavy duty soreness abating yoga, then making burritos and celery soup.

Two pounds of celery and still the celery soup did not taste like celery. Supposedly celery is now a superfood with all sorts of salubrious benefits. I'm in the mood for any sort of salubrious benefit.

Yesterday I watched a YouTube video showing how to fold a tortilla into a burrito. The demonstrator made it look so easy. The reality ended up being better burritos than I've made before, but not to the caliber of the demonstrator. I think I need bigger tortillas and to lighten up on the amount of filling.

Cross Country Snow Walking With MSU Hard Fall

With the temperature above freezing for the first time in a couple days, I thought it a good idea to venture out and see if I could acquire some endorphins via fast walking. So, I drove to nearby Sikes Lake and saw the paved trail was still covered with ice and snow.

So, that was a no go. 

I thought the MSU (Midwestern State University) campus might have ice and snow free sidewalks, so I ventured across the street from Sikes Lake and soon saw the campus did look somewhat walkable.

I parked at the north side of the campus in a parking lot mostly void of ice and snow. I walked west and soon came to the herd of Mavericks you see above, frolicking in the snow.

Leaving the Maverick herd I found myself walking on snow. Doing this seemed not slippery at all.

Until I took a fast fall on the way to the cracked Liberty Bell. The fall happened in an instant, with a hard butt and shoulder landing. There likely will be some bruising. I quickly got back vertical and made my way to that bell.

I have never learned why the MSU campus has a replica of the cracked Liberty Bell. This is the area where way back in December the MSU Fantasy of Lights was located. 

Continuing on I soon came to the MSU homage to bike riding. And the Hotter 'N Hell 100. 

From this location, back to my vehicle did not seem to present any slipping danger. But, I was ultra cautious nonetheless.

I am going to venture out into it again in a few hours, to go to ALDI, hoping the shelves are no longer bare, such as was the case last Tuesday, before the snow storm arrived...

Day Two Being Snowbound In Texas

The view from my kitchen window is a bit brighter than yester morning's cold gray view.

But, the view is still cold. Currently only 15 degrees above zero.

I will be remaining snowbound again today. I think. 

We are supposed to go above freezing tomorrow. I hope the heat melts enough of the snow and ice to make being mobile, outside, to not be too treacherous.

So far the power has not had a single burp.

This morning my entertainment has mostly been provided by Winnie the Whiner, whining in Facebook Messenger about things not remotely whine worthy, when there are so many things to whine about which are actually whine worthy....

Snowbound Thursday In Freezing Texas

 Above is the view from my kitchen window around 8 in the morning on the first Thursday of the 2022 version of February.

We began icing up around noon yesterday. By late afternoon a coating of white coated the coating of ice. Even though it already looked to be treacherous driving conditions, I was seeing a lot of vehicular movement, with no slipping and sliding noted. 

So, I decided it might be fun to drive to Walmart. The closest Walmart is about a mile distant. I only slipped once. Above, you are looking at Taft Boulevard covered in white. A short distance south, Taft intersects with Southwest Boulevard. I had no trouble braking at the red light at Taft and Southwest. But, when the light turned green, my wheels did a bit of slipping and sliding before getting some traction.

That sliding had me a bit nervous because the route to Walmart includes two inclines. Not at all steep, but steep enough that ice and snow could make them slippery. 

But, the slipping at that first stop proved to be the only slipping and sliding I experienced during that short drive, both going and returning to my abode.

Walmart had a surprisingly large number of people braving the elements. The walk across the parking lot was slightly dicey, but I saw no one slip and fall. I did make note of the fact that this type weather greatly reduces the usual high number of plus-sized people I see waddling around Walmart.

Below is a screenshot from my phone, taken a few minutes ago.

I don't think I will be venturing out today. Or tomorrow, by the looks of the forecast. I wish I still had cross country skis. They'd be fun on the Circle Trail....

Backalava Enabled Sub-Freezing Sikes Lake Walk With Snow

Today, on this second day of the new year, with a strong wind blowing, causing the freezing temperature to feel like 3 degrees above zero, I installed multi layers and then ventured to Sikes Lake to walk around for a few miles.

This was the first time I have kept warm with the backalava you see me hiding in above. This is a type of headgear many Middle Eastern terrorist types wear. So, I left my Uzi at home so as not to scare anyone.

There were only four other people braving the cold whilst I was out in it. Usually, at the start of a new year, one sees a lot of people meaning well with their New Year's Resolution, til the resolve wears off in about a week, and the numbers drop.

Yesterday, as in New Year's Day, I was surprised at how many people were out and about at Lucy Park, seeming true to the usual New Year's Resolution burst of soon to fade activity.

But, it was above freezing yesterday. Overnight an Arctic Blast blew in, with snow. We are currently scheduled to warm up into the 60s in a couple days.

In the meantime my furnace seems to be running nonstop...

Sunday Snow Below Freezing In Wichita Falls

Looking out on the outer world this second morning of the new year, above is what I saw.

Some snow blew in overnight.

A week ago today we were sweltering with summer-like temperatures. And now we are freezing at well below 32 degrees.

Below is a screen shot from my phone this morning..

It would appear we have a few days to go of being cold before a little warmth returns.

I may put on a few layers of outerwear, topped off with a balaclava, and go for a snowy walk later this morning when it should only be a couple degrees below freezing...

Jason & Spencer Jack's Snowy Visit To Our Only Lynden Aunt

Yesterday, that being the day known as Wednesday, my Favorite Nephew Jason, also known as FNJ, sent my phone two photos. The first, that being the one above, is a classic look at Washington's one and only town which is Dutch themed, namely Lynden. 

The majority of my relatives used to live in Lynden and the area surrounding Lynden. A short distance east of town one comes to Slotemaker Road and the Slotemaker Farm. The Dutch name Slotemaker translates into English as Jones.

When I saw the above photo I could not quite make out who it was looking at the camera. So, I zoomed in and cropped out the camera looker.

As you can see, it was Spencer Jack standing in front of Lynden's most famous windmill. It has been quite a few years since I roamed the main street of Lynden. If I remember right the windmill is one of the access points to a sort of underground mall type thing in Lynden's downtown. I think I remember playing miniature golf in that underground mall. And roller skating and maybe bowling. The memory is hazy.

In the text that came in with the photos Jason did not mention that he and Spencer made a visit to Spencer Jack's great grandpa and gteat grandma. If you look closely you can see where Spencer got his middle name.

Jason did mention that being up in Whatcom County, and Lynden, they were experiencing the first lowland snow of the year.

That and they paid a visit to one of our few relatives still living in Lynden. That being my favorite 79 year old aunt. Jason said they had a nice visit. I have always had fun teasing that particular aunt. She usually took the teasing good naturedly. 

Jason said during the visit they discussed various relative's medical diagnoses. Along with discussing one of the relatives in relative need of a psychiatric exam. And possible behavior modifying medication such as Prozac or Zoloft or maybe Wellbutrin...

Snowy Merry Christmas From Joey, Henry & Monique

 

The above arrived in my mailbox yesterday. The first Christmas card to arrive during this getting Christmas cards in the mail time of year.

The card says "Merry Christmas Love, Joey, Henry and Monique."

Which would make that Hank "Henry" Frank holding a snowball.

Joey, Henry and Monique's abode is in the Skagit Flats, near Roozengarde. I don't think snow has hit the ground on the Skagit Flats yet during this snow is possible time of the year.

That looks like a big snowman standing behind Hank Frank. 

UPDATE: This morning I learned via the Seattle Post-Intelligencer that snow has fallen of late in the lowlands of Western Washington. Which would seem to render it possible that Hank Frank's snowman and snowball are recent productions. I remain skeptical though...

Hank Frank's Snowy Happy Valentine's Day

Hank Frank's papa, my Favorite Nephew Joey, sends a snowy Happy Valentine's Day message with four photos along with a few words, as in...

 "Howdy FUD. Here is Henry enjoying a Happy Valentine's Day snow."

And...

 "Here he is explaining to his mom where snow comes from and also waving hi."

It appears the snow is deeper at Hank Frank's location in the Skagit Valley Flats than my location in the North Texas Flats.

I think the below photo is the one where Hank Frank waves hi.

The trees in Hank Frank's apple orchard are covered in white. This has not happened to the bare limbs at my location. I suspect this is because the temperature here is near zero, with it well below freezing before the snow arrived, thus no ice accumulation in the trees.

Snow at this deep level happens seldom in the lowlands of Western Washington. I have no memory of playing in the snow with Hank Frank's papa, or Uncle Jason.

I do remember some snow fun with Hank Frank's papa and Uncle Jason's cousins, Christopher and Jeremy. But, not in the lowlands, but up in the mountains, sledding and cross country skiing.

Somewhere on this computer I have photos of hiking to the Ice Caves on the Mountain Loop Highway, with Christopher and Jeremy. Part of my Nephews in Danger series. I shall see if I can find those photos. But, not right now...