Happy First Birthday Of Theo & Ruby While Spencer Jack Celebrates In Disneyland

I did not realize til the Tacoma Adventure Poodles, Blue & Max, told me on their blog, that this past weekend my twin nephew and niece, Theo & Ruby, had their First Birthday Party.

My invitation to the twin's birthday party must have gotten lost in the mail.

I don't know if Ruby & Theo's cousin, Spencer Jack, was invited to their First Birthday Party.

If Spencer Jack was invited I don't think he was able to attend, due to the fact that Spencer Jack was in the air, heading to Disneyland this weekend.

Spencer Jack's Grandma sent me this picture, this morning, of Spencer Jack helping pilot the plane that was taking him to Disneyland.

The 3rd Monday Of December With Incoming Thunder In A World Without Kim Jong Il

The view appears to be a bit blue on this 3rd Monday morning of the last month of 2011, looking out my primary viewing portal on the world on Day 19 of December.

Currently the outer world at my location is being heated to 21 degrees above freezing.

The weather prognosticators are prognosticating that today lightning may be striking, along with rain, on this slightly parched part of the planet.

Changing the subject from my favorite one to other parts of the weird world we live in.

It was not shocking news to learn this morning that the little man who ruled North Korea, Kim Jong Il, died on Saturday. The little man's young son, Kim Jong Un, was picked by the little man to be his replacement. I don't know if this is how Lenin envisioned a communist government's leader picking method to be. A family hierarchy, like the Windsors in England.

Or the Grangers in Fort Worth.

Taking A Sunday Rest From Chronic Walking With The New Wife Of Santa Claus While Vibrating From Tao Te Ching

With one week to go til Christmas, today I'm spreading Christmas cheer with a picture of Mr. and Mrs. Claus.

And since it is Sunday, I am taking a semi day of rest. So, my only walking today was to walk around in Wal-Mart in order to get a bottle of lime juice for tonight's Merry Margarita Christmas Party.

Back to Mr. and Mrs. Claus.

Mrs. Claus used to be known as Martha the Nurse. But, yesterday I was surprised to learn, via Facebook, that Martha the Nurse is now Mrs. Claus.

Before she married her latest husband, Martha the Nurse was one of the foremost practitioners, in Texas, of the ancient discipline known as Tao te Ching.

Using Tao te Ching, Martha the Nurse is able to cause thousands of special vibrations that are able to cure hundreds of ailments.

I have experienced, myself, Martha the Nurse using her special Tao te Ching vibrations to cure one of my chronic complaints.

That being my chronic grumpiness.

Before Martha the Nurse vibrated me, with Tao te Ching, I was way grumpier than I am now.

I doubt now that she has married Santa Claus that Martha the Nurse is still being a nurse or still doing her Tao te Ching vibrations.

Then again, Martha the Nurse is a highly evolved multi-tasker, so maybe she is still curing ailments with Tao te Ching and being a nurse.

It is now time to have my Sunday lunch of tasty Southern food.

Fried chicken and biscuits. And some other tasty stuff.

One Week Until Christmas Thinking About Being Naughty To Fat Judgmental Bastards

When I stepped outside to look through the bars of my patio prison the sun was at least a half hour from its scheduled arrival.

The heater in the sky has now arrived, illuminating the 3rd Sunday of the last month of 2011 sufficiently that I can sort of see that it appears the sky is semi-clear of clouds.

Currently it is 47 degrees in the outer world at my location on the planet.

It is now one week til Christmas, the day in pre-Jesus times that celebrated the Winter Solstice, though 3 days later than the day when the sun reaches its lowest position as viewed from the Northern Hemisphere.

The most amusing thing I've seen today, so far, was from CD0103, on Facebook. CD0103 is a bit of a bad girl. She let Santa know that she had been naughty this year, and that she did not care that she had been naughty, telling Santa that, "I've been naughty...and it was worth it, you fat, judgmental bastard."

Methinks CD0103 is going to find some lumps of coal in her Christmas stocking.

Walking Under The Quanah Parker Park Pecan Pondering Breaking Bad Mad Men & Rolling Eyes

The Leafless Quanah Parker Park Pecan

It seems like just a few days ago I took a picture of the Quanah Parker Park Historically Heritaged Pecan Tree in all its full leaf glory.

And now, just a short time later, a little bit of freezing has pretty much de-nuded the Parker Pecan of its leaves.

Judging by the number of cars in the Quanah Parker Park Parking lot today one might come to the conclusion that all the Quanah Parker Park improvements are drawing in more people.

I had multiple human encounters today on the Quanah Parker Park Paved Trail. The norm is zero human encounters.

Even though it was somewhere in the mid 40s, when I went walking, I overheated in just a t-shirt and long pants. Now, late on Saturday afternoon, coming up on 5, it is 3 degrees shy of 60 in the outer world at my location.

Speaking of the temperature, just minutes ago I learned from a prince of a person calling himself Anonymous that my weather reports cause this particular Anonymous person's eyes to roll. I am impressed, impressed I tell you, that the power of the words that make up my weather reports are such that they can cause someone's eyes to roll.

This is what Anonymous said.......

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "On Top Chef Texas This Week We Learned That Tim Love Owns Fort Worth & Loves Tequila": 

You watch terrible tv (really, ever heard of Breaking Bad or Mad Men), the weather reports are eye rolling and could skip all the family/friends stuff....BUT when you turn your attention to other topics like J.D or the Love Shack--scathingly funny. May you survive the holidays to amuse me further. 

I have no idea how Anonymous knows what all I watch on TV. I don't care for Breaking Bad or Mad Men. I won't watch anything on AMC. I also thought The Sopranos was totally overhyped back when it repeatedly won Emmy awards for HBO.

As for me being scathingly funny. I find my weather reports to be scathingly funny. And my family/friends stuff to be intensely fascinating. The J.D./Trinity River Vision Boondoggle stuff I just find really sort of sad. And like shooting fish in a barrel.

It is not just people in Texas who read my Texas weather reports. People shivering up north read my weather reports of it being yet one more sunny Saturday in Texas, heated to almost 60, in the middle of December.

Changing the subject from my favorite one to Town Talk.

Town Talk was super busy today. I suppose due to it being the last Saturday it will be open before Christmas. I'm assuming Town Talk is closed next Saturday, what with it being Christmas Eve.

I had an incident in Town Talk today involving broccoli, the details of which we need not discuss, lest I cause some inadvertent eye rolling.

Riding The Seattle Monorail With My Nephew David Reminds Me Of Monorail Rides With David's Cousin

David Not Focused On Driving The Seattle Monorail

I saw on the Blue & Max Adventure Poodle Blog, this morning, that my nephews, David and Theo, and niece, Ruby's, Grandma Janet is visiting them from Colorado.

I met Grandma Janet the last time I was in Tacoma, way back in the Summer of 2008, also known as the Summer Without Sun.

Grandma Janet took David for a fun day of playing in downtown Seattle.

That is David, with Grandma Janet beside him, driving the Seattle Monorail towards the Seattle Center, where David took Grandma Janet to the Top of the Seattle Space Needle.

Seeing David on the Monorail put me in mind of a time long ago when I took David's cousin, Jason, and his brother, Joey, to Seattle.

I recollect the elevator ride up to the Top of the Space Needle. Jason and Joey had not been to the Top of the Space Needle before.

When Jason was a little kid he had two fixations, one was the Washington State Ferry Fleet. The other was the Seattle Monorail.

We got to the Top of the Needle, walked around the observation deck. Jason looked down and saw the Monorail snaking its way to Westlake Center. We'd barely been at the Top of the Needle when Jason asked if we could go ride the Monorail now.

And so we did.

We were barely underway, on the Monorail, when Jason laid down on his seat. I asked, "what are you doing?"

He told me he was taking a rest.

I asked, "But I thought you wanted to ride the Monorail?"

Jason replied, "Oh, I've been on this thing a million times."

Kids.

Jason's kid, Spencer Jack, is going to Disneyland for Christmas. I don't know if Spencer Jack is going to ride the Disneyland Monorail.

I hope Grandma Janet remembers not to violate the strict Blue & Max House Prohibition Against Any Repetitive Noises. The penalty for such a violation ain't pretty.

It Is Almost Freezing In Texas On The 3rd Saturday Of December While I Ponder The Barefoot Bandit & Japanese Tsunami Flotsam

It appears, looking at the outer world, via my primary viewing portal, that, even though it is currently one degree above freezing at my location, that frost is between me and a clear view of the dawn of the third Saturday of the last month of 2011, Day 17.

One week til Christmas Eve.

Two weeks til New Year's Eve.

Two weeks and one day til the New Year of 2012.

This morning I was bugged to read that up in Washington the Barefoot Bandit, Colton Harris-Moore, was sentenced to seven years in prison after pleading guilty to dozens of charges in the State of Washington. Colton faces additional federal charges and additional time, to be served concurrently, at a later sentencing.

The Barefoot Bandit is only 20 years old. He was a teenager when he was doing his banditting.

The Judge in Colton's sentencing, Vickie Churchill, said, "this case is a tragedy in many ways, but it's a triumph of the human spirit in other ways." She described Harris-Moore's upbringing as a "mind numbing absence of hope," and believed he was genuinely remorseful and contrite.

The Barefoot Bandit has said he plans to make restitution using the money coming his way for book and movie rights. He is banned from using such money for himself.

I know of at least one criminal in Washington who stole hundreds of thousands of dollars, made no restitution, plead guilty and did only 3 days jail time and six months house arrest and did not pay any of the court ordered restitution. And this was a 40 something woman committing this crime. The only lasting debt paid to society by this particular criminal is the idiot is banned from voting due to being a convicted felon.

Methinks all would be better served if the Barefoot Bandit was put in college, with close supervision. This is obviously a very smart kid. He taught himself to fly a plane. Flying a plane is not easy.

In other Washington news of the sort that is not possible to happen in Texas.

Flotsam is washing ashore on the Washington Pacific Coast from the Japanese Tsunami. Beachcombers are finding all sorts of interesting things, including giant fishnet floats.

Beach combing is a fun thing to do. I can't remember the last time I did any beach combing in Texas.

On Top Chef Texas This Week We Learned That Tim Love Owns Fort Worth & Loves Tequila

Tim Love Loving Tequila

I watched a TV show on Wednesday that I keep forgetting to mention, wanting to mention this particular TV show because of its Fort Worth connection.

I am fairly certain that this particular Fort Worth connection is not going to be making anyone outside of Fort Worth Green With Envy.

Anyway.

That is Fort Worth Celebrity Chef, Tim Love, standing next to Padma Lakshmi, in the Top Chef Texas kitchen in Dallas.

In the picture Tim Love is shooting back tequila. He seemed well practiced at shooting back tequila. Perhaps his pal, J.D. Granger, has been giving Tim tequila lessons.

This week the Top Chefs had to cook in the kitchen of Tim Love's Lonesome Dove Western Bistro in the Fort Worth Stockyards.

This was to be the only visit to Fort Worth by Top Chef Texas. Next week they head to Austin.

Months ago there were news reports regarding Top Chef's producers shaking down Texas towns for various perks. I assume in exchange for publicity. Fort Worth must have resisted the shakedown, because all we saw of the Fort Worth Stockyards was a fraction of a second flash of the iconic Fort Worth Stockyards sign. And then we spent the rest of the time in Tim Love's restaurant.

One of the judges on this season of Top Chef is celebrity chef, Hugh Acheson. Hugh is a very amusing Canadian. Amusing Canadians are a rare breed. On his Bravo TV Top Chef Texas Blog, Hugh Acheson had this to say about Tim Love...

"Time to get to Fort Worth. Tim Love owns this town. It’s a great honky-tonk town."

So. In the world of celebrity chefs, apparently, it is known that Tim Love owns Fort Worth.

This is the best explanation yet as to how it was Tim Love got his sweetheart restaurant deal for his new Woodshed restaurant, courtesy of the generosity of his drinking buddy, J.D. Granger, the Trinity River Vision Boondoggle and the Tarrant Regional Water District.

You can read the details of why it was that Tim Love was drinking tequila with Padma on my TV Blog.

Walking With The Indian Ghosts In The Unnatural Village Creek Natural Historical Area

Some Village Creek Trees Naturally Minus Their Leaves

Yesterday lightning bolts striking Fosdic Lake stopped me from getting my daily aerobic stimulation. Today I was not going to let anything stop me from getting my much needed endorphins.

Today I did not go back to Fosdic Lake.

Instead I went to walk with the Indian Ghosts at the Village Creek Natural Historical Area.

Have I ever mentioned that I get calling this area "Historical," but I don't really get identifying it as "Natural"?

It is historical because in this location a series of Indian Villages lay on either side of what is now known as Village Creek, extending for about five miles to the south from near what is present day Lamar Boulevard to the top of a hill on which the largest village was located and which is now the location of the clubhouse of the Lake Arlington Golf Course. 300 acres of corn grew near the villages of Village Creek.

The modern day version of the Village Creek Historical Area contains all sorts of unnatural things.

Like paved trails. And paved pods for picnic tables. With some of the paved pods being quite large with multiple picnic tables. The picnic tables have unnatural fireplaces next to them. There are unnatural benches throughout the "Natural" area. There are two unnatural cement dam/bridges across Village Creek in the 'Natural" area.

A network of power lines runs through the Village Creek "Natural" Area.

Village Creek Natural Sanitary Sewer Vents

Among the most unnatural things in the Village Creek "Natural" Area are big vents for an Arlington Sanitary Sewer line, along with manholes. These look sort of like the unnatural monoliths that got the monkeys all excited in 2001: A Space Odyssey.

At times the malodorousness wafting from the sanitary sewer monoliths is quite unnatural. Today the sanitary sewer monoliths were being particularly unnaturally malodorous.

The unnatural viewing platform that looks out over the Village Creek Blue Bayou is made from planks made from recycled plastic, with a metal railing. Not very "Natural."

There is a mirror on a stick at a bend in the paved trail that I find useful, but totally unnatural.

There are large expanses of mowed lawn in the Village Creek "Natural" Area. Mowed lawns are really not all that natural.

I'm sure there are more unnatural things that I am not remembering, right now, in the Village Creek Natural Historical Area.

I don't know if it is ironic, or not, or simply a signage mistake, but the sign at the west side parking lot, off Dottie Lynn Parkway, says "Village Creek Historical Area." No mention made of this being a "Natural" area, as well as "Historical."

It is the signage you see as you walk from the parking lot onto the paved trail that informs you that this is "Village Creek Natural Historical Area."

It is all very perplexing. And sort of schizophrenic. And one of my favorite parks, even though it is not very "Natural."

The 3rd Friday Of December Thinking About Not Swimming & A Republican Debate

This morning is already the morning of the 3rd Friday of the last month of 2011. Day 16 of December appears, judging from the view from my primary viewing portal on the world to be, currently, free of rain, with a sky only partially covered by clouds.

The outer world is being chilled to only 10 degrees above freezing at this point in time.

After yesterday's aborted attempt, due to lightning strikes, to walk around Fosdic Lake, I am desperate for endorphin inducing aerobic stimulation. I suspect I will find such stimulation somehow, somewhere, today.

Speaking of endorphin inducing stimulation, I made it all the way through last night's Iowa Republican Debate on Fox News.

I don't quite understand why I am finding watching the Republican debates this election season to be entertaining Reality TV.

From watching the debates I've come to an opinion or two. One is, I really do not like Michelle Bachman. She is like some bad substitute for Sarah Palin. Less good looking and, I think, even dumber.And not nearly as likable. I can't stand how she seems to be always squinting and smiling at the same time as she says the dumb, misinformed things she says. I liked Newt Gingrich calling her on her nonsense last night.

I like Ron Paul. Methinks his thinking is in the right place, though he seems to have trouble articulating what he thinks in a way that does not come across as wacky doodle.

I never hold anyone's religion against them. Unless they wear it on their sleeve and try and convince me that I must think what they think.

However, I have long had a bit of a problem with the Mormon religion. Somehow believing that Jesus left Jerusalem and journeyed to the New World where he preached to the Natives is just a tad odd. When the Spaniards arrived in the New World they did not find the Natives practicing Christianity. The Spaniards got very violent trying to force Christianity on the Natives.

So, how do the Mormons explain Jesus' apparent failure in the New World, while he sparked the start of Christianity in the Old World?

This is very perplexing to me.

I knew nothing about Mormonism til I visited the Mormon Tabernacle in Salt Lake City, years ago. And saw murals on walls depicting Jesus ministering to the Native Americans.

Bizarre.

And then there is the comic relief provided by Texas.

Rick Perry.

I actually like Rick Perry more now than I did before all his exposure due to running for President. I had no idea he was such a clueless goofball.

John Huntsman is probably a very competent guy. Saying this is what is known as damning by faint praise.

I don't like Rick Santorum. Don't quite know why. Maybe it's my aversion to people who seem to always be smiling when they talk. Yes, I can be very shallow at times.

And then there is Newt. I have always liked Newt Gingrich. He had me last night, again, when he referenced Thomas Jefferson, once again displaying his knowledge of the actual history of America, as opposed to someone like Michelle Bachman, who was unaware that America has not had an embassy in Iran for decades.

Enough of politics. It is time to go swimming. Unfortunately it is too cold for that.