My Defective Walmart Air Bed Somehow Turned Into An OSHA Bed Bug Issue With Me Getting Some Beauty Rest

Last week, after the Super Bowl, I mentioned in a blogging that an air bed that I bought at Walmart had had a massive failure upon first inflation.

Yesterday I stuck the defective air bed back in its box and attempted to return it to "Satisfaction Guaranteed Or Your Money Back" Walmart.

There was no line when I got to the customer service center, which quickly removed one potential annoyance.

I sat the air bed box on the counter and handed the customer service guy the receipt whilst I explained how the air bad had massively failed upon first inflation.

And then the experience turned into a Seinfeld episode.

The customer service guy, in a very friendly manner, told me that it was good that I returned the product in its original box. And that it was good that I had the receipt.

But, if I was wanting my purchase price refunded, that was not possible, because I'd opened the box.

Huh? said I. How would I know the product was defective without opening the box? Walmart sold me a defective product, how can you not give me a refund?

It is an OSHA regulation about bed bugs and air beds, said the customer service guy.

Are you making some sort of joke, said I?

Another customer service person chimed in that it was not a joke, pointing me toward a list stuck to a wall, one of which was an OSHA regulation not allowing the return of air beds, due to bed bugs.

I asked the customer service guy why would the Occupational Safety & Health Administration have a rule about bed bugs and air beds that causes Walmart to not make good on its satisfaction guaranteed guarantee?

The customer service guy then totally empathized with me thinking this was totally nuts.

The customer service guy then told me that while Walmart could not refund the purchase price I could have in-store credit for the amount of the purchase price, or get another air bed of equal or higher price.

Why would I want to go through the bother of trying out another of these INTEK air beds, I asked?

The customer service guy then told me I could get an air bed from another manufacturer as a replacement.

I said something like are you telling me I can go get another air bed, that costs more than the the defective one, from a different brand?

Yes, was the answer.

So, I walked to where the air beds were located and picked up a Queen sized Beautyrest air bed.

The defective INTEK air bed cost something like $59.95, plus tax. The Beautyrest air bed cost $89.95.

I took the Beautyrest air bed to the customer service guy. He quickly made the transaction and had me sign something and gave me a new receipt.

I left Walmart with the new Beautyrest air bed, leaving the INTEK air bed with the customer service guy.

Now, why, if OSHA thinks returned air beds present a bed bug danger, did Walmart keep the possibly bed bug infested air bed?

Why could Walmart not simply refund my money and then stick the possibly bed bug infested air bed in to some HAZMAT container, prior to incineration?

I went to the OSHA website to see if I could find the specific regulation regarding bed bugs and air beds.

I found nothing about air beds. I did find some OSHA bed bug issues.

Googling 'air beds bed bugs' I found that there are people recommending that if you have a bed bug woe that you might want to switch to sleeping on an air bed, because air beds are not happy homes for bed bugs!

Like I said, like a Seinfeld episode....

Don Young's SUPER Bash Report

 

In the picture you are looking at part of the army of Brush Bashers who Bashed Brush the day before the Super Bowl, that being the 1st Saturday of the 2nd month of 2013.

Below is Don Young's amusing account of this year's successful Brush Bash....

There was no power blackout and no delay of game at the, one-day-a-year Brush Bash at Tandy Hills Natural Area on February 2, 2013. But like that other big game last weekend ours game was one for the record book.

About 25 dedicated FOTHNA volunteers backed up by 50 workers from the Sheriff's Dept. took to the field sending more than 236 cubic yards of invasive, prairie-choking, woody plant material to the compost pile. We basically stiff-armed a bunch of privet into oblivion making a touchdown in the process.

City of Fort Worth PACS staff led by playmakers, Bobby Muriel and Billy Roden, went on the offensive, spending several days cutting the brush and treating the stumps at selected locations within the park. Michelle Villafranca and Suzanne Tuttle of the Fort Worth Nature Center & Refuge double-teamed to help oversee the project that follows a key provision of the Master Plan playbook for Tandy Hills. 

The new panoramic view from the Outdoor Classroom benches is like having seats to the Super Bowl on the 50 yard line minus the crowd.

Debora Young and Anne Aldefer were the key FOTHNA staffers huddled on the sideline making sure everything went according to plan and players enjoyed good field position until the play clock ran down. Longtime FOTHNA staffers, Phil Hennen and Myra Waldrop kept the brush moving downfield.

Game Balls went to every single worker who showed up. They were in the red zone most of the day insuring that 2013 was another championship season. Special Teams award goes to Scoutmaster Martin Grunow and the Scouts who helped remove an ancient pile of roofing shingles.

For those who failed to show or were on injured reserve, you will not be penalized BUT you missed a good one. There is no off-season for privet which is perpetually guilty of encroachment. We expect your participation next season. The Hall of Fame awaits you.

Check out post-game photos from FOTHNA super-volunteer, Scott Ausburn, here....

Flood Forces An Alternative Route To Walk With The Village Creek Indian Ghosts Pondering The J.D. Granger Memorial Plaque

Last night a storm dropped a lot of water, in addition to banging my windows with hail, along with some strong thunderstorming.

A storm dropping a lot of water cuts back on my hiking, biking, walking options.

Walking around Fosdick Lake in Oakland Lake Park is always doable, no matter how much flash flooding has flashed.

But, my usual Sunday constitutional takes place at the Village Creek Natural Historical Area where I walk with the Indian Ghosts who haunt the area.

So I drove to my usual entry place for my usual walk with the Indian Ghosts, sort of expecting the parking lot, and park, to be closed, due to flooding.

My park closed by flood expectation turned out to be correct. So, I drove to the east side of the Village Creek Natural Historical Area, to the Interlochen neighborhood. I knew the flooding would either have abated enough to allow a dry creek crossing, or I could just walk the trail in the Bob Findlay Linear Park and avoid Village Creek.

As you can see, via the picture above, at some point during last night's flash flooding water washed over the dam bridge, leaving some driftwood, but, by noon, the bridge was dry, and so I was able to do my regular Sunday walk with the Indian Ghosts, albeit from a different direction.

I was not the only person opting to enter the Village Creek zone via Interlochen. A lot of other people were walking around the "Park Closed Due To Flooding" gate.

Below you see one of those gate crashers walking across the dam bridge that usually is the first one I come to when I enter the park from the regular parking lot.

The water rushing under the dam bridge at high velocity made a very familiar noise which caused me to wonder how long it has been since I've last experienced a real waterfall. Turner Falls up in Oklahoma? Snoqualmie Falls up in Washington? Tandy Falls in Fort Worth?

Speaking of water in Fort Worth.

I have previously read the memorial plaque that you come to when you exit the Village Creek zone to the Bob Findlay Linear Park.

Today I read it again. I found one particular paragraph interesting.

"Bob developed Interlochen Estates, a select residential area featuring a sophisticated lake system. He received national attention on this development for his conversion of abandoned gravel pits located on a flood plain."

Reading the above paragraph had me wondering if some day in the future, 20 or 30 years from now, when, maybe, the Trinity River Vision is actually something someone can see, if a similar plaque might be installed on the shores of Pond Granger honoring the brains behind the TRV Boondoggle, J.D. Granger.

"J.D. developed the Trinity River Vision, a private economic development area with a sophisticated pond, built using public money, with no input from the public in the form of voting for the project. J.D. received national attention for his part in removing existing flood control levees, replaced with a massive flood diversion channel, which failed when first flooded, causing billions of dollars in damage, while losing an untold number of lives."

I somehow really doubt there will one day be a J.D Granger Linear Park in Fort Worth. Then again, I have seen some mighty strange things happen in this town.....

Cold Tandy Hills Hiking With Giant Brush Piles & Asian Pears

View Street Trail View Of Downtown Fort Worth

I was back on the Tandy Hills today, getting myself some salubrious endorphin inducing aerobic stimulation, before going to Town Talk for some shopping stimulation.

Yesterday the view, from the top of Mount Tandy, of the stunning skyline of beautiful downtown Fort Worth, was lit by a bright clear blue sky.

Today's view, from atop View Ridge, on the trail that leads to the Tandy Hills from View Street, was not lit by a bright clear blue sky.

The lack of a bright clear blue sky, mixed with a bit of fogginess, made for a less than stunning view of the skyline of beautiful downtown Fort Worth.

Yesterday I did my hill hiking attired on top with a t-shirt. Today I did my hill hiking attired on top under more than one layer, and still got cold, prior to amping up my heartbeat by running up a steep hill.

During the course of my hill hiking I came upon three other groups of hill hikers, with each hill hiker more appropriately attired than was I.

I think my temperature perception have been thrown off a bit due to the fact that I have gotten wet in the pool the past 3 mornings. I was not going to try swimming this morning, til l woke up my computer and saw the over night low had been 51 degrees, thus making the 24 hour average well above 50, thus meeting my swim temperature criteria.

I will not be making a swimming attempt Sunday morning, due to the fact that the high is barely getting above 50 today.

I forgot to mention, as I walked the View Street Trail to the Tandy Hills I came upon the giant pile of brush you see in the picture.

I assume this giant pile of brush is left over from last Saturday's Tandy Hills Brush Bash.

Is this brush pile awaiting removal? Or is it to be used to make a giant bonfire during the upcoming Prairie Fest 2013, bringing people to the prairie, Saturday, April 27?

I can not remember the last time I experienced a giant bonfire. Homecoming, my senior year of high school?

Changing the subject from lighting up a Texas prairie to Town Talk.

There were an awful lot of Town Talkers today. The parking lot was overflowing, cars were parked on the lawn. Inside the store the congestion was not too stifling and checking out I had no wait.

I got a dozen Town Talk avocados today. I see a lot of guacamole in my future. Along with a lot of Asian Pears. And some White Cheddar Pirate Booty. Plus other stuff.

I did not see the Tamale Kid today working the Town Talk parking lot. I worry about the Tamale Kid.

Hiking The Tandy Hills With Herds Of Dogs Thinking About Dungeness Crab For Lunch

A few days ago, when I was on the summit of Mount Tandy, the fog was so thick that it shrouded in obliteration the stunning skyline of beautiful downtown Fort Worth.

Today, the sky is clear, with downtown Fort Worth back being visible in all its splendor, which you can clearly see looking west across the old wagon trail that leads to where local legend claims the West began.

I came upon a hiking couple today who were hiking with a large herd of dogs of various sizes. All but one of the dogs was not on a leash. The unleashed dogs were very friendly. I did not feel in danger.

I looked for a Trout Lily today. I read in this month's Prairie Notes that the annual appearance of the illusive Trout Lily had arrived. I have yet to find a Trout Lily.

Changing the subject from the Trout Lily to the Best Hamburger in the Pacific Northwest, or, at least, Anacortes.

I heard from Spencer Jack this morning that his dad's restaurant in Anacortes had been determined by scientific data acquisition to have the Best Hamburger in Anacortes.

So, I blogged about this on my Washington Blog in a blogging titled The Fidalgo Drive-In Has The Best Hamburger In Anacortes.

Looking at my nephew's menu has me craving crab, of the Dungeness type. Crab and cod. And halibut and prawns.

And clam chowder.

I wonder if Spencer Jack's dad uses his grandma's (my mom's) clam chowder recipe? Because mom's is the best ever.

My nephew has absolutely no catfish on his menu. I can't imagine why...

Taking A Fort Worth Risk Walking In A Town With A Sidewalk Shortage

Sidewalk Free Bridgewood Drive

 A couple days ago I found myself freshly annoyed regarding the town of Fort Worth's disgraceful neglect regarding installing sidewalks along side way too few of Fort Worth's streets.

I can, maybe, understand not worrying about sidewalks on side streets. But no sidewalks on main roads? Like 4 lane roads which lead to commercial enterprises that people feel the need to walk to?

The thing that freshly annoyed me a couple days ago, regarding Fort Worth's apparent collective disregard for a modern amenity, like sidewalks, was seeing 6 kids on skateboards rolling along sidewalk-free John T. White Road.

John T. White Road is a 4 lane boulevard with a wide grass covered median separating the lanes. I drive John T. White Road to get to my neighborhood Walmart. John T. White Elementary School opened on John T. White Road last year.

It seems only common sense, to me, that you have sidewalks on a road that leads to a school and to a shopping district. And it seems borderline criminally negligent for a city to lack sidewalks on such roads.

Now, the City of Fort Worth can not claim lack of funds as the reason why Fort Worth can not have sidewalks to the level of most modern cities. Fort Worth has so many excess funds that it is spending around $1 billion to build an un-needed flood control economic development project called the Trinity River Vision.

A Little Bit Of Sidewalk Does Not Go A Long Ways

It would seem that any town that can waste money on a goofy boondoggle, like the Trinity River Vision, can surely have itself a Fort Worth Sidewalk Vision.

I was freshly aggravated by Fort Worth's 3rd World-like sidewalk situation when I took a walk through my neighborhood this morning.

The two photos are looking south on Bridgewood Drive. As you can see in the photo at the top, locals have worn a dirt path along the sidewalk-less road.

In the second photo you are looking at a short section of sidewalk, which was installed when one of those ubiquitous dollar stores showed up a few years ago. Across the driveway there is no sidewalk in front of the Firestone store, or the Chevron station next to the Firestone stone.

Sidewalk-less Bridgewood Drive leads to dozens of businesses and restaurants, such as a Home Depot, several fast food joints, and a Luby's.

Would not one think that any city with pretensions of wanting to grow up and wear big city pants, let alone a town which regularly is the Envy of the Nation for various insipid things, would somehow manage to install sidewalks in its densely populated zones?

This subject is very perplexing to me, both the lack of sidewalks subject, and the fact that this lack does not seem to be an issue with anyone but me.

Very perplexing.

Mountain Biking Gateway Park With 5 Pounds Of Blue Cheese

Handlebars Over The Trinity River in Gateway Park

By the time I was riding my two wheel chain driven locomotive device on the mountain bike trail at Gateway Park the ground was dry, totally dry.

This morning, when I made another swimming attempt, by the time I retreated to the hot tub, large drops of precipitation was precipitating. The drops dripping did not last long.

Currently, at the halfway point of this 1st Wednesday afternoon of the 2nd month of 2013, my computer based weather monitoring device is indicating the outer world at my location is being heated to a relatively balmy, for this time of the year, 74 degrees.

So, I have now opened my computer room window. This seems to have quickly raised the temperature in my computer room. Must I resort to having the ceiling fan spin to get some relief from this relentless warmth?

I refuse to turn on the air conditioning.

Unless we go over 80 in the outer world.

Because I was at Gateway Park I went to Town Talk, due to those two locations being neighbors. At Town Talk I got a giant 5 pound bag of blue cheese crumbles. What I am going to do with this much blue cheese I am sitting here, typing and wondering?

I guess I could make several gallons of blue cheese dressing. But then what would I do with several gallons of blue cheese dressing?

Spencer Jack's Possible Girl Friend's Birthday Dreams Come True With First Train Ride

Incoming email from Elsie Hotpepper, subject line: Found! Message in email: Spencer Jack's girlfriend...

In addition to the message in the email being "Spencer Jack's girlfriend", there was also a link to a Yahoo webpage article titled 3-Year-Old's Birthday Dreams Come True With First Train Ride.

From that Yahoo article we learn that all Madeline Dubois wanted for her 3rd birthday was to go on a train ride.

Madeline's dad filmed her ultra-cuteness as she saw the train approaching the station.

The video of Madeline's reaction to the incoming train was first posted on YouTube way back in March of 2011. In the past few days this video has gone viral, with hundreds of thousands of views.

I do not know if Spencer Jack has met fellow train aficionado, Madeline Dubois, yet.

Foggy Tandy Hills Hiking With Disappearing Trees

Fog Shrouded Downtown Fort Worth

When I exited my abode, intending to drive to the Tandy Hills, I was a bit surprised to discover that the ongoing foggy drizzle had rendered the ground at my location very damp.

As I drove west I decided to change my hill hike plan to a walk plan and go to Oakland Lake Park instead.

And then the further west I drove the drier the outer world became. So, I reverted back to the Tandy Hills hike plan.

I parked on top of Mount Tandy and began my foggy hike. As you can see in the above picture, the stunning skyline of beautiful downtown Fort Worth is barely visible through the fog shroud.

I was soon pleased to discover that the trails of the Tandy Hills were totally dry, no mud anywhere.

The picture below shows some of today's dry Tandy trails. And the fogginess.

That hill you see in the background, with a trail leading up it, well, when I hiked up that trail I was a bit startled to see that the big shade tree I've always seen there had disappeared. And then when I got to the top of the trail I was even more surprised to find the area pretty much stripped of all un-natural vegetation.

I had discovered the location, well, at least one of the locations, of last Saturday's Brush Bashing, that being the systematic removal of non-native plants from part of the Tandy Hills prairie.

The Brush Bashing left this area rather bare, as you can see in the above picture. In the heat of summer this used to be a location where I would stand for a bit under the shade of the aforementioned tree.

In the picture, in the center background, you might be able to make out the 8 benches that were recently installed on the Tandy Hills, creating the Tandy Hills Amphitheater, now with a lot more open space.

Today was my first time back on the Tandy Hills in quite some time. I rather enjoyed it. I was not alone in enjoying the Tandy Hills today. I saw several other people doing some salubrious hill hiking.

A Foggy February Texas Swim With Drizzle

Well before this morning's arrival of the sun, my computer based weather monitoring device let me know that a dense fog was in the process of fogging up North Texas.

As you can, see via the view from my pool patio, in  a picture taken around 9, the fog is shrouding visibility so much I can not see Albertsons, which is usually visible in this view.

A couple hours before the foggy picture was taken I left my abode to go swimming.

Yesterday the temperature reached into the 70s. This morning, when I woke up my computer, it was 58. I figured the pool would be more doable than it was yesterday morning.

More doable it indeed was. I lasted about 3 minutes, rather than 1, before I retreated to the hot tub.

The fog was so thick, in the early morn, that a drizzle drizzled heavily, coating the outer world in extreme dampness. It was like being near the ocean with no ocean nearby.

As you can see, via the screencap of the information provided by my computer based weather monitoring device, the sun is predicted to appear, eventually, today, with the temperature scheduled to almost get to 70. I suspect I will make another swim attempt tomorrow morning. It actually is quite enjoyable. Particularly the escape to the hot tub part...