KAUZ CBS Bumps Young Sheldon & Ghosts To Air Live Storm Chasing

The above is the short version of the weather forecast for my location, on this 5th day of May. Currently the forecast is erroneous, as there is no fog, not even a hint of fog, just a clear blue cloud-less sky.

That gusty thunderstorm prediction for this afternoon sounds interesting. 

Last night's predicted storm sort of arrived as predicted, sometime between 7 and 8. Rain, distant thunder, a little wind.

By 8 I was ready to watch Young Sheldon and Ghosts, which I had recorded during their scheduled airing time between 7 and 8.

A little after 8, with a big bowl of popcorn, I started up Young Sheldon. It was being amusing, and then a loud honk would interrupt the dialogue, followed by a screen crawl informing the viewers which areas were experiencing some storm action.

The honking interruption happened three or four times. It is quite annoying, what with the fact that the honking is so not needed. That and I was watching something I had recorded, hence the weather warning was irrelevant, as that time of extreme supposed weather danger had passed.

And then it got worse. About half way through Young Sheldon, the KAUZ weatherman, Ken Johnson, with his hands in his pockets, for who knows what reason, broke into Young Sheldon to go live with the important info that Doppler radar had detected a rotating cell, with tornado potential, east of Wichita Falls, near the little bump in the road, along Highway 287, called Bellevue.

Ken Johnson went on and on, breathlessly showing maps showing the possible severe storm action.

And then we switched to live footage of storm trackers trying to track the illusive storm which was so possibly dangerous that interrupting regular programming was warranted.

I hit the fast forward button. On and on it went, cutting back to Ken Johnson, excitedly pointing out the tornado potential. 

Soon fast forwarding went past Young Sheldon to Ghosts. And still we were live with the imaginary weather drama. Halfway through Ghosts being interrupted I had had enough and went to watch something else I had recorded.

In our current era of easily being able to record TV, of streaming, of multiple sources of TV input, is it not extremely stupid for a local station to go live, interrupting its programming because weather conditions might turn into something dangerous at some location in their viewing area?

If you are at home watching TV, you are likely aware of the storm potential. You can read the warnings on the screen. Why is there a need to go live with this type thing?

It is likely at the point in time where the local CBS station went live with all this storm information that most local viewers were not watching network TV, but were watching something streaming, on Amazon Prime, or Netflix, or ROKU, or HULU. Or something pre-recorded.

And this Ken Johnson guy is one of the worst of this type newsman I have ever seen. I remember one time, a couple years ago, he breathlessly went on air, because a rotating cell had been detected north of the local airport. He had a sandwich in hand, he could not get oriented to the screen. It was both highly amusing, and embarrassing.

This Ken Johnson guy is the Ted Baxter of local TV weathermen.

And now, this morning, I went to the KAUZ website to see if there was any news about last night's supposedly dangerous storm. KAUZ is the call letters for the local CBS station.

There was nary a mention, not one, made about last night's weak storm, which somehow warranted interrupting programming.

I had already made note of the fact that no mention was made of last night's storm in the local newspaper, the Wichita Falls Times News Record.

Now, I am certainly not suggesting that these storms are to be taken lightly. They do have deadly potential.

But, how does going live, like what happened last night on KAUZ, make any sense at all?

Doing such would make sense only if somehow there was a means to instantly break into anything being aired on any TV in the potentially affected area. Rather than just issue the dire live warning to the small percentage tuned into KAUZ.

It is so perplexing...

Third Day Of May Thunder & Rain

Just as I was readying myself to exit my abode for my daily constitutional of doing some high-speed walking at one of the various park venues at my location, thunderbolts began striking the ground, followed by rain pouring down in copious amounts.

The view you see photo documented above is what it looks like to look out my computer room window on this drippy morning of the third day of May.

The dripping is not predicted to last long, but, it was also not predicted to begin dripping til later this afternoon. So, methinks we may be having way more drippage than that which was predicted.

I like this type weather. It is like a stereotypical Western Washington winter day. Gray and wet. Not too hot, not too cold...

Traffic Jam Detours Me To Lucy Park Duck Pond

The second day of May is another perfect weather day in North Texas. Blue sky, zero clouds, barely a breeze.

It was to Lucy Park I ventured today for some nature communing.

Upon arrival I found a traffic jam blocking my way to my regular parking location. So, I detoured to another Lucy Park entry, which had me parking by the Lucy Park Duck Pond.

The Lucy Park Duck Pond is primarily populated with geese. But, the park signage calls it the Lucy Park Duck Pond.

It is a scenic Duck Pond. With several bridges across narrow crossings connecting one pond to the next.

One of the bridges is a slightly treacherous crossing with the bridge deck being highly mobile, making passage difficult for those without a firm understanding. I have a firm understanding, but still find passage over that bridge to be a wobbly undertaking.

Thunderstorming is back on our weather menu, beginning later today, on into the following days.

Yesterday, at noon, the tornado sirens were loudly tested. So, we are primed and ready for some dire weather...

May Day Workers Of The World Unite With Sikes Lake Goslings

It was to Sikes Lake I ventured this morning on the first day of May, also known as Workers of the World Unite Day.

A couple days ago I was at Sikes Lake and photo documented a flock of goslings in flotilla mode floating on the lake.

Today that flock of goslings were landlubbers, tiptoeing in waddle mode through a patch of Evening Primroses, which is what you see photo documented above.

The first day of May is a warm one at my location. Clear blue sky, windless, just about as perfect a day as a day can possibly be.

Cinco de Mayo arrives on Friday. I think I shall celebrate that day with tacos. 

Final April Sunday Lucy Park Jungle Walk

On this super sunny last Sunday of the 2023 version of April it was back to the Lucy Park backwoods jungle I ventured today for some fast-walking nature communing.

A warm front blowing in from the south has evicted the cold front that blew in from the north a few days ago, returning the outer world to its pleasantly heated norm.

As in the temperature in the 70s, with no wind blowing. Hence no wind chill.

I thought the Lucy Park backwoods jungle might not be doable due to the recent rain.

I thought wrong.

It was easy to circumvent the flooded low areas. Usually such is not the case at Lucy Park after a rain.

But, currently the Lucy Park backwoods is being regularly mowed, so no tall grass prevents passage over it.

One would not want to try and walk through tall Lucy Park grass due to snakes that might be slithering. So, the new thing of keeping the Lucy Park backwoods jungle mowed is a real good thing...

Sikes Spring Sprung With Gosling Flotilla

This final Saturday of the 2023 version of April is being a mighty fine blue-sky day at my Texas location.

I have not done much nature communing the past couple turbulent thuderstorming days.

So, today I made my way a short distance north to walk around Sikes Lake, along with a lot of others out enjoying the return to non-inclement weather.

You know Spring has totally sprung when you see wildflowers blooming, along with freshly hatched goslings, like the flotilla you see above, which I found floating at the west end of Sikes Lake. A convoy with the goose parental units guarding both ends of the flotilla.

A short distance away I saw another goose family, but this unit had only two goslings, guarded by mom and dad...

Last Century Tulips With Jason & Joey Plus Mount Rainier

Incoming Tulip email, this morning, from my Favorite Nephew Jason, with a Tulip photo from way back in 1988. The explanatory text follows. And following that a new photo of Mount Rainier...

More Skagit flower photos to share…

This one was dated 1988.

Picture must have been taken on a Friday, as Umbarger students were asked to wear Red and White on Fridays. (I usually complied. FNJ2 was usually out of compliance).

This was taken before school in April of ‘88.  

I remember that morning well. We all ate breakfast out that morning.  This was for sure a real treat for me, at a newly opened Burlington restaurant.  I think I enjoyed my Egg McMuffin more that morning than the tulips.  It was better than the usual bowl of Cheerios or Oatmeal. McDonald’s at that time was new to Burlington.  And breakfast was very new to McDonald’s. 

Ironic, that FNJ2 and I and FBJ now live in the same spot 35 years later.

______________________

The Umbarger to which Jason refers is Lucille Umbarger Elementary School. The school colors of which are red and white. FNJ2 is Favorite Nephew Joey. FBJ is Favorite Brother Jake, who is the paternal parental unit of Jason and Joey.

And now the promised Mount Rainier photo.

 A week or so ago, two of my favorite Washingtonians, Chris and Sheila, moved to the new home they had built in the town known as Lacey, a few miles east of Washington's state capitol of Olympia.

Chris and Sheila picked a building lot with a backyard view of Mount Rainier, which is the view you see above.

I was recently asked by a Texan if it makes Washingtonians nervous to be living near so many volcanoes. The answer to that is no. I suppose due to the fact that we grow up in Washington with volcanoes always being a reality. And only one has blown up, Mount St. Helens, in our lifetimes.

Mount Rainier pulling a Mount St. Helens type big boom would be a real real real bad thing...

Mount Rainier Is Showing Off This Morning

I saw that which you see here, this morning, on Facebook. The sort of scenery I do not see at my current location.

No mountains no matter which direction I look, let alone a mountain in the form of a giant volcano.

The view here looks to me to be, maybe, from the Point Defiance area of Tacoma. Or it could be a view from Gig Harbor, which is slightly west of Tacoma, on the Olympic Peninsula side of the Tacoma Narrows.

Previously I thought I would be seeing Mount Rainier in person, this summer. But, currently I have no plan to see such.

Flying out of my current location has not yet returned to the pre-COVID norm.

I have not roadtripped back to Washington since July of 2001, the last of five roadtrips back to Washington, after the move to Texas a year before the turn of the century. 

I do not quite know why a long roadtrip has lost its appeal. Maybe it was that fuel pump failure in July of 2017, leaving me stranded on the freeway a few miles east of Flagstaff, in Arizona.

When one is young one worries not so much about a mishap on the road. When one is what is known as being borderline elderly, such concerns take over from the lackadaisical attitude that predominated decades ago.

I wish America had a high speed rail network like Japan, China and Europe have...

Dark Stormy Thunder Booming Flooding Wednesday At My Wichita Falls Location

The stormy view out my computer room window this morning of the final Wednesday of the 2023 version of April.

Rain has been falling copiously in downpour mode ever since today dawned dark and noisy with thunder booms closely following lightning flashes.

Flooding has made the moat that forms when too much rain falls the most moat I have seen since I have been at this location. 

The moat necessitates taking a detour, through some puddling, to make it to my vehicle's location, under cover, in the carport.

Any nature communing in walk mode will need to happen in Walmart today.

Nature communing in Walmart takes the form of fast walking the aisles whilst being in anthropologic observation mode making note of all the bizarre iterations of humanity who populate the Walmart closest to my home location...

Windy Tuesday Thunder-Free Walk Around Mount Wichita

Lake Wichita Park was my go-to location this final Tuesday of the 2023 version of April, for a windy walk around Mount Wichita.

Today the tide was not out as far as the last visit to this location, a couple weeks ago.

One would not think, so via the photo documentation of the harmless looking sky you see above, but severe weather is on the menu for today.

Rain, hail, wind, thunderstorms and possible tornadoes.

Currently, coming up on two in the afternoon, the forecast appears to be another dud.

Wind blowing in from the south has blown out the cold air that blew in from the north the past couple days. Climate control switched back from HEAT to COOL.