A Muddy Muggy Texas Day

A lot of rain fell here last night before midnight. By morning the pool was almost overflowing. And significantly cooler, which was a good thing.

Speaking of the weather, and really, I have nothing else to talk about, I'm hearing from people up in the Puget Sound zone of Washington State, being in Full Weather Baby Mode because it is in the 80s. In their defense, most people on the west side of the Cascades do not have air conditioning.

I think I've mentioned it before, but last summer I shivered a long wintery month in Tacoma. It never got higher than the very low 80s the entire month.

When I first arrived I was put into what I called the Arctic, due to it being in the basement and very very cold. After a week of never finding enough blankets to stay warm I petitioned to be moved to the house's upper loft/bedroom, deemed unlivable by the house's occupants, due to their belief that it was too hot, so much so that they did a rare in Western Washington thing by installing 2 window air conditioning units. And even with the air conditioning they still thought it was too hot.

So, I moved into what I called the Tropics. My sister would come up into the Tropics to lecture me about one thing or the other and quickly retreat due what she thought was stifling heat. I do not believe they believed me when I explained that the Tropics was cooler than I keep my place in Texas.

Like I was saying, it rained a lot in the past 24 hours. Today has been dry, so I was able to get to Oakland Lake Park around noon, unlike yesterday's rain aborted attempt. Signs of the deluge were all over, like the mudslide blocking the sidewalk, that you see in the picture.

I think last night's rain and flash flood danger must have totally exhausted Haltom City's #1 Creek Watcher because she has been sending me goofy emails today about our mutual birthdays and my voice and other things I can't repeat.

Remembering A Tacoma Pal

That is a dog named Pal and a mountain named Rainier you're seeing in the picture. The picture was taken in April of 2006. I was in Tacoma taking care of Pal, a talking parrot Hurky, which was way too good at mimicking, and 2 cats, one of whom savagely attacked me, opening up a big gash on my face that left me scarred forever.

That beach that Pal is on is part of Point Defiance Park. That's an enormous city park in Tacoma. I believe the only bigger city park in America is Central Park in New York City.

I first learned that it was fun to take Pal on walks when I stayed in his apartment building for a month in August of 2004. You could not accidentally say the word "walk" within Pal's hearing range, because as soon as he heard the magic word he'd get all excited and go stand by his leash, waiting for it to get attached to him. At that point I'd feel obligated to take Pal on a walk.

I last saw Pal last summer. He'd gotten old. I don't think he went on walks anymore. His humans abandoned Pal one weekend last summer, which made it my duty to lock him up overnight in the garage. This was not as easy as it sounds.

So, last night I learned that Pal has succumbed to the ailments of old age. I'm not a huge dog fan. But Pal was one fun dog. Cute too. My sister in Tacoma also has a pair of cute, fun dogs who like to go on walks, Blue and Max. They are little poodles. Blue and Max are a bit more high maintenance to take on walks than Pal was.

Below is a YouTube video from last summer, going on a walk with Blue and Max at the same Point Defiance beach with the same mountain in the background as the picture above of Pal.

Lightning Damage, Downpours & Flash Flooding In Texas

I got up late after an unusually late night of firefighting. So, I skipped swimming this morning. Around noon I felt the need to escape here by going to Oakland Lake Park.

But the Oakland Lake Park Plan was quickly aborted when the sky decided to go into heavy downpour mode. I'd had enough of getting totally soaked last night and was not in the mood for more of that today.

So, I drove to the scene of last night's lightning strike. That is the wet view, through my windshield and the downpour, of the lightning damage. I was surprised that there was nothing temporarily covering the open roof. I don't know what the people on the lower two floors are doing with all that rain coming in. They seemed quite traumatized last night.

I hear rumbling in the distance. I hope the Haltom City creeks are not rising into flash flood mode.

Wind Chimes Chiming In Texas

I get comments to this blog, over and over again, that sort of scare me by making it real clear that there are a lot of really dumb people out there, yet not so dumb that they can't operate a computer and type on a keyboard. It's very perplexing to me.

A long time ago I blogged about my dislike of wind chimes and the fact that many municipalities tightly regulate the peace and quiet disturbers.

I really don't get what is so hard to understand about the concept that a person should not be making noises that penetrates another person's living space. But, apparently, that common sense good manners concept is lost on some people, as evidenced by the wind chime comment I got yesterday from the ubiquitous Anonymous.

Here is what Anonymous had to say....

Pathetic!! If people want windchimes, they are perfectly entitled to windchimes!! They are not illegal otherwise they would not be able to sell them in the first place! If you want complete peace and quiet, go live in the middle of nowhere with no1 around! Honestly, do people have nothing better to worry about... very sad lives they must lead!!

Seems to me that Anonymous is living him/herself one very sad life. Reading blogs and making idiotic anonymous comments? That really is sort of pathetic.

The below YouTube video is a good example of wind chimes being annoying...

Lightning Fires Burn Up My Night In Fort Worth

Well. I have had myself a wild Sunday night. Sometime around 6 a thunderstorm started up. Soon thereafter, Miss Puerto Rico called me and told me that the lightning was putting on a real good show. She has a great view from her balcony.

So, I told Miss PR I'd be right over.

When I drove onto Miss PR's property I found myself following firetrucks. And then I found myself waved off from driving further. So, I parked and walked in. The smell of smoke was heavy in the air, even with the heavy rain.

I was soon face to face with a building on fire. I saw Miss PR. Walked over to her. She was in full panic mode. Miss PR manages these buildings. It was a lightning strike that started the fire. Talking to a couple who lived on the ground floor of the 3 story building, I was surprised at their account of how the lightning flashed through their apartment, zapping out of fixtures, popping out lights.

This is the 2nd time I have seen the Fort Worth Fire Department in action. I have not a single word of criticism that I would direct towards them. Unlike the Fort Worth Police. Ironically, a fellow watcher, he being a resident of the ground floor apartment below the one on fire, echoed my sentiment regarding the Fort Worth Gestapo. He had had some run-ins with the FW Gestapo. And he was being impressed with the FW Firemen.

The fire kept re-starting. At one point a huge pulse of water shot through the roof, blasting us on the ground with water and debris. And still the fire did not die.

I did not get a good picture of the flames when they were being their most flameworthy. It got a bit chaotic at times and there were rain issues.

As you can see, the smoke and rain made for diminished visibility. As darkness turned out the lights, the firetrucks retreated, the apartment dwellers were directed to temporary dwellings. It seemed to me like a situation that could have had a much worse outcome, had a good outcome. The Fort Worth Firemen were on the scene incredibly fast. I was impressed. Now, if they could only teach the Fort Worth Police to Protect and Serve with equal high quality, well, Fort Worth might see itself taking one small step forward.

Dangling Shoes, Possums, Catfish Killing Watersnakes & A Queenly Mystery Stalker In Texas

On the way to Village Creek Natural Historic Area I saw a pair of shoes dangling from a wire, way up high. How did they get there? Why did they get there? Very perplexing.

There were a lot of people at Village Creek today. When I pulled into the parking lot I saw a guy releasing a small possum. I have seen a lot of possums released at this park over the years. Makes me think a lot more have been let go than the ones I've managed to see. Possums are kind of cute. Sort of like armadillos without a shell.

There were a couple guys acting a bit odd by the first dam/bridge creek crossing. I asked what they were looking at. I was told they had been watching a watersnake catch a catfish. I saw nothing. Later I came upon them again at the other dam/bridge creek crossing. Due to the drought Village Creek is not running much water. One of the guys climbed into one of the culverts through which the creek flows under the dam/bridge. The other guy was at the other end of the culvert. I asked what they were looking at now. I was told a big turtle had gone into the culvert.

The location of the big turtle is where I had my one and only combo encounter with a water moccasin and a garfish. No way would I go in one of those culverts.

My day started off fine with the usual morning swim, then I dealt with the Dallas Farmers Market for a bit.

By mid-morning I had heard from my snitches, telling me that the Queen of Wink had blogged about me again. I find this terribly unsettling. I can not read her blog due to the Wink Queen used her extremely highly evolved computer skills to somehow cause my browser to freeze up if I try to look at her blog. Apparently, once she successfully blocked me, she began blogging about me. Like I said, very unsettling.

Apparently the Queen of Wink believes me to be a big mystery that she has been unable to solve, despite diligent effort. And so she says she is coming to Fort Worth, next month, to solve the mystery. Forewarned, I have tightened security and am employing defensive measures that should allow me to keep my privacy unbreeched. I hope.

Scorched Prairie, Dodging Gestapo Agents & Being Depressed In Texas

The scorched prairie at the Tandy Hills Natural Area covers a larger area than I expected to see burned. In the photo you are looking at the remains of 2 prickly pear cactus patches surrounded by blackened ground.

It is going to be interesting to watch the burned area come back to life. A fire like this returns the prairie to its natural state, getting rid of the predators, like Mesquite trees. It would be a good thing if a way could be found to safely burn the rest of the Natural Area.

We were predicted to hit 101 today. But, coming up on half past 3 we are still chilling at 99. I was in the pool early this morning. The water still retained a pleasant chill. That won't last long if we get a string of 100 degree plus days.

I parked at my new Tandy Hills hiking launch spot at the top of Tandy Mountain, off the streets guarded by the Fort Worth Gestapo. I figure this new parking location saves me about a mile. 20 trips to go hiking the Tandy Hills and that saved mile will amount to a gallon of gas saved. I am all about being conservative.

The Queen of Wink has got me thinking about all I miss about living in the Pacific Northwest. The abundance of fresh produce, seafood, flowers growing everywhere, the smell of evergreen trees perfuming the air. You don't notice that constant Christmas tree smell til you move away for a few years and then return.

By July most of the hiking trails in the Cascades are free of snow and open. I can not remember the last time I hiked up an actual mountain. That's depressing to think about. So, I'll stop thinking about it now. And switch to plotting moving back to the Northwest. I sort of miss living in a participatory democracy where freedom reigns supreme.

A Non-Texan Kooky Washington Cop Story

I got email from Erik M. of Fort Worth this morning. This is what Erik had to say...

Durango,

I came across this article and thought it might make your day, sounds familiar. Looks like Washington also has Gestapo police, I wonder if they are as bad as in Texas?

Erik M.

Ft Worth

When I clicked the link and started reading the article, I thought it was an incident that took place in my old home state of Washington. The highway names were not computing with me. Then I realized that this incident took place in the other Washington, that being the one with D.C. as part of its name.

In the Washington D.C. Gestapo incident a guy was driving what he thought was the speed limit, well, actually 3 miles over what he thought was the speed limit of 55. Then a D.C. cop pulled him over, right in front of a sign that increased the speed limit to 65. The cop ticketed the victim for going too slow. An $80 ticket for going 58 mph where the speed limit is 65 mph.

I do not know if President Obama has commented on this latest example of Gestapo stupidity.

Maybe there should be some sort of Universal Common Sense test that cops must pass before they are allowed to join the force. I wonder how much all this over policing, over regulating costs the economy? It's perplexing.

Fire & Rain & Bluebells @ Tandy Hills

I've been forgetting to blog this real good incoming from Don Young for a week now. Below is Don Young's latest Prairie Notes. In the notes I finally learn the name of an amazingly hardy wildflower that has been coloring up the Tandy Hills Natural Area (THNA) for weeks now, and is still going strong. I knew of the fire that scorched an area of the Natural Area, but I've not seen it myself. I'll check it out tomorrow.

Prairie Notes #32: July 17, 2009
Summer in the City

A prairie needs both fire and rain to stay healthy and vigorous. With a little human assistance, Tandy Hills received a little of both yesterday.

The fire, apparently, came from some kids goofing around with fireworks. The "rain" definitely came from a fire-hose wielded by an efficient Fort Worth Fire Department.

A medium sized grassy area west of the Main Trail and about 800' from the street was scorched down to bare soil and rock about 8:00 pm Thursday evening. My neighbor on View Street just happened to see the flames from her front yard and made a 911 call. (I only wish she had waited a little longer and we would have had a better burn.)

Friday morning, we found a customized bottle rocket near the burned area. It appears that some neighborhood kids are keeping alive the grand tradition of carelessly playing with fire. With their help, parts of THNA are thriving. There have been discussions about a controlled burn at THNA after more of the woody growth is removed, so keep your Brush Bash tools handy.

Speaking of grand traditions, as they have for thousands of years, Texas Bluebells (Eustoma exaltatum ssp. russellianum) are once again laughing in the face of drought and producing a gorgeous display of dreamy Summer blooms. You owe it to yourself to hike in for a look-see.

Another Summer bloomer is White Prairie Clover (Petalostemum multiflorum). Like Bluebells, it is one of the few plants that can take the heat and look good doing it. The grasses, on the other hand, need rain.

Come to the meadow, soon, and do a Rain Dance so the grasses at THNA will reach their potential and sway in chilly winds of Autumn.

DY

A Single Mom Raising 2 Kids On A Texas Lake

That is Oakland Lake in the picture. I don't know how safe it is to raise baby birds on Oakland Lake, what with all the warning signs about the possibly dangerous fish.

This bird group was an interesting family unit. I first saw them onshore. The pair in the lead seemed to be a couple, with the mother appearing to be a single parent. I think it's nice that the bird world is no nicely integrated, with black birds pairing with white birds, with no one fluttering a feather over it.

It also seemed nice that the pair of lovebirds seemed to be looking out for the single mom. It can not be easy trying to raise 2 kids on a contaminated lake, all alone.

All the HOT days have Oakland Lake turning a very nice shade of green, on some parts of the lake. It was not very warm when I took off to head to Oakland Lake Park, in the low 80s with a breeze. It is now 90 with a breeze. Tomorrow is supposed to be back over 100.

Because it got down to the low 70s, overnight, the pool this morning had dropped quite a few degrees. This is a big improvement over it being too warm from too many HOT days in a row.