My Traditional Texas Thai Christmas Dinner

Christmas has me being a weather related housebound victim in Texas this year. I was well prepared for this eventuality.

You are looking at my Traditional Texas Thai Christmas Dinner in the picture.

That is a bowl of Coconut Chicken soup on the left. Those are Coconut Shrimp on the big plate next to Jasmine Rice covered with Stir-Fried Celery, Onion, Green Pepper and Garlic, with a Peach, Apricot Oyster Sauce. The little bowl has a spicy dipping sauce for the Coconut Shrimp.

The only non-traditional thing I had was Blackberry Pie with Vanilla Ice Cream.

The Queen of Wink made Butterscotch Pie. I'd never heard of that before. I had a bad incident with Butterscotch when I was a kid, the details of which I do not remember, but ever since then I have found Butterscotch disturbing. I have a similar problem with bread sticks.

Clearly I have some culinary issues.

I'm sure that pigging out on all this Classic Traditional Christmas food and the weather related inactivity has caused my weight gain problem to grow worse. I must determine a plan to rectify this situation before it slides further out of control with the return of a beer belly and man boobs.

Merry White Christmas From A Skinny Dipping Santa In Texas

The Dallas Morning News article about yesterday's day long Christmas Eve snowstorm called it a blizzard. I thought it looked like a blizzard, heavy wind blowing the snow horizontal, but since I'd had never been in a blizzard I didn't really know for sure.

Three inches were recorded at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, with that three inches being the first Christmas Eve snowfall since the National Weather Service started keeping records in 1898.

The National Weather Service was keeping records where D/FW Airport is located? Way back in 1898?

At times, during the blizzard, visibility was reduced to around a quarter-mile. A lot of flights did not make it out of the airport yesterday on time.

This morning it was well below freezing when the sun came up. Making this a White Christmas. Because it was so windy a lot of the snow got blown into little drifts. I have a little snowdrift outside my front door. The snow had mostly blown away from the cement area around the pool.

We have now gone above freezing so the white stuff is starting to disappear.

Like I said I would, yesterday, despite my therapist Dr. L.C.'s admonishment not to, I went swimming this morning and photo documented it. And like I said I would, all I wore was my Santa cap. I believe this is the first time I've gotten into the pool when it was below 25.

Since the water in the pool was not frozen it was significantly warmer than the air. So the immediate reaction to getting in it was that it felt warmer. I have no idea what the temperature of the water is. We got to almost 80 two days ago.

Thai food is my Christmas feeding theme. With blackberry pie. The feeding is around 2. Don't be late.

The Christmas Eve Snow Continues To Fall In Fort Worth Texas Guaranteeing A White Christmas

It is 5pm, Christmas Eve in Fort Worth, Texas. I am snowbound.

It is 26 degrees. Snow continues to fall. All is blanketed with white.

I canceled my plan to go to Miss Puerto Rico's tonight, due to weather related hazards.

In the photo, that is my swimming suit, from this morning, sitting outside my patio screen door, under cover, yet frozen and covered with snow from the continuing blizzard.

As God is my witness I shall not let this keep me from the pool in the morning. I shall photo document that event, complete with Santa hat. I may skinnydip just to make it more interesting.

Christmas Eve Blizzard Of Blowing Snow Hits Fort Worth & North Texas

Yesterday was warm, almost 80. Overnight it got cold. This morning it started snowing. By the time I got out of here, at noon, it had turned pretty much into a blizzard out there.

The temperature has now fallen to 29. I just heard a long screeching skidding noise out there. The snow continues to fall fast, being blown horizontal by the wind.

Just looked out the window. The snow is starting to stick. This is going to pile up fast now unless the snow stops.

When I escaped here it was to go to the Post Office and Wal-Mart. I have never seen the Wal-Mart/Sam's Club parking lots so full. Inside the store it was a zoo. I don't believe I've ever seen it so busy.

The blowing blizzard added an almost surreal element to the throng of last minute Christmas Eve shoppers.

One thing I'm not understanding is I've still not had to turn on the heat in here. Has that icy water swimming done something dire to my internal thermostat?

Below is a YouTube video of part of my drive to Wal-Mart through the blizzard.

Dying, Mothers & Fighting For Your Ideas In Texas

That's Jonathon Morrow you're looking at. He is a famous blogger.

I'd not heard of Jonathon Morrow til today. I was telling someone about another blogger's most recent blog and it's boneheadedly annoying premise, that being that the No Child Left Behind policy, as practiced in Texas, was causing the education level to be drug down to the Lowest Common Denominator.

As in the smart kids were being held back because the teaching had been dumbed down to the LCD level.

This blogger's solution was to separate the smart from the not so smart, so the not so smart would stop hindering the smart from getting smarter.

This blogger seemed to have no concept of the reality that being the top student in your class does not necessarily mean you are also the smartest student in the class. There are all sorts of things to be smart about, in addition to being able to process a complex math problem.

In days gone by, for the most part, kids with Dyslexia would get labeled stupid because they could not learn to read.

I don't know for sure why I found the LCD blogger's blogging about LCD so disturbing. Maybe it was the arrogant, elitist attitude behind it.

On the same day that the LCD blogger was being boneheaded, the Queen of Wink told me about a problem out in West Texas where a student with a slight learning disorder was being denied special help. The Americans with Disabilities Agency is coming to the rescue.

Speaking of Americans with Disabilities and why we collectively need to help those who need special help brings me back to Jonathon Morrow.

His mother had to fight hard for Jonathon, first off, to live, second off, to get to go to school. Read Jonathon's blogging about Dying, Mothers and Fighting for Your Ideas and then tell me that we should separate those with special needs from those blessed with fewer problems.

Now, the LCD blogger will insist that this was not what he meant. What he doesn't get is who gets to decide who is smarter, who's special need gets helped? Who sets the criteria? If I were the dictator I'd separate those with a Low Social IQ from those with a High Social IQ and put the LSIQ's in a different school from the HSIQ's. This would put me in a different school from the LCD Blogger.

The person who told me about Jonathon Morrow has a High Social IQ. So the story could not be told without a few tears flowing. It's that inspirational. So, read it.

Merry Christmas Eve Morning From Chilly Fort Worth Texas

Merry Christmas Eve Morning from chilly Fort Worth, Texas.

I am waiting for the sun to come up and light up the place so I can see my way to the pool to go swimming.

I'll likely have to wade through some water to get to the pool. I heard wet stuff hitting my bedroom window a lot last night. At times it sounded as if the wet stuff may have been frozen, hitting the window with extreme prejudice.

Yesterday the temperature managed to almost get into the 80s. Overnight a cold front has pushed the warmth away.

The Big Chill will continue to get chillier throughout the day, with possible snow. High winds are supposed to help bring in the Big Chill.

I've had one White Christmas since I've been in Texas. Tomorrow there is no forecast of precipitation in any form. But, if it snows today enough to provide a white cover, there is a chance the white could survive til Christmas morning.

I will be sure to document tomorrow's possible White Texas Christmas with photos, if it happens.

The Fort Worth Fosdic Lake Dam Dead Tree Is Gone But Turtles Remain

The Fosdic Lake Dam Dead Tree, that had been marked by a Big Red X, for at least a year, maybe two, is now gone, with nary a stump, to mark its location.

After I blogged about it, I soon had feedback about the Fosdic Lake Dam Dead Tree and the Fosdic Dam Clearcut.

But that feedback led to another question.

The Dead Tree may be gone from Fosdic Lake Dam in Oakland Lake Park, but live trees remain growing on the dam.

We have added some mountain bike trails to the Fosdic Lake Dam Vision. It's fun to be able to jump in a lake after working up a sweat mountain biking. There are lakes in the Dallas Fort Worth Metroplex, like Lake Joe Pool and Lake Grapevine where one can jump in the lake directly from a mountain bike trail.

But those lakes have snakes. Though I have swum in both Lake Joe Pool and Lake Grapevine without a snake incident, I have had an attacking turtle incident.

The turtle attack occurred in Lake Grapevine on July 12, 2002. I'd been mountain biking the Horseshoe Trails. It was over 100 degrees. At the end of the trail, by a boat launch, there is a dock. I jumped off the dock and started swimming. The water was not all that refreshing, more like luke warm bathwater.

I was about 100 feet out when a giant reptilian head popped out of the water in front of me. SNAKE, my panicked mind told me. I did not know I could swim as fast as I did. So fast I was sore from it for days. When I got safely to shore I was soon to learn it was not a snake trying to kill me, it was a big turtle.

They like to bite. That's why some are called Snapping Turtles.

As I pondered the Fosdic Lake Dam Vision today I saw something sunning itself on a log that may present a problem. A turtle. The turtles will need to find a new home.

It is warm today, windows are open, tomorrow will be in the 20s. When it is cold the turtles disappear. Does anyone know where they go? It perplexes me.

The turtles were not being as skittish today as when it's warmer. But the one in the picture jumped in the water when a jogger clomped by.

Fort Worth's Public Library Is Closed Today While Little Burlington Washington's Is Open

I live close to a Fort Worth Library Branch. On my way to check out Fosdic Lake to work on the Fosdic Lake Dam Vision I wanted to drop off a couple books and get a couple new ones.

But.

The Fort Worth Library was closed. And I could not drop off the books I wanted to return because the book return was blocked by the sign you see in the picture.

As I drove up to the library I saw, maybe, 10 cars in the lot and several people standing by the door, I assumed, waiting for the library to open at noon.

I sat there watching for maybe 5 minutes. Several cars drove on to the lot and left when they spotted the closed sign. Others got out of their car and walked to the door and eventually saw the closed sign. I imagine this will continue all day long

What a waste of time and gas.

So, I got to Fosdic Lake and started to walk. And then I remembered I had the number for the Burlington Library on my phone. I know the librarian.

Burlington is the small town in Washington I grew up in. It's current population is somewhere around 5,000, I think. But the town's population soars during the day due to it being a shopping hub with a big mall, outlet center, Costco, Fred Meyer, I forget what else.

My call to the Burlington Library was answered on the second ring. Try calling the Fort Worth Library and see what happens. I called at 12:15, which made it 10:15 on the West Coast. I asked, "Are you open today?"

"Yes. From 11am til 8pm" the librarian answered.

I told the librarian I was calling from Fort Worth, Texas where I was annoyed to find the library closed today.

It has annoyed me many a time to drive by the Fort Worth Library to see a line of people waiting to get in. It seems such a waste to build libraries and crimp on the hours they are open.

Oh, yes, I know there is a serious budget shortfall, so serious that Fort Worth is abandoning its Trinity River Vision Boondoggle. No, wait, I don't think that's reality, that was a dream I had recently.

Yesterday, when I had my long meeting with Fort Worth Mayor Mike Moncrief and he not only agreed to support the Fosdic Lake Dam Vision, he agreed to use his ill-gotten Conflict of Interest gains to finance the project.

Now, I'm thinking I would be agreeable to scaling back the Fosdic Lake Dam Vision, with Mayor Moncrief donating some of his ill-gotten gains to the city for the specific use of expanding Fort Worth Library hours.

Earlier today I blogged about Seattle being America's most literate city, with Fort Worth being America's 52nd most literate city. I see a connection between little Burlington's library being open today and the Northwest having a high literacy rate and Fort Worth's library being closed today with Fort Worth having a significantly lower literacy rate, with a lot of Fort Worth citizens really wanting their library to be open today.

Shameful and perplexing.

Seattle Is Most Literate City In America While Fort Worth Is Not

BING had a best city skyline contest. The winning photo will be the background on the BING homepage. Seattle photographer Justin Kramer had the winning photo, with his picture of the Seattle skyline.

Speaking of Seattle, yet one more study has Seattle being the #1 most literate city in America.

Cities were ranked based on the number of retail bookstores per 10,000 population, the percentage of adults with a high school diploma or higher, the number of web page views, per capita, of a city's Internet version of a newspaper and the total circulation of a city's newspapers.

The Top 75 cities, with populations over 250,000, were ranked.

The top Texas city is Austin, coming in at #16, followed by Dallas at #48, Forth Worth close on Dallas' heels at #52, Plano tied at #53, Houston at #60, San Antonio at #61, Arlington tied for #70 and El Paso in last place at #75.

It does not shock me, too much, that Fort Worth would be in the bottom third of a study like this. Yesterday's talk with Fort Worth Mayor Mike Moncrief was illuminating. I believe he is a product of the Fort Worth schools which left him sadly lacking in key pieces of knowledge, like what a Conflict of Interest is. Or that pouring a cup of grape Kool-Aid into a river is not going to turn it purple.

If Fort Worth were a more literate city I suspect that more than 6% of the eligible voters would turn out and not re-elect an ethics challenged, Conflicts of Interest-laden mayor, with a 70% of the vote landslide. In other words no one like Mike Moncrief would ever be elected mayor of Seattle.

Another Tandy Hills Fort Worth Police Encounter With A Horse

I've had myself an all jumbled up day. It started off okay with a nice cool dip in the pool. Followed by that lengthy meeting with Fort Worth Mayor Moncrief I mentioned earlier. I did not get around to having lunch til 2.

I'm under my therapist, Dr. L.C.'s, orders to get heavy duty aerobic exercise every day to try and reverse my weight gain and lower my blood pressure.

So, today was the 4th day in a row to hike the Tandy Hills. This afternoon I decided to park by the Tandy Tower at the east entry to the Tandy Hills Natural Sanatorium Area. As you can see in the photo above I was greeted by a Fort Worth Police Car. My fear of a Gestapo encounter increased my heartbeat before I did anything aerobic.

I saw another car parked closer to Tandy Tower. I figured the cop must be chasing someone into the hills. I started heading that way, then heard a noise behind me, someone shouting. I turned to see the Fort Worth Cop.

No. He was not shouting at me. He was shouting at a horse. Trying to get the horse to enter the fenced area of the broadcast buildings. Eventually he succeeded and corralled the horse inside the fenced area you see in the picture.

After the successful corralling the cop walked back towards his cop car. I was concerned I was going to be an object of attention due to some illegal parking issue. And I was not wearing my seatbelt.

So, I said howdy to the cop and asked what the deal was with the horse. He said there'd been reports of a horse running wild in the neighborhood. I told him I'd seen a lot of hoofprints the last time I hiked the Tandy Hills. I think I mentioned that previously, and the fact that posted signs clearly say "No Horses." Apparently this horse does not follow rules and has no respect for authority.

About an hour later I was done with the hiking. As my vehicle came into view I saw the cop had moved his car closer to the horse. What appeared to be a police truck pulling a horse paddy wagon was driving in.

A cop wrangler in a cowboy hat got out of the cop truck.

I did not stay around to see the horse get wrangled. I hope this all has a happy ending and a home is found for the apparently abandoned horse.