A New Year's Day Walk Around The Fosdic Lake Dam Vision In Fort Worth Texas

By this morning yesterday's New Year's Eve drizzling fog had left town, replaced by our more usual Texas blue sky.

I woke up this morning to find my eyes burning and dripping. Eventually that got better. I don't know what's been in the air the past few days that is doing the irritating, but I don't like it.

By noon I felt the need to commune with nature, so I went to Oakland Lake Park to walk around Fosdic Lake.

I saw several guys fishing today. One of the signs warning you not to eat the fish you catch in Fosdic Lake is behind the fisherman in the picture.

The Fosdic Lake Dam Vision would fix Fosdic Lake, which would then make it possible to eat the fish that swim there and to swim with the fish yourself.

I've rarely seen so many people at Oakland Lake Park as I did today. There were about a dozen kids on the tennis court, not playing tennis, but playing on wheeled devices.

At the start of a new year I always see more people in the parks, acting on their resolution to lose weight and get more exercise. The number of people will quickly dwindle as the resolutions fade.

Several dozen people will be hiking on the Tandy Hills tomorrow, starting at 10am.

Tandy Hills Manly Man & Wild Women Saturday Hike Reminder

That's a real manly man hiking the Tandy Hills that you're looking at in the picture. I don't know if the manly man in the picture will make it to tomorrow's hike.

Got an email from Don Young reminding me of the MM & WM Saturday Hill Hiking. With some new information.

The 1st Annual Manly Men & Wild Women - Hike the Hills is on for tomorrow, Saturday, January 2, 2010 @ 10 am. Over 30 brave souls have RSVP'd. Everyone is welcome.

Weather forecast looks good: No rain or snow is expected. Mostly sunny, cool and calm to light winds. Dress warmly but be prepared to shed layers. The hills are very steep. You've been warned!

But this hike is not just about exercise. Tandy Hills Natural Area is scenic year-round. In the Winter, with all the leaves and grass down, you can appreciate the lovely contours of the namesake hills, the winding creeks and see into secret places normally hidden from view.

Hiking boots are recommended due to the occasionally rough terrain and damp conditions. As always, bring water. Hot coffee and cocoa will be available at the sign-up tent.

Lunch after the hike at the 8.0 Bar & Restaurant, downtown FW in Sundance Square. Moderately priced menu for all ages and tastes. Meet in the Octopus Room. Dutch treat. Dress... casual.

See you on the prairie!

DY

Happy New Year & Penguin Dipping From Texas

New Year's Eve was a very rough night for me. Horrible hangover this morning. Horrible.

Okay, the sad truth is on New Year's Eve I went to bed 4 hours before the New Year began. I'd been feeling ailing all day long, so, before 8, I decided to end the misery and go to bed.

This morning I woke up to find something irritating my eyes real bad. As in stinging. I've decided I'm a victim of my Chesapeake Energy neighboring Barnett Shale gas well.

I got a comment yesterday from Sedro Woolley. That is a town in the Skagit Valley of Washington state. The commenter was my favorite commenter, Anonymous. I also get comments from Sedro Woolley from Miss CVB. Anonymous was not Miss CVB because she's a girl and Anonymous said, "This Sedro Woolley boy is doing this tomorrow. Can't wait!!"

What is it that Anonymous can't wait for? Well, it's the Clear Lake Penguin Dip. Clear Lake is a clear lake near Sedro Woolley. On New Year's Day a lot of people strip down and run into the lake and then get warm by a big fire. A great time is had by all.

So, this morning, with it being the first morning of the New Year, I decided to show solidarity with the Clear Lake Penguin Dip and be there in spirit, if not in body. It also seemed somehow fitting that my first blogging of the New Year include the information that I went in the pool this morning.

It was below freezing at the time. I almost had a bad slipping incident when stepping on a frozen puddle at the pool's edge. That could have been all kinds of bad had I slipped. Next day's news, "Mysterious Death, Body Found Floating In Pool New Year's Day."

I am not starting the New Year with any unusual resolutions. Just the regulars, like lose weight to lose that awful beer belly I've grown in the past couple months. And to go visit my mom and dad in Phoenix.

A Cold, Foggy, Drizzling Day Descends On The Morrison Ranch In Fort Worth Texas

Fosdic called around noon wanting to go on a walk. I did not realize we were being pummeled by an ocean-like drizzle this afternoon, here in landlocked Fort Worth.

So, I aborted on the outdoor type walk and went with the pushing a cart around Wal-Mart option.

There were so many human spectacles today at Wal-Mart. It's like some sort of natural Fellini movie.

After Wal-Mart I was driving John T. White Road and I remembered a very odd thing I'd seen on Morrison Road, that I'd previously mentioned to Fosdic.

Celebration Church. It looks like a movie theater bowling alley type place had slammed into a regular church. But what caught my eye, this time, that I'd not seen before, is why Morrison Street is so-named, I assume, because directly across the street from Celebration Church is Morrison Ranch, complete with horses.

The southern border of Morrison Ranch is Interstate 30.

Morrison seems like a good Texas name. I used to know a Morrison up in Washington. Last I saw her she'd grown into a really big girl. I don't think she could possibly get on a horse. Maybe a Clydesdale with a lift assist.

I've lost track of the Morrison girl. I've no contact with anyone who maintains contact with the Morrison girl. Maybe she's slimmed down, moved to Texas and opened the Morrison Ranch for all I know.

Highly unlikely.

Being Poignant With The Queen Of Wink On New Year's Eve

That is the Queen of Wink you're looking at in the picture.

Personally I think wearing a crown around is a bit silly. But, to each her own.

This morning I was surprised to be reading the Queen of Wink's blog to see one of my bloggings referred to as poignant. I don't know that I'd ever thought of myself being poignant before.

I thought the Queen of Wink's blogging about mine being poignant was poignant. And she makes a good point or two.

Which she seems to do, regularly. I guess it must be part of being Regal, that being poignant thing and making good points.

Other than continuing to be poignant, I have no plans for New Year's Eve. The cold, foggy current conditions has my rheumatism acting up. I'm in pain when that happens. A lot of pain. I'm hoping for a pain free 2010, but I'm not overly optimistic about it.

The Outhouses Of Dallas/Fort Worth: Part 4

I have slacked off on my popular Outhouses of Dallas/Fort Worth series of bloggings.

My one longtime reader may remember me being perplexed by the 100s of Outhouses I saw surrounding the new $1.1 billion Dallas Cowboy Stadium in Arlington.

I'd long been appalled by Outhouses I'd see at Arlington's wonderful River Legacy Park.

I thought my Outhouse series would be limited to Arlington. And then I remembered the unfortunate Outhouses I'd seen in Fort Worth, so I expanded the Outhouse search to include the entire Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex. This is going to be a long series. And take a long time.

I'd mentioned in the previous blogging that I went to Gateway Park today with 3 purposes. The third purpose was to take an Outhouse picture. A couple years ago Gateway Park added some very well done, nice-looking soccer/rugby fields. They also added a cement enclosure which holds 4 or 5 Outhouses.

There are a couple other Outhouses, like the one you see in the picture, at various points on the parking lot. The last time I was at the soccer/rugby field a rugby tournament was going on. The parking lot was full. I had to park elsewhere. There was food for sale from several vendors, tacos, BBQ.

But, no Modern Restroom Facilities, or running water with which to wash ones hands. The Outhouses appeared to be heavily used. As in there were lines. Beer was likely being sold.

Regarding what initially got me on this Outhouse fixation, that being the 100s of Outhouses that surround the Dallas Cowboy Stadium, I have yet to hear from anyone telling me if other professional sports stadiums in America are surrounded by 100s of Outhouses.

The only professional sports stadiums I have personal experience with, other than the ones in Arlington, are the Seattle stadium's parking lots, where I do not recollect seeing any Outhouses. I'm thinking those picky, uptight Pacific Northwest sorts with their snooty ways would not look kindly on 100s of Outhouses being stuck on the parking lots of their new stadiums.

Texans are way more easy going. And way more used to Outhouses, I guess.

Is The Texas Commission On Environmental Quality Issuing Permits For The Gas Drillers Taking Trinity River Water?

I had to get outside today, what with the return of blue sky and the surprising, unpredicted jump in temperature, ending our North Texas Fort Worth Deep Freeze. For now.

So, I went to Gateway Park. I had a secondary and a tertiary purpose in addition to my primary purpose, that being going on a walk.

I'll get to my tertiary purpose in a subsequent blogging. My secondary purpose for going to Gateway Park was I wanted to check on the current condition of the Barnett Shale Anonymous Natural Gas Driller's Trinity River water stealing damage to the Trinity River Levee and to see if any fresh water thieving was going on.

As you can see, it is still a muddy mess, but the water suckers have not returned.

I have a good reason this is fresh on my mind.

I was looking through the 2010-2011 Texas Almanac. Fascinating stuff in there. No real Texan should be without this Almanac.

In a section about the Texas water supply, there is a highlighted section under the title Water Regulation.

In the first paragraph it says, "In Texas, surface water belongs to the state and, except for limited amounts of water for household and on-farm livestock use, requires permits for use."

The third paragraph says, "The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality is responsible for permitting and adjudicating surface-water rights and uses. It is the primary regulator of surface water and polices contamination and pollution of both surface and groundwater."

Okay, back to the Gas Drillers sucking water out of the Trinity River. I have asked, previously, if a permit is required. And if so, why is this permit not posted by where the water is being taken?

Apparently Texas law requires a permit if one takes Texas surface water. That water flowing down the Trinity River appears to me to be on the surface. Of course, I'm no expert on such matters.

I may be wrong, but I believe no permits are being required by the City of Fort Worth or the Texas Commission on Water Quality for Gas Drillers to lay down pipelines across public land and take water out of the Trinity.

I believe I've read, more than once, that the quality of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality has been co-opted by having industry stooges on the Commission, thus creating a fox watching the hen house type scenario.

But, this morning I blogged about the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality's new methodology enabling citizens to report suspected Natural Gas Pollution. Have the foxes been removed from this hen house? Or is the TCEQ's new found cooperativeness, with those who hope to clear the air, some sort of toothless ruse?

If the TCEQ is issuing permits to the Gas Drillers to take Trinity River water, in a perfectly legal and environmental appropriate manner, why has no one straightened me out on this? If I'm wrong and permits have been issued, I want to know.

If the TCEQ has issued permits for the Trinity River water to be taken, how much does the permit cost? How much water is allowed to be taken? If these permits exist, why are they not part of some easily accessed public record?

What I actually believe is happening is the Trinity River water is being stolen, illegally, as just one more aspect of the result you get when you have corrupt politicians in office, operating with Conflicts of Interest, giving carte blanche to the Gas Drillers to do whatever they want, for the most part, in Fort Worth.

Fort Worth Mayor Mike Moncrief rakes in more than $600,000 a year from his vested interests in the gas companies drilling holes in his town. Does Moncrief have a rather strong motivation, as in more than 600,000 strong, to look the other way when a little water is stolen? This type thing is why there are strong Conflict of Interest laws, in Texas, currently ignored in the lawless protective bubble known as Fort Worth and surrounding environs.

Fort Worth has a long and storied history of providing a safe haven for crooks. Why, Fort Worth even names its downtown collection of parking lots after a famous crook who used to hang out in downtown Fort Worth, he being The Sundance Kid and those parking lots named Sundance Square.

Texas Commission For Environmental Quality Wants Your Help

Dear Barnett Shale residents and visitors---

PLEASE take advantage of this EZ way to help clean the air.

If you live in or visit anywhere in the Barnett Shale and encounter an odor you suspect is related to natural gas activity in any way, the Texas Commission for Environmental Quality (TCEQ) wants to know about it.

TCEQ has stated publicly that they investigate ALL complaints and will dispatch a field inspector to your door within 12 hours of your complaint. Documentation is a critical first step to obtain the essential data. Your report will enable TCEQ to take enforcement action to stop toxic emissions.

Here's all you need to do.

Step 1- Print out the Odor Log and Nuisance Affidavit forms.

Step 2- Fill out the simple forms, to the best of your recollection, immediately after encountering an odor.

Step 3- Call the toll-free TCEQ Complaint Hotline and register your complaint. 1-888-777-3186

Step 4- When a TCEQ agent arrives, request their ID and hand them the forms. Keep copies for your records.

Step 5- Keep a personal record of your experience with the TCEQ for future reference.

Step 6- Repeat as often as necessary.

Odor Log and Nuisance Affidavit forms

My Sweetwater Texas Rattlesnake Roundup Video Has Been Banned By Some Countries

This morning a comment to my YouTube video of the Sweetwater Rattlesnake Roundup caused me to go to my YouTube account. There I was surprised, first off, to see there have been 100 comments about this video. I read the comments when they come in, but I had no idea they had added up to that high a number.

The second thing to surprise me was to see that there was a copyright dispute regarding the audio soundtrack. I believe I used a Strauss piece of music. He's long dead. Can his music be copyrighted?

The third thing to surprise me was to see that the video has been banned in some countries.

The comments the video generates range from reasonably explaining why rattlesnake roundups should be banned, to totally angry about killing the snakes, to totally angry at the people who think the practice should be banned.

Today's comment seemed both reasonable and angry...

These people are undignified, mentally unstable, pathetic excuses for human beings reveling in animal cruelty at its worst. Roundups need to stop; they are nothing more than disturbing massacres of uniquely beautiful and ecologically indispensable creatures. A twisted delight for twisted people. There is no argument about it. However, the narrow minded people who indulge in these disgraceful activities will either try to argue in their defense, or simply carry on like mindless savages.

Below is the YouTube video that is banned in some countries.

I Am Ready To Use Some Salt Of The Earth To Spice Up Some Gas Barons

Today I watched the most amazing movie. Salt of the Earth. From 1954. I'd never heard of it before. As I watched it I was very perplexed. As in this was good stuff. I figured it was from the 60s. Or 70s. Being from 1954 really surprised me.

This movie had a powerful women's liberation theme that I would have thought not possible in 1954. And it had an incredibly strong anti-establishment theme that I also would have not thought possible in 1954.

After all, 1954 was the era of Red Scares and Commie Baiting and McCarthyism.

Well, it turns out Salt of the Earth is known as the only U.S. blacklisted film. Its writer, director and producer had all been blacklisted by Hollywood during that particularly shameful time in our nation's history.

According to Wikipedia, "The movie became a historical phenomenon and has a cult following due to how the United States establishment (politicians, journalists, studio executives, and other trade unions) dealt with the film."

Ironically, when viewed in 2009, Salt of the Earth seems almost Frank Capraesque in its uplifting Power to the People and Protest is the American Way of Righting Wrongs and Toppling Tyranny message.

Naturally, while I was watching this movie, my thoughts turned to Texas, and the current corruption, oppression and heavy-handed abuse by out of control gas drilling miscreants and their political lackeys, who act as their lapdogs, doing their bidding as the Citizens of the Shale have their property stolen, their air dirtied, their lives made miserable and their basic right to being secure and safe in their own homes eroded by the government that is supposed to protect them.

I'm thinking I'm going to be thinking of a Salt of the Earth type action if it ever comes time to totally stop Chesapeake Energy and Fort Worth's Mayor Mike Moncrief from running non-odorized natural gas under the homes on Carter Avenue.

I'm in the mood for some Rabble Rousing. And I'm sadly perplexed that there is such a need for Rabble Rousing in the Texas of almost 2010.