A Trio Of Snowmen In Fort Worth's Gateway Park With Trinity Falls In Mini-Niagara Mode

These snowmen were found today in Gateway Park. Proof that at some point in time someone had some fun playing in the snow in this park.

But today, with the return of blue sky and the snow still being perfectly playable, I saw no playing. I think Texas kids are so unused to the white stuff they don't know how to have fun in it.

That and who is going to have a sled in these parts? I only saw one sled during our latest white period. And it was dinky little one. Maybe some of the parks that have hills, like Veterans Park in Arlington, got more action.

Another problem with Gateway Park and kids having fun playing in the snow there, is the access problem. As in none of the roads that lead to Gateway Park have sidewalks. What sort of lamebrain town builds a nice park, but does not have sidewalks that kids might use to safely walk or bike to the park? That is just irresponsible on the city's part, in my opinion.

The Trinity River is running a lot of water, I assume it's snow melt. I could hear Trinity Falls roaring well before Fort Worth's Niagara came into view.

The melting run-off found a nice path way to the river, provided courtesy of Express Energy Services and the ruts left behind after their recent Trinity River water removal operation.

A lot of erosion is taking place, where previously no erosion took place, because grass protected the underlying dirt from the ravages of fast moving water, but the protective grass was replaced by deep ruts. And a lot of mud.

Speaking of fast moving water, there was a lot of the stuff flowing over Trinity Falls today, rendering the dam/bridge passable only to water. So much water is in the river that it makes the falls shorter.

There are a lot of negative ions released by a waterfall, or so someone told me once. It felt real good in this location today. And the air smelled fresh, as if it had had a good scrubbing.

More snow is in the forecast.

Why can't winter in Texas be warm like it is up in Washington? Everything is being backwards. The Northwest is being warm, Vancouver has a snow shortage, while here in the South, we are cold with a snow surplus. I don't know how much more climate change I can take before it starts to make me cranky.

I Am A Fat Tub Of Texas Lard So I Went Swimming In The Snow This Morning

There is still a lot of snow whiting up the place, Saturday morning, in Texas. I decided, last night, that nothing was going to stop me from my regular early morning routine, Saturday morning, and nothing did.

I learned this morning that walking barefoot on snow is not an unpleasant sensation.

It is currently 33. It was 32 when I went swimming. It is foggy out there. How can there be fog when the air is freezing? Shouldn't those fog droplets freeze and fall to the ground?

I was appalled this morning to have the scale tell me I've reached a new high with this mysterious weight gain problem I've been having. My new high is 206. When I was last in Washington, summer of 2008, I recollect aggravating some of my aggravating female relatives by remarking I weighed less than any adult Jones' girl. At that point I weighed about 175.

I probably still weigh less than any adult Jones' girl, at 206, now that I'm thinking about it.

I figure at my height and activity level I need about 3,000 calories a day. To gain a pound one must consume 2,000 calories above ones caloric needs. I can't figure out how I am adding sufficient calories to account for the weight gain. It's very perplexing.

I have eye witnessed an extremely obese person's feeding habits with it no mystery why the person was so huge. I have none of those bad habits. I don't like candy. I don't do desserts. I don't slather butter on various edibles. I don't gobble down a half gallon of ice cream. I don't particularly care for ice cream. I rarely eat fried food. I don't even eat dinner. My only big feeding of the day is lunch and that is not all that big.

Anyway, I'm very perplexed about turning into a big tub of lard without being able to find the lard, no gut, no fat butt, no man boobs, no double chin. Where is the weight? Maybe I've grown taller. I should find a tape measure and see if that's the answer.

On a totally unrelated note, the Temporary Scrabble Queen of Hawaii seems to have gone missing. I've not gotten a daily update torturing me with tales of being too HOT and snorkeling and having fish tacos, for several days.

The Snow Is Melting & Me & My Fellow Texans Are Out Driving Around Breaking Rules & Being Scofflaws

You are looking east on Randol Mill Road in east Fort Worth, Friday afternoon around 3. As you can see we have had some snow melting.

I'd been outside enjoying the Winter Wonderland in walk mode, but, when I realized the roads were easily doable, I quickly went and did them in fully mechanized mode.

When I got the wheels turning, first, I needed to go to the Post Office. There I found a mysterious, thick envelope from the Queen of Wink. I've not opened it yet. I'm saving it for a special moment. I also found something else that once more sent me to the Chase Bank on Beach Street.

I did not even consider the possibility of having me one of my regular walkabouts on the way to the bank, which would be my regular pattern.

I left the bank and saw that the Trinity River is flooding over Trinity Falls at the infamous location of the Express Energy Services Trinity River Water Withdrawals. It looked so different, all white, with the rutted up, muddied levee, looking all pristine and clean.

I then went to Town Talk. Fewest cars I've ever seen there. Got some good stuff, cheese, hummus and apple cider. Really good apple cider.

It was when I left Town Talk I encountered the Road Closed sign on Randol Mill Road.

I think being all cooped up due to being snowbound had the scofflaw side of my makeup all revved up. I wanted to see what was closing Randol Mill Road. Something dire, I assumed. Maybe the old bridge, that crosses the Trinity River, had finally given up. It's had trucks banned on it for years, which I've also seen ignored, having had encounters, mid-bridge with both big UPS and Fed-Ex trucks.

I suspected if the bridge was the reason for the closure, the Road Closed sign would have been more dire sounding, as in, "Danger Ahead Bridge Out."

I was not long past the Road Closed sign when I encountered an incoming car. I thought maybe they were coming out of the north entrance to Gateway Park.

And then more incoming cars. I got to the infamous Randol Mill Trinity Bridge and encountered the oncoming car you see in the picture.

Prior to this incoming car I saw what I think had the road closed. Some snow damaged tree material was leaning over the road. I hit some when I could not swerve around it, due to one of those incoming cars I mentioned.

I met so many incoming vehicles I assumed only the eastbound lane of Randol Mill was closed. I was wrong. The westbound lanes were more seriously blocked than the eastbound, as you can see in the picture.

Why were so many Texans scofflawing today? Usually we are such a docile people, living in fear of an encounter with the taser wielding Fort Worth Gestapo Stormtroopers and never, ever breaking any rules.

Taking A Snow Covered Tour Of My Zone Of Texas, Fort Worth, The Arctic Of The South

You are looking at the Friday morning view from Miss Puerto Rico's balcony at what 12 inches of snow, give or take an inch, looks like in Fort Worth, Texas.

Miss Puerto Rico called me about 8:30 asking if I could lend some pushing assistance to a stuck vehicle. I'd not helped unstick a vehicle in decades, so that sounded fun.

I made it to the stuck vehicle in about 5 minutes, but it was already unstuck. But I opined that its current location left it vulnerable to other sliders. Moving it to the other side of the parking lot got it stuck again. So, I got in my desired vehicle unstuck help.

That is the unstuck vehicle, the green one, currently stuck in front of the office of the Havenwood Apartments. As you can see there is a lot of snow hanging over the stuck green car.

That is Miss Puerto Rico's Jeep covered with snow. She actually drove it to this location, from her abode, in this snow covered condition. That is Miss PR behind the open door, on the phone, consulting with her boss.

As I wandered around, taking pictures, the snow was falling out of the trees, at times in big bursts. After getting hit by a really big avalanche of snow, I decided it was not a really good idea to be under a snow covered tree. Another good reason not to be under one of the snow covered trees is below.

A limb snapped under the snow weight, toppling over a sidewalk. I suspect before today is done there will be a lot more tree limb snappings happening.

I was going to BBQ and have a picnic today, but the table and BBQing device I use for that activity appears to be not very usable today.

There are mechanized transportation devices out on the roads. I don't think I will be joining them, unless we get a quick melt.

As you can see, this morning I have a lot more cold white vehicle coverage than I showed you yesterday. Even if I cleared off all the snow and ice I don't know if I could make it over the snow hump.

All the snow that fell since I showed you the Snowball Head, yesterday, has dulled its delicate features, like its orange eyes and big toothy grin. I don't think my van is likely being very happy with its thick coat of ice and snow.

I don't think this tree or bush or shrub or whatever it is, that I see from Miss Puerto Rico's balcony, is likely too happy with its covering of ice and snow. It's being very droopy.

This tree seems to have given up in icy cold exasperation and is sticking its snow covered fingers in the air. Now lets go visit this morning's swimming pool with all its extra snow.

Icicles appear to be hanging from yesterday's icicle free fountain. The pool is the color of blue you see when you're on a snow covered mountain and look into a crack in the snow.

The thing sticking up from the center of the snow-covered table is an umbrella in its down position.

If I had known it was doable, and not an iced over, impossible to walk on mess, I would have taken an icy dip this morning. Doesn't it looking inviting? One more pool picture and I'm done with today's look of the Arctic of the South.

The Sheet Of Ice and Snow Has Brought Dead Calm To My Zone Of Fort Worth Texas

The sun has now lit up Friday's extremely white world of North Texas and Fort Worth. The snow total now being reported is 12.4 inches at D/FW Airport by 4am Friday morning. 11.2 inches had fallen by midnight Thursday at the official measuring station.

11.2 inches broke the previous 24 hour snowfall total. The previous record had been 7.8 inches in both 1917 and 1964. This is now the whitest winter in North Texas in 32 years.

It is dead quiet outside. Usually at 7 in the morning, if I step outside, I hear the traffic zooming by on the 820 freeway and traffic on my neighboring surface streets.

But, it is dead calm out there this Friday morning in Fort Worth.

It is still freezing out there. I suspect I will not be able to escape here today by mechanized transport. I may use the bi-ped method to go over to Miss Puerto Rico's to look at the view from her more elevated vantage point. That might be a way too slippery adventure with way too high a painful fall possibility.

The cross country skis should work on today's frozen condition. Maybe I'll use that as my means of locomotion.

Friday Morning With North Texas & Dallas/Fort Worth Under Record Breaking Snowfall, School Canceled, Power Outages

It is over an hour til the sun shows up. The picture I took a few minutes ago, from my patio window, does not do justice to the pile of snow out there.

Thursday's snowstorm continued well after the sun set. By midnight the official National Weather Service location for D/FW, that being Dallas/Fort Worth Airport, had recorded a new one day record of 11.2 inches. And the white stuff was still falling. By 4am the 24 hour total was 12.4 inches.

The snow piled heavy on tree limbs, which by 8pm had wreaked havoc with power lines to the tune of over 70,000 people powerless in the D/FW Metroplex.

Most Dallas/Fort Worth area schools have canceled Friday classes. If you were were supposed to show up in Tarrant County court today due to jury duty, don't bother til Tuesday.

Road conditions are expected to be terrible this morning, possibly impossibly impassible. Currently at a bit past 6am it is 31. The predicted high for today is only 35, which would seem to indicate we will not be seeing any fast melting.

Meanwhile, while we here in the south, in North Texas, are under a thick cold blanket of snow, up north, in Vancouver, desperate measures are in play to get a snow covering on some of the Olympic venues slated to need snow real soon.

Anne Mitchell Acquitted By West Texas Jury After Less Than An Hour Deliberation

Well. What a day. Justice has prevailed in West Texas.

Well, a bit of justice has prevailed, in that Nurse Anne Mitchell has been acquitted by a West Texas jury in a bizarre case where the nurse had been arrested, accused and indicted for committing the imaginary crime of reporting a malpracticing doctor to the appropriate authorities.

Out of the Kermit Nurse Scandal many Kermit dirty deeds have been slithering to the surface, like rattlesnakes in the spring. The Kermit Nurse Scandal may be setting in motion the cleaning up of what, apparently, has long been a really creepy town.

The ridiculous trial part of Nurse Anne Mitchell's Kermit ordeal is over. But that does not mean she is whole. As in restored to her pre, damaged by Dr. Arafiles and Kermit, state.

Anne Mitchell and her fellow victim, Nurse Vickilyn Galle, have civil lawsuits pending in federal court against Winkler county, the Kermit hospital, Dr. Arafiles and various officials, including, I would hope, the obviously corrupt sheriff who worked in cahoots with the malpracticing doctor to have the good nurses arrested. Nurses Mitchell and Galle charge that their firing and indictment violated their 1st Amendment rights and their right to due process.

I love the way America works. When it works the way it is intended to.

Congrats to Nurse Anne Mitchell and those who fought to do the right thing. And the jury.

And now it is time to fire and possibly indict a Kermit sheriff, named Robert L. Roberts. He needs to face jail time via an indictment and a conviction.

I love poetic justice. Oh, I forgot to mention, there is a doctor in Kermit who needs to have his license to practice medicine taken away. Last name Arafiles. He should be easy to locate.

The Great 2010 North Texas Snowstorm Is Now Over 12 Hours Old & It Is Still Snowing In Fort Worth

We are over 12 hours into the biggest snow storm to hit North Texas in decades. It is still snowing hard and still hovering at 32 degrees. In a couple hours it will be a frozen, icy, slippery, dangerous mess out there.

At 3 I decided to brave the elements, once more, to see if I could free a mechanized transport from its white blanket and get mobile.

As you can see in the picture a giant snowball head has grown in front of my snow covered van. The snowball head appears to be wearing a stocking cap, complete with a ball on top and is sporting a toothy grin and big orange eyeballs.

The snowman I showed you previously, the one with the big, misshapen derriere, has gone missing. I suspect that snowman morphed into the big, grinning snowball head.

The conditions are not conducive to a satisfying cross country skiing experience. That requires a more solidly frozen base. The base out there, in places, is a slushy mess. The skis sink to the slush and it becomes a tough, un-fun slog through the snow.

The few drivers I saw on the road appear to be driving with extreme caution. I ran into some icy spots walking, I suspect there are plenty of icy spots, already, on the roads.

As you can see, the other mechanized transport device, that I showed you being inoperable earlier, is now even more inoperable, without a lot of snow and ice removal.

I have never come to possess snow and ice removal equipment of the sort that were always kept in my vehicles in Washington, due to the need here, in Texas, being so rare. Right now I wish I had an ice scraper. Have you ever tried scraping windows with a credit card? It is slow going.

After I was done checking out the snow status of the transport devices I decided to check on the pool.
What you are looking at in the picture is the fountain that flows water into the pool. This creates a soothing babbling brook sound effect that I like at night when my windows are open.

Something about the juxtaposition of the icy blue of the pool and the bright white of the snow makes me want to get into the water. I let the feeling pass without taking any action.

So, that's my Texas Snow Day, so far. As of right now the snow appears to have slowed up quite a bit. It has been at this point several times today, and then come roaring back. Which seems to be happening even as I type.

I keep getting comments, today, from Snow Day Home Bound Garth the Texan, seeming evermore happy as he imbibes in his Kermit doctor prescribed tonic. I think it has a high alcohol content.

The Snow Continues To Pile Up At 2 In The Afternoon In Fort Worth

That is the afternoon view from my patio window, coming up on 2 and hour 11 of the biggest snow storm to hit these parts of Texas in almost 3 decades.

So far we seem to have accumulated between 4 and 5 inches of the white stuff. If the forecast is accurate the freezing faucet should turn off around the 6 inch mark.

Currently, it is still freezing and still snowing hard, with big flakes.

Many people across the D/FW Metroplex are having themselves a Snow Day.

For instance, it appears Garth the Texan is home today, sending out dozens of blog comments, after consuming his doctor's order quota of Irish Coffee. I thought I remembered Garth the Texan telling me he did not like coffee, preferring Dr Pepper. I remember being appalled when I heard that, because I could not see the connection between that sickly sweet cherry flavored drink and coffee.

So, maybe Garth is drinking Irish Dr Pepper and slightly not following his doctor's orders. I assume since Garth's doctor prescribed Irish Whiskey to a diabetic, perennially prone to attacks of the vapors, that Garth's doctor must me one of those infamous Kermit doctors currently making the national/world news.

I could use some of Garth the Texans' Irish Coffee right about now. I'm cold. And going stir crazy. But I don't feel like going through the hassle of going cross country skiing again. It was not all that much fun, with no hills.

Cross Country Skiing Over To Miss Puerto Rico's While The Snow Continues To Fall On Fort Worth

The snow continues to pile up, here in Fort Worth, with 1 hour to go before noon.

I decided to take a slide on the adventurous side and drag my cross country skis out of the closet. I thought the skis had delaminated, but apparently that must have only happened in one of my nightmares.

It has probably been at least 6 years since I've been on cross country skis. It is sort of like riding a bike, roller blading or playing tennis, as in very easy to get back into slipping and sliding mode.

I decided to ski over to Miss Puerto Rico's to get a picture of the white view from her balcony. There are not many vehicles out there mucking up the streets. I only have to negotiate a couple roads between here and the aforementioned balcony. A passing Fort Worth bus did inconvenience me by launching a splash of slushy snow in my direction, which I artfully dodged.

Above you see the aforementioned Fort Worth bus, careening down the hill towards me. I am under the protection of tree leaves, so there is not a lot of snow in the foreground. When the bus passed it caused snow to fall out of the trees, on to me. I did not care much for that unexpected additional snowfall.

My skiing route took me by my pool. You can sort of see why it did not seem like a good idea to go swimming this morning. Although the hot tub likely would have been pleasant, with the falling snowflakes having a nice cooling effect, obviating the need for repeated cool down dips in the pool. The hot tub is that thing you see on the right, spitting water into the pool.

It is still freezing out there and still snowing. The forecast has been changed to an expectation of an accumulation of around 6 inches. D/FW International Airport is having trouble getting planes in the air. And out of the air.

My source for the D/FW Airport information is Jovo the Newshound. Jovo is monitoring the storm from his outpost in Sulphur Springs, where he also plans to go skiing, except without cross country skis. Jovo is going to make his sliding attempt using conventional downhill type skis. Good luck with that, Jovo!

Way too much snow is covering my vehicle right now. I am hoping, if the temperature goes above freezing, clearing the snow will be fairly easy. Then I can escape from here by motorized means. If the snow keeps getting deeper I may go for Round Two of cross country skiing.

While I was sliding around I saw other people out having fun with the snow. I saw one snowball fight, several people taking pictures, one adult pulling 2 kids on a sled and 2 guys working on a snowman.

I have never been a big fan of constructing men from snow. Way too quickly the ball of snow grows way too big and then is way too difficult to lift into position. A properly built, conventional snowman consists of 3 snowballs. According to the Frosty the Snowman Guidebook to Successful Snowman Construction.

My aversion to rolling balls of snow may have something to do with the fact that I've likely not done so since I was a little kid. Now that I'm a big kid I likely would have an easier time of rolling and lifting the heavy balls of frozen water. But, I fear at my almost elderly age and relative frailty, I'd likely manage to put my back out if I were to attempt to build a proper snowman.

Due, likely, to the lack of opportunity to learn snowman building skills, due to the infrequency of snow in this zone of Texas, the snowman I saw this morning was not the most attractive of that species that I've seen. First off, he is made of only 2 balls.

This snowman's front side is covered with a big shirt, leaving the backside completely naked. This snowman's big misshapen rear put me in mind of my visit to Wal-Mart yesterday.

Below is the last snowy Texas view I'm showing you for now. This is the look to the west from my abode, at the forest of trees across the street, all whited up into Winter Wonderland mode.