Doing Texas Twister Push Ups While Walking Among White Wildflowers In Fort Worth

In my mind I was glaring at Mister Twister when the picture of me doing push-ups was taken.

Yesterday morning, Mister Twister went virtually swimming with me.

Later that day, Mister Twister told me, as best as I can remember, that I am in terrible shape, a big flabby mess and that I needed to start doing a lot of push-ups to get rid of my big ol' man boobs.

Or as Gar the Texan calls them, well his, moobs.

Now, it sort of disturbed me that Mister Twister would focus so much attention on what he said were my pathetically ill-defined sagging pectoral muscles. I think if I thought such thoughts about someone I'd keep it to myself.

Anyway, now that Mister Twister made me aware that I am seriously out of shape, I have followed his advice, as in this morning I did 200 push-ups, or thereabouts. As a result I feel right now as if someone has gut punched me.

Prior to today's amping up of the physical strain I put myself through, my only physical activity has been extremely short pool dips and short walks.

Today I did both the dip and the walk and those 200 push-ups. The walk was around Fosdic Lake in Oakland Lake Park. It seems like the wildflowers are being late to appear. Today I did see several interesting looking fluffy, white flowers.

Yesterday's snowy, extremely cold first day of Spring is now a faded, bad memory. Right now, coming up on 4 in the afternoon it is 66 and I'm back with open windows.

Just as I typed that yesterday's cold is now a faded bad memory I saw incoming email pop up on the other monitor.

In response to me whining about yesterday's Arctic Cold, Miss BS, well, she prefers me to refer to as Miss Oahu, not BS, but that's extra letters to type and I'm all about brevity.

Anyway, Miss O said, "DJ, as the hippy dippy weather man used to say...'tonight's forecast dark with scattered light in the morning...and if you don't like the weather MOVE'. "

Well, turns out I didn't need to MOVE. Yet. It's warm again.

And on a totally unrelated subject, the last of my Missing Persons has been found. The Scrabble Queen of Washington is back in the Evergreen State. And beating me at Scrabble. For the most part. I did score big with "quirk" today. Actually, I score pretty big with "quirk" almost every day, now that you're making me think about it.

Some Genius: Albert Einstein Wanted Socialism To Eliminate The Evils Of Capitalism

There are way too many people, saying way too much, way too often, that the Health Care Reform Bill will ruin the Republic and turn the U.S. into a Socialist State.

It makes my head hurt.

My Uncle Albert liked the idea of Socialism. He seemed to understand what Socialism actually is. In 1949 Albert Einstein had the following to say about Socialism. Does this sound like he's describing the bill that the House passed on Sunday?

"I am convinced there is only one way to eliminate (the) grave evils (of capitalism), namely through the establishment of a socialist economy, accompanied by an educational system which would be oriented toward social goals. In such an economy, the means of production are owned by society itself and are utilized in a planned fashion. A planned economy, which adjusts production to the needs of the community, would distribute the work to be done among all those able to work and would guarantee a livelihood to every man, woman, and child. The education of the individual, in addition to promoting his own innate abilities, would attempt to develop in him a sense of responsibility for his fellow-men in place of the glorification of power and success in our present society."

Uncle Albert was a pretty smart guy. He escaped Nazi Germany to come to America.

Canada has Universal Health Care. The last time I visited Canada it did not seem all that much different than America, sort of like America Lite, with an annoying tendency to end every sentence with "eh".

The bill that passed on Sunday does not change the American Health system into a government run, owned and controlled operation.

I'm of the opinion that it would not be a bad thing if somehow a way was found to provide Americans Universal Health Care. I saw a little girl, about 9, last week at Wal-Mart, with a very bad club foot. This is a treatable condition. Anyone seen any 9 year old Canadian kid with a bad club foot?

I don't get how people can rail against this Health Care Reform bill as being a big, bad, socialist thing.

These same people don't seem to be upset by our public school system, which is a socialized school system.

Or with our public road system, which is a socialized road system.

Or with our military, which is a socialized defense system.

Or with NASA, which is a socialized space system.

Or when a state or the federal government builds a dam.

I'm sure there are plenty of other examples where the government does something that benefits everyone.

The presidents prior to, I think, Andrew Jackson, believed it was not the government's business to build roads or canals.

Would America of 2010 be better off if the government did not act for the collective good? If the government left it to private business to build roads, levees, schools, libraries, dams, power plants or space vehicles?

Anyway, those who are all in worry mode that all is lost and we are sliding down a slippery slope towards a Socialist non-Utopia, read the Wikipedia article about Socialism to get an idea what the word actually means.

The Late In The Day First Day Of Spring View From Miss Puerto Rico's Texas Location

You are looking at the First Day of Spring view from Miss Puerto Rico's Fort Texas balcony.

Yes.

It is a very cold March 21 in Texas.

I do not know when I have been colder on the First Day of Spring. Or if I remember another occasion when that day started with snow on the ground.

I am thinking it is time to move to a warmer climate.

I hear it is HOT in West Texas. Maybe that is where I need to relocate. Or return to Washington, which has turned pretty much tropical compared with the newly Arctic Texas.

Has Al Gore been indicted for his Global Warming Hoax yet?

Missing Persons Found In Texas With A Cold First Day Of Spring

I was in no mood to go hiking today, naked or otherwise. It's just too cold and windy. So, I went to my neighborhood Super Wal-Mart around noon.

Parked next to me I saw the sign you see here in a pickup truck window.

I experimented with that type hiking, last summer, after reading about this being a fad. It was not an enjoyable experience.

I don't know if the moon is full or if the first day of Spring causes kookiness, but I've had my plate full today.

Tootsie Tonasket called with the need to vent about the Tonasket police raids on her gang regarding alleged deer poaching. With it being warm enough in Eastern Washington that Tootise is BBQing today. Something one would not want to do today in my zone of Texas. I assume Tootsie is not BBQing deer meat.

The Queen of Wink is no longer missing. I had a long talk with the Queen. She had a fine time in San Antonio.

Elsie Hotpepper found Steve Doeung, so he is no longer missing.

And in what may be the kookiest thing of the day, Twister is very concerned regarding my undefined pectoral muscles and the need to alleviate this sad situation. Push ups are the prescribed solution. Maybe if I lost that extra 40 pounds I've gained it might prove valuable in this definition resolution problem.

Miss Puerto Rico called while I was doing lunch. I let it go to Voice Mail. I've not visited the Island Girl for a couple weeks. I assume she's left a message asking me to come over. I'll try to refrain from soliciting Miss PR's opinion regarding the sad state of my undefined muscle problem.

It is currently a balmy 45 with the wind continuing to gust. Three more months until Summer. Maybe it'll be warm by then.

Pushing Through Snow Drifts To Go Swimming On The First Day Of Spring In Texas

You're looking at the view of my pool, out the weight room window, with bushes covered with snow, on the first day of Spring in Texas.

If I remember correctly, last year, on the first day of Spring, the water in the pool was already a pleasant temperature and I already had a suntan. Those type Texas days are gone, now that the state, apparently, has decided to re-locate in the Arctic.

When the sun finally got around to lighting up the place, this morning, there was more snow to be seen than I'd expected. Due to the high wind, most areas, like around the pool, were swept clean of the cold stuff.

It is 33 out there right now, coming up on 10am. It was colder than that when I went out, pool-bound, about 8.

In the still photo, extracted from video, you can't tell I was reacting with a bit of a shiver when getting in the water. In the video version I verbalize my reaction to the cold saying something like, wow that's cold.

After I took the video picture I retreated to the Hot Tub to warm up. After that was accomplished I jumped back in the ice, from the deep end, and hurried to the shallow end.

If it weren't for adding an additional 40 pounds of insulative adipose tissue I don't think I'd be able to enjoy these cold morning water experiences. Does a morbidly obese person feel the cold at all? I can't help but wonder.

Still no word from any of the missing persons.

And on a totally unrelated note, the movie star Sandra Bullock is married to a guy named Jesse James. Apparently Jesse was a bad boy and has been in the news lately. Years ago there was another bad boy named Jesse James. Long ago I made a webpage about Jesse James and his imaginary connection to Granbury, Texas, titled "The Truth about Jesse James." Due to people looking for information about the modern day Jesse James bad boy, my webpage about the other Jesse James has gone through the roof, hit wise, due to people Googling for the truth about Jesse James.

Snow Falls On North Texas On The Last Day Of Winter & First Day Of Spring

That is the first day of Spring, 6 in the morning, view from my patio balcony. Note the white stuff on the balcony railing. Apparently the heavy wind kept the snow from sticking to tree limbs.

Yes. It snowed here in formerly non-Arctic Texas, just as the National Weather Service predicted, with the white stuff falling both on the last day of Winter and the first day of Spring.

The flakes began descending yesterday around 5. Because it was so windy, flakes were not making straight vertical descents. Yesterday's flake were minimalist in volume and widely varied in size. By the time the sun turned out its light for the night, no snow had accumulated, at least in my limited view.

When the sun arrives for the first day of Spring, and I'm able to more accurately assess conditions on the ground, I may decide to make my way to the pool and photo document swimming in the snow on the first day of Spring. It is a bit treacherous, with these conditions, to make it to the pool, due to a large pond of water that accumulated yesterday and may be frozen this morning.

On to a totally non-snow related subject. The number of people who have gone missing continues to grow.

Steve Doeung has been missing since Wednesday.

I believe the Queen of Wink has returned from her visit with Shamu or Namu or their descendants, but the Queen seems to be incommunicado, except for one cryptic message.

The Scrabble Queen of Washington has disappeared. She was being the temporary Scrabble Queen of Florida, doing her Scrabbling from a Gulf of Mexico beach location on the Florida panhandle.

Elsie Hotpepper was going to investigate some of these missing person cases, but now Elsie Hotpepper seems to have gone missing.

It is all very perplexing.

Snow In Fort Worth Forecast For First Day Of Spring While Daffodils Bloom & Nerd Gang Battles In Veterans Park

Today is the last day of Winter, despite what you may have read in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Tomorrow, Sunday, is the first day of Spring. And, as you can see, snow is in our forecast, here in Fort Worth, for the first day of Spring.

I got gas today. My one longtime reader may remember that when I get gas I call my mom in Phoenix. So, I called and told my mom about our latest incoming blizzard. Mom thinks it is time I move back to a mild climate, as in, return to the Northwest.

I called my mom from Veterans Park, in Arlington.

Veterans Park reminded me of the Northwest today. I'm not referencing the cold wind and gray sky.

It was all the daffodils that reminded me of where I lived in the Northwest, that being in the Skagit Valley, which is one of the world's top flower bulb producing areas.

In March and April, sometimes earlier, the Skagit Valley turns into a blaze of color, with fields of tulips, daffodils, flags, irises and I forget what else, coloring up the place.

The Skagit Valley Tulip Festival lasts for a month while the bulbs are blooming, drawing in an incredible number of flower gawking tourists. I believe this is being all messed up, up there, this year, due to the record breaking warm Winter.

Also at Veterans Park, today, I saw a Gang of Nerds enjoying a gang fight with what looked like baseball bats. The Gang of Nerds was battling when I arrived and still battling when I left, about 45 minutes later. The high wind had the Wind Chill Factor having it feel somewhere in the 19-20 zone.

Maybe Nerds are impervious to cold. I know I am. I'll have to ask Gar the Texan if he is impervious to cold.

Speaking of cold, I went in the pool this morning. It'd gotten into the 70s yesterday, so the pool was significantly warmer than the air. I did two laps.

When I left Veterans Park I went to that new ALDI German grocery store again. The aforementioned Gar the Texan asked if you had to stick a quarter in a slot to get a grocery cart. I told Gar that I just started pushing a cart, with no quarter impedence.

Well, I don't know how I managed to get that cart my first time at ALDI, but this time a quarter had to be entered into a slot in order to free a cart. Somehow this keeps the carts all lined up and nice and orderly. It's the most German type thing I've noticed in this store. If you don't have a quarter, and really, how many people walk around with a lot of change in their pockets, an ALDI guy while free a cart for you.

Video Of Elsie Hotpepper & The Fort Worth Herd In The Love Shack At The Fort Worth Stockyards

A week ago today I went to the Fort Worth Stockyards to meet up with Elsie Hotpepper, the White Knight, Robin and Fort Worth's Lone Ranger, at the Love Shack.

I shot some video that day and yesterday I finally remembered to turn it into a YouTube video.

In the video you'll get a very brief glimpse of Elsie Hotpepper and the White Knight, with the Fort Worth Stock Yards sign overhead as we leave the Love Shack.

Speaking of the Love Shack. Have I made mention of how disappointed I was in the Love Shack? I'd read all sorts of positive stuff regarding the Love Shack hamburgers, both the Dirty Love Burger and the less dirty Love Burger.

Elsie and I had the less dirty Love Burger. It came with fries and a drink. I had the lemonade option. Elsie had the bottle of Coke option. I had been previously non-plussed over a supposedly really good local hamburger, that being the burger you get at Kincaid's. I found the Kincaid's burger to be nothing special at all. The Love Burger was, maybe, marginally better than the Kincaid's burger.

Elsie was of the same opinion as me regarding the Love Burger.

I remarked that I was expecting the Love Burger to be something really good, like an In & Out Burger. The White Knight is an In & Out fan and knew what I was talking about. The White Knight said that In & Out was planning to enter the D/FW market before the economy tanked. If that happens the locals will be getting their first taste of a really good burger. But, I have been told that Fred's Cafe makes an In & Out worthy burger, which I have not tried.

In addition to the Love Burger being a disappointment, the fries arrived cold. The Love Shack fries are ultra-skinny slivers of spud, hence not a lot of mass to retain heat, I guess. And they were very greasy, as in shining with grease.

Maybe it was an off day at the Love Shack. It was being really busy, as in there was a line waiting to get in. Maybe Tim Love is out of town and his Love Shack cooks were being a bit slack. I don't think I'm willing to try it again to see if last Saturday was an off day.

Neither is Elsie Hotpepper. Yesterday she told me she was taking me out for a burger, but not to any place with "Shack" in the name.

Watch the below video to see Elsie and a lot of cows....

Snow In Texas On The Last Day Of Winter

That is the radar look at the storm that is currently hovering above me.

In the article about today's bad weather, in this Saturday morning's Fort Worth Star-Telegram, it said that today was the start of Spring. I may be wrong, but I'm not wrong as often as that newspaper is wrong, but I believe today is the last day of Winter, with tomorrow, Sunday, March 21, being the first day of Spring.

Rain started hitting my bedroom window during the middle of the night. It continues. The forecast is for the temperature to drop throughout the day, getting into the freezing zone, with the wet stuff possibly turning into wet frozen stuff.

As in snow in Texas on the last day of Winter, or, according to the Star-Telegram calendar, the first day of Spring.

Below is the National Weather Service Winter Weather Advisory (please make note of the fact that the National Weather Service also believes this to be a Winter day).

Tarrant-Dallas-Including The Cities Of, Fort Worth, Arlington, Dallas 4:19 AM CDT Sat Mar 20 2010

Winter Weather Advisory In Effect From 6 PM This Evening To 7 AM CDT Sunday.

The National Weather Service In Fort Worth Has Issued A Winter Weather Advisory For Snow, Which Is In Effect From 6 PM This Evening To 7 AM CDT Sunday.

A Powerful Upper Level Storm System Will Move Across The Region And Result In Widespread Precipitation Across The Area. Rain Is Expected To Become Mixed With Or Change To All Snow This Evening. Snowfall Accumulations In The Advisory Area Are Expected To Average 1/2 Inch On Elevated And Grassy Surfaces, But Northern Dallas County Could See Amounts Up To I Inch. In Addition To The Snow, Strong Winds Of 20 To 25 Mph Tonight May Result In Periods Of Blowing Snow And Reduced Visibilities.

A Winter Weather Advisory Means That Periods Of Winter Precipitation May Cause Travel Difficulties. Be Prepared For Slippery Roads And Plan On Some Travel Delays.

Elsie Hotpepper On The Hunt For Missing Steve Doeung While My Therapist Orders Me Tandy Hills Hiking Due To Incoming Possible Snow

My Physical Therapist, Dr. L.C., had gone missing, just like Carter Avenue's Lone Ranger, Steve Doeung, but Dr. L.C., unlike Steve, showed up this morning, concerned that I had been up since a bit past 4 this morning.

I chose not to go swimming this morning. I don't remember why now. Dr. L.C. told me that there is a chance we might get some snow tomorrow, with the predicted low being 31.

Snow 2/3rds through March? In Texas? Will this Winter nightmare ever end? Well, there is the official end in a couple days with the arrival, cold arrival, of Spring.

With the incoming cold with precipitation in frozen or melted form, Dr. L.C. told me I needed to overly aerobicize myself today. And so I did.

The Tandy Hills was dried out enough to be hiked without getting stuck in the mud. The Tandy River was running higher than I've previously seen it. Fording the rapids of the Tandy River, at the location you see in the picture, was slightly treacherous, but doable, thanks to strategically placed boulders.

Elsie Hotpepper is investigating the disappearance of Steve Doeung. So far, no report from Elsie. The Queen of Wink is also incommunicado, she took an entourage to San Antonio to see Orcas, aka, Killer Whales. The Queen of Wink returns from whale hunting tomorrow. Maybe she will be able to locate the missing Lone Ranger.