Feeling 100 Years Old On The Tandy Hills With A Lot Of Ladybird's Century

Yesterday I learned the small pink wildflower, that I'd not noticed before, is called Ladybird's Century. And that the Ladybird's are rare and to not step on them.

So, today I was looking for Ladybird's Century and saw them all over the Tandy Hills, including seeing a big patch as soon as I stepped out of my vehicle at my parking location on top of Tandy Mountain by the Fort Worth Space Needle.

That is that patch in the picture.

I'm thinking the rain a couple days ago must have caused all the Ladybird's Centuries to go into bloom mode.

Are the Ladybirds named after Lady Bird Johnson? She was a big wildflower advocate.

I went to the Tandy Hills earlier than my norm today, hoping the salubrious effect of some aerobicizing would make me feel better.

It didn't. I'm still feeling like I got in a fight and someone slugged me in the gut. Maybe I had a sleepwalking incident last night.

Now I'm hoping lunch alleviates my misery. I just heard the rice cooker click off. Which means it is time for some Chinese food.

My Chesapeake Energy Quiet Sick Zone

I don't know if I'm sick. But I feel sick. I went to bed early last night, dead tired. Woke up tired and feeling like I'd been hit in the gut.

This morning, when I tried to read, my eyes burned like lemon juice was being squirted at me.

Yesterday my next door Chesapeake Energy Barnett Shale Natural Gas well site was acting up, making weird popping noises. Eventually a Chesapeake Energy truck showed up and the popping noises stopped.

This was the second popping noise incident. I've no idea what makes the popping noise. But I do know when the Chesapeake Energy truck shows up the security gate is opened very quickly and the driver drives on to the site at high speed, which sort of indicates to me that the popping noise is something serious.

I think I'll get out of here earlier than my norm and see if generating some endorphins with some aerobic activity has a salubrious effect on my current state of non well being.

A Pink Wildflower Blooms On A Dried Out Tandy Hill While I Have A Royal Conversation

It rained hard here yesterday, early in the evening. Along with some good lightning strikes and thunder booms.

Today, I figured, with it nearing 100, that the Tandy Hills would be dried out from yesterday's deluge. I was correct in this assumption. You would have thought not a drop of water had fallen on the hills.

The dose of water did seem to perk up some of the remaining wildflowers. Like the pink guys you see in the picture.

The Queen of Wink called me this morning. I, once more, did not hear the phone make the noise indicating someone was calling me. When I later flipped open the phone I saw the Queen had called me.

So, I hit the return call button and a miracle occurred. My telecommunication device successfully reached Wink. Yes there were some followup issues that required me to call back. And then to plug the antique thing into a wall.

Now that you're making me think about it, I wonder where my phone is now?

Anyway, yesterday the Queen of Wink called me from Fredericksburg where she'd gone to have sauerkraut and fudge. Such cravings might indicate a baby is on the way. But, I'm almost 100% sure that is not the case.

I can't remember the last time I had sauerkraut and fudge.

The Texas Champion Of Natural Gas Chesapeake Energy

The Texas Champion of Natural Gas, Chesapeake Energy, sends out an E-Newsletter called Barnett Bulletin.

The latest Barnett Bulletin has some interesting information about Chesapeake Energy and the good deeds the company has been up to.

Like in Euless. There used to be a sports bar in Euless called Gators. It was very popular, very successful. It was one of Gar the Texan's favorite places to sing and consume adult beverages. Attached to Gators was a Ramada Inn that had closed down.

A couple years ago, for reasons that made no sense to me, the City of Euless shut down Gators.

And now in this Barnett Bulletin I learn what Chesapeake Energy did to Gators.

Property sees new life at familiar location in Euless

Just recently, two properties in Euless experienced a much-needed “face-lift” when Chesapeake Energy had the buildings demolished by Midwest Wrecking and the area cleaned up.

Located at Hwy. 183 and Murray , the former Ramada Inn and nearby Gator’s Restaurant had become an unattractive part of the landscape over time, due to neglect.

“It’s been an eyesore for a long time,” said Bedford resident Lloyd Hicks. “Now we’ll have beautiful greenery to look at until something else goes in,” added Hicks.

With the help and support of community leaders and various city staff, Chesapeake continues restoring blighted properties to more acceptable standards, allowing the best and highest use of each.

Okay, how is it that Chesapeake Energy "had" buildings demolished in Euless? Is Chesapeake Energy now the shadow government of Euless like it is in Fort Worth?

And in another part of the Barnett Bulletin I learned that Chesapeake Energy is now working with the Fort Worth Independent School District, which would seem to render that independent word a bit ironic.

School may be out, but the learning and fun don't have to stop!

With Chesapeake’s support, the City of Fort Worth and the Fort Worth Independent School District have created a fun and educational program for students to enjoy during the summer.

Yesterday we learned that DISH mayor, Calvin Tillman, is considering leaving DISH to escape the hazards brought to his town, courtesy of Chesapeake Energy and others.

But in the Barnett Bulletin we learn there is nothing wrong in DISH.

State-conducted health study shows no pattern of contamination in DISH

Texas Department of State Health Services study shows no sign of "community-wide" exposure for DISH, Texas residents.

Yes, all the Texas state agencies have a very solid record of doing un-biased, accurate testing in their ever vigilant looking out for the welfare of the citizens of Texas.

We Are Storming Tonight In Fort Worth On The 2nd Day Of June

That is the 7 o'clock view from my patio. It is stormy out there. Are we, finally, about to have our first BIG STORM of the year in the Fort Worth zone?

Lightning is busy flashing. Very hard to capture, picture-wise. Thunder is booming. Easier to capture, sound-wise.

Rain is now coming down. Is BIG hail soon to follow?

The rain has now turned torrential. It is getting very windy.

Okay, this is now being a rather WILD storm. You people up in Washington, reading this and currently whining about all that rain you've been having? You have no idea what a really wet thing really bad rain can be.

My power is flickering. Must hit the publish button before I go dead, electrically speaking.

I Chased A Tandy Hills Roadrunner While The Queen Of Wink Was Maybe In Mississippi

I was on the Tandy Hills past 4 today. As you can see it is a bit cloudy. With the cloud cover and a good wind blowing the 91 degrees did not feel HOT.

It was very refreshing. Unlike yesterday.

I was in the Hurst zone around noon. Stopped in at the Hurst ALDI Food Market. I did not have a quarter to release a shopping cart. The ensuing brouhaha probably should have embarrassed me. But I had other things on my mind.

I have now heard from the Queen of Wink. Sort of. My phone has been behaving badly. As in I won't hear the ring, if that's what you still call the annoying noise current phones make, because there is no ring. If someone leaves a Voice Mail I'll hear that noise. If I'm near the phone.

So, I'm at the Tandy Hills and I flipped open the phone to see what time it was. I saw I had 2 missed calls and one message. Both calls were from the Queen of Wink. In the message she told me she was in Fredericksburg and wanted me to call her back to tell her where to have lunch.

Fredericksburg? The Queen of Wink is in Mississippi? I'd not heard she safely returned to Wink from Denver and she's now in the Deep South? And why would she think I know any places to eat in Fredericksburg. I've never been to Mississippi that I remember.

And then I recollected that there is a Fredericksburg in Texas, west of Austin, northwest of San Antonio, south of Enchanted Rock State Park.

I have consumed a food product at a Fredericksburg, Texas eating establishment. But it was an ice cream cone from the McDonald's.

Even though it was several hours later when I got the message and I was sure the Queen of Wink had managed to find a place to have lunch, I called her back to tell her to go to the Fredericksburg McDonald's.

But, once again, I got a no service available message of some sort.

Why do I not hear my phone ring? Do I have a hearing disorder? I hope I don't have to go through that annoying getting a new cell phone ordeal again. Although, today I was shown that one can access Facebook via those new type phones that Apple foisted on the world. There are all sorts of versions of that now.

I have fallen behind technologically speaking. I am very okay with that. I find Facebook annoying. Why would I want it on my phone?

Back to the Tandy Hills. I chased a Roadrunner today! I have never seen a coyote on the Tandy Hills, but I would guess they are there.

Roadrunners are speedy little devils, just as fast as the cartoon version. So, it is not easy to get a good picture.

I wonder if Roadrunners taste like chicken?

We Are About To Hit 100 In The D/FW Metroplex

The National Weather Service is predicting a significant HEAT WAVE is heading our way, in North Texas.

The average date for the first 100 degree day of the year is July 1. Last year the first triple-digit day was on June 23. Followed by 21 more days over 100 before the slow slide to the snows of winter.

I think I've already said I'm not acclimating to the HEAT as well as Texas HOT times past. It is not helpful that my swimming pool is currently not working.

Fort Worth Mayor Supports Fort Worth Nude Beach

The above is not something I see likely happening here, a city sanctioned Fort Worth clothing optional beach, even if the city had a beach where such a thing were possible.

Fort Worth and Seattle have an awful lot in common, well, actually I can only think of one. Both have mayors with the first name of Mike.

Seattle's Mayor Mike has been asking Seattlites what they'd like to see in their town. A lot of people have told the mayor they'd like to see a nude beach, like what Vancouver has in Wreck Beach.

So, the Mayor of Seattle is on board with the idea of turning one of Seattle's beaches into a swimsuit-free zone.

In the picture you are looking at what may be an artist's rendering of what beautiful downtown Fort Worth might look like if its Trinity River Vision Boondoggle ever actually builds a tiny lake on the north end of downtown.

I can't say that I have ever seen a beach anywhere in Fort Worth. It is a good thing to have a beach or two in town.

I don't really see the people of Fort Worth to likely be clamoring for a clothing optional beach in their town, or Fort Worth's Mayor Mike pushing such a proposal, in the same ardent manner he pushes giving breaks to the Barnett Shale Natural Gas Drillers and tax breaks to RadioShack.

So, I guess I'll have to go south to Austin, to Hippie Hollow, to work on my all over tan.

The Toxin-Free Future Of DISH Mayor Calvin Tilllman

That is DISH, Texas Mayor Calvin Tillman, on the right, in front of the Tarrant County Courthouse, early on the morning of March 4, 2010, attending the Carter Avenue Rescue Operation rally.

DISH has not been treated well by the state of Texas and the Barnett Shale Natural Gas Drilling Industry.

DISH has three metering stations, 11 compressor stations, and over 20 pipelines, in less than 2 square miles. This makes for a lot of noise and pollution and property disruption in a very small area.

And serious health issues.

Yesterday Mayor Tillman blogged about just how dire the DISH situation had become for him. The last sentence said to please feel free to share with others.

And so I am....

It is with great difficulty that I post this message.

There have been many of you that have supported me through our battle to save this tiny community. Some of you have supported me for several years now. Some of you have donated to the town’s legal fees, and I appreciate that support. However, I am reaching my breaking point in the fight. On the surface it would appear that this tiny community has won the battle, and in many aspects that is accurate. We have greatly improved the noise level, the aesthetics, and apparently the air quality at the natural gas compressor site. If you were to look at many similar facilities throughout this area, you will find that we likely are home to one the nicest, if not the nicest compressor sites in the entire Barnett Shale. However, we are now starting to get some interesting water out of our water wells. There will be more on our water troubles soon. One thing that troubles me is that almost every night the levels spike in chemicals detected by continuous air monitor that coincides with the odor that we have grown accustomed to.

The continuous air monitor shows us that our air is not toxic and in some cases it is good. However, with the nightly spikes and odor issues, I still have concerns. When these odor events happen, I still get the same old scratchy throat and burning eyes that coincides with the odor. That is not the biggest problem that concerns me. The biggest problem that concerns me is that one of my children frequently is awakened with a nose bleed, an this also seems to coincide with the odor. The monitor shows spikes, but none of the things like benzene gets too elevated. It is possible that something that is not tested for is causing the nosebleeds, or maybe this is just coincidence, but it disturbs me nonetheless. Therefore, it is very likely that I will put my house on the market in the very near future to ensure my children's safety. It is very likely that this will cost me tens of thousands of dollars, but I this point I am considering cutting my losses and just moving on. It is very clear that our state agencies are only in existence to protect the industry, not the general public, so in my view it would be best to be somewhere that you do not need to count on these agencies for your protection.

It is unlikely that the house will sell, even at a bargain, and until it sells it will be my primary residence and therefore, I will remain the mayor of DISH. As long as I am the mayor of DISH, decisions will be made as though I will live here forever. I will do everything in my power to continue helping and supporting the citizens of this community. However, if by some miracle, someone was willing to purchase the property, I would then be forced to resign as mayor. This does not mean that I would walk away from this issue completely; it is just that I would not be able to be in the battle as an elected official, which may hurt my effectivity on the matter.

This option is not set in stone and we could still possibly go in a different direction. There are also a number of questions, such as where am I going to move? Is it worth buying property in Texas, knowing what I now know? How far will the commute be if I can find a place where there is confidence in the air and water quality? So this may or may not happen. It may be that we move into an apartment or a condo, and keep our primary residence in DISH, and just maintain an additional household until the air clears. But currently I am extremely concerned about the health of my children.

There are several things that must be accomplished prior to putting the house on the market, so it will likely be a while before it is listed. In the meanwhile I will be thinking about way that I can can stay involved in this issue. It is also very unlikely that I will be able to sell it for anywhere near what it should be worth. My home is modest, but it sits on six acres, is fenced for horses and has two horse barns. I will try to find comparable property outside of the Barnett Shale and compare to what mine will be on the market for. This may be a very good illustration of exactly how bad this activity can hurt property values, if not accomplished responsibly.

I tell you this so that there is no confusion when word gets out that my house in on the market. We have accomplished many things here in DISH; we have built a nice park, finished out our town hall building, and will soon have one of the nicest libraries in this area, and that will be tough to walk away from. I also have a wonderful group of citizens that have been extremely supportive, who I will fight for till the end. All of this talk may be for nothing, but I wanted all of the good people who have helped and supported me to know the story, before the nasty rumors begin. Thanks again for everything, and please know that I will not stop doing the things I am doing no matter what happens. Please feel free to share with others.

Hiking The Fort Worth Mountains On The 1st Day Of June

You are looking at the 1st day of June Noon view, looking north from atop one of the Tandy Hills.

My swimming pool remains disabled. The filter damage may be worse than feared. Plus the hot tub piping mechanism has developed a woe.

The last time the pool was disabled, if I remember right, weight gain quickly followed. I'll try to not have that happen this time.

My new pseudo doctor, Ph.D Somaphx, prescribed adding lime juice to my hiking water supply. I always do what my doctors tell me, particularly the pseudo ones.

So, I did not have a case of the dizzy vapors today whilst hiking. I do not know if the lime juice helped or if it was that a good wind was blowing and it was only 88 degrees.

Speaking of my doctors, Dr. L.C. rarely tells me what to do anymore. All she ever does is once or twice a day ask me if I'm doing OK. Sometimes I say yes, sometimes I say no.