Time Heals All Wounds & Wounds All Heels

I Googled "time heals all wounds" to find a webpage saying something like "Time Heals All Wounds Except Fatal Ones & Amputations."

Except for fatal wounds, which I have yet to suffer, I have found that time does heal all wounds.

And time really does wound all heels. That karma thing.

If you've never found yourself dealing with a heel in the form of a sociopath, consider yourself lucky.

A sociopath is very confusing. Part of being a sociopath is they learn so many strategies to cover their pathology. Til you figure out what you are dealing with, the confusion can leave the victim very unsettled.

And then comes a moment when there is total clarity and no confusion. At that moment the wound is healed. That is a good moment.

Totally switching subjects from sociopaths and their pathological lying ways, I got some surprising news, a few minutes ago. Without saying too much, suffice to say, someone in Washington is having a baby, who I did not expect to be in that condition.

And.

It's twins! Yikes!

I think I just heard thunder boom. A few minutes ago the National Weather Service put North Texas under a Flash Flood Alert through Thursday.

Dead Calm HOT Hiking On The Tandy Hills

You are looking north, at a trail leading up a hill in the Tandy Hills Natural Area, today, an hour before noon.

It was only 87 when I hit the hills today. But it was HOT. I think the nautical term for why it felt so HOT is that the air was Dead Calm.

As in absolutely no wind, not even a slight breeze. Nothing. No air movement.

I don't know that I have experienced Dead Calm on the Tandy Hills before.

Now, a couple hours later the sky has turned gray. And a wind is blowing. Possible Thunderstorms are in the forecast for today. Earlier a Thunderstorm did not seem likely. Currently it would not surprise me to hear some booming in the distance.

4th of July of 2009 a badly behaving firework device of some kind lit a fire on the Tandy Hills. I saw no similar result of bad behavior today. I think the hills are less brown than last July and may be less prone to catching on fire.

Tomorrow, Dead Calm, or not, I won't be hiking on the Tandy Hills.

Flying Above Fort Worth Looking Down On The Tandy Hills

From the aerial view of the Tandy Hills Natural Area you can see some of the trails. Some are hidden by trees. The big swath of trees, just to the right of the center, is what I call the Emerald Forest of the Tandy Hills.

You can not see it because of the trees, but the Emerald Forest is where the newly spruced up Tandy Highway runs.

Mount Tandy is to the right of the Emerald Forest. In the upper right you can see the red and white Fort Worth Space Needle, sitting on top of Mount Tandy.

I believe the trail to the right of the East Meadowbrook label is what I call Lost Sunglasses Ridge. Above and slightly to the left of the East Meadowbrook label I see what looks like a big rock.

You can not tell it, due to the flatness of the aerial view, but the Tandy Hills landscape is quite hilly. Hence the name. So, it is totally possible that a big rock could have been hidden from my view. Til now. Today I will see if I can find that big rock.

In a few minutes I will be parking by the Fort Worth Space Needle, on top of Mount Tandy, to do me some earlier than the norm hiking. I need to be in Arlington by 3 this afternoon, which wreaks havoc with my regular schedule.

A July 6 Texas Morning Thinking About Gar's Googling & Feral Hogs

You are sitting out on my patio with me, drinking coffee, just after dawn cracked this first Tuesday of July.

As you can see, clouds have been totally removed from our North Texas sky. Or so it seems from my somewhat limited view of the horizon.

There was no early morning swimming for me today. The water in the pool is getting shocked. That means chemicals have been mixed in to keep the water crystal clear and sparkling.

This morning I read a shocking tale of Google Woes on Gar the Texan's Blog. Gar's shocking tale was in contrast with my Google experience this morning. I logged into my Google Account to find that yesterday's Google AdSense was the 2nd highest total ever.

This morning I read in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram that the River Legacy Park feral hogs are getting out of control and are invading surrounding neighborhoods, wreaking havoc with gardens.

I have only seen a herd of River Legacy Park feral hogs one time. They were not very big. But, there was something a bit disturbing about seeing so many little pigs stampeding.

Apparently the City of Arlington Park People don't know what to do to get the feral hog population boom under control. Is hunting allowed in Texas? I think I've heard before that wild pigs make for a good BBQ.

Elsie Hotpepper Replaces Her Pink Peptomobile

Elsie Hotpepper picked me up for a late lunch today.

When she called Elsie told me we would not be riding in the Elsie Peptomobile. Because she had gotten rid of it.

Elsie told me to be looking for a bright yellow car, whilst I was standing at the appointed intersection waiting to be picked up.

I was not just a little surprised to see Elsie drive up behind the wheel of a yellow Bartmobile. It was still the same car. Just a new paint job.

Now, I've been a fan of The Simpsons from the very first episode. But I would not want do drive around in a Bartmobile.

But. Elsie Hotpepper is what we here in these parts call a character. So, I guess driving a Bartmobile fits in with that being a character thing.

So, what fine dining establishment did Elsie Hotpepper take me to?

Jack in the Box. The Drive-Thru Window. I don't even want to remember what I got out of that Jack in the Box window. Elsie had some errands to run, hence the lunch on the road. I am not a huge fan of eating while riding in a car.

But, I had no serious food malfunctions and spilled very little on myself or in the Bartmobile. I found myself a bit relieved to be dropped off, back here, an hour or so later. The Bartmobile made me nervous with Elsie Hotpepper behind the wheel.

Texas Travesty George W. Bush & Other Things Making Me Cranky

Time passes, fresh trauma causes older trauma to fade.

A book I recently read was setting the tone at the start of a chapter, reminding me of something that had faded from memory, what with so much fresh trauma.

This is what I read...

"Front page articles covered campaigning by George W. Bush and Al Gore for the presidential election coming in November 2000.

Some readers worried about more prosaic announcements. The average price of gasoline had leaped to $1.64 per gallon. In other financial news, President Clinton announced that the government's anticipated budget surplus would exceed projections by almost $2 trillion over the next decade-a cornucopia of cash that would make social programs achievable. GOP presidential nominee George W. Bush said the estimates validated his claim that there would be plenty of room in the federal budget for his ambitious plans to cut taxes and still have money for other priorities."

We got George W. Bush as president, with Al Gore having received a couple million more votes than Bush. Clinton had fixed the chronic budget deficit problem. With surpluses in the $trillions projected.

I don't think it made any difference who'd become president as to the horror that happened on 9/11/2001. I do think Al Gore would have led America in a direction different than Bush did, post 9/11.

A couple days ago I saw a legless Vet riding an electric wheel chair device. Were his legs lost in Iraq? Or was it Afghanistan?

I'm pretty much 100% sure had Al Gore become president America would not have started its first pre-emptive war. A wiser president likely would have simply beefed up America's presence in Kuwait and waited out Saddam and his intransigence over Iraq's alleged, now known not to have existed, weapons of mass destruction.

How many billions of dollars have been lost in Iraq? How many lives?

As for Afghanistan, once Al Qaeda had been identified as the 9/11 perps, with their training camps being in Afghanistan, if I had been the president I would have launched a massive attack on the Al Qaeda camps as soon as possible. From the air. No ground troops. No takeover of Afghanistan.

How many billions of dollars have been lost in Afghanistan? How many lives?

What would Al Gore have done differently I can't help but wonder? Would he have put a different perspective on the barbaric, primitive attack than had Bush? Would a President Gore have led the battle against terrorism differently? With a guiding principal being not letting the terrorists cause America to over react in fear and anger.

The Al Qaeda attacks killed almost 3,000 on 9/11. More than that number of Americans have died in the 2 unnecessary wars since 9/11. How many soldiers have been seriously injured? The number is in the thousands.

I believe the War on Terror was basically won on 9/11 when The People onboard Flight 93 fought back and caused the plane to crash in Pennsylvania, rather than its target in Washington, D.C.

Since 9/11 there have been other instances where The People have thwarted a terrorist.

I think what we go through to get on a plane now is ridiculous. We've let the threat of terrorists alter our freedom, way too much. There has to be less intrusive ways to determine if a person poses a threat.

Had Al Gore become President, instead of George W., would we now be seeing those Clinton surpluses, rather than the humongous deficits? Would there have been a financial meltdown? Would the world economy have plummeted to the worst recession since the Great Depression?

I don't know.

What I do know is seeing that legless Veteran yesterday made me cranky.

Hearing CNN or Fox or whatever cable news I had the TV on, trumpeting that, after the break, the story of a soldier who lost all his limbs. I turned off the TV. I don't know which of the unnecessary wars the soldiers limbs were lost in. But, I do know, that this did not need to happen to that soldier, and would not have, had America not been misled by someone who I really think never should have been President of the United States.

A travesty we are still trying to recover from.

The Air Is Clear & The Tandy Hills Are Dry

You are looking at the day after the 4th of July noon view of the stunning skyline of beautiful downtown Fort Worth, looking west from the mud-free, dried out Tandy Hills.

I'd been informed by Don Young, prior to heading out to do some much needed hill hiking, that the hill's trails were not rendering mud.

The air seems to have been temporarily scrubbed clean, thanks to our recent weather turbulence.

It is 88 in my zone of North Texas right now, with the humidity making it feel like 92.

I heard, this morning, from Betty Jo Bouvier, the Wild Woman of Woolley, that she'd overheated while working in her garden, due to the temperature having reached a sweltering 67. I have my air conditioner set at 80. And that feels chilly. I don't think Betty Jo would enjoy a summer visit to Texas.

My favorite TV Star is currently back on the mainland. A strong case is being made for me to head north to have some fun with the aforementioned TV Star, the Wild Woman of Woolley, Miss Camano and others.

July 20 it will be 2 years since I last flew out of here to Seattle, for a month of madness which still reverberates with random madness, at times. It sounds fun to have a relatively relative free visit to the Northwest.

I went to my bank after I was done with my Tandy hiking, to find the bank closed. I guess I should have realized, with the 4th being on a Sunday, that that would turn the holiday into a 3 day weekend. Likely I'll be getting no mail today, either.

The Quiet Blue Sky Dawn Of The Day After The 4th Of July In Texas

You can see from the view from my patio that the day after the 4th of July has dawned almost free of clouds. Rain was in the forecast yesterday, but nary a drop fell on my locale. The wet stuff is also in the forecast for today. I suspect today nary a drop will fall, as well.

I heard not a single firecracker crack in Texas during the 4th of July period. Not one boom.

Last night, over at Miss Puerto Rico's, I did watch a fireworks display. In the distance. About 20 miles north over Lake Grapevine. That was way too distant to hear any booming.

I read this morning, in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, that some Washingtonians were not happy about the non-stop explosions in the days before, during and after the 4th of July. Washington was not part of the Union when the 4th of July became the date of American Independence.

Nor was Texas.

Once Washington joined the Union it has remained, steadfastly, an American state.

Texas, however, joined the American Union and then a short time later left the Union in a act of outrageous rebellion. The American Union then gave Texas a severe spanking and forced Texas back in the American Union.

I'm sure none of this history has anything to do with why the 4th of July is so quiet in Texas. But there must be some explanation somewhere.

I think I am going to test the dryness of the Tandy Hills today. I am in dire need of aerobic stimulation and its resultant endorphins.

4th Of July Walking In The Closed Due To Flooding Village Creek Natural Area From Interlochen

The deluge of rain of late has reduced my hiking/walking options. Today I decided to gamble that Village Creek Natural Historic Area was open, with the "Closed Due To Flooding" gate not blocking the entry.

Well, the Village Creek parking lot off Dottie Lynn Parkway was blocked by the flood gate.

So, I decided to go to the Interlochen side of Village Creek Natural Historic Area. If Village Creek was rampaging over the bridge/dam I could still take a walk through Bob Findlay Linear Park, which is what the Village Creek paved trail exits to.

Well. Village Creek was not flooding over the dam/bridge. Why was the park not open, I wondered, it being the 4th of July, afterall. I figured all the park workers had the day off. I walked into the Natural Historic Area to the other dam/bridge. I walked over that dam/bridge to the bayou overlook, where weeks ago I thought I saw alligators.

The flooding had not left the mess of thick mud it usually leaves. On the way back out of the Natural Historic Area I heard an air blower. A park worker had arrived to re-open the park.

I don't often drive into Interlochen. It's a very nice neighborhood. It is also the location of what is widely believed to be the most over the top Christmas displays in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex.

Interlochen is so named because of the canals and lakes that make up the neighborhood.

The guy for whom the Linear Park is named, Bob Findlay, developed Interlochen Estates. He had the vision to see that converting a bunch of abandoned gravel pits, located in a flood plain, into canals and lakes, would turn the gravel pits into prime home building real estate.

And so it did.

I would love to live in Interlochen, except for one drawback. I am used to quick access to the freeway. Interlochen does not have quick access to the freeway. I am also used to being close to stores. The closest store to Interlochen, I think, is the Wal-Mart Supercenter I frequent most frequently.

It is half past 3 on the 4th of July in Texas and I have yet to hear a single firecracker.

A Slightly Blue Sky 4th Of July Texas Morning With No Firecrackers

The blue sky is not an illusion. The dawn of the 4th of July view from my patio is not gray this morning. Some blue sky has returned over North Texas.

I think this slightly blue sky may be only a temporary respite from rain. The forecast for the 4th of July is a 50% chance of rain. Which usually means it is going to rain a lot.

Rain is in the forecast for each of the next 6 days.

Too much wetness is getting really old. But, I guess it has been a good thing to see brown grass turn back green again.

I think I've said it before, likely on 4th of July last year, but the 4th of July in Texas is so weird. When I moved to Texas, it being the Wild West Cowboy state that it is, I figured the 4th of July would be explosive, with people having way too much fun with fireworks. Much more so than my old location in the refined progressive sophisticated State of Washington.

Where I lived in Mount Vernon (is that not a nice patriotic 4th of July name?) Washington, in a neighborhood called Thunderbird, which was quite hilly, built in a forest of tall cedar and fir trees, the 4th of July was like a war zone.

Neighbors would set up competing fireworks launch zones. Set off a barrage. And then another neighbor would try and top it. There was absolutely nothing forbidding this behavior. In Washington it is very easy to obtain all the explosives you want. All the Indian Reservations have very big Boom Towns.

In Texas I do not believe there are any Boom Towns selling fireworks.

It is the morning of the 4th of July in Texas and I have not heard a single firecracker. The 4th of July will come and go and I likely will not have heard a single firecracker.

I can't help but wonder if in the past some really bad stuff happened here on the 4th of July which led to the repressive firecracker crackdown. It's not like Texans have some sort of innate aversion to things that go boom. Just witness the laidback attitude towards natural gas randomly going boom.

The lack of firecrackers going boom in Texas is very perplexing.