My Tex-Mess Hummus Debacle

A couple weeks ago I bought a bag of garbanzo beans at Town Talk. That bag has been mocking me ever since, reminding me that I bought the bag thinking I'd make hummus out of the garbanzos.

How hard can that be?

It is very easy to find recipes for the world's most popular condiment. All the recipes have you blending the ingredients in a food processor, also known as a blender.

I have that kitchen item covered in the form of a Vita-Mix, bought years go at the Home Show in Seattle's Kingdome. Which seems to indicate I have a very old Vita-Mix.

Early this morning I started boiling the garbanzos. Hours later the beans seemed to have reached some level of doneness.

So, I drained them and dumped them into the Vita-Mix. Then I added some chopped up garlic, olive oil, tahini paste, lemon juice and liquid from the boiled beans.

Put the lid on the Vita-Mix and hit the 'go' button. This did not go too well. I was not getting the mixing action I was hoping for. So, I got out the wooden stick thing that came with the Vita-Mix, that you stick into the stuff you are trying to mix to help it get mixing.

The stick didn't work too well. Soon I could tell I was over working the Vita-Mix motor.

I added some more liquid, kept trying to shove the beans to the mixing blades. Eventually I was a HOT sweaty mess from all this exercise.

I decided the hummus was blended well enough. Then I found that I'd pretty much mixed up a batch of cement. It took about 20 minutes to get the cement plug out of the Vita-Mix.

I tasted what I'd made. It did not taste bad. Blindfolded I don't know if I would have guessed hummus. It does not look too appetizing, which you can clearly see in the picture at the top.

I grew addicted to a constant supply of really good hummus when Town Talk had a constant supply. And then it was gone.

I'll eat the Tex-Mess Hummus I made this morning. But, I won't be making anymore. Probably.

Up Before The Sun Again On a Fort Worth Thursday Colder Than Seattle

You might be able to guess from the dark nature of the view from my patio that I am up, again, way before dawn's crack. And, once more, with no sun lighting up the place, my camera's flash provides the only illumination.

The waking up way too early thing causes me to be tired way too early, thus causing the getting up way too early to repeat.

It's only 78 out there. I turned off the A/C and opened the windows about 2 this morning. I do not recollect ever doing this in July, in Texas, before.

Meanwhile, up in the Pacific Northwest, the locals are in overheating mode due to record breaking temperatures, as in, Seattle hit 90 on Wednesday, breaking a nearly 60 year record, when it got to 88 at Sea-Tac on July 7, 1953.

Today is predicted to be even hotter in the Northwest. In the Northwest few of those hapless souls have air-conditioning in their homes. In addition to rarely having any need for A/C, a heat wave usually only lasts 3 days, at the longest, due to the hot air getting drawn over the Cascades and thus drawing in cool air that had been hovering over the Pacific Ocean.

Our high, here in my Fort Worth zone of Texas, is predicted to hit 88 today. Cooler than Seattle. But, we have no hope, here, of the HOT temperatures drawing in some cool air from the Pacific Ocean. We might draw in some HOT humid tropical air from the Gulf of Mexico.

My current plan is to be in Arlington today. Among other things, I'll likely go to Veterans Park and ALDI.

Walking Around Fort Worth's Fosdic Lake Looking For My Camera

Earlier today we were looking out the pre-dawn view from my patio. Right now we are looking at the early evening view from the same location. We are not out there drinking coffee. Or a cooling libation. Because it is too HOT to be out there.

As in it is 91 coming up on 6 o'clock.

I took off out of here around 3 to go to Oakland Lake Park to walk around Fosdic Lake. On the way I got gas.

Even though I got gas I did not call my mom to tell her I got gas. I know this is a radical departure from my norm, but I had my reasons.

When I got to Oakland Lake Park and reached for my camera, it was missing. I knew I had either left it at home, or it had fallen out while I was getting gas. I had a previous falling out incident.

So, I drove back to the gas getting location. No camera was laying on the ground. When I got back home, I did find the camera, unmolested, sitting on my desk.

This morning I heard from the long lost Singapore native, Yap Wee Cheng. Later in the day I heard from the long lost Washington native, Tommy Nelson. Both natives came to me via Facebook. I generally do not like Facebook. But, it does have some uses.

My re-filling pool is almost full. This means I can resume my bad swimming habit in the morning. Unless some currently unforeseen calamity intercedes.

Fort Worth's New Heliport & Other Boondoggles

I can't tell you how pleased I was to recently learn that the City of Fort Worth is planning on building a new Heliport.

The existing Heliport, at Meacham Field, is really inconvenient for me, what with it being way north on Main Street, a few miles past the Fort Worth Stockyards.

The new Heliport will be closer to my abode, thus really cutting my helicopter commute time.

It makes me proud how well run my dear City of Fort Worth is. With our city's leaders having all their priorities correctly ordered.

Recently the city, at our dear Mayor's urging, gave RadioShack another tax break. So, RadioShack will continue to bless our fair city with their corporate presence.

Fort Worth's city government has been making very wise budget choices, so that funds are available for important things. Like keeping the city's golf courses open. Re-striping library parking lots. Re-paving closed swimming pool parking lots. And building a better Heliport.

It was very wasteful having all those city owned swimming pools open. And who used them? Poor people. Why should the city provide poor people a place to swim? Let them swim with the alligators in Lake Worth.

It was also a big waste of money to have Community Centers where kids could go for some safe fun.

Cutting back on library hours to save some money was real smart too.

If the City of Fort Worth, in its infinite wisdom, did not rid itself of these ridiculous expenses, how would it be able to afford the things that matter? Like the Trinity River Vision Boondoggle and new Heliports.

Up Before The Sun With Yap Wee Cheng In Singapore

As you can see from the view from my patio, the sun is no where to be seen, with me up way before the sun was scheduled to appear. The only thing lighting up the place was the flash from my camera.

A microburst near the Ballpark in Arlington, on Tuesday, sent a couple people to the hospital. I heard thunder in the distance for awhile yesterday, but had no up close weather action that I noticed.

This morning I heard from Tug. I don't know who Tug is, but Tug commented on my blogging about Elsie Hotpepper replacing her Peptomobile with a Bartmobile. In a very good example of how gullible I am and how, at times, I pay no attention to details, Tug told me that the Peptomobile was a Chevy Impala, while the Bartmobile is a Crown Victoria. All I noticed was one was pink and the other was yellow with Bart Simpson on the hood.

I remember thinking it didn't make a lot of sense to me when Elsie told me it was the same car with a new paint job. But, like I've said before, Elsie Hotpepper is a character, prone to doing colorful things. And I'm gullible, usually believing what I'm told, unless I've got a good reason not to.

On a totally non-Hotpepper note, I got a Facebook message today from someone I've not heard from in around 9 years. Maybe 8. It was around the time George W. invaded Iraq that I quit hearing from Yap Wee Cheng. Wee lives in Singapore.

Way back in the last century is when I first heard from Wee. She emailed me when I was being Dr. Durango to ask me a lovelorn question about her ex-boyfriend, Teck Seng. Teck was returning to the island from London. If I remember right I told Wee I thought she should give Teck another chance.

And so she did. Within a couple years Wee and Teck got married and had a baby. I think I have some pictures. I'll be right back, hopefully with a picture of Wee. And maybe the baby.

Well, I found several pictures from Wee's Wedding Album. But, I could find no picture of Wee's baby. I remember she sent me one.

Prior to the Iraq Invasion Wee emailed me all the time. Even called me a couple times here in Texas. I tried to contact Wee over the years through where she worked. I can't remember where that was now, but it was a government thing, historical records, maybe.

I'll reply to Wee's Facebook message. It will be interested to hear what she's up to now.

Tar Balls In Galveston & Visiting Washingtonians

You are looking at a fishing pier on the Gulf of Mexico. This fishing pier was on the Island of Galveston. I believe it was destroyed by Hurricane Ike.

Galveston is in the news today due to tar balls from the BP oil spill washing up on Galveston beaches.

Galveston came to mind a day or two ago when one of my favorite Washingtonians told me that she might be flying to Houston to go to a little seaport town south of Houston. I told her she'd be really close to Galveston and would likely enjoy visiting the island.

Prior to being destroyed by the worst natural disaster in American history, the Galveston hurricane of 1900, Galveston was the 3rd largest port in America, the largest city in Texas and the 2nd wealthiest city in the United States.

Jean Lafitte ran his pirate operations off Galveston Island after he helped Andrew Jackson win the Battle of New Orleans.

An area of Galveston that served as a waterfront banking center was known as The Strand. It was also known as "the Wall Street of the Southwest."

Galveston was a major port of entry for incoming Europeans and was second only to Ellis Island as an American Immigration Station.

In the Galveston of 2010 The Strand is an assortment of restored buildings covering a 36 square block area. The Strand has more than 100 shops, restaurants and art galleries selling an eclectic mix of antiques, Victorian baubles and other old stuff.

Moody Gardens is another big Galveston attraction. You can't help but notice Moody Gardens as you drive over the bridge that takes you to Galveston Island.

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.