Cowboy Durango On His Horse In Texas

I am finding all sorts of pictures today that I'd forgotten existed.

Like this one with me on a horse, at my first location in Texas, in this hamlet in far north Fort Worth, called Haslet. The mail box was in Fort Worth, the house was in Haslet.

There were 3 horses available for riding that lived on the ranch. I had no idea, til living with horses, that they were way more high maintenance than any human I've known. And I've known some extremely high maintenance humans.

Like the one who owned the horses.

My last time on a horse was July 4 of 2000. It did not go well. Short version is a carrot was left in the barn. The horse wanted that carrot. No amount of direction, from me, could stop that horse from heading back to that carrot. Eventually this turned scary with the horse trying to enter the barn via a side entry that really had no room for my legs.

Blessings of flexibility, acquired from years of yoga, I was able to contort myself into a position that did not cause my legs to get ripped off.

I have not been on a horse since. Nor will I ever again. I have never understood why riding a horse is something anyone would want to do after mechanical means of transport were invented.

Gar The Texan Ex In Booger Reds Saloon Drinking Buffalo Butt Beer

I've been inadvertently going down memory lane the last hour, or two, looking at all the photos I've got stuck on this computer.

It started with a successful search for a Red, White and Blue Bikini Float at Tombstone Arizona's Helldorado Days Parade and ended with Gar the Texan sitting on a saddle in Booger Reds Saloon, in the Fort Worth Stockyards, drinking Buffalo Butt beer while Gar's now ex-wife sits next to him chain smoking between her Buffalo Butts.

I sort of understood Gar the Texan's attraction to the now ex-wife, what with that shapely figure she sports, but I had a lot of trouble getting past the chain smoking.

You can likely tell by looking at her in the picture, but if you can't, I'll tell you, Gar's ex is a German girl. He found her somewhere in the Fatherland, barely able to speak a word of English, but longing to come to America to be the wife of a wealthy, handsome American man.

Eventually she settled for Gar the Texan.

I do not know if Gar the Texan's ex is being sent back to the Fatherland, or what. I try not to pry.

Overheating HOT Hill Hiking In Texas Thinking About Taking An Ice Bath

A new forest of a strange looking plants has sprouted up on the Tandy Hills.

I suspect Don Young may have identified this strange looking plant in his most recent Prairie Notes, but at the time I read it I had not seen the plant in person, and so remembering its name did not register.

It was barely 90 when I hit the hills hiking today.

90 and very humid.

Last summer I had absolutely no problem with hitting the hills hiking when it was over 100.

This summer I am having a little trouble with hitting the hills hiking when it is HOT. I think the difference is this is being a very humid summer in Texas. Very humid.

Today I added to the humidity by leaking 5 bottles of water.

To cool down, after the HOT hill hiking, I went to Town Talk to stand in their walk-in cooler. It was refreshing. Way more refreshing than my swimming pool is being. The day after day after day of being over 100 has heated the water to lukewarm.

Even cold showers are no longer cold, with the HOT ground heating the waterpipes and the water flowing inside. By the time it makes it out of my showerhead the water feels like some hot water has been mixed in, when it hasn't.

I've heard ice baths are refreshing. I'm not sure how that works. Fill the tub with water and throw in some ice cubes?

The Continuing Mystery Of The Grotto At Lovers Retreat

On Wednesday I blogged about the Mystery of the Grottos at Lovers Retreat in Mineral Wells.

With the mystery being where is this intriguing looking grotto and does it still exist or is it under the water of Mineral Wells Lake?

Yesterday the mystery was at least partially solved by my newest Facebook Friend, Sherry B.

Sherry B commented the following...

"How interesting! I was looking for it too. I live in Weatherford and run a website about all the attractions & events in Parker & Palo Pinto, so this is something I've wanted to find. I did some research today and turns out; the location is 4 miles outside of the town of Palo Pinto. It is now private and is no longer accessible to visitors. The main clue to the exact location says that the property is located just to the North of where the highway crosses Eagle Creek. Too bad it's not public anymore. I would LOVE to explore it!"

Sherry B pointed me towards several interesting photos of the Grotto at Lovers Retreat. One is a current day look at the scene in the above old postcard.

Another of the Sherry B photos is another old postcard of Lovers Retreat.

On the postcard it says, "New Suspension Bridge at Lover's Retreat near Mineral Wells, Texas. The South's Greatest Health Resort."

Note the use of an apostrophe before the 's' in Lovers. In the previous blogging about Lovers Retreat we learned that one of the versions of the reason for the name was it was named after a guy, last name of Lovers, with no apostrophe needed before the 's', but with one maybe needed after the 's'. Maybe Lovers Retreat is like Devils Tower and Pikes Peak, where the apostrophe indicating a possessive noun is discarded. The apostrophe controversy just adds to the mystery.

The other apostrophe version has the grotto named after a pair of Indian lovers, which would make the name Lover's Retreat.

The final picture is the modern day look at the now old New Suspension Bridge. If this used to be the South's Greatest Health Resort, why is it not accessible to today's public who want to be healthy?

I think Sherry B and I should sneak on to this private property and check out the Grotto at Lovers Retreat. If anyone sees us we can hide in one of the caves. That works out well about half the time.

Up With The Sun August 7 Dried Out From Friday's Storm

I got up about the same time the sun did this morning.

We appear to have dried out from Friday's early evening rather violent surprise storm.

We also have chilled down a bit. Several mornings in a row have started out already in the 80s. This morning it is only 78, but very very humid, thanks to all that wet stuff that came crashing down yesterday.

Today, Sunday and Monday the prediction is for a 20% chance of showers, the same prediction that brought a violent thunderstorm yesterday that knocked out the electricity for a brief moment of no air conditioning unpleasantness.

I feel the need to excessively over aerobicize myself today. I think I will start that plan in a few minutes by going swimming.

See you later today on the Tandy Hills. Maybe.

A Surprise Friday Late Afternoon Thunderstorm Blows Into East Fort Worth & Gets Me Wet

You can not tell it from the picture of my patio view. But the 6 o'clock in the early Friday evening view is stormy. The forecast was for a 20% chance of rain today. I figured we'd likely stay dry.

But, about 20 minutes ago I thought I was hearing thunder booming in the distance. But the sky did not look menacing.

And then the booming got louder, the wind got windier and suddenly drops of wetness were hitting my window.

So, I grabbed my camera and headed out to the patio. And quickly snapped a picture whilst trying to keep the camera dry. Then I stuck the camera safely undercover and returned to the patio to stand in the rains.

It was a nice, cool, unexpected shower. At 102 degrees.

The loud booms continue. I hope I don't have a repeat of yesterday evening's short power outage.

UPDATE: I barely hit the publish button and all hell broke loose. Really strong wind, tree branches snapping, lightning striking close. hail, heavy rain.

I went to take a picture, which is the one you're looking at.

And then the power went out, just like I mentioned I feared that it would. But it was only out for a couple minutes.

I love a good storm. But I was not prepared for this one. I had all my artificial plants out on the patio for a natural dusting. Two of them flew away. I may be able to rescue them when we dry out. If we dry out.

At Green Fosdic Lake Thinking About Making Turtle Soup & Talking To My Sister

You are looking at a turtle herd enjoying basking in the 100 degree plus sun on the beautifully green Fosdic Lake in Oakland Lake Park, today around noon.

It is not a good idea to eat fish you catch in Fosdic Lake. I don't know why anyone would want to eat fish they caught in a green lake.

Or make turtle soup out of turtles caught in a green lake. I only make turtle soup out of turtles I catch in really clear, clean water.

I called my mom and dad as I was on my way to Fosdic Lake to wish them a Happy Anniversary. But, I got the answering machine with my dad's poetic message, "We are not home to answer the phone, please leave a message after the tone."

I then called my sister in the Phoenix zone who lives near my mom and dad. I had not heard anything in the past week about my nephew Jeremy's heart condition.

Well, my sister answered her phone. She told me mom and dad had gone down to the south part of Arizona, I guess because it was not hot enough for them in the Valley of the Sun. They'd gone as far as Bisbee and then stayed in Wilcox overnight.

Jeremy has had no more heart out of control incidents. They return to the cardiologist on August 11 to find out the test results.

It was nice to hear Jeremy's heart is not acting up, and other good news about my siblings, well good news about 50% of my siblings.

Missing Washington Mutual Due To Chase Bank Incompetence

I miss Washington Mutual. It was real easy to call Washington Mutual. The Washington Mutual ATMs worked real well. Unlike the Chase Bank new-fangled ATM's that vex me with way to many inputs needed.

A couple weeks ago I realized Chase had mailed a new bank card to my old address. This is the 2nd time Chase has replaced my bankcard since Chase took over WaMu.

This time it is switching from MasterCard to Visa.

So, I logged into my secure Chase account and went to their message center to tell Chase they sent the new card to the wrong address.

This began a series of nonsensical responses. The responses had the feeling that I'd reached a Ukrainian support center. I was told such a request could not be honored from an email, that I had to go talk to a Chase banker in person with 2 pieces of I.D.

I replied that that was ridiculous, that it was not a request made via email, that it was made using their supposedly secure online banking website. The reply to that told me that my account had been reviewed and confirmed a card had been sent to me June 28.

To which I replied that I already knew that, the card was sent June 28 to the wrong address. At that point, last Thursday, I decided to call Chase. That turned into the phone tree from hell. I got to the phone tree from hell after entering all the digits on my current card and the PIN. And then it told me my account balance. Which is not what I was calling about.

Eventually I got to an option to talk to a phone banker. After a few minutes a woman with an extremely thick Indian accent, that I had trouble understanding, asked how she could help me. After a lot of effort she understood the problem, said she'd take care of it right then, that I'd have my new card in 2 business days.

That was last Thursday. I still have not received the new card. I did get an email from Chase telling me that a new card had been sent and for me to activate it as soon as possible because my current card goes inoperative on September 15.

I'm assuming I'll muster the energy to visit the Chase Bank phone tree from hell again, sometime before September 15.

Oh, I forgot the most amusing thing about this Chase debacle. I asked the Indian accented phone banker where she was located. I assumed she was going to say India. Instead she told me she was in Irving, Texas. I said that's only a few miles from where I live.

Maybe I could drive to Irving and pick up my missing bank card. Or ride my bike. Or walk.

In Texas Thinking About Atom Bombing Hiroshima & My Mom and Dad's Anniversary

You are up early, under cover of darkness, sitting out on my patio with me, drinking coffee on August 6, the 65th Anniversary of the day Hiroshima woke up to an atom bomb exploding overhead.

Six years after an atom bomb exploded over Hiroshima my mom and dad got married. This makes it easy to remember my mom and dad's anniversary.

Yesterday I read somewhere that there was some upset over the refusal of America to apologize for blowing up Hiroshima. This seemed bizarre to me.

I've no recollection of Japan apologizing for what it did on December 7, 1941. Maybe there was a Japanese apology and I missed it. Japan did a lot of bad behavior in the 1930s and 40s that would seem to require a lot of apologizing.

I must remember to call my mom and dad today.

Hitting A HOT 106 In Texas Straining My A/C & Making Me Sneeze

As you can see, it is past 6pm and 104 degrees, with a HEAT INDEX of 107, currently, in my HOT zone of Texas.

I'd turned my weather monitor off this afternoon, due to not wanting to hear its relentless weather warning chirping.

So, I did not know we'd hit 106 today, before cooling off to the relatively chillier 104.

A 20% chance of showers is in the forecast for tomorrow, which pretty much means there is a bat's chance in hell that we'll see any cooling rain on Friday.

I hope I am wrong.

I think the HEAT is wreaking havoc with my computer. It misbehaved almost all day today. At one point I thought, and still do, that it was the Flock browser causing the problem.

So, I switched to Google Chrome, which is what I am using right now. I don't have some of my saved websites on Chrome, which becomes a problem, like when Elsie Hotpepper asked me to do something, with the Hotpepper info in Flock. So, I had to temporarily kill Chrome and bring Flock back to life, in order to do Elsie's bidding. A real slight sacrifice to make a Hotpepper happy. And I'm all about making Hotpepper's happy in these troubled times.

The A/C cycling off and on, in this searing HEAT, causes me to erupt in these instantaneous explosive sneezes that I fear may put my back out or knock me out of my computer chair. Or both.

I used to live in a gentler climate. At times I long for those days. And then I come to my senses.