14th Day In A Row Over 100 Hiking With Decapitated Tandy Hills Prickly Pear Cactus

You are looking at a patch of decapitated Prickly Pear Cactus, sliced off by a mad mower on the Tandy Hills. I don't know what provoked this act of destruction. No crime scene tape was seen on the scene.

I was on the hills hiking before the temperature went over the 100 degree mark, making this Friday the 13th the 14th day in a row we have gone over 100 in North Texas.

My pool is no longer all that refreshing. I like a jolt of cold in my swimming water. I don't like the sensation that feels like swimming in a big pool of hot sweat.

There was a slight breeze blowing on the Tandy Hills today. This made the HEAT tolerable. Somewhat.

Betty Jo Bouvier, the Wild Woman of Woolley, is braving Washington's 90 degree scorcher today to go to the Skagit County Fair to imbibe in the Homebrew Competition.

The State Fair of Texas, in Dallas, starts up next month, I think. How come there is no Homebrew Competition at the Texas State Fair? It's not in a dry zone.

A Seattle Space Needle like tower is to be added to Fair Park, that being the location of the State Fair of Texas. I don't think I've been to the Fair Park zone of Dallas since my mom and dad were here the first week of 2009. For all I know Fair Park's Space Needle like tower is ready to open for the upcoming fair. But I suspect not.

I did not HEAT up too excessively with my hill hiking today. But, I did head for the Town Talk cooler afterwards for some refreshing frigidity.

Up Early In Texas Looking For Perseid Meteors On Friday the 13th On 14th Day In A Row Over 100

I am up early this Friday the 13th. Starting the day off with a bit of bad luck as I tipped my coffee cup sending coffee onto my computer keyboard.

After drying the keyboard I took my coffee out on the patio where it does not matter if I spill it, to see if I could see any incoming Perseid Meteors showering.

You are looking at this morning's dark view from my patio. All I could see was a star, or two, twinkling dimly in the polluted sky. No meteors.

Today is the 13th and yesterday was the 13th day in a row over 100 in North Texas, tied for the 10th longest streak of 100 degree days in North Texas history.

A couple more days of over 100 are predicted before a chance of a cold front blowing in might keep the temperature in the 90s on Sunday.

The all time record for 100 degree days was set in 1980, with 42 days in a row over 100. August of 1980 was the first time I was ever in North Texas, staying in Fort Worth, near where I live now, at what was then a Ramada Inn at the Beach Street exit, due west of what I now know as the Tandy Hills. I was driving a Toyota with no A/C. Had you told me in 1980 that less than 20 years later I would be living here, I would have said no way in hell would that happen.

I wonder what fresh bad luck awaits me on this Friday the 13th? I am going to the lukewarm pool in a few minutes. I hope nothing unlucky happens to me in that endeavor.

Feeling HOT AT 107 Thinking About Drinking Some Texas Crazy Water

102 with a HEAT INDEX of 107, coming up on 4 this HOT afternoon in Texas.

I've lost track of how many days in a row we've gone over 100 during this HEAT WAVE. Is it 11? 12? Is there any end in sight?

Yesterday Betty Jo Bouvier told me she thought I should do nothing of the exercise sort yesterday, just lay around and watch TV. I don't even like to do that if I'm sick.

Today I am not sick, but I have not left my abode. I do not remember the last time I had not left my abode by this point in the day.

I did leave, virtually, for a short while to go to Mineral Wells to see about some Crazy Water. A couple weeks ago the aforementioned Betty Jo Bouvier was inquiring about Crazy Water, wondering if its salubrious claims had validity. I know I can say for certain I have never seen a single crazy person in Mineral Wells, which really is not statistically significant evidence that drinking the Mineral Wells water calms down craziness.

I have been hearing from Elsie Hotpepper sporadically. She does not seem to have regular Internet service, as evidenced by cryptic emails sent via the EH Blackberry device.

I heard from Linda Ann today. LA's in Seattle. She is flying in to Austin soon. I told LA if she needs a place to stay she is welcome to the sleeper couch in the attic. The last time LA stayed overnight was decades ago, when I was in college.

Chase Bank & Its Idiotic Incompetent Texas Phone Bankers

It was 2 weeks ago today that I called Chase Bank because they'd sent a Visa card to my old address. I was told I'd get the new card at my new address in 2 business days.

Ten business days later I had not received the new card, so I called again.

Let me back up to say, prior to calling Chase 2 weeks ago, I'd tried to get the new card sent to my new address by using the Chase secure online message center. What I got from that was confused gibberish.

When I called 2 weeks ago and was told I'd get the card in 2 business days I could barely understand the person I was talking to.

Today's Chase customer service person was equally difficult to understand.

To get to the live person you enter your debit card's account number and your PIN. When I got the live person, I explained the problem. Of course she was terribly sorry and apologized profusely. And then told me she could not send out a replacement card because I was requesting it within 30 days of changing my address.

I then said that just 2 weeks ago this was not a problem and I was told a new card would be sent in 2 business days. She then got confused and seemed to be thinking I was requesting a replacement for a stolen card. I explained I did not ask for this new card, that it was Chase's doing, sending a Visa card to replace the MasterCard.

She then tells me she'll transfer me to a supervisor who may be able to authorize the sending of a new card.

I was now on minute 16, five minutes later, spent listening to bad music, the supervisor came on the line. Asked me my name. And my address. Questions already asked and answered.

I re-explained the problem. The supervisor then said she'd check the UPS shipping record. She then told me the card had been sent, via UPS, August 2. And was returned August 6 after 2 delivery attempts. Then she said someone named Trung had signed for it.

Huh? You just said it'd been returned. That seemed to confuse the supervisor.

Then she told me the card had been shipped to an address in Coppell. But I am in Fort Worth, I said. She told me she could give me the tracking info so I could see for myself the journey the card had taken. I asked, why would I want to see the tracking info for the card that was sent to the wrong address?

Then she said she'd cancel the card that went to Coppell because it had not been activated.

Then she told me she could not authorize a replacement card over the phone, that I would need to visit a Chase branch. But, 2 weeks ago this was not a problem. I was then told the phone banker had made a mistake and the card had been pulled after Chase caught the mistake.

Huh, again? You just told me the card had been sent to a wrong address and returned. Now you're telling me Chase had pulled the card. And that you are canceling the, uh, pulled card.

Anyway, it was all very aggravating. I asked the supervisor where she was located. Arlington was the reply. Two weeks ago it was Irving. Does Chase have phone answerers spread all over the D/FW Metroplex? At least the supervisor spoke somewhat understandable English.

I think Washington Mutual must have had its phone bankers based in Seattle. I recollect they always spoke very good English and were able to understand English and seemed to follow logical trains of thought.

I don't understand why Chase Bank has secure online banking and a phone bank system that has you verify who you are with your account info and PIN, only to tell you that this is not secure enough and this important business must be conducted in person.

The new Visa card is not my doing, it is Chase that decided to replace MasterCard with Visa, not I. It is Chase who has not been able to deliver the new card to the new address, not I.

If it weren't for the fact that the Chase account were tied to my Google account and it being a big pain to change the Google bank account, I would dump Chase.

I miss Washington Mutual. Such a well run bank til its meltdown. While a bank as badly run as Chase survives.

Well, Chase bank has now wasted at least 2 hours of my time. With me unable to assess them some sort of fee. My only recourse is to blog about the bad bank's bad operating procedures.

Up Late On A Hot 84 Texas Morning Thinking About My Nephew, Anonymous Relatives & Adult Diapers

The August 12 sun got up before I did this morning. I was up late indulging in Happy Birthday related activities suitable for a 68 year old geezer.

I think I'll be skipping swimming this morning. I believe as one slowly declines into ones Golden Years physical activity gradually slows til one barely moves at all and rides one of those electric carts when shopping in Wal-Mart.

Speaking of Wal-Mart, I was in one yesterday, in Hurst, across the street from the ALDI Food Market. I was in the Pharmacy area, looking for a bottle of Vitamin D, among other things, when I was subjected to a disturbing conversation.

This lady, maybe 70, or older, in shorts too short for one of that age, with just about the spindliest, scrawniest legs I've ever seen, and with a Texas accent as exaggerated as something you'd hear on Hank Hill, was asking a hapless Wal-Mart employee, a guy about 18, questions about adult diapers, which she was buying for her mom. The spindly legged lady was quite graphic about the extent of her mom's incontinence. Eventually I'd heard enough and walked away.

My mom guessed that my Anonymous relative who commented on my blog, yesterday, from Oak Harbor, was my eldest sister. This particular sister lives in Kent. But, over the weekend she'd been in Anacortes for the annual Anacortes Arts & Crafts Festival. Anacortes is on Fidalgo Island. Oak Harbor is on Whidbey Island. Whidbey Island and Fidalgo Island are connected by the Deception Pass Bridge. My sister owns property on Whidbey Island, near Langley, which is south of Oak Harbor.

I discounted my sister as an Anonymous possibility due to the fact that she has told me she does not read my boring blog. However, last night my sister sent me an email in which she said....

"That is good news about JR, he is way too young for health issues but sounds like is going to have them if he does't listen to the Dr........When did you skip the 60's and go straight to 70 y/o? Lol...."

The fact that my sister referenced the 68 years old thing, indicates she'd seen my blog, thus shooting her to the #1 suspect spot as my Anonymous Relative.

The good news about JR that my sister is talking about, was yesterday's best birthday present in years. Nephew Jeremy got the results of the tests on his heart and the results were good. Jeremy has a very very low resting heart beat rate. This somehow makes his heart very vulnerable to even a minor stimulant, like caffeine. Jeremy was a drinker of those awful high caffeine energy drinks that have other stimulants in them as well. Ever since the first doctor visit Jeremy has not consumed anything with a stimulant in it and he has not had any more heart incidents.

Well, I have way too much to do today and way too little time to do it. So, I must cease wasting time on this blog right now and go do something constructive.

My Mom's Happy Birthday In Eugene Oregon With My Texas Swimming Birthday Suit

You are looking at me and my mom and dad. In Yuma, Arizona, Christmas Day, a few years ago.

Today, 68 years ago, my mom had a happy birthday when her oldest baby was born, in Eugene, Oregon.

A few days ago a package arrived from my mom and dad. I had it on my to-do list to call my mom today, after I opened that package, but before I could do that mom called me, this morning.

I wished mom a happy birthday, told her I'd not opened the package yet. Said I would call later, after I had opened the package.

After I talked to my mom I got a comment to the earlier blogging about this being my Happy 68th Birthday. The comment was from Anonymous, claiming to be a relative of mine.

This is what Anonymous said...

Enjoy your 68th birthday, it just seems like you turned 56 a year ago, however....either way you are still one of my oldest (and for sure, wisest) living relatives.

To which I counter-commented....

Anonymous, you are a relative impostor. Your impostor-ness made obvious due to the fact that none of my living relatives think I'm wise. And, very kind of you to point out that I've aged 12 years since last year's calculation of my age.

To which Anonymous counter-counter-commented...

It takes a wise relative to recognize a wiser one!

When I got the Anonymous comment I saw the comment was made when someone who's IP address registers as Oak Harbor, Washington, was on the blog.

So, when I called my mom to thank her for the singing card, shirts, and other stuff, I asked what relative of ours lives in the Oak Harbor zone, or on Whidbey Island. The only names my mom came up with were very improbable perpetrators of the Anonymous comment. I asked my mom who among our relatives could possibly think me wise? My mom agreed that it seemed very far-fetched that such a relative existed.

Continuing with the birthday blogging theme. Today I've gotten some Happy Birthday messages delivered in electronic form other than a telephonic device.

The running theme seems to be me and my birthday suit. Tess S asked, "What about your birthday suit? Bev L asked, "What color is your birthday suit?" CVB suggested, "Now you can really take a swim in your birthday suit." Alice O asked, "Is it birthday suit all day? Covers eyes 'n giggles."

In addition to swimming in my birthday suit it's been suggested I get a massage to relieve my extreme tensions, go see a movie, veg out watching TV all day, while eating bon bons, go out for lunch, go out for dinner, I forget what else.

Thank y'all for the suggestions. As you can see I heeded the birthday suit swim suggestion. While snorkeling. In addition to the birthday suit swimming I went out for lunch. I have not had any bon bons, nor will I. I'm really not all that certain I know what a bon bon is.

I need to go back outside and brave the 106 degree Heat Index. I will not be able to wear my birthday suit on this particular outdoor operation as it involves going into a place of business that would frown upon someone being way too comfortable in the HEAT.

Having Myself A Happy 68th Birthday In Flat Texas

I am up early, again, on this, the second Wednesday of August. I know you are wondering if the picture is the view from my patio, this morning, as I sit outside, in the pre-dawn morning chill, of 81 degrees, drinking coffee.

I wish that was my patio view, but, sadly, no matter what direction I look from my current location I will see neither a mountain or a waterfall.

What you are looking at, in the picture, is Mount Rainier, with the top of Myrtle Falls in the foreground. Mount Rainier is a mountain in Washington. The tallest. It's the only iconic image on the Washington license plate, unlike the Texas plate which is cluttered with a lot of little images, some of which make sense to me.

In about 7 hours it will be exactly 2 years since I last saw Mount Rainier up close. I can remember this precisely because 2 years ago, today, on my birthday, I went to Mount Rainier. It does not seem like it can already be 2 years since I nearly fell to my death from a ladder on Mount Rainier, well, more accurately, from a ladder very near to Mount Rainier.

The latch I was holding on to broke loose, sending me, nearly, falling backwards.

So, today I turn 68. I really don't feel that old, I feel older. I do my age calculation by adding my chronological age to how old I feel to how old I look and then divide by 3 to arrive at today's age of 68.

The feeling old is coming from I'm being very sore, in a decrepit sort of way. Sore muscles, and my feet are aching. Like I'm thinking what the joints and bones in my feet and knees are aching like is what old people mean when they say their rheumatism is acting up.

Now that I'm a Senior Citizen I'm getting what old folks mean when they say getting old is not easy. And don't get me started on the trauma of my hair falling out. It's constantly annoying. At least it hasn't gone gray yet, so I suppose I should be grateful for that.

That's me and my Mount Rainier Happy Birthday date, Janet, on the left, in the picture, with Mount Rainier behind us. I've aged so much in 2 years I don't think I could convince a young lady, like Janet, to go up a mountain with me anymore.

But, there are plenty of old ladies out there who might be willing to go up a mountain with a 68 year old geezer. If only there were any mountains within a 300 mile range of my current forlorn location.

I have no idea what is ahead of me today, on my hopefully happy, 68th birthday.

Except, for being fairly certain, in a few minutes, I will be swimming. After that, who knows?

Chesapeake Retreats From Mad As Hell Texans

A few hours ago I got an email from Don Young about tonight's Fort Worth City Council meeting. A meeting where Mayor Mike Moncrief and the 8 city council members were going to have to decide if they were going to once more allow Chesapeake Energy, and a few greedy mineral rights owners, to destroy another neighborhood.

Or, for the first time, "Just Say NO" to irresponsible drilling.

At this latest instance, even the Fort Worth Star-Telegram disapproved of Chesapeake's latest attempted over-reaching incursion, this time between the historic African-American neighborhood of Como and the upscale Ridglea neighborhood and shopping district.

Don Young suggested citizens show up at 6 for tonight's city council meeting to let the mayor and the city council know we are going into total Howard Bealish, MAD AS HELL and NOT GOING TO TAKE IT ANYMORE, mode.

Well, apparently, somehow tone-deaf Chesapeake Energy managed to hear the message that the tide is turning against them.

Chesapeake's Minister of Propaganda, Julie Wilson, sent the following....

Dear Mayor Moncrief and Council Members:

Chesapeake respectfully withdraws our application for four wells on the proposed Westridge site located at 3900 Bryant Irvin Road . While we have the support and encouragement of hundreds of mineral owners who could have their minerals produced from this site, it is clear to us the majority of Council does not support our request for a waiver In absence of that support we feel the most responsible action is to withdraw.

Thank you.

Julie H. Wilson
Vice President - Urban Development
Chesapeake Energy

I love how a well-trained propagandist practices her art. Claiming Chesapeake has the support and encouragement of hundreds of mineral owners who could have had their minerals produced from the proposed site.

Really?

Could Propaganda Minister Wilson please tell us how it is she learned Chesapeake has the support of 100s of mineral owners?

Is mineral, in this instance, a euphemism for shale?

Minerals aren't produced from these wells, are they?

Shale is not extracted, is it?

No.

Holes are drilled, then chemically contaminated water is injected into the mineral to release natural gas.

Natural gas is not a mineral is it?

Has the United Way of Tarrant County wised up and dissociated itself from Chesapeake Energy's Minister of Propaganda yet? I usually give at least a dime. If United Way does not dump that woman they are not getting my dime.

Taking Richard Nixon's Advice To Sit On A Village Creek Picnic Table

You are sitting on a picnic table, looking east at the Village Creek Natural Historic Area Bayou, sometime between 11 and noon.

I got up a bit on the early side, before 5, got all my daily aerobicizing needs met swimming before the sun had totally finished lighting up the place.

All morning long I churned out webpages. Til I could take it no more.

A couple months ago I read Richard Nixon's "In the Arena." Good book, full of good stuff. With good advice from Mr. Nixon. That he learned after he had to quit being President for some suspected bad behaviors.

Mr. Nixon's bits of advice were based on his experiences learned while recovering from losing his president job. Things like go on a walk every day. Set aside time to read every day. And, my favorite, spend time every day quietly contemplating that which you need to contemplate.

I felt in need of some contemplation time and a Village Creek picnic table seemed like a good spot for it. I was under the shade of a tree, with a nice breeze occasionally blowing.

I lasted maybe 20 minutes before I tired of quietly contemplating and got off the picnic table to continue walking.

And then drove back here where I am now contemplating having lunch.

Up Early Thinking About Sleeping Walking and Strawberries While Visiting Laredo and McAllen

Up well before dawn's crack this 10th day of August. I think I'll be visiting the pool really early this morning. The moon seems to have gone missing again, which makes the dark darker than when the moon is doing its glowing thing.

I suffered epic cinematic nightmares last night. I can't remember the specifics, except I was erroneously in BIG trouble, but I rescued myself from the BIG trouble multiple times, using my impeccable logic in the face of crazy talk.

I've no clue which of my personal traumas my sub-conscious was trying to deal with by showing me that epic cinematic nightmare last night. All I know, for sure, is I woke up refreshed.

I forgot to mention, I had another sleep walking incident. Recently on Kathy Griffin's My Life on the D-List much amusement was had due to Tom's Ambien sleep aid caused sleep walking. I take no sleep aid, but I had similar results to Tom.

As in, apparently I got up, got into a piece of whole wheat bread and cheese and then proceeded to walk around dropping pieces of bread and cheese. Near as I can re-construct the crime, after I was done making a mess with bread and cheese I picked up my TV's remote control from the TV viewing room and moved it to the top of the chest of drawers in my closet.

I hope I did not spend too much time in my closest clicking the remote hoping to turn on a chest of drawers.

I did not go to bed early last night, though I probably should have. I had had me a day, and if that day did not already have me tired enough, in the afternoon I took a virtual trip down to McAllen and Laredo.

I knew what to expect with Laredo, what with it being paired with its bigger half of Nuevo Laredo, I figured this would be a heavily Tex-Mex type of town. But, I had no idea that McAllen is a bit of a tropical paradise, known as the City of Palms, due to all its palm trees. Citrus grows in the McAllen zone of the Rio Grande Valley.

When the grapefruit are ripe for the picking you can go pick some at a place by McAllen called Eggers Acres. The Eggers family runs a citrus market. Grandpa Eggers developed the Ruby Red Grapefruit. McAllen reminds me of the Yuma, Arizona citrus growing zone, with lush tropical vegetation and parrots and parakeets added.

I think may virtually go to San Marcos today, checking out Aquarena Springs, again, on my way to Poteet, where I want to find out the truth regarding something I read yesterday, that being that Poteet, the Strawberry Capital of Texas, has to bring in strawberries from California for the hugely popular annual Poteet Strawberry Festival.

California strawberries? They are terrible. Poteet should import strawberries from the Skagit Valley of Washington. They actually taste like strawberries, unlike those strawberry-essence, red cardboard, genetically altered to ship well, sad excuses for strawberries that California grows way too many of.