Texas Clouds & Cold Continue to Chill My Usual Sunny Disposition Despite Monosodium Glutamate Poisoning

I was erroneous earlier this morning when I optimistically opined that we were having ourselves a clear blue Texas sky this Wednesday morning.

As happens way too often, my optimism was unwarranted, with reality turning out to be the opposite.

Which means it is cloudy this morning, just like it was all day yesterday, as you can see via the dimly lit view from my gray dominated abode.

I don't think I am even going to attempt to go out in it today to get some salubrious aerobic activity. It was just too COLD when I was out in it yesterday.

I suppose I could dredge up the stuff I wear to go skiing.

I know all my ski equipment made the move with me to Texas and it is located somewhere inside these walls. I suppose ski pants, ski gloves and a ski jacket might make the Texas COLD tolerable.

The last time I saw my cross country skis I was not happy to see that they had somewhat de-laminated. I had foolishly stored them in a storage area that was not protected from the Texas HEAT.

Did I mention I got poisoned by Monosodium Glutamate the past couple days? I bought a bag of jerky at Town Talk. It said it was "All Natural." I've learned to be wary of "All Natural." But I was not this time. I looked at the ingredients only far enough to see that papaya extract had been used. I went no further on the list.

Then, starting late Tuesday I got a headache and felt like my head might explode. Woke up with the same woe Wednesday morning. By Wednesday afternoon I recollected that the way I was feeling was how I've felt when succumbing to Chinese Restaurant Syndrome, back when MSG was widely used in such places.

I then again looked at the ingredient list on the bag of jerky and was appalled to see Monosodium Glutamate on the list.

Thursday morning I am free of symptoms. For the most part.

Except I am very very COLD.

Wednesday The 13th In Freezing Texas

It is a little less  frosty this Wednesday morning of the 13th of January, looking out the window at what appears to possibly be a clear blue sky.

It is only 9 degrees below freezing this morning. I am really ready for the temperature to return to being well above freezing.

Last night I watched the Memorial Service in Tuscon. This was one of the few times I thought President Obama gave a really good speech since I voted for him and he became President.

I was expecting a solemn memorial of the funeral sort, instead the memorial had more of a pep rally feeling. Which seemed to be a good thing.

I have too much I need to get done today. I don't know if I have time to go swimming. Or if the pool is still in liquid form.

Fort Worth's Special Sanitary Sewer Manholes & Sinkholes

A  couple months ago I arrived at Oakland Lake Park to see heavy equipment digging a deep ditch.

When this project was completed I was surprised to see the tell tale indicators indicating the deep ditch was for a sewer line.

Which seem sort of ironic for Oakland Lake Park to have a sewer line running through it since it has no public restrooms or running water.

Even though Oakland Lake Park does have picnic facilities.

I think in more, well, uh, civilized parts of America it is sort of a no-no to have public picnic facilities without running water or public restrooms.

Apparently Fort Worth can not afford to put such amenities in all its parks.

But, apparently Fort Worth can afford to have signature Sanitary Sewer Manhole Covers made that say "City of Fort Worth Sanitary Sewer" complete with the Fort Worth Longhorn Logo.

Is this done because Fort Worth is just so darn proud that it has a Sanitary Sewer? I remember years ago being surprised by how many of the Fort Worth Stockyards venues touted having indoor plumbing as one of their attractions.

Moving past the Sanitary Sewer Manhole to something more disturbing that is near the manhole.

A Sinkhole.

Seeing a Sinkhole sink right in a location that has recently been dug up, with new piping installed, does not seem to be a good sign.

In the picture you can see that "special" manhole cover in the background.

This new Fort Worth Sinkhole seems to present a bit of a problem. As in, someone could trip on that hole in the dark.

Every time I mention a Texas Sinkhole on my blog it erupts into a comment controversy. I hope that does not happen this time. Usually the Sinkhole controversies are caused by Gar the Texan going on about aquifers. I don't think this particular Sinkhole has anything to do with an aquifer.

I Lost A Pair Of Sunglasses & Got One Of The World's Biggest Tandy Hills Prairie Fest Coffee Mugs

After Saturday's Tandy Hills 2nd Annual Manly Men/Wild Women Hike I got a message from one of the Manly Men, initials "DY", telling me he'd lost his ultra-valuable Ray Ban Sunglasses somewhere on the Tandy Hills.

I said I'd look for the Lost Sunglasses the following day, even though I was fairly certain I would have about as much luck as finding a needle in the proverbial haystack.

Well, the next day, Sunday, it rained and snowed, rendering Sunglass Hunting impossible.

Yesterday, Tuesday around noon, I returned to the Tandy Hills and began a Systematic Sunglasses Search.

After an undetermined length of time I miraculously found the Missing Sunglasses.

On my way to Oakland Lake Park, this afternoon, to walk around frigid Fosdic Lake I pulled up to "DY's" abode just as he and his lovely wife "D" were leaving.

"DY" stopped his vehicle and went to his front porch to retrieve the BIG Prairie Fest 2010 Coffee Mug you see above. "DY" told me this mug is a valuable collector's item worth $100s.

Which sort of indicates that those lost Ray Ban Sunglasses must have been very valuable.

That Prairie Fest Coffee Mug is so big, I'm not sure I can lift it if it has coffee in it. I sat it beside my pool with the hot tub in the background just to give you an idea as to the ENORMITY of this Coffee Mug.

An Extremely Cold Walk Around Fosdic Lake After Talking To My Latest Tacoma Sister

Around 4 this afternoon I headed towards Fort Worth's most dangerous neighborhood to conduct a Glasses/Mug Exchange.

More on the Glasses/Mug Exchange later. With pictures. Well, a picture.

After the Glasses/Mug Exchange I went to Oakland Lake Park to walk around Fosdic Lake.

The air was warmer, at 30, than yesterday's Tandy Hills Hike at 22 or 21, the 30 degrees felt way colder today because the sun was being blocked by clouds.

I did not enjoy walking in the cold too much.

Earlier today I was up in Southlake. On the way back from Southlake I called my Arizona sister who is currently under a form of self-imposed house arrest in Tacoma, helping take care of one of my other sister's new babies, Theodore Ryan and Ruby Jean.

It sounded like the twin care was going well. My Arizona sister, who is used to being warm, is being kept in the Tacoma House Dungeon. I was incarcerated there for a week, during a horribly long month in the summer of 2008, before I got a reprieve and was allowed to move to the much warmer third floor. I don't think these type issues are as serious in winter when the furnace is running.

I do not know how long my Arizona sister is planning on being in Tacoma. I would think a week, at the max, is a safe duration.

I must go for a long soak in a hot tub to try and put a stop to this shivering sensation I have going on right now.

Up Way Before The Sun On An Icy Cold Wednesday In North Texas

I am up a bit early on this frosty Wednesday morning in North Texas. Looking out my computer room window it looks very cold and dark out there, with the view somewhat restricted by a somewhat frosty window.

21 degrees this morning before the sun arrives.

I believe after today we are scheduled to warm up slightly. I am ready for more than a slight warm up.

I heard from someone last night, calling himself Don, who told me those sunglasses I found yesterday on the Tandy Hills are his. Don was able to correctly articulate the serial number on the sunglasses, thus establishing himself as their rightful owner. I will attempt to return the sunglasses to Don today. Apparently without them Don is virtually blind in the bright sun.

This morning in the Dallas Morning News there was an article, the theme of which was, what the 8 teams in the NFL playoffs have going for them that the Dallas Cowboys don't have going for them.

For Seattle, apparently, it is the noisy 12th man, as in very loud fans.

I thought what the article writer, Tim Cowlishaw had to say about the new Dallas Cowboy Stadium was amusing, but I doubt that ancient artifact who built that stadium, Jerry Jones, will find it amusing.....

"As for Cowboys Stadium, well, Jerry Jones figured out how to pack 100,000 people in there. But he also created a cavernous building in which half the fans stare at the big screen hoping to see themselves. A 2-6 home record in 2010 speaks loudly. Like Seattle.--Tim Cowlishaw"

Trying To Hike On The Frozen Tandy Hills With A Lost & Found Operation

With the temperature being well below freezing I thought that the muddy trail conditions created by Sunday's rain and snow would be rendered frozen and thus the trails on the Tandy Hills hikable.

As is way to often the case, I thought wrong.

Though there was some mud on the trails I was still able to go hiking, by going cross country and blazing my own trail.

Before I bailed on the Tandy Trails I found the sunglasses you see in the picture. Ray Bans. The sunglasses appear to be in good condition, successfully surviving being snowed on and frozen.

I now somehow need to find a way to reunite these sunglasses with their rightful owner.

By the time I finished with the ICY hiking and got back to the relative warmth of my vehicle I have seldom seen my cheeks look so red. I don't know what the blowing wind made the Wind Chill Factor  real feel of the temperature. I'm guessing near zero.

From the Tandy Hills I went to Town Talk. In summer the Town Talk walk-in cooler can be very refreshing after over heating on the Tandy Hills. Today the Town Talk walk-in cooler was warmer than the outdoors. It is above freezing in the Town Talk walk-in cooler.

20 Degrees In North Texas On The Second Tuesday Of The New Year

As you can sort of see, looking out my computer room frosty window, the predicted Deep Freeze has arrived in North Texas.

It is only 20 degrees out there, soon after the dawn of the second Tuesday of 2011.

That is cold. Really cold.

My furnace has been running nonstop ever since I got up and turned it on. It's still not all that warm in here.

On the bright side, the sun is no longer being impeded from shining by a thick cloud cover. In simpler words, blue sky has returned. I am pleased about that.

I guess I will go swimming now. It should be refreshing.

Village Creek Bayou Egrets & The Queen Of Wink's Adult Diapers

Egrets. I've seen a few. But then again, too few to mention.

I think I saw an Egret in the Village Creek Bayou today. Big white bird with a long neck. I think that's an Egret. I am fairly certain it is not a swan.

When I approached the Village Creek Bayou today a flock of geese startled me after I had apparently startled them, sending the nervous birds quickly into flight mode.

Looking at the refection of the Egret in the Village Creek Bayou you might think that smooth mirror-like surface was ice.

It was cold enough to be ice, but it was still liquid.

It would be my guess that the slough of chemicals that are likely in the stew of the Village Creek Bayou likely lower the temperature required to freeze that water, just like the water in my vehicle's radiator, which I remembered to add anti-freeze to today, because tonight we are currently scheduled to be chilled down in to the teens.

This morning I received a somewhat disturbing message from Elsie Hotpepper saying she is so distraught over our current dire weather situation, here in North Texas, that the Hotpepper is plotting to go somewhere warm where she can hibernate. I believe a beach was mentioned.

Last night I got multiple messages from the Queen of Wink. It was very confusing. Something about inviting myself and Gar the Texan to Wink, not scamming the Queen on the Internet and my possible need for adult diapers.

I understood most of what the Queen of Wink was saying, except for being able to follow her train of thought that somehow ended up thinking of adult diapers.

I tell you, there are many signs that something is amiss out in the Realm of Wink. An investigative team may need to investigate.

Monday Morning With No Snow On The Ground In My Zone Of North Texas

Looking out my bedroom window this Monday morning we can see there is no snow on the ground. At 30 degrees it is cold enough for snow to stick if some fell after it was cold enough to avoid melting.

I was not much in the mood to deal with multiple inches of snow, so I'm glad the predicted accumulation did not accumulate.

I keep forgetting to get anti-freeze. I am going to have to make sure I remember this as we slide ever deeper into an Arctic Deep Freeze this week.

I learned this morning that the Seattle Seahawk's next step towards playing in the Super Bowl next month in the Dallas Cowboy Stadium is beating the Chicago Bears. Apparently Seattle already beat the Bears this current football season, doing so on Chicago's home field, where the Seahawks will need to beat them again to get to the Super Bowl.

Meanwhile the Dallas Cowboys have a new coach. Methinks if the Dallas Cowboys ever want a winning season again what they need to do is somehow get rid of that re-animated cadaver who runs the team who has the same last name as me. Until that happens it really seems hopeless that that hapless football team will ever have a winning season.

But.

What do I know? I really don't like football at all.