The Shadow Of The Skinny Dipping Thin Man Wondering Why The Fort Worth Police Did Not Help The Paradise Center

The Shadow of the Skinny Dipping Thin Man sort of indicates I am up way before the sun this fine Tuesday morning in Texas.

It was only 50 degrees when I stepped outside to retrieve my swimming suit. The water will be quite a bit warmer than the air when I go swimming this morning. This creates the illusion it is a heated pool.

I read no mention made of any Chesapeake Energy drilling site gas leaking in Arlington in any of the local newspapers online. Does this mean there was no 911 call with no one requiring medical treatment?

Or is this just one more example of how badly this area is served by local news sources? I highly doubt that the information I was sent yesterday was false about Monday's storm causing a major Chesapeake Energy malfunction.

I also did not read in the local news anything about the Paradise Center finally taking possession of the POD storage unit in which MHMR had supposedly placed the Paradise Center's possessions, with the Paradise Center discovering, yesterday, that the POD did not contain all their possessions. Which had MHMR allowing Paradise Center people back in to their former home for the first time since the illegal eviction, in order to recover the remainder of their possessions.

Why weren't the police called when MHMR kicked the Paradise Center out of their building without following any sort of due process? Why weren't the police called when MHMR would not let the Paradise Center retrieve their possessions?

Yes, I know, it's not the Fort Worth Way to call the police and expect any sort of policing regarding this type of crime.

Residents Gassed During Last Night's Storm In Southeast Arlington Texas

I got a surprising "URGENT" email message a few minutes ago. I did not know we had a Chesapeake Energy natural gas drilling site incident last night......

Jane Lynn has asked me to contact the media (she has no electricity) about last night's events at this site so that they will be present to over this story tomorrow night when council will be in the hot seat while deciding to permit another six wells tomorrow night at this site.  Anybody else reading this that can attend this meeting is urged to ask council NOT to permit anymore wells until we have a handle on how to prevent such releases in close proximity to people.

She called me this morning to tell me that she was treated by 911. Around 2 am last night, during the storm with lighting and winds, there was this transformer sound just prior to losing electricity. After opening her windows, an extremely loud "rocketship/high compression sound" was heard.  911 was already aware of the problem and said Chesapeake was in route to the Fulson site.  The husband drove by the site and confirmed that gas was escaping. He described the smell as the innertube smell from a bicycle. 

Raw, unprocessed, natural gas contains benzene (a known carcinogen). Fumes from the uncontrolled site quickly filled her home by the time she ran to close all the windows. 

Limiting the public's exposure to drilling (storm/wildfire/human) accidents is within our city council's control by enforcing adequate setback, however, Jane Lynn lives at least two blocks north of the site and suffered dizziness and heart pounding. 

Paramedics arrived and tried to calm her (assessing that she was having a panic attack). The paramedic commented that this was a highly regulated industry and that west Texas always has that "smell" and that she was "safe".  Someone needs to tell the uninformed paramedic that this is mostly a self regulated industry (TCEQ's Permit By Rule) and that toxic BTEX is present in those raw gases.

After the paramedics left, she had uncontrolled coughing. This morning she tells me she is suffering with heart palpitations and is missing work from the trauma of the exposure.

Based on the details I've gathered, the proposed one mile setback from schools by the Ft Worth League of Neighborhood to FISD should also be applied to drilling in all businesses and neighborhoods in urban AND rural areas.  Certainly 600 feet is not adequate and council has been allowing variances even to that distance!

1. Our fire departments need to be equipped with suma canisters. Spectrometers so can take air samples upon dispatch so we do not have to wait up to 12 hours later when TCEQ arrives. 
2. Our paramedics should have the opportunity to draw blood and or urine when they respond to drilling effluent exposures to test for BTEX exposure.
3. Our city should have a gas drilling official on duty on weekends and in the middle of the night to receive calls from citizens needing to report events.

The public needs to have a way to know what their exposure has been after one of these "incidents" so that they and our city council members can make informed decisions about living/permitting drilling in our towns.

How ironic that yesterday Jane Lynn spoke with a neighbor suffering unexplained health issues since this site has come into their neighborhood.

This is only one of many neighbors that are having health (heart/nosebleeds) and evacuation issues.  A 70 year old woman goes to Walmart and walks around for the day when there is activity/fumes coming off that site...FYI.

Living in fear and with the unknown here in the Barnett Shale is what the Arlington TX experience has become for many.

Watching Litter Get Sent Over Fort Worth's Fosdic Falls On Its Way To The Trinity River

As soon as I stepped from my motorized transport upon arrival at Oakland Lake Park, today around noon, I could hear the roar of Fosdic Falls falling out of Fosdic Lake.

That would be the shadow of the Fosdic Falls thin man in the lower left of the picture, taking a picture of Fosdic Falls from the Fosdic Bridge connection to Fosdic Lake Dam.

There is a metal net-like device spanning Fosdic Creek at the point where Fosdic Lake spills over the dam, creating Fosdic Falls.

An amazing amount of litter backs up behind the metal net-like device, impeding the flow of water, sort of like a litter dam.

Today a man was risking being swept over Fosdic Falls in order to use a stick to try and remove some of the litter that was impeding the water flow.

I did not really approve of this man's litter removal method. When his stick snagged a piece of litter he tossed it on the other side of the metal net-like device, sending the litter over Fosdic Falls, sending it on its way to the preferred litter removal agent in these parts. The Trinity River.

The Trinity River is about a mile north of Fosdic Lake.

Above you see some of the Fosdic Lake Litter,  slowly bobbing its way to Fosdic Falls. This particular floating litter was floating at the west side of the lake, at the base of a cement stairway to nowhere that I run up and down when I am at Oakland Lake Park.

America Has Become A Place Where You Can't Stand On Your Property Or Keep A Basketball Hoop

Just got an incoming email from Elsie Hotpepper. All Elsie wrote was "This makes me so mad."

With a link to a YouTube video.

I watched the video. And it made me mad, too.

Sometimes I think something has gone dire wrong in the Fort Worth/Tarrant County zone I live in, what with all the corruption, eminent domain abuse and what with the people acting like sheep.

For the most part.

And then there's the Paradise Center Scandal. Maybe it is a bit complicated to understand what is so scandalous about all the factors involved, but when you do come to understand the scandal, well, it makes you mad.

Mad that the Paradise Center Scandal happened, mad that the powers that be have done nothing about the Paradise Center Scandal and mad that the lame local media have not reported on the Paradise Center Scandal.

I have never understood why more people were not outraged by the abuse of eminent domain that was used to displace 1000s of people so that Jerry Jones could have a new football stadium.

And then there is this YouTube video that Elsie Hotpepper sent me. This video makes me think that what has gone dire wrong in America is not limited to Fort Worth and Tarrant County. I assume the incident depicted in the video took place in Delaware due to the video coming from something called Delaware Online.

Delaware is one of the progressive states, isn't it? How does stuff like this happen? How is this not a crime perpetrated by those who are supposed fight crime? Not commit crimes?

A Blue Monday In Texas Drying Out From An Early Morning Thunderstorm

Looking through the bars of my patio prison cell on this second Monday, 11th day of April you can see the clouds have been removed from the sky and it is yet one more blue morning in Texas.

Sunday's predicted Thunderstorm eventually arrived. In the wee hours of Monday. I heard a thunderclap or two. Rain has dampened the ground.

I don't know if the Tandy Hills will be hikeable today.

I read a touching poetic letter to the editor in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram this morning...

Our Texas?

Texas, our Texas, Where: Ignorance is respected, education neglected and the uninformed elected, leaving children unprotected.

-- Betty W. Fay, Fort Worth

I heard from the Queen of Wink last night. Currently Wink has been spared from the wildfires scorching West Texas.

I think I'll go swimming now and listen to the tweeting of the birds.

Hot Rock Lukewarm's Photo Of Smoky Midland Texas Surrounded By Wildfires

Incoming photo from Hot Rock Lukewarm, currently out in Midland, in West Texas, where his band is playing in a gala at the Midland Petroleum Club.

The above view was from last night, looking south from beautiful downtown Midland, where the smell of smoke was strong, very windy, with fires burning in several directions from Midland.

I have not heard from the Queen of Wink, yet, as to the status of her realm. Wink is to the west of Midland, about 30 or 40 miles, I think.

What happens with all those oil wells in West Texas when a wildfire burns through?

When you drive through the West Texas zone the air reeks of petroleum.

We are now past 3 in the afternoon in my zone of Texas. As you can see in the latest weather update, what was earlier predicted to be 'A Severe T-Storm," has turned in to "A strong t-storm in spots."

Currently my zone of far east Fort Worth is not one of those spots. It is relatively sunny, birds are chirping, the wind has died down.

And I think I'll go for an afternoon swim with no fear of incoming thunderbolts.

Driving On Fort Worth's New Crosswalks With An Electric Motorized Transport Device

After I left Village Creek Natural Historic Area today I headed north on Eastchase Boulevard to the location of my coffee purveyor on the north side of Interstate 30.

Several months ago I was surprised to see work being done to the overpasses over I-30 at Eastchase and at Cooks Lane, about a half mile west.

The sidewalks were being upgraded with wheelchair accessible ramps added.

I remember thinking to myself I'd never seen anyone walk across either the Cooks Lane or Eastchase freeway crossing.

So, I was a bit surprised, today, to be stopped at the light before crossing the freeway overpass, to look up to see a lady on some sort of motorized transport motoring on the new sidewalk crossings.

She'd made it up a rather steep hill from the Lowe's/Wal-Mart/Sam's Club zone. That must be a very powerful electric transport device to be able to haul so much mass up such an incline.

If I remember right, I think I actually heard myself opining that working on these crosswalks seemed like a huge waste of resources, considering how many areas of Fort Worth are in dire need of a sidewalk, in places where people actually walk.

So, color me deeply chagrined, now that I realize this particular lady on wheels would not have been able to safely cross the freeway, had these improvements not been made.

I wonder how far she was traveling on her motorized transport? I wonder if she drives it right in to Wal-Mart. Or does she switch to one of the Wal-Mart electric carts to do her shopping?

Testing For Barnett Shale Natural Gas In Village Creek Natural Historic Gas Drilling Area In Arlington

I nixed going to the Tandy Hills today and instead opted for going to the Village Creek Natural Historic Area in Arlington.

I needed to replenish my coffee supply, so, since Village Creek is closer to my supplier, it made sense to go there.

I was surprised as soon as I pulled into the Village Creek Natural Historic Area parking lot to see some very unnatural cable strung on the ground.

I'd seen this type thing before, at River Legacy Park. Seismic testing for Barnett Shale Natural Gas Drilling.

I soon confirmed that that is what the cables were for when I came upon testing equipment deeper in the park.

There were a lot of walkers today. The first group I came to was quite excited to tell me they'd seen water moccasins swimming in the creek. I saw no snakes, but I did see what appeared to be a couple alligator gar.

I don't know what ever became of the River Legacy Park seismic testing. Is a drill pad slant drilling under that park? I've no idea. I suppose since it is natural gas that is being sought, testing for it in a Natural Area sort of makes sense.

Seems very odd to me, though, having all that cable of various colors and equipment laying about.

We've got about an hour and a half to go before the predicted arrival of today's severe Thunderstorm. Currently it appears a bit topsy turvy out there. I think topsy turvy is a very scientific meteorologic term.

Early Sunday Morning After A Bad Night Of Insomnia Wondering How Close The Giant West Texas Wildfire Is To The Queen Of Wink's Realm

Stepping outside on this second Sunday of April and looking up at the sky it does not appear that the expected cloud cover has yet arrived.

We are already one third of the way through April. Time seems to be accelerating along with the price of gas.

I had myself another really bad insomnia bout last night. I think this was mostly due to being unable to find a happy medium between too hot and too cold.

So far I have not smelled the acrid odor of a wildfire. The wildfire currently burning out in West Texas is enormous. I do not know if it is burning in the Queen of Wink's realm in West Texas.

Checking the hourly forecast, for my zone, I see the predicted Thunderstorm is scheduled to arrive around 3 this afternoon.

If it rains hard today, the noon time frame may be my last chance to do some Tandy Hills hiking til dryness returns.

I see a morning swim, a mid-day hike, fish and chips and a Thunderstorm in my future for the 10th day of April. I don't think I will be going for an afternoon swim in the Thunderstorm.

Two Weeks Til The 2011 Prairie Fest On The Tandy Hills Hopefully With Lots Of Wildflowers

Two weeks to go til the 2011 Prairie Fest, with the Tandy Hills Wildflowers needing to get serious about amping up their bloomage.

It was in the low 80s when I hit the hills today. And windy. Very pleasant.

I saw several of the wildflowers you see in the picture today. Each day there are more wildflowers, but some areas, like Lost Sunglasses Ridge are still bloom free.

A lady with a little kid was flying a kite on top of Mount Tandy today. The little kid had rolled the toy stroller, that is part of the Tandy Hills Shrine, over to where his mom was flying a kite, in case the Tandy Hills Shrine Keeper wonders why the stroller moved.

The top of Mount Tandy does not seem, to me, to be a good kite flying location, due to all the cables anchored to the ground from all the towers. I guess the worst that could happen is the kite gets tangled in a cable.

Tomorrow we are currently scheduled to get heated to a high of 92, with a strong Thunderstorm. I don't know at what time Sunday the T-Storm is expected to arrive.

A pushy lady on Weight Watchers convinced to buy a big loaf of gingerbread at Town Talk today. She had several people chiming in on how good this gingerbread is. Having never had gingerbread I would not know good from bad.

I'll let you know what I think of gingerbread when I get around to trying some.

In the meantime, I am going swimming again.