A Groggy Foggy Semi-Cold Thursday Morning In Texas

Looking out from my main viewing portal on the world I can see we are a bit overcast and slightly foggy at my current location in North Texas.

It is currently only 22 degrees above freezing.

Thunderstorms are in the forecast, again, for today. Yesterday's predicted thunderstorms did no storming within hearing distance of my ears.

I don't know if I will make it to the Tandy Hills today. I have a doctor appointment that today interferes with my regular aerobicizing time.

I am going to try and go swimming in a few minutes, even though it is only a few degrees above freezing.

It is only 2 days until Saturday's 2011 Prairie Fest. Currently the forecast, weather-wise, looks good. Except for some wind action, which can wreak havoc with tents and displays.

Walking In Village Creek Natural Gas Historic Area In Arlington This Afternoon With Elsie Hotpepper

In the picture you are looking at Village Creek in the Village Creek Natural Historic Area in Arlington, some time after 4 this afternoon.

In the picture you can see the creek, a patch of pink evening primrose wildflowers and a yellow cord.

Cords of various colors are strung all over the Natural Area.

Somehow manmade cords don't seem all that natural to me, sort of out of place in a Natural Area.

Maybe the correct name for this park zone should be Village Creek Natural Gas Historic Area.

Because that is what the multi-colored cords are for. Doing seismic testing of the Barnett Shale to see if the Village Creek Natural Historic Area is a good drilling zone.

All the Indians murdered in this area, murdered by the incoming Texans, must be rolling over in their collective graves at what their village has become. First a park. And now a gas drilling site.

I must leave you now to do the bidding of the ever demanding Elsie Hotpepper, who is being particularly hot today.

Following A Texas Rocket Car While Pondering The Gail Galtex Rant About Fort Worth Incompetence

This afternoon at a little before one in the afternoon I was heading west on Harwood, coming up on Harwood's intersection with the Grapevine Highway, also known as Highway 26, when the Rocket Car you see through my windshield, rocketed past me.

The Rocket Car had a Texas license. I did not see the Rocket Man. The Rocket Car's windows were tinted.

This Rocket Car is the strangest thing I've seen on a Texas highway since I saw an Aqua Car drive into Lake Grapevine. I doubt the Rocket Car can also fly, so it's not quite as convenient as an Aqua Car.

I am now going to change the subject from flying cars to the weather. It was in the 50s when I went swimming this morning. This created the illusion that the pool was heated. It was very pleasant. So far, at just a few minutes past 3 we are currently a chilly 63 degrees. Windows open, no A/C.

I am not going to the Tandy Hills today. If the hills got hit with yesterday's rain, I don't think it's been warm enough to dry them out. I probably should go do something aerobic or else crankiness will set in.

Speaking of crankiness, the local craziness has Gail Galtex in pissed off rant mode today. I think Gail is most upset over Fort Worth's tardiness in coming to the rescue of Possum Kingdom. I learned a couple hours ago that it is hundreds of homes that have been destroyed in the Possum Kingdom zone, up from the much smaller number I was thinking had burned. Also towns, like Palo Pinto, have been evacuated. If Palo Pinto is in danger, what about Mineral Wells?

Below is Gail Galtex's Rant of the Day....

Also, did you see this in today's paper?  I am so pissed off about the TRV and the incompetence of of the FW city council I think my head is going to explode.

http://www.star-telegram.com/2011/04/20/3013627/fort-worth-council-blocks-commercial.html#my-headlines-default

Also, I'm pissed off about the FW firefighters not helping, that you mentioned and that I read about in today's paper.  Here's my FB rant of the day:

Ft. Worth, with the highest property tax rate of urban cities in TX, is the worst-run city on the planet. While nearby Possum Kingdom and towns to the west have been burning for a week, Wyoming, Arizona, and California firefighters are helping. But Ft. Worth, the largest city nearby, has not helped AT ALL because of some bureaucratic gobbledy-gook. The incompetent city council finally gave approval yesterday to help.

And, to make matters worse, the gobbledy-gook issue is over liability for health/death benefits if a firefighter is killed.  Basically, FW doesn't want to have to pay these costs if a firefighter is killed outside the city, like, in Lake Worth.

I really need to calm down.  Think I'll go to HEB and do some grocery shopping. :-)

Gail

Paradise Center Has A New Website & Is Accepting Donations While The Paradise Center Scandal Grows More Scandalous

The Paradise Center, Inc. website is back up and running.

And is now accepting donations.

The Paradise Center Scandal keeps getting curiouser and curiouser. It seems those who thought they were the "powers that be" never considered it a possibility that Paradise Center, Inc. might have the tools to fight back.

But, fighting back is what Paradise Center, Inc. has done. And at 2 months into the scandal, I can tell you, the fight has only begun.

Already there is some organizational shaking up going on in an agency or two in Tarrant County. There have been multiple demands for the firing of MHMR-TC CEO, Jim McDermott.

On the Paradise Center Scandal blog there have been around 400 comments made. I've been appalled multiple times over the meanspiritedness and downright nastiness of those making comments from the MHMR-TC side. Appalled at the nasty character assassinating, appalled at the juvenile verbiage and bad grammar. Just overall appalled.

I have not been the only person appalled at what some of these people have said. Reading through the Paradise Center Scandal blog it becomes sort of a soap opera.

At times I have trouble figuring out pieces of information I get sent. And then I'll realize how the new information fits into the scandal. It is like putting a puzzle together at times.

Paradise Center will be having an Open House in their new location sometime soon. I'll let you know when that happens so I can see you there.

A Wednesday Texas Morning Recovering From Getting Hit By Hail

The early morning view looking through the bars of my patio prison cell might make you think this is a blue sky morning in Texas.

It is not. Stormy weather is heading our way.

Yesterday, a short time before 6pm, I was walking over to Miss Puerto Rico's when I heard popping noises. I could not tell what was popping. Thunder was rumbling in the distance.

I was a couple minutes into enjoying the view from Miss Puerto Rico's balcony when suddenly what was causing the popping noise became obvious.

Hail.

Big balls of hail. Along with a downpour of rain. Soon what I assumed to be tornado sirens began screaming.

The storm did not last long. I did not learn until this morning that while I was getting pounded by hail, over in Arlington, on I-20, more than 50 vehicles collided in a chain reaction that closed the westbound lanes of the freeway for around 3 hours.

I don't know if rain fell in the Possum Kingdom zone to help put out the wildfires that continue to consume expensive homes. Firefighters from California, Arizona and Wyoming are helping put out the Possum Kingdom blazes.

Fort Worth is the nearest big city to Possum Kingdom. Fort Worth was not sending any fire fighting help to Possum Kingdom.

Until Tuesday, when the Fort Worth city council gave approval to send firefighters to Possum Kingdom.

Below is a really short video I took while the hail was hailing down yesterday. The video is really short because I started getting really wet and needed to get under cover....

Just Another Spring Tuesday In Texas With Record Breaking Temperatures, Wildfires and Power Blackouts

In the picture you are looking at a hazy view of the stunning skyline of beautiful downtown Fort Worth, from the Tandy Hills, today around noon.

I suspect the haziness is due to the huge wildfires burning to the west of Fort Worth, in the Lake Possum Kingdom zone. Dozens of homes have been destroyed. An area the size of Rhode Island is currently under flame in Texas.

We are heading to a record breaking temperature of 95 today. Currently it is 1 degree shy of the record.

It is very humid. The heat and the humidity turned the hiking today into a sauna steam bath.

It is now an hour later after typing "sauna steam bath." The power went out. Are we having rolling blackouts due to record breaking temperatures for this date?

It is only April 19. I think we are heading towards a super HOT summer in Texas. Currently I am not remembering how it is I can tolerate being out in it when the HEAT goes well over a 100. I am remembering why it is, if I fly up to Seattle in July or August, I'm a shivering mess pretty much the entire time I'm there.

Currently, as you can see, it is 94, with the humidity making it feel like 96. How is it one determines the temperature feels like a certain temperature, I can't help but wonder?

Today on the Tandy Hills is the third day in a row that, what I believe to be sewer water, is running through a Tandy Hills Creek. The water flows at a steady rate, but has still not reached Tandy Falls. The malodorousness of the Tandy Hills Sewer Creek was a bit amped up today. I assume due to the elevated temperature.

The only new wildflower color on the hills that I saw today was the solo pink tulip-like buttercup bloom you see in the picture.

I think I need to take an anti-histamine pill for the second time during this itchy eyes bout, which may be brought to me courtesy of wildfire smoke.

I went swimming again, during the blackout. But I did not enjoy lounging in the HOT sun for more than a couple minutes after I got out of the pool.

Miss Puerto Rico returns tomorrow, likely after midnight. I am under instructions not to turn the A/C on unless it goes over 100.

I see I have some Elsie Hotpepper incoming. I must brace myself and see what that's about.

A Gray Tuesday In Fort Worth Thinking About Mike Moncrief's & Cathy Hirt's Conflicts Of Interest

Monday morning was blue. Tuesday morning is gray in my zone of North Texas, at least as viewed from one of my viewing portals on the outdoor world.

It is currently 75 degrees, heading to a predicted high of 92. From the look of the sky I would guess rain and possible thunderstorms were coming my way, but that is not the forecast, which is breezy with sunny intervals.

This morning I read that one of the people wanting to be mayor of Fort Worth, Cathy Hirt, says that she will likely, if elected, get rid of the stocks she and her husband, Darrell, have in 5 of the gas drillers poking holes in Fort Worth.

Cathy Hirt said owning stocks in those 5 gas drilling companies could raise conflicts of interest issues.

Apparently Cathy Hirt has not heard that Fort Worth City Attorney, David Yett, ruled years ago that Fort Worth's current corrupt mayor, Mike Moncrief's, $600,000 income from gas drillers, poking holes in Fort Worth, did not constitute any conflict of interest.

I guess it is a good thing that Fort Worth has someone running for mayor who understands that conflicts of interest are not a good thing.

Jim Lane says if he gets elected mayor he will closely monitor the Barnett Shale operations. I wonder how much money he makes each year from the gas drillers poking holes in Fort Worth?

It is time for me to stop wondering about conflicts of interest and go swimming to take my mind off of that which perplexes me.

Fort Worth Mayoral Candidate Jim Lane's New Honest Campaign Signs

Elsie Hotpepper was out making her rounds today and came across this new Jim Lane for Mayor campaign sign.

I think it is admirable that Mr. Lane is being up front about being a crook. It is not usually the Fort Worth Way to be honest, like this, about such things.

Yesterday, I blogged about Jim Lane's latest campaign mailer.

That blogging got a whopping 5 comments. All of them good. Comments are not about the quantity, it is the quality that matters....

Steve A said...

    I like Betsy Price myself. I'd vote for her if I lived in Fort Worth. She's good people, even if her job is to collect taxes.
   
Don YOUNG said...

    ... and there's a unicorn on the dark side of the moon. hahahahaha, tell me another one Jim.

Anonymous said...

    Yay! This is all Fort Worth needs, a mayor who steals copyrighted logos who doesn't even live in our city!! Doesn't he live in Azle??

CatsPaw said...

I'm not disputing the logo stealing, but Lane does live in Fort Worth – in an allegedly haunted house. However, I do not believe the ghost is a unicorn.

Gail Galtex said...

The moment I saw his mailers, I knew this guy wasn't going to get my vote. He lost me with the cowboy hat. Being from Austin, I'm just not used to this fashion statement. I'm voting for Cathy Hirt because she is the only candidate who is against the TRV and Clyde Picht and Lon Burnham support her.

It Is A Hot Monday In Texas Bringing Blooming Wildflowers On The Tandy Hills

It is currently 8 degrees short of being 100 in my zone of North Texas. I believe the temperature today on the Tandy Hills was the hottest hiking so far this year.

I believe it was in the mid-80s when I hit the hills. This had me wondering how it is I can manage to hike the hills when it is 110. I do know I bring water along. And drink it. I had 3 bottles of water with me today. But I did not take them on the hike.

The daisy-like wildflower was my new Tandy Hills wildflower sighting of the day.

Water is continuing to stream across the formerly dry creek bed near the point where the south trail down Mount Tandy meets the Tandy Highway.

Today I lingered a bit longer by the flood. Yesterday someone opined this was a sewage leak, opining this because of the smell and the look of the water. Today I did a better job of smelling and looking and I think I agree with the sewer system leak theory.

Then again, water in streams in these parts can be a bit polluted, creating the illusion of being an open sewer, like when the Trinity River is in flood mode, not in destination happy hour inner tube floating mode.

It is only 5 days til the Prairie Fest floods the Tandy Hills with humans and other stuff.

Some forecasters are forecasting T-Storms for Friday and Sunday. With Saturday, the day of the Prairie Fest being a non-stormy day.

Below is an optimistic 7 day forecast for Fort Worth. If this holds it bodes well for the Prairie Fest. I hope.

The Next To Last Monday Of April Has Dawned Blue In Texas

As you can clearly see, via one of my viewing portals on the world, it is yet one more blue Monday in Texas.

The outdoor air conditioner is currently conditioning the air to a comfortable 69 degrees. Soon the outdoor furnace will take over, heating the air to a predicted 90, likely forcing the need for the interior A/C to be activated.

Allergy symptoms, which I usually don't have, got to me yesterday, with watery, itchy eyes and overall congestion that was discomforting.

So, I searched the medicine cabinet and found a little blue pill. No, it was not Viagra. I don't keep my Viagra in my medicine cabinet.

The little blue pill was an anti-histamine. I was very pleased at how well the little pill worked.

The last time I had myself an allergic reaction to the air that I breathe here was way back in July of 2008. I was scheduled to fly to Seattle on July 20. I thought that as soon as I started breathing the cleaner Washington air that my sore throat and allergy symptoms would go away instantly.

But, that did not happen. It was at least a week later til the sore throat was gone. Upon my return to Texas, 3 weeks later, the sore throat did not return. Maybe it was not an allergy that caused it.

It is already well past 7 this morning. I need to go swimming before it gets any hotter out there.