The Return Of Blue Sky And Near Freezing Temperatures With No Texas Tulips

Looking through the bars of my patio prison cell you can see that the morning of the third day of May has dawned cleared of clouds, allowing the return of a bright blue sky.

With a temperature only 8 degrees above freezing, heading to a supposed high of 70.

It will take a few days to dry out my favorite hiking zone after yesterday's deluge.

I think the high yesterday was only 51. The 24 hour average does not quite meet my 50 degree requirement upon which I base if swimming is doable. But, I think I'll give it a try.

We've been in a bit of a drought in these parched parts, which is likely, I think, the main reason this spring's Texas wildflowers have been a bit muted.

Speaking of flowers. The Skagit Valley Tulip Festival just wrapped up. Last weekend Carlotta Camano headed north to the Skagit Valley to tour the tulip fields.

I've not done this in well over 10 years.

Around a million visitors come to the valley during the Tulip Festival. It is a big sprawled out deal. Over the years methods have been found to manage the massive traffic flow.

I think I may have seen a tulip in the ground in Texas, but I'm drawing a blank as to when or where.

What I do know, for sure, is looking at Carlotta Camano's pictures of the Skagit tulips, this morning, made me a bit homesick.

Under An Umbrella In A Downpour At Fosdic Lake Pondering Rush Limbaugh Heaping Praise On President Obama

You are with me under an umbrella, in a downpour, looking at Fosdic Lake in Oakland Lake Park, today around noon.

I rather enjoyed walking in the rain under an umbrella. I've not done that all that often in Texas.  Lightning striking made me a little nervous, but the rumbling thunder was slightly in the distance, so I felt slightly safe.

I have been having myself a wet day today. This morning I said I did not think I'd go swimming. And then the rain went into downpour mode, making it suddenly seem fun to go out in it in my swimming suit to go swimming in the rain.

The pool water was quite a bit warmer than the incoming rain and the temperature of the air. Was very pleasant. Except usually I do not get wet from the neck up. That was not possible today.

When the thunder started booming, as I was walking, and the rain started pouring real hard, I thought taking some video might be interesting. I just uploaded a YouTube video of today's walk in the rain.

But, before I get to that, one very strange thing happened today. I turn on my radio to WBAP/96.7, at a bit past 11, to listen to the opening of the Rush Limbaugh show. This is part of my aerobic routine, because usually I find him annoying, which raises my blood pressure. I think.

I was curious how Rush was going to spin the killing of Bin Laden and somehow make Obama a bad guy.

Well, first off, Rush had the same problem I just had. When I typed Obama, it came out Osama. Over and over again Rush made that mistake and then corrected himself, eventually saying he needed to refer to the guy as Bin Laden and end the problem. And then a few seconds later, made the mistake again.

Here's a blurb from today's Limbaugh email newsletter...

"We need to sincerely congratulate President Obama.  He has done something extremely effective -- and when he does, it needs to be pointed out.  He has continued the Bush policies of keeping a military presence in the Middle East.  He did not scrub the mission to get Osama Bin Laden."  -Rush

The above is a mild version of how effusive Rush was in his praising of Obama. I kept waiting for the sarcastic twist, that never came. Yes, Rush did get in some digs about how many times Obama used the words "I" and "me" in his message from the White House last night.

My reaction to the Osama news was odd. I think because it's been such a long time he's been the world's most wanted man. The news seemed somehow anti-climatic. I'd long gotten over the shock of 9/11. So much has happened since then. A lot of it not good. And now Bin Laden is finally dead.

I'm thinking what happened last night is just the start of a new chapter that may take us to some disturbing new places we don't really want to go.

And now my disturbing video of walking in the rain with lightning strikes...

The 2nd Day Of May Thinking About Killing Osama Bin Laden & Not Going Swimming Because Of Rain, Record Cold & Lightning

Well. This morning I finally checked the news to see a headline I've been expecting to see for almost a decade.

Osama bin Laden is dead.

I think I would have preferred captured, tried and sentenced to some miserable forced labor. But I can see there is some efficiency and expediency in shooting him in the head and dumping his body in the ocean.

Switching the subject from Truth, Justice and the American Way, we are heading to a predicted record low of 43 degrees today on this second day of May.

You can not really tell it from the view from my primary outlook on the world, but it is raining hard right now. And only 45 degrees. I'm thinking this may be a day when I decide not to go swimming in the morning.

This is being a stereotypical Western Washington winter day today here in North Texas. So far.

45 degrees, thunderstorm, with the wind chill making it feel like it is 33. Yes, this does not sound like ideal swimming conditions this morning.

I Moved From The #2 Least Risky For Natural Disasters Area To The #1 Most Risky Area Of Dallas Texas Along With Lightning Exploding Natural Gas Operations In Wise County

Miss Puerto Rico is frequently quite concerned about the volcanic action and earthquakes in my old home zone of Washington state. When tsunamis were incoming from Japan she did not understand why I was not extremely worried about the welfare of my relatives. Miss Puerto Rico has never been to the West Coast, or Washington, so it is hard for her to understand that an incoming tsunami from Japan is not all that big a threat. Or that an exploding volcano does not spell doom for all.

During my years in Texas, which is now over a decade, I have had more extreme experiences with Mother Nature Natural Disaster events than all my years in Washington.

Yes, I did hear Mt. St. Helens explode. Yes a little ash reached the valley I lived in, during one of the subsequent eruptions. Yes, I have been shaken by a few earthquakes, one of which cracked the tile floor in the kitchen of my brand new house in Mount Vernon, a place from which I could see the Mount Baker volcano from my living room windows.

So, I was a little surprised, when reading and looking at maps and charts, in an article in the New York Times, titled "Where to Live to Avoid a Natural Disaster" to learn that I moved from the Metro Area with the #2 lowest risk, the Mt. Vernon-Anacortes, Wash. Metro Area, to the area with the highest risk, at #1, the Dallas-Plano-Irving, Tex. Metro Area.

Fort Worth was not mentioned in the way this Metro Area is described, which is a frequent oversight, with most of America thinking this area is Dallas-centric, but, nonetheless, Fort Worth is in the same Metro Area as Dallas.

On the above map you can see the risky areas with the red dots and the less risky with green dots.

Below you can see a list of the 8 Metro Areas with the lowest risk and the 8 with the highest.

Except for Grand Junction, Colorado, all the lowest risk areas are in the Pacific Northwest, with 5 of the least risky being in Washington, the aforementioned Mt. Vernon-Anacortes at #2, plus Bellingham, Wenatchee, Spokane and Seattle.

Meanwhile the state I currently reside in, Texas, in the riskiest Metro Area in the nation, the D/FW Metroplex, also has 5 Metro Areas listed. But unlike the 5 in Washington, the 5 in Texas are the Highest Risk Metro Areas, including the aforementioned area I am currently dangerously living in, plus Corpus Christi, Houston, Beaumont-Port Arthur and Austin.

What was I thinking? Moving from the #2 Metro Area with the lowest risk, despite having a volcano in the neighborhood, to the #1 highest risk Metro Area in America?

I must make plans to move back to relative safety at once.

One must factor in to the danger quotient, the fact that in addition to the dangers posed, in Texas, by Mother Nature, we also have thousands of natural gas wells and operations presenting a risk.

Like a Barnett Shale natural gas operation in Wise County which was struck by lightning, going into explosion mode, during our most recent storm.

Now, since lightning is a Mother Nature franchise, do we blame this explosion on her and call it a Natural Disaster? Or is this a manmade disaster?

I really need to do some assessing about the wisdom of continuing to reside in such a disaster prone zone.

The First Day Of May Has Brought A Big Chill To North Texas Which Had Me Shivering At Fosdic Lake

The weather forecasters got it right for today. It is in the almost 4 in the afternoon time frame and currently only 48 degrees.

When I went swimming this morning the water was way warmer than the air. It is not a heated pool.

Hours later, when I returned to the outside to drive to Oakland Lake Park, to walk around Fosdic Lake, when I opened the exit door from my abode I could tell I needed to be wearing more than a short sleeved t-shirt. So, I returned to my closet and added a long sleeved t-shirt.

I was not long walking around Fosdic Lake when it was clear to me I had no business being in shorts.

Yesterday we got into the high 80s here. I got real HOT, yesterday, hiking the Tandy Hills. Today it reminded me of what it is like to fly to Seattle, from here, in July. To go from 100 degrees to 50, such as was the case when I flew to Seattle on July 20 of 2008. After I landed at Sea-Tac and stepped outside for the first time, the shivering started. It lasted a month.

That is what it was like today. I did not take a very long walk. And the shivering did not last a month.

In the picture, at the top, of Fosdic Lake, you might think the lake had flooded around one of the Keep Fort Worth Beautiful litter barrels that aren't beautiful.

But, Fosdic Lake was not flooding today. Some vandal had decided one of the Keep Fort Worth Beautiful litter barrels needed to be disposed of in the lake. Or maybe a thoughtful citizen thought he or she was helping clean up the park by sending one of the litter barrels on its way to the Trinity River.

This morning Betty Jo Bouvier sent me a link to a real interesting BBC YouTube video that went well with feeling cold and also made me feel claustrophobic.

I'm feeling sad about Betty Jo Bouvier and Honey Lulu, because they are feeling sad.

Honey Lulu's mom died on Friday. Betty Jo lost both her mom and dad in the past 2 years.

Betty Jo and Honey have been extremely good friends for decades. Me, I sort of lost contact, and then re-contacted. Betty Jo and Honey Lulu have long been among my most favorite people I've ever known. I always liked both of them. A lot. My attachment to that pair goes all the way back to high school, when, apparently, among other things, Betty Jo, Honey and myself used to go swimming with very little clothing on out at Bay View in Padilla Bay in the stunningly beautiful Skagit Valley.

Neither I or Honey remembers this clearly, so I choose to remember it as skinny dipping episodes. Betty Jo objects to what she claims are my falsely recovered memories.

I am looking forward to my next trip to Washington. I've got so many people to see who I've not seen in awhile. And some I don't care to see who I have seen in awhile.

A Rainy May Day In North Texas Thinking About Spaghetti, Shrimp, Superman & Being A Communist

The first Sunday of May is also the first day of May, also known as May Day, a major holiday for me back when I used to be a communist.

Speaking of politics. Yesterday I was shocked to learn that Superman is threatening to speak to the United Nations Assembly to inform the world that he is renouncing his American citizen ship due to issues with the current American president.

What in the world did Mr. Obama due to so greatly annoy Superman?

Switching the subject abruptly from Superman, last night, around 4 in the morning I started seeing flashes of light and the distant sound of thunder. The storm remained distant.

Today is supposed to be stormy, with rain throughout the day, with possible t-storms and the temperature dropping to a low of 43 tonight, with the next couple days being rather cold, as in the high for Monday is scheduled to be 51, with the low only 9 degrees above freezing.

Currently it appears I will be swimming in the rain if I decide to get in the pool this morning, which I likely will.

I do not foresee any Tandy Hills hiking in my future for the first day of May.

I do foresee a lunch of spaghetti and shrimp. With a mango.

There Was No Shadow Of The Tandy Hills Thin Man Showing On The Hills Today

There was no Shadow of the Tandy Hills Thin Man showing on the Tandy Hills today at noon.

We may currently be at our maximum level of green for the year, here in North Texas.

As you can see in today's view of a Tandy Hills trail, looking southeast, it is green. And not too colorful. The wildflowers have been a bit muted this year.

Miss Puerto Rico just called. She can't figure out how to renew her Texas driver's license online. I said I'd help. But I am not in much of a helping mood.

The Tandy Hills hiking was a bit hot today. By the end I was quite wet from sweat. Or humidity. Or both. When I lived in Washington I was never a fan of summer heat and getting hot. Something changed after moving to Texas. Now I like getting hot in the natural sauna steam bath.

I think I will go swimming and then over to Miss Puerto Rico's.

The Durango Texas Editorial Board Recommends Anyone But Betsy Price & Jim Lane For Mayor Of Fort Worth

In the picture you are looking at the backside of a mailing that was in my mailbox this morning from the Fort Worth mayoral campaign of Dan Barrett.

Dan Barrett says he want to change business as usual at city hall.

I don't know if by changing business as usual Barrett means he wants to end the Fort Worth Way.

What he specifically was referring to, in the mailing, was the business of the city closing Fort Worth's public pools to save the city $445,000 and then a couple months later the city proposed spending a million dollars to build a downtown Heliport for the convenience of incoming millionaires.

Meanwhile, speaking of the Fort Worth Way.

The Fort Worth Ruling Oligarchy has made it official, via their mouthpiece, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, that Betsy Price is the FWRO's pick to be the next mayor of Fort Worth.

In the article announcing the Star-Telegram Editorial Board's decision we are told that "Two candidates in this race stand out -- Betsy Price and Jim Lane -- and their different approaches to what will be the first item on the to-do list for the new mayor and council provide a clear distinction between the two."

Dan Barrett, Cathy Hirt and Nicholas Zebrun are mentioned, but not given serious consideration. Because all three represent a threat to the Fort Worth Way and the Fort Worth Ruling Oligarchy.

Now that the Fort Worth Ruling Oligarchy has made their pick official, there is very little time for the few people who vote, who are not part of the FWRO, to encourage Fort Worth voters to get off their lazy butts and stage a revolution in this town.

Methinks the Anti Fort Worth Ruling Oligarchy Group needs to pick between Cathy Hirt and Dan Barrett and then somehow cause a miracle to happen, with Betsy Price not being the next mayor of this company run town.

Up Early The Last Day Of April Thinking About Marrying An Older Woman & Donald Trump's Bad Behavior

Looking out my primary viewing portal on the world it appears we under a cover of clouds in my zone of North Texas on this last morning of April of 2011.

T-Storms are again forecast for today. We got a 2 day respite from thunderstorm forecasts.

The most surprising news in the past 24 hours was not that the Royal Will Windsor married an older women, it was that Donald Trump let loose with a lot of F-wording while giving a speech at one of his Trump buildings in Las Vegas.

I thought, previously, that Donald Trump was known to be a bit of a prude who did not spew profanity or approve of tattoos.

Last night's TRIP fundraiser at the Rahr & Sons Brewing Company was much more fun than I thought it would be. I did not consume any Rahr liquid product last night, fearing that doing so might cause a return of my Prairie Fest Hives.

It is well above freezing this morning, 70 degrees. This should make for a pleasant morning swim in a few minutes. After that the Tandy Hills and Town Talk are in my future for the day, creature of bad habit that I be.

The Can Of Worms Of Tarrant County Scandals & The System That Keeps Them Canned

This zone of Texas where I currently reside, Tarrant County, seems to have scandals here and there and everywhere.

But few seem to care.

Part of the problem, scandal discovery wise, is that Tarrant County does not have a real newspaper of record.

Tarrant County does have FW Weekly, which is a legitimate newspaper.

But, Tarrant County's big paper is the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, a newspaper with all sorts of problems.

FW Weekly is a small, free, weekly. You can hardly expect FW Weekly to manage to cover every scandal that scandalizes this part of the country.

And so the scandalizers are free to do their scandalizing, feeling fairly secure that no bright light will be pointed at them.

In the current issue of FW Weekly the cover story, "A High-Priced Can of Worms" is a good look at the scandals that are rocking Haltom City.

For those reading this who are not locals, Haltom City is a suburb of Fort Worth. Haltom City has creeks running through it. Those creeks flood. Those creeks have been flooding for decades, at times deadly. But very little has been done to mitigate the flooding. While almost a $1 billion is being spent in Fort Worth on an un-needed flood control project known as the Trinity River Vision Boondoggle.

The Haltom City chronic flooding is not the Haltom City Scandal covered in this week's FW Weekly.

You can watch a movie documentary called Up A Creek, on this very blog you are reading right now and learn all about the flooding problems in Haltom City. Or go to Rahr Brewery tonight to watch the movie and drink some beer.

Regarding the Tarrant County Scandals. I know of the Haltom City Scandals courtesy of FW Weekly and someone who tells me about them in person.

Other Tarrant County Scandals I know of only because someone has contacted me because they desperately want people to know about something.

For example, Arlington's Kim Feil has been trying to find out what really happened at a Chesapeake Energy gas pad in Arlington, during a storm on April 11, 2011.

It was serious. 911 was called. Fumes entered homes. But no local news media, as far as I know, has looked into this incident. That, in and of itself, is sort of scandalous.

But, you have to realize, this area is currently under the thumb, sort of, of Chesapeake Energy. Read the FW Weekly article, linked to above, about the Haltom City Scandals, for an example of that.

It seems sort of sad to me that local citizens reach out to my lonely blog because of feeling desperate for help or answers or both.

Another scandal that I have witnessed up close is the Paradise Center Scandal. The Paradise Center Scandal has gone un-reported, for the most part, in the local media. FW Weekly did mention the scandal on their blog. And one of the local TV stations had a small, very small, piece on it.

The thing with the Paradise Center Scandal is that you have to devote some time to be able to understand it. When a cry for help went out on February 17, I did not know what the problem was.

It took me about a week before I figured out that this was serious business, what was done to the Paradise Center by MHMR-TC.

I had no clue if it would do any good or not, but, I was getting so many comments about the Paradise Center Scandal to my Durango Texas blog that I decided to make a Paradise Center Scandal blog.

Well.

I tell you, it has been like Watergate. Revelation after revelation. Lies, obfuscations, character assassinating. As the weeks went by it became apparent that the Paradise Center Scandal was just a symptom of a bigger overall scandal involving the Mental Health Mental Retardation Tarrant County Agency and its controversial CEO, Jim McDermott.

If you read through the Paradise Center Scandal blog and read the comments, it becomes real clear that this is a story that should be being reported to the people who live in this problem-laden, scandal-ridden zone, by the local Fourth Estate, which is pretty much, FW Weekly.

So, what other Tarrant County Scandals are out there that no one is being told about? Are there Fort Worth School Scandals beyond the ones that have made the news?

When a gas pad goes bonkers in Arlington, making people ill, and that is not considered newsworthy, well, that is scandalous.