Fun Today Chasing The Tandy Hills Roadrunner

I had my second Tandy Hills Roadrunner sighting today. The first time I saw a Roadrunner running on the Tandy Hills it was running south on the main trail that leads in from View Street.

Today I parked on View Street rather than the summit of Mount Tandy. I was barely on the trail, heading north, when I realized the Tandy Hills Roadrunner was leading the way.

It is not easy to get a picture of a Roadrunner running. The one you're looking at was my best effort.

I lost the Roadrunner at the part of the View Street trail, at the far north end, where it loops above the freeway.

A couple days ago I saw what I thought looked to be a coyote, running across the prairie atop Mount Tandy.

I wonder if the Tandy Hills Roadrunner and the Tandy Hills Coyote ever have fun playing with each other?

Switching subjects from cartoon characters, my pool is back working again.

This morning I woke up to find a pain in my shoulder blades that felt like a knife was stabbing me. Not that I've ever been stabbed, but I imagine this is how it must feel.

The knife in my back is better now. I don't know if going swimming would be good for this ailment. Or exacerbate it.

When I returned here, this afternoon, I saw Miss Puerto Rico. I was surprised to see she has turned into a redhead since I saw her a couple days ago.

There seems to be some sort of epidemic, in my immediate zone, of drastic hair color changes. So far I am immune from the epidemic.

High Pressure Chemicals & A Missing Queen Of Wink Worrying Me The 7th Day Of June

Looking out at the pool early this 7th morning of June the water appears to be crystal clear. One would think this would mean my swimming pool is back swimmable.

One would be wrong to think that.

The pump is still not working right, that water has been extremely shocked. Shocking a pool is pool-speak meaning the water has been dosed with chemicals. The chemicals flash off over time.

I think the chemicals somehow prevent algae from growing, but I'm not sure. The fact that til those chemicals flash off the water is dangerous seems worrisome to me. But, I've had 12 years to get used to it, so it doesn't worry me all that much anymore. It's just one more thing I wonder about and then accept.

I had my bedroom window open all night. I don't know if that was a good idea. This morning I shut the windows and am running the A/C. This morning I learned we have been being heated 6 to 10 degrees above normal for the past 10 days. A humongous high pressure ridge sits over Texas creating summer type furnace conditions.

On a totally non-weather related subject. Overnight the Queen of Wink has disappeared from Facebook. Princess Annie of Wink is still on Facebook. Shelby the Dog of Wink is still on Facebook. But the Queen of Wink is gone.

I will call the Queen of Wink later today and try to solve this troubling mystery.

Fubbo The Hut Forgets To Eat And Then Gets Into A Gun Battle At A Tacoma McDonald's

That is Fubbo the Hut in the picture. Fubbo the Hut lives in Tacoma. Years ago she was an acquaintance of mine, til her episodes of wacky-doodle craziness were no longer funny.

Fubbo the Hut has a blog. I don't often think to look at Fubbo's blog, because, well, it is sort of, well, embarrassing, which causes a cringe reflex in me.

And then she has all these people who must be even dumber than Fubbo, telling her how brilliant her most recent post is and how brave she was to do what it was she has described in her latest incoherent, cringe-inducing post.

So, here's my short version of Fubbo the Hut's most recent blogging.

But, before I get to that, I must add that Fubbo the Hut is a clinically diagnosed pathological liar.

So, at the start of the post, Fubbo informs us that on this one particular day she forgot to eat.

Yeah, right. This is a 600 or 700, or more, pound person who never forgets to eat. Constantly. In massive volumes. Hence the Fubbo the Hut body.

So, Fubbo's long suffering husband gets home from work. Fubbo then remembers, supposedly, that she's not eaten all day. Convinces the husband to transport her to Safeway so the Hut can get some chicken strips from the Safeway Deli.

Tragedy strikes.

The Deli is out of chicken strips. How about Chinese food?

No.

No Chinese food after 7 pm. Supposedly.

So, in a grocery store full of food, and in an area with a lot of restaurants, including a real good Thai place, Fubbo the Hut convinces her husband to drive a distance to the nearest McDonald's.

Arriving at the McDonald's Fubbo the Hut has her husband go inside to get her an Angus burger. Fubbo stays in the car because it is not easy to move when you are Fubbo the Hut. And Fubbo can no longer fit in McDonald's seating. I learned that on my last visit to the PNW when Fubbo nearly destroyed a stool and table in a Gig Harbor McDonald's.

Fubbo made up some odd explanation as to why the drive up window was not an okay method to use to get her an Angus burger.

As Fubbo the Hut sat there waiting for her first nutrition of the day, a car drove into the drive-thru with music pumping and thumping a loud bass boom that Fubbo claimed vibrated her windows. And, I suspect, her thick layers of adipose tissue also resonated with the vibrating.

Fubbo the Hut then saw, supposedly, that a baby was seated next to a throbbing speaker. Then, again supposedly, Fubbo the Hut got out of her car, waddled over to the booming car and politely, again, supposedly, tried to explain to the driver that the loud noise was destroying the baby's ear drums.

The driver told Fubbo the Hut to mind her own business.

Fubbo persisted. The driver then, supposedly, reached down and pulled out a gun and said something like, "Go away you fat scary freak."

Fubbo the Hut then waddled back to her car, where she awaited her Angus burger. And then, when it arrived, again supposedly, Fubbo did not mention the incident to her burger delivering husband.

Now. I have been the victim of one of Fubbo the Hut's episodes where she is just darn sure she is right about something and determined that you see the light. I imagine the guy in the car, supposedly with a gun, was scared to death to have this freakish space alien hollering at him.

Trust me, when you have hundreds upon hundreds of pounds of angry flesh hollering at you, irrationally and incoherently, it is a situation where you wish you had a gun.

At the start of her blogging about this supposed incident, Fubbo the Hut said she really should stay inside at all times and avoid human contact. In this assessment, for once, I think she may be thinking clearly.

And, additionally, how does a grown adult not have a supply of food in their house? And when you realize you've not eaten, and there is no food in the house, you go to a grocery store to get chicken strips? Rather than stock up on your food supply at the grocery store? With nothing to eat in the house, what happened the next morning?

McDonald's for breakfast?

I do like their biscuits.

And why would you share this supposed incident with others, on your blog, when it makes you appear to be a total idiot?

Very perplexing. Who forgets to eat? Particularly among the obese?

Hiking The HOT Tandy Hills With A Purple Wildflower Thinking About D-Day & An Old Lady In Need Of Clothes

The Texas wildflower season has definitely passed its peak. And this definitely was not a peak wildflower season.

But, you can still find plenty of wildflower color coloring the Tandy Hills.

Like today's picture of a purple wildflower.

Today it was in the low 90s when I exited my vehicle on top of Mount Tandy.

Not being able to go swimming in the morning seems to have benefited me with extra hiking energy. I was a speedy maniac going up hills today.

I've decided there is something very addictive, in addition to the endorphins, about getting drenched in sweat whilst aerobicizing in air heated to almost 100 degrees.

It is like a Mother Nature provided steam/sauna bath.

I rarely, if ever, mention it, but I'm a big fan of doing random acts of kindness, charitable moments of helping someone in need. Today it was an Old Lady desperately in need of new clothes.

The Old Lady mentioned today being D-Day and said she remembers that day like it was yesterday. I would never ask an Old Lady how old she is, charitable guy that I am, but I estimate if she remembers D-Day, with D-Day being June 6, 1944, then the Old Lady must be at least 77. Much younger than 10 and it is unlikely one would remember D-Day.

Maybe I am projecting my own inability to remember anything from my first decade.

I Am Not Swimming & Risking A Migraine Headache Today

No picture of the view through the bars of my patio prison cell this morning. I had no need to go out on the patio to retrieve my swimming suit because I won't be swimming this morning due to a major pool malfunction involving a big pump.

As you see via the 5-day forecast, it is going to be HOT in these parts. A functioning swimming pool is a good thing when it is HOT. It appears relief arrives on Thursday when we chill to 93.

Apparently today's weather will not impact the risk of a migraine. That's a relief.

What's become of the flooding Mississippi River? Ever since the horrible tornado destruction of Joplin, Missouri the flooding Mississippi seems to have disappeared from the news.

I guess I will go make breakfast now. A daily event that usually occurs after I go swimming.

Tandy Falls Was Roaring Today While The Grass Whisperer Weeps

As you can see in the picture, Tandy Creek was roaring over Tandy Falls today.

Tandy Falls had returned to being a dry falls soon after the deluge of almost 2 weeks ago.

From forensic evidence, gathered at the scene, it appeared that a large volume of water had rushed down Tandy Creek. It was easy to see the muddy high water mark.

That this had been a large release of water was confirmed later on today's hike when I came to the point where I cross Tandy Creek over the washed out dirt bridge on the Tandy Highway.

I had to hop boulders to cross the dirt bridge due to the dirt being muddy due to the flood. The flood had to have occurred not long before my arrival, due to the level of wetness. Temperatures in the 90 to 100 range tend to have a rapid drying effect on anything wet.

We seem to leak a lot of water in these parts.

Ironically, on the way to the Tandy Hills, of late, I drive by a billboard that has the "Grass Whisperer" whispering that over watering your lawn may not only be wasting water, it may be killing your grass. Or something like that.

As long as I'm on the subject of water I'll stay there.

I had myself a good swim this morning. This is the last time you will be reading me saying that for awhile.

I knew something was not right with the way the water was circulating. This was confirmed later with the discovery that the pump is not producing sufficient pressure to force the water through the filter.

I have no clue what it will take to fix the swimming pool this time.

Sarah Palin Visits Paul Revere's House & Revises History

If Sarah Palin was homely and thick as a brick would she have been elected governor of Alaska and nominated for vice-president?

I suspect not.

For some unfathomable to me reason Sarah Palin can say the most ridiculous things and continue to be taken seriously.

By some.

In a saner world Sarah Palin's infamous Katie Couric interview would have been the end of her in politics.

But it wasn't.

Currently Sarah Palin is roaming America on her "One Nation" traveling bus tour. On Thursday Sarah was in Boston with her mom and dad, first husband, and one of her daughters, visiting historic sites, like Paul Revere's house.

At one point Sarah Palin was blindsided by a ruthless reporter who asked Sarah the extremely difficult question, "Who was Paul Revere?"

Sarah answered that terribly difficult question with, "He who warned, uh, the British that they weren’t gonna be takin’ away our arms, uh, by ringing those bells, and um, makin' sure as he’s riding his horse through town to send those warning shots and bells that we were going to be sure and we were going to be free, and we were going to be armed."

You'd think, if she couldn't come up with a coherent answer to such a simple question, she'd simple look incredulous at the reporter and flip it back at him by saying, "You actually don't know who Paul Revere is? Did you miss that day in your American History class?"

You can watch a YouTube video of Sarah Palin's latest gaffe below...

Up Late In Hot Texas On The Sunny Sunday 5th Day Of June

Can you tell looking through the bars of my patio prison cell that I am up well after the sun on this Sunday?

The 5th day of June is starting off heated to almost 80.

I ran my air conditioner all night long for the first time this year.

At this point in time the predicted high for today is 101. These predictions seem to change as the hours of any particular day pass.

I have no idea what I am going to do today. Except for going swimming in a few minutes. Whatever else I do today I suspect I will be hot doing it. Or in air-conditioned comfort.

Spotting Jim Lane On The Tandy Hills Thinking About Washington Weather Whiners

I was surprised by a Jim Lane for mayor of Fort Worth campaign sign today on the Tandy Hills.

Someone exerted some energy to put up this particular sign.

I'm not sure who is able to view it. The sign faces the west bound lanes of Interstate 30. The eastbound lanes are directly below the sign. The only way those drivers would see the sign is in their rear view mirror.

Earlier today Sunday was scheduled to get 101 degrees HOT. I see this has now been revised to 98 degrees HOT. With the first 100 degree day of the year, here, scheduled for Monday.

I've heard from several of the Washington Weather Whiners in the past 24 hours in celebratory mode because the clouds have gone, the sun has returned and the mountains are back visible.

This is how Eleanor Grigby, in Seattle, described today in the Pacific Northwest...

"It is finally beautiful here. I am sure you remember those crystal blue skies with the mountains popping out, and the Puget Sound flickering.  Nice indeed."

I do remember. There can be months of bad weather and then one day you wake up to blue sky and warm temperatures. People flock to the parks and beaches. I remember one time this happening in late February. There had been a long bout of cold and rain. And then clear sky and warm temperatures. I remember going to Camano Island State Park on that particular Saturday in February and doing some sun basking.

I could go do some pool-side Texas sun basking right now. But, I'm not in the mood.

Up Early The 4th Morning Of June In Texas Thinking About Heat Waves & Concealing My Handgun

Looking at the blue oasis through the bars of my patio prison cell this 4th morning of June it appears I am up and awake before the sun.

It is currently 72 degrees, windows open, and I just realized I am hearing no birds tweeting. Where have all the birds gone?

The sun has barely arrived at my location and it is already 72. Meanwhile up north, in the Puget Sound region of the State of Washington, the natives are preparing for the first heat wave of the year.

With a high of 79.

79 is what I set my air conditioner to.

I remember flying to Washington in July of 2004. D/FW was in the 100s when I flew away. Seattle was in the 70s when I landed. The next days were in the 70s and low 80s. The locals were bemoaning the heat wave. While I was in long pants trying to stay warm.

I have found it is easier to acclimate to heat than acclimate to cold. I shivered for an entire month the last time I was up north, July 20 - August 20 of 2008.

Yesterday I mentioned in a blogging that I got a comment from an Anonymous commenter in which the commenter said having CHL was one of the things that is great about Texas. I had no clue as to what CHL might be.

And then this morning, lifelong Texas girl, Elsie Hotpepper, alleviated me of my CHL ignorance.

CHL = Concealed Handgun License.

Is Texas the only state to have such a license? I have no idea.

I'm going swimming now, without my handgun. Because I will have nowhere to conceal it.