Will The Last Saturday Of July Be Day 29 In A Row 100 Degrees Or Hotter In North Texas?

Looking out my primary viewing portal on the last Saturday of July at a clear blue sky it would appear that Tropical Storm Don has passed us by.

Despite the prediction that we would not hit 100 yesterday, at the official temperature monitoring station for this zone, at D/FW Airport, we did hit 100, making Friday Day 28 in a row of 100 degrees or more.

The prediction for today is only 99. But, if we do hit 100, or more, I believe that would make today's Day 29 in a row the 2nd longest streak of 100 degree days in North Texas history.

Meanwhile, up in Washington, Betty Jo Bouvier reports that yesterday it got to 80 and she almost sweltered to a full swoon whilst working in her garden. This morning Betty Jo is being chilled to 53.5, while here in North Texas we are being chilled to 79.4.

Changing the subject from the HEAT to lunch, I am making pizza from scratch today. Carlotta Camano gave me the step by step directions as to how to do so. I believe the pizza dough will be the only step which may present me with some measure of difficulty.

Before I make pizza I am going swimming and then later will likely do some hill hiking, followed by Town Talk. Then pizza assembly.

We Are Cooling Down In North Texas While I Help Gar The Texan Find The Best German Beer In America

My best friend with an IQ over 165, that being Gar the Texan, thinks I am temperature obsessed due to suffering from something called SSAD, with those SSAD initials being the short way of saying Summer Seasonally Affected Disorder.

Apparently I have had episodes where I have been unreasonably cranky, due to being overheated.

Gar the Texan has also made note of the fact that around 80% of my 20 to 30 bloggings a day seem to have something to do with the temperature.

Well, the thing is, the temperature is a HOT topic. I just realized a couple minutes ago that my Google AdSense revenue has already broken the monthly revenue record, with 2 days to go in July.

Now, I know Gar the Texan, with the advantage of his Ultra IQ, does better than I do with the pertinent blogging subjects. I imagine he has brought in a small fortune with his search for the perfect German beer made in America. And his parenting adventures.

Now, switching the subject from Gar the Texan and his parenting adventures, back to the temperature. I do not believe we hit the 100 mark today. If that is the case, the streak is over, with the 2011 streak being, I think, the 3rd longest in North Texas history, as measured at the official station at D/FW Airport.

If we don't get to 100 on Saturday, apparently a new streak of 100 degree days will begin on Sunday, with this coming Tuesday currently scheduled to be heated to a HOT 106.

We are currently scheduled to only get to 97 tomorrow. A 2 degree reduction from the previous prediction. Earlier I saw some big cumulus clouds that I assumed were due to Tropical Storm Don. But those clouds currently do not seem to be increasing.

Even so, I suspect there may be some thunderbolts jolting me in a few hours.

In the meantime I'm going with Gar the Texan to help in his quest to find an American Hefeweizen beer that is at a German quality level. This is an important project. It would be much easier if we were up in Washington doing this search, what with Washington's many brewpubs. For a state where the people seem to like their beer drinking, there seems to be a serious brewpub shortage in Texas.

Walking On The Brown Oakland Lake Park Hills Thinking About The Brown Hills Of Eastern Washington

So far it does not appear that Tropical Storm Don has arrived. But, for some reason the rain chance has been raised 10 points to 30%.

I think I remember what rain feels like.

I had a rough night with N. Somnia last night. It is hard to sleep with N. Somnia. During the short sleeping bouts very disturbing nightmares disturbed me, of which I remember nothing except for finding them disturbing.

A long bout in the pool seemed to have perked me up.

Before noon I went to Oakland Lake Park, again, to walk around Fosdic Lake, again. It was 94 degrees when I left air-conditioned comfort. It was 96.5 upon my return to air-conditioned comfort, with the Real Feel Heat Index feeling like 101.

The browned grass of Oakland Lake Park reminded me of Eastern Washington today. That is the browned grass in the picture, looking west at a stand of trees in front of Fosdic Lake.

When I was a kid I was always fascinated by the brown hills of Eastern Washington. Going from the green, west side of the Cascades, to a totally different climate and topography on the east side.

It was not til I was 12 years old that I traveled far enough from Washington to discover that those brown type hills cover a lot of America, though Washington's version, with its rolling hills and coulees, is more scenic than some. That, and much of the brown has had green added to it, with irrigation allowing the growing of apples, peaches, apricots, grapes, nectarines, cherries, wheat, corn, hops and other stuff I'm likely forgetting.

The last time I saw the brown hills of Eastern Washington was the summer of 2001. We went on a fruit run to the Wenatchee zone with a stop in Leavenworth on the way. In the years since I moved to Texas, the Walla Walla zone has become a wine producing mecca. When I lived in Washington the agricultural product Walla Wallas was known for were its Walla Walla Sweet Onions.

I'm in the mood for a Washington visit. I think cherry season may be over. But, blackberries should soon be ripe for the free picking.

The Last Friday Of July With Tropical Storm Don Changing Direction & Mimi The Pitbull Back Behind Bars

Looking skyward through the bars of my prison patio cell on the last Friday of July you can see the sky is currently clear of any clouds.

Apparently Tropical Storm Don went a more westerly direction than expected, which apparently makes it less likely we will see any rain in North Texas.

But, even without as much incoming Tropical Storm Don, the predicted high for Friday has been been lowered to 99, which, if that happens, today ends our 100 degrees of more streak.

On a totally non-HEAT related subject. Months ago a Fort Worth pitbull named Mimi was in the news. Mimi was accused of being a biter. Mimi's owner, Steven Woods generated a lot of sympathy and money, with his false tale of being a war vet and Mimi being innocent.

Well. Mimi is behind bars again. A pregnant lady, her husband and kid in a stroller were walking in Fort Worth's Lake Como Park when they were accosted by two pitbulls, one of whom was Mimi. The husband got the dogs to chase him, then was attacked by the male, which the husband stabbed with a knife, causing both dogs to run away.

Woods admitted both dogs were his.

Methinks it is now time to remove all of Woods' dogs from his possession.

And in another change of subject, it is time to go swimming.

Getting Cool By Walking Around Fosdic Lake With A Blue Heron And An Incoming Tropical Storm Named Don

It was only 97 degrees when I walked around Fosdic Lake in Oakland Lake Park today, with that 97 degrees supposedly feeling like 101.

However, the water in Fosdic Lake seems to have a cooling effect on the air surrounding it, particularly when you walk across Fosdic Dam, with the wind blowing across the lake from the south with gusts to 20 mph.

I think that was a blue heron I saw today on the east side of Fosdic Lake. The bird and the water are sort of the same shade of blue.

The cold-like symptoms that were vexing me bad yesterday seem to have abated. It pleases me when a bad thing abates.

Speaking of bad things abating. If the current prediction comes true, on Saturday we will not be heated to 100 degrees or above in drought stricken, oven baked North Texas. And rain is slightly in the forecast for tonight, Friday and Saturday, along with a chance of T-Storms, courtesy of incoming Tropical Storm Don.

The Last Thursday Of July With Tropical Storm Don Young Threatening An End To Our North Texas Heat Streak

The last Thursday of July is starting off cooled to a not too chilly 82 degrees, scheduled to hit a high of 103.

Day after day the water in the pool is warmer than the day before.

When we hit 103 today it will be the 27th day in a row of a triple digit high.

The temperature prediction for Friday is 101.

But Saturday, that being the day that our current North Texas 100 degree streak would tie for 2nd, is in danger of not happening due to Tropical Storm Don Young.

Tropical Storm Don Young is currently north of Cozumel, Mexico, heading west/northwest towards South Texas. If Don Young reaches the Texas coast late Friday or early Saturday its clouds could cause a temperature drop in North Texas.

I continue to have strange cold-like symptoms. It is very vexing.

Am I Coming Down With A Cold In The Texas HEAT?

I have not been sick in years. No flu, no cold, no nothing.

A few summers ago I did have a bad allergy bout that I thought was a cold at first.

That may be what I have going on now. An allergic reaction to something.

Or I may have a cold. I do not believe I have ever had a cold in summer before. With the temperature over 100 every day it would seem that cold viruses would be withered from the heat, just like everything else.

Right now, at a few minutes after 5, we are being heated to 104.7 degrees HOT. A full blown cold in these HOT temperatures would be a miserable thing, I would think.

My symptoms are a slightly sore throat, a burning sensation in my nasal passages, slight eye irritation and an overall crankiness that is at a higher level of crankiness than my usual ongoing crankiness.

Could Fort Worth's bad air pollution and me exposing myself to it, daily, be what's causing the burning sensations? Anyone else having these symptoms?

I remember having a sore throat when I flew up to Washington in July of 2008, thinking it was caused by the air that I breathe here and that it would quickly get better breathing Washington's much cleaner air. But, it took a week for the cleaner air to clear up the sore throat.

Maybe I am just still recovering from Saturday night's saloon hopping with Elsie Hotpepper. Lord knows a night with Elsie Hotpepper exposes one to a lot of unexpected toxins.

A HOT Reflection On The Top Of Mount Tandy Thinking About My Mom & Dad & Nephews

In the picture I am on top of Mount Tandy, today around noon. As you can see I discovered a new way of taking a picture of myself by aiming the camera at one of my vehicular transport's windows.

That would be the Tandy Tower, aka the Fort Worth Space Needle, behind my right shoulder.

When I exited air-conditioned comfort today the outdoor air was heated to just a couple degrees under 100. The Real Feel Heat Index was supposed to be making it feel like 104.

However, a steady wind seemed to be introducing a bit of Wind Chill Factor to the Real Feel Heat Index on today's Tandy Hills.

Currently we are heated to 102.4 with a Real Feel Heat Index of 107. Right now up in my old home zone, the Skagit Valley of Washington, it is 64.2.

I believe my mom and dad are up in Washington right now. This would be their first return in 2 years. I have not been back in Washington for 3 years. Mom and dad have met their new grandson, David, previously. I think little David has flown down to Phoenix at least twice to visit them. Mom and dad will likely be visiting Tacoma to see David and their new twin grandbabies, Ruby Jean and Theo John.

Just a sec, I will go check the Blue & Max Blog to see if my mom and dad have been seen by the poodles.

Well. Blue & Max have pictures of David's visit to Phoenix. I know mom and dad's plan was to take off for Washington the morning that David was flying back north. Which must mean mom & dad are either on the road or have made it up to Washington. I guess I could make a call and get to the bottom of this mystery.

I can't tell from the picture if David is at my mom and dad's place in Sun Lake or my sister's in Chandler. The next two pictures I can tell are at my sister's house.

On the left that is my nephew Christopher Jay, more often known as CJ, with his cousin, my nephew, David.

That would be CJ on the left, David in the middle and, on the right, CJ's little brother, JR, Jeremy Ryan, my youngest nephew, until David and Theo showed up, in their mom and dad's backyard, blowing bubbles.

Seeing pictures of my nephews has me feeling a bit melancholy. JR was 13 when I moved to Texas. I remember Jeremy's mom telling me that me being gone was going to be hard on JR, because he liked to call me up when he had a day off of school and get me to do something fun. Often this involved a long bike ride.

When I moved to Texas the last month of 1998 the idea of CJ and JR and their mom and dad moving to Arizona was not on the radar screen.

I remember flying up for a family reunion in July of 2002 and my brother-in-law taking me aside to tell me about the possibility of moving to Arizona, wanting me to help get my sister to realize it could be a good thing to make a drastic move. I think within a year of moving to Arizona my sister came around to thinking it was a good thing.

I would not mind moving to the Phoenix zone. Currently it is only 101.7 in Phoenix. That is way cooler than the current temperature in my location of 103.4, warming up a little since I started writing this blogging.

Temperature Records Keep Falling In One Of The HOTTEST Summers In Texas History

The 27th day of July has dawned with a clear sky, near as I can tell. Currently the outdoors in my location is being heated to 83.6 degrees.

That liquid location you see in the picture is looking particularly inviting this morning.

We broke another temperature record yesterday. Again it was the morning low. A record high of 86 for the morning low. The highest morning low ever recorded at the official National Weather Service Dallas/Fort Worth temperature monitoring station.

In these HOT parts of America we keep a Top 10 list of days in a row of triple digit days. We are now tied with 1952 at #3 on the Top 10 list. If the current predictions turn out to be correct, on Saturday we will be at #2 on the Top 10 list at 29 days in a row of 100 or HOTTER.

To reach the coveted #1 position, after Saturday we will need 13 more HOT days to reach the record 42 days in a row of 100 or HOTTER set in 1980.

August of 1980 was the first time I was ever in Fort Worth. I had driven here in a Toyota without A/C. I remember the HEAT was totally unbearable. I did not understand how people could live in such a place. And now, 31 years later, I totally understand how people can live in such a place.

Because I am one of them. About to go swimming in the HEAT and later likely to go hiking in the HEAT.

Amy Winehouse & The Disturbing Random Thoughts Of A Disturbing Texas Blogger

That is Amy Winehouse in the picture. Amy Winehouse has been in the news lately due to becoming the latest member of what is known as "The 27 Club."

Amy Winehouse has been a hot mess for quite some time. Drug problems and re-hab.

The only Amy Winehouse song of which I was aware was called "Rehab."

I had had no intention of mentioning Amy Winehouse in the blogging mode.

And then this morning I was reading a blogging about Amy Winehouse's tragic demise and was sort of appalled at what I was reading.

I won't be specific as to who the blogger is, due to not wanting to embarrass him. Suffice to say the blogger is a West Texas boy, prone to odd random ramblings. There have been incidents in the past where this particular blogger blogs after consuming adult beverages, with embarrassing results. This may have been what caused this particular blogging's disturbingness.

I'll copy and paste a few paragraphs of the disturbing verbiage....

Interestingly, she died at the age of 27 which puts her in an increasingly non-unique category of musicians.  They've even got a name, "The 27 Club".  The famous members of the club are, of course, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison and Kurt Cobain.

I'm not much on disparaging dead people.  Of the four artists listed above, Kurt was the only one I didn't care for.  So today, on the Russ Martin Show, when a caller called in adamantly complaining that people were going to put Amy Winehouse on a level with Kurt, it irritated me to the point that I felt the need to blog.

His complaint was the that her music sucked, she only had two albums out and she had no influence.  Not like Kurt who seemed to have some sort of godlike status in this deranged moronic stupid ass listeners brainless opinion.

First, he needs to somehow develop an IQ.  Then, he needs to learn to read.  Then, he needs to learn the difference between fact and opinion.

Of course, the most disheartening part was that Russ let him on the air and didn't degrade him.  He is normally very good at degrading morons.  I was mostly disappointed that Russ agreed with the stupidity.  It was very disappointing.

Where do I start? First off, you really should not be making disparaging remarks about a "listeners brainless opinion" when you are too dumb to insert an apostrophe between the "r" and "s" of "listeners."

So, this blogger is listening to a radio talk show and gets irritated because someone calls in to opine that he felt Amy Winehouse did not belong in the sainted "27 Club."

And then the blogger is further upset because the show's host, some guy named Russ Martin, agrees with the caller.

Due to the caller having a different opinion than the blogger the blogger feels the caller needs to develop an IQ. And learn to read. And learn the difference between fact and opinion.

Well, first off, one does not develop ones IQ. What made the blogger think the caller could not read? And that the caller did not know the difference between fact and opinion?

It seems to me the blogger does not know the difference between fact and opinion and maybe should avail himself of some of that IQ development he seems to think exists.

It sounds to me as if the caller was verbalizing his opinion about something he felt passionate about. That happens a lot on radio talk shows.

This particular blogger seems to frequently focus on what he perceives to be stupid. In his two bloggings today he used the word "stupid" an awful lot of times.

And what does it mean to be "not much on disparaging dead people?" Is this some sort of sterling character trait? I've never known anyone who did any disparaging of dead people.

Anyway, like I said, I don't know if this particular blogging was caused by too many adult libations, low blood sugar, a deluded self-view as the smartest man on the planet or just a deranged moronic stupid ass brainless opinion.