Sally Selling Seashells On The Fort Worth Tandy Hills Seashore While Daylight Savings Comes To An End

Years ago, when I was in speech therapy, in an attempt to cure my speech impediment, one thing sticks in my memory, that being having to learn to say "Sally sells seashells by the seashore" quickly, over and over again.

Sally selling seashells by the seashore came back to the forefront of my consciousness today while I was doing my regularly scheduled Saturday Tandy Hills hiking when I came upon an area of the hills upon which lay dozens upon dozens of what looked like seashells.

The nearest sea to the Tandy Hills is hundreds of miles away. All these shells laying about the Tandy Hills is yet one more perplexing mystery to add to the ever growing number of Tandy Hills perplexing mysteries.

I managed to go swimming this morning. I did not have a case of the shivers afterwards. This has me trying to remember at which temperature does getting in the pool cause me a cause of the shivers. It is currently 68 degrees at half past 3 in the afternoon. The low tonight is supposed to get in the 57 degree zone. Which means I will likely be pooling in the morning.

Tonight is the night we lose Daylight Savings Time, which means I will have more sun available in the morning to light my way to the cold water.

Up With The Sun The First Saturday Of November After A Night Of Oklahoma Earthquakes Thinking About Andy Rooney

I'm looking through the bars of my patio prison cell at the arrival of the sun on the first Saturday of November, day 5, at an outer world chilled to 44 degrees in my location.

That means that that is likely a very cool pool that you see in the picture this morning. I don't know, yet, if me getting in the pool is in the picture this morning.

I did not take the Xanax anti-anxiety medication that my cat doctor prescribed for me.

Even without anti-anxiety medication I slept without any disturbing nightmares that I am able to remember.

I did think I felt the earth move a couple times last night. This may have been related to 3 earthquakes that shook central Oklahoma in the hours past midnight. A 4.7 magnitude quake started shaking at 2:12 am, epicentered about 6 miles north of Prague in southern Lincoln County, about 50 miles east of Oklahoma City.

Then a 3.4 magnitude aftershock shook at 2:27 am, followed by another aftershock shaking at 2:44 am, at 2.7 magnitude.

And in other earthshaking news, Andy Rooney has died at 92 years old, just a short while after he stopped doing his commentaries on 60 Minutes. I did not realize Andy Rooney was that old. Formerly living proof that a person can fire on all cylinders right til the end.

I think I am going to go for some shock therapy now in the form of submerging myself in very cold water.

Walking With The Ducks Of Fosdic Lake Today After Getting A Prescription From My Cat Doctor

Fosdic Fosducks Flocking At Fosdic Lake

A Quack of Fosducks went walking around Fosdic Lake with me today in Oakland Lake Park. Before the ducks decided to walk with me they were hunkered down together, trying to keep warm in the bitter cold.

I may have been slightly overdressed in long pants, long sleeves and a windbreaker, but only slightly.

If you look north on the paved trail in the picture you see what looks like a bush growing from the trail. It's not a bush. It is a big chunk of a fallen tree. I suspect the wind gusts of late knocked the tree over. I hope no Fosducks were underneath it when it fell.

A Fallen Tree Blocking The Way Around Fosdic Lake

Changing the subject from ducks to my ongoing woes. My cat doctor today prescribed Xanax for me so as to overcome my ongoing anxiety and possibly allow me to sleep without acting in epic dreams of cinematic proportions.

Yesterday the water in the Village Creek Blue Bayou was the clearest I've ever seen it. Today half of Fosdic Lake was real murky with the other half being the clearest I've ever seen it.

Half of Fosdic Lake looked the way Commencement Bay in Tacoma looks when a lot of glacial snow melt flows off Mount Rainier and into Puget Sound.

But there are no mountains with glaciers on them within 100s upon 100s of miles of Fosdic Lake, so I've no idea where the Fosdic Lake pseudo glacier melt came from.

I guess I need to head to a pharmacy now and get this prescription filled that I got from my cat doctor.

Up Late After The Nightmares Of Occupying Seattle & A Psycho Texas Judge

Via the view through the bars of my patio prison cell we can sort of tell the sun woke up this 4th morning of the next to last month of 2011 before I did.

I had myself a long night of bad dreams which will require some intensive pseudo-Freudian analysis as this first Friday of November  progresses as I attempt to recover from an exhausting night.

And, on top of all that misery, I think it froze last night. My temperature sources are telling me it is currently 33 degrees in my location. With that 33 degree temperature occurring after the sun has begun its daily heating duties.

Changing the subject from freezing to Occupying Seattle.

This morning in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer I read an article titled "The Occupy Wall Street protests are open heart surgery for the soul of America," with a reference to Texas that was on a protest sign of a Seattle Occupier that really did not make a lot of sense to me.

The protest sign said, “I’ll believe the corporations are people when Texas executes one.”

I have no idea what that means.

Meanwhile, in Texas, the Aransas County district attorney says that while, "We believe that there was a criminal offense involved and that there was substantial evidence to indicate that and under normal circumstances a charge could have been made,"  too much time has passed, with the statute of limitations running out on prosecuting Judge William Adams for beating his daughter Hillary to the shock of the world via a YouTube video which has gone viral with millions of views.

Changing the subject from crazy Texas judges back to the temperature.

Since the average temperature over the past 24 hours did not average 50 degrees or above, I am not going to attempt swimming this morning in my semi-icy pool.

Maybe tomorrow, with the current prediction seeming to indicate that by then the current 24 hour average will be 50 degrees or above.

Getting Rejected For Not Being Allowed On The Way To Walk With The Village Creek Indian Ghosts

The Blue Bayou of Village Creek 

It was colder and windier than I anticipated it would be today when I entered the outer world to head to Village Creek Natural Historical Area to commune with nature and the ghosts of all the Indians who used to roam in the Village Creek zone.

I've never seen the water of the Village Creek Bayou be as clear as it was today. I've only seen this water being really murky.

Speaking of murky. On the way to Village Creek I stopped to get gas at Fast Trac. I swiped my card to be told that this particular card is not allowed. Or something like that. I've used this particular card at this particular location many times.

I decided to ignore the not allowed card problem and just drive on.

I finished my salubrious walking with the Indians and drove to Wal-Mart where my card worked fine. Then on the way back here I stopped at QT to get gas, fearing more card rejection. But, it was not rejected.

The Fast Trac card reader has had problems in the past. I'm assuming this was the case today.

Switching subjects to my favorite subject. The temperature. I was wrong, earlier, when I said the weather predictors predicted last night's temperature incorrectly. It's tonight that the predictions have us possibly freezing. I must learn to more closely pay attention to my weather forecasts.

Along with paying closer attention to my weather forecasts, I must pay closer attention to what month I am living in. This morning I suddenly realized I'd forgotten to wish my mom a happy birthday when I called on the 30th. Which means I woke up this morning thinking it is February, because my mom's birthday is January 30.

Not October 30.

It was about a full minute before I realized the month I am currently living in is November. Does anyone know what the symptoms are for early onslaught of Alzheimer's?

A Tale Of Two Town's Vision For The Trinity River

Margaret Hill Bridge in Dallas

Both Dallas and Fort Worth have big projects underway focused on the Trinity River.

The Dallas project is called the Trinity River Corridor Project. The Fort Worth project is called the Trinity River Vision. Often referred to as the Trinity River Vision Boondoggle.

The Dallas project began before the Fort Worth project. The Dallas project has been voted on by the Dallas voters. The Fort Worth project has not been voted on by the Fort Worth voters.

The Dallas project has 3 "signature" bridges, including the Margaret Hill Bridge you see under construction in the picture. The Fort Worth project originally also had 3 "signature" bridges. But those "signature" bridges were deemed too expensive and so were cut from the Fort Worth project as its projected cost swelled to nearly a billion dollars.

Dallas is also having some funding problems with its "signature" bridges.

Whilst looking for info about the Trinity River I came upon Wikipedia's description of the two town's projects.

I somehow found the Wikipedia description of the two town's river projects amusing.....

The Trinity River Corridor Project is intended to transform the Trinity River flood zone in downtown Dallas into the nation's largest urban park, featuring three signature bridges designed by acclaimed architect Santiago Calatrava. This project is on hold with the promised funds never showing up. There has also been repeated engineering rejection of the location of the included toll road in the flood plain that would cut off the park from downtown, combined with the realization that the levees are in poor condition and need major work. The first bridge is still being built.

A similar project is planned by the Tarrant Regional Water District, City of Fort Worth, Tarrant County, Streams & Valleys Inc., and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to develop an area north of "downtown" as "uptown" along the Trinity River. This plan promotes a large mixed use development adjacent to the central city area of Fort Worth, with a goal to prevent urban sprawl by promoting the growth of a healthy, vibrant urban core. The Trinity River Vision lays the groundwork to enable Fort Worth's central business district to double in size over the next forty years.

Looking Through A Frosty Window On The 3rd Day Of November Thinking About Rick Perry, Top Chef Texas, Rocknrolla Oklahoma & Rheumatism

Looking through my primary viewing portal on the outer world on the 3rd morning of November, you see a bit of frosty looking material on the window. But it is not frost because, despite at least one prediction that it would do so, it did not freeze overnight at my location in this parched part of the planet.

I believe the low in my zone was closer to 39 than 32.

This morning I saw I have yet one more follower on Twitter. I mention it because I liked the name. Rocknrolla Oklahoma.

It has been a couple years now and I still really don't get the point of Twitter.

Top Chef Texas started up last night on Bravo. I DVRed it, but have yet to watch. I'm guessing there will be a lot of Texas hilarity. The tagline for this season of Top Chef is "For the Good, the Bad & the Hungry."

Rick Perry was out in California yesterday where he was asked if he was drunk or on medication whilst giving a speech in New Hampshire which ended up on YouTube and has gone viral. Rick Perry denied being drunk, saying "No. I was just giving a speech."

I am not going swimming this morning. I had a hellacious night of hellacious nightmares and woke up with my joints aching. I've become Granny Clampett with the cold weather activating my rheumatism. Becoming elderly is not for the faint of heart is my mom's new favorite saying. Although she expresses this more succinctly, simply saying "Getting old is not easy."

Coming Home To A Stormy Sky After Hiking The Tandy Hills With My Sister

I went hiking on the Tandy Hills today in my regular noon time frame. But I took no pictures because my hands were full, well, more precisely, I did not have a hand free to take a picture.

So, I took a picture of the late afternoon view through  the bars of my patio prison cell at what looks like a stormy sky.

My weather predictors are not being in sync. One has the low tonight being 35. Another has the low being one degree below freezing.

The reason I did not take a picture of the Tandy Hills today was because my Arizona-based sister rode with me from my abode to the top of Mount Tandy and then hiked the hills with me and finally quit visiting with me when I got to Town Talk.

Holding a phone to ones ear does not leave one with enough hands to take pictures.

Below you can see our current dire forecast for this part of the planet. I'm guessing I"m not going to feel like going swimming in the morning. This morning's swim, however, was quite pleasant.

Texas Judge William Adams Caught On Tape Beating 16 Year Old Daughter Hillary

Judge William Adams Beating His Daughter Hillary

I was peacefully minding my peaceful business, scrolling down through the slough of pithy sayings that seems to have contaminated Facebook like an Epidemic of Banal, when I came to a YouTube video Facebooked by Alma, the Songbird of the Texas Gulf Coast.

Alma wrote, "Wow...cannot believe what I'm seeing. You may want to see it before it gets taken down."

Alma's taste in what is interesting has few equals. And so I clicked to view the video.

I have seldom watched something so sickening. As I was watching I did not know that this particular horror took place in Texas.

7 years ago.

The victim, the 16 year old daughter, Hillary, of an Aransas County Court judge named William Adams, had a camera in position to record the crimes against her.

The beatings of the disabled girl, I forgot to mention she has ataxic cerebral palsy, continued. Finally Hillary had enough and put the video, you can watch below, on YouTube, where it has gone viral, with people all over the world now commenting, once more, about a bad thing that has happened in Texas.

Hillary told reporters that, "It had been happening before and had been escalating. I set up a camera, and I caught it. My father's harassment was getting really bad, so I decided to finally publish the video that I had been sitting for 7 years."

The beating Judge spoke to reporters and claimed the beating was "not as bad as it looks on tape."

Police in Rockport, Texas have begun an investigation after viewing the video that has caused them to be flooded with complaints.

I forgot to mention what prompted the beating of.16 year old disabled Hillary. She was caught downloading games from the Internet. If that gets a little girl a whipping from hell, what does the demented idiot who did the whipping deserve? Methinks the electric chair would be too lenient.

Below are some comments and then the video. WARNING: The video is very disturbing.

"We were made aware of the video last night and it has been assigned to our criminal investigation division. An investigation is ongoing at this time," Rockport Police Chief Tim Jayroe told The Huffington Post.

The beating judge's wife, who also takes part in the beating in the video, has separated from the judge, claiming she was also abused.

Let me guess, he's a "good christian" too?? Why is this monster still on the bench? I hope he rots in jail and then rots in Hell.

Man, I hope they put this creep in prison.

Just to be clear to all the idiots here who think this is okay: Just because you had  hillbilly backwards parents who also beat you and you "turned out okay" doesn't make it okay. I get that the abused tend to think there is nothing wrong with the people who abused them, but don't trash this brave girl for doing what she did. This man is in no position to raise children or administer justice.

These discipline tools created by wonderful psychologist, psychotherapist, behaviorist, the rapist you know, "The Experts" then enforced by law enforcement using the same behavioral methods on parents, simply to keep order and to make sure everyone follows behaviorist psychologist strict guidelines. This method will stand the test of time. Yes it does mirror our adult judicial system but it is simply a new cultural code preparing children for a brave new world beyond freedom & dignity.

Dear Hillary, I am so sorry this happened to you. You are certainly correct.. this so called man is not fit to be on the bench and should never hold public office again. God bless you and I hope you are doing ok now.

How many belt whips does it take to satisfy a person she's been punished? Holy cat. I think this punishment was far too harsh for the crime, and the words he used were even more hurtful. He seemed to enjoy causing her pain. He doesn't seem to have any inkling about how to solve problems, and obviously is ignorant about what's causing them. Computers don't cause problems. People do.

The Morning Of The 2nd Day Of November Is Heated To 28 Degrees Above Freezing In My Zone Of Texas

I am up well before the scheduled arrival of the sun, again, on this 2nd day of November. Even though the sun has not arrived to do its daily heating duties the outer world in my location is already a relatively balmy 60 degrees.

As you can see, in the picture, the pool appears to be particularly inviting this morning. No wind is blowing, No ripples on the water. I don't like my water rippling.

I heard from Elsie Hotpepper this morning. She had sort of gone missing again. This morning Ms. Hotpepper told me "You are always helpful."

Well, that is true. I am always helpful. Except when I'm not.

I don't know if I was being helpful when I called my mom yesterday to tell her I got gas on Sunday when mom and dad were at church. Did my mom really need to know how much the gas cost that I got on Sunday? I really don't see how that information was helpful.

I think I'll go swimming now and hope it helps my aching arm.