My Nephew David Visits Santa But I Do Not Think David Has Gotten His Black-Eyed Peas For New Year's Day Yet

That is my red-headed, ginger snap nephew David sitting on Santa's lap at something called the Festival of Trees, I assume somewhere in Tacoma.

I remember being taken to Sedro-Woolley every Christmas season to see Santa and get a big candy cane, and to tell Santa what I wanted for Christmas, none of which I ever got, which led to my early disillusionment with Christmas.

I have yet to see a Santa Claus this holiday season.

Speaking of this holiday season. There are differences in this southern region from how the season is celebrated in the northwestern region.

One example is black-eyed peas.

Decades ago, when I used to hang out with Gar the Texan, he would regularly confound me by saying things I did not understand.  One that really sticks in my memory was we were heading up to Turner Falls Park in Oklahoma, in the week between Christmas and New Years.

At one point during the drive north, Gar the Texan asked if I was having trouble finding my black-eyed peas this year?

Huh? Why would I want black-eyed peas, I asked?

You don't have to have black-eyed peas on New Years Day, Gar the Texan asked?

No, said I. Why would I?

Gar the Texan then told me he thought everyone ate black-eyed peas for good luck for the new year on New Year's Day.

This was the first I ever heard of this.

Doing a little research into this serious black-eyed peas issue I learned this black-eyed peas thing on New Year's Day is a Southern thing. Apparently many Southerners believe this dates back to the Civil War when black-eyed peas were considered food for animals, not humans. General Sherman's troops would not eat black-eyed peas as they marched across Georgia on their way to burn Atlanta. When the Union soldiers would raid Confederate supplies they'd take everything but the black-eyed peas and salt pork.

The Confederates then considered themselves lucky to have been left the black-eyed peas and salt pork, giving them something to eat to survive the winter.

Others claim the black-eyed peas thing came about because black-eyed peas were all the newly freed Southern Slaves had to celebrate on January 1, 1863, the day the Emancipation Proclamation went into effect, with, from that point forward, black-eyed peas always being eaten on the first day of the new year.

I find the Emancipation Proclamation explanation to be a bit difficult to believe. I don't think many slaves knew they'd been freed until later.

The only thing I know for sure about this black-eyed pea thing is I will not be having any on New Year's Day.  But, I may change my mind on that if I get feeling desperately in need of acquiring some good luck.

Up Early The 2nd Day Of December After Making Chili & Watching Top Chef Texas In Dallas

I am up well before the sun on this 2nd morning of December. You can almost tell from the picture that there is a drizzle dribbling in the outer world at my location at this point in time.

The 24 average, temperature-wise, has been above 50 degrees. Thus meeting my swimming requirement. However, I must factor in the chill factor of this drizzle. I'll wait til the arrival of the sun to make my decision whether or not I want to go outside and get super wet.

My weather predictors are predicting more rain arriving. And a hard freeze in a couple days. Currently it is 43.

I had no untoward nightmares last night that I am remembering this morning. I am grateful for that. I think my session with my therapist, Dr. L. C., yesterday, was of great benefit.

Last week Top Chef Texas cooked chili at a rodeo in San Antonio. Last night I used some of what I saw on Top Chef Texas to make the best chili I've ever made. Apparently in Texas we want no beans in our chili. And so I have no beans in my chili.

This week the Top Chef Texas chefs drove from San Antonio to Dallas. Dallas was looking real good. Until the Top Chefs went to Highland Park to go to three different homes where they were to make appetizers, entrees and desserts for something called a progressive dinner. The three Dallas couples being cooked for were very oddly both pretentious and dumb.

Next week the Top Chefs head to Southfork Ranch. I am guessing J.R. Ewing won't be there.

Major Tandy Hills Prairie Fest News Today In Prairie Notes #60

A Re-Imagined Re-Named Prairie Festival

I had not realized until it arrived this afternoon that the early morning of the day of a new month had not brought the latest Prairie Notes from Don Young to my emailbox.

Prairie Notes #60 contains major news about the Prairie Fest.

I have to say I think this change makes a lot of sense. Every year I think the Prairie Fest is tempting a bad weather fate by putting so much effort into one single day in the Spring that could go horribly wrong, weather-wise.

The latest Prairie Notes, with all the info and excellent photos, is not yet up on the Friends of Tandy Hills website's Prairie Notes page.

Below is a blurb from Prairie Notes #60...........

For 2012, Prairie Fest has been re-imagined and re-focused back to discovery and enjoyment of Tandy Hills, itself. Instead of a single event, there will be three festivals throughout the Spring on the last Saturdays of March, April and May. Event hours will be from 4 PM - Dusk. We call in Prairie Festx3.

The main event will be enhanced Prairie-Wildflower Hikes for kids and adults, specially designed by Heather Foote, a Master Naturalist and schoolteacher in Grapevine. More on that below. There will also be the usual, unstructured wildflower tours led by Suzanne Tuttle of the FW Nature Center & refuge.

In the re-imagined fest for 2012, we have eliminated Exhibitor booths. ("Virtual booths" will be available. Stay tuned for details.) There will still be live music and other entertainment, food, beverage and friends. The festival site will be a wide-open, kid-friendly playground for kite-flying, frisbee-tossing, stilt-walking, picnicking, guitar-picking, dog-running and other impromptu activities. 

Walking With The Village Creek Indian Ghosts Thinking About Captain Jack's Stronghold & Custer's Last Stand

Today on my way to Pantego I stopped at the Village Creek Natural Historic Area to take a walk with the Native American Ghosts that haunt this location.

Today I left the un-natural paved trail and walked on the old Indian Trail that used to meander through one of the biggest Indian Villages in North America, hence the name of the creek.

The Indian Village in this location stretched for miles, towards the north toward the Trinity River. A river which I imagine back then was totally safe to take a bath in or drink the water as it flowed by.

The Indian tribes that lived in this location were hunters, farmers and traders. And then the Texans came and evicted them using their eventually perfected primitive form of eminent domain abuse.

Last week I read A Terrible Glory: Custer and the Little Bighorn - the Last Great Battle of the American West by James Donovan.

True Crime is one of my favorite genres. Methinks the fate that befell the Native Americans falls in that category.

This book covers the period that marked the final decades of the Indian Wars, from the Powder River War victory by Red Cloud and his tribe to the Wounded Knee Massacre in 1890, with Custer's Last Stand at the Little Bighorn being the focal point to tell the story.

Back when I was in grade school and high school, at that point in time the true history of the Indian Wars was not taught. What we were taught was totally skewed to the White point of view. By the time I got to college this was changing.

A few years ago I remember stopping to read a historical marker in Northern California that made note of the fact that near this location was Captain Jack's Stronghold, made famous in the Modoc War that caught the world's attention back in the 1870s, much like the federal siege at Mount Carmel, near Waco, did in the 1990s. That particular historical marker dated back to the early 1900s. It totally made Captain Jack and the Modocs out to be villains.

However, in modern day America, if you visit Lava Beds National Monument you can explore Captain Jack's Stronghold and the Visitor's Center tells the accurate history of what transpired.

Much like the historical markers in Village Creek Natural Historic Area, sort of tell the accurate story of what transpired in that location.

A Curious Anonymous Question Leads Me To The Lonely Planet Of Texas

I've got a book from Lonely Planet called Texas. This book has a lot of really good info in it. And much of it is amusing.

I've been exiled in Texas for over a decade now. I've toned down what some perceive as negative things I say about Texas, that some Texans, of the brittle sort, sort of get upset about. The toning down came as I came to understand the reasons things were different here than what I was used to.

I came from a part of America that is a bit more rancorous in verbalizing contrary opinions. In Washington you could pretty much say any critical thing you wanted to about anything without ever having anyone suggest you leave the state by what ever means you arrived.

I've lost track of how many times I've been told by a Texan to get my butt on the north side of the Red River.

An article in the Seattle P-I from way back in 2003 is an example of the different attitude. The article is titled Seattle-bashing takes hold in cyberspace. The article is still online, but some of the links to various websites doing the Seattle bashing are now dead. Like the one to a website called Seattle Sucks.

Now, can you imagine an article in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram titled Fort Worth bashing takes hold in cyberspace? With links to a website called Fort Worth Sucks.

Now why is that the case? I mean, really, any objective person who is at all well informed knows there is much more that sucks in Fort Worth than what sucks in Seattle.

In Seattle something like the Trinity River Vision could never happen. If a Seattle congresswoman had her unqualified son given the job of running the project, trust me, he would not long have that job. Nor would the congresswoman.

Last week someone calling him or herself Anonymous anonymously made a comment to something I'd blogged which was like a more elevated way of telling me to get north of the Red River. This is what Anonymous said...

Have you ever revealed to your readers why you are exiled here in Texas? Your frequent lamenting about some things Texan and your fond feelings for Washington state do bring that question to mind, you know... Just Curious.

I don't understand why some people think lamenting is such a bad thing. If there were more vocal lamenters in Fort Worth there probably would not be money wasted on something like the Trinity River Vision Boondoggle. And that wasted money might be then spent where real flood control is needed. Like fixing the flooding problem with the deadly Fossil Creek in Haltom City.

Below is a blurb taken from the Lonely Planet Texas book which tries to explain Texas to incoming visitors...

If the USA were a high school, Texas would be the captain of the football team: big, loud, good-looking, strong, street-smart and funny as hell - just don't mess with him. He'd steal your prom date if you let him, and then shake you hand afterwards with his maddening grin. That's the Lone Star State for you - charming, but with an obnoxious streak; larger than life; undeniably vivacious. Visitors find Texas equally confounding and enchanting, and the natives (and quite a few transplants, too) wouldn't have it any other way.

And so the Wild West lives on here, but mostly in attitude. The state's got a serious love-it-or-leave it attitude, with personality to spare, and it's full of people who can't imagine living anywhere else. Is Texas really the center of the world? When you're in Texas, it is. In a country where the distinct identities between states and cities often blur together, Texans won't let you ever forget, for better or worse, that you are deep in the heart of Texas.

That said, trying to typify Texas is like trying to wrestle a pig in mud - it's slippery. In vast generalizations, Austin is alternative Texas, prizing environmental integrity and quality of life. Dallasites are the shoppers and the socialites. In conservative, casual Houston, oil and gas industrialists dine at clubby steakhousees. San Antonio and El Paso are the most Tex-Mexican of the bunch - showplaces of Hispanic culture. These days, outside of the rural areas, computer geek millionaires and fashionistas outnumber rich cattlefolk and ranch hands, though nine-to-five professionals and blue collar workers outnumber both; when it comes down to it, you might see any one of them knocking back a Lone Star in the same dive. All across the state, you'll notice several themes: Spanish is spoken, country music is played, football is sacred, barbecue is eaten, summer is scorching, and for boys and men, peeing outdoors is a God-given right and privilege.

Texans are notoriously friendly. Smiles, laughter, and 'have a nice day' are mandatory - and this is one place you get the sense they mean it. Small talk with strangers is a daily pleasure here. Yet a straightforward and conservative approach to life in much of the state means outward displays of emotion are looked upon as indiscreet. Texans are highly respectful in conversation. 'Sir' and 'ma'am' are used by almost everyone, so it's nice to get into the spirit of things by joining in. Ladies, don't be surprised to be called 'honey,' 'doll' (yes, still!) or 'sugar-pie' by either gender (most people are just being friendly.) Sugar-pie them right back - as long as you're being sincere.

Up Early The Cold First Day Of December After A Night Of Nightmares With A Super Duper Uber Cougar

I am looking through the bars of my patio prison cell at a cool pool currently being chilled to 41 degrees on Day #1 of December.

24 shopping days til Christmas. 30 days til New Year's Eve. And then it will be 2012, the year the Mayan calendar comes to an end, which has the superstitious Miss Puerto Rico, and other simple souls, thinking the world is also coming to an end in 2012.

I had a very rough night's sleep. Again with nightmares, just as I feared. And once again the worst of the nightmares involved lunch with J.D. Granger.

In last night's nightmare J.D. met me at the Love Shack in the Fort Worth Stockyards for Dirty Love Burgers and big mugs of Whiskey Lemonade. In the nightmare J.D. insisted he wanted me to run a Gentlemen's Club that he was going to have the Trinity River Vision build for me on the banks of the Trinity River.

I told J.D. that Gentlemen's Clubs make me nervous. J.D. said they made him nervous too.

After discussing my TRV sweetheart deal we walked across the street to the Stockyards Hotel. That blonde Shanna lady, who met J.D. and me in the previous night's nightmare, was there in the lobby.

Next thing I know I'm at the door of the Bonnie & Clyde room of the Stockyards Hotel.

In non-nightmare, real world, I don't know if there is a Bonnie & Clyde room in the Stockyards Hotel. But, I am fairly certain Bonnie & Clyde stayed overnight there.

So, in the nightmare I'd lost J.D. and Shanna in the lobby. I open the door of the Bonnie & Clyde room to find myself in a Mrs. Robinson situation, like I'd seen on Two and a Half Men where the Ashton Kutcher character, Wendell, found himself getting way too familiar with the Super Duper Uber Cougar, Alan and Dead Charlie's mom.

Only in this case when I opened the door of the Bonnie & Clyde room it was not Alan and Dead Charlie's mom waiting for me, it was that well known Super Duper Uber Cougar mother of J.D. Granger.

Kay.

I let out a shriek, waking up in a cold sweat.

I am going to be scared to go to bed tonight.

Sliding Down The Chesapeake Energy Snow Tubing Hill In North Richland Hills

It seems hardly a day goes by without learning of yet one more way Chesapeake Energy is improving our lives in North Texas.

Just a couple days ago I was blogging a lament about the lack of snow and the lack of mountains anywhere near where I am currently located.

So, what did I learn, just minutes ago?

Well.

In only 4 days, on December 3, I am going to be within only about 8 miles of a snow covered mountain.

Mount Chesapeake is a hill covered with real authentic certified snow. I believe this snowy mountain will be located at the NRH20 waterpark.

The summit of Mount Chesapeake is 12 feet above the mountain's base. From the summit there will be 3 lanes for riding an inner tube down the mountain for 110 feet.

I do not know if these inner tubes are being borrowed from the Trinity River Vision Rockin' the River Happy Hour Inner Tubes Floats. If they are, you might want to bring along a sanitizer to sanitize the tube before you touch it.

You have to be at least 42 inches tall to ride this mountain.

The Mount Chesapeake Energy Snow Tubing Hill will be open for sliding from 3 pm til 9 pm. It will only cost $2 per person to slide down the hill. I'm guessing this is to help pay for the chair lift ride to the summit.

The Mount Chesapeake Energy Snow Tubing Hill is just one part of the City of North Richland Hills 12th Annual Night of Holiday Magic.

I wonder if I paid the 2 bucks if I would be allowed to ski down the mountain on my cross country skis?

Walking With The Shadow Of The Tandy Hills Pin-Headed Thin Man Thinking About Being The Master Of My Domain

That's the Shadow of the Tandy Hills Pin-Headed Thin Man on the day before the start of the last month of 2011, in the noon time frame.

I was fully covered in outer wear today. I thought I needed to be because my temperature monitoring device told me it was 45 degrees in the outer world. I think my temperature monitoring device lied to me.

I was overdressed and quickly slightly overheated.

I think I am suffering from low energy due to not getting my regular early morning swimming stimulation.

I had myself a very rare experience this morning.

I'd been procrastinating dealing with my domain renewal for a domain that expires on December 5. I wanted to renew/transfer it to something called Dot Earth. I went through the process, Dot Earth sent me a confirmation email. When I clicked on the "approve" link I was brought to a webpage where I needed to have something called an "Auth Code."

I was confused.

And then the first shocking thing happened. I called Dot Earth's customer service line and a pleasant English speaking woman answered on the 2nd ring! The Dot Earth lady explained what I needed to do.

Basically I had procrastinated too long and needed to call the current registrar to renew the domain. So, I called Frontline Communications. I hit #4 for customer support and this time a pleasant English speaking man answered on the 1st ring!

The domain was renewed and the pleasant English speaking man explained how to get the "Auth Code" so I can take care of transferring my domain before it needs to be renewed in another year.

I am still feeling slightly shaken from last night's nightmare with J.D. Granger, that ended up in a Dallas hotel room. I am likely going to be an insomniac tonight, fearing a repeat of last night's nightmare.

The Last Day Of November Having Lunch At Joe T. Garcia's With J.D. Granger

Standing outside on my secondary viewing portal we are looking at a clear blue sky above a cold blue pool on this last day of the next to last month of 2011.

In only 32 days it will be 2012. Or is it 33? Counting is not one of the things I do well.

It is currently 3 degrees above freezing in the outer world at my location on this parched part of the planet.

I had a strange nightmare last night. I met J.D. Granger for lunch at Joe T. Garcia's. We had two platters of fajitas and several giant pitchers of margaritas. At some point a blonde named Shanna showed up. Next thing I remember is being in a hotel room in Dallas. And then something traumatized me, causing me to wake up yelling something.

The first day of December is tomorrow. I've already got all my Christmas shopping done. And all the Christmas cards that I send have been sent.

The Mysterious Star Telegraph Pointed Me To A Surprising Editorial In The Fort Worth Star-Telegram About The Woodshed Scandal

Can anyone tell me who the person or persons are who make up the Star Telegraph blog?

Frequently I will notice on my blog stats that the Star Telegraph has referenced one of my bloggings, linking to the blogging.

This happened this morning to the blogging titled The Next To Last Morning Of November Thinking About Bankrupt American Airlines & Other Fort Worth Corporate Boondoggles.

In a Star Telegraph blog post titled Who's Next (without a question mark) the first sentence is "Durango tells you about American Airlines filing bankruptcy and the boondoggle/bankruptcy connection in Fort Worth."

The Star Telegraph's use of my first name, rather than the more formal Mr. Jones, makes it seem as if they know me.

Looking at the Star Telegraph this morning I came upon interesting info about which I was unaware.

An editorial yesterday in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

The title of the Star-Telegram editorial is Fort Worth restaurant deal has folks talking.

The Star-Telegram is actually being critical regarding some aspect of the Trinity River Vision for the first time that I am aware of.

For example, this paragraph....

The persistent cadre of Trinity River Vision detractors probably still would pounce on the idea as conniving. But one would think after the various criticisms of the authority through the years, its officials and water board members would have learned to appreciate the value of being aboveboard with everything connected to this project.

Click on Fort Worth restaurant deal has folks talking to read the entire editorial.

The editorial currently has generated 3 comments that I rather like....

TexasR

The only people who should be surprised by any of this have been living under a rock.

loosinmyland

The persistent cadre of Trinity River Vision detractors is most people. Other than those involved, those who will benefit, and the Star Telegram, few support the project that was never put to a public vote, that was enabled with a questionable cronyistic state law, and that operates with a huge gas royalty budget obtained from land managed by a political subdivision that is supposed to be insuring our future water needs. That is public land entrusted to their care. The TRWD is an octopus that can operate in secrecy, grab land and hand out largess to their chums.

Where then is the persistent cadre of journalists at your fine paper, that should be looking into all aspects of the TRWD operations as well as the TRV. Do your job and pull back a few curtains and let the light shine in!

Restore the Water District to their previous mission and reduce our water rates. How's that for starter?

jimposter

Thank you for your editorial.  There were many details of which I was unaware. 

It is truly mind-boggling the extent of political incest at work here.  

Apparently just about every member of the inside-circle gang has helped himself to a piece of the public's pie.

The "lesson" of transparency should have been learned. Instead the actual lesson learned was to just do a better job of hiding it until it is too late for the public to do anything about it.

Disgusting. They ALL should be driven from any office or employment with any public or taxpayer-funded entity.

________________________________________

Methinks this has not been a good couple months for J.D. Granger and the Trinity River Vision.

J.D. caught a lot of flak for bailing at the last minute from a public forum he had agreed to appear in. This earned him a prestigious Turkey Award from FW Weekly. And now J.D. is entangled in The Woodshed Scandal.

I like attaching "gate" to a scandal, but The Woodshedgate Scandal just did not seem to work.

One final note on the Star Telegraph. I clicked on the "Email Us Your Concerns" link on the blog and politely asked who they were. The reply said "the Star Telegraph is a collective of concerned citizens from the community."

Well, that was helpful. There are hundreds, maybe thousands of concerned citizens in this troubled, troubling community.