A Texas Sized Downpour & Lightning Strikes Keep Me From Walking Around Fosdic Lake Today

I exited my abode at noon to head to Oakland Lake Park to walk around Fosdic Lake so as to get some of my recommended daily salubrious endorphin inducing aerobic activity.

A small amount of precipitation was precipitating when I walked to my motorized vehicular transport.

As I headed west the 4 miles to Oakland Lake Park I saw lightning strikes in the distance.

The closer I got to Fosdic Lake the larger the amount of precipitation precipitating became.

By the time I got to the Oakland Lake Park eastern parking lot the rain had segued into heavy duty Texas-style downpour mode.

With lightning striking to the north of me, lightning striking to the south of me, lightning striking to the west of me.

I looked through my rain streaked windshield at Fosdic Lake, and its army of ducks, and decided it was likely not a good idea to wander around Fosdic Lake, under a bumbershoot, with lightning making random strikes.

So, on this very rare occasion, I let common sense get the better of me and bailed on dodging lightning bolts striking around Fosdic Lake.

Obviously I am now back under cover, in my abode, with the rain no longer falling. I think I am now in for the duration of the rest of today.

Ten Days Til Christmas With Me Concerned About Robotrons & Fort Worth's Bad Sad Sidewalks

I escaped to the other side of the bars of my patio prison cell, this morning, to take a picture of the very very dark pre-dawn morning of the Ides of December, already the 15th day of the last month of 2011.

Only 10 days until Christmas.

That is not many shopping days left for the sheep-like robotrons who feel compelled to play along with the annual Christmas present buying economic boost.

I've always thought Scrooge had it right and Charles Dickens thoroughly maligned him. And Tiny Tim was a bit of a whiner.

Speaking of whiners. Some guy in a wheelchair has the gall to think that Fort Worth is being grossly unfair in how it treats the disabled via its patchwork of messed up sidewalks.

Apparently Fort Worth's next door neighbor, Arlington, is in the midst of a 6 year long lawsuit that claims Arlington is in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act, due to Arlington's inadequate sidewalk access.

I have walked in both Arlington and Fort Worth. If Arlington is getting sued for bad sidewalks, well, methinks Fort Worth's are much much worse.

If I had to rely on a wheelchair for mobility I could not make it to my neighborhood Krogers via sidewalks. That has long seemed extremely wrong to me, what with my location being in a rather densely populated area.

With a lot of people walking.

So many people walking that dirt paths have been worn in the ground that leads to Krogers.

How is it that the city that is the Envy of the Nation and causes towns, big and small, to be Green With Envy, can have such a sad patchwork of bad sidewalks?

The last time I was in the relatively small town of Tacoma, population less than a third of Fort Worth's, I walked many a mile. I do not recollect walking anywhere in Tacoma that did not have a wide sidewalk on both sides of the street, with a wide median separating the sidewalk from the street in the residential zones.

I don't think anyone in Tacoma has ever suggested that Tacoma is the Envy of the Nation or makes any other town Green With Envy.

Of the Fort Worth sidewalks that do exist, most are ridiculously narrow. There is no way two wheelchairs could meet each other without one having to move off the sidewalk. Most Fort Worth sidewalks are not wide enough for two wide Fort Worth natives to walk side by side.

Enough of the sad subject of Fort Worth's badly lacking sidewalk situation and on to my favorite subject.

The weather.

I am not running my furnace this morning. The temperature in the outer world got well into the 70s yesterday. It is currently 55 degrees in the outer world at my location about a half hour before the sun arrives to begin its daily heating duties.

Even though I said, yesterday, that my new swimming protocol was 5 days in a row of averaging 60 degrees or above, over a 24 hour time period, I am going to give the pool another try this morning. Even if it does not work out that I can stay in the pool, I find the bracing attempt to be invigorating.

I like being invigorated.

Walking In The Rain Around Quanah Parker Park On The Way To Town Talk Thinking About Time Wounding All Heels

A River Called Trinity Flows Through Quanah Parker Park

Today is Wednesday. Since today is Wednesday and since I am a creature of deeply embedded habit, it is clearly obvious, to anyone paying any attention at all, that today I would go somewhere and walk.

And then go to Town Talk.

During the noon time frame scheduled walking period the temperature was balmy, approaching 70.

And the sky was dripping wet stuff.

I decided to take a short walk in Quanah Parker Park on my way to Town Talk.

In the picture you are not looking at a serene lake. That is a river. The extremely slow moving Trinity River, flowing east, past Quanah Parker Park. I thought the Trinity River presented a rather bucolic scenic scene today.

I like bucolic scenic scenes.

As I walked today, admiring the bucolic scenic scenes, I pondered how true it is, the ancient saying that says "Time Heals All Wounds and Wounds All Heels."

Today I heard from someone up north telling me about the wounding of one particular Tacoma Heel.

I can not pretend that this wounding is/was not well deserved.

I heard on the radio that thunder is booming to the west of my location.

With these warm temperatures and rain, I suspect I will see some lightning strikes and hear some thunder booming before the day is over.

In The Middle Of The Morning Of The Middle Of The Last Month Of The Year It Is 75 Degrees At My Location In Texas

It is not yet 10 in the morning at my location. I looked up at my computer temperature monitoring device to see the device indicating it was currently 75 degrees in the outer world.

This seemed unlikely to me.

So, I stepped outside to be greeted with some wind, some rain and some of what felt like slightly warm air.

Methinks, with these suddenly balmy temperatures that that lightning strike in the weather graphic likely accurately represents what may be happening soon.

Due to figuring that the 24 hour temperature average had been 60 or above, I did get in the pool this morning.

Getting in the pool this morning did not go well. I ran from the shallow end to the deep. Swam, paddling and kicking hard for, maybe, 20 seconds, before deciding that I think I need at least 5 days averaging 60 degrees or above to make the pool doable.

Apparently I need to lard on even more fat to give myself a sufficient layer of insulative adipose tissue to make swimming comfortable during this cool time of the year.

Google Has Altered My Profile Photo To Accurately Reflect How Fat I Am

I know Google is technologically innovative to a level that is almost spooky.

But, methinks the latest Google innovation, that I have made note of, has gone too far.

In the column to the right you see my original Google Profile Photo. That photo was taken years ago, back when I was skinny.

Somehow Google figured out that I am no longer skinny and so Google altered the Profile Photo to be more accurate when one views my Google profile.

If you click on "View My Complete Profile," on the right, you will see the same Google altered photo that you see above.

I am sort of embarrassed to have my fatness revealed in this manner, but, the fat bottom line is, it was I who ate all those gallons of heavily buttered popcorn, so I guess I have to willingly accept having Google display a more accurate profile photo of me.

This may cause me to go on a diet.

In Texas Observing Three Generations Of Pacific Northwest Train Fanatics

In the picture you are looking at one of the Pacific Northwest's best selling authors, Martin Burwash, on the left, with his dad next to him and son, Seth, on the right, near the town of Lombard, in the state of Montana.

Martin is married to one of my best friends, dating all the way back, decades ago, to high school.

I am not sure, because my Adult Attention Deficit Disorder causes me to remember things incorrectly, but I believe Seth is about to be a baby daddy, making Martin a grandpa. I could be wrong about this, so don't go repeating what I say. I'm not a reliable source.

Martin's best selling historical novel is called Vis Major. I read somewhere that "Vis Major has received glowing reviews and is climbing the Best Seller lists. It's been reported that Burwash has been negotiating for screen rights to Vis Major, with Brad Pitt playing Burwash as the story's narrator."

Vis Major is about the Wellington Train Disaster, way back early in the previous century. A train disaster in the Stevens Pass zone of Washington's Cascade Mountains. One of the worst train disasters in history.

On Facebook Martin regularly posts black and white photos, that he has taken and then developed in his secret darkroom, of trains rolling across various tracks in the Pacific Northwest.

I have long wondered from whence Martin's rather extreme interest in trains came.

This morning, via Martin's blog, I got the answer, in a rather charming blogging titled "Three Generations."

I do not know what the current status is of Vis Major: the Movie. I do know that Martin told me that he preferred to be played by Sam Elliot, not Brad Pitt. I see Meryl Streep as Martin's wife in the movie. Or Jennifer Anniston. Or maybe Kim Kardashian.

The 2nd Wednesday Of December Dripping Slightly While Thinking About Houseboats On Lake JD Granger & Mary Ann Getting Old

All the light you see glowing in the outer world is electrically derived light.

The sun has yet to arrive on this 2nd Wednesday of the last month of 2011. Already we are at Day 14 of December. Almost half way through the month and only 11 shopping days left til Christmas.

I got all my Christmas shopping done a long long time ago.

It is currently 55 degrees in the outer world at my location. I believe the 24 hour average has been 60 or above. So, I am going to try to go swimming this morning.

The weather predictors are currently predicting, again, that we will have rain and thunderstorms today.

I can tell, via the dampness visible on the ground, that some rain has rained down overnight.

Changing the subject from rain to other wet subjects,

I was appalled this morning to read in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer that Seattle is cracking down on some types of houseboats. After reading the reasons for the crack down I can sort of understand, but still, Seattle without houseboats would not be Seattle.

The subject of Seattle houseboats caused me to wonder if the Trinity River Vision Boondoggle Dictator, J.D. Granger, will be selling houseboat slips on his little town lake and canals. Selling houseboat slips might have a better profit potential than doing sweetheart restaurant deals with his buddy's in Fort Worth's good ol' boy network.

The thing I am most appalled about this morning has nothing to do with houseboats or J.D. Granger. Last week I was shocked to realize Doris Day is 87 years old. This morning I was shocked to read that Gilligan's Island's Mary Ann, aka Dawn Wells, is now 73 years old.

Time flies. Like I said, it is already almost the middle of December.

Walking Softly While Wielding A Big Stick With Yoga & The Indians At Village Creek

A Man With His Club Heading Towards A Yoga Group

Is the moon full? Is it the lunatic time of the month?

I could not see the moon, even if it were dark and possibly visible, because we are under a thick cloud cover, currently, in this sort of parched part of the planet.

Rain was predicted for today. But, so far, none has fallen on my location.

It is currently 61 degrees. I tested the temperature of the swimming pool this morning. I deemed it not swim-worthy. Tomorrow morning I suspect it will be.

Back to today's walk with the Ghosts of the Caddoan Confederacy, the Native Americans who made up the Anadarko, Bidais, Caddo, Keechi, Kickapoo, Tawakoni, Tonkawa, Waco, Waxahachie and Wichita tribes, who used to live in a huge village that has now been reduced to being made note of via the existence of Village Creek Natural Historical Area in Arlington.

Today there were a lot of people haunting Village Creek. In the picture, above, you see a club wielding man heading to a group of women doing yoga, led by a giant of a man of what looked to be of African-American distinction.

I met a couple dressed in what looked to be Middle Eastern garb, with the female of the couple wearing a head scarf and the man of the couple speaking on a smart phone in what sounded to be Arabic. I am almost 100% certain they were not on a terrorist mission. They greeted me in a very friendly manner, as I passed by, with the man taking a time out from speaking on the phone, in Arabic, to give me a very nice Texas accented "Howdy."

A family of 5, with a baby in a wobbly stroller, pushed by a dad wearing droopy drawers, which he cinched up as I approached, greeted me with a nice Mexican accented "Howdy."

I love how multi-cultural going on a walk in Texas in Village Creek Natural Historical Area is at times. Like today.

In Texas We Do Not Chop Off The Heads Of Our Witches & Sorceresses

Texas may be a bit notorious for its seemingly unseemly number of executions.

However, in Texas, to get executed, you need to be convicted of murder. As in taking another life.

Now, Texas may have, a time or two, accidentally executed someone who turned out later to be innocent. But, those type mistakes are very rare.

And then we have the Barbaric, Medieval, Backwards, Inhuman, Embarrassing Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Executing Amina bint Abdel Halim Nassar, on Monday, by chopping off her head, not because she murdered anyone. She lost her head because she supposedly "committed the practice of witchcraft and sorcery."

And we are allies of this regime why?

Oh yeah, they have oil.

Practicing Christian that I be, I heed the words of Jesus who said, "That which you do to the least among me, you do unto me."

I think Jesus considered all humans his children, not matter what race, creed or religion.

So, Supposedly Christian, sort of, nation that we be, how can America not get all up in arms over something like this?

What is a worse crime in need of punishment? Supposedly practicing witchcraft? Or chopping off someone's head?

Blue & Max Wish Grandpa A Happy Birthday From Tacoma

I thought this was too cute. Blue & Max, the well known Tacoma Adventure Poodles and Primary Caregivers to my nephews, David & Theo and niece, Ruby, put a "Happy Birthday Grandpa" greeting on their Blue & Max blog yesterday for my dad's birthday.

I believe that is Max resting on Grandpa's lap in the picture. This Grandpa lap sitting would have taken place last summer, I believe, in Tacoma.

I do not know if Blue & Max called Grandpa on his birthday yesterday. Grandpa did not mention getting a call from Blue & Max when I called.

I believe Blue & Max prefer sending text messages. That is the only way I ever hear from Blue & Max via my phone communicating device.