The 19th Day Of 2012 Dawns With Yet One More Nice Day In Texas

We  are looking out my primary viewing portal on the outer world as the sun begins its daily lighting and heating duty on the 19th day of 2012.

The sky appears to be clear this morning over the spot in North Texas were I am located.

The outer world is already heated to 43 degrees in my current home zone. My old home zone is below freezing this morning with an icy mess of slipperiness on the ground.

Last night I was emailed some more snow photos from Washington.

I suspect the next photos I'll be being emailed from Washington will be flood pictures.

Pictures Of Today's Washington Snow Day With Things Texans Say When It Snows

In the first picture you are looking at what I believe is the north shore of Big Lake. Big Lake is a big lake in the Skagit Valley of Washington, located about 2 miles to the east of the location of my former abode in Mount Vernon.

Before my brother moved to Arizona he lived in a house on a hill that overlooked Big Lake. Currently the only person I know who lives at Big Lake is my brother's first ex-wife, my favorite ex-sister-in-law, Spencer Jack's Grandma.

My Sister's Front Yard In Kent

For Texans topographically used to flatness, that white covered object in the background, in the Big Lake picture, is what is known as a foothill.

This particular foothill is a foothill of the Cascade Mountains.

If the view turned just a bit to the left you would see yourself some Cascade Mountains, including the Mount Baker volcano, if the sky was cleared of clouds.

The non-Big Lake snow day pictures are from my sister, playing out in the snow, whilst snowbound, in the south King County suburb of Seattle called Kent.

The #1 Vehicle In Washington Today Is A Sled

From my sister's location, above Lake Meridian, there is no direction she can go without having to deal with a hill. So, til the slipperiness subsides, my sister is driving nowhere, even though she has a 4 wheel drive Honda SUV.

I can not tell if that is my sister or my ex-wife sledding solo down a steep hill.

I thought I was going to get some pictures of Tilly the Dachshund on a sled. Apparently Tilly has specially made winter outerwear. I do not know if Tilly's older siblings, Rosie the Rat Dog and Bean have winter outerwear.

I suspect Rosie likely stays away from the snow. Rosie the Rat Dog is something like 40 years old, wrinkled, with failing eyes. Still cute though.

The only text in the email that contained my sister's snow photos said, "I should know better than to walk a mile in snow, get on a sled, go down a hill and expect for it to turn out okay!"

My Sister & Ex-Wife Caught Possibly Illegally Sledding

I do not know what did not turn out okay. However, there was one photo of a firetruck, at least I think it was a firetruck.

In the last photo it appears that my sister, on the left, and my ex-wife, on the right, have their hands in the air, as if a law enforcement officer has ordered them assume that position.

I have no idea why my ex-wife has been cut-off at the knees. I'm guessing what ever the story is, it is not a tragedy.

Meanwhile, over on Facebook, I think it was MLK who posted an amusing video of a guy in Seattle saying various things the locals say about the snow when a rare occurrence, like today's Snow Day, happens. Methinks Texans might be heard saying similar things during a rare Texas Snow Day, except for any mountain or public transit references (View Part 2 of Seattle People Snow Taking at the end of the video. It is funnier and mentions Sedro Woolley. Twice) ....

A Walk Around Fosdic Lake With My Snowbound Sister While Gar The Texan Risks Being Sent To Guantanamo

In the picture you are looking at the vast inland sea, located in Fort Worth, known as Fosdic Lake, with Fosdic Lake being the centerpiece of Oakland Lake Park.

I have looked for years and have recently given up the search for Oakland Lake. I have been over every square inch of Oakland Lake Park, with the only lake I've found being Fosdic Lake.

I am usually relentless persistent when I am on a quest, but this time I am giving up.

My sister who lives in the south King County suburb of Seattle called Kent walked with me today. And talked.

My sister told me that today's conditions in Washington are worse than anything during her 25 years of working for UPS. Olympia and points south of Olympia have up to a couple feet of snow piled up. I suspect it is currently impossible to drive I-5 to Portland.

My sister was about to go out to play in the snow when I called. She said she'd send me pictures. And so she did. I'll make them into a separate blogging.

Prior to leaving my abode to go walk around Fosdic Lake I'd blogged about the Wikipedia blackout. Gar the Texan then kindly pointed out yet one more of my embarrassing typo embarrassments.

And then later Gar the Texan made another comment, telling me how to work around the Wikipedia blackout. With the passing of Steve Jobs, Gar the Texan is likely the world's top computer guru.....

Gar has left a new comment on your post "The Wikipedia Blackout Puts A Stop To My World Of Free Knowledge": 

When you get to a wiki page, you may notice it "flashes" to the blackout page. This is because it's loading a JavaScript to display the World Without Free Knowledge page. If you hit ESC before it loads the JavaScript, you can still read your Wiki pages. Alternatively, you could just turn JavaScript off for the next 20 hours or so :). Just don't tell the feds.

The Wikipedia Blackout Puts A Stop To My World Of Free Knowledge

I have now experienced the pain of the Wikipedia blackout.

I read in one of my online news sources that workers working on widening the Panama Canal are striking, due to being way underpaid.

I did not know the Panama Canal was being widened and was curious as to what level of involvement America still has in the Panama Canal.

So, as I often do when I seek info, I Googled and clicked on the Wikipedia link. The Panama Canal article popped up, quickly followed by the message you see above. asking us to "Imagine a World Without Free Knowledge."

Okay, I tried, but I can't imagine what I'm being asked to imagine.

I can easily imagine a world without stupid people. That would be a nice world.

Near as I can tell, this Wikipedia blackout is being caused by too many stupid people sending too many stupid people to Washington, D.C. to represent them, where they've stupidly come up with some stupid legislation that, like I said, near as I can tell, is an American world wide assault on Freedom of Speech.

That really sounds terribly un-American to me.

We Are Freezing In Texas With No Snow Unlike Snowbound Western Washington

Looking out my primary viewing portal on the outer world, on this 18th day of the New Year, you might guess, due to the frosty window pane, that it is freezing this morning in Texas.

Your guess would be correct. My computer-based temperature monitoring device indicates it is currently 27 degrees.

Once again the morning temperature at my current home location is the same as my old home location in Mount Vernon, Washington.

Up in my old home location, this morning, it is not only cold. it is covered deeply in snow.

Pretty much every school in the Puget Sound zone of Western Washington is closed today. The only one I saw open was Anacortes, starting two hours late, subject to change. Seattle is shut down. Flights in and out of Sea-Tac have been cancelled.

I suspect when the sun arrives over the West Coast this morning, in less than two hours, my old neighborhood will be a Winter Wonderland of sleds sliding and skis skiing.

I wish I was there.

Spencer Jack & His Dad Drove By My Old Snowy Home In Washington Today

Snowy Pawnee Lane In Mount Vernon Washington

Spencer Jack's dad has been driving Spencer all over the Skagit Valley today, checking out the snow.

Including a drive by of where I lived before moving to Texas.

I am not understanding how the Douglas Fir that is to the left of the carport has grown so big. It was nowhere near this tall when I moved.

I actually don't even remember a Douglas Fir tree being in that location. Had you asked me I would have said it was several Alder trees.

A month prior to the move a bad windstorm knocked down several trees, including a pair of Alder by where that tall Douglas Fir stands.

Having your house sit under really tall trees and having a lot of windows makes for an interesting scene when the wind gets blowing hard.

Or when there is an earthquake.

Tall trees sway very strangely in an earthquake.

I can see some remodeling has taken place. A different entry door on the second level. The open carport now has a garage door. The stairs from the second floor have been rebuilt with what looks like a landing halfway down. It looks like the windows have been replaced.

I miss this house. Everything about it worked well. It required no air-conditioning, not that many homes in Western Washington have air-conditioning, but this house was designed to passively stay cool.

I like a house that is designed to passively stay cool, since that matches my own personal design. I always stay passively cool.

I wonder what snow pictures my nephew and Spencer Jack will be sending me tomorrow?

Walking With The Village Creek Indian Ghosts Thinking About Black Kettle, Log Plugs, A Juicy Snowstorm In Washington & Wikipedia Going Dark

A Log Plugs A Hole In A Village Creek Dam Bridge

When I woke up my computer this morning, well before the arrival of the sun, my computer temperature monitoring device indicated it was 58 degrees in the outer world.

By the time the sun arrived, the incoming cold front also arrived, dropping the temperature to 41.

I took off from my abode earlier than the norm to go on my daily bout of endorphin inducing aerobic stimulation.

I went to the Village Creek Natural Historical Area for one of my regular walks with the Indian Ghosts who haunt this area.

Indian Ghosts were on my mind today, with me thinking about Black Kettle surviving the Sand Creek Massacre, thinking he had his tribe in a safe place, protected by the American government, then a few years later, again thinking he had his tribe in a safe place, only to find himself, and his wife, murdered by George Custer and his 7th Cavalry, in the Washita River Massacre.

I'd link to the Wikipedia articles about Black Kettle and the Sand Creek and Washita River Massacres, but Wikipedia is about to go dark in a protest I don't quite understand.

My Van Rendered Immobile By Snow

A few minutes ago I blogged on my Washington Blog about the snowstorm that is covering Western Washington, today, in what may end up being a record breaking accumulation, in a blogging titled "A Juicy Snowstorm Hits Western Washington Today & Tomorrow."

In the picture you are looking out my bedroom window in my house on Pawnee Lane in Mount Vernon, Washington, in December of 1996, at what was the deepest snow I'd ever seen in the county I lived in.

I was snowbound for almost a week, that month in 1996. Today and tomorrow's snowstorm is predicted to be equal to, or deeper than the 1996 snowstorm.

I am feeling a bit homesick today.

The 17th Morning Of 2012 Dawns Dark & Warm While Snow Covers My Nephew's Restaurant In Washington

As you can see, looking through the bars of my patio prison cell, the 17th morning of 2012 is very very dark, with just a little illumination provided by a sliver of the moon directly overhead.

Seeing a sliver of the moon directly overhead would seem to indicate at least a partially clear sky.

Currently, in the outer world at my location, it is 58 degrees. Yesterday's high got into the 70s.

I think I will see if swimming is doable this morning.

Changing the subject from the sublime to the ridiculous.

I watched last night's Republican debate.

Changing the subject from the ridiculous back to the weather.

My old home zone is bracing for what the weather predictors are predicting may be a record breaking snowstorm, arriving on Wednesday, with possible accumulations of well over a foot of the white stuff all over the Puget Sound lowlands.

In all my years of living in the Puget Sound lowlands zone I can only remember one time the snow got over  a foot deep. That was in December of 1996. That particular snowstorm had me trapped on the hill my house sat on for almost a week. I could only travel by cross country ski til the snow melted.

Spencer Jack's Dad's Fidalgo Drive-In

It was a Winter Wonderland. The steep cul-de-sac that my house was on became a sledding mecca well into the night, with night sledding illumination provided by the street lights.

This morning Spencer Jack's dad, my nephew Jason, sent me a picture of what his restaurant, the Fidalgo Drive-In, was looking like yesterday.

My nephew's restaurant is in Anacortes, on Fidalgo Island, hence the name of the restaurant. Anacortes is a port town. It is where you hop a ferry to get out to the San Juan Islands, or to Victoria, up in British Columbia.

A cold front is moving in today at my current location on the planet. I see no snow in the forecast.

Martin Luther King Day Finding A Rutted Muddy Mess On The Tandy Hills With Drowned Tires

Stunning Skyline Of Beautiful Downtown Fort Worth

Today was my first time back on the Tandy Hills since we had some rain fall a week, or so, ago.

When I arrived at the top of Mount Tandy to take the picture you see here of the stunning skyline of beautiful downtown Fort Worth a strong wind was blowing, making the air feel cooler than its 65 degrees.

I did not realize today was Martin Luther King Day til I was on the road listening to Rush Limbaugh doing his ranting when he said he also did not realize today was a holiday til someone mentioned it to him.

I don't know how I missed it being Martin Luther King Day. Surely there was mention made of the holiday in each of the online news sources I check in on every morning.

The Rutted Muddy Tandy Highway

During the night I did have a dream. Maybe that was my sub-conscious telling me it was Martin Luther King Day.

Changing the subject back to the Tandy Hills.

I was more than a little appalled when I got to the bottom of Mount Tandy and saw that the Tandy Highway has been turned into a rutted, muddy mess.

The muddy ruts have dried for the most part. The rutted up road made walking on it more difficult than it was before this happened.

I did not check today on the current status of the Tandy Bamboo Teepee.

The Drowned Tandy Tires

But I did check in on the current location of the Giant Tandy Tire #2 and its mate.

A cruel vandal has drowned the tires in Tandy Creek at the base of Tandy Falls.

Who would commit such an act?

When I left the drowned tires and headed south, back to the Tandy Highway, I saw the rutted, muddiness continued into the northeast corner of the Tandy Hills.

Back to that first photo at the top. Today when I was looking across the prairie at the skyline of Fort Worth I wondered if there is any other city in America, with a population over a half million, which has such a large expanse of undeveloped land so near its downtown?

I suspect not.

Fort Worth is very unique.

The Dawn Of The 3rd Monday Of 2012 In Texas Is Already Heated To 60 Degrees

I was up late Sunday, which has me up late on what is already the third Monday of the New Year of 2012, which you can sort of tell via the view from my primary viewing portal on the outer world.

Half of January is already history.

It is already 60 degrees out in the outer world, this morning, with the sun only a short time into its daily heating duty.

The temperature predictors are predicting a high in the 70s today.

I see a possible bout of swimming by tomorrow morning.

And possibly the Tandy Hills around noon today.