Looking At The Dry Tandy Raw Sewage River Wondering If Fort Worth Is The Leakiest City In America

Tandy Raw Sewage Semi-Dried Riverbed

It was not all that many degrees above freezing when I hit the Hills of Tandy today to run at high speed up 7 hills, both to warm myself up and to finally get rid of feeling bloated from yesterday's Super Bowl overindulgence.

As I was nearing the end of today's endorphin inducing aerobic stimulation, a convoy of Fort Worth Water Works trucks was making its way down the Tandy Highway towards the site of the recent massive raw sewage spill.

A convoy of Fort Worth Water Works trucks makes quite a loud racket, with a lot of beeping and revving engines, disrupting the peace and quiet of the Tandy Hills Natural Sanatorium Area.

As you see in the picture above, the river of raw sewage has ceased flowing down the Tandy Highway.

What remains is a riverbed of raw sewage muck.

Perhaps the convoy of Fort Worth Water Works trucks was heading towards doing some environmental cleanup.

I suspect, though, that that was not the case.

I really don't think very many people in this part of the planet are all that concerned about raw sewage flowing into creeks and rivers.

Though there was a matter of fact mention in this morning's Fort Worth Star-Telegram of the chronic problem of Fort Worth's water pipes and sanitary sewer pipes, breaking and spilling.

But, as we all know, we have more important things to worry about spending money on in Fort Worth than the water/sewer infrastructure. Or sidewalks.

The Trinity River Vision Boondoggle and its billion dollar price tag, that's the priority project for this town.

A town in dire need of having a little lake, some canals and an un-needed flood diversion channel to replace flood control levees which have worked fine for longer than half a century.

With all of Fort Worth's water main and sanitary sewer breaks I wonder if the town can lay claim to being the leakiest town in America?

Yet one more thing about Fort Worth that has towns far and wide Green with Envy.

The Monday Morning Post Super Bowl Bad Commercials Muted Madonna Blues

Looking out my primary viewing portal on the outer world on this first Monday of the second month of 2012, the view is frosty this morning, with this morning's frostiness caused by the outer world, at my location, being chilled to a freezing temperature of 32 degrees.

I was up real late on Super Bowl Sunday, causing me to be up late on post Super Bowl Monday.

I actually watched the entire Super Bowl. I think I have only done that once before, that being the one and only time the Seattle Seahawks made it to the Super Bowl.

I think it is time to retire the myth that Super Bowl commercials are all that special. This year, once again, for the most part, the commercials were not very memorable. Or just downright embarrassing.

Methinks whoever signed off on that Audi commercial with vampires needs to lose his or her job.

I don't think the Coca-Cola Polar Bears are cute. And being able to interact with them via a smart phone ap is just silly.

I did not like seeing Grandma launch a baby with a sling shot to grab a bag of Doritos from the baby's big brother. That seemed like baby endangerment to me. That and baby's should not be eating Doritos.

The commercial for a new Chevy car called Sonic was really bad and really made no sense to me. I kept thinking it was the burger chain being advertised until the end of the ad.

Most of the beer commercials were not at all good. And certainly did not motivate me to want to try Platinum Beer.

The exception to the bad beer commercials was one for Budweiser with an End of Prohibition theme.

Another commercial that I liked was the dog going on a diet. But, sadly, this commercial did not imprint on me what it was an advertisement for.

And then there was the Madonna Halftime Show. This was a suitably slick over production. But, on my TV, Madonna's vocals were way too muted.

I spent way too much of the Super Bowl feeling bloated after having over eaten.

I'm still feeling bloated this morning. I wish a swim was in my future today. I know some hill hiking is. That and spending way to many hours upgrading a way too technical website.

A Super Bowl Sunday Walk With The Village Creek Indian Ghosts While Chili Simmers

Village Creek Unpaved Trail

Around noon I felt the need to leave my giant simmering pot of Super Bowl Chili to go walk with the Native American Ghosts who haunt the Village Creek Natural Historical Area in Arlington.

I don't know if the Indian Ghosts were as cold as I was today.

Soon upon hitting the ground I found myself jogging to try and warm up.

It was barely 40 degrees when I communed with nature. Only 43, right now, about 2 and a half hours before the Super Bowl starts bowling.

I forgot to previously mention that last night I went to Wal-Mart to stock up on Super Bowl supplies. Saturday night is always, reliably, the most entertaining time to visit Wal-Mart.

Every once in awhile Betty Jo Bouvier emails me a collection of photos titled "People of Wal-Mart."

Last night, for the first time ever, I saw someone worthy of being in Betty Jo's "People of Wal-Mart" collection.

It was a plus-sized woman, walking with a man in army camouflage attire. The woman was wearing ultra-short shorts that left the lower third of her buttocks exposed. Almost all exposed flesh had tattoos, including the exposed part of the buttocks. A large area of her breast zone was also exposed. And tattooed.

When I described this appalling spectacle to someone later, I said if I were a cop I would have arrested her for indecent exposure.

This woman was walking out of Wal-Mart as I walked in. The looks on the faces of my fellow shoppers told me I was not the only person appalled at the spectacle.

Now, I must cease thinking about last night's spectacle at Wal-Mart and finish setting up the buffet table for my Super Bowl Party.

Super Bowl Sunday Dawns Bright In Texas With A Big Bowl Of Chili & Chicken Wings

The first Sunday of the second month of 2012 has dawned chilly enough to require the turning on of my furnace.

As you can see, via the view through the bars of my patio prison cell, the biggest holiday of the year, Super Bowl Sunday, is looking serene and peaceful at my location on this troubled planet.

I now know who is playing in the Super Bowl.

It is the New York Giants against America's Team, the New England Patriots.

Apparently the New England Patriots have won the Super Bowl 4 times. It seems appropriate, to me, that a team named "Patriots" would be America's Team rather than a team of "Cowboys".

Over 111 million football fans are going to be joining me watching Super Bowl XLVI.

Why does the Super Bowl persist in using the pretentious Roman Numeral counting method? I'm guessing around 99% of football fans could not count using Roman Numerals if their life depended on it. I know I can't. I think VI may be 6. Is XL 60? With X being 50 and L being 10? Making this Super Bowl 66? Or is XL 50 minus 10? Making it Super Bowl 46?

The only part of it I am remotely looking forward to is my Super Bowl Party and the Madonna halftime show.

For my Super Bowl Party I've made the biggest pot of chili I've ever made. Along with pico de gallo, guacamole, dozens of chicken wings, 3 pumpkin pies and fixin's for multiple platters of nachos.

I think I will go running the Tandy Hills around noon to help increase my calorie deficit in preparation for my Super Bowl Party.

Checking On The Tandy Hills Brush Bashers & The No Longer Flowing Tandy Raw Sewage River

Tandy Brush Bashers In Action

Today, Saturday, was the day scheduled for those who feel the need to bash brush, to do so on the Tandy Hills.

Personally, I have no particular aversion to non-native vegetation wreaking havoc with the natural state of the Tandy Hills Natural Prairie.

So, I don't bash brush.

Now, if there was a Tandy Hills Wrecked Vehicles Bash, that I might participate in.

I probably would not participate in a Tandy Hills Creek Litter Bash, due to the fact that it seems so futile. You bash the litter, and then it quickly returns.

I might sign on to a Tandy Hills Sanitary Sewer Line Bash, due to the fact that the sewer lines which run through the Tandy Hills seem to regularly add an unwanted natural element to the hills.

Sanitary Sewer Workers Plugging A Raw Sewage Leak

Today I was pleased to see that the raging river of raw sewage that had turned the Tandy Highway into the Tandy Raw Sewage River, has been stopped.

As you can see in the picture, Fort Worth Sanitary Sewer work trucks were on the job today.

I walked up to one of the Sanitary Sewer workers. He asked if I was lost. I said I was not lost, I was hiking.

He then told me I did not want to go that way, pointing towards the former river of raw sewage, telling me that it was too muddy to walk on.

I told him I knew about the sewer break. I asked if it was fixed. He said that it was. He then shook his head and said it was really bad.

The Sanitary Sewer Worker then told me to "take care". Since English was not his first language I don't think he realized that this trite cliche was a bit out of place.

It is going to be awhile before I walk on the ground where so much raw sewage flowed. All that fertilizer should sprout some interesting vegetation in a couple months.

The First Saturday Of February Dawns Steamy In Texas

The view from my primary viewing portal on the outer world appears to be a bit steamy on this first Saturday of the second month of 2012.

I don't know why I'm looking at a steamy view. It is not freezing. The temperature is currently 12 degrees above freezing.

I did not remember, until it was too late, that last night was the Grand Opening of the Paradise Center Camp Bowie Bingo. No one reminded me. I need reminders. Or I don't remember.

In a couple hours there will be throngs of Brush Bashers bashing brush on the Tandy Hills. I am not a big fan of communal brush bashing, so I suspect I will likely not be doing any brush bashing today.

Tomorrow is the Super Bowl. One of my favorite holidays of the year. I probably should go to the bother of finding out who is playing in the Super Bowl this year, prior to the event taking place. I do know America's Former Team, the Dallas Cowboys, and the Seattle Seahawks, are not in this year's Super Bowl.

Yesterday's predicted heavy rain and thunderstorms did not materialize at my location. All that fell from the sky was the usual pollution, a short period of light rain and some drizzle.

I also know I am not going swimming now, though I wish I was.

Pondering Me & Gar The Texan's Historical Ignorance About Riverboats & Charlie Chaplin

Earlier today I read a blogging written by Gar the Texan in which he claimed I had apparently commented on his lack of historical knowledge.

I do not recollect making such a comment, but I can see where such a comment may have been made, due to the fact I remember when it came as a surprise  to Gar the Texan, when he stood at the location, in the now defunct Heritage Park, of Camp Worth, later named Fort Worth, where he marveled at the idea that Fort Worth had once actually been a fort.

Another time, Gar the Texan made it apparent he did not realize when he was in Shreveport, in casinos, that those casinos were riverboats floating on the Red River. Gar the Texan did not know that Shreveport was a port. Let alone the fact that the town had a famous river running through it.

The worst case of Gar the Texan's historical ignorance came when he went to a Beatles tribute concert type thing at the Bass Performance Hall in Fort Worth. Gar the Texan opined, on his blog, as if the Beatles were a revelation, about which he previously was not aware.

I was appalled. Methinks the vast majority of Americans are aware of the effect the Beatles had on American and World pop culture. The effects of which continue to this day. Things like Coldplay and Maroon Five come to mind.

Now, let us leave Gar the Texan's ignorance and focus on mine.

A decade or two ago, when I was in college, I took a class in Cinema History. During that class we had to watch several Charlie Chaplin movies from the silent era.

Like Gold Rush.

At that point in time I did not get why anyone found Charlie Chaplin amusing. Or a genius.

And now, decades later, I found myself watching Chaplin's City Lights, with the final scene thought by many to be the finest acting ever recorded on film.

And the last silent film ever made. Chaplin's 1936 film, Modern Times.

I now totally get the fact that Charlie Chaplin was an absolute genius. And incredibly funny.

Modern Times, while supposedly silent, well after talkies began, actually is not silent. It is such a good movie, if it did not already exist, if someone filmed the same exact movie today, it would be up for an Academy Award, I have no doubt.

Which brings me to the Great Dictator. Charlie Chaplin's 1940 movie that took on the absurdity that was Adolf Hitler and Nazi Germany.

Watch the YouTube clip below of the final scene from the Great Dictator and you will experience the brilliance of Charlie Chaplin and you may make note of the fact that what he says is totally applicable to 2012....

The First Friday Of February Is Jalapeno HOT In Texas In More Ways Than One

Currently, coming up on 4 in the afternoon, the sun is shining through thinning clouds. It is humid. 71 degree. I have my windows open.

This time last year I was fighting frostbite.

In the noon time frame I took off, heading to the Village Creek Natural Historical Area, to get my daily endorphin inducing aerobic stimulation. And then on to ALDI to get Super Bowl Party supplies.

By the time I reached Village Creek precipitation was precipitating. So, I bailed on getting any endorphins and continued on to ALDI.

When I returned to my abode I made lunch and then after lunch I made what currently appears to have been a mistake.

I am making a HUGE batch of chili for my Super Bowl Party. 15 pounds of ground beef product, currently slow cooking in the oven.

I chopped up 9 jalapenos and 2 poblano peppers to add to the chili beef product while it slow cooked.

I was careful to rigorously scrub my hands with soap and water after chopping up the jalapenos. Usually this removes the Capsicum, which causes the burning.

But not today.

My right hand, the one that holds the jalapenos while my left hand cuts them up, is burning. A momentary lapse had me touching my right eye zone with my right hand, causing more burning.

I need not detail all the locations that are currently on fire. Suffice to say, I must find another means to chop up multiple jalapenos in the future.

I understand there is a product called a kitchen glove that might be useful.

Spencer Jack Is a Great Nephew In Danger

Spencer Jack & Whatcom Falls

That is my great nephew, Spencer Jack, standing on the bridge in front of Whatcom Falls in Whatcom Falls Park in Bellingham, Washington.

Spencer Jack's dad, my nephew Jason, has been taking Spencer Jack to the various places I used to take my nephews when they were little kids.

My nephew calls me FUD, the initials mean "Favorite Uncle D."

Regarding me taking my nephews to various locales my nephew had this to say, which made me feel good, "Time limits us to a local adventure each week, but as I learned from FUD, there is much to do.  You proved that to me and brother Joe years ago. We always looked forward to our Uncle outtings that freed us from our parents."

I used to enjoy the nephew adventures too. My nephews would be appalled to see what passes for a scenic hiking location for me these days.

Years ago, after the Statute of Limitations had passed, I made a bunch of webpages along the theme of "Nephews in Danger."

There is a park in Anacortes called Washington Park. There is a very scenic drive through Washington Park. At the final scenic viewpoint you are quite high above the saltwater below. I had explored all over these cliffs and bluffs. There are miles of trail. From the scenic overlook I hiked with my nephews down to the water. My nephews took their mom and dad to Washington Park and when they reached the scenic overlook they told their parental units that they hiked all the way to the water with FUD.

My brother, and his then wife, had never bothered to get out of their car to see that it is totally doable, and safe, to hike to the water.

I got a phone call from my brother scolding me about putting my "Nephews in Danger."

From that point forward my adventures with my nephews were called "Nephews in Danger."

Spencer Jack Is Looking Concerned

This is why the subject line of the email containing the Whatcom Falls pictures said "Great Nephews in Danger."

So, like I said, years ago, over a decade ago, actually, I webpaged " Nephews in Danger."

I Googled "Nephews in Danger" last night to see if I still had those webpages online. I was surprised to see that I had previously blogged about "Nephews in Danger."

I don't think the Nephews in Danger webpages are indexed by Google, but they are still online amongst my appallingly large number of web files.

I was surprised when I saw that the decade plus old Nephews in Danger webpages no longer worked right.

A long long time ago there was this now long ago outdated webpage making method called Frames. I did not realize, til last night, that modern day browsers no longer, apparently, support framed webpages. So, if you go to Nephews in Danger and click on a link, rather than open in the main frame, the page opens in its own tab or window.

Anyway.

Looking at the old pictures of Nephews in Danger made me both nostalgic and homesick. Those Nephews in Danger episodes seem so recent, in my memory, but they all took place in the last decade of the previous century.

The Dark Drought Free Dawn Of The 3rd Morning Of February In Texas

Looking through the bars of my patio prison cell, this third dark morning of February, you might guess, due to the grayish look to the sky above the pool, that we are under a cloud cover at my location on the planet.

You would be guessing correctly.

I was surprised when I stepped outside this morning to find myself being moisturized by a fine mist.

A couple downpours hit the ground before midnight last night.

With those downpours last night and the deluge from last week, apparently, this was enough water for something called the U.S. Drought Monitor to claim that the Great Texas Drought is over for the Dallas/Fort Worth zone.

According to these drought monitors a section of North Texas making up under 5 percent of the state is  now at drought free status.. This leaves almost 60 percent of Texas still too dry, with an extreme drought, and 27 percent of Texas parched at the highest level of drought.

Last night was warm to an almost borderline summer heat level of HOT. I do not recollect sleeping cover free at this time of year before. Last year at this time the furnace was running around the clock to combat the frigid freeze.

Even though it is 62 degrees this morning, I don't think I will be going swimming.