The Next To Last Wednesday Of February Dawns Warm

Looking through the bars of my patio prison cell on this next to last Wednesday of the 2nd month of 2012 the swimming pool looks like it might be warmed to a swimmable temperature.

It is currently 55 degrees in the outer world at my location, soon after the daily arrival of the glowing sky orb.

I feel like I am at the tail end of my recent first viral bout of the new century. The fact that I'm going to test out the swimming pool this morning would seem to be indicative of a return to feeling healthy.

A week from today will be the last day of February. I totally tire of the ever increasing speed with which time flies.

Spencer Jack is flying to Phoenix on March 14 to visit my mom and dad. I told my mom and dad I'd fly to Phoenix in March. Now March is almost here and I'm not much in the mood to fly to Phoenix.

Before I moved to Texas I used to take off for long distance locations on momentary whims. I have no idea what about Texas has made me so stodgy about taking off for long distance locations on momentary whims. Maybe it is yet one more age-related malady.

I am going swimming now. For how long I do not know.

Walking With The Indian Ghosts In The Village Creek Natural Historical Area & Finding Mysterious Firewood

I am still not back to my regular healthy self. I do not like not being my regular healthy self.

Today I took my not back to my regular healthy self to the Village Creek Natural Historical Area to take a walk with the Indian Ghosts.

What you are looking at in the picture is some plastic wrapped store bought firewood and a barbecue grill sitting on the ground.

In the barbecue was an unopened self-starting log.

Finding firewood and barbecue grill in a park would not normally be at all perplexing or a mystery. Normally.

However.

These items were found about a mile and a half from either entry into the park, either the west parking lot on Dottie Lynn Parkway or from the Interlochen neighborhood.

Along the paved trail in the Village Creek Natural Historical Area are a lot of picnic tables with firepits.

The firewood and barbecue I saw today were about a half a mile from the paved trail.

Why would anyone go to the effort to haul firewood and a barbecue grill to this location?  And then leave it sitting there, unused?

Very perplexing.

Currently it is 65 degrees in the outer world at my location. I heard on the radio we may get heated to 80 tomorrow. That is a swimming temperature.

The 3rd Tuesday Of February Thinking About Losing My Nuclear Codes

Looking at the outer world via my primary viewing portal it appears that this 3rd Tuesday of the 2nd month of 2012 has dawned free of clouds littering the sky.

We are currently on day 21 of a month with only 29 days.

In just a few weeks the Vernal Equinox will arrive. By the time the Vernal Equinox has the sun midway to its Summertime highest point in the sky, it should be warm enough to enable a pleasant return to swimming.

Changing the subject from the sun to Presidents.

I just read a President's Day article about the bad behavior of two presidents, John F. Kennedy and Bill Clinton.

I was appalled to learn that at one point in time Clinton lost the nuclear codes that he was supposed to keep with him at all times. And when he finally fessed up to losing them, he did not know how long he'd lost them.

I have no idea how the nuclear codes work. But, does this mean if Clinton lost the nuclear codes during one of his frequent trips to McDonald's or a doughnut shop and if a kid found the codes, could that kid have accidentally started a nuclear war? Into what are the nuclear codes entered?

Speaking of nuclear war, we seem to live, currently, in a much safer world. I can not remember the last time I heard the subject of Fallout Shelters mentioned.

The Stormy President's Day View From Miss Puerto Rico's

By the time noon rolled around on this President's Day I did not have the energy to drive anywhere to go on a walk to try and get my daily dose of endorphins from aerobic over-stimulation.

So, I hiked over to Miss Puerto Rico's to take a picture of this stormy looking President's Day in Texas.

I don't think I've been over to Miss Puerto Rico's to take a picture since I took a late in the afternoon shadowy picture which had someone named Anonymous all perplexed over the important issue of what was depicted in that picture.

Which perplexed me because I'd quite clearly indicated it was the late in the afternoon shadowy view from Miss Puerto Rico's.

On the hike over to Miss Puerto Rico's I called my mom because yesterday I got gas and did not call my mom to tell her I'd gotten gas and how much it cost. My mom and dad were not home when I called.

I assume, by now, my mom and dad have learned that their one and only great-grand-kid, Spencer Jack, is flying to visit them in mid-March.

If I remember right, I don't think I ever flew anywhere til I was 18. Up to Alaska. Spencer Jack is only 4 and he's flown to Los Angeles to go to Disneyland, to Hawaii, across the country to Florida to go on a Caribbean cruise and probably a time or two I'm forgetting.

I just got an executive email order from Elsie Hotpepper ordering me to get better. I wish I could, but I don't know how to do that.

President's Day In Texas Thinking About Tornadoes & Avalanches

Looking through my primary viewing portal on the outer world on this 20th day of the 2nd month of 2012 it appears that this 3rd Monday of the month is a bit cloudy.

The weather predictors are predicting it will be windy today.

I saw no confirmation whilst reading any of my online news sources this morning, but I believe today is President's Day. George and Abe used to get their own special days on their birthdays. Now they have to share with all the other presidents.

Yesterday's news brought news of a danger I've not been exposed to since I moved to Texas.

On Sunday more than a dozen skiers in the Stevens Pass zone of Washington's Cascade Mountains got caught in a massive avalanche, with 3 of the skiers killed.

I don't think there is any place in Texas where you might find yourself caught in an avalanche.

Every location on the planet has its own special dangers. I never heard a tornado siren when I lived in Washington.

The 3rd Sunday Of February Dawns Bright & Blue In Texas

I don't know why it looks so dark looking through the bars of my patio prison cell on this 3rd sunny Sunday morning of the 2nd month of 2012.

While the picture would seem to indicate otherwise it actually is quite bright in the outer world at my location this morning.

A bright blue sky with the outer world chilled to 41 degrees.

A bright blue sky is a nice change from yesterday's rain that fell, with only a few respites, all day long.

Changing the subject from my favorite one to Elsie Hotpepper.

Miss Hotpepper modeled her Margaret Thatcher look last night for me. I think I mentioned that Elsie Hotpepper will be Margaret Thatcher at next Sunday's Fort Worth Modern Art Museum Oscar Party.

I opined to Miss Hotpepper that I thought it would be easier for her to look like Marilyn Monroe than Margaret Thatcher. But, as I so often am, I was wrong. Elsie Hotpepper is a dead ringer for Margaret Thatcher.

I wish I could say I am going swimming now, but I can't.

Next Weekend's Parties With Elsie Hotpepper Being A Wench & Margaret Thatcher

I am hoping to be back at full strength by next weekend. I will need all the strength I can muster.

Next Saturday night Elsie Hotpepper and I are going to The Party in Fort Worth. This is that big party I have mentioned previously for us Fort Worth elite, held at the private country club known as the Fort Worth Convention Center.

Because Chesapeake Energy is hosting this party it is pirate themed. I will be going attired as Blackbeard, while Elsie Hotpepper will be going attired as my wench.

Then the next night, Sunday, Elsie Hotpepper and I will be walking the red carpet at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth to attend the Lone Star Film Society annual Oscar Watching Party.

Us attending have been urged to attire ourselves after one of the Oscar nominees.

So, I will be going as Brad Pitt from Moneyball, while Elsie Hotpepper will put on some big hair and turn herself into Margaret Thatcher.

It should be a very festive evening. Admission is free to the Oscar Watching Party, you don't need a ticket, it is a seating is first come first seated type of deal.

In other words the Oscar Watching Party is a much more democratic affair than is The Party in Fort Worth that Elsie and I are going to Saturday night.

A Saturday Walk In Quanah Parker Park Wondering About Fort Worth Park Benches

Quanah Parker Park Fort Worth Horseshoe Pit Benches

In the picture you are looking at Fort Worth park benches in Fort Worth's Quanah Parker Park.

This particular collection of park benches is a waiting area for people playing horseshoes in the nearby horseshoe pit.

I parked at Quanah Parker Park to go on a brisk walk today on my way to Town Talk.

In the Fort Worth Parks that I frequent there are park benches on which "FORT WORTH" is spelled out on the bench backs.

I don't know if I've ever seen another town that puts its name on its park benches.

I can not help but wonder if it costs extra to have a name put on a park bench. I know Fort Worth is flush with money, so such things are not an issue.

I'm guessing in a town with a cash flow woe, causing cutbacks in library hours and the closing of public pools, in that type town extra money would not be spent on something as frivolous as putting the town's name on its park benches.

My walk in Quanah Parker Park today was mostly dry until precipitation began precipitating in copious amounts right when I got back to the waterproof inside of my vehicular transport. The precipitation continues to precipitate in copious amounts.

I miss the drought.

What Fort Worth Thinks Dallas Does

I saw the above item about Dallas on Facebook this morning from Miss CD0103. I thought it was amusing.

I have experienced the "What out-of-state relatives think about Dallas"  type attitude.

I remember shortly before moving to Texas I went to the movies with a Seattleite to watch the X-Files movie.

The X-Files movie starts in Dallas.

But, for some reason a residential area that looked like it was in the West Texas desert was made to look like it was at the fringe of the Dallas downtown. Even at that point in time, prior to making the move to Texas, I knew this was not what it looked like.

I leaned over to the Seattleite and whispered, "that is not what it looks like, it actually is very green, not brown desert."

She then smugly and sarcastically said, "yeah, right."

Four months after I made the move to Texas that same smug, sarcastic Seattleite took a trip here to see for herself what I'd moved myself to. I do not recollect asking her if she now got why I said the X-Files movie had Dallas all wrong.

The 3rd Saturday Of February With Rain & A Nephew Escaping Great Danger In Washington

Looking out my primary viewing portal on the outer world on this 3rd Saturday morning of the 2nd month of 2012 I see that that outer world is currently a bit wet.

I started hearing precipitation precipitating very early this morning. The precipitation continues to precipitate and is predicted to keep precipitating throughout the day.

Currently the outer world at my location, according to my computer based temperature monitoring device, is being warmed to 48 degrees.

Changing the subject from my favorite one to Nephews in Danger.

My great nephew Spencer Jack's dad emailed me last night with the subject line of "BP Cherry Point Explosion: One Nephew In Serious Danger".

Apparently Spencer Jack's uncle Joey was working at the Cherry Point BP Refinery yesterday when something went badly wrong, resulting in a huge fire. No one was injured. Ironically Joey was installing video/media hardware in a conference room designed to teach refinery workers safety practices.

Cherry Point is south of Birch Bay, maybe 15 miles south of the Canadian border. When we were kids I remember the parental units taking us to the Cherry Point zone and pointing out a big house that supposedly Bing Crosby at one point owned.

Changing the subject from Nephews in Danger to my failing health.

This morning I am feeling better. I don't know if this is the result of recovering from whatever it is that has been ailing me, or the result of taking meds.

Whatever is the cause of feeling better, I am pleased that I do.