Making My Way Through The Thick Tandy Hills Foliage

As you can see, via the picture, the foliage on the Tandy Hills continues to get more lush, green, thick and colorful.

Soon, unless Mother Nature does something, some of the trails are going to become very narrow, or disappear all together, for the duration of the green time of the year in North Texas.

The temperature was in the low 70s when I got my endorphin inducing aerobic stimulation today.

I remember a time arriving in Tacoma in August of 2004 with the locals in full heat swoon mode because the temperature was in the high 70s. The locals were swooning while I was shivering.

Speaking of ennui, which if I remember right I spoke of a couple days ago, indicating I had succumbed to a mood of ennui. I think my ennui mood may be contagious. Elsie Hotpepper is now showing signs of ennui.

Since I can not escape my ennui mood I think I will go lounge in the sun for awhile and bake at 81 degrees. The pool will be available if I need some cooling.

The Chilly 2nd Wednesday Of May Going Swimming With Mister Mikogo

Looking skyward through the bars of my patio prison cell on the morning of May Day 9, I see a little cloud action blowing by.

Clouds I see, but what I feel is air currently chilled to being only 29 degrees above freezing.

61 degrees is cold. Eventually, if the temperature predictors are correct with their prediction the air will at some point today get 20 degrees warmer than its current chilly state.

I have yet to see this BIG moon people are talking about. Even my mom has seen the BIG moon and asked me if I've seen it. My mom has macular degeneration, so there are a lot of things my mom can not see.

This morning I get to have fun trying to make something called a Mikogo connection. A Mikogo connection connects two remote computers, through Mikoga, allowing the users on both computers to look at the same thing at the same time.

Before I get Mikogaing I think I will go swimming before it gets any colder.

Walking Around Fosdic Lake Pond Scum With Ducks

Fosdic Lake Covered With Green Pond Scum

It has been a few days since I last visited Oakland Lake Park to walk around Fosdic Lake. During my absence the layer of thick green pond scum has grown bigger and thicker.

The cold front that has blown in from the north has blown most of the Fosdic Lake pond scum to the south end of the lake.

The water that is not covered with pond scum had a black inky color to it today.

That cold front has made it unseasonably cold in North Texas on this 8th day of May. Only 68 degrees coming up on 3 in the afternoon.

It will be interesting to see what happens to Fosdic Lake when we get to the super HOT days of summer.

There are still a few ducks living on Fosdic Lake. Including a young mama duck and her brood of duck babies. I think I mentioned this family the last time I visited Fosdic Lake. The mama duck and duck babies were in the exact same location as the last time I visited them.

Mama Duck With Babies & No Baby Daddy Duck

Usually ducks, particularly mama ducks with duck babies, quickly waddle off when I get close. But, this duck  mama did not seem to care that I was taking pictures of her and her babies.

I think the duck mama may be a bit traumatized trying to raise her family on a lake that is quickly getting covered by green pond scum.

In addition to ducks, there were a lot of humans enjoying the brisk breeze blowing in from the north.

One lady lake walker had a little dog on a leash. The dog had had it's fur colored a very unnatural reddish-pink. I asked if I could take a picture of her unnatural looking dog. The lady said the dog was camera shy. I took that as a polite way of saying no.

A Cold Front Blows Into Texas Along With Venomous Snakes

The view from my primary viewing portal on the outer world on May Day 8, this morning, appears to be color themed to Seattle Seahawk blue. I like that color.

Overnight a cold front has blown in. Currently it is only 67 degrees at my location, heading to an eventual high of only 73 and an eventual low of only 59.

I may need to turn on the furnace to keep from shivering.

But, currently I have my windows open. Which I do not remember doing previously at this time of the year.

I read disturbing news this morning in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

Venomous snakes like rattlesnakes and copperheads are appearing in increased numbers inside the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex due to a perfect storm of weather conditions. Apparently snakes with a bad bite like wet, humid weather.

I have had myself venomous snake encounters in years previous in Texas, but none this year. All I have seen this year have been cuddly little snakes that posed no biting threat.

I think I will go swimming now before it gets any colder.

Ennui Chasing A Jack Rabbit On The Tandy Hills

In the picture you are looking west at the wildflower covered old wagon trail that runs from the top of Mount Tandy towards downtown Fort Worth, the stunning skyline of which you can see in the distance.

I chased a jack rabbit down the Tandy Highway today.

I do not recollect chasing a jack rabbit on the Tandy Hills before.

Road runners, yes, jack rabbits, no.

Whilst hill hiking today I searched my memory for the word for my current feeling of utter weariness, discontent, dissatisfaction and lack of any sustained interest in anything.

Ennui.

That's the word.

Ennui.

I am almost 100% certain this feeling of ennui will pass. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but soon, and for a long long time.

I think I'll go do some pool lounging and swimming and try and feel less ennui-ful.

Listening To The May Day 7 Bird Jazz Ensemble

Looking through the bars of  my patio prison cell at the morning of May Day 7, it appears that this first Monday of the month is starting out as yet one more nice clear blue sky day in Texas.

That may change if the weather predictor's prediction is correct. Once again thunderstorming is in the forecast, just like yesterday. But yesterday there was no thunderstorming. I suspect that will end up being the case today, as well.

Currently, since it is a relatively chilly 71 degrees in the outer world at my location, I have my windows open. Having my windows open lets me better hear the cacophonous symphony that is being performed by my bird population this morning.

I don't know why I don't find birds making their melodic racket annoying, while wind chimes make me want to blast them with a shotgun.

Why do birds chirp? I'm sitting here this morning realizing I don't know what is the purpose of birds singing their chirping songs. I don't think it is a mating call thing, because I don't see a lot of bird mating going on.

I guess this is just one more thing to be perplexed about.

I think I will go swimming now and let the birds serenade me whilst I am immersed.

Breaking The Speed Limit In Hurst's Chisholm Park Wondering Why Fort Worth's Public Pools Are Dry

Do Not Go Over 16 in Chisholm Park

I was up north in the bustling suburb of Hurst today, to go to ALDI.

Before ALDI I went to Chisholm Park to go on a relaxing walk.

On my vehicle's analog speedometer I can easily tell when I'm going 5, 10, 15, 25...etc. But I had trouble telling if I was going over Chisholm Park's speed limit of 16.

I need a speedometer with a digital readout.

I like Hurst's Chisholm Park. Multiple scenes of a mom and dad and kids, often with a dog or two, having fun fishing, picnicking, walking, talking.

When I was a kid my parental units often took me and my siblings to parks. During summer pretty much every weekend we'd take off to go camping at one of Washington or Oregon's State Parks. Once a year we'd go on a long road trip vacation, to places like Yellowstone, Disneyland and Tijuana.

I was still a kid when I realized that many of my peers were not as blessed as I in the parental units taking them to parks, and on trips, department.

When I used to go to the Fort Worth Nature Center & Refuge I'd often see scenes of a mom and dad, with kids, watching the prairie dogs, walking the trails. I more than once thought to myself that this does not look like a family that goes on trips to Yellowstone and Disneyland.

Hurst Chisholm Aquatic Center

And then Fort Worth started charging an admission fee to this park, which should be a free to enter amenity for all the people who live in Fort Worth.

But, Fort Worth decided to reduce the number of visitors by charging that admission fee. I've not been back, as my own little protest. And I mention my disgust semi-regularly.

In Hurst's Chisholm Park, among many other amenities, you will find the City of Hurst's Chisholm Aquatic Center. A large area with large pools and water slides.

Fort Worth closed all its public pools due to alleged budget woes. Yet, somehow Fort Worth found $3 million for a little pedestrian bridge across the Trinity River. And almost a $1 billion for something called the Trinity River Vision Boondoggle. But, no public money for public pools.

No public pools might be cool if Fort Worth had a lake or two with a public swimming beach or two, but it does not.

And yet somehow Fort Worth still manages to be the envy of the rest of the planet.

Part of the Trinity River Vision Boondoggle is a little lake, that has shrunk over time, to now being small pond size. If this little pond were engineered to be filled with clean swimmable water, surrounded by sandy beaches, well, then the silent majority of Fort Worth citizens would actually be getting something that benefited them from the TRV Boondoggle.

But that won't happen, because it ain't the Fort Worth Way.

The First Sunday Of May Seeing No BIG Moon

Already it is May Day 6, the first Sunday of the 5th month of 2012.

Black and blue seems to be the color scheme, this morning, looking at the outer world from my secondary viewing portal.

No matter where I looked, last night, or this morning, I could not see that humongous moon I kept hearing about yesterday.

With the sky being clear I don't know what was blocking me from seeing the moon. Maybe buildings and trees were causing me a personal eclipse.

It is 73 degrees this morning, heading to 90, with some possible thunderstorming predicted.

I think I'll drive up to Hurst later this morning and go to Chisholm Park, then ALDI. These plans could change.

In the meantime I am going swimming before it gets any hotter.

Cinco De Mayo Hiking A Wind Chilled Tandy Hills With Wildflowers & Sushi

We have now gone over 90, mid-afternoon, at my location.

The air was heated to the low 80s when I did my Tandy Hill hiking in the noon time frame.

80s with a strong wind blowing, blowing with it that refreshing Wind Chill Effect, so today I did not turn into as HOT a sweaty mess as I did yesterday.

I had myself a fine time anyway, even though the sauna/steam bath was not at full steaminess.

I think someone, maybe the same guerrilla artist who installed the Tandy Bamboo Teepee, has sprinkled Miracle Gro on some locations on the Tandy Hills prairie.

Fertilizer would help explain why there are some spots on the Tandy Hills, like the spot in the above picture, where the wildflowers seem to have grown way more massive than the norm.

I rather like the out of control massive wildflowers.

After I finished my hill hiking, since it is Saturday, I did my usual Saturday thing and went to Town Talk.

I was very pleased upon arrival at Town Talk to read on the reader board, "HUGE SUSHI SALE".

Other signs throughout Town Talk reinforced the HUGE SUSHI SALE message, letting us Town Talkers know that a huge supply of fresh sushi had been acquired, to be sold at extremely discounted prices.

I walked in to the Town Talk cooler to see a HUGE amount of sushi, big platters, small platters, combo platters, platters with California rolls only. More sushi than I've ever laid my eyes on.

I would not think sushi was something most Town Talkers have much affinity for, but many were snapping up the platters.

So, I bet you can guess what I had for lunch.

Yes, you guessed correctly. Sushi.

I think I may go to River Legacy Park later to get in some Cinco de Mayo celebrating along with some bike riding.

The First Saturday Of May Thinking About A Murdered White Buffalo Baby

I am looking out my primary viewing portal on the outer world on May Day 5 at a blue sky with nary a cloud to see.

My temperature monitoring device is telling me it is currently 70 degrees, with the temperature predictors predicting the high today will again be in the 90s.

At some point in time after the sun ceased providing its daily illumination service I saw some bright light flashes and heard some loud thunder booms.

Clouds are required for thunder and lightning to happen.

Usually, when thunder is clapping it is accompanied by rain, usually in downpour mode. But, last night, no rain hit the ground at my location.

This morning I was appalled to read in each of the various news sources I look at each morning that someone in Texas murdered a young rare non-albino white buffalo and his mother.

Only 1 in 10 million buffalo babies are white.

Many Native Americans make a big deal about white buffalo, believing them to be something sacred.

The murdered buffalo was named Lightning Medicine Cloud by his Native American worshipers. Lightning Medicine Cloud was less than a year old when he was murdered.

Lightning Medicine Cloud lived at the Lakota Buffalo Ranch near Greenville, Texas. Greenville is the county seat of Hunt County out in the Piney Woods Region of East Texas.

Lakato Buffalo Ranch owner, Arby Little Soldier, and his wife, had been out of town, shocked to return home to discover Lightning Medicine Cloud killed and skinned.

I do not know if murdering a white buffalo is a death penalty crime in Texas. If it is not, I think it should be.

I think I'll go swimming now and try not to think about murdered buffaloes.