Hiking The Tandy Hills With Coyote Kill

Tandy Highway

In the picture you are looking north on the Tandy Highway, deep in the shade of the Tandy Forest, today in the noon time frame.

Rain is in the forecast for a couple days, starting tomorrow, so today may be the last time I am able to get hill hiking endorphin inducing aerobic stimulation til North Texas returns to its usual dried out state.

Swimming this morning was very pleasant, partly due to the fact that the air was colder than the water in the pool. Which made the pool feel heated.

Currently clouds are between me and the sun and me doing some poolside lounging in preparation to get sufficiently suntanned so as not to get sunburned when I go swimming with the dolphins on the South Texas Gulf Coast.

Hiking the trails of the Tandy Hills I sure see a lot of signs that there have been a lot of feet trampling on Fort Worth's best prairie. I think this is a very good thing, helping to keep the foliage at bay and not totally overtaking the trails.

Coyote Kill?

Today, the FWISD (Fort Worth Independent School District) orange flags were once again stuck in the ground all over the Tandy Hills

We learned a few days ago the orange flags are directional beacons for herds of Fort Worth school kids being bused in for some healthy prairie time.

I was a bit perplexed by one of the orange flags.

Coyote Kill.

What does that mean, I can not help but wonder? Is it the name of a plant? Or the site of a murder, from whence the corpse has been removed?

Someone, somewhere must have the answer to the Coyote Kill mystery.

May Day 10 Thinking About Rockin' The River In A Kayak With Elsie Hotpepper

The morning of May Day 10 is dawning with a blue sky, as you can see via the view from one of my viewing portals on the outer world. With May having 31 days, by the end of today, almost a third of May will be history.

Time moves ever faster as I get old ever faster.

At this point in history the ground level at my location is only 27 degrees above freezing, heading to a high today of 82.

Yesterday after I mentioned that I had considered kayaking among the floaters in J.D. Granger's upcoming Rockin' the River Happy Hour Inner Tube Floats on the feces infested Trinity River someone named Anonymous commented....

"Looks like the stage is up on the river's edge again for the J.D. & Friends Poop O'Matic Float A'Thon."

I did not know the name of the river floating event had been changed to Poop O'Matic Float A'Thon. I guess it's a more fitting name.

Elsie Hotpepper has been suffering with some serious ennui issues of late. Maybe it'd give her something to look forward to if I asked her if she wants to kayak with me at the upcoming Poop O'Matic Float A'Thon.

In the meantime, I think I'll go swimming before it gets any colder.

Biking River Legacy Park Thinking Of Kayaking With The Trinity River Alligators

River Legacy Park Trinity River Kayakers

My physical therapist told me I'm not getting enough exercise, so I decided to bike to the end of the River Legacy Park trails this early evening.

Many other people had the same idea. I don't know how many of those biking, walking, skateboarding, roller blading and kayaking were doing so due to advice from their physical therapist.

Just this afternoon I watched a disturbing video of an alligator attacking a guy in a kayak in a lake in Florida. No alligator harm was done, except for panicking the guy into a profanity spewing reversal of his kayak to escape the marauding reptile.

Just a couple days ago, thanks to an email from one of my favorite Southern Belles, Miss Connie, I learned about a couple locations in the south Dallas zone where large alligators are known to reside. From that same email from Miss Connie I also saw a photo of the biggest alligator gar ever caught in the Trinity River.

I have it on my to-do list to blog about that which Miss Connie led me to see, but I've become a really bad procrastinator, of late.

Since I have been biking the River Legacy trails again, on several occasions, I have seen kayakers exiting or entering the Trinity River from the kayak launch pad that was added a couple years ago. I remember when I saw that kayak launch pad built thinking to myself that this is never going to be used.

Shows what an accurate prognosticator I am.

I have a kayak that I have not kayaked in in years. I had a momentary thought, last summer, to kayak among those enjoying feces infested floating in the Trinity River via J.D. Granger's Rockin' the River Happy Hour Inner Tube Floats, but I never was sufficiently motivated to go to the bother.

Maybe I'll take my kayak for a spin in the Trinity River in River Legacy Park. I could add this to my exercise regimen.

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.