On The First Day Of Fall I Have Been Practicing The Buteyko Method Of Breathing Foul Texas Air

I had a very rough early first day of Fall. As in my allergic nasal congestion woes rendered sleeping very difficult.

It seems there is an epidemic of nasal congestion in the D/FW Metroplex. I come to that conclusion not based on anything I've read in what passes for newspapers in this ill-served, newspaper-wise, part of the planet. I came to the epidemic conclusion due to the number of people I've heard suffering from the same symptoms I suffer from who formerly rarely suffered such symptoms.

Elsie Hotpepper is a recently joined member of the epidemic.

I have been vertical since sometime between 4 and 5 this morning.

My  clogged desperation was so great that I Googled "nasal congestion." There are a lot of suggestions as to how to remedy this woe.

I had, in stock, a jar of mentholated Vaseline. One of the suggestions suggested rubbing some inside ones nose. I did so. Now everything smells like Eucalyptus. But the nasal congestion remained.

I already had saline spray and was using it. Maybe it had some salubrious effect, moisturizing wise, but not decongestant wise.

Then I found the nasal decongestiing method you learn about in the YouTube video above. It is called the Buteyko Method. Here's a blurb from the website from whence I got the video....

Over 90% of people with nasal congestion can get a relief in less than 2 minutes if they slow down their heavy breathing using a simple breathing exercise. This easy respiratory exercise to clear a stuffy nose was invented by Soviet MDs practicing the Buteyko method. More than 180 MDs taught this most natural remedy to thousands of their patients with asthma, sinusitis, hay fever, chronic mouth breathing, rhinitis, and many other conditions.  This treatment and remedy also works for children, pregnant women, and those with symptoms of fatigue.  The exercise can be applied during night sleep as well.

Basically you mouth breathe in a deep breath, then pace for 20-30 steps whilst pinching your nose to prevent breathing, then sitting down and exhaling through ones nose. Stand up and repeat. I did several repeats. The totally clogged nasal passages did open up a bit, but I did not get the total relief I was hoping for.

After practicing the Buteyko I left my abode for a walk around the neighborhood, holding my breath and exhaling through my nose as I walked. When I got back to my abode I was still clogged up. So, I gave in and squirted 4-Way Nasal Spray into the clogged zone.

Instant relief.

I'd stopped using the 4-Way last night because I thought I'd over done using it and had caused the dreaded rebound effect, where overuse causes the clog. Taking a break from the 4-Way seems to have been a good plan, because I have now been breathing clear for a half hour.

I believe this first day of Fall is the last day we are scheduled to be under the dire AIR QUALITY ALERT. Until the next time.

Walking To Fort Worth's East Regional Library With Ross Perot Wondering What Is Wrong With Us

I noticed this morning that I had a some library books due. When one has library books due one must return them by the due date or the day after the due date one is assessed an enormous fine. Something like a dime. Maybe a quarter.

I really don't know what the fine is because I've never been late returning a book.

I decided to be really adventurous and walk to the East Regional Library to return the books. This particular Fort Worth library is closed on Fridays.

Closing libraries and cutting hours is one of those things Fort Worth does that makes me wonder how it is that Fort Worth is such a World Class City that is the envy of much of the civilized world.

Walking to the library I came upon yet one more thing that makes me wonder how it is that Fort Worth is such a World Class City that is the envy of much of the civilized world.

That one more thing is the obstructions blocking the narrow sidewalk that one walks to get the East Regional Library. I put my books down on the sidewalk, then backed up to take a picture. After I made it past the obstruction I found another sidewalk obstruction, so I laid my books down, again, and took another picture.

As you can see, above, the second sidewalk obstruction is a combo, with one obstruction being Mother Nature made and the other obstruction man made, that being a "ROAD WORK AHEAD" sign plopped on the sidewalk. To get around that sign one has to either step out on to busy Bridge Street, or slide oneself between the sign and the guard rail.

I'm skinny so I was able to take the slide by option. I would guess at least 50% of Texans would not have this option available to them, with the dangerous stepping out on the busy street option being their only way around the sign.

I think I have commented regarding Fort Worth's pathetic sidewalks in previous bloggings. It is truly amazing to me how many Fort Worth streets have no sidewalks. The shortest walking route to the library would have had me walking a sidewalk-less hill up Bridge Street. To avoid the sidewalk-less section of Bridge Street I detoured through the Albertson's parking lot.

I really think Fort Worth should address its sad sidewalk situation before it wastes money on unneeded projects, like building an unneeded flood diversion channel and little lake, replacing perfectly functioning levees that have kept the downtown Fort Worth zone flood free for over a half a century.

Years ago, back in the 1980s, Ross Perot sparked some controversy criticizing what he thought was a failing of the United States and its cities, claiming that America "had grown arrogant and complacent after World War II." And due to this arrogance and complacency America was no longer the world's greatest nation, further asserting that America was "daydreaming of its past while the rest of the world was building its future."

Perot said, "Go to Rome, go to Paris, go to London. Those cities are centuries old. They're thriving. They're clean. They work. Our oldest cities are brand new compared to them and yet… go to New York, drive through downtown Washington, go to Detroit, go to Philadelphia. What's wrong with us?"

I doubt Ross Perot has ever been to Fort Worth. He lives in Dallas. But, if he visited Fort Worth, I'm sure he would add Fort Worth to his list of American cities that make him wonder what is wrong with this town?

Chesapeake Energy's Noisy Fort Worth Pipeline Drilling

Since early this morning there has been a constant throbbing hum vibrating my neighborhood. At times the throbbing hum gets very loud.

Around 10 this morning I needed to make a call to Los Angeles. I needed to be at my computer to make this call. My computer sits by a window. I knew I would not reliably be able to hear what was being said on the phone.

I needed a makeshift solution.

This will likely sound very pitiful, but my solution was to haul my wireless laptop into my windowless walk-in closet where the humming was less loud. I successfully completed the call, whilst sitting on the floor of my closet.

Like I said, pitiful.

Around 2 this afternoon Miss Puerto Rico called to ask if the noise was driving me crazy. I said yes. She said it was so loud where she was that it was unbearable, rendering the office unable to work. I asked what the noise was coming from.

It was then I learned that the noise is coming from the Chesapeake Energy non-odorized natural gas pipeline drilling operation that I made mention of previously, after Chesapeake Energy mailed me a letter telling me they would be laying a pipeline from their Loop 820/Boca Raton Boulevard Barnett Shale Natural Gas Drilling Pad Site.

A Chesapeake Energy accomplice, Quail Energy Services, is the culprit actually making the noise.

Miss Puerto Rico told me I should go over to her place and hear how bad the noise is from her balcony overlooking the operation.

The YouTube video I made of the noisy view from Miss Puerto Rico's is what you see and hear in the video above.

How does Chesapeake Energy get permission to drill under the parking lot of an apartment complex, right in front of the apartments, and Miss Puerto Rico's office? Miss Puerto Rico told me they were given no notice that Chesapeake Energy was going to be doing this, other than the amorphous letter the entire neighborhood got.

Just like when water pipelines were laid to run water for this particular well's fracking, with no notice given, with the leaking pipes causing water problems in Miss Puerto Rico's parking lots.

Like I say in the video.

I DON'T GET IT.

How does Chesapeake Energy get to create this level of disturbance with no consequence?

Has Miss Puerto Rico's apartment complex been compensated for what is going on on her property? It appears once the pipeline leaves Miss Puerto Rico's apartment complex it will cross Bridgewood Drive, then head north on the west side of Bridgewood Drive. This will eventually take the pipeline right by my abode.

I am feeling like I'm on a post-Apocalypse Carter Avenue, with no Steve Doeung existing in my neighborhood able to take on Chesapeake Energy and make that corrupt company behave in a civilized manner....

A Cool Breeze Blowing Across A Turquoise Sea With A Dead Battery

It looks as if there may be whitecaps waving on that turquoise sea you see in the photo.

A breeze appears to be moving the leaves in the trees, so whitecaps on the pool,  I guess, are possible. It's a large body of water.

I was in that turquoise sea very soon after the sun arrived this morning. The temperature dipped somewhere in the 50s overnight. Hence the water in the turquoise sea was very refreshing.

At 4 this morning I woke up to find myself quickly thinking I'd left the A/C turned way too low.

Because I was cold.

Then I noticed my open bedroom window. A cold breeze was blowing through the opening. I shut the window and soon stopped shivering.

I thought I'd fixed the battery woe I mentioned yesterday. But, today the battery was back dead again. So, now, the battery, and the entire vehicle that surrounds it, have been taken to the Vehicle Doctor for intensive therapy. The sick vehicle is my bike carrier. I removed by bike before the vehicle was admitted to the hospital.

Speaking of intensive therapy. My allergic woes have abated a bit. But, there are still lingering issues. This morning I am in possession of the salubrious 4-Way Spray that has always worked for me in these type clogged situations.

I had my first dose of the new 4-Way Spray just a few minutes ago. The resulting relief is being very relieving.

Recovery is still not to the level that makes me feel like booking a flight out of this polluted part of the planet.

Dallas Cowbabies

I was told the above has something to do with Dallas Cowboy football.

But.

Since I am neither a Cowboy or a Cowboy fan, it does not compute for me.

Today I Am Being Very Patiently Mechanical

Today I am enjoying the joys of being a pseudo mechanic.

Being a pseudo mechanic started early this morning in pseudo bike mechanic mode. It was my bike's flat front tire that needed a replacement tube.

When I replaced the bike's back tire's tube it turned into a bit of an annoying adventure. The front tire tube replacement was much less annoying. And not much of an adventure.

Coming up on noon I decided to take the freshly fixed bike on a ride.

When I turned the key to ignite the device that ignites my bike's vehicular transport's engine, it did not ignite.

Dead battery.

Lifting the hood I saw the battery is less than 3 years old, with a 3 year replacement guarantee plastered on the battery, with the date of purchase, 11/09, also plastered on the battery.

I am awaiting Allstate to arrive to jump start the bike carrier. Then I hope to drive the bike carrier to the location I purchased the battery, Walmart, and get a free replacement. It will be interesting to see how that works out.

Allergy Woes Whilst Hunting For Inner Tubes In Texas

You are looking at the September 18 early afternoon view from my patio viewing portal on the outer world.

I had a rough night, last night. Allergy misery. I managed to have a bout or two of actually sleeping.

Soon after the sun was up, so was I. I thought a dip in that turquoise water you see in the picture might be a good thing.

It was.

The allergy woes, currently, seem to be a low ebb. I've not felt the urge to medicate for hours.

Changing the subject from one type of feeling flat, to another type of feeling flat.

Several days ago I found that the front tire on my bike had gone flat. I was at Super Walmart that very day and found Super Walmart not being too super. All sorts of tire tubes were available, many in obscure sizes I'd not seen before. But none in the 26" mountain bike size, which is usually the size there is the largest supply of, likely due to there being the biggest demand for that size.

This morning I went to the store on the opposite side of the I-30 freeway from Walmart, a store called Target, to return a failed bike bag and to see if Target had a bike tire they wanted to sell me.

Target had way fewer tube choices than Walmart. There were a couple of the Schwinn variety with the slimed, no flat feature. I put one of those slimed no flat tubes on my bike's rear tire when the new tube went flat the day after I bought the bike. It was really difficult to stick the slimed tube in the tire. I did not want to go that route again.

After the Target tube disappointment I drove to the other side of the I-30 freeway to go to the aforementioned Walmart because I needed a jalapeno for the re-fried beans I was slow cooking, and some other stuff.

Upon entering Walmart I headed first to the tire tube area. There was a fresh supply of tubes. Many still in obscure sizes, plus many with the slime, no flat feature.

Then I noticed all the tubes boxes said "Schrader Valve" on them. Does Walmart sell any bikes with tubes using a Schrader Valve? My bikes have always used Presta Valves. My only experience with a Schrader Valve was on someone else's bike, with the person having a lot of woes with his tire tubes.

As I stood forlornly looking at Walmart's tube selection I saw there was one non-Schrader Valve choice. A  Bell brand tube, which was the correct 26" size, Presta Valve. But with that annoying supposed flat preventing slime in the tube.

I decided to buck it up and not risk this being my only chance to ever find a replacement tube that works and and so I got myself a new slimed tire tube that I am dreading installing.

I think I will drag my bike into air-conditioned comfort to perform the operation. But not right now.

Notes From The Underground About Potentially Explosive Fort Worth Pipelines

A couple weeks ago I mentioned getting a letter from Chesapeake Energy in which I was informed that Chesapeake Energy would be installing a gas pipeline to carry gas from my newest neighborhood gas pad to wherever it is gas goes.

Chesapeake Energy neglected to mentioned that this would be non-odorized, as in totally natural natural gas, that would be passing through the pipeline by where I live.

The pipeline insertion operation has been underway for days now. The operation is a bit noisy and messy.

That is part of the pipeline operation you are looking at in the photo above. With pipeline waiting to go underground, laying on the west side of Bridgewood Drive in Far East Fort Worth.

This morning Don Young email blasted some Notes from the Underground which blasted the surprising number of surprising places, in Fort Worth, that pipeline is proposed to be stuck underground to carry non-odorized natural gas.

Fort Worth has more gas pads (by far) with more fracking (by far) inside its city limits than any other city in the world. We in Fort Worth are very proud of this, even though it does cause other towns, far and wide, to be Green with Envy. Fort Worth is very self-conscious about its tendency to cause other towns to be Green with Envy.

You can read Don Young's Notes from the Underground on FWCANDO. Below is the first paragraph of what the Underground wants you to know....

What do the following high-profile locations in Fort Worth, Texas have in common? - Forest Park (FW Zoo, miniature train, sports fields, Log Cabin Village) - Sycamore Park (Sports fields used by public and Texas Wesleyan University) - Gateway Park (FW Dog Park, sports fields, bike trail) - Trinity Park (Duck pond, picnic sites, playgrounds, concert site) - 7th Street corridor (Cultural District, museums, shops, cafes, high-rise apts.) These are just a few of the heavily-travelled places where large diameter, natural gas pipelines have been buried underground in recent months. These pipelines, servicing dozens of new gas wells in the area are filled with explosive, UN-odorized natural gas, straight from the padsites. This is what Barnett Shale frackers do while waiting for the inevitable rise in the price of natural gas. Build pipelines. Lots of them. In a densely populated city. Population: 758,738+. Right under your noses and right under your feet. It gets better... Jaw-dropping as it may seem, Chesapeake Energy is currently installing a NG pipeline along Lancaster Avenue, right downtown, that services a single Chesapeake gas well (Westgate padsite). Lancaster is one of the busiest thoroughfares in town. The U.S. Post Office, T&P railway station, Fort Worth Water Gardens, I-30 and numerous offices, apartments and hotels straddle the pipeline, just a few steps away.

No Fog Shrouded Fosdick Lake Today While I Choke Up From Allergic Overload

This morning when I woke up my computer, my computer's weather monitoring device was flashing red, warning me that heavy fog would be making for some limited visibility today.

Well, I saw no fog, not even semi-fog, nothing foggy at all.

I did see some skybound cloud action though, such as what you see via the picture taken today from high atop Fosdick Lake Dam in Oakland Lake Park.

Changing the subject from the lack of fog in the outer world at my location to my own personal interior fog.

Yesterday the allergic woes that have vexed me, off and on, for a week or more, returned to vex me again, with a vengeance.

A combo of factors combined to cause me to think I may have experienced my first ever panic attack.

Yesterday I made really tasty chicken tacos for lunch. I ate too many really tasty chicken tacos. After I was over stuffed with too many chicken tacos an allergic attack set in, making breathing very difficult. Made worse, I think, by my congested lungs being impacted by my congested digestive system.

I thought to myself, is this what drowning feels like? It was not possible to sit without feeling like gasping for air.

So I paced.

Then, even though it was raining, I paced outside. Pacing outside, in the rain, quickly abated the congestive issues to the point where I no longer felt like I was drowning.

Today, on the way to walk around Fosdick Lake, my respiratory system again went into malfunction mode, but quickly recovered once I started walking.

Saturday afternoon, after hiking the Tandy Hills, I got back here and went swimming. That went well, til I laid down on a lounge chair. My respiratory system quickly went into fail mode, so I quickly got vertical and raced back to my Saline Nasal Spray for some relief.

Miss Puerto Rico has year round allergic woes. Miss Puerto Rico called me a couple times on Sunday. But I was in no condition to talk. When I returned from Fosdick Lake I ran into Miss Puerto. I asked if her allergy woes have gotten worse lately. She said they had. She takes prescription meds to medicate her allergic woes.

My allergy treatment meds are all of the over the counter sort. I am currently a mess, but I'm fairly optimistic that I will return to my respiratorical norm before needing to resort to getting medical attention and prescription meds.

I think I will go swimming now and hope not to have a repeat of Saturday's nightmare.

A Previously Unnoticed Mysterious Tree Formation In The Rainy Village Creek Natural Historical Area

I did not realize rain had been falling til the sun arrived to light up the outer world at my location this morning. I don't know when the rain started, but I do know it continues, still, midway through Sunday's afternoon.

Today's rain has not been a typical Texas rain. Instead today's rain has been the stereotypical Pacific Northwest type rain that happens for much of the fall, winter and spring. A non-stop slow rain that goes on and on for days.

I carried a bumbershoot with me today, unopened, because the rain was not falling in amounts sufficient to require its use.

With all this rain talk you are probably thinking you are looking at a picture of a rain forest, because the picture does sort of look like a rain forest.

A rain forest needs moss. I have seen no moss in the forest in the Village Creek Natural Historical Area.

I have seen fungus though, like today, on the stump in the middle of the picture. I do not see how it is I never noticed this tree/stump combo before, til today. The tree/stump combo is located just a short distance from the Dottie Lynn Parkway parking lot. What makes this tree so noticeable, and odd, is that stump in the center of the picture.

That bent tree trunk is supported by the stump. How this came to be, I do not know. Was the tree blown over on top of what is now that supporting stump? It was the stump, which is now dead, on which the big fungi grows.

Speaking of fungi.

Yesterday I got around to viewing the Innocence of Muslims YouTube video that has made some mad Muslims madder than their regular Muslim madness level.

The video is so ridiculously stupid I put it on my TV blog. Click the link in the paragraph above and see if it makes you mad. It likely will not, make you mad, unless you are an easy to make mad Muslim.

The Muslims that it has been my good fortune to know have been very easy going, tolerant, kind and peaceful. Just like the majority of Muslims. It is that fringe mad Muslim group that causes that religion all its bad PR.