Visiting A Big Village Creek Turtle After Zelda Del West Gave Me An Armadillo Leprosy Warning

Today I was visiting the Indian Ghosts who haunt Arlington's Village Creek Natural Historical Area, blissfully enjoying the peaceful serenity I get from gazing out at the Village Creek Blue Bayou, when I looked down to be startled by the big turtle you see in the picture, looking up at me.

This turtle was unusually un-skittish. The big guy just sat there winking at me.

Last Sunday I mentioned that I was hunting for an armadillo in the Village Creek zone, for lunch, after having read that armadillos were considered a delicacy, by some, in Texas, back during the Great Depression, calling the cute critters Hoover Hogs.

I then heard from Zelda del West, who recently escaped Texas, after a multi-year exile, to now reside in Walla Walla, Washington, from whence she informed me that "...you can make an armadillo into stew using it's own armor as the pot. You should be nice to armadillos. They can also give you leprosy."

If I felt the need to be nice to all the various things from which I might catch leprosy I would exhaust myself, daily, from excessive niceness.

As for the Village Creek NHA armadillos,  I saw nary a one, again, today. Where have all the armadillos gone?

I did see an Arlington animal control officer releasing some possums from his animal control truck. I have seen this multiple times at this location. He picks the possums up by their tails, places them on the ground,  where they quickly scurry away, never to be seen, by me, again.

The closest I think I've come to a heart attack was years ago, in Mount Vernon, a town on the other side of the Cascade Mountains from Walla Walla, where a possum jumped out of my garbage can whilst I was depositing some garbage.

I know someone in Tacoma who had a horrible possum infestation in her basement. The possum infestation was so insidious that the lady moved to a new possum free location. It would not shock me to learn that the possums followed her there. Because it is well know that possums love chocolate...

The 2013 Great Texas Warrant Roundup Did Not Arrest Me On The Tandy Hills Today

In the picture you are halfway down Mount Tandy, looking west past a sign, at a zoomed view of the stunning skyline of beautiful downtown Fort Worth, well known as one of the World's Greatest Cities.

Yesterday I did my hiking, without driving anywhere, by hiking across the street to the newly discovered newest un-official Fort Worth hiking venue, Canyon Creek Park.

On the drive to the summit of Mount Tandy I saw a billboard informing me of the 2013 Great Texas Warrant Roundup, with a giant pair of handcuffs, asking what size fits, or something like that.

I Googled "2013 Great North Texas Warrant Roundup" to find out that a couple hundred Texas jurisdictions are rounding up thousands of citizens with outstanding warrants to possibly throw them into the Texas Gulag.

Apparently the vast majority of the outstanding warrants are for motor vehicle operation crimes. Like breaking the speed limit, using your cell phone in a forbidden zone, being caught not using a seatbelt, parking where parking is banned, that type thing.

I'm guessing a lot of the those who chose to scoff at the law scoffed  because they did not feel they'd done anything wrong and then when trying to deal with it, learned the court system is one big clunky operation, and then decided to continue scoffing.

Today on the Tandy Hills I looked more closely at a sign I've seen for years. That being the one at the top that says "FOOT TRAFFIC ONLY NO BIKES, HORSES OR MOTORIZED VEHICLES".

I'd never noticed the bottom of the sign that says "CITY CODE SECTION 24 - 10, SECTION 24 - 15" before.

I'm guessing a ticket could be issued if one was caught on the other side of that sign riding a bike, horse or motorbike. And then if one scoffed at paying whatever the fine for the crime might be, one might find oneself in the Great Texas Warrant Roundup.

Methinks there are way too many tickets written by way too many Texas cops for "violations" that really should warrant nothing more than a warning. And never warrant a warrant.

This 2013 Great Texas Warrant Roundup thing really bugs me.

If I had wanted to experience living in a Police State I would have moved to Nazi Germany, not Texas....

Crossing The Street To Discover A New Fort Worth Park

My one longtime reader may look at the picture on the left and think it must be a new view of Lake Tandy in the Tandy Hills Natural Area.

My one longtime reader would be wrong.

That is newly christened Canyon Creek Lake you are looking at.

Today I took another walk in my neighborhood to find that all this time I have been living across the street from a big area that is a lot like the Tandy Hills, but with no trails.

I do not know if the lack of trails makes the newly discovered Canyon Creek Natural Area more or less natural than the Tandy Hills Natural Area.

In addition to having a seriously sad sidewalk shortage situation, East Fort Worth also suffers from a seriously sad park shortage situation. The seriously sad park shortage situation seems particularly sad to be existing in what we learned yesterday is one of the greatest cities in the entire world.

It seems to me that the Canyon Creek Natural Area could quite easily be turned into a very nice park.

For years there have been two large signs advertising the fact that this acreage is for sale, saying that the land is a prime location for developers.

I think Canyon Creek is a prime location for developers of the sort who develop parks.

Why does the far east zone of Fort Worth have such a serious park shortage? The next town to the east, Arlington, seems to have many more parks than the much bigger town of Fort Worth. And Arlington is not known the world over as one of the world's greatest cities.

River Legacy Park, in Arlington, is a HUGE park, spanning the north and south banks of the Trinity River for miles. Just a short distance from River Legacy Park is one of Arlington's newest parks, that being Crystal Canyon Park.

Both River Legacy Park and Crystal Canyon Park are parks at a quality level higher than any park I've seen in Fort Worth.

I almost forgot to add, the easiest entry to what could be a new park in East Fort Worth, Canyon Creek Park, can be found on the north side of Boca Raton Boulevard a sort distance west of Boca Raton's intersection with Bridgewood Drive.

The Texas Nationalist Movement Is Helping Me Declare My Independence Today!

Last month I blogged about talk about Texas seceding from the American Union after reading an article in the Seattle P-I that sort of tongue in cheekedly went over some of the pros and cons of Texas no longer being part of the United States.

A pair of Texas Nationalists commented to that blogging this morning. Their comment included a link to their Texas Nationalist Movement website. That website contained some amusingly interesting content. First the comment, then the content....

RJ, TNM has left a new comment on your post "Is America Making A Case To Kick Texas Out Of The Union?": 

Durango, Shouldnt worry what others think of you when your right. Don't want a complex! Check us out and you decide if we are as bad as that article claims. Perhaps they're just jealous, most are.

_______________________________

Content from the Texas Nationalist Movement website.....

The objective of the Texas Nationalist Movement is the complete, total and unencumbered political, cultural and economic independence of Texas. It is to restore Texas to its rightful status as an independent state according to Article 1 Section 1 of the Texas Constitution, guaranteeing the individual rights of every Texan, and achieve our place as a nation among nations as promoted by Sam Houston. It is to fulfill our national destiny and achieve the greatness envisioned by our Founding Fathers, desired by this generation of Texians and required by future generations to live in freedom. It is to be an independent light in a world that is being plunged into darkness.

The Texas Nationalist Movement works to:

• promote, secure and protect the political, cultural and economic independence of the nation of Texas
• restore and protect a constitutional Texas
• defend the inherent and inalienable rights of the people of Texas
• promote the values of Texas nationalism

Principles

Nationhood - Texas is a state with a distinct culture, economy and government.

Independence - Texas should always be politically, culturally and economically independent.

Individualism - The basic political building block of Texas is the individual.

Entrepreneurialism - The basic economic building block of Texas is the entrepreneur.

Family - The basic cultural building block of Texas is the family.

Inherent Rights - Texas is the embodiment of natural rights.

Values - Texas adheres to the values of fortitude, loyalty, righteousness, prudence, and broadmindedness.

Primacy of Cause - Texas Nationalism is the primary secular cause of all Texans and is distinct and superior to all other secular causes.

Primacy of Nation - The interests of Texas supersede the interests of all other nations and states.

Nature of Government - All political power is inherent in the Texan people, and all free governments are founded on their authority, and instituted for their benefit. The Texan people have at all times the inalienable right to alter, reform or abolish their government in such manner as they may think expedient.

Historical Foundation - Texas' unique history serves as the foundation for our current and future greatness.

Indomitability - There is no challenge that cannot be overcome by the individual initiative and collective will of Texans.

My Tacoma Poodle Nephew Blue Survived Being Attacked By A Vicious German

Blue Recovering From Savage German Blitzkrieg 

I just heard from my sister in Tacoma that Ruby, Theo and David's poodle brother, Blue, was viciously attacked yesterday, whilst on a walk.

Attacked by an unleashed German Shepherd.

Blue was rushed to the Emergency Vet where his condition was stabilized.

Blue is on potent antibiotics and pain meds, but is still feeling miserable.

I do not know what became of the vicious German Shepherd.  I assume the perp has been arrested and charged with assault, along with his irresponsible owner.

I think I have previously mentioned my aversion to most things German. Including German dogs.

Blue is not French, he is mostly Dutch. The Germans have a long history of being vicious to the Dutch.

Atmos Energy Warning Buried Gas Line Signs Have Sprouted In My Neighborhood

In the picture you are looking at an ATMOS Energy WARNING BURIED GAS LINE sign, stuck in the ground. Dozens of these yellow warning signs are stuck in the ground at this location.

The warning signs do not look very permanent. I'm hoping the buried gas line lasts longer than the yellow warning signs.

I saw these yellow warnings signs when I walked around my block this morning. My block is one of the few blocks in my neighborhood that has a sidewalk all the way around it.

These ATMOS yellow warning signs are stuck in the ground along the sidewalk that is due south of my newest Chesapeake Energy Barnett Shale Natural Gas Drilling & Fracking Site, on Boca Raton Boulevard.

Some of the markings that you see on the sidewalk also have references to gas lines. One was a line that pointed across the street to the Albertson's parking lot, making me wonder how a buried gas line was going in that direction and why?

I know sidewalks are a really low priority in Fort Worth, but still, why does someone get to paint them in this manner?

I remember watching a video a few months ago where Santa Claus was arrested down in Austin for instigating kid's making chalk drawings on sidewalks.

I am almost 100% certain no one was arrested for making what look to be more permanent than chalk markings on this particular Fort Worth sidewalk.

Walking A Dirt Path Sidewalk To Get To The Airport In One Of The World's Greatest Cities

Continuing on with my popular Fort Worth's Sad Sidewalk Situation Series.

Today I took another walking tour of my neighborhood.

In the picture you are looking north, standing on the east side of Bridgewood Drive.

If I wanted to take public mass transit to Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, without using any personal vehicular transport, it would be on this well worn dirt path I would need to walk to get to the Richland Hills Trinity Railway Express (TRE) Station to get on a train to get to the Centrepoint Station where I would need to get off the TRE train to get on a bus to get to the airport to get on a plane.

Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport is a very modern, well-designed operation.

Transportation systems to get to Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport are not very modern or well-designed.

If I were flying from D/FW International Airport to Sea-Tac International Airport, needing to get to a location in North Seattle, 25 miles north of the airport, I would get on a Sound Transit Link Light Rail train right at the airport, ride the rail to the downtown Seattle transit tunnel where I'd switch to a bus that would take me to within a block of my destination.

Returning to D/FW from my North Seattle location, it's a one-block walk on a sidewalk to a bus stop, then a bus ride to the downtown Seattle transit tunnel, then back on the Sound Transit Link Light Rail train to Sea-Tac.

Then, back in Texas, it is off the plane, a wait for a bus to take me to the Centrepoint Station to wait for a TRE train to take me to the Richland Hills Station where a very tired me walks the well worn dirt path back to my abode.

It is a real amazing miracle to me that Fort Worth is known, far and wide, as one of the Greatest Cities in the World...

Mayor Betsy Price Thinks The Late Nancy Bass & Her Four Sons Made Fort Worth One Of The Greatest Cities In The World

In the picture you are looking at a campaign ad for Betsy Price from the mayoral election that installed Betsy Price as Fort Worth's replacement for Mayor Mike Moncrief.

I don't know if it is some sort of tradition that Fort Worth mayors say and do goofy things, or what. I think I've only experienced two Fort Worth mayors, those being Moncrief and Price. I don't remember who was mayor before Moncrief.

Moncrief did really goofy things, such as dying the Trinity River purple and having a downtown Fort Worth shoot out with Texas Governor Rick Perry. Moncrief also said memorably goofy things which I am currently not remembering, so I guess the memorably goofy things were not all that memorable.

Last month Fort Worth's Mayor, Betsy Price, said a memorably goofy thing about Fort Worth being the Envy of the Nation due to a new Police & Firefighter Training Center. Mr. Galtex pointed me to this mayoral goofiness, which had me blogging about it in Mayor Betsy Price Thinks Fort Worth Will Once Again Be The Envy Of The Nation.

Last night, on his way to Lisbon, Portugal, for lunch, with Mrs. Galtex, I heard from Mr. Galtex again, with some new goofiness from Fort Worth Mayor Betsy Price.

Speaking about the recent passing of Fort Worth notable, Nancy Bass, Fort Worth Mayor Betsy Price said, "She left an indelible mark in our community as a compassionate leader and as a mother of four boys who would become instrumental in defining Fort Worth's reputation as one of the greatest cities in the world."

I guess it is important for a town's mayor to be a cheerleader for their town. But, when the cheerleading becomes sort of delusional, it becomes a tad worrisome.

There is methodology where the world's cities are analyzed by their importance to the global economic system. New York City and London are at the top of all the various rankings of this sort. A City which has reached a certain level of importance to the global economic system is known as Global City.

From Wikipedia a blurb about what a Global City is...

A global city (also called world city or sometimes alpha city or world center) is a city generally considered to be an important node in the global economic system. The concept comes from geography and urban studies and rests on the idea that globalization can be understood as largely created, facilitated, and enacted in strategic geographic locales according to a hierarchy of importance to the operation of the global system of finance and trade.

Go to the Wikipedia Global City article and you will find several lists listing Global Cities by various criteria.

Fort Worth is not on any of the Global City lists. Dallas is. Austin is. Houston is. San Antonio is. But, Fort Worth is not. Many other cities in America are on the various lists, like Seattle. But not Fort Worth.

So, one can not help but wonder by what criteria it is that Fort Worth Mayor Betsy Price determines that Fort Worth has a reputation as one of the greatest cities in the world?

Very, very perplexing....

A Futile Arlington Armadillo Lunch Hunt With Ducks

I was back walking with the Indian Ghosts who haunt Arlington's Village Creek Natural Historical Area on this 1st Sunday of the 3rd month of 2013.

We are currently being heated to above 60 degrees in the outer world at my location. That is the warmest it has been for quite a few days.

In the picture you are standing on one of the dam/bridges over which the VCNHA paved trail crosses, looking south at a couple of the dams that dam up water to create canals for Interlochen.

I was hoping to find lunch today whilst walking, that being lunch in the form of an armadillo. But I saw no armadillos. I did see some squirrels, turtles and ducks, none of which sounded as tasty as an armadillo.

Last night, via Wikipedia, in a Wikipedia article titled Nine-Banded Armadillo, I learned the following...

During the Great Depression, the species was hunted for its meat in East Texas, where it was known as the poor man’s pork, or the "Hoover hog" by those who considered President Herbert Hoover to be responsible for the depression. Earlier, German settlers in Texas would often refer to the armadillo as Panzerschwein ("armored pig").In 1995, the nine-banded armadillo was, with some resistance, made the state small mammal of Texas, where it is considered a pest and is often seen dead on the roadside. They first forayed into Texas across the Rio Grande from Mexico in the 19th century, eventually spreading across the southeast United States.

A Hoover Hog? Because armadillo tastes like pork?

I did not know that the armadillo being made the state small mammal of Texas was controversial. I also did not know armadillos are considered, by some, to be a pest.

I figured the armadillo was the state small mammal of Texas because they are just so darn cute and cuddly.

The lunch bell just rang.

Pizza.

With no roasted or barbecued armadillo

Today I Narrowly Escaped Being Arrested For Standing By A Wide Open Gateway Park Gate

I had myself a brisk walk at Gateway Park today, before going to Town Talk.

A very cold brisk walk.

A very short cold brisk walk.

The location you see in the picture is the entry to a construction project. Every other time I've been at this location the gate has been padlocked shut.

Today the gate was wide open, with no apparent activity going on inside.

What is being built here is something called Riverside Wastewater Treatment Plant Digester Sludge Disposal.

There are "DANGER" warning signs.

On the gates, that were wide open, the gate on the right warned....

Entry By Any Person Other Than Authorized City Of Fort Worth Personnel Is Forbidden. Violators Subject To Arrest.

While the gate on the left warned...

This Area Is Under 24 Hour TV Surveillance. Trespassers Will Be Prosecuted.

I looked to see if I could see any cameras. I saw none. I did not venture beyond the wide open gate. When I took my last picture my phone made its incoming call noise. I had to do a bit of juggling to get the camera in one pocket and the phone out of another.

It was Elsie Hotpepper calling.

I talked to Elsie Hotpepper for about 15 minutes when my phone made its battery low noise.

As soon as I hung up the phone I saw a Fort Worth Police car speeding down the road that leads to the wide open gates.

Had there actually been camera surveillance, with the cops being called because someone was standing at the wide open gate taking pictures?

Very perplexing.