Tonight I Learned Clinical Studies Have Discovered Why The Nature Noises Of Texas Are Good For Me

Right now, an hour, or two, after the sun called it quits for the day, I am still hearing a bird, or two, tweeting.

I am also hearing a rumbling.

Is it thunder? Or a jet?

Rain has been falling, off and on, for hours, with the natural sound of pitter patter hitting my window panes.

Tonight I learned, on Facebook, via the Divine Miss Julie, an explanation as to why it is I am so darn healthy.

Apparently clinical studies have proven that 2 hours of nature sounds a day greatly reduce ones stress, whilst activating some sort of DNA deal which repairs and heals ones body.

I guess I now know why it is, what I thought to be some sort of serious foot injury, so quickly became less serious.

I would estimate, on average, on an average day, I am outdoors hearing the sounds of nature more than a couple hours a day.

And then we have those noisy natural birds tweeting their tweets into my interior space, thus giving me even more nature sound exposure.

It really is no wonder, now, why I am such a Teddy Rooseveltian paragon of good health......

The First Monday Of November Dawns Cloudy Thinking About Sundance Square Plaza

As you can see, via the photo on the left, this first Monday of November, Day 4 of the 11th Month of 2013, appears to be stormy at my location on the planet.

Rain is in the forecast for today and the next couple days.

So far I have seen nary a drop.

The outer world was warmed to 55 degrees when I ventured out to that turquoise oasis you see under the cloudy sky.

The temperature of the water has taken a dive towards chilly since yesterday, which had today's morning swim requiring 3 retreats to the hot tub.

Changing the subject to something else.

I have heard nothing but good things about downtown Fort Worth's newly opened Sundance Square (Plaza). Some of the good things have come from the usual Chamber of Commerce propaganda puffing sorts.

So, I did not know how reliable the glowing new plaza descriptions were, burned as I have been, more than once, by downtown Fort Worth Santa Fe Rail Market type deceptive reporting.

And then there was what the Galtex's had to say about the new plaza. The Galtex's live in downtown Fort Worth. They are world travelers, so unlike many of the locals, the Galtex's have been to other cities in other states than Texas and other countries than the United States.

On Facebook this is what Mr. Galtex had to say.......

The new Sundance Square has completely changed my perception of downtown Fort Worth; at last it feels like a real city. This afternoon we enjoyed Rockestra, an electric string quartet performing Lady Gaga songs, and Alex McDonald performing a Haydn piano sonata.

And this is what Mrs. Galtex had to say on Facebook...

We live downtown and aren't big fans of Sundance Square. BUT... Sundance actually has a SQUARE now (rather than a parking lot) and it is AMAZING. I feel like I finally live in a real city with lots of cool events to get me out of the house. YAY!

I have not yet made it to downtown Fort Worth to check out the finished plaza. I am guessing when I do see it I am going to like it, like I like the Water Gardens at the south end of downtown, and used to like Heritage Park at the north end of downtown, until the irresponsible Fort Worth powers that be allowed Heritage Park to turn into a boarded up eyesore.

Except for the aforementioned boarded up eyesore, downtown Fort Worth has had itself a lot of positive changes in the past year. Getting rid of that embarrassing Courthouse Annex may be the #1 improvement.

I think I will likely make my first visit to Sundance Square Plaza on Black Friday, that being the Day after Thanksgiving, the busiest shopping day of the year, when there will surely be throngs of shoppers thronging all the stores in downtown Fort Worth, with Sundance Square Plaza packed with Holiday Celebrators.....

An ALDI Stop Then A Walk & Talk With My Mom & The Village Creek Indian Ghosts

That is not crime scene tape you see surrounding the ALDI FOOD MARKET you are looking at in the picture.

That is construction tape.

Last summer, en route to Arlington's Village Creek Natural Area, I noticed a construction project starting up. A couple months after that a sign went up that indicated an ALDI was coming soon.

Two months ago I was in the Pantego ALDI and asked if the checkout  person knew when the Eastchase ALDI was opening. She told me they were aiming for an early December opening.

By how ALDI looked today, landscaping complete, workers inside on a Sunday, methinks it is an early November opening that will be happening.

Having an ALDI located between my abode and one of the locations I frequent, that being the location of my regular walk with the Indian ghosts who haunt their former home along Village Creek, will be very convenient.

I stopped to take the above picture of the soon to open ALDI and then continued on for the Indian ghost walk with my mom.

I had a nice walk and talk with my mom.

Changing the subject from my mom to my favorite subject. The weather.

The 24 hour temperature average was above 50 when I went swimming this morning. At that point in time the outer world air was being chilled to 46. I was able to have myself a mighty fine swim, albeit with two warming bouts in the hot tub.

Rain is in the forecast for tomorrow. Maybe by morning I will be able to go swimming in the rain. Likely not.

Hiking Hilly Texas Prairie With Towering Hoodoos Before Finding Borscht

In the photo you are looking east across the Tandy Hills Natural Area prairie at the Fort Worth Space Needle, also known as Tandy Tower and its sister towers of lesser height.

The foliage has become more colorful since I was last on the Tandy Hills, a week ago. Many leaves have decided to turn on the fall color, with some still resisting and remaining green.

There was no muddy sign, on any of the trails I traversed today, of Wednesday's mini-deluge. I was not sure that would be the case, but decided the Tandy Hills were my go to place today, even if there was a slight chance of mud.

If you are reading this and are a local, as in someone living in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex zone, and you have never hiked the Tandy Hills, now would be your perfect time to do so. Perfect temperature, perfect trails, perfect prairie and even though it is now November there are still wildflowers adding that type color to the fall colors.

The towering Tandy Hoodoo which leans over the intersection of the View Street Trail and the Trail to Tandy Falls remains towering, as you can see. I had some concern that recent winds would have toppled the Tandy Hills newest  monument.

Upon completing the hill hiking, because it is Saturday, I was off to Town Talk to do some treasure hunting.

Today the most unusual thing I got at Town Talk was 3 jars of Borscht. The label claims the Borscht is all-natural. The only ingredients are beets, water, sugar and salt. By all-natural does that mean it was made in Russia? I did not look long enough at the label to determine the country of origin.

I also got a big block of jalapeno jack cheese, two tubs of artisan lettuce, steak burritos, blue corn tortillas and tomatoes.

The only time I remember having Borscht was years ago at Pike Place Market in Seattle at a Russian food purveyor's place.

One more look, from today, of the fall colors coloring up the Tandy Hills....

The First Day Of November Breathing Cleaner Air In My Favorite Industrial Wasteland

In the photo you are looking west across Bridgewood Drive, past the big security fence spikes which protect me from intruders, looking at the entry to my closest neighborhood Chesapeake Energy Barnett Shale Natural Gas Drilling Site.

My closest neighborhood Chesapeake Energy hole in the ground is much closer than the one I usually mention, which is across from Albertsons, which I mentioned yesterday in a blogging titled A Walk Around The Industrial Wasteland I Call Home.

Today I also took a walk around the industrial wasteland I call home, walking to the aforementioned Albertsons in a futile attempt to get this week's DFW.com Ink Edition. The DFW.com Ink Edition does not show up as reliably on time as does Fort Worth Weekly.

Due to the recent winds the air that I breathe has improved, pollen levels have dropped, my respiratory system is working without any chemical intervention.

In other words, November is starting off as a mighty fine month in Texas.

Swimming went swimmingly this morning. The air was heated to only 51 degrees, but due to the air being heated much warmer than 51, of late, the water which I immerse myself in was much warmer than 51 degrees, so I was able to have myself a good swim on this first day of November.

I remember the first days of November, previously, as being a bit challenging, swim-wise. But not today.

I am back being a Global Warming believer, I guess.

A Walk Around The Industrial Wasteland I Call Home

With the return of blue sky, and its attendant temporary banishment of gray, I decided that the mighty fine swim I had myself this morning in the pool which is being unnaturally warm for this one day before November time of the year, did not provide sufficient endorphin stimulation, so I opted to take myself on a noontime walking tour through the Industrial Wasteland I call home.

The above is what is known as a run-on sentence. Run-on sentences are considered bad form because they tend to be confusing. Since I like being confusing, run-on sentences appeal to me.

Back to the subject of today's walk around the neighborhood.

Today I walked around the super-sized block, which surrounds my abode, before reaching the Albertsons point of the walk, which is the usual destination on my regular walks around the neighborhood.

In the view in the photo above you are looking southwest, with the 820 freeway behind you, gazing across my neighborhood Chesapeake Energy Natural Gas Drilling Industrial Wasteland site at the aforementioned Albertsons and its surrounding strip mall.

Attractive, isn't it?

I am almost 100% certain that that water you see puddled in the foreground of the photo is not fracking fluid that has burbled to the surface.

I am almost 100% certain that that particular puddle was caused by the rain that fell yesterday.

But one can never be quite sure what it is you see puddled at this particular location on the planet...

Happy Halloween With Little Dean & The Mermaid

It being Halloween I felt compelled to share this ultra cute photo of Little Dean, the Pirate and his little sister, Autumn the Mermaid.

If Little Dean the Pirate and Autumn the Mermaid knock on your door tonight you better have a real good treat to give them.

Or risk the tricky wrath of a Pirate and a Mermaid....

No Scary Weather For Halloween In North Texas

The weather predictor's predictions for yesterday at my location on the planet pretty much did not play out as predicted.

I was almost 100% certain we were in for some BIG storming yesterday, what with the forecast of t-storms, damaging winds, large hail and possible tornadoes.

Yesterday I saw no flashes of lightning, heard no thunder booms, saw no downpours, saw no hail bouncing on the ground, experienced no damaging winds and did not hear the tornado sirens blaring.

What I did see yesterday was a Pacific Northwest type mild rain, with a few moments of going from mild to light, with the dripping lasting a couple hours.

Reading the local news this morning I saw no mention of flash floods or any storm related news.

So, did this predicted storm miss all of North Texas?

I do not recollect in times past in Texas the weather predictors missing the mark as frequently as what seems to be happening of late. Is this a function of the changing weather patterns with the old model for the old weather patterns no longer being predictably reliable?

And now blue sky has returned, hours ahead of its predicted return, which portends well for the Halloween trick or treaters tonight....

Boycotting Toll Roads In Texas & Washington

In the picture you are not looking at an artists's rendering of a mob protesting the proposed toll on one of the bridges that may cross the un-needed flood diversion channel which is part of Fort Worth's Trinity River Vision Boondoggle.

What you are looking at in the picture is actually a protest from last weekend which occurred on the Interstate 90 floating bridge which crosses Lake Washington in Washington.

The state wants to turn this floating bridge into a toll bridge to help finance the billions of dollars worth of road construction projects taking place in Washington. I do not remember there ever being a toll on this bridge, not the current one, or the one that sank while the new one was being built.

I do remember there was a toll on the other floating bridge which crosses Lake Washington, which was lifted after enough was collected to pay for the bridge. That 520 bridge, north of the 90 bridge, is currently being replaced as part of multi-billion dollar highway construction project.

Meanwhile in Texas, down in the Austin zone, citizens with Texans Uniting for Reform and Freedom (TURF) started up a boycott of the Texas State Highway 130 toll road. That boycott has proved successful with traffic levels so low that it has caused a Moody's downgrade with a warning of a default if the concession company does not get more traffic on the road or restructure its debt.

Also in Texas, in my neighborhood, a big road construction project is underway, that being the I-820/I-121 upgrade, part of which is a toll road. I have not heard about any planned boycotts.

One of the many things I like about the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex zone is the ease of driving, compared to driving in the Seattle/Tacoma Western Washington Metroplex zone.

In D/FW if one finds oneself in a traffic jam there are usually multiple alternative routes, often just a multi-lane frontage road will suffice.

In the Seattle/Tacoma Western Washington Metroplex zone there are these things called hills and mountains and lakes and oceans and multiple rivers which can make getting around a traffic jam a bit challenging. I remember the last time, July 21, 2002, that I drove north from Kent, south of Seattle, to Ferndale,  near the Canadian border, a distance of about 130 miles, it took me 6 hours due to traffic jam after traffic jam, with no alternative ways north.

I had not experienced a toll road til I moved to Texas. The first time was when I drove up to Oklahoma to visit a fellow Pacific Northwest transplant in Ada. At one point I found myself needing to throw quarters in a big funnel thing so I could drive a couple dozen miles on what I think was called the Chickasaw Turnpike.

My other toll road experience in Texas was down in Houston. It was bizarre. I needed to get from the north end of town to the south end. I looked at a map and it appeared that a road I think was called the Sam Houston Tollway looked to be the the efficient route. This tollway had you paying a new toll every few miles. Like I said, bizarre.

I just remembered another toll road experience, also up in Oklahoma. This time in Tulsa. I accidentally got on a toll road where you did not pay the toll til you exited. I got off at the first exit. The toll taker felt my pain and let me return to Tulsa without paying the toll.

I think I like the idea of freeways much better than the tollway concept.....

The Day Before Halloween In Texas Promises To Be Stormy With Thunderstorms & Possible Tornadoes

I am vertical this day before Halloween, last Wednesday of October, before the arrival of the sun and its daily dawning of light on my part of the planet.

So far no precipitation has precipitated at my location, near as I can tell.

That balmy 77 degrees should make for a pleasant pool time this morning, even if I don't get to go swimming in the rain.

The rest of the forecast for today looks to be a bit adventurous. Thunderstorms, with some of those being severe, windy, downpours, large balls of hail and maybe a tornado.

I am still 20 minutes away from the scheduled arrival of the sun and its attempt to light up the outer world through what I suspect is a thick layer of clouds.