Today The United States Postal Service Delivered A Christmas Miracle To Texas

Today in my world a Christmas Miracle occurred.

Two packages were delivered to my door by a United States Postal Service mailman.

Last year, a few days before Christmas, I got a note in my mailbox telling me the mailman was unable to deliver a package. This turned into a month long debacle after which a box of stale cookies were finally successfully delivered, although not to my mailbox or front door, but to a neighbor's front door.

Around 1 this afternoon I heard someone knocking on my door. I opened the door to find a mailman handing me a package.

Then somewhere between 3 and 4 this afternoon I heard someone knocking again. I opened the door to find the same mailman delivering another package.

Unprecedented service from the US Postal Service.

In the photo above, that would be package #1, from Washington, on the bottom, with package #2, from Arizona, on top.

Sitting on top of package #2 is my one and only Christmas decoration, that being my lovable Christmoose, who moved to Texas with me, way back late in the last century.

I won't be opening these packages until Christmas. It gives me something to look forward to, which is something I need during this bleak, cheerful, happy holidays time of the year....

A Warm Walk With The Village Creek Indian Ghosts Ends Cold

I got rained on whilst in the pool and hot tub this morning. The drippage was quite refreshing.

This morning's bout in the cool pool and the less cool hot tub did not give me as many aerobically induced endorphins as I need to make myself feel mighty fine.

So, with the outer world temperature at my location in the 70s I used my motorized vehicular transporter to take myself to Arlington to the Village Creek Natural Historical Area to go on a walk with the Indian ghosts, optimistic, was I, that I would not need a bumbershoot to do so.

Turns out, for once, my optimism proved to be warranted. Nothing dripped on me whilst walking with the Indian ghosts today.

When I got to the area of the Village Creek Blue Bayou I saw tire tracks leading from the paved trail. I followed the trail of the tire tracks and eventually came to the big white pipeline you see above, hovering above the creek that brings water to the Village Creek Blue Bayou.

I have no idea what is being piped across the creek and into the natural area.

After walking with the Indian ghosts I dropped in on the very conveniently located, newly opened, ALDI to get myself some needed vittles.

At the ALDI point in time the outer world air was still semi-balmy, warm, and very humid.

And then, in the less than three mile distance from ALDI to my abode, I arrived at my parking location and exited my vehicle to discover the predicted temperature drop had arrived sooner than I thought it was predicted to.

Like I already said, when I left my abode the outer world was in the 70 degree zone. When I returned, less than two hours later, the temperature in the outer world at my abode had plummeted into the 40s.

I do not know when the predicted thunderstorm action is predicted to arrive. Flash flooding is also in the forecast.

I am prepared. My hatches have been totally battened.

One second, please, someone is knocking on my door....

United States Postal Service mailman hand delivering a package from Washington. A year ago, almost to the day, a month long delivery failure ensued with the USPS that eventually ended with the successful delivery of a  box of stale Christmas cookies.

Thinking About Escaping My Security Fence For A Benito's Platter At Uncle Julio's

In the picture you are looking northwest over the spiked spires which form a security fence which keep me securely secure.

For the most part.

As you can see, clouds have returned to North Texas, with thunderstorms on the menu starting tomorrow.

This morning I was in no mood to drive anywhere for my daily prescribed bout of aerobic stimulation and its resultant medicating endorphins.

Not driving anywhere leaves walking around my neighborhood as my only option for getting some bi-pedal activity.

I used this neighborhood walkabout to walk to Alberstsons to acquire this week's Fort Worth Weekly.

Before leaving my abode I used my Moira Collins Google persona to call my sister in Arizona to see how it is going for her with a houseful of two of my other sisters and their brood consisting of a pair of twin toddlers and their big brother.

Sounds like my sister is having a mighty fine time with her houseful. Yesterday they caravaned to my mom and dad's for a swim with the seniors at my mom and dad's clubhouse. There are four pools at my mom and dad's clubhouse, with only one of them un-heated.

Speaking of un-heated swimming pools. The temperature average at my location on the planet has been above 50 degrees the past 24 hours. That fits my good to go swimming criteria.

Usually.

But, this morning I discovered it takes more than one day averaging above 50 for the cool pool to become un-cool enough for pleasant swim. So, I had two quick cool dips with two hot tub warm-ups after the too cool dips.

Speaking of needing a change of scenery. This morning, after a lengthy discussion with Elsie Hotpepper, I came to the conclusion we need a break from all this holiday cheer. Some place sort of tropical would be nice.

Speaking of holiday cheer. This week's best holiday cheer came via a Christmas Party at which I acquired an Uncle Julio's gift card. I'm thinking I'll be having myself a Benito's Platter, or two, or three, or four, or five, over a period of time in the coming period of time.....

Murder, Mayhem & Madness Leaves Me Discombobulated In Texas Walking With Indian Ghosts

The Ides of December, that being the 3rd Wednesday of the last month of 2013, a week before Christmas, this morning, a bout of murder, mayhem and madness had me being a bit discombobulated.

Being a bit discombobulated caused me a rare instance of forgetting to bring my camera with me when I left my abode today to commune with nature and the Indian ghosts who haunt Arlington's Village Creek Natural Historical Area.

So, to illustrate what a mighty fine day it is today in North Texas I had to resort to taking a picture, upon my return, of the turquoise view from my patio of my cool pool and the blue sky above it.

Currently the outer world at my location is only two degrees shy of 70. That temperature is to the point where we border on warm, but not to the turning on the A/C point of warm. Maybe warm enough to open some windows.

I do not recollect being able to open windows at this point in time in previous years in Texas.

I think I will hit the publish button on this blogging now and then go on a window opening expedition....

Growing Taller On The Muddy Tandy Hills While Hunting For Roadrunners

Today seemed to be a mighty fine time to return to the Tandy Hills for the first time since the Great North Texas Ice Storm of 2013 rendered hill hiking an icy impossibility.

In the picture you are look at today's view from the top of Mount Tandy, looking west across the wagon train trail which heads towards downtown Fort Worth, the stunning skyline of which you see in the distance.

Soon upon arrival my worry that the hills might still be in a muddy state from our recent bout of freezing ice was quickly abated by the dry conditions I found on top of Mount Tandy.

But then when I made my way to the Tandy Highway I quickly found myself walking over mud which quickly added a couple inches to my regular six feet. The muddy condition of the Tandy Highway appeared to have been exacerbated by Fort Worth Water trucks tracking over the highway, post-thaw.

Due to the muddy Tandy Highway I altered my hiking route to making a full circle, returning to the summit of Mount Tandy via the Tandy Falls route, avoiding the muddy part of the Tandy Highway.

Taking an alternative route soon had me coming across what I thought was a Roadrunner, standing uncharacteristically still for that particular brand of bird.

I got out my camera, turned it on, expecting the camera's bird-like beeping noise to send the bird running.

Instead the bird politely posed for several photos. Only when I resumed my hiking, hiking towards the bird, did the bird move, not via running, but by flying, clearly indicating that that which I thought was a Roadrunner was not a Roadrunner.

By the time I made it back to the summit of Mount Tandy and my motorized vehicular transport most of the mud had absented itself from my shoes, rendering me back to being my usual short self.

Other than the mud I had myself a mighty fine time hill hiking today.

What Is The Obstruction Blocking The Trinity River Vision Boondoggle's Gateway Park Master Propaganda Plan?

Last Saturday I snapped a picture of what I believe to be the most bizarre example of Trinity River Vision Boondoggle signage propaganda.

That being the Gateway Park Master Plan signage near Fort Woof in Fort Worth's Gateway Park.

This massive sign installation was installed sometime in the previous decade, if I remember correctly.

And now, well into the following decade, I don't believe a single thing touted on the propaganda signs is even remotely close to being seen by anyone's vision.

Thinking about the stalled Gateway Park Master Plan brought the current state of Bertha to mind.

Bertha is currently the world's biggest tunnel boring machine. Bertha is currently stuck by an unknown obstruction, about 70 feet underground, after boring about a thousand feet of a new transit tunnel which will run under Seattle, scheduled to be completed by 2015, replacing the earthquake damaged Alaskan Way Viaduct.

I don't believe there are any signs in the vicinity of the Bertha operation touting the Alaskan Way Viaduct Replacement Master Plan.

And yet that plan is well underway, started well after the Trinity River Vision Boondoggle started boondoggling, with Bertha's tunnel slated to be completed before much of anything will be able to be seen, if ever, of the Gateway Park Master Plan's likely imaginary projects.

Is there something stuck regarding the Trinity River Vision Boondoggle's Gateway Park Master Plan of a metaphoric Bertha obstruction sort?

Some choice verbiage from one of the Trinity River Vision Boondoggle's Gateway Park Master Plan's propaganda signs....

The Gateway Park Master Plan is an exciting component of Fort Worth's Trinity River Vision. The 1,000 acre park will be filled with new community-requested recreational amenities, making it one of the nation's largest urban-programmed parks. With the planting of over 75,000 trees and the restoration of the original river channel, the park will transform into a natural setting the entire region can enjoy. The project is expected to spur economic growth around the park and will connect the East and Southeast neighborhoods of Fort Worth to the Trinity River corridor.

Long ago, way back in 2011, I blogged about those promised 75,000 trees referenced in the above propaganda, known as J.D. Granger's Magic Trees, in a blogging titled J.D. Granger's Magic Trees Saving Arlington From The Trinity River While Not Worrying About Haltom City Getting Saved.

The Gateway Park Master Plan propaganda references "community-requested recreational amenities".

Community requested?

And how are these requests being made, I can not help but wonder?

We know these imaginary community requests are not made via any sort of public vote, because the public is not allowed to vote on any aspect of the Trinity River Vision Boondoggle.

So, how are these alleged community requests for specific amenities being made?

Over drinks with J.D. Granger?

Hubris. Why is it that that word always comes to mind when I ponder the Trinity River Vision Boondoggle and any of its various boondoggly aspects?

What Is The Meaning Of The Quanah Parker Park Martin Luther King Jr. Poster?

Last Wednesday in a blogging titled An Icy Walk At Quanah Parker Park Before Town Talking With Apple Cider & Monkey Food I mentioned that I came upon something odd whilst walking the Quanah Parker Park trail which I would blog about later.

And then I proceeded to forget about this odd thing I saw, til now, five days later.

The odd thing I saw laying on the ground was the poster you see laying on this blog.

The poster was about two by three feet in size, made of thick construction paper type material. Part of the message on the poster had been obliterated. By what means this obliteration occurred I do not know, or why the obliteration occurred, I also do not know.

What I do know is that I can clearly read words on the poster which say, "Martin Luther King Jr. helped the Color People get there Rights (indecipherable) advantage to do that..." After which only a few words, like "White" and "and" and "to" are legible.

So, what was the message on this poster intending to say? I have no idea.

The grammar is a bit lacking.

"Color People"? I assume the writer intended "Colored People."

But, who uses the term "Colored People" at our current time in history?

Was this a positive poster message about Americans getting "their" rights? Or did the obliterated part make obvious this was a negative message about Americans getting their rightful rights?

Very perplexing.

And why was this poster laying on the ground in a very remote location of Quanah Parker Park? How did it get there? And why did it get there?

Like I said, very perplexing.....

A Semi-Warm Pleasant Sunday Walk To the Village Creek Blue Bayou

A cloudless blue sky has returned the Village Creek Natural Historical Area's Blue Bayou to its usual blue status.

That and a recent influx of water in this drought plagued part of the planet has helped with the blue-ness.

What a difference a day makes in Texas, weather-wise.

Yesterday I shivered in long sleeves, whilst wearing gloves, as I walked among the thousands of bikers gathered in Fort Worth's Gateway Park.

Today, with the temperature being about the same as yesterday, when I had my walkabout, as in, in the 40s, only with yesterday's foggy sun-free sky and strong wind making for bitter cold, while today's solar radiation and light wind made for a comfortable, glove-free, long sleeve-free, t-shirt only, mighty fine time walking in the outer world.

Now that I am back at my computer based temperature monitoring device I see that that aforementioned outer world is currently being heated to only five degrees shy of 60.

I had myself a mighty fine hot tub time this morning, with no cool pool dips to cool off. Frost was frosting up the outer world this morning when I made my way to the pool zone. Tomorrow morning should be well above freezing when I make that same salubrious trek.

This morning I saw that the forecast for my location for the coming week is forecasting a return of freezing rain, on Saturday. There are plenty of days between now and then for that unfortunate forecast to change to something less cold and slippery.

It Appears The Dallas Observer Observes More Than Fort Worth Weekly Observes About Greg Abbott Being One Of The Worst People

Last week I ventured into the store which is next to the newly opened ALDI on Eastchase Parkway in East Fort Worth.

At the entry to the next to ALDI store I found that a stack of Dallas Observers had made their way into the Fort Worth part of Tarrant County. I have found the Dallas Observer in the Arlington part of Tarrant County, previously, but never in Fort Worth.

I have read Dallas Observer a time or two or three over the years, but this recent exposure had me noticing something I'd not noticed before. As in the Dallas Observer has way more content to read than does Fort Worth Weekly.

Eventually I figured out why it is the Dallas Observer has way more content than FW Weekly.

The cover article of this week's Dallas Observer is titled "The 20 Worst People of 2013".

I thought this to be an amusing article, but was a  bit surprised at the national scope of where the worst people came from, rather than being Texas-centric. Only one or two of the worst people were Texan. With one of those worst ones being Greg Abbott, he being the embarrassing Texan currently employed, via election, as the Texas Attorney General.

Ted Abbott is running for governor of Texas. I suspect Fort Worth's Wendy Davis will soundly beat Ted Abbott to become the new Texas governor and in the process create a national sensation with tons of verbiage devoted to the return of Texas to being a blue state.

Yes, I am an optimistic dreamer with serious delusional bouts.

So, what is the reason the Dallas Observer has so much more content than FW Weekly?

I realized the reason why, via the online version of the Dallas Observer, when I saw that the cover article of this week's Dallas Observer was not a Dallas Observer production about the worst people of 2013.  It was an article written by Pete Kotz of the Riverfront Times, that being the St. Louis version of a Dallas Observer/FW Weekly type publication.

I suspect the Riverfront Times and many other publications across the country are owned by the same entity which owns the Dallas Observer, hence the content sharing, with more content in the publication than that which appears in FW Weekly.

Don't get me wrong. I really like FW Weekly and I think that publication does a real good job of being Fort Worth's only real newspaper, filling in for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram journalistic vacuum.

And now what is it that the Riverfront Times had to say about Greg Abbott, who came in at #11 on the list of worst people? I will copy and paste...

11. Greg Abbott
Dallas couple Jeffrey and Henry Buck were married in Massachusetts, only to see their love wither two years later. A Dallas family court granted their divorce.

This caused Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott to blow a gasket. He's a strident opponent of gay marriage, fearing it will spur an outbreak of elegant kitchen remodeling that makes no allowances for gun racks. And because he's also running for governor, he wanted to appease the state's many followers of Mean Jesus, the pissed-off version of the leading brand.

So Abbott appealed the decision. Since Texas law banned gay marriage, he argued, the Bucks couldn't legally divorce either. A state appellate court agreed, reportedly signing its decision in drool.

Abbott got his wish: The Bucks were forced to stay gay married.

Wait? What?

The case is now before the Texas Supreme Court justices, who are expected to hire someone who can read it to them.

Finding Myself In Gateway Park Surrounded By Thousands Of Bikers At The 2013 North Texas Toy Run

A Few Of The Thousands Of Bikes & Bikers

Every year since I moved to my current location, at some point in time during the Christmas Holiday Season time of the year I seem to manage to find myself accidentally experiencing the Annual Great North Texas Toy Run with its thousands of bikers on thousands of motorbikes.

This annual Toy Run is a spectacle to behold, the likes of which I certainly never experienced during my years of living in the sedate Pacific Northwest.

I suspect the reason I find myself surrounded by bikers year after year is that this event occurs on a Saturday, with the event staged in Gateway Park, with me finding myself, pretty much every Saturday, at Town Talk, a location right in the path of the thousands of bikers.

Today on my way to Town Talk I wanted to visit Gateway Park to get new photos of the Trinity River Vision Boondoggle's Gateway Park Master Plan signage. For blogging purposes.

Well.

A phalanx of Fort Worth police were stopping vehicular traffic from entering the north entrance to Gateway Park, due to that area being the aforementioned Great North Texas Toy Run's staging area. I was informed I needed to make a U-Turn and was advised that the west entry to Gateway Park was not being blocked by bikers or Fort Worth police.

So, I headed to the west entrance, parked, got my photos of the Gateway Park Master Plan signage and then walked to the Toy Run staging area, drawn was I by the roar of the motorbikes and rock music blaring.

I walked amongst the assembled bikers whilst running my video camera. You can view the resulting video below.

Stuck In A Toy Run Roadblock

Even though the air was heated to somewhere in the 40s, the wind and lack of direct solar radiation, and insufficient outerwear coverage, quickly made  me colder than I like to be when no hot tub escape is in the near vicinity.

It was a quick escape from Gateway Park to the significantly warmer Town Talk where all I got was rabbit and monkey food in the form of broccoli, lettuce, carrots and bananas.

I wanted to be out of Town Talk and heading east on Randol Mill Road well before the departure, at one, from Gateway Park of the thousands of Toy Run bikers.

I missed that goal by about a minute, and so got stuck in a police roadblock  for about 20 minutes while all the bikers made their way down the road to their Interstate 30 destination and the throngs of onlookers seeking candy tossed by passing bikers.