Strolling The Tandy Hills With A Baby On The Last Saturday Of 2013 Before Town Talk Treasure Hunting

No, that is not a "selfie" of me and my little family strolling the Tandy Hills on this final Saturday of the year 2013.

I have not often seen someone pushing a baby stroller on the Tandy Hills, if ever.

The stroller's wheels did not seem designed to deal with rocky trails, but the baby getting rolled seemed to be having himself a really fine time.

I wonder if baby strollers with mountain bike type tires exist? It would seem to me that a market for such a thing would exist, and so such strollers are likely available. Maybe from REI.

If I had a baby I would definitely need a stroller with mountain bike type wheels. That and a baby-sized insulated scuba diving type suit so my baby could do cool pool time with me in the morning.

I paid homage to Rome (and Seattle) today on the Tandy Hills by hiking the Seven Tandy Hills of Fort Worth. At high speed, thus generating some much needed endorphins, which put me in a good mood to go treasure hunting at Town Talk.

Today my Town Talk treasure hunting came up with the usual rabbit food in the form of four bags of mixed greens, a big bag of carrot sticks, plus onions. I don't know if onions are rabbit food. I also got big jalapeno cheddar wraps, kielbasa sausage, a ham, bleu cheese, tofu, shrimp egg rolls and a case of vanilla yogurt.

The lunch gong just sounded. I'm hungry....

Please Come See Me......

I found the sentiment expressed on the left on Facebook this morning. I removed the part at the end which advised one to "share if you like".

I can not remember the last time I saw either of my Grandma's.

My mom's mom, Grandma Vera, well, Grandma Vera's birthday was yesterday.

My dad's mom, Grandma Jones, well, Grandma Jones' birthday was December 16.

I believe both my Grandma's would be over 100 years old if they were still around to celebrate birthdays.

I remember on my birthday in 1994 Grandma Jones sent me a birthday card, just like she had for decades. I did not know, then, it was to be the last birthday card I'd ever get from Grandma Jones. In that card, Grandma wrote, in shaky script, written with a hand holding a pen which had been rendered weak by a stroke, "please come see me."

That "please come see me" plea haunts me.

In October of 1994 I returned from a long road trip to get a call from my mom, the day after I returned, telling me that Grandma Jones had died.

I cried.

It is almost 20 years and I still have trouble with thinking about "please come see me".

Grandma Vera was at my mom and dad's 50th wedding anniversary party on August 11, 2001. One month before September 11, 2001. I'd driven myself back home, solo, in what is currently the last time I've driven back to Washington. All subsequent trips north have been via the boring airplane method of travel.

I do not remember if it was at my mom and dad's 50th that I last saw Grandma Vera.

One of the times I was up north, early in this century, nephew Joey and I drove up to Bellingham, in Whatcom County, in Washington, to visit Grandma Vera. I remember when we left, taking the elevator to the ground floor, Joey telling me that Grandma would be at the window to wave us goodbye. Joey was correct in his prediction.

I do not remember if the Grandma visit with Joey was before or after mom and dad's 50th.

What I do remember is the last time I was in Whatcom County was July 26, 2002, for a Jones family reunion in Lynden. Lynden is a Dutch town a couple miles south of the Canadian border.

When the reunion was over I could not get out of Whatcom County fast enough. I had originally planned on visiting Grandma Vera, in Bellingham, before heading back to Seattle. However, like I said, when that reunion was over I could not get out of Whatcom County fast enough, and so I got on I-5 and zipped by Grandma Vera in Bellingham.

That was to be the last opportunity I would have to see my Grandma Vera.

It was about a year later I learned Grandma Vera's health was failing. I remember talking to my Arizona sister while I walked with the Village Creek Indian ghosts, asking my sister if she would be heading north for Grandma's funeral when the inevitable happened. Ironically, unbeknownst to us, as we were talking, Grandma Vera had already passed away from this mortal coil.

Neither of us went to Grandma Vera's funeral, because there wasn't  one. Grandma Vera did not want one. Grandma Vera was real good at getting what she wanted....

A Post-Christmas Pre-New Year's Tandy HIlls Hike Pondering Generating Electricity From Tandy Falls

Today I felt the need for some extreme aerobicizing.

Fast hiking on the Tandy Hills is my nearest location where I can get myself some extreme aerobicizing, and so it was to the Tandy Hills I motored myself today for the first time since last Saturday's deluge.

I was last on the Tandy Hills several days after the Great North Texas Ice Storm of 2013. At that point in time the Tandy Highway was muddier than I like my hiking to be.

Today the Tandy Hills were even muddier than my previous visit. So I avoided the Tandy Highway, except for a short distance at the north end,  en route to the Tandy Escarpment from which Tandy Falls falls.

Today Tandy Falls was dropping a lot of water, as you can see photo documented above. Viewing all that hydro power had me wondering if there has ever been any consideration of adding a generator at this location. I suspect not.

I came upon two fellow hikers today, both with two dogs. Human sightings are quite rare on the Tandy Hills. Two sightings in one day are even rarer.

I feel a lot better after getting myself some endorphins.

Swimming in the hot tub just does not do it for me, aerobically-wise, like hill hiking does. I did have one real quick bout in the cool pool this morning when I got too hot in the hot tub. A real quick bout in the cool pool was quite stimulating, so much so that I did not need a second round of stimulation.

I enjoyed hiking the Tandy Hills so much today I think I may go for a repeat tomorrow, before my regularly scheduled Saturday visit to Town Talk, weather permitting...

A Post-Christmas Walk To Interlochen With The Village Creek Indian Ghosts

Does it qualify as a 'selfie' if you aim a camera at a mirror-type device and take a photo of oneself? I have no idea what the 'selfie' criteria are.

This particular 'selfie' was taken in Arlington, at the Village Creek Natural Historical Area where I went to walk with the Indian ghosts today to try and get myself back to feeling normal after yesterday's Christmas feeding debauchery which ended up with me feeling like a python who had ingested a much too big pig.

It was yesterday's extremely tasty macaroni and cheese followed by too many Christmas cookies which turned into a too big of a pig for this particular python.

I shan't repeat that mistake anytime soon. I'd rather be hungry than feeling like I am about to explode. I really don't understand how plus-sized people manage it.

Today I exited the Village Creek Historical Natural Area to walk along the Bob Findlay Linear Park in the Interlochen zone.

Interlochen is known for its over the top Christmas decorations which result in traffic jams requiring traffic police and directional rules.

My previous bloggings about Interlochen and the directions to get to the experience must rank high in search engines because every year my Interlochen Christmas Lights Map blogging gets a lot of hits.

The Interlochen Christmas displays are not nearly as bright at noon as they are after the sun leaves for the day.

At night the scene depicted in the display above would be brightly lit. But in daylight I am still able to tell that this is some sort of religious scene of some sort of Christmas related event.

It has been several years since I braved the Interlochen traffic to view the Vegas-bright light displays. I feel no compelling urge to do so this year....

Hope Y'all Read A Bee's Knees Of A Groovy Dope Merry Christmas

The outer world was warmed to above freezing when I took my Merry Christmas morning hot tub dip this Merry Christmas morning.

Being above freezing had the hot tub not in steaming mode, like what happens when the air goes frigid.

I was hoping to take a selfie this morning through a veil of steam.

I am appalled I used the current "selfie" slang. I generally have an aversion to slang.  I know not from whence this aversion comes.

I remember decades ago cringing when someone said "groovy" unless that word was used sarcastically or ironically. In this century the word "groovy" does not annoy me because it is no longer a slang word. "Groovy" has faded to antique status, like saying something like "bee's knees".

Another current slang word usage that I find annoying is when someone says this that or the other thing was a "good read". Does this annoy me because it is just bad grammar? Or what? I have no idea.

Yesterday I was appalled on Facebook when I read a borderline senior citizen begin a Facebook post with the slang phrase "This is dope."

I commented to the "dope" comment advising that I felt this person was much too old to be saying things like "this is dope." The "dope" poster hit the like button on my comment. I hope this means he drops "this is dope" from his vocabulary.

Well, none of this groovy dope talk has anything to do with wishing everyone a Very Merry Christmas.

So, I shall end this good read with yet one more MERRY CHRISTMAS, this time in shouting capitals mode....

MERRY CHRISTMAS

Freezing On A Hot Merry Christmas Eve Morning In Texas

Yes, it was well below freezing when I ventured out to my too cool pool for some hot tub hydrotherapy on this Merry Christmas Eve Morning.

Tomorrow morning I must remember to wear my Santa cap to my morning hot tub dip.

As you can see, the hot tub is big enough to enable swimming action, thus providing some endorphin inducing aerobic action.

However.

The hot tub is hot, which really is not all that conducive to pleasant aerobic action without short pool dips. But, the pool is being too cool, even for my genetically mutated Polar Bear self. So, I overheat in the hot tub, with the necessary cooling provided by stepping out of the pool and standing in the frigid air til I feel a chill and then get back in the hot tub.

I do not think I will be going on a Christmas Eve afternoon hike or walk. I think I will go to Walmart and enjoy pushing a cart through the throngs of fellow lemmings....

Today I Learned The Fosdick Flock Of Seagulls Do Not Like Whole Wheat Stuffing

Today was my first time back at Oakland Lake Park to walk around Fosdick Lake since, I think, the Great North Texas Ice Storm of 2013.

Upon arrival I quickly noticed a Flock of Seagulls had joined the Fosducks who are in permanent residence floating on Fosick Lake or slacking on the ground on the lake's perimeter.

Today I remembered to bring some Fosduck feed in the form of whole wheat stuffing mix I got at Town Talk, but which I did not find too tasty.

The Fosducks seemed to have a mighty fine time eating the Town Talk whole wheat stuffing. However, the Flock of Seagulls showed absolutely no interest in getting stuffed with stuffing.

Speaking of getting stuffed with stuffing, that will not be happening with my Christmas menu, it being a menu on which nothing is getting stuffed.

Unless I overeat the Turkey Pot Pie.....

This Morning My Mom Insisted I Open A Package From Arizona To Find A Plethora Of Christmas Cookies

I called my mom and dad this morning to let them know that a package from Arizona had arrived.

My mom asked about the package delivery soon after answering the phone.

When I said I had not yet opened the package mom told me I needed to open it at once, because the box was full of stuff which needed to be eaten.

So, after getting off the phone I opened the box and what to my wondering eyes appeared? A selection of the greatest hits of my mom's Christmas cookies.

The box contained the assortment you see in the foreground, plus a sub-box full of gingersnap cookies, plus the fruitcake hovering above the boxes.

I have never understood some people's aversion to fruitcake. I have always liked fruitcake. Maybe it is my mom's fruitcake I have always liked and that I have never been exposed to the type fruitcake to which people have an aversion.

Due to my mom's macular degeneration my dad acts as mom's sous chef for cooking operations.  I suspect maybe my sister was part of this cookie cooking operation. Though I have seen my mom and dad in cooperative cooking mode and it is an impressively efficient operation.

I may be going into a form of diabetic shock in the coming day or two. I am not used to eating dessert type sugary stuff.....

Seeing A Spencer Jack's Uncle Joey Lookalike In Walmart Put Me In A Merry Melancholy Christmas Mood

In the picture on the left you are in the backyard of the house I grew up in, in Burlington, Washington.

1027 Washington Avenue.

If I remember correctly, at this point in time my brother, he being the guy on the left in the picture, had bought the house from my mom and dad.

The reason we were getting our picture taken was because myself and most of my siblings had attended my nephew Jason's high school graduation and were at the after party at my brother's house.

That would be my nephew Jason standing between my brother and me, which would make nephew Joey on the right.

Now, what prompted this trip down memory lane?

Well, I was in Walmart around noon, a busy Walmart, very busy. I was in the frozen vegetable section of the frozen foods area when this mom and her boy walked up, with the mom and her boy engaged in an amusing conversation about the boy's vegetable issues.

The boy reminded me of Joey.

Suddenly I found myself in a very Merry Melancholy Christmas mood as I continued to walk around in Walmart, pushing an empty shopping cart.

My nephew Jason's graduation from high school happened a year or two before I moved to Texas.

My brother, Jason and Joey look so young in the above picture, while I've not aged a day. I assume I can attribute this to the healthy Texas lifestyle.

I last saw my nephew Joey the first time I met Joey's nephew, Spencer Jack, back in early August of 2008 at Bay View State Park.

In the picture on the right, that would be Joey on the left, with Spencer Jack insisting Joey eat something.

Being at Bay View State Park and meeting Spencer Jack for the first time seems so recent, yet it was over 5 years ago.

I have seen Spencer Jack and his dad since that day at Bay View, 5 years ago, back in March of 2012, in Arizona.

A couple months ago my mom asked me to arrange for me and Joey to come to Arizona this past week, but that could not be arranged. I feel sort of bad about this, which likely adds to the Merry Melancholy Christmas mood.

Below we see the aforementioned mom and dad, on that day over 5 years ago, at Bay View State Park, with Spencer Jack and Joey, along with either Blue or Max in scavenging poodle mode. Likely Max, Blue is usually too refined to scavenge.

Now, how am I going to get myself out of this Merry Melancholy Christmas mood? Maybe a cup of coffee will help.....

You Can Not Disown Your Sister

Last night one of my fraudulent activity monitors who monitors fraudulent activity in the Tacoma, Washington zone emailed me an email with the subject line:

YOU NEED TO DISOWN YOUR SISTER

The message in the fraudulent activity monitor's email was not shouted in capitals like the subject line of the email was shouted.

The message in the email was a copy and pasting of a totally inappropriate Facebook comment, commenting on some clearly irrational Facebook ranting.

I don't quite know what would be gained by disowning ones sister. I Googled the subject to find that a lot of people are interested in disowning some of their siblings for a wide variety of reasons.

Unfortunately, or fortunately, depending on ones point of view on this serious subject, there is no legal mechanism by which one can disown a sibling.

More than one person advised those seeking a sibling disownment to simply cease contact with the annoying sibling. That seemed to be good advice and relatively easy to do, particular if one is blessed with a geographic buffer of a couple thousand miles.....