Columbus & His Crew Of Undocumented Immigrants Refused To Learn The Local Language

Continuing on with our week of celebrating Indigenous People, which began on Monday with Indigenous People's Day, I thought that which you see here to be amusing.

Sadly, there are those who wouldn't understand the amusement.

On Indigenous People's Day it became clear to me that there were some  people who had no clue as to why enlightened, educated sorts might think it really is not a good idea to be having a federal holiday honoring Christopher Columbus.

I think those who think it blasphemy to tamper with a holiday honoring Columbus are people who learned a myth in grade school and never unlearned that myth upon higher education, such as that which one gains when one goes to college.

But, one does not need higher education to learn factual non-mythical history. One can go to a library and check out a book. Or just Google "Christopher Columbus" and read something like the Wikipedia Christopher Columbus article to find yourself a bit of enlightenment via real history, such as the four paragraphs below...

According to the report, Columbus once punished a man found guilty of stealing corn by having his ears and nose cut off and then selling him into slavery. Testimony recorded in the report claims that Columbus congratulated his brother Bartolomé on "defending the family" when the latter ordered a woman paraded naked through the streets and then had her tongue cut out for suggesting that Columbus was of lowly birth.

The document also describes how Columbus put down native unrest and revolt; he first ordered a brutal crackdown in which many natives were killed and then paraded their dismembered bodies through the streets in an attempt to discourage further rebellion.

"Columbus's government was characterised by a form of tyranny," Consuelo Varela, a Spanish historian who has seen the document, told journalists. "Even those who loved him [Columbus] had to admit the atrocities that had taken place."

De las Casas records that when he first came to Hispaniola in 1508, "there were 60,000 people living on this island, including the Indians; so that from 1494 to 1508, over three million people had perished from war, slavery, and the mines. Who in future generations will believe this? I myself writing it as a knowledgeable eyewitness can hardly believe it..."

In our current times the only thing that comes close to the Columbus style of subjugating conquered people is ISIS in Iraq and Syria.

You think in 500 years they will be celebrating ISIS Day in Iraq?

Sadly, that may come to be. Just like Columbus Day.....

Me & The Indian Ghosts & A Lot Of Other People At Village Creek Today

Those are my handlebars overlooking the Village Creek Natural Historical Area's Blue Bayou which is currently not blue, today around noon.

I was in that particular neighborhood due to needing to take possession of some vittles from Walmart and ALDI.

I got gas today, but did not call my mom. It was not convenient to call at the time I got the gas at the extremely cheap price of $2.89.

I remember way back in July of 2001, driving north to Washington, paying $1.19 in Amarillo, thinking that was high. Then I got off the freeway in La Grande, Oregon to find myself being appalled to see gas was $1.79. The price continued to rise the further north and west I got.

The good ol' days.

And now $2.89 seems like a bargain.

Being in the 70s, and by 70s I am referring not to the decade in the previous century, but to the temperature, we are that sweet spot, heat-wise, when oodles of temperature sensitive Texans take themselves outdoors for some park fun. I don't recollect ever seeing so many people enjoying the pleasant weather at Village Creek as I saw today.

Lots of young, healthy looking people. Geezers, like me. Women with dogs. Men with dogs. A pair of joggers pretty much jogging in what appeared to my eyes to be bikinis. Multiple bikers. A young good-looking hippie-looking couple laying on a blanket, having a picnic. I have rarely seen that type scene in a Texas park. It is usually too HOT to be on the ground.

That and fire ants can be vexing.

Anyway, I had myself a mighty fine time rolling my wheels today with the Indian Ghosts who haunt Village Creek.

Dodinsky Led Me Away From Arguing About The Seattle Mariners Winning The World Series

I do not know anything about Dodinsky. I suspect I could enlighten myself via Googling the name. I suspect he is a philosopher. Likely Polish.

Dodinsky's advice seems quite wise to me.

I have long subscribed to the Dodinsky credo without realizing it.

Just this morning I found myself in the oddest conversation in which the party with whom I was conversating was insisting that the Seattle Mariners have not only been in a World Series, but that the Seattle Mariners won a World Series.

And that this World Series win by the Seattle Mariners took place this century.

Now I am almost as much a baseball fan as I am a fan of soccer, but even I know, even though I pay no attention to the World Series, that not only have the Seattle Mariners never won the World Series, they have never played in a World Series. I believe the Seattle Mariners are one of only a couple MLB teams which have never played in a World Series.

How did I know the Seattle Mariners have never played in a World Series? Well. I remember the fuss made throughout the Pacific Northwest back in the 1990s, I think it may have been 1995, when the Seattle Mariners made it to the playoffs for the first time, doing well.

If the Seattle Mariners made it to the World Series, let alone win the thing, the fuss made would have been noticeable to me, even at my current location, thousands of miles from the Pacific Northwest.

An indicator of how little attention I pay to professional, or any, sports, is I learned only yesterday that this past weekend the Dallas Cowboys beat the current Super Bowl Champion Seattle Seahawks. I do not know if this Seahawk whooping took place in Seattle, or in my neighborhood gigantic football stadium.

I must go Google Dodinsky now....

Kay Granger & Mark Greene Debate In Unitarian Universalist Church Tonight

The League of Women Voters convinced Congresswoman Kay Granger to come to the Westside Unitarian Universalist Church tonight for a candidate's forum with, as far as I know, one other candidate, that being Mark Greene.

The League of Women Voters is calling this a candidate forum. Others are calling it a debate.

I do not know if this event is going to be televised. I suspect not.

Mark Greene is a Democrat. Kay Granger is a Republican.

I am a big fan of  Kay Granger's son, J.D., and all the wondrous works his mother has enabled him to do for Fort Worth.

Since Kay is the reason we have J.D. I suppose she deserves some credit for the creation in Fort Worth of imaginary islands with imaginary pavilions, with bridges being built over an imaginary un-needed flood diversion channel, the first drive-in movie theater of the 21st century, ice rinks and river rockin' happy hour inner tube floats.

Even so, I still think I will likely be voting for Mark Greene.

This invite to this event has me also wondering about a couple other things. Like what is a Unitarian Universalist? Is this a Christian denomination? And why is there no League of Men Voters?

If you want to experience this likely heated debate in person, get there early as there are only 200 seats available. The debate location is about 9 miles from my abode. At my 4 mph walking pace I figure if I leave here around 3 this afternoon I should have plenty of time to get to church.

Yikes! Just looked at the time. It's about 3 now. I gotta get going......

Warmly Rolling My Wheels Around The Woodhaven Country Club Golf Course

When I take a walking tour of my neighborhood I usually walk around in the Industrial Wasteland part of the neighborhood.

I have walked in the non-Industrial Wasteland part of my neighborhood before and may have used a photo from that location for blogging purposes, but I don't remember doing so.

My usual mode for a tour of the non-Industrial Wasteland part of my neighborhood is via the rolling my wheels method, hence the picture of my handlebars pointing at a scenic scene with a trio of golfers, with one of the golfers barely visible sitting under a tree in his golf cart.

That would be the Woodhaven Country Club golf course part of my neighborhood you are looking  at. This is a sprawling golf course surrounded by houses accessed by mostly dead end roads. And hilly. Thus excellent for an endorphin inducing bout of aerobic stimulation.

I have golfed a time or two, but never in Texas. I find golfing to be excruciatingly boring. Well, except for the Putt Putt Mini-Golf mode of golfing. That I have enjoyed a time or two or three.

As you can see, mostly clear blue sky has returned to North Texas. But, the temperature was in the 60s when I left my abode to roll my wheels. This had me in sweatpants, a long sleeved t-shirt, with a sweatshirt on top of that. By the time I got my bike ready to roll I realized I was over dressed. About a half mile into rolling I realized my regular bike shorts and a regular t-shirt would have sufficed.

I always have trouble adjusting to the sudden temperature changes in Texas this time of year. And in the spring.

I did not get in the pool this morning at all optimistic that that would go well, but it did. With two warm up bouts in the hot tub.

Tomorrow is scheduled to be warmer, but I suspect not warm enough to get me turning on the A/C.

My One Son Has Me Being Uncle Bub Back In Washington

In the past week or two I've made mention to a person or two or three that if I still had my house in Mount Vernon I'd be thinking about moving back there.

But, that house was sold in 2002.

Today one of those to whom I'd mentioned my wish to return to Washington proposed a variant of My Three Sons, with the variant being called, I suppose, My One Son.

I would be Uncle Bub in this scenario.

Moving is not an easy thing. Just moving a short distance is a pain. Moving a couple thousand miles amps up the pain.

When I moved to Texas it was to a ranch type situation in the far north Fort Worth suburb called Haslet. I did not like living in Haslet. It was a rough road east to get to the closest grocery store. The puny skyline of downtown Fort Worth was a spiky blur in the distance.

I miss living near a Big City. Which is, maybe, a little ironic, because I live in a big city. But it really is not a Big City. It is Fort Worth. A little town with pretensions of being a Big City. Dallas is a Big City, but I don't go to Dallas very often.

In Mount Vernon, the Big City of Seattle is just a few miles to the south. The Big City of Vancouver is just a few miles to the north, in an entirely different country.

I miss being able to drive a short distance to the west and being at saltwater beaches. I miss driving a short distance to the east and being in the mountains.

I miss a cornucopia of fresh produce, much of it free for the picking. Like blackberries.

When I lived in Washington an entire growing season could go by where I would not have bothered to get myself some fresh strawberries. That would not happen upon my return. If you have only had a California strawberry, you have no idea how good the real thing is, deep red, sweet and delicious.

And don't get me started on the difference between a Parker County peach and a peach grown in an Eastern Washington orchard.

And apricots. I can not remember when last I had an apricot. When in Washington I would make an annual trek to Eastern Washington to acquire a box of apricots.

I miss driving the flats of the Skagit Valley in August and buying fresh corn from a roadside stand. Usually purchased via the honor system. Put your money in the jar.

It has been several things of late which have made me homesick. Maxine's tales of Cascade Mountain hikes. Me recently thinking about Deception Pass State Park and its bridge due to thinking about the pathetic Trinity River Vision Boondoggle's Three Bridges Over Nothing.

That is another thing.

I miss being where BIG things happen. Where the people get to vote on BIG things that happen. Where the world's biggest tunnel boring machine can get stuck with the locals collectively shrugging their shoulders, confident it will work out and the tunnel will get bored.

I miss living where the population is highly educated, highly literate, progressive, liberal, smart. Where I am not embarrassed by the politicians. Where there are places to complain when a wrong needs to be made right.

I miss taking a ferry out to the San Juan Islands, waiting for the last ferry leaving Friday Harbor to take the night float back to Anacortes.

I miss the smell of Christmas trees which is the norm when you are surrounded by the mountains of Washington.

I miss rain.

Slow rain that lasts for days before adding up to an inch.

I miss gray, day after day after day of gray, with drizzle, followed by a day when the gray lifts and you are looking at the bluest sky you have ever seen, with the trees the greenest green.

I miss the moss of a rain forest. Big waves on a Pacific coast beach. Ocean Shores and Copalis. Long Beach.

The Washington volcanoes. Especially Mount Rainier. I miss hearing "The Mountain is out."

I miss Mount Baker, the location of the deepest snow the world has ever measured. I miss looking out my kitchen window at the stewing steam vent near the top of Mount Baker.

In Texas, no matter where I look I will see no stewing steam vents atop an active volcano.

So, long story short, I am thinking of returning to the place from which I came.....

Indigenous People's Day Celebrating The Invasion Of Columbus

This morning I was dealing with an aggravating aggravation that aggravated me so much I forgot today was Indigenous People's Day, formerly known, by most, as Columbus Day.

The day some Americans honor a guy from Italy who sailed the oceans blue, in 1492, finding islands in what we now call the Caribbean, but which Columbus, that intrepid explorer, thought must be India, and so the Indigenous People's Columbus discovered became known to the incoming European invaders as Indians.

Columbus plundered what he could from the Indigenous People, left them with some diseases, to which they were not immune, kidnapped about a dozen of the "Indians", shackled them and floated them back to Spain to show to his benefactors, Isabella and Ferdinand.

The Indigenous People Columbus kidnapped were never returned to their homeland. I don't recollect how the kidnapped IPs died or where they were buried.

The Spanish method of dealing with Indigenous People was to convert them from their heathen ways to being good Christians and if met with resistance to torture and kill the resistors so as to save their mortal souls. Sort of an ISIS of its day.

I think I will continue my Indigenous People's Day celebrating by making an Asian stir fry for lunch.

It Was A Dark Stormy Night In Texas

It was a dark and stormy night, last night, in North Texas. This morning it is less dark and stormy than last night.

Even though rain and hail added a couple inches to the pool I managed to have myself a stormy swim this morning. I retreated, briefly, to the hot tub one time only, for a minute or two, til I overheated, then it was back into the refreshing pool.

I do know how many hours the storm kept me awake last night. I do know I am tired this morning.

The storm started gradual, wind picking up, then a slight pelting of raindrops on the windows. After an hour of prelude thunder in the distance announced the approach of the main show.

The main show started with strong wind, then heavy rain, with some of the aforementioned hail. There were three lightning strikes close enough to my abode that the flash and the boom were simultaneous.

I've not heard any reports of wind damage as severe as that from the windstorm a couple Thursday's ago. The strong wind did not last long at my location, but it was wickedly strong when it was gusting.

I was considering going on a bike ride tour of my neighborhood, but just stepping outside to take the above picture was a bit bracing. Currently 62 with wind making it feel colder.

I Do Not Know If Waterspouts Are In The North Texas Forecast For Indigenous People's Day

I came upon this waterspout photo whilst perusing the KOMO TV news online this morning. The Pierce County referenced in the headline is in the State of Washington. It is the county in which Tacoma is located.

The water is spouting in front of Anderson Island. Anderson Island is a real island, surrounded by a wide body of water, unlike Fort Worth's Panther Island, which is not surrounded by a wide body of water, or any water to be more precise.

I have only seen a waterspout once, years ago looking towards Bellingham from Samish Island.

Samish Island is sort of like Fort Worth's Panther Island in that it is not actually an island. Except, unlike Fort Worth's imaginary island, Samish Island used to be a real island before Dutch dikers blocked the saltwater, turning what had been underwater into farmland.

Anyway, apparently here in North Texas we are heading into some stormy weather on Indigenous People's Day. I don't know if any waterspouting is possible. There is not a lot of water to do any spouting in North Texas.

I learned of the incoming storming this morning via the Texas Master of Weatherology, John Basham....

Weather Update: Okay my fellow North Texans... I hope you enjoyed the great cooler temperatures today (Saturday). Here we go. Winds will turn around to the South on Sunday and begin to pick up by late afternoon  / early evening. By 7pm Sunday night winds will be out of the South at 15-25 mph and gusty. Meanwhile a cold front will be rapidly moving across the Southern Plains and it will arrive in the DFW metro by early Monday morning. Ahead of the front we may see a few thunderstorms (Sunday night after 7pm) a few of these storms could be severe with large hail and gusty winds. But the real show starts between 5am and 9am Monday across the D/FW metro with a squall line of storms rapidly moving East across North Texas at 35mph. This forward motion along with ANY gusty winds will cause Severe Thunderstorm winds Monday morning (Columbus Day) will add to the 35mph allowing for winds in excess of 75mph. After the storms pass Monday morning winds will shift back around to the North-Northwest at 20-30mph and will be very gusty. So in short get ready for some wind, rain, and lightning late Sunday night into Monday morning and more cool wet weather. Basham

At Fosdick Lake Walking By Uprooted Trees With Wildflowers Prior To A Town Talk Visit Ending South Of The Border

Inclement weather, in the form of rain mixed with some thunder, last night, again rendered Gateway Park and the Tandy Hills likely muddy, so, just like last Saturday, I opted to walk around Fosdick Lake in Oakland Lake Park for my Saturday pre-Town Talk communing with nature.

The wind damage from the storm two Thursday's ago is still in evidence all over Oakland Lake Park. The fallen trees have been chainsawed into pieces, for the most part, with the brush and wood chunks gathered in dozens of piles, either awaiting being picked up or dried up enough to become a few dozen bonfires.

Most of the tree damage was in the form of the wind snapping off a chunk of a tree, or snapping the tree midway up the trunk. The tree remains you see above is the only instance I saw where the wind totally yanked the tree out of the ground, leaving a big hole, currently filled with water.

Yesterday the outer world was heated well into the 90s, with shorts being my only outerwear for most of the day. This morning the outer world was chilled to somewhere in the 50s, making the pool feel much warmer than the air. Out and about today I was in long pants with a long sleeved shirt. And was still a bit chilly whilst walking, at first. Eventually I warmed up, a little. Currently, at 2 in the afternoon, we are still chilled into the 50s, 59 to be precise.

Changing the subject back to walking around Fosdick Lake.

The past week or two I've been seeing the wildflower you see below sprouting colorful at the various locations I find myself rolling or walking.

I don't remember wildflowers blooming this time of the year. But, my memory is very faulty, so I've likely forgotten. I'm thinking maybe renowned Fort Worth Horticulturist, CatsPaw may be able to identify this late bloomer.

Every gas station I came across today whilst out and about had gas under $3. The cheapest I saw was $2.93.

The Town Talk parking lot was near capacity, filling me with a little dread of a crowd inside. But, inside the store was not overcrowded and I had zero wait in the checkout line to get a case of yogurt made from soy and coconut, a big bag of orange, yellow and red mini-sweet peppers, cheese from my home country of Holland, red beans, white spuds, orange carrots and other stuff I am not remembering right now.

Leaving Town Talk I headed north on Beach Street with the El Rancho Supermercado as my destination. I wanted some of their hot out of the oven flour tortillas. That and I find this store to be like a trip south of the border.

Speaking of tortillas. Hunger pains are telling me it is time now to make me some bean and cheese tortillas.