Mysterious Arrival In My Mailbox Of COVID-19 Self-Test Kits

At some point in time, yesterday, between five and six, I tired of being snowbound.

So, I put on a few layers of outerwear and slid my way to the mailbox.

Opening the mailbox I saw a package was inside.

I was not expecting a package. I took the package out of the mailbox and saw that it was not from Amazon, which was my initial assumption, assuming I'd forgotten I'd ordered something.

Returning to indoor warm comfort I opened the package, which was packaged in several layers, with the final layer being bubble wrap.

Breaking through the bubble wrap I was surprised to find that which you see photo documented.

Two COVID-19 Self-Test At Home Antigen Rapid Test kits, with each kit containing two tests.

Is this something that everyone is being mailed without initiating it via some request method? 

I do have one other possible explanation.

I suspect Linda Lou caused these Self Tests to be mailed to me.

Because a couple days ago Linda Lou told me she had acquired several COVID test kits, along with a supply of N95 masks.

I currently feel fine.

I shall wait til I don't feel fine, and then take one of these tests...
 

Day Two Of Wichita Falls Deep Freeze

Day two of being in the deep freeze. You are looking at the mid Thursday morning view from my kitchen window. A view which is about the same as yesterday's mid morning view from my kitchen window.

We are not scheduled to return to being warmed above freezing til tomorrow. And before that happens more snow is scheduled to arrive sometime this afternoon.

Yesterday, around five in the afternoon I had grown stir crazy from being snowbound. So, I layered on the layers and ventured out to the mailbox. I figured if it did not seem too slippery on the walk to the mailbox I'd see if my vehicle was also stable on the icy snow and able to take me to Walmart.

Well.

See that road in the photo. That is Taft Boulevard. About where you can not see the road anymore is where it intersects with Southwest Boulevard. During our last ice event I had trouble getting traction at that intersection. But not too much trouble.

Last night as I headed to the intersection the light was green. I thought I'd sail right through. And then the light turned red, with plenty of room for me to come to a stop. And so I did.

Whilst waiting for the light to return to green I tested to see if I had traction. I did not. The tires spun, without moving me.

I was able to back up, because the traction problem was caused by this intersection having a slight slope, allowing me to slide in reverse.

There were no cars behind me. I tried to go forward. Again I started to slide.

Soon there were cars behind me. I went through an entire light cycle from green back to red, blocking traffic.

I started to back up, again, the cars behind me saw what I was trying to do, and also backed up. This time I backed up far enough that going forward I had enough momentum to go forward.

Trouble then was the light had turned back to red.

But, vehicles heading west on Southwest saw what I was trying to do and stayed put while I was able to turn right to head west on Southwest. And then at the first turn around opportunity I turned around and headed east to Walmart, without further slipping of a serious nature.

No matter how stir crazy I get today I am not venturing out. Not even to the mailbox...

Wichita Falls Covered In Snow Again Chilled To One Degree Below Zero

I had hoped we were done with this until next winter, but the view above is what I saw when I looked out my kitchen window this Wednesday morning.

The weather forecasting gurus were wrong about yesterday's temperature, which had been predicted to potentially soar into the 80s.

But the Arctic Blast arrived instead, putting North Texas in a deep freeze a day earlier than expected.

As you can see via the below screen cap from the Wichita Falls Times News Record, it is real cold out there with the wind chill making 17 degrees feel like -1 degrees.

I won't be going walking at Lucy Park, Lake Wichita Park, Sikes Lake or the Wichita Bluff Nature Area today...

Warm Wichita Bluff Hiking With Record Breaking Hoodoo

Monday arrived warm, as promised by the weather gurus.

By the time I arrived at the west entry to the Wichita Bluffs Nature Area, an hour before noon, the outer world was heated into the mid 70s.

Google Fit, on my phone, calculated that during my walk on the bluffs I had 37 Move Minutes, covering a little over two miles.

I have no clue how accurate this Google Fit thing is, but it seems nice to get feedback of this sort, even though no clue as to the accuracy level.

The main Wichita Bluff's Hoodoo Cairn location was sporting the tallest Hoodoo I have yet seen in Wichita Falls. This erection must have sprung up after the gale force winds blew in over the weekend.

I walked til I reached the highest bluff elevation, where one first is able to look out to the east.

And so, in the above photo documentation, we are looking east, across the Wichita River, at the stunning skyline of beautiful downtown Wichita Falls. 

I enjoyed doing the hill hiking today for the first time since I had an unfortunate slip on ice which left me battered and bruised. And sore.

Tomorrow the weather gurus predict another HOT day, followed by Wednesday's Arctic Blast blowing into town, with snow possible.

Google Takes Me Back To White Rock Lake In Dallas

Is everyone with a Google account getting these daily emails purporting to be photos of memories tied to a specific day, which usually make no sense?

At least today I do remember the location in the photos, which often is not the case.

The above are all photos of White Rock Lake in Dallas.

Earlier this century I frequently frequented White Rock Lake and the park which surrounds the lake.

This is an extremely popular location. A paved trail goes all around the lake. It reminded me of Green Lake in Seattle, with White Rock Lake being a bigger lake with a much longer trail around it.

I have roller bladed all the way around White Rock Lake, and Green Lake. White Rock Lake was a bit more challenging to roller blade than the flat trail surrounding Green Lake.

In the photos above I am not certain who that is in the upper right photo. It looks like one of the Goober Twins, but I can not tell if it is Wally or Big Ed.

A dam damming a creek is what creates White Rock Lake. When a lot of rain falls the lake spills over the dam's spillway with a rather spectacular waterfall.

It has been so long I wonder if I could find my way to White Rock Lake again. I think the last time I was there was when mom and dad made their final visit, back in January of 2009.

Go to the White Rock Lake webpage I made years ago and you'll see photos of the various scenes you see at White Rock Lake...

Sunday In Lake Wichita Park Discovering New Circle Trail With Bridges

On this next to last Sunday of the 2022 version of February, what with the temperature being almost summer-like, I decided to get my daily endorphin dose by doing some fast walking at Lake Wichita Park.

Arriving at the park's parking lot I saw the tide was out, and a strong wind was making waves and whitecaps.

I walked off the Circle Trail to trailblaze the open land around Mount Wichita. Eventually I came to the location where many months ago I came upon the start of construction of a new section of the Circle Trail.

Today I decided to take a closer look at the current state of the new section of Circle Trail, and soon found myself surprised by what I found.

A short distance from the current Circle Trail I came upon rebar ready for cement. And a slight distance further I saw new trail already cemented. I figured the already cemented section likely was not too long, and so continued on to walk on it.

Soon I was surprised to come upon two bridges on the new section of Circle Trail, crossing a pair of inlets off Lake Wichita.

Above we are at the end of the first bridge, with the second bridge ahead.

About a half mile after crossing those bridges I came to the current end of this new section of Circle Trail. And so, I turned around to head back to start.

In the above photo we are on that second bridge, heading back to cross that first bridge.

In the above location we are almost back to where we started walking on the new section of trail. That is Mount Wichita hovering over the horizon, along with hovering over the parking lot on which my vehicle is parked.

Fun walk today. Went further than my norm. Tomorrow we are scheduled to get heated to somewhere in the 80s. And then on Wednesday winter returns, with the temperature not going above freezing, with snow possible.

I am looking forward to the arrival of Spring in a little over a month from now...

Saturday Going To Library Takes Me To Lucy Park Finding Huge Green Blob

The morning of this next to last Saturday of the 2022 version of February I found myself in need of going to downtown Wichita Falls, to the library, to secure a fresh supply of reading material.

Since I was in the neighborhood, and sine warm air with zero wind had returned, I went from the library to Lucy Park. 

Instead of my usual walking on the paved trails, or the Lucy Park backwoods, today I opted for the cross country, off trail means of meandering about.

Doing such took me up close for the first time to one of the 'holes' that disc golfers try to throw their discs into. That is what you see photo documented above.

Continuing on I walked across a huge open space of brown grass, zero trails, and few trees.

In that huge open space I came up that big green blob of foliage which is somehow managing to remain green whilst all else is some shade of brown.

Soon after seeing the big green blob I came open a tree void of leaves, but sporting the round orangish-brown balls you see dangling like Christmas tree ornaments.

It has been nice, today, to have the temperature back in the 60s, after the past couple days of brutal cold blowing strong winds.

Incoming possible snow is in the forecast for the coming week...

Today I Did Not Get Shanghaied On The Way To Lucy Park

It was back to Lucy Park I went today on this next to last Friday of the 2022 version of February.

Yesterday was so cold and windy I did not feel like layering on sufficient layerage to facilitate keeping warm.

So, I went to ALDI instead.

On the way to ALDI I got Shanghaied by a croaky voiced, semi-elderly great grandmother, with a penchant for telling long, complicated narrations, which are sort of like listening to an audio book, as read by Granny Clampett.

Eventually, after sitting in my vehicle parked on the ALDI parking lot, with the engine off, hence no heat, listening for almost an hour to what was yet one more chapter in a soap opera I've been listening to for what seem to be months, I finally had to tell the croaky voiced great grandmother that I had to terminate the tale and head into ALDI so as to put an end to my shivering.

Anyway, that photo above illustrates why I like going to Lucy Park for some fast walking. So many trails going so many directions.

I do not remember previously showing the Lucy Park attraction you see photo documented above. The Lucy Park Log Cabin. Available to be rented for a birthday party, or other event of the sort which a log cabin would be a useful venue.

I have seen the Lucy Park Log Cabin in event mode many times. Including today. Preparations were under way for something.

Due to little wind, the disc golfers were back disc golfing the Lucy Park disc golf course. And pecan pickers were back picking pecans off the ground.

The outer world chilled to around 23 degrees last night. Warmer air is scheduled to arrive tomorrow.

I'm ready to watch this winter disappear in the rear view mirror...

Windy Wednesday Walk In Lucy Park

Rain and thunderstorms are scheduled to arrive at some point on this next to last Wednesday of the 2022 version of February.

So, with a steady wind blowing around 20 miles per hour, with gusts gusting over 40 miles per hour, this morning I drove to Lucy Park for a windy commune with nature.

Due to the wind there were zero disc golfers tossing discs today. I don't remember when last I was at Lucy Park and saw no disc golfers.

There were a couple pecan pickers. I think the pecan pickers show up when it is windy thinking the wind will be knocking some new pecans to the ground.

The above photo documentation does not do justice to documenting how windy it was. A gust knocked my hat off, at one point.

I did not have too much trouble retrieving the blowing hat...

Cupid Valentine's Day Card From That Special Someone

Tootsie Tonasket, also known as Aunt Alice, sent me the sweet Valentine's Day card you see above.

Tootsie Aunt Alice enjoys the annual Cupid outing, getting in costume and shooting love arrows at the unsuspecting.

Happy Valentine's Day to one and all...