Clear Blue Walk Around Sikes Lake With The Patriotic Pulpit Making Dixie Great Again

Another beautiful clear blue sky day, on the 4th day of the 2nd month of 2023, walking around Sikes Lake.

The temperature a relatively balmy 54, with a gusty wind blowing.

On Saturday's, on the right wing nutjob radio station I listen to, it is the Patriotic Pulpit who does the nutjob duty. A new thing the nutjob right wingers blather is labeling people as being Marxist, or Commies. As if one does not need any additional evidence as to how stupid these types are, I doubt any of them could come remotely close to explaining what Marxism and Communism actually is.

The Patriotic Pulpit is followed by "Let's Make Dixie Great Again". No I am not making that up.

During that show they repeat multiple times an invitation to...

"Join in the fight against the so called liberal progressive, who are really Marxist communists, who are taking away cherished monuments to our history, taking down statues of heroes of the South, like Robert E. Lee, Jefferson Davis and others. It is only a matter of time til they come after other American heroes, like Thomas Jefferson and Francis Scott Key, author of the Star Spangled Banner."

All said in a twangy Southern accent.

I can only take listening to the Patriotic Pulpit for a couple minutes, til I switch to music, or the Saturday NPR show which is always about some aspect of cooking food. Today it was all about the Hawaiian cuisine....

Clear Blue Sky Return To Lucy Park

Back to Lucy Park today for the first time in days, after being snow and icebound day after day after day. During the ice lockdown I did manage to escape, twice, on Wednesday, and yesterday, with the ice mostly melted, Linda Lou rode with me to Walmart.

As you can see, via the Lucy Park photo documentation, there is nary a cloud in the clear blue sky. So nice to see blue again after so many gray days.

My vehicle's temperature monitoring device indicated it was 49 degrees when I got to Lucy Park, around 11 this morning. With absolutely no wind blowing. So, 49 degrees almost felt balmy. Particularly with the amply solar radiation.

In another month the Lucy Park trees should be starting their return to a jungle of green foliage.

2023 Wall Calendar Takes Me Back To Monument Valley

Last year my 2022 wall calendar's theme was America's National Park. My 2023 wall calendar's theme is Scenes from America's West.

The January 2023 scene was of Quaking Aspens in Sante Fe National Forest in New Mexico.

I have been to New Mexico a number of times. I do not remember being in Santa Fe National Forest. Or seeing any Quaking Aspens.

The February 2023 scene I have seen multiple times.

Monument Valley in Arizona.

If you have watched movies, like Stagecoach, you have had a virtual visit to Monument Valley.

I remember one particular Monument Valley moment. I had been to Disneyland, Christmas of 1994. Then headed west to the Grand Canyon, and beyond, with Moab, Utah the final destination before heading back to Washington.

Driving north, after a stop at the Burger King Navajo Code Talker's Museum in Kayenta, Arizona, what I was seeing through my windshield seemed totally familiar. I pulled to the side of the road, fetched out my van's manual, and there it was, on the cover, the exact scene I was seeing in real life. 

I no longer have that manual, but I think I can find the photo I took of the view through the windshield which matched the manual's cover. I'll be right back, I hope, with that photo...

Found the Monument Valley photos. A lot of them. From two different visits. The above is the scene which matched my van's manual. Monument Valley is in the distance.

And above I am now in Monument Valley, a couple years later, being friendly with a Navajo native.

I used to go on long roadtrips just about every year, sometimes more than once a year. I've not been on a roadtrip since October of 2018. 

Frozen Stuck In Icebound Wichita Falls On Last Day Of January

The morning view from my kitchen window on the last day of the first month of 2023. More frozen white stuff arrived overnight. The temperature currently is 22 degrees, and will not anywhere near being above freezing today. 

Or tomorrow.

Currently above freezing temperatures are not predicted to arrive until Thursday afternoon.

So, I am icebound and going stir crazy.

I am well stocked with vittles. Can last several days without access to my Walmart food supply...

Wichita Falls Winter Returns With Wind Chilling To 15 Degrees

The heat pump has been working hard for hours trying to pump out enough heat to heat up my interior space.

According to the current weather menu for my location, screen capped above, the heat pump will be working hard for the next four days. With today and tomorrow being the worst of it.

Today's predicted strong wind will make it feel way cooler than the already cool temperature, as indicated via the below screen cap...

I won't be doing any outdoor nature communing today, or tomorrow. Unless I change my mind, which I often do...

Remembering Cross Country Skiing In Texas

Snow is back on the weather menu for Wichita Falls, for the next couple days. Currently, at noon, on this final Sunday of the first month of 2023, we are being chilled to 29 degrees, with a strong wind making it feel way colder than 29 degrees.

No, the above photo was not taken today. Currently there is no white stuff on the ground. The above photo showed up in my Google memories this morning. 

I brought my cross country skis with me to Texas. And this snow was my first chance to use them in Texas. This was at my first Texas location, a sprawling ranch in Haslet, which is a suburb of Fort Worth. On a clear day you could see the tiny skyline of beautiful downtown Fort Worth about 10 miles to the south.

Cross country skiing on flat land is not all that much fun. A few years later, after I had moved to a new location in east Fort Worth, a good coating of snow had me taking my skis to Veterans Park in Arlington. Where there are hills. That was fun. A couple little kids made a big fuss over seeing a guy on skis. Such must not happen too often in Texas.

I threw my skis away years ago. They were in an outdoor storage area. The heat of Texas caused the skis to delaminate. Same thing later happened to my roller blades...

Google Memories Take Off My Clothes & Adds A Sister

I am sort of enjoying the daily Google memories of late, due to discovering clicking on the email photo collage takes me to dozens of more photos, including the three you see here. 

I was born in Eugene, Oregon. All my grandparental units lived in Lynden, Washington, which is where Mom and Dad were from. Well, sort of. I think Mom always lived in Lynden, with Dad located in various other Whatcom County locations, like Sumas and Nooksack.

Mom and Dad mailed the above photo, and others, to the grandparental units, including Grandpa Porter, who then wired money to Mom & Dad, with the telegraph saying, "Buy that boy some clothes". 

I was the first born grandson on mom's side of the family.

We are still in Eugene in the above photo. Brother Jake now added. 

Due to seeing sister Nancy added, this would indicate we have now moved from Eugene to Mount Vernon, Washington, which is the town Nancy was born in.

Nancy was a cute baby. She won some sort of Skagit Valley Herald baby contest. 

The day after tomorrow, January 30 is Mom's birthday. I think Mom would have been 90, maybe 91, on her next birthday.

We should have a party...

More Google Memories Than I Can Remember With Uncle Mooch

Above are the latest Google memories to show up in my incoming email. I remain perplexed as to how Google has these memories that do not exist on my computer. Today I discovered that when I click on the image in the email the link goes to way more memories, allegedly from today.

In the upper left that would be my Dad, with sister Nancy in front of Dad, brother Jake on the ground, looking for something and me on the far right under a straw hat. The other kids are cousins-- Jeff, next to me, Patty in front of her mom, Audrey, with Vicki between Patty and Nancy. Jeff, Patty and Vicki were the Van Weerdhuizens. Next to Audrey, that would be John Vanweerdhuizen. My best guess is we were camping somewhere on the Washington Pacific coast, most likely Copalis, our go to location on the coast before Ocean Shores State Park opened a few years later.

At the upper right location would be the parental unit of David, Theo and Ruby, my little sister, Michele, who came along a few years after that photo with the VanWeerdhuizens was taken. I believe in the photo Michele is about to ride her decorated bike in the Burlington Berry Dairy Days Parade.

Under Michele that would be little brother, Jake, in his little league uniform. Under Jake that would be from a few years prior to Michele arriving, with sister Nancy, Jake and me sitting in front of a float we pulled in the Berry Dairy Days Parade.

And, I think that black and white photo is Uncle Mel, with a cow.

Continuing on, other photos I found in the Google Memories trove...

Another Berry Dairy Days Parade float, with sister Nancy, sitting all lady-like on her throne, waiting for her brothers to pull her through the parade.

That would be me with a decorated Berry Dairy Days Parade entry. I have zero memory of riding my bike in the parade. This would have taken place before Mom and Dad started having fun making parade floats.

Now, this one is a good memory. Dad is holding our newly arrived baby sister Jackie, with sister Nancy on one side of Jake, and me on the other side. This looks to be on a Washington Pacific beach.

And now, a year or two later, Jackie is walking, and in her Sunday best, likely to go to church. 

Above that would be Jake and me pulling Grandpa Porter on a wagon. I assume this happened somewhere in the Lynden zone. Grandpa Porter was a veterinarian.

I do not remember me and Jake being dressed alike. Mom must have thought this was cute. It looks like we are on a Washington ferry. Which ferry, and which ferry route, I have no clue.

That would be me that Dad has a hand on, with Jake sitting. My best guess is we were heading to Eastern Washington, over Stevens Pass, which would make that a Wenatchee River waterfall. 

On the right, that would be Dad's youngest brother, Uncle Mooch, who some call Uncle Gerry. Uncle Mooch one day got married to Aunt Jane. I have zero recollection of going to that wedding.

When we first met Aunt Jane we got severely scolded for calling Uncle Mooch Uncle Mooch. We only partly called Uncle Mooch Uncle Mooch due to his propensity to mooch things, like a french fry or cookie, but the main reason we called Uncle Mooch Uncle Mooch was due to the fact that me and my siblings were big fans of Disney movies.

And our favorite Disney character, played by Kevin Corcoran, was Moochie.

Here is a Wikipedia blurb about Kevin Corcoran...

Kevin Anthony "Moochie" Corcoran was an American child actor, director and producer. He appeared in numerous Disney projects between 1957 and 1963, leading him to be honored as a Disney Legend in 2006. His nickname, Moochie, established him as an irrepressible character in film.

Eventually Aunt Jane got used to us calling her first husband, Uncle Mooch...

Not Too Chilly Walkabout At Sikes Lake

It was back to the rocky shore of Sikes Lake I ventured on this 4th Thursday of 2023. As you can see, a totally clear blue sky has returned after that recent cloudy frigid icy unpleasantness.

The temperature was not exactly balmy, at 46 degrees, when I went for my semi-daily walkabout. 

Even though there appear to be ripples on the lake, I detected no chilling wind blowing on me.

As you can see, via the photo documentation, even though it was not too cool, I still layered on a few layers of outerwear, including the cap with a skunk on it that someone sent me for Christmas.

I currently am not understanding how the current beard fad has lasted so long. Having that on ones face gets a bit annoying. 

But, the beard thing does somewhat help me look my age, instead of the baby face I am known for...

Lucy Park Blue Gaiter Walk While Not Falling On Black Ice

The temperature had reached a relatively balmy 39 degrees, on this 4th Wednesday of 2023, when I drove to Lucy Park to stretch my legs, which had become somewhat atrophied due to being snowbound for most of yesterday. 

Snow fell all day long yesterday. The white stuff began sticking around 4 o'clock in the afternoon.

A little after 5 I decided to check the mailbox, and if it was not too slippery, then to drive to Walmart, which I did, without incident, except for big snowflakes slamming into the windshield.

As you can see, via the Lucy Park photo documentation, most of the snow has melted.

However, there were stretches of black ice on the paved trails.

I came upon a fellow walker who engaged me in conversation to warn about the black ice, because he had slipped and fallen on black ice on the Circle Trail running alongside the Wichita River.

The falling fellow told me he was 80 years old and had been walking daily for decades. He did not look 80 years old.

Excessive walking must be youthifying.

I was heavily insulated from the outer world chill today. Had on my fur lined sweatpants, and the blue gaiter some kind soul gifted me with at Christmas, worrying I had trouble keeping warm in the frigid Texas climate.

Here is photo documentation of the multi-layers of warmth providers, including the blue gaiter.

I look like I am prepared to rob a bank. After a couple miles I removed the gaiter. It was overheating me.

It is now a couple hours past noon. The clouds have mostly disappeared, with the return of mostly blue sky...