Gas Price Rapidly Falling In Wichita Falls

 A couple days ago I got gas at the gas station you see here, across the street from my neighborhood ALDI. At that point in time filling the tank was $2.61 a gallon, about 40 cents cheaper per gallon than the previous time I got gas.

And now today, back at ALDI, gas has dropped to $2.49 a gallon.

Just read on CNN price of gas is falling across the country, with the average now being something like $3.33 a gallon.

Apparently the price is going to continue falling for a while.

Now, back when the price of gas was rapidly rising, due to things like Russia destabilizing the world by invading the Ukraine for no sane reason, and other factors, the chronically clueless rightwing nutjob sorts were blaming Biden, indicating their lack of understanding about what causes the price of gas to fluctuate, and that the president has little to do with it.

That and the price of gas soared world-wide, you know, the part of the world of which Biden is not the president. America's gas price did not rise as much as other developed countries.

Same with inflation, which the nutjobs also blamed on Biden. America's inflation rate is far lower than what has been happening in the rest of the world...

A Wichita Falls Possum & Taters Thanksgiving

The Wichita Falls Times-Record-News this morning shared an interesting alternative to turkey on Thanksgiving. The article quoted from an earlier Wichita Falls newspaper called the Wichita Daily Times. 

Following is an excerpt from the aforementioned article...

The Wichita Daily Times reported in 1907 the turkey crop in Wichita County that year was “very scarce” and the birds were small. Farmers blamed it on a cold, damp spring.

That forced the price of turkey to jump to 15-18 cents per pound, or more than $3 for a decent bird.

The article suggested that many Wichitans might have to seek alternatives.

“A sucking pig properly prepared makes a man quite thankful and a fat chicken or duck will also answer modest demands,” the article said.

But it also suggested something “infinitely better.”

“We refer, of course, to possum and taters,” the article continued. “As a dish for the epicure there is no discounting possum and taters, for it is always a winning combination.”

The dish was so popular back then it was served to President-elect William Howard Taft in 1909 at an Atlanta Chamber of Commerce banquet. An 18-pound possum named Billy was served to Taft, who became the nation’s greatest president, as measured by girth.

“After several helpings to the dish, Mr. Taft received a message from a doctor sitting nearby, to be careful, but he paid no attention to the warning,” the Associated Press reported.

Recipes vary, but most often call for one large, skinned opossum cut into four pieces, surrounded by cut up potatoes, with a half stick of butter, a pinch of sugar and salt and pepper. Cook until tender.

A random check of Wichita Falls supermarkets found no possums in the meat sections, so no price check was possible, but the marsupials can usually be found locally in trees, swampy areas and along highway center stripes.

________________________________

I have not seen a single possum since I have been in Wichita Falls. I did see a possum, or two, when I lived in Fort Worth. And, at my old home zone in Washington, my garbage can was regularly visited by possums. 

Possums are so homely it makes them sort of cute. But it can be quite startling to find one rummaging through one's garbage can.

I knew a lady in Tacoma with a basement infested with possums. She moved to a new location and somehow possums showed up in the new location's basement.

I do not think I could ever be hungry enough to want to eat a possum...

Microsoft OneDrive Has Me Remembering Fetching An Ostrich Egg With Miss Puerto Rico

Second day in a row a Microsoft OneDrive memory showed up in my email, with me remembering what one of the memories was remembering.

That being the one you see above.

This memory did not take place in November. It was February 16, 2016. I was driving Miss Puerto Rico to the airport to fly to her home island.

I knew I was taking a backroads route to the airport. I thought Miss Puerto Rico would get fussy as soon as I did not get on the freeway, and instead headed east on Randol Mill Road. That road soon leads to farm country, with cows and other such things.

Miss Puerto Rico had lived at the same location as me, way longer, yet she had never been down this road before.

I expected Miss Puerto Rico to get fully animated when I stopped at a mailbox by a sprawling ranch, opened it and pulled out a large egg.

Shortly thereafter Miss Puerto Rico took the photo of me holding the ostrich egg.

Eventually Miss Puerto Rico asked how I knew there would be an egg in that mailbox.

I said I got a text message from Mary K, that morning, telling me there would be an egg in the mailbox.

Miss Puerto Rico asked no further questions. She was not an inquisitive sort...

Microsoft OneDrive Takes Me Back To The Broaster Cafe With Wendy, Beth & Urbs

Today saw another memory I remember, arriving in my email from Microsoft and its OneDrive daily memory, which rarely is from that day, way back when.

This photo was part of an advertisement in my high school senior annual. 

That would be in on the left, sitting next to Miss Wendy. On the other side of the table is Miss Beth, sitting next to the entity known as Urbs. I do not know why Urbs was cropped out of this photo.

I also do not know how this photo showed up on Microsoft's OneDrive.

In the photo we are looking at the Broaster Cafe menu. We were looking at the menu for photo purposes, we did not order anything from the menu.

The Broaster Cafe was a popular restaurant, known for its chicken.

I think the Broaster Cafe is long gone, with the Mexico Cafe taking over its space, in West Mount Vernon.

It is disconcerting to see a photo of myself from back when I still had a mop of not gray hair... 

Remembering Maxine & Me Hiking Up Mount Baker

The photo you see here showed up this morning in my email, a Microsoft OneDrive memory. Mostly I do not remember the OneDrive memories. 

But, today I did.

The other memories, were a bit embarrassing, including one of me and Linda Lou and Big Ed at a Toga Party.

The memory I am only slightly embarrassed to share, that which you see above, is Maxine and me frolicking our way to Mount Baker, starting at the Schreiber's Meadow trailhead.

This could not possibly have happened in November. By November snow would make the hike not doable. 

This was my first hike to Mount Baker, hiking as far up the volcano as possible, before it becomes mountain climbing, far up the mountain enough to smell the sulphur odor and see steam venting from the volcanoes crater.

Maxine had hiked the hike to Mount Baker, previously, so she was out trail guide. Miss Chris was also along for the hike and would have been who took the photo of me and Maxine.

This hike to Mount Baker happened sometime during the 1970s. I still had ridiculously long, curly brown hair, well before it turned gray.

I think the last time I hiked up Mount Baker was with nephew Joey. That would have been sometime in the early 1990s.

I can not help but wonder if I am ever going to hike up Mount Baker this century...

Neither The Mountain Or Space Needle Is Out At My Texas Location

Saw that which you see here, this November 16 afternoon, on Facebook, with the verbiage in the posting saying, "Mountain was out...11/14/23".

In Western Washington Mount Rainier is usually referred to as The Mountain. If you say something like "The Mountain is out, clear and bright today", one knows it is Mount Rainier being referred to, even though Washington has many big mountains, five of which, including Rainier, are volcanoes.

But, what I was most interested in in the photo was the Space Needle. What is going on on top of the Space Needle?

Is a new observation deck being added to the top of the Needle? It costs over 20 bucks to ride the elevator to the top of the Needle. Is there going to be an option to pay a few more bucks to get to climb a ladder totally to the top of the Needle?

I think I would pass on that option.

Fun fact. If you are ever in Seattle and an earthquake is pending, the safest place to be in Seattle is at the top of the Space Needle. The Needle will sway in the quake, in a big one the swaying would be carnival ride worthy. But it will not topple.

The bulk of the weight of the Space Needle structure is a HUGE base of concrete, to which the Needle's steel legs are solidly bonded. 

Supposedly the transit tunnels which go under downtown Seattle are also designed to survive a strong earthquake. I think I'd rather be at the top of the Needle, than underground, if that ground starts quaking...

Sikes Lake Thin Man's Shadow Takes You On A Scenic Tour

Well, we have passed the Ides of November. The year 2023 is zipping to a close.

Yesterday I was back at Lucy Park, fast walking the park's backwoods jungle. 

We have a couple more summer-like days before the return of fall, this coming Monday. The air turning cold, with rain possibly falling.

Today it was back to Sikes Lake I drove, for a fast walk around the lake.

Recently some Texas entity named the MSU (Midwestern State University) campus as the most attractive in Texas. Or was it most scenic? I don't remember.

But, the above view from the bridge across Sikes Lake, looking west at the Sikes Lake currently Greenish Lagoon, is a good example of this college campus being both attractive and scenic.

And the above would be the Shadow of the One-Armed Sikes Lake Thin Man, standing on the deck of that aforementioned bridge. As you can sort of see, it is a t-shirt and cargo shorts type day, again.

Another look at why the MSU campus is thought to be attractive and scenic. Here we are at the north end of the lake.

That structure at the center is known as Priddy Pavilion. Music events take place there.

That structure to the right is a covered walkway leading to the entry to Wichita Falls Museum of Art.

If you look closely under the Priddy Pavilion you can see the bridge across the lake at the north end of the lake.

That bridge leads to the parking lot where my vehicle was located.

And that ends your tour of Sikes Lake for the day...

Warm November Walk Around Mirror-Like Sikes Lake

Today is one more pleasant November day in my North Texas location.

As you can see, Sikes Lake is wave-free, due to no wind blowing, creating a mirror-like surface reflecting the clear blue sky.

A large number of geese have arrived from the north.

Apparently not aware of the danger they face by stopping at Sikes Lake, site of a mass murder of 383 geese a couple months ago.

Today's super pleasant weather had a large number of fellow walkers and joggers walking around Sikes Lake today.

Leaves have begun falling copiously the past couple days. Today I was parked under a tree, with the falling leaves sounding like hail hitting my vehicle.

Pleasant weather is forecast to continue til next Monday, with the return of rain and temperatures in the 50s.

Mid November Mud-Free Walk Through Lucy Park Jungle

Almost halfway through the 2023 version of November, it was back to the Lucy Park backwoods jungle I ventured today, back in cargo shorts and t-shirt, due to the return of warm temperatures.

Usually by this point in time the Lucy Park backwoods jungle is too muddy to walk in, unless one wants to gain a few inches in height due to a thick layer of muds sticking to one's shoes.

We have had a couple nights where the temperature went below freezing, but, apparently, not freezing cold enough to cause the trees to lose their leaves.

Today's photo of the Lucy Park backwoods jungle looks spring-like, not fall or winter-like, what with so much greenery due to rain last week.

Snow Closes No Mountain Passes In My Texas Location

 ALERT: The SR 20 North Cascades Highway is CLOSED as of 10 am today - Saturday - due to a combination of current weather conditions, forecasted weather and significant slide concerns - they're seeing a lot of precipitation, up to 6 inches an hour. The closure will be between the two usual points of milepost 134 Ross Dam Trailhead on the west side and milepost 171 Silver Star Gate on the east side. The pass will remain closed through the weekend and will be reevaluated on Monday. While recreation is still permitted beyond the closure gates, anyone going past them should be aware of the potential weather-related hazards.

That which you see above showed up yesterday on Facebook via WSDOT (Washington State Department of Transportation).

State Route 20, also known as the North Cascades Highway is a road which goes through my old home zone of the Skagit Valley. 

It has been a couple decades now since I live nowhere near mountains, let alone mountains with mountain passes. 

It was a short drive east from my old home zone to be surrounded by mountains. And a short drive on State Route 20, west, to saltwater, and a float on a ferry.

I am hoping to make it through this coming winter without seeing white scenery like you see above. It is treacherous to drive in this flat land when the roads are covered with thick ice.