Final May Sunday In Texas Over 100 Degrees

On this final Sunday of May of 2024, I was able to hike the Lucy Park Backwoods Jungle trail, with absolutely no mud, even though rain downpoured Saturday afternoon. A slight breeze blew through Lucy Park, the leafy trees provided some shade, the temperature was in the 80s.

And then, later this final Sunday of May of 2024, I drove to Walmart around 5 in the afternoon. When I parked and started to turn off the ignition, I looked up at the rear-view mirror's temperature and direction information to see the temperature over 100 degrees for the first time this year.

This bodes ill for the coming Summer. I suspect a record-breaking heat wave will be happening soon.

Today on Facebook I found myself in a conversation about taking a roadtrip, due north around 700 miles, to South Dakota, to see Dignity.

It is likely cooler in South Dakota than it is in Texas.

There is no Dignity to be seen in Texas, no matter where I drive...

Texas Cold Water Is Almost Hot Water

Saw that which you see here this morning, on Facebook. Just yesterday I was lamenting that the cold water option is no longer anywhere near being cold.

Currently cold water is warmer than lukewarm.

Just had myself a not refreshing not cold water shower. 

I suspect in a month I will be emptying the freezer of ice cubes into my bathtub in an attempt to have a nice cooling soak.

I may need to buy big bags of ice from Walmart...

It Is Not Even Summer & I Am Already HOT

We are still about a month out from the arrival of the 2024 version of Summer.

I saw that which you see above, on Facebook, this morning, accurately expressing my current sentiment.

This HOT time of the year is the earliest I remember losing cold water. Rendering there being no such thing as a refreshing cold shower. The former cold water is now warmer than lukewarm.

The cold water is already overheated and we have yet to go over 100 degrees. What happens to the formerly cold water when we have a couple dozen days in a row over 100?

I suspect I shall soon find out.

The new heat pump system so far is managing to keep my interior space a pleasantly cool temperature.

We are being told the Texas grid is stronger now than when it totally collapsed a couple Winters ago, with the outer world below zero. I had to escape to one of the few motels that still had power. 

If the Texas grid collapses this Summer my escape plan is to head north, to Oklahoma, and hope to find a room available at one of the casino hotels.

And if that fails, continue heading north, all the way to Washington if need be....

Fort Worth Is Not The Most Laid-Back City In America

Yet one more sort of goofy item on the Microsoft News page I see via my Windows Edge browser.

Titled "This Is The Most Laid-Back US City"

I do not know if the above link works on all platforms, or just on the Edge browser.

Anyway, this was a gallery one scrolled through, listing the 50 most laid-back cities in America. By what criteria? I have no idea.

Several Texas cities showed up on the Laid-Back list. With Houston being in last place, at 50. San Antonio is #47, followed by Dallas as the 46th most laid-back city. Continuing on, expecting to see laid-back lazy Fort Worth show up, I came to the last Texas entry, Austin is the 29th most laid-back city.

And, the most laid-back city in America? Why, it is the big city in America about which I am most familiar.

Seattle.

Like I said, I do not know by what criteria it was decided a city's level of laid-backness is. As I have experienced Seattle, the town is way too bustling to be considered laid-back. The downtown area of Seattle has throngs of people bustling about. If a couple cruise ships are docked, with the cruisers off the boat, the Seattle waterfront is bustling, not remotely laid back.

The most laid-back city I have experienced, by my idea of what laid-back is, is Fort Worth, Texas, with the deadest big city downtown I have ever been in. A ghost town on the busiest shopping day of the year, Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving.

Fort Worth never shows up on these type lists. On the rare occasion something about Fort Worth is made note of, a big fuss ensues. Like the time a Washington, D.C. lobbying group, who were advocates of the Urban Village concept, had Fort Worth as one of the Top Ten American Cities with Urban Villages.

You likely will not believe this, but Fort Worth actually had a city-wide celebration celebrating showing up on this list.

I was in Tacoma a short time after this, talking to the guy who was Tacoma's Deputy Mayor at the time.

Tacoma was also on this list of cities and their urban villages. I asked the Deputy Mayor if Tacoma had a city-wide celebration after getting this esteemed honor. He laughed, and said, no, we just politely sent them a thank you message.

I then told the Deputy Mayor that Fort Worth had a city-wide celebration over this esteemed honor. You have to be joking, was his replay. Nope, not joking, said I.

I think the rarity of Fort Worth being the recipient of any sort of accolade is a big contributor to what seems like the town's civic inferiority complex. Part of that complex is caused by being linked to Dallas in a large metropolitan area known locally as the Metroplex. Dallas is the well-known, handsome big brother, whilst Fort Worth is sort of the homely sister, to use a metaphor.

My early years in Texas, living in Fort Worth, reading the local newspaper called the Star-Telegram, I made frequent note of the inferiority complex as manifested by what I called Green With Envy Syndrome, where that newspaper would opine that some perfectly ordinary thing would be causing towns far and wide to be green with envy.

Again, I am not making this up.

Years ago I made a webpage making note of multiple instances of Fort Worth's Green With Envy Syndrome.

I have been told that the Star-Telegram has dropped its Green With Envy nonsense. I know it has been years since I have seen an instance of the syndrome...

Arizona's Cade Christopher Weston Almost A Year Old

I talked to Baby Cade's Grandma, yesterday, she being my sister, Jackie. I was surprised to learn Cade is nearing being a year old, a month or two to go. Right on the edge of walking, starting to form words.

Soon after terminating the phone call, Cade's grandma sent me the video you see above, where you will see that Cade has mastered the art of clapping.

Jackie and Jack are leaving Baby Cade behind in Arizona next month whilst they head to Oregon and Washington.

Annoying Multiple Phone Calls From Something Called Leaf Filter

For weeks I have been getting phone calls from something called Leaf Filter. If I let the call go to voice mail a robo-call type message gets left. If I answer a Leaf Filter call, hoping to tell them to quit calling, I get nothing.

It just happened again. Above is a screenshot from the phone. I do the block the number thing and it just causes Leaf Filter to call from a different number.

I Googled "Nuisance calls from Leaf Filter" and learned Leaf Filter's spam calling is epidemic. I clicked a link which was supposed to take me to the Do Not Call Registry. That did not work.

Why is this type thing allowed? Aren't there FCC rules of some sort making such some sort of thing warranting a stiff fine?

HOT May Monday Sikes Lake Walk Looking For Wildflowers

HOT Monday in May today. With the temperature in the upper 80s, with a strong wind blowing, it was to Sikes Lake I ventured today to provide feeding material to the various bugs which seem to find me tasty.

I do not recollect ever having such a big collection of bug bites as I currently am sporting. Not even on a hike on a trail on one of the Cascade Mountains did I ever get this many bug bites, and those trails are notorious for biting bugs til you get above the timberline. 

Now that I am thinking about it, to hike a Cascade Mountain trail during bug season I would douse myself with bug spray. I do not like dousing myself with bug spray. I may have to start doing that. The bug repelling bracelets do not seem to be working.

Last night something happened which I do not recollect ever happening before. I fell out of bed. We are at that time of the year when one does not sleep under the cover of blankets. Apparently with no blanket to restrain me I rolled out of bed, onto the floor. This was not a pleasant wakeup. 

And not til walking around Sikes Lake did I realize I am a bit sore in various locations, I assume an after effect of the fall out of bed.

We are past the middle of May and I have not seen many wildflowers. Just the pink evening primroses. One would think with the copious amount of rain that it'd be a banner year for wildflowers.

Those are not wildflowers you see in the above photo documentation. 

Well, they may be wildflowers, but those flowers are not growing wild, they are part of the landscaping at the entry to the Wichita Falls Museum of Art.

In addition to this being the time of year that one does not sleep under blankets, it is also the time of year when taking a shower with no hot water added to the mix is refreshing. Cold water is currently sort of lukewarm, due to that vexing outer world HEAT...

Microsoft OneDrive Memory Of Pioneer Plaza In Dallas

On this third Sunday of May, incoming email from Microsoft had this OneDrive Memory from this Day.

I do not remember if I was at this location in May. I do remember I was at this location many times whilst I lived in the Dallas/Fort Wort Metroplex.

That Longhorn you see behind me is one of many such sculptures at Pioneer Plaza, in Dallas. Cowboys on horses are driving a herd of Longhorns by a waterfall.

Pioneer Plaza is adjacent to a cemetery which is adjacent to the Dallas City Hall.

That cemetery has many interesting gravesites. And is the location of the largest statue I've seen since I've been in the South, commemorating the Confederacy. I may not remember all the heroes of the Confederacy that make up this statue, but, I think among them were Jefferson Davis, Robert E. Lee, Stonewall Jackson.

I suspect, like what has happened to many such statues, this one has been removed. I've long thought do that is a bit wrong-headed...

Finally Water Spilling Over Lake Wichita Dam On Mt. St. Helens Eruption Anniversary

It was to Lake Wichita I ventured on this fine May Day.

The third Saturday of the month.

And the anniversary of the day Mount Saint Helens exploded in my old Washington state home zone.

I was taking a bath on the Sunday morning that volcano blew up. I heard three loud concussive booms. Did not know it was the mountain exploding til a few minutes later when the next-door neighbor checked in to see if we knew the volcano had erupted. That turned into one long day of watching the non-stop news.

Anyway, back to Lake Wichita. This was the first time in over a year, maybe way over a year, since water was seen spilling over the Lake Wichita dam's spillway. And spilling in copious amounts it was.

Now we are at the top of the dam, looking through a chain link fence at the water spilling over the spillway.

Walking to the end of the Lake Wichita Boardwalk I saw these two guys fishing amongst the wood piers that are all that remains of the Lake Wichita Pavilion, which burned down way back in the 1950s.

The temperature is heading into the 90s today. The A/C is keeping my interior space cool.

Summer will soon be upon us. Record breaking heat is currently predicated. Not looking forward to that...

The Remains Of The Lucy Park Japanese Pagoda Remain No More

The rain has let up on this third Friday of May.

Since I was in the neighborhood, getting meds from a nearby pharmacy, I opted to continue on to Lucy Park for a bout of nature communing.

A year or two or three ago, time flies, who can keep track, I was surprised to see that the Lucy Park Japanese Pagoda had gone up in flames, leaving only the metal framework upon which it had been built.

That remaining metal framework began to look like an intended work of sculptural art. Some suggested painting the metal before it succumbed to rust.

But, such is no longer an option. 

The metal framework remains of the Lucy Park Japanese Pagoda have been removed, as you can see via the photo documentation above.

I never saw mention made of the Lucy Park Pagoda flameout in what passes for a newspaper in this town, the Wichita Falls Times Record News.

So, I do not expect to see an article about the removal of the Pagoda's remains. Or if a new Pagoda is planned to arise from the ashes.

I have never been able to learn why a Japanese Pagoda was erected in Lucy Park. There must be a reason for it...