My Wichita Falls Neighborhood Invaded By 100s Of Goats

This September Friday afternoon, around 4, I looked out my kitchen window and found myself surprised to be seeing goats. 

Six or seven goats.

Weeks ago, or was it months, I recollect reading that some local goat herder was going to be herding a few goats on the slopes of Holliday Creek to cut down the excess vegetation in an environmentally friendly way.

But, no goats showed up, til today.

The Circle Trail runs adjacent to Holliday Creek, at my location. My vehicle is parked adjacent to the Circle Trail.

In other words, it was a short walk to get a close up look at the goats.

Well.

Imagine my surprise when the full scope of the size of the goat herd came into view.

Not six or seven goats, but what looked to be maybe a couple hundred goats, on both sides of the creek.

The goat version of barking is a pleasant sound when it is dozens of the barkers doing the bleating. The goats seemed to be having a mighty fine time.

A temporary electric fence, well, what the signage claimed to be was an electric fence, with a warning not to touch, or try to pet the goats, kept the goat herd from venturing on to the Circle Trail seeking greener pastures.

Above you can see the temporary electric fence crossing Holliday Creek, blocking the goats from heading north

Traffic over the Holliday Creek Southwest Boulevard bridge was being affected by the surprising spectacle.

The crowd of goat lookers continues to grow.

In a town a tad shy of interesting tourist attractions, this goat herd should provide one for its duration.

If only the town had an actual local news covering newspaper that would let the locals know there is something to take the kids to see at Weeks Park. Lots of parking at that park, easy to find, accessed off Southwest Boulevard, just drive past the fire station. 

Are the goats staying overnight? There was no visible goat hauling vehicle to be seen. It must have required multiple such vehicles to haul so many goats.

UPDATE:

Local NBC TV, KFDX, also has an online version, Texoma's Homepage, which is actually what amounts to being a good local news source, unlike the online version of Wichita Falls only print version of a newspaper, known as the Wichita Falls Times Record News.

This Friday morning Texoma's Homepage has an article, and video, about my neighborhood goat invasion...

City of Wichita Falls deploys goats to tackle tall grass

The article, in its entirety (minus the video)...

WICHITA FALLS (KFDX/KJTL) — The City of Wichita Falls welcomed lots of little landscapers to help combat tall grass Thursday morning.

On Thursday, September 18, about 500 goats and some sheep were set loose along the shore of Holliday Creek near Weeks Park to enjoy an acre-sized buffet of tall grass.

City of Wichita Falls public information officer, Chris Horgen, said ‘Goatscaping’ is a viable option to get into places mowers can’t. The goats will be grazing around-the-clock for two to three weeks, and Horgen said the benefits go beyond being eco-friendly.

“It’ll reduce wildfire. You know, it’s a wildfire mitigation tool because we’re gonna get some of this high grass that’s fuel for wildfires in the winter to come down, with this, because they’ll eat these to the roots,” Horgen said. “This will be everything that’s behind us that these goats and sheep are eating will go to the roots of the ground.”

Horgen said an electric fence and a shepherd dog are on hand to keep the four-legged grass munchers from getting into trouble.

Officials ask residents to keep their distance and to keep pets away from the goats and sheep. The goats are corralled in a one-acre area at a time and will be visiting for a few weeks.

Almost An End Of Summer HOT Walk Around Sikes Lake

In the photo documentation you are looking southwest from the rocky east shore of Sikes Lake, on the final Tuesday of the 2025 version of summer.

Fall falls in less than a week.

We seem to have zoomed past halfway through September, way too fast.

I am beginning to become no fan of how time seems to be accelerating, the older I get.

Even though this is almost the end of summer, the outer world, at my North Texas location, managed to be HOT, under that totally clear blue sky you see above.

A high in the mid 90s, today, as measured by the Fahrenheit method which only one or two nations use to measure the temperature.

My air-conditioner is currently trying to get my interior temperature down to 78. I forgot to activate it when I exited my abode to go to Sikes Lake. The cold air blowing on me feels good.

In about a month I suspect it will be heated air blowing on me which will be feeling good, after a chilly walk around Sikes Lake, or some other local hiking venue...

Dizzy Sunday Vertigo Suspended In Lucy Park

I took a break from nature communing yesterday.

So, today, on the second Sunday of the 2025 version of September, I ventured to Lucy Park to join the throngs busily nature communing.

I had not walked across the Lucy Park suspension bridge over the Wichita River for quite some time, til today.

By the time I got to the middle of the bridge I was regretting it. Recent flooding has warped many of the bridge deck planks. The bridge swayed way more than previously, just from one person walking on it.

The swaying, gaps in the warped deck, river flowing beneath, all contributed to making me a bit dizzy.

Getting my camera phone out of my pocket for photo taking purposes was problematic, as was turning on the phone, trying to see the screen to aim the camera was also problematic.

I took two photos and then hurried off the bridge.

Back on dry land I looked at the two photos and saw one of my fingers had gotten in the way of the lens, ruining both photos.

I was not going to go out on that bridge to take another photo, so I took the one you see above, whilst standing on land which was not noticeably moving.

In addition to the photo documentation showing the vertigo inducing bridge, you can also see, even as the start of fall rapidly approaches, we are still in lush, green jungle-like mode at my usually brown, this time of year, location in North Texas.

My Miserable Memory Barely Remembers Burlington-Edison High School

What you see photo documented above is my old high school building before being demolished so a more modern structure could replace it.

I saw this photo when I info-searched for images of my high school, Burlington-Edison. I was doing this because I could not remember what the new version of the high school looked like.

That is when I saw the above photo.

And found myself surprised to see that, ironically, I was the source for that photo, as it appeared on a blog post on my Washington blog, blogged way back in 2011, with the blog post titled Wikipedia Has An Article About Burlington-Edison High School.

Prior to seeing that photo I was also surprised to see there was a link to a Wikipedia article about my high school. With it being additionally ironic to go from thinking maybe I'd blog about that, and the interesting tidbits in the Wikipedia article, to see that I already blogged about that Wikipedia article 14 years ago.

Yet one more indication my memory function is faltering...

Finding Flags Flying Half-Mast On 9/11 Anniversary

Hard to believe it was 24 years ago, the morning of September 11, 2001, that I got a call from someone in Dallas, telling me the World Trade Center had been hit by a plane. I erroneously thought, since the person was in Dallas, that he was talking about the Dallas World Trade Center.

I then turned on my TV to instantly find myself shocked seeing the second plane strike the second World Trade Center tower.

It being just a little past 6 in the morning, I began calling people on the west coast to tell them to turn on their TVs. And to tell my little sister that it might be a good idea to stay home today instead of going to her downtown Seattle office tower.

Diverting slightly from the 9/11 subject, an hour or so before noon, on my way to make a bank deposit, I was surprised to see a couple churches with multiple flags stuck in the ground in front of the churches. And then I saw a Whataburger with a flag at half mast. Then another. And another. 

I knew our Dear Leader had ordered federal flags to be at half-mast, to the consternation of many, because of the Kirk killing.

And then I got to the bank, next to the post office, which was not flying a flag, half-mast, or otherwise.

But, the bank's flag was at half-mast.

So, sort of appalled that the bank would be paying homage to Charlie Kirk, I asked why the flag was at half-mast.

Because it is the Anniversary of 9/11, came the answer, which should have already occurred to me. Which explained the flags in front of the churches.

I don't know about Whataburger. I have never consumed a Whataburger burger. If that flag is still at half-mast tomorrow, I for sure will never consume a Whataburger burger.

Leaving the bank, it was on to Lake Wichita Park for some nature communing. Which is where I took the above photo of the flag at half-mast, at the Lake Wichita Park Veterans Memorial, with Mount Wichita hovering in the background.

Microsoft Memory Remembering Mount Rainier

Pleasant memories from Microsoft's OneDrive Memories of this Day, today. Usually, I do not remember the actual date of these Microsoft Memories, but these memories, I do remember the date.

August 11, 2008

Mu sister-in-law, Kristin, and her mom, Janet, let me drive them to Mount Rainier National Park, where we parked at Paradise and joined the throngs hiking to the base of the volcano.

That would me, photo documented by Kristin, with Mount Rainier behind me. I think the object in my right hand is likely my long-gone Casio camcorder. Maybe not, now that I am thinking about it. I can't remember if I have videos I made from this day. Maybe it is my Canon digital camera that I no longer use, aimed at Kristin and her mom.

I seldom make videos anymore. 

My old-fashioned means of taking photos and shooting video have been replaced by my phone. 

Microsoft discontinued its super easy to use Windows Moviemaker, with me never successfully finding a replacement which renders video as easy to edit as Moviemaker.

I wonder if I will ever experience Mount Rainier, up close, again.

Ironically, when I lived in Washington I only visited Mount Rainier National Park once. I lived closer to other volcanoes, which I frequented frequently, like Mount Baker, which I could see from my living room windows.

Pondering Perplexing Prissy Prude

Yesterday I found myself in a conversation during which the subject of a distant acquaintance surfaced. I described my recent experience with this distant acquaintance, which then had the party with whom I was conversing saying to me, "She has always been known as an over-the-top prissy prude."

To which I replied something like, "Well, I really did not know her at all."

Then I found myself Googling "Prissy Prude" to see if the information gleaned via that means matched my experience with the individual described as an over-the-top prissy prude.

From Google...

"Prissy prude" is a redundant, informal phrase used to describe someone who is excessively prim, proper, and prudish in their behavior, speech, or dress, often to an exaggerated or finicky degree. Both "prissy" and "prude" describe a person who is overly concerned with being modest and correct. 

Well, that Google definition sort of matches what I experienced.

I do not think my personality type is meant to deal with prissy prudish types, thus best avoided...

Being Disrespected For Allegedly Being Disrespectful While Being Un-Funny

A few days ago I saw what I thought was a semi-amusing item on Facebook.

I copied said semi-amusing item on Facebook to my favorite photo editing application.

I then replaced the semi-amusing item's faces with the faces of a couple of the female gender from my high school class.

I then posted the altered semi-amusing item on Facebook with the following text...

It is nice to see a couple of the young ladies from my high school class, decades later, discussing how to be happier....

I was surprised the following morning to find the following message, from one of the faces, in my Facebook Messenger mailbox...

"What did I do to deserve that picture and remark? I detest the "F" word and wish it could be deleted from the universe. Could you put somebody else's face in there besides mine or just remove it please."

Picture and remark? I did not install someone else's face, or remove it, as per the urgent request. I instead put a circle over the offendee's face. And today I added a similar circle to the other face.

After receiving the urgent removal request I commented with....

Who would have thunk that someone might recognize one of these two pictured as themselves, and leave a comment?

Yesterday the primary offendee had her regularly scheduled monthly reunion with a few with whom I was in school, many decades ago. I assume at that reunion the offendee shared her highly developed sense of being offended, because a few hours later a new Facebook comment arrived from one of the monthly reunion attendees....

I recognized both….right away….very disrespectful…..Not funny…crossed a line, IMO…

To which I replied....

Yeah, any right-minded person would find such as this totally scandalous, shocking, really. The perpetrator should be totally ashamed of himself for perpetrating such an outrage. And crossing such a clearly marked obvious line. And what sort of miscreant would find such as this as even being remotely funny? Truly perplexing...

There you go. The most recent example of why I have made it clear, when asked, if I am ever going to attend one of these high school reunions with people I have not seen in decades, with the answer being I have zero interest in doing so.

I regularly hear from those I actually knew well, along with some I really did not know in high school, plus seeing some in person. 

As for the original offendee, and her fellow offendee, who was totally offput by my alleged wanton display of disrespect, I have done something I've never before done. I un-Friended both from Facebook, thus sparing them any possible additional emotional pain and suffering.

I'll happily provide the same service to anyone else feeling pain from my alleged disrespect and sadly lacking sense of humor....

Seeking Sikes Lake Cherry Blossom at Wichita Falls Museum of Art

 
Under a cloudy September sky, a Monday, the second such day in the 2025 version of this particular month, I once again ventured to nearby Sikes Lake to commune with nature whilst acquiring much needed endorphins, along with other benefits one gains when one communes with nature.

Today, in addition to my regular route, when I walked around the Wichita Falls Museum of Art I opted to add a walk around the Museum's Sculpture Garden to gander at the many wonderful works of art.

Such as the work of sculptured art you see photo documented above.

Looking at this creation, the work's name is obviously obvious to even the most casual of art lovers.

But, I shall type the art work's name in case someone is somehow not able to easily glean it.

Cherry Blossom & Astronomy

Now, don't you feel foolish if you didn't realize the name without having it spelled out for you?

Recovering From The Attack Of The Karen

If you are so lucky as to never having had the experience of experiencing the wrath of what is commonly known as a "Karen", or in my old Skagit Valley home zone, as a "Carol", consider yourself blessed.

The Karen types are programmed different from the bulk of humanity.

The life energy of the Karen type seems to be devoted to finding something to be upset about.

Upset about something which the bulk of humanity would not react to with upset, anger and irrational vitriol.

When one is the focus of a Karen it is difficult to know how to respond. 

Not responding is probably the best strategy.

But, it is just too tempting to flip the Karen's nonsense back at her. But, wising up of a Karen is never the result. It only amps up the Karen-ness.

For today's Karen photo documentation, I morphed the Karen with whom I dealt today, with the most infamous of the breed, that being the Central Park Karen.

And now I look forward to the rest of September, and the rest of 2025, and beyond, being totally Karen-free...