Friday 80 High In Wichita Falls Texas

Seems like only a week ago, because it was,  the temperature at my Wichita Falls, Texas location got down below zero, as measured by the Fahrenheit method.

And now, today, the first Friday of the 2026 version of February, the high for today is predicted to be 80 degrees above zero, as measured by that aforementioned Fahrenheit method.

I see some outdoor nature communing in my future for today, basking in shorts and t-shirt weather.

I likely won't bother applying any sunscreen lotion...

Seattle Link Light Rail Ready For Seahawk Super Bowl Victory Parade While Dallas Light Rail Is Not Ready For Super Bowl Victory Or Parade

I saw that which you see above in the Seattle Times online version this morning. That train you see is one of the trains rolling along one of Sound Transit's Link Light Rail line.

From the Wikipedia Link Light Rail article...

Link Light Rail is a light rail system with some rapid transit characteristics that serves the Seattle metropolitan area in the U.S. state of Washington. It is managed by Sound Transit in partnership with local transit providers and comprises three non-connected lines that total 55 miles (89 km) with 48 stations. 

Apparently, some repairs are needed in case the Seattle Seahawks win the Super Bowl, again, on Sunday.

Dallas has a light rail line, known as DART.

Dallas Area Rapid Transit.

DART does not have a line which goes to Arlington, which is the location of the Dallas Cowboy's football stadium. It has been a few decades since Dallas has had to worry about making sure DART is working well, in case a Super Bowl victory parade was causing a lot of people to want to ride the rail to downtown Dallas.

It has long seemed odd to me that there is no DART line to Arlington. The Dallas Cowboy stadium is a short walking distance from the Texas Ranger's ballpark. That and the original Six Flags Over Texas theme park.

There is a DART line which goes from Dallas to DFW International Airport. There is no light rail line which goes from Fort Worth to the airport.

Fort Worth used to have a short subway rail line. It still existed when I moved to Texas.

You could park at the massive parking lot at the north end of downtown Fort Worth, then walk to one of the subway stations and wait to board for the free ride to the heart of downtown Fort Worth, a short distance south.

These were really old subway trains.

What made it a subway line was that those really old subway trains rolled through a tunnel before emerging at a vertical mall, near the downtown Fort Worth library.

For some reason Fort Worth's civic leaders went along with killing the world's shortest subway line so that Radio Shack could build itself a new corporate headquarters, which Radio Shack could not afford.

Last I heard part of the Radio Shack corporate headquarters has been turned into college classrooms for, if I remember correctly, Tarrant County College.

Maybe by the time the Dallas Cowboys win another Super Bowl DART will have a line running to Arlington...

February Wednesday Walk Ice-Free Around Sikes Lake

On this first Wednesday of the 2026 version of February, it was to nearby Sikes Lake I ventured for some nature communing along with endorphins acquired by high-speed walking.

Which would make the photo documentation the view looking west from the rocky eastern shore of Sikes Lake.

As you can see, today Sikes Lake is in mirror mode, clearly reflecting the cloudy sky above.

You may have thought that was snow covering a still frozen Sikes Lake.

However, almost all the unpleasantness from the past week has melted. 

There is no precipitation predicted for today, even though it looks like those clouds could drip some.

Currently there is no more icy cold unpleasantness predicted in the local long-range forecast.

But, that can quickly change.

UPDATE: I think is what is known as irony. I type that the weather forecast can quickly change, after previously typing no precipitation is predicted for today, despite the clouds looking like they could drip, I hit the publish button, walk to the kitchen to make lunch, look out the window to see the outer world is now wet from drips of precipitation dripping from those aforementioned clouds...

Monday Lucy Park Nature Communing With Snow Avoiding Risky Bridge

It was to Lucy Park I ventured, this first Monday of the 2026 version of February, hoping to acquire some endorphins via aerobic stimulation from fast walking whilst nature communing.

As you can see via the photo documentation, there is still snow and ice on the ground, slowing up fast walking in many sections of the trail.

That CAUTION sign you see at the entry to the Lucy Park suspension bridge always strikes me as a bit goofy. I'll enlarge the CAUTION sign to render it easily readable.

Who in their right cautious mind would cross a suspension bridge about which you are being warned it is unstable?

I heeded the warning and did not risk crossing the bridge. 

The predicted temperature high for today is 67 degrees as measured by the Fahrenheit method. Tomorrow the predicted high is in the 70s. 

I doubt the snow and ice will last much longer.

Too Cold For Last Day Of January Nature Communing On Frozen Lake Wichita

For over a week now I have been suffering from an endorphin deficit due to limited salubrious outdoor nature communing.

So, on this final day of the 2026 version of January I thought nature communing at Lake Wichita would be a good thing.

I was wrong.

The temperature was 14 degrees as measured by the Fahrenheit method. With a strong wind blowing.

I was surprised to see Lake Wichita still being a big ice pond, due to high temperatures the past couple days getting into the 40s, with much of the snow and ice melted.

In the photo documentation we are at the end of the Lake Wichita Boardwalk, looking northwest. That little bump you see at the far side of the lake is Mount Wichita, totally snow-free, at least from my view of the mountain.

I thought I was adequately attired to deal with the extreme cold. I thought wrong. The icy wind began burning the exposed part of my face.

I bailed on the outdoor nature communing after about 10 minutes, then drove the short distance to the nearest Walmart to try and get myself some endorphins via pushing a cart, fast, in Walmart.

A Cool Walk Around Frozen Sikes Lake With Geese

With the temperature a relatively balmy 31 degrees I had my first outdoor nature communing excursion since my Texas location got way too cold and snow covered.

It was to Sikes Lake I drove, slowly, only sliding a couple times. 

The Sikes Lake geese were all flocked together, along with a small flock of seagulls, which you see in the photo documentation. The seagulls are the birds on left side of the photo, not quite mingled in with the geese.

Walking on the frozen ground was fairly easy. I had no near falls.

Yesterday, around 5, I was getting stir crazy, again, and so thought a trek to Walmart might provide some salubrious stimulation.

Just a short distance from my abode I found myself stuck trying to get on to Southwest Boulevard. After spinning my tires, fruitlessly, for a few minutes, two guys saw my predicament and got me mobile, again, pushing me onto Southwest Boulevard.

This frigid nightmare is not scheduled to end for a couple more days.

Sunday Snowflakes Have Ceased Falling After Rendering Me Icebound

The photo above was taken about an hour ago, on this frigid Sunday morning. It is now almost 11 in the morning. Snowflakes have ceased falling, bit patches of blue have appeared in the sky.

The temperature is currently 12 degrees above zero, as measured via the Fahrenheit method.

The big overnight increase in the amount of frozen material on the ground seems to have greatly reduced vehicular traffic. And the traffic I have seen has been moving really slow.

I do not think I will be venturing outdoors today.

Saturday Icy Drive To Walmart With Snowy Sunday Morning Not Going Below Zero

Sunday morning.

Snowing.

Did not get as cold as was predicted for this morning. Only chilled to 8 degrees above zero, not the one or two degrees below zero as had been predicted.

The white color scheme dominating the outer world looks to have become thicker overnight.

Yesterday, a little after 5 in the afternoon I had grown stir crazy from being icebound in my abode. I had seen a few vehicles looking to not have much slippery trouble driving slowly past my abode.

So, I ventured outside, thinking if it was not slippery making my way to the mailbox maybe I'd see what driving is like.

It was easy making my way to the mailbox, and so I decided to see if I could make it the mile and a half to Walmart. 

Since there was basically no traffic, I ignored the red stoplights and continued on without stopping. 

I only had one little sliding incident before reaching Walmart.

The photo documentation above is the view through my windshield. I took the photo when leaving Walmart, not from my parking location. I wanted a wider view, showing how few other fools had ventured out driving on the ice.

I do not think I will let getting stir crazy cause me to drive anywhere today. I'll just stay warm inside, looking forward to watching the Seattle Seahawks win the NFC championship and a trip to the Super Bowl, again.

However, I do have some worry that we may lose electric power, which would make it real difficult to watch TV...

The Predicted Texas Ice Storm & Snow Have Arrived

The predicted ice storm, and snow, arrived, in Texas, later than forecast, arriving around three Friday afternoon. An hour later the outer world had become slippery, making for an adventurous trek to my mailbox.

By 8, last night, the outer world had turned white.

Above is the Saturday morning view from my kitchen window, looking south. Most of the white, you see, is Taft Boulevard. So far, this morning, I have seen few vehicles sliding down Taft Boulevard.

Above is the view from one of my living room windows, looking west, across the aforementioned Taft Boulevard.

Currently the outer world is being chilled to 10 degrees above zero.

 The view from another living room window. In this view we are looking north, across my snow-covered patio. 

I do not anticipate venturing into the outer world today.

I think I will stay inside, where it is not slippery.

Or cold...

Friday Morning Waiting For The Texas Deep Freeze & Snow To Arrive

Friday morning, total cloud cover. Temperature 46. No precipitation, yet. Forecast to rain this morning, turning to snow this afternoon.

Forecast for Sunday worsened overnight. The predicted high dropped two degrees, from 18 to 16 degrees above zero, as measured by the Fahrenheit method.

The predicted low for Sunday has dropped three degrees, from two degrees above zero, to one degree below zero, also as measured by the Fahrenheit method.

The predicted precipitation for Sunday has gone from 20% to 80%.

I think I'll go to Walmart this morning for my daily nature communing. Last night I went to Walmart and found the parking lot almost totally full, no grocery carts in the grocery cart storage area. Cart wranglers in the parking lot trying to herd long lines of grocery carts to the cart storage area.

And whole sections of Walmart wiped clear. No eggs, little bread, no chicken products, a few pork products, along with some beef products. Multiple sections of the frozen food freezers emptied. 

I do not understand how it is so many people, apparently, do not have enough food items stocked to last several days without starving. I was only low on bread. Freezer already had a ham, chicken wings, fish filets, chicken patties, pizza, and more. And out of the freezer lots of canned goods, plus a refrigerator with plenty of edibles.

Whilst not worried about starving, I am a bit worried the Texas electric grid is going to collapse, again, which is what happened the last time the temperature went below zero.