Walking & Talking With The Village Creek Indian Ghosts Thinking About Fred Jackson & Bubba's Sex Change

Village Creek Kids Looking For Turtles

I don't know what happened to the 80 something degrees those weather predictors predicted for today. It was 65 when I went swimming this morning. Now, at around an hour past noon that number has reversed and it is now 56 degrees in the outer world in my location.

The forecast is still forecasting Thunder and Rain and has added tomorrow, Monday, as a wet, electrical day.

I went to one of my favorite walking locations, the Village Creek Natural Historical Area, today. On Sunday's there are a lot of people enjoying walking and playing with the Indian Spirits that inhabit the Historical Area, including the two little kids and their dad you see in the picture.

Changing the subject now to football.

Village Creek is in Arlington. Arlington is where the Dallas Cowboys play football. A couple days ago I blogged about NFL Films wanting to use some of my photos of the destruction caused by the worst abuse of eminent domain in American history. The person who contacted me from NFL Films told me they were doing a story on Fred Jackson and his boyhood home that had been lost to the Cowboy bulldozers. I had no clue who Fred Jackson was or why NFL Films would focus on him.

And then I heard from JJ..........

JJ has left a new comment on your post "A Cloudy Cold Tandy Hills With The Dallas Cowboy Stadium Scandal Back Haunting Me": 

Hey Durango, Fred Jackson is playing a key role in the success of the NFL's Buffalo Bills. He was born in FW but grew up in the Arlington neighborhood that was located in and around the current Eminent Domain Abuse Stadium. Could be an interesting story, especially considering all the odds that this guy had to overcome in order to compete at the highest level, especially his small stature + playing in a tiny college, not picked by any NFL team, etc. 

Changing the subject from football to running around Christmas lights. A couple days ago I mentioned Cori asking me if I thought it doable to do a group run past the Interlochen Christmas lights. This morning I heard from Bubba with an alternative suggestion...

Bubba has left a new comment on your post "Walking With The Village Creek Indian Ghosts Think About Running Past The Interlochen Christmas Lights With Cori": 

Cori and his fellow runners should consider the Diamond Loch area in Haltom City and North Richland Hills. The decorations are on a smaller scale but comparable to the way overcrowded and tiny streets in Interlochen. Plus the said neighborhood is right off of loop 820 and Ruff Snow, with lots of parking/staging in nearby parks and schools and churches. And the streets are very wide and thus much safer for walkers/cyclers/runners. BTW, who is Cori and co. running from?? Do they need some good hiding places, too? 

Bubba has turned Cori from a girl into a guy. That's disturbing.

The 3rd Sunday Of November Dawns Dry & Warm In This Parched Part Of The Planet

The view from my primary viewing portal on the world is not frosty this 20th morning of the next to last month of 2011.

The sun is up on the 3rd Sunday of November, currently heating the outer world in my location on this parched part of the planet to a balmy, for this time of year, 68 degrees.

I have the window open of my primary viewing portal. I believe this to be unprecedented at this point in time in the rapidly approaching Winter.

We are in Day Two of the rain predictors predicting rain.

So far, at least where I have been, total dryness has prevailed. Currently I'd call what hovers above to be light cloudiness. Not as stormy looking as yesterday morning.

MKB's Computer Screen

A few days ago we got to the edge of freezing. This put what appeared to be frost on my primary viewing portal. I took a picture of the frosty window.

Later that day I was scrolling through all the babble on Facebook when I saw a picture that looked familiar.

My favorite Tacomaite, MKB, had taken the picture of my frosty window and turned it into the background on her computer screen, so she could have a window in her windowless cubicle at work.

It is now time for me to venture into the outer world and find my way to a swimming pool to have a very pleasant swim in very pleasant temperatures.

On The Windy Tandy Hills Missing Elsie Hotpepper While Getting Vertigo From The Leaning Tower Of Tandy

The Stunning Skyline Of Beautiful Downtown
Fort Worth From High Atop Mount Tandy

In the picture you are on top of Mount Tandy, looking west towards the stunning skyline of beautiful downtown Fort Worth, at a few minutes after noon.

The wind was blowing quite hard on the Tandy Hills today, blowing from the west.

Looking up at the tower, known as the Fort Worth Space Needle, made me dizzy with the tower seeming to sway.

The wind was so strong the the tower was bending to the east, making the eastside support cables slack, while the ones on the westside were pulled tight. Seeing this made me wonder if these type cables ever snap. And what happens to such a tower if a tornado passes by.

The Leaning Tower Of Tandy

Looking up at the tower, and the clouds racing by it making me dizzy, made me think of Carlotta Camano and her bout of Vertigo she told me about yesterday. My only experience with the subject of Vertigo, previously, was the Hitchcock movie of that name, with Jimmy Stewart plagued with Vertigo.

Changing the subject from Vertigo to Elsie Hotpepper.

Ms. Hotpepper had been missing for a couple days. But, she was supposed to meet me on top of Mount Tandy today to go for some salubrious hill hiking.

But, upon arrival on top of the mountain, there was no Hotpepper. I called the Hotpepper Hotline, but got no answer.

So, I did my hill hiking solo.

Then, an hour or so later, I was in Town Talk when the phone rang. It was Elsie Hotpepper wanting me to now meet her at The Point on Lake Worth for a hamburger, and, I assume, some Happy Houring. No mention was made of not showing up on top of Mount Tandy. And I did not ask. And I did not go to The Point.

Changing the subject from the erratic Elsie Hotpepper to my favorite subject.

The weather.

So far the predicted rain has not fallen on any of the locations I have been at. It was in the 70 degree zone when I did my hill hiking today. It is 77 right now at a little after 4.

I stayed in the pool for a long time this morning. The water will be even warmer tomorrow morning.

The 3rd Saturday Of November Dawns With A Stormy Sky Over Texas

You can not tell via the picture view through the bars of my patio prison cell that a cloudy stormy sky is hovering above on this 3rd Saturday, Day 19, of the next to last month of 2011.

It is currently being heated to 65 degrees in the outer world at my location on this parched part of the planet.

If the weather predictors are predicting correctly, by the end of today this parched part of the planet should be less parched than it is at the present moment.

Supposedly there is a 75% change of rain today, along with Thunderstorms. More so tomorrow.

The temperature high today is predicted to be 74 degrees. Tomorrow is scheduled to get into the 80s.

These balmy temperatures should have that aquamarine thing you see in the above picture warm enough for a pleasant swim this morning, hopefully without incoming lightning bolts. I think I will go do that right now.

Walking With The Village Creek Indian Ghosts Thinking About Running Past The Interlochen Christmas Lights With Cori

Otherworldly Red Leaves In
 Village Creek Natural Historical Area

Even though it was only 42 degrees at the time I did so, I did get in the pool this morning. For a short time. And then I retreated to the hot tub.

On my way to Pantego to the ALDI Food Market today I stopped for a walking with the Native American ghosts who haunt the Village Creek Natural Historical Area in Arlington.

Since I last walked with the ghosts the red leaves you see in the picture appeared. My photographer skills do not do justice to how other worldly this plant was looking today.

The paved trail through the Village Creek Natural Area takes you to the Interlochen neighborhood, widely believed by many who live in this parched part of the planet to be the location of the best Christmas lighting displays in the Dallas Fort Worth Metroplex.

I don't know if it ironic or coincidental, or both, but the first email I saw upon waking up my computer, upon my return, was a comment from Cori asking me about Interlochen.....

cori has left a new comment on your post "Interlochen Christmas Lights Map & Directions": 

Durango!
I am thinking about setting up a little group run with my friends through a Christmas lit neightborhood and interlochen seems to be the best one around, but do you think they would let us in, and would there be too much traffic? I'm not sure of the set up with the sidewalks and what have you. 

Let me know your thoughts and you're of course invited! 

I can not remember the last time I went running with Cori through a neighborhood lit up for Christmas. I don't see why this would not be doable. One would need to find a place to park and assemble outside the Interlochen zone and then jog right past the police directing the traffic.

It has been a few years since I've toured the Interlochen Christmas lights. I think the last time was with Miss Puerto Rico. Those Interlochen lights will be lit up a week from today, that being the day after Thanksgiving.

The Cold Morning Of The Third Friday Of November Thinking About Snow & Ferris Wheels

Looking through the bars of my patio prison cell the morning of the 3rd Friday of the next to last month of 2011 I can see the sky is clear, I can feel the wind is blowing.

And it is cold.

As in 41 degrees.

I don't know how warm it got yesterday so I don't know if the 24 hour temperature average meets my 50 degrees of above criteria that allows for getting in that turquoise body of water.

The most outrageous thing I read in the local news today was the story of a mom going to pick up her kid at a Fort Worth day care to be told that her daughter had been complaining of sore ears. When the mom looked at her kid's ears she saw they had been pierced and had earrings dangling from them. A day care assistant had pierced the kids ears.

Now, where this gets outrageous, to me, is the piercer was not immediately fired, the police did not treat the piercing as a crime and instead called in Child Protective Services to investigate the day care center.

Bizarre.

Switching the subject from bizarre Fort Worth news to Western Washington news.

A slight chance of snow is in the forecast for the Puget Sound lowlands today. There is no slight chance of snow in the forecast today for the lowlands of my zone of Texas.

In other interesting news from Washington, a big Ferris Wheel with air-conditioned gondolas has been approved to be built on Pier 57 on the Seattle waterfront.

Pier 57 is the pier with the carousel, so a Ferris Wheel will fit in nicely. I believe the wheel will be at the end of the pier, likely sticking out over the water. If I remember right, Pier 57 is near the bottom of the Pike Place Hillclimb, near the aquarium.

I wonder if when the Trinity River Vision Boondoggle finally clears its vision if piers will be built out onto the little lake that is part of the vision? I doubt there will be any ferry boats taking people across the lake.

Below is a short YouTube video of Pier 57....

On The Tandy Hills At A Fork In The Trail Not Liking Google Changes & Other Things

This location on the Tandy Hills, with a fork in the trail, forcing a choice to be made as to which direction to go, was a perfect metaphor, today, for how I'm feeling.

As I get evermore elderly I find I don't like change. I also don't like to learn new things. I used to like change and learning new things.

Just a little thing changing can vex me these days. For instance Google has been "updating" what Google calls their products.

For a couple months now Google has been trying to get its AdSense users to switch to the new interface, telling users the new interface will be activated in mid-November. And so it was. On November 15. I don't like it. I was used to the old interface. I liked the old interface. The new interface faces you with way too much information.

Google is also updating the Google product I am using right now, the one Google calls Blogger. Right now I am looking at a message at the top of the screen that says, "Try the updated Blogger interface."

I tried the updated Blogger interface. It looks way different than the old Blogger interface. Eventually I was able to figure out the new Blogger interface, but I'm continuing to use the old Blogger interface til Google doesn't let me.

Changing the subject to my favorite one, the temperature.

I did not go swimming this morning. It is only 54 degrees, currently, at my location.

Changing the subject from the not hot temperature to Elsie Hotpepper, who has been being cryptic lately. For instance, minutes ago I got an email from Elsie Hotpeppr that said "I do not understand Lucy." Who is Lucy and why can't Elsie understand her, I sat here and wondered.

And then there is Beale who is unhappy with me because I said I thought his French girl friend was awful. In my defense I did not realize this was Beale's new girl friend when  I said I thought she was awful. I feel darn bad about this.

I have not heard from Betty Jo Bouvier at all this week. The last I heard from Betty Jo she told me she was heading to Seattle on, I think, Saturday. I do not know if Betty Jo made it back to the Skagit Valley from Seattle.

And then there is Carlotta Camano who has also gone missing. Usually Carlotta checks in with me regarding the Reality TV Shows we both watch. This week's Real Housewives of Beverly Hills was particularly comment worthy, as was Top Chef, with no commentary from Carlotta Camano.

I wish I was constitutionally able to take a nap and momentarily not think about anything vexing me. Sleep really is the only peace I get. And I get very little of it.

On The 3rd Thursday Morning Of November The Redbird Provides Me Some Charity Clarity

The 3rd Thursday of the next to last month of 2011 has dawned frosty looking in the view from my primary viewing portal on the outer world.

It is currently 34 degrees at my location on this parched part of the planet.

I won't be going swimming this morning.

Yesterday I mentioned an email I got from Alma, the Songbird of the Texas Gulf Coast regarding various charity organizations like UNICEF and the Salvation Army and the supposed salary paid to the top official in those organizations.

Well.

I heard from The Redbird and someone calling him or herself Anonymous. Mr. or Ms. Anonymous pointed me to a Scopes article about this charity subject. Below is what The Redbird had to say...

The Redbird has left a new comment on your post "Alma The Songbird Of The Texas Gulf Coast Pointed ...": 

I totally agree with the spirit of Alma's letter and kudos for giving, but just fyi (because your know your blog kinda functions like news around these parts).... http://www.truthorfiction.com/rumors/s/salvation-army-salary.htm and http://www.salvationarmyexpectchange.org/2011/05/27/dont-believe-every-internet-rumor-you-read and a bunch of other articles on the google. So that email should probably be amended to be factual. The truth doesn't hurt their appeal at all. 

What I got from The Redbirds's comment besides the charity info was the disturbing idea that my blog functions like news around these parts. If my blog functions as news I probably should pay closer attention to the veracity of that about which I blog.

Here's some news for you that I am certain is correct.

It is one week til Thanksgiving.

Here's some other news about which I am almost 100% certain I am correct about.

It is cold this morning. Barely above freezing.

If the weather predictors are correct in their prediction, by tomorrow the 24 hour temperature average will again be above 50 degrees, which is what I currently require to go swimming.

Michele Q's George Washington Update On Abraham Lincoln's Thanksgiving

This morning Michele Q reminded me that 51 weeks ago today I blogged about Abraham Lincoln's Thanksgiving Day Proclamation of October 18, 1863 proclaiming the "last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens."

Lincoln had such a poetic way with words.

Below is this morning's comment from Michele Q....

MicheleQ has left a new comment on your post "Abraham Lincoln's Thanksgiving Day Proclamation":

Actually it was president George Washington who issued a proclamation on October 3, 1789 naming Thursday, November 26, 1789 as an official holiday of “sincere and humble thanks.” After that different states celebrated on different days until Lincoln’s proclamation on October 3, 1863 when he made Thanksgiving a national holiday to be celebrated specifically on the last Thursday of November.

In 1939 FDR moved it to the third Thursday of November to lengthen the Christmas shopping season and boost the economy still recovering from the Depression. That move, which set off a national debate, was reversed in 1941 when Congress passed and President Roosevelt approved a joint house resolution establishing, by law, the fourth Thursday in November as Thanksgiving Day.)

In 1939 President Franklin D. Roosevelt moved the holiday to the third Thursday of November to lengthen the Christmas shopping season and boost the economy still recovering from the Depression. This move, which set off a national debate, was reversed in 1941 when Congress passed and President Roosevelt approved a joint house resolution establishing, by law, the fourth Thursday in November as Thanksgiving Day.

Source: The National Archives

The Trinity River Vision's J.D. Granger Wins A Coveted FW Weekly 2011 Turkey Award

J.D. Granger Wins Coveted FW Weekly
2011 Turkey Award

If I remember right, last month I mentioned going to a TRIP sponsored forum at Fort Worth's Botanic Garden.

J.D. Granger was scheduled to be on the forum panel, but panicked and cancelled at the last minute. This news was greeted with loud booing when it was announced to the assembled forum goers.

This week's week before Thanksgiving edition of FW Weekly is the 2011 Turkey Awards issue.

J.D. Granger won one of the coveted Turkey Awards.

This is what FW Weekly had to say by way of explaining why J.D. deserved this coveted award in the cover article title "The Big Bird".....

Last month, the Trinity River Improvement Partnership (TRIP) sponsored a forum at the Fort Worth Botanic Garden to discuss the merits of the $900 million Trinity River Vision project and ask questions about where that money will come from, what the justification for the project is, and what it has to do with flooding and water quality issues. About 125 people showed up, but it was one person missing that stirred the ire of the citizens. J. D. Granger, executive director of TRV, had promised to sit on the panel and give direct answers to those important questions. But at the last minute, he cancelled. The only one to show up on the “pro-TRV” side was a gutsy Jim Lane, a board member of the Tarrant Regional Water District. Lane did his best to answer some of the questions, but the water district is handling only part of the project. The reason given for Granger’s backpedaling was that he realized the event would involve discussing policy, and, shucks, he’s just the hired hand (although he’d known about the format of the event for weeks). But the fact is that Granger is in charge and is one of the few people who can sort out where this multi-agency project is going. Canceling at the last minute just doesn’t cut it. Maybe voters should drop him from their holiday invitation list. Oh, wait. That’s right. He’s not an elected official.