Freezing Sikes Lake Nature Communing On Last Day Of November

With the temperature chilled to two degrees above freezing, in other words, 34 degrees as measured via the Fahrenheit method, with a strong wind making those 34 degrees feel like the temperature was in the teens, according to the radio weather report I heard whilst taking a brisk walk around Sikes Lake, I had myself some chilly nature communing on this final Sunday and final day of the 2025 version of November.

The photo documentation does not look as cold and windy as was the reality. 

Last night's low was below freezing for the first time since last winter. Freezing had been predicted a week or so ago, but my location did not freeze.

But, last night freezing arrived, as evidence by my neighbor's vegetable garden getting obliterated. 

Up til now the way the neighbor's tomato plants seemed to be thriving, we thought they might make it til the actual arrival of winter.

Last Christmas a Washingtonian gifted me thickly lined Land's End sweatpants, which I never wore, til today, figuring all that lined insulation would cause me to overheat. Such was not the case today. Not even remotely close to overheating.

Today I made the foolish mistake of not having my hands covered with gloves. Upon returning to my abode I located my decade's old ski gloves. 

My cross-country skis made the move to Texas, but not the move from Fort Worth to Wichita Falls.

There has been a time or two where the cross-country skis would have been fun here in Wichita Falls, with the Circle Trail snow-covered.

The Circle Trail runs right by my abode. The Circle Trail through the hilly Wichita Bluffs Nature Area would be fun on cross-country skis too.

I shall see if Amazon sells cross-country skis. I doubt any store here does...

Chilly Day After Thanksgiving At Lucy Park

It was back to Lucy Park I ventured on this day after Thanksgiving, for some nature communing along with burning some of the excessive calories gained from yesterday's Thanksgiving buffet.

As you can see via the photo documentation, the deciduous trees have lost all their leaves. The evergreen trees remain green, because that is how they are programmed.

Whilst walking a strong wind was blowing. The temperature was chilled into the low 50s, with that strong wind making it feel real cold. 

A few days ago I was at Lucy Park in shorts and tank top. And I overheated. Today I was in sweatpants, hooded sweatshirt, wool hat. And I did not overheat. Instead I got cold.

Winter is less than a month away. Not looking forward to freezing temperatures and snow. 

Christmas Before Halloween & Thanksgiving

Christmas, 2025's version, at my location on the planet, seems to have arrived way earlier than I remember being the case in previous years.

Christmas decorations began showing up before Halloween.

MSU's (Midwestern State University's) Fantasy of Lights installation was mostly completely installed, before Halloween.

My next-door neighbor had the twinkling lights, inflated Santa, reindeer and giant candy canes, in place, and lit up, before Halloween.

The most over the top early Christmas display is the one you see photo documented above, with the photo taken this morning on my way to WinCo. My camera could only capture part of this display in one photo. 

Every year, since I have been in Wichita Falls, this has been the biggest Christmas display I see, with each year more than the year before.

This is located on Hamilton Boulevard, across from Hamilton Park, in the area north of my abode which I refer to as the Beverly Hills of Wichita Falls.

I am ready for tomorrow's Part 2 of the annual Holiday Season. No turkey will be seen in my abode tomorrow....

Sunday Lucy Park Duck Pond Nature Communing

On this next to last Sunday of the 2025 version of November, with winter less than a month away, it was back to Lucy Park I ventured on this sunny day, to commune with nature.

I usually park at the Lucy Park log cabin parking lot when doing Lucy Park nature communing. Today I opted to break that repetitive pattern and instead parked at the Lucy Park duck pond parking lot.

Which would make that, in the photo above, a look at one section of the scenic Lucy Park duck pond, currently populated by more geese than ducks.

With more than two-thirds of fall already gone, the leaves in the trees have mostly fallen, rendering the landscape much less green than just a short time ago. Now yellows and browns are the predominate color screen, though we do see some green in the above photo documentation.

The temperature was barely in the 50s when I was in nature communing mode. But, I did not feel at all chilly, even though I did not have on cold weather outerwear, just my regular nature communing attire of shorts and a tank top. 

Rain and thunderstorms are on the weather menu for later today, and tomorrow. 

Thursday Evening Walmart Rainbow Brightens My Drippy Texas Sky

Exiting Walmart this Thursday evening, one week before 2025's Thanksgiving Thursday, I saw something I've not seen in a long long long time.

A rainbow.

Well, part of a rainbow. Most of the bow was blocked by clouds.

I was not the only one who took to photo documenting this rare event which does not often happen in this overly dry location on the planet.

But, starting yesterday evening, rain has been falling off and on. But never at the flash flood downpour mode which had been predicted. There have been a few lightning strikes and thunder booms, but not of the strong thunderstorm sort which had also been predicted.

Even though we are nearing the end of November, I have had my interior climate control set back to air-conditioning mode for several days now, after our short bout of cold temperatures abated. Currently the outer world is being chilled to a relatively cool 68 degrees. 

I suspect by morning I will be switching my interior climate control from air-conditioning, back to heat mode.

Balmy November Walk Around Sikes Lake Before Rain Pours Down

I have been a bit lax the past several days with my usually regularly scheduled bouts of nature communing.

With a lot of rain on the weather menu for the next couple days I decided to get outside and enjoy being under the clear blue sky before the deluging arrives.

And so, it was to Sikes Lake I ventured, which would make the above photo documentation the view from the rocky east shore of the lake, looking southwest.

I had a lot on my mind in need of contemplating whilst communing with nature. Pondering serious subjects, like dementia and Alzheimer's.

No, it is not my mind I am currently afraid of faltering. But, of late I have had some disturbing personal interactions which had me wondering if it was some level of dementia or Alzheimer's I was experiencing.

We had a couple days about a week ago where the temperature got near freezing. Cold enough to switch the interior climate control to heat mode. And then a heat wave arrived, necessitating reactivating the interior climate control's cool mode.

Winter arrives in a little over a month. I hope it is mild winter, with no repeat of that sub-zero deep freeze of a few winters ago...

Remembering Aunt Alice In Tootsie Tonasket Mode

That which you see here showed up this Monday morning in my email. A Microsoft OneDrive Memory of this Day.

As is usually the case, I've no clue why this is a memory of this day.

What we see here, in cowgirl mode, is the Washington entity known as Tootsie Tonasket. Also known as my Aunt Alice. And Alice O'Della. And Alice Hudson.

Clearly, Tootsie Tonasket is known by a lot of different names.

Every year a town near Tonasket, called Omak, has a rodeo type event known as the Omak Stampede.

I suspect Aunt Alice is in Omak Stampede mode in the photo, under an over-sized cowboy hat.

I cannot tell for sure if Aunt Alice is packing heat, via a six shooter, in a holster fastened around her waist.

What I do know for sure, you do not want to tangle with Aunt Alice. Aunt Alice is one tough cookie, with or without a loaded weapon.

Aunt Alice can win a fight just by lashing out with her sharp wit. 

I found myself in a Battle of Wits once with Aunt Alice. I lost the battle, followed by a long recovery period...

Microsoft's OneDrive Horse Memories From Today

That which you see above showed up in my email this morning. A Microsoft OneDrive Memory from this day.

I do remember the memory, but I've no idea what day this memory is remembered.

My first Texas home location was in the hamlet of Haslet, located at the north end of Fort Worth, the puny skyline of which one could see in the distance.

The Haslet home location was sort of a ranch, sprawling over 10 acres. With a couple cows, and the three horses you see visiting in the backyard.

The horses were smart critters. They figured out how to open the gate to the backyard. One time they did this when the weather was in extreme heat wave mode. The horses could see the pool in the backyard, opened the gate, and all three got in the pool, which you can see behind the horses in the photo.

It was a bit difficult to get the horses out of the pool. It was a bad experience for the three boys, which they knew not to repeat.

Sunday Blown Cold Off Wichita Bluff Nature Area To Lucy Park

The leaves in the trees at my North Texas location have finally received the memo telling them it is time to change the color of the leaves from green to eye pleasing shades of golden yellow.

Even the Wichita River, as seen in the above photo documentation, is matching the new leaf colors, viewed this second Sunday of 2025's November, in Lucy Park.

A bit before 11 this morning I drove to the west entry to the Wichita Bluffs Nature Area for my nature communing. The temperature was barely in the 50s. A strong wind was busy blowing. I exited my vehicle and re-entered it a few seconds later, deciding it was too cold, and that nearby Lucy Park, would not be as exposed to the gusting wind.

Tonight the temperature is again predicted to dip below freezing, into the 20s. The past few days there have been freeze warnings, but no freezing has happened. I suspect such will no longer be the case by tomorrow morning.

Will tomorrow be that dreaded day where I switch my climate control from air-conditioning cooling, to heat mode? I hope not....

Microsoft One Drive Broaster Memory With Wendy, Beth & Urbs

Today's is one of the goofiest Microsoft OneDrive Memories from this Day yet to have shown up in my email.

I am fairly certain the above memory did not happen in November. 

This photo memory is an advertisement. Found in my high school senior year annual.

I am fairly certain this was in the Broaster Cafe in Mount Vernon. A cafe which years later turned into the new location of the Mexico Cafe.

The Mexico Cafe is a fond memory. It is where I learned to like Mexican food.

In the photo, that is me on the left, looking in need of a haircut. Sitting next to Wendy Newman. On the other side of the table, across from me, is the entity then known as Beth Schuerman (I hope I spelled that right), sitting next to her future first husband, Martin Barnes, more commonly known as Urbs.

I do not know why Urbs is cut out of the photo. 

I was on the annual team, as was, I think, Beth. I do not think either of us would have cropped out Urbs.

I wonder if time is wasted nowadays producing hard copy high school annuals. Or is it all an online production these days?

What I find remarkable, seeing this photo, is the clearly obvious fact that myself, Wendy and Beth have barely aged at all, still looking pretty much like teenagers, decades later...