Does 72 Degrees On The Last Friday Of January Make This The Hottest Day Of The New Year In Texas?

Today when I got to the Tandy Hills and saw a photo opportunity I reached in my pocket for my digital scenery recording device and found the pocket empty.

I'd left my camera at home.

Of late I never leave home without my digital image recording device.

So, today when I got back from the Tandy Hills I took a rare afternoon picture of the view through my patio prison cell bars.

The pool looks inviting doesn't it? It'll look even more inviting to you when I tell you the current temperature is 72. It is January 28 and I have all my windows open. Hiking was done in shorts and t-shirt today, with the t-shirt eventually being removed.

It has not been this balmy in my zone of Texas for quite some time. This is probably the hottest day of the new year.

I have not heard from that slow walking Elsie Hotpepper today. I think she may be mad at me for complaining about her slow walking.

A few minutes ago someone calling him or herself "Anonymous" asked if I pick up litter when I am out and about hiking. I told "Anonymous" that I pick up litter all the time, not just when hiking.

I have to go now. I see some litter that needs to be picked up down by the pool.

An Amazing Amount Of Litter Indicates It Is Perfectly Okay To Mess With Texas

I think one of the biggest industries in Texas must be the production of litter.

This is particularly noticeable when a lot of rain washes an amazing amount of litter into the Trinity River.

You see a lot of "Don't Mess With Texas" signs in Texas. I've been here for awhile now and I still don't understand this slogan. It obviously has nothing to do with no littering.

I took the picture with the "TRUE TO TEXAS" beer can at one of my favorite Fort Worth locations, Oakland Lake Park.

In this morning's Fort Worth Star-Telegram there was a litter letter-to-the-editor, with the litter letter writer making an amazing litter claim....

Road hazard

Passengers of designated drivers must consume a large volume of alcohol. On a two-mile stretch of highway south of Benbrook, I counted 1,638 cans that had been thrown out of vehicle windows. That was in addition to all the bottles.

Do you think a few people have forgotten "Don't mess with Texas"?

-- Allen McDermott, Fort Worth

I would think Mr. McDermott was exaggerating if I'd not seen similar things in Texas with my own eyes. But, I've never taken the time to count cans. I don't know if I could count that high without getting distracted.

Yum Yum Food Truck Back In Downtown Fort Worth Proving You Can Fight City Hall & The NFL & Win During The Super Bowl

The City of Fort Worth and the NFL have reversed themselves on their NO Yum Yum Food Truck in Downtown Fort Worth, until the Super Bowl is over, ban.

Starting Monday, the Yum Yum Food Truck will be back serving burgers and burritos to Fort Worthers and non-Fort Worthers visiting Downtown Fort Worth.

So.

What changed Fort Worth's City Hall and the NFL's position on the super-sensitive Yum Yum Food Truck issue?

Could it possibly have been that City Hall and the NFL heard the collective noise being made from locals via various media? And realized how Dumb the Yum Yum Food Truck ban was?

Up Way Before The Sun 25 Years After The Space Shuttle Challenger Blew Up

I am up way before the sun on the last Friday of the first month of 2011.

It is currently a relatively balmy 11 degrees above freezing.

I was surprised when I saw that today marks a quarter century, 25 years, since the Space Shuttle Challenger blew up soon after it was launched.

I do not remember if I was watching that launch live, or not. Were launches even carried live at this point? Again, I don't remember. Had CNN been born by January 28, 1986? I don't remember.

But, I suspect this launch was covered live due to school teacher Christa McAuliffe being on board.

The idea of sending a school teacher into space as some sort of stunt seems sort of bizarre to me now, 25 years later.

The coolest thing I've seen since I've been in Texas, even cooler than my first Ice Storm experience, was the night landing of a Space Shuttle. We'd been told what time to watch the western sky. I was starting to think this was going to be a dud when suddenly a bright white ball of light appeared above the barn. Moving incredibly fast.

I don't remember which of the Space Shuttles this was. As it streaked across the sky the Space Shuttle left a glowing trail behind it. Most spectacular thing I have ever seen above me. Ten minutes later I was inside watching the Space Shuttle land in Cape Canaveral.

And now the era of Space Shuttles is about to end, with America once again not having a manned space flight program.

Way back when the Challenger blew up could anyone have imagined a scenario where America would be relying on the Soviets, which is what we called Russians back then, to take Americans to space in a Soyuz capsule?

Fun Hotpepper-Free Hiking With Illicit Assignations Today On Top Of Mount Tandy

You are looking north on the Tandy Highway in the picture. As you can see it is a nice clear blue sky day today here in my zone of North Texas.

I was overdressed for hiking the Tandy Hills today. Long pants and a long-sleeve shirt were way too much clothing material covering way too much skin.

In other words I overheated just a bit in the balmy mid 60 degrees temperature.

Elsie Hotpepper so enjoyed our walk around Fosdic Lake yesterday that she asked to go Tandy Hill Hiking today.

But, the Hotpepper Hiking Time Frame was way past my scheduled hike time.

Yes, I could have time shifted, but the truth is, I don't know how much I'd enjoy Hotpepper Hill Hiking. I think I already mentioned Elsie talks fast and walks slow. I could see where the steep Tandy Hills would likely very quickly Overheat the Hotpepper.

I entered the Tandy Hills today from the top of Mount Tandy. I was semi-pleased to see that the Tandy Shrine is back under construction again. Semi-pleased I say, because it is so disheartening to see the Tandy Shrine grow back to its former glory, only to see it destroyed yet one more time.

I think some people are under the erroneous assumption that the top of Mount Tandy is an isolated parking zone. As in, when I returned to my vehicle, I saw two more vehicles had arrived.

The drivers of those two vehicles appeared to have no interest in hiking, but were instead involved in some sort of strenuous looking activity in the smaller of the vehicles. The frequency of what appear to be illicit assignations seems to be increasing in this location.

Up Early The Last Thursday Of The First Month Of 2011 After A Night Of Nightmares & A Morning Learning From Mayor Moncrief That Fort Worth Has Been Cleaned For The Super Bowl

I am up way before the sun looking at the view from my patio prison cell this last Thursday of the first month of 2011.

It is not freezing this morning at 3 degrees above the frost point. Even though it is not freezing I still think I'll avoid swimming this morning.

I had a rough night last night. I was up late talking to Elsie Hotpepper. After that I had myself a fitful night of nightmares.

Both nightmares had me back in the house I grew up in in Burlington, Washington. The first nightmare involved little troll-like monsters who were like Tasmanian Devil human flesh eaters.

The troll nightmare did not bother me too much, but the second nightmare of the night did. It involved snakes, lots of them. Inside the house, with my mom chasing them with a broom. At one point it was a copperhead and it was heading right at me.

I woke up.

And then immediately after waking up something made me think a snake was slithering on my bed. This caused me to let out what must have been a bloodcurdling scream.

On a different nightmare note. This morning's Fort Worth Star-Telegram online had an article on the front page titled "Mayor declares Fort Worth ready for Super Bowl Party."

I assumed if Fort Worth's Moron Mayor Mike Moncrief was doing some declaring that it likely was goofy and mockworthy. But, the Star-Telegram would not let me read the article. I'd get about 2 paragraphs in and I'd get switched back to the front page.

Eventually I succeeded in quickly copying and pasting the article into Notepad so I could successfully search for the goofy Moncrief quote.

I was not disappointed.

Here is what Moncrief said in declaring that Fort Worth is ready for the Super Bowl, even though the game is not being played in Fort Worth, "Are you ready for some football? Fort Worth is ready. When you're going to have a party at your house, you clean house. You want to make your home attractive. We are ready."

I guess I need to go visit Downtown Fort Worth. I can't imagine what it must look like now that it has been cleaned and made attractive.

Also, the article about being ready said that volunteers will be posted throughout the city to help visitors navigate Cowtown.

I can't help but wonder how this navigation system works. And where it is that visitors are navigating to.

Fast Talking & Slow Walking Around Fosdic Lake With Elsie Hotpepper

You are looking at the Oakland Lake Park Forest, south of Fosdic Lake, late this afternoon.

There were a lot of people today, walking and jogging and playing around Fosdic Lake.

Including Elsie Hotpepper.

Elsie Hotpepper had not previously had the Fosdic Lake  Experience. With the temperature in the balmy low 60s I thought it was a good time for Elsie to get some fresh air.

That and Miss Hotpepper wanted to consult with me regarding one of her current plots.

Elsie Hotpepper is a fast talker and a slow walker. My preference is that both talking and walking be fast.

I don't think I was of much use regarding helping Elsie with her plotting.

I really do not have a very well developed Machiavellian type mind. While Elsie Hotpepper may be a direct descendant of Lucretia Borgia.

Lucretia is such a nice name. I wonder why it is not used more often?

If I were to reproduce again, and the reproduction was a girl, I think I would name her Lucretia. Lucretia Jones has a real nice ring to it.

The NFL & City Of Fort Worth Ban Yum Yum Food Truck From Downtown For The Duration Of The Super Bowl Madness

I learned of the latest Downtown Fort Worth Super Bowl Nonsense this morning from Agent cd0103.

And then a few minutes later I logged into Facebook to get beat by the Scrabble Queen of Washington.

On Facebook I saw this latest Downtown Fort Worth Super Bowl Nonsense mentioned in a Facebook comment by former Fort Worth native, MBK, currently exiled in Tacoma.

MBK said, "Is Fort Worth turning into OLDFOGIEVILLE? So much for small businesses getting a piece of the Super Bowl action!"

MBK is referencing Downtown Fort Worth banning the very popular Yum Yum Food Truck til after the Super Bowl.

The Yum Yum Food Truck also has a Facebook page, where MBK further commented about this latest Downtown Fort Worth Super Bowl Nonsense, saying, "This is outrageous. The old FOGIES that run DTFW should be ashamed! The restaurants downtown won't be able to provide good service to massive crowds. It will be WORSE than during concerts/Main Street Arts Fest. Big Wigs are turning downtown to Oldfogieville!"

Til sanity returns the Yum Yum Food Truck is moving to south of Downtown Fort Worth, to 1220 Pennsylvania Avenue in the Hospital District.

However there is a complication. The Food Network is coming to Downtown Fort Worth next week, with the hope of taping a show called Outrageous Foods on the Yum Yum Food Truck. Apparently Yum Yum is known for its massive 10 pound Super Super Monster Burrito.

On December 14 the Fort Worth City Toadies, I mean, City Council, adopted an ordinance that bans non-NFL Vendors from Downtown Fort Worth. Only approved Vendor Booths will be allowed on the parking lots known as Sundance Square.

The verbiage in the City Council's order banning non-NFL Vendors is interesting, saying this ordinance is needed to "promote and protect the festive image in the downtown area" and to remove anything that might "hinder security, obstruct traffic or cause congestion."

The City's Code Compliance Director claims the city is not out to harm any business, saying "We're just looking to protect that area  of downtown."

Yes, I can see how the Yum Yum Food Truck selling hamburgers and burritos would pose a security risk, impede the flow of traffic and greatly diminish that festive image that Downtown Fort Worth is so good at projecting.

I wonder how many Porta-Potties are being brought in to line up on the Sundance Square Parking Lots? Can only NFL-Approved Porta-Potties be used? Are they bringing in some of those really cool custom made Dallas Cowboy Porta-Potties that look so attractive on the Dallas Cowboy Stadium parking lots?

With the Super Bowl being played in Arlington and with Downtown Fort Worth really not having all that much going for it, I'm wondering why the Fort Worth Fogies think there is going to be a big crowd downtown during the Super Bowl Week? Downtown Fort Worth does not have a single department store. Not a one. No Nordstroms, Neiman-Marcus, Macy's. Not even a Sears.

This department store deficit really is a sad indication of just how lively Downtown Fort Worth actually is. But removing the Yum Yum Food Truck will help make Downtown Fort Worth appropriately festive.

The Yum Yum Food Truck's location, prior to its banning, had been on Throckmorton by the Tarrant County Courthouse. You know, that building across the street from Downtown Fort Worth's #1 Neglected Eyesore, Heritage Park. In its current sad condition Heritage Park really does not add a lot to that festive image Downtown Fort Worth thinks it is protecting and promoting.

And now the smallest downtown, of any town in America with over a half million residents, doesn't even have a Yum Yum Food Truck. Plenty of Grackles though. Very festive birds.

The Last Wednesday Of The First Month Of 2011

Looking out my viewing portal this last Wednesday of the first month of 2011 the sky is bright and blue.

And the temperature is a balmy one degree above freezing.

I don't think I will go swimming this morning.

I made it through President Obama's State of the Union speech last night. I previously have had some trouble making it through his speechifying. But last night made two in a row where I listened to the entire speech without my ADD kicking in.

I am heading to the north end of the D/FW Metro zone around noon. I don't know when I'll make it back to my current location. But it will likely be sometime before the sun disappears for the day.

Thousands Of Grackles Are Massing In Anticipation Of The Upcoming Super Bowl

In the picture you are seeing just a few of the Grackles that have taken up residence at my neighborhood Wal-Mart Supercenter and Sam's Club.

Hundreds, maybe thousands, of the birds, all over the buildings, on vehicles. And standing all over the parking lot.

The Grackles have been hanging out in this location for weeks now. They seem to be getting very comfortable with their surroundings and are not as easily startled as they were a few weeks ago.

If you've ever watched The Birds, the whole scene is very Hitchcockian.

I read this morning. Or was it yesterday? That an attempt is being made to move the Grackles from their various locations, due to some people thinking this is yet one more local embarrassment in need of being hidden from the upcoming Super Bowl.

This particular Grackle infested Wal-Mart is just a few miles to the west of the Dallas Cowboy Stadium where the Super Bowl will take place. You can see the Cowboy Stadium from this location.

Across the street from the Cowboy Stadium is one of the nicest Wal-Marts I've ever seen. With the Grackles being such Wal-Mart fans I wonder if they have taken over that Wal-Mart yet? Or, are they waiting for the Super Bowl to make their move? They seem to be very smart birds. Smart birds are not Jerry Jones fans.

Maybe the Grackles are planning to fly into the stadium, en masse, through the open end zone doors. That would be poetic.

Efforts to move the Grackles have proven to be fairly futile in the past. Methinks the locals should embrace their Grackle Colonies and turn them into yet one more tourist attraction for the visiting football fans.

I'm having a bad reaction to the efforts to spruce up this place because of the Super Bowl.

I have known a slob or two who only cleans up their clutter on the rare occasions that company is expected.

That is how this local Super Bowl cleanup strikes me.

Really embarrassing.

A sloppy place picking up its clutter because company is arriving in town.

Shouldn't the litter be picked up all the time?

And I think I've already mentioned that there is no way to control where the Super Bowl visitors might be driving.

Rather than take I-30 into Fort Worth or Dallas, they might choose Division or Lancaster.

Division goes through some real eye-popping scenery in Dallas, while Fort Worth tops Dallas with Lancaster, Berry and Rosedale.

What if a visitor gets lost in the Fort Worth Stockyards zone and meanders around the neighborhood to the west? That won't leave a good impression.

Speaking of the Stockyards. Is the New Isis Theater being spruced up for the Super Bowl? It has been boarded up since I first laid eyes on it over 11 years ago. It is in the Fort Worth Stockyards National Historic District. I've been told a number of times that the New Isis is in the process of being restored.

But, unless it has been fixed up, without me knowing about it, the New Isis is still an Old Eyesore, that would be really easy to at least make look better from the outside.

Switching the subject back to the Texas Grackle Invasion. The Wikipedia article about these birds was amusing. And has a Texas connection.

From Wikipedia.....

Unlike many birds, the grackle benefits from the expansion of human populations due to its resourceful and opportunistic nature. The common grackle population has greatly increased in the Austin, Texas, area in recent years and is regarded as nuisance by some, due to aggressive behavior. Common grackles are considered a serious threat to crops by some, and notoriously difficult to exterminate and usually require the use of hawks or similar large birds of prey.

With just a few word changes the above paragraph could be an accurate description of Chesapeake Energy and its fellow gas drillers.

Hiking Through The New Tandy Canyon Looking At A New View Of The Envy Of The Nation While Thinking About Guarding Donuts & Gas Drilling

Today when I accessed the Tandy Hills via the View Street Trail I was pleasantly surprised to see a cool new Tandy Hills feature. With that feature being a canyon of cut brush rising from both sides of the trail.

And then when you exit the canyon you are treated to a new view of the stunning skyline of the beautiful downtown of the city that is currently the Envy of the Nation.

An awful lot of brush was bashed to expose this new view of downtown Fort Worth that you see here, looking across Texas prairie freshly rendered back to its pristine state free of invasive plant species.

Yesterday I mentioned that I did not remember the last time I worked as hard as I did this past Saturday. I did not say what it was I was working hard at. And then today someone calling him or herself Anonymous asked, "Does being in charge of dozens of donuts count as hard work, Mr. Tandy Hills Hiker?"

Well, in answer to that Anonymous question, yes being in charge of dozens of donuts can count as hard work.

An hour or so later, after my arrival on the Tandy Hills, as I headed back to View Street, I heard motorized racket. When I saw what was making the racket I was appalled to see a bulldozer dismantling the cool new Tandy Brush Canyon and depositing it piece by piece into a dump truck.

If you look closely at the picture of the bulldozer, above the bulldozer you will see the latest addition to the scenery you can view from the Tandy Hills. A Chesapeake Energy Barnett Shale Natural Gas Drilling Rig looking as if it is sitting on top of a Tandy Hill.

Up After The Sun On The 4th Tuesday Of 2011 Thinking About A Fat Bastard & Pain-Free Hiking

Looking out my window on the world this last Tuesday of the first month of 2011 I can sort of see that this may be a blue sky day over my zone of North Texas.

However, I read in the unreliable Fort Worth Star-Telegram, this morning, that snow may be falling this morning to the west of the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex.

It is currently 5 degrees above freezing in my location, which would seem to render snow an unlikely occurrence.

Yesterday on my increasingly visited DurangObesity Blog the blog was visited by my new friend who calls himself "Fat Bastard." Fat Bastard is an amusing guy. He has a blog devoted to being a Fat Bastard.

A couple days ago I mentioned that I got a message from Elsie Hotpepper about landing an eagle which made no sense to me. Yesterday I got messages from Elsie Hotpepper which also made no sense to me. All about me being quiet. I had made no note of myself being particularly quiet, so this confused and perplexed me.

And I finally heard from the Scrabble Queen of Washington. I was starting to grow concerned.

My aching right foot ailment has greatly improved in the past couple days. This may make for some comfortable, pain-free hiking today. I hope.

Tandy Hills Brush Bash 3 Is A Successful Wrap

I can not remember the last time I worked as hard as I worked on Saturday.

This afternoon I got Don Young's report with all the specific stats about Saturday's Tandy Hills Brush Bash.....

The Third Annual Tandy Hills Brush Bash is a wrap. On a beautiful clear, blue-sky day, a dedicated army of volunteers wrangled a mountain of brush up the steep Tandy Hills to the waiting trucks that hauled it away for composting. City of FW Parks & Community Services Department staffers led by, Michelle Villafranca and Dale Taylor, had cut the brush the previous week and assisted in the Bash.

The Tandy Hills Brush Bash Army came from all over the Metroplex. There were Boy Scouts, Master Naturalists, neighborhood folks, high school kids, moms and dads, grandmas and grandpas, a few PhD.'s and CEO's from all walks of life and all dedicated to getting the job done. And we did.

Wide open prairie vistas have been restored. The landscape looks measurably different and the prairie is much healthier thanks to our hard work. Here's the stats:

60+ volunteers

40+ community service workers

10+ dogs

36 large truck-fulls of brush

24 dozen donuts*

5 gallons of coffee, tea and hot chocolate*

1,000's of megabytes of digital photos which can be viewed on the Tandy Hills Facebook page, flicker and on our website.

Thanks to all who participated. For everyone else, pictures can't tell the story adequately. Don't wait until Prairie Fest. Come on out to Tandy Hills today and enjoy the new views.

Don Young

* Many thanks to Green Mountain Energy for providing coffee and donuts.

The Return Of The Short Shadow Of The Tandy Hills Thin Man Thinking About Litter Chain Gangs

I was on the Tandy Hills shortly after noon today. The sun was fully exposed with no clouds impeding its brightness.

Which made for a very bright, very short shadow.

I saw some of the results of Saturday's Brush Bash today. Along the main trail from View Street the view to the west is now much more viewable.

On the way to the Tandy Hills I saw a highway crew on Interstate 30 picking up bags of litter.

Yesterday I mentioned seeing what I thought to be a Litter Chain Gang picking up litter on the other side of the freeway from where I saw litter being removed today.

I got a few comments and emails about the subject. The Envy of the Entire Universe thought these litter pickers might have been something called Super Clean 2011 Volunteers, cleaning up for the Super Bowl.

More than one person was of the opinion this was being done for the Super Bowl.

Trouble with that theory is the Super Bowl takes place about 2 weeks from now. That is plenty of time to freshly coat the sides of the freeway with litter. Texans are astonishingly adept at littering.

I am also fairly certain that those guys in green, that I saw on Sunday, were not part of any volunteer group. First off the bus that transported them to the location was the same type prison bus I've seen transport Litter Gangs to pick up litter along the Trinity River's banks.

And, yesterday there was more than one man acting like a guard, watching the Litter Gang slowly pick up litter.

Anonymous, if that is her or his real name, told me that inmates are used to pick up litter in Washington. I've never seen this happen. But, I do know one convicted Washington felon who would greatly benefit, exercise-wise, if she were made to spend weekends picking up litter.

On a totally different subject, yesterday, or the day before, Betty Jo Bouvier mentioned a goofy thing regarding her town of Sedro Woolley, that being that a Washington radio station was having a contest called "Are You Smarter Than Sedro Woolley?"

Naturally, some Sedro Woollians are taking umbrage. Meanwhile down in Portland, that's the biggest town in Oregon, Some Portlanders are taking a little umbrage at a TV show called Portlandia on some obscure cable channel called the Independent Film Channel.

You can read more about being smarter than Sedro Woolley and Portlandia on my Washington Blog, and watch an amusing video of Portlandia.

How come no one makes a funny comedy TV show using Fort Worth for material? It would seem this town would be a gold mine of comic material. Trinity River Vision, Moron Mayor Mike Moncrief, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Lancaster Avenue, the Stockyards, Shanty Towns, thousands of natural gas wells, the Stock Show, Sundance Square, TCU.

And all the other marvelous wonders that make Fort Worth the Envy of the Nation....

A Freezing Texas Monday Morning Thinking About Hiking With Jack LaLanne

Looking out my viewing portal it appears the 4th Monday of 2011 has dawned with a clear blue sky.

And we are back freezing again at 26 degrees.

I don't think I will be going swimming this morning, but I do believe I will be back on the Tandy Hills today.

It felt really good yesterday to be back hill hiking after many days of not doing so.

I was surprised this morning to learn that Jack LaLanne is no longer with us. I thought he would live forever. But he died 4 years shy of making it to the century mark.

I'll get in some extra exercise today in Jack LaLanne's memory. And make an eggplant casserole.

I Am Currently Not A Fugitive From A Modern Day Texas Chain Gang

I think what we are looking at in the picture is the modern day version of a Texas Chain Gang.

I was driving east on Brentwood Stair Road and saw dozens of guys in green with green bags picking up litter.

Brentwood Stair runs along Interstate 30 on the south side of the freeway.

I stopped and took a quick picture through my windshield. The picture does not even remotely do justice to how odd this scene looked. I only got maybe a quarter of the Litter Gang in the picture.

I know these modern era Texas Chain Gangs are part of the punishment system for serious crimes like failing to pay a speeding ticket or other small time type crimes.

I have seen the Concentration Camp that is just slightly to the northeast of downtown Fort Worth, where these criminals go on the weekend and then get shipped out on buses to do tasks like litter pickup.

What I'm wondering is how much do these type operations cost this cash strapped town? Special uniforms, special bags, a bus to transport the criminals, the running of that Concentration Camp.

I do not recollect ever seeing this type activity when I lived in Washington. Is there a "weekend" prison surrounded by fence and concertina wire somewhere near downtown Seattle, where 100s of convicted criminals go to pay penance on the weekends? I don't ever recollect seeing a modern day Washington Chain Gang picking up litter by the freeway.

But, then, there is way way way less litter in the Evergreen State than you see in this Littering Lone Star State.

Sunday Hiking On The Tandy Hills With Dogs, Humans & Waterfalls

I parked on top of Mount Tandy today, not knowing if the Tandy Trails were hikable.

Upon arrival at the mountain top I saw a pair of hikers with a canine passing the Fort Worth Space Needle. This was to be the first of many human and canine Tandy Encounters today.

A short time later I came upon 3 guys who I thought, at first, were homeless people, possibly scouting out a new Shanty Town location. One of them asked where I was parked. I pointed back towards the road that leads to the Fort Worth Space Needle. The spokesman told me they'd hiked from "way over there," pointing towards View Street.

For some reason they wanted to get a look at the Fort Worth Space Needle and did not realize they could drive right up to it. This trio did not have the look of regular hikers.

A short time later I found myself facing a German Shepherd type dog, who was in a pack of two, with another dog of a brand not recognized by me. I don't think the dogs were rabid and they were not too menacing. I never did see a human to match with these dogs.

About a half hour after that dog encounter I was hearing the rushing water sounds of the Tandy River as it roars over Tandy Falls. I'd not seen water flowing over the falls in a long time.

As Tandy Falls came in to view, to the south of the falls I saw 3 more humans, with 3 dogs. These dogs were leashed. I did not have a close encounter with this particular human/dog combo, because they took a different path at the next junction.

This was my first successful Tandy Hills Hiking Day in a couple weeks.

As you can see in the view to the right, looking west at the stunning skyline of beautiful downtown Fort Worth, it is a gray, wintry day this Sunday in Texas.

Looking at that stunning skyline, I wonder if Fort Worth's Moron Mayor Moncrief thinks that skyline is yet one more reason Fort Worth is the Envy of the Nation?

This afternoon I am more than a little worried about Elsie Hotpepper. The last I heard from Elsie was yesterday, with a very cryptic message that really made no sense to me. All the message said was "I landed the eagle."

What can that possibly mean? I hope Elsie Hotpepper is not out somewhere shooting eagles. I'm fairly certain this is not legal to do.

The 4th Sunday Of 2011 In Texas Dawns 10 Degrees Above Freezing

Looking out my viewing window on this 4th Sunday of 2011 it does not looks as black and white as what my camera makes it look.

The sky is mostly blue, not white.

I have no clue as to what I'm going to do today. I do have a clue as to what I am not going to do today.

As in I am fairly certain I will not be going to church today.

I am just about 100% certain I will not be going on a bike ride today.

I am also about 100% certain I will not be leaving Texas today. Or tomorrow.

One thing I am about 100% certain I will be doing today is heading down to the pool in a few minutes.

Talk to you later. Maybe.

The Dawn Of The 4th Saturday Of 2011 In Cold Texas

Does it look cold looking out my viewing portal to the great outdoors this 4th Saturday of 2011?

It is only 4 degrees below freezing right now. Does this mean we are in a warming trend? I hope so.

Since the picture from my viewing portal was taken the sun has continued its illumination duty to a level where I can now clearly see the sky over my zone of North Texas is currently cloud free and a very nice shade of blue.

In a couple hours the Tandy Hills Brush Bash will be under way. I have a complication this morning that renders it impossible for me to bash brush. I may be able to do some afternoon brush bashing though.

I am not certain, as one can never be certain what Elsie Hotpepper is going to do, but I think the Hotpepper may be bashing brush today. Something to do with the lure of free donuts. I may have misrepresented the donuts as Krispy Kremes.

I skipped swimming yesterday. I never skip anything two days in a row.

Talk to you later.

A Fosdic Lake Gas Drilling Rig, Sinkhole Filling Operation & White Tree Buds

A Barnett Shale Natural Gas Drilling Rig hovered above Fosdic Lake in Oakland Lake Park today.

The hovering gas rig was the first interesting thing I saw when I drove in to East Fort Worth's best park today.

Or second or third best park in East Fort Worth. I forgot about Gateway Park. And the Tandy Hills Natural Area.

But both the Tandy Hills and Gateway Park are further west.

I have just decided that Oakland Boulevard is the arbitrary dividing line that is where East Fort Worth begins, which does make Oakland Lake Park the best park in East Fort Worth.

A week or so ago I found a sinkhole on the west side of Fosdic Lake. Within a couple days the growing Fosdic Sinkhole was surrounded by crime scene type tape to prevent anyone from sinking into the Fosdic Sinkhole.

Today I was surprised to see a crew filling the Fosdic Sinkhole.

What fortuitous timing, on my part, to happen to be in Oakland Lake Park right when this operation was underway.

Now, I am no Sinkhole Engineer, but, as a rank amateur, as far as the Science of Sinkholes goes, I think one should find out what is causing a sinkhole, rather than simply filling the hole with dirt. That just seems sort of common sensical.

It will be interesting to see if the Fosdic Sinkhole now reappears. I will try and closely monitor the sinking situation.

Today while I was walking around Fosdic Lake I noticed several trees have had white buds spring out on them.

The picture I took of the buds does not do justice to how cool and sort of otherworldly the white buds looked.

Even though we chilled to around 20 last night here in North Texas, apparently some trees are somehow getting the message that spring will soon be here and it is time to start sending out some new growth.

I hope further freezing does not nip this budding trend in the bud.

Saturday January 22 Is The First Tandy Hills Brush Bash Of 2011

Tomorrow Mother Nature will be providing some extreme air conditioning to the Tandy Hills to help facilitate a lot of brush bashing without causing the brush bashers to overheat on the 3rd Annual Tandy Hills Brush Bash.

Below is the latest Brush Bash Memo from the #1 Brush Basher, Don Young....

Greetings, Prairie Keepers, Nature Mystics and Grass Huggers-

Grab you gloves and jump into your boots. Saturday is our big day of the year to fulfill our stated mission at the Tandy Hills prairie, in situ. The weather forecast calls for blue sky and chilly temps, perfect conditions for brush-bashing. Wear layers. You'll shed them quickly. 

Green Mountain Energy is providing coffee and donuts for the volunteers. Hot tea and cocoa will also be available. Green Mountain will also donate $20. to Friends of Tandy Hills NA for every new account they sign up at Brush Bash. The only energy cleaner than Green Mountain is the kind you will burn bashing brush.

> > > BTW: You are welcome to take home any wood that has been cut. There is Ash, Mesquite, Hackberry and Eastern Red Cedar cut and ready for you. Bring your garden carts, wheel barrows and wagons. 

See you Saturday morning!

DY

20 Degrees In North Texas Thinking About It Being 50 Years Since JFK's Inauguration

That is one icy view looking out my viewing window this morning.

20 degrees.

A totally clear, blue sky and 20 degrees. I will not be going swimming this morning.

But, I will need to find something to do today that is aerobically stimulating because endorphin withdrawal is making me cranky and slightly headachy.

Being an addict is such a burden.

On a totally non-temperature related subject, today is the 50th Anniversary of John F. Kennedy's Inauguration. It seems like only yesterday JFK told America that the torch had been passed to a new generation, saying, among many other things, that "civility is not a sign of weakness," and the more remembered, "Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country."

Typing "JFK" caused me to think it's been a long time since we've had a President to whom we referred to by his initials. Methinks "LBJ" was the last one.

Switching from JFK and LBJ to a totally different subject.

For months now my various blogs have been inundated with increasingly weird, nonsensical comments. Strange gibberish things written as if by someone for whom English is a totally foreign language.

A mild example of what I'm talking about......

Excellent blog! I genuinely passion how it's acquiescent on my eyes as grammatically as the info are ooze written. I am wondering how I may be notified whenever a different record has been made. I own subscribed to your rss maintain which should do the dodge! Get a nice daytime!

Why would anyone go to the bother of making such a comment? And to what purpose? It is very perplexing.

It Is Feeling Like 17 Degrees This Windy Thursday Morning In North Texas

 I was a little surprised this morning when I stepped outside to take a picture of the view through the bars of my prison cell patio to find water falling from the sky.

Water falling and wind blowing.

As in a heavy wind blowing, so much so that the current temperature of 34 degrees, with the Wind Chill Factor, supposedly causing a Real Feel of  17.

It did feel cold out there taking a picture with the wind blowing rain on me.

I did not realize we were scheduled to have a return to be frozen with the low today possibly getting as cold as 21.

The Nation Weather Service has issued one of its Severe Weather Alerts in shouting mode, as in ALL CAPITALS. Below is a screencap of the current cold conditions and the forecast for my zone of Texas and below that is the National Weather Service shouting a Severe Weather Alert at you.

...WINTERY PRECIPITATION POSSIBLE ACROSS THE NORTHERN HALF OF NORTH TEXAS TODAY...

A STRONG COLD FRONT IS MOVING SOUTHEAST ACROSS NORTH TEXAS THIS MORNING. THIS FRONT WILL MOVE INTO SOUTHEAST TEXAS THIS AFTERNOON. NORTHERLY WINDS OF 15 TO 25 MPH WITH GUSTS OVER 30 MPH ARE EXPECTED TODAY BEHIND THE FRONT WHICH WILL USHER IN MUCH COLDER AIR. THERE IS A CHANCE OF LIGHT RAIN ACROSS MOST OF NORTH TEXAS THIS MORNING...WITH PRECIPITATION CONTINUING INTO THE AFTERNOON ALONG AND EAST OF THE I-35 CORRIDOR. AS TEMPERATURES FALL BELOW FREEZING...THE RAIN WILL CHANGE OVER TO LIGHT FREEZING RAIN OR FREEZING DRIZZLE ALONG AND NORTH OF THE I-20 CORRIDOR. THE PRECIPITATION MAY MIX WITH OR CHANGE OVER TO SLEET OR SNOW ALONG AND EAST OF A BONHAM TO CANTON LINE THIS AFTERNOON. AT THIS TIME...IT APPEARS THAT THE PRECIPITATION WILL BE LIGHT SO NO ADVISORIES ARE BEING ISSUED. SOME LIGHT ICING IS POSSIBLE...ESPECIALLY ON ELEVATED SURFACES. AREAS NORTHEAST OF A SHERMAN TO EMORY LINE APPEAR TO HAVE THE GREATEST THREAT OF HAVING SOME TRAVEL IMPACTS...AND A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY MAY BE NEEDED THIS AFTERNOON IF THE PRECIPITATION IS A LITTLE HEAVIER THAN IS CURRENTLY FORECAST.

RESIDENTS ACROSS NORTH TEXAS SHOULD MONITOR THE WEATHER CLOSELY TODAY FOR THE LATEST UPDATES ON THIS POTENTIAL WINTRY WEATHER EVENT.

If The Chicago Bears Get In The Super Bowl President Obama Plans To Be In Arlington Watching

I learned today that if the Chicago Bears get in the Super Bowl, that President Obama plans to attend.

How does that work?

Does he pay the $2,000 that other people pay for a ticket? How many people are in the Presidential Entourage? Several dozen?

How is room found for the President and all who accompany him to a game that will be sold out?

Will room for President Obama be found in the Party Pass area?

Now, if I were currently President, during these very trouble economic times, I am 100% certain I would not be wasting taxpayer money flying Air Force One to D/FW International Airport to take the Presidential Limousine to the Cowboy Stadium in Arlington.

My 100% certainty that I would not do this has nothing to do with me not being much of a football fan, it would have 100% to do with the fact that I would not want to be seen so frivolously wasting money at a time of record breaking deficits.

I like President Obama. Not as much as I did when I voted for him though. I have thought more than a time or two that he seems to enjoy the perks of office more than what would seem seemly to me in the current era.

I am likely being thoroughly wrong-headed about this and will thoroughly deserve being chastised for my wrong-headedness.

Looking At The Envy Of The Nation From On Top Of Mount Tandy Thinking Good God This Town Has An Idiot For A Mayor

I was not able to get outside for any salubrious walking until after 4 this afternoon. I decided to go to the Tandy Hills, even though I was fairly certain the trails would not be dried out, I figured I could do some cross-prairie hiking.

I figured right.

In the picture you are looking west across the prairie on top of Mount Tandy. In the distance you can see the stunning skyline of beautiful downtown Fort Worth, you know that town that recently became the Envy of the Nation because a school in the town won the Rose Bowl.

I learned this morning that in the same batch of utterings where Fort Worth's Moron Mayor, Mike Moncrief, told the people listening to him, at a celebration for TCU's Rose Bowl win, that that win made Fort Worth the Envy of the Nation, that additionally, apparently, the mentally challenged mayor also spewed out some profanity that offended the delicate sensibilities of some of the Texas Christian University Christians in the crowd.

I do not know what exactly the mayor said, but whatever it was, some considered it to be a case of taking the  Good Lord's name in vain.

Am I the only person in this town who thinks Fort Worth would be well rid of this sad excuse for a mayor? I've given up on the idea that the dishonorable mayor is ever going to get in any trouble for his conflicts of interest violations, making millions from the gas drillers operating in his town.

Maybe with Fort Worth being part of the Buckle of the Bible Belt, the dishonored mayor will be run out of town for taking the Lord's name in vain. In these parts this may be a worse crime than making big bucks violating conflicts of interest laws.