Getting HOT With Elsie Hotpepper Today On The Tandy Hills

Elsie Hotpepper got back from Vegas on Mother's Day.

This morning Elsie called and asked if she could go hill hiking on the Tandy Hills with me today. And then out to lunch.

And so Elsie trailed the trails after me today, taking pictures.

The post-hike lunch at the Mexican Inn was okay. I am not a fan of their puffy chips. They remind me of Fritos.

It was HOT on the hills with Hotpepper today. It is currently a little after 3 and almost 90 degrees. Windows closed, A/C running, ceiling fan spinning.

Speaking of fans spinning. I think the fan on my computer may be acting up. This does not please me.

It's always something.

Looking At A New Art Installation On The Tandy Hills While Thinking About Dancing With Elsie Hotpepper & BBQ

I'm so sleepy. Last night I was so tired I was in bed by 9. Then up by 5 this morning. I'm drinking iced coffee right now, to try and de-sleepify myself. I don't usually drink any stimulants in the afternoon, due to the stimulator having a too over stimulating effect.

I don't think I over-did the hiking on the Tandy Hills thing today, to the point of exhaustion.

Speaking of the Tandy Hills.

Today, under the Tandy Bamboo Teepee, which survived the 2011 Prairie Fest, still fully erect, there was an artwork that had been installed directly under the apex of the teepee.

Several Lake Worth Alliance water bottles had been duct taped together, along with some other materials, like the piece of red plastic you see duct taped in the lower left part of the picture.

I am not sure what the Lake Worth Alliance is. Does drinking water actually come out of Lake Worth? Isn't that lake heavily silted. With alligators living in it? I believe I have watched boaters and water skiers on Lake Worth from the outdoor patio of The Point on Lake Worth.

I think the water flowing through Lake Worth is the West Fork branch of the Trinity River. Eventually the West Fork joins up with the Clear Fork at the location where young J.D. Granger hopes to build a little lake in his mama's honor, called Lake Kay Granger. Or Kay Granger Pond. Or Kay Granger Puddle.

I don't believe the final name for the little lake has yet been picked.

Tonight you may see me at Rahrs & Sons Brewing Company watching a movie, listening to music, dancing with Elsie Hotpepper, eating BBQ and staying away from any Rahr & Sons liquid products due to my suspicion it gives me the hives.

But, right now I'm going swimming and lounge in the sun for awhile to make my skin produce some Vitamin D.

A Fun Day At The Prairie Fest With Granny Grassroots, My Daughter Layla & Rahr's Brewery Product

As of about 6:30 it seems like Mother Nature has once again spared the Fort Worth Tandy Hills Prairie Fest from a weather disaster.

It was hot. It was humid. It was windy. But no afternoon t-storm arrived.

However, it does appear, as of 6:30, some weather action may be on its way.

This was the biggest Prairie Fest yet. I was very entertained, sitting in the TRIP booth, watching the passing humanity and trying to find Cathy Hirt.

Dozens of people were sporting Cathy Hirt I.D. tags. So, I'd politely inquire if that name tag wearer was Cathy Hirt. None were.

One or two people seemed to know who Durango Jones was, but other than that it was an afternoon of total anonymity for me.

I met a Texas Livewire who calls herself Granny Grassroots. That is Granny G with the black TRIP t-shirt in the picture. Granny Grassroots was with us in the TRIP booth for much of the afternoon.

Texas breeds some great characters. Granny Grassroots would be one.

Granny Grassroots has a website.

One of my favorite moments of the day came when some guy asked if I was Miss Layla Caraway's dad. I said I was and from that point on we had ourselves a few minutes of amusing entertainment.

Earlier in the day another dialogue had me either married to or marrying Ms. Caraway. Something about divorces was said. It was way too much dialogue coming at me way too fast to remember it all.

And then there were the Elsie Hotpepper inquiries. Why is there so much interest in Elsie Hotpepper? It is very perplexing.

Yes.

Elsie Hotpepper was at the Prairie Fest. I said hello as Elsie passed by on her way to the Rahr's Brewery Exhibit.

Can you find Elsie Hotpepper in the picture?

Speaking of Rahr's Brewery. At some point in the afternoon a pair of guys showed up slurping on Rahr's Brewery product. I said something to one of the guys that caused him to spill his Rahr's Brewery product. This then somehow led to him giving me and Ms. Caraway coupons for some Rahr's Brewery product.

All in all, I had myself my funnest time yet at the Prairie Fest.

Til the end.

When the White Knight and Robin showed up for the dismantling part of the day. That turned in to a bit of a boondoggle. A boondoggle that I still managed to somehow find somewhat amusing and entertaining.

Come the 2012 Prairie Fest, I am going to take a much more active role in any part I am part of. No more black t-shirts is all I can say about that. And no duct tape. Or leaky pens. Or shortage of printed material.

I just got a call from Elsie Hotpepper, asking if I want to go saloon hopping. No. I am tired. I am in for the night.

Hiking The Tandy Hills With New Wildflowers Thinking About Steamy Pools & Elsie Hotpepper Laughing Til She Cries

With 11 days to go til the 2011 Prairie Fest the Tandy Hills is starting to become a bit more colorful.

Better a late bloomer than a no bloomer.

This year I must try to be at the Prairie Fest when my favorite Fort Worth band, Triggerfish, is playing.

My noon inspection of the Tandy Hills found the trails dried out, for the most part. The rain seems to have caused some new blooms to sprout for the first time this year, like the yellow and orange wildflower you see in the picture.

Changing the subject to my other regular subject, that being my morning swim.

Well, this morning's swim was odd. The air was heated to 50. The water in the pool was at a temperature level of a heat differential significant enough to cause vapor to rise from the water, like what happens when the air is freezing. This seemed strange to me.

Changing the subject again to one of my other regular subjects, Miss Puerto Rico. Tomorrow she returns to her home island, which means I begin cat sitting duty.

Cat sitting duty is a boring subject, so let's change the subject to another of my regular subjects, Elsie Hotpepper.

This morning Elsie sent me an email that said....

I don't know if it's as funny to you since you don't text but you have to check out the site damnyouautocorrect.com. It made me laugh til I cried. It happens to all of us...

Do people really do that? Laugh til they cry? I don't think I've ever laughed til I cried. But I really don't do all that much laughing or crying. Maybe if I laughed more I'd cry more. I am emotionally stilted.

My therapist, Dr. L.C., is working on my emotional stiltedness. We are not making much progress.

I think I'll go for an afternoon swim in the steamy pool and see if I can force myself to laugh til I cry.

On The Tandy Hills With A Gorilla & No Answers Blowing In The Wind

That is today's new Tandy Hills wildflower you're looking at on the left.

I was late to the hills today, due to a lot of distractions.

When I don't get my usual aerobic stimulation and its resultant endorphin fix, I get cranky.

Today Elsie Hotpepper sent me an invitation to go saloon hopping next Wednesday. Saloon hopping in the middle of the week seems borderline decadent to me.

The Paradise Center Scandal continues to astonish me with the amount of comments and level of vitriol. The people commenting who associate themselves with the MHMR-TC agency come across as so incredibly dumb, logic and grammar challenged.

While the proponents of the Paradise Center sound so reasonable.

Today one of the dumb Anonymous MHMR-TC con comments had a double-negative that rendered it amusing, meaning the opposite of what the commenter intended. I'll go see if I can find the double-negative sentence.

Okay, there have been a lot of comments from Anonymous today along the theme that MHMR is moving on and will no longer be commenting on the Paradise Center issue.

Anonymous said, "Well, Folks the Grownups are not feeling a need to no longer speak with you."

Not feeling a need to no longer speak? Which means you are now feeling a need to speak.

Anyway, it's been a day. Started off good with a nice soothing swim.

Driving back from the Tandy Hills I saw something on top of my neighborhood Firestone store, next to my neighborhood Chevron that appeared to be a perfect visual metaphor for the MHMR Bullycrat thugs.

A big gorilla waving a shark in the air.

I have no idea why the big gorilla is there. Or how it got the shark. But it sure looked weird blowing in the wind.

I wish there was an answer blowing in the wind to all that perplexes me.

But there isn't. Windows open. Wind blowing. No answers.

Looking At The Tandy Hills Periwinkles Thinking About The Paradise Center Scandal, Jesse James & Elsie Hotpepper's Murderous Worrying

I saw several new wildflowers for the first time this wildflower season, starting to work at coloring up the Tandy Hills.

I believe the blue wildflowers I saw today are known as periwinkles.

The Hills needs to amp up its coloring operation because it is one month to go til the 2011 Prairie Fest.

Hiking the Tandy Hills at noon today was overcast and windy, just like yesterday.

And now, just like yesterday, a couple hours later blue sky returns.

The Paradise Center Scandal, also known as MHMR-Gate, keeps giving me blogging fodder.

Go to today's blogging on The Paradise Center Scandal Blog to read an interesting email from the man who has been behind all the Paradise Center woes, Jim McDermott.

I just got email from Doug Bigelow asking for my assistance in finding out if a relative of his, Charlie Bigelow, might have been a Jesse James alias.

It's always something and it's usually perplexing.

Meanwhile, Elsie Hotpepper wants to know who I murdered in my nightmare. I don't really know. But I am fairly certain the victim was not Elsie Hotpepper.

The Headless Shadow Of The Skinny Dipping Texas Thin Man Up Early The Third Saturday Of March Thinking About Getting Fat

It is 65 this 3rd Saturday of March at a little past 7. I have the ceiling fan spinning and the windows open. Birds are making an awful racket out there, announcing the arrival of the sun.

I intend to have myself a very long swim this morning.

This morning I learned that the people of Tarrant County are too fat. Shocking news.

In something called the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System Project, Tarrant County Public Health found that 66 percent of Tarrant County adults are overweight or obese.

I don't know why the county had to go to the bother of conducting some big surveillance project to figure out this is one fat county.

Just park yourself at any random Tarrant County Wal-Mart and count 100 people and you will likely come close to 66% (or more) appearing to be grossly overweight.

I remember the last time I drove myself back to the Northwest. July of 2001. I crossed the border into Oregon at Ontario. That is a town in Oregon, not the Canadian province. I went in the Ontario Wal-Mart. I was immediately struck by the way it appeared the people had had the air let out of them.

That same people appearing deflated phenomenon occurred again when I flew to Seattle in February of 2004. I had not been back to the Northwest since July of 2002. So, that was over 2 years of seeing a lot of fat Texas people.

I got picked up at Sea-Tac and then brought to the Pioneer Square zone of Seattle to go to a gallery. I was struck even more than the time in Ontario, that it appeared the people had had the air let out of them.

There are way way way too many balloon people in Tarrant County.

Change of subject.

I also learned today that Fort Worth city officials are recommending that one of the victim's of the Rainbow Lounge Gestapo Raid lawsuit case be settled out of court by offering the head injury victim $400,000. The man was injured when Fort Worth staged a bizarre Stormtrooper like raid on the Rainbow Lounge, it being a newly opened gay bar. This Gestapo Raid caused Fort Worth international embarrassment.

For, I think, the second. Or third. Time that year.

Change of subject again.

I've not heard from Elsie Hotpepper in awhile. And then this morning I get an email in which Elsie asks, "You have been quieter than usual, I am not the only one who thinks so...are you ok?"

Now, that is just bizarre. How have I been quiet? It is Elsie who has been quiet.

I tell you, sometimes some people just perplex me.

Which makes me want to go swimming. Right now.

Calling Honey Lulu While Walking With Cbonesmom In Veterans Park & Hearing Lame Excuses From Elsie Hotpepper

Today I wanted to go to ALDI in Pantego. Veterans Park in Arlington is in the neighborhood, so I went there for a virtual walk with my sister, Cbonesmom, in Arizona.

By virtual walk, I mean I called and we talked while I walked.

I had a few questions to ask regarding my plans to go to Phoenix in April.

Cbonesmom is going to Tacoma for a few weeks in April to see my new nephews and niece, David Jay, Theodore Ryan and Ruby Jean. She said she can change her flight north so she can be in Arizona when I'm there. I'll just push off going to AZ so my sister doesn't have to change her plans.

Cbonesmom is my sister's email nickname. She is CJ and JR's mom. I've no idea what Cbones means. I don't think I've ever asked.

Before calling Cbonesmom I called Honey Lulu. Honey Lulu called me at midnight last night. I did not know this until I flipped my phone open this morning. I called Honey Lulu 12 hours after she called me. I got voice mail. Until a few months ago Honey Lulu lived on Oahu, where she regularly appeared on a TV show called LOST. Honey Lulu is now back on the mainland, having trouble adjusting to the cold Washington winter weather.

This morning Elsie Hotpepper called. Her excuse for not showing up at last night's TRIP event was that she forgot. And her phone was supposedly dead, which is why she was not reachable by phone. Elsie Hotpepper is so unimaginative with her excuses.

I need to call Elsie Hotpepper to tell her we are going to Finn MacCools next weekend to meet some Special Powers. Finn MacCools is a pub. I think they may serve alcoholic beverages there.

Driving around today it sure does not appear that people are cutting back on their driving due to the big jump in the price of gas. There were a lot of people having fun at Veterans Park. ALDI was real busy. Yesterday Town Talk was the busiest I've ever seen it. For the first time ever I had trouble finding a parking space.

I rarely get headaches. I have a slight one right now. I think it may be from spending too much time on the phone today. I don't like spending too much time on the phone.

I forgot to mention, though earlier today I said I would not be going swimming due to the temperature being below freezing, I later re-thought that and realized the water would be significantly warmer than the air. So, I managed about 15 minutes of swimming in water noticeably colder than it was yesterday.

And then I got in the hot tub.

The First Wildflowers Of 2011 Are Showing Their Colors In Fort Worth

Just this morning I mentioned that in less than a month it will be Spring. I did not say in less than a month it will be Spring and Texas will be putting on its annual wildflower show.

Today for my mid-day constitutional I went to Oakland Lake Park to walk around Fosdic Lake.

Upon arrival I was a bit surprised to see color carpeting the ground in blue and purple wildflowers. And some of those beautiful yellow wildflowers that someone at some point in time told me are called Dandelions.

The pleasantly high temperatures that followed our unpleasantly cold temperatures must have confused some confusable plants into thinking Spring had arrived. And so they woke up and turned on the color.

It is 63 right now, a little before 3. I don't know if it is being warm enough to wake up the cold-blooded reptiles. Like snakes. Where does a big reptile, like an alligator, go when it gets way below freezing?

Elsie Hotpepper called me soon upon my arrival at Oakland Lake Park. I'd gotten out my camera and had it turned on to take a picture of a deflated boat that had joined the collection of litter that trashes up Fosdic Lake.

I turned off the camera and turned my attention to Elsie Hotpepper. Elsie was driving down the freeway at a high rate of speed when she called. It sounded like she was on a motorcycle.

I just saw incoming email on the other screen. Stenotrophomonas says it was not he who demolished the Tandy Bamboo Teepee. I fear the mystery of the Tandy Bamboo Teepee is going to remain an unsolved mystery.

Climbing The Fort Worth Space Needle Atop Mount Tandy & Valentines Day Lunch With Elsie Hotpepper

You are looking at the Fort Worth Space Needle, high atop Mount Tandy on the east side of the Tandy Hills Natural Area, today, about an hour before noon.

When I drove up to the Mount Tandy summit I saw a lot of pickup trucks and men scurrying around the Space Needle.

A thin cable was running from about half way up the tower to a winch on the back of one of the pickups.

I wondered how that thin cable got half way up the tower. I watched for awhile to try and figure out what was being done.

Whatever those guys were doing it had several guys yelling back and forth in a storm of colorful cussing, the likes of which I'd not heard since the last time I talked to Elsie Hotpepper.

I gave up after about 5 minutes and took off hiking. The trails were a bit muddy in places. I prefer trails not to be muddy.

An hour or so later I was back under the Fort Worth Space Needle.

I've got to say, looking up at that thing makes me dizzy. I'm a bit of an acrophobe, even when I'm on the ground.

But, what I now saw, really made me dizzy, well, queasy.

Two guys, more than half way up the tower.

In the photo at the top, you can see where these guys were on the tower, by finding the black spots halfway up the tower. That would be them.

As I drove away I had no clue what these guys were risking life and limb to do. Whatever it was, it sure had them being a bit hot tempered.

Speaking of being a bit hot tempered. My Valentines Day lunch at Esperanza's, with Elsie Hotpepper, was fun. Absolutely no colorful cussing.

When Elsie got back to work she emailed asking how lunch was. I replied that I am out of practice for eating that much. To which Elsie replied, "Me too. And I am sleepy!!"

It's all those tortilla chips. And rice. And beans. That is way too much carbo-loading when you aren't used to it.

The Esperanza's Chile Cheese Relleno was really good today. I'd not had a Chile Cheese Relleno since way back in September of last year when I met the Scrabble Queen of Washington and her husband, JR, at Mercado Juarez for lunch.

When I lived in Washington my favorite Chile Cheese Relleno came from the restaurant closest to where I lived. Los Arcos. So named because it was in a building that shared space with an Arcos gas station. It was at this restaurant I learned to like pico de gallo and cilantro. Later the restaurant expanded to be a night club, with the owner soon indicted for some bad behavior, with Los Arcos being no more.

The Warm Shadow Of The Tandy Hills Thin Man Returns With Tootsie Tonasket & a Revolting Elsie Hotpepper

The Shadow of the Tandy Hills Thin Man returned today to the Tandy Hills.

Wearing no coat. Overdressed, with long pants on. It is currently 65, with my windows open, in formerly frigid Fort Worth.

And, according to the forecast, below, you can see we are heading into a week in the 70s. I suspect a dip in a swimming pool is in my future in the coming days.

This morning I sent a Facebook message to one of my Washington  Facebook Friends, Mrs. Dirtwash*, to make an inquiry regarding my favorite sister-in-law, who I'd not heard from in awhile. A short time later my favorite sister-in-law called.

We talked for an hour.

My favorite sister-in-law is technically my ex-sister-in-law, but the reality is, she really is the only sister-in-law I've ever had, in a meaningful way. I've not really known any of my brother's subsequent wives.

My favorite sister-in-law is my grand nephew, Spencer Jack's, grandma.

On the way to the Tandy Hills, Tootsie Tonasket called. I think I've mentioned previously that Tootsie Tonasket is a bit of a drama magnet, surrounded by small town soap opera antics.

It is a tossup between Tootsie Tonasket and Elsie Hotpepper who is the bigger Drama Queen.

Currently Elsie Hotpepper is very mad at me because she told me she needed a revolution. I then told Elsie something like you really don't wanna be any more revolting than you already are do you, so why would you need a revolution?

And that is the last I've heard from Elsie Hotpepper. And below you can see we are about to become almost as hot as a hotpepper...

*Some names on this blog are changed, slightly, to protect the identify of those who need their identities protected..

Still Icebound In Texas & Now Thinking Of Going Swimming With The Icicles

A long long time ago I used to be able to go swimming in what is now my ice pond. The fountain that spouts water into the pool has caused really big icicles to form.

I am really hoping that the icicles begin to melt tomorrow.

Right now it is the hottest it has been here in days. 19 degrees.

Snow is predicted to be possible from now until tomorrow.

Up in my old hometown in Washington, right now, it is 48 degrees. The Scrabble Queen of Washington is escaping those frigid Washington temperatures tomorrow by going to Hawaii.

Meanwhile down in Port Aransas, on the semi-tropical Texas Gulf Coast, Alma has had to give up her regular flip flops and put on real shoes due to it being 40 degrees in Port Aransas. Houston is scheduled to possibly get some snow. I have not heard if the snow is predicted to make it all the way to Alma.

Back here in the D/FW Metroplex the usually hot Elsie Hotpepper turns into Elsie Coolbean in this icy misery.  I've heard from Elsie erratically ever since we went into the DEEP FREEZE. Usually I have heard from Elsie Hotpepper several times by this time in the day. I hope she did not try and do some saloon hopping in these dire conditions and suffer some icy woe.

Al Gore has been in the news explaining how the worst winter weather in decades is just one more sign of Global Warming. I think I actually voted for him.

Finding Mutant Trees With Elsie Hotpepper Today Walking Around Fort Worth's Fosdic Lake

I got back here around 11 this morning, after walking all around the Dallas Cowboy Stadium to check out what the Super Bowl has done to that ultra-modern structure.

Well, it has been tarted up like a cheap one of those types that a big flashy billboard warns you not to employ, that you see when you exit I-30 to try and check out the stadium.

So, I got back here, feeling like I'd had done plenty of walking for the day, when I got a call from a forlorn Elsie Hotpepper.

My one longtime reader may remember of late I have turned down  a couple Hotpepper hike requests. And I also turned down last night's Hotpepper saloon hopping request.

When Elsie called me around noon, sounding forlorn, and asking if I would go walking again with her around Fosdic Lake, I figured I was already tired of walking, so doing the slow Elsie Hotpepper walking would not bug me too bad.

So, I went walking with Elsie Hotpepper today.

I'd noticed the tree at the edge of Fosdic Lake that you see above previously. But not til Elsie saw it and said it looked mutant did I wonder if it was. For years fish that live in Fosdic Lake have not been safe to eat.

It seems possible that a tree who's roots sucked its water from Fosdic Lake might grow up to be the mutant tree you see here.

Maybe I should be more agreeable to doing some more Elsie Hotpepper hiking. Apparently when you walk slow you see things you do not notice when you are moving fast.

I should have taken Elsie Hotpepper with me to check out the Super Bowl today. Who knows what she would have noticed that I didn't?

HOT Saturday Tandy Hills Hiking With The Queen Of Wink & Elsie Hotpepper Saloon Hopping While Betty Jo Bouvier Ponders Stripping For The Super Bowl

Due to the nature of my hiking attire worn today whilst hiking the hills of the Tandy Hills Natural Area you might guess it is warm in North Texas this last Saturday of the first month of 2011.

You would be guessing right. It is currently a balmy 76 degrees.

Until my phone holding arm started to go numb the Queen of Wink went hiking with me today.

The Queen of Wink has hiked on the Tandy Hills with me previously. The first time she got a bad case of the vapors and required hiking assistance.

I tell you, the details of what goes on in the Queen of Wink's Realm would give a prime-time TV Soap Opera plenty of material. Or just film the Queen of Wink 24 hours a day and you'd have yourselves something fit for Bravo TV.

The Real Housewife of Wink.

Separate from the Wink Soap Opera material the Queen of Wink may be heading for a visit to New York City due to her widespread reputation as a Sinkhole Expert.

I thought we long ago established Gar the Texan as the Go To Expert Guy for anything to do with sinkholes. I may be remembering wrong.

Before I took off from here to do some hill hiking I called Elsie Hotpepper to see if she wanted to enjoy the great outdoors with me.

She didn't.

But, Elsie asked me if I wanted to go saloon hopping with her tonight. I am not a very big fan of saloon hopping, so I politely declined.

Maybe a little saloon hopping with the Hotpepper would be good for what ails me. I don't know. What I do know, for sure, is the last time I went saloon hopping with Elsie Hotpepper it took me about a week to feel as if I was totally recovered.

And then there is Betty Jo Bouvier. I know she is known as the Wild Woman of Woolley, but, even so, her most recent question surprised me. Betty Jo asked me if it was true that the D/FW area is in need of 10,000 extra strippers for the Super Bowl. I asked if the reason she wanted to know this was she was thinking of flying in to earn some quick, easy money. To which Betty Jo replied, "It may be quick, but not easy."

I had no idea Betty Jo Bouvier did stripping as a sideline. I knew she was a Zumba dancer, though, which I guess must somehow lead to an interest in being a stripper.

I think maybe I need to close my windows. It feels like HOT air is blowing in here....

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.

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.

Martin Luther King Day With Blue Sky At Village Creek Thinking About An Unstoppable Woman, A Hotpepper & A Grammar Challenged Queen

You are looking at an impoundment of part of Village Creek, at least I think it is part of Village Creek, although the main branch of the creek is to the left of the water in the picture. This impoundment may have something to do with the system that puts water in to the cool canals of Interlochen.

But. What is really important about this picture is something else that is shows.

Can you see it?

Blue sky has returned to my zone of North Texas.

And it is almost 60 degrees.

I really was starting to suffer my first bout of SAD of this winter. If I remember correctly I had several bouts of Seasonally Affected Disorder last winter.

I never was a SAD sufferer when I lived in Western Washington. A place with way more SAD type days than North Texas has. I guess I had developed a tolerance for drippy, gray days when I was a Washingtonian and Texas has caused me to lose my immunity.

Texas has caused me to lose so many things.

I heard from my favorite Unstoppable Woman today. The Unstoppable Woman is just about my favorite person I ever worked with to make a website. So many people do not communicate well. The Unstoppable Woman knew exactly what she wanted and was able to explain exactly what she wanted. It made it all so easy.

My other favorite Unstoppable Woman, Elsie Hotpepper, well, it goes without saying you really can not stop the Hotpepper. Even if you are foolish enough to try. Anyway, Elsie is safely back from her long weekend of tropical island saloon hopping.

And then there is the Queen of Wink. Near as I can tell her Wink Realm is growing evermore chaotic. I am not even certain that the Queen is still the Queen and has not been replaced by a King, who is now keeping the former Queen prisoner in the Wink Tower.

I got the oddest message from the Queen of Wink this morning, going on about her grammar errors, which the Queen called grammatical errors, as she complained, out of nowhere, about me being a Grammar Bully. I don't even know what a Grammar Bully is, let alone how to be one. And then, in her message complaining about me being a Grammar Bully, the Queen made at least one rather bad grammar error. I'd point it out, but I don't want to be a bully.

So, there you go, my exciting Martin Luther King Day. So far.

Today's Brief Shadow Of The Tandy Hills Thin Man Thinking About Elsie Hotpepper, Betty Jo Bouvier & The Queen Of Wink Being Wild Women Tomorrow

As you can see by the length of the Shadow of the Tandy Hills Thin Man, I was semi-late to the Tandy Hills today. When I headed to the hills there was barely a hint of sun. When I started hiking the hills, no sun.

And then, for one brief moment the sun made one brief appearance. I whipped out my camera and was able to snap off one picture of the Shadow of the Tandy Hills Thin Man before the sun went away for the day.

I got an email from the Other Tandy Hills Thin Man, Don Young, today, with additional info about tomorrow's Tandy Hills Manly Men/Wild Women Hike, starting at 10 am from Tandy Hills Park on View Street. I will copy and paste the pertinent new info from DY, regarding tomorrow, in the following paragraph...

"Post-hike lunch for those inclined at the 8.0 Bar & Restaurant in Sundance Square. They have a moderately priced menu for all ages and tastes. Meet in the Octopus Room. Dutch treat. Come as you are. I guarantee you'll have an appetite."

I do not know if Elsie Hotpepper is bringing her particular brand of Wild Woman to the Tandy Hills tomorrow. Near as I can tell Elsie is currently, for some unfathomable reason, being a bit reluctant about any form of exhibitionism, including exhibiting her hiking skills in hill mode.

I am fairly certain that the Queen of Wink and Princess Annie will not be attending the 2nd Annual Manly Men/Wild Women Hike. Near as I can tell the Queen is undergoing some sort of existential crises in her West Texas realm that is manifesting itself in a lot of Facebook introspection and navel gazing.

I heard from Betty Jo Bouvier, this morning, she being the well known Wild Woman of Woolley, that she may be being a Tandy Hills Wild Woman tomorrow.

I can say this for certain. If Betty Jo Bouvier is on the Tandy Hills tomorrow, for the Manly Men/Wild Women Hike, I can 100% certain guarantee I will be there as well, previous plans be damned.

Late On The Tandy Hills Thinking About Zumba Dancing With Elsie Hotpepper

In the picture you are looking at the stunning skyline of beautiful downtown Fort Worth, late this afternoon, from the top of Mount Tandy.

This is the first time I've taken a picture of the stunning skyline of beautiful downtown Fort Worth since the loss of its 3 mile long Streetcar relegated Fort Worth to continue to linger beneath Top Tier City status.

Meanwhile Dallas got the federal public transit money that Fort Worth rejected. Which seems really unfair because Dallas is already a Top Tier City.

I was relieved when I arrived at the top of Mount Tandy today to find no randy Fort Worth cops engaged in any sort of illicit dalliance. Unlike yesterday.

The Randy Tandy Dalliance is what I've chosen to choose as the explanation for the two cop cars parked on top of Mount Tandy, and then scurrying like cockroaches in bright light upon my arrival, yesterday.

A mid-day doctor's visit is what had me late on the Tandy Hills today. Being late was a good thing. The temperature was in the 60s. Yesterday I wore shorts and a long sleeve t-shirt. Today the t-shirt was short sleeved. Perfect conditions. I hiked a long long time.

Elsie Hotpepper was perplexing me today with her detailed verbalization about being an exhibitionist. I don't know if this has anything to do with saloon hopping. Or what.

Carlotta Del Rio, she being one of The Real Housewives of Camano Island, tried to get me to be in San Antonio today. I had to tell her, no, I am stuck in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex at the present moment.

Carlotta and Betty Jo Bouvier have been intriguing me about the idea of doing the Zumba thing. When I found out today that Shakira's hips not lying is a popular part of Zumba, it enhanced the appeal.

I wonder if Elsie Hotpepper would be willing to Zumba instead of saloon hopping?

Standing On A Cliff Looking At The Shadow Of The Tandy Hills Thin Man

You are looking at the Shadow of the Tandy Hills Thin Man, with the shadow being cast on the base of the currently dry Tandy Falls, with the Thin Man standing on the escarpment over which the Tandy River flows, making Tandy Falls, when water is available.

I was last on the Tandy Hills on Tuesday. On that day it was warm and I was overdressed. Today it was not warm and I was almost underdressed, with only a long sleeve t-shirt on top. But it turned out to be just a bit chilly at the start. I soon warmed up.

Unlike this morning's quickly aborted attempt to go swimming. By the time I made it to the end of the pool it was clearly obvious that I needed to quickly make my way back to a warm place.

Usually that warm place would be the hot tub. But its thermostat is still in malfunction mode. The malfunction was discovered when the water was so hot one could have easily slow-cooked a turkey in there.

Speaking of hot. Someone Anonymous commented on a blogging on Tuesday about Elsie Hotpepper's Elf duties, commenting that Elsie was HOT. I shared this information with Elsie, who then said something like, "Too many people up to no good. I don't like it."

Some people just can't take a compliment. I guess HOT Elsie Hotpepper would be one of those people.