Ages Old Draft Clean Up

• "Persons should not consume any species of gar from these waters.
• For common carp, adults and children 12 and older should eat no more than two 8-ounce servings per month." TPWD site regarding fish consumption bans and advisories.
• Way ahead of you buddy and in fact I'll just say, zero, no ounce servings per lifetime..
• So dry and hot- saw a young raccoon drinking from the pond the other day in broad daylight.
• Richard Dale Morrison was the first person convicted under The Church Arson Prevention Act.
• Oh, and he also had the related sentence extended for 6 months as a result of assaulting John Walker Lindh (American Taliban) during his prayers in the prison chapel.
• Tried to pacify Zac by setting him up with a game controller while big bubba actually played. He didn't fall for it. I mean literally- he looked at me like I was crazy.

Wednesday's Digressions

This track from the wily and elusive whitetail deer is from a deer that  I promise is not as big as his track might fool you into thinking- it was distorted by the mud.

Somebody is getting miffed at my photographical antics.

Need more lens! A majestic prairie dog stands guard.

A neat self contained set up. The tank being set in the ground allows the bison to drink more naturally .

Left to see dirty rodents and acorns

You could plainly see where the deer who slipped and slid up this small incline changed direction on the run and wheeled  left into the brush. The tracks were only hours old. Hikers out earlier than us probably spooked and barely missed seeing him.

Erosion is a big problem on the Fort Worth Nature Center trails

• Kate Bush Army Dreamers
• If your shopping and the person with you or the voice in your head says, Sure, we have plenty! to the question of, do we have toilet paper, paper towels or trash bags (choose one or all 3) don't take their word for it and buy 1 of each. They never go bad and you'll always need them.
• When I see a theoretical physicist in an interview style interaction on a documentary talking about the Big Bang I feel like I'm talking to a member of a religion other than my own that I suspect is actually a cult- however benign and whatever good points they may have in some ways.
• An odd flashback from day before yesterday I'm still trying to sort out: Years ago (probably dangerously close to 20) my buddy and I were out in West Texas shooting our guns. I set a grapefruit sized rock on top of another and using his .223 shot it from about 40-50 feet. It exploded with a loud bang and pieces of it whizzed and cracked by heads sounding for all the world like close calls from rifle fire being directed at us. I have no answer for what caused it but it was attention getting enough he still occasionally randomly says, Do you remember that time you shot that rock...? I had shot a gazillion rocks before that day. Normally, they just disintegrate and fall around where the rock started and some sometimes pieces might spray out in a fan downrange but that thing literally exploded.
• The ENO hammock shelter came in day before yesterday. It looks good and seems lighter than the reported weight. We may or may not go out tonight and use it. We also received the compasses I ordered. My Silva Trekker looks and feel really good. With a brief search I couldn't find orienteering maps for the places we frequent but they're bound to be out there. I am no doubt rusty but being able to navigate cross country with a map and compass is a very satisfying feeling. I started Zac with just looking for North with his compass. He kept it around his neck and periodically stopped and check it. He would then confidently point a direct out and say, That way is North.
• We saw two black headed vultures eating a whitetail buck. It was a cool sight but man I wish I would have had more lens.
• That country music singer lady Mindy McCready apparently killed herself. I hope no one is surprised. Besides the fact she was being investigated for killing a boyfriend she always looked incredibly sad and troubled- like she carried the weight of the world on her shoulders.

From The Field

click to enlargenate AND have one more reason to not swim in the Trinity River.
These exclusive images of an elusive giant alligator gar sunning on the surface of the Trinity River were captured by cell phone from an undisclosed downtown Fort Worth TX hi rise office building. Witnesses describe the beast as a "monster" and "at least six feet long". Back to you Barry.

Mondays Missives

• Me, Z man and the dog attempted to sleep outside last night on the trampoline. Z was a little apprehensive at first but, he played with the flashlight a minute, handed it off to me, turned onto his side, sighed real big and went to sleep. All was well until some animal down near the pond started screaming bloody murder just as I was dozing off. A little while later a coyote started howling within 50-100 feet of us which startled me and set the dog off. About midnight I'd had enough wildness and we came inside.




• I know a baby is supposed to sleep on their backs with nothing in the bed that can cover their faces or wrap around their neck. I also know part of the job of a parent is to protect your children from themselves sometimes but, since Z man could first move on his own as soon as he is covered for sleep he grabs the blanket, pulls it over his own face and rolls over on his side- seems so natural for him.




• We went to the pond yesterday and started a fire camp- (daughters terminology) and listened to her read her assignment. I hope things like that mean as much to her and are as unforgettable to her as they are to me.




• She and I had a picnic there a couple of weeks ago, she still talks about it often.




• The pond had fish in it two days after the rain. I don't know how, there is nothing upstream and the guys who have stocked it before didn't put them there. There are also tiny toads there now that metamorphosed since the pond refilled everywhere. Life will find a way.




• Soon will be the time to clean out the flowerbeds for winter and figure out what to do with the leaves on the ground. A simple compost method. Get a 55 gallon barrel (metal or plastic, whatever your local junk dealer carries) preferably one with a hoop clamp at the top and cut the bottom off and place it in full sun after painting it flat black. Have a circular piece of wood, plastic or metal (the bottom piece you cut out of the barrel will work fine) cut small enough to fit down in top opening to mush down the leaves and whatever. Drill a few equally spaced holes on the side of the barrel to improve ventilation. As you put organic matter in the barrel wet it down well, place the round piece of material on top, put a cement block etc on for weight to compact for placing more matter remove when through filling to improve airflow. You'll want two of these barrels if you have a yard anywhere near an acre, large flowerbed, or trees etc. There's not a lot of mystery to this in spite of recipes and contraptions that seem determined to complicate this process. A variation of the above composter will in direct sun in North Central Texas heat the material placed in it too hot to touch and will reduce a surprising amount of matter very rapidly if watered well and stirred up occasionally. When ready to use the barrel can be rolled off the compost to allow handling there at the site or flipped completely over and placed on a handtruck to allow it to be carried to where it's needed.




• I just realized I've never seen a live comedy show. That should be corrected if Zack Galifiniakis appears in DFW.

Smallmouth Bass

Very decent fish before pond dried up- such a waste, although I'm sure the racoons and buzzards would argue that point. You can't see it but, she was protecting a nest.