Monday Musings...

And it looks to be a warmer morning for the month of September.
We're going to have a mini-heatwave for the next several days, with a cool-down expected around Thursday. The high today will get back into the 80s, and the prerequisite humidity won't be that far behind.
In the meantime, let's keep the A/C on standby, top off our morning beverage, and take a look at what else has been going on.
*** First out the door today...I can honestly say I feel SO much better than I did this same time last week.
In fact, I've been feeling pretty good for someone that actually WANTED to go to the hospital a week ago. Haven't needed any pain meds for DAYS, either.

Every day is a new opportunity.

Maybe it's positive thinking, or divine intervention, or even the meds...perhaps a combination of ALL THREE.
I do know that God's ear has been bent by me of late...lol
Hey, I believe in healing power of the Almighty...much better than believing in little or nothing.
I have my appetite back, full range of motion (again), and I've been sleeping quite well, and for me (in this part of the ghettohood), that's no EASY feat.
I'm hoping that things continue to bode well in this regard.
*** Thankfully, the "natives" have not been AS restless as usual...must be the recharged EBT cards that are the guilty party there.

Seems whenever the time comes when their taxpayer-sponsored "government-funding" runs low, they get antsy and cause seven kinds of crap all over the place.
And that brings me to a somewhat related story about the free and reduced lunch programs in our schools in Indiana.
I saw on the news that SEVENTY-TWO PERCENT (that's 72%) of all students are on SOME kind of free or reduced lunch gig...
That's up from a mere 27% less than a decade or so ago.
((..."WTF???"...))

Yeah, I was kind of amazed to hear that...exactly WHEN did everyone suddenly get too poor (or too lazy) to provide a basic lunch for their children?
(and I won't EVEN get into the breakfast gig...I have in the past)
Being able to procure the essentials for ANY type of school lunch for a family with any number of children is too damn easy. But, it does require a bit of WORK.

Looks "yummy"...in a Michelle (Obama) way.

Funny, 72% of the population is NOT considered "poor"...that number isn't even close to FORTY PERCENT.
So, why the high numbers?
Here's a story that spells things out:
http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20130908/LOCAL04/309089934/0/SEARCH
I can understand that no one tracks INCOME levels, and that would account for the possibility of rampant fraud.
But, if a child lives in a NICE area, one could deduce that eligibility for free OR reduced lunch might be stretching it a bit too far.

And yes, someone DOES pay the freight.

Yet once again, we have this LACK of accountability, but there is something else at work here...
The STATE receives federal FUNDING according to how many are ON this program, and if Indiana decides to investigate those getting the freebies who don't DESERVE them, it could hit the state in it's "hip-national bank".
I suppose the question becomes clear.

Does Indiana do the RIGHT thing at the cost of federal funds, OR does it turn a blind eye and allow fraud to abound (as it has in other cities)?
Parents do not realize the control the feds already have upon their children in schools, and if they're not careful, these kids won't belong to anyone BUT the government...and we cannot have that in a FREE and democratic republic...can we?
Moving on...
*** The Hoosierian SAGA OF BEOROOF is drawing to a close (hallelujah)!

The roofers were here on Saturday to attempt to finish the job, and one fellow is expected back today for the completion. The thing that hampered them Saturday was a compressor that did not want to work, and we tried a lot of outlets at our house, so it wasn't OUR electricity that caused the issue.
That meant they had to drive nails BY HAND...all day (Horrors!)
Wait, isn't that the way is USED to be done?
Guess this is another case of relying too much on technology when the basics work AS well...and usually ALL the damn time.
The roof DOES look good, and the new vents and flashing are well constructed. They even color-coded our waste pipe and the bathroom vent.

We are so close to being 100% complete...and I (for one) will be relieved when it IS finished.
I'm sure this will raise the property value...(ROFLMAO -yeah right)...
In THIS area, it would be temporary, if that, and certainly not raise the value THAT much, in comparison to the COST we had to put out.
But, that's what happens in blighted areas...anything YOU do never comes close to anything appreciable.

The gross output of cash for renovations or repairs never nets you anywhere close to breaking even.
But there IS still a thing called...GOOD STEWARDSHIP...and we like to practice that under OUR roof.
Stay tuned for the (hopeful) conclusion of this saga...coming to a laptop near you.
*** Lastly today, ..."When you FEEL good...you DO good".
George St, Pierre once said that.
That is an axiom that I've come to embrace over the years, and especially this past week.
So this past weekend, The lovely Mrs' Bobby G. and myself tackled planting some MUMS to replace the plants out front that we lost in the roof repair.
And when they fully bloom, I'll be getting some pictures for you.

A good THREE inches across.

We were not totally devoid of activity, though...
We saw a sphinx moth and a hummingbird decided to grace us (again) with it's presence.
It won't be long before they begin their migration BACK to S. America. Now THOSE types of "illegals" we can DEAL with...same for monarch butterflies...LOL.

We do plan to get more mums and stick them out front...kind of a "mum-fest" as it were for Autumn.
And the colors they come in add to the change of seaon nicely.
((...CAUTION - Gardening Alert - You may learn something!...))
Now, I didn't take notice about which TYPE of mums we initially purchased, and that can be important.
If you buy a HARDY or "garden" mum, they stand a good chance of coming back NEXT year (as we have several in the side garden that have done just that). But, if you purchase a floral or "pot" mum, it doesn't mean you can SMOKE it...rather it's an ANNUAL variety and in all likelihood will not survive the Winter.

I WISH we had THIS bunch of mums...!

"Dems da breaks", as we used to say in S. Philly.
But, if the mums we currently have out front die off, that makes room for new plants NEXT Spring.
Of course, with this lack of rainfall, the ground is damn near like CONCRETE...and that means a LOT of water is required for the plants, otherwise you inhibit root growth...amazing what a city boy like me has managed to learn over the years in Hoosierland.
When I was outside, it didn't even feel like I was hospitalized last week...AT ALL.
In fact, I sat out on the patio last night, watching the stars, taking in the sounds of crickets (we had few boomcars and THAT was astounding), and enjoying life itself. I wasn't about to start hugging any trees or sing Kumbaya, but there was one JOURNEY song that came to mind...
Don't Stop Believing.
And you know what? I don't think I will.
Do have yourselves a great week.

Be well, make a difference to someone, and...
Stay SAFE out there, America.