Monday Musings...

If you think we're done with the rain we had this weekend...well, you might find yourself getting wet again.
later today, we're supposed to get some more showers...BUT...it will signal a bit of a cool-down for our part of the Midwest.
The rest of our Hoosierland weather will have us enjoying a much milder high of around 73 degrees. And that sure beats that mere 5 degrees warmer when you're outside doing yard work.
Partly to mostly skies flow right along in anticipation of the rain, an a mild breeze to "soften the blow".
So, why not pour a nice cup or glass of your favorite morning beverage and together, we'll see what this old world is doing.
*** First out of the flowerbed is our "What the hell happens today, Bob?" feature:
May 11 - 
---Today is EAT WHAT YOU WANT DAY.

Uh, don't most of us pretty much DO that already?
Sine we can't always GET what we want, there are contingencies for this, right?
---It's also TWILIGHT ZONE DAY.

LOL...that is EVERY freaking day where WE live...trust me!
Seriously, it DOES represent much to do with the classic television show, and here's the proof:
https://www.daysoftheyear.com/days/twilight-zone-day/

NOOOOOoooooooo

And, the site even tells you how to "celebrate" this day...aside from driving through OUR part of the ghettohood...lol.
Moving on...
*** This is the start to NATIONAL POLICE WEEK in our nation, and considering what transpired down in Mississippi earlier this past weekend, sure sets a somber tone for the entire week.

In case you missed this (and the lame-stream media could not HELP but carry the story) here's a link to one of many sources that have followed the tragic event:
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2015/05/10/2-mississippi-police-officers-dead-after-shootings-coroner-says/
The video on the site paints a dark picture of society's evil-doers.
A "routine" traffic stop (of a speeding gold Cadillac Escalade), then two officer ginned down, their cruiser stolen, and two perps in the wind...but not for long.
Both officer's died at hospital, and the shooter and his partner (brothers at that) were taken into custody within several hours afterward.
The charges against three black perps (a woman was also charged) are numerous, and says much as to the so-called efficacy of our (in) justice system..
Both of the thugs should have already been IN JAIL...where they belong, and not out in society, where they can continue to create murder and mayhem.
I would like to see the death penalty given to these animals, and NOT "death by old age".

Fallen officers Dean and Tate

--- You never want to start a week of commemoration by having to attend the funeral of a fallen "brother", but life can be cruel that way.
Two officers murdered, one decorated and a member of the K-9 unit and the other a recent graduate from the academy, who was so proud to be a police officer...unable to spend a Mother's Day with their mom...unable to be there for their family, and certainly no longer able to protect the community they chose to serve.
I ask WHERE is the justice HERE?

It often seems that lady justice takes impromptu holidays from the masses, and in her stead is some impostor, who flaunts another form of justice...that which results in parts of cities being burned down, wholesale looting, riots, and the typical behavior from the uneducated, and unproductive among us That is not the way a civilized society should ever conduct itself.
My prayers and heartfelt condolences go out to the families of both officers, as well as their "extended" families of brothers and sisters in blue.
*** Next up, and more on the lighter side (lest I totally lose my cool over the situation in MS), Wifey had gotten some flowers last week on her way home.

THAT is a lot of posies!

Well, we couldn't let that stand alone, so this weekend, after grocery shopping, we stopped at Broadview Nursery along Winchester Rd, and got us a BUNCH of stuff.
It's amazing how EASY it is to spend money at a nursery...almost as easy as at a toy store or gun shop for me...lol.
(not necessarily a good thing from a frugality standpoint)
But, it is a rewarding experience.
 Nice to see more COLOR around the patio, garden, and house.
After all the gray (and white) of Winter, it's a pleasure to see bursts of color about, and this is in addition to all the yearly "surprises" the garden and flower beds have in store for us.

Where the hell did YOU guys come from?

We actually have some lilies-of-the-valley coming up, and neither of us planted any, nor did we have any around LAST year.
The peonies are budding, too, and that means some great fragrances there pretty soon.
And some columbines have started to bloom...again  showing up in places they were not located in last season.
Wifey was busy with planting flowers in the hanging pots as well as all the ground ones, like those two "wooden barrel planters" we have.
It sure is sad to not have other locales to get the plants, though.
We have Menards, Walmart, Broadview and Do-It-Best, which seems like a lot, but most places tend to carry a lot of the same stuff.
We prefer to mix things up with out of the ordinary flowers and plants.

Ooh, look at the COLORS

We lost our K-Mart (they had a great garden department and good prices) a Franks Nursery closed before 2000, and that was another good place to get all kinds of plants and flowers...even shrubs.
Since we seem to be the ONLY people in our immediate area that even BOTHER to plant items around the house (others tend to stash things, most of them illegal...lol), we tend to be the "curiosity" in the ghettohood.
Time was, we were just another household making their property look nicer every season, and many times, we were NOT the showcase of our block.
We had neighbors down the street that would put us to shame...without trying...they were that good at growing ALL sorts of things, including vegetables.
Hell, I can barely get some tomatoes and peppers going on, but the ATTEMPT of doing so is worth it, no matter the yield.
So, we will again try to make our place a bit more like paradise, while all around us, there are fields of dandelions.
*** Last back to the garden center... having come from Philadelphia, where my exposure to plants was whatever mom chose to put in the window (never edible), or what our teachers had in THEIR windows at school, I would have never guessed that I would be up to my elbows in DIRT.
As a child in parts of my city, we didn't HAVE proper dirt - you had to go to a PARK to see some...LOL!

If you need a mower, it's BIG.

Ditto for grass and trees. All we had were sidewalks...lots of them.
Maybe a neighbor would have a few plants in their extremely small backyard (think a space about the size of a jail cell...with no ceiling...heh.
That was a row-home, such as they were back then.
Now, I've got damn near a "farm"...well, not compared to what YOU folks (really) have here, but it seems like it to me.
And I remember Nana and her house in Rhawnhurst part of Philly...they HAD lawns...REAL ones you had to MOW, and TREES...LOTS of them, with squirrels, and fish ponds and gardens...places you often dream about. It's not as nice or expansive as some of the vistas many of you enjoy, and that's fine.
What we have in our small slice of nature is humble, and that also, is fine.
In some ways, that dream has been realized for this city boy.
All I have to do is get over the "nightmare" of the current inhabitants (of the two-egged variety)
Like I say...a kinda love-hate relationship...but still appreciated...and taken care of.

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