Friday Follies...

And, it looks like we have a fantastic start to the weekend with a nice sunrise, comfortable temps, and the birds are about the only sounds out there right now.
Doesn't even seem like the screwed up mess we call planet earth right now, but I'm sure that will change soon enough.
Our Hoosierland weather has us again enjoying a moderate summer day, with our high reaching around the 80 degree mark, a few clouds in the skies, slight breezes, and that's about it.
Yep, not bad at all (until someone comes along and f$cks it all up).
So, let's all get our cup or glass of Friday Fortitude poured and parked nearby, as we see what is going on in some other places.
*** First out of the bird feeder is our "What the hell happens today, Bob?" feature:
August 7 -
---Today is NATIONAL LIGHT HOUSE DAY

(not known to be a "biggie" in OUR state...OR Kansas)
---It's also PURPLE HEART DAY

And, if you want the backstory to the military award, here's the WIKI:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purple_Heart
Also, the "official" website:
http://www.purpleheart.org/
Lots of information to take in, and it's worth your time to do so.
*** Since it's the weekend, let's see what happens over the NEXT two days:
August 8 -
---Saturday is NATIONAL DOLLAR DAY

(that does NOT mean go ROB a dollar store in Fort Wayne)
---It's also NATIONAL FROZEN CUSTARD DAY

(that should be an easy one for all of you)
---And, it's NATIONAL BOWLING DAY

(I miss the days when you didn't HAVE to be in a damn league to get some lane-time!)
---It's NATIONAL GARAGE SALE DAY

(funny, I have YET to see ANYONE actually SELLING their garage)
---And, it's NATIONAL HAPPINESS HAPPENS DAY

(we shall see on this one)
August 9 -
---Sunday is NATIONAL RICE PUDDING DAY.

(when done right...it is heaven)
---It's also NATIONAL VEEP DAY
(gonna take a major PASS on this one...so pass the rice pudding)
---And, it's NATIONAL BOOK LOVER'S DAY

(anyone who doesn't love books just HAS to be an illiterate...or an utter moron)
And there you have it...plenty of things to get involved with...enjoy.
Moving on...
*** Next up, the FWPD hands out some suspensions (and Chief Garry gets a few bucks in his wallet because of it)
Here's the lowdown from the J-G:
http://www.journalgazette.net/news/local/police-fire/FWPD-suspends-2-for-duty-violations-8115970

Now, if the name of (officer) Diane Rogers sounds "familiar", it should.
Look up my archive posts from 2 Oct 2012, as well as 21 Dec 2010.
Getting suspensions is nothing new to her.
The sad part is that links on my archive posts are not longer available from the J=G (they must purge their files to protect the guilty), but I related the stories well enough
In 26 years she's gotten 20 reprimands, many of them dealing with "lapses in alertness" (drunkenness, perhaps?).
But, she's STILL on the force (as a functional illiterate, too), and other officers have (in the past) filled out reports FOR HER.
Guess we have to embrace our "diversity"?
Nice to see some things never chance, hmm?
*** Next, Wifey starts back to school (work) today for two days of "in service" admin BS.

The official day to start is next Tuesday, and wouldn't you KNOW it...her car was making a weird noise this morning.
I had a hunch about the sound, so I told her to turn off the A/C and the noise went away...so at least we know WHAT is causing it, I think.
As to WHY...that's a issue best left to the mechanics whenever we can get the car in.
Other than that, things seem normal, but it's something that NEEDS looking into, and Murphy (with his law) seems to be on our crap again.
This can never happen when we have THE TIME to do it...can it?
*** Next, I did watch BOTH of the Republican candidate debates yesterday, and I was impressed with some of the speakers.I didn't see either as a "win-lose" venue, unlike the lame-streamers.

I think of it more as a "meet and greet"...or a Q and A)
MY favorites are really not that important, but I will say that everyone brought SOMETHING to the table.
If one were to be able to create an AMALGAM of all the candidates into ONE, that would be too good to be true.
Some have experience, some are good with their ideas on economics, others with domestic police, others with foreign policy.

Right now, there is too much to disseminate (for me) to make a clear choice, and time will be the tlling factor.
Let's just say that neither Bush nor Trump rang the bells for me.
*** Last back to the bird bath...I would really love to see a return to old-fashioned values.
There, I said it...sue me.

When we were young, our parents were there to do what was needed for our family to get by, and some times, we got by better than others.
That's just the way life can be...good time or bad times, you manage to work through it.
Granted that good times are a lot EASIER to deal with, but the bad times build something called CHARACTER.

We LEARN to handle the downsides to life, and often through trial and error, but without such a learning experience, we can never hope to achieve a better sense of self, or (more importantly) of others.
All of us have a vested interest in this nation...and to see what some people can do to it, should make all of us run a gamut of emotions from sadness to anger.
Those who came before us set the stage for the subsequent generations, of which we are all a part of, and that should mean something.
We owe it to THEM to carry the banner of the values and principles they created and nurtured for us, and, we also owe it to ourselves, so that we can continue the journey.
But most of all, we owe it to those whose time has yet to come...we need to secure a future where people can enjoy the freedoms and liberties, unshackled by government overreach and outside influences against this country.
Sounds like a tall order, but it's not anything that our parents (and their parents) were not willing to do.
Therein lies the lesson for the week.
Have yourselves a good weekend.

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