Humpday Happenings...

It's that good old familiar mid-week crisis known as WEDNESDAY.
And with it, some nice but cold weather.
Expect mostly clear skies today (have a wonderful sunrise showing it's face) with temps reaching to above freezing - all the way up to 37 degrees. (well, it IS January in Indiana)
So, what we start the day with a nice hot cup of whatever is on the menu as we set about tackling the problems that await us, because we KNOW there will be a few.
*** First out of the coffeepot is our first "WHO SAID THAT?" quote of this year:
"Hope smiles from the threshold of the year to come, whispering, 'It will be happier.' "
This is a pretty good quote to carry with us into this new year. So WHO said that anyway?
The answer at the top of tomorrow's post.
Meanwhile, back at Locksley Hall...
*** Next is our "What the hell happens today, Bob?" feature:
January 6 -
---Today is NATIONAL BEAN DAY

(Careful how you proceed on this one)
---And it's NATIONAL SHORTBREAD DAY

(has anyone ever seen what a LONG bread looks like? And sub rolls don't count)
---It's also EPIPHANY, or "Little Christmas" as we used to call it.

Here's the WIKI for those who want to recall what this is all about:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epiphany_(holiday)
*** We traditionally take down the tree after January 6, but I've been taking down ALL the other decorations over the last two days.

I don't know what seems to take longer - putting them all out and up, or bringing them all back down.
I mean, you just don't toss all the crap into the bins and call it done. There has to be protocol (and care) if you want the decorations to remain intact for NEXT Christmas, right?
I know what hurts the most about all this...tripping UP the steps on my last go after putting away all those other items. I was bringing up the last batch of books to put back where all those Christmas beanies were, and BAM! There 'ya go.
Bruised my arm well enough, and it hurt like hell last night, BUT, I did get a cold pack on it RIGHT away, which helped, and as long as I don't bump the damn thing, no problem.
Can't wait to see the changing of the colors there...lol.
*** Next up, WE HAVE A WINNER, folks!!!

Start the dead pool, kids!

(sound the trumpets and loose the pigeons).
HOMICIDE NUMBER ONE has finally taken place in Fort Wayne...and JUST where you'd expect - ON THE SOUTHEAST SIDE...how fortunate is that?
Didn't take that long for the blacks to start shooting blacks, did it?
I mean LAST year, it took a whole TWENTY DAYS (and the victim was struck when a bullet came through his house as he was putting his son to bed), That case is one of the 22 (out of 30) homicides that went UNSOLVED last year.

The year before that, it ONLY took two days.
Here's what we know SO far (which isn't much as usual):
http://www.21alive.com/news/local/Fort-Wayne-police-respond-to-shooting-at-apartment-complex--364306831.html
This took place in an old familiar "hot spot" (for years) - the 6000 block of BUNT DRIVE where the WATERLOO GARDEN APARTMENTS just happen to be.
Looks like we have ANOTHER "Eden Green" on our hands?
Police responded to that area around 1845 hrs last evening, where they found a black male in a car (with the engine running).
The man was unresponsive and the window had been shot out. He was pronounced D.O.A.
Witnesses said they saw a black male with dreadlocks running from the scene on foot.
Anyone care to guess what the TOTAL will be at year's end?
I say we can EASILY make 30 again here.
*** And speaking of the FWPD...they FINALLY posted the last three days of activity reports, so, as a PUBLIC SERVICE to you, my faithful readers and followers,. here is the remainder of the list from yesterday:

=======shots fired and armed robberies continued==========
Jan 2 -
16F000476 02:34:47 113 SHOTS FIRED 1700 WELLS ST & PUTNAM ST
16F000722 18:03:38 113 SHOTS FIRED 1100 CAPITOL AVE & OLIVER ST
16F000814 21:31:19 113 SHOTS FIRED 2700 STARDALE DR
Jan 3 -
16F000947 02:35:15 113 SHOTS FIRED 7300 ANTHONY BLVD S
16F000962 03:28:45 113 SHOTS FIRED 4700 HESSEN CASSEL RD
16F000973 04:45:36 113 SHOTS FIRED 2200 KENTUCKY AVE
16F000974 05:02:44 113 SHOTS FIRED 3300 RAYMOND AVE
16F000981 05:42:59 113 SHOTS FIRED 1200 LARCH LN
16F000984 05:55:27 113 SHOTS FIRED 1500 ELMROW DR
16F001123 15:33:40 113 SHOTS FIRED 3500 AVONDALE DR & OXFORD ST
16F001160 17:56:51 113 SHOTS FIRED 4000 HESSEN CASSEL RD
16F001248 22:38:59 113 SHOTS FIRED 3100 CLINTON ST S & DALMAN AVE
16F000982 05:47:43 53 ARMED ROB 1300 STATE BLVD E & ALABAMA AV
16F001249 22:40:16 58 SHOOTING 3200 CLINTON CT
JAN 4 - 
16F001276 00:52:15 113 SHOTS FIRED 2400 SHADY OAK DR & RADCLIFFE CT
16F001679 19:18:51 113 SHOTS FIRED 4800 BUELL DR
16F001680 19:19:54 113 SHOTS FIRED 4600 GAYWOOD DR
=========================================
---Funny thing...the shots reported on 4 Jan at 4600 Gaywood...I HEARD those.

Told Wifey it was like close to TWENTY consecutive rounds being shot off.
(someone's got a hi-cap mag for Christmas or an assault rifle?)
What is curious however, is that I also heard shots back on the 2nd around 0328 hrs. Woke me up, too.
I heard SIX distinctive shots and it was VERY close to us.
(my guess would be a wheel-gun, probably a .357)
Not a peep on THAT being called in (and I was going to, but I figured there are others that might).
Nice to know I can be wrong when it comes to the minority locals. They don't seem to give a rip.
Guess we can add them in with our councilman , mayor, and local black community leaders.
*** Next up, I hear we SOLD MORE CARS than ever before.
Here's the story link:
http://www.businessinsider.com/us-auto-industry-set-new-sales-record-2016-1

Now, those "experts" can tout whatever reason THEY think might be the reason here, but I have my own "theory", if you will.
An improved economy (which is still FAR from being out of the woods yet), cheaper gas (that could rise back up any week, given the volatility of the Middle East, and easier auto loan terms from banks.
(all well and good)
How about we say that much of it is because cars are being built "less good" than before, and fail sooner, precipitating the need to a new car?
Add in all those RECALLS, and it makes for a good story, right?
I'm just saying there are more factors here than explained.
*** Next, the NORCOs got themselves a hydrogen bomb (hope they irradiated that pudgy little bastard of a dictator along the way. Here's the story:
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-35240012

Hey, perhaps with all that underground testing, they might cause massive quakes in N. Korea and kill themselves off.
Beats having to deal with a despot with an itchy "trigger-finger".
It's a good read and provides a timeline of the NKs progress toward a nuclear state of the recent years.
*** Next, I wasn't going to dump this here today, but I figured "what the hell"...

WAAAHHH...I want my LEGACY!

I saw Obummer's noontime presser yesterday, and all I have to say is this:
"Doesn't matter HOW silver the tongue of a snake-oil salesman is...he's STILL selling snake-oil."
Not a bad act, but when he glosses over the whole Chicago death toll due to GANG violence (with some guns), my "sincerity-meter" bottomed out on EMPTY...sorry.
And while I don't agree 100% with everything the NRA has to say, I find the truth-detector strangely silent whenever our "Crybaby-in-chief" takes the podium in the East Room of the White House.
Crocodile tears do not a convincing argument make. The additional 230 proposed FBI personnel would be better served if they were to take on home-grown terrorism instead.
*** Next to last up today...this is the LAST day for Kevin Leininger of the News-Sentinel, but he's not retiring, just changing venues to Concordia Lutheran Seminary.

Here's a great story that chronicles his times at the N-S:
http://www.news-sentinel.com/news/local/Columnist-reporter-Leininger-leaving-News-Sentinel-after-36-years
Cindy Larson does a great job with the story, and I want to thank Kevin for all HIS help getting "our" story out down here over the years.
Thank Kevin...it was very much appreciated.
*** Last back to the donut shop...some things in life are quite predictable...like the homicides on the SE part of Ft. Wayne, or can be as unexpected as tripping UP a basement stair after 10+ uneventful travels up and down prior to that without a single hitch.

We can always plan for what is predictable with a level of certainty that we're ready for what awaits.
But, we can never ready ourselves for what we can never see coming, and that's a big deal.

We WANT to be ready for what life tosses at us, so we can work through it, and move on, but that's not always the case, is it?
Many times, in the pursuit of dealing with life's vicissitudes, we learn to adapt to a situation, so we can better attune ourselves for continuing forward in life.
Physical challenges can be the most challenging, because although we know we're aging, our minds are still firmly stuck in "25-ish land", where we seemed a lot more invincible.
Well, we all have our "Kryptonite" to deal with, right?
It can be health, financial woes, job or career woes, problems with the house or cars...whatever.
It is required from all of us that we learn to accept all the stuff we can't change, have the desire and the will to affect change where and when we can, and to be courageous enough to comprehend both and act accordingly.
It would become nice if a lot more people focused on that once in a while.
This old world might become a better place for a change.

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