Monday Musings...

Welcome to a mostly MOIST start to the week, here in the Heartland.
I trust your Easter went well, as did ours.
It's nice to enjoy such a day, especially when the classical station plays appropriate music in the morning.
And I will say that rain rolled in REALLY fast late yesterday afternoon.
Our Hoosierland weather for today will bring us mostly cloudy skies, breezy conditions and a high of around 48 degrees, so we're not going to be near as warm as it was yesterday, when we made it into the low-60s.
Now, before we do anything else that needs doing, let's get that morning drink poured as we see what's going on elsewhere...
*** First out of the cereal bowl is our "What the hell happens today, Bob?" feature:
March 29 -
Today is NATIONAL BLACK FOREST CAKE DAY

(must be the same black forest where the HAM comes from?)
---And, it's NATIONAL SOMETHING ON A STICK DAY

(Living where we do in Fort Wayne, you probably KNOW what we tend to get "on a stick", and it ain't shish-kebab..lol)
---It's also NATIONAL WEED APPRECIATION DAY

(maybe someone ELSE ca appreciate weeds. I hate'em, and I'm already finding 'em on the back lawn. Here we go again.)
*** Next up, our fair city has managed to chalk up homicides number 6 AND 7.

And, at this rate, we are on track to make that "magic" number of 25 by year's end (if the morons hold up THEIR end of the deal).
One homicide was a victim of last week's shooting who was in critical condition since then,  but died over the weekend.
The second homicide was another one of those "in the car" shootings.
Here's the story link:
http://www.journalgazette.net/news/local/police-fire/Driver-found-dead-behind-wheel-12248692

Wonder if we're seeing a new "trend" on the SE side?
This took place Sunday around 0130 hrs. in the 3000 block alley between s. Anthony and Lillie Sts.
Police found a man behind the wheel of a car in that alley. Medics declared the man dead at the scene.
Naturally, police have no suspects, but were conducting searches and asking neighbors in the area if they saw anyone or anything leading up to the shooting (good luck with that).
I expect the coroner to release the name of the victim early this week (if not today).
*** And then, we had a shooting on the NE side of town (for a change?) which took place in the 5500 block of Glenridge Dr around 0200 hrs Sunday morning. Here's that story:
http://www.journalgazette.net/news/local/police-fire/Man-shot--critical-in-struggle-over-gun-12265949

There was an argument that escalated to a person involved returning to a house with a handgun, and when someone attempted to take the gun away from the person the weapon discharged, and a man was hospitalized with a wound to the abdomen.
He is listed in critical condition after arriving in serious condition.
Maybe you should KNOW who you invite over to the house, and maybe trying to yank a gun from someone's hands when their finger is ON the trigger isn't the best way to secure a loaded weapon, hmm?
Moving on...
*** As I said, our Easter wasn't all that bad. But there were a few bumps in the road leading up to it.
---On Saturday, when driving to the grocery, Wifey and I noticed a squealing from one of the wheels on the Wifeymobile Did not hear it while braking, however. The car drives fine.

Now, my gut says it "could" be a wheel bearing going bad.
At least it wasn't a growling noise...that's a LOT worse sound.
So that means a trip to Yeomans first up next week (Spring-break time for the Missus),
The good news, is that at checkout, there was NO problem with the debit card (that does not have a chip in it). You CAN still swipe the card, which means the store probably had a bad register or the person at it wasn't fully versed on HOW to switch over to a swipe, rather than a chip-read.

---And then there was my BB pistol that I've had for 7 years. It finally gave up the ghost. There is always ONE problem with a CO2 pistol you never want to have happen - it becomes a "leaker".
The o-ring seal goes bad and it won't hold a CO2 charge.
I pretty much wasted two cartridges confirming it.
This means another purchase of the same pistol (from Pyramid Air). Curious thing, after all this time, the price ONLY went up 2 bucks! That's not bad and very doable.
The pistol should arrive late this week.
---Then, there were all the IDIOTS in our area who think of Easter as "just another day" as they drive around blasting ghetto music.
We did have the obligatory "stop-overs" (for dinner, I suppose) at certain houses who always seem to be magnets for loudasses around here.
Here's a link for a little PSA that "splains" such things when you encounter such "people" in a more intimate situation:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=slztOoynRaE

I LIKE these people.

I'm surprised the locals all didn't go downtown to the Rescue Mission to grab a FREE meal (they also had take-out). That's the way these people shake - something for nothing.
Aside from those hiccups, it was a decent weekend, even if I had to call the po-po on "tricycleguy", who lives the next street over and plays his (soul) music loud enough to sing along with the lyrics. He DID shut up, (for some reason)...lol.
Please don't make my start to dislike James Brown.
Still, I'm sure his short-term memory will fail soon enough, and we'll have to play this game all over AGAIN.
(must be a cultural "thang" with these dumbasses)
I have my OWN cultural thing - it's called BEING CIVIL and respecting one's neighbors. They leave US alone, and I will leave them alone...pretty simple to figure out.
---On the UP side, I did sit myself down and watch FROZEN on the Freeform Channel.

I have to say I was impressed. To me, it was right up there with The Lion King and Aladdin.
It was a rather "different" take on the Hans Christian Andersen story, The Snow Queen (that yes, I do remember from childhood), but this version was well done and had some great songs in it.
*** Next up, I'm already making preparations for the new fridge, which is coming tomorrow. That means, I have to get the area cleaned, and the (temporary) storage bins (for the food) ready to go. Fortunately, we have TWO such bins (one for freezer stuff and one for fridge stuff), so that shouldn't be an issue.
---And speaking of food, we had our "usual" dinner yesterday - homemade macaroni and cheese (extra sharp cheddar) and a small canned ham. While it might seem a bit boring to some, I assure you, it's not.
That's one of Wifey's favorite dishes, and I have my mom to thank for the recipe.
Plus, when you consider the cost versus eating out someplace, there's NO comparison.
*** Next up, we had our OTHER friends stop by for Easter.
Here's a few pictures:

Bashful came by for breakfast.

NO, that's NOT an Easter Communion wafer...

Betcha no one will find THIS peanut.

*** Last back to the kitchen sink...there is no other holiday with as MUCH meaning to people of faith than Easter (well, maybe Christmas).
And, when I see others who have no regard for such, it bothers me. Why people cannot act in the manner that they used to both eludes me and pains me.
I mean, the JWs and Roanoke Baptist Church stop by the house at least once a year, and Fort Wayne IS "The City of Churches" IS , so what happened to this place and why do people just seem to ignore the living God and his teachings?
Believe me, if I knew the answer to THAT, I could be a very wealthy individual.
There seems to be no ONE, real cause...just a snot-load of little causes.

We can always look to making wrong choices, because much of what goes on is DUE to those.
But churches themselves have not "gone away", nor has the Word of God gone anyplace that people cannot find it. Bibles are still on the best-seller list (even if the secular media doesn't publish such facts).
The priorities that people have today (as I have stated many times earlier here) are just screwed up.
People view things in a different manner than when I was young, and we can't blame any ONE thing.
And, I suppose we can all take a portion of the blame here.
I (personally) feel that in times such as what we're witnessing there will be a revival back to God.
Maybe not today or next week, but you can feel it.
It's long overdue, as is a return to principles and values based in morality.
ALL that a lot of people really need is (to use a phrase from marvel's The Avengers movie)..."the right push".
I just hope we don't harm ourselves or our future further along the way.

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