Tuesday Tidbits...

Welcome to a quasi-dry day this morning. Rest assured that will change as time marches on.
For me, it's a rather bleary-eyed morning, and I'll speak more on that in a bit.
Our Hoosierland weather for today will see this brisk and foggy Londonesque morning turning into a not-so-bad day, with highs reaching close to the 70-degree mark. Then, the bottom falls out and we have showers moving back in tonight with high winds, and maybe some hail. The rain should be moving out by daybreak tomorrow.
Yep, another roller-coaster ride, meteorologically-speaking.
So what say we get ourselves a nice tall cup of our favorite beverage (I'm gonna need two), and see what's going on elsewhere, hmm?
*** First out of the appliance store is our "What the hell happens today, Bob?" feature:
March 15 -
---Today is NATIONAL EVERYTHING YOU THINK IS WRONG DAY

This IS just for today.

(man, someone out there must be psychic)
---It's also NATIONAL PEAR HELENE DAY

(sorry, I don't do pears)
---And, it's NATIONAL SHOE THE WORLD DAY

Might wanna WASH those clod-hoppers first.

(I get to shoo people off the property now and then...does that count?)
---And, it's NATIONAL AG DAY

(that's the FARM stuff and not the element GOLD)
---It's also "THE IDES OF MARCH"

(If your name is JULIUS, or CAESAR, I'd look over my shoulder)
*** Next up, time again to bring you ALL those wonderful police calls that pertain to the city's idiots who just HAVE to muck about with firearms:

SHOTS FIRED / ARMED ROBBERY CALLS - 3/7- 3/13
===============================================
MAR 7 -
16F029033 01:42:28 113 SHOTS FIRED 1000 COLISEUM BLVD N
16F029040 03:30:40 113 SHOTS FIRED 2200 FAIRFIELD AVE
16F029500 19:20:50 113 SHOTS FIRED 4800 BUELL DR
16F029547 20:54:58 113 SHOTS FIRED 1400 GREENE ST
16F029559 21:30:06 113 SHOTS FIRED 1200 PONTIAC ST E & BOWSER AVE
16F029565 21:49:54 113 SHOTS FIRED 1300 MCKINNIE AVE & ROBINWOOD DR
16F029567 21:51:32 113 SHOTS FIRED 2500 WAYNE TRACE E
16F029043 03:43:36 58 SHOOTING 1900 HOBSON RD
((NO armed robberies))
MAR 8 -
16F030132 19:51:38 113 SHOTS FIRED 1600 OXFORD ST & LILLIE ST
16F030161 20:43:08 113 SHOTS FIRED 1800 LAFAYETTE ST S & MASTERSON AV
((NO armed robberies))
MAR 9 -
16F030569 17:09:17 113 SHOTS FIRED 2700 WESTWARD DR
16F030593 18:06:42 113 SHOTS FIRED 6200 AMARILLO DR
16F030632 19:53:54 113 SHOTS FIRED 3600 MCCORMICK AVE
16F030694 22:28:51 113 SHOTS FIRED 1400 GREENE ST
16F030275 05:20:25 53 ARMED ROB 1000 COLISEUM BLVD N
16F030392 10:04:48 53 ARMED ROB 2300 FLORIDA DR
MAR 10 -
16F031082 18:52:25 113 SHOTS FIRED 2800 STINSON DR
16F031193 23:10:19 113 SHOTS FIRED 1900 MCKEE ST
((NO armed robberies))
MAR 11 -
16F031246 02:12:58 113 SHOTS FIRED 6000 SOUTHBEND DR & GETZ RD
16F031255 02:54:22 58 SHOOTING 4200 LAFAYETTE ST S
16F031588 15:04:37 58 SHOOTING 4900 WINTER ST & PETTIT AVE E
16F031803 22:10:48 53 ARMED ROB 4900 CALHOUN ST S
MAR 12 -
16F031896 01:18:37 113 SHOTS FIRED 700 OAKLAWN CT
16F031939 03:56:38 113 SHOTS FIRED 3900 ROBINWOOD DR
16F032206 18:42:56 113 SHOTS FIRED 1900 SPY RUN AVE
16F032224 19:11:44 113 SHOTS FIRED 1200 SPRING ST
16F032231 19:25:18 113 SHOTS FIRED 4000 VANCE AVE & INWOOD DR
16F032311 22:11:23 113 SHOTS FIRED 2000 MAPLEWOOD RD
16F032340 23:20:10 113 SHOTS FIRED 1500 GRIER ST & WINTER ST
16F032362 23:51:45 113 SHOTS FIRED 100 NORFOLK AVE
((NO armed robberies))
MAR 13 - 
16F032386 00:38:44 113 SHOTS FIRED 1600 HILLSIDE AVE
16F032395 01:09:14 113 SHOTS FIRED 2200 NUTTMAN AVE
16F032449 04:37:31 113 SHOTS FIRED 2000 HILLSIDE AVE
16F032454 04:50:29 113 SHOTS FIRED 1800 PARNELL AVE & ST JOSEPH BLVD
16F032458 05:02:14 113 SHOTS FIRED 3400 SHERMAN BLVD
16F032479 07:02:33 113 SHOTS FIRED 3000 BARR ST S
16F032498 09:29:47 113 SHOTS FIRED 3700 SHERMAN BLVD
16F032658 18:20:28 113 SHOTS FIRED 800 MCKINNIE AVE
16F032698 20:02:25 113 SHOTS FIRED 300 BERRY ST W
16F032394 01:05:00 53 ARMED ROB 2200 BROADWAY
===========================
FIREWORKS CALLS 3/7 - 3/13: ((NONE - for a change))
============================
I will say that the number of fights (signal 55), loud music (signal 44LM), and burglaries are on the rise. And the "disturbance" calls (signal 43) are of the chart.
But, WOW, look at how many calls were on the SE side of the city...AGAIN.
You can tell the weather's getting nicer. At least the number of rapes are less.
Moving on...
*** Well, here we go again with me being right (AGAIN)...only took the city FOUR years to follow up on my statements.

It's starting as a "proposal".

Here's the J-G story link:
http://www.journalgazette.net/news/local/City-plans-north-side-annexation-12033505
An, there's THIS other coverage from WANE:
http://wane.com/2016/03/14/fort-wayne-planning-to-annex-23-square-miles-on-north-edge/

It's ONLY 23 sq. miles (for now).

Our "King" (mayor Henry) is planning to ANNEX about 23 sq. miles up on the NORTH side of town. That includes about 22,000 residents (who will have no real say in the matter...just like those who didn't back in 2006 out in Aboite)
Our highness spoke thus:

A larger fiefdom is desired.

“Recently, urban areas in the Fort Wayne vicinity have continued to expand more and more and develop themselves outside of our current city limits,” Henry said.
“Because of that, our city limits need to reflect the population of the true urban area. So it’s imperative then, that we continue to enhance our strategic position as a leader in providing our services to the area.
Those services include public safety, public works, and parks, as well as water and sewer resources". Henry said.
Okay, WTH does he mean by the city limits "reflecting" the population of the true urban area? Methinks this be downright GIBBERISH!
Does he want the blight WE have to endure down here to spread FURTHER, as it HAS been doing? (it would appear so)
Maybe this city needs more room for the Syrian refugees that the mayor had no clue about (see my archive post of 23 November 2015). It's still called coercion.

But, it's not like I haven't said this was coming...for the last FOUR years (and I'm not a city insider)
As far back as my post on 10 Feb 2012, I started speaking to this annexation thing.
Also, you can check my posts from 6 Aug 2012, 12 March 2013, 17 June 2014, and 30 Sep 2014.
They tell the story that our mayor will never tell.
And yes, with something like this, OTHER places will suffer the fallout, like what's mentioned in THIS story:
http://wane.com/2016/03/14/nacs-stands-to-lose-2-5-million-in-annexation-plan/
The (real) reason there is this sudden push for annexation is simple - the city is LOW ON REVENUE.
And they need to bring more people in (involuntarily, mind you, since INDIANA is but one of ONLY four states that can do so - the others being Idaho, Tennessee, and North Carolina - that has INVOLUNTARY ANNEXATION) to "offset" the rising costs of damn near everything, not the least of which are these "pie-in-the-sky" downtown and riverfront projects.
It's a case of "the eroding tax base", to which an entire city QUADRANT has been part and parcel to for decades (our "Fortress" excluded, of course).
If the city didn't allow our part of town to go down the crapper (and please don't keep using the I-H closure as the primary reason...it's getting old) the SE side would still be as contributory a section of town as the (much better off) NW side.
Simple economics (or in our case down here, the LACK of it).
Now, you have the blight spreading up the east side and into the SW side.

And somehow, this mayor thinks the BEST way to deal with this is to bring in MORE (taxpaying) residents.
Ignorance CAN be a blissful thing for some people...right, your highness?
Rest assured I'll be on this story like white on rice.
*** Next up, why was I awakened at 3 AM this morning?

The scene of the "crime".

Well it MUST have been the hellacious noise coming from our fridge.
It's trying to "give up the ghost" in a very slow manner, and it may be time for e replacement
Being a former appliance repair tech, I have managed to limp the bugger along, and it's been doing a good job over the last several years (when the compressor started to short-cycle - not a good thing, but the unit IS over 25 years old).
After a couple raps on the compressor that noise went away for the time being, replaced with a LOUD hum (and I can't even make out the damn tune). Now, the clock is ticking, and I need to find a fridge that is the same size, can be delivered "soon", as well as a place that will take the old unit away for scrap and recycling (Sears does that as does Best Buy), and someone who can swap the doors from a left-hand open to a right-hand. If need be, I can do that much myself
Should be easy enough, even for techs and delivery people in this city.
We shall see.
*** Next up, as promised, a couple pictures from the day I got to see and meet ELP at our Circuit City store in Montgomeryville, Pa.

(it's a real bitch trying to take a DIGITAL picture of an "analog" photograph and keep the same level of clarity. I do apologize.
And, a couple pics of my squirrel friends, just because I need a lift this morning.

Bashful can get cell reception with THAT tail.

MY seeds - all MINE!

What...you PUT all those seeds here.

There you go then.
*** Last back to the delivery truck...funny thing about going through ALL the photos I have stored away.

I found some really good pictures I didn't know I had taken. That's always a plus.
Then, you find pictures of some sad times, like the passing of your mom, or a girl from several lifetimes ago,  who shall be remembered as "the one that got away". Everybody seems to have one of those from younger days.
You have to deal with the good and the bad when going through those pictures.
Every one of them is special, for they each represent a moment in time...frozen as long as the emulsion lasts and until the picture fades from the paper it was placed upon.
The same memories are forever etched our minds as well...waiting patiently to be resurrected as it were.
Sometimes, you recall the joy that time brought, while other times, you remember the sadness.
But each moment that was preserved acts to define WHO you have become.

And without such moments, life would take on a much less important aspect to our humanity.
Our lives are too short already, and we should strive to make every day be something to remember, good or bad.
We are the sum of our parts, and those brief moments we have taken the time and effort to keep a bit longer through photography, serve as that reminder.
Yeah, it's all a bit deep, but under the surface, aren't we all a bit more complex than we let on?

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