Monday Musings...

Hope everyone changed up their calendars to reflect the NEW month of October.
(Can Christmas be far off? Don't count on it.)
And, it was a really nice weekend...one which found us actually turning on the furnace, but that's going to change this week (at least for the first half anyway).
Our Hoosierland weather brings us mostly sunny skies, temps reaching back into the upper 70s, and no rain to speak of (look for that around mid-week).

Now, how's about we get that refreshing beverage to help us all wake up, as we see what else has been going on, hmm?
*** First out from under the blanket is our "What the hell happens today, Bob?" feature:
OCTOBER 2 -
---It's National Child Health Day

(like we prefer unhealthy ones?)
---It's National Consignment Day

(be nice to do that with certain aspects of life)
---It's National Custodial Worker's Recognition Day

(they COULD have just said "janitor", right?)
---It's National Fried Scallops Day

(gonna have to pass, because they're not cheap any longer...but they ARE tasty)
---It's National Name Your Car Day

(to paraphrase Shakespeare: 'a car by any other name would ride as sweet)
*** Next up, since we didn't do a salute to what takes place during this month (yet), allow me to take a minute to bring everyone up to speed on our monthly observances:
OCTOBER -
(okay, since it's early and I'm still on my FIRST cup of coffee, we'll do this the east way. Here's the link to ALL the crap going on:
https://nationaldaycalendar.com/october-monthly-observations/
Now, some of the high points:
---It's I'm Just Me Because Month

(yeah, I know...it's dumber than a bag of rocks)
---It's National Audiology Awareness Month

(huh? what?)
---It's National Cookie Month

(just keep the cold milk coming)
---It's National Crime Prevention Month

(note to the FWPD - the operative word here is PREVENTION...got it?)
---It's National Dessert Month

(now, we're talking...!!!)
---It's National Pasta Month

(had that covered yesterday...with red sauce and meatballs)
---It's National Pizza Month

(can it get any better???)
---It's National Pork Month

(looks like it can get better...bacon counts here)
---It's National Pretzel Month

(nothing like a bag of warm soft pretzels from Philly)
---It's National Sarcastic Awareness Month

(I know that any dumbasses I encounter are VERY WELL aware of this...lol)
---It's National Sausage Month

(kinda goes with that pork theme)
---It's National Seafood Month

(now accepting funding for those scallops...heh)
So there we are...some of the BEST the month has to offer...enjoy.
*** Next, some crime stats around Fort Wayne that tell a lot about what we're NOT being told. Here's the link:
http://www.journalgazette.net/news/local/police-fire/20170930/city-homicides-jumped-72-in-16

So, homicides (here) jumped a whopping 72% as of 2016...and here I thought everyone was telling us that crime going DOWN? Who is telling the truth?
((Violent crime last year increased at a higher rate in Fort Wayne than in the nation, according to figures released by the FBI.
However, the increase in rapes and robberies was lower in the city than across the nation.
Across the U.S., robbery increased by 1.2 percent from 2015 to 2016 while it fell about 8 percent in the city. Rape and aggravated assault increased by 4.9 percent and 5.1 percent, respectively, nationwide, while city crime figures supplied by the Fort Wayne Police Department show a 2 percent decrease in rape, but an 18 percent increase in aggravated assault.

Violent crimes rose by 4.1 percent in the U.S.; in Fort Wayne, the increase was 5.8 percent.
The greatest percentage increase was in homicides, noted as murder and nonnegligent manslaughter offenses in the FBI documents.))
Now, I wonder who is doing all this?
((Gangs exist on the streets of Fort Wayne, but 90 percent of them are neighborhood-oriented, the FBI said.
“They're a group of kids who grew up on a street and claim a certain territory and they use whatever means they have to protect that territory,” he added.))

Funny, they don't LOOK like kids...

KIDS, you say? And I will wager that most of them are from the MINORITY communities.
What the hell is going on when we allow "kids" to rule our streets?
*** Next up, a telling article in Sunday's paper, and a situation I pray none of you have to go through. Here's the link:
http://www.journalgazette.net/news/local/police-fire/20171001/home-invasions-victims-scarred

A home invasion is usually a violent situation, and by it's nature and description, lets us know it is much different than a mere burglary.
And yes, the victims are scarred...who wouldn't be? Hell, I'm still bothered by the time our apartment was broken into over at Willow Creek Crossing Apts...and that was back in 1997!
You never forget. that's for sure, and to be violated in such a manner tells you what TYPE of people you're up against. That's why it's in your best interest to never allow that to take place, and are willing to act in the appropriate manner to eliminate such a threat, should it come your way.
You're not the bad guy...THEY are, and need to be dealt with accordingly.
This is a rather sad story about people who never should have had to deal with such thugs.
*** Next, as told back on Friday, Wifey and I went grocery shopping to AVOID all the Fort4Fitness runners whom basically block our passage to Waynedale yearly, and our experience went well, until we got home.

Wifey noticed some EXTRA items in our bag...2 packs of Olive Loaf lunchmeats, 2 packages of sliced turkey, and 2 packages of jumbo franks. I know they weren't on MY list, and Wifey wondered if we got charged for them. I felt that "maybe" we got part of someone else's order (the two fellows in front of us at checkout, who looked like movie extras for a 60s anti-war film...lol).
Sure enough, the meats were NOT on our receipt, so Wifey drove back over to Kroger's and did the good Samaritan thing...turned the items back in (and yes those fellows were wondering why THEIR groceries came up short). Problem solved, everybody's happy. And honesty ruled the day.
*** Next up, time to swing on by "Kitten Corner"...

Violet is watching YOU.

Our "kids" did pretty good over the weekend.
Plenty to do like eat, nap, pee and poop (thankfully, not all at once).
How do they have such a frivolous lifestyle anyway?

Gallifrey has a "unique" way of viewing things.

Wifey got some good pics of the two of them (which isn't easy). Finding them together is a chore, unless they're asleep. and trying to get them wrestling just nets you a multi-feline BLUR.
So, you hope for the best...and keep a camera handy.
*** Next, let's see what's going on with "Midnight and Company"...

Our furry community cat twosome were nearby almost ALL weekend, which was good, considering the weather was cooler than usual.
And they both seem hungrier than usual...guess that goes with the territory.

Getting a photo of THESE two together is easier, believe it or not, until Whiskers starts rubbing your legs. That is, when she's not climbing a nearby tree.

Midnight is content to just take things easy, and that's fine by us.

Got us a good routine - 3 meals and maybe a couple snacks tossed in, fresh water every day and lots of head scratches and petting for them, not for us...lol).
*** Last back to the sleeping bag...I'm one of those people who really hates violence.

But, I also know the value of it when it comes to dealing WITH violence.
Sometimes (like mom used to say) "It takes bitter to drive bitter".
All too often, when violence is confronted with peace, violence comes out on top.

And, in order to properly deal with violence, you may have to become violent in your own right..
Yet, like anything in life, you have to temper it with reason and sanity,
There IS a time and place for everything, and since we're all "only human", we ALL have the capability of as much violence as needed for a particular situation.

Conversely, we also have the ability for such great good, and we need to remind ourselves of that.
In days such as these, we all have to be more AWARE of things and people, for they are not usually what they seem. That's not fatalistic, just pragmatic...and cautionary.

Being prepared for the unexpected is becoming more of a cornerstone of living, instead of the adjunct it used to be. And the better prepared we are, the better able to handle things as they come at us.
Like anything in life, it does require diligence and work on our part.
That's what separates a victim from a victor.

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