Monday Musings...
Here we go again, folks...off on another week of adventure (depending on how you define that
word).
And, it will be feeling more like summer, than fall, which will formally arrive this coming weekend.
Our Hoosierland weather will see us having partly cloudy skies, temps rising again to around the 83 degree mark, and we will be staying relatively dry, except for the humidity..
Well, it sure beats 30+ inches of rain, does it not? And let's continue to keep those folks along the coasts of the Carolinas in our thoughts and prayers. Lord knows they can use all the help they can get.

A bit early for a boilermaker, though...

Now, lets get that first refreshing drink of the day, as we see what else has been going on...
*** First off of the freshly mowed yard is our "What the hell happens today,m Bob?" feature:
SEPTEMBER 17 -
---It's Constitution Day and Citizenship Day.

(And those here illegally have little to no regard for our Constitution)
---It's National Apple Dumpling Day

(eat 'em if 'ya got 'em, kids)
---It's National Monte Cristo Day

(fried ham and cheese...kinda like a grilled one really)
*** Next, as if you couldn't guess by now, looting has already started in the Carolinas.
https://dailycaller.com/2018/09/14/police-looting-hurricane-florence-north-carolina/

I swear (because I know most all of the words) that some people LIVE just to prey upon the tragedies of others...that's a pretty sad commentary on a society living in the best nation on the planet.

One reporter caught a few in the act of looting a Family Dollar store.
https://www.wfla.com/weather/hurricane-florence/video-reporter-covering-florence-catches-looters-at-family-dollar-store/1448842846
The local law enforcement there have already given notice to said looters that none of that will be tolerated.

THIS guy's got the right idea.

They've already caught several of the thieves, and you can be sure that more are on the way.
I've been through the Carolinas (back in the mid-70s), and even then, I would not want to mess with ANY law-enforcement officers in those states. They grow 'em all BIG out there.
*** Next up, another study which should make you wonder if numbers REALLY do tell the story.:
http://www.journalgazette.net/opinion/sunday-centerpiece/20180916/every-number-tells-a-story

((It's harder to practice healthy behaviors when struggling to avoid eviction or not earning enough money to keep nutrient-rich food on the table...))
Or, it's just as hard if you're doing or dealing drugs,...or otherwise annoying everyone else in the area with bad behavior.
((It is easy to wish Fort Wayne had the demographic and socioeconomic profile of more affluent suburban locations, but as the urban center for northeast Indiana, that's just not going to happen in the near or distant future.
Part of Fort Wayne's appeal rests in the range of housing options and costs, diversity of races and ethnicities, diversity of cultures, and breadth of industries and occupations.))

More SE blight every week.

Funny, we USED to have a much better "profile". And being "affluent" had not a damn thing to do with any of this.
What it HAD (to do with) was a "better crop of people", as in more CIVIL in nature, and ones that worked a job (sometimes two) to make ends meet...we never hear about those folks  then or now, do we?
And such (better) people could be found in most every zip code in Ft. Wayne...yes, even in our part of town, which has since devolved so much in one generation.
Guess all that (new found) "diversity and culture" is bringing everyone (else) down rather than up...'ya think?
*** Next, and since we're talking ZIP CODES...there's this story:
http://www.journalgazette.net/opinion/sunday-centerpiece/20180916/zip-code-big-determinant-in-kids-outcomes

SE crime every single day

Sure, blame everything on WHERE you live, rather than having the desire to actually LEARN...or be HEALTHY...makes sense (to the liberal mindset, perhaps).
Then again, certain zip codes are brimming with BAD people - the type who shoot OTHER people, rob from others, and are a bane to society and this city...THAT can cause a generational shift in child guidance (when kids see others killed and brutalized on a weekly basis).

Who cares about anything healthy, when the city has ALLOWED so many fast food and convenience stores in JUST the SE quadrant...right?
Blame the city for allowing it, and the entitlement generation for continuing it. Simple as that.
*** Next up, since local crime has taken some time off, let's stop by our "Kitten Corner"...

She was cute...

The kids had a pretty good weekend (without mommy around).
They behaved very well, and there were no problems to speak of, which make me happy.

And he was sleepy.

Violet was in total "follow daddy" mode, while Gallifrey would just nap in a chair while I watched television.
*** Next, time to check in with "Midnight and Whiskers"...

Our furry twosome also had a good weekend, albeit a more "typical" one - he went on patrol during a good part of the day, while she stayed around the patio.

When I mowed Sunday, Whiskers didn't even wake up from her morning nap...lol.
And with yesterday being a "wet" food day (from the can and not from nature...heh), you know that neither of them missed breakfast OR dinner.
*** Last back to the tool shed...Wifey is expected back today from another weekend trip to see her Dad down in Vincennes.

Yeah, it was bachelor time at the "Fortress" once again. TV dinner, junk food, and superhero flicks...whatta combo! Can't beat that.

Thank you, Swanson /Pinnacle Foods

And thank you, Marvel.

That's not a bad deal as long as the "locals" behave themselves (only had to call the police once for loud music one street over).
When we first moved here, you could count the number of instances of loud music (from houses or cars) on ONE hand...for the better part of a whole WEEK!
And it never lasted long, either.
Today, there is not a day that passes without loud music, sometimes up to 20 such occurrences per day (typical is closer to ten).
Now, the only thing that has changed in two decades down here are/...(you guessed it)...THE PEOPLE.
Gone are the home OWNERS (the ones that gave a damn about what they had), supplanted with government-sponsored renters (the kind who have

NO regard for where they live, or who they live near).
In many ways, they are the predators we try to avoid - the ones who prey upon TAXPAYERS for subsidies, when all that's REALLY needed is the active CHOICE to WANT to get a job and become a useful citizen. (God forbid). That would add to the city coffers in the manner that it USED to do, before our part of town became neglected beyond belief.

So, to me, all these studies mean little to nothing, because they lack the hard evidence that shows the truth of the matter (we call such things FACTS). I take little at face value (as should you), so all any study does is to make me want to do a fact-check...and to find the REALITY behind why a study is even created in the first place.
To me, it's not cynicism...not when I learn who is telling me lies, and who chooses the truth.

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