Monday Musings...

Here we go once again...off for another excursion into the wonderful world of wintry weather.
Sure glad I wasn't living in Virginia, or the Carolinas...they got hammered with snow  with up to a foot in some areas.
(damn global warming)
Fortunately, we didn't get much of anything and I like that.
Our Hoosierland weather for today brings us cloudy skies (no sun, huh?), temps rising to around 33 degrees, and no precipitation today (or the next several in fact). Guess we can live with that.

So, let's take a moment to get that warm and comforting drink, as we see what else has been going on...
*** First out of the freezer is our "What the hell happens today, Bob?" feature:
DECEMBER 10 -
---It's Dewey Decimal System Day

(something else that's worked well for a long time and is fading out of existence)
---It's Human Rights Day

(time to teach people the difference between RIGHTS and PRIVILEGES, too)
---It's Nobel Prize Day

(and Trump didn't get one YET? WTF?)
*** Next, from our Make the Punishment Fit the Crime...for EVERYONE Dept., we have this story:
http://www.journalgazette.net/news/local/police-fire/20181209/family-sees-injustice-in-sentence
I can clearly see WHY this family is PO'ed. I would be as well. Eight years for an arson (trash bin fires at Southgate...remember?) while a white woman gets a mere slap on the wrist for a similar arson.
One might conclude that Judge Surbeck was having a bad day...right?
Judge Gull apparently did not)
I think that EIGHT years IS too harsh, especially if this young man has mental issues.
Hopefully, the appeals process with remedy this situation to the satisfaction of all involved.
*** Next up, from the You Can Run But You Can't Hide (for long) Dept. comes this story update:
https://wpta21.com/news/top-stories/2018/12/09/police-in-mississippi-arrest-fort-wayne-man-wanted-on-murder-robbery-charges/

You remember Cordell Patterson...wanted in conjunction with the death of a mwan on Cass St....
Well, he was in MISSISSIPPI (of all places) where some eagle-eye police THERE found and arrested his sorry ass. ALl we need is for his extradition BACK to Ft. Wayne.
*** Next,  Bill O'Reilly had a very good column last Friday - O Come All Ye Faithful. Here's the link:
https://www.billoreilly.com/b/O-Come-All-Ye-Faithful/-736983363443790784.html
Bill has a good point, especially when it comes to the ritualism of the (Catholic) church.

Much can be said of many denominations, so it's little wonder why such stagnation permeates churches today.
I would say that Bill also makes the case for sermons that TEACH, rather than put one to sleep.
Church is meant to be instructive for those following God, so let's get with that program (again).
*** Next up, time to stop by "Kitten Corner"...

Two bags are better than one.

Our kids had a good weekend, and got an extra grocery bag to play with...which they did.
(those things tear if you look at them...)
And our two had some laser playtime. That never gets old.
Sundays we change things up a bit and feed them wet food in the A.M. rather than for lunch  (they get wet food always for dinner).
That goes over well, too.
Then  it's time to thank mommy and daddy with a nap...lol.
*** Next, let's check back in with "Midnight and Whiskers"...
Our furry twosome stayed near by most of the weekend. She spent a lot of time inside the shelter (well, it as on the cold side).

Hey, how 'ya doin'? Is it lunch yet?.

Yesterday, Midnight had to go on patrol. Other than that, everyone was around for all the meals.
And naturally, I had to thaw out the water dish a couple times per day.

I'm just being shy (for once).

I don't want either cat to wind up like Ralphie's brother in A Christmas Story...with their tongue stuck to something frozen.
We also had another stray cat come by...looks like a  relative of "Boots"...and this one is a young one. There has to be a cat colony over by Hanna and Maple Grove. That's where they seem to all come from.

This cat just came by for water, and when I opened the door, it took the hell off across the street.
Next up, a little "bonus" for all your Marvel fans out there.
Here's the (first) trailer from next year's AVENGERS - ENDGAME movie. Enjoy:

*** Last back to the Popsicle factory...one thing you can be sure of as you get older...you will miss a LOT.

Not only people, but things, places...you name it.
I suppose the major thing I miss is that life is no longer simple - it has become SO damn complicated, and that's not saying I've lost my capacity to learn. That never ceases.

The sheer overload of information alone is daunting, unless you have the time to devote to taking it all in (and who really does?).
Education was simpler, driving was simpler (and less distraction)...living in general was easier.
I've said before that all this technology was "supposed" to make our lives better, and in a few ways, it has, but not to the degree we were led to believe. It made some things in life easier, but is easier actually better?
As could be expected, with this technology came all the evil - the "flip side" to that coin.
Before all this stuff came along, the only spam we had came in a can (ad still tastes damn good),

We let a lot of things roll off our backs and didn't get all cry-baby whining and nit picking with oversensitive behaviors, and yes, even with all the guns we had way back when, we never had the number of mass shooting we see today.
Then again, we used to know HOW to institutionalize those who needed it. Now, we just over-medicate everything and wait to see the results of chemical imbalance in the human brain to take effect in ways we could not predict.
It wasn't perfect back then, but it was simpler,,,and a lot easier to keep a handle on it all.
Maybe we'll get to a point where we might have to revisit such notions. Just not today.

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