Monday Musings...

Chris & Bob discuss the "important" things

Welcome to the start of the week, and the end of the month. Kinda weird when that happens, considering we ALSO had a full moon over the weekend.
That would also explain WHY we had certain things go down in Fort Wayne over the last 72 hours, which we will get to shortly.
Our Hooiserland weather will see us with a continued warm up today, with temps reaching into the middle 80s, rising humidity (well, we did have some rain over the weekend), and mild breezes.
All in all, a somewhat typical summer day, except for early morning fog (that I don't see all that much of). So get that morning drink poured and let's all sneak a peek at what's going on...
*** First out of the flower pot, this blog has been up and running for NINE YEARS.

Cripes, has it been THAT long already???
(sound the trumpets and loose the pigeons)
Snuck right past me, too.
That's what happens, I guess.
Anyway, I want to thank all of you who first urged me to get this gig rolling way back when...and I also want to thank ALL of you who take the time to drop by and "hear" what I have to say about a myriad of topics.
And maybe, we all get to learn something along the way, eh?
Here's hoping, by God's grace I can bring another 9 years of pertinent posts to all of you.
Heaven knows the world isn't getting any LESS complex each week, right?
*** Next, I heard a raccoon on our roof early this AM, so I went outside with my spotlight and BB pistol. Spotted him on the crown of the roof, so I capped off one shot.

Works every time.

That didn't seem to budge his ass, so I ripped off THREE more, rapid fire, and he took the hell off.
I know I hit him, too.
Those glowing eyes make a good sight-picture in the spotlight
Wifey even heard him scurry across the roof, and was going to get up to see what was going on.
I don't know where the bugger went, and I don't much care, as long as he's OFF the roof.
The thing that bothers me, is that I have remorse afterwards...don't WANT to hurt any critter, but our roof is NOT a "natural habitat", nor should it become one.
They can run all over the patio and yard to their heart's content, but NOT on the rooftops of the "Fortress".
Bad enough to scat two cats away regularly, and chase the occasional possum...all without using a BB pistol, mind you.
*** Next up is the "What the hell happens today, Bob?" feature:
August 31 -
---Today is NATIONAL TRAIL MIX DAY

(love that stuff...probably the only thing I eat that's good for me...lol)
*** Next up, we bring you THREE (count 'em, three) HOMICIDES in the Summit City over the weekend, bringing our running total to NINETEEN.

Only took TWELVE hours, too.
(I still say we can hit 25 this year...the gangstas just have to try harder ON EACH OTHER, that's all)
Here's the story link from the J-G:
http://www.journalgazette.net/news/local/schools/Burst-of-violence-leaves-3-dead-8517669
Love that headline..."A Burst of Violence"....
Like this rarely if ever happens on the SE side (as these three deaths did).
I've been telling you for a while that while homicides have dropped, OTHER crimes were rising, and now, all that "small stuff" has once again become the BIG stuff going on down here, all quite predictable to the average person with more than a handful of synapses firing.
Here are the events as they took place:
1)  2350 hrs Saturday in the 2500 block of Schaper Drive - a teenage girl was caught in crossfire by "rival groups" who were at an EMPTY house in the block.

We just had a shooting involving "two groups" LAST Monday. A new "trend"?
A "party" was going on AT that house, according to FWPD.
Scuttlebutt (social media) says the girl had been a cheerleader at Bishop Luers, but I've seen no further conformation elsewhere.
((Editor's Update - 1500 hrs - Alonna Allison was a junior at Concordia Lutheran HS))
http://wane.com/2015/08/31/coroner-rules-teens-shooting-death-a-homicide/
WANE has a couple stories on this tragic shooting. My heart goes out to the family.
2) 1020 hrs Sunday in the 6000 block of Salisbury Drive - a man is found in his (beat up) car dead from gunshot wounds.

The car was parked near a blue dumpster bin alongside an apartment complex. The closest apartment is 50 feet away. This is less than a half mile from the first shooting.
3) 1052 hrs Sunday in the 3400 block of S. Hanna St., police find a man in a house stabbed to death.

An argument between a group of men is believed to have been a precursor to the stabbing.

The house is one of those that has been "converted" to house FOUR apartment units (sounds like some sort of halfway house to me), and the landlord is one Tammy Munson (who was attending church at the time of the stabbing).

(from  dailykenn.blogspot.com)
And the numbers KEEP rising.

Now, I am willing to bet good money that ALL the victims were BLACK, and that ALL the perps were also BLACK, so what happened to this bullshit about BLACK LIVES MATTER, hmm? Guess these three don't count?
The FWPD is investigating all three deaths...and so far, not much is turning up, which means we might be adding them to the every-growing list of UNSOLVED deaths...that's what happens when you are more REACTIVE than PROACTIVE as a police department.
Moving on...
*** Speaking of homicides, I heard about that Texas sheriff's deputy who was murdered in cold blood WHILE HE WAS PUMPING GAS INTO HIS CRUISER over the weekend...

And the perp was BLACK...imagine that.
Here's that story:
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2015/08/29/sheriff-deputy-reportedly-shot-in-texas/
The surveillance video shows the killer with gun in hand...and he shoots the deputy (a 10 year vet) in the back.

Harris County chief and officers "get it".

This is enough to spark a reply from LEOs everywhere...and about damn time.
The shame is that it takes a tragedy like this to do so.
Nice to see that others are taking my cue when it comes to BLUE LIVES MATTER.

YES...THEY DO!

Always said the ONLY racial overtone to the increasing attacks on law-enforcement is black against blue.
*** Next, it was a very good weekend (for a change), although it got off to a bumpy start.

A good thing in older homes.

--I was awakened by the chirp of our CO detector...and since we bought it 7 years ago, that "every-thirty-second" chirp means it's reached the end of it's lifespan. The average span is 7 years for the older models, and TEN years for new ones (which means a LOT of chirping will be going on for others who bought their detectors when we bought ours...lol)
Unlike a smoke detector, where all you do is swap out the battery at specific intervals, a CO detector has a finite life...then you have to go out and buy another one...that's a nice racket there, hmm? Add that to the next Menards list.
--Wifey and I hit the grocery early Saturday, and after we came back, she asked me if there was anything we forgot. It was the package I wanted to mail to my high school friend in Delaware for his birthday (tomorrow)...DAMN!

Okay, maybe not THIS fast.

Anyway, I took to the "Batmobile", fired it up, (atomic batteries to power, turbines to speed) and off I flew back OVER to the Waynedale branch (near where we shop, because the SE side sucks).
The car performed fine, but seemed a tad sluggish.
Seems in my haste, I had it in 2nd gear...LOL.
I told the woman at the USPS office about me having to drive back and she asked why I didn't go to the Diplomat Branch office closer to us?
I told her "I don't like getting robbed and I like my car where I leave it when I come out"...she said "we hear that a lot", and then we both laughed on that one.
Anyway, on the way BACK, I had it in (proper) DRIVE, and yes, I had ALL THREE GEARS...got up to 65 MPH along Bear Field Expressway.
(didn't want to push things too hard, but I had plenty of pedal left)
After I got back home, Wifey headed up to the mall for "nail work", so the rough part was over...no more bumpy road on the weekend.

I WISH "The Fortress" looked like this.

After she got back, Chris and Laurie stopped by and we had a very nice afternoon.
Off and on rain kept us from spending too much time outside,. but since we still have an INSIDE, that worked just as well.
We polished off the birthday cake and spent time chatting about a LOT of things.
I suppose if I do miss anything around this area, it's not having other normal people to talk with. People are traditionally a SOCIAL species
I hope I didn't come off as too much of a ratchet-jaw, and if I did, I do apologize, but it's just so damn refreshing to hold conversation with good people - the kind of people that (to me) are more representative of what a HOOSIER really is, and not the flotsam we're exposed to daily down here.

To be honest, I'd give damn near anything to have some neighbors LIKE Chris and Laurie.
What was funny was that Laurie and I would talk for a bit, while Chris and Wifey chatted, then we'd trade off and I'd talk about something else with Chris, while the ladies discussed other things...that was cool.
And never a missed step the whole time.
It's nice to see that the art of conversation still alive and doing quite well.

Taken Sunday (not Saturday)

And we promised to go up and visit them by the time fall foliage hits, so we can "trek the trails" near where they live and get some pictures of all the cool stuff they have up there.
One thing that was neat, was when we were outside on our patio, a hummingbird buzzed all of us and spent a LONG time at and around the feeders.
Usually, it's hard enough to get one to come by when I'm the ONLY person out there...with a camera.
So, here's to German chocolate cake, classic comics, Walmart, hummingbirds, Guinness blonde (not bad brew), and (definitely) good friends.
*** Last back to the fire-pit...I'm always saying that in life, if it's not one damn thing, it's another. I got that one from Dad, and Lord knows where HE got it from.

I want one of these.

Obviously, that phrase has some history, and has been passed down in one form or another for a very LONG time. And, it happens to be true.
Look at what took place in our city this weekend.
THREE deaths, that didn't HAVE to happen, but did, because some people lack the intellect and have no desire to settle things in a civil and human manner.
We really need to change that way of thinking.
ALL LIVES MATTER, and yes, that does apply to the lowest scum of the earth (some of whom happen to live in OUR part of town...lol).

How very true

What has to come about is a return to the days when before we managed to talk things out, people would react in a manner that causes such devastation and harm to others.
Now, we won't be able to get the real nutjobs off the streets, but we CAN find ways to get them under better control, so they won't be shooting officers at gas stations, or teens on our streets.
Every problem we create as a society CAN be addressed...and SHOULD, with the proper solution, and not some ad hoc,"one size fits all" magic-bullet band-aid, because every problem is unique and requires a like response by those capable of producing results that benefit everyone involved.
That's the way it used to work, and quite well.

Even IF God isn't telling us.

How we got away from that beats me.
How we can get BACK to that way of life is simpler than we realize.
All we have to do is WANT to make it happen.

Be well, make a difference to someone, and...
Stay SAFE out there, America.
(see 'ya next month)