Monday Musings...

And, we're STILL SMILING.

I know I had a really good weekend, and for a few reasons, but you just know the week might be starting out as desired when the paper carrier has started to not be able to find our top step (for the umpteenth time).
We'll get into WHY the weekend was as good as it was in a minute, but first, we have a forecast to attend to, don't we?
Our Hoosierland weather will see us with a frosty morning that will turn into a rather NICE day with plenty of sunshine, a bit of a breeze, and temps reaching into the MID-SIXTIES (Yowzah!).
Add to that a warm-up for the remainder of the week, too.
(sorry to say that upstate NY got NINE INCHES OF SNOW already - damn global warming!)
A perfect day (here) to be a "leafer" - like when people from Boston "invaded" the city of Quahog in that episode of Family Guy.
I don't think WE have such issues in Fort Wayne, thankfully.
So, let's say we all get our morning drink (with an "I") of choice poured as we take a look at what's been going on since last we met.
*** First out of the woods is our "What the hell happens today, Bob?" feature:
October 19 -
---Today is NATIONAL SEAFOOD BISQUE DAY

(which is not that bad a dish)
---And, it's NATIONAL CLEAN YOUR VIRTUAL DESKTOP DAY

(Wish I could swap out all the REAL dust around our "Fortress" with some of that virtual stuff.)
*** A shooter at the ZOMBIECON event in Ft. Myers Florida claims one life, and injures several over the weekend.

Here's the story link:
http://www.news-press.com/story/news/2015/10/18/least-1-shot-zombicon/74163952/
Cripes, you can't even go see some UNDEAD cos-players without someone wanting you to JOIN the actual recently-deceased..
WTH is up with this bat-shit crazy world?

Seems to be getting MORE NUTS every frigging week.
In ALL the :"cons" I've been to (all sci-fi), we NEVER had ANY problems at ANY of them (must have been those nasty-ass KLINGONS roaming around as convention "security" that made the difference).
Guess this will become something ELSE we can all "miss" from days gone by...being able to attend a convention without being mauled, shot, stabbed, or otherwise injured in any way, shape or form.
*** Next up, we have an accidental shooting in Fort Wayne.

Here's this story:
http://wane.com/2015/10/18/juvenile-in-good-condition-after-accidental-shooting/
As could be expected, details are few AND sketchy (what we've come to expect over the last couple years from the FWPD), so the story sheds little light on the truth, and creates loads of speculation in the process.
A "juvenile" was shot (don't know where) at a house located at 2828 South Harrison St.
This took place around 1545 hrs yesterday afternoon.

What police told the media was that "a boy was shot and in good condition".
No one knows if either the boy was handling the gun, or if someone had been cleaning the weapon.
How's about you morons practice something we call GUN SAFETY for a change, hmm?
IF you have a firearm around the house, make sure the kids can't get at it, and if they can, keep the bullets someplace else (when kids are about).
And, for God's sake, if you're cleaning a weapon, make the hell sure it's NOT LOADED...!!!
Who the f*ck tries to clean a gun that's got live rounds in it anyway? (short answer - the aforementioned moron)
And ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure in cases like this.
Shame you can't arrest people for JUST being dumbasses.
*** Next up, there was a good story in Sunday's paper regarding the black girl who was found dead in a trash bin after she had gone missing a few months prior.

Here's the story link:
http://www.journalgazette.net/news/local/in-depth/Facts-few-in-death-of-local-teen-9228646
This deals with the tragic death of 19-year old Zhanelle Link, who went missing late in 2014.
No one deserves to die like this, especially a young woman.
What the story provides is more a look into the girl's background, rather than any new leads as to how she came to be found in a trash bin on the city's SE side several months after going missing..
FWPD have disclosed little about her death (so much for the public's help, because an INFORMED public is an AWARE public).
What IS known is that the CAUSE and MANNER of her death was NOT able to be determined.
I find it odd that some type of proper search was not conducted at length, because if police managed to find her body SOONER, it would have shed a lot more light as to HOW she died. When she was found, quite by accident, when a neighbor doing lawn work asked his boy to grab another bin from a vacant house next door to his on Eckard St, the state of decomp was far enough along to make forensic analysis dubious at best.

street side memorial

This is what I always say about more PATROLS in certain areas, and if an officer notices something "off kilter", then he/she gets OUT of the damn cruiser and checks it out, especially in areas with vacant or abandoned houses.
There are entirely TOO MANY places where the police simply do not go any longer, and that means lots of places where shit can happen (or already has).Overgrown foliage, houses broken into, open doors...all that goes unreported.
No officers patrol the alleys unless they're actively looking for a suspect, and that alone does not make the community safer.
What is needed at the top of the command staff is a good swift kick in their "complacency".
Then, maybe situations like Shanelle's might not happen.
*** Speaking of local stuff, it looks like that those in this one house (down the block along our side street) are moving out. About damn time, I say.

Don't let the door hit you in the ass.

A U-Haul came by several times late last week, and since traffic to the house has dropped off markedly, I can only conclude that no one is moving IN.
They have left a recently-damaged blue Trailblazer (with the tags removed) in the driveway, which I will notify Parking Control and NCE about to get the piece of junk towed away.

The black Malibu is also gone.

It goes to show the TYPE of people these landlords will allow, and none of them have been what anyone could call "good", although they must put on a good ACT when they are looking for a crib to move into...at the taxpayer's expense.

We DON'T need to see THIS kinda stuff.

They're so damn predictable in that way.
Good riddance to bad rubbish I say. They were trouble from the first day they moved INTO the house.
And the damn loud music was annoying as hell.
*** Next up, and taking a much lighter tone, is how the weekend went, so let me do this in reverse, starting with Sunday.

"Where you been? I missed you Saturday."

Wifey and I woke up a bit stiff from the previous day's "activities", but we had a nice day to recoup our strength and take it easy.
I made a nice dinner of homemade macaroni and cheese, along with a baked canned ham (seasoned with cloves and allspice).
We like to have that several times a year, with Thanksgiving being one of those times.
Now, we back up to Saturday...
--- I said last week that we would be partaking in the INAUGURAL FIRST ANNUAL MARTIN NATURE WALK over the weekend.

That kinda looked like us, even though that sign wasn't there.

Wifey and I DID. I'd like to think it was nothing less than epic!
We headed up to "Fortress Martin" and arrived a little after midday.
Took a nice "impromptu tour" of the complex.

Okay, so the sky wasn't THAT blue...

One thing you have to remember is that most ANY house numbers in this city are in NO WAY sequential. The signs are a bit misleading, but tend to steer you in the general direction. So, after 5 minutes of being "in the nearby area", we FOUND their place.
That wasn't so bad...coulda been worse.

Scrappy took "point" on the journey.

The five of us (Laurie, Chris Wifey and myself, along with Scrappy) set out on our "hike", with Chris as our "Tour-Guide Du-Jour"
And I must say, he did a fantastic job. I told Laurie he could make some scratch with this gig.
Well, since Chris knew "the lay of the land" a LOT better than I ever would (unless I lived where he does), he made up a good map (maps are cool) to show WHERE all we wound up hiking in, over, under , and through the area. I had no idea we had gone that far. Time passes in a whole different manner when you're out in the woods (or in a TARDIS)..

I love that Scrappy came along with us, (no doubt to show us where he prefers to "use the facilities", which can be a godsend when you just HAVE to go).

"Waitin' on YOU guys over here."

Again, Chris and Scrappy know this area well, and over at Chris's blog, he's covered a LOT of the places we went, so I knew we were in good hands (and paws).
While it was a tad on the cool side, the sun did manage to poke out a little bit.
There might be some overlap with our pictures, but good things are worthy repetition.
Chris and I had proper "walking sticks" with us, cameras at the ready, and Wifey and I had binoculars...just in case..

Ouch!

The trails were well marked, and the number of fallen trees took me by surprise.
The MANNER in which some had fallen were quite unique.

Yeah, look...ducks and geese...over THERE.

We did see some ducks and geese at the pond near IPFW, and because the soccer players were out, I guess that had something to do with not seeing any furries around, although Laurie did see a BLACK squirrel (I haven't seen one of those since I was at Niagara Falls in Canada).

(L to R) Scrappy, Me, Wifey, Chris

The way Chris "narrated" our walk as we went, provided some cool details about how some of the wooded area was "reclaimed" to make all these damn soccer fields (about twenty or so), and how the watershed near California Rd. never quite dries up (looks like a swamp).

(L to R) Wifey, Chris, Laurie

You get a real sense of how people can (and should) appreciate such things that are a spit and a slide from their own doorstep, and how nice it can be just to be part of a much larger universe.

Scrappy explaining where he goes walking.

There are bridges over a creek there (nice place to stop and feel some reality in nature while scratching a furry neck.).
And that one pedestrian bridge over the river near IPFW just looks awesome.

That's a cool-looking bridge.

We were out in God's Country for well over two hours, and we were moving most all of the time.
When we got back to Fortress Martin, we had some pizza and sodas...perfect way to end our event. And I got soundly pummeled at video games by Laurie (Champion Extraordinaire).
That's okay...keeps me humble. I need that from time to time.
This is something we plan to make (at least) an ANNUAL affair...perhaps twice a year?

These people bring me treats - I LIKE them.

Just a great time with good people (and a very friendly beagle (who loved the Beggin' Strips we brought him) in the Heartland of America.
You just cannot buy that good a time. Pizza, yes...time, no.
*** Last back to the wigwam...Just as people are the reason for the complexities in life , they can also make life better, just by being WHO THEY ARE.
Wifey and I saw evidence of the latter this past Saturday.

It's nice to be in God's hand, as it were, with others who share a zest for life and what it can encompass.
And the thing is, when you're hiking through the woods, it's doesn't cost a penny to enjoy.

It just involves some time, a little effort (to make the walk), and a desire to understand how much MORE there is to life.
This all may sound a bit sappy, but you really can't knock it until you've tried it.
Therein lies the lesson for today.

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