Monday Musings...

A little help here...

Looks like were finally getting a real taste of fall outside. And we have the dead plants (thanks to that hard freeze over the weekend) to prove it. The coleus all went first, along with the New Guinea impatiens. Some (like the petunias) are hanging in there for now. Nice "super moon":out there, too. brighter and closer than it's been since 1948. Won't be this way again until 2034 (mark your calendars now).
Our Hoosierland weather for today will be partly sunny with a high of around 54 degrees. Gonna get cloudier tonight. Not bad for a Monday.
So let's all get a nice warm cup of comfort poured as we see what's been going on since last we met here...
*** First out of the vacant garden is our "What the hell happens today, Bob?" feature:
NOVEMBER 14 -
---Today is National Pickle Day

(make mine Jewish or dill - the weird thing is...I HATE cucumbers. Go figure)
---And, it's National Spicy Guacamole Day

(sorry, never was into that...pass.)
*** Next up, what say we get all the STUPID out of the way early, hmm?
It looks like we may have tied the record number of homicides (45) with another shooting death.

Here's the story link:
http://wane.com/2016/11/12/1-person-critically-hurt-in-walnut-street-shooting/

This took place around 2130 hrs and as located eventually at 719 Walnut St (near downtown).
A woman was driven to hospital, suffering from a gunshot wound, where she died a short time later. (this is becoming too common an occurrence in parts of this city. TRAA could have saved her life if THEY transported her).
We'll never know NOW, will we?
Police are not sure if the shooting took place AT the house yet.
Police are also not saying if they are looking for any suspects or what may have caused the shooting.
(thanks for the lack of information, people)
*** Next up, We're hearing that president-elect Trump is seemingly "back-pedaling" on some of the issues he was being touted for (and that obviously helped get him elected).

You might have a longer wait now, bub.

Here's one story link:
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/politics/ct-trump-campaign-pledges-20161112-story.html
And here's another:
http://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2016-election/full-list-donald-trump-s-rapidly-changing-policy-positions-n547801

Granted these are left-leaning sources, but they would notice this first, AND want to bring it to everyone's attention, right?
The only thing WORSE than the clusterf*ck Obummer left as a legacy (and don't think these leftards didn't plan for this ahead of time), is finding ways to UNDO that clusterf*ck, and here we see that "walking the walk" is going to be a bit trickier than just "talking the talk" as was evidenced by Trump during the campaign and election.

I write a lot of checks - I'm good at that.

Could this be a case of having his MOUTH writing checks his BRAIN couldn't cash?
This has some really volatile consequences for those who put their trust in "The Donald".
*** Next (and last back to the patio table), I'd like to spend the remainder of this post talking about something all of you know I've been dealing with for a few weeks.

This coming Saturday will mark one month since losing my best little furry buddy, Rassie, and  since then, I've been trying to put things in some reasonable perspective. Maybe I just need to hear myself talk (and listen) for once.
(that's a whole other post for another day...trust me)
Now, Wifey and I have had our two cats (Penny & Rass) since before we were married (that hearkens back to 1996), and that's not only a long time to have ANY pet (except maybe a Galapagos Tortoise or a Macaw), but's a long time to develop a relationship WITH that pet (just as people develop their own unique relationships with one another).
Since then, there has not been a day (until recently) that I have not had to feed the cats, or change the litter, or buy food for them. And, naturally, there was not a time over that same span when they were not around to play with, or to hold, or to snuggle up with us (or me) at night. But, time does have a way of changing things, and not in the way we always prefer.

A quote from Queen Elizabeth II

Trying to acclimate myself to a "larger" house (without small furry feet following about) has been a challenge for me, as I was their primary source of care (quasi-retired as I have been). Those two cats came to expect me to be there, and in return, I expected them to be there as well. In that regard, we never disappointed one another.

Since 2013 when Penny left us, my "duties" were diminished somewhat, but I still had Rass to answer to, which I continued to do without hesitation. For the longest time, I would call for the "kids" to get their food when we had only one cat. Got used to things too well.
Now, he's gone also, and there is this big pile of "empty" where there should be a furry friend.
Enter Hobo, whose all-too-brief time overlapped the final months of Rassie's time with us.

In him, I found that purpose of caring for this friendly little guy that I had with Rassie, and when Rassie passed, I thought I could carry on with Hobo...then, two days later, he vanished without a trace.
Suddenly, you have to (abruptly) stop what you've done for so long...not an easy task.
It reminds me of a blind person losing their service dog in some respects.
Sure, that blind person can still "get around", but the task is more difficult.
That's where I'm at right now.
Would working at a shelter be therapy? Not really. I get way too attached to animals way too soon. Always been that way from little on up (we always had a dog and later cats). Remember Mr. Wrinkles?

Brandon and Olive

I saw a show on Saturday morning (Lucky Dog) about a man (Brandon MacMillan) who trains canines to become therapy dogs for a group called CASA, a nonprofit victim's advocacy program for abused and neglected children who are going through juvenile court proceedings.  That's gotta be traumatic for kids. Bet'cha they suffer some form of PTSD.
This show featured "Olive" who he referred to as a VELCRO DOG - craved being near people (but didn't want to listen to commands), and Brandon originally thought training would be difficult. Turns out it went better than he could have hoped, and when it came time to hand the dog over to it's new owner, he got all choked up. He knew how GOOD that dog would be with kids,

It's very easy to get attached to a pet, and yet some people refuse to ever get that attached and often cast them out or will move away and leave them behind. It's like they become bored with the responsibility that always comes along with any pet.
To them, a pet becomes "disposable" like some soiled diaper.
That sort of thing is disgusting and breaks my heart.
Having a pet for as long as Wifey and I have says something about how we've taken care of them, and also how well THEY have taken care of US.
The word "mutual" come to mind.

Like I said before, if our cats were children, they'd have grown into adulthood, been through school, been in college by this time (hopefully), learned to drive (carefully), dated (intelligently), and maybe even gotten married.
It would damn hard to dismiss any or all of that, should they have left our lives.
I'll speak more on this during the week, and hopefully be able to explain things better and perhaps shed a little light on why we care, and love, and yes, mourn in the manner we do. Consider this is my "therapy".

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