Monday Musings - Post Christmas Edition...

I trust your holiday was merry enough to turn the heart of the hardest Scrooge.
And, I hope you took some time to renew your faith not only in our Creator, but in your fellow man.
(I know the latter can be a challenge some days)
Anyway, welcome to the final week of 2016.
Our Hoosierland weather will see us with conditions mirroring that of LAST year at this time.
Could be a record-breaker in temps of temps. Skies will be mostly cloudy, with period of rain off and on with a high of around the sixty-degree (that's 6-0) mark.
There goes what snow and ice were left upon or streets and lawns (and the lazy-asses get another free pass with having to clear snow off their sidewalks).

What say we get the day and week started with a nice morning beverage, as we chase the cobwebs out of our heads and see what's been going on elsewhere, hmm?
*** First out of the dishwasher is our "What the hell happens today, Bob?" feature:
DECEMBER 26 -
---Today is National Candy Cane Day

(darn, gonna miss this one)
---It's National Thank You Note Day

(for those of us who can STILL write cursive!)
---It's National Whiner's Day

(Thank God Obummer is in Hawaii...can't hear him THAT far away)
---And, it's Boxing Day

(It's a Canadian thing, and got nothing to do with pugilists)
*** Next up, the only stupid worth reporting was the one deaf-ass jerk one block over who loves to play his (high on the treble side) boombox so that we can hear it.

Called the po-po on his ass and PRESTO...music (non-Christmas 80s R&B) went BYE-BYE! The other is this asshole in a black Impala (2007-2009 version) that thumps his stereo with the marvelously blown speakers every time he passes our house, to which I beam him with my LASERS.
Yesterday he got BOTH the red and green ones, in lieu of Christmas, mind you...heh. The 4800 block of S. Warsaw does have it's share of problems, thanks to HUD. I just happen to be the solution.
*** Next, Wifey is driving down to Vincennes to visit her dad, who's out of hospital and back at his place and doing well once again. She'll be back on Thursday, which means I get to play "kitten wrangler" for a few days.
No longer doing the "bachelor" thing, as I used to do with Rassie, I now have Violet in my charge as well as Gallifrey. More about them in a minute.
*** Next up, aside from those audio intrusions, it was a wonderfully sedate Christmas yesterday. We had breakfast and then opened gifts. Actually, two gifts didn't need opening, as they were up and about waiting for THEIR breakfast...lol.

I didn't get much in the way of tangible gifts...didn't really ask for any, and that's okay. Did get a flannel shirt for under $10 at Menards (that does count), but no underwear or socks (for once...yay!). I figured the new kittens were gift enough. I got Wifey a new purse and sweater (both purple - she likes that color), and a box of Russell Stover dark chocolates and a box of Whitman's chocolates.
Plus, I made dinner, which consisted of a small ham, a turkey breast, baked potato and homemade stuffing. I topped it off with some double-thick brownies I made earlier. Not a nutritionist's feast, but what the hell, it's Christmas.
We watched some seasonal favorites on TV as well...filled the day out nicely.
*** Next, and speaking of filling out the day, the kittens had a blast with what we got them.

Oh, this is much better than daddy's leg.

A scratching post for kittens with claws (hold the Santa...lol) was enjoyed right "out of the box", and Wifey also got them one of those saucer thingys with a rolling jingle ball in it that goes around.

Okay, so you bat it around to me now.

Violet and Gallifrey were occupied long enough to tire themselves out. Then, there was a stocking for each of them with their name on it full of other toys.
Between those two toys, I think they each had a bout of stimulus overload...didn't know what to play with next.

Mine...all mine.

And that's fine by me. Didn't have to chase them out of the tree once as a result.
I think they got a pretty good idea of how much we love having them around, although some empty spots remain. I think Penny and Rassie would think we did okay with these two. And, I also hope Hobo had as good a Christmas as we could provide were he still coming around here.

Patches got some peanuts

Our squirrels and birds were treated to their own feasts.

And so did Junior.

And that was enjoyed to do end, until one squirrel took to eating the bird food (after I tossed out several handfuls of peanuts). Chased him away from the feeder with a few BBs (nothing life-threatening. I only shoot to scare, not maim).
All in all, a mildly merry Christmas at the "Fortress". I kinda like it that way these days.
*** Next up, I watched this year's Doctor Who Christmas Special, title "The Return of Doctor Mysterio", and I thought it was an excellent episode.

The superhero aspect to it was wonderful, and there were references to DC and MARVEL if you listened carefully. The run up to it has been great as well, with all the episodes aired prior.
*** Last back to the kitchen sink...it's been a rough few days in the entertainment world. Carrie Fisher is in stable condition after suffering a heart attack.

George Michael has died at the age of 53, and Rick Parfitt of the UK group Status Quo (saw them in concert twice in the late 70s - great band) has passed at the age of 68.

The music world has taken it on the chin in 2016.
You know, one of life's hardest things (of which there is no lack of abundance) is seeing others leave us or have them suffer some infirmity.

I always said that life is meant to challenge us, and when the inevitable comes (and it surely will), we are forced to come to grips with that. I've traveled that street more than a few times, and it never gets easier, nor do you become accustomed to it, and that's a good thing.
It's in our nature to grieve, just as it's in our nature to forgive.
And, it's nothing that God himself hasn't gone through, so in that, we're in pretty good company.
This is the time of year when we should be practicing forgiveness. Lord knows we do okay when it comes to being charitable. Much of Christmas is based upon such tenets.

But, there is always much more that we should come to realize, and being able to forgive, in concert with charity can go farther to help others than we can imagine.
As we leave this year, let's look to the next with a better attitude, a better hope and a better promise for a better tomorrow. It would be a good start.

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