Monday Musings...

Well, that was certainly one helluva weekend, wasn't it?
Leave it to the Midwest to never disappoint when it comes to such things.
I'll get into further detail as we go along.
Our Hoosierland weather for today has us with partly to mostly cloudy skies, cold conditions continuing (so much for melting) with a high that's starting out in the low 30s but dropping into the mid-20s as the day progresses, and a break in the precipitation (for today anyway).
I know we're all gonna need a nice hot cup of coffee, tea, or chocolate to get us going, so why wait, right?
As we do that, I'll fire things up and get us on the road, so we can see what else has been going on elsewhere...
*** First out of the glacial plains is our "What the hell happens today, Bob?" feature.
December 12 -
---Today is National Ambrosia Day

(used to be a staple at my church's pot luck dinners)
---It's National Ding-A-Ling Day

(it's a Christmas bell thing, and not a "political" thing. Sorry.)
---It's Gingerbread House Day

(wonder what the "R" factor for insulation is?)
---It's National Poinsettia Day

(nice plant, but deadly to pets)
*** Next up, looks like we've got our 48th dose of stupid for the Summit City.

Here's the story link:
http://wane.com/2016/12/11/one-man-dead-another-person-hurt-in-shooting/
Yep, we're inching closer to the FIFTY HOMICIDES mark in Fort Wayne, thanks to another idiot.

More donut shops=more cops=less crime?

This shooting took place at the (government-sponsored) Diplomat Apartments (what...again?) in the 3200 block of Diplomat Drive around 0530 hrs Sunday morning.One male was pronounced dead at the scene. Another person was taken to hospital in serious condition. As usual, no suspects, no arrests, no motive...pretty standard stuff. Neighbors heard shots...also, pretty standard on the SE side these days.
*** Next up, so, how did YOU make out with that snow?
We got nailed with a good, solid FIVE inches, as the metal ruler revealed.

The official number was 7.3 inches (at the FW airport, where none of us live).
That didn't deter our critters from stopping by.

Poor "Snowball" huddled under our table

The white cat (Snowball) took off before I could take food out for it.
I left some there anyway, in case it came back.
Breaks my heart to see a nice animal outside and alone.
We also had 3 squirrels (including Patches and Junior), and lots of birds (ask our kittens).
I went out to shovel the sidewalks TWICE yesterday.

The first time was around 0900 hrs, and the 3 inches we had by then was light with little moisture.
Later on, around 1400 hrs, it was outside again, and the rest of the snow was heavier by far. I spread out some melting crystals to try and keep the pavement clear...didn't turn out that bad.

THIS is the way...

Oh, and OUR property was the ONLY ONE that had been shoveled, as far as I could see.

We do it back in Philly...

What about that city ordinance that can levy fines for people who DON'T clear sidewalks by 9AM??? Since then, 2 other people shoveled...that's IT!
Missing out on some (easy) MONEY here, Fort Wayne...AS USUAL.

Never know WHAT you'll see when it snows.

And the lack of clearing had nothing to do with the lack of available "hands"...there are plenty of kids and young adults in the area...they're all just too damn LAZY (government-sponsorship tends to make people apathetic along those lines - your tax dollars at work...probably sleeping the drunk off as the day passes by).
Yeah, I can be sarcastic...it fits the "locals" so damn well. No one ever seems to hold them accountable.(they also like THAT a lot, too)
Otherwise, today will see Wifey and I clearing the driveway, so she can roll the car out to get to a 2-hour delayed day at work (school).
That should prove fun, as NONE of the residential streets down here were plowed.
Some schools have since closed since they all have e-learning -  FWCS doesn't have that, because parents don't want to pay the insurance for the electronic (teaching) devices, unless many can get the gov't to pay for THAT as well.
Add that to the leaf pickup we also never got last week.
The city's doing a remarkable job of ignoring us (as usual).
*** Next, Wifey and I cleared our driveway (her side anyway and half of mine), and that snow was HEAVY. The rain/sleet mixture we got last yesterday evening added some "poundage" to that flaky white stuff.
At least it's not all frozen (yet), so getting TO school and work will be better than the return trip home later this afternoon or evening. As the temps drop, what's left on roads and streets WILL slick over, so do take the proper precautions.

YESSssss!

Funny thing, early yesterday afternoon, I predicted there would be a 2-hour delay today, and after a time, they called it. I also said early on that evening church services would be canceled.
Nice to see the world play "catch-up" to me once in a while.
Maybe some out there are listening to me...or, it could be the fact that I used to drive in this weather (and worse) every day for a living. You get used to KNOWING what to expect, and when it comes to safety, it's ALWAYS better to err on the side OF caution, right?
*** Next up, Wifey's dad is doing better with the bronchitis.

The down side is that he has an intestinal blockage, and will most likely need surgery today to correct it. Apparently, there are adhesions from the past that are the cause.
Seems things ar not content to just rain, but tend to pour, especially around the holidays. I have gotten accustomed to that.
---In a related story, we got a bushel of oranges from a place in Harlingen, TX Saturday in the post (damn box weighs about 45 pounds).
Seems Wifey's dad sent that to us as a Christmas gift. Thing is, I don't DO that kind of fresh fruit, and not in THAT quantity. I don't even have a juicer to squeeze them into a couple quarts...lol.
Got no idea how to "pay them forward", as it were. Wifey's gonna take some to school, but a bloody BUSHEL?
Want oranges? We got 'em, so come get 'em.
When you don't know what to send us for the holidays...try CASH. Works for me EVERY damn time.

We got NONE of these near us.

Going with GIFT CARDS is dicey, too, because ALL the applicable stores are located ELSEWHERE in the damn city. Remember, we have NO real retail down here, so we gotta drive a lot to save a little...lol.
*** Next, let's take a visit to "Kitten Corner"...
Our frenetic twosome had some serious bird-watching time over the weekend.

He likes the birds more than me.

I call it "Kitty-TV", while Wifey calls it "Pay-Per-Mew"...ROFL!
We had our first "puke" from one of them, too. Dunno which one heaved, but it was easily cleaned (you become a pro when you have older cats with finicky stomachs), so no worries there.
Violet and Gallifrey followed me into the living room yesterday and "watched" some Star Wars with me.
I'm still debating on what decorations to put up and how much (for this year, anyway).
Don't want them getting into glittery things or pulling stuff down.
I hate doing things several times, anyway.

Violet's favorite nap spot.

They each have their own nuances, different from our previous cats, but there are times when thye seem to mimic behaviors of Penny and Rass, and that's kinda eerie.

Gallifrey takes over my chair.

These two certainly make working through not having our older cats (and Hobo) around, but I still miss the others. Sure, the holidays won;t be the same, but they will be unique in their own way  and from there, we can make new memories, and not disturb all those from previous years.
*** Last back to the igloo...I remember a time when a good snow brought out the best in people.

We would take to helping our neighbors shovel out, clear a sidewalk, or whatever else needed to be done.
And we did it without thoughts of compensation.
Today, it seems a lot more people require compensation, and "up front", too.
When weather like this hits, people will do the least amount and expect the same results as if it were sunny and bright. You don't have to look far to see what I mean.
And when we do get a snowfall, I'm seeing people who still think roads are clear and should be driven as though they are NOT as slick as snot on a damn doorknob.

Many hardly bother to clear off ALL the windows on their vehicles.
It's bad enough with "engineered blind-spots", but creating more by not clearing the glass off is inviting potential disaster.
And to not even bother clearing a sidewalk, and all but forcing people to walk in the middle of a damn street is sheer lunacy.  We're used to morons in the middle of our streets - makes them feel like they're all back in "Mother Africa" as they meander through some village. People there walk along roads, but that's because no one bothered to BUILD A DAMN SIDEWALK to keep people away from traveling vehicles.
Like I said, snow USED to bring out much better in people.

I like to "live by example".

Then again, many of us were more self-reliant back then, and we had better trust with our fellow man.
We helped where we could, when we could and because...it was the right thing to do.
What a joy that would be, if ONLY we could do more of that same today.
Maybe we wouldn't even a snow storm to have that point made.

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