Thoughts For Thursday...

I guess my INITIAL thought is "Reckon we have enough rain left for April?"
Still, the ground IS getting a might boggy, as could be found along the moors.
Our Hoosierland weather for today consist of (you guessed it) rain showers throughout the day with a good chance of a few SNOW (???) showers tossed in, gusty winds, and little chance of seeing the sun. Expect a high of about 42 degrees (current temperature), which means those number will drop as the day progresses (into the upper 30s).
Now, if that isn't cause to get a nice cup of coffee, tea, or cocoa, I don't know what is, so let's all get busy with that, as we take a look at what's been going on elsewhere...
*** First out of the rain gutter is the answer to yesterday's WHO SAID THAT? quote:

"The true grandeur of humanity is in moral elevation, sustained, enlightened and decorated by the intellect of man."
This was spoken by yet another "newbie" here, one Charles Sumner (January 6, 1811 – March 11, 1874) who was an American politician and senator from Massachusetts. And yes, he has a WIKI:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Sumner

Since I never really heard of him (or if I have, I'd forgotten my high school American history), I expected this to be a short read, but it's a bit lengthy. Someone kept some good records, no doubt.
((Sumner was the leader of the antislavery forces in Massachusetts and a leader of the Radical Republicans in the United States Senate during the American Civil War working to destroy the Confederacy, free all the slaves, and keep on good terms with Europe. During Reconstruction, he fought to minimize the power of the ex-Confederates and guarantee equal rights to the freedmen.)). Radical Republicans...who would have known?

He was brutally caned by a southern representative (Preston Brooks - SC) and that story is found here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_of_Charles_Sumner
You have to remember that these were the days when physical confrontations could (and often did) break out in Congress.

Oh, to have THOSE days back again, as many on the left and a couple on the right NEED it.
((Moral law, he believed, was as important for governments as it was for individuals, and legal institutions that inhibited one's ability to grow—like slavery or segregation—were evil.))
Sumner wasn't one to follow the party line, either. And he was friends with people like Longfellow, Horace Mann, an Horace Greeley.
This is one of the more interesting reads about someone history seems to not mention that much, so take some time to learn about a politician with moral conviction.
*** Next up, time for our "What the hell happens today, Bob?" feature:
APRIL 6 -
---It's National Caramel Popcorn Day

(Sounds like a Cracker Jack kinda time)
---It's National Sorry Charlie Day

(tuna sandwiches, anyone?)
---It's National Student Athlete Day

(sorry, but we're on spring break)
---It's National Tartan Day

(And to think the Scots are the 8th largest ethnic group in the USA)
---It's National Teflon Day

(wonder of Gotti ever observed this?)
---It's National Alcohol Screening Day

(does screening mean taste-testing?)
*** Next, looks like we've got us some criminals of an ethnic persuasion (say it ain't so, Bob).

Here's the link to the entire column:
http://www.journalgazette.net/20170406/night-of-drinking-ends-in-domestic-firearm-charges
---The first offense deals with a domestic (doesn't it mostly with these people?)
Yeah, it always makes you a real man to get jealous at your girlfriend's birthday,
Jermard Lewis, 46, of the 3500 block of Bowser Avenue is the culprit here. A little old to be so juvenile.
After getting home (Tuesday night, no time given) and grabbing her by the throat and tossing her over a couch, Lewis pulled up beside another man in a Silverado (who had driven to the victim's aid). Lewis confronted the man from his 4 dr black Audi, pulled a gun and fired a bullet into the driver's door of the truck.
((Lewis was charged with pointing a firearm at another person, criminal recklessness committed with a deadly weapon and domestic battery with a prior conviction. He was released on a bond of $7,500.))
Gotta love such animalistic behavior from the local aborigines, right?
And like I asked earlier this week...WHERE the hell do these people get the money for such NICE vehicles?
---The next offense takes place around 1900 hrs at Fazoli's parking lot at 409 W. Coliseum Blvd, when a woman found an "unwanted passenger" waiting in her car.
Christopher Choates, 39, of the 600 block of West Coliseum Boulevard, was ordered out of her car, but when he exited, he had held on to her jackets. After wrestling them from him, the woman realized she was missing a makeup bag and a debit card.
((Police caught up with Choates at Fast Track Racing, 605 Coliseum Blvd. W., and found the debit card in his pants pocket along with three cellphones and a glass pipe that contained marijuana residue, records said.
At the Allen County Lockup, the makeup bag was discovered shoved down Choates' pants along with a wallet with a credit card in it.
Choates is in the Allen County Jail, held in lieu of $10,000 bail. He is charged with robbery and misdemeanor charges of conversion, possession of paraphernalia and unauthorized entry of a motor vehicle.))
Now, forgive me for noticing this, but the SECOND crime gets a HIGHER bond than the battery and FIREARMS violations?
WTH is wrong with that picture? Is this city's bail/bond system going to be f*cked up FOREVER?
*** Next up, lets get away from all this by stopping over to "Kitten Corner"...

The kids don't mind the rain or thunderstorms. Our former cats used to get bothered by such noise. Rassie would slink about , looking for some place to get away from it. My lap was always available for him. Penelope would never get that agitated, but she would go find a nice place to catch a nap.

Violet and Gallifrey just like to nap...period.
And maybe catch up on some grooming. Never let them see you disheveled, I guess.
*** Last back to the rain barrel...the Good Book says we reap that which we sow.

And, it doesn't take a farmer to figure out the meaning there.
Throughout history, we've had variations on this "theme", and when it comes to people, pretty much the same results.
We are all the sum of our parts; our experiences, knowledge, wisdom, encounters...you name it.
And one would think that all of this is meant to teach us about life and people, and such.
Well, there are those out there who never seem to learn from ANY experience or, are more prone to repeat an experience over and over to achieve whatever end they may be searching for (and rarely finding it that way).

The formal educational process can only teach us so much, but it does serve as a "jumping off point" for life in the real world. And the sooner more people acknowledge that, the better (for them and for the rest of us).

Once again, we discover that choices are always at the forefront of life, no matter what age we find ourselves.
Can't get through a single day without making a lot of them.
So, it would behoove us to strive to make those choices good ones, for no one else's sake but our own, lest we fall into the trap of convenience, or apathy, or complacency.

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