Monday Musings...

And, we're off once again, starting another wonderful (/) week here  on planet Earth.
If you like your late Springtime a bit warmer than usual, this week will fit your bill.
I'll most likely be running the A/C and staying inside when it gets too warm and uncomfortable.
Amazing how we never seemed to mind such things as children, isn't it?
Our Hoosierland weather for today brings us mostly sunny skies, and an expected high of around 80 degrees.
Toss in a chance of rain tonight...maybe (tomorrow will be downright HOT).
So, let's all get a refreshing drink to jump-start our day, as we see what's been going on elsewhere...
*** First off of the patio is our "What the hell happens today, Bob?" feature:
MAY 15 -
---It's National Chocolate Chip Day

(cookies...ice cream...I can work with that)
---It's National Nylon Stocking Day

(making legs attractive for decades, too)
---It's Peace Officers Memorial Day

(remembering our thin blue line)
*** Next up, we got us some news briefs (no boxers).
---The NORKOS shot off another missile, and it splashed down in the Sea of Japan about SIXTY miles off the coast of RUSSIA.
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-northkorea-missiles-idUSKBN1890UO

(I'm sure Putin is now "no longer amused")
The line to off this Kim Jong Un is getting longer by the day.
---Closer to home, here's some classic stupid...
http://wane.com/2017/05/14/police-man-arrested-after-bad-drug-deal-leads-to-shooting/

Yeah, this turd-bucket has LOSER all over him...betcha can smell it at distance.
((According to investigators, a woman was shot in the arm after attempting to buy an ounce of marijuana from a man in the parking lot at Walmart. The victim told police during the drug deal a man approached her with a gun. The woman then used pepper spray and started driving away when the man shot towards the car and hit her in the arm.))
Remember to always call police when you get shot BUYING DRUGS.
((After interviews, police arrested the man who was pepper sprayed. He was identified as Edward Bishop, 25, Lafayette.
Shuter said police found a 9mm handgun in Bishop’s vehicle, several designer drugs, marijuana, and substantial amounts of counterfeit money.

Bishop was booked into the Kosciusko County Jail without bond on initial charges of attempted murder, criminal recklessness with a deadly weapon, counterfeiting, possession of narcotics with intent to deal, and possession of marijuana with intend to deal.))
Nice to see THAT police department doesn't screw around with violent thugs.
And, in what might be a "related" story, we have this:
http://www.newssentinel.com/news/local/fort_wayne_police_warn_of_counterfeit_money_in_the_area_20170513

Got us some "funny money" in the Fort Wayne area...wonder if Bishop (from the previous story) had anything to do with the counterfeit cash HE was carrying...just a hunch.
Maybe you recall THIS story from April LAST year?
http://www.wndu.com/content/news/Ft-Wayne-teens-arrested-for-counterfeiting-cash-374562951.html

Oh look...Fort Wayne TEENS...and they're black. Who'da thunk THAT, hmm?
Maybe they all need REAL jobs?
---Looks like the locals have taken to front lawn picnics, too.
Guess all the local PARKS are too GOOD for these people?

It be looka like a park to US.

Both Saturday AND Sunday. Ditto for the government-sponsored tribe across our side street.
Nothing like the lilting refrains of shouting kids and nasty-looking people to make you feel even more "at home"...(in the damn ghetto).

Man, that's downright FUGLY!

Some people were certainly NOT meant to "go shirtless". They simply have no shame whatsoever.
Maybe that's part of our society's problem...'ya think?
*** Next, this past Saturday was the "food drive" gig that the USPS has going on, and they provide a bag you can fill.

Well, Wifey and I did that when at the grocery, and I tied the bag and placed it at the foot of our mailbox post.
Mail came and went WITHOUT PICKING THE DAMN BAG UP...W-T-F???
We've done this for YEARS, and (since we "know the drill") never had a problem. The instruction clearly says "Place the bag NEAR your mailbox for pickup". Well, the base of the post IS bloody near the mailbox, isn't it?

I plan to personally HAND the bag to the carrier when they come by TODAY (and ask why it wasn't picked up Saturday).
Just another instance of people NOT paying attention.
*** Next up, let's move quickly way from all the stupid and get back to the realm of normalcy (or as close as I can approximate these days)...
Saturday, after grocery shopping, Wifey and I headed up to Glenbrook (she had to get her nails done). I was just curious as to what I might find in the way of "stuff".
Well, I wasn't disappointed (too much).
I came away with a really good Doctor Who hardback book: "The Secret Lives of Monsters". It had a retail price (on the back) of $45, but I got it at Barnes & Noble for $12.98! Now THAT is my kind of "robbery"...heh.
Also got a DW magazine with a John Hurt retrospective (very well done).

And I got some Sbarro's pizza, which (to me) is the best OVERLY-PRICED pizza in the city...lol.
And, it's the ONLY pizza shop I've come across to have exclusively Latino help...amazing.

A slice like this USED to cost only a buck back in Philly.

Their English gets MUCH better when the manager is on site...wonder why? LOL.
Dinner wasn't a problem. Wifey "cooked" Friday afternoon at the nearby Chinese place (China Buffet - Southgate Plaza), and even with SMALL servings, it took me until yesterday to polish it all off. They give wonderfully large portions there.
We also managed to get some more flowers for around the garden Friday (Wifey was off), and Menards was where we went.

We need a bigger table.

A side trip to Do It Best finished this main haul of plants (until the next round of late-bloomers becomes available). And, of course we have better than HALF of them planted about in pots, planters and the ground itself.
Looking nice indeed...now, if we can only get to enjoy them without external disruptions...
*** Next up, time to see "What on God's green earth has Bob bought on eBay now?"...

Well, the latest acquisition is a Guardians of the Galaxy Rocket Raccoon action figure with a small "baby Groot" in a flower pot.

I figured while we were into "plants", why not, right?
One person who reviewed the item made me laugh, because they said the figure was NOT 6 inches tall. Well, this figure IS part of the Marvel SIX INCH LINE of figures, and since Rocket is SMALLER than everyone else, he would naturally not be 6 inches "tall"...right?
Talk about some stupid people out there...DUH!
The best part...got this (new on card) for UNDER $9 bucks (free shipping).
The only one I found at that price, and I got it in less than a week.
Now...gotta get me a Star Lord figure for cheap.
*** Next up, let's drop on by our "Kitten Corner"...

A good weekend for the kids (and us). Sure, we had some running through the house, but nothing has been broken, torn, shattered, or chewed (yet)...lol.
A shame you can't get pictures when Violet comes and let's you rub her neck...I've tried. Doesn't work out well.

Gallifrey will stay still long enough for pictures...when he's not being manic and galloping all over while playing with his "sister".  How they manage to not scratch one another astounds me. I've found it VERY easy to get scratched, even when they don't mean to do it. Must be all that body fur. Sorry, that won't work for me...lol.
*** Next, time to see what's on the next page of our "Tales of Midnight"...

He has been around most ALL weekend, and has certain "spots" that he seems to covet (close to the house).
One of them is next to the patio door, under the shrub we have there, and the other one is near where the dryer vent is located, at one of the basement windows.
That's close to the outside faucet we have there, too.
He was a bit listless on Saturday, hardly touched the food in the afternoon, but yesterday, he was back on track and eating like normal. I think with all the black fur, he may have been "adjusting" to warmer weather. He does follow you up to the steps, and seems to want to come inside. But, much as I would like to, it's just not practical.
Still, is hasn't been that long ago when he would run the hell off when you even came TO the patio door. Amazing how far a little bit of love and care will go, isn't it?
*** Last back to the garden...it wasn't a bad weekend as weekends tend to go down here in the lost nether-regions of Fort Wayne.

Isn't much, but it IS "home".

I got the front lawn mowed finally (back yard was last week), and that wasn't too painful on the hip, just my calves. Got Wifey's car wiped down (lots of dust from crews tearing the crap out of our streets), and got to enjoy a small slice to things as they should be...

And then, the locals wake the hell up (and start their brand of crap all over again).
After that, it's hard to enjoy anything, except maybe an arrest nearby...heh.
All the morons and their assorted idiotic friends) with loud stereos, loud mufflers, straight-pipe motorcycles and other assorted nuisances tend to disturb one's calm.
People can't seem to get it through their thick-skull boneheads that OTHER people might not wish to partake in their particular way of annoying others for no reason, other than they can get away with it.
We used to be a much quieter society in general. People had this higher level of respect regarding others.

Not much evidence of that around here today, that's for sure.
And the louder, you are, the better with these jackasses.
Funny, back in the day, a loudass was a FOOL, usually drunk, and definitely not someone you actively WANTED to be around all that much (if at all).
People once liked to associate with people of better temperament, but times have changed, have they not?
If they're not burying their primate faces in smartphones (and walking into shit), they're boisterous all the time...and sometimes, they do BOTH.
I've seen my share of those who "serenade" everyone while they walk down the street, iPad earplugs clearly embedded in their ears. On one hand, they seek to be "by themselves", and on the other hand inflict themselves on others.
That's a curious mix.
We all need to stop thinking ONLY of ourselves along these lines, and starting thinking about others.
Sometimes, to move forward, you may have to back up a bit. This is one case where society needs to do just that.

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