Monday Musings...

Here we are once again...start of another week. I'd be much happier if we began the week with THURSDAY instead, but that's just me. My age is showing.
It looks to be another dreary beginning to another week, so what makes us so fortunate?
**And WHY hasn't Google fixed our blogs so we can see our FOLLOWER LIST, hmm?
(Been going on 4 days now)
Oh wait...they finally FIXED their problem.
Our Hoosierland weather for today brings us cloudy skies, temps reaching to near 50 degrees, rain coming in this afternoon, and windy conditions (gusts in the 30+ MPH range). Batten down those hatches, gang, and gear up for foul weather.

Now, if that makes you all want to crawl back under the covers and take a pass, I can totally understand.
But, since we usually have to play the hand we're being dealt, let's get ourselves a nice hot cup of coffee, tea, or cocoa to chase away the chill and get things going...fair enough?
*** First out of the sock drawer is our "What the hell happens today, Bob?" feature:
OCTOBER 30 -
---It's National Candy Corn Day

(the only use I have for this is slingshot ammo!)
---It's National Publicist Day

(Like I have the time or inclination to get me one of these)
---It's Speak Up For Service Day

(noticing the unnoticed - what a novel idea)
*** Next up, Leo Morris has a good column in today's J-G, and it's about that nasty 6-letter word: CHANGE.

Here's the link (Indiana Policy Review article and NOT the N-S insert in the J-G that I couldn't find online):
http://inpolicy.org/2017/10/op-ed-the-ap-doesnt-think-much-of-hoosiers/
He makes a great case for people like me who resist that "change for change sake", and with good reason.

You don't HAVE to be a Hoosier to feel that way, either.
((“Change,” it should not need to be pointed out, is a neutral value, so we are free to promote beneficial change and block harmful change, and we need to be wise enough to know the difference. ))
Well said, Leo.
*** Next, proof positive that the FWPD still has bullets in their service pistols. Here's that story:
http://www.journalgazette.net/news/local/police-fire/20171028/domestic-call-ends-in-police-shooting

This took place Friday around 1630 hrs at a house located at 3107 Elmdale Drive off of Hessen Cassel) on the city's (where else?) SOUTHEAST SIDE.
The story mistakenly refers to the neighborhood as "a quiet suburban street"...seriously???
Show me ONE part of this cretin-infested part of town that IS quiet (and not only for a few minutes at any time), because I've not seen nor heard it for YEARS, and that's the truth.
Police responded to a domestic call and wound up shooting a man who became combatant with the officers. Two officers were slightly injured and the victim was taken to hospital in serious condition.
Now, if we could ONLY get the police to start shooting all these damn loud-ass-mobiles and shouting neighbors.
Yeah, I can dream...the price is still right.
*** Next up, Wifey came back from another jaunt down to Vincennes without incident (and several hundred more miles on the Wifeymobile).

Should get some new tires if we're going to tackle any winter driving in snow and such.
And, grocery shopping went well for a Sunday (first time for everything). Actually was nicely uneventful.
(the way it should be all the time)
*** Next, if you want to see some reasons WHY our part of Fort Wayne gets the reputation it deserves when it comes to the actions of some people, then look no further. Here's some examples.

Only a week EARLY with the trash

People place trash out WHENEVER THE HELL THEY FEEL LIKE IT, and not on the specified day (Which is Wednesday for us).

Stop by and sit a spell.

And they'll put any damn thing out there, which invariably gets rained on and further destroyed by the elements.
It also causes the trash-PICKERS to come out from under THEIR rock and rifle through the stuff.

Nothing BETTER to do, huh?

Now, rather than fix a dilapidated fence on a property, they take it completely DOWN, making the property even more accessible to burglars and assorted thieves to break into the place, not to mention any scrappers that may happen by, as they roam the alleys more than the residents and police combined.

NO fence anymore.

And naturally, we always have people who will park ANY damn place, like on the front lawn next to a WALKWAY...and never get ticketed.

Well, this idiot DOES have handicapped tags.

I thought that's why we had streets and driveways? It's just TNB, folks
Be GLAD you don't have to endure such idiocy by the government-sponsored among us.
*** Next up, time to drop by "Kitten Corner"...

Our kids were happy to see "mommy" come home...so happy that they became more manic than usual.
And that led to some wonderful naps when they burned themselves out.

In between, we had some bouts of cuteness, and there's no way in hell that you can stay angry at any of their actions. I think the cats plan it that way...lol.
*** Next, let's check in with "Midnight and Company"...

Okay, so this part might be kind of rough for me, because as of Saturday midday, Whiskers has not been around for her food. She has gone M.I.A.

Where did my partner go?

Midnight has been coming by and getting fed at his regular times, but she has not been seen for two days.
I think we might have another "Hobo" incident...I hope not, but if she could get here for food...she would have by now. We can hope she was taken in, but I doubt that, as she was very shy around people (except us).
We'll keep looking for her, in the hopes that she does return, but if not...well, life has to go on.
We had her around for about 3 months (twice the time that Midnight's been here), and she came by more regularly than he did for food.

Have you seen Whiskers?

I hate to be the pessimist here, but to have two cats up and disappear about the same time within a year is kinda odd. There has to be more to this than we're seeing, and it better not be of a criminal intent, as in harming the cats.
Like I said, we'll stay vigilant for her return, and hope...
*** Last back to the medicine cabinet...I'm a huge fan of the whole "comfort of the familiar".

There is something soothing with knowing that things run smoothly the way they are (and were) intended.
And yes, there is trepidation when it comes to anything we label as "unknown", because we cannot see the outcome. We like to have some control over some things in our lives, and that's where our comfort zone lies.
It's when others decide FOR us that we "need" change, and as Leo Morris stated, that is a NEUTRAL value, but the RESULTS of change never REMAIN neutral. If it is indeed for our GOOD, then okay, but when change serves no purpose but to forcibly lead us into the unknown, that's where I have a problem.

No thank you.

To me, it's akin to having knowledge without the application of the wisdom to properly utilize that knowledge. It becomes a wasted sum.
Some things in life need to remain the way they are (or used to be), and that's not for nostalgia-sake. It's for practicality, because such values USED to work well enough for many.
Yet, when we abandon those values and embrace all this change, sight-unseen, we place ourselves and our principles at risk. We devalue our morals, we diminish our ethics, and we demean that which we once held dear.
Much of our future lies in our past, and it's our job to carry that past into the present to preserve a better future - a future that allows us to become better individuals...not mediocre ones.

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