Tuesday Tidbits...

Finally, a day we can wake up and NOT be freezing various body parts off. In fact, it will seem a LOT more like the weather we SHOULD be having this time of year...(astounding).
Still, whatever snow that melted yesterday has refrozen overnight, so caution while out and about should still be "job-one".
Our Hoosierland weather for today brings us mostly cloudy skies, temps climbing to around 34 degrees, and no sign of precipitation for the time being. (get ready for more snow this weekend, though, so don;t stow away those boots, gloves and shovels just yet)

Now, let's get that morning drink poured and parked close by, as we see what else has been going on...
*** First off of the slush-covered street is our "What the hell happens today, Bob?" feature:
JANUARY 9 -
---It's National Apricot Day

(gimme a can of nectar and I'll call it even)
---It's National Law Enforcement Appreciation Day

(finally, something to REALLY appreciate)
---It's National Shop for Travel Day

(sorry, not interested)
---It's National Static Electricity Day

(why, I find that shocking!)
*** Next up, and since it IS a Tuesday, let's look into the FWPD blotter and see some of the (way too many) police calls we should have heard about last week.

SHOTS FIRED ((113)) - ARMED ROBBERY((53)) 
((23,113 - vandalism by gunfire))
=======================================  
18F000007 01/01/2018 12:07am 113 SHOTS FIRED 200 CREIGHTON AVE W
18F000017 01/01/2018 12:59am 113 SHOTS FIRED 2600 WHITE OAK AVE
18F000026 01/01/2018 01:30am 113 SHOTS FIRED 4700 COLLBRAN CT
18F000163 01/01/2018 01:37pm 113 SHOTS FIRED 3400 HOAGLAND AVE
18F000255 01/01/2018 07:21pm 113 SHOTS FIRED 4700 ANTHONY BLVD S
18F000309 01/01/2018 11:33pm 113 SHOTS FIRED 2900 WEBSTER ST
18F000492 01/02/2018 01:18pm 113 SHOTS FIRED 2900 GAY ST
18F000692 01/02/2018 10:38pm 113 SHOTS FIRED 200 LEITH ST W
18F000789 01/03/2018 09:27am 113 SHOTS FIRED 3000 FAIRFIELD AVE
18F000939 01/03/2018 03:34pm 113 SHOTS FIRED 2600 SOUTHWAYNE & GUILDFORD AV
18F001429 01/04/2018 08:57pm 113 SHOTS FIRED 1900 ANTHONY BLVD N
18F001476 01/05/2018 12:34am 113 SHOTS FIRED 3600 CHEVIOT DR
18F001778 01/05/2018 08:45pm 113 SHOTS FIRED 5900 WAYCROSS DR
18F001850 01/06/2018 12:12am 113 SHOTS FIRED 200 DEWALD ST W
18F002198 01/06/2018 10:17pm 113 SHOTS FIRED 3500 SCHELE AVE & HOLLY AVE
18F002251 01/07/2018 01:45am 113 SHOTS FIRED 700 CANDLELITE CT
18F002252 01/07/2018 01:59am 113 SHOTS FIRED 4200 WELLS ST
18F002274 01/07/2018 03:35am 113 SHOTS FIRED 5300 BELLMAWR LN  
18F002279 01/07/2018 04:10am 113 SHOTS FIRED 3800 ANTHONY S & RUDISILL BLVD
18F002452 01/07/2018 04:19pm 113 SHOTS FIRED 2700 WASHINGTON CENTER RD W
18F002528 01/07/2018 08:03pm 113 SHOTS FIRED 400 BUTLER ST W
18F002535 01/07/2018 08:20pm 113 SHOTS FIRED 2400 WARSAW ST
18F002559 01/07/2018 09:53pm 113 SHOTS FIRED 2500 PENNSYLVANIA & LUMBARD ST
18F002557 01/07/2018 09:55pm 113 SHOTS FIRED 1900 ANTOINETTE ST
18F002570 01/07/2018 10:35pm 113 SHOTS FIRED 400 PERRY AVE
18F002574 01/07/2018 10:47pm 113 SHOTS FIRED 2000 GREENTREE CT & BUCHANAN ST
18F000004 01/01/2018 12:04am 113 SHOTS FIRED 3000 SMITH ST
=======================================================================
18F000013 01/01/2018 12:30am 23,113 1200 BERRY ST W
18F000204 01/01/2018 04:39pm 23,113 5500 WEBSTER ST
18F000404 01/02/2018 09:34am 23,113 200 BEAULIEU PL
18F000434 01/02/2018 10:02am 23,113 1700 HARRISON ST N
18F000520 01/02/2018 02:10pm 23,113 2900 SMITH ST
18F000782 01/03/2018 09:03am 23,113 3700 MCKINNIE AVE
18F001299 01/04/2018 03:38pm 23,113 5100 DARIUS CT
18F001471 01/05/2018 12:15am 23,113 500 BUCHANAN ST
18F002262 01/07/2018 02:42am 23,113 2300 DREXEL AVE
18F002338 01/07/2018 10:12am 23,113 100 SUTTENFIELD AVE E
18F002540 01/07/2018 08:33pm 23,113 500 SUTTENFIELD AVE E
========================================================================
18F000548 01/02/2018 03:29pm 53 ARMED ROB 5400 LOIS LN
18F000868 01/03/2018 12:50pm 53 ARMED ROB 1700 APPLE GLEN BLVD
18F000981 01/03/2018 05:39pm 53 ARMED ROB 3900 CALHOUN ST S
18F001536 01/05/2018 10:01am 53 ARMED ROB 5900 ILLINOIS RD
18F001571 01/05/2018 12:19pm 53 ARMED ROB 1700 HOBSON RD
18F002504 01/07/2018 06:54pm 53 ARMED ROB 300 SUTTENFIELD AVE E
========================================================================
18F000497 01/02/2018 01:33pm 58 SHOOTING 700 BROADWAY
18F002246 01/07/2018 01:30am 58 SHOOTING 1700 CREIGHTON AVE E
18F002308 01/07/2018 05:02am 58 SHOOTING 11100 PARKVIEW PLAZA DR
18F002299 01/07/2018 05:40am 58 SHOOTING 2200 RANDALLIA DR
========================================================================
18F000010 01/01/2018 12:28am 59 CUTTING/STAB 2400 MAIN ST W
=======================================================================
18F000473 01/02/2018 12:20pm 61 RAPE 2000 MERIDIAN ST
18F001842 01/05/2018 11:38pm 61 RAPE 600 LEWIS ST E
18F002128 01/06/2018 06:52pm 61 RAPE 3900 STATE BLVD E
=======================================================================
18F002355 01/07/2018 11:52am 75 PURSUIT 4100 SMITH ST
=======================================================================
18F000775 01/03/2018 08:37am 89 BOMB THREAT 6700 INNOVATION BLVD
=======================================================================
Plus 12 narcotics calls
=========================
FIREWORKS CALLS - JAN 1 - JAN 7:
NONE!!! AMAZING!!
*** Next up, Allen County has had it's FIRST homicide this year, but it's not the "type" you're accustomed to.

Here's the story:
http://wane.com/2018/01/08/girl-shot-with-bb-gun-dies/
Yes, an 8-year old child (from Grabill) was shot in the eye (by another child) with a BB gun and died as a result.

Now, we can talk safety until the cows come home, and it seems we only are preaching to the choir here.
This is a tragic event, and should not have happened if some folks had better parenting skills. Leaving a child with a BB gun apparently UNATTENDED can have dire consequences.
Many BB pistols, especially those using CO2 as a projectile propellant, have muzzle velocities of OVER 400 FPS ( know...I have several plus a paintball marker pistol with similar muzzle velocity). In comparison, a .45 caliber pistol (with standard 230 grain ammo) will have a muzzle velocity of around 830 FPS...about double that of a BB or pellet pistol.
BOTH can kill.

Yep, this one's mine

The .45 (like a pellet gun) has a rifled barrel, while a BB gun or paintball marker has none. That makes a difference as to the FPS velocity and range of the pistol (or rifle).

And so is THIS one

Airsoft guns typically have lower velocities (many are spring units - no CO2)And while the coroner has called this a homicide, it's basically unprosecutable.
Not exactly the kind of homicide we're USED to seeing, especially in Fort Wayne, is it?
*** Next, and while we're on the topic of the misunderstanding of hand-held weaponry, there's this editorial; column by Bob Aldridge in the J-G:
http://www.journalgazette.net/opinion/columns/20180109/simple-mindednaivet233

There are those that would seek to remove a LOT of guns from law-abiding hands, and the doctor in the article seems to be one of them. There is a problem with his "facts", however...
They're WRONG. Thios doc has a case of knee-jerk syndrome, and doesn't want to take the time to read the TRUE FACTS about the guns he would like to see gone.
This  column is a reply to the prior J-G column:  “Candid gun views torpedo appointment” , which was published back on 24 Dec 2017. I think Bob wraps it up quite nicely when he states THIS:
(("It seems lost on Winslow and other gun-ban advocates that criminals, by definition, do not obey laws, and more laws, on top of the nearly 20,000 existing federal laws, state statutes, local ordinances and administrative regulations, will do nothing to deter criminals."))

Well said, and not just because it's THE TRUTH.
*** Next up, we did get our mail yesterday...around 1745 hrs yesterday.

For some reason, USPS was a couple route behind, we drew the short straw.. That's one thing in this city that is wonderfully consistent - INCONSISTENCY.
If it's not the mail, it's the paper, or trash/recycling, or police response, or damn near anything else in this part of town.
I WILL say that the new waste hauler has done a bang-up job is getting our trash taken away...even if it took some overtime on last weekend.

I can only imagine what they inherited from the previous waste removal company (who seemed to change personnel like most people change socks).
And I won't even get into how the CITY goes and starts a "project" like street light repair, only to darken SEVERAL BLOCKS in the process...for MONTHS.

Still working (for now).

We still have one of the only TWO functional street lights in a 2-3 block area...amazing.
*** Next , let's see what's kicking over at "Kitten Corner"...

Gallifrey helps himself to another nap.

Our kids were doing well yesterday. Seems they like seeing the snow go away, and watching a couple birds (one cardinal came up alongside the patio door - not enough time to get a picture).

Violet helps put decorations away...sort of.

Violet and Gallifrey also are enjoying not having the furnace run as much as it has over the past week...talk about STATIC ELECTRICITY...the 4-footed walking kind...LOL. Can't really pet them without both getting shocked.
*** Next up, time for our check in with "Midnight and Company"...

The furry twosome were right on time and "on station" as it were, and yes, they also enjoyed not having frozen foot pads for a change...can't say I blame them.

It was very cold going out to feed them, but "a job is a job", as they say.
They were both there for all three feedings, too. I'm sure the familiarity of being fed will come into play when winter goes away. Perhaps those patrols will be less lengthy.
Maybe he's got another vocation? Like in "advertising"?

A spokescat for kitty litter?

I know I can't shovel the steps or sidewalk without supervision, but that's fine at my age...lol.
Mowing the grass will be another story, but we'll cross that bridge when we all get to it.
*** Last back to the snow-free steps...what happened to responsible behavior in people?

Please ell me, because as time passes, I seem to be seeing more and more of it.
Hell, when we were kids, we were told NEVER to point a toy gun at others (we did, but at distance, and there was never a projectile involved). We mostly had cap pistols anyway. You could do more damage to someone else by clocking over the head with the toy gun...lol.
But, that was a time when parents were STRICT. In the eyes of the left, they would probably be considered purveyors of CHILD ABUSE with the manner that our moms and dads kept US in line. Funny, we didn't all turn out to become mass murderers, or irresponsible individuals (generally-speaking).

That says something about the WAY we were brought up.
I know some folks today who have been (and still are) VERY good parents, and they emply the same strictness and intolerance to bad behavior that OUR generation's parents provided to us.
Now, this certainly isn't a perfect world, and maybe will never come close to that, but all of us can do better when it comes to being responsible. When a child loses her life at her brother's hands while "at play", you have to call into question WHY did a BB gun become the toy of choice and why was it  left where a child can get to it without supervision.
I think when more grown ups practice some good old common sense, the kids will follow suit, as they always like to emulate their parents.

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

((Tomorrow - how "smart" are our houses, and do we need to care?))