Monday Musings...

Welcome back from the Easter weekend. I trust you and yours had a very nice time of it all.
And welcome to a brand new month (guess March kinda went out as a lamb after all(.
Our Hoosierland weather for today looks to be free of precipitation to start off with. Rain moves in tonight with the possibility of a little thunder and lightning. Our high today (aside from the locals, whose high happens as soon as they roll off the mattress...heh) will reach to around 46 degrees, and skies will be increasingly cloudy (might snag a sunrise anyway).

So, what say we start things off with a nice cup of coffee, tea, or cocoa, as we take a look at what has been going in this crazy world of ours, hmm?
*** First our of the refuse bin is our "What the hell happens today, Bob?" feature:

The MONTH of April brings us the following observances:
English Language Month
National Month of Hope
National Canine Fitness Month
National Internship Awareness Month
Distracted Driving Awareness Month
National Child Abuse Awareness Month
National Donate Life Awareness Month
National Cannabis Awareness Month
National Fair Housing Month
Month of the Military Child
International Guitar Month
Keep America Beautiful Month

Lawn and Garden Month
National Autism Awareness Month
National Couple Appreciation Month
National Decorating Month
National Fresh Celery Month
National Garden Month
National Humor Month
National Landscape Architecture Month
National Inventor’s Month
National Jazz Appreciation Month
National Soft Pretzel Month
National Soy Foods Month
National Straw Hat Month

National Poetry Month
National Pecan Month
National Volunteer Month
National Welding Month
Occupational Therapy Month
Records and Information Management Month
Scottish-American Heritage Month

Sexual Assault Awareness Month
Stress Awareness Month
National Safe Digging Month
---As for this day...
APRIL 2 -
---It's National Ferret Day

(they're cute, but they do have a certain "fragrance" about them)
---It's National Peanut Butter and Jelly Day

(I think I found my breakfast..or lunch...or maybe dinner)
---It's National Reconciliation Day

(do see the need here for myself)
*** Next up, It looks like Easter was not the time for thanks...or prayer...or even reflection, as our city notched homicides number 11 and 12 on Easter day.

Here's the first incident:
www.wane.com/news/local-news/1-killed-in-easter-morning-shooting/1091823715

This took place in the 3000 blk of Abbott near Eckart Sts around 0500 hrs yesterday morning.
Police found one man dead after a passing motorist saw the body and called it in.
Here's the second incident:
http://www.wane.com/news/local-news/1-person-killed-after-second-easter-morning-shooting/1091932246

This took place at The Summit at Ridgewood Apts. around 1000 hrs. These are the units between  Newport and Parnell.
While the first shooting death was on the SE side, the second was NE.
I can think of SO many better ways to spend Easter than getting involved in a shooting, especially as a victim.
But, you have to consider the nature of the beast when it comes to such things.
At this rate, we can easily hit 40 homicides for the year...and we're not even into the "peak" season (summer) yet.
Starting to see a bit of a pattern with the numbers, aren't we?
*** Next, it's always sad to see the passing of a police officer, even it he has 4 legs. Here's the story:
http://www.wpta21.com/story/37849344/long-serving-fwpd-k9-nemo-passes

FWPD K-9 officer "Nemo" has left this world at the age of 14. He served in the department for 9 of those years.
*** Next up, as usual, Bill O'Reilly had a fantastic column, and if you don't get his weekly email, never fear.

I got this covered for all of you. Here it is.
https://www.billoreilly.com/b/Shooting-Straight-on-the-Gun-Controversy/-591418303422712958.html?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=staff_column
Sadly, this whole gun-control gig isn't going away soon, and not without the snowflakes crying the blues over it.
What I'm curious about is what their NEXT "cause" will become, because I don't believe they'll make the impact they want,

There are too many who stand fast by the 2nd Amendment (as well as the rest of the Constitution).
Ted Nugent called it right when he said that these protesting teens "have no soul".
Naturally, the drive-by media called this an insult.
Funny, I call it the TRUTH.
*** Next, as a rail fan, I love trains (at least the ones we USED to have), and that's why I find THIS story troubling.
http://www.news-sentinel.com/news/local-news/2018/03/30/amtrak-change-could-impact-fort-wayne-railroad-historical-societys-joliet-rocket-excursion/

The "Joliet Rocket".

Amtrak, in it's "infinite wisdom" (?) might be making some trips by those old time steam engines harder to accomplish.
You know, Amtrak has room to talk, because here we have a stinking federal entity that has YET to see a single year's profit since it's damn inception WAY back in the early 1970s.
But yet, these morons feel the need to take the historical value away from others when it comes to the lore of trains (and trains that MADE money, to boot).
*** Next up, time to drop by our "Kitten Corner"...

We had a good weekend for the most part. Only a couple isolated bouts of crazy to speak of, and nothing that couldn't be corrected with some laser-play. Gallifrey is trying to do the impossible - look out of every window at the same time...LOL.
It's kinda funny to see him go from one to another, but he's not the most cautious cat in the house, and I prefer when he finds one window and parks himself there (like in the computer room).

Violet isn't that much of a "window" cat, but rather sticks to following us around and finding a place to nap, like under the dining room table (on one of the chairs), or in the same room with one of us.
*** Next, let's check in with "Midnight and Company"...

Our furry twosome are getting better at staying near the house. Once ina  while, one fo them is out and about and after jingling the keys, they will come back soon enough.
Midnight is the usual culprit there. He loves to do his "patrol" thing, while Whiskers just gets curious a couple times a week, and comes bck from wherever she goes.

They do make sure to be on the patio for breakfast...that's a definite.
And, they do both enjoy the last call with their hand-held treats (probably as much as I do...lol).
*** Last back to the garage...I miss the days when we had less to worry about.

You know those times - times when identity crisis was NEVER a crisis, or when bullying was dealt with much better with a left hook than with a suicide or lawsuit.
It was a time when the "infotainment" system in vehicles consisted of singing along with whatever was on the radio.

And HE never shot up a school.

We had children playing with cap guns...all types of cap guns, and not becoming mass murderers when they got older. We didn't try to confuse children with what GENDER they were, either.
And schools taught more than the 3 R's. They taught us how to behave in a public atmosphere.
We didn't have backpacks (or needed them). we CARRIED our books (maybe withe a strap around them,...or an old belt).

We also carried compasses, rulers, assorted pencils and pens, and never got a "shakedown" for having a weapon on us.
It was a time when the ONLY drugs found in schools were ASPIRIN.
Our parents (plural) made sure we behaved around the neighborhood, too. Our neighbors knew al the kids and watched them (us) as much as our parents did, so we didn't get into trouble.

Now, it's part of "growing up".

It was a time when getting arrested was more a STIGMA than some "rite-of-passage", and if that happened, you were cast as a pariah, rather than a "playa".
Growing up, we respected our parents, our neighbors, our teachers, our police, and were respected in kind by them.
People can say what they will about those "good old" days, but having gotten through them a better individual, only makes me appreciate them more than the times we live in today, fo we have lost so much of what we once had.
Just a little something to think about.

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