Monday Musings...

Welcome to what appears to be a  continuation of our rather gloomy rainy weekend.
Can't see much good with 100% humidity and no real sunshine to dry anything out, can we?
Still, we shall soldier on, because even these craptastic conditions can't last forever.
Our Hoosierland weather for today bring us more cloudy skies, temps will rise to around 76 degrees, and yes, more scattered rain throughout the day. We should be getting rid of this by Wednesday (...oh, joy...).

Now, let's get ourselves that morning drink to help chase the gloom away, as we see what else has been going on...
*** First off of the soggy-ass lawn is our "What the hell happens today, bob?" feature:
JUNE 11 -
---It's National Corn On The Cob Day

(gotta take a rain check...right day for that)
---It's National German Chocolate Cake Day

(Closest I'm gonan get is a chocolate cupcake...sorry)
---It's National Making Life Beautiful Day

(on a day like this? Gonna need a miracle there)
*** Next up, a sad story about a Fox news contributor and best selling author:
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2018/06/08/fox-news-star-charles-krauthammer-reveals-has-weeks-to-live-in-heartbreaking-letter.html

Charles Krauthammer may not be long with us, and I've come to appreciate his views on the political scene...because he made some great calls over the years. Not bad for someone who worked for the Carter administration. Nothing wrong with saying a prayer for him.
*** Next, it looks like someone in Ft. Wayne wants new government-sponsored housing.
Here's the story:
http://www.wane.com/news/local-news/firefighters-battle-blaze-at-south-fort-wayne-apartment/1226812072

The fire at the Tamara Garden Apts took place around 1315 hrs. in the 6600 block of John Street,
Lightning MAY have been the cause, but the FWFD has yet to provide any information leading to that assessment.

I would find it surprising that it would be the case, when you have those living there who (as other  stories revealed) have NO idea how to live in a proper dwelling, and often results in the displacement of people other than the idiots that start fires via falling asleep while cooking, or will simply leave something burning on a stove.
*** Next up, yes...another shooting on the city's (...all together boys and girls...):
SOUTHEAST SIDE.

http://www.wane.com/news/local-news/1-hurt-in-shooting-on-hanna-st/1227545159

This took place in the 4600 block of Hanna St. around 2030 hrs Friday. Not far from the "Fortress".

Gotta LOVE that "quality-of-life" we have down here, Mr Mayor...isn't that right?
*** Next up, and not QUITE as far "south" in the city, comes this:
http://www.news-sentinel.com/news/local-news/2018/06/10/mans-death-on-st-marys-avenue-investigated-by-fort-wayne-police/

This took place Sunday evening around 1930 hrs at a house located at 1309 St. Marys Ave (near Sinclair St).
Yep, it's another one of those houses that was apparently "converted" into apartments.
Wonder how many code violations that place might have?

We could be looking at homicide #20 for the year (so far).
*** Next, and if that's not quite enough to get the week off to a lousy start, how about THIS story:
http://www.wpta21.com/story/38390603/5-day-old-child-critically-hurt-investigation-underway

This took place at a residence located at 2117 Oakley St around 0730 hrx Sunday, and yes, this is also on the (where else?) SOUTH side (our quality-of-life stumbles on, Mr. mayor).
A 5-day old infant was taken to hospital in critical condition. Not much else is known at this time.
(any bets on a boyfriend-of-the-month being involved?)
*** Next up, time to kick all this stupid to the curb and instead, stop by our "Kitten Corner"...

Taking it very easy.

The kids didn't do too bad, considering the weather was nasty outside (which kept Wifey and I inside more than usual).
Our cats found ways to occupy themselves over the weekend.

All I see iz the rain coming down.

There wasn't much to watch, as going to any of the windows didn't net anything noteworthy.
So, it was time to watch stuff indoors...like me while I was eating.

I think I'll hide from mommy and daddy...

Then, there is always that grocery bag "hideout".

I iz on the down-low in here.

Oh no...we can never find you when you hide in that bag...can we?
*** Next, time to check back in with "Midnight and Company"...

Our furry twosome become our rain-dampened twosome over the last 48 hours, and it's no surprise they couldn't stay totally dry (even with two shelters right outside on our patio).

I haz a boo-boo on my leg.

Midnight was limping a bit on Saturday, and the upper part of his left front leg was a little swollen, so we were watching that. Yesterday, he seemed to not be favoring the leg as much and the swelling had gone down significantly, so that;s a relief.
We'll still be looking for any changes.

Whiskers was her usual self...at the patio door every morning and she didn't miss a meal unlike Midnight, who did miss Sunday's lunch.

She was the smart one, and stayed in a shelter for most of the days. You could tell, as she had alfalfa on her coat when she came to get her food.
When we had times when it managed to stop raining for a couple hours, she spent time napping among our "Vietnam" grass (I call it that because it grows to over 6 feet each year.

I iz outta the grass, now rub my neck.

All we need is a rice paddy...lol. The grass is actually plants grown from all the fallen seed in our bird feeder (millet and such).
Overall, it wasn't that bad weekend for them, either.
*** Last back to the umbrella stand...I've been following this whole thing about young people suicide rates rising.

It's about 30% in Indiana, and in the wake of the Spade/Bourdain suicides, you have to ask yourself why this happens.
I have some experience along these lines (which I won't go into right now), that allows me more clarity when it comes to the causes of such acts. I want to toss something out there, that I hsve seen no mention of, but I feel that perhaps it's a certain "something" that should be looked into.
Has anyone made any correlation between loud noise (or music) and suicide rates?

Sure, we can point a finger at bullying (that's an easy one), or over-medication (of which the side-effects are worse than the initial problem), but has anyone looked into all the loud we have around us today?
Loud noise (or loud music) has been proven to affect the body in ways that would bring on depression, and since depression is a MAJOR factor with a lot of suicides, why haven't we seen all these "experts" moving in that direction?
Is it that hard to connect such obvious dots these days?
Our world HAS gotten a lot louder, and many times, law-enforcement has placed noise complaints on a much LOWER priority that other activity. Another "broken window".

Funny thing, with all the changes the body exhibits when exposed to loud noise (music), is it any wonder we see see so much more road rage? Or what about domestic issues? That stereo blasting away in the corner might just be the cause of such problems, and yet, is not being noticed as it should.
How many vets suffer from PTS because of the noise they were exposed to in theater?
The mass shootings we see? They could also have ties with exposure to constant noise.
How about our pets when we hit "fireworks season"? You KNOW they're affected by the loud booms, and yet, people just don't seem to notice...or care.

I feel we could make some major progress in defining and solving much of the suicide issues we face, not just in our state, but in all the rest. I think it's honestly worth our time to look into this, because noise is a problem that DOES have solutions.
All we need to do is have enough courage to make the call and change the current state of affairs...and we will save a lot of lives along the way.

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