Monday Musings...

It sure feels a lot better outside this morning. Most of that crappy humidity has taken some time off, and the temps are actually comfortable That's a decent way to begin a summer day in my book.
Our Hoosierland weather brings us mostly sunny skies, temps climbing to the mid to upper 80s, and no rain for the most part.
(might take the opportunity to mwo the back yard early on)

Now, let's get a nice cool drink to get the day started, as we see what else has been going on...
*** First off of the patio table is our 'What the hell happens today, Bob?" feature:
JULY 8 -
National Chocolate with Almonds Day

(I like chocolate and almonds. Sounds like a winner here)
Just one observance (thank God)
*** Next up...The Fortress'e "Batmobile" turns 36 years old.

So, how does one celebrate this? Well, I charged the battery back up and then proceeded to start the car. Had to pump the pedal (no fuel injection) to get the carburetor bowls filled with gas. And then presto!,
It started right up and ran like a champ (for the 15 minutes I allotted).
Being a bit of a "gear-head", I had done some research on my car not long after I bought it.
It was assembled in Norwood, Ohio.
So, let's take a look into that facility:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norwood_Assembly

Built cars there from 1923 to 1987. That's a pretty good run, but GM chose to close the place. It wasn't like Camaros and Firebirds weren't selling - they made well over a hundred thousand of each model every year, and dealers couldn't keep the showrooms stocked. They both were popular cars.
(but that was when carmakers Made CARS and not all these goofy-ass crossovers and SUVs...aka TRUCKS)
I do admit that it's kinda odd having a car for this long.

I can only wonder what my Dad would say. He wasn't into trading in every other year (like some people we knew), but he kept his cars until they started doing that "dollar me to death" gig.
He always told me "If you take car of your car, it will take care of you." Right again, Dad.
*** Next...it's refreshing to see that not much in the way of crime went on over the weekend.

I mean, we did have a Papa John's robbed in New Haven, by two black teens (who are still at-large). Guess that's what happens when you chase all the retail OUT of the SE side of FTW...you gotta go elsewhere to feed your sinful nature.

That definitely left a mark.

And, we had a couple motorcycle drivers crash (one was killed along Winchester Rd), along with a car that crashed into a house in the 4600 block of Fairfield Av Saturday around 2330 hrs.
The car left the scene (unfortunately) Police tried tacking a fluid trail, but that turned up nothing.
Can't even put groceries away on the south side these days...can you?
*** Next up, time to stop on by "Kitten Corner"...
The kids had a good weekend, in spite of the continuing fireworks (yes, the dumbasses down here DON'T know when to quit).

Another rare "two-fer".

Still, the cats got some ice cream, and managed to "frolic" in our powder room upstairs. They knocked the hand mirror off of the toilet...fortunately, it did NOT break. Don't want to add 7 years to any bad lick coming along these days.
*** Next, let's check in with "Midnight and Whiskers"...

"This yard is defended."

Our furry twosome dealt with the heat and humility the best they could, and that meant finding shady spots during the day. Midnight made his patrols, but they were shorter than normal.

"He's SUCH a show-off."

Whiskers just stayed close by all the time, and took it as easy as she could.
---As for the fluffy cat? Well, I think I found a name for him...CARUSO.

"What is a TOSCA, anyway?"

Every time you go to feed him, he goes into this "singing" gig...meowing all over the place, so I figured why not name him after an operatic singer. I must say he lives up to it. Problem solved there.
*** Last back to the garage...I'll be the first one to tell you that what we drive today is NOT what we drove decades ago. Not even remotely close.

That sounds kinda obvious, but it happens to be all too true.
Almost all of the vehicles we have today are NOT made of the steel that protected us much better in times past.

Hell, I recall a time when we didn't even need seatbelts (let alone airbags that could frag you when deployed), and you could start a car by pushing it.
Just try that today. Not gonna happen.
Cars don't even have a proper BUMPER any longer.

They have "FASCIAS". Even my Firebird has them but that was in the early days of bumper elimination (more aerodynamic).
Truth be told, the drag-coefficient of my generation Firebird was the LOWEST of any production car at the time...anywhere.
Hard to think today's vehicles even come close to those numbers, but the engines have become more fuel-efficient than mine (a V-6).
Wifey's Impala only has a "four-banger" and has better pickup and fuel economy, so they got something right.
Still, look at all the classic cars out there from ALL those years past.
That speaks volumes as to engineering, style, assembly, and longevity of what we USED to manufacture in America. It would be nice if the same could be said of cars today.

You WILL buy these, and LIKE it.

The sad part to this is that the automobile is becoming a dying breed, because some people "think" we all need to drive trucks (SUVs and crossovers).
I'm not buying into this garbage, nor the notion of an electric car,,,at least not until they can get the technology a lot safer (no exploding battery packs) and manage to surpass the fuel-driven autos (range)...and at an much more affordable price.
Personally, I'm still waiting for my car to be powered by MR. FUSION...lol.

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