Here we go into the ….
Here we go into the second half of April. The month started out with a bang with some record breaking temperatures. Then the roof fell in, you might say and we have had temperatures the last week that are a bit more normal. At least we didn’t have the big snow piles like we have had in recent years.
I made a short trip around the north side of Loyal this afternoon hoping to see some May flowers. But not yet, or was I going too fast and missed them? I did see some marsh marigolds and that always brings back happy memories. I always made sure I brought a small bouquet for my Mom as I walked home from grade school.
About the only thing agricultural I found in my little trip was what seemed like miles and miles of hose laid out on fields and in the ditches. This will transfer liquid manure just as soon as it dries out a bit.
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Last week I was talking about speeding and traffic tickets. I guess the next few items kind of fit right in. Last Tuesday I had a noon appointment at the clinic. As is the usual case, I set my speed control for 55 or a bit above it. Don’t want to be accused of being a poke along. Once I hit the highway, where it goes to three lanes, a pickup truck and a car passed me.
Next thing I know I’m into the 45 miles an hour zone and headed right for the traffic light at McMillan. It was red as it seems to be when I come. I pull into the left turning lane and stop. Over on the other two lanes stood the car and pickup truck. I just kind of smiled knowing they burned up some extra gas in trying to be in a hurry.
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These next couple of stories came from Facebook. I’m not sure if they are true or not, but I thought they were kind of cute.
This lady was shopping for groceries and when she got ready to leave the store became concerned that she had left her keys in the car. She knew her husband always scolded her about this so she hurried out into the parking lot. No car. She quickly called the police and reported her car stolen. Then she decided to call her husband and tell him what had happened and asked him to come and get her. His reply, “ I’ll be there to get you just as soon as I can convince this police officer my car is the stolen one you reported”.
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This next one is also a husband and wife story. They were watching the news one morning and the announcer explained about the snow coming and which side of the street to park on. The next week it was the same, but parking was on the other side of the street.
Then a few weeks later it was another storm and just as the announcer was going to explain about parking the power went off. This really upset the wife as she didn’t know what was the right side for parking.
The husband took a sip of his coffee and said, “Why don’t you just leave the car in the garage where it is parked?”
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The next item is for real. I read it in another newspaper. Think of the number 9 and then realize there are that many people killed every day by what is called, “due to a distracted driver”. Someone who couldn’t wait to read the message on their phone, or was looking at something else. The number 9 turns into 3,285 deaths in a year’s time.
The deaths alone are bad enough, but think of the impact that has on family and it is estimated injuries amount to over 400,000 a year. That is a lot of time lost, pain and suffering and think of the cost of medical care.
It may sound like a second or two to be distracted, but it only takes one accident to kill or injure someone.
I had to learn the hard way and never had an accident. Yet a time or two, fiddling with the radio, caused me to have a wheel dropped off the pavement. So now if I’m going to listen to the radio, I get it tuned in before I start driving. Either that or push the off button.
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This was another week of too much television news. First it was the lawsuit in Minneapolis, regarding use of force regarding an ex-police officer.
Then came the startling news just ten miles away in Brooklyn Center regarding a shooting by another police officer who got her pistol and taser gun mixed up.
If that wasn’t enough, a killing of a 13-year-old in Chicago, by police and then to hear eight are dead in a shooting in Indianapolis.
When is it going to end? The minute you mention gun control you hear the story about the Second Amendment. Yet no one brings up the fact when that was written we were using a one shot musket. Or the fact that duck hunters are limited to three shells in the magazine and that seems to be fine.
As a youngster we had three guns in the house. A Remington pump .22, a single barrel shotgun and a small rifle, a 32-20. The .22 was used for squirrel hunting and Dad used it when he butchered a pig.
The shotgun was never used, that I recall and the 32-20 came in handy when I wanted to start deer hunting. I never saw a deer, so never fired it.
It just seems to me there should be some common sense solution before we see more innocent people killed. I still recall the police chief in Port Aransas, Texas, writing a column when buying guns seemed to be the order of the day. He reminded readers that if they were planning to buy a gun, they were also intending to shoot someone.
