Creeping Into Fall Saturday

I just broke my favorite bowl.  Nope, it wasn't anything special.  It was one of those Corning? bowls with the stripes that come in sets of three.  This one might have been from 1973 ... but it was the last of that set and I have fond memories of beating eggs for family breakfasts in it.  Oh well ...

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I have to get that fixed.  My left shoulder is frozen.  I discovered it two days ago at work.  My phone is on the left side of my desk and it's a reach -- which I couldn't make at that particular time.  So my office mates (who know everything collectively) said, "Do this, do that" putting me through a series of reaches and stretches.  Actually, I thought they were making fun of me, but one of them has had this and said my rotator cuff is frozen.  I put my right hand on my shoulder to discover that it hurts when touched.  Who knew?

I mean, like, are you supposed to touch every part of your body upon waking to see what hurts?  If you don't know you hurt, are you really hurting?

My helpful office mates said, "Go to physical therapy!"  Many of you know that I finished two months of pt right before going to Orlando.  It helped my mobility in my back, did not decrease my pain.  Anyway, my surprise when I got back from Orlando was a bill.  No, wait, make that three bills.  It turns out, I had a $20 co-payment for pt and I was going twice a week.  The bills are still coming.

And, I have more mobility in my shoulder than I had two days ago due to my trying to exercise it out.  However, my reach is severely limited.  Hence, the broken bowl.

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He's at it again. Witness the demise of a basically good man with sincere problems.

Even though the first two incidents are public record, the last is still alleged, so I'll call him Job.

Job was the police chief in Pelham, Mass. about 10 years ago.  Pelham is a very tiny town adjacent to Amherst and the Quabbin Reservoir (which was created by drowning towns).  He actually taught the gun safety course that I needed in order to get my gun license.

So I was surprised to read that he had accidentally discharged a weapon inside the police station, during a gun safety course, not knowing that it was loaded.  Well, I was sort of surprised.  For the "final" of our course, we had to reassemble and load a pistol.  During my class, the "bullets" were blue plastic things.  Job made me go first because he had taken great delight at making fun of me as being from 'the whacko town of Amherst.'  He showed me how, and while taking the gun apart  he was about to reassemble it when I said, "There's one in the chamber."  He had forgotten that small point.  That, I figure, is how he discharged a firearm indoors.  Why he was using live ammo is beyond me.

Then there was the gun show.  Job and two of his buddies were all members of a rod and gun club.  One night they decided, "Hey! Let's have a gun show!"  Now I'm not going to add my speculation of what comes next because I think it was probably, "Yeah, we can make some money, hang around with guys and flirt with the women who come to hang around guys."  Nope, not gonna do it.

All in all, it was an o.k. idea for gun enthusiasts to do things the right way.  You know, licensed dealers, everybody with a gun license, permits paid, etc.  But things went horribly wrong.

There was a booth called "Fire a machine gun!"  Unfortunately, the event promoters left a 15 year old boy in charge.  You know, a teenager whose brain isn't done growing and whose judgment has not matured.  A father brought his 5 year old son and said it would be o.k.  Barely-not-a-baby son fires the machine gun and kills self in front of emergency room doctor father.

Job was charged with negligent homicide.  He was acquitted.

The latest incident last week was reported in the local newspaper as an argument outside of a bar in a parking lot around Midnight.  You know nothing good is going to come after you read "parking lot, bar, Midnight."  Job apparently feared for his life because he pointed a gun at his opponent, making sure the laser sight was on the guy's chest.  Other guy took umbrage and went to the police.  Yeah, you guessed it.  Job had been drinking beer "in a big glass."

Is anybody going to take this guy's guns away?  Apparently, he has a large collection.  But beyond that, why is he still licensed in the Commonwealth of Mass.?  I know he wasn't convicted of anything, but at some point can't you throw a flag on the field and call, "STUPID!"?  Just wondering.

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So, yes, Fall is creeping in.  It just hit 71 F. and it's 12:30 p.m.  The Library is turning on the heat on Monday, so I full expect the temperature to go to 90 F.  It never fails.

The holland bulbs are in for planting at the Garden Center.  The squirrels and other vermin are going nuts (if you'll excuse the expression) storing nuts for the winter.  And it's getting dark too soon.  Bah humbug.  Oh yes, did I mention the Fall allergies?  Snuffle, snort, sneeze, whine.