Sirens And Flashing Lights

 

"I come from a real tough neighborhood. Once a guy pulled a knife on me.

 I knew he wasn't a professional, the knife had butter on it.

~Rodney Dangerfield

Yep. It happened again! What does this make? 3 or 4 since last November? I don't want to count. I am done counting, but I am not done documenting it when it does. The lights always happen in the same place, down on the street, below my bedroom window, where the two corners meet. I kinda wish it was lighting from a passing UFO. I always wanted to see one, and hopefully one day I will. With a little luck I will. And hopefully I will be able to move out of this neighborhood one day, with a little luck I will.

The Dead Lights

Tyler, watching the lights from the emergency service vehicles

April 17th, 2026

This post has been updated. See the article below.

"One gun has more power to take a life, than a hundred surgeons have to preserve it."

~Abhijit Naskar 

The Centurion Sermon: Mental Por El Mundo

Friday night in Stockton, California.

Yes, that beautiful glow that my cat, Tyler, is looking at, is indeed a whole neighborhood of police, fire and who knows what else, dealing with yet another shooting, at the same corner that it happened two times previously. Basically, those lights are right under my window. The first time was on September 9th, 2025, when a young man was shot dead, by police, while fleeing from them. He had several illegal weapons in the car with him, and he ran, and two officers opened fire on him. He was 19. Here is the bodycam footage, released by the Stockton Police Department, in October of 2025.   

WARNING: IT'S DISTURBING TO WATCH!

The next incident happened Thanksgiving weekend, when, several persons were killed, 2 under 21, and 2 under 10 years old, plus it left 13 others injured. It was a child's birthday party. All the children there, are now victims of gun violence. They were either injured, or they witnessed a murder. It was more than a tragedy. It was vile, and monstrous and deeply sad. It left me depressed for weeks. Later that evening, five suspects were arrested in the same place, as tonight's drama, and the night Rocco Robinson was shot, and, like I said, basically under my bedroom window. Recently, on April 2nd, there was an update about the birthday party murders, but I haven't heard anything about it since.

And then there was last night. I don't know anything about tonight's events. I will update when I can. Or maybe I won't. Honestly, I am a little depressed. We hear all kinds of sirens in this neighborhood, but just about a week ago, one night in the middle of the night we heard several shots, and it seemed they were nearby. The next night we heard loud machine gun fire, and it was definitely nearby. I was scared to death. I had just got my nerves under control, and now there are nine police cars, crime scene tape, and I expect the coroner will be here soon. 

Honestly, I am so tired. The most comforting feeling in the world is my cats sleeping on the bed with us. Morning kisses are the best. But not if doing so might put them in harms way! One day, someone is going to shoot a gun, and the bullet is going to hit something unintended. I hope it won't be us!

Read The CBS Article Here.

  

My prayers are with the family and friends of this young man.

Ellipsis Movie Of The Week... Bunny Lake Is Missing

 

"This doll had almost been loved to death.

 You know loved inflicts the most terrible injuries on my small patients."

~Doll-maker referring to Bunny's Doll

Bunny Lake Is Missing

Adapted from the book by, Merriam Modell (Evelyn Piper)

Click Here To View The Official Trailer On IMBD

I don't want to say much about why I love this movie so much, and I don't want to give much of the plot away, because it should just unfold in it's tightly wound, suspenseful, noirish manner. Is it a whodunit? Is it a Who could have done it? Who would have done it? Everyone is suspicious, and sometimes Bunny's mother suspects herself! Did anything happen at all? Watch this amazing film and find out! And I know I say it every time but... WHAT A CAST! And as a bonus, there's a nifty performance by, The Zombies! This isn't the song featured in the movie, you'll have to actually watch the film to hear that one, but it's one of my favorites!

She's Not There

Autumn Goodbyes

 

“Time remorselessly rambles down the corridors and streets of our lives. but it is not until autumn that most of us become aware that our tickets are stamped with a terminal destination.”

 
~Joe L. Wheeler 

 

The Peking duck on the left is Kenny, and the duck on the right is named Gini, since we didn't know their names, we decided one day, to add a little extra fun to their personalities. They were the cutest couple in the neighborhood, and they made everyone happy with their love story. I looked for them almost every day as we would rode along Smith Canal. Most of the time they could be found sitting together along the banks of the water, or under a tree, but in the warn summer months they would float along in the water, always where they could be seem. They lived in the neighborhood for years, so it made it a much bigger blow to learn the Kenny was killed... actually I call it murder... on October 30th. The driver of the car didn't even stop to see if Kenny was alive or dead, they just continued on their way.

 

I am done with where I live. Stockton doesn't give a shit about themselves or others. 

 

*Here is the list of why I am done.

 

*Shootouts with police, practically under my window.

 

*Gun fire almost daily.

 

* Red light runners can be seen daily.

 

*Folks dumping their garbage wherever they want.

 

*Mail being stolen.

 

*Speeding drivers.

 

*Unexplained loud explosions, that shake windows. 

 

*Folks dumping unwanted, unloved pets in Lewis Park... constantly. 

 

*Stockton is rated D+ for overall crime.

 

*Homeless dumpster driving in my condo lot.

 

*My car was totaled, right in front of my home, 2.5 weeks after I moved in!

 And the driver just kept going! 

 

*One time someone dumped a drum of oil in the canal, despite knowing that there is fish, assorted ducks, and wildlife right there. 

 

There is more, but you get the idea. 

 

Gini the duck will now live the rest of her life without her mate. The canal was beautiful on October 30th, but somehow it will never be as beautiful ever again. How long will she live without her mate to watch over here? Kenny was very protective of his girl. Ducks do grieve, but there is a little bit of hope, you see, there is a lady in the neighborhood who leaves a bowl of food out for them daily. She loves them very much! I think she witnessed Kenny's death, in that she covered up the "Duck Crossing" sign that she had placed, with the sign you see below...

 

 I couldn't say it better. 

 

So that's it. I'm done! I am planning to leave this place, sometime this next winter or spring. We need to do some small repairs, painting, and then will come the packing. At that point, UGH, it's time to contact a realtor, or two. We are hoping to move out of San Joaquin county completely, so that may require two of them. I hate realtors. Every one I have had has been miserable to deal with. I hate them! But the last one I worked with, to purchase this condo, was less of a pain in the ass as the others, so hopefully I will find another one like that.

 

On most autumn and winter mornings I can hear the Canada geese fly over, sometimes in large flocks. A year ago, on the first day of autumn, Sandhill crane circled the house. The sky was gorgeous day. A bluer than blue sky, and the autumn sun bathing everything in it's golden color, and that sound of crane making life just about perfect. Things will never be perfect again, without Kenny. Ever right now, as I type this, I can hear someone racing their car down the street. One day a child is going to be hit, and the driver more than likely stop. 

 

I don't want to be here to see that happen.

 

Rest in Peace dear Kenny, I will never forget you. You were a really great duck!

 

 

Song Of Nature

 

“In their previous lives, poets were bats, and thinkers were owls.”

 
~Michael Bassey Johnson,

  Song of a Nature Lover

 

  

The bats of 2025 were beautiful, but that's not a new revelation. If you know me at all, you know I fell hopelessly in love with every single Mexican Free-tailed bat the visits each year. But this year I cherished them even more, as their numbers at the Franklin boulevard Bridge were noticeably fewer. As were the mosquitos. The two go together. It was disappointing and a little scary to witness such a change. In years past, the bridge would be lined with my fellow bat enthusiasts, the kids love it! But between the strangely cool summer we had, and the lack of our bat friends, it was an unusual year for nature in the San Joaquin Valley. I have also noticed less birds here as well! I am obviously not sure whether it is the decline of the ecosystem due to Climate Change, caused by greed and ignorance, or just one of those off years that happens sometimes! I have my suspicions. California has done better than most states in our fight for environmental causes, but we are far from perfect. There is discarded trash everywhere in the valley. Folks throw their old furniture and tires anywhere they think no one will notice. The folks around me just don't care! Stocktonians are dead inside.

 

Speaking of which, while I was working on this post,

 this happened, right outside my bedroom window... 

 

CBS 13 Sacramento

BANG, BANG, BANG, BANG, BANG

SIREN, SIREN,SIREN, SIREN, SIREN

FIRETRUCK

 

(Silence)

 

Stockton Police helicopter circling, in a beautiful sky, above my home.

(Falcon One)

 

It's been 2 hours and the police still have the streets closed off.

 

DRAMA. Useless drama.

 

( Sad, Scared, Depressed, Silence) 

 

Man, this post went sideways fast! 

 

Okay, so lets just focus of the beauty, shall we?

 

 

Stay Safe My Friends,

 And Be Grateful For The Beautiful Things In Life.

It's The Signature, Stupid

 

NBC News

Donald Trump's signature

 

Is it or isn't it his? 

 

Secrecy And Silence

 

“In order to escape accountability for his crimes, the perpetrator does everything in his power to promote forgetting. Secrecy and silence are the perpetrator’s first line of defense. If secrecy fails, the perpetrator attacks the credibility of his victim. If he cannot silence her absolutely, he tries to make sure that no one listens. To this end, he marshals an impressive array of arguments, from the most blatant denial to the most sophisticated and elegant rationalization. After every atrocity one can expect to hear the same predictable apologies: it never happened; the victim lies; the victim exaggerates; the victim brought it upon herself; and in any case it is time to forget the past and move on. The more powerful the perpetrator, the greater is his prerogative to name and define reality, and the more completely his arguments prevail.” 

~Judith Lewis Herman

 

Trauma and Recovery: The Aftermath of Violence - From Domestic Abuse to Political Terror  

The quote says it all. So do the math on this man. 

 

 

Not Shocked, I Tells Ya!

You Are The Love/Hate You Give

 

Donald posted this nasty message on his Truth Social website this morning, and later in the day this happened...

 

Yep, that's right, there has been a second attempt at an assassination of Donald Trump. It was just about two months ago that the last one took place. Make no mistake, I do not condone political violence, in any way, but somehow when I heard the news that there had been a shooting in Florida, at this golf course, it didn't even particularly raise my interest, but throughout the day I have checked on the details, but it's just really hard to care about what happens next. This should be a time to celebrate our freedoms in America, we are about to enjoy our most precious act as American's... voting. But every day he, and J. D. Vance find new darker roads to take us down. Just this morning J.D. Vance admitted to making up stories and sharing them with constituents and the media for political gain. It's sick. And how can we not expect their actions to not effect folks who are perhaps mentally ill, and needing help? No one is safe in this political climate. I don't love what happened today, but nothing will surprise me when I wake up tomorrow. That's what he's done to us. We are all numb.

 

 And this stupid shit doesn't help either!

 

 

Grifters Gonna...

 

"For the love of money

People will steal from their mother

For the love of money

People will rob their own brother"

 

~The O'Jays

For The Love Of Money

 

 

A meal card. With Trump's mugshot puss on it. For $100 dollars. And the only thing that makes this stupid shit different than the black card he issued in 2016 is the fact that it is now made in metal, and it it costs a lot more than the 2016 price of $35 dollars! It's still pretty much useless to the purchaser, but in that Trump now has about a bijillion dollars in legal fees, all proceeds will more than likely go to his legal defense. 

 

Read the article... do you know anyone who ordered the Trump card back in 2016 and had it actually arrive? 

 

My exclusive Trump "black card" never arrived 

By Rick Newman

Monday, November 7th, 2016

Yahoo News

 

 

The People Call Stormy Daniels... Day 2

 

 

"He made me sit and watch an entire documentary

 about shark attacks."

 

 ~Stormy Daniels

 — 60 Minutes

 

( On what she and Trump did after sex with her. )

Judge Merchan
May 9th 2024

Gross, but still a necessary part of the story. I am relieved her testimony is over, and I am sure she is too! The media's talking heads seemed to think she did much better today, then she did a couple days ago. It was obvious that he was nervous to be in the same room with the man, for the first time since the news of their sexual encounter broke, and under these circumstances to add to the fun. She was treated badly by the defense attorneys. There was a strong implication that Stormy brought everything on herself. That because she was a porn actress, she should have known Trump would try to make a move.It was sick. I think she did her best on both days. She showed up. She told the truth under oath, and she made a clear point when she told one of Trump's lawyers, basically, if I were lying, I would have told a better story. That was paraphrased by me, of course.

 

Via MSNBC 

 

 Anyway, I don't consider Stormy a hero, nor a villain. I think she is a lady who got caught up in Trump's notoriously icky behavior. Trump cheated on his first two wives, so it's not a stretch to believe he would cheat on Melania as well. And if he cheated, and didn't want it to come out before the 2016 election, well, again it's not a stretch to believe he paid her, and Karen McDougal off! He has led a life of, throw money at it, and move on. The NDA has been his friend. So, now that the her testimony is over, it's time to move onto other witnesses, big and small. Soon Michael Cohen will be on the stand, and that might just be a bigger storm that Stormy Daniels was.

"I won't give up because I am telling the truth

And I kind of don't even know if it matters anymore."

 

~Stormy Daniels

When asked if she had a message for Donald Trump.

 

The United States Of America Owes Hillary Clinton An Election!

 

On to tomorrow...

 

LIVE NOW: Donald Trump in NY Court Over Civil Fraud Trial

 

 

 

  “Oh, my sweet summer child," Old Nan said quietly, "what do you know of fear?Fear is for the winter, my little lord, when the snows fall a hundred feet deep and the ice wind comes howling out of the north. Fear is for the long night, when the sun hides its face for years at a time, and little children are born and live and die all in darkness while the dire wolves grow gaunt and hungry, and the white walkers move through the woods” 

~George R.R. Martin,

  A Game of Thrones

 

I think he might be afraid. If he is, it will be the first time that I can think of where he responded correctly to his situation. Of course he might just be pissed off. Shrug. The video is live, so it will end eventually, but justice is just beginning. 

 

Trump has been put on the witness list, will he eventually testify? Or will he take the Fifth Amendment? I guess he will shut up in court, but run his mouth anywhere he can find a hot mic. Although we will find out this week about whether he will have at least a partial gag order coming his way. Fun times ahead.

 

 

 

Late On A February Night... The Mystery Of Tammy Meyers

Grant Ranch Park, Mt Hamilton Road

San Jose, California 

"It is better to risk saving a guilty person

 than to condemn an innocent one."

~Voltaire

   Zadig

A couple weeks ago, on February 12th, a tragedy occurred. A wife, mother, friend, neighbor, was shot dead, in her own driveway, after what was first reported as a case of road rage. The country, no the world, was shocked and sickened by the thought of someone losing control so thoroughly as that driver must have been, to pull out a gun, and shoot a stranger, in their own driveway. It was, however, an easy scenario to believe. Road rage is a scary thing, and it goes on all around us, in every American community, in small towns and in large metropolitan areas. Anger is on the rise, and the ability to deal with that anger in an appropriate manner is declining. It seems our coping mechanisms have seemingly dwindled. Too much bad information, a rise in terrorism, joblessness, acts of violence against unarmed children by the very people who should be protecting them... you name it, stress is not hard to come by. So road rage seems to be the result of the snapping of our last nerve. The incredible stress we all live under is the reason, but there is NO excuse for the dangerous behavior of road rage, and this case of road rage it was especially terrifying! An angry driver followed a woman home, and killed her, in the driveway of her own home! But it seems that there was a lot more to the story, and things aren't always what they seem to be.

A Basic Example Of Early Reports

Timeline Of Events

Feb 12th, 2015

*Tammy Meyer's takes her daughter out for a session of driver's training. It was late in the evening, and the daughter had NO learner's permit. The lesson is said to have taken place on private property at a nearby school.

*When they finished, Tammy got into the driver's seat and her daughter moved to the passenger side.

As they pulled out into traffic, a speeding car pulled up very close on their bumper, and then pulled alongside their car. That's when the daughter reached over and honked the horn at the car.

*At that point the driver of the aggressive car managed to close the Meyer's car off and a verbal altercation began when the driver of the other car got out and yelled something to the effect of... "I'll get you and your daughter."

*The Meyers daughter says that the man who got out of the car was 6 feet tall, 180lbs, mid 20's, with spiky blond hair. And that he threatened them saying, "I'm going to get you and your daughter." She says he knew she was Mrs. Meyers daughter, because she kept repeating "Mommy, Mommy."

*Meyers and daughter turned their car around, and drove home directly, where she told her daughter to go into the house, and send out her son, who was in legal possession of a handgun..

*At this point, the other car finds them, at their home, and someone in the car opens fire on Mrs. Meyers and her son, hitting the mother in the head. The son returns fire, as the car flees the scene.

*On February 14th, Tammy Meyers is taken off life support by her husband Robert Meyers.

*February 15th. A GoFundMe account is set up for the Meyers family to help with funeral expenses.

*February 16th. Mr. Meyers offers his fully restored Camero as a reward to anyone who can help find the killers of his wife.

*February 17th. Police release a statement that paints a different story then was initially told.

*February 17th. The GoFundMe account is taken down, due to overwhelming backlash over the changing account of events.

5 days after the initial altercation there is an updated account of the Events...

On February 20th Channel 8 News, 

in Las Vegas, 

 prepared an interactive timeline of events.

And the story has changed again since that timeline was prepared.

Updated Timeline Of Events

February 24th 2014

Examiner Online

I haven't checked today, to see if there is still another change in the story, I can't imagine what more could be changed at this point, but somehow it wouldn't surprise me too much to find out something else has changed. Here is what I do know. Tammy Meyers died a senseless death. A young man is in jail and the district attorney is pushing for the maximum charges, and all that the punishment carries. It's possible this young man could be given the death penalty if convicted of what he is being charged with. Tammy Meyers isn't alive to defend herself, and her family is doing her no favors by being caught in lie after lie. I don't remember a case where the victim's family has been caught in as many lies and half-truths as the Meyers family!

I haven't believed one word that Mr. Meyers has said from day one. So what really happened? Why, if Tammy Meyers was an innocent victim, did her son and daughter lie? I can't figure out why they would lie? As for Mr. Meyers, he says his wife knew her assailant, if so, why not just call the police? All the time she supposedly mentored him, did Mr. Meyers also try to help that kid? Or did he just sit by while his wife met with the young man in a seedy neighborhood park, gave him money, and supposedly tried to encourage him. What kind of husband does that? I know Alan wouldn't let me do something like that alone. It doesn't make sense.

If Mr. Meyers is willing to lie about any detail of this case,

 what else is he willing to lie about?

Right now, I believe Erich Nowsch should be found

 NOT GUILTY if this case goes to trial,

 but frankly, he should be released from custody long before that.

Any way you see it, this is just one more American tragedy.

Mood: Quiet

~Me

A Photo A Day For 6 Months: Day 33~ Alcatraz Never Dies

"Alcatraz was never no good to nobody."


~Frank Weatherman, the last inmate to leave Alcatraz


I can't believe I have lived in the Bay Area my whole life, and never been out to Alcatraz. That is a tour Alan and I want to take sometime, just not sure when. Maybe we will do that during our staycation in October, maybe we will save that for next year... we'll see. If we did do a tour, I would love to try a spooky haunted tour. That sounds like it would be a lot of fun.

Anyway, I saw on ABC World News that there is a new theory that the three prisoners who are believed to have been the only ones to have escaped THE ROCK, may not have perished as the authorities originally thought. New evidence seems to indicate at least two of them may have actually made it out of the chilly waters of the bay alive. All of them would be in their 80's now. If true, wouldn't that be something?

After I watched the story, I couldn't resist working a little photoshop magic on the photo above, which was taken in May of 2011. In the daytime, Alcatraz doesn't seem so foreboding, but I have read that at night, you can hear all the ghosts of THE ROCK, whispering and moaning. Spooky goodness I say! ;) Here ghostie, ghostie, ghostie!

See the links below to learn more about Alacatraz, and its fascinating history.

 Enjoy my Alcatraz Series...













ABC NEWS


The History Channel


About.com Haunting Stories About Alcatraz


Alcatraz History


This is day 33 of my new personal challenge of A Photo A Day For 6 Months. If you love photography, please feel free to join me. Grab your camera, post your photo on the net, then comeback here with the direct link back to it. I will include your link in tomorrow's posting. No set theme to worry about, just whatever grabs your attention in the next 24 hours.


:) See ya tomorrow!