The Unbitten Tongue

 Jeeesus... another 37 Year Old Civilian was Shot and Killed by ICE today in Minneapolis, 3rd Shooting by ICE, 2nd Lethal One in less than a Month in that City!   Ten shots fired, while the Guy appeared to already be down, since several Agents had already put him on the Ground, taken his Gun out of his Holster {he had a concealed Weapons Permit, Legal in his State}, before Shooting him numerous times while unarmed and still Down, reasons unknown.  He's a U.S. Citizen and a VA Intensive Care Nurse.  Of coarse immediately the White House called the Victim a Domestic Terrorist, with no Investigation whatsoever, just seems their instant Spin default to defend ICE Assassinating Citizens in our Streets, like a Band of roving Murderers Assaulting and Provoking People constantly, escalating Situations. 

 I think all these Concentration Camps being Privately Run need to be filled up for Profit, nobody is actually being Deported and they don't Care who they fill them up with actually, no Oversight is being Legally Allowed!!!  We can't Trust the Federal Government to do any Fair Investigations or abide by our Laws anymore.  There are Police Officers who spend their entire Careers without discharging their Weapons and can't go around Executing Citizens as a first response with Civilian Contact, even with Criminals!  Videos are seeming to contradict what the Feds say are happening.  Fortunately Citizens are Video Recording ICE Raids becoz of all the Illegal things they're doing constantly and the excessive Force and Violence they're capable of.  They are only supposed to be enforcing Immigration Policy, not Killing Citizens!!! 

Reporters and Witnesses on the Scenes are saying ICE is making our Streets like a War Zone, not Safer!!!  People aren't Feeling Safe at all with these Rouge Agents.  If Citizens opposed to our Streets and Cities being Targeted and under Siege are getting under the Skin of these Officers, the Agents are not properly Trained and they're not supposed to be Policing the Interior of our Country, and it's escalating Situations.  There's a real Credibility Problem with what our ICE Enforcement and Government are telling us, that isn't Lining Up with the Truth or what happens to the Victims.  There's no Relationship between Local and State Police and Border Patrol... the Government is blocking Locals as if Covering Up Illegalities ICE is perpetrating.

ICE quickly released a Photo of what they say was the Weapon/Gun used by who they Killed.  But, it's sitting on the Seat of a Vehicle and the Evidence has been removed from the Scene.  The Victim had a Permit to own and carry a Concealed Weapon in his State, so, a REAL Investigation needs to happen to find out if the Victim had possession of the Weapon when he was Shot when 5-6 Officers were ON him and began discharging their Weapons so many times?!  A lot of Questions, and Answers requires Investigations that are not Corrupt.  And this Administration is so Corrupt that basically nobody Trusts them anymore for good reason. 

And Standard Protocol is being hindered and experienced good people who do Investigate these things for the FBI and Civil Rights Divisions are Resigning like Crazy.  Becoz of the Wrongdoings of what's happening internally by White House Orders preventing them from Investigating the Shooters and only concentrating on trying to dig up dirt on the Victims and their Families, to attempt to justify Executing/Murdering them.  I don't know what American Citizens think any of this is Okay and Acceptable, but, it's NOT... the Legality of it all is Questionable and Human Rights are being seriously violated each time.

Here's more of those adorable Dog Biscuit Treats that I thought were Human Cookies and almost bought some for the Family to Eat!  *LOL*  I haven't been getting out much, clearly.  *Ha ha ha*   Work was super busy on Saturday Night, we weren't having a Sale but we almost had 1,000 Customers thru the Doors!!!   Which, means most of the Cases were going to Last Call all at once, we were run ragged, it was exhausting, but it made the Night go by real fast and Sales were Strong.  I couldn't tell ya Why?  My Sales were up and decent, I even Sold one Primo item instead of just Smalls.  The Customers were nice and were patient about having to wait.  Those I was working with were slow for the most part and a couple of them weren't with the Program.  One not feeling well and another couple kept messing with their own Booths and not keeping up with Case demands. 

But, overall it wasn't a Bad Night and I wasn't filling in for Jackson, as it turns out I was filling in for my Friend Patrick instead.  Patrick has been MIA a lot, I don't know Why?  He picked up some permanent Shifts that I don't think he really wanted, that others had given up and they had nobody willing to Work, Saturday Nights being one.  I have refused permanent Shifts since I don't want to feel Obligated on any certain Day anymore, I got too much going on in my Personal Life to make the commitment right now.  Plus, I'm Retired and I wanna feel like I am.  Especially since the gig doesn't come with a For Sure Paycheck Earned for the Work.  I'm not Working, Selling my Merch, and yet not getting a Check sometimes, makes no sense.  And Sales are so unpredictable now you can't ensure you're making Money all of the time anymore doing this.

I refuse to get all Political for the rest of this Post even tho' America is unraveling at an accelerated pace and it's deeply disturbing and exceedingly dangerous.  The One Party now stands behind executing and murdering American Civilians in our Streets and abducting Children with NO consequences, just think about that for a Second!!!  So, I have no Words.  Board of Peace my Ass, this Cartoon Meme really Nails whose on that Board.  I don't recognize America anymore.  In my Lifetime it's collapsing from within.  I am barely keeping my Head above Water these days and treading Water to stay afloat during all the Storms pummeling the average American from our own Government being The Enemy and considering us The Enemy too.   I Feel very Fragile right now.

On a Positive Note you saw my Two newest Fugglers in the Lead Images, one is a Bigfoot and one is Sponge Bob Square Pants.  Princess T saw them at Work as she was getting off and called me about them.  She couldn't Buy them for me coz they'd just hit the Floor, but I did, they didn't cost much plus I had a Coupon for a Discount on the already low price for them.  Some Retail Therapy is helpful sometimes, and I was so excited that her Co-Workers got a kick out of it.  I swear I'm in my 2nd Childhood Full On.  *Bwahahahahaha*  I also, at Work, got the Two items below.  A Valentine's Prim Doll by the Vendor who makes them and I've Collected from her for Years now.  And I went back to the new Troll Vendor and got the Troll Of The World from India for $4.50.  I got a 10% Discount on the Prim Doll.  That Vendor, except for her Prim Dolls she makes, sells crappola not worth giving away.  She must be an Eccentric?  *LOL*

Along with my Two small Purchases I did snap a few Pixs of Inventory that is Valentine's Day or Easter related, there wasn't much there which was particularly Editorial for Blog Fodder IMO.   My Friends Cindy and Jeff had the Anna Lee Holiday Collectibles for both Holidays.  I talked to Cindy, who is a Retired VA Nurse and she said no way was that VA ICU Nurse who was Murdered a Domestic Terrorist.  The VA has a rigorous Background Check for every Employee, and I already knew that, but folks who work for the VA, REALLY know that.  Plus what Domestic Terrorist is gonna spend a Lifetime of Public Service Caring for our Military Veterans pray tell?  Exactly!  They are True Patriots Caring for those who are Sick or Disabled who have Honorably Served our Country in the Military.   I Respect that far more than I have even an ounce of Respect for any Nepo Hires of this Regime who aren't Serving the Public at all, just Serving themselves.  

Cindy was actually The Man's VA Nurse before she Retired and I just happened to also know her from them being Vendors at our Antique Mall.  Her Husband Jeff is also a very good Friend of mine and we have such Fun working Shifts together when he's on a Shift with me, he's a Riot.  She was an excellent VA Nurse and was Dr. Kline's Nurse.  She's also a Cancer Survivor, as is her Husband Jeff.  They are the most delightful Couple and I Adore them both.   They carry The Good Stuff at our Mall and their Spaces always look so well Merchandised and Showcased, they have several Booths and Cases.   Some of their Booths are devoted to various Holidays specifically Year Round.  So, over the Years I've Bought some great Vintage Halloween from them and some Vintage Christmas now and again.   And they always have Anna Lee Merch and the big Holiday Vintage Blow Molds.

They Specialize in the Christmas Village Merch too, which I don't Collect, but many people do who are doing Extreme Christmas Decorating or have those Train Sets and develop a Christmas Village or Victorian Village around it.   So they have a lot of "Department 56" and "Lemax" Christmas Village Merch.   I Sold my entire Christmas Village Years ago at the Antique Mall, we weren't Displaying it anymore after the Grandkids got older and Storing it took up a lot of Space for the Boxes of it.  I did very well Selling it coz mine were some hard to find Retired pieces that Collectors of it covet.   I had zero attachments to any of it so Letting it Go was painless.

 I do however have some Halloween Village pieces I just couldn't Let Go of and do sometimes Decorate with for Halloween.  They were not as many and are too Vintage Halloween to part with.  I may eventually set them up in a permanent Display Case in The RV Garage Mahal.   I think my Halloween Village pieces were by "Lemax" and by "Department 56" too, a mixture of Makers.  I'm no Purist of a specific Maker of such things.   Above, one of the Vendors had the LP of "The King and I" with Yul Brynner, I used to have such a Crush on him when I was Young.  He was a very Colorful Celebrity, Handsome and Exotic, his Voice... OMG, so Sexy.  I didn't have many Celebrity Crushes but he was definitely one of them that I'll admit to.  *Winks*

 

In Real Time it's a Sunday, Princess T is off and at her Boyfriends, so I'm not playing Unpaid Gramma Uber Today and am footloose and fancy free for The Man and I to do whatever we want.  We're broke, since, it is EOM tho', so it has to be something Free.  *LOL*  We have a Park Pass so may go to One of the Two Mountain Parks nearby, either Estrella or White Tanks, perhaps both, I dunno.  I'd like to do The Desert Botanical Gardens but that's too much Walking for The Man and he's not a Fan of going there either, it's boring for him and too many People, especially on the Weekends.  So, I'll save going there for another day when I can go by myself, perhaps Monday, since Princess T doesn't Work that Day either so I have no Time constraints to provide transportation.  She and Rusty have been looking at Vehicles for her... and then she'll have to Learn to Drive tho'.  She wants me to Teach her tho', Pray for me.  *LOL*

 

The Young Prince Messaged me Today that he might get his Ticket before February 2nd as originally Planned.  So, we'll see.   I went over House Rules with him again, since, last time he was testing limits, Guys in their 20's tend to do that, which is Why living with them is more challenging.  His Housekeeping left a lot to be desired and nobody is his Maid Service, and, he wants to have random Guests and unless I KNOW someone, I don't want them at our Home, Period.  Meet them somewhere else, I don't want Rando 'Friends' coming over constantly, I don't like the Risks of folks I do not know and perhaps he doesn't know that well either.  Young People make Friends easily but don't always 'Know' their New Friends well enuf to instill Trust in me.  I'm cynical and Trust has to be Earned.  There are folks I KNOW that I don't want over here, okay... so Randos I definitely don't want over here.  *LOL*

He's Grown so I can't tell him how to live his Life and the Gay Scene has Hookups and I acknowledge that fact, once he's no longer with Allen, he'll have Hookups.  But, not HERE, get a Motel or go to their Home.  This ain't Party Central and I don't want One Night Stands around.  He's very Open with me about everything, so, there's no 'Secrets' and never has been, and I'm Glad he feels comfortable telling me anything and everything.  But, my Standards are different than his and that's Okay, but, this is our Home.  When you have your own Home, you can then make your own House Rules.  Or, make other Arrangements if my Rules are incompatible with how you wanna Live.  It's Okay.  *Winks*

Princess T is probably my most Traditional Lifestyle Child in the Household and so she's even more intolerant of the Life her Brother, her Mom and her Uncle wanna Live.   And we do Talk about it freely, she'd just as soon they all had their own place, coz when it's just the Three of us {she, Me, Grandpa}, she said things are never so Crazy and are a lot more Harmonious every Day, and she's not Wrong about that.  The Three of us Live in complete Harmony, the other Three of them struggle with that, mostly with each other, their Personalities and way of just Being is more abrasive and the Drinking doesn't Help.  Princess T swears she'll never Drink coz there's already too many Alcoholics in the Family, I agree.  The best way NOT to BE one, don't Drink.  That Simple.

  *Winks*  I'd be a fucking raging out of Control and Mean Alcoholic if I Drank, on the Warpath all the time, so, I don't and never have indulged hardly at all, even when Young.  Get Two Beers in me and I'll Fight anyone and become Mean as a Honey Badger.  Or so I'm told.  *Winks*  Anyone who ever talked me into having Two Drinks said they would never do that again. *LOL*  So, I refrain and never liked Alcohol anyway. Beer is vile to me and Hard Liquor I have a very low tolerance for that Fire Water.  I'm too much of a Control Freak and Drunks are never In Control.  Neither are folks who are High so Drugs never Appealed to me either.   I was that Clean Hippie that didn't get High and wasn't a Lush, so I was always The Designated Driver of all my Friends that did partake.   The reckless and Crazy shit I did was done completely Clean and Sober.  *Smiles*  

 And those of us with Native American Heritage don't do well with the Fire Water, it's a scourge to the Indigenous.  I'm glad Princess T feels the same as me about Alcohol.  The Man doesn't Drink either.  I was Married to an Alcoholic the 1st time, who was also part Indigenous, and it's a Trigger, The Man knows this.  The Man Drank some when I met him, but was Raised Mormon and was Okay giving it up.  He said early in his Military Career and after Vietnam, he felt he was becoming an Alcoholic, relying on it to dull the Memories of War and the Killing of so many People he had to do as a Sniper, so decided it could become problematic for him too.  All Substances do is mask and add a layer of Problems to what you're already not Coping with appropriately or adequately.

I know my Alcoholic Kids, who also had Drug dependency Issues, just mask their Mental Illness and dull it with Substances of some kind.  But, the Mental Illness is permanent and you have to just Learn to Cope with it some other kind of way.  Especially if you cannot tolerate Psyche Meds coz of the Physical Damage those Meds eventually do to your Body when you're on them long-term.  Both of my Adult Kiddos and The Young Prince can no longer take Psyche Meds due to the Physical damage Risks to them now, having been on them too long and having to go off them completely.  If it will crap out your Major Organs, then it's not worth the Risks of taking it for Mental Health reasons.

The Young Prince said it best when he said with the Meds he risks the Meds Killing him.  Without the Meds he risks Killing himself.  So it's choosing the lesser of the Two Evils now, which is tragic, but True.  All Three of them have very Self Destructive and Risky Behaviors that they Live with and try to Manage as best they can then, it's a delicate Balance.  And a very Troubling one to me as a Parent/Grandparent that wants the Best for them and see the Self Destructive Patterns that aren't conducive to them enjoying a good or long Lifespan.  I don't wanna Outlive any Child and I'm Mentally Ill, so I'm not without a Point of Reference that Coping with permanent Mental Illness isn't easy and is a Daily Challenge.  Whatever doesn't Kill you does indeed make you Stronger, that's not just a Saying, it's the Truth.

I had Tormenting Premonition Nightmares all fucking Night too so I had very restless Sleep.  It's all very vivid like I'm watching a Trailer to a Disaster Movie that I'm in and can't just be a Spectator of.  Hey, you're all pretty much IN it too my Friends, so, it's just quite Tormenting to have it Visiting me in my Sleep State and waking me up with my Heart Pounding.  I got up Four fucking times like that, becoz it got to the place in the Nightmare, each time, where I had to Wake Up coz I didn't wanna be IN that Space of the Premonition anymore.  I'd rather not 'Know' than to 'Know' at this juncture.  It's not something I have any way of preventing, or I fucking would.  I'm just getting the Heads Up it's Coming.  And it's causing me some extreme Anxiety... and Agitation too, and Stress Sweat.

I don't like having these kinds of Premonitions at all, Wish I didn't fucking have them.  And the Unbitten Tongue HAS to say something here on the Ole' Blog, Sorry, I can't just Keep it to myself.   Guarding one's Words is something I do try to do and not have uncontrolled Speech, coz, like I said, I am that Control Freak.  And if what I'm about to say isn't an improvement over Silence, I usually don't Say it.   I don't have a failure to restrain Speech, but, I don't Bite my Tongue if I shouldn't either.   Long Time Dear Readers know I Keep it 100% all of the time and don't blow Sunshine up your Asses ever.  If you can't Handle the Truth, I'm not the Person to Talk to then.  *Winks*  I absolutely don't Trust Liars, and you can't, and so I've never been one.   Above is my Brother's Realism Tattoo of our Mom.

And so I feel compelled to say something about an Observation that not just I made, but a couple of Young Lady Customers made Last Night too and asked me about.  There has been a marked increase in Buyers of Nazi Memorabilia, disturbingly so in fact.  The Two Young Women were Buying Jewelry and were probably Princess T's Age, Two Young Pretty Twenty-Something Girls, both White.  And they suddenly asked me if People were Buying a lot of that Nazi Merchandise coz they'd noticed a lot of folks lingering near those Locked Cases that Specialize in it.  I had to admit, Yes, I've seen an increase in interest and purchases of that kind of Antique Militaria.  They found it deeply disturbing and said so, I too find it to be Creepy as Fuck.  I don't even like handling that Merch, the Mojo and Energy or Attachments to it, and History, are all Bad IMO.

And the fact Buyers might BE Neo-Nazis and not just Militaria History Buffs is always Questionable as well to me.  Some of them seem to practically be Orgasmic and far too Excited to where they can't contain themselves when handling or Buying that kind of Merch which is really fucking Sick.   I told The Son about it, he speaks fluent German, so well that Germans who are Tourists or Training to be Pilots at the nearby Training Facility that Trains Foreign Pilots, have told him he speaks it like he's Bilingual with it.  Anyway, he made a Joke of it while we were at the Mall, when we were near those Cases that holds the Nazi shit and he said something in German while rolling his eyes up in his Head as if he's having an Orgasm and said, "Yeah Mom, is it like this?"  *LMAOROTF*

Well, unfortunately Yeah, it IS Son, and he said, well, that's really fucked up and you should tell your Manager and refuse to wait on a Perv like that.  Which, I actually have, if a Customer is a repeat at those Cases and Creeps me out too much by how much they're Getting Off on Handling it.   And often, not even Buying it, just wanting to fucking Fondle it like it's how they Sexually get aroused!!!   Ewwwwwwwwww!!!  Yeah, it's getting Creepy like that too with some folks who live among us and might look Normal, but fucking, are NOT Normal.   And probably also Get Off on all the Violence happening being wrought by this Administration and Support it.

Do you know Luna Moths have no Mouths, so cannot drink or eat after becoming a Moth and only live long enuf to Mate and literally will Die horribly within a Week of their very short Lifespan, of Thirst and Hunger!?  Their sole Purpose is to Mate and Reproduce during that Week!   They don't have a Digestive System and rely totally upon reserves built up during their Caterpillar Phase.   It's energetically wasteful to have a Digestive System when this Phase of their Life is only 5-10 Days, so won't Live long enuf to need Food or Water.  But, it seems like a Cruel brief existence of such a Beautiful Creature during this Phase of their Metamorphosis, doesn't it?   Sorry, my ADHD is showing... and randomly shit will just pop into my Head to change Subjects about... LOL.

 

I'm still sitting here in my Jammies at almost 11:00 a.m. coz it's only 56 Degrees Outside and I'm not going out in that.  In the Desert, you just don't own a lot of Warm Clothing, no Need to usually.  I barely own anything with Long Sleeves and probably only own Two Coats.  Both of which would be too Warm to wear once it's Cool but not very Cold, so, you wouldn't be comfortable with or without it.  I don't want to go to Shops coz, broke.  And, don't wanna Buy anything anyway or be Tempted to either.  Plus, Honestly, even most of the Events have suspended Hosting any for the whole Month of January too.  Many Vendors are downsizing their Inventory as well, it's been meager offerings I'm Witnessing everywhere.  Even at the Chazzas, they got empty Shelves and Racks, they're not getting the Donations.

I had Priced another Milk Crate full of Smalls and got them into the Showroom by Sunday Afternoon, the Mall was very busy again, so, hopefully Sales pick up?   Took me all Sunday Morning to Price them in The She Shed once it warmed up enuf to go out there and Work on it.  The Daughter and Mando kept me Company, she'd had her Yard Sale the day before but didn't do well at it, a lot of Work for not much return.  She had it set up real nice too, like a little Shop, Displayed well, but the Yard Sale Crowd just wasn't out this Weekend Buying.  Had they been they'd of gotten some Deals coz she had most things priced at a Dollar, just to move it quickly.  But you can't Sell when nobody shows up.

A few Vendors I don't know real well stopped and talked with me, some didn't know Showroom #140 was our new Location.  They had deducted we weren't in Showroom #114 anymore, clearly now it's not our Aesthetic or Style, so I guess they thought we'd moved out completely?   The New Vendor who Rented Showroom #114 aren't doing much with the Space, tho' they put Shelving in the Back Wall of it and an expensive Light System, they have a lot of Wasted Unused Space not being utilized effectively and hardly anyone I ever see going into the Room.  I don't even go into the Room, at a glance you can tell there's nothing in there worth taking a closer look.  I'm Surprised they haven't already moved out.

The next Event in Mid-February will be a Theme of "Gardenology" at "Sweet Salvage".  I don't anticipate anything else in February.  There's just not much going on in the Industry anymore.   And I don't keep in close contact with Industry folks to talk about what's going on much, I see some of them mebbe once a Month for a few Minutes.  Even at our Antique Mall we don't have the Vendor Meetings and Get-Togethers like we used to so the camaraderie is not as close as it once was either.  I have some I'm close to who've been there a long time like I have, but we don't get to know most of the New ones very well before they're gone.  And if they were a Vendor that left, they often don't come back as a Customer afterwards or for Social Visits.

A lot of my Favorite Vendors have scaled back so much they barely have a presence anymore or much Merch in what little and reduced Space they still maintain.   I'm always disappointed when we lose another good one.  So few good ones are left anymore locally.   And even Nationally, some that had a strong presence you just don't see any Social Media about anymore.  I don't even know if they quit doing what they did or not?   Some of the Older ones might have decided to do Full On Retirement?   Some of the Younger ones might have gone on to more lucrative things when the Industry along with the Economy began faltering?   I mean it's gotta make Money or why bother?

I got Two more of my Meditation CD's I'd Ordered, so now only one more to arrive.  And that Tupperware.   I'm no more Unpublished Posts ahead now coz not much is happening and I don't wanna Write about World Affairs, too depressing and disheartening as America unravels before the entire World.  I'm glad I have an International Following of Blog Friends who are sympathetic to our plight under this Regime.  I don't want the whole World to assume the majority of Americans are okay with any of this, we're not, we didn't Vote it in and would like to end it any way possible, the sooner the better.   

If only Kamala had been Voted in, she had the Popular Vote, this Psycho has never Won the Popular Vote.  So, we can Blame our Electoral College actually, they should do away with that shit immediately and Win ONLY by Popular Vote.  Or, what's the Point of every Vote actually Counting?   We wouldn't have even had 1.0 had the Popular Vote been Honored.  But, America seems so hung up on Gender and so Patriarchal and Misogynistic, that they'd rather have a Geriatric Madman in the White House than a Woman.   A Woman on her Worst Day couldn't have fucked things up more than this demented demon of a man.  He's pure Evil.  And he can't FOAD soon enuf, Today would be Fine.

*******

Dawn... The Bohemian

Another Day Of Crazy

 

The Son never received his Nutritional Assistance for January and you can never get thru on their Phone Lines or Online Sites so I had to take him in to DES.  Well, turns out they'd put his Case on Hold, he can't be notified coz he can't afford his Phone Bill and they shut it off.  They told him, after Hours of being there, that he has to start from scratch coz they needed more information, but couldn't and wouldn't specify exactly what other information that might be?  They claimed December was an Emergency Approval for partial Benefits and he has to now start over.  He raised his Voice when the Woman got snarky with him and indifferent, so Security asked him to leave.  *LOL*

So, he was fuming by the time we got out of there and luckily the Free Phone People were directly outside and sympathetic to the plight of everyone being turned away from getting Food Benefits.  I knew he'd qualify for one of the State provided Phones and Cheered him Up by applying for one and getting it withing 5 Minutes.  So, now he has a Phone at least, no Food, but can make and get Calls, which, is helpful and something, which is always better than nothing.  The Free Phone Lady said DES has slashed their personnel so much they're just overwhelmed now and the best people were Laid Off.  We know she's right about that and it shows.

So, no Food Benefits for him until he applies again Online and goes thru the same rigamarole and HOPES this time they don't lose Paperwork, coz he knows he did submit everything they had asked for.  So them saying they needed more was BS, they probably Lost some of it.  I told him I take Screen Shots or have Hard Copies of every fucking thing submitted to any Government Agency, you HAVE to.  So, it was productive even tho' it was Hours of our Life Wasted for Food Assistance that we'll never get back.  I could have taken him to a Food Bank instead, spent less time and aggravation, and at least been ensured a Box of Food for our Trouble.

He Hates that everything is on our Dime right now and he can't contribute Economically to provide any of his most basic Needs.  He's Worked hard since he was 14 Years Old, so he's not handling being Unemployed this long and not getting at least an Unemployment Check he should have been Entitled to receive after his Layoff.  That's all still on Appeal as well from his previous Employer screwing over everyone they Laid Off.  Anyway, I spent $18 on some Turkish Tobacco and 500 Rollers from a Smoke Shop nearby, so that he'd have Cigs coz I know he's stressed out to the Max.  He said his Sister doesn't know how to Roll properly and Mando has fucked up crippled Hands, so they break a lot of the Rollers trying to Roll hers.

We also stopped by the Antique Mall to pick up my little Check from last Pay Period and put more Inventory into the Showroom.  I forgot that The Son hadn't seen our New Showroom Location or Locked Case, so I showed him, he agrees it's a better Location than our other Showroom in the Back of the Mall and the Locked Case is an Ideal Location too.  He helped me put Security Tags on the Shirts so we got done in half the time.  He was getting Nostalgic seeing all the Vintage Toys I've got For Sale that he remembers were theirs as Kiddos, like the Fisher Price Medieval Castle.  I've done Well with Vintage Toys and Collectible Toys there.

For some Reason Blogger isn't letting me directly do Replies for Two Days now to Dear Readers leaving Comments.  So, to see the Replies from me now you have to come back to visit coz I have to leave them as a Comment rather than a direct Reply.   I'm hoping Blogger sorts it out and it self corrects eventually???  Every so often something glitches like that and you never get an explanation... usually it just self corrects eventually, so anymore I just roll with it.   I've had some buffering on Blogger and it's the only site I'm having buffering on.  We upgraded our Internet to Fiber Optics recently, so I think it's faster now and must be a problem with Blogger, not the Internet Provider.

I'm having a hard time staying Awake again and it's only just past Noon!!!   About every Six Hours of activity, well, then I almost need a Nap anymore to Recharge!!!   WTF?!  I'm sitting here Blogging and finding it hard to keep my Eyes Open and stay Awake without dozing off right here in my Chair!!!  Crazy!   I lay down for a couple Hours and then I'm Fine again.  I've never felt quite this fatigued before tho', but my checkups have been better than ever.  Anyway, Naptime now over, I'm good for another 10,000 Miles.  *LOL*  I found a Seller on E-Bay that had the 3 Vintage Tupperware Lids I needed at a good price and decent postage rate on a Buy-It-Now Feature. 

 Turns out the Seller is also sending me the Bowls that go with it for that price, big Surprise, it would have been a good price just for the Lids!  The description had said Lids, so I thought the Image was a Stock Photo of the Bowls with Lids to show what they fit.  Turns out, that was what the Auction was for, trio of Bowls w/Lids!  I remember I had these in the 1970-1980 Era but mine got Lost in all my Moves.   I now also have the 4th Smaller one, also in a Tangerine Color, that I got at SAVERS only Yesterday while picking the Grandchild up from Work there.  In the Eighties my Roommate was a Tupperware Dealer so she'd often Host the Tupperware Parties in our Apartment and we'd get all those Party Prizes that you couldn't Buy and I still have several of them that I use all the time still to this day.  The Citrus Peelers and the Butter-Up Thing for Corn-On-The-Cob buttering and salting.

 

I never did get more Merch Priced when I woke up and before I had to go pick the Grandchild up from Work, it stayed Colder all Day and I just didn't wanna be in the She Shed feeling chilly to sort thru Crates of Inventory.  The Showroom and Case is pretty full now anyway, so I'd be challenged to find Placement for more.  Sales this Week have been real Soft, so, after the MLK, Jr. Holiday, folks quit Buying and we mostly seem to have a lot of Shoppers who are Lookers and not Buyers.  I'm like that myself right now so I won't Judge.  *Winks and Laughs*  The Granddaughter was saying that her Uncle went to DES looking too Nice, like he has a Job or is going for a Job Interview, he should have gone looking Ghetto and from The Streets.  *LMAO, but, she's probably Right*  But we both know he'd never be caught Dead looking like that, to garner Pity, he always wants to Smell Good and Look Fly.  So, no Food for him!

 

He is Happy with his New Free Phone tho' and put his New Number in my Phone with his First Name and "Free Phone" as the Surname... I was Laughing my Ass Off, he's got a Wicked Sense of Dry Dark Humor.  He said the limited Data and Hours doesn't bother him coz he doesn't get or make a lot of Calls, he's like me, he's not one to like being on a Phone Call.  He almost always used it for Work or to Check In briefly with someone.  But to look for Work you really should have a Phone Contact Number that's your own and not using someone else's.  He still no longer has his own Transportation since his Car is still iffy on reliability and now he had to let the Insurance lapse and expire on it too.  So, he's been looking for Work closer to Home, or on Bus Routes, which limits Options.

Blogger is still Up and Down like a Yo-Yo with allowing me to respond and reply directly to Comments you all are leaving.  I don't know what's Wrong but other Bloggers have the same Issue so I don't feel like The Lone Ranger.  I quickly Copied and Pasted Replies like Mad in the brief Window it came back Up, but it quickly went Down again to buffering and not letting me.   I only have one more Dear Reader to directly Reply to when it comes back up again, so, that's almost Caught Up.  *Ha ha ha*  I'm Tech Challenged so never know how to bypass these Glitches in an effective way when they happen?  I have to just be patient and let them auto-correct, patience not being one of my Virtues.  *Smiles*

 

This is all I've had to Eat all Day, on the way to DES The Son and I saw a Hot Air Balloon advertising the Chick-fil-A and it made me hungry for some.  *Bwahahahaha*  He had McDonalds Breakfast instead but got so flustered at DES with the runaround they were giving him that he accidentally left his Full Vitamin Water behind, he'd only taken 2 sips out of it in the Four Hours he was there, so was pissed off that he forgot it.  You can't get rattled or that's what happens, you have to Maintain your Calm and Play The System becoz otherwise you'll lose your Cool and your Mind.  He said once Security approached him, and he wasn't out of Control, he'd just raised his Voice in frustration, when the Caseworker got bitchy and snarky with him when he was being Polite and trying to make her Hear him and ask legitimate Questions she refused to Answer... he just Gave Up and left. 

I won't Judge, I've had Security called on me numerous times, but usually at the VA.  *LOL*   And challenging the Big Stud Muffin Security Guards they have there to pick me up and carry my Ass out in front of God and everybody, coz I won't shut up when Advocating for my Old War Hero!   Usually they just see him right away when they know Security is gonna have to Manhandle me coz I won't Back Down or be Silenced.  I don't Care, they're not gonna neglect, ignore or abuse him on my fucking Watch, and that's just the Bottom Line and The Devil will just have to Deal with me when I'm on a Righteous Cause making a Scene for Justice.  Of coarse now, with the Goons this Cabal is Hiring, it could get you Shot, but I'm Okay with Martyrdom too, I've had a Good Run.  And the Family could file a Class Action Lawsuit and make $$$.  Especially with how Bad the PR would be for THAT Story.  I can see the Headlines now.  *LOL and Winks*

Anyway, enuf of that.  We're waiting for a Lightening Strike to smite the whole Cabal and Fry Donnie on the Spot... and like Blog Friend Ami said, Today would be Fine.  *Winks and Laughs*  If you want some Political Satire hilarity, visit a Fav Blogger MURRMURRS, you'll Laugh your Ass off, she's a Brilliant Political Satirist.  And I like a good Laugh right now, it's good for our morale.  *Smiles*  I did price some Merch when it finally Warmed up to 69 Degrees and The She Shed was comfortable enuf to Work out there in it, but then wouldn't ya know it started Raining and went really Cold again so I aborted that Mission prematurely.  I did get One Milk Crate Priced and will bring in with me to Work Tomorrow Night for that Shift I'm covering for Jackson while he's on his Tropical Cruise.

I don't have Plans for Saturday anyway and if the Weather stays inclement I don't go out in it unless I have to either.  So, I won't mind Working the Shift on a Saturday Night to offset some Rent.  It went up by about the amount I'm Comped for during a Shift, so it will offset the increased Rent at least.  Of coarse what we're Comped didn't go up at all.  If they're Raising Rents they should at least also Raise the Comped Space Rent per Hour Salary of us Unpaid Workers who are Vendors.  It's already well below Minimum Wage Earners who actually get Paid.  And that's also why they cannot attract good Workers from the Vendor Pool, nobody wants to do a good Job for far less than Minimum Wage and just some meager Comped Rent and no Check.  Everyone's Time is more Valuable than that.  But, something knocked off the Rent is Helpful when Sales are stagnant and the Economy is shitty.  Any Work to offset Costs is preferable to no Work.

Well, the Rains were brief, but big ole' Raindrops that fell so hard it was like Pebbles hitting everything, but, it wasn't Hailing... we've had Hail recently when it was Colder tho'.   I'm contemplating what to do now coz I'm a little Bored, but not Bored enuf to tackle that Diningroom Area that is the last bastion of Common Area Clutter not dealt with.  We got the other Rooms in Order before The Daughter's Medical Caseworker Visit.  I could and should work on that Diningroom so I may migrate in there and give myself 15-20 Minutes and see how I feel after I've devoted that little block of Time to it?  That's my tactic now so as not to instantly overwhelm... small increments consistently.  We got so much done before that Nurse came that I know I can make great Progress if I'm incentivized enough.  *LOL*  The Threat of could this pass a Social Services Inspection lit a Fire under my Ass.  *Ha ha ha*  Yet, she didn't assess any of the household, but, it still looked much better anyway.

Most of the time First Time Visitors are just so mesmerized by taking in all the Weird and Wonderful stuff, that they fail to see if there is any deferred Housekeeping actually.  That Distraction is Helpful.  *Winks*  So, usually, even if it's cluttered and messy, they're still telling us what a Wonderful Home we have and asking lots of Questions about various stuff or making Positive Comments.  The Nurse that came was Wowed by my Display of Bohemian Bling Jewelry that I keep Displayed everywhere when I'm not Wearing it.   She was Haitian and fell in Love with my Tribal Necklaces, most made of big Chunks of Amber and Coral, or of African Trading Beads.  I've Loved African Trading Beads since the 1960's and they were a 'Thing' back in the late 60's and early 70's, less so now.   I still have some I've owned since the Sixties.

I remember wearing Strands of them and of Love Beads all the time.  *Smiles*  I looked positively Tribal during those Eras.  *Ha ha ha*  The best ones don't come up for Auction very often and fetch a lot more than they ever used to tho', I've Scored some every once in a while at Antique Malls if the Vendor really isn't familiar with what they are or the Value and just Sell them as a Primitives Curiosity Accessory.  And I've Scored Baltic Amber worth a fortune on the Cheap when a Seller thinks it's just Plastic or Bakelite.   There's a lot of 'Created' or 'Pressed' Amber out there tho' being passed off and misrepresented as what it's not, and to the uninformed it looks as authentic as a Yag resembles a Diamond to the uninformed.  It's not fully Authentic or Quality Amber and it has been altered by Man.  There are Legal and Ethical Guidelines for Selling it but some Sellers don't abide by them.  Look for Natural Complex Inclusions and Imperfections that the 'Created' just won't have.

I'm presently missing some of my Industry Friends who I don't see anymore, most of whom moved away and live in other States now.  The Trio above were some of the Best Designers and had Primo Merch and Creations that couldn't be matched.  They still do what they do, just somewhere else now, that they preferred to live, often returning to Home States they'd moved away from.   Heidi to Montana {On the Left} and Myko to Washington State {On the Right} is where I know Two of them moved to.  Others I really don't know what happened to them or where they went, you just never see them again all of a sudden.   Social Media does help some of us keep in Touch and aware of what's going on with Old Friends who aren't around anymore.  Everyone's Journey takes them in different directions.   Heidi got Married and Myko got Divorced... and a big Change like that can change all your Life's Plans and Direction.  Myko became a Gramma for the 2nd time last Year tho', so now has a Granddaughter and a Grandson.

Princess T spends most of her time with her Boyfriend at his House now than here, so I'm kinda stuck with her Cat, Eli, who is not Happy his Human isn't around so much.   When reading Murr's Blog she recently had a Post on Cat Behavior and it appears that Kittens and Cats require and need 5 Murderous Episodes a Day to feel Centered in between their Sleep Patterns!!!   And that's why the Naughty Behavior comes in where they tear up your stuff coz their Murderous/Sleep Patterns are interrupted and not Natural to their Instinctive Behavior of being Predatory and Murderous.  When they're not Hunting and Murdering, they're Sleeping.  *LOL*  Well, that makes perfect sense and why Ole' Eli Delights so much then in Attacking Humans who come into his Space that either aren't his Girl or aren't Me.  *LMAO*  His Murderous Instincts have been activated and unfulfilled each Day.  *Smiles*

 

This was one of the numerous Saguaro Cacti, among other Cacti, at our Historic Home.  We had Desert Landscaping on half the Acreage of that Property and I Loved it.  I prefer Natural Desert Landscaping coz it's Native to a Desert and thus easier to Maintain and uses less Water.  Most of my other Arizona Properties had Xeriscape and Drought tolerant Plants, Trees and Natural Landscaping, this is the only one that doesn't and it just came like it is.   If we didn't have the huge Pine Trees out Front I'd consider putting in Desert Landscaping to the areas of the Front of our Acreage where we have to Pump the Irrigation to and in.  But, they're Old Trees, Magnificent, and need a lot of Irrigation.  The Back Pasture, since we don't Raise Livestock or Horses, may eventually be replaced with Raised Victory Gardens to grow most of our own Food and use our Irrigation to Farm instead.

I showed Mando the kind/style of Chicken Coop I'd like him to Build since he and The Daughter said their Friend Roy is giving them all his Chickens eventually.  So, now Mando and The Daughter know the Vision I have for what our Chicken Coop should look like, it's very Bougee, they will be very well Housed Chickens and Spoiled rotten ones too.  *Winks*  Our Wild Birds that come to their Feeding Station are Spoiled rotten and now I know where I can get their Gourmet Bird Feed wholesale, that are even for Exotic Birds, they are even more Spoiled and well fed.  *Smiles*  Some of it looks good enuf to eat ourselves as Trail Mix!  *Bwahahaha*  They know that every Morning is Feeding Time and now some of them wait atop The RV Garage Mahal Roof for us to Serve them.  *LOL*

 

I've been holed up in my Room in front of the Computer for the better part of the Evening now, it feels cozy and comfortable and when it's Wet and Cold Outside, I'm glad I'm Inside.   I got another one of my Meditation CD's from Deuter that I'd binge bought on E-Bay.  I've always liked Deuter and his Style of Zen Instrumental Music, so, I'd looked on Auctions at E-Bay to see what the CD's were going for and available, I Scored some good ones at decent Buy-It-Now Feature Prices, so I didn't have to enter Bids and Bid against anyone else.  I NEED Meditation Music right now, I just can't watch The News.  I'm not even trying to keep Informed right now becoz it's all too heavy, shameful and embarrassing for America.  And it's an Emotional and Mental Torment as well that I just don't Need to Torture myself with Daily, or even Once Weekly.

My Form of Escapism right now is Blogging and Music.  And I have spent more Time at the Antique Mall than usual too.  I've been fussing about with Merchandise and my Inventory, making some good Progress with it actually.  Princess T and I foofed the Showroom so it looks presentable and better Organized.   Since Marking Down some of the Bags of Small Collectible Toys I've Sold Out of all the Shopkins and most of the Fisher Price Little People and LOL Mini Dolls.  So much of it was getting Stolen, we thought better to mark it down and have it get Sold rather than The Five Finger Discount Thieves taking it without Paying for it.  That tactic has Worked quite well and put REAL Paying Customers at the Showroom constantly looking thru it all, which deters the Thieves actually too.  Criminals generally don't want Witnesses to their Dirty Deeds.

This is one of the Great-Grands with a Mani she's very Proud of.  It looks like she could be a Nail Biter and why Mommy is using Pretty Nails as a tactic to deter the Habit some?   And the Tooth Fairy will be Visiting, clearly.  *Winks*    Below is just some of what we're sorting thru in The RV Garage Mahal in the Great Edit & Purge Project.  We have too many Games and no longer have a Game Night now the Kiddos are Older, so I may only Keep a scant few and rid myself of the rest.   Games don't Sell that well, so I may just cannibalize the Game Pieces and more Interesting Boards for Displaying and chuck the rest of those I don't wanna Keep.  I've done that with SCRABBLE Tiles to make Crafts of and only Kept one Vintage Game of it that had belonged to my Parents.  I have some Specialty and very Old Monopoly Games I'll Keep as well.

As you can see I've Collected Pool Balls for a very long time.  *LOL*  I just like how they look in a Display, we don't even Own a Pool Table. *Smiles*  I've Collected Vintage Game Pieces for a long time too and Display them in Antique Canning Jars.  I've made Jewelry of some of them.   The Daughter has been trying to Organize and make some Order of the Chaos in there for me so I can see what we have a lot of in order to Purge and Edit it more effectively and Curate what I wanna Keep.  It's a Process and some Days I'm in the Right Head Space to made headway with it.  If I find I'm Waffling and holding onto things too much and not making decisions easily, and Letting Go effortlessly, I just don't do it that Day.  If you are inclined to Collecting and Hoarding you Understand that Attachments and Detachments come and go with irregularity sometimes.

There are instances where I can Let Go of an enormous amount of stuff and Feel absolutely nothing about it that is challenging to me.  Those are the Days when I Seize the Moment.  *LOL and Winks*   Detachment Days are so easy I Wish I just had more of them.   I don't even Understand the deep Psychology behind much of it.   Daily fluctuations in Mental Energy, Emotional Capacity, Physiological Factors and Stress probably play a big part in it.  It shifts fucking daily tho' and I don't know how Normal that is for most people?   So the Process becomes hindered by the shifts that are constant for me.  It seems I've been doing it so long now that I should have made more Progress than I have.  But, over the Years a lot has accumulated and I got a lot of Cargo.  *LOL*

 

With agreeing to Work Tonight I won't wipe myself out doing too much Today before Work then.  The Man is Sleeping In and that's Rare, so I'm just trying to enjoy the Peace and Solitude of a Morning without anything going on.  It's only 52 Degrees at 8:00 a.m. tho' so I'm not going out there!  *Smiles*  This means, no She Shed Activity until it Warms Up coz I'm not dragging Inventory into the House.  I've been trying to avoid cluttering up Rooms I've gotten decluttered and looking Nice again.  The Diningroom is the last bastion of Clutter and I do think I will Work on that Today after Blogging.  

It isn't that I can't get it Done in probably a couple Hours, it's doable in that Time frame actually.  It's the procrastination I have to overcome to get it Done at all.  Say la Vie.  In Retirement I became suddenly a Procrastinator, who knew!?  Just another Day of Crazy.  You suddenly get more Time and you don't wanna devote it to Working at anything.  *LOL*   Sure, when the House is completely the way I want it then I'll feel better about it and try to keep it that way.  But the getting of it that way means some Work and I've been avoiding it as if it's The Devil.  In my Head I just Overwhelm by the Sight of a lot of Chaos or Clutter and yet tackling it would be the Solution, Right?  We all know this.  And I'm the major Offender, the Family isn't, it's my Clutter, all of it!

This Great-Grandchild's Expression is how I often Feel towards my own Self-Sabotage.   You've done it again Dawn, just look at this Mess!!!  They say Creative Minds are Messy, I must then be a fucking Creative Genius!!!  *Bwahahahaha*   I do Okay for a while and then... well... you know... I don't have to explain it and lay it out there for ya, it's Visually Evident, let us just say.   My Crazy shows.   We used to feed a flock of Wild Birds, mostly Doves, in our Feeding Station, but lately a flock of Sky Rat Pigeons shows up and ran everything else off.  So, we'll have to suspend the Feeding for a while coz I don't wanna attract Nuisance Birds.  

Yes, they are God's Creatures too, but a Pigeon Problem is something I don't need, the Dove never become problematic or have a Population Explosion like Pigeons will.   And Technically Pigeons are a Dove Species there is no strict Scientific distinction between them.  The Common City Pigeon is a direct descendant of the Rock Dove.   We had a good run of several Years of no Pigeons showing up, but this small flock of them can soon become an invasive flock of them and I don't wanna encourage that by feeding them.  We feed them at the Park, but not with the expensive Bird Feed that we give to Wild Birds to help them survive an Urban Setting.  Pigeons have Adapted quite well to being Urban Dwellers.

So for now we're Suspending the Bird Feeding and may have to Retire the Practice entirely if the Sky Rats hang out in the Neighborhood trying to outlast our tactics?  *LOL*  They can be persistent and clever, Wild Doves cannot compete with them and are often chased off by them.  We have a Neighborhood Hawk that lately our Crows and Ravens have been chasing off coz it's trying to make a Meal of our Neighbors little Chihuahua when he goes out to do his business!!!  I've got to tell the Neighbor to stand out there with him and stand Guard coz the only reason he hasn't been picked off, The Son says, is coz the Crows and Ravens have Protected him!!!   Probably just being Territorial, but it's benefitted the Dog all the same.

When we lived in Rural Affluent Subdivision Hell near the Desert and Mountains, you couldn't have outdoor Pets, the Wild Predators would pick them off like a Buffet.   The Mini Farms here are surrounded by Urban Sprawl, but we still attract the Predators.   Becoz of it being an Oasis among the Urban setting and a lot of Agricultural Fields once existed around us until just recently.  Until the City allowed Rezoning and greedy Developers crammed in Subdivisions and Apartment Complexes galore to expand the Urban Sprawl that used to be Zoned Agricultural.  We'll be the last bastion of Agricultural now in our area, just our Mini Farms Subdivision and one other Mini Farm Subdivision just North of us, both established in the 1960's and 1970's.

I just watched a Special on Mel Brooks, I just Love Mel, his Humor, and all of his Movies that pushed boundaries of good taste and confronted important issues with humor and fearlessness.  He's 99 Years Old now and just as funny as ever.  He and Anne Bancroft were so good together.  I laughed thru the whole Special and it brought back such fond Memories of his Beloved outrageous Movies.   I took The Man out for a little Environmental Cleanup at a nearby Park, we got a lot of Aluminum Cans there and that's less to be Landfill bound now.  The Parks and City say they Recycle, but I see when they dump the Trash and pick it up, it all goes in the Landfill Truck, none of it is actually being Recycled at all.  I don't even know if what we sort for Recycling actually gets Recycled at all, tho' they do pick it up on a different day, than regular Trash pickup, so, I'm Hopeful they do???  They say 60%-85% does so I'm choosing to Believe them.

It did The Man good to be out in the Fresh Air and it got to 65 Degrees by Noon, so was not too Cold at the Park and didn't require Jackets.  Since he's not been feeling good at all we took it slow and easy tho', he did pretty good and seemed to enjoy himself.  He likes to do Environmental Cleanup and looks forward to it, I've always enjoyed doing it and can't remember not doing it.  Until he Married an Old Hippie I'm not sure he ever did it before tho'?  *LOL*   People do seem Surprised that we do something like that as Volunteers on a regular basis, we do get a lot of them Thanking us, but I can tell, they wouldn't do it.    And Breaking News: ICE just Shot & Killed another American Citizen.  Even Police aren't supposed to go around Executing People, but ICE has Shot Three Civilians, Killing Two, in less than a Month!!!

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Just another Day of Crazy in the Arizona Desert... Dawn... The Bohemian