Saturday, October 3, 2026

Halloween In Full Swing


 I picked up a White Metal Commercial Display Rack with built in Rods and Basket, Advertising area on top, for The Young Prince to use for his Clothing and Accessories, it only cost me $14 with my Military Discount.  A Teen Boy helped me load it as he was going in to SAVERS and asked if I needed Help.  SAVERS Staff are no longer allowed to help you load anything.  I got a Pair of large Rubber King Cobra Skeleton Halloween Prop Snakes for just over $2 each coz they were the 50% Off Colored Tag.  I got that Hawaiian Men's Shirt I had admired and wanted, now that it was 50% Off.  A couple of Cookbooks, Bagged Lots of expensive Wrinkle and Eye Bag Reduction Products which was New Old Stock and bagged with Hawaiian Tropics Products that Princess T wanted out of the Bags.  Some Bagged Lot of various Anime Pins {Princess T said all Pins are 'In' now}.  And a Repop Cast Iron Kitchen Notepad of a NOT-PC Aunt Jemima Mammy with Magnet of little Black Children in a Wicker Basket.




This is an Online Cribbed Pix of one just like mine, except my Pencil Broom Handle looks way Older with an Eraser on it.  And mine looks Older than this one, but is the same.  Had she been Original from the 1940's, she would have been worth a lot, but she was a Chinese Repop of decent quality that did look very much like the Real Deal and she was 50% Off, so I got her.  Her Pencil is the Handle of the Broom she's holding, the Note Paper is missing.  Mine is pictured Below, you can see the Similarities to the one Above.  I can still Resell for a lot more than I paid for her and Black Memorabilia, even if inappropriate for our Time, is very Collectible. 




 Even a lot of Black Collectors do Collect it in spite of the Caricatures being very Negatively Stereotypical and even Racist.  It is a part of Americana History tho', and I think that's why it's Collectible... not all History is Positive, Good or Comfortable, but all of it is Important to Educate present Day folks of what the Past held, for the Good of the Nation, any Nation actually, or to it's Shame, disgrace or detriment.  I don't think any History should be Whitewashed to make it more palatable than what the Truth of it is and shouldn't be Sanitized for anyone's Comfort.  If other Human Beings had to Endure it, then just knowing about it isn't so bad for those who didn't.   Below are some Kaleidoscopes I got as a Bagged Lot for $3. 



 

I thought they may have been Older but they had the Bar Code and those came out in 1974, so, it would be Vintage still, but not earlier than 1974.   And then dumb me, who wasn't paying close enuf Attention, sees it has Copyright of 1980 stamped right on them... ha ha ha... ooops, okay, so 1980 and not the 1970's then.  *LOL* The Tin ends are a bit Rusty so they do have some wear and Age to them and will be an easy turn of a Vintage Era Toy that might rekindle someone's Childhood of the early Eighties.  Our Three Kids are from the Seventies and Eighties Generation of Kiddos Born then.   Becoz the bits in each is different, each is different when looking inside as to what it Creates of the bits.




Right now Blogger isn't allowing the loading of Images to my Post I'm Writing.  It worked only Hours ago earlier, but it reminds me of having those frustrating Days where you couldn't leave a Comment on Blogs recently.  That Self-Corrected, so I Hope this glitch does as well and won't take Days to?  In the meantime I guess I'll just Write the Written part of this Post and come back later to load Images when it's corrected itself.  I spent a couple Hours Pricing Inventory to take in with me for Tonight Fill-In Shift.  I got a slew of Holographic Pokemon done to put into the Locked Case and a New Old Stock RUSS Teddy Bear that still had Original $30 Price Tag on it.




  I didn't have it in me to sit and Price More, I wanna do a quick Nap before my Shift coz I'm Tired and was up early to take Kiddos to Work and then pick up the Grandchild when she got off Work really early.  Lately they've only gotten half day Hours and she doesn't mind it so much actually, tho' for Employees trying to Support themselves on Minimum Wage they NEED Full Time Hours if they were Hired as Full Time.  It makes things more stressful and Life is stressful enuf as it is.   A lot of the Young Employees at our Antique Mall are going thru Financial Stress and Crisis now, big time.  Work was busy, not becoz Customers were there Buying a lot, they weren't at all, and we weren't that busy either, low Door count.  But people who were there were bringing things up front and then changing their Mind all Night, so the Go-Backs were ridiculous!  




We couldn't keep on top of how much we had to put back into Inventory coz Customers brought it up and then didn't Buy any of it.  And so many brought Merch down from the 2nd Floor or from way in the back Aisle of the Main Floor of the Mall!!!  It almost seemed Intentional to me to fuck around and make more Work for Employees by just pretending they wanted a bunch of things they bring up and then saying, No, I changed my Mind and just walk out Buying nothing at all!   One Mom in particular spent an inordinate amount of time at a Locked Case with her Kid picking out Bagged Shopkins.  Had it taken up to the Front, a LOT of them, then didn't Buy any of them!  Locked Case items have to go back and not sit on the Go-Back Cart for the added Security reasons.  Vendors pay for the Extra Security of Inventory in their Locked Cases Rented.




And when you have a $725 Gold Necklace that someone changes their Mind about, you can't lose track of an item like that, so it had to go back immediately into it's Locked Case.  And that went on all Night long, the Go-Back Cart was full again after Hours and we'd JUST cleared it again at Five Minutes before Closing!!!  So, the Morning Shift will have to clear it and put all that back instead now.   All Night I probably only had Half a Dozen Customers that actually bought what they had me bring up front for them and not change their Mind.   So it was busy and yet not a very productive Night of Sales.  I didn't even remember to ask for a Printout to see how I'm doing.  I did Buy a "Cousin It" Halloween Doll that a Vendor had made with a Mop, Sunglasses and Top Hat on a Beanie type Body, she was only asking $6.50 for them and had made about a Half Dozen.  So Cute, hadda have it.




The Daughter earned $100 at Darren's and will Donate it to the Memorial Fund for her Boyfriend Mando.  It's all she has and she's giving all she has, that's how she's always been.  She's okay if she has nothing left, if someone needs it more, she'll give it all to them.  It's making her Feel better to be able to do something Positive like that about a dreadful Situation and serious Trauma she's experienced, by the way he was so suddenly taken and Lost his Life.  She had always just thought the Cancer he'd eventually succumb to, since he was in the End Stages of it and Outlived Expiration Dates Docs had given him.  So it is very conflicting the range of Emotions one Feels when someone already Dying of something horrible and painful, just Dies horribly, but of something else completely unexpected.  Cancer is such a slow agonizing Death... being the Victim of a Vehicular Homicide is not something anyone wants as a way to exit this Earthly Coil, but if it was instant, was it really better a way to Go?   I wrestle with that conflicting Thought.




I Worked Tonight with the New Older Lady, whose Name now I know, it's Michelle and she's a Fill-In for Sherry, and will be for about as long as I'll be Filling-In for my Friend Crazy Ed.  Sherry is also having serious Health Issues and is a Breast Cancer Survivor, so I do Hope it hasn't recurred?  Ed's having his Neck Surgery Tomorrow and our mutual Friend Sue, who is a Retired ER and Surgical Nurse, said it's his 3rd Vertebrae of his Neck, C3, and that's a Tricky one she said.   I'm worried that she said that, and wondered if Ed was doing an Elective Surgery that is too dangerous at his advanced Age, he's almost 80 now?  Our mutual Friend Tim Died on a similar Elective type of Surgery on some Lumbar Vertebrae some Years back.  Tim had a Premonition the Day beforehand, and had talked to me about it and I told him to Cancel the Surgery.  Since clearly there wasn't a Peace about it and a Premonitionary Warning given him.




  He knew I had Premonitions and asked me what I thought about his while we were at Work the Night before.  I told him I always heed mine, he should heed his.  He didn't heed his, but only coz he thought the Docs and his Family would think it Crazy, especially his Wife.  Many folks don't Believe in Premonitions, and he was also a JW so I knew he couldn't have transfusions either, making him a higher Surgical Risk if he bled too much.   So he went thru with it and Died, his Premonition would have prevented that outcome.  I remember being angry that he succumbed to the opinions of skeptics and didn't do what he felt was Right.  Especially after he had the Bad Premonition that if he went thru with the Surgery, he was going to not Survive it.  He felt since it was the 11th Hour, his Surgeon wouldn't want him backing out at the last Minute, and his Wife was afraid he could POSSIBLY end up in a Wheelchair eventually if he didn't have the Surgery?




  Well, mebbe he could have, but, he wouldn't be Dead.   Dead versus Wheelchair Bound, Risk Factor decision... personally the POSSIBILITY wasn't even certain he'd end up in a Wheelchair!!!  Docs just said, he MIGHT!  I don't even think he told his Wife about his Premonition.  And I am almost positive he never mentioned it to his Surgeon.  I did mention my Premonition to The Man's Heart Surgeon and Dr. Pham took it so seriously he bumped him up from being Third in Line for the Procedure, to First.  Coz I told him my Premonition and that if The Man was made to wait, and not be 1st in the Operating Room, he would be Dead, I was Positive about that Urgency and my Premonition being accurate.  And, when Dr. Pham got in there, The Man Coded and a 40 Minute procedure turned into 5 Hours but he Survived.  




Dr. Pham came out looking Ashen and said I had been Right, he was literally Seconds away from Death and not being able to be Saved!  I could tell the Relief Dr. Pham had, that he's listened to me, taken me Seriously, and thus was able to Save my Husband.  It was a very Close Call.  Too Close.   And after the Surgery his Doc talked to me a bit about how often I have these Warnings?  It's not often and it comes randomly, but I've always had them, even as a Small Child, only I didn't know what they were then or how to communicate them effectively.  Sometimes they're still confusing in how they come thru, that one particularly had been coz it wasn't as specific as some, just a bunch of Hearts, Valentine's Hearts, Jesus Touching his Heart, a Sacred Heart... I didn't even know Who it was FOR?  Until that very next Afternoon when The Man comes and says, Ewww, Honey, I have some bad Indigestion! 




 Then it clicked, Fuuuuuuuuuuuuck, NO you don't, it's a Heart Attack, that's what the Warning meant that I had about it just Yesterday... The Heart, it's YOUR Heart!  I tossed him in the Truck and immediately went to the ER at the Hospital specializing in Heart and Strokes.  The Man never doubts my Premonitions after all these Years, he takes them Seriously and I'm glad I don't have to Argue with him about them.  I usually won't Argue with anyone about them actually, I don't Care if you're a Skeptic or Mock me, I know the Accuracy they have had all my Life, so, I take them Seriously and if it can prevent something bad from happening, Good.  Some things are just gonna happen anyway and you cannot prevent it, but you don't have to be part of it either and your Destiny can be altered by that decision. 




 My Welsh Uncle and Mom always had them and once he had one that the Plane he'd Booked was going down and all on it would Die.  So he switched Planes and routed thru a different City, coming in thru Atlanta rather than Chicago.  And yes, the other Plane went down, all Died on it, he didn't tho', coz he chose to heed his Warning.  He couldn't say anything to any Authority about such a Premonition coz he said they might think he was responsible some way if it happened.  And he didn't know anyone else on that fated Flight to Warn... so, sometimes you can't prevent someone else's Destiny unfolding tragically, it just will.  I don't like having them but they do come in handy when they prevent something or help you avoid it at least, even if you can't prevent it entirely.




FINALLY Photos are loading and whatever was Wrong with Blogger has Auto Corrected like it did when we couldn't leave Comments a few Days ago.  No idea why you couldn't load Images, but it was frustrating and I'm glad it is fine now coz I had lots to Share.  *Winks*  I went to my first Halloween Themed Event of the Season.  I had intended to have Breakfast at "The Tipsy Egg", as is my Custom when going to "Highland Yard Vintage" and "Merchant Square", and was shocked that they are Closed and went out of Business!!!  *Gasp* It was one of The Man and my Favorite Brunch places and will be SO Missed, dammit!   I looked to see if they relocated coz the Business next Door to them was also gone and Closed, gone out of Business too, along with several others in the Historic Part of Downtown Chandler.  None relocated, they all are Closed for good according to Google and I'm so Sad.  I truly Hope it's not the Chinese Investors buying up Old Town Chandler too and kicking everyone out, like they did in Old Town Historic Glendale?  But, it could be, very suspicious since they were popular spots and always busy.







So, no Brunch as expected so when the Antique Mall opened at 10:00 a.m. I had an early Lunch at their "American Way BBQ Smokehouse" instead.  A Brisket Sammie with side of Homemade Coleslaw, Homemade Dill Pickle and Soda... and I bought Two Scones, one Berry and one Peach, to take Home.  They have the best Bakery Items there too.  I deconstruct my Sammie to eat the Carbs separate and later so that I don't spike my Numbers Diabetically.  Eating Veggies and Proteins never does, but Carbs can be The Devil.  So I parse out eating the Carbs for a Snack later.  Scones too.  *Winks*




The Halloween Event was well attended on Opening Day so I'm glad I got there early to cover everything and see it all unmolested and not picked over.  And, they're Hosting it longer than other Events who are Competitors, which is Wise of them I think.  Halloween is something the Big Box Stores are Selling Out of quickly and don't have much Inventory, so they should do well the whole time they have a Halloween Theme right up almost to Halloween.  The Checkout Line was Crazy long, so they were having strong Sales, which is great.  I myself bought an Antique Creepy Doll wearing a Halloween Costume, and that BINGO Card with Buttons sewn on to it that I'd hoped to get coz I'd seen it in the Preview Sneak Peek Pixs Online.   "Sweet Salvage" still hasn't posted any Sneak Peeks, which draws Interest and Anticipation, a reason to go if you spy something you wanna Score, when you do utilize Social Media to Advertise in Advance with Visuals, so I don't know why they haven't?



 The Creepy Doll has Two Teeth and is in a Skeleton Costume, she was so inexpensive I thought the pricing might be wrong, but, it wasn't, she was just a great Deal, so, Booyah!  I actually bought more inside the Antique Mall coz they too were having a big Holiday Sale and Vendors often had 20%-60% off, and I have a 10% standing Military Discount even for Vendors who don't have their Merch on Sale.  I got some of the best Halloween Merch for Decor.  I'll show you my relatively considerable Haul one Pix at a time Below:




My Button BINGO Card




My Trio of Spice Witches



My Trio of Resin Teeth... they say if you have Three of anything it's now Officially a Collection.  *Winks*





My Antique Creepy Doll, as I spied her and after I had her holding my Button BINGO Card.  She has long Human Hair appearing Wig in a long Braid down her Back that reaches about her Hips.  Antique Dolls with an Open Mouth showing Two Teeth are generally around 110 to 130 Years Old {1885-1920}, but she could be a Re-Pop I highly Suspect, since her price was so low and her Condition so good, but still a good Reproduction of an Antique Doll nonetheless if she isn't the Real Deal.  The Repops became Popular starting in the 1970's-1990's Era.  But usually they're Dated on the Neck if they're a Repop and she's not and she's exactly the composite of the Real Deal, I don't know the Modern ones used that composite, coz it is fragile... so she could just be in excellent condition and Real, in which case I got even more of a Bargain.  I'm sure her Halloween Costume is newer.









This is just some Close-Up Sections of my Halloween Bunting Banner, it has around 9 individual pieces along with several of the Skeletons strung on Seam Binding and Jute String.  I bought one last Year from the same Vendor, but forgot where I Stored it, and this one was 20% Off so I hadda have it, she has good prices even when she isn't having a Sale.  I wouldn't make them for the low price she charges.







I got some more Tamarisk Honey and some Bee Pollen from the Carranza Honey Farms Vendor.  I Love their Honey and Bee Pollen, which I drizzle over Yoghurt, Frozen Smoothie Bowls, Granola and Fresh Fruit like they do at "Robeks".  So I stock up just in case they ever close down their small Booth they have at that Antique Mall, plus, I get my 10% Military Discount on every Purchase of it.  During Allergy Season, which has been bad this Year, having Local Honey and Bee Pollen in my Diet really helps mitigate Allergies.  And, it doesn't spike my Diabetic Numbers at all, so isn't something that wrecks a Diabetic Diet Management for me personally.  *Whew*










And finally, here's Two Art Tags using Tim Holtz Crafting Product that I got from another Vendor I've often purchased her Paper Craft Altered Art she Creates.  She does a good job and had them on Sale too.   She must either have taken some of Tim's Classes or Tutorials Online becoz she really knows how to use all his Products to the best advantage, better than I can yet, so, I'd rather Buy some I like since I might not get around to making them anytime soon even tho' I have all the Supplies to and want to get back to Crafting and Creating Art again someday.  For myself and to Sell.   I stayed at the Event and Antique Mall for Two Hours, would have stayed longer actually but it's a long commute and I had a Grandchild getting out of Work by 2:00 p.m..  But, I intend to go back a few times and The Daughter has a Cleaning Job in Chandler on Sunday, so for sure I'll be back that day, it's close to the Event/Mall. 




*******

More to come later... dawn... the bohemian 

Friday, October 2, 2026

Life Can Give Us Some Stories To Tell



 In Real Time it's only September 8th and it was 115 Degrees still at the height of the Heat, which, for this time of Year is still way high.  It was 107 for the couple Days beforehand, which was still high for early September and the Cool Down isn't coming. It didn't come last September either which is why I had a whole Month I expected to work my Spaces that aren't Climate-Controlled and didn't get to.  I think we actually only had 2 Weeks of Winter last February, every other Month was just exceptionally Hot and inclement Weather we normally don't get for Autumn and Winter.  I do fear it's gonna be a repeat performance of that and so not much will get done this Fall or Winter either if we don't get some Cool Down.  Ugh.  Usually Autumn in Arizona is glorious, I miss that due to Climate Change fluctuations that keep escalating each Year.



 

I thought about getting this but then realized someone put it up on the $5 Shelf that was Sold Out of whatever that was for the Line and this was the $10 larger part of the Line.  I have a lot of the Hyde & Eek Line and like it, this was Cute, I just didn't think Ten Dollars Cute.  In previous Years the Audrey Plants of the Line looked better and were Painted better too, so the Quality has not remained as good IMO.  They didn't have much of this Popular Line either, and had Sold Out of a lot of what they did have, and they just put it out.  So, you can't waffle if you do want any of it, or, you won't get any and I doubt they'll get more in either.





I did get these sets of Stickers to make some Cute Halloween Art Tags with.   There just wasn't that much of a good Selection of Merch to wanna Photograph.  Most of it was quite generic and not very interesting or anything I'd even remotely consider Buying.  So, that was disappointing, TARGET usually has a great Halloween Section, but each Year since Pandemic it has gotten reduced and smaller, this Year being no exception.  And, what they do have, they don't have much of, so it is likely to Sell Out quickly if you're not among the 1st of perhaps 3-7 Customers for that particular thing.  Some things they only had 1 of, or were Sold Out of already and they weren't even finished Stocking some Aisles, but the Aisles that were Stocked, had been picked over already to where if you weren't there when it got put out, you're SOL. {Shit Outta Luck}  That's happened a lot and why Resale of the Line goes Online for Resale at Scalpers Pricing almost immediately.




I did Buy this Butterfly Skeleton in a Cloche from The Son's Chain of Dollar Store.  It was more than a Dollar, $7, but I liked it so much and it does something when you put Batteries in it, I don't know what tho'... I suspect it Lights Up with some Fiber Optics around the Interior Decorations tho'.  Which will look good in the Dark when we're handing out Candies.  I'll keep it Inside until Halloween Night.  The DOLLAR TREE Store had almost more Halloween Decor than TARGET or SPIRIT STORE, which was unexpected.    And, none of the Big Box Stores that usually have elaborate Displays to draw Customers in... didn't, not at all!  TARGET had this one Animatronic Skeleton and the Big Inflatable Spider, that's it.  They had no Dia de los Muertos Merch, or at least it wasn't out yet and I didn't see a Space for it like they usually have.




They did have about 3 Aisles of Costumes, so that is good.  I haven't gone to a Wal-Mart yet to see what they've put out for Halloween, but they weren't rushing to Display it as early either, so I'm speculating they had Supply Chain Issues or Import Issues too perhaps?   Toys was well Stocked tho', so at least that is being produced and getting into the Country from where it's made, coz none of it is made in America.  So mebbe the Girls will get more than Donnie Two Dolls says they should this Year?  *Winks*   Some of TARGET's Brand of Knock-Off of the "American Girl" Line, which they call "Our Generation" Dolls, was Cute.  I Photographed one Below that was for Halloween specifically and also Glows in the Dark.   They had one more that was a Black Doll with Witch Costume, but only One of each Doll.   And some Mom was practically Stalking me in the Toy Aisle and getting in the way of me trying to Photograph any of the Toys... tho' she was Buying nothing for her Toddler Son that would even be in said Aisles.  He was so Young he practically didn't even know he was there!  *Le Sigh & Laughs*.

 



Some people when they see you trying to take Pixs, will intentionally linger in the way, often pretending to look at things they aren't really interested in.  Just to prevent you from taking Pixs and be in the way, it's commonplace and I have no idea what their problem is?  *Shrugs*  Sometimes if they follow me around too much doing that I point the Camera at them and pretend to take Pixs and that always runs them off... if they've been particularly Annoying I'll mention they'll be on one of my Viral TikToks now.  *Bwahahahahaha*  I don't do TikTok, and I don't take Pixs of Randoms and usually try not to Photograph folks without their express Permission.  But, when someone has been being a total Nuisance, clearly on Purpose and for no good Reason, well, I have to fuck with them just a little to get them to fuck off and move along.  *Smiles*   This Mom I finally had to do something like that to so she moved on and out of my way.  She was so busy trying to Photo Bomb me that she wasn't paying attention to her Toddler either, who wasn't in a Cart and too Young to be Unsupervised and not kept a close Eye on.




She had a Cart, with nothing at all in it, I had my Cart full of what I was Buying and didn't wanna be Stalked around the whole Store.  She finally picked up the Boy and put him in the Cart Seat, where he should have been all along, and she left me alone after that and disappeared.  Good riddance, some folks are just Strange as Hell.  Thursday will be the start of the "Highland Yard Vintage" Halloween Event and I Plan on going on Day One to get the best Coverage of it.  There's a couple things I saw in the Preview, Smalls, that I'd like to get so I'd have the best chance of that going early.  And I also will walk around the Antique Mall in front the the Warehouse Event.  "Merchant Square" is a very nice Antique Mall, if it were closer I'd want to be a Vendor there.  Some Vendors from our Mall have been Vendors there and done very well, but it's a Helluva long Commute from the Far West Valley to the Far East Valley and eventually, in spite of Stronger Sales there, they had to close out their Booths there.





The Manager and Management there has their Finger on the Pulse of what's Trending and happening in the Antiques and Collectibles Market.  They also Vet their Vendors better too, so there are no Crap Hawkers there either, so the Quality of the Demographic that Sell and Buy there is just better becoz of how it's being run so well.  They don't have Showrooms tho', just Booths, and some are decent sized.  But, I've also seen some of my Fav Vendors there downsize or leave, so even in a well run Mall, it can be tough to prosper and have great enuf Sales to justify whatever your overhead might be.  I'm saddened that my Fav Vendors have left quite recently, I bought a lot from them and their Spaces and Inventory were Awesome, very good at what they do.  I don't know if they even went somewhere else?

  



I realized The Daughter isn't even Home, one of her Friends must have come and gotten her so she hasn't been here all day, ergo I couldn't take her to that Dentist.  I've got so much going on in the next few Days that I'd hoped to before then.  Anyway... whaddya gonna do, they're Grown and have their own itinerary of what they have going on, even when they're not feeling 100%.   She's down on $$$ so if someone has a Job, she's gonna take it.  And, it takes her Mind off the Boyfriend's Murder, which, is Helpful right now too.  Also being around Good Friends is too.  Too soon really to even expect her not to be extremely distraught.  It's not like she didn't have Friends in Mexico that were Murdered, or were "Disappeared", she did, it's more commonplace there too, but I doubt you ever get used to it.




I liked these Eyeball Wreaths and the little Porcelain Spider Pumpkins... the Wreaths were only $10 and the Spider Pumpkins only $3.  But, I decided I didn't need either one.   I've already got so many Wreaths and tend to wait until After Season to get any left on Sale.  For some reason the Wreaths often don't Sell Out and usually there may be some left after they go On Sale.   I think the Spider Pumpkins will surely Sell Out.  I just didn't need a little flat bottom breakable Porcelain Pumpkin, tho' I Loved the Spider Design on them... and for Three Bucks, great Price.  I Photographed much less at SPIRIT STORE, but there may be bigger Locations somewhere else so I'm holding out Hope they may have more and also a Display put up that this smaller Location didn't have?  There's one Opening so close by we could Walk to it, but it's not Open yet, and looks like a bigger Location.  And another Opening soon, but not yet, that is also not very far away, so I'll check out both when they Open.




I'm getting the sense that the selection of Merchandise is gonna be leaner this Halloween tho'.  And I don't know yet how good "Sweet Salvage" Halloween Themed Event will be since they've not had any Sneak Peeks, which is Odd since it Opens next Thursday.  Usually by now they've Posted some Previews to entice people since the Halloween Event is THE most Popular Theme of all, Hands down, even tho' the Christmas one done in November is very Popular too.   It was Bittersweet when I checked some of my Vendor and Designer Friend's Social Media Sites that are at "Sweet Salvage", coz nobody had Posted anything for this Upcoming Event, so Strange, but, had Posted some Blast From the Past of other "Wicked Faire" Events of previous Years.  And one of our Friend, Teri, Passed away in 2025 from a long Battle with Cancer.  She's Front and Center in the Pix Below, sitting, since her Mobility got compromised near the End.  The other Dear long time Friends from Left to Right, more at the Back, are Carol, Cyndie and Monica.




Loved the T-Shirt Below, but it was being Sold Online and I didn't wanna risk it from an Unknown Random Seller that isn't a Site I usually Shop, like E-Bay, which, I have had very few Negative Experiences with.  I did get that copy of a Heavy Metal Band T-Shirt, The Son's $50 one he got at the Concert is much nicer, but for the low Price I Paid for mine, the quality of my Shirt was very good and the Graphics were only slightly different, cropped a bit, and positioned Wrong from the Original.  But, it was as shown on the Auction, so I knew that before Buying it and had compared it against The Son's Shirt.  He couldn't afford to get me one at the Concert and I wouldn't have wanted him to since that was expensive.  The Knock-Off is good enuf and well worth what I Paid for it.  And they had the really big Size I wanted, so I left good Feedback.  I did however mention it was almost like the Original.  *Winks*  Just so that other Buyers will know this isn't the Real Deal, in case they have no way of knowing or telling by having no comparison of the Concert One.




Anyway, I like the Shirt and when we compared, he's glad he got the Original, coz it is better, tho' double the price I paid for one close enuf you have to compare them to see the differences in the Graphics.  I knew I was getting a knock-off so I'm pleased it's of a good quality and similar enuf, you know?  *LOL*  Reproductions have their place in the Market, I ain't gonna Lie, it makes for affordable options of something similar.  Tonight I might actually wear it to Work.  I should price some more Pokemon Cards to take in to Work and try to find that Stamped Ditto Character's Card that I thought I might have too and some Kid on Monday paid $150 for from the Pokemon Vendor!  *LOL*  So far I'm Selling some $30 Cards tho', so I can't complain.  And of coarse the Cheaper Cards, which is most of them, I Sell for $1-$3 mostly, with some in the $10 range.  The prices of those Pokemon Merch are all over the place, so you do have to look each and every one up.  *Ugh*





The Son and I had to Spirit Away anything that reminded The Daughter of Mando.  So much of his Presence was still around here and became Trigger Objects after his untimely Homicide Death and she was wrecked and Emotionally Raw.  She will be Haunted Forever having to see him in that Condition to ID him for Police!  Too Soon to expect Stages of Grief yet, she's still in the initial Stage. She's seen graphic things, too many perhaps for a Lifetime, so I do Hope that Helps some?  It does for me, you Compartmentalize it as a Coping Mechanism, when you've Witnessed lots of horrible things you've Seen and will never be able to Unsee.  She has the Good Memories, the Photographs, but each little thing he'd Squirrelled away here for Fabrication Handyman Jobs, she had more of an Attached Memory to when they'd gone together to the Salvage Yards to procure it. 





 Jason hauled some of it off and Recycled it at the very same Salvage Yards Mando had Bought it and gave her the Money, so, that was Helpful to Let Go of it that way.  Some went to Bulk Garbage Pickup Curbside which got picked up on Monday.  I didn't have the bandwidth to haul some of it in my Truck coz Scrap Metal is about 5 Cents a Pound and some of it was heavy enuf that it was brute strength to lug it to the Curb for Pickup.  Some of those small Objects can be like a Boat Anchor in weight!  *LOL*  Nobody here is a Fabricator and I had Rob come over and take what he could use too.  The Family was able to Raise enuf so far to cover Expenses via the Go Fund Me Posted on FB and we all Shared on our Social Media too to expand the Donor Field.  I'm so glad the Community outpouring of Support was so generous for his Family.  Most are still in Shock, as are we all, Homicide Deaths are different to try to Process, I can't explain it unless you've experienced it too, I Hope you never have to tho'.  There is Anger and Resentment coupled with Grief when someone takes a Life, towards who Killed them.  And you want Justice, which, sometimes is received and sometimes isn't.






Granted, the Stupid Young Person who was recklessly Driving and Killed someone horribly, has a Life Forever Changed too by that One Foolish Incident, as will his Family now too.  It's sounding like it was a Teenager responsible who still lived with his Mother, who had the agonizing duty to turn him in to Police, so my Heart aches for her too.  Whether he was Clean and Sober or not, the Victim is just as Dead, and driving 60 mph in a 25 mph area that is a Residential Rural Neighborhood, was beyond reckless and irresponsible, especially on a Weekend Holiday Evening when people are out later doing things after it Cools down some.  Labor Day is one that has loads of people out and about, our super high temps means most folks stay in all day and then go out after Sundown to do things when it has Cooled Off enuf to.  It's why The Daughter and Mando were helping Jeff so late into the Evening, it had been a 117 Day and too hot to do the Outside Work for him that he needed done. 






 And Jeff had people over for the Holiday, so they were also gathering to Socialize too.  Mando didn't drink alcohol, so The Daughter suspects he was going to the Convenience Store for Gum... fucking Gum... and she found it at the Crime Scene, a brand new Packet among his mangled Bicycle Parts the Cops left there.  And she thinks he'd Won a little bit on a Lottery Scratch Ticket they'd picked up earlier from that same Convenience Store on their way to Jeff's House.   If he hadn't gone for Gum, Mom, he would still be Alive... you go thru the whole Wrong Place, Wrong Time, Scenarios of What Ifs with something like that.  I did when my Friend Trudy got Murdered horribly Years ago delivering Food Boxes from our Church Ministry.  To a Couple that ended up torturing, raping and violently Murdering her in front of their Children, Drug Addicts, Tweaking! 







 I was out of Town in Vegas with my Welsh Uncle, and usually went with her for Food Ministry Deliveries.  She and I often paired together to make the Runs, coz our Pastor knew I was Street Smart and familiar with Da Hood, and Dear Trudy wasn't.  She'd led a very Sheltered Life and often said so, but she had a Heart for the Marginalized and Vulnerable, the Down and Out of Society.  She was too Trusting, Naive and often too Compassionate in ways that I always told her could make her an Easy Mark to the Predatory Types.  She wanted to Believe the Good was in everyone, especially if you're Helping them, it is NOT.  Predatory Types will always view Kindness for Weakness, so your Head better be on The Swivel even when doing the Lord's Work in Rough areas and with People who are in Desperate Circumstances and Need. 





 Desperate folks do desperate things, violent folks do violent things.  The World can be a Scary place.   She broke all our Rules, Bless her, not to enter anyone's Home, or even Engage much, never go Alone, just Deliver Nutritional Assistance at the Door in Pairs and leave.  With a Resource List in the Boxes of other Assistance they might find Helpful during a Time of Need.  When I returned from Vegas with my Uncle, The Man took me aside and told me my Friend Trudy was Missing, and had disappeared doing the Food Ministry Run, Alone.  Ruh Roh, I knew that was not Good and very risky.  I called my Church and discussed with my Pastor the last Drop she was to do and to have Police investigate THAT Family again, even if they had before.  I had a very Bad Feeling.  Becoz it was a Young Family with several Children, I think initially the Police didn't Suspect Foul Play involving them, they should have, they were high on my Radar as her last contacts and last to see her Alive.  There were no more Drops after them.







Upon revisiting and looking into the Family's History Days tho', and Trudy nowhere to be found and her Vehicle abandoned just a couple Blocks away, Red Flags went up for Law Enforcement.  Both had lengthy Criminal Drug Histories, and Meth was involved.  The DA's Office Tracks Meth related Crimes coz they are among the most violent of all Drug Related Crimes, Tweakers do some heinous shit when under the influence.  We didn't Track Users of Heroin, Cocaine, Pill Poppers, or other arrays of Illegal Drugs, but Meth we did.  So I knew this could be a potential for a Violent Act, Two Tweakers, luring Help to their Home.  The Police got a Warrant and sho' nuff, found the discarded Food and Food boxes strewn around the back Yard of the Home, and Trudy's horribly mutilated and violated Body just dumped behind a Shed with Trash piled on it!  He's doing a Life Sentence and the Wife got 10 Years as his Accomplice.  She feared him and so did the Kids, so they were afraid to Help Trudy escape, lest he do something extreme to them too. 






Our Church actually aided the Maternal Grandmother of those Four Children since she had to take Custody of the Kids and Raise them when her Adopted Daughter got locked up for a Dime, the Kids would mostly be Grown before the Decade she'd Serve.  Her Parents had Adopted her from the Streets of India, as a somewhat Older Street Child, coz they did Ministry Work abroad.  A Good Godly Family who tried to give her a Life she wouldn't have otherwise ever had, and sometimes that turns Lives around and sometimes it just doesn't.   So I must say she had a Tragic beginning and Back Story that probably damaged her and led her to end up with a cruel ruthless Husband who she'd just be obedient to.  I can't Imagine what she might have Witnessed as a Street Child or gone thru in India, I do Imagine it wouldn't have been good tho'.  The Kids Witnessing what their Dad did to Trudy had to damage and traumatize them severely too.  You never know what goes on behind Closed Doors in Family Violence Cases either... some Families are a House of Horrors.  Evil exists and some folks are Evil and Dangerous as Fuck!







Anyway, for Years I would torment myself with the What Ifs of Trudy's Senseless Death.  What If I hadn't gone to Vegas that Weekend and had accompanied her to that Drop, following our Rules of Safety?  What If she'd talked to me over the Phone about making a Drop without a Partner, I'd of tried to talk her out of not following Protocol, no matter how desperate this Family was.   The fact they had Four Small Kids probably swayed her.  They lured her in, from Testimony, to ask her to "Pray with and for their Family" and she fell for it.  Their Motive was Robbery, they wanted Drug Money, not Food, tho' the Food was Needed, they were out of Drugs and Money.  Well, we were never allowed to Carry anything of Value on a Drop/Run for added Safety reasons.  You weren't even supposed to wear anything looking Valuable.  When she had nothing of Value except for a Ring, which was found on him later, is when the brutal Assault happened, for Days... until she succumbed to all that was done to her.  It was beyond horrific.  The Man made me quit Ministry Work after that, and I did to give him Peace.






He didn't even like when I did my last Census Work in 2000 coz I got sent, with my Census Partner, to the Rougher areas and to Count the Homeless too.  Mostly coz somebody hadda do it and Takers were few and I'd Lived in some of the Areas and worked among some of the Homeless, so they Trusted me and would cooperate for Census purposes.  But, you'd get some Anti-Government Types or those who perhaps are in Hiding and don't wanna be Counted.  So, doing the U.S. Census you will have some Experiences.  I had Two Guns pulled on me, one just outside the Gila River Indian Rez by a Guy of the Navajo Tribe who didn't like or Trust the U.S. Government.  He only lowered his Gun when I told him my Dad was Indigenous and my own Paternal Family didn't like or Trust the U.S. Govt. either, and if he didn't wanna be Counted, I was Okay with that, Ya' a't e'e'h, pronounced Yatahey, roughly translated, It's All Good.  *Smiles*





 I actually did Count him and his Family covertly, coz they all milled around him at the Door, I took a Mental Head Count of how many People, Adult, Child, Gender, apparent Race, Location, you didn't have to get Names if they didn't provide them, just footnote why.  Gun Pulled, Adult Male didn't wanna be Counted.  Head Count completed, no additional Visit necessary.  Coz if you couldn't count them, the Government insists on a fucking Count, and no used having that Guy ginned up and feeling more Paranoid about the U.S. Government harassing a Native living Off Rez and wanting his information, he was Hostile enuf for me to know that would probably not end well and not NEED to be escalated just to satisfy Government Beaureacrazy.  *Smiles*   The most nervous I ever got doing Census was oddly close to Home at an Irish Gypsy Carnival Encampment, they don't like Outsiders at all, had their Equipment Stored in the Historic Adobe Home and were living in their Vardos and Campers.  They resented being Counted too but I got the Job done, in a similar way as the militant Navajo Family.  *LOL*




I just made up a Story, completely Fabricated, that my Irish Nanna {that part was True, she was Irish}, had Worked the Carnival Circuits in Europe {fabricated, she was an Entertainer tho', LOL}, and I asked them what American Circuits they Worked and had they ever done Europe? {They hadn't, they were American Irish Gypsies}  So, that bonded me enuf to them to allow me access enuf to get 'em Counted and not make my Census Partner too nervous about Counting the Gypsies.  *LOL* Delfina was a JW and Hispanic, she did most of my fluent Translating with Spanish Speakers and convincing them we weren't La Migra, since my Spanish sucks.   She wasn't fearful of rough Hispanic Barrios we had to Count together, and boy did we have some Experiences and Stories, including a Triple Homicide at one Residence we'd just Counted and I got a Premonition something fucking really bad was gonna happen and told her, let's get outta here... this can sometimes still be like the Wild, Wild, West... *LOL*





But Counting Gypsies and the Indigenous Off Rez made her real nervous.  *LOL*  I think On Rez they Count their own, I dunno.  I wouldn't Volunteer for that gig if they did offer it to me, the Rez's can be dangerous unless you're a Real Deal Indian Welcome there and one OF THAT TRIBE.   She Trusted my Instincts to keep us Alive in hairy Situations tho' and that my Premonition Saved us that one time with the Triple Homicide in Cashion.   Cashion at the time was so rough the Postal Service didn't even Deliver Mail and you couldn't get Deliveries like Pizza or Amazon!   That's when you know that Hood is DANGEROUS.  Cashion has some Interesting Characters and a Human Sideshow of Residents tho', I must say, lotsa Stories to tell.  *Winks and Laughs*   There was an Elderly Prostitute that answered her Door in Leather Dominatrix Ensemble, Whip and all, good Body for an Old Woman too.  She had her Tricks tied up on their Knees in the Livingroom and she had a Bottle of Jack Daniel she was Drinking at 9:00 in the Morning.  She got Counted and they didn't, coz... well, Clients, they didn't Live there.  *Bwahahahaha*




Anyway, Allen left last Night, he pulled Two Bags full of Trash out of The Young Prince's Living Space, so Hopefully it looks better than when he came?  I'll have to QC it constantly, along with his Mom's Space too, so they don't let it get Unsafe or Unsanitary with their Illness not always keeping them tethered to Reality and Environment.   His Visit went very well tho' and we did talk about the challenges of The Young Prince's Full Time Caregiving Needs.  It had been problematic and clearly Allen could not Cope with it, which, wasn't at all Surprising, he's in his 20's and also has to Work and navigate his own Disabilities which the VA had decided is at 75% Disability Status, which isn't insignificant.   When that all finalizes, and regardless of The Young Prince's Disability Status Outcome of Qualifying or being Denied SSI and Service, I think Allen fully intends to try to Co-Caregive with me, which is Splendid, I accept that Arrangement, it benefits us all.




The Daughter is doing work for Jason and his other Elderly Friend Darren, so she can get Money to make a Donation to Mando's Go Fund Me Memorial in her own Name.  We did it for our Family, but I understood she wanted to contribute her own Earnings to it also, since he had been her Partner for quite some Time before he Died.  Plus, she Needs some Money now too of her own.   And she said it will give those Antibiotics time to control the Infection of her Tooth so she can get it Pulled by a Dentist, she knows they can't do anything until it subsides and is Safe to do an Extraction.  She can Work thru the Pain, she, like me, has a very high threshold for Pain, we can almost turn it off in our Brain if we're concentrating on something else to distract from it.  She likes to keep busy so her Mind doesn't go to Dark Places too, so it will be Helpful to be helping these Old Guys she Cares about and wants to feel productive and Helpful.


 



I liked getting some new Pixs of the Youngest Grandkids, I don't have too many and this one turning 14, Wow, the Time just flies by.  Seems like only Yesterday he was a Child and now he's a Man-Child already!  And I can see that, like The G-Kid Force, he has a Style boldly all his own and is very comfortable in his own Skin, which is great.  If you're gonna be Different then you should be Proudly so and be your Authentic Self regardless of Societal Norms, Opinions about it and biases.  Having extended Family that Celebrate you and Accept/Embrace you is Helpful tho', Sadly some Families are not and their Children that are Different suffer for it and are made to feel Shame about something that is Natural and shouldn't be anything to feel Embarrassment about or Apology for to anyone.  




 I get Angry that alleged 'Civilized' Society is so rigid about Conformity and so Exclusive and Cruel sometimes against whatever does not Conform, is Different, and they feel some kind of way about Negatively or have their own Hang Ups about.  Be it your Race, Ethnicity, Disability, Condition, Gender, Gender and/or Sexual Identity, Place or Country of Origin, Age, Socioeconomic Status... there's a ridiculous Laundry List of criteria Society has Issues and Problems with as a Collective or even Individually.  You can please some of the people some of the time, all of the people some of the time, some of the people all of the time, but you can never please all of the people all of the time, it's impossible.  So I never even try to, I just go on being me and allowing everyone I know to just go on being them, in Harmony, with Love, and in Peace, which is preferable and better and Healthier for everyone concerned.




I'm still sitting here in my Jammies, feeling Sweaty after doing some Chores that involved Outside, ugh, gonna be another above Toasty Day, but it's overcast and looks like a Big Storm Front moving in from the West this Day, off the Coast I suspect.  I did have to go back and add some Details of Mando's Death to some Real Time Published Posts, one of the problems of Writing and not Publishing until a couple Weeks out is that News is Stale by the time my Posts Publish.  But, mostly my content isn't critical News so I don't mind.  And it can become confusing in Real Time to be Reading something that happened a Fortnite or so ago, Sorry.  With Mando, things were complicated, so there was good and bad going on constantly in their often volatile Relationship.  With The Daughter, all Relationships are complicated and volatile, she's a Paranoid Schizophrenic with Dissociative Identity Disorder, you're Dealing with at least Four People/Personalities in One Body that is Seriously Mentally Unwell.




 But both The Daughter and he were Complex People with Serious Health Issues that altered Behaviors and Rational Thinking.  Her with the Serious Mental Illness, him with the Advanced Cancer spread and I think he may have always been Bipolar, judging by my Observations and having that Condition myself and with various Loved Ones afflicted with it too.  Relationships also not being Perfect even under Ideal Conditions.  And theirs was far less than Ideal.  Both had Good Hearts for wanting to Help the less Fortunate and they always did for the most Marginalized and Vulnerable in Society that often the Needs of go unmet and unnoticed.  So their Elderly Friends Adore the both of them and got a lot of Help from them both.  Even when they weren't getting along they'd have a Truce if a Friend needed both of their Help and they'd put their differences aside to meet the point of Need for that Individual.  That's what was going on the Night he Died so tragically, Helping an Elderly Friend together. 




 We all have our Issues and Burdens to Bear, so I try never to stand in Judgment of someone else's faults, weaknesses and flaws, Lord knows I got plenty of my own to wrestle with.  And I'm sure we all do.  And we never know when, where or how our End will come, we don't have much Control over Destiny... or how it will just play out as it will.  Death will ultimately come for us all in some way.   I personally would prefer mine come in my Sleep, which is why I refuse to deal with my Sleep Apnea, it's my Hope that's how I go, Sleeping and just not Waking Up.  My Doctor Hates when I say that, but I mean it.  I don't Fear Death, but I don't think most folks want to Die horribly, we know we gotta Go eventually, but how is important more to me than the when or where details of it actually.  I'm very pragmatic about Death, the Morbidities of Life have never particularly been something I avoid confronting directly and often with Dark Humor when appropriate... or sometimes even inappropriately if it's not too Tasteless, Insensitive, or Too Soon.  I probably know more Deceased People now than Living ones.

 


*******

Dawn... The Bohemian

A life touched by God always ends in touching others. - Erwin McManus

I will love the light for it shows me the way, yet I will endure the darkness for it shows me the stars. - Og Mandino (1923-1996)

For creativity to flourish one should try to look at everything as though it were being seen for the first or the last time. - Quote from "A Thousand Paths To Creativity" by David Baird

Is what I'm about to say an improvement on silence? ~ Galen Pearl