Natural Selection At Work Constantly

 

I'm Two Unpublished Posts ahead again, whoop whoop!  I took a lot of Pixs while at our other Antique Mall too but haven't downloaded them.  Also took The Man to "Cracker Barrel" for Dinner last Night and we had their Pot Roast, which is Two Meals for each of us really, their portion was quite generous.   His looked more Editorial than mine, and quite different I think, you be the Judge:

His

Mine

I thought my Gravy even looked different Color, even tho' we both ordered the exact same thing... my Gravy looks Darker Brown and so did my Pot Roast Chunks I think.  Don't you Agree?  Mebbe Two different batches?  I mean it was good, it just didn't even look like the exact same Meal had been ordered when it came to the Table.  "Cracker Barrel" was deserted on a Tuesday Night and at that location they have the Tables too close together.  And tho' it was damned near empty, they sat us behind another Table where I could barely wedge into my Chair without bumping the Lady sitting directly behind me!!!  It was too cozy to sit that near a Stranger.  

And there was only one other Couple in the Restaurant at the Table right beside us too.  The Two Close Couple were a Young Interracial Couple and not bothersome at all, talking low, except for the close proximity, not their fault, it wasn't a problem.  However, that other Couple, who were an Older White Couple, were fucking annoying.  They complained about everything from the moment they sat down, being total Karens and asking to speak to the Manager before they even ordered their Food!!!  WTF... whatya gonna complain about then?  When they finally did order they acted like they'd never used a Menu in their Life!  What is Wrong with People!!?

They got annoyed coz the Woman wanted the "Chicken & Dumpling SOUP" and it's not a Soup, it's an Entree!  So the Sweet Waitress, waiting on all whole Three Couples in the whole Restaurant, was explaining the SOUP Options and that the Chicken & Dumplings weren't a Soup, they were an Entree selection.  She wanted to be sure the Woman understood what she was ordering, but they only got annoyed at her, demanding the Chicken & Dumpling Soup, which wasn't a fucking Option!   Since they'd already asked for and talked to the Manager, the Waitress was trying to be long suffering and Polite.  Pretty sure she knew if the Woman got an Entree and it wasn't a Soup, she'd blame her even tho' that's what she Ordered.

The Husband then got ridiculous about his Order too, having her explain everything, in detail, of what is was... like he didn't know what Fried Chicken, Meatloaf, or fucking Pork Chops are!!!   They weren't Foreigners, they were Old White Bread Americans, with no noticeable Accent, they knew what that shit is, they were just being total Assholes on Purpose.   Finally they Ordered something and kept being incessantly Negative thru their whole damned Meal, and they'd gotten there after us, so, it wasn't like they would be leaving before us!!!   It was worse than sitting next to Misbehaving Children in a Restaurant, I swear!!!  *Le Sigh*  The Man kept glancing up at me coz he knew I was getting my last Raw Nerve Worked.  *Ha ha ha*

Proud of Self and Patting Self on the Back coz I just Ate, without saying a Word about any of it.  *LOL*  We aren't big Talkers when we're Eating anyway, so we usually get finished before Tables of people who chit-chat thru an entire Meal.  I don't like having a Meal with someone who can't shut up and wonder how they ever Eat?   I mean, you can't Talk and Eat at the same time and they hardly take a breath to quit Talking, let alone shovel any Food into their Mouths.  And mostly it is a Monologue and not a Dialogue, so at least you don't have to respond and can Eat your Food while it's still Hot.  *LOL*   Tho' I have seen entire Tables of Talkers and that is Interesting... and usually too Loud as well, oblivious of how rowdy they become usually to other Patrons around them.

In some Restaurants the din gets so Loud of everyone Talking rather Loud and all at once, that it's just not pleasant and becomes Sensory Overload, and The Man definitely can't handle it with his TBI.   Or if everyone around you is so Loud that you can't hear anyone at your Table Talking in a normal Inside Voice, that is respectful of not having other Patrons have to hear your whole private conversation.   And don't get me started on folks who turn on their Cellphone to Music while they Eat, like we all wanna listen to their Music Playlist!!!  Or have their Phone Call on Speaker Phone Loudly!!!  What ARE they even fucking Thinking?!  Being considerate, kind and respectful is definitely falling out of Favor!!!  Mebbe half isn't Unlovely, but a great many are and they're out there!

I'm looking for more Vintage Valentine's Candy Boxes, they're scarcer than Hen's Teeth tho'.  They didn't have a single one at our Antique Mall or our Sister Store in Downtown Phoenix.   The Two Pictured Above I found at "Merchant Square" Antique Mall in Chandler and were the only Two in that whole Mall as well, so I Bought both.  I only Wish I hadn't Sold my Small Collection of them in 2015 to help fund a Move and some Medical Bills that The Man had racked up and Insurances didn't cover, but, I did.  I have Sold Off some Primo Objects to cover whatever hadda be Covered at the time and you just accept it is a Means to an End sometimes and part of the Investment Objective of having it.  You can't Keep it all.  Lord knows I've tried.  *Winks*

They were mighty Proud of this Collectible Mandala Brand Bottle, which I Loved, but back when it came out you could purchase it for that, filled with the Tequila.  *LOL*  They are highly Collectible tho' and since they make a different one each Year, often Cost more than they did full of the Liquor.  So, I won't say they were out of Line on what the going Value is for Resale, but, I'm not a Player at $125 for an Empty Liquor Bottle, that's for sure.  *Ha ha ha ha*  I did Pony Up this Halloween for a Full One of a Collectible Grim Reaper Doubled Sided Collectible Bottle of Tequila tho', for the Bottle, the Adult Kids drank the Booze.  I had to assume, for the Price, it was some good Tequila, but I can't say for sure?  *Bwahahahaha*  I thought I'd Save it for New Year and they had it drank long before then.

Loved this Jose Cuervo 2011 Wooden Box, but didn't wanna pay what the Vendor was asking in spite of the Fabulous Sailor Jerry Style Tattoo Art on every Side.   Well, I did want it so I Trawled Online and found a Charity site by Vinnie's {St. Vincent de Paul} called Despina that they Sell some Products Online, and got it for just Three Bucks and reasonable Postage, and the proceeds go to a Charitable Cause I've Supported for a long time thru their Brick & Mortar Chazzas around the City.   Back in Da Day, they even used to have an Antiques section in their big Shop in Downtown Glendale, which used to be renown for it's Antiques Shops back then too.  Until a Chinese National bought up all the Historic Commercial Buildings and doubled Rents or didn't renew Leases to make everything Vacant so it blighted the area and he could Buy up everything else more Cheaply.  It's tragic now.  Anyway, got my Box.

Aren't these Mid-Century Mod Hanging Lamps reminiscently Killer?   I had some like these back in Da Day, so had a Flashback of an Old Apartment.  Didn't everyone have the equivalent in 60's-70's?  *LOL*  The Young Prince is settling in and Cheering Up considerably now.  He had the best time ever at Karaoke with his Dad and Stepmom, he said best ever since his 21st Birthday actually.  He's reconnecting with the Community he knows well and has Friends in.  Which had been absent in New Mexico, even tho' he'd lived there a couple Years, there had been no meaningful connections or Friendships formed.

  That's huge when you feel Isolation and the Home Life isn't even good either.  Even tho' our Home Life was good at the Villa McManse, the Community it was in wasn't Welcoming or Friendly.  You made NO meaningful connections and there was NO sense of Community whatsoever, so it was Isolating and I HATED it.  But he said even there he and his Sister made some Friends, good and lasting Friendships too, in New Mexico he wasn't able to at all.  Not for Want of Trying.  And tho' he's a Schizophrenic and so is his Mom, both of them don't like being Alone coz their Psychosis is worse and they have nobody to bounce off asking if something is Real or perhaps they're being Psychotic and having Hallucinations? 

 They both are Aware enuf that they have Hallucinations, but can't always differentiate what's a Reality and what is the Mental Illness Manifesting what they See, Hear or Imagine the Word around them is doing?  They will often ask one of us, "Do you see that too?", and if we don't, then they may Calm Down enuf to conclude that it's a Psychotic Episode and they don't have to be so Alarmed and Paranoid about whatever it is they saw or heard and we didn't.  It can Spook me tho', coz I'm Mentally Ill as well and I am also Superstitious and Believe in many things of a Paranormal Nature.  So, when they see it, even if I don't, I Question myself, IS it there and I just can't see it?  Is it something Paranormal?   *LOL*

Here he has Community, he has Family, he has Friends, and that is indeed Priceless and why we moved back to this particular part of the City and Area.  We know a lot of folks here and even met some New Friends we now Cherish and bonded with too.  You didn't get that at all out there in Rural Affluent Subdivision Hell, and not for Want of Trying either.   He and his Sister get along great and so they're reconnecting too and catching up with each other.  Now they're both Grown Adults they're even closer than they were as Children, and they were always close as Kiddos too.   They have the kind of Relationship as Siblings that me and my Brother always had, we were the Best of Friends and enjoyed each other's Company so much that people often thought we were a Couple and not Siblings coz we were always doing stuff Together as Adults.  *LOL*  The Man even thought at first we were a Couple.

 

 

My Mom and her Older Brother were very Close all their Lives as well and my Uncle was only 11 Months Older.   My Uncle became my Dad's Best Friend, his 1st American Friend actually, and introduced him to my Mom when he brought my Dad and another Friend of my Dad's from the Base, Home for Dinner one Day.   Ernie Triggs was my Dad's other Friend and was a Black American, my Mom's Family had never before seen or met a Black Person or a Native American so Ernie and my Dad had a lot of Fun making stuff up that Mom's Family initially Believed. 

 They told them they were the "American Night Fighters" coz they were harder to see at Night coz of their Dark Complexions!!!   So the American Military used the Units of People of Color for Fighting at Night!!!  *Bwahahahahahaa*  Well, in those Days my Dad was in a Black Unit of the Military, it's not like they had Native American whole Units and things weren't very integrated back then either and were segregated with Americans.  So it sounded Believable to Mom's Family.  *LOL*

Below is Princess T with her Friend from the Old Neighborhood of the Villa McManse, Crazy Pamela, who once threw a Bible at Princess T when they had an Argument during a Sleepover at Pamela's.  The Young Prince, when his Sister came Home early and told us what happened, just deadpanned, "Well, it was the Right Book..."  *Bwahahahaha*  His Little Sister would be Pre-Demonic at times and Crazy Pamela got her Nickname from me coz that Child was seriously Bipolar and on a lot of Meds for it back then so she often didn't get invited to anyone's Home to Play but ours.  A little bit of Pamela, as a Young Child, went a very long way, let us just say.  Her Family were Wonderful tho' and often took our Granddaughter on Vacations with them as Company for Pamela.  

Pamela turned out really well as she Matured and mellowed quite a bit with her Mental Illness.  She's Bright, Pretty, Personable and Fun... tho' the Girls have drifted apart in recent times, they do keep in Touch some.  Pamela Dates her Childhood Sweetheart still, same Boy she always Liked since Jr. High School!   Part of why the Girls drifted apart is Pamela always wanted desperately to fit in with the Affluent Mean Girls and Princess T wouldn't give those Bitches the Time of Day and didn't think Pamela should either, coz they didn't treat Pamela Right.  So, since Pamela hung out with that Crowd, as they got Older, Princess T would only get together if it was just the Two of them.  

We'd run into the Group at Malls sometimes when Princess T was Shopping with me.  Tho' Pamela was always Delighted to see us, her "Friends" always threw unspoken Shade towards Princess T, jealous I'm sure, I can spot Envy when I see it.   Not a single one of them could Buy Style, even tho' they had all the Money in the World to Buy Fashion.  You must Possess Style, you can't Buy it.   They were what Princess T refers to as very "Copy & Paste".   *Winks and LMAOROTF*   And even tho' Pamela is a Big Made Gal, she's Fearless about her Fashion Sense and always looks Adorable, so she and Princess T had their own Unique Vibe and Style all thru Jr. High and High School, they were not Copies, Pastes, or Imitations of anyone.   

And The Mean Girls were so obviously Envious of that level of Confidence to be Fearlessly Authentic to Self.  And Princess T never wanted to "Fit In" coz she mostly doesn't Like Peopling.  *Ha haha*  And really didn't Like THOSE pretentious little spoiled rotten affluent ratchet Bitches.  I Delighted in making them feel uncomfortable and insecure, which I can even do with a Smile, coz I'm Wicked like that if you Play me or mine Wrong.  *Winks*   I know, Mean for a Gramma to do that... but, I didn't Like them either... or their pretentious Bougee Parents.

  Most of them thought I was a Voodoo Practitioner and were legit afraid of me when we lived there at the Villa.   So they didn't Dare to say anything Mean to my Grandchildren in front of me.  Behind our Backs they did.   But, I could tell by their Unspoken Shade being thrown, that they would have liked to had I not been Present... and risk that mebbe I'd put a Hex or Curse on their Asses so they Wisely kept their Wisecracks or Passive Aggressive Sniping to themselves and between themselves.  *Bwahahahaha*  

 Their Parents being the Fundie types of Religions that thought we, his Grandparents, should be Praying The Young Prince's Gay Away... coz, you know, it Works like that.  *Eye Roll and Seriously, they Believe that kind of shit and said it to him when he was only 14!*   I did tell the Parent that told him that I'd Light her Ass on Fire and Hex her to a Hell on this Earth she'd have to Endure and never Escape from the Torment of while she was still among the Living, if she EVER said anything that inappropriate to my Grandchild again.  She never did after that.   Guess she wasn't absolutely sure her Brand of Bad and Homophobic Whack Religion would Save her from that, so she wasn't risking it?   *Winks and Smiles*

Princess T would always tell Pamela, to built up her Confidence, you got Back Girl, and some JayLo Ass going on, that's a healthy Badonka Donk you got back there.  *LOL*   She was worried that Pamela would develop an Eating Disorder coz a lot of those Rich Girls had one to try to stay Skinny and become someone's Trophy Starter Wife one day, like their Moms.  Princess T laments that she's got the Hips and Ass of a 14 Year Old Boy, just like her Mama.  *Ha ha ha*   For the longest time she couldn't even find Adult Clothing that fit her, which, when you're a Fashionista, is hard to look Fierce in Children's Clothing, so she'd buy Adult Clothing and Alter it to her more diminutive Size so it would fit.

  It was a lot of extra Work, and still is, coz I think she's still a Size 0.   I can relate coz at that Age, at around 20, I was a Size 1 and everything they ever got in that Size, would be only 1-2 Pieces per Store and always in Black!!!  Why they make the Tiny Sprite Gal Clothing in Black I couldn't tell ya?  Luckily our Happy Color in this Family happens to be Black, so we didn't mind.  *LOL*    And The Young Prince told me why Princess T's Gay Boy Posse likes spending their Money on her Freely to keep a Pretty Girl in the Gay Boy Group, it attracts Men.  *Bwahahaha*  OMG I was Laughing to hard coz I didn't even think of that aspect of it, it's like why so many Straight Guys took Home Economics and Straight Girls took Shop Classes, Right?  *LMAO* 

The Kiddos made Street Tacos for Supper Tonight and they turned out excellent.  They made Chicken ones and Beef ones, with Seasoned Blend of Tri-Beans as a Side.   I'd gotten the Cutest Colorful Plastic Taco Holders in a Bagged Lot at Princess T's Chazza, matches Fiesta Ware perfectly for a very Festive presentation when you're having Tacos.  Each one can hold Four or less and there's about a Half Dozen or more Colors.   Here's about Six just like it that TEMU Online Sells in Sets of Three for a lot more than I Paid for my Dozen in every Color they must have made.  I've seen them with Designs too like Paisley Prints and Zarape Prints. Mine was a Secondhand Find but they looked like they might have never been used. 

I have Two Boxes filled with Inventory to take in to the Antique Mall for my Locked Case and Showroom, so I'm getting ready to do that right now and get it out of the way.    NEXT DAY:  The Antique Mall was so Dead on Wednesday Night I didn't take long to get everything into my Case and Showroom, then just visit with Vendor Friends who were working their Night Shift and lamenting how Dead and Slow it was.  They're all struggling and with Rents going up 6% for 2026 I suspect some may give Notice if they're simply not making Money?  That said, I know some who tend to Vote Red no matter what or who and when they lament about their Economic Woes intensifying I do like to passive aggressively remind them this Administration is making poor Financial and Economic decisions for the rest of us while enriching only themselves.  Can't Help myself, gotta do it.  *Winks*

 

They all know I'm a Retired Bank Executive and also Retired from a large DA's Office too, so, they know my Background in Finance and the DOJ, so over the Years have often asked me what I think.  So, I will, if someone Solicits Advice or initiates that Conversation, spit Truth.  Coz, who knows, if they're only watching Faux News and buying into the Spin Doctor Propaganda they're not Hearing or being Exposed to much, if any, actual Truth and Evidence.  And people can be so uninformed it fosters Ignorance and Misconceptions, when they're being shamelessly misled.  And you don't know what you just don't know in Life.  So, if someone can illuminate some of it for them, I always hold out some Hope that it will stimulate enuf curiosity to then jump start their ability to do some Critical Thinking and discernment, so as not to be Spoon Fed Bullshit and Lies all the time and run with it as Factual.

  

One such Female Vendor I know and I've always Liked her, but know her Politics don't align with my own, stopped to discuss how awful her bottom line has been and how concerned she is about financial matters.  So, she Opened the Door for me to sneak in some unpleasant Truths she might not have even acknowledged or heard from any reliable Sources?  *Winks*  Some will run off coz they can't handle the Truth, no matter how subtly and delicately presented, since I always try not to make it sound Partisan or Political, Just the Facts Ma'am, as Detective Joe Friday would say in the Old Show "Dragnet".  *Bwahahaha*  It works well when you approach it that way since you might actually then be Heard rather than met with instant Defensive Posturing and Politics they're rabid about.   I'm an Independent Moderate, so I could give Two Shits about anyone's strongly Partisan Politics... or someone's Religion either.

Sidenote: The Vintage Marbles Vendor who had Canning Jars full of them was mighty Proud of their Cache of them coz they wants $40-$80 a Jar, yowsah!!!   Talk about looking for that End of the Rainbow Marble Collector where Money will be no Object!!!  Damn!!!!!!!!!!  *Ha ha ha*

But I do know how Cray-Cray both Politics and Religion have become and can be for the Devout of either... with extreme biases and unwavering devotion.   To my Surprise she lingered a long time and heard me out, since I was making Sense to her and since I didn't make it sound Political at all.  Just Facts laid out for her to then ponder, let percolate, and perhaps, by Midterms, Vote according to updated information she now has at her disposal to make better decisions upon.  To Know better can make you Do better, Ignorance isn't Bliss, it's just Ignorance.   And it spawns, replicates and perpetuates more Ignorance.

That's all we can do when we know someone is so deeply entrenched that they're now part of the Problem they're desperate to Change.  But will never have a Solution if they keep doing the same ineffective or detrimental things and expect different results, being complicit in what's gone Wrong.  That's Insanity and they'll doom themselves and contribute to their own suffering and demise really.   Offering them an Offramp to Exit when things have gone completely Sideways on the trajectory they're on, but they can see no Way Out on their own, and their Brakes have Failed them, is all we can sometimes do for some of them.

I think opportunities like that will come up more often as things worsen to a degree it not only Touches those who helped Create much of this, but, hits them upside their Heads hard, to where they must take notice now, or go down with the Shipwreck.   Most Humans, will instinctively go into Fight or Flight Mode when faced with actual personal Crisis that does Touch them directly.  So long as it's someone else, they'll be like those Herds on the Serengeti who are just grazing as Lions Stalk, and so long as they're not the intended Target right then of that Predator, they act like they're actually Safe.  Eventually it can and often will BE them that is the Target, they just are too Ignorant to realize they ARE the Prey.  And you'll either be Predator or Prey in much of Life unfortunately, there's not much middle ground to Hold.  Humans are at the Top of the Food Chain and some, well, Natural Selection will just Take Out to thin our Herds.  I see many who likely are NOT gonna make it thru all of this.

I'm a firm Believer that Natural Selection is at Work constantly... and since you can't Fix Stupid, the Stupid and the intentionally Uninformed, are the Prey that will be Taken Out by Natural Selection.  Their Survival Instincts and way of Being is just not conducive to having a long Run quite often, unless they have Dumb Luck.  *LOL*   To be sure we do have a gaggle of the Dumb Luckers still around who've managed to stay Alive in spite of their State of Being.   But, we also have some Apex Predatory Types too who have had a long Run becoz they exploited the Hell out of their Prey along the way and it's really been quite the Buffet for them over their Lifetime. 

  Sadly, our Political System is filled to the brim with those Predatory Types and they see The Herd as something to cultivate for their own desires and Feasting upon... or Kill just for the sake of Killing if they're that way inclined.  There are some Predators that don't Kill to just Eat or Survive, even if Full, they Kill for Sport, or Trophies, or becoz they just like Killing, too much.  We have one of them occupying the White House now.   And he will never be satiated, his Thirst for Power and Money, of eliminating Prey he wants to punish and exact Revenge upon so they'll be out of his way, knows no bounds and has no boundaries.  A Rouge Predator makes everything Alive around them Unsafe. 

*******

To survive all of this Fuckery, you better then have a Plan... Dawn... The Bohemian

Feral Acting Humans And When Home Is A 3-Ring Circus

 By the time this Publishes it will be my Younger Brother's Birthday, I think he's turning 66, he was Born in 1960, you do the Math.  *LOL*  And I'll have to Work this and next Friday Night to cover for a very bad Medical Situation with a Co-Worker.  Princess T woke up Sick on Tuesday Morning so had to call in to Work, but I was up anyway, ready to take her to Work so I did go to The Gym and get my Two Hour early Morning Workout from 6:30 am-8:30 am before any of the Silver Sneakers folks are allowed to come in.  I'm rather enjoying my Paid Membership more so feel the budgeting for it was worth it to be able to go anytime I want to and not have to change Gyms for where HUMANA Silver Sneakers is accepted.  I always feel better to start my Day after a Workout so I should get in the habit of doing it often as I can manage to every Morning.

Then I went to the Antique Mall and put my Merch in, it was quite busy for a Tuesday.  Some Group Home had a Field Trip of their Residents they were bringing in and they always spend Money while there, it's a big Group, a Bus full, with their Caregivers.  My Room was a Hot Mess like Feral Humans had been in there, I don't know why Shoppers tear things up so when Shopping?!  So it took me a long while to put it all Right again so it didn't look ransacked!  I'd finished out the Pay Period decently so will get a Check that isn't great, but isn't pitiful either, so will be Helpful.  This Month only Four Days after Valentine's Day is The Man's Birthday.  My Brother's Birthday is February 6th too.  And our Family want to send Dear Blog Friend Shirley a lil somethin'-somethin' to do something Kind for herself during her time of intense Grief of losing a Daughter.  There are No Words any Sympathy Card can convey really.

After I did the Antique Mall I went Grocery Shopping at 'Sprouts' to pick up Essentials we were out of.  With a Family this size you go thru a lot of Essentials and I had to wait 'til we got Paid first to re-stock them.  I also got The Man what I was getting him for Valentine's Day and presented it early, since his Birthday is so close to Valentine's Day I usually give him his Valentine's Gift earlier in February than Valentine's Day.  He was Jazzed to get a Valentine's Gift Bag filled with a large assortment of his favorite Snacks and Candies.  He had gone thru what he got for Christmas already and really enjoyed all of that.  Our Dollar Store was well stocked for Valentine's Day, making it affordable to get a large variety of what he likes and put it in a pretty Gift Bag.

I'll be taking The Young Prince to his Dad's again, I guess they're doing Karaoke Night at one of the Clubs they go to together all the time.  His Dad actually has a good Singing Voice, I don't think his Son inherited that attribute of a Singing Voice, but he is Musically inclined and can play any Instrument.  My Mom's whole Family, except for her, had Gorgeous Singing Voices.  Wouldn't ya know Mom got skipped on that, which is Rare, a lot of Welsh have lovely Singing Voices.  My Uncle could Sing Opera, and had a Voice as good as Famous Welsh Singer Tom Jones.  And when we'd go to Vegas he'd goof around singing Italian Opera at the "Venetian Casino" and people thought he was part of the Act!!!  *LOL* 

My Maternal Great-Grandfather was an Orchestra Conductor and could play any Instrument, as well as Sing, so I think that may have been where The Young Prince Inherited that?   My Welsh Nanna was a Stage Actress and Dancer, before Television was Invented, she could Sing, Dance and Act.  It was during a Performance that my Gran-Gran met her and fell in Love. *Winks*  My Mom was a Ballet Dancer until she had a serious Injury, she could also do Ballroom Dancing, and said if she hadn't of had the Injury, she would have made a Career of Dancing becoz she was apparently very good at it.  But, she couldn't Sing, only one in her whole Family who couldn't.  They think it's coz she was partially Deaf, and that could be?

I got the Quartet of 1998 South Park Figures from Goodwill Hunting Today on Senior Day, and Online they're selling as a Set for $150 or more.  I'll have to put them on top of my Locked Case then at the Antique Mall and Sell them as a Set Individually for around that much.  Decided Individually they'd actually fetch more yet be more affordable.  The little Pleatherette Shoes didn't hold up well over the Years, but other than that this Quartet still has the Original Tags and is in great Condition except for flaking off of the Pleather.   That shit never did hold up well on Vintage items made of it.   I remember The Son had this Set when he was Young, including the Rarer "Chef" Character Plush as well, I Sold all of his for a lot at the Antique Mall Years ago.  They didn't have Chef, he usually Sells for $30-$40 Online even tho' he's not as common as the rest of the Characters.

The Son is now re-arranging the whole Guest Room damned near so I'm having Anxiety about that and can't watch until he gets it Right and Done.  He knows it heightens my Anxiety when you Change too much of anything I finally got Decorated and looking the way I wanted it.  *Le Sigh*  The Daughter helped out to lessen my Anxiety by cleaning off the Dining Table beautifully coz that was one part I hadn't gotten to yet and she knew I wanted to.  So she Surprised me by getting it Done while I was out and it looks so nice now.    She knew I was already having Anxiety about the Changes her Son was gonna make in The Art Studio Space he'll now be Occupying, so I guess his Uncle thought, well, Perfect Time then to make Changes in the Guest Bedroom so Mom will just have ONE Meltdown?  *Breathe, Dawn, Breathe... Hysterical Laughter of nearing The Edge and Le Sigh*

I had just gotten myself back to Center with my Morning Workout Dammit, and The Young Prince had come into the Room here to give me a Heads Up about what his Uncle was doing so I wouldn't Freak Out, since, it was already in Progress.  Then The Son finally did tell me, when he was halfway thru it to ask just how much he could Change in there?  I realized, after he'd moved his Media Chair that he and his Friends had gouged out some of the Drywall of a Wall by reclining it too far back and hitting the damned Wall!!!   So, Yeah, I'm now trying to be able to Breathe and not go from an Anxiety Attack to a complete Meltdown now.  Sharing your Home and all Space in it with more Generations than you anticipated ever living with in your Retirement Years is a Process to have a Peace about and embrace fully.  Coz sometimes it doesn't even Feel like YOUR Home anymore.

I can Share my Space so long as they leave most of it Decorated the way I want MY Home to be.  If they want to Decorate, go get a Home of their own, coz this is the only Home I've got and I've been Sacrificial now for Decades, so in Old Age I want it to Be as I want it to BE.  Now The Grandkids I Raised are Grown I no longer have Toys all over the place, and that was Nice FINALLY to get to that juncture of having Raised Two Generations of Children.  But Twenty-Somethings and Middle-Aged Somethings have their own Challenges for Seniors to Share Space with Harmoniously.   Especially when it's the Senior's Home. *LOL and Winks*  I don't wanna be Wound Up all the time so I try to Maintain being Centered and Balanced as much as possible with Sharing Space with so many People now in our Old Age.  It's cramped, we Downsized Space for a Forever Main Home considerably from previous Homes Owned.

Okay, Writing about it helped me avoid having a Meltdown, ya'll are Still Cheaper than Therapy!!!   Coz this is like a 3-Ring Circus around The Asylum most Days and I'm the Ringmaster of this here Shitshow.  *Winks and Thankyou for Tolerating the Online Meltdowns and Near Meltdowns while still coming Back as Dear Readers more than just the Once... ha ha ha!!!*  I hear a Drill being used and I just don't wanna know what they're doing now that requires Power Tools?!  *Breathe, Breathe, Dawn, Breathe!!!*  It seems to be coming from the Guest Bedroom and he had said something about Hooking Up his X-Box, Video Game Systems, something like that, which is Why everything had to be Re-Arranged???  *Eye Roll and trying not to Fixate on what might be going on in there that will Trigger me or send me right over The Edge?!*

I hear Mando out Back with more Power Tools, and am just Hoping that's a Good Thing?   Men with Power Tools always kind of make me Nervous, The Man used to engage in a lot of Demolition Projects that never actually got Rebuilt sometimes, so I Forbid that kind of thing now in my Old Age and Forever Home!!!   Men like knocking things down and Demolition, but the Rebuilding sometimes they can spend literally Years getting around to finishing!    And I got a lot of Younger Men in this Household now from Ages 25-59, and The Man is nearing 74 this Month, so, that's a lot of various Generations of Testosterone to Deal with in One Household!!!  I want this Home to look fucking Finished and Turnkey, not a Work in Progress, Okay?!  *LOL* 

Explaining to me Why I'm hearing lots of Power Tools Today both Inside and Out might just be TMI for me to Cope with and Handle, so, I haven't dared to Ask!!!  *LOL*   At least The Man can't use Power Tools anymore without close Supervision, so that's one less Generation of Testosterone in the Mix of getting whipped into a Power Tool using Craze!!!  *Whew*  The Younger Generations all know the BEST Time to do Home Improvements I have not Blessed and given Approval of is when I'm NOT here.  Then, if they can make it actually an IMPROVEMENT over what WAS, I might not Freak the Hell Out about it and be Grateful... perhaps?  *LOL*   The Son just Revealed what he Changed and I can Live with it and didn't Freak Out about his Changes.  *Whew* 

Miss my Industry Friends Leslie and Mike who moved out of State, they had the best Merch and were Kindred Spirits.  Yeah, we all keep in touch via Social Media, but it's not quite the same as being there, is it?   So many now have either Moved Away or Passed Away.   And I don't see a lot of the Younger Generations gravitating to the Industry so I know we're becoming Extinct in a way.   Like so many things do over the passages of Time.  And I'm at that Season of Life now where I wanna hold on to at least some of it... and not have it all disappear and be one of the last of the Dinosaurs.  *Le Sigh*   At some juncture if ya live long enuf it happens tho' and is an expectation that you've become like an Endangered Species and are becoming quickly replaced by what's managed to Evolve and be Newer and more relevant to this Space in Time.   I'm glad I'm not Young tho', the Future is... so uncertain and rather daunting.

I had thought that The Young Prince would be going to his Dad's earlier, but apparently Bobby doesn't even roll out of Bed until early Afternoon and everything he does is in the Evenings.   I've been up since 5:00 a.m. so it was an early Wakeup Call for Yours Truly and my Day started before Sunup.   I just had some of the Tamales that Mando's Tia made for us, they were delicious.  His Family make them all of the time and always Share them with us.   His Tia is actually the Ex-Wife of a very good Friend of ours we've known since the 1980's.  It's a Small World when you think about it.  I never met his Tia becoz she had been Divorced from our Friend Dino for a lot of Years by then, but we knew their Daughter Laura, and who he was now with and those Kids that Yolanda brought into their Relationship.  His Kids were Grown by then from his 1st Wife.  

The Daughter and Mando got given a huge Workbench from their Friend Roy whose moving and can't take it with him to where he's going.  
So, now we have it and it's large and will be very beneficial to doing Outside Projects.   Roy has given us a lot of nice things that he doesn't wanna bother Selling and would rather give to those Friends helping him with his Moving Process than to Donate it to Strangers or leave it behind at the Property he'll be Selling.   And their Friend Jason, whose a Nephew of Old Tom next door, also has given them a lot of nice things for helping him as much as they do.  He sometimes uses a Wheelchair or a Walker but still tries to do a lot on his own to remain Independent, but The Daughter and Mando go over and help him a lot as just a Friendship gesture.

I was thinking that the Weather has been so Extreme all thru Fall and Winter, being unseasonably too Hot, then unseasonably too Cold and Wet, that we didn't get nearly enuf done in The RV Garage Mahal or She Shed that we expected to get done during those Seasons.  When the Weather doesn't cooperate and isn't Normal it's just hard to plan anything in the Non-Climate Controlled areas now.  We know Spring and Summer are usually just too Normally Hot to do much.  So, I'm Hopeful Spring is abnormally not so Hot???  I don't know what to expect tho', but if it takes longer to get Too Hot, it will extend the amount of Work we can try to finish up before Desert Heat sets in and puts a halt to everything.  I have set up some Pricing on Wheels Inside the Main House to Work on Inventory in here all Year now, but be less Cluttered and more Organized.

 

If I stick with bringing Inventory in just One Crate or Banana Box at a time, then I should be able to keep going with the Downsizing and putting fresh Merch into the Antique Mall with regularity.   LATER: We dropped The Young Prince off at his Dad's and then The Man and I went to our other Antique Mall Location in Downtown Phoenix.  I found the elusive Fiesta Ware Cereal Bowl of a Retired Color called "Flamingo" that I have a Mug for and was the only Mug I didn't also have a Cereal Bowl of that Color for.  They actually had Two, which was surprising coz it's hard to find even One.   I just bought the One, I have One Mug with a Cereal Bowl to match in many of the Colors and very few other pieces except in the Chartreuse Color, which I have several pieces of still.  I Sold Off most other pieces I used to have of Fiesta Ware I used less of.

It's the only thing we Bought, but we did look around and it wasn't very busy.  There was a Family there following behind us most of the time that had a very Bratty Kid.  She was acting like she was a Toddler, throwing a Fit and Whining incessantly, but she must have been 9-10!!!  She didn't seem like she had Special Needs so it just seemed like she was spoiled rotten and the Parents had no authority whatsoever, so she was really pitching a hissy all the time.  It was annoying and I was so glad when they finally peeled off from behind us and went down another Aisle.   A little bit of that Bratty Kid was going a long way, I couldn't have handled much more of her nonsense and acting up.  Especially for her Age, I was actually shocked to see she was so Old when I turned around, I'd thought they were Dealing with mebbe a 2-4 Year Old!!!   She was a pretty Tall 9-10 and looked Normal enuf, didn't seem Developmentally Disabled.

Some Disabilities aren't so apparent so you never know.  But, then, that Kid was REALLY 'Special'... fuuuuuck!!!   They couldn't Control her at all and she was disruptive everywhere she went, it Worked my last Nerve.  A Vendor had a very Old Piano and she was banging on the Keys like a Maniac and the Parents didn't try to stop her.  They just feebly told her not to break it and she talked back disrespectfully, but I don't think it was due to Tourettes, coz there was no Profanity, just pure Brat Backtalk!  *LOL and yet I wanted to 'accidentally' Trip her in the Aisle to calm her Feral Sassy Ass down and Dial it Back!!!*   Oh, I'm so sorry, I didn't SEE her and then Smile Evilly at their Demon Spawn, now having good reason for the histrionics.  *Ha ha ha*

 But I digress on the sidetracking of Fantasies going thru my Brain!  *Winks*  When Parents have Feral Acting Kids in Public I have Zero Tolerance for their Poor Parenting or their Brats.  Especially when their Kids are Manhandling Merchandise that they're not gonna Pay for if their Kid destroys or damages it, Screaming and acting the Fool loudly.  And especially if the Kid totally strays out of their Lane and gets in mine. Becoz I CAN be the Adult in the Room when it comes to Kid Wrangling of the unruly Brattish ones, even if their Family isn't up to the Job, in a subtle yet effective way they catch on to real quick.  Coz Kiddos are perceptive of who they can and cannot fuck with, they're actually Clever little People like that.  *Winks*   I'm appalled at how many Parents just let their Kids tear a Store up!!!  It wouldn't be appropriate if they were at a Playground and misusing the equipment, let alone a Store where those items are For Sale and being abused by their Children.

If I'm Shopping or Dining I don't wanna hafta put up with your Feral Kiddos antics.  I could still hear her Misbehaving and Whining from several Aisles over, but at least they weren't right up our Ass behind us anymore.  *Whew*  She was ranting that she didn't wanna go to "Taco Bell" for Dinner, as if when someone else is paying for a Meal, a Child has any input on where the Hell whoever is Paying decides to go!  I won't say my Kiddos haven't been on Board sometimes of where we are getting a Meal Out, but I tell them that until they're Paying, we're going where whose Paying wants to go.  If they don't wanna Eat it, Fine, that's One Less Bell to Answer, One Less Egg To Fry then.   And they can just not Eat, and go Hungry, I don't give a damn.  *Winks*  They have never starved from Opting Out BTW and now they can Pay, they can choose, and I don't Complain or Act the Fool, coz it's a Free Meal.  *Winks*   Be the Adult in the Room, no Kid is In Charge!!!  WTF?!

 

I know, I know, I grew up in a different Era where Children were Seen but not Heard, and I kinda Turned Out Alright.   Okay, so, I didn't, but, I damned sure knew how to Clean Up Well in Public, Respect my Elders and not Act the Fool when out with my Family to cause embarrassment or fuck up the experience for everyone around me.   So did my Kids and the Grandkids I Raised, coz I didn't put up with no Mess in Public especially.  Well, at Home either, and my Kids weren't even Right in the Head!   But they knew how to be Respectful, Helpful, Decent Humans, even tho' they were on the Bat Shit Crazy Side of Mental Health Diagnosis.   And if you can Teach Manners and Respect to the Seriously Mentally Ill, I figure you can Train any Child to Respect other folks and have some fucking Manners, acceptable Behaviors, and some Social Graces.   If it's totally absent, you're doing said Child no Favors.  Word Up, NOBODY Likes a Bratty Kid and it's not 'Cute'.

I was sore by Evening Yesterday and I'm thinking to myself, Why am I so Sore?  Then I remember, oh yeah, that Two Hour Workout at the Gym!  *LOL*  Apparently riding a Stationary Bike does use some Lower Abdomen Muscles I forgot I had that needed some use and hadn't been used in a Dog's Age?  *LOL*   Those Muscles were Protesting loudly by around 7:00 p.m. after we weren't trawling an Antique Mall anymore and I'd become sedentary again for the Night.    I ended up falling Asleep on the Sectional as I listened to The News on TV, without wanting to see any of the actual Visuals of the Fuckery going on now.  Apparently he now wants ReTrumplicans to Run the Elections... as if we didn't see that one coming.  And he's tearing down the Kennedy Center now too, the White House Demo apparently wasn't enuf Historical Carnage.

And speaking of Demolition atrocities, as we drove The Young Prince to his Dad's, there WAS a 1916 Farmhouse that was surrounded by Acreage of thick Tamarack, Pecans, Mesquite and Palo Verde, I've been intrigued with since the 1970's.   You couldn't really see the actual House, just a glimpse of it up a long Tree Lined Drive up to it, seemed to be a Two Story Vernacular Edwardian Era.  I've always been fascinated by said Property, a Fantasy to own it and even Google Maps couldn't zoom in on much of it from a Satellite coz of the dense Tree Cover.  But Public Records showed it was built in 1916 and they didn't try to Salvage any of it during this tragic Demo, and was the Oldest Property in that whole part of the West Valley that had Survived from that Era.  The Lone Sentinel until just now, now it is no more and I'm broken up about it even tho' it was never mine.  I would have liked it to have been bought by a Preservationist Minded Investor, but it was on too much Land.

He had Goats grazing around the myriad of thick Brush and Trees to keep grasses down, but dense brambly landscaping kept the City out and it had Survived.  Until now... Developers bought it, since, a LOT of Acreage involved and they must gobble up all of it.   And now it's razed and cleared of all but mebbe 1-2 Palm Trees, which might go down eventually too?!  It was with a heavy Heart I viewed the Bulldozers, Excavators and such finishing it off to bare Earth.   They will very likely put up high density Housing or hideous Apartments there now, the whole area has gone Seedy, so nothing they're building in that Neighborhood is gonna be an improvement upon a lovely Historic remnant that had kept Urban Encroachment and Urban Decay at bay for so long.   I guess I don't blame the Seller, it never had been Sold since the 1900's since Public Records showed... no Sales.  And I'm sure Greedy Developers offered them a handsome sum to destroy it.

  

Just the Inner Cities have Historic Districts, if it was a Rural Historic around these parts it never Survives, it eventually will succumb to Development, always.   No matter how lovely a Home it is, it will go down to some Developer who Tempts them to Sell.  Or some Rezoning of City Planners in the Pockets of Investors/Developers squeezing out the Holdouts on Historic Properties and Forcing them out involuntarily.  You know, "For the Good of All" bullshit.  And by "All" I really mean whoever will profit most from that transactional Shakedown of someone without the Pockets Deep enough to keep fighting them about it in Court.  In order to just be left alone to Keep their Ancestral Home with some Historic Significance that has managed to just fucking Exist into Modern Times and just be a Commodity to exploit.

In recent times I've seen one after another of the Oldest Holdouts go Down and be Razed.   Not as many as were destroyed in the 1970's in the Inner City of the Victorian Mansions replaced by Skyscrapers... more the ONCE Rural Historic ones that got surrounded by the Cities now.  The last bastions of Rural History preserved for Future Generations to know what once existed around here during those Eras... and that it wasn't all once Parking Lots, Subdivision Hells, hideous Apartment Complexes and Big Box Stores as far as the Eye can See.   Even in Communities like ours, some will Buy a Vintage Custom Mini Farm here and tear the House down to build something new on the Acreage now.  Or Air B&B Party House Investors buy them and then there goes the Neighborhood and it's Peace and Tranquility... as well as the condition of the Property being Maintained or properly used and respected.  Even a Million Dollar Listing will get tore up with Party People rotating in and out on short term Rentals all the time.

But it's the way of the World and I don't think Respect or Decency is ever coming back into Fashion in America.  I'm glad our once Allies are Moving On and Developing their Relationships elsewhere and no longer relying on America being decent, or an Ally they can rely upon, coz it ain't anymore.   Before Congress they had a Host of Victims of ICE Testifying about what happened to them on The News, which is why I was watching it at all.   It's no Isolated Case how many American Civilians who haven't committed any Crime and haven't even had any Charges, are being Shot, Abused, Taunted and Humiliated by these ICE Goons that the Orange Menace has unleashed upon Communities he wants to just Punish, Intimidate, and even try to Murder in broad Daylight.  I know how the damned Poem Ends, so it's some terrifying real Nazi and Pol Pot Type Shit going on in America.  To be sure Colonialism White Nationalist Types has always had Cycles of it all over the Globe for Centuries.  So has Religions bent on Extremist Dogmas.

 

One Young Woman was Shot 5 times, suffered 7 entry wounds, was only allowed 3 Hours in a Hospital ER before they dragged her off outta there roughly, denied her further Medical Treatment and Humiliated her intentionally and Verbally too, due to her level of existing Disability!   Cruelty IS the Point!!!   She was Disabled to begin with and had Autism and Traumatic Brain Injuries, they did not Care, they showed her no Mercy, only Cruelty.  She is a 43 Year Old Bengali American!!!   She caught no Charges coz she'd committed no Crimes actually, and is an American Citizen.  So why Immigration Enforcement even Tortured and tried to Murder her probably has more to do with the fact she was Ethnic by her very appearance, that's all... nothing more.  

She was going to her Medical Appointment for her Brain Injury at the time she was stopped, coz ICE caused a Traffic Jam... and of coarse they called her a Domestic Terrorist too!!!   Her Name is Aliyah Rahman if you want to know more of her harrowing Ordeal at the Hands of ICE Agents.  These aren't Isolated Incidents anymore, it's happening with more frequency and it could be You next at this juncture.   Becoz ICE is already in my City, I don't know about yours yet, but they will be coming to a City and Town near you too eventually.   It's only a matter of Time.  And if that doesn't concern you right now, it will eventually, rest assured.  The Poem doesn't End Well.

 And you could get caught up in the fray of what they're doing even if you're just sitting in the Privacy of your own Home or just driving down your Streets now.  Coz they aren't executing Warrants, showing their Credentials or their Identity.  They aren't always wearing Uniforms or Badges, just Masked Men hiding their Identities with Weapons and a Violent disposition, going unchecked and not following any existing Laws that Law Enforcement have to and should.  Becoz apparently they don't HAVE to and aren't being Prosecuted for Murders and Torturing or Abusing the Public.  Or Kidnapping them either.  I want Kinder Times to be Restored, they were not Perfect Times but they weren't this fucked up and out of Control either.   And it all could have been Prevented, we didn't have to endure 2.0.  And I do think Elections are a Pipedream from here on out too, Mark my Words.

Me, back when I was an Assistant Vice President of a Bank, running Three Departments, with some of my Staff, I had a Wonderful Crew and more than half of them were Old enuf to be my Parents.  I forgot how Young and prematurely Fearlessly Ambitious I was, Younger than my Grandson is now and only slightly Older than Princess T is!!!   And in the Days of the Good Ole' Boy Network filled with blatant Misogyny and Sexual Discrimination and Sexual Harassment to Deal with.  You had to be a Baller and a Ball Breaker.  *LOL*  It was a lot of Responsibility too early really and by the time I was around 33 I was Burnt Out and having Health Issues from all the Stress.  So, it wasn't too long after that I Retired from Banking and began Working for The DA's Office instead.  A different kind of Stress, to be sure, and just as demanding and potentially Dangerous Work switching to Criminal Law, didn't pay nearly as well either, but, I didn't drop Dead prematurely either, always a good thing. *Ha ha ha and Winks*

  I was making Mad Money in those Days, but you can't spend it if the Stress of the Career is Killing ya and I was raising a Young Family, most of it as a Single Parent before meeting and Marrying The Man, and working over 70 Hours a Week.   Lots of Posturing and Politics in High Corporate levels of that Industry that has all the Money flowing thru it.   And when you're responsible for Millions of Dollars worth of Portfolio you're Protecting the Bank's Interest of on their Bad Loans, it's not the Happy Borrowers you're Dealing with who just got Qualified for their Loans.  You're meeting Clients at their Worst by the time they are in Foreclosures, Collections and Bankruptcies, which isn't the Profitable side of Banking.  You're Mitigating the Lender, Underwriters and Investor's potential for Losses, sometimes huge ones.  You get Threats all of the time, sometimes Death Threats.  Nothing about that Season of my Corporate Life I miss except The Big Money.  *Bwahahaha*

*******

Are we 'Great Again' yet?  Eye Roll... Dawn... The Bohemian