Halloween & Dia de los Muertos Rained Out For First Time Since 1987

 Okay, so, it's a long Post Title Hook Today but pretty much explains what happened.  For the first time since 1987, almost 40 Years, it Rained on Halloween and Dia de los Muertos too!!!   So, yeah, torrential Rains and epic Flooding requiring over 600 Water Rescues on regular City Streets that quickly became raging dangerous Rivers, plus a Tornado in North Scottsdale, was how it played out this Holiday Weekend!!!  Oddly, on the East Coast where some of my Granddaughters live, the Weather was glorious for Halloween, no Bad Weather in Pittsburgh and so the Great-Grandkids had a wonderfully balmy looking Halloween, while in the Desert we needed an Ark!  *LOL*

Even tho' it poured, Trick-Or-Treaters donned Umbrellas or just got soaked to the Skin and came out in force anyway looking like Drowned Rats, Bless them!!!  Mostly coz we Decorate extensively, most think I'm a Real Witch or practice Voodoo *Winks* and we hand out full Bags of Candy and Small Halloween Toys.  So, we had way more Kiddos that came than expected in inclement Weather and they didn't let Climate Change ruin their Halloween Haul!  We had a line of Cars in front of our House most of the Night!!!  *LOL*  In fact, some Parents told us that their Kiddos said if they only went to ONE House, it would be ours coz we always have the best Decorations and give out the most Candy, plus, what will the Witchy Voodoo Priestess be like on Halloween?! *LOL*  That Warmed and Touched my Heart!!!  We did make it worth their while to come out in the Elements and brave it to get the Bag of Candy we handed out to each one.  We even gave a Bag of Candy to our AMAZON Delivery Driver and he was as happy as any Child to receive it, having to be out in that Weather doing Deliveries.  *LOL* 

We took loads of Pixs coz even in the Rain, and perhaps becoz of it, the Lighting was ideal for Photography.  Even pushing me way back into our Entryway to hand out Candy worked really well for the Photo Ops.  Becoz it was Chilly and Fresh Air Breezy, we opened the Front Door and set up a line of Chairs for the Family to sit behind me.  So everyone could not only see our Exterior Decor, but some of the Interior Decor as well, which was a Big Hit for the Families that came.  And we could just all sit and visit with each other while waiting for Kids to walk up.  The Niece and The Son enjoyed that a lot.  Princess T went out with Rusty, The Daughter never did come Home.  The Man watched TV in the Living Room and we could keep an Eye on him from our vantage point.

So, despite the Bad Weather, I'd say it was a very nice Halloween.  Tho' it's still Raining like Hell so the Dia de los Muertos Celebrations are also compromised significantly and they are all Outside.  I had planned to attend a Dia de los Muertos Event at The Desert Botanical Gardens but won't in the Weather and heavy Rain.  It will run thru the 3rd so we'll see if it Rains all 3 Days of it?  I hope not, but it looks likely that it will and Streets are dangerously Flooding,   So it would be unwise to take the risks to do any unnecessary traveling in the City or Freeways.  They've had Water Rescues and Cars literally swept away or totally submerged on City Streets that the Water was raging as fast as any Dangerous Rivers!!!   And the Tornado that Touched down in Scottsdale, I don't think that's ever happened before, lots of damage caused.

At one Elementary School in El Mirage Four Adults were struck by Lightening that hit the School while Kiddos were being picked up!!!  El Mirage is a City not that far from here, just North of our City in the Metro Phoenix Area, and Lightening Strikes too were looking very dangerous and touching down everywhere.   Below is some of the Live Feed I was getting Halloween Day/Evening about the Weather, since we were monitoring it closely for Safety reasons.   And some areas relatively close by were not looking Safe, some had Hail the size of Quarters pelting down too and causing considerable harm and damage!  Luckily, we just got the torrential Rains and not much Wind in our Neighborhood.  *Whew*   I still have The RV Garage Mahal Roof Tarped and not replaced yet, Roofers are so backlogged and Claims delayed or won't pay out 'til all Work is done and inspected.  So I am always holding my Breath about more catastrophic Weather... I haven't even been Paid Out yet on the initial Claim and had Work done or even started yet on the last Property Damage it caused.  Below are Images of the Lightening Strikes and Scottsdale Tornado coming down behind Camelback Mountain!

Anyway, Cars were lined up in front of our House at one point dropping off Costumed Kiddies, regardless of the Weather and the Weather was BAD for the whole shebang, Sideways Rain, Street and River Flooding.  So I was pleased to see that Halloween wasn't a Bust due to the Crazy Weather.  Otherwise I would have ended up with way more excess Candy/Giveaway Halloween Toys than I did!  We're Diabetics, The Man and I so we couldn't have all this Candy not handed out!  *Whew*  I do have plenty left to hand out Post-Halloween that I'll bring in to our Antique Mall and hand out where Princess T Works too, to rid myself of it that is Bagged to hand out.  We wanted to ensure we had enuf to hand out, since every Year we've had more Kids than the previous Years before, as more people hear about how we Decorate and that we hand out the Good Stuff.  *Winks*   All Night long Friends and extended Family were sending me Pixs of their Halloween activities and Costumes, or Cool Decorations seen.  Some were Videos, which I don't know how to load to my Blog or transfer from one Social Media site to how my Blog loads Videos.  The Niece may School me on that, she's a Tech Guru.

Q showed up with his Family, a carload of Kids and their Cousins, so we took some Pixs together.   He has one Child with severe Allergies and Health Issues so has to be very Careful about what Treats the Kiddo is exposed to.  That Child didn't get out of the Vehicle in case anyone was handing out what he's deathly allergic to.   They didn't want a Trip to the ER on Halloween Night.  Q knew I wasn't handing anything out with Nuts in it, which is what the Boy is most allergic to apparently.  But, poor Child has a litany of Allergic severe reactions, costing his Family a Fortune in Medical Bills.  Princess T has a lot of Allergic reactions to Foods especially, but other things too, Gut Issues galore, which is why she's so Thin and Frail, only 90 lbs., so I know how Careful you have to be when someone can't tolerate a lot of exposure to certain things that trigger Medical reactions that can put them in the ER or Hospital.   A Medically compromised Child is always a big worry for any Parent or Guardian.

The very first Kiddos we got were our Next Door Neighbor Omar's Niece and Nephew with his Brother and Sister-In-Law.  {See Below} They told me their Kids said if they only went to One House if Halloween got Rained Out, it would be ours!   Coz ours is always the Best!  Awwwww... Bless 'em, they let me take their Pix, Adorbs!!!  Their Parents always dress up in Costume too.   Kids began coming at around 5:30 p.m. which was about 30 Minutes earlier than usual and at 8:00 p.m. I didn't have any more coming, which is an hour earlier than usual to finish handing out Candy when Weather is good.  I watched Holiday Halloween Baking Championships after 8:00 p.m. when I decided to go Inside and not sit Outside with the Front Door open anymore.  Which was perfect Timing coz I had no more Trick-Or-Treaters anyway by then, the last of them had come at around 7:50 p.m. and they were much Older than the earlier Kiddos, one even was the Driver.  *LOL*  But she looked Adorable and I hand out Candy Bags to everyone, regardless of Age.  Hell, if you dress up your Dog in Costume I'll give you a Bag for being all up in the Spirit of the Holidays!  *LOL*

So, The Niece took Pixs of me handing out Candy so I'd be in Front of the Lens too.   She said I looked Awesomely Eerie sitting there in the Glow of our Exterior Lighting and Autumnal Colors of our Doorway, like I might just tell your Fortune too or Cast some Spells!?   She's pretty convinced her Aunt Dawn is a Good Witch.  *Bwahahaha and Winks*   The Son and I had pushed his non-working Vehicle back some in the Driveway so as to open up the Porch Decorations to be seen easier and not obstructed.  A lot of people without Kids drove by too and slowed way down to look at the Decorations and Wave to us.  I Parked in the RV Driveway on the other Side.  The Niece spent some time here and some time at the Casino playing in a Poker Tournament, but, she didn't Win this time.  She said one Guy was Cheating and they should have banned him from the Tournament, instead, he ended up Winning, she made a Complaint and so did some other Players.  She said if Desert Diamond Casino keeps allowing what he did, they'll get a Bad Rep among the Poker Tournament Crowd and lose Business.  She's never seen it allowed anywhere else Nationally that she had ever played.  She tried explaining the Tactic, it's Lost on me tho'.  *LOL*

The Witch is 'In'  *Winks*

I did take a bunch of Pixs of our Set Up Outside both before and after the Sun went down, before and after the Storm hit.  It almost looked like it might not Rain up until around 3:30 p.m. and then it was nonstop from there on out including Today.  Below is a Vendor Friend Jeri from the Antique Mall in her Costume, she look fabulous for being in her 70's.  She and her Husband, Jackson, who I often work with, just got back from another Tropical Cruise for her Birthday to Bonaire, which is just before Halloween.   A couple of the Pixs she Shared are Below, it looks like a Tropical Paradise, will have to now add that destination to the Bucket List.  *LOL*  One day... one day... perhaps I shall start actually crossing some of the Bucket List destinations off...

 

In the meantime I shall just live vicariously thru the Adventures of Family or Friends who are Sharing the Experiences as they're Living their Best Life and Traveling the World in Style.  It was their first time to Bonaire, they've been on over 50 Cruises.  That's not hyperbole, they really have!!!  They go on several every Year.  I was Surprised there were still Cruise destinations they had never been actually!!!   I had never heard of Bonaire, it's part of the Dutch Caribbean and a Municipality of the Netherlands off the Coast of Valenzuela and their currency is the U.S. Dollar.  It looked like a fabulous Birthday Cruise and I'm glad Jeri Shared so many Photos of the Island, she's got a good quality Camera and is a very good Photographer.  I Wish I could take such good Selfies.  Alas, mine turn out dreadful.  *Le Sigh*   Loved the Family Costumes Below of some of the Members of The Addams Family, well done.

Our Downtown Phoenix "Brass Armadillo Antique Mall" did have some Employees in Costume and Shared a Pix of it.  {See Below}  They've had a high turnover of Staff and Vendors too so I don't know many of them anymore, I used to know so many of them for so many Years.  Those days are gone now for both Locations retaining people, be it Paid Staff or Vendors.  So there isn't the camaraderie we used to have and enjoyed so much.   As people either leave the Malls or Die Off, Newbies just don't connect in the same way as the Old Days of the Industry.  And most of them don't remain long enuf to either.  Before I get their Names imbedded into Memory, they're already gone, never to be seen again, coz they never even come back to visit or shop there.  It's a shame coz Once Upon A Time it was like a big extended Family of folks.  I miss that coz you could make a lot of good Friends with common interests that were Kindred Spirits and remained close and connected for a long time.

  

Anyway, with the Weather turning bad and Road conditions being sketchy, I've not been productive or left the House Today, didn't even get out of my Jammies and took a long midafternoon Nap too.  Only The Son is still Home with The Man and I, both of them seem glum, perhaps due to how gloomy it is Outside, I dunno?   I think The Niece went to the Casino again, she Gambles a lot, but it's not my place to tell her so, her Family has done enuf of that and becoz she has Won big, she contests that it's not a problem... perhaps it's not... I don't know the Math of what her Winnings versus Losings are, it's none of my business.   And it seems to be her only Hobby and form of Recreation/Entertainment so it doesn't necessarily have to be profitable to be a Hobby, so long as it's not moved in the direction of an Addiction to Gambling.  Most of her Friends are other serious Poker Players who play the Tournaments and all seem to know one another and have mutual Respect for each other and the Game.

With The Daughter not being here she's not managing what she earns well at all.  I get concerned that people can and sometimes do take advantage.  I usually help her manage whatever she earns to make it last and ensure nobody is taking advantage when she has some Money.  Anyway, she has her Account linked to mine so I can monitor her spending habits and it seems she forgets if she uses a Non-Chase ATM she will incur a Fee and I think that's how she got slightly overdrawn.  I transferred to cover it in time before she incurred any overdraft fees.  She's way out in a Rural Area so I'm sure there's no Chase ATM out there and she's using whatever is close by.  She should just use her Debit Card and not rely on taking Cash out of ATM's to avoid Fees.  Anyway, it's a process when someone has Mental Impairment to get them to be able to manage their affairs and why most require a Trustee.  I haven't been able to get hold of her on the new Phone Danae got for her, but I have left Text Messages for her to remind her to use more Care.

Above was Gypsy James, his Daughter, and a new Girlfriend and her Child.  He hasn't had much Luck with his Relationships, but he has Dated some nice Women who also have an Only Child, and his Child and their Child have gotten along well.   He has shared custody with his Ex and he's a really good Dad, he and his Daughter are so close and she's quite the little Tomboy doing everything her Dad does.  She's a good Kid and growing up so fast!   Below is The Niece and The Son as they were sitting behind me in the Doorway while we handed out Candy.  She'd gotten The Son the Gag Gift, a succession of a bunch of little Purple Plastic Gift Boxes, one inside the other, about 5 or 6 going smaller and smaller until in the last tiny one was a plastic Hand giving you The Finger.  *LOL*

 

I did Mail our bills in a Postal Drop Box nearby, it's still Raining hard off and on, the Sky looks ominous still so we'll probably get Storms all Night long and potential Flooding.  We're Sandbagged and so far it's holding, we also have Rain Barrels and they've filled up several times for the past Two Days and had to be emptied into the Pasture area.  I think all of the Celebrations for Dia de los Muertos will be compromised now, I don't think this Weather is lifting for Days by the looks of it.   Ironic that Family in Pittsburgh had perfect Weather and here in the Desert we practically needed an Ark this Halloween!!!  It's Raining so hard now our Pool is almost cresting with Water!!!   This is not good and I'm hopeful it stops before it crests the Sandbags too and risks getting into the House!!!   We've done all we can to inhibit Flooding, but when it Rains this much in a Desert, the Ground can't absorb it sufficiently either once it's past saturation point.  When you get too many Days of way more Rain all at once than you'd usually get Annually, everything Floods really bad.

So, anyway, miserable Outside, but I got all the Bills mailed, bought myself a Starbucks Frappuccino and went straight back Home!  I have Cute Jammies on that look like Street Clothing so I didn't bother to get Dressed.   And rather than watching all of the coverage of the depressing Politics on TV right now due to the Elections being upon us, I'm watching Old Episodes of "American Pickers" instead.  Back when Frank was still Alive and some of the Episodes I don't remember ever watching.  They were better Episodes, the Older ones, IMO.  I keep checking on the Flooding and have asked The Son to try to empty out some of the Rain Barrels into the Pasture again so they have room to catch more coming off the Roof.  It's Labor Intensive work emptying heavy Buckets of Water out of Rain Barrels for Days on end coz they're just filling up too fast and Top Off.

I emptied our 2/3 of both Rain Barrels before it was too much for my Back, The Son had emptied them out about an Hour beforehand.  The Rain is so constant it's hard to keep them emptied out sufficiently before they Top Off again, the Water over the Sandbags did crest a bit, but not enuf to cause Panic or damage.  *Whew*  The Tarps on The RV Garage Mahal are holding.  *Double Whew*  No use getting hold of our Contractor to do that Roof until things dry out again.  Princess T said she'll Front me whatever it costs to get the Job Done and then I can reimburse her after I get a Settlement when it's Inspected and the Money is released from the Insurance Company and then the Check is Endorsed by the Lender.  Then I can pay our Roofer whatever extra he's owed beyond Supply Costs.  It's been such an Ordeal that I Hope never have to file a Hazard Insurance Claim of any significance again.  Not with the outrageous Deductibles of $5,200 per Claim!  It almost negates having Insurance at all when you're out of Pocket that much per Claim unless you had a total Property Loss of Hundreds of Thousands.

I'm disappointed the final Events of the Season are Rained Out, I'd looked forward to attending and precisely why we renewed our Garden Membership to attend it all in Oct-Nov!   Dammit!  If they'd only had the Ofrendas set up Inside like they used to, I'd still go to experience it, but the last few Years they've only done an Outside Dia de los Muertos Display of Altars/Ofrendas.  Altho' they have done the Mercado still mostly Inside a Building.  But, I haven't bought anything since the Priest I used to Collect the Retablos Art of hasn't been there anymore.  I don't know what happened to him and I signed up for his Class to make them Two different Seasons and couldn't attend when The Man had Medical Emergencies right around that time and I had to Cancel going.  Seemed every Holiday Season he'd have some Health Crisis that was Major for so many Years in a row, that I quit making firm reservations or plans.  When you are a Full Time Unpaid Caregiver it's 24-7 and 365, so your Time is no longer your own.

One of the Kiddos Childhood Friends, Felicia, had a Baby late in Life and this is her Little Girl.  I remember when I first saw Pixs of the Baby, I thought it was her Grandchild and was embarrassed to learn it was her Baby!  Ooops.  She's the Youngest Daughter of our long time Friends Dino and Yolanda,   Felicia's other Children are Adults, and her Older Brothers all have Grandkids the Ages of this Youngest Daughter.  Which is why I thought this little one was her Son's Child and not hers!  She's a pretty little thing but always has such a Serious Countenance, so I suspect she's an Old Soul.  Last Year she was Wednesday Addams and that was a perfect Character and Costume for her usually dour Countenance!   *LOL*  But this Pix she Shared of that Year didn't Copy for some reason so I couldn't Crib it off FB's Feed to me when she Re-Shared it. 

My long time Francophile Blog Friend, Andie, of "Divine Theater" Blog Adopted Three Siblings and so she had them adorably Costumed resplendent in what her French Versailles Style Home {inside and out it's spectacularly transformed} would match.  What she's done with this Property in a few short Years is miraculous becoz it is a newer Subdivision Home and you'd never know by what she's transformed the interior and exterior to look like and resemble a Historic Chateau in France!!!  She's got such a Green Thumb too that everything has lushly grown in record time as well.  I always look forward to her FB Shares with me now that she doesn't Blog anymore.  We used to exchange Friendship Gifts back when Bloggers used to do that and send Surprise Gifts to one another back in the Old Days of Blogging in it's heyday.  The Community and Land Of Blog was much bigger back then and has shrunk considerably in recent Years.

I so wanted to visit the Historic 1895 Queen Anne Victorian Rosson House during Halloween coz they were doing several Holiday related Event Tours there.  But, alas, October sped by too quickly and I didn't get there in time to do it, dammit.  I remember in the early 1970's when I Worked on the 11th Floor of the Valley National Bank Building as a Corporate Executive and my Office looked out over Rosson House before the City bought and renovated/restored it to it's original splendor.  It was a Flophouse at the time and I always hoped it would get bought by a Preservationist and be brought back to it's original Glory.  It took over a Million Dollars to do, but the City accomplished it, along with some other Historic Structures occupying Heritage Square, and they didn't get razed like so many others sadly were Lost in those days.  I couldn't have been Happier.  I always wanted to buy a Phoenix Victorian but they were always in now the worst parts of the City, even tho' when built in the 1800's they were in the Aristocratic Neighborhoods of Phoenix's most Wealthy.  Heritage Tourism wasn't cultivated here much so we Lost most of them to development.   Nor was Gentrification until recently.

"MacAlpine's" has been continuously operated as a Soda Fountain & Restaurant, plus Storefront Areas Selling mostly Collectibles now, since 1929.  I Love going there too and the Waitresses often wear Era specific Costumes at Halloween.   They still make their Milkshakes using the original 1920's Commercial Soda Fountain Equipment, which are in a lovely Seafoam Green Color of that Era that they made Appliances that lasted forever without breaking down or wearing out.  The Original Booths are still there too, I Love eating there, so Nostalgic and takes you way back to a different place in Time, even before my Parent's Era.  My Mom would come with me sometimes and say it reminded her of when she was a very Young Child in the early 1930's, when places existed like that.  Her Mom, my Nanna, got Married in a Fringed Flapper Wedding Dress and Cloche Hat!!!  

 Nanna used to wear a lot of Cloth Turbans, Bandeaus and elaborate Headbands too of that Era and inspired me to in the 1970's.  My Nanna was an Entertainer, an Actress on Stage, a Dancer and Singer, back when she was a Young Woman, it's where my Gran-Gran met her.  So Nanna was VERY Theatrical and Gorgeous.  She had very Corkscrew Curly Blue Black Hair and the most Amazing Green Eyes.  My Grandson, The Young Prince, has my Nanna's Color Eyes.  He used to get so embarrassed when he was a Child and everyone would stop, stare, and tell him what Beautiful Eyes he had.  I still have loads more Images for Future Posts... so will end this Post now with some Halloween Visuals that just made me Smile...

*******

I do hope your Halloween was memorable in all the best of ways my Friends... Dawn... The Bohemian

Keep Your Heads On The Swivel

 That Cricket in our Master Bathroom never fucking Died and it's very active at Night chirping away!  So, I'm up at an indecent Hour and only 7 Unpublished Posts ahead now, pretty soon I'll be Blogging in Real Time again. *Smiles*  Oh well, I don't Care... I have either been on a Bloggy Bender and very prolific, or stalled out completely with Bloggers Block.   It all evens and balances out usually in the end.  I had a lot of Imagery to use for Autumn and a lot of Activities to Blog about, but that's coming to an end after Autumn.  I kind of hibernate during Winter as far as interesting Events and Activities go coz there just aren't that many to engage in.  The Weather in the Desert is usually stellar during Winter tho', so we get a lot of Snow Birds arriving to Winter here, and Tourists just wanting some Sunshine and good Winter Weather.  So, prices go way up and Locals don't do as much coz until prices go back down when the Visitors leave, it's not practical, we're not on Vacation and we don't own 2nd Vacation Homes.  The Visitors usually are more affluent than most Locals are.  But they spend a lot while here, so, that's Helpful to the local Economy.

Anyone who lives in a Tourist or Snow Bird destination knows that without them, the Economy would suffer greatly.  So, you can have conflicted sentiments about it, both good and bad... for a whole lot of reasons.  Renters know Rents will spike while they're here, so the Locals better be locked in to a more affordable Lease by Renting and Signing one during Spring or Summer.  Not that there are any affordable Rentals anymore even then, there aren't.  And, everything is costing more so the Cost of Living is spiking while Earnings and Wages are stagnant.  Good paying Jobs with Benefits and Full Time Hours are also scarce, so most of the Locals Employed tend to be Underemployed.  Which makes the Employment Stats look better, but it's not really much better than Unemployment if you can't afford essentials even when Working becoz of being Underemployed.  When the Stats come out of Created Jobs, they always fail to give Statistical Data of how many of those Created Jobs pay a Livable Wage or have Benefits and are Full Time Hours guaranteed?  I have Two Family Members Working currently but they make Minimum Wage and don't always get Full Time Hours or have Benefits.  They could not even afford Rent and the Basics, if they didn't live here with us.

The Niece isn't Earning enuf at the Job she'll soon be ditching, now she got the better paying one that will sustain her.  She was contemplating working both Jobs to ensure she could afford Rent and Basics in a better Neighborhood and be able to have Quality of Life.  But, she felt she might fold under that much pressure and responsibility, juggling Two demanding Careers, which are High Tech level Jobs.  Even the best White Collar Jobs now that require expertise and experience, aren't paying what I think they should be.  But that's a whole other Blog Post for another day.   Let us just say that except for a few key Locations in the Country, which I can Count on One Hand, they're drawing all the Best and Brightest from around the Nation and everywhere else does not have those Opportunities to make a good Living anymore.   Andrew Yang verified my suspicions of this in his Book I'm Reading, of where the Money is at and where the Best and Brightest are ALL Migrating to at the exclusion of everywhere else in the Country.  Even the Career Fields are narrow now at where the Money is at... and they will become even narrower with AI displacement and replacement.

The Son took us out to Breakfast, he'd invited The Niece too but she'd already eaten, so it was just he, The Man and I, we went to a new "Denny's" near the House.  The Man was able to get a 55+ Senior Menu Salmon Meal for only $11!  It was Brunch time so he didn't mind ordering something that wasn't really Breakfast related, The Son also got his Dad some Biscuits & Gravy and Sausage Links for later, coz that's something we know he'll eat too.  I got the Berry Crepes with Breakfast Red Potatoes and a Ham Steak off the A La Carte Menu.  Their Breakfasts had way too much food for me and it was less expensive to just pick my own preference and portions sizes off the A La Carte Menu rather than the Senior Menu which didn't have Crepes as an option.  They did a good Crepe at that location and all the Waitresses were dressed in Costumes for Halloween, which was Cute.  Lots of Kids coming in were also in their Costumes.  We went to a Wal-Mart for me to get some Cat Food and refills for my Halloween Night Light Air Fresheners I bought from Wal-Mart.  They don't interface with other refills brands.

But, I was glad coz they were actually less expensive there and had far more options for Scents, so I got about 15 different Scents for the Four Night Light Air Fresheners that I have.  I really like them in the Bathrooms, Kitchen and Dining Area to scent the Home and offer Lighting that is a Novelty and illuminates all Day and Night long.  You might recall I got a Ghost one, a Haunted Mansion one, a Tombstone one, and a Black Cat against a Full Moon one.  They last just over 30 days as an Air Freshener, which isn't bad for the cost of the refills they use.  I don't like the New Individualized Pricing and Tracking Monitors on the Shopping Carts and Facial Recognition that Wal-Mart is using, most things in the Store no longer even show a Price, but the Air Fresheners and Cat Food did and I memorize it to ensure I'm only getting charged that when I get to the Registers.  This time they didn't try to jack up the prices upon checkout, but they have before and I've caught it and challenged it.  Let the Buyer Beware now of all the unscrupulous illegal practices victimizing Consumers using all this new Technology.  Also, check the Weights on everything, coz the packaging is often deceptive and you're not getting the Weight they say it is, often almost half of what the Pricing says the poundage is!!!  And you're paying by the Pound, so that's significant!

Wal-Mart got Fined about 38 Million, but when they're making Billions, they don't Care and are still doing what they got Fined by the Courts for doing illegally.  If you do the Math, it would be like Fining someone making $69,000 a Year only $4 for an Illegal Act, so that's no deterrent to stop, cease and desist, is it?  They aren't the only big Corporation doing all of this either, and precisely why I Shop Small whenever I can.  And it's why AMAZON is operating at a Loss, they aren't intent on making Money right now, they're intent on driving everyone else out of Business so they'll have the Monopoly and eventually be the only Game in Town, then they can charge whatever they want to and you'll have no other Options.  Same with AI, right now it's operating at huge Losses, but the intent right now is insidious for the Future, Trust and Believe it is not to make life better or easier for any of the rest of us, it never was it's Intention to.   We're like Sheep being led to the Slaughter by the Wolves and other Predators.  In Life you're either Predator or Prey, that's just the way it is.   And if you're gonna be the Prey, at least be Informed Prey and keep your fucking Heads on the Swivel to Survive this.

The Granddaughters are now sending Pixs of the Great-Grandkids in their Costumes.  It's an avalanche of Adorableness.  I look forward to seeing what the Great-Grands wanna be and what Costumes they want each Year that shows what they're most Into.  Sometimes I know which Characters or Movie it's from, sometimes I don't and have to ask.  *LOL*  I'm not Raising another Generation again so what the Littles are Into now I don't always keep Pace with as a Great- Grandparent.  *Smiles*   This Year both Granddaughters who have Kiddos were just themselves for Halloween, no Costume.   Their Younger Sister, who doesn't have Kids, is more likely to dress in Costume coz she's a Special Effects Artist and often Works for Haunted Attractions Creating their Special Effects this time of Year.   Her and some of her Work is Below, she's the Edgy one and she is so much like The Young Prince that they could have been Twins, tho' they are only a Year apart in Age, she's a Year Younger than he is:

So, anyway, I'm not sure what the Great-Granddaughter Below is supposed to be or who, but mebbe it's all her Mama could get her to wear, I dunno?  *LOL*  Picking Costumes is never a Hill worth Dying on when they're Little, whatever they will wear and wanna be, is just Fine.  *Smiles and Shrugs*   I remember when The Daughter was Young sometimes she just wanted to wear her Nanna's Lace Curtains draped around herself and a Tiara, and I didn't Care, that was Costume enuf!   She thought she looked like a Princess, they have very active Imaginations when they're really Young and can Imagine so many things beyond the Scope of whatever they have on hand.  *Smiles*   For Years I only had to find The Son someone's discarded Martial Arts Dogi in his Size {White Jacket or Top of a Martial Arts Uniform} at a Chazza with whatever color Belt came with it as his Costume.  He never took Martial Arts coz I was always afraid with his Mental Illness and Autism he'd really hurt someone if he knew lethal combat, but he'd Imagine himself as a Ninja at Halloween.  And he could use damned near anything as a Weapon so we also had to choose wisely what Pretend Weapon he had for Halloween lest he test it out on his Sister for it's effectiveness as Weaponry.  *LOL & Smiles*  Mostly my Kiddos all had Homemade On The Cheap Costumes for Years.

Right now her Older Brother is refusing to put on a Costume, so he may or may not just go as Himself?  *Bwahahahahahahaha*   These Two, like their Mama, are full of Piss & Vinegar, she has her Hands full as a Single Parent now she's Divorced and the Apples didn't fall far from that Tree.  She was always a very High Maintenance Child from what our Oldest Daughter said.   So, it's the great Generational Payback.  *Smiles and Winks*

Now, the Chill Granddaughter, who was her Mother's Golden Child of the Trio of them, has Chill Compliant Kiddos for the most part.   Tho' her Middle One can have her Moments of displaying Piss N Vinegar, and the Oldest One can be a Diva sometimes, they like dressing up and Voguing for the Camera more than their Cousins do.  Of coarse, their Mama and her Husband have been Pathological Picture Takers like Gramma Dawn and so they really had no Choice.  *Winks*  Their Lives have played out in front of the Lens pretty much and I Love that!   And like me, that Granddaughter does ALL of the Events and so the Kiddos have Grown Up around doing all kinds of Activities and Experiences galore, they are well Exposed to damned near anything and everything going on.   Whether in Costume or out of Costume.  Tho' their Mama is very Into Dressing the whole Family in Themed Outfits that Match usually.  It's Rare when she doesn't.  Their Closets must be quite abundant with Wardrobe for every Occasion or Theme or Season.  *LOL*   But fond Memories are made with these Kodak Moments that they'll appreciate later in Life.

But when it came to this Year's Costumes, I only knew what Two out of Three were, which, according to Singer Meatloaf, Two out of Three ain't bad.  *Winks and Laughs*  Yep, I knew "Beetlejuice", I knew "Cars", but what the Hell the Middle Great-Grandchild was, I have no Clue or Idea?   My aren't we Pink tho', whatever she is?!  *LOL*   And Honestly, I could even be Wrong about what the Great-Grandson is... some Racecar Obsession is definitely going on with him right now tho', of that much I'm sure.  *Smiles*   And Great-Gramma Dawn is also wearing her "Beetlejuice" T-Shirt for Halloween, so I'm aligned with what the Oldest One is wearing as her Costume... we're Twinsies this Halloween then.  Great Minds Thinking alike and all.  *Smiles*   I just cheated and Googled the Pink Cat Super Hero Costume so I'll appear and give the Illusion I'm more Informed than I am.  *Winks*  And apparently it's Ginny from the Animated Series "SuperKitties", so there ya have it my more Mature Aged Friends, who were as Clueless as me and learning about it like I had to, who knew?  *Bwahahahaha*

The Niece {Pictured Below} who just had the Cancer Surgery just sent me a Pix too to show Aunt Dawn that she's doing okay and looking Fierce for Halloween.  I've been very Worried about her and if they caught it in time?  I also just got Word and Bad News from the Rez that my Cousin Wewokajanna, who JUST was Recovering from TB, now has Cancer of the Lungs and they failed to find that when they were Treating her for TB at the Indian Hospital, which, just makes me Angry at the level of indifference and neglect in the Tribal Hospitals that serve the Indigenous Community that they have to rely on becoz most are so impoverished.   And her Youngest Daughter, who is the same Age as The Daughter, also has it, had contracted the TB too, had Heart Failure, and now has Lung Cancer as well!!! 

 My Cousin has moved in with her Younger Sister since she requires Care and can no longer live Independently becoz of being so ill.  And in Tribal Society when you require Care, a Family Member takes you in, no Questions asked and without hesitation.   So, my Cousin DeAnna is Caring for her Older Sister now in her Home, and I'm not sure whose taken the Younger Daughter in who also can't live Independently, but probably other Family.  DeAnna Lost her Youngest Daughter recently to Disease, she was only in her 30's, the Indian Hospital didn't catch whatever it was in time for Treatment either.  Mortality Rates on Reservations is still way above the National Averages.   They live fully a Decade shorter than all other American Demographics.  Most don't make it to their 40's... and Childhood Mortality is still also quite high.   I'm relieved to see The Niece at least seems to be Recovering well and perhaps they got it all?

Miss Merry, I thought of you when I saw this Cartoon... being you hand out full sized Candy Bars.  *Winks*  I finished just tweaking the Front Porch with a Today's Halloween Score at SAVERS.  I'd gone early coz Princess T said to get Halloween now coz they'll take it off the Floor after Today and won't be discounting it, just Purging it, and so they're pushing everything Halloween related out onto the Floor Today to get it gone.  I was Jazzed to find these Two very Creative Homemade Decorations made from Halloween Masks and Foam Caulking.  I got 20% Off them and they were only just over $8 each before the Discount, so... SCORE!!!  Color me deliriously Happy! They'll need a little touchup for next Season but for this Season will be just Fine to add to the Front Porch's Vibe.  One a Scary Clown and the other a Werewolf.  They have Cement poured into the Base so are solid from easily tipping over on a windy day.  Right now it's glorious outside but I don't know if it will Hold for Tonight or not for the Hours of Trick-Or-Treating, coz Storms seem to be building to the South heavily over the Estrella Mountain Range.

 

I almost forgot I'd Scored a Leatherface Mask to add to the mix, so just put it on an Antique Floor Lamp.  Don't know that I'd want anyone in the Family to actually wear it lest it Scare the Bejesus out of Younger Kiddos and we don't intend to Traumatize anyone's Kids and ruin Halloween for them.  *LOL*   Our Porch Decor generally doesn't phase them so long as the Humans are in Costumes that are not Scary or just dressed normally.  I think movement in a Costume if it's a Scarier one is what Freaks the Kids Out... becoz then it doesn't seem so much like a Prop, it is Alive to them.  I was going to trek down to our Antique Mall to see if Staff wore Costumes but since they did bugger all leading up to Halloween, I decided why waste my Time or Gas?   And when I checked our FB Mall Page, well, I could see who participated, just a scant few Employees... Five to be exact... and they didn't make such a Big Deal out of it being Halloween to bring Customers flooding in either... Double Points... Meh.  No wonder Sales are in the shitter and flatlined prior to a major spending Holiday.  Disappointed and Underwhelmed.  I don't know if they even handed out Candy to Kids like in previous Years?

Back in the Day of the earlieer Years of the Mall they'd make a Big Deal out of every Major Holiday, do a lot for the Vendors, including Catering Meals for Thanksgiving and Christmas.  And on Halloween would encourage all Vendors to come in, Dressed in Costume, and hand out Candy in front of their Spaces for all the Shopper's Kiddos.  So, we'd get slews of Kids coming for a sort of Indoor Trunk Or Treat safely getting a lot of Candy while their Parents Shopped all of Halloween Day and Night.  We have around 600 Vendors give or take, so, they could Score a lot of Candy if we had good Vendor participation, and we always did back then.  It was Fun and I'd go during the Day and then come Home to hand out the Candy at Night.  And Vendors who didn't have Children or lived in Retirement Communities that don't get Trick-Or-Treaters would cover the Evening handing out of Candies there in front of their Spaces and usually dress up in some kind of Costume... so they enjoyed it too, even if they wouldn't have if they just stayed at Home and did nothing.

Our Downtown Phoenix Location seemed to do even less coz they had nothing on their Social Media FB Page of Vendors or Employees wearing Costumes at all.  They did do a couple Vendor Videos with their Halloween Offerings and telling Customers how to properly Care for Vintage Halloween Masks so they'll last.  Especially the Latex variety of them, how to Store them and what not to put them on or near that would cause a Chemical imbalance and ruin them or shorten the life of them holding up over Time.   Both our Location and theirs has had a very high turnover of Paid Staff so I hardly know any of the ones that Work behind the Registers anymore.  And a high percentile of Vendor turnover too, tho' they do have a Two Year Waiting List so they don't seem to Care how many leave anymore either... and don't try to do much to Keep existing Vendors.  They're way too comfortable with having Newbies wanting to get in, tho' most never last any time at all before leaving, often Owing Money too.  It's the Nature of how the Industry transformed over Time tho'... and has Tanked overall... now most Antique Malls are run just as Glorified Landlords and know nothing of the actual Industry.

 

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Hoping in Real Time that Halloween doesn't get Rained Out coz I'm hearing loud Thunder now and it's only 3:10 p.m., so what happens by 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. is a big Question Mark Weather-wise... Dawn... The Bohemian