Farewell Son Of A Junker

Sometimes Sleep eludes me during this Pandemic, my Mind races with thoughts I just can't Still.   So many Businesses are struggling and closing, vacant storefronts are becoming quite evident around the City.  A very Talented Friend of mine is closing her Small Business over this coming Weekend.  I'm making a final Pilgrimage to 'Son Of A Junker', hopefully Tomorrow, to join her in a last hurrah and be supportive over what I know is a somber and difficult decision.  Her aesthetic and mine are quite similar so we've bought a lot from each other over the Years.  She and her Dear Hubby bought a lot from me when we were moving here, to stock their Store with.

I fully realize that we Sold and Bought our Real Estate in the nick of time, Selling Off a lot of the contents, before COVID really hit and changed everything, life as we all once knew it!  *Whew!*  I was Grateful for those Friends in the Industry who bought in bulk what I would have had difficulty moving in a hurry one piece at a time.  I will miss my Friend Pauline's Quirky Shop in the Quaint Historic Commercial Building it's housed in.  I'm sure she's going to take her Wares on the Road and continue to supply Awesome Unique Treasures to those of us who are Incurable Collectors and purveyors of the Extraordinary.  But closing any Chapter of our Vision and Dreams is never easy stuff.

My Friend is an incredibly Classy Lady with a Unique sense of Style, we both Love the Funky Stuff that not everyone 'Gets'.  I'm still on the lookout for a Zebra Mount for her, she's Sold me Oddities I've been on the lookout for and couldn't find elsewhere.  We both gravitate to the Weird and Wonderful and it isn't unusual for either of us to pull something bizarre out of the back of our Vehicles to show each other after we've been excited to Score it.   I still recall when she was over the Moon to Score an Amazing Specimen of Victorian Hair Art and brought it out of the Trunk of her Vehicle to show me, knowing I'd appreciate it and not think it at all Creepy.  *LOL*

If my Photo Archives were better labeled and organized I'd regale you with various Images taken in the various Spaces, Shops and Shows that Pauline and Victor have Sold their wares from.  But I suck at Organizational Skills and so only a few of these, like the above, actually could be found.  I'll fill in other pixs to complete the Post or I'd be gleaning Archives Thumbnails 'til my Eyeballs hurt! *Le Sigh*   But what I can dredge up on short notice will be used, I've bought a lot of my favorite pieces from my Friends and could depend on them to Source the best of the Weird and Wonderful, those Found Treasures that were just My Style and Sensibilities.

Some Unique Treasures, such as this Statuary and Lamp, weren't within Budget or they'd of come Home with me over the Years.   I think Pauline worked on the Seller of that Statue for a Decade before he'd Sell it to her, she is as tenacious and relentless as Yours Truly when she wants something and is very persuasive!  *Winks*   A lot of things NFS have come home with her and I over the Years, even if it took Years to pry it out of the Hands of whoever wasn't initially willing to let it go!  *Smiles*   I would Sell things to her that I wouldn't Sell to anyone else because I knew she'd appreciate it as much as I had... and vice versa.  Isn't that partially Exposed Historic Brick Wall of her current Building Ahhhmazing?!  I'll miss Shopping there for sure and Hope whoever Rents it next appreciates the Walls as they are?!

I don't know what is already Sold Off and what might still be available so close to permanently Closing the Shop, but that's not the primary reason for going.  I know my Friends will still be around and open a new Chapter in their Journey and we'll always keep in touch.   If there are some of the Treasures I would like to add to my Collections, surely I will.   Her Spiritual Folk Art are some of my Favorites.  Often Created on the back of just about anything handy, they were Created by those Unknown Masters of the Faithful to pay Homage and put upon the Home Altars.   I'm kinda Hoping some of these might still be available so that I could add at least one to my Home Altar?  It's not easy to Source such things, since they were often Created for personal use and not for Sale.

Either you Connect to such things or you don't at all... and that will almost always make the difference on whether they will be Sold and Entrusted to you or not.  When I procure anything like this is it typically a Keeper for my Private Collection and rarely, if ever, re-sold.   If I could Source an abundance of such things I'd offer them up to my Clientele tho', knowing that my Tribe does appreciate such things as much as we do.   Eventually, if a complete Transformation of my Showroom is ever possible, I'd like to gravitate more to only Selling those objects that I am most Passionate about myself.  That doesn't always translate into the strongest Bottom Line, but I think now, with Pandemic, what will, what does anymore... so Why not go for it?  If not now, When?

I have to tell you that it saddens me when some of the best Shops and Vendors have to close up and the hawkers of crap can withstand almost any Market.  It frustrates me to see so many Fabulous Small Businesses closing down because they're not being adequately supported during trying times.   Many Fab Restaurants are also Closing their doors... meanwhile, some mediocre Fast Food Joints have long lines and almost a Pandemic Cult Devotion to their 'food'.  I could name names, but I won't... I'm sure you could formulate a Short List on your own based on your own Local Observations too.  Knowing that's all that might be left as an Option is rather disheartening tho', isn't it?  Well, unless you have Cult Devotion to that Chain, I won't Judge, hey, we all like what we just like.

As for me and mine, we try to Support the Unique Local Small Businesses most often.  Many are Family owned and Unique, many have Closed their Doors recently too, far too many in fact.   This will be yet another Loss to the Valley, but I do Hope they set up Shop somewhere, even if out of the back of their Pimped Out Pull, which is beyond Amazing.   Now that I have me a Mini Farm and no damned HOA, I Plan to scour the Countryside for a Cheap Airstream to Pimp Out and just set up on my Acreage Didi Kai Style.  *Winks*  I've been gleaning the Photo Archives Hopeful to find some Imagery of Pauline and Victor's Trailer.

Yep, my Beloved Wiley E. Coyote came from Pauline's Shop.  This was in fact the Day I purchased him from her.  I had gone in just to visit my Friend, but it's hard to go to her Shop and not come Home with something!  It's almost a Set Up for Yours Truly since we have similar Passions for the same Objects!  *LOL*  Did I start that Day Imagining I'd come Home with a Coyote?  Nope.  *Winks*  But hey, it happens in our World and Circles.  *Bwahahahaha!*  If you ever go Junquing with me, you might even find yourself picking up some strange shit and not even knowing exactly Why?!?  That has actually happened, even with my Pastels and Glitter or Colorless Palette Friends!   *Smiles*  I might even start bringing some of you, my Dear Readers, over to the Dark Side of the Weird and Wonderful, the Oddities, you never know?!  *Winks*

I once had a Friend tell me she wasn't quite sure if I was Influential or Contagious in that regards?   She meant that in the best of ways of coarse, as she bought a piece of Macabre Jewelry that was so out of Character for her that I think she even Amazed herself at the sudden Attraction to it!  *LOL*   That was something I would have bought, but I would have never thought in a Month of Sundays she would have!   Now, whether she wears it as often as I would or display it around the House, I dunno?  *Smiles*   Wiley E. has pride of placement at this New Forever Home, before he was relegated Upstairs at the McManse in the Meditation Room, since it had the Wall Space most available to him for prominent display.  He now wears a Bow Tie that The Young Prince wore for Band... and a Santos Crown... that any of us may or may not have worn.  *Winks*

I think a lot of us are bound to have many Incantations during this Pandemic.   A Formula intended to trigger a Magical effect on a Person or Object is something I Hope for the benefit of every Individual and Situation I happen to know about.  These are surely some very uncertain times and nobody much knows or can predict the Outcome of any of it, given how it's playing out Daily in Real Time in such an unpredictable way.  It makes it very difficult therefore to sustain a Vision right now, because the Timing might be Off at the present time for enlarging any Vision or Dream we might have.  Might have to put on Pause until we can Wrestle with what challenges we're up against with the State of the World, and especially our Troubled Country, right now?

When you get to our Season of Life, you don't want to defer a Dream or Vision too very long because Tick-Tock, the Sands of Time are running ever shorter once you reach a certain Age.  Time is not on our side anymore.  I'm painfully Aware of that more than usual lately and the vulnerability we've felt during this Plague is unsettling, to say the least.   I do feel nervous about a lot of things I'm doing, but do it Afraid anyway, because there aren't a whole lot of other Options really.  I refuse to be a Prisoner in our own Home in Solitary Confinement, yet I also don't even want to Socialize anymore, it's so awkward now, isn't it?   Even those we know intimately could be carrying potential Death unawares after all!?

I think the Cruelest thing about this Virus is the inability now to have Human Touch, which we Humans require and crave.  Not thru plastic and PPE, not smelling strongly of Hand Sanitizer and all Masked and Suited Up, as if we're preparing for some Alien encounter with a dangerous Species from Outer Space!  We're prepping now like that to have Human Contact and it's Unnatural... especially when it has to be done from Six Feet or more apart and with high Suspicions and Extreme Caution even at that!  I don't even feel comfortable anymore around People, not even people I know... it makes me Anxious and way too Guarded in a way that I don't like at all.   Yet, Survival mechanisms being Triggered, I have to say I must have a very Strong Survival Instinct that kicked in quite early in all of this!

I was Socially Distancing and wearing PPE before most people, looking like an anomaly and often being ridiculed for it.  I often Wonder how many who Laughed then aren't Laughing now?   How many have moved beyond thinking this was some kind of Joke, Hoax, exaggerated Crisis... you know, before Five Million Americans became Infected and so many have now perished horribly?!   Before their ways of Life have been turned upside down and sideways, never to return to a Normal they once knew and will never be again, no matter how much they Wish it so.   Wishful Thinking you can hold onto if it brings you some measure of Comfort I guess, so long as you don't ignore Reality and behave Stupidly and put other people at Risk, just because you're willing to take Foolish Risks yourself and remain deeply in Denial of the Facts!

This Administration can't Spin this Crisis away, it's not gonna happen... it was never gonna happen.   They DO NOT have things under Control, even tho' they desperately keep insisting they do in spite of strong Evidence to the contrary!  "It is what it is..." was not the response any Leader ever should have Thought, let alone callously Spoken out loud during a Televised Interview, when over 150,000 Families have Lost a Loved One over lack of Response and appropriate Mitigation by this Failure to protect American Citizens!   Which Deaths could have been avoided?  Well, I guess we'll never really know since they're still not even trying to avoid Losing American Lives now, in spite of 1,000 Daily perishing with no end in sight!   When will the Paradigm Shift come... I just don't even know or like to Speculate?!?!??!

Too much has been allowed to go on too long already, for me to have any Clue as to how Government and those in Power have the Ability, or Inability, to Change a damned thing now?  Or even want to?   They can't even stick around long enough to push thru the next Stimulus Bill in time to Save Americans more Hardship and in Time.   By the Time they get it together with Bipartisan resolve and Pass something, it will be too little, too late, that's a certainty now.   I don't know how much a little bit is gonna Help anyone right now whose Circling the Drain or close to The Edge?   It's like trying to put a Band-Aide on a Hemorrhage before the Victim bleeds out and perishes.   Then pretending you did all you could to Save them.

And it is hitting the Economy hard when people don't have Money, even for necessities, let alone anything not necessary.   So the Economic Collapse is still looming on the Horizon, larger than Life, and if this Pandemic is not ever up under Control it's a Given that it will Collapse.   There's already alleged Money Shortages and Shops are asking you to use your Plastic instead since many can't make sufficient Change due to Bank limitations on Currency!   But then, so many are utilizing Plastic that those Systems have been crashing too at certain places, so you're betwixt and between whether to carry what Cash you still have on Hand, or not?   This does make some Wonder if our Banking Systems are also in Secret Crisis right now?   Could be... I wouldn't be at all Surprised if they were.  Luckily I don't have huge stashes of Cash anywhere at some Financial Institution, you might not either?

But there sho' nuff is a disruption in The Force, that's for certain... and we don't know how deep or how wide it's gonna be?   And where is this Spectacular Medical System this Administration was gonna have in place once they dismantled Affordable Health Care Plans for the most Vulnerable?   Anyone know?  Especially during a Pandemic, where the Average Hospital Stay for the Virus is said to be costing about $300,000 per Victim, that ought to be something under serious consideration right about now for the Public!   Who among you, if your Insurance balks or you don't even have adequate Insurance, or any Insurance, can Pony Up out of pocket for that?   Even for the Affluent, I suspect if enough of their Family became Victims, it would hit 'em hard to come up with that much liquidity on short notice!  Otherwise, you better be a Billionaire!

How many of you Dear Readers just happens to be in the Billionaire Boys Club BTW?   Anyone?   How many of you have Access to that adequate Testing turnaround that the WH and Professional Athletes seem to have, but the rest of us aren't worthy enough or Rate to receive?  I still don't know a single person whose been Tested around here, so if any of us is Asymptomatic or not showing extreme Signs of Sickness, we're SOL on the Testing and Tracing sham in this Country.  And if you were fortunate enough to Rate a Test, 7-14+ Days to receive a result has rendered it absolutely Useless my Friend!   More of Too Little, Too Late.  And by the time you're a full blown Victim, well, Testing is a moot point, No?   And IF they ever do get a Vaccine, how many Anti-vaxers do you suppose won't ever receive it?  I mean, 'til it's proven Safe, I'd even be Guarded about being a Guinea Pig, I ain't gonna Lie!

Yep, it's no Wonder that the Thoughts spinning around in my Head keep me up at Night sometimes, when I can't just turn them Off.   And within a few Hours I'd have to be up anyway to get Princess T started for another grueling Day of Online Schooling... Yeah, that went Well... NOT!   She told me before Bedtime that Gay Timmy had given her some Pointers on how best to try to get into The System once it's actually working properly for her Classes, so she isn't as Anxious and Panic stricken now.   Yes, she ended up with a full blown Panic Attack before Noon on Day No. One... it was a Joy Forever and Ever lemme tell ya!   She also fell asleep in front of her Laptop twice... since her Anxiety levels being so Elevated means she can't Sleep Well either and the whole Online Fiasco was wearing her out completely!   Me too!  So I did have fitful Naps off and on thruout the Day!

And Manic Blogging is Helpful even if it is at a ridiculous Hour and I've gleaned Photo Archives too long, as I sit here in the darkened Guest Bedroom because The Son is asleep just behind me.  Luckily he's always been able to Sleep thru just about anything and everything so it doesn't bother or wake him!   Hammy is furiously running on his Wheel too, he's as Naturally Nocturnal as I've become now.   He seemed particularly Anxious and Fearful right after his Brother Midnight passed away and we took the Habitat down and Donated it.  I wondered if he had a knowing of the sudden absence of his Sibling?   Sometimes he goes up to the Glass of his Habitat on the side Midnight used to be next to and stare out of it, mebbe I'm just Reading more into Hamster Psyche, who knows for sure?

My Friend Pauline often had Bagged Bats and such at her Shop, that's the kind of Shop it is... was... is going to be no more.   It pains me that yet another one has had to close Shop during the Pandemic and Economic Downturn.  There is a District Downtown that used to be vibrant and now mostly has Closing Businesses and Vacant Buildings.   Urban Decay typically follows when this sort of thing happens in areas.   It happens in Rural Areas too, even before Pandemic, Friends who Traveled across the Country often told me of Small Towns that had become Ghosts of Towns with empty Buildings all up and down their Main Streets.  When there is no Work and when a Shift comes in what Work is even available, Unemployment is going to be a problem not easily Sustainable.

I was supposed to Buy this piece of Taxidermy from Pauline some time ago but Budget became tight and I couldn't.  It's the 2nd one I missed out on that she had for Sale... I've had Visitation for Years of the other one, since another Friend bought it instead when I couldn't.  It's pictured a few Images below and if Shelly ever parts with it, she knows who her Buyer would like First Offer!?  *Winks*  The ones that get away always Haunt me a bit, how about you?  Yeah, I got a lot of Stuff and certainly don't Need more... but some that got away still Haunt me, even Years later.   The Keeper stuff I didn't spring for... either because I Foolishly wouldn't or because I couldn't due to Budget constraints at the time.   It's easier when I just couldn't afford them... than when I passed on them with later regret for having done so.

Right now having my Objects around me is Comforting, since we're spending so much time at Home now especially.   There's a lot of Decorating, Organizing and Unpacking yet to do tho', some things I still haven't located.  Only when I go thru my Photo Archives will I remember that I haven't seen that again since The Big Move... so where the Hell is it?   I did a Fair job of Labeling Boxes when we were going thru the grueling Packing Up and Storing Process when we put Villa Boheme' up for Sale and were looking for a Forever Home to Buy.  Yet some things are still MIA and have to be somewhere around here because I know I didn't Sell them during the enormous Purge.  I still Plan to keep Editing, Purging, Culling possessions... but how I will hawk them will be subject to Change without Notice, depending upon well... stuff... and how it play out?

I still don't know how long I can or will keep my Retail Spaces going?  The Rent subsidy expired at the end of July, so unless Sales pick up, with not Working Off some Rent, I will likely have to make some difficult decisions.   I doubt I will be able to return to my Shifts, Customer Contact is just never going to be the same, is it?   For those of us most Vulnerable and Medically Compromised, it's just not worth the risk it involves to be around the Public in any Customer Service or Essential Worker position now.   Some have been dedicated enough to take the Risk, for the Greater Good, God Bless 'em, because many have perished for having done that and made the ultimate Sacrifice.   But if our Administration is going to be Blind to those incredible Sacrifices, the Heroics are going to have to be never ending, aren't they?

Just how many will have to be Sacrificial Lambs for the Greater Good before our Government gives a shit and makes any pretense of a Commitment?!  They aren't even pretending now to Care... at all... and just make shit up every time they're Questioned about the lack of response... as if we don't and can't differentiate between Facts and Bullshit.   Not ALL of us are that Stupid... some certainly are and can be shoveled the Spin, the BS and the Lies to eagerly consume... but I'd have to say they've become the Minority of folks now.   Those Sources that aren't credible in the Media just look as Stupid as the Moron-In-Chief when they back his outrageous antics, Tweets, One-Trick-Pony Con Game.   But, they do have a Following, with Cult Devotion some will follow right off a Cliff and into the Abyss! 

 

At this point, if you're that gullible, demented or Stupid, perhaps there's no Hope for you whatsoever so I can barely Care about your Outcome.   I will focus on the Outcome of ourselves and of the folks who are taking this Seriously and as a Collective are trying valiantly to do the Right thing.   I'm having less Confrontations in Public with the Covidiots, tho' there's always that one it seems, almost everywhere you go.   At least they easily stand out now and seem to back down when challenged by everyone around them no longer being tolerant of them.   When getting Gas, with The Man in tow, at a Convenience Store I had some unmasked Young studly Covidiot in line roll up and come right up on us.  I turned around glaring over my Mask and said, "BACK OFF!", so loudly that he was startled and stumbled back to the Circle on the Floor 6 Feet away from our Circle that he should have been standing on!  *LOL*

 

The Man was looking at me like I was going to be Set Off and Assault this Young Man if he didn't back off and get off our Ass.  *LOL*   He later said, as we went back to the Gas Pump to get our Gas, that he was Hoping he didn't have to Square Off with Covidiot Young Dude, so that I wouldn't get Arrested for my reaction if he had become Confrontational instead of complying with my screamed request to BACK OFF?!?   *Smiles*    "Did I say Please", I asked?   "I'm not sure", The Man said... "I think you were past being Polite just becoz he was the only Idiot refusing to wear a Mask even tho' it's Mandated and Posted on every Business now that you HAVE to!"   True that, those people piss me off from the Jump, so if they Roll up on me too and invade my Sacred Space and put me at further Risk for our Safety, I Go Off the Deep End on their Asses now!  *LOL*

And I have one more request PLEASE... for those of you who appreciate a Veteran's Service, please don't reach out and offer them your Hand to shake now!  My Old Man has Brain Damage and tends to respond without thinking to be Polite and it's freaking me out how many people are still doing that when they see him wearing any of his USMC stuff.  He insists on wearing it BTW so it's pointless to get him to ditch any of it to be incognito, it's a Tie to his Past that he's very attached to and rightly Proud of.  But, you can Thank him for his Service now without Touching him or any other Veteran.  He's clearly an Old Man, he pretty much looks not in Good Shape anymore, so WHY WOULD YOU EVEN DO THAT during a Plague anyway??!?!?!?   I end up bringing Sanitizer in my Purse just to Sanitize the Hell out of him if I didn't catch it in time!!!  *Le Sigh*  Some people... what are they Thinking... or ARE they even Thinking?

 

*******

Be Well, Stay Safe and try to Maintain your Calm and your Peace my Friends... Dawn... The Bohemian

The Online High School Fiasco

Well, Online High School started this Morning and everything has already crashed with their System less than 2.5 Hours in!  But not before my Special Needs Student had a complete tearful meltdown and three Generations of us couldn't figure out if we were doing something wrong or if the System was messed up?!  Splendid!  She was being marked Absent and couldn't get into the Meetings, turns out Blackboard, their System, crashed for many Students.  Gay Timmy was able to get into his Classes, so between frantic Texts from her, we figured we were doing something incorrectly!  When even The Son, whose Tech savvy, couldn't figure it out, it became suspect.

We got a call, but it was answered by The Man, who promptly forgot what the Recording had told him about the Problem!  With his TBI I don't like for him to take calls that are important, but sometimes he gets to the Phone first and forgets to just hand it to me if he can't understand.  *Le Sigh*  So we had our usual Three Ring Circus going on here, everyone was completely stressed out, like you need more Stress layers during a Pandemic, Right?!  Since she was melted down and had Lunch Break at 11:00, she asked me to pick her up some comfort food, so I made the run to 'Panda Express', it was good just to get out of the house away from the Insanity!  *LOL*

As I was waiting for Panda to Open at 10:30, a big burly Middle Aged Man also waiting made small talk.  He had 'Escaped' because he got a Panic Call this Morning from his Sister asking him to come over to assist with his Niece's Online Classes too, to no avail, he couldn't figure it out either!  He asked if I'd seen the 'New Math' yet?  I could tell it was going to be a Nightmarish Story, so I told him I Hoped to Die without having to see it!  *Winks*  He regaled me with how a simple thing is now made so complex he couldn't figure it out... his Niece BTW is in Elementary School... wait 'til High School if her Parents and Uncle already can't Help her!  

I knew I couldn't figure any of this out on my own, I'm no longer that Academic Young Hippie on the Left, who found School during my Era so effortless when I was around the Age of my Granddaughter. *LOL*  So, I called School Admin to get a Live Person on the Phone and not a Recording, to tell them what we're experiencing.  She informed me of the glitches and System crashing, they Hope to get it up and running by Tomorrow.  She said not to worry about her being marked Absent, they're going to give every Student the benefit of any Doubt Today and mark them Present for Attendance.  She also gave me the Principal's Voice Mail, since our Student is on an IEP for Special Needs.  He then sent me a Recorded Message to switch to a System called Team.  She's on Team now and it seems to be letting her do some Work... Whew... Sigh of Relief!  Otherwise this was gonna be the longest First Day of School ever!

I don't even have The Young Prince at Home anymore to Help his Sister... or their Mom, who was actually an Excellent Student, but dropped out due to SMI just like her Son.  Of coarse her Paranoid Schizophrenia manifested in Furniture throwing when she felt Admin was a Threat to her, so I couldn't blame them.  It gave me some Comfort to hear both The Son and that other Middle Aged Dude waiting to get his Take-Out Chinese food lament that they can't figure this shit out either.  The feeling of being a Dinosaur afflicts me when it comes to the Education of The G-Kid Force, so much has changed and I can't help at all, which is very frustrating and humiliating.  I am long on Humility, but that doesn't become Helpful to a Child with Special Needs, who already struggles to understand or do what most of their Peers can without as much Help.  I don't want her having the same barriers her Older Brother had, to where they finally refused to give him his Right to an Education due to his Mental Illness allegedly being too much for THEM to Deal with.

What made me angriest about that, was that at Graduation Ceremonies there were other Special Needs Children getting their Diplomas and some of them didn't even know they were there.  I guess the Schools just found it easier for THEM personally to Deal with a Child with extreme Developmental Issues or severe Brain Damage, than one with extreme Mental Health Issues?  So there is discrimination against Children with some Special Needs, if it requires too much Work, that's what pisses me off.  Our Grandson has a 148 I.Q., he is extremely high functional, yet involuntarily wasn't able to finish High School and receive his High School Diploma, go figure!   So it was hard for me to attend Graduation Ceremonies and see other Children with Extreme Needs receiving their Diplomas and knowing he could have, his Mother could have, if they'd given them at least equal consideration and effort they had given those Students.  Especially since both of them Scored so highly on Tests and showed higher than average Intelligence, which shouldn't have gone to Waste due to a Disability they have no control of.

  I hear this often from Families with Children with Serious Mental Illness, so we're not the Lone Ranger, it's commonplace.  The Son Graduated with Honors in spite of his Bipolar condition and Autism, so it can be done if Staff Believe in the Child's Potential and really Help a Child Succeed.  A little bit of The Son went a long way when he was Young, no doubt about that, he was High Maintenance and not an easy Child to Cope with.  That's The Son on the Right, he had Teachers that went above and beyond in order to tap into his Potential and help him Succeed and Thrive in School in spite of his limitations.  He too has an extremely High I.Q. in spite of having extreme diagnosed Disabilities which pose some considerable barriers and Behavioral challenges.   He had a few Teachers who realized if they could Reach him that he was capable of Excellence, a few made him their Project and he exceeded everyone's Expectations of him.  If you have low Expectations of anyone, or personal Bias, then it's unlikely they will ever have the measure of Success they could have had if you Believed in them.

After even Two Generations of Advocating for Special Needs Kiddos I'm Raising, I still feel as Helpless, Inadequate and Stuck to actually change how The System discriminates against those Students with certain Disabilities and is ill equipped to help them receive an Education!?  I do not know if we will be able to get Princess T thru High School, tho' her barriers are far different than her Brother's were, hers mostly being inability to Understand and Comprehend what she's Learning and finding it very hard to Read.  He was able to Ace all his Tests and Answer questions Right even if he slept thru the entire Class.  But still Failed due to only being engaged for Testing and Verbally answering Questions correctly.  Oh, and when Bored, Genius Boy hacked into their System and Enhanced it... since they'd had Teachers complaining they wished they had the Funds to Enhance their System!  So that was the End of his Educational Experience, he was permanently Expelled, apparently he scared the Bejesus out of them at that point!   I know their Mother scared the Bejesus out of her Educators, they liked her, since she's a very likable and Popular Personality, but her profound Illness can be scary stuff.

You get weary of Schools passing 'Misfit' Children Off onto other Alternative Schools, so I Hope we don't go thru that shitshow again either?!  We went thru Three Different High Schools with The G-Kid Force's Mama before they all gave up on her.  We went thru Five Different High Schools with The Young Prince, before finally nobody would take him.  Since he wasn't Behaviorally Challenged or Delinquent, Reform School wasn't appropriate Placement either.  Believe me, they tried to pawn him off on one of those, 'til I Advocated for him and the Principal of that School, where Enrollment was called Intake, many Students were Criminally Court Ordered for Placement, and every Door had Lock Down features and Barbed Wire on their exterior Fencing, agreed that for our Student, he had no Idea why he'd even been recommended for their Program?!?  Me either!!!   When they don't know what to Do with a Kid, they clearly try to send them away anywhere to Warehouse them and pretend they are receiving Equal Rights to an Education.

I don't have a Solution either, but with Raising Kids with SMI and significant Educational Barriers and Special Needs, I'm obligated to Advocate for every Right they should be Entitled to, with every ounce of chutzpah I have in me!  So I know these Administrators Dread Dealing with me too!  *LOL*   So, anyway, she's happily eating Panda Express Chow Mien and has Emotionally Regulated to where she's stable now and not going to pieces.  When she spirals downward it is difficult to get her back on Track.  Going thru all that before 11:00 in the A.M. was not the way I wanted to start my Day!   With Pandemic Insomnia keeping me up most of the Night and then having to wake now by 7:00 in the A.M. to get her ready to begin Online School means I'm Tired.  Trying to get her to stick with it for the entire Day, except for an allotted Lunch Break and Bathroom Breaks, which Teachers have to authorize, is challenging.  Her attention span, especially if she's struggling and shuts down Emotionally, means I think that is too long to expect her to be in front of a Computer Screen not knowing what the Hell she's doing and unable to receive adequate Help from us.

I'm very Guarded about this Working Out for her without Special Tutoring being provided.   Gay Timmy would Help her if they could do their Classes Online at any time, but it's all done in Real Time, so he's doing his at his Home same time she's doing hers at our Home.  So her peers can't even assist her with this and Help her figure it out and Understand/Comprehend better.   The Son has been out of School for 15 Years, so he said too much has changed for him to embrace it all easily either.  I'm Dreading how this School Year is going to play out and certainly In Person Education is too risky to contemplate at all!   I've heard Horror Stories about Schools and Camps that brought Kids together in Person already, the Virus has infiltrated their midst immediately!   I don't even know how they can make it Safe honestly, it may not be possible or probable?  I just know I'm already Emotionally Raw and Mentally Fragile at this juncture in Dealing with all that's so FUBAR!  This adds yet another layer of shit I don't wanna be forced to Deal with involuntarily!

Having a little Online Rant is Helpful, I don't Feel nearly so ready to implode now!  *LOL*  It's my Job to instill Confidence in her so she Believes she can do this!  Tall order, since I'm faking it, because I'm not even convinced this is suitable for her!?  She keeps falling Asleep in front of the Computer, tho' on Team she has gotten some Work done and her Anxiety has lessened.  She's no longer pitching a Fit about it all being too Hard, so perhaps she's wrapped her Mind around some of the Lessons, tho' that was her Ceramics Class, so... just sayin'!  She is Artsy if nothing else.  *LOL*   Her Electives might be passable?  I will have to pick up and deliver her Projects for Ceramics and pay for the Class some kind of way too... they will get back to me on how that's all going to be arranged.  Hey, if she passes Ceramics I'll be over the Moon, even if every other Class becomes iffy!  Mebbe I'll even get some Awesome Art Pottery out of it??!  *Winks*

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Blessings, Love, Light and holding tightly onto the last shred of Sanity here in the Arizona Desert... Dawn... The Bohemian

Well That Sucks

We just all got a Suspension Notice in our Community from the Provider that Irrigation has been Suspended until Asshat Neighbor Guy fixes his faulty Irrigation that is screwing up distribution!  They 'suggest' the entire Community do the Repairs and distribute the expense if the Property Owner is not amenable to doing it himself!!!  WTF!?  Problem is, he's an Asshat and it's on his Private Property under some Grapevines and Grass somewhere unseen and inaccessible without Trespassing, so I don't know how that's gonna Work Out?  In the interim, it's the hottest part of the Summer and now because of him nobody can get their Water released!  Well that Sucks and Dammit!!!

 A Posse of the Angriest Men in the Community are going to confront Asshat Guy, one seems willing and quite able to do the Repairs... let us Hope it can be Worked Out amicably and with nobody getting Arrested?   Such Drama over one lone Neighbor way in the back of the Community, which overall is a wonderful and cooperative bunch of Neighbors.  But Asshat Guy's Property is at the very start of where Irrigation flows into the Community, so his problems become everyone's problems with Water flow to the rest of the Community if he refuses to rectify them.  I would have thought that the Irrigation Company could Deal with Problem People, but if the 'problem' with flow stems from Private Ditches and Equipment rather than the Main Ditches they own, they can't.

I've been watering by hand a bit, just to sustain my Trees and Bushes while this Drama gets remediated, so that's added expense upon the Irrigation Fees pre-paid in Annual Fees that we're now NOT getting on Schedule!  Like we need more stressors during a Pandemic when everyone is already close to the Edge and Emotionally Raw, Right?  I wouldn't wanna be Asshat Guy pissing the whole Community off right about now, that's risky business on top of Pandemic risky business!   Water is the most precious commodity in a Desert so messing with people's water is taken as serious as a Heart Attack!  There are folks with more to lose than just Pasture Grass dying so they're highly upset!  Many have food bearing Crops and mature food bearing Trees, Livestock and other Mature Landscaping that is 40+ Years Old on their Mini Farms! 

So, waking up to the Suspension Notice when we should have gotten our Water Yesterday and my Grass just got cut so is in need of the entire Pasture area watered, Sucked!   T.J. said he's going to take care of the Situation with his Brother and some other Men in the Community... I'm sure he will.  It's gonna look like the Villagers storming Frankenstein's Castle I think, sans the Torches since we have Fire Bans in place during Summer... and mebbe with Pitchforks, I dunno?  *LOL*   Tho' this Community is filled with the best Neighbors and close knit Community you could possibly ask for, if anyone causes a disturbance in The Force and The Calm Tranquility of our slices of Eden, they're swiftly Dealt with OG Style.

We bought a Weed Whacker Yesterday so that The Son could finish the trimming part, since he's taking over the Landscaping duties from T.J. while he's living here and Helping us in Trade for his Room and Board.  That saves me a considerable outlay Monthly and The Son once worked for a Commercial Landscaper years ago that did many of the Resorts in Scottsdale, so he does a superb job and for Free... which is always the right price.  In fact, he and his Buddies said they will do some of the small Construction Jobs I need done too, all being Experienced in The Trades and I know all these Young Men, so Trust them with the Work.  They will get Paid of coarse, but it will be on a Hood Hook-Up basis, since I'm like a 2nd Mom to them all.  *Winks* 

So, that was my Excitement for the Weekend, not anything Planned and I would have preferred Good Excitement to stimulate me and not Drama and a Headache!   I've been bundling up my Old Magazine stash like Crazy since I keep Selling Out in the Showroom of the Antique Mall.  Apparently Pandemic Boredom is rampant and reading material from any Era is appreciated.  The last four bundles were done last Night and unless I dredge up more Magazines packed up somewhere in the RV Garage, I think that's the balance of 'em?  Most of these bundles were the better European Decor Magazines that were expensive even way back when.  I've almost Sold Out of my bundles of Decor Hardcover Books too.

We looked at rolling Air Conditioning Units while getting our Weed Whacker, really need one of those for the RV Garage and might look into the financing of one.  I'm chomping at the bit to get into the RV Garage and start working on it again.  That really wiled the time away in the Spring when we could while in Lock Down.  We got so much done and it made it so we weren't bored and felt productive doing something we wanted and needed to do after moving in.  With only being here Six Months we've done a lot, mostly due to Pandemic keeping us sequestered here at Home with nothing but Time on our Hands and lots to do after the Big Move.   

Every time I go by a Home Improvement Store their parking lots are full, so clearly we're not the only ones working on our Home for lack of other stuff to be able to do during Pandemic!  *LOL*  I need a catalyst in order to prompt me to roll out of Bed before Noon most Days now!  It's past 3:00 in the P.M. and I only just now made Breakfast, that's how out of Touch with Time I am right now!  *LMAO*  Well, I guess you can eat a Breakfast Burrito at any time of the Day, Right?  *Winks*  I'm still in my Nighttime Pajamas tho', never bothered to get dressed in either Daytime Pajamas or Real Clothes yet, but I have to eventually.

Because I have to make that run to the Antique Mall to drop off the final bundles of Old Magazines and boost that Bottom Line.   Since it's a slow Monday I may even foof the Showroom and ready it for Seasonal Vignettes for Halloween and Christmas.  Bored people are indulging in Retail Therapy for now so might as well take advantage of that, while they're still buying shit they don't need.  *Smiles*  We're still concentrating on Essential needs ourselves even tho' I do have a Birthday coming up this Month so could have an excuse to Indulge.  I just don't really Feel like it, which is very out of Character for me, I must say!  *Gasp!*  But, I might get over that by the 16th...

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Blessings, Love, Light, Peace, Good Vibes, Be Well and Stay Safe... Dawn... The Bohemian