An Acquired Taste Of Tasteless Blogging

 Well, I picked up Two Friday Night Shifts on Monday Morning, including a Friday The 13th, to cover for another ailing Co-Worker at the Antique Mall.  We have an Aging Population of Vendors there and many are either very Old or in Poor Health.  Richard is a Friend of mine and Survived a Quadruple Bypass Surgery AND Liver Transplant in 2025.  But tried to come back to Work and apparently, he's now missing a lot of Work, which is understandable given what he's gone thru.  So, I never mind covering for Richard, I did it directly after his Surgery and Recovery, tho' I don't want his Permanent Shifts to become mine.  I think they're gonna have to consider finding a permanent replacement for him finally.  He's a Retired Bank Executive from one of the same Banks I'm a Retired Executive from.

Richard has the really good stuff of Merch, and was Wise enuf to Invest heavily in Metals even before they skyrocketed, so financially he's solid.  He'd told me to Buy lots of Gold and Silver a few Years ago but I didn't have the Investment Seed Money to do so with supporting such a large Family on just a Retirement/Disability income primarily.  You can't Invest much when you're tapped out just providing the Essentials.  That's the dilemma of most Americans who are Working hard, not just Retirees on a Fixed Income.  I do have Bank Stock that keeps performing, that I had from back when I was a Bank Executive.  So long as I get Quarterly Checks and they have kept increasing, it's still a nice Passive Income flow.  Holding Gold or other Precious Metals, is Fine as Value Skyrockets, but it's only when you Resell it that you can Cash in on your Investment of it.

Physical Gold does not pay Dividends or Interest, or generate Cash Flow.  It relies solely upon Price Appreciation for Returns.  Income can only be generated by Investing in Gold Mining Stocks, Gold EFT's that pay Dividends, or by Leasing Gold thru Specialized Platforms.  So, I've never personally made it part of my Investment Portfolio, tho' I would have liked to have bought a nice stack of Krugerrands back when they Sold them at the Bank I was an Executive of in the 1980's Era, but Gold was spiking then and so I passed thinking they cost too much. *LOL, well, it was a lot in 1980 compared to other more lucrative Investment Options available back then.*   Plus, it was around the time I became a Single Unmarried Parent too, which changed my Financial Dynamic, as Kids just do.  *Winks*

 

I'm dredging up Archived Food Porn Imagery for ya since I haven't been Eating Out as Budget constraints dictate cutting back on Non-Essential Spending while the Economy continues spiraling downwards.  I just had to dispute one of The Man's Cardiac Medical Bills, successfully, it was an Administrative Error that should have Billed TriCare For Life, which is his Secondary Insurer that pays what Medicare, his Primary, doesn't.  It's a Process, but sometimes even the VA will pay out something with enuf Documentation and advising them within a certain amount of time if TriCare and your Primary don't cover a Medical Emergency that the VA can't at their Main Hospital.  So, The Man has always had to have Civilian Cardiologists assigned to him.  

I didn't go to The Gym this Morning, I overslept in spite of Sleeping so much of Sunday away.  Princess T doesn't Work on Sundays or Mondays so I have no transportation obligations.   Mando and The Daughter picked up her Son from his Dad's when he called at 11:30 p.m. for pickup.  He normally doesn't spend the Night there and I'm not quite sure why his Dad isn't providing Transportation?   Anyway, I did Mail all our Bills when I knew half our Checks/Income had finally hit, the rest should hit on or around Mid-Month IF it's on Time this Month???  But, I haven't yet gone in to the Antique Mall to deliver my Merch or get out of my Jammies and it's 11:30 a.m. already, I'm sitting here Blogging with not a lot of Ambition to Motivate me.  *Le Sigh and LOL*  The Back Seat of the Truck has it all ready to go... I'm just not ready to go.  And, so it's been.

 

I have my Day Clothes laid out at least, to put on... just... haven't.  This has been a Bottoming Out kinda Low this time of a Bipolar Funk.  I could just Feel like going back to Sleep actually and Sleep another Day away now the Bills went out so there's no sense of Urgency to do a damned thing really.  And, I just might.   LATER:  I did, I slept 'til 3:25 and didn't do anything but Mail those Bills, stayed in my Jammies and intend to now.   I think I'm doing Okay for the Moment.  The Son did Princess T's Taxes.  Even tho' she's only earning Minimum Wage and not even always getting full Hours, she still OWED, WTF?!  

Between State and Feds she owed about $300 and that's ridiculous for someone on Poverty Income, who has to still live at Home with their Grandparents to survive!  Especially when Billionaires are paying NO Taxes ever.  She has Money Saved for her first Car so she just Paid it out of that so she's Square with the IRS coz she remembers when her Uncle got Audited for Owing Ten Bucks when he was earning Minimum Wage at a Part-Time Job at Wal-Mart when The Trades were laying folks off before.  But that's the System in place so whaddya gonna do?  I have no Idea what we'll Owe, I'm sure we will tho', you can never pay them enuf when you're ordinary Taxpayers, even Retirees with Dependents still.

So, I got another Letter from HUMANA, the new Medicare Advantage Provider, saying that Lifetime Penalty being Assessed, that I'm Appealing, won't be automatically deducted from my Social Security until February payment of it is due, so I will have to send the Payment in for January, WTF?!  I already sent Proof in more than once that I don't Owe a Penalty coz I didn't Enroll Late, I did have TriCare Prescription Drug Coverage ever since I've been Eligible for Medicare and you can't have Two Federal Drug Coverages, so I was ineligible for Part D!!!   Anyway, Heather from Member Services took all that information down AGAIN, by Phone this time since clearly the Paperwork I filled out in November, and again in January, didn't resolve the problem and error!!!

She told me to go ahead and Pay the Penalty while we wait the 14 Days for this all to process and then I should get any Penalties I've already been assessed, refunded, and they'd be sending Hard Copy Evidence of that too.  I sure Hope so, this is really getting Old and very frustrating.  Even tho' it's only $14.49 a Month in Penalties, I don't Owe it and it will otherwise be incorrectly Assessed FOR LIFE, so, Fuck that, I want it Resolved NOW.  I've always had Prescription Drug Coverage and I've never Enrolled Late and met all Deadlines without even coming close to the Deadline Dates.  I'm Proactive like that, I'm not one of those 11th Hour Enrollees.  I do Wonder how Seniors Cope who aren't in good Mental Condition to jump thru all these Mentally Challenging Hoops and Advocate for themselves?  Donnie Two Dolls has us all on The Hurry Up And Die Plan now.

Anyway, Fun Times.  The Daughter is having Mando sign her up for Nutritional Assistance Online, she finally got over her Paranoia about trying to Qualify.  She has Qualified before, and has no Income and isn't Employable due to the extent of her Disability, so it should go thru without a hitch, but, you never know anymore.  I told her I don't mind Feeding her, but it would be Helpful to my Grocery Budget if she had some Benefits for Nutritional Assistance so it's not all on our Dime to ensure she gets to Eat.  I've stretched my limited fixed income Budget every kind of which way to have this many folks in the Household needing to Survive this Economic and Employment Situation at Hand.  The Son is still on Appeal for both Nutritional Assistance and Unemployment Benefits he SHOULD be receiving and isn't.

He also has no idea how to approach the Claw Back the ACA is wanting back of their Subsidy they Qualified him for when he was Working and Uninsured, but now, says they want most of the Money back now he's Unemployed and would be Homeless if not living with us!!!  It's now Owed to the IRS so he's got to now Deal with the Federal Government and can't set up a Payment Plan coz he has NO Income and no prospects yet of Employment, no Transportation, and no Home of his own... he's totally dependent upon us right now or he'd be one of the Street People.  And he's been Homeless before but I couldn't just throw him to the Curb when he lost his Job thru no fault of his own, they Laid everyone Off who had 5-35 Years with the Company!!!  And screwed them all over.

 I don't know how the IRS would expect to receive Payback from someone on The Streets... it's all pretty messed up IMO.  They're going after Unhoused Unemployed Laid-Off Folks, who couldn't afford Healthcare without the ACA in the first place.  And the whole Healthcare Marketplace thing seems quite Questionable now, that they Qualify folks for Affordable Healthcare, and then hit them up with Taxes Owed on the Subsidy they provided and want almost all of the Subsidy back when it's Tax time!!!  How is that Helpful to those who Need Affordable Healthcare?  And now when you file your Taxes you must prove you have Healthcare Coverage, so I don't know what they do to those that are Uninsured, have none, and can't afford any either? 

The Bureaucrazy is out of Control... and yes, I intended to spell it exactly that way coz it's Crazy!   I will Battle this error of theirs to the Ends of this Earth, so, I will get my Pound of Flesh each Month if they keep Charging me the Penalty, to ensure my $14.49 gets me some satisfaction of Tormenting them at least.  *Winks*  It will be easier for them, and more Cost Effective, to not have me Calling every single Month otherwise, to just resolve the matter and quit dragging it out.  Four Months of this and not getting it resolved is ridiculous.  Medicare and Social Security keeps telling me it is HUMANA that has to fix it so I've been leaning on HUMANA to fix it since the other Two Agencies won't and threw the Provider under the Bus.  I didn't have the Problem with United Healthcare, so mebbe it IS a HUMANA error, I don't know, don't Care... just Fix it already.

Also I brought up that a Pharmacy that filled a recent one-off Rx for me from my Dentist that TriCare thru Express Scripts doesn't cover, said Part D Paid for it and didn't charge me.  So I also asked her if that was yet another Error needing resolution?  Coz I shouldn't be Eligible for Part D as far as I know, unless Federal Laws have been Changed allowing you to have both TriCare For Life Prescription Drug Coverage AND Part D on your Advantage Plan???  I'm not a Provider so I don't know how they structure all of this shit with the Federal Government, but if it's a problem I want that Fixed too.  I don't want later them coming back and saying, oh, it was a Mistake and now you Owe X-Amount for all that Prescription Coverage Part D paid for on your behalf... you know?

It's annoying enuf the Feds didn't Honor their Military Contracts with Veterans for the Free Lifetime Coverage of Medical/Drugs that was an EARNED Benefit they were Entitled to and has been rescinded and altered.   So now we have to pay for it all... so I just don't wanna be stiffed for even more already.   The Base Satellite Pharmacy had so few of the Meds we must take that we couldn't use it anymore and after a certain Age you can no longer use the Base Clinics either and MUST go straight Civilian and find one that takes TriCare and/or your Medicare Coverage, paying Out of Pocket for what's not covered now.  And, paying always increasing Co-Pays on your Medications thru the alternate method of receiving them thru Express Scripts thru TriCare.  Or, pay the full price at a Local Civilian Pharmacy.

Thanks for allowing me the Vent, I feel much better now.  *Winks and Laughs*    I wear my Above T-Shirt a LOT lately.  Every time I do I get stopped by folks telling me they LOVE it!   Even tho' the Media would have you to Believe Metro Phoenix is heavily MAGA, it really isn't, it's more the Rural parts of Arizona that are on that Crazy Train.  Not that the City doesn't have some, they held the Charlie Kirk Memorial here and that was quite the Human Sideshow lemme tell ya, we drove around the Stadium people watching the devout and OMG what an entertaining bunch they were!  And I see the allegedly 'Grieving Widow' moved on pretty quick.  *Winks*  

 

Marriage of Convenience perhaps?  Who knows, but she sure never seemed Grief Stricken and was promoting that Assassination to make it financially lucrative, like it was Tickets to a Major Event.  Doesn't DATELINE often cover when the Person who Profits most from a Homicidal Death is... well... kinda Suspect... but, I won't even go there...  And I don't know anyone actually Investigated it very much either, so she made considerable Bank off her Husband being Assassinated and Martyred.  The more I learned about the Guy and their Organization, the more vile it all sounded, tho' allegedly "Faith Based" it sure spewed loads of Hatred and Vitriol.   So, I'm Supposing it attracts those Hateful and Bitter Christians???  *Eye Roll and ah, what WOULD Jesus do and think about all of that?!  Winks*

Right now there's a big Push in Metro Phoenix by the Kirk Cult to rename Freeways and shit after him, since they consider him some kind of Saint they revere as such... it's not Popular, as one might Guess.   But hey, Cults be doing Cult shit like that.   Anyway, you can't tell people what to align with, whatever is IN them will manifest in what they support and follow and be Evidence of what's really in their Hearts and Minds.  Right now my Heart is Heavy and my Mind is Spinning with what the downfall of America is looking like and coming to in my Lifetime!!!  We've had some Bad and even some Shameful History, to be sure, but this is some frightening shit coming down the Pipeline in Real Time.

Hey remember Melania's Creepy Christmas White House Decor?  *LOL*  I wonder if her Documentary was as Creepy and remotely Honest?  I doubt it, Money Grab is all and Investors foolishly spent Forty Million to make it and another 35 Million to Promote it... had a 7 Million Opening Weekend and is pretty much a Flop, nobody much Cares.  Investors will lose their Shirts on this one for certain and I wonder how much pressure was exacted on them to make and promote what they should have known was a Loser?  You know, to Appease and be Shaken Down or Extorted by he who shall not be named.   

Newbies to the Ole' Blog might have to get used to my Dark Gallow's Humor about what isn't actually Funny Stuff, but makes for great Satirical Comedy Humor all the same.  If you're a Pearl Clutcher, you may have stumbled upon the Wrong Blog to partake of then.  I'm not PC and I am quite Macabre unapologetically.  So would say I'm an Acquired Taste of Tasteless Blogging.  *Bwahahaha*  Hey, great Post Title Hook dont'cha think?  So now I got me a Title for this here Post, I always struggle for Clever sounding Title Hooks.  I usually Write the whole damned thing with ease and effortless Stream of Consciousness and then hit the Wall to Name it.  *LOL*

 I so Admire you Bloggers who come up with some very Clever Post Title Hooks to Name your Posts and draw me in.  Some of you are Brilliant at it.  I've been trying to catch up with Blog Reading, I tend to fall behind coz I'm a prolific Writer but not a very good Reader.  I do Read fast and well, it's just I'm not big on Reading.  Almost all my Books in my vast Library are Visually stimulating ones, not Epic Reads.  Once in a Blue Moon I find a Reading Book that will hold my Focus and Interest to the End of it, but that's Rare, usually I start a Book, lose Interest, and never Finish it.   You've gotta be a very Interesting Writer or have an Interesting and Fascinating Life for me to get to the End of your Book.

   Danny Trejo's Book I finished, he's led a very Interesting and Colorful Life and is a Favorite Actor, Entrepreneur and Philanthropist, so I'm a Fan and have his Cookbooks too.  Loved the Book Eartha Kitt's Daughter Kitt Shapiro Wrote of the wonderful Mother/Daughter Relationship and Life of she and her Mom, who I'm a Fan of also.   Those being only Two Books of recent times I ever Finished.  And, thoroughly enjoyed both, could hardly put them down 'til I did Finish them.   There's a much larger Laundry List of Books I couldn't and didn't Finish and just Donated coz I never was gonna get back to them either.  *LOL*   And some were Biographies or Autobiographies of Celebs I Admire, but their Books were Boring and hard to get thru.  Steven Tyler of Aerosmith, great Cover of the Book, so hard to get thru I quit 1/4 of the way thru.

One of my fav Bloggers Wrote a recent Post about Valentine's Day of Yesteryear.  I remember fondly the Valentine Day Dime Store Card exchanges of Grade School.  Especially looking forward to getting one from whoever I had a Crush on that Year, as if it was especially Meaningfully sent by a 3rd Grader in Love.  *Bwaahahahaha*  I still like the Dime Store Yesteryear Cards Kids used to exchange, quite Collectible now and the Graphics were corny and great, weren't they?  The Blogger wondered if Kids still do that, or send pixs of their Private Bits over their Phones to one another now?  *Ha ha ha*  Yeah, Quaintness is a thing of the past as the Years slog on, Kids are far more Worldly than I remember being at a Tender Age. 

 A lot of the Old School Grade School Cards weren't very PC by Today's Standards, most were very Corny tho' rather than outright Offensively inappropriate.  The Grandkids I Raised are Adults now, but they still did those exchanges when they were in Grade School.  I remember helping them Write on the Backs, especially Princess T, who had Learning Disability Barrier and never could Read or Write well at all, so it was painstaking for her to do 25-30 Cards for her Classmates.  I was Popular as a Kid, since I couldn't eat Chocolate and wasn't fond of the Candies I could eat, so I'd give all mine away and just Keep the Heart Shaped Boxes, which, back then were fabulous too.  I now Collect the Vintage Candy Boxes and the Old Grade School Kitschy exchange Cards of Yesteryear, it's all quite Nostalgic now that Valentine's Day for me is just another day.

I do have a small Collection of these Vintage Elementary School Exchange Cards and always look for more each Year to add to it to Display at Valentine's Day in my Flower Frog Metal Holders around the House.   I like the ones best with Ethnic Children or Dimorphic Food or Items, like the above Dimorphic Whisk.   Usually the Ethnic Child ones aren't very PC in what the Cards say, but the Graphics are so Precious I still always liked them, even as a Child.  I'd of coarse get a lot of those given to me by Classmates if they had one with an Indian Child on it.  *Smiles*  I never found it Offensive and liked those ones best anyway... since most Native Americans were never represented much or well anyway during that Era.   I recall not wanting Dolls that didn't look like MY Interracial Family.

 

The Graphics of Yesteryear overall are still my Favs, they're so Nostalgic and just better Graphics IMO than Modern Cards.  My Grandkids liked the Vintage Cards better too.   Tho' we would search for Hours or even Days looking for that Right Box of Cards for them to exchange with their Classmates.  Princess T being fond of the ones that had a Sucker attached with the Card that you had to insert, but came with the Boxed Set.  The Young Prince, as I recall liked those with Action Heroes best of the early 2000's when he was in Grade School.   And in the 1980's-1990's when my Kiddos were Grade School Aged Ziggy was popular and those were some Cute Graphics.

Except for the Genie one Below the rest are in my Collection of Vintage Exchange Cards with Graphics I thought were Precious.   The Treasure Card with the Arabic Boy was just too spendy and on ETSY, which I rarely Purchase from that site but like to peruse it from time to time to get some nice Blog Fodder Visuals to Share.  I just find ETSY Checkout to not be User Friendly, I never have any Problems with E-Bay.  And I do Trawl Antique Malls during the various Holidays to Score some Vintage Holiday items, but they are scarcer and scarcer these days it seems.  Far too many Vendors don't seem to have Vintage Holiday Merch anymore for Holidays like Halloween, Easter and Valentine's Day particularly.  But Online Auctions still often have a nice array and I like if it's just offered as a Buy-It-Now Feature so I don't have to keep checking if I Won or Lost an Item Bid on.

I Loved the little Juggling Chinese Lanterns on this Vintage Child's Exchange Card and the little Girl is Adorably Precious, in spite of the Like-E reference, typical of that Era tho'.   So this one is in my Personal Collection and reminiscent of the Cards of my Childhood Exchanges.  Remember how you Rated how much your Classmates might Like you or you Liked them by which Card you chose to exchange or they gave you?  *LOL*  I remember in about the 3rd-4th Grade there was a Boy Named Clayton, who had a Gold Front Tooth, and I had such a little Crush on him!   I Cherished that Card he put in my Valentine's Tissue Box that we all had on our Desks and held our Classmates exchanged Cards.  We decorated them Gaudily with those Lacy Heart Paper Napkins and other Glued On tacky Embellishments.  *Ha ha ha*   And one of my BFF's used to Tease me about Clayton and put something Metallic on One of her Front Teeth mocking his Gold Tooth and say, "Who am I?"  *LMAOROTF*  I felt very defensive of Clayton and his Gold Tooth!  *LOL*

 

Above is that ETSY Card that I would have liked to have had in my Collection.  But the Seller sure was mighty Proud of that Card for what they were asking... and, it was on ETSY so I wasn't a Player anyway.  A pity, I really did like it and at half what they were asking, I would have been perhaps a Player even tho' it was ETSY.  *Smiles*  Of coarse, you wouldn't Believe the stratospheric Price Point of most Vintage Valentine's Cards now, OMG.  The Seller I bought my little Buy-It-Now Selection from this Year was not only a Bargain, but after Card No. One, any others were Shipped with it for Free and you got a 20% Discount for Bundling your Purchase too.   So, I Bought Four Cards from them and they seemed to Specialize in Vintage Cards from all Holidays, with an Amazing Selection and all Authentic, mostly Used, tho' they did have some New Old Stock too for a bit more, not Reproductions Cards to resemble Vintage Cards, which is a Big Thing now too.

 

The Fold Out Pirate Kids Card I just Loved and wasn't any more expensive for being a larger Foldout Card.   With an Adorable Pair of Pirate Children.   And the Clinging Vine Valentine Below, the Boy is Adorbs and I Loved the Rose Vine Graphics of.   Probably becoz, when I was a Kid, my Mom always planted a Trellis with a Rose Vine at every Rental Property we lived in while we were Global Nomads.  So Roses on Trellis like this White type are Sentimentally Nostalgic to my Childhood Memories of how Mom made every temporary place we lived during my Dad's long Military Career {27 Years}, Home for that short time we'd be there.  The Rose Trellis being her Constant at every Location.  Even here in Phoenix after he Retired.

Below of coarse is one of my Native American Precious Child Cards and the Saying wasn't too bad as some were when pretending to Talk like an Indian.  *LOL*   And the hilarious depiction of a Totem, that has a Clown Face, was just too funny to me... the Animal Bird Face more Totem accurate, can't recall any Totem with a Clown Face ever.  *Bwahahaha*  The Mohawk Haircut of the little Boy reminded me of my Paternal Cousin, DA, who Wore a Mohawk in the 1960's when he was in Grade School.  And long Traditional Hair the rest of his Life except during his stint in the Marine Corps. as a Tracker during Vietnam Era.  

He said in Vietnam they did let him go back to growing his Hair out and long whilst Tracking in the Jungles tho', and not have to be in 35-10 Haircut Standards.  Like my Dad, he pretended to Shave, which was required, but they don't grow Facial Hair, so just never put a Blade in their Razors.  *LOL*  I Dated a Hawaiian Guy who did the same, for the same reason, he had no Facial Hair growth at all either.   My Brother and my Son valiantly spent Years trying to grow Facial Hair and finally succeeded, but it's thin and very straight, so it doesn't look Right.  The Young Prince can barely grow Facial Hair either, handy for Drag.  The Man can have a Five O'Clock Shadow by Noon, so he just keeps a Beard now he's no longer in the Military, he had to Shave Twice Daily otherwise.   My Family just don't have much, if any, Body Hair, so we needn't have ever Shaved, whether Male or Female.

Tomorrow Morning, since I take Princess T in to Work earlier than usual on Tuesdays, I am hitting The Gym for sure.  There won't be many folks there at about 6:30 a.m. when I should arrive after dropping her off at Work by 6:00 a.m., then at 9:00 a.m. I'll finally drop my Merch off at the Antique Mall on the way Home when they Open at 9:00 a.m..  Our Antique Mall is on the same Road as my Gym is, so a straight shot on the way back Home.  I will also stop and do my Grocery Shopping at "Sprouts" after the Antique Mall since that's on the way Home too, both Locations, one near our Antique Mall, the other just a Block from Home.  Late Night and Early Mornings is when they have marked down items.

Tho' Mando did bring some Tamales from his Aunt's House Today, they have to be Steamed tho', they're not ready to eat yet.  So, we'll Steam them Tomorrow, I don't have it in me to do that Tonight before Bed and it's too late to eat now either.   The Fried Chicken is almost all gone so I needn't have worried about having leftover Chicken for Days.  *LOL*  With Allen's Dad and Grandpa not staying to have anything to eat and declining the invitation to take any with them, I thought we'd now have too much, but, we had other Guests and it's gotten eaten up pretty quickly actually.  *Whew*  I like KFC but wouldn't wanna it it for like Three Days Straight... and all the Fixins' got eaten on Day One.

I got my Tupperware E-Bay Lids for those 1970s Vintage Cereal Bowls, Mint Condition, looks like New Old Stock actually, there is a Set of 7 and I got a great Deal on them, Lids are notoriously hard to Source for Vintage Tupperware coz it's what got Lost or damaged the most.  And even in the Seventies I don't remember that we had the Lids to the Cereal Bowls so they may have been Sold separately anyway?  I wanted these not just for Vintage Size Servings of Cereal, but also as Storage Bowls for small Leftovers.  We try not to Waste Food and so try to use up everything we Cook.  The Man is the only one notorious for not eating his Leftovers and forgetting he even has them or not wanting anyone else to eat it and so it goes to Waste and gets thrown out.

Back in the early days at the Antique Mall we always had better Vignettes, now most Vendors don't bother with Vignetting it and what we're Selling now that is what Buyers want, isn't Merch that Creates good Vignettes either.  I miss the Vignette Days of Styling for our Spaces tho', I ain't gonna Lie.   Our current Customers always say they Love our Showroom, but to me it doesn't look as Nice as my Old Days Showrooms when it was easier to Sell Antiques, Vintage Items and Serious Collectibles and/or Architectural Salvage.  Those things you could Vignette It in Stylish ways to Merchandise it in Visually Attractive ways.  Even the Events now, the Vignettes and Merch ain't what they used to be and they've had to evolve to suit Today's Buyers.  It kinda sucks, I miss the Old Days of Resale and Collecting.

*******

Happy Valentine's Day from the Arizona Desert... Dawn... The Bohemian

Back To Sequential Posts In Order

 I'm now Two Unpublished Blog Posts ahead again even tho' they're out of sequential order.  *LOL*   This one will be in sequential order tho', none are hanging out there forgotten now.  *Winks and Smiles*  When my Head ain't on Straight shit like that happens, what can I say?  My Head has been on the Swivel lately, it's had to be.  I think by Tomorrow, which in Real Time will be a Monday and start of a brand new Week and kind of kick starting February, I'll have it more pulled together and held down?  

I do plan on going in to the Antique Mall early and mebbe should even hit The Gym first, coz I've been MIA on my vow to do that more consistently now I'm paying for my Membership out of Pocket rather than via Medicare paying since Humana's Silver Sneakers didn't cover that Gym and I didn't wanna change Gyms.  I like "Lifetime Fitness" and their Facilities, so when they were willing to give me a Senior Program Deal to retain me, I was agreeable to it if they made it affordable for me, which, they did.  And now, I have no Ageism Restrictions either, which is much better and more convenient.

I'm Obsessed with this Kay Adams Line of Bohemian Bling, so Beautiful, Unique and Inspiring use of Found Objects to remake into Creative Custom Jewelry.   I'll be sprinkling in various Imagery I pulled off Pinterest Dives into various Jewelry Creations I was drawn to when I did my Deep Dive to Uplift myself out of the Funk and Dark Space I was Holding there for a while.  Art always Uplifts, in any Form, the Arts I think is what makes Society just better and difficult times more tolerable.  What would we do without the Arts, be it Music, Acting, Painting, Drawing, Literature, Sculpture, Architecture, Creating Objects, and numerous other Art Forms that are Uniquely Human Expression?

Several of these Images are Creations of Talented Friends of mine too, whose Art I've Bought for a long time and Collected.   Like my Friend Cyndie who is an Amazing Jewelry Artisan who Sells her Line at Events.   And Ben Molina, who goes by "The Creative Native", a Yaqui Tribal Art Vendor and Yaqui Indigenous Tribal Member, who used to be at our other Antique Mall Location.   I had heard that mebbe Ben has Passed Away now, I haven't seen him or his Indigenous Skull Art in a long time being offered and had wondered if he just Retired or Passed?  I only Wish I'd Bought more of it, but he'd always Sell Out and I could usually only Budget for One Purchase annually to add to my Collection.  Choosing just One was always difficult, each being Unique and OOAK.  Ben was Careful not to replicate any of his Art and all of it had Symbolic Significance in the Design and Native Graphics of it.

The Band of Pascua Yaqui were Federally Recognized in Arizona by the Federal Government quite late, in 1978.   I always suspected that my Ex was of Yaqui Ancestry, but he was Adopted and so his Records were Sealed and he never could get them released.  The Son is skittish to submit his DNA to Ancestry, he has conspiracy theories about why they Collect DNA and he could be Right, so I respect that tho' he'd like to know, he'll never do it.  As it is, he said my Results were so inconclusive, with the 21% "Other Of Undetermined Origin" determination from Ancestry Dot Com, that he doesn't really Trust their results and Database either, mebbe they speculate and make up a lot of it, I dunno either?  

I know I had to submit my DNA Three times before they could conclusively say what their inconclusive findings were that didn't match any of what my Dad's side of the Family ever Shared Generation to Generation.  Since they didn't have Written Tribal Language, so Storytelling was all we had, no Historic Records kept.   I don't even know if some of the Ancestors, including Grandparents and certainly not Great-Grandparents, even had Birth Certificates or traceable Roots?   And Federal Recognition really means squat, since they Cherry Picked what Indigenous Tribes they chose to Recognize or not Recognize.  It had no bearing on any Tribes actual existence or legitimacy as First Nations Peoples whose Land was Stolen from them and involuntarily displaced and relocated just anywhere.  Any Nomadic People just were on the Move constantly migrating and had no concept of Land 'Ownership'.

Anyway, Loved Ben's Work and he was originally from the Tucson area where the Yaqui Rez is and has about 19,000 enrolled Members on this side of the Border.  Many more Yaqui are in Mexico, about 16,000 to 20,000.  I've visited where they are in their Traditional Territory of Mexico in the State of Sonora, with some in Sinaloa.   Many were displaced to Arizona in the late 19th and early 20th Century, which is why half still reside here.  And a lot of Americans who don't know their History, forget that a lot of States, such as Arizona, were once part of Mexico and we Purchased from Mexico.   

So a lot of Hispanic Residents were always here, and here first too, going many more Generations back than any Americans here.   So anyone NOT Hispanic or Indigenous were the Immigrants, and it's the Hispanics and Indigenous who Belonged here, not the other way around.  Whitewashed History always annoys the fuck out of me and fosters Ignorance and spreads Misinformation or outright Lies and fabrications that some cling to and Imagine is Factual.  We should be Teaching accurate History in our Schools even if some of the Facts and Historical Events are uncomfortable.  I got tired when I was in School of the omissions in Historical Events that were conveniently never talked about becoz it was some shameful History that should never be on Repeat.  And this Administration is trying to Rewrite History that is all fake and not based on Facts or Truth.

 

I actually talked very recently to some Middle Aged American folks who legitimately were unaware of what was done to Japanese Americans during WWII.  Or to Chinese Immigrants during the Gold Rush Years.  They were astounded about unpleasant History they knew nothing about. A lot of Asian History in America is also very unpleasant, so omission is common.  My Maternal Gran-Gran was Raised by Chinese Stepparents who Raised he and his Four other Younger Siblings as their own when his Mom became a Widow during WWI and had Eleven Children.  She kept the Six Older ones and a Chinese Childless Family she knew took in the Younger Five, which included my Maternal Grandfather.  So that's how my Gran-Gran grew up in both Cultures and learned a lot about Asian Culture and Asian History around the World.  And he was a Buddhist all of his Life.

Since I did nothing really on Sunday I've got to make up for it on Monday by getting things Done!   My Day of Rest on the Sabbath to Restore my Soul and Center myself Mentally is over now and I do Feel better for having taken a full Day of Rest.   The Man said he's still not feeling very good, he's been having some very rough Days lately and it concerns me and so I don't wanna drag him around if I can't get anyone to watch him here for me so I can get things done.  When he doesn't want to Tag along I know he's not Feeling Well, coz he usually always is eager and wanting to Tag along no matter what mundane or inane shit I'm doing.  He's opting out in recent days of even the things he likes to do and usually looks forward to.  And I think it's more Physical inability going on than the Dementia related Issues he now struggles with too.

His Birthday is this Month on the 18th, my Brother's is on the 6th, both of them have been recently really struggling with their already lengthy illnesses and overall Poor Health.  So I do worry about both of them a lot.  I try not to think upon it too much since Doc's prognosis for both of them has been grim for so long now that we just didn't Receive all of the Expiration Dates given them that they surpassed and Lived beyond the Bad News Predictions and prognosis of.  But I know they're both on what Medical Experts have said for a long time now is borrowed Time and have been shocked they are still piping along despite Medical Evidence to the contrary that they should have succumbed to and just didn't and wouldn't.  But, I know you can only Cheat Death so many times before it will eventually catch up to you.  So, I just don't dwell on it.  You become Thankful each Day for yet another Day given.

I've had some hard but relevant and necessary discussions in recent Days with the rest of the Family about challenges we're faced with.  As a Unit we have to pull together to make it all Work Out and not fold up like a House of Cards.   I know 2026 is gonna be a very Challenging Year, perhaps even a Cataclysmic one, if my Predictions do come to pass?  I Hope they don't and I'm Wrong about what I foresaw, I'd rather be Wrong than Right about any of it I'm Tormented with the Premonitions of actually.   Only Family and The Blog I've said anything at all about it, more as a Release to me personally.   In Real Life I don't Share Premonitions often, if at all, unless they would actually be Helpful to someone specific I have them about and are preventable.  If they're not preventable, I will not Share them in Real Life.  And if someone isn't a Believer in Prophesy or Predictions and don't chose to prevent what is preventable, it will just happen as foretold then. 

The Man Learned that early on the Hard way, when my Family Predicted some things preventable, Warned him of it in dire Detail, but, he chose not to heed or Believe.  Both Mom and my Welsh Uncle did so numerous times for him as a protective measure, early in our Marriage.  And after a few came to pass that he refused to think wasn't just foolish Superstition, and he either mocked or ignored and didn't try to prevent as they advised he should, coz he didn't think it would happen.  And, well, it happened just as Foretold, eerily so, and he sure as shit wished he'd taken the Gift of being Forewarned and done something with it to prevent what happened to him that was not Good and caused him harm.  Now he heeds any and all Premonition Forewarnings, even the ones I tell him can't be prevented, they're just coming.

I think part of why I Slept almost all of Sunday away is that many of the Bad Premonitions are interrupting my Sleep lately and waking me with Alarm, I don't want to 'See' what is being 'Shown'.   Especially since, I know these are not the preventable types I can take preventative measures against either to avoid.  They're just coming and there's nothing to Stop them from happening.  And I Hate those ones.  A Heads Up might do us some good, to be forearmed when forewarned, but that's not a certainty either.  Some shit's just gonna be some Bad Shit to go thru no matter what.  And even some preventable shit doesn't get prevented, The Man's Catastrophic Accident could have been Prevented.  He knows this coz I told him less than 48 Hour before it happened that I had a Premonition and didn't want him Driving anymore to prevent it.

He did take it Seriously enuf he consulted his VA Doctor the very next Day.  Who evaluated him for "Fitness to Drive" and just said your Wife is Wrong, you're perfectly Fine to Drive.  And the Premonition was just that he'd be in a near Fatal Accident.  But, I couldn't tell him for sure WHY he was gonna be in it, except that if he wasn't the Driver, he could avoid being in it, so just don't Drive anymore or it's gonna happen Honey.   So he stubbornly went out, just a couple days later, luckily in my bigger Truck than his Jeep {coz he'd of Died in the smaller Vehicle}, coz I was still distraught about him not heeding my advice and very Mad at his VA Doc at the time too.   Who swayed him not to give up Driving just due to a "Premonition" I'd had.  A lot of Docs and Academic think that's not a Real Thing.  Whatever.

 And so, he got T-Boned at an Intersection near our Home on The Young Prince's 13th Birthday in 2013, lots of Numerology there too, with the 13's.  And well, Double Brain Damage, 10 Months in Hospitals, requiring Full Time Caregiving from that Day forth, and Costing us well over a Million Bucks in Lifetime Medical Debts to Deal with that our Insurances were not gonna Cover.  Plus, the Loss of my Career and most of my Pension, to have to stay Home and take Care of him and suffer my Breakdown.  In hindsight, he says, he should have and could have just heeded my Advice to prevent what happened coz it was a preventable one and I knew this and stressed it.  It was his Choice of One of Two Destinies, he chose unwisely that time.  It Cost us all tho'.  And so, now here we are in the Aftermath over a Decade later.

And if I get preventable Premonitions about myself, I always heed them, even the smaller ones, coz, why go thru something you can prevent and don't have to?   I've done spontaneous shit when given a hasty speedy Premonition and don't even think about NOT doing what I'm advised to do via it.  Example of just One, I'm driving down the Freeway at about 75 mph and with folks in the Vehicle, when suddenly one of those hasty Forewarnings hits telling me to change Lanes immediately.  I had to do it so hastily that the Family got alarmed and asked what I was doing and so I told them, Premonition hit to just immediately Change Lanes, I'm not gonna Question the Why!!!  But something Bad is gonna happen.  I can choose not to be involved now and in the way of it.   Can't prevent the whole thing, just my part of it.

And, within Seconds of the Lane Change, a Vehicle that had been directly behind me lost a Wheel and the Wheel went flying past us in the Lane we had been in... the Car lost Control and there was a huge pileup then of Vehicles due to it.  We dodged that Bullet by mere Seconds or would have been part of the Carnage.  Avoided it only due to heeding the hasty Forewarning without Questioning it.   Now, if you asked me How I knew this was gonna happen, I couldn' t even tell ya the How.  Just that it comes to me and I take it Seriously when it does and Obey if it's preventable for me being involved or avoiding involvement by Choosing Wisely to heed the Forewarning to alter that Fate.   I don't mind or Hate the preventable ones.  Only if someone decides not to take it Seriously enuf to prevent something that will happen otherwise, usually to them specifically if they don't.

*******

I don't Care really who disbelieves, that's on them... Dawn... The Bohemian