Channeling Autumnal Vibes Early

Even tho' it's the 18th of August in Real Time, in Unpublished Post Time I'm on to September 4th now.  *Bwahahahaha*  I like the duality of it, I don't know why, I'm Weird like that I guess.  Well, in other ways too, I know I'm a total Weirdo and enjoy unusual things that few would understand the Appeal of.   I've got The Man making our Bed right now, he does it Military Style, you could bounce a Quarter off the Sheets when he's finished.  *Smiles*  Usually we leave it unmade coz each of us takes Naps so we don't usually bother to make it.  But, it is True that the Condition of your Bed shows the Condition of your Head, so, Today I felt like we should have it looking Made and Pretty.  *Winks* 

 Yes, I'm in a good and Positive Head Space for a change so I take advantage of those days when I am very Optimistic and Energized Emotionally and Mentally.  Physically it can be iffy, with the dampness I have a lot of Pain in my Bones and Sciatica.  So, I'm rubbing lots of the MJ Products Rusty and Princess T got me on to take the edge off the Pain.  Even if it's just a placebo, I don't Care, honestly, coz it can be so Painful I Need to THINK something is Working.  *LOL*  My Dad always used his Mind to alleviate Pain, he always told us Pain was a figment of your Imagination so you CAN override it with the Power of your Thoughts.  It's why Crazy folks can be unphased by what happens to their Bodies... and why a Placebo will work.

Anytime I had to give the Kiddos something for Pain they had I'd always tell them I couldn't give them very much of it, coz it was really Strong.  Now, it wasn't, but they didn't know that, and so they THOUGHT it was really Strong and whatever I then gave them of whatever it was, worked Fine for them.  The same with The Man, now his Brain is addled, if I give him something when he's complaining of Misery, I tell him I can't give him very much of it coz it's very Strong, and it makes him Calm and feeling like it took Care of whatever Misery he was having.  Shush, don't tell any of them, tho' perhaps they don't read the ole' Blog, so my Secret is Safe with you and I.  *Bwahahahaha*  Yes, it is deceptive, but, often I had nothing I could give them for intense suffering, and didn't want them addicted to Pain Management Opioids, so, you work with what you have.

I had thought about doing Environmental Cleanup this Morning, but then I remembered that The Man has his VA Nursing Home Help Evaluation Today to reinstate Services.   She comes at Noon, so I wanted to finish housekeeping, coz I'd had Inventory scattered everywhere it didn't belong.  *Le Sigh*  And so now everything is looking presentable, coz I know they evaluate us Old Folks Homes as well as how capable we are of Caring for ourselves and our conditions.  I also did some Grocery Shopping, mostly for Fresh items and staples we use a lot, still came to over $200, even with getting most of it on Sale.  But we're well stocked up now for the rest of the Month.

I had to argue with the Grocer Cashier coz they'd put the wrong product by the Sale Signs.  They'd put Buy 3 get 3 Free in a big Sale Sign with a Big Arrow on an Endcap Display of the Wrong Product.  Customers can't know they made a Mistake, so I thought, great, I'll get Six and only pay for Three.  The Cashier argued with me that it wasn't that product on that Sale, I told her their Display said it was and that was the only product there with the Sign.  I took Pictures and went to Customer Service and the Lady there agreed, their Mistake, confusing for Customers, so she comped me the Sale pricing.   It was a $12 Savings, so considerable enuf to Call them Out on it.  I told the Kid setting up the Display too that he was putting the Wrong product with the Sale Sign.  I don't know they'll bother to fix it?

So, that was my early Morning battle for the day.  *Winks*  I got Berries, just in case they all go up and not just Strawberries.  So we have Strawberries, Raspberries, Blackberries, Blueberries and they had some Pineapple Spears on Sale too.  They had Red Chicken Tamales half price so I got a Dozen of those.  And they had the Spicy Italian Sausage from their Butcher Shop, on a deep Discount too so I got Two packages of 10, they were only $3.24 each, and we'll make Spaghetti Sauce with them a couple times with having 20 of them.  They had lean Hamburger for 50% Off so I got that too to make Chili with.  I don't know why they were having such a Meat Special, but perhaps folks are afraid to eat Meat right now with all the contaminants being out of Check due to this incompetent Regime cutting FDA Staffing?  I see Commercials now touting Parasite Cleansing Products!!!  Yikes!

I got some Bakery items on Sale, mostly a variety of Muffins and an Almond Poppyseed Loaf.  Anyway, got it all done early before things really heat up coz they're expecting 116 degree Heat again Today.  After his Nurse from the VA comes to do his Eval I think we'll go Trade In our Aluminum at the Recycling place and get some Cash, I have the whole back of my Truck full.  The Man is pretty Happy that the VA Nursing here at Home will resume, I am too, Nurse Remi took really good Care of him and helped our whole Family out actually.   Anyway, his Mood is borderline Today, so I can tell he's struggling.  I had him helping put Groceries away and he was cursing doing it.  Obviously confused about what to put where in the Fridge, so The Daughter took over so he wouldn't have a Meltdown before his Nurse comes. 

And when he made the Bed this Morning, instead of his usual Quarter Bouncing doing it right and tight, it was all lumpy and I think he left some Pillows and Blankets under there in a pile.  *LOL and Eye Roll*  Oh well, if he's at least trying I still have him doing little things so he's not Opting Out of helping around the House and glued to the TV nonstop.  Which will just make his Brain go more to mush and his Body go to Hell with inactivity.  We're trying to slow down the progression of his deterioration as much as is possible.  He'll grumble about being asked to do virtually anything anymore, like a Teenaged Boy would, but I still tell him to Help out anyway, even if we have to redo it afterwards.  It's the discipline of him remaining somewhat Active and having to Think things through, that is what I'm instilling. 

Anyway, his Nurse will be here in an Hour and I don't think I'll drag him along to do my errands afterwards coz I can tell it's not a Good Day for him at all.  He's giving everyone the Stink Eye early for some reason, we never know what's going on inside his Head.  He was agreeable to taking all his Meds and Shots {Tuesdays he has to take Two Injections}, eating his Breakfast and a Muffin as a Treat after Breakfast, so, at least he's Medicated, fed and watered until Lunchtime.  We usually just leave him alone to watch his Reruns of his Shows and then he's Content with his Routine being uninterrupted.  Very early this Morning he was in a Good Mood, but it deteriorated rather fast for some reason.  You never know Why???   And I'm Blogging in our Bedroom, so, now that everything is mostly done, and The Son is Home from Work in his Room, and The Daughter has been Home, I have Backup for his Caregiving and we take turns Dealing with him.  *Smiles*

I've been following that high profile Trial of the Young Mom of Three who had Post-Partum Depression and obvious other Serious Mental Health Issues who Killed all Three of her Kids Aged 5, 3 and a few Months Old.  What slays me is she'd been under the Care of Shrinks and Therapists for a long time, was on Psyche Meds, communicated to the Husband and her Mother that she was overwhelmed and feeling like she wanted to hurt the Children.  Listen, when my Schizophrenic Daughter had her Kiddos, and when she told me ONCE that she didn't like how her Newborn was Looking at her, we unanimously decided it was time for me to Raise them and have a Kinship Placement! 

 Her Psychiatrist and The System was in Agreement, she and the Kiddos Fathers were in Agreement it was Best and Safest for the Kids and her, so voluntarily relinquished Custody to me, and the other Younger Three to Gramma Saint Maria in Mexico, but you do have to Push for that.  The Mental Health and Penal Systems will not handle things well otherwise, it's all Punitive for Punishing only, and doesn't ever really focus on the Competency or Treatment of the Individual who isn't in their Right Mind.  Someone in a Psychotic Break cand and will do things that normally they probably would never do if not impaired by the Mental Illness Symptoms they are experiencing.  To just Punish for an Illness makes for very little Justice Served.   It is Unjust to Punish someone for an Illness they have, which has no Cure, and the Symptoms they suffer from it.

 And if the Crime is horrific enuf, like Killing Three Innocents, even if it could have and should have been prevented, all the DOJ will do is Prosecute within the Scope of the Laws, and so that Society will feel appropriate Punishment is meted out.   Yes, that Young Mother is Guilty of Killing her Children, there's no disputing that, she isn't even disputing that, she did it... but Why she did it and what Mental State she was in when she did it, leading up to doing it, what and who let her Down by not taking appropriate Actions to Protect her and those Children, is the Real Story here.  Families who try to get Help for their Mentally Ill Loved Ones will tell you, it's not as easy as Needing the Help and Asking for it.  Clearly this Family already did that for a long time... it didn't Prevent this Tragedy coz not enuf was done that could have been.

  I do not presume to think the Husband or the Gramma of the Kids could have done a lot more than they did.  Especially if the Mental Health System overall failed to address the Situation the whole Family clearly was dealing with and didn't get appropriately resolved.   I know when I'd call the Crisis Hotline for Mental Health {have had to do so numerous times over several Decades of having Seriously Mentally Ill Loved Ones}, you have to Learn exactly what to say to even get a Response.  Let alone a timely one during a real Mental Health Crisis.  When they'd ask, do you think the Individual could be Suicidal or Homicidal?   I Learned never to elaborate of speculate, my ONE Word Answer was simply, "YES!".  Then the Cavalry will show the fuck up, otherwise, probably not and they definitely won't give it a Priority. 

 And I'd want Mental Health showing up and not just the Cops.  In fact, I'd rather the Cops never show up on a Mental Health Crisis Call.  Why?  Coz the Cops are poorly Trained to know how to respond or even know what to do appropriately and without lethal force once they arrive.  So, they tend to just shoot SMI People and then you could end up with a Dead Seriously Mentally Ill Loved One instead of any actual Help that you called for, which is also why many Families never Call for Help.  And I don't doubt that Emergency Services don't like having to respond to such Calls coz they're highly dangerous and unpredictable Calls to handle, even if you have experience and adequate Training.  Anyway, I figure this Young Mom will end up either Imprisoned and never get Mental Health Help there... or Institutionalized, which may be only slightly better... but not by much... Mental Institutions are horrible and abuses, predatory crimes, and neglect abound, just like in Nursing Homes.  But when Families and the Afflicted are Begging for Help and don't Receive it, whose really to Blame?  Society demands Blame be placed somewhere.

Nurse just left, everything is good, they're putting in an Order to resume his OT and PT too thru the VA, so we don't have to worry about other Insurance Approvals, all Home Help is from the VA and Approved for him.  *Whew*  We discontinued one other Medication coz it's a duplicate of another one Dr. Pham, his Civilian Cardiologist, would prefer him to be on instead, and you can't take both.  So, all Meds are sorted out satisfactorily too now.  *Whew*   Nurse Remi will start coming every Tuesday again now for as long as the VA Approves her visits.  Which, since he's doing so well with Home Help, and it's beneficial to me as his Caregiver, I think they will keep it all in place now.  It helps me to understand what he's required to take and to do and why, coz I'm not a Nurse or a Doctor or a Pharmacist.

I'm now not feeling like driving to the Recycle Center after I pick The Granddaughter up from Work coz I'm tired and have done enuf Todaying for Today... it happens.  By around 3:30 p.m. or so I'm too Wound Down to do much else in the way of things needing to get Done, it can wait.  *LOL*  Thursday Morning the Roofer and the Insurance Adjuster will be here to examine the Roof together and discuss what HAS to be done to it.  I don't want hassles with the Insurance since their Deductible is already fucking Crazy High at $5,500 per Claim, which is just ridiculous IMO.  That's a lot of damage to leave NOT covered by your Policy, which, Homeowners Hazard Insurance Monthly Premiums is already exceptionally high IMO even if you never have a Claim, which, we never have until now.   So, I feel like we're Paying for all the Catastrophic Events Nationwide in areas that sustain heavy damage all of the time.  But, it is what it is, if you have a Mortgage you must Insure the Property, it's not Optional, it's Mandatory to pay Taxes and Insurance on it with your PITI combined Monthly.  *Le Sigh*

I have my Event that same Morning, so my Hope is they get what they need to do done quickly so I can leave for my Event and still get good Parking?  It's gonna be tight to tho'.  *Dammit*  Sometimes too much is on the Calendar all of the time with no wiggle room.   I don't Plan on making any purchases at the Event, coz I don't have Need of another damned thing, but I'm going to have some Quality "Me Time", which I do Need.   And Blog Fodder Fresh Imagery, which I also do Need.  *Winks*  Plus, that is Coverage for my Friends at the Event and that Advertisement on Social Media is Priceless to all of us Vendors, Artisans or Designers who are Small and mostly struggling to keep going.  None of us are in the Billionaires Class, so... it's a Struggle in this shitty Economy while the Elite prosper even more and shamelessly.  I don't begrudge anyone being Wealthy, but I do feel they all should pay their Fair Share and they don't.  

 Social Security would never go Bankrupt if everyone earning over $400,000 Paid the same percentage of their Income into it as a Ordinary Citizen is required to of our Income.   And the IRS should focus on recovering the Money the Wealthy aren't Paying of the Taxes they actually Owe instead of Auditing the little People instead to Collect a pittance of what's Owed and not being Paid.  And we should be Hiring the best Attorneys in the Country to Represent the American People so that the Elite lose in Court every fucking time with their Fancy Lawyers.  And they don't Play The System like they do without severe Penalties for doing so... including Imprisonment, no matter Who they are or Who they Know or Blow.  

This President should be Incarcerated for his many Crimes, Period, nobody should be Above the Law, NOBODY.  Put his Ass in Solitary with a Single Guard for his "Protection" for as long as his Sentence should be Served.  Seize all of his Assets that were illegally procured.  That would be Justice.  That would instill more Confidence in our Judicial System.  He's like a Parasite or a Malignant Tumor we need to rid our Nation of.   With how corrupted it all is now due to this Criminal Leadership, I have Zero Confidence in our DOJ right now and who has been installed to lead it.  And we already know half the Justices on the Supreme Court have been Bought and Paid for, Owned by MAGA.  And having spend my 2nd Career in Criminal Justice, it pains me to say that, it really does.  But corrupt Leadership infects and infests everything it touches like a malignant Disease.   And America right now seems Terminally Ill from the Cancer that has invaded it.  And whether we Survive it or not remains to be seen...

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Trying to remain Hopeful and channeling Autumnal Vibes is helpful... Dawn... The Bohemian

More Extended Birthday Indulgences

 In Real Time it's The Day After my Birthday... and it was such a whirlwind Day that I'm spending Today not doing much except taking The Granddaughter to her Dental Appointment at Noon and perhaps having Lunch with her, as is our Custom.  She Treats me to Lunch for taking her places she needs to go so that she doesn't have to Learn to Drive.  Her Car works well now but she still has serious Anxiety about Driving so it's best she doesn't until she feels ready, if ever, to.  She wasn't here for my Birthday so perhaps she has something Planned to Celebrate it with me Today instead, I just don't know?   She and Rusty had Bought me Pressies early for my Birthday and presented them already, so I don't expect more. 

 She was too excited to give them to me to wait until the 16th.  *LOL*  She reminds me of my Mom that way.  Mom would be chomping at the bit to give you Presents earlier than your Birthday or Christmas... or any Special Occasion actually.   She'd hint constantly, you'll never Guess what I got you?   And then, if you couldn't Guess or wouldn't Guess, she'd just HAVE to then give it to you early, becoz SHE just couldn't stand it to have to wait!  *Laughing still at how it became a Family Inside Joke*  Mom's Birthday was the 5th of July and I can't tell you how many times I got my Mid August Birthday Gift on HER Birthday coz after she got her Pressy from us, well, she had mine tucked away and I'd just say, it's Okay Mom, you can just give it to me now if you want to.  *Ha ha ha*  Mom gave Great Gifts BTW, it was her Love Language for sure.

My Love Language is Gifts of Service, pretty sure, if you do something Nice for me, it means a lot, no matter how small a gesture you thought it was.  The running Joke with me is the Kids AND their Friends vie to do something Nice for me so that I'll then say, "Now, YOU'RE my Favorite!"  *Bwahahahahaha*  And then the next Person tries to Top THAT so that THEN THEY are my Favorite, and so it goes and it Works very well for me and they all find it Fun, Amusing and Humorous as a Competition to be my Favorite for a Minute.  *Winks*   Who doesn't like to hear that YOU are their Favorite?   Even if it's done and said in Good Humor.  They're ALL my Favorites and they know it, but they enjoy Hearing it Individually all the same.   And every one of their Friends enjoys it as much as our own Kiddos do, so they try to Top my Kiddos in competition of doing stuff for me.  *LOL and Winks* 

I'm Sharing some of the Halloween Merch I trawled around various Stores to look at.  They had some enormous Decorations this Year, I don't know where folks Store something that large, probably Renting Offsite Storage for it coz it would take up a LOT of Space at Home to Store anything that enormous.  Some was inflatable, so, would deflate to Store, but you'd need Climate Controlled Space to adequately protect this kind of serious Investment, they're not cheap.   This Skeleton Horse was Lifesize, the actual Size of a Horse!!!   And I've seen full Sized Pirate Ships with Lifesize Skeletons, Inflatables that are as tall as a House!  There was an inflatable Black Cat at this Store that was bigger than a Bus and taller than a House!!!  I don't know how many of those King Sized Decorations they Sell, they take up a lot of square footage of Retail Store Space to have just any out of the Box on Display!!! 

People were diggin' the early Halloween Merch being out, even Christmas Merch is already out in force actually.  But People were Buying a lot of the Halloween Merch already and enjoying the early Autumnal Vibe.  It's been so HOT, that I'm sure we're all ready for Fall already.   Autumn and it's Holidays are my personal Favorite Season and Holidays, so I can languish and revel in it early and then late too.  I don't get tired of it, but I know many people despise Holidays rolling out too early Commercially.  But, in a shitty Economy, I say, make your Money while you can in Sales, High Five if you Sell it all and don't have to mark any down in order to get it Sold.  I don't know what Supply Chain Issues due to Import Tariffs are ever gonna do, to getting it into the Country and to the Prices?  Even tho' deemed Illegal, we know he's still imposing them and not refunding to Small Businesses or the American People for the illegality of them.  Only very Big Corporations are getting any of their Money back that everyone is actually entitled to be Refunded. 

We know the vast majority of products are not made in America, they haven't been for as long as I've been Alive.  Used to be Made In Japan mostly when I was growing up, now most is Made In China... or other various Countries where they can make it more inexpensively than we can here.   I now always look at where everything is made, 99.9% of it isn't Made In America.   So we are very reliant upon our Trade Partners, even Companies that do make their Product here in America, they Source a lot of their Supplies to make it from our Trade Partners abroad.  Farmers rely on Imported Fertilizers to grow their Crops, things like Potash that isn't Sourced locally.  Not to mention what isn't Grown here locally either and are Food Sources we receive from our Trade Partners.  And let's face it, this Administration has not been Kind nor Decent to any of our valuable Trade Partners and staunchest Allies, it's disgraceful and shameful.

All of these Halloween Props were really Cute, but so Big and so Expensive, I wouldn't be a Player, but enjoyed seeing and Photographing them for Blog Fodder.   This Haunted House one with the Ghosts, for example, was damned near as tall as me and is Resin!   I may Sell Off some of my Halloween Decor that I don't use so much anymore.  We still Decorate more for Halloween than for Christmas, especially Outside, but, there's some I'm not Decorating with and would prefer to have the Cash during the Holidays.  So, I may start bringing it in now to our Showroom and on top of my Locked Case, especially big Halloween Blow Molds.  They Sell very well and aren't that abundant, especially Vintage Halloween Decorations.  So they can fetch a really good Price.  So Scouting what is out there now also helps me know what isn't out there that would entice my Buyers.  I always try to make a small Seasonal Holiday Vignette of Products to Sell.  Some Vendors do their whole Space in Holiday Merch, which can look great but be risky if that's all you're Selling.

Princess T did take me out for Lunch at "Wildflower Bread Co." after her Dental Appointment.  She can't use her Insurance except for Dental Emergencies, AHCCCS doesn't provide preventative Dental Work for Adults 21 and over, which is ridiculous, you have to get a Dental Emergency to be covered.  But, then I remembered she couldn't get her Wisdom Tooth pulled under AHCCCS either unless it got infected.  She'll have to pay $150 for Cleanings/Exams/X-Rays but she can still go to her Pediatric Dentist, so she said she'll budget to do that twice a Year.  We had Soup at Lunch, I had the Potato Cream Cheese and she had the 12 Vegetable, with Rosemary Sea Salt Bread and Butter, and Lemonade.  Then we went to The Mall, and she bought me Two Fugglers for my Birthday and Four of my Magazine Books at "Barnes & Noble".  They had a Sale where if you bought one at Regular Price the 2nd one was 50% Off.   So I got "Where Women Create", "In Her Studio", "Daphne's Diary" and "Somerset Halloween".

These are called the Baddies Line and have Bling on their Grills and the one has a Tongue Piercing.  *LOL*   I couldn't decide which I liked best so she insisted on Buying both for me... Awwwww, she's so good to her Gramma!!!   We had a lot of Fun at The Mall, she got the Plush Anime Character below at "Spencer's" for herself and some smalls of Anime stuff at the place she got my Fugglers at, which specializes in all Japanese Import Collectibles and Snacks.  It was a larger location than the one at the bigger Mall so she's glad we went to this smaller Mall nearer Home.  We actually went coz we thought it said they'd opened a "Spirit Halloween" Store in there, but we never found it, Online it said it was Open, I think it was probably in a different location near the Mall???  There's one by the Restaurant we ate at too but it's not Opened yet.

 

I thought the Cat Butt & Balls Pillow at "Spencers" was hilariously Adorbs, but not for $29.99.  {See Below} It would have been Cuter if the Cat's Face was on the other side, but it had the Cat Butt & Balls on both sides.  She'd of got it for me if she thought I really wanted it, I didn't want her spending that much on a Pillow that my infantile sense of Humor thought was too funny.  *LOL*  She got another Playboy Bunny and Bling Belly Ring while there too.  And when we stopped by the Antique Mall to put some Merch in, a VERY VERY Handsome Guy was Staring at her with his Mouth agape, like he'd just seen the Gal of his Dreams!  *Smiles*  I noticed, she didn't, I Smiled at him and he looked embarrassed that I'd seen him Staring so hard at my Granddaughter as we walked to our Truck.  He was just getting out of his Car to go into our Antique Mall, he finally got her Attention and said, "You really are in Shape...", {He was VERY in Shape}... and she Smiled, a bit at a loss as to what to say to that, and just said Thank You.  She gets embarrassed easily if someone she doesn't know says anything to her.  He was Drop Dead Gorgeous, Tall, Dark and Handsome, Movie Star Handsome, so we talked about it inside the Truck coz he made an excuse to walk back to his Car and look at her again as we drove off.  *LOL and Winks*

She and I always have a good time going out together on our Girls Day Outs.  We Smack talk Shit about People we see and Laugh a lot, it is quite the Human Sideshow out there and Characters galore.  *Ha ha ha*   Plus, she gets a lot of Jealous Shade thrown at her by Random Females, who give her Hard Looks and then we Laugh about that too.  We don't Care, I guess some Girls would get upset about someone doing that, we find it to be hilariously insecure on the part of whose doing it.  Actually our Antique Mall and the Retail Mall were super busy for a Monday, which was really Odd.  My Sales were spectacular for the Two Days of this New Pay Period, I'd Sold some more expensive Merch and a $30 Pokemon Jiggly Puff Card out of our Locked Case.  I put in a Pokemon Plush Toy called Tapu Lele.  I actually Scored a Trio of them, New Old Stock with original Tags, so I'm putting them into Inventory one at a time. {See Below}

The Showroom, in spite of Strong Sales, wasn't tore up so there had been respectful traffic thru there Shopping.  So, we didn't have to spend any time running damage control and tidying up, which was nice, coz we had things to do and wanted to be in and out in a hurry.   We visited with a few of our Vendor Friends is all, after dropping off the little bit of Inventory I'd Priced.   I Closed last Pay Period quite Strong for Summer too and will get a decent Check.  *Whew*  It's very sporadic tho', you have hit and miss with Sales now.   I heard Strawberries will be next to be hit with High Import Tariffs and about 90% are Grown in Mexico.  There are American Suppliers who they claim were complaining they can't compete with the Importers, but, mostly they only supply a small amount of the Product and only in a way more brief Season than they grow them in Mexico. 

 So, that will only serve to drive Prices way up for them and people won't Buy what they can't afford to.   I avoid anything that has escalated in Price, I don't Need it so much to overpay for any of it.  So, then they lose my Business.  If it's Perishable, and they lose too much Business coz the Price is too jacked up high, they end up with spoilage and waste when it goes Unsold.   So, I may buy some while they're still reasonable, but will not buy any once they jack the prices up.   If every Consumer did that for things not Essential, then it would convey a strong Message.  Same with Interest Rates, while they're too high, wait for any major purchases that require financing.   If Demand is low and Supply remains too high coz nothing is getting Sold, the Price will come down.  Likewise, if Demand is too high and Supply is too low, prices go up... Economics 101.

I hadn't been to a Retail Mall in a long time, so I was Surprised that most Shops are Selling Shoes and Hats... or Urban Streetwear... so the Demographic Shopping is definitely not Middle Aged or Seniors at all.  They're conspicuous by their absence and it used to be at Malls you'd see a wider Demographic of Shoppers and of all Age Groups.   There would be few Stores at these Retail Malls I'd even walk into, and not just right by without a second look, nothing in there for me or my Demographic of Shopper.   With my Granddaughter of coarse I go into the Shops her Generation Love and we walk around and she tells me about all the Merch since I know nothing about any of it.  *LOL*   Below were some Adorbs Plush Ice-Cream Cats called MOFUSAND Ice-Cream.  They're so Cute but Expensive, Princess T doesn't Collect them so had no Interest.  Online the Price Point is even Crazier, even for a Keychain Plush of it!!!  OMG!!!

But she Schools me on these Characters so that if I see any For Sale Secondhand, at some Chazzas, I know what they are and what a Profit we can make off them Resale.  You don't know what you just don't know.  I have to confess, they're so damned Adorable, that if they were Cheap, I'd Buy some of the Keychain Plush Kittens seen Above and have a Collection of 'em.  *Smiles*   And when I Unboxed my Fugglers I realized the Pink Rabbit also has a Bellybutton Piercing!!!  OMG, Adorbs.  {See Below}   I know, I'm such a Big Child!   I still splash thru Puddles and Skip, what can I say?  *Smiles*

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The Extended Birthday Indulgence was fun... Dawn... The Bohemian

The Birthday Haul From The Celebrations On The 16th

 In Real Time it's still my actual Birthday but I've had enuf Fun.  *Smiles*  The Son took both his Dad and I out for Breakfast, we didn't have anyone Home to look after The Man and he was in good Spirits so it went well with him joining us and he wanted to.  We went to "First Watch" and I had the Tropical Floridian French Toast and my Gourmet Iced Coffee I always get from there.  The Man had his Biscuits and Gravy Breakfast, The Son had some Mexican Style Breakfast he always gets from there.  You can see The Son's healing Black Eye in the Pix that he got while at the Heavy Metal Concert and being too near the Mosh Pit.  The back of the Young Guys Head hitting him right in the Face. 

The Son needed a Nap after eating all of his, The Man and I took about 2/3 of ours Home for leftovers.  Then we went and did some Environmental Cleanup at the River Nature Preserve, drove around looking at the bad Storm Damage in Litchfield Park, which is a Town near us that our Roofer said he's got a ton of Roofs to repair or replace there, they really got hammered and so many huge Trees were lost and ripped right out of the ground.   Just about every other Home near the Golf Course had our Roofers Sign up in the Front Yard, so his Teams will be really busy.   I took some Pixs of the carnage to give you some idea of how fierce it was and how many huge Old Trees were lost, mostly Pines, Palo Verde, and Palms.   The Palms didn't get blown over but many had every Frond ripped off of them, that takes one helluva Wind force to do that to a Palm Tree!

Then I took The Man to "Baskin Robbins" and we had us some Birthday Ice-Cream, the Lady, when she knew it was my Birthday, gave me a 3rd Scoop for Free!  Then I dropped The Man back off at Home and The Son said he'd take Care of Dad so I could go out and have some Me Time for my Birthday.  All I did was trawl around Stores looking at the Halloween Merch, but I had such Fun doing it and taking Blog Fodder Imagery of it, I only Bought a couple used Halloween Decorations at a GOODWILL, one is a Jack O'Lantern with some Audrey Venus Flytrap Toothy Plants growing out of it, got it for only $3.99, it's so Cute.  The other was a really nice Halloween Wooden Painted Wreath with great Graphics.  The original Price Tag still on it, so it was New Old Stock from a Decor Store, I got it 90% Off the original Price.  {See Below}

Then The Daughter and Danae came in with my Birthday Cake lit up, I blew all the Candles out at once.  And my Gift, which they put in a Cute Fuzzy Purple Halloween Vampire Bat Bucket filled with all kinds of Licorice Treats, a flocked Purple Glass Skull Candle, a Spa Headband, and small Halloween Decorations.  {See Below}  The Cake was a layered Strawberry and Tiramisu Sponge Cake with Whipped Cream Icing... very light and delicious.  We had Chinese Takeout for Dinner from "Dragon Garden".  So, a very nice Birthday and memorable in the best of ways.

The Temps on my Birthday got up to 114, I Photographed the Temp when it was at 113 {See further Below}, but it did get to a Degree even Hotter a bit later, toasty!!!   And Humid coz it's still Monsoon Season so the Humidity is quite high too, it's like a Sauna out there!   So, not much was done Outside after around 10:00 a.m. so that you didn't spontaneously combust!  *LOL*  I drove around in an Air Conditioned Truck and ducked into Air Condition Buildings quickly all day long.  *Smiles*  Now I'm Home in nice AC Cooled comfort and I'm done Todaying for Today.  I wore my "In Living Color" T-Shirt with a Cartoon version of Jamie Foxx as Wanda, with White Capris, I got loads of compliments on it, even from Young People probably not familiar with the Character and the 1990's Show... the Older Folks knew exactly what it was about.  *LOL and Winks*  I Loved the Wayans Bros. Shows and Movies of that Era.

Since it was Military Discount Day at the GOODWILLs I did pick up a few good Cookbooks, hard cover, and some Shirts.  There's one location that prices their Men's T-Shirts so low they're practically giving them away before the Discount is applied.   Below is one I got for Princess T, but, if she doesn't like it I'll Resell it at the Antique Mall.   I got me a couple Tees and Paid less than $2 each for them.   And the Books at GOODWILL are good Quality and Priced so low too, the Retail Price on each of them was $25-$40 each, I Paid around $2-$3 each.

Tomorrow we'll turn in our Aluminum Cans for Cash, I'll have the back of the Truck full of Bags of them to take to the Recycle Center.   The Son had Q take a Pix of the ridiculously small Sunfish they caught and had to throw back so they could Grow Up.   His Bobber is damned near bigger than the Fish!!!  *LOL*   While we were there Today we ran into some Fishermen we see there and talk to all the time while doing our Environmental Cleanup and they said they had to throw everything back too, coz too small and too young to keep.  But the Young Fish are aggressively taking the Bait coz they're ravenously hungry and inexperienced, and there's a lot of the Young this time of Year, so it's hard to catch the Adult Game Sized Fish to Keep.   But even a Bad Day Fishing is better than a Good Day at Work, Right?  *Smiles*

 

Now for the Storm Carnage Images taken in the Litchfield Park Community on the Golf Course... and hammered all the Homes along the Golf Course too, most had lost a lot of their Roofing.   The Trees  you see laying all ripped out of the Ground are mostly 50-60 Foot Pine Trees that are probably at least 60 Years Old or more.  But Mature Palo Verde and Eucalyptus Trees were also often ripped out of the Ground, and other Trees I don't know the Names of.   Mesquite and Ironwood Trees for the most part are hard to uproot, so most of them just lost some Branches.  The Pixs don't do justice to the gut wrenching devastation of seeing Miles of huge Old Trees ripped out of the Ground like this, while it was happening it must have been terrifying coz they are all close to Residential Properties.  Many did lose their Landscaping and so many lost a large portion of their Roofing too... high end Luxury Homes, most with the Spanish Terra Cotta Tile Roofs just peeled back and thrown like projectiles thru stuff.

Below are the great Graphics on a Hawaiian Men's Shirt I didn't Buy coz it was the wrong Size for me.  If it's still there on Half Price Day tho', which is Tomorrow, I'm gonna get it anyway coz I can put it on comfortably, just can't button it, but could wear a plain Tank Top Under it and leave it unbuttoned.   I guess the GOODWILLs are having a Half Price Day Tomorrow on the 17th of August in Real Time too.  Now they only do it a few times a Year rather than every Week like they used to before Pandemic.  I just don't think they're getting the Donations anymore like they used to, is my speculation.  But, I did notice Today they are making their Stores look nicer and a lot neater and more organized, like their Competitors do.  And their Employees are being more respectful of the Merch as well and not as surly to Customers.  I prefer Shopping at Chazzas coz of the variety and pricing being better.  And whether a For Profit or Non-Profit Thrift Store, I Shop at both.

This 15th Anniversary Event at "Sweet Salvage" is having a VIP Early Entry Contest, I don't need to get in early so I'm not participating.  Lately I've been arriving just before they open the Doors on Day One of the Four Day Event becoz there's nothing I am desperate to get anymore.  *LOL*  I just enjoy going, supporting local Businesses and doing a little bit of Retail Therapy anymore.  There's nothing I want or need really and with my 5-to-1 Rule in place I'm discerning about purchases now coz for every ONE thing coming in FIVE must go out.  So, it's really gotta either be a Deal or something I'm willing to give Five things up to get it.   I don't mind just Window Shopping mostly now and covering an Event to give Free Advertising and Promoting to the Small Businesses and Friends who Sell there.

Princess T has another Dental Appointment to finish up some preventative Dental Work before she gets too Old to go to that Dentist when she turns 21.  He had told her she could still come, he's just not sure her Insurance would pay for it?  I think they will, she's on AHCCCS and they cover her Dental, so it shouldn't matter what Dentist she chooses and she's been with him since she has had Teeth.  *Smiles*  Becoz she has Social Anxiety Issues she knows the Staff and the Dentist, so is comfortable going there coz they know her so well and she's always gone there, he knows this about her.  He knows both Grands I Raised have Mental Health Issues and he's so good with them both.  The Young Prince misses going there but the Dentist actually saw him until he was 21 too.  He's a Pediatric Dentist, but, Teeth are Teeth and he's a very good Dentist and doesn't do unnecessary procedures.  He knows Princess T takes excellent Care of her Teeth too and is vigilant about her Dental Hygiene.  She's never had a Cavity.

She didn't like this Shirt I got for her, so I'll resell it.  I thought she'd think it was Cute, and she did, but she said it's not like she'd wear it around, she's discreet about Vaping her MJ to Calm her Anxiety and she's not a big Pothead.  She uses it strictly for Medicinal purposes for Mental Well Being and it is very Helpful for those with Panic Attacks and Anxiety to be Calmer and more comfortable in Public and Social Situations.  Otherwise it would be hard for her to interact and she'd be reclusive in her Room all of the time and voluntarily staying away from Peopling.  She doesn't even interact with Family very much, she's as Reclusive as her Grandpa is actually, so they're like Two Peas in a Pod.  They could go all Day without saying a Word to anyone and be quite Content Alone most of the time.  I used to Worry that it wasn't Healthy for her to spend so much time Alone, but then I realized how tense and Anxious being around People can be for her, and that was more Unhealthy for her to force herself to.  At Work she's getting better at it and they encourage her.  They know how Shy and Reclusive she is.

She is being given little bits more to do around Customers so she can get used to it and she's doing very well, her Co-Workers say that Customers really Like her, and Co-Workers really Like her too.  It's not a matter of not being Liked tho', she's always been well Liked coz she's a very Sweet Person and isn't Mean-Spirited, but, she doesn't Like People... and it's not Personal, ha ha ha... its so hard for her to be around other People.  Even her Boyfriend, sometimes she tells Rusty she NEEDS a break from him being around her.  It's hard for him coz he likes spending Time with her, but she has to spend Time with anyone in small increments, even me, and I'm her Favorite Person to spend Time with.  She used to be my Shadow when she was Younger, and she'd get Anxiety if I went anywhere without her.  She has Separation Anxiety Issues too, when it comes to me, she Worries all the time about when I will Die.  Of coarse she Worried about that all her Life.  With Grandpa when she was Toddeler Aged, she'd hold a little Compact Mirror up to his Mouth when he was Sleeping to make sure he was still Alive!!!

The other day she got very Emotional, with Tears welling up in her Eyes, and was projecting how many Years I probably only have left!  She didn't mean it in a Bad Way and I knew this, so I kept a sense of Humor about it, I know the Math and the Statistics.   The Average Lifespan for Males in the U.S. is 76.5 and 81.4 for Females, which is pretty good actually... if you're one of the Lucky few to make it that long.  So, she's done the Basic Math for both Grandpa and I, knowing he's had Fragile Health for a long time now and is probably only still among the Living coz we won't let him Die and have had him avoid Dying when he's had these very close Calls, which have been so numerous that it's all she remembers, is her Grandpa being Disabled and very Sickly.  She doesn't remember him being any other way.   Anyway, I joked our way thru the conversation coz I could tell it was laying heavy on her Heart and Mind. 

 Most especially since she'd said a couple things about her Mom that made me Laugh, but also almost Choked me up.  We were in SAVERS and her Mom came up to the Cart excited to have found Two little things and ask if I'd get them for her.  I agreed.  She ran off giddy as a Child.  Princess T deadpanned, "Well, I'm going to be YOU, Gramma, in about 10 Years... and she'll be running up to my Cart asking if I'll get things for her..."   I had to Laugh, tho' she was Serious and it was a Serious Observation that is very accurate becoz her Mom will always have the Serious Mental Illness and require being looked after by other folks ensuring she is Safe enough.  Schizophrenics have a tough row to hoe and many end up Institutionalized off and on, or for a Lifetime, she knows this about her Mom and her Older Brother, and that it is their Fate, and it Scares her that she may be all they have when I'm Gone.  It is a LOT for a 20 Year Old to have to contemplate as a Future concerning Seriously Ill/Disabled Loved Ones.

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Blessings, Love and Light from the Arizona Desert... Dawn... The Bohemian