You Cannot Fix Stupid

 They, Economists, are saying that this shitty Economy and Administrations Poor Decisions and Policies are costing each American Family approximately $250-$700 more a Month for Essentials.  I think they're being very Conservative in that Estimate and it's for a Single Person or a smallish Family in a lower Cost of Living State.  We are NOT that State or that Family, we have a large Family to support and things like Gas in Arizona is the highest in the Nation, so it's costing us closer to $1,300 more a Month just for Essentials.  That's $15,600 Annually!  That's also not sustainable for most Families with no way to increase Income to offset it.  Few of us can pull an extra Grand or more out of our Asses every single Month!!!  But, now here we are... And, I refuse to let it Steal our Joy and Good Times with Good Friends and Family.

The Man and I went back to "Sweet Salvage" for the Halloween Event's 2nd Day, he visited with some of our Friends there and enjoyed himself.  He walked around pretty well with his Walker.  It wasn't crowded at all on Day No. 2 and I told them all, it's coz nothing is up on Social Media, you all need Kim to have it promoted Online better.  I don't know why they didn't since they usually do?!  So, Two Hours after we left they did a decent Facebook Page Post.  A lot of Work goes into these Events and the Halloween Show is supposed to be the Strongest and most Popular, so for it to fall flat is a huge disappointment and missed opportunity.  Coz it really was the best Show ever for Halloween IMO, and they've had some great ones in the Past, but they really outdid themselves for this one and it should have a better turnout than it has had thus far. 

 I bought an Old Doll Head from the French Designer, the one in the Center.  She'd restocked with new Old Doll Heads that are about 150 Years Old from France.  I took a bunch more Pixs with my Cellphone Camera to ensure good ones.  And I Cribbed some they finally did take, after we left and I had mentioned it would Stimulate Trade and Interest if they Promoted it on all their Social Media sites.  I want them all to do well coz we Support all our Indie Businesses Locally and Hope they all keep going.   My Friend Big Kenny asked if he could come over and Buy more stuff from me, sure, so he will call me next week to arrange a Private Pick here at Forever Boheme'.  He's bought a lot from me over the Years, Flatbed Truckloads and Moving Van Loads in fact.  *LOL*  Every time he Delivered something I bought from him he'd leave having spent more Money than I'd spent and filling up his Truck!  *Ha ha ha*

He'd often even buy stuff that wasn't for Sale but could be Bought!  *Winks*  Often even the Furniture I was sitting on when he arrived!  *LMAO*  That's no exaggeration, he's done that in the Past.  Make me an Offer I can't refuse my Friend and I can Fall Out of Love with it for the Right Price.  *Smiles*  Come with a big Wad of Cash and I'll relieve you of it.  *Winks*  Cash always being the Right Size and Right Color.  And, it Buys Options, and other Good Stuff.  *Ha ha ha*  And sometimes he and I work out Trades as well, if he's got something I want and he wants something I've got.   Above is my Adorable Young Modern Hippie Friend Aliyah.  She used to Work at our Antique Mall when she was a Teenager.  Now she's Grown and has an Adorable Pre-School Aged Daughter.   She Bought our Friend Cyndie's Semi Precious Carved Stone Cicada Necklace, it really suits her. 

Aliyah got me eating a lot of yummy Vegan Foods during the Two Years I went off eating Meat to see if it would improve my Health and lower Diabetic Numbers for me?  It didn't, but I didn't mind giving up Meat and now I don't eat as much of it as I used to before that Two Year hiatus from it.  You don't go thru Meat Withdrawal at all, it's not Addictive apparently to your System.  I've reincorporated Meats, but in moderation and prefer Veggies and have reduced Carb intake as well, and ultra processed Foods.   Big Kenny changed his Diet and is now only 15 lbs. away from Goal.  His changes were Simple, he only eats White Meats or Seafoods, and no Fried Foods, hardly any Carbs, lots of Veggies, no Sugars, no ultra Processed Foods, and drinks lots of Water.  He was able to eliminate all Medications he'd been on coz his Health returned to where he no longer needed Medications to Manage it.  He looks great and feels better than he ever has.

I had Written almost a whole Post and deleted it coz it was too Negative and I just wasn't pleased with it enuf to Publish it ever after banging it out and getting it out of my System.  *LOL*  Sometimes a Written Purge of Thoughts is all I need and then I just delete it and never actually Publish it or even have to say it out loud.  And I feel better for it.  *Smiles*  I wore my Lily Munster blowing a Gum Bubble T-Shirt, it's Grey with Bleach Splatters, everyone liked it.  I wore some Betsey Johnson Dia de los Muertos Skull Earrings with it.  {See Below}  All my Friends at the Event were dressed in Halloween Fun Outfits, that weren't Costumes but lent itself to the Theme and Season of the Event... it's just a lot of Fun.   Closer to Halloween some will do Costumes tho', which is equally a lot of Fun.  And on Halloween Night we usually dress up to hand out the Candy to the Trick-Or-Treaters.  The Kids and their Families Love it.   And we have an enjoyable Night and after it's a Wrap for handing out the Treats, we watch Horror Movie Marathons.

 

One of the New Designers made some Wicked Witches Hats but they were pricey, probably too high really, so I don't know she will Sell any.  Her price points were high on most things and she lamented she wasn't having Strong Sales, and that could have been part of it.  I'd of bought some of what she had if it had been in my league of what I'd spend, but, it wasn't and I won't overpay for anything I don't really Need and isn't Essential.   I did enjoy her Displays, she did a great Merchandising Showcasing of it all.  But every time I looked at a Price Tag of something I liked, it was Sticker Shock.   So, I wouldn't be her Demographic of Customer where Money is no Object and you wouldn't even bother what it Costs or to even probably ask or look at the Price.  So, I don't know she'll last long as a New Designer and Vendor there?  If you can't close Sales on the most Popular Event of the Year, then, it's probably not the Right Location or Venue for you.

At Princess T's SAVERS Location I guess a couple of Madly Popular You Tubers came in, a Young Woman and a Young Man,  They came in together and all the Young People who work there, who are very Trendy and Stylish themselves, knew who they were and wanted Pixs taken with them.  I wouldn't have had a Clue who they were and I guess the Gal was way more Popular and more Cool than the Guy, from what all the Young Employees told me about them.  *Smiles*  They were so excited they were definitely having Fan Girl Moments about the Female.  *LOL*  Princess T knew who they were and pointed them out to me as they were leaving and her Co-Workers were excitedly informing us they'd come in and Shopped, Talked with them, taken Pixs with them.  I Guess some of these Online Influencers have Millions of Followers and so what they say about places is a Big Deal.

Good News is The Niece found some Apartments in her price range and can be in them by end of December.  I think that will be best for her since she's used to living Alone and Independently.  It's hard to live Communally if you've not had that as a Lifestyle before and there's not much personal Space here either, lots of Shared Space.  Anyway, I'm glad she's making Plans that suit her, that was my Intention for her, so she could Score this good Job and relocate somewhere that is far enuf away from her own Family's ongoing Drama.  She can keep in touch with them all but not have to Live it and perhaps that will work out better for them all as a Collective too.  Sometimes absence can make the Heart grow fonder so that when they do see her, they try harder to get along and be Kind and considerate, without the interference and judgment of one another?  I hope so, I know she wants to have some relationship with them all, but it's very complicated when there's a lot of conflict, complexities, long standing dysfunction, and baggage to work thru.  I've known the Family for Decades, they're so fractured and it's Sad.

I watched a good Movie with Angelina Jolie and Jon Bernthal called "Those Who Wish Me Dead" {2021} on Netflix.  The Child Actor, Finn Little was very good for his Age.  I also watched an Older Movie that was a True Story about a Family that Survived that Tsunami in Thailand called "The Impossible" {2013} starring Naomi Watts & Ewan McGregor and Tom Holland when he was still a Child, very well done.  It's been a relaxing Evening after a very full day of Activities with The Man.  We'd had Lunch at "Five & Diner", we Love their Cadillac Meatloaf and it's Two full Meals per Order for us, so we had it for Dinner too.  We did some Environmental Cleanup after going to the Event, we also picked up my Check from the Antique Mall and deposited it, the nicest one I'd earned all Year, which was Sweet.  The Antique Mall was very busy for a Friday, so Hopefully we'll have Strong Sales all Weekend too?

And if Big Kenny does coordinate coming over to Buy some stuff, that will be nice supplemental income too, depending on what he wants to Buy and what I'm willing to Sell.  He always wants my best stuff of coarse and my very best stuff I'm not Selling to a Picker coz I can get full price for it easily myself.  I'll Sell Good Stuff, but the Primo items I'm really not interested in Selling or Discounting if I did detach from any of it and put it up For Sale.  Pickers know that.  I've got some very nice items I know I'd be willing to Sell him if he's interested, a Native American Bronze Western piece worth a lot, but too much for me to Turn at our Antique Mall, he has the Clientele to get what it's really worth who would Buy it.  I'll Sell it to him and still make Money while leaving him good Margins.  I've got a lot of Native American pieces and he likes that kind of thing coz he has a lot of it and I've got a lot so I don't mind Selling Off some of it, within reason.  Ceremonial Pieces I Keep, but the rest I'm not that Attached to.

I liked this Hand Necklace my Friend Cyndie had For Sale at the Event, but it was out of my Price Range.  She was told it might be Ivory and very Old, but, it could just be Bone of some kind... I wasn't convinced it was Ivory, but it was from France and make a fine Necklace she Created and I liked the Silver Antique Heart Shaped Centerpiece she used as a Connector that had come off an Old French broken Rosary.   And I liked the Glass Beads used on the Chain too.  I also liked the Snowflake Fossil Stone Heart Shaped Votivo Necklace Below too, that was Price lower but I wasn't in the Market for more Jewelry, nor did I have the Budget for it right now either.   Like I said, my Budget right now is Modest and my Granddaughter's 21st Birthday is Sept. 22nd so I wanna make that Special for her as much as we're able.  While still having a Budget to have a nice Holiday Season from now 'til Christmas.

 Essentials have gone up so much that my Budget is more strained than usual, but a lot... Gas now is almost over Five Bucks a Gallon and Diesel is nearing Seven Bucks a Gallon here in Arizona, which is ridiculous.  Everything will now go up coz Diesel fuels most Transport and Supply Chain Distribution.  He's absolutely Tanking the Economy... while enriching himself Shamelessly along with his Demon Spawn and equally insatiably Greedy Sycophant Billionaire Buddies.   If they all have their Marie Antoinette Moment I feel they will have deserved a Head Roll en mass for what they're doing to wreck everything for everyone else.  They may have to retreat to their Bunkers when all Hell breaks loose when the masses reach their Breaking Point and come for them.  And they will come for them, desperate people do desperate things, that's a Given.

The Daughter is still doing a lot of Work for Friends out where the Ranches and Mini Farms are.   So hopefully she's earning enuf to see her thru the Holidays?  She said she'll get the 5th Wheel in Order when she gets Home and she can whip things into shape fast when she's pressed to.  Plus I told her we can Box Up some of her things and Store it in the She Shed and just rotate them when she needs to use and swap out things.  Freeing up more Space in there will make it easier for her to Maintain it and move around easier and have it all more functional.  She's been unraveled since the Homicide, which is understandable, that was a LOT to Process and Emotionally move thru the Trauma of.  And I told The Niece to not push anything coz right now is an Emotionally Fragile Time... so, be Mindful of that Fact.   When people are moving thru Grief and extreme Trauma, it takes some Time, sometimes a long time and can't be rushed just coz it inconveniences other people or is uncomfortable for them.

I got a Bagged Lot of "Halloween" Incense from SAVERS cheap and it Smells Divine.  I wasn't sure what "Halloween" Aromas they'd use for Holiday Incense, but I really like what they did, it's the type of Aromas I prefer actually so I'm pleased with how much I got for that low Price point.   It all looks like New Old Stock, none of the Boxes had any missing out of them.   Who knew Vampires Blood and Haunted Houses smelled so good?  *LOL and Winks*  There was other Boxed Incense in the Bagged Lot but these were the Seasonal Fragrances and had a very Hippie Vibe Aroma that I like with Champa, Dragon's Blood and Patchouli blends.   I'm pretty much set for Halloween already in Decor and even bought the better Candies to hand out while they're on Sale.  I figure closer to Halloween they won't be or the selection will not be as good?  I know TARGET is sparse on their Halloween Offerings this Year compared to other Years and most other Stores as well, even the Halloween Specialty Stores.  And at our Antique Mall Halloween Merch is Selling Out.  I Sold most of mine just this Week so have to bring more in.

My Sales for this Pay Period have begun Strong for the 1st Week and I Hope that holds for the 2nd Week of it?  I've got to Price more Pokemon Cards too, they're Selling briskly, the expensive ones mostly.  I bought some Antique Sewing Machine Wooden Ornate Drawers with cute Hardware to put them in until I've got them ready to Sell, to keep them Organized here at Home.  I'd of liked to put them in something like that as a Display for the Antique Mall.  But, the Locked Case doesn't have sufficient Room right now until some more things Sell to free up Shelf Space for something that long.  I've got so many Cards and want to get more into Inventory coz what we have is a nice mix of the American ones and the Japanese ones.  Most are also Holographics that I have.

 

The Mannequin Arm and Hand on the Left of this Pix is the new one I Bought at the Halloween Event.  I'd Bought the one in the forefront from the same Friend at another Event they had about a Month or so ago.  I think she's setting me up?  *Bwahahahaha*  They know me only too well as to what I'd be most likely to not resist Buying.  *Smiles and Winks*  But, they've all also Bought from me and next Week I do have at least One, mebbe Two, of my Designer Friends from that Event coming over to look at what they might Buy that I'd be willing to Sell?  I know I have to release and detach from way more but it's hard sometimes and foolishness not to.  I have too much and the Money is needed more right now, it's why I Invested in things I could profit off of at some point in the Future when we could no longer Work to Earn more.  It's Time... Tick Tock and all that.  But, a Process still since what I have I do Love and took a Lifetime to Source and Invest in it.  Each has some Memories and tho' I'm not Selling the Memories and can Keep those... the Object often prompts the Memories for me and keeps them intact in my Mind now.  *Le Sigh*

So, as you can see from this Image of my Witches Hat and where it finally ended up this Holiday Season, I still have some Christmas out in the background that never got put away.  Some Valentines Hearts too.  Yeah, by the time Christmas rolls around again I've never put away some of last Year's Decor and I don't really mind that I didn't.  As I'm Aging Out, that's becoming more common, I never used to be that Lazy or procrastinate about taking down Seasonal Decor and Storing it away.  Now, I don't mind enjoying it all Year and Save myself the Time, extra Work and Trouble.   And, since it's my Home, I have the Right to be as Weird about it as I wanna be and nobody really Cares.  Mostly coz the rest of the Family aren't really into Decorating for Holidays.  Princess T will Decorate her own Room for Christmas, but, she's the only one that feels a Need to.  And this Year she said she may not bother either coz her Room is pretty crowded with how she wants it to look all the time.  She'd have to get a small Table Sized Tree or Pencil Tree to fit it better now.

I'm personally thinking about getting a small Tree, one that I'll mebbe only use One Year and then Donate after Christmas is over?  *LOL*  I haven't decided yet since I have a couple Months to contemplate my Options and Desires about Christmas Decorating.  I like Decorating for Halloween more, I've never been one to Decorate extensively for Christmas except for putting up a nice Tree... in some Homes I put up more than just a single Tree coz we had Bigger Homes with more Communal Space to do that.  It was Fun when you have the Space to go all out, but here, we just don't.  Tho' I keep a certain Tree up Year round but it's not really heavily "Christmasy" and is a Vintage Tree that is discreet and small, in that one Pix above this Pix you can see it in the Background to the Left.  It has Tintype Antique Photos festooned on it, and Old Black Rosaries, it looks Cool being up all the time so we never took it down after we set it up a couple Years ago.  Nice way to display my Antique and Vintage dark Bead Rosaries Collection and my Antique Tintype Photos Collection.  I also have an Ornate dark Victorian Mourning Fan on that Tree.

 

There's so much I initially wanted to do in The RV Garage Mahal and Art Studio Spaces to Display Collections properly, but the larger Space is not Climate Controlled and it's been brutally Hot most of the Year anymore.  We used to have milder Fall and Winter Seasons and now we don't.  Today I'd like to go check out some Fav Indie Shops and Smaller Antique Malls to see what they're doing for Halloween.  I'm trying to motivate myself to get busy commuting over there since they Open at 10:00 a.m. and it's already almost 9:30 a.m., we slept in coz nobody had to go to Work with Princess T taking a Vacation Day Off.  She's busy doing stuff for her Birthday with her Boyfriend, she'll likely come Home laden with Gifts.  *Winks* 

 Which, I'll let her Buy what she wants as our Gifts to her and she likes doing that, picking out what she wants and I just go with her and we have that Girl Time together Shopping at her Fav Shops and Kiosks in The Mall that Sell her Collectibles.  Sometimes she's asked me if she can just Buy what she wants Online and I give her my Card to do it.  They then just deliver it to the Door.  I feel very Emotional Today and I don't even know Why?  I'm Emotionally Raw and that doesn't happen very often, I'm relatively Emotionless most of the time actually, so it's uncomfortable for me to feel such strong Emotions for no apparent good reason to, it feels very unsettling to me.  Nothing has Triggered it coz it's a lovely Day, The Son even made his Dad and I a nice Breakfast this Morning and had done all the Yardwork for us.  The parts of the Home I'd cleaned, edited and organized look Lovely and most of the Dining Room is in Progress of being Cleaned Up too.  The Young Prince helped with that to assist me with Executive Function.  *Smiles*

But, I did something right off the bat that upset me this Morning when I was distributing our Meds.  I accidentally gave The Man mine!!!  The Son was talking to me while I tried to concentrate and now distractions can make me fuck up royally and I did.  The Son was alarmed when I said, shit... Honey, did you already take the Meds I just gave you?  He had... dammit... and they were mine.  I only take 5 and they're all Meds he takes anyway, but the mix-up bothered me a lot, I can't make mistakes like that and it got me in a Bad Head Space.  I had to re-fill my Friday doses so I could take it, and then give him the rest of his Medications he should have had.  Thankfully I realized what I'd done and it's not like he'd OD on any of it even if he forgot to take it just for a day or took double for just a day.  Which, that's a relief, yet I was hard on myself for not staying Focused enuf when doing something important like that.  The Son apologized for forgetting that distracting me in Process now can mean I totally forget what the Hell I'm doing and could mess up.

I've told both Generations of Young People and The Man before, if you see me sorting or handing out Meds, or Paying Bills, WAIT to Talk to me about anything, don't interrupt me or I could fuck up what I'm doing and it's too important to get it Right!!!  Sometimes when they have something to say they think it can't wait, but it can, if I'm busy doing something important, it HAS to wait until I'm done with that task.  With having Adult ADHD staying on Task and keeping Focus is hard enuf without anyone compromising it further and having errors occur becoz of interruptions.  Even when I'm here Blogging, I don't like interruptions coz I then totally lose my Train of Thought or Type something Weird, mebbe whatever it is they're now saying to me!  *LOL*  I Type VERY fast, so I can actually Type faster than I can Think or even faster than what someone is Saying.  I can lock Keyboards up so I have to sometimes even slow my roll so I don't do that and have to then wait for The System to catch up to me.  When I Worked Census, they had to increase Keystrokes capacity for those of us fast so we didn't Lock Up their System and Crash it.

I've Shared this Story about the 2000 Census before with long time Dear Readers, but for Newbies, that Govt. Contract wanted Speed and Accuracy so would give big Bonuses for both.  Weekly, I always got my Bonus consistently.  Well, they thought they'd be clever to increase Productivity and Accuracy by saying that whoever could hit One Million Keystrokes would get Paid thru the end of the Contract.  Which was the End of December 2000, and could leave when they hit that Milestone, regardless of when they hit it, with full Pay anyway.   I Showed Off and hit One Million Four Hundred Thousand, just giving them Four Hundred Thousand Keystrokes as a Bonus, on October 1st.  *Winks*  They Paid me thru the end of December even tho' October 1st was the last Day I Worked for them, as per Agreed, they Honored their Promise.  A few other really fast Typists hit the Million Mark, not many tho', and you had to not only be Fast, but Accurate too or it wouldn't be Honored, I am both Fast and Accurate.  

 No matter how fast I Type I usually know the moment I hit the Wrong Key and go back and correct it immediately.  With few exceptions, so my Accuracy was high overall.  They had it built into their System to catch Errors/Typos anyway coz everything you Typed was bounced to Two other People, and if all Three Typed the same thing, it was 100% Accurate usually.   I Loved Working the Census and Govt. Contracts coz they Paid Well, always had great Bonuses they incentivized you with, and I made so many Friends while doing the Contracts.  To me it was easy Work and lucrative, so I did Census for Three different 10 Year Rotations.   I never applied the last time they did it coz tho' I could probably still do the Data Entry Work, they haven't had their Data Center in Phoenix again.  And I no longer wanted to do the Door to Door Census taking at my Age.

The Granddaughter that got the Crazy "Wolf" Haircut for her Birthday at the end of August.  She likes it and that's all that Counts and she's got a Pretty Face so can pull off some extreme Fashions just fine and doesn't look too Mental for having done it.  Tho' to me it looks like someone went Mental with the Clippers or didn't know what the Hell they were doing and slipped or made a Mistake or intentionally butchered your Hair.  *LOL*  And it's only Hair, it will grow back and I have to remember all of the Unfortunate Fashions of our own Youth and Past, Right?   Each Generation has had 'em, to be sure, we look back and go, What were we Thinking?!  *Bwahahahaha*  And Princess T and Rusty just came in bearing her Flowers Bouquets, yes, Plural... a Box festooned with Birthday Balloons and Gifts Galore, even Lighting Up... for her 21st Birthday, which is in a couple Days in Real Time.  His Birthday is the 13th of October, The Daughter's is the 14th of October.   So, Princess T has back to back Birthday Gifting to do next Month for her Mom and her Boyfriend.  *LOL*  Below are her Bouquets, 3 of them:

  

Don't they look particularly Purdy against my Colorful Granny Square Afghan Quilt?  *LOL and Smiles*   The Boyfriend is very indulgent, he knows his Woman, she is not Low Maintenance and is Very Extra and not at all your Basic Girlfriend.  *Smiles and Winks*  He's a Good Guy and we Like Rusty, they will have been Together for 3 Years very soon.  They do have their Lovers Quarrels, but tend to break up and make up at the Speed of Light, as Blog Friend Shirley so aptly said, it almost gave her Whiplash.  True that!!!  *Ha ha ha*  I don't even know what they Quarrel about UNTIL she tells me, and she will tell me.  *Smiles*  It's usually Trifles easily resolved actually... and has more to do with him not taking Seriously what she says bothers her, the FIRST Time and only Time she will fucking say it... so Remember it Forever and Ever or you'll be sorry you didn't.  *LMAOROTF, Wonder where she got THAT from?  Winks and Smiles* 

 I too will tell you something once, my Dad was like that, he wouldn't waste breath telling you again or there would be Hell to pay.  Coz we're Serious the 1st time we tell you something Frosts us... and it will ALWAYS Fucking then Frost us if you should be Foolish enuf to Forget.  *Ha ha ha*  We don't like repeating ourselves becoz you happen to be a Slow Learner on what will become a Conflict and Situation between us if you should Go There again and again.   If we told you it bothers us, just don't fucking ever do it again.  Forever and Ever.  *LOL*  It's not as if it's gonna suddenly NOT bother us just coz you are a Fool and do it on The Repeat.  If you tell us that something bothers you, we just don't fucking do it out of Respect for the Fact you Communicated to us that it's not tolerable to you, Simple.  Then there is no Trouble in Paradise.  *Winks*  I don't do whatever The Man has ever told me really Frosts him, why Trigger him by doing it, that makes zero sense to me in any Relationship.  I prefer and Value Peace and Harmony in every Situation and Relationship I'm in.  I'm a No Drama Mama to my Core.

If you even Smell like Drama and a Headache I'd rather you not be in my Orbit, Be Well and just Be Gone.   If you continue to be Dramatic and a Pain in my Ass, we just can't be Friends or have Healthy Relationship or Partnerships, and I'll make that abundantly Clear, Problem then Solved.  For each of us.  Why be around folks who can't get along with you?  I can Respectfully just allow them to be themselves somewhere else and with someone else, just not ME or around me.  *Bwahahahaha*  Even at Work, if someone is a Problem all of the time, I told Management Straight Up, don't ever put us on the same Shift or you will have yourselves a Situation.  *Smiles*   We've had a couple of Situations so they know exactly how Situational the Pairing me with a Problem Person is gonna be... I do not hold back nor suffer Fools. 

 And I frankly don't Care how the Problem Person FEELS about that, but they will know it won't Fly to be a Problem to me, without consequences they won't Like, not for a Second.  And then we'll have an Understanding.  And usually Peace and Harmony between us, so long as they stay in their own Lane from then on and don't step in my Waters Smelling like even a Drop of their Blood has entered into MY Waters.  Unless you enjoy swimming with Sharks who would have no problem tearing you from Limb to Limb becoz you were just that dumb or ignorant?  I actually am Friends now with a couple of people who started out being Problem People and learned the Lesson that it was better to be Friendly with me than an Adversary.  And, I can make Peace just Fine like that, would prefer it in fact, coz I won't Start anything with you ever, but I will Finish it if you Start something with me.  So, Why would you?  That's just Stupidity and you cannot Fix Stupid.

*******

Happy Halloween from the Arizona Desert... Dawn... The Bohemian

Peter Max & Bob Mackie... Losing Creative Genius Icons

 Well, on September 14th we Lost a couple of Creative Geniuses of our Time, both Peter Max {Age 88} and Bob Mackie {Age 87}.  I can't forget Peter's Iconic Posters from my Youth nor Bob's Creations for Cher that blew me away how Stylishly different he was at bold Sexy Fashion Design.  Losing Creative Icons who, Yes, have had long runs and become Legends in their own Time, but, gave us so much Creative Iconic Talent and Genius Creations that are so Memorable, so Unforgettable... so, it's a profound Loss all the same.  Well at least we still have Cher {80}.  And now back to our regular scheduled Postings about Local Events with this Season's Holiday Theme and Halloween Visuals. 

 

Princess T is taking some Vacation Days around her Birthday, which will be on the 22nd of September in Real Time.  So, Tomorrow, the 18th, she doesn't have to Work.  She couldn't get her actual Birthday Off, so decided to take Friday and Saturday before it Off, since, she never works on Sunday and Mondays.  That way she has Four Days Off and only has to take and use up Two Vacation Days.  It's her 21st Birthday so it's a Milestone one and a Big Deal, she'll be a full fledged Adult with all Adult Rights now.  I'm sure she and Rusty have things planned, his Birthday isn't far off either and neither is the 3 Year Anniversary of them being a Couple, so they usually combine it all.   They Buy extravagant Gifts for each other, he's a very Generous Soul and so is she.   

Since she has the Day Off I could Sleep In, but I don't know if The Son needs a Ride to Work and I may wanna go back to "Sweet Salvage" Halloween Event since I wouldn't have to Rush Home to pick anyone up for Work now.  That means I could have a more indulgent "Me Day" and so I might just take it.  The Man has been doing alright being here with just whatever Kiddos are here to keep an Eye on him.  He really isn't as mobile yet to drag around to Events and such and I don't know that he even wants to try or be interested in it anyway.  He knows it spoils it for me if I have to be in Full On Caregiver Mode to go do something I enjoy if he's in tow and I have to consider all of his limitations or that he's no longer enjoying himself at all and wants/needs to be taken Home.  It's just better he stay Home if he's not really up to any of it.  Yes, I'd like to be able to take him places, but sometimes it's no longer practical to... or even enjoyable for either of us if he can't be up to it.

 

I wanted to Read some of my Andrew Yang Book Tonight but my Eyes are acting up, with Diabetes it sometimes happens and especially when I'm Tired, which, I am.  I can Read easily what I'm Typing here, but the Font in most Books can be difficult when my Eyes aren't focusing correctly.  It doesn't happen often, but when it does, I just have to wait 'til it's not a problem.  My Eye Tests always have gone very well, so the Diabetes isn't causing permanent damage that the Disease can often cause.  I do have that beginning of a Cataract they didn't even tell me about at the Optometrist when they did my Annual Exam, coz I guess it was so early stage as to not be concerning enuf to mention?  My HUMANA Home Nurse visit did mention it tho' from their results received from the Exam, and what a Surprise that was to me, having not been told after my Eye Exam.  What about your Cataract she said, WHAT Cataract says I, they never said anything about one!  Fine way to find out completely by accident.  *Eye Roll*

Above is a portion of that French Designer's Space that I told you I just fell in Lust with how she'd Decorated it.  Especially since she'd apparently never Decorated for Halloween before and didn't know much about how it should even be done, given what she Sells that isn't typically of a Theme that lends itself to an American Holiday.  She's a Francophile and has French Antiquities directly from France mostly... so her Vibe and Aesthetic is very European and very French Country in a Charming Timeless way that I just Love and you don't see many Vendors or Designers in America even having.   I Loved the Festoon of Tattered Old Lampshades grouped one above another, the Old Leather Club Chair, the Old Fireplace Mantle and that Wonderful Old Wallpaper that does remind me of what you see in Europe.   I have an Antique Fireplace Mantle similar to this one and would like to find similar Wallpaper to hang behind it in The RV Garage Mahal where it is.  I have some Yard Longs too, and could replicate something like this with what I already have on hand.  It's Simple and yet I Love the Visual and Vibe of it.

Loved everything about her entire Space, so took probably more Pixs of it than any other Vignettes.  And spent a lot of time in it.  It just appealed to me, and all the other Friends there, whether Designers or Customers, immediately told me which Area made them think of me when they saw it, and it was hers!  They all know me so well!  *LOL*  They took one look at this Area and thought, that's SO DAWN!!!  And, truly it is.   I Hope this Vendor stays and does well, coz I do dig her Merchandise and her Aesthetic, and her Presentation of it Showcases it all so Beautifully and Skillfully.   It's not so easy to make something seem this Simple, Editorial and Effortless.  Anyway, it was a Joy to behold and I was only bummed that I could only Buy just the One thing from her.  There's was more I liked a LOT, but I was sticking to Budget and to Price Point per item.  Since most of hers is European and the Real Deal, it's not inexpensive, but it is Fair and harder to Source here in America.  Now with Tariff's, Imports are hammered in Cost... the Extortion of this Cabal of Vulgarians and Idiot Prez of our best Trading Partners and Allies, is Obscene and Criminal... it's all Illegal.

Anyway, I was Happy with my Modest Haul and it didn't bust the Budget but it did come right up to what I could afford to Spend.  I knew it likely would coz it was the Halloween Merch Month and Season of Retail Therapy I wait for all Year long.   And would be most Tempted by.  The rest of the Year and Seasons, not so much.  And frankly, if you don't Score most of it in September, or even before when they trot it out early in some Shops, by October, you can't even Hope to get any of the best of it.  Most places will Sell Out or the best Merch will be long gone and you missed your brief Window of Opportunity to Score the Primo Merch for Autumn and Halloween Decorating or Collecting.   I do plan to hit all of the other Antique Malls this Month to see what Seasonal Offerings and Displays they have up.  Some of the "Spirit Halloween" Stores aren't even Open yet, which is Late for them.  Online they tell you where they should be and yet they're still "Temporarily Closed".  The only One I've found Open yet is small and didn't have hardly anything like previous Year's Inventory, nor the Epic Displays... so, it was underwhelming and disappointing, I didn't Photograph hardly anything, or Buy a thing!

 

Five of their Listed Locations, most near us, have never Opened yet!  They have 15 Listed that are allegedly Open, but most of them aren't close by so I don't wanna drive all the way to those further away and find out, Nope, not actually Open... or, have a Sad underwhelming disappointing Location too?    There is One that is relatively close by so I may drive by it to see if it's actually operational?   Their Online Photos for each site are from previous Years, so you can't gauge what this Year will be like at all.  I noticed even the Big Box Stores that usually have a good array of Seasonal Merch, like TARGET, MICHAELS, WAL-MART... are leaner this Year, likely due to Tariffs and inflated Costs and Supply Chain and Import Issues, coz most mass produced Merch is Manufactured Abroad, not Made in America.   We haven't really been Producers in America for damned near as long as I've been Alive.  We're Consumers in this Country, Manufacturing is mostly done elsewhere, and even what might be Produced here gets their Supplies to make it from other Countries.  It's not like we're Manufacturing the Parts/Supplies either.  Which now begs for some Political Satire:

And I found out why The Daughter's good Friend Sergio in Mexico had his FB and Instagram Profiles taken down, I called him, coz I did have his Number after all.  Well, he said something Political they did not like so they both Banned him!   So, he's in FB and Instagram "Jail" so to speak, we Laughed about it, but he said it was very discriminatory and stupid, coz he didn't Post anything Extreme or Inappropriate at all.  Now, he's not a strongly Controversial Person, and anything I've seen him Posting is Truth to Power or Political Satire based on Factual Data.  Not made up Bullshit or Conspiracy Theory Low Information and Lies spawned by those in Power. He's lived in the U.S. for many Years and now lives in Mexico permanently in a Mansion on the Beach, he's a very Successful Mexican National, speaks perfect English, and Shares Political stuff similar to what I'd Share, nothing inappropriate whatsoever.  They are infringing on his Free Speech, which, he has every Right to express on Social Media, any more than anyone else does.

  So, I don't like that they're harshly Censoring those of us who are Moderates or Left Leaning, while allowing Extremist on the Far Right to Post any damned thing that is often very damaging, dangerous, incites violence, is false, Racist, Xenophobic, Homophobic, Misogynistic, Hateful, aligned with a known Hate Group, or Sexually Explicit in Nature and not Ban them at all.  It's very Selective Censorship trying to Silence the Voice of the Majority and let the Minority of Extreme Leaning MAGA Maniacs spew all the venom and vitriol that they want to with impunity, including this vile President and all of his Minions and Sycophants, his Cult Members and those he's showing Political Favor towards while not Representing the Majority of Americans at all.  Nor does he want to.  Anyway, I told Sergio I was relieved he's Fine and that it was just that, it was all so sudden it did cause concern until we could get hold of him some other way.  I'd just had an Instant Messenger FB Exchange with him at length just the Night before they took all his Social Media down and erased it all.  Very concerning that they can and will do that on their whims... and for no good reasons at all.

The Man went to Bed early, by 8:00 p.m., and The Niece wanted to come in and Hang Out here, but it's our Room, he's Retired for the Evening and I'm Blogging in here, so I said we would prefer to be left Alone right now.   Too Late for Hanging Out, and in our Family, most of us go to our Private Areas to Unwind at the End of each Day and don't really bother one another, she'll have to get used to that.   She was at Work all Day, so I'd thought she'd want to Wind Down too and just have some Private Time to herself as well?  I haven't yet figured out what her Normal Routine would be if she was somewhere else?   I do know she either spent all of Last Night, and definitely this Morning before she went to Work, in her Car again!!!  Rather than in the 5th Wheel, so, I don't think she realizes that Hanging Out in the Main House isn't something most of the Family even does in our Normal Routines.  Sometimes we'll watch a Movie or Socialize, but it's not all the time or every Day, that would be intrusive and exhausting to all of us. 

 The Daughter is probably the most inclined to wanna Socialize more than those of us who don't do a lot of Peopling.   She has a lot of Friends, but becoz she does, she doesn't like any One of them monopolizing her Time, she likes to spread out her interactions among various people and not feel smothered by contact with any One Person who demands so much of your Time they become Higher Maintenance than you're comfortable with.  That was one of the biggest Issues with Mando and her, and with her Friend Amber sometimes too.  She Cared about both of them, but they could be very monopolizing of her Time and get jealous of Time spent with many other people she knew and wanted to spend Time with.   But The G-Kid Force, The Man, The Son, and I, we're not wanting to spend inordinate amounts of time Peopling or Socializing.  We don't have a lot of people WE know over much, just every so often is Fine.  We enjoy them a few times a Month, but if it became a Daily occurrence, we'd have to set Boundaries.  Or you'd be wearing us out beyond our Comfort Level of "Togetherness".  *LOL*

I like to Blog, that's how I Relax when I'm not Caregiving or taking care of my Business of Maintaining our Household or Working Outside of the Home, or doing whatever it is I'm doing elsewhere.  So, when I come Home, and I've done everything I am Obligated to do for everyone, I like to have my Quiet Time not interrupted.  We have Shared Space, but everyone has their Private Spaces they can and do retreat to so that they aren't bothered and nobody is bothering them either.  That's what Works for us as a Collective, the Right Balance of Togetherness and Apartness.  Someone New might not yet get into the hang of it, so it will be a Transition for her and that could take her some Time to settle into comfortably too.  She's Lived Alone mostly and I imagine that could become Lonesome and now she's got all these Cohabitants that she wants to spend Quality Time with, so I do "Get It", only, there has to be a Balance to that.  Some Family are very Solitary and prefer their Apartness Time more than their Togetherness Time, even with Loved Ones, let alone anyone else.  *LOL*  It's not Personal, it's Preferences for how we Like and Prefer to spend our Time is all.

I remember when my Friend Lived with us for Six Months at The McManse, she wanted to spend a lot of Time Together coz she had always Lived Alone.  She didn't understand that we weren't all Together all of the time, I guess if she had Loved Ones Living Together, that would be her Expectation or perhaps their Lifestyle and Habits, it just was not ours.  We all Love one another but that doesn't mean we wanna spend every Waking Hour Together and have little to no Apartness Balancing out all that Togetherness.   Personally, we unanimously told her, that would feel Suffocating to us and we would not Like it.  We feel it would even cause eventual Conflict and Irritation.   You can spend too much Time with a person and then you don't necessarily have Quality Time anymore, just a Quantity of it that might not be so great or Wanted.

  I'd feel like I'd need to Escape if someone demanded that much of my Time and Energy, it would be fucking draining to me Emotionally, Mentally and Physically.  So, I'd say, hey, we can't be Friends anymore.  You just have higher expectations of the Relationship than I can accommodate or even tolerate.  *LOL*  For me, a little bit of most People can go a long way.   And that doesn't mean there's anything Wrong with them, it's just that small doses of People is enuf for me, even my Inner Circle.  They know I Like my Space, that I Love them all and would do anything for any of them, but, don't be up my Ass all the time or it Creeps me the Fuck Out!  That's why it was so hard to Raise a 2nd Generation way past the Prime of Raising smaller Kiddos coz they are very clingy and needy.  Princess T was like a Conjoined Twin to me and now she's Grown and comfortable with separation from me, it's Nice.  

We have Fun when we do anything Together, but she enjoys her Time Alone and her Privacy now as much as I do.  I'm Married to a Man who could be an actual Recluse, and that Works for us as a Couple.  He uses up all his Conversation by Morning usually.  *LOL*  He Likes my Presence, but we don't Need to be up each other's Asses all the time within the Home.  In fact, he likes being Left Alone as much as I do and so when we are Together it's more Quality Time than Quantity Time, which, is both of our Preferences.  *Smiles*  I can be a Talker when I am being Social, but, I can go Days without saying anything to anyone and be just Fine too.  I'm not always Chatty even at Work or around Friends.  Sometimes I am, sometimes I just Listen to what everyone else is Talking about. 

 I can get into Deep and Meaningful Discussions, or talk about frivolities, but, overall, I'd say Quiet Time is as Special to me as good Conversation is.  And, Heaven Forbid if someone becomes Boring to me, or becomes very Negative, Whiney or Complaining incessantly... the ADHD Kicks in and I Zone the Fuck Out and my Eyes Glaze Over!  They Lost me.  And, mostly, I don't Care. *LOL*  That's why Gossip never Appealed to me and I often overhear folks who just Smack Talk the entire Conversation they're having with each other, about everyone else they know!  And I'm thinking to myself, don't you have anything Positive to say or Nice to say?  And, if someone they know is the topic of so much unlovely Gossip, I don't know that I'd Trust those People not to Talk shit about everyone and anyone else, including me if I wasn't Present and they knew me.

  Everyone does Need to Vent about stuff, folks they know or Work with or are Related to, but if the WHOLE Conversation is just that... well... that's more than Enough and Too Much IMO.  Focus on some other stuff and you're letting those Live Rent Free in your Head perhaps too much if it's all you can Talk about most of the time.  Probably not Healthy.  When I was having my Crepes for Breakfast while waiting for the Event to Open, Two Women in the Booth in front of me were quite loud, so you couldn't help but overhear their entire Gossipy Conversation.  Apparently they'd Booked a Cruise, which, sounds like a Positive Thing to be looking forward to, Right?   Wrong!   They were going but there was apparently a 3rd "Friend" coming with them and they Trash Talked about this Woman for the entire Meal!   And I'm Thinking to myself, Why is she on the Cruise with you then?  Does she know your Sentiments, have you Talked about any of this with HER and not just with each other behind her Back?  I know if I say anything about anyone, I've usually Talked with them about it First.  It's only Right to.  You could hurt Feelings or Offend someone otherwise and sow Distrust.

Anyway, I didn't even know these Women but I felt Sorry for the 3rd Friend coz she's gonna be on a Cruise of a Lifetime with these Bitches and they talked so much shit about her, that if I were her, it would be better spent going on a Solo Cruise I think!  Yikes!   And Cruises aren't inexpensive, so... perhaps the Personalities don't Jive, but then, why would you Book a Vacation Together knowing this if you are Friends and should know each other's Habits and Personalities by now?  I have Friends I Adore, but I know there's certain things we'd NOT do Together, probably ever, and that's Okay, it wouldn't Work no matter how long we've been Friends or how Close we are.   Anyway, The Young Prince and Sayde just left to go out somewhere Together.  They both looked so Adorable I should have taken a Pix of them and didn't coz they were running Late to get to where ever it was Downtown.  Looked like a Club Scene coz they were both Dressed Up.  

 Plus, sometimes even when they look Fabulous and Fierce, perhaps they don't want Gramma Pathologically Picture Taking.  *Winks*  They appreciated I said they looked Adorable, and they did.  Each of them has a Unique Sense of Style that is quite similar and very Different, but they pull it off.   And they both like being authentic to themselves and having the confidence to do so unapologetically.  I'm sure they have their Tribe out there and have found the Niche places they can meet up with Kindred Spirits Downtown.  The one major Positive about living in a big Urban Metropolis is, everything goes and there's massive diversity and more tolerance than in smaller Communities that tend not to have as much diversity or much tolerance for anything or anyone not exactly like they happen to be.  Cheryl, who I was talking to and met in Line happened to mention that too.  

She and Hubby bought Property to Vacation at in Christopher Creek, which is a very lovely Scenic Area North of the State with lots of Pine Trees and higher Elevation for a different Climate.  They have a Cabin there and Love the Area, but not the People so much.  Becoz, also it's very Homogenously SMALL Town America and she said it's very "Conservative" in the Not-So-Good-Or-Welcoming way, that can be downright unsettling and feel unsafe, so she even quit going up there coz you have to be so Guarded.   She said her Husband sometimes is too Open and forthright about his personal Views that don't align with the Locals, and she Warns him, these People are really Different Honey, you have to be more Careful!!!   She said you can't be even mildly Liberal or Moderate of they think you're The Devil and an Enemy Of The State!!!   Okay, so we did Laugh, she didn't have to say it out Loud what we both knew she was Talking about and the general Politics of the Community and Area there in Rural Arizona, we know only too well.

She said had they Known the Demographic of the Community, they might not have Invested in Real Estate there to Vacation at.  But the Natural Beauty appealed to them for a Getaway from Urban Life a few Weeks out of the Year.  They Love the City, as we do, but on Vacays you might want more Natural Reclusive Scenic Serenity... sans any of the Weirdos and complication of the Bullshit that might Live there Full Time and be problematic tho'.  I understand, when we were House Shopping, we looked at Idyllic Areas we Loved the Topography of and the Real Estate of, but we didn't want another Situation like the vile Community the Villa McManse was in, couldn't Escape that Fresh Hell fast enuf even if the Home was Fabulous.  It becomes like a Gilded Cage to have a nice piece of Property and everyone around it is Hostile, Extreme or Unpleasant in their ways.

*******

Happy Autumn and Halloween from the Arizona Desert... Dawn... The Bohemian