Old Flames And Interrogations From Kiddos

 I've been waiting on some Online Orders to arrive, I don't usually Shop Online much, but, with the Price of Gas now, it's just making more sense to, some even offer Free Delivery, very convenient to have it just delivered to your Door.  I could get used to this and I never thought I'd say that.  The Man's Leather Crocs in a larger size due to his swollen Feet arrived, they were in way better "Gently Used" Condition than I expected, they look never Used.  I'd overrode his decision to only go a half size bigger and got a full size bigger, which is a good thing coz he still could barely get them on with ease!  *Whew*  He can't get any of his usual size Shoes on anymore, too swollen.  These do fit, but not as loose as I expected a full size more would be. He really likes them and I got them for a fraction of the Retail Cost.  The Seller's communication was excellent too.

I was overly Tempted to Buy a T-Shirt that I may regret the Purchase, we'll see.  Usually I only use E-Bay for Online Purchases, never had any problems with them and have bought Product for Decades.  I only rarely have I ever bought from any Online Shop, too many Scams abound and most look legit enuf as to fool a lot of folks before they get put on Blast to warn Consumers they are likely not Legit.  Only Twice I got Scammed with Online Shops over the Years, luckily purchases were small and other than not receiving the item, no other Issues.  One pretended to be associated with a Charity I have Bought from in Person... apparently that was their Online Ruse.  The other I just think never had their Products, but they corresponded with me for literally Months, their correspondence was exceptional so I kept thinking, why would a Scam spend so much Time corresponding with someone they know they ripped off?  It was Weird.  I bothered them for over a Year, just to get my Money's Worth of aggravating them and having them keep responding.  It became Wicked Fun for me so I didn't mind the Loss just to Torment them by being a Pain in the Ass long-term. *Winks* 

I do see Online Threads devoted to Questioning Online Sellers, so I know a lot of folks are as suspicious as I am about Online Shops.  And sometimes it's Helpful to avoid certain Sellers, for whatever reasons the Thread participants have had as their personal Experience that was Negative or a total Ripoff.   But, once I ordered from an Online Seller that after I'd already Ordered, a Thread with loads of Feedback from upset Buyers said was a Scam.  So, I just thought, well, Dammit, those Two Tops I'll never get, or if I do, won't be Happy with the Quality of.  Fully expected I had made a Purchase Error and would Learn a valuable Lesson.  Well, both Tops showed up and were exactly as Advertised, decent Quality, proper Sizing, and I was Delighted with them, so, you just never know.  My Daughter is still wearing both Tops coz she Loved them so much I gave them to her.   I'll update you on this recent Purchase... if I got Scammed or get that Desired purchased T-Shirt?

Okay, so now to the Post Title Hook... The Kiddos, all of them, have been helping to go thru Old Photos and put them into more suitable Storage for Preservation and Purge those I no longer want or need to Keep.  Well, Naturally I have tons of Imagery from The Past, coz I've always been a Pathological Picture Taker.  And so the Interrogations begin from The Kiddos, whose this, where's that, their Inquiring Minds Need to know.  *Winks*  After all, a great many of these Pixs were taken long before any of them were Born, or when they were too little to remember the People in the Photos.  And, I always keep it 100%, I rarely throw out Pixs of People when I do my Photographic Purges, I'm too Nostalgic and Superstitious about discarding People Pixs and not knowing where they end up.  You've captured the Essence of these Individuals thru the Eye of your Lens and I wouldn't have Photographed anyone that didn't mean something Relationally to me at some point in Time of my Life.  It's a Record of sorts of who I've known in each Season of it.  And so of coarse there are the Old Flames Pixs... and I keep it 100% with the Kiddos... Oh, I Dated that one... at some point in Time... before your Dad/Grandpa and I became a Permanent Couple.

The Kiddos are always intrigued and wanna know the Back Stories, about all the Pixs, not just the Old Boyfriends they happen to find Images of, tho' those spark the most Interest in Interrogating me about.  *Winks and Laughs*  The Young Prince mused once and said he now knows where he gets his preference for "Flavor" from in Relationships, as he's Dated someone from perhaps every Ethnic persuasion you can think of too... Variety is indeed the Spice of Life IMO... and his.  *Bwahahaha*  After all, those with Varied Ethnicity too had Families less likely to shit Kittens when they brought me Home than the Average White Guy's did.  The Young Prince discovered a Sampling of Imagery of just some Old Boyfriends he thought were Stud Muffins.  I was known to blast thru Relationships like he does too, tho' I remained Friends with a lot of Old Boyfriends, so there was never any animosity held.  I just wasn't one to get Serious very often, if at all, like a lot of Women tend to once they get into a Relationship with a Good Guy.  Or mebbe even a Bad Guy.  *Smiles*  Yes, I've had my Share of those too, The Bad Boys, I even Married one once, the Marriage lasted 7 Months and Produced The Son!   But let us concentrate on some of the Good Guys he Questioned me about, upon finding some of these Old Pixs.  *LOL and Winks*

Okay, so Contestant No. 1 was Ali {Handsome Sexy Turk Pix in White Shirt with his adorable little Nephew}.  A Turkish Born Guy whose Mom ended up remarrying a White American GI, when his Stepdad was Stationed in Turkey.  His Dad had been Killed, The Middle East has always been volatile like that.  She was a Widow who had SIX Kids, Ali being the Youngest, and his Dear Stepdad couldn't have Children of his own, so took on the whole Brood and brought them all to America to Raise as his own.  I was Friends with Three of Ali's Older Sisters and my Family absolutely Adored him, so he was at our Home a lot.  They always thought Ali and I would eventually get Married, we were THAT Close.  We became Close Friends first and then tried to become more than that... which almost never works out... so... we went back to just being Friends, which did work out.  I Loved him tho' and knew I always would.  Even after I had The Daughter, and her Bio Father bounced... Ali was always around to Help out and give me a Sincere Best Friend Male Perspective on whoever I was Dating or should get rid of. 

 He got rid of more than One unsuitable Guy who was Bad News... not literally... figuratively... and he didn't take his own advice and Married an Old Nemesis of mine, of all people... and that didn't last for him.   I'd known her way back when our Families were Stationed in England and we were in High School.  She had a Bad Reputation for Sleeping around... A LOT... and going after OPP, whether someone else's Boyfriend or Husband!  I didn't even know she'd also come back to live in Arizona too when her Dad Retired from the Military.  I didn't even know Ali had gotten Married when he Enlisted in the Army 'til he came back and then told me he'd Married ole' Kristi!  Ruh Roh, I knew Heartbreak would be on his Horizon... and she'd be Creeping while he was away on Assignments... I wasn't Wrong... so, it didn't last.  I told him he should just Marry a nice Turkish Girl and eventually, that's what he did and they had Two Daughters, I was so Happy for him, he's a Good Guy and I often think of how he's doing, we lost Touch in the late 1990's eventually. 

Contestant No. 2 was Herb {The Smiling Handsome Amerasian Pix}, his G.I. White Dad had also Married a Foreign Born Woman while Stationed in her Home Country of Japan.  He had a Beautiful Sister who ended up Marrying a Famous Rock Band Member, tho' I forget which Band coz I wasn't into following the Music of many of the Rock Bands, I just recall it was a very Famous Band that I did know of.  Herb said he joined the Air Force to get away from the Fast Lane Life his Sister had introduced him to thru her Husband and his Associations... who were of coarse, all about Sex, Drugs, and Rock & Roll, it was the late 1970's after all.  Herb actually was also a very accomplished Guitarist and said that when he got out of the Military, he thought about starting or joining a Band of his own, he had the Connections to.  I often Wonder if he did?  I think my Relationship with him might have lasted longer had he not gotten Stationed somewhere else, which happens in the Military, moreso back in those Days when you got Re-Assigned often, every 12-18 Months or so.  Herb was a Good Guy and a lot of Fun, Fun, Fun to be around and with.  He took me to my 1st Japanese Restaurant... I Love Asian Food... but not necessarily Japanese Food, it was an acquired Taste for me.  *LOL*

Contestant No. 3 was Joe {Big Smile, Brown Shirt, in Real Life he looked rather like a Mulatto version of Engelbert Humperdinck The British/East Indian Singer}.  I met Joe thru our British Moms becoming Friends.  Mom, having an Intercultural Interracial Relationship herself, often Befriended other Foreign Born Women who were Married to American G.I.'s who weren't of their Race and had met and Married them in their Home Countries while Stationed there.  Joe's Mom was White and English, his Dad was a Black American G.I..  My Brother was smitten with Joe's Beautiful Younger Sister Renee.  So, Mom had a lot of European Friends who Married American G.I. Men of Color, and a lot of Asian Friends who Married either White or Black American G.I.s.  By then Vietnam had brought Home a lot of Women from Southeast Asia who Military Men had Married.  Back in Mom's Era is was a lot of Post WWII and Korean War Brides from all over Europe, Korea and Japan who Military Men had Married.  You don't see a lot of Middle Eastern War Brides tho' due to the Culture, most could fear Death from their own Families for even Dating an Infidel. 

And as a Demographic of being Military AND having the International and often Interracial Relationships, we always Bonded as Families with each other and of similar Experiences here in America... for a whole lotta reasons.   Military Families Bond closely anyway... Foreign Bride Families did coz we were often Outcasts in America.  A lot of Americans resented War Brides.  And outside of the Military you didn't see many Interracial Unions either in those days.   Joe and I stayed Friends then long after Dating didn't pan out for us, Great Guy.   We were close to his Family until they got Stationed somewhere else, his Dad still being Active Duty, my Dad had by then Retired and stayed here in Arizona, after having Served 27 Years.  I do often Think about Joe and his Family, never have found them via Social Media, where you can often Reconnect with people you used to know.   His Mom was a Riot, I remember that fondly, she and my Mom could be the Life of any Party and get that Party Started, so they often got invited to many.   And the House Parties on Base were Memorable and Family Friendly, so us Kids, even once Grown, usually came along coz it would be a Good Time for all the Generations getting together for a Social Experience you'd always remember fondly.  Above is one of the Granddaughters in Mexico.

 Joe's Dad and mine were more the Quiet, Reserved, Stoic Type, complete opposites to their outgoing Wives... so Joe's Dad and my Dad got along great too.  Plus, in the Military my Dad was always Assigned to Black Units back when the Military was still Segregated, so almost all Dad's Friends from Work were Black G.I.s, him being the only Native American any of them knew.  *LOL*  And Dad would always be the Designated Driver of the After Party, coz he didn't Drink the Fire Water, and made sure if the Party had Drinking, everyone got Home Safely and without getting Busted by the Sky Cops.  That could lose you some Rank, and I often became the Designated Non-Drinker Driver, just like Dear Ole' Dad, same with my Brother being the Designated Non-Drinker Driver, for all our Friends getting Home safely from the After-Party.  I actually met The Man doing just that for my Friends Beau and Yogi after a big Super Bowl Party at the Club that The Man was DJ and Bouncer at just outside of Luke AFB.  *Smiles*

 The Man followed me in his Truck as they both hung out the back Window of my Truck, Drunk and Celebratory coz their Team Won that Super Bowl, shaking The Son's Baby Rattles!  As I headed to "Waffle House" to Sober them up before trying to get back on Base without an Incident with the Military Police that would cause them Grief or Trouble.  *Bwahahaha*  The Man was suitably impressed that I Cared that much about my G.I. Friends, he knew them both too, and actually it turned out we knew many of the same People at the Base even before The Man and I ever met each other... Small World!!!   But, I digress... back to the Old Flames who didn't Win me over to become The Wife, like The Man did.  *Bwahahaha*  The Man isn't even sure that's a Good Thing coz all my Friends LOVED me, and my Brother of coarse LOVES me, but they all told him, you know, She's Crazy... so, just Beware and Be Warned!   He lives Dangerously tho' and always has.  And here we now are nearing our Fourth Decade as a Happily Married Couple, Raising Two Generations of Kiddos together that he never Fathered... who knew?!  *Winks and Laughs*  Clearly I Married the BEST Man of them all!!!

Now, back to our regularly Scheduled Programming and we're up to Contestant No. 4 who was Dave.  {B&W and Color Photos of him back from when we Dated in the early 1980's}.   I met Dave while he was visiting his Older Brother Joe, who was in the Air Force and Stationed here at Luke AFB.  Joe had Married a Thai Wife, Lar, who was one of my Best Friends.  Lar and I had our 1st Kids only 3 Days apart.  The irony being, her Son, Joey, Jr., looked White and my Kid, The Daughter, looked Amerasian, so people thought we were Joking when we'd tell them, No, the White Baby is hers and the Asian Baby is mine.  *LMAO*  Lar was only 4'9" but had a 5th Degree Black Belt, she'd led a hard Life in Thailand, being Sex Trafficked from a very Young Age of 9, since she was an Orphan and Street Child in Thailand.  Joe and Dave were Italians from New Jersey, need I say more than that.  *Winks and Laughs*  Dave also had a Black Belt in Martial Arts, Taught Martial Arts, and was a Male Model.  Both Brothers were very Italian Stallion Handsome.  Dave had the most Gorgeous Hazel Eyes and Blue Black Hair, but he was Younger than me, so, it didn't work out.  The Daughter was Young and Adored him tho'.  He'd had a little Sister who Died of Leukemia when she was very Young.   Above is one of the Granddaughters in Pittsburgh.

Another Issue was Dave and Joe's Mother, she was a very overbearing Italian Mama and didn't like me or Lar.  We weren't Italian Girls, we weren't Catholics, and she treated Lar very badly and claimed Joey wasn't her Son's Child even tho' Little Joey looked EXACTLY like his Dad!  I kept in Touch with Lar over the Years even, when they all moved away and got Re-Assigned to other Bases.  Lar sadly passed away a few Years ago of Cancer, Little Joey is a big Muscular Guy like his Dad and Uncle now.  I know what Dave still looks like via FB but choose not to have Contact anymore, he looks the same, only Older, he's Aged very, very well, let me just say.  He and his Older Brother were Good Guys, tho' their Mom would definitely be The Mother-In-Law from Hell and who needs that nonsense?!    Lar was so Reverential and Respectful to her in spite of the Old Lady being a Ratchet MIL, Racist and Xenophobic towards Lar being Asian and an Immigrant War Bride and not accepting the Grandchild as her Son's Child. I only Hope things got better between them?  Lar had endured a lot of Cruelty, Hardship and Abuse in her Lifetime but was one of the most Love filled Friends I ever had.  Above is the last Photo of my Dear BFF Lar and her Son, now BIG Joey!

Contestant No. 5 was Solomon {Pictured with me}, who was an Egyptian Palestinian whose Dad was a General in the Egyptian Army.  They were a very Wealthy Family in Egypt and lived in a Palatial Estate there.  I met him thru my Mom's Arabic Jordanian Friends and I didn't even know the Guy, but he saw me and asked MY DAD'S Permission to Date me!!!  Dad said, Sure... Mom liked the Guy, so I did Date him, tho' I thought the whole Cultural Permission of the Parents thing without consulting me first was Weird.  *LOL*  He was a Muslim Arab and very Culturally stringent, so I knew it wasn't gonna work out at all.  I'm NOT the Oppressed or Compliant Gender Type by any stretch of the Imagination and my Dad Raised me from a Strong Matriarchal Tribal Cultural way of Being.  Solomon couldn't get used to that, but he was tenacious.  

So I asked Contestant No. 1, Ali, my Turkish Friend, how do I get rid of this Guy?  *LOL*  He said invite him over to Dinner and serve Pork Chops, say you eat them all the time and could never Live without one, claim you'll be irreparably Offended if he won't eat your Cooking!  *Winks*  Yeah, he was Gone after that. *Smiles*  Thanks Ali!   And speaking of Ali, he introduced me to Contestant No. 6, who was his Best Friend Al.  {Pictured Above and looked like my Heartthrob Crush on TV at the time, Erik Estrada... people actually mistook Al for being the Movie Star all the time coz Metro Phoenix had a lot of Celebs tooling around the City in the 80's.}   Al was a super Nice Guy and being Ali's Best Friend and Wingman, they'd often hit the Clubs together and often ask me to come along, I was a good 'in' for them to meet Women.  We were like The Three Musketeers in those Days, even tho' I had Dated both of them briefly, they became the Better Friends than Boyfriends, and knew I wasn't Serious about Dating anyone in particular either.  Both of them could be Players, so they didn't Judge me either.  Besides, you can't Play a Player.  *Winks*  I was just having my Best Life Free and Single.

 Above is an Enlisted Ali with his gorgeous long Hair Shaved off, right after he Married my Nemesis Kristi, she did NOT Like me either coz I knew of her Sordid Past and could Spill her Tea, and I was still Best of Friends with her Husband.  That Relationship actually lasted longer than their Marriage did.  *Winks*   I have some For Me Only Pixs of Ali, and I don't know if the Kiddos have found those??!  Ali was as uninhibited as Yours Truly... like a Turkish Hippie, if there was such a thing?  *Winks*   Here's the Funnier Part, the Guys thought it was great Sport in the 80's to go to the Gay Clubs and try to 'Convert' the Gold Star Lipstick Lesbians to give a Guy a Go.  *Bwahahahaha*  I thought that was hilarious and in the 80's the Gay Clubs were the best Clubs for Music and Dancing anyway, so a lot of us Straights went to them too and nobody Cared.  Some of the Gay Men tried to 'Convert' Ali and Al too, coz, they were Handsome Men and very Fit.  *LOL*  Suffice to say I got asked out more by the Lipstick Lesbians than Ali or Al ever did.  And they never switched Teams.  *Ha ha ha*

  Al and I decided to just be Good Friends too.   Eventually we all lost Touch... and Social Media isn't something everyone uses so you can't always reconnect with everyone, tho' I have with some, which is always great to Catch Up on each other's Lives.  Most of us are still Living our Best Lives, which is great, and of coarse Sadly, some have Crossed Over and are no longer among the Living.  I Lost a lot of Friends in various Wars who Died in Combat, coz I know a lot of Military and they made up the majority of my Friendships and Relationships over the Years, both Platonic and Romantic.   So, that's my Sampling of Old Boyfriends... I'm sure there's Pixs of others the Kiddos haven't dredged up yet.  And I'll have future Interrogations of my Wayward Youth to tell them True Stories of.  Only The Daughter has Wilder Stories than I do.  And we got some Novella worthy Stories!!!  *Ha ha ha and Winks*  We're both very Liberated Women.  *Smiles*

I've had Fun reminiscing about my Wasted Wayward Youth, spent frivolously on a Personal Level while on a Professional Level my Star kept Rising despite my Personal and Private Life being stark contrasts.  I was a Hippie Wild Flower Child while also being a Corporate Bank Executive at the SAME time, what a Contrast and Dichotomy, huh?  But, not necessarily Mutually Exclusive, especially in the 70's and 80's.  *Bwahahahahaha*  And Yes, The Man knows about all of my Life, we don't keep Secrets, I know about all his Spilt Tea too.   It's not as if he didn't have a lot of Exes, and poor Judgment when it came to matters of the Heart, he just thought he had to Marry most of his, either Common Law or Legally.  *Bwahahahaha*   Which is Why, if, our Kiddos blast thru Relationships, we have a Point of Reference and No Judgment about it... it happens... and... I don't think it's a terrible thing and try not to get so Old I Forget what it was like to be Young.

I did a lot of Environmental Cleanup and you do find the best things that folks have discarded, below is a Trio of items Found, and brought Home, including a BBQ and Two Fire Pits:

We got a Male Mannequin's Beauty School Head called Kyle at SAVERS for Five Bucks... he has a long Beard, Mustache, Eyebrow Hair, Ear Hair, Nose Hair and a gorgeous Head of Hair, we were Laughing so hard... see Kyle Below, Kyle makes me Smile, so, he's a Keeper:

Princess T is holding Kyle up by his Hair, it doesn't look that Crazy otherwise, it's actually got nice Hair for a Beautician Practice Mannequin.  He'll Model one of my Vintage or Antique Hat Collection.  They had a nice Pokemon Duvet that I'm gonna Resell, got it for only Five Bucks, they Sell for $30-$50 and anything Pokemon Sells.  We also got some LPS Toys in a big Bagged Lot for only Four Bucks, been a long time since I've been able to Score any of those and they Sell like Crazy, but you have to keep them in a Locked Case.  When we only had a Showroom our LPS were getting Stolen all the time, so I had to pull them out of Inventory 'til I got a Locked Case, more walked out the Door unpaid for than had Sold otherwise, it was annoying.  I got a Set of 3 different sized matching Enamel Red Exterior, Utopia Cast Iron No-Stick Frying Skillets too, 6", 8" and 10" sizes.

One of my Diabetic Injectables has gone up to $89 Co-Pay now, some of my Meds are still reasonably priced and affordable tho', I only take Meds for Type II Diabetes.  If I can lose the excess Weight and the Diabetes go away again when I'm at Goal Weight, like it did before when I dropped down to about 157 lbs., I'll have no Rx Expenses, so, that's my Goal to reach.  It's just getting too expensive now that the Military won't cover all my Medical Expenses, only the Veterans can use the VA, not their Spouses.  We were Promised Free Medical for Life as his EARNED Benefit... but now we have to pay a Premium, Co-Pays, and for all of my Medications thru TriCare Express Scripts.  The Base Satellite Pharmacy quit carrying most of what I was on and they Closed the Base Hospital.  You couldn't use it anymore anyway once you turned 65, you have to go to Civilian Hospitals now.  It used to be you could use the Base Hospitals and Clinics all your Life if you were Retired Military.  My Parents did, my Dad having Served 27 Years... The Man Served 39.  Above Pix was me Blogging in 2013... I began my Blog in 2009.

I regret Selling this Gooseneck Mid-Century Mod Dual Butterfly Lamp from the 1960's, but a Friend of mine wanted it badly so made me an offer at the time that I couldn't refuse... dammit!!!  I still have Seller's Remorse tho', never seen another one like it and it sat on my Desk where I Blog for Years and gave good Light.  I know he Resold it, probably had a Big Pocket Client who Collects everything Mid-Century Mod.  Some Vendors Specialize in only that Genre of Merch and it does very, very well.   The Double Gooseneck Mid-Century Lamps like this with Fiberglass Shades now Sell for around $200... so I know I won't replace it at those current prices.  I still have some Gooseneck Older Lamps that are Vintage Industrial Style, one belonged to my Dad so it has a lot of Nostalgia to it. 

 He had it in the Sewing Room on his Old Singer Trundle Machine Cabinet, where he Sewed most of our Clothing growing up.  That Sewing Machine was over 100 Years Old and still worked, it made most of my Clothes growing up and all my Barbie Clothes too.  My Dad could literally make anything, just show him a Catalog Photo of what you wanted, he'd make one just like it without even having a Pattern!   Even tho' he Ordered my Mom's Couture Wedding Dress from Paris, when they got Married in her Country, he made all of the Bridesmaids Dresses and they were Gorgeous.  The Wedding was so Special it made Front Page News and all of Mom's Town showed up for it.  There were only ever 13 Gals who ever Married American G.I.'s from my Mom's area in those days when North Wales still had an American Military Base.  Sealand in Flintshire Closed in April of 1957, which was only Four Months before I was Born. 

 The Americans were there from 1951-1957 and my Parents were Married in 1952 after a Two Year Engagement.  It took that long for my Dad to get permission to Marry her and to bring my Foreign National Mom to America and issued a Green Card, which later they were Pink Cards, she carried one for the rest of her Life.  She had to be proficient enough to Read and Write in English too, so apparently criteria has changed since then.   She didn't mind being required to do that coz she knew nobody in America could speak or understand her Language and it would have been terribly more Isolating if she hadn't been English proficient.  As it was nobody could understand her English either coz she always spoke it with a very thick Welsh Accent.  So, I still had to Translate for her all my Life.  Mom actually could speak several Languages so learning English wasn't hard for her.  Easier it was for her to Learn English than for Dad to Learn Welsh, which isn't a Written Language, but he did anyway, which endeared him to her People.  She never could endear herself to his, unfortunately.

She was appalled at how she saw the abject Poverty on the Reservations of America in the 1950's, and how my Dad had grown up with such lack as no Electricity, no Heat/Cooling or running Water, when most of America had Modern Conveniences by then.  In Wales nobody lived like that, not even the Welsh Gypsies, who were Nomadic by Choice, and most still lived in Colorful Vardos in her Country and Bathed in Fresh Water Streams.  Anyway, when I went to the Rez my Dad was from in 1974 I was still as shocked and appalled as my Mom had been in the early 1950's, coz not much had changed for the better where my Grandma lived.  She still didn't have Indoor Plumbing or Electricity until much later.   And even Today, a lot of my Cousins and their Children and Grandchildren, live a Hard Life on the Rez.  I'm very Thankful my Dad, tho' it was difficult for him to not be around anyone of his Culture except when he went Home to visit them, chose to Live, School and Raise us outside of a Reservation so we'd have Opportunity and The American Dream afforded to us.

 

He enjoyed his Military Career very much tho', he got to Travel the World, get a proper Education on the GI Bill and earn his GED and some College, coz he wasn't a Stupid Man, just one not afforded a proper Education.  In the Indian Schools they often put the Children to Work and called it an Education, and loaned them out as Free Labor to local Farms and Ranches to do hard Labor without compensation.  Some never came back or even Survived, Two of his Younger Brothers didn't, and their Families were never told what happened to them.  And nobody prosecuted for Neglect, Abuse or the Death of an Indian Child in the Care of the U.S. Government's Indian Schools.  That's just some of our Whitewashed History never Taught in our Schools... you know, coz it might make the Ancestors of the Perpetrators of such Treatment of other Human Beings feel bad or something.  

Like that's the worst thing that could happen, they Learn the Truth about our Bad History too, so that it should never, ever, be repeated and atrocities not committed against fellow Human Beings again, for any reasons.   But, now we have Children abducted and put in ICE Concentration Camps involuntarily... so History and Atrocities are repeating itself... and here we now are!!!   And when those Children are Disappeared, Unaccounted for to their Families, or Die, is there anyone being Prosecuted for it either, No, there is not!!!  Why?  Becoz they are not White Children, plain and simple, as the REAL explanation.  None of those Children are even Old enuf to have committed any Crime that should get them abducted and Imprisoned... they are Children, Innocents, and no Child belongs in a Prison or a Concentration Camp, or to be involuntarily separated from their Families and just Abducted, period.  That's Kidnapping and THAT IS THE CRIME, a Serious one, for whoever snatched them.  Imagine if it was YOUR Child or Grandchild!

And I don't hear or see enough People acknowledging or even speaking out AGAINST these kinds of atrocities... and that's deeply disturbing to me.  To Witness Evil committed against fellow Human Beings and do or say Nothing is as complicit as committing the Evil yourself IMO.  And it shouldn't matter that they don't look like you, or Share anything in common with you, to be given the Dignity, Respect and Humanity extended as a Human Being worthy of it.  I'd Hoped in my Lifetime we could Evolve as a Species to Transcend a lot of that Bias, Prejudices and Hatred against other Human Beings, but, we haven't... not really... becoz it still Exists and it shouldn't.  I've never been able to have someone who holds that Sentiment in their Hearts and Behaves in such a way EVER be able to Justify it to me... I've Listened to their lame Excuses, as to why they feel so Superior to another Human Being and therefore Dehumanize them... I can only then surmise they are damaged on the Inside and have a defect in their own Souls.  Humanity and Compassion should be Normal and it isn't with them.

I know I've been all over the place with Topics in this Post... ha ha ha... I've talked about everything and nothing all at the same time.  *Winks*  I've gone Deep Down Rabbit Holes and further back in the Past for some heady doses of Nostalgia and Storytelling... which I like to do when I Blog.  Everyone has a Story and I enjoy Hearing everyone else's too, when they Share it here in The Land Of Blog.   Remember earlier in the Post I said my Dad made most of my Clothes and all of my Barbie Clothing... well, and Doll Clothing too... so, I Lucked Out and found some Images in the Photo Archives to Share of just some of his Doll Clothes Creations he made for me:

My Dad had made and Designed the Clothing on that Old Trundle 100 Year Old Singer Machine for these Vintage British Talking Stacey {1968} wearing a Red Carpet Inspired Mermaid Gown he Designed for me, and Julia {1968} wearing a Gold Lame' Nehru Collar Mini Dress he Designed for me, they are Dolls that I Sold in the early days of being at the Antique Mall.  The Barbie was one of the first ones that had come out with Brunette Hair  {1967} and the Julia was from the TV Show with Diahann Carroll and the First Black Barbie.  With Age the Hair of those Julia Dolls always turned Auburn, don't know Why?   I had Pierced the Ears of all my Barbie Dolls in the 1960's.   The Julia Doll now can fetch almost $200, I wanna say back in the early days of the Antique Mall I got $60 for her.   I took not only good Care of these Vintage Dolls, but they also Survived Two more Generations of my Daughter and my Granddaughter owning them before I Sold them, and they took good Care of their Toys too.  Good enuf Care we Sold them easily when they were ready to Let Go of their Collections of them from Childhood too.

*******

Nostalgic Moments from the Arizona Desert, part of my Life's Story being Shared... Dawn... The Bohemian

Seriously Behind The Eight Ball

 

I just caught up on some Blog Reads and discovered one of my fav UK Bloggers, Vix, is having Health Issues.  This is a Senior who takes such exceptional Care of herself and exercises like a Youngster, eats healthy, looks amazing, and is vibrant, Fashionable and active.  So it seems so unfair to have a Hip go out, limiting mobility and cramping her very active Lifestyle.   But, the Body can and does sometimes just wear out over Time.  And to hear that the Right Wing Reform Party of their Political System is making it in to Power too in her area, was even more Bad News from across the Pond.  She keeps so Positive and Uplifted tho', quite an Inspiration, and I just Love her Blog VINTAGE VIXEN.  So, Healing Energies being sent out to Vix in England... and may their Politics have a Healing Touch too!  Her Beloved booked a Holiday to Greece to Cheer her... they Travel extensively and bring you along vicariously on her Blog.

So much can happen when I haven't kept up with my Blog Reads and check in more regularly with all my fav Bloggers, I apologize for being a MIA Reader!  I'm falling behind in other things too, including my housekeeping and decluttering, my Edit & Purging, my Spaces at the Antique Mall, well, you get the Picture.  I'm seriously behind the Eight Ball. *Le Sigh*  The further I fall behind in it all, the less ambitious I'm becoming to try to catch it all up, since it's quite overwhelming at some point of the deferred practice of keeping up with it all.  And sometimes I am doing other things more enjoyable than trying to constantly and futilely trying to Play Catchup and Failing miserably at it anyway.  The exterior looks splendid, so it's deceiving for what lies inside, a Hot Mess of deferred... everything.  I Care, and yet, I'm limited with Solutions.

I've tried instead to focus on what matters most and just concentrate on that.  The New Fridge is a Vision of Organization and that was helpful, I'm loving the Icemaker function which makes 10 lbs. of Ice daily if you Need for it to.  So, we always now have Ice and we still use the little portable Icemaker I bought prior, only, not relying on it as much now the Fridge cranks out lovely abundant Crescent Shaped Ice Cubes and dumps them in a large Bin in the Freezer section to just scoop out when needed.  It also has that built in Pitcher of fresh Ice Water that refills itself and is filtered, so saves on having to Buy Bottled Water.  With the scare about micro-plastics, the Family are trying to drink less Plastic Bottled refreshments now.  I'm sure we've already consumed a deadly amount of them before they made it known it's building up in our Bodies.  Whaddya gonna do with or about Modern Toxins tho'?  *Le Sigh*

On a Positive Note, since Vix really Inspired me to stay Positive and look at the Bright Side of things when Life's Issues and Challenges pile up, my Potted Herbs on the front Porch are thriving nicely and looking lovely.  I have Mints and Oregano, I never did get to buy my Basils and Pot them.  I've found that the Front Porch is a perfect fit for Potted Herbs tho' and makes me feel good when I enter and exit the House to see them growing so well flanking our Front Doorway.  They're even Flowering and setting some Seed.  I've yet to Harvest some to eat, which, I thought I would have by now, but I haven't been exactly in the Kitchen much making Homemade Sauces or Pho' to use them with either.  The Son will start a Chili in the Crockpot this Morning he said.  Usually it's been The Daughter who took over Cooking and Feeding everyone and she's been MIA for a Week now, so we've fended for ourselves and dealt with constant Health Crisis of The Man, which is distracting us from almost anything else.

White John his OT is coming Tomorrow at 4:00 and couldn't Believe he'd just had another Hospitalization and Medical Emergency on the very DAY he'd done so well in OT when John was here last time!  I explained that later that very DAY after PT at 4:00 p.m., he got Stung by a Scorpion before Dark and as I was getting Dinner!   Then it was Urgent Care, Ambulance Ride to a Trauma Hospital, and another Hospital Inpatient Stay!!!  He just got Discharged by Sunday Afternoon and we'll have to start OT and PT slowly again and work our way back up to where he was.  One Step forward, Three Steps back, has been what's constantly happening with him anymore, keeping Pace is grueling Work to keep him Mobile and out of Rehab.  So, I can really relate to what Vix was going thru with her Mobility Issues.  A Body in Motion Stays in Motion... a Body at Rest too long, Deteriorates rapidly, and it's a downward spiral from there!

I do get really concerned about both The Man and I being able to stay in the Home and Independent of requiring Longer Term Care and Alternative Placement eventually.  It's just not a viable Option Economically, at all.  There are no Holidays booked in the foreseeable Future, can't even remember the last Vacation we have even gone on.  So I shall vicariously visit any of you taking us along on yours Virtually.  *Winks and Smiles*  I really do enjoy coming along on the Canvas of my Imagination, I'm very Visual like that and have a Fertile Imagination.  Which is handy when Real Life is devoid of such activities afforded us.  I had intended to go back up to Jerome for a Weekend at least, but I cannot take this Show on the Road and that's a rather remote little Ghost Town Touristy spot, so if he took ill there we'd be in real Crisis.  Plus, his Mobility is seriously compromised now, so our Fav 1800's Hotel, The Connor, which has no Elevator, would not Work now for him.  We'd never get him up them Stairs anymore.  Leaving him behind is not an Option.

When you're a Full Time Unpaid Caregiver then there is no Respite Option to go on a Vacation without whoever it is you're Caregiver of.  I wouldn't have a Peace about it even if there were, in case while I was away he took a Bad Turn and I wasn't there for him.  I'd have intense Guilt and have to Abort the whole Trip immediately.  I couldn't even do Brunch on that Memorial Day Weekend Sunday he was Hospitalized with any measure of Success, now, could I?  *Le Sigh*  So, quite often I give up even trying to do Independent Me Time or leave to do anything, becoz it always seems if I leave the House, even to go get a Pizza less than a half Block away, another Crisis happens with him here at Home now!!!  And that's all way too Stressful to have on the Back of your Mind while you try to go do anything, however necessary it is.  I don't have adequate coverage here at Home to handle Crisis in my Absence.  No Drivers besides me, and they all have their own Disabilities they try to Cope with... adding Dad/Grandpa so I have Backup, can be a Big Ask of them.

Lately things have been falling apart like that, and not just with him, it's like a House of Cards when One falls... it's a Domino Effect of sorts.  The Young Prince has been less than Functional.  I didn't realize how much less Functional until he moved back Home.   And now I know why Allen burnt out trying to juggle a demanding Career and Caregiving for a Seriously Disabled Spouse.  With little to no Present Help, it's a LOT.  He's blown thru yet another perceived "Relationship", I think he builds up in his Head how his Relationships are actually going... and they're NOT really going well, except with Sayde, his long time Female Friend.  The Military Guy ended up Ghosting him, I think over a brief time they realize how Unwell he really is and that is a Red Flag, which, is understandable.  Hard for the person with the Serious Disability tho'.  But, he always finds the next Ex-BF and so there's already someone New... on to The Next Ex.  Reminds me of Jeff Goldblum's Dr. Ian Malcolm's Character's iconic Line of always looking for "The Next Ex Mrs. Malcolm".  *LOL*

The Young Prince will suddenly get Obsessive about something, the other Day it was Showering, he took Four of them in One Day!!!  And then he might go on a bender of NOT practicing good hygiene and you have to remind him to pop into the Shower, Comb his Hair, get Dressed or Change out of Clothes he's worn for Days, Brush his Teeth, etcetera.  I ended up doing an entire Load of Wet Towels from his Showerfest that day.  He used 2-3 each time it seems.  And if I don't see him doing his own Laundry regularly I have to ask him if I NEED to do a QC in The Art Studio to make sure I can see the Floor and it's not a mound of Dirty Clothing piled up like that last time he went Off The Rails?  I know it's gonna take 5-7 Months for Social Security to even REVIEW his Case and Application for Disability Status, Payments and Services.  So, it'll be at the very least the end of the Year before they even consider evaluating him and either Qualifying or Denying our Claim!  *Le Sigh*

And then let the Appeals and The Games then begin, coz I am going to be relentless and tenacious about Qualifying him, since he's at least been willing to go Apply with me as his Caregiver.  I can't get The Daughter in there to Social Security or DES coz she thinks they will involuntarily snatch her and put her in an Institution.  Like a Mental Health Facility or the State Hospital ... a Jail... Prison... or ICE Detention Center and Concentration Camp, never to be heard from again or get Due Process.  And there's no talking her out of that Fear coz... well, fuck... the way and direction this Country is going... she could be Right!!!???  And I'm not even a Paranoid Schizophrenic like she is and I can see that she has a bit of a Point about her Concerns about all of that given this Regime's Project 2025 being Implemented, albeit Illegally, nobody seems to be effectively stopping them either!  They wanted a "List" of all people in the Country Diagnosed with Autism... Por Que?!  One has to Wonder!!!

  The Son has Autism and he's so suspicious of Government now he won't even Register to Vote!  He doesn't wanna be on any "Lists" they might have!  And he is convinced our Votes don't matter anyway, otherwise this Clown wouldn't have been Voted in the 1st time, coz he definitely never Won the Popular Vote, his Opponent Hillary got more Votes and yet she still Lost.  So as far as The Son is concerned, that PROVES that One Vote per Citizen doesn't even matter, if Millions more Votes than your Opponent still makes you the Loser of an Election due to the Electoral College, which, I agree, should be abolished.  If we wanna pretend our Votes matter, then who gets the most Votes should have Won every Election based on that Fact... having the most Votes of The People... and not having that overturned by any other Alternative Method that allegedly makes things more "Fair"???  Really???  How is that MORE OR FAIR?!

In 2016 Hillary got 2,868,686 more Votes than Donnie Two Dolls, or, 48.18%... he got 46.09%... how was that MORE or FAIR then that he Won due to the Electoral College skewing the Popular Vote in his Favor to where he Won that Election?   That means just shy of 3 Million of The People's Votes didn't Count or Matter.  That's a considerable amount of Wasted Votes cast, that really DIDN'T MATTER, to be sure.  I don't Care where you choose to Live, it shouldn't have preferential treatment of how much more or less your Single Vote should Count towards Electing anyone.  And I've heard all the Excuses about Rural folks Needs being different than Urban folks Needs and there's less of them, or something, well, there's less of them, which doesn't make them a Majority then.  Lots of "Minorities" and various Demographics haven't been properly Represented in this Nation's History, based on something far more significant than who got Elected or where they chose to Live. 

 Things like their Color, Ethnicity, Country of Origin, or Gender, for example.  I couldn't even get a Loan without a Male Co-Signer when I was a Young, but Grown Ass Adult Female!  Native Americans didn't even become U.S. Citizens until June 2, 1924!  Let that sink in, it's THEIR Country Stolen from them by who Immigrated here and wasn't from here originally, but they weren't granted Citizenship of it!  Columbus arrived in the Americas {he didn't FIND America, people were already here for Thousands of Years}, in October of 1492, so, do the Math in how long it took for the Indigenous to even be acknowledged as Citizens here and have any Voice!!!   My Native American Paternal Grandparents and Elder Relatives were not considered American Citizens for most of their Lives!  The Voting Rights Act wasn't Signed into Law until 1965!!!  And now it's all being overturned, that is a brief period of time before we're devolving as a Nation, rather than Evolving or becoming more Enlightened, or MORE FAIR in Reality!!! 

 Despite Ratification of the 19th Amendment in 1920, there has been a LOT of Voter Suppression... White Primaries, Literacy Tests, Intimidation, etc. to try to stop the ability to cast a Vote.  It's happening all over again.  We should be concerned about it.  And I don't know that as many folks are concerned about it as should be and that's a good part of the Problem.  If someone doesn't even acknowledge there IS a Problem, then when it's too late to do anything about it, becoz they were Asleep rather than Woke and Aware about what was happening, that's how Battles are Lost that were worth Fighting for.  But they never even put up a Fight, so it was Lost before it even Began really.   And the Administration getting into Global Fights is a handy distraction so you're not even paying attention to the Battles going on right here at Home, that you should be up in Arms about and Fighting like Hell not to Lose.  We are Losing... a LOT... and yet I see folks acting as if everything is Business As Usual out there, going about their Daily Lives in oblivion or intentional ignorance or denial about it.  It bothers me.  It's too Smug, or Ambivalent, Complacent, or Clueless.

 Anyway, with The Son Working now I'm back to doing Irrigation if it comes during when he is at Work, bummer.  Especially since it comes Weekly now and I already fell once doing it.  You can't really Hire Help to do it coz you only know shortly in advance when it's coming and must take on the Water whenever SRP Schedules you which can be any Hour of the Day or Night.  It's rather a hassle, but the Water is Free so you can't complain about Cost, we only pay an Annual nominal Fee, with having Agricultural Zoning here at the Mini Farms, to have the distribution of it from the Main Canals, which are nearby.  Today I noticed City Workers out on the Street tho' coz One or Two of the Streets behind ours is Flooding and I don't know Why?  It's been Flooding for Two Days now, enuf that DUCKS are floating around in it ON the Street!  They are known to come in and float around in your Pastures as it's being Irrigated, coz it is like a small Lake then, but, not in the Street!  There shouldn't be that much Water in or around the Streets!

But, I don't know that it's an Irrigation Problem coz The City has designated our area to do some Improvements and notified us of it going on and I think they might have hit a Water Main or something?   Every time there's Construction lately they cock up and hit something they shouldn't have.  When they were building all those new Subdivisions and Apartments East of us they kept knocking out Power, or Water, or Sewer Systems all the time!!!  We didn't have to worry about the latter here in our Community coz we're still on Septic Systems and not connected to City Sewer Services.  Don't know Why the City bypassed connecting this Community when they've built up all around us considerably since the 1960's now... in fact, some of the newer areas around us aren't New at all, they were built over 30 Years ago now!!!   The Garden Lakes Community was built 1987-1993.  Ours has some 1960's Homes but most were built in the early 1970's to 1980's when this was all still Rural around us and no City Sewer Connections yet out here.

I'm going to do some Environmental Cleanup after dropping The Son off at Work, Princess T got dropped off at 6:00 a.m. but he gets dropped off at 8:00 a.m. Today.   So, I may also try to gird myself to do some tidying up of the Hot Mess Cluttering of the Sitting Room and Diningroom then too while The RV Garage Mahal and She Shed are Cooler to move stuff into.   Well... Worked on that for about 45 Minutes before petering out, but, if I spend that much time every Morning eventually it's gotta get Done, Right?  *Winks*  It looks better at least and isn't bothering me quite so much now I've moved at least some of it into The RV Garage Mahal.  I did The Man's Med Routine, Eli's Routine of Feeding & Grooming & Cleaning out his Litterbox, the Wild Bird's Routine, Watered all Porch Plants in Pots, and put the Chili in the Crockpot to Cook.  Lit a Scented Candle and will soon be taking The Son to Work, do some Environmental Cleanup for about an Hour or so at a Park nearby, which gets me my Exercise for the Morning too.

Can't do The Gym Today coz he has his Home Nurse coming by 10:30 a.m. and his O.T. coming at 4:00 p.m. so that shoots having a Morning of Afternoon Workout in the Head.  I'm working around a cluttered existence, both in the Home and on the Calendar lately.  Placement when you have a lot of people Sharing Space with all their Worldly Possessions Displacing many of yours, becomes challenging.  Then the Calendar with so many becomes Nightmarish logistically too.  And everyone's Work Schedules is hectic, his aren't set, hers are to get there but no telling anymore when they get off.  Some Days she's working late and other days they don't get a full day of work in.  So, since I'm providing Transportation, as the only Driver and only fully functional Vehicle either, it's a lot of fitting in commutes around everything else as well.  Very hectic, I'd like a Calmer Pace of Life at this Season of Life, I really would prefer it.  The Environmental Cleanup or going to The Gym is really my Time to Self to unclutter my Thoughts, reduce Stress build up, and Exercise my Body simultaneously.

Anyway, the Day looks like the Weather will be very nice and pleasant again like it was Yesterday.  I Love being Outside in Nature as much as Weather will permit me to be safely.   I do push myself Physically to all limits becoz it's the only way I can maintain enuf Stamina and Strength for what is required, regardless of how Old I'm getting.  It actually feel good even when it's not always comfortable, to keep in Motion and have any kind of Workout.  The Man has a T-Shirt a USMC Recruiter gave him as a Gift for all his Years of Service that says "Pain is Weakness leaving the Body".   That has become my Mantra when pushing past Physical fatigue and challenging myself to Keep Moving even when it's getting me some discomfort of Old Age related shit that would like you to Quit, but, I won't.   I have Neuropathy from Diabetes in my extremities, it can be exceedingly Painful but I do have Thankfully a very high threshold for Pain.  My Dear Ole' Dad would Raise us saying "Pain is a figment of your Imagination", I never once saw that Man even wince when Pain must have been excruciating.

His Medical Team would tell us, he HAS to be in excruciating Pain yet he would take nothing for it and override it with just his Mind and Willpower, and it does Work, I've done it myself.   He said that's why Placebos also Work, becoz as you Think, so you ARE.  The Mind being the most powerful Drug there is and we don't even access very much of it's Power and Harness it to our Benefit becoz so much of it is still a Mystery.  We are 100% of our Brains and it's Firing all of the time, so the 10% Useage is 100% Myth... yet, I'm fairly certain we could do more with our Brain Power than we average during a day accessing what it COULD do for us, the Voluntary Parts... it already takes Care of all the Involuntary Parts for us and I think we Humans get Lazy about utilizing what we can of our Brain's Power.   I Challenge my Body and my Brain every single Day to do more than I Think I Can.   And then once I do it, well then, I THINK I CAN from that point forth and it becomes easier becoz I've discovered and Proven, Yes, I CAN.  Have there been times I can't?  Yeah, but, over Time I can change that outcome as well with Practice, Relentless Determination and Tenacity to not accept Failure.

When I went to do Environmental Cleanup someone had kindly left me an entire Bag of Aluminum Cans beside one of the Trash Cans.  When you go regularly to clean up the Park you become known for doing it, so sometimes people will do sweet things like that.  Sometimes they'll give me a Cold Drink or Thank me for tidying up the Park, I'm ensuring less trash goes to the Landfill by Recycling the Aluminum thrown away.  The City did try to put Recycle Only Bins but people are too careless, clueless or lazy to sort it out that way, so it all goes to the Landfill and in the same pickup now.  I've even heard exposes on TV that put tracking devices on the Recycle Trash to see if it indeed goes to Recycle Centers like what I take mine to, and in most Cases, it doesn't or is shipped out of State if it does.  So, it's not Cost effective and therefore they don't do or take it Seriously.  The actual Recycle Centers do and I take mine directly to them coz it's specifically what they do.

  This used to be The Son's favorite Cigarette Case I got him as a Gag Gift one time.  He's since lost it but I dredged up an old Pix of it I had.  I can't even remember which Novelty Shop I got it in, but it would hold about 10 Cigarettes nicely.  *Smiles*  Hopefully the Censorship Nazis don't now Flag this Post for that innocent looking Imagery of a Gag Gift?   I did finally just delete the Forbidden Post as it only ever let 17 Dear Readers access it easily enuf to get any Views at all.  Content was banal and not that interesting so no point in keeping it in the Archives languishing without Views.  As it is once Readership slows down on any Archived Post, I Delete it so I have fewer taking up Space, since I'm a Daily Blogger and the Posts add up fast.  I only wanna keep around 20 or so at any given time before Culling the Older Posts.   I need to go to the Recycle Center Today coz the back of my Truck is full again of Bagged Cans to turn in.  But I've got to go in between his VA Nurse's Home Visit and his Occupational Therapist's Visit.

 

He is making kind of a Production now of Walking, and I don't know how much of that is Exaggerated, or Legit?  Hard to tell with him sometimes as he will magnify things for the Attention at times or to see what kind of a Reaction it gets.  I Wish he wouldn't do that, and The Son was talking to me about how we Wish he'd motivate himself to do some small things that he still can.  He has a nice Workbench on the Back Patio I bought for him and completely kitted it out with all the things he was interested in and claimed he wanted to begin doing, but, it's languished and never been used, not even once.  I think he liked the "Idea" of it all and not really the application of actually the Doing of it.  And he still could do any of it, that's the thing... he could sit out there and Tie Fishing Flies or putz around with tinkering with his Tools and Hobbies that he could initiate and have Purpose again in the Doing of them.  But, he sits in front of that damned TV all the time now watching one Rerun after another.  If it weren't for the OT and PT actually coming and doing Exercises with him, he won't do them at all like he should.

I cannot keep Motivating FOR him, it's exhausting to prop someone up to do what they're supposed to do and then they'll rarely do it or only Under Protest even Try to do it.   I get to where I think, well, if you're resistant and don't wanna do it, I can't Force you to, this is for your own Good and everyone else's that your decline impacts, but you have to be Involved in the Process, we can't do it ALL FOR you!   When he knows I've gotten Cross with him is the only time he'll even try.  He's making our Bed as we speak coz it's the one little Chore I've told him I expect him to do with consistency.  He is the better Bed Maker and it's a small thing he still can do that is a Positive Start to any Day.  Granted, he's been up since 6:00 a.m. and only got around to doing it at 9:45 a.m., but at least he finally did it coz I wasn't gonna keep nagging at him to.  I told him I expected it to be THE ONE THING he did for ME Today to Help Out.  The Condition of your Bed is the Condition of your Head, after all... and sets a Tone for the rest of the Day IMO.  The Son makes his first thing when he gets up, for that very reason, he and I agree it sets a Motivational Tone for the rest of the Day, even tho' it's a Small Thing.

I had to Praise The Man once he'd finished making The Bed, as Positive Reinforcement, he was huffing and puffing so I could HEAR how exerting it had been for him.  *Eye Roll coz I pretend I don't Hear it, Winks*  I'm here in the Corner of said Room Blogging coz I've spent since 4:00 a.m. doing all my Work around here and Self-Motivating, so I don't really require being a Full On Cheerleading Section when anyone else does ONE Small Thing to be duly Encouraged to MEBBE do it again without even being Asked or Told to.  *Eye Roll*  The Young Prince did do his One Small Thing I Asked this Morning, so he and his Grandpa are pretty much tuckered out I guess for the rest of the Day???  *Another Huge Eye Roll and a Snicker and Snort*  The Son just gets highly Upset with them both coz he knows they could DO more, despite their Disabilities, but I told him he has to choose his Battles Wisely or he'll have it Get To him too much otherwise and elevate his BP... not worth it.

I Hope both The VA Nurse Remi and OT White John put The Man thru the Paces Today, so that he is required to do more Movement Today than he'd normally otherwise ever Entertain.  *Winks*  He tends to Show off for his OT and PT Young Men coz they're all so Fit and Young so it's a Male Pride kinda thing that he won't allow them to see him seem frail, weak or a Quitter, which is Good!  I'm glad they're Stud Muffins he wants to Impress and who can and do Encourage and Praise him for the Work he will put in for them.  I just Wish he'd put in the Work more frequently and for himself and his Family too like that.  He just won't anymore and he hasn't in a while so that's why everyone gets frustrated with him.  Even Princess T, who is always making Excuses for her Beloved Grandpa, is now telling me she's getting irritated with him acting up or making up stuff, even tho' she knows it's likely the Dementia/Brain Injury... he does Play that Up sometimes too and use it as a handy Excuse now.  I tell him it's an Explanation, it can never be used just as an Excuse tho' and a Crutch.   

I keep reminding him, the ONLY way you can remain in the Home is if you can be met by us at your Point Of Need, when it exceeds our Abilities, we may then have no Choice in the matter of your Alternative Required Placement.  I wanna get that thru to him, coz it worries me if he gets so deteriorated, mostly due to not doing his Preventative Maintenance things to stabilize or slow down progression of what's Wrong and gone Sideways, that it will reach a point where he exceeds our level of Care we can provide.  That happened with each of my Parents eventually.  But, since each of them lived Independent of one another, we could Liquidate all their Assets to cover some expenses that nobody could afford.  Mom lasted so long in Long Term Care we had to make her a Ward of The State of California to provide her continued Care until her Death.  No way we could pay Eleven Grand a Month it was Costing for Mom's Care, my Brother's Income and ours Combined wasn't that much... and we had to Support ourselves and the rest of our Families still too.

It's a delicate balance sometimes between what they cannot do for themselves anymore and what they will not do for themselves anymore.  I don't mind the Doing of what they cannot do or need help with, but if they can do something I do expect them to still do THAT at least and not expect everyone to do everything FOR them, that's just Lazy and leaning upon the Disability at the expense of your remaining Abilities and burdening others with what you could still do for yourself.   Nurse Remi just left, his BP was elevated Today, so she said when OT comes have them take the BP first before doing any Exercises and then make a decision if they feel he can even tolerate any OT or not?  I had told White John the OT when he called to Schedule a visit, that The Man just got out of the Hospital, so I felt they'd have to Monitor closely and start over from scratch anyway.  But if The Man's BP is elevated, perhaps he shouldn't do any at all, I don't know, but will leave it up to the Professionals to decide what's best.  Nurse Remi didn't like more changes to his Meds any more than I do either.  He's being taken off Two but put on Three New ones.

Switching things around all the time makes me nervous and get confusing as a Caregiver too.  It makes me wonder if they're just trying new things to see if it works... or not???   I don't want him to be some ongoing Experimental Project.  You end up with all these discontinued Meds to then have to dispose of, luckily we don't pay for his Meds, the VA does at least cover that.  But if you're paying for your Meds like I do, then you don't wanna pay for something only for them to change their Mind about it and now put you on something else you gotta outlay for, it's already too expensive, that makes it needlessly more expensive and wasteful of expensive Medications.  If the VA weren't providing his Meds we couldn't afford all these changes they're always doing for what he's on again, off again, and so many of them too!!!  I have Two Pages to Check Off as we Administer them, I should have been a Pharmacist!!!  I can't even pronounce most of the Meds, let alone know what they do and are for and keep all that straight in my Head!  When it's constantly being changed too!!!

The Man did his OT really well, John was impressed and by later Afternoon his BP was Normal again so he could do all his exercises.  John came an Hour Earlier coz he had a Cancellation, so, asked if he could come at 3:00 rather than 4:00 p.m., which was Okay, better to get it done earlier before The Man tires out for the Day.  Our Chili turned out really good, we used some Elk Meat this time and The Son even put a Can of Succotash in it as well as the Beans... I put some Carrots, Celery and Mexican Squash Cubed in it too.  The Man is terrible about eating his Veggies so we hide them in stuff like Chili that he really likes.  *Shush, our Secret, Smiles*  The rest of the Family Love our Veggies, so we don't mind them being in there.  The Son found out from Omar, our Neighbor, that Irrigation isn't come at 4:00 a.m. Tomorrow Morning, that's when they'll Text us our Rotation Time that will be next Week.  So, that was good News, perhaps he won't be Working whenever it comes next Week?  If he is The Grandson and The Daughter said they'd help me.  I finally got hold of The Daughter.

The Daughter has made enuf Money with her Jobs out there helping the Elderly Guys that she was able to send some to her Kids in Mexico to help them out, which is good.   When Nurse Remi came I felt so bad for her, only 20 Miles from where she's from in Nigeria is where those Islamic Extremists abducted, tortured and murdered small Toddlers and Beheaded a Teacher at a School, where they'd Abducted Hundreds and done the most heinous Crimes against Humanity.  She said some of the Toddlers were only 2-3 Years Old they tortured.  She and most of her Family got Asylum here, in Australia, and some Island Nations due to being the Targeted Christians being slaughtered horribly by these Religious Criminal Extremist Groups committing War Crimes rampantly in Regions of her Country.  She still has a 90 Year Old Mother there, so she worries for her Mom's Safety.  I have no Words when I hear of such Atrocities against Humanity, anywhere, including here in America, where Cruelty is the Point.  

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