Tuesday, September 29, 2026

Curses, Foiled Again!!!


 

I Hope you're in the Visual Holiday Spirit coz I'm gonna dump some more prematurely on ya for the Blog Fodder Eye Candy.  I don't know how many Tonka Toy Vehicles hauling Bottle Bruch Christmas Trees you can Stand, we'll find out tho'!?  *LOL*   I NEED the Lightness and Cheer Holidays bring right now, so Forgive me over indulging in the Visuals prematurely. *Winks*  Why?  Irrigation was all cocked up AGAIN, for the Third Rotation in a row, so I'm Upset about it. All kinds of debris floating Downstream to us clogging our Ports, which took a lot of physical labor to rake out of the Ditch and unclog the Ports that Gravity Feed the Water, coz it was blocked and not flowing until all the fucking Debris was removed.  Apparently everyone who'd cut Grass/Weeds from their Ditches hadn't removed them and just let them flow, big problem, I don't think Rob had either and I thought he'd done it after he Weed Whacked it.  Anyway, that wasn't the only problemo, The Son fell asleep, had drank too much anyway, Allen never did wake up to help as he said he would, and Princess T was also a No-Show as she said she would ask Rusty to drop her off earlier Tonight. 




 So it was just The Daughter and I slogging away at it and she was highly upset that the Guys had flaked out.  Not so much that her Daughter had coz Princess T isn't that much Muscle to have been helpful in what we had to Rake out of that Ditch to remove all the flotsam that kept coming.  At least what the Pump is distributing to the Front and Eastside Yard is doing what it should and isn't clogging, Thanks to the Screening The Daughter put around said New Pump when she and Rob installed it.  Anyway, it was all FUBAR, but at least the Water was Warm to wade around in, not very deep coz the Debris was obstructing the flow into our Pasture, and we had our Scorpion Black Light making sure we didn't walk where any might be, they Glow under Black Light and float on top of the Water.  Plus Tyson has been using the Pasture where his Lead allows him to, as a Bathroom, so, Dog Turd Piles to avoid in the Dark too.  The Grandsons didn't clean that up before Irrigation, they should have.




It's a very Dark Night, no Moonlight to speak of, so pitch Black out there, you can't see a damned thing without a Flashlight, which doesn't illuminate well, everything you really need to be able to see.  So, I honestly don't know how much Water we'll get and I know in the Morning she and I are gonna be pissed off that we didn't have the Help we needed and we have plenty of other Adults who could have been out there assisting.  And doing everything they should have while it was still Daylight and well before Irrigation even came.  The Daughter is the most Emotionally Raw Family Member right now and she came thru as she Promised she would.  Steven helped some before he left, but he came after his Shift at Work so he was tired and I couldn't ask him to do more, it wouldn't have been a reasonable request to ask him to be a hapless Volunteer when Family had Flaked Out.




I had been watching a good Show on Amazon Prime {which Allen pays for} before Irrigation showed up.  Had to abort finishing it when I realized nobody was out there to help The Daughter, she couldn't be expected to do it without assistance.  I really don't like doing Irrigation, I don't think anybody does.  Okay, enuf Bitching for now about that fiasco that ensued.  The Niece in Texas whose coming here for a Job and to stay with The Daughter in the 5th Wheel, had been blowing up the Phones all day.  I'd told her we had Guests visiting due to the whole Tragedy everyone now has heard about Mando.  And that we also were fitting Irrigation in, so would be too busy to have long conversations over the Phone.  I talked to her Twice already Today, and she goes long, and I have no Idea why she was calling so much?  I know the Caregiving of her Dad is overwhelming her, but she's gotta Cope 'til she can get out of there.  The New Job here wants her to begin by the 14th, so I told her she can Hang Tough 'til then, it's not that long.




Lord knows I understand how Emotionally Raw and Isolating Full Time Extreme Unpaid Caregiving is, been doing it forever.  So I'm trying to be sympathetic and have empathy for how overwhelmed she clearly is and we're the only ones who realize and accept her plight.  Her own Family are running so much Negative interference they're only making an already Bad Situation even worse.  I'm glad she's just dumping it all in their Laps since they presume to try to tell her how to do it, while they are Armchair Caregivers with Zero Point of Reference and have no Idea how bad off the Dad has gotten. 




 Her Two Younger Sisters and her Dad's Sisters are talking a lot of shit, so, let their Mouths now bury them with and burden them with the Responsibility now they've not been Supportive and run her off.  I don't blame her, their Dad was difficult and dysfunctional, not a good Father, even before Dementia, I can only imagine how much worse he is now.  So she Needs to Feel Heard... I Get It.  But right now I can't be someone's Full Time Substitute for a Therapist.  *Smiles*  I do Care... but I can't Solve that Problem she has with Family FOR her.  She can't really Solve it either.  Some Family Dynamics are just Painful and difficult and probably always will be if the Loved Ones don't sort out their own shit sometimes.  Her Dad plays the perpetual Victim, so does the Middle Sister, it has worked for them to garner Sympathy and Pity from everyone.  And a lot of Help they now feel Entitled to without exhibiting any Appreciation or Consideration.




 I never Liked him, her Dad, but his Wife was one of my Lifelong BFF's.  She should have left him Years before they Divorced.  She was long suffering and never had a Bad World to say about anyone tho', in all the Years I knew her, even that Bastard.  After she Died I only kept in touch with their Kids and mostly the Oldest One.  The Middle One unraveled her Life with Alcoholism and lost her Family over it, the Ex has Custody of their Twins and she's so far in arrears on her Child Support, it's a Wonder she's not in Jail actually.  She had a very successful Career, but Job hops now to avoid paying Child Support or having garnishment for the ridiculous amount she owes and the Custodial Parent was awarded during the Divorce.  Usually if a Mother involuntarily loses Custody, they really are quite unfit or there are serious Issues the Kids wouldn't be Safe or Well in their Care.   She thinks a Judge will award her Joint Custody, but given her Track Record, I think she's Courting being Locked Up by a Judge instead for being a Deadbeat Mom with the pretense of being a Caring or involved one. 




 Her Ex is an Attorney and takes good Care of their Children, but even Visitation has to be strictly Supervised coz she's been such a Train Wreck over the Years.   Her Older Sister tried helping out with the Children as much as she's been able to, she is Single, no Kids, and Gay, so, tho' she's a Good Aunt, she's never been a Mom and doesn't wanna be either.  It's a lot of responsibility and she feels the Ex-BIL is a good Parent and the Kiddos are best in placement they now have, I agree.  The Youngest Sister is very bougee now, she got Divorced, her Two Kiddos are Grown now, her New Boyfriend is from a Rich Latino Immigrant Family who are very MAGA, need I say more?  They think becoz they have Wealth, that this Administration will never come for them.  Au contraire.  But, they'll live and learn, most of MAGA assumes it will never be THEM.  She really never has contact with anyone she knew from her Past before snaring the Wealthy Boyfriend, so nobody has much to do with her either, including her Blood Relatives.




Anyway, The Niece has quite the Train Wreck of Kinfolk who are still among the Living, so quite often we've been her Surrogate Family coz we've known her all of her Life.  She's like a Niece to us and like a Cousin to our Adult Kids.  I think it will be best for her to detach and come to Arizona and get on with her own Life now, she's done all she can there for Family and it just didn't work out in spite of the best of Intentions.  She's a Tech Guru but a lot of I.T. Jedis are finding AI taking a lot of their Jobs already and displacing them, so to find a good Job here again was unexpected and a relief to her.  She does Gig Work, which is well below her level of Training and Expertise, and she's an accomplished Poker Player and could go Pro, but doesn't wanna make that a "Living".  Too unpredictable even if you're very good, she wants more Job Security and I don't blame her. 




 She is always ahead on her Spread Sheet of Gambling Semi-Pro, so as long as she's making Money at it, it's just another Stream of Income while the Careers are in suspended Animation sometimes these days.  That's what has happened to Glitch too.  He designed and developed Programs for Amazon and they laid them all off and are moving the Company to Nashville.  He said Amazon will be laying off Thousands of Workers at all levels to replace them with Robotics and AI.  But he had to sign an NDA as did all the rest they let go, in order to get the Severance Package they were offered... which, they all accepted coz otherwise they'd of just been cut loose with nothing.  He's been out of Work now for over Six Months and only the Chinese are trying to woo his ilk to come work for them instead.  That's what the Niece said too.




Well, Princess T did get dropped off by Rusty in time to help her Mom and I drop the Gates.  She'd slept thru her Alarm, so did Allen, he showed up just 9 Minutes Late to do it, but, at least both of them did show up, it's just that The Daughter and I were On Time.  You don't have to be punctual coz it looked like Manuel had overslept and I don't know whether he opened his Gates or not to receive his Water?  So I've got to go out in about 40-60 Minutes and see if the Ditch is cresting Water and Flooding into our Yard?  If it is, we'll have to Open the Main Gate and just let Omar get his Rotation early to avoid Flooding our Property or any others Upstream if the Ditch backs up too much.   There's STILL fucking Debris and Yard Clippings and Branches floating Downstream from Upstream.  So I think a lot of folks didn't Maintain their Ditches well or let Storm Debris sit in them without cleaning it out?  We had no Trash or Branches in our Ditch prior to Irrigation, just some Grass clippings from Rob Weed Whacking what had grown in there and forgetting to ask anyone to Rake it out.




Anyway, I removed Branches and set them to the Curb, coz in the Morning is Bulk Garbage Pickup Curbside for the Month of September.  It's always the 1st Monday of every Month and we had a lot to put out there this Month.  We've been discarding stuff beside The RV Garage Mahal that Mando had used for Fabrication and Handyman Projects.  None of our Guys are handy at doing that so I needed it to be gone.  The Daughter and Jason took anything Metal to the Scrap Yard in Jason's Truck, you don't get much per Pound for Scrap Metal, but you get something and often Jason will ask to Trade it for something he wants out of the Scrap Metal Piles they already Bought and the Owner doesn't mind doing that with Jason, who is a long time Customer and Friend.  I think Jason Traded it all for a Bicycle.  




He fixes them up and Sells them.  he's given The Daughter Three of them, nice ones he fixed up, since she Cleans for him and does Meals for him.  Even Mando's Bike he got Killed on was from Jason, Traded for Handyman Work.  It was a mangled mess of twisted Metal after the Hit & Run.  Anyway, so at least we're done now, whew, what an Ordeal this Rotation turned out to be.  I'm glad we're winding down in Rotation Cycles for the Fall and then during Winter they Suspend them until Spring.  We pay our Annual Fee in Winter too, it's a couple Hundred Bucks and isn't for the Water, which is Free, it's for the Maintenance of the Main Canals, all Farms and any Residential Properties that get Irrigation pay for the Maintenance and distribution of the Water, not for the actual Water, which, to me, is a good Deal.  Well, until and unless these Fucking Data Centers use up all the Water that is.  They've already driven up Utility Bills almost double already!!! 




I don't wanna pay a fortune I can't afford to Fund these Billionaire Tech Bro's Fuckening of our Environment, Natural Resources, and ruining our Communities and way of Life due to their irresponsibility and Greed.  They should be footing all of the Bill and be Taxed out the Ass too if they are allowed to even be here without the Consent of the People who Live here.  Nobody asked the Public about any of it, Back Room Deals were made without the Taxpayers Consent or even telling us about any of it until it's all here and cocking things up almost immediately.  It's not well thought thru and rushed to approve and build them without any thought to long-term Negative effects they Create.  And I personally Believe they knew all of the Negatives and covered it up for as long as they could, until such time as they couldn't.




The Daughter has a Serious Tooth Infection in a Molar and one whole Side of her Face is Swollen.  She's taking some Strong Antibiotics her Friend Amber brought back from Mexico and delivered to us Today.  Their Antibiotics are way more effective and act quicker than anything you can get here.  But we've got to line up a Dentist to see about an extraction of said Tooth once the Infection is under Control.  She's under AHCCCS so they have to accept that Medicaid Insurance and with it being an Infection, it should be covered and not Denied by Medicaid.  She has some Dental Paperwork they sent her from DES about some Dentists that they Approve, but I'd rather she see my Dentist if he'll take her Insurance and it is Pre-Approved before she gets any Work done?  So I'm taking her in Tomorrow Morning to see if they can push this thru and line up Treatment?  I need to Schedule my Cleaning anyway, I had to Cancel when The Man had his Heart Attack.




The Daughter and Granddaughter were Laughing so hard about the way I said that, I deadpanned that I have to Re-Schedule my Annual Cleaning and had to Cancel getting my Teeth Cleaned coz your Dad/Grandpa had that Heart Attack and Heart Surgery.   And they're dying Laughing saying, Yeah, damned inconvenient Heart Attack, and now Mom/Gramma doesn't have Clean Teeth!  *Bwahahahaha*  If you enjoy Dark Humor you might Giggle about that too inappropriately???  *Winks, it's Okay, we won't tell anyone, our Secret*  It's just that damned near all of my Appointments I try to squeeze in for myself to maintain my own Health and Well Being end up getting sidelined, cancelled and have to be fucking re-scheduled almost every time.  So my Appointments keep getting kicked back further and further into the Future.




   Coz another Family Member will have a Medical Emergency or Crisis that you have to prioritize all the Goddamned time!!!  Sometimes I've waited Months already for MY Appointment, so to have to abort doing it almost at the last Minute, and Re-Schedule into the Future again, and Hope another Emergency/Crisis doesn't sideline it yet again later on too, is annoying.  Sorry, I know this is the 3rd time I've had to delay this Procedure or Appointment, but now he's had a Heart Attack, Surgery, Specialist Follow-up for the Medical Emergency, so on and so forth, almost all of the time now.  And if it's not him, it's one of the Kiddos.  Like her with this Tooth Infection... it's a Dental Emergency, so HAS to be prioritized above my Preventative Maintenance Cleaning, which can wait, even tho' it's been delayed now damned near half the Year already and long overdue now.  Anyone else gonna have their Emergency too?  So that I can hold off Scheduling any of my Appointments or Procedures?  Coz you just never can fucking know 'til it happens again!!! *Eye Roll*




I kinda get sick of folks, including my Medical Professionals and any Caseworkers or Home Help, telling me I should make sure to take Care of myself too!!!   Like I'm not fucking Trying to!!!  As if on Purpose a Caregiver is neglecting our own Needs, when we're consumed by the Needs of those we're Caring for, coz it's a Full Time Job and it never Ends.  I don't get Time Off to attend to me and my Maintenance, if I do Schedule some, it gets cocked up by the next Emergency that takes a Priority.  It's not like I could go to my damned Scheduled, that was set up way in advance, Tooth Cleaning, as The Man has a fucking Heart Attack and requires Heart Surgery, the Day before I was to go in and get it done, Right?   Curses, Foiled again!!! {Snidely Whiplash of "Rocky & Bullwinkle" and sometimes Dick Dastardly of "Dastardly & Muttley In Their Flying Machines" Famous Cartoon Character's Line}   




Both Villains looked very much alike actually.   And Muttley's Laughs were Iconic, Raspy and a Wheezing Snicker that was unforgettable and I just Loved hearing.  Okay, Caregiving Venting and Rant now over.  I feel a little better... and will set up Try No. 4 to get my Teeth Cleaning Re-Scheduled yet again.   Mebbe they can do me and The Daughter together, since his Assistants do the Cleaning and he'll be doing her Extraction?  *Bwahahaha*   She really Needs Dentures or Implants, but we don't know if that will require each Tooth to be taken out One at a fucking time by Medicare when they absolutely almost cause a Medical Situation?  It's ridiculous, preventative Care would be better Serving to the Medicare Patients for both Health, Mental Health and Dental Health.  But ya gotta wait for Approvals when it's critical and an Emergency Situation for them not to Deny Coverage on Adults who have Medicare.




Anyway, I feel like quite a Whiner in this Post, don't I?  *LOL*  It's Labor Day in Real Time, I've gotta try to find a Dentist Open on a Holiday to bring The Daughter to.  Don't Emergencies always happen on or around a Holiday it seems?  Or a Weekend?  You know, when most places like that you KNOW will not be Open for Business.  *Le Sigh*  She didn't even tell me her Tooth was problematic 'til her Face swelled up like a Macy's Day Parade Balloon.  And of coarse now I'm alarmed, how bad did she let this Infection get hold?!  I do Hope those Mexican Antibiotics are strong coz it looks bad.  *Le Sigh*  I do have to Work Tonight too, so her Emergency has to get fit in before say, 3:00 in the Afternoon tops, can't take longer than that, chop-chop, Calendar already had other commitments of stuff on it.  I had Days when it didn't, but of coarse we couldn't and didn't have an Emergency then, did we?  *Bigger Sigh*  Let's make things Exciting shall we, have one on a Holiday and when Mom is Working, that would be a Rush!!!  *Even Bigger Sigh*




Are you Maxed Out yet on Old Tonka Toys carrying Christmas Trees yet, in September?  *Bwahahahahaha*  I've had Fun with it anyway, even if you haven't.  I did buy a Trio of these Old Vehicles with the Trees that he was Selling Years ago.  One is a Silver Old Car Hauler, the others are various Colorful Old Work Trucks.  I Stood Tall on the Cost of each coz I had Waffled for a long time and really wanted some to Display for Christmas under the Tree.  Now that everyone is Older we don't have so many Pressies sitting under a Christmas Tree anymore, so just Stage a Vintage Christmas Look under there that looks Editorial.  Nobody really Cares about having Pressies Wrapped and waking up super Early on a day they don't have to get up for Work anyway.  *Smiles*  So, we often just go on Shopping Sprees before Christmas together to let each other just pick out what we really want.  The Quality Time spent together out there Shopping during the Holiday Season is part of the Gift.  We have a good time, usually do a Lunch, and they get exactly what they want and so do I.




To be sure, we Buy each other Good Gifts and indulge each other, within Budget of coarse.  Our Family has never gone into Debt or over Budget to Buy Christmas Gifts, I think it's Foolishness to.  None of us has Need of any of it so we're certainly not gonna end up in Financial Crisis over any of it either just coz it's the Holidays and we wanna be like the Chevy Chase Family of the Cult Holiday Classic Movies, tho' sometimes we do resemble the Griswolds in how Motley our Crew is.  *Smiles*  National Lampoon did put out some Memorable Cult Classic Movies and we watch them every single Christmas as a Ritual and Tradition.  Yep, "Home Alone", "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation", "A Charlie Brown Christmas", "Tim Burton's Nightmare Before Christmas", "Bad Santa", "How The Grinch Stole Christmas" {Cartoon Version, not Jim Carrey's Version}, "Rudolph The Red Nose Reindeer".  




 Yes there are Cult Classics we don't like that many do and would make their Top 10.  I just didn't find them appealing enuf to watch as an Annual Tradition.  And when Rated Online I don't usually agree with the Critics Choices either.  The Man is of the Camp that "Die Hard" is a Christmas Movie however, and for me, that's a stretch.  *LOL*  And the really Old 1940's Cult Classics aren't my Jam either, I've watched them, mebbe more than once, but if they're on, probably won't.  Before my Time and so not much of a Connection and I don't recall us even having a TV for most of my Childhood, so didn't grow up watching them either.  Tho' one Year a Christmas Card Boxed Set I bought from a Wal-Mart had a CD in every Card of "Miracle On 34th Street".  Our Friends and Relatives enjoyed receiving that Card and Movie CD with it.  




Now, I don't remember how much I paid for this Unique Boxed Card Set with a CD in every Card that Year, the Card itself looked like that Top Pix and the CD like the Pix Above.   But I do remember it cost a fortune that Year to Mail them coz it took Media Mail Rate since the Card was large and an awkward Size and had a CD in it.  And now Online the CD's Sell for about $9 each, without the Card... so I'm assuming it was a Novelty item Boxed Set I've never seen since.  Now hardly anyone even exchanges Christmas Cards anymore, or Cards in general.  Most Stores now barely carry a selection due to that and "Hallmark" must be about ready to File Chapter 11 if the Practice continues of Cards becoming passe'.   So my Christmas Card List grows ever smaller, plus folks lost Touch or Died, so they fell off the List, and anyone who quit exchanging I figured wanted to cease the Practice and took them off the List too.  If you skipped one Year you were kept on the List, but if you missed Two Years, you were Purged.   I'd add you back on if you resumed.  *LOL*






How I found out most people I knew had Died was they quit sending Christmas Cards.  Or mine would be returned.  And then I'd check Obituary and Memorial Pages matching the Name.  Otherwise, since we didn't live close anymore to see each other, and nobody Wrote Letters, many didn't use Social Media, it was the only way to verify Proof Of Life.  *LOL*   When I Woke this Morning we had Ducks floating around on our Yard and Pasture {See Above, sorry about poor Quality coz we zoom lens took it so as not to scare them off}, coz we ended up with the Floodwater from Irrigation that backed up due to Debris clogging Downstream.  I can't unclog what other folks Downstream haven't and it gave us way more Water, it looks like our Property is a Lake or Pond, but, it didn't Flood into the House and our Foundations are Tall enuf to withstand overage like that.  Which is why SRP contacts us if they want a Property to take on more Water than Assigned, becoz they know we can on our Property.




  So, I turned the Pump back on at 9:00 this Morning to put some of that excess now into the Front and East Side Yard coz the rest of the Property can't take on more now.  I think we should be Okay to take on whatever is left in our part of the Irrigation Ditch.  But somebody Downstream won't be getting their proper amount of Water.   So now I'll have to monitor Pumping Water for a couple more Hours, not how I intended to spend most of my Morning.  I'm gonna see if The Daughter can wait 'til Tuesday to try to find a Dentist?  I don't think many are Open on Labor Day anyway.  She's talking with The Niece on the Phone and I know they can't do an Extraction anyway 'til the Infection is up under Control and she is on the Mexican Antibiotics, so, we do have to spend some Time trying to control the Infection enuf to get an Emergency Extraction. 




 She's been very used to administering her own Medical Treatment herself when she lived in Mexico.  Now Mexico does have National Health tho', most Countries do, just not ours.  We're the ones now acting like a 3rd World Country and going backwards to Archaic Times of the Past with Conspiracy Theory Quack and Worm Brain Kennedy at the Helm of National Health.  That Worm must have Feasted on that Fuckers Brain and eaten most of it?!   I can't even stand the way he Talks, something is very Wrong with that Dude.  He's obviously Roided Out too so I doubt he's Living a "Healthy" alleged Lifestyle if he's Juicing to look like an Old Wrestler or Aging Body Builder.   And I do Wonder, if like all the Rest, they Secretly get the Vaccines and are all Vaxxed Up while telling their Fan Base not to get them? 




 I know they did during the Pandemic, they ALL Secretly got the Vaccine and that Truth came out.  The whole Faux News Misinformation Machine wasn't doing what they told their Viewers to do.  Nor was any of the Administration in 1.0 tho' some, including Donnie and Family, got COVID.  I thought it would take him Out coz he looked Dreadful when he got his.  He still looks Bad and I'm not sure from what... I suspect he's Diseased and they're Covering it up.   As much Whoring around he did and with the likes of Porn Stars and Prostitutes, even Marrying one whose America's First Lady now, Talk about a "Pretty Woman" Real Life Outcome, of Hooker snagging her Billionaire and then occupying the White House!  Hell, even the Movie didn't take it that far.  *LOL and Eye Roll*  




 Well, I wouldn't be Surprised if he has an advanced serious STD.  And Hey, I don't blame ole' Melania for improving her Lot in Life from Mail Order Bride Hooker and Soft Porn Star to First Lady and hoping her Geriatric Billionaire drops Dead sooner than later so she's a Made Woman financially.  She's a Soldier for ever even Crawling Under THAT, IMO!!!  I wouldn't Crawl Under the likes of that if they were Bombing Phoenix!  The Creep Factor is way, way, way too high to reduce yourself to that and fuck a Serial Sex Offender and Pedophile that likes Underaged Girls, Cheated on every Wife even when they were Pregnant with his Children, and probably has Switch Hitted too, I think he's likely an all around well rounded Freak on a Leash frankly.  Most of his Closest Friends clearly are... including Epstein, among MANY others.




  When the majority of your Crew are Pedos, then don't try to tell anyone you're NOT, it's not credible.  And he's mentioned a lot in them Files, probably more than anyone else.  And it will NOT just Go Away and he can't MAKE it Go Away, so he shits Kittens about that.  Justice for the many Victims has not played out, but I still Hope it does, it's long overdue and every Perv involved needs to be Revealed and Prosecuted.  Sex Offenders ALWAYS Re-Offend, it's not a matter of IF, just WHEN.  So, they Need to be put away, and any who even already Served their Time for their Crimes, need to Register for a Lifetime due to that Fact that they will have 100% recidivism, it's a Given and the Criminal Justice System knows that.  The Public should know that so that if one is around their Community, they Collectively protect their Loved Ones from that Person and keep an Eye on the Perv in their midst.




What Cheerful Content to accompany the Christmas Imagery, No?  *Bwahahahaha*  Hey, the duality of that doesn't escape me, but you do have to balance shit out, Right?  *Smiles and Winks*  The Ditch is still Cresting and Rob told me they took on more Water too to help out but you can only take on so much more than is reasonable.  So far I still can take on more and Hope the Ditch goes down soon so I know I don't have to spend more Hours doing this.  Our Rotation was over at a Half Hour past Midnight really, and here I am at 10:12 a.m. still having to take on more Water or our Ditch will Flood and Crest it's Banks, and it's a big deep Ditch.  I don't know whose the Problem, but Rob said he was throwing big Tree Branches over his Neighbors Fence behind him coz it's not their Trees, they only have neatly Trimmed Citrus Trees in their Back Acreage. 




 So he was waiting for them to say something and he'd tell them, listen if your Trees drop Branches and shit beyond your Fence Line and into the Shared Irrigation area, you're still responsible to clean that shit up.  I know I doubled my pile that they picked up this Morning with Bulk Garbage, with Tree Branches from other Properties Trees from our Ditch too.   Which added like an extra Hour to my Late Night Work that shouldn't have been necessary.  The Neighbors whose Tree Branches it is are Young Couples, so they are more fit to do that shit than Rob or I, who are Senior Citizens.  Anyway, I like all the New Neighbors and they are "New" so it's a Learning Curve for them to even know what they're supposed to do coz the City used to Host Meetings to answer Questions about such things and send an SRP Rep out into the Community to talk to any Group of us that showed up. 




 We were Lucky they did that within Days of us first moving in, but they've not done one since.  And we got a lot of New People who've moved in since then.  The long time Residents of Original Owners from the 60's and 70's are Dying off now.  And tho' some of them have Heirs that kept the Family Mini Farm, which was probably Paid for by now if they were the Original Buyers, most Cashed Out the Equity and probably moved out of State to where Real Estate isn't so expensive.  We had too many transplants that migrated from expensive States and now ruined the cost of Living and Real Estate Market in Arizona.  Retirees used to flock here due to it being affordable on a Retirement Income, now it's not anymore and most Retirees now are Migrating to Southern States.  Pretty soon no place will be affordable tho'... all will be ruined by the Migrations and some will decay when everyone moves away.  Cali and New York currently have the highest Domestic Migration Losses coz they've been too damned expensive and unaffordable.




The Exodus is massive and New Jersey actually tops the List of outbound moves, not Surprising, I've been there, wouldn't wanna live or be there.  Let us just say it's never been a Destination.   Illinois and Massachusetts too have high Exoduses happening... and Data shows Colorado, Louisiana, North Dakota, and Mississippi have a Migration Inversion going on too for the first time since 1990.   The Primary drivers for leaving these States is high Housing Costs, Taxes, Retirement, Job Relocation, Weather and Natural Disasters escalating.   North Carolina had the most Gains for Domestic Migration TO it, along with South Carolina, Idaho, and Tennessee.    Florida and Texas have Cooled as spikes in Home Prices and soaring Home Insurance, so it's leveled out, they've had some Weather and Natural Disaster Issues too that make folks hesitate to do more than briefly Vacation there. 




 Arizona still has a lot of Migration IN from those States high in Exodus moving here.  With more Locals moving out coz the Inbound are fucking things up for us in Costs mostly and Urban density going Bananas, Phoenix, not even Metro Phoenix, is the 5th larges City in the U.S. now and Metro Phoenix is nearing 6 Million.  We're catching up to Cities like Hong Kong, and NYC pretty rapidly, especially as New York is losing Population due to Exodus being high there.   Anyway, Global Migration will continue to happen for a variety of reasons and I suspect Climate Change, Opportunity Issues, Civil Unrest and National Instability will become the Major Reasons Why.  Some International Locations have more American Ex-Pats than ever before too, those that can leave and have the means to, already have or at least have another Home Abroad as an Option.




  And, I hear tell from Reliable Sources in The Know, that a LOT of the Elite are building Bunkers.  So, one has to Wonder what they know that isn't being Told to folks that can't afford lavish Bunkers?  When 50% of Silicon Valley Billionaires and Ultra High End Net Worth Individuals have Invested in some form of Apocalyptic Insurance and Doomsday Sheltering, you should be paying attention.  They don't have an Escape Mindset for Nothing I suspect.  But, they do have the disposable Income to have it even if they never have to use it.  Most of us could never buy into it even if it was critical to need to use it.   So, consider yourselves among the Left Behinds if things go completely Sideways and mostly becoz of these People and what they're complicit or directly responsible in causing.  They know the Fuckening is happening, some are even boldly Whistleblowing now that it is imminent.  



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Happy Autumn even tho' this Post flirted with some Winter... Autumn is still my favorite Season... Dawn... The Bohemian

Monday, September 28, 2026

Tales From The Hood



 In Real Time it's a Sunday Afternoon and Irrigation is coming Tonight between 10:30 p.m. and Midnight, so, we'll be wading around doing it in the Dark.  Rob did us a favor, since our Weed Whacker went on the fritz and Maintained our Irrigation Ditch, cutting down any growth with his Weed Whacker, which, we appreciated.  It's his Cousin's Machine so he's not allowed to let anyone Borrow it so The Son had no way to do it and Manuel, our New Neighbor behind us who Shares that portion of Irrigation Ditch, hadn't done it either, but it had to get done before the Water comes.  Manuel's Family have either a small Pony or Donkey and it makes the funniest Noises.  I doubt it's a Horse, it sounds Smaller.




 The previous Owner had a Goat named Alfred who could yell Help like he was a Developmentally Disabled Human Male!  It was hilarious and would freak Guests out who didn't know it was just a Goat and not a Handicapped Person in Crisis.  *LOL*  We'd just yell out to Knock it Off Alfred, and then he would oblige.  Silly Old Billy Goat!  They can be Characters and their Vocal Range can be impressive. *Smiles*  Anyway, Alfred is now on an Inherited Mini Farm that is bigger and in Glendale that belonged to Laura's Elderly Parents who finally Passed in their Nineties, Laura herself was in her Mid-70's, her Boyfriend was in his 60's and did most of the Farm Work coz they had Livestock and grew things to eat.  Laura was an Old Hippie too and Gardened in the Nude.  But she had high Wooden Fencing around her Property so we only knew this when the Wind might blow a Gate Open.  *LOL*





I have to Work Tomorrow Night, I forgot that along with every Wednesday in September that I agreed to cover a Shift for my Friend Crazy Ed while he recovers from Neck Surgery, I agree to Work Labor Day Night too.  I think they're having a Weekend Holiday Sale so hopeful it stimulates Trade?  We'll see if it does and what kind of Sale they came up with?  Sometimes they just do something Silly like Double Points on Purchases, which, never stimulates Trade, folks don't Care about their Frequent Shopper Points so much until they're built up enuf already to Credit against the Purchase considerably.  Most don't even know they get Points if their Phone Number is on File and they give it with every Purchase to built up Points to use when it's Traded for Cash Value.  I just looked the Sale up and it's the Last Bash of Summer 3 Days and 15% Off everything purchases, so, that's mebbe gonna boost Sales.




Mando's Go-Fund-Me for his Funeral has generated 81% already, we Donated, so they only have a few Hundred to go to ensure the Family doesn't suffer the Hardship of paying for his Final Expenses, which is great that the Community responded immediately in such a generous way.   It was only put up this Morning in Real Time, by Tonight it will have covered the Costs.  That's what I Love about the Community we Live in and around, most people are Poor to Lower Middle Class or Retired on Average, nobody is particularly affluent, but they pull together and give what they have during Crisis.  And they help their Neighbors out in Life too.  One thing Mando always did was Help folks out, most of the Handyman Work he did if someone couldn't afford it or pay him, he'd do it for them anyway if the Need existed.  He'd never let me pay for anything he did on our Property either.  And he did a lot of Handyman Projects that you couldn't get Hired Help to bother with if it was a smaller job not profitable enough.


 


Above is some of our Fun Loving Customers and our Mall/Store Drone Shot early in the Morning facing South towards the Estrella Mountain Range in the Background.   To the East of our Mall is a LOWE'S Home Improvement Store.   And to the West, not attached to our Building tho', is a JC PENNEY'S.  Lots of other Shops and Restaurants to the North, East and West of our Mall in the same Parking Lot too. And a large Hospital just West of it, which is the one Princess T was Born at and The Man had his recent Heart Surgery at and I Recovered from my Stroke at.  Still some Raw Desert Lots undeveloped behind our Mall to the South.  Sometimes hard to Believe I've been there since they first Opened and had the very 1st Sale to another Vendor Friend before our Point Of Sale was even up and running!  Sold her a 1950-1960's Era Yellow Retro Kitchen Chair Stool with Stepladder built into it.




You see a lot of Red and other Colors of them, and now they make Repops of them, the Yellow is harder to find.  It looked like those seen Above that are Reproductions, mine was The Real Deal and my Vendor/Blog Friend Pamela knew this.  She's been following my Blog for Years before we ever met in Person when we both became Vendors when our Mall first Opened.  It wasn't even Opened yet and she had Rented a Showroom and I'd Rented a Booth nearby and was bringing in my Merch when I heard her call out my Blog Name!  *LOL*  She liked the Stool and asked if she could Buy it before we had the Grand Opening and I agreed.  Nice to meet a Blog Friend in Person too and it's as if we'd always known one another.   I'd had it since the early 1970's when I first had a Buttercup Yellow Kitchen and was in my Sunflowers Phase of Kitchen Decorating.  Pamela would have still been a Child back then, *LOL*but Loved Retro Styling with Bright Cheerful or Pastel Color Palettes.  We could always go Junquing Together coz our Aesthetics couldn't be more Opposite.  *Smiles*




A Storm is definitely brewing and building, I'm hoping it doesn't Scare Tyson too much coz he can't come inside, he'd be like a Big Bull in a China Shop Clumsy.  His Tail whipping around is enough to smash anything it hits to smithereens, it's like a Weapon and he gets too excited!   At their Home he's an Inside/Outside kind of Dog and spends more time Indoors, but Allen is a Minimalist and lives like most Young Men in their 20's, so it's more conducive to having a Big Dog.  I don't even want the Granddaughter's Inside Only Cat roaming the whole House.  Eli has to be closely Supervised when he's outside of her Room and he's such a scaredy Cat he doesn't like being outside of her Room anyway and only cautiously ventures out like he's being Hunted and could Die at any Moment.  *LOL*




For those of you who don't like Halloween, or don't like it making an Early Appearance, well, you're gonna either Love or Hate that I'm gonna roll some Christmas Retail Eye Candy Vignettes out too.  *LMAOROTF*  See, I don't mind the Holidays coming early and leaving late in the Retail Sector.  I find them to be nice Positive Escapism Visually and just the Atmosphere it brings that the Holidays themselves just impart that I enjoy so much.   And some of these Images aren't current and some are, but they're all Visually pleasing to me so I'm using them for current Blog Fodder Imagery since I'm not out there taking a lot of Pathological Picture Taking right now.  In fact, I'm not doing a lot of anything and I'm Strangely Okay with that.  I've been more of a Homebody than usual lately and it's suiting me just fine.




And becoz Vendor Friends of "Rusty Saturday" have the Cutest Vintage Tonka Type Cars and Trucks tricked out and Pimped for Christmas, it's always a Joy to Share some of what they do during the Holidays.  Sadly they have Downsized their Retail Spaces even more, they used to have their own Event and Brick & Mortar Store that I just LOVED and Shopped at often.  Other Vendor Friends Rented Space from them and set up their Pimped Pulls for Trunk Shows in front of the Business too.  Back then everyone had Pimped a Vintage Trailer or Airstream, which, you don't see so much anymore either.  I always wanted one to do that to also, but we needed something for Family to LIVE in on our Property so I had to Invest in the more Practical and larger expensive 5th Wheel instead.  Which cost me more than my Historic Home had!!!  Making me Wish, dammit, I should have just kept the Historic Home with it's 3 Back Cottages and Outbuildings to House Family in had I known it would come to all this.  Coz it was fucking Paid For and I LOVED it!!!  *LOL and Le Sigh*




Well, Hell, we can't know what the Future holds for us Years down the Road, so it was the Right thing to do at the time being it had been Vacant a Year and was constantly getting Broken Into and Vandalized.  The problem in Older Neighborhoods is that Vacant Buildings and Properties attract the Criminal Element and Police weren't taking it Seriously at all.  After Eleven Break-Ins and Vandalism in just a Year, I just had to put it up For Sale coz at the time I had no Family or Friends who needed a place to Live Locally and I didn't wanna Rent it to Randoms and become a Landlord either.  That's more Drama and a Headache that I didn't need at the time, whilst Working Full Time, trying to Adopt my Grandkids, and taking Care of a Husband who was recovering from his Catastrophic Accident and Traumatic Brain Injury.  It was already just a lot... and I decided to Cash Out on my Equity and have just the ridiculous Sized Villa McManse I'd just bought to move to,  in order to get the G-Kid Force Adopted, which was a lot of House and upkeep without Staff.  But a Wiser Investment at the time too.




When you can get a Million Dollar Listing for $370,000 on a VA Loan, with no Down Payment.  Cash Out on your Paid Off Primary Residence you are Vacating and The Adoption Board wouldn't Approve anyway coz it was Old and had Lead Paint... it made sense to strike while the Iron was Hot and the Luxury Real Estate Market was in the Shitter and Interest Rates were low.  The Villa McManse blew me away when I saw the Listing and Low Price, even tho' it had an HOA, which I knew from way back in my Corporate Executive Banking Days was The Devil, and it was Rural, I didn't intend to Keep it long.  Once the Adoption Finalized a few Years later I couldn't wait to flip it and Cash Out on that Equity and get our next Forever Home.  Which the Historic Home was Supposed to be and alas, could not be due to being Forced to Adopt due to Kinship Placement Laws and Reunification Laws of Wards Of The State changing drastically.   I had no Choice of The G-Kid Force would have involuntarily been put up for Adoption at Age 10 and 14!!!  Which is ridiculous and would have happened over my Dead Body!






  What do you think would happen to a pretty 10 Year Old Special Needs Girl and 14 Year Old Special Needs Gay Boy in a Foster or Adoption Situation... probably nothing good.  So that was never going to happen and I fought The System for Years... from the time she was 7 and he was 11 until I prevailed when they were 10 and 14 and the Adoption Finalized.  *Whew*  By then I no longer needed to impress the Adoption Board with a ridiculous Luxury Home, which was it's sole Purpose... and it was Time to now Sell and unload it.   And of coarse by then this Mini Farm was what was meant to be and checked off every Box on my extensive Wish List for a Forever Home, plus Interest Rates had dumped to 2% just before the Pandemic hit full force, so, Blood in the Streets again... perfect Buyer's Market for a High End Property that maxed out what VA Funding would lend on at the time on their Jumbo Loans for Veterans.  *Smiles and Winks*  





The Young Prince had already Moved Out before we Sold the McManse and moved to Washington State to join a Hippie Commune at Age 18.  Whaddya gonna do once they're Grown... they go off and Live Life.  Equity has in fact doubled since then on this Property in just a little more than 5 Years, so I can't Complain.  And, Luckily it is large enuf to be a Family Compound even tho' we NEVER expected everyone to move back Home again!!!  Life happens, shit happens... you Roll with it.  Allen is gonna help The Daughter and Princess T with Irrigation when it's done and the Gates need to be dropped.  The Son opened them coz the Ditch is filling up early and it's still 3 Hours before we're Scheduled, so, that's Odd and I think it means someone fucked up again Upstream on their Rotation and last time they did, they Flooded Downstream coz they hadn't taken on their Water Assigned.  Lotsa Newbies moving in as Properties go up For Sale.






 We can take on extra Water with our Property, but some Neighbors can't.  They don't have as much Pasture area coz some have larger Homes on their Lots and more Outbuildings like an RV Garage and a Bunkhouse or Casita Structure built on the Property too, or larger Pool and Recreational Area that doesn't need Irrigation Water.  Anyway, we're now prepared to take on the Water and turn on our Pump too once the Ditch is fully full.  Our Pump only serves the very Front Yard and East Side Yard, the rest of our Irrigated Property is just from our Four Gates to the Ditch being Open and Gravity Fed onto it.  The Gates are a Bitch to Open and Drop coz they're on the Ditch Side.  I'd like to change that eventually to them switched to the Interior Side to Lift and Drop coz then I don't have to Stand on a Fucking Plank to do it or go down into the Ditch to do it easier.  Couldn't go into the Ditch this time coz it had Water in it way too early already and that Mud gets like Quicksand once the Ditch fills up and the Water gets High quickly coz our Ditch is Deep and Wide.  





Some Properties only have narrow and shallow Ditches in Front of their Homes or up the Side if they're a Corner Property and get their Feed that way and those aren't Shared Irrigation Ditches so don't have to hold as much Water.  Those of us with Ditch Irrigation at the back of our Properties have larger Ditches coz they are Shared with whatever other Neighbor lives directly behind you.  You Share in Maintaining the Ditch and Hope your Neighbor does their Fair Share.  We've had good Neighbors so far Living behind us so it hasn't been problematic.  Tho', when they 1st Buy they may never have had experience with Irrigation so it takes a Minute for them to get into the hang of it and do it Right.  Neighbors who are more Seasoned do try to help out the Newbies tho'.  Anyway, The Son is too Tired and drank too much so his Sister and her Friend Steven are trying to get him in and put him to Bed.  He got the Gates Lifted and then fucking was laying like a Starfish in the Pasture, where, the Water will get Deep within the Hour!!!  He's gotta be up early to be in Work by 5:00 a.m..





He's not doing really well at cutting himself off at a normal amount of Alcohol, some days he does and other Days that are Stressful, he overdoes it.  Alcoholism is a terrible Addiction and a hard one to overcome and stay Sober from.  He did better giving up Dangerous Drugs and/or Cigarettes, without relapsing on the Drugs, has been Clean now for Years.  But that damned Fire Water is The Devil for both he and his Sister.  Tho' she never overdoes hers hardly ever, she's good at Moderating her consumption even tho' she does drink a lot and too early, she Nurses it thruout the Day and it takes the Edge off her Mental Illness so she's less Mental when she's had something to Drink.  So, choosing your Lesser Demon seems to work better for her than for her Brother.





And lately his Drinking has caused him problems, not at Work coz he never drinks before Work or under the influence, but, especially if he's at Friends Homes who Drink, and it's a bunch of Guys, things always get Crazy when everyone is under the influence.   I guess at Gypsy James gathering last Night some Guest brought a Younger Guy with him who was 25 and started a Fight.  Oy Vey, Gypsy James is Gypsy and Irish, so Fighting and Drinking is in his Blood, but he and The Son are now 40, so they prefer not to have to Deal with Young Guns who think they're Bad Asses and start something coz they had too much to Drink.  Well, it happened, didn't it?   And I'd said before he got together with The Guys, this isn't gonna End like a Crazy Weekend Bender that goes Sideways once everyone is Drinking is it?  No, Mom... Yeah, Right... 







 And so, The Son went to break up the Fight, even tho' he himself probably had too much to drink, and the Younger Guy hit him in the Eye he already had a Black Eye in from that Concert too close to the Mosh Pit Accident, and now damn near Closed it!!!   Fuuuuck, now, from what I was told, it was ON!!!  Oh, No!!!  I knew how that would End... not Well for the other Guy!  Unless he can go 20 Rounds or so, and Last Two Hours Fighting nonstop, is equally Mental, or flat can knock a Person Out Cold?  Which, I kinda doubted.  Sounded like some Random Immature Asshole trying to act Tough and Prove himself in front of a New Audience?   Were there Women there I Wondered?  But I didn't even ask... things can get Testosterone Heavy even if there aren't Females to try to Impress with whose got the Biggest Pair or is the Biggest Dick... *Mature Woman Huge Eye Roll*






Coz tho' The Son has never started a Fight in his Life, he will End one and you will get fucked up no matter how Young you are or Tough you think you are coz he simply will not Stop.  He can Fight for well over an Hour and a Half and most Guys can't Fight that long, even if they can Fight good.   And so when I had to pick him up Today I knew something was Up and he said not to get Mad when I saw his Eye, but someone Younger picked a Fight thinking they could kick Old Man Ass, and, he had to put that Guy Down.  Well, at least nobody called the Cops and from what I heard, the other Guy ended up looking way worse and should probably never underestimate his opponent when he picks a Fight with someone he don't know, regardless of their Age.  The Son used to do some MMA Fighting when he was in his 20's and he can take a hit and has a very high threshold for Pain, and has the Stamina of a Bull Ox.







  So, it didn't go well for the Young Troublemaker.  And I'm like, you're getting too Old for this shit Son... now you gotta go in to Work looking like this, WTF are you Thinking?!  You're being Groomed for an Upper Management Position, so don't act so Fucking Ghetto and Hood and Fuck that Opportunity up by looking like a Brawler!   And when he's hanging with his Old Boys From Da Hood, this kind of shit sometimes happens coz they are a Rough bunch and Age didn't make them any less Rough either.  And all of them are in the Trades where you can show up to the Job Sight looking like you had a Wild Weekend.  Some of the Crews he's worked with in the Trades are Hard Cases, many are Ex Felons, and the rest are Corn Fed Dudes who look like they could Fight a Bear and Win.  I don't know what the Young Guy does for a Living, but he bit off more than he could chew or swallow.







 So, pretty sure The Son drank too much Tonight coz he probably hurt like Hell and more Today from having been in a Fight with a 25 Year Old in their Prime.  *Eye Roll and Le Sigh, serves him right...*  Coz this wasn't a Boxing Gloves Fight, this was a straight up Street Fight with Bare Fists.  Think "Fight Club", and I'm sure it was Dinner and a Show for whoever was there coz anyone that knows Gypsy James or The Son, knows that if someone Starts something, they will not hesitate to Finish it.  And that it's gonna be one Helluva Fight too.  I wouldn't be Surprised if someone Video Recorded it and has put it on TikTok now.   That Young Guy will never be Welcome as a Plus One again I'm sure.  So, that was the Drama Of The Moment.  He's still in his Head about the Incident Tonight and is having trouble letting it go that some Random made Trouble on an Evening everyone just wanted to get together and have a good time.  Well, it happens.  You have to just realize the World is filled with Assholes and those looking for Trouble to Start.  You can't engage with them all, it's just not worth it.  *Christ on a Bike!*




*******

Just another Weekend of Tales From The Hood... Dawn... The Bohemian
A life touched by God always ends in touching others. - Erwin McManus

I will love the light for it shows me the way, yet I will endure the darkness for it shows me the stars. - Og Mandino (1923-1996)

For creativity to flourish one should try to look at everything as though it were being seen for the first or the last time. - Quote from "A Thousand Paths To Creativity" by David Baird

Is what I'm about to say an improvement on silence? ~ Galen Pearl