A Rather Ranty Post... Feckless Is The Word Of The Day

 

We'll be getting Dear Nurse Remi again, the VA provided Home Nurse we Adore, she was so excited to get us back as Clients, we'd become Friends too.  She's coming on Friday this time since The Man has a Tuesday Cardiologist Appointment with Dr. Pham that was already Scheduled and Friday was Open on our Calendar and hers.  He's had good Numbers so on the Physical End seems to have improved, but on the Mental and Emotional End has had a lot of struggles lately.  His Mobility has been iffy but he uses his Walker willingly now and tho' he crashes into things with it, at least it keeps him from taking a Fall or risking being nervous about Walking.  

He has been ornery about Walking, he doesn't want to, but a Body in Motion stays in Motion, so I insist he move around more than he WANTS to.  *Winks*  He goes to Bed way early now, sometimes before Dark, and Sleeps In also, which is uncharacteristic for him, he's always been a Morning Person.  We'll see what Dr. Pham thinks is going on when we see him Tomorrow?  I try to get him out and about just so he isn't so sedentary in front of a TV Screen all of the time.  He's a notorious Do Nothing kind of Retired Person, whereas when he Worked, he was a Workaholic, he swung in the complete opposite direction when he was involuntarily Medically Retired.

My Dad was like that too, a Workaholic until he just couldn't Work anymore and then he kind of gave up and Did Nothing too in Retirement.  It might be a Man-Thing since a lot of Men do Define themselves by what they Do for a Living/Job/Career.  When they don't have that anymore they seem at a Loss and not enjoying Retirement as they probably should embrace the Freedom it gives them to just Enjoy whatever they Want to Do and don't Have to Do now.  I like being Retired, it did not make me Idle at all.  In fact, I'm probably just as busy as when I held down demanding Careers in my Corporate Lives while also Raising Two Generations of Kiddos AND Caregiving.

There's so much to Do and that Needs to be Done even in Retirement.  The Man tends to ignore what could or should be Done and does not Want to Do any of it now, even that which he still could.   And that switch to Who he used to be and Who he now is tends to be such a stark opposite, that sometimes I feel like I don't even Know this New Version of Himself?   Part of it was the Traumatic Brain Injury in 2013.  Princess T was in early Grade School when it happened and as Kids tend to be so Profound, and out of the Mouths of Babes, comes Truth unvarnished.  She called Who he was Before The Catastrophic Accident, her "Old Grandpa", and Who he became After The Catastrophic Accident, her "New Grandpa".  She said we'd just have to Learn to Love New Grandpa, coz Old Grandpa was Dead.  She wasn't Wrong.  And you do have a Grieving Period for what has been Lost and permanently changes Lives and Relationships, the whole Family Dynamic really.

At first she did not Like "New Grandpa" at all, and being a Kid, she'd say so, out loud!!!   She'd been so close to "Old Grandpa" and Losing that part of him was hard for us all, but especially hard for someone that Young, who was and had been, her whole little World.  They were extremely Close and she's the "Baby" of the Family and the last Child we Raised, so he doted on her way more than any of the others.  With TBI he had to re-learn to do literally everything, and I mean EVERYTHING, so it was like having a Grown Newborn in the Household and she took Rehabilitating him as Seriously as I did, but it was a LOT for us to do without Help and figuring it out on our own.   And did they ever get into some Arguments when he wasn't Behaving or Trying hard enuf.  *LOL*  She once locked him out of the House when I was at Work and her Teen Brother was allegedly watching both her and Grandpa, coz they'd fussed at each other about who had control over the TV Remote!  *Eye Roll*

It was Night and very Dark, Ink Black out there, coz we were at the Villa McManse before that area fully developed and used to be flanked by State Trust Lands that were pristine Desert, only lit by the Stars.  Her Brother was engrossed in his Video Games and didn't know his Sister and Grandpa were fighting about the TV Programs.  The Man got upset and told the Little One, "That's it, I'm leaving and I'm taking all my Money with me!!!"  Yeah, clearly Brain Damage Talking there, coz what Adult would say that to a Small Child, Right?!   And where the Hell did a Brain Damaged Old Man who can't take Care of himself anymore or handle Money now, even Think he was Going?!  *Eye Roll*  Well, he forgot he said that and had to take the Trash Out coz that was a Chore I'd given him to do while I was at Work and she was too little to Roll the Garbage and I'd given The Young Prince other Chores to do in my absence, like make Dinner and Babysit the other Two.   It was an unrealistic expectation, but, it ALL fucking was, for all of us.  We only had each other.  The Cavalry was never coming.

  

So, he goes out there to do that and she promptly locks the fucking Door behind him!!!   He can't get back in and The Young Prince's part of that Villa was Upstairs and he couldn't hear what was going on coz he played it with a Headset!!!  The Man is pleading with her to let him in and she says, "Well you said you were leaving... so... Go!"   *Bwahahahahaha*   The part about taking all the Money with him hadn't phased her coz she knew Post-TBI that I handled all the Finances and she was sure that "Gramma doesn't ALLOW Grandpa to have Money anymore!"   *LMAOROTF*   Well, Luckily he had his Cargo Pants on and his Cellphone in the Pocket and Called me at Work to tell me she'd MADE him Leave and he didn't know where to go!!!???   Awww, Hell... fuuuck... my Co-Workers were like, no wonder you'd rather be able to come to Work at least some of the time!!!  It's Bananas at your House!  *LOL*

I then hadda call The Grandson to tell him to go let Grandpa back in, tell his Sister that was Mean and he could have wandered off and got Lost in the Desert and how would she Feel if that happened to him, and tell him, Why would you say what you did to a Small Child?  Christ on a Bike!!! After that I gave up all my Shifts and went into Full Retirement for Two Years out of Necessity!   Couldn't have all that Drama and a Headache going on at Home in my absence, or expect a 13 Year Old with Special needs to be In Charge of them all!   Now it's a Funny Story, back then I wasn't Laughing.  And Social Services wasn't providing a damned thing in the way of Services or Benefits for any of them either. 

 I had a Team of absolutely Useless Caseworkers from CPS, VA, DES, Adult Services, and every Civilian Charity that Claims they help Disabled Veterans and their Families.  Usually it's all restrictive, parsed out sparingly, with Qualifying and Disqualifying Factors galore, and you gotta be Flavor of the Month tho'.  We weren't Flavor of the Month.  Many Veteran Charities are for Post 9-11 Disabled Vets, not the Old Ones, no matter how long you Served, or how short, that means nothing.  The Young Families do need the Help and for longer, so I don't begrudge them receiving their Help, I just think it can be discriminatory if some Veterans are excluded.   They ALL should Qualify IMO... not just some.

 Especially those who did 20+ Years and became seriously Disabled with their Service to Country, opposed to doing 2-4 Years or mebbe even less before the misfortune of becoming Disabled.  I'd always ask my Caseworkers, how can you Exclude a Veteran who put in 39 Years to Serve his Country, fought in every War you had during that length of time and made incredible Lifetime Sacrifices, and is now 100% Disabled and requires your Help, I don't understand that Exclusion or Denial?  Please fucking Enlighten me.  And a lot of folks who Donate aren't aware that it's exclusionary for some Veterans and their Families.   Anyway, we got thru it all on our own, and now he is finally receiving some Home Help regularly from the VA, which I appreciate and is very Helpful to him and to me too.  We're impressed with whose been sent to do Home Help so far that is funded by the VA.  And he doesn't feel so Abandoned or Forsaken by his Government.

We got Irrigation done and then Brad, the Pool Service Owner, informed me our Backwash Pump went out so that was $195 I didn't expect to have to spend right now.  It's always SOMETHING!   Home Maintenance is an ongoing expense, this Property has cost us more than the Historic one, but less than the Villa McManse.   But the Historic one was Paid Off and the Villa McManse was cheaper than this Property due to the Luxury Home Market Crashing the Year we bought it, so we got it so Cheap the Mortgage was lower than here.  But our Interest Rate here in the lowest ever, only 2%, so I can't complain, and the Equity here has built faster than any other Property I've ever owned and we have a better Location than any other Property too.  So I feel so fortunate and Grateful to be here.  It's the best Property for our Heirs to Inherit too.

While I was busy since 6:00 a.m. doing everything, The Man was busy sitting in front of the TV missing not One, but Three Meals coz he was too Lazy to get up, open a Can of something and pop it in the Microwave for 1-2 Minutes!   So, by Dinnertime I asked him, what did you make yourself to Eat, while the rest of us were busy taking care of business?  I'm not Hungry was his lame response, coz, of coarse he'd eaten nothing all day, as if his Legs were broken and he couldn't make it to the Kitchen on his own!   Now that I was upset with him he surried on into the Kitchen, picked out a Fav Can of easy to prepare Food for himself, shamed into doing it for himself.  I deliberately buy some things he can make for himself so that when the rest of us are Asses to Elbows busy, he can fix something without Supervision and within his Safety Prompts, when he's Hungry.   He doesn't require being waited on Hand and Foot, we do everything that he can't do for himself, he's being well taken Care of, but what he can do for himself he's expected to just do it.

And becoz I was super Tired, my Back hurts, and he woke me up from the Nap I tried to get to renew myself after I got every damned thing done, I Snapped!  *Winks and Laughs Maniacally*  What the actual Fuck, Honey... Seriously, you haven't Eaten a damned thing, did you think the Food would make itself and bring itself to you, or what?  The rest of us you could see all day, from way before you even rolled your Happy Ass out of Bed, were Working hard to get what had to get done, DONE, in humid sweltering Heat!  I didn't have the Time or the Energy to Baby you and Hand Feed you like an Infant!!!  You're a Grown Ass Man and you can walk to a Kitchen still, open a Can, most of which don't even need a Can Opener coz I bought the ones you take the top off with a flip top to make THAT even easier on you.  {He claims he can't figure out the new Can Opener... which is just like every other Electric Can Opener... insert my Resting Bitch Face.}  And put the contents of said Can in a Paper Bowl {you don't even have to Wash a Bowl afterwards}, and pop it in the Microwave for only 1-2 Minutes... and Wallah, a Quick Meal when nobody is available to Cook one for you!

 

The Kiddos are like, Dad/Grandpa don't wanna Do Nothing anymore... and they aren't Wrong.  So, it often pisses everyone off coz he's expecting everyone else to do additional things for him that he CAN do for himself... and everyone else has a Laundry List of Work we do all the time already, as well as his Caregiving, and we're Family, not Staff, and certainly not PAID Staff catering to his every Need like he's on Vacation.  Takes a Breath not and Venting over... I NEEDED that!  *Bwahahahaha*  Like I said before, it's sometimes like having a High Maintenance Adult Child in the House now coz there's so little he'll engage in, and that includes his Relationships with everyone as well... increasingly he's not getting along and playing well with others.  And I know with Dementia that is par for the Course, but, it makes Caring for someone just that much harder when he's being difficult, and unlovely, and demanding... coz even PAID Caregivers don't want that Higher than Average Client to have to Deal with... let alone Family Volunteers.  They still Love him, but they don't Like him very much most of the time now.

 

As a Spouse, you want the best for them as they decline, but when they Fight you every step of the way and make it just harder to provide the level of Care, it becomes exhaustive.  I'm trying to make him understand, Listen, you're getting the best possible Care you could ever have when you have got Family who Love you Dearly doing it for you.  But you're really pushing boundaries of their tolerance and devotion to you.  Coz you have to be considerate and kind as they're doing it for you, not be Mean Spirited, ungrateful, or a Pain in everyone's Ass becoz you're misbehaving and you do still have the capacity to behave within some norms.   I'm glad Nurse Remi will be back coz she's like a Second Strict Wife with him.  *Smiles*  And he listens to her when she's telling him what he Needs to Hear even if it's not what he Wants to Hear.  *Ha ha ha*  She tells me with a Wink and a Smile, well, he's not as difficult as an African Man is... and I know she's Right, given the Patriarchal dominance of that Culture and subjugation of African Women.

The Son, when he was in a Group Home Rehab at one point when he was trying to get Clean from Dangerous Addictive Drugs, said a Kenyan Family owned it.  The Man had several Wives and they all worked there, he said the Women literally did everything and the Husband did bugger all and thought that's how it should be.  He'd tease The Son coz our Son would always be Helping the Wives out with housekeeping, coz it was a Group Home Rehab, so there were a bunch of Adult Male Clients there and keeping the Facility, which was in a Residential Home, in Order, was constant and a lot of Work.

  The Son would Organize the other Resident Male Clients to also help the Wives out, coz they took such excellent Care of everyone in their Facility and were really Nice Ladies.  Of coarse all the Wive just LOVED my Son!  *Ha ha ha*  He'd tell The Husband, well, my Mom comes from a Matriarchal Society and expects all the Boys and Men of the Household to also Share in keeping the Household in Order, and not just have all the Work be Women's Work.   The Husband met me and then The Son told me he'd said to him, "Well, I can see Why you would not dare battle THAT Woman!"  *Bwahahahahaha* 

And Nurse Remi did tell me that she knows for sure that a Traditional African Man would be more than a bit Fearful of a Woman like me, coz they wouldn't be used to a Woman behaving Strong like a Man.  *Ha ha ha*  I can Thank my Dad and his Culture for instilling that into me coz all the Females on my Paternal side of the Family are Tough, Strong, Hard Core about what we Care about, and Fearless Women who can't and won't be Trifled with.  *Smiles*  In our Minds and Hearts, we are mos def not the Weaker Gender or 2nd Class Citizens to be Oppressed or Subjugated.  Try it, and see what happens.  *Bwahahahaha*  I won't Obey or be Subservient just becoz you possess different Body Parts than me... I am as much a Human Being as any Man is, Period, Full Stop, it's not even up for Debate or Compromise.   I think Superiority Complexes based on Gender, Religion, Cultures or Race are ludicrous concepts I don't adhere to at all or Believe in, nor Support in any way.  Nobody is better than nor beneath me as a Human Being, Nobody.

So, anyway, got my little Rant out of the way and The Man is happily polishing off the Meal he made for himself, and clearly he WAS Hungry, just Lazy about doing it for himself.  *Winks*  And now there's no Trouble in Paradise for the time being.  *LOL*  We got such a strong Head of Water with having to take on more than usual due to SRP asking us to, that it hasn't yet all soaked into the Ground and it's almost 6:00 p.m. now!!!    We put a lot more stuff curbside for Bulk Garbage Pickup Today too, neatly organized in various big Boxes and heavy duty Bags.  Nobody took any of the Aloe Vera and the Sun baked it anyway with it being so exceptionally high Temperatures exceeding 116 every day now. 

 We were Lucky we had overcast Skies all Morning to get the Yardwork and Irrigation done without Full Sun beating down on us as well as enduring the High Humidity.   Nevada is now on Fire near Reno, another Human caused one, tho' they don't know whether intentional or accidental yet until they investigate it AFTER they get it up under control.  There seems to be some demented Arsonists among us these days causing these massive Fires and Apocalyptic destruction tho'.

We've had Fire Bans at all our Parks and Recreational Areas all Summer long, which is why most have been deserted, nobody can BBQ or have Campfires, it's just too tinder to risk allowing it.  And I'm glad coz people can be so irresponsible and careless, so Environmentally Unconscious, that you can't depend on them to ever do the Right thing or behave appropriately when out in Nature.  They do dumb shit all of the time.  I do Environmental Cleanup Weekly, often even Daily when I can fit it in to my Schedule.   And you can't even make a dent in running enuf damage control behind the general public and how piggish and irresponsible they are as a Collective, or what illegal shit they do out in Nature without Caring one iota about the impact. 

 Most of the public doesn't wanna do even the minimal amount of sacrificial stuff to be part of a Solution rather than being part of the overall Problems.  As a Species, we Collectively Suck.  Even tho' Google claims 50%-80% of People claim and express Environmental Consciousness or Concern, depending on how the Question is asked and the specific Behavior Measured... actions, proof and evidence of that just don't line up with that illusion, or delusion IMO.   Only 9%-11% of people actually engage in Social Causes or Climate Action or actually Volunteer their Time for Environmental Organizations or do it on their own... so, I rest my Case.  You can't be 80% REALLY Concerned and be only 9% actually Involved, it doesn't Square.  

 When only 9% even Protect Nature, that's not very many of us Statistically speaking, running damage control behind the 90.1% who don't.  The Excuses abound, from "Feeling" Untrained {how much "Training" do you actually Need to pick up Garbage, asking for a Friend?}... or they can't Find a "Group" {so, just do it, you don't require a fucking "Group" effort to make a difference}.   Conservation Specific Volunteering is only 1% of the already low Rate of 28% Nationally of Volunteerism in the Population.   So, most folks won't do anything if not Paid to do it, that's pretty obvious.  And my Observation has been some folks getting Paid to do a Job are hard pressed to wanna or be Trusted to just do it and Care about it!!!

 I don't think most folks are doing what they can, is what I'm saying.   And, don't say, well, I'm not Retired, so I can't Volunteer.  I have always Volunteered... even when holding down Demanding Careers and Raising Generations of Kids... and Caregiving... coz if it's meaningful to you to Do anything, you'll do it.  Otherwise, it's just not meaningful to you, is the real reason Why you don't.   And you haven't made it a Priority.  Let's just be Real and 100% and cut the Bullshit.  Most folks Believe they're Too Busy... but in their Busyness they do find Time for whatever or whoever they truly Care about.  Otherwise, it's easier to make lame Excuses why they don't to justify that decision not to.

*******

Yes, it was a rather Ranty Post, I'll admit... smiles... Dawn... The Bohemian on a Rant

Real Time Crisis... A Homicide I Must Address In Real Time Now

This part Written in Red is about a Fortnite later than I Wrote this Post Originally and Future Unpublished Posts about a Fortnite from Publishing will outline more.  But now, Blog Friends I have more contact with on The Regular, have been asking how they can contribute to the Go Fund Me Memorial, so I will squeeze this in now with this Post to Hit in Real Time, so that perhaps they can find it on FB.  On September 2nd, The Daughter's Boyfriend Mando was killed in a Hit & Run Vehicular Homicide while riding his Bike.  The condensed version is she and he were helping an Elderly Friend that Evening after it Cooled Off and got Dark.  He made a run on his Bicycle to a Convenience Store and got hit by a Young Person in a Sports Car going 60mph in a 25mph Rural Residential Neighborhood with no sidewalks and poor lighting on the Night of the Holiday busy Weekend.  

The Driver left the scene but was later turned in by his own Mother, I think he's a Teenager, no idea whether he was under the influence or just driving recklessly and irresponsibly?  His Family will Forever be ruined now too by that One Bad Decision.  But, Mando didn't have his Wallet on him since he didn't intend to be gone long, so he was a John Doe until The Daughter hopped on her Bike to go looking for him and came upon the active Crime Scene and had to Identify the Body by his Tattoos.  Vehicular Homicides are some of the most Graphic and Traumatizing to Witness the aftermath of, so she's wrecked by all this and Emotionally Raw. 

 She at least could give Police a Positive ID and Contact Information for his Family, many of whom we've known for Years and several Generations of the Family.  More details in Future Posts Pre-Scheduled but won't Post for a couple Weeks.  It made for a Somber Holiday Weekend.  She will always now be Haunted by having to ID a Person she Loved who Died of a Graphic senseless Violent Crime, so she's pretty distraught right now and everyone who knew Mando is in Shock and Grief.  He was Dying of Cancer, but this is also no way to leave this Earthly Coil, tho' not as slow, equally Traumatic and much more unexpected.  He could be a difficult Person, but he did a lot of Good and had a Heart for Helping others, including our Family.  During their lengthy Relationship he spent Holidays with us since his Parents and One Son had preceded him into the Afterlife.  Where now they are reunited for Eternity.  But for the Living, it is tough right now.  Community outpouring of Support has been wonderful.  Thank You to all who have responded so generously for his Family and Friends.

Now back to what the Post originally held when Written a couple Weeks ago: 

 Princess T and Rusty brought the Older Kitten over for me to cuddle and play with.  She's a sweet lil Black and White Tuxedo with Four White Paws, and the sole Survivor of her litter.   Blue-Green Eyes right now, very soft fur and White Whiskers against a Black Face. They said she was feisty and usually bites and scratches, but she was calm and lovable with me, very subdued, they couldn't Believe how different she acted.  Probably the Nag Champa had a Calming Effect over her they figured?  *LOL*  They already found her a really good Home with one of Princess T's Co-Workers who is 24 and has other Cats, a Boyfriend, but no Kids.  And who doesn't like Raindrops on Roses and Whiskers on Kittens?  *Smiles and Winks*   One Smells great and the other Melts your Heart.  Which is good coz Kitten Breath does not Smell great and has a pong to it.  *Bwahahaha*

  So she's going to a very good Home and they're so Happy about that.  She looks almost exactly like the Cribbed Image of the Above Kitten, only with more Blue in her Greenish Eyes.  I didn't take Pixs while she was here, coz all us Humans looked Busted and didn't wanna be Photographed holding her.  *LOL*  We're speculating she's a Female, general consensus is she probably is.  I gave her a Catnip Toy to go Home with, she REALLY like it.  *Ha ha ha*  She'll be a handful to drive Home with now she's High on Catnip.  *Winks*  They've decided to keep the Calico from the other Litter and find Homes for the Two Grey Siblings when Old enuf, they're only 3 Days Old right now.  Of coarse the Family fell in Love with this Older Kitten, so how can you not when they're Kittens, Right?  *LOL*  But, I like to play, cuddle, spoil, then send 'em Home, just like with Human Kids now.  No more Little Humans or Fur Babies for us.  *Winks*   I had my Dose of Kitten Love.  *Smiles*

I'm supposed to be Pricing Pokemon Cards, see, I'm NOT, I'm Blogging.  Looking them up is labor intensive and I'm just not really in the Mood to go Bug Eyed looking up Pokemon Characters really, but I know I need to and will have to.  While the Craze is Strong I might as well get all the Cards we have in there to Sell 'em.  I also have 3 unopened Pokemon Card Pacs too.  And I have another Pokemon Plush Toy to bring in as well.  Princess T has been Culling her Cache of Plush popular Toys out of her Collection again.  She fell out of Love with the Squishmallow Craze and only kept a few.   You find them in abundance at Chazzas now, the Craze has Cooled, but I can still Sell them coz she had some of the more popular ones Kids still want.  The Labubu Craze Cooled too, they always wanted too much for them, so not everyone could afford them at the inflated prices.  So they were not a good Investment for Resale.  Some things you better just have an abiding Love for coz you Paid too much on the Buy.

I haven't heard from our Roofer so doubt they're coming by Today to do what they didn't do Yesterday?  I do Hope they Tarp it before the next Rainstorm tho' coz I don't want leaking Roof damage inside The RV Garage Mahal on my contents.  The Insurance might balk if it never got Tarped coz they said go ahead and do that to be proactive.  And if it fails to get done then they are sure to use that as an excuse to deny increased Claims for further damage even before they Approve paying for a damned thing.  I'm hoping it's not a hassle to get them to pay what ever is what has to get done, you never know with Insurances what Bullshit they'll come up with not to pay out what they should? 

 Their Deductible alone is so Crazy high it inhibits filing a Claim, you'd have to far exceed $5,500 worth of damages, which is the Deductible PER CLAIM assessed at 1% of total Property Value they assessed!  On the East Coast it would be $11,000 at 2% of Property Value they assessed ours at!   A whole fucking Roof is around $15,000 on the high end, so what would be the point?!  You'd almost have to be filing a Claim for Catastrophic Damage and Total Loss to really ensure you're just not getting Hosed by the Insurance Companies now.  If Catastrophic Weather continues on the trajectory it's currently on, I foresee them not even covering most areas anymore.   And then you end up with Forced Place Coverage by your Mortgage Company, with outrageous Premiums.  It's why where you live matters, a LOT.

I got a whole Box priced to bring in with me Tonight to Work, whoop whoop!  I found a feature on my Phone to just point at a Pokemon Card and it automatically looks it up... it's not even like Google Lens, it's quicker and better.  Saved me an enormous amount of time and labor.  Most were just the cheap Cards but those Sell fast and I made my Money on the Bulk Buy, so my Margins are still great on all the Cards.  Anyway, I feel rather accomplished now that I got some Merch priced to take in with me that is respectable.  *Smiles*  I have more in The She Shed that The Daughter and I recently went thru and Curated, some of it is Halloween so I need to get that all priced and into the Showroom now.  Seasonal Merch has that brief Window of Opportunity to Sell best, and now is the timing for Halloween.

I'm contemplating when I should leave for Work and what I should eat before I go in to sustain me thru 'til 10:00 p.m.?  I just don't feel Hungry when it's so fucking Hot as it is, and only Working a 4 Hour Shift, you don't get a Break, the closest thing is sitting at the Greeter Desk providing Customer Service up Front for about 20-40 Minutes of your Shift, once, mebbe twice, depending on how many Co-Workers are unpaid Key Dealers Working that particular Shift for Comped Space Rent and rotating up at the Greeter Desk?  Paid Staff get Lunches and Breaks of coarse.   Jason is over here, he loaned us his Weed Eater and said he can Repair ours so it works again, that Guy can Fix anything.  He's the Elderly Cousin and Nephew of our Next Door Neighbors that The Daughter helps out a lot.  He's terribly crippled up and Disabled, but is always doing something, not a Lazy Guy at all and doesn't let his Disability stop him from staying busy and productive.  I Wish that The Man had that Outlook too.

The Kids have been working on our Yardwork all Day since Sunup, I don't know what Time the Irrigation is coming Tomorrow, have to ask The Son, he gets the Notifications on his Phone for us now of our Rotation Schedule.  He just informed me it's 8:30 a.m. to around 11:00, so at least it will be Light, but me and the Girls will have to do it coz he'll be at Work again.  Princess T and her Mom have been helping me to do it when he's at Work, Luckily every Rotation has come on a Monday so Princess T has that Day Off to help us. *Whew*  If we have problems, our Neighbor, Rob, is always available to help us Gals too, he's so good about that.  This Community is like that, assisting one another, especially if you're Elderly or Sickly.  They pay attention to Neighbors who require some Help to stay in their Properties, coz they don't wanna lose any of us Old Timers as Neighbors, we aren't problematic, we don't commit Crimes, and we keep our Properties Nice.  Most Retired Folks make for decent Neighbors and are from a more Sociable Era too where Community mattered.

Above are some Denim Hippie Jeans I'm taking in to the Antique Mall to Sell, they are so Fly, if they were my Size, I'd wear 'em.  *LOL*  But, they're about a Size 3... so... *Bwahahahaha*   Princess T is slender enuf but would never wear something like this.  *Smiles*  Fashions like this Sell well in our Showroom, coz it's our Aesthetic to have the Funkier and Vintage Wardrobe.  When I go in Big Box Stores, the Fashion is lame right now, so Pedestrian, so Generic and Uninspiring.  Like Princess T calls it, it's all Copy & Paste, no Originality or Individuality to it, no sense of Style.  You can Buy Fashion, but you have to Possess Style.  We're still Selling a lot of Clothing and Accessories, it's what the Younger Customers come for.  And they're the ones spending the Money and not just walking around wasting and killing Time coz they got nothing else to do.  I've got about an Hour before I gotta leave for my Shift Tonight, I'm looking forward to going in.  We've had some Move Outs that couldn't make it, and I wanna see what's replacing them.  Most Vacancies don't last long, but Turnover is still high.

Very few have been there since the Beginning like us.  I made the First Sale there and have hung in for the Long Haul, seeing many come and go, sometimes coming and going more than once.  The Seasoned Vendors are few now, we used to have more, but a lot of the long time Dealers have moved away or Passed Away now too.  We are getting some Youthful Vendors now, which is Rare, but mebbe a good Sign.  My Granddaughter Sharing Space with me is Rarer still, most her Age don't have a Space and those of her Generation tend to Sell Online if they are into Resale.   No overhead and they know Technology better than my Generation and use it exclusively now. 

 When I go to the Clearance Centers it's now flooded with very Young Adults who do Resale.  They come in large Groups and it's become their Thing, being Young Entrepreneurs, mebbe out of necessity since the Job Market is Weak and landing good paying Jobs with Benefits is so much harder now for the Younger Generation.  So some are Learning to Work their own Hustle early.  I Taught mine to Work their Hustle from the time they could Walk, like my Parents did for me and my Brother.

The Son and The Daughter are impressed with Princess T's discipline at Managing her Money already.  Not that I didn't Teach and Train them all to, but she's the one of the Four that took it to Heart and applied it, so it shows.   She's so much like I was, even since early Childhood, so I kinda knew she'd apply it more than the others.  Not everything Taught is always Applied by everyone, if it is, then it's usually highly effective if done with consistency, especially when it comes to Money.  If you don't have your Mind on your Money, it'll slip thru your Fingers too easily, coz it's never what you Make that is the Problem, it's what you Keep.  

There are Millionaires and Billionaires who have Bankrupted, more than once... in my Corporate Life handling Bankruptcies for Major Financial Institutions, more wealthy folk filed for Bankruptcy than anyone else in fact.  They made a lot of Money and they Lost a lot of Money or didn't pay who they Owed Money to and were financially reckless and irresponsible.  Often living way above their means even if their means were incredibly privileged and they HAD affluence, and squandered it.  

Have you ever noticed on Homicide Shows like "Dateline", how many Wealthy folks going broke then Insure their Loved Ones to recoup their Fortune and then Murder them to Collect on the Insurance Policy?  I do.  Seems it's the Wealthy Mindset that if they go broke, they'll just Kill Off a few Loved Ones they highly Insured, the M.O. is so predictable as to be Mind Blowing actually.  I've known a lot of Poor Folk, who, in spite of being in Poverty or sustained lack, didn't Kill Off their Loved Ones to get at some Money.  Their Loved Ones meant more to them than $$$, but with Rich folk, it seems their Priorities are Money First, then Things, then People... instead of the other way around as it should be, People First, then Money, then Things.  And your Priorities matter, a LOT. 

 When I Debt Counseled Folks in my 1st Corporate Life that were in serious Financial Crisis of being Foreclosed upon, going Bankrupt, or in Collections... what they Said to me that were their Priorities rarely mattered.  I wanted to see their Financials, show me your Checkbooks and Bank Statements and then I'll tell YOU what your Priorities REALLY are and have been.  Coz most folks delude themselves or lie.   The allegedly Devoutly Religious who said God and His Word were their highest Priority, well, only about 20% of them actually Tithed and Give of their Talents, Treasures or Time, the other 80% are Liars and delude themselves.   They let the 20% fund everything for their own Religious Benefits and Take from it, but Give nothing to it.  If folks told me their Family was their Highest Priority, but their Checkbooks and Financials said otherwise, it Called them Out.  

 If their Reputations and Character or sense of Responsibility didn't Line Up with Behavior and Actions, it was all a Ruse.  I follow the Money and see where it leads me, it always tells the True Story of most People and what their Priorities REALLY are and have been.  And their Dirty Secrets.  Including any Corruption and Criminality they're trying to Cover Up.  *Winks*   If your Talk doesn't align with your Actions, it's just Lip Service and some Bullshit, so it means nothing to me.  And that Dog won't Hunt... {ie: an idiom for a Plan, Idea, Excuse or Argument that will not Work, is Useless, or is not Believable.  Winks}   I can't Help anyone who can't even Face themselves with Honesty and some Integrity, so relies on Bullshit to try to be their Weak Excuse for not achieving Success or contributes to their Failures.  If you can't keep it 100%, and be Real, then don't waste my Time, valuable Resources or my Energy asking for my Help.  I'd always know which folk in Crisis could be Helped and which would carry on doing what they do that lead to Crisis for them, usually perpetually.  They want a Bailout and YOU to cover it FOR them when they Fuck Up.

So, Today's Food Porn was some DOMINO's Pizza they had an $11 Two Topping Large Special on if you bought Two.  So, since I'd be Working Tonight and not be here to make Dinner... and didn't feel like making Lunch either... that Worked for me to Feed 7 people who were here Today and needed to be Fed and Watered.  *LOL*   Since Princess T had Rusty over, The Daughter had Jason over fixing our Weed Eater which went on the fritz and was loaning us his for now, so it was a lot of Mouths to feed cheaply.   We still have a half of each Pizza left for them to eat for Dinner.

  It's 116 again, and may get Hotter, so mostly everyone is more Thirsty than Hungry when it's that damned Hot.  So, nobody is ODing on Pizza and going into a Carb Coma.  *LOL*  I've been drinking mostly Iced Coffee since McDonalds gave The Son a bunch of Coffees with the Breakfast he bought for all of us.  And he and I are the only ones who really drink it, so I've been Icing mine, coz The Golden Arches may make shitty excuses that pass for Food, except for their Fries, but they make a decent robust tasting Coffee.

Above was our last Working Cat, Miss Priss, may she RIP.  She was a Masterful Scorpion Huntress, she liked to eat them and would always have Sting marks all over her Nose.  The Son got stung again on his Arm, he's been like a Scorpion Magnet this Year, but becoz he once had so much of the Anti-Venom given him when a Sting almost Killed him, he has developed an Immunity now so that he doesn't almost Die when stung by one.  *Whew*   But, they're Painful and he gets swelling and numbness and doesn't recall where or when he got stung this time.  We checked all around the Home with a Black Light Inside, found nothing, so we think he got stung Outside.   The Daughter went on a Murderous Scorpion Killing Spree, in Revenge Mode for her Brother getting stung yet again, she offed quite a few of them.  It's been a really Bad Year for them and it's even been on the News how much worse they've been this Year.

My Shift went well, they had a lot of us working, most were older Women who are New Vendors and I don't know, but pleasant to work with and kept pace with Customers demands.  We've had such high Turnover of Vendors that a lot of them that used to work the Shifts aren't even at the Mall anymore.   Rochelle, who we call Rocky, was the only long time Vendor working that Evening besides me, and she's so Elderly I don't know how much longer she'll be able to pull her Shifts?   Nice Lady, and Sweet as she can be, but at her Age and the demands of what's necessary, she's really not up to the Job anymore already.  There's been problems in the past when she isn't able to pay Attention and gets easily distracted and Thieves take advantage of that Inattention and her Age limiting her.  They're still giving her Shifts so I can only assume they don't have many Takers of the Regular Shifts now?  I'm constantly turning down offers to Work a Regular Shift again, I just can't commit to it now and don't really want to either.

We had over 800 Customers thru the Doors last Night tho' and a Severe Weather Warning came in on our Phones at 9:00 p.m. just as we were Closing.  I JUST made it Home when it hit, literally, had just pulled in the Driveway when the Zero visibility Dust Storm hit!   And ran to the Door in the nick of time to get Inside with zero Seconds to spare!!!  *Whew*  I took some Pixs while on my Shift and Scored a couple more larger 1970's Thomas Dam Trolls for my Collection, one is an Elvis Troll, which I'd never seen one of those before and she didn't have it priced any higher than the other one from 1977 that I purchased too.  {See Below} Some of the New Vendors who'd moved in had very nice Booths with Merch I liked, so, I do Hope they last?

I liked the facial expression on the other Large Vintage Troll I got, didn't think I had one with that Face... it has long White Hair in a Ponytail and a simple Felt Outfit, Elvis has the White Elvis Outfit and a little Plastic Guitar, Sideburns and really looks like he's supposed to be Elvis. *LOL*  At Online Auctions you can find the Elvis one but they want more than Double what I Paid for mine.   And I got my Vendor Discount on both Trolls, plus I'd built up a Store Credit to use against the purchase price.  So Color me Happy she had them so reasonably priced.  She must have an extensive personal Collection she's ridding herself of, coz I've never seen so many Vintage Trolls, especially those from Denmark that are the Thomas Dam ones, being Sold by a Vendor for a very long time.  Years ago we had a Vendor who was Elderly and Sold Off her huge Collection of them and I bought several from.  Back then other Vendors vied for them, this Vendor is Upstairs in the Loft Booths and it doesn't look like Vendors Cherry Pick her Space.

We broke the 2011 Heat Record for the Official Temp being 115, previous Record was 113, and of coarse Unofficially it was way Hotter, about 117 and the day before it had been Unofficially 119.   It's also the 7th Day this Year it hit 115+ and Hotter which Ties the 4th most on Record.  Climate Change is Real and those damned Data Centers will Heat their areas up by another 15 Degrees, and that Math won't be sustainable for Life unless it's Microbial Life!!!   Stupid greedy Fuckers who Approved Data Centers, and so many of them, in a fucking Desert, were imbeciles and should face Criminal Charges IMO for the damage they've now caused to the Environment and the Citizens who will suffer for what they've done when Water runs out and Electricity demands are exceeding supply and made unaffordable.  It's not like having AC is a Choice when it's that Hot, many would risk Death or Brain Damage without it when they get Heat Exhaustion or Heat Stroke.

We ought to have an Investigation to see how many City Officials have Offshore Accounts where Bribes were funneled into, to Approve these Data Centers and other inappropriate Developments they allowed without Citizen Support?   Me thinks you'd find they all did and Sold Out their Constituents for Personal Gain.    The Opposition is Strong, especially people living by where they're Approving the Builds, but City Council Members have had few No Votes, and pay no attention to what the Community desires, so I'm paying close attention to whose Voting in favor of this Fuckery.  The large amounts of relatively Cheap Raw Land in the County, Tax Incentives favoring Rich Developers, and close proximity to California is why Arizona is targeted by the Developers of these monstrosities.   Some are being built way too close to Luke AFB too.  When it all goes Sideways there will be Hell to pay tho' and Investigative Journalists are already Naming some Names of whose Responsible, Good!

We had to rake up more of the cut Grass from the Pasture and get it ready for Bulk Garbage Pickup, so Princess T and I were out there since 6:00 a.m. and The Son by 7:00 a.m. before he goes to Work at 8:00 a.m., Irrigation comes at 8:30 a.m..  The Daughter will be back from Jason's by then to help us drop the Gates after Irrigation is over for our Rotation.  I lifted them this time by going down into the dry Irrigation Ditch, which is the easiest way for me to do it and probably the safest too, walking across Gangplanks isn't Wise at my Age in case I lose my balance and fall off.  *LOL*   One of our new Stud Muffin Young Neighbors was out readying his Property for his rotation, nice looking Young Hispanic Man, heavily Tattooed and very Nice.  He commended me on how agile I was getting in and out of that Ditch... loads of Practice I told him, but I am really getting too Old for this.  *Smiles*  We had dense Cloud Cover so it was Humid but not so Hot we couldn't do the physically demanding Work.  I am soaked tho' with Sweat.  More than when I do Workouts at The Gym!!!

The Man has his Cardiologist Appointment Tomorrow Morning and I Work a Shift again Wednesday Night for someone.  Yesterday's Shift was all Fill-In Key Dealers again, nobody that usually works the Shift had shown up apparently!  That's getting to be chronic and us Fill-Ins seem to be working more Shifts now than those that committed to the damned Regular Shifts and don't show up for them!!!  I'm accepting more than I have been, which helps my bottom line coz it Comps Space Rent some.  Since Rent is over $600 now for the Showroom and a Locked Case, that's Helpful if I can lower my Overhead.  Renting Space is expensive, when i first started it was around $375 for what costs over $600 now, and that's only been 15 Years that it's almost doubled.  Meanwhile Sales shrank from the Old Days when I could make more off this Project of Downsizing what I have Collected over a Lifetime and Selling it Off, than I even made at the DA's Office Working Full Time!!!   Those Days are over.   When Folks struggle to afford Essentials, they don't Buy Non-Essentials so much anymore.

 Home prices have gone into the Stratosphere too, which is why folks can't afford to Buy now.  And they resent us Old Folks who won't Sell ours, but, where else would we fucking live on our Fixed Incomes if we did Sell?  And Moving costs around $35,000 over Six Years ago for us if you Hire someone and don't do a Self-Move!  Whose got that much laying around whose Retired or even Working Full Time?   I don't know a whole lot of Young or Middle Aged Working Folks who've got over Thirty Grand in their Savings Accounts.   I used to, when I had Paid Off Properties coz I could Save and Invest a helluva lot more when you don't have a Mortgage Payment and can leverage your Equity.  If you Sell you have to pay Taxes on what profits you made.  Most Affluent folks don't Sell, they Borrow against the Value and live off of that, while their Property Values increase exponentially and their Heirs Inherit the Untaxed Fortune of the Unsold Properties.

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That's it for Today's Entry... Dawn... The Bohemian