Reminiscing ~ Living In the Moment While Looking Back Fondly

 

So, The Man just finished the last of his OT with White John, we'll miss him, such a very nice and compassionate young Man.  He was extremely pleased with how much Work that The Man put into their Sessions.  He said it's rare for a Client to do that actually.  The Man joked that I wouldn't allow him NOT to put in the Work.  *Bwahahaha*  He was telling me what his Mom Collects, Steiff Stuffed Animals and Porcelain Dolls, he finds the Dolls to be Creepy.  I told him the Money will be in that Steiff Collection, so, don't throw away Money if he inherits any of that.  *Smiles*  Dolls can be iffy and a hard Turn to make any Money on, depending on the genre.  John is fascinated by our Collections and said he'd rather inherit something like this, coz it's Cool and looks like it has Value.  *LOL, but Sweet of him to say out loud so Sincerely.*

We have Asian Paul coming for the PT last visit in about another Hour, then The Man will be done with both OT and PT, moving forward then with Cardiac Rehab at the Hospital next.  That will be more closely monitored and I can drop him off at the Hospital for it, then pick him up when he's done.  It's right beside our Antique Mall Location, so I can Work my Spaces while he's doing his Cardiac Rehab, so, it will work for both of us. I'm hopeful that after he finishes up those Sessions, he might be strong enuf to go do some things with me again, we miss doing it together, he always enjoyed the outings so much.  It was one of the few activities we could still spend quality time together doing as a Couple and enjoy doing, looking forward to it.  I still do it by myself, or sometimes with any Kiddos who wanna come along, but, I'd like him to be able to again.

I did Environmental Cleanup this Morning for about 40 Minutes after dropping both Kiddos off at their Work and before it got too Hot to do it.  My little Park Ranger was there, he said he has one more Week left at that Park before his Transfer and introduced me to his replacement, a Younger Hispanic Man named Angel.  I found a brand New pair of expensive Brand Sandals someone had just forgotten.  He told me to just take them, since they'd only have to throw them away, they were exactly my Size and looked like they'd never been worn.  People leave behind the strangest things sometimes and you wonder if it's accidental or intentional when it's something nice?  Was this person wearing no Shoes then when they left the Park?  *LOL*  Their Loss is my Gain, they're attractive and very comfortable.  I looked them up Online and they are $50-$60... so, Score!!!

I spent most of the Morning looking up and sorting Pokemon Cards I'll be taking in to the Locked Case.  They were the Cards the Grandkids told me to look up coz they'd be worth more than a Dollar.  The Dollar ones are Selling fast of coarse, but the Kiddos knew which ones had more Value and I'd of had to look up every damned Card otherwise, which would have been too labor intensive.  It's Helpful to Google Value of things tho', so that you have a point of reference as to what you should be charging for anything, and especially what you have limited or no knowledge about.  I am Clueless about Pokemon and it's HOT right now so I wanna get all the Cards we have into our Inventory already.  I bought clear Card Sleeves for them at a Craft Store, you get like 100 of those for about Two Bucks and Customers like the protection it offers.

I didn't get them all looked up and Priced, but I got everything in Sleeves and about 1/3 Priced to take in when I go to pick up my Check.  Amy didn't bring in that Trophy yet she's giving me, she may have forgotten or didn't have time to come in again.  I don't know that I'll go in Today, but mebbe Tomorrow I will.  I just haven't been in the Mood to go out of the House once it heats up to high Triple Digits or use Gas if I don't have to either.  It is altering my Habits to have the Economy in the shitter.  I won't overpay for anything and will do without it, or be wasteful for what is essential, but higher priced now, like Gas.  I just don't have the Resources or Income in Retirement to spend more than I usually Budget for.  I'm pretty strict with Budget and won't go over Budget.  I've made quite a bit extra with how often I spend time doing Environmental Cleanup now and the volume of Aluminum I'm Recycling tho'.  And I enjoy the doing of it, I'm not out spending Money if I'm being Purposeful to do other things that cost me nothing and make a Positive difference.

I invested in purchasing a couple of Old Yearbooks I didn't have from my Old American High School in England.  My Family couldn't always afford to buy a Yearbook, and every once in a Blue Moon, one will come up For Sale on E-Bay.  I Lucked Out and got Two of them for Two Years I was there and a lot of my Old Friends are in.  And neither one had been Written in, so was like New, tho' one did have a couple of missing Pages, for it's Age, the rest of it was in pristine condition and the lower price reflected the damage of just a couple of missing Pages.   After that Memorial Page I got directed to recently while trying to find a Friend, showed how many of my Old Friends I've Lost, I decided I wanted to at least have the Yearbooks of when we all were Young and just beginning our Young almost to Adulthood Journey.  I won't be going to any Reunions of Lakenheath American High School in England, I doubt I'll even be going to any Reunions here in Phoenix of the High School I Graduated from, I only ever attended one, I think it was the 20th or something, now it would be the 50th+.  I just wouldn't wanna know everyone who wasn't there becoz they're no longer above dirt.

I've been more Nostalgic than usual lately, more time spent in reflection about a lot of things, not just past things, but present things, and potentially future things.   I don't have Solutions for a lot of it, just hanging tough thru what isn't working well right now and hopeful it won't get way worse, but, there's no guarantees.  I fondly reminisce about the Past coz I feel that I had a pretty good one overall, not a perfect one, but, I'm not complaining either, it was pretty good overall.  I enjoyed Success and attaining many Goals I'd set for myself, often exceeding them.  High School was good for me, I had a lot of Friends, good Teachers, academically I always did well, I have good Memories of it all.  My Employers put me thru some College so I didn't have to pay for it.  I just studied Real Estate Law coz it was relevant, I didn't waste time with non-relevant to my Career Classes or Socializing.    

I worked during the Day and went to College at Night, coz I was a Single Parent at the time with a demanding Career in the Corporate Grind.  And being a very Young Female Corporate Executive, of when there were scant few, in a Misogynistic Good Ole' Boy Era, I was focused on advancing my Career and supporting my Baby.  I didn't have Time to fuck around or be Miss Party All The Time, like some College Students do.   I didn't mind the Challenges as much as I resented the Prejudices and biased Systems that kept Women and Minorities down.  You had to be better at what you did if you expected to be promoted above any White Cis Gender Male, even if they didn't have the experience and weren't the best person for the Job or the Promotion.  I was very Ambitious and wouldn't be told I Couldn't Do something just becoz I was too Young or a Female or came from the Wrong Zip Code.

But, I had GREAT Mentors who Believed in me and taught me everything they knew.  They passed the Mantle to me before or after they Retired and became some of my closest Friends, even tho' the Generation Gap was Wide between my Age and theirs.  Mostly Sage and Successful Women older than me that had made it and broken Glass Ceilings a Generation or Two ahead of me.  And some older Successful Men too who took me under their Wing and helped me cultivate contacts in a Patriarchal System they had Favor and Influence in.  They knew it wouldn't just be what I know that got me ahead, but WHO I knew.  The only other route forward was not an option I ever considered, and if you know the Old Saying, you know what I mean.  *Winks*  And if you aren't familiar of the crass Saying its... In the Corporate Grind it's either what you know, who you know, or who you blow.  It's still pretty much True.

Me, Above, the High School Years.  None of my own Kiddos liked High School... actually, they didn't like School at all, including The G-Kid Force.  It wasn't the most Positive experience for any of them and so I couldn't relate at all coz it had been for me personally.   Once I Graduated tho', I Moved On and didn't really look back or consider those Years to be my Glory Years.  Seemed when I went to that 20 Year Reunion, for some Classmates, it had been their Glory Years and where they felt the most relevant, popular, happy or successful.  Tho' some Classmates I did go to School with really made it in Life after High School, some became famous in fact.  One in particular, I just knew he'd be something Special.  Even tho' in High School he was a real early Seventies Hippie, he was madly Talented and involved... as an Adult, he is an Executive Producer in Hollywood with numerous Accomplishments!  Below are some of Vic's Yearbook Pixs when we were in High School at Lakenheath in England... and some of his Fame Photos now.  Vic is 70 now but still Handsome.  Such a Nice Guy too.  He Dated a Friend of mine in High School, everyone Adored Vic.

Then Circa 1970's at Lakenheath High School, England

Now

I was happy to see Vic's success, he was richly deserving of it and was a really Special and incredibly Talented person at a very Young Age before we were even Grown.  And it was good to know he wasn't among the Fallen Lancers who have Died, from our High School Alumni there at Lakenheath, an American Military High School.  Vic was one of the Dorm Students, a lot of Students lived on Campus mid-week and only went Home on the Weekends.  Becoz all of the Bases in Great Britain were not close enuf to commute to the American High School, so they had Dorms for Students whose Active Duty Parent wasn't Stationed at Mildenhall or Lakenheath.  They were Bused Home after School on Fridays.   

A lot of the Dorm Students were Friends, as well as many who lived on either Lakenheath in Base House, or Mildenhall on the 'Economy' since Mildenhall didn't have Base Housing so we lived in either English Housing Off Base or American "Projects", if you could get Lucky to get into them.  We did both, Lived in Thetford in an Old Victorian English Home, then lived on Glebe Close, which were the American Projects in Thetford, the nearest Town to the Military Base Dad was Stationed at and we could get Bussed to and from.   

I was fortunate that my Dad was Stationed at Mildenhall, which was close enuf to Bus us to Lakenheath to the High School daily, so we didn't have to live in the Dorms at Lakenheath.   We also had Students whose Parent was Stationed at Upper Heyford, Bentwaters, Woodbridge, Alconbury, Fairford and Croughton, and they were the Dorm Students.  They lived in Barracks like Dorms, Male Dorms and Female Dorms... with Adult Dorm Live Ins who Chaperoned them.  I don't know that at 14-16 I would have wanted to Live away from my Family at the Dorms... or that the Supervision would have been as adequate as it was with my Parents.  I was a Young Hippie and I might have gotten myself into some trouble making poor decisions that Teens are prone to making, especially those of us who were notorious Non-Conformists.  *LOL*   My Parents were Bohemian Spirits, but our Moral Compass and Parental Respect and Reverence was still set high. Lakenheath High School still has about 350 Students... the HS Opened in 1960-1961. 

I'd be more inclined to wanna attend a Reunion of Lakenheath than of my HS here in Phoenix, where I only went my Senior Year and was more of an Outsider.  Most of the Students at our HS in Phoenix had grown up together and lived Local all their Lives except for the Military Students whose Families were Stationed at Luke, AFB or had Retired here when they got out of the Military.   My Dad's last Base was at Luke and then he Retired after a 27 Year Career.  We liked it here so we stayed.  Dad was from the Rez in Oklahoma and we certainly didn't wanna live there.  And we didn't have Family anywhere else in the States, but we had other Military Friends here that had Retired in and around Phoenix, and we'd known for Years and were Stationed at other Bases together when they were still Active Duty.  Some of them had been Stationed in England when we were and decided to Retire here too.  One Family we knew from living in the American Projects at Glebe Close in Thetford, bought a Home just a block away from where my Parents bought one in Phoenix.  Their Dad Retired a Year before ours did, my Parents remained Friends with their Parents until they all Died.

I lost touch with their Sons, but I know the Oldest one became Career Military who was awarded the Silver Star for Bravery during a War.   And the Younger one became a Professional Musician, a Pianist as I remember.   Never could locate either of them via Social Media.  Their Dad, Ray, outlived both of my Parents, but sadly their Mom, Jean, was the first to Die of all our Parents, losing a battle with Cancer.   She and my Mom were best of Friends since the early 1970's.   When they lived just a Block apart our Moms would visit each other daily, have Tea and visit, when people just did that kind of Socializing often, while our Dads worked.  Our Moms had put their Careers away when they Married Military Men, coz you Moved often in support of their Military Careers.   I remember my Moms Friends either visiting us often, almost daily, or us visiting them often.  You don't see folks Socializing like that anymore.

I miss the closeness Friends used to have, people are becoming more superficial in their interactions and not very invested in their Relationships, from my Observations, especially of the Younger Generations.   When I was a Young Adult I had abundant Friendships and my Grandkids said that mostly, Modern Young People do not.  It makes sense to have less Friends as you Age Out coz you find most either end up Moving Away or Passing Away over Time, which, is a predictable outcome as Time goes on.  When you get Older, especially after Retirement, you're generally not meeting a lot of New People and you don't have the time ahead of you anymore to establish those tight long term Friendships that develop over a lot of Time spent knowing one another.   I've had some of my Inner Circle for well over half a Century now... I'm not gonna Live over half a Century more to have that kind of History with someone 'New'.   And when those you Share that much History with are Gone, it leaves an incredible Void that can't be filled.

*******

The Reminiscing of our cherished Memories sure are sweet tho'... Dawn... The Bohemian

Avoidance Of Tech That Annoys And Striving To Be More Editorial

 Since I've been intentional about shortening my Posts just to challenge myself mostly, I'm FIVE whole Unpublished Posts ahead now!  So, I'm getting better at it, not going as long per Post, and being more Editorial with Words and Pixs.  It's not a Negative, it's been a Positive, I'm kinda embracing it coz I wanna be more Editorial and strive to attain that Goal and restrain myself better.  Nobody has an unlimited amount of Free Time and all of our Time is Priceless and Precious to each of us.  So, the Reading and Visiting of Blogs, I realize is Sacrificial of our Time.  I fall behind in my Blog Reads and often can't keep up or keep pace, or get thru a longer one.  I Write easily and Read not as easily, the Adult ADHD kicks in with Reading.  You can be heavy on the Visuals and I'm Fine, but heavy on the Words and I lose Focus and my Attention Span wanes and strays sometimes. *LOL*

Even in Person, if you hold my Interest with what you're Saying, I'm all Ears and engaged fully.  But if you lose me, with blathering and something I lose Interest in, well, a boring conversation is torturous to me, enough so I'll find the most Graceful way to Opt Out.  Its why I don't do well on Phone Conversations if they're longer than about 5 Minutes.  *LOL*  And forget about E-Mails, I now no longer even use one coz I never Read them anyway and would just delete after Hundreds piled up. I don't miss E-Mails at all, it's liberating to pretend I don't even have one.  Yeah, the Kiddos set one up for me when Juno Closed Down, but I don't know how to access it and don't give it out to anyone.

  I'm almost as bad about Texting, I JUST realized the HUMANA Home Nurse had indeed sent Two Texts, Cancelling the Scheduled visit to Evaluation us both, then apologizing for the inconvenience.  So, I'm not SO upset with them now, had I only read the Text, or knew I even had One, well, Two actually, I'd of not wasted that whole Morning waiting on them to show up!  Ooops!  They wanna re-schedule but now my Calendar is too full so they'll have to wait 'til it's more convenient for us now, they had their chance and they blew it by Cancelling.  You have a narrow small opportunity to get on our Calendar these days, so you can't blow it by not showing up after getting on it.  *Winks*

The Kiddos all HATE that I don't like getting Calls on my Cellphone and won't respond immediately to a Call or a Text.  I don't even like getting incessant Calls at Home when I'm doing Nothing, but if I'm busy doing SOMETHING, or ANYTHING, I don't wanna bother answering a Phone Call.  Unless it's Urgent, leave me alone.  *Winks*  I'm so Mean to any Spam or Telemarketing Calls that get thru, or anyone who keeps blowing up my Phone just coz I don't Answer previous Calls, that I wouldn't wanna be them on the other end.  Sometimes the Kiddos will Call me and they're in the damned House WITH me, what level of Crazy and Insanity is THAT about?!  *LOL*

 Listen, Call once, if I don't Answer, leave a Message, if I don't respond, forget about it, it wasn't important enuf to me to get back to you then.  Or, I just don't wanna Talk to you right now.  *LOL*  I know, that's harsh, but it's True, I don't have the best Filter to Shine you On and pretend otherwise.  Phone Calls annoy the shit out of me, they always have and they always will.  The Phone seems to always be ringing and interrupts my Day and disturbs my Calm.  Too many Calls coming in just becomes too intrusive and disruptive, I don't like it.  So I'm rarely gonna answer Calls I don't wanna receive with the Joy of Jesus in my Heart, that's all.  I'll answer sounding Annoyed.  I'll only Lighten Up if you are someone I wanna talk to, or NEED to talk to, for Real.  Otherwise don't bother Calling.  *Winks*

And often a Call is just nonsense, it didn't need to even happen.  Or if I don't even know who you are that is Calling, how did you get this Number and Why would you even Think then I'd Talk to you or be Nice and not bothered by the Call?  And if you do get me to even Answer the Call and you don't start talking right away when I say Hello, you got about Two Seconds to engage and say why the Hell YOU called ME or I just hang up on you.  Every time.  You initiated said Call so you better hit the Ground running then and spit it out immediately.

  I won't say Hello Twice or wait for you to waste any more of my patience or time.  *Winks*  And don't go long, I won't wanna listen to you go thru your whole spiel if you're from someone I do Need to hear from, but you just drone on about shit I don't Need to listen to or hear.  Customer Service is crazy like that sometimes!  We're not trying to be Friends, I just Needed basic Customer Service, provide it, move on.  And don't give me a Bot, I abhor them.  I refuse to engage with fake replacements for People, I want a Person, and one who knows what they're doing, and preferably doesn't Hate their Job so much it's evident by how they do it.  I know, these days that's a Big Ask.  *Winks*  

I am super Mean to a Bot, even a Bot recognizes my intolerance and complete disdain towards them.  I will drop F-Bombs right away to get transferred immediately to a Human instead.  Even an imbecile Human is more tolerable to me than any Bot. *Winks*  I will Yell at a Bot like they're an Arch Enemy I'd wanna break in person coz it's just a stupid Machine and I don't have any place for it in my day or my interactions.   I'm Hostile to Bots, I'm intentionally impatient and rude to Bots, it's good they don't have Feelings.  *LOL*  Artificial Intelligence will certainly not Like my kind of Human interaction with it.  *Ha ha ha*  

If something on the receiving end is AI then I will tell it that it only thinks it's Real and it's NOT, that I even Hate Fake Ass People, let alone a manufactured replacement for a Real Person.  Whose only stealing Intelligence and Data provided by Humans and really doesn't have any of it's own and has already proven it makes shit up that it doesn't know.  So, can't even be Trusted or Believed any more than People that make shit up and are Liars and/or Thieves.  *Bwahahaha*  

*******

I know, I know, I've untucked my Crazy and it's showing... Winks... Dawn... The Bohemian

How Times Have Changed Can Be Profound

It's 110 Outside and so I've stayed hunkered inside except to pick up Kiddos from Work, luckily nearby, so that's only about 10 Minutes of my Time and Energy, I can muster that.  *LOL*  I haven't even had an appetite and have spent most of the day Napping like a Toddler.  Oh, and eating Tapioca Pudding and Gelato, so the total habits of a wayward Child right now.  *Smiles*  That upsets The Son no end, as he would prefer us to be and behave like we're the Responsible Adults of this Three Generation Household of Adults.  *Bwahahaha*  Dream On.  I have waded thru some Photo Archives, as if that actually counts for doing anything remotely productive???  *LOL and Eye Rolls*  Above was my once Color... then B&W {now turned Sepia with Age} Cap & Gown Pix.  That the original Color completely faded out of.  I think it used to be Old School Early 1970's Era Color, which didn't hold up well over Time, then it went to look Black & White as all Color faded from it, now it's Sepia, like it was taken in the 1800's.   But my Cap & Gown was Brown, I was a Bronze complexion, and my Hair was Light Brown... so... not much "Color" contrast anyway... so, whatever...  *Bwahahaha*

I do still have to make a pilgrimage to the Antique Mall to pick up my Check and also pick up that 1920's Loving Cup Trophy my Friend Amy is Gifting me with.  I wanted to Buy it from her but she wanted to Gift it to me instead as a Friendship gesture, she's such a generous and beautiful Soul.  Both of our Husbands have had near Death experiences in 2025 and 2026 and hers is finally having to Retire from his 2nd Civilian Career earlier than he wanted to, due to Health reasons.  He's already Retired Military, he Married Amy when he was Stationed in her Country of the Philippines and this Year she got her American Citizenship after all this time.  Their Kids are Grown and Two of her Four Kids are in the Military.  Below is Amy and her DH, they are the Sweetest Couple and I'm Hopeful his Health improves with Retirement and taking it easier, he's such a terrific Guy.  We've had far too many of our Vendor Friends at the Antique Mall become Widows and Widowers in recent Years.

Amy's Food Porn rivals any I show here on the Ole Blog only she makes hers at Home.  She even makes Gourmet Food Porn to Die For that she prepares like a 5 Star Restaurant for her Animals!!!  I'd eat what she's feeding those Pets, she should Adopt me in fact, I always tell her, I wanna Eat that well!  *LOL*  Her African Tortoise, Rex, she grows Organic Food for at their Farm, he's the most Spoiled Turtle ever and a fine looking Turtle!  Every time she Shares a Pix of Rex he's eating, no wonder he's damned near as big as a Galapagos Turtle now!!!  *Smiles*  Pix of Rex Below, she Photographs him almost as much as her Kiddos, ha ha ha, and he's always got Food hanging out of his Mouth, I wonder if he ever stops eating?!   

  

She Adores that Turtle, he's like her 'Baby'... and she's had him since he was a wee little thing, he'll probably outlive them all... they are longer lived than Humans, often attaining 150 Years!  Even tho' she has Four Grown Kids she has no Grandkids yet and will need that extra Generation, mebbe even Great-Grandkids, to finish Raising Rex!!!  *Ha ha ha*  My Salads never look as ahhhmazing as the ones Amy makes for freakin' Rex!!!  I have Salad Envy of what she prepares for that spoiled rotten Turtle!   And you should see the Gourmet Plates she prepares for the Family Dogs, OMG, it's a gorgeous presentation of a Filipino Feast fit for Human Consumption!!!  *Smiles*  Suffice to say the whole Family eats well, including the Animals coz she's such an amazing Culinary Jedi.  She's started Photographing her Food on FB after she saw me doing it all the time.   So now we Compete for the Best Food Porn Pixs.  *Smiles and Winks*

And if you think it's hard to Believe a Turtle's Food Porn Presentation is that good and I'm perhaps exaggerating and being Hyperbolic, I'm not! Rex's last Four Meals looked like this {See Above}!!!  I would totally eat any of that myself, I Kid you NOT!!!  That's how the Turtle's Meals are Presented to him!!!   And even when she's Photographing other Meals she makes, I have to ask her, Seriously, Amy, was this for your Husband and Kids... or for the Dogs... coz I can't freakin' tell the difference!!!  The Dogs Food looks just as good and is Presented just as Artfully as she Serves it up for her Family!!!   She once made Filipino Meat Skeweres for the Dogs!   It's all literally fit for Human Consumption!   Now, to be Fair, Amy grew up in abject Poverty with a Grandmother who Raised her in the Philippines, they stripped Gold and Copper from Wiring to Feed themselves.  So the abundance that is America she says she can never say enough Praise about or be more Grateful for!   When even an Animal can eat this good in America if it has a Family attaining and Living the American Dream.  My Welsh and Mexican Relatives say the same thing.

  

Okay, so she told me the Two above were for the Humans in the Family... I wanted to come right over then and join them.  *LOL and Winks*   Below is how little Rex was when she got him... smaller than a set of Car Keys!!!   And Below that, one of her Dog's Meals, which she put as just a Snack in their Puzzle Bowl to make it more Interesting!   I ain't kidding, them Animals are all spoiled rotten, she's an excellent overindulgent Pet Parent and dotes on them all, her Family, her Pets and her Friends, we're all spoiled by Amy.  *Smiles*   I've enjoyed Sharing Amy's amazing Food Porn and her Beloved Tortoise Pixs.  Rex is perhaps the most Photographed African Tortoise ever.  She does Videos of Rex!  He could be an Online Sensation and Celebrity with more Followers than any of us and go Viral... mebbe end up on The Food Network, Showcasing his Daily Meals!?   Hosted by Guy Fieri or Bobby Flay as "The Best Of Phoenix", and get his own Show?!  *LOL*

Speaking of Shows we watched an "American Pickers" Marathon of Episodes, some Older, some Newer, about half I'd not seen before that I can recall.  I look like a novice Collector compared to most of the folks they Picked.  One Guy had a 200,000 sf Historic Warehouse in Spokane, Washington, filled to the brim with his Architectural Salvage and Collections he'd amassed.  Then he bought an Old Two Block sized High School in Tombstone, Arizona too!  He not only had quantity, he had quality.  He'd clearly paid up for most of it so his resale margins were slim, but damn, he'd Rescued a lot of the Primo Stuff not just Nationally, but, Internationally as well.  I enjoyed even watching the Episodes I knew I had seen before.  Spending time with some of the Collectors would be great even if you bought nothing from them.

I've been corresponding more with my Paternal Uncle's Youngest Daughter, whose on the far Right of this 1966 Photo of her with the Older Sister and Older Brother.  He Died last Year and had been a Tracker in the Marine Corps. during the Vietnam Era, then went back to live on the Rez.  I have some minimal contact with the Older Female Cousin, her Younger Sister is my Age tho'.  We don't have much in common, we had far different lives of coarse, they all still live on the Rez and the Younger Cousin was Married at Age 13!  Not unusual even for my Generation in Indigenous Culture.  Our Paternal Grandmother had also been Married at Age 13.  Which meant their Kids weren't much apart in Age than they were as Child Brides and my Cousins Kids are way Older than mine.   She's been a Widow a long time, and already Lost one of her Four Kids, a Daughter.  Her Son, who she had at Age 13, is also in poor Health, she may outlive him too.  Mortality is much higher than the Average American among Indigenous.

 Girl's being Married or having Children when they're still Children is super Creepy and Wrong to me, it was even back then, I'm glad it's illegal in most States.  Except the really backwards ones.  But even in my Mom's Country and in her Era, most Women were Married at 15 or 16 back then.  My Mom waiting until she was 21 to Marry, and my Dad waiting until he was 23, was almost unheard of and frowned upon.  I recall my Welsh Grandparents saying they didn't think she'd ever Marry becoz she was so "Old"!!!   Of coarse my own Parents felt that way about me too, coz I didn't even Marry the 1st time until I was 28!  *LOL and Winks*  My Brother was a Teen Groom, Marrying a Teen Bride, in his 1st Marriage, both were way too Young.   So his Oldest and my Youngest were only Three Months apart in Age.  Now in North Wales the Average Age of Marriage is 35 {Women} and 38 {Men}, in the U.S. it's 28 {Women} and 30 {Men}, which has swung in the other far direction.  That's kinda Old to even be having Children for the first time by then.

  It's my Brother's Oldest Son trying to make Contact with him now after his Son and I spoke.  His Son agrees, his Parents were way too Young and just Kids themselves, not up to the Job of Parenting.  His Son waited until he was 35 to Marry the 1st time, he already had Fathered his Two Children tho', by his current Wife, a Son and a Daughter.  I told him only Two of his Three Cousins have never Married.  Only our Oldest Daughter has ever Married and she was a Teen when she had her 1st Child.  The Daughter had The Young Prince when she and his Dad were Teens too, all too Young IMO.  Our Oldest Daughter's Husband is about 6 Years Older than her and Adopted her Oldest Daughter, whose not his, but, they waited until she was over 18 to Marry and have the other Two Daughters.  I haven't asked again whether my Brother and his Son connected, at least each tried to, so, that was encouraging to me.  That they even were receptive to the Idea.  I had Found, then called, his Oldest Son out of the Blue, he didn't even know me or that he had a Paternal Aunt, and he's 40.

*******

How times have changed even in our Lifetimes can be profound... Dawn... The Bohemian