Everything Being Subject To Change Without Notice

 I slept in until 9:00 in the Morning, tho' not straight thru of coarse, that's rarely happening these days.  The Son said I fell Asleep at Five in the Afternoon tho', so, he was checking to make sure I was still Alive?  *LOL*  But, I do feel more rested and Princess T is off Work Today and Tomorrow.  So, if The Man isn't released from Hospital and The Daughter re-schedules that Cleaning Job, I have Time to myself for a change.  We'll see what happens tho', everything being subject to Change without Notice.  Which, gave me a clever Post Title Hook right away this Morning too.  *Winks*  Usually Writing a Blog Post is effortless, while Naming one is the most difficult part for me!  Often I get the whole Post done and still don't have a Title, which delays Publishing.  *LOL*

I do Need to get Gas this Morning, I'm down to my Truck's Warning Light telling me it's low.  But, last fill up cost me damned near $100 and that's sacrificial right now just to fill up with a Tank of mere Gas and hits the ole already strained Budget real hard!  I do however find it rather disgusting that it took the Price of Gas to be the Line in the Sand for the MAGA devoted.  Not some of the most Serious Criminal Activities against Citizens, the rest of the World, and the Nation.  Not Raping Women & Children, not mishandling the Deadliest Pandemic in our Lifetime.  Not starting unnecessary and illegal Wars and committing War Crimes that the Hague should be Prosecuting. 

 Not using his Position to enrich himself and his Cronies shamelessly with huge conflicts of interest.  Not cozying up to our Adversaries and estranging our Allies.  Not tanking American Business Community with his Tariffs.  Nope, just the Price of Gas!!!  *Shakes Head in Disgust*  I've kept waiting for what exactly it takes for his Cult to start falling away... just Gas, as it turns out.  And not all of them, but at least now some of the more vocal and influential MAGAts are jumping Ship now.  Coz they see the Titanic Moment has come and it's all going Down and there won't be enuf Life Rafts for everyone.

Our Lifelong Friends Yolanda and Dino will be coming to see us when The Man gets out of the Hospital.  They live pretty far now so don't get in the City often, coz Dino is even Older than The Man and they've also had their respective Health Issues.  It will be great to see them, it's been a long time, they haven't even been to see us at this Property since we bought it.  One of their Sons has been here numerous times tho' and Dino's Dad used to live in this Mini Farm Community in the 1960's so Dino grew up here back when it was still Rural and the City hadn't grown up around the Mini Farms, it was all Agricultural Land back then or Raw Desert.  

This Community was built starting in 1961 thru 1980, our Home was one of the last Custom Homes built here in 1980.  I think an Older Home used to be on the Acreage tho' and was replaced by this one?  The Homes on each side of us were built in the 1960's.   And a lot of newer Homes over the Years have replaced some of the Older ones, so there's a mixture now of Custom Vintage Homes and Brand New larger Custom ones.  Most Properties still have the very Mature Old Landscaping, which looks very bucolic and like a Green Belt Oasis compared to the City around us.  It's why we have so much Wildlife here, along with the Livestock you can own here on your Mini Farms.  The New Neighbors behind us who bought Laura's Property have a Horse now.

Laura had a Goat named Alfred and Chickens.  I thought I hadn't heard Alfred in a while, he could actually say the Word "Help" and sounded like a Developmentally Disabled Man, it was hilarious!!!  I think a Younger Family bought the Property, Laura and her Boyfriend were in their 70's and inherited a larger Mini Farm that had belonged to her Parents in a neighboring City of Glendale.  So, they moved to that Property and Sold this one.  A lot of Properties here are now going up For Sale coz some of the original Residents don't like all the new Subdivisions that have been built close by and replaced large Agricultural Farms.  They did devalue our Properties by about a Hundred Grand coz they're $300,000 Properties and the Mini Farms are worth $700,000 to well over a Million.

 It was a shitty thing to do for the City to allow Rezoning to profit greedy Developers and devalue Property of such long time Residents by so much due to it.   But, I'm sure the Developers lined the Pockets of some City Officials to get that pushed thru coz the Residents had petitioned against the Changes and it was already a Done Deal before they even told our Community what they'd already Approved and held a Town Hall about it!  I told everyone going to the Town Hall, it's a waste of your Time, they already did this Deal with those Developers, so this is just a performatory sham of a Town Hall to pretend to listen to our dissent about it, it's a Done Deal and nothing you say will change that. 

 I was Right, and now a lot of folks are Selling coz they don't want further devaluation and Equity Loss.  Or to live near shitty little Modern Subdivision Hells that are built poorly and worth far less than our Properties.  And you might recall, long time Readers, when they were building the Brick and Block Wall around that new Subdivision, it fell down Six Times before on the 7th Try they finally got it to stay up, that's how shoddy the Workmanship was on just a fucking Wall.  I've built Walls and I'm an Amateur Mason and my Walls are still standing over 30 Years later!  And never fell down not even once!!!  So, how shitty is the construction of those Homes then?   I see loads of folk wearing Masks again coz of all the contagions going around, so I got mine from the Pandemic at the Ready.  *LOL*

Today is this Great-Granddaughter's 4th Birthday.  They grow up so damned fast, don't they?  I think all the Granddaughters back East who have Kids are now done having Kids.  One has Three and one has Two.  They're both in their late 30's now so it's for the best they don't have more.   Their Younger Sister is still Unmarried and Childless.  The Two Grandkids I Raised said they really would rather not have Kids, so I don't expect them to change their Minds.   The Young Prince is surprised his Dad is considering having another Child.  Since his Dad is closing in on 50 fast, and tho' he has a much Younger Wife, he already has 3 Kids, had The Young Prince way too Young as a Teenager, but, who wants to be an Old Dad?  *LOL*

And this Granddaughter is one of Princess T's Older Sisters in Mexico.  That's one big Snake she's handling.   She has Two Children and isn't having any more either coz she's in her late 30's now.   I can't Believe most of our Grandchildren now are Middle Aged!  *LOL*  Time marches by pretty damned fast tho'.  I did get my Gas at a 60 Cent a Gallon Discount by going to "Fry's" Gas Station.   Which is associated with the Grocer we use most often and earn Discount Points for your Grocery Purchases that tally up at the Gas Pump for Discounts that add up to as much as a Dollar a Gallon off.  Which is crucial right now, coz even with that considerable Discount, I still spent $72 to fill up coz Gas in Arizona is at $4.69 a Gallon, so I still had to pay $4.09 a Gallon for it!  Ugh.

Especially at the Hospital they have contagions Seasonal Notices up so almost everyone is Mask Wearing there and using Hand Sanitizers in and out of Rooms.  Glad I kept all of my Fashion Masks.  *Winks*  And decided to use some of me Modeling some as Blog Fodder Imagery this day.  *Bwahahahaha*  The only Selfies I ever liked are those where I was wearing a Pandemic Mask!  They always turned out good!  And I do have some Cute Masks!  *LMAO*   Blog Friend Shirley and I made Fashion Statements when we had to wear Masks during Pandemic, and Accessorized our Masks with various Outfits, so I have a whole Basket full of them.  *Smiles*   Yes, I did Wash and Donate a lot of them too, since, I had a ridiculous amount of them and bought good Quality ones that were able to be laundered.   This one I'm wearing came out by Fav Fashion Designer Brand "Johnny Was".

And the Bling ones were Fun and Believe it or not I Scored at a Dollar Store back when Dollar Stores still had decent Product for 99 Cents!  I cleaned them out and Resold quite a few still in their Packaging for $3 each and always Sold Out of them in our Showroom.   The Black went with everything, the Bling was flashy, and it was a thick good quality Fabric with a Lining and yet easy to breathe thru.  If you Hand Washed them the Bling stayed on coz it was stitched on.  I kept the Basket of them right by the Front Door so anyone could snag one on the way in or out, the Basket of them is still there holding them during Seasons when Allergies and contagions are just bad now.  I didn't mind wearing a Mask and we wore ours properly and not like Covidiots who were so dumb they thought not putting it over your Nose still protected you and other people... what Morons.  Our VA Nurse always wears one now coz she's required to during Home Visits.

This Fabric was one of my Favs, I looked everywhere for this Fabric so I could just Buy a few Yards of it, but never could find it.  Had Ordered the Mask made with it from an Online Seller.   No Fabric Stores in Phoenix had it that I could find... LOVED the Graphics.   Okay enuf about Masks now... LMAO... I can end up deeply down a Rabbit Hole on Topics.  And just seeing so many folks wearing their Masks again voluntarily, had made me think about Masks now for perhaps the first time since Mandatory Mask wearing during the Pandemic.   And all the ridiculous controversy becoz so many folks were stupidly Militant about NOT wearing one for the safety of other people, and even themselves during a Worldwide Plague. 

 Many being in complete Denial about the Dangers, as expected tho' many of the most Militant, well, Natural Selection took them out rather quickly and effectively.   As Nature does about those who really have the least chances of Survival due to their ignorance.   I could never actually feel Badly when Covidiots Died becoz, well, if you do Idiotic things, on purpose, even when given Information to protect yourselves, and choose NOT to, then it eventually catches up to you in expected ways.  And, since they could Kill or harm others by their Ignorance, then it was just best they be taken out by Natural Selection for the well being of Society.  It Culled a lot of the Stupid from the Planet and I just can't feel Bad about that, coz, you can't Fix Stupid.  Or Educate those that refuse to be Taught or Learn and opt to remain Ignorant.

The Daughter never contacted me or her Son, so I don't know if she went to do her Job in Chandler or not?  But, at least now I know I don't have to take her coz it's past time it was scheduled... and it was up to her to either do it or re-schedule it.    I did go visit The Man, his Numbers weren't good so they're keeping him another day, he didn't look like he was feeling well at all.  They're changing his Meds again.  He takes one step forward and then a step back again, which tends to happen with him.   The Dinner he was gonna have Tonight is all the things he Loves so perhaps he'll eat it all?   He'd kept all the empties of what he's drank, he told his Nurses I wanna have evidence he is hydrating properly.  *LOL and Winks*

I foofed our Showroom at the Antique Mall, the Weekend Sale is still in progress and I'm doing pretty good with it, Selling a lot of Shirts and Smalls.  I Closed Out the last Pay Period kinda Weak so the Check will be small, but it's still a Check.  A lot of Baseball Fans are in Town coz of the Spring Training, mostly Dodger Fans.  So, hopefully they'll be freely spending Money, most are coming from States where the more affluent are from and look like they do have means.  Of coarse they were all complaining that it's already this Hot, even for Arizona... coz it is about 22 Degrees above Average in Temperatures already so some Venues have had to be adjusted for Heat Advisory concerns.  We don't have the International Visitors we usually get... we all know Why tho'... *Eye Roll*  This Administration has tanked the Tourism and Hospitality Industries, among others reliant on Visitors.

The Oscars is on Tonight and I'll watch, not to see who Wins coz frankly I haven't watched any of the Movies Nominated and barely know any of the Younger Actors Nominated either, don't recognize them at all.  But, to see what people are wearing and how Politically Bold some of them may get when they give their Acceptance Speech?  *Winks*  Sean Penn is nominated and I know if he Wins, you can count on him being fearless about Speaking Truth to Power, coz he's very involved in doing Good around the World.   And I know Robert DeNiro has been on a lot of Talk Shows recently, unusual for him coz he's always been a Quiet and Private Famous Recluse who rarely even did Interviews.  But, he's so Alarmed at the current state of Affairs that he's not being Silent or timid about being outspoken, saying so and worrying about the Country he Loves.  Good on him.

Arnold Schwarzenegger has been a very outspoken critical True Conservative Republican, he grew up in Post WWII Austria, so, he sees the Warning Signs here and the parallels of Bad History in the making.   But, most of the Vocal Celebs aren't anyone I even know, have no idea how influential they are to their Generation and Fans?   Most of the Movies that are New to me aren't New at all and most of you probably saw Years ago.  *LOL*  I tuned in coz the Oscars are on now, but I forgot how Boring I find these Awards Ceremonies, they try to be Clever and it mostly falls flat for me.   So, I don't know I'll get thru more than a few Minutes of it.  *Smiles*  So far the Acceptance Speeches have kept it short enuf not to go on too long, a lot of Foreign Teams have Won so far, who excel at their Crafts for Costume Design, Hair, Makeup, etcetera.  But I'm kinda Over it already.  *Ha ha ha*

After the Hospital I was gonna indulge myself in a late Luncheon at "Appleby's" which is near the Hospital, they weren't busy at all, but Staff were slow, not attentive, and told me I'd have a long wait?!  WTF, Why?  There was hardly anyone there and I waited to even have a Greeter come up to Seat me for too long, so, I declined.   When Staff seem ambivalent about whether they lose Customers or not it's off-putting to me.   So, The Son made Tacos at Home and I was good with that instead.  I opted to watch some Old Episodes of "American Pickers" when Frank was still doing it and alive, some I hadn't seen before.  Some people have the most Amazing Collections and Homes they Showcase it in.   I see that it is an ongoing Labor of Love to get it all Showcased properly and that inspires me to keep working at my own Goal of that. 

Of coarse most of these Primo Collections belong to Old Timers and once they're gone, will anyone carry on with what they've done?  I kinda doubt it and that is a shame.  I don't think many other Generations care very much about History and Preservation these days or of being a Historian and Passionate about the Past and Saving any of it so that it still exists and is valued.   So much has already been forever lost.  I've been Passionate about Salvaging items even before anyone Valued them at all, for a very long time, since about the early 1970's.  So, I have an abundance of things I never had to pay for and often got paid to haul away that now are worth more and are being valued now and that makes me Happy.  Knowing so much still exists becoz I Saved it from being Landfill bound makes me feel good.  But, I don't know that Future Generations will bother or care?  I Hope so, but, I've done my part at least.

What's Sad on some of these Episodes is how many folks have had a lot of Theft of their things.   Especially if the original Owner Dies, their Properties often get looted before the Heirs can even secure everything or take Inventory.   And, if it's known what they have, even from being on one of these Episodes, it puts them at higher risk too of Criminals then Casing potential Victims.  It's unfortunate but I've noticed that even in these Rural areas they have as much Crime as Urban areas now. Sometimes more coz if there's no Jobs in these Rustbelt Areas, Communities devolve into Criminal Activities and Substance Abuse becoz of the lack of Honest ways to make a Living.  Along with the Hopelessness  of decay, that causes a lot of exodus, leaving only those behind who can't move out or get out.

 

If The Man doesn't get to come Home by Tomorrow I've got to inform Nurse Remi not to come on Tuesday as Scheduled.  I need to give her enuf advance notice so she doesn't make a wasted trip.   I should know by Tomorrow whether they intend to release him then or not?   I had fully expected Today to be his release date but he had the complication of his Numbers being poor and not feeling well or looking so good.  So I think they're erring on the side of Caution, which is Wise.  He has so much going on that sometimes one Crisis tends to lead to yet another.  Nurse Remi had been worried about him having some Congestive Heart Failure, she seemed concerned that tho' his Numbers were good during her recent visits, his tummy seemed distended and she was worried about accumulated fluids.  I'm still very worried about him.

When I went in to the Antique Mall, becoz it was a Sale they were really busy, but they respected that due to personal issues, they weren't gonna ask me to work a Shift.  I would have had to decline.  I didn't stay long but I did visit with some Friends who were concerned about The Man's current Medical Crisis, so we did talk about that.  They know he hasn't been in tow lately coz he hasn't been feeling great even before the Emergency he had with his Heart.  So, it had been coming for a while, yet, he'd had been assessed on his regular visits and nothing was Testing Odd, in fact, everything was Testing so good, so his Docs and Nurses really couldn't say what they thought might even be Wrong.   And of coarse now we know what was going Wrong and just not, even in the ER, showing up on Tests at all, they had to get in there to find out... barely in time.

 

I enjoyed watching the "American Pickers" Episodes I hadn't seen that were on Tonight, they had some really Interesting ones of some real Primo Collectors of the really high end stuff.   Collectors completely out of my League, but I sure enjoy looking at their elevated Collections vicariously thru the Show.  I'm not even a Player at the Value of what they Collected.   And they took Collecting to a whole other level.  I'm not in that League, not even close.  I know Collectors who are tho' and it's always a privilege to Learn from them about the Museum Quality pieces they have Collected.    March 19-22 is the next Event I'll probably be going to, but, sneak peeks don't show me anything that intriguing.  So, I'll probably just go for something to do and to visit with Friends in the Industry and perhaps take some Pixs for Blog Fodder Imagery.  The last few Events have been underwhelming to me... and mebbe that's just me... and not the Events, I dunno?

 

In one respect it's good coz no Temptation to Buy a damned thing when it's underwhelming me and I don't even end up staying very long, losing interest pretty fast.    Lately so much being displayed just reminds me of a "Crate & Barrel", which visually can be pleasing, but, too Big Box Modern Living Retail for my personal Interest or Aesthetic.   I like Unique items, Vintage Items, Salvage Architecture, Antiquities and OOAK Merch.   And most Events now aren't carrying any of that anymore really.    So, when you go to Events now, it's mostly Imports, mass produced items, minor Collectibles mixed in with mostly filler items that you could Buy at any Big Box Store.    And looking at it displayed nicely is something to do if I'm not doing anything else, but, it doesn't make it a Destination or tempt me to Buy any of it.

So many of my favorite Vendors and Designers have scaled way down or left.   A lot of fav Destinations have Closed.   There's so few left and those that are seem to be going thru a metamorphosis that just isn't for me, so, I'm not gonna be a Buyer most of the time anymore.  It's helpful for me just Dialing it back to where I'm just not even Thrilled to be Hunting coz the pickins' lately are shitty now and not worth the time or effort.  Yeah, I could Buy whatever I want Online anytime, but it's not the same as being there or Thrilling like a Hunt... so, as BB King has sung, The Thrill Is Gone.   And I find now I'm bypassing some Events altogether coz the last couple times I've gone, it's not been worth the trip and has been disappointing.   There are some new large Antique Malls opening, but I don't know the Quality of Vendor they'll be attracting?  Could just be crap Hawkers for all I know... we'll see?

*******

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

Saying The Quiet Parts Out Loud

Princess T had informed me she was getting out of Work real early again so I've hesitated to visit The Man until after she gets picked up.  That meant a rather leisurely Morning, tho' I am getting our Laundry done.  We've been having trouble with our Dryer drying things sufficiently, so we hope it's not crapping out again?  Last repair cost us almost as much as buying a new one.  I have another Front Loader in The RV Garage Mahal but would have to move a lot of things to get it out of there and into the Main House.  It's the Washer/Dryer set we had at The Villa McManse and didn't convey with the House coz it was new and we were still making payments on them.  Well, the Sellers of this Home had conveyed a brand new never used Washer and Dryer with the Sale, so, we just put ours in The RV Garage Mahal as backups.

So, if the one in the House goes on the fritz again completely, we'll have to swap it out with the Dryer in The RV Garage Mahal.  At least it would mean not having to fund another large Appliance, tho' I suspect this Fridge is next.  It's been acting up and was brand new and never used and conveyed with this Home's purchase.  Appliances aren't built to last anything but 5-7 Years anymore no matter how high-end they are, and all the Appliances that came with this Home were high-end, but more than Two have already crapped out or are crapping out.  I do have a Fridge I also brought from the Villa McManse that is in use in The RV Garage Mahal.  We didn't convey it coz the Buyers had their own and didn't want a Stainless Brushed Steel Appliance, even tho' it was only 5 Years Old and high-end.   So, we gladly took it with us as a Spare.

If this Fridge gives out tho' we will buy a new one, I like some of the newer Models and upgrades they have, but they are mighty expensive.  There are features this Fridge didn't have that we'd gotten used to with previous Fridges we owned and liked the feature of.  And, it's Ice-Maker in the Door quit working within the first year and expensive repairs didn't keep it limping along.  So, I went to TARGET and bought a $99 Ice Maker, one of the best purchases ever made, we Love it, small, doesn't take up much room, makes Ice in Minutes.  And in Arizona, Ice is precious like Water is, both are coveted in a Desert.  Anyway, I only have the one load of our Clothing, all the Kiddos do their own Laundry and have since they were Tweens.

Today is the end of the Pay Period at the Antique Mall and Sales were slower and not as strong, so, don't know how I'll finish?  But they were having a 15% Off Sale, which may help?  My Showroom was pretty tore up when I went in to foof it before the Weekend.  Lots of Shirts on the Floor that people yanked off Hangars!  Who does that?!  I've never even gone in my Closet and yanked clean Clothing off Hangars onto the Floor, and if I did, I wouldn't just leave them there, I'd hang them back up!  And I've NEVER gone into a Store and done something like that with their Merchandise!  Shoppers these days sometimes shock me at their inconsiderate and lowlife, sometimes feral behavior.  Where they leave Store carnage in their wake, manhandling things, stealing, being intentionally messy and reckless, or even vandalizing or breaking and soiling things purposefully.

Some mess is just due to volume of traffic flowing thru the Room, that's expected.   But some of it is due to a demographic I'd rather not attract into any establishment and should be asked to leave, coz most of the time they're not spending Money and are problem people who cause Sellers to lose Money and Merchandise.  And Theft these days is out of control and Thieves know hardly any consequences happen to them now so they really cause huge Loss Prevention Issues and costs to rise for Honest Consumers.   Rents are very high now and you can't Source your Inventory inexpensively either, so you can't absorb huge losses due to Criminal Activities, without passing it along to the Honest Consumers.  And that also means Government Criminal Activities going on which are rising Costs exponentially due to Corrupt Leadership in power.

I finished up all my chores around the house so I got a lot accomplished before Noon.  I'm Guessing I'll get a Call for pickup from Princess T anytime between now and 1:30 p.m. then?  If indeed they're letting her off early?  Sometimes they claim they are and then make them stay late, which, she'll be pissy if that happens.  *LOL*  The Young Prince finally got Home, he and Sadie had a big time in the City and hung out with his Dad and Wife.   Sadie actually is still with Ian, the old Boyfriend, he's a good Guy and The Young Prince said he takes good care of Sadie, so he's glad to hear they are still together.  Sadie has Mental Health problems too so she needs someone like Ian whose a Caregiver type of Companion.  They have a Car and she drives, so came and picked The Grandson up and brought him Home.

I'd put away all the Groceries he'd had delivered, Two batches of them, using up the rest of his New Mexico Nutritional Assistance.  So, he's hopeful his Caseworker can help him get all the same Arizona Benefits that he Qualified for in New Mexico?   He would be considered an Emergency Case File Client, so perhaps it will be expedited too?  If she could also get him on SSI that would be the Ideal Disability Benefits Status and have better Services for him overall.  Now he's an Adult the Adult Protective Services should be able to provide him with what Services he requires and we are under no legal obligation to keep providing now he's no longer a Minor.   Once a Seriously Disabled Adult reaches the Age of Maturity they can qualify differently than a Disabled Child under the Care of Parents/Guardians.

Remember back in Da Day those Photo Booths in the Mall that took a string of Black & White Wallet Sized Photos and you'd crowd into with your Friends?   And the School Mug Shots weren't much different for your School ID, but were in Color, usually.  {See above, Teen me and my BFF from High School crammed in a Photo Booth at the Mall... and a High School Mug Shot for my Old School ID Card... I was wearing a Dashiki and Love Beads, LOL}  I miss those, I wish they still had them, tho', perhaps the Young People wouldn't use them, they all have Phones that take great Selfies instead now.  Kiddos now know how to put on Makeup better, I almost never wore any since Young Hippies rarely did wear makeup and just grew our Hair out long, tucking Flowers in it, or had Afros.  I had an Afro Wig which I did wear a lot in those days too. *LOL*

The Son and I just visited The Man, he had been Walking a little with a Walker and they had him sitting up in a Chair now, which is progress.  However, I was concerned to see his full Lunch just sitting there off to the side and him ignoring it claiming he JUST ate and it wasn't his Food!  We asked what he'd JUST eaten and when he described it, clearly it had been Breakfast this Morning and not Lunch this Afternoon, which was untouched, so, he's not eating and they're not making him eat or reminding him to eat.  Or Believing him when he says he JUST ate, he does that at Home all the time and sometimes it might have been a different Day he ate something.  So, I made him eat a little of it but he was adamant he'd already eaten and you can't eat it FOR him.  He had ordered Dinner by then too coz we arrived just before Dinnertime.  So, hopefully he does eat his Dinner?

Our VA Nurse Remi had told us already that it happens often in Assisted Living, Long Term Care, the VA, where Clients are given Food but nobody bothers to make sure they remember to eat it.  Some of her Clients have had to have 911 Called coz they become so dehydrated and frail from malnutrition.   Granted, he's only gonna be there around 3 Days or so, otherwise I'd have to make sure Family is there for every Meal being delivered and ensuring he remembers to eat and to drink something regularly enough.  *Le Sigh*   He is fussy about eating and drinking at Home too so it is challenging and Staff often don't have the Time or coverage to spend Hours trying to feed and water one Patient, so, I do understand the challenges involved.  Sometimes it takes me 1-3 Hours to get him to eat a partial Meal, nobody outside of Family is gonna spend that much time trying to feed someone.

We also traded in our Aluminum Cans and picked up Salt for our Water Softener.  We won't get our Social Security Checks this Month until right around the 18th, so the next Four Days will be really tight financially.  We have everything we Need tho' and have no Wants, so, it's Okay.  We don't have The Daughter staying here now so that's one less Bell to Answer one less Egg to fry as well.  She seems content to have made the current choices she's making and when she's come to see her Dad at the Hospital she looks good and seems Happy.  I will of coarse have to tidy up the 5th Wheel, which still has all her Worldly possessions, if she doesn't return to do it anytime soon.  She has lived before with what could fit in a small Backpack and that's how she came back to America and Arizona from Mexico, so, she'll be Fine.  Her Illness is what it just is and will always be.  Her Dad has been enjoying her regular visits at the Hospital, so, that's good... Mando is taking her there regularly.

The Kids and her Brother are having a harder time with her decisions becoz they are personalizing it.   I learned not to a long time ago, and not only with The Daughter.    My own Mom suffered from SMI and sometimes her decisions were difficult to wrap your Head around and her Relationships became complicated, strained or estranged due to her Illness, becoz they defied logic sometimes, in spite of everyone's best intentions to do things for her that she seemed to sabotage.  Running damage control behind a Mentally Impaired Person can become a full time job and cleanup of fixes of the problems they create for themselves. So sometimes you do have to just step back and step off, for your own good.  I want her to be Happy and as Healthy as she's able to manage to be, as she just Is.   She's supposed to have another Cleaning Job in Chandler Tomorrow, don't know if she's remembered it or not?

With her Dad still being Hospitalized I am not certain I can even take her to it this time if she does remember it?  So, she may have to contact the Client and re-schedule due to Family Circumstances right now.  It's Money I'm sure she Needs, but I also don't have the Gas until I get Paid to be driving clear across the Valley as an Uber Driver Mom right now either.   She always gives me some Gas Money but Gas is close to $5 a Gallon locally right now so it's almost $100 each fill-up, and so I'm trying to do a lot less Driving and only when absolutely necessary.  Everything has gone up exponentially since this Administration took over and stretching an already tight Budget of Fixed Income is a challenge for many Retirees or Disabled folks relying and existing on Pensions, Social Security or Disability Income.  Minimum Wage Earners also are hurting and the Unemployed or Underemployed are totally screwed.

 

It was in the 90's again Today and will be in the 100's by next Week, so we have the Air Conditioners on now and even put it on in my Truck, just too uncomfortable not to.   If I do go Outside now it's early Mornings or late Evenings, where it's still in the low 50's so far, so, that's a big spread of Temperature fluctuations from Morning to Afternoon to Evening as well.  Utility Bills will be higher than normal for sure and with the Crisis happening for Energy/Fuel, it could really raise Prices more.  The RV Garage Mahal and She Shed have been too Warm to work in much, so, I just haven't.  The Daughter had been doing most of the Work in there anyway for me, so that came to a screeching halt when she left.  And, now The Young Prince's Worldly possessions are in there and in the Art Studio Space he's residing in, so, that is in disarray with his things, unpacked, still packed, spread out without a specific placement yet.  Him moving back in meant displacement of a lot to make room for him and his stuff.

Above is a Pre-School Pix of The Daughter at about Age 4 and one of my Favorites even tho' she picked out the ugliest little Dress to wear for it.  *LOL*  I think she went Shopping with her Nanna {my Mom} and Mom bought it for her, coz Mom would Buy that Child anything!  So she Loved wearing it and I thought that it was a hideous little Dress, but never challenged any of the Children or Grandchildren on their choice of Clothing or Hairstyles.  If it wasn't Permanent, I didn't sweat it as a Parent, coz my Parents never did and I appreciated that Freedom of Personal Expression as a Youngster.   We were always Free to be our Authentic Selves, so were my Kids and the Grandkids we Raised.  So, they all are confident of being True to Self and don't Care what anyone else thinks or feels about it.

 My Dad felt Freedom of Personal Expression and Establishing your own Identity apart from your Parents was important to make you feel confident about being authentic to yourself.   And my Mom was very Liberal with Fashion, Hair, she wasn't conforming and quite Bohemian in Spirit and Style, so she didn't expect us to be Conformists either.  She always said it was better to be looked over than overlooked in Life. {A Mae West Quote, we LOVED Mae.}   So many folks have to go off and "Find Themselves" in Adulthood, coz they never really have known who they are, coz it was inhibited for them to just Be who they should just Be!   And feel Celebrated and Supported for just Being themselves.  Being a cheap Copy or Imitation of someone or something you are not, just to please other people or conform to their mandates and restrictions, is not a Joyful or Purposeful way to go thru one's Life. 

I just watched the most sickening display of Spin to the American People of 'Selling' this War that I've ever seen!!!   Equating it to a Video Game!!!   Like War is a fucking Game and not Serious!!!  And is also projecting the People of the Middle East as Sub-Humans, also a very Colonial way of degrading a Society not like your own.   Calling the Iranian People 'Savages' is so very reminiscent of what America called the Native Americans and justified the attempted Genocide of all of them becoz they portrayed them as less than Human Beings.  We ARE Human Beings, the Iranian People are Human Beings.  With their own Culture, their own Religion... even if we don't understand or agree with how they live as a Culture, we can't go in and force ours upon them...  and it's only the most Radicalized who are a Minority, not the Majority, they are a problem to their own People, much like this Regime is to ours, or the Extreme Religions of this Country are trying to be to make America a Theocracy that would be no better than what Iran is enduring!

Slurs attempting to dehumanize other Humans is how atrocities go unchecked and spiral out of control to the point the real Barbarians are the ones who are treating any group of people Inhumanely and Cruelly.  I wouldn't treat an Animal Inhumanely or Cruelly, let alone any other Human Being, for any reason.  That would be more Telling of my Inhumanity than theirs frankly, if I did.  And Fighting Evil with more Evil... just makes everyone Evil.   And an Eye for an Eye just eventually makes everyone Blind.   Their Hatred for us met with our Hatred for them, how does that ever Resolve a damned thing or promote Peace ever?   This War had no Pre-Game and has no End-Game, and it is not a GAME at all, War is never a fucking GAME, but this Administration obviously thinks it is and makes those Sick and Twisted comparisons!!!  "The Hunger Games" might be a more accurate comparison perhaps?

Of coarse I fully expect Hate Crimes in America to now rise again against Americans of certain Ancestries now.  As it always fucking does anytime we make a whole Group of People "The Enemy" based on Demographics alone... Religion, Race, Ethnicity, Country of Origin, Sexuality, Gender, Politics, Beliefs, Culture, whatever Bias or Prejudice happens to be Flavor of the Month and Acted upon.   And it's a real handy Excuse for folks who already hold deep seated Prejudices and Biases to now Act upon them with fewer consequences coz this Regime sanctions, gins up and instigates such Behaviors and Violence, pitting us against one another like it is a fucking Game to them to see the Warring factions here... and abroad.   They are really some Sick Twisted Motherfuckers to their very Cores... and seem to Get Off on what they're causing Globally and Internally.

I turned the TV off coz frankly, about 5 Minutes of any of that Toxic revolting shit is 5 Minutes too much now.   I took a Nap and woke up thinking I'd overslept it into a brand new day but in actuality it's 3 Minutes 'til Midnight!!!  *LOL*  Naps be like that lately, yet, I need them coz Life has been pretty hectic, stressful and exhaustive, which fucks up Sleep patterns or ability to Sleep when you should.  I am not sure when they'll be sending The Man Home?  I suspect either Sunday or Monday, by what they initially told me.  His Nurses don't say much when I'm there, they usually now have a Student Nurse in tow so are quite busy Training that Shadow Trainee.  Most look very Young and straight out of Nursing School or High School.  So, you'd feel you have a Child Nurse... but then again, some of the Doctors now look that Young to me!!!  And when I'm at the Base most of the Young G.I.'s look like they're from the Base Day Care!!!!!!!  *LOL*  Yet, those Youngsters will be sent to Fight and Die for this ridiculous War he's started for his own Vanity, to make a Draft Dodger Octogenarian pretend he's Tough and Brave.

Of coarse, no telling how Ancient I'm looking to them now either?  *Ha ha ha*  They may be marveling, Wow, they let them out of the Nursing Home on Day Trips?   Where's her Handler and should she be out by herself?  *Winks*  I think at a certain point even your Kids are thinking, shit, I think we're in Charge now or should be?  I don't think we should be letting them make our decisions as a Family anymore?  *Bwahahaha*  To be Fair, there are some days I question that myself, coz, would I really know if I'm in a cognitive decline freefall?   Mebbe not, Donnie Two Dolls doesn't seem to think he's fucking totally lost it and his whole inner circle are still acting like he's just Fine and letting him make major National decisions!!!   So, how would you then fucking know?   I mean, I'm not starting Wars and shit... but... still... things that make ya go humnnnnnn... *LOL*

It's past Midnight now so I could Publish this for the Day's Post, but I don't even have a Clever Title Post Hook yet, so, haven't Named it.  Contemplating if my Recycle Cash I got yesterday would be enuf to get us to Chandler and back in case The Daughter can't re-schedule that gig and does need me to take her?  But, yet, I would HATE to get the Call from the Hospital that they're releasing The Man to go Home and I'm that far across the Valley when the Call comes in to come get him.  And I don't know Mando's Old Hooptie could make it all the way to Chandler and back either?  And I don't know she'd find any other Ride willing to go that far out of their way with the cost of Gas right now either?  It is a long commute, which, normally I don't mind coz I putz around for Four Hours in Chandler, Gilbert, Tempe and Mesa.  Coz the Four Cities over there are very blurred boundaries.  Sometimes I'm not sure which one I'm even still in?

Where we go is just off the 202 so you can see how it's in that Zone of where all Four Cities meld boundaries.   And where we're coming from is far Southwest Left off that Map.   A bigger Area Map below would give you some idea of how many Cities, partially there are melding together.  We're not even listed on this Map even tho' we're right beside Goodyear on it and just as large as that City, definitely larger than Litchfield Park, so, why they get on the Map and we didn't is just Weird.  *LOL*   I mean Liberty is on there and it's a speck of a Town, not even a City with Shopping or anything, they got a Historic School and Historic Church, it only has 2,831 Residents and no Traffic Lights, we've got about 93,000 but didn't get a spot on this Map, WTF??? 

 And I even see Maricopa Colony gets a Map Spot Identity, it's a Small Indigenous Tribe on their Rez, coz there is still a Maricopa Indian Tribe hanging on to near Extinction, they have only 723 left of them tho'.  A lot of Indigenous Tribes have faced total extinction, but, we never talk about that as a Nation, do we?  Only what Animals we should be trying to Save from Extinction on the Planet, not actual People who are close to being wiped out and lost forever, to exist no more!   It bothers me a lot how a lot of History is so Whitewashed so as not to make certain Groups of folks not feel Bad or have to think about it.   Heaven forbid we should know some of our own sordid History so as not to repeat it.  That's why I always taught my Children and Grandchildren what Schools weren't saying and Teaching them, by omission.   My Dad did the same.  I still remember in about the 10th Grade we were learning about the Holocaust, the one they do Teach about.

The Teacher, who was a favorite one of mine and an Italian American we called Mr. C coz we couldn't pronounce his last Name, great Guy, excellent Teacher, was Teaching the usual curriculum about the Topic tho'.  He wanted all of us to do research, make a Book Report and then present it to the Class.  I went Home and did mine, not on the Holocaust being Taught, but about my Dad's People's Holocaust and which Tribes had been successfully 'cleansed' in the American Genocide nobody talks about.  Along with Great Indian Leaders who managed to Save their People from extinction and fight the American Government so hard to prevent them from successfully killing all Indigenous People who were here first, had all their Land Stolen, and displaced involuntarily.  Nobody 'discovered' any place where people have already Lived for Centuries! 

  I Loved Art so did Drawings of all of my favorite Native Tribal Leaders and Heroes to go with my Report and Presentation.  My Teacher and the Class were Silent when I gave my Presentation.  Some of my Friends in the Class said it made them choke up, coz they Honestly didn't know that part of American History being conveniently eliminated from our Textbooks.  Yes, it made folks feel bad and was uncomfortable, but sometimes History just is if it's some Bad History we should Learn from and never, ever, repeat again, even if we didn't personally be a part of it, coz it was before our Time.  That's how we improve Future History and give Balanced Education that doesn't Hide shit and Cover Up what we should be Ashamed happened. 

 My Teacher asked me if he could Keep my Drawings and Report, which I did give him, coz I could see it Moved him to Tears.  My Drawings were really good, if I do say so myself, I used to do excellent Portrait Drawings with Pencil.  He could have Framed them and they might still exist for all I know?    And BTW: By Omission, even the German Holocaust, when Taught, rarely mentioned the 500,000 or so Romani Gypsy People who were part of it.   Hitler Hated the Gypsies as much as he Hated the Jewish People.   And my Mom's People have some of that Ethnicity in their Heritage and Worldwide they are still a very maligned and persecuted People across the Globe and also here in America... displaced everywhere they try to go and just Exist as a People, as all People should just have a right to do and a Place to just BE and live out their Lives and safely Raise their Families in Dignity and Good Health.

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Saying the Quiet Parts out loud... Dawn... The Bohemian