Princess T's Coming Of Age... 18 Today... I Lasted Getting The G-Kid Force Raised! *LOL*

AT MIDNIGHT: Well, it's now The Big Day and Princess T came waltzing into our Bedroom at One Minute after Midnight last Night, giggling, to announce she's now an Adult.   I bantered back with faux sarcasm, "Splendid, so when you Moving out?" *Bwahahahaha*  She's never moving out, I don't think any of them are at this juncture, quite comfortable here they are, waiting for us to either kick off or move into Senior Living I think?   Who am I kidding, they couldn't afford this place or get along and play well with each other without us, so they expect us to become Immortals actually.  And now everyone is Grown in the household, I'm released from Childrearing after almost 50 consecutive Years of it... or some big number like that from the 1st of them to the last of them I Raised.  *LMAOROTF and Whew* 

This is the 22nd of September and Princess T's Coming Of Age, 18 Today, and Officially an Adult, so it's a Big Deal for her and for me, I'm Officially DONE Raising a 2nd Generation of Kiddos, cause for much Celebration!   Yup, I Lasted getting The G-Kid Force Raised... yay Me!  *LOL*   Her Gay Boy Posse at School indulged her with lavish Gifts, Timmy with a Dozen Long Stemmed Red Roses and another Gay Male Friend, Matthew, got her the Hello Kitty Gifts.  She claims Gay Men give the best and most thoughtful Gifts.  Mostly coz they Love Shopping as much as us Gals do and know what we want.  *Smiles*   Both Boys are going Ice Skating with her.

 The Event was worth waiting for, I was first in line and thoroughly enjoyed the ambiance and Halloween Themed Show, I took lots of Photos.  The only downside and complaint was it was packed and so checkout lines were so long I couldn't get checked out before running out of time and having to leave.   So, I had to ask to have my items returned to Inventory, which was disappointing, since I'd spent an Hour and a Half choosing them.  And had been first in Line waiting 2 Hours to get in.  Several other people had reassessed their purchases when seeing the lines were SOOO long and not getting any shorter.  That's lost Sales for the Designers. 

 I just can't stand for 1-2 Hours in a checkout line, I have Diabetic Neuropathy in my Legs and Feet, so it would be too painful.  And there's nothing I want or need so bad to even stand in a line that is too long and/or slow and barely moving.  I bring a fold up Chair to sit in when I'm in line waiting for the Doors to open becoz of the inability to stand for long periods of time.   I knew it would be a popular Event so it was good to see it so busy for those Selling.  Our Antique Mall has flatlined this Pay Period and Sales are so weak, the worst ever since the Mall opened Years ago, that I'm going to have to reassess staying if it doesn't pick up. 

 Others in Retail at most places are telling me they're struggling to stay solvent, so, it's clearly the Economy and Customers aren't buying very many non-essentials.   To be sure, Gas alone is up over $5 a Gallon around the City in some Gas Stations now, which is ridiculously higher than the National average.   Allen took The Son to Work since I was at my Event, and he said it's too long a commute and The Son should consider taking a Job closer to Home.   For $24 an Hour, which is after his recent Raise, its still not making him enuf to get his own Apartment or buy another Vehicle, so it is discouraging. 

{Above is Princess T, Timmy & Matthew on their way to the Ice Rink}

 Anyway, The Son can't just quit, since the Court Costs and fines, plus that Garnishment for a Vehicle repossession from over 9 Years ago, would cause him Legal troubles he doesn't want or need.   He's trying to do the right thing, but said at times he just wants to give up, give in and give out, it seems Hopeless to Earn a Living now.   With the troubles I had this Month from Social Security, it is alarming how our System seems to be unraveling.  I've heard from another Blogger that some have had it worse.  Receiving Letters that Social Security made huge Administrative errors for Years and overpaid people, and now want all that Money back right away!!!   Seniors have had to Sell their Homes to put right what Social Security fouled up!!!

Becoz The Man is Retired Military he doesn't get much in the way of Social Security Checks, but over the Years since his Retirement Age, they've fouled up the amount of his SSN Checks numerous times.   You'll get a Letter saying they underpaid you and will be adjusting the Checks, then you'll get another Letter contradicting that saying they overpaid him.   I'd venture to say we've received 1-2 Letters like that annually so I wasn't surprised to hear from the Blog Friend in Cali that Checks were messed up.  So the amount of the small Checks he gets has changed constantly, but, it's a small percentage of his Earned Retirement Income so it hasn't caused Hardship.

And so far SSN keeps just changing the Check amounts and notifying me of the Administrative fuck-ups they keep making to his Social Security, and are trying to auto correct.   Hell, I don't even know if ANY of the amounts have ever been Correct at this point, in our favor or theirs?   They don't seem to be able to figure it out for someone not even receiving hardly anything Monthly.   And when you attempt to Call the number on the Letters, you never can get thru, EVER.   You need Appointments to go in Person and honestly, he can't tolerate that Dog and Pony Show, so I've just let Social Security muddle along with it.

  But, if they keep messing up my Checks, I'll have to get an Appointment to sort it out, since, it's a large part of my Pension Monthly.  At the Event there's a Senior I always talk to in Line who is Raising Four of her Grandkids and gone thru all of what I've gone thru with The System.  She said when her Oldest Grandson turned 18 in May, her Checks got messed up too and changed to his Birthday instead of the Date she used to receive them, even after an extension was granted.  So, that's likely what happened to my Checks too, since now they are coming near my Granddaughter's Birthday.  I just Hope only a single Month of miscommunication and delays is all we will endure?

 The Granddaughter, Matthew and Timmy are going Ice-Skating after School and Timmy's Grandma will pick them up after I drop them off.   They'll only be Skating for a couple Hours, I just don't want to stay sitting on Metal Bleachers and watch Teens thru Plexiglass Skating in Circles and falling down for Two Hours and waving to me saying, "Look Gramma, Look!".  *LOL*   None of them Skates well and spend most of the time hanging on to each other desperately for grim Death to stay vertical, so it's a Comedy of Errors, but, they have a good time and don't get too bruised up.  *LOL*  I was told by my Friend Roman that a Gal we know who used to be a Designer at the Event owns the Ice Rink, I didn't know that.

She received all her pressies we bought Online, she'd gotten a lot for her Money since she'd saved Coupons and been comped some items, so, she was jazzed and Shipping was Free.   She's a very thrifty Shopper always and gets considerable bang for her buck, so, it was an impressive haul for what I paid.   She kept pulling things out of the Box and some of the comped items were very nice for something Gifted to her for just ordering what she paid for.   I liked some of it so much I told her we'll order more from that Company for Christmas for her, her Brother and even a few Smalls for myself I'd like.   She got the Cutest Voodoo Doll Whimsical Porcelain Cone Incense Burner for $3.  The Smoke comes out of it's Mouth and Eyeballs.  *Smiles*

 The Grandsons are in overdrive doing a LOT for us, they cleaned, organized and transformed the Kitchen while I was at my Event!!!  The Daughter and The Son noticed how much had been thrown out and disappeared, so they were concerned I'd come Home and rather than be elated at all the hard work the Grandsons did, Freak Out that they threw so much away?  Allen is notoriously Fixated on things being "Expired" or allegedly "Rotten", even if they're not and you just bought it.  So, you have to watch him like a Hawk, it's his Autism.  We Laugh hysterically about it, since you can see him suspiciously Eyeballing Expiration Dates and things you have stockpiled.  He thinks he's doing you a favor by Purging it FOR you and without asking.   I gently tell him to ask first, but, he Spirits shit away like I'm too feeble to know what's Expired now and am trying to kill us all by feeding everyone Expired product and using it.  *Ha ha ha*

 He almost threw out our huge strong Commercial Grade Black Garbage Bags the Local Park Crews now give The Man and I for coming and doing Environmental Cleanup as Volunteers!   They're bigger and sturdier than what you can buy at the Stores and it saves us Buying all that we use.   I had them in a container out front and we grab a few to use Daily.  So I had a small Panic Attack when Allen said he'd taken care of Cleaning up and disposing of stuff in that area, including those!  It did look nice, but a lot was just now gone.   I had to retrieve them from the Garbage after Allen said he'd thrown away all the "Rotting" Garbage Bags we had near the Aluminum Can Receptacle by the Garage!  *Yikes, close call*

  I told him those are from Park Staff giving us extra Bags, so please don't toss those, we will use them all and don't have to buy expensive Bags now.  *Whew*   He agreed he won't, but had to add that some look "dirty"... well Allen, they're for Garbage and Aluminum Recycle, so they don't have to be particularly squeaky Clean, but, they're empty and Free, so... *Winks*   This is a Guy that has worked Years in a Slaughterhouse and comes Home covered in Cow Blood and Guts, but, his fastidiousness with Cleanliness outside of his Work is Legendary.   He's reached status in my Book of a Domestic Goddess, I kid you not!!!  Suzy Homemaker types have nothing on Allen, yet, The Young Prince is a Slob, so they're like Oscar and Felix in "The Odd Couple". *Bwahahahaha*

The Young Prince will clean and do a great job if Solicited to, but Allen will clean just because... and it doesn't even have to be dirty and he'll still clean it.  Sometimes I have to stop him recleaning what's clean and direct him to a Housekeeping Task better Serving us.  *LOL*   Now, both, being Twenty-something Year Old Guys, will drop Wet Towels and their Banana Hammocks on the Bathroom Floor tho' and/or hang Towels sloppily on the Racks, which drives the Women in his Household Cray-Cray, since, The Son and The Man know better and do better than the Young Guys.   And when it comes to Dishes, they'll use every MF Bowl, Plate, Pot, Pan or Utensil in here before Washing any.   Or buy Paper and Plastic so they don't have to.  *Winks*

Anyway I got some good News from The Daughter's Boss about my Brakes, he checked them at his Garage and said they're fine.  It's squeaky coz of dust, they don't need replacing anytime soon.   So, Shirley, you were Right.   *Winks and Whew*   However, he did say my Shocks all need replacing sometime, nothing urgent, they're leaking fluid and I wasn't surprised.   Shocks on the back are half the price of the front ones so I'll Save up to get them done first, he suggested the back first anyway, they're leaking the most.   The front ones will take me a while to Save up enuf for, so I will have to wait several Months for that replacement.   I know I also need an Oil Change and new Filter again, I'm overdue on that preventative maintenance.  At least nothing urgent and expensive right now.  *exhales*

The Son has to Work this whole Weekend since next Thursday-Sunday they're Closing the Line for Annual Maintenance.  His Co-Worker may take him Saturday and Sunday, we are Hoping, I got too much going on this Weekend to have a Two Hour Commute each Day.   The Man and I dashed in to the Antique Mall Friday Morning after getting everyone to Work and School to mark down some older Inventory in hopes of Stimulating Trade this Weekend.   Sales have been dreadful, worst ever, so this 2nd Week of the Two Week Pay Period I have to crush it.  Since I had Four out of Five Days of NO Sales, which never has happened before since The Mall opened Years ago!!!  

I'd rather mark everything down and get it out of there in case I must decide to close down?  I don't want to right before the Holidays, would rather wait and re-assess come Summer, when we expect dismal Sales.  One of the Neighbors on our Street is having a huge Tag Sale and she's got volumes of Customers, so, I'd probably be better off doing that and having no overhead if Sales at The Mall go stagnant.   With having the entire Family here now we could Host a Tag Sale thruout Fall and Winter and see how much they Net?  

 Snow Birds are back by Fall so Sales usually pick up at The Mall, we'll see tho'?   There were lots of Customers in my way when I was in there doing Markdowns.  Which looks Promising on the Surface, but, every single one was just a Looky Lou, making a mess, getting in the way, but buying nothing.  Just having Warm Bodies show up is no guarantee they're not just biding time and window shopping, not really Buyers.  And, I had some more Theft, but not a lot.  But, they left evidence behind that they'd been Stealing the Small Toys that are bagged, ripping or slicing them open and Stealing all or part of the contents.   Each Bag being only $1-$7 each, so... huge Eye Roll.   Mostly LOL Surprise Mini Dolls this heist. {See above Image if you don't know what they are.}

The Arizona State Fair is back and Opened Yesterday and will run thru end of October.   Princess T wants to go and I don't mind going with her, she'll be on Fall Break and they have an Armband Day during that Week she's out of School, one Price for Unlimited Rides.  But, that Day is always packed so it sounds better than it is, long lines, but, Saves me Money, so, whatever.  If she and Timmy don't mind standing in ridiculous lines while I tool around the Fair just enjoying the Atmosphere and Visuals, while eating Indian Fry Bread, I'm Golden.  *Winks*  I usually have a rendezvous place near one of the Stages with Performers that I meet back up with them at.   The State Fair is only a Shadow of what it used to be, while being far more expensive, but far less than it once was.  Just like everything else.

LATER:  You saw the Pix earlier in the Post of Princess T and her Birthday Boy Posse who went Ice Skating with her.    They didn't stay long since the Boys said too many Guys were coming up to our Granddaughter and asking for her Phone Number.  *LOL*  She won't give it out and so then some of them asked for a Hug instead, which Timmy and Matthew could tell mortified her and creeped her out, and they're so protective of her, so Timmy said he piped up that she doesn't give Hugs, but they do!   Of coarse the Straight Guys were then mortified that Two Gay Guys with her copped a Hug... so then left the Trio alone.  *Bwahahahaha*  

 Timmy's Gramma ended up not being able to pick them up coz she had to pick up one of his younger Nieces she's now Raising.  So, luckily I was still nearby visiting a "Spirit Halloween Store" by the Ice Rink and they walked over there for me to take them Home.  They're all spending the Night at Timmy's having a Slumber Birthday Party for her, so I dropped them off there.  They'd had enuf Fun and were ready to just Chill, watch Horror Movies and Gossip, lots of Tea to spill apparently on people at School and that Trio can Dish it and serve it up Hot.  *Smiles*

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More to come on the Event... Dawn... The Bohemian

Wicked Faire ~ Sweet Salvage

Anna and TJ are teaching The Grandsons how to do Irrigation Tonight as it comes.   We've been hiring our Neighbors to do it, but I understand them wanting backup within our Family for when they can't do it.  Irrigation isn't set by any of us, SRP sets the Schedule and Water comes to each Mini Farm in a rotation as assigned and at any time of the day or night.  So, for anyone Working it can conflict with your Work Schedule, anyone's Sleep Schedule and any Appointments anyone has.   You can Opt Out, but, in a Desert, Irrigation and Agricultural privileges are Priceless, so few would choose that option.

Anyway, The Grandsons spent all day again doing Yardwork, cleaning and organizing the House, and especially The Art Studio Space they occupy, they have it amazing and so Organized and Clean now.   Plus The Young Prince has been Organizing The RV Garage Mahal to clear more space for me to permanently Decorate and Style in there.   With Allen not working his Job, he's spending the time he would have been at Work just doing Work here, so a LOT is getting done and been a huge Blessing.   Both of them are really trying to be an asset here and not a liability, they know it's sacrificial for us to be taking everyone in.   And they Love having the  Family together, so do I.

Multigenerational Living wouldn't be for everyone, but I happen to prefer Communal Living, I feel the benefits outweigh the challenges of it.  But, then again, I'm an Old Hippie and so it's my preferred way of Life if those within the Unit can coexist harmoniously.   You do have to learn to be sacrificial and focus on the good of all, have a capacity for compromise, and function as a Team more than as merely an individual.  If that's not your jam or a strength you can't develop and cultivate, it probably wouldn't work for you or be for you.  Let's face it, some people even function best living alone, and that's not for everyone either.  I think living alone would be harder for me personally, I wouldn't like it if I had to have that be a hand dealt.

Even tho' Allen did everything right with Irrigation, our Neighbor Laura, who gets Irrigation after us, her Boyfriend messed up and didn't raise the Main Gate in the Canal after they took on their Water.  So, at 1:00 in the Morning The Daughter woke us up asking if the Water should be so high in the Acreage?   The Man drowsily went out and looked, it was high but hadn't crested barriers so he assumed everything was fine and went back to Bed.   At 3:00 in the Morning SRP calls us telling us Water was flooding out of our Yard, to check the Main Gate to see if it got lifted?  Shit, it didn't and the Canal crested.  Plus, People down-water hadn't gotten their Water!   Well, Laura's Boyfriend clearly hadn't lifted it when we checked and I helped The Man lift it.  I'm guessing SRP couldn't get hold of Laura, we explained we never lift it, since, they get Water after us and lift it after their rotation.

So, any liability for flooding anyone upstream will be on them, not us, and I'm just Thankful our berms held and we had no flooding in The RV Garage Mahal or the House!  *Whew, close call tho'*   Allen woke up and said he'd talked to Laura's Boyfriend when they just began to get their Water, which was about 9:30 when Allen was closing our Gates and her Boyfriend was lifting his.   After that transition, everyone in our household just went to Bed and didn't think about an Irrigation faux pas happening.   I think from now on we'll wait the 1.15 Hours of their rotation and check to make sure he remembers to lift the Gate afterwards to avoid something like this.   I don't know if TJ always has, Laura and her Boyfriend are as Old as The Man, in their 70's, so it's likely they could be getting forgetful if they don't hire someone Younger to assist them?

So, now it's 3:45 in the Morning and my adrenalin is up and thus I Blog.  *LOL*   My favorite Halloween Event is in the Morning, "Wicked Faire" Themed Show at "SWEET SALVAGE" has it's Opening Day at 10:00 a.m., this Post's Imagery is some of the Preview Pixs they've posted to Social Media.  Of coarse I'll be taking my own to Cover the Event and tell you all about it too.   They always have the best Themed Events for every Season and especially the Major Holidays.   Their Designers take great care to Stage everything to make it an Experience and immerse you in the Theme of the Month.   Of coarse the Halloween Event is my very favorite so I look forward to it all year long.   I haven't begun to Decorate for Halloween yet myself, tho' usually I jump start it in late September.  

With The Young Prince now helping me we should get the Decorating done quicker this Year.   He likes Staging things and Decorating as much as I do, the rest of the Family probably would never bother Decorating for Holidays if I didn't go all out for it.  *LOL*   He isn't a Fan of Christmas, but he does Love Halloween.    The G-Kid Force often feel overwhelmed by Seasonal Holiday Sensory Overload, except for Halloween.   For some reason Christmas always overwhelmed both of them, so I tended to scale down our personal and intimate Celebration of it to be sensitive to it being Too Much for either of them.   They like Presents and recognize The Reason For The Season being a Spiritual one... it's the Commercialization of Christmas that Society is blazed on that they don't embrace at all and would rather avoid.

 

With Halloween they enjoy dressing up in Costumes, even tho' getting Candy was of no interest.  We're not a Family of Candy Addicts, the Kiddos mostly give theirs away or we'd end up throwing it away.  *LOL*   Now, Allen and The Man are another Story, it must be in their Genetic DNA to Fiend for Candy.  *Smiles*   The Son and The Daughter, like the G-Kid Force and I, just rarely eat Sweet Stuff, so for generations it's just not a craving of ours.   So, I don't buy a lot of Halloween Candy now we live somewhere that has fewer Children in the immediate Community that come door to door Trick-Or-Treating here in the Mini Farms.   I've said it before, the Homes are on Acreage, so spread further apart than Residential Communities.  So it's a lot of walking in an unlit Community, since, the City never installed Street Lights or Sidewalks, except on our Street of the Subdivision, which runs parallel to a Main Road.

I happen to prefer having frontage of our Acreage to a Main Road, there's an Access Road with a low Block Wall in front of our Homes, then the Main Road.  So, great exposure for things like Yard, Barn and Tag Sales you'd want to Host, but, the Community otherwise looks very Rural and not like it has a large City built up around it now.   This Community was established in the 1960's, but it wasn't until around the 1990's that the City grew up around it.   When I moved here to Arizona in the early 1970's, I remember this Community having a Dirt Road accessing it and being the only Residential small Farms out here, surrounded by huge Commercial Agricultural Farms and Raw Desert.  There were no other Residential Homes built, no Commercial built, not even the Freeways right near us now, it was all Farming, Dairies, Chicken Ranches, Orchards and Vineyards this far West in those days. 

I like the juxtaposition now of having the best of both Worlds, a Rural feel and ability to retain Agricultural Zoning Status of our Properties, while having all the benefits of the City around us.  We've literally got everything and it's rare... only a few Mini Farm Communities were ever developed as Subdivisions.   Single Mini Farms ended up getting bought out and pushed away, razed, rezoned and developed into just regular Single or Multi-Family Residential, Commercial or Industrial.  It's a shame, a lot of Historic Mini Farms didn't Survive into Modern times and were thus forever lost.   So, you don't see many Historic Farmhouses in the West Valley or South Valley, where they once existed for a long time. And then around 1990-2000's or so, kept getting redeveloped and pushed or forced out involuntarily by greedy Developers and Investors.

We're fortunate that Mini Farm Communities had enuf Residents that usually they were left alone and the City just had to grow up around them without consuming them.   They are coveted and desired becoz of that and don't come up For Sale as often.   Their value has also increased exponentially due to having 1-5 Acres with a Residence on it, ability to have a Casita or Bunkhouse built on it to house Family or Farmhands, and ability to Farm it and Zoned to have Livestock or Horses if you want too.   Residential as a rule has far more Zoning Restrictions and they don't have Irrigation Rights so must pay for Water to irrigate landscaping.   We only pay for Water used in the Home, and a nominal Fee for Irrigation Maintenance annually and the distribution of the Water thru the Main Canal Systems.  Plus lowest Tax Base.  

So, anyway, Halloween Season is upon us and tho' we won't get many Trick-Or-Treaters here at Forever Boheme', we'll Decorate inside and out regardless.   Since we do flank a Main Road, sometimes people will slip over onto the Access Road to drive by more slowly than on the Main Road and get a better look at our exterior vignette and compliment us on it or take pictures.   We don't get a lot of traffic IN the Community, so it sometimes prompts them to drive around it further and admire how many other Mini Farms Decorate for the Holidays.  A lot do even tho' we don't get a lot of Kids going door to door, this Community is participatory in Holiday Decorating.   Not a lot of uptight Assholes like most "Planned Communities" with HOA's tend to become.

A lot of House Parties are thrown in this Community instead and you'll often get Invited to them.   They have Acreage to have big bashes and go all out Hosting whatever, and it's a tight knit small Community within a larger Community.  No fucking HOA restricting what residents wanna do and Neighbors are actually Neighborly.   This is why I LOVE where we live now and feel fortunate to have snagged one of these Vintage Mini Farm Properties.  In a Community we were already relatively connected to from having lived in a Historic part of Avondale when it was still a Small Town and Suburb of Phoenix.   Before it also became a Big City with over 100,000 Residents and now melded into Phoenix Metro with no spaces in between all the numerous Sister Cities surrounding Phoenix Metro.

I feel that we have the very best of everything available to us and why I will never choose to leave.   I'm well Traveled, used to being a Global Nomad actually for the first half of my Life, with being a part of a Two Generation Military Family Unit.  My Dad and my Husband were Lifers in the Military, Dad Serving 27 Years and The Man Serving 39 Years.   I still get Wanderlust to Travel, but, like having a solid Home Base now to return to.  I'm deeply Invested in my Community and have Friends and Family here, so deep and strong Connections that have been lasting.  Many people I know, I've known for Years and even for Generations of their Families.   It's Cool when people you've known, you also knew their Grandparents, their Parents, their Kids, and now their Grandkids and even Great-Grandkids, sometimes even their Aunts, Uncles, Siblings and Cousins.  It's very Socially interconnected, which is Rare these days.

When we lived in Affluent Rural Subdivision Hell in the McManse, that Community most people didn't even recognize their next door Neighbors a Decade after having lived beside them!!!   And certainly didn't Socialize or do anything for one another.   I didn't like living disconnected like that with people in close proximity who were anything but Neighborly. Actually I came to despise most of them who were pretentious and complete Assholes, assuming their Money and Luxury Home Status made them Superior and Special.  And they tried to Lord it over anyone since the Community was Rich in Nouveau Riche folk.  Young Doctors, Lawyers and Pilots still Married to the Starter Wives they'd ditch for a Younger Model when they finally Gets On, as they say.  *LOL and Winks*

  I'm fairly certain my Attitude of Shut Up and Calm Down made some of them want to explode.  When I'd say things out loud like, "Calm Down, you live in fucking Waddell... it's not even an incorporated Township, so not even a Real Town, it's basically nothing and nowhere!"   Those that did pay over a Million for Real Estate out there were seriously underwater with that Investment.  Those Homes devalued in Five mere Years to Selling in the high $300,000 range, even tho' Aesthetically they looked very impressive.  Becoz the Builder overdeveloped in an area that was never gonna command or attract the right demographic to pay a Million Plus to live way the fuck out there with no infrastructure, in shoddily built McManses, by a Builder that eventually went Bankrupt and had multiple Lawsuits pending.    Listen, it ain't The Hamptons or Beverly Hills.  *LMAOROTF*  

 Another uber pretentious far West Valley Community called Verrado also tended to be Bougee, in actuality they are part of a Rural City called Buckeye that doesn't have a particularly good Rep.   So, if you wanted to see Heads almost explode, when someone was bragging with a very Upscale pretentious Voice that they lived in Verrado, with an emphasis that you should be somehow impressed, I Loved to say, "Oh, you mean Buckeye?"   *Evil Snicker*  Since their expression was fucking Priceless and took them down a bunch of notches, deflating their perceived Status, since they hated to be associated with Buckeye, but their Address will be Buckeye, not Verrado, when they get their actual Mail.  *LOL* 

  Wrong Zip Code Honey to pretend to be All That.   You'll have to try that Act on someone whose not a Local.   *Bwahahahahaha and a Wink*  Yep, there are a smattering of Multi Million Dollar Listings there, but most of the Homes are underwhelming.  Oh, and it's a notorious Swinger Community of mostly Geriatric Swingers, which is fucking hilarious to me.   Now, to be sure there's mediocre properties and shitty areas in Scottsdale and Paradise Valley too, I've been thru it all, a lot of it ain't All That it's gotten a Golden Rep for, very overpriced Real Estate IMO.   Plus, I've found nowhere there I'd be dying to live in either.  Most Urban Communities in even the most desirable Neighborhoods, a few Streets over could have serious Urban Issues I don't wanna be anywhere near, at least not on purpose.

  I wouldn't buy most of the Homes there for what they ask for them, especially the average unexceptional ones vastly overpriced due to Zip Code.  But the Snottsdale Crowd and Fancy Beautiful Shiny People would never admit it either... but, Right Zip Code at least and Believe me they PAID in Spades for it.   So, when they brag they live there, it could be in an average, underwhelming to boring piece of Real Estate, or a fabulous Multi-Million Dollar one and nobody would really know unless Invited over.  *Ha ha ha*    Usually braggarts are trying desperately to impress and I've witnessed that Classy people don't need or have to.  In fact, I've known many High Class Top Shelf folks and they are rather understated and modest with a certain humility. 

  They Possess Style, you can Buy Fashion, but Style has to be Possessed.  You either have it or you don't and it's easy to identify one from the other.   I could easily tell that 45 was NOT a self-made Man simply becoz he's a notorious braggart, self-aggrandizing and grandstanding his alleged Status, while desperate for the spotlight and attention.   I challenge anyone to identify REAL self-made Men and Women, they will rarely, if ever, do any of that, they simply don't want or need to.  It's always a fishy or fabricated Back Story when someone does.  Or they got Rich in unscrupulous ways or were Trust Fund Babies who most will squander their Fortunes foolishly, since, didn't EARN it.  Halloween isn't as scary as some People.  *Winks*

  

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Happy Autumn my Friends... more to come... Dawn... The Bohemian

More Issues Of Life

 The Tidal Puddles are almost dried up so the remaining stranded Baby Fish don't have much time left to be rescued and put back in the River.  Typically I manage to Rescue about 12-20 each trip, some Puddles are so small now I am catching some with my bare Hands, since there's no longer room to use the Fry Baskets like a Net.   I'm surprised how resilient they've been while stranded and managing to survive under terrible conditions. 

 I rescued some this day that literally were in wet Mud and still alive!  You should have seen their response when released into the River where they belong... Joyful little Baby Fish, some were so exuberant they jumped up out of the Water and back in, swimming like Lightening now they had endless Space to!  *LOL*  Of coarse they'll have to learn fast that they're no longer Small Fish in a tiny Puddle, and there are Big Fish to avoid.  Instinctively they seem to know what to do to remain safest.

We met an Older Guy there with his beautiful Male Staffordshire Bull Terrier, who was a Rescue Dog and had been dumped in a Wal-Mart Parking Lot as a Puppy.  He's about a Year and Three Months Old now. The Man was probably in is late 50's and we had a stimulating and interesting conversation.  He's got bad Melanoma that American Docs gave up on and told him he would be Dead in Two Weeks, so just get his affairs in order.  The Insurance refused to cover Treatments since Docs said nothing could be done.  It's on his Head, his Leg, his Arm... in those Three places, he showed me, it's already Healing just Two Weeks after seeking Medical advice from Mexico instead.

One of his Neighbors had the same Diagnosis and she went away for a couple Months to Mexico and came back completely Healed.   He asked her how she did it and she attributed it to a Mexican Doctor named Martinez {forgot his first Name}, she gave the Docs Number to him and said to call him, he helps a lot of Americans our Medical System have given up on for Dead.  He said that Doctor talked to him for over an Hour at no charge and told him he'd send him the Holistic Natural Medicine to use, at NO CHARGE!  He wouldn't accept any payment, sent it at his own expense to the Man.  In fact, he doesn't Charge, he said he has all the Money he needs and just wants to Help people be Well!

He has the Man taking Turmeric, Black Seed Oil, Flaxseed Oil and Vitamin D3 Daily.  Don't drink Sodas or Alcohol, drink only Purified Water, Apple Juice, Orange Juice and Milk.   And put a Baking Soda Poultice on the Wounds daily.   He said in only 2 Weeks his Wounds are 1/3 of the size they were and are rapidly Healing.  His Neighbors did this regimen too.  The Mexican Doctor said in 3 Months he should have a complete Healing, since, he's partnering with his Body to do what Nature intended and which Western Medicine is against, since there are no long term profits in Wellness, only in prolonged Sickness.   What a wonderful Testimony to hear.

The Man said he has gone from actually feeling near Death and an Invalid in constant agony, to doing what he's always done, in just a fortnight on the simple Regimen.   His Wounds still look bad, but compared to how big they used to be, it's Healing damned fast and said he couldn't believe how fast his Body responded.   Here in America he'd almost Bankrupted himself getting ineffective expensive Treatment before his Insurance just wouldn't pay for it and his Docs figured he was too near Death now to bother with... no more Money to be milked from his Illness.   This Mexican Doctor has Saved his Life without knowing him and without asking for a Penny. 

I know The Daughter prefers Mexican Medicinal Treatments as she found them to be far more effective and less expensive.   She said it reminds her of the Eastern and Tribal Medicinal Treatments I've always used and preferred to give them when growing up.   I still mostly rely on those even tho' I do take Western Diabetic Rx Meds, for now, but Believe I can aide my Body in Healing from Diabetes.  I take far less of the Meds than I used to need and my Docs say if my Tribal and Eastern Practices make that possible, just keep doing whatever I'm doing, since clearly it's beneficial and working for me. 

Allen told HR at Work that he's presently Homeless and living in their Grandparents Garage, so he needs to take time off and get things straightened out.  If they feel they need to Fire him, just let him know, but, he can't help the present situation and they have nowhere else to go.   He's waiting for his Employer's response.  I do need them to have some kind of income, we can't support them and cover all their expenses.  I don't know what their long range Plan is, I don't know if THEY know what it is?  It seems they're taking it one day at a time right now... so much has gone sideways all at once and rebounding from that is never easy. 

My Hope is if he can't go back to Work he takes the time off to go see his Grandparents in Texas.  Work on their Ranch a while, they have a Double Wide Trailer on the Ranch the Grandsons could live in.  And decide what Career Path to then pursue with the Guidance and Advice of his Grandpa.   I don't have a lot of suggestions beyond what I've already told them to try, they may Qualify for more Help and Services in Texas?  They did Qualify in Washington State, but Arizona has different Qualifying factors, fewer Services, and even those in dire need usually aren't helped at all in our State, are often Denied, required to Appeal numerous times, or on long Waiting Lists.  Right now they need Emergency Help, so I'm going to take them to DES and Social Security.

The Grandson needs to Appeal the SSI Denial, he should Qualify.  I have to take The Daughter, his Mom, in anyway, to Re-Certify her SSI Benefits she Qualified for 17+ Years ago before she left the Country to live in Mexico.  I was able to get her Approved for Nutritional Assistance and so I'm also going to try to get The Grandsons Qualified for Emergency Nutritional Assistance, since they are Homeless and living in a Garage.  Migrant Workers and the Homeless often Qualify for immediate Services, and every little bit helps when a Family is in Crisis.  We can only do so much to Help, we're limited on Resources and are living on a Fixed Income, so, our own Budgeting can't always accommodate numerous more Adults in the household.

Allen does a lot of Unpaid Caregiving for our Grandson, due to the level of The Young Prince's Mental Illness being so severe.   But since they are Married, he wouldn't Qualify for a Caregiver Stipend any more than I do for being a full time Unpaid Caregiver for The Man.   It's not right, since, Caregiving for someone is a full time job and so holding down a Career too while doing it is almost impossible.  Adult Day Care isn't affordable or even available for a lot of illnesses.  I don't know any Adult Day Care that would accept the responsibility or have skilled enuf Staffing to handle a Schizophrenic or someone with The Man's level of Disabilities.  This is why even the VA Nursing Home wouldn't accept him.  

 Finally our Social Security Checks Posted on the 20th and the portion for Princess T being my Dependent came as a Check in the Mail with instructions to open a new Account with her Name on it too and then reset up Auto Deposit, which is mandatory now.  *Eye Roll*  It's stupid since, the only reason she gets a Check is for being my Dependent at my Age, so it's an increase in MY Social Security Benefits until she's out of School and Raised.   The Checks will stop when she's out of School, and, her turning 18 messed up when I get my portion of my Social Security now too, instead of the beginning of the Month, now it's damned near the end before it will be received!  

 The Bank wouldn't open her Name on a Checking Account without Two forms of ID, she only had her School ID, she has no other ID with her Photo on it, she's a Kid and has no Job, Driver's License or Passport yet.  So, I've got to bring in her Birth Certificate and try again!   At least my Bank let her endorse the Check and deposit it into my Account, where it's always gone before this Month.  *Eye Roll*   I can't comply with Social Security's mandate to set up Auto Deposit until the Bank lets us open a Checking Account for her.  *Double Eye Roll*   And on the way to the Bank I realized I probably need new Brakes now on my Truck, so, another major expense that can't wait... Le Sigh...

Now for some Gramma Bragging:   Princess T is in Culinary Class this Year and she made these Homemade Croutons and they were Ahhmazing!   Better than any I've ever had, no kidding.   We had some on Salad and I ate some as a Savory Snack.   She's enjoying her Culinary Class and likes the Male Teacher whose teaching it, she's getting a good grade so far, so, it's boosted her confidence and also her self-esteem.   She's glad they moved on to real food and not just Bakery Desserts, which, we don't really eat much, if any, of.  We're just not a Family who makes or eats Cakes, Cupcakes, Donuts, Candies or Pies.  So she had very little interest in learning how to do that, she wanted to learn to make real nutritious foods we do eat.

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The End... Dawn... The Bohemian