Too Much Month For The Money And Another Medical Emergency!

 Lately there is too much Month for the Money... I'm sure many of you are also Feelin' that?!  By EOM I'm juggling Finances like a High Wire Death Defying Circus Act.  Along with the juggling of The Man's Healthcare.  We've got OT and PT clamoring to get in here to do Home Help Services for The Man, but I don't wanna overwhelm him or push too hard since he's still quite Fragile after the most recent Hospitalization.  We've got OT White John coming Today at 10:30 and PT Victor coming possibly Tomorrow, he's going to see how things go with OT first.  Asian Paul called for some PT, Victor does the Evals for PT Asian Paul, we like them both and they each perform different Tasks for their Clients, from the same Company.  The Man can never remember any of their Names and a couple have the same First Name.  So Privately, between just us, when he asks which one is coming, I used my Not So PC Nicknames for them by their Ethnicity, like I Share here on the Ole Blog, it's easier for him to then recall who they were and whose coming.  *LOL*  I've never particularly been Politically Correct, tho' no Offense is ever intended.

So, The Man asked whose coming Today and I tell him it's "White John the OT"... and Tomorrow?  I told him not sure yet of the Visit or Timing, but it's possibly gonna be "Black Victor the PT Evaluation Specialist" this time, rather than his Work Partner who performs the Exercises with you, "Asian Paul the PT", adding, with the Killer Asian Tattoo Sleeve on one Arm, coz there are Two Asian Male Home Help who come and that's how he differentiates best which Guy I'm talking about.  *Smiles*  We have an Asian John and a White John, so he often gets the Johns mixed up otherwise.  Hey, when you get to a certain Season of Life, whatever prompts Memory is helpful and Descriptive Memory for someone with TBI and early Dementia is extremely Helpful.  Now he remembers People more by their Physical Descriptions than if I throw out a Name that he certainly won't then know who they are and that then upsets him trying to remember and not being able to.  

Each time he sees someone 'New' it's almost as if for the First Time again otherwise.  But if I put something in the Description he CAN remember them by, it's Helpful to him and causes less distress.  Of coarse when PT and OT arrive we just go by First Names so as not to seem unintentionally offensive and insensitive.  *LOL and Winks*  Plus, Listen, now when he sees Pixs of our own Grandchildren and any of the Great-Grandchildren who he doesn't get to See in Person, or even our Oldest Daughter who he hasn't seen in Person since she got Married and her Oldest was Two, the Grandchild who is Middle Aged now... he has to ask me WHO THEY ARE, Okay?!  *Le Sigh but Laughing too.*  So, how would we expect him to remember Strangers who now provide Services to him when he doesn't recognize some of the Family?   I do Descriptives of even Family he can't remember, like, Oh, that's your Grandchild, "The Middle One" in Pittsburgh... or in Mexico... take your pick of what Daughter's bunch of Kiddos we're discussing at any given time and he's asking Who they are!!!  We go more by Order of Birth then and Location.  Like... Oh, that's "The Daughter's Number Four Child in Mexico"... *LMAOROTF*

I figure rather than finding it an Offensive way of Describing Folks, it's actually quite Funny in a Dark Humor way when you're Dealing with the Memory Care Impaired and just HAVE to.  I Shortcut it all with Descriptive Nicknames for him and that works for him, so... whatever.  The Son HATES it most when I do it tho'... coz he thinks it's totally inappropriate to.  *LMAOROTF... whatever Son... then YOU find a way to Help your Dad remember any of these People then!*   Some of which he's Seen and Known for YEARS now, but Forgets who they are if they haven't come by for a while, so the Nickname Assigned to them just Helps.  Even with Princess T, The Young Prince's, The Son's and The Daughter's Friends... most got Assigned Nicknames for The Man to sort out who they are.  Thus, you all have gotten to mostly know them by their Assigned Nicknames too, like Gypsy James, Gay Timmy, Crazy Pamela, Straight Anthony, "Q", Dan The Man, Crazy Ed, Mad Kathie, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera!  *Winks*  My Mom always gave people such Nicknames as it was common to where she was from in Wales, everyone was given a Nickname attached to their 1st Name.

I missed a Dental Appointment Yesterday coz I didn't even know THEY had Scheduled me one without telling me and clearing it with me first!!!  It wasn't on the Calendar and last Week when they'd called for a Reminder, The Man took the Call, got the Date mixed up, I showed up the Time and Date he told me, and they were Closed!!!  So, when he called me again saying I'd missed the Appointment Yesterday again, I thought he'd gotten confused again and told him I didn't have any Appointments Scheduled, which, I didn't!!!  Not that I set up anyway.  So, I called my Dentist to tell them my Schedule is far too busy with other commitments to just have them set me up without clearing the Date with ME first.  Don't call my Husband to set up anything, he has Memory Care Issues and Agrees to anything and then promptly forgets it and doesn't Write it down!!!

  Happens all the time now and we can't Train him NOT to answer the Phone, he Loves answering it and then forgetting who has Called or Why!  Or he sets things up or Agrees to things I haven't Approved of or Vetted!  Like the time Solar Co. folks showed up coz he set up an Appointment!  *Le Sigh*  So, then they let me go ahead and re-schedule on a CHOSEN Date and Time by ME, which is how I feel ALL Appointments should be scheduled anyway... not at the convenience of whose providing said Service, but for the convenience of the Client/Patient!!!  And I've made it known to everyone we do Business with NOT TO Schedule anything thru my Spouse, coz of his level of Brain Damage making him not competent to process it or Agree to anything that would be Legally Binding.  He can't even make decisions for himself anymore, let alone anyone else!  It's just a routine Cleaning, so no Big Deal, I don't have any Dental problems Thankfully.

I do know how the Elderly get Exploited and Targeted tho' by Scammers and Spammers... when I see how vulnerable The Man is to such things!  You could literally almost Talk him into anything now and it would seem Reasonable to him.  Sometimes to Suggest something to him, then he thinks it was his Idea and not implanted in his Psyche by you!  If I tell him now that he Likes something, he Believes it wholeheartedly.  And just gets a bit confused when he doesn't actually Like it or it was too Spicy, coz he can't tolerate Spicy things.  He'll just say, Honey, are you Sure I Like this, coz it tastes Funny, or it's kinda Hot tasting.  So, we know that he's wrestling with knowing what he Dislikes or even Likes anymore.  At Restaurants he lets me Order FOR him now coz he knows I remember what he Likes or doesn't, or what he can eat or can't.  Becoz frankly, he doesn't know anymore and gets a bit agitated looking at a Menu now and knowing he can't make Sense of it... or is relying on the Pretty Pictures only.  *Le Sigh* 

Even when I ask him if he Wants something, he really doesn't Know if he does or he doesn't, so often he'll just throw out an incorrect Answer or not be able to Answer and I will just take a Lucky Guess FOR him.  He won't Eat now unless you make the decision FOR him to Eat and tell him it's Time to Eat and he Needs to Eat.  Otherwise, I swear his Hunger Triggers never go off anymore at all.  It's common, as Dementia progresses, Brain Changes compromise the Hypothalamus and other Centers that regulate Appetite, causing Natural Hunger and Thirst Cues to diminish or vanish.  I Google so much now to help me, Wish they'd had all that Years ago when he had the Traumatic Brain Injury, would have Helped me out more rather than Guessing all the time what was going on with his Brain's Damage and Rehabilitating him!!!  Now, with the Dementia, it's similar to the TBI damage, but different in many ways too.  You have to be Adaptive and Improvise a lot for to get Cooperation and some Progress and/or Stalling of the Progression of it. 

I've got a good Imagination that is Fertile, so I like to make things up to see if they Work.  It's like Alchemy, and I can Dream Up a multitude of things to try out to see what happens.  *Smiles*  I've dealt with SMI folks in the Family for a long, long time, so tried a lot of things, sometimes they even Work, and nobody knows I just made it up to see what would/might work... and what clearly doesn't.  When a Loved Ones is have Psychotic Episodes and seeing or hearing things I cannot, I just pretend that I can too and Deal with it as if it's Real, which has a Calming Effect and Works, so I Work it.  Hallucinations ARE Real for those Experiencing them, so trying to Rationalize will NOT Work or convince them at all.  There can't be anything you say or do which will make it NOT Real to them when they're Experiencing it as their Reality. I've Fought with Invisible Creatures or People they tell me they See and tell me where it's at.  I've Killed Invisible Bugs they think are all over the place, stomping them out until the pretended last one is massacred.  Way easier than trying to tell them it's NOT there!

Which is why we weren't absolutely sure of the Scorpion Sting, since nobody else saw it happen, we couldn't find one that he claims got him, and he does Hallucinate a lot now.  He worked himself into all the Symptoms of an actual Sting too, and I Honestly couldn't tell you if he got Stung or he didn't, coz the Results were Identical to if he had.  So, Medically it hardly mattered, he went into A-fib Regardless and his BP soared, his Muscles were Spasming, he got Short of Breath and said he had intense searing Hot Pain, it was all Real to him so we dealt with it as if it was.  Better to err on the side of not only Caution, but he could have easily still had a Fatal Outcome with what was actually Physically going on with him.  Urgent Care felt so concerned they immediately Transported him by Ambulance to a Trauma Hospital instead.  And just keeping him out of Hospital now is a Tall Order, it's one thing right after another now, on the Turn of a Dime!!!  Medical Debt is mounting at levels not affordable at all if Insurances don't or won't cover it. 

OT White John just left, he came an Hour earlier than Scheduled but I was making Burritos for Breakfast then and we just did Breakfast around the OT.  We talked Food then becoz he said it all smelled Sublime and I told him where to get the best Refried Beans at a little Mexican Joint in Tolleson nearby, so he was gonna swing by now and pick some up to make his own Burritos for Tomorrow's Breakfast.  *LOL*  He starts his Day at 5:00 a.m., so is up as early as most of us have to be, by around 10:00 a.m. he's already had a full day.  But I told him I always wait until The Man rolls out of Bed before making Breakfast and Today he'd Slept in, I won't Wake him to Feed him, I'd rather he rest all he Needs to and let him Sleep well, makes his Day start out better if he's well Rested.  Plus, I get more done while he's Asleep too.  *Winks*  White John said he's amazed at how The Man Bounced back so quick after a Scorpion Sting and Hospitalization.

The Son and The Man Joked it's coz I don't allow Weakness in this Family, they're still Required to do whatever they're supposed to do.  *Winks*  You don't Feel Good, well, you still gotta take out the Trash, then you can Go Not Feel Good after that.  *Bwahahahaha*  White John is a real Stud Muffin Buff Young Guy and he Joked that if he'd gotten Stung by a Scorpion he'd wanna take a whole Week Off and tell his Wife he didn't Feel Good Enough to do anything.  *Bwahahaha*  I said, well, John, I'm not that kinda Wife that would Fly with... and he Laughed, The Son and The Man verified, yep, she's NOT!  *LOL*  So, after Black Victor evaluates The Man, possibly Tomorrow or next Week, we'll then Schedule Asian Paul's PT then.  *Smiles*  Keeping everyone Straight in my Head whose coming for Home Help is a challenge and I don't even have TBI or Dementia!  *Ha ha ha*  White John saw The Son and I getting all The Man's Meds sorted for the Week, we do that every Thursday Morning. And he marveled we have such a good Routine and System... we said we have no Choice in this Family, you HAVE to, or you're Dead in the Water.

He said most of his Clients don't have a Routine or a System so it's usually very muddled, a lot of it doesn't get done or is forgotten too often... we just can't have that here, too many People to Manage the Caregiving of.  If it got all fucked up without a Routine or System in place that Works seamlessly, shit would be a Hot Mess around here.  I have almost Assembly Line Precision and Delegation of Responsibilities, with Backups, so that we have each other duly Covered.  One thing I was always Good at was being In Charge of a lot, Responsible for a lot, Juggling a lot of important Tasks and People, and Delegating Responsibilities in my Corporate Lives.  I was adept at being a "Fixer" of Problems, no matter how Serious or daunting they were, and being very Solutions Oriented, so, you just transition that to your Daily Personal Lives and things will just go smoother.  I don't like Dealing with chronic Problems, so I'm always wanting Solutions so I don't have to. 

 It's why I get annoyed at our Government having the same damned Problems for Generations without "Fixing" them.  There are Solutions, they just won't implement them.  But I won't go off into how Profitable that can be for some who Grift Off of Problems and get Rich off them.  So they don't want Solutions, coz it cuts off the Big Grift and Long Con they've got going on that Pads their Pockets nicely, but at the expense of Society.   So long as there's lotsa Money to be Made Off Something, it won't be Solved.   Even if it's a Big Problem for the Masses, if it's handsomely Profiting the Elite and Few, just Trust me about that Truth.  That Problem will exist in perpetuity.  And it has... often for several Generations Lifetimes in fact.  Immigration and Healthcare are Two Problems that I Believe will always exist in perpetuity as a Problem in this Country becoz of whose getting Richest off of it.  War too... it's just Big Business to Start and have Wars.  Peace really isn't that hard, or desired, by those who'd rather Profit off having War instead or furthering their personal Agendas, which tend towards Extremist Views & Dogma. 

It's not that we don't have folks with Solutions to Problems that plague our Nation, it's just that they either can't get them pushed thru or they never get Voted In.  Seems we're much more likely to Elect the Problem People who keep perpetuating the same old Problems over and over again ad nauseum.  People say they want Change, but they never seem to Vote for or Elect those who'd actually be "Fixers" and take care of Solving any of the Problems they claim they're so concerned about.  There's very little Ability it seems to Critically Think and not latch on to the Fantastical Promises that are Bait and Hook Folks, Reeling them in... and had no real substance to it, just BS they never intended to implement.

SOOOOO... just got back from the ER, AGAIN!!!  When The Man was doing OT at 9:30 this Morning he was Fine, good BP, good Diabetic Numbers, did his OT so well he got Praise from White John.  Then, suddenly at Noon his BP bottomed out, he felt Light Headed and like he might pass out, The Son took his BP Three times and it was so alarming we called 911.  Paramedics arrived, took more readings, they were all bad... so they called for an Ambulance.  The Ambulance took him back to the Trauma Center Hospital he's been in and out of for the past Two Months, No. 7 on our Punch Card by now!!!  And the 3rd Ambulance Ride our Insurance probably won't pay for either!!!  I followed and arrived BEFORE the Ambulance!!!   I could have taken him there quicker.  Anyway, we spent the next Six Hours in the ER, they released him to come Home after stabilizing him and giving him Magnesium.  When they took the IV out he Bled like a Stabbing Victim again!!!

I'd just gone to use the Restroom in the ER Waiting Room so didn't see him come out and Bleed all over the place!  When I came out of the Bathroom Security was all up in the Waiting Room around all this Blood and telling me to watch my Step.   I thought I was just Joking when I said, Wow, I Hope that's not my Husband's Blood... and the Older Security Guard said, Yeah, well, it is, they took him in there to Triage!!!  Lord have Mercy, I thought, WTF happened to him, did he get Stabbed on his way to be Discharged?!  It's Funny now, then, not so much, it was so much Blood, looked like someone had bled out!!!  And he wasn't Bleeding when I last saw him!!!  And... we were in The City where anything CAN happen!!!  When they got the Bleeding Stopped they helped walk him in a Walker to our Truck and had me pull up right outside the ER Doors to load him up for me.  We're Home now... until the next time...

The ER was very full for a Thursday Afternoon too, not when we first got there it wasn't, but by the time we left it sure had filled up, then emptied out again, in ebbs and flows of Emergencies.  At one point the Ambulances were stacked up Six Deep coming in and unloading Patients that required an Ambulance!!!   There was another Screamer... I think he was an Old Guy with Dementia or something, they couldn't keep him Calm or Quiet.  The Man was so Quiet I had one Nurse ask me if he was Verbal!!!  *LOL*  When he's that Quiet I know he's really not feeling Well so I just told her that, usually he's very pleasant and talking with Staff, this time he wasn't at all.  He did Joke with Paramedics as they had him on a Gurney taking him to the Ambulance from the House.  A Funeral Procession was passing by out Front, coz we live across the Street from a huge Catholic Cemetery, he deadpanned told them, "That's my next Ride..."   For those of us who appreciate Dark Humor, that WAS Funny.

So, at least this time we kept him out of the Hospital.  *Whew*  Tho' that was Six more Hours of my Life in an ER that I'll never get back.  The Seats are hard and Two Elderly Ladies next to me were talking about their Spouses with Advanced Dementia... not a conversation I particularly wanted or liked to overhear... given our circumstances.  I guess the one Woman felt Lucky hers never got Violent, he Smiled a lot, and they gave her the occasional One Week Respite by putting him in a Nursing Home so she could catch a Break when he was nearer The End of Life.  The other Lady wasn't so Lucky and her DH got so Violent it was no longer Safe for her to have him remain in the Home, so he had to be taken away.  Neither Woman was sure their Husbands even knew who they were once it got Advanced... and they mutually agreed that Death was more Merciful than Life by that point of the Disease.  I didn't wanna eavesdrop on such a personal conversation but they were sitting so close and were Old, so talking rather louder than they probably thought they were, so... it was not voluntary to hear them.  And the Waiting Room was full so there was no place else to sit by then.

When The Man finally got taken to a Bay and Bed to be evaluated, they only had one of those Rock Hard Chairs to sit on, so my Back was killing me by the time we got out of there and I was completely Physically and Mentally/Emotionally Exhausted.   No Idea why his BP cratered... they couldn't tell me for sure this time, but, apparently he didn't require Hospitalization for further Evaluation or Observation this time.  I was glad, once he is stable he's better off at Home and Happier too.  The Son had to Walk to Work and I couldn't pick Princess T up from Work, so, Rusty came and got her and stayed here with her until we got Home, Bless him.  So, they're not Broke Up anymore.  *Winks*  That's good and she was giggling like a School Girl when telling me she would be going over to his House now and I said, "Oh, so you Guys aren't Broke Up anymore then?"   By then we all were Laughing, it took The Edge off the Medical Crisis, coz she always falls apart Emotionally each time Grandpa gets Sicker... as she's sure he's trying to Die or gonna Die.

 

Well, I ain't gonna Lie, we all kinda Think that now, he's piping along on just 4 Cylinders or less now and there's not much else that can be done.  He and my Brother are in the same Situation with their failing Hearts.  My Brother is at 20% Function and I have no Idea what percentage of Function The Man is at now, I don't even wanna know or ask frankly.  If nothing can be done for either of them, then I'd really rather not know and just take it One Day at a time.  So, other than all that, everything is Swell.  *Bwahahahahahaha*  Never a dull moment here at The Asylum, that's for sure!!!  When I told The Young Prince the Blood in the Lobby part, he was Laughing, in hindsight, it IS Funny, but, wasn't at the time, it was a LOT of Blood!!!  He had Blood all over his Paperwork and it really did look like a Crime Scene there in the Lobby of the ER, Blood Drops, Spray and Smears everywhere!!!  He's a Bleeder... happens every time they remove his IV's and they have a hard time getting it stopped coz he's on Blood Thinners.

Work called and asked if I'd Work to fill-in on a Friday Night Shift Tomorrow Night, I agreed, but told them if The Man has a setback I may have to cancel, they understand.  They were hesitant to even ask if it was a Good Time yet.  I NEED to do it tho' coz it is my Happy Space there and I do enjoy being there and around something Positive and seeing whattsup around there?  Plus Comped Space Rent is handy when Sales are flat, which, they have been again.  I haven't been in much at all so I don't even know what condition our Showroom is in?  Last Two times it looked ransacked, we've been having a lot of THOSE kinds of Shoppers that leave everything wrecked in their Wake, even if they aren't really Buying anything, they're messing everything up and creating bedlam behind where ever they go.  Who Shops like that, really??!!!!  It's not just Children who are the worst Offenders.  Tho' we do get the Feral Children in there too, whose Parents have no Control over their Offspring and let them run Wild and out of Control.  An Antique Mall is not an Ideal Space to turn loose your Feral Child(ren). 

 

 I was in an "Appleby's" recently and a Boy who looked to be Six, so he was Old enuf to know better, was tearing thru the whole Restaurant like a Banshee, totally out of Control and acting the Fool!  He was with a large group of Adults, none of which had Control over him.   And if he was "Special Needs" he must have been mighty Special, perhaps too Special to take out to a Restaurant or Public Space if they can't Control his Behavior at all.  They were screaming loudly AT him, he ignored them, at one point one of the Adult Males in the Group was running after him, but he was too fast and thinking it to be like a Game, Laughing and running into People, causing quite the disruption and making a Spectacle, for far too long.  The Adult Woman I presumed was his Mom, was crude, cursing loudly, so she was almost as disruptive and intrusive to everyone Dining as her Buck Wild Child!  She and The Man who chased him were Fighting loudly by the time I was leaving.   So, along with the Child ruining everyone's Meal and Peace... now it was also Dinner and a Show with some of the Adults of the Group!  Oy Vey!!!  Get the Popcorn, I thought it would be like a Cage Match Smack Down now?!

 

That Man who had been futilely chasing the Boy was leaving and taking another small Female Child with him, who had been Behaving, even tho' she was Younger than the Prodigal Child... I'd guess she was around 3-4.  I got the Sense he'd had enuf embarrassment of the Wild Child and the Woman was dropping F-Bombs at him saying he couldn't say "That" to her, whatever "That" was... which I'm assuming had something to do with Parenting, just coz... it SHOULD have!  *LOL and Winks*  She did hold the Door open for me as she was almost blocking it yelling outside at Him as I was Exiting Stage Left.  I'd had enuf too, it was far too much Drama and a Headache so I just asked for a To Go Box and left with half my Meal.   Glad to be away from The Child who everyone in the Restaurant now knew the Nickname of, "Gordo", coz that's what the whole Table of his Group were yelling to him constantly, "Gordo Stop", "Don't do that Gordo", "Come here Gordo", "Quit running Gordo", "Leave that alone Gordo", "Sit Down Gordo", "I mean it Gordo".  He was a chubby lil fucker, so the Nickname was apropos.  *LOL*  

 I was tempted to 'accidentally' trip his Bad Ass as he sped by my Table Twice at warp Speed, so the Guy running after him could catch up to him.  That Guy was Young but too Fat and out of Shape to be running too actually and even think he could catch the Kid.  *Winks*  That Child was absolutely exhausting, even tho' you hadn't brought him and didn't know him, a little bit of Gordo was going a long fucking way with us all!!!  Since there was about a Dozen in their Group, Staff weren't saying anything to them... they clearly were spending a lot of Money there.  But, Staff should have at some point... for the sake of everyone else there!  And, Behavior Tolerated is Behavior Accepted.  I rarely blame a Child for inappropriate Behavior if the "Responsible" Adults with them just don't behave very Responsibly.  They had the Choice to remove lil Gordo from a Situation that was unraveling too much Publicly and they should have had the decency to take him out of it if he couldn't Behave or be Managed by them appropriately.

Let us just say lil Gordo was somehow Developmentally Disabled enuf, tho' it wasn't apparent from a Physical standpoint, he looked okay, I'll give him the benefit of any Doubt he MIGHT HAVE BEEN.  Or... that he might just have been a Bad Ass Kid.  Some Kids are Assholes at any Age, just like some Adults are, and I suspect they might have been Asshole Kids too, and that's how you end up with Asshole Adults?  *LOL*  Regardless, he could still have Training and Discipline becoz I've Raised Special Needs Kiddos and worked with many too who were just Behaviorally Challenged.  Kids tend to Learn what they Live.  I've had Buck Wild Kids whose Families claim they couldn't Control them or get them to Listen... and nobody would have them over.  But if they're in my Care and Presence, they Learn Right Quick that Ms. Dawn don't play that shit and it will not Fly with me.  Some people are Naturally Marvelous with Children... I'm not in that Camp, I commend you who are, you ROCK and Kids are Blessed to have you in any capacity they do.  I don't Care if a Kid Likes me or Dislikes me frankly, I'm not trying to be their 'Friend'... I'm all Friended Up with Adults.  *Winks*

And, I never had a problem with them after we had our "Understanding" made crystal clear.  I genuinely Like Children and most Kiddos sense that and the vast majority genuinely Like me.  I try not to get so Old I forget what it was like to be Young.  And do stupid shit, or not have all your discipline developed and good sense yet.  *Smiles*  Kids are Kids, I never expect them to Act like an Adult, they're not mini Adults.  And usually I will Level Up with the really Bad Behaved ones and say, I'm giving you a Choice, the Choice will be entirely Yours.  Do you want to Respect me... or Fear me?  Choose Wisely and I'll respond according to YOUR Choice of which Ms. Dawn you'll get.   It's almost Miraculous really, that when you have absolutely no Emotion displayed when saying that to anyone, in the Calmest Voice, be they an Adult or a Child Acting Up or Acting Out, it's a bit unsettling and chilling, so they ALWAYS choose to Respect you. Wise Choice.  And so when a Kiddo can respond appropriately for ME, I know they could for anyone else, if they Want to.  Thing is, clearly they don't WANT to... and that's the Real Problem that requires a Real Solution.

I've always had a lot of Children around me, from Babies up to the Teen Years, so I have loads of Kiddo Experience, some are Higher Maintenance than others.  Some require more Tough Love than others.  Some are Prodigals, I've Raised a few of those Type, but, they can turn out to be decent people even if they are rough around the Edges or have some significant Disabilities and Behavioral Challenges.  I was a High Maintenance Kiddo myself, a little bit of me went a very long way.  Still does actually, you usually grow into an Adult version of what you already were.  *Smiles*  And there are some that are quite defective, and nothing is gonna 'Fix' that... I'm guessing lil Jeffrey Dahmer, lil Richard Ramirez, or lil Charlie Manson weren't your Garden Variety Children from a very early Age.  I could be Wrong, but I seriously Doubt it.  There were probably "Clues" somethin' wasn't Right!

Anyway, when I go in to Work Tomorrow Night I do Hope that The Feral People, be they Children, Teens or Adults, didn't spend too much Time in our Showroom.  *LOL and Le Sigh*  Like I said, last Two times I've been in there, they'd tore shit up pretty Bad and yet Sales had been Soft.  I got stuff to bring in so Tomorrow I may spend some time Pricing it to bring in with me to replenish Inventory and get some Fresh Merch in there which I Hope will be a Quick Turn... like the LPS Toy Collectibles and the Pokemon Duvet.  My tidying up has stalled again, with all the Health Drama and OT, PT, consuming my Time and Energy.  The Fire Dept., Paramedics and Ambulance folks were enthralled with my Decor, asking me tons of Questions about it all and saying how Cool it all was.  So Funny, the ones Working on The Man had to try to concentrate on Working on him and not being distracted by our Weird and Wonderful Decor.   

  

The ones not Working on him were asking me so many Questions about everything that caught their Eye and where I Sell at.  *Ha ha ha*  it does have that Effect on people the 1st time.  *Winks*  Like they just walked into The Addams Family Home and met Morticia.  *Smiles*  After the Ambulance spirited him away, the Fire and Rescue folks stayed a little while asking The Son and I Questions about various Objects and sincerely telling us they Loved our Home and how Unusual and really Interesting and Fun it was.  *Smiles*  I do always want someone to FEEL something when they come here, I don't Care what the Feeling is, but it should evoke something, like Art does.  To me Decorating should also be an Art Form that is the Essence of the Occupant whose Home or Space it is.  If I walk into someone's most Intimate Space as their Home and I can't fathom who they even ARE, then I do Wonder, Who are you trying to BE then?

*******

It's been a very full day and long less than 24 Hours... Dawn... The Bohemian

Old Flames And Interrogations From Kiddos

 I've been waiting on some Online Orders to arrive, I don't usually Shop Online much, but, with the Price of Gas now, it's just making more sense to, some even offer Free Delivery, very convenient to have it just delivered to your Door.  I could get used to this and I never thought I'd say that.  The Man's Leather Crocs in a larger size due to his swollen Feet arrived, they were in way better "Gently Used" Condition than I expected, they look never Used.  I'd overrode his decision to only go a half size bigger and got a full size bigger, which is a good thing coz he still could barely get them on with ease!  *Whew*  He can't get any of his usual size Shoes on anymore, too swollen.  These do fit, but not as loose as I expected a full size more would be. He really likes them and I got them for a fraction of the Retail Cost.  The Seller's communication was excellent too.

I was overly Tempted to Buy a T-Shirt that I may regret the Purchase, we'll see.  Usually I only use E-Bay for Online Purchases, never had any problems with them and have bought Product for Decades.  I only rarely have I ever bought from any Online Shop, too many Scams abound and most look legit enuf as to fool a lot of folks before they get put on Blast to warn Consumers they are likely not Legit.  Only Twice I got Scammed with Online Shops over the Years, luckily purchases were small and other than not receiving the item, no other Issues.  One pretended to be associated with a Charity I have Bought from in Person... apparently that was their Online Ruse.  The other I just think never had their Products, but they corresponded with me for literally Months, their correspondence was exceptional so I kept thinking, why would a Scam spend so much Time corresponding with someone they know they ripped off?  It was Weird.  I bothered them for over a Year, just to get my Money's Worth of aggravating them and having them keep responding.  It became Wicked Fun for me so I didn't mind the Loss just to Torment them by being a Pain in the Ass long-term. *Winks* 

I do see Online Threads devoted to Questioning Online Sellers, so I know a lot of folks are as suspicious as I am about Online Shops.  And sometimes it's Helpful to avoid certain Sellers, for whatever reasons the Thread participants have had as their personal Experience that was Negative or a total Ripoff.   But, once I ordered from an Online Seller that after I'd already Ordered, a Thread with loads of Feedback from upset Buyers said was a Scam.  So, I just thought, well, Dammit, those Two Tops I'll never get, or if I do, won't be Happy with the Quality of.  Fully expected I had made a Purchase Error and would Learn a valuable Lesson.  Well, both Tops showed up and were exactly as Advertised, decent Quality, proper Sizing, and I was Delighted with them, so, you just never know.  My Daughter is still wearing both Tops coz she Loved them so much I gave them to her.   I'll update you on this recent Purchase... if I got Scammed or get that Desired purchased T-Shirt?

Okay, so now to the Post Title Hook... The Kiddos, all of them, have been helping to go thru Old Photos and put them into more suitable Storage for Preservation and Purge those I no longer want or need to Keep.  Well, Naturally I have tons of Imagery from The Past, coz I've always been a Pathological Picture Taker.  And so the Interrogations begin from The Kiddos, whose this, where's that, their Inquiring Minds Need to know.  *Winks*  After all, a great many of these Pixs were taken long before any of them were Born, or when they were too little to remember the People in the Photos.  And, I always keep it 100%, I rarely throw out Pixs of People when I do my Photographic Purges, I'm too Nostalgic and Superstitious about discarding People Pixs and not knowing where they end up.  You've captured the Essence of these Individuals thru the Eye of your Lens and I wouldn't have Photographed anyone that didn't mean something Relationally to me at some point in Time of my Life.  It's a Record of sorts of who I've known in each Season of it.  And so of coarse there are the Old Flames Pixs... and I keep it 100% with the Kiddos... Oh, I Dated that one... at some point in Time... before your Dad/Grandpa and I became a Permanent Couple.

The Kiddos are always intrigued and wanna know the Back Stories, about all the Pixs, not just the Old Boyfriends they happen to find Images of, tho' those spark the most Interest in Interrogating me about.  *Winks and Laughs*  The Young Prince mused once and said he now knows where he gets his preference for "Flavor" from in Relationships, as he's Dated someone from perhaps every Ethnic persuasion you can think of too... Variety is indeed the Spice of Life IMO... and his.  *Bwahahaha*  After all, those with Varied Ethnicity too had Families less likely to shit Kittens when they brought me Home than the Average White Guy's did.  The Young Prince discovered a Sampling of Imagery of just some Old Boyfriends he thought were Stud Muffins.  I was known to blast thru Relationships like he does too, tho' I remained Friends with a lot of Old Boyfriends, so there was never any animosity held.  I just wasn't one to get Serious very often, if at all, like a lot of Women tend to once they get into a Relationship with a Good Guy.  Or mebbe even a Bad Guy.  *Smiles*  Yes, I've had my Share of those too, The Bad Boys, I even Married one once, the Marriage lasted 7 Months and Produced The Son!   But let us concentrate on some of the Good Guys he Questioned me about, upon finding some of these Old Pixs.  *LOL and Winks*

Okay, so Contestant No. 1 was Ali {Handsome Sexy Turk Pix in White Shirt with his adorable little Nephew}.  A Turkish Born Guy whose Mom ended up remarrying a White American GI, when his Stepdad was Stationed in Turkey.  His Dad had been Killed, The Middle East has always been volatile like that.  She was a Widow who had SIX Kids, Ali being the Youngest, and his Dear Stepdad couldn't have Children of his own, so took on the whole Brood and brought them all to America to Raise as his own.  I was Friends with Three of Ali's Older Sisters and my Family absolutely Adored him, so he was at our Home a lot.  They always thought Ali and I would eventually get Married, we were THAT Close.  We became Close Friends first and then tried to become more than that... which almost never works out... so... we went back to just being Friends, which did work out.  I Loved him tho' and knew I always would.  Even after I had The Daughter, and her Bio Father bounced... Ali was always around to Help out and give me a Sincere Best Friend Male Perspective on whoever I was Dating or should get rid of. 

 He got rid of more than One unsuitable Guy who was Bad News... not literally... figuratively... and he didn't take his own advice and Married an Old Nemesis of mine, of all people... and that didn't last for him.   I'd known her way back when our Families were Stationed in England and we were in High School.  She had a Bad Reputation for Sleeping around... A LOT... and going after OPP, whether someone else's Boyfriend or Husband!  I didn't even know she'd also come back to live in Arizona too when her Dad Retired from the Military.  I didn't even know Ali had gotten Married when he Enlisted in the Army 'til he came back and then told me he'd Married ole' Kristi!  Ruh Roh, I knew Heartbreak would be on his Horizon... and she'd be Creeping while he was away on Assignments... I wasn't Wrong... so, it didn't last.  I told him he should just Marry a nice Turkish Girl and eventually, that's what he did and they had Two Daughters, I was so Happy for him, he's a Good Guy and I often think of how he's doing, we lost Touch in the late 1990's eventually. 

Contestant No. 2 was Herb {The Smiling Handsome Amerasian Pix}, his G.I. White Dad had also Married a Foreign Born Woman while Stationed in her Home Country of Japan.  He had a Beautiful Sister who ended up Marrying a Famous Rock Band Member, tho' I forget which Band coz I wasn't into following the Music of many of the Rock Bands, I just recall it was a very Famous Band that I did know of.  Herb said he joined the Air Force to get away from the Fast Lane Life his Sister had introduced him to thru her Husband and his Associations... who were of coarse, all about Sex, Drugs, and Rock & Roll, it was the late 1970's after all.  Herb actually was also a very accomplished Guitarist and said that when he got out of the Military, he thought about starting or joining a Band of his own, he had the Connections to.  I often Wonder if he did?  I think my Relationship with him might have lasted longer had he not gotten Stationed somewhere else, which happens in the Military, moreso back in those Days when you got Re-Assigned often, every 12-18 Months or so.  Herb was a Good Guy and a lot of Fun, Fun, Fun to be around and with.  He took me to my 1st Japanese Restaurant... I Love Asian Food... but not necessarily Japanese Food, it was an acquired Taste for me.  *LOL*

Contestant No. 3 was Joe {Big Smile, Brown Shirt, in Real Life he looked rather like a Mulatto version of Engelbert Humperdinck The British/East Indian Singer}.  I met Joe thru our British Moms becoming Friends.  Mom, having an Intercultural Interracial Relationship herself, often Befriended other Foreign Born Women who were Married to American G.I.'s who weren't of their Race and had met and Married them in their Home Countries while Stationed there.  Joe's Mom was White and English, his Dad was a Black American G.I..  My Brother was smitten with Joe's Beautiful Younger Sister Renee.  So, Mom had a lot of European Friends who Married American G.I. Men of Color, and a lot of Asian Friends who Married either White or Black American G.I.s.  By then Vietnam had brought Home a lot of Women from Southeast Asia who Military Men had Married.  Back in Mom's Era is was a lot of Post WWII and Korean War Brides from all over Europe, Korea and Japan who Military Men had Married.  You don't see a lot of Middle Eastern War Brides tho' due to the Culture, most could fear Death from their own Families for even Dating an Infidel. 

And as a Demographic of being Military AND having the International and often Interracial Relationships, we always Bonded as Families with each other and of similar Experiences here in America... for a whole lotta reasons.   Military Families Bond closely anyway... Foreign Bride Families did coz we were often Outcasts in America.  A lot of Americans resented War Brides.  And outside of the Military you didn't see many Interracial Unions either in those days.   Joe and I stayed Friends then long after Dating didn't pan out for us, Great Guy.   We were close to his Family until they got Stationed somewhere else, his Dad still being Active Duty, my Dad had by then Retired and stayed here in Arizona, after having Served 27 Years.  I do often Think about Joe and his Family, never have found them via Social Media, where you can often Reconnect with people you used to know.   His Mom was a Riot, I remember that fondly, she and my Mom could be the Life of any Party and get that Party Started, so they often got invited to many.   And the House Parties on Base were Memorable and Family Friendly, so us Kids, even once Grown, usually came along coz it would be a Good Time for all the Generations getting together for a Social Experience you'd always remember fondly.  Above is one of the Granddaughters in Mexico.

 Joe's Dad and mine were more the Quiet, Reserved, Stoic Type, complete opposites to their outgoing Wives... so Joe's Dad and my Dad got along great too.  Plus, in the Military my Dad was always Assigned to Black Units back when the Military was still Segregated, so almost all Dad's Friends from Work were Black G.I.s, him being the only Native American any of them knew.  *LOL*  And Dad would always be the Designated Driver of the After Party, coz he didn't Drink the Fire Water, and made sure if the Party had Drinking, everyone got Home Safely and without getting Busted by the Sky Cops.  That could lose you some Rank, and I often became the Designated Non-Drinker Driver, just like Dear Ole' Dad, same with my Brother being the Designated Non-Drinker Driver, for all our Friends getting Home safely from the After-Party.  I actually met The Man doing just that for my Friends Beau and Yogi after a big Super Bowl Party at the Club that The Man was DJ and Bouncer at just outside of Luke AFB.  *Smiles*

 The Man followed me in his Truck as they both hung out the back Window of my Truck, Drunk and Celebratory coz their Team Won that Super Bowl, shaking The Son's Baby Rattles!  As I headed to "Waffle House" to Sober them up before trying to get back on Base without an Incident with the Military Police that would cause them Grief or Trouble.  *Bwahahaha*  The Man was suitably impressed that I Cared that much about my G.I. Friends, he knew them both too, and actually it turned out we knew many of the same People at the Base even before The Man and I ever met each other... Small World!!!   But, I digress... back to the Old Flames who didn't Win me over to become The Wife, like The Man did.  *Bwahahaha*  The Man isn't even sure that's a Good Thing coz all my Friends LOVED me, and my Brother of coarse LOVES me, but they all told him, you know, She's Crazy... so, just Beware and Be Warned!   He lives Dangerously tho' and always has.  And here we now are nearing our Fourth Decade as a Happily Married Couple, Raising Two Generations of Kiddos together that he never Fathered... who knew?!  *Winks and Laughs*  Clearly I Married the BEST Man of them all!!!

Now, back to our regularly Scheduled Programming and we're up to Contestant No. 4 who was Dave.  {B&W and Color Photos of him back from when we Dated in the early 1980's}.   I met Dave while he was visiting his Older Brother Joe, who was in the Air Force and Stationed here at Luke AFB.  Joe had Married a Thai Wife, Lar, who was one of my Best Friends.  Lar and I had our 1st Kids only 3 Days apart.  The irony being, her Son, Joey, Jr., looked White and my Kid, The Daughter, looked Amerasian, so people thought we were Joking when we'd tell them, No, the White Baby is hers and the Asian Baby is mine.  *LMAO*  Lar was only 4'9" but had a 5th Degree Black Belt, she'd led a hard Life in Thailand, being Sex Trafficked from a very Young Age of 9, since she was an Orphan and Street Child in Thailand.  Joe and Dave were Italians from New Jersey, need I say more than that.  *Winks and Laughs*  Dave also had a Black Belt in Martial Arts, Taught Martial Arts, and was a Male Model.  Both Brothers were very Italian Stallion Handsome.  Dave had the most Gorgeous Hazel Eyes and Blue Black Hair, but he was Younger than me, so, it didn't work out.  The Daughter was Young and Adored him tho'.  He'd had a little Sister who Died of Leukemia when she was very Young.   Above is one of the Granddaughters in Pittsburgh.

Another Issue was Dave and Joe's Mother, she was a very overbearing Italian Mama and didn't like me or Lar.  We weren't Italian Girls, we weren't Catholics, and she treated Lar very badly and claimed Joey wasn't her Son's Child even tho' Little Joey looked EXACTLY like his Dad!  I kept in Touch with Lar over the Years even, when they all moved away and got Re-Assigned to other Bases.  Lar sadly passed away a few Years ago of Cancer, Little Joey is a big Muscular Guy like his Dad and Uncle now.  I know what Dave still looks like via FB but choose not to have Contact anymore, he looks the same, only Older, he's Aged very, very well, let me just say.  He and his Older Brother were Good Guys, tho' their Mom would definitely be The Mother-In-Law from Hell and who needs that nonsense?!    Lar was so Reverential and Respectful to her in spite of the Old Lady being a Ratchet MIL, Racist and Xenophobic towards Lar being Asian and an Immigrant War Bride and not accepting the Grandchild as her Son's Child. I only Hope things got better between them?  Lar had endured a lot of Cruelty, Hardship and Abuse in her Lifetime but was one of the most Love filled Friends I ever had.  Above is the last Photo of my Dear BFF Lar and her Son, now BIG Joey!

Contestant No. 5 was Solomon {Pictured with me}, who was an Egyptian Palestinian whose Dad was a General in the Egyptian Army.  They were a very Wealthy Family in Egypt and lived in a Palatial Estate there.  I met him thru my Mom's Arabic Jordanian Friends and I didn't even know the Guy, but he saw me and asked MY DAD'S Permission to Date me!!!  Dad said, Sure... Mom liked the Guy, so I did Date him, tho' I thought the whole Cultural Permission of the Parents thing without consulting me first was Weird.  *LOL*  He was a Muslim Arab and very Culturally stringent, so I knew it wasn't gonna work out at all.  I'm NOT the Oppressed or Compliant Gender Type by any stretch of the Imagination and my Dad Raised me from a Strong Matriarchal Tribal Cultural way of Being.  Solomon couldn't get used to that, but he was tenacious.  

So I asked Contestant No. 1, Ali, my Turkish Friend, how do I get rid of this Guy?  *LOL*  He said invite him over to Dinner and serve Pork Chops, say you eat them all the time and could never Live without one, claim you'll be irreparably Offended if he won't eat your Cooking!  *Winks*  Yeah, he was Gone after that. *Smiles*  Thanks Ali!   And speaking of Ali, he introduced me to Contestant No. 6, who was his Best Friend Al.  {Pictured Above and looked like my Heartthrob Crush on TV at the time, Erik Estrada... people actually mistook Al for being the Movie Star all the time coz Metro Phoenix had a lot of Celebs tooling around the City in the 80's.}   Al was a super Nice Guy and being Ali's Best Friend and Wingman, they'd often hit the Clubs together and often ask me to come along, I was a good 'in' for them to meet Women.  We were like The Three Musketeers in those Days, even tho' I had Dated both of them briefly, they became the Better Friends than Boyfriends, and knew I wasn't Serious about Dating anyone in particular either.  Both of them could be Players, so they didn't Judge me either.  Besides, you can't Play a Player.  *Winks*  I was just having my Best Life Free and Single.

 Above is an Enlisted Ali with his gorgeous long Hair Shaved off, right after he Married my Nemesis Kristi, she did NOT Like me either coz I knew of her Sordid Past and could Spill her Tea, and I was still Best of Friends with her Husband.  That Relationship actually lasted longer than their Marriage did.  *Winks*   I have some For Me Only Pixs of Ali, and I don't know if the Kiddos have found those??!  Ali was as uninhibited as Yours Truly... like a Turkish Hippie, if there was such a thing?  *Winks*   Here's the Funnier Part, the Guys thought it was great Sport in the 80's to go to the Gay Clubs and try to 'Convert' the Gold Star Lipstick Lesbians to give a Guy a Go.  *Bwahahahaha*  I thought that was hilarious and in the 80's the Gay Clubs were the best Clubs for Music and Dancing anyway, so a lot of us Straights went to them too and nobody Cared.  Some of the Gay Men tried to 'Convert' Ali and Al too, coz, they were Handsome Men and very Fit.  *LOL*  Suffice to say I got asked out more by the Lipstick Lesbians than Ali or Al ever did.  And they never switched Teams.  *Ha ha ha*

  Al and I decided to just be Good Friends too.   Eventually we all lost Touch... and Social Media isn't something everyone uses so you can't always reconnect with everyone, tho' I have with some, which is always great to Catch Up on each other's Lives.  Most of us are still Living our Best Lives, which is great, and of coarse Sadly, some have Crossed Over and are no longer among the Living.  I Lost a lot of Friends in various Wars who Died in Combat, coz I know a lot of Military and they made up the majority of my Friendships and Relationships over the Years, both Platonic and Romantic.   So, that's my Sampling of Old Boyfriends... I'm sure there's Pixs of others the Kiddos haven't dredged up yet.  And I'll have future Interrogations of my Wayward Youth to tell them True Stories of.  Only The Daughter has Wilder Stories than I do.  And we got some Novella worthy Stories!!!  *Ha ha ha and Winks*  We're both very Liberated Women.  *Smiles*

I've had Fun reminiscing about my Wasted Wayward Youth, spent frivolously on a Personal Level while on a Professional Level my Star kept Rising despite my Personal and Private Life being stark contrasts.  I was a Hippie Wild Flower Child while also being a Corporate Bank Executive at the SAME time, what a Contrast and Dichotomy, huh?  But, not necessarily Mutually Exclusive, especially in the 70's and 80's.  *Bwahahahahaha*  And Yes, The Man knows about all of my Life, we don't keep Secrets, I know about all his Spilt Tea too.   It's not as if he didn't have a lot of Exes, and poor Judgment when it came to matters of the Heart, he just thought he had to Marry most of his, either Common Law or Legally.  *Bwahahahaha*   Which is Why, if, our Kiddos blast thru Relationships, we have a Point of Reference and No Judgment about it... it happens... and... I don't think it's a terrible thing and try not to get so Old I Forget what it was like to be Young.

I did a lot of Environmental Cleanup and you do find the best things that folks have discarded, below is a Trio of items Found, and brought Home, including a BBQ and Two Fire Pits:

We got a Male Mannequin's Beauty School Head called Kyle at SAVERS for Five Bucks... he has a long Beard, Mustache, Eyebrow Hair, Ear Hair, Nose Hair and a gorgeous Head of Hair, we were Laughing so hard... see Kyle Below, Kyle makes me Smile, so, he's a Keeper:

Princess T is holding Kyle up by his Hair, it doesn't look that Crazy otherwise, it's actually got nice Hair for a Beautician Practice Mannequin.  He'll Model one of my Vintage or Antique Hat Collection.  They had a nice Pokemon Duvet that I'm gonna Resell, got it for only Five Bucks, they Sell for $30-$50 and anything Pokemon Sells.  We also got some LPS Toys in a big Bagged Lot for only Four Bucks, been a long time since I've been able to Score any of those and they Sell like Crazy, but you have to keep them in a Locked Case.  When we only had a Showroom our LPS were getting Stolen all the time, so I had to pull them out of Inventory 'til I got a Locked Case, more walked out the Door unpaid for than had Sold otherwise, it was annoying.  I got a Set of 3 different sized matching Enamel Red Exterior, Utopia Cast Iron No-Stick Frying Skillets too, 6", 8" and 10" sizes.

One of my Diabetic Injectables has gone up to $89 Co-Pay now, some of my Meds are still reasonably priced and affordable tho', I only take Meds for Type II Diabetes.  If I can lose the excess Weight and the Diabetes go away again when I'm at Goal Weight, like it did before when I dropped down to about 157 lbs., I'll have no Rx Expenses, so, that's my Goal to reach.  It's just getting too expensive now that the Military won't cover all my Medical Expenses, only the Veterans can use the VA, not their Spouses.  We were Promised Free Medical for Life as his EARNED Benefit... but now we have to pay a Premium, Co-Pays, and for all of my Medications thru TriCare Express Scripts.  The Base Satellite Pharmacy quit carrying most of what I was on and they Closed the Base Hospital.  You couldn't use it anymore anyway once you turned 65, you have to go to Civilian Hospitals now.  It used to be you could use the Base Hospitals and Clinics all your Life if you were Retired Military.  My Parents did, my Dad having Served 27 Years... The Man Served 39.  Above Pix was me Blogging in 2013... I began my Blog in 2009.

I regret Selling this Gooseneck Mid-Century Mod Dual Butterfly Lamp from the 1960's, but a Friend of mine wanted it badly so made me an offer at the time that I couldn't refuse... dammit!!!  I still have Seller's Remorse tho', never seen another one like it and it sat on my Desk where I Blog for Years and gave good Light.  I know he Resold it, probably had a Big Pocket Client who Collects everything Mid-Century Mod.  Some Vendors Specialize in only that Genre of Merch and it does very, very well.   The Double Gooseneck Mid-Century Lamps like this with Fiberglass Shades now Sell for around $200... so I know I won't replace it at those current prices.  I still have some Gooseneck Older Lamps that are Vintage Industrial Style, one belonged to my Dad so it has a lot of Nostalgia to it. 

 He had it in the Sewing Room on his Old Singer Trundle Machine Cabinet, where he Sewed most of our Clothing growing up.  That Sewing Machine was over 100 Years Old and still worked, it made most of my Clothes growing up and all my Barbie Clothes too.  My Dad could literally make anything, just show him a Catalog Photo of what you wanted, he'd make one just like it without even having a Pattern!   Even tho' he Ordered my Mom's Couture Wedding Dress from Paris, when they got Married in her Country, he made all of the Bridesmaids Dresses and they were Gorgeous.  The Wedding was so Special it made Front Page News and all of Mom's Town showed up for it.  There were only ever 13 Gals who ever Married American G.I.'s from my Mom's area in those days when North Wales still had an American Military Base.  Sealand in Flintshire Closed in April of 1957, which was only Four Months before I was Born. 

 The Americans were there from 1951-1957 and my Parents were Married in 1952 after a Two Year Engagement.  It took that long for my Dad to get permission to Marry her and to bring my Foreign National Mom to America and issued a Green Card, which later they were Pink Cards, she carried one for the rest of her Life.  She had to be proficient enough to Read and Write in English too, so apparently criteria has changed since then.   She didn't mind being required to do that coz she knew nobody in America could speak or understand her Language and it would have been terribly more Isolating if she hadn't been English proficient.  As it was nobody could understand her English either coz she always spoke it with a very thick Welsh Accent.  So, I still had to Translate for her all my Life.  Mom actually could speak several Languages so learning English wasn't hard for her.  Easier it was for her to Learn English than for Dad to Learn Welsh, which isn't a Written Language, but he did anyway, which endeared him to her People.  She never could endear herself to his, unfortunately.

She was appalled at how she saw the abject Poverty on the Reservations of America in the 1950's, and how my Dad had grown up with such lack as no Electricity, no Heat/Cooling or running Water, when most of America had Modern Conveniences by then.  In Wales nobody lived like that, not even the Welsh Gypsies, who were Nomadic by Choice, and most still lived in Colorful Vardos in her Country and Bathed in Fresh Water Streams.  Anyway, when I went to the Rez my Dad was from in 1974 I was still as shocked and appalled as my Mom had been in the early 1950's, coz not much had changed for the better where my Grandma lived.  She still didn't have Indoor Plumbing or Electricity until much later.   And even Today, a lot of my Cousins and their Children and Grandchildren, live a Hard Life on the Rez.  I'm very Thankful my Dad, tho' it was difficult for him to not be around anyone of his Culture except when he went Home to visit them, chose to Live, School and Raise us outside of a Reservation so we'd have Opportunity and The American Dream afforded to us.

 

He enjoyed his Military Career very much tho', he got to Travel the World, get a proper Education on the GI Bill and earn his GED and some College, coz he wasn't a Stupid Man, just one not afforded a proper Education.  In the Indian Schools they often put the Children to Work and called it an Education, and loaned them out as Free Labor to local Farms and Ranches to do hard Labor without compensation.  Some never came back or even Survived, Two of his Younger Brothers didn't, and their Families were never told what happened to them.  And nobody prosecuted for Neglect, Abuse or the Death of an Indian Child in the Care of the U.S. Government's Indian Schools.  That's just some of our Whitewashed History never Taught in our Schools... you know, coz it might make the Ancestors of the Perpetrators of such Treatment of other Human Beings feel bad or something.  

Like that's the worst thing that could happen, they Learn the Truth about our Bad History too, so that it should never, ever, be repeated and atrocities not committed against fellow Human Beings again, for any reasons.   But, now we have Children abducted and put in ICE Concentration Camps involuntarily... so History and Atrocities are repeating itself... and here we now are!!!   And when those Children are Disappeared, Unaccounted for to their Families, or Die, is there anyone being Prosecuted for it either, No, there is not!!!  Why?  Becoz they are not White Children, plain and simple, as the REAL explanation.  None of those Children are even Old enuf to have committed any Crime that should get them abducted and Imprisoned... they are Children, Innocents, and no Child belongs in a Prison or a Concentration Camp, or to be involuntarily separated from their Families and just Abducted, period.  That's Kidnapping and THAT IS THE CRIME, a Serious one, for whoever snatched them.  Imagine if it was YOUR Child or Grandchild!

And I don't hear or see enough People acknowledging or even speaking out AGAINST these kinds of atrocities... and that's deeply disturbing to me.  To Witness Evil committed against fellow Human Beings and do or say Nothing is as complicit as committing the Evil yourself IMO.  And it shouldn't matter that they don't look like you, or Share anything in common with you, to be given the Dignity, Respect and Humanity extended as a Human Being worthy of it.  I'd Hoped in my Lifetime we could Evolve as a Species to Transcend a lot of that Bias, Prejudices and Hatred against other Human Beings, but, we haven't... not really... becoz it still Exists and it shouldn't.  I've never been able to have someone who holds that Sentiment in their Hearts and Behaves in such a way EVER be able to Justify it to me... I've Listened to their lame Excuses, as to why they feel so Superior to another Human Being and therefore Dehumanize them... I can only then surmise they are damaged on the Inside and have a defect in their own Souls.  Humanity and Compassion should be Normal and it isn't with them.

I know I've been all over the place with Topics in this Post... ha ha ha... I've talked about everything and nothing all at the same time.  *Winks*  I've gone Deep Down Rabbit Holes and further back in the Past for some heady doses of Nostalgia and Storytelling... which I like to do when I Blog.  Everyone has a Story and I enjoy Hearing everyone else's too, when they Share it here in The Land Of Blog.   Remember earlier in the Post I said my Dad made most of my Clothes and all of my Barbie Clothing... well, and Doll Clothing too... so, I Lucked Out and found some Images in the Photo Archives to Share of just some of his Doll Clothes Creations he made for me:

My Dad had made and Designed the Clothing on that Old Trundle 100 Year Old Singer Machine for these Vintage British Talking Stacey {1968} wearing a Red Carpet Inspired Mermaid Gown he Designed for me, and Julia {1968} wearing a Gold Lame' Nehru Collar Mini Dress he Designed for me, they are Dolls that I Sold in the early days of being at the Antique Mall.  The Barbie was one of the first ones that had come out with Brunette Hair  {1967} and the Julia was from the TV Show with Diahann Carroll and the First Black Barbie.  With Age the Hair of those Julia Dolls always turned Auburn, don't know Why?   I had Pierced the Ears of all my Barbie Dolls in the 1960's.   The Julia Doll now can fetch almost $200, I wanna say back in the early days of the Antique Mall I got $60 for her.   I took not only good Care of these Vintage Dolls, but they also Survived Two more Generations of my Daughter and my Granddaughter owning them before I Sold them, and they took good Care of their Toys too.  Good enuf Care we Sold them easily when they were ready to Let Go of their Collections of them from Childhood too.

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Nostalgic Moments from the Arizona Desert, part of my Life's Story being Shared... Dawn... The Bohemian