Feral Acting Humans And When Home Is A 3-Ring Circus

 By the time this Publishes it will be my Younger Brother's Birthday, I think he's turning 66, he was Born in 1960, you do the Math.  *LOL*  And I'll have to Work this and next Friday Night to cover for a very bad Medical Situation with a Co-Worker.  Princess T woke up Sick on Tuesday Morning so had to call in to Work, but I was up anyway, ready to take her to Work so I did go to The Gym and get my Two Hour early Morning Workout from 6:30 am-8:30 am before any of the Silver Sneakers folks are allowed to come in.  I'm rather enjoying my Paid Membership more so feel the budgeting for it was worth it to be able to go anytime I want to and not have to change Gyms for where HUMANA Silver Sneakers is accepted.  I always feel better to start my Day after a Workout so I should get in the habit of doing it often as I can manage to every Morning.

Then I went to the Antique Mall and put my Merch in, it was quite busy for a Tuesday.  Some Group Home had a Field Trip of their Residents they were bringing in and they always spend Money while there, it's a big Group, a Bus full, with their Caregivers.  My Room was a Hot Mess like Feral Humans had been in there, I don't know why Shoppers tear things up so when Shopping?!  So it took me a long while to put it all Right again so it didn't look ransacked!  I'd finished out the Pay Period decently so will get a Check that isn't great, but isn't pitiful either, so will be Helpful.  This Month only Four Days after Valentine's Day is The Man's Birthday.  My Brother's Birthday is February 6th too.  And our Family want to send Dear Blog Friend Shirley a lil somethin'-somethin' to do something Kind for herself during her time of intense Grief of losing a Daughter.  There are No Words any Sympathy Card can convey really.

After I did the Antique Mall I went Grocery Shopping at 'Sprouts' to pick up Essentials we were out of.  With a Family this size you go thru a lot of Essentials and I had to wait 'til we got Paid first to re-stock them.  I also got The Man what I was getting him for Valentine's Day and presented it early, since his Birthday is so close to Valentine's Day I usually give him his Valentine's Gift earlier in February than Valentine's Day.  He was Jazzed to get a Valentine's Gift Bag filled with a large assortment of his favorite Snacks and Candies.  He had gone thru what he got for Christmas already and really enjoyed all of that.  Our Dollar Store was well stocked for Valentine's Day, making it affordable to get a large variety of what he likes and put it in a pretty Gift Bag.

I'll be taking The Young Prince to his Dad's again, I guess they're doing Karaoke Night at one of the Clubs they go to together all the time.  His Dad actually has a good Singing Voice, I don't think his Son inherited that attribute of a Singing Voice, but he is Musically inclined and can play any Instrument.  My Mom's whole Family, except for her, had Gorgeous Singing Voices.  Wouldn't ya know Mom got skipped on that, which is Rare, a lot of Welsh have lovely Singing Voices.  My Uncle could Sing Opera, and had a Voice as good as Famous Welsh Singer Tom Jones.  And when we'd go to Vegas he'd goof around singing Italian Opera at the "Venetian Casino" and people thought he was part of the Act!!!  *LOL* 

My Maternal Great-Grandfather was an Orchestra Conductor and could play any Instrument, as well as Sing, so I think that may have been where The Young Prince Inherited that?   My Welsh Nanna was a Stage Actress and Dancer, before Television was Invented, she could Sing, Dance and Act.  It was during a Performance that my Gran-Gran met her and fell in Love. *Winks*  My Mom was a Ballet Dancer until she had a serious Injury, she could also do Ballroom Dancing, and said if she hadn't of had the Injury, she would have made a Career of Dancing becoz she was apparently very good at it.  But, she couldn't Sing, only one in her whole Family who couldn't.  They think it's coz she was partially Deaf, and that could be?

I got the Quartet of 1998 South Park Figures from Goodwill Hunting Today on Senior Day, and Online they're selling as a Set for $150 or more.  I'll have to put them on top of my Locked Case then at the Antique Mall and Sell them as a Set Individually for around that much.  Decided Individually they'd actually fetch more yet be more affordable.  The little Pleatherette Shoes didn't hold up well over the Years, but other than that this Quartet still has the Original Tags and is in great Condition except for flaking off of the Pleather.   That shit never did hold up well on Vintage items made of it.   I remember The Son had this Set when he was Young, including the Rarer "Chef" Character Plush as well, I Sold all of his for a lot at the Antique Mall Years ago.  They didn't have Chef, he usually Sells for $30-$40 Online even tho' he's not as common as the rest of the Characters.

The Son is now re-arranging the whole Guest Room damned near so I'm having Anxiety about that and can't watch until he gets it Right and Done.  He knows it heightens my Anxiety when you Change too much of anything I finally got Decorated and looking the way I wanted it.  *Le Sigh*  The Daughter helped out to lessen my Anxiety by cleaning off the Dining Table beautifully coz that was one part I hadn't gotten to yet and she knew I wanted to.  So she Surprised me by getting it Done while I was out and it looks so nice now.    She knew I was already having Anxiety about the Changes her Son was gonna make in The Art Studio Space he'll now be Occupying, so I guess his Uncle thought, well, Perfect Time then to make Changes in the Guest Bedroom so Mom will just have ONE Meltdown?  *Breathe, Dawn, Breathe... Hysterical Laughter of nearing The Edge and Le Sigh*

I had just gotten myself back to Center with my Morning Workout Dammit, and The Young Prince had come into the Room here to give me a Heads Up about what his Uncle was doing so I wouldn't Freak Out, since, it was already in Progress.  Then The Son finally did tell me, when he was halfway thru it to ask just how much he could Change in there?  I realized, after he'd moved his Media Chair that he and his Friends had gouged out some of the Drywall of a Wall by reclining it too far back and hitting the damned Wall!!!   So, Yeah, I'm now trying to be able to Breathe and not go from an Anxiety Attack to a complete Meltdown now.  Sharing your Home and all Space in it with more Generations than you anticipated ever living with in your Retirement Years is a Process to have a Peace about and embrace fully.  Coz sometimes it doesn't even Feel like YOUR Home anymore.

I can Share my Space so long as they leave most of it Decorated the way I want MY Home to be.  If they want to Decorate, go get a Home of their own, coz this is the only Home I've got and I've been Sacrificial now for Decades, so in Old Age I want it to Be as I want it to BE.  Now The Grandkids I Raised are Grown I no longer have Toys all over the place, and that was Nice FINALLY to get to that juncture of having Raised Two Generations of Children.  But Twenty-Somethings and Middle-Aged Somethings have their own Challenges for Seniors to Share Space with Harmoniously.   Especially when it's the Senior's Home. *LOL and Winks*  I don't wanna be Wound Up all the time so I try to Maintain being Centered and Balanced as much as possible with Sharing Space with so many People now in our Old Age.  It's cramped, we Downsized Space for a Forever Main Home considerably from previous Homes Owned.

Okay, Writing about it helped me avoid having a Meltdown, ya'll are Still Cheaper than Therapy!!!   Coz this is like a 3-Ring Circus around The Asylum most Days and I'm the Ringmaster of this here Shitshow.  *Winks and Thankyou for Tolerating the Online Meltdowns and Near Meltdowns while still coming Back as Dear Readers more than just the Once... ha ha ha!!!*  I hear a Drill being used and I just don't wanna know what they're doing now that requires Power Tools?!  *Breathe, Breathe, Dawn, Breathe!!!*  It seems to be coming from the Guest Bedroom and he had said something about Hooking Up his X-Box, Video Game Systems, something like that, which is Why everything had to be Re-Arranged???  *Eye Roll and trying not to Fixate on what might be going on in there that will Trigger me or send me right over The Edge?!*

I hear Mando out Back with more Power Tools, and am just Hoping that's a Good Thing?   Men with Power Tools always kind of make me Nervous, The Man used to engage in a lot of Demolition Projects that never actually got Rebuilt sometimes, so I Forbid that kind of thing now in my Old Age and Forever Home!!!   Men like knocking things down and Demolition, but the Rebuilding sometimes they can spend literally Years getting around to finishing!    And I got a lot of Younger Men in this Household now from Ages 25-59, and The Man is nearing 74 this Month, so, that's a lot of various Generations of Testosterone to Deal with in One Household!!!  I want this Home to look fucking Finished and Turnkey, not a Work in Progress, Okay?!  *LOL* 

Explaining to me Why I'm hearing lots of Power Tools Today both Inside and Out might just be TMI for me to Cope with and Handle, so, I haven't dared to Ask!!!  *LOL*   At least The Man can't use Power Tools anymore without close Supervision, so that's one less Generation of Testosterone in the Mix of getting whipped into a Power Tool using Craze!!!  *Whew*  The Younger Generations all know the BEST Time to do Home Improvements I have not Blessed and given Approval of is when I'm NOT here.  Then, if they can make it actually an IMPROVEMENT over what WAS, I might not Freak the Hell Out about it and be Grateful... perhaps?  *LOL*   The Son just Revealed what he Changed and I can Live with it and didn't Freak Out about his Changes.  *Whew* 

Miss my Industry Friends Leslie and Mike who moved out of State, they had the best Merch and were Kindred Spirits.  Yeah, we all keep in touch via Social Media, but it's not quite the same as being there, is it?   So many now have either Moved Away or Passed Away.   And I don't see a lot of the Younger Generations gravitating to the Industry so I know we're becoming Extinct in a way.   Like so many things do over the passages of Time.  And I'm at that Season of Life now where I wanna hold on to at least some of it... and not have it all disappear and be one of the last of the Dinosaurs.  *Le Sigh*   At some juncture if ya live long enuf it happens tho' and is an expectation that you've become like an Endangered Species and are becoming quickly replaced by what's managed to Evolve and be Newer and more relevant to this Space in Time.   I'm glad I'm not Young tho', the Future is... so uncertain and rather daunting.

I had thought that The Young Prince would be going to his Dad's earlier, but apparently Bobby doesn't even roll out of Bed until early Afternoon and everything he does is in the Evenings.   I've been up since 5:00 a.m. so it was an early Wakeup Call for Yours Truly and my Day started before Sunup.   I just had some of the Tamales that Mando's Tia made for us, they were delicious.  His Family make them all of the time and always Share them with us.   His Tia is actually the Ex-Wife of a very good Friend of ours we've known since the 1980's.  It's a Small World when you think about it.  I never met his Tia becoz she had been Divorced from our Friend Dino for a lot of Years by then, but we knew their Daughter Laura, and who he was now with and those Kids that Yolanda brought into their Relationship.  His Kids were Grown by then from his 1st Wife.  

The Daughter and Mando got given a huge Workbench from their Friend Roy whose moving and can't take it with him to where he's going.  
So, now we have it and it's large and will be very beneficial to doing Outside Projects.   Roy has given us a lot of nice things that he doesn't wanna bother Selling and would rather give to those Friends helping him with his Moving Process than to Donate it to Strangers or leave it behind at the Property he'll be Selling.   And their Friend Jason, whose a Nephew of Old Tom next door, also has given them a lot of nice things for helping him as much as they do.  He sometimes uses a Wheelchair or a Walker but still tries to do a lot on his own to remain Independent, but The Daughter and Mando go over and help him a lot as just a Friendship gesture.

I was thinking that the Weather has been so Extreme all thru Fall and Winter, being unseasonably too Hot, then unseasonably too Cold and Wet, that we didn't get nearly enuf done in The RV Garage Mahal or She Shed that we expected to get done during those Seasons.  When the Weather doesn't cooperate and isn't Normal it's just hard to plan anything in the Non-Climate Controlled areas now.  We know Spring and Summer are usually just too Normally Hot to do much.  So, I'm Hopeful Spring is abnormally not so Hot???  I don't know what to expect tho', but if it takes longer to get Too Hot, it will extend the amount of Work we can try to finish up before Desert Heat sets in and puts a halt to everything.  I have set up some Pricing on Wheels Inside the Main House to Work on Inventory in here all Year now, but be less Cluttered and more Organized.

 

If I stick with bringing Inventory in just One Crate or Banana Box at a time, then I should be able to keep going with the Downsizing and putting fresh Merch into the Antique Mall with regularity.   LATER: We dropped The Young Prince off at his Dad's and then The Man and I went to our other Antique Mall Location in Downtown Phoenix.  I found the elusive Fiesta Ware Cereal Bowl of a Retired Color called "Flamingo" that I have a Mug for and was the only Mug I didn't also have a Cereal Bowl of that Color for.  They actually had Two, which was surprising coz it's hard to find even One.   I just bought the One, I have One Mug with a Cereal Bowl to match in many of the Colors and very few other pieces except in the Chartreuse Color, which I have several pieces of still.  I Sold Off most other pieces I used to have of Fiesta Ware I used less of.

It's the only thing we Bought, but we did look around and it wasn't very busy.  There was a Family there following behind us most of the time that had a very Bratty Kid.  She was acting like she was a Toddler, throwing a Fit and Whining incessantly, but she must have been 9-10!!!  She didn't seem like she had Special Needs so it just seemed like she was spoiled rotten and the Parents had no authority whatsoever, so she was really pitching a hissy all the time.  It was annoying and I was so glad when they finally peeled off from behind us and went down another Aisle.   A little bit of that Bratty Kid was going a long way, I couldn't have handled much more of her nonsense and acting up.  Especially for her Age, I was actually shocked to see she was so Old when I turned around, I'd thought they were Dealing with mebbe a 2-4 Year Old!!!   She was a pretty Tall 9-10 and looked Normal enuf, didn't seem Developmentally Disabled.

Some Disabilities aren't so apparent so you never know.  But, then, that Kid was REALLY 'Special'... fuuuuuck!!!   They couldn't Control her at all and she was disruptive everywhere she went, it Worked my last Nerve.  A Vendor had a very Old Piano and she was banging on the Keys like a Maniac and the Parents didn't try to stop her.  They just feebly told her not to break it and she talked back disrespectfully, but I don't think it was due to Tourettes, coz there was no Profanity, just pure Brat Backtalk!  *LOL and yet I wanted to 'accidentally' Trip her in the Aisle to calm her Feral Sassy Ass down and Dial it Back!!!*   Oh, I'm so sorry, I didn't SEE her and then Smile Evilly at their Demon Spawn, now having good reason for the histrionics.  *Ha ha ha*

 But I digress on the sidetracking of Fantasies going thru my Brain!  *Winks*  When Parents have Feral Acting Kids in Public I have Zero Tolerance for their Poor Parenting or their Brats.  Especially when their Kids are Manhandling Merchandise that they're not gonna Pay for if their Kid destroys or damages it, Screaming and acting the Fool loudly.  And especially if the Kid totally strays out of their Lane and gets in mine. Becoz I CAN be the Adult in the Room when it comes to Kid Wrangling of the unruly Brattish ones, even if their Family isn't up to the Job, in a subtle yet effective way they catch on to real quick.  Coz Kiddos are perceptive of who they can and cannot fuck with, they're actually Clever little People like that.  *Winks*   I'm appalled at how many Parents just let their Kids tear a Store up!!!  It wouldn't be appropriate if they were at a Playground and misusing the equipment, let alone a Store where those items are For Sale and being abused by their Children.

If I'm Shopping or Dining I don't wanna hafta put up with your Feral Kiddos antics.  I could still hear her Misbehaving and Whining from several Aisles over, but at least they weren't right up our Ass behind us anymore.  *Whew*  She was ranting that she didn't wanna go to "Taco Bell" for Dinner, as if when someone else is paying for a Meal, a Child has any input on where the Hell whoever is Paying decides to go!  I won't say my Kiddos haven't been on Board sometimes of where we are getting a Meal Out, but I tell them that until they're Paying, we're going where whose Paying wants to go.  If they don't wanna Eat it, Fine, that's One Less Bell to Answer, One Less Egg To Fry then.   And they can just not Eat, and go Hungry, I don't give a damn.  *Winks*  They have never starved from Opting Out BTW and now they can Pay, they can choose, and I don't Complain or Act the Fool, coz it's a Free Meal.  *Winks*   Be the Adult in the Room, no Kid is In Charge!!!  WTF?!

 

I know, I know, I grew up in a different Era where Children were Seen but not Heard, and I kinda Turned Out Alright.   Okay, so, I didn't, but, I damned sure knew how to Clean Up Well in Public, Respect my Elders and not Act the Fool when out with my Family to cause embarrassment or fuck up the experience for everyone around me.   So did my Kids and the Grandkids I Raised, coz I didn't put up with no Mess in Public especially.  Well, at Home either, and my Kids weren't even Right in the Head!   But they knew how to be Respectful, Helpful, Decent Humans, even tho' they were on the Bat Shit Crazy Side of Mental Health Diagnosis.   And if you can Teach Manners and Respect to the Seriously Mentally Ill, I figure you can Train any Child to Respect other folks and have some fucking Manners, acceptable Behaviors, and some Social Graces.   If it's totally absent, you're doing said Child no Favors.  Word Up, NOBODY Likes a Bratty Kid and it's not 'Cute'.

I was sore by Evening Yesterday and I'm thinking to myself, Why am I so Sore?  Then I remember, oh yeah, that Two Hour Workout at the Gym!  *LOL*  Apparently riding a Stationary Bike does use some Lower Abdomen Muscles I forgot I had that needed some use and hadn't been used in a Dog's Age?  *LOL*   Those Muscles were Protesting loudly by around 7:00 p.m. after we weren't trawling an Antique Mall anymore and I'd become sedentary again for the Night.    I ended up falling Asleep on the Sectional as I listened to The News on TV, without wanting to see any of the actual Visuals of the Fuckery going on now.  Apparently he now wants ReTrumplicans to Run the Elections... as if we didn't see that one coming.  And he's tearing down the Kennedy Center now too, the White House Demo apparently wasn't enuf Historical Carnage.

And speaking of Demolition atrocities, as we drove The Young Prince to his Dad's, there WAS a 1916 Farmhouse that was surrounded by Acreage of thick Tamarack, Pecans, Mesquite and Palo Verde, I've been intrigued with since the 1970's.   You couldn't really see the actual House, just a glimpse of it up a long Tree Lined Drive up to it, seemed to be a Two Story Vernacular Edwardian Era.  I've always been fascinated by said Property, a Fantasy to own it and even Google Maps couldn't zoom in on much of it from a Satellite coz of the dense Tree Cover.  But Public Records showed it was built in 1916 and they didn't try to Salvage any of it during this tragic Demo, and was the Oldest Property in that whole part of the West Valley that had Survived from that Era.  The Lone Sentinel until just now, now it is no more and I'm broken up about it even tho' it was never mine.  I would have liked it to have been bought by a Preservationist Minded Investor, but it was on too much Land.

He had Goats grazing around the myriad of thick Brush and Trees to keep grasses down, but dense brambly landscaping kept the City out and it had Survived.  Until now... Developers bought it, since, a LOT of Acreage involved and they must gobble up all of it.   And now it's razed and cleared of all but mebbe 1-2 Palm Trees, which might go down eventually too?!  It was with a heavy Heart I viewed the Bulldozers, Excavators and such finishing it off to bare Earth.   They will very likely put up high density Housing or hideous Apartments there now, the whole area has gone Seedy, so nothing they're building in that Neighborhood is gonna be an improvement upon a lovely Historic remnant that had kept Urban Encroachment and Urban Decay at bay for so long.   I guess I don't blame the Seller, it never had been Sold since the 1900's since Public Records showed... no Sales.  And I'm sure Greedy Developers offered them a handsome sum to destroy it.

  

Just the Inner Cities have Historic Districts, if it was a Rural Historic around these parts it never Survives, it eventually will succumb to Development, always.   No matter how lovely a Home it is, it will go down to some Developer who Tempts them to Sell.  Or some Rezoning of City Planners in the Pockets of Investors/Developers squeezing out the Holdouts on Historic Properties and Forcing them out involuntarily.  You know, "For the Good of All" bullshit.  And by "All" I really mean whoever will profit most from that transactional Shakedown of someone without the Pockets Deep enough to keep fighting them about it in Court.  In order to just be left alone to Keep their Ancestral Home with some Historic Significance that has managed to just fucking Exist into Modern Times and just be a Commodity to exploit.

In recent times I've seen one after another of the Oldest Holdouts go Down and be Razed.   Not as many as were destroyed in the 1970's in the Inner City of the Victorian Mansions replaced by Skyscrapers... more the ONCE Rural Historic ones that got surrounded by the Cities now.  The last bastions of Rural History preserved for Future Generations to know what once existed around here during those Eras... and that it wasn't all once Parking Lots, Subdivision Hells, hideous Apartment Complexes and Big Box Stores as far as the Eye can See.   Even in Communities like ours, some will Buy a Vintage Custom Mini Farm here and tear the House down to build something new on the Acreage now.  Or Air B&B Party House Investors buy them and then there goes the Neighborhood and it's Peace and Tranquility... as well as the condition of the Property being Maintained or properly used and respected.  Even a Million Dollar Listing will get tore up with Party People rotating in and out on short term Rentals all the time.

But it's the way of the World and I don't think Respect or Decency is ever coming back into Fashion in America.  I'm glad our once Allies are Moving On and Developing their Relationships elsewhere and no longer relying on America being decent, or an Ally they can rely upon, coz it ain't anymore.   Before Congress they had a Host of Victims of ICE Testifying about what happened to them on The News, which is why I was watching it at all.   It's no Isolated Case how many American Civilians who haven't committed any Crime and haven't even had any Charges, are being Shot, Abused, Taunted and Humiliated by these ICE Goons that the Orange Menace has unleashed upon Communities he wants to just Punish, Intimidate, and even try to Murder in broad Daylight.  I know how the damned Poem Ends, so it's some terrifying real Nazi and Pol Pot Type Shit going on in America.  To be sure Colonialism White Nationalist Types has always had Cycles of it all over the Globe for Centuries.  So has Religions bent on Extremist Dogmas.

 

One Young Woman was Shot 5 times, suffered 7 entry wounds, was only allowed 3 Hours in a Hospital ER before they dragged her off outta there roughly, denied her further Medical Treatment and Humiliated her intentionally and Verbally too, due to her level of existing Disability!   Cruelty IS the Point!!!   She was Disabled to begin with and had Autism and Traumatic Brain Injuries, they did not Care, they showed her no Mercy, only Cruelty.  She is a 43 Year Old Bengali American!!!   She caught no Charges coz she'd committed no Crimes actually, and is an American Citizen.  So why Immigration Enforcement even Tortured and tried to Murder her probably has more to do with the fact she was Ethnic by her very appearance, that's all... nothing more.  

She was going to her Medical Appointment for her Brain Injury at the time she was stopped, coz ICE caused a Traffic Jam... and of coarse they called her a Domestic Terrorist too!!!   Her Name is Aliyah Rahman if you want to know more of her harrowing Ordeal at the Hands of ICE Agents.  These aren't Isolated Incidents anymore, it's happening with more frequency and it could be You next at this juncture.   Becoz ICE is already in my City, I don't know about yours yet, but they will be coming to a City and Town near you too eventually.   It's only a matter of Time.  And if that doesn't concern you right now, it will eventually, rest assured.  The Poem doesn't End Well.

 And you could get caught up in the fray of what they're doing even if you're just sitting in the Privacy of your own Home or just driving down your Streets now.  Coz they aren't executing Warrants, showing their Credentials or their Identity.  They aren't always wearing Uniforms or Badges, just Masked Men hiding their Identities with Weapons and a Violent disposition, going unchecked and not following any existing Laws that Law Enforcement have to and should.  Becoz apparently they don't HAVE to and aren't being Prosecuted for Murders and Torturing or Abusing the Public.  Or Kidnapping them either.  I want Kinder Times to be Restored, they were not Perfect Times but they weren't this fucked up and out of Control either.   And it all could have been Prevented, we didn't have to endure 2.0.  And I do think Elections are a Pipedream from here on out too, Mark my Words.

Me, back when I was an Assistant Vice President of a Bank, running Three Departments, with some of my Staff, I had a Wonderful Crew and more than half of them were Old enuf to be my Parents.  I forgot how Young and prematurely Fearlessly Ambitious I was, Younger than my Grandson is now and only slightly Older than Princess T is!!!   And in the Days of the Good Ole' Boy Network filled with blatant Misogyny and Sexual Discrimination and Sexual Harassment to Deal with.  You had to be a Baller and a Ball Breaker.  *LOL*  It was a lot of Responsibility too early really and by the time I was around 33 I was Burnt Out and having Health Issues from all the Stress.  So, it wasn't too long after that I Retired from Banking and began Working for The DA's Office instead.  A different kind of Stress, to be sure, and just as demanding and potentially Dangerous Work switching to Criminal Law, didn't pay nearly as well either, but, I didn't drop Dead prematurely either, always a good thing. *Ha ha ha and Winks*

  I was making Mad Money in those Days, but you can't spend it if the Stress of the Career is Killing ya and I was raising a Young Family, most of it as a Single Parent before meeting and Marrying The Man, and working over 70 Hours a Week.   Lots of Posturing and Politics in High Corporate levels of that Industry that has all the Money flowing thru it.   And when you're responsible for Millions of Dollars worth of Portfolio you're Protecting the Bank's Interest of on their Bad Loans, it's not the Happy Borrowers you're Dealing with who just got Qualified for their Loans.  You're meeting Clients at their Worst by the time they are in Foreclosures, Collections and Bankruptcies, which isn't the Profitable side of Banking.  You're Mitigating the Lender, Underwriters and Investor's potential for Losses, sometimes huge ones.  You get Threats all of the time, sometimes Death Threats.  Nothing about that Season of my Corporate Life I miss except The Big Money.  *Bwahahaha*

*******

Are we 'Great Again' yet?  Eye Roll... Dawn... The Bohemian

An Acquired Taste Of Tasteless Blogging

 Well, I picked up Two Friday Night Shifts on Monday Morning, including a Friday The 13th, to cover for another ailing Co-Worker at the Antique Mall.  We have an Aging Population of Vendors there and many are either very Old or in Poor Health.  Richard is a Friend of mine and Survived a Quadruple Bypass Surgery AND Liver Transplant in 2025.  But tried to come back to Work and apparently, he's now missing a lot of Work, which is understandable given what he's gone thru.  So, I never mind covering for Richard, I did it directly after his Surgery and Recovery, tho' I don't want his Permanent Shifts to become mine.  I think they're gonna have to consider finding a permanent replacement for him finally.  He's a Retired Bank Executive from one of the same Banks I'm a Retired Executive from.

Richard has the really good stuff of Merch, and was Wise enuf to Invest heavily in Metals even before they skyrocketed, so financially he's solid.  He'd told me to Buy lots of Gold and Silver a few Years ago but I didn't have the Investment Seed Money to do so with supporting such a large Family on just a Retirement/Disability income primarily.  You can't Invest much when you're tapped out just providing the Essentials.  That's the dilemma of most Americans who are Working hard, not just Retirees on a Fixed Income.  I do have Bank Stock that keeps performing, that I had from back when I was a Bank Executive.  So long as I get Quarterly Checks and they have kept increasing, it's still a nice Passive Income flow.  Holding Gold or other Precious Metals, is Fine as Value Skyrockets, but it's only when you Resell it that you can Cash in on your Investment of it.

Physical Gold does not pay Dividends or Interest, or generate Cash Flow.  It relies solely upon Price Appreciation for Returns.  Income can only be generated by Investing in Gold Mining Stocks, Gold EFT's that pay Dividends, or by Leasing Gold thru Specialized Platforms.  So, I've never personally made it part of my Investment Portfolio, tho' I would have liked to have bought a nice stack of Krugerrands back when they Sold them at the Bank I was an Executive of in the 1980's Era, but Gold was spiking then and so I passed thinking they cost too much. *LOL, well, it was a lot in 1980 compared to other more lucrative Investment Options available back then.*   Plus, it was around the time I became a Single Unmarried Parent too, which changed my Financial Dynamic, as Kids just do.  *Winks*

 

I'm dredging up Archived Food Porn Imagery for ya since I haven't been Eating Out as Budget constraints dictate cutting back on Non-Essential Spending while the Economy continues spiraling downwards.  I just had to dispute one of The Man's Cardiac Medical Bills, successfully, it was an Administrative Error that should have Billed TriCare For Life, which is his Secondary Insurer that pays what Medicare, his Primary, doesn't.  It's a Process, but sometimes even the VA will pay out something with enuf Documentation and advising them within a certain amount of time if TriCare and your Primary don't cover a Medical Emergency that the VA can't at their Main Hospital.  So, The Man has always had to have Civilian Cardiologists assigned to him.  

I didn't go to The Gym this Morning, I overslept in spite of Sleeping so much of Sunday away.  Princess T doesn't Work on Sundays or Mondays so I have no transportation obligations.   Mando and The Daughter picked up her Son from his Dad's when he called at 11:30 p.m. for pickup.  He normally doesn't spend the Night there and I'm not quite sure why his Dad isn't providing Transportation?   Anyway, I did Mail all our Bills when I knew half our Checks/Income had finally hit, the rest should hit on or around Mid-Month IF it's on Time this Month???  But, I haven't yet gone in to the Antique Mall to deliver my Merch or get out of my Jammies and it's 11:30 a.m. already, I'm sitting here Blogging with not a lot of Ambition to Motivate me.  *Le Sigh and LOL*  The Back Seat of the Truck has it all ready to go... I'm just not ready to go.  And, so it's been.

 

I have my Day Clothes laid out at least, to put on... just... haven't.  This has been a Bottoming Out kinda Low this time of a Bipolar Funk.  I could just Feel like going back to Sleep actually and Sleep another Day away now the Bills went out so there's no sense of Urgency to do a damned thing really.  And, I just might.   LATER:  I did, I slept 'til 3:25 and didn't do anything but Mail those Bills, stayed in my Jammies and intend to now.   I think I'm doing Okay for the Moment.  The Son did Princess T's Taxes.  Even tho' she's only earning Minimum Wage and not even always getting full Hours, she still OWED, WTF?!  

Between State and Feds she owed about $300 and that's ridiculous for someone on Poverty Income, who has to still live at Home with their Grandparents to survive!  Especially when Billionaires are paying NO Taxes ever.  She has Money Saved for her first Car so she just Paid it out of that so she's Square with the IRS coz she remembers when her Uncle got Audited for Owing Ten Bucks when he was earning Minimum Wage at a Part-Time Job at Wal-Mart when The Trades were laying folks off before.  But that's the System in place so whaddya gonna do?  I have no Idea what we'll Owe, I'm sure we will tho', you can never pay them enuf when you're ordinary Taxpayers, even Retirees with Dependents still.

So, I got another Letter from HUMANA, the new Medicare Advantage Provider, saying that Lifetime Penalty being Assessed, that I'm Appealing, won't be automatically deducted from my Social Security until February payment of it is due, so I will have to send the Payment in for January, WTF?!  I already sent Proof in more than once that I don't Owe a Penalty coz I didn't Enroll Late, I did have TriCare Prescription Drug Coverage ever since I've been Eligible for Medicare and you can't have Two Federal Drug Coverages, so I was ineligible for Part D!!!   Anyway, Heather from Member Services took all that information down AGAIN, by Phone this time since clearly the Paperwork I filled out in November, and again in January, didn't resolve the problem and error!!!

She told me to go ahead and Pay the Penalty while we wait the 14 Days for this all to process and then I should get any Penalties I've already been assessed, refunded, and they'd be sending Hard Copy Evidence of that too.  I sure Hope so, this is really getting Old and very frustrating.  Even tho' it's only $14.49 a Month in Penalties, I don't Owe it and it will otherwise be incorrectly Assessed FOR LIFE, so, Fuck that, I want it Resolved NOW.  I've always had Prescription Drug Coverage and I've never Enrolled Late and met all Deadlines without even coming close to the Deadline Dates.  I'm Proactive like that, I'm not one of those 11th Hour Enrollees.  I do Wonder how Seniors Cope who aren't in good Mental Condition to jump thru all these Mentally Challenging Hoops and Advocate for themselves?  Donnie Two Dolls has us all on The Hurry Up And Die Plan now.

Anyway, Fun Times.  The Daughter is having Mando sign her up for Nutritional Assistance Online, she finally got over her Paranoia about trying to Qualify.  She has Qualified before, and has no Income and isn't Employable due to the extent of her Disability, so it should go thru without a hitch, but, you never know anymore.  I told her I don't mind Feeding her, but it would be Helpful to my Grocery Budget if she had some Benefits for Nutritional Assistance so it's not all on our Dime to ensure she gets to Eat.  I've stretched my limited fixed income Budget every kind of which way to have this many folks in the Household needing to Survive this Economic and Employment Situation at Hand.  The Son is still on Appeal for both Nutritional Assistance and Unemployment Benefits he SHOULD be receiving and isn't.

He also has no idea how to approach the Claw Back the ACA is wanting back of their Subsidy they Qualified him for when he was Working and Uninsured, but now, says they want most of the Money back now he's Unemployed and would be Homeless if not living with us!!!  It's now Owed to the IRS so he's got to now Deal with the Federal Government and can't set up a Payment Plan coz he has NO Income and no prospects yet of Employment, no Transportation, and no Home of his own... he's totally dependent upon us right now or he'd be one of the Street People.  And he's been Homeless before but I couldn't just throw him to the Curb when he lost his Job thru no fault of his own, they Laid everyone Off who had 5-35 Years with the Company!!!  And screwed them all over.

 I don't know how the IRS would expect to receive Payback from someone on The Streets... it's all pretty messed up IMO.  They're going after Unhoused Unemployed Laid-Off Folks, who couldn't afford Healthcare without the ACA in the first place.  And the whole Healthcare Marketplace thing seems quite Questionable now, that they Qualify folks for Affordable Healthcare, and then hit them up with Taxes Owed on the Subsidy they provided and want almost all of the Subsidy back when it's Tax time!!!  How is that Helpful to those who Need Affordable Healthcare?  And now when you file your Taxes you must prove you have Healthcare Coverage, so I don't know what they do to those that are Uninsured, have none, and can't afford any either? 

The Bureaucrazy is out of Control... and yes, I intended to spell it exactly that way coz it's Crazy!   I will Battle this error of theirs to the Ends of this Earth, so, I will get my Pound of Flesh each Month if they keep Charging me the Penalty, to ensure my $14.49 gets me some satisfaction of Tormenting them at least.  *Winks*  It will be easier for them, and more Cost Effective, to not have me Calling every single Month otherwise, to just resolve the matter and quit dragging it out.  Four Months of this and not getting it resolved is ridiculous.  Medicare and Social Security keeps telling me it is HUMANA that has to fix it so I've been leaning on HUMANA to fix it since the other Two Agencies won't and threw the Provider under the Bus.  I didn't have the Problem with United Healthcare, so mebbe it IS a HUMANA error, I don't know, don't Care... just Fix it already.

Also I brought up that a Pharmacy that filled a recent one-off Rx for me from my Dentist that TriCare thru Express Scripts doesn't cover, said Part D Paid for it and didn't charge me.  So I also asked her if that was yet another Error needing resolution?  Coz I shouldn't be Eligible for Part D as far as I know, unless Federal Laws have been Changed allowing you to have both TriCare For Life Prescription Drug Coverage AND Part D on your Advantage Plan???  I'm not a Provider so I don't know how they structure all of this shit with the Federal Government, but if it's a problem I want that Fixed too.  I don't want later them coming back and saying, oh, it was a Mistake and now you Owe X-Amount for all that Prescription Coverage Part D paid for on your behalf... you know?

It's annoying enuf the Feds didn't Honor their Military Contracts with Veterans for the Free Lifetime Coverage of Medical/Drugs that was an EARNED Benefit they were Entitled to and has been rescinded and altered.   So now we have to pay for it all... so I just don't wanna be stiffed for even more already.   The Base Satellite Pharmacy had so few of the Meds we must take that we couldn't use it anymore and after a certain Age you can no longer use the Base Clinics either and MUST go straight Civilian and find one that takes TriCare and/or your Medicare Coverage, paying Out of Pocket for what's not covered now.  And, paying always increasing Co-Pays on your Medications thru the alternate method of receiving them thru Express Scripts thru TriCare.  Or, pay the full price at a Local Civilian Pharmacy.

Thanks for allowing me the Vent, I feel much better now.  *Winks and Laughs*    I wear my Above T-Shirt a LOT lately.  Every time I do I get stopped by folks telling me they LOVE it!   Even tho' the Media would have you to Believe Metro Phoenix is heavily MAGA, it really isn't, it's more the Rural parts of Arizona that are on that Crazy Train.  Not that the City doesn't have some, they held the Charlie Kirk Memorial here and that was quite the Human Sideshow lemme tell ya, we drove around the Stadium people watching the devout and OMG what an entertaining bunch they were!  And I see the allegedly 'Grieving Widow' moved on pretty quick.  *Winks*  

 

Marriage of Convenience perhaps?  Who knows, but she sure never seemed Grief Stricken and was promoting that Assassination to make it financially lucrative, like it was Tickets to a Major Event.  Doesn't DATELINE often cover when the Person who Profits most from a Homicidal Death is... well... kinda Suspect... but, I won't even go there...  And I don't know anyone actually Investigated it very much either, so she made considerable Bank off her Husband being Assassinated and Martyred.  The more I learned about the Guy and their Organization, the more vile it all sounded, tho' allegedly "Faith Based" it sure spewed loads of Hatred and Vitriol.   So, I'm Supposing it attracts those Hateful and Bitter Christians???  *Eye Roll and ah, what WOULD Jesus do and think about all of that?!  Winks*

Right now there's a big Push in Metro Phoenix by the Kirk Cult to rename Freeways and shit after him, since they consider him some kind of Saint they revere as such... it's not Popular, as one might Guess.   But hey, Cults be doing Cult shit like that.   Anyway, you can't tell people what to align with, whatever is IN them will manifest in what they support and follow and be Evidence of what's really in their Hearts and Minds.  Right now my Heart is Heavy and my Mind is Spinning with what the downfall of America is looking like and coming to in my Lifetime!!!  We've had some Bad and even some Shameful History, to be sure, but this is some frightening shit coming down the Pipeline in Real Time.

Hey remember Melania's Creepy Christmas White House Decor?  *LOL*  I wonder if her Documentary was as Creepy and remotely Honest?  I doubt it, Money Grab is all and Investors foolishly spent Forty Million to make it and another 35 Million to Promote it... had a 7 Million Opening Weekend and is pretty much a Flop, nobody much Cares.  Investors will lose their Shirts on this one for certain and I wonder how much pressure was exacted on them to make and promote what they should have known was a Loser?  You know, to Appease and be Shaken Down or Extorted by he who shall not be named.   

Newbies to the Ole' Blog might have to get used to my Dark Gallow's Humor about what isn't actually Funny Stuff, but makes for great Satirical Comedy Humor all the same.  If you're a Pearl Clutcher, you may have stumbled upon the Wrong Blog to partake of then.  I'm not PC and I am quite Macabre unapologetically.  So would say I'm an Acquired Taste of Tasteless Blogging.  *Bwahahaha*  Hey, great Post Title Hook dont'cha think?  So now I got me a Title for this here Post, I always struggle for Clever sounding Title Hooks.  I usually Write the whole damned thing with ease and effortless Stream of Consciousness and then hit the Wall to Name it.  *LOL*

 I so Admire you Bloggers who come up with some very Clever Post Title Hooks to Name your Posts and draw me in.  Some of you are Brilliant at it.  I've been trying to catch up with Blog Reading, I tend to fall behind coz I'm a prolific Writer but not a very good Reader.  I do Read fast and well, it's just I'm not big on Reading.  Almost all my Books in my vast Library are Visually stimulating ones, not Epic Reads.  Once in a Blue Moon I find a Reading Book that will hold my Focus and Interest to the End of it, but that's Rare, usually I start a Book, lose Interest, and never Finish it.   You've gotta be a very Interesting Writer or have an Interesting and Fascinating Life for me to get to the End of your Book.

   Danny Trejo's Book I finished, he's led a very Interesting and Colorful Life and is a Favorite Actor, Entrepreneur and Philanthropist, so I'm a Fan and have his Cookbooks too.  Loved the Book Eartha Kitt's Daughter Kitt Shapiro Wrote of the wonderful Mother/Daughter Relationship and Life of she and her Mom, who I'm a Fan of also.   Those being only Two Books of recent times I ever Finished.  And, thoroughly enjoyed both, could hardly put them down 'til I did Finish them.   There's a much larger Laundry List of Books I couldn't and didn't Finish and just Donated coz I never was gonna get back to them either.  *LOL*   And some were Biographies or Autobiographies of Celebs I Admire, but their Books were Boring and hard to get thru.  Steven Tyler of Aerosmith, great Cover of the Book, so hard to get thru I quit 1/4 of the way thru.

One of my fav Bloggers Wrote a recent Post about Valentine's Day of Yesteryear.  I remember fondly the Valentine Day Dime Store Card exchanges of Grade School.  Especially looking forward to getting one from whoever I had a Crush on that Year, as if it was especially Meaningfully sent by a 3rd Grader in Love.  *Bwaahahahaha*  I still like the Dime Store Yesteryear Cards Kids used to exchange, quite Collectible now and the Graphics were corny and great, weren't they?  The Blogger wondered if Kids still do that, or send pixs of their Private Bits over their Phones to one another now?  *Ha ha ha*  Yeah, Quaintness is a thing of the past as the Years slog on, Kids are far more Worldly than I remember being at a Tender Age. 

 A lot of the Old School Grade School Cards weren't very PC by Today's Standards, most were very Corny tho' rather than outright Offensively inappropriate.  The Grandkids I Raised are Adults now, but they still did those exchanges when they were in Grade School.  I remember helping them Write on the Backs, especially Princess T, who had Learning Disability Barrier and never could Read or Write well at all, so it was painstaking for her to do 25-30 Cards for her Classmates.  I was Popular as a Kid, since I couldn't eat Chocolate and wasn't fond of the Candies I could eat, so I'd give all mine away and just Keep the Heart Shaped Boxes, which, back then were fabulous too.  I now Collect the Vintage Candy Boxes and the Old Grade School Kitschy exchange Cards of Yesteryear, it's all quite Nostalgic now that Valentine's Day for me is just another day.

I do have a small Collection of these Vintage Elementary School Exchange Cards and always look for more each Year to add to it to Display at Valentine's Day in my Flower Frog Metal Holders around the House.   I like the ones best with Ethnic Children or Dimorphic Food or Items, like the above Dimorphic Whisk.   Usually the Ethnic Child ones aren't very PC in what the Cards say, but the Graphics are so Precious I still always liked them, even as a Child.  I'd of coarse get a lot of those given to me by Classmates if they had one with an Indian Child on it.  *Smiles*  I never found it Offensive and liked those ones best anyway... since most Native Americans were never represented much or well anyway during that Era.   I recall not wanting Dolls that didn't look like MY Interracial Family.

 

The Graphics of Yesteryear overall are still my Favs, they're so Nostalgic and just better Graphics IMO than Modern Cards.  My Grandkids liked the Vintage Cards better too.   Tho' we would search for Hours or even Days looking for that Right Box of Cards for them to exchange with their Classmates.  Princess T being fond of the ones that had a Sucker attached with the Card that you had to insert, but came with the Boxed Set.  The Young Prince, as I recall liked those with Action Heroes best of the early 2000's when he was in Grade School.   And in the 1980's-1990's when my Kiddos were Grade School Aged Ziggy was popular and those were some Cute Graphics.

Except for the Genie one Below the rest are in my Collection of Vintage Exchange Cards with Graphics I thought were Precious.   The Treasure Card with the Arabic Boy was just too spendy and on ETSY, which I rarely Purchase from that site but like to peruse it from time to time to get some nice Blog Fodder Visuals to Share.  I just find ETSY Checkout to not be User Friendly, I never have any Problems with E-Bay.  And I do Trawl Antique Malls during the various Holidays to Score some Vintage Holiday items, but they are scarcer and scarcer these days it seems.  Far too many Vendors don't seem to have Vintage Holiday Merch anymore for Holidays like Halloween, Easter and Valentine's Day particularly.  But Online Auctions still often have a nice array and I like if it's just offered as a Buy-It-Now Feature so I don't have to keep checking if I Won or Lost an Item Bid on.

I Loved the little Juggling Chinese Lanterns on this Vintage Child's Exchange Card and the little Girl is Adorably Precious, in spite of the Like-E reference, typical of that Era tho'.   So this one is in my Personal Collection and reminiscent of the Cards of my Childhood Exchanges.  Remember how you Rated how much your Classmates might Like you or you Liked them by which Card you chose to exchange or they gave you?  *LOL*  I remember in about the 3rd-4th Grade there was a Boy Named Clayton, who had a Gold Front Tooth, and I had such a little Crush on him!   I Cherished that Card he put in my Valentine's Tissue Box that we all had on our Desks and held our Classmates exchanged Cards.  We decorated them Gaudily with those Lacy Heart Paper Napkins and other Glued On tacky Embellishments.  *Ha ha ha*   And one of my BFF's used to Tease me about Clayton and put something Metallic on One of her Front Teeth mocking his Gold Tooth and say, "Who am I?"  *LMAOROTF*  I felt very defensive of Clayton and his Gold Tooth!  *LOL*

 

Above is that ETSY Card that I would have liked to have had in my Collection.  But the Seller sure was mighty Proud of that Card for what they were asking... and, it was on ETSY so I wasn't a Player anyway.  A pity, I really did like it and at half what they were asking, I would have been perhaps a Player even tho' it was ETSY.  *Smiles*  Of coarse, you wouldn't Believe the stratospheric Price Point of most Vintage Valentine's Cards now, OMG.  The Seller I bought my little Buy-It-Now Selection from this Year was not only a Bargain, but after Card No. One, any others were Shipped with it for Free and you got a 20% Discount for Bundling your Purchase too.   So, I Bought Four Cards from them and they seemed to Specialize in Vintage Cards from all Holidays, with an Amazing Selection and all Authentic, mostly Used, tho' they did have some New Old Stock too for a bit more, not Reproductions Cards to resemble Vintage Cards, which is a Big Thing now too.

 

The Fold Out Pirate Kids Card I just Loved and wasn't any more expensive for being a larger Foldout Card.   With an Adorable Pair of Pirate Children.   And the Clinging Vine Valentine Below, the Boy is Adorbs and I Loved the Rose Vine Graphics of.   Probably becoz, when I was a Kid, my Mom always planted a Trellis with a Rose Vine at every Rental Property we lived in while we were Global Nomads.  So Roses on Trellis like this White type are Sentimentally Nostalgic to my Childhood Memories of how Mom made every temporary place we lived during my Dad's long Military Career {27 Years}, Home for that short time we'd be there.  The Rose Trellis being her Constant at every Location.  Even here in Phoenix after he Retired.

Below of coarse is one of my Native American Precious Child Cards and the Saying wasn't too bad as some were when pretending to Talk like an Indian.  *LOL*   And the hilarious depiction of a Totem, that has a Clown Face, was just too funny to me... the Animal Bird Face more Totem accurate, can't recall any Totem with a Clown Face ever.  *Bwahahaha*  The Mohawk Haircut of the little Boy reminded me of my Paternal Cousin, DA, who Wore a Mohawk in the 1960's when he was in Grade School.  And long Traditional Hair the rest of his Life except during his stint in the Marine Corps. as a Tracker during Vietnam Era.  

He said in Vietnam they did let him go back to growing his Hair out and long whilst Tracking in the Jungles tho', and not have to be in 35-10 Haircut Standards.  Like my Dad, he pretended to Shave, which was required, but they don't grow Facial Hair, so just never put a Blade in their Razors.  *LOL*  I Dated a Hawaiian Guy who did the same, for the same reason, he had no Facial Hair growth at all either.   My Brother and my Son valiantly spent Years trying to grow Facial Hair and finally succeeded, but it's thin and very straight, so it doesn't look Right.  The Young Prince can barely grow Facial Hair either, handy for Drag.  The Man can have a Five O'Clock Shadow by Noon, so he just keeps a Beard now he's no longer in the Military, he had to Shave Twice Daily otherwise.   My Family just don't have much, if any, Body Hair, so we needn't have ever Shaved, whether Male or Female.

Tomorrow Morning, since I take Princess T in to Work earlier than usual on Tuesdays, I am hitting The Gym for sure.  There won't be many folks there at about 6:30 a.m. when I should arrive after dropping her off at Work by 6:00 a.m., then at 9:00 a.m. I'll finally drop my Merch off at the Antique Mall on the way Home when they Open at 9:00 a.m..  Our Antique Mall is on the same Road as my Gym is, so a straight shot on the way back Home.  I will also stop and do my Grocery Shopping at "Sprouts" after the Antique Mall since that's on the way Home too, both Locations, one near our Antique Mall, the other just a Block from Home.  Late Night and Early Mornings is when they have marked down items.

Tho' Mando did bring some Tamales from his Aunt's House Today, they have to be Steamed tho', they're not ready to eat yet.  So, we'll Steam them Tomorrow, I don't have it in me to do that Tonight before Bed and it's too late to eat now either.   The Fried Chicken is almost all gone so I needn't have worried about having leftover Chicken for Days.  *LOL*  With Allen's Dad and Grandpa not staying to have anything to eat and declining the invitation to take any with them, I thought we'd now have too much, but, we had other Guests and it's gotten eaten up pretty quickly actually.  *Whew*  I like KFC but wouldn't wanna it it for like Three Days Straight... and all the Fixins' got eaten on Day One.

I got my Tupperware E-Bay Lids for those 1970s Vintage Cereal Bowls, Mint Condition, looks like New Old Stock actually, there is a Set of 7 and I got a great Deal on them, Lids are notoriously hard to Source for Vintage Tupperware coz it's what got Lost or damaged the most.  And even in the Seventies I don't remember that we had the Lids to the Cereal Bowls so they may have been Sold separately anyway?  I wanted these not just for Vintage Size Servings of Cereal, but also as Storage Bowls for small Leftovers.  We try not to Waste Food and so try to use up everything we Cook.  The Man is the only one notorious for not eating his Leftovers and forgetting he even has them or not wanting anyone else to eat it and so it goes to Waste and gets thrown out.

Back in the early days at the Antique Mall we always had better Vignettes, now most Vendors don't bother with Vignetting it and what we're Selling now that is what Buyers want, isn't Merch that Creates good Vignettes either.  I miss the Vignette Days of Styling for our Spaces tho', I ain't gonna Lie.   Our current Customers always say they Love our Showroom, but to me it doesn't look as Nice as my Old Days Showrooms when it was easier to Sell Antiques, Vintage Items and Serious Collectibles and/or Architectural Salvage.  Those things you could Vignette It in Stylish ways to Merchandise it in Visually Attractive ways.  Even the Events now, the Vignettes and Merch ain't what they used to be and they've had to evolve to suit Today's Buyers.  It kinda sucks, I miss the Old Days of Resale and Collecting.

*******

Happy Valentine's Day from the Arizona Desert... Dawn... The Bohemian