Curses... Foiled Again...

 So, the Week started out crappy, The Young Prince got stung on the bare Foot by a Scorpion last Night, I'd told him to wear flip flops outside after Dark... now he'll listen to Sage Wisdom from Gramma.  *LOL*  From Teens thru Twenties they know everything so you can't tell them anything.  *Eye Roll*  Luckily, unlike The Son, he's not allergic to Scorpion Venom so it just hurt like Hell, which, it does, I've been stung before, ain't no Fun.  I'm allergic to Bees, but oddly, not Scorpion Stings.  He'll be Fine.  He knew I'd say, I told you so, so, I didn't need to say it.  *Winks*

He and Allen were busy cleaning inside and out, they've done a lot for me in the way of housekeeping inside the house and yard work already.  They reconfigured what's on the back Patio and cleaned that Space too, so, it looks presentable.  They Vacuumed, Mopped, Dusted, Tidied, Swept, Organized, moved heavy things for me and did Laundry.  Then this Morning I get an Emergency Call from Allen at Work, he'd locked his Keys in his Car while it was still running!   We looked for the Spare Key here, but, when they Moved he'd put that IN the Vehicle.  So, all they had was a Fob and it wasn't working.  I put a fresh Fob Button Battery in it, to no avail, it just doesn't work anymore.

So, I drove over to his Work and called a nearby Locksmith after our attempts to break into the Car weren't successful.   It cost me $125 but got it unlocked before it ran out of Gas.  The Tech showed up quick and was really good and a Sweet Young Man.  Thankfully I'd transferred more Emergency Savings over just the day before, Timing is everything when Crisis happen one right after another.  *Whew*  Allen didn't have the Money, 'til next Payday, and he missed pretty much all his Shift, so, another missed day which may get him Fired?  They are unforgiving with Emergency missed days.  I think he should get a different job anyway, a Safer Work environment. 

His Maternal Grandparents in Texas agree, he talked to them about it and with me, to get Sage Advice from Elders.  There's plenty of Work locally and paying as much, if not more, that he's skilled to do.   Also, if they do Fire him he can draw Unemployment and go to Texas to visit his Grandparents and work on their Ranch a while.  His Grandpa is a Retired Top Prosecutor, but is also an active Cattle Rancher.  Allen can do the same thing for his Grandpa on the Ranch that he's doing for the Commercial Slaughterhouse here, without the poor working conditions and inflexibility of his current employer.   Allen is one of the few Americans working there so Management considers him a nuisance.

If there are safety or other Human Rights and OSHA violations and such he confronts Management.  Whereas the Immigrant Foreign Nationals from South of the Border and Africa, are afraid to speak up or complain.  Those Employees constitute over 90% of that Industry... so Management prefers to hire those workers they can more easily exploit and not Care about the Safety of.   I hate to say it, but that's become the American Way when it comes to Industry and Profits.  Either Outsource to 3rd World Countries for Cheap Labor, or force Americans to work Cheaply and as if we're not a 1st World Country.

 This is why the Auto Industry is in crisis right now and Striking.  They got bailed out by the Govt. so CEO's and Shareholders got Enriched via that and have record Profits and higher Salaries, but the Average Workers are being hosed and exploited.  They didn't get a Share of the Industry benefitting from Bailout Money or record Profits earned off the Backs of their labor.  The average Hourly Wage for Autoworkers is $28... Statistics show a full time Worker in the U.S. right now needs to make $28.58 an Hour just to make Rent!  I'm a Statistics person, in my Banking Corporate Life I did financial prospectus all the time.

  You don't have to be a Math Jedi to see most Workers aren't making enuf for basic essentials like Shelter, Food, Utilities, Transportation... let alone Child Care, Clothing, Non-Food essentials, Medical, Medications, Dental, or other Bills.   This is a problem that is worsening for most Americans who aren't affluent and exceedingly privileged.  The obscenely wealthy are getting richer and greedier, the Middle Class, Retired and Poor are falling further behind and the gap is widening exponentially.

Then, my large Library Style Bookshelf in The RV Garage Mahal had the Wood expand and contract with temperature extremes and changes, so a Shelf destabilized and collapsed on one side.  Luckily the Books below caught it so it only fell a couple inches and nothing broke, the Shelf is Solid Wood but twisted and warped some.  So, The Young Prince re-installed it up higher on the unit, stabilized the Metal Dowels it sets on.  Then re-arranged smaller lighter Books on it.  We transferred heavier largest Books to the lowest Shelf that sets on a thick Drawer File Cabinet which is the lower section of the Bookcase for Legal Papers and such to be Stored in hanging File Folders. 

I'm Collecting Vintage Metal Milkcrates to make into Bookshelves so I can slowly remove some Books from that Unit and just arrange a mixture of Books and lighter Decor on it.  In a Climate Controlled Space you don't have such problems, but, that Space will always be Non-Climate Controlled, it's an enormous Warehouse sized Space.  The Bookcase is huge, so dimensions were for the McManse Library that had 30 Foot Ceilings and enormous cavernous Rooms that needed big furnishings.   This is a normal size Home and 8 Ft. Ceilings, that Bookcase is too big for any Room in it, but I didn't wanna Sell it, it's my Fav piece of newer Furniture and I paid a lot for it.  Tho' I got it at a Bargain for 1/3 of the original price, since it was a Floor Model of a discontinued Line they had no more Inventory of.

The RV Garage Mahal is being Designed to house my Library now, I don't have a Library Room in this Home.  Downsizing has required adaptation and improvisation.   I Love my Books and have an impressive Library of them that rivals most Retail Bookstores.   The majority being Decor, Gardening, Art and Cookbooks with loads of ahhhmazing Visuals.   So, you don't have to be an avid Reader or even a Culinary Jedi to enjoy them, the Visuals are pure Eye Candy and Inspirational.   With the price of Books now, I have quite a lot of value in the quality of Books I have and how many of them are now out of print and desirable.  I could open an Online Bookstore if I ever felt the need to recoup on some of the Collection.  *LOL*

The Granddaughter got her Eyebrow Pierced.  There is a Body Piercing Shop in The Mall and the Staff are all heavily pierced Adorable Young Women and Men.  I never saw so many Piercings!   The Granddaughter already has a Pierced Nose, Ears and Bellybutton.  She said the Eyebrow hurt less than she expected it to, she didn't even flinch and her Eyes didn't Water enuf to ruin her Makeup.   All but The Man came with her for this, to offer support, her Mom paid for it.  So, we had Six trawling The Mall.  Everything is so spendy, fresh Baked Pretzel Bites and Lemonade for the Crew was $45!   So, anyway, now she doesn't have to glue Balls on her Face with Eyelash Glue anymore.  *LOL*  She will have to go back after swelling goes down and get a smaller Bar, they put the larger Bar for swelling and healing.

I turned down a couple of Sunday Night Shifts coz my "Halloween Wars" Marathon of 2023 Episodes has begun on Sunday Nights.  The premier was this Sunday Night and the Talent is amazing for this Year's Contestants.  I actually fell asleep watching my Halloween Baking Contests afterwards.  I wanted to stay up and watch it all but I ended up fading out in the Media Chair and when I woke up, it was a brand new day.  *LOL*  Dammit, missed who Won the Halloween Cookie Contest, so hope it loops for that Episode.  I didn't agree with who got eliminated early in "Halloween Wars", I happened to like their final piece best.  The Judges didn't like their interpretation of a creepy Humpty Dumpty Character or that the King's Horse drew more of their attention.

To me both Humpty Dumpty and his Horse were exceptional Artwork of Cake, Sugar and Pumpkin, as well as making the Horse 3-D coming out of the exceptionally Painted Backdrop.  Some of the others that didn't get eliminated didn't have the same Quality of construction or as interesting Characters IMO.  There's no current Episode Imagery to Share, but now some previous Episode fav Creations are Online to behold.   When you think this is all Edibles, it's just Mind blowing, isn't it?   Some of the Contestants have been serious Artists for Years using other Mediums.  But tho' they Created Museum and Gallery Quality Art, people would briefly admire it, comment and move on.   But, when they'd carve a Pumpkin or make a Cake, everyone would be blown away, stand in Awe and wanted their Number and to Hire them to do Work and/or be on these Holiday Contest Shows.

I'm a Devotee of these Shows and I'd attend one of the Events featuring this kind of thing during the Holidays more often than I'd attend a Gallery Event or Buy Art.   I used to attend Master Pumpkin Carver Ray Villafane's Event in Carefree/Cave Creek, but, they quit Hosting it, which is a shame.   I'd still make the Pilgrimage to it if they still did it, looked forward to it as a Holiday Tradition in fact.   We wanted to attend the Jazz Festival this Month, they moved it from being Hosted in the Spring, to Hosting it in the Fall, the Weather being more pleasant for an Outdoor Venue.  But, it moved from being Free and in Glendale in the West Valley, to needing to buy Tickets Online and in the Far East Valley.  Bummer.

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Happy Autumn... Dawn... The Bohemian