Dangerous Cycles

 It's 114 Degrees already and all Week we've already begun breaking Heat Records early with more Record breaking temps to come that will be even higher.  Heat related Deaths are up by 90% in Arizona and Nevada, not a good Sign.  Last Year Ancient Saguaro Cactus that were over a Century Old were exploding becoz the Heat was too high for them internally!  Many have Died and they're doing Scientific Studies about the Neg impact already of Climate Change carnage like that upon the Natural World.  We already know Coral Reefs are Dying on the Coasts due to Water Temps rising to over 100 Degrees.  Climate Change is Real.

Some of this Post's Food Porn is compliments of FB Feeds I found to be appetizing enuf to try to replicate or already know I like to eat.  So, I tried to get all my Grocery Shopping done early, but, by even 9:00 am we were into Triple Digits already, so there was no beating the Heat.  The Temps were so High Yesterday, Record Breaking in fact, that it never Cooled Off in the Evenings and remained pretty high.   We feed and water the Wildlife that have sought Sanctuary in our Mini Farm Community, poor things are displaced by the greedy Development and Urban Sprawl expanding relentlessly.  Our Community of Mini Farms established in the early 1960's is the last remaining Sanctuary for the Wildlife for Miles now.  Our Community is only about half a City Block of Mini Farms tho'.  Some of the Luxury Subdivisions around us have Manmade Lakes for Wildlife, which is good.

Anyway, I'm having trouble finding my Happy Eggs Blue N Brown Brand I prefer.  At Sprouts they had them but someone must have dropped the shipment coz every Dozen had broken Eggs in it, so, I didn't Buy any.  They are a more expensive Brand so I'm not paying a Premium if even One Egg is Broken in the Dozen.  At other Grocers they seemed to be experiencing an Egg shortage again and price point had gone way up on the Cheaper Brands.  The Expensive Brands hadn't fluctuated in price tho', Curious indeed when only the Cheap Brands increase dramatically in price.  They did have a markdown on some Pre-Hard Boiled Eggs, so I bought 18 of those instead.  We're making Deviled Eggs so it saved us time and Money.

We have a house full of Guests since everyone came over to Swim and have Lunch with us apparently.  *LOL*   I had bought some nice Salad Fixings and some new Salad Toppers that are yummy.  We're having Taco Thursday later on too, so I have the Fixings for those and some Cheese & Roasted Green Chile pre-made Tamales.  I also bought some Pupusas with the Cheese filling {pix above}.   If you've not had those they're South American cuisine and have a thick Tortilla Like Masa and Shape, but with a thin layer of filling, usually Cheese, Beans, or Meats, or a Combo of any/all of that.  These are Cheese and I get them in the Deli/Interior Restaurant Section of a local Hispanic Grocer called "Ranch Market".   They're only about Three Bucks each and hearty, I can only ever eat just One.

So, I told all the Young People that since I braved Triple Digit Temps to go Buy the Groceries for Dinner, they all have to get together and Cook it for Taco Thursday.  *LOL*  Princess T had Good News after Summer School got out Today, she already finished One Class and recaptured the Credit for it and is 85% close to finishing another One in a few Days.  Whoop Whoop!   She's got a Teacher whose been very Helpful, but isn't the regular Summer School Teacher, she's a Substitute.  Too bad, our Grandchild Wishes she were Teaching for the whole Summer Session, since, she's actually Helping the Students and making Sense of the Curriculum for the Kids with Special Needs, Helping them Succeed.

If they had more Teachers like her, perhaps most of these Kids would have not fallen so far behind and might have even Graduated with their Peers?!   I don't think our Grandchild is unteachable or even has a low IQ, but, she does have significant Learning Disabilities that have impaired her ability to do well Academically in Mainstream Classes.  Her IEP's haven't always been followed or Honored by some Teachers either, which hasn't helped at all, since, the Individualized Education Programs are designed to help Students with Special Needs and Disabilities to Succeed and accommodate them by Modifying their Curriculum in ways to Educate them adequately but with realistic expectations.  

Our Student is upbeat about School when she has good Teachers who don't exhibit bias or resentment to have Special Needs Kiddos in their Classrooms or perhaps those who struggle Academically for whatever reasons.   And when I see the Demographic of Students attending Summer School who didn't Graduate and are in the Credit Recapture Program, it's obvious which segments of the Student Body are being neglected... it's disproportionately high with Disabled Kids and Kids of Color.  Princess T has told me that some of the Teachers think it's Funny to Joke about the "Super Seniors", which is the Label slapped onto the Kids who couldn't Graduate.  Very crass, insensitive and unprofessional, very damaging to the Self-Esteem and Psyche of those Children, pisses me off.

She also told me some of those same Teachers bring not only their Personal Bias, but also their Political Views into the Classroom, and I guess I don't even have to tell you how Far Right they lean.  *Eye Roll and Predictable*  Thankfully it's not all of the Teachers, she's had some exceptional ones too and Passed all their Classes.  Which is also very Telling IMO.  Bad Teaching often equals Students Failing.  The onus is often on the Teacher moreso than the Student.  So when we're responsible for the Education of the Young, being equitable towards every Student is the mature and fair way to approach it.  Not just cater to the exceptional Student or the ones most like us.  Anyway, having some Good News for a change about School was refreshing and I gave her a High Five for Soldiering On. 

I finally found my Happy Blue N Brown Eggs at a Sprouts, but a Couple just ahead of me snagged the last Two Gallons of my Zeal Creamery Milk, dammit!  It always Sells Out quickly, I should have hit the Dairy section first to ensure I'd beat everyone to it.  *LOL*   But, I got waylaid in the Bakery Section buying some of the most delicious looking Vegan Berry Muffins.  They tasted as good as they look and were loaded with Blueberries, Cranberries, Raspberries and Blackberries in an airy Muffin that was moist and delicious.  Sometimes Vegan Muffins are heavy, these weren't, very light and not so dense, but loaded with the Berries.  I got my new Fav Yogurt too, La Fermie're, best Yogurt I've ever had.  They're a Family owned French Yogurt and Desserts Co. since 1952.

My fav flavor of it is their Orange Blossom Honey, it's like a Custard in consistency and makes a Heavenly Dessert that is good for you.  They have Signature Pots that they come in that are Terra Cotta and can be repurposed many ways and there's Online Tutorials on different ways you can reuse these pretty Pots.   The Orange Blossom Honey comes in a Lavender Glazed Terra Cotta Pot.   People have even Baked in them and Frozen things in them or used them to make Homemade Soy Candles.  They even Sell Wooden Lids you can use for the Pots.  Yes, the Brand is a little more expensive than your Garden Variety Yogurts, and has more unusual Flavors, but, it's decadently superior in Taste and Packaging, so, I think worth just over Three Bucks.  Often Sprouts has it on Sale and I stock up when they do.

I just Donate the Clear Glass Pots but I do Keep the Terra Cotta ones.  I'd like to find some of the Flavors that my Sprouts doesn't carry, like the Lavender, Yuzu Ginger, Rose and Matcha Lime.  I like unusual Flavors and have a preference for them over commonplace Flavor profiles.   I think I'll order some of the Wooden Lids now that I found out they make and Sell them for the Brand's Pots.  I guess a lot of Fans of the Brand Collect the Containers and reuse them, it's become a Thing.  Hard to locate some of the Flavors Locally and even Online, some of them are only Sold right now in New York and Cali at the present time.  I'd really like to try the Lavender Flavor, can't find it Locally and Arizona doesn't offer it Online yet. 

If you think I'm a little Food Obsessed in this Post, well, I haven't really been hungry due to the intense Heat, but I do think Beautiful Food is Eye Candy.  I try to stock the favs when we know we'll be spending a lot of time Indoors during the Months in the Desert where you don't go Outside much due to Extreme Heat Warnings and Advisories.  They've had those all Week long and if you're Old, or very Young, or Medically compromised, it's high risk to be out for long.  After 104 Degrees your Body is actually in Crisis Mode to try to regulate your Body Temperature.  So, when the Outside Temps are 104 or above, it can be dangerous even if you're being careful.

   

The Man has been binge watching old "Walker Texas Ranger" Episodes with Chuck Norris from the 1990's, the Acting is terrible and the Story Lines are cheesy and like a Aesop's Fable Messaging.   Not that a good Message is bad, but, the Series really was very patronizing and infantile in how they presented the Messaging they wanted to impart in the Moral of the Story.  Like it was being presented to a 3rd Grader or an illiterate Adult, quite condescending and I just never liked the Show, even in it's heyday, let alone Decades later in Reruns that almost seem quite comedic now.  The Man will sit and watch it like it's dead Serious Television.  Right now they have an Episode with a Native American Twist that is just ridiculous and hits every Stereotype and Old Trope you could Imagine about the Indigenous Culture.  *LOL and a huge Eye Roll*

I picked up a couple of extra Shifts for the Month to fill in for my Friend Richard.  He's the reason I agreed, I don't really want the Shifts, but his Health has severely tanked and he looks like he's circling the drain, Bless him.  He didn't manage his Diabetes well at all and I've been warning him for Years about his Diet and Carb binging being deadly for his condition.  So when Steven, our Manager, called and told me I'd be covering for Richard, I agreed.  It wasn't as if it was covering for one of the flaky Slackers whose just being irresponsible about their Shifts and not honoring a commitment for petty reasons.   Lord knows we've got some of them and I don't like enabling those with a poor Work Ethic.

  But someone legitimately having personal Crisis, I try to accommodate.  Otherwise they could risk losing their Shift altogether with a permanent replacement.   Some Vendors are greedy for someone else's Shift and are seeking to replace them, not just fill in and cover for them.   I am one of the few who prefer filling in only and often turn down Shifts offered to me temporarily or permanently.  Management would actually give me more permanent Shifts if I'd accept them, but One on Sunday Nights is enuf right now.   I've got too much going on in my personal life to do more part time Work outside of the Home.  If I can't be reliable I would prefer not to accept, since Caregiving has to be the priority even tho' it's unpaid Work.  *LOL*

I do have to prepare The Man well in advance and Steven knows this so tries to ask me to fill in enuf in advance I can prepare him.   He does not like Changes in the Routine and me going to Work on a Day I usually don't, disrupts his Routine enuf he starts acting up and acting out for the Kiddos who are covering for me here at Home otherwise.   If he has enuf Time to adjust, he does better.  So, I told him about Richard, and he knows the dire Situation with my Friend's Health, we both feel really badly for how much he's deteriorated so rapidly.   We both are also Insulin Dependent Diabetics... The Man knows he himself doesn't behave and do what he should... so Richard is a precautionary Tale.  There but for the Grace of God and a stark reminder of what poor Management of the Disease can ravage you with.  And how it takes you Out isn't Pretty.

I also prep the rest of the Family, since they'll be covering for me here at Home in my absence with Dad/Grandpa.   The Antique Mall, even tho' it's Work, is my Happy Place and somewhat of a respite from the demands of Full Time Unpaid Caregiving, so, the Kiddos know it's good for me.   I don't get 'Paid' there either with a Salary, but I do get Comped Space Rent.  Which means Keeping more of my Profits from Sales, which is Helpful to gird up a Fixed Income too.  We've been sending more Money to Mexico for those Grandkids ever since all the Crisis involving their Grandma and Dad, who have Custody and can no longer provide adequately.  We can't get them across the Border, or obtain Custody or Kinship Placement, but we can Help extended Family who've taken them in to finish Raising them. 

One is in College on a partial Scholarship, so we help with Tuition needs so she can remain and finish furthering her Education.  She's Working and going to School, she's the Oldest of The G-Kid Forces Younger Trio of Siblings living in Mexico.   The Middle One just Graduated High School, they Graduate earlier there and she's been the Prodigal of the Trio down there, so just finishing School was a Big Deal for that one.  *Whew*  She's also the one most emotionally and mentally traumatized by that Kidnapping and Violent Abduction of her Dad.  Who was beaten and shot in front of them and has since recovered and was released Months later. Since the Bad Actors pulled the Guns on she and their Youngest Half-Sister, whose very Young and only in Grade School!   We all feared him Dead for almost a whole Year.

Now that he's in Jail, we suspect he's been forced into a Situation and Servitude with Bad Actors, which is common in Dictatorships run by Cartels.  Families are forced into illegal Situations or their lives and the lives of their Families are threatened... or ended.  This is Why I don't want America turning into a Banana Republic run by Career Criminals and led by Lunatics and those prone to extreme Violence and insatiable Greed... very dangerous for the Populations oppressed by them.   I think any American fantasizing that a fanatical Theocracy of Extremist Religion or a Autocracy would be preferable to our great Democracy, should be forced to Live in a Country that is one and Experience it firsthand to get a fucking Reality Check up close and personal first. 

  Our great experiment of a functional Democracy ain't perfect, but it's being taken for granted by those who have limited or no exposure of living with alternatives.  The Foolishness of some American Fantasies with no actual Points of Reference is staggering in fact.   When I see how limited some Americans Orbit has been and how not Traveled they've been, I can see how Insulated their World and Exposure has been.  So that they're particularly vulnerable to any Bullshit being shoveled.  If you've only ever been in your little Corner of the World then you can be either Clueless and ignorant about the rest of the World or very Fearful of it, since, you don't know any better. 

  And those who have been, that would like and have an Agenda to deceive you, easily then can.  You come off to them like a Rube and quite pliable to their Methods of filling your Head with propaganda and misinformation of all kinds.  Fascinate the Fools then Muzzle the Intellectuals is an Old Play Book by Regimes to successfully install themselves.   People will often willingly give up their Rights without a Fight if they can be successfully Manipulated, Brainwashed and Weaponized instead.   And they'll be Happy to do it in fact once they're indoctrinated.   Their Fears will then continuously be used against them and to Control them.  Just look at places like Russia, North Korea, most of the unstable Middle East, and every Banana Republic, and numerous African Nations, if you doubt that Fact of how the Populations now Oppressed for Generations are trapped in the vicious Cycle.

You may not like everything about how our Government is running or the decisions particular Administration in Leadership might be making for their Terms, but, every Four Years you can have the chance to Change it by Free and Fair Elections.   A lot of our Enemies would like you to Believe our Election System is now as corrupt as theirs is and a Sham, like theirs is, but, it's not and attempts to make it so have thus failed.  No Evidence or Proof has been established in beaucoup Court Cases to verify it has been.   No massive Election Fraud has been anything but a Lie or at the best, a rampant Conspiracy Theory unproven but Believed by who can't accept Facts and Truths, and bases their Beliefs instead upon their own unsubstantiated Opinions.   Warnings based with Facts fall on their Deaf Ears and they don't want The Truth, perhaps they can't even Handle the Truth?

I never Fear a Habitual Liar, since I can just ignore them and their Bullshit, but a Habitual Believer is much more dangerous.   Anyone that can make you Believe Absurdities is likely to be able to make you commit Atrocities out of your Fears they've seeded and cultivated.  This is why whatever 45 says and does is never going to sway his Base from their fealty to him, it's secondary now to him being the Avatar for their own Anger.  This is why they shut down any dialogue based on Reality, Facts or Evidence of how dangerous he is.  And how catastrophically devastating to Democracy.  Even tho' he's boldly said all the quiet parts out loud and has made few pretenses of who he is and what he intends to do, so, Believe him on those points.  He Lies so often that people think nothing he says is credible and don't take him seriously, but, he counts on that actually.  Deception and Deflection have worked pretty good for him and his Cronies thus far.

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Turn out and Vote come November, indifference, complacency and ambivalence is complicit otherwise in what may happen that you will sorely come to regret... Dawn... The Bohemian