Okay, so, Rusty, The Boyfriend, came thru and certainly stepped us his Game for Princess T's Birthday! He MADE her this Bouquet of Ribbon Roses, Bless him. Yes, he MADE them himself, and Artistic Talent and Handmade Gifts impress this Family. It's something we've always done for one another for Generations and shows he's a Kindred Spirit. I can't even imagine how many Hours he spent Creating this Bouquet for her and it did impress her more than just going out and Buying Flowers for her. She Handmakes Bouquets out of Pipe Cleaners and is very Artsy, so, this is a Love Language to her, for sure, he Scored Points. *Winks* The little Anime Plush, some very expensive Kicks and other Goodies he loaded up her Gift Bag with, had probably cost him a whole Paycheck too, Bless him. He also took her on a proper Date Monday Night. So, he Scored Points with all of us this day. *Winks*
She posed for the Obligatory Gramma Pathological Picture Taking, which is our Custom, Mandatory, and not Optional in this Family. *Winks* But we couldn't convince Rusty to... so far he's a Ghost, no Pixs exist of him and they've been Dating for Months. All her Boyfriends have pretty much looked the same, she has a Type, that's for sure... Quiet, Introverted, Tall, Thin, Dark Complexion and Latino, with a LOT of wavy or very curly Hair. *Smiles* Rusty doesn't look a whole lot unlike Isaac or Jon Carlos. He's very Shy and Introverted, and I oblige by exerting no pressure, respecting he doesn't like his Pix taken. I'm also pretty sure he's not one of America's Most Wanted and avoiding detection tho'. *Bwahahahahaha* I'm pretty sure both of his Parents are First Generation Immigrants and speak Spanish at Home, so, he's Bilingual and speaks perfect English. He lives with his Dad and Three other Hispanic Adult Males Sharing a Home.
The Daughter and I were up Binge Watching more of WENTWORTH when the Kiddos came back Home from their Date. He didn't keep her out too long since she has to be AT Work by 6:00 a.m. on Tuesdays and he's in Construction, so goes to Work before Sunrise too, like The Son does in The Trades. Both Kiddos looked tired but like they'd had a very Big Time out Celebrating her Birthday. I like that she's respectfully never come Home Drunk and I really don't think she partakes of Alcohol. She doesn't like it that her Mom and Uncle are Alcoholics or that Timmy indulged in Underaged Drinking, so, she may avoid the Fire Water. She does like MJ but is very adverse about any other Drugs. I had the same Speech and Spiel I gave all the Kids about Substance Abuse and Addiction... so, if it takes with at least One of them, I'll consider that a Victory. *Le Sigh* I did go to the Antique Mall and put in more Halloween Inventory, since, I was almost Sold Out again.
I did pick up a fill-in Shift for October 10th for Mark, whose having some Health Issues and that should be a One-Off Shift on a Thursday Night. Mark is a Retired Phoenix Cop, Older Guy, don't know him real well, don't like him very much either. Why? He's very stereotypical Egotistical, Arrogant and Vain. And he knows I'm Retired from the DA's Office, so, not a lot of Love Lost between us either. Yes, some Policing Agencies aren't fond at all of anyone who Works for or is Retired from the DA's Office, go figure. *LMAO* Mostly cost we be the ones Investigating any Police Corruption or Cops who commit Crimes and they tend to Cover for their own, even the Dirty ones. Which, that whole Brotherhood always has covered for the ones that should never have a Badge and a Gun becoz they abuse it. They are highly problematic and why so much of the Public, and Minority Neighborhoods in particular, don't Trust Law Enforcement and give Good Cops an undeserved Bad Rap too. Mark tends to make excuses and be defensive on behalf of Bad Cop Behavior, no bueno IMO.
And, Yeah, I'm a Sucker for being asked to pick up a fill-in Shift when asked. And so even tho' I'd given up both regular Shifts I had, I did agree to the occasional fill-in Shift if they need me. *LOL* Steven, our Manager, still wants me to work Mid-Week on a Regular Shift if and when he gets a Night Shift I'd agree to. I don't Work Morning Shifts of Mid-Afternoon Shifts at all... so will only Work the 5-9 Shifts and he knows that. So, anyway, it was still Dark outside when I dropped Princess T off at Work and it was also kinda Chilly, which felt nice actually. Yesterday it had gone back up to the Triple Digits and I'd rather it begin to Cool Off permanently and stay under 100 now. I also picked up another Screw in my Tire from all these damned Construction sites around our Home and had to spend Two Hours getting it fixed at Discount Tire! Luckily it was repairable again, whew, coz the Tires are New Michelins and Expensive.
I got the little Creepy Nurse on the Far Left of this Quartet, I'd put in an Offer for all Four but the Vendor never got back with Staff. So, I left a reduced Offer for the remaining Trio and see what she says? I've bought her Creepy Doll Creations before, these are smaller and more Simplistic than she usually makes them, she Dates and Signs them. I have some other Halloween, Christmas and 4th of July ones she's made in the past, she only makes a few each Holiday. She's kind of an Oddball Vendor, she only has a small Unlocked Case and eclectic mix of Merch, most of which I wouldn't have any interest in. But, once she Sold a Magnolia Pearl Bag that was from Robin's Original Line in the very beginning of the Brand and I snapped it up. Don't know where the Vendor Sourced it from, since, clearly she didn't know what it was. I always look in her small Space tho' coz every once in a while there is a Treasure among the crapola. *LOL*
I like her little Creepy Creations tho', even tho' the other Product she tends to Sell is what you'd find at a Yard Sale, so, I'm Surprised she's lasted as long at the Mall as she has. Unlocked Cases are inexpensive, but, I can't imagine she Sells very much of her Merch, it almost always looks the same and is very jumbled piles of random objects not Displayed well at all, just crammed onto her Shelves in heaps. The other problem is, when Called, she rarely responds, so, she clearly doesn't manage her Retail very well and the Mall has trouble contacting her with Offers, Questions or Concerns. There are some that are like that, you never see them and their Spaces are always neglected and not worked. Ironically, many Vendors who behave that way seem clueless and upset as to why it's not working out for them and they have poor Sales. I had to take her Creepy Creations out and Stage them in another Vendor's Case to even Photograph them, hers is too cluttered and looks so disheveled.
The Mall is in the same Parking Lot as Discount Tire, so, we meandered thru the Antique Mall while awaiting my Tire Repair, which is handy. I foofed my Showroom and saw I'd Sold Four Globes! It's Weird, but, you usually end up Selling Vintage Globes en mass like that, no idea Why? *LOL* Don't even know if the same Customer or different ones Buy them, but, I have Sold Four in a matter of just Days. So, my Display of Globes in the Showroom is way down now. I've been Collecting Vintage and Antique Globes for Decades, so, I'm Downsizing my Collection by bringing some in when I Sell some off. The Young Prince confiscated several to Art Up too, which, I didn't mind, his Art is Unique and Cool, so it only improved the Value of the Old Globes IMO. I look for them in any Condition so that he can Art them up actually now. Every so often you find an Old Globe at a Chazza and if it's Cheap, I Buy it to Resell or let The Grandson Art Up.
Okay, so these Retro Pyrex Cookie Decorations just caught my Eye when it presented in my Book of Faces News Feed as something that might interest me. *LOL* Yeah, the Algorithms work, and "know" us, don't they? *Bwahaha* I thought these were Genius and look so much like The Real Deal Pyrex Retro Kitchenware, too Cute, I'd Buy Cookies Decorated like this, sure would!!! The Art Form of Cookie Decorating has elevated to a level that blows my Mind actually. Yes, spectacular Cake Decorating is impressive, but they get a lot of Money for Specialty Cakes. But Cookies, the Artisan does it mostly for the Love of the Art coz a Cookie can't Cost that much for the Work and Talent put into it. But, it can be profitable when you're this damned Good, right? I had to Save this Pix to my Photo Archives, I was just that impressed.
I did some Work in The RV Garage Mahal early this Morning, but I've been having Post-Menopausal Sweats badly lately, my Estrogen levels must be declining again to be causing it. It tends to be hereditary and my Mom and Maternal Nanna had them too way past Menopause, it's very uncomfortable but has nothing to do with Menopause. But, the Symptoms are quite similar to where your Body can't regulate Temperature properly anymore and you most feel like you're burning up from the inside out and Sweat profusely regardless what Temperature you're in. The Home is at a comfortable Temperature and I'll still Sweat as if it's not Climate Controlled. So, if I'm in a Non-Climate Controlled environment, I become fatigued quickly becoz my Body is trying harder to Cool off than someone whose Temp regulation is working properly. My Mom took Meds for it, but they caused Cancer, so, I won't take them. I'd rather Sweat and be uncomfortable than assume that Risk.
Another one of the Lovely Granddaughters, The G-Kid Force's Younger Sisters in Mexico, wearing a Cute lil Hot Pink Dress. This one is the Wild Child of The Daughter's Five Kiddos and she has a much Older Boyfriend, so, we do worry about this one. I try to keep track of how Old all the Grands and Great-Grands are, but when there are many, sometimes I fail to recall how Old any of them are... for sure? *Smiles* This one should be turning 16 in early January, as I recall? Becoz, this is a recent Pix where she's holding a Cake that says 15, so, I could be Wrong? *LOL* She's the one that dropped out of School to be a Full Time Caregiver to Saint Maria before she Died. So, we're hoping she can return to School now and finish her Education? She has Learning Disabilities like Princess T, so, she Acted Out Behaviorally, whereas her Older Sister, Princess T, became more Introverted. The one above is scrappy like their Mother, and a Handful, so no Relative wanted her.
She and her slightly Older Sister are now living Alone in their Grandmother's Home, so, we have a lot of worries about them being Okay without any Adult Supervision? Above is one of the Trio Kissing their Dearly Departed Grandmother, she was their whole World and Raised them. The Daughter checks in on them by Video Chat Daily, they don't Speak or Understand English, so I'm limited on contact due to the Language Barrier. The Daughter is fluently Bilingual and has been for over 20 Years. The Older one is going to be 18 in Mid-December and already has a Job Modeling, a Job at a Pizza Parlor, and is going to College on a Scholarship, while helping Raise this Sister and take Care of the Home they grew up in, Bless her... it's A LOT for a Teenager to manage and be responsible for. But, they've been responsible for a lot for a long time and are not your Garden Variety Teens, they were Raised by a Grandmother who was MY Mother's Generation and Age Group. Saint Maria was very Old School in her ways and tough as Old Boots, a Strong Matriarchal Figure. So, they were Raised to be Strong Independent Women.
The Youngest Sister Shared an Old Grade School Class Pix of herself. She is the one with very long Hair down to her Hips in the Front Row, Bottom Right at the End. In that Pix she looks so much like I did at that Age that its uncanny. *LOL* She is living with extended Family right now after her Abuelita Died, she will be turning 14 in late December, pretty sure? *LOL* They are not Biologically Connected, the Family that took her in, they are the Family of her Stepmother, our Ex SIL's New Wife, but, they Love her as their own. And they took on the responsibility of taking her in, when we couldn't get her across the Border, so that was a huge Relief to all of us. So, her Sisters don't have to try to support or take care of her too, which is also a Relief. We send Money to that Aunt who has her and she makes sure the other Two get their portions allotted of what we can afford to send. Until the Oldest is Grown, we can't send Money to her directly, to distribute, which would be preferable and ensure they all get it.
I Loved this Cast Iron Buffalo my Friend Big Kenny had at the Event, he got it from a Consummate Collector of Native American Real Deal Antiquities. If he can give me a First Cousin Deal on it, I'd like to Own it, it's a Bank. I'm asking Kenny if he Sold it and if not, to hold it for me along with the Mercantile Cabinet I'm Buying from him at the next Event that he's holding for me too. He just PM'd me that it's Mine. *LOL* Budget it strained for a whole lot of Essential reasons lately tho', not just Home Improvements. I made another Grocery run, the prices keep increasing on products we use all the time, almost Weekly now, so you notice the price gouging on it. Inflation is clearly being fueled by Manufacturer Greed to rake in more Profits. One Product and Brand we Buy all the time increased from $5.99 each to $8.99 each in a Month!!! They had it "On Sale" for $7.99 as if that Fools the Consumer that they're still paying exponentially more since just last Month.
Switching Brands doesn't help much becoz all of them are increasing simultaneously. And like I said before, the Dollar Stores increased prices by 25% during Pandemic and most of them Closed after Pandemic, so Savings and stretching Budget from Buying at Discount Stores is becoming scarcer too. This is why feeding a Family of Five on our Pensions is hard. The Son almost has his Fines paid off from his Accident and Tickets. He still has that Wage Garnishment the Court Ordered to repay that Predatory Lender for a Vehicle repossessed over 12 Years ago that the Lender Sold and didn't lose Money on. The Judgment was Lender Friendly and Consumer harsh, double exploitation of a Predatory Lender that now the Courts are enabling to exploit Borrowers even more, it pisses me off. I suspect the Judge got bought and paid for by the Lender, happening all the time now all the way up to and including the Superior Court.
While we were at the Event this Month, one of the Designers we know had bought a Historic Chateau in Southern France, his Husband thought he was nuts. *LOL* He paid Cash and has the Governor living there Rent Free and the Maintenance and Groundskeepers also live there for Free in exchange for Maintaining it, which works for him very well. He said it was Sold "As Is" Furnished with all the Historic Antique Contents when the 80 Year Old previous Owner Died. He only paid $880,000 for it, which, right now, wouldn't even Buy you a Mini Farm in our Subdivision Community, let alone an enormous 18 Bedroom Historic Chateau in the South of France, complete with Contents and Staff to Maintain it at no additional Cost!!! He plans to Retire there eventually, or, as he said, sooner if 45 gets Elected. A lot of Wealthy Americans I know have expressed those sentiments and bought Property abroad to Escape America should it become Authoritarian Ruled.
Count on those who have the Money to bail, and bail to Countries that will still have functional Democracies and Freedom without Oppression. If America falls under Dictatorship Rule, I'd consider Selling Out and moving Abroad, for sure. I'm a Dual Citizen of my Mom's Country and we have Relatives all over Europe and Mexico, all of them very concerned about another 45 Presidency. Most Ally Nations are following our Election this time around more than most Americans are. I also suspect our Enemies are following it even closer. It's looming ever closer and I have a LOT of concerns about it, Win or Lose. Because tensions are higher than ever and the Lunatic Fringe Base he has are even more Radicalized, become more of a Cult, untethered to Reality and Unhinged than they were in 2020. And many of the Domestic Terrorists and Extremist Groups have latched on as well, realizing the Chaos would benefit them and their Agendas greatly.
The Weather Channel said our Temps could get back up to 110 by Tomorrow and 111 by Friday, it's supposed to get to 107 Today, that's ridiculous for Fall... even here in the low Desert!!! I was really Hopeful to be able to spend more time working in my Non-Climate controlled Spaces to get them in Order, but with those Temps, no way that's happening. *Le Sigh* I took a Mid-Morning Nap, it's helpful, I'm getting up early again to get Princess T to Work, so, it's just as much an early wakeup call now as when she was in School. But, I do like her Hours, leaves me with a relatively freed up schedule for myself. She will be saving up for a Vehicle and try to get her License so she'll have more Independence, but, that will take some time.
Getting some of the Work done here, even a little at a time, is still Progress, even if it's delayed. I try to do a little somethin'-somethin' each Day to feel like I'm still moving forward and not giving up in this whole Downsizing and getting all Moved In Process that has really seemed never ending. I was thinking that perhaps I was more patient or more up to it at previous properties than I have been here? I'm not quite sure why it's taking so long really, could be a lot of factors. If we move forward with those Tag Sales, which The Daughter really liked the Idea of, coz it would give her some steady small income generated, then, we move a lot out of here quicker too. I've already got it Crated or Boxed in the She Shed, so it's easily accessible and already sorted, just not priced. Which is fine, at a Tag Sale you can wait 'til someone is interested and barter a price you and they come to agreement on.
When I went in to foof my Showroom on Tuesday Morning Steven asked me if I could fill in for someone this Friday Night, so, I agreed. I really don't mind filling in, so much more freedom than committing to a regular Shift, and, I can decline whenever it doesn't work for me. I don't know who I'm filling in for, it doesn't matter, the comped Rent comes in handy and so far Sales for this Pay Period are pretty Strong. I've Sold most of my Halloween Merch, so I had to bring in more of it again. People seem in the Mood to Buy Holiday Merch and indulge in some Fantasy Escapism. I can't blame them, the Scene in Reality is pretty fucked up right now. Usually I want to be kept informed but lately I avoid The News since it's never anything Positive or Uplifting. Ignorance isn't Bliss, but there's only so much Negativity I want exposure to right now, too Emotionally draining. And, I like to Post about at least some Fluff or Fantasy, you know?
Happy Autumn my Friends... Dawn... The Bohemian
No comments:
Post a Comment