This is what I wore to the Halloween Themed Event "Wicked Faire", my Nightmare Before Christmas Men's Dress Shirt, it even has a Pocket. I Scored it at GOODWILL in their New Old Stock of Halloween Merch when they first rolled it all out. It still had the Tags on it from MARSHALLS. I don't do Costumes as much as in my Younger Years, but I do like me some Halloween Graphics Street Wear now. *Smiles* There's a Party in the Back of this Shirt too, no repeat Graphics on it, a complete Scene and it's in that comfortably Cool Bamboo Material that is like Silk, only better. I'm wearing one of the Doll Eyeball Necklace Creations a Friend made for me and some SPIRIT STORE Halloween Earrings. I threw half of my Dreads back over my Shoulder so they wouldn't obstruct Jack Skeleton on the Shirt and tied half of them up into a Ponytail so they'd stay out of my way. *LOL*
I took this Sunrise Pix this Morning at the Gas Station by where I drop the Granddaughter off for Work at 6:45 a.m. and filled up with Gas for the day's jaunt into the City. The Full Moon hadn't slipped away yet and the Sky was a lovely shade of Pastel Blue with Pinkish tinges on a smattering of tiny puffy Clouds and the Palms were still Blacked Out in stark contrast Silhouettes. Arizona is renown for it's spectacular Desert Sunrises and Sunsets, every Morning and Evening is Nature Showing Off in a Kaleidoscope of different hues across the Color spectrum. And now it's FINALLY Cooling Off I can spend a lot more time Outdoors and I will. Autumn is my Favorite Season by far for a whole lotta reasons and the Weather here is one of them. The Snowbirds and Tourists will start showing up in droves now as they escape the inclement Weather of wherever they come from. They won't leave 'til Spring, most of them.
They can't take the Heat so by Spring they go back Home. *LOL* Me, I can't take the Cold anymore and don't want to, I don't have to Shovel Sunshine and I like 9-10 Months of the Year being Sublime, so I can handle the much smaller percentile of scorching Months. Of coarse with 113 consecutive Record days of over 100, our Sublime Months definitely got shortened considerably due to Climate Change. Which, despite One Political Party not acknowledging at all or wanting to do anything about, is REAL and only the truly Clueless or those in deep Denial can dispute otherwise. The Natural Disasters are increasing exponentially due to it and in order for our Heirs to inherit a habitable Planet, we need to get serious about running Environmental Damage Control NOW.
The Environmentally Unconscious have always been a scourge, I liken those types of Humans to a Plague of Locusts. They are extremely poor Stewards of the Earth and it's Creatures we must Share this Planet with and are so short-sighted. As an Old Hippie I've been Environmentally Conscious all my Life and I know we've always been mocked for it. My Dad was Indigenous and his People lived in Harmony with Nature for Centuries, so I was greatly influenced by that outlook, lifestyle and being in Tune with Nature, which he was all about all of his life. It pained him also to see how Environmentally Unconscious so many Humans are so it was important to him to instill it into our Conscience to be good to Mother Earth and Honor the Creator by being good Stewards. He always said every Creature at the Top of the Food Chain has an even greater responsibility and Purpose to fulfill properly and as was Intended as a Divine Creation.
That's why I consider doing regular Environmental Cleanup as a Duty and something all of us should be participating in however we can make a Positive difference. If every Human did their part and something to enrich the Planet in Positive ways, the impact would be huge and evident. With great Benefits to every Sentient Being on Earth and to Mother Earth herself. Who will reward us in the ways that she Naturally just does without charge and not expecting very much in return. Just some Respect and Mindfulness of how fragile it all actually is, the Natural Order of things. And the Purpose of every Living Thing, that Humans often disrupt, ignore, disrespect or damage in our arrogance, indifference and ignorance.
The Niece arrived Safely from Oklahoma and will stay with us thru the Weekend, so good to spend time with her again. She's treating everyone to BARRO'S Pizza Tonight for Dinner and she with The Son have gone to get it since they don't deliver in our area, guess it's out of their Delivery Zone? We Love their Pizza, so, it was an excellent choice and I appreciate her covering Dinner for everyone, she didn't have to. I did have so much Fun at the Halloween Event earlier in the Day and spent about an Hour there. I think they did mess up by having an Online Drawing and allowing far too many to Win early entry and then get to take a Friend in with them 30 Minutes before Opening. The Reason, people had been arriving early and standing in line for Hours in the Heat to get in first and it wasn't right that about 30 people got to jump the Line.
I heard a lot of complaints about it from the Women standing in Line around me. Many were quite pissed off that it was a waste of their Time and discomfort to arrive so early and have it be for nothing since the Thirty Plus Early Entrants would pick all the good stuff over and be thru the Checkout, before we could even get inside. I was No. 4 in Line, a Good Friend of mine had been No. 2 and she's Elderly with Bad Legs and significant Disability. I brought a Chair and used an Umbrella, but, was still sweating bullets, I had arrived an Hour early, those in front of me had been there much longer to be first... only to be about 35th in how it played out! I don't blame them for being upset. Cyndie had held back for me what I'd come for, so I knew it was gonna be there, she customized it for me and I was just picking it up and paying for it.
As it turned out another Designer Friend had decided to Sell me the Vintage Mannequin I'd asked her about and was her Display Piece last Event. She had it dressed as a Witch this Event and said she'd give me a First Cousin Deal on her, so I was so Jazzed, an unexpected Surprise and glad I'd brought my Credit Card. I usually only use it for Emergencies, but, I made an exception. *LOL* I also got a Male Mannequin Torso Arted Up by a Professional Artist for Halloween from my Friend Big Kenny... he too gave me a deep Discount on it. The only other thing I got was an Antique Silverplate Ornate Ladle with a Wooden Handle from my Friend Roman, really cheap and he reduced the price even more since I was Buying it. So, my Four items were Primo Pieces, all at a Discount from the Friends I bought them from... booyah! So, here she is, above and below.
I liked what my Friend did with the big Terra Cotta Planters to turn them into Cauldrons for Halloween. Brilliant Idea to just paint them Black... many come with the handles already attached. Later in the Day, when I picked Princess T up from Work I Scored an actual large Aluminum Cauldron from the SAVERS she works at, for only Five Bucks. It was Customer Appreciation Day so everything was 30% Off and I also Scored Princess T an Instant Collection of Hello Kitty McDonald's Special Edition Plush Mid-Sized Toys with Tags still attached. These aren't the tiny Toys they have as Premiums in the Happy Meals. These are full sized Plush that must have been some kind of Promo Limited Edition that was Issued in Japan in 1999 and 2000. Online an Instant Collection of them Sells for almost $200! And the Duo of just the Wedding Crew I had Scored {below} can Sell for $50, for just those Two! Booyah!
And, tho' I often don't think of these Era as Vintage Collectibles, they are, since 2000 was 25 Years ago now! And for them to still have Tags and be in pristine condition for a Toy, well, someone took good Care of the Collection and then Donated the whole thing, when they could have resold them for an impressive amount. SAVERS of coarse had them cheap and I Paid Three Bucks Each for Five of them. The Daughter talked Princess T out of One of the Five since she fell in Love with it. *LOL* Three of them were Stand Up Plush like the above, that were Two different Pairs originally, the other missing one I couldn't locate so either someone bought it or it never got Donated. The other Two were a Sitting Down Pair Issued in 1999 {below}, one holding a Happy Meal and one holding French Fries, both in Beach Attire that can also Sell for $50 a Pair. The only one I couldn't find Online was the single Orphan one that didn't have a Mate I could locate in the Store... mebbe it's Rarer Duo and whoever Donated the Collection didn't have the Mate to it?
Anyway, since I pick her up Daily now I'll keep looking in case more of the McD Collection rolls out onto the Sales Floor? She doesn't work in Toys, but she says that she's now seeing how much Primo Wardrobe they process in the Back that she'd Love to own. *Bwahahaha* They have to wait Two Days before an Employee is eligible to purchase Inventory with their Discount, so that Customers have 48 plus Hours First Choice of all Stock, but, of coarse I can Buy anything as it rolls out. She can tell me about something she saw, describe it, and if I can locate it, I can buy it at full price or with whatever Customer Discounts I'm eligible to receive. I'm there so often even before she was an Employee so everyone is used to seeing me there trawling for Treasures and know I'm a Resaler. A lot of Resalers and Pickers are their best Customers and the Thrill of the Hunt is my Juice. If the Margins are right, I will pick something up that is a Quick Turn for us. I've heard a lot of people now do that for Hosting their Yard Sales too, to supplement Income.
I'm also a major Donator too to SAVERS of what isn't appropriate to Sell at an Antique Mall, since, I just don't enjoy doing Yard Sales. Yes, when I have done them they're quite profitable and if I need the Money I will do one, but, I don't like to Host them on our Property and have so many random Strangers showing up where I Live. Too many times I've had Yard Sale Attendees scoping out what you have that isn't For Sale and I just don't want the risk of them coming back later as Thieves intent of ripping off what you wouldn't Sell them or they Eyeballed on your Property that they felt they could liberate in a Heist. I'm just not trustful of people I don't know on my Property and so I don't want them there. If you come to our Home, I have to KNOW you and Trust you. But, even if I KNOW you but don't know I can Trust you completely, you wouldn't be Welcome. There are many people all Three Generations have Known a long time that have never gotten an Invitation to our Home, we're very selective about Invitations.
And listen, it might not even be the Individual, we once found out the hard way it could be someone that person knows and says something to. When The Son was a Young Adult and lived in my Historic Carriage House converted into a Cottage at the Old Property, he'd often let his Nephew and The Young Prince's Friends, who were Elementary School Age at the time, come in and play his Video Games. Well, one Kid was so excited about how many of the Newest Video Games and Gaming Systems he got to play at The Son's invitation, he told his Shady Uncle what The Young Prince's Uncle had. Next thing we knew, the Cottage got broken into and it all got Stolen. The Police never recovered any of it, my Hazard Insurance went way up due to the Claim and Settlement. The Police don't take Theft, Burglary, Shoplifting or even Home Invasions very seriously we've found, so long as it's just Stuff you've lost and not your Life.
It was only via Word on the Streets that we came up with who was responsible. Since, if you Victimize this Family, we're coming for ya one way or another and will find out who you are. The Streets Talk if you're a respected Member of your Community and someone does you Dirty, nobody likes that, disrespect like that isn't tolerated. So The Son and his Friends meted out some Street Justice to deter being Targeted ever again and to teach a Lesson to this Fool or anyone else thinking it's something they can get away with even if Police are impotent to protect or serve the Community enough, or at all. Everyone knew this Kid's Shady Uncle was an Addict, and in Da Hood, if you shit where you eat and rip off your Homeboys or their Families, there will be a Lesson to Teach you and harsh consequences. Of coarse he'd fenced everything already, but he certainly knew better than to ever disrespect us again by funding his Drug Habit via ripping us off. Too high a Price to Pay.
Anyway, that's Why I don't do Yard Sales hardly ever, I'm skeptical of Joe Public that I don't know. You'd perhaps be Surprised how many Suburban Housewives are the worst Shoplifters these days and have the means to Buy whatever it is, but, don't Steal out of Need or desperation. And even the Affluent or Obscenely Mega Rich get their kicks from ripping people off, just look at IQ45 if you doubt me. He's ripped off more people and stiffed more Creditors, Donors, the IRS, Contractors and Subcontractors than any Businessman probably in Modern History. He can't be Trusted with his own Money, let alone any of Yours. And anyone who will Steal a little, will Steal a lot, it's just a matter of Opportunity my Friends, a Thief is a Thief and you can't Trust Thieves or Liars... EVER.
And now you're Viewing my visit to CURIOUS NATURE after I'd gone to my Event at SWEET SALVAGE and had Lunch, that was my next Stop. They have a new Location just down the Street from The Sweet, so, it's really convenient to check out both on the same day now. It's a larger Store than their other Two previous Locations were, they keep expanding and getting better Locations too. They're also going to be Hosting their 2nd Annual Halloween Event next Month. Last Year was their first time Hosting one and it was so well attended you couldn't find Parking for City Blocks! They Sell everything Weird and Wonderful, Oddities, Naturalist, Taxidermy, Cabinet of Curiosities Style Merch. The Founder was a Collector for a long time before he opened up his Business Specializing in his Passion. He has a portion of his Private Collection on Display at the Shop.
I LOVE his Inventory and could spend all day there. This day I picked up a new Hardcover Book on Vintage Halloween and a Mystery Box. They Sell Mystery Boxes and the Surprise Merch is always worth the Price. This Box held some Mucha Art on a Deck of Tarot Cards, a Rabbit Pelt, an unusual Seashell and a Luna Moth Pin. They tie a different Color Ribbon on the Mystery Boxes so that you can be assured of different Objects within each Box tied with a different Color Ribbon. This Box I chose had a Navy Blue Ribbon, so if I decide on another Box another time I'd choose one with a Gold, Red or Green Ribbon next time to ensure a totally different Selection of Mystery Objects. That's nice if you're Buying as Gifts too, to ensure more Variety. Or, if you really dig what your contents were and want more of the same, you could just go for the same Color Ribbon on your next Box. Now I know the one with Navy Ribbon holds an Animal Fur, a Shell, a Tarot Deck of some kind and a Pin/Jewelry of some kind as it's Mystery contents.
Anyway, I took loads of Blog Fodder Imagery that I can now mix in to Autumn and Halloween Inspired Posts for the next Month Plus, lots of Visual Eye Candy of the Season. I had been so Light on Blog Fodder that it's nice when I have the opportunity to take loads of Images and use them for my Posts rather than dredging up Archived Imagery and re-using it. The Niece is going to get me a Thumb Drive to backup all my Computer Images I have and show me how to do it. We're having to do part of our own Irrigation even tho' I'd Paid TJ to do it, so, my Kids are upset about that. This is Month No. Two that the Brothers got Paid and only did part of the Work Negotiated. So, I doubt I will use them anymore, I'll keep the Money and we'll either have to do it all ourselves or find someone to Hire to do at least the Yardwork. You can't find Paid Hires for Irrigation, too random in the Cycles assigned.
They keep waffling on whether they want to do it or don't, or can't, so it's just not reliable anymore. But, if someone doesn't want to do it I can accept that, just don't accept Payment and then change your Mind or I'd expect you to give me a refund on Work you didn't do and we had to do ourselves that you got Paid for and agreed to do. I know TJ is going thru the Chemotherapy right now for his Colon Cancer. I know Rob, the Older Brother, has a Drinking problem, so, sometimes he's on the Wagon, other times he falls off the Wagon and isn't as reliable. Both live with their Aged Parents, who are in their 80's and are responsible for that Property since their folks are now too Old to maintain it. We had a Pipe break to the Pump that feeds Irrigation to the Front of our Property where our Mature Trees are, that need it most, so I had a Fit and TJ is now out there trying to fix it coz he knew I was madder than a Murder Hornet.
It's always good to catch up with everyone, even if only once every Month these days when I don't get out much or Socialize hardly at all anymore. We get a lot of Guests/Friends who come to our Home all the time, but, not everyone we know has ever been to our Home or even knows where we live. You have those Friendships that are Work related or Hobby related and situational, it's not like you visit each other's Homes or do a lot together outside of the environment you all Work in and share Interests of. I'm Okay with that, I'd be overwhelmed actually if everyone I knew called or came over all of the time and I'd get nothing done and am often too busy with obligations to spend that much time on a Social level either. I also like my Privacy and Solitude so our Home is our Sanctuary and where I go to unwind and not have to deal with anyone if I don't want to.
The Male Mannequin Display Torso on the Right is the one I bought from Big Kenny at a Discount. The back also is Arted up to show an exposed Spine. I really like it and even without the Custom Artwork, the Mannequin would have cost me way more than Kenny charged me. So, I'm entirely satisfied with our exchange on it and delighted to have it, not just for Halloween, but as a regular Display piece I can use to Display Menswear too. The Prop below was pretty damned Awesome and I don't know which Sci-Fi Movie it's from, but it was about 12 Feet Tall or more, pretty impressive. It was For Sale and for anyone that does Extreme Halloween Decorating or owns a Shop they'd want a Display Prop to draw in Customers, this would be perfect. I would imagine something like this came out of Hollywood as a Retired Movie Prop or Model for a Legendary Monster in a Film or Series.
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Blessings, Love and Light from the Arizona Desert... Happy Autumn... Dawn... The Bohemian
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