Get 'Er Done... FAST!!!

 

With a Sunday Morning Heat Advisory Warning out by 10:00 A.M., this is what a 15 Minute Halloween Porch Decorating looks like!  *LOL*  Princess T climbed the Shelving in The RV Garage Mahal, without a Ladder, like a little nimble Monkey, to get to the Top Shelf of Halloween Decor, where it's now Stored.  She tossed it down to Grandpa, whose Job it was to also catch her if she fell.  *LMAOROTF*  And I delegated which Decorations we were streamlining the Vignette with this Year.  Most of our Skeletons are falling apart, they're brittle Plastic, and in a non-climate controlled Storage Space, it's a wonder they don't melt rather than dry out and fall to bits.

We still have a few relatively intact and won't buy replacements this Year, so we Frankensteined them together and slapped some Wigs on them and called it a day.  *Smiles*   I Photographed them with both my Cellphone and my Old School Camera for posterity and Blog Fodder, Halloween 2024 immortalized now.  *Winks*   Turned out decently for a 15 Minute Get 'Er Done... FAST Project.  I knew if we didn't pull it off this Weekend, we probably weren't gonna, so, a hasty Vignette is better than no Vignette at all I say.  *Ha haha*   We already have folks driving by slowly and approvingly, so, it's Editorial enuf from the Street and a Blog Post... Victory Dance!!!   And, if we get any Rain, well, it will wash a Year's worth of Dust off, since, I wasn't up to Cleaning them as well.  Hey, adds to the Ambience of Benign Neglect, Decay, Dereliction and Spooky Creep Factor, No?  *Winks*

I had Scored a few new Secondhand Halloween Decorations whilst Goodwill Hunting, when they first put out their Halloween Decor in early September.   By late September everything was gone and they were rolling Christmas Decor out, so I'm glad I was pre-emptive in getting mine while there was still some left.   I Scored this Old Typewriter, some very large Faux Pumpkin Jack O'Lantern Blow Molds, and a Rubberized full sized Skeleton, and a Tapestry Fabric Halloween Scene we hung up on the Garage Door... all on The Cheap.   If you Scavenge early enuf you will never have to pay full Retail for Seasonal Decor or even Vintage Holiday Decor.   Gone are the days of After Holiday Sales, it's Sold Out now a full Month before a Holiday hits most of the time now.  My Mom and I used to Live for the After Season Sales... but now, Inventory and Supply Chain Issues are apparent and even the Big Box Stores don't get a lot of any Merch in.  You Snooze and you Lose.

The good thing about Halloween Decor is it can be in deplorable shape and actually look better in a Vignette as it deteriorates until it's unusable.   Some of our Halloween Skeletons are in worse Physical Shape now than The Man or I.  *Bwahahhaa*   We didn't get down all of our Skeleton Animals this Year, just the Skeleton Poodle and a Crocodile Skeleton Head.   If I feel energized to before Halloween arrives, I could add to them, but, I kinda doubt it.  *Smiles*  Less is definitely More this Holiday Season and I'm Fine with that actually.   My Fav Interior Vintage Halloween Collectibles are set up now Year Round, so, I enjoy them all the time in the areas we've Showcased them permanently on Display.  In fact, as I Downsize, Edit and Purge, the Primo and most Beloved Collections are not being put away or hidden in Storage anymore and only making Holiday Appearances.  I got less Holidays ahead of me than behind me now, so, why not?

The Halloween Fabric Tapestry I got for Four Bucks where Princess T Works.   I think it's Winnie The Pooh Inspired and might have been a Children's Photographer's Backdrop, usually they're stiff Tarp Commercial Banner Material, but this one is a good Quality Fabric.   We usually sit around a Fire Pit on Halloween Night out front, in Costume, to hand out Candy, so it's a perfect Scene tho'.   Princess T went to First Friday with Timmy, Matthew and another Guy and Girl they know who are a Couple.  She dressed as a Bunny, grainy Pixs are Below in this Post, she said some Professional Photographers for First Friday asked permission to take her Photo too, but, we don't have those.  I'll have to keep checking to see if they have a First Friday Roosevelt Row Promo Website they might end up on?

It ended up with a High of 113 again Today, ridiculous for October.  Before it got quite that Hot tho', The Man and I went to the Gila River Indian Reservation and did Environmental Cleanup along the Main Road thru the Rez that gets a lot of Traffic now that their Tribe has a Casino.  The Casino has really improved the Quality of Life for the Tribe, better Housing, better on site Facilities like a nice Boys & Girls Club, Clinic and even a Convenience Store.   The Convenience Store Sells some American Indian Foods grown by the Tribe.  I bought some Huun Ga'i, which is a whole kernel Cob Roasted Pima Corn.  {Below}  It's Hand Roasted over Mesquite Coals and can be eaten as a side Dish or put in Soups or Stews, can be added to Wheat Berries and Tepary Beans, also Sold by the Tribe there and a Native Diet Staple.

Tepary Beans are high in Protein and come in White, Brown and Black.  Next time we're on the Rez I'm going to pick up some of each of the Tepary Bean Products too.   It's a Wild Species growing in the Sonoran Desert and Cultivated for at least 1,000 Years by Indigenous Tribes, who continue to grow it on Reservation Lands.  They are higher in Fiber and Protein than most other Beans and a low Glycemic Index, good for Diabetic Diet, they thrive in arid climate with limited Irrigation along the Gila River.   I often replace Meat with Legumes now for Protein.   I like to Support Tribal Small Businesses and enjoy the variety added to our Diet of Organic Grown Local Products.   The Tribe doesn't Sell Seed Stock, only what is intended for Food use. 

Anyway, we ran out of Bags to keep doing the Aluminum Cleanup there on the Rez, so, will be going back again soon when we have more Bags.  The Son jokes that the Black Bags I Buy for Environmental Cleanup look like Body Bags, they're just that large.  *Bwahahahaha*  It's very Peaceful doing Environmental Cleanup Roadside on the Rez, it's a lot of Raw Natural Desert and Scenic Mountain Views along the Gila River to the South of it.  The Tribal Police don't seem to mind you doing Volunteer Cleanup on their Land, since, it's mostly Non-Tribal Visitors who are doing most of the littering when they drive thru or go to the Casino.   But, the Main Road is very long and straight, with not much Traffic at all, you can see for Miles in either direction and it's so Quiet and Restorative to Walk along while doing Cleanup of the Aluminum Litter.

Tonight is my "Halloween Wars", so I'll be Glued to the TV all Night.  Tomorrow Night will be "Halloween Baking Championship".  I'm not trying to Photograph the TV as it's on this Year and only found One Image {Below} of this Year's Work from One Team of Contestants.  It was a good entry, but wasn't even my Fav for that particular Challenge.  But, the combining of Cake, Sugar and Pumpkin is always amazing.  And, they also have to make a specific Tasting Treat too and incorporate it in each Challenge.  When the Talent become so refined, even some really good Teams get eliminated on the smallest of details.   So, it's not as if they didn't Create something Fantastical, it's just the Competition is that Fierce now.  I don't always agree with the Judges, but, that's what makes it Fun and Interesting... and... of coarse we don't get to Taste the Treat that can make all the difference when margins of Talent are so tight.

I'm having such Fun in the Photographing of all the things I Love most about Autumn and it's Holidays.   And, it gives me great Blog Fodder, since, I confess I haven't been Pathologically Picture Taking very much otherwise.  The House is in disarray and not very Editorial right now so I'm definitely not Photographing anything in here until I get it decluttered and cleaned up.  I've done it before and it just never seems to stay pristine, mostly my fault too, I can't blame the others.  *LOL*  I keep vowing to keep it decluttered and tidy, so, this time when I pull it together and minimize even the Decor, I really Hope I do better?   It's a Process for me and unless I'm getting ready to Host a Party, BBQ, Wedding or something here, I am not all that motivated to pull it together and put in the Work.  *Le Sigh*

It's not as if I don't WANT it that way all of the time, it's just very difficult for me to Maintain it like I prefer it to look and not clutter it up eventually.   I'm working on clearing out each Room now of what shouldn't be in there and moving it to either The She Shed or The RV Garage Mahal.   If it's Inventory, I'm trying, ONCE AGAIN, not to drag it into the Living Areas to Price it.   Sometimes I even Succeed.  *Eye Roll*   Seriously, I need an Intervention Accountability Partner sometimes.   Well, more often than just Sometimes, Truth be told.  *LOL*   The Older I get the worse I become too, it's unsettling.   I don't expect Family to run damage control behind my Wake either, but, The Daughter has been very Patient and Encouraging.  She convinces me my Coping Mechanisms are better than what I could have done to Cope with Mi Vida Loca and what I've been responsible for.  *Bwahahaha*  She could be Right about THAT!?  *Big WINKS*     

A messy Home is probably not the worse thing that could have happened, and, it is a Clean Home, just cluttered up.   I don't abide by things being dirty or piggish, so, it's not like that at all.  Just an abundance of Stuff and not really the Space here to have as much as we still have, which is Why I'm Working on that and Curating Possessions.  Even the Holiday Decor, I've scaled down how much we have and will even Sell Off and Donate more of it.   I'll keep what's in the best Shape or most Beloved, the rest is subject to being Let Go of.   And, I don't Buy as much Holiday related stuff anymore either, I Admire it in the Shops and don't have a whole lot of Temptation to Own the majority of it.  A lot of what I have, we've Owned for a very long time now.  So, we got a lot of Mileage out of it all.  Most of my Faux Pumpkins are when they first started making Faux Pumpkins.

 

The Antique Marble and Brass Ornate Candelabra you see in some of these Images on the Bistro Table, I got at SAVERS for only $15!   Closer to Halloween Night I'll put some Tapers in it and Light them for Halloween Evening, but the Candles would completely melt in the current Heat, so for now it's Candle-Less.  *LOL*   Even Jarred Candles, in a non-climate controlled Space, completely Liquify every single Day, so, you never have to Light them.  You get the Aroma from the whole Jar of Wax melting completely and releasing the Fragrance!   So, I have them situated thruout The RV Garage Mahal and one in the She Shed, so that it always Smells Sublime in each without Lighting any of the Jarred Candles situated in there.   Here in the Home we Light Jarred Candles Daily too, and Incenses, so that it has wonderful Aroma of our fav Fragrances.   I like a Space to Smell as good as it might Look.

I used to put a Fragrance Product in our Showroom so it would Smell Divine, but people kept Stealing it, so, now I try to hide one where it's not easily seen or accessible.   Can't Believe that folks would Steal an Air Freshener!!!  But, they do the same with Light Bulbs, Finials on Lamps, and Candles or Teas Lights you put as a Visual Display in Candleholders... I think it is probably other Vendors that are the main Culprits?   So, I just don't put Tempting items in that I know someone is likely to do the Five Finger Discount on, I am not funding their Shoplifting Tendencies.   I will Donate a Light Bulb at the Front Desk so that anyone needing to see if a Lamp Works, can screw one in and then Staff can take it out for someone else to use it for that Purpose.  A shame really that you just can't Trust folks these days to be Honest and have a Moral Compass.

By next Week some of the Events will start Hosting their October Shows.  Some might still be doing Halloween, if they still have any Seasonal Holiday Merch left?   Nan's Antique Mall had no Halloween on Display last Month, so I'm Hopeful that some of her Vendors might have some now?   I'm still trying to figure out how to Embed Reels to my Blog Posts, the Tutorial didn't work, the Embed Code just showed up on the Post, not the actual Visual and Reel, so, I just deleted it.   Whenever The Niece visits again I'll have her show me how it's done and make a Note so I can Remember how.   I used to know how to do it, that's what frustrates me now, if I don't do something for a long while, I just can't remember how I did it before.   Retaining the Knowledge now means I have to do it frequently.  My Rubberized Skeleton is melty looking, I Scored it whilst Goodwill Hunting in September for Five Bucks.

Princess T decided on which Wigs we'd be using on our Skeletons and she wanted the Geisha Wig on the Red Skeleton, which gave it a good Look.   I was gonna put Halloween Ties on all the Skeletons, but, decided I didn't wanna Risk my Collection of Halloween Ties fading in the Sun.  Plus, we just Simplified the Decorating this Year and didn't wanna spend a lot of Time or Energy in the Doing of it.   And, when Halloween is a Wrap, taking it down will be Quicker and Easier too, which now has to be a consideration.   I usually keep the Harvest Themed Decor up thru Thanksgiving tho', so, only have to take the Halloween Elements down and put them away after the 31st of October... or, wait 'til Dia de los Muertos is over on November 2nd.   I miss having my Home Altars in the House.  But, I do Plan to Create some Areas of The RV Garage Mahal for Home Altars instead.

 

This Home just doesn't have the usable Space for a Home Altar or for a Computer Room/Office Space either.   I miss that, since previous Homes did have Room for them, so, it's been an adjustment and compromise we just had to make with having 3 Generations Sharing this Space.  The Man and I never anticipated that.  We naively assumed that after we got The G-Kid Force Grown and Raised, they'd move out and it would just be the Two of us so this Size Forever Home would have been more than enough for Two Old Folks.  *LOL*   It's not a Small Home, it's 2400 sf and I've lived in far less, sometimes as little as 300 sf as an Adult... and far more, as much as 4350 sf, so... you adapt, improvise and adjust as your livable Area changes over Time and Seasons of Life and circumstances.   The Equity in this Property is building way faster than the McManse or the Historic Properties we Sold.

 

Of coarse, what the new Owners did with the Villa McManse depreciated it considerably.  They had the Solar repossessed and they took out most of the Professional and Matured Landscaping which gave it Curb Appeal.  To add more Parking Pavers and less Maintenance, since, it is an Air B&B Party House now, so, the Owners don't even live In State and it's never Owner Occupied, just an Investment Property.   I think the Devil of an HOA out there is in crisis too, a lot of the Common Areas aren't being well Maintained as they once were and I noticed the HOA Monthly fee has decreased a lot, which is Odd, unless the HOA is in Crisis and being Mismanaged.  Not Surprising, they Elected unqualified People to Manage it who didn't know anything about their own CC&R's and were just making shit up to harass and threaten to Fine Residents.  Likely bored Housewives and Pretentious Residents wanting to be on a Power Trip.   

The Beloved Historic Home has appreciated considerably, so Mr. Avila has built up impressive Equity.  But, the Location, being in an Older and Low Income Barrio with higher Crime Rate, would always cause it to be worth less than if it were in a more desirable Location.  Along with needing to Adopt The G-Kid Force and have to Sell it to accomplish that, the decline of the Neighborhood over the Years made it so it wouldn't have been the most Ideal place to grow very Old in or finish Raising Grandchildren.   So, our Move here, for numerous reasons, was the Right Move at the Right Timing, and so I have no regrets.  I just Wish it didn't take me so damned long to get settled in and have everything finished from having Moved.  *Le Sigh*   I'd like to be doing less Work and more Play, enjoying Retirement in a Forever Home that has everything Done and the way I want it to be.

While I was going thru my Halloween Merch in The She Shed to Price it and take it in to the Showroom, I changed my Mind on one Object.  The Cast Iron Votive Candle Cat.  I just didn't want to Let it Go and Sell it, so, decided to move it to Keep Status and Display it.  With a Votive Lit inside of it, the Look of it is Cool and I've never seen one like it so would have surely regret Selling it.   I don't reconsider often when I've moved something to a Sell or Donate Status, but, I reserve the Right to change my Mind with certain Objects that my Attachment to is more of a struggle to Detach from.   The Cast Iron Cat is such an Object, I don't even recall Why I put it in a Sell Crate at all?   Depends on my Mood sometimes really.   If I'm in The Mood to Release more, I just do.  Whaddya Think of that Antique Candelabra?   Killer, huh?  I happened to already Own one similar to it... and for how low it was Priced, the Chazza clearly didn't know Value.  My Heart raced like a Hummingbird when I spied it!  *LOL*

 

Look how Yummy these Filo Dough, Honey Walnut, Herbed Spinach and Cheese Biscuits are!   A think of Beauty as well as Sublime as a Savory Treat.   It's like a nice Greek or Turkish Recipe, but with a different Twist.  It showed up on my Book of Faces Feed and tho' I snagged the Image, I forgot to Save the Recipe more than once when FB had a Glitch and didn't Save it the first Transfer over to my Page.  Becoz I really wanted to try it.   I think they used Thyme and a Mozzarella rather than what would Traditionally be used in say a Greek Spanokopita or Turkish Muska Boregi.   When I tried to Save it to my FB Wall, FB was having Issues and it didn't transfer over... just the Image Save worked, but I had to retrieve even that from somewhere other than my Live Wall Feed.   Lately Blogger and FB have been Acting Up and so I don't know what to do to recover things Lost when it malfunctions like that?

It is still 109 Degrees at almost 8:00 P.M., which, is ridiculous for October.  Usually in the Fall it Cools down after Dark, it's not doing that anymore and it's over 20 Degrees or more Hotter during the Day now too in Autumn.   This is worrisome for a whole lotta reasons.   Usually Fall our Utility Costs go way down becoz you usually don't need your Air Conditioner or your Heater on.   I don't even know what Winter will be like if Autumn is this screwed up now?   Granted, a lot of States and Countries are experiencing Catastrophic Weather Events, so, I'm Thankful we don't have all of that going on too.   But Climate Change needs to be taken way more Seriously by ALL People and the Deniers are just pretending like nothing is Wrong, even with all the dire Evidence to the contrary.  I don't know if they Imagine that by Ignoring it and being deeply in Denial, then it will just go away or not be Real?  *Eye Roll*

I guess it could mean Trick-Or-Treaters could wear some skimpy Costumes this Halloween?  *LOL*  Princess T and her Posse are already thinking upon their Costumes, well, except Matthew, who always just goes as Matthew.  *Smiles*  At least now she has a Job and her own Income, she can Buy her Costume this Year and I don't have to be The Wallet and Bankroll it.  *Winks*   She always has a Grandiose Vision of what Costume she wants and they aren't inexpensive anymore.  When I went to SPIRIT STORE the Cost of Retail Costumes is prohibitive now.  A lot of the Chazzas have a good secondhand selection at reduced price point.  To me the best Costumes are the more inventive and creative ones.   We don't get a lot of Trick-Or-Treaters in our Mini Farm Community since the Subdivision is Older and Aged Out, not a lot of Smaller Children anymore.   Plus, the Properties are Acreages and no Street Lighting or Sidewalks, so, a little Spooky, very Dark, and a lot of walking between Homes. 

The Residential Cookie Cutter Modern Subdivisions around us are the best Haul for the Candy Seekers going Door to Door.  So, they get a lot of Trick-Or-Treaters and even my Grand-Kiddos went there to ensure a good Haul of Candies with less Walking and better Lighting/Safety.   Our Historic Home's Old Barrio didn't get a lot of Trick-Or-Treaters either, mostly due to a heavy Immigrant Population that didn't know anything about Halloween and didn't Celebrate it in their Countries of Origin.  At the Villa McManse, it was a Big Deal tho' and tons of Kids in that Community. There were a lot of Fundamentalist Religion Families with very large Families, most had Five or more Children.  It was good participation for Halloween, Surprising to me actually, since many Fundies won't Celebrate it.  It was one of the Positive things I could say about that Community that was enjoyable and made Halloween and Christmas very Festive and interactive in a good way.

Since our Street is the only Street in the Mini Farm Community that Faces and Fronts a Main Road, we have Street Lights and a Sidewalk, the rest of the Community does not.  We're also visible from the Main Road, separated only by an Access Road running parallel to the Main Road with a low Block Wall between both Roads.   We're set way back from the Access and Main Roads, since the Home was built halfway back on our Acreage, but, still quite visible to Passers By and we get a lot of Lurkers who slow down to admire the Holiday Vignette out Front.  Those that want a closer look and to drive by slower, come onto the Access Road to drive by.   It has good Curb Appeal, so I really enjoy Decorating our Porch for the Autumnal Holidays.   Our Historic Home was Idyllic to Decorate for Halloween, since it was over a Century Old and had a legit Reputation for being actually Haunted.   People often were afraid to Walk on the same side of the Street during Halloween.  *LOL*

I took The Man to FARMER BOYS for Lunch, we tried their Fish for the first time and were very impressed with the portion size given it was just Eleven Bucks for a 3 Piece Fish Meal!!!   It's in an Industrial Area but gets a lot of business, especially on a Sunday Afternoon, it was packed with Customers and even the Drive-Thru had a long line.   Below was a Luncheon from TAMALES GUADALAJARA, which is a small Family Owned Mexican Restaurant in a small Town near us, with the BEST Refried Beans EVER!   I had the Shredded Beef Enchilada, which was terrific too.  It's a small Restaurant but I've never had anything there that wasn't exceptional, they only serve Breakfast and Lunch tho', they close before Dinner.  We often just get a Large Takeout Container of their Refried Beans and make something for Dinner with it.  A lot of Mexican Dishes have the Beans as a Main Ingredient.

The Man has a Foot Injury that he caused himself accidentally trying to cut his Toenails.  Now one of his Big Toes is swollen and looks like it might have become infected.  Since he's an Insulin Dependent Diabetic we have to take great Care of his extremities and any inability to Heal, any apparent Infection or Injury that worsens.  So, I'll be spending the early Hours of Monday Morning at the ER getting it looked at.

8 Hours Later:  Well, we were at the ER for Eight Hours while they gave him 3 rounds of IV Antibiotics to fight the Infection so that he hopefully won't have to be Hospitalized!   I Slept in the Truck, since, we were there from 1:00 A.M. to after 8:00 A.M. and now I've got to stay up and find a Pharmacy that is Open and takes TriCare For Life Insurance.  Pretty sure CVS does, most others don't anymore... and if you have TriCare due to being Retired Military, you can't get Medicare Rx Coverage at all, it's not even an Option.  *Le Sigh*

Our Nurse at the ER was Preggy and said her Husband is Military and she's pretty disgusted with how eroded the Healthcare Earned Benefits are for Veterans and their Spouses.   Even most Active Duty now have to go straight Civilian to receive Care or have a Baby, the Military Base here only has a Clinic now and no Emergency Services, it used to be a Full Service Hospital.   You can't use the Clinic once you attain the Age of 62 and the Pharmacy quit carrying a lot of Meds, so, now we have to pay for Meds too and for Healthcare.  The Earned Benefits were supposed to cover for for Life of the Veteran and their Spouses... but, tough luck, they don't now and don't Honor their end of the Contractual Agreement for those who Served and Honored their end of it to Earn those Benefits.  People always assume if you're Retired Military everything is covered... well, it used to be... and the Main VA Hospital doesn't even have some Specialists on Staff, like a Cardiologist for example!!!

 

The Man's Primary Physician is at the Sun City VA Clinic and the ER Doc wants a 24-48 Hour Follow Up, but, I really don't even know if they can ever get a Veterans in that fast?   A lot of Appointments take Months... so... I may have to just follow up at some Civilian ER again if they won't get him in at the VA.   He has Three Rx to fill, so right now I'm waiting for a Pharmacy to Open to get those filled, he has to take each of the Three for 10 Days straight.   Fun Fun Fun... it's always Something...

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Very Tired this Morning... Dawn... The Bohemian