Risking A Silver Alert

I spent 5 Hours in the ER on Black Friday Morning, but I had a good ER Doc and they were thorough and did a lot of Tests.  At first they were concerned I was having Congestive Heart Failure coz I had some swelling in my Ankles, but, my Heart and Lungs turned out to be clear and fine.  *Whew*  Mom suffered from that but I've never had it and don't want it.  They got Negative results on my COVID, Flu and RSV Tests, also a relief, that serious contagions were eliminated too.  *Whew*  My X-Rays didn't show any Bronchitis or Pneumonia, also, a huge relief, since, I have a History of both.  My Blood Work came back clean, and no Infections noted, so, I didn't need Antibiotics.  They couldn't determine what I had, but we eliminated a lot of what I didn't.

They decided I didn't need to be Hospitalized and since there was SO MANY people with contagions that had Tested Positive, including Young People who were in way worse shape than me, I was glad not to have to take up a Bed.  A Hospital is the worst place to catch something, so I didn't wanna be there any longer than I had to be and the Doc agreed, given my Diabetes.   If it worsens I'm to come back and get more Tests, but he felt I'd Heal better at Home, which, I probably will.   So, I called in Sick to Work and have Bedrest instructions to just Rest and take it easy, drink plenty of fluids and take over-the-counter Meds for my Symptoms.  All of which I've been doing anyway, but, needed to rule out that I'm not contagious or have something alarmingly serious.  It gives me Peace of Mind even tho' I still Feel like crap and there was nothing they could do.

I do have a Funny ER Story to go with my visit tho'.  I was feeling so Out Of It, probably due to having trouble Breathing and getting no Sleep, that I was punchy.   So, while waiting for Triage to get to me I needed to go to the Bathroom.  I told The Daughter and said if they called me while I was in there, come get me.  Well, I wander in, go to a Stall, the Door Lock was broken, so, didn't bother to Lock it.  Sat there and did what I can in to do.  Walked back out only to realize, shit, I'd gone into the Men's Bathroom by Mistake!!!  

 Coz as I Exited Stage Left I see the Women's Restroom on the other side of me!   Sheeyit... that could have been an embarrassing Moment had any Men been in need to go... and in my Head I'm thinking... where were the Urinals?  I didn't recall seeing any going in or going out!!! *LOL*  So, Yeah, that's how punchy I realized I was.  *Bwahahaha*  When I told The Daughter she laughed and said good thing she didn't need to come get me then, huh?  She might of told them to put out a Silver Alert on my Ass!  *LMAOROTF* 

And then they'd of thought, Poor Old Dear now doesn't even know what Bathroom she's supposed to use, so off to a Home they might have Whisked me?  *Bwahahaha*  So, now the Family isn't having Panic Attacks and Meltdowns about thinking I'm circling the Drain.  *Winks*  The Son picked his Niece up since she was Melting Down about being in a Vehicle with her Mom Driving, knowing she has permanent restrictions due to her Mental Health.  *LOL*   She knows how to Drive, but, can't ever get a License and I really didn't want her to be having to drive without one. 

 But, Princess T can't just not go to Work and keep her Job, and there's no other Licensed Drivers besides her Uncle and I in the Household.  There's no Bus from here to there and I'm not letting her Walk Alone to get to Work before Sunup, when it's rather deserted, too dangerous for a Young Woman in the City.   Yes, her School and Employer are only half a City Block away, but a lot can happen between here and there, so I never let her Walk Alone.

  So, no more Trouble in Paradise.  The Daughter had Friends drop by all Day concerned about me and giving her Rides so she didn't have to stay at the Hospital or Drive my Truck.   They all were infatuated with our Feng Shui Tree and sincerely said it was the coolest Tree they'd ever seen, quite a compliment on the Stylization and Visual of it.  I'm sure they've all seen a lot of Trees decorated, so, it was quite flattering to see the Ooohs and Aaahs when they see it and want to touch it.  *LOL*  Nobody had ever seen Gourd Ornaments like the Chinese Feng Shui ones that Inspired said Tree, they are pretty Cool, Online they're $39 each, so getting a Dozen in a Bagged Lot for $3 was a Killer Score... and mine are way more elaborate and intricately Carved, not just Painted.  I can't even find any as nice as mine Online For Sale.

The Son cooked Dinner Tonight, he made Pasta.  I'd had an excellent Vegetable Homemade Soup at the Hospital Cafeteria once they released me to go Home.  The Doc had said my Nausea, lack of Appetite, and Stomach being unsettled, is very likely due to all the Congestion and drainage I'm having, I thought as much, my Ears having fluid build up too.   The Air Quality has been crap off and on, plus the huge temperature fluctuations, haven't helped people stay Well.   When I saw how many people were in the ER in far worse shape than me, with very Respiratory Emergencies, I felt like I wasn't actually in as much Crisis as they clearly were.   All the Hospital Staff is Masked again and highly suggesting it if you're going anywhere in Public now.  Tho' I abhorred Masking, I might just do that if I'm going to be out in Public around People or at Work.

Some more Thanksgiving Great-Grandbaby Pixs that The Soon-To-Be Divorced Granddaughter took of her Duo.  The Girl Child in her Turkey Shirt looking like she's ready to fight Jake Paul and do better than Mike Tyson.  *LOL*  And her Older Brother {Below} with his Fighting Face on too.  *LMAO*   Ah Yes, that one looks like he's full of Piss and Vinegar for SURE!  *LOL*   Both are looking as Blonde as their Mama was as a Child, her Dad, our SIL, is of German descent and they mos def got their Granddaddy's Coloring coz our Daughter is Dark.  That Daughter has Dark Brunette Hair and Black Eyes, like Coal, just like Princess T, no Recessive Genes dominated there.  But, you get to the watered down Generations and Blondes and Blue or Grey Eyes start popping up out of the Woodpile.  *Smiles*

That's apparently what happened to me.  *Bwahahaha*  I remember as a Child, you'd put me around all the other Relatives on both sides of the Family and say, now, which One doesn't look like all the others?   My Lighter Hair glaringly stood out from not only my Native American Relatives, but my Welsh ones too, everyone else had Blue Black Hair.  All Thanks to my Welsh Nanna's Redheaded Irish Grandpa apparently.  *LOL*  And to be sure, most Irish are Dark, so the Stereotypical Leprechaun Irish Redhead is a Myth, most Irish are Dark like the Welsh and have Exotic coloring of Dark Hair, Dark Eyes, like Handsome Actor Colin Farrell.  

 He looks like most Irish Men I saw in the Gaelic Countries Populations, the Women too, like Actress Catherine Zeta-Jones, who also has a VERY Welsh sounding Surname too and looks very Welsh.  I remember my Mom always being very Upset when any Miss Universe Pageant would have a Fair Looking Woman Representing her Country or Ireland, saying, they're the Genetic Freaks of those Nations and probably had a pasty Englishman in their Woodpile!  *LMAOROTF*  Yeah, Mom was never very PC at all either.  *Winks*

It's getting Cold enuf now that we'll be seeing some Desert like this with a dusting of Frosty Light Snow on the Cacti in the Northern parts of the Metro Area and nearest the surrounding Mountain Ranges to the North, West and East... South Mountain Range and the Estrella Mountain Range, also to the South, is probably the only place you never see it.  I don't know who to give Photo Credit to for this Fabulous Image, but it was certainly worth Sharing and would be Ideal for an Arizona Christmas Card to send out.   This looks like it could have been taken of either the Chiricahua Mountain Range, McDowell Mountain Range, or New River Mountains areas North of Metro Phoenix.

   Hard to tell when the Mountains have a dense Fog eerily covering them like a Cloud, which is quite Beautiful tho' and Ethereal whenever it happens.   Phoenix is surrounded by Mountain Ranges on all sides in all directions, which is Why they call it The Valley of The Sun.  Some Joke that it should be called The Surface of The Sun... I can't argue with that.  *Winks*   But, we generally have 9-10 Months of Superb Weather and most places can't boast that much Sunshine and Warmth that is Idyllic, so, I don't mind the 2-3 ridiculously Hot Months.  Lots you can do to Cool off and when you're Older, you don't risk Falls and Sickness related Cold Weather brings with it.

Here's a Pix that one of my Designer Friends at "Studio 108 Collective" took of us during our visit.   Me holding my restrained Retail Therapy Purchase of a single Vintage Altered Art Ribbon Ornament.  *LOL*  I'm not in front of the Camera Lens very often so I appreciate it when someone else is the Photographer for a change.   It gives me some perspective of how much progress I'm making in my Weight Loss Journey and it is beginning to look noticeable to me now.   I've got a ways to go and weighing me at the Hospital wasn't Helpful coz now they weigh you in Kilos... wearing a heavy Coat, which I didn't take off coz the Hospital was fucking Cold, I was 95 Kilos, which, equates to about 209 Lbs. when I Googled it.  *LOL*  I had dipped under 200 at one point, I thought, but, mebbe it was a less accurate Scale?  So I'll go by the one at the Hospital.  My Goal is 160 so, I'm on my way. 

 I had gotten up to about 230 as a Top Weight ever and that's when I got Serious as fuck about dropping some excessive Weight before it got any more out of Hand!   I have Insulin Resistant Belly Fat, which is a Bitch to lose.  There is a Genetic Family History on Mom's Maternal Side of Insulin Resistance, mostly with all the Females on that Lineage, all the Men on both sides of the Family tend to stay Lean for Life.   And the vast majority of the Females on both sides too, so wouldn't ya know I'd get that other Genetic Anomaly Freakish Gene as well, along with the Light Hair, being Short and Chesty. 

  Yeah, being Short and having Bodacious Boobage is not the Norm on either side of the Family either, so I got all those damned Recessive Genes combined, Lucky Me.  *LOL*  Genetics always fascinated me, especially how some Genes Dominate and some end up Recessive and crop up just every now and again if they're in the Genetic Lineage.  I once thought of being an Geneticist as a Career Path when I was in High School.   But the Salary was much lower than the Career Path in Banking I ended up choosing.

The average Geneticist Salary in Arizona is still only about $87,000 in 2024 according to Google!   As a Bank Executive way back in the 1970's I was making closer to that... so, for what they hadda know as a Genetic Scientist, wasn't a good enuf Payoff to me.  I was all about the Numbers Game, still am, I totally suck at Math, but have always excelled if you convert it to Money!  Go figure, I'm an Idiot Savant with Money Matters. *Smiles*   I may be somewhere on the Spectrum, I've been told... and that wouldn't Surprise me in the least, but, has never been formally Diagnosed. *LMAO* 

 I've always had some not so subtle Signs and Symptoms of Mild Autism, I am pretty damned sure.   I prefer to be on my own and have trouble making close Friendships, I prefer to keep people out of my Inner Circle.  I know I'm blunt as Hell, and I often am not Interested in others without meaning to be.  I take things very Literally and I have trouble understanding or following Social Rules.  Yep, pretty much... probably on the Spectrum and it would Explain a LOT.  *LOL and Winks*

I never picked up my Paycheck from Work with not going in to Work on Black Friday Night.   So, I don't know how Black Friday played out at the Antique Mall?   Usually it's no increase in Sales that is Significant coz they don't bother doing any Sale or Promos during it, which is a huge Missed Opportunity IMO.  Every Year all the Vendors tell Management, every Year they never change what isn't Working.   I don't know Why they fail to compete for the Busiest Shopping Day of the Entire Year Dollars?   Makes no Sense as a Marketing Strategy to just have it be like every other Day at your Establishment and have Zero in the way of Trade Stimulation.   They make a much bigger Deal of New Year's Day, which, isn't as much a Shopping Day as Black Friday by far... yet... 

 Anyway, I never did Price my Inventory I intended to bring in for Black Friday either or the Weekend.  I have some more really nice Vintage Retro Coffee Carafes that are Mid-Century Mod.   I already have one in the Showroom that's even Cooler looking, Three sided with Gold Diamond Pattern Design and was called an Atomic Coffee Carafe back in Da Day.   The one in the middle of the Trio of Pixs has a lot of Gold Gilding on the Glass too, which doesn't really appear Gold in the Pix, but, is a LOT of Gold Gilding Design around the entire Top and the Striping.  The smallest pictured at the Top is just Steel Metal and was probably a Commercial Restaurant/Diner Piece.   These always Sell very well, we just don't Keep any since we just make Single Mug or Tumbler Servings of Coffee and that's how our Coffee Maker is Designed to Brew it.

I should be going in this Week coming up to switch out to some Christmas Vignettes in our Showroom and transition from Fall to Winter Merch in there.   Sometimes I just make a single Table of Christmas Merch and the Colors indicative, like Reds and White colored Merch.  Since, I doubt I have a whole lotta Vintage Christmas to Sell this Year now.  I haven't been intentionally Sourcing Seasonal Merch for Resale, just Downsizing what I already Own of it. 

  I stared at my Cache' in the Christmas Storage Closet and wasn't that Moved to Let Go of a lot more now that I've Downsized it sufficiently in previous Years.   Yes, I could go ahead and Purge more, and I might, but, it's Okay with me if I don't.  Vintage Christmas is easier to Source, but, I don't like Buying for Resale, since, my Goal has been more Focused on Downsizing in our Old Age, not adding more to shove into an already packed Showroom of stuff we already Owned and wanted to rid ourselves of.  *Smiles*

 

A Blast from Christmas Past of The Young Prince doing his Best Rapper Impersonation.  *LOL*   And Below, me as a Salvation Army Bell Ringer in front of a Sam's Club with The G-Kid Force when they were little.  They always wanted to drop some Coin in Gramma's Kettle so The Man used to bring them to every location I was set up at and it was a Big Deal to them to be able to Ring my Bell.  I had a Special Red One that the Church had given me to Keep that had Salvation Army written on it, since I spent so many Years doing Volunteer Work in various Food Ministries and Holiday Community Service capacities, I still have it somewhere.   The Sam's Club locations during the Holidays was always a big Earner for the Kettles, not Surprising how many folks bulk Buy stuff for the Holidays... especially Food items if they're Entertaining and Hosting Big Gatherings.   I had different Santa Hats I'd wear every Day, the more unusual the better.  I still have a vast Collection of them I Kept and now put on my Vintage Mannequins.

They would put those Coins in one at a time taking forever, always a big Production for Kiddos to do that... we always kept a big stash of Coins for them to deposit in the Kettles thruout Thanksgiving thru Christmas.  You can see how Far Back in the Time Machine we go coz I used to put the Date ON my Photos when I had that function on my Old School Camera.  I came to Hate it tho' coz it was difficult to Crop Out.   And, for some reason The Young Prince HATES any Pixs of himself before I Adopted him and he got to pick and change his new Identity and Name to what he'd Chosen Post-Adoption.   He said it was like a New Life for him and so now the other one no longer Exists for him and he prefers that.  Not that he had horrible Childhood Memories, so he never wanted us to feel badly about his preference to forget Who he used to be and his Birth Name, but, Post-Adoption he just felt more Secure and Happier.  

It makes Sense, he was a Ward of the State for 15 long Years, her for 10, and it was difficult for us all to be at the Mercy and Whims of the State and Strangers as just Kinship Placement "Volunteer" Status of Raising those Two Grandkids.   Plus, for our Transgender Grandson, it was also when he quit trying to be a specific Gender assigned at Birth, since, he never felt either Male or Female, but a blend of each, which was always known to us, and accepted unconditionally, but few else outside the Family.   He could be more his Authentic Self by Age 15 and be fully Androgenous as he always felt.   He had been that way since about the Age of 2, it was that obvious very early on to me, I can tell a Two Spirit Person even if they're Presenting as a One Spirit Person. 

 In my Dad's Native American Culture it was always openly accepted until Missionaries came and tried to insist it was Sinful.  Which, I don't Believe it is myself, The Lord made each of us how He chose to, and I don't recall ever making a conscious Choice about the imparted Identity my Creator chose for me.  Anyway... it's a Non-Issue for our Family and Society constantly waffles on making it an Issue... or not.  The Climate of Societal ills usually has it's temperatures of Tolerance versus Hatred. 

 I feel it's just a handy Trigger to project Biases, Judgments and Hatreds that some folks just have, which REALLY is THE Issue, not the Victims of their Biases, Judgment and Hatred.   To me, a Biased, Judgmental or Hateful Human is MORE THE PROBLEM for Society to Deal with.  Whenever they become a Collective Majority it becomes a huge Humanitarian Problem in fact thruout History and that's when Atrocities and Bad Shameful History happens.  Only when Pressure is exacted to be more Humane do we have a Better Society that is Harmonious, most Functional and Peaceful Co-existing.

As an Old Hippie I'm all about Peace, Love, Harmony and Co-Existing in the most Humane way possible with other Sentient Beings, both Human and of the Animal Kingdom.  It's just preferable all around and I've not seen anything in all my Years to convince me otherwise.  If you Live in Harmony with Nature and those you Share our Planet with, you'll be more Balanced and have more Inner Peace without hardly any Effort at all.  It takes a lot of Work and a heavy Toll to project Negative Energies, hardly any at all to project Positive Energy.  

 The Work I often see folks putting into their Negative Thoughts and Actions makes me Wonder how Tortured they must really be on the Inside for it, all that Toxicity, to be always spilling out like that?   They seem Angry all the time and thus they need to project it outwards.  Probably becoz Inner Peace must elude them and the only way they think they can Feel Good or dispel their Demons is by treating other Sentient Beings Badly and more importantly, with Cruelty?   Coz that's just NOT a Normal or Healthy State of Being IMO, it's defective and dysfunctional.

It must be very difficult to have Loved Ones in that Condition and I'm so Thankful my Closest Loved Ones don't have that in them.   If it's not IN you then it doesn't exist to spill out into Society and your Community.   A lot can be Wrong with all of us, but to have THAT Wrong with you, to me, seems like the worst thing you could Become... or just are.  Radiant People with the Fruits of the Spirit not only IN them, but which they let spill out to Benefit the World around them, are just a lot more of a Positive contribution and Legacy, so are remembered in only the Best and complimentary of ways.  

 How History recalls and recounts the truly Evil ones who Negatively impacted the World around them, is not Good, EVER.   But we are doomed to Repeat Bad History and being on the Wrong Side of it if we don't Learn something from it.  That's why Omission and Whitewashing unpalatable History and keeping it from our Children and Future Generation's Knowledge is not a Good thing.   People generally DO Better when they KNOW Better and Evolve rather than Devolve.

I'd run out of Christmas Ornament Hooks to finish up the decorating of the Back of the Tree that shows out the Window, it was disturbing The Daughter and Princess T that it was bare.  *LOL*  So, I found some colored Rubberized Paper Clips and twisted them to be Christmas Ornament Hooks and finished decorating it all just now.  I took a Trio of new Pixs of it and it looks fine out the Window now too.  Tho' only when you're out on the Front Porch throwing away the Trash do you even see it up close thru the Window from the Outside.  *LOL*  You can see the Tree more from the Street than I thought though, and now the Girls will be Happy I threw some more Colorful Ornaments on there to complete it's look from every side and angle.   I don't know why it didn't bother me, with my OCD, to have it bare on the back side, but, it didn't.  *Ha ha ha*

 

Had I not found that wealth of Colorful Rubberized Paper Clips, which had Seven different Colors, I probably would have used that as an excuse tho'.  *Smiles*   You can see a Green Paperclip on that Shiny Brite Bulb Ornament.   They also came in Yellow, White, Hot Pink, Red, Dark Blue, and Powder Blue.   Improvise when you don't have what you Need.  After Work Princess T took me out for Dinner again at her fav Vietnamese Restaurant, her Treat.   Starting next Week she's got to go in an Hour Earlier to Work, but will also get off an Hour Earlier.  She's not excited to have to be there by 6:00 a.m. tho' and neither am I, that's a 5:00 a.m. wakeup call every Day now from Tues-Sat for both of us... ugh.

 She ran in for me at the Antique Mall to pick up my Check, I sat in the Truck and some of my Friends in Management and who are Co-Workers came out to make sure I was doing better, Bless them.   I am doing better Today, mostly due to drinking my Herbal Teas, especially my Gypsy Cold Care Tea, which really is amazing to fight congestion and laryngitis... I'd forgotten I had a new Box of it in the Cupboards until The Daughter re-organized all my Cupboards and Drawers in recent Days.  So, I've been drinking that Hot all Day long and it's incredible how quickly I began feeling much better.   A few Days of it and I'm Hopeful I can shake whatever this is?

Princess T had Ordered several items Online and when they're showing up now the Packages are absolutely ravaged!   The Contents luckily weren't damaged, but, damn, they're being rough with the Holiday Mail Delivery of Packages, especially Boxes and larger Envelopes.  They actually look almost vandalized, so I wasn't sure, with some of them, that they hadn't been deliberately opened to see what was inside?   Can't prove that, and since nothing was missing or damaged I guess if that did happen, they didn't want whatever it was and just delivered it in that atrocious condition.    These are UPS and Amazon Deliveries, not the Postal Service, which has delivered everything undamaged so far.

The Daughter is still making remarkable progress in The RV Garage Mahal and plowing thru it so fast that I'm impressed.  She's now installing all the Ornate Cast Iron Shelf Bracket "Feet Stands" on my Salvaged Antique Doors so we can use them as Room Dividers in there.  She's got some of her Guy Friends assisting her, so, that Project should also soon be Done... whoop whoop!!!  As it's all coming together now I'm really getting excited.  To be able to have it finally all Done, be able to have it all Functional once again, and NOT have to Move this time once it's all Done, is going to be very Emotional for me.   I've had everything done before at every Property I've ever Owned, and then when you Move again, you have to start all over.  At some juncture, at a certain Season of Life, you just don't have the Time anymore left to keep doing that over and over again.  You want to enjoy Retirement and your Home just Done.

It is so much Work and so much Time Invested in getting it all the way you want it, so, not to enjoy it for Years and Years really bothered me at each and every Property we had to Sell and Move from.   I'd thought way back in 2000 that I'd finally gotten my Forever Home, the Historic One, which required a LOT of Restoration and so took Years to do.  And so I'd never intended to have to move Two more times again and start over Twice!!!   Between the Historic Home, the Villa McManse and here at the Mini Farm, it has been literally now 24+ Years of starting over and getting Three different Properties the way we wanted them to be since deciding to prepare for Retirement!   During our Nomadic Years and Lifestyle the constant moving never bothered me coz I'd done it literally all of my Life since Birth and that was my Normal.

But, by 2000 I wanted to put down permanent Roots in a Community I had fallen in Love with and knew so many Wonderful People in.  So, to have that disrupted and upended more than Once, wasn't in The Grand Plan at all.   Of coarse The Man becoming permanently Disabled, very Sick and unable to Work or Care for himself wasn't in The Grand Plan either.  Nor was inheriting Two Grandchildren to Raise right at the Time I was preparing for Retirement and doing Full Time Unpaid Caregiving while still juggling my Careers for as long as it was possible to keep Working Full Time.   

When I had to take Early Retirement that also was not in The Grand Plan.   Nor was all the changes in the Laws that forced me to Adopt the Grandkids I'd been already Raising for 15 and 10 Years... and having The System force me to Sell my Paid Off Beloved Historic Home or they wouldn't Approve said Adoption.  So, a LOT came up to Work around, adapt to and improvise on The Fly and on a now Fixed Income.   Yet, looking back and at the Present, I now realize that everything is as it Should Be.   And what The Future Holds is known to none of us, but, I'm sure we'll all figure it out as we go... even if it's on The Fly yet again.

*******

Christmas Vibes coming to you from the Arizona Desert... Dawn... The Bohemian