Land Your Balloon Every So Often

 So, it's already December... Time is going by at warp speed, isn't it?  I still feel like crap, whatever this is, it's hanging on tenaciously.  I'm just gonna hafta roll with it I guess until it passes.  At least the ER ruled out anything very concerning, which has given me Peace of Mind.  Tho' they did ask me to come back if it worsens, coz it could morph into Pneumonia or Bronchitis if an Infection takes hold.  I would have liked to also know what it is, not just what it isn't, but, I guess they can't know every strain of Virus going around or have Tests for every single one.

  And, a part of me Wonders, is it just a really bad Cold?   The Symptoms were there, starting with the Sore Throat, which eventually did go away.  I have the Congestion and Cough, the Headache went away along with the Sore Throat part of it tho', and my Nose isn't so runny, tho' I blow it often.  So, could be a Common Cold.  Been a while since I've had one of those actually, I honestly manage to stay healthier than most Old folk it seems.  There are more than 200 Respiratory Viruses that cause the Common Cold... and of coarse there is no Treatment for it... Splendid.  Just Riding it Out... Le Sigh.

The good thing is, I did feel somewhat better so I got some Grocery Shopping done and they had the Hams on Post-Holiday Sale to get rid of them so I bought one for Twelve bucks.  We like Hams better than Turkey and for $1.98 a lb. I couldn't resist and will make another Family Member Cook it.  *LOL*  I know The Daughter had dug up a Roasting Pan in The RV Garage Mahal and she's Organized things into a Method she has where she can now locate anything and everything in there, it's pretty impressive.  And, she's actually enjoying doing it, she's in there all the time voluntarily.

The Main House is Clean, Decluttered, Decorated for the Holidays and Organized to the hilt Thanks to her too.  The only Room slightly still in Chaos is our Boudoir since I won't Touch what's The Man's Section and he seems to like it how it is.  Plus, both of our Closet Rods that broke in those flimsy Remodeled His and Her Closets we have, never got fixed yet.  I don't have a Budget for tearing out and Re-Remodeling both Closets right now, but, eventually it's gotta happen.  The Remodel done by the previous Owner looked fancy, but is Modern Construction, which, is crap.

The Guest Bedroom and Princess T's Bedroom has Closets from around Circa 1980 and are holding up better.  The Closets in our Historic Home were Circa around 1920 and exemplary.  You could do pullups off those Rods built at the turn of the Century, our Kiddos often did to prove a point!  Yep, a Grown Ass Man couldn't destroy those Closets even if he tried.   When you had to do any Demo in that Old House it was fighting you like a Heavyweight Champ.   I remember The Man and his Friend Joe burnt up Five Diamond Chainsaw Blades cutting one Victorian Width Doorway wider!  After that they gave up widening Victorian Era Doorway Widths in the Main House or the Three Cottages.  *LOL*

I remember Mr. Avila, who bought the Historic Home from me wanted to Update the back Kitchen, the Home's Main House had Three Kitchens.  Well, he said it was damned near impossible to wrench those Cabinets off the Walls and Drawers off the Counters.  My Modernized lovely LOOKING Kitchen in this Home had a Drawer already break, coz of some Plastic Parts that gave out.   And even tho' The Son Works for a Custom Cabinetry Shop Manufacturer, guess what, every Manufacturer has a different Plastic Part for their Drawers... ain't that a Bitch?!  Intentional Obsolescence plus Copyright Parts is a Pain in the Ass, you can't Win as a Consumer!  So, what he brought from Work to fix ours for Free, didn't interface!  Fuuuck!

And in Modern Times it seems something is always breaking down, nothing meant to last, so that you have to repair or replace it all the time, spending Money that isn't necessary really.   The things built to not even be repaired are the worst, coz you have to replace them, and many are large expensive units to swap out and pay the Labor of installation and delivery on.   I'm just Old enuf to recall when things were built to last, Younger people have no idea what that Myth even is that they've never actually experienced or knew existed, it seems like Urban Legend to them when I talk of it.  *LOL and Le Sigh*

Now, my own Kids and Grandkids KNOW it's True and WAS Real.  Coz they partly grew up in a Historic Home that still had Appliances from the Turn of the Century that had never broken to need repair or replacement.  If you didn't want to "Modernize" things and still used all of that, I swear it will never break down and Mr. Avila and his Future Heirs could have used it for a Century more.   I do know he got rid of the 1920's Stoves in the Two Kitchens that still had them, becoz he gave them to me upon request when I realized he was taking them out.  I'd Donated the 1920's Stove from the 3rd Kitchen to an Elderly Lady thru the Salvation Army who needed a good Apartment Sized Stove.

In fact, any Architectural Salvage from our Beloved Historic Home we told Mr. Avila we'd haul off for him and Keep, so, he always notifies me when he has any, so it won't be Landfill bound.  We've made several Trips over the Years he's Owned the Property to pick up Salvage items he's removed from it and see what he's doing to improve the Property and Restore some things, Remodel others.   He's poured Concrete Driveways and Patio or RV Slabs for his Tenants now.  He converted the Main House back into Three Apartments.  A lot of large Old Homes they do that to, we were the ones that had decided to make the Main House a Single Family Residence again.

It's an Investment Property for Mr. Avila, he doesn't live there, and it seems he's got at least Three Tenants now and just Two empty Units.  One in the Main House's Oldest Section and one of the Cottages that aren't presently Rented out.   Yes, I could have turned it into a Rental Investment Property for us and made a lot more Money as a Landlord and kept the Beloved place.  But, at the time I had a LOT going on with The Man being in very bad shape Post Catastrophic Accident while also simultaneously trying to Adopt The G-Kid Force and still juggle a Career.  Eventually some things fell apart, like having to take an Early Retirement.  And others got done like the Adoption of The Force and Rehabilitation of The Man.

But, I couldn't also juggle Maintaining the Historic Property, the enormous McManse Maintenance, Caregiving of a High Maintenance Spouse and Raising Two Special Needs Grandkids.   So after a Year of juggling both Properties, I put my Beloved Historic Home up For Sale and Cashed Out on the Paid Off Property we weren't living in coz the Adoption Board wouldn't Approve it to finalize the Adoption.  Whilst assuming a big Mortgage for the first time ever, something I swore I'd never do.   Along with breaking my Vow to never Buy in an HOA Community.  There are definitely some things to be said about not breaking certain Vows.  *LOL* 

Fast forward, I Cashed Out my Equity on said McManse to assume another Big Mortgage on this here Mini Farm and now here we are.  But, with no Devil of an HOA... better Location... better Community... the Main House being a reasonable Size to Maintain without Staff.   And Equity building far faster than the McManse did way out in the Boonies.  *LOL*   Mini Farms have better Tax Advantages and are highly sought after in the City Limits, Million Dollar Property Luxury Listings of ridiculous Sized Homes don't build equity or have high demand on Resale... it's just that Simple.  If you're not a Celebrity or a Pro Athlete, you don't Need an ostentatious Manse really and the Maintenance Costs of them are prohibitive! 

Now being able to say, yeah, did that, I'm Good.  I saw the Investor who Bought Villa Boheme' and made our McManse into an Air B&B Party House to Rent Out, had the Solar Repossessed, so, I suspect they're financially struggling.   I know I was getting the Collection Calls and had been released of liability due to the Legal Sale done Right, so, they have no Idea the Lenders were spilling the Tea on them.  Having been in that Industry of Foreclosures, Collections and Bankruptcies of Real Property in my First Corporate Life, well, I had nice Chats with said Lenders about the New Owners dilemma.  *Winks*   Well, you see, most Loan Servicing now isn't being done by Pros anymore. 

 So you can glean a lot of Spilled Tea out of a Collection Call when they call the Wrong Person, out of ignorance and incompetence, by contacting a Previous Owner by Mistake.   One who happens to have a Curious Nature and confesses likes to do Interrogations, so has become adept at squeezing folk for Information I want or need to know.  *Winks*   It's good Sport and Entertaining to me to get the Dirt so easily and have my Curiosity satiated.   And the Collectors just aren't used to someone keeping them on a Call and asking so many Questions and so pleasantly and amicably.  So, they are so stunned and disarmed they'll usually tell you anything and everything before they even realize they shouldn't even be talking to YOU!   Touche'.  *LMAO*

And a Heads Up, even if it IS YOU they should be talking to about a default, that IS your Liability, tell them your Whole Sad Life Story. Every. Single. Time!   Draw it out, I like to see how far past an Hour I can actually get before they are the ones trying to end the Call and pleading that they don't have Time for this one to last so long!  *Winks and Smiles*   It's way Cheaper than Therapy and on THEIR Dime, very Therapeutic and they are hesitant to ever want to Call you again, pretty sure they make Notes to the File.  *Bwahahahaha*   And, if you can't Pay, well, they NEED to know WHY, ALL of Why, from A to fucking Z, Okay, IMO.  *Snicker* 

  I remember when The Man had run up close to a Million in Medical Debts, after his Catastrophic Accident.   The VA and all our Insurances were balking to Pay Out the Outstanding Debt load or to even take Care of him Inpatient and just dumped him on the Kids and I in the worst Shape ever, that should have required extensive Long Term Care.   I just made it like I was a Game Show Contestant Playing to Win.   And I LOVE to Win and rise to a good Challenge.  It can be Fun if you View it as a Game in which they've given you nothing left to Lose, so you might as well take them Down too if you're going Down anyway and they Initiated said Game as your Adversaries. 

Listen, if they're Sinking my Ship we're ALL going Down Honey, no Survivors, no Life Rafts, I'll ensure it.  That will be my Mission Statement in Life now and new Obsession to take everybody Down with me.  So, go ahead, hop Aboard and let's Play the Game shall we?  You Buy the Ticket you're on for the whole damned fucking Wild Ride Darlin'.  Wheeeeee... *Dark Dawn's maniacal Laughter*   Yeah, they eventually Wrote Off everything and my FICO Score stayed intact, since nobody wanted to be on that Wild Ride anymore with me and I outlasted them all.  I'm relentless and tenacious like that, I can and will Outlast you, coz I'm fucking Mental like that, big time and easily Obsessed.   I and the G-Kid Force did ALL The Man's Rehab ourselves, totally Winging it as we went along.   Genius Boy and I put our Heads together about Creative Methods and Princess T was Nurse Ratchet executing Compliance.  *LOL*

  It really was like "One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest" in those Days around Bohemian Valhalla and The Asylum has since just changed Locations a few times.  Adding and subtracting New Residents over Time.  *Winks*   Now Barrow's Neurological in Phoenix actually uses some of my Invented Tactics and Methods for Rehabbing Disabled Veterans.  I didn't Charge them for my Services coz they Wrote Off a Big Debt, so we called it Even I guess and a Fair enough Trade?  *LOL*  Listen, I am devout and responsible at Paying what I legitimately Owe, but the Insurances and VA screwed us over and $970,000 was just a ridiculous Debt to Owe that I never could have Paid in several Lifetimes, so, it hadda just GO AWAY, Okay.

It did Help, I ain't gonna Lie, for me to have little Involuntary Vacation of a Week in Psyche Lockdown and the Threat of Costing The State of Arizona a Prospectus of around $60,000 a MONTH if they didn't Partner with me to get back to it as an Unpaid Caregiver and my Promise to them that I and The Asylum Residents that belonged to me, fully Intended to Cost them so much more than a Million Bucks quite quickly if I never got out and didn't have all my Debts erased and forgiven.   They can do Simple Math, and in just over a Year they'd of been Underwater and at a Loss beyond what I Owed everyone.  So, it didn't require Rocket Scientists to realize the Deal on the Table being Offered was in everyone's Best Interest. 

 I'm Crazy, and had Caregiver Burnout, but I'm not Stupid.  They didn't have adequate Placement for us all anyway.  And so, we Closed that Deal and all Negotiations, and now here we all are... Living The Dream.  *Bwahahahahaha*   Don't ever Threaten me with a Good Time, I'll take you up on it in a Heartbeat before you can rescind the Invitation.  I'm kinda like Inviting a Demon or Devil INTO your Life that way.  *Winks*  And that's my Back Story in a Nutshell for Newer Dear Readers and I only Share it again becoz I think we're all facing some Dark Trying Times my Friends in 2025.  When the New Administration of the newly Appointed American Nazi Party of Freeloaders and Fanatics takes over.  Does anyone still have any delusions it's gonna be Fun Times?

   And shit will get Real fast I Predict, and start unraveling quicker than a loose Thread on a Hemmed Garment.  That was holding together with Fragility of the Thread to begin with.   Democracy is Fragile like that and depends exclusively upon the People it Serves on whether it Works... or falls apart.   And Society, as a Collective, can be fickle, selfish and ignorant as fuck, especially once they become complacent, feel entitled, coddled, or disenchanted with anything or anyone.   We've become a Society of the expectation of Quick Fixes and everyone wants their Fix, and FAST!  Impatience and Unrealistic Expectations abound.  Far too many have become totally untethered to Reality and count on unreliable Sources for their information. 

 The Echo Chambers and Silos of Misinformation and Lies are designed to confuse and confound, indoctrinate and radicalize.  Modern Technology is advancing too fast and people can't REALLY keep up with the dangers it might all hold for them.   The Invention of AI is just the beginning of what will bend Reality even further from being able to be distinguished easily... if at all.   So, challenges up ahead are gonna mount up quickly and tho' I used to be an Incurable Optimist, I am more a Realist now and have only Guarded Optimism in me anymore.  I won't bottom out into Pessimism, it isn't Helpful.   Negativity is never preferable as your constant State of Mind, your State of Being and Behavior.  I prefer Positivity and accept Situations as they are and am prepared to Deal with it accordingly though.  You do have to Land your Balloon every so often and come back down to Earth.  *Winks*

And even tho' I am dumping some Heavy Shit into this Post, it's not all Doom and Gloom, we don't Need for it to be.  So, the Pictures are Fluff of Holiday Present and Holidays Past that I have been experiencing now and during different Christmas Seasons.  Very Nostalgic and Sentimental, and who doesn't like a bit of that Nostalgic Sentimental Fluff of Life?   We can still enjoy the Present and look forward to the Future while enjoying Looks Back with fond Remembrances.   I don't get stuck there, in the Past, I Live fully in my Present Moments, and, I don't really ignore the Future and it's Possibilities, but I realize it's Promised to no-one and so I don't Fixate or Worry unnecessarily on it either.  There's not a lot of Point to constantly Worry about what hasn't yet happened and may never happen, giving ourselves too much unnecessary Anxiety.  Right Now if often enuf to Deal with and Focus upon.

I do thoroughly Enjoy my Present Moments, I wake up each Day enthusiastic about them.  Yeah, sure, Life then unfurls and happens as it will and not all of it is predictable nor Good, but, it could be Good and I prefer to Imagine that it just will be... until it ISN'T.  *Winks*   I've not gotten to the Point of Dread upon Waking Up, since, just Waking Up once you reach a certain Season of Life is Bonus Enough, Right?   Everything after that is Gravy really when you've had the Privilege of Growing Old.  It's not been afforded to many.  *Bwahahaha*  It would be Nice if everyone got to attain it tho', don'tcha think?  That would be more Just and Fair... instead of so damned random and Unfair.

When Princess T went in to get our Check from the Antique Mall we saw what's Selling this Holiday Season... Vintage and Band T-Shirts, Mickey Mouse Specialty Ears and Coffee Mugs.  I Sold only Two items on Black Friday since our Mall does absolutely nothing for that most Popular Sale Day of the entire Year and it shows.  But, I'd had an unusually Strong Thursday Thanksgiving in Sales, even tho' they've done NO Sales whatsoever to Stimulate Trade yet to Jump Start the Christmas Buying Season, including Thanksgiving and Black Friday.   Despite the Mall dropping the Ball on Trade Stimulating, I started this Pay Period off pretty Strong regardless, tho' the Check for last one was paltry, it was still a Check and only as good as it was due to comped Space Rent from Working extra Shifts.  The Volunteer Work there does offset some Overhead Costs, tho' no Money is exchanged and it's a very low Comp Per Hour well below Minimum Wage.

But, I'm not into all the Work involved in Yard Sales or having Strangers showing up on my Property, so, it's still preferable to that or trying to Sell Online.   The Online Sales thing has morphed a lot over the Years and Friends that used to do it are complaining about it all the time now, so, I just haven't Gone There as a Seller.  I'm very rarely a Buyer Online either anymore, not even E-Bay.  I'm not particularly impressed with other sites like Etsy and Poshmark.   And sites like Craig's List seemed very Unsafe for Sellers and Buyers.  While still Working at the DA's Office we had Two Prosecutors from our Office, a Husband and Wife, 'disappear' when Listing a Vehicle on that site.  The Bodies were never Found, tho' it was assumed to be a Cold Case Homicide.  Nor the Vehicle they were meeting with a Buyer for when they became MIA was ever recovered.  And they're not the only ones that Craig's List Killers have been known to have lured and targeted.   So, No Thanks.

I had a Blog Friend named Andie who was The Craig's List Queen and her Hubby was a Cop.   But, I still felt she took undue risks using the site and always worried about her safety going to look at or pick up items she was Buying on Craig's List.   I always told her to make sure she was Strapped, just in case.   She was exceptional at Transformations of pieces, OMG, she is the only one I know who bought a New Build and made it actually look, inside and out, like a Historic French Chateau!!!  I miss her Blog "Divine Theater" which is still up but hasn't been Active since 2020.   She still does Pinterest and FB so if you'd like a Visual Treat of Francophile Eye Candy, you're Welcome.  *Smiles*   Andie's Style is more Refined than Yours Truly, but some of her DYI Tutorials on Furniture Makeovers are very Helpful to Master the Art of the Makeover.

I HAD to Share the above Pixs of Creampuff Swans becoz my Dad used to make those every Christmas.   So, very Nostalgic and Sentimental to me that they showed up on my Book of Faces Algorithm Feed during the Holiday Season.   Well, even tho' I stayed in my Jammies 'til past Noon trying to feel somewhat less fatigued and less Sick, I had to just dose up on my over-the-counter Meds and make a run to Mail my Bills and to foof the Showroom after a Holiday and a Weekend.  Yes, it was messy, but not alarmingly so, just looked like legit Shopper Mess and not someone intentionally Vandalizing the Room or acting Feral.  The Mall was quite busy too, so Hopefully we'd end up with Strong Sunday Sales?  I'd already Sold more by 1:00 p.m. on Sunday than I had all of Black Friday between 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m..

I didn't bring in much Inventory as Fresh Merch, but, I had a few Vintage Retro Mid-Century Mod Pieces I knew would be desirable and boost the bottom line for me when they Sell.   These are 1970 Rubbermaid Mushroom Stacking Canisters.  They came in this Harvest Gold and also in Avocado Green and Persimmon Orange to match the Color of Appliances of that Era.   They came in Sets of Three... and a larger Set of Four.   Or even a Single larger Canister that usually just came in the Persimmon Orange Color with Mushroom Graphics and was the Size and Shape of a Square Cookie Jar.   I remember my Parents had the Avocado Green Mushroom Canisters and Avocado Green Appliances in 1974.

I'm Selling these as a Set and not Individually.   I usually only break up very large Sets that would profit me more to Sell Off Individually and be a Quicker Turn that way too.   The Franciscan Ware Autumnal Dinnerware Set for example, I Priced Individually and have already Sold all the Dinner Plates.   Sometimes it can be too expensive to Buy an entire Set, but some Customers will Purchase it in increment pieces if Sold Individually and as they can afford to.   And other Customers might just be missing certain pieces to complete a Set or have a replacement for a missing, damaged, or broken piece or to enlarge their Serving Sets from perhaps Serving 4, to Serving 6, 8 or 10.   Anyway, this Set sparked a LOT of Interest from other Vendors as I brought them in and I wouldn't be Surprised to Sell it to another Vendor actually.

A lot of our Vendors Specialize in Mid Century Mod Merch and others Specialize in certain Manufacturers of Vintage pieces like Rubbermaid, Tupperware, Corelle, etcetera.   They have a Client Base that Specializes in what they Buy too, so, the Vendors often Buy from me before any Customer bites.  *LOL*   They have no saturation point so I don't mind and typically will Negotiate a mutually beneficial Deal to seal a Sale quickly.   Right now I realize I've been Selling a lot of my Fiesta Ware too and I don't have as much of it as other Vendors who Specialize in it and have large Inventories of it.  So, it's very likely they're Buying mine up, which is Fine.   I don't Care who I Sell my Merch to and I'm often content with being the Middleman.   I know The Good Stuff, I enjoy The Thrill Of The Hunt and Collecting, and I don't Specialize in anything particular.

 

Below I decided to also Photograph some of the various Vintage Coffee Carafes I presently have in Inventory.   I don't 'Collect' them I just managed to Source quite a few lately by pure Serendipity that are Vintage Mid-Century Mod Pieces from the 60's and 70's.   The Corelle Metal Blue Stylized Flame Stamp Coffee Carafe is Vintage 1960's.  The Vintage MCM Inland Glass Atomic Design Triangular Coffee Pot/Carafe is also from the 1960's.    The Retro Gold Stripe and Rim Design Inland Glass smaller Carafe also from the 1960's used to probably have a little Golden Stand at one time.   The little Mid-Century Mod Shot Glass is probably an Anchor Hocking Piece that was called a Barware MCM Atomic Design.   A Set can go for as much as $70, but I only have the One.

Even if I Score/Source an Orphaned Piece I always Buy it if it's a Vintage Mid-Century Modern Product.   I've never had any problem Selling that Genre and Customers can't get enough of it, especially International Pickers that come in and Buy it in bulk to take abroad for their Clients.  I've literally had Japanese Pickers come in and clean me out of my Genre of Merch that their Clients can't get enough of.   And I remember Owning and Using all that Style of stuff in the Sixties and Seventies and I still Like it, I just don't have my Home Mid-Century Modern Specific anymore.  I used to tho'.   It is one of those Timeless Genres that never fell out of Style for me actually, and I would Decorate with it again if I ever got a small Vacation Home or Cabin to Style.  That isn't likely, but... just sayin'.   *Winks*

Okay, so my Fav Junk Vendor, who usually has nothing worthwhile in her small Unlocked Case Space at the Mall, but who makes her Creepy Dolls around the Holidays, that I Collect, finally put a Couple in for Christmas.  I had been checking regularly and had built up a considerable Store Credit to use against any Purchase, even if she didn't accept an Offer if I Bought both or they couldn't reach her.   A lot of Vendors go away for the Holidays and don't take Calls, so, I did end up using my considerable Store Credit against the Purchase, which was really much more of a Credit than the Offer I had made... so, it worked out better.   And I've added this little Creepy Duo of Frosty The Snowman and Santa Clause to my Gold Tree Vignette, since it has some of the previous Christmas Creepy Dolls I'd Bought from her before.

So, Frosty even has a Real Corncob Pipe and Vintage Material with Snowman Graphics Body.   Then Below is Santa Clause who has Vintage Grinch Material for his Body and the Cutest little Sac of Toys on his Back.   I just J'Adore her little Creepy Doll Collections and have Bought many from her over the Years.   She is the one I also Scored a very Early Magnolia Pearl Purse from, which was quite a Shock, since, like I said, usually her Merchandise is like Yard Sale stuff and I only like her OOAK Created pieces, so never expected an MP Piece.   Plus, the price point on it led me to Believe she had no Idea what it even was so no telling where and how it was Sourced either... perhaps even an Expensive Gift she just didn't like for herself and didn't realize how much they'd spent on her?  I dunno, never met her in Person in all the Years I've been Buying, she mustn't come in all that often and her Case is always a jumbled mess of disparate Merch.  

I'm sure Creating her Creepy Dolls is Time Consuming, since she doesn't Stock many and they Sell way better than the crap being hawked that doesn't seem to be Selling at all and looks stale in the Case.   There really is no rhyme or reason to how some Vendors are Marketing their Wares tho', to each their own I suppose.   These are Weird enough to be Wonderful and every time someone sees my Collection of them, they are intrigued and think they're Cute and Cool.    I only didn't Buy the Witch and Scarecrow she made for Halloween, didn't Like either of them.

*******

Let's kick off this Christmas Season in Style my Friends... Dawn... The Bohemian