The Love Haters

 The Daughter is cooking up some Homemade Chorizo to put into Burritos this Morning, she does most of the Cooking and Housekeeping for me now, it's been a Godsend.  She also helps with her Dad and he behaves for her so she can fill in with Caregiving easier than her Brother can.  Princess T does it well coz he won't misbehave for her either.  *LOL and Winks*  The Daughter has been decluttering the Diningroom for me now, it was the last bastion in the Common Areas of some clutter on the Floor that shouldn't be there.  Most of it Inventory unpriced or things with no Placement we're Keeping, but, no Room in the Main House for any of it.  *Smiles*  So, off to the She Shed or RV Garage Mahal it's going.

When The Man suggested going Canning on his Birthday, I was Surprised coz I gave him any Option and that's what he wanted and chose for us to do.  There's a Young Homeless Working Veteran the Age of our Son that lives at the River Bottom with his Dog.  He's a Painter like The Son and Works spraying Aircraft at the nearby Airport in our City, but he cannot afford Rent either.  He Saves his Aluminum for us and enjoys talking with us when we're doing Environmental Cleanup near the Overpass he lives under with his Camp that crosses over the Gila River.  I saw he was breaking down his Camp when he came to give us all his Bagged Aluminum and asked if he was Moving or had finally gotten a place to live?  Or if the VA was Helping him at all?  He's a Young Combat Veteran who had to get out due to his PTSD and reliance on Painkillers at one point.  He got Clean of the dependency and even gave up Drinking, but, the damage is done and he lost everything.

Turns out, No, the Sheriff's Dept. rousted him and said he had to move coz some other Homeless Person keeps setting Fires that the Fire Dept. has to keep putting out and now they wanted everyone out of there.  He's moving his Campsite to a large Tamarack Stand of Trees further down the River where he will not be bothered or seen.   It's a disgrace any of our Working Young People or Veterans are Homeless and cannot afford local Rents and have to live like that.  This Young Man moved here from Washington State, much like our Grandsons did, coz the Cost of Living there wasn't sustainable even with a good Job either.   For a Single Man, working even a good Job, Arizona is now not much better.  But, he said the Weather here is easier to be Homeless in Year Round, so, there's that.  And his Military Training taught him how to Survive and Live off the Land.  It breaks my Heart tho'.

He's a Handsome Powerfully Well Built Young Man, soft spoken, with long Hair he wears in a Man Bun, and a Beard/Mustache, and some interesting Tattoos.  If you didn't know he was Homeless, you'd just think he could be a Yoga Instructor.  *LOL*  He said he used to have a Girlfriend, but being Homeless, well, if he can't provide the essentials like Shelter even for himself, he told her she should go Home and ask her Parents if she could move back in with them.  He doesn't have Family to ask.  He didn't want her living on the Streets or in a River Bottom just to be with him.  And he knows we're a multi-generational Family from our mutual Talks since last Summer, when we first met him while doing Environmental Cleanup.  We do meet a lot of the Homeless and hear their Stories of how they ended up Unhoused and barely Existing in these Troubled Times.  I fear it will get worse for more People, there is no Affordable Housing Locally now.

Not every Family is willing or able to just take back in their Grown Children, with their Families, and Grown Grandchildren, who can't make it as the Economy worsens.   As an Old Hippie, Communal Living doesn't bother me, it's preferable.   But, it is challenging for anyone whose not Grown Up like that or would struggling with many Generations all Sharing Space and being Financially Challenged at the same time.  We've often had Friends or Neighbors Couch Surf for a while as they are in Transition, some longer term than others.  One of my Lifelong Friends Retired early, or tried to, and ended up Homeless and lived with us for Six Months until she could afford a Fixer Upper in a Retirement Community.  But it needed a LOT of Work since it had been Owned by a 90 Plus Year Old and fallen into disrepair badly.  And many Seniors desperately need Subsidized Housing but they suspended new Applicants in Arizona and the Waiting List was over a Decade for those already on the Lists.  My Mom Waited 10 Years to get her Senior Housing that was Subsidized, she had to live with me until she Qualified and got one and then it was in a dangerous Neighborhood.

So, a lot of Families are taking in their Elderly Loved Ones who can't afford the basic essentials on their Fixed Incomes and can't Work anymore to supplement their Income either.   Now I'm Old enuf to Work without Penalty to my Social Security, but, I'm no longer Well enuf to, or I would.   Since, I'd have The Daughter filling in as a Part-Time Unpaid Caregiver for her Dad so I could go to Work.   And since, she can't be gainfully Employed due to the Serious Mental Illness being something Employers don't want the liability of.   She does her little side jobs by word of Mouth, but it's not enuf to support herself.  She has to do it at exploitable wages just to ensure steady Work here and there that those who Hire her can afford.  She has the Humility to do anything she can regardless of how much they can pay her or how hard the Labor is.  She learned to do that while living Two Decades in Mexico and mostly being Homeless all the time while there.

She has some humorous Stories about working in Mexico as an "Illegal Alien" for over Two Decades.  *Bwahahahahaha*   She once picked Jalapenos and they wouldn't transport them back from the Fields until they picked a certain amount of them.  She was inexperienced and slow, she said she was a dumb American and showed up in Shorts and short Sleeves... Loca Gringa!  She said she'd never do that again and made the equivalent of about Twenty Dollars working all Day in the Fields and her Legs and Arms were Raw from handling the Peppers and brushing up against the Plants from Sunup to Sundown!  Then she cleared Jungle for the Police Department once who were expanding their Canine Training Center.   At that time she was Dating a Cop and Dog Handler/Trainer!  That's the time she brought Home a huge Jungle Lizard to try to bond with her Son, The Young Prince, via Video Chat, when he was in his Reptile Phase as an Older Teenager.  *LOL*

I remember him Crying and telling me to make his Mom put the Endangered Species Jungle Lizard back coz they're Protected, Aggressive, and she was trying to feed the damned thing Carrots when it was a Carnivore!   Gramma, Carrots don't even naturally Grow in the Tropical Jungles, he wailed!!!  *Bwahahahaha*   He's like, I know my Mom's Crazy and Unwell, but that Lizard is as big as a Dog, she could get hurt, it's Hangry and she has no idea how to care for it and it's illegal for her to even have it as a Pet or in Captivity!  *LMAOROTF*   So, here she was, doing a side Job for a Police Dept., Dating a Cop, and Housing an Illegal Species in her fucking Housing they'd provided for her while she cleared the Jungle, while also being Illegally in the Country!   She said the Cops knew she was Crazy, so they helped her return said Lizard to the Jungle and set it Free once I talked her into letting it go.  *LMAO*  She's got Dozens of Stories, it could be a Novella!!!  You can't make the shit up she's Lived!!!

The News Today covered that this vile Administration is now rounding up Undocumented Immigrants with no Criminal Record who originally are from Afghanistan, Asia and Africa and dumping them in Panama!  They are being held against their Will locked in a Panamanian Hotel and will be transported to a Jungle Camp next, with no access to Legal Counsel for basically now being Kidnapped and Held Involuntarily!   Apparently the Panamanian Govt. feels pressured by this Regime, who is Threatening to take back the Panama Canal, so has acquiesced to holding these people.  Many of which cannot go back to their Countries of Origin for Safety reasons or becoz their Countries won't accept them back in.  Some are Children, it's a huge Human Rights Violation.  Yet, not at all Surprising, given how this Regime is breaking Laws and treating Human Beings worse than you'd treat an Animal.

The problem I'm having to have the Freedom to just do whatever I want to do is that I'm still Princess T's Transportation to and from Work.  Which, isn't far from our Home, but limits what I might need or want to do during the Day and get back in time to pick her up.  She's still Saving like crazy for her First Vehicle, but, she doesn't Drive yet and has had very little Driver Training, Timmy has let her Drive his Car a bit in the Subdivision being built where nobody is on those Roads yet.  *Smiles*  So, it may be some Time yet before she is Licensed, Insured and has her own Transportation and I don't want her to feel pressured to do any of it prematurely.  She's doing well on her Job and she's great at Saving her Money, so, she's on Track to attain some Goals.  Some of her Friends have been driving a while now, but they don't have Anxiety Issues like she has.   And Big City Driving can be Anxiety ridden.

I personally have trouble lately even wanting to really leave the House or get Dressed in Street Clothes and not just stay in my Jammies doing absolutely nothing for most of the Morning.  I was going to The Gym this Morning, but, it didn't happen.   I can't go until after 9:00 a.m. due to the Age Restriction Ageism bullshit, and after 9:00 I just didn't feel like doing it anymore, I was ready to at 7:00 a.m., it passed by after 9:00.  And, the Desert Botanical Garden was another Idea but it's a very long commute so I don't know I'd get Home in time or fight a lot of Traffic to and fro?   I have a couple minor Errands to do and we'll likely get around to that, but my Motivation to jump start is waning Hourly.  *LOL and Le Sigh*

There's a LOT I could be doing and I'm just NOT.   Usually I'd feel Guilty for evading and procrastinating what needs to get done, but, lately, I'm relatively Guilt Free about any of it, which, isn't Helpful at all.   LATER: I did get my Ass into gear and The Daughter and I cleaned the Dining Room area, removed the clutter, mopped and vacuumed, it looks so much better tho' the Dining Table is the only thing not tackled in there.   I pay Bills in one area of the Table and am getting Taxes ready to file so I had a lot spread out for all that and didn't wanna disturb any of it and then not have it easily accessible or get misplaced.

I'm having to file a Complaint against a Lender that financed our Home Improvement Loan for the Ductwork and the Insulation this Fall as  potentially indulging in Predatory Lending Practices.  I made the first payment due in January and this Month on the February Bill noticed they'd applied 100% of the first Payment only to Interest, not a Penny off Principal!!!   The Interest Rate isn't even that high and is a Fixed Rate Loan, so I called to ask what they were doing?  They couldn't give me a satisfactory Legal Explanation and actually kept changing the Why.  Their Loan Servicing is clearly Outsourced to the Philippines so the Customer Service can't stray from their Scripts, they know nothing about the Law or Federal Requirements Banks must comply with.

I Plan to just go to one of our major Banks we use and see if they'll just pay off the Loan and we'll do Business with a Reputable Lender instead?  We've had the Work done and the Bank that Financed it is the one the Contractor uses and the Rates were competitive so we just went with them.   We'd had small Loans with this Lender with no problems or Predatory Practices, but this is a much bigger Loan, so a much bigger Deal if they're doing something shady and questionable to exploit Borrowers.   Since my first Corporate Life was as a Bank Executive I know how it should Work.  I also know Predatory Lending has exploded in America tho' and very little is being done to protect the Public and even large Lenders like Wells Fargo have been heavily Fined for making up fake Loans and Opened Unauthorized Accounts, etcetera. For that they had to pay 3.7 Billion for that Scandal and even they are repeat Offenders!

I HATE that Customers are tasked with keeping all these Companies Honest tho', it's a hassle and stressful.   I only just had to do the same thing and file a Complaint and Investigation with that phony Surgery submitted to my Insurance, by some Cardiologist who I'm NOT a Patient of and requested Approval for and is Billing for a Surgery to Replace a Pacemaker I don't have, for a Surgery I'm also not having.  Christ on a Bike is this getting tiresome and annoying as fuck!   I flustered the Filipina Customer Service Rep since I did say I'm reporting them to the AG's Office for Investigation of Predatory Lending Practices.  She sounded close to Tears, so I just hung up on her, even tho' I'd kept Calm and remained firm but soft spoken thruout the Call.   She's probably an exploitable 3rd World Labor Force being Victimized in a whole other way by her Employer, she's not the Villain here so I wouldn't go Ham on her.  But our conversation became futile and nonproductive.

Turns out I couldda gone to The Desert Botanical Gardens coz The Granddaughter decided to hang out with Co-Worker Friends after Work so didn't need me to pick her up!   She'd Texted me, but, I rarely read Texts and she's not allowed to make Calls at Work.  So, I showed up to pick her up and found out... ah well, Tomorrow is my Event and I'm going, so, I'll have my Me Day Thursday Morning instead.  I'm looking forward to it since it's a "Gardenology" Theme this Month and I'm already thinking upon Spring.   I'll be attending later than usual on Opening Day coz Princess T isn't feeling good and went in to Work but said she's gonna ask to leave early, by around 11:00 a.m..

The Doors don't Open until 10:00 a.m. and so that means I can't be all the way Downtown, attend an Event and get back by 11:00 a.m., so, I'll just leave after picking her up.   I don't know I'll be able to get Parking close by, but, it's a nice Day, so a Walk won't be horrible if I have to Park further out.  Plus I don't have to stand in Line either by going later.  Recent Events haven't been as well attended as they used to be, so an Hour after Opening things are already thinning out considerably too.  The whole Retail, Hospitality and Resale Industries are suffering and it's obvious, even the most popular places aren't crowded anymore like they used to be.  People are scared, anxious, even depressed, and not feeling very secure with how upended everything is being in Leadership.

I know they SAY that the MAGA are Delighted by the turn of Events as they're Playing Out, but I am not so sure anyone is that ignorant, checked out or stupid they have NO concerns with what's happening?   Just being told the Taxpayers are being Saved all this Imaginary Money the cuts are creating, if people aren't seeing it in their own Lives as bettering them at all, they can't be Fooled too long.   And those losing Jobs, losing their Homes, losing Customers, losing Exports they relied on, or Imports they relied on, paying more for basics like Food, Rent, Interest Rates, Gas, etcetera, they aren't gonna buy into the bullshit and Long Con at all without realizing they been Played.  So, the Penny will drop when everyone is Worst Off and can't pretend otherwise.  And I'll just humorously call any who choose to stay in Denial, The Love Haters.

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Stay Strong my Friends... Dawn... The Bohemian