A Post Without A Clever Hook Title

Nobody had shown up for their regular Wednesday Night Shift so we were all Substitutes!!!   I was filling in for my Friend Crazy Ed, Submarine Lady was filling in for Jackson, and another Gal was filling in for the 3rd MIA person, who was also missing that other Wednesday Night I filled in a couple Weeks ago for.  So, whoever that is tends to already be unreliable and "New" to being a Key Dealer.  They are desperate for Volunteers to Work Shifts it seems, who are unpaid Vendors just earning paltry Space Rent comped.  Turns out Submarine Lady had also had a Stroke, hers more recent, in February!  And she had it while Driving, so that had to be terrifying, I was only making Chili when I had mine!  So, she was doing good to be back so soon, I didn't recover as quickly from mine.  It was very busy all Night so it went by fast.  In spite of all the folks there and brisk business, I didn't Sell a damned thing!  Sometimes the amount of Customers there won't matter to your Sales if they're not Buying what you're Selling.

A lot of Young Adult Shoppers were there and buying POP Figures and Pokemon Cards or other Toy Collectibles, so Vendors Specializing in all that did good.   The Toy Collectibles Princess T Sells are mostly for the Children and not the Young Adults, but, they do Buy a lot of our Shirts and Hoodies, just not this Night.  Everyone was telling me they're battling high Theft lately too, so, I don't feel like The Lone Ranger.  Submarine Lady was particularly pissed off that my NAVY Jersey got Stolen since she's Career NAVY Retired and it was in her Size, so she said it's something she wish she'd known I had, she'd of Bought it!  I told her I knew it would Sell well and probably be a Quick Turn if a Thief hadn't gotten to it so quickly instead.  She felt the same as me, probably a Vendor Thief and not a Veteran who Stole it.

The 3rd Fill-In is a Pretty and Sweet Middle Aged Amerasian Gal, whose Name I can never remember except that it's an unusual Name you don't hear often.  She said she'd brought in some Hair Clips with Anime Character Designs on them and half got Stolen within 30 Minutes of bringing them into Inventory!   I wouldn't put any Anime on the Sales Floor for that reason, too high risk, I put mine in the Locked Case, always.  I once had Anime Books that were Princess T's, when we had Showroom #114 way in the back of the Mall.  Out of the Ten we had, we only Sold ONE, the other Nine got Stolen!!!   Huge Loss and we learned our Lesson about Anime being a major Target Genre of Merch for Thieves.   Same with LPS figures, now they're always in the Locked Case and we kept them out of Inventory over a Year 'til we got a Locked Case. You'll be Robbed blind with certain things.

Altho' Vendors have had Merch even Stolen out of their Locked Cases and even impossibly large Merch has been Stolen!   One Vendor Friend, Bryant, told me he had an enormous Clanger out of a $600 Vintage Navy Ship Bell Stolen and replaced with a shitty cheaper one, so he knew it was another Vendor that cannibalized it, ruining the whole Value!  He said before the Theft the Bell had the most marvelous Tone and now of coarse it doesn't and it's not like he can easily replace the proper Clanger, if at all, where would you even find another one?   It wasn't until another Vendor told him, "Hey, your Bell doesn't sound Right anymore, what's Wrong with it?", that he realized the switch of the Clanger in it, plus, the switched one hung too low and was 1/4 of the size of the Original one!  Now how the Hell does someone just saunter out Stealing an Iron Military Ship Bell Clanger as big as a Bowling Ball and Heavy as a Boat Anchor, without detection?!

I had Five Vintage Industrial Lights that another Vendor once Cannibalized too and took all the parts out of, rendering all Five expensive Lights useless and non-functional, big total Loss for me!!!  They didn't leave anything I could even Sell for the sum of their Parts, so now all that desirable Genre of Inventory was just Trash!   I was so Mad, coz again, I had all Five, which were too big to put into a Locked Case, directly outside of Showroom #114 when we had that Room in the Back... in the line of Sight of the Security Camera too!  Only to realize when we reported it to Management and asked them to review Security Tape Footage, that they didn't even turn on THAT Security Camera, WTF!!!!!???   So some of the Cameras were fucking Decoy Cameras!  Anyway, you Live and Learn by Society's Moral Decay.  😒

I had a good Night tho', and enjoyed working with Submarine Lady and Amerasian Lady, they are good Workers and pleasant Gals.   Submarine Lady used to be harder to get along with, now she's more mellow, so perhaps her Stroke benefitted her in odd ways, like mine did for me too?   I don't struggle as much now with Racing Thoughts, so perhaps her Stroke made her less High Strung as well?   We Laughed about Strokes and such seeming to be contagious around there, coz folks are dropping like Flies lately and probably Why we had 100% Substitutes that Night?!   Amerasian Lady Laughed and asked us if we were sure we were over our 'contagious' phase, coz she sure doesn't wanna 'catch' a Stroke!   *LOL*  I like when other people relate to having Twisted Senses of Humor and can Laugh at anything and everything.

All the Hired Help are very Young now and all of them said they were so glad to see me back and doing so well, they'd been worried about me.  And they all asked about The Man, worried about him too.   We're like the Surrogate Grandparents to a lot of those Young Workers and they are a great group of Young Adults.  They don't like all of the Vendors who are Boomers, but, they say we're not your Garden Variety Boomers and they genuinely don't think of us like most of that Generation.  *LMAO*   I know what they mean, I don't like a lot of my own Generation either and know exactly Why the Young Adults and Teens don't.   I think a lot of Baby Boomers fail to recognize how badly they harshly judge and treat the Younger Generations... and how bad their own Behavior often is publicly.  There's an abundance of Old Biddies and Old Bastards out there in The Wild.

Anyway, it's Sweet to know they had so much genuine Concern for us and are so Happy to see me back to Work and had missed me.  Awwww.  A few with a Wicked Sense of Humor, like Stud Muffin Anthony, said they were shocked when they heard I'd even had a Stroke coz I  don't Act Old and never seem like one of "The Walking Dead Boomers"!   OMG I Loved that Analogy!!!  *Bwahahahahaha*   A few of my other Vendor Friends said something a few of my Blog Friends did, and didn't mean it in a Bad Way, that they'd been Happy to see me get a Respite from Caregiving while The Man was Hospitalized, coz I really Needed it after my Stroke.  I didn't take it in a Bad Way, it's True, and he was being well taken Care of for me and it was a Rare Total Respite where I could focus on ME and what I Needed or Wanted for a change.

Her Legs are Fine, she's holding a Bag of Popcorn!!!

One of my Vendor Friends was also The Man's VA Nurse before she Retired so she knows his Condition.  She was one of the Friends who told me she could tell by my Book of Faces Posts that I had more Freedom and Fun for a change, from the demands of Full Time Caregiving.  She'd even told her Husband, also a Friend of mine, that she was Glad that his Hospitalization was not only getting him the Heart Care he needed right now, but, giving me a Break, coz she was Worried after I had my Stroke, if the intense Caregiving would prove to be too much or my demise?  It's happened before to Caregivers, they drop Dead first.  It happened to my Dear Blog Friend Kathyrn, and her DH outlasted her by Years, even tho' he was in terrible Shape, way worse than The Man.   One of her Adult Daughters had to then sacrifice her own Life to look after her Dad until he finally Died too.   Such a Double Edged Sword it all is!!! 

She'd been the one looking in on her Mom a lot anyway and worried that it all was proving to be Too Much.  Her Dad should have been in Long Term Care Years beforehand but the Family couldn't afford it.   And I was so Worried about Kathryn, I knew it was taking a heavy toll and she was much Older than me and his Caregiving was Super Extreme and extremely unpleasant... his Mind and his Body were gone.  I miss her to this Day and her Death was so sudden that I remember being in absolute Shock and so Glad her Daughter got Online to give me Closure with PM's between us on her Mom's Social Media Account.   She'd heard a lot about me from her Mom and so I kept The Daughter on as a FB Friend now.  She's had such a tough row to hoe since her Parents Passed, much like a lot of Middle Aged and Young Adults are having, same challenges, and her Mom helped out a lot and now cannot.   I worry about that when we're Gone.

That's Why I want all of the Family to Circle the Wagons and look out for one another, so that I can have a Peace about when I leave this Realm, that they'll all be Okay and can make it without us.   I don't know what condition this Nation is gonna be in or what kind of a Future America even has after this ruthless incompetent Regime takes a Wrecking Ball to it all?   Everything may have to be rebuilt upon the Rubble left in their Wake?   Or, like Past once Great but failed Civilizations, it all may just disappear, who knows?   I did hear a fav hilarious Jewish Comedian say the one thing about Christians that's Scary to him is that they expect it all to Fail and anxiously Hope for it to.  Since, they're waiting on the Rapture where it all goes to Hell and then they shoot up in the Sky like Bottle Rockets!  *LOL*

So, he speculated that perhaps they're deliberately now hastening it along in their Religious Zealousy?   And what if Jesus doesn't come back when they Wreck it all on their Timeline and not God's?  He could be Right, even tho' he made a hilariously Dark Joke of it!  I mean the Fundies are Delighted with this Devil of a President they helped Vote in and seem to Worship like the 2nd Coming, but of their Orange fake Jesus!   He's compared himself to Christ, and tho' he's a blasphemous Devil of pure Evil, they don't seem to mind at all, or know a Devil when they see one, these Religious Zealots.  They Love how he's destroying everything and Othering those not like them.  They have a form and a fashion of some twisted type of Faith and Religion, but I don't see Godliness mirrored in them.  They Believe absurdities to the point they'd be willing to commit atrocities.  They've chosen to Serve a Devil, not God.  If Jesus did come down they wouldn't recognize Him this time either.

I got up at a ridiculously early Hour, I couldn't tell ya Why, I get up too early even when I have to, in order to get Princess T to Work, but I got up Two Hours before even THAT!   And I'd Worked late and then gone to "Sprouts" to get more Heirloom Pasture Raised Colored Eggs for only $7.49 a Dozen.   Curious still to me that the previously most expensive Brands of Eggs haven't gone up in Price at all, yet all the once Cheap Brands have?   Makes me also then Wonder if the Pasture Raised Hens, becoz they are living as Chickens should be Humanely Raised, and are Ethically Sourced for what they're Raised for, are Healthier and therefore not as afflicted with this dreaded Fatal Bird Flu?   All the Pasture Raised Brands are the same Price Point they were before this Egg Crisis... all the others have gone into the Stratosphere that are Factory Farm Raised as Battery Hens or allegedly "Free Range" but not Humanely or Ethically Raised or treated.   Just a Thought.

They're a thing of Beauty my Pasture Raised Colorful Heirloom Hen Eggs!  They can be in various Pastel Shades of Blue and Green or Pink, Naturally, or various Shades of Brown and White or Off White, Dove Grey, Slate Grey or even Speckled Eggshells.   And the Yolks are a vivid Orange, compared to the Pale Yellow of Factory Farmed Sourced Eggs.  The various Heirloom Breeds, Genetics and Health of the Hens dictates Shell pigmentations.   I was an Egg Snob long before Bird Flu and devout about Buying mostly Eggs from only Ethically Raised Hens that are treated more Humanely and eating what Hens just should to live their best lives.  I'd willingly pay more without complaint to know I wasn't contributing to Cruel Factory Farm Practices just to Save a Buck.  I think the Kiddos are strongly considering getting and Raising some Chickens here on the Mini Farm and I've given them permission to so long as they Build the Henhouse and take Care of them properly.  

The Young Prince and The Daughter have Raised Chickens before and said it's easy and they enjoyed it a lot.  In Mexico they Raise a lot of their own Livestock Residentially, so most of The Daughter's Friends had Chickens.   And The Young Prince, when living on that Hippie Commune in Washington State, said it was a Working Farm that sustained the Group, they grew and raised almost everything they needed, and he Cared for the Chickens.  He Loved living there and had the Owners not gotten the Divorce and had to Sell off The Farm, I doubted he would have ever left, it was indeed like a 2nd Family to him, that Group in the Commune, and had about Four Generations of Members. 

  They labeled themselves not as Modern Hippies, but as American Communists, and ascribed to the Pure Ideology of Communal Living and Sharing ALL.  It entailed the absence of Private Property and Social Classes and a Voluntary State of Self Governance.  In many ways it was similar to my Dad's Tribal Views of Indigenous Peoples way of thinking and Life.   I met up with Three of his Commune when they came for a visit when we still lived in the McManse and I wasn't in disagreement actually with the basic tenets of how they were Living Life, it was working out among the Group quite well... until it wasn't.  And most of that was due to the Polyamorous Thing the Owners of the Farm had going on that failed to work in the end with the Love Triangle of the Three who had purchased The Farm.   

Basically how it played out was complex, a Young Couple had Married and had a Child.  Well, the Husband was Transgender and transitioning, kind of like a Bruce Jenner Kaitlyn thing.  So, he was Okay with his Wife taking on another Male Partner to allow him the transition from Male to Female.  In the end, it just didn't work out for them and the Wife and new Male Partner drew closer and the Trans Partner went off on their own to live life on those terms, much like Jenner eventually did, which, was probably best for everyone involved.   All Three were very nice Young People in a very complex Situation they were sorting out.  Their Son was a very nice little Boy, about 9 Years Old back then and so Smart, they'd done a good job of Parenting even tho' their Lifestyle was quite unconventional, he had a lot of Love and Support in his Life.

In a little while I gotta get ready for my Event.  I know what I'm wearing but I'm not yet motivated to get out of my Jammies.  *LOL*  Princess T is dropped off at Work and I should be back in time to pick her up from Work too.  I haven't been staying as long at the Events as I used to and of coarse Budget is dictating few, if any, purchases.  Until I get our Taxes done and know for sure what we might owe to Uncle Sugar, I don't wanna risk tapping into what I've managed to Save Up to cover any Taxes Owed?   Nobody I know is getting the Refunds they used to be able to count on, so I think any of us who have been Owing since the 1st cluster fuck of his Administration overtaxing the Average American and Retiree and not Taxing Billionaires at all, is gonna do worse now.   The Burden of Taxation to the Middle Class and Retirees is now out of control.

  It's simply not sustainable IMO if the Rich don't start paying their Fair Share... or even fucking paying... which many have not, and gotten away with for Decades now!  You or I would be penalized or even imprisoned, yet the filthy Rich get a Free Pass for evading Taxes completely and suffer zero consequences for not contributing.  They exploit their Workers and don't support their Government in the way of paying their Taxes, and yet, we've done nothing about it for too long.  And now we've installed a Regime that is pretending to cut waste and alleged Fraud that isn't even happening, until THEY defraud us and waste OUR Money, or Rob us of it to put into their own Deep Pockets.  And they're Laughing all the way to the Bank, Trust and Believe, they're Playing the rest of America for a bunch of Rubes and Easy Marks.  We NEED a Marie Antoinette Moment for them all.

I know most of you are in a similar Situation Economically and shouldering an unfair Burden of what the Government is taking and allowing to happen.   I blame Both Sides actually for not doing anything about the whole Taxation Structure and how it's not functioning correctly.  They could have Funded the IRS enuf to Collect what is Owed by the filthy Rich and go after them.  There should be no Appeals really for those who've not Paid anything and it's evident by their Tax Returns or them not even Filing.  They should immediately go to Prison and be held there UNTIL their Attorneys and the Government hash it out as to what was Owed and NOT obviously Paid.  Forget all this delaying and using the Courts and their Fortunes to prolong things to the point of absurdity.  And making it too expensive for the Government to go after them, fuck that loophole they've exploited for far too long.  No matter how much it Costs to go after them, the Return would be Greater, much Greater, to Collect what they Owed.  It should just be Seized in fact, like you do with Drug Money and such... when Gains are made Illegally, everything gets Seized by the Government, ALL Assets.

  If you are clearly obscenely Wealthy and didn't pay anything and can't prove you did... you should be sitting in a Prison Cell until it's figured out what or why there is such a blatant discrepancy.  If you cannot show Proof you have Paid a damned thing, obviously a Crime was committed against your obligation to Pay your Taxes as required.  It's not Rocket Science, it's self-evident you're committing some kind of Fraud.  This would Solve the whole Problem if they were forced to do Time for the Crime of Tax Fraud and Tax Evasion.  Listen, even Al Capone got popped for it... and spent the rest of his Days Imprisoned for Tax Evasion... so... just saying... it can be done.  He was a Dangerous Mobster... and these Billionaire White Collar Crooks are no different.  They are operating like a Syndicated Crime Ring as well and we're just letting them.  If we Seized it ALL like we do to Cartels, Narcos and Mafia, the Billionaires would shape the fuck up if all their Assets got taken for their Illegal Activities too.

But, I'm not in Charge and part of the Political Problem is that only the Rich, or those Bankrolled by the Rich, meaning they be Bought and Paid for by their Sponsors/Owners, get into Politics and Protect their own.   So, it's all pretty rigged against the Average Citizen and the Poor in the Country, Yeah, we get a Single Vote each, but even the Electoral College often fucks that up and skews it NOT in our Favor.   Hillary actually Won the Popular Vote by a LOT, so, she should have been President had every Vote Counted REALLY... and much of this could have been avoided from The Jump, but, it didn't, did it?   Nearly 2.9 Million Voters Choice was thus Ignored who had Voted for her and it didn't Count coz the Popular Vote was not Honored and didn't Elect her... thus we ended up with the Orange Buffoon and haven't gotten rid of him since.   And now, who knows if we'll even ever have another Election, let alone a Free and Fair one, or the Illusion of one?   And that's Why a lot of folks don't even bother to Vote, they don't Believe it really Counts the way it should or that they have a Real Voice in the running of their Country.

Much Later:   Well, the Event was really good and they had some Killer Statement Furniture there and the best Antique Desk I've ever seen!  It was already Sold or I would have been really Tempted to Buy it!  It's just like one in a Fav Decor Book I have, and, they also had there opened to the Page with a similar Desk in it.   Images from the Two Events I attended will be forthcoming... and I hadn't expected to get the 2nd one in on the same day, but I did.  And I visited a Northeast Side Antique Mall too.  I didn't Buy much, Two Interior Design Books, a Religious Metal Retablo, an Antique Oddfellows Medal with Metal Fringe, Two Old Canvas Bank Bags of now defunct well known Arizona Banks, one of which I used to be an Executive of.  I was delighted with my little Haul tho' and took a lot of Pixs with my new Camera.  I also got to visit with Industry Friends and even some other Customers who've become Friends now.  It's my rare opportunity to get out and Socialize some. 

I stopped and got Dinner for everyone at "Chino Bandido" on the way Home.   The Daughter and Mando were filling in Caregiving for The Man and also doing Laundry and Yardwork.   Princess T and The Son were at Work, getting Home a couple Hours after I got Home from my Me Day Out.   After Dinner I finished watching the Final Season of LOST and I might be a Weirdo, but I Liked the Ending and wasn't disappointed with it.   Tho' I found the last Three Seasons hard to follow, I liked how they wrapped it up.  Now I can peruse NetFlix to see what other Series I might want to follow and Binge Watch, if any?  *LOL*  And after that, I laid out by the Pool on my Chaise Lounge Patio Furniture and dozed off listening to the Birds in Laura's Pecan Trees singing their little Hearts out.  

One in particular is like a Mockingbird and his repertoire is impressive of calls, which he does in Threes, and he has Hundreds of Calls he's Copied and Mastered of Mimicking other Birds.  You could listen to him for Hours and not hear the same Call twice.  They are the World's best Mimics.   I enjoy when that Bird is hanging out and serenading us with his copied Calls.   Since he does it so long he must enjoy himself in the doing of it?  And I'm guessing it's a Male coz it's hard to tell the difference with that Species.   Above were the Crepes I had just before attending the first Event at "Joe's Diner" walking distance down the Road from the Event.  I got good Parking at the Event and then walked down to have Breakfast and walked back just as they were opening the Doors.  Perfect Timing.  I stayed about an Hour and then went to the other Event and Antique Mall for another Hour.  Picked up Dinner and drove Home.

Here's some Pixs of the Petunia's The Daughter was given by the Friend whose Home she Cleaned.   She found a bunch of my empty Planter Pots and filled them all with Petunias.  They seem to be doing quite well considering they were just transplanted.   The Blooms are starting to perk up from being slightly wilted from the trauma of Transplanting and responding to being Watered.  She put them all over the Patios in back and in front, it looks nice and cheerful for Spring.   Some more of my African Daisies are finally sprouting to replace the ones the Kiddos accidentally pulled up thinking they were Weeds.  It's the 2nd time that's happened when I've had Helpers doing Yardwork, they mean well, but they aren't familiar with what's supposed to be there and what's invasive and needs pulling up.  They felt terrible... and of coarse, I was distraught too, they were ready to Bloom when they got yanked up!

We'll probably go to the  South East Side Event this Weekend and I may take The Man if he's up to it?  He's been having some Gut Issues since he got Home from the Hospital so needs to stay near a Bathroom.  So, it's probably not a good idea yet for him to try to do too much or go anywhere.   He wants to, but, I'm not up to taking the risks and how complicated that could make an outing.   If you're not close to Home then it becomes burdensome to have to abort plans when someone suddenly doesn't feel good or has a toiletry issue.   No Fun.  So I'm gonna try to convince him he needs to wait until his Stomach settles down and he can Travel without Incident.  But, he's stubborn and often won't listen to advice about how to preserve his dignity when out doing stuff and the safeguards we could utilize to avoid incidents.  He leaves his Canes and other Medical devices behind all the time and won't wear anything he doesn't want to even if it would be helpful and wise. Battling him about any of it expends so much Energy.

You know how when a stubborn Toddler is resistant to whatever a Responsible Adult knows is best for them, how exhausting that can be to whose Caring for them?   Well, a Vulnerable Adult can be very much as resistant, mebbe worse coz they're bigger!  *Le Sigh and Eye Roll*  Since last outing we had an incident I don't wanna risk being all the way over in Chandler and having one!   I'm to the point of bringing a change of Clothing with us for Emergencies, but not every place has a Family Restroom so a Caregiver can help them if things become problematic.  And right now I don't need added stress, I'm just now beginning to feel more like myself again after the stupid Stroke and don't wanna Stroke Out over Extreme Caregiving challenges, you know?  *LOL*   I don't want to punish him for things he can't Help, but when he won't cooperate it just escalates challenges we're Dealing with.  Reasoning with a Brain Damaged Adult is often pointless and futile tho'.

Okay, Caregiving Venting over... I needed a slight Rant about it, some days I'm more up to it than others, that's all.   At least this day out I didn't have an entourage in tow and so I just had to worry about me.  *Winks*   And the Kiddos said he was good for them, so he didn't give them a hard time.  That's also a concern since when he's difficult or unlovely they are less inclined to want to do it, nobody wants to become cross with him or have him acting up and acting out.   And I don't want to come Home after a nice outing and have to be told he was behaving badly for them, when they did their best to give me a respite.  Becoz then I have to be The Heavy and have the Come To Jesus lecture with him.  And then he's petulant and sulky or trying to justify how he behaved, since, it won't be his fault, of coarse.  *Winks and Le Sigh*  This is Why I kinda relate to the outrageous Stories this President tells and bold face Lies... it's clear he Believe most of it, it's become his Reality and he's no longer tethered to ours.

The problem with that of coarse is he's running our Country... and so as his condition deteriorates further, he's making decisions for all of us and not the other way around.   Surrounded by Sycophants and those with Potomac Fever... the determination and fervor to share in the Power and Prestige of the U.S. Government in Washington, D.C., at all Costs.   They become gripped by the desire to stay in Government, whether to make a change or just for Power's Sake.  It becomes very dangerous for the rest of us when our Elected Officials, and now even Unelected ones he's Appointing like the Ketamine King, get The Fever.   It's a highly contagious disease claiming many Souls and even destroying Legacies of a once Honorable Lifetime in Public Service once they've contracted it.  I think in Government now, it's at Epidemic levels... mebbe even Pandemic levels... and I am not sure there's a Cure, even tho' some have defected enuf to Recover and sound the Alarm now too.

*******

Peace Be With You my friends... Dawn... The Bohemian