What Are You Willing To Live Without?

 I just Published my last Post so may as well begin another.  We got Rain again last Night, we still need it.  Drought has been horrible and I know we'll get a very Hot Spring and Summer again, breaking Heat Records.  Coz before the Storms hit, we were already breaking 100+ Year Old Heat Records this early in the Year and were over 90 degrees by late February!  Now it's dropped back down by 40-50 degrees, so, everyone is getting sick from vast temperature fluctuations and spread.  The Weather is now as Schizo as our National Politics and current Leadership are!

The Son confronted Rob about the John Deere and allegedly Rob is going to bail it out when he gets Paid.  I didn't expect him to pay for repairs to our Tractor Mower, but I also didn't give him permission to just take it in for repairs or even an estimate for repairs, since, I knew I couldn't afford to right now.   He did it without my consent and authorized the Dealership to do the Work, which put him in this situation and us in this situation, so he is obligated now to make it Right.  If it is properly repaired that is a good thing and when I do have the available funds, I'll gladly repay him since I don't have a Tractor Trailer so couldn't have taken it anywhere ourselves.  It's just I don't like owing anyone Favors, or Money, even if they had the best of Intentions.

In talking with The Son he claimed he took it in for an estimate but John Deere went ahead and just did the Work and then gave him the Invoice for amount Owed.  I wasn't there so I have no idea how much of all of that is accurate or Truthful, I just know it's been gone a long time.  It was gone a fairly long time before I even noticed it was missing since we hadn't been using it.  Then when I did notice it was gone Rob initially told me he was repairing it, so I thought he'd just taken it next door to their Home to do the repairs, since, he's done that before without permission and just given me receipts for the parts used and not charged me Labor.  Even that began to get expensive since it didn't stay repaired so I told him to quit asking us to put more Money into repairs and parts that weren't working.

Anyway, so long as we get it back all will be forgiven, but I'm being explicit not to do anything with my stuff without my express consent and authorization.   I don't wanna Owe Favors or Money on shit I didn't ask for.   I know he got used to doing that with their own Elderly Parents to Help Out, but, he has no obligation to do it for us and my own Kiddos wouldn't be so presumptuous to do something major without our permission to.  They would ask first and make damned sure if they said they'd cover the Cost, that they already had the Money so they could Honor the Debt Owed.  With how Rob did this I couldn't even bail out my own Tractor coz John Deere wouldn't have Record of me at all taking it in or that it was in fact mine!

Moving On... what is done is done.  I'm in the last Season 6 of LOST now and it really is bouncing around in a 30 Year back and forth a lot.  I'm very invested in the Characters by now so I don't really Care that much that in the last Three Seasons the Plot is just Weird and not as good as the first Three Seasons were.  It is a stretch of the Imagination and rather Sci-Fi by now, but, I'm still very much enjoying it and not sure yet how they plan to end this last Season?   People are Dying and coming back to Life a lot, that's for sure... so, you're not sure which Characters are gonna stay Dead now?   They're being resurrected more often than Jesus!!!   And, there does seem to be a tilt towards Egyptian Mythology as well.   *Bwahahahaha*  

 Sawyer is my Favorite Character, followed by Hugo.  John Locke is an interesting Character I liked in earlier Episodes before they made his role jump the Shark.  Sayid's Character I don't mind at all, it's at least Believable to make him a bit of an Action Hero with a Dark Past haunting him.  Jack and the Female Characters I began to find just annoying as fuck.  I wanted to like Jack's Character, it became impossible to.  And Kate, OMG, I could have done without her Character to the point they should have killed her off early on.  *LOL*  I was always annoyed at Charlie's Character and Michael's.  They have a very good Villain in Ben Linus, who couldn't Hate his Bug Eyed deception and Sleaziness.   Desmond's Character is a Love-Hate relationship with how they fleshed him out.   the Actor who plays Richard has some of the Darkest Lushest Eyelashes I've ever seen, it almost looks like he's wearing Mascara and Eyeliner!!!  *LOL*  There are many forgettable Characters I just couldn't get Invested in for this long Series.

So, there ya have it, I'm almost thru my LOST belated binge, over a Decade after everyone else in the Country had already watched it and it's my first time.   That just goes to show ya how much TV I never have watched!   And how many Popular Shows I wasn't even Tempted to watch either.  *LOL*  Even most Popular Sitcoms, I just never got Invested in or found appealing.   I remember my Mom adoring "Seinfeld" and other Friends who followed "Friends", "Cheers", "Murphy Brown", "Happy Days", "The Big Bang Theory" or "Sex In The City" as if they were a Religion.  *LOL*   At the DA's Office my Co-Workers would watch some of "Everybody Loves Raymond" in the Break Room during Dinnertime.   Many Moons ago I did sometimes watch "Roseanne", "M*A*S*H", "Married With Children", "Will & Grace" and "Two And A Half Men".   The latter I quit watching when they replaced Charlie Sheen with the annoying Ashton Kutcher.  *LOL*

So, after LOST I'll probably peruse some of what NetFlix has now added, since, other than some Comedy Specials I haven't wanted to binge watch simultaneous Series and get all mixed up and spread thin.  *LOL*  When you have Adult ADHD it's hard to stick with One thing and have it maintain your Attention, let alone several.   The Kiddos get mad at me for starting a Show/Series and then losing Interest to where I just walk off.  *Bwahahaha*   Shit, I've been known to do that with Conversations if they've just lost me... so... I just... can't... sit thru anything I'm no longer Interested in enduring or becoming annoying.   I get too restless and disengaged.  This is Why I don't like talking on the Phone either, HATE it in fact... please do not call me... if you're having an Emergency even, call 911 instead, please.   I could live without a Phone or a TV, I'm a Modern Weirdo like that.  *Smiles*

But, I will go thru Blog Withdrawal.  *Smiles*  I used to go thru Junquing Withdrawal too, but now, if I don't frequent trawling Secondhand Chazzas, I'm Fine with that.   It's not that The Thrill Of The Hunt is lessened, it hasn't, but, intentionally I don't want to Buy as much during a prolonged Downsizing of possessions, or it negates the Goal and Purpose behind all of that Work we've put in for Years now.  My 5 to 1 Rule, or more, is Helpful in keeping me accountable.   If I gotta divest myself of 5 things for every 1 new thing, I'm more hesitant to drag it Home.  But, recently whilst Goodwill Hunting, I Scored a bunch of Religious Antiquities from Europe there so Cheap I could not resist.  There was an Antique Chalkware Saint with Baby Jesus in arms, an Antique Chalkware Sacred Heart Jesus, and an Antique small Spelter Metal French Prince of Peace Statue.  Along with some other Antiquities all for only $1.25 to $4.00 each.

We did some Environmental Cleanup at the Nature Preserve too.  The River was running fast and high due to the recent Rains, which had Cleared and ceased, and so it was a puffy White Cloud, cooler but gorgeous day to be out doing it.  We got Two large Bags full of Aluminum Cans we cleaned up.   There were a lot of people out Fishing at the River, but nobody seemed to be catching anything.   I didn't see any Baby Fish either.   But, even a Bad Day Fishing is still better than a Good Day at Work, Right?  *Winks*   So, everyone Fishing seemed happy to just be Fishing, whether they caught anything or not.  And if they managed to catch a Fish for Supper, it would just be an added Bonus.   The Man and I got some "Chipotle" and we got the new Chipotle Honey Chicken, which is grilled with Mexican Spices and marinated in a blend of seared and smoked Chipotle Peppers and Wildflower Honey, it was excellent.  And, they'd just grilled it, so it was super fresh.

The Son got confirmation that his Garnishment is now lifted coz he paid off that Predatory Loan Judgment.  It was nothing less than extortion, but, some Judge in the Pocket of the Lender levied the Judgment and Approved the 25% Garnishment on The Son's Wages for an inflated amount well beyond what was ever owed for the Used Car.  Which had been repossessed over 12 Years ago and Sold by said Lender and more than likely a Write Off way back then for any deficiency they MAY have incurred.  Since The Son had made payments on the Vehicle for over a Year, at an inflated Predatory Interest Rate for a Used POS Car, the Lender hadn't really incurred any actual Loss, plus, they got the Car back and Sold it.  Then got this Judge to approve a Judgment for far more than they'd even Sold the Car for by Thousands of Dollars!

Anyway, I'm glad he's out from under that hardship it imposed upon him by the Courts and was Predatory Lending, plain and simple and probably a level of corruption involved.   So much corruption of our Legal Systems is happening now that it's making Citizens distrustful of not only our Courts, but Justice in general, and corrupt Politicians and Judges in particular.   But, the Judges making proper Rule of Law decisions are now being Fired by this Regime, so, things are going to get worse and more Lawless.   Only the most Bought and Paid for or intimidated people will be left in the DOJ and that is deeply disturbing and should worry everyone.   When there are no consequences when Criminals commit Crimes against you, then you're exceptionally vulnerable to Victimization.    

When this Administration is only favoring their Friends and giving them free passes to commit Crimes, and punishing Honest people and those in the DOJ who would prosecute Criminals this Regime protects, it's Rights being taken away.   I spent my 2nd Career in Criminal Law, it's important that it Work to uphold The Rule Of Law and not be bent by any President, let alone one whose an adjudicated Criminal himself.   Or to have Leadership threatening Judges, Prosecutors and Court Staff if they're just doing their Job properly but that President doesn't like the decisions of the Courts or of the Juries that Convict.  Threatening and Intimidating is a tactic used by Syndicated Crime Rings, Dictators, Cartels, Mobsters.  It has no place in the American Presidency.

I'm watching some very Old Episodes of "Roseanne" in the early Years, when they're overdoing Halloween, on COZI TV, which does all the Old Classics.   The Man and I used to always do that and at one time lived in a Neighborhood where the whole Street of Neighbors did too, it was great.  So we'd get a lot of Trick-Or-Treaters becoz they knew our Street went all out for Halloween.  You rarely see that anymore, you don't even see a lot of Kiddos going Door to Door or Neighbors handing out Candy to the Kiddos that do.   We still do and give out Treat Bags full, since so much of our Community doesn't get a lot of Kids now that it's a Neighborhood Aging Out with very few Minor Aged Children now living in it.   Even when we went back to our Historic Home's Neighborhood, and even the Neighborhood we lived in prior to that, there's a LOT fewer Children now in any of them.   

My Kids and Grandkids always enjoyed Halloween tremendously.  One of my Adult Granddaughters now does Special Effects Makeup for a Career and works at Haunted Attractions on Halloween.   Anyway, for Halloween 2025 I should be about finished with all the Home Projects enuf to really concentrate on the Holidays again and I can hardly wait.  We always have so much Fun when we are settled enuf to finally do the Holidays the way we like to Celebrate them and can find all our Props becoz we've Organized them.   The Daughter is making that possible so we'll really go hard during Spring and Summer now to try to wrap most of it, or all of it, up to be able to kick off the Autumnal Holidays properly and then Christmas too.   With all the Doom and Gloom in Real Life, I think making the Holiday Seasons more Special will be a welcome form of Escapism and be Uplifting during difficult times.  No telling by Fall how much worse things will be?

I'm Surprising myself by not binge Eating Comfort Foods.  I've been on a Health Kick that I Plan to continue.  Having had that stupid Stroke has given me pause that at any point in time you can go from feeling Fine to NOT being Fine, you know?   Again I have a Sick Kiddo at Home, the Weather turned and she's having difficulties again with what chronically she has from time to time.   Severe Headaches and trouble Breathing, so, she'll be on Breathing Treatments Today and will likely spend all day in Bed resting and sleeping it off.   The Daughter is making Breakfast and I'll cancel my Plans of going to the Gym.  Mebbe I'll do it Tomorrow instead, we'll see.   I'm having some Issues myself this Morning, minor ones, so may just crawl back into Bed now that I don't have to take anyone to Work, until I feel better.

I've asked Management at our Antique Mall to review Security Footage of anyone coming out of my Showroom with a NAVY Jersey, especially if it looks like they're wearing it out of there and didn't go in there wearing one?   Or, if any Vendor tried to take one out and had Staff remove the Security Device that was on it?  The Front Greeter is supposed to Photograph all Merch any Vendor is taking out and Log it too, plus the Paid Staff are the ones who remove Security Devices from Merch you're taking out, whether bought or a Vendor chooses to remove from their Inventory.   So, unless a Customer has their own device for removing the Security Device I had attached, it would also have set off the Door Alarms going out.   

Of coarse you can Buy those removal devices Online for under Ten Bucks, so it's not much of a deterrent when it's offered to just anyone so cheaply to commit Crimes and remove Security Devices.  *Le Sigh*  Anyone who Shoplifts on The Regular probably has bought everything they need to bypass Security Features.  It's the random Amateur Shoplifter you tend to be able to make it harder for, not the Professionals and Career Criminal Types.  If that Jersey does manage to turn up somewhere in the Mall, I'll have to decide to put it in my Locked Case even tho' I don't have any real room in there now.  You can't put everything in a Locked Case, space is limited, and you shouldn't have to.   But Society is what it is now and the Moral Compass of so many is absent or damaged these days it seems and they're okay with Criminal Activity and Breaking of Laws... look Who so many Voted for and staunchly Support to recognize that Fact!!! 

I never thought so many Women would support a Misogynistic adjudicated Sex Offender.  Or that so many Veterans would support a Draft Dodger who openly said they were Suckers and Losers.  Or that so many People of Color would support a Racist.  Or Immigrants would support a Xenophobe.  Or that Honest Hard Working Folk would Believe or Trust and support a Pathological Lying Conman and Career Criminal.  Or that Low Income Folks would Believe a Greedy Billionaire has their best interests at Heart or has any point of reference as to their plight.  And various alleged Religious Churchy Folk of various Faiths, but especially Fundies or any Religion he maligns and persecutes, would support such a Devil... who knew?    Yet, supporting and Voting for a strong, intelligent, competent and highly accomplished Woman of Color, whose whole Career has been Fighting Crime, was just a Bridge too far for most of those same Folks, go figure!!!

 

So, until more than Half of our Population develops a better Moral Compass, a Backbone and a Will to preserve their Democracy, and some discernment, we're getting, as a Nation, exactly what we deserve right now.  No, not all of us who were not complicit and Voted against it all and Resist it all... but, surely those that did Vote it in, or those who failed to Vote at all and by their Silence, ambivalence and indifference, caused it to happen also and now do or say nothing.   I've not been Silent, yet, I also realize those that Need to Hear are playing Deaf, Dumb and Blind, so, I have very little sway in altering their State of Being.  Their Change has to be their decision and I think far too many will have to suffer to actually have a change of Heart or Mind and realize what they've caused to happen and done.  And there will be some who won't even see the Light then and try to blame anyone but themselves or Face Reality and Truth.

Some will be so deep in Denial or Alternate Reality they've Lived in now too long, too afraid, embittered or Brainwashed, to ever come around.  Some actually think they want a Dictatorship, since, they've never actually lived in one and have no Point of Reference to draw upon to know what it is like under such Oppression, Cruelty, Lawlessness and Domination.  Once Atrocities begin to affect them too, well, until it's them they can be okay with it if it's somebody else.   Until someone is Hungry themselves they may fail to have compassion for the Hungry.   Until they're Sick or become Disabled or Old, they may fail to Care about the Unwell and most Vulnerable of Society.  Until someone is Unhoused themselves they may fail to have compassion for the Homeless.  Until someone is Unemployed they may fail to have compassion for those without Work and no means of Support.  And until they're being Rounded Up and Persecuted for invalid reasons, they fail to Care about those who have been before them.  

Until and unless you want Equality and Justice for everyone, you only really want Privilege for you and yours.   Too many Americans are falling into that Camp from my Observations.   And I think this Regime is just Proof and Evidence of how far we've fallen as a Society and a Nation.  It's on full Display now for all the World to Witness and Judge... and it will not End Well for us or Age Well into the Future to Embrace this and BE this.   Just apologizing to the World and saying we're Sorry, but continuing on this Path and being unpredictable and Unsafe, is like being that Abusive Spouse who never means it or actually changes and escalates to be too Dangerous to be around or Trust at all.   The only Safe and Sane option for any Partnership with someone like that is to leave them and never go back.

I'm glad to see Bernie Sanders going on his Resist Oligarchy Tour.  God Bless Bernie, he's very far Left and Socialist for a Moderate like me to fully embrace.  But, I do Believe he wholeheartedly is a Champion for the Underdogs and the Average American, the Young and the Poor, he GETS it and why they're so disconnected from Politics.  Most Young Folks I know LIKE Bernie a lot but know someone like him would never be considered for Leadership, so, they either didn't bother to Vote or intentionally "threw their Vote away" by Voting for him.  I've thrown my Vote away in more than one Election in the Past since I don't like Partisan Politics or either of the Major Parties AT ALL and haven't for Decades felt they adequately represented most of us.  

 More than 60% of American Voters are Registered as Independents now and have no Party affiliation, yet we never have a Candidate, why is that do you suppose?   Only 47% of Voters have Registered as having a Party affiliation, so split that percentage in Half into the Two Major Parties... NOT high Numbers for either Party.  Yet, one or the other is always in Control and I think it is THAT which has to Change.  Partisanship Politics is no longer working for the American People... too many Politicians with Partisan affiliation are Voting Party over the Good of the Country now.  Their allegiance is no longer with the American People, but to their Party... Right, Wrong or Indifferent.    BTW: I got the above Lavender Powdered Sugar to use to Dust on our French Toast in the Mornings.  

That's why all but the banished few True Republicans are still bowing down to their Orange Jesus and become a Cult that pretends to be a Republican Party now.  He's never even been a Republican ever... he's no Conservative, he's the antithesis of Conservative Values, he's Extreme about everything and Reckless with Money.  So, he's nobody to entrust our Nation's Wealth or Security to!   It won't take Zoltar to Predict the Outcome of having Leadership like that for too long.  We need both he and his VP OUT... I think DOGE will Die a quick Death on it's own coz the Ketamine King is hemorrhaging Money right now badly.  His Businesses are in Trouble and he's become the most Hated Man in America as Proxy to the Orange Coward, whose pretty much deflected all Blame onto ole fElon.   

I think the Ketamine King imagined he was too Clever to be Conned by a Geriatric Moron.  But a Consummate Conman doesn't have to possess a High IQ, just a knack for Manipulation of People and the Study of whose their best Marks for various Cons/Grifts to succeed.   And Thiel Bought and Paid for Vance, so he's Heir to the Throne when the Old Fool kicks the Bucket.  Which, given his Habits and steady cognitive decline, if he lasts Four Years I'll be shocked actually.   Diaper DonOld should already be in a Long Term Care Facility and not the White House.   But, the Cult Devoted who are enamored with the Old Fool are the barrier that the Puppet Masters have to figure out how to manipulate effectively now to replace their Beloved Cult Leader.  And they DO Love the Guy, that's apparent like it is with all Cult Leaders and their Cults.   BTW: I bought the Mandela Tea, a portion of the Sales goes to a good Cause, the Mandela Day School Liberty Program in South Africa.

We were at "World Market" to buy some Olive Oils, Coffee and Teas, which is also where I got the Lavender Powdered Sugar.  Their imported Foods section always has good offerings and Sales.  We go thru a lot of Olive Oil and lately in large Grocers it's been crazy expensive now.  So, I mostly get mine from "World Market" and "Ross" where it's still at a reasonable price or on Sale, and the better quality Oils too imported from Abroad.   Now, with Tariffs gone Mad and over the Edge, I don't know how long imported goods of any kind from anywhere will remain stable priced so I stocked up, just in case prices skyrocket or supply chain issues cause mass shortages?   In a Capitalist Society like ours, American Manufacturers will exploit that too, Trust and Believe, the Consumer will be screwed over royally during all of this Chaos and Instability of the Markets.  Better get your Pantries in Order my Friends.  There are things we can Live without but don't wanna Live without. 

*******

The ultimate Question will be, what are you willing to Live without?

Dawn... The Bohemian