Cult Of Personality

 It's another Sublime Weather Day, so we'll likely be out and about in it all day long, at White Tank Mountain Park and the great Library they have there at the Park.  It's the nicest Library in the Metro City area IMO and has Floor to Ceiling Windows that look out over the Natural Desert and the White Tank Mountains, beautiful Scenery while you're relaxing with a Book.  They also have a Seed Library and you can Check Out Three Seed Packets each visit for Free of Veggies, Herbs and Flowers.  This Visit I got Moss Rose, Lemon Cucumber and Oregano.  When we lived at the Villa McManse it was close to that Library. The  only Positive thing besides the Million Dollar Listing we got so Cheap during the Housing Market Crash of Luxury Homes, when we lived in Rural Affluent Subdivision Hell.  With all the Family moving back in, we could have used all that cavernous Living Space again.  *Le Sigh and LOL*

Anyway, tho' sometimes I miss that fabulous Home for how Luxurious it was, I don't miss that Hellish pretentious Community at all or the Devil of an HOA, so, wouldn't wanna go back in Time.  We did drive by our old Villa the other day and another Three Homes on that small Street are For Sale AGAIN, the turnover in that Community is constant, nobody wants to live there long term.  They are finally building up around Waddell, but not IN Waddell.  So the neighboring City of Surprise has at least put some conveniences in that were long overdue, like a Safeway Grocery Store and some Restaurants, that were Promised well over 15 Years ago when that Subdivision was built!  Long wait, too long.  And, they're still packing in a Sea of Subdivisions right up to the State Trust Lands and White Tank Park!

We saw they were breaking ground on both sides of the Main Road to cram in even more Residential Subdivision Hells.   And they're also spoiling the Landscape by replacing Agricultural Land with Industrial Zoning and Mega Warehouses out there.   Things like those 800,000 sf Amazon Warehouse Monstrosities and so there's so many big Rigs on the Road now out there that it's ridiculous.   It not only tears up the Roads to have that many Truckers using them all the time, but it's no longer Quiet and Peaceful out there, which is Why most moved way outside of the City, for the Tranquility.  They don't have infrastructure, so they sacrifice having the lack of conveniences for the Scenery and Rural Peace... now that is all compromised and they still don't have infrastructure or conveniences!

So glad we Sold when we did, cashed out and bailed.  *Whew*  Here we've got a Peaceful bucolic enclave in this Mini Farm Community.  Which is Six Streets Deep and Three Streets Wide, taking up a pretty good slice of Rural Bliss for the Residents of this Community, but close to every convenience around us that built up nicely.   Even the Subdivision Hells around us, mostly have huge Manmade Lakes that are very Scenic and attract a lot of Wildlife.  They were more expensive Homes which stayed nicely maintained over the Years.  We almost bought a Lake House actually in one of them nearby that was a Short Sale.  It wouldn't have been a Downsize since it was even larger than the Villa.  But the price was ridiculously low, being a Short Sale.  It had the Lakefront, was the largest Lot in the Subdivision, with a Pool, a Spa, a Wet Sauna in the Master Bathroom, Two Fireplaces and a Guest House.  It came with a Pontoon Boat that conveyed with the Sale.

Long time Dear Readers know how disappointed I was to pursue that damned Property and be a Backup Buyer for Months.  Only to end up Closing on the Villa instead THE DAY that the Bank called us to say the Lake House was available to us coz the original Buyer couldn't Perform!  Talk about fucked up Timing, we'd already signed all the Paperwork for the Villa, so I had to decline on the Lake House, at the time I was pissed off about it.  Now, I feel like everything is as it should be and our Path to Owning this Property had to play out as it just did.   I do prefer living in a Mini Farm with no HOA and an RV Garage Mahal Space, this isn't a small Property, and the Main House isn't ridiculous sized to have to maintain.  To whom much is given, much is required.  Having too much House can be a burden if you don't have Staff.  Even with a Multigenerational Family, a 5,000 sf Home is a lot of House to maintain, Cool and Heat. 

I feel very fortunate to have an Ideal Location in a Community I Love and had missed, with a perfect Forever Home to ride out our Days living in.  Especially with the Economy crashing, I know here I can produce everything we'd need to eat if it came to having to.  I have Seed galore to grow whatever we want to and we can have Livestock, it's already Agricultural Zoning in our Subdivision.   I personally think that instead of all these Subdivision Residential Hells they're building too many of, they need to have built more Mini Farms with about an Acre and a smaller Home on each.   To make them affordable but self-sufficient for the Owners while the Economy Tanks.   When one goes up For Sale here they don't last long becoz they're so Rare to have an opportunity to Own.  But ours now are out of the price range for most folks, since $790,000 to a Million Plus is what they command now.  Better Value still than paying $390,000 Plus for a Subdivision Hell POS little House tho' on a Postage Stamp sized Lot with an HOA.

This is why there's too many Homeless and people unable to find Shelter they can afford tho', there is no affordable Housing in and around Phoenix anymore, not even Rentals.   And it's a problem coz Wages are stagnant and far too many Jobs are Minimum Wage, which is not a Livable Wage anywhere in the United States.  And they want to bring back Manufacturing Factory Jobs to try to exploit American Workers like they do Foreign Workers now.  Give me a break... they don't give Two shits about American Workers or they'd be bringing in good paying Jobs and Educating our Young People to be able to fill THOSE positions that would provide a good Living and not Hand to Mouth Existence and a slew of Working Poor treated like Feudal Serfs and a permanent underclass.

Higher Education is unaffordable to most Families unless they incur a shit ton of Student Loan Debt or their Parents end up Old and Broke for Bankrolling a College Education.   We spent a lot of Years paying off our Oldest Daughter's College Education back East, and then there was no way to afford one for any of the other Four Kiddos we Raised.  One of our Granddaughters back East went to College for a while, costing her Parents a small Fortune, but had to drop out due to it just being so expensive and her Grades weren't great enough to Win Scholarships.  The Middle one went to Nursing School, which was a more affordable option and she's a Nurse to this day.  But Pandemic was really hard on her in that Field of Work, and dangerous for any Young Mom with Babies at Home, and hard on Relationships as a First Responder, so she almost threw in the Towel during COVID.

LATER:  We went to the White Tanks Mountain Park, they too have made a lot of improvements since last time we were there, which was great so see.  They're still doing a lot of work improving both Parks and I do Hope it continues?    We ended up getting 3 large Commercial Garbage Bags full of Aluminum Cans during our Environmental Cleanup this day, so it was a very productive day of improving the Environment and in Recycling it.   It's still at 70 Cents a Lb., the low had been 30 Cents during Pandemic with the high being $1.25 some time ago, so it's fluctuated a lot over the Years.   It's held at 70 Cents for quite a while now, we'll see when all Tariffs create shortages in Raw Materials coming into the U.S., what might happen to what can be Recycled?   I think the Reuse of Materials and Product is gonna become all the more important.

There were quite a few Hikers walking the Trails at the Park, we didn't do that coz The Man really can't anymore.  If I went on a Hike on one of the Trails I'd have to go with someone capable of doing longer Hikes in the Heat and who doesn't have mobility issues.  Most Friends I have are not Hikers or Nature Enthusiasts like I am.   I used to have a Friend who'd do that with me, but I haven't seen her since Pandemic.  We had a lot of differences about Pandemic Protocol and the Friendship cooled due to it. Even when reaching out to her, Post Pandemic, she's never responded, so I take it that she was willing to end Decades of Friendship over her Political leanings and embracing misinformation and conspiracy theories.   I was okay with that too, sometimes there's ebbs and flows in whose in our lives and who isn't, for a myriad of reasons, and I don't need an explanation, Be Well and Move On.  I do miss our Activities we did together for Decades, it was a lot of History and I cherish the Memories that were good.

  

It's not that anyone has to align with my Views, but during Pandemic it was very important.   Life and Death important, not to be a Covidiot and a denier that we were having a Deadly Global Pandemic and it wasn't just "Like the Flu".   Some deniers Lucked Out and didn't Die for their ignorance or inability to embrace the Science and obtain their information from reliable sources rather than Faux News and Conspiracy Theorists or MAGA Extremists.   Yet, we all know that happened and a large swath of America got on Board the Crazy Train, joined a Cult, and so many are still not willing to leave it and totally still embrace what it's all about.  How or why they have that affinity to and for it, I can't say, I guess they have their reasons.  I know some of these people, and I still don't understand the infatuation and devotion they have to a Sociopathic Conman whose completely Corrupt and Lawless?  Cult of Personality I guess???

We just had our Exterminator come, we're on Retainer and so they show up regularly to eradicate Pests.  Mini Farms attract them moreso than regular Residential Properties, since, it's just a Habitat more conducive to everything living and hunting for it's Food.   We had an Ant Problem, but it was out near the Front Wall and I just didn't want the problem to get inside any of our Buildings or to attract other Pests that would use the Ants as a Food Source, like Scorpions.  We've been fortunate that this Year Scorpions haven't been as bad as previous Years.   Snakes either.  So, Ants is less of a thing to Freak Out about, but, they are the small Red Ones that pack quite a bite.   And they tend to get agitated when you are near their Nest doing Yardwork and will swarm you, biting like Hell.   He put down the Ant Bait and said within 2 Weeks we should see a noticeable improvement of them being eliminated.  They'll come back and do a 2nd Treatment if not.  Our Service is Pre-Paid so they come back as often as necessary at no extra Cost.

I got Pizza and Hot Wings for Dinner from "Little Caesars", since Rusty is here Tonight and nobody felt like Cooking.  He was helping Princess T to Paint and hang some Shelving she ordered Online.  She ended up getting the Shelving for Free becoz she ordered it quite some time ago, the Tracking said it was delivered, but, we never got it.  She contacted the Seller, who she Buys from a lot, and they refunded her the Money and said if it ever showed up, just keep it.  She Re-Ordered and then wouldn't you know the missing Shelves did show up.  Turns out they were the Wrong Shelves and the Wrong Color, but, now they were Free, so she just repainted them and didn't mind they look different than what she'd ordered and got refunded for.   Who knows why they arrived Weeks after they were supposed to or why the Tracking App thought they did get delivered when they didn't?

 

We're seeing Drones now being used by Amazon to deliver shit and I don't know how I feel about that?   Yes, it's quicker than the Delivery Van Drivers, but, Drones carrying objects just seems like an accident waiting for a place to happen to me.  What if they drop out of the Sky or malfunction and the Package drops out of the Sky, that could cause Accidents and injuries, even Death if it's heavy enough.  I just don't think it's something that won't go terribly Wrong once too many of them are in use, when you consider how many Deliveries Amazon makes.  We see the Vans all the time since their Warehouses are all over the Valley now.  I swear I see an Amazon Delivery Van several times every single Day just in our Community, delivering something.   Even more than you see UPS Vans now.  So, if we start seeing Drones all over the place delivering Packages, I won't like it.   Plus, now Wars are being waged using Drones, so, it's a bit scary, how could one tell a Friendly Drone from an Unfriendly one?

I don't like to go to a Dark Thought Place, but I can't help but think of the Negatives of things they're doing hastily that could go very Wrong.  And, Technology constantly replacing Workers, also not a good thing for the American Workforce.  Anyway, at Work Today Princess T's Supervisor made her Cry.  She's very sensitive and had asked him a Question that I guess he got annoyed about and responded in a way she felt was angry or harsh.   She's a quiet and obedient Employee so she felt kinda attacked for no reason.   He's the one who Staff had rumored was going thru a lot of personal issues and I think he's bringing it to work with him and projecting, which, isn't professional, and tho' usually he's a nice enuf Guy, makes him look like a Jerk to his Staff.  So, it's not good for moral.  I think he felt her Question was questioning his Authority, which, it wasn't IMO.

What's happening is they're cutting Hours and mostly allowing people to Volunteer to leave early rather than cutting anyone in particular's Hours.  Which, I think is a good Policy if they need to cut Hours, Volunteers don't mind losing some Hours if they Opt to leave early and go Home sometimes and Voluntarily.  Well, she just questioned why he never asks or picks her to go Home early?   She'd like to sometimes and feels the same people get to choose to leave early.  He seemed to get annoyed and claimed he has chosen her sometimes, which, happens rarely.   I personally think she's so productive they'd rather allow less productive Employees to leave earlier.  But, Princess T disputes that saying the Girls who always get picked and approved to Leave early are good Workers too.  But, they also have Seniority, so I discussed that with her too, Seniority has perks.  And, some of those Girls have Children, also a consideration.  And, he's the Supervisor, so, it ultimately is his Call.

Anyway, I gave her a Hug and she was embarrassed to be Crying before she even left Work, so one of the other Supervisors, whose a Friend of ours, noticed and asked what was Wrong.   She felt like she shouldn't have told her Kyle had made her Cry, coz she doesn't want Drama or a Headache or anyone else to say something about it to him.  So, we'll see what happens.  I know my Grandchild is Sensitive and has Anxiety Issues.  She always wants to work with Excellence and so if she gets yelled at or someone at Work is unlovely, she doesn't feel she deserves it, which, she doesn't, but, you know how Workplaces can sometimes be.  She didn't feel she should have been in trouble or had him get mad at her, so it had upset her a lot.  And mebbe he wasn't even mad at her, it was her perception of how he said what he did and the tone he said it in.   I know that often she reads between the lines with what anyone says or does.  She often does that with Family and gets Emotional over what seems to be nothing at all.

So, I think that's why Rusty came by the House, to offer Emotional Support coz he knew she'd had a bad day at Work.  He's a quiet and Sensitive Soul too, so, they can be very similar about confrontational people.  In fact, Rusty had to recently press Charges against a random Homeless Man at the Skate Park who just walked up to him and without provocation at all, punched him in the Mouth.  He didn't engage, he just called 911 and reported an Assault, he felt the Guy was under the influence of something or Mentally Unwell, and didn't want it to escalate.  Plus, Rusty isn't a Fighter, he's a very Quiet inoffensive Young Man, Polite and would be the kind of Guy to be pleasant to everyone and respectful as well.   The Police arrested the Guy, Rusty felt so many Young People and Families go to that Park, that they don't need some Rando Violent Guy Assaulting people for no reason.  He wasn't hurt badly, he took the Punch, but there were Witnesses to collaborate what happened.  He was just Skateboarding with Friends.

He's Fine now, it happened a few days ago, but our Granddaughter sometimes goes to that Park with her Friends or with him and now she doesn't want to go anymore unless we're with her.   The incident scared her too much and I can understand why it would.   We go to that Park sometimes too and I'd noticed a lot of Homeless lately spending way too much time there, so it had concerned me that the Police weren't addressing it and moving them along.  The Park is popular with lots of Families using it, lots of Athletes too since they have Exercise Stations and a Jogging Track, a Skateboard Park, a Water Park for the littles, Playgrounds, Ramadas with BBQ's, Bathrooms, Water Fountains, Soccer Field, Night Lighting, it's a very nicely maintained Park with a lot to offer the Community.   Perhaps now there's been an incident, the Police will Patrol it more and run off Transients and Junkies hanging out there?  Urban Issues happen tho', damned near anywhere.

The Daughter was Working Today with Mando, they had a Friend of his that is Older and needed some Work done, it was gonna be an all day affair, but they'd get Paid Cash.   He isn't Well enuf to have a Full Time Job anymore, so he just does side Work when he feels Well enuf to.   He's on Long Term Disability due to having Cancer and Treatments.  Some Days he doesn't feel Well enuf to do anything and The Daughter often has him come over on those days too so she can look after him.  She's very Caring towards people who are Ill or Old, she always has been.   He's been kind of like her Boyfriend lately, tho', she doesn't want to get too close.   Coz she Lost a Beloved Boyfriend in Mexico once to Cancer and doesn't want to go thru all of that again and get too attached.   That Boyfriend had been a big tough Guy, a very fit and well known Professional Heavyweight Boxer in fact.  Cancer devastated him and she looked after him until the very end, he was only in his 30's when he Passed.  Mando looks very fit and Healthy too, but, sadly, he's not.

I've got to make our Reservations at "Dino's Greek Restaurant" for Easter to have their Spit Roasted Lamb Easter Dinner.  It's become a Tradition every Easter to go there for Easter Dinner and we look forward to it.  We usually go on both Easter Celebrations, since the Greek Orthodox Celebration, Pascha, is generally a Week later than Western Easter.   It's primarily coz the Orthodox Church still uses the Julian Calendar and Western Christianity uses the Gregorian Calendar.   This leads to a shift in the Spring Equinox and the calculation of the first Full Moon after it, which are the Key Elements in determining Easter's Date.  Greek Easter is also dictated by the Hebrew Calendar becoz it always falls after Passover.

We usually get given some of the Blood Red Dyed Greek Easter Eggs, Kokkina Avga.   And Tsoureki the Greek Braided sweet Challah-like Bread made for Easter too.   Sometimes the Red Hard Boiled Eggs are Baked into it.   The Greek Family who own the Restaurant are such nice folks and make you feel like you're Celebrating Easter with their Family, so it's a very popular Event and they Spit Roast several Lambs outside on a Rotisserie over Hot Coals.   The Man and I may not bring the whole Family this Year since he and I are the only ones who like the Greek Lamb Specialty Easter Dinner served.  The rest of the Family can and do order something different from the Menu that they could have any day of the Year.  One Year Princess T wanted Spaghetti for Easter Dinner... so... it's just a good thing we don't Cook an Easter Meal at Home.  *LOL*   And frankly, tho' I LOVE Greek Food, even The Man usually doesn't and the rest of the Family definitely don't like Mediterranean Ethnic Foods like I do. 

So, most of the time if I want Greek or Middle Eastern Cuisine, I go by myself becoz I know the rest of them really don't like it.   It took Years for The Man to even know what it was he was eating... and he's been deployed to the Middle East numerous times while he was Active Duty, but, usually didn't eat the local foods.  *LOL*   I have Dated Middle Eastern Guys in my Past, particularly a Turkish Boyfriend once and an Egyptian Boyfriend once.   And I have had many Middle Eastern Friends from various Countries like Jordan, Turkey, Algeria, and Lebanon, I Love all their Foods, they're some of my favorites in fact of Ethnic Cuisines.   Technically I know that Turkey isn't considered one of the 22 Arab Countries and they do not speak Arabic so they're not part of the Arab World.   Actually Iran is not considered an Arab Country either and they speak Farsi.   But, to most Americans, Iranians and Turks would be considered Arabs.  *LOL*

What was interesting to me when I was Dating the Turk, who I remained Friends with him and his Family for many Years even when Dating didn't work out, they understood Greek too, even tho' they don't typically get along with Greeks.   There was apparently some borrowing and influence when Greece was part of the Ottoman Empire and that linguistic connection apparently still remains.   I was madly in Love with my Turkish Boyfriend before I ever had any Kids, but we were better off as Best of Friends.   I think he ended up Marrying a Woman of his own Culture eventually, tho', his Stepdad was a White American in the Military and had brought the whole Family back with him.   Which was a Big Deal to Ali that his Stepdad took on a Widow and her Six Children, from a whole other Country and Culture, he was the Youngest of the Six and still a small Child when they moved to America.  My Parents Adored Ali and he Adored my whole Family.

So, I'd been going on a Nostalgic Bender as The Daughter kept finding my Old Photo Albums and asking me about people in the Photos.  Many Old Friends and Old Boyfriends were in these Pixs and we always have a lot of Laughs about the Fashions and Hair from way back when.  And fond Memories of a Past now long gone.  Above is The Turk with his adorable Nephew.

  

The Amerasian.

The Italian

The Brit, who had a Black American G.I. Dad, and looked quite a bit like Entertainer and Singer Engelbert Humperdinck.

The Latino... who at the time often got mistaken for being Actor Erik Estrada, which made going to the Clubs difficult since we didn't have Security Details and weren't actual Famous Celebs.  *LOL*

The Egyptian... and Yours Truly.  So many more Photos not yet Found by The Daughter exist of various Old Flames.  *LOL and Winks*  I do wish I'd located the one of The Hawaiian, like most Polynesians, he was Gorgeous!!!  My Parents always joked I Dated the League of Nations and they weren't Wrong .  *LOL*   And Yes, I was the Female version of a Player, which is why I always know the Male version instantly.  *Bwahahahaha*  And now you're probably wondering how I ended up with The Man, a White Boy from Utah, which was totally uncharacteristic of me?!  *LOL*  My Parents Blinked Twice and thought, this is a Novelty.  Even more of a Novelty that I stuck around, since I was never into Commitment or Long Term Relationships either, us Old Hippies have been notorious for Lovin' our Freedom... but, I have to admit, he was a Keeper... and I may be Crazy, but I'm not Stupid.  *LMAO and Winks*  The Nostalgia didn't end with Old Boyfriends... Old Friends, some going way, way back to Childhood surfaced too:

A Friend that my Younger Brother had a Major Crush on, even tho' she was much Older than he was.  So, when she got Married, I went to the Wedding, but he couldn't bring himself to.  *Smiles*

Her Younger Sister who was the same Age as me and we went to School together.  Our Moms were good Friends, since both had Married American G.I.'s of Color and met their Husbands while Stationed in Great Britain.   Sadly, this Friend has now Passed away.  I Dated their Older Brother at one time too, can't find his Pix, very Handsome Guy, he too, has since Passed Away now.

My very First Best Friend.  She had a Filipino Dad and a White Mom, her Dad worked with my Dad in the Military when we were Stationed in Maine.

My longest term Best Friend, we're still Besties to this Day.  Ironically, she too is half Filipina.   Her Mom was Filipina and her Dad was a White Serviceman.  So we met when our Dads were Stationed in England and lived next door to each other.  She's like the Big Sister I never had.

This was my First Best Friend when we first moved to Phoenix.  Yep, she's half Filipina too, her White Dad had met and Married her Filipina Mom when Stationed in the Philippines.  Most of my Friends at the time were other Military Dependent Kids, even tho' we were all going to a Civilian High School in Phoenix.   Us Military Kiddos stuck together and mostly becoz the Racism in the very early 70's in and around Phoenix was pretty bad.  We had NINE Security Guards on Campus, Rough Campus, just becoz of the Racial Tension and Conflicts that would often break out.  It was built like an Egyptian Ziggurat in Architecture, so could be Locked Down like a Prison! *LOL*  So, most of us Racially Mixed Kids and Black Kids of Military Families stuck together like Glue for Protection and Camaraderie.  There weren't hardly any Black Kids in West Phoenix at the time, since Phoenix had only recently been desegregated, so the only Black Kids at our School had Military Dads Stationed at Luke AFB.  Also, we weren't all about that petty shit of judging others by the Color of their Skin or where they came from.   In the Military Base Schools, if you'd gotten in trouble by acting the Fool like that, your Dad could get busted and lose Rank, so, we had discipline and tolerance for diversity, the Civilian Kiddos sorely lacked it.

 

This Best Friend was an Only Child clear up until her Junior Year in High School when her Mom had a Change Of Life Baby during Menopause!  The Friend Hated having the Little Sister becoz Rumors swirled that it was her Child and not her Sister!   Which wasn't True, but you know how Rumors are so vicious and unfounded with no evidence or proof, and yet it couldn't be squashed, so circulated mercilessly.   And her Parents also had the embarrassment of everyone thinking the new Baby was their Grandchild, since they were much Older having her!

The Daughter also had the Nostalgia of finding Old Pixs of her First Best Friends, like this one, they were inseparable as Toddlers.   This adorable little one I became Friends with the Mom of.  Her Mom was so afraid of this Child's Health and so overly protective, becoz she'd lost her First Child, also a Girl, to Crib Death.  Back in the 80's a lot of Babies Died of that and the Families went thru such Hell before it was known to be a Medical Issue that caused the Infant's Death and not Infanticide!   Sadly, the Mom's only Photos of her Beloved first Daughter was a Hospital Birth Pix and the Post Mortem one.

The Daughter's longest term Bestie, her Mom and I became Friends when we both worked for a Bank and I was preggy with The Daughter and she'd only just had this Daughter, we took the City Bus to Work at the time.   So, our Kids became Lifelong Friends and are to this day and our Grandkids became Friends too.   Well, it was Fun to Look Back fondly, The Daughter is Organizing all my Old Photos and the Albums we'll Keep.  We're taking Photos out of the Albums that have deteriorated too much to Keep and Organizing those Old Photos into Vintage Suitcase Storage to keep them Safe and Protected.  We're also Purging Photos as we go too, Keeping those that are still meaningful and have stood the Test of Time, tossing those that were poor quality or are no longer holding any Sentiment whatsoever.  I Inherited all the Old Family Photos too of Relatives, since, I'm the Keeper Of The Past.  So, we're also Curating those that Family gave me after a Loved One Passed and nobody knew what to do with their Old Photos. 

 

I'm Sentimental and Nostalgic, tho' I Live fully in the Present, I do think Preservation of the Past is Important.   The Man and I both feel that way so we never asked each other to get rid of any Old Photos of anyone.  In fact, when our Oldest Daughter got Married and we went back East to the Wedding, I looked thru his Ex-Wife's Photo Albums with her coz she had a lot of The Man when he was Younger.  They got Married as Teenagers and she has his earliest Military Photos and was Kind enuf to give some to me.   Yes, I get along great with The Man's Ex Wife coz she and her Husband are good people and so are their extended Families who Welcomed me warmly as the New Wife of The Man.   Plus, The Man is a great Guy and so everyone who knows him would want his Happiness and Well Being to be a priority.

And besides, who WOULDN'T Love ME?  *Bwahahahahahaha*  Well, I do have a knack for getting along with just about everyone, there's few folks in Life that I haven't been able to win over and get along with.  I think just about everyone has their endearing qualities, with few exceptions.  I mean exceptions do exist and there are folks in Life I'd never want to Befriend or even have exposure to, but  you sense right away who they are.   And even some difficult people can become endearing once you really get to know them at their very core.  Some of the Saltiest folks I initially met became good Friends over Time, often Best of Friends.  If you can get past their Crusty layer of Personality, they are usually the Ride or Die Friends in Life and will go to the Dirt for you if you're their Friend.   

And there are the Fair Weather Friends, and Bless 'em, but they're Shallow and you can't rely on them, but they can make for some Fun Times when the Weather is Fair in Life.  When the Storms of Life hit, just know they'll be conspicuous by their very absence tho'.  So, have realistic expectations about them is all.   And I'm one to also have a lot of Acquaintances and I'm Fine with that, since I keep my Inner Circle Small and Tight.   My personal Mantra has always been to be Nice to ALL of them and Close to FEW of them, in fact, sometimes be Close to NONE of them, depending on the Group.  *LOL*   I'd say it's nothing Personal, but I keep it 100%, and it kinda is... since, you gotta pass a Litmus Test to get invited into the Inner Circle, many can't pass it, and that's Okay.  We can still be Friends... or Acquaintances... either/or... we just won't ever get that Close, but, I will treat you well.

I've always said the depth of your Pain can only really be measured by the depth of your Love for any Person.   If the Love isn't Deep, then you really can't be hurt by them if it doesn't work out or doesn't develop to a deeper level of Relationship.   For most folks it really remains rather superficial, tho' some will pretend to be Deep, they aren't.  And if you tend to be Shallow, I can Like you, but I will never Love you.   I will be able to also drop you like a Rock with a Be Well and Be Gone attitude about parting ways.   Shallow folks and Wishy-Washy ones are a Dime a Dozen after all, so they're easily replaced and not very extraordinary to bring Value to any Relationships they have.   And, more importantly, I don't Trust them.   And Trust is Big with me, if you Break Trust, you'll be hard pressed to Earn it back with me.

 

Anyway, it was Fun to wade thru some Old Photos of Family, Friends and Bygone Days of Yesteryear.   Time really does fly by quickly.   And there is an Old Indigenous Saying that there is no Death, only a Change of Locations of which Realm you'll be in.   Spirit never Dies, it just changes Form.   This is why Spirit and Spiritual things never have needed any explanations for me, I just grew up with an understanding it's all around us and intertwined, yet not always so evident.   And for some people, will never be evident to them or revealed, who knows Why, I don't really Care.   People can hold whatever Beliefs or Non-Beliefs they have, I really don't Care, it's all an Inside Job for them to sort out, not mine.

And let's face it, these days there is a whole lot to get sorted out and most folks are doing the best they can to.    And some of it will always be beyond us to be able to sort out and we just gotta Deal with it as best we can.   Hands Dealt vary and I never presume to know what it's like to be You... nor can you presume to know what it's like to be Me.   You can only make Assumptions and they could be Right... or very Wrong.   And we all bring our own personal biases to the Table based on our own experiences, exposure or lack thereof, Filters and personal Lens of the Life around us, as seen by us and processed individually.   It's a Beautiful World really, just hindered by some Ugly behaving folks in it...

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Don't join a Cult Of Personality my Friends, it will make you Weird as fuck in a Bad way... LOL... Dawn... The Bohemian