A Flash of Joy

 

I do Hope the Imagery being Shared Today will give you a Flash of Joy? I'm very tired, I had a restless Night, no explanation, it had been a good day, just a tiring one I guess.  Princess T is off on Mondays and wanted to hang out with her Grandpa and I.   So, she suggested some options for the day, which included our Antique Mall Location Downtown and a nice Vietnamese Dinner at a Restaurant Downtown.  Food Porn Photos will follow of coarse, but, in another Post.  *Winks*  On the way Home it was Rush Hour and a Train at one of the major Intersections.  We spent over 30 Minutes waiting at just that one Light due to the Train shunting back and forth!  *Le Sigh*  Traffic backed up for Miles.  It was a long Train with Two Engines pulling it.

Luckily it was a nice day so we had the Windows of the Truck down and a full Tank of Gas, so, tho' Patience isn't our Virtue, it exercised how Patient we could Be?   Or in our case, NOT Be!  *LOL and Winks*  I swear the Conductor of the Train was probably delighting in how much Traffic he could hold up at that very large Intersection, which intersects Six different ways.   Oh, and they had one Major Road of it Closed off at the Intersection, but no Signs ahead of time reflecting the Closure, so that complicated things further.  *Eye Roll*   Surprise!  People would wait in those long lines for the Train, the Lights to finally change for their direction, then learn they couldn't turn down Indian School Road after all that due to a major reconstruction project in process!  

Luckily we'd just eaten and used the Restroom at the Restaurant, so nobody was Hangry or had to use the Bathroom!  *Whew and LOL*  When you're rollin' with this Posse all that can and will usually happen at the most inopportune times.  He is often like taking a Toddler anywhere now and when he has to Go, he'll tell you at the last minute to where it's a Toiletry Emergency.  But, we were Golden, everyone fed, everyone had emptied their Bladders at the Restaurant's facilities, and tho' there was much Bitching about the Train, it just made us be Still for just over half an Hour in gridlocked Traffic.  

 So, we started People watching and making Fun of folks, to Entertain ourselves.  *Winks*  An Elderly Couple in the Vehicle next to us still had an ancient Flip Phone, so Princess T was getting a kick out of that and recalled when Grandpa and I had them too. *Winks*  You know, before the Kiddos all dragged us kicking and screaming into the 21st Century.  *Smiles*  They used to be so humiliated when I'd drag out that Old Flip Phone, which was Light Iridescent Pink, which made it even worse!  *Bwahahaha*  Then there was a Homeless Camp under the Overpass Section of the Intersection and quite the Human Sideshow, a busted looking Couple were arguing loudly and obviously very High and animated.

Oddly, and Thankfully, the Street People weren't Panhandling or accosting anyone stuck in the Traffic.  Perhaps the Cops leave them be there if they don't bother Commuters, I dunno?   The Camp also wasn't a messy one and if they keep it clean around where they're living on the Streets and not bothering anyone, then usually nobody bothers them either.   They gotta Live somewhere.  I've been Homeless, it ain't no Fun, and so I have the utmost compassion for that Situation.  The Son, The Daughter and The Young Prince & Allen have been Homeless, so, as a Family, we know it can and does happen to almost anyone.  Most Regular Folks are just one major Crisis or missed Paycheck away from being in Trouble.

Above and Below is the Art and the Inspiration for it.  As, quite often the Prickly Pear Cactus can have Heart Shaped Paddles.  Everything was in Bloom at the Desert Botanical Gardens too, Spring will be Showing Out now for the next couple of Months in the Desert.  I make a lot of Visits to Natural Destinations during Spring becoz it's so visually Sublime during this Season and before it gets too Hot for comfort.  It was in the low 80's all that day and a Cool Breeze.  Today tho' a Storm front is moving in and it's in the low 60's and will probably Rain like Hell.  We need the Rain tho', we've had a long drought.  And after a Rain the Desert smells so good.  I particularly like the aroma of Creosote Bushes after a Rain.

We rolled those new Black Cabinets into The RV Garage Mahal that Rob gave us, so they won't get Wet.  They have Industrial Wheels on them, making them easy to move, and I think they were Kitchen Work Station Cabinets and have Black Granite Tops for Food Prep.  One has a Chrome Towel Rod on one side with a large Chrome Industrial Hook for hanging a Pan or something from it.  Each Cabinet is identical and has one Drawer and one Cupboard.  They really are good quality construction, very heavy and sturdy, I like that they're Black and the Granite is very high end that the Tops are made of and detaches and reattaches easily.  

 

I also got an Old Oil Can and an Old Folding Ruler from him, and the Industrial Metal Shelf Unit too.  And an enormous Industrial Screw that you could put a Paper Towel Roll on and use as a Stand Alone Holder.  We moved everything under cover this Morning before the Storm hits.  Looks like it will be a fierce one and so you batten down the Hatches.  *Smiles*  We had made Plans for the Day, but with the inclement Weather rolling in, have aborted all Plans and will just nestle down at Home and be Cozy.  My Thighs still hurt and burn from all those Squats I did taking Pixs of those Quilt Squares.  *LOL*  No kidding or hyperbole, I likely did over 100 Squats that day!!!  And I FEEL it!  *Smiles*

I can still do that many Squats, since, I got Strong Legs and Stamina to still, but, I probably shouldn't do that many anymore.  *Bwahahaha*  My Thighs are Protesting that I made them do that much.  *LOL*  But, my Mom warned me that in Old Age the Legs are the first to Go so keep them Strong for as long as you are able.  I took that Sage Advice to Heart.  Mom had been a Dancer in her Youth and kept her Legs Strong up until her late 70's when they finally gave out on her and put her into a Wheelchair.  She knew once she got into that Chair, she'd never get out, so she'd Soldiered on long past when Docs said she should use one.  The Fall risks just became too great and her Legs became very misshapen by degenerative Bone Issues.

I used to take her to The Desert Botanical Gardens in her Wheelchair and she'd insist on going up the Mountain Trail and the Thrill of going back down with me trying not to lose Control of the Chair!  Mom liked to Live on The Edge like that and tho' I'm a big Gal, she was too and outweighed me.   So her in that Wheelchair going Downhill was an Adrenalin Rush for us both!  We'd Laugh like Hell about what IF I lost Control and she went careening down the Path without me?  *LOL*  Yep, very inappropriate Gallow's Humor and very Dark, coz it could happen!!!  But what a Ride! *Bwahahaha*   We'd break into Song of BB King's "The Thrill Is Gone" on the way Up... and the Thrill would be back on the way Down!  *LMAO*  Yes, we both are Crazy like that, the Apple didn't fall far from the Tree!

While at the other Brass Armadillo Antique Mall Downtown at our other Location, I Scored a small Antique Persian Rug with Boro Mending from my Friend Bryant.  He's a Vendor at our Antique Mall Location too and his Showroom there is near mine.   I spent 11 Years asking him to begin Selling me Persian Rugs out of his Cache of them!   Yes, Eleven Years, I'm tenacious and relentless like that.  *winks*  But my Patience finally paid off and he began Selling me Rugs until The Grandson's Wedding, which I had to use my Rug Money to Bankroll.  *Le Sigh*  But, it got Bryant to release his Hold on his Rug Stash.  He'd bought them over 20 Years before that at an Estate Sale of a Wealthy International Exotic Rug Dealer, and kept them in his Barn in an Old Pickup Truck Bed!  He'd only kept the Native American Rugs to use for himself, not the Persian or Oriental Rugs, which just got Stored in his Barn.

He knows I'll Buy more Rugs from him eventually and I put them down in The RV Garage Mahal, which is over 2400 sf of Space and looks better with the Rugs down on the Pebble Tech Flooring.   But, Bryant did have a couple smaller Persian Prayer Size Rugs down in his Booth at the other Location and I bought one of them.   All of his Rugs are probably over 100 Years Old and many had been Sourced in various Arabic and North African Countries from the Nomadic Tribes like the Bedouin.  They used these Rugs for Generations and made many a Boro Repair on them, which is why I J'Adore them.  The Age, History, wear and repairs makes them really Special.   Tho' to the Average American who'd purchase Persian Rugs, they'd want Perfection, that's not what I prefer in my Antique Rug Collection... I Love the Imperfections, provenance and wear.

I got a discount on the already low Price of the Rug, Bryant has good prices on all his Merch and usually gives me a discount too.  Above is the Rug I bought from him, Below is the other one he had for the same price, larger, but out of the Two I liked mine better and I wasn't prepared to buy both.   Since I'd also Scored a 1920-1930 Era Suitcase from another Vendor and gotten a discount on that too.  It's pictured in the Suitcase Tower further Below in that Booth, which seemed to be a New Vendor to the Mall.   Jesse, the Manager, told me he'd signed up 12 New Vendors recently and I did notice they'd gotten in some really Quality Dealers recently with Killer Merch and good Price Points.  Whether they will do well Selling Quality Vintage and Antique Merch remains to be seen... it can be iffy even if they Merchandise it well.

 

I also picked up an Art Tag {Below} from one of my Fav Paper Arts Vendors at the other Location.  Her Booth has been a long time favorite, but lately she's quite lean on the Product I'd usually buy.   So this Tag was the only Tim Holtz Line used in some of what she was Selling this day.   She was carrying a lot of Lines I just don't use or buy, but, might be quite popular with Crafters who use Paper Arts Products?  I know many of the Brick and Mortar Paper Arts Indie Small Businesses and even some large Chain Craft Stores have gone Belly Up in recent Years.  So, the demand is still fairly high for Supplies, and Options are fewer to Shop for them.   I do very well with my Art Supplies in our Showroom, about half our Sales are Paper Arts and Crafting Supplies.

 

Okay, now for my Vintage Suitcase Scored... it's the Striped one just below all the Train Cases.  It had the Striped Butterscotch Fabric I Love in a Vintage Suitcase, plus the Trim and Handle was Alligator.  The Interior was pristine and not musty, it was a rich Coppery Brown Satin.  I have Collected, Bought and Sold many a Vintage and Antique Suitcase or Steamer Trunk over the Years.  I keep my Favs and can always Sell my overage and excess of them.  They tend to be a quick Turn and don't languish in Inventory and don't have a Loss Prevention Issue.  I have amassed an impressive array in my vast Collection over a Lifetime and use them for Storage.  I'm always Jazzed when I Score another one, they're becoming not only scarcer these days, but more expensive, so Deals are getting harder to find.

This Vendor had Reasonable Pricing on theirs, about what I usually Charge when I'm Selling Off mine.  This was to be a Keeper and I got a discount, so, I was Okay with what I Paid.  There wouldn't be much margin to have it become Resale, but it won't be in my Lifetime anyway, my Striped ones I do not Sell.   I am Obsessed with the Striped Old Suitcases.  *LOL*   And, to be sure, my Industry Friends have managed to talk me out of some of my Vintage Suitcases over the Years that weren't For Sale but could be Bought.  *Winks*  Listen, if your Offer you make is one I can't refuse, we usually can and will make a Transaction.  You just have to know you gotta want it more than me and Stand Tall if you expect me to Let Go of what isn't For Sale. *Smiles*

At the insistence of Princess T we'd also hit a Wal-Mart that day coz she needed some things that only can be had at Big Box Stores.  We needed to do some Grocery Shopping anyway, so I dropped about $200 stocking up Supplies of Essentials for us and for Eli the Cat.  I just can't be sure what Tariffs are gonna do to The Market when prices soar becoz of them?  And right now most seem stable priced enuf to just stock up now with.  With a Three Generational large Family Unit, you go thru a lot of Supplies and Essentials.  The others Hate Shopping so usually just put Money in the Household Kitty coz they know I enjoy Shopping and don't mind doing it for everyone.  Just make your Lists so I know what you think you Need.   I could easily become a Personal Shopper, I could.  *LOL*

I could easily become a Food Blogger too I think.  *Winks and LOL*  I just Love Photographing Beautiful Foods, what can I say?  Tho' many of my Family and Friends used to Tease me about Photographing my Foods, now most of them are doing it too, apparently it's contagious.  They are all now Becoming Me.  *Winks*   I had a long Talk Online with the Middle Granddaughter in Pittsburgh, she's doing well in spite of Single Parenting it now and holding down a demanding Career.   She's finally rid of the Dead Weight of a poorly suited Husband and she's not having any more Children, so just the Two, who are handful enuf.  She says her Youngest Sister, the Youngest of the Trio back East, doesn't want Kids either, when I told her The G-Kid Force don't want any.  Her Younger Sister and The Young Prince are so much alike that our Oldest Daughter said they could be like Twins and it was eerie how alike they were in every way.  She is almost exactly a Year Younger than he is.

It's good to get caught up with Family and Friends, I tend to not be one to make Phone Calls or use Social Media that much, or even visit people locally.  I Blog, and most Family and Friends aren't Bloggers so aren't a part of this Community.  I probably have more regular contact with Bloggers than with anyone in Real Life.  *LOL*   The Daughter made us a Cream of Wheat with Fresh Strawberries, Toast and Jam Breakfast in Bed this Morning.   I had some Jelly I'd bought from a Tribe on a Reservation in a Northern State like South Dakota, Wild Hawthorne Jelly, it's Lovely.  Then I have some Maple Bourbon Apple Butter I buy from a small Business that has a Booth in an Antique Mall, also Lovely... especially good on Raisin Toast. 

It didn't Rain but it's still overcast and very Windy, but a nice pleasant and comfortable temperature Colder Wind.  So we opened the Doors up and the Screen Door lets nice Fresh Air into the House to air it out.  I like days when we don't neat Heat or Air Conditioner on, saves on Utility Bills when it's just right.  This Month my Pension Check from the County actually hit on time, so that's good.  Since the first of the Year I wasn't getting it on time and almost didn't get it until the very last days of the Month, which was no bueno.   The Man's Checks from the Military Retirement, VA Disability, and DOD Retirement are hitting on time tho', which is crucial.   We'll see if Social Security is still having significant delays?

 

I went out and picked up Pecans from the back Acreage, we had a lot drop from Laura's Pecan Trees behind us, not many from Omar's Pecan Trees beside us this Year.  They are a different kind of Pecan than Laura's.  But his Citrus Trees produced a bounty this Year.  I only pick the low hanging Fruit, I am not going up Ladders to get the rest and all the Trees are Old and Tall, so... a lot doesn't get picked by us.  I'll let our Neighbors send their Adult Grandkids up the Ladders to Harvest what can't be reached from the Ground.  *LOL*  They let them grow Naturally shaped, so most Citrus have a Skirt of Branches almost to the ground, if you don't prune them.  If you do prune you have to paint the Trunks with a protective White Latex Paint that prevents Sunburn.  We had Citrus on some Properties we Owned in the Past.  I had a Magnificent Blood Orange Tree once, Loved the Fruit off that.  And a Lime Tree that produced Year Round.

 

At the Historic Home we had Navel Orange Trees.  Whoever lived here all these Years since it was built never planted any Fruit or Nut Trees, but most Neighbors did.  Their Trees are so Old now they hang over our Property and we get some of the rich Harvest from that.   I have thought about buying some Fruit and Nut Trees and planting them in the back Acreage since it's just all Pasture right now.  We'd like to build a Greenhouse out of Architectural Salvage back there and to raise Crops in a large above Ground Victory Garden.   The Kiddos now want to build a Henhouse out of Architectural Salvage and Raise Heirloom Breed Chickens too.  

So, some of 2025-2026 might be spent scoping all that out once the Grandson moves back Home and could help his Mom and her Friends Plan all that out and build it.  I'd love to have the Greenhouse or Conservatory, I've always wanted one.  I'm not opposed to any of the Plans the Kids have had.   And it will keep them busy and perhaps make some spare Income if they took Produce and Eggs to Farmer's Markets held nearby in some City Parks every Weekend during certain times of the Year.   Or, they could Sell from the Front Yard like many of our Neighbors do in the Mini Farm Community.  Several have little Fruit and Veggie Stands set up Roadside in their Front Yards where they Sell from.   One of our Neighbors has a Food Truck and Sells Kettle Corn too, it's their Business and sometimes they Sell from Home.  Their flavors of Kettle Corn are Sublime! 

We never did make it back to the Renaissance Festival before it ended this past Weekend, oh well.  I had Hoped that The Young Prince would have been back in March and could take him, but, that didn't happen and the rest of us needn't go a 2nd time without him.   I would have liked to of gone again and taken more time window shopping at the Shops, they have such interesting things for Sale and some amazing Artisans that Create them.   I used to Collect the Renaissance Festival Pottery Mugs but I Sold my whole Collection.  I'd picked them up at Chazzas over the Years for a fraction of what they cost and Sold them for way more than I paid.  They Date them, so each Year they're different and come in various Designs of Goblets and Steins made of Glazed rough Rustic Pottery.

I picked up some more Pantry items we needed and The Man insisted on tagging along.  I don't mind until he Emotionally deregulates and starts becoming irritated at random people and can't regulate his Moods appropriately to be out in Public.  Usually it takes 'til Sundown for him to deteriorate but Today by Noon he was Emotionally raw and irritated at everyone and everything, so I just cut it short and took him Home.  The Daughter and I are making Homemade Pizza from that Deli Pizza Kit we got at 'Sprouts".   The Dough had really puffed up and proofed nicely and they gave you an abundance of shredded Cheese and lots of Pepperoni, but were a bit light on the Sauce.  It makes a Medium Pizza.

Before

After

Getting it Round was challenging, we're not Pizza Makers and I forbid The Daughter from twirling it, or throwing it up in the Air, I didn't need it ending up on the Floor!  *LOL*   I'm glad we had a Pizza Pan, I forgot I did have one and luckily The Son had found it when he bought a Frozen Pizza recently.  Well, suffice to say The Daughter and I won't be going into the Pizza Business.  *Bwahahahaha*  It was okay, but rather bland tasting.  Their Sauce was unremarkable and needed Doctoring Up, the Dough was fluffy and cooked Deep Dish, but, it was all rather disappointing and looked better uncooked than cooked.  Ah well, for $3.50 it was a Meal, what can I say.
   

Our Pool looks horrible and Brad had just come Yesterday.  I looked thru my Checkbooks and I guess I bought that Pool Vacuum around 2021-2022 so it wasn't as recent as I thought it was.  When I Googled Life Expectancy of Pool Vacuums of coarse they're only 5-8 Years, this one is about halfway thru that Lifespan before needing repairs or another fucking replacement and they're not Cheap.  So, I'm NOT Happy, since I pay $120 a Month Maintenance on the Pool and it looks like the Creature from the Black Lagoon could live in it right now.  So, Brad is gonna hafta quote me on what it will take to get it put right so we can Swim in it this Spring and Summer?  Shit!!!  It's not okay as it is right now and yet I'm still paying for Maintenance anyway, so, might as well Deal with the Pool Vacuum again, for the 2nd time in fucking Five Years.  Not great timing either for yet another major Home Maintenance expense to pop up and be required.

Other than that, everything is Swell.  *Bwahahahahaha*  It stayed pretty Cold all day, I just now closed our Doors since it was getting too Cold to keep them open around Sunset.   It made it comfortable to work in The RV Garage Mahal all day tho', so The Daughter did and I did some work in there myself.   She made a lot more progress than me tho', and the Kiddos also did more Yardwork, so it looks really good.   The Man gets along great with Mando so sat Outside for a while Socializing with him.  He doesn't do that with too many people so I know he likes this Friend of The Daughter.   I'd say Boyfriend, but, she isn't one to really want an exclusive relationship, even if he does, that wouldn't be a realistic expectation for her.  Her Mental Illness makes it difficult for her to sustain relationships, especially closer ones like that.   Plus, she once lost a Boyfriend she Loved very much to Cancer, in Mexico, and can't go thru that again.

Anyway, he spends more time here now than he does at his Home and he helps out a lot and gets along with everyone here, so, it's mutually beneficial to all.   I think at Home he feels lonely and a lot of his Family and Friends, knowing he was given a Terminal Diagnosis, have fallen away.  Perhaps it makes them too uncomfortable, I dunno?  But, for  us, we treat him as if he isn't defined by a Diagnosis and don't pity or patronize him because of it.  I think it Helps that several Members of our Family have had grim Diagnosis for Years, sometimes since Birth.  So for us, we've just Lived with that as a constant.  So, it almost becomes a Non-Issue you don't focus nor fixate on, becoz it's just how it is and you Live with it just being a layer of how someone is.  You're Mindful of it, but, it can't consume you.  I mean when you Think about it, we're ALL fucking Dying, we just don't know When?

There were things I got done during the day and the big thing is I should do more with my Tax Organization of the Paperwork, and I loathe it so much I just keep putting it off.   It's never that hard, just, the way Taxation is Structured I HATE the inequity of it, so I resent it.  I think all the CPA's charge too much for what little they do, but I quit doing my own Taxes Years ago becoz so much has changed that I haven't kept pace with.  And we have gone Standard for so many Years now it should be cheaper to file IMO... it's not fucking Rocket Science when they aren't even doing itemization.   Anyway, it is what it just is and Bitching about it does no good, it just makes me Angry and feeling very Militant.  *LOL*  Lately I've felt particularly Rebellious and Militant about damned near everything becoz of how FUBAR America now is.  I'm Ashamed to be an American right now, apologizing to the World for how fucked up we've become as a Nation due to poor and Insane totally incompetent Leadership installed Twice now!

I've always previously felt Proud to be an American so this is an unsettling Feeling to be Ashamed at what we're devolving into and what a Spectacle we've become Globally.   Anyway, making Good Trouble is all those of us who oppose it all can do.   Civil Rights and fighting for Equality and Votes for Women and people of Color, Rights for the Disabled and the LGBTQ+ Community has been a long and grueling struggle we never gave up on and has to continue unabated.  Even tho' we're going backwards by a Century in just a couple Months is more than discouraging tho', it's almost inconceivable.   To lose that much Ground that fast and with so many Americans seemingly okay with it all is Mind Blowing to me.   I thought we were better than that and more evolved, we apparently were not, as a collective.  It is Shameful.   

The current Voting in Wisconsin and Florida just shows that too many are still Supporting the Regime and making excuses for it, at their own peril, but, devoutly nonetheless.  It's like a fucking Zombie Apocalypse, isn't it?   Anyway, if their folly ends up being the Death of the Nation, well, we had it coming then and I have no Words.   When the Roman Empire declined and fell it at least took Centuries and was a gradual process.  We're fast tracking by comparison.   Other Great Empires like the Ottoman, Qing and British fell as well.  In fact Seven Great Empires collapsed in just the 20th Century, it leaves a lasting impact on the World, I'm sure the Fall of America will too.  And we are collapsing and Falling, rest assured, I'm not all that confident we can prevent it now too much is being Supported in what will destroy it.   Mebbe it was our Time?  I know, I'm a Ray of fucking Sunshine, huh?  *LOL*  But, it is how I Feel about it and what I'm seeing happening.

It's Wednesday now and I've got to talk to Brad about the Pool and it's Vacuum Situation.  If he can't provide full Service then I might have to switch Companies.  It seems that over time his Company might be struggling since he used to have Staff and now seems to be doing everything himself again.  I attributed it at first to my Skinny Dipping Incident that might have run his Young Pool Boy off, but I dunno now.  Brad used to be very pleasant and engaging and now he seems different, like he's under a lot of pressure?   And Mando said he observed what he did when he showed up to Service the Pool and told me he really didn't do what he should be doing for the Water, so the Vacuum isn't the only problem. 

 Mando knows how to Service a Pool and what Chemicals should be being put into the Water and I felt it didn't even smell like it's had Treatments that it should lately.  I'm not paying for nothing to be done that should be being done.   I know that The Man had said that he felt lately, when Brad has shown up on a Monday to Service the Pool, he wasn't spending the same amount of time as he used to, so he may be cutting corners, I dunno for sure?   But, I don't like how our Pool looks, it doesn't look Maintained and yet we're paying for Maintenance.  So, it's not Okay and I have to confront Brad about it again.  I did before and that's when he told me the Vacuum wasn't working properly and might need repairs coz it wasn't doing it's job correctly and that's why the Pool looked like it did.  But, he hadn't sought me out to tell me this, which was just odd to me.  If there's a problem and you're Maintenance, you should contact your Employer about it.

So anyway, now the Pool is another 'Situation' and I'm quite irritated about being blindsided by Situations arising constantly, it's always something.  *Le Sigh*  I'm sure we'll get it resolved, it's a matter of how much it will Cost now to resolve THIS Issue?  The fact I've had Two Situations with Pool Vacuums in only Five Years bothers me, coz, they're not Cheap to fix or replace.   I think I'm gonna ask Mando if he'll go with me to Leslie's Pool Supply Store first Today and look at comparable Pool Vacuums, buy one, keep this one for Parts and just install a new one ourselves rather than Trust Brad to do it again.  Becoz this one he replaced FOR us and whether it was 1-3 Years ago, it didn't last and so that's a problem coz I should have gotten 5-8 out of it according to what I've read about Life expectancy of them.  And Brad contested that he even replaced it, but he did and had to admit it later when I insisted he research his Records to see if it was still under any Warranty.   

Mando had told me he has an Uncle that has a lot of Pool Supplies and he'd check to see if he had any spare Vacuums first.  He was going over to do some Work for that Uncle and usually takes something in Trade for the Work he does.   If the Uncle has one to Trade Mando for, he said he'd just bring it over and hook it up to see if that would buy us some time to save up for a replacement.   I just don't want to spend another chunk of Money to replace something that wears out as soon as this one did after spending $500 on it not that many Years ago.  Of coarse, I've complained about how shoddy any Appliance, no matter how expensive, is built anymore.  They don't last like Appliances of the past, and most can't even be Repaired anymore and must be replaced constantly.  It's intentional functional obsolescence to make more Money for Manufacturers. 

Okay, so Bitchfest about my Pool Vacuum is over now, I Promise.  *Winks*   I'll probably be Bitching next about how much Taxes we Owe, since, gotta get them to our CPA this Week to get it out of the way and pay whatever fucking amount they say we owe this Year?   The Man is now watching The News more than me and is pissed that they just announced a 20 Million Dollar cut to the Phoenix VA, which provides Services to approximately 130,000 Veterans.  The impact on Veteran's Services will be huge with that much in cuts and they were already on a shoestring and you have to wait inordinate amounts of time to get in for Treatments or Surgeries even before they're gonna make these slashing cuts in Personnel, Budget and Services.  They focused more in this Cancel Culture Administration in taking down the Tribal Nations Flags out of the Phoenix VA Hospital Downtown, saying it's DEI and must be therefore cancelled, than in providing what local Veterans need!

As it is I got the itemized Statement for The Man's last Civilian Hospitalization for his Heart Failure and our Military provided Insurance thru TriCare For Life barely allowed anything in Coverage!   The Bill was $80,026.00 and TriCare Allowed only $8,559.69, I shit you not!  They did away with Base Hospitals so that all Active Duty and their Dependents and Retirees must go straight Civilian now.  But most places won't even take TriCare now becoz they notoriously don't Pay or Cover Services and disallow the bulk of it.  If we didn't have Medicare we'd be fucked in the way of Medical and Dental Care coz TriCare Insurance is all that Military are offered, along with the VA for the Veteran only.  And the VA has no Cardiologist on Staff!  The only thing TriCare actually covered out of this last Medical Emergency was $8,559.69 of the Intensive Care billed for $14,920.00!!!  Everything else, including all Tests, Cardiology, Emergency Room and Physical Therapy they completely Disallowed and wouldn't Approve!!!   WTF?!

And when The Man had his Catastrophic Accident and didn't yet Qualify for Medicare, his Medical Bills totally $970,000 and our Military Insurance only covered $57,000 of that, so, I'm not Surprised at all.  The VA didn't do a damned thing for him and wouldn't even allow him into the Old Soldier's Home for Long Term Care.   I had to pay over $35,000 out of pocket, when he got his Accident Settlement TriCare took more than half of it to reimburse themselves half of the paltry amount they'd Paid Out, and I had to get the various Providers to Write Off the rest or I'd of been Bankrupted immediately.   It took me Years to Negotiate with various Providers to settle that Debt and had my infamous Mental Breakdown in the Process, which is finally when the VA stepped up a bit knowing they'd be stuck with him if anything happened to me, and started providing him some additional Services, which were limited, but better than nothing!

And after my notorious Mental Breakdown is also when the State began finally fucking stepping up to provide more in Services for The G-Kid Force.   Since they did a prospectus on how much THAT would cost them if something happened to me too.  *Winks*  And they Paid for the Adoption and got a Judge to approve a temporary Stipend to help defer Costs to us, since, we'd Paid out of pocket for everything to Raise them before that, with no Help from the State.  These weren't your Garden Variety Kids, they had a lot of Health and Mental Health Issues and their Care was thus a LOT more expensive than for a Healthy Child.  The State considered Kinship Placements to be "Voluntary" and so didn't pay towards Support like they do to Foster Families, who most only do it for the Money and not necessarily out of Caring about the Welfare or Best Interests of the Children.   

The Foster Care System has so many dangers to Kids in their Care that the Bureau Chiefs of Family Violence and Sex Crimes at the DA's Office, who were a Friends of mine at the time, told me to do anything I could to keep my Grandkids out of The System for their Safety and Well Being.  They told me the Statistics of Girls being Abused, Neglected or Sexually Molested in Foster Care was about 80% at the time and for Boys it was 65%, it chilled me to the Bone!!!   And my Two Grandkids were Special Needs Kiddos, so the Rate of Abuse, Neglect or Sexual Exploitation for Disabled Kids is even higher than that!!!   And even when they were Rated by the Adoption Board for Placement, Scale of 1-4, with 4 being hardest to place... Princess T Rated 3 and they were not trying to be Funny, but said if they had a 5 on the Scale, that would have been The Young Prince's Rating, he was Unadoptable basically!!!  So, The G-Kid Force would have been fucked going into The System and I knew it.

But, getting Services for The Man, even tho' he Honorably Served his Country for 39 Years and became a 100% Rated Disabled Veteran doing it, isn't easy.   And getting Services for my Disabled Kiddos, whether my Kids or my Grandkids, even more Impossible than Dealing with the VA. Since State Services are parsed out even more sparingly than Veteran's Services.  Yet, ALL of that is being cut... at Federal and State levels now, due to DOGE and this Administration's Lust for Greedily padding their own Pockets at the expense of the most vulnerable and needy of Society.  And yet, some Americans are still Supporting that and Voting accordingly, go figure!   I guess if they think it won't impact them personally they don't give a shit about you.   And it will impact them, so, you'll hear their lamentations soon enuf when they realize they fucked themselves over too with their Support and Votes of a Regime that Cares about none of us and is Raping the Nation to enrich themselves further.

Anyway, I'll round out this Post with Uplifting Beautiful Imagery... and a couple of recent Pixs each of my Two Green Eyed Granddaughters.   This is the Middle One of the Trio in Mexico {Above and Below} and the other is the Middle One of the Trio in Pittsburgh {Further Below the Pix Below}.   Both are Green Eyed Blondes, but they both Dye their Naturally Blonde Hair and don't particularly like being Blondes, even tho' many would Die for that Natural Hair Color.  *LOL*  The Young Prince, also a Natural Blonde with Green Eyes, did the same thing and Dyed his Hair since he was a Young Teen, not liking being a Natural Blonde.  He and the Middle Granddaughter in Pittsburgh have a different Hair Color every time I get a Pix of them.  Nobody probably recalls what their Natural Hair Color even is?!  *Smiles*   They ARE The Future and that's what gives me some Hope!

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Remaining Up By Faith and Knowing it Will Hold... Dawn... The Bohemian