No Kings Day... But We'll All Pay For His Excesses & Vanity

 I'm participating in No Kings Day but not watching his overpriced Ego Parade, shamefully using the Military, who I have too much respect for to stomach this disgusting and fiscally wasteful Spectacle, as his Political Props.  He has never had any respect for our Military or their Families, he's made that abundantly clear, so it's not about the Army's Anniversary for him or those like him, it's an obscene Display of Power, like 3rd World Banana Republics would do, the Kremlin, China, or North Korea.  It's such an Embarrassment to have this pathetic Creature as the President. 

 The Son, as a Lark, got Tacos to go for us all during No Kings Day, since TACO is Donnie Two Dolls other Nickname {tRump Always Chickens Out}.  I just pray we don't have a Tiananmen Square Incident, that would be horrific... as much so as it was in China during their brave Civilian Protests against a brutal Regime.  I hear it's gonna Rain in DC, I'm glad... I Hope the Heavens open up and make it so miserable to be there, that few attend.  UPDATE: It was a huge expensive failure with poor turnout, while Millions turned out to Protest it and him across the Nation!!!  Bravo!!!

They estimate now about a Hundred Million will be Wasted on it, so much for the illusion DOGE Cuts were anything but to redistribute Money they'll just Waste, Fraudulently use and Abuse anyway.   Of coarse he's still going to play Golf and attend Sporting Events constantly at our Expense too, so, I wonder if anyone is keeping Talley and will be transparent about how much he's squandered wantonly already?    It is estimated he squandered 151 and a Half Million over Four Years during 1.0 and a total of 293 Days at his own Resorts on our Dime.   And only 69 Days into 2.0 he'd already squandered 26 Million, so at that Trajectory the Waste and Abuse will far exceed his first Term by far.  He's legendary at squandering other people's Money so he's quite adept at it, and at Bankrupting even Casinos, so hold on America, we're going for a Ride paying for his Excesses and Vanity. 

I'm using my Social Media Platforms to dissent.  But then, I always have and not for just a designated Day.   More than a Dozen No Kings Protests will be going on across the Valley here and I have heard that even Small Town America will be having them Nationwide and not just Urban locations... GOOD!!!   From 9:00 a.m. to Noon the biggest one should be at our State Capitol and I do Pray it remains Peaceful and doesn't lose the Message that disrupters often cause and who don't really Care about what it's really about.   Looters and Rioters are just Criminals exploiting anything they can to commit their Crimes, they aren't Protestors for any Cause.  They just give a Bad Name to Protesting becoz they get all the Media attention AS IF they are part of the Protest, most aren't... they're either Criminals or Saboteurs of the Protest, sent as disrupters and for Negative Press of the Cause and to blame it on those Supporting The Cause.   Protestors who are Passionate about their Causes are usually doing so Peacefully and Lawfully so it gets Positive Press, Attention and Coverage the Right way.

I've been watching a great Welsh Show called "Salvage Hunters" which is a Pickers Show out of North and South Wales, and Based in North Wales where my Mom was from.   Drew owns one of the largest Decorative Salvage Yards in Great Britain and of coarse European Salvage is Primo and much older than what you can find in America.   But, update is that he's Selling or Sold his Antiques Warehouse Business due to Restoration expenses of the Building being too high.  Plus, his Marriage ended and others on the show left for their own pursuits, so I don't know there will be other Seasons of it.  What we're watching are the Old Episodes on Cable TV, but I sure enjoy watching it more than "American Pickers" now.   Drew continues to Trade Online.

The Daughter had worked again at Rose's, and Rose always gives her stuff along with paying her to Clean and Organize.  They have a lot of stuff and some of it is good.   The Daughter takes what she thinks I'd like and could Sell at the Antique Mall Showroom and Locked Case.  Then she takes what she thinks she could Sell at Weekend Yard Sales here.  She got me a Trio of Vintage Transistor Radios {Above}.  The one by SHARP has a nice Red to half the Case, the top one has a cute Metal Kickstand to make it sit up, and the 3rd has an Antenna & Large Speaker in the Case.   Online pricing varies widely but most fetch a handsome amount even if they're not restored, but of coarse more if they're functional and working.   I don't know about these, just got 'em fresh from the Farm, they need to be cleaned up and see if they are in working order or just shelf sitter Display pieces of Retro Nostalgic History?

The Mid-Century 50's, 60's and 70's Transistor Radios are highly Collectible in almost any condition.   Coz tho' they were common, not many seemed to have survived and be kept to end up in Today's Resale Vintage Market.  These were in Rose's Sheds and Barn or they likely would have been tossed out long ago, but, had clearly been forgotten since about the 1960's or so.   I already looked up the Jetstream Mini, Circa is about 1975 or so and it Sells for around Forty Bucks, not bad.  The other Two are more desirable Cuter Models IMO, altho' all Three have The Retro Look for Collectors.   The SHARP with the half Red Case is Cute, probably Older, mebbe 1960's Era and Japanese Made, they fetch around $45.  The Six Transistors MOTOROLA with built-in Stand came in Colors but ours is Black.  It's the Oldest, 1959, and I think the best "Look", it can Sell for up to $80.  So, I expected it to be the most valuable of the Trio.

One of the Great-Granddaughters Graduated from 1st Grade.   Above is her with her BFF, Serenity, from First Grade.  They had most of their Graduation Ceremony Pixs taken together and seem to be inseparable, which happens with Girls of this Age Group. This is also about the Age they lose their Front Teeth and so the Toothless Smiles are Adorbs on both of them.   She went in to the Ceremony with Swagger {Below} and I had to LOL at how she had her Graduation Gown and Cap slung over her Shoulders.  And she's had a lot going on, this one, what with Dance Recitals and Graduation, so the Granddaughter had loads of Social Media Fodder to Thankfully Share to capture the Kodak Moments.   And she's still at that Age where she's still a Diva in front of the Lens so long as it's all about her and she's Center Stage, and not running away from being Photographed yet.  *LOL*

Now that she has Two Younger Siblings it's stolen some of her original Thunder of coarse.  *Winks*   And Below is her at the Dance Recital, which I'm told she Crushed, and with a Boy she must like, and Ditto for him, since, they look quite Happy to be in an embrace and Photographed together.  *LOL*  That will change as they get older and he starts thinking Girls have Cooties and she'll get annoyed at Boys being Boys and tormenting the Girls... hey, it happens.  I never, ever, told our Girls, of either Generation, that when a Boy was being obnoxious or mean towards them that it was coz the Boy "Liked" them since I think that sends the Wrong Message to both Genders about how they should be Respected and Treated.   That's also how I was Raised and my Parents also didn't Believe in Gender Roles either, they were Progressive about all Roles in Life being Gender Fluid and not restricted to Gender. 

The Boys of ours, of both Generations we Raised, were also told how to Respectfully Treat Girls.   My Brother has always treated Women with utmost Respect so he was always uber Popular with the opposite Sex.  And The Son and The Young Prince have always done us Proud on how Respectfully they treat and Honor all Females.  Of coarse, Kids just being Kids, they often know not what they do until you Teach them appropriate Behaviors towards one another.  Sadly, some Parents aren't up to that Job... or up to the Job of Parenting in General.  Kids that don't know better, generally don't do better.   And some Generational inappropriate Behaviors and Beliefs are sadly passed along Generation to Generation in a downward spiral Cycle of inappropriateness that is never Okay and can be significantly Biased and/or Violence Prone.   Kids Learn what they Live, plain and Simple.

The Daughter made some healthful Snacks of some Strawberry and some Cherry Jell-O Pudding, inserting the Fresh Fruits in both.   The Frozen Strawberry Pudding Pops were good, but I must say the Cherry Pudding with fresh chopped up Cherries in Season was my Favorite, OMG.  So good I forgot to Photograph it before I devoured it, Sorry.  I just Wish she'd made MORE of it coz I bought about a Pound worth of Fresh Cherries.  *LOL*   I actually have the Copper Egg Cups with Lids that made for a good Pudding Individual Serving Holder and the Plastic Lids are great for keeping them Stored Fresh in the Fridge too.   And we have the Popsicle Molds that are Silicone and make about Four at a time, along with the Wooden Popsicle Sticks to insert into the Molds.   We often make them using various Fresh Fruit and Juices.   This was the first time using Jell-O Pudding instead and they turned out creamy and delish.

Very refreshing on a high triple digit Temp day and it's nearing 114 or more now, so, getting really toasty.   I just made a simple Hamburger Lunch, really haven't felt 100% so taking it easy.   We did go to the Store and buy some more Jell-O Pudding flavors.  We couldn't find the Strawberry we'd used, so instead we got a selection including French Vanilla, Banana Cream, Coconut Cream, Pistachio, & Cheesecake.  They had other flavors like Lemon, Chocolate Fudge, Butterscotch, White Chocolate and Tapioca... but I wanted the Flavors that would meld well with what Fresh Fruits and/or Nuts we'd put into them and be something everyone could eat.  Two of the Five of us can't and don't eat Chocolate.  It's not a favorite Flavor for those who do, except The Man, who is a Chocoholic but also a Diabetic so needn't OD on any Desert, even healthier ones.  *LOL*

A lot of popular Berry and Fruit Flavor Jell-O Pudding flavors have been discontinued over the Years and I still had in my cache coz their Shelf Life is quite long.  Flavors like Strawberry, Strawberry-Banana, Black Cherry, Orange-Banana, Tropical Fruit, Blackberry, Black Raspberry, Lemon-Lime, Pineapple-Grapefruit, Apple and Mixed Fruit.  There are Eight of those now discontinued Flavors we really liked, I guess the ones kept were their best Sellers overall I suspect?   And with the Gelatins there are even more discontinued flavors and some unusual flavors they just did promos on and I guess weren't as well received or only Seasonal limited productions?   I fell deeply down a Rabbit Hole of Pinterest Jell-O Pudding Desert Pixs that are Sublime and I cribbed for Inspiration.  The Daughter Loves to make her Food look Pretty and Editorial, since, we almost always Photograph it too now for Social Media Food Porn Fodder.  *Winks* 

 

Pretty sure most of the Pinterest Deserts and other Food Porn are done by Professionals who are Culinary Jedi and Professional Photographers and Professional Bloggers and Influencers.   But, it's a Fun deep dive into the Visuals of Food Porn at it's best and most Editorial.  So, we know ours isn't gonna compare, but, we can do our best with the Inspiration given by the Pros.   A lot of the Recipes aren't particularly complex and even Amateurs and the Cuisine Challenged, like myself, can probably do the majority of them.   I often have the ingredients, so getting the inspiration and motivation is Key to actually giving it a go and see what happens.  We often pleasantly surprise ourselves and ours turns out alright, even sometimes really good and give us confidence with particular Recipes that worked out really well.

Besides, is there anything as well received, as the Eye Candy of good Food Porn?  I think not!!!  Even if you're not a Dessert Person, which, mostly I'm not at all, so I rarely eat Dessert, they sure are Pretty and Editorial, aren't they?   I can hang out at a good Patisserie just to take Pixs of their Creations, I usually don't have the urge to buy or eat any or Fiend for any of it.   Tho' if it's Pretty enuf it is tempting to want to try a bite and see if it tastes as good as they made it look?   I have included a few of my favorite cribbed Pinterest Jell-O Dessert Images for you to salivate over, as I did.  *Winks*   The Two Blackberry flavor Pixs and recipes look quite similar and seem to include Pistachios.   Since I did buy a Pistachio flavor Pudding and Blackberries are in Season, I might do a reverse Recipe with Pistachio Pudding with Fresh Blackberries in it and Decorated with them and some Pistachio Nuts.

I'm going to trawl one of the Asian Grocers to see if they have some more Exotic flavors of Puddings, which I'm certain they do.  I'm on rather a Pudding Binge right now of Cravings.  *LOL*  It all began with that Ahhhmazing Asian Buffet Jell-O flavor I'd never had that was like a Melon reminiscent to a slightly floral version of Cantaloupe.    I looked Online and saw Asian Puddings often come in Mango Pomelo Sago, Coconut-Lychee, Fig-Walnut-Saffron, & Green Tea.  LATER: The Kids got the Irrigation done, it went okay considering we still need repairs to the East side of the System, replacing Valves and PVC piping that distributes Water via the Pump on that side and the Front Yard between the Two Driveways.   All that side was able to get water, the Kids devised a way it would work without too much leaking/flooding into the dirt Driveway leading up to the RV Garage part of the Property by using some Fire Hosing.

 

I did make a run to the Asian Grocer but couldn't find a Melon Gelatin or Pudding flavor like they'd had at that Asian Buffet.  I could only find Pandan flavor, Coconut Flavor, Lychee, Agar, Grass Jelly, Sago, and Ube.  So, I just got Pandan and Coconut for now, since I'm most familiar with those flavor profiles in a Dessert.   I don't even know why I'm Fixated on Jell-O and Pudding Desserts right now, I just am.  *LOL*  So, now I have some to make, I'm not as obsessed at finding some.  I was disappointed in the lack of options everywhere actually, they've drastically reduced the number of flavors available, who knew?   See, that tells you how off the Radar Pudding or Jell-O actually was for me before this moment!  *Bwahahahaha*  I'll blame it on The Daughter and that Asian Buffet, they both started it with their Divine Desserts I then became Obsessed with and want more of!!!  *Winks*

 

Do you ever get Fixated on something after having had it?  Or, is that just me?  *LOL*   I deliberately had avoided watching The News most of No Kings Day lest some of the Stations cover the Vanity Parade or him... but I did tune in to some No Kings Protests they covered and it seemed as tho' they were all well attended and for the most part Peaceful and went without incident, which made me very Happy.  The Son had Friends that went to the ones in Phoenix, there were a Dozen going on in the Metro Area.  He and some of his Friends who have never even been Political before now and most don't even bother to Vote, are starting to Wake up to the Dangers of this currently installed Leadership.  Most Young folks felt whatever side of the Aisle in the Past held the Presidency before didn't really matter THAT much... well... NOW it clearly does, even if it didn't before.   I think 1.0 didn't Scare them like 2.0 is and impact them as directly.

I also saw that a MAGA Extremist Assassin successfully Assassinated a well Loved Governor and Top Democrat in the Minnesota House and her Husband!!!   And then unsuccessfully tried to Assassinate a Male Democratic Senator and his Wife, they Survived the attack!!!  He's still on the loose but they know who he is.  These Politically motivated Violent Domestic Terrorist Acts really need to be dealt with more harshly and not sanctioned by or ginned up by a President willing to issue Pardons for the Perpetrators after Convictions and appropriate Sentences for the Crimes they've committed.  Just becoz they're his Base doing the Crimes.  This is now the way they're going to open up Seats in the Senate and Congress, by Assassinating the Opposition, it really is now like 3rd World Countries Politics then!!!

So, it's Father's Day and the Adult Kids wanted to take their Dad to the Asian Buffet, I Paid for The Daughter and I, The Son Paid for he and his Dad.  Princess T is with Rusty, with the G-Kid Force being Raised by us, the Grandparents, we always downplayed Mothers Day and Fathers Day for their sake and they rarely wanted to Celebrate it, which was Fine.  This Mother's Day Princess T did give a Gift to her Mom tho', but, she has nothing to do with her Dad.   She Adores her Grandpa, but, he's Grandpa, not Dad.   Anyway, the Buffet was packed solid but the Meal was exceptional, as it always is.  The Daughter Photographed her Food. {Below}  The Son is like, "YOU started this Mom..."  *Bwahahaha*  We're all like Beached Whales now... "Harpoon!".  *Winks*

For a Skinny little thing she can pack away a lot, as if she has hollow Legs!  *LOL*   Everyone is taking a Nap now, coz it was 114 when we came out of the Restaurant this Afternoon, whew, Toasty!  We ran into some long time Friends there at the Buffet, also taking their Dad out for a Father's Day Meal.  It was Q's Family and I hadn't seen his Younger Brother Adrian since he was about 14, now he's a Young very Handsome Adult with a Stud Muffin Bodybuilder Physique, in his late 20's to early 30's now, I wouldn't have even recognized him, tho' we see his older Brother all the time.   The Man and Q's Dad were enjoying the choice of Venue and it was a long line to even get in, which was expected.  Even when it's not a Special Day or Holiday it's packed.

 

The Man doesn't like having his Photo taken, but we managed to get just a couple, one with the Kids with my Cellphone and one without, which I haven't downloaded from my Old School Camera yet.   So, The Daughter just took a Selfie with herself and her Brother while we waited to be Called for an Open Table.    They were under the Shade of an enormous Old Tree.   Nobody dressed up coz it was so Hot, us Gals, we didn't even put on Makeup, just went "As Is", but we saw a lot of folks were really Dressed Up in their Finery, a lot of the Little Girls were in Party Dresses to go have a Meal with their Daddies and Grandpas, it was so Sweet.  

 

 One Older Asian Man who struck up a conversation with us, looked around and joked if they had an ICE Raid right about now, they'd probably need Buses to load up all the Immigrants and Ethnic looking people present, both Staff and Customers.   The Son told him that's why he and all his Friends at Work are now carrying ALL their pertinent Paperwork, tho' they don't know if that will even matter if ICE Raids their places of Employment?!   It is now THE Topic of Conversation around here, that I can tell you, nobody is Supporting it and the No Kings Protests were Supported far more than anyone Supporting the gross and ridiculously expensive Ego Parade.   Enough was spent on the Military Parade it Wasted Taxpayer Money that could have fed Homeless Veterans for about a Year and really actually Honored our Military and our Veterans Service!!!

The Daughter dredged up another Blast From The Past Pix of herself when she was a Teenager with another Lifelong Friend, Becky, who still comes over for Visits.   Now all their Kids are Grown or just about Grown, Time sure flies by so quickly.  Savor all the precious Moments my Friends.  And remain part of The Resistance... the Below Protest Sign says it best in a Humorous way...

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Resisting Oppression and Injustice since the 1960's... Dawn... The Bohemian