A Maximalist's World ~ My Crazy Cargo & Vida Loca

Princess T took me out for Sizzling Beef, she Ate my Rice, since, I'm behaving, tho', my Numbers don't even show any improvements at all on a Low Carb Diet.  *Le Sigh*  I'm surprised at the progress I made in a day of decluttering some areas of the Main House tho'.  I stuck with it but paced myself and got a lot done.  {Pats Self on the Back}  If I devote a few more days like this to it, then I should have it cleared out and a lot less messy.  I do have a lot of Merch to Price and get into Inventory, but at least now I sorted what will get done right away and what won't and can be put in The She Shed until I'm ready to rotate it into the Showroom.   The Daughter did Organize a lot of Pricing Supplies for me to make the task more efficient.

All Body Parts now Crossed that The Son's Car is reliable enuf, after he and Mando spent all day fixing it on Sunday, to get him to and from Work, so I don't have to?   The 3:00 a.m. Wakeup Calls and long commute were taking a toll on me and my Truck, as well as the Gas Budget.  Retrieving him from a halfway point after Work in the middle of the Afternoon was also imposing on my Freedom and Schedule considerably as well.  The Heat of the Day is Midafternoon so it would be over 110 most Days while trying to connect where a Co-Worker would drop him off.

The Daughter got given a large inflatable Raft, the kind you can pull behind a Boat, to use in our Pool.   She also got an inflatable Two Man Canoe, but will Sell that, not practical to use in a Pool.   It was all part of the 'Payment' she gets from some older folks she cleans up the Properties of with Mando, tho' sometimes they do get Cash Payment too.  She doesn't mind Trading Work for good stuff tho', especially if the people don't have a lot of Cash for payment, but offer nice things as a form of payment for her helping them do what they can't do anymore for themselves due to their advanced Age. 

She's done plenty of Volunteer Work for Elders anyway, so it's never about the Money for her, she enjoys helping them out.   Right now they've been working on a Mini Farm of an Elderly Widow and her Handyman, after her Husband passed away.  The Handyman is Elderly too and it overwhelmed him to try to do all she needed done by himself.  She gave him authority to bring present Help and he knew Mando, so asked if he would assist.  And The Daughter came along to Help too and has continued to Help with the work now she knows the people well enuf to have good rapport also.   Above is a Dish I cannot have anymore, bummer... the Wontons are Carbs.  I still like to look at the Food Porn of it tho'.  *LOL*

I haven't met the Widow, but I've met her Handyman, Roy, whose an Old Hippie and looks every bit the part.  He's lived in a 5th Wheel on their Mini Ranch for Years and was good Friends with the Husband.  He helped with their Livestock and Handyman Repairs mostly during that time.  Then the Husband Died and he was a Hoarder and left the Widow with quite a bit to have to deal with and dispose of now.   She wants it all gone and gave Roy the Authority on how to best dispose of it so she can either Rent Out or Sell the Property and move Forward with her Retirement Years with a Property she can manage by herself.

She's in failing Health and so can't do a lot, she always left it up to her Husband and Roy to take Care of it all and now she's just overwhelmed.  Roy too is rather overwhelmed but didn't want to leave and abandon her in the time of need since they'd been so good to him all these Years.  When his Friend was still Alive he attempted to get him to rid himself of a lot of it, but, that Intervention clearly wasn't all that productive, it was quite the Hoard when I saw it.   Not necessarily all Junk, but just a lot of Volume and not all of it has any Value or Purpose.

The Daughter and Mando did manage to empty out the Barn and Workshop with how many times they've been over there now working on it.  They helped Roy Host that Yard Sale, which I went to and got some Good Stuff, some of which Roy and The Widow insisted on just giving me since my Daughter had Helped them so much.  Most of it was Fishing Lures for The Man, which he Collects and The Widow's Husband had enuf of you'd of thought he had owned a Tackle Shop!  *LOL*   And they gave me the Javelina Head Taxidermy Mount.  Even what I Paid for they gave me a 1st Cousin Deal on.

Being a Hoarder of Beautiful Things of Value and Architectural Salvage myself, I understand how difficult it is for those of us who accumulated it over a Lifetime, to let Collections go.   I'm much better at it now than when I began Downsizing in earnest, but, a Lifetime of Collecting doesn't get resolved quickly once you're Editing and Purging it in your Golden Years.   What took a Lifetime to obtain, almost takes another Lifetime to properly dispose of, especially if it's Objects that have actual Value and were a legitimate and Wise Investment.  But, Too Much is... Too Much.  And these kinds of Compulsive Disorders are like an Illness.

I've run out of Space, even here, so must really keep Selling Off, Donating and Giving Away more.   The RV Garage Mahal is Warehouse Sized, but the Main House is half the size of what we Sold when we moved here.   And that makes a difference in Livable Space and what you want in it that is Just Enough and not Too Much.   So, most of The Purge is done out of The She Shed, which is just Storage, and The Garage Mahal, which is the really Good Stuff I don't have Placement or Room for in a Main House anymore, but used to when we had an almost 5,000 sf Home.  Yeah, I know, that's ridiculous and Too Much House.   And we had several Empty Rooms THERE!  *LOL*

And the Historic Home we owned before the Villa McManse was a Main House as big as this Mini Farm Main House, but had Three Cottages in the Back Acreage and Six Outbuildings.   So, this is the Downsized Property compared to those, that we've owned in perhaps Two Decades.  I used to Live Small, Believe it or not, prior to Owning the Historic Homestead, and, I used to be a Minimalist when I Lived Small.   But, when Living Larger and no longer being a Global Nomad either, I became a Maximalist and ended up with a lot of Cargo.  *Winks and Le Sigh*  And it's all my Fault coz The Man is still a Minimalist living in a Maximalist's World now.  With all my Crazy Cargo!  *Poor Thing*

The Man is perhaps the least Materialistic Person I know, except perhaps my Dad, who was a true Non-Materialistic Minimalist and had no attachments to any Objects whatsoever.   Clearly I didn't Inherit that Trait.  *Bwahahaha*  My problem is I do form attachments to my stuff.  The Son wanted to wash his newly repaired Car Today and came and asked me which Two Towels he could use that weren't "my favorites" or my "Good Towels"?  We came to realize they almost all were my favorites and considered Good Towels!!!!!!  So I really Wrestled with finding Two of them he could ruin.   *LMAO*  Becoz you see, I don't Buy shitty stuff.  And I only Buy Good Quality Towels, most with great Graphics or Design too. 

 We finally found Two I wouldn't Melt Down about Letting Go of, or getting ruined and made into Car Towels... but it gave me some Anxiety!  The Son could see my Anxiety escalating as I Waffled on a Brown Towel, which, I wasn't that fond of the Turd Color of.  *LOL*  But was a very Thick Egyptian Cotton Expensive Towel nonetheless, that I probably bought coz The Man liked how Plain and a more Manly Color it was and picked it out?  *LOL*   There were Two of my Hippie Graphics Towels The Son suggested, becoz he thinks they're Ugly, but, I'm quite Fond of so I almost had another Stroke when he was gonna take those!  *LOL and Gasp*

In the end I found Two large Towels I don't even remember Buying, so mebbe they aren't even mine?  Mebbe they belonged to The Grandsons and they just forgot to take them with them when they Moved Out?  Lord knows they left with enuf of my stuff, including Towels, so I didn't Feel too Bad about saying Yes to that Selection.  *Bwahahaha*  So, I Blessed him using those.  *LOL*   I remember when a BFF Lived with us for Six Months at the Villa McManse while she was looking for a New Home to Buy and was in Transition.  She once used some of my Best Towels to Dye her Hair and I flipped the Hell out and lost my shit about it!  So, The Son didn't want me going Mental about destroying any of my Towels without permission to.  *Smiles*

The Young Prince, who always Dyed his Hair, we don't even recall what his Natural Color ever was, said he always picked one of my Tie Dyed Towels to Dye his Hair.  Coz in the Rainbow of Colors he has chosen over the Years, you could never then tell he'd fucked up my Towels with his Hair Dyes.  *Bwahahahaha*   Tho' once he and his Friend, when Teens, did turn a Bathtub of one of the Guest Bathrooms Green with their Hair Dye and it was a Bitch to get the stains out of a Modern Home's Fiberglass reinforced Polyester or Thermoformed Acrylic Composite Tubs.  I'm glad this Vintage Home has an Old Porcelain Enameled Tub, laid over Steel or Cast Iron, for that reason, they can't stain it with any Product they happen to use that discolors shit.  *Whew*

Yes, I can be very Anal about my Stuff, I worked too hard and long to afford all of it and so I don't want it being misused, manhandled or abused in any way.  I take Care of my shit and it would last me a Lifetime until and unless I decide to Let it Go.  Mostly becoz I always Buy the very Best I can afford and I constantly Trade Up to get even better Quality Stuff.   I guess if people are used to just having shitty Stuff they don't Care or develop Bad Habits, or have concerns about whether something gets ruined or not?  I'm always flabbergasted on Bulk Garbage Day the amount of Furnishings I see Curbside, absolutely trashed by the Owners that now is worthless and so soiled or broken, I wonder, OMG, how do they Live in there, like Feral Animals?!

I Live like the Addams Family had a Child with the Merry Pranksters, but, that's a whole other Story.  Yup, I'm also very Judgmental when I see how nasty some Humans choose to Live and how they treat things, or the Environment tho'.  You can be Weird as ya wanna be and I won't Judge, but be a nasty piggish inconsiderate Environmentally Unconscious Human, and I'll definitely Judge, I ain't gonna Lie.   There have been times I'm very Tempted, if I see them in the Act of such Behaviors, of asking, what is WRONG with you?  *LOL*   Whenever we're doing Environmental Cleanup, it is rather Interesting how many People, if we roll up and they see what we're doing, and there's Trash strewn all around them, get a bit panicky about trying to convince us it was NOT them.  

 And I'm thinking to myself, well, if it wasn't you, then why did you, or would you, pick this spot to set up in, amidst all this debris and nastiness that you allege already existed before you arrived?  Or not feel a need to tidy it up first even if you didn't make it?   Becoz I sure as shit, if I'm engaging in a Recreational Pursuit in the Splendor of all of Nature, don't intentionally pick the dirtiest littered spot to set up in, I don't know, mebbe that's just me?  *Winks*  So many Questions they probably don't have Believable Answers to.  So, me always thinks their actual Guilt is speaking for them?  *Snicker*   Like the Perps that get Caught Holding and try to convince the Cops, "Wasn't my Drugs...".  *Bwahahaha* 

The Son's Car made it to get him to Work, now all Body Parts Crossed it gets him Home too?   So, since The Granddaughter doesn't Work on Mondays I got to blissfully Sleep In and didn't roll out of bed almost all Morning.  I'm still in my Jammies at 1:00 p.m. coz I do not have to be anywhere at all, it's sublime.  *Ha ha ha*  I did more Housekeeping and I also Priced a whole bunch of Inventory that I may take in before my Shift on Friday Night, but, not Today.  No motivation to do anything at all Today.  I did watch a Sad Movie that was probably not a good idea for me to watch, too close to Home in Subject matter, so I got Emotional watching it, as did The Daughter.

It was called "Away From Her" {2006} starring Olympia Dukakis, Gordon Pinsent and Julie Christie.   About Two Couples, each having a Spouse with Alzheimers, one Couple's Wife after 44 Years of Marriage, the other Couple's Husband... both having to be put in Long Term Care.  Well, the Two with the Disease end up bonding and forgetting who their real Spouses were... and the Two Healthy Spouses end up bonding due to it, out of necessity and circumstance really.   The Film did focus on the impact of this Cognitive Decline {Alzheimers, Dementia, TBI} on long term Marriage.  

 As the long time Caregiver of a Spouse with TBI and early onset of Dementia, I could relate to some of the particular Caregiver Challenges and difficulty of potential Placement... and how it alters Relationships and Circumstances of Families considerably.   You want to be able to keep Loved Ones at Home for as long as possible.  And even when or if you can't, not everyone can afford Long Term Care Placement at all, so, it's not even a viable option for so many of us.   In this Movie, one Couple could afford the Wife's Placement, in the other Couple's Situation the Husband's Placement was only temporary due to ability to Pay.  In Arizona Medicare will only cover 21 Days at a time for "Rehabilitative" Placement, not Long Term Care.

If your Loved one can't Recover in 21 Days and your ability to Pay is a problem, tough Luck.   The System really doesn't Care and they'll push them out in any Condition, no matter how Extreme, and tell you, "Good Luck with that and we hope it all works out."   That's a direct Quote BTW, I'm not being hyperbolic.  And The Big Ugly Bill will soon be evicting Long Term Care Residents on Medicaid Coverage too, Trust and Believe.  No ability to pay the extremely high Cost of Long Term Care, you'll be shit out of Luck if you're the Family and if you're the Resident requiring extensive Professional level Care.

As you can see I'm on my Psychedelic Vintage Poster Art kick right now, it makes me Happy and Life and America seems even Trippier than these Posters or that Time in History ever were right now.   The Grateful Dead Graphics were some of my Favorite, even tho' the Band never actually was... except when they were Freestyle Guitar Playing, that was exceptional with Weir and Garcia being Brilliant at it.   But, their secondary Marketing and Branding was even more Brilliant IMO.  The Art and the T-Shirts were some of my Favorites and I still own enuf of it you'd of thunk I was a Dead Head.  *LOL*  Nope, I didn't Gypsy around following the Band and totally squandering my Youth and Middle Age without gainful Employment, I actually became a Hippie Corporate Executive... many of us did you know.   Go figure... we took a Walk on the Wild Side in a different way to infiltrate and Work The System to our Favor and benefit.  *Winks* 

I know my Parents had to be more than a bit shocked at my Career Choices, given how Unconventional a Kid and Teen I always was.   They'd of been less Surprised if I'd have run off and joined the Circus actually.   My Baby Brother, who was The Golden Child, is the one that went Hollywood and made a Career as a Professional Photographer in Hollyweird, who knew?  *LOL*  NetFlix did a good Special on Weir, from his early Childhood, Adopted at Birth to a Loving Family who Nurtured him being a Free Spirit, thru his Music Career to this Date, finally Marrying a long time Friend and starting his Family later in Life, and actually locating both of his Birth Parents eventually.  He became good Friends with his Bio Dad who didn't even know he'd Fathered him, and apparently his Bio Mom went on to have 12 more Children!!!   Weir has led a very Colorful and Full Life, with Music as the Center of it. 

I'm sometimes Tempted to Write about some very Colorful Stories and sometimes I actually Write it and then delete it all later.   So, a lot of stuff gets Written but never gets Published here on the ole' Blog.  It's always a question of how much transparency of Life you want to Share... or not... isn't it?   Even if it makes for a good Story Topic, sometimes I just don't know that I wanna Share some Stories here, or anywhere.  Mostly for the Privacy of anyone else whose involved and not Writing the Story, but is in it.   We're all part of someone's Story tho'.

I've Edited this Post numerous times already omitting some of what was Written, and keeping other parts.   Sometimes I Edit the Photos too.   Most of the time the Photos don't have to relate to the Written parts, just sometimes.  I don't tie the Photography into the Story Line of what I've Written all the time, it's not necessary to IMO.   Early in my Blog, back in the Beginning of Blogging, many Moons ago, I'd sometimes do the Single Picture Post.   Or, the Short Story Post.  I wasn't very good at those types of Posts tho', some Bloggers do it well, I don't, and, I didn't like that much restraint, I just didn't have it in me when I'm doing something enjoyable, to make it now not enjoyable coz I have to be so Editorial.   Being Editorial doesn't come Naturally to me so it's hard for me and I don't Like it.

And I know which types of Blogs I gravitate to myself, it's usually those that either have a Good Story in their content, or really Good Pictures... and an abundance of Story or Pictures.   If "The End" comes too soon, I'm rather disappointed that it prematurely ended.   And if the Post is one I came for the Eye Candy of, I don't mind there being a lot of good Photographs either for my Visual Pleasure.   If it has both the Good Story and Good Photography, then, I'll look forward to each Post the Blogger Shares here in The Land.

It's been hovering around 117 for the past few days so I've taken dips in the Pool to Cool off after I'm done Doing for the day.   I'm Surprised that most of the Family doesn't use the Pool as often as I thought they would.  The Man needs Help to get in and out, so it's understandable he limits taking a dip becoz it's an Ordeal for him to get in and out due to his Mobility Issues and he's not allowed to do things like Swimming alone either, for Safety Reasons, since he's a Vulnerable Adult requiring full time Caregiving.   But the Kiddos, they sit around the Pool a lot, but don't necessarily feel the need to Swim a lot.

This is the 1st Home I've Owned with a Pool.  It was high on the Priorities List when Buying what would Hopefully be our Forever Home and the Last Move.   I've lived in Apartments with Pools when I was a Renter, most Complexes always had One or more Pools in fact, I liked that about Rentals.   Also that you didn't have to pay for the Maintenance, the Landlords do.   I've lived in large Complexes that had numerous Pools and Spas in them, which was Nice and I used them a lot.  So, I knew that I wanted one when we were House Hunting this last time.

Not every Home we thought about Buying had one tho', there were Two we really wanted to Buy that didn't have one, but had room for one should be want to build our own.   All the rest we considered did have one.   There were a lot of potential candidates, had Sellers been able to perform, we probably would have bought one of the others.   As a Buyer we knew any we wanted we could get since we were Pre-Qualified and could Close in 2-3 Days once we decided to purchase.   I am still shocked at how many Sellers couldn't Perform and Close a Deal on the Sale of a Home they'd Listed.   That's ridiculous IMO.

Princess T had to come Home Sick from Work Yesterday, she was nauseous and throwing up.   Her Mom and Mando went and got her since I wasn't Home, I'd taken The Man out doing Environmental Cleanup at the Nature Preserve and had forgotten my Phone at Home on the Charger.  So, The Daughter got The Call and they were closer to go get her since they were here at the House anyway and hadn't left yet to go do what they had Plans for.    Princess T has Gut Issues and Anxiety and the New Boss is giving her a lot of both Issues, not a very good New Boss.   The Woman blames her Staff for her own shortcomings when Upper Management isn't happy with HER performance.  Clearly the Woman isn't Management Material and it's already showing.  Princess T misses Kyle already and knew she would, he was a Seasoned Supervisor and knew what he was doing.

 

This Woman is already running the best Workers off, nobody wants to Work for her, so, it's become a big problem quickly.  Princess T even wants to quit but there's too much about the Job she likes and needs right now.   So, she Hopes Upper Management just gets rid of this Supervisor or transfers her to a position she is up to the Job of?  Some folks just are Management Material, I've had Bosses like that, they might be good at another Job, just not good with People and that's important in Management.  You not only have to know what you're doing, but you have to know how to be good with People who Work for you and get the best performance out of everyone while making sure everyone wants to Work for you.  Unhappy Workers generally aren't Productive and don't stay.

So, presently at her Work there's that Mini-Drama going on in her Department since Kyle got Promoted and Transferred and this Woman became the most Hated Supervisor.  *Le Sigh*  Princess T is an Introvert and doesn't speak up for herself, so, she waits to say something and vent when I pick her up.  Stuff she should have said to the Supervisor, without being insubordinate, isn't getting said and she's internalizing it to the point it is making her Sick.   She asks my Opinion and if Solicited for Professional Advice I give it and she's Smart enuf to implement what she can use of the advice I've given her.  There is a way to get rid of this Woman without quitting your Job.   Princess T is very well liked by the Top Management and so am I, Favor ain't Fair, it's just Favor, use it to your Advantage.  *Winks*  She adds Value and this Woman does not, so she won't last long, the Company seems run pretty slickly and a well Oiled Machine IMO, shit will sort out. 

At the DA's Office we had a very Brilliant Supervisor who knew the Job well, but she wasn't good with her People and eventually it got her demoted.  Nobody would Work for her, including me.   It had to be remedied, or everyone was gonna keep quitting and the turnover would be high and expensive, production suffered, they couldn't keep Employees BECAUSE of her.   This is what will drive this Woman out, she not only isn't good with her People, she sucks at the Job too, so there's no upside to keeping her in Management in that Department.  They've already Lost a lot of good Seasoned Employees and I'm sure if they do Exit Interviews, they know exactly why?   Better sooner than later they replace her actually.  Some of the Young Upper Management there know what I used to do for a Living so ask my Advice quite often, and I shall tell them, on the Down Low, then it can be THEIR Idea and Decision to implement as they see fit.  *Winks* 

The One Carb Treat I will allow myself now sparingly is a Harissa Salted Fresh Tortilla Crisp.   It's my version of what they made at CAVA with their Harissa Pita Crisp, but I modified it using medium sized Tortillas.  You buy the uncooked Tortillas, using a Tortilla Pan or very shallow Pan of any kind coat it with Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

Cook on one side 'til Crisp and bubbling, turn it over, sprinkle on Harissa and Rock Salt/Peppercorns out of a Grinder on that Crisped Bubbly Side and Cook the other side now 'til also Crisp, serve Hot, it's delicious!   You can get Harissa Seasoning from a lot of Grocers and I Love the Flavor of it.

     And I must say those Chips at CAVA really Inspired me to try my own Spin on it at Home, and I like mine as much, if not more, than theirs using smaller Flour Tortillas rather than thicker Pita.   It's 23 grams of Carbs, so, pretty low for a Low Carb Diet and permissible as well as very satisfying.  Harissa has Anti-Inflammatory and Health Benefit Cell protection properties.

The Situation of the Catastrophic Flooding in Texas is getting more grim each day.  My Heart Aches for the Victims, so many, and so many still unaccounted for, including Children.  Catastrophic Events of Weather are becoming more commonplace every Year and getting worse, it's alarming and deeply disturbing.   Climate Change is Real and Globally we must begin to do all we can to mitigate it as much as possible.  I have no Words really, it's numbing when something like this happens to any Community.   Receiving Weather Alerts or funding them, seems to be problematic in some of these Smaller or more Rural Communities.  Some of the Systems in place weren't effective becoz Camps left their Cellphones to disconnect from Technology for a Nature Retreat, and that's where the Warnings mostly came, on Phones.   Plus, even Cellphone Alerts, coming at 1:00-4:00 in the Morning, might not Wake someone up.  When I was Younger living in some areas we had Air Raid Type Sirens that would go off during pending Emergencies, very Loud, definitely got your attention.

 

Some of these Areas have had Historic Flooding before, so is known for Flooding and Catastrophic Weather.  There's so much you need all of to keep folks Safe really.   For Flooding, seeking higher ground as soon as you can is the best Evacuation Plan to save lives.  We get a lot of Flash Floods in Arizona, and they do come quickly and fill up Dry Washes and Dry Riverbeds so fast that if you live near one, or Camp near one, you should have an Evacuation Plan you'd implement, especially during Monsoon Seasons.   I've never been to a Summer Camp so I don't know what Drills they do for the Campers in case of Emergencies?  Especially Camps right by Rivers known to Flood... one would think something would be in place, but, mebbe not?   Even most Schools now have Plans for Emergencies and do Drills so Staff and Children know what to do.  It seems the Community and First Responders are doing an exemplary job there and did Save almost 1,000 Lives that could have been Lost.

You know I had imbibed in my Harissa Tortilla Crisp, as a guilty indulgence confessed, and wouldn't ya know my Numbers were excellent afterwards and had been high on a day when I didn't eat Carbs, go figure!!!  I'm still not convinced that the Carbs are my Devil for the inconsistent Numbers of destabilized Diabetes?   In the past this has been the Mystery the Docs also cannot figure out.  My Diet seems to have no significant impact upon my Numbers, and mostly it seems more stabilized depending on which Medications used.  So, I'm very Hopeful this Ozempic will Help now, more than all the Dietary restrictions, but, I'll gladly do both to try my best with anything they come up with and suggest could be Helpful.  I don't always like the restrictions but I can roll with them if I have to.

 *******

Here's to a Happy Summer my Friends... Dawn... The Bohemian