Ch-ch-changes... Time May Change Me But I Can't Trace Time

 

Today in Real Time was my Event, first I had Breakfast at "Snooze" and dammit, another Fav Restaurant has taken my Fav thing to order off their Menu!!!   Arghhhh!   So, now my Fav Bennie is no longer available, of all their selection of Eggs Benedict they kept every one but my Favorite!   Same thing happened at "The Tipsy Egg" when they took my Two Fav French Toasts off their Menu.  And at "LoLo's Chicken & Waffles" when they took my Fav Spicy Corn Fritters off the Menu.  And at "Wildflower Bread Co." when they took my Fav Sammie of Roasted Sweet Potato off their Menu!!!   And at "Appleby's" when they took my Fav Fried Green Beans off their Appetizer Menu!!!   And at "The Angry Crab" when they took my Fav Spicy Alligator Nuggets off their Menu!  WTF?! 

So, now NO more of the Above Option... dammit!   And when I had this last time I didn't know it would be the last time.  *Sob*  Anyway, I had to adjust what I ordered and it was good, but... still... I'm disappointed yet another Restaurant changed their Menu for the Summer and dumped what I always order.   Then I got to "Sweet Salvage" and only stayed 30 Minutes and 15 of that was visiting with my Designer Friends there.  Honestly, most of the new Vendors who've replaced those that left who were a lot of long time Friends of mine, Sell a lot of mass produced Merch that just doesn't interest me.  I didn't even take a lot of Photos and probably spent more time in the Parking Lot waiting for the Doors to Open than I did in there looking around.  In 15 Minutes I knew I had seen all there was to see and didn't Buy anything, so bounced early.

Above was my adjusted Menu choice at "Snooze", but it just wasn't the same as my Fav Bennie!  *Le Sigh*  I went over to my Friend Nan's Antique Mall "Everything Goes", but even there, some of my Fav Vendors like "Rusty Saturday" have Downsized their Rental Space so much now they only have a Wall and Inventory was very limited.  I did find a Vendor that had a Betsey Johnson Dia de los Muertos Line Necklace at a great price so I bought that.  I bought a Coffee Table Urban Farmhouse Decor Book for $12 that retailed for $40, and a Set of Antique Doorknobs at a low price, tho', I don't really need any more of those, I'm addicted to buying them when they're cheap... can one really have too much Antique Hardware after all?  I think not.   And the "Goodwill" had a bunch of really good Halloween out already, which I like to look at even if I'm not buying any more Seasonal Decor.

I did pick up a couple of large inexpensive secondhand Faux Pumpkins they had, since last Year we had to throw some of ours away, I'd had them since Faux Pumpkins first started being made, so, they'd seen better days.   And the "Goodwill" location I got the Two large nice looking Faux Pumpkins at had them for only only $2.49 each.  For Lunch, over near where The Son works I found a new small Indie Thai Restaurant that is Decorated lovely inside, has great ambiance, and really good Food.   It was a brand New Restaurant called "Cha-Yen Pho & Boba" and was having their Grand Opening, I was quite impressed and will definitely go back and try more on their Menu.  My Tom Kha Coconut Soup was fantastic and they put loads of Vegetables in it.   I had enuf leftovers for a whole other Meal later on.  I was Eyeballing what other Diners were being Served, it all looked fantastic.  I left a 5-Star Review with Pix.

I like Supporting good Small Indie Businesses and giving them Free Advertising on Social Media and Word of Mouth.   This is a tiny little Gem tucked away near some Craft Store Chains, or I wouldn't have even noticed it or found it!   Luckily they had this Banner up advertising their Opening and it caught my Eye when it said Thai Food available now!  *LOL*   This is from their Google Page, not my Pix, and I Cribbed another Pix of some of their Takeout someone had Shared of some Fried Rice, which looks Yummy too.  I'm cutting Carbs due to the Low Carb Diet the Doc has me on, so my Soup was Carb Friendly, I'm Behaving.   So, I try to keep my Carb intake under 50 Daily, sometimes way under 50.   She doesn't want me eliminating Carbs completely tho', so I'm just being Mindful with my intake of them.   The Ozempic really does Kill my Appetite, so I do have to be Mindful to even Eat now.

I did stop at "Whole Foods" and they still were outta a Whole lotta Foods, lotsa bare Shelves!!!  They had done away with their lovely Bakery Section that I always Photograph!!!   I don't know if they're Remodeling that area or have done away with it completely?  It will be a loss not to have their exceptional Patisserie anymore.   Not that I eat a lot of Desserts, but theirs were some of the loveliest and most Editorial Desserts I've ever seen!!!   I did get a trio of their French Macarons, a Coffee {my Fav}, a Salted Caramel {good}, and a Passion Fruit Raspberry {meh, too Sweet IMO}.   Theirs are decent enuf but not as good as a Macaron you can get at most Vietnamese Restaurants, and in better flavor profiles like Pandan and Taro.  I think becoz they Freeze them, they just don't taste as freshly made.

They were my Guilty Indulgence for the whole Day.   So, I didn't totally Behave... ha ha ha.   But, I patted Self on the Back for not eating Rice, so, that's something, coz their Fried Rice at that Thai Restaurant looked really good!!!  {See Cribbed Pix of it Below}  And I do Love me some Rice, it's my Fav Carb, then comes Mashed Potatoes... then Breads... then Pastas.  Ah Hell, I do like Carbs, what can I say?   So, Diabetes is The Devil!!!  *LOL*  With the Appetite suppression of this new Injectable I can't eat much anyway and don't really want to, so, no actual Cravings have happened.  And I'm trying to also drink that Gallon of Water daily too, which is also Helpful to feel hydrated, which being dehydrated is often mistaken for Hunger.  If I drink enuf fluids then I don't feel very hungry and I prefer hydrating and am quite good at doing it.  The Man is terrible about sufficiently hydrating and it's caused him Kidney issues before.

So, he gets upset with me that I monitor the amount of fluid intake he's doing and nag at him that it's not been enuf.  *LOL*   I swear, and this isn't hyperbole, I can drink 67.6 ounces of my required 4 Bottled Waters, before he even finishes drinking his initial 16.9 oz. Bottle of Lipton flavored Tea, coz he won't drink Water either!!!  *Le Sigh*  And he sweats more than I do, he looks like a Salt Lick by the end of us doing Environmental Cleanup, he's gotten so Salty!  {In more ways than one too, LOL and Winks}  He finds it Odd that I just don't perspire much, but my Dad's side of the Family just never have.   Whether there are Ethnic inherited variations in why that is, I couldn't say... I just know we don't Sweat much.   Science has claimed there are actually Ethnic Variations in Sweating.  Studies suggested that people from different Ethnic backgrounds exhibited differences in Sweat Gland activity, Sweat Gland density, and the amount of Sweat produced... particularly in response to Heat and Exercise.   But, Diet and Fitness play a role too.  Fascinating Trivia, you didn't really need to know, huh?  *LOL*  

And, I eat a lot of Spicy Foods and The Man doesn't and can't, he has a delicate Stomach coz he's eaten bland Foods most of his life.  And I think Spicy Foods does Cool you off when it's Hot Outside.  My Tom Kha was Medium Spiced tho' coz Thai Medium is about all even I can handle, and I'm Spicy!  *Bwahahahaha*  I accidentally ingested one of the Red Thai Chili Peppers in it that you take out and don't eat.   There are ingredients in it for Flavor that you're not supposed to eat like the Galangal, Lemongrass, Makrut Lime Leaves and Thai Chilies... the latter will make your Butt Pucker later if you do.  *Winks*   This Chef also put Thai Sweet Potato in the Soup that I thought were Carrot.  I like Thai Sweet Potato but had only previously ever had it Fried at Thai Restaurants, it's quite nice in the Tom Kha Coconut Soup.  I like Tom Kha even eaten Cold like a Gazpacho.  The Heat from the Chilis makes it seem Hot even when eaten Cold.  *LOL*  Enuf of the Food Porn now.  *Winks*

Whilst Goodwill Hunting I did Score a Tote Bag Style Purse that is Wonderful {Below} and was only $6.   I just Love it and they had it with the Halloween Merch.   The Daughter tried to snaffu it off me, since we have a similar Aesthetic, but I'm like, not this one, it's MINE.  *Winks*  Her Dad was laughing coz sometimes something barely gets thru the Door with me and she's trying to ask me if she can have it?  *LOL*  Most of the time if a Kiddo or Grandkiddo wants something I have I just give it to them now, while I'm still vertical, but, some things I do want for myself while I'm still vertical and don't mind loaning it, since Sharing is Caring and all... but don't yet wanna give it, you know?  *Smiles*  Especially if I JUST freakin' Bought it for myself!!!  *Ha ha ha*  I am flattered that all the Kids Love my Style enuf they want what I have and will actually use and wear it.   Does that mean I'm still Fly and have Swagger into my Geriatric Years, I dunno?  *Winks*

 

Princess T will respond, "Well, you don't look Busted like so many Grammas do... and you don't actually look like you're so Old.", so, I Guess that's a Compliment????????  *Bwahahaha*  Kind of a backhanded one, but, I'll take it.  *Winks*   Anyway, Scoring this Bag and a couple Faux Pumpkins made me Happier than a Clam at High Tide... so the Retail Therapy for Non-Essentials was limited, and Cheap, but Satisfying and Gratifying all the same.   And, mostly I got Essentials so I'd Behaved myself while out and about with my brand new re-issued Debit Card in Hand.  *Bwahahaha*   And I Priced some Inventory so that Fresh Merch could be brought in to our Showroom when I go in to Work my Shift Tonight.  I'm not thinking of calling in again, I don't want to be unreliable, but, we have had a lot going on that legitimately created a conflict to be able to cover that Shift sometimes, or declined an added Shift offered.

I'm not opposed to Working still, on my own Terms, now I'm allegedly Retired, of coarse.  *LOL*   I just have a lot on my Dance Card even if I'm NOT pulling Shifts outside of the Home, so I only have a finite amount of Stamina and Energy to expend these days and that's the biggest Hurdle to jump over, or just step over, since, well, you know... my Hurdle Jumping Days are behind me now.  Now I'd much rather just knock the fucking Hurdle over and Walk over it in Elderly Defiance. *Winks*  I think I've become MORE Militant as an Elder actually, you just have less Fucks to give and it shows.  *Smiles*   I saw a hilarious Door Cam capture a perfect Example of Elder Militancy and No Fucks to give.   A very Elderly Veteran was walking up to his Door at Home and a Young Armed Robber was there laying in wait to Victimize him.

Well, the Stickup Kid points the Gun at the Old Vet, just inches away, and must have demanded Money or something {no Sound to the Video}. And the Crusty Old Soldier doesn't miss a beat or hesitate a step, he just casually, yet clearly just very annoyed, swipes the Gun away with one swift motion and casually just goes inside his Home as if nothing had happened!!!   Completely unphased by what happened and not giving a Fuck... so the Stickup Kid is left standing there flabbergasted at what just occurred and just put the Gun to his Side and Walks Off looking utterly defeated!  *LOL*  Now, granted, that could have ended badly and was actually No Joke, many Elders are Victimized coz they do seem like easy Marks to Criminals.  But, I had to Laugh at that Video becoz of the Old Man's Attitude often Mirroring my Own... and The Mans... we have No Fucks to give... even during a Crisis... and it definitely does have it's Advantages, I ain't gonna Lie.  *Smiles*

Anyway, I'll go in to Work Tonight and hope everyone scheduled to work will show up?   And, that whoever is there actually intends to do the work?  That's always iffy, some show up but will do so much to avoid work, that one would think it would just be easier for them to do the work?   So much effort and creativity instead put into being a Slacker and of no use to anyone.  *LOL*  When I'm doing any Work, either as a Volunteer or getting Paid, I give 100% and often go above and beyond becoz my Reputation means something to me and I was Raised with a good Work Ethic.   If I'm not gonna be able to do a good Job, I'd rather not accept the Job.  But, that's just me, clearly, other folks have a whole other way of Being when they're on the Job.   Let us just say I'd never Hire them, even for Volunteer Work, coz, they're Worthless at whatever is trying to get done... or done Right.  And personally, they Work my last Raw Nerve if I have to try to Work alongside them.

We did Environmental Cleanup for some of the Morning, went to a Mountain Park that has a spectacular view and ate our Lunch Alfresco.  We'd gotten the "Cracker Barrel" Seasonal Special of Campfire Beef and Campfire Chicken {Both Pictured further Below}, really good and made a great Picnic Meal.  The Man liked the Beef best and I liked the Chicken best, but we got one of each to find out which we liked best.   I'd buy it again and especially to take for a Picnic Luncheon.  They don't usually serve it until after 11:00 a.m. but they had it ready at 9:30 a.m. and offered it to us so we gave it a go.   We'd gone there to get a Breakfast/Brunch Meal after several Hours of Environmental Cleanup earlier, which had worked up an appetite.  The Son had driven to Work, Mando got the Car to run, but it stranded him temporarily again after Work, so he Mercifully managed to limp it Home.  *Whew*

 

This Pix is The Man under a very Old fabulous Mesquite Tree at one of the Mountain Parks we do Environmental Cleanup at.   I'm guessing it's Age to be at the very least, a couple Hundred Years Old.   Mesquite live to be quite Old.  Of coarse in Arizona they do have the Granite Mountain Hotshots Juniper which is estimated to be 1,000-2,000 Years Old! {Pictured Below}   Some of the Oldest Saguaro Cactus and Mexican Cardon Cactus have lived to be 300 Years Old.   And some Eucalyptus can be 400-500 Years Old.   And of coarse the Giant Sequoia is known to be around 3,200 with an average Age around 2,700 Years, they're generally older than Coastal Redwoods which still reach around 2,000 Years Old.   That's why it was an abomination to cut any of them down IMO.   And Salt Cedar, or Tamarisk, can live a few Hundred Years, the one we had on our Historic Property was estimated to be 200-300 Years Old when the City illegally cut it down without our permission. 

I'm still feeling energized enuf to do my Shift Tonight.  I have some Collectible Toys to bring in, but that's about it.  No sense pushing myself to price higher end Merch since it's just not moving over the Summer Months.  Most of the big Buyers are the Snowbirds who live here Part Time in Fall or Winter, and Tourists who often come in for the Sporting Events mostly, but sometimes on Vacations.  Arizona is known for being a Vacation Destination and we have a lot of Part Time Residents too who own Properties here and Properties where ever they're originally from.  Most of these folks have Money, which is Why they can afford Vacation Homes, Vacations, or to live somewhere else to avoid Weather where ever they are originally from, so a lot more discretionary income to spend than the average Local.   They drop a lot of Money into the Local Economy, so when they're here, Business is usually better.

We found $6 in the Parking Lot of the "Dollar Tree" Store when we went to pick up some things we needed there.   The Man always scours Parking Lots for discarded Cans, so the Money he sometimes finds is a Bonus Score.  *LOL*   This time I spotted it laying there and said, Honey that's Money, and he was on it like a Bird Dog.  *Smiles*  We always have random people Thank us for doing the Volunteer Work even tho' we're only carting off the Aluminum Trash people discard everywhere.  If there's Trash receptacles nearby we'll put other Trash in it that people are too lazy to and just throw down instead of walking it over to a Garbage Can nearby.   And if there's partially full Water Bottles and we're near Trees, Wildflowers or Bushes, we dump it out on them before throwing it away in a Trash Can.   After all, it is a Desert and wasting Water is practically Sinful IMO coz the Plants and Trees need it.

The Man didn't used to do that until he saw I always did, and picked up on my Old Hippie ways of not Wasting Natural Resources ever.  *Smiles*  The Son reconnected with a Female Friend from over 15 Years ago and she's coming over with her Two Kids Today for a BBQ.  She's a Native American Girl he knew back when they were Teenagers and she'd just had her little Girl, who was a Baby back then but who now is Old enuf to be learning to drive!   She has a 9 Year Old Son now too and is Single and I think that she and The Son always had a Crush on each other as Teenagers.   He had some Old Pixs of them both as Teenagers and her Daughter as a Baby.   She'd sent him some new Pixs of them all and she looks the same, she's Aged Gracefully, like The Son has, they both look the same as they did way back then.   I think she lives on one of the Reservations nearby, so remained local, but they lost touch with one another when she was in a Serious Relationship, which, has since ended.

We'll make it a Pool Party too and The Son is buying the Food and doing the BBQ of it for everyone.   So, I did a flurry of hasty Housekeeping this Morning to make the Main House Common Areas presentable for first time Company.  *LOL*  The Daughter and I had been working on it but it needed some foofing for sure to eliminate some of the clutter still languishing.  Most of it was Inventory I've been working on Pricing and so I had that shit scattered around since I'd been working on getting as much of it into the Showroom and Locked Case as possible, to get it out of here.   I can't work on it in The She Shed or the RV Garage Mahal coz neither of them is Climate Controlled.  And The Daughter took over my Creation Station area in The Art Studio when she was spending a lot of time in there instead of the 5th Wheel.  So, I had been using that area to Price Merch so it is out of Sight of Visitors... now I can't without clearing her stuff off and that's too much extra work.  *LOL*

 

The Young Prince did get his Phone fixed so I don't have to trade it in and get him a new one when he finally ever gets back to Arizona.  He doesn't know now when that will be, things are better there for him than they were.  The Niece has been waffling on driving a U-Haul Truck from New Mexico to Arizona... and taking a Bus to New Mexico from Oklahoma, where she lives.  It was a Big Ask of her anyway, and we don't want her to feel pressured or obligated to do it, so gave her Time to think about her offer, which was a Kind one on her part, but, still, a big expense and responsibility to take on.   So, The Young Prince agreed that perhaps we'll have to think of something else as an alternative.  Mebbe Save Up to Rent one of those U-Haul PODS or U-Box that they load and Ship FOR you and then he could just take a Bus to Arizona with some Hand Luggage???   The U-Haul Box Containers are usually about $90 Monthly.   Cross Country Moves of them are around $1,447-$2,797 which is reasonable but expensive for us right now and not doable.

Any Move is a major expense and I don't know where we'd put all his possessions once he arrives coz he said he bought furniture and shit, plus he has more of his Art, so, he could be coming with more Cargo than I can find Placement for???  We've already got Three Generations of stuff here with the Cargo of The Son, The Daughter, and Princess T.  When Allen and The Young Prince lived here before they displaced a lot of my Cargo onto the Back Patio, which, has since been cleared out and off.  I don't wanna have it looking like a Storage Patio again either.  The RV Garage Mahal is more Organized and Decorated now, but still needs to hold a lot of what will eventually be Sold Off.   And we never want to Rent Offsite Storage indefinitely, so if he had a U-Box I'd only want to Rent it to move his possessions here to Arizona and unload it right away to defer that Monthly Cost.   Anyway, we'll cross that Bridge when we come to it I guess.  Finding Placement for additional Family and their Cargo has been an ongoing thing.  *Le Sigh and LOL*

And it's not as if The Young Prince is "New", he knows the logistics of what we Deal with here and housing multiple Family Members.  It would have been easier at The Villa McManse, to be sure.  *Bwahahaha*   But, The Man and I were under the Delusion we were down to our last Grandkid living at Home and then it would just be the Two of us putzing around our Forever Retirement Home in a Big Downsize... yeah, clearly that didn't happen.  *LMAOROTF*   And the way the Economy is going, it's not likely they're ever leaving???  *Smiles*  We were looking at the enormous amount of huge Apartment Complexes being built literally everywhere around us yet none are affordable enuf for Locals.   Same with Housing being built, most Buyers now are migrating from other States that are even more expensive a Cost of Living than Arizona.  Which, in turn is ruining the Cost of Living for Arizonans.   I did a look back at when we first saw this Property and wanted it:

Some Blast From The Past Pixs of Forever Boheme' at Night, when we first Bought it, the Seller's Realtor had done a lot of good Photography of it for her Listing, even using Drone Shots.  For being now in the Inner City, these Mini Farm Properties are considered large, with Homes built on 1-3 Acres in our Community of them.  Most Residential Properties in Arizona are very small and tightly packed in high density Subdivision Hells.  For some States that seems small, but here it's a Rare Luxury to have sizeable Residential Land.  Sometimes it seems like we've always been here and other times it seems like it hasn't been that long ago.  I know I never want to have to Move again, my Nomad Days are over now and it's such an expense and a hassle to pick up and move.  It's exciting in some ways and scary in others, especially as you are getting Older and your capacity for Change diminishes greatly.  I like for some things to seem the Same and Familiar, to put down Roots and have a deeper Connection to my Community.  If you move constantly that becomes difficult to have that sense of Belonging somewhere specific and that you come to know well.

My Friend I just found out has the Stage 4 Cancer is Hospitalized again, it's not looking good for her and I think her Time is close.   She was admitted Yesterday and I think perhaps this time they won't be sending her back Home?   Tuesday was the last contact I had with her and she simply Wrote "I'm Dying", so, I think she knows her Time is near.  Her Children and Grandchildren who haven't made it a priority to see her one last time before she passes, may have regrets about that decision?   I know I made a Pilgrimage to Cali to see my Mom one last time even tho' it was very hard Emotionally to, I did it more for her than for ourselves.  Not everyone could come, but she seemed pleased to spend some final time with as many Loved Ones as she could.  My Dad too, tho' he stayed Local and only my Brother had to come from out of State back then.  To me it's more important to see them before they Cross Over than to come for their Funeral.

Of coarse each individual knows what they can Emotionally handle, or not, and the dynamic within Families varies greatly too.  Sometimes it was so complex in Life that they just can't alter it when Death is near, in order to make a Peace with one another before it's too late to.  And, mebbe they don't want to either, for their own reasons, and I won't Judge.   What happens between any Two People is deeply Personal to those Two People.   But I've seen folks show up for someone's Funeral that they never bothered to show up for in Real Life and so I'm puzzled by that.   I'm not a person who usually attends Funerals tho', perhaps some people do need a Funeral for their Closure or to pay last Respects, even if the Relationship wasn't an easy one in Life?   Neither of my Parents had a Funeral, they didn't want one either, they both had a very Private Cremation and told us to let everyone else know when it was already over and done with.  We Respected those Wishes.  Both of them felt strongly that Funerals were for The Living, not The Dead.

I wouldn't Care one way or another, but The Man and I Prepaid for our Funerals a long time ago, so no Kiddos would be burdened with the Final Expenses.   They don't have to show up after we're Dead, just notify the Funeral Home to carry out the Prepaid arrangements we made.   But, if we were on our Deathbeds, I know I'd prefer them to show up THEN, not wait for our Funerals to show up.   It would be more Meaningful to us to have you there then, so we don't Die Alone and not surrounded by those we Love most, not once we're already Dead.  I've been Fixated a bit on this Topic since, so many people we know have recently gone to the Other Side or will be quite soon, since, they have very grim prognosis and probably short time left.  I've thought, would I want to know?  I decided, I'd rather not.

*******

That's all for Today folks... Dawn... The Bohemian