Corona Couture And Concerts

 

My Earrings arrived that I bought from my Friend Lilia, of CORONA COUTURE, and I already forgot where the Hell I put them!  *Le Sigh and LOL*  Corona, not as in The Virus, that's actually her Surname!  *LOL* It's Thursday in Real Time and I'm being a Sloth, I don't intend to do anything and I slept in after I got the Grandchild to Work and went back to Bed.  The Daughter woke me with a nice Veggie Omelette she made for me.   She's a good Omelette maker and they always look so Editorial and perfect compared to mine when I make one, since it looks like an Egg Massacre took place when I attempt it.  *Smiles and Le Sigh*  We had such a big Storm roll in after we got back from the Movies last Night that it literally blew over my big potted Cactus on the front porch!  Luckily it blew over onto the Lantana Bush so that caught it and I could put it back up with ease and no damage to the large expensive Pot or the Cacti, which are also quite large, about 7 Foot Tall now and heavy.  *Whew!*  The Lantana weren't damaged at all, that's a strong and almost indestructible dense Plant once Mature.  *Whew again*

The Son was regaling me with what happened at the Outdoor Heavy Metal Concert "Summer Of Loud" that he and his Native American Friend Garrett went to the Day it was 119 Degrees.   One of the Bands was from Sydney, Australia and said they weren't used to this Arizona Heat!!!   OMG, that reminded The Son and I of that African Young Man that we recently rescued whose Car broke down and told us the same thing!   Just for reference, if Africans and Australians can't handle Arizona Heat, you KNOW how ridiculously HOT it is here!  *Bwahahaha*   Since the Friend is Indigenous and of an Arizona Tribe, his Family and Ancestors have always lived in Arizona, so he was just Fine out there.   And The Son works in a Non-Climate Controlled Warehouse every Day at his Job, so he was just Fine too.  But, they said people around them were passing out from Heat Exhaustion and needing Medical Attention!   It is not the right time of Year to have any Outside Venue like that, not Safe.

Both The Son and Garrett took great Care to look Fly for the Concert, in case they met any Women while there.  *LOL*  They both looked quite Handsome with Swag, but I'm completely biased of coarse.  Which is Why the Torment of asking them if they wanted to bring my Umbrellas was so hilariously Wickedly hysterical to me, can you only imagine?  *Bwahaha*  The Son and Garrett are like, we're not Passing as a Gay Couple and we'd probably get beat up in that Venue sitting there with  Mom Umbrellas.   And Two Native Guys, Security would definitely think we're not bringing them for Shade, but to use as Weapons like Crazy Indians, and confiscate your Umbrellas!  *LMAOROTF*   Garrett is Single, like The Son, and jokes that he wants to be that Guy that has a Relationship where people look at them as a couple and be like, "How is that Fine Ass Beautiful Woman with that chubby ch'izhii Guy?!"  Navajo for rough, dry, tough, worn and weathered. *LOL*   He trains insaiyan so he's pretty hard on himself, for middle Aged Men he and The Son look pretty good.   They both took the obligatory Selfies beforehand, in the Customary Room of the House *LOL*, as is the Custom of all Young People these days.  *Winks*

And of coarse everyone in my Orbit, has to know they risk becoming the Topic of some Blog Fodder.  But, since hardly anyone of their Generation even reads a Blog, it's a Non-Issue.  *Bwahahahaha*  And what do they Care what us Boomers Write about them anyway that our Blog Friends will Read?  *Winks and LOL*  The Son got good Pixs he wanted.  I see Pyrotechnics in this Pix, Fire AND Arizona Heat, OMG, what Fresh Hell!   As if they needed to Turn Up the Heat!  *LOL*   Heavy Metal Bands and Fans are Insane!   *LMAO*  The Concert was a good one however and the Bands performed well in spite of the Extreme Temperatures, which had to be hard on those Performing on Stage too.  The Son bought one of the T-Shirts, but said the ones with the best Graphics and that had all the Bands on it that he really wanted were only available in Small and Medium.   He usually buys an X-Large becoz he doesn't like tight fitting Clothes, tho' a Large would have fit, but they didn't have that Size either.   He found it Odd they had so many Small and Medium Sizes since the vast majority of Attendees are not slight built Concert Goers.  *LOL*  

So, I have to imagine they've just Sold Out of what they had as they've done their National Tour and by the time they got to Phoenix, that's all they had left?  Anyway, he had a good time and it was a nice Birthday Gift to him from his Friend.  And, when they got there they got Upgraded from a Lawn Area to the Seated Area closer to the front of the Stage, which was a Sweet Spot and unexpected, a lot more comfortable too.  He said with the Concert and me taking him to the Movies, which he hadn't been to a Movie in Years at the Theater, it was a Memorable Birthday Celebration.   I'm glad since it was rather a Midlife Crisis for him with turning 39.  I don't remember ever having a Midlife Crisis at any Age.  But, I strongly recall my Dad had one when he turned 50 and unfortunately we'd made a Big Deal of his 50th, so, Bad Timing.  *LOL*  And Mom said she had one in her 30's.  Our Oldest Daughter had one in her 30's too.

The Daughter, whose the Middle one I often mention in this Post, is like me, she's never had one and says, she's just Surprised she's still Alive!  *LOL*   True that, given her Life and Habits, just still being Alive is a pleasant Surprise, so she's not feeling any Negativity about any Years racked up at this point.  *Bwahahaha*   I actually enjoy the whole Privilege of Growing Old, it's one not afforded to many and I'm appreciative of that Fact.   I remember my Dad just saying 50 hit him hard becoz most of his Family had never attained that Age so he didn't really draw from any Ancestral Point of Reference, most had Died quite Young.  Not uncommon among Indigenous Populations, so, he never expected to Grow Old and when he did, it was New Territory.  Mom's Family are pretty Long Lived so she expected to have good Odds even tho' she'd had many Serious Health Crisis including being a Cancer Survivor.  But her 30's still were a tough Transition from Youth I guess.

Our Oldest Daughter is now in her 50's and thoroughly enjoying being a Gramma, so she's Over the hurdle of Midlife Crisis she had in her mere 30's.  She's got Kids in their 30's now.  *LOL*   She and The SIL are now Celebrating their 29th Wedding Anniversary on the 8th of this Month, Time sure Flies.   I don't mind Aging at all and feel I've done it with a measure of Grace, dignity and total acceptance.  I am still always flattered when many people mistake me for being The G-Kid Forces Mom and not their Grandma, or of being Surprised we have Great-Grandkids, some of which are Grade School Aged.   I mean, Princess T reminds me that Technically and Legally I AM now the Mom of she and her Older Brother, since I Adopted them.   *LOL*   So, sometimes now when asked if I'm Mom, I just say Yes, becoz, for Legal Purposes I now am.  I never intended to replace their Mom tho', they have one and don't need to call me that, it would be Weird to for them and for me, so, I'm still Grandma.

But, we do Joke about it coz now Legally their Mom is their Sister and their Uncle and Aunt are their Brother and Sister... but, Grandpa is still Grandpa coz he wasn't Legally allowed to Adopt them due to his Disabilities.   *Bwahahaha*  Yeah, it's pretty complex, like one of those long Jokes about complicated and Unusual Family Dynamics usually are.  We've been scouring the Interweb for inexpensive Nissan or Toyota Used Trucks or SUV's for The Son.  There's a couple of possibilities we're looking into, I really need to get him into his own Vehicle again soon.  He's off most of the week coz his Plant is Closed around the Holiday plus he took some PTO as well for his Birthday, so, we have some Grace Period to go Car Shopping if we find something doable for him.  There's an Older Canary Yellow Nissan SUV under Five Grand that is looking very doable and is in very good condition and low miles, CarMax says it's a very good Deal too.  It's way over in Mesa tho'.

I steamed some Squash and we gave a bunch of the Butternut Squash to our Neighbor Omar and his Family, who use a lot of it.  TJ & Rob's Family don't eat Butternut Squash, coz they mostly Fry their Squash, it is better Steamed and Seasoned than Fried IMO.   It's not like Frying Zucchini, which is a softer Veggie to Fry and easier to work with.   Butternut does have a tough Skin too and tho' I Steam it with Skin intact, so it doesn't fall apart, we peel the Skin off before eating, coz once Steamed it comes off easily.   Tho' it looks big and is heavy, the centers are hollow and with big Seeds so you're really not getting a lot of edible meat off it like with the softer Squashes too.  It reminds me more of preparing Pumpkin to Cook, and tho' tasty too, it's more work so some people don't eat either.  Everything I Steamed turned out really good, I had Four kinds of Squash, Broccoli and Carrots this time.

 

The Yellow SUV is out of the Question coz the small Dealership only wants Cash Sales and The Son doesn't have that much Saved up, ah well, we got a bit excited for nothing then.  That's the problem with the affordable priced Vehicles, nobody will Tote the Note, they want Cash only.  And those they will Finance are too Expensive and the Payments are too high for most Young People or Seniors on Fixed Incomes.  I don't like having Vehicle Payments and my Nissan was New so the Payments are high even tho' the Terms were great.  But, the Paid Off Vehicles and Homes I've owned are now a thing of the Past due to present Circumstances, and current Prices of Homes and Vehicles, so, it is what it is now, expensive as Hell and unaffordable to most Average Americans.  Which is why so many are Unhoused, can't afford Rents or Mortgages, and can't afford newer reliable Vehicles which now cost as much as a Home used to cost!!!  Plus Interest Rates are Up right now and not likely to come down.

  

Well, the Big Ugly Bill did Pass, they rammed it thru as I knew they just would and the Fallout from it will be felt, for sure, and lamented for probably Decades to come for what it will burden Average Americans with the impact and sufferings of.  Billionaires will rejoice, they'll become even more obscenely Wealthy at the expense of the Poor and most Vulnerable of our Society.  Nothing like throwing the Citizens barely making it already and deemed the "Undesirables" by this Regime, right under the Bus, and it really just loudly and callously says Hurry Up And Die already!   And as that one callous Bitch Politician Senator Joni Ernst said out loud, "Well, we're all going to Die...", in response to her Constituents Iowa Town Hall Complaints.  But, do we really need to hasten it along with premature and needless Deaths in a Decent Society?!   Denial of Care is not a Humane way to have to Die for anyone, not even an Animal, let alone a Human Being.

My Heirloom Pasture Raised Eggs and my Pasture Raised Milk were both on considerable Sale at "Sprouts" this Morning!   I'm so glad they built the new "Sprouts" just a Block from our House and they're finishing up a Hawaiian BBQ Restaurant in the new development there too and some other Health Food Restaurants I want to also try, one just had their Grand Opening called CAVA which is Mediterranean Cuisine, Yay!!!   Below are Pixs of Four of their Bowls that look delicious and I'd like to try that are Falafel, Lamb, Avacado and Greek Bowls.  They have a Steak Bowl too and Wraps of all kinds in Fresh Pita, which I like but the Pita would be a Carb so for now I'm lowering my intake considerably on this Restricted Low Carb Diet.  I'm Jazzed that a Mediterranean Restaurant has Opened so close by, that Fav one of mine is Far East Valley, a long commute to eat there, but, so worth it.

The Falafel Bowl

The Lamb Bowl

The Greek Bowl

The Avocado Bowl

Apparently you can build your own Bowls too, I haven't gone inside yet since they only just Opened very recently and I'd wondered what kind of Restaurant it was?   But I visited their Website to find out more about them.  I was pleased with what I saw and how Editorial it looked, so the only Critique would be how it Tastes?  And, the Price Point of it?  There were already a lot of people there, a good Sign, I think.   There were a lot of people Grocery Shopping too, predictable just before a Holiday and the First of a Month too.   I prefer to Shop when it's not crowded, but, a lot of the Deals and Sales are right around or before a Holiday, and becoz the 4th of July in Real Time is Tomorrow they had Sales that they might not have afterwards, including my Heirloom Eggs and Milk Brands I buy.

I'll be adding some of my Friend Lilia's Creations as wonderful Blog Fodder Imagery and you can go to her Website if you're interested in any.  She had Sold Out of some others I was interested in, I'm glad her Online Sales are going well since she's not going to be doing the Shows and Events anymore or making any more Jewelry.   I'll miss her Creations and seeing her in Person at the Events she was always a part of, but I understand about juggling too much, you have to scale it back so you're not taking on too much.   She's helping her Elderly Parent out a lot now and I've been thru that with both Parents when mine were Living.  It has to be a Priority when you have a vulnerable Adult Loved one or Children you're still Raising, they're dependent upon you.

Princess T is off for the 4th of July, so I'll be able to take The Son to Chandler to look at a Truck he could possibly afford that the Dealership will be Open on the Holiday and already talked to him about it.  Even if I get the Loan and he makes the Payments, we'll do that if my very good Credit gives us the better Terms for an inexpensive good Vehicle that will be reliable for him to get to and from Work and do what he needs to do independently of me providing transportation.    Also, he said it would be better for his Niece to learn to drive in an inexpensive Vehicle than my expensive one, and I'm in complete agreement with that.  I don't want to put a 19 Year Old with Anxiety behind the Wheel of my new Nissan, I paid way too much to assume any unnecessary risks like that and still owe too much on it to lend it to anyone.

I haven't planned anything at all for the 4th of July, I just don't want to. I know so many of you are feeling that way due to all the Fuckery in the White House, which has diminished any reason to feel Celebratory at all.  I'm glad the Kiddos at least have the day off so they can do whatever they might plan, or not, I haven't heard any of them mention anything.  Today Princess T got some of Management saying good things about her becoz they tasked her with Training some of the New Hires and she did a really good Job, I knew she could and would, she's got it all Down now she's been there as long as she has... and she's very Rules Oriented that Kid.  When she was Little she'd even make up Rules for herself!!!  *LOL*   She used to tell me she didn't have ENOUGH Rules, when was the last time you heard a Child tell their Parent/Guardians that?!  *Smiles*

 

I'm tolerating the Ozempic well and it has really curbed Appetite a lot, so, we'll see how effective it is to stabilize the Diabetes, and, as a Bonus, perhaps help with Weight Loss as a secondary benefit?  I know for Years the Trulicity worked well, so I have high expectations this will also work well to stabilize the Diabetes again.   Not sure if it was the Stroke that cocked up the stabilization or if I just was on the Trulicity too long that the efficacy just diminished?   Hard to tell, but the Doc was thinking it was a combination of both, and so did the Specialists I saw due to the Stroke, for my Heart and my Neurological Specialty Care.  Now I don't need to see a Cardiologist or Neurologist anymore, which is good, I feel comfortable with my Primary Care Physician handling everything now, she's very good and has done more to stabilize the Diabetes than any Diabetic Specialist ever did or could.

I found some of the Aerial Listing Pixs of our Home from when we bought it that I'd Saved.   The only real difference is we lost the one Mature Pine Tree beside the House when it got the Bark Beetle Blight that killed off so many Old Trees locally.   We spent a fortune trying to Save that Tree to no avail, then another fortune to have it removed.  You can see our Irrigation Ditch behind the Property that we Share with Laura, who is the Property directly behind us and has her Property up For Sale now.   I'm very nervous about New Owners Buying her Property becoz you never know what Newbies will do or if they'll be Good Neighbors or not?  She's lived there since the 1960's but Inherited her Parents bigger Mini Farm in Glendale.   Out of the Two Properties she opted for her Parent's becoz she and her Boyfriend HATE the Newbies that bought the Property next door to the West of their Property and directly behind our next door Neighbor Omar's Property. 

 They have tragically laid an $800,000 gorgeous Property to Waste & Neglect in less than a Year after Buying it and are the Party House everyone complains about.   They cut most of the Beautiful Trees down and ruined the expensive landscaping that the Sellers had Invested in that gave that once Beautiful Property it's Curb Appeal and Value.   No telling how wrecked the inside now is based on the outside?   It had been Beautifully Remodeled in Urban Farmhouse Style just before being Listed.  I know they have tore up the Graveled Front Yard, cut literally everything down that was Landscaped in it and have Cars parked all over it, looks so Ghetto.  The only Positive thing the Newbies have done is build a Guest House Casita that matches the Pueblo Architecture of the Main House on their back Acreage.  Their Weekend Parties are loud and obnoxious and Neighbors have to call Police to make them be considerate about the fact nobody wants Live Mariachi Karaoke played and sang badly clear thru 'til Four in the fucking Morning every Friday and Saturday, sometimes even Sunday, Afternoon and Nights! 

Anyway, Work called me to ask late and very last Minute if I could Work Tonight, but I declined, I can't get Coverage for The Man on an Hour's Notice.  Plus, that meant a Regular just didn't show up again.  I'm not Covering for irresponsible Workers, especially before a Major Holiday.  The Daughter and Princess T aren't Home, they are both out with their Boyfriends already and won't be Home until quite Late.  And The Son isn't the best backup coz his Dad often doesn't behave for him like he does for the Girls.  Plus, I didn't really wanna Work, I wasn't expected to be called in and I'd asked to take Tomorrow Off too coz the Friday falls on a Holiday and I don't wanna work any Holidays, period.  I'm only filling in for a Co-Worker Friend, so I'm doing him and the Mall a favor by Working/Covering other Fridays for Richard's Shift while he's recovering from his Major Surgeries.   I'm getting burnt out on the Friday Night Shifts anyway, too many regulars don't show up so you never know who you'll be working alongside or if they can even get a replacement for a No-Show?

Since it's not my regular Shift and I don't want regular Shifts anymore, I simply don't want to Work any Evening Shift that becomes problematic for any reasons.   They don't comp us enuf Rent to make it worthwhile to have any problems or knock yourselves out.   I always work with excellence and to the very best of my abilities, but, not everyone does and if you end up having Slackers on the Shift, or someone who is difficult to Work with, it's just not something I wanna Deal with, since, I don't have to.   I'm Retired and so I want to just enjoy Retirement.   I used to like Working my Shifts there but it's not as enjoyable as it used to be and sometimes the Shift seems so damned long and I'm so ready to go Home before it ends.   Part of that is my own Health being more compromised than it used to be.   So, it's physically harder on me now.

via: Magnolia Pearl

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Blessings, Love and Light from the Arizona Desert... Dawn... The Bohemian