Expansions And Shrinkage

 It was super busy on Friday Night at Work but since none of the Regulars bothered to show up it was all us Fill-Ins and they were all great to work alongside, so, an enjoyable Shift that was well covered.  *Whew*   But, I can tell Management is having trouble filling Shifts with replacement people when so many of the Regulars aren't bothering to show up for their Shifts.  Some have gone on Vacations, but some just are No-Shows, or have Health Issues now, it's problematic.  You never know who you'll be on Shift with, if they can even fill an entire Shift, or if the Newbies won't need Training?  We had some Newbies, nice Ladies, I didn't bother to remember Names, since, I may not ever see them again or work with them again... and I have poor New Person Name retention.  *LOL*

It was also one of those Nights when a slew of Customers arrived late, right around Closing and didn't leave until well after Closing, so we couldn't get out on time.   Since I got The Kiddos doing the Caregiving and The Man refuses to go to Bed until I'm Home, it's problematic for me not to get out of there on time.  The Kiddos need to go to Work very early the next Morning, so they don't need to stay up real late watching Dad/Grandpa and make sure he's Okay until I can get Home and put him to Bed.  He'll go straight to Bed once he knows I'm Safely Home, and thus there's no disturbance in The Force, Bless him, he Worries about my demise too much I think.  *Bwahahaha*  He really would rather I don't go to Work anymore, but I need to offset some of the Rent/Overhead at The Mall to be able to afford to keep at it there, since, Sales are unstable in this shitty Economy... and, for The Summer Months usually anyway.

Unless I kill it Today {Saturday in Real Time}, which is the last Day of this Pay Period, it's gonna be another lean Pay Period closing out, Sales have been abysmal again.   I've Sold a lot of Smalls, but few Primo items to make a decent Check and cover all Expenses well.   Everyone else is also struggling, even the Brick and Mortar Shops are, and the Events are, so I'm not The Lone Ranger, many are barely hanging on.   Like I said, it was super Busy and folks were Buying, but what they are Buying is critical and it's still mostly Pokemon and Sports Cards, Coins, Posters, Vinyl Records, inexpensive Jewelry, and inexpensive Smalls of a random Nature.  Definitely not Antiques, Primo High End Collectibles or Vintage Items per se... and, it IS an Antique Mall... so... Le Sigh!!!   I did Sell some Fiesta Ware Vintage Kitchen China, several Specialty T-Shirts, and Small Toys or lotsa Rubber Art Stamps.  *Eye Roll*

Sometimes we just do better Hosting a Yard Sale on a Saturday and Selling Cheap stuff that isn't appropriate to take into the Antique Mall to Resell.  *LOL*   I haven't invited Industry Folks over to Buy my Primo items coz honestly most of them are struggling right now and so don't have the Money they'd need to Buy it from me.   I'm not giving away my Primo Cargo, I'll give an Industry Friend a Good Deal and leave Meat on the Bone for them, but, if they can't afford that, then I'm not Selling.   So, it is a dilemma for us all, in whatever Resale or Retail Market you happen to be in right now, the Economy Sucks and won't be getting better while this Administration is cocking it all up.   Media was suddenly singing the Praises of what Orange Jesus has done that they say is Impressive, I think they're sucking Dick right now so he doesn't Cancel them like he did Stephen Colbert?  Yeah, that was Suspect as Political, no Doubt.  He has a Celebrity Media Hit List and he's said so.

Yeah, CBS claimed it was purely a Financial Decision, but pending Paramount-Skydance Merger needed to be Blessed by this Administration's Dept. of Justice and was worth $8 Billion, so, coincidental, I think not?   Two things can be True at the same time, and Late Night TV has had Losses and competes now with Streaming and what is Profitable, but everything doesn't need to be profitable to be worthy and relevant or valuable to a Media Source tho'.   But, Colbert was very Satirical in his disapproval of Orange Jesus, so I'm sure he was on that Hit List of those Donnie Two Dolls needed desperately to Cancel and try to Silence in the Media, so the Timing suggests Political Motives.   Plus it was only Days after Colbert Called Out Paramount for it's $16 Mil Settlement "Bribe" Donnie Extorted them for... that they could have easily Won in Court and he would have Lost.

  And so a Bribe it certainly was, the Settlement was definitely a Shake Down to be able to Close their Merger Deal for Billions, so indeed Suspect as fuck and needed to be Called Out for what it was.  Colbert had the Cajones to just do it... but, it's Cost him, clearly.   And a President even weighing in on being "Absolutely in Love that Colbert got Fired...", pretty much eliminated any Doubts he was instrumental and wanted/needed for it to happen.   This one always has "Tells" that are quire predictable as to what he's up to.   I do think him suing The Wall Street Journal and Murdoch is a Risk, over the Epstein Scandal.  I highly doubt Murdoch and his Lawyers ran with a piece they didn't have the Goods on.   And I don't see Murdoch being easily intimidated by a wannabe Mob Don that ole' Donnie Two Dolls envisions himself as. 

 Murdoch is 94, Powerful, and filthy Rich {Over 24 Billion}, he has no Fucks to give I would Guess about being Threatened by anyone foolish enuf to try?   Donnie's worth is around $5 Billion {allegedly}, so Murdoch can Buy and Sell him easily.   And Musk is worth a staggering $407.5 Billion and he's got a Hard On for taking Donnie down now too... so between making Enemies of Murdoch and Musk, Threatening either Billionaire, I think Donnie's bitten off more than he can chew frankly.  If he's stepping in their Waters he better be a damned strong Swimmer.  And I'd bring Popcorn and want Front Row Seating to see that Smackdown happening when Ole' Donnie gets Bitch Slapped for getting too Arrogant and Foolish in who he goes to Battle with and on too many Fronts.   He's got a lot of Skeletons to still fall out of his Closet to be Threatening anybody else... and the Epstein Scandal has clearly got him rattled... and it isn't a Mystery really as to Why. 

  His MAGA Cult might not really Care about The Children Sex Trafficked, and his Involvement in all of that, but, they seem riled up about him betraying THEM, that's for sure.  He's having to deflect and distract like a Mo'Fo' right now, that his Base is putting the Heat on him for!   His Stunts are always a Distraction and Deflection when he's facing something he'd rather not confront.   One of my Paternal Cousins, the one on the Far Right of this 1966 Pix, was exploited by a grown Man when she was only 12 and had her Son when she was only 13.  She is Native American and he was White, so he never got Prosecuted for Statutory Rape of a Child.  In fact, Indigenous Girls and Women go missing all the time or are even unsolved Murder Victims too, and not much is ever done about it.   

 It's not as if it's "New" that Pedophiles and other Sexual Predators have always been a scourge to Society and prey on certain demographics they know Society marginalizes.  That's how they get away with heinous Crimes they commit for so long, nobody Cares about the demographic of those Victims.  My Cousin kept and Raised her Son, eventually Married a good Guy and had Three other Children.  And it bothers me that for over Two Decades and about 1,000 Victims, Epstein and his Powerful obscenely Rich Clients got away with what they did to all those Children.   I do Hope Heads roll.   And tho' there may not be an actual Written List, there is probably evidence of who his Clientele were that took the Lolita Express Private Jet to fly to his Island and attended his depraved Parties offering Youngsters up to Attendees.  I'm sure the Plane has a Manifesto of those on it each time.  Private Aircraft are subject to Manifest Requirements, especially when flying Internationally.   Little St. James is part of the U.S. Virgin Islands and is an unincorporated U.S. Territory.

  And I do Hope those involved are sweating Bullets wondering if they'll be finally Exposed for the Pedos they are and whoever they are.   I'm sure there are some very Big Names to be Named.  One Dead Trafficker Pedo who never went to Trial and his Imprisoned Female Procurer really wasn't Justice for those Victims and their Families.  Or properly informing The Public of whose still out there preying on Children coz they never got exposed or prosecuted for being The Pedo Clients.   Those type will just find another Trafficker to become Clients of, that's all.  So, there will be more Victims until and unless they're caught and every last one faces appropriate consequences for being Child Rapists.   When I worked for the DA's Office, some of the most difficult Files for me to be exposed to and process, were those involving Child Victims.  And in the Sex Crimes Bureau most Victims are Children and not Adults.

Above are some French Macarons made at one of our Fav Vietnamese Restaurants by the Owner's Niece, Bin, she makes the BEST Macarons.  They had Gifted me these when I went in to have Chicken Lemongrass and Pho', a lovely Surprise.  My Fav Flavors she makes are the Pandan {Pictured the brighter Green Macaron}, and the Taro {Not Pictured, they're usually Lavender Colored}.  Bin wants to eventually Open her own Vietnamese Bakery.  Her Husband is Amerasian, part Vietnamese, part American, and so drop dead Handsome, he has the most Beautiful Pale Green Eyes.   Quite a few of the Restaurant Owner's extended Family had American G.I. Fathers and came here on Asylum after the War in Vietnam ended.   One of the Cooks, whose an Aunt, had a Black American G.I. Father.   

My Dad and The Man said all of the Mixed Race Children of Vietnam, Fathered by American and French Servicemen, had it very hard in the mostly homogenous Society of that Country.  They were called Bui Doi, which means "The Dust Of Life".  They were often abandoned and shunned or mistreated.  I had a Friend during my Banking Career who Adopted Two Vietnamese Amerasian Children in the 1970's who were in the Baby Lift Operations to Rescue abandoned Amerasian Children after the War was ending.   My own Parents also wanted to do that, but it could be a very complex endeavor, so they weren't successful to be able to unfortunately.  They tried more than once to Adopt Internationally, but being my Mom was a Resident Alien and my Dad was Native American, making them an International Interracial Couple, they often didn't get approved for the Adoptions in those days. 

 Perhaps these days they could have?   Now Gay Couples don't have as difficult a time being considered as suitable Adoptive Parents, so, things are slightly better than they used to be.  For Non-Traditional Families willing and wanting to Adopt even hard to place Children and have a Child without a Family be part of a Loving Family.   But I know how complex Adoptions can be and it took me Years to be able to Adopt my own Grandchildren, due to our Family and Case complexities!!!   There were so many Disqualifying Factors that it took 3 Years and the State hiring a fancy Scottsdale Attorney and paying the Twenty Grand it cost to push the Adoption thru.  And that was for Two Special Needs Older Biracial Children who were deemed "Unadoptable" and they wouldn't have been able to find suitable alternative Placement for anyway!!! 

 And I'd had BOTH of them since Birth anyway as a Kinship Placement for 10 and 15 Years respectively!!!  From 2000 to 2015 the State had no problem with Placement, 'til Kinship Placement Laws Changed and they then required the Children be put up involuntarily for Adoption!!!  I fought that for over Three Years, and it was grueling and stressful and put the G-Kid Force thru so much... so I can only imagine how difficult they can make an International Adoption to be Blessed and finalized!  I couldn't get the Younger Three Siblings of The G-Kid Force, who were Born and Raised in Mexico by their Paternal Grandmother, and all Teenagers now, even across the Border after she Died, so that I could finish Raising them and giving them a Safe place to live!!!   The Oldest One Thankfully turned 18 last Year and has been Raising her Two Younger Teen Sisters now with the help of her Boyfriend.  But, Legal Immigration is a Hot Mess and nobody is Fixing it or even trying to.

 

This was The Young Prince on National Adoption Day.  Which was the Day we Finalized the Adoption in Court and Celebrated me becoming their Adoptive Parent, as a Single Woman, which, is how the Fancy Attorney had to push it thru even tho' I am not a Single Woman and am very much Married.  *LOL*   The Poor Man, with his TBI thought that it meant the Courts had Divorced us to push the Adoption of the Kiddos thru!!!  And it is Weird, and even the New Birth Certificates fucked up and put my Maiden Surname on both, which causes confusion when I have to use their Birth Certificates for everything and my ID doesn't match that Name.  *Eye Roll*  So, I always have to also produce my Marriage Certificate and then the Dates cause added confusion, since, I was Married in 1989 to The Man and Adopted The Grandkids in 2015... and the Legal Paperwork interchanging of my Maiden Name and Married Name is Odd, for lack of a better Word.  Explaining it all even Odder and more complicated.  *Bwahahaha*  The Young Prince was somber until it was Finalized, he kept thinking they'd still take them away from me. 

Finally everyone could Smile and Sigh a Huge Sigh of Pent Up Relief held back for Years, when it was a Done Deal and they were now Legally my Kids and I was now Legally their Adoptive Parent.  *Whew*  The Young Prince gave his little Sister his Teddy Bear they handed out to all the Adoptees.  There were many Hard To Place Older and Ethnic Children in those being mass Adopted this particular Day with The State's Help.  Most had been in either Foster Care all their Lives or in Kinship Placement all their Lives... which means CPS was always involved and made all the major decisions, you weren't allowed to.   Sometimes you had great Caseworkers and sometimes you didn't, it was a grueling 15 Years for me, lemme tell ya!  Plus, as a Kinship Placement you didn't Qualify for any Assistance or Financial Aide to Raise whatever Kids were in your Care. 

 You were considered a "Volunteer Blood Relative" by the State so they could absolve themselves of Financial Support and put it all on your Dime.   I only got Medical/Dental Benefits for them coz I had no Insurance after I left the DA's Office to become a full time Unpaid Caregiver of everyone and forfeit my Career and 60% of my Retirement and Earned Benefits by Retiring Four Years too early to be Fully Vested.   And The Man's wouldn't Qualify them coz they weren't his Dependents Legally.   And, both Kids had significant Special Needs Medically and Mental Health Wise, so were Title 19 permanently Disabled.   But, to keep receiving Medical/Dental you still had to jump thru tons of Hoops Annually to keep Re-Qualifying for what is PERMANENT!   Same with the VA actually, every Year I have to go with The Man to the VA and get a New Letter with a current Year's Date on it that will still say the same fucking thing, that his Disability is PERMANENT!  You just Resign yourself to this is how it just is.  *Le Sigh*  The Young Prince, being our Genius Grandchild, always understood a lot about what was going on.  And would Grill Caseworkers like he was my Attorney!  *LOL*  This is him Grilling a Volunteer who provided the Music that day.  *Winks*

So many of my Dear Friends were so Supportive during the whole Ordeal of being a Custodial Grandparent.   Lucky for me I'd already Raised Two Special Needs Kiddos of my own, so I had Experience with it and of Dealing with The Systems, such that they just are and haven't improved very much during Two Generations really.   The Blog Community of Friends got involved in 2009 when The Young Prince, then 9 Years Old, set up the Ole' Blog for me and I could use this as a form of Therapy and a much needed Release due to the demands of being a full time Unpaid Caregiver and Dealing with various Systems that are often very broken and require so much of you that it's enuf to drive one to Madness.  And Miraculously I only got Caregiver Burnout just once!   It was Epic, when I finally went Wheels Off The Rails, but, it was just the One Time.  *LOL and Pats Self on the Back*   

This is the very Day in August of 2000 that I became a Custodial Grandma for the 1st time, that's The Young Prince, and I was present at both Births of The G-Kid Force since their Custody was in Question immediately due to The Daughter being SMI.  That's The Son at the time, so I still had a 14 Year Old at Home who'd just turned 14 the June before.   Yeah, I never anticipated any of this... we'd been Grandparents before, since our Oldest Daughter already had Children years beforehand, but, she was Raising them.  *LOL*   Her Youngest is actually only a Year Younger than The Young Prince.   The G-Kid Force's Mama went on to have Four more Daughters after she had The Young Prince.  I Raised Princess T from Birth and Abuelita Saint Maria in Mexico Raised the Younger Three from Birth.   She Died when she was 90 and almost lasted to finish the Job, Bless her.

In our extended Family there were known Adoptions, probably done informally way back when.  My Paternal Grandfather was a Foundling and the Story goes he was Abandoned at a Childless Couple's Farm and they Raised him as their own Child, even tho' clearly he was very obviously a mixed race Child of Indigenous Parentage of at least one Parent.  In my Grandparent's Day tho' a lot of Halfbreed Babies were killed, so both Grandparents were fortunate to even survive.  I had Hoped that when I did Ancestry DNA we might find out more about his Ancestry, but, I didn't, they just had me as 21% "Other of Undetermined Origin".  And even some small percentile of Turkish Origin, which, that was quite a Surprise!  I Dated a Turk once, but...  *LOL*  My Native American Cousin did her Ancestry DNA too and had similar results as mine, so we knew that Surprise DNA had to be from the Paternal Side, since our Dads are Brothers.  *Smiles*  That's her Dad with me Above when I was a Teenager.  And my Maternal Gran-Gran was also Adopted by the Chinese Childless Couple, along with Four of his Siblings.  His Mom only had the means, as a Widow, of keeping her Oldest Six Children and so "gave" the Chinese Couple her Younger Five to Raise as their own.  So, Unusual Adoptions aren't "New" to us at all.  *Smiles*

The Son's Graduation Pix... only he and Princess T actually Graduated here in Arizona.  Since The Daughter and The Young Prince were Denied their Education by High School Age due to being Schizophrenics.   Public Schools didn't know what to do with a Child with that Disability and Private Schools wouldn't take them.  Some Alternative Schools wouldn't accept them either and only a couple even half-assed tried to, so, Yes, I do feel some kind of way about both of them being Denied their Education based on a Disability, since, allegedly, that is Illegal.  Especially since The Young Prince has a Genius IQ and absorbs knowledge like a Sponge.  I think he was more Intelligent than most of the Adults in the Room half the time and that bothered some of them I think?   *LOL*   And in the Barrio, when he was in 2nd Grade I recall him coming Home and telling me that he probably wasn't AS Smart as they thought he was.  I asked Why?  He deadpanned, becoz half the Kids and Teachers don't even speak or understand English yet.  *Bwahahaha*

Anyway, that's old History now but it still irks me, coz I'm sure other Families are still having their Kiddos denied a proper Education and that should never happen in the Richest Country on Earth.    I Call Out a lot of the Injustices becoz I think those who've encountered them shouldn't remain Silent about it.  We may never receive Justice, but we can make it known how Unjust a lot of the Systems in place actually are.  If people don't have a Point of Reference and it's never happened to them, and may never happen to them, then they often have Low Information about a lot of what many people have had to Deal with and don't always even think it happens at all.  I've actually had people tell me they Believe Racism in America no longer exists!!!   But, it's becoz they've never had it happen to them, don't usually know anyone of a demographic that it consistently happens to either, so, when they see the Videos of it happening now, they're genuinely shocked as if it's all "New"!!!  And the Whitewashing of uncomfortable History isn't at all Helpful.

One of our Adult Granddaughters back East just sent me this Pix, hilarious, you don't see that every day!!!  *LMAOROTF*  I'd Love to hear the Back Story!!!   Here at the Mini Farms Community we see a lot of what we never saw in the Old Neighborhoods.  Like a Neighbors Pet Female Pig running down the Street some Mornings with her Harness on and her Owner chasing her down the Road to get her to quit messing around and stay in the Front Yard like she should.  *LOL*  The Back Story is they got her as a Piglet and initially to butcher and eat when she was grown.  But, then they Named her and bonded with her, said she was smarter, cleaner in habits and more affectionate than their Dogs, but soon outgrew the House.  She's a huge Sow now and they didn't have the Heart to eat her, so now she's a Pet Living her Best Life.   And I know that's what would happen here if I got Livestock, I'd bond with them, Name them, then they'd all be Pets and the Menfolk would be like, well, that didn't go Well or as Planned.  *Winks and LOL*

The Son's Friend is here, she came bearing a Tribal Gift for me, which is Custom.  She's Navajo and of the Matriarchal Black Sheep Clan, so this is Symbolic of it.   It's adorable and she makes them by Hand.   She looks exactly the same as she did as a Teenager, so I would have recognized her even all these Years later.   She and The Son always get mistaken for still being in their 20's, even tho' they're both closing in on 40 now.   She's an Artist too, and Works in the Medical Field as a Career, so she was Loving all the Art I Collect and the Tribal items she noticed right away, so we talked of Cultural similarities.  Each Tribe is Unique in it's Art, it's Language, it's Culture, Traditions, and Rituals, so I'm always interested to hear the differences as well as the similarities I grew up knowing the ways of.   The Kids will later watch a Cable Boxing match with Pacquiao vs Barrios after we eat.   I'll leave them to visit with one another.

 

The Kiddos relaxing and watching The Fights on Cable TV... the Headliners aren't Fighting yet, so they obliged my Pathological Picture Taking, which is Legendary, so, nobody fights it anymore.  *LOL*

I never wanna monopolize the Guests the Kiddos invite over.  But it's hard when I've known many of them so long, even if there's been Years in between, and they're just now reconnecting, but you knew them when they were just Kids or Teens, there's a lot of mutual History Shared.  Old Friendships are very Special and ones you tend to Cherish due to the Shared History, which is Priceless.  This is Why it was important to me to move back to a Community my Kids and The G-Kid Force Grandkids grew up in, we know so many folks here, and have for a long time.  It's good to see them all Growing Up and Grown Up now.   A lot of Time has passed.   This Friend may be a very good influence for The Son to reconnect to coz she inhibits him from drinking, she doesn't like to be around anyone drinking Alcohol.  I understand.   And he Respects that and won't drink around her at all, coz she's always been that way, even when they were Younger.  For a lot of Indigenous, Alcohol is very problematic, so some of Indian Ancestry won't risk it and don't drink.  My Dad nor any of his Brothers or Sisters would drink and never did.

 

So, it's a rare Sober Saturday for The Son and he's doing okay with not drinking Tonight, so I know he can do it if he has the incentive to.  I'd like him to get Sober just like he got Clean.  The Daughter too, since getting Clean has made a huge Positive difference for them both and getting Sober would too.   Anyway, this Friend of his had Depression and has a 9 Year Old Son with Autism.  Navajo Culture sees conditions like that much differently than Western Culture tho'.   They see his Condition as a connection to another Realm that is Respected and his differences are Honored and a place made for him within the Tribe for what he can specifically contribute in Positive ways to the Clan.   The Beauty of that is each Member has Purpose within their Community and Tribe, as well as Acceptance for how they were Divinely Created to Be as they just are.  It's all on a very Spiritual level embraced as a Collective, even tho' a lot of Members have converted to Christianity, they still incorporate Tribal Beliefs that are Culturally specific.

  

 

Below is one of a Granddaughter's Fur Babies and the Oldest of them just had her 12th Birthday, in Dog Years, that makes her quite Old.  Her name is Mercedes and they had her before they had Human Children.  I remember they always did Birthday Parties for her like she was their Child and so she's like one of the Human Children.  I don't know that she even thinks she's a Dog?  *LOL*  She's been so good with the Human Children and the Younger Dogs the Family now have.  She loves to play Dress Up and have her Photo taken.   She's a really good influence on the Younger Pups.  *Smiles*   They are Modeling some of their Holiday Attire... they've got Outfits for every occasion.  Just like their Human Children do... since, this Granddaughter Loves to have Wardrobe for every conceivable occasion and Photo Op.  Sometimes the whole Family has matching Outfits, including the Fur Babies!!!  *LOL*

  

And I'm Thankful that this Granddaughter is as much of a Pathological Picture Taker as Moi, and much better at it too.  She and Hubby take Professional Grade Photos and are quite accomplished Photographers.  Plus, they also do a lot of Professional Photos as well as those they take themselves, they're really good at Investing in that with Top Notch Professional Photographers doing Family Photos for them.   I've Saved so many spectacular Photos of their Family and enjoy seeing each new set they have taken or take themselves.   I've been waiting for some more of their Summer Photos.   I can't always recall all of the Great-Grandkids Birthdays, I'd need a spread sheet now to remember everyone's Birthdays and Anniversaries as the Family kept expanding and my Memory kept shrinking.  *LOL and Le Sigh*  Expansions and Shrinkage are a part of Life's Seasons.

 

Right now the Shrinkage Phase for The Man and I is more prominent in our lives, as for the Younger Generations it's more Expansive.   I just Cribbed a bunch of Blast From The Past Industry Pixs Friends have Shared with me.  I'm in one that I didn't even remember my Friends Mike and Leslie taking of me when I was Buying Pappi from them, my Taxidermy Racoon.  When Mike Sourced it he said he instantly thought of me and so didn't even put it in Inventory but held it under the Counter for me and to show me.  Of coarse they know me so well that of coarse I bought it and had it riding Shotgun on the Passenger Side looking out the Window and you should have seen people on the Freeway gawking at it thinking it was Alive and dressed up going for a Ride!   *Bwahahaha*

I actually LOVE the Pix and I miss them so much as they have moved to another State and are living their Best Life there.   They had the best Merch and an Aesthetic so similar to my own that they always knew what I'd like that they had Sourced.   I miss their Brick & Mortar Stores they had here in the Valley, and the Shows and Events they were always a vital part of when living here in Arizona.   Of coarse we keep in touch via Social Media, but, it's not quite the same as being there.   Below are a couple of Pixs of them that I just Love... they made it to many of the Bucket List Locations I haven't yet, so I often Lived Vicariously thru their Crossing Off of those Destinations when they're go Sourcing Inventory Nationwide.   And meeting some of the Icons I would like to also meet in Person, tho', some I have had the Good Fortune to over the Years too.

Leslie with Tim Holtz, who I have had the pleasure of meeting several times and having a Photo taken with too, he's a Darling.

Mike and 'Friends'... LOL...

Leslie at the "Magnolia Pearl" Flagship Store in Fredericksburg, Texas.

Leslie with my Favorite Iconic Designer, Carol Hicks-Bolton of Fredericksburg, Texas, in her Shop there.

Mike and Leslie, they're always a Trip and I do miss them being Local, so much.

And we'll close with a Pix of Princess T... whose making Rusty take her out for Pho again... *LOL*

*******

Handling Shrinkage with Grace and Good Humor... Dawn... The Bohemian