Either Mando helped The Son get his Car fixed again or he drove him to Work so I didn't have to? So, I blissfully got to Sleep In this Monday Morning since Princess T doesn't go to Work on Mondays. She's been off on Vacay for Four Days but only did 1.5 with Friends and the rest with Family. She wants to do a Girl's Day Out with me Today to properly Celebrate my Birthday with me, she said. Since, she was with her Crew on the 16th doing Matthew's Farewell Party at a Fancy Hotel in Glendale near the Football Stadium. So, she told me she's taking me out to eat and then we'll go to some Bookstores and Chazzas.
She's intrigued by me telling her that "Barnes & Noble" built a Two-Story new Bookstore in the East Valley with an incredibly large MANGA Book Section in the Upper Level, with a Starbucks up there too. *LOL* Yes, I might have Baited her, I ain't gonna Lie, when she asked what I'd done for my Birthday and her Eyes lit up when I mentioned that and we should mebbe go together sometime. *Winks* She instantly said, well, how about Monday, I can take you out for a Meal for your Birthday and we can have a Girl's Day out together and go to that Bookstore too Gramma!!! *Smiles* Oh, Yes, I am a Manipulative Old Woman, Not Sorry. *Winks*
Now, granted, we will have to eat Asian Food since she doesn't like my "Pretentious Egg" Restaurant that I ate at on my Birthday. That's what she's called "Snooze" since she was 5 and it still cracks me up. And she's such a fussy Eater and has such Gut Issues, that we're limited in places she likes to eat or can eat, and I don't mind since it's on her Dime. So, if she's gonna drop a bunch of Cash to feed us, I'll intentionally choose one of her favorite Restaurants instead. I like Vietnamese Food as much as she does so we like the same Restaurants that have the best of it in the Valley and know the Owners of all of them. We've been going to them Together since before she had Teeth!
So, no Pretentious Eggs for me Today. *Bwahahaha* I still remember when she was Five, her calling my Homemade Mac-N-Cheese, "Antique Mac-N-Cheese", and she didn't like it, she wanted the "Blue Box" kind, that's Thirty-Three Cents a Box and that her Aunt Carol called "Yellow Death". *Smiles* Kids don't have much of a Refined Palate yet. And they like what they like and come up with the most hilarious ways to describe or Name it. I used to have to call Fried Clams "Popcorn Fish" to get them to eat it and they LOVED it, but once Grown, still thought it was at the Store as "Popcorn Fish"! Horrified when I explain, Oh, that's Fried Clams, that's why you can't locate it at the Store, no such a thing as a Popcorn Fish, I made that Name up to be Kid Friendly. *Winks*
Hey it Worked, them and all their Friends were happily eating Fried Clams becoz I DIDN'T call it what it actually was! And Kids like Popcorn... so, it made sense they'd actually try and probably like a Popcorn Fish, coz Clams sounds like a Fear Factor Food to a Kid. *LOL* I did expose our Children to a vast variety of Foods, a lot of Ethnic Foods, different Foods all the time, so they'd experience more Flavor of Cuisines and decide for themselves what they liked and what they didn't. We had a Two Bite Rule with Food, take Two Bites and decide if you Like it or NOT. If you didn't after Two Bites, you weren't required to eat any more of it until Seven Years Later when all your Cells had regenerated and changed.
Yes, it's a simplification of what happens becoz some Cells are never replaced and the Lifespan of different Cell Types differs and varies significantly. But, every Seven Years or so your Tastes can really change significantly, so re-try something. I used to HATE Brussel Sprouts, Okra, Shrimp and Swiss Cheese, now I really like it all. Things I used to like a lot I no longer do Years later. So, every Seven Years or so I re-try things I once didn't like and wouldn't eat at all, just to see if now I enjoy them more? Two Bites in I will know. I've had Kids come to our Home and swear they didn't like something, with the Two Bite Rule explained, they'd take Two Bites {Under Protest and more as a Dare, LOL}, then realize, Holy Shit, I really LIKE that!
I make exceptions for Allergies and Medical Issues since some of those truly exist and I don't want someone blowing up like a Frog by eating something they shouldn't. Or suffering from Gut Issues coz we do have Family with intolerances to certain Foods and it's painful for them to eat certain things, so they don't, even if they like it. A lot of people with Asian and Native American Ancestry are Lactose Intolerant and that's a Fact. Half our Family can't tolerate Lactose, I'm fortunate it skipped me and I have a Stomach like a Goat! *Whew* With the exception of Chocolate, there's not much I actually can't tolerate. And I HATE even the Smell of Chocolate and it makes me feel Sick to Smell it or Eat it, but I'm not Medically Allergic.
I will tell people I'm Allergic just so they won't Food Push it on me and say, "Just TRY it...". As if I don't know it makes me Feel Sick and I don't want that sensation just to appease someone's Vanity about what they're offering and I'm politely refusing. If you say, "No Thanks, I'm Allergic to Chocolate so I don't Eat it.", you get no pushback, they don't want to risk being the reason you'd end up in the ER from a potentially dangerous reaction to a Food, not worth it. *LOL and Winks* For some reason people Food Push Desserts and I'm just NOT a Desserts Person at all, I rarely Eat a Dessert. I also Eat 'til Full, then Stop. So, just becoz I left Food on a Plate doesn't mean I didn't Like it, I'm just Full now, so won't eat past Full, it's uncomfortable to IMO.
I'm not Fat coz I'm a Glutton, I'm having Metabolism imbalance that is Hormonal and my Doctors are trying to regulate that without giving me Meds that could cause Cancer, coz we have a Family History. So, Hormone replacement Therapy was off the Table since I had the Hysterectomy due to Pre-Cancerous Cells being found when I was over 50. I was Naturally Thin before the Surgery. Hormone Replacement Therapy can increase the Risk of certain Cancers like Breast Cancer and Endometrial Cancer, of which some Female Members of my extended Family have had and some even Died from. My Mom had Endometrial Cancer bad and had major life saving Surgery for it, she had an Autopsy sized Scar. I've had several Aunts and a Grandma Die of Breast Cancer on my Dad's side of the Family.
Insulin Resistant Fat is The Devil to rid yourself of, especially if you've rid yourself of your Female Plumbing... Hormonal Changes and Shifts in Metabolism aren't something you can easily control after having had a Hysterectomy. It does affect Fat distribution, regulating your Metabolism after one is a struggle/battle waged constantly it seems. And managing Stress is one of the things the Docs always tell me will be Helpful, and how does one do that when People are the main cause of it and I do not live Alone, so that I can isolate myself from People that create all my Stress?! *Bwahahahaha* Other than Dealing with People, I'm Happy as a Clam at High Tide all the fucking time!!!
I always playfully tell my Docs, Okay, which one of them should I get rid of first then when I go Home? *Winks* And then I playfully tell the Family my Docs are perhaps advocating Homicide to reduce my Stress levels so I can lose Weight and remain Healthier. *LMAO* So, that's never happening, clearly, and Stress therefore is gonna be constant and I must figure out ways to lose Weight while being up under constant Stress, that's all. *Eye Roll* Oh, and Sleep more they say, as if Full Time Caregiving and/or Raising Two Generations of Kids gave me that option, to SLEEP MORE!!! *Another Huge Eye Roll* Oh, and take more Time to Yourself... Okay, you get the gist of how easy it is for someone NOT YOU to SAY what you should do, versus, ability or Luxury to actually fucking DO it if it's YOU!
Hey, I'd LIKE to go to Bora Bora too, but the Reality versus the Fantasy is apparent with that too... and Hands Dealt in Life, such that they just are, you Deal with in Reality, not Fantasy. Just like I'm still waiting on our Social Security Checks to hit, they're late again, they've only been on time now for Two Months out of all the Months this Administration took over, they'd NEVER been Late before that! I know the Arizona AG's Office has filed a Lawsuit against the Federal Government over it, and I don't know how many other States have also. Seems only Swing States and Blue States are negatively impacted from feedback I'm getting from other Seniors having similar withholding of their Money.
Which sounds punitive and highly suspicious that Older Voters in those States are being Targeted and Punished for NOT Voting for this Trainwreck of a Regime. He did Promise Revenge and Retribution and I Believed he meant it. Cruelty, Causing Hardship thru Punishment of who is Opposed to them, and Chaos, is the Point with this Fascist wannabe Dictator and his Cabal, and his Supporters/Voters, that much is Clear and apparent. They Imagine they won't meet with Resistance and Militancy if they exact Revenge and Retribution, but they're Wrong. Give people nothing to Lose and you've made yourself a formidable Adversary with absolutely nothing to Lose, and that puts YOU then at a disadvantage coz you have EVERYTHING to fucking Lose. And probably no Mercy extended to you either then if you've shown none.
Princess T is getting all Dolled Up for our Girl's Day Out {see Pixs Above}, so, we're both looking Fly, just in different ways. *Winks* She's asking my opinion on some of the Accessories, since she knows I'm the Accessories Fanatic, I Love me some Accessorizing. *LOL* And I'm glad she has Money, coz we don't. *Le Sigh* Well, unless our Checks ever hit this Month? Otherwise, we're screwed again and will incur unnecessary added expenses of either NSF Fees or Late Fees and Charges, so there's no Winning for Losing if the Government fucks with your Earned Income and doesn't give you your Money or delays it. You either risk the Overdraw Penalties... or the Late Penalties... that's the Choice when YOUR Money doesn't show up as it should. Coz folks you Owe need to get Paid.
Had we still been able to keep our Paid Off Forever Home with the Historic Property, we'd be in a better Position financially, but Adoption of the Grandkids was a bigger Priority than remaining Debt Free. And who knows what other shit would have played out anyway, Life happens, you adapt, you improvise, you do whatever is best or necessary at that moment in Time. Choices do matter, but sometimes you don't have that much Choice in the matter. So, here we now are... and The Man still Needs another Heart Surgery and I know Cuts are being made to Medicare and TriCare all the time too, so that makes me unsettled about what Medical and Medications won't get Covered now or in the Future?
And every time I go Grocery Shopping for just the Necessities, it's costing more and more each time. You spend Sixty to a Hundred now and walk out with a Single Bag!!! I may Need a Cow or a Goat out on our Pasture if Milk goes any higher?! *LOL* Just Kidding, not about the Price of Milk, which is ridiculous now, but, I don't want another Living Thing on this Property to have to take Care of, who am I Kidding?! And I hear the noises Alfred the Male Goat living behind us makes, so I don't need that Wakeup Call, up close and personal, with a Nanny Goat! *LOL and Le Sigh* And I'm still conflicted about Chickens, the Kids still wanna Raise some... I'm not sure I want a Chicken Empire to arise!?
So many Issues/Problems, so few Solutions right now, so we just Keep On Truckin'. Since, pretty sure it'll get Worse before it gets Better, not becoz I'm a Pessimist, but becoz I'm a Realist with only some Guarded Optimism left in me at this juncture and with this kind of Leadership America has foolishly installed. And what to do about it isn't Simplistic at all now that so much damage control will be necessary EVEN IF we got rid of them all immediately and installed Fixers and a Cleanup Crew. I've been a Fixer, and Paid handsomely for it. I know that Cleaning Up the messy parts of what Incompetents, Saboteurs and Wrecking Crews leave in their Wake is expensive and takes Time and Expertise at Complex Problem Solving and whatever the Big Fixes will have to be.
Americans are inclined to have little Patience and want Instant Fixes to even the most Complex of Problems. Instant Gratification has become a perceived Entitlement in our Culture. Enduring isn't an American Strength for the Middle Class or Elite, only the Poor and most disadvantaged have ever HAD no Choice but to Endure, so they've developed a capacity for it. We're a Nation of preferring the Easy Way Out, the Quick Way Out, the most Comfortable Way Out. Even if an Important Support of an Ally at War, just needing our Funding, who was Invaded Unjustly, takes too long, Americans will lose Interest and lose Resolve to Stand With them for the Long Haul. If it becomes uncomfortable or too expensive and requires involvement, most can't and won't Hang. Nothing sorts People out quite like Trouble.
So, how long do you suppose most will or won't Hang when things get really Bad here? If I were a Betting Woman, I'd say not long. I see that some MAGA already are squirming when the Screws get put to them on a personal level and it's not just the perceived "Others" facing Hardship and the results of Bad Administrative Choices and Actions coming out of this White House. When it's YOU, then most will have a fresh Revelation and Change of Heart about whatever they once were in Support of that ain't working for THEM now and it's evident it never will and never was intended to either. When they realize they were always the Expendables, then, Reality sets in even if they preferred to live in their Alternate One of their own Making/Imaginations or inability to accept harder Truths or trying to escape Reality.
Too many were just too Comfortable and too Privileged, and so long as they weren't Uncomfortable or didn't think they'd ever be Targeted or suffer, they were Okay with whoever else was enduring all that. It could conveniently be ignored or excused, even justified in twisted and callous ways. Well, until it's THEM that is, then it's NOT Okay anymore. *Eye Roll* I don't like to see any Sentient Being having to suffer anything, in a Perfect World, none would have to or be forced to. I guess that's just the Take from an Old Hippie that always preferred being Loving over being Hateful. Over Sharing rather than Selfishness and Self-Centered Behaviors. Rejoicing with those who Rejoice in their Success... and Weep with those who Weep when they Fail. {Romans 12:15 for the Religious or those who Pretend or Profess to be Christians}.
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It is taking Princess T a long time to get ready, she should have perhaps started Yesterday so we'd be out the Door before Noon Today? *LMAO* I'd thought we'd be doing Breakfast... then, mebbe Brunch... now it's looking like it might be Lunch... or an Early Dinner? *Bwahahaha* I'm getting Hangry I tell ya!!! *LOL* LATER: We had a great Girl's Day Out Together and I managed to Hang until SHE got Tired and Tapped Out! But I was ready too, lemme tell ya, we'd both had Enough Fun. Started out eating at "Pho 43" Vietnamese Restaurant for Lunch. Then stopped by a couple of GOODWILL becoz Today they were having 50% Off.
Believe it or not, guess what the Laws Of Attraction brought me right away at GOODWILL No. 1? That Wooden Charcuterie Board Serving Tray I said I wanted in a Post I Wrote only a Day ago! And for only $2.50 for one that's about 16" Across, has a 1.5" Rim around it and Handles on each Side to carry it! It's beautiful Wood and just needs to be cleaned some, it is dusty and had a small amount of Candle Wax on it, no big deal to clean up. It looks like Acacia Wood and is Signed on the Bottom. First 3 Pixs are my Board/Tray. So, I looked it up and sure enuf, it's Acadia Wood {see Bottom Photo Cribbed from Amazon}, but, they're Sold Out, so no idea of Retail Price? Similar Wooden Trays of this Quality are around $30-$80, so, quite a spread of Prices for very similar Products, depending on who you Source it from Online? I Love the Colors of the Acacia Wood of mine and it cleaned up easily. Acacia Wood is Water resistant, so, cleans well.
Our Good Fortune didn't end there at the GOODWILL, where I also Scored Two Coffee Mugs by RAE DUNN, one that says ZEN and the other says NAMASTE... for only Fifty Cents Each!!! Retail they're between $5 to $15 Each depending on which Online Seller you Source them from. And, when we went to the new 2-Story "Barnes & Noble" I found a $20 Gift Certificate to STARBUCKS in it's Gift Card laying in the Parking Lot... Cars had run over it quite a bit, but it was protected by it's Envelope. Someone named Ashley had purchased it for another Woman but who knows when she dropped it coming out of the Bookstore? It was so dirty with Tire Tracks I almost didn't bend down to pick it up, thinking it was just the empty Envelope discarded. But my Curiosity got the best of me and I'm glad it did! Princess T Loved that Bookstore and bought some Plushies and a Journal. She bought me Two Stampington Magazines, they had Buy One get One 50% Off on their Magazines.
We went to "Scottsdale Fashion Square Mall", which is Three Stories and huge, we couldn't find our way out and Princess T had a Panic Attack since we couldn't get out! I was so tired from going in Circles, we passed the same Stores Four different times before finally finding the right way out to the Parking Garage behind "Nordstrom's"! *Whew* The feeling of being Trapped had really unsettled her, she was almost in Tears and a Guy delivering stuff to one of the Stores saw how distressed she was and helped Guide us in the right direction, Bless him. *Whew* She had Fun up until then, we both did, mostly People Watching, we only bought her some Perfume Body Sprays from "Bath & Body Works", coz they had a SALE, Buy 3 get a 4th Free. While People watching she commented on how all the Girls/Women were so "Cut & Paste", which is True, the sameness made it look like you kept seeing the same Gal but it would be a different one. *LMAOROTF*
Becoz she stood out as so different and NOT "Cut & Paste", she kept getting stopped and sincerely Complimented by so many Women and Men of various Ages. With so many Different Women all Looking The Same, it doesn't take much to stand out from the Crowds there. And so many of the Women in their Yoga Outfits to go to the Mall, there's no Gym there or Yoga Studio, so it just looks ridiculous and contrived. In the 1970's on that side of the Valley they all used to wear their Tennis Outfits with Visors everywhere. And in the 1980's their Dancerobics Outfits with Leotards and Leg Warmers, and often the Head Sweat Band of Terrycloth. *LOL* Now Princess T said it's the Lululemon Gear or Fabletics worn everywhere. Every time we'd see another one, she'd turn to me and Grin, say "Cut & Paste", and then we'd both burst out Laughing.
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Blessings, Love and Light from the Arizona Desert... Dawn... The Bohemian
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