Sad Occurrences Locally ~ And... Make It Work

Okay, so I Bought this Novelty Air Freshener off E-Bay coz it came in my Algorithm Feed on The Book Of Faces, since, they KNOW me so well *Winks*... and well, how could I NOT Buy it just to make me Smile each day!?  *LOL*  You know I never Believed he Offed himself, there were Holes big enuf to drive a Semi Truck thru that whole Story of why he never made it to Trial even tho' he Pled the 5th at his Deposition.  And his very convenient and highly suspiciously Weird method of alleged "Suicide" {an inordinate amount of Sheets in the Cell}, precluded him from participating in further Depositions or Singing like a Canary to implicate, well, those on The List.  He knew too much... and he was handily disposed of, let us just say.

 

And to show I'm not the only Family Member with a Twisted Sense of Humor, Princess T and her Boyfriend's Family do too.  When she was Little, this was one of her Favorite Mexican Treats, it's like a little Pudding Cup with Two Flavors.  Well, when she was visiting the Boyfriend the other day, they put it against the Arms of her and Rusty, The Boyfriend, so show their Complexions match the match-up of the Color of Puddings perfectly!!!   *Bwahahahahaha*  She Laughs becoz Rusty's Mom actually still thinks she's a White Girl.  *Ha ha Ha*  I guess his Mom doesn't know her Surname, which is definitely Hispanic, or that her Dad is a Mexican National who got Deported after she was Born?!  *LMAOROTF*  She used to be Swarthy like Rusty, but she and her Older Brother lightened up with Age.   And if they stay out of the Sun, they do look White.

Anyway, I'm back from the Urgent Care now and she had a very nasty strain of the Flu that's going around and the Doc said has beat the Flu Vaccine for it, so they've had a lot of Patients suffering badly from it.  We can probably Thank Anti-Vaxxer and Covidiot Worm Brain Kennedy for the lack of Vaxxes there will be for preventable illnesses and Deaths of things we could have, and should have, had Vaccines rolled out for.  Like the Flu Strains and COVID, which can and still will Kill folks.  Princess T was very Sick with this Flu and had it since Saturday, so, they gave her IV Fluids, a Shot in the Ass, and Three Rx for Nausea, the Trots, and the Headache/Cramps Pain that had totally incapacitated her.  She couldn't keep anything down, now she might be able to?  She only Weighs 93 Lbs. on a Good Day, so can't afford Weight Loss from Sickness.

They usually give the Shot in the Arm but the Doc said she's so Thin that the only Muscle Meat that the size of that Shot needed was on her Buttocks.  *LOL*  She had a complete Anxiety Attack about the IV being in her so I had to keep her distracted.  Her Body sucked that down so fast tho' it was Crazy, the whole Bag of IV was gone in a Flash and she felt considerably better afterwards and had Color returning to her Face.  We have a great Urgent Care Facility near us and at Three in the Morning we were the only ones there, so she got undivided attention, we were Home by 5:00 a.m..  I got her Rx filled at the Grocery Store Pharmacy nearby quickly too, and did our Grocery Shopping coz Princess T said she was Buying what we needed.

As it turned out our Social Security Checks hit JUST IN TIME, so that Checks I'd sent out Cleared, with $16 to Spare, Close Call tho', by literally HOURS!  *Whew*  Since the Credits hit before Debits!  And an Auto Pay for our Life Insurance hit JUST after our Checks FINALLY hit, or that would have needed the Bank to cover it and Charge me an Overdraft Fee of $34, so, even Closer Call!!!  *Wipes Sweat Off Brow*  I do not like having so much of our Earned Income that is OUR Money held up by the Federal Government... and Dodging Bullets Financially due to it every fucking Month now he's been in Office.   So, if our State AG's Lawsuit prevails against the Government, since she is Suing them over it, it will be interesting if those of us who were Victims of this Regime's Punitive withholding of our Money, nets us some Restitution and Compensation for expenses and losses incurred?

Anyway, so I could finally Exhale.  *Ahhhh*  It was seriously Stressing me Out and I did have to transfer $500 in Emergency Funds into our Household Account, or I would have incurred about $100 for SURE in Penalties of having to choose either Late Charge Fees and a Hit to our Credit... or Overdraft Fees if the Bank had to cover for us!?  I don't like having to Play Whack-A-Mole Financially in our Retirement Years, all becoz of some Vengeful Billionaire Criminal Psychopath on a Power Trip, who I'd never Vote for, EVER, and no amount of coercion would change that Fact... or Vote for anyone like him!!!  I Stand for what I Believe in.  And I strongly Support and Believe in a Democracy... not an Autocracy, not Fascism, not a Theocracy, not an Authoritarian or Totalitarian Cruel Dictator Wannabe, not a Convicted Criminal and Sexual Predator as my Chosen Leader or have any Cult Devotion to MAGAt's Orange Jesus.

Speaking of which, isn't it Interesting, if not Comical, that all of a sudden this Orange wannabe Messiah who Needs so badly to be Worshipped and Adored like a god, is so worried he won't get into Heaven and had that very Odd Rant about it, how, he's not doing so good and is at the bottom of the Heaven Totem Pole?!  *LOL, ya Think, given all the Evil shit he's done in his Life for the last Six Decades at least!*   Moving On... Princess T Bankrolled Lunch as well as Grocery Shopping, if I'd fly to Buy it all... so we had "Ed's Fish N Chips" for Lunch, she and I got Catfish N Chips and The Man got Scallops N Chips plus Fried Zucchini we all split.  She's Quarantined for a couple days while getting over her Flu Contagion and that's her Comfort Food.  With the Rx Meds it's helped her keep Food down finally, she was almost Passing Out from how weak she had become having this since Saturday.  But she has Anxiety/Panic Attacks at Doctor's Offices or Emergency situations.

I'm so many Posts Scheduled ahead now I don't even know which Images I've already used, so Forgive me for any repeats?!  *LOL*  I'm not taking many Pixs, but my Algorithm Feed on The Book Of Faces has had plenty of Eye Candy to Crib and Share so I'm filling in with those fabulous Visuals... especially the Food Porn!  Some of those Recipes I'd like to try out actually, definitely something I'd eat and probably enjoy.  Speaking of things I do like to eat and enjoy, one of our Fav little Indie Owned Restaurants in the Old Historic Neighborhood which is housed in a 1930's Historic Home converted into a Restaurant, had a terrible incident this Morning as we drove past it!  

 A Car had driven right thru the "Coldwater Coffee House & Bakery" Building, Police were everywhere, I Pray none of their Customers or Workers/Owner were Harmed?!  It's in a 25 mph Zone on a Narrow Historic Street with Two Lanes, and this Vehicle had to be Speeding to drive up over Sidewalks, the Curb, thru Bushes/Landscaping, Cement Parking Barriers, the Cement Front Steps to the Building and well into the far side of their Produce/Bakery Section!!!   See the Above Image... the Car destroyed and was sitting INSIDE this whole Section of the Building that houses the Restaurant and their little Store.  They grow all their own Produce on the Acreage out Back of the Building, and Sell Fresh Eggs laid by their Aunt's Heirloom Hens, they do all their own Bakery items too.  This was the little Store portion that got hit... and the Upstairs section above it may have been compromised by that Bearing Wall being totally destroyed too?  The Car's rear end was hanging outside the building, but it just stopped short of plowing thru where you see Diners in the Dining Area of this Photo!!!

 

It's busiest at Breakfast/Brunch and Lunch and is a Local Spot for people to meet, eat and Socialize.  We know the Owners, their Family's Grandparents built almost all of the Historic Downtown of Avondale, including this Building, which began as a Home on Acreage, converted to a Restaurant about 30 Years ago.  Somebody had to be driving Crazy to do that or evading Police in a High Speed Pursuit perhaps?  It may have structurally damaged the Property significantly, it's a Two Story Structure and took out 1/4 of the Downstairs in Front!!!  Luckily their Kitchen, Barista and Check-Out, Ordering and Dining is in the other 3/4 the Car didn't drive thru.  *Whew*   And the sad part is, the Owner had just gotten a Grant for Preservation of the Building/Business and had just finished all of the improvements!!!   The Car hit where those Two Far Windows are on the Right of the Building and beside the Palm Tree, took out the Front Porch/Front Door area too and was tilted off the Front Steps!   Which it had breached all of those Cement Steps and Cement Parking Barriers in front of the Restaurant, and the Parking Barriers by the Street Side too/Curb/Sidewalk/Mature Landscaping between the Street & Sidewalk!!!

We often bought Produce, Eggs and Bakery Items as well as eating there.  The Owner had told me that whenever we start Organic Farming here they'd Buy from us too, they Host Farmer's Markets often on the Premises and have Local Events.  They just Posted on their FB Biz Page that everyone is Fine, it had happened just an Hour before we saw the Emergency Crews already there, and the Owner said everyone is Fine.  *Whew*  So, nobody is at least hurt or Dead, don't know exactly what happened, they just said on the Video it was an Emergency and they'd be Closed until further Notice.  It was the Owner's Wife doing a Live Feed, she was visibly Shaken and that is quite the Trauma to experience, I'm sure they and Customers were in there as the Car plowed thru the Building, what a Shock!!!  Just a Week before that Two Teens evading Police in a High Speed Pursuit Died when they Crashed into a Convenience Store Market Building only a Block away from there and the Building caught on Fire and Burnt to the Ground!!!

I'm brokenhearted for both Small Business Owners becoz it's Businesses like theirs that have been the backbone of that Historic Barrio now for numerous Generations.   The Restaurant Owners are 5th Generation of that area doing Business there.   Most Locals walk there daily, we used to when we lived in the Historic Property becoz it was walking distance from our House, less than half a Block.   Our Old Property was only about a Decade and a Half earlier than this Property, which once was a Farmhouse in the very early 1930's and before the City was incorporated in the 1940's.   Our Historic Property was once part of the Old Avondale Ranch at the turn of the Century from late 1800's-1920 Era.  Back when Avondale was still an Old West Stage Stop called Coldwater Station becoz it's by the Agua Fria River.

Yes, perhaps few of the Newbies to the area that are only interested in Gentrifying everything don't Care about the History, but long time Residents do and are Proud of it.   Generational Families who' built the original Structures and are deeply rooted in Community and Invested in it for several Generations do Care.  They don't mind Progress but don't wanna be displaced either or have deep pocket Investors and greedy Developers destroying everything for a Profit and to cater only to the Newbies just moving here or who are a wealthier and Whiter Demographic.  Mostly this Community were Hispanic Families who either worked in Agriculture, Dairies, Poultry Farming, Goodyear Rubber or owned Small Family Businesses.   Now it's a larger City and not a Town anymore, the Population is around 100,000 now and diverse in Demographics and Socioeconomics.  Some growth has been good and some of it has not been, I have a Love-Hate Relationship with Gentrification when they try to run off Original Residents and displace them.  Only a few can Hold The Line under such intense pressures.

I Love my Community and why we moved back here, becoz of the deep sense of Community and how many Locals don't leave.   I don't mind the Newbies, so long as they respect those who've been here longest and don't expect everything to be all about them all of the time when they only just moved here.   Our Mini Farm Community goes back to the 1960 Era so are almost all Long Time Families living here, surrounded by the City as it grew up around them.  What were once huge Agricultural Farms and Pristine Desert around our Mini Farms now is totally Urban Sprawl, some of it Welcome and Good, some of it, not so much.  Progress happens and Luckily our Community is a large enuf one of Homeowners of Mini Farms, spanning half a City Block Wide and Deep, that we'll not be displaced like the Singular Farms were in the area one by one.  

I don't wanna see all the Small Indie Family Owned Businesses disappear, they've weathered so much adversity already.  And I enjoy Supporting them and prefer doing Business with them.  You become Friends with these Business Owners, you're never gonna become Friends with an Amazon, Tesla, or Wal-Mart Owner, they don't even know who you are even if you do lots of Business with them.    All of the Small Indie Business Owners we know Give Back to their Communities in meaningful and consistent ways... and they KNOW their Customers, often by your First Names.  They're often also your Neighbors and you know several Generations of each other's Families too.  I like that.   So, I Hope both Businesses can recover from the damages done by Reckless and Irresponsible Drivers and be adequately compensated by Claims and back in Business soon.

I'm still waffling on whether or not to go to the Event Tomorrow.  I've been rather ambivalent lately about going places even if it's something I usually enjoy.  I just don't feel enthusiastic about it enuf to bother is the best way I can describe it, I'd be just as Fine doing Nothing.  *LOL*  I did trek to the Dollar Store, where damned near everything now is $1.50, a 25% increase from the $1.25 it was after the Pandemic, and now with the Tariff's, about 50% of their Merch is now $1.50 or even more.  The Bottled Crystal Geyser Six-Pacs of Mountain Spring Water were still $1.25 and they were almost out of them so I got 14 Pacs.  But all Cleaning and Laundry supplies are now $1.50 so my DAWN Dishwashing Liquid was more and so were my Suavitel Dryer Sheets... still Cheaper than the Grocery Stores tho'.  All Pet Foods and Supplies went up to $1.50 at least now too, that's a new increase.  Luckily I'd bought Eli a bunch of it earlier in the Month when it was still $1.25.

I'm scaling way back as prices soar, things we don't absolutely Need we just don't Buy now and I suspect most consumers will do the same and the Economy will go into a Recession due to it.   Wages and Retirement COLAs aren't going up to match Inflation, so, it's what you have to do... and Interest Rates are so high on Credit that I won't use Credit Cards at all.  I rarely did anyway, now I absolutely won't... they're charging Mobbed Up Rates that are Insane!!!   The AVERAGE they're charging is just barely a Hair below 25%!!!   Yikes!!!  I'd like that kind of Return on my Money, how about you?  *Eye Roll*   The Average Mortgage Rate is still just below 7%, ours is at 2%, and I don't even like not having a Paid Off Home anymore actually, but 2% I could at least Live with paying.  Once you've Owned Paid Off Properties and Vehicles, you don't like having a Loan/Mortgage anymore.  But, Life happens, shit happens...

In 1981 Mortgage Rates were almost at 17% so it's not as bad as that Period of Bad History.  But at that time I was a Renter, and shortly later owned a Paid Off Mobile Home on my own Paid Off Land, so, I Cared not, I was Debt Free and had a Paid Off Truck too, even tho' I was a Single Parent at the time.  I'm okay with how things turned out even tho' they didn't turn out as initially carefully Planned for in Retirement.  Didn't Plan for The Man to get so Sick and Disabled he couldn't Work and had to take a Forced Disability Retirement.   Didn't Plan to have to take an Early Retirement myself to be a Full Time Unpaid Caregiver of an ailing Spouse and also be Raising Two Special Needs Grandkids simultaneously.  But, you Make It Work, as Tim Gunn of "Project Runway" used to famously say.  *Winks*   And, we've Made It Work.

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I Hope you're Making It Work too my Friends... Dawn... The Bohemian