I'm 68 And Tired Of All The Hate

 The Blog Post Title Hook came to me when Commenting on another favorite Blog and I'm not gonna Waste it coz it Rhymes.  *LOL*  By time time this Post Publishes I will have gone to my last Halloween Event Days ago.  It's the one I'm uncertain about becoz it looked very Harvest Hobby Lobby or World Market Aesthetic, rather than a Halloween Atmosphere or Vibe at all.  Harvest Theme is Okay, in November, when I'm past Halloween and concentrating on Thanksgiving Celebrations and deep into Autumnal Vibes by then, before it switches to Winter and those Vibes, Celebrations and Holidays.  Which will all be here quick enuf, the Shops are already deep into Merchandising for Winter and Christmas.  I'll keep it Autumnal in my Showroom thru Mid-November before I switch over to Christmas Colors, Atmosphere and Merch.  I have some Primo Vintage Christmas in the Showcase, most of it has Sold already.

It looks like Rain is coming, I feel it when I'm Outside and smell it in the Air.   So, it's humid but Cooled down some, we may go out and about coz of it being Cooler.  I'll be having my Me Day Thursday for the Event, so try to take The Man to do something on the Wednesday before, so he will not wanna tag along on my self-indulgent day of Respite from Caregiving.  He's been behaving for the Kiddos so that I can decompress and catch a Break, they don't mind looking after him for me if he behaves and doesn't get difficult for them.  So, I always have a Come To Jesus with him beforehand that I will be conducting Interviews with the Kids upon my return to see how he was for them?  *Winks and LOL*  Sometimes he won't Eat for them and gets contrary in my absence.  They have to remind him that MOM/GRAMMA SAYS he has to be Fed and kept Safe when I'm gone and nothing can happen to him on their Watch.  *LOL & Eye Roll*

This is why they say I can never be "Allowed" to Die... they have a valid Point.   I'm a bit indispensable to all of them.  *Bwahahaha*   Ah, to be Needed... what a Pain in the Ass.   *LMAOROTF*   Listen, I'd be one of those folks who'd rather NOBODY actually Need me, it would make Life, and especially alleged Retirement Time, so much more liberating, Stress Free and easier.   To only have to worry about myself would be a fucking Cake Walk.  I actually envy those of you who only have to worry about yourselves and nobody is totally dependent upon you and you can do whatever you want whenever you want to, with no obligations to anyone or having to seek coverage in your absence... it would be Bliss I tell ya!!  Correct me if I'm delusional or Wrong about that?  *Winks*

Anyway, Moving On, I can see Inflationary Prices already affecting so many things as I was enjoying perusing just the Halloween Offerings for this Season.  And that's not just OOAK Handmade Merch either, so much of the mass produced Merch was overpriced this Season.  I'm glad that I have most of my Halloween Decor from previous Years becoz the Price Points this Year, even for items not Imported, is astronomically higher than previous Years for Lines of Inventory like Ashland Halloween, Sold at MICHAELS Big Box Craft Stores, was more than doubled what the Price Point used to be before!   A lot of Stores even have Price Stickers on top of the Manufacturers Price Stickers becoz they're increasing the Prices even more before stocking the Shelves with it!  It won't Help the Economy for the average Consumer at all, if the Interest Rate is reduced by a Quarter Percentage Point by the Federal Reserve, which might Help the Stock Market, but, will make Inflation higher and everything Cost more for us all. 

I did hit our local "Dollar Tree" Store nearby and pick up some Essentials, most of which are now $1.25-$1.50, some even up to $1.75.  Pretty soon we'll have to be calling them the Two Dollar Stores.  *Eye Roll*  I bought some Halloween Spider Rings with Jeweled Behinds in Six different Jewel Colors for the Halloween Toy Handout Jar while there.  And some Candy Cigarettes Halloween Treats that will be handed out.  The Man was sneaking Snacks into the Shopping Cart like he thinks I wouldn't notice.  *LOL and Eye Roll*  I just warned him I better not find him in a Sugar Coma when he eats too much of any of it!  He got a bag of Tootsie Rolls, some M&M mini packs of Cookies, some Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip mini packs of Cookies, yeah, he'll be on a Sugar High when he gets into it if we don't moderate his portions closely.  *Le Sigh*  He promised to Ration it, but, I know him... he'll try to stash the empty Wrappers somewhere so we don't know how many he ate until The Daughter and I do Housekeeping and find where he hid the Evidence.  *LOL*

He is pretty damned sneaky and creative about where he hides his Evidence he's misbehaved, I'll give him that!  You'd think he'd been on a covert op behind Enemy Lines so it all wouldn't be detected!!!   *Bwahahaha*   The Daughter will be like, Mom, come look where Dad hid it all this time!!!  *Smiles*   Well, ya gotta Die of Something, as my own Dear Old Dad used ta say as his excuse when we would nag him about what he shouldn't be doing in his Old Age.   Dad would be Smoking Cigarettes while ON his Oxygen!!!  I thought for sure he'd Die in an explosion!!!  *LOL*   But, he didn't Die from Smoking and he didn't Die of the Cancer he was Diagnosed with either, in fact, his Death Certificate pretty much ruled out he Died of anything diagnosed that should have Killed him, he just had decided it was a Good Day to Die one day and that was that.   He just Gave Up The Ghost as the Oldtimers used to say and went Peacefully from Time into Eternity.

My Dear Mom on the other Hand went Rounds with The Grim Reaper like she was in an MMA Cage Match with Death, for YEARS and YEARS.  She was Dying longer than anyone I'd ever heard get that Grim Prognosis in fact.  I don't particularly think I wanna go Out like that, I'm more like my Dad in Outlook about Death and have endured enuf hairy Battles here in Life that I don't want to engage in one at Death, if I can avoid doing so.  I try to just Live fully and in the Moment each and every Day, so I have few regrets at the close of every Day I've had the Privilege of Growing Older.   It is a Privilege not afforded to many and I do recognize that and appreciate it.    I'm making Chili for Today, it's been Cooking in the Crockpot all Day and will be ready to feed everyone anytime now from 2:00-Onewards when each person gets Home from Work and the ones that don't Work feel Hungry for it.   So, it's my Blog Food Porn for the day too.  *Smiles*

 

I know that even my fussiest Eaters will eat the Hell out of a good Chili. So, it's my easiest One Pot Meal to prepare for them all and will feed the multitudes cheaply too.   I think The Man had pulled some Ground Lamb out of the Freezer for it coz he saw I had pulled some Middle Eastern flavor profiles for this Chili.   I let him choose the Meat and I used whatever other ingredients I wanted in it, including some Heirloom Cherry Tomatoes that needed to get used up... Six kinds of Beans, including some Middle Eastern Canned Varieties Imported from Lebanon and Egypt, which are Traditionally flavored in the Can... a good Chili Starter I get from "Sprouts" now as a Tomato Base... some Veggies... and various Herbs & Spices I like to use for good Chili Stock Base.

I got a Four Cheese Grated Blend and cut up some Sweet Onion for Garnish for it.  Comfort Food.  I Needed it.  I turned on the TV momentarily, only to turn it right back Off when they were covering the Pomp & Circumstance, the Pageantry extravaganza Dinner, being Hosted by The Royal Family in England, while groveling for Favor of this disgusting excuse of an American President, whose engaging in Global and Domestic Extortion shamelessly.  To Shake Down everyone just like a Cartel or Mob Boss would, and Kissing of the Ring and his Ass... OMG, fucking Gak and so revolting!!!   It's a nauseating Spectacle on Display and I just can't watch any of it.  All the kowtowing, humiliating Prostrating, phony disingenuous necessary obtuse Flattery, and shameless Ass Kissing going on.  Of coarse the regular Citizenry were Protesting it outside of the Palace, their sentiments pretty much mirroring most of ours.   They can't stand our President and that's a pretty broad Global sentiment from the Feedback I see and hear constantly, along with their condolences to us to suffer him and his entourage as our Leaders.

Okay, and THIS, see the Price Tag... this is what I was talking about.  These Wreaths used to cost about $25-$40, not fucking $80+, and this was one of the less expensive ones and it's not that Special, it's mass produced, in America, since this Company is an American one in Downtown Ashland, Virginia.   If it were being Manufactured in and Imported from China, I'd expect the whopping increase due to Tariff Taxation, but, WTF?!   And so I Rest my Case that Inflation is already rampant and likely to worsen, so it doesn't matter to most of us if Borrowing Money will be a Quarter of a Percentage Point lower, unless you're Living Off your Credit Cards right now or making a major Purchase of a Home, Car, or whatever.   And a Quarter of a Percentage Point ain't much, but, they're timid about Inflationary impact, as they should be whenever they cut Rates, Economics 101.   Which, clearly, it seems most of the Public doesn't even understand the most rudimentary Basics of Economics???  Mebbe it should be taught as a Requirement in Schools!!!

Everyone on Earth uses some kind of Currency in Life, so I don't think anyone should be totally ignorant of Economics and Finances.  Whatever Currency they use, they should have at least the most basic of an understanding of.  Ignorance isn't Bliss, it's just Ignorance.  When I used to Debt Counsel folks in Economic Crisis and about to lose their most valuable Investments in my First Corporate Life, I was always aghast at how many, no matter how much they earned or how intelligent they seemed, were Clueless when it came to managing their Money and their Assets.   Sometimes it's difficult to not wonder, during an attempt to Assist or Counsel someone in serious Crisis, about to lose everything, who you know you'll NOT get through to... how are you even still Alive?!  *Le Sigh and Eye Roll*   Usually within the first Couple Minutes of talking to anyone about something like that, you know they either can be Helped or they're a Lost Cause and beyond being Helped.  And there is a difference between genuinely Helping and Enabling, don't fall into the latter wasting your precious Time or Resources.

Folks in perpetual Crisis are in that Pattern for a reason, and many stubbornly refuse to Learn or to Change.  They want to keep doing the same things that got them into Trouble and yet expecting different results.  Which, never Works.  Anyway, I'm out of that Industry now and I'm glad coz it was a mess and getting messier when I left and it ain't gotten much better in the interim for Corporate Banking IMO over the Years.   Moving On... my Chili turned out good.   And we used Paper Bowls with Halloween Graphics, so not much cleanup necessary, but, very Seasonally Festive.  *Smiles*   Don't know we'll have much, if any, Leftovers?  But, it was at least one nice Meal with enuf for seconds if someone wanted some.  It's Helpful that The Daughter and I Organized our Pantry and Freezers so we know what's on Hand and what we need to replenish that's a Staple.   I try to keep Staples on Hand and not run out.  And I try to buy them when the best pricing on them is available.  Some of our Dollar Stores carry a decent Selection of what we Need at a better price point still.

I just read another Fav Blogger's Post that said he was trawling the Interweb to look for Foreign Destinations to become an Ex-Pat of... how ironic, since, I was doing that a few Days ago myself, with similar sentiments and concerns.  I even Blogged about it, don't think that Post has Published yet in Real Time, but by the time this one Publishes it will have.  I was thinking about the Mexican Riviera, coz, The Daughter has contacts and Friends in Mexico, half of them Mexican Nationals of some importance, half of them American Ex-Pats of some importance, so, we'd have a Posse down there that she spent 20 Years Cultivating.   I think on a Retirement Income we could manage in Mexico, most Destinations I'd be inclined to leave it all behind for, I doubt I could afford and The Man's decline is always a consideration.  Taking this Show on the Road is logistically more a Pipedream than a Reality.  But, if the shit really hits the Fan in America to where I wouldn't feel at all Safe anymore, and Targeted by a Fascist Regime, I wouldn't be opposed to leaving at all.

I do Hope that doesn't become necessary, for anyone not MAGA World, to NEED to Escape the United States and whatever and however this Fuckery Ends and morphs into for most of us.   How it started hardly matters now, it Started, it's now in full swing, the semantics of all that aren't as important as how it Ends.   Those that can leave, definitely will if it comes to Needing to.   I was Born abroad while my Dad was Active Duty Military in the Air Force, so I do have Dual Citizenship from my Birthplace, tho' I am an American Citizen.   My Dad being Native American and part of the First Peoples of this Land gives me definite Ties to the Land here, Ancestrally speaking, so I'd prefer to remain and ride out whatever happens tho'.   I'm no Quitter and I've been known to be Scrappy and a Fighter.  I am surprised at how impotent most Americans have acted tho' on pushing back against all of this, with no Fight in them, even if it will mean their eventual demise or well being.   Just rolling over I don't think is a Wise decision, ever, when you're a Targeted Group.

And I do wonder now what my Dad spent 27 Years in the Military Defending and my Husband spent 39 Years in the Military Defending, for Today's Citizens to just fucking give up and hand it over meekly to a Regime cultivated from Within?   What was the Point?   What good was the Generations of Sacrifices made for those who fought for, many Died for, Preserving as so valuable and Sacred, yet, now, is just being Given Away without a Fight?   It actually makes me Angry.   Angrier still that so many of our Countrymen are siding with it, not just being against it, but, being FOR it all!   Christ on a Bike... how did that even happen?   We know who they are now, but the Why they are still lingers and I'm still not very Clear about how they can Support what they clearly do, and so wholeheartedly too!!!   No matter how abhorrent and Hateful... we've come to find out that some Family, some Friends, some Neighbors, some Co-Workers are rabid MAGA World Devotees... in spite of everything said and done that would make you, should make you, Question it, as, this is pretty Fucked Up and Scary Extremist Shit! 

All of the Kiddos have their Boyfriend or Girlfriend over Today, so we have a Full House of Young People of Two Generations worth.  I think Word got out we were having Chili.  *LOL and Winks*  They all like my Chilis, even tho' every time it's completely different, I don't think I've ever made the same Chili twice.  *Ha ha ha*  There will definitely not be any Leftovers, it's almost all gone now and they're not done eating of it.  I've been in a lethargic Mood, other than dropping and picking up the Grandchild from Work and going to the Dollar Store, making a Crockpot of Chili, that was all I was up to for the entire Day!  It even required an Afternoon Nap!   Lord Jesus, the Weight of the World Stage must be taking a heavier Toll on me than I thought, it's just not Natural to be this Fatigued for Nothing!    I'm just so Glad I've had my Halloween Events as a necessary Distraction from all the Fuckery and grave Concerns.

It's a subterranean Darkness that I just Feel to my very Core about the direction and level of depravity America is embracing.  The lack of Moral Compass, the collective projected Hatreds towards other Human Beings, as if it's Normalizing all of it!    I can go to the Dark Side sometimes, but I couldn't ever go that fucking Dark and that Deep into the Void and the Abyss, Holy Hell!!!   Not even on my most Mental Day have I ever felt that Mentally unraveled that I could embrace any of this going on and being Supported by so many of my Fellow Citizens!!!  It's fucking Creeping me Out big time.  It's Surreal to a point it's like an Episode of the Old "Twilight Zone", next Sign Post up Ahead, I expect ole' Rod Serling to pop out and announce I've entered the Next Stop, The Twilight Zone!

I remember "The Eye Of The Beholder" Episode {Season 2, Episode 6 ~ 1959} Freaked me Out most as a Kiddo, I never forgot it, when Ugliness becomes the Normal, and not just Physically, but, internally Ugly and deformed of Character and Ethics.  Tho' by Modern Standards the Special Effects Makeup are rather Tame and not as frightening as they were then.   But, every Episode did have a 'Message' and usually one that was a Warning.   There were other Episodes that made a lasting impact, that I still remember, even tho' it's probably been Sixty Plus Years since I've seen them.  It was always one of my Favorite Shows from 1959-1964.   I don't know that I watched all 156 Episodes or not for the Five Seasons until it was Cancelled?  But, it was a Cult Classic in spite of the Short Run.   My all time Favorite "The Addams Family" only actually ran for Two Seasons and only 64 Episodes from 1964-1966, tho' still a Cult Classic in spite of the brief Run.   "The Munsters" also only Two short Seasons from 1964-1966 with 70 Episodes, it was another Cult Classic Favorite as a Kiddo.  All to me were Iconic enuf to never be out of Style and still enjoyable to watch Reruns of to this day, my Kiddos Love them all too and know the Actors that portrayed all the Lead Characters.  "The Little Rascals", also known as "Our Gang", was Iconic and did last for a long haul, from the 1920's to the 1940's {1922-1944}, Loved that Show too. 

And Movies like "Rocky Horror Picture Show" {1975} and "Little Shop Of Horrors" {1986}, well, those are some I can watch Annually and never Tire of the Characters and Camp of either.   We used to go to Midnight Showings near ASU to see "Rocky Horror Picture Show" at the Theater and do silly stuff like throw Toast at the Screen and get up and Dance to The Time Warp.  *Smiles*   I watch "Home Alone" {1990} and "National Lampoons Christmas Vacation" {1989} every Christmas.   And of coarse before Halloween, we do Marathon Horror Movie Classics like the original "Halloween" {1978}, not as fond of all the Sequels.   It has become a Tradition and Ritual to watch many of these during the Holidays to make it feel 'Complete'.  I've taken to watching some of the Classics I wasn't as Ritualistic about watching, and enjoyed them too.  And of coarse I always now watch "Halloween Wars" and the Holidays Baking Shows for both Halloween and Christmas.   

And, it's Campy and the Kiddos make Fun of us all the time, but, I do enjoy the Ghost Hunter Shows, the Bigfoot Hunter Shows, the Skinwalker Ranch and Blind Frog Ranch Shows about unknown phenomena, so does The Man.  We hardly miss an Episode, even tho' some of the Shows are them finding absolutely no substantial evidence, but, you always Hope they just might, coz I do Believe some Exists.  I'm Curious like that and a Believer in some things we haven't yet figured out or can definitively prove.   I mean as recently as now some once thought Extinct Species not seen for over 100 Year or EVER are turning up, and new Discoveries all of the time, so we don't yet know Everything there is to know about our own Planet, let alone other Planetary Life that might exist, or Realms that exist after Death and in the Spirit Realm.  And many Cultures, for Centuries, all over the World, have talked of similar things and I don't think that's mere coincidence.  Especially when for Centuries they had no Contact with each other to compare Stories, Legends, or what they 'knew' existed and therefore never Questioned the existence of.

My Dad's People do Believe in the Skinwalkers and the Bigfoot Creatures, I never had doubt of existence of either, since numerous Tribes Ancestral passing along of experiences validated it enough for me.   I Believe that Energy never Dies it just Changes Form, so I do Believe and have had Experiences of Spirit, practically all of my Life, so, never doubted it.  Mom's Culture are avid Believers and she was too.  Once you have even One firsthand Experience all Doubt is expelled and you're no longer a Skeptic.  I lived in a legit Haunted Historic Home for 15 Years and we never had a single Guest there or Family Member that didn't have an Experience, scared the shit out of most people... tho' nothing was ever malevolent.   And, I didn't mind Sharing Space with Spirit, they were there long before we were, I just set Boundaries about interactions, Intelligent Spirit activity can respond favorably, Residual cannot, it's just doing what it does on Repeat.

And I was Young when I first saw my first UFO, in a mass sighting above the Atlantic Ocean on Cape Cod in the early 1960's, tho' the most recorded one was in 1953, with mass sighting and there with the missing F-94 sent to pursue it.  And The Phoenix Lights while living here in Phoenix {1997} and most recently again in about 2023 above The White Tank Mountains this time, many folks have Recorded those Local Sightings that cannot be explained away.   And I'm sure as our Technology keep improving and more people Video Record or Photograph things on their Phones, we'll see more Evidence mounting up about things previously not always captured as evidence of their existence.  As for the Bigfoot Worldwide, I am concerned about how Safe THEY will be once revealed and how some Humans might respond unfavorably or cruely?  At one time, remember, that many Ethnic Groups of Primitive living Indigenous Human Beings were treated and hunted like Animals and not given any benefit of Humanity extended.

So, in a way, I Hope they just remain elusive and a Mystery to ourselves, so they can live out their lives without being Hunted like Animals, Caged, or have Experiments done on them in the Name of Science.  Not to mention, they seem like very big, very powerful Beings, whatever Species they are.   So, if they felt threatened enuf or Territorial enuf about our presence when interactions happen too frequently, then once it ends very Badly for Humans and some of us got killed or harmed by them, they'd be Targeted for sure.   Scared fearful Humans react that way against each other, let alone another Species, or other Humans NOT like them that they vilify or have biases of for any reason.  Just look what's happening in our Society now, the calling of inappropriate unsavory Names of other Human Beings by our President... like Vermin, to describe an actual Human Being!   Once some people can dehumanize another person, it makes it easier for them to justify committing or ordering atrocities towards and against them and to eliminate them.

Since I'm still taking a Kiddo to and from Work like an unpaid Uber Driver, it's not like I can operate on Retirement Time and Sleep in.  So, it's Thursday, the Morning of my Event, and I'm ready Three Hours ahead of time coz I had to be up anyway to get Princess T to Work on time.   She was running late and always makes it seem like that's MY problem, to then get her there on time!  *Eye Roll and LOL*   I had a couple of Bills to Mail since we finally had gotten our Social Security Checks, and in front of her Store they have a Mailbox.  She got a bit miffed I asked her, since she was getting out of the Truck anyway, to Post them in the Mailbox FOR me... oh, the High Drama... but, she did it, and had a whole Minute to spare to get her Time Card punched in for the Day, so, Calm Down Child!   *Bwahahahaha*  She can be so Dramatic, as Teens and Young Adults tend to be.  Virtually anything can be turned into a perceived Crisis for a Meltdown Moment.  *Smiles* 

 

By the way, aren't all these Faux Foods they had at "Ivy & Sage" just Wonderful?  What an Artist that particular Vendor is, same one that makes all the Altered Art Dolls of Halloween Characters, huge Mushrooms, Scary Forest Trees, Gnomes, Creepy Fabric Dolls, and Painted Wooden Props, all very distinctive.   The amount of volume that they have produced by Hand out of their Art Studio and is OOAK is impressive.  I think I know which Vendor it is becoz they used to be at another Event's Venue for Years.  I bought some of their Holiday Gnomes, then they left that location and I heard they went into a Brick & Mortar Store instead of just doing an Occasional Market Event Four Days Monthly.   It was a Mom and her Daughters, perhaps some extended Relatives and Friends too, that produced what they Sold, a whole Cottage Family Business with much Talent and distinction to their Work, so, you recognize it as being theirs.

When their Gnomes began Selling like Crazy, the usual happened, and other Vendors started Copy Cat Product to compete, but, I always thought the Original Creators of them were the best, so I never bought the other Vendor's Product.  Yes, it was Cute, but it wasn't as well done IMO and it was in fact Knocking Off what the Originals were.   That happens tho', anytime you're Selling something that everyone starts Buying, then Copy Cats jump on Board and it becomes not as Unique anymore if everyone is Selling it.   To be the most Successful you really have to be more Original in whatever you're offering, and distinctive, even if other people are offering something similar, make yours the most standout Product or the best Quality, or best Price.  It's just the Nature of Retail, I don't get Butt Hurt about it, my Dad always told me that the highest form of Flattery is Imitation, he wasn't Wrong.  But if you're an Original, then you Stand Out as being one, and not a Copy & Paste Version.   And a truly Creative Person won't just have ONE Idea.

I do recall an Artist who was really upset that what she was making, some other people were also making, and she said they had Stolen her Idea.   And I couldn't help myself, I blurted out, "Oh, you just had One?"  *Bwahahahaha*   Listen, she called herself an Artist, so, have some Ideas... plural... if you're relying upon just One, then, you're probably not all that Creative as you think and have become a Legend in your own Mind Girlfriend!   Few have Invented the Wheel anyway, everything that's been done has kinda been done before and someone may have gotten Inspired by it, but if they're not an actual Inventor, they probably didn't fucking Invent it and were the first.  Some CAN say that, but usually they're not the ones Bitching that somebody Stole their Idea.   Even the Tech Bros who do Invent some profitable shit that's never been done before, and are True Genius and Innovators, know that once it's out there, and well received, Knock Offs will happen all over the World now.  Somebody might even do it better, and Cheaper, or more Successfully. 

I felt these Vendors would be hard to Match and the Knock Off Creations couldn't hold a Candle to theirs.  So, they can still profit off their Original Line that came out first and is still Superior IMO.   Yes, now you can go to a Big Box Store and see something similar made in China, probably by enslaved Children, on the Cheap, and if you want that, and Support that so you can Save a Buck, you'll Buy that instead.  Otherwise you'll Stand Tall and spend more to Support an Artisan who runs a Small Business instead, your Choice as a Consumer.  Whatever we Feed is what Grows.  I always encourage people to Shop Small and utilize Indie Businesses as their primary Source of what they're Supporting.  But, most folks don't and will have a myriad of excuses as to why they don't, and it's their prerogative not to, so I just do whatever I feel is Right and is aiding our Entrepreneurs in Small Businesses and Small Farms and Co-Ops.  I get Quality, and Yes, I pay a little more for it, but, it doesn't Break me to.

TED Talk over now... ha ha ha... you do you Boo, I don't really Care.  I just make Suggestions, you make your own Choices.   I'm Off to the Halloween Event at "Sweet Salvage" now, in Real Time, I'll let you know how goes it?    LATER:  Well, the Halloween Event at "Sweet Salvage" exceeded my expectations, I needn't have worried they wouldn't go Full On Halloween, they did, and it was excellent!!!   Why they didn't Photograph the more Halloween Inspired Vignettes for their Social Media Page Sneak Peeks, I dunno?  I even told the Owner, Kim, whose been a Friend of mine for Years, I saw those Harvest Vibe Sneak Peeks and thought, Oh Shit!!!   She Laughed, she knows how I am about Full On Halloween being my favorite of Shows.  *LOL*   So, Yes, took loads of Blog Fodder Imagery, got to visit with all my Industry Designer Friends, it was busy, but, not too busy.  It had Rained that Morning and just stopped Raining when everyone was getting there to stand in Line before it Opened.

The whole drive there it was Raining pretty good so I was glad that when I got to the Heart of the City, it had stopped and was Cooler, but more Humid of coarse.  We Need the Rain, so I never Complain about it, we're in a Desert so Rain is Welcome and Needed during Monsoon Season, which, came Late this Year and we were concerned it wouldn't come at all.   I was seeing the News saying that in Europe, the Heat Wave has Claimed Three Times more Deaths this Summer than previous Years due to Climate Change.   Now, they don't get as Hot as Arizona, but much of Europe also has higher Humidity and no Air Conditioning either.   After your Body reaches Coping with 104 Degree Heat it will be in Crisis Mode.   And even in 90 Degree Heat, with 100% Humidity, you could be in Danger quickly from sweating too profusely and being unable to Cool yourself off sufficiently.

 

I haven't downloaded my Images from the Event yet, just got Home, Princess T said they've pulled so much Overtime, over 100 Hours of it, that they'll be getting off earlier this whole Week.  So, I wanted to be back Home for her.  I behaved myself at the Event and only Bought just One thing, a smallish Santos Crown, very Ornate, and a good price, it will Grace the Head of some Taxidermy.   It looks like the kind of Santos Crown that a Medium Sized Saint Statuary would have worn, Gold with Jewels set all around it and a Cross on Top.  There's a GOODWILL near the Event, so I popped in there on the way Home and got a Two Handled Enormous LODGE Cast Iron Campfire Pan, that Online is Selling for between $91-$120, and I got for $20, it's about 17" across and Round.  I also got a nice Paper Mache' Jack O'Lantern for only $2.49.   I went to CAVA for Lunch and got a Seasoned Lamb Mediterranean Salad with Harissa Pita Chips and a Lemonade for Lunch.  For Breakfast I'd gone to Joe's Diner and had Seasonal Berry Crepes and Iced Coffee.

It was a very nice Me Day Out in spite of wrapping it up earlier than usual to make sure I'd be Home in time to pick the Grandchild up from Work.   And now I have more Blog Fodder Imagery for Days.  *Winks*   So, I heard Jimmy Kimmel was the latest Victim of this Administration's punitive actions for Cancel Culture if you exercise your 1st Amendment Rights!!!   I heard his Comedy Skit that got his Show Cancelled, and of coarse his Station is relying on a big expensive Merger that has to be Blessed by this Administration, so, it's a Shake Down Extortion Quid Pro Quo and I guess the Station Sacrificed one of their Best Talk Show Hosts to get the Merger Done, or it wouldn't get Done, that's for sure with how this Administration breaks Laws and steamrolls over Rights continuously and shamelessly.   

Kimmel's Skit wasn't that Bad and it was all Truth Based anyway, he has as much Right to speak the Truth as the Assassinated Podcast Bro' had to spew his Hateful Deep Biases and Extreme Religious Rhetoric, without either of them being Threatened for doing so.  That's how it should be in America.  If you don't Believe in Free Speech for Everyone, regardless of what they have to Say, you don't Believe in Free Speech at all.  How you Die doesn't exonerate or absolve you from how you Lived tho'.   I do not think the Young Man Assassinated was any kind of Godly Martyr or any kind of Saint by any stretch of the Imagination, that MAGA and this Administration are trying to make him out to be. Based on what I can now Google Live on what he Believed, what he said that you can View for yourself and Listen to, it was Extreme, Hate filled, Racist, Homophobic, White Nationalist, Misogynistic, Anti-Semitic, Islamophobic, not very Christian by Jesus Christ's Standards anyway... so, that's how he Lived his Life.   And he had the Right to Live his Life as he saw fit to, as much as I might not agree with it, or him with mine.

How he Died was terrible and I'd never condone violence and murder for any Grievances people have.   It's what America seems to be condoning now, from the Top on down, with the vitriol constantly spewed forth and Young People galore seem to be picking up on and Acting upon, so, now, here we are.   With a slew of School Shootings, Mass Shootings, Domestic Terrorism, and Assassinations, Political Violence and a devolved Society.   But, how he Died doesn't negate how he Lived either, you can say that, and still have Compassion and Empathy for his Loved Ones and Friends, it's just the Truth.   I do find it Ironic that he himself despised Empathy, but, those who followed him are expecting it from everyone else... the Irony of that doesn't Escape me.  Funny to me that those who'd never extend any to anyone else, when it's them Needing it, they have the expectation and feel Entitled to be deserving of it.  To expect Empathy when you've never given any, is a Big Ask, but, you'll probably get some from truly Empathetic People despite how YOU are and Behave.   That's the difference between us, those who have Empathy and those who do not and probably never will.

 And those of us who are Empathetic by our Nature and Belief that someone hurting, grieving, in Crisis, Dealing with the Issues of Life which can be quite harsh, should have it extended, and so, we will still give it freely, even if they wouldn't towards us ever, becoz that's their Nature.  I always say that out of the Abundance of the Heart, the Mouth Speaks and therefore, it casts away much Doubt.  I rarely Doubt who someone is at their Core and their very Essence, by what they Speak out of the Abundance of their Heart and what it actually holds... good or bad.   And so Charlie Kirk showed us the Condition of his Heart in Life.  I didn't know who he was before his Murder, but now I've heard quite a bit about what he had to say in Life and was a Recorded Testamony of his Point of View, he was quite prolific and bold about putting it out there, however Hateful, Offensive to so many, and extremely Biased.  My own Spiritual Belief is that in Death, we all must account for that before our Maker... and I'll just let my God be the Judge of how each of us Lived Life, him included.

And, I never tell anyone how they should Grieve, or even IF they should. It's not a requirement, it's not mandatory, and everyone, if they do Grieve, has the Right doing so in their own Way and in their own Time.  There are some people I do not Mourn for, there are some people other folks don't Mourn for either.  And I do find it easier to Mourn and Feel something profound for the Loss of those I've been close to and know best, rather than for a total Stanger, who I knew not.   I'm not one to go completely to pieces if some Celebrity or Public Figure Passes, no matter how much I might have liked their Body of Work or the Content of their Character.  How they may have Died might impact me more than a Natural Death, it's always a tragedy if someone Dies prematurely or by Violence, always.   I always Hope the World was a somewhat better place by the impact I have made, however small and insignificant, so that my Legacy will have been a mostly Positive one in Remembrance of the Presence I had in Life.

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But, I am Tired of all the Hate, the Politics and the Posturing, Enough already... Dawn... The Bohemian