I've Been Thru The Desert With A Post With No Name

The Man's VA Home Nurse will be coming every Friday until November, we'd like to keep the lovely Young African Nurse we have, but she said she's filling in temporarily for a co-worker.  I'm hopeful he bonds with whoever that is as well as he did this Young Woman, who we all really liked so much it's a shame she isn't the permanent one.  Usually he isn't comfortable with Strangers, or as cooperative and engaged when they visit.  But she instantly made him feel at ease and had such a delightful sense of Humor coupled with immense compassion for her Patients and their Families.  Coming from an Immigrant Family herself, she had similar sentiments about Caring for your Elders that my own Family have and said Multi-Generational Living is common in her Culture also.

   We always think it's rather funny that the Immigrants from Africa think Arizona is too Hot!  *LOL, think about that for a Minute!*  I've never been to Africa, but a couple of my Friends have taken Safaris there.  It's absolutely spectacular Scenery and fabulous Accommodations they had, and a Hot Continent, but, they agree, not as Hot as Arizona!   Which speaks volumes about how Hot Arizona is!  *Bwahahahhaa*  I remember when we were in Hawaii during the Summer and I put a Windbreaker on coz I was getting Cold during a Zodiac Tour on the Ocean.  Our Hawaiian Guide, who was an Indigenous Polynesian, laughed and simply said, "You're from Arizona, am I right?!"  He said the only people who get Cold in Hawaii have been from Arizona, and they find that humorous too.  *LOL*  So, yeah, it's not called The Valley Of The Sun for nothing.

Okay, so, Death Valley IS Hotter, been there, Hotter.  But, nobody Lives there and only Scotty's Castle is there for a reason.  *Winks*  And that's a fabulous piece of Architecture, inside and out, build by a Conman with the Money he Conned out of the Financer of it in the 1920's thru 1930's, which is how long it took to build.   It got damaged in 2015 from a Flash Flood and is being renovated, so Tours are limited now, but, we went Years ago before The G-Kid Force were even Born and our own Kids were Youngsters.  We used to Travel extensively before The Man got so Sick and Housebound.  Now taking this Show on the Road is too difficult and risky.  I sure do miss Traveling, we always imagined in Retirement we'd Travel more, not less.  I still get Wanderlust but have to press it down, I was a Global Nomad most of my Life Growing up and in Young Adulthood.  I never would have stopped if he'd stayed Well.

That was also back in my Minimalist Days where I had Experiences galore and less Stuff coz I never stayed put and enjoyed the Nomadic Life.  I would still prefer it, but, Life happens, shit happens, you adjust, and perhaps my accumulating was how I Coped with such big Changes beyond my Control?   I do often Wonder how the huge Shift happened from being a Minimalist to being a Maximalist?   And that seemed to be where it intersected, when he began becoming so Medically Fragile we HAD to stay put and there was so much more Stress and uncertainty about the Future and his Health worsening all of the time.  It happened with my Parents too, they Traveled extensively and always had nice things, but Just Enough, until Health deteriorated and stopped it all, so Stuff replaced Experiences for Mom.  But it was Mom whose Health failed, even tho' Dad Died a Decade earlier at 74 and she made it to 84.  {Above is the Youngest Granddaughter back East of our Oldest Daughter's Trio of Kiddos.   She's still Single, no Kids.}

This is common, the Caregivers often Die first coz they've had the abundance of Stress from the many Years of Caregiving and not taking as much Care of themselves.  You Burn Out, Physically, Mentally and Emotionally from the Toll of it over Time.  And I've been doing it now for Decades, and for Four different Generations of Loved Ones, often consecutively as well as concurrently, so I'm way past Burnout.   I'd of Served less Time for Murder actually.  *LMAO... Waaaaaay Past epic Burnout!*   Sometimes the Unfunny stuff now strikes me as so hysterical that I can and do laugh hysterically about it and the Kids tell me, STOP, that's NOT Funny Mom/Gramma!  And it's not Funny, so, that just makes me Laugh more and so hard I begin Crying, from the Laughing, not Sadness, and I can't Stop.  And then they can't stop Laughing either, folks think we're Insane then.  *Winks*  {Above is an Old Pix of one of my Dad's Older Brothers with one of my Cousin's Kids.  She is a Two Spirit Person and the Tribe accepts that better than Western Culture does, Western Culture being so Judgmental and Biased.} 

Anyway, when The VA Nurse was finding Mystery Pills that The Man had snuck into his Pill Box when I hadn't been looking, after filling them properly, I hadn't thought to look, Right?!   And I just began Laughing my Ass off when The Nurse discovered them and The Man is looking like he just got caught with his Hand in the fucking Cookie Jar.  Plus, he had no idea he'd put them there, so Denied it, AS IF somehow the Mystery Pill Fairy fucking had!  And it was all playing out so Surreal and is just so much a part of Mi Vida Loca now with him, that I couldn't remain as Serious as the Moment dictated.  The Nurse couldn't either, actually, Yes, it WAS a Serious matter, but when in between Laughing so Hard Tears were streaming down my Face, I tell her, "See, this is WHY I've been asking for Help for Years and we desperately NEED it!"

The Kids had all piled into our Room by then and told me to STOP, then the Son said, "They're probably Expired too...", which just Elevated how Insanely hilarious it was.  Coz now we've got the Bipolar Autistic Son more concerned about a Mystery Pill being Expired, while his Schizophrenic Sister is Google Lensing the Pills to find out what the fuck they even are coz he hasn't been prescribed any of whatever it is for YEARS, mebbe Decades!?   It was a Xanex, which, I think, he hadn't had since the Year 2000, so that one was Vintage now.  *Bwahahaha*  And Yep, EXPIRED, The Son is saying!  Insert now more Laughter even from the Nurse, as we're trying now to find out what the little Half a Pills he'd cut in Half were... we couldn't discern so I just flushed them all down the Toilet, coz he sure as fuck didn't know.  Then The Daughter and I are Policing the Bedroom to see if he has a Mystery Pill Stash somewhere like a fucking Addict?!

She and The Son have been Addicts, but are also Recovering Addicts, so, I Tasked them with finding Dad's Stash, if he had one, they'd know where an Addict might hide it.   They turned up just Two Bottles of very Old Rx and those Expired Pills got then flushed too.  *LOL*  He's not on any Painkillers and I won't allow Painkillers in the House to tempt him, or The Son, into backsliding into Opioid Addiction.   The Daughter's Drug of Choice was Meth, so, as long as she can have a Mike's Hard and continue on the Alcoholic's Path to keep the Edge Off her Mental Health Torment, she's Golden now.  But, this is what I'm Dealing with constantly, and The Nurse told us this isn't Uncommon for Caregivers and who they Care for, so, I didn't feel so inept and bad about how it can get spun out of control.   When those you're Caring for get Sneaky and untrustworthy about random shit you know nothing about, even tho' you're trying to be vigilant about their Safety and Well Being.

Yeah, it's a Wonder we're all still Alive, huh?  It's like the Blind leading the Blind really.  But, I think, with all the Meds he's on, the VA confusing things, his Civilian Doc doing something different again than the VA is, having a Skilled Professional Nurse helping with his Meds will be a Godsend coz it's confusing as fuck now for me and I've also got to keep track of my own and any the Kiddos might be put on to help them make sure they know what they're doing, somewhat.  *Bwahahaha*  Princess T sees her Gut Specialist soon, I have no idea what the Specialist might find Wrong or how to remedy it?   She has some Meds right now only taken as Needed and she's pretty responsible about handling her own Meds now and asks me if she has Questions about any of it, which is good, she's not winging it.   But, she is Special Needs and Learning Disabled, she still can barely Read or Write, so, I have to ensure she just Listens and Understands verbally what she needs to do.

I just put all the Crates in the She Shed that we had put on the back Porch when we decluttered the Main House.  I'll go thru them individually as the Weather improves and Cools Off.  I did find a whole Crate of Halloween Merch I can put in the Showroom that is already priced and ready to go.  The Labeling of the Milk Crates and Banana Boxes went by the wayside some time ago as the Contents continuously cycled in and out of them, so each is now a Mystery Box to unpack as we go.  I'm getting more brutal about what is Kept and trying hard to just Purge what isn't actively being used or Decorated with right now.  If I haven't used or Styled with it in ages, perhaps I don't NEED to hold onto it?  Unless some major Sentiment is attached, I'd rather have the Money and extra Space it's occupying right now.  *LOL*

I miss being able to see Ray Villafane's Annual Carved Pumpkin Exhibit in Cave Creek-Carefree that they used to Host this time of Year.  It used to be Free, then they began Charging for it, and not just a little bit, so it went from Free to Expensive to attend.  Then the Sister Cities that Hosted it just quit doing it and I don't know where Ray does it now, if it even is local anymore?   Nice Guy he is and Madly Talented, he was in the very first Season of "Halloween Wars" and nobody could compare to his Pumpkin Carving, he's one of the Godfathers of Pumpkin Carving Professionally.   He elevated Pumpkin Carving to an Artistic Sculptural level that could profit those who now do it for a Living and hold Classes and Workshops to Train others how to.

The Man is still not feeling good after his Vaxxes so he opted to stay Home while I got errands done.  Princess T had taken some PTO for her Birthday so she was off and I was footloose and fancy free not to have other obligations, I even turned down a Shift to fill in Tonight at the Antique Mall, didn't have it in me.  Plus, The Son had already asked me if I'd pick up a Fridge that Q is giving us after he gets off Work.  We might need a Fridge coz ours is appearing unreliable and tho' Mondo fixed what was wrong with it last time it's making new noises now.  It's only going on Six Years Old and was a very expensive Model that came with the House, the previous Owner conveyed all brand New Appliances with the Sale, but, large Appliances don't last like they used to.  You almost need to keep a 20 Year Old Fridge for when the one you Bought brand New last Year goes on the fritz.  *LOL and Le Sigh*

I probably should have worked the Shift coz my Sales are shitty this pay period, but everyone's is, my Friend Michael was telling me Today when I went in to drop of more Halloween Merch and Holiday Themed T-Shirts that he's thinking of moving to the New Antique Mall opening up on 35th Ave. and Dunlap.  I'd gotten an algorithm feed of it and intend to go take a look at it, but, that's too far to commute to become a Vendor there, even if it's a better Mall and better Management.  I don't have it in me to tear down a whole Showroom to move it somewhere else anyway, and then set up another Space.   Better the devils you know than the devils you don't, as my Dear Old Nanna used to say.   I have a lot of Friends at this Antique Mall and have been there since the beginning, made the first Sale there actually, before we even opened, to another Vendor.  Few of us Originals even left anymore.

Today after I worked my Space, which was pretty messy considering how slack Sales are, so we've just had messy Assholes coming in and not Buying, just tearing things up.   So, it took me a full Hour to tidy the mess someone had made, throwing T-Shirts on the Floor and letting their Kids open Packages of Toys, probably Stealing what they wanted.  It's frustrating since Vendors working should patrol the whole Mall keeping an Eye out for that shit and some don't, they're too lazy and would rather be on their Phones or standing around Socializing than doing what they're supposed to as not only Customer Service, but to Patrol for Vandals and Shoplifters and be a Presence on the Sales Floor.

Anyway, got that done and did some Environmental Cleanup and also picked up more River Rocks for the Rock Mosaic Project.  Then I stopped by a local Carniceria to pick up some freshly made Red and Green Pork Tamales, some Pork Lard, and some Fresh Bolillos with Cream Cheese and Hatch Green Roasted Chiles or Jalapenos.  They Sell Out of those fast so I got the last Five they still had in the Panaderia section of the Carniceria in Tolleson.  We have several local Mexican Meat/Bakery Markets within Five Miles of Home, so if I can't find what I want at one, I have several more I can get to close by.  I was there just after Noon, which is a little late to the Party, since it's all made Fresh every Morning and usually Sells Out by Afternoon, but, luckily they still had everything I wanted.   The Bolillos are large enuf to make a whole Meal of just One.  Sometimes they have some filled with Ham or with Chorizo, those were Sold Out, but the Cream Cheese and Chile/Jalapeno ones are my favs anyway.

I didn't feel like Cooking so the Tamales were my Go-To for a Quick Tuesday Dinner option.  I've only made Tamales myself once, in Mexico, under the Instruction of Saint Maria, and boy that was so much Work, even with the whole Family doing it together, so I have a deep appreciation of being able to Buy them for about Two Bucks each at the local Hispanic Markets that the Locals make Fresh every day.   Sometimes someone's Abuelita or Tia sets up Roadside and sells them out of a Cooler fresh and Hot too.  I've never bought any that weren't really good and you get to know the people whose Recipes you like best.  Often they give you the Hood Hookup once they know you too.  *Smiles* 

 Especially if you're in the Historic Barrios buying it all, which is what I always do, since, I lived in one for over 26 Years, so we know a lot of the folks around there, or some of their Relatives.  *Smiles*  Even Mando, before he Dated The Daughter, we knew most of his extended Family before we ever knew him!  *LOL*  I heard his Surname and was like, is so-and-so one of your Relatives?  They were.  *Ha ha ha*  In fact, almost all of the Castillos in the West Valley are his Kinfolk as it turns out.  One of his Uncles used to live right next Door to us in the Old Neighborhood in the 1980's!!!   We used to Laugh becoz his Uncle's Name was Joseph, his Wife's Name was Mary, and their Oldest Son was Named Jesus {pronounced Hay-sus}, but, still, we Joked that we lived next door to the Holy Family.  *Bwahahaha* 

My Brother was playing with AI and made this Toy Model of himself, I told him I'd totally Buy One of these.   *LOL*   And I got some Mexican Fav Candies while I was at the Hispanic Market too, for Halloween, tho' one of them is not gonna make it 'til Halloween coz I Love them so much I'm likely to eat them all first.  *LOL*   The Mini Tamarind Candy filled Spoons are delish but will likely make it to Halloween to hand out to the Trick-Or-Treaters.   But, further Below is the Pix of the larger Chili Tamarind Flavor Caramel Covered Lollipops and those are so damned good, and fucking Addictive, that, Yeah, I'm keeping those for Moi.  My Tongue is even a bit Raw coz I ate Three of them in a Row!  

Had my Tongue held up I might have eaten more and risked going into a Diabetic Coma?!   But, what a way to Go!!!  *Bwahahaha*  I don't even like most Candy and don't have a Sweet Tooth but those Suckers are rather Savory and Spicy with the Chili and the Tamarind, which I LOVE the Flavor Profile of, the Caramel is a thin Shell to hold it together coz the Center is soft & chewy.   Most of the Kiddos that come Door to Door from our Community are Hispanic so they'll prefer these being handed out, they're very popular and very tasty.   The G-Kid Force practically lived on Tamarind Candies and neither of them has a Sweet Tooth either and would give away most of their Halloween Candies from Big Candy Makers, but the Traditional Mexican Candies from the Hispanic Markets, they coveted, like the Pica Limon, Chile Limon, Chile Mango, Tamarind Pulparindo, Pelon Pelonazo Push Pop Tamarind Squeeze Candy, Lucas Gusano Chamoy Push Pop Candy, Salsagheti Candy, and Lucas Spicy Watermelon Strips.

Sometimes around Halloween you could get the Lucas Ultimate Premium Mexican Assortment of Candies in miniatures for to hand out, haven't found a Bag of those yet, but, when I do, definitely getting it.  Coz whatever we don't hand out we'll eat ourselves.  *LOL*   Below is some of what I brought in to the Showroom Today, I don't know how else to try to Stimulate Trade if folks just aren't Buying no matter how good the Merch is you're putting in or at any Price Point now?   Now even the Vintage Tiki and Vintage Mid-Century Modern Merch isn't Selling like it usually does.  We've got Vendors that Specialize in those Genres and usually Kill it in Sales, they've told me their Sales have Flatlined in recent Months and they're very Worried the Economy is worsening by the Day, me too, the whole shebang could collapse with more Layoffs, more halt to Imports and Exports due to Tariffs, more Fears from Consumers about everything becoming unaffordable that are Essentials, which leaves little left for Discretionary and Non-Essential Purchases. 

Mando just got approved for 90 Days worth of Nutritional Assistance since his Advanced Condition of having Cancer is well documented and he can't really Work anymore Full Time, he's just not Well enuf to now.  He's not Lazy and he keeps busy, he Helps here a lot and isn't as fearful of being Alone if he's around our Family, I understand, when you have that kind of grim prognosis where Docs have told you they've done all they can and now it's pretty much in the Lord's Hands, being Alone and especially risking Dying Alone, would be Scary.   So, he's over here more than he's at his Home now and he mostly eats over here with us, so he'll let The Daughter just Buy the Groceries and keep it here, since, she Cooks for him and for us anyway.  She hasn't yet gone to Qualify, she should be approved too, but, her Paranoia gets bad when she has to go do anything involving The Government and Social Services.  She thinks they'll think she's so Unwell they'll involuntarily Commit her again?  It has happened in the Past, so, her Fears aren't totally unfounded.

 I remember the last time I convinced her to get Evaluated for Mental Health Services and went with her as Emotional Support and her Advocate.  And they actually were, without my knowledge or consent, Evaluating ME at the same fucking time and I wasn't even Aware!  It was a Three Hour Eval that was just supposed to be HER, with Three different Shrinks and Therapists doing the Eval.  Well, at the end of it they says WE BOTH were TOO UNSTABLE to Qualify for the Services they had to offer, but, perhaps if we were MEDICATED and Stabilized for A YEAR, we could come back and get Re-Evaluated!!!   *Bwahahaha*  Well, The Daughter Laughed and fucking Laughed that they thought I was as Crazy and Unstable as she is and I didn't even go there to BE Evaluated and didn't realize they were Evaluating me too!!!   *Bwahahahahaha*  I thought I Presented just Fine, apparently NOT?!  *LOL*  Anyway, since then we haven't gone back to try to obtain Services, coz, apparently we're both too Fucking Crazy to Qualify???!!!!!!!   And, I'm in Charge and Head Ringmaster of this Circus Asylum Shitshow with our Band of Flying Monkeys!  *LMAOROTF*

   

The Son thought it hilarious when we told him and said all the Craziest People always think they aren't Unwell.  *Bwahahahaha*   So, we need to get her to either apply Online or in Person for her 90 Days worth, which, turns out now to be about $120 a Month for Food Assistance for an Adult too Disabled to Work.   I can easily Feed an Adult on $120 a Month, so that's Helpful, since we're on a Fixed Income but have a fairly large Household of Adults that Need to Eat on The Regular.  We know how to stretch every Dollar, been doing it long enuf.  *LOL*  I remember when The G-Kid Force were growing up, if you Qualified for any Assistance, for each subsequent Kid they cut the amount significantly, 'til, you'd get about a Dollar and Ninety-Eight Cents for the last Child in the Household!!!   I Kid you NOT!!!   AS IF it somehow Costs less to provide the Essentials like Food for the Youngest ones in the Household!!!   I'd get a Fair amount for The Young Prince, and then 1/4 or even less of the amount from Social Services for his Little Sister, when we were a Kinship CPS Placement Status for them!!!

I don't know whose doing the State's Prospectus on how much it Costs to Raise Children when they think the more you have, the less it Costs for each subsequent Child!!!?????   I met one Custodial Great-Grandmother who was Raising her SIX Great-Grandchildren after her Daughter and Granddaughter had Died in a Car Accident.  She wanted to keep the Siblings together and her Granddaughter had been a Single Parent coz she had been a Young Widow.  The Great-Grandmother was also a Widow, and it was Christmastime and the Fire and Police Department were Sponsoring CPS Case Children who were Wards of The State, which ours were, and this Great-Grandmother's were.  This was prior to the new Laws where we were then Forced to Adopt them, or try to, my Two were very, very Young at that time, they only Sponsored Princess T and not her Brother.   

This Woman only had the Youngest Two of the Six being Sponsored.  But we were Grateful the Firemen and Cops were being so Generous to At Risk Kiddos in CPS's Care, each Kid was Assigned an Emergency Responder to go Shopping with, Princess T got a Fireman.  She could pick out a Pair of Shoes and a Toy that she wanted for Christmas from TARGET, where it was set up, and she was so Stoked about it, coz they also let her sit in his Fire Truck.  *Smiles*  The Great-Grandmother, while we waited for our Kiddos to Shop with their Emergency Responders, she had Two Girls there, her Six were a mix of Boys and Girls Aged 3-13, was telling me how much Less she got for each subsequent Child when you have SIX of them in your Kinship Placement Care, it was ridiculous!  

She was still having to Work as an ER Nurse for the County Hospital, to be able to afford to Keep them and she was in her 80's!   She just Hoped she could Last 'til she got them all Grown?!  She was Ahhhmazing, but OMG, I wouldn't have wanted to Trade places with her!!!   SIX, from that little to a Teen, and being a Great-Grandma still Raising Kids, I'd of been hanging from a Short Rope I think!!!   Above is one of our other Granddaughters, whose Middle Aged and has given us Two Great-Grandkids, a Boy and a Girl.  She's a recent Divorcee, so, is juggling the Single Parent Think now too while being a Full Time ER Nurse as well.  I can tell she's very Stressed Out, her Two are at that Age where they are quite the Handful and her Ex is a Typical Modern Deadbeat kinda Dad.  Always Cheating, always moving on to the next Gal he'll get Pregnant and then Abandon. 

  Men like that anger me coz most blame is always put on the Women and their Children's plight, as if they were to blame exclusively for Men who are irresponsible about Relationships and Parenting or Financially Supporting Children they Father.  It took me 37 YEARS to begin getting back Child Support Checks from my Ex for The Son after my Divorce, it's ludicrous, and only coz his Social Security is now being garnished for what he never Paid to Support his Child!  If I got a Lump Sum of Child Support Owed me I could check Bora-Bora off the Bucket List as my No. One Destination before I Die.  *LOL*   And the amounts the Family Courts often Award a Custodial Parent can be a Joke too, I was Awarded a mere $100 a Month Child Support and he never even Paid that!

  Plus, I had a Special Needs Child with chronic Mental Health Problems so my Medical Bills for The Son should have also been split between me and my Ex, but, fell on me exclusively until he Qualified as a Title 19 Permanently Disabled Kiddo, when my Lifetime Caps for my Insurance finally wouldn't pay anymore.  So then he got Mental Health Services from The State, but, IF the Ex ever Paid any Money the State got reimbursed first, before the Family did!  So, I supposed now he's satisfied what he owed the State of Arizona?   So I'm finally getting some of what's owed me. *Eye Roll*   Well, better Late than Never, every little bit Helps now I'm on a Fixed Income and still helping The Son out, and he's back Living with us coz he can't afford Rents locally.   I do Hope the Granddaughter is getting her Child Support, mebbe even Alimony, since he abandoned her and those Kids, I haven't dared to ask?

He had several Kids by other Baby Mamas when they met, so I never had a very High Opinion about him.   Playa-Playa came to Mind, spreading his Seed everywhere and then stepping out on the Kids and their Mamas like a Goddamned Sperm Donor rather than a responsible Dad, Husband or Boyfriend.   He seemed to also be Playing the Field of Global Ethnic Dating... since he had Black Kids, White Kids, Hispanic Kids.   The Man couldn't Help himself by blurting out what I was Thinking but hadn't said out loud, and saying, I guess he's gonna complete the Set by Dating an Asian or Native American Gal next and getting her Pregnant, so he has some of each of the League of Nations Ethnicities he's spawned??!  That's a Colorful Brood he's already got going on there! *LMAO*

 What, does the Guy want or need to Father a Kid from every Ethnicity on the Planet, for shits and grins, since clearly he doesn't Care about any of them or their Mothers, I'm just not sure?   I Dated quite a variety of Men in my Time too, Ethnicity being no barrier to Relationship.  But I didn't think I needed to have a Kid by every single one of them to have the Shades of a Crayola Box and cover every Race on Earth in my Gene Pool!  *LOL*   I know, we are not PC at all, it's our Gallow's Human, which some find inappropriate.  But when our Granddaughter was Sharing Pixs of all his Children by other Relationships, I noticed that each Kid he Fathered by a different Woman was also a different Ethnicity, so, it wasn't like you didn't Notice he liked him some Flavor and Variety!  And it was obvious they all had different Mothers of different Races, he's a White Guy.  All Adorable Kids, too bad they all have a fucking Deadbeat for a Dad tho'.  I kinda wanted our SIL to String his Ass Up, and I'm sure he WANTED to?!  *Bwahahaha*

And when The Granddaughter was just Dating him and before she got Preggy with Kid No. One, then Married him, and got Preggy with Kid No. Two, then he was Cheating and a Divorce ensued before the Marriage was even 18 Months in... I'd thought, this is not gonna End Well.  But, she seemed in Love, she had waited 'til Middle Age to even get Pregnant or get Married, so, Tick-Tock.  She wasn't a foolish naive Teenager like her Mom was when she had her 1st Kid before Marriage.  And tho' we're her Grandparents, we didn't feel it was our place, from afar especially, to put our Two Cents Worth in, she's Grown.  Tho' I did send some PM's to our Oldest Daughter about, is this a Good Idea or a Good Man, coz I already don't LIKE this Guy all the way across the Country, he's not Reading as anything but a Loser, a Player, and a Heartbreaker!   They at least had met him... but... I know that when your Kiddos are in Love, they often don't listen to Sage Advice from their Elders about whose unsuitable and what's probably not a good Idea.  Hey, I never get so Old I forget what it was like to be Young, dumb, foolish and make Poor Choices, been there, done that, so has The Man.

But, you SO wanna Protect them from The World, don't ya?   And even in the Court of Public Opinion, some Unions just work out that nobody liked, take John & Yoko's Love Story for example.  I always was Happy they found each other even tho' the Public, by and large, wasn't.  I felt part of that was they were an Interracial Intercultural Union during an Era when Families like ours were not accepted AT ALL in the Court of Public Opinion.   I rooted for them even when the Public were saying horrible things.  My Parents also felt they were well matched and seemed very Happy together in spite of Social pressures of Couples that crossed Cultural and Racial set Boundaries of Society.  They truly were well matched and yet everyone vilified Yoko for so long and didn't realize John really Needed her and they were truly in Love.   He'd been Married before and it didn't work out, I think if he hadn't of been Murdered they would have definitely Grown Old Together and been Happy in their Golden Years.  

 Yoko still looks amazing and Stylish, and is still an avid Peace Activist, and Revolutionary Being, even tho' she's 92 Years Old!   Her Legacy far extends beyond the Controversies and Misconceptions about her and have surrounded her.  She still pushes Boundaries of Artistic Expression and Challenges Society Norms, so, in many ways she's a Woman after my own Heart that way.  People aren't always comfortable when you don't and won't Conform and are Authentic to Self and Live your Life on your own Terms.  John Lennon was always MY favorite "Beatle".   His Oldest Son Julian from his 1st Marriage looks just like him... and his Younger Son Sean with Yoko also looks so much like his Dad.  Both Sons are as Talented too.   Hard to Believe Sean is already 49, I remember when he was a Tyke.   And Julian Lennon is 62.   Both Men are still very handsome as they've Aged and I think John would have Aged well too, like Yoko has.  Tho' now she is in decline at that advanced Age and Sean is her Caregiver.  Being World Famous is hard on Relationships, most can't endure Fame.

And speaking of Relationships, Today Rusty indulged Princess T for her Birthday and I think she spent all his Money and the Boy is likely now Broke?  *Bwahahaha*   She came Home laden with Shopping Bags filled with Expensive Gifts like some Socialite!  *LOL*  He is VERY Good to her, Bless him.   Well, her Gay Boy Posse are too, Bless them as well, all them Boys are likely Broke from the Money they spent on her!?  *Smiles*  She is not some Low Maintenance Basic Bitch, that's for damned sure!  She's very Extra!!!   If you wanna be with her you better get Paid!!!   *LMAOROTF*   As Kanye's Lyrics aptly also said, I ain't sayin' she's a Gold-Digger, but she ain't messin' with no Broke {censored Word}...!   She Works hard too, so she expects all her Guys to as well, that's all.   And, it's Why she does not Approve of Timmy's Boyfriend, coz, he ain't got a Job and ain't lookin' for one either!  Timmy has worked since he was 16 and helped his Grandparents, who Raised him, so she thinks he deserves better and can do better, I agree.  But, he is Grown. 

And I told her, well, I ain't Sayin' what I'm Thinkin' about it then... and she Laughed coz, she KNEW what I was then Thinkin' but not Sayin', since, I'm ME and she KNOWS me just that well and that propriety ain't my Strong Point.  The Sex must just be that good...???!!!  *Winks*  After all, I'm the Gramma who misread the Antique Book Below, which I bought at the Event on the 2nd trip there, and all my Friends and The Man said, only I would misread it and think subliminally that Author MEANT to put those Two Words too close together, dammit!  See Below and see if YOU misread it like I did?  And, once you do see it as I saw it initially, you can't then UNSEE it, and so, I hadda then HAVE it!

 

I initially saw it as PENIS and not PEN IS... and was opening the Book to see Illustrations and wondering, what kind of Ancient Book IS THIS!?  The Penis is Mightier than the Sword!  Some Antique Porno?   And then when the Illustrations looked Normal, I go back to the Front to Read it again and then it came to me, Oh, it's "The PEN is Mightier than the Sword", I've heard that phrase before... and then I'm Laughing to myself when my Friends come up and ask what's so hilarious and I show them, and then everyone can't see Pen Is either and only see Penis... and we're all then Laughing, and passing it around asking everyone to Read it to see if I'm the only one... coz that Spacing looks Intentional, it really does... coz "The" is way further Spaced Out... as are ALL the other Words, so, me thinks Bulwers knew exactly what he was doing subliminally there?!  *Winks and Smiles*   My Kids think I'm incorrigible and ONLY The Daughter Read it like I did, and, well, Need I say more about where our Minds tend to go first, I guess?  *Bwahahaha*

 

Mando and The Daughter want me to go do the Grocery Shopping with his Nutritional Assistance Card coz they Hate shopping for Groceries and I'm better at it and stretching every Dollar squeezed for the most bang for our Buck.  *LOL*   I Need a Written List tho' if I'm gonna be the Personal Shopper coz I can't recall what few things they specifically wanted me to get?  I forgot already without a Grocery List!   They mostly eat Mexican foods coz, well, he's Mexican, and she lived in Mexico so long she's like a Mexican now.  *Ha ha ha*   She prefers now listening to Mexican Music as well and speaks Spanish half the time, she actually misses Mexico a lot and would rather live there than in America now.  Most Ex Pats feel the same now.   She's treated better and more humanely in Mexico, being a Mentally Ill Person, more compassion is extended and Neighbors there Care for one another and look out for one another more, deeper sense of Community present.  I saw that on my visits Abroad in many Countries actually.  Even the Poorest ones.

Now, granted, some Countries aren't all that Safe to live in or visit, but, we're getting to be like that too, so, we're catching up fast to places that might be scary to visit or live in!   Nobody else is having the Gun Violence of America, mass School Shootings regularly like America... we mos def have the worst Gun Violence Problem on the Planet for sure, nobody even comes close!   And tho' we have good advanced Medicine in America, our Healthcare System for a First World Country is probably rated the lowest and the most unaffordable for the average Citizen to gain access to and be approved to receive.   We could afford National Health like all the other Advanced Countries, we could have affordable Pharma like all other Countries, we just don't.   Too profitable to keep it the way it is and we are, if nothing else, quite enthralled with Capitalism at its worst and most Greed Driven.   It's why we have so many Billionaires and the widest chasm of the Haves and the Have Nots.  When 1% of our Population has almost ALL of the Wealth, and given ALL of the Perks and Benefits by Government, that's skewed badly.

We've had Socialism for the most Obscenely Rich in America for quite some time now.    So I don't know why the Far Right pretend like they don't approve of Socialism, they've been handing it out to benefit the Rich for a very long time, subsidizing almost everything the wealthiest are involved in, while cutting Social Programs for the most needy and most vulnerable.   Either you're FOR subsidizing or you're AGAINST it, you can't have it both ways, only for your largest Political contributors, but allegedly saying it's Evil if it's benefitting those who Need it most and are denied it.   The obscenely Wealthy don't Need Tax Breaks or preferential Treatment Economically and Favor.  They also don't have Need of more Billions.  How many Billions or Trillions is Enough anyway for them, seems it's an insatiable amount actually, from my personal Observations of the Billionaire Mindset and Habits.   There's really nobody Greedier than a very Rich Person, I Witnessed that in my Corporate Lives firsthand.   Too Much Money is just never Enough for them.

 

Anyway, I'm still trying to decide on a Post Hook Title for this one, I got Nothing.  *LOL*   We never did go get that Fridge that Q was giving us, I didn't have a Peace about trying to transport it in my Truck and told The Son.  I think you need an actual Moving Truck or Flatbed to haul Big Appliances safely.  Our Neighbor Rob has a Flatbed so I may ask him if we can just hire him to go get it with The Son?   I don't know what condition the Fridge is even in and told The Son I don't want him dragging some questionable Fridge onto the Property, they can be pretty nasty if they haven't been maintained or used in a long while, or are too Old and in the best working condition.   And getting someone to dispose of an Old Fridge for you is difficult too, sometimes Bulk Garbage won't even pick them up Curbside.  I know our Main Fridge is making Noises, but if I replace it, I'd rather do so with a new one with a Warranty, even tho' I can't afford one right now.

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Well, this ended up being a Post with no Name... smiles... Dawn... The Bohemian