Meh Mode And Feeling Burnt Out

I'm still every much in Meh Mode, it crept up on me and I can't seem to Shake it.  I don't even know what's brought it on?  I feel like Blogging, so, I'm almost 10 Pre-Scheduled Posts ahead of myself, so I haven't been doing Nothing, just, close to Nothing.  *LOL*  There's lots I could be doing and I'm avoiding.  Even confronting any of it is distasteful to me right now so I just don't even bother.  The Family realize I'm not tackling anything at all, I feel Burnt Out really, so, they are picking up the Slack, which is Helpful and keeping the Household running smoothly.  I needed that initiative on their part coz I certainly don't have any.  I did get some Laundry done Yesterday and also a load of all of the Wet Towels from having so many Guests who had been in the Pool, it was a lot of Towels.  *LOL*  I could never run a Hotel/Motel or Bed & Breakfast, what a lot of Laundry they must have all the time!

 Other than doing my Grocery Shopping Today, we haven't ventured Outside coz it's so Humid and a huge Storm last Night tore out Trees and created considerable Storm Damage around the City.  I could hear it hit last Night, blowing everything around, but saw the carnage from it once it was Daylight.  Some pretty big Trees were uprooted and smaller Trees snapped or bent over to the Ground like the Trunks were Soft Pretzels!  There was some Rain with the Winds, but, not that measurable an amount, we need the Monsoon Rains if there's gonna be the Storms, not just the Dust Haboobs.  We didn't sustain any damage, but some Neighbors in our Community did, mostly to their Trees.  So, a lot of cleanup going on this Morning.

I've been wanting to go out and get some River Stones, but the Heat has been prohibitive lately and I won't risk bringing The Man out in it.  I should exercise care too when it's too Hot, so it's just prudent to stay Inside and take it easy.  I haven't even really done too much Pricing of Inventory, tho' The Daughter did clean off the Creation Station in the Art Studio Space so I could use that in Climate Control to Price things.  She actually cleaned up the whole Art Studio a lot more, the mess had been hers since she utilizes that Space until her Son moves back Home and will occupy it then.  I still have no Clue where we'll put all his Cargo?!  Without displacing all of mine in that Space again?  *Le Sigh*

Last time he and Allen lived here a lot of my stuff from the Art Studio was under tarps on the Back Patio.  Now we have the Back Patio reclaimed and functional again, and the Art Studio reclaimed and functional again, I don't wanna really have to upend it all.  There was a lot of Work done to get it in order, and Space in The RV Garage Mahal too.  Another Family Member's Worldly Possessions coming back here means trying to house it somewhere, while maintaining function everywhere.  It's a tall order to accomplish that when you've got Six Adults with all their Worldly Possessions that Share Space.  We'll figure it out, but, I'm not relishing the extra Work to.

Actually, I'm so glad I decided to give up covering the Friday Night Shift now.  Especially after the shitty way Management handled that deception to string me along covering for someone who I didn't know was already back and they'd switched Shifts of!  I didn't have my Heart in it anyway, just before every Shift I'd be thinking how much I didn't really wanna go, then while there I didn't wanna be there, and I knew I couldn't really commit to doing it this long anyway.  I never meant to have to do it as long as I covered it, figuring, if Richard couldn't come back, or took too long to come back, surely they'd just offer the Shift to someone Permanent for it and give Richard something else.  Which is what they did for him, but without filling Friday Nights with a Permanent Worker!  I don't think many are interested in picking up that Shift... or Covering it temporarily?

There are reasons nobody wants Friday-Saturday-Sunday Shifts, they're not only the busiest, but wrecks the Weekends for anyone having to Work them.  Many Vendors have other Jobs too, Paying ones, and those of us who are actually Retired, wanna stay Retired and be on Retirement Time with zero Work Commitments at this Season of Life.   And, there is the Issue of who you may be Working with... some are great to Work alongside, some aren't, and if you're a Retiree especially, or already Working at a Paying Job, you don't Need or Want to put up with that crap just to Score some Comped Space Rent at far Below Minimum Wage compensation, not worth it.  You've really gotta Love what you're doing to be doing anything Unpaid... I've been a Volunteer for a lot of things I was Passionate about that Serve my Community and the Underserved Members of it.  But, Working there isn't Charity Work and tho' it could be and has been enjoyable at times, it's not now.  Things have Changed.

The whole Industry has Changed, so we're no longer making good Money Selling what we do.  You didn't mind pulling a Shift so much when good Checks came in for what you're Selling, but, so many Workers aren't having good Sales, and even Working Shifts, aren't getting Checks or are getting paltry ones, so, it's discouraging.   It's a lot of Work for very little Reward.   I don't get the Warm Fuzzies pulling Shifts there enuf to get shitty Checks on Payday and not feel, fuck it.  *LOL*  I keep our Showroom and Locked Case up, try to adjust, adapt and improvise enuf to still get some income flowing from it, and keep Downsizing at Home, which is the Main Point, to find Homes for things too Nice to Sell at a Tag/Yard Sale, but, it's not like the Old Days.  This Industry is just about Dead and I don't think anything is gonna Resurrect it now?

 

Just about 90% of the Brick & Mortar Shops that Sold Antiques, Vintage, Collectibles, and great Imports, have Closed permanently.  The few who are now left, mostly do just the Four Day a Month Events and are Closed the rest of the Days of the Month.  They ALL, the Events and the remaining Antique Malls, are mostly Selling mass produced Product now as the bulk of their Inventory and not as Filler Items like they once did.  It's become their Bread & Butter now to Sell mass produced items that people will and do Buy.   I have zero interest in doing that, ZERO... so, I won't be moving in that direction.   I'm not sure yet what direction I will be moving, I'm taking it one day at a time at this point so as to see what direction this shitty Economy is going.  If it's going down to the Bottom, then, perhaps Resale Items might do somewhat better when Shortages happen and all Pricing of anything New is hit so hard with Tariffs that they become too expensive and less in demand?  Blood in the Streets sometimes has it's ways of Profiting the Wise. 

Usually I only Buy Real Estate and New Vehicles when there's Blood in the Streets, and the Economy Tanks and goes into a Freefall, but,  I have both now so don't need to buy either.   So, I just don't know yet what I'll Invest in or Divest myself of?   We just got our Utility Bill and it's way up even tho' we're using way less Energy than we did in 2024 or 2023, so the only explanation is they got a big Rate increase?  They've had a moratorium all Summer becoz so many Families couldn't already afford their Summer Utility Bills and the Utility Companies aren't allowed to turn off Power in the Summer coz people can and do Die if they do.  So to get a big increase makes no sense if people already are finding it difficult to pay at even the lower rates.  I don't know what the Solution will be?  I know Solar Works and we had it on the McManse, but it's expensive to install and so far the Industry/Utility Companies have been fined for violating Anti-Trust Laws, so Corporate corruption abounds with Solar still. 

Otherwise I would have Invested in Solar here, but until they clean up the Corruption surrounding the Solar Industry and how Utility Companies are abusing Solar Customers, I won't.  Also, the Federal Government also deceived Solar Customers by pretending they gave big discounts and refunds if you installed Solar.  In actuality, you had to Owe the IRS over Fifteen Grand and then the Government would 'forgive' you paying the IRS, but, instead, you'd pay down your Solar Loan with the Money... that's NOT a Discount, you'd still have to Pay that much in Cash right away... and who the fuck ever owes the IRS over Fifteen Grand anyway and isn't paying it?   We've never Owed the IRS, we always pay whatever our CPA says we Owe immediately when we get our Taxes done.  We haven't received a Refund in Years, even being Seniors on a Retirement/Disability/Social Security Income still Raising Children!  The only people NOT paying their Taxes are the Billionaires.  The IRS claims it's way too expensive to Audit Billionaires who don't pay, so they get away with never paying.

Yesterday Eli ran at The Daughter like a Lion attacking Prey on the Serengeti!  It was funny and he stopped short from actually making contact, she jumped back and I yelled at him, so he retreated.   But he was glaring at her and made her leave Princess T's Bedroom, she'd come in to ask us something and he just ran up on her aggressively.  He's like that with everyone but her, myself and Rusty, her Boyfriend... very Territorial and an Attack Cat.   We've tried to Train him to be Nicer, but, he just isn't fond of Humans, except HIS Human and his limited Humans he considers his personal Staff, like Yours Truly.  *LOL*   He even gets highly upset if you try to take a Pix of him, as you can see by his annoyed countenance when in front of the Lens.  *Smiles*  She weighed him the other day and he Weighs 24 lbs., he's a big Cat!!!  So, if he doesn't Like you, he can be scary.   

We believe he's part American Shorthair Mackerel Tabby but doesn't have that usual easygoing temperament, so is probably a mixture... perhaps with some Maine Coon Cat, we're just not certain.  It is becoming a common Mix and he's displaying temperaments and Size like Maine Coon, but appearance of the American Shorthair Mackerel Tabby.  She often trims his Ear Tufts, which an American Shorthair would not usually have.   Some of his Hair is longer around his backside, he's a good looking Cat, but doesn't have a pleasant disposition at all.  He would not be considered "Pet Quality", he is Cranky almost all of the time.   But, he does like to Play, so if you engage him in Playtime he enjoys himself and that's the only time he'll be tolerant of you, if it's all about him all of the time.   He can Tear up his Toys and his Scratching Posts in short order and shred them to pieces.  But he'd be terrified of a dead Bug in his Litterbox or a piece of fluff moving across the floor like it's alive!!!   Yet will attack a Full Grown Man fearlessly, go figure!!!  *Bwahahahaha*

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Blessings, Love & Light from the Arizona Desert... Dawn... The Bohemian