Blogging Benders ~ Freefalling Into All Things Halloween & Controversies

 I'm several Posts ahead again, been on a Blogging Bender.  *Winks*  The inclement Weather broke a bit this Afternoon to where I could go in to the Antique Mall to drop off some Fresh Merch.  Sales are abysmal, for this Two Week Pay Period, which ends Today, and I'll probably Owe the Mall. Which has rarely happened in all the Years I've been there, since the very beginning when it first Opened.   I've Sold quite a few Specialty T-Shirts, and small Toys, but nothing else is moving right now.   I took a Chance and put in some Primo more expensive Merch, just in case the Right Customer walks in.  *LOL and Eye Roll... but, it could happen, Right?*  If I Sell a few Primo pieces I could make a comeback on the Bottom Line, turning a Negative into a Positive, so, all Body Parts now Crossed.  We just Keep On Keepin' On.

It was very busy and my Showroom was messy, so people been in there just tearing things up, Stealing some Smalls {Bags of $3 Collectible Toys like Shopkins ripped open... huge Sigh & Eye Roll}, but not necessarily Buying.  I'm sure a lot of Pokemon is Selling so I brought in some expensive Plush Pokemon Figures for the Locked Case.  And some Vintage Model Cars, New Old Stock of what used to be Sold by the now defunct Big Chain, K B Toys, which went out of Business in early 2009 after Two Bankruptcies.  But Metal Models of Old Classic Cars tend to Sell well and I had a 1959 Plymouth Belvedere Model that was New Old Stock from K B Toys 2001 Line.  It Sold for Forty Bucks in 2001 and still had original Price Sticker on it and the Bankruptcy Price when K B Toys was Liquidating all Stock.  I leave all Original Tags on anything that is Vintage New Old Stock.

I did go to a "Spirit Store" located close to our Antique Mall, they'd brought in New Merch since last time I was there, so I Photographed some and Bought some too of what I really wanted and liked that they hadn't had before.  If I'm gonna be a bit Self Indulgent it will be for the Weird & Wonderful availed for Halloween Season.  *Winks*  I got Two Pair of Earrings, pictured Below, one is Voodoo Dolls and the other is a Ticket To Hell, their Earrings are inexpensive, so, Why Not?  I will wear them beyond just Seasonal:

 

There was only One full Pair of the Voodoo Doll Earrings left, coz Thieves had Stolen One of the other Set they only had left.

It was a good thing they didn't have this Overpriced Hoodie in my Size and only had X-Tra Small, whew.   However, the matching Cross Body Bag they only had Two left in Stock and I HADDA have One, even tho' the Price Point was spendier than I'd usually cave in for, since I have so many Cross Body Bags I don't really NEED another one.  *LOL and Winks*   But, hey, that's never stopped me before and it is a Cute Bag that I knew I'd not have Buyer's Remorse for, but I wouldda definitely had Non-Buyers Remorse had I NOT bought it.   The Daughter and Princess T often 'borrow' my Bags and I never see them much again to use myself.   I'm that Mom/Gramma with Swagger that has shit the other Two Generations like and appreciate, so wanna Wear and Use, what can I say?   Other than, I should be Flattered???  *LOL*

This was an Interesting Book, but, I Resisted... if once "Spirit Stores" are having their After Season Sale and it's still there... well, I'll get the ONE they had of it.   The same with the Doll Hand Plate, which they had several of, but wanted too much for... but, I'd pay Half that and get one.

I did get one of these, they only had Two left and this one had been messed with and opened, so I got the other one that hadn't been, since, it was $19.99, so spendy, but Cool and I thought I Needed it.  *LOL*  Plus, now I have a Model to use to make some of these myself out of my Creepy Vintage/Antique Doll Body Parts... as Wall Hangings.  *Smiles*

This "Spirit Exclusive" Moth Plushie I got for The Young Prince coz it matches a larger one I got from a Chazza of the same Character and which Sells Online for $200!!!   I paid $3 for my Chazza one that is so coveted Online that it commands those prices, so didn't mind standing a bit Tall on this smaller one for him, they only had One left.  I'm like a Big Kid at the Halloween Stores and Halloween Sections of Stores that don't Specialize in Holiday Merch per se and just have a Section designated for Halloween.

So, I'm happily snapping Images while there and enjoying the Halloween Atmosphere and Vibes of it all.   The "Spirit Stores" are Mad busy right now and will be right up 'til Halloween.  Especially now that most other Stores have Sold Out and had to move on to Christmas Merchandising.

It's mostly the largest Halloween Decor and Costumes that had the Tariff Markups most noticeable.   Smaller Merch really wasn't as affected.  Tho' Donnie Two Dolls has now slapped another ridiculously high Tariff on China to try to use it as an Extortion Tool, it will only really Negatively impact American Businesses and Consumers, not China, but, whatever...  So, don't expect your mass produced Merch or your Cellphones to be Cheaper, in Supply, or affordable anytime soon... another 100% Tariff on all Chinese Imports is gonna Kill that Supply Chain Deader than Hell now.

Donnie Two Dolls is living up to his Nickname, your Kid will not even be able to afford to get Two Dolls for Christmas this Holiday Season!   And all those groveling and laying prostrate at his Feet for Favor, or bending over to be fucked, will have to pay whatever Bribe he demands and extorts from them in exchange for any Partisan Favors... since this White House has turned into a Racketeers, Gangsters and Grifters Paradise.   But, I'm having too much Fun at the Moment downloading Halloween Inspired Imagery to Celebrate the Season, to do a Deep Dive right now into our current Horror Show of Politics, too Scary... Halloween is Tame and less Frightening by comparison!!!

Princess T just took back the big Ed Hardy Bag I got her for her Birthday and she said she didn't want coz it was too big... and now decided, wait, it's Poy-fect for when I am going over to my Boyfriend's House for the Weekend, it'll hold everything I Need from Saturday Night 'til Monday Morning!  *Bwahahaha*   So, it's hers again now.   The Daughter was thinking she could Score it for HER Birthday, which is the 14th, since her Kid initially said she didn't want it after I'd bought it for her as a Birthday Pressy last Month.  So, The Daughter saw her Kiddo toting it out of here loaded up to go to Rusty's and came in and said, "Awwww, NO... she took it back, huh?"   *Bwahaha and that's an Affirmative!*

Don't feel too Sorry for The Daughter tho', I just spent a Fortune getting her the whole New Snoop Dogg Line of Dogg Supply Casual Wear from Wal-Mart in Black and in Tan... Sweat Pants, matching Hoodies, matching Jackets and the matching T-Shirts... so, Color her Happy.  Just one of the Letterman Style Jackets in the Black seen Below, for the Price they are really nice, very comfortable and can Mix N Match:

As they get Older it's hard to know what to get them and they all indulge us so much for our Birthday, the ones that Live with us, that I don't bypass theirs.  So it's nice when they mention they really want something that I can get for them on a Special Occasion and The Daughter has been STRONGLY Hinting about this Line of Clothing... not subtly at all... so... ha ha ha... that was Easy.  *Smiles*  Princess T was Laughing Sarcastically saying, "Gee, Wonder what my Mom wants for her Birthday...??????????"  *Bwahahahaha*   Not that her Kiddo doesn't do the same thing mind you... Months in advance of her Birthday in Late September... usually by Early July we know exactly what she's wanting!!!  *Winks*  And it's Rusty's Birthday this Weekend so Princess T made him a Birthday Basket of all things he wanted and likes, she gives good Gifts, very Thoughtful and great Presentation.  So does he, so she tries to Match him.  *LOL*

 

In fact, her biggest Complaint about the Guy is, he Works too much and is always still Broke coz he spends too much Money on HER!!!  *LMAO*  I guess what my Friend Maddie said is True tho', it doesn't mean she's too High Maintenance, it might just mean he's too Low Income?  *Winks*  Poor Guy, he Works his Ass off to be able to Afford her!  The Man just shakes his Head and says, "I don't think that Boy can Afford her... but he sure is tryin'!!!"    I Joke back, "Well, Honey, WE couldn't Afford her either... so... who really can?!"   *LMAOROTF*

My Dear Friend, who is also my Eastern Medical Doctor, practicing the Ancient Art of Chinese Medicine, showing off the Medicine Bag I made for her out of part of a Vintage Chinese Tapestry as a Gift.  Out of the same Tapestry I made her Two large Pillows for her Sofa {Photo Below her of One} and a large Carpetbag Style Purse with an Antique Black Jade Carved Clasp that I Imported from China.  It's Shape like a Bat, which signifies Good Luck & Blessings in Chinese Culture. {Pixs further Below her of Front, Back and Clasp of Carpetbag.}  She knows that my Maternal Grandfather was Raised by a Chinese Family and so taught us a lot about the Culture, Rituals and Traditions.   My Gran-Gran spoke Welsh, Chinese, English and some Romani... tho' he could not Read or Write in any Language, most Gypsy Children of his Generation were not sent to School.  Tho' he and his Four Youngest Siblings were Raised by a Childless Chinese Family his Mom gave them to when his Father was Killed in WWI, his Widowed Birth Mother lived nearby with his Six Older Siblings.

When we were living in Europe as Dad was Stationed in several European Countries during the span of his 27 Year Military Career, we always got to Celebrate Halloween, coz the Base BX stocked the Merch.  The Locals didn't Celebrate it, but even Off Base, they had American Housing Projects in many Towns where all the American GI's and their Families Lived if they couldn't get into Base Housing.   Base Housing was often limited with a long waiting list to get into it.  So, sometimes you had to live on "The Economy" as we called it.  Which, could be hard coz in a lot of Countries they jacked up the Rents if they knew you were American or Married to one... or, they wouldn't Rent to you at all.   So, it was no use sending Mom to Scout for Housing outside of American Housing when we were Stationed in England, becoz she was Welsh and they haven't had Bases in Wales for the Americans since the 1950's.   And the Welsh, Irish and Scotts don't exactly have a great Relationship with the English... so the only thing most English liked less than an American, was a Gaelic.  *LOL*

There was a saying, at least back when we lived Abroad, that the only thing Wrong with the Americans was that they were Oversexed, Overpaid, and Over Here.   *LOL*  Might be different now in Europe, but I kinda doubt it?   A lot of the English are very Xenophobic and Colonialist about anyone not English and not White.   Tho' some Countries treated Immigrants staying and Foreigners visiting better than others, by and large, most don't.  Including America, but it's not just limited to Xenophobia in just one place, it's pretty widespread actually and if you've lived Abroad you do find that out pretty quick.   The World really isn't as Kumbaya as they could and should be towards one another... and it's not New NOT to be.   This is why relocated to another Country as an Ex Pat should be Carefully considered, just sayin'.

I think if we ever considered it, we'd want the Mexican Riviera as a marginal possibility.   We're both well Traveled enuf, and were Global Nomads long enuf, to realize becoming an Ex Pat is not so easy as the Fantasy of it tho'.  The 20 Cities and Lagoons lying off the West Coast of Mexico, I'd want a Tropical part along the Yucatan Peninsula ideally.   Sisal, Puerto Vallarta, Tulum, any part of Chiapas or Mahahual come to mind as Beautiful locales.   BUT... not many Americans live in Chiapas, the Jungles are magnificent in that State of Mexico, but, it's also one of the Poorest States and they say to avoid non-essential Travel, a huge Red Flag for any Country you're NOT from.  You really need to know where NOT to go when looking at any Foreign Country even to Vacation in or visit briefly, let alone migrate and wanna move to!!!

Anyway, I'm hearing a lot of Americans claiming they'd bail America, but, I don't know how many of them have done their Homework and Due Diligence about where they think they'd go?  A flood of Americans coming anywhere is likely not gonna be well Received by any Country, frankly... even as Tourists, let alone wanting to LIVE there permanently!  That is precisely why I don't want America falling apart with Bad Leadership destroying it for The People they should be Serving.  They got it Ass backwards AND all Wrong, if they think WE should be Serving THEM!!!

 

I'm contemplating whether I'll get up early on Sunday Morning and go to The Gym again for a Workout and a Sauna?  I should, even if I don't want to in the Morning.  *LOL*  If I get up real early and go, I should be Home before The Man even rolls out of Bed.   I also wanna stop by "Total Wine" and "BevMo" nearby to see if they have those etched Dia de los Muertos Wine Bottles that "World Market" had?   Online some places had it but each Bottle is Hand Painted and OOAK so you'd not know what you're getting with an Online Order, so I'd rather find a Store to look at them and choose my Favorite Hand Painted Bottle... since I'm getting it for the Bottles, not the Wine.  *LOL, Weirdo, Yeah, I know.*

Didn't know they made a White Wine Etched Bottle too, since "World Market" only had the Red Wine.   I don't even know how good the Wine is?   Don't Care.  *LOL*   Tho', I might crack one Open on New Year's Eve and have a Taste before I pass it along to the Alkies in the Family.  *Smiles*  It wasn't an inexpensive Wine even tho' they had it on Sale, but I chalked that up to the Fancy Bottle Art... but, who knows, might be a decent one???  I felt the Bottle Art was worth what I Paid and I don't Drink, so it doesn't actually matter to me either way.  Good Art to me is Priceless.   And these are Beautifully etched Glass and Painted well, each being different since they each are Hand done and OOAK by whatever Artist Painted each Bottle. 

I was talking to our Manager at the Antique Mall about what his Two Kiddos, a precious Little Son and Daughter will be for Halloween?  He said Super Heroes, the Older Boy Superman and the Younger Girl Wonder Woman... the Super Heroes of Comic Lore are always popular with the Younger Kids for Costumes.  I just Love seeing what the Children are wearing on Halloween Night when they come around to get their Candy Door to Door.   I don't see many Halloween Festivals and Costume Contests like back in the day when our Kids were little.  It was big in the 80's and 90's to Host them and the Cities usually Sponsored them, it was like a Big Carnival, but, for Halloween.   By the 2000's when The G-Kid Force were little, they still had them but not long after that you just didn't see Cities Hosting or Sponsoring them anymore and now I never see any.  There are some Small Farms that do Pumpkin Patch Festivals, but even they are getting less and less over the Years as Farms Sell to Developers wanting the Land due to Urban Sprawl.  

  

I actually Miss it even tho' I'm an Adult, they were Fun to attend and of coarse all of the Youngsters LOVED it.   Some Kids don't go Door to Door Trick-Or-Treating so the Harvest Festivals usually Hosted by various Faith Based Organizations and Churches, and those Halloween Carnivals Hosted by Secular Sponsors, were a really good alternative and usually Hosted before Halloween Night so Kids could still go Trick-Or-Treating too in their Communities.  Less and less people are even bothering to hand out Candy now and it's a shame the Practice is dying out, since the Younger Kids and Future Kids might never get to experience it.  That said, Commercially, every Year Halloween does better and better, this Year being no exception apparently in spite of the Import Issues and tanking Economy.  People are still spending on Halloween more than ever.  I think it's a great form of harmless Seasonal Escapism.

You don't have to go Dark or Creepy, you can go Whimsical with it, or even just a nice Harvest Theme for it, whatever suits you personally.  I appreciate any of the Decorating anyone does during each Holiday as their way of Celebrating it.    But I do see that Exterior Wise anyway, only about 25% of the Homes Decorate their Exteriors in most Neighborhoods now for Halloween.   Some Neighborhoods do it more than others, I guess depending on how many Kids they have in their Communities and that would be Trick-Or-Treating?   And a lot of Immigrant Communities aren't all that Familiar yet with American Holidays to participate... or, perhaps don't choose to... they have their own Holidays, Traditions and Rituals they still Celebrate.

We have a very large Catholic Cemetery near our Home and a lot of the Hispanic Community has their Loved Ones buried there so Dia de los Muertos is Celebrated at it every Year.  It's a big Celebration and our City has it handled like any other Big Event that the City helps with Traffic Control and such to ensure Safety and an Orderly flow of Traffic.   We usually go a Day afterwards when it culminates, since it is usually Celebrated 2-3 Days, and see the Ofrendas and Altars erected at the Gravesites, quite Beautiful and Meaningful.   In my Mom's Country they do that too during the same Time Frame to Honor and Celebrate their departed Loved Ones and Ancestors, so my Cousins always have done it at my Nanna and Gran-Gran's Crypts.   And now my Aunt's and Uncle's Crypts.   Soon it will be our Generation's turn since we're quickly Aging Out too and coming to the End of Life's Journey.

 

The Altars and Talisman Objects my Parents, from each of their Cultures, had at Home were not unlike many other Cultures that do similar Practices, Traditions and Rituals.   And which I have also done to carry forward the Rituals, Celebrations, Practices and Traditions... and perhaps some of our Kids and Grandkids might too?  The Continuity of that and the Fond Memories of it are something they all Cherish, but some might participate more in when Grown than others do or will.   And a lot of that depends on who they might Partner with in Life.  I was fortunate that The Man embraced all of my Cultural Differences and actually replaced his own with them, preferring them to how he grew up, which was very staunch LDS.   When we met and I knew he was Raised Mormon I made it clear that the Children and I would not be, not ever, and he was Okay with that and made sure his side of the Family Respected that decision.  He could still be one if he wanted, but, he wasn't a Member in good standing and hadn't been for Years before he met me anyway.

He's Kind towards his People, and towards the Young Missionaries, since he knows what is required of them and that they are Young and a long ways from Home, their Families having to pay for their Missions.  But he makes it clear, don't Proselytize to my Wife, my Kids or my Grandkids, it's forbidden to, period, they already have their way of Worshipping, Respect that or leave.   Most of the Young Missionaries are a bit Scared shitless by my Decor, Appearance, and Vibe anyway, pretty sure they assume I Practice the Dark Arts of some Kind?  *Bwahahahaha*  The Man is always Amused at the Look on their Young Faces, like as if they just walked into something very Scary and Unsettling.  Like they've never seen before, becoz pretty sure they haven't, the most devout he said are quite Sheltered and Chaste, so would faint dead away if they saw a Titty or a Cooch!  When he was a Paramedic in Utah, he said the Younger Mormon Men being Trained to be Paramedics were embarrassed to have to see Breasts or Lady Bits during a Call where they might have to, and didn't know where to look?!  *LOL* 

   

Anyway, we rarely, if ever now, get any of them coming to the Door now they 'Know' us.  *Winks*   And The Niece used to be a Jehovah's Witness and got a kick out of how Scared Shitless the JW's always were of our House.  Well, to be Fair, there was me and my whole Vibe... and then there was The Man being LDS... and being a Mormon, well, that's like Jehovah's on Crack.   So, sometimes I'd just have him go talk to them and quickly run them off coz he knows how to dispatch them swiftly when it comes to Quoting Scriptures. *Bwahahahaha*  I could go off on any Door to Door Religious Salesmen too by Quoting and Challenging their Interpretations of Scripture... but it's more Fun to ask if I can Anoint them with my Brand of what I know they Fear.  And they usually can't get away fast enuf before I could do any Gypsy, Voodoo, or Pagan Practices, Hexes, Spells, or whatever, that they aren't really sure of what we might Practice?!   They don't Ask, we don't Tell.   Our Environment alone is enuf to set most aback and Speechless.  *Bwahahahahahaha and Winks*

Okay, so Amusing Sidenote, the Two African VA Subcontracted Nurses were not at all taken aback by our Home and what it holds, they seen plenty of that kinda thing in Africa being Practiced, so, didn't phase them one iota actually.   In fact, both said they liked our Home, it's Vibe, and especially my T-Shirt when I wore the one that said "Sorry about our President" in 14 different Languages.  *LOL*  In fact, every time I wear it I get numerous people coming up and telling me they LOVE my Shirt, where did I get it so they can get one.  Especially the Young Americans or the Immigrant folks from any Country.  *Winks*   The one Below is like mine:

Some of the newer versions being Sold now only have it in 10-11 Languages, but they're less expensive now on some of the sites like Temu or Shein, where they have Deep Discounts on almost everything Sold Online from them, often over 70% Off any other Sellers.  Princess T shops those sites often to buy anything she wants Online, really inexpensively and the Quality has always been damned good for such a low price point, you get a lot of Bang for your Buck there I must say and the Selections are Crazy Vast, if they don't have it then it probably doesn't exist.  *LOL*   

Above is The Young Prince's Beautiful Eyeball, he's got Gorgeous striking color Eyes and is embarrassed when people of both Sexes always tell him that.  *Smiles*   My Welsh Nanna had the same Color Eyes and one of my Native American Cousins does too, so on both sides there are some Green and some Grey Eyes of just a scant few of us.   And now I've thrown in some Fluff, some Random Topics, and some Halloween Fun, let's get down to Controversial Topics shall we?  You know how Controversial I don't mind being.  *Winks*  And you can Agree to Disagree with my Observations and Opinions about any or all of it, this is just my Take on it, Okay.  Mostly coz, I tend to be long term Solutions Oriented and don't Believe in The Quick Fix and Band-aids over massive gaping Wounds, that's not gonna Solve a Problem at all really.  But Americans LOVE Quick Fixes, Fairy Tale Endings, and often forced Speedy Self-Gratification to and from complex Problems, ours or anyone else's. We lose Interest, get Impatient and aggravated otherwise, as a general Rule. 

 

Now, that said, on to Global Affairs in the Headlines.  I feel very conflicted about the Situation and Negotiating going on with Israel and Hamas right now and I'll tell you why I do.  Donnie Two Dolls is assuming the Simplicity of him being some Great Bullying Mediator Hero is gonna Fix it all and Win him a Nobel Peace Prize.  Which, is probably HIS main Goal, since his Fixations with Winning the Nobel Peace Prize are an Obsession, and his Goals are always quite Egocentric.  I doubt he Cares about Israel or the Palestinians one iota, he doesn't even Care about Americans.   As Americans we're far removed from the long History going on with the conflict that has raged for what seems like an eternity there in the Middle East.  It's a Complex Problem to be sure, with conflicting deep Religious Roots, Palestinians don't have a Country, Terrorists have their Causes, Israel wants to Exist.  So, to assume this all gets sorted out with this Deal, I think is quite Naive.  But, at least a step in attempting a beginning of pressured de-escalation.  That for now both sides are considering, albeit reluctantly and under intense Global Pressure, or so it seems.  Everything isn't always as it seems tho', deceptions abound.

  I'm glad if and when they get all living Hostages released that were captured by Terrorists and have been brutally and inhumanely held for so long as bargaining chips and Pawns by Ruthless Terrorists.  I Pray that even the Bodies of those not alive are all accounted for eventually and returned to their Families for sorrowful Closure too long delayed.  I also want aide and relief to come to the Civilian Palestinian Citizens of Gaza.  Losses to them have seemed at Genocidal levels, the Palestinian Population is in desperate and dire circumstances and have nowhere to go but where they already are.  It's not like any Arabic Countries are willing to relocate the entire population and take them in, so they can not be used any longer in Gaza by Terrorist Organizations as Human Shields and Pawns.  Extremists and Terrorists will always use their own People as Human Shields and have total disregard for all Life, their Enemies AND their own Populations, often even their own Lives if it furthers their Causes.

  For Terrorists of all Kinds, the close proximity of Gaza to Israel is an important handy MUST, a breeding ground for Terrorist Agendas forever and ever, and long term Jihad Goals of eliminating all Jews and capturing the Holy Land and Dome Of The Rock.   So it benefits them to hide amongst a population located there, in Gaza, that is of their Culture, but not of their Organization necessarily.  They can easily blend in there.  Tho' they will also endlessly recruit, indoctrinate and radicalize from there, so they'll have an endless supply of replacements to culminate their Cause.  They are infiltrated everywhere, but there they can be most effective.   My biggest Concern therefore is, does anyone else really Believe you can have or be sure of a measure of prolonged Peace or Success, or even Trust, Negotiating with brutal Terrorist Organizations?  I don't.  At all.   I'll leave it at that, becoz I do not think you can, it's Naive to assume you even could. 

 And thus, we'll be revisiting this IMO in a few Years, and I suspect it will possibly be even worse.  I once Dated a Palestinian Man for a Year, in the early 1980's when The Daughter was a Toddler.   He asked my Dad's permission to Date me, he'd met my Parents thru other Arab Jordanian Friends of theirs, without even asking me to go out!  Yeah, it wasn't gonna Work Out well from The Jump.  *Bwahahaha*  But, he was persistent as Hell, and he was Handsome, well Educated, came from a very affluent Family, my Parents really liked him, our Arab Friends vouched for him, so, I gave it a whirl, what can I say?  My intentions were, on the Dating Scene anyway, not to even be looking for a long term Relationship or a Husband.  I was Years away from that and this Guy wouldn't have remotely been The One.  Whatever his intentions were, I couldn't really say, but a very close Turkish Male Friend of mine didn't like him at all, didn't Trust him at all, and didn't like me Dating him... we'll get to all that later. 

 His Family had relocated from Gaza to Egypt, his Dad a high ranking Military Official there, a General, they were quite an affluent Family.  Then he and a Brother Immigrated to America and lived in Phoenix temporarily on a Humanitarian VISA, becoz his Brother had a Rare Medical Condition and getting Treatments here at the Mayo Clinic.  He knew the tactics of Hamas and Shared a lot of that, his Culture has Lived with it for Generations upon Generations.  For my Edification, Enlightenment and Curiosity he discussed it with total candor from his Perspective, the 1980's and Today aren't much different in the realm of Terrorism Operations really.  Did I think he was a Terrorist?  The thought crossed my Mind, there was a lot of that going on in the Eighties too, but, a really good one isn't gonna stand out as being one anyway.  So, can't say I'd ever have known and never will know.  Mebbe, mebbe not???   Who can say, except those that Track 'em.

  My Best and Lifelong Turkish Friend, Ali, kept telling me to dump the Egyptian Palestinian Boyfriend and remained adamant I should tho'.   He didn't Trust him, didn't like him being around my Family, coz Ali Adored my Family and was very protective of us, he had a lot of History with our Family.  I Trusted my Lifelong Friend's Judgment and genuine Care, coz I really knew him and he really knew us.  He was Ride or Die with us for a long time until he Moved to New York, Married, and we eventually lost touch.  And I knew it wasn't to be a Serious Relationship anyway, I didn't want any Serious Relationship back then.  So, Ali's advice to end said Relationship worked like a Charm, so that this Guy would choose to end it and just Be Gone.  Never saw him again.  Never wanted to, even our Jordanian Friends never saw him again and we kept in touch with them up until my Mom Died.  I suspected he and his Brother returned to Egypt eventually?  I did Hope his Brother's condition improved, but, I don't know that either?  Some things will remain Unknowns.  That's Okay.  Sometimes we don't Need to Know.  I keep things on a Need to Know Basis, sometimes I don't Need to Know.

  Okay enuf of all that now.  It's just that Celebrations should be at least Cautious and not too premature, just sayin', and I Hope I'm Wrong.  Only Time will now tell how things shake out.  Always Hope for the Best even with trepidations and extreme Caution in case that won't be the case.   Changing Topics now, coz I personally don't have a Solution and don't Pretend to, above my Pay Grade and limited Expertise or Bandwidth.  Above is One of my Welsh Cousins and his Wife.  We keep in Touch across the Pond, but haven't seen each other in Person since High School.  They travel extensively all across the Globe so I do Hope one day they make it out to Arizona?   He's a Welder for Nuclear Power Plants and we have a big one just West of us, so... he might could mix Business with Pleasure?  *LOL*

 

Hey, you didn't think we were gonna Solve all the Problems in the World in one Post now didya?  *Winks*  Plus, epic Monsoon Storms again Tonight.   Mando rigged a System to pump Flood Waters from around the Pool and Back Patio areas where Roof runoff is problematic, out into the Pasture.   Sandbags can only hold back so much Water before they will be breached.  I've stayed up past 3:00 a.m. to turn the Pump on Twice to drain the huge Barrel we have catching the most Rain cascading off the Back Roof.   Where the pitch intersects and it comes down like a Waterfall into the Rain Barrel, which is about Four Feet High and has filled up Twice to pump into the Pasture!!!   It Rains in torrents off and on, it's doing it again so I may have to stay up and turn the Pump on again and just Nap later in the Morning when the Monsoon Storm subsides, IF it does?  

We've had sometimes where it hasn't and epic Flooding is happening in some areas, to where Streets literally look like raging Rivers!  We're on higher ground than that Thankfully and have adequate Pasture to drain a lot of Water into, like an Irrigation Cycle it can hold an enormous amount of Water, unlike most Residential Property which cannot.   Luckily I'm like a Vampire and can keep Weirdly long and late Hours while the rest of the Family Sleeps.  It's partially why I go on Blogging Benders at Strange Hours.  *Smiles*   And these are Strange Times that often dictate keeping Strange Hours.   While the Country slumbers there's no telling what Crazy shit Leadership is up to anymore?  You wake up and there's always Breaking Bad News every fucking Morning, isn't there?  No telling what has fallen apart whilst everyone was catching some Z's and not able to pay close enuf attention to the Maniacs?!

This is The Man when we first got Married... what a Handsome Stud Muffin, huh?  *Smiles*   Update on his Recovery Post-Heart Surgery, he's doing quite well and the Bandages on his Groin could come off but we've had the VA Nurse Re-Dress the Arm when she came on Tuesday coz that was the area of Crisis Post-Op where attempts to go in there failed and infiltrated, so they had to stop the Bleeding by applying Pressure for over 40 Minutes!   So, his Arm is swollen, looks terribly Bruised, but, Thankfully not looking Infected.  *Whew*   I'm glad we have this Home Nurse Assigned to him for now so I can get a Trained Professional looking at everything and assisting with Dressing Wounds and stuff I'm not confident on how to do correctly?   I can Wing it but would rather someone with Training and knows what they're doing, to do it for the best results.   She always asks me what she can do and leaves it up to me what I'm most comfortable doing myself, sometimes with her guidance, or having her do for him.   I always pay attention to how she's doing it, in case we don't re-qualify for Home Nurse Help come November 1st when they re-evaluate Qualification or Disqualification?

 

You graciously Receive any and all things you Qualify for and try to Educate yourself enuf to do it yourself should you no longer Qualify for any Assistance or Funding dries up or is scrapped by this White House.  Veteran's Services have been slashed and right now the Military aren't even getting Paid, so, we're at least better off than Active Duty Families are right now, I'm glad The Man is no longer Active Duty Status and mandated to Work whether he got Paid or not.   The Military would be Court Martialed if they just didn't show up for Work, even if they're not getting Paid, so it puts them in a way more pressured spot than a Civilian Federal Employee not getting Paid.   Yes, Civilian Federal Workers have to Honor the commitments to show up coz their Unions say so, but we all know at some point they start calling in and not showing up if they know they're not getting Paid.  And, I don't blame them... they're not Volunteers even if Essential Workers.  And Politicians shutting the Government down with the Shutdown are still getting Paid even when they're not even there doing their fucking Jobs to sort this shitshow out!!!   And avoiding accountability by blaming each Partisan side for it.  Enuf of the Partisan bullshit already, we're sick of it!!!

 

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Blogging Bender subsided now... Dawn... The Bohemian