Doing The Impossible ~ Being The Resistance

Just finished watching a NetFlix Halloween Baking Championship called "Is It Cake, Halloween", it was so good!  Bakers compete to trick Judges who have to Guess if what they made is Cake or Fake among other Real Things that are almost identical and not Cake.  It is so hard, I got it Wrong a lot, got it Right more than most Judges or Contestants tho'.  Hard to describe the Episodes but it just shows the Mad Skills of these Cake Artists to where it's extremely difficult to tell if it's a Cake or not while it's sitting right next to exact replicas.   Sadly, some of the most exceptional Artists who did the harder pieces didn't Win, so part of it was Strategy and the Luck of what you're required to replicate if you didn't get to choose.   Above is a Black Cat Cake next to one of the Fake Statue Cats meant to confuse and trick Judges and/or Contestants Guessing which was the Cake and which was the Fakes?  

 Such Fun to Binge Watch all the Episodes of the whole Season at once.  If there were Ties it was decided by up close Inspection of the Cakes and the Taste Testing of them to decide a Winner.   And some of the Contestants hadn't been doing it that long and had other Careers before they ever began making Cakes.  One Contestant who was my Fav Baker had been a Police Officer for 30 Years first and hadn't been Baking Cakes that long, he and Two other Top Contenders were from Canada!  The Winner of the Season was a Young Woman from Chile, South America.   She hadn't fooled me but she had fooled some of the Judges and I guess the taste of her Cakes was exceptional and unique, drawing Flavor Profiles from her Country of Origin that Wowed the Judges.  Some of the BEST Cakes that were flawless, were only easy for me to Guess Right becoz they were more Perfect than what they Replicated!!!  So, it was still Sad to see some of the best Talent eliminated.  

Sometimes Guesses were just Lucky Guesses and you really couldn't tell for sure which one was the Cake and which were the Fakes.  Mind blowing that anyone can make a Cake look that Realistic sitting right next to the Real Things that are not Cake and made of all sorts of things... Resin, Fabric, Plastic, Stone, Appliances, Wood.   The levels of Artistry were off the Chain so it was a Joy to watch them Creating their Cakes and then trying to Judge which was a Cake?   I probably got it Right about only half the time, but none of the Judges they had on any of the Episodes did any better at Guessing Right either.  So, it wasn't easy and most really relied on speculation and Luck, not that any of the Cakes looked like an obvious Cake really. 

It was nice to watch something Fun and lighthearted with a Halloween Theme, that I hadn't seen before.   The Winner won something like $51,000.   And other Contestants had opportunities to Win Money, from $2,000 to up to $10,000 along the way to the Grand Finale'.  I'd seen some of the Contestants on other Baking Championship Shows I watch, you get to know some of the Top Contenders of the Industry.  And it's a really good way for them to Showcase their Businesses and their Talent even if they don't Win, the exposure has to be really Helpful to propel them to new levels and recognition.  They always show some of their Creations they've made before, and tell about their Business if they have one and where it is... along with something about them and their Families or other Interests.  Some do it for a Living, others are Home Bakers.  Some Professionally Trained, other's Self Taught.

I grew up with a Dad who was not only a Master Chef, but also an accomplished Pastry Chef as well.  The only thing he never tried to master was Ice Carving, which became a Thing right around the 1970's and by then Dad was Retiring from the Trade Professionally.  My Welsh Nanna also made Custom Cakes, mostly Wedding Cakes, and she was Madly Creative and Artistic as well.  She had been a Professional Dancer, Stage Actress and Singer, so her Artistry was a broad range and her Dad had been an Orchestra Conductor and could play every Instrument there was.  Several of her Family had been Singers and most of my Mom's Family had fabulous Voices, including her Brother and Sister.  Mom couldn't Sing but she had been a Professional Dancer until she had a bad injury to her Legs and went into another line of Work as a Comptroller for a Major Exporter.  She gave all that up when she met and Married my Dad and they focused on his Military Career, which spanned 27 Years.

Dad always worked a 2nd Job Off Base at Fine Restaurants, usually as their Master Chef or Pastry Chef, so that Mom didn't have to go back to Work.  He taught my Mom how to Cook and Bake, to the point she became quite an accomplished Cook and Baker herself.  She always joked that before she met my Dad she couldn't even boil Water.  *Smiles*  My Brother had the Culinary Jedi Genes passed down to him, but they just skipped right over Yours Truly.  The Man is the one in our Family who was really good in the Kitchen.  Which is why it's Sad he needs Supervision in a Kitchen now due to his Brain Damage and cannot remember how to prepare the foods and Meals he excelled at making.  He used to tell people that I was no Domestic Goddess, but I had excellent Earning Potential, coz I always made more Money than he did at my Career.  *Smiles* 

This was Eli meeting The Giant Rat, oddly, for a Cat that is afraid of everything, every small noise or dead Bug, he wasn't the least bit Afraid of the Giant Rat and just walked right up to it, sniffed it, lost interest and so I couldn't get a good Pix of him with it.  Of coarse, he also attacks People, so he's just not afraid of Big Things and it's the small or unseen things he's terrified of.  *LOL*   The only way we could even get him interested in checking out the damned thing and not just ignoring it, was for Princess T to make a fuss over it and pet it... then he got a little jealous and walked over to check out what this Thing was that HIS Human was fussing over?   Sometimes he'll attack something that isn't Real and she's fussing over that takes the Attention away from him... we were kinda hoping he might attack the Rat and I could get a Pix of that, but, he was just Bored by it.  *LMAO*

This was Princess T trying in Vain to get her Cat interested in meeting The Giant Rat, which he showed little to no Interest in.  Altho' he sniffed at, Explored extensively, and was Curious about, and afraid of, every tiny Halloween benign looking thing and the non-existent Monsters under the Media Chair and Sofa Sectional that he was SURE was hiding under there ready to Get him!!!  *LOL*  He rarely comes out of her Room coz he's a Cat with a lot of Anxiety and is pretty Neurotic, therefore, he and she are Two Peas in a Pod.  He's been Curious about the changes in Decorating for Halloween.   Once he's explored he goes back to his/her Room, Adventure now over.  *Smiles*  He's a very Odd Cat.

We had quite a heavy Monsoon Storm all day and it dumped a lot of Rainfall, but we didn't flood so badly this time and our Sandbags held.  Mando had devised a helpful system to pump water that tends to heavily drain off part of the back Roof into the Pool area, into the Pasture instead.  Once we get Rain Guttering up that will be eliminated as problematic, but we realized the previous Owners had installed all of the Security Lights where the Guttering would have to go, so they'll all need to be redone as well when we get to that Home Improvement.  Makes putting the Gutters up back there more complicated so they want to determine how much of a hassle it will be.  There's interior improvements needed as well.  We cannot find replacement Bulbs for the Light Fixtures our Two Bathrooms have anywhere, they are Specialty ones and Online searches were in vain for them too.

 

I think other folks have run into that problem since I always see lots of Donated Light Fixtures with Specialty Bulbs in Chazzas that people have replaced.  I'm not so attached to the Fixtures in both Bathrooms and know I'd prefer to have something more Urban Farmhouse with Edison Bulbs I can easily swap out when they go out and need replacements that are easily Sourced.  So, that's the next outlay I'm gonna have, buying Bathroom Light Fixtures for over our Sinks in both Bathrooms and Mando said he can install them for me.   There's so many options and a lot of them are quite affordable, but I want something easily installed with no complications and has Lights easily swapped out when needed.  The Style is important but secondary to Function and Ease, of coarse Affordability also comes into play since I have to stay on Budget too, if I want to do this anytime soon I can't get carried away.  *LOL*  Luckily Vintage Industrial and Urban Farmhouse Style is still Trending and Popular so Selection is really good right now.

I also pay Attention to Customer Reviews coz if there were Installation Issues or Product Issues they'll let you know in a Review.  One Fixture I really liked didn't Rate all that well and it's Reviews told of some Box it didn't interface with and needed Jury Rigging to Install, so, a Hard Pass on something like that.   I'm replacing the current Lights, which are quite Lovely, becoz of Issues with what Lightbulbs they use that just can't be Found and as they've gone out I have less and less Lighting available in both Bathrooms now and no Solution other than ripping the Fixtures out and Replacing them.   Ease of changing Bulbs is also something Important, we're Older, I don't want something that becomes complex to just change out a Bulb, so I'd rather have the Bare Industrial Edison Lightbulbs with no Cage around them, even tho' it looks Cool, it would be a Pain in the Ass when a Bulb goes out to have to take something off first that has Screws and requires being up on a Stepstool juggling parts.  *LOL*   So, I wanna keep it Simple and just Functional, while looking good.

    

It's like House Hunting, there's tons of stuff that enamors you to how it might LOOK, but in daily living, turns out to be a Pain in the Ass or impossible Function Wise, especially as you Age.  I don't need or want things that I can't do myself or would need to hire someone to do for me if I have options not to have that hassle.   Yes, we have Two other Generations living here, but I wanna keep things Simple for all of the Generations that will inherit this Property some day.  My decisions now will mean Future smooth Function or Future Problems.  I'm going to have Mando take one of the Fixtures down so we can see how it was installed and how complicated it might be to exchange it with something different?   One thing I have learned in Years of Owning Homes, you never know what Construction and Contractors might have done, rigged, bypassed, Jury Rigged, or not done properly?   We know this Home was built in 1980, we don't know if the last Remodel was the only one?  Everything was not Original. 

I've Upgraded and replaced a LOT even in the short time I've Owned it, mostly becoz we HAD to or it was Original and no longer Functional or Upgraded to Modern Standards that are most Efficient or Safest.  It's what you don't see in a Home that is usually the biggest and most expensive problems or things you want to Upgrade to your own Standards, and mine are High, High, High.  *LOL*   That's Why before Buying I always Hire my own Inspectors who are People I Trust and are looking out for our Best Interests.  Even tho' the Seller had it Inspected as they're required to do, I want my own People's Eyes giving a 2nd Opinion before I Invest in anything as expensive as Real Estate.  They have Saved my Ass on more than one occasion and it's always Money well spent, so you're not Buying a Pig with Lipstick slapped on it.  Or, if you are willing to, you Negotiate Down the Price to ensure you're Funding it thru the Seller and not out of your own Pockets.   If you want to Sell me something, you'll meet my Terms or I Walk.  *Winks*

It's still pretty miserable outside today and looks like more Rain all Weekend long, so it's at least much Cooler, in the Mid-70's, which is Nice.  And the Desert can always use the Rain.   I'd like to go out Canning and getting more River Rocks but can't take The Man and he needs someone here with him, so I have to make sure The Daughter would be available to watch him for me if I did it myself for some Exercise and to get out in Nature for a while, it's very Restorative to the Soul while doing either activity.   He has about 1-2 Weeks of Downtime and I know it bothers him to be Sidelined that long and having to behave himself, but so far he's been compliant since being back Home.  I have him doing little things that he is allowed to do safely.  Off and on he's acted like he's not quite 100% and really does need to still take it real easy.   He had significant complications and we don't wanna risk any more.

  

Keeping him compliant and content here at Home is the Main Goal right now while he Heals.   That means I'm Anchored in place really since he tends to deteriorate when I'm not present and I know the Kiddos try to keep him on track, but, he can be difficult for them sometimes.  The Daughter is the most Patient with him about that, she's always been as close to her Dad as her Daughter has always been to him, they're both Devoted to him.   When Princess T was a Baby, Toddler and very Young Pre-School Aged Child she'd hear me call him 'Honey' and so she began calling him that until she got to be about 7-8, it was Adorable, then she converted to calling him Grandpa.  And tho' they bicker a lot, they are exceptionally close, she just doesn't put up with any of Grandpa's Nonsense and he claims she's a Mini Me, and he'd be Right about that, everyone sees that she is indeed a Mini Me.  *Bwahahahaha*  Her Mom said, "Wow Mom, she is JUST LIKE YOU!!!"  And she does Act like I did as a Child, Personality Wise and Attitude Wise, only she's MUCH better Behaved.  *LOL & Whew*   This is Why her Boyfriend Rusty has his Hands full.  *Winks*

And as Delicate like a Flower as she LOOKS and being a Tiny Little Sprite, she is Scrappy.   You definitely don't wanna get on her Bad Side and invite The Beast Princess to emerge, I Pity the Fool.   Her Older Brother, The Young Prince, used to semi-joke that she was Pre-Demonic and he wouldn't pick Fights with her even tho' he's much Older, becoz of how vicious she can turn on a Dime if you Trigger her Ass.  *LOL*  I've probably told the Story before but becoz she was introverted, timid, small and quiet, plus being a Special Needs Child, she did initially get picked on and Bullied in Grade School.  In the 2nd Grade an Older Boy whose Family were Gang Bangers, and he was a notorious Grade School Bully of the Younger Children, pushed her off a Swing and badly broke her Arm.  I had to go to an Orthopedic Surgeon to get it set!  She was just this tiny little 2nd Grader, but becoz everyone at the School were fearful of this Kid's Family, nobody wanted to do anything about it, I was Pissed.  But I needn't have worried coz she got her Revenge in the 3rd Grade the next Year... all by herself.  *Winks, coz she IS of our Spawn and Lineage, LOL*

Little Homie thought he'd Bully and Intimidate her again, but Clever Child that she is, and I'm sure she'd plotted her Revenge against this Little Fucker for a whole Year, biding her Time, she was prepared to Throw Down.   You know those little Colorful Plastic Pencil Sharpeners all Grade School Kiddos have?   Well, they actually have a Razor in them and she had dissected hers, took the Razor out, and went all Hood on this Homeboy, she sliced and diced him pretty good, he went to the ER, she got Suspended for 3 Days, Mrs. Jones, her Elderly Substitute Teacher laughed when she told me what happened coz she said Little Homey had it coming coz he'd injured many a Child over the Years.  She'd told his Gang Banger Family that Princess T's Family wasn't The Ones to mess with, the Grandpa was a Retired Military Assassin and the Grandma was known to go Old School Crazy Indian if Crossed.  One thing I will tell you, no other Ethnicities are Foolish enuf to mess with anyone Indigenous, or even Mixed Breed Indigenous.  It's generally not a Good Idea.  *LOL*  

This Kid was Mexican, the Historic Barrio was 98% Hispanics.  It's funny coz The Daughter's Old Boyfriend Andrase, who grew up there too often joked that there were only 9 other Black Kids in Da Hood there and 6 of them were his Cousins, so the Dating Pool was slim to Date a Black Girl, since, he was Related to all of them.  *LOL*   Andrase's Family were also part, Indigenous, Pima Indian, his Grandfather being a Full Blood Pima of the Reservation just Blocks away from Da Southside Hood Barrio we all lived in.  So, anyway, Little Holmes Family decided it best that they quashed any further Beefs with any of us, and their Kid steered clear of our Kid, and all was then Well.   He will forever carry the Scars of fucking up by Targeting her a 2nd time to Bully or try to Assault.   Pretty sure other Locals, if they asked around, would Testify that I'd go to the Bus Stop in my Pajamas and Stare at the Gang Banger Families like a Crazy Woman to ensure my Grandkids/Kids were never messed with, and had for Two Generations.  *Winks*  

 

Word got out of coarse what she'd done and it became Legendary, as the stuff of Legend that gets passed along.  *Smiles*   So, she got Bullied no more even tho' in Da Hood of the Historic Barrio, it was a very rough Neighborhood and School System.   I grew up in some very rough Neighborhoods and have never had Problems, becoz if you do have One, you make sure it's dealt with swiftly and makes a Statement, so you have no more.   I must say I still miss the Old Barrio coz we have many, many Friends still there and our Family was accepted just like my Family when I was growing up was always accepted, even tho' we were always the Minority Ethnicity in our Neighborhoods.  There were no other Indians, and rarely no other White folk either.   But, I've always been treated Well by the predominantly Black and Hispanic Communities I have always lived in, if you Belong to the Community, they got your Back.   

The only Communities I don't feel particularly comfortable or even necessarily Safe in, are the affluent pretentious White ones.  Coz they make up shit to call the Cops about and are filled with Karens and the Male Counterparts of Karens, let's call them Kens.  *Bwahahaha*   If you are different in any way, they will not only NOT Welcome you, but will intentionally Harass you and make Life difficult just coz they can... even if it pushes the boundaries of the Law to illegally do so.  They don't mind going to Court, they tend to be very litigious as a Collective actually.  Plus, they aren't very tight knit, most don't really know their Neighbors hardly at all, don't do shit for one another, so it's a very loose Fake disingenuous sense of 'Community' where they'd throw each other under the Bus if it benefits them personally or financially.  Oh, and, they wouldn't piss on you if you were on Fire, so don't Count on any of them in a Crisis or Emergency they probably wouldn't even answer the Door.  

Affluent Subdivision Hell with the Million Dollar Listings where we lived for only 5.5 Years was The Worst... in every way... Escaping that Neighborhood was like a fucking Prison Break of feeling Free at last!  Good Riddance, don't ever wanna go back.  *LOL*   I'd venture to say the Best Locations to Be are probably your Average Middle Class ones IMO.   Where nobody is particularly Rich or particularly Poor, so they are more diverse, accepting, and have the Boxes Checked that you'd want for Raising your Family Safely and without any Drama.   This area we're in now, is your Average Middle Class one, the Homes have now gained enuf Equity to be too Expensive for who you don't want moving in and making it Crime infested, and too Middle Class for who you don't want moving in trying to Gentrify it and get all Bougee and Controlling.   

We do like it that way, Good Neighbors, Tight Knit Community, a lot of Diversity of Ages, Races, type of Work/Careers folks have, Chill, Low Crime Rate, Good Schools, Good Hospital real close, and close to everything you'll ever Need or Want.   Check, Check and Check... Location... Location... Location.   I feel like we can happily Grow Old here, I couldn't have felt that in the other Locations we lived before, for completely different reasons... even tho' the actual Properties Owned were everything we wanted or needed, the Locations began to NOT be.   And you just never know how an Area may develop or deteriorate... the same with a whole Country apparently, since America definitely is going in a direction that is making a lot of Americans reassess whether or not to even Stay!?!   Those that can leave, just might, if things get really much worse than they already are heading at an accelerated pace.  People didn't used to flee America, now they just might.  And actually HAVE to for their own Safety and Well Being.

But, The Man and I tend to be Stubborn and Resistant by Nature.  We Live where we wanna Live and the Devils will just have to Deal with it.  *Winks*  Until we decide voluntarily to Move On, we are more inclined to be Militant and Activist Types that become a Pain in the Ass of whoever is Problematic becoz we WILL make Good Trouble, count on it.   The Man said he didn't Serve his Country with Honor and considerable Sacrifice for 39 Years to be run off or Dictated to by any Fascists.   Especially not one placed in the White House who was a Draft Dodging Coward, Rapist of Women and perhaps even Children, and a Career Criminal with more Felonies than most Organized Syndicated Mob Crime Bosses.  He's a Rich Low Life who made his Billions mostly by inheriting a lot of of it, then unethically and marginally legal, if not illegally.  He Grifts most of the Money he's making now, and his Spawn, and it's coming out of the Pockets of American Businesses and Taxpayers, they're like Blood Sucking Parasites and a Disease infecting the Nation.

We just got a call that the VA Nurse is on her way and that Surprised us coz we'd told her we didn't have her coming this Week due to his Surgery being on Tuesday, which was the Day she'd asked to change her visits to, from Fridays as originally Scheduled!   It's Okay, he's Home Recovering and so we're here, but, we weren't expecting her and she'll be here shortly!!!   She's just checking his Vitals now since she left me and The Daughter in charge of his Medications now we know which ones he's supposed to be on and all his Doctors are updated with one another on what each has put him on.  It was confusing when each Doctor had no idea what the other was prescribing and the VA System hadn't been adequately Updated even tho' they were sending us the Meds the Civilian Cardiologist wanted him on!!! 

  Typical Government Red Tape Bureaucratic inefficiency, which has only worsened with this White House being a total Cluster Fuck of Nepo Hires and massive Bad Decision making.  Right now Active Duty aren't getting even Paid so Military Families will suffer, due to the Government shutdown.   Anything Federal also cocked up while the Powers that make these decisions bicker among themselves and basically aren't doing their Job efficiently nor effectively for The People.  I'm fed up with it all, I'd just as soon every swinging Dick there be Fired and replaced.   With those who'll Serve The People of America rather than just Serving themselves and their own Political Interests, their Partisan Loyalty to just their Parties, their own Agenda, and keeping their Jobs thru any means necessary, even if it's causing hardships to Average Americans and the most Vulnerable in particular.

I'm glad now I didn't ask the Kiddos to look after Dad so I could leave and get some things done, since, I wouldn't have been here to receive the VA Nurse's unexpected visit.  We will have to clarify that she IS coming on Tuesday from now on, it's important that she and we understand what the Schedule is expected to be.  We didn't change it, but we agreed to her asking us to, otherwise, we were okay with Fridays... we just need to know, which is it?  Tuesdays, or Fridays?   Mebbe she just wanted to check up on his this Week Post-Op to make sure everything was okay and we didn't need her for anything?  Which, that's Fine, I don't think we do, we got it covered well and he's doing well so far.  And, we can update her on how the Surgery went so she can relay that information to the VA.  She's the Point of Contact now mostly with the VA, who Subcontracts her Services to us.  And she seems very efficient and organized, like she's done this a long time.

For The Man, Preparing him in Advance for anything is Important tho', you can't spring something on him unawares or he gets a lot more resistant, anxious and contrary about it.  So, the Need to Know for him, way in Advance, is crucial to it going smoothly for him, for us, and for whoever is providing the Services.   We'll get that Nailed Down firmly during this Visit.   If it becomes more of a Problem than a Help, then we won't want it extended longer than the EOM when they will re-evaluate Qualifications for it.   He knows how to take his own Vitals, we do too, we mostly needed the Med situation sorted out.  For now he can still Shower without Assistance and Transfer himself from Beds and Chairs.  And he likes Family to do those things for him rather than someone outside of the Family.   Unless he became more comfortable and closer, that won't change, and since it's short-term Help, and has changed once already from one Nurse to Another, it's a lot of Change for him to Process in a short amount of Time.

I am Grateful for any Help we do Qualify for if it's Helpful and doesn't create any Stress or undue Anxiety, since, we got enuf of that, don't need any added.   So far it's gone well enuf for now, it's another Professional evaluating and assessing things, which I do appreciate becoz I am NOT a Medical Professional and am winging it with Caregiving as each new complication in his Care comes up in order to meet him at his Point of Need.  We know what's going on with him is progressive, we'd like to slow that down, since we know we can't stop it and there's no Cures.   So that Age will be more an Issue than any Disease or Disability will be... that catches up to you and then you'll just Naturally Pass from Time into Eternity the best possible way from Aging and attaining a certain Age.   He's 73, he doesn't expect heroic measures to keep him Piping along.  He's lived longer than they expected him to by far... and Recovered rather Miraculously at times when they didn't think it to be even Possible.   So, we've been doing the Impossible for a long time now.  *Winks*

The Nurse just left, he's doing well and it was a Pre-Op Visit, she didn't like the look of his Arm and re-dressed the Bandaging for us, the Hospital hadn't sent us Home with what we needed to do that, she had it on Hand.   She could tell that Arm had been a major complication and infiltrated badly.   His Blood Pressure and Oxygen levels were very good, for him anyway, they could be better, and his Blood Sugars were a little high, but not alarmingly so.   She told me what to do to Help him more when he's Showering and for Meals.   Getting him to do both is often a matter of finessing him to cooperate and then when he does Shower and Eat he's requiring some Supervision and Assistance.  He likes to do it for himself, but now can't do it all for himself.  With Meals he plays with his Food a lot now and spends more time organizing things than Eating them, like it's an Art Project.  She told me to make sure we present Food Three times daily even if he only eats small portions of it.

It's okay if he doesn't eat it all, so long as he eats something and doesn't skip any Meal.   And that's kind of what we have had expectations of now, it's become his Normal to only eat 1/4 of what you give him to eat and he almost always will refuse a Meal, so you don't ask anymore, you just Present it.   He'll start organizing and playing with it and eventually consume at least some of it.  It's not like he's Starving.  We found out our Nurse is from the Tropical area of West Africa by the Guinean Forests that encompasses Sixteen different Countries.  She said Arizona is her Home now but it's much Hotter here, and Yes, most of Africa, a large Continent, isn't Hotter than Arizona and we hear that from African Immigrants all of the time, which is amusing to me, who knew?!  *LOL*  She's so funny she had The Man even Laughing.  She told him that Old Soldiers and Old African Men don't like admitting their Women are Right.  But, Listen to her, becoz nobody wants you now, so you're hers!  *LMAOROTF*  We Laughed and Laughed... so True!

Our whole Family has a Wicked sense of Humor and Gallow's Humor, no matter how inappropriate some might find it.  *Winks*  To us it has the most hilarity becoz of NOT being PC.  It can make you Laugh at things that might otherwise be Serious or even a Tragedy really, and an Issue of Life you just can find the Humor in if you're so inclined to look for some levity in it?  Some people don't and they're too uptight and serious all of the time and so they don't find anything to be lighthearted about during difficult or tough times.  But, there can be something if you can look for and find it, express it in Good Humor that isn't Hurtful to anyone nor meant to be, just Satirical.  And I happen to really enjoy Satirical Humor most of all.   It can be Thought provoking and even promote some Positive Change, people will often listen to a Comedian's Satire before they will listen to an Activist's dialogue about the same Topics.

 

Okay, so in the Spirit of Wicked Humor, this Blast From the Past Pix is The Daughter, my Prodigal Child, on the Far Left in the Little Black Dress. When she was about 8 Months Preggy with The Young Prince, when I'd asked her to give me a Pregnancy Pix, as Moms do... and... well, with her Wicked Sense of Humor, this is what I got!  *LMAOROTF*   The Cop was someone they knew and he obliged in participating with the Gallow's Humor of having this Pix taken and Why it was being taken... and to this day it still makes me Laugh out Loud and just Smile.   Of coarse you can't see how Big her Belly was with Child, but it was WAAAY out there coz she's a tiny little Sprite and always Skinny, even when Pregnant she didn't gain much Weight, but it was all Child out Front and the rest of her was still so Small she didn't even wear Maternity Clothes, just a Medium Size of whatever would fit over that Pregnancy Belly and Bodacious Breasts she only got when Pregnant.  *LOL*  Those Friends with her, Mary & Becky, are still her Lifelong Friends to this Day.  She was about Two Years Younger there than Princess T, her Daughter, is now, coz she was a Teen Mom. 

Her Daughter was MUCH easier to Raise than her Mother, I don't think I could have Survived another Prodigal Female Child to Raise.  *Whew*  The Young Prince was as difficult as his Uncle to Raise, so I only had One Golden Child, Princess T, and other than her Fragile Health and Academic Struggles due to being Learning Disabled, she was a pretty easy Kiddo to get Raised and a Good Kid overall Behavior wise and her decision making skills, she made and still makes Good decisions on a consistent basis.  She has always had a Maturity about her beyond her Years and is very Traditional and Rules Oriented all on her own.  She's the Kiddos that would make up Rules for herself as a Child coz she said I didn't have enuf of them for her.  *Bwahahahaha*  And she had said stuff like that since she was Two Years Old!  

She'd bring me random shit from around the house as a Toddler and tell me to put it away coz it could "Hurt the Baby", meaning HER!  *LMAO*  So, I'd have to Spirit away such things as Bobby Pins, Hair Ornaments, Perfumes, Nail Clippers, Butter Knives, loose Buttons, etcetera, that she felt was a "Rule" she shouldn't have it around her.  *LOL*  Hilarious only becoz of the irony that it's not as if THAT CHILD would have misused it, been Tempted to mess with it, or hurt herself with it, coz she felt it was a Danger to Herself and made up her own Rules about it being put away Safer and asking us to do it on her behalf!!!   She still makes up her own Rules for herself and I don't think it's been detrimental to her, she's actually avoided a lot of things by being prudent about her Freedom to do things, even as a Young Adult who has that authority over her own Actions now, being Grown.

I got KFC for Dinner, Two Family Meals worth, but forgot to mention to all the Guys to Save the fucking Legs for the Girls, coz that's all that The Daughter and Princess T like of a Fried Chicken.  Well, wouldn't ya know The Son ate ALL the damned Legs!!!  WTF!?!  Luckily, when I picked Princess T up from Work, she said Rusty was taking her out for Vietnamese Pho', whew, and that she would eat other Chicken Parts later on, to avoid Drama.  *Winks*  But, her Mom refused to eat other Chicken Parts and was angry at her Brother for Bogarting all the Legs of Two Chickens of a 16 Piece offering that should have been sufficient for everyone.  *Le Sigh*   Ah well, whaddya gonna do, Kids, even Adults ones, always seem to have unnecessary Drama with one another these days.  My Brother and I were never like that, but The Man's got Four Siblings and there still is huge Sibling Rivalries between them. 

 UPDATE: Good thing I didn't yell at The Son for eating those Chicken Legs coz as it turns out, The Daughter said, No, it wasn't him, it was DAD who did it and I made him put One Back for Princess T at least, but I was almost in Tears knowing he'd taken them ALL ... and then tried to blame it on my Brother!  *LOL*   She said he was like a Kid caught with his Hands in the Cookie Jar and has now convinced himself that he didn't do it, our Son did it!!!  The Man does make things up now he has Dementia, so we try to find the Humor in it, coz it's actually just Sad.  So, she told me not to say anything to him about it coz he'll deny it anyway and keep blaming The Son, who doesn't even know anything about it coz he ate the other Chicken Parts when he went and got his.  So, he has no Idea his Dad did it and put the Blame on him!  He'd be upset if he knew that... no sense both of them being Upset about Chicken Legs too.  *LOL*

Speaking of Siblings dynamics, I really don't know anything about if our Two Great-Grandkiddos, of our Middle Granddaughter back East, Post-Divorce, get to see their other Half Siblings or not?   I don't know what, if any, Relationship our Granddaughter has with any of the other Baby Mamas of her Exe's Kids by Four different Women?   It would be a shame if they can't or don't allow the Kids to have Relationship even tho' the Dad's Relationship is kibosh with all the Women.  I have seen no Pixs since the Divorce of the Great-Grandkids with their Older Siblings now.  Mebbe they only saw them when the Dad had Visitation of his Older Kids?  I don't know the complex dynamics.  Above is the Great-Grandson with his Older Half-Brother in the last Pix they had taken together that I know of.   They also have Two Older Half-Sisters, who also each have different Moms of various Ethnicities.  

 The Older Three Siblings of our Granddaughter's Two Younger Kids, all by the same Dad, are great with the Youngest Siblings.   Our Granddaughter seems to have a good Relationship with his Older Children by other Women.   It would be a Blessing for them to be able to remain all close to one another if that's possible, but, I don't know that it is?  Even tho' their Dad isn't showing himself to be responsible or a good Parent or Partner to any of his Baby's Mamas, mebbe each of the Moms is being the Adult in the Room for the sake of all the Children and their other Siblings?   Needless to say I don't have a good opinion of him and never did, how much he's in any of his Five Children's Lives is questionable, I'd suspect all their Mothers would prefer no contact with him and there's a slew of good reasons as to Why, as it turns out.

I'm just glad our Granddaughter extracted herself and her Children from the toxic Relationship before it worsened further, becoz it was unraveling so badly I was very concerned for her and the Kids.  They weren't Married very long and it's always so hard, and I understand and have a Point of Reference.  My 1st Marriage had to end before it was even Celebrating a 1st Anniversary too, becoz it was no longer Safe for me or the Children to remain.  Women must take that into consideration no matter how Sacred a Vow they consider the Union of Marriage.  Anyone that tells a Woman or Child that the Marriage means more than their Safety and Emotional and/or Physical Well Being, and they must stay and endure, even when it's gone totally Toxic, is sanctioning unacceptable and dangerous behavior by the perpetrator of making it so.   If you can't Trust a Spouse to be Faithful and Responsible to their Family and not Violent and Abusive towards them, you need to get out ASAP.  Children have to rely on the Responsible Adult to make that important decision.

 

I bring this up becoz some of the worst Case Files I Worked in the many Years of a large DA's Office involved Domestic Violence and their Victims.  And not enuf is done to protect the Victims {that Survive} from their Abusers or to Prosecute and Punish Perpetrators of it.   Women and Children are not Chattel.  They are Human Beings, not Objects, not Possessions, not Inferior or unworthy of Human Rights in any way, and certainly not subject to tolerate whatever a Man does to them.  And the direction our Country is going with whose in the White House, where Rights of Women, Children, Minorities, Immigrants, the Disabled, the Gay Community, those that Practice different ways to Worship or not Worship, the Aged, those that choose to Vote for their Opponents instead of for MAGA World, and the most Vulnerable and the Poorest of our Society, is so deeply disturbing, that I don't know their Situation won't worsen considerably, I really don't.  We simply MUST Resist...

*******

Blessings, Love and Light from the Arizona Desert... Keep On Keeping On my Friends...  Dawn... The Bohemian