Fear Factor Fun ~ It's The Season For It

 The Anomalous Storm did Cool things off the next day and tho' Humid, it was under 100 Degrees so we went out and did Environmental Cleanup, saw that the Rivers are running faster, higher and wider than usual, so brought out the Recreationalists for the Weekend.  Ergo, a lot of Aluminum Cans discarded, but, The County had also done a lot of cleanup around the areas where dumping had been problematic and an eyesore for Months now.   So, that was good, tho', sadly it won't stay that way for long, the piggish and the Environmentally Unconscious live among us and constantly need damage control run behind them, Lazy inconsiderate Fuckers they just are at their very Essence.  Curses and Bad Karma be upon them for their Abuse of the Environment.  *Winks*

They got some more Children's Pirate Costumes in at SAVERS.  So Princess T told me about it and since I have the whole Pirate Theme going on out Front, I got one.  I think I may have one more Skeleton I could dress it up in to put out there.   What SAVERS got in was New Old Stock from a SPIRIT Store from a previous Season that they hadn't been able to fully liquidate back then.   Perhaps it's Donated, perhaps SAVERS purchases bulk lots of it after Season, I don't know, but, it's all never used and a fraction of the original Retail Cost.  They have used Donated Costumes too, but a lot of what they have is New Old Stock as well.  And, unlike GOODWILL, it is included in any Sales they have going on or Discounts you Qualify for on Senior Day, Military Day or Customer Appreciation Day and Half Price Day.  GOODWILL excludes all Seasonal from any Coupons or Sales.

A lot of the Indie Secondhand Stores have gone out of business, as well as most of the Salvation Army Chazzas also Closed, just a scant few left.  The same with other Faith Based Secondhand Stores, just a fraction of what they used to have locally.   St. Vincent de Paul used to have amazing Chazzas, even with an Antiques section, now they have scant few Stores left and nowhere near the Inventory they used to carry.   The same with Deseret Industries, which is run by the LDS Church, they Closed most of their Stores locally too, just a scant few left.  I don't know why so many of them folded?   And some like Value Village, Closed and the locations turned into those Bin Stores.  Which are full of absolute shit being hawked, most of it broken and just Trash I'd just throw away, and not worth bothering with.   I miss the selection of Chazzas we used to have everywhere and were always busy, so it wasn't for want of Customers.   But the same thing happened to the 99 Cent Only Stores, always mad busy, but still went under.

I have to imagine for the Chazzas, their Donor Supplies just dried up?  Can't think of any other reason why so many just Closed, all at about the same time?   If you rely on Donations and can't get it as regularly, then, it makes more sense why they'd have to Close.   Online suggests there's no evidence of most Thrift Stores Closing, but, that isn't accurate reporting, we see it happening and locations gone and few new ones replacing them.   I see that people are Googling and questioning why, so, clearly the Public wants to know what happened, Strange that the answer isn't accurate that is given.   I think the Age Of Abundance is over and that's more likely the accurate answer to the Questions being posed for all the recent Closures that are evident.   People are probably reselling what they used to Donate becoz they need the Money, however little they get off hawking it rather than giving it to a Charity Shop.

I am going to try to go to The Gym Today, I'm long overdue on a Workout there, tho' when we do Environmental Cleanup it's a Workout too, I need to use my Membership at "Lifetime Fitness" that Medicare pays for.  The Gym keeps E-Mail dogging me about why have I been MIA and they KNOW WHY, I've explained several times that restricting the times that Seniors can attend often conflicts with our Schedules and other Obligations.  It's not like all Seniors have nothing to do all fucking day long or don't Need to still Work either!!!   Lifetime Fitness is making broad inaccurate assumptions based on Ageism.  I don't have any more Free Time than Younger Adults do, in fact, Full Time Caregiving is a FULL TIME JOB with NO Vacations, NO going Home at the end of a Shift coz your Shift is 24-7 and 365, plus I also Work outside of the Home at the Antique Mall when I can, and have numerous other Obligations.  So, I am not Free from 9:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. to go to the Restricted Hours there most Days, it's not an Option for me then.

Like everyone else there that has a Paid Membership, I Need to be able to attend when it's convenient for ME on MY Schedule!   Not when they restrict me simply due to my AGE to attend on their set Schedule they've devised for Senior Members and I must comply with and try to squeeze in.  Before the Restrictions I usually did my Workouts very early in the Mornings, around 7:00 a.m. after I got Kiddos to Work, or, very late at Night, after 9:00 p.m. when I got off Work.   When Princess T was still in School I had to wait until I got her dropped off at School to be able to go to The Gym.  And, if The Man isn't Well enuf to drag along to The Gym, then I have to provide coverage at Home for him so I can go.  And, if he comes along I'm more in Caregiver Mode than Workout Mode so it's not quite the same ability to do a proper Workout.   We discovered he got Lost and confused in the Men's Locker Room and couldn't remember which Locker he had or what Combination he'd set on it to get his things out.   I'd have to ask some Young Stud Muffin or Staff to go in and retrieve him for me.  *Le Sigh*

He mostly doesn't wanna actually Work Out either, he wants to do the Hydrotherapy Machine only.   And that has long lines when they restrict Seniors and we're all piled in there between 9:30-3:00 using and vying for the same Equipment most Seniors gravitate to using.   And Yes, they have devised Senior Activities, where they all gather in the Cafe and have Coffee Clutches and Card Games to Socialize, but I'm not going there as some Adult Day Care, I'm actually going there to use it as a Gym and get in some Workouts!!!  *LOL*   And there's no way in Hell that The Man would want to be Parked there like it is some Adult Day Care, he doesn't even LIKE most Peopling even if he knows you, let alone if you're some perfect Stranger!   He doesn't like the Interrogation Session all Seniors seem to do when they meet and greet another New Senior.  *Bwahahahaha*  

Hey, I don't either, I've had Job Interviews that asked me less Questions on a Need To Know Basis!!!  *LOL*  And some Senior I'm JUST Meeting don't Need to Know... I'll Volunteer any info I Want you to Know about me, so, don't Ask and don't Pry!   Or, here, this is my Blog, Read it and Catch Up.  *Smiles LMAOROTF*   Yes, I'm way more Transparent here on the Ole' Blog, than I am in Real Life my Friends.  In Real Life I prefer to be more Private and aloof, all Friended Up, and I'm Content with my tight Inner Circle that gets smaller as Old Friends Die Off.  I'm not really Recruiting New Friends to Invest myself in, I don't know how much Time I have left, so... kinda don't wanna Waste it Investing in New Relationships that might not work out, so cherish and guard it, you know?  *Bwahahahaha*   I will be Cordial to someone New, but, if I don't Know you, I don't Know how Needy a Person you are in your Relationships?   And my Dance Card is full enuf meeting those I'm already Invested in at their Points of Need.

And my Younger Generation Friends have Full Lives so they don't interfere so much with MY Life, coz, they're busy doing their stuff and I Like that about being Friends with the Youngsters.  They don't wanna Hang Out with me all the time, nor do I want to Hang Out with them all the time, we have different Interests due to Generational differences, and that WORKS for me and for them.  *LOL*   My own Kids and Grandkids know how closely I Guard my Alone Time and Respect it without Personalizing it, coz, it's NOT Personal.  Someone New is very likely to Personalize it, get Offended, and think it's all about them, which, it isn't, it's not Personal.  I just don't Need or Want to be around Friends all of the time, probably not even 3/4 of the time actually.  About a 1/4 of the time Socializing is all I'm Good for and the rest of the time I want to do what I NEED to do, have Obligations to do, or spend Me Time doing without any entourage in tow, just me, doing whatever I wanna do Alone.  If I run into you somewhere, we'll chat for a while and I'll Move On, that WORKS for me better than Hanging Out with someone for extended periods of Time.

And when my Besties lived Local or were still Alive, sure, we did a lot together off and on, but, we had History together.  So, we Knew each other Well and ergo it was more sustainable, like being with your Family, being with Lifelong Friends is like they ARE Family.  So, that's how you Behave around one another, no pretenses, no bullshit tolerated, Ride or Die for one another, but with Boundaries everyone knows how to Respect and adhere to.   If you're really Needy and Clingy, or like a Stalker Friend, and go all Baby Reindeer, I'll Pass... you're not for me.  *Winks*  And you just never know with some folks which might be The Baby Reindeer ones, you know?  *LOL*  If you haven't already watched the Movie "Baby Reindeer" then you probably have no Clue what we're talking about here, Trust me, you don't want Baby Reindeer folk in your Orbit tho'!!!  It's like if you Feed a Stray Dog or Cat... catch the Drift?

So, look what The Daughter did Today with my Wishing Stone Collection to enhance our Halloween Scene out Front.  *LOL*  I LOVE it!   When I'm collecting River Stones for the Mosaic Rock Project out front of our Wall I'm finding a Wealth of Wishing Stones too and setting them aside.  We won't cement them into the Mosaic Project out front, instead we'll do something with them around the Pool eventually just to Display them.  I like the Graves she made with it all tho', great Idea and I had the Faux Headstones.   She's having such Fun with it all and excited to show me what she's done next.  Mando helps her when she comes up with an Idea.  Right now they've been watching You Tube Videos on how to build a Coffin!!!   *LOL*  So, she's having him build a Coffin next.  *Smiles*

I did make it to The Gym and found out they don't have Senior Hours Restrictions on a Sunday, so, Sunday it will be to do my Workouts from now on!  Yay!!!  I got there just before 8:00 a.m., I will now go earlier, around 7:00 a.m. or earlier to do future Sunday Workouts by myself.  Then if The Man wants to go I'll take him later in the Afternoon to do the minuscule amount of stuff he's Game for, just to keep his Membership in Active Status.  He liked the IDEA of going, but once he gets there he's rather like a Lost Soul coz Working Out is not something he's the least bit interested in actually doing.   They had remodeled some things since the last time I was there and I like how it is better now, especially around the Hydrotherapy Massage and Cryo Massage Lounge Chairs.  Now you have some nice Planters to make it more Private around them and they Angled them which is much better too.  With hardly anyone being there and no waits for Equipment I spent 3 Hours there.

  

When I first got there I spent about 15 Minutes in the Wet Sauna.  I did my Cryo Massage first, then my Hydrotherapy Massage Twice, then I did the Stationary Bike and put Incirlik, Turkey on the Screen for the Ride.   Then I went to the Cafe and had Breakfast, a Latte and the Acai Sorbet Bowl {much further Below}.   When I got Home I took The Man out to do Environmental Cleanup.   We got a LOT of Cans coz it's the Weekend and much Cooler.  That Freak Storm we had dumped more Rain in a single Day than we'd had in Seven YEARS!!!  Just, WOW, no wonder Flooding was epic!!!   But, it made for a Cool Day in the 80's, so very pleasant and I got a lot of Stones as well as Aluminum Cans.  The Man had a good time, I took him out to eat afterwards at "The Angry Crab" and he had Grilled Salmon and Clam Chowder, I had the Fish N Chips, which is Cod, with Cajun Fries and Potato Salad.  {See directly Below}

He hadn't eaten all day since he wouldn't eat for the Kids while I was at The Gym, he was very pouty being left behind and quite petulant.  Which is why I took him out for his Fun Time when I was done with my Workout coz The Son said he was being very Unlovely and Difficult while I was gone... and was kinda still in a Bad Mood when I returned.   He can't Mood Regulate well at all and sometimes gets in a Mood for no apparent reason, but I knew the reason this Morning was that I was Gym Bound and needed to get a proper Workout without Babysitting him while there.  I told him some Sundays I'll take him later in the day if he wants to go to The Gym too.  I know when I take him along, about 10 Minutes in and he's already acting like he wants to go back Home.  They only have Day Care for Members Kids under the Age of 12, not for Older Adults, so, there's no respite for Caregivers unless you can leave them at Home with someone filling in for you.

I decided Sunday Mornings I'm going to set aside like 'Church' as my Self Care Time for myself to go to The Gym.   He's just gonna have to get used to it and Behave for the Kids, none of them Works on Sundays so it's the only Day I have all of them at Home to fill in for me and they can take Turns with him so nobody gets Burnt Out.  *LOL*   I did stop by the Antique Mall to tidy my Showroom, it gets messy during the Weekends. Even if Sales are Soft, which they were this Pay Period, Shoppers still make such a mess that it's ridiculous.  I've never made a mess whilst Shopping, or just Looking, ever, in my whole Life, not even during Childhood!!!   You can LOOK with your Eyes, not your Hands, if you're not even Buying, so, WTF?!   Anyway, I squeaked by and will get a small Check, a VERY SMALL Check, but, at least I didn't Owe the Mall.  *Whew*  Many Vendors weren't so Lucky and Owed the Mall this Pay Period.

At least I'd Worked One Shift to Comp a little bit of my Space Rent.  I'm Hopeful this Pay Period will be Stronger since we're in Autumn officially now and closing in on the Holiday Seasons.   So, Snowbirds and Tourists have swarmed in and they tend to spend more, since, most of them are either on Vacation or are Wealthy enuf to have a Second Home to live somewhere else half the Year.   We aren't getting the International Tourists anymore coz this Administration has pissed off all our International Friends and Trade Partners, so most are now Boycotting America and going on Vacays somewhere else now to spend their Money, I don't blame them.  But it is hurting Tourism and the Hospitality Industries to have that happen.   Especially since most Americans are cutting way back on spending now too, out of necessity, so... the Economy is in Free Fall and Tanking quickly.  The only thing buoying it up right now with the GDP is the Investments in AI that the Top 10% can Afford and gives a false impression that the GDP and growth is actually good and benefitting the Masses, it's not.

 

And even when the Stock Market is Strong, most Americans don't own Stock.  I do, but most of my Friends don't at all, most don't even have any Passive Income Flows from Investments actually.   If you count the 401(k) and IRA's, mebbe 62% could claim to own Stock... but as we all know the 401(k) folks got hit so hard the Joke was they now had 201(k) left of it.   And most working stiffs aren't Buying their own Stocks ever if they didn't sign up for an IRA or 401(k), or their Employers don't even offer such Investment Options.  Most working stiffs are Lucky if their Employers even offer them Health Care Benefits or any Retirement Options whatsoever.   Even when some Employers do, if they're not paying a decent Wage, the Employee couldn't afford either anyway.   Many people Working Full Time still need ACA Healthcare Benefits for it to be Affordable to them and to even have Healthcare at all. 

We got so much Rain on that Freaky Day that most of the Mountains around Phoenix had several Magnificent Waterfalls cascading down them!!!  You mebbe see that once every 25-50 Years or so.  Camelback Mountain East of Phoenix had several Waterfalls that people Video Recorded.   Few took Still Photos of it tho'.   Mostly coz where the Waterfalls form on the Mountain aren't accessible, so most Images are taken from quite far off and during the Freakish Storms still raging.   The Two Images Below Online claimed to have been taken of Camelback Mountain's Waterfalls during this Storm, but no way to verify.  The Videos I watched clearly were Camelback Mountain tho' and so many Waterfalls were cascading down the Mountain that it was quite a Sight that you rarely ever see in a Desert, or anywhere actually, to have that many on One Mountain that normally is Dry Year Round.   White Tanks has a Year Round Waterfall that isn't very large but has Water running all the time and you can Hike to it.  I'm sure it's running Strong after that Storm tho' and filling up the Dry Washes beneath it.  That's happened mebbe only 4 Times since 1974 when I first moved here.

We used to have more Flooding in the 1970's but they've built more Dams now so the Dry Rivers don't Run like they used to during Monsoon Season or Wash Out the Bridges like they did back then.   There are some big wide Rivers in Arizona that are Dry almost all the time, but when they Flood and Run, it's Bank to Bank and treacherous, used to Wash Out all the Bridges, so they kept making the Bridges longer every Year.  *LOL*   Only the Historic Mill Avenue Bridge would ever hold up back then and not Wash Out, coz I think it's built of Stone like they did way back then.  {See Below}   The Historic London Bridge is now in Arizona, we Bought it and put it up in Lake Havasu City, Arizona.  I missed visiting it when it was still in London coz I was there in the early 1970's after it was already dismantled and Sold, but I did get to visit it in Lake Havasu City.   The Pix of it is Below the one of the Mill Avenue Bridge.

Mill Avenue Bridge

London Bridge

Tho' London Bridge is way Older {1830's}, than Mill Avenue Bridge {1931}, you can see the similarities in Architecture and construction, which, is why they've lasted when Modern ones failed.   I'm glad America Bought London Bridge to Preserve it, remember the Old Nursery Rhyme of London Bridge is falling down?  Well, it was, and had Structural Issues and was sinking under the weight of Traffic, so England didn't really want to Invest in Preserving it and Restoring it, so Sold it and replaced it with a new Bridge.   It was Sold in 1968 for $2,460,000 to American Entrepreneur Robert McCulloch as a Marketing Tool and Tourist Attraction for the City he was Founding, Lake Havasu City.  I always visit Iconic sights and Historic Structures when visiting any City, State or Country it's located in.   I am also one of those people who enjoys the Journey almost as much as, perhaps sometimes more than, the Destination.  I'll stop along the way several times to see things.  It used to drive The Man Bananas coz he's Destination Oriented and would Marathon Drive straight thru and see nothing along the way.  *LOL*

The Two Granddaughters back East, who are Sisters, have been Marathon Competing to send me the most Pixs of their adorable Kids, The Great-Grands, during the Holidays.  *LOL*  So, I got loads more to Share in another Post.  The Cousins are close in Age too so enjoy spending time together and I'm sure our Oldest Daughter Loves that all her Adult Kiddos still live Locally and none of them moved away.  So, she gets to spend an inordinate amount of time with her Grandchildren, all Five of them and watch them Grow Up.   I missed that with the majority of ours, only the Two we Raised were here all of the time to watch Grow Up and Raising them wasn't quite like being an Ordinary Grandparent either.   And we haven't yet seen any of the Great-Grandkids in Person and even some of our Grandchildren in Person, since, The Man can't really Travel anymore due to his Disabilities and failing Health he's battled for a couple Decades now.  We just can't take this Show on the Road and the Grandkids didn't come out to Arizona to visit either.

Our Oldest Daughter used to visit Arizona before she had Kids, and when her First Child was a Toddler and she was Preggy with the 2nd one.  Both of those Granddaughters are Middle Aged with their own Families now, so, it's been a long time since we've seen their Mom either.   She doesn't keep in Touch much, her Kiddos do a much better job of keeping in touch with us than their Mom does.   The Middle Granddaughter is the best at keeping in touch regularly with our Family.   That's Surprising to me since out of the Three I would have thought her the least likely to, the Youngest One initially kept in touch the most and the Older ones not at all really.   When you can never be there in Person it is harder to establish a close Bond.   And The Man is terrible about keeping in touch with anyone so I've always been the one to reach out to extended Family on our behalf... and his behalf even with his own Family!   My Family was much Closer and interactive than his.   He has a large Family but I don't see them being very close knit.   And to us Family is EVERYTHING.

I won a Box Lot of a Dozen 1960's Mini Trolls with Pom-Pom Hair and one with regular Hair, off an Auction on E-Bay for Five Bucks, excited to add them to the Troll Minion Cult at the Feet of my Donnie Two Dolls Voodoo Troll Doll Halloween Vignette when they get here.  *Winks*   Everyone who sees it thinks it's the most hilarious Halloween Prop they've seen yet.   These were likely Cracker Jack Premiums Toys in the 1960's, when Cracker Jack had the good Prizes in the Boxes of Caramel coated Popcorn.   It's a big Collection for only Five Dollars.   I wasn't sure I'd Win it with my Opening Bid since individual ones were For Auction at sometimes over $16 EACH of that Era with the Pom-Pom Hair!  And folks were Bidding on those ones, so why the Box Lot of them slipped thru, who knows, but I do a wide Search when looking for anything and often you find the more obscure things for Auction that way that not as many Bidders are realizing are there.

The Son's Friend Q got his Brother to Deliver that Fridge on his Big Truck, Bless him, so, we did get it after all.  Haven't seen it yet, The Daughter is gonna clean it up before we plug it in to see how well it works?   Just went out to see the Fridge, it's a Stainless Steel Frigidaire and smells good inside, midsized one, looks like New.  The Daughter is still gonna Deep Clean scrub it inside before plugging it in.  Glad Q's Brother did us the favor by delivering it in his Full Size Truck at no charge to us.   Not sure yet where we'll put it, we'll figure it out tho', a Free Fridge is not something to pass up since large Appliances are Crazy Expensive these days.   Princess T sees her Gastro Specialist Tomorrow Afternoon in Real Time, it's further away than we thought, and we've got to try to locate it specifically on Google Maps before we trek out there Tomorrow.   They told us they'd hook us up with a Gastro Specialist close by and there are several, this isn't one of them, so WTF?!   The others were less than 5 Miles away so why they are sending us to one 12 Miles away is a Mystery, but, it's right off the Freeway that's near our Home, so commute time shouldn't be awful.  *Whew*

She's a bundle of Nerves about it, but it's necessary, she's had severe Gut Issues too long and we need to see a Specialist so we know better how to alleviate her suffering and what's really Wrong?  She was Born with various Food intolerances and sensitive Skin issues, severe Respiratory issues, so, she's been a fragile Health Kid since she was Born, and is quite a Warrior and little Trooper about it.  But the older she gets the more frail she looks to me and she only Weighs 92 lbs. soaking wet at Age 20.  She was always a small Child but looked not so frail as a Child as she does now IMO.  I mean she's SKINNY.   And she's very self conscious about being so Thin.   My Mom was as thin as that in her 20's too, so it could just be her Genetics at play, my Mom's Nickname was Olive Oyl when she was a Young Adult {Popeye's Skinny Girlfriend from the Comics}.   I was Skinny as a Young Adult too, but I weighed 98 lbs. and was shapely, tho' I wore a Size 1 until I had Children, I was just Small, but didn't look sickly or frail.  I weighed only as much as 130 lbs. until I had a Hysterectomy after Age 50... then I got Fat from the Hormonal Situation that threw me into at Menopause.

I don't ever wanna be that Thin anymore, but I'd like to get to a Goal Weight again of 157-160 ideally at my Season of Life, it looks best on me at that Weight now.  I Attained it once, so I know I can, and looked Good... but Maintaining it is the challenge with Type II Diabetes and Insulin Resistant Fat.  I've yo-yo'd between 188-205 now for so long it's hard to bust that barrier now, but with the Ozempic for Diabetes, the added benefit should be a 25 lbs. or so Weight Loss, which, would put me close or at Goal.   My Top Fatness was 225 and I never wanna be that Fat again.  I'm working hard at it, we'll see how things go if I now go to The Gym consistently every Sunday Morning... and mebbe Sunday Evening as well, from now on.  And Ozempic kills your Appetite, so I can see why folks lose Weight on it, you have to remember to Eat coz you don't feel Hunger hardly ever even if you haven't eaten anything, which, isn't Healthy.  I want to lose Weight the Right way and a Healthy way, slowly, consistently, and then keep it off.  I don't want saggy Skin all over the place. 

When I lost the 61 lbs. I needed to last time, it took 10 Months and I had no Skin Sag whatsoever, which is how I want to lose it again.  I can easily build Muscle, even as an Old Woman, coz, I've always been Muscular for a Woman and pretty Strong too.   I can still lift 100 lbs. tho' I don't anymore coz it's not Wise due to Bone Density Issues Women have when your Estrogen plummets after Menopause and Age 50+.  Like my Docs have told me, just coz you still CAN doesn't mean you still SHOULD... and that's True.  *Winks and LOL*   I've told The Son and Q that about Heavy Lifting now they're approaching 40, you're not 20 anymore, so quit before you permanently injure yourselves!  Q had hurt his Back at Work lifting Propane Tanks that are Commercial Sized, he's a big powerful built Guy, but, he's also 37 now.  He was Lucky this time it was a Pinched Nerve and he's Fine a few Days of Resting and seeing a Doc in the ER was all it took.  *Whew*  He has a Wife and Two Kids to Support so can't afford to be Disabled, Laid Off or on Disability that Young.

Anyway, by the time this Post Publishes it will be October already and it's the Season for Fear Factor Fun.  Whether you do a Scary Halloween, something more Whimsical, or just an Autumnal Harvest Vibe, it's all Good my Friends.  And this is mos def my Favorite Season, Holiday and time of the Year in Arizona... Fall is Wonderful here in the Desert, it's why Visitors flock here for it.   So, Welcome, come, spend your Money, then go back Home... *Bwahahahahahahahahaha*

*******

Happy Autumnal Vibes from the Arizona Desert... Dawn... The Bohemian