Looking Back Long & Sentimentally While Moving Forward

 I am going deep into Nostalgia thru many Seasons of Life here in Arizona for this Lookback Sentimental Post.   I got The Family some Pizza from "Barro's", I think they have the best Pizzas, more expensive, but, worth it, and very X-Large.  I got a Pepperoni and their White Pizza, which is my fav and like what is usually called a Margherita Pizza... sans the fresh Basil, they use Garlic instead.  We did a Leaf Burning at our Firepit, Bulk Garbage Pickup was this Morning, but we'd run out of Bags to put Curbside for pickup of Yard Debris so we just put some by the Firepit to burn.   I'm such a Pyro at Heart, have been since I was little.  *LOL*  Everyone is Surprised that the big Wood Burning Fireplace we have here in the Sitting Room, I've not yet burnt a Fire in so far!!!  Gasp, yeah, I know!  

Something is soothing to me about sitting in front of a nice Fire, especially a Firepit or Campfire Outside or a nice Fireplace Inside.  Ours is a large one with a huge Adobe Burnt Brick Chimney.  It was a Selling Point for this Home, even tho' I'd looked at other Great possibilities that had as many as Five Indoor and Outdoor Fireplaces.  Like the Pueblo Home out on a Mesa, with a To Die For View for Miles, in Wickenburg, that had Five Fireplaces and was a spectacular Custom Home on 5+ Acres of Pristine Natural Desert.  {See Below}  We'd of never tired of that View and the Privacy.

 

Long time Readers will recall we got all the way to Signing and I recognized there wasn't a Clear Title to that Property, so it couldn't actually be Sold!  Even the fucking Title Company and Seller's Realtor had missed it!  Nobody had said anything about a 3rd Owner on the Note, who now had Dementia and only a Medical Power of Attorney!  I'm like, who the Hell is Marion, when I got the Loan Documents to review and they wanted us to Sign, along with the Sellers, who were an Older Couple I thought were the only ones Titled?

 

Marion, as it turns out, was the Male Sellers Mother and had Co-Signed for the Couple.  She had lived Upstairs in the separate Unit built on the 2nd Floor of this Two Story Pueblo Home.  So had Title in her Name still as a Co-Owner, who now was Non Compos Mentis with advanced Dementia and in a Nursing Home!  Ruh Roh.  Huge Problem.  No Solution, since, even if Dear Marion Died, it would then be tied up in Probate!  With Four other warring factions of the Guy's estranged Siblings, of this Couple trying to Sell it!   It would be part of their Inheritance too and oh, it was gonna get Nasty, Messy and complicated.

Coz, they couldn't Sell it, or afford to Keep the Home with Marion's Nursing Home Costs.  And she'd been paying part of the Mortgage so they could afford this Custom Home and why they required a Co-Signer.  Now they wanted to Retire, but couldn't until they Cashed Out on the Equity and got out from underneath the existing Mortgage.  My understanding is that Home hasn't been able to be Sold to this Day!  If they don't lose it defaulting eventually and going to Foreclosure, they're stuck with it and won't be able to Retire. 

 The Man to this Day is upset the Sellers couldn't perform and transfer a Clear Title so we could Buy it.  We'd pre-qualified, Negotiated a Deal, were literally there ready to fucking Sign when I found and revealed the Cloud on the Title everyone else had missed {Bonus of being a Retired Bank Executive handling distressed Real Property for Lenders} and Questioned the legitimacy of the Sale being Clean!?  Sometimes you just have to Walk Away.   They were a Lovely Couple about our Age, all I could tell them was I couldn't give them Legal Advice, but, I'd Lawyer Up right away if I was them.  And see what Legal Remedies might be an Option... it was gonna be expensive tho', complicated and lengthy, so I don't know if they sought Legal Counsel and they HAD to pull the Listing.  

They weren't the only Sellers who couldn't perform, on Sweet Properties we wanted to Buy.   We had to back out of several Sales of Properties we wanted and could easily Close on if the Sellers had of been able to perform.  But, when so many Sellers are unable to perform, which to me was Crazy, frustrating and unexpected, there's no Sale to be had!!!   No Clean Transfer of Title.  We got this Home becoz FIVE Buyers couldn't perform, which at least was a switch that the Sellers were Solid!!!  They'd all outbid us in the Bidding War for this Property, so we were the 5th Backup Buyers, but then they ALL couldn't Qualify and perform... and we could Close in less than 48 Hours.  So we were offered it again Months after Viewing it and throwing our Hat in the Ring for it.   Then Walking Away and looking at other Options.

  Our Sellers of this Property were so relieved and Grateful, after Four failed Sales to the highest Bidders ahead of us, they gave us the ultimate Deal and threw in an unexpected Thirty Grand or so of Extras.   And we'd Sold the Villa McManse so Quickly, to a Cash Investor from Cali, who Closed in a Day, we had to be out of the Home we were Selling ASAP, so we were Relieved too.   I'd never wanna be under that much pressure and chaos again in my Lifetime.   It was nerve racking and I thought we might be living in Motels in between Properties and keeping our Possessions in Storage 'til we Bought something and had somewhere to Live that we wanted to be a Forever Home!?  We had to back out of a Century Old Historic Estate on Acreage, with Two Story Guest House, Tennis Court, Citrus Orchard and Pool House, in Mesa, coz the Seller also couldn't perform. {See Below} Then, The Lake House nearby, coz the Short Sale dragged on and we were only the Backup Buyer at first.

 Which, is quite an outlay to keep all our Cargo in Storage, if I hadn't worked out a Hood Hookup with the Manager of U-Haul, so I didn't pay for my Storage Spaces.  Which would have been $700 a Month, we did a 'Trade' instead.  *Winks*  I'd always previously Owned Paid Off Properties so the Villa McManse was the only Home I'd Sold that I still Owed and a Lender was still toting the Note on.  When you Own Property Free and Clear, you can take your Sweet Time moving out of it, putting it up For Sale while you Buy and Move In to another, and Selling it.  I like Cash Investors and have always Sold to someone paying Cash, no Lender or Qualifying hassles for that Buyer.  It all Worked Out in the End, as one and many Doors Closed, the Right one eventually Opened.   And now here we are, Living the Dream.  *Winks*

Sure, I kept the Pixs of all the potential Homes we wanted to Buy but it just didn't happen and I had to Walk Away.  There was the Contemporary Mid-Century Mini Farm near a Big Mall that we called The Marilyn Monroe House coz it looked very Old Retro Hollywood in Architecture.  Backed out coz OUR Inspectors found serious Plumbing and Black Mold Issues after the Sales Inspector missed all of that and said all was Well.  Which is Why I always Hire my own People too, best $500 you'll ever spend to avoid Buying Lipstick put on a Pig.  That Home had been meticulously Remodeled in Urban Farmhouse Style, Lovely and Cosmetically Top Shelf.  But leaked like a Sieve, had faulty Wiring, Black Mold, and the Seller, who was also a Realtor and Home Flipper, had covered up the serious Issues he was bound by Law to disclose.  So I cancelled our Deal and our Realtor Reported him.  

Then there was the McManse Estate on Acreage from the 1970's which had been Vacant for 50 Years.  Massive and completely Remodeled, I called it The Murder House coz in the Seventies a Triple Homicide, Drug Related, had been committed there.  They no longer have to disclose such information like they used to when I was in Banking, so that was a Surprise, neither our Realtor nor the Sellers even knew about the History and why it had sat Vacant so long?!   Oddly, it didn't have a Creepy or Dark Vibe or Energy whatsoever.  But you could tell it had once been a very Upscale Cartel Custom Drug House coz there were Secret Compartments and Passages everywhere!!!  *LOL*  {The Leaky Black Moldy Marilyn Monroe House is pictured Below}

  I didn't back out coz of the Murders, it had a Flat Roof that was Original and been made to be an Outdoor Living Space.  You could walk out onto it from the Upstairs Master Suite, spectacular View of the Mountains and West Valley.  It felt spongy to me, Bad Roof, no Thanks, another Lipstick on a Pig scenario by the Investor who Owned it & did Cosmetic Remodel but not a proper Restoration.   And, Princess T was very worried it might be Haunted.  Not in a Good Way like our Historic Homestead Property had been, but in a Bad Way due to the Violent Deaths that happened Execution Style there in the early 1970's.  She could have been Right.  Blog Friend Shirley likened the Interior to the Home on "Scarface", it was very Cartel Chic, and Mausoleum like, I ain't gonna Lie.  Half the Home was built Underground!!!  {The Murder House pictured Below:}

It took the Seller a long time to Sell this Home, it is a ridiculous sized Home and they finally had to do some Exterior improvements to Sell it.  They had to replace an entire Retaining Wall, since the Lot beside it is several Feet higher, it's a Hillside topography and part of that Wall collapsed shortly after we backed out of the Sale due to the Roof Issues.  They did some major Landscaping, bringing in about 18 huge Mature Date Trees now lining the Front of the Property and it looks Gorgeous. {See directly Below a recent Satellite shot looking down on the Acreage}

In the Pix directly Above you can see the half of the Master Suite that goes out thru those Arcadia Sliding Doors to the Rooftop, which wraps around the entire Roof of the First Floor of the Home.  The Master Suite and En Suite Upstairs are like a Triangular Turret on top of the First Floor, also Triangular in Shape Architecturally.  And part of the First Floor is Underground with a huge Patio and Garden Area dug out and about 10 Feet Below Ground level.  It's a very unusual Home and I remember when it was being built in the early 1970's, it took a long time for the Custom Build, I watched it being built.  The only Owners had been the previously Murdered Family of Three Adults Executed.  Their Children found the Bodies when they came Home from School... it made all the Papers.  The Killers were never Found, but they were sure it was an Organized Crime Hit that was Drug related or a Turf War of the Top Players vying for Control.  Remember, in the 70s Phoenix and Tucson were very Mobbed Up Cities, with Italian, Sicilian and South of the Border Mobs vying for Control all the time. 

And not many current Dear Readers were around when we owned our Beloved Historic Home, which, I never Wanted to have to Sell.  It was meant to always be our Forever Home, but then, Life happened.  Shit happened.  We ended up Raising another Generation and had to Adopt and the Home wasn't suitable for the Adoption Board to approve it in their Opinion.  The Man's Health was tanking badly and he had Mobility Issues after his Catastrophic Accident and Brain Injury.  A Victorian Era Home just wasn't suited for Wheelchairs and Walkers, large Medical Equipment... there was a LOT going on. 

 But, I still look Back long and Sentimentally while Moving Forward, of what used to be, what could have been, what now isn't.  {Below and Above, are a few Images of the Original Bohemian Valhalla Old Historic Homestead...}   Interiors of it's various Buildings on the Property, including the Art Studio Cottage, Main House, and other Cottages on the Back half of the Acreage.  It was legitimately Haunted, but not in a Bad Way, we co-existed for over 15 Years Harmoniously with whatever Spirits were tied or attached to that Property.  I highly Suspect, when I transition from Time into Eternity, I might be tied enuf and definitely attached enuf to show up in Spirit there myself.  *Smiles*

I definitely felt a Connection to that Property like I never have with any other and probably never will again.  Yes, Love Forever Boheme' and it's the Right Space to Own and finish out our Lives in this Community, for a whole lotta reasons.  Yet, if I could Buy back the Old House, I would, and so would any Member of my Family.  It's the only thing I have ever had constant regret about Selling.   And I miss it a lot, but have the Photos and Memories of being the Steward of it for that time we were there.  And it still Exists due to those efforts and Selling it to a Preservationist who Loves it was much as we did and has it occupied once again.

It was the longest Good-Bye ever as I didn't even put it on the Market for over a Year after we Moved and were in the Villa McManse.  It was Paid for, so there was no urgency and I didn't want to Sell.  But, Vacant Properties in Historic Barrios are subject to being broken into, vandalized, and Squatters, so, after Eleven of that kind of nonsense, I knew I had to get it Sold and someone into it to finish the restoration I had begun back in 1998.   Mr. Avila is slowly doing remodeling and restoration in the Years he's now Owned it and we've become Friends over those Years.  If he takes any of the Architecture down that is Original and Salvages it, he gives me to me, which I appreciate.

There's little things about it that I wanted to remember forever so I Photographed them, like the Original Wallpaper from the turn of the Century Circa either late 1910's to early 1920's.   And the Cool Hardware and Architectural Salvage from razed 1800's Buildings, including an Old Courthouse, that the Original Owner Built all of the Property out of.  It was the Wild, Wild West back then and the only Homestead in the area for well over 20+ Years before it was Founded as a City in 1948 and was just a Stage Stop called Coldwater Station becoz of the nearby Agua Fria River.   An Outlaw actually was the most famous Citizen.  This Property had so many Escape Doors, even in the smallest Rooms, and Secret Compartments and Hiding Spaces for Escaping Indian Raids and Outlaw Cowboys, that it was so Interesting in a Historic Sense and worth Preserving!  It was as Quirky and Funky as Yours Truly, so it suited me.

Now it's doubtful there would be any more Moves except to a Cemetery.  I'd fantasized about owning another Historic Home, but either the Price Point is too High if the Location is Right, or the Location too sketchy if it's affordable now to consider when you're Old and more vulnerable to be potentially Victimized.   It's a small percentile of problem people, the Neighbors we had there were by and large good hard working folks.  But a small percentage of chronically problem people can and do ruin the peace, safety and well being of many in any community, and commit the most Crime in older and lower income Neighborhoods especially.  And as you get Older, you don't wanna Deal with those types of Issues that can create risks of being victimized.   In Cities the Urban Issues in some areas are notorious and people who can Move, then will.

 

Another Blast from the Past of myself, a Friend, and one of her Customers who looked so much like The Queen it was a running Joke.  Lovely Lady she was, this Customer, and a good Sport about looking like Queen Elizabeth II.  I'm sure she got that a lot from people, hey, you know who you look like?  *Smiles*   And my Friend Photoshopped this Pix and it still makes me Smile.  This is also my Friend who was a Blog Follower first and then was my 1st Customer who made the 1st Sale at our Antique Mall when we were both moving in!!!   They didn't even have the POS System up and running yet when she bought a Retro Kitchen Stool/Stepladder from me as I was bringing it in before our Grand Opening.   She started out with a Showroom and Maintaining the Mall's Online Media Sites.   I started out with a Small Booth.  She later went on to Own several Paper Arts Stores, Teaching Art Classes, and an Online Business.  She's still at our Downtown Antique Mall Location, but Closed her Shops, due to the Pandemic mostly. 

Brief Dreadlock update, I've let them Congo from the original 60+ now, down to 15 more stronger and manageable Dreads, now that they've become so long and so heavy.  I didn't initially expect to narrow them down to so few, but it becomes necessary with the Maturity and thickness of them and the Maturity of me.  I'm an Older Dreadhead and Senior Hair Issues are unavoidable, with Hair Thinning and my Hair lightening as I Age.  Hair follicles shrink, slow down, and generally produce Finer, Shorter Hairs and some follicles stop producing entirely.  Hormonal shifts happen, reduction of Collagen {so I take supplements of Collagen for Skin, Hair and Nails}, and slower Cell Regeneration and sometimes Androgenetic Alopecia or Traction Alopecia {which I now suffer from on some areas of Top and Front Hairline of Scalp}.  

 So, in the last Decade I've noticed less robust Hair on parts of the top of my Scalp and front Hairline, of a Female type of pattern balding after Menopause, that I can't entirely remedy, even with Dreadlocks.   And I have to take Meds that can cause considerable Hair Loss as a Side Effect.  My Dreads are very long and heavier too, they grow pretty fast and are stronger than if I didn't have Dreadlocked Hair tho'.  So, overall it's been beneficial and I'm now in my 8th Year of having them.  I've cut them fairly often if they aren't too thick to.  Cutting the really Phat ones, I don't even know what you'd use, they are like cutting thru actual Hemp Rope!!!   Sometimes you lose the ends of some too, with thinning in an area from wear and tear or breakage.  I don't get too much of that the thicker they become, but any thinner ones can have fragile areas.  I began with Microdreads that were the size of a piece of Yarn, but I erroneous Imagined they'd stay that way, now some are the size of a Cuban Cigar!  *LOL*  Letting them Congo {grow together} can cause that but sometimes they just grow bigger as they grow out of your Head!

I still get a lot of people admire them and ask questions, mostly if they are considering it themselves, or didn't have good Luck with theirs.  If you get bad Advice it's Negatively going to impact the Health of your Dreadlocks.  Luckily, before I ever got mine I had Friends who'd had Dreadlocks for 10-30 Years.  Some were Rastafarians and never Cut theirs due to their Beliefs.  So, my Friend Bobby, had Dreadlocks literally down to the Floor.  I've gotten Advice from Dreadheads with Experience, of all Races and Hair Types and did my Due Diligence for about a Year asking my vital Questions before ever getting Dreads.  So that I'd know how best to Care for them and what to avoid doing.  The Best Advice by far from Experienced long-term Dreadheads of the Community was to just Keep 'em Clean and Keep 'em Separated. 

 And you don't have to do the latter if you don't want to once they mature and get less inclined to Congo Naturally.   And, use a good Dreadlock Product Shampoo that doesn't have Residues.  I use and prefer the "Dollylocks" Brand, Liquid and Bar Shampoo, and other Products they make for Dreadlock Maintenance.  I've not had hardly any problem with itchy Scalp, but if you do, there are some good Product to ease that coz you can't 'Brush' Dreadlocks.  That's a Bonus, as far as I'm concerned, it's the lowest Maintenance Hairstyle I've ever had in my Life!!!   So, I'll never go back to not having them. 

 And, No, I don't bother with Palm Rolling mine, I'm Old, I have Arthritis, and, it doesn't really make much difference for all that Effort/Work, Trust me.  And I leave the Ends alone, some Blunt Naturally, some Paintbrush End Naturally, I don't Care.  And each will morph over time, I just let 'em.  I never use Waxes and don't Root Flip, No-No's Advice from Mature Experienced Dreadheads about that.  Avoid Tight Styles and frequent Retwisting.   Most Dreadlock damage comes from improper Care.  And some Issues are not avoidable and have Hereditary Genetic Factors you'll just have to accept.  

 I've had Thin, Fine Hair my entire Life and a high Forehead, so the density of my Hair, is what it just is to Work with.  And I've always had sparse or absent Body Hair due to Ethnicity factors.  I had Light Hair in my Childhood, it Darkened in Adulthood, and now is Lightening again in my Old Age, but not Greying fast or prematurely like Mom's Side of the Family.  Dad's side mostly Died with their Lifelong Color of Blue Black Hair.  My Hair is still mostly my Lifelong Light to Dark and Light again Brunette Color.  I have some Silver, but not very much of it to have replaced my Original Color, mebbe I never will?  I don't Dye my Hair, I let it be it's Natural Color, whatever it decides to be.

Now, a Final Blast from the Past of me, Circa Early 1970's.   And Sadly, I Sold Off my Vintage Elves on a Shelf pictured and now I kinda do have regret about that and am looking to find some replacements.  It happens... Looking Back Long and Sentimentally while Moving Forward, will have some Regrets.   I've had a few Regrets, but, mostly not...

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Happy New Year, live 2026 with few Regrets my Friends... and don't linger too long in the Past... or you'll miss too much of the Present... Dawn... The Bohemian