Today would have been my Mom's Birthday, she was a 5th of July Baby. My Oldest Brother-In-Law is a 4th of July Baby, he's now in his 8th Decade around the Sun. The Son had to be at Work by 5:00 a.m. and thought he got stung by a Scorpion again, this time on the Palm of his Right Hand, it felt numb yet tingly and was swollen. He'd gone Swimming very late and been Outside a lot after Dark, so it could have happened out there rather than in his Room, but I checked, didn't find anything. It's been a bad Year for them already and you never know what they do to get into the Home? It's rare they come inside since their Food Sources of other Bugs are Outside, but every so often some infiltrate, perhaps hitching a ride in on something or sneaking in when a Door is opened... or some little crack exists to squeeze thru? He wasn't having a Reaction, Thankfully. So no trip to the ER was necessary. *Whew* His Sister has to be to Work in Chandler early this Morning too. I don't relish driving that far during Morning Rush Hour and with the Freeway Closures in the East Valley right now.
Above and Below is our Neighbor Old Tom on Father's Day with his newest Grandson. The Child that his Elderly Son TJ fathered by Amber's
Young Daughter. She's in her 20's, TJ in his 60's, Old Tom in his 80's. The Baby thankfully is healthy and adorable. TJ and the Young Wife are living with TJs Elderly Parents. I can't understand why a Girl that Young would fall in Love with and Marry a Man 3x Older than her and begin a Family, when he has nothing to offer? He's already got Grandchildren, all of which are Older than this Child! But, Old Tom and Sylvia have Welcomed Amber's Daughter into their Family and Home. Even tho' she's a Special Needs Adult, she seems to be doing a good job of being a Parent, which was a huge relief.
This Week's Calendar is already quite full, Nurse Remi's last Tuesday visit will be this Week, I'll have to tell her to close us out at Clients. He can't have his Hospital Cardiac Rehab covered by Insurance if any Home Help is still coming. That seems ridiculous, but Insurance disqualifying factors are always ridiculous and absurd, anything so they don't have to Pay out. No wonder Luigi Mangione has a Groupie following, people Hate Insurance Carriers and how many folks Insurances are causing to Die to save Money. I'm not saying it's Right he has Fans for Murdering someone in Cold Blood, but an Insurance CEO right now of a Major Carrier denying Claims, is about as despised as Criminal decisions against the Public by Bad Politicians is. So, they are Targets for Assassins and vengeful folk who may have Lost someone Dear due to a rejected or denied Medical Claim, coverage Dropped, or refused Treatment.
I'm not at all happy that United Healthcare dumped us and all our Maricopa County Senior Veterans who Served our Country admirably and are being Targeted. That CEO Targeted and Murdered was a United Healthcare one and they have Denied Coverage now and involuntarily dropped over a Million who were Covered by them previously and now found themselves Uninsured and scrambling and desperate to be picked up by another Carrier. But it won't drive me to a Killing Spree, but you never know when someone just snaps or wants Martyrdom to prove a Point and be Militant, an Activist and a Revolutionary in a Big Splashy way either. Plus, Luigi was Young and Handsome, Groupies always flock to those even if they are terribly disturbed and depraved Human Beings who committed heinous Acts of violence or Evil. He's developed a Cult Status and following, but, America is really Into their Cult Devotions and Infatuations right now, it's how MAGA was Born.
Anyway, then The Man has his Cardiac Rehab Intake and Registration the next day and I have my 2nd MRI the day after that to take a look again at that Mass they found. Busy Week, no time to even hit the Gym again. I haven't been able to squeeze that in with any consistency at all, and I want to and need to. I need to get in to the Antique Mall too and bring in more Inventory and Work my Spaces. They could be in shambles for all I know, since, I haven't been in to foof and maintain anything either. I don't even know how I Closed Out this past Pay Period on Saturday Night? I had started out very well, so if Luck will have it, that held and perhaps Father's Day wasn't a bust there? They used to do a lot for Mother's Day and Father's Day, having Raffles for Primo items to Win to Stimulate Trade, like Gas Grills for Father's Day. The Man won ours at the Mall Years ago. Handing out small amounts in Mall Gift Certificates, and T-Shirts with the Mall Logo and Advertisement. Now they do virtually nothing. So it doesn't make it a destination for a Special Day you'd be Celebrating.
We didn't even go, I couldn't see unloading and then reloading up The Man or popping him in one of our complimentary Wheelchairs, just to see what they might be doing for Father's Day? I heard via FB they did do 15% Off, not a Big Deal, mebbe it was well received, mebbe not? They did it for the 20th and 21st at least, so all of Father's Day Weekend. Sale Days are hit and miss, sometimes you do well during them, sometimes they fall flat, coz 15% Savings isn't a big incentive to most Shoppers. And many of our Competitors offer bigger Discounts, or Standing Discounts all of the time, like Military and Senior Discounts, which our Mall should do, and could do, Vendors regularly request we begin doing it, but Management don't and won't consider doing. I've never understood Why, coz even Chazzas know it's a huge Draw and increases Sales easily and consistently. Even SAVERS has Customer Appreciation Day every Wednesday, Senior Day on Tuesdays, Military Day on Wednesdays, Half Price Day on Mondays.
The GOODWILL quit doing their regular Half Price Day like they used to do Weekly. Now they do mebbe one Day a Quarter and don't Advertise it very well either, so I never know when they're actually doing it. They do still have Tuesday Senior Day and Sunday Military Day tho', and that Coupon Download for 20% Off via E-Mail. I rarely go to GOODWILL now like I used to tho', I may around Halloween, coz they have had good Seasonal Merch and Halloween being my Fav Holiday, I trawl all of the spots that might have good Halloween offerings. Even if just to see it all and not need to Buy any of it. SAVERS keeps certain areas with small offerings of Seasonal Year Round. So there's an area in front where they always have Antiques/Collectibles, Halloween, Christmas, Easter Merch, that has been Donated. The Granddaughter has Worked Misc. {the Staff call it Working Missel, Smiles}, she likes doing that area, but it's not her regular assigned Section. Her regular assigned Sections are Adult Clothing, Men and Women's.
I started a load of Laundry, Princess T may have to finish it for me and watch her Grandpa coz nobody else will be Home today. It's her Day Off, but she doesn't mind Caregiving for her Grandpa, he behaves for her and really won't require a lot for her to do for him until we all return Home. The Son should get Home first since he went in so early, and The Daughter is going in earlier too, so we should be Home by 1:00 p.m.. The Young Prince said since the Small AC in the Art Studio doesn't make it very comfortable in there, he may spend some of the Summer in New Mexico, which, so long as he makes any Appointments Social Security set up for him, I don't mind. I'll just tell the Caseworker that until and unless he's Approved, extended Family must help me out with him coz Financially it's a hardship for us on our Fixed Income to cover all his Care and Needs, which is absolutely True.
And until they are Divorced, Allen is Family taking on some of the responsibility of Care and financial Support. It's necessary, we're spread really thin Economically now with a Family of Six here and our Income of Pensions, Disability and Social Security covering the majority of expenses. Princess T and The Son only make Minimum Wage and don't get Full Time Hours. The Daughter has sporadic Work cleaning Friends Homes or Washing and Grooming their Dogs. I don't have to tell Social Security who in the Family gives me respites and chips in, and will just be Vague if pressed, to say another Adult Grandson is helping SOME, when it's absolutely necessary for me to catch a Break, also True. I do Plan to Press Social Security Hard this time to provide Services and Benefits to him, he is not okay and it's not okay for The System to forsake him completely. This Flavor of the Month Disability parsing out of Services and Benefits is highly discriminatory to the Disabled Community.
I fail to see how a Seriously Mentally Ill person applying can be rejected or denied, but if they had a Developmental Disability, they'd be approved for everything? And their Families Qualify for all kinds of Services and Financial Aide, often in the Home. If it's Needed it shouldn't matter and be equitable. You shouldn't have to have the Preferential Disability of the Moment to Qualify and be Approved. The Young Prince now takes Anti-Seizure Medications too, coz he was hit by a Car while in New Mexico some Months ago and it knocked him down and he hit his Head. It was a hit and run incident, with no known Witnesses able to identify the Vehicle or get a License Number. So he never got Justice or be able to file an Insurance Claim against the Driver. If they even were Insured, who knows why they'd hit a Pedestrian and take off like that and not check to see if they killed or injured a Human Being?!
He said Police felt he was Fine, coz the Seizures didn't start right away after the Head Injury, so he appeared not to have been badly injured or hurt. But he never had them before hitting the back of his Head from the hit and run Accident. So, we did put down that along with the Serious Mental Illness, he has some Traumatic Brain Injury from being hit by a Car and takes the Anti-Seizure Meds now too, along with Psyche Meds, coz otherwise he'd have Seizures happening more frequently. The Seizures have made his level of function worse, so I'm concerned about that if he keeps having them. And it's yet another reason he's Unemployable too, being SMI, having constant Hallucinations and random Psychotic Episodes, AND Seizures, well, that's a lot of Employer Liability on any Job. Anyway, we'll see what Social Security evaluates him and if its "Disabled Enough" this time?
The Disability Payments would not be nearly enuf to Support him, or live Independently even IF he could, which he can't, it never is a livable amount, but, it's better than Nothing. Just $994 Monthly, which is Arizona SSI Maximum, wouldn't even cover Rent anywhere to be even Housed. But, it would cover some Expenses for his necessities and essentials every Month so that we didn't have to and that's huge for us. He can never Drive, so it would also buy him a Monthly Bus Pass or other mode of Transportation in the event I can't take him somewhere. And since Medicinal MJ isn't covered by Medicaid, he could afford that, which helps with his Schizophrenia a LOT. It's so beneficial for some forms of Mental Illness, Brain Damage, Alzheimers, PTSD, Anxiety, Seizures, Glaucoma, and such, that I don't know why it isn't covered if you get a Prescription for using it Medically? Probably coz Federally it's still considered Illegal... but we all know Big Pharma Lobbyists pressing Politicians is the ONLY reason it's not Legalized for Medicinal benefits.
A new "Buc-ee's" has Opened nearby and folks are losing their Minds to go there, causing enormous Traffic Jams around it, glad I don't have to navigate that mess, it's West of us. *Whew* I'm heading East down the Freeway this Morning, but it will still be Morning Rush Hour, which will be bad enuf heading into the City and clear across the Valley to Far Eastside. I got all Chores done and The Man Medicated before we leave tho, so he's happily watching his Programs now and Princess T will check in on him and make sure he has Lunch. We've got Leftovers she can reheat for him. I'm looking forward to the day coz it is some "Me Time" for Four Hours while The Daughter does her Housecleaning Job. She'll be sending some of the Money to her Kids in Mexico to help them out. I'm still hoping to convince her to apply for SSI again. Mebbe if her Son gets Approved it will make her feel more at Ease about having a Caseworker? Being a Paranoid Schizophrenic and having had really bad Experiences in the Past, she doesn't Trust Caseworkers or the Government at all to have her best Interest at Heart. She isn't Wrong.
Anyway, she Adores the Friends she does little paying side Jobs for and she lets them Pay her whatever they can afford to. It's her only Income and of coarse it's usually less than $300 a Month, not sustainable Income at all, but, it's something and Helps her Self-Esteem and to have Purpose. She can send some Money to her Younger Kids and Buy some of what she wants or Needs with her own Money. That makes her Feel a little more Independent. She doesn't want for everything she requires and is Essential to her Survival to be on our Dime too. She's in her Mid 40's now and only got SSI for a brief time in her 20's, so we Hope that Old Case File will perhaps Re-Qualify her Eligibility, we just don't know? And it was a complete Cluster Fuck last time she did receive SSI coz I was initially set up to be her Trustee, then her Caseworkers decided she was Competent Enough to manage her own Finances, which, she wasn't, at all.
She was supposed to immediately Notify them whenever she was Institutionalized, coz during that time their Benefits Cease, their Benefits back then were also reduced considerably if they were Homeless. Pretty much if they weren't Housed and Living on the Streets, Social Security felt they needed only Half of their Disability Income, go figure!!! *Eye Roll* Like that would ever remotely get them into a better Situation then, receiving only half of what was already an unlivable Income that wouldn't cover Rent anywhere anyway. Way back then SSI was around $600 a Month and they'd cut it to just over $300 Monthly IF she Notified them of Homelessness, and $0 a Month if she Notified them of any Institutionalization she involuntarily had. Which, she didn't. So then they'd Notify me and say she Owed them Money coz she failed to Notify of being either in a Mental Institution or Penal Institution. *LMAO* Duh! You've got an SMI Adult who can't take Care of themselves and you expect them to be Responsible... or understand and comply with these Rules you Speak of!
What a Joke, so, I'd tell them, why you calling me then? You are the ones who claimed she was Competent to handle her Affairs and took me off as her Trustee, and she's so NOT. She's been, and will always be, Non Compos Mentis... so, Good Luck with that and I Hope it all Works Out for ya. Bye. *Winks* I think she once owed them about Nine Grand, and for all I know mebbe she still does? Snd so she thinks they might Kidnap her and involuntarily Commit her somewhere if she goes in for any Assistance now, and hold her for Ransom? *Le Sigh* That's how a Paranoid Schizophrenic Mind Words, she tells me she "Sees what they're doing with her Real Eyes"... and I just have no Words when her "Real Eyes" are Seeing what none of the rest of us ever Sees. *Winks and Shrugs, whaddya gonna Say or Do?* She often sees some kinds of Invisible Worms crawling up Walls and shit with her "Real Eyes" and she'll go into a Cleaning Frenzy to rid us of them. Her Son just puts Chalk Hieroglyphs and Symbols everywhere to Protect us from what he Sees. I've got them fucking EVERYWHERE. At least I HOPE its Chalk? *Le Sigh* Well, at least it's not Excrement...
And then when his Mom and I were in there Yesterday, while he's gone, to try to make it more Safe and Sanitary in there... she Sees this, didn't even Need her "Real Eyes"... *winks*... and, it's "New"! Mom, what's THAT?! Look, it has some of your New Kitchen Knives with the Rainbow Handles sticking in it's Head, that's Scary!!! Yes, Yes it is, but he'll probably call it just his Art, so I don't know what to tell ya about it. *Bwahahahaha* I wonder Who it represents, she Mused? Well, it looks like a Guy's Head, so... I'm glad it at least doesn't have Dreadlocks... and we both Laughed Maniacally coz we're used to Dark Gallow's Humor concerning the disturbing aspects of Serious Mental Health Issues that just Manifest in Daily Life. I do Believe that's my Missing Pizza Cutter up there sticking on the Left Side of that Mannequin's Head?! And one of my Antique Antler Handle Knife Sharpeners imbedded in there too I see now!? *Bwahahaha* Yes, it's Disturbing, is it the MOST Disturbing thing he's ever done since he was only 7 and Diagnosed, not by far. And this is Why he Needs Services and they can't tell me he's not Unwell "Enough".
And Why his Uncle hesitates to even go in there to assist us coz he said it gives him too much of a "Silence Of The Lambs" Hannibal Lecter Vibe... or worse, the Guy with the Moths and the Lotion. *LMAOROTF* That Day he did venture in there a few feet in with us, saw this, and said What The Hell is THAT?! Then said if a Moth fucking flew out of anywhere, he was SOOO Out of there!!! *LMAO but he was not Joking really.* He was also thinking upon Christian Bale in "American Psycho"... and he really did then have to back out coz he was Freaked Out and said are we Sure that Allen was the one who was the more Unstable One of those Two? *LOL and Shrugs*
I can't say for certain, but, definitely his Nephew is NOT Stable even on all his Medications and even IF he does come with a Check eventually to help Care for him. The Grandson's Art can be Beautiful or Disturbing, but, it's always Madly Creative and can be Controversial... Art can and should be tho'... you should Feel something to behold it, whatever that Emotion will be. A lot of Madly Creative People are quite Mad, or close to being so, Creative Genius can sometimes look like Creative Insanity at times. Above is an Old Pix of a Naked Ponch Doll that a Vendor Friend once had at our Antique Mall and cracked us up so much that it never got Old... just the Look on that Doll's Face, with also being Naked... with Vintage GI Joe beside him who was a Dead Ringer for Chuck Norris... was so inappropriately hilarious, that I Smile to this day!!! I used to have a Mad Celeb Crush on Erik Estrada, I should have bought this damned Doll from my Friend, never saw another one, at least not another opportunity to Buy another Naked Ponch. And what did she have on it, Ten Bucks? *Bwahahaha*
And I Share these nuggets so General Public knows, in part, what Families of Loved Ones with Serious Mental Health Disabilities go thru every Day of their Lives, and often with Zero Help or Benefits for said Loved One, no matter how Bad Off they are. And it Needs to be said... and not just on the 10 O'Clock News when one of the few who are Violently unhinged, and nobody ever Helped them or their Family, goes Off Rails completely. And I just KNOW that Social Security will wanna TRY to Find Alternative Placement for our Grandson, so, they better just push his Application thru and start sending Checks... I do Plan to show all Evidence I compiled to whatever Caseworker is Assigned and make that Person responsible for any In Home Care beyond what we can supply for him to keep his Living Space Safe and Sanitary Enough as well. I can't often go in there without risking falling and Breaking a Hip... coz, literally you're climbing like a Mountain Goat over whatever is in piles on the Floor! God knows WHAT?!
LATER: We're back from the Job, she wants The Daughter to come back on Tuesday but I can't take her for any of the rest of this Week, Calendar is full. As it is I turned down Two Shifts at the Antique Mall that the Manager offered me, due to my Calendar having no room for me to even accept any Work. Both of us could use the Money {her} and Comped Space Rent {me}, I don't know if she can find a Friend to take her all the way to Chandler or not? Or to hang around for Four Hours while she Works and then go get her? It's a Big Ask. Her Friends often take her to small Jobs on this side of the Metro Area coz we all live over here. Right now she's not accepting Jobs nearby coz of that new Buc-ee's causing enormous Traffic Jams Westside right now. It backed up Traffic so badly on the Westbound Freeway and surrounding Surface Streets that it made the News. I Hope it won't cause that permanently? Mebbe the Novelty will settle down to a reasonable level, but if it doesn't, that level of gridlock around the place was not expected or handled well. If it causes permanent massive disruptions, the Community will regret it being there.
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The City had to implement a massive detoil for 5-6 Miles around the Grand Opening. Commuters trying to get to their Work and other Businesses in the area are suffering the backlash and will for Weeks, it is projected. I'm sure fucking glad it wasn't built closer to us, but even coming Home, we had to ditch the Freeway Miles earlier coz of the Freeway backup due to the place. Anyone heading to Cali via the Freeway would also have to take alternative Routes off the Freeway and around the area it is negatively impacting. Just like Data Centers are causing problems around Communities they are moving into, something like this place are too, gonna cause permanent disruptions to Life directly around them. Do the Positives outweigh the Negatives to what it impacts?
So, a lot of Residents and other Businesses are not at all Happy when one is approved to move in. I don't think long term Negative impacts to Communities is being considered. Since it was 113 Today it's problematic to get stuck in Traffic that doesn't have adequate Traffic Control. They had to warn Commuters in the area to stock plenty of Water and Snacks in their Vehicles, so there wouldn't be Emergencies transpiring!!! I do Hope it works out, the 120 Gas Pumps and promised lower prices of Gas might inspire some Gas Wars to bring down Arizona's inflated Prices compared to most of the rest of the Nation. Ours is some of the highest, Cali is much higher of coarse, but everything there always is and their Wages and Social Service Programs pay much more than Arizona. Of coarse folks are bailing from their State due to high Cost of Living being unaffordable for most. I'm concerned that will happen here too, it's already unaffordable for most. Vast Migration and Exodus happens when nobody can afford Essentials or Jobs don't pay enuf or Unemployment is higher.
I've inundated this Post with Family Pixs... coz I got loaded up with them and they're ALL my Favorite. *Smiles* The Oldest Daughter never did contact her Dad for Father's Day, but, in a way, he now sometimes doesn't remember anyone who isn't in his Daily Life, so it was mercifully a Non-Issue for him. He still had a good Day being indulged by who is in his Daily Life, so that's what Counts. *Whew* He used to wait for a Call that often never came unless I pressed her secretly, hey, you should Call your Dad. I think she never knows what to say to him anymore since Calls can be awkward now, especially if he's unsure who you even are, in his current Condition. So, I try not to be harshly judgmental or critical of Family and Friends that just find it to be too uncomfortable or painful for them. Everyone Deals with things in their own ways. And some don't wanna Deal with things at all, that's their own way of Coping I guess.
Even this precious One, if he were to see her Pix, would ask me Who she is? I'd tell him it's a Great-Grandchild of ours, and which Granddaughter is her Mom. But he wouldn't remember who that Grandchild was either, even with a Photo. And frankly, he never speaks of the Oldest Daughter ever now, so I don't know if he recalls her either anymore? So far, everyone in the household, he knows who we are still. *Whew* But most of our Friends who are still Local, since we rarely see them coz we don't get out much or Socialize, he can't recall, so asks me to remind him Who they even are. I try to weave a small Story about each Person to help him remember more about them and how or why he knows them. But, sometimes he'll ask again what we JUST did, or are we gonna do it and we already did it, so I don't know how much is sticking? *LOL and Le Sigh*
As you can see I got tonnage of Pixs of The Birthday Girl who just turned Two. I do Wish all of the Grandkids and Great-Grandkids were closer so we could see them in Person and not just via Social Media, you miss so much. Relationships forged would be easier and more Connected too I think. Or not, you never can tell really I guess, but I would think it could be with closer proximity? I don't know if my Brother and his new Connection with his Oldest Son meant a Father's Day Call or not, he didn't say and so I didn't ask, just in case it did not. His Son is going to be in Cali in a couple Months on Business and Promised to see him and I Hope that plays out coz my Brother may not have long in this Earthly Realm. So, if his Son truly wants some quality Time for a last time, now would be his Chance, perhaps his only one. You're a long time Dead as my Parents used to always say.
One good thing about my Adventure in the East Valley for the extra Work that The Daughter had, we found a new GOODWILL near where her Client lives. I didn't even know it was there, just a Block away, even tho' I'd used the CHASE and WELLS FARGO Banks in the same Parking Lot!!! Funny how you can miss things hiding in Plain Sight! The Daughter spied it as we were making a Bank Deposit of some of her Earnings. And, I found a $499 one of those Stationary Ellipse Fit things, that The Man Needed!!! This one even has the detachable part for your Arm Exercises, for only $37!!! So now I don't have to ask the VA if they'll provide one. It has an LED Display that isn't Working, but we don't Need it to and it might just require Batteries, which seem to fit underneath the Equipment, there's a compartment you can Open which I'm assuming might be how the LED Part gets Charged Up? I sat in a Chair at the GOODWILL and tried it out tho', works perfectly and in excellent shape. Googled what they Retail for... no way I could have afforded one this nice for full price.
This will be good for me too on days I can't get to the Gym, which, is fairly often lately. And, in he event I require some Home Rehab myself in the Future too. I like to prepare for any unforeseen Situations and Challenges that the Future might hold and would be beneficial to be adequately prepared for. The Young Prince called me to Check In on ME this time... he's Freaking Out about "The Mass", as I knew he might, so I told him I will Promise to let him know what new Test Results reveal about it, we just don't know right now what it is, size, or any threats or complications it could pose health-wise. It does sound ominous, I ain't gonna Lie, and my Doc's Office AND SimonMed who did the Imaging previously were blowing up my Phone for Two Days about it... so they definitely had a sense of Urgency, but, mebbe they always do when any Testing comes back with anomalies or is Positive.
The Breast Exam was Negative and Normal, so that was Good News, The Girls being A1. *Winks* I've had False Positive with them before, which required Biopsies, that went Badly and got Infected. Why? Due to the Negligence the Doc who performed them, forgetting to stitch up the Surgical Incision she made which was the size of a fucking Dime and she just bandaged up, leaving the wound Open, I'm a Diabetic, so that didn't go or Heal Well! So, I'm always leery about even Elective Procedures coz sometimes now it's like Cattle Call with Surgeries of any kind, they're performing so many in a row, fatigue, negligence, hastiness, and carelessness can happen. I never think it's beneficial to have any Procedure where they say it was a Success, yet the Patient Died, you know? *Eye Roll* So, I don't do Elective shit very often for that reason, if it's necessary, absolutely, do it, if it's not, let's just NOT. I've had an Elderly Friend Die having a routine Colonoscopy, he was in perfect Health, they found no anomalies during the Procedure, but, he Died due to having the Elective routine Procedure. Even Celebrities have, like Joan Rivers.
Life can be a tangled Web woven... Dawn... The Bohemian
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