Not My Day To Watch Them

 

Well, I Won $5 on my Frida Scratch Ticket and The Son Won $20 on his Scratch Ticket, so we both were Winners!  *Winks*  The Ten Grand would have been Nice, but, hey, whatever... a Win is still a Win, Right?  I had forgotten my Phone tho' and didn't realize it in time, so Princess T had poor Rusty, her Boyfriend, get off Work to come get her coz she couldn't reach me by Phone... and when I finally realized I didn't have it on me, I raced to her Work just as she was getting off and poor Rusty was almost there too!!!  So, he had to do a turnaround and just go back to Work, I felt really bad and so did she.  I'm so forgetful lately tho', I'd forgotten to Cash my Check too and had to go back to the Bank to do that as well... it was just an Airhead kinda day for me.  Princess T did feel badly for making me feel badly, and apologized, she knew I didn't forget it on purpose.  It was 114 and nobody wants her walking Home alone anyway, let alone in that kind of extreme Heat.

I'd told The Man I was rushing to the Bank coz I'd forgotten to Cash my Check from the Antique Mall, and then I'd be picking her up from Work after that.  He didn't know I didn't have my Phone, I didn't know I didn't have my Phone, so when she called the House to ask where I was and why I wasn't answering my Phone, he'd forgotten where I said I was going, just that I wasn't Home, and just told her to call my Cellphone again!!!  She did and her Uncle answered it coz he heard it ringing here in our Bedroom and thought it Odd coz he knew I wasn't Home, or why I hadn't taken it with me?  *Le Sigh*  And told her, well, Gramma doesn't have her Phone and she's not Home!  That's when she called the Boyfriend for an Emergency Ride!!!  And then everyone was Worried about me and where I was?!   Oy Vey!!!

Anyway, all is Well now, we passed Rusty and waved, she was Calling him to tell him what happened, he wasn't Mad, we were probably more upset about it than he was.  He's such a good Guy that Princess T said he just never gets Mad or Upset, he's Chill all of the time and very Laid Back about everything, which is Nice.  We're all High Strung enuf to offset his amount of Chill, she said, and she's Right about that!  *LOL*  Anyway, she took Tomorrow off Work coz initially a Friend was having a Birthday Party, so Matthew and Timmy, her Gay Posse, wanted her to go to it with them, they all know the Birthday Girl.  Well, she asked for the day off and then decided she didn't wanna go coz everyone was gonna spend the Night since Drinking would be involved, the Friend was turning 21.  Princess T doesn't Drink so she just didn't wanna be around a bunch of Drinkers who'd likely end up Drunk... and Opted Out now so it wouldn't end up awkward.

She would require a ride there and Home so Matthew would have been her Ride and if he was Drinking and spending the Night, she didn't want him to feel obligated to take her Home first.  Matthew is Native American and a very Conservative Young Man with high moral values about his Lifestyle.  So I was under the impression he didn't drink... both due to being Indigenous, and being like Princess T, rather Conservative in their Habits compared to most other peers in their 20's.  Princess T doesn't hang out with any Party Crowd and doesn't want to either.  Even her Friends who do like to Party every once in a while, she says, I Opt Out coz I don't want it to be my Day to Watch them.  We Laugh about that but it's our Catch Phrase... "Not My Day To Watch Them".  *Winks*  So, anyway, now we're all relaxing at 3:00 p.m., done Todaying for Today.  *Smiles* 

   While I was at the Antique Mall our Manager came up and asked me if I was Okay and The Man was Okay?  He knew things were not Right and so I did tell him a bit of what's going on and why I've been turning down so many Shifts, he only knew in part and hadn't wanted to pry.  He's a Young Guy and the Grandson of the Founder, and has always been very good to me personally and values my input and my Work Ethic.  So he always calls me first when options exist and I appreciate that.   He also knows I have been there since this Location Opened and had the 1st Sale before they even had a POS up and running!  *LOL*  He was truly concerned about us and I saw that.  He said he will always have me at the top of the List for whenever I feel Well enuf to take on Shifts again.  And will be Hoping for the best for us both.  As you can see by my Fiesta Ware Vignette in the Showroom, I'm trying to make it Display Summery and Festive.  Not going with the Red, White & Blue Patriotic Theme, coz not Feeling particularly Patriotic with this Regime in Power giving America a Black Eye Globally, Tanking our Reputation among Allies, Friends, and valuable Trade Partners.

I had several other Vendors, that I don't even know all that well, I couldn't even tell you their Names, coz I don't even know their Names, come up and talk with me and ask why they haven't seen me around?  I hadn't realized anyone who doesn't know me that well even had noticed, I guess they had and were concerned.  That Touches your Heart to see the genuine Concern of people you don't really have a Relationship with, but Care and notice when you've been Missing.  I don't elaborate with folks I don't know, but just said Health Issues had come up in the Family and I was giving that a priority right now.  Of coarse the Co-Workers and other Vendors I do know well always ask how we're doing and we have a good Relationship with all of them there.  They really are the bulk of my Social Circle beyond the Blog actually.  I've said it before, most of our Inner Circle have either moved away or Passed Away now.  We have already Lasted longer than damned near everyone we were very Close to who were Lifelong Friends, or Family our Age.

Our Antique Mall hasn't leaned heavily into the Patriotism Decor even tho' it's the 250th, like so many others have.  I've enjoyed seeing it elsewhere even if I don't Plan to go all Stars N Stripes Forever as a Theme in our Retail Spaces at the Antique Mall.  I don't Collect nor have a lot of 4th of July related Vintage Merch anyway.  Plus, Red and Blue not being Colors I personally Style with often, if at all, and White isn't my Fav Non-Color either to Decorate with, too hard to keep Clean.  Tho' if done well I'm not opposed to a Colorless Palette, so long as I don't have to Maintain it.  *Ha ha ha*  I tried it once back during the "Shabby Chic" Rachel Ashwell craze, which, I did Adore her Style Sensibilities, it just wasn't for me and my Family.  Too many Men, too many Kids, too many Generations under one Roof, too many Pets, and constant Visitors, to make it Functional for us in the Home.   It isn't a very Forgiving Color to Live with, or Entertain in, let us just say.  *LOL*

And, while at the Antique Mall I was overhearing some very Interesting conversations from mostly Older Shoppers as I Eavesdropped unintentionally on conversation they were having with each other while Shopping.  About the 250th, the 4th of July this Year, and not feeling at all Patriotic!!!  Most seemed just Sad they couldn't Feel it since you overheard them saying they've always felt Blessed to live in America and Proud to be an American... but current Politics have made them just not feel Patriotic at all now.   These were mostly Old White Folk too, some of whom one would think could be MAGA Supporters and might have Voted for this Administration once, twice or thrice... so, it was interesting to overhear that Sentiment from so many this close to the Big Milestone National Holiday coming up soon.  I completely understand and am in Agreement.  I've always been Proud to be an American, I've always Loved my Country, felt Blessed to be here, and for Generations our Family has Served in the Military and made Sacrifices for the U.S. and our way of Life, and to Protect Democracy Abroad when it was threatened.

It's not that I don't acknowledge some of our Bad History, I certainly do and a lot of it is quite recent.   It's not Old Bad History, the Timeline has been before and during my own Lifetime.  But I always felt like we could do better, be better.   Aspire to become more enlightened and Support Humanitarian Causes in a way that would make Americans Proud of being on the Right Side of History as we go into the Future.  That our Children, Grandchildren, Great-Grandchildren would have it better than we did.  That they all could attain The American Dream and Inherit a Future and a Nation that Ancestrally has been Fought long and hard for them and many Sacrifices made so they could Receive so much more.  My Parents were always so Proud that we had attained so much more than they had or even could.  It made all their incredible Sacrifices worthwhile to them, all their Hardships worth whatever they'd been thru or endured, to ensure that kind of Present and Future for us, their precious Children.   We were so Proud of them too, against incredible Odds they gave us a good Foundation to build upon and excellent start to move Forward and Succeed.

My Dad never even finished Grade School at the Indian Schools... I don't know that his Mom or Dad ever had an Education... my Welsh Gran-Gran didn't have any Schooling either.   My Welsh Nanna and my Mom were highly Educated tho', it's something they got the Opportunity of even back when a lot of Women didn't, of their Cultures.  I would venture to Guess they both had Genius IQ's and stood out, so were selected for Higher Education due to that.  My Mom was given a College Education free of charge from the Age of 14 becoz she was so Brilliant... before she met our Dad she was in Charge of a large Export Company's Comptrolling.  She was a Senior Executive Comptroller before she was 17.  Often your Gifts make Room for you in Life that way.  She only gave up her Successful Career to Marry our Dad and put his Military Career ahead of hers and come to America, which she didn't know a lot about actually and had never thought she'd leave her Homeland, which she Loved and was fiercely Proud of her entire Life.  She never became an American Citizen and never wanted to be... she was Proudly Welsh.

There weren't a lot of Non-Welsh folk she'd ever met in her Lifetime before then anyway.  Before Dad joined the Military, there weren't a lot of Non-Native American folk he'd ever met in his Lifetime before either.  So both of them had Grown Up in rather insulated Cultures among their own People, and were Young and eager to explore the whole World and everyone in it, and experience all they could.   Which they did together for over 36 Years, 27 of it was my Dad's Military Career Span.  They did eventually Divorce after 36 Years... for a brief time Dad went back to the Rez, but decided it wasn't for him anymore and returned to Arizona.  One of his Youngest Sisters became Widowed and moved from the Rez and in with him until the day she Died.  Which is Culturally what Indigenous Brothers do with Widowed Sisters, take Care of them when their Husbands Die.   My Dad and his Brothers took Care of my Widowed Grandmother until the day she Died too, financially Supporting her.  I never knew a time when my Dad wasn't sending Money Home to his Family to help Support them.  My Mom was Okay with it coz in her Culture you do that too.

Her Older Brother Supported not only their Mother, my Welsh Nanna, when she became a Widow... but his Wife's Father when he became a Widower too.  He moved in with my Uncle and my aunt, who was his Daughter, when his Dear Wife Died and lived there with them until he Died.  My Uncle just Adored his FIL William and I heard many wonderful Stories of William.   My Male Cousin and his Wife helped Care for my Uncle once he became a Widower, tho' he chose to live Independently, becoz he was able to, and was self-sufficient still when he Died at Age 90.  But my Cousin and his Wife visited him, made sure he had everything, had him over often and corresponded with us so we'd know Uncle Syd was doing well.   My Uncle's Wife was an Only Child, usually its the Brothers who Inherit the Parents to take Care of in Old Age, but if there are no Male Siblings, the duty goes to the Daughters.  My Brother and I split Care of our Parents, me doing most of it since I lived Locally still and he lived in Cali.  Then he moved Mom out to Cali near the End of her Life.

The Man's Family weren't that way at all, since most American Families aren't structured that way Culturally, and I think their Church mostly stepped in to help my MIL when she became Widowed and until she Remarried.   The Man likes and now prefers my Family's way of Being, we look after our own, no matter what it takes.  Whatever it takes, that's what ya gotta do without Question.  And we really never think about it as being Optional or something we would choose not to do anyway.  So, sometimes when The Man tells the Adult Kids or The G-Kid Force, oh, I don't want to be a 'Burden' to you Kids... they scold him and say, it's no Burden Dad/Grandpa, you Looked after us and took Care of us, now it's your Turn to be Looked after, it's only Right and you've Earned that Right for the rest of your Days now, Mom/Gramma too.  It is Daunting, I won't Sugarcoat Full Time Caregiving or Sanitize any of it.  Anyone whose done it, whether Paid or Unpaid, knows what it takes and entails... you cannot Romanticize it or you'd be being disingenuous and not Keeping it 100% and Real.  I'm sure I have PTSD from Decades of doing it nonstop.  *LOL*

But I do Believe those we Love should be shown unconditional Love and Care.   If you don't Care or don't have that Love, then I would think it would be impossible for you to fill that Role tho', and mebbe you even shouldn't or can't, for whatever the reasons or circumstances?  I wouldn't presume to Judge or know your Personal Dynamics with those in your Family or Inner Circle.  Every Family is Unique, different, diverse, it can be very complicated and there's really no Right or Wrong answers for each of us IMO.   I do think Americans NEED to Connect more with one another tho', on a deeper and more meaningful level, and in Unity, and of Unified Purpose.  We would be the better for it...

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Positive Energies being sent your way my Friends... Dawn... The Bohemian