I am 17 Unpublished Posts ahead and Counting, it's a new Record for me and shortening my Posts is the primary reason and has been so well received by visitors to the ole Blog. I'm getting much higher Readership, even of the Archived Posts, which is why I'm not Purging any for now, they're all still being read quite a lot it seems. I'm trying to catch up on my own Blog Reading of everyone's Blogs and finding New Blogs to Read and to add to my Sidebar.
We got some Bad News from the Grandkids in Mexico. Bad for them, but, expected, their Dad is in Prison again and got sent up for 12 Years this time. He has never turned his Life around and went from being a very skilled I.T. Tech working for major Corporations on both sides of the Border, to developing a drug habit he never got clean of and got involved with Bad and Dangerous People. I feel badly for my Grandkids in Mexico coz they Love him, but him being around posed Dangers. I'm glad his Mom, Saint Maria, didn't Live to see this, Princess T really doesn't know him and never will.
The Daughter feels very conflicted when she hears the News, she got Clean and always hoped he would too, for the sake of their Kids and for himself. And she was in a Relationship with him for a very long time and was the reason she moved to Mexico and spent Two Decades there. He was a likeable Guy, but not a very responsible one, he Fathered way too many Children and had a lot of Baby Mamas. He and our Daughter had Four Daughters together during their Relationship. All Time in Mexican Prisons is Hard Time and he's Old, a lot Older than our Daughter. He will likely now Die in Prison.
I knew the Middle Granddaughter in Mexico had been trying to reach me and I couldn't fully translate what she was trying to tell me, but The Daughter did. I could read enuf Spanish to know it wasn't Good News, but I'm hardly fluent in reading, writing or speaking Spanish. I can get by and understand more than I can conversate. And my Spanish speaking Grandkids speak too fast for me to catch up and piece together a conversation and their English is marginal too. Anyway, the Bad News keeps coming... dammit!
I should go the Antique Mall, the New One I have yet to go to that I hear is stiff competition for ours. "America's Antique Mall", I don't know what their Hours are on a Sunday and I have no intentions of Buying, just trawling for the first look at it. I looked it up and they are Open until 7:00 p.m.. It's off the I-17 and Dunlap, so a fair commute from here. But, I went and I'm glad I did, I was very impressed, they will definitely give our Antique Mall some fierce competition and a run for the Money. It's New, more Curated and Vetted, has better quality Merch displayed and showcased really well. It's fully Rented out already and only been open less than 90 Days.
I really enjoyed myself there and am happy to have another good destination in the Industry to go to. I found Three Colorful Mannequin Hands that were Painted Altered Art Style and can mount on a Wall to hold/hang things from. The price on them was so low I bought all Three the Vendor had and Loved their Booth and Merch. Some Vendors had high end pricing. They had a lot of Vintage and Specialty Clothing Vendors and I felt their prices were exceptionally high. Especially for the Tees, I wouldn't pay $100-$120 for a T-Shirt, but I know the Eastside Antique Mall Vendors charge that much too for theirs.
I took loads of Pixs so will have plenty of Blog Fodder Imagery. It's a convenient location, I just have to drive on Two Freeways to get there and then get back Home, no Surface Street driving necessary. It's not very far from our Downtown Phoenix Location which is off the same Freeway a little further North, so I can go to both when I'm in that area now. I'd heard good things about it and they weren't Wrong, I will Shop there myself when I'm a Buyer or looking for Quality Merch. They had such Unique items For Sale, as you can see by some of my Pixs taken of what interested me.
I would have Loved to own that "Freak Show" Art Vintage Door, Fair Priced but not within current Budget. But, perhaps that won't Sell easily and be a Hard Turn, and then perhaps I can negotiate something with the Vendor to make it affordable and a possibility. I like Architectural Salvage and something from a Sideshow Attraction or Haunted Attraction with original Art on it, is something I'm very Interested in. The variety of Vendors was really good and I didn't see any Crap Hawkers evident. Some Merch wasn't my interest, but it was Displayed well and most Vendors had a Genre of what they were Selling.
An abundance of Unique Items and true Antiques were in there too, something lacking at a lot of places now. Loved the Steampunk Art Bar seen Below, never seen anything like it. A lot of Work had gone into the Creation of it and I'm sure it's OOAK so their price was Fair if you wanted a truly Unique OOAK Statement Piece for your Home Bar. We've now got a severe Dust Storm Warning in effect with Zero Visibility until almost 9:00 p.m. and it does look ominous Outside. I'm glad I got everything done out there that I wanted to do in my Garden.
A Monsoon Storm hit around 1:00 a.m. and it's pissing in Rain, enuf we could get some Flooding, but we are Sandbagged where it might be problematic. However, Irrigation is coming at 7:00 a.m. regardless of the Weather. And I don't know if The Daughter ever got Home to help me do it? The Son has to be in Work by 8:00 a.m. and I have to drop The Man off at Cardiac Rehab at 9:30 a.m., so, it's gonna be tight to be here to drop the Gates and turn off the Pump when our Rotation is over. I may have to solicit our Neighbor's Son, Rob, to do it. He did ask me if I could use some Help with it and I did tell him I might. He knows things are hectic over here with everyone Schedule and our assigned Irrigation Time this Week. *Oy Vey*
Well, at least the Property will get some good Water and we really needed it since it's been 114-117 lately every day and it's Toasting the Grass and Plants, stressing everything out. My Mints have almost Died off due to it, I've kept some Herbs and Succulents Alive and the Rosemary, they're hardy enuf. Never did get a Veggie Harvest this Season, too Hot too early and not enuf Rain. This day a lot of Smoke had been heavy in the Valley from all our Fires up North of the State and in other States like Colorado that are on Fire this Summer. Few are fully contained that are burning right now and we're losing a lot of Acres of Trees. That will cause more problems as Monsoons rip thru coz in burnt out areas you then get severe Flooding and Mudslides. Fun Times!
I put a Rain Barrel on the Back Patio near the Pool coz that area is prone to a Waterfall coming off the Roof in a certain area. We never did get hold of "Leaf Filter" for an Estimate for Guttering on the Back Roof by our Patio. I guess their Phone Lines were swamped or something coz they sent Mail Fliers several times but never answered calls. Never. Seems like a bad Business Model to spend so much on Advertising and then never answer your Phone Lines you give out on the Fliers. And then that makes me think, well, would I wanna then even Hire that Company and wanna do Business with them? Coz, how would you then get hold of them if Installation was a problem or you had any other Customer Service Issues? Even if I like the Product, if the Company has initial Issues, I'm skeptical.
Too many places these days Overpromise and Underdeliver. I'd rather they Underpromise and Overdeliver frankly. Same with our Politicians. I'm soaked right now at 1:15 a.m. coz I had to be out there in the pouring Rain dealing with stuff in the middle of the Night. The Rain was really Cold considering how Hot it had been all day. So, now I'm guessing Irrigation Water is gonna be really Cold to be wading around in up to my Calves as well later on this Morning. But, at least it will be Light by then, which makes it safer for me to be slogging around in it. The Son wanted his Sister doing it instead of me, but, I haven't seen her arrived Home coz I went to Bed early, so don't know if she made it Home or not?
Her Brother said she'd been Texting him to say she would, but sometimes her Friends who are paying her to do Work for them flake out and give her Rides out to help them on their Properties, then claim they can't provide Transportation back. Which would be fine if we knew in advance, coz I'd just go get her. It's out in Buckeye, so not as long as a Commute to her Jobs in Chandler for Friends. But, it's still a fairly long commute for me from here and I have to then know in advance to fit the commute in to my Schedule. Right now I still have a Sick Kid at Home, coz Princess T has been SO SICK from those Allergies and Respiratory Issues. She's been Sleeping whole Days away and Monday is her last Day Off to get Well from it! So she's in no condition for Work at her Job, let alone to help me with stuff here at Home.
And I really haven't had sufficient coverage for The Man's Caregiving either so sometimes I do have to leave him Home Alone for brief periods of time and just check in on him by Phone. He's done really well, I set him up in front of the TV with Beverages and Snacks or a Meal, with his Walker by him. Usually he hasn't budged from there by the time I get back from whatever short errand I HAD to do, like get Kids to and from Work or their Appointments. The Son had his Friend Q over to play Video Games since they both were off Work on Sunday so they looked after The Man for me so I could make that Pilgrimage to that New Antique Mall and get some Me Time and a Respite for a couple Hours. I had stayed looking around the 35,000 sf Mall for about an Hour, doing a rapid Marathon Look-See for my 1st visit and not lingering. The commute there and back was about another Hour.
To do it properly would take more than an Hour and when I have that Luxury of Time I'll go back and do that another day. The Above Assemblage Art is like something The Young Prince would Create. That Vendor had a lot of very Cool Assemblage Creepy Creations but a hefty price tag on their Altered Art. I know I wouldn't be a Player for this piece at almost $200. And I see some stress cracks already in the Assemblage where they used Clay to form the Body. I had purchased a piece of Halloween Altered Art last Year that the Artist used a Chalkware type of Sculpting Medium and before I got the piece Home it sustained damage coz it was too fragile a Medium and if slightly handled by who had packaged it for me, caused the Chalk to turn back to Powder in spots. I was so upset coz you couldn't do Returns. So my Grandson is having to Repair it for me, coz he is a Sculptor, Thankfully.
But I don't wanna Pay some Artist a Premium for Work that is too Fragile to hold up and have my Artist Grandchild have to do immediate Repairs for me on it. So I always look at how well it was constructed and will the Work they did hold up for the Buyer or fall apart after Purchase and be ruined? If its Cheap I might take the risk, but not on expensive Art. Some folks have the Artistic Talent but don't Create a Quality Product. I Pay Up only if the Quality is there as well as the Talent. Speaking of Quality, I went to "Robeks" Juice Bar for my fav Acai Tropical Mango Bowl and this time had a Male making it for me. He was sweet, but didn't do as good a job as the Young Gals they usually have making it. He was sparse on the Fruit Toppings except for the Coconut and Bee Pollen... hardly any Mango, Strawberry, Honey or Banana I usually have on it. But, plenty of Acai Sorbet, so I didn't feel too disappointed.
Coz that Acai Sorbet is expensive if I go to Sprouts and get a Pint of it to make some of that Bowl at Home. Right now the Fruits are always on Sale at the Grocer and I have some Bee Pollen coming from a Seller on E-Bay I got several Ounces of it from at a good price. My Allergies haven't been very problematic since using Local Honey and Bee Pollen which is Helpful to develop Natural Immunities to Seasonal Allergens. Coaxing The Man or Princess T, who have Respiratory Seasonal Issues, to use Honey or Bee Pollen is a challenge tho', they're not always on Board with my Holistic Remedies. *Smiles and Shrugs* I am worried that Princess T has been so Sickly this time around with her Allergies and Respiratory distress tho', so insisted she use some of my Remedies and she was in such Misery she was more compliant than usual. She said that she doesn't always Like my Witch Doctor Remedies. So, I will often hide them in her Foods. *Bwahahaha and Winks*
Whatever Works, I Work it, coz you can't rely on Luck... Dawn... The Bohemian
Ahhhh! Caught up again--for the moment! ;-)
ReplyDeleteI like your old skool newspaper format of having less time-sensitive features tucked away and going with hard news when it's important. Actually, it's the inverse of old skool, which led with hard, time-sensitive news, inserting softer features as space permits. My only issue is a complete lack of timeline for the features. It's somewhat possible to do a rough calculation--very rough. lol I do get a bit lost, though. Partly my fault, as I've been dealing with a lot of personal stuff, which has limited my screen time. Quite minor compared to what you handle on a daily basis, but still overwhelming at times! :-) I'm a planner, have had to be since kindergarten, but try to adjust and adapt as needed. Sometimes more successfully than others!
A couple of thoughts, which probably already have occurred to you and probably have been done. :-)
Retrieve your DS's replacement SSA card from him and tuck it into his Baby Book for safekeeping. I love this idea--we did not have baby books when I was young.
Suggest to your DS that keep his free phone active for the approved time frame. Set a reminder on his new phone to make at least one call, text or email within each renewal month. A good back-up that he probably won't need, but just in case! He can set the reminder for Sunday or the day your local library is closed, call and listen to about 20 seconds or so of the recording and he's done for the month. :-) Phoenix library has a fairly long recording, so it could work any day of the week.
Completely non-meducal opinion: Your issue at WalMart (your DS's new phone adventure) probably was a form of heat stress/exhaustion/dehydration. I had the same issue walking to the Laundry Center (about a football field in length) on July 3rd. Not one of our hottest days, but it suddenly zapped me! Sat down HARD on the concrete step (tailbone still has not forgiven me!) when my legs just refused to move. Fortunately, a neighbor was exiting the building and took my laundry inside while we figured out the best way to move my carcass. Finally decided to swing my legs up and bottom-scoot into the building. Think toddler maneuvering stairs--without the stairs! 😯 Thankfully, Tracy is her mother's caregiver and I had been my parents' and uncle's caregiver, so we devised a plan that worked to get me into a chair. Let's just say it was a miserable day, followed by a few more of the same. Finally have rehydrated, but am being very careful with heat/sun exposure and monitoring water consumption. Around three litres daily. (sigh)
Yes, I had water with me, and consumed almost all of it while doing my laundry. Matthew, our Community Assistant Manager, teases me about what I haul to the Laundry Center. To date, I've needed everything at one time or another! 🙃
Hope my mishap gave you a good laugh. It IS funny in retrospect! :-)
... Taja 🏜️
of The Uneducated Thumbs
Yes, we've devised a Plan to keep all the Kiddos Documents Safe and in their Baby Books. Or in a File Cabinet right by the Front Door for easy access to any Family Member's pertinent information. The Son does have a Plan for both of his Phones to keep them on and used. I think you are Right about both your and my mishaps with the Heat, it does Zap you, for me it's the Humidity, I can take a very high DRY Heat but it's Monsoon Season and so that is anything but Dry, it's like a freakin' Sauna and you overheat easily and lose a lot of moisture thru Sweating. I don't normally sweat much, never have, but with Humidity everyone will and does. Plus, I am Diabetic so my Numbers can elevate or Crash when my Body is up under stress of any kind. Yes, our Tales can be humorous AFTERWARDS but during it can be hairy and a crisis. Glad you were Okay and had that Friend who was a Present Help and knew what to do.
DeleteI have a bunch of blogs written and ready to go too. Makes it easier to visit all the blogs I like and find new ones too. I end up leaving comments on new blogs for about a week and if they don't leave a comment on mine, I don't visit again.
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry to hear about the grandkids dad. That's sad.
That Jokers Wild game you took a picture of is cool. I bet someone here in Vegas would love to get their hands on that. I'm really hoping we get a little rain soon from some monsoons and it cools things down a bit for a little while. Like you, it's too darn hot.
Some Bloggers never visit other Blogs and I'm fine with that if I really like theirs I still visit regularly. As for commenting, sometimes I'm just a lurker and may only comment every so often, or never, depending on if I have something to say about the Post that I think is worth a comment. Also, some Blogs are more personalized and I find it easier then to feel like I'm getting to know the Blogger and develop a rapport to make comments. We do need more Rain in all Deserts, I am worried about all these Data Centers draining our Water and in Corpus Cristi it already has and will negatively impact around 300,000 Residents. Here it would negatively impact over 5 Million Residents. Yeah, Salvador not turning his Life around is a Negative for all of his Children, he could have done better, he's highly Educated and Skilled, but he chose the Wrong Path and Wrong Associates. I just didn't want his dangerous associations impacting his Children and putting them at risk, so I didn't have anything to do with him bringing danger to my Grandchildren, it's irresponsible and foolish, he should have known better.
DeleteI hope your daughter arrived home in time to help with irrigation. It always seems like there is no water or too much water. How about a whole week of calm and clear.
ReplyDeleteShe didn't make it Home for that particular Rotation but did for this most recent one. Transportation is always an Issue for her since she has permanent Driving Restrictions due to her level of Mental Health Impairment. Many of her Friends either don't have their own Transportation either or unreliable Older Vehicles and Gas of coarse is so expensive that it's straining everyone's Budgets and Metro Phoenix is a vast City conglomerate to traverse. I worry about Water in the Future here coz of all the Data Centers they're building and have built already that don't belong in a Desert AT ALL, what were they thinking? It could Negatively impact 5 Million Residents if we run dry. Corpus Cristi already is run dry and impacting 300,000 Residents, when will the short term greed be stopped when they know for damned sure long term disastrous results will surely happen and impact everyone in unsustainable ways!!!
DeleteI am so sorry to hear about the issues in Mexico. Addiction is a horrible disease, one that affects every person in a family.
ReplyDeleteIndeed it does and he was a well Educated Skilled Mature Man when he started Using, so I don't understand what appeal or attraction it had for him to wreck his prosperous Career? He worked for Boeing here in America and then in Mexico when he got deported coz they wouldn't renew his Work VISA, which, wasn't his fault tho', even if you do everything Right on a Work VISA and are an asset to the Country, they won't or don't always renew it. That's when The Daughter moved back to Mexico to remain in a relationship with him. She'd only just given Birth to Princess T and he got popped by Immigration when he was Truthful at the Hospital after her Birth, to be put on the Birth Certificate as her Father, that he was no longer in the Country Legally. They had sent Social Workers to the Hospital before they would allow the Baby to come Home due to circumstances surrounding the Daughter's Fitness to be a Parent. I had to take Custody of my Grandchild at the Birth and we were Assigned Social Workers for both Grandkids I Raised, until such time as I had to Adopt them, so they were Wards of the State and The Daughter not allowed to Raise them. She knew she wasn't Well enough but all her Birth Control efforts were in vain, she was very fertile and ended up with Five Children. Both Countries wouldn't perform Sterilization until Child No. Five even at our request coz of her being Non Compos Mentis to make that decision. Abuses in the Past of involuntarily Sterilizing the Seriously Mentally Ill or Developmentally Disabled now has swung in the opposite direction. And they can have Children but it doesn't mean they should if they are incapable of Raising them or aren't allowed to... it's all rather Cruel how it's set up IMO and burdens their Families with the difficult decision of taking on any Kids they give Birth to. Coz they are going to have Natural Urges of any Adult.
DeleteAn addict has no control over their disease. That's why they need to embrace some type of Twelve-Step program.
DeleteI agree Kathy, but even that doesn't always Work. Both The Daughter and The Son went to Rehab Programs that didn't work for them and got Clean from Drugs on their own. As for Alcohol, they both say it's harder than kicking Street Drugs or Rx Drugs that are Addictive. I don't Drink or do Drugs, or Smoke, so I have no Idea which are harder for someone to obtain complete abstinence from? I do know that The Son had, on his own, kicked Drinking and even smoking Cigarettes before for Years at a time, then relapsed, and he said it was stupid to relapse coz he no longer even had the cravings for it. I think most folks Self-Medicate to avoid Life's complexities and pain tho'... and you can get the person out of the Mess, but if you don't get the Mess out of the Person, they just fall right back into it.
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