Bureaucrazy... And The Tiny Hoard Haul

 

I never did show you my Tiny Hoard Haul of Smalls from the Event, so, Above is my 11 Antique Hardware Salvage Escutcheons, my Fav being the Brass Arts & Crafts Style one from the 1920's  {Middle Far Right}.  Some are for Antique Doors, some for Antique Furniture Drawers that Locked, back when all used Skeleton Keys.  Which were used up until the 1950's but had fallen out of Favor as Residential Security Locks by the time WWII ended and mass produced high secure Pin-Tumbler Cylinder Locks replaced them with Modern Day looking Keys, which, are also now falling out of Favor and replaced with Tech Gadgets.  I don't even use and insert my Truck Key, it just has to be close enuf to the Vehicle.

And here's my tiny lil Vintage Diner Creamer, which was my most 'Major' Minor Purchase at Ten Bucks.  *LOL*   My Escutcheons were mostly $1 and $2 each with only the largest one pictured in the Middle at the Bottom of the Pix being $3.   The most Valuable one of those was only priced at $2, and it's the one I said was my Fav, of the Arts & Crafts Era type Home.  It Matches an Arts & Crafts Doorknob and Doorplate I already had, so I was Jazzed to Score it.   Loved the Graphics on this Little Creamer tho', usually I only pay $5-$7 for them but I had never seen this Design and in Green, so I felt $10 was Fair.  We use ours in my Collection of them for Pancake Syrups and for Coffee Creamer.  Becoz sometimes we wanna be Fancy like that at Breakfast and to make some of my Collections utilitarian and practical to justify Keeping them.  *Winks*

When my Friends at the Event saw what Restraint I'd used they Marveled, that's all you got Dawn, that's almost pathetic!  *LOL*  But, with my 5-to-1 Rule in place, I reminded them, that this pathetic lil Haul of 12 Objects means the Math of 60 Things must now go Out as they come In!   And I am keeping myself Accountable with that strict Rule in place.  I actually will likely rid myself of more than 60 objects coz I'm on a Culling, Editing and Purging Roll of Curating what I still have and want to continue to Downsize harshly.  When I'm on that Roll it's the rest of the Family, Oddly enuf, that starts pawing thru what I'm ridding us of and dragging shit out of it asking if THEY can Keep this or that... who knew?!  They who are always the ones to tell me I have Too Much, suddenly form Attachments to shit I've Detached from!!!   And say, well, you're getting rid of Too Much now!!!    Whatever... *LMAO*

They do the same with Princess T, who is notorious about Editing, Purging, Downsizing her own Stash of possessions on The Regular.  Her Mom and Brother go thru her Discards like it's Christmas for them!  *LOL*  She has me go thru the Stash of her Discards to Pull what I think we can easily Sell, but sometimes her Mom and Brother snap that Saleable Stuff up too, begging to have it.  Okay then, means we have to Buy them less.   Since the Schizophrenic Spawn can't hold down gainful Employment, that Works for Princess T and I if they're Content and Delighted with the Hand-Me-Downs instead.  *Ha ha ha*  Actually some of my Friends and I Trade Discards and Stuff we want that each other has, as well, quite often, beats Buying Stuff.   A Good Trade usually works out better for both Parties too... whether to Keep or for Resale.  Each of us having our Customers and Client Base that is specific to us.  

My Friend Dan The Man, may he RIP, Loved Trading anything Weird and Wonderful he Found and had, for any Native American Wares I had. *Smiles*   He and his Wife, Rita, Specialize in Native American and Western Collectibles and Antiquities of that Genre and Rent a lot of Space at our Mall.  They have some of the best Real Deal Native American Pawn Jewelry that is Old and Authentic, at our Mall.  A lot of Tribal folks on the Rez used Pawn as their Currency at the Trading Posts.  I know my Relatives would use the Trading Post a lot on their Rez.  And my Grandma and Aunts made a lot of stuff to Sell for Income, both Traditional Objects and what they knew Tourists and Non-Indians liked and preferred to Buy that was just made by an Indian.  My Grandma would sometimes just make the Tribal Style Outfits the little mass produced Indian Dolls made in Japan would wear that was Sold at the Trading Post.  I still have some that came with a piece of Paper that say the Outfit was made by an Indian!  *LMAO*  We always thought that was Comical.

  Above, that Sterling Antique Pendant has Two Old Deer Teeth on it!  Anyway, I Miss Dan a lot, his Dear Wife Rita is doing Well at handling Widowhood Thankfully.  They both were in their 80's, so that's a very long time together and sometimes a Spouse left behind won't last long after the other one Crosses Over.  So I was Worried that might happen to Rita.  She's just a tiny little Sprite, but tireless, she comes in to Work her Spaces and will literally spend all day there foofing her Booths and Cases.  Dan used to work several Shifts and was equally tireless, but was a big Man, even in his 80's, he was a big powerfully built imposing looking Guy with a Gravely Voice like an Old Cowboy.   They used to live in Wickenburg and had a Store there for Years selling Western Wares and Native American Wares.   Wickenburg is still known for being like a remnant of the Old West of smaller Towns around the outskirts of the bigger Urban areas.  We almost bought that Pueblo Style McManse out there that the Sellers ended up not being able to Perform on coz they had serious Title Issues. 

 The Man LOVED that Property best.  He's still crestfallen we had to back out AT SIGNING, due to Clouded Title Issues that would have been a Legal Nightmare to Clean Transfer of Title. The fucking Title Company missed it and I luckily had been in the Industry long enuf to catch it immediately when I got the Paperwork for us to Sign.  *Whew*  Long time Readers might recall there was a 3rd Party on the Original Deed of Trust, Marion, who ended up being the Dementia riddled Mother of the Son Selling the Property!!!  He and his Wife had Co-Signed with his Mother to Buy it, coz it was a Luxury Custom Home, and she'd lived in the Upstairs Unit, which was a whole separate Home.  Until she got Advanced Dementia and had to be Institutionalized in California with only a Medical Power Of Attorney that one of his Sisters had.  Which couldn't transfer Assets, just make Medical decisions for Dear Ole' Mom. 

 And they'd have to wait for her to Die and then go thru Probate to even consider a Sale and distribution of their Shares of it if Siblings contested her portion.  Messy as fuck, I suggested he might wanna Lawyer Up fast coz they Needed to Sell after his Mom's Income ceased paying her portion of the Note.   And all the Siblings, Five of them, didn't even get along and play well with each other, so the whole Sale would have been Contested, very Messy, and ole' Marion was not Competent to Sign over any of her Assets.  I couldn't Believe their Realtor didn't know all this beforehand before putting the Property up For Sale, and that a Major Title Company didn't catch the Issue as we were Closing the Sale!  Yikes!  As far as I know that Property never got Sold.   But, we had so many Sellers who couldn't Perform, and had Relative Contested Sales, or Title Issues of one kind or another, it was Crazy to me... it's common for Buyer's not to be able to Perform... but Sellers, WTF!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

  The Lake House was a Short Sale with the Bank, with us as Backup Buyer, by the time the 1st Buyer couldn't Perform we'd JUST Signed on the Villa McManse an HOUR before the Bank offered it to us!  Ain't that a Bitch, we'd waited almost a Year to Buy that Property and see if they could Close the Deal with the 1st Buyer, Short Sales can be complicated, but a Good Deal for a Buyer.  And we REALLY wanted that Property and were in our Paid Off Historic Home, so could Wait it out, Time being on our side coz the Adoption was taking Forever anyway of The G-Kid Force and the only reason we had to Sell our Beloved Historic Home to comply with Adoption Criteria they just make up as they go along.  There was no good reason they should have forced us to Sell a Property the Kiddos had lived in since Birth all that time and CPS had no problems with.  But, Rules for Kinship Placements are totally different than for Adoptions, even if the Kids are your Relatives and you've already had them all their Lives as a Kinship Placement for Years and Years, go figure!  Bureaucrazy.

  And even this Property was problematic for the Sellers coz a Bidding War broke out and Four other folks Outbid us, so I backed out.  It took all Four of them unable to Perform what they had Bid on and go down the List of potential Buyers to get to us, 5th in Line, and Pre-Qualified, so we knew we could and would Close in 3 Days with our VA backed Loan.  The Sellers were so Grateful and relieved that we didn't flake out too, in such a Messy Market, that they Gifted us generously, which, they didn't Need to, but it was appreciated.  So, they gave us a John Deere Tractor, a Brand New Unused Washer & Dryer, a Laptop, Brand New Unused Fridge, Brand New Unused Stove and Microwave... all wouldn't have conveyed with the Sale otherwise.  Most Homes weren't coming with Appliances at the time.  We had our Own, but it was nice to get Brand New Ones conveyed at No Cost to us!   And Pandemic had just begun Globally, so Interest Rates tanked to 2% and people were pulling out of Major Deals out of Fear.  Blood in the Streets, perfect time to Buy IMO.

I had taken 98 pixs while out and about so should have sufficient Blog Fodder Fresh Imagery for a Minute.  *Smiles*   Some didn't turn out, alas, but most did.  My Camera is Old and malfunctioned once, the one The Daughter got for me recently has the Lithium Battery stuck inside, so I don't know yet how to successfully remove it or if it's leaked and ruined the Digital Camera, which is a nice one if I can Salvage it, by Samsung and would be a nice backup Camera to my Canon.  My Gifted Camera from a Dear Generous Blog Friend in Canada got Stolen at our Antique Mall.  A group of Young People came in while I was foofing the Showroom and taking Pixs of my Vignettes.  Some distracted me, I'd set the Camera down to help them, clearly some of the others Pocketed it and I didn't notice 'til they all left, without Buying anything.  I was so Upset!  They'd fled the Mall too.

They'd successfully done one of the oldest Thieving Tricks in the Book to come in Groups and use some as a Distraction to the Mark, so the others won't get caught Stealing what you have.  I put Curses on them all... coz I'd only had the Camera a couple Weeks!  Embarrassed too that I'd been such an Easy Mark for the ploy.  They seemed like Nice Young People of means, not like a Gang or even like Shady Motherfuckers that they clearly were.   Sometimes now Shoplifters do it for kicks or the Thrill of getting away with it, not out of Need or Poverty.  Now I don't set anything down of mine around any Customers, you can't Trust anyone.  Even in Retirement Communities, Shop Owners tell me the Old People are the worst Thieves... mebbe sometimes due to Cognitive Decline or Forgetfulness, but, more often, on Purpose!  They know Law Enforcement is lax on Theft and particularly lax on Seniors, pitying someone Elderly, Courts are too lenient on Old Criminals too.

 

I took The Man out with me to do Environmental Cleanup, he just sat in the Truck in the Shade by the River, but he enjoyed getting out and taking the Ride there.  He's having more trouble Walking now, so we need to work on that to keep his Mobility going.  Our Home isn't really very Wheelchair accessible and it would cost too much to make it that way.  He has a narrow Wheelchair the VA provided, but it would still limit him in where in the Home he could go and he crashes around like a Bull Elephant in his Walker, he'd be wrecking the House on Wheels in a Wheelchair!   I can't let him ride the Scooters for the Disabled in Stores or he is a menace with it.  To be sure a lot of people in them are and plow into people, either accidentally or intentionally, thinking becoz they're in a Scooter they can run over Pedestrians.  I've had a Come To Jesus with more than a few reckless Scooter folks who ran into me or a Family Member without apology and having an Attitude of Entitlement too!  They can go fast enuf to be as dangerous as any Vehicle.

One Middle Aged Morbidly Obese Woman in one plowed into me at a GOODWILL once, so hard she hurt me.  Then she got an Attitude like it was MY fault and she had the Right of Way in her Scooter!!!  OMG, I came Unhinged and told her to back the fuck up in that thing, she'd hurt me running into me so recklessly.  Instead of being apologetic, she started to get Mouthy and Threatening with me!  Oh Hell No!   So I told her I'd drag her Fat Ass right off it and we'd see how fast she could Run or how good she could Fight, coz I was gonna Fuck her up now and destroy her Scooter!!!  You never saw someone throw one of those things in Reverse and skiddaddle off so fast in your life!  The other Customers started clapping, coz they'd seen her run into me hard as I was looking at something on a Shelf in an Aisle too narrow for both of us.  I didn't even see her coming and careening towards me too fast. They asked if I was Okay and she had actually Bruised me and then became Verbally threatening first!  I wasn't having it.

 She was about 20 Years or more Younger than me, but so damned morbidly Fat, she should watch her Mouth if she was gonna become confrontational with an Able Bodied Person she started something with.  Get Mouthy and Threatening with some folk and you best be able to back that shit up.  She also shouldn't be bashing into Old People or Children in the damned thing, she was dangerous and reckless in it.  All she'd had to do was either wait or say Excuse Me like a Civilized Human Being and I would have gladly made room for her to get by or walked out of the Aisle rather than Create a Spectacle like she chose to.  I bowed to the Applause the other Customers gave me, in good Humor.  I think she'd been a menace thruout the Store in that thing and I wasn't the first person she either ran into or almost did.  And one of the Employees also came up and asked me if I was alright, coz you could tell she'd injured me.  If I'd been a more Fragile Senior or a Small Child she could have caused Serious Injury or a Fall.   Mini Rant over about reckless Scooter Riders who are also Unlovely People.  *Winks*

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The small amount of Retail Therapy was enjoyable... even while also dealing with Bureaucrazy stuff... Dawn... The Bohemian