Tales From The Hood

 In Real Time it's a Sunday Afternoon and Irrigation is coming Tonight between 10:30 p.m. and Midnight, so, we'll be wading around doing it in the Dark.  Rob did us a favor, since our Weed Whacker went on the fritz and Maintained our Irrigation Ditch, cutting down any growth with his Weed Whacker, which, we appreciated.  It's his Cousin's Machine so he's not allowed to let anyone Borrow it so The Son had no way to do it and Manuel, our New Neighbor behind us who Shares that portion of Irrigation Ditch, hadn't done it either, but it had to get done before the Water comes.  Manuel's Family have either a small Pony or Donkey and it makes the funniest Noises.  I doubt it's a Horse, it sounds Smaller.

 The previous Owner had a Goat named Alfred who could yell Help like he was a Developmentally Disabled Human Male!  It was hilarious and would freak Guests out who didn't know it was just a Goat and not a Handicapped Person in Crisis.  *LOL*  We'd just yell out to Knock it Off Alfred, and then he would oblige.  Silly Old Billy Goat!  They can be Characters and their Vocal Range can be impressive. *Smiles*  Anyway, Alfred is now on an Inherited Mini Farm that is bigger and in Glendale that belonged to Laura's Elderly Parents who finally Passed in their Nineties, Laura herself was in her Mid-70's, her Boyfriend was in his 60's and did most of the Farm Work coz they had Livestock and grew things to eat.  Laura was an Old Hippie too and Gardened in the Nude.  But she had high Wooden Fencing around her Property so we only knew this when the Wind might blow a Gate Open.  *LOL*

I have to Work Tomorrow Night, I forgot that along with every Wednesday in September that I agreed to cover a Shift for my Friend Crazy Ed while he recovers from Neck Surgery, I agree to Work Labor Day Night too.  I think they're having a Weekend Holiday Sale so hopeful it stimulates Trade?  We'll see if it does and what kind of Sale they came up with?  Sometimes they just do something Silly like Double Points on Purchases, which, never stimulates Trade, folks don't Care about their Frequent Shopper Points so much until they're built up enuf already to Credit against the Purchase considerably.  Most don't even know they get Points if their Phone Number is on File and they give it with every Purchase to built up Points to use when it's Traded for Cash Value.  I just looked the Sale up and it's the Last Bash of Summer 3 Days and 15% Off everything purchases, so, that's mebbe gonna boost Sales.

Mando's Go-Fund-Me for his Funeral has generated 81% already, we Donated, so they only have a few Hundred to go to ensure the Family doesn't suffer the Hardship of paying for his Final Expenses, which is great that the Community responded immediately in such a generous way.   It was only put up this Morning in Real Time, by Tonight it will have covered the Costs.  That's what I Love about the Community we Live in and around, most people are Poor to Lower Middle Class or Retired on Average, nobody is particularly affluent, but they pull together and give what they have during Crisis.  And they help their Neighbors out in Life too.  One thing Mando always did was Help folks out, most of the Handyman Work he did if someone couldn't afford it or pay him, he'd do it for them anyway if the Need existed.  He'd never let me pay for anything he did on our Property either.  And he did a lot of Handyman Projects that you couldn't get Hired Help to bother with if it was a smaller job not profitable enough.

 

Above is some of our Fun Loving Customers and our Mall/Store Drone Shot early in the Morning facing South towards the Estrella Mountain Range in the Background.   To the East of our Mall is a LOWE'S Home Improvement Store.   And to the West, not attached to our Building tho', is a JC PENNEY'S.  Lots of other Shops and Restaurants to the North, East and West of our Mall in the same Parking Lot too. And a large Hospital just West of it, which is the one Princess T was Born at and The Man had his recent Heart Surgery at and I Recovered from my Stroke at.  Still some Raw Desert Lots undeveloped behind our Mall to the South.  Sometimes hard to Believe I've been there since they first Opened and had the very 1st Sale to another Vendor Friend before our Point Of Sale was even up and running!  Sold her a 1950-1960's Era Yellow Retro Kitchen Chair Stool with Stepladder built into it.

You see a lot of Red and other Colors of them, and now they make Repops of them, the Yellow is harder to find.  It looked like those seen Above that are Reproductions, mine was The Real Deal and my Vendor/Blog Friend Pamela knew this.  She's been following my Blog for Years before we ever met in Person when we both became Vendors when our Mall first Opened.  It wasn't even Opened yet and she had Rented a Showroom and I'd Rented a Booth nearby and was bringing in my Merch when I heard her call out my Blog Name!  *LOL*  She liked the Stool and asked if she could Buy it before we had the Grand Opening and I agreed.  Nice to meet a Blog Friend in Person too and it's as if we'd always known one another.   I'd had it since the early 1970's when I first had a Buttercup Yellow Kitchen and was in my Sunflowers Phase of Kitchen Decorating.  Pamela would have still been a Child back then, *LOL*but Loved Retro Styling with Bright Cheerful or Pastel Color Palettes.  We could always go Junquing Together coz our Aesthetics couldn't be more Opposite.  *Smiles*

A Storm is definitely brewing and building, I'm hoping it doesn't Scare Tyson too much coz he can't come inside, he'd be like a Big Bull in a China Shop Clumsy.  His Tail whipping around is enough to smash anything it hits to smithereens, it's like a Weapon and he gets too excited!   At their Home he's an Inside/Outside kind of Dog and spends more time Indoors, but Allen is a Minimalist and lives like most Young Men in their 20's, so it's more conducive to having a Big Dog.  I don't even want the Granddaughter's Inside Only Cat roaming the whole House.  Eli has to be closely Supervised when he's outside of her Room and he's such a scaredy Cat he doesn't like being outside of her Room anyway and only cautiously ventures out like he's being Hunted and could Die at any Moment.  *LOL*

For those of you who don't like Halloween, or don't like it making an Early Appearance, well, you're gonna either Love or Hate that I'm gonna roll some Christmas Retail Eye Candy Vignettes out too.  *LMAOROTF*  See, I don't mind the Holidays coming early and leaving late in the Retail Sector.  I find them to be nice Positive Escapism Visually and just the Atmosphere it brings that the Holidays themselves just impart that I enjoy so much.   And some of these Images aren't current and some are, but they're all Visually pleasing to me so I'm using them for current Blog Fodder Imagery since I'm not out there taking a lot of Pathological Picture Taking right now.  In fact, I'm not doing a lot of anything and I'm Strangely Okay with that.  I've been more of a Homebody than usual lately and it's suiting me just fine.

And becoz Vendor Friends of "Rusty Saturday" have the Cutest Vintage Tonka Type Cars and Trucks tricked out and Pimped for Christmas, it's always a Joy to Share some of what they do during the Holidays.  Sadly they have Downsized their Retail Spaces even more, they used to have their own Event and Brick & Mortar Store that I just LOVED and Shopped at often.  Other Vendor Friends Rented Space from them and set up their Pimped Pulls for Trunk Shows in front of the Business too.  Back then everyone had Pimped a Vintage Trailer or Airstream, which, you don't see so much anymore either.  I always wanted one to do that to also, but we needed something for Family to LIVE in on our Property so I had to Invest in the more Practical and larger expensive 5th Wheel instead.  Which cost me more than my Historic Home had!!!  Making me Wish, dammit, I should have just kept the Historic Home with it's 3 Back Cottages and Outbuildings to House Family in had I known it would come to all this.  Coz it was fucking Paid For and I LOVED it!!!  *LOL and Le Sigh*

Well, Hell, we can't know what the Future holds for us Years down the Road, so it was the Right thing to do at the time being it had been Vacant a Year and was constantly getting Broken Into and Vandalized.  The problem in Older Neighborhoods is that Vacant Buildings and Properties attract the Criminal Element and Police weren't taking it Seriously at all.  After Eleven Break-Ins and Vandalism in just a Year, I just had to put it up For Sale coz at the time I had no Family or Friends who needed a place to Live Locally and I didn't wanna Rent it to Randoms and become a Landlord either.  That's more Drama and a Headache that I didn't need at the time, whilst Working Full Time, trying to Adopt my Grandkids, and taking Care of a Husband who was recovering from his Catastrophic Accident and Traumatic Brain Injury.  It was already just a lot... and I decided to Cash Out on my Equity and have just the ridiculous Sized Villa McManse I'd just bought to move to,  in order to get the G-Kid Force Adopted, which was a lot of House and upkeep without Staff.  But a Wiser Investment at the time too.

When you can get a Million Dollar Listing for $370,000 on a VA Loan, with no Down Payment.  Cash Out on your Paid Off Primary Residence you are Vacating and The Adoption Board wouldn't Approve anyway coz it was Old and had Lead Paint... it made sense to strike while the Iron was Hot and the Luxury Real Estate Market was in the Shitter and Interest Rates were low.  The Villa McManse blew me away when I saw the Listing and Low Price, even tho' it had an HOA, which I knew from way back in my Corporate Executive Banking Days was The Devil, and it was Rural, I didn't intend to Keep it long.  Once the Adoption Finalized a few Years later I couldn't wait to flip it and Cash Out on that Equity and get our next Forever Home.  Which the Historic Home was Supposed to be and alas, could not be due to being Forced to Adopt due to Kinship Placement Laws and Reunification Laws of Wards Of The State changing drastically.   I had no Choice of The G-Kid Force would have involuntarily been put up for Adoption at Age 10 and 14!!!  Which is ridiculous and would have happened over my Dead Body!

  What do you think would happen to a pretty 10 Year Old Special Needs Girl and 14 Year Old Special Needs Gay Boy in a Foster or Adoption Situation... probably nothing good.  So that was never going to happen and I fought The System for Years... from the time she was 7 and he was 11 until I prevailed when they were 10 and 14 and the Adoption Finalized.  *Whew*  By then I no longer needed to impress the Adoption Board with a ridiculous Luxury Home, which was it's sole Purpose... and it was Time to now Sell and unload it.   And of coarse by then this Mini Farm was what was meant to be and checked off every Box on my extensive Wish List for a Forever Home, plus Interest Rates had dumped to 2% just before the Pandemic hit full force, so, Blood in the Streets again... perfect Buyer's Market for a High End Property that maxed out what VA Funding would lend on at the time on their Jumbo Loans for Veterans.  *Smiles and Winks*  

The Young Prince had already Moved Out before we Sold the McManse and moved to Washington State to join a Hippie Commune at Age 18.  Whaddya gonna do once they're Grown... they go off and Live Life.  Equity has in fact doubled since then on this Property in just a little more than 5 Years, so I can't Complain.  And, Luckily it is large enuf to be a Family Compound even tho' we NEVER expected everyone to move back Home again!!!  Life happens, shit happens... you Roll with it.  Allen is gonna help The Daughter and Princess T with Irrigation when it's done and the Gates need to be dropped.  The Son opened them coz the Ditch is filling up early and it's still 3 Hours before we're Scheduled, so, that's Odd and I think it means someone fucked up again Upstream on their Rotation and last time they did, they Flooded Downstream coz they hadn't taken on their Water Assigned.  Lotsa Newbies moving in as Properties go up For Sale.

 We can take on extra Water with our Property, but some Neighbors can't.  They don't have as much Pasture area coz some have larger Homes on their Lots and more Outbuildings like an RV Garage and a Bunkhouse or Casita Structure built on the Property too, or larger Pool and Recreational Area that doesn't need Irrigation Water.  Anyway, we're now prepared to take on the Water and turn on our Pump too once the Ditch is fully full.  Our Pump only serves the very Front Yard and East Side Yard, the rest of our Irrigated Property is just from our Four Gates to the Ditch being Open and Gravity Fed onto it.  The Gates are a Bitch to Open and Drop coz they're on the Ditch Side.  I'd like to change that eventually to them switched to the Interior Side to Lift and Drop coz then I don't have to Stand on a Fucking Plank to do it or go down into the Ditch to do it easier.  Couldn't go into the Ditch this time coz it had Water in it way too early already and that Mud gets like Quicksand once the Ditch fills up and the Water gets High quickly coz our Ditch is Deep and Wide.  

Some Properties only have narrow and shallow Ditches in Front of their Homes or up the Side if they're a Corner Property and get their Feed that way and those aren't Shared Irrigation Ditches so don't have to hold as much Water.  Those of us with Ditch Irrigation at the back of our Properties have larger Ditches coz they are Shared with whatever other Neighbor lives directly behind you.  You Share in Maintaining the Ditch and Hope your Neighbor does their Fair Share.  We've had good Neighbors so far Living behind us so it hasn't been problematic.  Tho', when they 1st Buy they may never have had experience with Irrigation so it takes a Minute for them to get into the hang of it and do it Right.  Neighbors who are more Seasoned do try to help out the Newbies tho'.  Anyway, The Son is too Tired and drank too much so his Sister and her Friend Steven are trying to get him in and put him to Bed.  He got the Gates Lifted and then fucking was laying like a Starfish in the Pasture, where, the Water will get Deep within the Hour!!!  He's gotta be up early to be in Work by 5:00 a.m..

He's not doing really well at cutting himself off at a normal amount of Alcohol, some days he does and other Days that are Stressful, he overdoes it.  Alcoholism is a terrible Addiction and a hard one to overcome and stay Sober from.  He did better giving up Dangerous Drugs and/or Cigarettes, without relapsing on the Drugs, has been Clean now for Years.  But that damned Fire Water is The Devil for both he and his Sister.  Tho' she never overdoes hers hardly ever, she's good at Moderating her consumption even tho' she does drink a lot and too early, she Nurses it thruout the Day and it takes the Edge off her Mental Illness so she's less Mental when she's had something to Drink.  So, choosing your Lesser Demon seems to work better for her than for her Brother.

And lately his Drinking has caused him problems, not at Work coz he never drinks before Work or under the influence, but, especially if he's at Friends Homes who Drink, and it's a bunch of Guys, things always get Crazy when everyone is under the influence.   I guess at Gypsy James gathering last Night some Guest brought a Younger Guy with him who was 25 and started a Fight.  Oy Vey, Gypsy James is Gypsy and Irish, so Fighting and Drinking is in his Blood, but he and The Son are now 40, so they prefer not to have to Deal with Young Guns who think they're Bad Asses and start something coz they had too much to Drink.  Well, it happened, didn't it?   And I'd said before he got together with The Guys, this isn't gonna End like a Crazy Weekend Bender that goes Sideways once everyone is Drinking is it?  No, Mom... Yeah, Right... 

 And so, The Son went to break up the Fight, even tho' he himself probably had too much to drink, and the Younger Guy hit him in the Eye he already had a Black Eye in from that Concert too close to the Mosh Pit Accident, and now damn near Closed it!!!   Fuuuuck, now, from what I was told, it was ON!!!  Oh, No!!!  I knew how that would End... not Well for the other Guy!  Unless he can go 20 Rounds or so, and Last Two Hours Fighting nonstop, is equally Mental, or flat can knock a Person Out Cold?  Which, I kinda doubted.  Sounded like some Random Immature Asshole trying to act Tough and Prove himself in front of a New Audience?   Were there Women there I Wondered?  But I didn't even ask... things can get Testosterone Heavy even if there aren't Females to try to Impress with whose got the Biggest Pair or is the Biggest Dick... *Mature Woman Huge Eye Roll*

Coz tho' The Son has never started a Fight in his Life, he will End one and you will get fucked up no matter how Young you are or Tough you think you are coz he simply will not Stop.  He can Fight for well over an Hour and a Half and most Guys can't Fight that long, even if they can Fight good.   And so when I had to pick him up Today I knew something was Up and he said not to get Mad when I saw his Eye, but someone Younger picked a Fight thinking they could kick Old Man Ass, and, he had to put that Guy Down.  Well, at least nobody called the Cops and from what I heard, the other Guy ended up looking way worse and should probably never underestimate his opponent when he picks a Fight with someone he don't know, regardless of their Age.  The Son used to do some MMA Fighting when he was in his 20's and he can take a hit and has a very high threshold for Pain, and has the Stamina of a Bull Ox.

  So, it didn't go well for the Young Troublemaker.  And I'm like, you're getting too Old for this shit Son... now you gotta go in to Work looking like this, WTF are you Thinking?!  You're being Groomed for an Upper Management Position, so don't act so Fucking Ghetto and Hood and Fuck that Opportunity up by looking like a Brawler!   And when he's hanging with his Old Boys From Da Hood, this kind of shit sometimes happens coz they are a Rough bunch and Age didn't make them any less Rough either.  And all of them are in the Trades where you can show up to the Job Sight looking like you had a Wild Weekend.  Some of the Crews he's worked with in the Trades are Hard Cases, many are Ex Felons, and the rest are Corn Fed Dudes who look like they could Fight a Bear and Win.  I don't know what the Young Guy does for a Living, but he bit off more than he could chew or swallow.

 So, pretty sure The Son drank too much Tonight coz he probably hurt like Hell and more Today from having been in a Fight with a 25 Year Old in their Prime.  *Eye Roll and Le Sigh, serves him right...*  Coz this wasn't a Boxing Gloves Fight, this was a straight up Street Fight with Bare Fists.  Think "Fight Club", and I'm sure it was Dinner and a Show for whoever was there coz anyone that knows Gypsy James or The Son, knows that if someone Starts something, they will not hesitate to Finish it.  And that it's gonna be one Helluva Fight too.  I wouldn't be Surprised if someone Video Recorded it and has put it on TikTok now.   That Young Guy will never be Welcome as a Plus One again I'm sure.  So, that was the Drama Of The Moment.  He's still in his Head about the Incident Tonight and is having trouble letting it go that some Random made Trouble on an Evening everyone just wanted to get together and have a good time.  Well, it happens.  You have to just realize the World is filled with Assholes and those looking for Trouble to Start.  You can't engage with them all, it's just not worth it.  *Christ on a Bike!*

*******

Just another Weekend of Tales From The Hood... Dawn... The Bohemian