Life Can Give Us Some Stories To Tell

 In Real Time it's only September 8th and it was 115 Degrees still at the height of the Heat, which, for this time of Year is still way high.  It was 107 for the couple Days beforehand, which was still high for early September and the Cool Down isn't coming. It didn't come last September either which is why I had a whole Month I expected to work my Spaces that aren't Climate-Controlled and didn't get to.  I think we actually only had 2 Weeks of Winter last February, every other Month was just exceptionally Hot and inclement Weather we normally don't get for Autumn and Winter.  I do fear it's gonna be a repeat performance of that and so not much will get done this Fall or Winter either if we don't get some Cool Down.  Ugh.  Usually Autumn in Arizona is glorious, I miss that due to Climate Change fluctuations that keep escalating each Year.

 

I thought about getting this but then realized someone put it up on the $5 Shelf that was Sold Out of whatever that was for the Line and this was the $10 larger part of the Line.  I have a lot of the Hyde & Eek Line and like it, this was Cute, I just didn't think Ten Dollars Cute.  In previous Years the Audrey Plants of the Line looked better and were Painted better too, so the Quality has not remained as good IMO.  They didn't have much of this Popular Line either, and had Sold Out of a lot of what they did have, and they just put it out.  So, you can't waffle if you do want any of it, or, you won't get any and I doubt they'll get more in either.

I did get these sets of Stickers to make some Cute Halloween Art Tags with.   There just wasn't that much of a good Selection of Merch to wanna Photograph.  Most of it was quite generic and not very interesting or anything I'd even remotely consider Buying.  So, that was disappointing, TARGET usually has a great Halloween Section, but each Year since Pandemic it has gotten reduced and smaller, this Year being no exception.  And, what they do have, they don't have much of, so it is likely to Sell Out quickly if you're not among the 1st of perhaps 3-7 Customers for that particular thing.  Some things they only had 1 of, or were Sold Out of already and they weren't even finished Stocking some Aisles, but the Aisles that were Stocked, had been picked over already to where if you weren't there when it got put out, you're SOL. {Shit Outta Luck}  That's happened a lot and why Resale of the Line goes Online for Resale at Scalpers Pricing almost immediately.

I did Buy this Butterfly Skeleton in a Cloche from The Son's Chain of Dollar Store.  It was more than a Dollar, $7, but I liked it so much and it does something when you put Batteries in it, I don't know what tho'... I suspect it Lights Up with some Fiber Optics around the Interior Decorations tho'.  Which will look good in the Dark when we're handing out Candies.  I'll keep it Inside until Halloween Night.  The DOLLAR TREE Store had almost more Halloween Decor than TARGET or SPIRIT STORE, which was unexpected.    And, none of the Big Box Stores that usually have elaborate Displays to draw Customers in... didn't, not at all!  TARGET had this one Animatronic Skeleton and the Big Inflatable Spider, that's it.  They had no Dia de los Muertos Merch, or at least it wasn't out yet and I didn't see a Space for it like they usually have.

They did have about 3 Aisles of Costumes, so that is good.  I haven't gone to a Wal-Mart yet to see what they've put out for Halloween, but they weren't rushing to Display it as early either, so I'm speculating they had Supply Chain Issues or Import Issues too perhaps?   Toys was well Stocked tho', so at least that is being produced and getting into the Country from where it's made, coz none of it is made in America.  So mebbe the Girls will get more than Donnie Two Dolls says they should this Year?  *Winks*   Some of TARGET's Brand of Knock-Off of the "American Girl" Line, which they call "Our Generation" Dolls, was Cute.  I Photographed one Below that was for Halloween specifically and also Glows in the Dark.   They had one more that was a Black Doll with Witch Costume, but only One of each Doll.   And some Mom was practically Stalking me in the Toy Aisle and getting in the way of me trying to Photograph any of the Toys... tho' she was Buying nothing for her Toddler Son that would even be in said Aisles.  He was so Young he practically didn't even know he was there!  *Le Sigh & Laughs*.

 

Some people when they see you trying to take Pixs, will intentionally linger in the way, often pretending to look at things they aren't really interested in.  Just to prevent you from taking Pixs and be in the way, it's commonplace and I have no idea what their problem is?  *Shrugs*  Sometimes if they follow me around too much doing that I point the Camera at them and pretend to take Pixs and that always runs them off... if they've been particularly Annoying I'll mention they'll be on one of my Viral TikToks now.  *Bwahahahahaha*  I don't do TikTok, and I don't take Pixs of Randoms and usually try not to Photograph folks without their express Permission.  But, when someone has been being a total Nuisance, clearly on Purpose and for no good Reason, well, I have to fuck with them just a little to get them to fuck off and move along.  *Smiles*   This Mom I finally had to do something like that to so she moved on and out of my way.  She was so busy trying to Photo Bomb me that she wasn't paying attention to her Toddler either, who wasn't in a Cart and too Young to be Unsupervised and not kept a close Eye on.

She had a Cart, with nothing at all in it, I had my Cart full of what I was Buying and didn't wanna be Stalked around the whole Store.  She finally picked up the Boy and put him in the Cart Seat, where he should have been all along, and she left me alone after that and disappeared.  Good riddance, some folks are just Strange as Hell.  Thursday will be the start of the "Highland Yard Vintage" Halloween Event and I Plan on going on Day One to get the best Coverage of it.  There's a couple things I saw in the Preview, Smalls, that I'd like to get so I'd have the best chance of that going early.  And I also will walk around the Antique Mall in front the the Warehouse Event.  "Merchant Square" is a very nice Antique Mall, if it were closer I'd want to be a Vendor there.  Some Vendors from our Mall have been Vendors there and done very well, but it's a Helluva long Commute from the Far West Valley to the Far East Valley and eventually, in spite of Stronger Sales there, they had to close out their Booths there.

The Manager and Management there has their Finger on the Pulse of what's Trending and happening in the Antiques and Collectibles Market.  They also Vet their Vendors better too, so there are no Crap Hawkers there either, so the Quality of the Demographic that Sell and Buy there is just better becoz of how it's being run so well.  They don't have Showrooms tho', just Booths, and some are decent sized.  But, I've also seen some of my Fav Vendors there downsize or leave, so even in a well run Mall, it can be tough to prosper and have great enuf Sales to justify whatever your overhead might be.  I'm saddened that my Fav Vendors have left quite recently, I bought a lot from them and their Spaces and Inventory were Awesome, very good at what they do.  I don't know if they even went somewhere else?

  

I realized The Daughter isn't even Home, one of her Friends must have come and gotten her so she hasn't been here all day, ergo I couldn't take her to that Dentist.  I've got so much going on in the next few Days that I'd hoped to before then.  Anyway... whaddya gonna do, they're Grown and have their own itinerary of what they have going on, even when they're not feeling 100%.   She's down on $$$ so if someone has a Job, she's gonna take it.  And, it takes her Mind off the Boyfriend's Murder, which, is Helpful right now too.  Also being around Good Friends is too.  Too soon really to even expect her not to be extremely distraught.  It's not like she didn't have Friends in Mexico that were Murdered, or were "Disappeared", she did, it's more commonplace there too, but I doubt you ever get used to it.

I liked these Eyeball Wreaths and the little Porcelain Spider Pumpkins... the Wreaths were only $10 and the Spider Pumpkins only $3.  But, I decided I didn't need either one.   I've already got so many Wreaths and tend to wait until After Season to get any left on Sale.  For some reason the Wreaths often don't Sell Out and usually there may be some left after they go On Sale.   I think the Spider Pumpkins will surely Sell Out.  I just didn't need a little flat bottom breakable Porcelain Pumpkin, tho' I Loved the Spider Design on them... and for Three Bucks, great Price.  I Photographed much less at SPIRIT STORE, but there may be bigger Locations somewhere else so I'm holding out Hope they may have more and also a Display put up that this smaller Location didn't have?  There's one Opening so close by we could Walk to it, but it's not Open yet, and looks like a bigger Location.  And another Opening soon, but not yet, that is also not very far away, so I'll check out both when they Open.

I'm getting the sense that the selection of Merchandise is gonna be leaner this Halloween tho'.  And I don't know yet how good "Sweet Salvage" Halloween Themed Event will be since they've not had any Sneak Peeks, which is Odd since it Opens next Thursday.  Usually by now they've Posted some Previews to entice people since the Halloween Event is THE most Popular Theme of all, Hands down, even tho' the Christmas one done in November is very Popular too.   It was Bittersweet when I checked some of my Vendor and Designer Friend's Social Media Sites that are at "Sweet Salvage", coz nobody had Posted anything for this Upcoming Event, so Strange, but, had Posted some Blast From the Past of other "Wicked Faire" Events of previous Years.  And one of our Friend, Teri, Passed away in 2025 from a long Battle with Cancer.  She's Front and Center in the Pix Below, sitting, since her Mobility got compromised near the End.  The other Dear long time Friends from Left to Right, more at the Back, are Carol, Cyndie and Monica.

Loved the T-Shirt Below, but it was being Sold Online and I didn't wanna risk it from an Unknown Random Seller that isn't a Site I usually Shop, like E-Bay, which, I have had very few Negative Experiences with.  I did get that copy of a Heavy Metal Band T-Shirt, The Son's $50 one he got at the Concert is much nicer, but for the low Price I Paid for mine, the quality of my Shirt was very good and the Graphics were only slightly different, cropped a bit, and positioned Wrong from the Original.  But, it was as shown on the Auction, so I knew that before Buying it and had compared it against The Son's Shirt.  He couldn't afford to get me one at the Concert and I wouldn't have wanted him to since that was expensive.  The Knock-Off is good enuf and well worth what I Paid for it.  And they had the really big Size I wanted, so I left good Feedback.  I did however mention it was almost like the Original.  *Winks*  Just so that other Buyers will know this isn't the Real Deal, in case they have no way of knowing or telling by having no comparison of the Concert One.

Anyway, I like the Shirt and when we compared, he's glad he got the Original, coz it is better, tho' double the price I paid for one close enuf you have to compare them to see the differences in the Graphics.  I knew I was getting a knock-off so I'm pleased it's of a good quality and similar enuf, you know?  *LOL*  Reproductions have their place in the Market, I ain't gonna Lie, it makes for affordable options of something similar.  Tonight I might actually wear it to Work.  I should price some more Pokemon Cards to take in to Work and try to find that Stamped Ditto Character's Card that I thought I might have too and some Kid on Monday paid $150 for from the Pokemon Vendor!  *LOL*  So far I'm Selling some $30 Cards tho', so I can't complain.  And of coarse the Cheaper Cards, which is most of them, I Sell for $1-$3 mostly, with some in the $10 range.  The prices of those Pokemon Merch are all over the place, so you do have to look each and every one up.  *Ugh*

The Son and I had to Spirit Away anything that reminded The Daughter of Mando.  So much of his Presence was still around here and became Trigger Objects after his untimely Homicide Death and she was wrecked and Emotionally Raw.  She will be Haunted Forever having to see him in that Condition to ID him for Police!  Too Soon to expect Stages of Grief yet, she's still in the initial Stage. She's seen graphic things, too many perhaps for a Lifetime, so I do Hope that Helps some?  It does for me, you Compartmentalize it as a Coping Mechanism, when you've Witnessed lots of horrible things you've Seen and will never be able to Unsee.  She has the Good Memories, the Photographs, but each little thing he'd Squirrelled away here for Fabrication Handyman Jobs, she had more of an Attached Memory to when they'd gone together to the Salvage Yards to procure it. 

 Jason hauled some of it off and Recycled it at the very same Salvage Yards Mando had Bought it and gave her the Money, so, that was Helpful to Let Go of it that way.  Some went to Bulk Garbage Pickup Curbside which got picked up on Monday.  I didn't have the bandwidth to haul some of it in my Truck coz Scrap Metal is about 5 Cents a Pound and some of it was heavy enuf that it was brute strength to lug it to the Curb for Pickup.  Some of those small Objects can be like a Boat Anchor in weight!  *LOL*  Nobody here is a Fabricator and I had Rob come over and take what he could use too.  The Family was able to Raise enuf so far to cover Expenses via the Go Fund Me Posted on FB and we all Shared on our Social Media too to expand the Donor Field.  I'm so glad the Community outpouring of Support was so generous for his Family.  Most are still in Shock, as are we all, Homicide Deaths are different to try to Process, I can't explain it unless you've experienced it too, I Hope you never have to tho'.  There is Anger and Resentment coupled with Grief when someone takes a Life, towards who Killed them.  And you want Justice, which, sometimes is received and sometimes isn't.

Granted, the Stupid Young Person who was recklessly Driving and Killed someone horribly, has a Life Forever Changed too by that One Foolish Incident, as will his Family now too.  It's sounding like it was a Teenager responsible who still lived with his Mother, who had the agonizing duty to turn him in to Police, so my Heart aches for her too.  Whether he was Clean and Sober or not, the Victim is just as Dead, and driving 60 mph in a 25 mph area that is a Residential Rural Neighborhood, was beyond reckless and irresponsible, especially on a Weekend Holiday Evening when people are out later doing things after it Cools down some.  Labor Day is one that has loads of people out and about, our super high temps means most folks stay in all day and then go out after Sundown to do things when it has Cooled Off enuf to.  It's why The Daughter and Mando were helping Jeff so late into the Evening, it had been a 117 Day and too hot to do the Outside Work for him that he needed done. 

 And Jeff had people over for the Holiday, so they were also gathering to Socialize too.  Mando didn't drink alcohol, so The Daughter suspects he was going to the Convenience Store for Gum... fucking Gum... and she found it at the Crime Scene, a brand new Packet among his mangled Bicycle Parts the Cops left there.  And she thinks he'd Won a little bit on a Lottery Scratch Ticket they'd picked up earlier from that same Convenience Store on their way to Jeff's House.   If he hadn't gone for Gum, Mom, he would still be Alive... you go thru the whole Wrong Place, Wrong Time, Scenarios of What Ifs with something like that.  I did when my Friend Trudy got Murdered horribly Years ago delivering Food Boxes from our Church Ministry.  To a Couple that ended up torturing, raping and violently Murdering her in front of their Children, Drug Addicts, Tweaking! 

 I was out of Town in Vegas with my Welsh Uncle, and usually went with her for Food Ministry Deliveries.  She and I often paired together to make the Runs, coz our Pastor knew I was Street Smart and familiar with Da Hood, and Dear Trudy wasn't.  She'd led a very Sheltered Life and often said so, but she had a Heart for the Marginalized and Vulnerable, the Down and Out of Society.  She was too Trusting, Naive and often too Compassionate in ways that I always told her could make her an Easy Mark to the Predatory Types.  She wanted to Believe the Good was in everyone, especially if you're Helping them, it is NOT.  Predatory Types will always view Kindness for Weakness, so your Head better be on The Swivel even when doing the Lord's Work in Rough areas and with People who are in Desperate Circumstances and Need. 

 Desperate folks do desperate things, violent folks do violent things.  The World can be a Scary place.   She broke all our Rules, Bless her, not to enter anyone's Home, or even Engage much, never go Alone, just Deliver Nutritional Assistance at the Door in Pairs and leave.  With a Resource List in the Boxes of other Assistance they might find Helpful during a Time of Need.  When I returned from Vegas with my Uncle, The Man took me aside and told me my Friend Trudy was Missing, and had disappeared doing the Food Ministry Run, Alone.  Ruh Roh, I knew that was not Good and very risky.  I called my Church and discussed with my Pastor the last Drop she was to do and to have Police investigate THAT Family again, even if they had before.  I had a very Bad Feeling.  Becoz it was a Young Family with several Children, I think initially the Police didn't Suspect Foul Play involving them, they should have, they were high on my Radar as her last contacts and last to see her Alive.  There were no more Drops after them.

Upon revisiting and looking into the Family's History Days tho', and Trudy nowhere to be found and her Vehicle abandoned just a couple Blocks away, Red Flags went up for Law Enforcement.  Both had lengthy Criminal Drug Histories, and Meth was involved.  The DA's Office Tracks Meth related Crimes coz they are among the most violent of all Drug Related Crimes, Tweakers do some heinous shit when under the influence.  We didn't Track Users of Heroin, Cocaine, Pill Poppers, or other arrays of Illegal Drugs, but Meth we did.  So I knew this could be a potential for a Violent Act, Two Tweakers, luring Help to their Home.  The Police got a Warrant and sho' nuff, found the discarded Food and Food boxes strewn around the back Yard of the Home, and Trudy's horribly mutilated and violated Body just dumped behind a Shed with Trash piled on it!  He's doing a Life Sentence and the Wife got 10 Years as his Accomplice.  She feared him and so did the Kids, so they were afraid to Help Trudy escape, lest he do something extreme to them too. 

Our Church actually aided the Maternal Grandmother of those Four Children since she had to take Custody of the Kids and Raise them when her Adopted Daughter got locked up for a Dime, the Kids would mostly be Grown before the Decade she'd Serve.  Her Parents had Adopted her from the Streets of India, as a somewhat Older Street Child, coz they did Ministry Work abroad.  A Good Godly Family who tried to give her a Life she wouldn't have otherwise ever had, and sometimes that turns Lives around and sometimes it just doesn't.   So I must say she had a Tragic beginning and Back Story that probably damaged her and led her to end up with a cruel ruthless Husband who she'd just be obedient to.  I can't Imagine what she might have Witnessed as a Street Child or gone thru in India, I do Imagine it wouldn't have been good tho'.  The Kids Witnessing what their Dad did to Trudy had to damage and traumatize them severely too.  You never know what goes on behind Closed Doors in Family Violence Cases either... some Families are a House of Horrors.  Evil exists and some folks are Evil and Dangerous as Fuck!

Anyway, for Years I would torment myself with the What Ifs of Trudy's Senseless Death.  What If I hadn't gone to Vegas that Weekend and had accompanied her to that Drop, following our Rules of Safety?  What If she'd talked to me over the Phone about making a Drop without a Partner, I'd of tried to talk her out of not following Protocol, no matter how desperate this Family was.   The fact they had Four Small Kids probably swayed her.  They lured her in, from Testimony, to ask her to "Pray with and for their Family" and she fell for it.  Their Motive was Robbery, they wanted Drug Money, not Food, tho' the Food was Needed, they were out of Drugs and Money.  Well, we were never allowed to Carry anything of Value on a Drop/Run for added Safety reasons.  You weren't even supposed to wear anything looking Valuable.  When she had nothing of Value except for a Ring, which was found on him later, is when the brutal Assault happened, for Days... until she succumbed to all that was done to her.  It was beyond horrific.  The Man made me quit Ministry Work after that, and I did to give him Peace.

He didn't even like when I did my last Census Work in 2000 coz I got sent, with my Census Partner, to the Rougher areas and to Count the Homeless too.  Mostly coz somebody hadda do it and Takers were few and I'd Lived in some of the Areas and worked among some of the Homeless, so they Trusted me and would cooperate for Census purposes.  But, you'd get some Anti-Government Types or those who perhaps are in Hiding and don't wanna be Counted.  So, doing the U.S. Census you will have some Experiences.  I had Two Guns pulled on me, one just outside the Gila River Indian Rez by a Guy of the Navajo Tribe who didn't like or Trust the U.S. Government.  He only lowered his Gun when I told him my Dad was Indigenous and my own Paternal Family didn't like or Trust the U.S. Govt. either, and if he didn't wanna be Counted, I was Okay with that, Ya' a't e'e'h, pronounced Yatahey, roughly translated, It's All Good.  *Smiles*

 I actually did Count him and his Family covertly, coz they all milled around him at the Door, I took a Mental Head Count of how many People, Adult, Child, Gender, apparent Race, Location, you didn't have to get Names if they didn't provide them, just footnote why.  Gun Pulled, Adult Male didn't wanna be Counted.  Head Count completed, no additional Visit necessary.  Coz if you couldn't count them, the Government insists on a fucking Count, and no used having that Guy ginned up and feeling more Paranoid about the U.S. Government harassing a Native living Off Rez and wanting his information, he was Hostile enuf for me to know that would probably not end well and not NEED to be escalated just to satisfy Government Beaureacrazy.  *Smiles*   The most nervous I ever got doing Census was oddly close to Home at an Irish Gypsy Carnival Encampment, they don't like Outsiders at all, had their Equipment Stored in the Historic Adobe Home and were living in their Vardos and Campers.  They resented being Counted too but I got the Job done, in a similar way as the militant Navajo Family.  *LOL*

I just made up a Story, completely Fabricated, that my Irish Nanna {that part was True, she was Irish}, had Worked the Carnival Circuits in Europe {fabricated, she was an Entertainer tho', LOL}, and I asked them what American Circuits they Worked and had they ever done Europe? {They hadn't, they were American Irish Gypsies}  So, that bonded me enuf to them to allow me access enuf to get 'em Counted and not make my Census Partner too nervous about Counting the Gypsies.  *LOL* Delfina was a JW and Hispanic, she did most of my fluent Translating with Spanish Speakers and convincing them we weren't La Migra, since my Spanish sucks.   She wasn't fearful of rough Hispanic Barrios we had to Count together, and boy did we have some Experiences and Stories, including a Triple Homicide at one Residence we'd just Counted and I got a Premonition something fucking really bad was gonna happen and told her, let's get outta here... this can sometimes still be like the Wild, Wild, West... *LOL*

But Counting Gypsies and the Indigenous Off Rez made her real nervous.  *LOL*  I think On Rez they Count their own, I dunno.  I wouldn't Volunteer for that gig if they did offer it to me, the Rez's can be dangerous unless you're a Real Deal Indian Welcome there and one OF THAT TRIBE.   She Trusted my Instincts to keep us Alive in hairy Situations tho' and that my Premonition Saved us that one time with the Triple Homicide in Cashion.   Cashion at the time was so rough the Postal Service didn't even Deliver Mail and you couldn't get Deliveries like Pizza or Amazon!   That's when you know that Hood is DANGEROUS.  Cashion has some Interesting Characters and a Human Sideshow of Residents tho', I must say, lotsa Stories to tell.  *Winks and Laughs*   There was an Elderly Prostitute that answered her Door in Leather Dominatrix Ensemble, Whip and all, good Body for an Old Woman too.  She had her Tricks tied up on their Knees in the Livingroom and she had a Bottle of Jack Daniel she was Drinking at 9:00 in the Morning.  She got Counted and they didn't, coz... well, Clients, they didn't Live there.  *Bwahahahaha*

Anyway, Allen left last Night, he pulled Two Bags full of Trash out of The Young Prince's Living Space, so Hopefully it looks better than when he came?  I'll have to QC it constantly, along with his Mom's Space too, so they don't let it get Unsafe or Unsanitary with their Illness not always keeping them tethered to Reality and Environment.   His Visit went very well tho' and we did talk about the challenges of The Young Prince's Full Time Caregiving Needs.  It had been problematic and clearly Allen could not Cope with it, which, wasn't at all Surprising, he's in his 20's and also has to Work and navigate his own Disabilities which the VA had decided is at 75% Disability Status, which isn't insignificant.   When that all finalizes, and regardless of The Young Prince's Disability Status Outcome of Qualifying or being Denied SSI and Service, I think Allen fully intends to try to Co-Caregive with me, which is Splendid, I accept that Arrangement, it benefits us all.

The Daughter is doing work for Jason and his other Elderly Friend Darren, so she can get Money to make a Donation to Mando's Go Fund Me Memorial in her own Name.  We did it for our Family, but I understood she wanted to contribute her own Earnings to it also, since he had been her Partner for quite some Time before he Died.  Plus, she Needs some Money now too of her own.   And she said it will give those Antibiotics time to control the Infection of her Tooth so she can get it Pulled by a Dentist, she knows they can't do anything until it subsides and is Safe to do an Extraction.  She can Work thru the Pain, she, like me, has a very high threshold for Pain, we can almost turn it off in our Brain if we're concentrating on something else to distract from it.  She likes to keep busy so her Mind doesn't go to Dark Places too, so it will be Helpful to be helping these Old Guys she Cares about and wants to feel productive and Helpful.

 

I liked getting some new Pixs of the Youngest Grandkids, I don't have too many and this one turning 14, Wow, the Time just flies by.  Seems like only Yesterday he was a Child and now he's a Man-Child already!  And I can see that, like The G-Kid Force, he has a Style boldly all his own and is very comfortable in his own Skin, which is great.  If you're gonna be Different then you should be Proudly so and be your Authentic Self regardless of Societal Norms, Opinions about it and biases.  Having extended Family that Celebrate you and Accept/Embrace you is Helpful tho', Sadly some Families are not and their Children that are Different suffer for it and are made to feel Shame about something that is Natural and shouldn't be anything to feel Embarrassment about or Apology for to anyone.  

 I get Angry that alleged 'Civilized' Society is so rigid about Conformity and so Exclusive and Cruel sometimes against whatever does not Conform, is Different, and they feel some kind of way about Negatively or have their own Hang Ups about.  Be it your Race, Ethnicity, Disability, Condition, Gender, Gender and/or Sexual Identity, Place or Country of Origin, Age, Socioeconomic Status... there's a ridiculous Laundry List of criteria Society has Issues and Problems with as a Collective or even Individually.  You can please some of the people some of the time, all of the people some of the time, some of the people all of the time, but you can never please all of the people all of the time, it's impossible.  So I never even try to, I just go on being me and allowing everyone I know to just go on being them, in Harmony, with Love, and in Peace, which is preferable and better and Healthier for everyone concerned.

I'm still sitting here in my Jammies, feeling Sweaty after doing some Chores that involved Outside, ugh, gonna be another above Toasty Day, but it's overcast and looks like a Big Storm Front moving in from the West this Day, off the Coast I suspect.  I did have to go back and add some Details of Mando's Death to some Real Time Published Posts, one of the problems of Writing and not Publishing until a couple Weeks out is that News is Stale by the time my Posts Publish.  But, mostly my content isn't critical News so I don't mind.  And it can become confusing in Real Time to be Reading something that happened a Fortnite or so ago, Sorry.  With Mando, things were complicated, so there was good and bad going on constantly in their often volatile Relationship.  With The Daughter, all Relationships are complicated and volatile, she's a Paranoid Schizophrenic with Dissociative Identity Disorder, you're Dealing with at least Four People/Personalities in One Body that is Seriously Mentally Unwell.

 But both The Daughter and he were Complex People with Serious Health Issues that altered Behaviors and Rational Thinking.  Her with the Serious Mental Illness, him with the Advanced Cancer spread and I think he may have always been Bipolar, judging by my Observations and having that Condition myself and with various Loved Ones afflicted with it too.  Relationships also not being Perfect even under Ideal Conditions.  And theirs was far less than Ideal.  Both had Good Hearts for wanting to Help the less Fortunate and they always did for the most Marginalized and Vulnerable in Society that often the Needs of go unmet and unnoticed.  So their Elderly Friends Adore the both of them and got a lot of Help from them both.  Even when they weren't getting along they'd have a Truce if a Friend needed both of their Help and they'd put their differences aside to meet the point of Need for that Individual.  That's what was going on the Night he Died so tragically, Helping an Elderly Friend together. 

 We all have our Issues and Burdens to Bear, so I try never to stand in Judgment of someone else's faults, weaknesses and flaws, Lord knows I got plenty of my own to wrestle with.  And I'm sure we all do.  And we never know when, where or how our End will come, we don't have much Control over Destiny... or how it will just play out as it will.  Death will ultimately come for us all in some way.   I personally would prefer mine come in my Sleep, which is why I refuse to deal with my Sleep Apnea, it's my Hope that's how I go, Sleeping and just not Waking Up.  My Doctor Hates when I say that, but I mean it.  I don't Fear Death, but I don't think most folks want to Die horribly, we know we gotta Go eventually, but how is important more to me than the when or where details of it actually.  I'm very pragmatic about Death, the Morbidities of Life have never particularly been something I avoid confronting directly and often with Dark Humor when appropriate... or sometimes even inappropriately if it's not too Tasteless, Insensitive, or Too Soon.  I probably know more Deceased People now than Living ones.

 

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Dawn... The Bohemian