The Niece and The Son had already fixed the Weed Eater, only Seven Bucks worth of Parts, which Saved me Hundreds of Dollars replacing one... done all the Yardwork... Cooked us a Breakfast of Chorizo, Egg, Cheese and Potato Burritos... and Cleaned Up the Kitchen before I even rolled out of Bed this Morning. They're my Favorites right now. *Bwahahahaha and Winks* They make a good Team those Two, coz they have similar Habits which align with our Habits of Housekeeping and Home Maintenance. Princess T keeps up her own Private Space but doesn't do anything for general Home Maintenance, but, she doesn't mess anything up either, rarely venturing out of her Room, or is at Rusty's, and will Bankroll anything I Need or Want... so she's my Money Gal. *Winks*
So, I've been fed and watered this Morning and had all the Housekeeping and Yardwork done FOR me, Life is Good. *LOL* They even gave The Man his Medication and fed/watered him too. So, I only had the responsibility of The pampered Cat and The spoiled Wild Birds I Support. *Ha ha ha* I lay out a Brush in front of Eli The Cat and he'll groom the front half of himself as I do the back half, he's well Trained at the Ritual now, it's rather hilarious. I think he's getting arthritic too tho' coz sometimes the back half I'll hit a spot and he reacts angrily, so I have to be gentler, poor Old Guy, I know the Feeling of those tender parts now that cause excruciating Pain sometimes when it flares up or gets touched or bumped Wrong. My Left Hand Ring Finger is all fucked up. And sometimes my Hips when Sleeping are problematic now too and I'm tossing and flipping around like a Fish out of Water.
I am contemplating getting Halloween Decor out for the Front Porch now, it's Time and I usually enjoy the Process of Holiday Decorating and have the Inside already Done. Well, as much Done as it's gonna be. I seem to have a reduction in what I put up every Year now, or just leave up. *LOL* The Son and The Niece just helped me drag out all of the Halloween we're putting on the Porch out Front, it looks good, I let them position everything. Took about 15 Minutes to Decorate it all. We pieced together Skeleton Body Parts coz just about all of them are dismembering now. *LOL* I only have to buy those faux Tub Bubbles now from a Wal-Mart. I could Order Online but Delivery is too slow and there wouldn't be any point for them to arrive Mid-October. Must be coming in from a slow Boat from China? *Eye Roll* And, I like Shopping for my stuff, I'm not one to Order everything Online.
Now, it was overcast out there but Humid as Hell, so I'm drenched in Sweat from just doing that and being in The RV Garage Mahal for that brief period. Luckily it was all Stored on the Cot right by the Big Front Door, so, easy access near the Outside. A lot of Halloween isn't being put out and now I can consider what I'll just Price to Sell Off and put in the Showroom? I don't Need it all anymore and some of it I'd rather have the Money for. Once it really Cools Off I plan to go into the bowels of The RV Garage Mahal and do some Editing and Purging, some Decorating and Decluttering of the Space in earnest. I just want for it to be finally Done and enjoy the Visual and Contents of the Space at last. And rid myself of the excess that has to Go... and be converted into Cash Money. *LOL* I'd rather have a few piles of Money right now than Stuff. Handier and then we can spend it on Experiences.
I'm glad the Kiddos helped me, The Young Prince and his Mom had said they would do Halloween, but neither of them did it and now neither of them is here. He won't be back 'til Mid-October and she flits in and out like Crazy, so we never know when she'll be here, for how long, and when she'll just be MIA or for how long? I don't mind, so long as she's Safe and Happily doing Life however it suits her to do it. She bores easily here coz we don't do that much and she's used to a lot of stimulation and experiences. She's one to enjoy being around people all of the time and we're not. We wouldn't want nonstop Company, it would overwhelm the rest of us. And she knows this, so her steady stream of Friends dropping in or practically living here can drain the rest of us. Even tho' they're all nice People, so it's not Personal, we just like our Alone and Private Time at Home. We Socialize AWAY from Home. We don't Entertain that much anymore, it's a lot of Work and Expense to. And I want neither extra Work or extra unnecessary Expense now.
Anyway, so, Halloween is up and completed for the most part and I have Candy Dishes full of Treats and Halloween Pinata Style Toys too, coz I bought that early as well. The Niece didn't Celebrate Holidays for all the time she was a JW so she really enjoys Celebrating them now she's not one. Making up for Lost Time, since, she didn't grow up a JW and became one at Age 15 to around Age 30-Something. When they kicked her to the curb for being a Lesbian. Apparently you don't even have to be a Practicing Lesbian, coz she doesn't have a Life Partner, go figure... Religion can be just Bad sometimes in how it's Practiced and what they make Good and Decent People feel Shameful or Condemned about. So, anyway, she's having Fun Practing all that Halloween Stuff that in the 90's had the Religious being in a Satanic Panic about. *LMAOROTF*
Anyway, I struck out trying to find those plastic faux Bubble Bath Pit Bubbles, the only ones I could find were colored and I wanted either clear or iridescent ones to make it look like a Bubble Bath. But, I found Two Garlands of iridescent Black plastic Balls from "Michael's" Craft Store Half Off, all their Halloween was already marked way down and almost Sold Out already. It'll do and worked fine as you could see in the Images I just took and put in this Post. I may tweak some of the Decor a bit more, but, I'm satisfied with how it looks and a Young Delivery Guy came up just as I was finishing and said how Awesome it all was. He was delivering some stuff Princess T ordered Online and one Box weighed 91 Lbs. so Bless him, he carried it inside for us since only The Man and I were Home and it was a Two Box Lift. But, he was a big Young Stud Muffin and just carried on one Shoulder by himself. I have no idea what she bought that weighs that much in a 6 ft. long Box?!
I did trawl Wal-Mart, TARGET and the Craft Store Michael's looking at all their Halloween, nobody had a lot of it left already. I did Buy the Ghost Air Freshener Plug In pictured further Below, and the Skeletons Dancing Coffee Mug, also pictured further Below, from Wal-Mart since, I was already there and they didn't have what I'd specifically come to buy. It made me Mad coz my Phone did say they had the Clear Plastic Balls in Stock and even marked down to only $11.45, but they were nowhere to be found at that Super Wal-Mart Online had sent me to. I Hate when that happens, they said it had perhaps already Sold Out after being Marked Down and they didn't have any more. As Crazy busy as they were, that could be the case and they just hadn't updated their Online information to reflect availability? I try not to be a total Karen. *LOL* So, I just Thanked the Associate for looking for me at her Inventory Device when I asked.
I would have gone Ham on her if she'd escalated the situation... in front of all her Feral Children, coz I was definitely NOT in the Mood for some Fool Young Bitch's attempt at a Public confrontation with an Elder. It was bad enuf she didn't have her whole Litter of Kids up under her Control and trashing the Store. Which is a pet peeve of mine when Parents aren't up to the Job and their Spawn become a nuisance in Public. Those Kids were yanking shit off Shelves and probably how that Box got on the Floor blocking the Aisle?! *LOL* She gathered up The Spawn of unruly Offspring, all looking under the Age of 5, and headed in a complete opposite direction, Wise Move. She should probably look into what's causing Birthing Babies and popping One out every 10 Months or so too! *Bwahahaha* Most folks out Shopping were Civil and Decent acting this Day tho', even The People Of Wal-Mart! *Gasp, Yeah, I KNOW!*
And it was an enjoyable Solo Outing since The Son and The Niece stayed Home to watch The Man for me so I could make the Errand Run to get what I was looking for. I did Buy a Venus Fly Trap Faux Plant at "Michael's" too, and a Silicon small Skulls Mold coz I saw a You Tube Video of how to press Mozzarella Balls into the Shape of small Skulls to put into Caprese Salad or Skewers, with Balsamic Vinegar and Fresh Basil, Cherry or Grape Tomatoes, and Seasoning. Very Clever and so Simple, since it's Soft Cheese and Molds right into the Shape of the Skulls. And the Silicon Skull Molds were on Sale at "Michael's" half off, and so Cheap... why not? I didn't have a Skull Mold small enuf and now I do, and I know I'll actually do this clever Seasonal Trick and show off. *Smiles*
I was looking at Price increases tho' at all the Stores... and OMG, except for the Mark Downs on Seasonal Decor, which made it more affordable, everything else was inflated in Price from what it was only a Month ago!!! I'm only assuming they Marked Down Halloween coz perhaps it wasn't Selling at inflated regular pricing and they were fearful of getting stuck with it After Season? I'm glad all my Skeletons were already Dressed from last Year, I wasn't all that ambitious to change Outfits or Wigs on any of them. *LOL* Especially since Arms and Legs are so Fragile now from Age that they easily fall off... and some Limbs have and we just made it look like they're still relatively in one piece and not falling completely apart. *LOL*
The Son's Childhood Friend Jeremy came by, he's not Well and looks so Frail. He's living with his Mom now and The Son is worried he's Dying? He's only 40 but had a Traumatic Brain Injury some time ago and has really had a lot of Health Issues after the Brain Damage. He's rail thin and didn't used to be, I know his Mom, Penny, and it's got to scare her that he's not doing well at all. I don't even know if he can Work anymore? She works for Minimum Wage at a Fish & Chips Family Owned Biz that Jeremy has worked for before. We used to know the Owner of the Restaurant but she Passed Away from Cancer last Year and the Daughter Sold the Business this Year. They had hired Jeremy back but I just don't know he's looking Well enuf to remain Employed or not? He barely had the strength to Hug me and I could tell his condition had really upset The Son. They talk on the Phone all the time but we hadn't seen Jeremy in a little while in Person to see the rapid deterioration in his Physical Health. We knew the Brain Damage Health was precarious, he didn't make a full Recovery from that either.
I'm watching a Halloween Cookie Challenge, several Episodes of it back to back, such Fun. But, I'm trying to stay Awake since I didn't get my Nap Today, coz, Tonight "Halloween Wars" is on too, which is my favorite Halloween Contest. But, they have a lot of good ones and some good new ones this Year. Thursday kicks off the Halloween Cult Classic Movies, including all 5 of the "Halloween" Movies. I like the Original best and will watch it, it's a Tradition to. Every Halloween Season I think about my Dearly Departed Friend Sue from Work, she Lived Halloween and had some awesome Halloween Collectibles. I was also thinking about her Husband, Kevin, and how he might be doing now? I've only seen him once since she Died and he never comes in to the Antique Mall now they don't have a Space there anymore. Sue used to work a lot of Shifts there but Kevin is a busy CPA. Well, lo and behold, Kevin had been on my Mind strongly and in he walks!!! I told him I'd been thinking about him and how was he doing now?
Not many people there know him anymore coz he left Years ago after Sue Died, she was very popular, but we've had a high turnover of people that used to be there back then. She Died at the beginning of the Pandemic, probably of COVID I highly Suspect, since it was so sudden, she'd worked that Night Shift and looked Fine when I saw her around 6:00 p.m., she got off Work at 9:00 p.m. and then only a couple Hours later at 10:00 p.m. had strange hemorrhaging and couldn't breathe, she couldn't be Saved. We were all in shock, she and Kevin had just Remodeled their entire Home in preparation for their Retirement. He Owned his own successful Accounting Firm, said he Sold it but the Guy who Bought it quit paying him, so he had to come out of Retirement to Work again and is Suing that Guy... very messy. He looked thin, I imagine Sue was the Culinary Jedi of the Family and mebbe he's not eating well anymore? The other time I'd run into him had been at a "Cracker Barrel" and he was eating Alone then, but wouldn't join us when offered, I think he didn't want to intrude on our Dinner. But did stop and talk.
We talked extensively this time, he finished all the Remodeling they'd begun, I was telling my New Friend Michelle that Sue & Kevin had made the Black Kitchen to Die For that I've always Dreamed of. It turned out Spectacularly and was the first of the Remodeling and the only part Dear Sue even Lived to see finished. She barely got to enjoy it tho' and it doesn't seem that long ago she Passed Away, but, it is. It was good to see Kevin, Strange that he'd been so Strongly on my Heart and Mind too and then Showed up within a Day after such a long absence of being seen anywhere. Sometimes that happens with me tho', I'll suddenly be Thinking Strongly about someone out of the Blue, someone I haven't Thought about in perhaps Years... and then they Show Up!!! It is called Synchronicity, Carl Jung coined the Phrase to explain and describe meaningful coincidences that cannot be explained by cause and effect.
It's a Thought-Contact Coincidence when a random Thought aligns with an immediate real-world encounter or message. It's a Frequency Illusion {or Baader-Meinhof Phenomenon} A Cognitive Bias where your Brain notices and remembers the rare times a Thought matches Reality, while completely forgetting the 1000's of times you Thought about Someone and nothing happened. Telepathy or Simpathy which is the Spiritual or Intuitive Belief that Two closely bonded Minds can exchange Thoughts or Emotional Signals across a distance. Law of Attraction, which is the Spiritual Concept that suggests your Internal Energy or Focus draws specific People or Things or Events into your Physical Space. I get Precognition a lot too, which is the Psychic ability to See or Know Events before they happen, without using Normal Senses or Logic or Past Memories. Mainstream Science considers Precognition a Pseudoscience becoz it violates the Laws of Causality, a Rule that Cause must happen before it's Effect.
Well, I violate that Law all the damned time, don't know Why either, coz it's not Intentional, I don't like Premonitions in any form, they're always Warnings when I get them and some you can't change the outcome of. These types of things happen to me frequently and not just once in a while. So I have explored both Scientific and Spiritual explanations as to Why that it is so common to my Experience and how my Brain processes them? When I'm randomly Thinking about someone I haven't seen in literally Years and they suddenly show up the same Day or within a Day or Two, it seems more than Coincidental to me... and happens to me often enuf to Notice. And my Premonitions are eerily accurate and I'll usually tell a few close People about them, so it can be verified later that it actually will and then has happened. The Man always takes it Seriously now even tho' he never was a Believer before meeting me and Witnessing the ability firsthand play out time and time again. He can't explain or understand it, but it knows now it's too accurate to ignore or mock.
My Maternal Side of the Family, for Generations, has this ability. My Dad's Side did not and they didn't like it becoz they really Feared it. All my Native American Cousins were afraid of me and my Mom becoz they thought us to be Sorceresses or Skinwalkers that could do harm if we wanted to, to the Living. *LOL and Winks* My Dad just got used to it and cautioned us Kiddos who have it, and we ALL do in Mom's Lineage, it doesn't get diluted much Generation to Generation, to be Mindful of who you reveal it to becoz some would attempt to destroy what and who they Fear. True that. The Daughter said Mexican Culture was less Fearful of the abilities, but showed Respect for it, they have some among them who have it too. It blends with Indigenous Mesoamerican beliefs intertwined with Popular Catholicism. Syncretism is viewed there, if you have these abilities, not as a Curse or a Psychological Anomaly, but as a Spiritual Gift or a Heavy Destiny.
El Don {the Gift}, is Believed to be granted by God, Saints, or Ancestral Spirits. Having a Don is seen as a major responsibility. Those who have it are expected to help their Community with it, in whatever form it was imparted to them. But it is also often described as a Heavy Burden, which, I Feel it definitely is, since you tend to be more sensitive to Negative Energies, Envy, and Spiritual exhaustion. Like the Mexican Culture, my Mom's Culture used the various Amulets to Protect Children with the ability from absorbing too much Negative Energy. Mom always had them around our Home and I always have had them around mine for the same reasons. I really don't Care who is a Believer or a Skeptic, I know what I know and has been passed down to me from the Elders going as far back as anyone can remember, so we take it Seriously. Those who don't do so at their own peril, and, frankly, I don't try to persuade anyone... their own outcome in their own Destiny and Choices. Anyway, you can't Protect someone who refuses Protection.
This is my new Mug, not that I Need another Coffee Mug or Tumbler in this Lifetime, but, you know. *LOL* At just over Four Bucks I felt it was a good Wal-Mart offering for Halloween, the Dancing Skeletons are all different poses and raised applications giving it a textured feel. I don't Collect Halloween Mugs per se, just some that I enjoy the Graphics of and use all year round. I do both Collect and Sell Novelty Mugs and Starbucks Mugs and Tumblers. I do well with them actually so always have some in Stock and often go thru my Personal Collection to Edit and Purge some, or if I find I have duplicates of really good ones I know I won't want to ruin with use. Some of the more coveted Starbucks Mugs and Tumblers, or Special Limited Edition, can fetch a handsome profit margin. I do see I need to have The Son Clean the Coffee Maker he uses daily, lots of splashed Coffee Marks on it that I didn't notice until I took these Pixs. Looks nasty! *LOL* When you have Younger Adults living with you they don't always keep things as you would keep them maintained! And I don't drink as much Coffee as they do.
I did Buy one of these large Venus Flytrap Plants at "Michael's" half off. I would never have Paid the full Price they were asking, but half Price was reasonable IMO. A grouping of them would look better but unless they go 60%-75% Off I won't Buy another. As it is one of my Leaves came off already, they ask a lot but don't make things that well actually. And I have to return some Clear Plastic Balls I bought, Two Packages of them, coz as it turns out, they won't work for what I wanted to do and the Black iridescent Ball Garlands worked just fine for the purpose intended. I Hope they'll either refund the purchase or give me a Store Credit. Or just exchange those for another of these Black Ball Garlands if they still have one left? Or, perhaps another Venus Flytrap Plant instead?
LATER: The Cashier at Michael's was a Middle aged Navajo Woman who insisted on giving me a Cash Refund for what I brought back, rather than Credit it back on my Debit Card, which was Nice. She and I had started talking about Nature and Society not Respecting it. She brought it up and sometimes those with Environmental Consciousness seem to just know one another like that instinctively as Kindred Spirits, even before Words are exchanged. It was Raining hard and tho' others were complaining about it, she and I were Grateful for it. Rain in a Desert is a huge Blessing and we always Need it. She was lamenting that the Fish are Dying becoz our Government doesn't Respect Nature and the Natural World enough and is draining our Rivers, Lakes and Ground Water at an alarming rate, I'm in complete Agreement.
Indigenous Cultures for Centuries have revered all of Nature and been in Tune with the Natural World, having Respect for it and all Sentient Beings of it, Ancestrally for Centuries... even those Living Things that most of the Non-Indigenous don't consider have Spirits, like Plants, Trees and Animals, we however do Believe they do. The disrespect, abuse, neglect, carelessness, Environmental unconsciousness, lack of reverence, improper Stewardship, Greed based decisions and ignorance about the Natural World bothers us. We do Believe Mother Earth will exact her own form of correcting us if we seem incapable of correcting ourselves, Nature always finds a way. She said she Hoped to return to Fishing near her Reservation some day, but right now the Rivers are hurting and so is everything that lives in, or around the Rivers. I've seen that too and it Grieves me as much as it Grieves her, so we stood in Solidarity about that unfortunate Fact of how the Sacred Earth is in Crisis becoz of Mankind's decisions right now.
I ended up getting a Black Zombie Skeleton 50% Off and a Houdini Cake Pedestal instead, also 50% Off. I hadn't seen the Pedestal on my original visit there, they had a big Serving Plate with the same Graphics I'd seen, but the Cake Pedestals were tucked into a lower Shelf and they only had 3 of them left. I liked my Zombie Skeleton, it Lights up with Batteries but people had drained them with the complimentary button to see how it works, they only had Two left, neither of which would light anymore, but that's fine, I can replace the Batteries on Halloween Night if I want his Face to light up. They had already Sold Out of the Black Ball iridescent Garlands, or I would have picked up one more of those. I decided to wait on the Venus Fly Trap Plant to get another since they have plenty of them and they're not Selling even at 50% Off, so perhaps they will reduce them further? If they do I'll pick up one or more of them tho'.
I Love my Metal Enameled Houdini Cake Pedestal tho', it has a plain Black Metal Pedestal but the top has a Laquer Enamel type finish on it and the Graphics are Awesome. I have a Vintage Gumball Machine that has this same Graphic of Houdini on the Front, probably made during his Era, it's an Iconic Graphic of him actually. This will be great for Serving Holiday Cookies or Cupcakes and Treats on. Color me Happy that my Return Paid for my new replacement items that will work for me this Halloween. I may still use my 20% Off Coupon at "The Spirit Store" to get one more replacement Skeleton since mine are falling apart and may not last too many more Seasons without just being Skeleton Parts. *LOL* Princess T Loved how I Decorated the Porch this Year and it's a good thing I got it done the Day before the Storm hit coz it's Raining like Hell Today. My Roofer said he Tarped the Roof good on the damages so it shouldn't leak, and that gives me more Peace of Mind since the Mortgage Co. is taking their Sweet Time to Endorse the damned Check and send it back, so I can pay him to begin the Work.
I bought "Dragon Garden" Chinese Food for Lunch on my way Home. Got the Lunch Specials to Share of Mongolia Beef, Kung Pao Chicken, Veggie Spring Rolls, White Rice, Fried Rice, and a new Dish they have called Spicy Bourbon Chicken. Food Porn of it all will be included in this Post, you're Welcome. *Winks* Since the Weather is inclement tho' I'm doing our Laundry, since I won't be going anywhere else in it and Princess T is off on Mondays. I did pick The Son up from Work tho' so he didn't have to walk Home in the Rain. The Cashier at "Dollar Tree" there where he Works was saying a lot of Customers now Buy almost all their Groceries there since Grocery costs have soared. So, it's no longer unusual for a Customer to spend $100-$300 at the Dollar Store for Nutritional items they have there to stretch their Grocery Budget.
I've enjoyed hunkering down and just enjoying the Weather but not being out in it. We do Need the Rains to replenish what's being irresponsibly used up by Bad Political decisions. I think Data Centers, Affordability, Food Safety, the War nobody wants us in, are all going to be Political Issues high on the Minds of Voters during the Elections. Even those who aren't usually very Political or have Party affiliations, or even if they do, they know how these Issues are Negatively impacting them personally, becoz it's Negatively impacting us all directly. And people are noticing the empty shelving, especially of Holiday Merch that usually makes the most Money for Stores and is conspicuous by either it's absence or low Inventory of what they have managed to stock. Most places I go to have Sold Out early and never had that much to begin with and it was very obvious there's a Problem. I doubt they're getting more in either, so most are filling the empty Halloween Aisles with Christmas Merch already and way early for that.
I may get more of the Halloween Night Light Air Fresheners that I got which Wal-Mart had coz it looks really Cute and Smells good. I'm putting them in the Bathrooms for a Night Light and Air Freshening. What I didn't know was when plugged in they have a Light Display on the Wall behind them too. {See Pix further Below} It was only $11 and you can get replacement fragrances for it in various Scents. I got a cheap Hairy Spider with Red Eyes from The Son's Dollar Store for the Front Porch and put it on the Shoulder of the new Zombie Skeletons. It's Cute and for $1.25 was an inexpensive Halloween Prop. I'd Photographed some Halloween Vignettes/Booths at our Antique Mall, there's not many. Our Mall doesn't really do much in the way of Holiday Decorating or promoting Vendors who do. The Vendor whose Booth is pictured directly Below had to Downsize to just One Booth, she used to have the one next to this one too and had to give it up for lack of Sales. It's a shame coz those who do such a good Job of Seasonal Merchandising should be doing well and they're not. So, it is a risk many won't take.
They don't wanna carry so much Holiday/Seasonal Specific Merch they might get stuck with if it doesn't Sell during the Holidays. Then you'd have to Store it for another Year and most Vendors do pay for their Offsite Storage, I don't, so that's a Non-Issue for us and not an added expense. I've never paid for Offsite Storage for Inventory and I won't. Building that into your Overhead reduces your Margins too much IMO. Storage Units are pretty expensive, I only ever used them when Moving a whole Household while Selling Real Estate and Buying other Real Estate. And mostly I'd work out something in Trade with the Manager so that I paid little, to nothing, for my Units and only kept them temporarily until all Sales were finalized and I could move my stuff back into Owned Properties.
The Niece has permission now to begin the cleaning up and tidying of the 5th Wheel, within reason and respecting what belongs to The Daughter. She hasn't started it yet, but whenever she's ready, she can. Whenever The Daughter returns and stays a Minute, she's required to get it done, so, it will be Helpful to her if The Niece does some or all of it for her. Allen did the Art Studio Space that The Young Prince occupies, so I'm satisfied enuf with how it got done. There's still some to do of coarse, but I know I also need to Purge some of what's still in there of mine that could give him more Space of his own if I remove it. The Son and I had to go in and refill my Water Softener in there with Two big Bags of Salt and it is still a Gauntlet to navigate an overcrowded Space. Especially schlepping huge Bags of heavy Salt. And, there was some messiness that Allen didn't get around to cleaning up. And the Lighting in there is dim coz I need to replace the Industrial Neon Lighting in the Ceiling to illuminate the Space brightly and properly again. So I had to carefully avoid a Fall too.
But, we got it done and then I watched "Outrageous Pumpkins", I liked Carver Daniel Miller from Oklahoma's Devil with Hellhounds Float piece, but it didn't Win, Charminda's Pirate Ship Float did, but it was very good too. I Wish they had Photographed the piece so I could Share it, but they didn't and he didn't on his Social Media sites either, which is a shame, he had a Two-Headed Hellhound pulling a Captured Souls Pumpkin Float with an Obese Devil riding atop it, Loved the Carve. They've had a lot of Judges and Contestants over the various Seasons, starting with Famous Pumpkin Carver Ray Villafane, who I've met in person several times, and ending with Terri Hardin, a Famous Disney Artist. {Pictured Below} Both are excellent Judges with good critiques and loads of experience in their Craft. They did Cancel that Show so they didn't have a Season for 2026, but I don't mind watching some of the previous Seasons of it on repeat, it was a good Show while it lasted. Tonight will be another "Halloween Baking Championship" Episode.
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I've Shared a few Images I could Crib from Online of the Show, I Wish they'd had more they preserved Online of the Carves, especially the Finale' Carves, which were always spectacular, even those that didn't Win. I Wish they hadn't Cancelled it or if they'll bring it back in the Future or not? They've kept Shows I like a whole lot less. But I do Like the Food Network's Shows overall, we watch that Channel a lot. Bobby Flay has a slew of Shows on there and coming out with new ones all the time. But the Halloween Themed Shows are my Favorites. Mostly becoz it's got the Pumpkin Carving Artists on there along with the Baking Artists and Sugar Artists, which, the Christmas Themed Shows lack of coarse. Pumpkin Carving has reached a new level of Artistry that is truly impressive, as has Cake Artistry and Cookie Artistry and Sugar Artistry. And what Amazes me even more is that many of the Artists also have other impressive Careers and some just do this on the Side! They've had Artists who are also Architects, Attorneys, Social Workers, Cosmetologists, Students still in College... the whole gamut and then they're Spectacular Artists as well!!! Of coarse some Artists own their own Bakeries too.
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TARGET finally got their Dia de los Muertos Decor, a small Cart of it and almost Sold Out immediately. They had One Wreath left, so I Photographed it, I liked it but wouldn't pay the $20 they were asking, it was Small and I felt should have been around $10 instead. Usually their $20 Wreaths have been Large size and more elaborate. This was a Cute Wreath and I liked it's Design with the Monarchs, clearly everything they had on the Cart was popular coz it was just about Sold Out just Days after being on Display. But, they didn't have a very big Cart full of it, very small offerings for Dia de los Muertos this Year. Some Years they had wonderful offerings for it, even in unexpected Shops like the Gift Shop at The Desert Botanical Gardens.
I got some of my Favorite and Best Dia de los Muertos pieces from The Desert Botanical Gardens Gift Shop a few Years ago. In subsequent Years they've had less and less too for Halloween and Dia de los Muertos. They spent a lot of Money Remodeling the Gift Shop and now it doesn't carry as much Merch as the Old Gift Shop did, which is just Odd. So, I didn't consider it an improvement. They could have Saved all the expense and just kept it better when it was Older. *LOL* They did the same thing to the Restaurants Exterior Courtyard and Seating, Remodeling it and I liked it better before the Remodel. And now "Gertrude's" Restaurant Closed Down and was replaced by a Restaurant I don't like at all, so that too was NOT an improvement. "Gertrude's" was one of my fav Restaurants and I knew the Manageress, most of the Staff and Loved everything on their Menu.
The new Restaurant is pretentious with Basic Fare they charge too much for becoz they act like the Burgers and Tacos they make are Gourmet and worth paying $30 for. Yeah, NO! They call it "Gertrude's By Tarbell's" now, I do not like it. They aren't getting good Reviews either. YELP Reviews say things like: "Overpriced, Small Portions, Uncaring Servers." Sadly, I'm in Agreement with that assessment. Every great Restaurant or Shop we Lose I Grieve over the Loss of and miss them almost immediately after they're Gone. We've really Lost so many now, too numerous to Name and not a lot of replacements. Some once vibrant Districts are no longer a destination anymore like they once were. There's some parts of the Cities in the Metro Area I used to go all of the time and now I don't go to hardly at all, no reason to.
I just watched most of "Beyond The Valley Of The Dolls" {1970} a Wild Campy Satirical Comedy-Melodrama that is so poorly Acted and corny, so Dated, that I was LMAOROTF thru most of it. So much gratuitous Sex, Prescription and Pot Drug use/addiction and Nudity, ridiculous plot loosely based on the Reality of Hollywood, the Pretty People of the time cast in roles but have Over-The-Top Hammish Acting. It was funny to watch tho', the Fashions, Sets, Hairstyles, exaggerated Counterculture Debauchery and Dialogue. It wasn't a true sequel to "Valley Of The Dolls" {1967} and had an Opening Disclaimer stating that, which was hilarious too. I remember both being Popular tho'. And my Brother worked in Hollywood, as has his long time Partner, both he and she said it's always been Hollyweird. *LOL*
It is meant to be a Exploitation Psychedelic Parody and it delivers if you find that Amusing enuf to sit thru, especially as an Old Hippie of the Counter Culture Era. Which, I did, coz I do like me some Camp and some Kitsch at times and heavy handed uptight Morality always makes me Laugh... coz it was so Bad it was Good, you know? *LOL* It was controversial in it's time due to having thinly veiled portrayals of Real Hollywood figures and had a lot of Taboo Themes for it's Time, but was so over-the-top and moralizing in a hilarious way that made it also a Weird Mess of alleged High-Art Movie Making. I would venture to say, Yeah, they were probably quite High... and Untraditionally Artsy, in the making of it??? *Bwahahahahaha* So I can see why it had mixed reviews, even to this day. It was definitely a Mod Movie Monday. *LOL* And I'll mix it's Imagery in with the Food Porn of the Night too. *Smiles*
Most of the Cast of John LaZar, David Gurian, Marcia McBroom, Edy Williams, Erica Gavin and Dolly Read are still Alive and in their 70's and 80's now. Cynthia Myers and Charles Napier Passed in 2011, Phyllis Davis and Haji in 2013, and Michael Blodgett in 2007. Dolly Read was actually Married to Comedian Dick Martin, Twice! *LOL* John LaZar was actually also a Ballet Dancer, Master Swordsman and Expert Martial Artist and is of Native American and Mediterranean Heritage. David Gurian was some Eye Candy of his Time too, I'd of had a Crush on him in 1970, tho' LaZar's Character of Z-Man was obviously portrayed as a Gay Pretty Boy of that mostly Closeted Era. So it would have been quite Bold to be Out. LaZar had said in Interviews that he was Straight and partly Raised by Gay People, growing up around an Artsy, Unconventional and Gay Community, so quite comfortable in the Role and in the Community. He was Born and Raised in San Francisco, and a Career in Hollywood, so that Tracks.
I remember the Book of "Valley Of The Dolls" {1966} by Jacqueline Susann. And of coarse the Movie starred Sharon Tate, Susan Hayward and Jacqueline Susann herself in a Role. And of coarse a pregnant Tate would later be horribly Murdered by the Charles Manson Cult Devotees. Toni Scotti is still Alive and 86 now, and was more ruggedly Handsome than being a Hollywood Pretty Boy. I have never watched that Movie as I've never seen it run, even on the Ted Turner Classics Station, but of coarse I knew about it. I do confess to liking to watch Old Movies, even if they're Campy or didn't Age well. *LOL* One of my favorite of all time Bad Campy Movie Title was "A Nymphoid Barbarian In Dinosaur Hell" {1990}, a Budget Sci-Fi Horror flick we once watched while on Vacation in a Campy Hollywood Themed Motel in Kanab, Utah, of all places! The Rooms had Names of Actors/Actresses that allegedly stayed there in that Room. *LMAO*
Tonight the Monsoon Storm is so fierce it's loud, woke me up, and probably will cause Flooding and more Wind Damage. I'm hoping our Tarped unrepaired/unreplaced yet Damaged Roof of The RV Garage Mahal holds up some more coz the Work hasn't even been started coz the Insurance and Mortgage Company have tarried so long on paying out for the Claim. I'm really disgusted coz the damage was caused in early August and this is just ridiculous to have that much damage and not have them hurry to remedy it and not risk a LOT more damage if the Roof ends up leaking on the Contents due to their delay and neglect!!! Of coarse we've noticed hardly none of the Storm Damaged Properties locally have had any Repairs yet either, most are Tarped just like ours even if it was their main Residence and regardless of extent of damages.
Only a scant few seem to be getting the necessary repairs or replacement done yet, and they probably just paid out of Pocket to ensure that happens, I highly Suspect? I just didn't have Thousands of Dollars laying around to do that and then reimburse myself later and risk an Insurance Fiasco of then finding a reason NOT to approve disbursement. Since, they will hold out on the majority of the Claim until after the Mortgage Company sends someone out AFTER all Repairs or Replacement are done to Inspect it and Bless the Work! So, first the Insurance will do that, send a Check to me, that then I will have to send the final Check to Ohio again to get Endorsed so I can Cash it and Pay my Contractor!!! I still don't have the 1st paltry Check back that they were sent to Endorse so I can get Work even started!!! Since, your Mortgage gets Sold numerous times during the Life of it and usually is Sold the 1st time before the Ink is even dry on the Closing Paperwork of the Purchase of Real Estate now. So, you never REALLY get to choose the Lender you must then Work with and ensure they're Local or a good one who does proper Loan Servicing.
I did Loan Servicing for many Years in my 1st Corporate Life and if I have to tell a Mortgage Company Employee how to even do their Job, I really would prefer NOT to be a Customer or them Toting the Note. Of coarse most Lenders now don't even have their Loan Servicing done in the United States and Outsource it to Countries they can exploit the Labor Force of, so you're talking with John in India reading off a Script, or Matthew in India, if you get an Upgrade to a more Creative fake Identity of who you're talking to. *Bwahahaha and Eye Roll* Now a good many Customer Service Employees seem to be from Myanmar or the Philippines and may be Trafficked Individuals who are basically indentured Slaves who no longer have their Freedom. I've seen Reporting on this and it's tragic, but exploitation and Human Trafficking for Profit is Globally prolific now.
Above is the Houdini Graphics large Plate that I'll get if it gets marked down more than 50% eventully, they had several, so it just might? I'm up at 4:30 a.m. trying to mitigate Flooding on the back Porch. Which is Sandbagged to the hilt all the time now, but we have a lot of runoff from the Roof back there. And Rain Barrels top off from becoming filled in no time and having to be constantly emptied during these Monsoon Storms which dump an enormous amount of Rain in a short period of time. Sometimes more than we would normally get Annually, but in less than an Hour, which is why Flooding and Flash Floods happen. And the normally Dry Rivers and Dry Washes fill up and become so dangerous and treacherous to even be around or near, I won't Live near one for that reason. Seen too many alleged 100 Year Floods happening Annually now. And if your Mortgage Company requires you to have Flood Insurance in a Desert, you know you should not Build or Buy in that Location, it's a No-Brainer, yet, folks still do all the time!
Since the Thunder and Lightening is so loud, and the Rain so heavy, I'm staying up. I will just Nap later in the Afternoon if the Storms subside and after my Dental Appointment and The Man's VA Nurse Home Visit in the Morning. I do have to Work on Wednesday Night, but it should be my last Shift of covering for Ed, I expect he should return coz they haven't extended it to October and I don't know I'd accept it if they asked me to Work it thru October. There's a lot I want to do in October when it should Cool off finally. Most Events will have been over by then for Halloween prequel, and only Halloween Night, which, I do Hope the Weather is better by then for the Kiddies going Trick-Or-Treating or that will Suck and ruin that for all of us. We usually set up out Front, Dress Up in Costumes to hand out Candy, and have a Fire Pit going if it's not inclement Weather with Halloween Classics Music playing on a CD Player. *Smiles* I have a lot of Halloween Music CD's with all the Cult Classics on them and Ambiance Halloween Instrumentals and Sound Effects to set the Mood. After Kids quit coming for Candy, we watch Cult Classic Horror Movie Marathons together.
In a little while I have to take Princess T to Work, she goes in an Hour earlier on Tuesdays. Which means we have to be there by 6:00 a.m.. I've been up since around 3:30 a.m. coz the Storm was so damned loud it woke me up! And it takes a lot to Wake me from a sound Sleep, I don't Sleep lightly, but the Thunder and Lightening seemed directly above us and the Rain was loud on the Roof coz it was coming down so hard and fast too. I got concerned about Flooding and mitigating it, so thought, what the Hell, I'll just stay up and take Care of monitoring that and mitigating it. I emptied our Rain Barrel, which is about Chest High to me, once already! Tossed Buckets of Water out of it into the Back Pasture, the runoff is from our Back Porch Roof that runs into it.
I really need to get Guttering installed but will have an Ordeal mounting it around present Security Lights on our Roof Edges that I want to keep coz it illuminates the Back Yard and Pool Area well and alerts us to anyone Trespassing coz they're Motion Censored too... so a good Security Feature on the Property. We don't have much Crime in our area, but, it is Urban and more secluded that Residential high density Properties coz we have Acreage and no Street Lights in most of the Streets of the Mini Farms Community. The only Street Lights and Sidewalk of the entire Mini Farms Community is on our Street coz it Faces the Main Street and is the only one that does. Back when they were built this was all Rural and even had Dirt Roads back in the 1960 and 1970 Eras, even the Main Street was still unpaved back then. So, we all still run on Septic Systems and are rather like a County Island still that the City grew up around as it encroached upon Farmland and Raw Desert over the ensuing Years. I do like that we have the best of both Worlds now here tho'.
This Community called Glenarm Farms was large enough to withstand being displaced or having Gentrification and Redevelopment ruin it or destroy it's existence with Urban Encroachment and greedy Developing or suspect Zoning Changes. I am quite sure some City Officials have been Bought and Paid For to make many of the decisions about Zoning Changes that they have made. Whoever has the most Money to throw at them makes all the Rules and can get anything pushed thru if they Buy all the Right People at the Taxpayer's Expense and to our detriment. Preservation has never been a top priority in or around Metro Phoenix. I've now emptied the Rain Barrel Twice and taken The Son and The Granddaughter to Work, it's still pouring and Streets are flooding, so, I'd rather not be out in it but will finally get my Dental Appointment out of the way coz it's been delayed and re-scheduled numerous times for the past Six Months already. And I want it out of the way before the Holidays are upon us, I'd rather not have the Calendar packed with mandatory shit, so that I can just enjoy the Holidays and Autumn properly.
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A blustery inclement Weather kinda Climate Change evident Day... Dawn... The Bohemian
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